feeling listless

The Caves of Erith (Short Trips Rarities).

2026-04-24T20:50:00.002+00:00

Audio Happy Christmas! Originally releases as a subscriber special in December 2015, this is another out of season listen for me in which the Doctor has a festive faceoff against a race of Welsh bats and attempts to talk them into not destroying humans by demolishing their fertility rates. Just the sort of weird Who I'm a huge fan of then. Although much of the duration consists of the Time Lord engaging chiropteran in Socratic debate, there's something immensely appealing about a sentient bat throwing out place names in Southern Wales like an overworked Torchwood script editor. Perhaps the most effective conversation is between Lucie and the human helper of the bats, in which we're given a glimpse of the trauma she experienced in her first few days in the TARDIS, meeting the Daleks on her first trip.

Placement: After Late Night Shopping.

Master! Planet Doom: Hellbound

2026-04-24T20:18:00.003+00:00

Audio It's fair to say during the first couple of instalments of Planet Doom, I was concerned that the cover with its Axon Eighth Doctor was going to be an over-promise. However enjoyable this redo of Aliens (1986) with the Bruce Master filling in the Ripley role as he's involuntarily tasked with investigating a Time Lord prison containing the parasitic multi-form entity. As with similar stories, it just about finds the balance in making one of the worst people in the universe sympathetic enough for us to care about his safety by having him connected to one of Big Finish's other long-running anti-heroes Vienna, who is better than she's ever been here (even though he spends most of it saying he wants to kill her.

Hellbound

Then, some way into the third episode, the Axon Doctor finally turns up with Paul offering his monotone take on the best Doctor before the best Doctor himself turns up and this boxset elevates itself from Alternative Eighth Doctors section of the timeline to somewhere before (see below). As he and the TARDIS are released from the Axon's grip, the Eight Doctor immediately steals the flow of the story from Vienna and the titular character, defeating the monsters and saving the day. Quite honestly its brilliant and elevates a story which until that point is pretty grim and nasty in a way which isn't to my tastes. If only Vienna had stayed with him at the end. They could have some wild adventures together.

Placement: The cover art suggests he's wearing his Time War clothes and he makes a reference to there being much to do, so I'm putting this between All Hands on Deck and Mr. Eighth.

Half Human (Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #73).

2026-04-23T21:20:00.005+00:00

Magazines After deciding to boycott the movies this week because almost every local screen is filled with the Jackson sub-hagiography, I decided to make a special trip to the TG Jones on Allerton Road and buy this week's special edition of the parish circular dedicated to the Eighth Doctor and particularly the TV Movie with the Pertwee logo, on the occasion of its forthcoming 4K release. Sitting on the back balcony this afternoon, I read it cover to cover, captivated by the new information running right through its pages, including the enthralling interview with Dee Jay Jackson, who has had a busy life both before and after playing the security guard that bars the Doctor and Grace's early entry into the New Year's Eve Party.

The cover also promises a new short trip from Matthew Jacobs, although if you're expecting a short sequel to the TVM he wrote, or some other piece of soggy nostalgia, you're going to be surprised to find instead a writer seeking an explanation for the controversial moment when the Doctor says he's half human "on his mother's side". With some prodding, he soon realises that... it doesn't matter. The various ideas he's been having about who the Doctor's human mother might be are probably a bit much for this assignment, and that, like everything else in this mad franchise, it's always worked best when it doesn't explain anything. Much as I like The Timeless Children (which he references), all it does is give the Doctor a different mysterious origin.

Placement: The Eighth Doctor does appear briefly, but it's mostly in a similar capacity to the Bogart ghost in Play It Again, Sam or Elvis in True Romance, setting the protagonist right on some things. So, into the Alternative Eighth Doctor section it goes.

The Battle of Giant's Causeway (Sontarans vs Rutans)

2026-04-22T14:04:00.003+00:00

Audio Sontarans vs Rutans is a four-part release which has all the hallmarks of having originally been conceived of as a themed boxset à la Peladon, but thank the maker, it has been split into three separate releases which makes it a bit cheaper for those of us with a particular set of interests.

As with the Time War, it's Big Finish filling in the gaps around moments in the timelines which were only hinted at on television, the ongoing war between the potato heads and the squids (terms which this audio also uses so it isn't racist) (although it probably is).

It's one of those wimey-blimey stories which is told out of order from the Time Lord's perspective but falls into place for the listener. But this release is pretty standalone with the Eighth not seeming to be bothered enough to chase up any mysteries himself.

The Battle of Giant's Causeway

... could be a proposed prequel to TV's Flux's War of the Sontarans. In that story, the clone race took advantage of the Flux and planted themselves into human history so they could battle their way through human history. Well, here they are on the Giant's Causeway in mid-last century BC but crucially unaware of their origins and under the impression they're Roman legionnaires. As you can imagine, actor Dan Starkey as the main Sontaran, deep breath, Commander Caecilius Crassus Procullus (which translates as dim-sighted fat alien), has much fun with this duality with writer Lizzy Hopley providing him with a number of excellent lines. This is a very funny script and his banter with Charley is a clear highlight.

Hello again C'rizz. Long-term readers will know I wasn't a huge fan of the Eutermesan and not just because I could never remember how to spell his name, once spending a whole review typing Cerys. I was always clear that it wasn't because of Conrad's performance but because as a very visual character there were always moments (as happens here) when a guest star has to remark on the change if he walks against an unusually coloured wall. There was always the third wheel syndrome of him getting in the way of us enjoying the Eighth Doctor and Charley's banter without him and the other two really having much to say to each other when they were alone, especially after they'd left the Divergent Universe.

The Battle of Giant's Causeway solves that issue by having him split off from the other two and being taken in by the Rutans (in more ways than one). Hopley makes good advantage of his naivety as he sees his own identity struggles in the Rutans' shape-changing abilities and Conrad's performance, picking up again after fifteen years, is fresh and honest. Perhaps one day I shall go back and reappraise his earlier instalments but there's so much other Eighth Doctor nightmarish stuff to be caught up on, it won't be for a while. I've set myself on a course of being completely caught up with Eighth Doctor stories, all of them, as soon as possible. Possibly.

Placement: Arbitrarily between Time Works and Something Inside.

Project Pendulum

2026-04-08T15:50:00.004+00:00

Project Pendulum is a collection of digital recreations of television clocks from across the decades. Seems like this could be an ideal use for an old phone or tablet as a wall clock.

Echoes.

2026-03-13T12:30:00.004+00:00

Audio As I write this, the world, or at least our tiny corner of it, is ecstatic about the news that the previously missing Doctor Who episodes The Nightmare Begins and Devil's Planet (or first and third instalments of The Dalek Masterplan) have been recovered and will be viewable via the BBC iPlayer on the 4th of April. You can read about the news via this oddly worded BBC article. Perhaps Toby springing the surprise on Peter will be part of a documentary on some future physical release of the episodes, although the teary moment was on BBC Breakfast this morning (and can be seen via YouTube). None of which has anything to do with this Eighth Doctor boxset, but I needed something to put in this opening paragraph and it makes a change from moaning about release schedules.

Birdsong

Obviously, with my highbrow brain, the title of this doesn't go to the Sebastian Faulks novel championed by William Hague on The Big Read, but to the bits of sound used to cover up the swears and unauthorised chatter from when Kermode and Mayo's podcast was at the BBC. None of which has anything to do with this audio, which has a similar story to The Rescue with the TARDIS team finding some scouts waiting for the rest of their colony to arrive, and nothing being as it seems, although it's probably not a spoiler to suggest birds have something to do with it. It features former Susan Foreman actress Jane Asher as one of the survivors and is just a very pleasant listen.

Lost Hearts

Another run-out for the celebrity historical as Monty James helps the Doctor investigate ghosts on a university campus in what ends up ploughing through a whole Moffat season of time dilations in about fifty minutes. Nicola Walker is on particularly great form as Liv finds herself seeking a solution alone whilst trying to convince the TARDIS to move using its telepathic circuits. Best in show is Tim Bentinck as the very Zaroff-like Professor Alistair Gray, whose rich voice and ripe delivery pit him against some of the show's best villains, and whose intellectual shell masks a personality which is completely unhinged and without a particularly rational motivation (the best kind).

Slow Beasts

On his website, the writer of Slow Beasts, Dan Rebellato talks about how "this is a culmination of a 48-year journey with Doctor Who" having been a fan since childhood. He's written about it loads on his blog and clearly understands the thing, so it's no surprise that this is the most original of the stories on the set. In the "slow beasts", he conjures images which might not be credibly created on screen and that can probably only really work in our imaginations. There's also some brilliant writing for the Eighth Doctor as he finds a way to communicate with these colossal statues which involves something we could all do more of: listening. There's also an imaginative use of Derek Griffiths, playing on our expectations of him as a piece of casting.

Placement: The usual.

Odeon Oldham

2026-03-11T14:02:00.002+00:00

For EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert. It's another Odeon with a statue in front (see also), on this occasion Annie Kenney, the suffragette who seems to have partly inspired Carey Mulligan's fictional character in the film Suffragette (2015). Possibly my favourite suburban Odeon so far. Opened in 2016 at about the time of the AMC takeover, it was built as an extension onto the existing but derelict Oldham Town Hall, retaining the fixtures of the Grade II listed building whilst still installing cinema screens into the interior, along with a massive Costa Coffee on the ground floor. It's most noticeable in Screen Two, which used to be the old court house. An usher allowed me to nip in and take some photos which I've haphazardly collaged together here:

So as not to affect the existing fixtures, the screen is a massive version of the pulldown kind you often find in conference centres, lecture theatres and people with big living rooms. Behind is the original crest or coat of arms. There's a much better image here, along with some history of the scheme. If I'd known about this I would have booked whatever film was showing here, but instead I'd opted for Screen One, which has a more traditional auditorium with stadium seating.

In the corridor leading up to Screen One is a small display of items from Oldham's original Odeon on Union Street, including these actual advertising banners.

All of these films date from 1967 when Rank still had ownership of the chain and were in the process of expansion. The rest of the areas are littered with old leather chairs from its time as council chambers. There's also an old door attached to the wall (not pictured) with no explanation of where it came from.

Odeon Bromborough

2026-02-26T13:55:00.051+00:00

Film For Crime 101. Part of the Croft Retail Park, this is some way from actual Bromborough which made it a tricky cinema for visit, necessitating a long walk from Bromborough Rake Station. This was mostly along a street called Mark Rake (translated from Old English as "boundary path") and there are several people in the world for whom that is their name, including this surgeon who was interviewed for the Royal College of Surgeons' oral history project. Originally opened in 1991 as an eleven-screen multiplex, Odeon Bromborough was remodelled in 2019, with the number of screens reduced to seven. Perhaps this was to make way for some of the restaurants in the same block, including the Popeyes next door. No complaints about the film viewing: the large screen was not too close to the front row, although the speakers rattled a lot during the louder bits.

Odeon Warrington

2026-02-19T23:39:00.005+00:00

Film For "Wuthering Heights". Warrington's original Odeon on Buttermarket Street in the city centre was a typical Oscar Deutsch art deco special designed by John Gummersall and opened in 1937. After several refurbishments, it closed in 1994 and was demolished to make way for a Yates's Wine Lodge which is now a Wetherspoons (Chester Cinemas has a shot taken during its closing week). This current building opened as an AMC in 1988, though it quickly rebranded to UCI after the takeover (h/t to Cinema Treasures for the history and a photo which includes the original ridiculous glass canopy). In 2004, it became an Odeon and in 2019 it was refurbished to become the current Luxe offering with a smaller capacity and many more recliners. The interior also manages to include a bar area and a sit-down Costa Coffee.

All the films featured in the theatrical review section of every issue of Empire Magazine as Letterboxd lists.

2026-02-15T22:23:00.001+00:00

Film With apologies for the slightly SEO title but I didn't know what else to call this. For the past few years I've been creating Letterboxd links for every issue of the film organ Empire Magazine and now they've busted past their 450th issue, I thought it would be handy to put link to all of them in one place, so find that below. There's a lot of them so I've spaced them out for easy clicking. They also start at the top and work their way down.

Late Night Shopping (Short Trips Rarities).

2026-02-04T14:17:00.001+00:00

Audio It's over twenty years since this project began to cover everything featuring the Eighth Doctor starting with the novels but due to one thing and another, I've fallen behind, a whole pile of downloads and CDs to catch up on. But even if I had been keeping up with release dates and schedules, I'd never be completely up to date because of the unavailability of four audio Short Trips which were included as bonuses to Big Finish monthly range subscribers on a semi-annual basis from 2014 onwards. Some of the others have been made available as stand-alone releases in the meantime, but Late Night Shopping, The Caves of Erith, Tuesday and An Ocean of Sawdust stubbornly remained at the bottom of the checklist.

But it's 2026 and since we'll be lucky if humanity reaches 2027, Big Finish have read the room and all four have been released as a reasonably priced boxed set. As Nick Briggs (creative director at Big Finish) says:

"As part of our McGannuary jollity, we're re-releasing these four great Short Trips, previously only available to subscribers of our very first Doctor Who audio range which ran for 22 years and 275 stories. We wanted others to be able to luxuriate in the sheer McGann-ness of them! And with their single narrator style and modest duration, they're ideal to listen to on the way to and from work, or short trips - see what I did there? - to relatives and friends."

The first, Late Night Shopping, is a very short trip at roughly fifteen minutes. I can see now why Big Finish decided this play in particular couldn't be released as one of the original wave of stand alone Short Trips rarities - £2.99 would have been a lot to pay for what amounts to something which would be at home as a sketch on Comic Relief Night.

It's delightful. Attack of some killer tomatoes in the aisle of a supermarket with the Doctor utilising his culinary abilities to save the planet. If it had been filmed to be watched between charity films, you could well imagine various previous Taskmaster contestants filling out the rest of the cast as the lonely enamoured shopper and harassed supermarket employees. Matt Fitton's textual efficiency amusingly sketches out the scene, aided by the old Who trick of putting fantastical scenes in mundane environments and helpful spot effects or Foley work. Can anyone tell me if these and the dizzily camp remix of the title music were on the original release?

All of which said, for much of the short runtime I was distracted by how much the reader, Hugh Ross, an actor whose CV stretches all the way back to the late 60s but has managed to dodge Doctor Who until this recording (despite appearing in numerous wilderness years substitutes like Sea of Souls and Invasion: Earth), sounds like the late Peter Jones, the Voice of the Book in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. At one point the Doctor says he's going to fry something in "some nice hot olive oil" and it's impossible not to hear an echo of the Guide entry for the Infinite Improbability Drive, "a nice hot cup of tea". With that in mind, you can imagine what his vocal characterisation of Lucie Miller sounds like. Incredible stuff.

Placement: Arbitrarily next to All The Fun of the Fair towards the start of Lucie's second season.

Odeon Camden

2026-01-17T22:02:00.004+00:00

Film For Sentimental Value. Really friendly staff though its clear that the cinema itself hasn't had much investment for quiet some time with mucky staircases, broken seats and stains on the screen. Sat at the front of Screen 5 which put the image directly in front of me which along with having to climb stairs to reach the seats in the auditorium offered Manchester Cornerhouse Screen 3 vibes. Originally opened as a large single screen Gaumont in 1937 and has operated in various arrangements and guises over the years (full history at Cinema Treasures here). As I was leaving I informed an usher I'd been chatting to about the stains on the screen, at which point she told me they'd be closing in five weeks so its unlikely to be replaced or refurbished. Cinema Treasures explains that by the end of the year this ninety year old cinema with its Art Deco foyer will be demolished to make way for student halls.

Odeon Leicester Square

2026-01-17T21:48:00.001+00:00

Film For 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. The chain's flagship and built as such by Oscar D back in 1937. As well as a box-ticking exercise, this was the fulfilment of an ambition to visit the site of so many premieres and Royal Film Performances across the decades (although the late Queen stopped going after The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and who can blame her). The cost always seemed ridiculous (at present £25 for the cheapest ticket, £32.50 in the Royal Box). But with a MyLimitless membership, it's £3 and only because it's a recliner seat in Dolby Cinema screen. For that price, how could I not ... spend £50 going down to London and back for it?

It is an absolutely massive auditorium on two tiers of the kind which used to be incredibly common in the UK. Refurbished in 2018 to Luxe standard with a reduced seat count of recliners and the installation of a Dolby projection system which offers vivid colours and blacks which are blacker than black. The sound echoes into the space in a way I haven’t heard since the ABC Cinema on Lime Street closed. Here is the view from the very back row, at which point you’re probably going to get a larger image watching it on your phone:

What look like the arms of a chair are actually replicas of the Art Deco features which were removed in the 1960s but added during the most recent refurbishment and looked humongous from my front-row seat. The cinema has four other screens which are about the size of the average Everyman auditorium and were added in 1990 by covering over what was the alleyway at the back of the cinema. But honestly, I wish all Odeons were as obviously well-maintained as this.

Predictions 2025.

2025-12-31T15:38:00.001+00:00

That Day We reach the time when I assess how well I predicted the ups and downs of the year and look forward to the next. Here we go again:

There won't be a nuclear conflict.

There wasn't! One mark.

Doctor Who gets another season either from Disney or the BBC or both.

A Christmas special at least. In 2026. Half mark.

The Sugababes release an whole album of brand new material.

Teased us with Jungle, Weeds and Shook giving every impression it was the lead up to an album release, then nothing. No marks.

I finally finish reading Empire Magazine.

Ha, no. No Marks.

The BBC opens official accounts on BlueSky.

Plenty of journalists and staff but still no official account, they're still very active at the Nazi bar. No marks.

One and a half. Somehow worse than last year. Anyway, let's try some of these again:

There won't be a nuclear conflict.

Doctor Who gets another whole season announcement for 2027.

The Sugababes release an whole album of brand new material.

Donald Trump impeached out of office.

The BBC opens official accounts on BlueSky.

Review 2025: My Year in Film

2025-12-27T16:49:00.001+00:00

Film God, where would we be without Letterboxd? That is about where I was in the first fifteen years of the blog, scrabbling around at the end of the year trying to remember which films I watched and what I thought about them. Now a quick click of my Letterboxd profile tells me I watched 278 films this year (so far), which equates to 519 and a half hours of viewing, nearly 22 days, averaging 24 films per month and about five per week (give or take a decimal point).

As to ratings. I gave 70 of those films five stars, of which 32 were released in this decade and twenty-one were released this year. But in my scoring system, the only difference between four and five stars is whether I think I'd want to buy a physical copy or not; in that case, I also rated fifty films from this year as four stars, which means I enjoyed those as much as the five-star films. In other words, there wasn't a flaw which nagged at me the whole way through.

Before I offer my top ten films, here are the films I rated with one star:

None.

But then looking at the two-star entries, I was probably a bit generous:

Happy Gilmore 2

War of the Worlds

Mountainhead

A Minecraft Movie

Star Trek: Section 31

Of those, my worst film of the year was probably Section 31 with its failed-pilot stink - Star Trek does not have to pretend to be Guardians of the Galaxy or Farscape. It has its own unique bouquet (if you will) that make it worth watching.

Now for the top ten.

The truth is I don't really have a top ten, at least one which isn't much different to anyone else's, which is in itself a change thanks to having actually been to the cinema at least weekly for most of the year and having seen some films (see yesterday). My favourite film of the year was probably Thunderbolts* because it was a rare superhero film which made me feel seen. So instead here's a list of five overlooked movies which clearly cost a bit of money and would (probably)(maybe?)(possibly) have been crowd pleasers if they'd had a proper theatrical rollout.

Into The Lost Lands

High fantasy across an apocalyptic landscape. PWS Anderson's films aren't for everyone, but having recently rewatched the Resident Evil series, I've realised I'm more than satiated by Milla Jovovich outsmarting lots of enemies in slow-mo for a couple of hours. But this also has a couple of excellent twists and some beautiful aesthetic choices (on Netflix).

G20

Die Hard at the G20 with Viola Davis as the action lead. Just tremendous fun (Amazon Prime).

Drop

It's Phone Booth on a date. Two things I loved: The way the threatening text messages are blasted across the screen to demonstrate the protagonist's various levels of anxiety and that it utilises casting as an example of Hitchcock's bomb under the table. Saw this in its one screening on one day at the Odeon, then came home that night and bought the stream on Amazon (on NowTV).

Deep Cover

Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Celebrity Traitors loser Nick Mohammed play three out-of-work comedians who are recruited to infiltrate London's gangland. Sounds like a hokey premise, and it is, but it's elevated by some wonderfully self-aware performances, especially from Bloom and Paddy Considine as the "villain", and some superb plotting in which obvious twists are turned on their head (on Amazon Prime).

The Gorge

Demented sci-fi romcom in which Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy fall in love across a physical and metaphoric divide. Deserved a wide release and would have looked incredible on IMAX. Has the kind of WTF plotting and casting which I'm looking for in a film (on AppleTV).

Something I've pursued less this year are films not in the English language which is partly as a result of the Odeon only rarely presenting non-genre subtitled fare. Seeing It Was Only An Accident at the Manchester Great Northern was a rare treat. But I've plenty of Criterion discs to catch up on and I'll hopefully next year I'll be in a better headspace and be able to seek out more challenging fare.

All The Odeons

2025-12-26T22:31:00.004+00:00

Film In 2025, I began seeing films in a cinema again. Over the past ten years, the only films I've visited cinemas for have been big spoiler-prone franchise blockbusters. Partly it was the cost, but mostly it was the audiences, who generally didn't seem very interested in seeing the film, or spent the whole time masticating. But after experimenting with Cineworld a couple of summers ago, this year I took out an Odeon myLimitless subscription and have pretty faithfully been visiting these churches of cinema every week for at least six months.

The Liverpool One Odeon has always been something of a film presentation nemesis, a trend which continues to this day. Up until this year, the last time I visited was for Fant4stic (curiosity kills the brain cells), a screening afflicted by a dodgy and quite noisy air conditioning fan which led to me receiving a refund (probably only fair considering the film itself). Actually no, it was for San Andreas where the restless audience was the problem as my seat rocked back and forth, not because of 4DX, but due to a group of teenagers kicking the back of the chair.

Which isn't to say it's been a complete cakewalk. Even during my first visit this year, Final Destination: Bloodlines, there was someone who was texting back and forth throughout the film and popping out now and then to make a phone call. Later screenings have been beset by dead pixels, light pollution through the windows of auditorium doors onto the "laser" screen, a fly which had landed on the projector during The Fantastic Four: First Steps taking up a quarter of the screen on occasion, banging auditorium doors, and persistent liquid stains on the screen.

But despite a number of issues since (and writing a lengthy email of complaint), I've kept going because it's just been nice to treat cinema as an occasion again. I've tried to train myself to be more tolerant of such issues and of audiences in general, and to keep myself focused on what's in front of me, rather than being micro-distracted by what's going on behind me (I always book for the front row, or as close to it as possible). Most of it has been Hollywood fare, but it's also nice to have seen what's in the film charts while it's still there rather than many months afterwards.

All of this preamble is to introduce the following list of every Odeon in the country in alphabetical order. A few months into visiting Liverpool, I began to wonder what other locations in the chain were like and how they compare to this city's interesting collection of architectural choices (seriously, why do the doors have windows?). So I decided to go and visit a few in other cities, a plan which quickly grew into a project to visit all the Odeons (yes, all of them) and also give a reason to go to places I wouldn't otherwise have a reason to visit.

So like all my other tick-box projects, I thought it an idea to start posting about them on the blog and then linking to them all in one place. The actual posts aren't going to be anything too elaborate, probably just a photo, a couple of observations, and a link to somewhere which has more information (because what's the point in ripping off someone else's research when I can just refer you to it). Some of them will be an expensive and logistical challenge through public transport, but let's see how far I get.

Note: I've added some recent encounters but I'll do a proper catch up when I have a moment, plus include some which don't exist anymore at the bottom. I'll delete this message when I'm all caught up.

Now:

Acton
Andover
Aylesbury
Basingstoke
Bath
Beckenham
Belfast
Birmingham Broadway Plaza
Birmingham New Street
Bournemouth BH2
Braehead
Bridgend
Brighton
Bristol
Bromborough
Camden
Cardiff
Chatham
Chelmsford
Colchester
Coventry
Crewe
Derby
Dorchester
Dudley (Merry Hill)
Dundee
Dunfermline
Durham
East Kilbride
Edinburgh Fort Kinnaird
Edinburgh Lothian Road
Edinburgh West
Epsom
Exeter

Gateshead Metrocentre
Glasgow Quay
Greenwich
Guildford
Harrogate
Hastings
Hatfield
Hereford
Holloway
Huddersfield
Hull
Islington
Kilmarnock
Kingston
Lee Valley
Leeds Thorpe Park
Leeds-Bradford
Leicester
Lincoln
Liverpool ONE
Liverpool Switch Island
Llanelli
London Haymarket
London Leicester Square
London Tottenham Court Road
London West End
Loughborough
Maidenhead
Maidstone
Manchester Great Northern
Manchester Trafford Centre
Mansfield
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes Stadium
Newark
Northampton

North Tyneside Silverlink
Northwich Barons Quay
Norwich
Nuneaton
Oldham
Orpington
Peterborough
Port Solent
Preston
Putney
Richmond
Rochdale
Salisbury
Sheffield
South Woodford
Southend
Stafford
Stoke
Streatham
Swadlincote
Swansea
Swiss Cottage
Tamworth
Taunton
Telford
Trowbridge
Tunbridge Wells
Uxbridge
Warrington
West Bromwich
Wimbledon
Worcester
Wrexham Eagles Meadow

Lost in Time:

Chester

Leeds The Headrow

Liverpool Allerton Road

Liverpool London Road

Manchester Oxford Road

Oxford

Transmission of the Doctor.

2025-12-25T22:32:00.005+00:00

TV Since there wasn't a festive episode of Doctor Who this year thanks to Disney's dithering, I decided to watch The Christmas Invasion on its twentieth anniversary. Most of it still stands up, especially David Tennant's entrance, a proper deus ex machina. It was so good, I plan to watch the rest of the revival before next year's Christmas special, especially since there are a bunch of episodes I haven't seen since transmission.

But there are some definite rough patches. Rather than taking the logical route of working through in chronological order—which would inevitably lead to moments when I wouldn't necessarily want to go straight into the next episode—I decided to watch them in transmission anniversary order across the year, juxtaposing the various eras, actors, and approaches. This is in the spirit of the DVD releases. Find the results below.

Some statistics. There are 139 unique dates in a year that feature an episode. Christmas Day obviously has the most episodes (15), with New Year's Day a close second (5), and May 11th is third with three episodes. All the others have just one or two. The earliest a series premiered was on 1st January with Series 12, and the latest was 31st October for Series 13 (which just goes to show how inconsistent the transmission dates have been).

1 January

The End of Time (Part 2) (2010)
Resolution (2019)
Spyfall (Part 1) (2020)
Revolution of the Daleks (2021)
Eve of the Daleks (2022)

5 January

Spyfall (Part 2) (2020)

12 January

Orphan 55 (2020)

19 January

Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (2020)

26 January

Fugitive of the Judoon (2020)

2 February

Praxeus (2020)

9 February

Can You Hear Me? (2020)

16 February

The Haunting of Villa Diodati (2020)

23 February

Ascension of the Cybermen (Part 1) (2020)

1 March

The Timeless Children (Part 2) (2020)

26 March

Rose (2005)

30 March

The Bells of Saint John (2013)

31 March

Smith and Jones (2007)

2 April

The End of the World (2005)

3 April

The Eleventh Hour (2010)

5 April

Partners in Crime (2008)

6 April

The Rings of Akhaten (2013)

7 April

The Shakespeare Code (2007)

9 April

The Unquiet Dead (2005)

10 April

The Beast Below (2010)

11 April

Planet of the Dead (2009)

12 April

The Fires of Pompeii (2008)
The Robot Revolution (2025)

13 April

Cold War (2013)

14 April

Gridlock (2007)
The Ghost Monument (2018)

15 April

New Earth (2006)
The Pilot (2017)

16 April

Aliens of London (Part 1) (2005)

17 April

Victory of the Daleks (2010)
Legend of the Sea Devils (2022)

19 April

Planet of the Ood (2008)
Lux (2025)

20 April

Hide (2013)

21 April

Daleks in Manhattan (Part 1) (2007)
Rosa (2018)

22 April

Tooth and Claw (2006)
Smile (2017)

23 April

World War Three (Part 2) (2005)
The Impossible Astronaut (Part 1) (2011)

24 April

The Time of Angels (Part 1) (2010)

26 April

The Sontaran Stratagem (Part 1) (2008)
The Well (2025)

27 April

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (2013)

28 April

Evolution of the Daleks (Part 2) (2007)
Arachnids in the UK (2018)

29 April

School Reunion (2006)
Thin Ice (2017)

30 April

Dalek (2005)
Day of the Moon (Part 2) (2011)

1 May

Flesh and Stone (Part 2) (2010)

3 May

The Poison Sky (Part 2) (2008)
Lucky Day (2025)

4 May

The Crimson Horror (2013)

5 May

The Lazarus Experiment (2007)

6 May

The Girl in the Fireplace (2006)
Knock Knock (2017)

7 May

The Long Game (2005)
The Curse of the Black Spot (2011)

8 May

The Vampires of Venice (2010)

10 May

The Doctor's Daughter (2008)
The Story and the Engine (2025)

11 May

Nightmare in Silver (2013)
Space Babies (2024)
The Devil's Chord (2024)

13 May

Rise of the Cybermen (Part 1) (2006)
Oxygen (2017)

14 May

Father's Day (2005)
The Doctor's Wife (2011)

15 May

Amy's Choice (2010)

17 May

The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008)
The Interstellar Song Contest (2025)

18 May

The Name of the Doctor (2013)
Boom (2024)

19 May

42 (2007)

20 May

The Age of Steel (Part 2) (2006)
Extremis (2017)

21 May

The Empty Child (Part 1) (2005)
The Rebel Flesh (Part 1) (2011)

22 May

The Hungry Earth (Part 1) (2010)

24 May

Wish World (Part 1) (2025)

25 May

73 Yards (2024)

26 May

Human Nature (Part 1) (2007)

27 May

The Idiot's Lantern (2006)
The Pyramid at the End of the World (2017)

28 May

The Doctor Dances (Part 2) (2005)
The Almost People (Part 2) (2011)

29 May

Cold Blood (Part 2) (2010)

31 May

Silence in the Library (Part 1) (2008)
The Reality War (Part 2) (2025)

1 June

Dot and Bubble (2024)

2 June

The Family of Blood (Part 2) (2007)

3 June

The Impossible Planet (Part 1) (2006)
The Lie of the Land (2017)

4 June

Boom Town (2005)
A Good Man Goes to War (2011)

5 June

Vincent and the Doctor (2010)

7 June

Forest of the Dead (Part 2) (2008)

8 June

Rogue (2024)

9 June

Blink (2007)

10 June

The Satan Pit (Part 2) (2006)
Empress of Mars (2017)

11 June

Bad Wolf (Part 1) (2005)

12 June

The Lodger (2010)

14 June

Midnight (2008)

15 June

The Legend of Ruby Sunday (Part 1) (2024)

16 June

Utopia (Part 1) (2007)

17 June

Love & Monsters (2006)
The Eaters of Light (2017)

18 June

The Parting of the Ways (Part 2) (2005)

19 June

The Pandorica Opens (Part 1) (2010)

21 June

Turn Left (2008)

22 June

Empire of Death (Part 2) (2024)

23 June

The Sound of Drums (Part 2) (2007)

24 June

Fear Her (2006)
World Enough and Time (Part 1) (2017)

26 June

The Big Bang (Part 2) (2010)

28 June

The Stolen Earth (Part 1) (2008)

30 June

Last of the Time Lords (Part 3) (2007)

1 July

Army of Ghosts (Part 1) (2006)
The Doctor Falls (Part 2) (2017)

5 July

Journey's End (Part 2) (2008)

8 July

Doomsday (Part 2) (2006)

23 August

Deep Breath (2014)

27 August

Let's Kill Hitler (2011)

30 August

Into the Dalek (2014)

1 September

Asylum of the Daleks (2012)

3 September

Night Terrors (2011)

6 September

Robot of Sherwood (2014)

8 September

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (2012)

10 September

The Girl Who Waited (2011)

13 September

Listen (2014)

15 September

A Town Called Mercy (2012)

17 September

The God Complex (2011)

19 September

The Magician's Apprentice (Part 1) (2015)

20 September

Time Heist (2014)

22 September

The Power of Three (2012)

23 September

Closing Time (2011)

26 September

The Witch's Familiar (Part 2) (2015)

27 September

The Caretaker (2014)

29 September

The Angels Take Manhattan (2012)

1 October

The Wedding of River Song (2011)

3 October

Under the Lake (Part 1) (2015)

4 October

Kill the Moon (2014)

7 October

The Woman Who Fell to Earth (2018)

10 October

Before the Flood (Part 2) (2015)

11 October

Mummy on the Orient Express (2014)

14 October

The Ghost Monument (2018)

17 October

The Girl Who Died (2015)

18 October

Flatline (2014)

21 October

Rosa (2018)

23 October

The Power of the Doctor (2022)

24 October

The Woman Who Lived (2015)

25 October

In the Forest of the Night (2014)

28 October

Arachnids in the UK (2018)

31 October

The Zygon Invasion (Part 1) (2015)
The Halloween Apocalypse (Chapter One) (2021)

1 November

Dark Water (Part 1) (2014)

4 November

The Tsuranga Conundrum (2018)

7 November

The Zygon Inversion (Part 2) (2015)
War of the Sontarans (Chapter Two) (2021)

8 November

Death in Heaven (Part 2) (2014)

11 November

Demons of the Punjab (2018)

14 November

Sleep No More (2015)
Once, Upon Time (Chapter Three) (2021)

15 November

The Waters of Mars (2009)

18 November

Kerblam! (2018)

21 November

Face the Raven (2015)
Village of the Angels (Chapter Four) (2021)

23 November

The Day of the Doctor (2013)

25 November

The Witchfinders (2018)
The Star Beast (2023)

28 November

Heaven Sent (2015)
Survivors of the Flux (Chapter Five) (2021)

2 December

It Takes You Away (2018)
Wild Blue Yonder (2023)

5 December

Hell Bent (2015)
The Vanquishers (Chapter Six) (2021)

9 December

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (2018)
The Giggle (2023)

25 December

The Christmas Invasion (2005)
The Runaway Bride (2006)
Voyage of the Damned (2007)
The Next Doctor (2008)
The End of Time (Part 1) (2009)
A Christmas Carol (2010)
The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (2011)
The Snowmen (2012)
The Time of the Doctor (2013)
Last Christmas (2014)
The Husbands of River Song (2015)
The Return of Doctor Mysterio (2016)
Twice Upon a Time (2017)
The Church on Ruby Road (2023)
Joy to the World (2024)

Christmas Links #26 (Season Finale)

2025-12-23T23:11:00.004+00:00

A Florida official wants to cancel a sold-out Christmas drag show. The queens are performing anyway:
"A Drag Queen Christmas, featuring artists from RuPaul’s Drag Race, will stop in Pensacola despite the state attorney general’s efforts to stop it."

Banksy’s Latest Mural Is a Heartbreaking Christmastime Message:

"The elusive street artist’s latest stencil may reference the tens of thousands of unhoused children living in London."

World of Telly's Christmas Special:

"Join John and Neil as they unwrap some festive treats..."

A Jewish Girl’s Guide to Christmas Cookie Boxes:

"Crafting the right mix requires strategy. Here are some tips."

"Do They Know It's Christmas Time At All?"

Doctor Who fans, or at least fans of old money Doctor Who, tend to have a greater understanding of the history of television than most people.?

Editor's Note: Paywall. But I'm posting it anyway as a way of imploring you to sign up to James Cooray's Smith Psychic Paper newsletter, which at £3.50 per month offers regular, thoughtful articles about Doctor Who which always offer a fresh perspective. This one's about The Power of Kroll ratings anomaly.

The Once and Future Films: Exploring the King Arthur legend on-screen:

"From Robert Bresson to Antoine Fuqua, from the 1950s to the 2020s, Dan Mecca takes us on a tour through many cinematic interpretations of the King Arthur legend."

The trans journalist who stole Christmas! Or did she?

"How one person’s reaction to a hurtful Christmas card caused the card to be withdrawn, although not everyone feels it should have been."

Our son can't come home for Christmas after insulation mould took over:

"Tony and Becs Wadley say they can't spend Christmas at home after insulation installed under a government scheme has caused black mould in several rooms, and their asthmatic son can't be inside the property."

Ghost Stories for Christmas: how TV’s most haunting locations look today:

"Ahead of the latest in the BBC’s Ghost Stories for Christmas strand airing on Christmas Eve, we revisit the atmospheric locations for the original series to see how time has changed them."

Is Christmas A Movie Die Hard?

"Can we use data to prove what is and isn’t a Christmas movie and force people to stop being annoying FOREVER?"

Christmas Links #25

2025-12-22T22:34:00.005+00:00

Timeless Christmas hit is the gift that keeps on giving for Wizzard:
"Research shows 97% of band’s streaming revenue comes from 1973 single I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday."

This Christmas, Don’t Talk about Politics:

"Why arguing with your family about politics won’t change their minds — and what actually will."

Doctor Who’s Sophie Aldred announces Christmas audio adventure:

"Sophie Aldred’s Ace Odyssey podcast series offers a ghost story for Christmas… on a spaceship."

Marking another Christmas far from home:

"A group of Ukrainian performers have been telling the story of being far from home and unable to make it back for Christmas."

A Georgian Christmas: At home with Jane Austen:

"Donald Macleod visits the home of Jane Austen with historian Amanda Vickery to discover some of the seasonal customs and Christmas music of late-Georgian Britain."

Christmas in the Cook Islands:

"Christmas is a time when many of us head back to the family home - the marae - and in the case of many Pacific Islanders - the village. People like Kayla Tuara are taking their family back to the Cook Islands for Christmas. Kayla joins Bryan from Rarotonga."

This 'Weird' Lasagna Is My Family's Favorite Christmas Meal Of All Time:

"I was working at another magazine about a decade ago when I told a colleague about plans to go to my hometown for the holidays and make lasagna with my family for Christmas Day. It's an all-day affair: stirring and seasoning the sauce, cooking the noodles, layering the dish, then finally baking (and baking) until the dish is bubbly and melty."

Did 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' lyrics once say 'colly birds' instead of 'calling birds'?

“Colly birds” appeared in versions of the song as early as the late 18th century.

If you hate Christmas music, David Byrne has the perfect playlist for you!

I'm not a big fan of Christmas music, so I was happy to learn about and then listen to "enigmatic frontman and eclectic curator" David Byrne's recently posted playlist, "Christmas Music for People Who Hate Christmas Music."

Odeon Liverpool Switch Island

2025-12-22T11:20:00.001+00:00

Film For The Housemaid. An "innovation" in some Odeons is the introduction of beds at the front of the auditorium. Having tried one here, I would not say it's the "ultimate comfort" as suggested on the website. The surface is rather hard (its the same leathery material used on seating) and its pretty difficult to decide how far up to sit. Too low and you can't see the screen, too high and you might as well be on a recliner. It's certainly not worth the prices. With the Unlimited discount my single bed was £9, but for plebs its £20.50 for one, £31 for two and £37.50 for three. It was also chilling in the screen so I'm glad I brought a blanket (history link).

Christmas Links #24

2025-12-21T22:43:00.005+00:00

Christmas Movies for the Family After You’ve Watched the Ones You Always Watch:
"I love the Christmas classic movies and watch as many as I can every year, including at least a couple of versions of “A Christmas Carol” and Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in “White Christmas.” But there are many great Christmas films that don’t get mentioned as often and I like to remind families that these are worth making time for as well."

Holiday Movies We’re Going to Skip:

“A Very Elfish Situationship”

My cultural awakening: Love Actually taught me to leave my cheating partner:

"Emma Thompson’s quiet suffering in the hit Christmas movie helped me to realise that I didn’t need to stay with someone who had betrayed me."

Editor's Note: This shitty film has done some good.

New Orleans musicians share their favorite Christmas songs, from bounce to blues:

"When you think about music in New Orleans — you probably think of jazz or blues, or maybe funk and bounce. Christmas carols? Not so much."

What We Were Watching: Christmas 1985:

"Grace Dent takes a televisual trip back in time to Christmas 1985."

Abigail Thorn Reads “A Christmas Carol”:

"A highlight from our holiday stream to benefit World Central Kitchen."

Santa Claus arrives in hot-air balloons in Saku City, central Japan:

"In the city of Saku, central Japan, Santa Claus has arrived in hot-air balloons to deliver Christmas cheer to children."

The Making of Doctor Who, by Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke — II:

"The first edition of The Making of Doctor Who, published by Piccolo in 1972, was credited — on the front cover — to Malcolm Hulke and Terrance Dicks. The title page then reversed the names, suggesting an equity of credit. Yet, as we saw last time, I think Hulke did most if not all of the writing and took 75% of the royalties."

Cancelled US comedian Jimmy Kimmel to deliver Christmas message to UK:

"TV host who came under pressure from Trump government will say: ‘From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year’"

'I've got no family so these are my second family':

"Most people don't even give you the time of day but these people do, no matter who you are."

Christmas Links #23

2025-12-20T23:42:00.001+00:00

When 25 Women & a Civil Engineer Decide To Build an 18-Foot Christmas Crochet Tree Together:
"In Goa, 25 women and a civil engineer came together to build an 18-foot Christmas tree made entirely of crocheted yarn. Created by The Crochet Collective, the installation revives a fading craft, centres women’s labour, and offers a sustainable alternative to plastic-heavy festive décor."

The Darlington woman playing a part in radio history:

"The surprise message that led to a Darlington woman’s starring role in a new Christmas Eve drama on BBC Radio 4."

What Dickens knew about Christmas decorations:

"Baubles and ornaments sent the author wheeling through time and space. How do they affect you?"

A Christmas Tree:

"I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree."

Police use lasso to help recapture runaway billy goat in Wiltshire:

"Escaped animal was seen chasing a woman around Upper Seagry and trying to munch on a festive wreath."

Medieval Londoners’ cheaply imported mass-produced Christmas gifts look surprisingly familiar:

"We often imagine medieval life as dull, dirty and short, with little in the way of material comfort or decoration. However, medieval Londoners were importing toys, treats and trinkets by the boatload centuries before the modern festive rush."

The Fourth Door:

"This story came to me in a dream earlier this year. A MR James-esque tale (says author Jonathan Morris)."

Fictional Scrooge and his real churchyard grave:

"St Chad's Church in Shrewsbury is in its own right a fixture on the town's tourist trail."

TV.Garden

"Welcome to tv.garden, your gateway to free live TV streaming from anywhere. Our goal is to make discovering and watching global channels as easy and enjoyable as possible."

CHRISTMAS CREAMGUIDE WEEK ONE: 20th-26th December 2025:

"Pulling the rabbit of verbal spontaneity from the hat of immediate circumstance."

CHRISTMAS CREAMGUIDE WEEK TWO: 27th December 2025-2nd January 2026:

"People even send spies to the rehearsal rooms."

Christmas Links #22

2025-12-19T23:00:00.004+00:00

The 12 Days of Christmas Movie Quiz:
"Yes, for the first time in four years, we're trying to find film questions about French Hens."

The best films of 2025 – all the votes:

"We asked 121 contributors – British and international – to pick the top ten movies they'd seen in 2025. You can browse all 433 choices they nominated here."

TV’s most complained-about shows of 2025: the official Ofcom breakdown:

"It’s been another busy year for Ofcom’s broadcasting standards team. We’ve received almost 50,000 complaints about more than 8,000 TV, radio, and on-demand programmes, a clear sign that audiences care deeply about what they watch and listen to."

The fright before Christmas: it’s the 10 most terrifying festive TV spookfests:

"Shrieking Victorian phantoms, dastardly occultists and Christopher Lee’s vast head … here we reveal the finest Christmas chillers there ever were."

City of London kick out independent Heath cafes – and hand them to Daisy Green chain:

"MP Tulip Siddiq says decision must be reversed as decisions sparks instant backlash."

Kylie beats Wham! to Christmas number one:

"Kylie Minogue has scored this year's Christmas number one, deposing Wham!'s Last Christmas, which topped the chart in 2023 and 2024."

Memory Holed: 'Fred Claus' Should Be Roasted on an Open Fire:

"There are movies that have been memory-holed and movies that are cursed."

Woman's shock as goose smashes through front door:

"A woman said she was left "terrified" after a goose crashed through her front door as she watched television."

Community Does Jack Shit To Make Christmas Better For Town’s Second-Poorest Family:

"After coming together and pooling resources to save Christmas for the town’s most impoverished family, a tight-knit Nebraska community reportedly did jack shit this week to make the holiday better for its second-poorest family."

We caught up with one of the kids who sang on 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.' He's 72 now:

"Dave Willat was just 11 years old, wearing cutoffs and a T-shirt on a warm September evening in 1965, when he showed up for what he thought would be a routine choir practice at his church in San Rafael, Calif., a small city about 20 miles north of San Francisco. His voice was on the cusp of changing, and he expected to rehearse the usual Sunday hymns."

Christmas Links #21

2025-12-18T23:23:00.000+00:00

Through the Square Window Episode 4: Christmas Special 2025:

"In their first-ever feature-length festive spectacular, Samira Ahmed and Graham Kibble-White are joined by special guest Mark Gatiss, as all three nominate their favourite and least-favourite Christmas specials."

The Cricket On The Hearth & The Haunted Man:

"...adapted by Eddie Robson and Jonathan Morris respectively, are full-cast adaptations of two little known Christmas tales by Charles Dickens, now available to purchase as a download."

Evri dumps parcels for multiple customers miles away on driveway:
"A pile of 14 Evri parcels has been discovered on a driveway in Coalisland, County Tyrone."

Editor's Note: Evri are the absolute worst.

Royal Mail under fire as post boxes vanish before Christmas:

"Royal Mail seems intent on adding a new Christmas tradition this year: baffle customers by closing post boxes just when they’re needed most."

From celebrated names to rising forces, we meet the MODERN VISIONARIES shaping Hollywood’s next act:

"2026 is set to be a phenomenal year for cinema and TV. In our Modern Visionaries portfolio, we met 34 of the names currently moulding the face of Hollywood."

The 12 films of Christmas: filmmakers on their festive favourites:

"It’s a time for sharing, so in a spirit of goodwill to all cinephiles, a dozen directors, including Guillermo del Toro, Wes Anderson, Alice Rohrwacher, Luna Carmoon and Steven Soderbergh, choose their favourite Christmas films."

Christmas without the guilt – 12 health-boosting festive foods:

"Christmas is known as a time of indulgence and overeating, but some festive foods might actually be beneficial to our health."

Rumours of Our Death:

"Forecasts of print’s demise have been around for as long as press barons have been buying ink by the barrel. We asked a panel of print icons how the medium has fared in the first quarter-century of this millennium."

To Haunt and to Hold: Looking back at The X-Files 'How The Ghosts Stole Christmas':

"Ever wonder how ghosts can reveal more about the living? In ‘How the Ghosts Stole Christmas,’ Mulder and Scully face not just supernatural tricks but a haunting reflection of their own fears and partnership."

Lauren Laverne: “Looking to the future, I feel quite free”:

"Early last year, Lauren Laverne was standing on stage with Sir Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen – as you do – while the latter gave an acceptance speech at the Ivor Novello Awards."

How the TV Yule log stole Christmas:

"From flaming time-killers to franchise-branded blazes, TV fireplaces are now "home for the holidays" to stay."

Duvet know it's Christmas?

"Christmas party food, Soreen Salted Caramel Lunchbox Loaves...."

Almost a Silent Night:

"“Minute for minute, I think Morecambe & Wise is costing [ITV] more than The Sound of Music is costing us”, surmised Bill Cotton, controller of BBC-1, as he announced details of the channel’s Christmas line-up for 1978."

‘They’ve Ruined Christmas’: Nigerian Student Blocked By Home Office From Visiting UK Family for Holidays:

"British academic and his Nigerian wife repeatedly stopped from hosting family members, including at their own wedding, due to visa restrictions brought in by Keir Starmer’s Government."

Christmas Links #20

2025-12-17T23:31:00.003+00:00

Our 50 Favourite Funny Bluesky posts of 2025:

"Hello and welcome to our round-up of the funniest things we’ve seen on Bluesky over the past year."

The 20 Worst Things On The Internet In 2025:
"We're back, baby."

BBC Media Operations - Christmas Promo:

Editor's Note: I'm experimenting with Sill (not not that one) which filters your BlueSky timeline down to just the links and it's turned this up, the modern equivalent of the old BBC tapes.

1975 Christmas Radio TV Times – Time Travel Edition:

"Following such a lovely positive response to last year’s 1974 edition, I’ve created another special time travel listings magazine. Once again, you can travel back 50 years into Christmas TV’s past. The Christmas Radio TV Times gathers together numerous TV programmes from Christmas week 1975, across both the BBC channels and ITV."

Always winter, never Christmas: 21 snowy entertainments without a Santa in sight:

"Celebrate winter - and NOTHING ELSE - with our list of recommendations."

'Britain's most festive man' puts up 25 Christmas trees:

"The 72-year-old dubbed Britain's most festive man has put up 25 Christmas trees – but admitted he had to "downsize" this year."

Christmas Specials I’ve Rewatched Far Too Often:

"After watching The Avengers’ Too Many Christmas Trees for Telefantasy Time Jump‘s Christmas Special (out…sometime this month!! I should really check these things), I felt compelled to return to a few Christmas telly favs to try and life my mood during this week of Eternal Rain and Wind and Grey Omg When Will It End."

Jingle Bells (Batman Smells): an incomplete festive folk-rhyme taxonomy:

"Gather round the fire, everyone, and let me tell you a story. It has everything you could want in a Christmas blockbuster: superheroes and villains, a car crash, children singing, a mystery to solve and even a cameo appearance by Bart Simpson."

Editor's Note: Previous inevitable Tom Scott video.

‘A festive tour de force’: Guardian writers on their favorite underrated Christmas movies:

"From a John Cusack 80s teen comedy to the other Frank Capra Christmas crowd-pleaser, here are some seasonal picks you might not have seen."

Beware the Christmas coronary. How to spot signs of holiday heart trouble:

"The risk of having a heart attack or stroke rises during the holiday season, with a spike in cardiac deaths between Christmas and New Year's. "We definitely see it in the ER over the holidays," says Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a cardiologist who leads the Framingham Heart Study at Boston University School of Medicine."