I've just happened upon Fawlty Towers on U&Gold, and it's a very weird aspect ratio like they've blown up to 16:9 and presented the chopped out middle bit. The top of Cleese's head is rarely in shot, and all the characters are looming.

Worth reading alongside Claire Wilmot’s new piece, ‘Fascistic Dream Machines’, on the far right’s use of AI video: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...

‘Flatter them, or they’ll turn on you.’ ICYMI: Emily Witt on how ‘the manosphere has forced us to pay attention through acts of extreme violence, and many of its advocates and theories have been taken up by democratically elected governments.’ www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

This was fun to do. Newley was a fascinating person.

A new episode of World of Telly is available now wherever you get your podcasts. This week we travel back to 1960 as we explore The Strange World of Gurney Slade. The video version of this podcast will be released later this weekend.

My review from back then. Nowhere near as inspired as yours, but it got the job done! ladydontfallbackwards.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/r...

I did something similar to this, and remember getting to about 3am umpteen episodes in before the hallucinations started.

Danny Thompson RIP He's played with The Pentangle, Kate Bush, Everything But The Girl, ABC, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Rod Stewart, John Martyn, David Sylvian, T.Rex, teh Thunderbirds theme, Peter Gabriel oh god all sorts

Who among us has not invested in a time machine at some point in our lives?

Has the actress originally cast as Rose Marie in A Very Peculiar Practice ever been named? The recasting is mentioned in the DVD commentary but they diplomatically draw a veil over her identity.

I think every single sentence of this made me laugh. It has the rare gift of being mountingly hilarious www.thetimes.com/life-style/c...

I think reading that Anthony Newley needed a basket of towels after a shower because he required one towel per limb has reached the limit of my thirst for knowledge.

I was flicking around the channels and stumbled upon Bad Lieutenant. What an extraordinarily weird film it is.

My horrendous drive today was at least alleviated by Justin’s playlist which I strongly recommend. Imagine me on a motorway gripping the steering wheel and peering through torrential rain and spray but still shouting FREEBASE! when White Lines was on.

Seconded.

Well, after a round trip drive of over 350 miles in horrendous pounding rain, I am little more than a husk.

“Bon Scott died suddenly after a night of heavy drinking in Camden.” I mean, we’ve all been there. I died at least seven times in Camden only to be miraculously revived in Kentish Town.

@dirtyfeed.org Can you remember which Adventure Game it is where the team lose because they mistake a floor tile coming loose for a part of the game at the end?

Be-Bop Deluxe always sound to me like a cross between Thin Lizzy and Badly Drawn Boy.

"Our industry faces the most sophisticated, venomous, creeping evil in America’s history. There’s no standing above this conflict. No impartial observers. If you’re on the sidelines you’ve made a choice and must live with it." deadline.com/2025/09/ando...

Back to the Newley biography and although I thought I’d heard all the stories about Rex Harrison being vile while making Dr Doolittle, particularly towards Newley, I enjoyed this bit “Newley…took some private comfort from the knowledge that every animal that came into contact with Harrison bit him.”

It’s the 80s, so buy Justin’s book #TOTP

What I’d like to do tomorrow is watch The Small World of Sammy Lee and try and think of something interesting to write about Anthony Newley, but sadly I have duties and responsibilities, so Tony will have to wait.

It’s time.

This is an excellent, if chastening, article by Ian. If you're not aware of exactly what is happening with the Written Archives Centre then do read this as it lays things out very clearly.

The actions leading up to the campaign to restore access to the BBC Written Archives, from Ian Greaves for CST: cstonline.net/is-the-bbc-a...

Features "Liberty". My single favourite Laurel and Hardy film, and the one that made me fall in love with them in the first place.

I'm currently in the middle of reading Newley's biography so I assume that I'm hallucinating this and reality is crumbling.

This tribute to Robert Redford is particularly mangled. I wonder if he's actually seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at all, or if he has was concussed at the time. I'm sure we were all heartbroken at that very funny scene halfway through the film.

I'm reading a library book which is in mint condition aside from this one solitary tick in the margin. Trying to imagine the circumstance where you'd reach for your pencil on that one occasion.

This Week's Onion Magazine:

This week I achieved my Masters with Distinction. I inflicted pain and suffering on myself while writing the thesis, and now I inflict it on the world. pinkforyouractualpterodactyl.com/2025/09/18/d...

And here's another bump for the video podcast, which the BBC has kindly left up.

Our latest newsletter has just been sent out to subscribers. This time, it's about BBC Scotland, filmed drama, unpublished novels, and rabies. worldoftelly.beehiiv.com/p/the-mad-de...

The first episode of Through the Square Window, presented by @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social and @gkw.bsky.social is now live! Find it wherever you get your podcasts, or via our brand-new website: squarewindow.co.uk

Another podcast done. Only a few million series left to cover.

Presidential Tena Pad Change; Nap; Deliveroo (Chicken Cottage); Milk & Cookies; 8.45pm Bedtime.

A quick bump for our latest podcast episode, which the BBC have thankfully allowed us to keep on YouTube: youtu.be/UF2_4lp61C4?...

A very welcome repeat of this landmark 1992 series which also led to a BFI book of the same name. One of its researchers, Stephen Bourne, would be quick to point out it depended heavily on exploratory research of BBC files. You couldn't do that now.... www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

It's that time of evening where I like to settle down and identify the ingredients of John Noakes' scone pizza, filmed under the hot Blue Peter lights of 1973.

This is good news. The TV Times is now included in the British Newspaper Archive. www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/titles/tv-ti...

Time to watch a bit of Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? before bed.

Our Sky box was getting a bit full so we’ve been scrolling through deleting stuff. I was puzzled to see that Bob’s Easter Full House 1985 was still on there, but then remembered I’d kept it to look at again at one of the prizes that caught my eye.

Another triumph for dimwits who think AI can do anything. Sheffield United have lost every game this season since the club’s owners adopted “AI-led recruitment” over the summer.

This is excellent. Loads of great stuff and I was so enamoured of the two banging Top 20s featured that I’m making playlists of them right now.

Ep 31 of my music textcast #FirstLastAnything. This week, read my conversation with the journalist and travel writer William Ham Bevan (@hambevan.bsky.social), where we cover TV schools soundtracks, one of the 70s' biggest bands and old tapes of the top 20. firstlastanything.co.uk/2025/09/14/f...

I've just supported this. Looking forward to issue four.

The highlight of my lazy Saturday mornings is as brilliant as ever. Phil’s summary of the demented Another Bouquet killed me especially the line “an upper-middle-class publishing dynasty whose family tree resembles the wiring diagram for a Ferguson Videostar.”

Week 51 brings you Brechtian Z-Cars, knackered celebrities, animated subtweets, Bill Oddie on the one, Rentaghost in transition, Doctor Who in school and Frank Finlay in bed with everyone except his wife. Certificate 18, check press for details. open.substack.com/pub/historyo...