Somebody asked me what I'd been watching lately, and I was stumped.

I guess they figured that, having just come out the other side of the summer holidays, I must have luxuriated in hours of glorious television; wading through entire seasons on DVD and soaking up all that the non-ratings season had to offer.

The reality, on the other hand, was considerably different.

It was a little bit like this (specifically, the TV bit at 1:50-minutes):



As my friend pressed me further for viewing details, I replied limply and uselessly that, "Well, I guess I watched some of that show... the one aboutcute animals [I meant BBC One/ABC1's Nature's Miracle Babies], and then... umm... I watched a bit of... oh, no, they didn't have that at the video shop. Hmm...", and so on.

In the end my viewing between about November and now consisted of occasional/accidental collisions with ABC1 programming such as the aforementioned cute animals, a film every now and again on one of the digital channels, and the rest was tried and true film favourites on DVD and countless airings of the extended edition of Lord Of The Rings.

And it wasn't just that it was holidays, and - being a "film/TV writer" - I was having some time off watching TV. I thought it as I was watching the Golden Globes, too, and didn't feel the slightest bit of interest in watching any of the winners or nominees: I just don't care about TV anymore.

What to do? When the light has gone out of other loves - costuming, reading, doing special effects makeup and taking photos in PhotoBooth - all its taken has been a short break and then a return to whatever made me fall in love with that thing in the first place.

But I've tried that with TV, rewatching favourites like Big Train and The Goodies and my favourite episodes of Six Feet Under and whatever slivers of The Surgeon I can find on YouTube, and it doesn't seem to be working.

So, gentle reader, I ask your help: what on earth can I do about it? It's not like going off one of your favourite shows (I discussed that on this very blog; RIP Clem's E.R. fandom, 1994-2003); this is more a complete collapse of my belief in television's ability to entrance me.

Give me your remedies, and hurry - I swear I saw my TV set crying quietly in the corner the other night.