For some reason the old story about the man who walks into a Doctor's surgery with a duck on his head is springing to mind.

Took a running flying kick at what I thought was a piece of cardboard lying on the ground. Turned out to be a piece of lead pipe cemented into the earth, revealed by recent roadworks. I went 'bong' and vibrated like Tom Cat in Tom and Jerry when Spike punches him.

The one that asks the question - 'what if he CAN'T fix everything?' The one where the cavalry actually fails to come galloping over the hill. The one - and I'd say it's fairly unique in all of DW, at least on telly - that dares to say 'abandon hope, it's all over'. Bloody hell.

The most Edward Gorey dog in existence.

E.T Thorngren worked on this - part of my favourite band's Imperial Phase. A run of albums so astonishingly good it takes my breath away. youtube.com/watch?v=VFb7Rt…

Worked on 'Babylon and On' and 'Frank'. Two albums that have meant an awful lot to me over the years. Rest in Peace.

When, in a generation or so, a radio-active, cigar-smoking child, picnicking on Saturn, asks you what reading comics in the 80s was like, show them THIS - catastrophic printers error that hit 'Mighty World of Marvel' - every copy of this I saw. It's like this right through.

Bashful Benjy aka The Thing is far and away my favourite comics character. There's him, then *everybody* else. Why? Do you really have to ask?

The one that got me into them was the one-off where Kitty, left alone at the school, ends up fighting off a Xenomorph in a story that wasn't a rip-off of Alien, oh no. Nonetheless, it dragged me in and kept me there. Mighty World of Marvel reprint, if memory serves.

I've woken up with an odd urge to hear the pit orchestra from The Muppet Show playing 'Peaches En Regalia' by Frank Zappa. He can be quite Muppety at the best of times, as has been pointed out before, but this one's splendidly so. youtube.com/watch?v=RGQxI0…

His argument with Wallace Greenslade in The Goon Show is one of my favourite bits of comedy ever. Two absolute masters of deadpan with all the affronted dignity a pair of senior BBC announcers can manage.

I've just remembered a classic bit of Skues from his Sunday night show, in which he manages to channel both Peel and Fluff at the same time - 'And coming up next, we have some Pinkerton's Assorted Colours (pause) or would be, but we only have one vinyl deck in the studio...'

Bloody hell. Steve Albini. It's hard to take it in. The shock of this one... god.

'King of the Castle'. HTV doing what it did best - scaring the little buggers to death. One of the oddest, most unnerving, most downright *strange* things anyone's ever broadcast. After you've seen it, two words - 'I won't' - will wake you up in the dead of night for years.

The final week of Craig Ferguson's run on 'The Late Late Show', all in one easy-to-digest wallop. This is a valuable public service, I can't help but feel. youtube.com/watch?v=5YvK7r…

Fake Monet and Renoirs identified on ebay. You mean the description 'absolutely genuine! Look!' with two little eyeballs instead of the 'o's in 'Look!' didn’t fool anyone? theguardian.com/artanddesign/a…

Punishment Custard. Smile on Terra Alpha, or Helen A's going to subject you to this particularly grisly death.

It was a shortlived but passionate affair, back in 1984. Me and Laser558. I'd have done anything for them. A chap called Steve Bannister is now licensed to broadcast repeats, with the original jocks possibly recording new shows. Listen here laser558.live/schedules/

Just listened to this - Big Finish's 'Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity 2023' winner. It's lovely. A sweet, engaging central character, a gentle & charming premise. Paul Davis a thoroughly deserving winner. Highly recommended. Get it for free at bigfinish.com/releases/v/doc…

The anticipation of a new Ultimate release. God, how did they do that? Every single time out. Possibly because they really *were* that good. I'm sure my little Spectrum 48k was pushed to its very limits by the stuff they got it to do. The best of the best. Well, them and Level 9.