#I think it’s leask?

[personinthepalace]

Happy Closing Night to Peter Pan Goes Wrong on the West End!

from pangoeswrong instagram

[enter-drfrog]

CPDS as quotes from my theatre department’s discord pt. 2

“PLEASE let me finish my map game” -Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway

“Take your bread you small Victorian children!” -Chris Bean spoken with the utmost disgust (I can’t really explain why)

“Give me $2 and I will remove your eyes” -Trevor Watson

“They’re spy cars. They’re cars that are spies! They’re fucking spies!!!” -Max Bennett arguing why Cars 2 is the best Cars movie

“Which just goes to show, you can’t stop gay” -Annie Twilloil

“Twat…slut…..fuckkk youuuu” -Trevor playing mario kart

*cackling* “…….boinking…..” -Max Bennett

“Were you used for emo diversity?” -Jonathan Harris (directed at Trevor)

“If you do that in my ear I’m gonna stick my hand down your throat” -Robert Grove

“Why do we have animals in the house? You’re a sheep! What are you doing!?” -Chris Bean (this feels like every interaction he’s ever had with Dennis)

“I was victimizing people” -Robert Grove

“I didn’t know this girl was gay! I thought she was a dancer!” -Sandra Wilkinson (I can’t really explain why, but she’s definitely talking about Vanessa)

“Sometimes mouth say word brain don’t mean” -Annie Twilloil (this is just because of her former techie energy)

“He turned the shower on!” -Chris Bean “Yeah he’s just thirsty” -Max Bennett (about Dennis)

“I’m proud to admit it. I would suck down a grape Fanta” -Annie Twilloil (again it’s the former techie energy)

“Bubble solution? What’s the bubble problem?” -Max Bennett

“I’m asexual, not BLIND” -Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway (I feel like she gives ace energy)

“I love gay. I love pirates. Put them together. I love gay pirates” -Chris Bean

“I wouldn’t have sex with a wolf if that’s what you’re asking” -Trevor Watson (techie energy again)

“Okay, this is where I have to jump in. I’ve been listening to you talking about fucking wolves for five minutes. That’s what I woke up to” -Jonathan Harris (I can’t explain why he's involved in this convo)

“Did you guys know the Statue of Liberty is like really sexy?” -Sandra Wilkinson

“What’s it like being you?” -Robert Grove (about Dennis)

“My feet have touched the floor since I was eight years old” -Chris Bean (he’s such a tall willowy man)

Part 1

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

hello british cornley fans, if you see this, could you tell me what exact accents all of the cornley characters have?

[livelaughlovesubs]

I need to vent amongus Boothill hngg 😩 I've been down bad since the leaks like seven plus months ago hnggg please plEASe 😩

I'm a slut for cowboy characters hnggg I love his drawl literally told my partner before his voice was released if he didn't have an accent then what was the point

Please he's so pretty and shdbdhdh he makes me giggle and kick my feet I know he'd be the Roger Rabbit to his lover (or like Hosier when he tweeted "my girlfriend is made at me I want to die") he's such a devoted hunk of man 😤 listen he's the lock in kinda hoe ya know when he's in a fully committed relationship he's the biggest sluttiest sub, he doesn't half ass his relationships ok

I know a lot of people debate on if he can feel or not with his body but I raise: we literally have VR sensors to detect touch IRL rn so I'd say with some effort absolutely but typically if he's working it's probably best they're not as active

Country boy, I love youuuuuu 😘😘😘😘

I don't care what biology or society says I'm gonna make him my bride and impregnate him even if I have to get Ruan Mei's help (she'd absolutely do it out of curiosity fr fr).

-🐇

Pls, when I first saw leaks of him I thought he was very ugly 💀 I DONT KNOW WHY, I LOOKED AT THOSE LEASK AND WAS LIKE: WTF IS THIS MAN? And all the comments were simping over him, while I sat there thinking, ‘damn, ya’ll simping over such a random ass cowboy? Why.’

Now I’m such a whore for him on god, I came back to the game just for him and have 200 tickets prepared for him 😭😭 mind you before I came back I had zero (cuz I took a break after losing on balde’s banner again) prefarmed all his shit and got artefacts ready for him too. Also build my other characters, grinded till I got to 300 tickets to get an exclusive bronya for him etc etc. How twisted fate is uff.

Anyway, boothill as a slut/ whore is such a hot thought. Him being a teasing bottom, who almost seems like a power bottom would be so sexy. But after I saw his ‘shy’ expression I must say, an inexperienced, all talk no bite and shy boothill is >>>>

HIS BLUSHING FACE IS SOOO CUTE I ALMOST DIED ON THE SPOT, I ALMOST CRIED.

Just imagine him being cheeky, until you touch him, praise him and stroke his hair. How his eyes widen and his lips tremble due to the embarrassment. His body must be overheating again, otherwise he doesn’t have a plausible explanation as to why he feels so hot. Avoiding your gaze at all cost as he put on big airs again, only to squeak and whine when you kiss him so tenderly <33

[natashasbitxh]

Finally got to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong in West End with Charlie Russell, Matthew Cavendish, Greg Tannahill, Matthew Howell, Harry Kershaw, Clark Devlin, Jamie Birkett, Chris Leask, Ellie Morris, and Jean-Luke Worrell! They were all amazing, I thought I'd share some of my fav bits! (Warning: There's a lot)

• Firstly, programme stuff: the note from the director basically just being Chris and Trevor arguing like a married couple. Chris being too scientific and Trevor having to remind him it's supposed to be festive.

● Them leaving a note asking if anybody was a flying operator as they didn't currently have one😭

• Robert leaving the children of the Cornley Youth Theatre abandoned in a forest with limited food and knives,to prepare for their performance of Lord of the Flies. NSPCC and police had to intervene, 2 of the children are still missing today (Ben McIntyre and Sarah Cordell)

• Jonathon's interview where's he's practically begging the interviewer to take note he was 'fashionably late', when he was actually waiting for 6 hours.

• Jonathon saying (in the interview), he's been focusing on humanitarian work, such as adopting a child from Ethiopia and a child from Vietnam. And then the interviewer just replied with "That is Brad Pitt. Everything you have just said is about Brad Pitt and not yourself."

• In the cast section, Chris Bean writing "I would like to remind my father that there is a spare ticket at the box office for him if he chooses to show up." That's so sad😭

• Trevor's section ended with "trevorzbeatz/YouTube.co.uk" 😭

• Pip (assistant stage manager) just says: "They call me Big Pip up north. Trevor's cousin. Out and about and that. Nice one." Like okay yh me too Big Pip

• They tried to feed the crocodile an alarm clock😭 (RIP Nadia tho😔)

• Annie left a little note saying she's "looking for a man" and then there's some description of what she's (not) looking for

• A page saying welcome to the theatre, but it is still very much in character😭 "Director Chris Bean always fulfils his promise of giving us a show we will remember for a very long time."

•Pre-show antics: one of the assistant stage managers (I'm gonna guess Pip? Not too sure tho) was walking around looking for a hammer. I noticed that he'd act like he was looking around and then when he spotted a child he'd go and ask them. I thought that was cute🥹

• I couldn't see the wires going through the audience cause I had seats up high, but I did see Robert pulling the end of the wire whilst on stage with the help of an audience member

• Dennis was late I think, ran across the stage from the audience with a bag on

• Lucy suddenly ran off stage, Robert not far behind shouting things like "You have to do it!" (And then later on she ran back on stage,but it seemed Robert got caught up in a convo)

• Now onto the actual show, I thought Dennis singing les mis due to his headgear was pretty funny seeing as les mis was about a door or 2 down

• At one point we were clapping for something (can't remember what, but it was during the beginning Darling Family scene), and Max joined in with the clapping. Sandra had to tell him to stop with a pointed glare and a lil hand gesture

• Every appearance with Robert as the shadow was amazing, I know it's simple but I'm always impressed with the rug pull and the way he lands

• During the bit where there's too much smoke and it engulfs the pirates, Trevor comes to the rescue but does hit Chris in the arse by accident, christrev anybody?

• I will forever love Robert trying to get Dennis to pick up the sword, Dennis picking up the boat paddle and Robert going on a rant about how he's been moving his arms for the past 5 mins why would he need the paddle

• During the interval the lights would still go out occasionally, fun touch

• As Jonathan flew up before crashing down, a banner fell down with Robert holding a bean, a reference of his show Jack and the bean

• Before this, I'd only seen the BBC recorded version of Peter Pan Goes Wrong, so I rlly enjoyed the changes. Such as the mermaids, but I RLLY laughed at Robert being the Mr Bumble in Oliver that killed a child. Especially when he went to be Peter Pan before starting to sing 'Food, Glorious Food"

• The whole poison bit was incredible, Harry's improv was on FIRE. We obvs did the traditional pantomime business which made Chris mad, he very much gave teacher vibes as he sat down on the set and said it was our own time we were wasting. He also complained that this was only the matinée and they still had an evening performance to get to. Then he pointed out how somebody in the audience was hissing, "Nobody goes to a show and says 'Yeah it was good but the person in the fourth row wouldn't stop hissing'" (this resulted in a lot of children hissing whenever he appeared on stage). Then when it got to the poison bit, a child was yelling at him to hurry up, causing Chris to go on a rant about how he didn't even want children there, sitting there on their booster seats. After the child yelled at him multiple times, Chris gave up and told the child to open it for him, which they did. Then as he was leaving, we were booing again and he was like "NO NO DONT BOO ME, IT WAS THE CHILD THAT POISIONED HIM." Then as he exited, he said something along the lines of "blame the child murderer." It was insane.

• Then, when Peter asked who would try to poison him, Tink/Annie pointed at the child that opened the bottle. I think Chris Leask actually had to turn his head downwards and to the side to hide his laughing.

• I've pointed this out before, but I'm so endeared with how worried Chris was when Annie was unconscious. HE KNEELED THERE HOVERING OVER HER BODY JUST LIKE TOUCHING HER FACE, NOT SPEAKING FOR AWHILE. Adorable. Every characters reaction was adorable...sorry Annie

• I just have to say Francis' Cabaret performance to distract us from Annie was amazing. Loved the audience clapping along as well and the rest of the cast looking absolutely shocked and confused

• I loved that we heard a whole marriage fall apart through Dennis' headgear. I want to know more abt them, the husband that took over to help Dennis sounded sweet

• When Lucy slid down the ship in her wheelchair she was flung out and then caught by Trevor in a sort of bear hug, Lucy's legs wrapped around his torso. Trevor was SEVERELY judging the cast HE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THEM. They're besties ur honour, I thought it was so cute

• Loved Francis' Cabaret performance again during the big fight scene with the set moving.

• Trevor saying something like "You've got to be joking" when Lucy picked up the book 😭

• I wanted to scream laugh at Chris lying in the bed like an ill victorian child as Lucy closed up the story, and then Dennis choosing to lie on the squished bottom bunk

• As Lucy continued to read, Chris, Sandra, Trevor, Dennis, and Max were all checking up on one another in the background. Hugs, shoulder grabs. Guys, I love Sandra and Chris' dynamic so much, Sandra was making sure he got off the bed alright and then gave him a hug

• Of course the whole end song, Max as the crocodile encouraging us to clap

It was so amazing, everybody was fantastic!! My jaw still aches from laughing so hard! Hope ppl found this interesting cause I always love when other ppl share what happened during their show😭

[literary-lesbian]

HOW WAS PPGW

OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZINGGGGG!!!!

i kinda knew what to expect cuz of people talking on here but it was so fun seeing all of the actors wandering around the audience and messing with the lights and harry chasing greg all around the auditorium trying to get him backstage

and chris leask stopped in the row right in front of me to search someone's bag for a hammer so that was super cool

the audience was AMAZING with all the pantomime stuff and the 'i believe in fairies' bit

ik whoever's playing hook usually has a bit of improv with the audience about the poison/medicine bottle bit but there was one person in the audience who yelled 'do you need a hand' really loudly so harry got them to open the bottle and then when peter asks tinkerbell like 'who could've poisoned the medicine?' nancy pointed at the person in the audience and greg immediately corpsed

it was soooo fun to see all the bits that aren't in the bbc recording like a bit where they swim underwater and they carry fluorescent fish across a black screen and trevor really getting into pretending to be a mermaid and how they did the revolving set without being able to sail through the teletubbies

i'm over the moon that i got to hear nancy singing live because i love her voice soooo much and also the world of make believe song because only the ending reprise is in the bbc version

and i think the highlight for me was the narrator!! idk what it's normally like but the guy doing it was clearly a trained west end performer so he was very camp and agile and very very funny - all of the chair antics were hilarious. i also don't know what normally happens whilst annie is unconscious but he did a one-man performance of it's raining men complete with gorgeous dance moves

ANYWAY. IT WAS FABULOUS.

[peacockpenis]

thinking abt how chris leask is always like "my guy!! my dude!" when he sees me and is so sweet and definitely thinks im just his lil man. his lil bro. i love u chris.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Pen Terms and Lashings for Kidnappers," North Bay Nugget. April 30, 1934. Page 1 & 2. ---- Feeney, Paananen Found Guilty of Dual Charge ---- Result of Daring Offense Committed Here on April 13 ---- HOLD-UP SUGGESTED ---- Four years in penitentiary with ten lashes, was the sentence imposed by Judge Leask this afternoon on Joseph Feeney, found guilty of rob- bing Emile Geroux, North Bay taxi driver, when Feeney, a Detroit man, and Nelse Paananen, of Sudbury, commandeered Geroux's car and took him on an enforced ride to Bracebridge. Paananen, also found guilty of the robbery, received a two year penitentiary term.

Four and two year terms were handed Feeney and Paananen respectively on the kid- napping charges. The sentences are concurrent with those on the robbery counts.

Five of Feeney's lashes will be administered within the first month.

Judge's Comment "This is a very serious crime," said his honor, Judge Leask, pointing out that the maximum sentence for kidnapping is twenty-five years, while life may be given for robbery with violence. He named Feeney as the ringleader.

The two men took their sentences calmly, Paananen appearing relieved 1 that he had escaped lashes.

"Are the sentences consecutive?" Feeney questioned. "Yes," replied his honor, but it was later found that Judge Leask had misinterpreted the accused man's question and had intended making the sentences concurrent.

Evidence that Geroux, who was allegedly beaten and kidnapped on the morning of April 13, was promised a safe return and "something for himself if he stayed quiet," featured the trial of his abductors.

Feeney, earlier in the afternoon, had sworn that Paananen knew nothing of his, Feeney's, plans to secure a car and go to Toronto.

Denies Hold-up Plan Earlier in the day, Geroux, crossexamined by counsel for the accused, denied he had any knowledge of a plan to commit a hold-up in Toronto. He also denied he was to receive a $200 split.

"You weren't going to hold Geroux for ransom, were you?" Feeney was asked. "No."

"What did you want the car for?" "I wanted to get to Toronto."

"Is there anything to the talk that he was the one you were after?" "No."

"It was suggested that he would get some reward if he kept quiet, wasn't it?" "Yes."

Nelse Paananen, 20, was called at 3 pm.

"Did you know what Feeney wanted the taxi for?" Mr. McAndrews asked. "I only knew he wanted to go to Morris street."

"Didn't you know anything of his plans to go to Toronto?" "I knew he was going to Toronto eventually."

"You were acting under orders by Feeney, weren't you?" Mr. McKee questioned. "Yes. I went with Feeney because he promised me a job in Detroit or Windsor."

"Were you willing to do what Feeney wanted to do?" "I think I was willing."

Geroux's story of the affair varied but little from that reported in previous issues of The Nugget. He said that he had never seen the men before the night of the alleged kidnapping.

Geroux again charged that Feeney had said "he was the guy they wanted." He also claims that they had told him "if they got what they wanted there would be a couple of hundred of dollars in it for me."

"If they had offered you your car and $100 would you have turned it down?" Mr. McAndrews asked. "Yes I would have turned it down."

Suggest Toronto Job "As a matter of fact isn't it true that when you got past Callander these men said to you if this job went through that they were going to pull in Toronto there would be $200 in it for you?" "I deny It."

"Did you ever get in trouble while working in the Nickel Range hotel at Sudbury?" "No."

"Were you convicted for assisting in a robbery at Mattawa and sent to Burwash?"

"I was convicted be- cause I didn't tell the police." "Why didn't you yell at Sundridge?" "I was afraid, Feeney had his hand in his pocket and I didn't know whether it was a gun or not."

"Did you tell these men you wouldn't squeal on them because you had served a term in Kingston Penitentiary?"

"Yes I told them I wouldn't squawk."

Robbery Charge Evidence on the robbery charge was separated from the kidnapping charge and Geroux testified to both while in the box this morning. He swore that Paananen had pilfered his pockets and taken $4.50 and his driver's license. Part of his money, Geroux alleged, was spent for gas on the trip.

Thomas Foster, night clerk at the Continental Hotel, was second witness called by the Crown.

"Do you know the accused?" Mr. McKee asked. "I know the tall one (Paananen). Between 12 and one o'clock on the morning of April 13 he asked me to call a taxi. I asked him which one and he said no particular one, so I called the Diamond Taxi."

Deputy Chief J. J. Dennis, who brought the men back to North Bay after their capture near Bracebridge, described Geroux's injuries when he saw him in Bracebridge.

Tells of Arrest Provincial Constable Leonard Hardwick, Bracebridge, was the next witness called.

"I got a call from a farmer that morning telling me there was a car in the ditch and a man beaten up on the Ferguson Highway about two and a half miles south of Bracebridge," he testified.

"I got Geroux's story and then I arrested them both on a charge of assault, causing actual bodily harm. I took them into Bracebridge."

"Did you ask them for any explanation?" "Yes, they said there was too much booze and there was nothing to it. Feeney said they wouldn't talk."

The Crown concluded its case at noon.

Came from Sudbury Joseph Feeney took the stand starting this afternoon.

"Where were you before you came to North Bay?" his lawyer queried. "I was in Sudbury, where I met Passanen. I was supposed to see a fellow in North Bay but I arrived too late for he had gone to Toronto."

"Thursday night (April 12) I drank a pint of alcohol and later that night I told Paananen to call a cab."

"Why did you tell the driver to drive to 20 Morris street?" "I could not tell you, I don't know."

"Paananen got out of the car first," the witness continued. "It was then that Geroux and I got into a fight. "He got out and fell when trying to get away. I picked him up to put him in the car but he shut the door with his feet. Then Geroux said 'Don't hit me again,' and he got into the back seat."

"At no time were his feet tied, his hands tied, nor was he lying on the floor," Feeney contended. "I later told him I was sorry, but it was too late then."

At this point Feeney's counsel asked that his client be given the protection of the court in regard to a statement he was to make and which might incriminate him in further proceedings. The request was granted.

"Everything went along fine and we had a conversation," Feeney went on. "I asked him if they would miss him at North Bay and he said they wouldn't because de often stays out all night on calls."

"On the way down I felt a little sick, so I slept with my head on his lap for an hour.

"Geroux said 'Go as far as you like and give me enough gas to get to North Bay and I won't even remember what you fellows look like.'"

"Did you have any discussion with Paananen about this affair before It happened?" "Paananen knew nothing of what I was going to do.

I just asked him to call a cab." "You said something about him getting a split?" "Yes, I told Geroux to keep quiet, that he would get his car back and no doubt something out of it for himself."

"Did Paananen take an active part in the assault?" "I don't re- member Paananen hitting Geroux at all."

"How did you get his money?" "He took it out of his pocket and said that we could have anything he had if we didn't hurt him."

Born in Belleville Though Detroit is his present home, Feeney was born in Belleville, he said in a reply to a question by Crown Attorney McKee.

Feeney admitted that on April 13, 1933, he was convicted at Belleville for false pretenses and sentenced to Burwash jail farm.

"Do you deny that you were arrested in 1929 at Detroit for uttering and publishing?" "Yes, I deny it." He also denied being arrested on charges of breaking into and entering at Detroit in 1930.

He did admit, however, that he had served a term in the Marquette prison and was transferred to the State prison.

"Was it not a fact that you cashed a bogus cheque at Sudbury for $10 to come to North Bay." "I won't admit that."

"How did you know there was a Morris street in North Bay?" "I had an address where I was to see a fellow."

"You said Paananen didn't know what it was all about?" "Yes." "What was it all about?" "I wanted to get to Toronto."

"Did you intend to kidnap the driver?" "No, I just wanted to take the car."

"Why didn't you let Geroux go when you were fighting?" "I don't know."

"Was Geroux a prisoner?" "Yes."

[AL: Feeney was 31, divorced, from Belleville, and was trained as a barber. He was convict #3437 at Kingston Penitentiary and worked mostly in the barber shop. He was released February 1937. Paananen was 20, from Cobalt, of Finnish background, and a 'labourer'. He was convict #3435 but was transferred June 1935 to Collin's Bay Penitentiary, becoming inmate #871, and released October 1935.]

[odsont]

"A bleeding porcelain doll"

I'm just a strange porcelain doll in a silky white dress,

I think the dress is actually pink, by the way.

Every time when I break, it's all over my face.

Every time "it" wants to be out, I obey.

I'm just a bleeding porcelain doll in a dirty old dress,

And everytime when I feel, someone screams,

And then I look down and my clothes are a mess,

Because of all the blood that still leaks. And leask

And leaks..

I'm just a hunted porcelain doll,

B̴̋̊͑̈̾̑U̴̐͂͒̑̽̚T̶̝̿̑͆̀͋̎̅̓͘̕͝ I̸͌M̴̨̦̌͆̉̃̄͆͜ J̸̨̳̘͕̹̫͓̲̘̽̓̈́̆͋̀̇͝U̴̥̱̐͂͒̑̽̋̐͊̈́͗̚S̴̨̛͇̺͇͕̟̘͎̗͖̙͍̭̞̒͆̀͝T̶̢̧̨̝̺̺̿̑͆̀͋̎̅̓͘̕͝ L̴I̸̡̛̳͌̉͋͐͒̍K̶̨̧̧̰̲̉̆Ě̵́̅͒̽̍ Ỵ̷̡̛̟̱̑̍̀̉̿̿̉O̸̙͙̺̰͚͎̙͔̦͇͗̒̋͛̄͐̓̽̄͛́͂̀̑̕ͅͅͅU̴̡̥̱̫͕̞̐͂͒̑̽̋̐͊̈́͗̚ W̴̪̼̩̘͔͒̏̓͐͂̆͑̐͝Ḩ̶̳̣̮̻̪̜͍̹̭͓͍̳̼̈́̅́̄̍̀͐́̊̽͌̊̂͂͠͝͝Y̷̑̍̀ ️Ĉ̵̢̢̱̞̻̣͕͈̱̥̤̳͉Ą̵̘̥͉̘͖̱̥̺̿̀̈̒̂̅̀̅̈́̓̏͊͘͝️N̴̟̬̠̣͍̹̜̠̘̮͎̥̜̳̖̋͋͛̆́̂̀̅̓̕ͅͅ'T̶̢̧̨̝̺̺̿̑͆̀͋̎̅̓͘̕͝ Ỵ̷̡̛̟̱̑̍̀̉̿̿̉O̸̙͙̺̰͚͎̙͔̦͇͗̒̋͛̄͐̓̽̄͛́͂̀̑̕ͅͅͅU̴̡̥̱̫͕̞̐͂͒̑̽̋̐͊̈́͗̚ ️SEE?

And I swear I've done nothing. Nothing at all.

But breathing. But being me. Sorry.

I'm sorry it's me.

Why am I just a porcelain doll? You may ask

Well, that's because they simply decided I am.

But for some reason I feel a face under the mask.

And they scream "you can't feel!"

But I can.

So I'm sorry for bleeding. I'm sorry for screaming,

I'm sorry it's me, I'm sorry it's me.

I'm sorry my heart is still painfully beating,

Even when your precious self can't understand.

Bottling feelings just creates more and more demons,

More demons means I'm more hunted, more of a doll.

There's no way out of this, is there?

No way I'll ever be something more than this role.

"Pain is what makes us human"-once told me a friend,

But it's only human when they say you're a human.

He wouldn't get it. He can be mad, happy, sad

But I can't.

Because I'll always be seen as a monster.

[enter-drfrog]

CPDS as quotes from my theatre department’s discord pt 3

“Bad for business those bad dreams” -Max Bennett

“I came here to just mourn and cry” -Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway

*in a southern accent* “There’s a difference between has sex and FUCKS” -Sandra Wilkinson (this just feels like her in 90 Degrees)

“Of course it’s you people with glasses on that like ranch” -Robert Grove (I feel like he would be a ranch hater)

“He looks like if he were in a 90s movie he would say ‘hey mister!’” -Annie Twilloil (about Dennis)

“Who the hell is burning their house down on a Sunday night?” -Jonathan Harris

“Sometimes I see a cute kid and I’m like oh I could take that” -Robert Grove

“It’s being pulled down by gravity…….or something else” -Trevor Watson

“He’s a sheltered little boy” -Sandra Wilkinson “Stop acting like you know everything about my life” -Chris Bean

“I’m feeling a lot of judgment for my open-toed shoes today” -Jonathan Harris

“You look like Jimmy Dean….I don’t know what Jimmy Dean looks like” -Annie Twilloil

“Brown, green, orange, yellow. I know my colors” -Trevor Watson

“Have you ever sneezed and thought: this is the day I die?” -Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway

“There’s more ink on a crossword puzzle than a sudoku, so it tastes better” -Dennis Tyde

“I am the court of law bitch” -Robert Grove (literally just Trial to Watch)

“Is your heart muscle dying?” -Max Bennett (feels very Trial to Watch autopsy scene to me)

“I keep getting alarmed by my own shadow” -Dennis Tyde

“If you speak to me I’ll kill you” -Trevor Watson

“I can’t English the words” -Dennis Tyde

“I don’t think I would be surprised if someone stabbed me. It was probably coming for me at some point” -Robert Grove

“X is the ugliest number” -Max Bennett

“I hate you too. I’m so good at this game”-Robert Grove

“Why do you feel weird? You feel weird to my eyes. STOP” -somehow also Robert Grove

“I’m a dumbass. I’m a dumbass. I’m a dumbass. I’m a dumbass. I’m a dumbass.” - Dennis Tyde backstage every show before he goes on (I did not change a single thing about this quote attribution except for the name)

“Oh Christopher, why are you twirling?” -Sandra Wilkinson in the most utterly disappointed voice you’ve ever heard (again nothing was changed but the names)

“I’m always scared that my pants are gonna heave ho and let go” -this could apply to so many of them (Trevor, Annie, Jonathan)

“NOW LET’S GO DESTROY THE SET” -literally just the whole show

Bonus

“You fucking rat bastard, shit bag” -this is Dan from Now Museum, Now You Don’t

Part 1

Part 2

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

Considering moments like "Expect more boides" and "A Christmas Carlol... A Christmas Carrool... Scrooge", I definitely headcanon that Trevor is dyslexic.

i mean chris leask is also dyslexic (i think??? unless my brain is making that up) so. basically canon.

[sunshinecoastqldnews]

Two-time champions West Indies humbled by Scotland in another T20 World Cup upset

Two-time tournament champions West Indies have crashed to a shock 42-run defeat against Scotland in their T20 World Cup opener in Hobart — the second major upset inside two days at the global showpiece tournament. Key points: West Indies crash to shock defeat against minnows Scotland in their T20 World Cup opener The Caribbean side — who won the event in 2012 and 2016 — were all out for 118, falling 42 runs short of the Scot’s total of 160 The upset comes a day after former champions Sri Lanka lost their Group A opener to Namibia The Caribbean side — who won the event in 2012 and 2016 — were bundled out for 118, chasing 161 to beat the Scots a day after former champions Sri Lanka lost their Group A opener to Namibia. Left-arm spinner Mark Watt, who took 3-12, and off-spinner Michael Leask, with figures of 2-15, sealed victory for the associate team, who earlier rode opener George Munsey’s unbeaten 66 to post 5-160 in the Group B match on Monday. Jason Holder, who picked up two wickets with the ball, waged a lone battle for West Indies with a knock of 38 but it was not enough. Scotland, who defeated another Test-playing nation in Bangladesh in the last T20 World Cup in 2021, outplayed West Indies in all departments. George Munsey on his way to posting an unbeaten 66 against the West Indies in Hobart.(AFP / David Gray) “Obviously, it is a special win for us,” their captain Richard Berrington said. “There’s a lot of hard work that has gone into to get to this point over the last 12 months. “We haven’t had as much T20 cricket as we would have liked but have played a lot of 50-overs cricket. It was about transferring those skills to the short form.” Sikandar Raza hit five sixes and five fours as Zimbabwe beat Ireland.(AFP / David Gray) Zimbabwe down Ireland In the day’s second match in Hobart, Sikandar Raza’s 48-ball 82 and a three-wicket haul from fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani powered Zimbabwe to a 31-run victory over Ireland. Raza smashed five sixes and an equal number of fours in his knock to help Zimbabwe post 7-174 after they were put in to bat. Ireland managed 9-143 in reply, with Raza also picking up a wicket with his gentle medium pace bowling. With the top two sides from each of the two groups set to progress to the Super 12 stage, the defeat to Scotland left West Indies facing a must-win match against Zimbabwe on Wednesday. “Tough loss for us, obviously disappointed,” West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran said.  “We have to work hard and win two games. “I think it’s all about accountability and taking responsibility. “We have to put this loss behind us and pick ourselves up. “Sometimes, when you lose games and perform bad as players, you want the next game to come as fast as possible.” Scotland seemed to thrive in the cold and overcast conditions at Bellerive Oval and got off to a brisk start after they were put in to bat, racing to 0-52 in the sixth and final over of powerplay when rain forced the players off. The interruption, however, seemed to halt their momentum with experienced all-rounder Holder sending back opener Michael Jones, who made 20, and number three Matthew Cross in quick succession after the restart. Munsey batted through the innings but his 53-ball knock lacked fluency as the left-hander failed to find the boundary during the middle overs. Reuters Originally published at Sunshine Coast QLD News

[natromanxoff]

Credits to Roberto Macchi.

Daily Express - April 21, 1992

(x)

Liz leads tributes to Angel Freddie

By MICHAEL SWAIN

ACTRESS Elizabeth Taylor last night led the eulogies to Queen star Freddie Mercury, saying: "He sang like an angel."

She told a 72,000 Wembley crowd at his tribute concert that Mercury, who died from AIDS in November, had been “an extraordinary rock star who rushed across our cultural landscape like a comet shooting across the sky".

Urging the fans to protect themselves against AIDS she told them: "You are the future, the shining light that will illuminate a better world tomorrow."

Miss Taylor, president of the American Foundation for AIDS Research, left in tears after being heckled by part of the crowd.

But after recovering backstage she said she hoped the event would be “a great turning in the tide” in the awareness of the dangers of AIDS.

Stars including David Bowie, Elton John, George Michael and Liza Minnelli joined the remaining Queen members at the show, which was hoped to raise £10 million to fight the disease.

[Photo caption: QUEEN OF THE SHOW: Actress Elizabeth Taylor on stage last night]

Mercury memorial concert raises cash for a new AIDS hospital in Britain

Freddie’s £10m rhapsody of hope

By ANNIE LEASK

[Photo caption: BOHEMIAN LOOKALIKE: It's not Freddie in the crowd last night, it's a fan in a forest of hands]

FREDDIE would have loved it.

The aristocracy of rock, pop and Hollywood tumed out to pay him tribute in front of the world.

And last night’s Wembley concert became a rhapsody of hope for thousands of AIDS victims.

The drummer in Freddie's group Queen, Roger Taylor, revealed that a clinic for HIV and AIDS sufferers called the Freddie Mercury Hospital will be built in Britain from the concert proceeds.

Freddie died aged 45 last November after losing a long battle against AIDS.

A large part of his fortune was donated to AIDS charities.

And it is expected that the total amount raised from last night's rock spectacular will top £10 milion.

Tragedy

“This is something we feel strongly about and we are sure Freddie would approve,” Taylor said.

“It’s a means of using the tragedy to some good effect in bringing a greater awareness of the fact that AIDS affects all of us.”

Taylor told fans and stars: "Cry as much as you like.”

They did. Thousands in the audience broke down.

"You can't be here and not cry — it's impossible,” said Mary Clothier, 23, from Manchester.

“Just to think that Freddie is gone and all this is for him.

“Everybody here loved him and loves him now. I feel so emotional I can barely see the stage for tears.”

Queen guitarist Brian May's girlfriend Anita Dobson also wiped tears from her eyes as rock band Extreme did a medley of Queen’s Greatest hits supported by May on guitar.

Mercury's lover of seven years, Mary Austin, broke down within minutes of arriving and leant on her boyfriend Tiers Cameron for support. But actress Liz Taylor was booed as she gave a speech about AIDS.

A vicious fight broke out a fans set on the hecklers. The incident shocked many in the crowd.

“This concert was being beamed to the States and they will be appalled at the way Liz was booed,” said American tourist Lisa Greer. “To us, it's like heckling Princess Diana.” Liz carried on but left the stage trembling. Out of sight she was comforted in the wings.

Apart from that it was a glittering night of celebration as the cream of rock and pop talent joined forces to pay tribute to Freddie.

Bowed

Stars included David Bowie, who said the Lord's Prayer at the end of his set.

Bowie, dressed in a green suit, sat on the edge of the stage with his head bowed as he spoke the words. “This tribute is to remember my friend — your friend — who has died of AIDS," he said.

The 72.000 fans Wembley paid £25 or more a head.

It was also broadcast live and attracted a larger global audience than Live Aid, going out to a billion people.

Some fans fell prey to touts charging up to £250 for tickets.

Even so, hundreds were prepared to fork out.

“I supported Freddie throughout his life and I will support him in death,” said Steve Parkin, 22, who travelled from Liverpool with no ticket.

"Не was the greatest and I couldn't miss a concert like this,” Jayne Browning from Sheffield added, "I came with £100 and I would be willing to spend all of that.”

Just before the show volunteers handed out red ribbons to fans, symbol of AIDS Awareness.

Liz Taylor presented singer George Michael with a brooch with red rhinestones set in silver in the shape of the AIDS symbol.

Jewel

And Elton John gave Liz, 60, a £50,000 diamond ring in recognition for her work fighting AIDS.

Elton presented Liz with the jewel as they walked together in the grounds of his Windsor mansion before the show.

“Thank you so much, she said. “I don't know what to say, but thank you again.” In her speech half way through the concert, Liz urged the crowd to practise safe sex and use condoms.

“You are the future of our world, you are the best and brightest," she said.

“You are the shining light that will illuminate a better world tomorrow.

“Protect yourselves. Every time you have sex use a condom. Every single time. And if you use drugs, don't share the needle.

“Just last week it was reported in the U.S. that there are 9,000 actual cases of AIDS among teenagers and young adults, with thousands more who probably don't even know they are infected.

“There are 72,000 people in this stadium tonight. Look at yourselves, look at how many you are.

"In two short weeks there will be as many new infections as there are people here tonight. Please, don’t let it happen to you."

She added: "We are here to celebrate the life of Freddie Mercury, an extraordinary rock star who rushed across our cultural landscape like a comet.

“We are also here to tell the whole world that he, like others we have lost to AIDS, died before his time.

"The bright light of his talent still exhilarates us, even now that his life has been cruelly extinguished.

“It needn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened. Please, let's not let it happen again.

"Protect yourself, love yourself, respect yourself, because I will keep telling you until you do.

“I won't give in and I won't give up, because the world needs you to live."

Heavy metal band Guns'n’Roses were one of the surprise bands in the concert. Four years ago lead singer Axl Rose wrote a song saying: “Immigrants and faggots spread disease."

Their shows have been dogged by protests from gay activists ever since.

Just before the show Axl seemed to be suffering stage fright.

He falled to turn up for rehearsals and missed a sound check, preferring to stay in his Mayfair hotel suite.

But he turned up and yelled his way through two numbers.

Singer Annie Lennox dressed Freddie Mercury-style in a rubber ball dress.

Lisa Stansfield came on like a housewife in curlers and pushed a Hoover as she sang I Want to Break Free, in memory of the video in which Freddie dressed as a housewife.

On stage, the stars poured out tributes to their friend.

George Michael said: "This concert is a strange mixture of honour and sadness.

“Hopefully it will also serve as one more opportunity to fight against AIDS.”

[Photo caption: KING FOR QUEEN: Spinal Tap’s David]

[Photo caption: BROKE DOWN: Mercury’s ex-girlfriend Mary Austin]

[Photo caption: AIDS AID: Bob Geldof back live at Wembley]

[Photo caption: WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU: Queen’s Brian May, right, with assistance from Def Leppard]

Moving tribute has stars and fans in tears

FREDDIE MERCURY would have […] […] […] that the highlight of last night’s tribute concert was his most famous song — Bohemian Rhapsody.

The audience to leapt to their feet and waved lighters in time to the famous refrain, sang by Elton John and Axl Rose.

The unlikely duo hit the high notes in a totally different way from Freddie, but the rasping notes were all the more touching.

Lisa Stansfield and George Michael in a duet of one of Queen’s most recent hits — These Are The Days Of Our Lives — had fans in tears as they swayed in time with the melody.

Freddie always loved a party. The bigger the better, and the more extravagant and self-indulgent, the more he enjoyed it.

Last night the music world gathered to give him a celebration he would have thoroughly approved of.

From the moment his famous profile appeared on huge video screens at either side of the stage, a tremor grew around the stadium. Thousands of hands and feet clapped and stamped in time to a short burst of Bohemian Rhapsody as the show opened.

Energetic

Among the most emotional moments were video excerpts of the flamboyant Mercury at his best in outrageous costumes and dance routines.

Who star Roger Daltrey stepped brilliantly into Freddie's shoes as he performed I Want It All with surviving Queen members in an energetic set.

Brian May gave a performance which so eerily echoed Freddie’s clear vocal style that he broke down in an unashamed display of grief on stage.

He continued singing as his voice waivered.

The rest of the night belonged to the superstars of the music world who, one by one, stood where Freddie used to, in front of the remaining Queen musicians to perform cover versions of the band's most famous hits.

Among the highlights was Under Pressure featuring a memorable duet between Annie Lennox and David Bowie.

Liza Minnelli brought Hollywood glitz to the concert as she led the rest of the stars for the finale […] Queen's anthem, We The Champions.

The show came to a close with Freddie taking his own bow — a […] him walking the […] dressed in his regal […].

The crowd and […] alike watched in tears […] Freddie held out his […] and bowed.

ANNIE LEASK

~~

Freddie’s male friends were so jealous of me

By DAVID WIGG

• QUEEN singer Freddie Mercury turned to Mary Austin for support when he was dying from AIDS. He rewarded her dedication by leaving her the bulk of his fortune and a £4 million mansion in his will.

• But her inheritance has included the jealousy of many of his friends. Here Mary tells us how she deals with the bad feeling and what she feels about their 16-year friendship.

Mary Austin tells of bitterness over fortune he left her

MARY AUSTIN hasn’t only had to cope with the tragic death of Freddie Mercury, “the love of her life", but the jealousies of some of the rock star’s male friends.

The fact that she has inherited a large portion of his multi-million pound estate and his luxury London home, has left many people feeling angry.

Some of them have fallen out with her over it, particularly Freddie's last lover Jimmy Hutton, a 44-year-old Irish hairdresser, who used to share his house and look after the garden. The 45-year-old

Queen leader did buy him a house in Ireland and Ieave him a substantial amount of money, but Jimmy still feels hard done by.

"It's sad that it has spoilt my friendship with a few of his pals,” say Mary. “We went through a lot together.

"There's no way we can think of the last year of Freddie's life without remembering each other. But all of a sudden the friendships have fragmented.

“It was always going to be awkward. And it would have been impossible for Jimmy to stay.

“I think it is a terrible shame. Unless someone hurt Freddie, I wouldn’t feel badly towards anyone. Jimmy's relationship with Freddie was not one I could totally appreciate, so it left me at an advantage.

“If Freddie was having another heterosexual relationship then I would feel jealous. But I could never feel like that over something I didn't understand.”

Because of her long-standing and close relationship with Freddie — they had a six-year love affair — some of his male friends felt intimidated by her.

“I was terribly feared and that's not what I wanted to be,” she says. “I only wanted to encourage Freddie to be happy.

“I realised that I couldn't have him physically anymore, but I could go on loving him mentally. I was strong enough to accept that he was bisexual or gay, it didn't stop me loving him. I never saw his boyfriends as a threat.”

APART from the six-figure donation Freddie privately made to AIDS research while he was alive, royalties in excess of £1 million from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody Best Days Of Our Lives recording have gone to AIDS charities.

Last night's star-packed Wembley Stadium Freddie tribute concert, which Mary attended, raised even more funds.

One clear example of Freddie's generosity came the Christmas before he died. On being told by a male murse tending him at his home that there was a group of AIDS sufferers in London who couldn’t afford even a Christmas lunch, he anonymously sent them a full Christmas meal along with a gift for each of them.

While Mary, pregnant with her second son Jamie, cared for Freddie, her 35-year-old boyfriend of three years, Piers Cameron, a special effects artist and designer, remained at their flat to look after their two-year-old son Richard.

Her relationship with Freddie would have been difficult for most men to come to terms with, but Piers knew it would have been pointiess to ask her to stop seeing him.

Having control of his life was very important to Freddie. He flatly refused to be pressurised into announcing he had AIDS until a few days before his death and he never told his parents the truth behind his terrible illness — but they eventually guessed.

“I think it took a long time for him to come to terms with it,” says Mary. “He announced it when he felt he should.”

When it came to finding a loving relationship, Freddie often talked of feeling lonely and betrayed — even though he had many losers.

“He liked a permanent relationship and I think all the time he was looking for someone to love,” says Mary. But I don't feel he ever really found it."

SHE adds: “He was let down a lot by boyfriends. He'd become star and people went for the trappings rather than looking at the heart. And Freddie had an enormous heart.”

Mary intends to continue as company secretary to Freddie's companies, Goose Productions and Mercury Songs, operating from the home she has inherited. But how does she feel about going from a modest salary to suddenly having lots of money?

“It’s awesome. But I get over it by thinking that it still belongs to Freddie and I’m just using it.”

[Photo caption: SO GENEROUS: Freddie]

[Photo caption: A NEW LIFE: Mary Austin and her baby son Jamie / PICTURE: RICHARD YOUNG]

[reallyhardy]

went through the goes-wrong-verse playbills/programmes - that is, ‘the play that goes wrong’ and ‘peter pan goes wrong’ (thank you @cornleypolytechnicgoeswrong​ !) trying to piece together each society member’s career within the society PLUS if possible whatever it was they were doing at the polytechnic (university) course-wise, along with whatever other character snippets they give. this is mostly to inform me when writing but i thought it’d be useful for other mischief/goes wrong fans!

chris bean:

as of TPTGW is the ‘newly elected’ head of the drama society, and is known at the university for his charitable & philanhropic work. he has six acting credits within the polytechnic to his name.

i was going to presume his choice of course at the uni was acting or directing, but his PPGW bio states that his ‘dacting’ (directing and acting) is all self-taught, so who knows. maybe he’s just in the society because of his aforementioned charitable work.

robert grove:

has starred in 40 productions with the society since 2002 (when he began work at cornley polytechnic as a caretaker - i’m taking this to mean he was never actually a student there.) anyway wow explains why they call him a “veteran actor” lol.

he offers acting lessons (reacting, gesturing, emotioning and acting) and can be contacted via twitter @robertgoodactor. i’ve looked this twitter account up and it does exist it’s just not been used since 2017 - that said there are some in-character photos of henry lewis as robert and nancy zamit as annie on there and plenty of tweets.

he runs an extremely dubiously safe cornley youth theatre program and can be contacted at his email robertgoodactor@hotmail.com (membership fees are non-refundable.)

trevor watson:

in TPTGW is arbitrarily from ‘the north east’ (rob falconer’s portrayal, whereas chris leask’s portrayal is firmly and specifically scouse.)

he has a twitter account (rob falconer’s portrayal) @trevtechie, with i think probably the most tweets of the cornley twitters. stopped being updated in 2017.

his participation in haversham was to complete an electronics module - as the light and sound technician i’d assume his course was in this kinda field.

he states that after haversham he wants to never work with the cornley drama society again, but as of PPGW he’s “following in his parents footsteps” and has pivoted to possibly actually studying stage management. (his PPGW bio states that he’s in his final year at the uni for the 3rd time running. so it could mean his staying on with cornley is like partially due to failing his course?)

dennis tyde:

in his TPTGW bio it states that he joined the drama society after failing to get in to any other societies.

he didn’t live on university campus and commuted in from his parents’ house. he mostly just wanted to make friends - he’s interested in snooker and wants to meet like-minded people.

in his PPGW bio he still wants to make friends and says you can reach him via twitter @dennistyde. i checked this account too and again it does exist but hasn’t been used since 2013, and there are only 3 tweets so its much more bare-bones than the others. i like his one tweet about drinking a mug of bovril to calm his nerves before a show.

as of 2021 in promotional vids we learn that dennis and robert now live together.

max bennett:

in TPTGW bio it says he was a first year studying human geography and crime which i was surprised about but sure okay. it also says here that he happily donated “a large portion of his recent inheritance” to the society to help fund it.

at the bottom of TPTGW’s cast page it states that the west end performance of the play is “made possible by a generous legacy from claude bennett” who’s presumably max’s grandfather? or just father? idk

his TPTGW bio also says his favourite movie is the legend of bagger vance which i’ve never seen but is apparently a will smith golf movie.

his hobbies as listed in his PPGW bio are chess, cooking & hanging out with friends and fam. he also dedicates his performance in PPGW to his grandma claire, which is sweet.

annie twilloil:

as of TPTGW she’s designed, built, painted, costumed & stage managed every cornley show for the past 3 years. in the PPGW bio, it states she’s studying cognitive behavioural therapy and pottery, and has taken up life drawing at the student’s union (as the model.)

after haversham, she apparently had an internship lined up at the bolton octagon.

she has WILD backstory in her PPGW bio that says she dedicated her performance to her estranged husband julian who she hoped was in the audiance and two children frangipani and ylang-ylang. not sure if the kids are with her or with the husband but either way, wild. nuts. pretty funny but also pretty tragic.

she’s also got an ad out looking for a new bloke (i suppose if her husband isn’t in the audience) apparently she’s been left by boyfriends previously for an air hostess, a stripper, and a coal miner.

she also enjoys knitting and playing the banjolin (an instrument she made herself.) her email address is greatfunmum@hotmail.com.

she has a twitter account that again hasnt been used since 2017 (@annietwiloil). a couple tweets chronicle dave hearn’s shoulder dislocation but as max so i guess its canon that max also dislocated his shoulder, but he did it while trying to open a twix? lmao

sandra wilkinson:

in her TPTGW bio it states that haversham manor is her 11th production with the company. idk how frequently they put on shows.

she won some kind of local kids beauty pageant in 1998 and did some modelling for a local restaurant (the sunam balti house, which apparently the cornley crew frequent? or have at least been to - seems they struggled with spicyness levels there, especially dennis.)

nothing on her course at the university, i might just take a stab and assume she was actually doing acting, since her bio is mostly about her being a performer.

she’s a big fan of jeremy irvine, they mention him in both of her bios.

jonathan harris:

is a total health & fitness guy. his course at the uni is in physical education and he’s also a model, though who’s to say what for. in PPGW this is expanded and he’s moved on to being a combo model/actor/photographer/lifecoach.

he loves his outdoor sports: mountain biking & kayaking are noted.

he had a bath salts advert out and he hoped it was gonna go national.

lucy grove:

her surname IS grove! i wasn’t sure, but that’s confirmed. not really much about her in there, because the bio is written by robert and he just used it to gas himelf up.

can’t tell if she’s a student at the university or just in the society through robert. genuinely there’s just not a lot to go on when it comes to lucy.

another note is that the murder at haversham manor and the version of peter pan that the cornley crew perform are both written by ‘susie h. k. brideswell’ who i guess either chris knows or chris is a big fan of?

other notes... they try so hard to make out like the characters aren't all the same age like implying that robert is genuinely older than most of them etc etc but ofc the cast featured in the TV broadcasts are all visibly the same age... ofc all this is just comedy innit so you can take it or leave it

also i realised that the american version of TPTGW calls it “the cornley university drama society” since i guess you guys dont have polytechnics over there. a polytechnic is like... a university that offers the arts (among the classics you know science law what have you) basically. by 2021 in promotional videos etc. shields in character as chris has dropped “polytechnic” altogether from the group’s name (but varies between calling it ‘the cornley drama society’ and ‘the cornley amateur dramatics society’) i assume to reflect how much time has passed since the group put on their first production under chris’ leadership - and that now they’re simply operating unattached to the university because they’ve become a real family. love love love, sillyness and love.

[loonafrogg]

Comedy About A Bank Robbery (Rehearsal)

I’m not going to lie, I was unable to watch the actual one, because of issues with my laptop, but I watched the rehearsal one. Honestly a blessing because ❤️ Chris Leask ❤️ was in it.

Wow it was amazing though and that was without all the sets and things that really bring you into the action. It’s definitely a show I’d love to see live, hope they do a “UK” tour for it at some point in the future.

I think it’s equal with tptgw just because they fulfil different needs?? I think this caabr might be better but the cornley polytechnic society has a place in my heart. Both are brilliant though

(the “” are because I don’t live in the UK but they include Ireland in UK tours which is both a blessing and a curse. Only allowed if they call it a UK AND IRELAND tour)

[lesamis]

Adhdhhsvsgz you made that post just when I was wondering if it was okay to ask you if you had reading recommendations for how the Romantics viewed or knew of Islam and the Middle East and Mughals / India

oh thank you so much for thinking of me! :D this is a perfectly timed question as i've been researching parts of this myself for the past year, so hopefully some of what i've been reading can be helpful for you too.

your question falls broadly into the field of romantic empire research, so introductory works to romantic imperialism and romantic orientalism are a good place to start. a recurring argument you'll find in these works is the idea that romantic writers were viewing the british empire's expansion into the east, and equally the creation of contact zones between western european and middle eastern and south asian cultures, with a sort of uneasy trepidation which was offset by fascination and fetishisation. i'd especially recommend:

British Romantic Writers and the East: Anxieties of Empire by Nigel Leask, basically the foundational work in the field, and unfortunately the only book i cannot hunt down a pdf of for the life of me. it's very good and worth checking libraries for!

Romantic Imperialism by Saree Makdisi, particularly the introduction and chapters 5 & 6 which are concerned with orientalism in Byron and Shelley

Romanticism and Colonialism ed. by Fulford & Kitson - this is an anthology with an intro very worth reading, but some of the chapters addressing the eastern empire might be helpful as well

Islam and the English Enlightenment 1670-1840 by Humberto Garcia, which is super in-depth; i'd recommend checking out the preface & introduction

Radical Orientalism: Rights, Reform, and Romanticism by Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud, one of my favourite more recent works on romanticism in general; addresses the way romantic writers engaged with reformist and radical politics at home through orientalist discourses.

the canonical writers that most explicitly engaged with this topic are byron, coleridge, and the shelleys. byron might be of special interest to you if you're researching islam and romanticism - he was the only romantic writer with a personal relationship to islam (in part through his role in the war against the ottoman empire, but also because of his genuine interest in the faith prior to that - there's a fringe theory suggesting that he might have converted to it at some point) & there is extensive research on the way this featured in his writing. Byron and Islamic Culture by Peter Cochran is a pretty good synthesis.

another little sub-field you might find useful is research into women writers & the empire in the east, especially because much of the above is very dominated by the male canon - Anne K. Mellor has an introductory article here, and more recently there's been the much more detailed & theoretically complex British Women Writers and the Asiatic Society of Bengal by Kathryn S. Freeman.

i hope some of this helps and that the fact that these are almost all books rather than articles isn’t too off-putting! to me, introductory chapters in anthologies are usually the most helpful for getting an overview. best of luck on your research journeys! :D