Here is a selection of my blog posts which I have classified as ‘misc’ – including film, TV, music and random stuff.
Important Stuff
How to save a life: 6 new things I learned about first aid
Film & TV
7 children’s TV shows that scared me too much
Witches, wheelers and pink elephants: the 7 scariest children’s films
Doctors, Daleks and Drums: 11 series of Doctor Who
Review of Doctor Who, series 12
Review of ‘The War of the Worlds’ (2019)
The Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter!
‘Outdated cultural depictions’ – a discussion
Life advice from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
Things I’ve learned from ‘Back in Time for School’
Don Bluth and the dinosaurs: re-watching ‘The Land Before Time’
Review of ‘Ratched’, season 1,
Review of ‘Last Woman on Earth with Sara Pascoe’
Obscure children’s TV comedies
Film of the book – and can a film adaptation ever be better than the book?:
2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Reviews of Michael Palin’s TV documentaries: Around the World in 80 Days, Pole to Pole, Full Circle
Reviews of Simon Reeve’s TV documentaries: Russia, Mediterranean, Sacred Rivers, The Tea Trail and The Coffee Trail, Tropic of Capricorn, Ireland, Equator, Turkey, Indian Ocean, Colombia, Tropic of Cancer, Greece, Burma, Australia, Caribbean, Cornwall, Incredible Journeys,
Why I still love ‘The Snowman’
Music
10 things I’ve learned about guitars
10 Beatles songs to ‘help’ you out
5 songs that spark memories for me
5 more songs that spark memories for me
7 great songs with terrible music videos
Music mysteries from the 90s that people are still talking about
Grooves, chills and starship troopers: 14 songs about hearts
Why 5ive were the best 90s ‘boy band’
My ‘favourite albums’ series: The Beatles – Revolver, Simon and Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine, Depeche Mode – Violator, NOW That’s What I Call Music 35.
Sheet music reviews: Radiohead – The Piano Songbook, Muse – The Piano Songbook,
Music album reviews: Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting,
Theatre
Review of James Acaster, ‘Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999’
Review of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’
Random
A guide to the world of vegan snacks
Bicycle Spearing Potatoes… and other party games [something weird I discovered in my research]
5 good things about early 2000s internet
5 cultural trends I want to throw in the bin
Some favourite things from 1988
Tiny problems which I find ridiculously annoying – and more problems again
Why do people find clowns scary?
Resources
N S Ford’s Information Superhighway: OZ magazine, British Library Online Exhibitions, Museum of Obsolete Media, Currency Converter 1270 – 2017, British Council Literature: Writers Directory
‘Ordinary people of the past’ series: 14-year-old girl avoids prison sentence, Irish girl arrives in New York, Georgette and Salvator get hitched in Paris, A baby is born on Barbados, A war casualty on the day of the ceasefire, Prisoner transported to Tasmania, Georgianna goes to Rio, Gaudah Singh arrives at Liverpool, Seven rioters sentenced, Cora Coombe’s birthday, Thomasine enters the asylum, Emily goes to the workhouse, Alexander joins the Royal Navy, Pilgrims become parents at sea, Margaret begins her prison sentence.