Had a fascinating afternoon on Sunday listening to actor Robert Lindsay talking about his life as part of the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith's 50th birthday. He's been a constant on TV and in theatres for me for decades and, gratifyingly, comes across as a very decent person.

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: Top Hat, 1935. Aging but very entertaining screwball musical comedy with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with a classic story centred around mistaken identity. Sharp dialogue and great Irving Berlin music on BBC4 at 7.15pm youtu.be/HtZ4UmG0tvA

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: Top Hat, 1935. Aging but very entertaining screwball musical comedy with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with a classic story centred around mistaken identity. Sharp dialogue and great Irving Berlin music on BBC4 at 7.15pm youtu.be/HtZ4UmG0tvA

If you see an obese narcissistic orange rat, you're right

I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.

A bevy of swans at King George's Park in Wandsworth today.

The 2026 World Cup will be the "biggest, most corrupt and most fraudulent" tournament of all time. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

We saw tribute band Fleetwood Bac at the Half Moon in Putney. Massive wigs!

Viz always raises a smile

Hot summer streets and the pavements are burning I sit around Trying to smile but the air is so heavy and dry" How did Bananarama choose the location for their 1983 video? "[It] was just an excuse to get us to New York for the first time," said Siobhan Fahey. What larks! youtu.be/l9ml3nyww80?...

We saw War Horse at the National Theatre. It is a brilliantly affecting and relatable story about the ravages of war on normal people and horses. It's a marvelous theatrical event with great puppetry which I'd highly recommend. It runs until 30 July.

Wednesday matinee #theatre treat is a revival of War Horse at the National Theatre. I have long wanted to see this so to finally catch it at the brilliant Olivier Theatre is a real treat

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: Shadow Of A Doubt, 1943. It's the Hitchcock masterpiece you may not have heard of. Joseph Cotton is charming City slicker Uncle Charlie visiting small town relatives, but dark secrets lurk behind his smile on @Film4 at 11am youtu.be/QAdjnumtmXs?...

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: Shadow Of A Doubt, 1943. It's the Hitchcock masterpiece you may not have heard of. Joseph Cotton is charming City slicker Uncle Charlie visiting small town relatives, but dark secrets lurk behind his smile on @Film4 at 11am youtu.be/QAdjnumtmXs?...

Jacket of the day

Our definition of 'unsightliness' has changed since 1939.

The job search continues. I turned down the opportunity to try and sell some raw metal. It seemed like a huge ore deal.

Saxophone genius Sonny Rollins has died aged 95. He was one of the great Bebop improvisers who collaborated with Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and others. Here he is performing his swinging Alfie's Theme in 1973 #RIPSonny youtu.be/mCDv5NK54u0?...

Really interesting examination of a man broken by war

The heat's dying but still warm enough for a friendly game of backgammon in the garden

#blackandwhitefilm of the day on Sunday: Some Like It Hot, 1959. Who do so many people say this is their favourite film? Is it Billy Wilder's direction? Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis enjoying themselves? It's joyous nonsense on BBC2 at 2.15pm youtu.be/rI_lUHOCcbc?...

Made a decision today that it was just too hot to go out, so I stayed in my shaded garden and read two cracking crime books instead. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. Sometimes sitting reading is simply the best way to while away a day

#blackandwhitefilm of the day on Sunday: Some Like It Hot, 1959. Who do so many people say this is their favourite film? Is it Billy Wilder's direction? Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis enjoying themselves? It's joyous nonsense on BBC2 at 2.15pm youtu.be/rI_lUHOCcbc?...

When I described our staff as scum, what I really meant was I respect their skills, loyalty and, above all, their dispensability www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.

The House of Lords has launched a new inquiry to to find out if the #insurance market is working for the many people who buy home and travel insurance. It has set a deadline for written evidence of 5pm on Friday 26 June. What would you tell them? www.postonline.co.uk/regulation/7...

Trivia: Which popular carbonated soft drink was invented in Nazi Germany in 1940?

This is a brilliant picture of a brilliant film director. Can you name him?

It's Chelsea V Spurs in the last game of the season I'll be at. I'm hopeful of a good result but expecting another disappointing evening. That's football

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: Meet John Doe, 1941, is a real treat. Journalism and politics are targeted in Capra's brilliant satire as cynical Barbara Stanwyck uses down-at-heel Gary Cooper to sell a businessman's corrupt dream on @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social at 3pm youtu.be/9j3gdbdnoEk?...

A long gone scene - now everyone is on their phone

Finally saw Southend United win a cup. They beat Wealdstone on penalties to win the FA Trophy Final

Seen 180 minutes of football at Wembley today but no goal. Both the FA Vase Final and the FA Trophy Final have gone to penalties

AFC Stoneham win on penalties at Wembley!

FA Vase Final at Wembley - AFC Stoneham V Cockfosters

Gazing at brickwork and wires during a 12 minute wait for a Tube train. Can you recognise the London Underground station?

Disappointment for Chelsea fans at Wembley on Saturday but I'm back there today cheering on my hometown club Southend United in the FA Trophy Final.

I've had a fun and interesting week. I hope you have too.

Number of the day: £10.8m - the amount Tesco boss Ken Murphy made last year, which was about £1m more than the year before. Last year’s pay included £1.51m in basic pay, a £3.4m annual bonus and a £5.7m long-term bonus which includes shares in the company. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Is new technology always better? No, as I discovered during this interview. It turns out old-school radio frequencies can be a better way to track stolen cars than satellite-based GPS systems. How? Read my interview for Insurance Post to find out www.postonline.co.uk/personal/796...

Wa-hey! Eric Morecambe was born 100 years ago today. He brought sunshine throughout his life and still does so today youtu.be/GNbTJ2AnDKc?...

Make Reform Councillors do their jobs rather than spouting their offensive nonsense by reporting a pothole in your area www.fixmystreet.com

Number of the day: 438. The number of phones, earphones and other personal items dropped onto the Underground was 438 last year, 272 in 2024 and 197 in 2023 tfl.gov.uk/info-for/med...

Must we keep holding our politicians to such impossible standards?

I saw Stage Kiss at the Hampstead Theatre. It was about actors and lovers kissing and rekindling affairs. There were plenty of laughs over two hours and a quarter and fun plays-within-a-play. No surprises but a fun evening. It runs until 13 June.

The FCA is probing how investment firms treat bereaved customers. The review is long overdue. Too many financial firms fail those left behind with rigid processes and a lack of empathy when they should provide compassion and help to cut through red tape. content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKF...

What's this old building I spotted rising on the opposite shore of the Thames in London?

#blackandwhitefilm of the day: I Am A Camera, 1955. Long overshadowed by musical remake Cabaret, this interesting first retelling of Christopher Isherwood's Berlin stories sees Julie Harris as Sally Bowles charming Laurence Harvey on @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social at 11pm youtu.be/T811D04Pso0?...

The job search continues. I thought I could make money by building and selling a trebuchet, but there were no buyers. It was a long shot.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? first aired in 1998. Guess how much the prize would be now if the programme had kept pace with inflation?