Sign in

Andrew Kelly

@andrewkelly.bsky.social
1.3K followers 2.1K following 1.8K posts

Writer, festival director, interviewer. Projects: Future City Film Festival, John Boorman, John Berger, William Gray Walter, revisiting J B Priestley, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel book. Writing/ interviewing/ editing: festivalofideas.substack.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 12h
This is a fair review about a play about today as much as it is about exploring ideas from the past. ‘It’s imperfect, then. But, as with much of Graham’s work, it’s propelled by a humane determination to lobby for hope, returning repeatedly to Keynes’ central question: “What makes a good life?”’
ft.com
The Standard of Living theatre review — Keynes’ radical optimism drives James Graham’s unwieldy new play
Britain’s leading political playwright explores the economist’s buzzing creative mind at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket
010
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 13h
‘The dismal science of economics has rarely been more colourful.’ Saw this yesterday. It moves along nicely. Good to see economics on the stage. Kinnear plays the great man well and the play is full of ideas. For more economics, Economics Festival is coming up economicsfestival.co.uk
thetimes.com
The extraordinary life of Keynes gets the James Graham treatment
The dismal science of economics is brought to colourful life in the playwright’s clever homage to an original thinker with a lust for life
010
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 22h
Stack by Nicole Eisenman Royal Academy 2026
021
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I’ve written a piece for the festival catalogue on this film and look forward to seeing it on the big screen.
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Slapstick Festival is recruiting for a Senior Operations Manager to play a key role in delivering the annual Festival and year-round events. Help bring one of the UK’s best-loved celebrations of screen comedy to life. Details: drive.google.com/file/d/174hB... Please share.
010
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Films seen 2026 #222. Brave documentary about the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie using footage filmed by Rachel Eliza Griffiths, his wife, which was both painful to watch and uplifting as he made his slow recovery and remained throughout a defender of freedom of expression.
youtu.be
KNIFE: THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE | OFFICIAL TRAILER | IN CINEMAS SEPTEMBER 30
YouTube video by Altitude Films
011
Reposted by Andrew Kelly
Film Noir UK @filmnoiruk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
We so miss Philip French and his work… worth watching via @wshed.bsky.social and hosted by @andrewkelly.bsky.social.
051
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
More praise for David Kynaston and his magnificent new book.
theguardian.com
Deep into the Sixties: Britain 1965-66 by David Kynaston review – a tour de force of popular history
From the Beatles and the World Cup to racism and homophobia, the latest instalment in Kynaston’s series captures a society in the throes of change
011
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just some of the many boxes that make up the archive of the work over 31 years of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership. In total: 360GB digital material 157 boxes 8 roller banners and 29 exhibition boards 1302 Soundcloud recordings 205 Crowdcast recordings 1331 photos All catalogued.
030
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Delighted to see this morning as I was doing some work on Angela Carter and cinema in Bristol that my interview with Philip French and his early cinemagoing days in Bristol is still available @wshed.bsky.social. www.watershed.co.uk/audio-video/...
watershed.co.uk
Philip French: Fifty Years as a Film Critic
In his fiftieth year as a film critic, Philip French joins Festival of Ideas to discuss his life's work.
083
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
‘If you asked me 30 years ago, would things be as bad as they are now, I'd probably have said no….So the fact it's got worse wasn't me being prescient. I didn't know it was going to get worse, it just has.’ Looking forward to seeing this next month in Newcastle.
bbc.co.uk
Our Friends in the North play still relevant - Peter Flannery
Peter Flannery says a new stage version of the classic TV show will resonate with modern audiences.
032
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Heather Stewart on the economic pressures facing the prime minister. These will be a central part of discussions at November’s Festival of Economics. @guardianheather.bsky.social is one of the speakers. Follow @economicsfestival.bsky.social for updates.
theguardian.com
Burnham’s plan for a radical reset collides with economic reality | Heather Stewart
Surging energy bills, higher borrowing costs and rising inflation have left the PM and his chancellor in a fiscal bind
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Coming up: Festival of Economics 2026. Details here. economicsfestival.co.uk Follow @economicsfestival.bsky.social for updates and news.
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Yet another good review of the latest David Kynaston volume.
thetimes.com
Did the Sixties really swing in Britain?
In Deep into the Sixties, the sixth volume of his history of modern Britain, David Kynaston reminds us that for most citizens the decade was full of bronchitis, boarding houses and bulldozed terraces
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Films seen 2026 #220: Bad Apples. Saoirse Ronan is always worth watching, and the film raises some interesting issues, but far too many plot holes to think about them, and take it, seriously.
youtu.be
Bad Apples | Official Trailer | Paramount Pictures UK
YouTube video by Paramount Pictures UK
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
‘How breathtaking…to see the full span of a human life, several of them at once – the quiet, ordinary mystery of it. How breathtaking and how beautiful.’
theguardian.com
The makers of the 7 Up series set out to prove a point about class. What they achieved is far more profound | Jonathan Freedland
The epic documentary series reveals much about the shifting social attitudes of the last 60 years – and much more about the quiet mystery of human life, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
020
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Some useful advance reading for Festival of Economics. Follow @economicsfestival.bsky.social for programme and updates.
theguardian.com
Labour’s last chance? The people shaping Andy Burnham’s grand plans for Britain
The long read: The new prime minister has declared he wants to end 40 years of neoliberalism. But is he really prepared to be that radical?
010
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Picked up today. The latest in a magnificent series. That’s the weekend sorted.
030
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
John Piper Ruined Cottage, Portland, 1950 Swindon Art Gallery
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Films seen 2026 #219: Queen At Sea. Family tries to cope with dementia and complications of sex in the relationship. Brilliantly acted but bleak. And a forecast of the future many of us will face.
youtu.be
QUEEN AT SEA | Official UK & IRE Trailer - In Cinemas 18 September
YouTube video by Curzon
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Films seen 2026 #218: Radio On. Saw this many years ago. Stands up well in its portrayal of declining England on the cusp of change. With added bonus of shots of parts of Bristol now gone - such as the Redcliffe Flyover - and parts still in development.
youtu.be
Radio On (1979) Official Reissue Trailer
YouTube video by Fun City Editions
041
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Seeing this in a few weeks as preparation for @economicsfestival.bsky.social
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on Keynes in the West End: James Graham’s latest play captures the zeitgeist | Editorial
Editorial: As the chancellor, John Healey, ponders options ahead of his first budget, the playwright’s new work offers lessons from the past
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Heather Stewart on current fears about AI debt. Stewart will be in discussion with @sarahoconnorft.ft.com and others in 18 November about AI @economicsfestival.bsky.social. Book here: economicsfestival.co.uk/event/are-we...
theguardian.com
AI slowdown calls justified but collapse of bubble may be more immediate threat | Heather Stewart
Scale of debt issuance being used to fund the hectic pace of the datacentre rollout by tech firms is a worry
000
Reposted by Andrew Kelly
Festival of Economics @economicsfestival.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Economic uncertainty has defined 2026. In the opening session of this year's Festival of Economics in Bristol, @edconway.bsky.social @richarddavies.bsky.social @helenmiller.bsky.social @ruthcurtice.bsky.social respond to the latest events in an attempt to distil clearer stories from the noise.
013
Reposted by Andrew Kelly
Festival of Economics @economicsfestival.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee have voted to hold interest rates at 3.75%. Committee member Catherine Mann will join us in Bristol on 17 November to discuss the UK economy, inflation and monetary policy. Book your tickets for free here: economicsfestival.co.uk/event/cather...
012
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Some pictures from last night’s Aardman Animations’ 50th birthday party. It’s been a treat to work with them for more than three decades. A company committed to creating art, fun and a strong Bristol company.
045
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Earl Grey tea with David Kynaston’s look at one year in the 1960s - one volume in his remarkable series Tales of a New Jerusalem: 1945-1979.
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Good to see this again last night at the Aardman 50th.
youtu.be
Maynards Wine Gums - Hoots Mon (1993, UK)
YouTube video by The Hall of Advertising
010
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Bristol 22.30 last night.
021
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Hadley Freeman on the new Shaun the Sheep movie. ‘I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed more in a cinema, or wished more that I could stay for a second screening to enjoy it all again.’ Aardman is a huge Bristol success story, a wonderful bunch of people, and I look forward to the film.
thetimes.com
This is my first five-star review as the Sunday Times film critic
We make such a fuss over James Bond, but there’s a far more exciting British film series — the 11th film made me laugh more than I have in ages
230
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Earl Grey tea with another Angela Carter novel - one of five she wrote when she lived in Bristol in the 1960s.
031
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Book for Michael Gove and Guy Standing on the future of education, 13 November, here: www.tickettailor.com/events/focca...
tickettailor.com
Buy tickets – Michael Gove & Guy Standing with Andrew Kelly: How Can Education Fix Society? – Christ Church, Clifton Down Road
Michael Gove & Guy Standing with Andrew Kelly: How Can Education Fix Society? – Christ Church, Clifton Down Road, Fri 13 Nov 2026 - How should we educate the next generation for a world changing faste...
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Why are ‘England’s teenagers…outperforming their peers in most countries in maths, reading and science’ according to PISA study? Something we’ll explore with Michael Gove and Guy Standing at Clifton Literature Festival 13 November. Book here: www.tickettailor.com/events/focca...
theguardian.com
England’s teenagers outperform peers in most countries in maths, reading and science
OECD test sees results dip in almost all member nations and warns of ‘digital distractions’ eroding academic skills
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Delighted to have worked with Clifton Literature Festival on this event on John Berger with Tom Overton and Michael Malay. Book here: www.tickettailor.com/events/focca.... There’ll be other events in November on Berger @wshed.bsky.social (launched soon).
030
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Booking now open. Book here: www.tickettailor.com/events/focca...
tickettailor.com
Buy tickets – Michael Gove & Guy Standing with Andrew Kelly: How Can Education Fix Society? – Christ Church, Clifton Down Road
Michael Gove & Guy Standing with Andrew Kelly: How Can Education Fix Society? – Christ Church, Clifton Down Road, Fri 13 Nov 2026 - How should we educate the next generation for a world changing faste...
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Max Hastings: ‘English though I may be, I find it impossible not to be moved by the depiction of de Gaulle’s awesome, unbending courage in adversity. Childish in his studied gracelessness towards friend and foe alike, he was nonetheless magnificent, as anyone watching this is likely to agree.’
thetimes.com
What does the new de Gaulle biopic get right — and wrong?
Antonin Baudry’s two-part epic stars Simon Abkarian as the French hero and Simon Russell Beale as a splendidly parodic Churchill. But is it historically accurate?
020
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Films seen 2026 #214. This is terrific.
youtu.be
DE GAULLE: FILM 2 - LIBERTÉ - Official Trailer HD
YouTube video by Pathe
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Booking opens tomorrow for the Clifton Literature Festival but you can read the programme now. foccal.com/litfest I’m hosting a debate between Michael Gove and Guy Standing about education 13 November.
121
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Obituary of Patrick Dromgoole. What a remarkable career. Bristol should honour him. I was fortunate enough to interview him last year about The Newcomers and Bristol in the 1960s. Our showing of The Newcomers 21 November will be a tribute to him and Tom Stoppard.
thetimes.com
Patrick Dromgoole obituary: HTV boss who inspired Jilly Cooper’s Rivals
West End director and children’s TV producer who launched Joe Orton and smoked television’s first joint, dies aged 96
021
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Enjoyed doing these interviews and the whole Likely Lads event. Terrific. Good to see these interviews appearing online.
021
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Looking forward very much to David Kynaston’s latest book.
spectator.com
In with the new: Julie Christie, Mary Quant, Up the Junction – the decade that changed Britain
This glorious historical monument slows, expands and luxuriously stretches to encompass one of the defining moments of change in our history. When David Kynaston began, in 2007, to publish his Tales o...
001
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Tickets for one of the free events in our @economicsfestival.bsky.social now open: Alan Manning on immigration. Book here: economicsfestival.co.uk/event/alan-m...
031
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Wendell Berry nearly a fortnight ago. Now Annie Dillard.
nytimes.com
Annie Dillard, Meditative Author of ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,’ Dies at 81
Her Thoreau-like account of journeys in the woods, published when she was 28, was the first of many ruminations on life and nature, good and evil.
030
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Huge fungi in Bath.
020
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Earl Grey tea with the latest NYRB and Francis Fukuyama. I’ve interviewed him twice and learned much from him. His latest is a memoir which covers his love of cross-country travel and woodworking as well as capsule portraits of those people who have influenced him and his books.
010
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Booked four films @wshed.bsky.social in the LFF on tour series. Might do more. There’s lots of treats.
watershed.co.uk
BFI London Film Festival on Tour 2026
Come and discover the world's best new films at this year's BFI London Film Festival on Tour 2026. Book now.
011
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
‘…regardless of “what or how we read”, sitting down with a book is linked to improved health and problem solving…. Benefits include lowering stress and reducing the risk of dementia, and span all types of reading, from comic books to classic novels or hefty non-fiction tomes.’
thetimes.com
Any type of reading is the most marvellous medicine, say scientists
Researchers from the University of Cambridge collated data to reveal the incredible benefits of sitting down with a book, comic or magazine at any age
041
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
‘…his turn west in the 1970s reveals not just a man escaping personal failures but a restless writer who sensed that a wide new horizon might require him to expand his vision if he was to find his voice and his audience.’ A genius, but found his final two books hard.
theatlantic.com
Cormac McCarthy’s Midlife Crisis
Heading west at 40 transformed his writing—and American literature.
000
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A terrific and important writer and broadcaster who has died much too young. Who Paid the Piper? was eye-opening; The Suitcase is a brilliant and moving book.
theguardian.com
Frances Stonor Saunders obituary
Author and documentary-maker best known for her 1999 book about CIA-funded cultural espionage Who Paid the Piper?
161
Andrew Kelly @andrewkelly.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
John Harris on James Marriott’s new book ‘…inch by inch, we move towards a future with echoes of the past that too many people will have failed to understand. And this time, there will be no books to burn, because we will have stopped reading them.’
theguardian.com
Warning: our democracy won’t survive the death of reading. Read on if you still can | John Harris
While fascists protest in UK ports and purvey nonsense and poison online, ever fewer people have the perspective or analytical tools to challenge them, says Guardian columnist John Harris
000