David Matthewman
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djm4.bsky.social
David Matthewman
@djm4.bsky.social
Sheffield,-UK-based liberal leftie geek, into SFF generally and Dr Who specifically. Likes cycling and birdwatching, but very much playing both on easy mode. LOFC fan in exile. Pronouns he/him/himself

Also on Mastodon as @[email protected]
Also, disrespect Papa Boule all they like, he seems to be the only Engineer with the delicacy of touch required to make a locomotive pull away without wheel slip.
November 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Brilliant! Come for the gritty WWII heroics, stay for the railway infrastructure porn.
November 22, 2025 at 7:11 PM
I mean, if anyone could, Brecht could. The Streetsinger's final song almost fits the bill unmodified.
November 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM
OK, because of licensing, it's not actually downloadable on iPlayer, but some of my other streaming services have it so we're good.
November 22, 2025 at 8:49 AM
They ... have personalities, like geese. If they _like_ you, which probably involves knowing you'll reliably feed them, they'll be friendly and interactive. If not, then they don't see the point.

Also yes, as others have said, they're tree ducks, which can be a bit of a surprise.
November 22, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Well, you can count me as one! I _am_ a train guy, and I had somehow never heard of this film. And I have a train journey of a couple of hours on Saturday, _and_ it's currently on iPlayer. I'm going to watch The Train on the train. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000f1v9
The Train
In 1944, the French Resistance must stop a train without damaging its cargo of valuable modern master paintings, which an unusually art-loving Nazi official has appropriated.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Reposted by David Matthewman
*blinks*

If it’s any consolation, this is the first time I’ve heard about this…

I might have repeatedly memory-holed all references to it.

I have never liked the Time Lords making Zoe and Jamie forget their experiences with the Doctor, but this case might be an exception.
November 20, 2025 at 6:41 AM
I wouldn't blame you for having wiped it from your memories. I can't confirm whether it's been discussed in conversations you were in, though, as it's generally Not A Thing Fans Like To Talk About. One of a couple of bullets Doctor Who dodged in the Troughton era.
November 20, 2025 at 7:10 AM
But also, I think a world in which this was possible would look very different generally in terms of social and political structures. So making that change in isolation might not be feasible, and wouldn't be as desirable a result as moving to a world where it's more possible. If that makes sense.
November 19, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Yes, I think this is would be a difficult policy to apply unilaterally. But an expanding set of reciprocal arrangements between countries might be able to get there.
November 19, 2025 at 8:33 AM
And yes, there is a through-line from the party that set up Yarl's Wood and that chiselled 'Controls On Immigration' on the Edstone to these policies. But I know there are plenty in Labour who are alarmed by the recent proposals, I just wish they had a stronger voice.
November 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Sheffield, where I live, is a diverse city with a high migrant population and a history of welcoming refugees. It is made up of multiple vibrant, thriving communities, which are directly under threat from this Government's policies. Attack us, and you are not uniting Britain.
November 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Yes! One of the things that I loved about Claire North's 84k was the use of the canal network as transport, although I can't now remember whether that was specifically a post-oil scarcity thing.
November 19, 2025 at 7:54 AM