Cal McLean

Just done this and both my adult and child selves are delighted

I was strongly tutted at by a grandma - she gestured to a child alongside her, as if to say "what kind of example are you setting?!"

Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people

This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter

In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career.

I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters.

Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

Absolutely overlooked. Went down well at the Euroclub!

Then you find yourself trying to stuff it in all over the shop.

"Do you want the gash at your end or mine?" comes up surprisingly often.

Hang on... say that again?

STATLER; "This funeral is so boring, I'm jealous of the guy in the coffin! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
[Statler turns to the empty chair next to him and sheds one tear]

Newgrounds' approach to verifying age is interesting and transparent.

Reece and I standing outside next to a Pride parade in Liverpool. The Radio City Tower is visible in the background, next to a large Pride flag in the foreground.

Did some Pride things today - even ended up in the parade. Fab to have been a part of it with Reece ❤️

Big fan of the stickers.

how being ND affects my career 🪿

(i always hesitate to self diagnose but what i can talk about are my symptoms & how it shows up for me personally)

SIGFUCK, SIGMARRY, SIGKILL

A table of Google Cloud Platform service status, many of which are showing a warning, including one called Cloud Spanner.

Cloud spanner in the works?

Ooh, this looks fun! Wonder if there's any plans to stream it 🤔

A shop front, upon which is written several times, "SALE LAST WEEK".

Bit late now mate.

Accompanied by the sound of a blown raspberry.

god i love host Hazel Brugger so much #eurovision

The Papal conclave is expected to start between the 6th and 12th of May. Eurovision is between the 13th and 17th of May. Social media is about to get very confusing.

Section 28 didn’t come out of nowhere.
It came from a society where 75% thought homosexuality was wrong.
From a society that feared the sight of a man in drag would corrupt.
From a society that believed ignorance was better for children than any knowledge of gay lives.
🧵 1/16

YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg Tribute to BBC Radio 2 legend Colin Berry (1946-2025)

Sad to learn of the death of BBC Radio 2 legend Colin Berry. Such a wonderful presenter who, for many years, announced the UK’s jury results at Eurovision Song Contests. Here’s my musical tribute to the man with one of the smoothest voices in radio.

How is everyone else saying 'Job' anyway?

In bed with Lily Savage on Big Breakfast.

Ben or John?

How would one even describe a silhouette in heraldic terms?

Earth, Wind And Fire? I Prefer Shit, Blood And Semen It's 11:00PM

I'm on the other side - generating systems data, but struggling to visualise it. Any intro tips?

Were they tremendously hungover?

Or something high-fibre.