Hello World

post-mortem on Kill Me If You Can

I thought the programme was very good. I had been concerned it would sensationalise the story but instead it concentrated simply on relating the events, which in themselves are so strange as to be sufficient. It was a good move, I think, to allow the barristers to unfold the tale, and I was impressed by their humane and kindly attitudes to the two boys - although one wonders whether they would have been so gentle if the boys had come from deprived homes rather than the leafy suburbs.

Sophie asks 'what is reality?' - I would really like to hear John and Mark answer that question!

(btw I am told by my brother-in-law that it was Bobby who came back from the dead, not JR. Ah well, sorry about that error.)

'Kill Me If You Can' Channel 4, 23rd August 2005

Earlier this year I was interviewed for Kill Me If You Can, a TV documentary to be shown on Channel 4 on Tuesday 23rd August 2005. At first I was reluctant to appear since I wasn't sure how the producers intended to portray the story, but after long discussions with them I decided to go ahead. The evidence of whether this decision was the correct one will be seen next week.

The production company's website summarises the subject of the programme as follows:

The story of a 14-year-old Manchester boy who tried to arrange his own death by manipulating his 16-year-old friend into murder.

Known only as “John” when he appeared in court in 2004, the boy created eight fictitious characters from his bedroom using a laptop and an over-active imagination.

With these characters, including an MI6 spy-mistress, he snared “Mark” into an attempt on his own life.

Here is some of the  press coverage of what took place:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/29/1085641761298.html?oneclick=true
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3758209.stm
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/s/118/118226_internet_murder_boys_told_never_see_each_other_again.html

I find the story interesting because in many senses the behaviour of the boys was very typical of the kind of thing that happens online all the time. What made it different was that the overspill into the physical became dangerous. I was especially drawn to the comments of the judge as reported in the Manchester News:

When the case came to Manchester Crown Court yesterday, Judge David Maddison said: "Skilled writers of fiction would struggle to conjure up a plot such as this. What is staggering is that this has arisen out of the activities of a 14-year-old boy."

It seemed to me that the 'writers of fiction' reference was spot on. This boy was (is) a consummate fiction writer. I know novelists who will type furiously all day to produce perfect first drafts, needing little revision, of complicated page-turners that readers consume as fast as the works themselves were written. This is a special skill, and I believe this boy probably has it.

The difference between him and a novelist however is that this boy was able to actually make his fiction come alive, something I am sure many print novelists would dearly love to happen.

And as for his 'reader' - he was fortunate to have an author writing and creating solely for him. No wonder he believed it all - it was tailored for his personal consumption, like children's books where you can have the names and preferences printed in. Although at first sight it might appear that he was an innocent victim, I find I rather doubt that, because the story of these two boys seems to me a good example of interactive fiction at its most effective.  It was, you might say, real interactive fiction.  The perfect author-reader relationship, perhaps....?

I don't know whether the programme will portray the situation sympathetically. Fingers crossed that it will. I'll report back in a week.

*thanks to Peter Harrison for correcting my link (see comments)

A short account of the BlahBlah virus

Page 151

One day she opened her inbox to find a mail that said Open Me. So she did. It read:

"Hello. By opening this mail you have released the BlahBlah virus. All the love letters you ever wrote have just been opened, digitally read, and resent to different lovers. All the gossip you passed on about your boss has been forwarded to her, and all the porn sites you stored in your secret H drive have been sent to your neighbours with your face airbrushed into the images. But never fear. The attack is now over, and although you will suffer some embarrassing social consequences, you will overcome them and your life will be better and more honest for the experience. Tomorrow you will receive a mail with the subject line "Heal Me". This mail contains the code you require to purge your system of the BlahBlah Virus. Be happy."

The next day her neighbours weren't speaking to her and every single one of her lovers had emailed their departure notes. As she carefully filed away each one, she received a mail with "Heal Me" in the subject line. She was uncertain as to whether this was a trick, but decided to risk it. After all, healing is such a wondrous thing. She opened it. It was a voice mail. It whispered:

"Hello. By opening this mail you have released the BleeBlah virus. All the food in your fridge has gone suddenly rancid and your dog just ran under a car. You have forgotten to pick up your kid from school and World War III has broken out down the road. Your lipstick has turned into the colour which suits you least and all the A's you ever got at school have been regraded to E's. But never fear. The attack is now over, and although you will suffer some painful personal consequences, you will overcome them and your life will be better and more honest for the experience. Tomorrow you will receive a mail with the subject line "Fix Me". This mail contains the code you require to purge your system of the BleeBlah Virus. Remember - tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life."

In the morning her kid still hadn't returned from school and her boss's secretary had called to say her services were no longer required. She couldn’t bear to look in the mirror, her lipstick was so vile. The "Fix Me" email arrived but should she open it? Third time lucky, she thought. She clicked on the tiny envelope and immediately the front doorbell rang.

"Hello," it said, as it wiped its feet on the mat, "By opening that mail you have released me. I am the BleeBlee virus. This will be my easy chair. That will be my breakfast. Please make sure the eggs are over-easy. You'll enjoy having me here, and although you'll suffer some annoying personal consequences, you will overcome them, and your life will be better and more honest for the experience. I think we'll be happy together."