Surprise!

Guess which one I like!

One of the things that you notice on tv here in Norway immediately: they don't dub. Which is great of course, since I have always found it very off-putting to hear a voice say things that you know the mouth you see doesn't! Plus they always seem to sigh and heave a lot more in the dubbed versions. At least in Germany they do and I have never yet noticed the Germans being a very sighing and heaving nation. Back to Norway however...

Nearly all programs are actually subtitled, the exception of course being most Norwegian programs plus dubbed cartoons and disney series (like Hannah Montana and I-Carly). My favourite program to watch is a Swedish program: lyxfällen. They had a similar program on the BBC years ago, about some nitwit who's gotten him/herself so deep in the mire, straws are the only thing providing them with oxygen. Money wise that is. Actually it was that programme from the BBC that gave me the kick up my backside to do something about my own precarious situation several years back. But I digress. 

The Swedish have a similar program, although they have cut out all the mumbo-jumbo about bad childhoods and stuff and just get on with the matter at hand: no money for the rent, but a closet full of clothes. People have to sell their cars, their clothes, their mantoys. All to get out of that mire. Now, the reason I watch a Swedish programme with Norwegian subtitles isn't so much the programme itself as it is one of the presenters. Someone I wouldn't mind sharing a beschuitje with I can tell you (see photo at the top). 

This post however wasn't going to be about a Swedish programme with Norwegian subtitles. It was going to be about television in general and the BBC in particular. Because for all the channels they have here (Norwegian, Swedish and Eurosport, Discovery and the like), they don't broadcast the BBC! They have BBC news, BBC entertainment with a massive backlog of QI, BBC Lifestyle with a lot of Extreme Home Makeovers which isn't even from the BBC and BBC ? which is all about documentaries. But no regular BBC 1-4. 

At Christmas this lack of channels was severely felt by myself in particular! Because no BBC equals no Doctor Who. And if you've read my blog before, you know I love my Doctor Who! No point in crying over spilt milk (or in this case absent milk) though and we watched Christmas films instead. Plus the dubbed version of the Gruffalo, which even my sister understood. Sort of...

Fast forward to this week. When I got a package in the mail. I didn't recognise the address, nor was the name of the sender mentioned anywhere. I opened it on my way to work and out came a dvd. BBC-Christmas Evening it said on it. I was hopping with anticipation, but had to wait until work was finished before I could watch it! Well, you have probably guessed it: it was (drumroll): Is there room on the broom! Yes, it was a cartoon! Followed by the news. And the weather. And then, finally, Doctor Who, the Christmas Special! 

I know who the sender is. I have deduced that from the address and the fact that I have a great friend who has a great friend who is himself a great Doctor Who fan. We have never met, but according to my great friend, her great friend and me have a lot in common! One day I will meet up with him. And we will probably love each other. Or not. Until then, I am going to watch Doctor Who again. Thank you S!!

T is for...

TARDIS

When I was young, I didn't like Doctor Who. I was always a bit scared by the opening tunes to the show and didn't really get it. Besides, I preferred playing outside with my friends than sitting inside. But when I caught an episode of the show a few years ago, I was hooked.

Of course it looks a lot flashier now than it ever did in the past. Aliens look alien now and not like a man in a bad suit and bad make-up. It also helps that the ninth, tenth and eleventh doctor are quite easy on the eye as well. Anyway, the Doctor lives in a TARDIS, which is an acronym and stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.

It looks like an ordinary blue police box (as used by British police in the 1960's), because its shape shifting qualities blew a fuse and got stuck. When you enter it though, it looks nothing like an ordinary blue police box. Because it is massive! From what I can gather there are at least two bedrooms (one for the doctor, one for his companion), a dressing area, the hub where the flying takes place and I think there's even a swimming pool!

Not only is it used on the show Doctor Who, but the term Tardis pops up in other shows as well, most notably the ones that concern themselves with buying houses. (It's bigger on the inside!)

For more T-words from around the world, please check out ABC Wednesday and join in the fun!

Photo taken in March 2010 in London

TARDIS

Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space

That's what it stands for. But more importantly it's the home of Doctor Who. And I am a massive massive Doctor Who fan!

The TARDIS is in the shape of an old-fashioned British police-box. It was meant to blend in with its surroundings and cannot easily be spotted. It can take any form, however during the Doctor's timetravels somewhere in the sixties, the fuse got burnt or something and the TARDIS remained in this form.

There are still a few old police-boxes left in Great Britain and I actually saw one on Earl's Court Road, but I didn't take a photo. I might do next time though...

Adipose

Now, people who never watch Doctor Who will probably sit back and wonder: what on earth is she going on about now!? Well, during the season where Donna Noble joined the Doctor on his travels (2008), the first episode was about the Adipose. An alien-race who had lost their planet and therefor had no place to breed their children. A sollution was found in sending a nanny to earth, handing out lots of pills to overweight people and every night one little Adipose baby would come loose from the overweight person and return to the Mothership. In the end however, a person would be completely turned into Adipose babies, one baby for each kilogram!

The Doctor saved the world of course, the Adipose babies left earth with their Adipose parents, the nanny fell to her death and Donna brought her suitcases on board the TARDIS.

Now, the reason I tell you all this is not my fandom of Doctor Who, but this sign I saw in the Open air museum in Arnhem a few weeks ago. Adiposetten weight loss tablets for safe weight loss! Now I know where they got the name from!!!

Brilliant...

Annoying

I am a huge fan of Doctor Who (the new series) and have watched every single episode at least six times. So when yesterday there was a marathon of Doctor Who on the Sci Fi channel, I was over the moon. But as I watched, there were some things wrong. The show was still fantastic, but there were commercial breaks (!) and worse still: scenes missing!

Then at night as I was watching Jane Eyre on BBC-Prime, they too decided to skip certain scenes. They might not have been really necessary, but why shoot the scenes, show them in the original version and cut them out later? It didn't make sense to me at all and I hope it's not going to be the norm for the future!