Mark Bould

Mark Bould

@markbould.bsky.social

Professor of Film, Literature and Poor Life Choices. Full-time duck chaperone. Part-time author of things about films and books.

623 followers328 following2.2K posts

Mark Bould reposted

Ayesha Khan - Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*
@everyscififilm.bsky.social

Episode 3 of the 2001: A Space Odyssey mini-series is out. On this episode we focus on sound with sound design veteran Midge Costin and musicologist Christine L Gengaro. Silence in space, discordance in music and what waltzes represent. Listen or watch on the website (Link in profile)

Mark Bould reposted

Film Noir UK
@filmnoiruk.bsky.social

#BornOnThisDay Jack Carson (1910-1963) known for #FilmNoir The Tattered Dress (1957) and, of course, for his great performance in Mildred Pierce (1945). He is rather terrifying in The Tattered Dress by the way. #BOTD

Mark Bould reposted

Roger Luckhurst
@theprofrog.bsky.social

So basically Orr gets let off his fairly minor but still time-consuming admin duties, forcing other colleagues to do them, while still being allowed to teach and supervise! It would be comical, if there hadn’t been a slightly grimmer outcome for a Cambridge professor this summer

Mark Bould reposted

Parody Nigel Farage
@parodypm.bsky.social

It is disgraceful that Andy Burnham took an hour out to appear on Gogglebox just to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. If he's going to do a TV show he should do what I did and pocket £1.5million for eating some kangaroo bollocks.

Mark Bould reposted

flyingrodent
@flyingrodent.bsky.social

Again, it’s important to understand that the transgender terror did not arise organically from the public. It was imposed from above, by the world’s most hateful and poisonous media class.

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. * * *

Mark Bould reposted

Film Noir UK
@filmnoiruk.bsky.social

And see it a week today at 4:30pm during #FilmNoirFest (Weston-super-Mare) as part of our Horror #FilmNoir strand. £5 tickets available from here: wsm.merlincinemas.co.uk/film/114310-...

horrorposterguy1.bsky.social@horrorposterguy1.bsky.social

Satanism in New York, suicidal themes and lesbian subtext put Lewton's bleak classic ahead of it's time. A hauntingly nihilistic dark triumph. 1943. #horrorcommunity #horrorfamily #film #horrormovie #horrorfilm #horrorfan #classichorror #horroraddict #filmsky #horrorsky #mutantfam #horrorfam

Mark Bould reposted

Parody Nigel Farage
@parodypm.bsky.social

I'm the ideal person to lecture teachers on hard work, since I’m usually too busy with my 12 side grifts to bother turning up for the full-time job I’m paid to do and because I had the 4th worst attendance record out of 751 MEPs in the EU Parliament.

Mark Bould reposted

Alt National Park Service
@altnps.bsky.social

Attn Seattle voters: Two mail bins containing undelivered ballots were found in a dumpster at Golden Gardens Park, according to King County Elections. All ballots have been reissued to the affected voters, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating.

Mark Bould reposted

Laleh Khalili
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social

A wild aspect of this gobsmacking piece is the Israeli method of blackmail: they allow a money launderer (Kushner) to set up his illegal bank account in Israeli national bank, then they make it difficult for him to pull out his money unless he does as he is told. www.vanityfair.com/story/jared-...

vanityfair.comThe Art of the Deal: Jared Kushner’s Hacked Phone Revealed More Than $700 Million in TransfersAn exclusive excerpt from ‘Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed’s Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East’ examines how bank accounts linked the president’s son-in-law—and former sen...

Mark Bould reposted

Parody Nigel Farage
@parodypm.bsky.social

The latest hot news that we will definitely not be holding a press conference about is that yesterday there were by-elections in three district councils, one city council and one county council and Reform lost in all of them. Our unstoppable march to power continues.

Mark Bould reposted

Laleh Khalili
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social

Man, Hegseth's Department of War is even more buffoonish than everything else. Kinda amazed how the US military didn't just have some basic war plans they could activate. Their lack of preparedness is astonishing. meidasnews.com/news/so-much...

meidasnews.com“So Much Worse Than People Realize”: Never-Before-Seen Images Reveal Damage at U.S. Bases as Troops Describe Being AbandonedService members, contractors, and military families share photos, videos, and firsthand accounts of the Iran war that they say the Pentagon has kept from the American public

Mark Bould reposted

Roger Luckhurst
@theprofrog.bsky.social

This is the only real news story that matters today, with a strong sense of inevitability that this is how many of the people reading it will die in the decades ahead

Mark Bould reposted

Anti-Reform
@antireform.bsky.social

All over the country, Reform UK Councillors are following the example of their esteemed leader Nigel Farage, by notching up records of chronic absenteeism while still racking in £thousands of public money for doing sweet FA meme via Nick Smith

Mark Bould reposted

Alt National Park Service
@altnps.bsky.social

Republicans don’t want students to vote, but please don’t let this stop you from making your voice heard! The Supreme Court today allowed New Hampshire to bar student IDs as identification for the midterm elections, granting the state’s emergency request backed by the Republican National Committee.

apnews.comSupreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midtermsThe Supreme Court has cleared the way for New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting during the midterm elections.