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Ødegaard and Gyökeres on centre stage as Arteta’s Arsenal plan takes shape | Barney Ronay

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 6d

We, along with the @theguardian.com, and arguably @arsenalfc.bsky.social too, are most certainly lucky to have @barneyronay.bsky.social; this column, like so many of his others, is simply a delight.

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

With an enticing run of fixtures coming up and the captain back to his best, an enjoyable autumn seems on the cards

www.theguardian.com

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Clare Paterson @clarepaterson.bsky.social · 6d

Today is Annie Besant’s birthday… an extraordinary Victorian rebel always much under-rated. Do order the book to find out more!

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 7d

"Reading and research aren’t yet illegal or impossible. But they are in danger of becoming so."

Such an important, cogent, urgent, powerful column by Tressie Macmillan Cottom @nytimes.com [gift link]

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

Opinion | Mourn, or Else

www.nytimes.com

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Ian Greaves @greavesian.bsky.social · 7d

Good to see a marking of Arena's 50th anniversary today. Today Programme, a pile of shows added to the iplayer, and there's a BFI event this evening. What a shame the BBC don't really promote the ones they now make. There have been eight in the past year and I bet you would struggle to name one.

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 10d

In Bradford for Widescreen Weekend and staying at the grand but somewhat faded Midland Hotel where, I am perversely delighted to discover, in 1905 Sir Henry Irving breathed his last on this staircase. His manager, Bram Stoker, was in attendance.

Photograph of grand staircase stretching away from the camera, with decorative metal handrails and a patterned carpet.

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James Wallace @jameswallace.bsky.social · 10d

Sir Henry’s body was whisked down to London by train, and the sculptor Sir George Frampton was employed to make a death mask.

I’ve traced 9 copies of it - back in 2019 I bought one of them at auction that had belonged to the Irving family.

It hangs on the wall and is looking over me now.

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 10d

Nearby, and there’s a great selection of his work at Salts Mill in Saltaire

OTD in early British television: 9 January 1939 - Illuminations

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 10d

In Bradford for Widescreen Weekend and staying at the grand but somewhat faded Midland Hotel where, I am perversely delighted to discover, in 1905 Sir Henry Irving breathed his last on this staircase. His manager, Bram Stoker, was in attendance.

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 12d

They introduced a sequence of dances in a broadcast that enjoyed an enhanced reprise in January 1939, and which I wrote about in detail at the link below. Do click through to find out more:

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

John Wyver writes: AP’s evening of Monday 9 January 1939 featured two contrasting musical offerings: Schubert Night, which combined a biography of the composer with performances, and Lambeth Keeps on ...

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 12d

This was a kind of history of of the dance known as the ‘Lambeth Walk’, presented by journalist and anthropologist Tom Harrisson and Me and My Girl composer Noel Gay.

OTD in early British television: 26 September 1938 - Illuminations

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 12d

OTD in early British television

The later part of the evening of Monday 26 September 1938 was occupied by a feature programme titled Lambeth Walks Out.

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

John Wyver writes: The later part of the evening of Monday 26 September 1938 was occupied by a feature programme titled Lambeth Walks Out. This was a kind of history of of the dance known as the ‘Lamb...

Adam Thirlwell · Devotion to the Cut: Gertrude Stein makes it plain

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 12d

A really wonderful and joyful @lrb.co.uk essay by Adam Thirlwell exploring, unlocking and delighting in Gertrude Stein's life and language, prompted by Francesca Wade's new biography.

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

We’re so used to voice as confession, as a form of radical honesty, that it can be hard to appreciate Gertrude Stein...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 13d

OTD in early British television

The evening of Sunday 25 September was taken over by a reprise of Luigi Pirandello’s Henry IV, first produced in March by innovative producer Dallas Bower. I wrote a previous post about the production and responses to it:

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

OTD in early British television: 22 March 1938 - Illuminations

John Wyver writes: The afternoon of Tuesday 22 March 1938 was graced with the first performance of Dallas Bower’s 75-minute production of Henry IV by Luigi Pirandello. As Wikipedia says, the drama is ...

Slow Horses season five review – not even Gary Oldman can salvage this TV mess

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 13d

FWIW, I loved E1 this evening, so great to be back with these characters, and am frustrated but fascinated that AppleTV+ have elected to release new episodes weekly, with the next one dropped on 1 October.
It's almost like proper television...

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 14d

The backlash begins...

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

It’s the worst outing yet for the Slough House gang, with main characters having unnerving personality transplants and ‘action’ sequences taking place in penguin enclosures. Yikes!

www.theguardian.com

OTD in early British television: 24 September 1928 - Illuminations

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 14d

Great 'Captive Cinema' programme at BFI Southbank last night, with Associated-Rediffusion documentaries from 1955-57, including "Our American Cousins", intro'd by BFI curator Lisa Kerrigan. Part of Lisa and colleagues' brilliant A-R season.

TV Times listings for programme "People are Talking: Our American Cousins", with text "An Englishman wrote a fetter to an American magazine: the sooner we British get out of the alliance with the Americans the better."* In the same issue an American wrote: ". . O.K.
buddies, if you don't like our peaches, quit shaking our tree."
Michael Ingrams, himself a product of an Angio-American alliance, makes a personal report."

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 14d

OTD in early British television

Monday 24 September 1928 was the second day of a week of demonstration transmissions by John Logie Baird’s company for the National Radio Exhibition at Olympia.

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

John Wyver writes: Monday 24 September 1928 was the second day of a week of demonstration transmissions by John Logie Baird’s company for the National Radio Exhibition at Olympia. Radiolympia attendee...

OTD in early British television: 24 September 1928 - Illuminations

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Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 14d

For more, including the content of these transmissions and the first television presenter, see the full blog post.

www.illuminationsmedia.co.uk/otd-in-early...

#earlytelevision

John Wyver writes: Monday 24 September 1928 was the second day of a week of demonstration transmissions by John Logie Baird’s company for the National Radio Exhibition at Olympia. Radiolympia attendee...

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 14d

'Six people at a time were admitted to each cubicle, and after inspection of the receiving apparatus the light was dimmed and a short demonstration of combined sight and sound was given.'

Illuminations @illuminations.bsky.social · 14d

Writing for an early issue of Television, Baird-enthusiast R.F. Tiltman described the pop-up viewing room with three receiving Televisors, each in a cubicle of blue curtains...