JK Rowling testifies at Leveson Inquiry

I've been watching bits of the Leveson Inquiry this week. I thought JK Rowling's testimony yesterday was particularly compelling.

This is an excerpt from the hearing yesterday. The author tells the Leveson Inquiry she found a note from a journalist inside her daughter's school bag and about the lengths she went to stop her children being photographed:




I think something drastic must be done to rein in journalists who pursue their stories by using detestable methods such as hacking phones and harrassing people (particularly regarding children) but I also believe in the freedom of the press. It's a difficult issue to sort out.

Have you watched any of the inquiry? What are your thoughts about the phone hacking and intrusion that's done by journalists and photographers?

A disguised Katherine Jenkins goes underground as a busker

The mezzo soprano star treated commuters to an impromptu performance with a 45 minute busking session at Leicester Square station yesterday which included renditions of some of her biggest hits such as Time To Say Goodbye.

The busking stunt was for ES Magazine (the weekly from the London Evening Standard).

The Killing - the second series

At last, BBC4 is airing the second series of The Killing. For those who don't know, The Killing is a fabulous Danish crime series. The first series was a huge hit in the UK so expectations are very high for the second series.

Did you watch the first two episodes last night? I did, and I thought it was a very good start to the new series. It's a shorter series than the first one (only ten episodes compared to twenty in the first series) so the storyline is moving along at a faster pace. I hope that means we won't have so many red herrings this time.

It's great to see Sofie Gråbøl back as Sarah Lund, the detective who spots vital clues that everyone else always seems to miss. Another character - Brix (Morten Suurballe) - is also back from the first series. And Sarah has a new partner, Ulrik Strange (Mikael Birkkjær). You gotta love the name,"Strange"!

This series is similar to the first one, because there is a strong political element. I kept looking for Troels (from the first series) to appear though. I really miss that character!

So, there are two murder victims already and their deaths may or may not be linked to members of an extremist group. I don't want to give too much away because you may not have watched the first two episodes yet.

Please feel free to discuss The Killing 2 by leaving a comment on this post. If you want to avoid spoilers, I suggest you avoid reading the comments. 

If you missed an episode, you can catch up via iPlayer or watch the repeats on BBC4 on Wednesday, 10:30pm.

I would love to know what your thoughts are about the storyline so far. Has the second series grabbed you yet? What are your thoughts about Sarah's new partner?

And if you are a fan of the series, I'm sure you will enjoy watching this video:
Sofie Gråbøl interviewed (in English!) by Val McDermid on BBC2's The Culture Show on Friday 21st October 2011.