Consider Phlebas – the TV series

[Disembodied]

Amazon Studios has announced it has acquired the global television rights to Iain M. Banks’s first Culture novel, Consider Phlebas. Press release here:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/ ... 005519/en/

[Cody]

That could be so good. Would one need a TV licence to watch Amazon video?

[Disembodied]

Would one need a TV licence to watch Amazon video?

I think so, yes. You need a TV licence to watch any form of broadcast media … although you don't need one to watch “non-BBC programmes on online catch-up services”, or DVDs, so it might be possible to get round it.

You would need a subscription to Amazon, so that rules me out. A pity: I thought Dennis Kelly’s Channel 4 series Utopia was very well written (and also beautifully shot - although that wouldn't have been down to the writer).

[Commander_X]

Dunno -- rather difficult to capture the book/series written word spirit, and put it on the screen. Even harder with such a great written word spirit.
If they succeeded it would be a first -- if not ... well we already had some Dune(s) in order to know where to dump this kind of stuff

[Disembodied]

Yes … I've already seen some people suggest that the Culture–Idiran war might just end up on screen as America versus the Evil Jihadi Space Lizards, which would be a shame. But there's no point in pre-judging! Although no screen version could carry the same levels of subtlety and nuance as the book, a TV series does offer more room than a film, and Dennis Kelly's shown himself able to play with audience expectations of "goodies" and "baddies", so there is some reason to hope for something a bit above the average.

[Cody]

You would need a subscription to Amazon, so that rules me out.

Principles?

Evil Jihadi Space Lizards

<chortles>

[Disembodied]

You would need a subscription to Amazon, so that rules me out.

Principles?

Yes, I'm not a fan of Amazon, for a variety of reasons. I'm not a fan of subscription TV in general, having never found anything that offered me enough things that I really wanted to see for the money they were charging. Cooncil telly does me fine! If the subscription stuff wasn't also festooned with adverts, then maybe, maybe … but to date the one or two things I've actively wanted to see have all come out on DVD anyway.

[Cody]

<nods> I have 'problems' with Amazon too, and I simply don't do television. But Consider Phlebas could be so tempting!

[Diziet Sma]

Looking forward to seeing what they make of it. Fingers crossed they don't bugger things up.

(But I don't "do" subscription services, or watch TV. Guess I'll have to do the usual, and obtain it via less "conventional" means... )

[Cody]

<chuckles>

Meanwhile, here's some incidental music: Clear Air Turbulence

[Disembodied]

Ahh, music … that will be an important part of any series, too. Incidentally, Iain Banks’s episode of Desert Island Discs is available to listen to online:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009446p