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Sarfraz Manzoor

@sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social

10K followers 930 following 840 posts

I am a screenwriter (Blinded by the Light), author (Greetings from Bury Park, They), journalist (Guardian, Times and lots of others), I teach at UCL and am working on my first stage play. Mostly though I am a husband and father of two young children.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 4h

I'm just a boy standing in front of a screenwriter and actress telling them I loved their film.

Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

The Observer @theobserveruk.bsky.social · 2d

"The shadow justice secretary has railed against the lack of integration in parts of Britain. But it’s the ‘flag-bothering patriots’ who don’t want to mix", writes @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social.

Read their full piece now: https://bit.ly/4mWSYtp

Yes, Robert Jenrick, we have an integration problem: raci...

The shadow justice secretary has railed against the lack of integration in parts of Britain. But it’s the ‘flag-bothering patriots’ who don’t want to mix

bit.ly

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 2d

Such a wise man

Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 2d

He’s called Jihad, he pleaded allegiance to Islamic State.. if only there had been some clues …

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 2d

Manchester synagogue terrorist pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 999 call

Police say Jihad al-Shamie made call to emergency services during attack that resulted in the deaths of two worshippers The Manchester synagogue terrorist rang 999 during his deadly attack pledging allegiance to the terror group Islamic State, police have said. Jihad al-Shamie, 35, made the call claiming responsibility for the attack after driving his car at worshippers outside Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur last week. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 2d

I have written a very serious piece about Robert Jenrick for The Observer. observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

Robert Jenrick is right, we have an integration problem: ...

The shadow chancellor has railed against the lack of integration in parts of Britain. But it’s the ‘flag-bothering patriots’ who don’t want to mix

observer.co.uk

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 3d

the comments below this are properly hilarious.

Ricardo Autobahn @ricardoautobahn.co.uk · 4d

This is the maddest tour I've ever seen in my life. It seems like he's doing more gigs than there are days in the year.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 3d

The Tories seem to have booked the world's worst ventriloquist for their party conference.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 4d

You know you’re old when you can remember when the Green Party spent their time campaigning to protect the environment.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 5d

Life moves pretty fast.

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Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

Alexander Brown @alexofbrown.bsky.social · 5d

Speaking at a fringe event at Tory conference, Andy Burnham says Manchester was the place for “24 hour party people until Downing Street took that crown off us during the pandemic”

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Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

Glennyrodge @glennyrodge.bsky.social · 6d

“Select all squares containing J D Salinger books” - CAPTCHA in the Rye.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 6d

Seems a bit extreme when you can still pick up a copy at your local newsagents.

Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 7d

What do you all think of the new Taylor Swift album then?

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 9d

I’m feeling bad for all those big comedians who thought they were performing at the Reading Comedy Festival and then learnt they were on their way to Saudi Arabia.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 10d

This is from the FT. Farage yesterday, Musk today- I am liking this punchier Labour government.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 10d

I went to Toulouse a couple of weeks ago to interview Wendy James from Transvision Vamp for The Guardian. She was very entertaining company and I tried to convey that in my piece. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/o...

Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10d

Transvision Vamp’s Wendy James on scandals, reunions and her beef with Elvis Costello

She became an 80s pop icon – and a media hate figure. Now, reforming her group after more than 30 years, James recalls her painful path through through the music business, surviving ‘Harvey Weinstein-type’ situations, and working with punk’s finest

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

John Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 10d

Keir Starmer's speech, all 6,300 words of it, in full docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Keir Starmer conference speech 2025

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Speech at Labour Party Conference 2025 ***CHECKED AGAINST DELIVERY*** Thank you, Thank you, conference. Thank you Figen, thank you Pooja for leading by example...

docs.google.com

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 10d

I actually thought that was a pretty good Starmer speech to be honest.

Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 11d

Very good stuff from Sadiq Khan at the Labour Irish society event. He said there are two reasons he loves coming to Labour Conference.

“One is the reception at the Labour Party Irish Society reception.

“The second is to get away from all the Sharia Law in London”

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Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

La Reine des Metaphores @metaphorqu.bsky.social · 11d

A very ! long time ago I was teaching 14 year olds- I was all of 23. One girl was the top girl, and she gave me much grief by saying "miss, I can do better than that". So eventuallyI said "go on then, get it over with". She lasted 10 minutes, and then left me in peace
Over to Andy?

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 11d

I wish British political journalism did not give quite so much attention to polls about an election that might not take place till 2029.

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Reposted by Sarfraz Manzoor

Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 12d

First time this guy has ever made me laugh

Comedian Tim Dillon said on his podcast last month that he signed up for financial reasons.
He said he had been offered "a large sum of money" - $375,000 for one performance - and said that other comedians had been offered as much as $1.6 million. He told his detractors to "get over it," adding, "So what if they have slaves, they're paying me enough to look the other way."
But in an episode of the Tim Dillon Podcast last week, the comedian announced he'd been removed from the lineup for the comments he made about the country's record on slavery.

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Sarfraz Manzoor @sarfrazmanzoor.bsky.social · 11d

I’m in a cafe trying to work and someone is having an uncomfortably blunt work appraisal at a nearby restaurant table which is both very entertaining and distracting.