This was a tournament that just kept on delivering surprises, day after day. After blistering temperatures in the first week, the conditions cooled a little for the second but remained challenging. The wind picked up and played its part and we got to a position where whoever the champions were going to be, they were going to be a surprise!

So sad that Anthony Head has died. Of course for most of us, he’s either Giles from Buffy (a great excuse to rewatch that show again!) or the enraging ex-husband in Ted Lasso (similar story!). But he had a huge and varied career and I really loved him in a few more things.

I’ve been a fan of Les Mills workouts for a long while now, previously in the gym and since Covid via at home subscription, and even though I’m still pretty poor at most of the workouts, there’s a lot to like in there. Each programme refreshes every quarter, so you’re always in line for something new, and one of the best bits of that is following the progress of the presenters. Some burst onto the scenes fresh and smash it, others start in the background one release and gradually make their way towards the microphone.

I stumbled across this video yesterday, which is a nice little behind the scenes feature for the Baftas focused on the show Beyond Paradise. A spin off of the long-running Death in Paradise, this one is set in the slightly less sunny Cornwall and, surprisingly, appears to mostly be filmed in a barn. I love behind the scenes features, it’s always surprising just how many people are involved, and how they are all so brilliant at their individual roles - with everything feeding in to this fantastic end result.

The fifth and penultimate season of For All Mankind came to a close this week, concluding another tense and eventful series that moved quite a lot of storylines on, and inevitably led us to the next decade time jump. The show has been renewed for the sixth and final series - I think the creators initially had planned seven, but I’m happy they know it’s ending and can plan accordingly.

I didn’t think I would have much time to watch tennis this fortnight, so for Roland Garros 2026, I have defaulted to the excellent online radio. Radio Roland Garros has always been a highlight and continues to be so. Great balance of tennis commentary, general chatter, pun games, and friendly banter, and this year plenty of talk about the weather.

About this time last year, I was caught up playing Planet Zoo, the zoological simulation game that has taken the world by storm. Well, it took me by storm anyway. The end of my review stated: “This may be the last game review I ever write, as I’m going to be playing Planet Zoo a lot and for a long time.” I was not wrong. There have been other game reviews since then, but I can’t lie - if I have enough time to sit down and play something, you’re going to find me managing a zoo.

Last year, the BBC quietly released one of those cosy humerous detective shows called Death Valley. It featured the odd couple of Gwyneth Keyworth as ambitious but socially awkward detective Janie Mallowan teaming up with retired actor John Chapel, played by Timothy Spall. Chapel’s stint as a murder detective on a long-running TV show gives him a useful insight into motives and character arcs, and the pair put their skills to good use solving murders around South Wales.

This month, I saw the touring production of Single White Female, an updated version of the film adapted for the stage, starring Lisa Faulkner and Kym Marsh. In preparation, I made sure to have watched the movie, which gave me a good grounding for what to expect, even though they were two very different things.

I’ve been listening to Radio Roland Garros this week, as per usual, and really loving the descriptive commentary of matches. I’ve opted not to got access to watch this year so am relying solely on the radio for coverage.

Last year’s Eurovision seemed like it had taken a bit too much of a turn towards a credible singing contest, losing some of that quirkiness that makes it the institution that it is. This year, things were a bit more nutty, which is exactly what I’m looking for. Hilariously, I’ve read criticisms of the UK performance, saying we really should try harder and not send novelty acts. I mean, I would say the last couple of years we have had ‘proper’ songs, even if they weren’t actually very good, and that hasn’t done us any favours. Why shouldn’t we try something a bit more quirky? As soon as I heard Look Mum No Computer, I knew it was a Eurovision entry. I wasn’t expecting great things but I thought we might have got a bit more than one point. Oh well, roll on next year.

I, like so many people, was eagerly awaiting the arrival of HBO Max in the UK so that we could sample Noah Wyle’s new medical drama The Pitt. Inevitably facing comparisons to ER, the show was billed as something different though - something realistic and emotional and deep. It was all of those things and so much more.

It’s becoming a bit of a tradition now that when I realise a new series of Trying is rapidly approaching, I finally get into gear and get my quote post ready to go. This series fast forwarded a few years so the kids are older and relatively settled into family life. But there are still plenty of challenges and lot to laugh at along the way. Rewatching this show reminds me how much I love it and will never get bored of it.

For some reason, my journey through photography and particularly improvements in the technology used to take photos (I’ve really not developed much as a photographer myself) has been documented in turtles. I guess it had to be something so why not an adorable shelled creature. The first attempt at capturing a turtle image ended in frustration, disappointment, nothing tangible to see, and was quickly followed by the purchase of a new camera.

When I saw A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong towards the end of last year it must have been a sort of test run because the Mischief crew are going big with promoting their new London production and short UK tour run. They’re popping up everywhere and releasing lots of promotional content, including this excellent behind-the-scenes video of how the show has come together, and generally what a great bunch of people are involved.

I have a huge and growing list of things to blog about but April really got away from me… how can I not have written already about the Artemis II mission? I was so looking forward to it, I kept an eye on it constantly, and was hugely impressed with some of the imagery they shared. The moon in all its grey and cratered glory. I love it so much.

Of all the famous faces that appeared in Celebrity Traitors last year, Joe Marler seems to have had the best result - he pops up on any and every television opportunity you can think of. But not only that, he created his own podcast as well: Joe Marler Will See You Now. It definitely falls into that category of celebrities just chatting to each other, but with Marler’s deadpan humour and the vague theme of psychology, it’s a lot of fun. Initially, the guests were quite predictable - Nick Mohammed, Cat Burns, Lucy Beaument, all familiar faces from that Traitors castle. But the guest list has expanded, with recent episodes featuring Sue Perkins, Tom Allen and Michael Ball!

When I was learning how to code, one of the problems I had was no specific idea for an app to create. A vague idea cropped up since then but having done absolutely nothing about it, I’m glad to see that Apple have done the hard work for me. Their new feature Genius Browse is an interactive feature to help you pick what to watch next.

I’ve been following the progress of the England Coast Path for a while now, since my obsession with long distance paths started. I love these trails, even though I have not, as yet, walked very much of any of them. There have been various coastal paths around the country, with the South West Coast Path being the most prominent, but now work has been pretty much completed on joining the dots and unveiling the new King Charles III Coast Path. The man himself opened the path today, although I’m guessing he didn’t walk very much of the almost 2,700 miles.

When I reviewed the first series of Hijack, I said “I’m assuming it’s not the kind of show that will get a second series…” and left it there. Well, I was wrong, the show helmed by Idris Elba returned to Apple TV for a second outing and it was really good.

Pluribus was an absolute treat of a TV show at the end of last year, and the kind of show it is - well crafted and entirely mysterious - lends itself very well to an accompanying podcast. This official show is hosted by Chris McCaleb, an editor on the TV show itself and has a roundtable discussion focusing on each episode of the show and featuring actors, crew, writers, editors, directors and anyone else who can weigh in on what it takes to make a series like this.

Way back towards the beginning of my knitting journey, I mentioned that I was making a jumper but then put it aside to focus on other things. I did finish that jumper, and I don’t know why I didn’t write about it at the time because it was hilarious. I was proud of it, a finished product, hooray! But it was enormous. I’ve not really invested too much time in gauging my work so far, which is a lesson I’ve learned now. But back then, I just had some chunky wool and a pattern and I wanted to crack on.

Over recent years, I’ve not given the Winter Olympics the attention it deserves. I wrote about it in 2014 and you can tell in that post I’m in two minds about the whole concept. Well, that all changed this past fortnight, with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The coverage in the UK was with TNT Sports, on Discovery+, but they included it in the £3.99 price plan which is an absolute bargain. If that was too much, though, there were elements available on the BBC - although from what I’ve heard they continued the tradition of mostly watching curling non-stop.

Before Christmas, I suddenly realised I had booked tickets to see a performance of the UK tour of Fiddler on the Roof. I couldn’t remember what had driven me to do this, because whilst I love the songs in the show, the film always felt like it dragged and it’s not one I remember massively fondly. It’s a tough story as well, hard to watch, harrowing in places… a bit incongruous with the festive season we were building up to. Also, I like to hibernate in December.

If I hadn’t just watched Domhnall Gleeson in The Paper, I think the new Taylor Swift music video would have passed me by. But I spotted Gleeson standing next to Swift in a promo shot from the video, and was instantly intrigued. The six minute video was released on Apple Music and Spotify only, so my searching endlessly on YouTube wasn’t a good start, but once I found it, I was entranced.

I really wasn’t expecting The Paper to be any good. A spin off sequel from the US version of The Office, it felt like another one of those projects that nobody asked for and wasn’t needed. Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was tempted in to watching it by the fact that Tim Key’s in it, and he’s brilliant, but there’s so much else to love as well.

I’ll be straight about this, I’ve had a crush on Robson Green for as long as I can remember, so I really like his BBC series where he takes friends, family, and fellow actors around his favourite parts of the North. Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes features the man himself taking these guests somewhere to rest, relax and recharge, and unwind with an activity that can be sporty, creative, or nature-based.

Tot is one of those apps that is so simple, it does one thing but it does it really well. It’s for Apple devices, and for taking notes, but nothing fancy - super quick note-taking that syncs across devices so you can just get on with whatever you’re doing. The app is easy to use - you get a handful of pages, symbolised by the dots, and in each one you can make notes, add bullet points for a to do list, or break things up with very simple formatting.

I’m not sure I would normally reach for a show like All Her Fault, because the concept of a missing child is pretty depressing and there are other things higher up on the list. The hook, such a good one in this show (you turn up to collect your child from a playdate only to find the person that answers the door has no idea what you’re talking about), usually grabs you but then the twists and turns that follow can be disappointing.

Generally speaking, I spend as little time as possible thinking or talking about politics. I’m very grateful to live in a democracy but still, the upper levels of politics tends to just be posh people shouting at each other and making decisions that are best served to keep them in power, rather than actually make anyone’s lives any better. More than anything, what I would want from a politician is just to be honest, straight-forward, and actually try to make things better instead of people richer.

I had a couple of weeks left on my Now TV streaming subscription, which meant that for once, I was able to watch the current hot show at the time everyone else was talking about. And when we say hot, we mean it in more than one way.

The second part of my winter catchup, and let’s be real, we need to get this out the way so I can start talking about the TV shows I’ve watched recently - there has been some good stuff. But as a quick recap of some of last year’s viewings, here are eight shows that caught my eye.

I’ve drifted far away from podcasts over the last few years, having previously been mildly obsessed with the format. I’m rectifying that by resurrecting this feature, and my first podcast for 2026 is Get a Grip. The show is a conversation between two good friends, covering recent pop culture news, things happening in their careers and personal lives, and new ways to look after yourself. Angela Scanlon and Vicky Pattison are done being told to pipe down, calm down… or “get a grip.” Instead, they’ve flipped the script – Get A Grip is their unapologetic podcast group chat where nothing’s off-limits. From the messy realities of womanhood to celeb gossip, wild headlines and the everyday dramas we’re all muddling through, Angela and Vicky are loud, proud and completely unfiltered. Every week, they’re laughing, oversharing and getting real, while dragging you, their beloved Gagglers, right into the chaos.

Whilst we are waiting endlessly for the new Tomb Raider games to arrive (finally they are announced, at least!) there’s been the upcoming Amazon MGM TV series to focus on instead. Previously we only knew that there was going to be such a show and that Sophie Turner was playing the lead role. I find Sophie a bit hit and miss, but she was excellent in Joan so I hold out hope for another good strong performance.

I’m going to try and be more prompt with my musings on TV consumables, given that the last roundup I did was a summer catchup in July. Given that we’re in the situation we’re in, however, I thought a winter round up to finish off 2025 would be appropriate, before my new year’s resolution of writing more often takes effect. With that in mind, here are eight programmes that I thought were worth mentioning.

This year’s Taskmaster New Year Treat was a two-parter, the first time the festive special has been extended from one hour, and both parts were absolutely brilliant. The New Year episodes tend to feature a cast that aren’t comedians, and this time we had Big Zuu, Jill Scott, Sam Ryder, Suzie Dent and Rose Ayling-Ellis - a dream cast.

This is the time of year when people are making resolutions and trying to revolutionise their lives - myself included - but that can be overwhelming and easily ditched once January really kicks in. One habit that could be useful is to use Finch, a self-care app that has an adorable and gamified approach to keeping you on track.

For a few years now, the goal has been to watch 100 movies during the year, with a nice mix of old and new along the way. Last year, we just scraped across the line with The Holdovers being the 100th movie in the last few days of December. The trouble is, whilst the films are still out there and calling out to be watched, streaming television has been SO good recently that it’s hard to balance both! However, I would like to give films a fair go in 2026, and here are five upcoming releases I’m looking forward to.

Last month, Apple released an excellent ad that showcased the accessibility features that can give more people the opportunity to experience college and student life (specifically in America, but obviously everywhere). I was going to blog about this at the time, but had forgotten until it was mentioned on The Last Leg of the Year on New Year’s Eve. As host Adam Mills said: Yes, it was self-serving, yes they were bigging themselves up, and yes they timed it for International Day of People with Disabilities. But by crikey, they made a powerful message.

This year I really reigned myself in and clamped down on book purchases so that finally, FINALLY, I have made some progress on the to read book pile. I’m still embarrassed by the number of books that are on that list, but we’ll get there. Meanwhile, I supplemented those books with digital tomes from the library, and really managed to get through a lot of books this year. However, this is a selection of the best of the best from 2025.

2025 was the 10th year of On the Record, my album adventure that involves listening to a variety of albums throughout the year to widen my musical taste and knowledge. It’s amazing to look back and think about how this little project started and what it has turned into, a pillar of my weekly routine with many highs and lows and the occasional unlistenable record.

I was nervous heading into the first episode of Apple’s hit show Pluribus, because the title doesn’t give much away and the poster - featuring Rhea Seehorn screaming on a vivid yellow background - was a little offputting. But of course I needn’t have worried, Apple TV has scored another success with a quality programme that came to an end this past week.

Another year of listening to old and new albums is complete and I’ve loved the adventure this year. It felt like things got off to a bit of a slow start but gradually things picked up and I ended up with a short list for best albums of the year of 13. The worst part of the year is having to narrow that down to five, but the debate has been lively this year and I think I’ve come to a good conclusion. Interestingly, these five were all listened to in the last couple of months, so things really did pick up in the latter half of 2025.

This year I achieved the impossible - getting the Apple Watch Monthly Activity Challenge badge every month for the full year! This is an achievement not so much because of getting the badge each month, although that does deserve a big pat on the back. These badges vary month on month so can be anything from reaching a certain number of exercise minutes each day, or walking a certain number of kilometres in the month. The variety keeps it interesting and motivating, and some are much harder than others!

The blanket is finally finished! Let’s not dwell on the fact that it has taken more than a year to get to this point, but it’s done, and it’s lovely. The photo doesn’t really give a sense of the scale of the blanket, it’s about 1.1m wide and long. I think I went a couple of stripes longer than the pattern suggested, but it’s turned out really well. A big thanks to my mother too, who instructed me on the best way to weave in all the ends, and then made sure I sat there until it was done.

It’s become a bit of a tradition now that each Christmas I set about working on a music playlist to replace some of the more traditional ones on radio and streaming services. I get slightly annoyed with them because they either feature songs that are clearly not Christmassy (slowed down pop tunes for festive adverts should not be there!) or they repeat the same classic tunes over and over.

For the past couple of years, the Strictly final has meant basically two to three hours of crying. I wasn’t expecting it this year, because whilst I love the remaining couples, none of them had that emotional impact for me. And yes, we’re saying goodbye to Tess and Claudia but they’ve always said it’s about the couples not them, so that won’t be too bad either, will it?

It’s been a whole year since I wrote anything about Mischief Theatre, but I recently got to see their festive stage show Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and it was spectacular. I’d previously only seen the BBC version, an hour long special which features the main story of Scrooge and the ghosts, and of course, plenty of things going wrong.

I love Jonathan Creek, the BBC mystery series from the late 90s, early 2000s. Alan Davies in that duffle coat, mooching about a windmill, using his big brain to solve seemingly impossible crimes. Wonderful. The earlier episodes are perfect, and despite knowing whodunit, I get quite a lot of comfort from rewatching them. The show went downhill a bit towards the end, but still, lots to love.

The semi-final, and whilst the quality remains incredibly high, and the dancing very entertaining this felt like a bit of a letdown of a show - because the conclusion was so foregone. Given recent dance offs, it was entirely obvious who would be in the bottom two, and thus who would be going home. However, before all that, the dancing had to be done and this time we have two turns per couple!