Gareth Watkins
@garethesque.bsky.social
Reading, writing, smiling politely.
One of the most moving moments in cinema
December 25, 2025 at 10:33 PM
One of the most moving moments in cinema
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Every time there's a breaking story about a celeb's treatment of women, everyone in the book world asks, "Is it finally Walliams?" Well, it finally is.
Exclusive: David Walliams dropped by publisher over inappropriate behaviour towards women
Telegraph investigation into best-selling children’s author uncovers claims that he ‘harassed’ junior female employees at Harper Collins
www.telegraph.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Every time there's a breaking story about a celeb's treatment of women, everyone in the book world asks, "Is it finally Walliams?" Well, it finally is.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
“No less an authority than the United Kingdom’s former Prime Minister, Liz Truss”
That’s a real sentence that someone wrote, which made it into Trump’s legal filing.
That’s a real sentence that someone wrote, which made it into Trump’s legal filing.
December 16, 2025 at 9:05 AM
“No less an authority than the United Kingdom’s former Prime Minister, Liz Truss”
That’s a real sentence that someone wrote, which made it into Trump’s legal filing.
That’s a real sentence that someone wrote, which made it into Trump’s legal filing.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
On National Poetry Day, the greatest poem I have ever read
October 2, 2025 at 8:41 AM
On National Poetry Day, the greatest poem I have ever read
Tis the season for unsubscribing from every company who’s told me it’s 100 days until Christmas.
September 16, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Tis the season for unsubscribing from every company who’s told me it’s 100 days until Christmas.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
fäther
fäther I had the dream again
the last time my slumber was disturbed in such a way was a thousand years ago
I fear It is coming once more, fäther
fäther I had the dream again
the last time my slumber was disturbed in such a way was a thousand years ago
I fear It is coming once more, fäther
August 28, 2025 at 4:55 PM
fäther
fäther I had the dream again
the last time my slumber was disturbed in such a way was a thousand years ago
I fear It is coming once more, fäther
fäther I had the dream again
the last time my slumber was disturbed in such a way was a thousand years ago
I fear It is coming once more, fäther
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
From this week’s Beano.
August 28, 2025 at 10:28 AM
From this week’s Beano.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Private Eye hits the nail on the head
July 9, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Private Eye hits the nail on the head
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
The anti-piracy campaign from the early 2000s ‘You Wouldn’t Steal a Car’ used a pirated typeface.
May 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The anti-piracy campaign from the early 2000s ‘You Wouldn’t Steal a Car’ used a pirated typeface.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Delighted to say that my article, "The Shakspaires of Trinity Lane: A Possible Shakespeare Life-Record" is now fully published and open-access! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The Shakspaires of Trinity Lane: A Possible Shakespeare Life-Record
Hereford Cathedral Library holds a fragmentary seventeenth-century letter addressed to a ‘Mrs Shakspaire’, concerning her husband’s dealings with a fatherless apprentice named John Butte or Butts. ...
www.tandfonline.com
April 25, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Delighted to say that my article, "The Shakspaires of Trinity Lane: A Possible Shakespeare Life-Record" is now fully published and open-access! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Happy St George' Day!
![Cartoon for St George's day by Stephen Collins for the guardian. Script as follows:
Scene is outside a cave, ST GEORGE in armour etc is confronting the DRAGON while the CAPTURED PRINCESS looks on.
DRAGON:
So let me get this straight.
DRAGON:
You’re hoping to reinforce ‘helpless princess’ tropes…
DRAGON:
By publicly stabbing an *endangered animal* to death with a *sword*…
DRAGON:
So you can force a whole Syrian village to convert to Christianity….
DRAGON:
And become a nationalist icon for a colonial state…
DRAGON:
Through the cultural appropriation of ancient medieval dragon myths.
DRAGON:
You’ve not been *online* very long, have you?
GEORGE:
I have been quite surprised by the comments.
GEORGE’S SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT [who is filming this encounter on an iPhone]:
I told you it’s problematic, George.
DRAGON:
Problematic? It’s a *bin fire*!
DRAGON:
OK. Here’s how you turn this round -
CUT TO a YoutTube post called ‘MY JOURNEY (An apology)’. GEORGE is crying to camera, Dragon in background.
GEORGE:
I am *so sorry* guys…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreihzpskp6p4u4ejrjhmp4tdye2rzg75vmbyxbn45o5g4xk7dpairge@jpeg)
April 23, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Happy St George' Day!
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
This guy, @albertburneko.bsky.social, is a genius. Please read his brilliant article on Elon Musk's deranged and morally repugnant Mars colonisation schtick. defector.com/neither-elon...
Neither Elon Musk Nor Anybody Else Will Ever Colonize Mars | Defector
Mars does not have a magnetosphere. Any discussion of humans ever settling the red planet can stop right there, but of course it never does. Do you have a low-cost plan for, uh, creating a gigantic ac...
defector.com
March 7, 2025 at 9:05 AM
This guy, @albertburneko.bsky.social, is a genius. Please read his brilliant article on Elon Musk's deranged and morally repugnant Mars colonisation schtick. defector.com/neither-elon...
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Wow.
Amazon MGM Gains Creative Control of 007 Franchise as Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson Step Back
Amazon MGM Gains Creative Control of 007 Franchise as Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson Step Back
James Bond Shocker: Amazon MGM Gains Creative Control of 007 Franchise as Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson Step Back
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are stepping back to focus on other projects
variety.com
February 20, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Wow.
Amazon MGM Gains Creative Control of 007 Franchise as Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson Step Back
Amazon MGM Gains Creative Control of 007 Franchise as Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson Step Back
This feels like a quote that will come back to haunt him.
February 11, 2025 at 3:11 PM
This feels like a quote that will come back to haunt him.
Is this product placement in a glossy Netflix drama for…Sainsbury’s eggs?
February 1, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Is this product placement in a glossy Netflix drama for…Sainsbury’s eggs?
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Read It Forward is GO!
Buy ANY children’s book via Bookshop.org during February and we’ll donate 10% of the sale to the leading children’s reading charities, @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social 📚 Every sale supports independent bookshops 📚 bit.ly/RIFEB25
Buy ANY children’s book via Bookshop.org during February and we’ll donate 10% of the sale to the leading children’s reading charities, @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social 📚 Every sale supports independent bookshops 📚 bit.ly/RIFEB25
February 1, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Read It Forward is GO!
Buy ANY children’s book via Bookshop.org during February and we’ll donate 10% of the sale to the leading children’s reading charities, @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social 📚 Every sale supports independent bookshops 📚 bit.ly/RIFEB25
Buy ANY children’s book via Bookshop.org during February and we’ll donate 10% of the sale to the leading children’s reading charities, @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social 📚 Every sale supports independent bookshops 📚 bit.ly/RIFEB25
A thriller where the ticking clock is the Nespresso descale countdown.
February 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
A thriller where the ticking clock is the Nespresso descale countdown.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
I asked DeepSeek which was the best ELO album.
January 28, 2025 at 11:14 AM
I asked DeepSeek which was the best ELO album.
File under: 1-star reviews that make you want to read the book.
January 28, 2025 at 1:37 PM
File under: 1-star reviews that make you want to read the book.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Microsoft is going to price gouge you by adding their genAI to your subscription without your consent, and they are not transparent about how to avoid this bullshit.
Here's how to change your subscription back to "Classic" for a lower charge without Copilot: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffi...
Here's how to change your subscription back to "Classic" for a lower charge without Copilot: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffi...
Redirecting
answers.microsoft.com
January 18, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Microsoft is going to price gouge you by adding their genAI to your subscription without your consent, and they are not transparent about how to avoid this bullshit.
Here's how to change your subscription back to "Classic" for a lower charge without Copilot: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffi...
Here's how to change your subscription back to "Classic" for a lower charge without Copilot: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffi...
Thanks Netflix. You are, as ever, completely wrong.
January 22, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Thanks Netflix. You are, as ever, completely wrong.
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
The day Bluesky came of age
I just asked my pharmacist if my ear was a bit blocked and he had a look and SCREAMED and told me to go to A&E immediately so off I go, gang!
January 11, 2025 at 7:24 PM
The day Bluesky came of age
It’s beginning to look a lot like Easter
January 2, 2025 at 7:09 PM
It’s beginning to look a lot like Easter
Reposted by Gareth Watkins
Welcome to the 2024 Headline of the Year seeding stage!
From now until Dec ~27, reposts + likes are counted (across 4 platforms), and the top 16 go through to a seeded knockout stage (1 v 16, etc.).
Then 4 rounds of headline battles to pick a winner for the 2024 Headline of the Year contest!
From now until Dec ~27, reposts + likes are counted (across 4 platforms), and the top 16 go through to a seeded knockout stage (1 v 16, etc.).
Then 4 rounds of headline battles to pick a winner for the 2024 Headline of the Year contest!
The 2024 Headline of the Year Nominees
🧵
🧵
December 22, 2024 at 8:17 PM
Welcome to the 2024 Headline of the Year seeding stage!
From now until Dec ~27, reposts + likes are counted (across 4 platforms), and the top 16 go through to a seeded knockout stage (1 v 16, etc.).
Then 4 rounds of headline battles to pick a winner for the 2024 Headline of the Year contest!
From now until Dec ~27, reposts + likes are counted (across 4 platforms), and the top 16 go through to a seeded knockout stage (1 v 16, etc.).
Then 4 rounds of headline battles to pick a winner for the 2024 Headline of the Year contest!