Nice work iPlayer!

So we're almost at the half-way mark for the campaign for Issue Four... and we're about half-way funded. Which means, at current progress, we might make it, but it'll be tight. Help secure the future of independent pop culture journalism - and your own copy of Issue Four - by buying your copy now.

Lots of talk about Robert Redford films that have been lost in his large filmography. For my money this is one of the best, Peter Yates’s THE HOT ROCK (1972). A caper or heist film? It doesn’t really matter. The point is it’s great & has one of coolest robbery crews ever assembled on celluloid

Watching all the Joan Hickson Miss Marple stories on iPlayer has been a real treat, full of old school character actors giving it all they’ve got. I miss the days when the likes of John Hallam would pop up and steal a scene.

Reviews of the Hamish Macbeth book continue to trickle in… if you’re a fan of the show or want to know more about how TV was made in the 1990s, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

We’re pleased to announce that Richard Marson’s long-awaited history of BBC Children’s TV will be published on November 17 in trade paperback and a collector’s hardback, limited to 300 copies. Order Box of Delights: The Story of BBC Children’s Television now from tenacrefilms.bigcartel.com

What’s the story behind those dodgy gift shops on Princes Street in Edinburgh? Jim Waterson of @londoncentric.media investigates in bonus edition of the Minute: edinburghminute.substack.com/p/tax-evadin...

I spy two of my books in the list...

Boom boom! The new Kastagir?

Look up! Look down! Look out! Here comes the biggest Bond of all from @lalalandrecords.bsky.social! lalalandrecords.com/thunderball-...

Cheers Rob, really glad people are enjoying this one. I wanted to learn more about Jim Henson and thought the people that knew him might have some good stories to tell.

Good to see @cineredis.bsky.social coming to Edinburgh, including a special screening of Defence of the Realm on 35mm.

Richard Stark's Parker! And Grofield! Directed by Shane Black! I am all the way in. www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

Amazon have taken on board comments about 007 Road to Million and retooled it for S2. Spotted at least one character from Skyfall making a cameo in episode one, plus there’s plenty of Bond music and references this time around.

Highlander has its new Heather.

Calling historians and researchers. The BBC Written Archives Centre has changed its access rules without consultation. This means an end to proper independent research into the BBC's rich history. 178 have already signed the open letter. Please join the campaign here: tinyurl.com/bbcwaccampaign

The video version of our latest podcast is now on YouTube. This week we look at Trevor Preston's crime drama Out (1978) and the history of Euston Films: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o7w... An audio-only version of this episode is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2013 the stars aligned and I interviewed Terence Stamp for Radio Scotland, 20 minutes discussing some incredible roles in the likes of Priscilla… still wish I’d had more time to discuss my favourite, The Limey. He was a proper gent, RIP.

In which we discover how much of a time capsule into the lives of creatives who have worked on Doctor Who the Myth Makers interviews are, the fragility of life, what order these things go in, and when Jackie Pearce had her first orgasm! @toohot4tv.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

EIFF’s Sacred Bonds season exploded onto @filmhouseedinburgh.bsky.social Screen One this morning as Jason Connery introduced Dr. No and spoke about watching the film with pals while in school and realising exactly what his dad did for a living. #edfilmfest

Hoping to see this tomorrow and hand Jimmy a copy of my Hamish Macbeth book after he took time to discuss the two episodes he appeared in. Check out The Lochdubh Deluxe on iPlayer and watch him try to bump off Andrew Keir…

Thanks Steve, I was glad I managed to uncover so much about the film - talking to Peter Riegert for 2.5 hours was a huge help.

First show of the Fringe done and dusted, brilliant work from John Shuttleworth and his keyboard.

More Connery at @filmhouseedinburgh.bsky.social - still surprised there’s no statue in Fountainbridge.

They’re counting down to 4K Bond at @filmhouseedinburgh.bsky.social - Sir Sean’s first six Bonds are showing from Friday. #jamesbond

A thermoplastic mask moulded to my head & shoulders, then clamped to a rack for a CT scan. Next: 6 wks of radiotherapy to wipe out any trace of cancer, while parenting my twin boys Treatment + somewhere to live by the hospital = survival. Without both, the plan fails. Want to help? Link in bio 👊❤️

It was seven years ago today that seven Blue Peter presenters gathered at the Fringe for an impromptu photo - Richard Bacon and Romana just happened to be passing the others who were doing a show. #bluepeter

Thanks for that Steve, glad you enjoyed it! There are more photos I wish I could’ve included, maybe for the paperback…

Sad news about Ray Brooks, he was brilliant as Robby Box - I always wanted a one-off Big Deal special a few years down the line. His autobiography is worth a read, EastEnders gets quite a kicking, he wasn’t happy with much (any?) of his time on it.

Working my way through Miss Marple and All Creatures on iPlayer, tonight it’s double Davison as Peter pops up in both. iPlayer is packed with good stuff right now, hopefully I’ll get to Campion soonish.

A few years ago I was researcher on Ooh the Banter, a BBC Scotland Hogmanay celebration of a century of Scottish comedy. Well known clips alongside rarities that hadn’t been seen in decades - it’s on again tonight and back on iPlayer.

I've just sent out my newsletter, including a complete chapter from Rainbow Connections: Volume One featuring my conversation with Steve Barron, director of Labyrinth music videos, The Storyteller and 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, plus A-ha's Take on Me video!

When her father got sick, Sophie Brickman turned to the Muppets. “I had no grand plan,” she writes, but “simply gravitated toward their fluffiness and goofiness as an antidote to grief. I sensed—rightly, it turned out—that they’d help keep me afloat.”

Looks like we might have a new Kurgan.

It got ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me in my @setthetape.bsky.social review:

It’s a good time to stock up on copies of my Highlander book on Amazon, it’s only £3! Dozens of interviews with cast and crew, including the barman in the NYC pub and the bloke who does the backflips near the start (and Lambert, Brown, Mulcahy and two members of Queen)!

Physical copies of Rainbow Connections: Volume One have arrived, including one that’s going to the man who brought us Pepe the King Prawn, Bill Barretta, who spoke to me for the book! I’m hoping for more Muppets Tonight chat in Volume Two 🌈 #muppets #jimhenson #fragglerock

Glad Kermit got his order in - and thanks for the feedback/suggestions Gordon, all of them useful!

Radiance presents Transmission: a new imprint inspired by late-night TV oddities, all-night grindhouses, and the video shops of the 80s and 90s. More on Transmission and its upcoming slate of left-of-the-dial UHD and Blu-ray titles here: www.radiancefilms.co.uk/pages/transm...

The all important first Amazon review is in… the paperback edition of Rainbow Connections: Volume One is now live, 17 interviews with some of the people who helped Jim Henson bring his creative vision to life. The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth and many more are covered.

Covering The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, The Storyteller and many more, my new book of interviews with creatives who either worked alongside Jim Henson or on his productions is now available in paperback and ebook: Paperback: amzn.eu/d/b99EAB4 Ebook: amzn.eu/d/huZMlM7

Found a few bargains in North Berwick, not sure I’ve seen any Ross Macdonald books in the charity shops. Started The Moving Target on the train home.

Tonight’s telly, some Rockford Files. The Mill Creek Blu-rays are fine but I wonder if it’ll ever get the 4K treatment?

Writers on Film special: a new miniseries to celebrate the work of Jonathan Glazer. Kaleem Aftab joins me to discuss SEXY BEAST podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/w...

The good news is that the ebook of Rainbow Connections: Volume One is now available on Amazon! The bad news is the paperback will take a few days longer, but it's on the way! 17 interviews carried out by me with people closely associated with Henson productions! amzn.eu/d/eAtDbRf

Thanks @glasgowfilmtheatre.bsky.social for inviting me to introduce a sold out 35mm screening of Local Hero tonight - in the audience was Caroline “Pauline the punk” Guthrie who told us it was the most enjoyable job she’s ever had.

Directed by Sil from 80s Doctor Who!

I’ll be introducing this tomorrow night in Glasgow, there are still tickets available…

I’ve had a bit of a Bond-themed 7 days. Q the Music finally made it to Scotland (and were brilliant), the new OHMSS OST arrived, I’ve started reading the new Felix Leiter novel and my 007GB membership card is here - last time I was in Bond fan club was in the 90s.

Glad it does - Andrea Calderwood was a late addition, fascinating hearing about getting Hamish past Alan Yentob and how important it was for BBC Scotland.