Wilko Johnson
I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson earlier today for a brief photo session. It’s the first time I’ve used…
De Beers myth: Do people spend a month’s salary on a diamond engagement ring?
Some say you should spend three months’ salary on an engagement ring. Or perhaps two. Or maybe even one. Over the years these ring-wallet equations…
The ubiquity of the modern beep
We’re surrounded by beeps. From reversing vehicles to supermarket checkouts to trains, they punctuate our day. But what’s the story behind them? (the piece which…
Mods and rockers 50 years on since Clacton ‘invasion’
Fifty years ago, England was invaded. At least, that’s what the headlines claimed. The invaders? Fans of two-wheeled transport. They were the mods and the…
Graffiti in Ljubljana, Slovenia
I love urban art, whether it be the sanctioned squiggles of the road contractors or clever (preferably witty) subversiveness in the form of graffiti. Travelling…
What do those squiggles on the pavement actually mean?
Look down at British roads and pavements and there’s often a slew of squiggles, dots and arrows, painted in a plethora of hues. But what…
Boston floods: Generosity of the suffering
People can be amazing. When I was leaving the home of Karen Haywood, a flooding survivor in Boston, Lincolnshire, she was very concerned that I…
People always say the same thing about tattoos
News just in – tattooing is no longer the preserve of bikers, sailors and convicts. More than that, celebrities are getting tattoos. And women too.…
Shoes, tattoos and female bodybuilding
Behind the scenes I've been having fun meeting some of the nation's more unusual academics. It was an idea born when I heard about a…
M40 minibus disaster 20 year anniversary
Last week I was on an assignment speaking with some of those affected by the M40 minibus disaster, which happened 20 years ago. They included…