Can never get over how much Alan Bennett's Wikipedia photo looks like Robert Redford.

My favourite radio show of all time All expertise and no lame contributions from unfunny comedians I will miss his curmudgeonly interventions and 'forgive me if I'm over using overly broad brushstrokes here' attempts to nail down the academics Wonderful stuff and a real loss

Michael Aspel is a wonder of nature. (As is Gyles.)

45 minute special

“If you went to the Elizabethan theatre it wasn’t entirely certain that you’d make it out alive” — Mark Mason reviews The Dream Factory, by Daniel Swift thecritic.co.uk/issues/august-…

Keith Richards's grandmother was Mayor of Walthamstow. Street Lighting Woman. Over to you, john sturgis, Patrick Kidd, Jack Blackburn 🇺🇦, Patrick Hennessy.

Paul McCartney, meanwhile, owns his own school desk. It has the initials 'AA' scratched into it, because 40 years earlier it had been Arthur Askey's. The Times and The Sunday Times

🎙This week's The Spectator out loud: 🗣John Power on the Oxford Union's 'lynch-mob mentality' 🗣Nick Carter advocates MDMA to treat PTSD 🗣Elisabeth Dampier on why she wouldn't date a German 🗣Maggie Fergusson on Easter Island 🗣Mark Mason on guided walks spectator.co.uk/podcast/john-p…

First four words are a great name for a band. The Spectator Tim Shipman

Great article by Mark Mason about London walking tours in this week's The Spectator

The abbreviation IHS was a shortening of Jesus in Greek (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ), which transliterated into Latin became JHC. This is the origin of the expression ‘Jesus H. Christ’.

Can you imagine Jeremy Corbyn's face when he read that Hamas might be replaced by Tony Blair?

Lovely bit of picture research from Spectator Events … shop.spectator.co.uk/products/west-…

Nigel's at Hot and Cold Corner here - cabbies' slang for the junction, because on one side of the building there's a statue of Livingstone, on the other a statue of Shackleton.

This is the first season since 1935-36 - 90 years ago - that the Manchester United first team hasn't included a player who played at some point under either Sir Matt Busby or Sir Alex Ferguson.

I am SURE I once read ‘never look too far ahead, no further than lunch or dinner’ (or similar). But just can’t find it anywhere now. Anyone know who said it?

Thanks Edward - much 'ppreciated ...

I know little, and care even less, about the respective merits of a false nine and a true centre forward, but I get hugely excited by the story of Paul Gascoigne and the marching band. ✍️ Mark Mason spectator.co.uk/article/confes…

I think this spread of subjects gives a pretty good idea of what Notes On is about. In short, everything.