Raven

Where does all that come from?

When I was a kid (seemingly a very long time ago now!) there was a shop we used to stop at when my family were driving back from Exmoor, that used to sell a wonderful lime flavoured ice cream - that was all kinds of ace! Walls Midnight Mint ice creams where the biz as well, although that is once again showing my age! These days I find myself limited to Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip and Cookie Dough!

I don't think a book has ever been more relevant to our time than Nineteen-Eighty-four is today. ID cards, national databases that will keep a record of every phone call and e-mail you send, a government imposing laws in the name of "national security"?! Nineteen Eighty-Four had all of this and more, sixty years ago! It is both terrifying and fascinating in equal measure. Take Newspeak, for example, the idea of reducing the vocabulary of the populace so they don't have the raw ability to articulate their unhappiness with their given lot - what a brilliant idea! Orwell's vision of the future may not be how things have played out, but it has numerous disconcerting parallels with the society we live in today and I would strongly encourage anyone who hasn't read this to give it a try, it is a fantastic, bleak, but ultimately rewarding and thought-provoking book – personally I'd give it 10 out of 10.

The first book in this series is another book on my "to read" pile, I should learn to read faster!

I don't know why, but this doesn't appeal to me at all. I've been reading his Discworld books since the late eighties (I was nearly there at the beginning, I came in just before Sorcery was published!), and I love them, but this just doesn't sound very interesting - I'm not sure why. I will read it at some point, when it comes out in paperback I suspect, but I'm just not that fussed . . .

I'm sorry to see Tennant going, but he has had a good run - and been a cracking Doctor - and change is the nature of this beast after all. Some of the names being listed as replacements are frankly laughable - Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Davis?! What?! - what the show needs now is another good actor to follow Eccleston and Tennant, not a comedian or popular celebrity. The casting of this - I believe - will now be down to Steven Moffat, who is replacing Russell Davis for series five, so we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully it won't be James Nesbitt, but I wouldn't be adverse to Paterson Joseph (they were both in Jekyll, which was written and produced by Moffat).

It's only a two-parter I'm afraid, not a whole new series, but it did check all of the boxes: - Busty rebellious heroine? Check. - Moustache twirling villain? Check. - Traitor in the ranks? Check. I'm looking forward to next weeks finale. I've not read any of the books yet, but I do have a copy of Sharpe's Eagle on my "to read" pile.

Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. I saw a graphic novel of it last week and it reminded me - yet again - that I really must re-read the novel. Other than that, Lord of the Rings and Terry Pratchett's novels are firm favourites.

On book shelves, on the floor, in stacks on my bedside table, in cardboard boxes in cupboards and one solitary book of quotations next to the toilet (for when I really need inspiration!).

Chilli Prawn Linguini (with shaved Parmesan) is a top meal feast, but I'd have to add a second for Christmas dinner and roasts in general. I'm attempting roast lamb for the first time this weekend, looking forward to it!

Yes, tis a pity they killed him off, I really like the artwork he was churning out!

They probably OD'd on the CGI for the Gryphon! I'm liking this series, it's jolly good Saturday night fare.

A colleague and I were talking about Chunky KitKats at work the other day, the conversation went something like this: Me: I think I'll have a Chunky KitKat. Steve*: I don't like Chunky KitKats, I find them a bit sickly. I do like Chunky Peanut KitKats though . . . What?!!! *Name not changed, I see no reason to protect the guilty!

I have a pile of old cinema tickets I use as bookmarks.

Good film, I must watch it again some time. LA Confidential: Organised crime and guns The Godfather: Organised crime and guns Silence Of the lambs: Serial killers ahoy! Singing in The rain: Gene Kelly I can see a pattern there! In all seriousness though, I do like LA Confidential, a brilliantly conceived and realised film.

I'm currently trying to work out a list of my top ten films for a poll on another web site. I've whittled my choices down to the following, but I'm still trying to work out the exact order: Amelie Blade Runner Sideways Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Matrix Raiders of the Lost Ark Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Jaws Spirited Away

Ah, ole Wossy is alwight, but it depends who he has on as to whether the show is interesting or not. Back on topic, I'm looking forward to seeing this, as I'm interested to see if Freema Agyerman can act any better in this than she did in the last series of Doctor Who . . . Oh, and I do like a good spot of Dickens as well!

The Da Vinci Code. I've tried reading it twice now, and each time Dan Brown's appalling writing has caused my will to live to wither like an ice cube under a blowtorch. Very bad stuff indeed.

I'm not sure who Neville is in Auf Weidersehen Pet, but I'm assuming it is the character played by Jimmy Nail, in which case Yes - they are both from Newcastle. ETA: The other one is from Barrow in Furness (though I think he lives in Blackpool now - they visit home quite often in their programs!).

Yes, because of the writers strike, earlier this year, a number of films slated for release next summer didn't get out of the blocks. A number of films - Star Trek, for example - have already been pushed back from a late 2009 release to early/mid summer 2009 to fill the gap created by the strike. If they hadn't pushed Trek/Potter back, the respective studios wouldn't have had anything big to release over the summer, which is usually their most profitable period. I thought they did an excellent job in adapting The Order of the Phoenix, I've always felt the book was about 200 pages too long, and the film cut out a lot of the flab. It's a pity they aren't doing the same with The Deathly Hallows, but I suppose two hours of Harry and Hermione go camping will be fun . . . Hmm. Not quite, at least as far as I understand it. The first film will be The Hobbit, the second is going to be based on material written by Tolkien and will bridge the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The only thing I play is CDs. Yes! Lots! (sorry, it's late, I'll come back to this again another day!). I don't really have one, there is too much to like! Beethoven's Symphony No.3 "Eroica", a brilliant piece of music, especially the first movement. The best recording I have heard is the 1963 recording by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. I've got several of Hilary Hahn's albums (she is a violin player, in case you've not heard the name), but I'm not sure I would class her as my favourite soloist

Clarissa Dickson Wright is still alive - I think she had a book out recently - but Jennifer Paterson died a number of years back now.

No, you are talking about the Coen Brother's remake of the classic Ealing comedy, The Ladykillers.

Film 4 Wednesday night? I really must watch it at some point (although I realise the above wasn't meant as a recommendation!).

You're right though, it was very good! She's only recently developed these powers, perhaps whe will be a teenager forever (showing ID everywhere is going to get old real fast . . . ).