Really enjoyed the RSC's @the-rsc.bsky.social Twelfth Night at the Barbican. A proper celebration of the melancholy inside Christmas jollity. Saddest of the comedies. And in simplistic times, shows how two things can be true at once.

As 2025 closes, nice surprise to see my work at the BBC included in the New York Times list of the year’s “fine passages of prose” in journalism in its “Best Sentences of 2025” round-up. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...

You buy a couple of tickets for an exhibition and you wince at it costing over £50 and then they ask you for a "donation"! Hmm.

The King held his first Harmony Summit. What happened there? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Rugby league’s first knighthood to be awarded today. It follows protests of unfairness against the sport in the honours system. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ancient India exhibition at the British Museum is worth a spin. Art and soul. Apart from anything else, it’s soothingly calm compared to the rest of the overcrowded museum.

Central line seems to be getting as bad for graffiti inside the tube carriages as the Bakerloo. Feels like it’s got worse in past few months, not sure why that might be.

With pressure on public finances, there’s increasing scrutiny of the amount of taxpayers’ money spent on the Royal Family. My thoughts and those of others in this piece for the BBC by @seanjcoughlan.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

There's a call for the honours system to recognise the community efforts and volunteering of people with disabilities. It's part of a wider question about the fairness of the honours system and whether it's rewarding the right people. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

NEW Results of my informal research into 147 murder & manslaughter cases that concluded at court in London in 2023 and 2024. Why were people killed? The findings surprised me... ... and raise questions for policing & government. Published in the Spectator: www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-...

Sad to hear about Rick Buckler. He was such a part of what made the Jam such a fiercely intense live band. A lot of middle aged people will be playing those old records and remembering how much the Jam captured that time.

Has Caecilius been in?

‘It won't help to build confidence in the honours system if there's a perception that the proximity to the seat of power & personal wealth significantly increases your chance of getting a gong’ @transparencyuk.bsky.social for @seanjcoughlan.bsky.social’s investigation. www.bbc.com/news/article...

On a train with the windows covered in graffiti. So at least can’t see all the graffiti along the tracks.

First Humanitarian Medals awarded. Anna Daniell, one of the first recipients, says it's a positive sign to honour humanitarian workers who respond to international disasters. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

King Charles to attend events marking 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

In spotting journalistic cliches - a new contender must 'breaks silence'. It almost always just means that someone has said something. But with a load of fake clickable drama.