No, I haven’t watched BBT 5 times, but I have watched it through, from the beginning to the end, twice. Indeed, I have never watched a tv programme nor a film more than twice. I have yet to find something that I just have to see again and again.

Unlike me, my sister Judy, did find several films that she would watch time after time. I think it was because of the male leads. Judy seemed to fall in love with some of the men she saw on screen or perhaps the people they were portraying. I know that she saw Lawrence of Arabia at least 7 times and spent a lot of time studying Lawrence by reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom and anything she could find about his life. She also made a pilgrimage to his old home. Of course, she also thought that Peter O’Toole was wonderful!

Another film she watched time and time again was The Greatest Story Ever Told, starring a Swedish film actor called Max von Sydow. But, the film that she loved, above all others was, High Noon with Gary Cooper. I don’t know if she ever saw it at the cinema but it was on tv quite often. In fact, thinking about it, I may have seen it five times or more simply because it was what was on the tv when I was in the same room!

In my old age I have been lucky enough to have a tv that I watch while Julian watches the one in the lounge. Our taste in programmes is completely different. Julian loves watching non-fiction, true life adventures (ie Naked and Afraid and Ice Road Truckers) while I love watching fiction, mainly crime series like Morse, Endeavour and Lewis – I watched all three series last year and realised that there were many I hadn’t seen before or, if I had seen them before, they were so unmemorable that it didn’t feel like I was watching them for a second time.

I also watched Sex Education which transported me back to my youth and later, Heartstopper. Both are set in present day British high schools and tell stories of young people growing up in a society that is far removed from my own experiences but they are going through things that I think all young people have gone through in one way or another – falling in ‘love’, being spurned, being or not being ‘popular’, feeling different from the others. When I saw that Ncute Gatwa will be playing Dr Who, I was as happy as if I were his mother! And, I suppose that’s how I feel about each of the young people in those programmes.

At different times in my life I have loved watching the ‘soaps‘. I went through a few years of East Enders, more than a few of Coronation Street and even more of Emmerdale. One by one I have given them up. Until a couple of years ago I watched Holby City and I have been watching Doctors for about12 years. Holby was removed by the Beeb and now they are taking Doctors. Soon, I won’t be watching anything on the BBC or on tv at all. I shall only do streaming.

There are loads of things I haven’t watched yet. On Channel 4 there are many programmes under the heading of Walter Presents. I have watched quite a few of those already. The Red Door is really good as is Astrid:Murder in Paris. I might bring myself to watch one or other all the way through again in a year or two!

Right now I am going to sign off. The dog is fed up waiting for me to stop typing and get my coat on as it is ‘walkies’ time. Then, it will be supper followed by streaming of some programme or other.

Until the next time, good watching!