Corrie, Who, and the Denial of the Gospel

I've been away. But there was a bit of media fuss about Coronation Street's Ken Barlow. It went like this: his grandson (Simon, aged about 5) had been to church at Easter and dear old Cardigan Ken was afraid that little Simon was being indoctrinated. So he sat him on his knee, spoke of Christians targetting vulnerable people, and assured him 'Some people - scientists and other clever people - don't think we need to believe in heaven.' (It's not a verbatim quote.)

That's the controversial bit: Ken attacking the Christian faith! O, calamity! But I thought it was funny - because little Simon shut him up. 'My Mummy's in heaven.' End of Ken's lecture!

No, the real attack on the faith came in Doctor Who. (I knew they should have given me the job!) The Doctor's on a London bus, eating an Easter egg, and he says (again, not verbatim) 'I love Easter. Mind you, I remember the first one. Let me tell you what really happened...'

At that point, they're interrupted, and they never return to the conversation. But the damage has been done: a clear implication - what you think happened at Easter, didn't. That's the import of 'really' in a sentence like that.

Frankly, it'll be good when Russell T Davies has gone. Yes, I know he's done wonders at reviving a series most people had thought was gone for ever. But as one tv critic mentioned, as a campaigning gay he couldn't resist - at times - inserting his pro-gay propaganda. And like so many campaigning gays, a chance to hit at real Christianity was too good to miss.

Did I mention, they would have been better with me in the part? This is what it would have looked like.