What are you watching & reading? Will you do the Beshdel Test on it?

Hallelujah re QI.

How are you getting on with HFS, Adrift? I much preferred TTTW.

Further suggestion that it might be a deliberate policy change...

Season 1: 4/12 episodes (33%) were all-male
Season 2: 5/12 episodes (42%) were all-male
Season 3: 8/12 episodes (67%) were all-male
Season 4: 7/12 episodes (58%) were all-male
Season 5: 7/12 episodes (58%) were all-male
Season 6: 6/12 episodes (50%) were all-male
Season 7: 8/16 episodes (50%) were all-male
Season 8: 8/16 episodes (50%) were all-male
Season 9: 6/16 episodes (38%) were all-male
Season 10: 3/16 episodes (19%) were all-male

Interestingly, the current (tenth) series of QI has featured three episodes including two women:

Episode 4 "Jack and Jill" (Katy Brand and Sue Perkins)
Episode 5 "J-Places" (Susan Calman and Sandi Toksvig)
Episode 9 "Jeopardy" (Sue Perkins and Julia Zemiro)

This is the same number as in all of the previous nine series put together (if you exclude the 2011 Comic Relief special); previously we had had

Series 1 Episode 6 "Arthropods" (Jo Brand and Jackie Clune)
Series 4 Episode 12 "Domesticity" (Jo Brand and Jessica Stevenson/Hynes)
Series 7 Episode 7 "Girls and Boys" (Ronni Ancona and Sandi Toksvig)

So this could be a sign that something is changing... maybe...

Watching: "The Killing" - Lund does speak to various females at various points but I'd struggle to think of an instance where the subject of the conversation wasn't a man (though obviously that'll be in a suspecting-him-of-murder rather than in a romantic sense). "Misfits" I think will have some individual episodes that pass but not all of them - it does have 2 female characters but they aren't often shown in conversation with one another and when they are the subject is usually one or other of the men. "Game of Thrones" - I think it passes, just - two matriarchs converse with one another about a variety of matters some of which are not about menfolk.

Reading: "Her Fearful Symmetry" passes easily - central characters 2 female twins who talk to all sorts of people both male and female about a variety of subjects.

I don't think you can fail Romancing The Stone on the basis that they are talking about romance fiction and how hopeless Kathleen Turner is. That's still a Bechdel Test pass, but a useful opportunity to stress the associated note "Passing the test does not necessarily make it more feminist, or otherwise positive-for-women".

I've seen two episodes of QI that have had 2 women on. One of those was directly talking about gender differences.

I'm watching Romancing the stone atm. I know Kathleen Turner and her sister talk together about the treasure etc etc but I think Michael Douglas creeps in there too and the only other conversation is between Kathleen and her publisher - revolved around romance fiction and how hopeless Kathleen is. I'm failing it.

Ice age 2 also failed.

The west wing - pass

Watching Agatha Christie - pass.
Reading Gimpel the Fool, Isaac Bashevis Singer - a surprising fail.

I'm not sure I've ever seen more than one woman on QI at once

Watched 2 episodes of New Girl tonight, one passed, one failed.

I've just watched QI - fail, not a single woman on that particular episode (it was a repeat).
HAve also watched today Jamies 30 minute meals, failed obviously.
Dog the Bounty Hunter (not my choice) passed easily, it usually does.
The six nations rugby failed obviously.

I'm reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, it's failing so far and I'm 3/4 of the way through. It's good though.

Just finished the last season of Star Trek: Voyager. It passes with flying colours in every episode I think

I watched terminator two a couple of weeks ago and I don't think it passes.

The only 'conversation' between two women is Sarah Connor telling Tarissa Dyson to lie down, and Dyson's reply is a whimper. Is that a conversation?

Penny is the only main character on the show who doesn't have a last name!

Not so sure about BBT series 1-3 (only Penny and occasional other females, who invariably talk about Sheldon). More females in 4-6, though.

Letters Between Six Sisters - Pass, Some of it at least. Some of the mitcords did rather lead their lives around their men.

Watching - The Big Bang Theory - most episodes seem to pass.
Just read - The Waitress - The main character and her best friend/mum/sister discuss her career quite a lot as well as various love interests.

That should read Armistead Maupin.

This week 'Clare in the Community' on R4 passed again, it helps pass the test because the majority of the characters are women and the one man that works in the office is gay.

Is Tales of the City by Amistad Maupin? It helps to pass if there is a gay writer.

Some good ideas here - Just remembered I listened to a bit of Tales Of The City today; think it was the first episode. Nothing but women talking about things other than men :) Very witty stories, iirc - I should see if the library has it - and written by a man, shock horror!

Ever since I found out about it I apply it to everything! Wish I wouldn't; I spoil things for myself - especially films - by being all cross about its androcentricity.

I'm not reading any fiction. Have watched East Enders, which passed as usual, and Midsomer Murders, which contained a scene that seemed to pass but turned out to be about a man between the lines.

Funny thing about soaps: you'd think they'd all pass, given the target audience and whatnot, but very few do. Corrie hardly ever does! Lots of women talking - about men.

Will read thread tomorrow :) Guaranteed Bechdel pass

I'm watching the Sherlock series. So far it is failing. Not too many females and they don't seem to talk to each other; fun nevertheless!

Pretzeltime I agree it is very weird about Tolkien and the dearth of females in his books. I think the most normal females are Rosie and Tom Bombadil's wife. Otherwise his strong women (and Eowin was a very tough gal!) are sort of stiff, overly formal figures. For a guy who captured male camaraderie and epic storytelling it's odd he had zero grasp of strong women.

The Hobbit, which I love, obviously fails like all Tolkien stuff. People like to excuse him because the books were written in the earlier parts of the 1900's but him appearing to most of the time seriously forget that women exists at all is just weird. Even the most sexist of old male authors knew women existed and would have some in their books.

Watched Despicable Me earlier (watched in the loosest sense of the word!) and that passed I think.

Still reading Villette which although passes the Bechdel test is a feminist fail. Especially with one very scary abusive male character. In fact all the men are pretty bad in it.

I'm reading The Talented Mr. Ripley, which fails. There's really only one female character (Marge.) However, the main character is a misogynist who resents Marge and is obsessed with a man so it's not a problem to me.