Neil Drysdale
@neildrysdale.bsky.social
Aberdeen-based author, ghostwriter and crossword compiler. “Simmy”, the autobiography of Neil Simpson, will be published on May 11, 2026. Now looking for other book projects. [email protected]
I’ve watched the first episodes of two new TV series, based around Sherlock Holmes: “Mademoiselle Holmes”, which I liked, and “Watson”, which I’m more ambivalent about (though Robert Carlyle turns up later as Holmes). I wrote this about Arthur Conan Doyle! conandoyleestate.com/news/insight...
The Conan Doyle Estate, Arthur Conan Doyle's adventures as featured in The Press and Journal
We were contacted recently by a feature writer - Neil Drysdale of the Press and Journal, who was keen to write a piece about the 140th anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?s journey on the whaling sh...
conandoyleestate.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:21 PM
I’ve watched the first episodes of two new TV series, based around Sherlock Holmes: “Mademoiselle Holmes”, which I liked, and “Watson”, which I’m more ambivalent about (though Robert Carlyle turns up later as Holmes). I wrote this about Arthur Conan Doyle! conandoyleestate.com/news/insight...
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
This is like when Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove Made Orwell Prize Judge Despite Record of Attacking Journalists and Dodging Scrutiny
Critics say "Orwell would have enjoyed the irony" of the former Conservative minister's appointment
bylinetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
This is like when Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
Happy 83rd birthday to Billy Connolly. Here’s the story of how he and Gerry Rafferty appeared at an Arbroath club for the princely sum of £28. Within two years, they were on “Parkinson” and “Top of the Pops.”https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/past-times/2275831/arbroath-billy-connolly-gerry-rafferty/
Were you at the Arbroath folk club where Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty performed for £28?
It was a venue which attracted the cream of the crop through its doors during the Swinging Sixties - including several Scots who subsequently earned
www.thecourier.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Happy 83rd birthday to Billy Connolly. Here’s the story of how he and Gerry Rafferty appeared at an Arbroath club for the princely sum of £28. Within two years, they were on “Parkinson” and “Top of the Pops.”https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/past-times/2275831/arbroath-billy-connolly-gerry-rafferty/
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
For a fleeting moment, the clouds perfectly mirrored the peaks of Manaslu (the 8th highest mountain in the world).
#stunday #eastcoastkin #photography #nature #classicmono #monochrome #blackandwhite #b&W #art #clouds #cloudscape #nepal #hiking #sunday #bluesky #scape #landscape #mountains #sky
#stunday #eastcoastkin #photography #nature #classicmono #monochrome #blackandwhite #b&W #art #clouds #cloudscape #nepal #hiking #sunday #bluesky #scape #landscape #mountains #sky
November 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
For a fleeting moment, the clouds perfectly mirrored the peaks of Manaslu (the 8th highest mountain in the world).
#stunday #eastcoastkin #photography #nature #classicmono #monochrome #blackandwhite #b&W #art #clouds #cloudscape #nepal #hiking #sunday #bluesky #scape #landscape #mountains #sky
#stunday #eastcoastkin #photography #nature #classicmono #monochrome #blackandwhite #b&W #art #clouds #cloudscape #nepal #hiking #sunday #bluesky #scape #landscape #mountains #sky
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
TV tonight: the terrifying story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s Iran detention
TV tonight: the terrifying story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s Iran detention
Narges Rashidi and Joseph Fiennes star in a tense drama. Plus: Chris McCausland tries a self-driving car and glasses that talk. Here’s what to watch this evening
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:54 AM
TV tonight: the terrifying story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s Iran detention
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
I’d have thought nothing cuts more against our precious British values than selling out your country for Russian bribes…
And yet Reform, the right‑wing press, and all those self‑styled guardians of these values have nothing to say
…funny that.
And yet Reform, the right‑wing press, and all those self‑styled guardians of these values have nothing to say
…funny that.
November 23, 2025 at 12:00 PM
I’d have thought nothing cuts more against our precious British values than selling out your country for Russian bribes…
And yet Reform, the right‑wing press, and all those self‑styled guardians of these values have nothing to say
…funny that.
And yet Reform, the right‑wing press, and all those self‑styled guardians of these values have nothing to say
…funny that.
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
Newmarket MP Matt Hancock gave a £37bn Covid testing contract to Jockey Club director Dido Harding, who subcontracted it to Grand National sponsor Randox, employer of Tory MP Owen Paterson, whose late wife chaired Aintree racecourse. That's how the Tories handled the pandemic.
November 22, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Newmarket MP Matt Hancock gave a £37bn Covid testing contract to Jockey Club director Dido Harding, who subcontracted it to Grand National sponsor Randox, employer of Tory MP Owen Paterson, whose late wife chaired Aintree racecourse. That's how the Tories handled the pandemic.
I visited AberNecessities, the Aberdeen-based charity which is working tirelessly to help families and children in the region. Demand for their services has doubled in the last year and there has been an alarming rise in women fleeing domestic abuse! www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle...
Behind the scenes at AberNecessities: 'We're a small team tackling a doubling in demand'
The north east charity is tackling 'huge' issues, but is doing its utmost to help families in the build-up to Christmas.
www.pressandjournal.co.uk
November 22, 2025 at 12:34 PM
I visited AberNecessities, the Aberdeen-based charity which is working tirelessly to help families and children in the region. Demand for their services has doubled in the last year and there has been an alarming rise in women fleeing domestic abuse! www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle...
This is a quite beautiful love letter by Anthony Quinn to his late and much-missed wife Rachel Cooke. It also confirms something I’ve always felt about Rick Stein. But, above all, it is a wonderfully-written tribute to a very gifted journalist!
observer.co.uk/style/featur... absolutely beautiful piece about Rachel Cooke by her husband.
‘Her amazing smile was undimmed, and I would try anything to summon it’ | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:06 PM
This is a quite beautiful love letter by Anthony Quinn to his late and much-missed wife Rachel Cooke. It also confirms something I’ve always felt about Rick Stein. But, above all, it is a wonderfully-written tribute to a very gifted journalist!
Very pleased that Denis Law’s family asked Fiona Kennedy to sing “Auld Lang Syne” at the Lawman’s memorial service in Aberdeen. In a week when football lifted our spirits in Scotland, that portrait of Denis also made me smile. Sport’s importance can be overstated, but sometimes it really matters!
November 21, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Very pleased that Denis Law’s family asked Fiona Kennedy to sing “Auld Lang Syne” at the Lawman’s memorial service in Aberdeen. In a week when football lifted our spirits in Scotland, that portrait of Denis also made me smile. Sport’s importance can be overstated, but sometimes it really matters!
As Aberdeen freezes, here’s a look at how the Dons have dealt with winter’s worst over the years. There was a famous game in January 1984 when the Aberdeen v St Johnstone contest was abandoned at half time- with the hosts winning 3-0! www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/past-time...
In photos: How Aberdeen FC dealt with winter's worst over the years
The Dons have always been used to freezing winter and blizzard conditions, but sometimes the weather won the day.
www.pressandjournal.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 6:08 PM
As Aberdeen freezes, here’s a look at how the Dons have dealt with winter’s worst over the years. There was a famous game in January 1984 when the Aberdeen v St Johnstone contest was abandoned at half time- with the hosts winning 3-0! www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/past-time...
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
The report into Boris Johnson’s record during the Covid epidemic blames a ‘toxic, sexist and chaotic culture’ in Downing Street. Who’d have thought it?
November 20, 2025 at 6:28 PM
The report into Boris Johnson’s record during the Covid epidemic blames a ‘toxic, sexist and chaotic culture’ in Downing Street. Who’d have thought it?
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, the Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, dies aged 63
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, the Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, dies aged 63
Ian Brown and Tim Burgess were among those to pay tribute to Mani, whose death was announced by his brother and nephew
Gary “Mani” Mounfield, best known as a founding member and bassist of the Stone Roses, has died aged 63. The cause of death has not been shared.
His brother Greg Mounfield posted the news on Facebook: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce the sad passing of my brother.” His nephew also shared the news. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, the Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, dies aged 63
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
In related news, the claim ‘the Tooth Fairy does not actually take lost baby teeth from under pillows’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that magical beings are secretly thieving teeth in the dead of night…”
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
CDC backpedals on vaccines and autism, despite earlier assurances from RFK Jr.
The CDC, under the direction of an unqualified health secretary, is now promoting claims that flunk Logic 101.
www.ms.now
November 20, 2025 at 8:43 PM
In related news, the claim ‘the Tooth Fairy does not actually take lost baby teeth from under pillows’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that magical beings are secretly thieving teeth in the dead of night…”
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
VERY funny that Labour are being pointlessly cruel and haemorrhaging support from their base and yet none of what they're offering is ever going to be enough for the people whose approval they're seeking, WHO could have predicted it
November 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM
VERY funny that Labour are being pointlessly cruel and haemorrhaging support from their base and yet none of what they're offering is ever going to be enough for the people whose approval they're seeking, WHO could have predicted it
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
Trump calls for Democratic members of Congress to be hanged
November 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Trump calls for Democratic members of Congress to be hanged
The BBC newsreader just told us “there are only 35 sleeps until Christmas”. Does she think we’re all infants?!
November 20, 2025 at 1:34 PM
The BBC newsreader just told us “there are only 35 sleeps until Christmas”. Does she think we’re all infants?!
Scotland’s footballers are celebrating after qualifying for the World Cup for the first time this century. As somebody who followed the Scots through six campaigns from 1974 to 1998, I’ve taken a look back. Talk about an emotional roller-coaster! www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/689...
November 19, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Scotland’s footballers are celebrating after qualifying for the World Cup for the first time this century. As somebody who followed the Scots through six campaigns from 1974 to 1998, I’ve taken a look back. Talk about an emotional roller-coaster! www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/689...
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school
‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school
Bafta-winning director among contemporaries urging contrition and apology from Reform UK leader, who denies the allegations
Portrait: Tom Pilston
It is the hectoring tone, the “jeering quality”, in Nigel Farage’s voice today that brings it all back for Peter Ettedgui. “He would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right,’ or ‘Gas them,’ sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers,” Ettedgui says of his experience of being in a class with Farage at Dulwich college in south London.
Ettedgui, 61, is a Bafta- and Emmy-winning director and producer whose credits include Kinky Boots, McQueen and Super/Man: the Christopher Reeve Story. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
Nail varnish for people with six fingers. Eyeshadow for people with three eyes. Instructions in Gobbledegook
It’s all total bullshit. Stop listening to corporate liars and charlatans. Be the boy who dared tell the emperor he was naked
November 18, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Nail varnish for people with six fingers. Eyeshadow for people with three eyes. Instructions in Gobbledegook
Reposted by Neil Drysdale
At least people have stopped asking when Trump will pivot, when he is clearly getting worse.
people.com/donald-trump...
people.com/donald-trump...
Donald Trump Snaps at Female Reporter Who Asks About Epstein Files: 'Quiet Piggy'
Donald Trump Says 'Quiet Piggy' to Female Reporter Asking About Epstein Files
people.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM
At least people have stopped asking when Trump will pivot, when he is clearly getting worse.
people.com/donald-trump...
people.com/donald-trump...
The Ashes start on Friday in Perth. This was a treat: tracking down Fianach Lawry, the daughter of Douglas Jardine, who led England to a comprehensive 4-1 series in Australia in 1932-33. Fianach told me: “My father was always very proud of his Scottish roots!” www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-re...
The real Douglas Jardine
Neil Drysdale talks to the daughter of Douglas Jardine, the man who was the hero or villain, depending on your allegiances, of Bodyline
www.espncricinfo.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
The Ashes start on Friday in Perth. This was a treat: tracking down Fianach Lawry, the daughter of Douglas Jardine, who led England to a comprehensive 4-1 series in Australia in 1932-33. Fianach told me: “My father was always very proud of his Scottish roots!” www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-re...