iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Things I was frightened of as a child: Pylons The Yorkshire Television ident Crow (and possibly Alice) from You and Me.

Scary Alice and even scarier Crow from You And Me.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

“Please, which one is man with beard?”

The Builders from the Fawlty Towers episode of the same name, from L to R, Kerr, Jones and Lurphy (with beard).

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Talk of buying the brand back is PR concocted guff designed to deflect from Watt’s excesses: early this week The Times reported there were Health & Safety breaches at Ellon during his tenure as CEO. Not that if you look through any news searches now you’d find any mention of it.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Any excuse to trot out this brilliant (and 100% real) #totp chart countdown slide from the original run.

TOTP chart countdown slide
21 ROSE ROYCE
Slide is of a car going through a Car Wash.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

That series 2 lineup of 5’s reality tv show The Farm in full

Celebrity; Known for; Status
Ilona Staller Pornographic Actress Eliminated 1st
Charlene Tilton Dallas Actress Eliminated 2nd
Flavor Flav Rapper Eliminated 3rd
Lionel Blair Dancer & television presenter Eliminated 4th
Emma B model Eliminated 5th
Ron Jeremy Pornographic actor Eliminated 6th
Dave Morgan Jessie Wallace’s ex-boyfriend Eliminated 7th
Emma Noble model third place
Mikey Green Phil’s singer runner-up
Keith Harris & Orville the Duck Ventriloquist & dummy Winner

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

My favourite Confessions film. Packed to the rafters with comic actors. And amazingly there are two actors in it that also plied their trade as In Vision Continuity announcers at various points - David Hamilton and…

A screengrab of Sally Harrison, who acted as one of the protagonist’s love interests in Confessions Of A Pop Performer, appearing as an In Vision Continuity Announcer for TVS. Sally is wearing a smashing red and black jumper.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Kenny’s 1983 LP “Half The Day’s Gone And We Haven’t Earn’ed A Penny” has a banger of a title track, plus a few songs written by the guys behind Star Turn On 45 Pints, another, “Average Man”, written by far right supporting former British tennis player Buster Mottram, and an amazing cover photo.

Kenny Lynch’s 1983 LP, “Half The Day’s Gone And We Haven’t Earn’ed A Penny”, the cover photo of which has Kenny and Gareth Hunt sitting with tuxedos on, by a pool with three female models and I assume, Champagne.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

The one time I was in Minehead a few years ago, I walked from the Premier Inn along the front into town and found this. I’d like to think there was some sort of context alongside it that I’ve long since forgotten… but I’m not sure there was. I got the next bus back to Taunton.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Tonight’s BBC1 line up in 1986. Martin Sheen was in London about to star on stage in the play The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer at the Royal Court. officiallondontheatre.com/news/20-marc...

BBC 1 listing for the evening of Friday 14 March 1986:

7.00 Wogan - Peter Bowles, Little and Large and Martin Sheen. Music by James Taylor

7.30 Blankety Blank hosted by Les Dawson, with Lionel Blair, Don Estelle, Jill Gascoigne, Paul Shane, June Whitfield and some awful TERF swimmer.

8.10 Dynasty
9.00 News
9.30 Lovejoy

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Sir William has entered the chat.

A print on wood mounting of a painting of Sir William, a bull, property of Mr Thomas Killick, farmer. Photo taken by me at the Stonehorse pub, Higham, Kent. 2026

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

No but he did some possibly ill advised monologues in the late 70s.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

I’ve been walking along the Regents Canal towpath, enjoying the sunshine.

A view of Eggcup House from the other side of Camden Lock on a beautiful clear and sunny day.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

There’s definitely a fingerpost sign pointing to: HAM SANDWICH No Worth, but there is also DEAL in the other direction. Photo: Oast House Archive

Photo of a fingerpost sign in Kent. One arm points to

HAM 1/2
SANDWICH 3

The other arm points to
FINGLESHAM 1/2
DEAL 4

There is another arm pointing to DOVER but it isn’t shown in this photo

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Great post, the Free Trade Inn is one of my top 10 pubs. Welcoming, superb range of interesting beers, cask in great condition, enough areas inside to slink off to and just quietly enjoy the atmosphere. The views down the river on a clear day are sensational, the pub gets plenty of light as well.

A photo of a bright orange beer, Pastore’s Waterbeech Weisse Raspberry & Strawberry on a table with sunlight flooding in from a window with a background of a stunning clear blue sky.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

The Tip! Maidstone’s finest export. Still going with original members, and playing dates up & down the historic county of Kent, even if their website design hasn’t been updated in 20 years. chicorytip.co.uk/index.html It’ll never not be bizarre seeing their name being advertised outside pubs.

A photo taken a few years ago from the front of a bus looking down on a flat blackboard sign on the side of a pub called The Cherry Tree, advertising “SATURDAY 2ND CHARITY RACE NIGHT FOR DREAMS COME TRUE FROM 8.30PM

GOOD FRIDAY 15TH CHICORY TIP FROM 9PM”

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

No cheating the last saved picture of a celebrity is your therapist. (Warren would be great tbf. I will not accept Mary Whitehouse as a celebrity of any kind.)

Warren Mitchell, very much not as Alf Garnett, getting a wagging finger from Mary Whitehouse.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Oh God, the 70s tv personalities are now f-ing around with AI. Jim Davidson is promoting his latest “Adult Panto” by using a stolen AI image created by and based on Man About The House’s Sally Thomsett, based on Catwoman.

An AI image created and posted of 70s sitcom star Sally Thomsett as a modern day Catwomanesque character.

The same image used by Jim Davidson, without Sally Thomsett’s knowledge. She is not appearing in his Adult Panto.

Sally Thomsett making clear she is not in his Adult Panto.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

When you go to the pictures wanting to see a particularly “arty” film, and yer Nan and Grandad insist on coming with you.

Paul Weller, Paul McCartney and Noel Gallagher, at the Premiere of Man On The Run. Given the company he’s keeping, Noel looks like he’s been spending a deeply disappointing and very damp caravan holiday.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

You know it’s slow day for new releases when Quo leads James Hamilton’s Record Mirror Disco page.

Excerpt of James Hamilton’s Disco Page, Record Mirror, 7 Feb 1976.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

The Venue certainly had a great track record in getting amazing support bands in early 1992.

Clipping from NME 18 Jan 1992
The Venue
2A Clifton Rise New Cross London SE14
Fri 17th Jan £5.00 The Phantom Chords
Sat 18th Jan £5.00 RDF + Fat Dinosaur
Fri 24th Jan £5.00 Th’ Faith Healers + Basti + Perspex Without
Sat 25th Jan £5.00 Resque + Suede + The Divine Comedy
Fri 31st Jan £3.50 Captain America + Daisy Chainsaw + The Cherrys
Sat 1st Feb £5.00 Natural Life + Deja Vu + Wild About Nothing
Fri 2nd Feb (sic) £5.00 TBC

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Some good granular analysis here of the sheer unfairness of this situation from The Barking Cat Alehouse in Poole. Independent venues appear to be bearing the brunt of some downright egregious RV increases. The price of a pint of cask there ranges from £4.50-£5.60. How long before the minimum is £6?

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

This just popped into my Facebook feed, as posted by Rod Taylor.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

After they were dropped from #totp in favour of Zoo, Legs & Co were allowed to endorse and appear in ads, including for the Freemans mail order catalogue. One print media advert for Freemans contained quotes from the girls praising their service. Most were non descript. But here’s Lulu’s.

A quote from Legs & CO’s Lulu Cartwright for Freeman’s Catalogue:

“It’s simply the best book I’ve ever read.”

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Looking back, yes, the praise was universal (Stephen Dalton in NME gave it 9/10), but as this review in Melody Maker 3/9/94 shows, at a time when there was a very saleable diet of white guitar bands (Oasis, Manics, Suede) taking up column inches, they knew it wouldn’t instantly appeal to everyone.

Review of Dummy by Portishead in Melody Maker 3/9/94 by Sharon O’Connell.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

I absolutely loved this album. Interesting fact: whilst on the Stylus imprint, the BBC logo is very prominent - the music is all from shows that were being broadcast on their channels at the time. So when the album was advertised on ITV, including during Coronation Street, it was very unusual.

A photo of Side One of Stylus/BBC’s “TELLY-HITS” album.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

BBC1 schedule for today in 1988. Apparently, the working title of Wyatt’s Watchdogs was changed at the last minute from Every Street Should Have One as it was showing directly after Coronation Street on ITV and before Streets Apart… 🤔

BBC1 tv listings for 14 November 1988. Primetime: 7.00 Wogan 7.30 Watchdog 8.00 Wyatt’s Watchdogs 8.30 Streets Apart 9. News 9.30 Panorama.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Surprising songs that Smash Hits reproduced lyrics for: Capstick Comes Home By Tony Capstick and the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band (April 2 - 15 1981 edition)

Lyrics to the novelty spoken word record Capstick Comes Home by Swinton’s very own Tony Capstick, which is set to the sound of The Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band playing Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor from the New World, aka the Hovis music.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Surprising songs that Smash Hits reproduced lyrics for: Kill The Poor by The Dead Kennedys (November 13-26 1980 edition)

The lyrics for Kill The Poor by The Dead Kennedys reproduced in the 13-26 November 1980 edition of Smash Hits

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

“Hello Donald! You’re through to Matt Bianco.”

Matt Bianco on Saturday Superstore, about to be chided over their alleged onanism.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

This Pickwick effort is really just Endless Flight in a slightly different order with the same cover + Thunder In My Heart & Raining In My Heart as a bonus, thus making this Leo’s best album.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

It’s that time of year when everyone can enjoy traditional dishes, such as Giant Yorkshire Pork @fubsyshabaroon.bsky.social

Packs of M&S Collection British Hog Roast Yorkshire Pudding on a shelf

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

If you see this, post an album cover with a motor vehicle on it.

Hopelessly In Love by Carroll Thompson album cover.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

It’s fairly rare these days, I can’t say I’ve been in one. There is one near me though which has a Grade II listed 14th Century crypt that it uses for functions.

The Grade II listed 14th century crypt at The George Vaults, Rochester.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

And reported in the prior week’s Record Mirror as release date 18 Oct.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

It was in the Music Week Indie Chart the week of 26 Oct.

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Richard Brooks @thebrookso.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

About that… (no, I don’t know what business ABBA had to be releasing stuff on Fridays either, but I guess they could do what they wanted!)

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