Looking forward to today's financial fair play derby, better known as the FA Cup final.

So sorry to hear of the death of James Gadson, one of the drumming greats. His hi-hat technique and style remains an inspiration to me. Thanks for all the great music, I'll be listening to the work James did with Bill Withers tonight. Condolences to all who knew him.

It's quite amusing to me how so many people don't understand a joke...

i.ytimg.com/vi/oQGZXrreg... Farewell to drumming Legend Sly Dunbar. What a groove he had. Thanks for all the music. Condolences to family and friends.

Thoughts on #VAR, although I have no skin in last night's game. If the tech 'fails' the officials, teams and stadium should be informed and VAR stood down for the remainder of the match. Why wouldn't that work?

🎄❄️🎁That concludes #bv2025bestof 🎁❄️🎄 Merry Christmas to all my followers - and thanks to the many artists and performers who made 2025 so memorable. See you down the front in 2026.

#bv2025bestof My pick of recorded music this year is this gem by #DominikEulberg, a conservationist, ornithologist, biologist, ecologist and maker of lush electronica. Dive into #Lepidoptera, it's worth an hour of your time. More on Dominik here: rb.gy/kntda7

#bv2025bestof It was lovely to enter the festive season with #BalletCymru's #Giselle at #DanceCity in #Newcastle. Three sold-out nights tells the story...

Indulge me on this one, but as a drummer it was a pleasure to hear #StewartCopeland regale #WhitleyBayPlayhouse with stories from the behind the kit with #ThePolice and more. #bv2025bestof

So, 2 world-class viola performances in the same year. Something is stirring in #Hartlepool. #bv2025bestof

#bv2025bestof October saw #IETM international performing arts network meeting in Bradford. Among the many workshops and discussions was a performance of this Gem by #JavaadAlipoor. #Elmet featured live music by @theunthanks.bsky.social . Heavenly.

A final set of #bv2025bestof? You betcha...

The final set of #bv2025bestof will be along shortly.

The autumn saw the opening of the new building at #PrestonParkMuseum in #Stockton Opening exhibition #Corridors is a commission by #S&DR200 by #RebeccaLouiseLaw on how natures corridors have been created beside railway tracks. The installation was like nothing I'd ever seen. #bv2025bestof

#bv2025bestof And then #StocktonInternationalRiversideFestival took our breath away with the astonishing #LesCommandosPercu and a gridlocked Stockton at 10pm on a Sunday night, such was the size of the crowd which had gathered to see them

#OrdinaryDecentCriminal by #EdEdwards featuring @markthomasinfo.bsky.social at @livetheatre.bsky.social was a high-octane journey through one man’s journey within the criminal justice system. Here's a guardian review www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/a... #bv2025bestof

#bv2025bestof A change of pace. #ContestedDesires, #D6's exhibition at @northeastmuseums.bsky.social's GNM Hancock. was brilliant and moving set of installations at the special exhibition space at GNM. www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmu...

#bv2025bestof Back to #Boro, back to an @industrialcoast.bsky.social event. #CutHands' intense and, quite literally banging, gig in June was a hardcore treat. If you don't know this music, here's a taster from an older show. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyYd...

#bv2025bestof. The wait is almost over. More on the way.

Short pause. More #bv2025bestof shortly...

#bv2025bestof #ArcticExpressions at #KirkleathamMuseum in partnership with @britishmuseum.bsky.social . Exploring life for Indigenous Peoples in North America's Arctic regions, Alaska and Canada, this was an exciting exhibition with fascinating artefacts & illuminating perspectives. rb.gy/rthzu6

@middlechildhull.bsky.social's #BitingPoint was a gripping piece of immersive theatre, played out in a car park in #redcar/cleveland. The review is from a Hull performance www.thereviewshub.com/biting-point... #bv2025bestof

#bv2025bestof @heloisewerner.bsky.social's #TheCuckoo’sHour at the Glasshouse was an extraordinary concert from an emerging star of new music, featuring 12 musicians in the round arranged as per a clock face and 12 challenging 5 minute pieces to last the hour. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe7Z...

More dance from #bv2025bestof #BalletBC at #NewcastleTheatre#Royal We don’t often get dance of this quality in the UK, never mind the North East. Crystal Pite’s status as one of the world’s most exciting choreographers is underlined by her #Frontier from 2008

Good Friday saw the premiere of #NationalYouthDanceCompany's #Gravity at #LeedsPlayhouse. Choreographed by this year’s artistic directors #BoyBlue, this was a powerful piece of hip-hop led dance. The standing ovation went on for a long time. #bv2025bestof

ATTENTION! More #bv2025bestof incoming.

A short pause in #bv2025bestof There will be more later...

More #S&DR200 in #bv2025bestof - this time the #RailwayPioneersExhibition at the mighty #Hopetown in #Darlington. This tunning exhibition of 3 landmark locomotives drove train-heads wild. The scale of these beasts is truly impressive.

#bv2025bestof March saw the launch of the #S&DR200 festival in Bishop Auckland. #AllChance Here some of the many thousands gathering for the spectacular show featuring #ImitatingTheDog, #SKYMAGIC and #InfantHercules www.sdr200.co.uk/article/1669...

The Secret Lives of Bottle of Notes: Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen at #mima in #middlesbrough. This was an intriguing and illuminating dive into the decades long creative process that resulted in this iconic piece of #Teesside public art. #bv2025bestof

#bv2025bestof Back to music and #RoyalNorthernSinfonia's #OnceUponATime was one of several stunning concerts at the #Glasshouse, Gateshead.

#bv2025bestof Next up #JasminVardimon's #Now at #YorkTheatreRoyal. An amazing show made up of past greatest hits reworked into a new piece . @theguardian.com liked it too www.theguardian.com/stage/galler...

Music of a different kind now. #HartlepoolCouncil's #AtHomeWithTertis concert celebrated the town's famous master of the viola. Timothy Ridout is a true viola superstar, James Baillieu (Piano) a world class accompanist. This was something of a coup for Hartlepool. Outstanding #bv2025bestof

First of my #bv2025bestof highlights is @industrialcoast.bsky.social's opening of #Unit41 featuring #RachaelDeakin's photographs and a performance by @axine-m.bsky.social . Great visuals and challenging music.

Buckle up. #bv2025bestof is about to begin.

Over the next few days I'll start to post my annual round up of the best arts and culture that it has been my privilege to see. This year's hashtag will be #bv2025bestof . You can see that the excitement is already starting to rise... Check back here soon.

Well done Amy Hunt

So long #TomLehrer. Thanks for all the songs and the laughs. Condolences to family and friends.

Excited to be at @livetheatre.bsky.social for this www.live.org.uk/whats-on/ord...

Chilling www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

And by way of contrast, tonight's musical entertainment is...

1 hour later...

And now to the CUT HANDS gig in the Boro thanks to Industrial Coast.

Great launch of the arctic expressions exhibition in partnership with the British Museum at Kurkleatham museum.

Great launch of the arctic expressions exhibition in partnership with the British Museum at Kurkleatham museum.

Very privileged to be at the test run of #LocomotionNo1 today ahead of its appearance at the #StocktonAndDarlingtonRailway #bicentenary celebrations #S&DR200

Tonight's fun...