Check me out on Podquiz

I'm guest quizmastering this week on the internet quiz site "Podquiz".

It's one of my favourite sites and I am grateful to James for letting me take part.

You can check out my special "Valentines" round at http://www.podquiz.com/ from Friday.

Life after Mars....

Did anyone else happen to be watching BBC1 last night at about 9pm? If you did you would have been watching what I am already calling one of MY TV highlights of 2008! - Ashes to Ashes.

I never really got into Life on Mars, since, being born in 1976 it meant little to me. I was an eighties babe (and in some ways still am), so when I heard about the follow up being set in 1981, I was immediately hooked. This WAS my time!

Then a few weeks ago, the trailers began - Keeley Hawes dressed up like Lily Savage's daughter, accompanyed by the soft piano bridge from "Vienna" (THIS MEAN'S NOTHING TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEE). Adam Ant and the scary arsed clown from David Bowie's iconic video announced that "Ashes to Ashes" would be starting on Thursday 7th Feb.

Brilliant!

So what of the programme itself? Well, the start was a bit long winded as we waited for DCI Alex Drake (Hawes) to get shot in the bonce. But once she did we were transported back to a world of smoking in offices, sexism and rubiks cubes!

The first thing I was amazed by was how the graphics department had worked overtime to re-introduce the bleak east-end dockside of the early eighties - The 02 was merely a deserted flatland on the edge of the river.

The clothing was SPOT ON, as was the soundtrack that rattled along in the background. Keeley Hawes, with an initially out of place haughty taughty accent, seems to have settled in quite nicely to eighties life. Phil Glenister was once again effrvescent as Gene Hunt, the sexist, racist, early eighties archetype coming out with some classic one liners (all of which escape me at the moment!) but proving my time was well spent tuning in!

Cameos from Zippy and George were inspired but the clown was a little frightening (Ok, a lot frightening!) and even though the gun battle at the end was a tad far fetched - if the bullets had really been flying, there would have been a massacre of "Moldavian" proportions - in all it wasn't a bad story.

In short, it was every bit as excellent as I was hoping. I will be tuning in next Thursday, and if you've nothing else to do, I would advise you do the same (It'll be set during Charles and Di's wedding!!!).