a day in the life of tom baker, plus a dodgy old radio times cover about dr who

I'm pretty sure l've posted this before, but what the hell, it's always worth putting up.

Tom Baker's 'A Day In The Life Of' from a 1978 edition of 'The Sunday Times' newspaper, when he was still 'Dr Who' to all and sundry.  Mr Baker and his crowd certainly liked the odd tipple or two, and it's amazing any work was done at all, although he does state that this is a day when he is not filming, and reminds the reader that he did walk away from being a Monk for the women and drink.  By Jeffrey Bernard, on one of the occasions he was not 'Unwell'.

And on a related Dr Who theme, here's the cover of Radio Times from over 50 years ago (January 1971). It's promoting the Dr Who series with what looks to my corrupted eyes like a dodgy sexualised cover, as a hypnotised Jo Grant states she will 'Obey The Master'.

Saucy!

Toodle pip

the spaced house is up for sale

If you are a fan of the comedy series 'Spaced' and have a lot of spare cash lying around, then it might be your lucky day, as the house from the series (At Carlton Road, London N7) is up for sale. At a mind boggling asking price of 4 million of your English pounds.
Slightly out of my price range I'm afraid.

toodle pip

who the **** is george waldo?

I've just rediscovered this amongst some old crap.
Many years ago when l was out and about in that there London, l met and had a few drinks with a guy (George Waldo) who later gave me his card so we could meet up again another time. Nothing dodgy went on - we just had a drink and a laugh, and being the kind of guy l am, l never got round to getting back in touch, but now, looking at the card, l am puzzled as to who the Hell he was / is.
I have absolutely no idea, and can't even remember what he looked like.
Looks important though.

                      

toodle pip

london - fulham broadway 1977 - and the clash

Fulham Broadway in that London, 1977. When life was grim, violent, apparently devoid of good taste in clothes, but without traffic congestion.
Luckily, punk had kicked off.
Here's The Clash's take on it.
Altogether now - "No Elvis Beatles or The Rolling Stones, in 1977".



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mr freedom

Back in the 1960's, when London used to be the epicenter of coolness, it's kind of hard to believe that these two men (Tommy Roberts and John Paul) ran one of the coolest shops in town. Mr Freedom.
It's even harder to believe, looking at what they are wearing, that the shop sold trendy clothes to the rich and famous.
There is still a Mr Freedom outlet going today (look here), but the coolness has long gone, despite the expensive prices.

However, back in the day, as well as the clothes, they did have a (now really dated) advert that featured some great electronic music. Jean Jaques Perrey - 'Moog Indigo'.



And here's Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones wearing one of their t shirts (Which can now be purchased here).

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dom joly is unwell

Or at least Dom Joly has lost weight and been bitten a lot by sand flies during his recent travels into 'The Heart of Darkness' (the Panamanian jungles).
He tweets here

And for those of you who may have been to The Coach and Horses, or seen the play / film of it, yes indeed, the heading idea is a play on Jeffrey Bernard is unwell.

toodle pip

it's 1923 - where's london?

This picture above is of the crowds milling in and around Wembley Stadium, for the 1923 FA Cup final (The White Horse one).
I've always found it amazing that so many supporters managed to get inside the stadium that day, but l am even more amazed that London appears to have disappeared, as poor old Wembley (old school one) was all out in the sticks on it's lonesome.
How times have changed.

toodle pip

donald trump and boris johnson

The Daily News have got it spot on, an old adage that is still true today.
I think Donald Trump is a joke, but a dangerous one, who may well get elected.
Normally l would say 'Only in America', but then l think of our own loveable nincompoop, Boris Johnson. l wouldn't be surprised if he rocks up in the future as the leader of the Conservatives, and possibly the country. A bright man pretending to be a bumbling idiot, who has not hidden the fact that he thinks some people (let's face it - the poor) are too stupid to improve their lives. I suppose it's still better than the spoon fed idiots acting bright that we are lumbered with at the moment.
But not much.
Bring on the revolution!

                                                         Possibly our future 'glorious' leader

toodle pip

large rat alert

Now this is what l call a rat! Killed by Wapping on the London Underground.
I'm glad l haven't had to deal with any that size in the back garden.
What a beast.

toodle pip

the jenni sparks new york map

I was looking at some maps the other day with a view to framing a couple (probably of Manhattan and London), and was reminded of this little beauty by Jenni Sparks.  It's a hand drawn map of Manhattan and can be bought from here.  It's very cleverly done, and it looks great, but l might just go with the normal kind of maps so they both match (I'm sure l might be autistic!).
Then again, l might easily change my mind tomorrow (I'm that kind of guy).

toodle pip

bleeding london - geoff nicholson

A Sheffield man goes to London to exact revenge on six men who raped his partner.  In the meantime, Stuart decides to walk the London A to Z and then kill himself, and a half Japanese women gets involved with both of them.  There's plenty of asides about the history of London, and lots of sex and violence, but l don't know if it's just me becoming an old square, but l thought there were too many sexual scenes, which l felt were unbelievable, and distracted from the main story.  I don't know if Geoff Nicholson is just another posh git adding saucy elements to sell the story (or get some kicks from it), but Bleeding London would have been a lot better with them toned down a bit.
Bah! Humbug!
Now where are my slippers, it's time for some Ovaltine.

toodle pip

ashton kutcher in hampstead

Ashton Kutcher from Two and a half Men and  Punk'd has moved to Hampstead to be near his girlfriend Mila Kunis.  The Daily Mail have some photographs of him checking out the area by himself yesterday, obviously wanting to wander by himself, and, without irony, state how patient he is with fans who overstay their welcome or pester him.  While at the same time their photographer is following him everywhere, taking numerous photographs and no doubt shouting across to him to try and illicit a response.
Mind you, if l was a big USA star and wanted to go about incognito, l wouldn't wear a flash coat, leather gloves and a baseball cap.  But that's just me - l dress like a scumbag (because l am one)

toodel pip

the kfc map of london

My favourite map of London, given away free in KFC.  It looks good, it's easy to follow, and more importantly, it has all the KFC outlets at the time. Result!
I think l got it in 1978 when l was sleeping rough in London for a couple of days before heading to Reading Festival.
I might try and find a larger pristine copy and have it framed (even more crap to fill the house with).

toodle pip

the boston marathon bombing

WARNING - SOME OF THESE ARE GRAPHIC

As it's such a big news story today, l thought l would post these photographs of the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  Some of them are pretty gruesome, but they bring home what a shocking thing a bombing is.

There will be even more heightened security in London this week, as there is Margaret Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, followed by the London Marathon on Sunday.  Of course this bomb could be the work of an American with issues, not a foreign terrorist, and therefore have less significance for the UK, but surely the security for the funeral will be on outrageously high alert already, even just in case of protests.  As for a Marathon, how much security can you really have if people want to watch a 20+ mile race around a city, without shutting it down completely and banning people from attending?

Although it seems mad to say it after today, if we get bogged down with too much security infringing on our everyday lives, the terrorists have won, as they are depriving us of some of our basic freedoms.  What if the funeral and marathon pass off without incident?  There are always trains, coaches, building etc to be bombed (as has been done in the past), but you can't spend your whole life in fear.

I'm always (pleasantly) surprised that where l live (Catterick Garrison) hasn't been bombed or attacked, as it is the largest English army base in Europe, and let's face it, England has enemies.  But as l said before, you can't let the terrorists win, and have to overcome the fear and get on with life, even if, as in today, things go wrong.

The photographs were taken from Buzzfeed, and they have more if you want to see them.

 Image by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe / Getty Images

 mage by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe / Getty Images

 Source: @brm90

 Image by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe / Getty Images

 Image by Charles Krupa / AP

 Image by Charles Krupa / AP

 mage by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe / Getty Images

Image by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe / Getty Images

tower bridge opens for a large yellow duck

I wish l had seen this!  A large (50 foot) yellow duck heading up the Thames in London.  Something to do with crap about people having fun and enjoying themselves.  More here.

toodle pip

jm barrie, arthur rackham, and peter pan

More crap that l would like to collect if l had the money and the space.  Pre First World War books illustrated and signed by Arthur Rackham.  The above illustrations are from J.M Barrie's 'Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens', and the whole book, complete with illustrations, can be viewed here.
It's about time l had my lottery win.

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