MSU

I was away on business last year and the hotel I was billeted in had the Glenlivet 15, 18, and 21. So naturally, me and my co-worker skipped dinner and instead worked our way through the ages and stuck it on the expenses. The 18 was the only one I was disappointed with.

Think this is the one you're looking for. Fifteen quid and comes in a lovely poncey box. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thick-Complete-Collection-DVD-x/dp/B008RA5QB8/

No, I think they ran out of time.

All we need is Lionel Shriver to be a total c**t and it'll be Yahtzee.

Both are awful, but the travel time to Manhattan is probably marginally quicker from Newark by public transport, probably marginally cheaper by taxi from JFK.

Cariad Lloyd on QI tonight. Wid.

Fasten your seatbelt -- the next episode has the characters explaining what they got up to during the holidays.

lol -- aye, they were probably my faves too.

The guest on this week's Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast was Tom Davis. I'd never heard of him prior to that, and I hadn't heard of Murder in Successville, the thing that Mr Davis is supposedly famous for. So obviously, I jumped on YouTube and tracked it down. What a perfect bit of comedy -- celeb guests trying to solve murders in a town inhabited by impersonated famous people. Genuinely laugh out loud funny. Every time Gordon Ramsay starts bouncing on his heels shouting "No!" I lose it. Or Jimmy Carr who only communicated in his ridiculous laugh. Brilliant stuff. So disappointed it only seemed to last for twelve episodes.

Visited New York for the first time since 1999 on Boxing Day. I've been collected Dead Presidents with the missus for about a year and we picked up Teddy Roosevelt on Long Island on Christmas Day, then swung into the city on Boxing Day to get Ulysses S Grant. His tomb was closed for the holidays but it was a nice day for walking around Colombia University grounds. Then we walked through Central Park and visited the 9/11 memorial, which was pretty amazing. Surprise of the day was the new Oculus building that's right next to the memorial. Doesn't look like much from the outside -- a bit like a whale's tail -- but when you go in, it goes underground and is fucking enormous. It's a shopping mall / transportation hub with links on to Fulton Street subway and the PATH rail system. Incredible building. Loved wandering around the city, even if it was just for the day. Brilliant place. Next day, we went to Poughkeepsie for Franklin D Roosevelt, whose grave was definitely the pick of the bunch.

And in the interests of equality, I"m sick of the sight of Josh WIddicombe too.

Sara Pascoe seems to be the BBC's female comedian of choice for Christmas panel shows this year. It's Lucy Porter I feel sorry for. And me, for having to watch so much Sara Pascoe.

Yep -- they're great. Like I said, I got them just to test out wireless before investing more money in a "serious" pair. I haven't bothered, though. Quite happy with the Bluedio. Also, they seem to be reasonably rainproof. And they *do* keep the old lugs warm!

I got a cheap pair of Bluedio wireless (between $20 - $30 off of the Amazon) to test them out. I've been really impressed with the sound quality and they hold their battery for ages. Also, they have an FM radio built-in. And yes, there's a 3.5mm jack so you can go wired if you want to.

You're right. She's a wid. But afterwards, I wouldn't be very gentlemanly. And I'd probably throw her in a canal.

Gabby Logan standing next to a canal doing the intro to the SPotY contenders show. Where's CJ De Mooi when you need him?

It's hokum, but it's good escapist hokum. Episode 10, The Oath, was genuinely thrilling stuff.

I just can't even.

Probably. I think we were supposed to infer that she didn't trust her father any longer. Baptiste told her that her dad wasn't the man she thought he was, and he was right about everything else.

I kinda enjoyed it, tho I was looking at the clock wondering how they were going to wrap everything up in four minutes. And of course, they didn't. The member berries being left open was disappointing, and the conclusion to the Skank Hunt thread was a let down too. I laughed a few times at it but perhaps tellingly I laughed more at the Everybody Loves Raymond rerun that I'd already seen a million times that I watched immediately before it (it was the one where Robert finds out his birthday isn't when he thought it was). Agree with Fuctifano that the actual outcome of the US Election pushed the narrative down the less funny path,

-- How are we gonna get out of here? -- We'll dig our way out! -- No, no. Dig up, stupid.

Didn't Ali Campbell's brother end up being lead singer after Ali left? Christmases must've been a great laugh at Maw Campbell's house after that.

The only thing that bothers me about the season is that if the maze is an abstract path that the Hosts follow to achieve consciousness, the fact that its symbol is imprinted on the inside of Kissy's scalp in the pilot episode makes NO sense.

I thought the writing was mostly great. But yeah, there were a few "oh, please" moments in the finale. Particularly the lengthy Ford exposition bits.

With the first season blowing its load a bit in the last episode, the finale's trajectory was maybe a bit obvious, but it was an awful lot of fun getting there. No idea where this is going to go for season two, but if there's even the slightest chance there's going to be ninjas, I'm going to be keeping my fingers crossed for that. Is it 2018 yet? ETA Also ...