#bbc int

[lisbeth-kk]

New Fic Alert!

FINALLY! This fic has been waiting such a long time to be shared. Thanks to the amazing bunch of people I met at this year's Writer's Retreat, I got over the major bump in the road and finished it.

Look Me in the Eyes (Chapter 1)

Summary: From an early age, John has been fascinated by eyes. The older he got, the more dangerous that fascination became. It all culminated with a blow that scarred John's soul for life.

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@totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @calaisreno @helloliriels @raina-at

@meetinginsamarra @safedistancefrombeingsmart @gregorovitch-adler @topsyturvy-turtely @jolieblack

@peanitbear @phoenix27884 @bs2sjh @brandiwein1982 @meandhisjohn

@a-victorian-girl @221beloved @ninasnakie @shy-bi-letsfuckingdie @lhrinchelsea

@missdeliadilisblog @salmonsown @oetkb12 @jawnscoffee @gay-ass-bitch

@acumberlockedgirl @williamholmeswatson @whatnext2020

(Tell me if you want to be tagged or removed from the list)

[jungkookverse]

"Obviously, BTS are focusing on individual projects. What are you most looking forward to, though, when you all do get back together?"

[that-mr-e]

Piplinen från Jocke och Jonnas spökjakter till BBC ghosts är galen

[ivytwines]

the sims is so fun until you have to go fishing. this is like hell

[bladeofaramis]

I'm sure the 2014 show is fine but I have less than little interest in it and trying to find anything that Isn't the 2014 show is such a pain

[bohemain]

▉ ――   “             The criterion by which you measure the similarities between your pastries and Mrs. Hudson’s doesn’t follow,             ”             and he’s brisk to enter the apartment downstairs once given the invitation to.   She does look awful ––   in a non-judgmental albeit perhaps seemingly judgmental way,   eyes keep their attention on her while big strides take him into the kitchen.   The question is taken very literally as Sherlock rummages for the best possible tea bag and fills the kettle with fresh water,          “           Wasn't a problem,  actually ––   but breakfast was more expensive and slightly less delightful.   And I enjoy keeping things as they are,   routine makes life so much simpler.            ”          The smile he shoots over his shoulder back at Ellie is just a little too wide ;   that he goes through her cupboard with a near-insolent taken-for-grantedness until he’s picked out a mug,   he seems little concerned with.              “            Do you have eggs?   I used to make a soup for my sister whenever she was sick.   It works wonders ––   but I do need some eggs.            ”

☾ ─── ⋆ mrs. hudson had told ellie to take the day. that she would be able to handle things up stairs for however long ellie needed to get better. and who was ellie to argue with mrs. hudson. the woman had been running baker street long before the australian had even shown up on their door step. but by the sounds of the incessant knocking on her front door - mrs hudson may not have had everything under control. ellie didn't think that not being up stairs for the first time in however long she's been there would have been something sherlock would have noticed. but of course it was something he had noticed. with a mild groan and a sniff , ellie bundles herself up in her cardigan and shuffles to the door. she hasn't even looked at herself in the mirror all morning. pulling it open , she's certainly not surprised to see sherlock standing in the door way , her head droops and a sigh leaves her. yes she looked awful , don't remind her. brows furrowed. ❛ hey , mrs hudson's pastries are just as good. ❜ she mumbled , not even bothering to argue that he should stay on that side of her door , lord knows she doesn't need him getting sick - but she just steps aside , allowing him inside. ❛ how'd you ever survive before me ? ❜

[soylent-crocodile]

Chiropterex (Monster)

(artist unknown)

(Back in the distant era of the early 10s, my family got Netflix as a novelty. Nowadays streaming has consumed film and television like a rabid beast, but back then, my brother and I found a little British show called Primeval. Weaned on BBC nature documentaries from a young age, this was an exciting new spin on Walking with Dinosaurs, and we loved it.

The future predator is no question the most iconic creature of the series, a future bat that is both inspired by earlier spec evo and has gone on to inspire many other monster designs, including the earlier moorkutlot. It seems only fitting it be translated to Pathfinder.

By the way, I'm abandoning the proposed evolutionary history the later seasons provide- that these actually evolved to eat humans in a post-apocalyptic cityscape- and make them what I think is most obvious to me.)

CR3 TN Medium Animal HD5

Chiropterex are an aberrant species of roughly wolf-sized terrestrial bat, an arboreal, nocturnal apex predator of the islands it calls home, where no other land mammals have reached. They live in small family groups of about four to six members, typically consisting of a mated pair, a nest of about six children, a few children of previous years who stay around to help, and maybe one or two aunts or uncles. Typically, however, they hunt alone, feeding on seabirds and large moa-like ratites who evolved alongside them. These family groups keep in contact with each other using echolocation, and if a lone hunter runs into a struggle, it will call on the dissembled family to help.

Chiropterex are notorious man-eaters, and many a shipwrecked crew has met its end at a family of ravenous land bats. Many peoples of island cultures consider chiropterex to be evil spirits, and indeed there is at least one island where the magic of The Abyss has infected the local population of these predatory beasts.

Some outsiders have tried to domesticate chiropterex, or at the very least use them as weapons. They are a tempting subject of domestication; they are mobile, intelligent, fast-growing and have large clutch sizes, but all attempts so far have ended disastrously.

Chiropterex Companions

Starting Statistics: AC: +4 Size: Small Speed: 30ft, Climb 30ft Attacks: Bite (1d3), 2 Claw (1d4) Ability Scores: Str:10 Dex:22 Con:8 Int:2 Wis:12 Cha:7 Special Qualities: Blind, Blindsight 90ft, Scent Lv 4 Advancement: Size: Medium Attacks: Bite (1d4), 2 Claw (1d6) Ability Scores: Str +4 Dex -2 Con +2 Special Qualities: Flurry of Strikes

This hunched over creature has long, clawed arms and a bulbous head that ends in a short, needle-toothed mouth.

Misc- CR3 TN Medium Animal HD5 Init:+5 Senses: Perception:+6 Blind, Blindsight 90ft, Scent Stats- Str:14(+2) Dex:20(+5) Con:10(+0) Int:2(-4) Wis:12(+2) Cha:7(-2) BAB:+3 Space:5ft Reach:5ft Defense- HP:25(5d8) AC:19(+5 Dex, +4 Natural) Fort:+4 Ref:+9 Will:+3 CMD:21 Immunity: Gaze and other visual effects Weakness: Vulnerability to Sonic  Offense- Bite +5(1d4+2, 18-20/x2), 2 Claw +5(1d6+2) CMB:+6 Speed:30ft, Climb 30ft Special Attacks: Pounce, Flurry of Strikes +3/+3/+3/+3(1d6+2) Feats- Dodge, Mobility Skills- +11 Climb, +10 Stealth, +6 Perception(+8 Racial to Climb) Special Qualities- Flurry of Strikes Ecology- Environment- Forest, Urban (Warm) Languages- None Organization- Solitary, Family (2-4 Chiropterex, 6-8 Young Chiropterex) Treasure- None Special Abilities- Blindsight (Ex)- A chiropterex’s blindsight is echolocation-based; it cannot sense within areas of Silence or similar spells. Flurry of Strikes (Ex)- A chiropterex may, as a full-round action, give a flurry of stabbing strikes from its claws. It makes four Claw attacks at a -2 penalty each. 

[silvereyedowl]

What We Know About Series 14

Doctor Who series 14 is coming up next year. This is a roundup of advance information and leaks about the season and the preceding Christmas special. Sources are at the very bottom below the cut.

CAST

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Unlike his predecessors, this Doctor changes his outfit a lot.

Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Like her actress, Ruby is a native of Manchester.

Returning characters:

Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, head of UNIT.

Bonnie Langford as former companion Mel Bush.

Villains:

Jinkx Monsoon as a villain favouring piano-themed attire, described as "the Doctor's most powerful enemy yet". Not everyone survives the encounter...

Indira Varma as the Duchess. RTD: "a whole new audience will be hiding behind the settee when the Duchess unleashes her terror." Varma previously played Suzie Costello on 2 episodes of Torchwood.

Other characters:

Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam.

Jonathan Groff as a "mysterious key" character.

Lenny Rush as Morris, in time for the Doctor's "greatest nightmare". RTD: "But what secrets does he hold? What's secreted in the Segway?! And will his terrifying probabilities be proved true..?"

Jack Forsyth-Noble as Will.

Gemma Arrowsmith and Mary Malone will appear in the Christmas special, while Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy and Billy Brayshaw will appear in separate episodes.

Also announced to be appearing: Sophie Ablett, Anita Dobson, Michelle Greenidge, Bhav Joshi, Millie Kent, Eilidh Loan, Pete MacHale, Miles Yekinni, Hemi Yeroham. Dobson previously appeared in the audio play "Blood of the Daleks".

EPISODES

There will be a Christmas special in December 2023, followed by an eight-episode season. (The BBC posted that the season would air in spring, but then removed the information.) Russell T Davies is the showrunner.

A guest star from 2005 returned for the special.

Episode 1's title was coincidentally spoken aloud in a third-season episode of Star Trek: Picard. It includes the words roar, Glastonbury, and conquistador.

Episode 2 contains the words Liverpool, legions, and non-diegetic. Scene 10 begins "INT. CANTEEN. DAY."

RTD thinks episode 4 is one of the best things he's ever written. The line "I once went to the top of the Shard" was cut from it.

The script for episode 7 begins with the line "INT. COFFEE BAR, USA — DAY, 1947".

Episode 8 will contain the words kingdom, gold, and Tigella. Scene 73, featuring the Doctor and Ruby in the TARDIS while "enemies are being fought", was the last scene filmed for the season.

There's a 1960s episode, featuring the Doctor and Ruby in snazzy period outfits.

The episode guest-starring both Varma and Groff will be set in the Regency era. "Dress to impress, and beware the Duchess."

CREATOR RAMBLINGS

According to RTD, we will be "staggered" by the 2023 festive season surprises.

There are monsters which are "impossible to describe" without referencing Fourth and Seventh Doctor adventures.

RTD promises that there are "plans still unfurling" which have yet to be made public.

Production designer Philip Sims said he was excited about "designing a new Dalek".

Davies has hinted that the blue doors Michelle Greenidge and Anita Dobson were photographed with are significant.

Script editor Scott Handcock mentioned filming which required nine babies, as well as Ncuti and Millie.

Monsoon's first day on set "teams her with an unexpected name from the Tom Baker era".

Anita Dobson has said she's playing Ruby's neighbour, whose name is either Mrs. Flood or Blood.

RTD used a potato emoji while commenting on publicity photos from the Regency episode (Sontarans?). Davies was also very coy about the identity of Groff's character.

RTD mentioned one episode having gone through three titles with no decision having yet been made. Another episode had "sixpence" in the title for a while, until the coin was cut.

RTD teased a famous guest star appearing in a scene with a giant statue head in the finale.

While writing about the final days of filming, RTD said that "Yasmin Finney wrapped a few days ago".

OTHER

Filming began on December 7, 2022 and wrapped on July 14, 2023.

Block One was directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. Block Two was directed by Mark Tonderai. It included the Christmas special. Block Three was directed by Julie Anne Robinson. It contains "two wildly different episodes, by two different writers". Block Four was directed by Ben Chessell. Block Five was directed by Jamie Donoghue.

Posters of the Doctor and Ruby.

Fifteen will be getting a brand-new sonic screwdriver.

previous

Leaks and sources below the cut!

LEAKS

Michelle Greenidge appears to be playing Ruby Sunday's mother. Since Greenidge and Millie Gibson are different ethnicities, she is presumably an adoptive, foster, or step mother.

Campaign posters for the "Albion Party", with Roger ap Gwilliam as the "Space Saviour", were spotted on location filming.

Jinkx Monsoon is in the '60s episode.

Millie Kent is playing Valerie, and Sophie Ablett is Marti Bridges.

Mel Bush will be appearing in the season finale.

Reports from finale location filming, albeit second-hand, of someone on set saying, "This is where the Daleks come in".

According to his CV, Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy will be playing Carson in an episode directed by Julie Anne Robinson.

Davina McCall may be the returning 2005 guest star. She will apparently host a genealogy show on which Ruby appears, and will be crushed by a falling Christmas tree.

RUMOURS

UNIT may be getting its own spinoff. (SOURCE)

The DWM production journal has led some fans to theorize Steven Moffat will be returning as a writer.

SOURCES

Doctor Who filming begins with new director

Doctor Who filming in Penarth as Doctor and companion costumes revealed

Doctor Who filming at Capitol Shopping Center in Cardiff

Doctor Who filming with new monster at Swansea Bay Campus

Doctor Who filming in Newport with UNIT, Space Saviour and companion

Doctor Who filming in Swansea: new monster details

Doctor Who filming with Aneurin Barnard at Cardiff City Stadium

Doctor Who filming with Millie Gibson on a moving train from Cardiff

Doctor Who filming at Loudoun Square flats

Doctor Who Filming in Bristol With Millie Gibson, Michelle Greenidge and Anita Dobson

Doctor Who filming in Pembrokeshire with Millie Gibson

Doctor Who filming: new photos of Millie Gibson in Pembrokeshire

Photos snapped of Millie Gibson filming Doctor Who

Doctor Who filming: Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in Pembrokeshire

Doctor Who filming in Bristol with Millie Gibson and Anita Dobson

Russell T Davies talks “exciting” Doctor Who scenes as programme films in Bristol

Doctor Who filming with Ncuti Gatwa at two venues in Cardiff

Doctor Who filming: Block Three begins

Doctor Who filming: clue found for secret location filming

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson film 1960s Doctor Who scenes

Doctor Who films in Bristol with Ncuti Gatwa and Jinkx Monsoon

Doctor Who filming in Cardiff with Beatles connection

New Doctor Who photos of Jonathan Groff alongside Nucti Gatwa and Millie Gibson

Doctor Who filming at Margam Park

Doctor Who films more scenes with a Beatles connection

Doctor Who films in Cardiff theatre

Doctor Who films in Cardiff with Ncuti Gatwa and Bonnie Langford

Michelle Greenidge films Doctor Who in Cardiff

Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson and Bonnie Langford film Doctor Who in Cardiff

Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa film Doctor Who at Cardiff City Hall

Doctor Who films scooter stunt on Cardiff streets

Bonnie Langford and Ncuti Gatwa film Doctor Who scenes on a scooter

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson film Doctor Who in Barry

[helyiios]

On danse pas

Or that one time Benji went on a solo mission.

Benji says “lol” and Ethan loses his entire fucking mind.

He’s staring at his friend through a screen, watches as he’s being reviewed by Alan Hunley, who looked extremely displeased, by the way, and he can’t help but want to make the room explode.

Or something.

“Did you just say “lol,” agent Dunn ?” the Secretary asks, closing his eyes slowly, “or did I mishear that ?”

“I don’t know what else to say ?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You could explain to me what the fuck happened during your mission, for example. Just for example.”

“Nothing went wrong with this mission.”

Ethan grimaces. With a kill count of fifty three, three civilians, a building in flames, collapsed on itself, and a few people straight up murdered, he wouldn’t say that nothing went wrong. He loves Benji, he really does, he thinks he’s a fantastic guy, truly, but they had to stop sending him on solo missions. Honestly.

“You caused an explosion in Central London,” Hunley states, spreading papers on the table, “do you know how many people got hurt ?”

“Some ?”

“Seventy six. With fifty three dead.”

“Don’t think that’s the biggest I can go,” Benji offers with a genuine smile, and Ethan slams his own head against the wall. “No but I mean, sir, no offence, but I didn’t let that building explode because I had planned it. They had extremely dangerous weapons stored there, and I can’t exactly steal a PHASR in my little purse and come back to the IMF.”

“So your plan of action was to destroy them. By fucking up the entire locals of ARCH.tech.”

“Yeah ? I mean, I stole the blueprints first, didn’t you read the report ?”

“Benjamin Dunn,” Hunley warns, voice low and dangerous, “you’re going to have to use another tone with me.”

“You’re acting like I did something crazy ! Personally, I only killed, like, ten people. Max ! The rest was the explosion.”

“Do you know how angry MI6 is about this ?”

“Well maybe if they hadn’t thrown me out back when I tried to get in they wouldn’t have had to worry about this,” Benji mumbles petulantly, crossing his arms. “Look, I’m sorry for the deaths. I didn’t mean it !”

“You’re not sorry, you don’t care !”

“It’s not like I can care about everyone in this world,” he protests with a grimace. “I’m not Mother Theresa.”

Hunley holds back a scream of frustration, choosing to rub his hands on his face instead.

One thing about Benji Dunn, is that he was efficient. When with Team Hunt, he proved to be resourceful and a master at tech related support. When alone…

Well, his first solo mission had been a breeze. He’d done his part, had come back, gotten slapped on the back, and all was great. Peachy, even. So he’d gotten cleared to get sent on more solo missions. Which always ended…correctly.

Until this one.

Where he’d gone completely looney, and pushed the big red button, and gotten a review as a thanks. And he had had the gall to be displeased about it.

“You were on the news, Benji !”

“Lol,” Benji says out loud again, like an actual fucking lunatic, “yeah, I saw. The BBC. I actually watched it from a bar. Made me blush.”

“Why aren’t you taking this seriously ?!”

“You’re making this a bigger mess than it is !”

“YOU BLEW UP A FUCKING BUILDING IN CENTRAL LONDON !” Hunley screeches, and Benji recoils a little, puckering his lips annoyedly.

“Bad foundations, what can I say.”

“I’m going to get you pulled away from field activities.”

“You can’t,” Benji notes, wiggling his index at him with a laugh, “you need me too much.”

“You’re over estimating your worth.”

“That’s mean.”

“Look,” the Secretary sighs, clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth, “can you at least admit you went a bit overboard with the whole thing ?”

The agent shrugs.

“Sure, if that makes you happy. At the end of the day, I picked up on Bailey’s fuckup at ARCH and I got the info needed. And destroyed their weapons.”

“Ah, yes, but agent Bailey did not kill fifty three people.”

“There’s no free lunch,” Benji just says, visibly very little interested in the whole thing. “Also, I made a very clear a nice report on the whole incident. You can’t even call me lazy.”

“Yes, your report was good.” A pause. “What ? That’s not the point ! Does your team know ?”

A frown.

“Why would they ? They’re not concerned by it.”

“Thought it would shock them.”

“I don’t really care,” Benji whines, “I did my bloody job and I’m getting lectured over it !”

“Well,” Hunley finally says, giving up completely, “do try not to do something like that again. Please.”

“Do you want us to, like, pinky promise ?” he offers, holding out his hand with a crooked pinky finger.

“Get out of my office, Dunn.”

The agent bursts out laughing but gets up all the same, dusting his shirt carefully.

“Oh, and Benji ?”

“Yeah ?”

“Why did you fail the MI6 entrance exam ?”

A pause.

“Psych tests,” he grimaces.

Hunley tips his head back, face in his hands.

“Yeah. Figures.”

[notasapleasure]

I have that new Lord Lucan documentary on because 1) I thought it would be connected to the sensitive and thoughtful podcast I've been catching bits of on BBC radio and 2) mindless distraction from Everything

But it turns out to be very different from the podcast, and so I'm just drifting in for the occasional weird quotes or vibes.

It does get a lot more engaging in eps 2 and 3 but is also kind of.... let's harass the elderly with the help of AI. 🙃

A summary:

"crying into his prawns in Mozambique"

...

Chirpy Australian accent: "fake monk!!"

...

"Bezza Dougal... it's a little bit hippy, little bit out there..."

"Is it?"

"....*fleeting expression of doubt* y...yeah?"

...

"If you went by the book and did it how you were trained to, then...you wouldn't be creating a fake id and infiltrating a Buddhist commune."

*opens mouth, pauses, lets out a deep sigh* "...no..."

...

"This path has been littered with skeletons of my journalistic colleagues for decades before me."

...

"Waste of time, loadsa posh words..."

"But these people do facial recognition for the police."

"Well that's a worry, int it?"

...

"No going rogue, Neil."

*crickets*

...

"If you're not Lord Lucan then...then who are you? And he said...I was birthed into Stonehenge and brought up by the druids."

...

"Potentially a murderer or... potentially an old man who's just into peace and karma?"

...

"That was rather dystopian but he is ruthless sometimes in his compassion and he's got to a place where he's...maybe not...as outwardly loving. kindness. as you'd ordinarily expect from. someone. like him. um."

...

"I'm not a fucking Buddhist, I'm not anything!"

...

"We were all female impersonators. Very good at what we did!"

...

"There was a lot of grass being...uh...smoked."

...

"If he was onstage in Canada in 1969...how could he be Lord Lucan."

"Tricky."

"Yeah."

...

"If you're gonna go on the run for fifty years you ain't gonna go as Lord Lucan, are ya?"

...

And then we wrap up with the female director having to be Neil's mum #3 and talk him out of his lifelong obsession.

The end.

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Obscure Performances: Sweetnightgoodheart and its time traveling release date(s)

Heya all you David Tennant fans! I'm back with a small thread about a 2001 short film which David starred in called Sweetnightgoodheart (hereafter called SNGH).

SNGH was 9:16 in length. It was written and directed by Dan Zeff and produced by Litmus Productions in association with Bliss.com films for BBC Films. Its original title was Sweetnight Goodheart (with the two words separated) but somewhere along the way, the words were connected.

More about the title, this time from the BFI: "This entertaining short film takes a lighthearted look at the anxiety of modern relationships. The mix up of the title - a play on the familiar WWII song 'Goodnight Sweetheart' - highlights the confusion and miscommunication that is the film's premise."

Now, although I just said it was released in 2001.....if you look at the IMDb entry above very closely, I'm sure you've noticed it says 2005.

This, my friends, is wrong. And I'm about to prove it.

According to the British Film Institute, SNGH was one of the short films which made its premiere in August of 2001 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was a nominee for Short Films. It also screened at the 45th Regus London Film Festival as part of their Urbania Shorts slot in November of 2001, and was a nominee for Short Cuts & Animation.

Sooooo.....unless David and everyone involved with the project are all time travelers and they somehow filmed the short in 2005 but took it back to 2001 to show at the festivals?....well, you get the picture.

After SNGH's premiere at the two festivals, it was sold to HBO and Cinemax. It was broadcast in the USA (and yes, you read that right!) on Cinemax beginning in August of 2002. It was shown every couple of months or so until July of 2004. It was first aired on HBO beginning in March of 2003 and was broadcast intermittently until June of 2004. Judging by the broadcast listings, it appears both networks used it as short "filler" material in between their full-length movie offerings. And after those two stopped airing it, PBS in the USA then aired it as part of its Imagemakers series in September of 2005. Here are some newspaper blurbs (with the newpaper titles and dates above them) to prove these broadcasts occurred:

Further proof? On Valentine's Day of 2009, the BFI screened SNGH with its other main features. That screening's entry for the short also says it was released in 2001.

I wanted to find out why IMDb would say 2005, so I poked around a bit. Oddly, its release date information specifies "Hungary" (okaaay?), while sources elsewhere have the 2005 date noted as the date of its "world premiere". The Hungary release date might well be accurate, but I'm not sure exactly what world premiere means...besides, it's obviously an error (since we've already shown it aired in the US in 2002 through 2004). So I think we can safely cross out 2005, don't you?

But ohhhh, we're not yet done on the dates, because some sources also give a release date of 2003! This date, however, is much easier to explain. The 2003 date originates from its initial broadcast on BBC2. It aired as a part of a 50-minute program called Ways To Leave Your Lover (hereafter called WTLYL) at 11:20 pm on 25 March 2003. WTLYL featured five 10-minute short films with a common thread - the end of love. in addition to SNGH, the other four films were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine.

So...now that we've taken care of the date mix-up, let's get into the short itself!

SNGH starred David as Pete, and Kate Ashfield - who he would also go on to star with in a 2002 audio drama called The Island and in 2005's Secret Smile - as Juliet. It also starred Diana Hardcastle as Anthea, Cliff Parisi as Colman, and Thusitha Jayasundera as Yasmin. Here is the archived BBC press release for WTLYL before it was aired.

And the plot? Well, if you haven't yet seen SNGH here's a great plot synopsis which might intrigue you enough to chase it down. It's from the 23 March 2003 edition of the Sunday Times: "Dan Zeff's cautionary tale Sweetnightgoodheart observes [how] David Tennant's attempts to ditch his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) spiral out of control." And from the

Here are also a couple of photos!

And while we're at it, here are a number of short summaries - and one longer article from the Evening Standard which includes a photo! - which appeared in various newspapers when WTLYL aired in 2003:

During my research into the origins of SNGH, I've seen the BBC series it featured in variably titled as Ways To Leave Your Lover, and Eight Ways To Leave Your Lover. This discrepancy appears both in print and on the CVs of various actors and crew involved with the project (here's an example). While not confirmed, my belief is Eight Ways to Leave Your Lover was a working title. Five films aired on the program, but I've found an additional two which didn't (which makes me think there was a third whose title I have not been able to ascertain). I believe that at some point in the process, a decision was made to remove three of the films originally scheduled to air, and the name was changed accordingly.

in addition to SNGH, the other four films aired during WTLYL were Stag, Dog, Unscrew, and Dumping Elaine. I didn't find places to watch most of them, but you can see Dog and Dumping Elaine at the links I've provided. Here's what I know about them:

---

Stag - written by Ian Iqbal Rashid and starring Stuart Laing and Nitin Ganatra: a bridegroom wakes up on the morning of his wedding in bed with the best man.

Dog - written by Andrea Arnold and starring Joanne Hill, Freddie Cunliffe and Veronica Valentine: a fifteen year-old girl finds the will to stand up for herself when she witnesses a disturbing and violent incident.

Unscrew - written by Clara Glynn and starring Douglas Henshall and Emma Fielding: a surreal short about a guy whose girlfriend unscrews his penis and takes it with her when they begin separating their belongings after their breakup.

Dumping Elaine - written by Peter Lydon and starring Susan Lynch, Matthew Delamere and Dido Miles: waitresses play Cupid.

---

SNGH is archived at the BFI on VHS and Beta, and in two master forms (16mm/35mm). You can see it there, but I'll save you a trip: while a 4.35G digital copy was made off the master, there's no access to it. The viewing copy MP4 is only 305MB.

If you've read this far, you're probably wondering how you can see it. There are plenty of ways! If you are a registered BFI Screenonline user - and registration is free for users in UK libraries, colleges and universities - you can watch it here (and perhaps download it, though I'm given to understand it's only available for download during certain times). It's also floating around the webs in various forms and qualities on Vimeo, Dailymotion, FilmNow, etc. All of these aren't the greatest of quality, but it's the best we've got. Ah, for a better quality video file taken off the master copy!

But I'd recommend watching it at Dan Zeff's own website.

And that's it for Sweetnightgoodheart. I hope you've enjoyed reading about it as much as I have writing and researching it!

[tiodolma]

HUNITH FREAKING KNEW EVERYTHING

i gave the woman too much benefit of the doubt and im getting slapped with canon lore that she's more bonkers that the arthuriana mother.

[INT. KING’S PALACE, PHYSICIAN'S CHAMBERS – DAY] [Merlin packs for their journey.] MERLIN Who were the dragonlords? Gaius? [Merlin pulls Gaius out of his contemplative pacing.] GAIUS There were once men who could talk to the dragons, tame them. MERLIN What happened to them? GAIUS Uther believed that the art of the dragonlord was too close to magic. So he had them all rounded up and slaughtered. MERLIN But one survived. How did you know? GAIUS I helped him escape. MERLIN Gaius. GAIUS Merlin, you've never heard the name Balinor? MERLIN No. GAIUS Your mother never mentioned him? MERLIN My mother? GAIUS She took him in. MERLIN She stood up against Uther? GAIUS Yes. MERLIN She was brave. GAIUS Yes. When Uther discovered where Balinor was, he sent knights to Ealdor to hunt him down. He was forced to flee. MERLIN Why didn't my mother tell me any of this? GAIUS Merlin, I promised her I would never speak of these things. MERLIN Of what? GAIUS I've always treated you as my son, but that is not what you are. The man you are going to look for is your father. MERLIN My father? GAIUS Yes. MERLIN He was a dragonlord? Why did no one ever tell me?! GAIUS I wanted to. Your mother feared it would be too dangerous. MERLIN I had a right to know! GAIUS She wanted to protect you. MERLIN No. I had a right to know.

Hunith is exactly Merlin's mother in the Arthuriana text, even the ones where the dad is the succubus boyfriend. In Merlin BBC, the demonkind of classic arthuriana are now the dragonlords or the magic-folk in the in-universe lore.

She wanted merlin to fit in with her kind by making himself useful even if it was going to be against his kin.

Why would she even do all of these? my guess would be... first of all she ain't a person of magic but she was living in a kigndom with a sovereign who would have welcomed magic users in his court. Maybe she wanted to be a subject of a camelot-like society in the long-run, a place for people like her. i understand better that she might have a had lingering fear of ppl like her ex-boyfriend and would rather stick to her own non-magic kind.

That's why i cannot understand people when they say the writers were stupid. They knew what they were adapting. These concepts were lifted straight from the oldest Merlin texts.

I still cant believe it. Poor BBC merlin. He seriously didn't deserve any of these. At least Merlin in Classic and Medieval Arthuriana knew exactly what his father was and choose by his own will to shun his own kind. This bbc merlin was lied to at all fronts. This also makes me wanna slap him coz he did the same to morgana and arthur

So is Hunith bad or good? My answer, she's as fucked up as the rest of them. "Protecting" your child by making him hide and fear what he is, denying the truth from him and sending him to work near his father's killer, to the place where he will most definitely be executed, to the place where he'd know nothing but to dislike on his own heritage more.... when the kingdom she belongs to actually gives her son a better chance of survival... is such a bonkers logic. Good Job Hunith! Thanks for helping in messing up your son's life, like all mothers do!

Happy Mother's day!

[tiodolma]

Then op i suggest you read this first.

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/tiodolma/706666250621927424

TLDR Morgana is an insurgent/rebel. If you havent grown up in an insurrectionist country with regular terrorist threats and extrajudicial kilings like me then you must understand that going back to help the state after (1)you have been thoroughly radicalized (2)if you felt that it has betrayed you to your core ...is not that easy.

Morgana is a compelling character for me because many people where i live are just like her. I have relatives who almost became like her. We dont call them "evil” here. We shouldnt. Our government have counterinsurgency programs to help bring them back to the fold because branding them "evil” or killing everyone who disagreed with the government, even those who have taken up arms and have committed crimes because their grievances were not solved... is inhuman and fascist.

Also "she choose to turn into an extremist” sorry dear but she wasnt the only one. Merlin is an extremist too and has been an extremist since 1x06. You only call him "good” because he used extremism, his absolutism, his vigilanteism, his usage of murder as an act of self-defense for the protection for the crown.

I know you guys liked merlin. I defended him like this too. But they are both at fault.

many people think that morgana wouldn't have turned evil if merlin had told her he had magic too because then she wouldn't have been so alone, but while that is true, she still would've hated uther for hating magic and that hatred would only grow and once she failed getting merlin to join her in her war (because he wouldn't) she still would've gone to morgause etc etc...

[anticomedygarden]

Trick, or treat?!

hi, lovely anon!

i may have mentioned before that i like to write isolated scenes of characters losing it when i'm going through shit to let off steam, so here is a piece of one of those that no one will ever see in full, modified into a one shot

-

Throughout his Gran's speech, Henry's hands became more and more sweaty, eventually getting to the point where he had to concentrate to keep them from slipping out of each other's grasp. It wasn't just the nerves; London had been on the receiving end of a massive heat wave - global warming, of course - and temperatures had breached 35 degrees Celsius for the first time that summer. It was no doubt deliberate - calling people together at unusual and uncomfortable places and all that - but if Mary thought discomfort would make him more pliable, she was sorely mistaken.

And that's what Henry was afraid of.

Because when his grandmother beckoned him up to the podium to give his speech, the speech so heavy in imperialistic and colonial ideals it would have made Philip uncomfortable, Henry found he couldn't do it. He made his way to the podium alright, but looking out into the faces he was supposedly responsible for, many of which were decked out in so many colored stripes and 'History, huh?' shirts one would think it was still June, he physically could not force himself to open his mouth and give this speech.

Thank you, Your Majesty. It is with great honor that I stand here today in front of such a wonderful people with the soul of our nation's history behind me.

Five years ago, he would have spoken the words laid out for him mechanically, filled with disgust for himself, because he thought that was his only option. Five years ago, he was so far in the closet, he didn't know which way was out.

Five years ago, he thought Alex hated him.

Things change, and he didn't have to take the Crown any longer.

He opened his mouth.

-

The moment Henry stepped on stage, Alex knew something was wrong.

It was 4:30 in the morning in New York, and Alex was watching the BBC broadcast of the royal speeches at the Tower of London. He couldn't give two shits about what the queen had to say, but he wanted to see Henry, and Henry looked like hell.

Just two nights before, Alex had traced and kissed and licked muscles over and over again until they fell flat, relaxed and strung out. Now, those muscles were rock hard, visibly straining against his suit, and only getting tenser the longer the queen spoke.

TV Henry stepped up to the podium and glanced down at the paper in front of him, then looked back up to give a speech Alex would never forget.

"Good morning, London," he began. For a second, he glanced down at the podium, and for a second, Alex thought everything was fine, that Henry was just gonna read off the script. Then he shook his head. "The speech prepared for me today is lovely, really. Kudos to whoever wrote it." Off to the side, Mary's eyes took on a hard expression. She didn't look mad, exactly; she would never let the public see her emote, but seen clearly wasn't happy. "But that's not my problem with it. You see, this speech weaves a beautiful tapestry of my family's history. A history that, when looked at with any kind of humane lens, is riddled with horrors, not least of which is actual genocide."

Alex's mouth dropped open. "Holy shit," he muttered, clutching the chain around his neck through his ratty pajama shirt. "Oh my god, he's gonna get assassinated."

Poor bleary David looked up at Alex then, but the brown haired man couldn't tear his eyes off the TV, not even when his phone started ringing.

Henry continued. "It's not like you even have to look very far to find it, not when this country is still actively involved in world affairs it has no business being involved in, or when I by myself am worth €25 million, and we have over 270,000 homeless people in the UK." He laughed, sending a shock through Alex's body, causing him to jump.

"Holy fuck, that's my boyfriend," he said into the empty living room. Then, louder, "That's my boyfriend." He was so fucking proud. (Worried, exponentially so, but also so proud.)

When Henry looked back at the crowd, his eyes were a bit manic. With a heavy hand, he slapped the podium and thrust an arm back, gesturing behind him at the Tower. "Look at that! I am literally standing in front of years of brutal colonialism, funded by jewels that aren't even ours! And it's right there! All in there."

Mary was still standing there, except now she was looking at a spot beyond the camera's sight line. Alex hoped to god it wasn't security. It was probably security.

It was okay, though, because Henry's arms were back down at his sides, although he was breathing heavily. "I apologize."

Alex breathed out a sigh, unsure if it relieved or disappointed.

"That's not quite true. Much of what we stole is in museums."

"Oh my god." For the first time in their relationship, Henry was the one fucking up a public appearance, and Alex was absolutely terrified for him.

On their call the night before, he'd mentioned something about the queen being worse than normal and making life generally miserable at the palace, but never in a million years did Alex anticipate Henry doing this.

"For now, I've got nothing left to say, which is probably a good thing since many of you are eyeing me quite distastefully, including my own security." He turned and got halfway off the podium before turning back around, holding up a fist, and saying, "Stay proud, London!" Then he left, disappearing out of the TV screen.

Alex didn't stay to see what happened next, instead scrambling for his phone. His thumb hesitated when he got to his contacts. Should he call Zahra, who could get him on a plane in the next half hour? Or Henry, who needed him?

He called Henry, obviousky. "Holy shit, sweetheart-"

"Alex, oh my god," Henry interrupted. "I'm coming home."

"Really?" Alex said, pausing on the stairs. Henry was still supposed to have two weeks left in London. "I was gonna come to you."

"No, I'm coming home," he said firmly. "Shaan said I can be on a flight within the hour. I'm not staying any longer than I have to."

"Okay. Cool. Hey, just out of curiosity, and feel free not to answer, but does this mean you've decided about abdicating?"

Henry laughed humorlessly. "I don't think I have a choice anymore."

"You always have a choice, sweetheart." Though Alex had to admit, it did not feel like it right now.

"Yeah." Alex heard a ragged breath on the other end of the line. "Alright. I think it's a yes. Right now. But we'll have to talk about it."

"Okay." Alex took a deep breath. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you in a few hours."

"See you, too."

He hung up and sat down heavily on the stairs, elbows on his knees and staring dumbly at the floor.

Holy shit.

[kajaono]

Why I prefere 2023 Constance... and still like BBC Constance

Take in mind, I write this at a point where I have only watched BBC The Musketeers season 1 and The Three Musketeers 2023 - part 1

So I recently started watching a lot of different The Three Musketeers adaptations. And all of them have a really different approach on Constance. The one dimensional love interest to the Dinsney Princess. BBC The Musketeers and The Musketeers 2023 have choosen a way more interesting approach.

BBC The Musketeers has given Constance much more involvment in the story, changed her from "a love interested" into a woman with her own motivations, her own story, her own power.

The Three Musketeers 2023, stayed closer to the book but carefully updated Constance. 2023 is still a love interest, a damsal in distress.

So why do I prefere 2023 Constance over BBC Constance?

1. In the book D'artagnan is horny for every decent looking woman who crosses his path. He often kisses them without permission (Constance) or their knowledge (Milady). And it mostly played as a joke. When women refuse him, he never accepts that. It is potrayed as "no means yes". Both BBC and 2023 updated that. In the 2023 movie it is really well shown how D'artagnan looses every braincell everytime Constance (or any other woman) enters the room (Not that he has any in the first place). When he is around Constance he comes closer to her, comes into her personal space, heavy flirts with her, is always around her. But he NEVER never ever kisses her. When they finally kiss it is Constance who makes the first moves. It is her decision, and the kiss is a 100% build on consent. In BBC they choose anotehr approach, that was really clever imo. D'artagnan kisses Constance without consent, to hide from the people behind him (a nice wink to the book). But then gets punshed by her. So far... i like it. Now comes the bit where i struggle. The scene quickly takes a drastic turn. Suddenly our hero trambles and falls. Constance is not only helping him, but also giving him a home. Which frames the scene as: "Its not okay to kiss a woman without her permission. But if you are meant to be together... its okay." Which is so wrong and weakens the previous statement of "don't kiss women without their permission!"

2. In the books Constances husband is a comic relief. He has no real story relevance, apart from one bit, but all in all he is just dumb and disgusting. So 2023 wasn't the first adaptation to get rid of him. He was allready erased in the 2011 movie. It simplifies the story a lot and also takes away the "Constance is a cheater"-narrative. Which in the book is potrayed: "Its okay thing to do, because he is old and disgusting and dumb af. He is basically begging his wife to cheat on him." With erasing him in the 2023 movie it also gives Constance more autonomy over her own life. Makes her more independent. Which is really cool, because she makes her living on her own. In the BBC show I struggle a lot with her husband. Because he isn't an asshole, he isn't old and he isn't super dumb. He is just... there. Or most of the time, he isn't actually. He only appears to pepper in drama in the Constance/D'artagnan relationship, and is then painted as the asshole. That is weak writting imo. They can have sex in his house but then he has to magically re-appear to ruin the relationship? Come on. I think his character could have worked if they worked with him more.

3. I can understand that the BBC show wanted to have more female power among the main cast. Which is totally understandable, considering the book is completly centered around white male cis characters. The BBC made sure that half of the main cast are people of color, making sure there is a certian kind of diversity (not queer sadly). But I don't think giving a woman a gun and a sword is necessarily the definition of "empowerment". Constance being able to fight is cool, but giving her a gun and a sword isn’t "upgrading" her from a simple love interest into a powerful character. Especially when the narrative is not supporting it. On the one hand you have Constance being all bamf, but on the other hand she is introduced by inviting the guy who assaulted her into her house (D'artagnan), is then staging as a prostitute and a wet nurse. Also, so far, in season 1, she has fought with a sword once and shot a gun twice. Mostly she is reduced to a love interest. Imo the show hasn't found a good balance between "this woman is empowered because she knows how to fight" and "she is still a sexy love interest". Maybe that will change in the coming seasons, but why can't Constance stage as a horse driver or a guard or idk. Something that is not limited to her gender.

This is why I like the 2023 movie approach more. Where Constance is doing the laundry for a living but also serving the queen, acting as kind of a spy when needed. And she is good at that. She manages to do these two things simultaneously and often saves the day with her spy skills. She is still reduced to a love interest eventually of course but the show has the "she is a spy"-narrative right there (because it is already in the book) and doesn't make any use of it. Thats so confusing imo. Because it would have suited the time the show plays in her so much more, then: she can swordfight" and maybe even contributed more the story.

4. As already pointed out in point 3 BBC Constance is eventually often reduced to traditional female roles and wishes. The end of ep 7 wasn’t a big „ah she can fight so well with the sword“ but „she wants a baby from D’Artagnan“.

TL.DR: BBC Constance often feels like they wanted to show her all empowered but eventually still not knowing what to do with her character. So they gave her classic female roles again. It feels like the show is running from end end of the spectrum to the other and there is nothing in between. I really like her, I just see so much missed opportunities when I look at her character.