Listen again to #politics expert Dr @mattmokhefiashton.bsky.social talk about oil prices, #Iran and the #G7 on Trans World Radio 📻 @spsatntu.bsky.social www.twr.org.uk/podcast/iran...

Epstein files: who decides what information is released to the public? By Dr @mattmokhefiashton.bsky.social for @uk.theconversation.com #NTUResearch #Politics #EpsteinFiles theconversation.com/epstein-file...

Honey and Biscuit enjoy the cat milk served mid morning by their butler #proofofcat

I wrote this on Elon Musk’s chances of starting a new political party in the US theconversation.com/elon-musk-sa...

A Conservative Party candidate declaring war on Doctor Who was not on my bingo card for 2024. I hope Starmer responds by promising to take the fight to Servalan. Then Ed Davey can wrestle the Shape from Sapphire and Steel and the Greens promise to do something about Zelda from Terrorhawks #DoctorWho

Admit it, they have the best colour scheme!

Just had a photo taken with Katy Manning and Wendy Padbury. Am suddenly feeling very self-conscious about being 6 foot 4 #DoctorWho #Whooverville15

Off at Whooverville 15 in Derby. Great panel with Chris Chapman talking about the Doctor Who blu-ray collections and the upcoming Blake’s 7 collection.

Have been asked to talk to students about the benefits of AI. Am debating whether to wear my Logic Memory Systems, Tyrell Corporation, Weyland-Yutani or Cyberdyne Systems T-shirt while I discuss how AI is going to change our lives for the better

Watching the Paralympic Opening ceremony and it’s being interrupted by Channel4 advert breaks. I know it’s their funding model but it is spoiling it

OK. so. My metatheory of Dr Who is this. Ahem. So, you know how there are Python sketches that collapse when one character realises the problems in the internal logic, or that sustain because no character realises? That's Dr Who, that is. [continues]

Have seen the trailer for sci-fi series Uglies on Netflix. The plot seems to be a young woman lives in a futuristic society where everyone is creepily good looking so she escapes to join a group of rebel outsiders made up of actors who are also really good looking but are presented as if they’re not

Actually Bill Paterson and Jim Carter would both make excellent versions of the Master if they decided to go down the route of an older more brooding villain rather than the recent more eccentric versions #DoctorWho

My other observation is that in the Singing Detective Bill Paterson has just insane amounts of charisma (maybe the beard helps). In a different reality he’d have been an amazing Hans Gruber. Also, why has he never even been nominated for a BAFTA for best actor/supporting actor. He’s always great

Years ago Jim Carter was the villain in Cracker and was utterly chilling. It would be great to see a brooding older Master to set against the new younger more energetic Doctor

Secondly, how has Jim Carter never been in Doctor Who? He’s one of the few major British actors who somehow has never appeared in Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek. He’d make a great Master if they’d be willing to do a non-crazy/wacky/eccentric Master for once

Finished re-watching The Singing Detective last night and a few things struck me. Firstly, how has Jim Carter never been nominated for a BAFTA? He’s done nothing but give amazing supporting actor performances for the last thirty years.

Because I've been trying to get writing done the past couple of days, here's a comprehensive thread of incarnations of the Doctor responding to being introduced to someone called Bum Farto. First: "What? Dont be absurd. I've never heard anything so preposterous. Bun Fatso, indeed."

I think as I get older I’ve learned to appreciate the brilliance of all of #DoctorWho. The Virgin New Adventures were great, but so were many of the BBC books. I’ve dipped into Faction Paradox, the Kaldor City audios, the DWM comics. Eras of the TV show I never thought I’d watch eg the Gunfighters

When I was a kid I loved the Jon Pertwee stories I read in the Target novelisations. Then in my teens and 20s I saw the videos and found them embarrassing and preferred dark brooding Doctors and the Virgin New Adventures. Now I’m in my mid 40s I absolutely adore the Pertwee era again #DoctorWho

Stephen King has Maine Character Syndrome

I kind of miss the days when UNIT was a semi-secret organisation. I’m not sure the Avengers Tower look really works for me. Also, you’d think they would have learned their lesson from Torchwood and Canary Wharf. Why put the focus of alien attacks right in the middle of your largest city? #DoctorWho

Both The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead suffer a bit from RTD’s habit of having a very clear visual image of something he’d like to see (a gigantic Cybermen standing over London, a bus in the desert), and then writing the script to get to that point. Sometimes it doesn’t always work #DoctoWho

The main problem with The Next Doctor is that the Cybermen’s plan makes no sense (do they ever?). They kidnap children to do some manual labour the Cybermen could more easily do themselves. Alternatively they could have just paid someone. Especially as the labour seems to take 5 minutes #DoctorWho

Whereas The Next Doctor was actually a lot better than I remembered. Everyone in it is excellent and looks like they’re enjoying themselves. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an explanation of what the Cyber shades are meant to be. They’ve not appeared since and just seem weird #DoctorWho

Watched Planet of the Dead last night. Much worse than I remember. Special effects had aged incredibly badly, Lee Evans is irritating, and the line “the aristocracy survives for a reason” just seems weird. Also, worst museum security of all time where a 10 year old could spot the flaw #DoctorWho

Am re-watching The Singing Detective on BBC Four. I remember Michael Gambon being brilliant but I’d completely forgotten Imelda Staunton was in it as well. It’s absolutely chock full of actors who were also in Doctor Who

Good morning Womble from sunny Devon. I’m OK. Currently reading Doctor Who: Rogue by Kate Herron and Briony Redman. It is everything I love in a Who novelisation: extra scenes, footnotes, a “the changing face of DOCTOR WHO” note in the front.

I remember the excitement of going down to WHSmith every month to get a new one. Timewyrm: Revelation was the first one that completely blew me away. Some were amazing, some bad, some felt like they didn’t want to be Doctor Who novels, some were just weird. I miss that strangeness #DoctorWho

Found my signed copy of I, Who by Lars Peterson from 1999. It’s a guide to the Virgin New Adventures and BBC novels. In a lot of ways I miss the wilderness years of 1989-2004. They really took some risks and expanded the idea of what Doctor Who could be #DoctorWho

Big Finish writers have done stellar work in pushing the envelope in terms of who can be a companion. Evelyn Smythe proved companions didn’t have to be in their 20s. Frobisher was a talking penguin. The first Klein trilogy was amazing. I think TV #DoctorWho could push the boundaries a bit more

Big Finish have done loads of amazing stories (and some not so amazing ones). I think their biggest contribution though, apart from rehabilitating the 6th Doctor, is expanding the scope of who can be a companion. It doesn’t have to a be a young woman from the 20th/21st century! #DoctorWho

I’d love to know the thinking that went into this trailer. “How can we excite people about the new series of Doctor Who? Shall we show explosions & monsters ”? “Nope, the kids want static shots of Suzanne Packer & Phyllis Logan looking vaguely worried”. #DoctorWho m.youtube.com/watch?v=F2q4...

Dreamt last night that RTD brought back Frobisher the penguin as a companion for the 15th Doctor. If a talking penguin doesn’t get the kids watching again nothing will. It reminds me of one of my all time favourite images #DoctorWho

If Elon Musk buys this place I give up...

And though I see the force of “take them on on their own turf” it’s also critical to break the coordination problem that underpins X’s position. Debating on X strengthens X. See open.substack.com/pub/georgepe...

The Doctor Who New Adventure novels from the 1990s had some of the very best Doctor Who art, and some of the worst. In some cases I’m not sure how it was approved. What exactly is the 7th Doctor doing on the cover of the Left-Handed Hummingbird? #DoctorWho

Only just realised you can make starter packs here. Here’s an initial one of UK journalists, media and related folk to follow. Looks like you can only add 50 at a time so will try to make some more UK packs. go.bsky.app/VB1hZZk

New Rest Is Politics (UK No 1 podcast don’t you know?) Q&A covering US election, Iran v Israel, MI5 and double agent Stakeknife, how France builds on Olympics success, Labour donor and civil service job. All this and more alastaircampbell.org/2024/08/301-...

As followers on Xitter and Insta may know I have for some years posted a Tree of the Day. These are usually photos taken by myself. But occasionally someone else sends me one. This is from Matt Kelly founder of The New European. He went to the Amazon in Brazil all to win TotD!!!

Have just listened to The Romanov Project. Good solid story with shades of Inferno. Towards the end it genuinely feels ominous, but would have benefitted from being longer. Toby Longworth narrating has an amazing voice. He does a great Graham, but not sure about his 13th Doctor - 8/10. #DoctorWho

I got lotsa #DoctorWho art prints for sale. G'wan, talk a look! (All RTs are appreciated!) 🙂 www.ebay.co.uk/usr/scotgra-57

Who would have thought Sid James, James Bond and the Doctor share a tailor

Rewatching From Russia with love and noticed this is the last time that Q issues James Bond with a bunch of stuff that I could fully imagine an actual agent getting in the Cold War. A suitcase holding 50 gold sovereigns, a gas canister and a foldable sniper rifle/ammunition