This week marked the 30th anniversary of Sylvester McCoy’s first appearance as Doctor Who. It was a difficult time for the show. Three years earlier the BBC bowed to public pressure and turned cancellation plans into an eighteen-month suspension. They halved the number of episodes and after a dismal Season 23, sacked the sixth Doctor Colin Baker […]

This week I came across an online debate which asked whether racist language in historical novels, notably Huckleberry Finn, should be removed. Most people are appalled by such language, but should we erase the past because it does not conform with our values? The councillors who voted to remove the statue of Robert E Lee in Charlottesville […]

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 […]