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oddthisday.bsky.social
Coates is Odd This Day
@oddthisday.bsky.social
5.9K followers 1K following 18K posts
“Meticulously researched” niche drivel https://mulberryhall.medium.com/
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oddthisday.bsky.social
The Stoppard stuff and the apples are especially good
levparikian.bsky.social Lev Parikian @levparikian.bsky.social · 2d
I’m on my nonsense again. This week’s things:

– some Stoppard stuff

– terrific very short film about apples

– Leonardo online

– excellent spin art

– the Museum of Obsolete Media

– compliment generator

open.substack.com/pub/levparik...
Six Things, Volume 137
Stoppard | Apples | Leonardo | Spin Art | Obsolete Media | Compliments
open.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:29 PM
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paulhaine.bsky.social
HBOMax has started showing a 'remastered' 4K Mad Men and they’ve messed things up so during Roger’s oyster vomit scene you can now see the crew men with the vomit hose on the right
December 2, 2025 at 11:28 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
A middle aged man in a tweed jacket holds a half-drunk pint up to his face and looks at camera, appalled
December 2, 2025 at 9:54 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
TO AUSTERLITZ!

(because it’s the 220th anniversary)
A black cat with its head in coat hanger, looking a little like Napoleon in a bicorn hat
December 2, 2025 at 9:38 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
*goes to see nurse. Does absolutely not snigger childishly. Heavens, no*
NHS sign on wall in nurse’s office: a word cloud featuring the word ‘aSSKINg’ prominently, plus: “Are you aSSKINg the right questions about Pressure Ulcer Prevention? assess risk. Skin inspection and care. Surface selection and use. Keep moving. Incontinence and increased moisture. Nutrition and hydration. give information #Stopthepressure #aSSKINg
December 2, 2025 at 9:03 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Morning
One of those fake children’s books: a painting of a small grey/white kitten in the snow, with a surprised/concerned look on its face. Book title: THE STARTLINGLY MOIST FART
December 2, 2025 at 7:45 AM
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mrpaulrobinson.bsky.social
6pm on this day in 1976, what could possibly go wrong?
December 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social
actually Die Hard is a Cow Tools movie
Line drawing of a dead cow wearing a Santa hat and t-shirt slu,oed against a wall with its tongue hanging out. The shirt says "NOW I HAVE A COW TOOL HO HO HO".
December 20, 2024 at 12:06 PM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Other important historical anniversary news of the day...
kirkdalebooks.bsky.social Kirkdale Bookshop @kirkdalebooks.bsky.social · 1d
Can't believe it's 363 years since that slag John Evelyn recorded skating on the frozen lake in St James's Park, London, watched by Charles II and Queen Catherine. Still freaks my nut in to this day
A frost fair on the frozen River Thames
December 1, 2025 at 1:30 PM
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jaunty.art
Not rude things, a thread:
December 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
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bmhughes.bsky.social
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
1 December is the day we must mark the sad passing 504 years ago of Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici – or Pope Leo X, as he was also known. Leo was not one of those popes memorable for a sordid life, but is known for two things. Firstly, this:
A generously proportioned man in papal robes with a mournful look on his round, round face
December 1, 2025 at 9:13 AM
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kateelliottsff.bsky.social
This is a wonderful, even spectacular, thread.
bfletcherwatson.bsky.social Ben Fletcher-Watson @bfletcherwatson.bsky.social · 2d
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
"Years and years ago, there was a production of The Tempest, out of doors, at an Oxford college on a lawn, which was the stage, and the lawn went back towards the lake in the grounds of the college, and the play began in natural light. But as it developed, and as it became time for Ariel to say his farewell to the world of The Tempest, the evening had started to close in and there was some artificial lighting coming on. And as Ariel uttered his last speech, he turned and he ran across the grass, and he got to the edge of the lake and he just kept running across the top of the water — the producer having thoughtfully provided a kind of walkway an inch beneath the water. And you could see and you could hear the plish, plash as he ran away from you across the top of the lake, until the gloom enveloped him and he disappeared from your view. And as he did so, from the further shore, a firework rocket was ignited, and it went whoosh into the air, and high up there it burst into lots of sparks, and all the sparks went out, and he had gone. "When you look up the stage directions, it says, 'Exit Ariel.”
December 1, 2025 at 7:09 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Today’s most important historical anniversary: SMOL PAUL DAY
hollyqueenofspayeds.com Holly Brockwell @hollyqueenofspayeds.com · 1d
And now for some of my very favourite Smol Paul moments in no particular order, starting with the first ever yeet
November 30, 2025 at 5:53 PM
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oddthisday.bsky.social
Edmund II, or Edmund Ironside, had become king on St George’s Day 1016 when his dad Æthelred processed off this mortal coil, and he’d been kinging himself for a mere seven months when he breathed his last on St Andrew’s Day, possibly looking like this as he went
Illustration from 13th Century manuscript, Life of St Edward the Confessor, showing Edmund sitting down on what might be a privy, possibly with his breeches disarranged, and with what looks like a bloodied spear sticking out of his torso
November 30, 2025 at 10:49 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Only a few left to watch this free on Channel 4, I think, so get in quick. This is lovely stuff
Petite Maman
(2021) Drama. Eight-year-old Nelly meets a little girl near her dead grandma's house...
www.channel4.com
November 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Two splendid historical moments to celebrate today: the 25th anniversary of the news of Sooty the guinea pig’s sexual excesses, and the 1,009th of Edmund ‘Ironside’ II getting done in by being stabbed up the bum while on the privy. Possibly. As you can see, we’re starting with the ‘Romeo’ rodent...
Press cutting: Guinea pig harem says ‘hello Sooty’. Photo shows a white guinea pig with black ears, nose and feet looking out through some chicken wire, captioned “Pen pal: Sooty after his one-night stand”. Text reads: A GUINEA pig called Sooty had a night to remember after escaping from his pen and tunnelling into a cage of 24 females. He romanced each of them in turn and was yesterday the proud father of 43 offspring. Staff at Little Friend's Farm in Pontypridd, South Wales, have now secured Sooty's pen and begun looking for homes for the guinea pigs. His owner, Carol Feehan, 42, said: "I'm sure a lot of men will be looking at Sooty with envy. "We knew that he had gone missing after wriggling through the bars of his cage. "We looked for him everywhere but never thought of checking the pen where we keep 24 females. We did a head count and found 25 guinea pigs-Sooty was fast asleep in the corner. "He was absolutely shattered. We put him back in his cage and he slept for two days."
November 30, 2025 at 10:46 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Finished a book about Islamic architecture a couple of days ago (Stealing from the Saracens, Diana Darke) - fascinating, but I needed a palate cleanser…
Extract from ‘Service with a Smile’, by P G Wodehouse: Lord Emsworth, who had been scratching the Empress's back with the ferrule of his stick, an attention greatly appreciated by the silver medallist, turned with a start, much as the Lady of Shalott must have turned when the curse came upon her. There was always something about his secretary's voice, when it addressed him unexpectedly, that gave him the feeling that he was a small boy again and had been caught by the authorities stealing jam.
November 30, 2025 at 9:29 AM
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dhanendran.co.uk
Nine years ago Mike Fitzgerald wrote up an extraordinarily fascinating breakdown of the differences between the Tom Stoppard shooting script and the original Jeffrey Boam draft of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Learning from Stoppard By Mike Fitzgerald, June 13, 2016 Comparing two drafts of a script can be hugely instructive, revealing point-by-point how a writer went about improving the story. When I stumbled upon an earlier draft of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I discovered a dazzling, glittering trove of lessons as nourishing as eternal life itself. Well, nearly so. Last Crusade was written by Jeffrey Boam, from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. So say the opening credits. Boam’s final draft, dated March 1, 1988 (ten weeks before production) differs drastically from the published script which reflects the released version of the film. Differences come as no shock, but with Last Crusade they aren’t just a few deleted scenes and some line changes. Whole sections of the Boam draft were reimagined, major set pieces were added, and the pacing and tone were markedly transformed. Whoever made these changes possessed a profound grasp of story craft. Screenshot from https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade-learning-from-stoppard/
July 2, 2025 at 6:25 PM
oddthisday.bsky.social
#Strictly obviously
Claudia saying I feel like I'm in a fever dream.
November 29, 2025 at 7:53 PM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Can Profanity Accountant tell me how *well* I swear, though? “You have deployed the word ‘fuck’ 274 times this month, but only 192 uses were effective. The rest were gratuitous.” If not, it’s no cocking use to me
November 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Very grateful to everyone who’s shared the first post in this thread, but I just want to make sure nobody’s missed the bit about Oscar winner, BAFTA fellow, and knight of the realm John Mills setting light to his farts
oddthisday.bsky.social Coates is Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 3d
Happy 77th anniversary of the release of Scott of the Antarctic, whose filming in the Swiss Alps caused frostbite among the crew. Thankfully, Sir John Mills was on hand to... er, set light to his farts
John Mills is not a man you associate with laddish behaviour. This, after all, is one of the great actors of the 20th century, a knight, a rock-solid family man, a good egg - and Hayley's dad to boot. So it's a shock to discover what he once got up to with his Zippo. "I was quite famous for lighting farts," says Sir John, who will soon be 92. "You lie on your back with your legs in the air. One time at David Niven's when I clicked the lighter, the flame was like a Bunsen burner - a foot long and blue. Sensational. Niven laughed so much he had to be taken to hospital." Mills did not limit such antics to frivolous showbiz soirées. During the shooting of Scott of the Antarctic - where the crew got frostbite - his gift was a lifesaver. "We were stuck on top of the Jungfrau and the weather closed in on us for four days." It looked pretty grim. "So I did a terrific one and it put the whole unit right. I'd had some grapes for lunch and they worked a treat."
November 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM
oddthisday.bsky.social
So, happy 50th anniversary to Melody Maker’s review of Bohemian Rhapsody: “Queen, with a suitably baroque vocal orchestration, contrive to approximate the demented fury of the Balham Amateur Operatic Society performing The Pirates of Penzance”
November 29, 2025 at 10:26 AM
oddthisday.bsky.social
Just got round to reading this. Horrifying, brilliant piece. She has the best take on his death: “maybe suicide, maybe murder. Read enough about him and you won’t care).”
November 29, 2025 at 9:07 AM
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erinbiba.bsky.social
This is incredible thank you @sesmith.lol here are some shrimp.
November 29, 2025 at 4:14 AM