Whether you are a devoted "Trekkie", or a Simpson follower,  who has seen every episode, we all have our favourite cult T.V. programmes.  Cult T.V. has only recently become popular, despite being around for many years. 

These programmes start off with only a small number of viewers who normally get interested in the programmes due to the unusual story lines.  They talk about the programmes enthusiastically so others are encouraged to watch them out of curiosity, some of these become followers too.  In this way the popularity of the programmes increases.  As more and more people watch the programmes merchandise becomes

available which will often become collector's items. Cult T.V. programmes are never single episodes but a pilot episode may be shown before the series actually starts.  If the pilot is disliked the series may never be shown.  If the series is successful, movies may be made to accompany it. Some of the most popular cult T.V. programmes are Star Trek, The Simpsons, Friends, Red Dwarf and Third Rock from the Sun.

Cult T.V. programmes fall into several categories.  Two of the most popular are Sci-fi and Comedy.  The programmes are usually based around a group of characters that appear in every episode.

The programmes can be set in unbelievable environments; outer space is a popular choice, or a normal environment such as a New York apartment block.

Many people who watch cult T.V. programmes are so devoted they never miss an episode collect all the merchandise and buy the videos.

It is likely that Cult T.V. will always be popular but as times change the subject matters will also change and will we be seeing more cult T.V. on our televisions?    Hopefully!

Richard Somerville

In the modern world we have a whole range of technology, so we may as well take advantage of it. One in three households in England has a computer, many of which have access to the internet. In this article I'm not going to tell you the exact technicalities of making a web site because they can vary enormously depending on who your internet provider (AOL, CompuServe, Freeserve etc..) is, but I will tell you all the things I learnt while making a web site that will apply to everyone else wanting to do so.

Firstly there is one word that can make the difference between an excellent web site with thousands of readers a day and a lonely site which sits quietly in the corner of the web and watches the world (of information) fly by. The word is planning. Good planning is the foundation of a good site, he who builds his site on good plans will encounter problems and make mistakes

but will overcome them and learn from them. He who builds his site on the words 'I want to make a web site about Quake II because it's a cool computer game' will inevitably spend hours staring at a flickering computer screen thinking "so what do I do now?" 

You have to decide what subject you want to make a site about, what pages you are going to have, for example if you were writing about a band, you might have these pages; Contents, Who are they? Their music and a page for each member of the band.  You also have to decide what pictures you want to include, if you have a scanner or digital camera you can use them to insert pictures.  You should also think about including any links to other web sites, maybe the official web site of the subject you are writing about, or the web sites of your family and friends.

To actually make your web site you need to have a program to design it on.

Many of these programs are as easy to use as a word processor and are available free from most internet providers, if you can use Word you can make at least a simple web page. The final and I think the hardest thing to tackle is getting the site onto the internet, you have to look for help from your internet provider because the variation is amazing.  Just follow the instructions your provider gives you to the letter and you shouldn't have any major problems.

Making a complete web page just from reading this article is a bit like trying to drive a fire engine just from reading the highway code but it should definitely get you on the road and be a great help along the way to sending your message to the world.

Harry Cummings