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Matt Elliott

@melliott1.bsky.social
404 followers 973 following 182 posts

History teacher UK(Subject Lead). Interested in politics, films/tv, theatre,books and football.

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Reposted by Matt Elliott
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Public executions were not abolished out of tenderness towards the criminal. They were abolished because of the effect on the people watching, and the dangers of making human death a source of commercial entertainment. Here's Charles Dickens in The Times, after witnessing an execution in 1849.
"I have seen, habitually, some of the worst sources of general contamination and corruption in this country, and I think there are not many phases of London life that could surprise me. I am solemnly convinced that nothing that ingenuity could devise to be done in this city, in the same compass of time, could work such ruin as one public execution, and I stand astounded and appalled by the wickedness it exhibits. I do not believe that any community can prosper where such a scene of horror and demoralization as was enacted this morning outside Horsemonger Lane Gaol is presented at the very doors of good citizens, and is passed by, unknown or forgotten. And when in our prayers and thanksgivings for the season we are humbly expressing before God our desire to remove the moral evils of the land, I would ask your readers to consider whether it is not a time to think of this one, and to root it out.

I am, Sir, your faithful Servant.
Charles Dickens".
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Furious is gripping and gritty TV. On Disney plus in the UK #tvsky #Furious
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History Today @historytoday.com · 17/09/2026
Congratulations to the nominees in the 2026 @WolfsonHistory Prize. You can find reading related to four of the shortlisted titles in the History Today archive. #WolfsonHistoryPrize 1/5
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
BBC News - Schools in England get extra £500m in bid to avoid teachers' pay strike www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... This is fantastic news for school budgets.
bbc.co.uk
Schools in England get extra £500m in bid to avoid teacher pay strike
The offer of extra money by the government reduces the prospect of strike action by the largest teaching union.
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Reposted by Matt Elliott
Olaf Falafel @ofalafel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Did you know? If you unravel the entire human digestive system and lay it in a straight line - you lose your job at the mortuary
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Loved this series
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Charles Fourier @charlesfourier.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Bill Bryson’s words seem appropriate to post right now
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Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Channel 4 expose on Reform is telly ecstasy. Prestige TV is great but can it beat watching Nigel Farage, James Orr and James Johnson getting stitched up for blatant corruption? No it cannot
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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 03/09/2026
Very much here for any moves to throw off the Norman yoke.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 31/08/2026
Rajendra Dawadi was teaching at the Tribhuvan Trishuli School in Nepal when a staff member burst into the classroom, shouting that a major flood was headed their way. His swift evacuation plan saved hundreds of lives. nyti.ms/3SjQKv1
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Dr Tom Horne @hornesupremacy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🚨 Breaking News The ASTOUNDING find of Denmark's biggest-ever Viking-Age silver hoard! drtomhornearchaeology.substack.com/p/breaking-d...
drtomhornearchaeology.substack.com
BREAKING: Denmark’s Largest Viking-Age Silver Hoard Found in Garden
Found during a gardening project, the Rebild Silver Hoard is Denmark's biggest-ever Viking-Age silver cache
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
youtu.be/--zEDdjLLWA?... Campaign for public ownership of water
youtu.be
Paul Whitehouse and the water referendum!
YouTube video by Windrush WASP
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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
RIP TO ONE OF THE GREATEST TO EVER DO IT
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
BBC News - Young care leavers dying early a 'national tragedy' - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... This is a severely neglected issue.
bbc.co.uk
Young care leavers dying early a 'national tragedy'
Those leaving care have a death rate around four times higher than the general population, a new review reveals.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Completely normal.....
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Went to Folkstone today. Super impressed with the regeneration of the seafront and Harbour Arm.
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Getty @gettymuseum.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Take a trip to Pompeii without leaving your home. Italian artist Luigi Spina had unprecedented access to photograph in all its glory—all times of day, in all seasons, in natural light, and without visitors.
Various photographs of Pompeii's archaeological site interiors and exteriors in different times of day and different seasons without visitors.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Love a hanging basket
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I would urge anyone to watch Buried with Michael Sheen. An investigation of the dumping of PCB chemicals by Monsanto. Shocking stuff.
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Andrew Curry @andrewcurry.com · 11/08/2026
The man's skeletal injuries looked like a train hit him, but he died in 1304 CE. At #ppa26Berlin last week, @uniofbradford.bsky.social scientist Jo Buckberry concluded he was likely whacked by a flying boulder, making him the first confirmed trebuchet death in the archaeological record. @science.org
science.org
Shattered skeleton in Scottish castle is first confirmed death from trebuchet
“Devastation” across body of 14th century warrior indicates horrific demise from flying boulder
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Tes magazine @tesmagazine.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Education research from the past year all schools should know about – from setting vs mixed-ability grouping to absence interventions and phone pouches
tes.com
The education year in research: 5 studies schools should know
Ofsted is pushing schools to become more evidence-informed, so here are five key studies from the past year and what they found
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/film/ng-inte... Some classics in this list. My personal favourite being, The Wizard of Oz. #filmsky #moviesky
theguardian.com
From The Wizard of Oz to Trainspotting: 25 films to watch before you turn 25
As AI slop takes over our screens, what better antidote for enquiring minds than a magical film? We ask directors, producers and critics to pick one must-see movie for each year – from infancy to youn...
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/au... This is such a fantastic film
theguardian.com
Hunt for the Wilderpeople review – Sam Neill is warm and wise in Taika Waititi’s goofily tremendous film
Waititi’s eccentric drama sends the late actor into the New Zealand wilderness with his young charge, angry authorities in hot pursuit
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250 to 250 @250to250.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
@kevinmkruse.bsky.social is a historian, Guggenheim Fellow, author of White Flight and One Nation Under God, and co-editor of Myth America. Kruze examines the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crowning achievement of the civil rights era. #WeAreAmerica250
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Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I was one of the voters; I think about half of my choices made it. Some great/good books here, a few bad ones, and a few that I would disqualify on genre grounds (sorry, Donna Tartt, Mick Herron, and John Le Carre). But overall, this will prompt a lot of fun reading! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
The 50 Best Thriller Books of the 21st Century (Gift Article)
Hundreds of novelists, librarians, editors and other book lovers voted. See how their ballots stack up.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Switzerland is pretty amazing
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Luke Tryl @luketryl.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Our latest voting intention sees cross over. Labour move ahead by 4. Their first lead since March 2025 & highest share since Nov 24 🌹 LAB 28% (+4)
⏩ REF 24% (-2)
🌳 CON 22% (nc)
🔶 LIB DEM 12% (+1)
🟢 GREEN 8% (-3)
🟡 SNP 2% (nc) N = 2061| Dates 24-27/7| Change w 22/7
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Watch on the biggest screen you can. Truly epic. Christopher Nolan has done it again. #filmsky #theodyssey
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George Harris @historylecturer.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
This ought to be the most famous and most shared frame from the Bayeux Tapestry. The horror of war. These are the Norman invaders at work before the Battle of Hastings. "Here a house is burned".
Tho Norman soldiers burn a house while a mother and child are turned out.
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Paul Tassi @paultassi.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
‘The Odyssey’ Is Drastically Outpacing Oppenheimer’s Box Office www.forbes.com/sites/paulta...
forbes.com
‘The Odyssey’ Is Drastically Outpacing Oppenheimer’s Box Office
The Odyssey is doing incredible numbers at the box office, and currently outpacing Oppenheimer on its way toward a billion.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Greek tragedy in modern day Sevenoaks. Powerful performance at the Bridge Theatre. #Theatresky #TheOresteia
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Highly recommend Rasputin and the downfall of the Romanovs by Antony Beevor. Beevor is great at narrative history, especially on the topic of Russia. #booksky #History #historyteacher
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School Reading List @schoolreadinglist.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
British Black History books for children and teens, including titles by Floella Benjamin, David Olusoga, Benjamin Zephaniah, Alison Hammond, Jeffrey Boakye, Catherine Johnson, Troy Deeney and more. schoolreadinglist.co.uk/genres/briti... #kidlit
schoolreadinglist.co.uk
British Black History Books for Children and Teens
British Black history books for children and teens including titles by Jeffrey Boakye, Catherine Johnson, David Olusoga and Troy Deeney.
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Such good news. Human beings are capable of magical and wonderful things. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Cervical cancer deaths fall to zero in young women given HPV vaccine
A new study finds that hundreds of lives have been saved since school-age girls were offered the HPV jab in 2008.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Just got out of Disclosure Day. Spielberg at his Sci-fi best. Emily Blunt fantastic. #filmsky #Disclosureday
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Tennessee Equality Project @tnequality.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Good news. Roots returning to libraries in Knox County Schools. www.wbir.com/article/news...
wbir.com
KCS reinstates 'Roots' in school libraries following superintendent's review
Alex Haley's "Roots" was banned from KCS libraries two weeks ago after the district's review found it violated the Age Appropriate Materials Act due to one scene.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Loving ,'The Boroughs' so far. Great cast, feels very Speilberg. #tvsky #TheBoroughs
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
This made me chuckle
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int... I had better get started. #booksky
theguardian.com
The 100 best novels of all time
The top 100 novels of all time published in English, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide. How many have you read?
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
The trend towards banning books in the United States is extremely concerning. As a former student at University of Tennessee, Knoxville this example is even more depressing. #booksky
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Believe Me is a powerful piece of television. The level of incompetence by the Met police is jaw dropping. #tvsky
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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
These are actual Freedom Riders, now elderly, sitting together decades after risking their lives to challenge segregation in the American South. On May 4, 1961, they rode buses south to defy illegal segregation in terminal facilities.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
open.spotify.com/episode/2l17... Enjoyed this podcast about the Hound of the Baskervilles. Great detail about the eccentric life of Arthur Conan Doyle.
open.spotify.com
11. The Hound of the Baskervilles: Mystery, Folklore, and Sherlock Holmes
Spotify video
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Amaze, amaze, amaze. I laughed, I cried. Wonderful. #filmsky #projecthailmary
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Useful podcast on Margaret Beaufort #historyteacher open.spotify.com/episode/4p6s...
open.spotify.com
Margaret Beaufort
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Marc Morris @marcmorris.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I guess I need to extend my already long list of comparisons between Trump and King John to include 'has a fight with the pope'.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
BBC News - Rare painting sparks identity quest by National Portrait Gallery - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Rare painting sparks identity quest by National Portrait Gallery
Research is underway to uncover the identity of two teenagers in 17th Century portrait.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Get ready to hide your eyes behind your fingers and stifle a desire to shout warnings at the cinema screen. Other than that I enjoyed it. #filmsky #TheDrama📽️
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
BBC News - Dogs were man's best friend far earlier than thought - scientists - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Dogs were man's best friend far earlier than thought - scientists
A jawbone found in a Somerset cave rewrites the story of when and how dogs became our best friends.
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Matt Elliott @melliott1.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
I Swear is a truly remarkable film. Devastatingly sad, but also inspiring and hopeful. #filmsky
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