Two views on This Life: 1) it’s essentially gentrified Hollyoaks (pedants do not bother telling me it was on first). 2) is the traffic noise a style choice or was it that cheaply filmed?

A load of royal pageantry taking place in the rain while the government shits the bed again is true British spirit.

Queen www.theguardian.com/music/2026/m...

Bruce Springsteen’s cover of A Rainy Night in Soho is very good, isn’t it?

Cats are such little arseholes, just love them apple.news/AMOGr4PfDRxq...

Pie Jesu closing Desert Island Discs, a hymn I can no longer her without thinking of Michelle Bass's iconic rendition www.tiktok.com/@classicbbuk...

I watched it! I liked it. The Samin Nosrat episode is genuinely delightful, they really vibed apple.news/AYe0dfhdbTb6...

Shout out to The Independent for not even waiting until the second mention to unleash this delightful gem #wintrybeast

Workout of the beast

Swingers are getting the guy who played Jay from The Inbetweeners to do them welcome videos on Cameo

It's beginning to look a lot like... conflict? www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

For anyone who wasn't listening to Radio 4 at 6 o'clock this morning (why not, weirdos?) this was v lovely www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

I am once again asking that we ban the word ‘febrile’ from Westminster coverage

Cauliflower soup with a bit of miso paste and sesame oil is not unlike Heinz cream of chicken, in case you were wondering.

Really interesting post on how Keir Starmer could/should become a social media star peterhyman21.substack.com/p/how-to-mak... I've long thought he should lean into his strong embarrassing dad vibe - the Airport Dad meme of British politics www.tiktok.com/discover/air...

Massive claim when Jim already sets the bar so high www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/...

A monkey with absolutely no time for Dirty Three (from here apple.news/AaswATsN8Qce...)

Actually, Dermot O'Leary talking about his (beautiful!) cats is prob all you should bother reading today apple.news/A6sJfQ-56Q2m...

This is very good. England, by comparison, seems like it is probably not apple.news/AEN3caxdkTZ2...

Just don't understand why they didn't simply bury the really not very old Diana time capsule elsewhere

Perfect summary of everything that's besmirched Sex and the City's good name www.thecut.com/article/and-...

Would you need a selfie stick in heaven? Fair to expect divine floating phone imo. Yet another AI fail.

Really good new album alert. Sounds like if Patti Smith spent a summer on the 1970s British folk scene. open.spotify.com/album/3Eg0fx...

I've admittedly not been keeping up with zoo news, but are zoos... OK? Baboons being fed to lions in Germany?? www.thetimes.com/world/europe... 'Unwanted' pets on the menu in Denmark??? apple.news/AMsAIis73RDu...

Rat the size of cat is a classic of the bollocks that won't wash in newsrooms genre, but that, well... really is a rat the size of a cat apple.news/APkr70gFXT7a...

Distinctly remember being furious not to be at this (I was 11) www.thetimes.com/culture/phot...

Tell me this happened in the late 90s without mentioning the year.

Deeply sorry to defend anything about AJLT but I think a load of shit beauty products is pitch-perfect Carrie: she of messy hair and chain smoking. High fashion people often cba with beauty and vice versa www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Burnham for PM discourse comes around earlier every year, it's getting so commercial. (really good piece though!) apple.news/AkfY3tvKsQhm...

One can always rely on @robfordmancs.bsky.social for a belter of a quote apple.news/AnBLwd3hQQ6S...

Honestly, anything to end the scourge of cargo shorts man apple.news/AXgqFbMd-Txq...

What a brilliant, forensic, unforgiving-yet-thoroughly-celebratory book this is! Highly recommend, for fans or otherwise www.waterstones.com/book/travell...

I reckon Cast No Shadow is the thinking person's Champagne Supernova (obv CS still bangs)

Is it too much to ask that we could stop saying 'bunker buster'? Sounds like an apocalyptic Hungry Horse special.

Former foreign office cat Palmerston was 'recently brought back to take up an overseas diplomatic posting in Bermuda as "feline relations consultant",'????? Pics or that's diplo for 'went to live on a farm' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump and Keir doing the sketch writers a solid, chucking the freshly signed trade deal papers all over the floor

Good morning to Emily Thornberry only apple.news/ATHlXdL0ZSEm...

FINALLY

Have always disliked 'revealed' and 'unveiled' in news copy as they seem too jazz hands to refer to government policy etc but am seeing a real proliferation of 'disclosed' lately, which won't do – it's a bit suburban gossip coded. Bring back nice dry 'said' and 'reported' imo.

New Skunk Anansie and Pulp! Next in this 1996 revival can we bring back a functioning creative job market and affordable property in London?

Wouldn't have had Lindsay Hoyle down as a K beauty girlie apple.news/AJRkYTFtDT66...

"May not be receptive"

British train delays: leaves on the line Japanese train delays: SNAKE on the line apple.news/A6P9RWtj5RBq...

This could be so much more fun than it is www.globalslag.com/conferences/...

Imagine being Toby Carvery comms gearing up for arguably the biggest pub roast weekend of the year and then this www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Thoughts and prayers for the person now trawling menus and socials for refs to anything ‘oak smoked’.

Hilarious detail in story about an American tourist arrested in Kent after confusion over what’s legal here: “I was just walking the dog along the seafront and saw a man relaxing on the grass verge listening to UB40 on his phone." Not what he was arrested for though apple.news/AmAOrLAwCS9i...

In enduring albums from the late '90s news, some old Catatonia on 6Music earlier reminded me that International Velvet still bangs. Dig it out! Especially this bit! www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0mP...

Definitely would have expected this sort of thing from Macron. Would not have had him down as a basic Sauvage bro www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...

Deliberately make your shower shitter! Be the least warm you can tolerate being! What a time.

I have run out of Somebody Somewhere episodes what on earth am I supposed to do now?! What a life-affirming show.