Podcasts, Radio, TV, Books, Cycling, Photography and More


  • Edison Podcast Metrics UK Q3 2023

    The latest Edison Podcast Metrics UK have just been published for Q3 2023. What has changed? Well Joe Rogan still tops the charts, while The Rest Is Politics climbs to number two pushing The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett down to number three (not number 90). Edison Research notes the following: Edison Podcast…

    Edison Podcast Metrics UK Q3 2023
  • Rebundling Sports in the US

    Rebundling Sports in the US

    Interesting news in the US, where Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox have announced a new as-yet-unnamed streaming service that will combine all their sports offerings into a single subscription. Combining the resources of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNews, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+ into a single…

  • The End of the Podcast Exclusive?

    The End of the Podcast Exclusive?

    In the last week or so, two of the biggest podcasts deals around have been renewed. Smartless has moved away from Amazon/Wondery to SiriusXM Media in a “multi-year” deal said to be worth $100m. While SiriusXM members will get early, ad-free access to the title, everyone else will still be able to listen on RSS.…

  • RAJAR Q4 2023

    RAJAR Q4 2023

    This post is brought to you in association with RALF from DP Software and Services. I’ve used RALF for the many years, and it’s my favourite RAJAR analysis tool. So I am delighted that I continue to be able to bring you this RAJAR analysis in association with RALF. For more details on the product, contact Deryck Pritchard via…

  • Past Lives

    Past Lives

    I was making a list recently of all the new-ish films that I needed to catch up on. I was also trying to work out which film was on what streaming service. Past Lives was a problem, because it didn’t seem to be in any of the usual places (Mubi, BFI Player), but in Fopp…

  • Three TV Classics Still Not Available To Stream

    Three TV Classics Still Not Available To Stream

    There is, of course, an endless list of shows and films that are not available to stream on any platform. But I wanted to examine three series, all dating from the mid-eighties to mid-nineties that are still not available in the UK, but some of which have been appearing in the US. Last autumn Moonlighting…

  • Edison Podcast Metrics UK – Top 25 Q3 2023

    Edison Podcast Metrics UK – Top 25 Q3 2023

    Edison Research has just released their Top 25 shows for Q3 2023 from Edison Podcast Metrics. This follows their initial Top 25 for Q2 2023, released last September. Rank Podcast Producer Up/Down 1 The Joe Rogan Experience Joe Rogan – 2 The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett  The Diary of a CEO –…

  • The Festive 500 and the Cycling and Running Year Just Gone

    The Festive 500 and the Cycling and Running Year Just Gone

    In recent years, the Festive 500 seems to have become a little divisive. Sponsored by cycle clothing company Rapha, the Festive 500 is a challenge, largely undertaken using Strava, for cyclists to complete a total of 500km of riding between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. That’s eight days to ride an average of 62.5km…

  • The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

    The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

    I’m not quite sure why I’ve not read one Janice Hallett’s books yet. Her 2021 book, The Appeal won lots of awards, and then her follow-up The Twyford Code won more. She’s also since published The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. And now comes, The Christmas Appeal hot on its heels. This short book…

  • Number Go Up by Zeke Faux

    Number Go Up by Zeke Faux

    Earlier in the autumn, there were two major new books (well at least two) examining to a greater of lesser extent, the story of Sam Bankman-Fried, who was to end up being found guilty on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. One was Going Infinite by Michael Lewis. I tend to love Lewis’ books, as…

  • Boxing Day TV and Radio – Radio Times – 2023

    The last of these this year, and the Festive choices continue. Not everything big has started airing yet, with more dramas lined up for later in the week and, in particular, New Year’s Day. But here is my final guide of the year! As ever, click through for larger versions, and don’t forget that a…

  • Christmas Day TV and Radio – Radio Times – 2023

    Christmas Day TV and Radio – Radio Times – 2023

    Merry Christmas! Here’s the next of this year’s three-day bonanza of annotated Radio Times pages. You obviously could be streaming Rebel Moon on Netflix, but honestly, I’m not sure I’d bother. Reacher on Prime is better, but not as good as the first season. And my family don’t seem to be super-keen to watch either…

  • Christmas Eve TV and Radio – Radio Times – 2023

    Christmas Eve TV and Radio – Radio Times – 2023

    It’s that time of year again, when I publish a few annotated pages from the Radio Times, with a few highlights – and lowlights – marked up for your delictation. Obviously, in a streaming world, everything is available all the time, making scheduling almost redundant. And we’re not in any way limited to the linear…

Hadrian’s Wall

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