Darren Ross
LightNews LightNews
banner
dazzaross.bsky.social
Darren Ross
@dazzaross.bsky.social
74 followers 21 following 170 posts
Wearsider in London. Insurtech developer by day, writer by night. Also @dazzaross on Mastodon and Pixelfed.

Some of my work: https://linktr.ee/dazzaross

Recommend 'The Hour of Absinthe': https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-hour-of-absinthe/nina-s-studer
Posts Replies Media Videos
dazzaross.bsky.social
A Ghost In Your Ear matinee at the Hampstead. Disappointing for me. An unoriginal mix of The Woman in Black, Ringu, The Dead Room and Darkfield's binaural performances. The narrative element takes place in the Pennines yet all northern characters are, yet again, deleted from the story.
Poster for A Ghost In Your Ear inside the Hampstead Theatre with stairs leading up to the ground floor and the curving wall of the interior theatre looming up on the right.
January 24, 2026 at 10:01 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
The Rivals at @orangetreetheatre.bsky.social tonight, starring Patricia Hodge, Robert Bathurst, Kit Young & Zoe Brough. Superb performances all round. One of the funniest comedies I've ever seen. A brilliant 10/10 production.

#Culture #TheatreSky
Art deco design and gold text on a blackboard advertising THE RIVALS.
January 23, 2026 at 1:17 AM
dazzaross.bsky.social
UK preview of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms at the BFI tonight, followed by Q&A with Ira Parker, Peter Claffey, Dexter Sol Ansell, moderated by Jamie East.

#AKnightOfTheSevenKingdoms #AKOTSK #GOT #London
Jamie East, Ira Parker, Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey sitting in a row on a stage, with a large, promotional poster for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, projected onto the screen behind them. Close up. Jamie East, Ira Parker, Dexter Sol Ansell and Peter Claffey sitting in a row on a stage, with a large, promotional poster for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, projected onto the screen behind them. Zoomed out.
January 16, 2026 at 11:19 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Visited vegan restaurant Unity Diner in Shoreditch tonight. Food was sensationally good. 10/10 recommendation from me. Definitely going back to try their vegan carvery on a Sunday.

#London #PlantBased #Vegan #Veganuary
White neon sign in window: 100% VEGAN DINER & COCKTAIL BAR. Top right, sign with UNITY DINER in white, lit letters. Night.
January 14, 2026 at 8:52 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Watched the annual blessing of the River Thames. Joint processions by St. Magnus the Martyr and Southwark Cathedral, meeting in the middle of London Bridge.

#London
Ecclesiastical members in robes and surpluses walking across a bridge, one holding an image. Gloomy day.
January 11, 2026 at 4:30 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Press night for High Noon at the Pinter tonight, starring Billy Crudup, Denise Gough, Billy Howle, Rosa Salazar. Good play with theme of Americans standing up to thieves, liars and murderers. Red carpet with Pierce Brosnan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helen Mirren, and many more.

#HighNoonPlay #TheatreSky
Dame Helen Mirren and Anne-Marie Duff pose for photographs. Pierce Brosnan in suit poses for photos. Front of theatre with HIGH NOON in orange letters on blue, lit hoarding. Crowd in front of theatre. Night. HIGH NOON in big, orange letters on blue, illuminated hoarding on theatre, with THE HAROLD PINTER THEATRE on a sign below it.
January 10, 2026 at 12:05 AM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Dreikönigskuchen baked for Dreikönigstag.

#Epiphany #TwelfthNight
A brioche-like bread. Circle in the middle surrounded by 8 smaller circles of bread, topped with flaked almonds.
January 6, 2026 at 10:48 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Fox and magpie enjoying Highgate Cemetery today.
Fox, foreground, eating food off ground in front of row of catacombs. Background, a magpie also on the ground.
January 1, 2026 at 10:16 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
New Year's Day. 1st visit to Highgate Cemetery. Beautifully gothic graves and statuary in what is almost a forest. Saw foxes, magpies, robins and wrens. The guided tour was superb. If you've never been, just go - it's a nature and history lovers delight.

#HighgateCemetery #History #KarlMarx #London
Curved avenue of stone catacombs with fox in foreground. Day. Gloomy, imposing entrance to a tunnel, with ivy and plants hanging on all sides. Large block of granite with huge bust of Karl Marx atop. Day. Large tomb with carved statue of sleeping lion atop. Day.
January 1, 2026 at 9:20 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Astonished to see a kingfisher in Highgate today.

#Birds #London
Kingfisher sitting on a branch, looking down. Thick twigs from branch to left. Sunny. Day.
January 1, 2026 at 5:36 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Final play of the year - matinee of A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic. Good when it stuck to Dickens' superb original, poor when it used Jack Thorne's horribly clunking, expositional, vastly inferior script. Talented cast. Paul Hilton good as always. Staging and music superb.
Front of theatre with THE OLD VIC in white across the top and A CHRISTMAS CAROL in reddish, neon letters above entrance. Early evening.
December 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Since Bird Photography is trending, here's another photo of the robin we spotted on Boxing Day in the Barbican Wildlife Garden.

#BirdOfTheDay #Birds #BranchingOut #London
Robin sitting on a branch looking like an Angry Bird.
December 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Spotted what appears to be a sparrowhawk in the Barbican Wildlife Garden (@barbicanwildlife.bsky.social).
Sparrowhawk up in a tree staring down. Late afternoon.
December 30, 2025 at 5:04 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
A very friendly robin this Boxing Day in the Barbican Wildlife Garden (@barbicanwildlife.bsky.social).

#Birds #London #Wildlife
Robin sitting on a branch. Day.
December 26, 2025 at 10:09 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
The office was closed in a twinkling, and the clerk, with the long ends of his white comforter dangling below his waist (for he boasted no great-coat), went down a slide on Cornhill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas Eve. - A Christmas Carol

#Christmas
Porticoed and pillared classic building with pillars illuminated with yellow lights. Christmas tree before it. Tall office building in background disappears into low cloud. Early evening.
December 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Visited the sort of appropriately-named Goulston Street to see this vampiric new invader.

#GothicLondon #Invader #InvaderWasHere #NewInvasion #StreetArt
8-bit art of vampire on a brick wall. Day.
December 22, 2025 at 2:21 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Spotted an invader on Commercial Street in London.

#Invader #InvaderWasHere #NewInvasion #StreetArt
Poster-like Invader art by first floor window above a doorway covered in brightly coloured graffiti with a pink unicorn.
December 22, 2025 at 2:08 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Winter Solstice - the Venerable Bede's Mōdraniht - in the City of London.

#Christmas #London #Midwinter #Yule
Christmas tree sparsely lit with golden illuminations between two pillars covered in bright, golden lights. Illuminated Christmas tree beneath ceiling of rich, Victorian indoor hall. Christmas tree gleaming with white illuminations on balcony between two pillars. Classical building with eight pillars, illuminated with many golden lights, reflected in a wet London street at night.
December 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Fallen Angels at The Menier Chocolate Factory tonight. 100 years old & as funny as when Noël Coward wrote it. Superb comedic performances from Janie Dee, Alexandra Gilbreath, Christopher Hollis, Richard Teverson, Sarah Twomey & Graham Vick. V funny, hugely recommended.

#Culture #London #TheatreSky
Art deco chair and side table on stage.
December 20, 2025 at 10:54 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Preview of The Room in the Tower at the BFI tonight, this year's A Ghost Story for Christmas, adapted from E. F. Benson, followed by Q&A with Dr. Matthew Sweet, Mark Gatiss and Ben Mansfield. It's a decent effort, creepy and nicely filmed.

#Christmas #HorrorSky #iPlayer
Matthew Sweet, Mark Gatiss and Ben Mansfield seated on stage, with a photo of cast in Edwardian costume showing Joanna Lumley standing behind a seated Tobias Menzies, and the words 'TV PREVIEW The Room in the Tower + Q&A'. Matthew Sweet, Mark Gatiss and Ben Mansfield seated on stage, looking at audience.
December 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Twelfth Night at the Barbican tonight. A very mixed bag. Humour did not work, and some bizarre staging and acting decisions. However, Gwyneth Keyworth and Samuel West very good, and Freema Agyeman sensational.
Large atrium, interior. Concrete roof and walls. Large poster of actress in black clothes and yellow ruff, with TWELFTH NIGHT in yellow letters on wall.
December 8, 2025 at 11:44 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Slow Horses filming once again on Aldersgate Street. A big crew, a day shoot, an evening shoot including a tactical firearms unit, and Gary Oldman.

#London #SlowHorses #TV
Gary Oldman dressed as Jackson Lamb walking on a pavement, day. Fake Chinese restaurant, New Empire, with illuminated yellow frontage. London street running left to right with five, tent-topped frames under which are filming crews. Day. Overcast. Sporty car with headlights on and blue underlighting turning into traffic from a side street, night. Road black and wet.
December 6, 2025 at 9:23 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
1st preview of Indian Ink at Hampstead Theatre. Last play produced with Sir Tom Stoppard's involvement. 1st Stoppard play to be staged after his death. Moving to see old Eleanor played by Felicity Kendal, who created the role of young Flora in the original 1995 production.

#Culture #TheatreSky
Large, interior, curved wall with Tom Stoppard quote projected onto it: THOU SHALT BE A SONG SUNG UNTO POSTERITY SO LONG AS EARTH AND SUN ABIDE.
December 4, 2025 at 12:52 AM
dazzaross.bsky.social
"Well, I'm dead."

RIP Sir Tom Stoppard. How lucky were we to see previews of his plays with Sir Tom in attendance: Travesties, Hapgood, The Invention of Love, & even got an autograph at Rock 'n' Roll. Loved that he was always first out of the theatre to smoke his cigarettes. Our writing hero.
Yellow poster for Rock n Roll, with a picture of three of the cast on the left, and the title in black capitals over a red star on the right.
November 29, 2025 at 9:24 PM
dazzaross.bsky.social
Enjoyed watching the latest Live From Soho podcast at the lovely Underbelly Boulevard this evening. James Bierman of Empire Street Productions interviewing the fabulous Marianne Elliott. The North East's Robert Icke up for the next episode.

#LondonTheatre #Theatre #TheatreSky #WestEnd #Podcast
Stage with two chairs in near darkness, with red-lit background and red neon sign saying LIVE FROM SOHO in front.
November 5, 2025 at 9:49 PM