Well this is an email I wasn’t expecting…

Morning everyone. I’ve got a new play on tomorrow (Tuesday) and on @bbcsounds.bsky.social thereafter. It’s about PG Wodehouse’s war and it’s a comic defence of laughter in dark times. BBC Radio 4, 23 Dec, 2.15pm.

Worth 5 minutes of anyone's time to read about Ronnie. Consider having a tissue handy in case something should happen to get in your eye 🥹

Lovely story of welcome from Yorkshire. We try to do the same with @easeealing.bsky.social in west London.

Post you from a different era

Tomorrow evening it’ll be my annual duty to vaguely shepherd the activity on the #duvetknowitschristmas hashtag and urge people to give small sums to charity. 7.30pm? Something like that?

I just had some mind-blowing manchego with truffles in, and it made me think it’s about time for your FANTASY CHEESBOARDS! #FantasyCheeseboard

Trying to track down a comic song and AI Overview is helping: “There is no widely known or famous song specifically titled ‘Christmas Card from Ashton-under-Lyne’. It is highly likely that you are referring to the well-known song by Tom Waits, titled ‘Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis’”

What if I told you that you have a large language model sitting right in your head that’s completely free to use, runs on renewable energy, has virtually infinite capacity, and actually improves the more you use it

Fair, correct call. Excellent story

Now that's what I call a camera trap photo . Thank you to Wendy Hall ( @tedborrow ) for today's nosey #FoxOfTheDay

One of my favourite questions of the series appears in tonight’s Only Connect - I’d better not tell you the whole thing, but it starts “A village in Norway, annually.” And if you can get it from that, I’ll see you next series! 8pm on BBC Two

#Advent ‘The Coming’ - #RSThomas (H'm, Macmillan)

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74... Please sign and share EVERYWHERE 🙏

This perfectly encapsulates why we need the BBC

It's always more expensive to be tight with money and empathy. This is my political philosophy and I think I am yet to be proven wrong

"Fetch boy! I said fetch - must say your dog gets bored with games quickly." "Yes, I'm afraid I've got a short attention spaniel."

@jennyharicot.bsky.social Think you might enjoy this…

I have looked on the works that were in the desert and of which nothing beside remains Forgive me they were mighty so vast and so trunkless

I’ve signed it too. If you agree with this letter, please sign it.

Some absolutely top notch orange cattery here

The Conservative immigration proposals cannot be allowed to stand without a profound and widespread statement of moral condemnation inews.co.uk/opinion/tori...

I got a potato and wire and a copper penny but I couldn’t find a zinc plated screw. I put it all together anyway, but it didn’t work and now I’m being arrested for attempted battery.

Apropos of nothing, I really do think UK journalists and politicians need some reminding that mass deportation of LEGAL immigrants, particularly those with permanent status, is far more extreme than even Trump's America and would basically place Britain completely on its own among democracies.

This is a really interesting thread.

I saw this and immediately thought, this film has got me written all over it.

This is magnificent!

When I was a teenager there was a bus direct from my hometown in Germany to London - we had a British army base, and this direct bus connection was one of the benefits of that. One summer I went on that bus to go volunteer in an old people's home in Southend-on-Sea. I had just turned 18 and was... 🧵

“I’m trying to find a monastery where all the monks are over six foot five” “That’s a tall order”

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

Coming soon from @christhebarker.bsky.social and me...

This is very powerful. #MentalHealth

The true question right now is whether you believe in the moral character of the British public. If you do, you'll want to have the fight with Reform. You'll believe that the public will hate the idea of breaking up families, spying on & deporting people who've worked here for years.

Written 206 years ago today. • John Keats •

Aardman presumably gutted to have missed out on this title. "It's a smashing machine, Gromit!"

In London, hate will never win.

I've written to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, urging them to join me in condemning Elon Musk's dangerous remarks inciting violence yesterday. As leaders, we must stand together and make clear Musk will face serious consequences for these actions.

Absolutely !!!insane!!! to me that the UK government, lobby and newspapers litigate at length every minor infraction by the BBC, rival newspapers, or what some random columnist has posted. But all of them just carry on not even commenting about this media owner. He’s not hiding, he’s telling you!

One of the strangest ironies of the last ten years has been watching Britain immersing itself as deeply as ever in memories of WW2 while proudly turning its back on the project that emerged from it.

Talk to me of C3P0 #sci-folk @quantick.bsky.social

Anyway, we’re using our very tiny income to create a paid route into comedy & give a portfolio & experience to freelance writers with no credits needed, while adding roughly £2k to their annual income in exchange for 6 short paragraphs of writing a week. If that opportunity sucks, keep moving.

The Bear Tapestry

Headline needs work

The ever-eloquent @rafaelbehr.bsky.social pointedly refusing to mince his words on what Farage has done for us. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Feeling rather proud today. The first time a show I’ve made has had a Radio Times front cover. Starts on 5th September on C4.

fancy forty-five minutes of impeccable sketch comedy? here you go: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...