Weeknotes #198: singalong-a-encore

I remembered in the shower that Monday was an office day, nearly missed British television’s 90th birthday and ended the week with mulled wine and fireworks in Battersea Park. Somewhere in between, I sang along to Paul Heaton.

Week commencing Monday, 2 November 2026

A wide view from the audience of a darkened arena stage, where three performers stand or sit on a small, hazy stage: one at a microphone, one seated at the back and one playing an acoustic guitar. Amber lights glow along the rig overhead, blue beams cut through the smoke, and a large screen above the stage shows song lyrics in white capitals.
Paul Heaton, Rianne Downey, one huge room and a lyrics screen.

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 3/7 and Move 5/7. (71%). Morning walks: 0/3. Office days: 2/5. Total steps: 49,039. 13.5 hours in meetings.

Life

  • Monday, I got up at my usual working-from-home time and was in the shower when I suddenly remembered that I needed to be in the office that day because I’d committed to attending one of the corporate roadshows.
  • Related, I did finish The Secret Hours on the train home. I really enjoyed being in the Slow Horses universe, but without the horses.
  • Apparently, Monday was the 90th anniversary of the start of regular television broadcasts from Alexandra Palace. So it was the birthday of British television, and I’m surprised by how easy it was to miss.
  • Maybe related, a lot of BBC weather forecasts read by weather presenters have been cut. It is the British Broadcasting Corporation, isn’t it?
  • The US midterms brought historic breakthroughs for LGBTQ+ representation. New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate, one of a number of LGBTQ+ candidates to win seats in Congress and state legislatures.
  • In other real news, the Private Eye team discussed an unnamed celebrity’s attempt in the High Court to enforce an injunction that prevents reporting on allegations of misconduct. Meanwhile, Russell Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The two stories show how conduct in showbiz can come under scrutiny years later.
  • Saturday night at the O2 to see Paul Heaton. The atmosphere was really good, with a capacity crowd, though it felt a little melancholic towards the end. The second encore was a bit of a sing-along. The words to The Prettiest Eyes and Caravan of Love were projected behind the band so we could all join in. He got a little emotional when he thanked everybody for coming.
  • Sunday, a sobering statistic from the Remembrance Sunday service. About a dozen Second World War veterans attended the service at the Cenotaph alongside nine former prime ministers. It may be the last year the veterans outnumber the former PMs. Living memory becomes history so quickly.
  • Related, when PY mentioned that story to me, I could name all nine former PMs in order. That’s the advantage of getting through most of them in the past ten years.
  • Ended the week riding the ghost train, then standing in the middle of Battersea Park with a mulled wine, watching the fireworks. A fun evening, but whatever happened to Bonfire Night?

Media

  • Resolved. We watched the final episode of series 5 of Slow Horses, which brought the story together quite well. As with all of these things, you need a willing suspension of disbelief for a lot of the plot, but even then there are moments when you go, ‘Nah, that’s a stretch too far.’ The argument at the end with the Mayor of London about whether there was a threat seemed a bit far-fetched. The rest of it was very well done. We still have a series in the bank.
  • Having finished one drama, we started The Blame, which I’d heard good things about, and Nocturne, an Apple TV drama about a serial killer. It’s a little dark. I’m not sure it’ll be my favourite, but it might be worth sticking with. We’ll see how that goes for the rest of the week.
  • BBC Four showed two editions of Top of the Pops, one from November 1983 and one from November 1984, with Limahl appearing almost exactly a year apart. From Only for Love to The NeverEnding Story, with The Cure, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics and Alison Moyet along the way. Quite a lot of pop history in 75 minutes.