We only had about four cock-ups

Here is the final Eurovision Song Contest clip of the week. This one relates to a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a disastrous One O’clock News, because this also features the talkback from the director. Stewart Morris seems to be having a bit of a bad day at the office during […]

Dumbarton FC on TV

I don’t watch a great deal of football. That is partly because I find it a dull game. But I also attribute it to the fact that my father brought me up to support Dumbarton FC. Not only are they pretty dismal to watch, but their football ground is over an hour’s drive away from […]

We haven’t got any stories Mike!

I was reminded of this amazing video of a disastrous edition of the One O’clock News from Christmas 1986. The video contains talkback, so you can hear the director and other activity in the gallery. It’s fascinating and stressful to watch! It seems to begin well enough, but the first alarm bell is raised during […]

Disintegration

When I was a child, I found nothing more distressing than the sound made by a wonky cassette. It is a deeply unnatural sound. Whenever I heard it, my heart began to race and I felt physically sick. It was as if I had a real fear of this type of sound. My primary school […]

The Seasons

The Seasons is one of those albums widely talked about but seldom heard. I guess you could call it a cult classic. “Discovered” in charity shops about a decade ago, this album has grown in stature but has remained unavailable — until now. Trunk Records (who else?) have managed to sort out a proper reissue. Originally […]

Essential listening: More or Less

More or Less is a BBC radio programme dedicated to statistics, economics and the way they are used (and abused) by the media. It skewers statistical misuse and economic illiteracy, covering deeply technical subjects in a breezy, humorous and accessible manner. For many years it has taken taken the form of a half hour Radio […]

Avoiding spoilers

This weekend was the first time in very many years that I have had to avoid spoilers for a grand prix. I missed quite a few races live during 2007 due to work, but I always watched them as soon as I got home so there was not much problem with spoilers. Today, I had to […]

The music of The Tomorrow People

Recently, I finally managed to get my hands on The Tomorrow People, a CD of music from the 1970s ITV programme. I’ve been meaning to buy it for years. The majority of the music on this CD is from a library album, ESL 104. This contained music by David Vorhaus, Nikki St George and Li […]