#he gave some to all the Flashhearts

[palilious]

Work Wives

[the-tardis-in-221b-baker-street]

Lord Flashheart's (Blackadder Goes Forth) Costume

I don't think it comes to many as a surprise that I was going to do some sort of Flashheart costume. I've had people ask me after my last cosplay "So what's next? Oh please say it's Flashheart!". For a character who only appears once a series, he is well loved amongst the Rik Mayall fans and I happen to be one of them. So, strap yourself in, go get yourself a cup of tea and a biscuit because we're in for a long haul flight. We're doing this a bit back to front, usually I'll release a photoshoot all in one go but as I ran out of time to photograph myself before going to the con I'm going to, I thought I would post them after the con. The photoshoot is in the works, keep your eyes peeled!

When deciding which era of Flashheart I wanted to do, I settled with the WWI era as to my knowledge pre research, it was going to be the easiest of the bunch to do. As much as my heart sings out to Elizabethan Flashheart, my sewing skills are nowhere near good enough for that yet. I knew I wanted to get this costume totally right so I gave myself a fairly big budget and indeed the biggest budget so far in my cosplaying journey.

Go big or go home, I researched into actual Royal Flying Corps uniforms people were selling and saw just how difficult they were to find. I visited a local war memorabilia shop armed with a few questions about RFC uniforms. When I explained what I was doing, they smiled and laughed fondly about Blackadder. They very quickly informed me that finding an actual RFC uniform that's not in a museum is extremely slim and they were totally right. I had a back up plan though, I had found a company that did tailormade historical re-enactment uniforms from all sorts of eras and rather perfectly, a RFC tunic and trousers. I got myself measured by my lovely tailor friend and purchased them. I actually purchased the drill trousers instead of the breeches as the colour looked more correct. (not pictured, you'll see those when I take proper photos of me wearing it.)

The breakdown of the costume: The Royal Flying Corps tunic.

The RFC tunic was going to be a huge part of the costume and in my eyes all of the tiny elements of the costume to bring it together had to be properly researched. The base of the jacket only came with the RFC patch on the right side of the jacket so everything else had to be found. For the first part and actually the first purchase I made for this project was the collar pins. These are original WWI RFC collar pins that came in perfect condition. I also went back to the same local war memorabilia shop again and very luckily, they had a full matching set of original WWI captain's shoulder pips, with metal pins. It makes this costume more special to know I have an actual piece of history on my shoulders.

As I was informed, all pips during WWI were as standard and the more pips you have, the higher the rank. As Flashheart is a Wing Commander he technically holds the rank of captain, meaning he has 3 pips on each shoulder. With both the collar pins and the pips, I had to attach these extremely carefully. I was told that either I would need to sew them on (meaning I would have to tack them on and they wouldn't lie flat to the jacket) or I would need to pierce holes and put them in. I opted for piercing. So with an extremely delicate hand (and because this tunic was expensive) I carefully measured each one out and cut slits with a scalpel. The length of the blade was perfect because I could poke the loops through and it be in enough that if a pin slides out, I won't lose the pip. The collar pins didn't come with pins to keep them in place but the lovely gentleman I bought the pips from gave me some to cut down.

The medals:

The medals I struggled to find for a bit of time. I had researched a bit and found that someone had identified a few of Flashheart's many medals which helped but my original plan was to find actual medal bars. However, I came across a gentleman who recreates medals and could do custom medal bars of any medals I wanted. I immediately messaged them and showed them the photo that had all the identified medals on. He said he was able to do it and whether I wanted the medal that someone hadn't identified yet that was just slightly poking out of the jacket in the reference photo. I couldn't believe it! And i'm so glad that medal was identified by him because it turned out to be a good addition to the bar. Now I know Flashheart has a lot more medals than what I've got here, but trying to get all of them would be a nightmare and rather expensive so I got the ones that are visible kind of when he wears his coat.

(top left) OBE, (top middle) Royal Victorian Order, (top right) Distinguished Service Order, (bottom far left) Military Cross, (bottom middle left) Ashanti War Medal, (bottom middle right) India General Service Medal and (bottom far right) 1914 Star medal.

I did research into them and what they all mean but this post will get even longer if I put all the info. I do encourage you to have a look into them if you're interested though! What I find fascinating is the level of detail Blackadder's costume designer went to. I found out that the Distinguished Service Order medal was apparently just short of being awarded a Victoria Cross (which is an extremely prestigious award) and were normally given 'for service under fire or under conditions equivalent to service in actual combat with the enemy'. However between 1914 and 1916, a number of awards were given to individuals, often officers, for circumstances not under fire. This caused a lot of resentment towards those who got it and especially from front line officers. Which to me, makes me think no wonder Blackadder didn't really like Flashheart! That did make me laugh a little bit.

The 1914 Star medal was awarded mainly to officers but approximately 1000 were awarded to members of the RFC which is another really good touch!

The tunic is attached with 5 buttons up the person's right side and attached with two hooks at the top near the shoulders.

The Sam Browne belt and gun holster were another important addition to the tunic. Often officers or higher would have worn a Sam Browne belt and there would be space to hook a gun holster and an ammo pouch could be added too. I didn't get an ammo pouch in the end but the gun holster was a must. Which leads me onto Flashheart's massive weapon (ooer!).

The gun Flashheart uses is a Webley MK VI. Now, I did look into these guns and there was no way on earth I was going to get a real one or an airsoft one for that matter. I looked into 3D printing instead! I had got a guy to 3D print me a gun but his printer unfortunately broke half way through meaning I had to find an alternative quick. A work colleague found me one on Etsy and it was perfect! It came in about 7 pieces that I had to carefully glue together but it was easy enough as I live in a tabletop household. Flashheart's gun has a loop on the bottom to attach a lanyard to. So me using my creative initiative, I salvaged a picture frame hook from an old frame, filed down a section in the middle so the metal part would lie flat, glued it together and bob's your uncle! a loop that looks like it was meant to be there!

The lanyard loop didn't fit in the loop so I used an old keyring loop to attach it.

The next bit after gluing was to sand the gun down slightly, prime it black and then dry brushed the metal part using Citadel's Leadbelcher silver paint. I also then used Citadel's Agrax Earthshade wash to dirty it up on the metal and then once dry, I did a couple of coats both sides of a matt varnish spray just to seal it all together and none of the paint will rub off.

Another fine detail is the hinge where, if it was a working gun, you'd pull the barrel down and load it. (I don't know the correct terminology for guns!) There was just a hole and I wasn't a fan of it. So I used the small screws from the frame I got the fixtures from and screwed one either side before priming black. It worked perfectly and looked effective.

I can't believe how much time I've put into this costume, loads of research and hard work finding and piecing everything together. I just hope I can do him justice when I wear it properly!

WOOF!

[candm-brittany-2023]

Sunday 9th April, Easter Sunday.

Happy Easter, everybody! 🐣

After a breakfast of boiled eggs and soldiers 😃 we went to the office to pay.

When we came to France in 2017 we gave up our berth at Brixham marina. There was no guarantee that we would get it back in 2 years time. This time we have kept it on as we are away for just 3 months. However, still being bertholders it means we can take part in Passeports Escales. This is a scheme where, if you sign out of your own marina, you can get up to 5 nights per year (a maximum of 2 nights per visit) completely FREE of charge in 160 marinas between Belgium & Morocco, and there’s loads in Brittany. St.Helier was free and the first 2 here will be free too. Nice.

After breakfast we went for a walk around the headland to Solidor.

The walk was a bit of a climb at first but it soon became a nice flat walk way. Wild and rather quiet, you can see a superb panorama of the sea, Dinard, and also Saint-Malo.

There were some heavy fortifications up here.

The Battle of Saint-Malo was fought between Allied and German forces to control the French coastal town of Saint-Malo during World War II. The battle formed part of the Allied breakout across France and took place between 4 August and 2 September 1944. United States Army units, with the support of Free French and British forces, successfully assaulted the town and defeated its German defenders. The German garrison on a nearby island continued to resist until 2 September.

Saint-Malo was one of the French towns designated as a fortress under the German Atlantic Wall program, and its pre-war defenses were expanded considerably before the Allied landings in Normandy during June 1944. There were several gun emplacements on our walk, and boy, did they take a battering!

You can see the next one in the distance. Each one heavily pock-marked. Unfortunately, when the Germans withdrew they destroyed so much of the infrastructure that it was impossible for the Allies to use the port.

Our walk took us the Solidor Tower which is a strengthened keep with three linked towers, located in the estuary of the river Rance.

It was built between 1369 and 1382 by John V, Duke of Brittany to control access to the Rance at a time when the city of Saint-Malo did not recognize his authority. Over the centuries the tower lost its military interest and became a jail. It is now a museum celebrating Breton sailors exploring Cape Horn.

You can just make out the hydro-electric barrage in the background.

We ventured towards Solidor.

In the small park "Jardin" there is a beautiful sculpture. This is could be easily overlooked as the color of the sculpture doesn't particularly stand out from its surroundings.

It pays homage to Commander Charcot (who it seems was a bit of a ‘Flashheart’ character) and the crew of the Pourquoi-Pas, which disappeared at sea on September 16, 1936. It is a gift from the Republic of Iceland.

Jean-Baptiste Charcot, often called Commander Charcot was born on July 15, 1867 in Neuilly-sur-Seine and died September 16, 1936 at sea (30 miles northwest of Reykjavik), was a doctor, French polar explorer and a French naval officer.

A sportsman, he was French rugby union champion in 1896 and was also a double silver medalist in sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

We continued a few steps into Solidor and took refreshment at one of the very busy hostelries sitting outside in the warm sun looking over the bay. How very pleasant. 😎

We walked back to the boat to prepare our late Easter Sunday lunch of crab and shell-on prawns that we had bought in St.Helier. All washed down with a bottle of rosé. Lovely.

[coolgirl32]

A night to remember~

Warning: this contains smut adult stuff so no children or underage teens as in 15 year olds if you are 20 or 16 or 18 then good luck but do not judge me cuz it's been awhile since I wrote a 100% wolf fanfic so enjoy also I'm using my OC Jacqulyn

It all started one morning at farfang Manor flashheart and Jacqulyn are packing to go on a camping trip to the mountains in a cabin where they could spend some alone time together and take a break from their jobs and taking care of the kids. {And almost done packing what's next on the list flashheart } Jacqulyn said with a smile on her face knowing she has lingerie in her suitcase and everything ready [almost ready love just need a pack a few more things and we'll be ready to go on our little romantic getaway just you and me under the full moon~] flash heart said with a smirk putting his hand on his wife's ass Jacqulyn squeaked a little and smiled while she playfully smacked her husband on the chest {hey take it easy there Wolfe when we get to the cabin then we can start} Jacqulyn said with a smirk. After they got done packing and playing their stuff in the car Jacqulyn gave her daughter Rachel a list of things to do and not to do also some emergency numbers including Rachel's mom and dad phone number Rachel was in charge of keeping an eye on the young pups Rachel's boyfriend Johnny was also there to help Rachel with her siblings. After flashheart and Jacqulyn both left to go to the mountains they had a few pit stops along the way The first pit stop was to get some road trip snacks and drinks (cuz you know can't go on a road trip without road trip snacks and drinks) the second pit stop was to go to the bathroom flashheart drink too much water while Jacqulyn had to go to the bathroom cuz she also drink too much water the third and final pit stop was to eat some lunch and get some groceries out of store for dinner and a few weeks of groceries. After 4 hours of driving they finally arrived at the cabin and after unpacking their stuff in their drawers in the cabin in their room it was getting dark. {What do you want to eat for dinner tonight flashheart} [I don't know what do we have] Jacqulyn looked in the fridge to see what was in it of course they put the groceries in the fridge but not all the groceries and saw there were two medium steaks and she had a very good idea {why don't we have steaks for dinner tonight} [that sounds like a good idea want me to cook them tonight Jacqulyn] Jacqulyn nodded to her husband after they ate dinner they brushed their teeth and got ready for bed. When flashheart was lying down on the bed his eyes widened when he saw his wife in lingerie he knew him and his wife hadn't had sex since they had their son Liam and this was the perfect time for him and his wife to have sex. When Jacqulyn crawled on the bed towards her husband they both began to kiss, after he didn't make out session they tore each other's clothes off and flashheart spread his wife's legs and began to do cunnilingus on her it has been so long since Jacqulyn felt that much pleasure. After she came on his face flashheart put his big cock inside her pussy and began to thrust. After they had hot steamy sex they both took a minute to breathe they then both cuddled and went to sleep. They both had pancakes and eggs Jacqulyn couldn't help but smile and laugh after remembering the pleasurable night she had with her husband her husband was the same thing he then grabbed her hand gently and kissed her knuckles he and his wife will surely remember this for the rest of their lives. After weeks of vacation they both headed back home and have a wonderful day with their family.

So I hope you all liked it also if you have any requests just request any fanfics

[rikmayall]

Man Down Interview with Rik Mayall

Channel 4 Press, 25th October 2013

Your latest project is Man Down tell us about your character?

I was first attracted to the part through Greg who I’ve always admired and thought was great because he is. Then the pilot came up last year and I had a spare week and he was looking for a psycho to attack him so I thought this looks lovely. And that was always one of the dreams of my life is to beat the shit out of Greg Davies and of course he is my love child  – as many people are aware – we look like each other. I’m grown up now and I’ve been hunting for angles to sort of express the age I am now and here was a lovely one! To be a dad, I mean I’m a dad and I’m somewhere in my fifties but I’ve always wanted to do something a little more grown up. To have this particularly peculiar dad who’s in unusual circumstances because his son is so grown up. Greg and I had the same rhythm so we worked well together and he’s a great writer so the script excited me.

So the character of dad has a habit of showing his love in slightly unconventional ways?

Yes I think that’s the best way to describe it. If I was to give away the gags the audience may fail to be surprised when they saw them. I think they should watch it because surprise is one of his hobbies.

So you’ve been working for over 30 years do you still have the same hunger for it?

Yes I adore it, it’s my life it’s what I do. It’s always been the passion and I adore it, it’s my everything. As you know a big chunk of my art came to a holt when my partner Adrian decided to give up comedy and we’d done Bottom and The Young Ones and stuff but now I’m in my fifties and I want to work out what I’m going to do for the next 25 years so this is the next chapter. This character is very Rik Mayall and it’s what the punters would expect as I think the essence of my work is that I’ve always taken the mick out of myself.

Have you done any other parts where you’ve had a beard?

No that I’m aware of, well there was the mutton chops that I had for some very good adverts that I did for Bombardier beer and of course Lord Flashheart from Blackadder but that was blond and it was really more like a moustache and sideburns. This time though my beard has come out white – something’s happened over the last couple of years where my hair’s gone white!

Has there ever been a character you’ve played that you’ve either loved or hated?

Hmm no because if I’ve ever had trouble with a character then I’d wrench him and stretch him and fix him, it’s like car if you’re very good at cars – some blokes like to beat up old cars that don’t work so they can fix them. Also in doing that you can make it into a good character who you can use and work with so no I don’t have a character that I’ve hated. Occasionally there might have been ones that I haven’t been able to tinker with correctly but then if that’s the case I would ask can I do this and change that. Sometimes people say no and so I continue to talk to them until they realise why they should say yes to me.

Is that what you like to do  – really invest in the character or feel like you know the character and feel like you’ve put a lot into it yourself?

In order to live in contemporary life I have to submerse aspects of my own character in order to live because I like excitement, I like exploring and I like adventure and that’s what acting is. I don’t have to go to war say or assassinate presidents because I can do that in acting. It allows me to experience things you might not get to otherwise. My parents gave me an upbringing that was full of permission with care and my dad gave me a taste for life

How do you think comedy has changed over the 39 years you’ve been working?

I think it’s become less theatrical which I miss. I always like a studio audience. I like all forms of entertainment and that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy filming with a camera without an audience because the thing is I know how techniques work and I know if you want to get a laugh in a big theatre you do it in a different way than if you’ve got a camera right up close just looking at your two eyes and your mouth. I understand the disciplines and I’m good at my job. I mean it’s a different era. I don’t think for example that the audience are quite so amazed by the shock of something these days, in a theatrical sense say because everything can be done a computer. Another example twelve years ago Adrian and I wrote another series of Bottom and took it to the BBC and they said no it’s too violent so we took it on the road and changed it in a live show. I think these days obviously there’s a lot more restrictions in place than there might have been.

Have you got any further ambitions?

Yes I would like this series to be a success so that it gets another series and another. I would really like the opportunity to explore the character of Greg’s dad fully.

[postpunkpontypandyphantomthief]

 I got tagged by @ostpunk to post 10 favourite pictures of yourself of 2018.

Thanks. It was mixed, but it definitely had its good moments 

I’ll tag

@autisticednygma @zombierose3 @comedy-cookie @rockystiltskin-bellamy @asongthatsingsitself @frogpuppet @morby @becausevyvyan @smashing-anarchist-poet @northern-irish-lefty @jokerteeth @sweetrevengeofthekilljoys @sweetlychaoticpeanut @inspiremexxxx

and anyone else who wants to do it

this photo, this masterpiece was taken on the 18th of October, I look like me for once, I don’t look like a sad kid or a confused girl.

I look like me, I’m an alternative art punk into graphic design and cinema who also likes to write poems and comedy on the side 

I’m a guy (still in the process of transitioning but I’m getting there), a chill long haired grunge-classic rock guy, I’m smiling which shows  I’m living life in the mellow relaxed state I’m in.

this was when I was doing my museum project and having a blast, yeah there were some mental health issues on the side but this was before that.

this photo is of me and Katie a mate I met from that “dance class” after seeing the Incredibles on July 24th.

,she was one of the few people I got along with, when we did our Britney Spears circus number, we’ve bonded from our love of the smiths,the cure and Britcom, we don’t talk about everything because she knows someone from my past who I don’t talk about anymore,but we still sometimes keep in touch.

This is a blessed image of me bowing to the lord of the swamp on October 14th 

this is from when I was in my Performing Arts showcase and a very nice classmate of mine Hana did my make-up for me, it was an amazing experience,I got to talk to people, and when I got on that stage I was like a hybrid of patsy stone and lord flashheart.

this is from when I finally finished my 12 years of Girls Brigade (religious girl scout thing I used to be in) on April 22nd while I would eventually change my spiritual path,I met some nice people there and every display gave me a chance to up my game with performing, even if I finished it off by miming with a sock on my hand, acting like Vyvyan in footloose and playing a female Alan B’stard.

Me on March 1st with a group of some of my pals from Performing Arts

Sophie,Jordan,Chloe and Sophie 

Me on new year looking like the ghost of Sharon Tate, it was an interesting day,I felt like a ticking time bomb because a dog was constantly moving about,I got to show people my poetry,I got to play Bowie’s boys keep swinging and it was an interesting day,I also got to wear my docs outside and have a meat pie for the first time, while Madness played,my uncles and aunts jived through the house,and my aunt and mum almost got me into drinking champagne, considering I wouldn’t be allowed to spit it out if I didn’t like the taste I didn’t bother,I had a good time but it was a bit too much for me.

Step Aside, for I have Big Rik Energy, carrying on his legacy into the 21st century)

there are no words for how much I adore that pan-global phenomenon or lord of misrule

because of him, I have met new people, I have expanded my creativity, I have improved my performing skills and knowledge of social politics, I’ve realised me and him have a lot in common both from our personalities and personal experiences to his characters,I love watching him, reading him and occasionally visiting him in the realms of lucid dream universes where we perform together,have the odd dance party or cigarette break or times where I can see into the afterlife and there he is chilling in the clouds, he’s like a mentor to me, 

I sometimes joke that he’s like a grandpa, (and a God,but I view that side of him seriously) considering how similar we are despite the fact we have drastically different ages and nationalities (slightly, he’s English and part Scottish-Irish while I’m Irish with maybe a bit of English but I’m not 100% sure),It’s like I’m an apprentice of sorts to him...almost like a reincarnation considering even before I watched the shows he was in I exhibited similar behaviour, personality traits and performing styles.

he’s a good mate/lord of misrule/utter legend 

he has helped teach me to be free, and while sometimes I have off days, and times where I’m lonely and full of regret, I know I’ll have my mates, offline and online, in this universe, in that universe and him.

even if spiritually communicating with him verbally is like a discord call where I do most of the talking, when I’m lucid dreaming with music, there he is, whether it’s old self, his 90s self, his regular self or one of his characters  and sometimes, he talks usually if My Generation by The Who is being played.

Christmas day was when I took that and it was a mixed day,but I stood up for my political beliefs in front of my family for the first time, after negative moments I was able to just my remaining energy to write a poem about how I feel about him, the days after I would read his marvellous book...

 I’ve opened up a lot this year, from new experiences, new people, new media  

and I know now my meaning and I should take pride in it

I am...the peoples poet

the signs are all there, I have many role models/inspirations in my life he is one of the main ones

my purpose is to bring art, peace, love and anarchy into the world

it is a joy to be the people’s poet for the 21st century

I finally know who I want to be

(Divine voice) LOOK AT ME!

Oh boi, West Side Story, that was definitely something (one of the iconic parts, was when I took the photo and instead of cheese I made them say “TANACON!”  (the experience lasted from July 30th to August 4th)

I loved that

I got to know the cast and crew and my fellow production people

I got to read out my poems to a wider audience

I still talk to some of the people from there today

it taught me about the industry, what the production aspect involves and how I’m actually very good at being in a “professional” environment, that and despite being 17, I was treating with respect and like any other “adult” crew member working there.

while Performing Arts had its ups and downs this was one decision I made in regards to the medium which I don’t regret.

Cheers to everyone I knew working there, hope your future projects work well for you~ 

[meadowstoneuk]

What’s top of the pops on the giggle box

The staff of AG discuss their favourite TV comedies and comedians

Picture: Alamy

Garry Coward-Williams, editor

I prefer situation comedy to watching a comic tell ‘jokes’ and the finest for me is Steptoe and Son, written by Ray Galton & Alan Simpson.

It focussed on the dead-end lives of a father and son who ran a rag and bone business in Shepherd’s Bush. Like chalk and cheese, the son’s aspirations and pretentions were dashed against the father’s worldly cunning and desire to keep him from achieving them. It had considerably more depth than normal sitcoms and often dipped into bleak realist drama with some episodes genuinely sad.

Like Steptoe and Son, Garry grew up in Acton and knew people like them Picture: Alamy

The roles were played by accomplished actors not comedians and prior to taking the part of the son Harold, Harry H Corbett had been cited as Britain’s Marlon Brando.

However, it is Wilfred Bramble as Albert, the erasable ‘dirty old man’ that always got my attention. He is gorgeously awful and cunning, yet at times sad and wistful.

amateurgardening.com/blog

Some scenes stick in the mind forever: the one where he’s sitting in a tin bath is the living room eating pickled onions from a jar, which falls into the bathwater. Without a moments hesitation he fishes around in the water, dangerously close to similar-shaped objects and then places the errant onions back in the jar. Later, unknowing of their recent whereabouts, Harold is seen eating them.

Growing up in the Acton/Shepherds Bush area of West London, where the characters were based, gave an extra edge for me.

I knew people like that, who talked like that. There was a rag and bone yard like theirs in the next street and I had to bathe in a tin bath. Luckily I didn’t like picked onions.

  Janey Goulding, assistant editor

Speaking as someone who has spent a massive chunk of my life in questionable flat shares, Peep Show is my touchstone: a TV show that explores the pressures of life wedged in dysfunctional alliances.

Deploying a POV camera to convey the excruciatingly intimate reactions of sparring chums Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb), every last drop of darkly amusing embarrassment is wrung from the comedy sponge of their symbiotic pact.

Peep Show got to some ‘very depraved places’, but Janey is happy with that! Picture: Alamy

Deftly delivered by two real-life friends who know each other well enough to go to some very depraved places together, Peep Show tackles some of the big questions posed by stumbling through life in mutually assured destruction.

Questions like: How do I get someone sectioned? Can a snake be safely left in a bucket at a house party? Is it OK to flirt with someone in front of their coma- induced partner? And how does one wind up eating a dead dog’s leg?

amateurgardening.com/blog

What sets it apart is the writing, setting up fist- chewing faux pas with devastating call and response that ricochets wildly between the mundane and the surreal.

As the ‘El Dude’ brothers grapple with demons in a doomed quest for improbable domestic one-upmanship, Webb’s ability to convey bravado, boredom, tears and hysteria inside a minute is a revelation, while Mitchell’s misanthropic uber-nerd can make us all delight in our own dodgy life choices.

This grimly observed study in friendships is such a good friend to me – like an icky, chewed-up comfort blanket that somehow keeps me strangely snuggly in these wonky, kooky times.

  Kathryn Wilson, features coordinator

At a time when all the trendy teens were into political satire and The Young Ones, my tastes leaned towards comedy in a more gentle, observational and mocking vein. And few did it better than Victoria Wood.

Whether with long-term collaborator Julie Walters and the likes of Celia Imrie and Susie Blake in the BAFTA-winning As Seen on TV, doing stand-up or, later, in sit-com Dinnerladies, she delivered some of the most memorable laughs of my early adolescence, teens and 20s.

Kathryn loves Victoria Wood’s gentle, observational comedy Picture: Alamy

I still find myself quoting the elderly waitress in the classic ‘Two Soups’ sketch, and searching for Acorn Antiques clips on Youtube to show my 13-year-old daughter. Not to mention the unforgettable genius of The Ballad of Barry and Freda –’Be mighty, be flighty, come and melt the buttons on me flame-proof nightie’.

I’m certainly not alone in my admiration for her. Victoria Wood has inspired a generation of female comedians, everyone from Catherine Tate to Sarah Millican, as well as fellow northerner Peter Kay. Her death in 2016 aged just 62 was a tragic loss to British TV and writing this makes me wanted to watch her all over again.

  Ruth Hayes, gardening editor

This was a tricky one as I seem to have spent most of my life laughing like a drain at ridiculously silly stuff on the box. Morcambe and Wise, Flay Otters – sorry, Fawlty Towers – Some Mothers Do Have ‘Em, Acorn Antiques, The Good Life (my dad was the spitting image of Richard Briers), The Young Ones and Are You Being Served, I grew up through a golden (and sometimes dubious) age of TV comedy.

At the moment I’m breaking ribs watching Ricky Gervaise’s profane and profound After Life and the laugh-out-loud genius of Modern Family, the award-winning ‘mockumentary’ about a dysfunctional but loving Californian clan.

Ruth loves Blackadder – Ben Elton and Rowan Atkinson at the peak of their power

But top of the pile? Blackadder. From the Middle Ages to the hard-hitting and moving denouement at The Somme, it never puts a foot wrong.

amateurgardening.com/blog

The best of the four series? It has to be The Elizabethan One, with career-defining turns from Miranda Richadson as imperious (bonkers) Queenie, Rik Mayall as dashingly rampant (or rampantly dashing) Lord Flashheart (‘Woof!’) Stephen Fry’s oleaginous Melchett, Tony Robinson as pestilential Baldrick and Tim McInnerny as the thick-as-mince Percy: “The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed, hasn’t he, Percy?”

Endlessly quotable, faultlessly stupid, with a wit as sharp as a Renaissance assassin’s stiletto, it was Ben Elton and Rowan Atkinson at the peak of their powers.

Now if someone could just explain the appeal of Mrs Brown’s Boys to me I’d be extremely grateful.

  Lesley Upton, features editor

One of the few TV shows that has made me laugh in the past year is The Goes Wrong Show. I really didn’t think I’d like this kind of humour, but it’s done so well that I have laughed out loud during all the episodes.

Lesley loves the chaos of The Goes Wrong Show Picture: BBC

The basic idea of the series is that an amateur dramatic society performs a series of half-hour plays that go horribly wrong each time. The characters are hilarious and the plots are great. The show may seem chaotic at times, but the jokes that are delivered are great and the timing of the disasters is brilliant.

The theatrical disasters in the six-part series are certainly diverse. My favourite is The Spirit of Christmas, in which Santa is supposed to bring joy to a sad little girl whose parents are always arguing, but he drinks too much sherry and ruins everything.

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My second favourite is 90 Degrees, which is set in the American Deep South. Unfortunately, a designer error means that a set has been built at 90° to vertical so the cameras are turned sideways and the actors pretend everything’s normal.

This is British slapstick comedy at its best and I’m delighted that a second season has been commissioned.

  Wendy Humphries, letters editor

I am a fan of Miranda, played and written by the amazingly funny Miranda Hart. Her BBC sitcom ran from 2009 to 20-15 and is based on hilariously accident-prone character whose life is somewhat chaotic and at the same time deeply human.

Miranda gets her happy ending with Gary, much to Wendy’s relief Photo: Alamy

Miranda owns a joke shop that she runs with her childhood friend Stevie, played by Sarah Hadland. You can’t help but sympathise with her dilemmas and predicaments; always finding herself in awkward situations and balking at the ‘suitable’ men her friends and mother (played by Patricia Hodge) try to set up for her.

In series three there was a chance for love for Miranda. And we all wanted a happy ending, whether that was with Gary Barlow, or her old friend Gary the chef. As we’d hoped, Miranda was swept off her feet and married Gary, played by Tom Ellis.

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Everything about Miranda is funny; her mannerisms and expressions and her funny quotes… ‘isn’t this absolutely fabilosibisibos’. The old-fashioned humour and silliness is heightened when she intermittently speaks directly to the audience.

I also think we can all relate to her embarrassing moments too… that we all have.

Since the show ended in 2015, we’ve been treated to a 10-year reunion show My Such Fun Celebration that aired on New Year’s Day. Is this goodbye forever? I hope not, but if it is, thanks Miranda, it’s been “Such fun!”

  We are here for you

Although lockdown is easing, many people are still confined to their homes or concerned about going out because they are vulnerable to catching C19.

Here at AG we appreciate that and are doing our best to keep connected with our readers though the magazine, this website and also through social media.

Our gardening ‘agony uncle’John Negus is also still working hard. Send him your problems and questions, with pictures if you can, and he will get back to you with an answer withing 24 hours, as he has been doing for decades. Contact him using the AG email address at: amateurgardening@ti-media.com

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We already have thriving Facebook page but are also on Twitter and Instagram. These sites are a brilliant way of chatting to people, sharing news, information, pictures and just saying hello –we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Best of all, as gardeners are generally lovely folk, more interested in plants, hedgehogs, tea and cake than political shenanigans and point-scoring, so the chat is friendly and welcoming.

You can find us at:

Facebook: Facebook.com/AmateurGardeningMagazine

Twitter: Twitter.com/TheAGTeam

Instagram: instagram.com/amgardening_mag

So please drop by, follow us, ‘like’our posts and say hello –we will reply as soon as we can. Happy gardening!

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[coolgirl32]

What did Jacqulyn and her family do while Freddy was at howlington academy

Well Abby was at preschool and Jacqulyn and flashheart we're at the doctor's office Jacqulyn has been feeling very ill lately so flashheart decided to take her to the doctors and while they were at the doctor Rachel was with her boyfriend and his band they were practicing for a new song for tonight's concert. While at the doctor Jacqulyn and her husband flashheart we're waiting for the results when the doctor came back he told them that Jacqulyn was pregnant they were surprised by this but very happy. While in Milford City Hotspur is having lunch with his wife Maggie they were both talking about some bills they needed to pay that's when Maggie got a text from Jacqulyn saying that she is pregnant Maggie was shocked and very happy for her friend so when she told Hotspur he was a bit shocked but very happy for his big brother and sister-in-law when they all went to the manor to celebrate lady and Lord hightail arrived with a gift basket it turns out Maggie told lady and Lord hightail about Jacqulyn's pregnancy so when lady and Lord hightail gave Jacqulyn and flashheart a gift basket with baby gifts they were shocked and surprised it also happy they hugged lady and Lord hightail and thank them for the baby gift at the end of the day they all celebrated by having a big pizza party they then called Freddy and told him what happened Freddy was excited that he is going to be a big brother and that there will be a baby boy or a baby girl in the house Abby was very excited that she was going to be a big sister and she found out of course she was a little scared that she won't get the attention anymore but that is okay because she'll have a little sibling to take care of.

Maggie stood up and told everyone that she has a announcement to make she then told everyone that she is also pregnant everyone was shocked and Hotspur asked her when did she find out and how long did she knew she told him and everyone else that she found out this morning and she wanted it to be a surprise and it was everyone can congratulated her also lady and Lord hightail had another baby gift basket for Maggie and Hotspur so when they told Harriet and chariot they were both happy that they were going to have a little baby brother or sister. So when 9 months came after Freddy's graduation at howlington academy and after the big fight against Rick and the evil wolf hunters Jacqulyn and Maggie both gave birth to a baby boy and girl Jacqulyn and flashheart name their son Liam and Maggie and Hotspur name their daughter Alice everyone was excited to meet the two new babies who were born under a blue moon Freddy was mostly excited because he finally has a little baby brother Harriet And chariot we're both very excited about having a new baby sister the Doom wolves then played a soft sweet song for the two babies Rachel of course sang the song that her mom saying to her when she was a baby

After the celebration was over they all went home and they were all glad that the day was finally a good day now the big question was what do they do now Jacqulyn then told everyone that maybe Freddy could go to her old school just check it out to see if he likes it flashheart thought it was a good idea plus he wanted to see what his wife's old school looked like.

Okay so I hope everybody likes this also I'll be doing another post