A point for your consideration regarding The West Wing.

[Slubberdegullion]

OK, so here's the thing (a WW thing to say if ever there was one),

You can't watch The West Wing and iron at the same time.

Well obviously that is not completely true as I have just spent the last hour attempting to do both things simultaneoulsy. But here is the thing. You will be doing both to a sub-standard level.

With regards to my ironing, well the trousers and DC's clothes are satisfactory. But DH's shirts are not. The arms and cuffs are quite shoddy if I am being perfectly honest with you.

And as for the West Wing. Well I can't accurately surmise what happened in that episode at all. It snowed. There was an argument about a map. Josh kissed that Mary Louise Parker woman. Anything else was lost. You see they talk so fast in this show that you really have to sit quite close to the TV and actually watch their lips moving, as well as listen and concentrate hard if you are to truly grasp what the hell is going on.

So ironing is out, as is watching WW if you are drunk, quite tired, or in the presence of small children. It's just not going to happen for you.

We tend to eat our dinner when we watch it and both of us (intelligent people, we like to think) have to stop and concentrate on the more complex bits.

Your theory stands.

Yes beansprout, eating (particularly noisy food) and WW watching also do not mix.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that doing anything and watching WW, do not mix.

i find its bad to watch when drunk and tired 'cos I always fall asleep halfway through an episode

I completely agree

we often have to pause it and say 'what did they say?'

It would be brave to attempt to watch WW while either drunk or tired. To do both, frankly borders on foolishness.

Well you can sit obviously. And maybe hold hands with your DH, or stroke the dog. But yes you're right any activity that causes you to divert any attention, however small, away from watching their lips move, spells disaster.

and we only watch it when we have brains in gear - if knackered / drunk / etc Dr Who or Hustle much better and save WW for when we're feeling more intelligent.
House is a bit simialr but not to the same extent.

Agreed. A programme of TWW's calibre requires full attention. I have found even re-watching eps I know well, and ironing, do not mix. (Clearly re-watching wins!)

MrsBadger, Dh and I frequently pause and rewind. Sometimes we have to do it more that once, and even then I couldn't with confidence explain to another person what exactly was happening.

It does annoy me sometimes that a TV series can make me feel foolish. But it is very excellent.

I fear I may have to watch that whole episode all over again.

DH's cuffs will just have to be ignored.

They don't speak quite so quickly in House. And they tend not to do the whole walk/talk combo thing as much.

Completely agree with you! It deserves (and demands) full attention. Can't do anything in conjunction with watching WW - tried mumsnetting once at the same time, only lasted five minutes before I switched the computer off (that's how much I love WW).

Me and DH have just finished watching all seven series and I'm quite bereft that it's all over. Sigh.

oooooh Mrs Wednesday, I'm only on series 3.

There is a lot of focused TV watching ahead of me then.

Ah, MrsW. I tend to feel that by Series 7 it was time for it to end, they could never again rival the early stuff and so better to end on a (relative) high than to drag it out until it had jumped the shark so much the shark had got fed up and gone and got another job.

Oh yes, long way to go yet Slubberdegullion , lucky you.

Agree with you Trib, it was definitely the right point to end, but I'm just sad it's finished. I need something else to get my teeth into - do you have any recommendations?

I found that subtitles were very useful (and if you're watchig the dvds then they are less intrusive than the TV ones).

Message withdrawn

Have just finished the end of series 3

Prioritise. As in watch the WW and forget about the ironing (cooking, cleaning, eating...)

I've been bought the first series of Sopranos on DVD - is it good?

Message withdrawn

Excellent, now that Lost and 24 have finished Dh and I have nothing that we both watch on TV. We need to find some new common interests (saddos or what).

We loved the West Wing, and I'm trying to get Dh onto Grey's Anatomy.

I've ordered the first series of The Sopranos through my Amazon DVD rental, was also hoping that it might an adequate replacement for The West Wing.

Another good WW substitute (until Studio 66 is finally broadcast?) might be Sports Night, the series Aaron Sorkin wrote before TWW. Worth a look!

I managed the whole of the West Wing Canon up to series 6 during my maternity leave, largely by breastfeeding DS2 at every opportunity.

He's still 99th centile.....

Ooh - I see I meant Studio 60 not 66 and it's been cancelled.

BUT the one and only series is allegedly being broadcast on Channel 4 from 30 June?!