It could almost be a parody: “London based arts chief takes seaside town to task for being too much like a seaside town.” (I know we’re a city now…) But it’s real. Read it all here. Julian Caddy is the MD of the Brighton Fringe Festival and he thinks Brighton needs a better class of …
He hates the Palace Pier and Julian Caddy just doesn’t love Brighton and Hove Read More »
Since the middle of July I’ve been blogging about Doctor Who for the Metro online and I wanted to share a few choice cuts for your delectation. Obviously it’s a busy time at the moment for Doctor Who fans as the 50th anniversary on 23rd November is keenly awaited. These are happy days for Whovians, …
Having a clear-out recently, I found a talk I gave to the GSCE leavers from my old school Priory in Lewes in November 2011. It was for their certificate evening, where they celebrated exam success and general all round good eggs. They asked me to give a short talk before the Mayor gave out the …
Last year, as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival, submissions for short stories were sought on the theme ‘Brighton: past, present and future.” Selected stories would be read to an audience by actors. Here’s my submission, and it was most gratifying to hear it read. Pier Review The West Pier spangled brand new in the …
I remember the great storm of 1987. The letter box rattled all night and my mum decided we had to go to school. Oh innocent days. No internet or text messages. We’d listened to the radio, listing all the schools that were shut, and St Luke’s wasn’t mentioned. So off we went. It was chaos …
Watching the tweets from the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce Big Debate on the motion “this house believes that Brighton’s night time economy is tarnishing the city’s brand” was interesting. But I was very surprised to see people praising “responsible” firm Brighton Holiday Homes, represented on the night by Managing Partner Michelle Stonehill. Apparently …
What was a Whovian with a few hours to spare in Glasgow to do, but have a tootle around looking for police boxes? The second city of the Empire is home to a several of the Gilbert MacKenzie Trench designed beauties and I managed to find two as part of my sight-seeing. Reports as to …
Two very reasonable parents discuss the tattoo their student son has just got on his arm. You get the sense the parents have had some wild days themselves and are hardly prudish. Mother is doing most of the talking. Mum: It is very big though, isn’t it? Boy: No, it’s not. Mum: And well, it …
I’m embarassed to say the Prime Minister and I share Eton College as an alma mater. But unlike David Cameron, I had the greater privilege of learning more than a thing or two in the state sector. If Cameron had been to a comprehensive like me, he’d know that Eton just doesn’t have what it …
I picked up a thing the other day in a charity shop and I can’t really find anything about it online. So I throw it over to you. Do you know anything about this glass jelly mould with the images of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose on it? I intend to sell it on …
Royal Jelly Mould with Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Rose Read More »
Sue Bailey was buried on Thursday. She was a close and dear friend to me for many years and I was privileged to attend her funeral. Let me share some reflections, for those who weren’t there. It was a small gathering. Eleven people. Mostly family. It was raining. In woodland, near London, there is a …
My friend Sue writes at London Cemeteries and described her visit to Epping Forest Burial Park recently and how it changed her view of burial. Like her, I previously favoured cremation (or even burial at sea, in my more eccentric moments) until I visited a natural burial site. Cremation strangely felt less gruesome. I felt …
The peaceful, natural burial ground at Clayton Wood Read More »
It’s astonishing that New York has only just legalised gay marriage. There are some very touching pictures in the Guardian. The word is right though: marriage. And changing the law in this country does, to a very large extent lie with simply changing a few words. I’m pleased that we have civil partnerships in Britain …
The resignation of Rebekah Brooks was inevitable. That Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned too, on the same day as Brooks’ arrest, is remarkable. Surely David Cameron is next in line. I’ve been saying it on Twitter and down the boozer for at least a week. Tonight, even Iain Dale thinks it’s a possibility, having previously …
What did the Prime Minister know? And when did he know it? Read More »