Mates? Who said anything about mates? I said people I know... and given that I paid just short of £90 for a pair of tickets for me and the littlun to see the Doctor Who thingy, I don't think I need to say what I think of watching it.

Anyway back on topic... TV licenses. If your equipment is capable of reveiving a signal you need a license. That's the law.

If you don't have an aerial it starts getting tricky. I'll try and do some research when I get a minute, (Second week in October OK with you guys?) but note to everyone... we are not legal experts, so follow any advice given on these forums, (even from me) at your own risk.

I could do a "John" and make some Judge Jedd-ish comment. Instead, I'm merely going to point out that, like in so many cases, the law is wrong. Just because it's law doesn't mean you we all just have to give up and ignore our common sense.

I have my TV license paid by Direct Debit. It solves the problem of paying it. I could get away without paying for a while. I can use my amnesia as an excuse but I have had friends who have had to refuse to answer the door because they do not know if it is the licensing people or debt collectors. I pay it even though I think that it is regressive. It is just a fixed tax. I would prefer that they scrap it and deal with it through general taxation. It would save the paperwork on the over 75's who get it free anyway.