The spinelessness of American institutions is a glorious example of that the 'land of the brave' is actually 'the land of the compromises must be made with bullies because money'.

Last month, @theguardian.com framed this historical event project the same way; minimizing the years of archival work, the interviews etc it took to be able to do this. Instead ‘AI solved this historical problem!’

I've no idea why but I found this really emotional.

I was talking with a friend of mine about history and I was pushing my pet theory about WW1+WW2 being one long war and not two. Then we were like but really you then have to push back to the Balkan Wars...then the Franco-Prussian War and German/Italian Unification...and ever backwards.

"I must read one book at a time." Next day "I am now in the process of reading three books." Never changing.

My latest Remembrance Reads video is up mainly discussing Blindfold and Alone by Cathryn Corn & John Hughes-Wilson. With a slight George Pabst diversion at the end. youtu.be/GkWRC26B4cU

Is 'victimhood' an issue if people were actually victims of a crime. And I'll say it again: for all the fripperies that the British Empire defenders dress it up in the British Empire was a crime against humanity.

I love the ongoing life that Big Finish have given to Eric Roberts' Master. Who I think is one of the joys of the #DoctorWho TV Movie.

I've suddenly been hit by a desire to do a Robert Rankin read/re-read.

RIP Jack Shepherd (1940-2025), one of the most significant among Play for Today's endlessly rotating constellation of ensemble actors. 'All Good Men' (1974) & 'Through the Night' (1975) were his best PfT roles. It was wonderful to have three phone interviews with him in 2022: he was generous & wise.

He was wonderfully natural and able to convey so much with so little. He is *extraordinary* as Renfield in the BBC Dracula with Louis Jourdan. www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrit...

youtu.be/I_htVOwZ9BQ - After a gap I'm back. I've actually finished some books. PS If there's a publisher reading this you should put Heroes' Twilight back in print.

Today I learned that stalking a 17 year old girl, writing up a 400 page 'dossier' about her, falsely reporting her to the police and smashing her phone does not constitute 'harassment'. One wonders what *would*.

Just saw that Gary Oldman is doing Krapp's Last Tape at the Royal Court. It is, of course, sold out already and I almost certainly couldn't have afforded it but damn I'd like to see that.

I see the Thomas Frank is under pressure bubbles have started. Never go to a club as flaky as Spurs. It's just going to end badly.

I see Israel is ignoring the ceasefire. Because why not. No one is going to stop them. The entire West has allowed a genocidal regime run by a con man to...oh...that could be America. It could be the UK if Farage wins.

Is Professor Zaroff from The Underwater Menace called Zaroff because of Zaroff in The Most Dangerous Game? #DoctorWho

Does anyone know if there's a UK Blu Ray release of 'The Lady Vanishes'? (1938) My search suggests there might be but the Criterion Collection seems to be a US release.

On #DoctorWho day it should be also noted that to the left of Yoko Ono is my signed picture of William Russell who played Ian Chesterton in that first ever episode. I got it signed at an event in Barking. I don't know if those still happen but they were always great.

It's Doctor Who Day. To celebrate, I've edited and designed a new digital bookazine for @radiotimes.bsky.social, collecting the best of the magazine's articles and rare photography from the show's early years. Download it FREE from www.radiotimes.com/doctor-who-t...

This is a great piece of writing. I've always loved McCartney, but I remember realising after my first rush of Beatles love (and believing the general beliefs that you pick up) that Yoko Ono was a woman to be admired. I went to the Tate Yoko Ono Exhibition mentioned - see poster. It was rather fun.

Happy Doctor Who Day everyone. It's 62 years since the first ever episode of #DoctorWho was broadcast on BBC1. And it is still here. Just.

O for a stray meteorite.

Today is Trans Day Of Remembrance #TransLivesMatter #TDoR #TDoR2025 #TransDayOfRemembrance #TransAwarenessWeek #SayTheirNames *** Trigger warning for the following thread: Violence against trans people (especially TWOC) * * *

The explosion of the AI bubble is a-comin’.

for the visual learners

Is trying to work out what I want to watch tomorrow for Doctor Who Day. Apart from An Unearthly Child, Part One.

Watched Ken Russell's 'Elgar: A Film' documentary. It's rather brilliant. The blending of music with images is almost perfect.

The thing about the modern world though is that although I've not seen a lot of TV I know a lot about it via social media/YouTube osmosis.

I also realised that I don't think I like sit-coms very much. They always seem to go on too long, especially American ones. And I feel uncomfortable with cringe. I feel it in my heart and it makes it impossible for me to watch cringe comedy.

Someone’s done the Wrath of Khan Starfleet Field Coat as a unisex cardigan.

I realised today - for reasons - that, apart from Doctor Who, I have stopped watching TV in the last decade. There's so many 'best TV series of all time' that I've never watched. Partly because there's TOO MUCH TV, which I never thought I'd say. I never watch it live.

Wissa's continuing absence from Newcastle after he sulked his way out of Brentford like the very illustration of a spoiled Premier League footballer - something Isak did to Newcastle but it is only bad when done to them - is a small joy to me. I know it is petty as fuck. But it is what it is.

Yeah, if you're still on Twitter at this point then I'm wondering what you're getting out of it. Plus the British government should get off of it too.

There's no Remembrance Reads update today because I am sick as a dog.

youtu.be/tLXrrMsCIXE - Remembrance Reads, Day Nineteen Reading: features mention of Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, and Radclyffe Hall. Plus mention of H G Wells, D H Lawrence, Somerset Maugham, Ezra Pound and others.

patientcenturion.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-... - My short blog on #DoctorWho The Eaters of Light.

Send me chocolate please. Lol.

My colds always follow the same pattern: sore throat for a couple of day, nose runs non-stop for a day, then blocked nose for a week/two weeks. The later being the most annoying part of the process. I'm in the nose running phase at the moment.

The traffic on Acton High Street is such a joke. The big roundabout and all the many many sets of traffic lights seemed designed to make traffic flow like treacle.

I know it is sad but I like it when my notes look nice. They don’t always look like this btw. lol.

One of the stories of the modern world is the disappearance of shame. Or even the pretence of shame.

youtu.be/PrGDgy9QLBc - Remembrance Reads Day Eighteen. Today I read Tickets, Please by D H Lawrence; six Chapters of Undertones of War by Edmund Blunden; a chapter about Siegfried Sassoon is Heroes' Twilight and 21 of Isaac Rosenberg's poems. One of which I read here - 'In the Heart of the Forest'.

Wall Street is behaving in a clearly dumb way in the face of an obvious and potentially catastrophic bubble? Colour me unsurprised. Because they always get bailed out. It’s like gambling on horses but knowing that if you fuck up the government will cover your mistakes.

youtu.be/s6DB2JdRpOQ - Remembrance Reads Day 17 featuring talk of Ivor Gurney and Edward Thomas. Plus some thoughts on reading at the end that I fear might count as a rant. But perhaps not.

I just watched a video of an interview between Saunders Lewis and David Jones from a 1965 arts programme and it was produced by Melvyn Bragg. It's always fun to be reminded of how long Melvyn Bragg's been making arts programmes.

He makes interesting documentaries, which people watch but I thought the Civil War series lent a bit too heavily on the 'Lost Cause'. And might be one of the reason for that idiotic idea making a proper come back.

youtu.be/aISzDjBPZe8 - Day 16 of Remembrance Reads: today Isaac Rosenberg, a Stacy Aumonier short story that made me want to read more Aumonier, and talk of Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, Edmund Blunden, Charles Sorley etc. And another writer slags off the poetry of Robert Nichol.

Worst. British. Government. Ever. (Well, with the possible exception of all the previous ones since...well...whenever.)

youtu.be/4mw_xjucECI - Day Fifteen of my Remembrance Reads. Today featuring a Rudyard Kipling short story, Isaac Rosenberg poems, and Bernard Bergonzi's 'Heroes Twilight'.