Monthly Archives: May 2026

Tram thief loses all her savings in North Yorkshire train scam (Rousse)

On the approach to Northallerton, I quickly responded to the questions of fellow rail travellers about my family by showing them the photographs that I kept in my holdall. I then packed the photos away under my three cashmere jumpers, … Continue reading

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Three in a bed shocker (Rousse)

Although DM had a great reputation for hospitality, and the accommodation that she presented to me was exactly as described, I was shocked when I realised that DM expected me to sleep three in a bed with my university friends … Continue reading

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John Cleese car beater copycat (Rousse)

John Cleese must have heard similar stories hundreds of times before. Nevertheless, he was still kind enough to smile when I explained that my father used to lose his temper Basil Fawlty style, and could easily be envisaged striking the … Continue reading

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Bus fatalities on the Isle of Lewis (Rousse)

TPR and I gave up walking and caught the 38 bus – bang on time at 17:01 – for the rest of our journey. I sat at the back with a young Polish man who marvelled at the standing stones … Continue reading

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Risk of bias in ‘The Rest is history’ episodes puzzles Sandbrook and Holland (Rousse)

Dominic Sandbrook looked aghast when the Rest is history panel member from York University interrupted him. What right did he have to cut the recording of Sandbrook’s opening line of the latest episode? ‘You must drop these background narratives at … Continue reading

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‘Dead’ sister alive in Spain (Rousse)

I was on holiday in Spain rummaging through junk on a flea market stall when my phone rang. My sister J was calling with news that we had feared for years: S had died. What made it worse was that … Continue reading

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