Are you a school close to Warwick University & would like to join us on 17 June to watch the School Tasking Champion of Champions (hosted by me!)? 🏆 Tickets are free but transport is not covered. Register here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Late tide at Talisker bay #Scotland #IsleofSkye #Talisker www.damianshields.com

School Tasking is being piloted in Iceland this year 🤩 Hopefully the first of many international versions of the project 🤞🏼 Just back from training a brilliant student team in beautiful Reykjavík 💙

We've had more academic misconduct referrals for a single module this year than we had for the whole of the LLB last year. Higher education is doomed on all fronts.

Whilst I'm promoting small businesses, another shout out for Maisie Parkes (@maisieparkes on Instagram) for making absolutely gorgeous tiny replicas of houses ♥️ There are so many talented humans out there that shopping on Amazon really does seem completely absurd.

Gail's products really are the most beautiful & high quality items. The thing in my life I get complimented on the most? My amazing bookshelf phone case 📚 Do check out her website & support her wonderful small business ♥️

Please do read and drop us a message if you're an organisation interested in finding out more. Link to the Fundraising Pack: taskmastereducation.com/sites/defaul... Link to the YouTube video: youtu.be/rDy0kNIXKOg?... Thank you! 🙏

Dawn light over Loch Caol, Isle of Skye #Scotland #Sligachan #IsleofSkye www.damianshields.com

Iceland is, quite simply, a completely wonderful country. And the best part? I'm getting to go back next week because we're piloting @schooltasking.bsky.social with the University of Iceland (coinciding with the country getting its own version of the show) 🙌🏼

Exactly this.

Hebridean mood

With my other hat on, we're doing some fun work with Comic Relief this year 🙌🏼 If you're in education, enjoy being silly, and are a fan of Taskmaster, do get involved. Details below 👇🏼

We've reached peak 'we'd love to have you at this conference but it *is* in the USA, so we'd understand if you'd rather gnaw off your own arm' territory.

Hard to describe something I could possibly hate more than “Machine that destroys books to consolidate corporate information dominance”

Moon glimmer over Loch Eishort #IsleofSkye #Scotland #Highlands www.damianshields.com

If you're a school close to Warwick Arts Centre & would like to join us on 17 June to watch the #SchoolTasking Champion of Champions, hosted by @alexhorne.bsky.social, then do register your interest at this link: forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon... Tickets are free but transport is not covered.

Last year at BETT 2026 we had the legendary Sir Stephen Fry as our guest #Taskmaster. This year, it was the turn of the equally legendary Professor Hannah Fry. Which Fry will it be next year?

Mufasa?

Wintery Highland scenes

Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.

Missing from the coverage of redundancies at Edinburgh: this was done in such a haphazard, uncoordinated way, there are now core teams who have gone from 5 people to 1 with no change in workload or pressure and huge loss in knowledge of institutional process. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2576321...

The Government staying on X is pathetic: Ministers need to show some moral backbone inews.co.uk/opinion/the-...

Delighted to have contributed a chapter on School Tasking to this great collection put together by the dream team of Steven Montagu-Cairns, Craig Newbery-Jones & David Yuratich. Hats off to them for bringing together such a great collection 👏🏼 Available for pre-order now at the below link ⬇️

Winter light over Loch Ard #Scotland #Trossachs #Kinlochard www.damianshields.com

We had a brilliant time at BETT UK last year with none other than Sir Stephen Fry as our guest Taskmaster 🤩 We'll be opening the show again this year in the Arena with some tasks to get everyone warmed up & ready for the day. If you'll be there, be sure to pop along (& do say hello afterwards) 👋🏽

And just when we thought *some* progress was being made. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

2026 me is continuously surprised by how many things 2025 me apparently agreed to do...

We forced the enormous teddy bear out of storage, into Alex's car, into Alex's house (terrifying his dog), into my car, up the M40, back down to Alex's house, & back to the #Taskmaster House. So, after all that, the production team inevitably thought 'we should probably use this in a task'.

This book is brilliant, terrifying, and hopeful in equal measures. If you’re a parent, or anyone else involved in the lives of young people, please read it. I’m hoping that it’ll change the way I parent indefinitely.

First light on Beinn Fhada, Glen Affric #Scotland #Highlands #GlenAffric www.damianshields.com

The extent of this across academia is quite extraordinary. Students are citing made-up papers supposedly written by the very staff members marking their assessments.

#TimelessTuesday ❄️

Need to bag the Cuillin Ridge soon before I get too old and unfit… Stunning photograph 🤍

Happy Email Hot Potato Week to all who celebrate.

New Assistant Professor role (to start Sept 2026) at Warwick Law School. We're a lovely bunch, honest. warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

Why does professional always mean conforming to confident masculine culture? Screw that. “Professional” is getting your job done. What’s not professional is thinking someone isn’t good at their job because they use emojis! 😤 Communication evolves, and the trajectory is to the less formal.

Trump posted this without knowing Nick Reiner had been arrested. He posted it apparently assuming that one of his fans had murdered Rob Reiner. So if you want to know how Trump will react once his fans start murdering his enemies, now you know. He'll celebrate and blame his enemies.

Beinn a'Bheithir 'Mountain of the thunderbolt' #Scotland #Glenachulish #Highlands www.damianshields.com

My chum, Bron Mills, has been chatting to my other chum, Alex Horne, on the Lead Out Loud podcast. It's a fun wee listen. I'm also described by Alex as being "very persuasive & having a lot of energy". I think that translates as "she's a bit of a noisy pest" 😂 linktr.ee/leadoutloud

Just imagine this headline with other jobs: The neurosurgeon performing your lobotomy is inexperienced and unqualified. Is that a good thing?

Second of these livestreams happening this Tuesday (16th) on campus at @warwickuni.bsky.social 🪐 Featuring the amazing Maggie Aderin-Pocock & again hosted by the superstar that is @philjemmett.bsky.social 🤩 Still time to register for tickets at the link below 👇🏼

She got bigger.

The fact is no presenter has ever had to leave the BBC for expressing conservative views, or even explicitly endorsing a right-wing party. Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar

Yes, this. Same principle as laying a brick each day. You start with just a brick, but sometime later, you have a wall.

I'm just going to mention again that I made this long-form detective story podcast and you can listen to it in various places. The response has been really gratifying so far. Second episode on Sunday. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...

These lectures will be brilliant & you can watch the live recordings at @warwickuni.bsky.social, hosted by the always brilliant @philjemmett.bsky.social 🤩 Dame Maggie is an absolute icon, so these’ll be great events 👏🏼 Registration link in the post below 👇🏼

Schools local to Warwick Arts Centre! 📣 Fancy joining us for the joyful chaos that is the #SchoolTasking Champion of Champions on Wed 17 June 2026 at 1pm? 🏆 Booking is now open here: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/DFq0yskz1L Tickets are free but schools will have to arrange their own transport 🎟️

Witch, hare and herbs linoprint by my mum, Jo, from my book Help The Witch (now republished by @swiftpress.bsky.social after a period out of print due to the Unbound disaster).

Spring, summer and autumn are the party seasons for trees but winter is when you really get to know them as people.

Imagine coming up with a proposal so stupid, so unworkable, so thoughtless, that it makes Robert Jenrick look sane by comparison. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...