Ludo Smolski

Swizz muesli, indeed...

V interesting! More on the Sill family slave connection here, from when the Arnold adaptation was released. Fascinating stuff. www.bigissuenorth.com/magazine/201...

Ah-ha! I thought I had missed a whole thing where you published a novel but it turns out that I will get to see that in real time - fingers crossed for you!

Oh I see, so not published yet? (sorry for dense-ness)

Congrats, Hope!
(Which one is yours? The shortlist of titles is authorless!)

I guess Oxford's defence would be their intake tracks with both number of applications and grades by region, as per those figures.

Indeed, but they're still in the minority, so it's interesting the snobbery re state school persists. Bennett was shocked to discover public schoolboys' "greed and rough manners" - perhaps they are now still a vocal minority? Just grim that people made to feel the need to change accent.

Indeed. However I just looked up recent admissions data for Oxford and 25.9% "are from the most disadvantaged backgrounds*" which seems...about right?
*ACORN categories 5 and 6, IMD quintile 1 or 2 and Free School Meals.
(Not saying your d's friend is in any of these)

Alan Bennett's college, for shame. Another 'state school northerner who studied so hard...' Wonder what he'd make of it?

John West "Skippers" available in supermarkets (tinned sprats, not pickled unfortunately but might do as a substitute). About £1.50/tin

Martin Parr, absolute mensch.

From Colin Wilkinson, founder of Bluecoat Press, on FB

🙌

They are getting worse. I had the misfortune to stumble across the Spectator 'review' of Riot Girls which was a hit piece on the BBC & 'woke'. It was wrong on so many levels, written to stoke the angry-sharers. Criticise the show by all means, but don't misrepresent it to suit your own shitty ends.

I hear you. I think part of it is fuelled by the paucity of the debate, which creates electorates that have no idea how hard governing and public service is. Complex problems require complex, difficult answers, expertise and robust discussion and debate. Instead we get social media and sound bites.

You're asking why the Mayor felt it necessary to visit the President who had threatened to withhold bazillions in federal funding on which the Mayor's city depends?

*there... 🤦

‘Possibly the most prolific sex offender in British history’: the inside story of the Medomsley scandal At a youth detention centre in north-east England, the paedophile Neville Husband raped and assaulted countless boys. Why was his reign of terror allowed to go on – and why hasn’t there been a public ...

One of the most distressing things I have ever read. I was completely unaware.

Astonishing bravery from the victims.

Incredible investigative reporting.

Is their justice that can still be served? What does that look like?

Distressing, but essential reading:

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

New LLM Unlocked: Cold War Bruegel GTP

Did you see the AS red carpet pics? (btw. Really intrigued to see how this film is marketed and how it performs commercially)

🦵🦵🦵🦵🦵

Still, we can agree on Nouvelle Vague. Joyous!

Reading your review, I thought "he loved it as much as me!"...
..and then double take at your rating 🤣🤣🤣

Essential Halloween thread - absolutely outstanding work!

Much missed.
(But good to see Plan B, Charles Yu and Chloe Zhao get on board the adaptation this year. Hoping they can get it over the line in fine style)

🤯 is that LFF? I've done 15 P&I screenings so far and it's been pretty well-behaved on the phone front and I've not seen one laptop. And the same for previous years as best I can recall.

Signalbox plate with COOPER CLARKE GROUP PLC embossed on it.

I wanna be your signal box, flicking on your switch.
(Train station platform this morning)

Love this book! So hard to describe when I recommend it to friends - at least to do it justice. Will listen with interest!

The plan was always for it to end up at StP/KX, eventually. Waterloo started as the terminus while track work was still being sorted from StP (HS1). At various points having more than one station was intended, iirc.