Guy Fawkes signature before and after watching this World Cup Draw

The World Cup Football Draw is making me hate the world, cups, football and draws. Staggeringly stinking pile of shit and drug cheat Rio Ferdinand should be banned from reentering the UK

I've been asked to give a speech at very short notice at the Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature ten year anniversary gala tonight. I have a streaming cold and rheumy eyes, so boss level difficulty and apologies in advance.

People of Nottingham! Watch this trailer of Krampus from a decade ago and spot the weird ... youtu.be/h6cVyoMH4QE?...

Love this British version of the Van Halen M&M story (which I do a lecture on every year)

Happy #Duckerday 🦆 @cornduck3.bsky.social

Emma Monk is a real force of good, debunking the swamp of poor quality propaganda passed off as journalism. Give her a follow (and a Ko-Fi tip!)

Best £3.25+pp ever spent

Teaching Reviews, and remembering the best line a student ever wrote, while considering a Jurassic Park movie.

My students are currently studying Review Journalism, where they develop their ability to critique. For this they choose something to review, usually a cultural product: a film, bit of music, book or so on. One of my more interesting students has just asked if they can review...Mansfield.

This would at last displace Mull Of Kintyre. Make it happen

If you're an #NFFC fan with kids and you're not using a Sean Dyche gravel voice to encourage them when encouragement is required then you are missing a trick.

Kids party earlier, so missed the Forest match. Got home at 4.30, put the telly on and thought Final Score had messed up their graphics.

I regularly get a new book about a Star Wars creature from the library. Enjoying the Rancor edition right now, it's due back next week

Despite being very Nottingham and very Beeston, I was actually born and spent my first few years growing up in Helensburgh, Scotland, so I'm delighted not to have to support England in the World Cup. Well, not until after the group matches.

BBC News: "the government believe refugees are deliberately bringing their children to avoid deportation" As opposed to doing what with their children??

Went all the way to Sheffield and back today to watch Forest women play out a 0-0 with Sheffield United and some would say that is a waste but I counter with: Bramall Lane has limitless free Henderson's Relish. Taking a flask and topping up next time.

Monday tomorrow.

One of the best things about running a magazine is the sheer weirdness of who it reaches. I've had messages from all over the world after people have stumbled on a copy, despite it being about a small yet very strange town. This week: a message from Hamelin, Germany, from the Pied Piper himself ..

If the UK is on the brink of civil war, as Musk claims, it follows that in 300 years time there will be be a new generation of civil war re-enactment societies. "Geoff,you defend Laurence Fox. Can you guys shout outside a hostel. Brian, i need you to relentlessly slag off Nish Kumar on Facebook."

Said hello to a guy I thought I recognized at Nottingham Station around 8am this morning. Spent the rest of the day trying to work out how I knew him. Around 3pm I twigged it was someone on an Only Connect team a year or so ago. Sorry, that man.

This, in the new @privateeyenews.bsky.social , is pretty much my lived reality right now

Film premiere time...

Got round to seeing Sinners and think there should be a British version called What We Do In Cliff Richard and The Shadows

Set my students an assignment on media ownership. Props to the student who clearly used AI and wrote a lengthy, totally hallucinated bio of a man called 'Scott Trust'.

Set my students an assignment on media ownership. Props to the student who clearly used AI and wrote a lengthy, totally hallucinated bio of a man called 'Scott Trust'.

My son was born 9 years ago today, after a 54 hour labour which finally ended in a surgery after two forcep pulls, a crying child and, as I nearly collapsed in relief (and my wife in exhaustion) an anesthesiologist checking his phone and announcing to all "Fucking hell, Trump won".

Up to 9 points in his ninth birthday.His special day is as saved as a shot at Sels.

Off to a film premiere next week, invited by the co-writer who I've previously made a short film with. At the time I had no money, so I dug him a pond on his allotment in return. Film was dead good, btw, and made Robert MacFarlane cry: youtu.be/2t3arcOw0uw?...

Kicked off Friday by having a chat with the official Pied Piper of Hamlin (and commissioned an article from him), and now I have to work with two MPs on how they can attract young people to better follow politics.

I interviewed a woman in her 90s earlier, after receiving a suggestion to do so that arrived by POST. The more archaic your tips, the more likely I am to do a follow up story. Load up those pigeons.

Went to Castleton the other day and got the kids to re-enact what has become their favourite movie in the spot it was filmed...

Went to Castleton the other day and got the kids to re-enact what has become their favourite movie in the spot it was filmed...

My office today

Am bizarrely tempted to buy these

Glad to see his business is thriving since he left the railways

This is one of my favourite podcasts right now, and if I try and explain why I'll fail as it's just too weirdly wonderful to nail down. But it's good, and you deserve a treat.

Since it's nearly Halloween, an accidentally weird pic of my son in Beeston Rylands, and another of him with his sister in Matlock Bath on the same day, two years ago.

Another trip to Matlock, via Cromford...

Well, that was good. More international football in the East Midlands please.

Don't approve of shithousery in football but my eight year old is top to toe in Garibaldi Red for tonight's international friendly at Pride Park...

Scarthin Books in Cromford has a weird effect on me to the point I can't help but buy a 97 year old book on Derbyshire quarrying and telling the kids they can have ANYTHING (oldest has now discovered Asterix). What a place.

Lovely fact time: until last night, the last NFFC player to score a winning goal in European football also once toured with The Sisters of Mercy.

Another lovely few days in Castleton, another failed attempt to get its tourist board slogan to 'CASTLETON: BEYOND HOPE' #nichepeakdistrictcrapjoke

Goth Womble

Goth Womble

May, 2026, and #NFFC recruit their 17th manager of the season: a bloke who once was next to Sam Allardyce in a carvery queue. The club's manager pay off budget is now higher than player wages, and the national debt of Bolivia. Somehow, bafflingly, we win the FA Cup.

"I met a Memorial Hall called Frank Mills/ On September 12th last year/ "

View from bedrooom for next few nights. That'll do.

Since I'm temporarily in Sheffield, the story of how I once accidentally started a rumour Sean Bean (Shaun Bhean) was dead. For a project I wanted to see what words people most associated with Sheffield. Twitter post goes viral, and usual Steel / Meadowhall etc responses. Person most associated?