SO Blackburn with Darwen Council is proposing that all taxi-drivers take a couple of English and Maths tests.

While I can see the point it might also be an idea to ensure some councillors have to past the same test too.

And in the spirit of things maybe it would be an idea to give people who have had 20 pints of lager some sort of universal translator, because no amount of English and geographical knowledge will help you understand someone you have just picked up at three in the morning who can't even walk never mind talk.

And so to escape the fun and games I turned on my television. In fact, I gave it a month or so. But alas it was not to be.

With the introduction of a new Asian family in Eastenders I decided to tune in and watch what the new clan had to offer.

Let's just say I wasn't too impressed.

Soaps are popular because they are supposed to portray life as it is for most people. If you are going to have an Asian family then why not make them like the real thing? Or at least as realistic as possible.

First of all pub visits would mean drinking cola or orange juice.

Why not have an episode where everyone has the chance to find out why they don't drink or eat pork or where the Asian family celebrates a religious festival?

It would save most of us out here in the real world a hell of a lot of time.

Let's not have a forced marriage where the girl is torn between two lovers and there's a trip to Pakistan and India.

And how about this for an interesting change - an episode where the Asian person does no dodgy deals and doesn't get caught trafficking drugs.

And no nicknames. If the guy's name is Tariq then let's call him Tariq and not shorten it so it sounds English.

Instead, soaps like many TV programmes of late tend to have used the same stereotypes.

Take Coronation Street for example. It's interesting stuff sometimes, especially when killer bloke Richard Hillman was on the loose.

But it's supposed to set in Manchester isn't it, the north of England?

Well there's not enough Curry Mile visits in it for my liking.

Even Family Affairs got in on the act. In came Amir and in the first episode sat there with beer in his hand.

A few weeks later he was having illicit affairs with two women and selling booze on the side he'd nicked from the pub where he just happened to work.

What a guy! What a false impression!