iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The second part of 70Up was a marked improvement on the first, but still not quite to my taste. Still, I cried – so mission accomplished?

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Ten Acre Books @tenacrebooks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Broadcaster and actor Peter Purves got in touch to say how much he’d enjoyed our book The Quatermass Experiment, @tobyhadoke.bsky.social’s definitive guide to TV’s first sci-fi classic, available now from tenacrebooks.co.uk 🚀

‘A remarkable achievement. Your research cannot be faulted, and you have knitted it into the definitive book on early TV production skills and techniques, without ever being boring. Having watched the original Quatermass, I was reminded of so much that I had forgotten. Your choices of photographs are incredibly valuable to the story, and show the limitations of the setting, which you describe quite brilliantly. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and cannot praise you highly enough.’ Peter Purves

The Quatermass Experiment: The Making of TV's First Sci-Fi Classic

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I am very sorry to hear about the death of Stephanie Cole. She was a phenomenal performer and by all accounts a lovely woman. I was thrilled to speak with her for my Roy Clarke biography and she couldn't have been more charming and helpful. My thoughts are with her caring family.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Having re-watched the rest of the series over the course of the last few weeks, the way #70up has been put together is really jarring. You really feel the loss of Apted as I think this is the first time the editing hasn't served the material. I hope part two changes my mind.

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Ian Greaves @greavesian.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

My work on #PendasFen would not have been possible without the access provided by the BBC Written Archives Centre. That is, until a major policy change in January 2025 effectively shut down independent, exploratory research. Background here: cstonline.net/is-the-bbc-a...

cstonline.net

DEFENDING THE WAC: IS THE BBC A FIT AND PROPER KEEPER OF ITS OWN PAPER ARCHIVE? Ian Greaves on Defending the Written Archives Centre (Part 1)

When the creation of the BBC Written Archives Centre in Caversham was agreed, at a meeting of the Board of Management on 17 November 1969, it was done so with a view to history. Kenneth Lamb…

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Thanks to the Royals, there's a lot of talk about Eton College at the moment. So take a moment to remember the only Etonian really worth looking up to – Patrick Macnee, who was kicked out for selling porn and taking bets.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In 1962, Tyne Tees listings magazine The Viewer took to publishing one page short stories, both fact & fiction. The first particularly charming. Sheila's episode of Emergency Ward 10 was the 374th of the series run. She had previously appeared on stage in Dracula with Bela Lugosi

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I genuinely thought this was a picture of Brian Pern.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Not me at all, but hurtling towards forty something needs to be done. First day of couch to 5k running. Posting everywhere to make myself accountable and for... you know... external validation.

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Joe Keenan @joekeenan.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

🧵The great James Burrows died today. I owe my TV career to him and to the Charles brothers. They read my first book and invited me to write a pilot. The result, Gloria Vane, was about a 1930s movie star. Jimmy directed. What does a great comedy director add that’s not on the page? One example: 1/

The TV comedy director sitting in a chair on a soundstage as cameramen behind him prepare to film a scene.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

It's always thrilling when something new is uncovered and I'm particularly fond of what will be showcased here from 8pm this evening. A link is below.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

It's always thrilling when something new is uncovered and I'm particularly fond of what will be showcased here from 8pm this evening. A link is below.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The most infamous episode in Summer Wine history? The script for "Stop That Bath" has been added to the "archive" - though the most famous moment is frustratingly on one of two missing pages!

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I've been acting as a consultant on this magical documentary for some time now, so it's nice to finally be able to talk about it in the open! The crew and Brian are really putting in the effort to make The Last Drop of Summer Wine as special as can be. www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/8763...

comedy.co.uk

Brian Conley to front 2-hour Summer Wine celebration on Gold - British Comedy Guide

U&Gold has ordered a 2-hour celebratory documentary of Sir Roy Clarke's sitcom hit Last Of The Summer Wine, to air next year.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I knew that illness prevented Jane Freeman – who had been there from the start – from appearing as Ivy in the final episode of Last of the Summer Wine, but until seeing the script I was unaware of this moment that would have brought the series full circle in such a beautiful way.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Thanks to @rickblackman.bsky.social , the late Christopher Beeny's personal Last of the Summer Wine scripts have landed at Wring All Hours HQ for cataloguing and digitising. Not all are complete, but they nevertheless make a sizeable dent in the quest to assemble a Roy Clarke script archive.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Huge thanks to Rick for trusting me with his Dad's copies of these Last of the Summer Wine scripts. A central repository of Roy Clarke scripts is something that really needs to exist and we're off to a good start.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

For the bank holiday only, the play I wrote for Valerie Singleton and Sandra Kerr is available to stream for free. You can listen to 'Patchwuff' and other Mulgrave Audio productions at the link below. mulgraveaudio.bandcamp.com/track/patchw...

mulgraveaudio.bandcamp.com

Patchwuff Part One, by Mulgrave Audio

from the album Patchwuff

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Jon Dies At The End @accordingtojond.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

104 years ago today, one the greatest TV writers and the most underrated TV writer, the visionary Nigel Kneale was born.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Hidden treasure! Courtesy of a former crew-member, I recently acquired a host of script pages from the third series of Mackenzie Crook's sublime 'The Detectorists' - annotated with notes on each shooting day's lighting set-ups.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

For a while a friend & I have been meeting on a weekly basis with the aim of watching three films for every year we've been alive – one I've enjoyed in the past, one he has, & one neither of us has seen. The list is coming along nicely, even if our tastes might be a bit predicable! boxd.it/BTAjW

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Jeanie Finlay @jeaniefinlay.com · 18/04/2026

This @recordstoreday.bsky.social I’m remembering THE GREATEST and much missed record shop of all (don’t @ me) SOUND IT OUT. Here’s a scene from the film I made there. Watch the full film here vimeo.com/ondemand/sou...

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Peter Mandler @petermandler.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Worse than limited opening hours, it's the withdrawal of 2/3 of the archive for curiosity-driven research that is the real scandal for what is supposed to be a public-service organization.

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Paul Hayes @paul-hayes.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

This BBC News Online piece will be the most effective publicity my new documentary about Flight into Danger gets. So if you have enjoyed the programme, think you may enjoy it, or are just a kind soul, if you could please share this anywhere you think it may be worth sharing, I'd be very grateful!

bbc.co.uk

The Luton writer behind the original Airplane!

How a play broadcast live on Canadian television in 1956 became the famous comedy film Airplane!.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

We've now reached Part 4 of our mammoth Thunderbirds anniversary documentary project. The instalments now run to a collective runtime of 2 hours 38 minutes and production on the first episode, "Trapped in the Sky", is yet to be completed. We mean business. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ5i...

youtube.com

THUNDERBIRDS ARE 60: Stand By For "Action!" (New Behind the Scenes Documentary)

YouTube video by Century 21 Films

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Mark Braxton @braxtm.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Days of Wine and roses... many congratulations to prolific comedy writer Roy Clarke on his knighthood. Photographed by @radiotimes.bsky.social on location with his Last of the Summer Wine cast in 1974.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

As of today, he is officially SIR Roy Clarke. I couldn't be happier for the man and his wonderful family. (Photo: PA)

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World of Telly @world-of-telly.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

The video version of our latest episode is out now: youtu.be/ijlnPXmBDrY Please like, subscribe and share the video around, as it really does help us out. Thanks.

youtu.be

World of Telly Episode 15: Whoops Apocalypse

YouTube video by World of Telly

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Mulgrave Audio @mulgraveaudio.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

We are in the new @radiotimes.bsky.social! Huge thanks to @braxtm.bsky.social for a lovely, full-page feature - discussing our latest release 'Patchwuff' with the legendary Sandra Kerr and our own @andrewtsmith.bsky.social. Extended version now on the RT website: www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/bag...

radiotimes.com

Meet the woman whose magical music brought Bagpuss to life

Sandra Kerr talks to RT about the ultimate storyteller, giggling mice and a new audio drama that captures TV's golden age.

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Ian Greaves @greavesian.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

The BBC’s job is to “inform, educate, and entertain”? Let’s talk about the middle word. What follows is the story of what we found in an FOI request (per the Observer) about the Corporation killing off plans to launch an online catalogue and failing to deliver ‘learning for people of all ages’. 🧵

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Jonathan Slater @jonathanslater.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

RIP NEIL SEDAKA

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Journeying back to the North East after visiting Sir Roy Clarke and members of his wonderful family. Writing this book has taken longer than either of us anticipated – partly because even I had underestimated the scope of his output – but we're on the home stretch now!

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Ten Acre Books @tenacrebooks.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Praise for our book Penda's Fen: Scene by Scene, @greavesian.bsky.social's definitive exploration of the classic Play for Today from script to screen. Available now from tenacrebooks.co.uk

‘Astonishing. I enjoyed a deeper working involvement in the making of the film than most authors are granted — but even so, there was so much going on that I didn’t know. Thank you for teaching me’ David Rudkin

‘Indispensable. It left me longing to see the film again and wishing that television today had room for works of such outstanding individual imagination’ Michael Billington

‘A comprehensive, immersive deep dive into the creation of David Rudkin and Alan Clarke’s massively influential and hallucinatory coming-of-age story. Highly recommended!’ Grant Morrison

‘Play for Today was, for many years, the most exciting strand in British television and Penda’s Fen is one of its most remarkable highpoints: visionary, original and under perfect control’ David Hare

‘A welcome revelation of insight, background and new resonances
to Clarke’s masterwork’ Jim O'Rourke

***** ‘Surely the definitive statement on Penda’s Fen’ SFX Magazine

‘A first-class read. It is like witnessing a first-class documentary in written form’ Spencer Banks

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

What is the deal with modern Star Trek series and opening titles? Fifteen minutes into an hour long episode, your title sequence fails to be a scene setter and instead become an unwelcome interruption.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Tonight on BBC4, Sir Roy Clarke introduces a classic episode of 'Open All Hours' in advance of the series' 50th anniversary later this month. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

bbc.co.uk

BBC Four - Remembers..., Roy Clarke Remembers... Open All Hours

Sitcom writer Roy Clarke looks back on one of his best-loved creations, Open All Hours.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

This month marks 50 years of 'Open All Hours' and Roy Clarke is on hand to recall how it all came together. Here, he speaks to the Radio Times.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

The new Muppet Show special with Sabrina Carpenter is about as good as any fan could have hoped for. Why they haven't tried this approach before is a mystery. Just get a move on with the next one. Momentum is key!

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

I've just been on the phone with the old young Bill... he's delightful. Very pleased to say that Paul Greenwood has now contributed an interview to Writing All Hours.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

The opening scenes of Roy Clarke's 'Pictures' – a seven part series broadcast by ITV in 1983. I don't think it has ever been repeated in the UK.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Quietly announced yesterday amongst the Roy Clarke birthday celebrations – my new biography of the man is to be titled 'Writing All Hours'

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Sir Roy Clarke turns 96 today and, having considered himself retired on several occasions, will have works premiering on television this year. I'm still in the midst of writing his biography – a colossal, but infinitely rewarding undertaking. Some thoughts follow...

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John Williams @worldoftelly.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

We've had January off, but the podcast returns next month with UFO. In the meantime, here's our back catalogue.

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Jonathan Melville @jonmelville.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

What was it really like working with Jim Henson? I spent years tracking down the puppeteers, writers, directors and other creatives who helped bring the magic to life. Their stories became Rainbow Connections: Volume One, out 31st July 🌈 Find out more: jonathanmelville.substack.com/p/rainbow-co...

Details of Rainbow Connections: Volume One - Meeting the People Who Brought Jim Henson’s Vision to Life

Interviewees include Bill Barretta, Steve Barron, Fran Brill, Tony Charmoli, Mark Eades, Louise Gold, David Gumpel, Bruce McNally, Rob Mills, Larry Mirkin, Victor Pemberton, Austin Pendleton, Mike Quinn, Gord Robertson, John Stephenson, John Stevenson, Jocelyn Stevenson & Jeremy Swan.
You sent
We discuss projects including Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Muppet movies, Muppet*Vision 3D, The Jim Henson Hour, Dinosaurs, The Storyteller, Muppets Tonight and many more.

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Richard Latto @richardlatto.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Great to see this getting another outing. Still can't (yet can) believe I found the unseen rushes of this rare Terry interview just slung in the corner of a room in a couple of 16mm cans, forgotten for 40 years! A pleasure to produce this with the talented Mark Simpson #wogan

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Amongst the many gems to come to light while writing the first biography of writer Roy Clarke are handwritten scripts for classic Last of the Summer Wine episodes. During the '60s, '70s, and '80s Roy would write in longhand before sending his drafts away to be typed.

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Ten Acre Books @tenacrebooks.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Learn about the origins of a sci-fi classic with The Quatermass Experiment, @tobyhadoke.bsky.social's immersive history of the landmark lost TV serial, illustrated with rediscovered studio photos. Work is already underway on the next volume in the series. Order now from tenacrebooks.co.uk

Cover of The Quatermass Experiment: The Making of TV's First Sci-Fi Classic.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

I mean, he's a bit overbearing... found in a second hand Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends annual.

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Andrew T. Smith @andrewtsmith.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Before & after the Christmas period, Stephen La Rivière and I have been concocting a mammoth Thunderbirds documentary for Century 21 Films. The first part of this incredibly deep dive into the series' production & legacy is now out on Youtube with LOTS more to follow this year. Link in first reply.

A thumbnail for the first part of the 'Thunderbirds Are 60' documentary featuring a photograph of Scott Tracy in his International Rescue uniform.

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Gemma Arrowsmith @mmaarrow.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Top tip for tonight: If you hit play on Who Framed Roger Rabbit at exactly 11:36pm, you will miss the chimes of midnight because you will be engrossed in one of the best films of all time. 👍

Image from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Eddie Valiant and Roger beside a black car. Jessica Rabbit in the car.

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