32 teams are participating in the group stage of this season’s Champions League. Half are not champions. To help  rich clubs get richer, UEFA rewards second, third, fourth and fifth placed clubs whilst denying access to those who have won their domestic championships. They argue that the runners up in a big league will always be […]

Recent terrorist threats have led to a review of security at regional airports, with calls for mandatory screening everywhere. Currently aircraft carrying less than 20,000 kg are exempt. This has led to some anomalies with airports such as Wagga Wagga screening passengers flying on QantasLink to Sydney but not those travelling with Regional Express (Rex). […]

Twenty-five years ago, one of the most contentious pieces of evidence in the Jack the Ripper investigation first surfaced. It was a photo album or scrapbook with the first 48 pages missing. The next 63 pages contained a handwritten narrative that concluded with the chilling words, “Yours truly, Jack the Ripper.” The contents of the […]

As English football prepares for another season the media has stated to speculate on the first manager to be sacked. Of the 92 managers in the league, only three have held their post for more than five years and 42 were appointed within the last year. There is increasing pressure on clubs to reach the […]

This week saw the untimely passing of Deborah Watling, best known for playing Victoria Waterfield in Doctor Who. Sadly, many of her episodes were purged by the BBC but the character is fondly remembered as an integral part of Season 5 and for two iconic scenes. Season 5 is sometimes referred to as the monster […]

This week the BBC issued a perfunctory response to complaints about a female Doctor Who. This is a program has always embraced diversity, without always highlighting it. A female producer in the male dominated BBC of 1963, was followed over time by a host of strong female characters. It made a hero of the bisexual […]

This week Phil Redmond expressed an interest in relocating Channel Four to Liverpool. Years ago, I was in a group of students who met Phil and recall being impressed by his passion for developing new ideas and talent. Apart from the classic Grange Hill he wrote and produced Brookside, a soap set in Liverpool first […]

This week Glastonbury Festival was criticised for allegedly employing European workers on zero hour contracts. The opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, spoke at the festival and pledged to abolish the contracts. Two questions were not asked. Why are people being employed to pick up litter and why is it necessary to import them? In the United Kingdom, it is […]

This week the issue of standing at football matches returned, due to a decision to prosecute some of the officials involved in the Hillsborough tragedy and an application by Shrewsbury Town to install safe terraces. Having stood to watch football at the Gay Meadow, Shrewsbury’s old ground, and worked at Hillsborough, I have mixed feelings […]