Spoiler Space

If there's one thing hard core Doctor Who fans get all jittery about, it's spoilers.

While a sizable minority are in secret locked messageboards trading any advanced titbits about how tomorrow nights episode will pan out, the rest are paranoid about having the episode "spoilt" for them.

This concept has really grown up on the internet, where fans of several nations meet together to discuss their favourite shows, which is fine when its been over for years and everyone's seen it, but not so for a currently running show, which may have been shown in, say the USA before the UK. So it was invented the concept of the "spoiler"- information that may spoil your enjoyment of a TV programme, and the spoiler space with which to protect the unwary

Fans have somehow managed to turn spoliers- in both the seeking and avoidance of- into a religion. I'm told it's a good job that I've not read any newspapers this week as many have contained inconveniently placed spoilers.

Tomorrow nights episode has already been spoilt in some sense, by the press getting hold over casting information for series 2. So we can guess at what might happen, if not predict the entire plot.

I suppose its the price you pay for liking somthing popular.