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Phil Creighton

@philcreighton.uk
860 followers 1.4K following 2.1K posts

Freelance journalist and PR, Auracast evangelist, ex-local newspaper editor, indie news advocate, newspaper buff, typographer, bore. Tweets a lot about Doctor Who, TV listings magazines, Gillingham FC. Views my own – no one else would want them.

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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 05/10/2026
I should have compared them side by side. I HATE the gigantic coverlines. Less is more! ALT text: first image the actual cover of the Radio Times for 10-16 October 2026. Second image a mock-up of what it would look like in the 1970s/80s style.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 05/10/2026
What if the new Radio Times was actually an old Radio Times? #RadioTimes #DavidTennant #DoingTime
A mock-up of a 1970s/80s Radio Times cover using the image for the October 10-16, 2026. It features David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran in a promotional image for Time, which is on BBC One on Sunday and Monday.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 03/10/2026
Up the #Gills
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 27/09/2026
I give you K9 and Company from 1981.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 27/09/2026
He doesn't look a day over 45... back in 1969, this is what the Daily Mirror thought Prince Charles would look like when he was middle aged.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 25/09/2026
If you want to know why TGJones is closing stores and struggling, just look at this mess. You can't reach the top shelf, or see what is being sold. Then you can't see what is on the bottom shelf as it's hidden from view. Its USP is treated so badly. Madness #TGJones #WHSmith
Badly merchandised magazines on sale in TG JonesBadly merchandised magazines on sale in TG JonesBadly merchandised magazines on sale in TG Jones
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 19/09/2026
We have a #lidl problem...
Empty shelves at the Lidl bakery.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 15/09/2026
The @davegorman.bsky.social look is coming to Lidl's #SpecialBuys this week. Just in time for Hallowe'en costume planning. Goodish, I think.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 12/09/2026
Absolutely loving the sheer bonkerness of the #LastNightOfTheProms. It's always a joyous celebration of the Proms concert season - one of the best things the licence fee gives us.
Nicky Spence singing Rule Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms with a Nessie toy on his shoulders
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 12/09/2026
Absolutely loving the sheer bonkerness of the #LastNightOfTheProms. It's always a joyous celebration of the Proms concert season - one of the best things the licence fee gives us.
Nicky Spence singing Rule Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms with a Nessie toy on his shoulders
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 11/09/2026
Together at last!
Two cans of Beer and Cheese soup from Aldi.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 05/09/2026
This jumble sale approach to merchandising of magazines in WHSmith and TGJones infuriates me. News and mags can be impulse purchases, but you need to see the covers to make a snap decision to buy. The stores have a unique proposition on the High Street and they act as if they are ashamed of it.
Some magazines on show in WHSmith.  Because of the way they have been placed on the shelves you can't see the covers, only spines. 
It's a mess and doesn't invite the consumer to interact with the products.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 05/09/2026
£1.36 for a bargain bin Mars bar in WHSmith. What was it at full price? Five squillion pounds? How I miss the WHCarpet account.
A selection of items in the WHSmith Reduced to Clear section. 
A single Mars bar has been reduced to the bargain price of £1.36. 
Which is still more expensive than. A bar in a normal shop.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 02/09/2026
You did what?
A woman in a black dress holding a bottle of wine in a kitchen next to a brown box marked 'FRAGILE'. 
The caption reads 'I just Squelched'.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 29/08/2026
At the #gills Relationship status: it's complicated
Phil Creighton at Priestfield Stadium 
It should be his happy place but ... The season hasn't started well.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 29/08/2026
Waiting patiently for the cutlery to be laid before he can consider eating his breakfast. #caturday
A cat sitting in a chair at a kitchen table. He is a black cat and very, very cute. Butter might not melt in his mouth, but mice sure do.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 21/08/2026
Doing some #DoctorWho location spotting.
The entrance to Shoe Cellar - where the 1970s Dr Who exhibition was located
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 21/08/2026
Paris is lovely in the summer ☀️
No, its not the Effiel Tower.its Blackpool
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 17/08/2026
Found my sweatshirt picture! Never met Michael Aspel. Never saw the episode. Thank goodness.
A Child's Play sweatshirt with two Child's Play badges placed on it
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 17/08/2026
Who wants to snap up a bargain?
A promotional book sale graphic with a humorous typographical error reading Save up to 0% in August above text offering discounts on books and collectables until 30 August, featuring book covers including American Dirt and If You Go Down to the Woods.

Text reads: Main heading:
Save up to 0% in August

Body text:
Save up to 0% on books and collectables from select sellers. Discover a great selection of new, used, and collectable books, art and ephemera, all discounted until 30 August.

Button:
See the sales
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 17/08/2026
And my Saturday Superstore badge from when Cheggars brought the store to my home city.
A Saturday SuperStore badge on a white fabric background
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 17/08/2026
Random aside ... I was a Child's Play child back in 1986, and I still have my badges, sweatshirt and stickers.
A sticker with the Child's Play logo on. On it are two badges. The first reads I'm a Child's Play Child, and the second has the Child's Play logo in a heart with I above it so it reads 'I love Child's Play'
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 15/08/2026
#BBCTwo is showing #Superman III tonight - the one that includes scenes filmed in #Wokingham.
A film poster for superman III
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 14/08/2026
I was going to bed early but then discovered someone had uploaded some Christmas episodes of Blue Peter to YouTube.
A screengrab from the 1983 Blue Peter Christmas programme.  Three presenters are sitting on a sofa and there is a Christmas tree and a large 25 in the background. Goldie the dog is sitting at the front of the picture.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 12/08/2026
Why is Sky News showing a close-up of someone's hairy knee? #eclipse
A close up of the moon covering the sun as seen on Sky News. It looks a bit like a hairy knee.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 08/08/2026
Apparently it's #InternationalCatDay so here is the floof that was on the flat roof outside the bedroom window, who got down to come in through the back door so he could then race through the house and demand to be let out of said bedroom window so he could go back on the flat roof. #Caturday
A floof of a black cat looking not the least bit concerned that he's on the kitchen counter again or that he's just raced through the house to get back to where he started.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 01/08/2026
Not long back from seeing #Spider-man #BrandNewDay. Starts off brilliantly, then starts going askew towards the end. Hated the solution to the protagonist. Many scenes go on just that little too long. No complaints about the acting, Tom Holland is an amazing Spider-man.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 18/07/2026
I went to Manchester and couldn't make head nor tail of the Bee Network. As a southerner who lives in a town with colour coded buses that match the routes, it's easy to be sure you're on the right bus.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 17/07/2026
A man, a plan, a canal, P̶a̶n̶a̶m̶a̶ - Manchester
A snippet of a BBC News headline. 
Live. Andy Burnham says 'I have a plan' as he is confirmed new Labour leader
The Makerfield MP thanks Keir Starmer "for his service" and says he is yet to decide who will be in his cabinet when he becomes PM on Monday.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 16/07/2026
Is it the Dalek Death Ray, Funny Feet or Gino Ginelli?
A picture of a Magnum ice cream box. The caption reads: "Does taste test show it's time to ditch 'nation's favourite ice cream'?"
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 10/07/2026
This is terribly unhelpful system. I can't log in from my phone or laptop; I can't remember the password. I can complete reset codes, try & link accounts and everything that suggests I am who I say I am, but without a log in - from the very machines I used for a/c creation - I'm stuffed.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 05/07/2026
As Sara Cox gets ready to start the Radio 2 breakfast show, I've been pondering what her @radiotimes.bsky.social cover would look like if it were printed during the 1970s/80s. Here we go - and good luck to Sara as she starts the show. Image © Radio Times.
A mock-up of a 1980s-style Radio Times cover with Sara Cox on the cover. She has an elbow on the table (rude!) and her fingers against her chin. A full English breakfast is on the table. She is smiling and probably hungry as , let's be honest, a full English is the god tier of brekkies.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 26/06/2026
I've just spotted that cashback website TopCashback is giving 10% cashback on train fares booked with TrainPal... until midnight tonight. If you don't have an account, this referral link gives you a £10 signing on bonus. www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/Phil%20C...
A screenshot of the TopCashback website showing the Trainpal offer
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 12/06/2026
I see the Beeb's #worldCup budget doesn't stretch to chairs.
The BBC pundits following the Canada v Bosnia game. They are all standing up around a table in a Virtual Studio that looks like they are in Toronto when they are actually in the UK
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 06/06/2026
I am five.
A wordseach magazine called Bumper Wordsearch. It has been positioned in such a way to read BUM WORDS
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 04/06/2026
I am so sorry for the game of cat and mouse you've got to play. We were getting daily gifts, so invested in an OnlyCat cat flap. It detects contraband and locks the flap if spotted. Peaceful nights!
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 03/06/2026
The Radio Times is now six quid an issue!
The cover of the Radio Times 
The Radio Time barcode showing the price to be £5.99
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 31/05/2026
I've read The Sunday Post since I was in short trousers, even though I can't speak a word of Scottish (well, I even struggle with English). Never in a million years did I expect my fizzog to grace its pages. I'm away to sit on my bucket to celebrate. #BuyAPaper
A photo showing part of a double page spread from The Sunday Post featuring an article written by Phil Creighton about Auracast
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 30/05/2026
Just look at what we had, and compare it to today's meagre offerings. What should have been a jewel in the PSB remit has been diminished. It's the regional output that creates viewer/listener loyalty. ALT TEXT: Pages from 1970s Radio Times, showing listings for Radio Birmingham & London
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 29/05/2026
Just seen the #worldCup2026 sticker album - now £1.25 for a packet of stickers and to hide the total number of stickers to collect they have given each squad their own numbers. With 48 teams and 20 stickers per team = 980. If every pack contained no swaps, that is 140 packets and £175
A oage from.Panini's 2026 World.Cup sticker album, showing Scotland's squad

The front cover of the World Cup 2026 sticker albums
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 26/05/2026
Not sure how I'm going to get across this floor #DoctorWho
A floor similar to the cliffhanger to Death To The Daleks episode 3
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 22/05/2026
Good morning to everyone except this little floof who let himself in via the cat flap to wake me at 4am demanding breakfast and then again 20 minutes later so I would let him out.
A cat looking pleased with himself.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 18/05/2026
This Last of the Summer Wine reboot is rather ambitious when it comes to its old men in bathtub stunts
A building with a bathtub going down the side
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 17/05/2026
The 60s/70s/80s #BBC logo is superior to the current one in every way. Change my mind.
A screengrab from BBC iPlayer Radio showing the current BBC logo on a panel for NEWCAST and the 60s/70s/early 80s BBC logo for an ERA programme about Abba.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 07/05/2026
I ❤️ these stickers! Great idea from Wokingham Borough Council for the #localelections. I wish my dentist still gave me a sticker for being a good adult.
Phil Creighton holding an 'i voted' sticker
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 07/05/2026
Oi, Greggs! April fools was last month
An advertising banner for Greggs that reads 'NEW SALADS AVAILABLE NOW' 
with a selection of salads arranged like a clockface around the words. 
There is an orange background.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 06/05/2026
Oooh! Look what's back ... rules between the columns. I predicted @radiotimes.bsky.social would reintroduce them.
Listings pages for Tuesday, 12 May in the Radio Times showing the return of rules between the columns - these are essential for people scanning the listings to find out what is on telly. The speed at which the eye is reading narrow columns means they need an anchor, which the rules provideListings pages for Tuesday, 12 May in the Radio Times showing the return of rules between the columns - the sections still look quite bare and empty. 
This is the first redesign since 1990 to remove a solid bar at the top of the pages, meaning it is harder to identify which day of the week it is - one of the innovations of colour printing. 
While the typeface is an improvement on Interstate, the listings are still a dog's dinner compared to others on the market.
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 05/05/2026
A Mars bar used to be 63g. Its now 40g. Not only has it lost weight it has lost width, so it feels slender in the hand. This is the worst kind of #shrinkflation - its not a Mars bar, it's a bite.
Some Mars bars on a supermarket shelf
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 04/05/2026
Today is #StarWarsDay, and I like to think of this inspirational quote from Yoda Bear: "Smarter than the average Jedi, I am. Picnic baskets, steal you must not… unless really hungry, hmm?"
A picture of Yoda Bear
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Phil Creighton @philcreighton.uk · 26/04/2026
A rare treat for me this morning! Reading @sundaypost.com in Scotland, rather than reading in Reading. Which is the place I'm heading.
The Sunday Post and its Fun Section
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