Hypothetical?

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Did anyone else catch the Hypothetical that just finished on channel 9? Having experienced the earlier ones back in the 80's I wrongly assumed that it would be watered down to an unrecognisable state on a commercial station, and didn't pay much attention for the first half hour.

Having sat rivetted to the chaise for the last half hour all I can say is that I'd love a copy. And since it won't be for sale at the ABC shop, where am I gunna get one?

Yes Geoffery has become even more hand wringingly supercilious than even I could have imagined. But no-one makes his panel of high profile guests squirm so slimily or walk the talk, puts them on the spot and faces them with the human consequences of all our choices. Some of them just out and out lied, like the American woman whose name I didn't catch, when they asked her theoretically about interrogation protocols in Guantanamo being offered to the Australian government " Of course they'd refuse " and that was the end of that discussion- but you got to look them in the eye while they did it

All the way through that bloke maintains a good line of questioning and a few injokes that aren't too obscure and keeps things general enough for a broad audience. I'm not usually one for television which isn't extremely shallow, but this is really more gently macabre, and as I said, terribly, terribly humanising

How the hell did all THAT end up on a commercial station?

[Torsten]

ahhh, missed it. Used to love it in the old days. It really challenges politicians and professionals who never seem to get far from their own point of view.

Is he doing more or was this a once of?

umm, just realised that was 20 years ago. I feel old But not as old as he would be Is he still sharp or were all the twists and turns preprogrammed?

[ 13. September 2005, 15:06: Message edited by: Torsten ]

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Torsten:

umm, just realised that was 20 years ago. I feel old

You are old, but just not as old as me

Is he still sharp or were all the twists and turns preprogrammed?

The bits I caught were somewhat predictable in the pursuit of the story. I don't think there was much of a way around that, it was a hell of a big subject to tackle and there would be no way out of needing to leave enough ad time for commercial programming. Ultimately I don't think it detracted, and if so the situation could be easily remedied by having one a week until they got through every subject dear to all our hearts

The tangents were nice. Kim Beazley was quite happy being an hypothetical PM, but he nearly choked when it was suggested that Labour would have to buy back ( re-nationalise was the word- love the sardonic retro humour ) Telstra in 2007 because privatisation had driven it to the point of nonfunctionality. Like I said, I missed a lot of the show and regret it

There were some nice twists. WTF the Hillsong clones were doing on there I've no idea, perhaps I missed something

Sharp? He bloody seems it... I don't think I'd risk going up against that even in a Friday night shop brawl with a carpark full of angry villagers.

T do you remember the episode Has Dracula Got AIDS in one of the original series, where Fred Nile candidly admitted to preferring sodomy to buggery? My absolute favorite shining moment in television, even if the statement did concern a simple matter of semantics, when Fred realised what he'd said he nearly ate his own face

[Torsten]

na, missed that. Oh, I love Fred Nile. He always makes for good entertainment.

[MrBumpy]

Torsten:

Oh, I love Fred Nile. He always makes for good entertainment.

And don't forget his undying efforts in trying to save this nation from Drought by praying for rain every year....around the same time as the Mardi Gras

-bumpy