Letter to the Radio Times

I've just got to write to the Radio Times and complain. I never do - I grind my teeth in fury, and the letters remain unwritten. I whine and bellow at my family, and still those letters remain unwritten. But this time it's different.

I'm Fed-Up with the RT giving away the bloody plot all the time. This is what it's all about. You know how they have a page with their "Choices" at the start of each day, where they recommend a handful of programs for your consideration? Here they tell you a little bit about each of their chosen programs, trying to whet your appetite and encourage you to watch the program. I like to have my appetite whetted, and avidly read about my favourite program, in the hope of tantalising myself, increasing the frisson of excitement and the sense of anticipation prior to watching the show. I don't know if it makes watching the show better, but that's the way I like to do it. So far, so reasonable, you may say. It's not as if they're telling you what happens - you don't get details of the dénouement, or anything quite that crass.

Well no, except for the use of one small word.

Tragedy. Such a small word (and even smaller when used as Tragic). But a whole world of meaning. My heart sinks whenever I read of "x y z with tragic results." or "tragedy occurs during the birthday celebrations..." In fact, I was mistaken - there's not a world of meaning in the word - it means death. Plain and simple - someone's going to die.

So that new season of my favourite series, for which I've been waiting since the end of the last season has arrived. In this case it's Spooks. Sure, they gave us the silly "Yoof Spooks" during the summer (which wasn't quite as bad as many people would have you believe), but I was waiting for the real Spooks. Actually, RT didn't use the word tragic, they used the phrase "a final scene which will make you gasp!" or something like that. In addition to which, they introduced a new fit man (in the magazine), and you just know that something ghastly is going to happen to the lovely Adam (played by the equally charming Rupert Penry-Jones). So instead of watching the show with bated breath, you're trying to work out when/how the inevitable tragedy (oh, there's that word again) will occur.

Really, Radio Times needs to think a lot more carefully about the reviews written. It's time you stopped giving away the plots.