"When Some Old Cricketers Leave The Crease You Never Know Whether They've Gone"

How terrific it was, dear blog reader, to hear a snatch of Lou Reed's 'Jesus' on the soundtrack of the opening episode of the final series of From The North favourite Killing Eve last Saturday. One of this blogger's favourite songs used to accompany a scene of genuine tension and drama. Of course, atypically, some slappable smears of no importance at the Gruniad, the Torygraph and the Indi continue to whinge about the series because it is, seemingly, no longer flavour-of-the-month with all the Middle Class hippy Communists in Fleet Street. Wankers.

And then, there was the use of Puccini's Nessun Dorma to accompany Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy acting their little cotton socks off in one of the finest scenes in the latest episode of Peaky Blinders on Sunday. Mag-bloody-nificent. Plus, Amber Anderson as Diana Mitford-Mosley, James Frecheville as Jack Nelson and the return - after a week's absence - of the mighty 'Red Right Hand' on the end titles. Plus Anya Taylor-Joy, obviously.

This blogger was utterly horrified by the death of the cricketer Shane Warne from a heart-attack at the age of just fifty two late last week. If there ever was such a thing as a genuine, twenty-four carat sporting genius - and this blogger reckons such a conceit is not beyond the bounds of possibility - then Shane certainly fitted that bill. He was also, in his post-playing career, an inspirational coach, a man of great wit and charm, a perceptive commentator and, from the evidence of his many TV appearances, a decent, thoughtful, affable bloke. This blogger knows that Shane had three teenage children and he really hopes they realise just how much their father was admired and respected right across the world. As The Barmy Army used to regularly sing when he was fielding near the boundary, 'we only wish you were English!'

The news of Shane's passing was particularly sad coming, as it did, on the same day as another Australian cricket legend, Rodney Marsh, also left us and just a couple of days after the death of another spin bowler of unique and special talent, Trinidad and the West Indies' Sonny Ramadhin. It's time, this blogger believes, for Roy Harper's finest seven minutes and thirteen seconds in celebration of three lives well-lived and three old cricketers, the likes of which we may never see again, leaving the crease.

Anyway, dear blog reader, you're probably wondering how yer actual Keith Telly Topping is getting on after his recent, much discussed, health and welfare issues (which, seemingly, haven't finished this blog off quite as easily as it seemed they might, as this update proves)? Well, let's just say this this haiku pretty much sums up the current situation far better than a ten thousand-word blog update ever could. (With thanks to whomsoever posted it online in the first place.)

Yes, that. Or, to put it a slightly different way ... This -

This blogger has, in fact, had a lot of time to think about life over the last couple of months (and, specifically, last week and this week due to an enforced lack of energy to do pretty much anything else but sit in his chair an contemplate upon the inherent ludicrous nature of existence). And he's come to the following conclusions, dear blog readers: In general terms, you get out of life more-or-less what you put into it, so you should probably live every day as if it's your last. And, then, one day, you'll be right. There's far too much anger, meanness and spite in the world, most of the time and it's getting worse, daily. We are all to blame for this to a greater-or-lesser degree even if only by our inaction. This blogger has decided he is going to try to be less judgemental and more tolerant of the views of others in future - even if they are complete nutters (and, to be fair, they frequently are). He's going to try to be less concerned about things over which he has no control. He is going to try to be calmer, kinder and less stressed. He is going to try, in short, to be more in tune with the universe. But, since there is bugger-all chance of achieving any of that malarkey in The Real World, he'll have to do it in some form of Alternative Dimension instead. The brochure for this one looks quite nice.

There has, however, been one major change to this blogger's online activities since last From The North was updated; he's got himself back on social media. No, really. As many long-term dear blog readers will know, last June, this blogger's Facebook page was well-and-truly hacked. Keith Telly Topping will give those who did it some credit, they did a splendid job in completely stuffing-up this blogger's world right good-and-proper. Not only did they change this blogger's password but, also, his contact e-mail address (and, obliterated the old one). Meaning, not only couldn't this blogger access his page, he couldn't even get into Facebook at all to let anyone know what had happened. He tried everything to alert Facebook to his predicament including finding a couple of e-mail addresses online which were alleged to be for a Facebook 'helpline'. Either they're not or, if they are, Facebook staff do not consider it necessary to actually do anything as ordinary as respond to e-mails from their customers; ironic, really, since this was all taking place around the very time that they were boasting to the media their profits had just passed a trillion bucks, annually. Doing so by providing shoddy-to-non-existent customer service, seemingly. Anyway, after about six weeks of increasingly desperate attempts to contact the company (this blogger even sent them a letter! To which he received no reply. True story) Keith Telly Topping finally gave up using the 'if they don't wanna talk to me, I'll be buggered if I want to talk to them' argument. This blogger missed the daily banter with his, many, dear Facebook fiends, obviously, but he still had this blog to work on as his main creative outlet. And, that was reaching plenty of you guys (and, at least some of his Facebook fiends, too).

Anyway, in the aftermath of those five days in hospital two weeks ago (when, being able to get onto Facebook to let people know what was actually going on would've been a jolly useful thing), this blogger decided - during a conversation over the weekend with his brilliant sister-in-law, Our Maureen - that it was about high time he got himself back onto Facebook in some form. The original Keith Telly Topping Facebook page is, seemingly, gone never to be seen again - fifteen years of memories, photos, shared experiences et cetera. All vanished into the never-never. But, screw it, out of sight out of mind. We start again, much like life. So, if you're coming to this blog via Facebook, this is where this blogger has been and what he's been doing - periodically - since last summer. One further important point, it's probably going to take Keith Telly Topping some time - perhaps months - to reconnect with even a fraction of the fifteen hundred people he had as Facebook Fiends prior to The Naughty Hacking Incident (particularly as he cannot access his previous home page for guidance). He spent his first couple of days back on the service, essentially just winging it and going through as many 'mutual fiends' lists as he could access! And, by the weekend, he'd managed to re-establish contact with over two hundred prior Facebook fiends and even gain one or two new ones. Nevertheless, he is bound to miss some people who used to be regular (or semi-regular) correspondents and he's hyper-aware that he doesn't want to upset or annoy anyone by forgetting about them. Please, therefore, be patient with this blogger if you are on Facebook and used to be in his address book but, currently, are not (particular as he's not very well at the moment!)

As for his Facebook cover photo, this blogger is using an image which will be familiar to readers of this blog. This was taken in the summer of 2008 at The Roman Army Museum (Carvoran) near Greenhead, Haltwhistle, part of The Vindolanda Trust and close to Hadrian's Wall and was snapped by this blogger's late mother. It has been suggested that it looks like a publicity shot for Keith Telly Topping very own TV series, Keith Telly Topping, Screen Detective, in which he blogs reviews of television series and solves crime. If anyone fancies make a pilot for such a franchise, this blogger applauds your ambition.

There's also been something of an image change for this blogger. Well, me mam always said Keith Telly Topping never suited a beard. This is, specifically, for Our Maureen who said she wouldn't be seen dead with this blogger out in public looking like that! Quite right, too. (And the darza new dressing gown and darza new slippers - out of shot - were, also, as previously mentioned, down to her as well.) This blogger should note that a) he'd just got out of the bath when the latter selfie was taken and b) he did a small amount of touching-up on photoshop on the colour. Keith Telly Topping is - still, and will be for some time, he is assured - considerably paler than these images may suggest.

It should be noted, however, that it's been far too long since this blogger has been able to say the following, as he was on Thursday evening - he really deserved this chow-mein and chips with gravy.

And, two night's later, how much did this blogger really deserve this here battered King Prawn with chips? Count the ways ... For anyone wondering, both were, in fact, geet lush. And, bear in mind, dear blog reader that, as previously mentioned, there were entire days, not very long ago either, where all that would pass Keith Telly Topping's lips at The Stately Telly Topping Manor Plague House all day might be a nice hot cup of sweet Joe and, maybe two or three Rich Tea biscuits, such was the effect that the B-12 Deficiency Anaemia was having on suppressing this blogger's appetite.

Early in the week, this blogger managed to get down to the local medical surgery for his fourth - of six - B-12 injections. 'Sharp scratch' claimed Sister Stephanie. This blogger had to tell her, as he told some of the nurses in the RVI, that whilst he is usually fine with, for example, the annual 'flu jab or any of the three COVID jabs he's been given, this one felt more like what Janet Leigh suffers in The Shower Scene from Psycho. Later, Sister Karen did give this blogger some good news, however - when Keith Telly Topping last had his Type-2 Diabetes check (last November), they did not take a blood sample due to, at the time, a shortage of blood containers within the NHS. This blogger began to offer his arm for her to take some now but, she said, one of the (several) blood tests taken whilst this blogger was in the RVI had been used for this purpose and the results had been spot-on (in the diabetes regard, at least). This blogger also had his weight taken - in November he'd been something like sixteen stone four pounds; on Tuesday, he was fourteen stone two pounds, the lowest weight this blogger has been since he was a teenager and a clear sign of the effects that the B-12 Deficiency-related weight-loss had caused. Mind you, dear blog reader, to be fair, this blogger could stand to lose some weight anyway, even if the circumstances of it in this particular case were not what he would've chosen himself.

On the bus home, whilst doing the Metro crossword - finished in nine minutes, fact fans - this blogger spotted the horoscope for Scorpio: 'Have dreamy feelings for someone' it began (frequently, but it's usually Anya Taylor-Joy, to be fair and this blogger is hardly alone there). 'If so, the Moon-Neptune link in you're romance zone can enhance this. It's an opportunity to share your feelings, knowing you will be understand. You may also push for something that's important to you and you could be persuasive.' These two sentences, dear blog reader, raised four important points in this blogger's crossword-enhanced brain. Firstly, Keith Telly Topping has a 'Romance Zone' which he was not previously aware (or, if he was, it's been inactive for so long he'd forgotten it was there). Next it can, seemingly, be influenced by some unexplained celestial connection between Earth's natural satellite and a planet four billion miles distant which wasn't even discovered until 1846. Nevertheless, thirdly, because of this happenstance, this blogger is, apparently, in with a genuine shot with Anya Taylor-Joy. World exclusive, there, dear blog reader. And, related to the final line, could anyone out there give this blogger a million quid. It's for me, if you're wondering. Thanks in advance.

Another, somewhat-related, postscript; you leave Facebook for eight months, come back and everyone's doing Wordle. What's that all about? As Keith Telly Topping believes all of the stand-up comedians ask when confronted with such discombobulation.

Saturday was a good day for this blogger. He'd slept rather badly (not unusual, of late) due in no small part to occasional overnight leg cramps (also not unusual - that's one of the regular symptoms of B-12 Deficiency Anaemia, apparently). So, he watched a recording of the previous night's Qi XL in bed - Victoria Coren Mitchell on outstanding form, Old Barrowman camping it up like a good'un and managing to keep his knob in his pants for once, what's not to love? This blogger then got up, had a steaming hot cup of sweet Joe and, for breakfast, some Cocoa Pops, using the last of the milk Our Maureen had bought the previous week. He listened to the previous day's Kermode & Mayo's Film Review podcast (The Batman sounds worthy of a punt judging from Mark's review). Then, he watched the latest episode of Discovery (excellent), had another steaming hot cup of sweet Joe and watched Picard (also excellent). In the afternoon, this blogger managed to make it to ALDI and back more-or-less in one piece, though his heart-rate was going like a Rick Buckler drum solo by the time he arrived back at The Stately Telly Topping Manor Plague House. This blogger is only, really, supposed to be going out to the medical centre and he's got his first out-patients appointment for the hospital, but that's not till the end of the month. Usually, if he needed any supplies he'd get the bus up to Byker and go to Morrisons but he wanted to try having a walk down to ALDI just the once to see if he could manage it. Which, it turned out he could, albeit, with some difficulty. That'll be a useful test in, say, three or four weeks time once the B-12 injections should, in theory, have started to get some of this blogger's strength back. Anyway, Keith Telly Topping picked up a nice looking chicken and sweetcorn pizza for us dinner, a carton of milk, some cereal and a few other bits and pieces and then, got back home to realise he'd only gone and forgotten to get any bread. Oh well, he can do without. And, in other news, g'yiddip Th' Toon!

The BBC is temporarily suspending its journalists' work in Russia, in response to a new law which threatens to jail anyone Russia deems to have spread 'fake' news about its armed forces. BBC Director-General Tim Davie said that the legislation 'appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism.' And, we're what, surprised by this? The Kremlin, seemingly, objects to the conflict being called 'a war', instead describing it as a 'special military operation.' BBC News in Russian will still be produced but from outside the country. Access to BBC websites had already been restricted in Russia. Foreign news outlets like Deutsche Welle, Meduza and Radio Liberty also had their services limited, Russia's state-owned news agency RIA said. For what it's worth, this blogger understands that From The North is still available online in Russia and that we have approximately one hundred regular dear blog readers in the country. So, for you guys, a quick message - you may be aware of this already but if not, your country is currently involved in an extremely dubious 'special military operation' against a sovereign, independent neighbour, Ukraine. And, your leader, The Butcher Of Grozny, has got a really small penis. And, by 'really small', I mean Titchy. That is all.

Of course, it didn't take long for Britain to totally get our own back. The Russian-backed news channel RT has disappeared from all broadcast platforms in the UK. Access to the TV network, formerly called Russia Today, has been affected by a ban imposed by the European Union. Although the UK is no longer in the EU (you might have noticed - it was in all the papers and everything), the bloc applied sanctions to satellite companies in Luxembourg and France, which provided the RT feed to Sky, Freesat and Freeview. RT said 'the façade of free press in Europe has finally crumbled.' A bit rich coming from a company backed by a government which locks people up who disagree with The Kremlin but, there you go. The lack of culture secretary, The Vile & Odious Rascal Dorries, who has described the channel - not entirely inaccurately - as 'Putin's polluting propaganda machine', said she hoped it would not return to UK screens once this dreadful conflict is over. Again proving that even a broken clock can be right twice a day. 'As part of a concerted effort and discussions, Russia Today is no longer streamed into British homes, either by TV, Sky, Freesat or Freeview,' she told the House of Commons on Thursday. She failed to add anything about the tiny girth of Putin's shriveled man-pump, though she probably wanted to.

Streaming giant Netflix has announced it has 'paused' all future projects and acquisitions from Russia. The company said it was 'assessing' the impact of the current invasion of Ukraine. What's to 'assess'? A very big and powerful country led by a criminally insane madman (with a very small piece of stick) has invaded its neighbour simply because it wants to join the EU and NATO. Seems pretty straightforward to this blogger even though he's not an expert on international relations. Filming for the production of the Russian language series Zato will be halted forthwith. If not sooner. Elsewhere in the world of technology, cloud computing company Oracle also said it had suspended operations in Russia. The two companies are the latest US technology firms to take action against Russia as attacks on Ukraine's cities have escalated. On Tuesday, Apple announced that it was halting sales in Russia. It, too, failed to mention Mister Putin's Wee-Willy-Winkie in its statement. A minor oversight, one could suggest.

Sainsbury's, ALDI, ASDA, Morrisons and Waitrose have all announced they will axe Russian products amid the war in Ukraine. Though, not with an actual axe, that's a bit too aggressive for supermarkets. Sainsbury's will remove Russian Standard vodka and Karpayskiye black sunflower seeds from its shelves. 'Sainsbury's said it would also change the name of chicken Kiev to "chicken Kyiv" to match the Ukrainian spelling of the capital.' This blogger is not going to editorialise this one, dear blog reader, no way!

More than one hundred firefighters have been tackling a blaze at a mill complex used as a film location for hit TV shows such as Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey. Fire crews were drafted in to tackle the inferno at Dalton Mills in Keighley. West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said twenty pumps were called out. The service said the incident was being scaled back but some crews would remain overnight to 'damp down' the blaze. The following day, five people were extremely arrested over the suspected arson attack which gutted the mill.

There's one of their very occasional 'even a broken clock is right twice a day' actually quite good pieces in the Gruniad, an interview by George Bass with From The North favourite, Sir Tony Robinson, on the making of his first post-The Black Adder hit, Maid Marian & Her Merry Men. Check it out, here.

Another, 'my God, did some Middle Class hippy Communist quiche eater at the Gruniad really write this' piece, Anne Billson's Count Draculas On Film – Ranked! is also worthy of you time, dear blog reader. At least she gets the number one right! (Jack Palance should've been higher in the list, though.)

Sadly, one of Chris Lee's most memorable co-stars, Veronica Carlson, died 27 February of natural causes at her home in Bluffton, South Carolina. She was seventy seven. Her death was announced on her official Facebook page. Born in Yorkshire, Veronica was a model when she began her acting career with uncredited or small roles in several 1967 films including Casino Royale, Smashing Time and The Magnificent Two. When producer and Hammer Films co-founder James Carreras saw a newspaper photo of Carlson wearing a bikini, he offered her the role opposite Lee in Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968), a movie which looms jolly large in this blogger's legend and would begin a journey which, one day, led to him writing a book about his favourite British horror movies (which is still available at this link, incidentally). Her performance as the vampire's intended victim was the first of her trio of popular Hammer movies and was followed in 1969 by Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed starring Peter Cushing and 1970's The Horror Of Frankenstein. Though her acting career would be sporadic thereafter, Veronica followed up her Hammer success with appearances in such 1970s monster movies as Vampira (1974) and The Ghoul (1975). British TV credits from the period include the 1972 thriller series Spyder's Web and 1975's Public Eye plus episodes of Department S, Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) and The Saint.

Whilst this blogger is busy recommending articles which you should be reading, dear blog reader, allow him to point you in the direction of Roisin O'Connor's interview with From The North favourite Tony Visconti in the Independent, Spotify Is Disgusting - It Does Nothing To Support The Culture Of Music. Not only will the passion and brilliance of yer man Tone give you enough of a buzz to get through the day on adrenalin alone but the opening paragraph ('"I don't know why you guys don't vote Boris Johnson out," says Tony Visconti. "We got rid of Trump..." The accusation hangs heavy in the air. "What's your story?"') is worth its weight in comedy gold. Check it out, dear blog reader.

'Hey Paul', 'Yes David', 'Same colour jackets. What were the chances?' 'Cosmic.'

One of the biggest bands of the 1980s, Tears For Fears, a particular favourite of this blogger, returned to the chart on Friday with their first new studio CD in nearly two decades. The Tipping Point narrowly missed out on the number one spot, which was instead clinched by rapper Central Cee's latest mixtape, Twenty Three. Canadian skatepunk queen Avril Lavigne claimed third place with her seventh studio CD, Love Sux.

Meanwhile, another great group of the same vintage - and another great favourite of this blogger - The Cure have announced they, too, are about to release their first new material in a decade with not one but two new CDs scheduled for 2022. 'I know what [the first one is] called - Songs Of A Lost World' yer actual Robert Smith told the NME. 'It's got artwork, it's got a running order, it's almost done! They're so slow because of vinyl, but it might come in September. I'd rather it just came out. I can't stand the anticipation.' Asked about the sound of the upcoming records, Smith revealed: 'Well the first Cure album is relentless doom and gloom. It's the doomiest thing that we've ever done.' Why break the habit of a lifetime, Rob? Although, hang on - 'doomier' than, say, Pornography? This blogger might give that one a miss in that case.

Sir Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Fender, Olivia Rodrigo, Foals and Wolf Alice will all play the Glastonbury Festival when it returns this summer. More than eighty acts have been added to the line-up, alongside previously-announced headliner Billie Eilish. Sir Paul will top the bill on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday 25 June, exactly one week after he turns eighty. He last played Glasto in 2004 - he was pretty damn good, actually - and was due to headline the 2020 festival before Covid forced organisers to cancel. 'When he finally confirmed, we were beyond [excited],' organiser Emily Eavis told the BBC. 'For us, having Paul McCartney is obviously a dream, a huge moment in our history.' Eavis also announced that proceeds from the event would go towards the Red Cross Ukraine appeal, as well as the festival's regular charities, WaterAid, Oxfam and Greenpeace. Other From The North favourites The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Pet Shop Boys, The Waterboys, Courtney Barnett, Jarvis Cocker, Haim, Herbie Hancock, Phoebe Bridgers, Skunk Anansie, Sleafod Mods, Supergrass and Primal Scream will also feature at the festival.

A discarded part of a rocket may well have crashed into the Moon's far side, say scientists. And, they usually know what they're talking about. The three-tonne rocket part had been tracked for a number of years, but its origin remain contested. At first, astronomers thought it may have belonged to Elon Musk's SpaceX firm and then claimed it was of Chinese origin - something which China flatly denies. And, indeed, is prepared to invade several small countries in pursuit of that denial. Probably. The effects of the impact on the Moon should have been relatively minor. The rocket stage would have dug out a small crater on the Moon's surface and created an 'uge plume of dust but that's about it. So, there's a new crater to be named by NASA on the Moon's surface which, let's face it, is never a particular chore for them. This blogger suggests 'King Prawn Curry With Egg Fried Rice' as one possible moniker being that it is, in this blogger's humble opinion, China's finest export apart from space hardware. You can have that one for free, NASA, don't say this blogger never gives you nowt. Scientists hope to get confirmation in the coming days, or weeks. The rocket part was first sighted from Earth in March 2015. A NASA-funded space survey in Arizona spotted it, but quickly lost interest when the object was shown not to be an asteroid capable of hitting Earth and destroying all life thereupon. The rocket part is what's known as 'space junk' - hardware discarded from missions or satellites without enough fuel or energy to return to Earth. Of course, it is important to remember that the Moon's far-side is called that, not The Dark Side. Because, as we were all taught at school, 'there is no dark side of the Moon ... as a matter of fact, it's all dark.'

The scale of a sprawling villa which housed one of the most important mosaics found in Britain in decades has been revealed. The Rutland mosaic was made public in November - but the size of the complex around it was previously only hinted at. Now ground-penetrating surveys have shown an area as large as five football pitches, boasting possible formal gardens, a bath house and mausoleum. Survey lead Doctor John Gater - yes, him off Time Team - said it was the largest site his team had covered. The mosaic was described by Historic England as 'one of the most remarkable and significant ... ever found in Britain' and by From The North favourite, presenter and academic Professor Alice Roberts as 'important and exceptional.' Rather than standard scenes of hunting or mythology, its panels illustrated an unusual version of a scene from The Trojan war, where the warrior Achilles ransoms the body of fallen enemy Hector. Dated to the Third and Fourth Century AD, the eleven by seven metre floor, while impressive, was only one time period in and one part of, the villa. Now a geophysical survey of the area has been released, showing a complex of structures worthy of such a centrepiece. One set of scans, which uses magnetic variations, showed the five hectare site was surrounded by ditches.

Unseen footage of convicted sex-offender Ghislaine Maxwell's late father, criminally corrupt fraudster Robert, filmed by staff on his boat just before his mysterious death, recordings of phones he bugged and a survivor of Jeffery Epstein's sick and sordid crimes who has never spoken publicly before are to be revealed in a new BBC documentary - one of the highlights of the corporation's biggest push of its factual shows for years. Launching the exploration of the Maxwell dynasty along with a slew of other programmes coming this year, including two David Attenborough-fronted series, Frozen Planet II and Dinosaurs: The Final Day, the BBC's factual, arts and classical music director, Fiona Campbell, claimed that 'no other broadcaster has such incredible breadth of factual content” from across the UK.' The line-up includes Andrew Flintoff setting up a cricket team in Preston in Freddie's First Eleven and All At Sea which follows British fishing trawlers. With the growth of the US streaming companies providing competition for talent and audiences, the ability of the BBC to shine a light on British stories can help to set it apart from its new rivals. One such series is The House Of Maxwell, which charts the rise and spectacular - if, highly amusing - fall of the media mogul's family. It features footage taken by staff on his boat in the days before his death. There are also secret, bugged recordings - ordered by Maxwell - of conversations his executives were having at the time about financial irregularities. In one exchange, which has been re-voiced by actors to protect identities, an executive says: 'I'm fucking furious ... I'm fucked if I know what he's done ... He's gone away on his boat, I'm still trying to track this bloody money down.' Good luck with that, mate. The BBC's head of documentaries, Clare Sillery, said producers obtained the recordings having used them for research about a previous Maxwell drama. They also obtained access to lawyers who investigated Ghislaine, plus 'a survivor of Epstein and Maxwell who's never spoken before who spent three years on the road with [them], spent time on the island in the Virgin Islands and her photographic record.' The producers have also approached the Maxwell family for interviews. Frozen Planet is returning after eleven years, using tiny new drone cameras that cause less disturbance to animals. Dinosaurs: The Final Day will be shown in tandem with the results of a dig in the US in April aiming to prove how dinosaurs were wiped out. The BBC is also making its most ambitious environmental series to date. Over seven years, Our Changing Planet - fronted by Ade Adepitan, Liz Bonnin and Chris Packham - will document six key habitats. In another first, the BBC's natural history unit has stayed on location for four years to track animals in Zambia for Kingdom. Other shows include Then Barbara Met Alan, a drama about the Disability Discrimination Act; Idris Elba's Fight Club; a David Olusoga series called Union; documentaries marking forty years of AIDs and The Falklands War anniversary and a series called Trouble At Top Shop. In addition, from April, every week BBC Four will broadcast Sunday Performance, featuring a performance such as The Play What I Wrote, starring Tom Hiddleston.

And finally, dear blog reader a small piece of From The North trivia. In the days immediately after this blogger alluded to the potential for this blog to be ending - either temporarily or permanently - the page hits on From The North suddenly occasioned a three-or-four-day period featuring some of this blog's most impressive daily hit-rate figures in over year. Clearly, this blogger should be threatening to shut this place down more often. And, on that bombshell ...