At the Dabbler I review the new film of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy . I also drink alcohol at the cinema.

At the Dabbler I review episode 1 of series 2 of Downton Abbey (ITV1, Sunday).

Over at The Dabbler I provide a short and, I think, rather poignant history of those typographical curioisities, ambigrams .

A few weeks ago I found myself clamped in the teeth of a North Sea gale, on a bitter July Tuesday, trying to make a sandcastle from the brow...

Poddington's Thoughts continue apace, despite my having deleted three of his posts for being racist drivel. Not viciously racist, just ...

...would have been a good name for my music post In every dream home a heartache at The Dabbler, but it's too late now. L'esprit d...

My infamous Why the Scottish Hate the English post really is the gift that keeps on giving, in terms of random comments. I sometimes delete ...

In today's Times a snarky columnist called Sathnam Sanghera rightly takes ex-Blur bassist turned Cotswold cheese-maker Alex James (yes r...

My University Challenge Drinking Game, originally published during my stint on Mr Appleyard's blog a few years back, gets an airing on t...

I'm back on music duty on The Dabbler , with 'nonsense' tracks from Cocteau Twins, the Australian Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros and Unde...

And another old Dabbler article at the Sabotage Times (where, apparently, I look like a psychopath). This time the great Sid Waddell . Th...

My Dabbler piece about Shane MacGowan appears today in a slightly amended form at the Sabotage Times . The eds there have retitled it 'S...

... you review a TV programme and the series producer himself comes along and gives you a bollocking. But it has just happened to me.

My God, did anyone see Harriet Harman's disgraceful performance on Newsnight tonight? Michael Gove nearly exploded, which I must say sho...

Thanks to all you brothers and sisters in bloggery who commented on my Flashman post at the Sabotage Times - much appreciated. I've been...

Long-time readers will recall that Amy Winehouse featured regularly on ToE about five years ago. I championed her singing generally and her ...