TONIGHT at XS Malarkey! We've got brilliant Nick Doody headlining, @samhickmanmusic.bsky.social plucking at our harpstrings, debuts from James O'Donoghue & Mick Tickner, and @tobyhadoke.bsky.social doing the rest. Lovely. 7.30pm Doors, 8pm show, at 53two, Manchester wegottickets.com/event/692236
Good morning. The 2nd of May will mark the 20th anniversary of the first episode of Down The Line, the single-greatest radio comedy show made within that period. We're revisiting it at the minute if you'd like to join in with listening along.
www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index...
#whatispoint
Is the future of Arndale Market at risk?
On Monday, traders at the market — a beloved collection of independent food stalls, hairdressers, and greengrocers on the edge of Arndale shopping centre, received an email from Manchester City Council that sent alarm bells ringing.
I know money is tight for so many, but here goes: during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, I am raising money for Callisto, a survivor assistance resource. I almost couldn’t believe it was real when I first researched it. It *is* real & I joined their board. give.projectcallisto.org/fundraiser/7...
The Daleks’ Master Plan is coming to Manchester.
And so is Peter Purves.
I’m already here but I’ll be introducing the episodes and hosting some brilliant panels giving the lowdown on their production and return.
Tickets on sale soon:
homemcr.org/whats-on/rec...
Toniiiiight! Get ready for some Tuesday night lovin with the incredible Kemah Bob, giving us a preview of their new show Love Child. Support from Ian Visible and Charlie Bowers, and there'll be plenty of @tobyhadoke.bsky.social too. Doors 7.30pm, show 8pm, tickets at wegottickets.com/event/692229 ❤️
It did give us some good memes though
Oh so LOST does not take place in this timeline then
For your Easter Sunday reading pleasure, my latest Substack missive is live. THE EVIL TOUCH, Australia’s forgotten horror anthology television series, and the lostness of television visual culture in the 1960s and 1970s. Enjoy and please spread the word.
andrewnette.substack.com/p/ghost-mess...
Pet peeve: when it became fashionable for websites to show dates as "about 3 years ago"
I believe that high rates of inflation were also a factor, so an ok budget at the start of the season was hugely insufficient by the end
Page 1 of 2. Screenshot of the threads tagged with "Taskmaster" on the Cook'd and Bomb'd Comedy Chat forums, showing 25 of the 50 separate discussion threads dedicated to this show and its international spin-offs etc. It's a four column screenshot, it shows the subject of each thread; the thread starter; the replies generated by the original post; and the views which each discussion has generated.
Page 2 of 2. Screenshot of the threads tagged with "Taskmaster" on the Cook'd and Bomb'd Comedy Chat forums, showing the second batch of separate discussion threads dedicated to this show and its international spin-offs etc. As with the first one, it's a four column screenshot, it shows the subject of each thread; the thread starter; the replies generated by the original post; and the views which each discussion has generated. Come and chat with us!
If you're preparing for the new series of @taskmaster.tv then feel free to join us on the Cook'd and Bomb'd Comedy Chat forum, where we have 50 related discussions taking place over the course of 9,481 posts which have generated 1,480,269 views.
www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index...
#Taskmaster
Watch The Nightmare Begins again, but this time with a commentary recorded over the moving pictures with me, Tim Burrows and Oliver Crocker, including some background to its return:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
A previously lost episode of classic Dr Who on my telly for the very first time. Truly treasured moments.
Bacon butty ✅
Cup of tea ✅
New old Dr Who on my telly ✅
Thank you @filmisfabulous.bsky.social and everyone involved in making this moment possible, we #DoctorWho fans absolutely live for days like this ❤
Oh, and I have done a new commentary for Devil’s Planet too (whilst watching the episode itself). Tim Burrows, Oliver Crocker and I reminisce about the day it was unveiled to Peter Purves, and then celebrate all of its brilliant moments:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...
@markfrost.bsky.social joins me this week to discuss The Secret History of Twin Peaks and his upcoming novel The Yankee Sphinx: An FDR Novel. We talk about how he implemented secret societies, conspiracies & UFOs into the Twin Peaks mythos and the impact FDR had on his life. The link is in my bio.
Take a look at our second guest spotlight for the Northern Publishers' Fair - and this time it's a guest at the fair's chatty table, Cultureword!
📍 Manchester Central Library
📅 25th April 2026, 11am - 3.30pm
🎟️ Free entry - or £7 for our tote bag and two mystery books!
A head and shoulders photograph of a man looking into the camera. He is white with a salt and pepper short beard and silver hair. He is wearing a dark blue checked blazer, black open collared shirt, and we can see the edges of a red and grey patterned waistcoat beneath his jacket. He is seated in front of a slightly blurred blue background.
🎈Headpress 35th Anniversary Extravaganza🎈
Introducing our panelists: @tobyhadoke.bsky.social
Actor, writer & comedian, Toby joins our #NigelKneale panel! His book on The Quatermass Experiment was published by @tenacrebooks.bsky.social in 2025.
Tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/headpress-...
Five comedians - Hannah Platt, Gary Delaney, Josh Jones, Tabish Akbar, and Alun Cochrane - advertising a new material standup comedy night tonight at 53Two.
It’s Testing, Testing at 53Two tonight with Gary Delaney, Alun Cochrane, Josh Jones, Hannah Platt and Tabish Akbar. Stonking line-up for ridiculously little money. Do pop in:
🎧☕️ NEW EPISODE ☕️🎧
In this comprehensive look at the Twin Peaks fandom’s excitement & concerns in the weeks leading to the debut of Twin Peaks: The Return, hear from 25YL, podcasts, reddit, the people behind Blue Rose Magazine, predictions, & theories.
bluerosetaskforce.transistor.fm/episodes/mea...
"Twin Peaks and Japan" was one of the best panels at the last Real #TwinPeaks Days. There's some surprises here, including some never-before-released photos that help solve a decades-old mystery. The whole presentation is worth your while. Check it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BTR...
Happy polio vaccine announcement anniversary. "There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" remains one of the hardest remarks of all time. Kind of quote every child should be taught
CELEBRATING MARK FISHER 🤑📚
📍 @cpxmcr.bsky.social
📅 Apr 16 (7 - 9:30pm)
🎟️ cultplex.co.uk/Cultplex.dll...
Featuring a screening of 'We Are Making a Film About Mark Fisher' by Close and Remote, with readings & discussion of Monster Capital with author @bronteschiltz.bsky.social & editor Ra Page.
Floral grey background with a closeup of the cover from Corpses, Fools and Monsters (2025) in the centre (text reads: Grim Reader's syllabus; Trans Rights Readathon; 17 - 31 March 2026).
Floral blue background with black bands containing text at top (Trans Rights Readathon; Nonfiction book recs (horror analysis)) and bottom (HoL logo). Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator (Heather O. Petrocelli); It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror (Joe Vallese, Ed.); Sleepaway Camp (BJ Colangelo & Harmony Colangelo); Queer Screams: A History of LGBTQ+ Survival Through the Lens of American Horror Cinema (Abigail Waldron); Uncanny Valley Girls: Essays on Horror, Survival, and Love (Zefyr Lisowski); Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema (Caden Mark Gardner & Willow Catelyn Maclay).
Floral blue background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom. Finger pointing at bottom text.
Floral blue background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text.
Our latest reading list suggests nonfiction titles (horror film analysis) for the Trans Rights Readathon (17 - 31 March 2026) and beyond... Sign up at transrightsreadathon.carrd.co!
#transrightsreadathon #trr2026 #transvisibilityday #bookrecs #nonfiction #booksky #horrorsky
FA apology to the Corinthians, women's team founded in Manchester 1949 who defied a 50-year ban on women's football. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I was expecting a disaster because the trailers were so bad, but yeah, mostly good
This is utterly jaw-dropping.
A school that bans Atwood, Zadie Smith, Terry effing Pratchett and *literal George Orwell* is actively harming its pupils.
www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...
Hey folks. If you liked my Quatermass book you’ll love this. A beautiful new presentation of a story vital to the brilliance of many of the show we know and love. And Bernard was a great guy and engaging raconteur.
NEW VIDEO! Friday the 13th, unlucky for some... but not #DoctorWho fans! A supercut celebrating a very special day made possible by @filmisfabulous.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpfB...