Is the book actually good? The cynic in me expected a rather half-baked cash-in.

Now of course I can stay up all night.

It’s a bit like a “free house”. Never the same when it’s your own.

The forked tongue baby scene was a defining moment in “our” generation’s attitude to pre-marital sex, conception etc. I’m not sure what it taught us exaclty, but it certainly created a deep-seated trauma.

the big SFX sequence in the last episode, with the dam being blown up etc., was cogged wholesale from “Earthquake”….

While there was little that was particularly original about V, the first mini-series, in particular, is still one of the most well-sustained on-screen imaginings of how a “benevolent” invasion scenario might pan out.

A lot of the show’s Science Fiction is pretty wafer thin (and certainly wouldn’t satisfy picky fans of the genre) but it holds together as a drama in spite of such failings.

A few other things I forgot to mention.

1) Mike Donovan’s pants are ludicrously tight. It’s a miracle he manages to rouse himself sufficiently to come on to Julie.

2) When Mike and Julie finally have a tender moment, born out of mutual respect, the scene is brutally shafted by some outrageous porn-sax music! This even happens when they embrace, cold and afraid, on a beach the night before the big attack. Hardcore sax.

it caused a hell of a shitstorm on Mailbag, hah remember that show. I think it was the visitors eating mice that upset people the most.

Didn’t Arthur Murphy dress up as “John” (visitor leader) and swallow a hamster before ripping off his face? Might have been a dream…

I see you’re short-listed for Best Blog. Well done.

Tanks very mush. Same to yourself.

Back then though whether it be through lack of know how, RTE were less likely to cut a movie/mini series to bits as quick as say the BBC were.

the nazi references were very overt.

For Jews see “Scientists”. Kids getting beaten up in school because their parents were scientists. Scientists homes being burnt out etc.

Richard Dawkins would have a fit.

I actually thought the brain-washing machine was quite an effective idea/image. Solved the problem of how to show torture without censorious forces having to intervene too much.

It still freaked my parents out though.

I believe it was ‘85 and not ‘83 when RTE showed this, although back then Westward Cables hadn’t reached the part of the city i was living in, come to think of it, I think that same part of the city is still without cable.

Watched the DVDs more recently as a relative of mine had them. the nazi references were very overt.

A brain washing machine was a bit much, but it kind jumped the shark with the whole star child thing.

They made it into a weekly series which was aired on Sky (I even think ITV showed it in the late eighties when they went to 24 hour broadcasting) That was a bit of a crock though.

Interesting interview here with V’s creator, we could be seeing the second generation on the big screen. Now that would be damn cool