PatB

I watched a few minutes of a Doctor Who reaction video by a couple of Italian girls. I didn't understand any of it, except for one phrase - "bastardo Moffat!"

Oh, it's off, then, is it? I must keep up.

Just trawling threads from a year ago, and came across this. Well called.

"In addition, it is intended to take place in Europe and in the USA" I take this "in addition" to mean there will be at least three gigs - a main one in London, with two more in continental Europe and US.

I posted the above a bit too late, but I didn't know Mark would be in it until he was introduced. Still you can watch (if you're allowed) via BBC iPlayer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04d4vkz/world-war-i-remembered-from-westminster-abbey#group=p023t2xl Mark is interviewed first at around 2:40, and reads The Messages by Wilfred Gibson at 01:40:55. If you're blocked from iPlayer, here is the poem: “I CANNOT quite remember…. There were five Dropt dead beside me in the trench—and three Whispered their dying messages to me….” Back from the trenches, more dead than alive, Stone-deaf and dazed, and with a broken knee, He hobbled slowly, muttering vacantly: “I cannot quite remember…. There were five Dropt dead beside me in the trench, and three Whispered their dying messages to me…. “Their friends are waiting, wondering how they thrive— Waiting a word in silence patiently…. But what they said, or who their friends may be “I cannot quite remember…. There were five Dropt dead beside me in the trench—and three Whispered their dying messages to me….” Other readers during the service were: Penelope Keith Rachel Stirling (Diana Rigg's daughter) David Morrissey Pippa Bennet-Warner Sebastian Faulks Finally there's a very poignant performance of Vaughan Willams' The Lark Ascending by the violinist Jennifer Pike at 01:49:55 while the dignitaries gather round the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The WWI remembrance service being held in Westminster Abbey tonight, started 20 mins ago at 9.00 pm, BBC2. Will go on until 11:15. Mark will be reading a poem at some point in memory of the fallen.

The lack of respect Sherlock showed Mary with that remark is just one example of his lack of respect for everyone. His remark about John 'moving on' with his life when Sherlock was supposedly dead - "What life? I've been away" - was hardly more respectful. Or when he shouts at Mrs Hudson, "What is the point of you?". Or his advice to Molly: "I suggest you avoid all future attempts at a relationship, Molly". That's what Sherlock is like. We know that, and John knows that. John comes back for more, and so do we, in our millions. What can you do?

In case there's any misunderstanding, I raised the question of stereotyping in a slightly frivolous frame of mind. In another post in another thread I mentioned that the aim in BB seemed to be to evoke memories of Fu Manchu and the whole Victorian/Edwardian view of the Chinese as the mysterious "other". Conan Doyle's Holmes was born in that world, and I think it's legitimate and appropriate that the modernised Sherlock should occasionally forget its modernity and revive memories of that ethos. They've done it with the interior of 221b, which is simultaneously modern and cluttered-Victorian, with that appalling flock wallpaper so beloved of the pre-WWI interior decorators. Sherlock wears his deerstalker in an "ironic" way, but it's still a deerstalker, a piece of everyday wear in Edwardian times. His long coat is also modern, but just change its colour to khaki and it's a WWI trenchcoat straight out of Journey's End. In all kinds of ways they've sneaked in the old along with the new to achieve a tonal balance that is quite unique. The Chinese stereotyping in BB, far from being thoughtless or lazy, is a stylistic choice. And for me, given that the plot is so full of holes, the visual style is one of the main reasons to watch it.

Considering the amount of, ahem, stereotyping that went on in The Blind Banker, you have to wonder how it got such a big fanbase in China. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/sherlock-holmes-attracts-69m-viewers-3561710

Thanks for the welcome. I probably should have introduced myself, but I didn't notice that section of the forum until sometime later. Oh well, I live in Northern Ireland, formerly lving in London, even more formerly Cumbria, and most formerly Malawi... I go back a bit. Yep, I got that wrong, didn't I? I've just looked at that episode again. I must have confused it in my memory with a previous scene where we see them going towards the National Gallery. But still it's hard to match up that large outdoor cafe on a busy thoroughfare where the Lucky Cat Emporium is "just over there, Sherlock" with the tiny cafe on a tiny street where Sherlock and John had a cup of coffee, which turns out to be just over there from the Lucky Cat Emporium. Clash of scale somewhere. On the question of the Victorian/Edwardian lenses that we seem to be looking through, I noticed that Soo Lin is even wearing a high-collared dress in the museum while everyone else is in ordinary modern clothes; there's a gang called the Black Lotus; cat-like assassins who climb buildings from the outside; a sub-terranean world of scrawled messages; showdowns in dank, dripping tunnels... it looks like they were deliberately evoking the world of Fu Manchu. Nothing wrong with a girly crush occasionally, just for variety. And Soo Lin has such elegance and poise I might even have a girly crush on her myself. And I'm a bloke.

I quite enjoy BB, and I've seen it 3 times. I especially like the opening scenes and the idea of the girl hiding during the day and coming out at night to do the work on the pots. I also like the whole traditional Chinese thing, recalling Conan Doyle's own day more than our own, the ancient cross-bow, the circus acts, and so on. Basically a Victorian view of the Chinese as a rather sinister but colourful bunch. But the plot is pretty holey. Right away you know you're in for something quite implausible when Chinatown turns out to be about 100 yards up the road from Trafalgar Square. We also have to wonder at Soo Lin's tactical brain. She's supposed to have gone to ground to get away from the Chinese gangs, but unwisely rents a flat directly opposite the shop that serves as a rendezvous for its runners and smugglers. Could have done better, Soo Lin.