Panorama: Scientology and Me - Monday 8:30pm

[Simmy]

Wait... That was it? Did i miss something? I tuned in at 8.40pm, thinking i'd only missed 10mins. what gives?

[womblingfree]

Defining something as a religion doesn't mean you're venerating it. Scientology is build on a bizarre and palpably ludicrous fantasy, which is one of the things it has in common with Roman Catholicism.

Far more useful to debunk current religions rather than promote creepy cults as new religions.

[Fireproofradiator]

Half an hour's a bit too short to put together any kind of decent argument on the subject really.

[Eats hoops and leaves]

Fantastic. Not exactly in-depth, but watching Tommy step closer and closer to the reporter's face said so much more than a voice over track could.

[utero2001]

very interesting but wish it was longer

the BBC needs to send a clan of great journalists out

[Eats hoops and leaves]

Too short.

And he wasn't a particularly good interviewer/presenter, either.

Disappointing, all in all.

Considering the people he was interviewing, I thought he did okay.

[sammy]

Loved it when he went batshit mental at Tommy, I was cheering him on. Wish I'd caught the whole show - is it likely to be repeated? So who was that Tommy chap? Surely not an official spokesman, he came on like Mulder's evil twin.

[Ravern]

Would've been better if they hadn't tissed about over whether it was a cult or not, and actually just got down to it.

[Dukesy]

The show itself was poor in terms of debunking scientology. However their antics on this program alone should be the catalyst for a media offensive on Scientology and It's leaders.

[Gwynster]

I just watched this, he didn't lose it at all - the Scientology guy started a shouting match, and Sweeney comprehensively won it.

[Rowan Morrison]

Far more useful to debunk current religions rather than promote creepy cults as new religions.

Well, good luck with that one.

I didn't know it was only half an hour, I expected it to be twice as long. I thought it was pretty funny, really. Easy to see why someone trying to do a proper job would lose it, it's the equivalent of having to interview someone who just repeats the last thing you said over and over. A serious approach probably isn't the way to do it, and certainly not if your finished report has to fit in thirty minutes; South Park did more damage in the same amount of time, although it seems to me that all you need to do to produce a damning film on Scientology is point a camera at its proponents for a short while.

[Kelthink]

That guy in the black suit/shades was a fucking creep. I would've headbutted him to death myself, kudos to the interviewer for not doing so himself.

[Marzipan Travolta]

Yeah, thought it was pretty poor. Did make me wish there was a really good high-profile documentary on the subject though. Also made me want to goad them a bit. I want a file and posters about how I once got in a fight at school when I was 12 and can't ever be trusted.

[Liquid Myth]

I can't believe people are comparing Scientology to real, established religions. I'm offended by the idea; a crackpot collective telling you what you can and cannot do, who monitor your life on a very personal basis should you question or 'betray' them (i.e. leave), harrassing your daily conduct and families should you publicly cross them; or a very impersonal worship with a good reason for existence, who don't judge too fiercely if you decide to make a point about spagetti monsters (fucking hell) or miss church for a few years.

[X_2_0]

That was crap.

If the scientologists did half of what they were supposed to have, it could have been a really sinister documentary,

but John Sweeny came out of looking as dubious as the scientologists, with no evidence to back up what he was saying.

I wonder if they had to hastily re-edit it due to what the scientologists had leaked.

[goofy pls]

That was brilliant. The way they were following him and getting progressively creepier and creepier. Whatever training that Tommy guy had received, it was certainly good. The way he manages to constantly shift the side of the argument and make John out to be the bad guy (the toilet section for example) was simply astounding.

Should have been longer though. I don't think the outburst at the end makes him any less credible or respectable. You don't see people explode like that very often, he looked like he was quite literally on the verge of having a breakdown. The people trying to make his life hell were doing a fucking good job.

[Marzipan Travolta]

They were saying that the ending wasn't in the broadcast when it first got leaked, so I think they did.

[Dukesy]

Also this show makes me want Penn and Teller to do an episode of Bullshit on Scientology like they wanted to before showtime told them no. Penn would flat out kick the shit out of Tommy.

[womblingfree]

Well, good luck with that one.

Most of Europe have secular attitudes so I think we're not doing too badly so far.

[Chow]

Also this show makes me want Penn and Teller to do an episode of Bullshit on Scientology like they wanted to before showtime told them no. Penn would flat out kick the shit out of Tommy.

Indeed. Can you imagine Tommy getting into the face of Penn? He'd probably shit his pants. The fact is, they knew that the Beeb couldn't really do anything and had to attempt a down the middle show, unfortunately to do a show like that you need to see both sides of the argument. The Crazy Cult Of Cuckooville wouldn't grant them any access at all, so the only sides we saw were the critics and Crazy Tommy. Hardly a great advert for Scientology.

It wasn't exactly the greatest journalism ever, but he pretty much had nothing to work with.

[JohnC]

Yeah, far too short. There needs to be a proper documentary. Of course there needs to be someone with large enough balls to make and broadcast it, as anything more in depth will probably lead to legal action anyway.

[Eats hoops and leaves]

He should not have risen to Tommy. He has my support for tackling the subject, of course, and he did okay considering the time slot he was given, but he shouldn't have shown frustration like that. It's so unprofessional.

It highlighted the creepiness of the cult well, but just regurgitated that old animation for the background.

And with all the access he had. Man.

I agree that it was unprofessional, and you can tell that he regretted it too. But on the other hand, it was satisfying to see. Just like when he revved the car up

[Manacle]

You know who they should of sent in... Louis Theroux. He'd of been much better at undermining them and bringing up decent arguments in an enviroment he can control by doing his brilliant 'I'm stupid, spoonfeed me you're beliefs and make yourself look like an idiot' interview technique.

But hey anyone who attaches that much of themselves to something they can't control is a fool in my opinion. I can't take religious people seriously and have little to no respect for them. I should of done the interviews, all the interviewer needs to do in those situations is ask a question, get an answer and then say LOL. Or in this case let that Tommy guy go off on one spouting all of his rhetoric, and when he settles down like a child who gives up on an argument just reply with LOL.

[Ravern]

Theroux would own these cunts man. But they probably wouldn't let him in the first place.

[Eats hoops and leaves]

I really fancy tackling Scientology for my video documentary dissertation next year, now.

I'll probably not get any access and/or get pulled into the cult, though, so maybe I should try learning to walk before running.

No way. Cut your teeth on something sharp.

[Chow]

Theroux would own these cunts man. But they probably wouldn't let him in the first place.

Yup. Not to mention they'd spread shit about him before he even got there.

"He was in a Nazi cult"

"He spent several days with whores"

And so on.

[womblingfree]

Yeah, far too short. There needs to be a proper documentary. Of course there needs to be someone with large enough balls to make and broadcast it, as anything more in depth will probably lead to legal action anyway.

Plenty been done in the past, lots here:

http://www.xenu.net/archive/media/Vault/

[womblingfree]

I really fancy tackling Scientology for my video documentary dissertation next year, now.

I'll probably not get any access and/or get pulled into the cult, though, so maybe I should try learning to walk before running.

We'll watch your back!

Come and get me bitches!

Put the e-meter down and walk away...slowly.

[Strawp]

Indeed. Can you imagine Tommy getting into the face of Penn? He'd probably shit his pants.

I'd love to see that shouting match. Penn's default tone of voice is the same as the Beeb reporter's full-on hell. It would be like that scene out of Windowlicker.

[Crhis]

I wonder whether the outburst would have been included if the Scientologists had not been filming as well.