To be honest, no. It's impossible to watch someone destroying something you watch and not try and do something about it, although the word 'threat' is overstating the case a bit. It's more comparable to the constant protests during arch-bozo John Birt's reign at the Beeb - everyone knew he was fucking the organisation over, everyone protested, he stayed at the top and did as he liked, everyone else got ignored. Same deal here. Jane Root did not leave her job because of witty barbs posted on discussion forums, and neither will anyone else. And anyway, we *should* be getting angry about the state of TV, and a culture that prizes inanity and mediocrity and fears talent. Discuss.

The smell of fear...

A frozen tear...

Right on! I concur heartily with the esteemed Gremlin precursor. Although, on second thoughts, isn't this a bit like one of those "Enfield Mothers Against Dogshit" organisations, putting lots of time and effort campaigning about a trivial issue when there are things like Third World Debt to worry about?

> Although, on second thoughts, isn't this a bit like one of those "Enfield Mothers Against Dogshit" organisations, putting lots of time and effort campaigning about a trivial issue when there are things like Third World Debt to worry about?

I wouldn't really dismiss Television as 'trivial', given that it's the main form of media. And it is quite difficult to believe that between 60 million of us in the UK, only around a dozen of us can write a good sitcom. And even then, it's usually a one-off.

"And now on BBC1... Heartburn Hotel."