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Some backers now pulling out

About 15-20 years ago a mate of mine convinced me to go with him to see Roy Chubby Brown. I was reluctant, but he kept at me. Saying "He's not as bad as they make him out to be". So, anyway, I thought - give him a try. Maybe he has had a bad press? Maybe he isn't as bad as they all say? Maybe the papers just have it in for him? Anyway...no. They weren't wrong. 5 minutes in and he's railing about the p***s. And it went downhill from there. Awful, Bernard Manning-style jokes with extra racism and no humour. Then he finished by doing some kind of dance, the big reveal at the end being he has slapped on a huge pair of plastic testicles. It was the Albert Halls in Stirling and it wasn't even half full. And the crowd were just mutants let out for the night, whooping and hollering every insult he threw. I would have left half way through except my mate (who was loving it) had given me a lift and was my lift back. I think he knew I wasn't enjoying it; he has been again since and hasn't asked me along. That is the only stand up comedian I have seen live.

Great news for Aston Martin, that.

Just hoping that Queens can summon up from somewhere the will and the skill to pull off a result here. Their recent home form isn't awful.

True of all signings. Don't get me wrong, in this case I can see the positives for you, not least that he has worked with McPake before. But if this was a 25 year old coming back from half a season or so out, I would be a bit more concerned than I am about a 35 year old.

Reading between the lines, seems he has been injured for the first half of the season and has just been back in training for a few weeks. At 35, the question is: will he be the player he was? Or are Dundee just letting you have him to get him fit? Might be doubtful that he'll come bursting into your team and strolling matches left and right straight away.

I recently re-read Thank You, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse. A huge chunk of that story revolves around a couple characters in blackface and a touring group of minstrels. It was written in 1934 and no way in hell would it make the publishers now. But I cannot see how anyone could go in and start chopping up the sentences.

It's a few months since I watched the Hartnell ones but the one that sticks in the mind the most is The Keys of Marinus. It was just a bit bonkers and a bit of fun. William Hartnell taking a few episodes off in the middle, leaving Ian and co to do the main work of the show, was very different to what happens nowadays. I liked it a lot as it really was just a set of mini-adventures. Oh, and this:

I must admit I haven't paid too much attention in recent years to the rise of Kate Forbes. I suspect many in the electorate are the same, she has a much lower profile generally than others. I'd never even heard of Ash Regan until this contest. All I get now is that she's against self-identification and against gay marriage. Which, strangely, are two key pillars of the government she is a part of. On GRR, the fact she thought she could side-step having to resign over the issue because she was on maternity leave just speaks of lack of character. If she felt she couldn't support it, she should have quit. That fact she didn't, and is now openly saying she disagreed with the policy, is really weak. This has Boris Johnson flying off around the world when the Heathrow vote came up all over it. On gay marriage - this issue was settled years and years ago. When the likes of David Cameron are on the right side of this argument and you are not, something is really wrong here.

Will they re-shoot any scenes of You Only Live Twice?

8 for Tuesday

I think @BFTD is the prime suspect. Vanishes for weeks, no word about anything. As soon as the body is found, back he pops to P&B as if nothing has happened.

I disagree. You would be best starting at the start, with Casino Royale. Remember the books are set in the 50s, not the 60s. A very different character indeed. The only actor I think who came close to the "book" bond was Timothy Dalton. But the books for me are superior.

I still think back to the 2000 election. What might have been had Gore not been done in by the hanging chads. Bush started out as a bit dumb. He was barely in the job before 9/11 happened and that was it. He was a war president. I reckon the same would have happened to Gore had he been in the hot seat at the time. We never really got to see how he would have unfolded without 9/11. I reckon he would have lost in 2004 and lost badly, but the rallying around the flag factor was still there.

My son showed me this. I think he expected me to willingly fork out £45 for this - no chance. What do people do with these things?

Yes. A web of lies, deceit, scum and villainy

He's utterly backtracking now. "I never guaranteed she wasn't in the water" etc etc. He thought he'd get a wee bit of free publicity for his company, then got his 15 minutes of fame and it utterly went to his head. Now it has backfired on him.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang A very enjoyable story. The best bit was the extremely well written supporting characters, particularly Jago and Litefoot. These two would have made great companions for another adventure or two. The Victorian era Holmes-ish stuff was enjoyable and the plot was very good. The only downside is the racial stuff. The Chinese characters were basically stereotypes and the jokes about "yellow" would never be made these days.

I think it is just an age thing. If I get 4 unbroken hours of sleep at any one time it's a miracle. Never been a big sleeper, I got to bed at about 1 and am awake at 6, usually up at some point between 4 and 4.30 in between. How my son can sleep until 11.15 at the weekends amazes me.

Just to expand a wee bit on this. My cousin was on the phone to my mum talking about a relative who had given her a lift into Alloa. This relative stopped in a disabled bay to let my cousin out. Then decided to just park the car and go to the shop with my cousin. The phone call, from what I can gather, was full of "it was only 5 minutes" stuff. Anyway, they got back to the car and it had been ticketed. She was expecting my mum to have some sympathy but all she got was a firm "Good!" My dad can hardly walk these days. At Forth Valley hospital the car park is horrendous, people parking on pavements and so on. But the disabled bays are always taken by cars with no blue badges. So they have to park quite far away. I'm going with them this week so I can go in and grab a wheelchair to push him the miles and miles from the car, wherever it ends up getting parked, to his appointment.

Folk parking in disabled bays should have their cars crushed. My folks, who have a blue badge, can hardly get in a space because invariably someone has just abandoned their car there. Even at the hospital.

10 for Monday

Couldn't help but notice a load of wee nods to The Wrath of Khan throughout. Music, titles, shuttle approaching the ship in space dock

Enjoyed that a lot. And yes @Squalor Vic you can skip right to this one.