Valerian Forrest
@valerianforrest.bsky.social
Loves theatre, Eurovision, World Expos, Studio Ghibli, travel, and biathlon. Left-wing, asexual, Northamptonian, European. He/him
We had a very traditional nativity when I was at school. I played Rapper No. 1.
So - did you take part in a nativity play at school and if so, what part did you play?
I got the part of the frankincense guy - I was the only child in the class who could pronounce the word ...!
I got the part of the frankincense guy - I was the only child in the class who could pronounce the word ...!
Nativity plays have been a much-loved part of the school year in infant and junior schools across the UK for many years. These performances brought the Christmas story to life with a mix of earnestness and unintentional comedy. Classrooms buzzed with excitement as tea towels and
December 14, 2025 at 11:09 AM
We had a very traditional nativity when I was at school. I played Rapper No. 1.
Reposted by Valerian Forrest
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
I'm the Music League* admin for my office and, this week, I ran a Best of 2025 round. Cue performative bragging about not knowing any songs released this year.
December 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
I'm the Music League* admin for my office and, this week, I ran a Best of 2025 round. Cue performative bragging about not knowing any songs released this year.
Reposted by Valerian Forrest
'AI is coming' I tell the museum stakeholders as I proudly cut the ribbon of our new Artificial Insemination exhibition
December 12, 2025 at 11:03 AM
'AI is coming' I tell the museum stakeholders as I proudly cut the ribbon of our new Artificial Insemination exhibition
Reposted by Valerian Forrest
A master of disguise, the Mari Lwyd subtly blends in with her surroundings to stalk the festive streets of Wales. Hiding in plain sight, she waits until the ideal moment presents itself to pounce and steal your cake and ale...
December 10, 2025 at 7:53 AM
A master of disguise, the Mari Lwyd subtly blends in with her surroundings to stalk the festive streets of Wales. Hiding in plain sight, she waits until the ideal moment presents itself to pounce and steal your cake and ale...
It's sad but I can't resist a yearly recap. I've largely replaced "normal" television with YouTube now so at least this reflects my habits and interests...
December 7, 2025 at 12:40 PM
It's sad but I can't resist a yearly recap. I've largely replaced "normal" television with YouTube now so at least this reflects my habits and interests...
As much as I love going to London for theatre, I always dread how busy the train back to Northampton will be. I can usually find some breathing space (and, sometimes, even a seat) by powerwalking to the front of the train but it depends on whether the platform has been called before I reach Euston.
December 6, 2025 at 11:36 PM
As much as I love going to London for theatre, I always dread how busy the train back to Northampton will be. I can usually find some breathing space (and, sometimes, even a seat) by powerwalking to the front of the train but it depends on whether the platform has been called before I reach Euston.
Splitting my time fairly evenly between thinking about theatre, thinking about Japan, and thinking about Eurovision this year and listening to a lot of "adult album alternative".
#SpotifyWrapped
#SpotifyWrapped
December 3, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Splitting my time fairly evenly between thinking about theatre, thinking about Japan, and thinking about Eurovision this year and listening to a lot of "adult album alternative".
#SpotifyWrapped
#SpotifyWrapped
When I was a kid, we used to go to MK to see films at The Point, before Northampton got its own multiplex. There's a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in that ziggurat.
December 2, 2025 at 1:27 PM
When I was a kid, we used to go to MK to see films at The Point, before Northampton got its own multiplex. There's a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in that ziggurat.
Well worth waiting for...
I'm not a Christmassy person and, yet, here I am, having picked up an advent calendar and it's not even November yet. These do sell out, though, so I have to move fast.
December 1, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Well worth waiting for...
Reposted by Valerian Forrest
Universities are in crisis, and I don’t think it’s helpful to phrase that as “exiting the market”. They’re not mid-range shoe shops, these are educational pillars in society
Chief exec of OfS 'said the OfS believes there are 24 institutions at risk of exiting the market in the next 12 months, seven of which are large providers with more than 3,000 students. There are another 25 or so institutions of various sizes at risk over a two- to three-year period, she added.'
Seven ‘large providers’ at risk of going under in the next year
Skills minister says no higher education institutions are at imminent risk of collapse this year but OfS confirms more than 20 providers are being closely monitored
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Universities are in crisis, and I don’t think it’s helpful to phrase that as “exiting the market”. They’re not mid-range shoe shops, these are educational pillars in society
I just ordered some shopping from Uber Eats and I was wondering why the delivery fee was so high. I thought it might have been because I placed the order at a peak time but, nope, I'm inadvertently ordered from a Morrisons in a neighbouring town, a 23 minute drive away.
November 25, 2025 at 6:36 PM
I just ordered some shopping from Uber Eats and I was wondering why the delivery fee was so high. I thought it might have been because I placed the order at a peak time but, nope, I'm inadvertently ordered from a Morrisons in a neighbouring town, a 23 minute drive away.
Reposted by Valerian Forrest
Celebrity Traitors go see The Importance of Being Earnest and meet up with Stephen Fry who plays Lady Bracknell. Photo: Piers Allardyce
November 19, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Celebrity Traitors go see The Importance of Being Earnest and meet up with Stephen Fry who plays Lady Bracknell. Photo: Piers Allardyce
Sometimes I think about how cool it would be to be able to take Shakespeare to a modern production of one of his plays but then I think about how I'd spend the whole time trying to persuade him not to yell at the actors or piss on the floor and, on balance, I'm not sure it'd be worth it.
November 15, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Sometimes I think about how cool it would be to be able to take Shakespeare to a modern production of one of his plays but then I think about how I'd spend the whole time trying to persuade him not to yell at the actors or piss on the floor and, on balance, I'm not sure it'd be worth it.
Reposted by Valerian Forrest
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
November 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
OK, that was a really interesting production. Katie Mitchell's interventions, as well as exploring the work from a feminist perspective, actually added a lot of humour to the original material.
#Opera #Operasky
#Opera #Operasky
November 8, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Just popped into @c20thposters.bsky.social for a browse but I'm actually kinda tempted by an original poster for the 1958 West End run of West Side Story for £75. 😅
November 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Just popped into @c20thposters.bsky.social for a browse but I'm actually kinda tempted by an original poster for the 1958 West End run of West Side Story for £75. 😅
I'd never seen the regular series but I couldn't resist giving #CelebrityTraitors a go, thanks mainly to the luxury casting, and I have been enthralled throughout. That ending was a thriller! I honestly got a bit teary at "It's been tearing me apart". The pride of Northampton right there.
November 6, 2025 at 11:16 PM
I'd never seen the regular series but I couldn't resist giving #CelebrityTraitors a go, thanks mainly to the luxury casting, and I have been enthralled throughout. That ending was a thriller! I honestly got a bit teary at "It's been tearing me apart". The pride of Northampton right there.
Tickets are booked! It's always to have a show to look forward to.
I read Arcadia with my play reading group a couple of years ago and I've been aching to see it ever since.
I've also never been to the Old Vic before. Two birds, one stone!
#Theatre #TheatreSky
I've also never been to the Old Vic before. Two birds, one stone!
#Theatre #TheatreSky
ooh Arcadia at the Old Vic! Feels like one of those plays that should be done every five years with wearing inevitability but in fact is really very much not
October 31, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Tickets are booked! It's always to have a show to look forward to.
Number 883 in the queue for Arcadia tickets. Not bad, that's less than a theatre's worth of people.
October 31, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Number 883 in the queue for Arcadia tickets. Not bad, that's less than a theatre's worth of people.
"Sweep, you never seem to bring much to the roundtable."
BREAKING: BBC announces CELEBRITY PUPPET TRAITORS for 2026. Claudia Winkleman will host but never acknowledge that everyone else is a puppet. #celebritytraitors
October 30, 2025 at 12:27 AM
"Sweep, you never seem to bring much to the roundtable."
I read Arcadia with my play reading group a couple of years ago and I've been aching to see it ever since.
I've also never been to the Old Vic before. Two birds, one stone!
#Theatre #TheatreSky
I've also never been to the Old Vic before. Two birds, one stone!
#Theatre #TheatreSky
ooh Arcadia at the Old Vic! Feels like one of those plays that should be done every five years with wearing inevitability but in fact is really very much not
October 29, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I read Arcadia with my play reading group a couple of years ago and I've been aching to see it ever since.
I've also never been to the Old Vic before. Two birds, one stone!
#Theatre #TheatreSky
I've also never been to the Old Vic before. Two birds, one stone!
#Theatre #TheatreSky