The latest episode of The Common Revolution Podcast is out now, in which we debate tax giveaways and the meaning of Englishness. Featuring @patrick_kidd (English), @gavinmegaw (definitely not English) and myself (half-and-half): open.spotify.com/episode/5iE…

A minister of the Crown sidles up and notes how perfick it would be if Spencer's book were outsold by the new biography of Dame Barbara Cartland (mother of Raine, to whom he was so beastly).

Last week I spoke on The Common Sense Revolution podcast with @gavinmegaw, @patrick_kidd, and @peterfranklin_, where we discussed the government's behaviour towards Reform's mega donations, electoral pacts, and what to expect from the next general election. Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/37U…

The anthropologist whose interview-based approach to studying depression in south London in the 1970s brought a new understanding of how social environment shapes the mind. My latest obituary for @ObserverUK is on George Brown observer.co.uk/profile/obitu…

The Almeida’s revival of Clifford Odets’ Golden Boy with Josh O’Connor as the boxer-violinist who chooses fame over his heart is superb. Coming to cinemas via National Theatre Live on Nov 5th. Reviewed it for Sunday Times thetimes.com/article/4ec4612…

In two hours time @Blackheath_1858 will play their first match in rugby’s second tier this century. So far, I’m pretty happy with how the Championship table looks

Richard Morrison in @thetimes today: "300,000 people attended the 86 concerts of this summer’s BBC Proms. But one conspicuous absentee was Lisa Nandy. She has been culture secretary through three Proms seasons and hasn’t attended a single one of the 250 concerts in that time."

The latest episode of the Common Sense Revolution podcast is out, featuring our special guest @DavidDavisMP plus @gavinmegaw and @patrick_kidd: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas…

I love the fact that Agatha Christie sponsored cricket. That England under-19 team was led by Chris Cowdrey and featured Gower, Gatting, Athey, Downton and Allott, who faced a young Malcolm Marshall and Winston Davis.

Richard Alston: choreographer who led Ballet Rambert Celebrated choreographer who was artistic director at Rambert before establishing his own company and becoming chair of Youth Dance England ✍️ @patrick_kidd bit.ly/4iri19q

Really fun conversation at 1-2pm today with the wonderful @mulkerrins on her @TimesRadio show, alongside the esteem'd @patrick_kidd. We covered much ground: French presidential hopefuls Attal (the archetypal 🇫🇷 'minet') and Hollande (he of the croissants); what constitutes 'microcheating'; picnics, and much more... And I deployed an extra French word, 'débile' (moronic) as that is always my mission in life. Bon dimanche.

Last night of the Proms, last day of the Test series: summer’s officially over. Fortunately, All Creatures Great and Small returns on Thursday and Blackheath’s rugby season starts on Friday to get autumn off to a strong start

The Englishman who fought for Genghis Khan – this is the real history behind Templar Traitor and Templar Assassin. piped.video/PGfSwnmrPNY?si=7Ybn… via @YouTube

I love how well trained the Blackheath geese are, crossing at the correct point

Odd, normally the front page ads tell us to read the magazine and weekend sections

Schools have returned and as my son begins his sixth year in Mother Theresa, I wrote this for @spectator on the quirky traditions of the house system (my own were named after Admiral Sir Richard Grenville and Samuel Harsnett, former Archbishop of York) spectator.com/article/long-l…

Here’s episode 2 of The Commonsense Revolution, a new podcast with @peterfranklin_ @gavinmegaw and myself, a wonk, a comms guy and a hack who first worked together in Westminster almost 30 years ago, on the state and future of modern Tory politics podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas…

Sir John Betjeman famously described Ely Cathedral as "one of the great buildings of the world." Been church crawling today @patrick_kidd

Well this is cheerful. Go to Twitter and find that it’s even more full of “AI is going to destroy humanity” posts than usual. Is greater proof needed that this was finally going to be Somerset’s year to win the county championship?

Congratulations to my old pal @WalkTheLinesLDN who has today completed his full set of watching first-class cricket at all 18 county HQ grounds (it's just something middle-aged men do...). His final one is at Durham, mine was Grace Road in Leicester about 14 years ago.