Having been dreaming, scheming and working on this little project for months with a couple of friends (the illustrious Tim Plyming and the multi-talented radio producer John Sugar), it is with great excitement that we can now announce the release of this new 30 minute radio-documentary style programme: (more…)
This week we follow Bernard as he comes to terms with some of the realities of political life, usually as a result of the instructions from his mentor and overlord, Sir Humphrey…
Travelling somewhere always gives time for catching up on one of my favourite pastimes, New Yorker reading. A month ago there was a fascinating article about the neuroscientist, David Eagleman by Burkhard Bilger. Eagleman is the author Sum, one of most weirdly compelling books I’ve ever read. (more…)
This week we witness some moments where Jim Hacker, Minister and then Prime Minister, struggles to master the tricks of the Civil Service Trade…
While I think they are useful things, there is such a thing as too heavy a reliance on concordances. Too often people are far too quick to draw all kinds of conclusions about something on the flimsy basis of a few apparently parallel references. However, within certain parameters, they can really be helpful. As, I think, is the case here. (more…)
I’d never heard of Arthur Stace before a week ago. But that’s because I have never visited, let alone lived in, Sydney, Australia. But he left an extraordinary, even weird, but compelling legacy. For he was converted to Christianity as the result of walking into a Sydney church in 1930 and hearing a sermon by R. B. S. Hammond. Two years later he heard another sermon from John Ridley entitled “echoes of eternity”. (more…)
Have decided to start a new regular slot: Friday Fun. Well, the weekend is just round the corner so why not?
This week we have some lessons from Sir Humphrey Appleby, that great mandarin of mandarins. (more…)
This is doing the rounds but definitely worth a view if you’ve not yet done so… (more…)
One of life’s great joys is Radio 3’s CD Review every Saturday morning. And every now and then, it is a wonderful source for discovering previously unheard gems. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a segment about Baltic Choral music. And I was gripped by the music of Latvian Eriks Esenvalds. I’d never heard of him until that moment. But I’m now a total convert. (more…)
Here’s a couple of great, revealing, and on-the-ball cartoons from a recent New Yorker (18th April 2011). Fantastic, as ever. This time the genii responsible are Tom Cheney and Bruce Eric Kaplan. (more…)
I’ve just found this in my drafts box having obviously never posted it. So better late than never…
It wasn’t particularly by design, but over Christmas and New Year, I found myself in the company of spies. I read and thoroughly enjoyed Le Carré’s latest, Our Kind of Traitor. (more…)
Last weekend was a weekend of weddings. There was a certain wedding down the road from us on Friday; we went to a lovely, small family wedding in deepest darkest Herefordshire on Saturday; and I was preaching on the GREAT wedding of Revelation 22 at All Souls on Sunday. But I’m not going to talk about any of them now.
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