A Bachelor of Hauling Coal
MY Uncle Tom was a gifted raconteur, talented pianist and all-round good egg. He was also, to my knowledge, the only former public schoolboy and university graduate to make a … Continue readingA Bachelor of Hauling Coal
A compendium of musical delights by Alan and Margaret Ashworth
MY Uncle Tom was a gifted raconteur, talented pianist and all-round good egg. He was also, to my knowledge, the only former public schoolboy and university graduate to make a … Continue readingA Bachelor of Hauling Coal
On our return from the festive break, I am handing over the first item once more to DEREK REYNOLDS. WHAT is it about sheds? My wife has a shed in … Continue readingShedloads of sheds
IN the 1990s I would race home from work in the early hours of Saturday to watch a video recording of that night’s Fantasy Football League on BBC2. Irreverent, often filthy and … Continue readingFantasy Football League, then and now
Over the Christmas break we are revisiting some vintage children’s TV programmes. This is the last in the series. ONLY 13 episodes were made, they each lasted less than a quarter … Continue readingBagpuss
THE single joke which made our children laugh the most – and does to this day – was, I fear, a little crude. It was based on the theme song … Continue readingThe Herbs
AT the beginning of the 1980s, teacher John Cunliffe was working in Kendal, in the Lake District, and decided to write about a character who toured the area visiting his … Continue readingPostman Pat
Over the Christmas break we are revisiting some vintage children’s TV programmes. A BUNCH of woollen mouse-like creatures which communicate only in whistles would seem an unlikely subject for a … Continue readingClangers
Over the Christmas break we are revisiting some vintage children’s TV programmes. ‘IN the lands of the North, where the Black Rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the … Continue readingNoggin the Nog
WHEN I wrote in May about the expression ‘standing around like cheese at fourpence’, I promised a future column on the joys of Lancashire cheese. And here it is. So far as … Continue readingSay t’cheese
Over the Christmas break we are revisiting some vintage children’s TV programmes. AS A very young child, I soon learned the differences between the days of the week. Monday was Picture … Continue readingFlower Pot Men