So, I was thinking of saying something about Away, and @Cosmic_Carol has inspired me to go into depth about what I personally like and don't like about the depiction of space in films and TV series, not just in Away. Strap in, I'm about to go on a rant. https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Carol/status/1304412317808029696

Like Carol, I was expecting to hate Away. And I do. For all of the scientific inaccuracies, the unrealistic personality traits of the crew and some decidedly average performances. The dialogue isn't great either, but it is gripping and I keep watching the next episode.

Why? Because it's a soap opera, and soaps are designed to hook you with cliffhanger episodes and by making you care about what will happen to the characters. So as well as hating it, I'm also loving it (and hating myself for loving it). Damn you Hollywood!!!

Away isn't really aimed at the space nerd in me. I have to park that part of my brain which picks up on faults. Once I do that I can get on with watching, and enjoying, each episode.

I have to do the same with Gravity, Interstellar and Lost in Space. Sorry Ad Astra you don't get a pass, you're just too dull and too inaccurate for me to forgive anything. But these films and series are made for the general public, not space nerds, so that's OK I guess.

However, there are plenty of movies and shows aimed squarely at me. Apollo 13, From the Earth to the Moon, For All Mankind, MARS. Not sure where the put The First though, probably in this group. Just.

So what is it about the depictions of space that Hollywood gets so badly wrong? And why do they do it?

1. Zero G = Slow Motion

Almost every space film has astronauts moving in SlowMo when in Zero G. Why? There's over 50 years of real video showing this isn't true. Stop it!

2. Astronauts with personality defects.

I get it, edgy characters and conflict makes for interesting stories, but that doesn't reflect real life. Astronauts are selected and trained to work well together. If you want oddball characters make films about a future where...

...non-astronauts are going to space, not about the first crew going to Mars. This is where the plot for Lost in Space works well.

3. Artificial Gravity

Either have it or don't, but preferably don't. I know it makes production cheaper but I like watching astronauts float.

And if you do have it, remember you have it. There's some odd hybrid G things going on in Away that's very off putting.

If you must have simulated gravity, or you're set on the Moon or Mars, have the actors walk normally but able to leap very high. Simple and cool!

4. Don't break Physics!

Faster than light travel and communications take you into the pure sci-fi genre like Star Wars and Star Trek. If you're rooted in reality make the physics accurate. There's plenty of people you can ask and it'll give your film an added dimension.

5. Expensive graphics and cheap plots.

It's a movie or a drama, not a documentary so get good writers and actors to deliver a high quality, engaging story. Employ expert advisers to steer the script, and listin to them.

I'm also a motorsport fan and the film Le Mans '66 (aka Ford v Ferrari) blends an engaging rrue story with a great script and stellar performances. I'll easily forgive any slight inaccuracies because it's just a brilliant piece of cinema.

So, having said all this I'll still watch anything and everything with a space theme. My favourites are, in no particular order...

Moon
Apollo13
The Martian
Contact
Salyut 7
Spacewalker
MARS
The First
For All Mankind