(no subject)
swisstone has posted on the fevered speculation about the Romans the economy the middle east the test match Dr Who. I started this as a comment but it's expanded so I'll put it here.
He's quite right. Journalism about this, as with football transfers is about generating readers, or eyeballs on screen, by linking a well-known name with a well-known product.
He also transported me back to the Tun in '81 when everyone was about Davison: "he's too big for the role - has other things going on - won't stay long..."
And what people seem to forget about bookies' odds is that they are not calculated on the basis of likelihood of actual outcome. Mostly they're based on how much the bookie will have to pay out should an event occur, so if one sentimental millionaire puts fifty grand on Monsters University to win the Best Picture Oscar or Shepshed Dynamo to win the European Cup then their odds will shorten. Occasionally they're a loss-leader to get the bookie some free publicity. Perhaps only on minor horse races followed by nobody but experienced punters do the odds tell you much that is useful.
The move to a television special to announce the new Doctor is, of course, part of the move to a more post-modern interactive culture so that by the time they choose the next one a whole series will be devoted to the audition process: Who Factor; Britain's Got Doctors, What Are We Going To Do About The Daleks. Something like that.
You read it here first.
PS Still time to put Ia fiver on Simon Farnaby.
He's quite right. Journalism about this, as with football transfers is about generating readers, or eyeballs on screen, by linking a well-known name with a well-known product.
He also transported me back to the Tun in '81 when everyone was about Davison: "he's too big for the role - has other things going on - won't stay long..."
And what people seem to forget about bookies' odds is that they are not calculated on the basis of likelihood of actual outcome. Mostly they're based on how much the bookie will have to pay out should an event occur, so if one sentimental millionaire puts fifty grand on Monsters University to win the Best Picture Oscar or Shepshed Dynamo to win the European Cup then their odds will shorten. Occasionally they're a loss-leader to get the bookie some free publicity. Perhaps only on minor horse races followed by nobody but experienced punters do the odds tell you much that is useful.
The move to a television special to announce the new Doctor is, of course, part of the move to a more post-modern interactive culture so that by the time they choose the next one a whole series will be devoted to the audition process: Who Factor; Britain's Got Doctors, What Are We Going To Do About The Daleks. Something like that.
You read it here first.
PS Still time to put Ia fiver on Simon Farnaby.