Dan

Dan

@danielorton.bsky.social

768 followers1.2K following1.6K posts

Dan reposted

Phil McDuff
@mcduff.bsky.social

Completely off the Guardian and BBC news front pages. And, yeah, other news has happened, sure. But, again, I invite the reader to consider what sort of news would be bumped off the top spot if this had been, say, Seamus Milne working with the IRA.

Phil McDuff@mcduff.bsky.social

So... That Turning Point/UVF documentary with all the people admitting to actual crimes is going nowhere except the memory hole then, huh? Damn, you'd think that'd be at least one or two real journalists in the country capable of feeling shame about what that says about the industry.

Dan reposted

eminemerald fennell
@fireh9lly.bsky.social

Just come across a 1999 issue of a British hip-hop magazine where one of the letter writers complains about Eminem's post-major-label-deal look resembling Jambo from Hollyoaks

Dan
@danielorton.bsky.social

Everything went south when the bros took over from the boffins, like grey squirrels pushing out the red ones.

This post is unavailable.

Dan reposted

Joel Morris
@gralefrit.bsky.social

This week someone brought in the cursed summoning whistle from Jonathan Miller’s Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You. This has been an incredible run for the series being brought powerful Fortean artefacts. Expecting the VHS from Ringu next week, and the Hexham Heads.

Joel Morris@gralefrit.bsky.social

Don’t think anyone’s made quite enough fuss that they had the Holy Grail on Antiques Roadshow last week.

Dan reposted

The Author, Séamas O'Reilly
@seamas.bsky.social

This is not a "you didn't KNOW?" post because I truly envy and respect anyone unaware of Linehan's output BUT he's been EXTREMELY racist for years now. Attacking black actors on his wife's show Motherland as diversity hires; podcast screeds about muslims in Ireland; delighting in Palestinian deaths.

This post is unavailable.

Dan reposted

Joel S.
@joelhs.bsky.social

Re: Dawkins, it’s long past time for us to admit that “New Atheism” was always a way to launder reactionary bigotry into ostensibly progressive guise. Listening to the New Atheists talk about religion is like if I read one Stephen Hawking book and proclaimed myself a physicist.

Toby Buckle@polphilpod.bsky.social

every now & then someone on the anti-trans side will get cold feet about how openly ugly it's all getting—they want to keep the image of a nice, sensible centrist but it's never enough for them to get off the train

Dan reposted

gabundy ☭
@gabundy.blog

I'm gonna go through all the BBC footage for the next month and replace all the remembrance poppies with water-squirting daisies like clowns wear. For balance, innit.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

Dan reposted

รℓσαɳε ℓყรɓεƭɦ
@sloanelysbeth.northsky.social

but they will keep poppies.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

Dan reposted

TAHK0
@tahk0.bsky.social

Guillermo Del Toro dropping another one liner that’s exactly how I feel about AI slop, the “punishment” is built in

Dan
@danielorton.bsky.social

Either Return To Oz at the Coliseum in Porthmadog (I was only 4 and was TERRIFIED) or Santa Claus The Movie at the Gaiety in Knowle, Bristol. Neither cinema exists anymore.

Mark Thompson@markreckons.bsky.social

First film you saw at the cinema. The real first one, not the pretend one you tell people! Mine: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980, Wigan. We were near the front and I can still remember how massive the AT-ATs looked, looming over us out of the snow :) Film, year, where, and whatever stuck with you.

Dan
@danielorton.bsky.social

Selling two weekend tickets for JT Soar Fest in Notts (the weekend after next). Been burning the candle at both ends recently, plus my car failed its MOT this week, so could do with the money & free time. Anyone interested, let me know (it’s not yet sold out so will be less than face value obvs)

Dan reposted

G
@gj19eighty.bsky.social

FFS, just call him

Massimo (mirror)@rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social

A massive chunk of ice, extending far below the water's surface, detaches from a glacier and is launched 200 ft (61 m) into the air. [📹 Skeater] Original post

Dan
@danielorton.bsky.social

I can also “taste” certain words and noises so maybe I’ve just got one of those weird brains I guess.

Dan@danielorton.bsky.social

Every time I hear this song it makes my brain do this weird thing where I hear a old style phone/alarm ringing when there isn't one in the room. The other thing that does this is the music from 90s PC shareware game "Commander Keen In Goodbye Galaxy". Is there a name for this?

Dan
@danielorton.bsky.social

Some of Murray Gold's scores for series 2 of Doctor Who also did this, but to this day I'm not sure if they actually *did* have an alarm ringing sound in the mix somewhere?

Dan@danielorton.bsky.social

Every time I hear this song it makes my brain do this weird thing where I hear a old style phone/alarm ringing when there isn't one in the room. The other thing that does this is the music from 90s PC shareware game "Commander Keen In Goodbye Galaxy". Is there a name for this?

Dan
@danielorton.bsky.social

Every time I hear this song it makes my brain do this weird thing where I hear a old style phone/alarm ringing when there isn't one in the room. The other thing that does this is the music from 90s PC shareware game "Commander Keen In Goodbye Galaxy". Is there a name for this?

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD@whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social

24

Dan reposted

Zack Polanski
@zackpolanski.bsky.social

Today's decision by Labour to approve new drilling in the North Sea is climate vandalism. It's a betrayal of all of our futures, and Labour has abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change. This is a victory for Shell over the people. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cw...

bbc.co.ukUK government approves Jackdaw gas field, and says production will start this month - follow liveActivists say approving the gas field will raise carbon emissions - while the developers argue it is important for the UK’s energy security.

Dan reposted

Jonathan Cook
@jonathan-cook.bsky.social

For three years, Britain's political class made clear that genocide was not a red line. Now they're making clear that opposition to genocide is a red line.