#bbc bottom tv show

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

[doe-eyedwerewolf]

The Many Faces of Rik Mayall ©️Daniele Smith, 2022.

[deaditeye]

Some random Bottom drawings :D

I added descriptions to some drawings

[mostlykind]

I know the whole escaped terror suspect is rly serious and potentially dangerous but have we considered it’s also extremely funny

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

does all the information on here have actual sources or is some of it ur own creation?

Does all the information here have sources?

Yep! Nothing is pulled out of thin air; it’s all rooted in genuine Doctor Who lore. Some of it is speculative with some creative license because it has to be, but everything is firmly based on established canon. I always prioritise canonical responses and specify when I’m being more theoretical.

🧠 How each area is approached ...

🗣️Language: The Gallifreyan language is a conlang, but whenever there’s a real word or concept in Doctor Who lore, I'll provide that first. I always specify when I have to default to the conlang if I can't provide canonical answers.

📅 Friday Facts: These are always hard, real facts, and I always provide a source.

🧬 Biology: I work in medicine, so this is my special interest. It's more comprehensively constructed than any other area. It bases itself on almost every mention of Gallifreyan and Time Lord biology in any medium, supported by anatomical textbooks, online medical databases, and multiple learning resources. All sources are cross-referenced and analysed, ensuring that the biological systems are both true to Doctor Who lore and scientifically rationalised.

💭 Hypothetical Questions: For random questions like "How do Gallifreyans view balloon animals?" or "Do Gallifreyans wear Speedos?" where there's literally no information at all in lore and probably never will be, I use known facts about Gallifreyan society and biology to create the most plausible answers (and before you ask, it's a personal preference for Speedos and balloon animals are just plain weird not matter what planet you're on).

📚 The sources used include ...

My Brain

Rassilon, Omega, and That Other Guy x (information found here is located in the original source and checked)

TARDIS Wiki x (information found here is located in the original source and checked)

Tardis Technical Index x

Parkin, L. and Pearson, L., 2018. Ahistory: An Unauthorized History of the Doctor Who Universe. Volumes 1-3. 4th ed. Mad Norwegian Press. x x x

Reference Guide x

Discontinuity Guide x

Chrissie’s Transcripts x

Standring, S. 2020. Gray’s Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray’s Anatomy. x

Tortora, G. and Derrickson, B., 2017. Tortora's Principles of anatomy & physiology. 15th ed. Wiley. x

Waugh, A. and Grant, A., 2018. Ross & Wilson anatomy and physiology in health and illness. 13th ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier. x

BMJ Best Practice x

British National Formulary (BNF) x

ClinicalKey x

NICE x

Skills for Health x

Osmosis from Elsevier x

Oxford Medical Handbooks x

Patient for Medical Professional x

You can find the source list for canonical references at the bottom of every post, including this one.

It's currently moving along with the anatomy guide, so right now, it's only focused on biology and is a WIP. This source list extracts and examines the relevant information in the DW EU directly from the primary source to help support anatomical concepts. Each extract is contextually checked. It's all ridiculously academic.

🔍 Then there's the evidence hierarchy ...

Because Doctor Who is such a ridiculous universe with a million conflicting sources, I use an evidence hierarchy to harmonise and prioritise information. The highest priority is at the top:

TV Show: Classic and New series are of joint importance, including animations and info on lost episodes. Any conflicts are sorted on a case-by-case basis.

Spin-offs and Extended Broadcast Media: Full spin-off series (Torchwood, SJA, Class, etc.), BBC-produced minisodes, animations, cartoons, trailers, and charity broadcasts.

BBC Books/Audio: BBC-produced main book ranges, audios, and comics.

Big Finish: Main ranges, crossovers, spin-offs. Excludes alternate universe stories like Doctor Who Unbound and Death Comes to Time.

Other BBC-Licensed Material: Books, audios, comics, and board games. Includes Virgin New Adventures, IDW and Titan ranges, and other BBC-licensed content, plus anything that got deleted from above.

Proximal Sources: Production team comments and other relevant but less reliable sources.

At any point, the answers I give could be invalidated by new releases, but at the time of posting, they’re the most likely and detailed responses you could get. I would absolutely detail every source on Tumblr if I could, but I just don't have the time because unfortunately, this isn’t my full-time job 😭 However, the Anatomy and Physiology Guide will be fully referenced when released.

🎉 So, what's GIL all about?

Essentially, GIL is designed to be a kind of information point where you can ask the weirdest, dumbest, and most intriguing questions and I'll try my best to provide accurate and comprehensive answers that align most with established lore. As mentioned, I specialise particularly in Gallifreyan biology, but I'll take pretty much anything.

Why? I have no idea. Help me.

Any purple text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →😆Jokes |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[avocado-writing]

Hello, I’m back, I previously sent a comment your way, I’ve kind of come up with something with Crowley. I’ve been a bum ask day today, I was wondering if you could write something where crowley and Reader are just being “bums” all day? Like, staying in bed, watching shows, in their comfy clothes, etc? If you don’t want to you don’t have to! Thank you 😊

notes: none! just hope you enjoy this one!x

pairing: crowley x reader

rating: T

“Alright, we have the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, or the first series of BBC’s Ghosts.”

“And we have to watch the whole thing?”

“Yes, Anthony J Crowley, we do. You promised me a lazy day and a lazy day we are having.”

And you are. This is the most you’ve moved all day, in order to change the dvd on the telly you have in the bedroom. You even brought a pile of snacks with you so you wouldn’t have to go to the kitchen. It’s wonderful by itself, but having Crowley there makes it heavenly. 

Crowley motions to Pride and Prejudice and you dutifully load it up before jumping back in bed. He lifts the duvet up as one might hold the door, allowing you to snuggle up into his side. He wraps an arm around you and buries his face in your hair, pressing a kiss to your crown. 

“You can’t be very comfortable in those jeans,” you remark after a moment. Crowley raises his eyebrows. 

“Hmm?”

“I mean we’re lying in bed and they’re very tight.”

“Oh, did you notice?” he says, wickedly. You roll your eyes and give him a playful thump with a spare pillow. 

“I’m just saying there must be something less restrictive for you to wear. Joggers, maybe.”

“Humph. They’re not very flattering are they?”

“Crowley, whatever you wear looks good, because you’re wearing it.” He looks smug at that. You always know exactly what to say to him. “Besides, have you seen men who wear grey jogging bottoms? Yum.”

He considers this for a moment, shifts in your arms, and in a moment he’s changed his clothes: a loose fit black tee, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail, and the aforementioned bottoms. 

“That better?”

“Yes. Well for now anyway, whatever you wear will end up on the floor tonight,” you reason, and before he can continue that line of conversation you press play on the tv remote. 

-

taglist: @angiestopit@dazed-soul @foolishprincipalitee @smile-eywa @staygoldsquatchling02 @underratedboogeyman @specter-soltare @cool-ontherun-world @emilynissangtr @willbedecided @cool-iguana @this--is--music @ilyatan @lxsm2 @clarina04 @wtfhasmy-lifecometo @mrgatotortuga @wereallbrokenangels @night-affiliate @kimqueenofhell @chewbrry @bajablast23 @h3k3t @am-i-obsessed---maybe

[eveningepiphany]

Mistletoe | H.S

summary: you’re with the band at anne’s house the week of christmas and harry points out you’re both standing under a mistletoe.

warnings: swearing, friends to lovers, kissing, soft harry, suggestive sexual material (no smut, but part two does have!)

a/n: this was originally not going to have any sexual stuff in it but I couldn’t help myself. I also think I’m gonna write a few christmassy imagines because they are absolutely adorable and I love the vibe they have. <3

part two!!

merry christmas everyone x

———

Giggles from all the boys echoed across the lounge.

Cups of cocoa were held in everyone’s hands, blankets draped over us in bunches. Christmas was only 5 days away— life was good.

“‘M nearly out of hot chocolate.” Harry pouts from your left.

A Christmas movie made quiet background noise, and Anne chuckled from across the couch.

“You’re a whiner,” she teased, standing up from where she sat.

She was sporting a green Christmas sweater, “Well, early morning for us, don’t forget.”

She was definitely headed off to bed, and everyone had to be up and ready to get on the road to the BBC breakfast morning show you had. Practically a One Direction pre-Christmas special, since it was still 5 days till Christmas.

You and the boys— well expect for Harry, who’d drive back here with Anne— are flying home for your Christmas break after that.

“Yea, think I’m gonna rack down s’well.” Liam says, pushing from the mound of blankets he was under.

And once one of you cave, the rest usually follow suit, specially knowing you had to be driving the hour and a half to BBC, meaning you had to be up early. You’re expected there at 6:30am and ready to preform by 8:00am.

Everyone starts to disperse from the living room, the TV and Christmas lights getting flicked off, cups finding there way into the dishwasher.

Harry is brushing his teeth in the bathroom when you enter to do the same.

He gives you a smile, his pearly teeth peeking through the foam.

You put your toiletries on the bathroom bench, pulling out your toothbrush, layering some toothpaste on it.

You both dance in the mirror, laughter muffled by a mouthful of toothpaste.

He’s in a red Christmas sweater— which is admittedly too cute for you not to fluster a little at the sight.

You’d figured being so close allowed you room for such feelings to linger, even though you never really know where the line was with them.

Where exactly the platonic feelings bleed into romantic ones— and how normal it actually was.

He was easily one of your best friends, so you try not to entertain these thoughts.

He makes that difficult.

Once you’re both done brushing your teeth, he is eyeing your hair.

It’s let loose, and he wastes not a second longer before sinking his fingers into it.

He combs through it with his hands, tongue darting out the corner of his pink lips as he plaits it at the back.

“What are you doing?” You laugh.

“Pass me a hair tie.” He states.

You truffle through your travel bag, finding one at the very bottom.

He loops it around the end of his work, with a proud little smile on his face.

“Gotta keep it in, mkay?”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Harry.” You roll your eyes with a grin.

He follows you out the bathroom, and you’re both headed the same way.

“It will! You wouldn’t want me to be tired tomorrow would you?”

“Tired and grumpy.” You add, knowing how he gets in the morning, like he’s got the world on his shoulders.

“‘M not grumpy! You’re grumpy.” He huffs.

“You both are!” Niall calls from the spare room he’s staying in with Liam.

“Shut up Niall.” You both say in sync, laughing as you run up the stairs.

You were taking Gemma’s old room, which had since been converted into a spare room now she’s moved out for college.

Harry was staying in his room, which you’re sure he’s enjoying being back in his own bed for a bit.

Anne’s room was the only other bedroom up here, down the other end of the hall.

“Woah—“ you say, coming to a stop as you see the window overlooking the town lights.

It’s down Harrys side of the upstairs living space, and you find yourself walking straight over to look out.

There’s a small reindeer shaped lamp that’s turned on, lighting part of the area up with a dim bit warm glow.

“You can see the Christmas lights in town from here.” You point out, a small smile on your face.

You both stand and look out, comfortable silence enveloping you. Even though it’s not your home, you feel at home.

Maybe it’s Harry’s presence, or the small town nature, you’re not sure. But fuck does it feel nice.

After a minute or so, you begin to move, but his hand grabs you.

You fumble to a stop, heart jumping at the feeling of his hand on your arm.

Just friends.

“Harry?” You ask, confused.

He’s smiling at you, meekly, “look.”

He points up and you still.

There are a sprig of little leaves hung on the roof above you. Mistletoe.

“Oh.” You whisper aloud.

“Did you— do you— sorry?” You’re baffled, because if he’s implying you follow through with tradition…

He laughs a little, but theres a nervous air around you.

Maybe he was just pointing it out for a laugh— to scare you a bit.

He moves to press his body close to yours, and you draw in a sharp breath.

You can smell him, that warm toasted vanilla smell that is always radiating off him. It’s sweet and woodsy in nature, comforting in a way you just want to bundle yourself up in it.

“Cant break tradition, can we?” He says, arms skating up to your hips.

“You want to kiss me?” You whisper.

The house is hushed around you, everyone pretty much in bed now.

He doesn’t answer your quiet question with words, instead he nudges your chin up with his nose, moving to place a warm kiss on the pulse point of your neck.

You shudder at the sensation, the way his soft lips feel against your skin.

It feels so wrong and so right all at once.

He moves up to the junction of your neck and jaw, peppering kisses along it, slipping up to your cheek.

You catch your lips on his cheekbone, and you feel any resolve against going further slipping from your grasp.

“Harry…”

“Just tell me if you want me to stop.” He murmurs against your skin.

“Tradition. Gotta stick to tradition.” You reason aloud, but you both know this goes far beyond that.

Usually people stuck under mistletoe share a quick peck if romantic feelings aren’t present. It doesn’t get dragged out, no laying soft lips over as much skin as you can. Unless it’s a hallmark movie, you suppose.

“Mmhm.” He hums against you, lost in the feeling.

You’re not 100% sure who makes the first proper kiss.

He’d pressed a kiss that caught the corner of your mouth, and you kissed the dip between his chin and bottom lip. He’d grazed your upper one, you’d pushed into it.

Like neither of you wanted to take the blame for it, be the one to initiate it.

Before you know it you’ve both sealed your mouths together. Let’s just say it was probably a mutual move.

It was slow, perfect and deliciously warm.

Your hand came up to his face, cupping the ridge of his jaw— pulling him infinitely closer.

His own hands are up slipping up to your hair, “Careful, don’t mess up your work.” you say, not wanting him to screw up the plait he did.

He laughs, taking his hands to your torso, beginning to slowly map out your body, feeling the different dips and curves of it.

He gently takes your bottom lip into his mouth, sucking it carefully to see your reaction.

Your stomach drops to your feet at the feeling, toes curling in your fluffy socks.

“Shit.” You whimper as he lets it flick back into place with a pop.

“Y’fuckin’ kidding me, Y/N.” He says into your mouth.

“Your lips are bloody perfect.” He pulls back a little, letting his thumb come up to skate over your swollen, wet lips.

You kiss the tip of his finger, and he visibly tenses.

If you hadn’t already breached the point of no return, this would be what did it.

You take it just into the seam of your lips, letting your tongue swipe over it.

He draws in a laboured breath, clocking you like a hawk as you slide your mouth down to the knuckle of his thumb, sucking on it a little.

“Y/N… fuck.” He groans quietly.

You slip a little further down, looking up at him to catch his eye.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ. Don’t do that— don’t look at me like that.”

You glide your mouth back to the top of his finger to speak innocently, “Like what?”

“Don’t be coy, y’know exactly what you’re doing to me right now, darling.”

He pulls back from you, and it visibly takes a lot of strength not to give into how bad he wants you.

Instead he compromises, taking your hand and leading you into his room without a word.

“As much as id like to lay you down in my bed and lick into till you come around my tongue,” he pauses, watching your reaction as he says that, knowing he’s wound you up good and proper.

“‘M not doing that while my mums just down the hall and our band mates are down stairs. Because you would not be able to keep quiet.” He shuts the door behind you both.

“So, cuddling it is, sweetheart.”

You’re dumbfounded at how blunt he just was. Dumbfounded and incredibly turned on.

“You can’t just say you want your head between my legs and then follow it with telling me we’re just going to cuddle.”

“Nothin’ wrong with a good cuddle.”

“But I’m—“

He cuts you off, “horny, I know, believe me so am I.”

He pulls your hand to feel his groin, where his cock was perked up in his sweatpants— he was certainly hard under your hand.

“Oh. Oh…” you stutter out, before he pulls it away again.

He shucks the sweater he was wearing over the top of his head, leaving him shirtless— and his tattoos completely visible.

You let your eyes wander along his toned torso and back, watching intently as he pulls the soft green doona cover of his bed down to slip under.

You stand for a moment, and he looks expectantly for you to join him.

“Cmon, Y/N, please?” He draws out the please, and you roll your eyes.

“You’re a goof.” You say, getting in with him.

“Big spoon or little spoon?” You ask once you lay down.

“Well unless you want my boner pressed into you, probably little.” You laugh at the situation you’ve thrown yourselves into.

It feels very different, yet very normal at the same time.

“I’d be just fine with that, I just don’t know how your little guy would cope with it though.”

“Little?” He challenges, pulling you into him so you can feel him rut against you.

“Oh stop it, I was kidding don’t take it so personally.” You grin, swatting his hands from your waist. Admittedly, from what you’ve felt tonight, he feels anything but little.

You pull yourself close to him,trying to fight away the December chill, and he smiles. It quiet for a few heartbeats, you both just enjoying each others presence and warmth.

Without warning he captures your lips with his, and you give straight into it. It’s not rushed, just soft and slow.

You kiss and kiss, tongues dipping between both of your mouths and you feel yourself growing tired. They become sloppy and laced with drowsiness— yet are still just as beautiful.

He pulls himself back with a small inhale, and places a final soft peck on your chin before pulling you further into his chest.

“Night, lovely.” He whispers, sounding blissful.

“Goodnight, Harry.”

———

you can find part two here <3

[eretzyisrael]

by Giulio Meotti

There were shameful scenes at a Women's Rights Day demonstration in Munich's Marienplatz. Palestinian flags everywhere. Israeli flags were not welcome. Left-wing and pro-Palestinian groups insulted and pushed several Jewish women. Among the participants was the president of the Jewish community of Munich, Charlotte Knobloch (a Holocaust survivor).

Same scenes in Paris. Insults, attempted aggression, threats, and throwing of projectiles, the pro-Israeli collectives had to be exfiltrated from the Paris demonstration organized on the occasion of International Women's Rights Day. "We heard slogans like 'dirty Jews,' 'Nazis,' 'Israeli murderers,'" Mélanie Pauli-Geysse, president of No Silence, told Le Point.

No media or feminist organization in Europe is following the testimonies reported by the survivors of the family of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the caliph of Daesh.

Eggs, broken bottles, rubber bullets. "It was then that the situation worsened, we were only able to walk a few minutes before being exfiltrated by the police for our safety."

In L'Express, Sarah Barukh wrote: "There were Iranian, Afghan, Israeli, Pakistani, Yazidi, and others. We denounce the devastation of apartheid imposed by radical Islamism. We stand alongside women who are victims of barbaric traditions such as excision, in France and elsewhere." Next to her, Mona Jafarian, who fled from Iran, and Father Desbois, a Catholic priest who returned from Ukraine and recounted his life with Yazidi women, his arrest in Iraq, and his death sentence in several countries designated as lands of Islam because "I expressed words of sympathy towards the Jews."

Meanwhile, the Algerian writer Kamel Daoud writes that no media or feminist organization in Europe is following the testimonies reported by the survivors of the family of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the caliph of Daesh. His daughter, his wives, his sexual slaves are interviewed on Saudi TV to talk about the caliph.

"No relaunch in newspapers or platforms, no analysis, no echo," writes Daoud. "Western neo-feminism, crumbling into particularisms, is indifferent to this 'Muslim' scene where the condition of millions of women parades, beyond digital screens and the effects of ideological bubbles."

A forced tour should then be immediately organized to the Hamas cages under Gaza where Hamas is holding Israeli female hostages. And for those who don't feel like it, there is still the exhibition in London in which the conditions of imprisonment of the Israelis were recreated based on the testimonies of those who were exchanged in November.

Nothing seems to interfere with the ideological excitement these old and perverse peacocks derive from a barbarism they mistake for rebellion.

There is a pathological reluctance across the West to believe that Hamas has raped and mutilated women. "It didn't happen" or "where is the proof?" The speed with which these people went from saying "believe women" and #MeToo to "show the rape photos or it didn't happen" is mind-blowing.

Rape denial is so widespread that some have felt compelled to take to the streets to raise awareness of Hamas's sexual crimes. British Jews and their (few) allies gathered near BBC headquarters to say "rape is not resistance." Some wore jogging bottoms with stains between the legs, in solidarity with Naama Levy, the 19-year-old Israeli woman seen in that very state shortly after the Hamas pogrom.

The West went from "believe women" to "believe terrorists."

Nothing seems to interfere with the ideological excitement these old and perverse peacocks derive from a barbarism they mistake for rebellion in an unholy marriage of Western self-loathing and Islamic Jihad. They are willing to do anything to save the most squalid moral vanity and be able to continue selling us their "goodness." Except that it is really evil.

[merlincersei]

Merlin BBC UK TV Show - Opinion Piece Part 15 - 2008 Blind Item Gossip !

While the actors from the TV show have been relatively scandal free and you would be hard pressed to find any gossip about any one of them, I did find this obscure piece of blind item gossip which was posted on November 28, 2008 in the now defunct British gossip website HOLY MOLY :

WHICH YOUNG ACTOR IS HUNGRILY HOOVERING UP AS MUCH COKE AS HE CAN GET HIS HANDS ON? HE THINKS IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC, BUT UNFORTUNATELY ONE THAT GIVES HIM A TWO-DAY BOUT OF DEPRESSION AND MAKES HIM SHOUT UTTER BOLLOCKS AT STRANGERS FOR HOURS. OH, AND HE ALSO LIKES TO PULL RABBITS OUT OF MEN'S BOTTOMS RATHER THAN A LADY'S MARY.

The actor was later revealed to be Colin Morgan.

You can find the archived version here : http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEMS/2008/NOVDEC.html

While this piece of information should be taken with a "pinch of salt", I did notice this interesting behind the scenes information that Bradley James shared with Katie McGrath while providing the commentary for Merlin Season 3 Episode 1 ( Tears Of Uther Pendragon):

Makes you go Hmmmmmmmm!

[reluctantjoe]

Mathew Baynton on life after Ghosts

Shilpa Ganatra interviews Mathew Baynton, who explains why it’s time to end the BBC One sitcom and how new voices are improving TV comedy

“What have we done?” bemoans the decapitated head of Sir Humphrey Bone, after the nation’s favourite spectres make a defining decision in the final episode of Ghosts, which goes out as a Christmas special on BBC One. “We did the right thing,” Julian Fawcett, the trouserless MP ghost, says confidently.

The exchange nicely reflects the sentiment of the show’s creators, the Them There collective, in deciding to exorcise the BBC supernatural sitcom after five series – despite notching up several RTS nominations and maintaining an audience of around 4 million throughout its run.

The Christmas special was co-written by Them There’s Mathew Baynton, who also plays the romantic poet Thomas Thorne in the series.

“From an artistic point of view, I’ve never been in any doubt that ending Ghosts now was the right thing to do and the right time to do it,” he tells Television. “From a personal point of view, we feel a sense of loss that we’re not going to be getting together in that place at the same time of year, every year. But nothing can go on for ever.”

“That sadness tells you it was the right thing. If we carried on for another five seasons and we were all bored of it, bored of each other, and it wasn’t as good as it used to be, we wouldn’t miss it afterwards.”

The series follows in the tradition of British domestic sitcoms, centring on a young couple, Alison and Mike (Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe). They inherit Button House, a country manor haunted by a disparate crew of spirits from across the ages, played by the Them There collective: Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, plus Lolly Adefope.

The show is a logical leap from the troupe’s first multi-award-winning TV creation, Horrible Histories, which re-enacted the curiosities of yesteryear in comedic skits. Horrible Histories’ success made it “shockingly easy” to get Ghosts commissioned – the only bump in the road was discussions between the group and the BBC about the pilot.

Recalls Baynton: “They wanted to do a pilot that would go out with other pilots. We wanted to do one to figure out the idea and road test the special effects, but we didn’t want it to be aired, because then there would be a pressure to not change it.”

The compromise was to make a 10-minute taster pilot that wasn’t for broadcast. This taster tried out their initial idea of having a house full of different ghosts and playing multiple characters (as with Horrible Histories and Them There’s Sky One series, Yonderland). But the result proved this set-up didn’t create the character friction necessary to sustain a sitcom, so the band stuck to the small group of ghosts we know today, from a prim and proper Edwardian matriarch to a caveman.

As Ghosts meets its end – on British TV at least, as the US adaptation is still going strong and about to enter its third season – Baynton, who turns in a high-octane performance as Fickelgruber in the film Wonka, is turning his attention to the other strings in his bow.

At the end of January he’ll step into the role of Bottom in a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He’s also writing a comedy film (details are being kept under wraps) and will show off his more serious acting side in the upcoming BBC Three series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, a crime thriller based on the bestselling novel.

As a student, Baynton initially studied directing, earning a first-class degree at the Rose Bruford drama school in south-east London. After being drawn towards comedy, he attended Philippe Gaulier’s famously idiosyncratic clown school in Paris. “We used to say half of the fee is like a ticket just to watch him, because he’s hilarious. He plays the persona of a curmudgeonly, philo­sophical, French sort of half-wizard,” he recalls, adding: “Philippe’s got an incredible ability to help you learn what the audience sees in you.”

“If people tried to act up an idiot character, he’d say, ‘Don’t pretend to be more of an idiot than God already made you. He did a good enough job’. You don’t need to exaggerate it or pretend to look stupid. What you need to be is honest about the thing about yourself that people find funny, and then access that and allow people to laugh at it.”

This advice helped Baynton climb his first rungs in TV comedy to play Deano in Gavin & Stacey, a work colleague of Smithy (James Corden). He would go on to co-create and write the RTS award-­winning The Wrong Mans with Corden, the co-author of Gavin & Stacey. By the time Ghosts began, he had worked in TV comedy – featuring in Peep Show, Spy and The Armstrong and Miller Show, among others – for more than a decade.

“You’ll hear people saying, ‘Comedy was best when I was young’. I always think, ‘Well, you’re just not paying attention, then’. There will always be great stuff and if it doesn’t speak to you, it’s probably because it’s for people younger than you.”

While being a dad of two has limited the amount of competitor benchmarking he’s doing, he’s impressed with the greater breadth of voices in contemporary TV comedies.

“Bridget Christie’s The Change springs to mind, with menopausal women as the central characters, and the specificity of the location of the Forest of Dean. You couldn’t say that’s like any sitcom that’s come before,” he says. “We Are Lady Parts is another one, so is Stath Lets Flats.”

“I don’t know why I’m only naming Channel 4 shows, seeing as the BBC has been so good to me…”

Making comedy inclusive is no constraint to a writer, Baynton believes: “I’ve read the odd interview where people have said that creators are self-censoring to the point where they can’t be as instinctively funny. And some people see comedy’s function as being able to say the unsayable.”

“I can only speak for myself, but I know that my best work comes from writing and rewriting. What emerges is always something cleverer than I am, because in life you only get a first draft when you’re having a conversation. It’s not a bad thing to realise that a joke could maybe hurt someone, and it sounds like a better idea that I should rewrite if my intention could be misconstrued.”

As the curtain falls on Ghosts, commissioners are clamouring to find out what’s next for the Them There collective. Happily, they still have the same personnel and are mulling over their next project.

“We’re mindful that we can’t just do a modern sitcom where we’re wearing jeans and T-shirts. It just isn’t our tone,” says Baynton. “When we look for ideas, we’re thinking, what’s the playground that we can put ourselves in? Where we can do something with a heightened silliness, where potentially we play more than one character, and where there is a costume element to it.”

With this tried and tested formula as the base, their continued success seems assured. The legacy of Ghosts is preserved, too, persisting in the corridors of Button House and, indeed, TV history.

[watery-melon-baller]

so I was bored and reading through older Merlin fanfics when I got curious and wondered what exactly the oldest Merlin fanfic was, so I decided to do some digging! join me on this journey I made at 4am on my phone knowing full well I had to get up at 9am the next day

the shows first episode aired on Sept 20, 2008 so we are keeping that in mind when we search. also all fics I found here are linked at the bottom if u wanna go check them out :-)

First I decided to check ao3 since it's easy enough. there's 53k fics but this was the very first one in the Merlin tag

the author's note says that this was written immediately after the second episode which makes sense since this was 8 days after the 1st ep.

also love the my first work in this fandom tag. my guy. you're one of the the first people to write fic for this fandom, and THE first to post it on ao3.

next was fanfiction.net. Now I used to hang around on here quite a bit in my youth so I do know how to navigate it somewhat

merlin is the 12th most popular TV show on fanfic.net! With a whole 27.3k fics. I'm very interested by the fact that there's only 27k on fanfic.net while ao3 has around 50k fics (as of Oct 2023). I was expecting fanfic.net to have more fics, I wonder why it's the other way around this time. Maybe it's because by then ao3 was already in existence and established as a reliable place to post fic? I know lots of older fic writers only posted on ao3 as a way to have a backup of their fics? If anyone has any theories feel free to contribute!

and here's the first fics posted on fanfic.net! All by the same person on the same day. I'm assuming faults is the first one posted since it's at the bottom, but alk of them were posted oct 12, 3 weeks after the first episode aired. Pretty old, but not as old as the ao3 fic.

Finally I checked livejournal (shudders). I've used it a few times before but I was very unsure how to get around, and wound up just searching the oldest results for "Merlin BBC" (and here's the link to that if you wanna bounce arohnd and see old fandom stuff from the first episode)

The first (and oldest) post I found was someone reacting to the trailer which. fair. Just because the cgi is shit doesn't mean the show is (yes it does </3)

besides a few posts speculating about the show I also found the origin of the Merlin tag/community on livejournal, created just a day before the first episode aired. it also includes some lovely icons (and people made many many more after the 1st episode aired)

most of the posts after this were people's reactions to the 1st episode. a lot of them were positive, a lot were already shipping merthur, and a few were negative

this is my favorite review actually. understandable reaction.

and finally we get to our first fic on livejournal!! this one was posted Sept 23, just 3 days after the show and 5 days before the one on ao3 was first posted. it looks like we have our winner and this is the very first BBC Merlin fanfic ever written/posted!!

(I have no clue what other forums/websites were active at the time since I wasn't part of the fandom then. I checked these 3 websites because tbats what I know of but it appears that out of of these three livejournal has the oldest fic. If anyone knows where else Merlin fic was posted and can find an older one then this then feel free to share it but for now it's safe to say this one is the oldest fic in the fandom)

that concludes our journey folks! I've linked all 3 fics at the bottom if you're interested in reading them and now you can brag and say you've read the oldest fic in the Merlin fandom. congrats. i hope you had fun reading this

ao3 fanfic.net livejournal

[denimbex1986]

'Tom Ripley returns. Disturbing character born from your pen Patricia Highsmith Despite its numerous adaptations for the big screen, it deserved to have its own television series. after it happened alain delon, Matt Damon, John Malkovich anyone Dennis HopperThe character returns to the screen thanks to Netflix. This time the player Andrew Scott The performance of Scott, who is tasked with giving life to an immoral, blackmailer, fraudster and psychopathic murderer in the version that is nominated to be one of the TV series of the year, is at the same level as his predecessors. This actor was already responsible for reinterpreting the evil Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock version. BBC starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Shooting the entire season in black and white is a risky and elegant artistic decision that underlines the classicism of the story. This is the new version netflix There are pure moments HitchcockA wizard of suspense who once made a great adaptation of another Highsmith novel. Strangers on a train.

At the beginning of the story, Tom Ripley is hired by a person. American millionaire so i go Italy He is looking for his son, from whom he received the revelation to devote himself to art. Painting, sculpture, literature… but he doesn’t seem to be good at any of them, so the ruler plans to send his friend to persuade him to settle down and return home to help run the family. business. When she gets there, Ripley, who is not much of a role model, finds herself fascinated by the bohemian life and will fight tooth and nail to protect this paradise that has fallen upon her without eating or drinking. If in White Lotus the landscapes, art and buildings of Italy shine with their own light, in Ripley they shine with wonderful black and white photography. That’s the way it is after all Federico Fellini He knew how to portray us Sweet life in Rome.

After dealing with minor shenanigans, this new job opens Ripley’s heart. Just as in France, the cliché was that aspiring painters would go to the Caribbean or some exotic island; Here our heroes fell I surrender to classical Italian art. Ripley was particularly impressed by this figure: Caravaggio. HE Baroque painter was as morally ambiguous as Ripleyand was even accused of committing murder during a fight.

Maybe the first two chapters may seem a little slow. The series takes its time to take us where it wants to take us, and that’s where it gets. Third part when the slowly developing intrigues begin to bear fruit in all their glory. There are these scenes great tension will leave the viewer glued to the couch even though nothing is happening not a single line of dialogue If I remember correctly, during a sequence that lasted about half an hour. From the moment the moment of crime entered the scene, The most Hitchcockian moments are coming. Inside PsychosisThe master of suspense managed to make the audience empathize with Norman Bates for a few moments after the legendary shower scene by showing us how the evidence of the crime refuses to sink to the bottom of the swamp. The Netflix series is full of moments like this, where the tension plays out when the killer thinks he’ll be surprised. Makes us empathize with the bad guywithout ever trying to justify or justify everything he did.

Black and white reminds us that we are in another time. Maybe it’s a step away from the technological sophistication of CSI. Ripley is not the perfect criminal, nor are the police immune from occasional screw-ups. with the crime scene. Even though we have a smart and determined investigator leading the investigation, we can’t help but smile when we see him do this from time to time. murder weapon right under their noses without realizing it. Some close-ups on the object serve to remind us of this. You will get the feeling that a part does not fit properly throughout the entire case, but That piece that completes the puzzle and allows the drawing to emerge in your mind in all its glory does not arrive until the last moment., in the scene that closes the series and when it’s too late to do anything. Caravaggio also fled Rome after the murder.

This may be considered a spoiler, but we should not forget this. Mr. Ripley’s talent It is the first of five that Highsmith wrote about the character. This An ambitious mini series that smells of awardsTherefore, it cannot be ignored that the aim of the platform is to adapt all the books of the character. It’s quite a wink that in the final episode, we get a cameo from John Malkovich, who has played the character in the past and here provides him with the documents that allow him to start a new life with a fake identity. art dealer in italyexactly the work that Malkovich did in the film in which he starred.

Black and white is not an unknown format for the person who made this adaptation. Steven Zaillian is an experienced American screenwriter and director whose work includes screenplays. Schlinder’s Listfilm Steven Spielberg The artist skillfully uses the absence of colors in his photographs. As in that movie, we have a scene in the TV series where color is used to highlight a particular object in the shot. How not? It was supposed to be red.

It is noteworthy that although audience data These are often one of the platforms’ best kept secrets, even here Ripley’s poor results were overlooked with a certain pride. Perhaps to attract the attention of an audience that cannot get enough of watching black and white TV series, but whose attention is attracted by baits consisting of comments such as “”.honey is not made for the bear’s mouth”. Let me briefly word of mouth does its magic and best of all, there will be another award, which will allow us to continue bringing the rest of the books to the big screen. Just watch it to see that these doubts about the chosen format are unfounded. One artistic decision This makes the series great. It’s a love letter to the monochrome format and the great classics, where the platform puts emphasis on quality and forgets that it’s not all about numbers. I doubt the final results will be this bad and that scribbled black and white might be the ideal way to go. To inform new generations about the novelist’s literary keys, One of the most important noir writers of the 20th century. Both Zaillian and Andrew Scott have already stated that they want a repeat, but for now we can say goodbye to new episodes until 2026. The wait will be long.'

[the-autistic-agoraphobe]

Autistic April Day 10: Childhood Special Interests

I have three Childhood special interests which I want to talk about and they are the Tweenies, Fremantle Dockers and Tamagotchis.

The Tweenies was one of my first special interests I have had. The Tweenies is a children's TV show made by the BBC that is about four children named Bella, Fizz, Milo and Jake who go to a family daycare that is ran by Max and Judi. There is also a dog named Doodles. I had toys and books from the show. I also watched the show on VCR. I even went to their concert in 2002 but couldn't see the whole concert because I had to go to hospital due to abdominal pain.

The Fremantle Dockers is an Australian Rules football team. When I was younger I used to live in Western Australia and one day my family and I went to a footy game. I sat on my dads lap while he explained to what was going on with the game. I got really interested in it and my dad and I continued to catch the bus into Perth for games regularly. I have attached a photo of me from when I was 8 or 9 with Johney Docker who is the mascot for the Fremantle Dockers here.

Tamagothis are little egg shaped toys with screens on them. The screen featured a little pet which you can play games with and raise. Once I was given twenty dollars to spend on what I wanted so I was at the shops and I saw Tamagotchis for sale. They looked interesting and a girl explained to me what they were. I decided to spend my $20 on one and was a huge fan of it. I kept it on a lanyard and I cried when my first Tamagotchi died. I remember when I saw other kids with their Tamagotchis I asked them if they wanted to connect our Tamagotchis.

Image Descriptions:

1: This is a photo of me at a shopping centre with Johney Docker. Johney is a mascot that takes form of a person in a costume. He has longish blond hair and is wearing sunglasses. He is wearing a long sleeved shirt that is red on the right half and light green on the left half with a white anchor in the middle. He is wearing purple bands around both of his wrists. He is also wearing a pair of purple shorts. I am standing with Johney Docker I am about 8 or 9 years old in this photo. On my head I am wearing a black cap with the Fremantle Dockers logo on it. The logo depicts a man holding an anchor on a shield that is half green and half red. I am wearing a white shirt that has a blue oval on it with "Australian Idol" written in the oval. I am also wearing a red lanyard. The bottom part of my body isn't visible in the photo .

2: There are a list of prompts for each day of the month for Autistic April. The top and bottom of the image is light purple and the middle part of the image is white with black text on it. The black text says "Autistic April 2024 Prompts: 1: Special interests 2: How you found out you were Autistic 3: your favourite stim 4: alternative forms of communication 5: your favourite fidget toys 6: textures you hate 7: safe foods 8: other disabilities you have 9: LBGTQI+ 10: childhood special interests11: comfort items 12: your favourite Autistic celebrities or characters13: unmasking 14: sensory aids 15: misdiagnosis 16: Autism friendly places 17: Disability support you have received 18: animals 19: favourite thing about being Autistic 20: echolalia 21: idenity first or Person first language 22: the spoon theory

23: colours that represent Autism (not blue) 24: Autistic owned small businesses 25: meltdowns and/or shutdowns 26: Your clothing prefences 27: Self care 28: Relatable Autism memes 29: Accessibility 30: routines" There is an infinity symbol that is half red and half gold on the top right corner of the white section. End Description.

[millerflintstone]

Comfy Stuff

Tagged by the lovely @spinningininfinity

Comfort food: The Flying Biscuit's creamy dreamy grits. I have the scaled down recipe committed to memory

Comfort clothes: Flannel pj bottoms or harem pants and a t-shirt

Comfort song: Wasted Time by The Eagles. Specifically singing it. The way you have to breathe to achieve it (and barely in my case) ends up calming me down

Comfort book: Novel - Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart. The audio book is read by Neil Peart and his voice is just so soothing

Comic / graphic - any of my Bloom County compilations

Comfort activity: hooping or mindlessly playing Candy Crush at the moment

Comfort game: Antgame.io or Candy Crush

I'm adding:

Comfort movie: Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Secretary are tied

Comfort TV show / mini-series: BBC's Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy

TAGS (optional)

Not sure who has done this. If you haven't and want to, I tag you!

[caesarflickermans]

Tag Game

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better. I was tagged by @hayffiebird Thank you c:

Three ships:

Virgilia/Plutarch. I know, a bit cliche to put my own ship forth here, but I'm noticing how much less of a shipper I've become insofar that I've more lukewarm takes on most ships, but this is one I'm really passionate about. It really (obviously) encompasses a lot of what I personally enjoy in seeing a relationship unfold. Virgilia has her own personal journey that fits well with Plutarch's. They complement each other so well and it's enjoyable to write / think about them :>

David Butt/Julia Montague. Those two are from the BBC series Bodyguard and they are such an interesting couple. There's hatred initially, each of their moments bringing them closer, and the final resolution of their story (the question of being together) never finding an answer. The show has its own problems with the portrayal of Muslim characters, and tbf whenever I rewatch it I only watch the first three episodes, but it has a sort of tension and development that I've really never seen replicated. I'm a sucker for bodyguard stuff, but none ever did it as well as this show, and most of those stories are far too smutty, far too overprotective, far too easily and quickly resolve (and me and @beedelia totally have a Plutarch&V AU based on those two).

This is NOT a ROMANTIC ship (hence the &), but I love PLATONIC stuff so much, so: Ellie Williams&Joel Miller. I really, fully, enjoy their growth together. I love a good parenting platonic not-actually-related situation. Their story is so raw. It's the way that their relationship is painted through struggles. It's the going through everything to keep their dad/their daughter safe. I love their journey and I love both games so much.

This was really hard because, as I said, I've got plenty of ships and I feel rather lukewarm about them. As in, yeah, I enjoyed this, but it doesn't have my mind spinning once I finish it and am done with the show/game. Here's a list of some ships I enjoy, but do not have a lot to say about: F!Commander Shepard/Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect), Cullen Rutherford/F!Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Will Graham/Bedelia Du Maurier (Hannibal), Serena Joy/Mark Tuello (Handmaid's Tale), Blackbeard/Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death), Newt Scamander/Leta Lestrange (Fantastic Beasts). Was this cheating? Maybe, lol.

First ever ship:

I think my first ever ship was Captain Amelia/Dr. Doppler, mostly because I was very gay for Amelia and was excited for any romance interest she got. Like, it should have been me, but this was second best. I didn't write fanfiction about it or anything because I was far too young, but I think this was the first moment where I really shipped something.

First time I engaged with fandom might have been Remus Lupin/Tonks. Though I mostly read stuff rather than wrote anything.

First time I wrote something (in rp) was Haymitch/Effie, though I don't ship them anymore--same as Lupin and Tonks actually lol. Both for different reasons.

Last song: Bottom of the River by Delta Rae. Been listening to this one while writing!

Last movie: Everything Everywhere All At Once. I've had this on my watchlist since release and finally got around to it. Feels like something you should totally watch a second time. It was a brilliant movie.

Currently reading: A secret history. I'm not sure what to think of it yet & I'm halfway through. It's definitely interesting, but it's a very slow read (or maybe me mostly reading it in bed before falling asleep just doesn't read very fast).

Currently watching: Arctic Warrior. It's a German TV show about one (military) expert and one beginner having to survive (and travel through) the arctic parts of Finland. I usually don't enjoy those kind of shows, but I have a soft spot for Otto + watching it as an uncut reaction video from a favourite youtuber of mine is double fun. Actual tv series though, I want to start Succession (thanks Emily, lol) and/or Yellowjackets.

Currently consuming: I ate my salad + slice of bread for the evening :>

Currently craving: Still a bit hungry, so maybe some fruit later. I've got mango and peaches at home :)

Tagging: @beedelia @footnoteinhistory @plvtarch @mrsalanavalentine @rosegardeninwinter @ellanainthetardis @endlessnightlock @tinyfrenchowl @mollywog @districtunrest @bexbaxx @thegoddessprose @jenniferiawrence

[fettesans]

Top, screen capture from Aftersun, directed by Charlotte Wells, 2022. Via. Bottom, screen capture from the program Open Door, 1973–83, still from a TV show on BBC2. “North West Spanner Theatre Group: Born Free Trapped Ever After,” 1980. Via.

Contrary to the US public-access television that inspired it, which was narrowcast on local cable stations, Open Door was broadcast nationwide on a channel with a directive to act in the interest of the country. Anyone could propose an episode so long as they were not promoting a political party. Those selected were paired with a producer and crew for technical assistance but ostensibly retained full editorial control. Prison abolitionists, sex educators, fox-hunt saboteurs, punk fanzine–makers, single parents, vegans, community-theater enthusiasts, trans advocates, supporters of Palestinian liberation, women suffering from cystitis: They all reached millions. (This last group, the U & I Club, received thousands of letters from viewers.) Not all causes showcased were progressive. While individual episodes of Open Door were free from the requirement of “balance” mandated by the BBC charter, when taken as a whole, the series was meant to be inclusive of a wide spectrum of opinions. Absent from “People Make Television” was a 1976 episode by the British Campaign to Stop Immigration, a group linked to the extreme-right National Front party. Included was one by the Campaign for the Feminine Woman warning of the dangers of “unisex culture,” something “more menacing and damaging . . . than either communism or fascism.”

Erika Balsom, from on “People Make Television”, in THE SCREEN AGE: VIDEO’S PAST AND FUTURE, for Artforum, May 2023.

--

Straight culture’s orientation toward heteroromantic sacrifice is also influenced by socioeconomic class. Respect for sacrifice—or sucking it up and surviving life’s miseries—is one of the hallmarks of white working-class culture, for instance, wherein striving for personal happiness carries less value than does adherence to familial norms and traditions. Maturity and respectability are measured by what one has given up in order to keep the family system going, an ethos that is challenged by the presence of a queer child, for instance, who insists on “being who they are.” Queerness—to the extent that it emphasizes authenticity in one’s sexual relationships and fulfillment of personal desires—is an affront to the celebration of heteroromantic hardship. As Robin Podolsky has noted, “What links homophobia and heterosexism to the reification of sacrifice . . . is the specter of regret. Queers are hated and envied because we are suspected of having gotten away with something, of not anteing up to our share of the misery that every other decent adult has surrendered to.”

For many lesbian daughters of working-class straight women, opting out of heterosexuality exposes the possibility of another life path, begging the question for mothers, “If my daughter didn’t have to do this, did I?” Heterosexuality is compulsory for middle-class women, too, but more likely to be represented as a gift, a promise of happiness, to be contrasted with the ostensibly “miserable” life of the lesbian. The lesbian feminist theorist Sara Ahmed has offered a sustained critique of the role of queer abjection in the production of heteroromantic fantasies. In Living a Feminist Life, she notes that “it is as if queers, by doing what they want, expose the unhappiness of having to sacrifice personal desires . . . for the happiness of others.” In the Promise of Happiness, Ahmed argues, “Heterosexual love becomes about the possibility of a happy ending; about what life is aimed toward, as being what gives life direction or purpose, or as what drives a story.” Marked by sacrifice, misery, and failure along the way, the journey toward heterosexual happiness (to be found with the elusive “good man”) remains the journey.

Jane Ward, from The Tragedy of Heterosexuality, September 2020. Via.