Let's ease into this with a Back To The Future paradox that should be fairly simple to get your head around. So in the first film, right at the start, there's a bit where Marty's making out with Jennifer in the middle of town (which, ew, PDA much), only to be interrupted by an indignant old woman shaking a donation tin, yelling "save the clock tower!" over and over. Then she hands over a pamphlet and explains that the crummy clock tower, the face of which hasn't worked in years, is due for demolition. For some reason people want to say it, despite the fact that it's a sorry excuse for a clock. But here's the thing: the clock tower shouldn't need saving. The reason the clock stopped turning is because it was struck by lightning all the way back in 1955, and is frozen at the time the strange natural phenomenon happened. That bolt of lightning is later harnessed to provide the DeLorean with the appropriate amount of jigawatts for Marty to get back to the future (hey, that's the name of the film!), with Doc Brown using a cable to loop the power down into the car. Which means the clock tower doesn't get struck. So it doesn't need saving. So why does that campaign exist?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
