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Philip Purser-Hallard

@purserhallard.com

1.1K followers 190 following 2.8K posts

Philip Purser-Hallard writes stuff -- most recently Sherlock Holmes: The Monster of the Mere. Posting about writing, TV, SF, Doctor Who, politics, language, crosswords, things I like, things I'm interested in, things.

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · Nov 14

Since new followers are arriving literally in their dozens, here's a quick rundown of my books and why, if you're interested in the stuff I post here, you might like to read them. Or vice versa.
Links are to my website, where there are links to buy from various sources.

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 2m

I once met a Trillian who must be in her 40s now.

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 20m

In the Doctor Who universe, EastEnders is a fly-on-the-wall documentary.

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 28m

The game ends when Area X expands and subsumes the world. There is no winner, only survivors.
Honestly, it would be great.

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 28m

Discover the trigger phrases to get other players' pieces to sacrifice themselves for you!
Send your pawn to the Tower to get an identical pawn in your colour that serves a wholly other agenda!
Draw mutation cards to find out what you're turning into and whether it remembers anything of being human!

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 28m

A combination of activities last night has left me thinking it would be really cool to make a board game based on @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social's Southern Reach books. A bit like Wingspan, but with sanity checks.

The cover of Absolution, book #4 of the Southern Reach trilogy, by Jeff VanderMeer. It shows an alligator hybridised with various flora.

Wingspan by Stonemaier Games. The box shows an image of a bird -- a swift, I think, maybe? Not really my area of expertise.

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 15h

An elderly woman on Sainsbury's earlier asked me if I worked there. I was wearing jeans and my Dalek Emperor T-shirt, so I'm not quite sure what she thought role was.

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András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 20h

“fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expression and to be able to communicate flexibly in social, academic and work situations." This is not a language requirement, it's a description of a neurotypical English person. None of this means anything in actual language terms.

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 1d

Given this guy's anger management issues, I don't think anyone else would have been willing to chance it.

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Sexy Andrew Hickey Costume @andrewhickey.500songs.com · 1d

Also, all the people he tortured, raped, enslaved and mutilated were also people of their time. I suspect if anything they felt rather *more* strongly that Columbus was a bad person than even the most fingerwagging person on Bluesky does.

Always worth thinking who we count as "of their time".

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 1d

yearly reminder to people insisting that we view Christopher Columbus as "a man of his time" that *the people responsible for the Spanish Inquisition* thought Columbus was out of pocket

Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 1d

Christopher Columbus was dragged back to Spain in chains by a crusading knight, convicted of tyranny and immeasurable cruelty, pardoned by Isabella but banned from returning to Hispaniola.

Fuck Columbus.

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 1d

The footprints of a chonky boi.

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Chris Kluwe @chriswarcraft.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly, it needs to go further than this.

We need to confront the fact that democracy and wealth hoarding cannot coexist. Allowing people to amass the resources of a small state/country allows them to act as such, which is inimical to a shared society of “one person, one vote.”

John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 1d

“No Kings” is great , but we really don't get a functioning democracy back until we internalize, bone deep, the instinctive response to this and every other statement like it: “I don’t care what that rich guy thinks.”

Make it your morning affirmation. Say it ten times at the top of every hour.

The Independent @the-independent.com · 1d

Elon Musk calls for US troops to be sent to San Francisco for war on drugs: ‘It’s the only solution’

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 1d

Years ago we had a window cleaner who struck us off his list in a rage after I'd disagreed him about which day of the week he'd last visited us, and he discovered I was right. I sometimes wonder whether his business thrived.

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Sarah has a suggestion @goatsarah.org · 1d

With all due respect to Tom (seriously, not being sarcastic), I think he's wrong. Anyone who thinks this has not paid attention to how the successfully completely reversed the trajectory of trans equality in the UK in only 10 years.

They will probably manage the same with abortion.

Tom Scott @tom--scott.bsky.social · 1d

Right-wingers who think tactics they've used to criminalize abortion in the US will have the same kind of traction in the UK fail to grasp that religious fundamentalism is widely viewed as nuts in the UK, & has been for many decades, if not centuries.

As much chance of abolishing UK gun controls.

Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 1d

The right-wing campaign group that helped topple Roe v Wade in the US is now working to roll back abortion laws in the UK, with the help of Nigel Farage.

Its first step? Trying to create a debate around "free speech"
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 1d

That wonderful Telegraph review about the life of renowned author Dan Brown, which heartbreakingly now seems to be behind the paywall.

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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 2d

Um. There’s a woman presenting this too.

ok.co.uk @ok.co.uk · 8d

Rylan Clark is set to delve into the eerie world of witchcraft in his new show, The Witches Of Essex.

Rylan Clark slams 'misogyny' in British witch hunt as he fronts new Sky show

Rylan Clark shares the spotlight with professor Alice Roberts in The Witches Of Essex, where the pair delve into the dark history of witch hunts - and one discovery rattled Rylan.

www.ok.co.uk

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 2d

I'm not keen on the concept of "classics", but it's an interesting story that I enjoyed a lot last time I watched it.

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 2d

"He also said the Nazis inspired him to behaviorism" suggests that he rather missed the point of behaviorism.

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 2d

Thinking about some of the absolute piss people my age used to drink to get plastered when we were students, I learned of the existence of this singer.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond...

Diamond White - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 2d

Are you feeling any urge to find a new social media platform, Jonn?

Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 2d

Share a four-word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:

"Just a light proofread."

Spinky’s Mama @spinkysmama.bsky.social · 3d

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

“Specific and limited way” (advisory)

“Dangerous Dogs Act 1991” (drafting)

Martin Nutbeem @martinnutbeem.bsky.social · 3d

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

"I've bought this resource..."

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 3d

There are albums that still cause me a weird sense of dislocation when they don't finish abruptly mid-song 45 minutes in.

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 3d

Always weird when someone posts tourist pics of a city you know well, marvelling at the splendour of it all while your jaded brain goes, "Well, yes. So?" I can only imagine what it must be like living in, say, Rome or Venice.

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Obverse Books @obversebooks.co.uk · 3d

For the first time in paperback, the Periodic Adventures of Senor 105!

3 novellas to a volume, 9 novellas in total, with books by @purserhallard.com, @stuartdouglas.com, @signorfurioso.bsky.social, @selinalock.bsky.social, 105 creator Cody Schell and others!

obversebooks.co.uk/product-cate...

Senor 105 – Obverse Books

obversebooks.co.uk

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The Black Archive @blackarchive.co.uk · 3d

Out now in paperback, ebook and the usual combo deal - THE MYSTERIOUS PLANET, Black Archive #79, written by Jez Strickley!

A much under-rated story and Bob Holmes' last full script, MP is packed with duality - and for once, it's not just his dodgy double acts!

obversebooks.co.uk/product/79-t...

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Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · 3d

Maybe we should all just not repost videos for a while.

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