Eye Catching Words

In this week’s Eyecatching Words:

Shamima Begum: evil or abandoned? 

The next government: A bitter inheritance or a golden opportunity?

Islamophobia? What’s that then?
Trident: Faking it

Lord of the Rings cosplay

The millennium bug - 24 years later

Bollocks to that

The last seven days and how to get over that feeling that you are an insignificant speck in the face of an uncaring universe.

7 Days, The case against Trident, Steep in Hampshire, and Yorkshire

In addition to a look back at the world over the last the week I will also be talking about the global threat from pigeons, and how a pineapple can accidentally enhance your sex life.

This week’s main feature is a reflection on maleness in an age when gender and attitudes towards it have never been more fluid and, to some extent, have never been more controversial.

Smuggling sand, Artificial Intelligence, Get Ready for War, It's not 1997, Flashback, and Capturing the Moment

45 years of travel condensed into 20 minutes. Everything from Copenhagen drug dens to meeting Bill Bryson on a train.

Carpe Diem. Easier said than done as this account of one day in my life shows.

Find out how I coped with over-enthusiastic pet food salesman, mad cats and a world gone crazy. Explore the myth of the randy milkman. And share my fantasy of being served beer by a former Colombian gunslinger whilst he wears a sparkly pink dress. And listen to a fab piece of music with a message.

Lessons in falling over. Dutch masters and 20th Century heroes. The Post Office scandal and how it could get worse. Trump's frontal assault on democracy in the US. The mouse that tidied up. Kitchen appliances with personalities. Mavis, Mammouls and the Middle East. And Elvis Costello.

Excesses of the season; the disaster that is Tory government; Hamnet; Marina Abramovic; Maestro and West Side Story.

Being happy in sad times, Time Shelter, and the ghost 1970s Christmas Past

Christmas, beer and pagan cheer

Looking back at 2020 and the collapse of the high street, Delulu as a way of life for Generation Z, and the benefits of talking to strangers

500 year old ships, Christmas Markets, Thanksgiving, Caterpillar Soup and a pyramid dismantled.

As well as an extended look back over the last week on a personal and global front, my take on the end of a 42 year NHS career.

As well as an analysis of the news, three features and a wonderful layout from Diana Ross

An in depth look at the news with a lonely sheep, Donald Trump, and Israel / Gaza; plus a conversation on three greats of British writing, Johnson, McCauley and Shakespeare. Oh and a bit of Madonna.

Conflict zones; Israel and Gaza; the latest acronym for laughter; more AI jokes.

Israel / Gaza; Oops there goes another icon; this year's love letter to London; AI standup and more.

Israel and Gaza

Israel and Gaza; Bedbugs; 15 minute cities; empowered women

Why 2025 could be worse that 2016. Interview with an artist. A conversation with Sam. The Eurythmics.

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This week's episode has a review of two colourful exhibitions in London, two poems (both on the theme of time), a look back at how much it cost to hire a band for a college gig in 1971, a commentary on the 20mph speed limit debate, and my niece talking on Antiques Roadshow about an eighteenth century engineer who should be better known than he is. To finish, this week's dancing in the kitchen is Ruby by The Kaiser Chiefs.

Who is really running the world and are conspiracy theorists just part of their plan? Is Iris from Morpeth right or does Wes Anderson have the answer?

The Loch Ne=ss Monster, Graduation day(s) and getting bolder as you grow older

How to be an emotional time traveller through the medium of great books, film and art; plus a review of the week focusing on Woking's continued financial woes.

A stream of consciousness view of the week and the latest on.

the forthcoming apocalypse

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This week's episode looks back at the sixties through the photographs of Paul McCartney, recalls the year that Trump got elected through the eyes of his supporters, and uses the wisdom of Stephen Covey when planning the future. Plus a great dance off to finish.

AI takes charge of the podcast and interviews me; Desiderata rewritten for a hobbit; and the AI's guide to human: AI relations. Plus The Bangles ...

A ramble through a week of Art, London river walks, and the musings of Aldous Huxley. Also some advice on how to live forever, thanks to QR codes.

A podcast with two Dix; World on Fire; and the poetry of Vernon Scannell

Movies, food, Jane Austen and a walk in the park.

Lisbon, Kazakhstan, and Uxbridge. Bells and Spanish guitar. Upcycling and the pope. Never a dull moment on the Eyecatching Words podcast.

This is a very different podcast as it consists of a straight conversation between the Soul Mate and I about our wonderful experience of Lisbon with all the highs and lows and hacks and suggestions. Like the city itself this podcast is rough at the edges but full of fun and some hidden gems. Recorded against the backdrop of street sounds from below our balcony in the Graca District between Pena and Alfama, it is an hour of unscripted memories that you may find useful if you are planning a trip in the near future.

As well as the usual look back at the week, some advice on being a successful wedding guest and a brief look back at a trip to Jerusalem. Plus a spoonful of sugar. NOTE: Apologies for the technical problems with this episode ... there were issues ...

Boil in the bag funerals, the shape of water to come and black milk. Plus a surprise intervention from Mariella Frostrup and a great dance out at the end.

This week's episode is the big three-oh and is notable for being the first time I've used AI generated voices. The main theme is looking back - to last week and pink plastic trees, to four years ago when the government prorogued parliament, and to thirteen years ago when a volcano left me stranded a long way from home. Like an IKEA pencil it is short and to the point, but unlike a trip IKEA you won't have to put it together yourself and you won't be spending money on things you don't really need. Enjoy.

A look back at the week and in particular the evil that is Shell Oil and the relaunch of Boris Johnson as the Alpha Mail. On a more positive note, the history of the handshake and a song by the great George Michael.

When Woking hit the buffers. How to manage life's overheads. Rubber ducks all at sea and chips with Elon Musk.

The second part of this year's Hay Festival with reviews and a conversation about the place itself.

Eyecatching is let loose with his soul mate in the Welsh Countryside with some famous names including Richard E Grant, Simon Sharma Michael Parkinson and many others. Enjoy the critiques, the clips and the built-in bloopers.

The focus of this episode is on meaning and happiness, with a look at the poet John Donne and some evidence based research. In addition there is the usual selective view of the week's events and a take on the latest artificial intelligence debate. And maybe one or two rabbit holes ...

A 35 minute audio book fiction special for the coronation of King Charles III. A change of monarch causes a surge in the supernatural as ghosts of the British Empire come back to haunt a suburb of South London ...