Linus Torvalds, main mover 'n' shaker behind the Linux kernel, has long had a reputation for being a bit of a hothead. Yet a new TV show puts a new spin on Torvalds' temper tantrums.

Australian political thriller The Code, currently being screened on BBC 4, is - so the BBC 4 website tells us - "about two very different brothers who unearth information that those at the highest levels of power will kill to keep secret."

Strong stuff. Yet it gets even stronger once you actually watch the program, as Register reader David let us know.

One of the show's characters is a "Sgt L. Torvalds". He's even got a pistol, just for those occasions when a hapless code monkey makes a simple slip-up.

Sgt L. Torvalds: Fighting crime, one spittle-flecked tirade at a time

"Maybe someone said something to annoy him? C++ is better than C, or similar," mused David.

Armed: Er, who gave Linus a gun?!

Who knows? Either way, if you're planning on working with Torvalds or write code that might annoy him, you should probably start running if he gets his sheriff's badge out. ®