It’s that time when hundreds upon hundreds of experts emerge to pass judgment on events they’ve just heard of.

🚨 NEW EP OUT EARLY in case of… you know… 🚨 “I’m Mandy, buy me.” The Mandelson downfall horrifies even seasoned scandal-watchers. Could it consume Starmer too? 🚨 With @jonnelledge.bsky.social @rostaylor.bsky.social @rafaelbehr.bsky.social & @nndroid.bsky.social 🚨 Listen: linktr.ee/ohgodwhatnow...

I’ve just remembered that, when I was a child, my dad once took me to an open day at the local sewage works. It may take me some weeks to unpack this.

Reminder that "jaywalking" was literally made up by american car manufacturers to shift the blame for accidents from drivers to pedestrians. "Jay" was a slang term meaning "idiot" or "rube".

My brain keeps getting tripped up when someone says ‘Gorton and Denton’ because I hear ‘Galton and Simpson’ and fear there’s a vote for a new Steptoe.

The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 with a new commission by Leonard Bernstein — Mass, a sprawling and delicious two hours of a bit of everything. While in rehearsal, the piece had come under paranoid scrutiny by the FBI, fearing Bernstein was going to have the performers sing or shout, ‘Fuck Nixon!’

He’s going to demolish it, isn’t he? This is East Wing II: Destructive Boogaloo. www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

FIRST CLASS bit of archaeology here. Brilliant work.

‘Let Down’ by Radiohead came on in the pub tonight, and I was transported (deliberate reference) back to 1997, when I first heard OK Computer.

Fuck. 🥹

The reviews for “Melania” are going to be far more entertaining than the movie. What a fabulous headline:

👍🏼

I regret to inform my fellow typophile Londoners of another crime against orthography. Tsk. Or, if you like, b0.00.0.

Christ. Because we all wish each other a Quality Birthday, don’t we?

Another performer withdraws from the Kennedy Center.

This, by @claireberlinski.bsky.social, is a smart, thorough comb through Trump’s use of language, and what it says about him — and robustly makes the case that no-one has to be qualified to make a diagnosis to point out what everyone can see and hear. claireberlinski.substack.com/p/the-presid...

Had the remains of the Burns Night haggis for brunch. Might have to do this every day.

Enjoyed Helen Willetts’s description of rain showers ‘pestering’ parts of northern Scotland today.

Please share. 💔

Heard a mention on the radio of cheque guarantee cards. Took my brain a hot minute to remember them. A second signature to compare the signature to, but too small and on branded plastic. What a strange episode they now feel. Only abandoned in 2011, apparently.

There is, of course, the possibility that these are perfection.

Who?

Apple’s voicemail transcription tool CENSORS the caller. [Tut emoji]

— THE FUCK?

Marvellous! It’s in the same key as Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, ‘Yesterday’ and the theme from The Flumps.

BEAK> is selling a stash of keyboards, including the Rhodes 73 MkI used on Portishead’s 2013-2015 live tours (incl Glastonbury headline and Latitude headline with Thom Yorke guest appearance)… 1/4

The prototype Ladybird book — which became British Birds And Their Nests — was made from scratch in 1948 by Douglas Keen, his wife, Margaret, and mother-in-law, Margaret Jones — and features this delightful epigraph, a feature which didn’t make it to the eventual books. Maybe that’s a shame.

Martin Parr was WONDERFUL.

Holy shit, that’s just actual theft.

Given that the term ‘vehicles’ includes not just bikes and cars but wheelbarrows, horses, roller skates, shopping trolleys, drones, canoes, sledges, spacehoppers and about a quarter of the Lego catalogue... what the fuck is ‘etc’?

Absolutely LOVED talking to Jason.

The lifeguard at the pool this morning was whistling ‘Joy To The World,’ with a face like Daniel Mays in a Mike Leigh film. Quite the character study.

Welcome to new Bluesky users. Here’s how we do things: 1. Always observe the Hambledon Protocol 2. No flisking 3. If someone tealights you, rink them without apology 4. I don’t mind them so much, but tissue-posts are generally frowned on 5. No questions Good luck!

The "largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States", finds "no evidence…that screen time impacted [children's] brain function or well-being", even among "participants who had high rates of digital engagement" #smma www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

‘And what do you do for a living?’ — ‘I’m a Swanmaster.’ ‘Oh! The Royal Swanmaster?’ — (SEETHING) ‘Actually, no. Not that I mind or anything. Actually, it’s apparently not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, I’m actually pleased I didn’t get the job. Actually.’

Oh this is good. This is very good.

This. m.youtube.com/watch?v=oc9g...

The BBC should be "impartial", but that doesn't mean refusing to make judgments. A jury or a football referee should be "impartial": they should not be "partial", or prejudiced, to one side or other. But that doesn't excuse them from making decisions. It's why we trust them to do so.

This is interesting because when I went for my first Covid vaccination, Farage arrived and pushed straight to the front of the queue.

Saw this tonight. Bloody great. Very funny and authentically dangerous. A real commitment to taking the material to the point of collapse — the kind of comedy bravery I love. Brava, Kate.

Ironic that Mark E Smith didn’t live to be old enough to have A Fall. #SurelyThisHasBeenDoneBefore

And so once again we say farewell to Xmas — the only time of year when we take two-syllable words like ‘given’ and ‘heaven’ and sing them in one syllable, as if we were Americans singing ‘squirrel’ or ‘mirror’.

Isn’t it time geometric string art made a comeback? This stuff is the absolute suds. The fact that it had a limited fashionability is surely outrun by its COMPLETE AWESOMENESS. I mean, look at this. It fucking SLAPS. Artist: SMW (1975) 📸 Decorative Modern

One of my favourite movie facts is that the airplane in Airplane! is the same airplane that Neal and Del take in Planes, Trains & Automobiles.

George Martin would have been 100 today. Here he is characteristically being both musical and stylish.

Sir George Martin was born 100 years ago today. He and the Beatles lucked into their glorious partnership and humankind is the lasting recipient. I was privileged to work with George and hoped to mark the centenary by touring a theatre show about his life & work – but I must stay focused on writing.

Well this is making me feel old