Short Trips and Side Steps.

 

TV Find above an absolutely adorable short trip to herald the release of Season 22 to BD. When I watched these again in situ (gods) nearly ten years ago, I found them to be pretty middling, mostly because the approach to producing forty-five minutes episodes amounted to stretching the content of a half hour instalment to fill the time rather than increase the richness of the story or incident which leads to moments like the one in Timelash were the Doctor and Peri are parked in a green room uncomfortably waiting for the next bit of plot to arrive.

This release includes A Fix With Sontarans which should be quite controversial if it features as is could be a source of controversy.  The chance are, as Martin Belam  says, it'll be topped and tailed somehow, perhaps fading out just as Tegan shouts "Doctor, look at the screen ..." providing a cliffhanger.  The "story" was also mentioned in a documentary on the special features about the hiatus.  Will they keep that in or will we lose Colin's intriguing line, "J---- S------ is much more frightening than the Sontarans, much more.  I will leave it at that."  Oh.

Blue Monday Links.

[Editor's Note:  This will be the last of the daily link posts.  I was going to try for the year, but without a particular focus it's taking too much of the day to do and stopped being fun.  Hope you've enjoyed it and be assured, if I'm still here, Christmas Links will be back in December.]

Radio 4 and Radio 3 explore the legacy of Modernism:
BBC Media Centre:  "Marking 100 years since the publication of Ulysses, Radio 4 and Radio 3 explore Modernism’s big bang - and its aftershocks - in a season of programmes."

The scandalous history behind one post box in Liverpool city centre:

Lee Grimsditch:  "The rare object is a reminder of one of the biggest scandals of the 20th Century."

Did Burt Reynolds Dump Horse Manure from a Helicopter on National Enquirer’s Christmas Tree?

Madison Dapcevich:  "The actor said he was sick of the crap coverage."

Melanie Lynskey Is Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore. Maybe.

EJ Dickson:  "The ‘Yellowjackets’ star has gone from character actor to leading lady thanks to her singular ability to project simmering rage beneath a placid exterior."

There’s nothing worse than a restaurant that makes you feel like an old git:

Jay Rayner:  "Give us over-50s a menu we can read, grownup waiters and the chance to hold a conversation. It’s not too much to ask – and it makes business sense too."

Sunday Links

Wait, Who Are the Eternals?

Nola Pfau:  "The 2021 MCU entry is finally streaming on Disney+. Here’s what you need to know before hitting play."

Southport Lifeboat: £1.4m station opens after three-year construction:
BBC News: "The £1.4m building has been paid for entirely by public donations on behalf of the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust."

Play mini golf to see how politicians tilt elections using maps:

Dylan Moriarty and Joe Fox:  "Politicians in all but a few states have something urgent to quarrel about these days: maps! Control of the U.S. House is on the line — or within the lines. Here’s the deal: The once-a-decade census determines how many people from each state go to Washington, D.C. And states get to fiddle with the boundaries of those congressional districts. How the maps are drawn can make a big difference in which party winds up on top."

A Brief Investigation into Recording Dates for Are You Being Served?

John Hoare:  "At the end of last year, we talked a little about how some sitcoms were shot far closer to transmission than I ever expected. But sometimes, such stories just seem a little too unbelievable. Take Are You Being Served? – or, specifically, Wikipedia’s episode guide for the show. If you scan your eyes down that list until you reach Series 5, you will come across something rather odd."

Skytrain to Stratford-upon-Avon:  James Shapiro, interviewed by Daniel Drake:

Daniel Drake:  “I sometimes imagine a future in which Shakespeare’s plays have lost their edge, no longer speak to us. That won’t be in my lifetime.”

Ben Affleck, at the top of his game:

Leah Greenblatt:  "The actor-director has seen fame from both sides now — and he's ready to talk (with Matt Damon, and us) about it."

A Library the Internet Can’t Get Enough Of:

Kate Dwyer:  "Why does this image keep resurfacing on social media?"

Rosie Holt: the satirist whose ‘Tory MP’ video had so many fooled:

James Tapper:  "She began creating them as an outlet during the first lockdown, now the actress’s spoof sketches are a massive internet hit."

Jeremy Sisto on ‘Law & Order’ in ‘FBI’s Universe and Jubal’s ‘International’ Connection:

Meredith Jacobs:  "Jeremy Sisto, now in his fourth season as Assist. Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine on FBI, was no stranger to Dick Wolf‘s (ever-growing) TV universe before he joined the CBS procedural. In fact, Law & Order, on which he played Detective Cyrus Lupo from 2008 to 2010, is coming back for its 21st (!) season on February 24 on NBC."

'Encanto' is a Beautiful, Brilliant, Broken Mess:

Laurie Penny:  "Yes, we're going to Talk About Bruno."