#BrokenGround is the 1st anthology from @uncertainstories.com . Out on 21st October. Stories by myself, Mark Taylor, Eva Carson, and Tamsin Hopkins, Nathaniel Spain, Jack Edwards, and Flo Ward. Ed Rob Redman & illustrated by Lucy Scott 🔥🔥🔥. Read excerpts and pre-order here www.uncertainstories.com

A report published about The Basic Income for the Arts pilot in Ireland shows that it produced over €100 million in Social and Economic Benefits and for every €1 of public money invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return. 👉 www.gov.ie/en/departmen...

More on Tony Harrison www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Sad to hear Tony Harrison has died. In The early days of the Indy I suggested we print all of V in the paper, so that people could read what they were being told to be outraged about. Didn't reach the end of the sentence before Andreas Whittam-Smith said yes. Never proof read anything so carefully.

Tony Harrison's poetry meant a lot to me at a very specific time in my life, and now, of course, that time is rushing back in his words.

RIP

Sorry to see Tony Harrison has died. It's well worth watching him perform his poem V (spread over two videos) on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPut...

THE QUATERMASS EVENT takes over QUAD in Derby on Saturday 6 December 2025 from 12pm. All three Hammer films plus full supporting programme and guests. Booking and details available at derbyquad.co.uk

Goodnight from passengers on the Dracula Bus, journeying from Coreham’s censoring council to Ashcourt so they can see the banned film ‘Satan’s Shore’. Goodnight from Holly Webber, feeling omen-shadowed since reading the Black Library’s Book of St. Urian. Goodnight from Hookland.

I saw a post mentioning Baskerville, which of course gives me an excuse to share one of the most perfect music videos ever. The use of Black Sabbath, the dancers. Bert's cravat matching Cindy's dress. The subject matter. THE DOG!!! 10/10 no notes.

+ AS SEEN ON 'TASKMASTER' + I've had to keep this quiet for the last few months but really chuffed to finally see our 'Lonely Water' sign appear on @taskmaster.tv this evening, offered up as a prize by Reece Shearsmith. New restocks in the shop including a smaller A4 version. www.hiddenbritain.co.uk

I am in conversation with the lovely @essiefox.bsky.social as part of the WhitbyLitfest in November. Book your tickets now, chums.

There are alredy checks in place to ensure individuals have a right to work in the UK. I presume it's just not as much fun as snapping 'papers please' as anyone you don't like the look of.

These very true words from Steve Hely have given me tremendous comfort over the years.

Quick heads-up - both parts of the BBC's superb The Orson Welles Story are available once again on the iPlayer. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

I'm enjoying the reviews of the Slow Horses review.

The Borderlands (2013) is available on Amazon Prime. If you’ve not seen it, make some time for it, because it is extremely good. And then enjoy this podcast discussion… #BrokenVeil #DiscomfortBlanket

I love Helen, and I love Dale, but I really really love Noelene. #TheNewsreader

We've reached a point where Apple TV+ is now self-censoring in fear of Fuckface Von Clownstick. What cowardice. This should be a scandal even bigger than Disney canceling Jimmy Kimmel. https://www.vulture.com/article/apple-pulls-the-savant-from-release-schedule.html

Just a few days left!

I'm watching Sneakers for the first time and wishing they'd let Redford, Poitier and the rest of them make as many Mission Impossible films as they wanted.

I NEARLY FORGOT!! Rejoice!! youtu.be/CG7YHFT4hjw?...

Which movie do you consider to be perfect?

A new episode of my podcast, Talking the Gothic ~ featuring the writer Paul Magrs and discussing humour in the gothic genre. essiefox.substack.com/p/dark-humou...

I've become fascinated in the origins of modern peer-to-peer support groups for grief. And I’ve discovered that we have second wave feminists to thank for many of them!

I regret to inform you that I have broken out the Big Jumper and the scarf combo.

Here's some Hildegard von Blingin' www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugqQ...

I wrote an essay on non-fiction and truth for The Author, in which I talk about Capote, Graves and Durrell before concluding that writers just need to stop being full of shit.

One of these rich dudes invested in a food company with all proceeds going to kids in need. The other started Sundance Institute, boosting the lives of countless artists. Hey modern rich dudes, don't be a typical greedy AI crypto-prick, be like these two.

PETER JACKSON'S BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

We aren’t going to see the likes of him again. RIP.

The noise I just made.

Summer has gone & darkness arrives earlier each evening, the perfect time for ghost stories. Tomorrow at 10pm BBC4 is showing the 1970’s adaptation of The Signalman by Charles Dickens. Here’s an unpublished illustration I made a couple of years back. I love this story, I’d love to illustrate it.

Well it's certainly autumn! And do you know what's autumn-coded, fall-adjacent, September-appropriate? That's right: BOOKS. Here are some of mine. Buy them, if you want.

British writer Aphra Behn, painted in 1670 by Sir Peter Lely (#BTD). Wrote Oroonoko & many plays, & is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Getting ready to watch The Haunting and idly wondering where it was filmed I discover the house used for exteriors in Warwickshire is now a hotel ...

My next event is on Tuesday, September 30th at the glorious Stansted House. I'm so thrilled to be invited, and to be there with Ness Bowler, fellow author and friend who will be interviewing me. Details in link attached - www.stanstedpark.co.uk/inconversati... @orendabooks.bsky.social

Another stunning line-up of talent incoming for WINTER HAUNTS this November, with a busy day of ghost stories and Gothic fiction coming your way! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winter-hau... #gothic #gothicfiction #ghoststory #ghoststories

“The most valuable thing to me in terms of my mental health is to read a poem or see a painting or listen to music which speaks to me, which breaks me open for a moment, and where I feel an experience honestly & delicately portrayed. That’s another reason AI can never create anything artistically.”

City of York Council, per a statement by Labour Council leader Claire Douglas, have estimated the cost of dealing with flags and related graffiti at around or over £¼m. That's in just the City of York Council area.

I have my issues with the Peter Pan stuff but I cannot deny I am enjoying the World's Most Sinister Sheep™️

I can count the times a smear test DIDN'T hurt on the fingers of one hand. It's still astonishing to me no one has ever thought this was a problem until now.

I wrote a Substack about surprise creeps.

Proper Moonah Stonah moonrise tonight, chaps.

Could your lunchtime, once a month, do with more VAMPIRES? Why not sign up for the FREE online lunchtime bites - a 30 min talk once a month, each from a different speaker, on Dracula, vampires and all things vampire-adjacent! www.ticketsource.co.uk/draculalunch...

What a loss. observer.co.uk/news/columni...

For context that's a third the price the RIAA expected a single human to pay for just downloading 24 songs a decade ago (after cutting the ruling down from $1.5m, or $62,000 per song), and that's not adjusting for inflation:

It's the #GreatNorthRun tomorrow and bloody hell, look what you all did! Thanks so much to everyone who donated to my @actionfdn.bsky.social fundraiser. Still time, of course, to drum up another grand or two. 🏃🏃🏃 ajbellgreatnorthrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/richard-s...