iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 13/10/2026

First West Dumbartonshire derby in years the night, and that’s an outstanding graphic to promote it…

Screenshot of Dumbarton FC’s post promoting its challenge cup clash with fake Clydebank at Holm Park, Yoker tonight, illustrated with a mural of Limmy as fuckin’ Deedee

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 13/10/2026

New Squires on the bantcasts has absolutely ended me today. www.theguardian.com/football/pic...

Screenshot from the latest David Squires cartoon for the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2026/oct/13/david-squires-on-endless-growth-football-podcasts-vodcasts-banal-digital-banter?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 13/10/2026

Sweet Jesus no, Brent. No.

Spiner worked closely with his friend, Oscar-winning screenwriter John Logan, on the script for Star Trek: Nemesis, which got him a story credit on it. He and Logan had done some work on a follow-up film that would have worked as a sequel to Nemesis. When first asked about this
concept, Spiner quipped:
"The only thing I can tell you, it was going to be fantastic."
Spiner once described the concept as "Justice League of Star Trek," involving characters from the throughout the franchise. At the documentary event, Spiner confirmed with TrekMovie the idea was to have "everybody" in it, clarifying the film would include characters from "all the Treks that
existed at that time."

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 12/10/2026

Well, that and the money, and the far right audience, eh Marina?

What I already know I love about Substack is the direct relationship with readers it gives you - the chance to do Q&As, have dialogue with subscribers, and to get direct suggestions for things people would like me to write about.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 12/10/2026

I bet you’re loving this on the BBC Breakfast forum…

Screenshot of Reece Shearsmith (hi Reece) on bbc breakfast plugging his book.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 10/10/2026

If I’m ever famous enough to go on that Waitrose food podcast thing, and asked my favourite way to eat potatoes, this will of course be the answer…

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 09/10/2026

From Grant Morrison’s latest newsletter tonight…

Speaking of the Doctor, Ben Wheatley pitched to a production company recently on our behalf, but I expect it will end up with some dyed in the wool BBC showrunner who doesn't get the material and runs it back into the ground.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 09/10/2026

Big fan of the traditional ‘put the Star Trek cast in civvies and make them look like a sitcom’ photoshoot.

The early cast of Deep Space Nine lounging about a sofa in various shades of blue.

The cast of Star Trek Voyager lounging about a sofa in various shades of browns and beiges.

The cast of Enterprise lounging about in lots of linen and denim, and looking like the cast of One Tree Hill or something.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 08/10/2026

Guess I’m not going anywhere this afternoon then…

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 08/10/2026

Wonder what changes Hickman’s made to this line-up then.

Poster for cover band Ultimate Coldplay, which plays in Cirencester in November.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 07/10/2026

I mean, if he was a sci-fi fan he certainly wouldn’t have created Invasion Earth. Or kept removing it from his wiki…

Mercurio is a sci-fi fan and created BBC series
Invasion: Earth in the 1990s. He has since become
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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 05/10/2026

“No, I can manage it, thank you…”

Storm, a small tuxedo cat sat on my lap, reaching a paw towards the camera like she’s operating the button

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 04/10/2026

Met the new neighbours. Big family, but surprisingly sheepish

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 03/10/2026

Obviously it’s a meaningless tournament since the current holders aren’t allowed to defend their titles, but good to see the Sixes are being played in the spirit we all hoped for…

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 02/10/2026

Still ploughing through my late father’s paperwork and came across this, apparently set up when I was born. Not even sure who owns that bank now, let alone whether the account still exists. Be funny if it has a Monk-like interest build-up after 48 years though…

The green cover of a Savings Bank of Glasgow bank book from the 1970s

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 01/10/2026

What in the name of hell is this abomination?

A packet of McVities digestives Jaffa cakes.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 01/10/2026

Drop some PUNCHES 👊 🖤 🤕

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 28/09/2026

Finally made it Gill. Sorry I missed you.

Me outside Bicester’s branch of Wimpy, where my sister and I had planned to meet up for a massive family injoke burger before her untimely death last year.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 27/09/2026

Storm got comfy under the Steamdeck and now it’s done, so is she, the silly idiot.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 25/09/2026

Repost with an image of your favorite James Bond (wrong answers only) There is of course only one right answer to this…

Showing the full gamut of his acting range from A to A, Michael Flatley smoulders into the camera wearing a tux like a Bond cosplayer wandering into a fan photoshoot at a convention. Which I guess Blackbird, his black tanktop vanity project, is pretty close to being.

Man of action Michael “Lord of the Dunce” Flatley post fight scene in Blackbird, with a bloodied white tuxedo jacket held on his hand, bow tie undone over his half unbuttoned, bloodied dress shirt, and with two pistols tucked in the front of his trousers. Given they’re recently been fired, that’s gonna burn as much as the reviews of his delusioneer filmmaking experiment must have.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 25/09/2026

The much better brothers Hansen. #totp

Patrick Thistle legend John Hansen (left), and his lesser known brother who moved south to play for some other team in England…

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 25/09/2026

If there’s money to be made…

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 24/09/2026

How much?! Fucking hell…

Meet and greet offering with Canadian indie wrassln’ group Maple Leaf Pro, where for just $2500 Canadian, you can get to meet Adam Copeland.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 18/09/2026

Fuuuuuucking hell St Johnstone, that’s awful.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 18/09/2026

We’ve already seen Sisko’s Thong.

Ben Sisko in some purple 24th century beach wear alongside future wife Jennifer in a blue bikini

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 16/09/2026

“And here’s one we made earlier”

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 16/09/2026

The other one, which is less see than play I guess, but is the starting point for me playing the rest of the game through a fug of tears, is absolutely this:

a dying Arthur Morgan tells Sister Calderon that he’s afraid as he sits with her at Emerald Station, in Red Dead Redemption 2

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 16/09/2026

What scene makes you emotional no matter how many times you see it?

Bartlet rants at God inside Washington cathedral after the death of Mrs Landingham, from The West Wing episode “Two Cathedrals”

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 16/09/2026

“Wins for Aberdeen, Falkirk and Kilmarnock in SPL” last night, BBC Breakfast? That’s a remarkable trick given that the SPL stopped operating 13 fucking years ago. It isn’t much to expect one of the main broadcast rights holders to the competition to get the fucking name of it right, surely?

John Watson hosting the sports bulletin on BBC Breakfast with a graphic claiming there were “wins for
Aberdeen, Falkirk and Kilmarnock in SPL”.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 15/09/2026

Modern science works miracles these days.

Mitch McConnell, creater of the evil Daleks, returns to the Senate.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 15/09/2026

That Scotland squad’s… not bad, actually. There’s maybe an argument for Penrice based on his last few games but in favour of whom is a tough question. The dead wood like Souttar, Dykes and Hanley all gone. Pocognoli seems to have found a nice balance.

Scotland Men's National Team Squad
Goalkeepers
Scott Bain Falkirk
Angus Gunn San Jose Earthquakes
Liam Kelly Rangers
Jon McCracken* Bradford City
Defenders
Luis Binks Brondby
Josh Doig Sassuolo
Colby Donovan Celtic
Luke Graham Stoke City
Jack Hendry Al Ettifaq
Aaron Hickey Brentford
Scott McKenna Dinamo Zagreb
Nathan Patterson* Torino
Andy Robertson Tottenham Hotspur
Kieran Tierney Celtic
Stephen Welsh Swansea City

Midfielders
Ryan Christie AFC Bournemouth
Lewis Ferguson Bologna
Billy Gilmour* Napoli
Lennon Miller Udinese
Kenny McLean Norwich City
John McGinn Aston Villa
Josh McPake Heart of Midlothian
Forwards
Kieron Bowie Sassuolo
Findlay Curtis Rangers
Ben Gannon-Doak AFC Bournemouth
Oli McBurnie Hull City
Robbie Ure Sevilla
James Wilson Heart of Midlothian

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 14/09/2026

Pffft. Sod ITV franchises (even my old Grampian pals). I’m sticking with my ride or dies (and where I wrote some pilots…)

Ident of short lived Guardian-owned hyper local service Channel M, serving Manchester and that’s about it. But boy, did it ever.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 14/09/2026

I spent the first half of the year writing about The Pitt’s second series, which looks like it’s about to sweep another whole bucket of awards… www.thespoilist.com/tag/the-pitt/

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 14/09/2026

I almost went to an illegal barber. Talk about a close shave. Still, noting to get too cut up about…

An idiot lib dem launching her campaign for mandatory registration of hairdressers and barbers in England. Which absolutely isn’t racism whatsoever.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 11/09/2026

“He’s a musician. She works for a bank.” Sake, hen, could you not at least have put a jumper on with pound signs or coins on it then?

Eric and Joy. A couple living in Finsbury Park who are destined to die in various amusing ways from nuclear war. Even in their fashionable early 1980s jumpers.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 10/09/2026

Rattled through this in a day. Big fan of @danielgraywriter.bsky.social’s writing anyway, but this is a fantastic read - an excellent charting of both football’s evolution in the 80s and 90s and the broader ways fan culture overlaps and brings groups together.

A copy of Daniel Gray’s new book Fanzine: The story of football’s alternative press, featuring an 80s b/w photo of some young football bands outside the entrance to a ground.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 09/09/2026

How it started -> How it’s going…

Daily Mail editorial from January 1934 celebrating fascism under the headline Hurrah for the Blackshirts

Daily Mail tweet from today revealing how the modern fascists who blockaded Dover at the weekend are now blockading the Mail’s HQ because the paper doorstepped their leader’s maw. Boo hoo lads.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 08/09/2026

For FTS issue 2, I wanted to do a big state of the Trek nation piece - which @thespoilist.bsky.social provided with aplomb. And to illustrate it, @8bitnorthxstitch.bsky.social created a fantastic cover image showcasing the Trek shows that were on air in 2024. The detail is just amazing. #startrekday

The cover of From The Sublime issue two, with a cross stitch pattern showing Pike, Mariner, Saru, Seven of Nine and Dal R'El.

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 05/09/2026

The internal response by AKJ to this (glee at the outrage it was provoking, especially the article headline) was the biggest giveaway where they’re taking it.

Newcastle United > Scores & Fixtures | Table | Predictor
iỊm not in Dubai for money... I don't want my kids growing up in England'
ARABIAN FALCONS
Jonjo Shelvey made 278 Premier League appearances during spells at Newcastle United, Liverpool, Swansea City and Nottingham Forest
Ciaran Kelly >
Football reporter
16 October 2025 • 1110 Comments

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Iain Hepburn @iainhepburn.me · 05/09/2026

Children and Piers Morgan presumably…

What's always off-limits to critique? And what would feel important enough to make you reconsider your own boundaries?
Josh, Palm Springs, US
In general, I think everything can and should be written about, as long as you get the right tone. Anything involving children is always what I'd be most cautious about.

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