No geek
is an island

I’m intrigued by the Bechdel test, as highlighted by Mat and Jennie. It’s a measure of the realistic portrayal of female characters in fiction, defined thusly:

1. It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.

It’s a bit shocking now I try to apply that (admittedly based on recollection rather than a scientific approach) how much TV seems to fail, or at least fail for much of its screen time. (Mat directs us here for an episode-by-episode Bechdel assesment of Doctor Who.)

I’ve just finished watching the first season of The Wire. It’s a fantastic, clever, sometimes Shakespearian (sorry, that sounds hackneyed) show. But, dominated as it is by male characters, it would struggle to pass the test. I can think of one notable scene - one out of 13 episodes - that does, but it’s helped to meet (3) by being a lesbian night out.

Even The West Wing, my favourite drama series Of All Time, could probably have done better. It’s by no means a Bechdel failure, but a large proportion of the meaty scenes I can think of that feature two female characters end up being about men.

Perhaps the shows most likely to pass the test are slightly dumb action series where characters tend to get on with the plot of the week are not talk about Feelings. The so far rather poor Bonekickers and it’s superior spiritual predecessor Bugs spring to mind.

*Apologies for the cheesy pun.

Inspired by the @towerbridge Twitter account, I have knocked up @jubileeline

It’s so far handled suspensions and minor delays. What it lacks is a notification that problems have cleared, and the occasional “by the way, everything’s fine” message.

I’m sure TfL will be able to come up with a turn of phrase that confuses it, so, like all good web apps, consider it in public beta testing.

So David Davis, in wasting thousands of pounds of taxpayers money in a farce of a by-election, has answered my question. Sadly, his answer is exceedingly pedestrian. It’s revealed in the Treasury press release that announced his appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has today appointed the Right Honourable David Michael Davis to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern. The Chancellor has also granted Mr Davis’s request to be released from this appointment today.

For the first time in many years, no-one is Stewarding or, er, Bailiffing the hundreds of Stoke, Desborough, and Burnham. Let’s hope they don’t get away.