Great Uncle Bulgaria

Well done Toast - someone I'd heard of too!

Appreciate I am in the minority here but half the cast being understated while the other half treated it as panto time just jarred on me. Not so badly that I didnt watch all of it, mind.

Just finished watching the rerun of the supposedly 'classic' pride and prejudice from the 90s. Odd mixture of the way over the top grotesque (particularly Alison Stedman as Mrs Bennett, but see also Mr Collins and Lady Catherine) and the completely uncharismatic (Wickham, both the leading women) hard to see why anybody else should have been attracted to any of them.

Just finished Jean Plaidy's trilogy 'The loves of Charles II', enjoyable if undemanding read, ideal for late at night. Now moved on to Steve Cavanagh's The Plea, which has started well, although - as with all books with first person narration - every time the protagonist finishes the chapter facing certain death you know it's not going to happen.

Maybe they'll all give each other CoVid...

The name is fine but could the byline be changed from 'Shipman' to 'Allegretto Minuetter' please? Thanks GUB

But will you still love her tomorrow?

John - Woman Paul - Just another day (or listen to what the man said if Wings are allowed) George - Give me love Ringo - It don't come easy (but released nothing out of the ordinary)

Anne Buydens Douglas

Glad to hear you have beaten it, long may that continue.

If you can bring yourself to watch American series, GAB has enjoyed rediscovering House (Hugh Laurie) and Ally McBeal recently (although both went downhill in the last series) From the same period (12-15) years ago) quite enjoyed Pushing Up Daisies, surreal but quite amusing. Having Anna Friel to look at helped.

W. S. Gilbert W S Gilbert (of '...and Sullivan' fame) jumped into a lake with two young girls and died of heart failure, narrowly failing to fulfil one of his creation's (Colonel Fairfax) wishes to die in June in the process. He was 74.

All the men on my dad's side die young, mostly of cancer. My Dad had cancer seriously from mid-60s but was the first to survive past 70. The women on my mum's side by contrast are pretty long-lasting. My great-grandma lived to be 101 despite having ten kids and being a huge fan of Bruce Forsyth.

oh well, it was news to me :-).

Enjoyed Steve Cavanagh's 'Thirteen' recently, although beware others in the series are not as good. For some interesting trash, read Noel Botham's 'The Murder of Princess Diana'. The latter half of the book contains some rather fanciful theorising about the car crash but the first half has some interesting royal dirt - in the early (pre-Diana) days when Charles was sleeping with Camilla, Andrew Parker-Bowles was apparently shagging Princess Anne. Must have made for some interesting conversations over breakfast in both households.

Richard Osman's house of games is usually good. Even had a wombles question this week (only two of the guests could correctly identify Tobermory!) Nearly always won by one of the comedians, although some of the latter are needy attention-seekers who are incapable of shutting up when it isn't their go. And some of the (usually female) 'celebs' who are incapable of saying anything amusing try to compensate by being loud, which is even more annoying. Agree with YW re Beat the Chasers, although I suspect there's some fakery going on somewhere - firstly with the number of people being picked who are professional quizzers known to the Chasers personally and secondly with some of the relatively easy questions they get wrong when up against lesser contestants to make it appear closer (even letting them win on occasion). When they are up against serious quizzers they rarely get a question wrong. Also enjoyed the Harry Redknapp /old soccer stars touring round Europe programme, primarily to see how players from 25 years ago are doing these days. Again, sure some of the situations and arguments are staged for the benefit of the camera though. Matt Le Tissier and Paul Merson came over quite well, Razor Ruddock by comparison will be a good pick at 49 or 50 for the DL within a year or two the way he is going, vastly overweight, dreadful diet and heart problems.

Been reading a lot of historical fiction lately, which is undemading stuff but often educational and throws up the odd fact which comes in handy in quizzes. Currently reading Jean Plaidy's Charles II trilogy - pretty good, although given written in the 50s all the naughty bits are glossed over. Her George III book by comparison was pretty tedious, primarily due to the dullness of the protagonists George and Queen Charlotte, who did little but reproduce (15 times, as you asked). Philippa Gregory is more popular these days but sometimes less historically accurate and she has an annoying habit of writing the same story twice, from the perspective of different people - efficient use of research perhaps, but annoying for the reader who has invested money or (more commonly given I get most of them from the library) time in seeking out something different to read. Elizabeth Chadwick's Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy was time consumimg but enjoyable..

Don't know how to post answers then hide them, but believe I know 1.2.7. 8, 9 & 10. 60%, B-

Still alive as per April 30th. Thanks - strange, don't know who (apart from me) has anything to gain by updating her page to say she is dead when she isn't. I shall go back to my customary 'no hits-joint last' deadpool position then...

My pick Lotte Strauss appears to have died, her wikipage was updated on 28th April. No date of death but the entry has been changed to 'Lotte Strauss was...'

I know a good war is a great way of distracting peoples' intention from sh*t happening elsewhere (e.g. Falklands never did Maggie Thatcher any harm) but don't think even BoJo and Donald are stupid enough to go to war with China over a territory that we effectively gave up on 23 years ago.

Hi, I'll play your game please, though think will be a long one (for my team at least) 1. Captain Tom Moore 2. Chris Bonnington 3, Chay Blyth 4. Ian McKellen 5. James Hardy 6, Paul Nicholson 7. Bobby Charlton 8. Richard Yates Henderson 9. Jackie Stewart 10. Charles Henderson, 3rd Baron Faringdon subs Ringo Starr Richard Johns Ben Kingsley Thanks GUB

Used to sing in a new wave (mostly) covers band as a young womble so can still knock out Into the Valley, Teenage Kicks or 'Babylon's burning' in the unlikely event of the occasion demanding it. Only ever done actual karaoke once, to be sociable. 'Remember you're a womble' was not an option so compromised on 'Still rock''n' roll to me' (Billy Joel).

League two have decided that the ones at the top deserve to be promoted, but the one(s) at the bottom don't deserve to be relegated. Fallacy somewhere I fancy.

Little Richard was in my 'Pop go the wurzels' theme team. Was never in The Wurzels though (for the benefit of those who may have thought otherwise).