Matt Eaton
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matteatonmedia.bsky.social
Matt Eaton
@matteatonmedia.bsky.social
Personal Account: researching troop morale & entertainment for p/t Military History PhD, London IC, voracious reader, keen baker, secret SWW modeller. Journaling about history here:
https://matteatonmedia.substack.com
Pinned
This week's post is about the contribution that ENSA made to the war effort and why they should be remembered.
open.substack.com/pub/matteato...
#skystorians
Reposted by Matt Eaton
Made this a few years back with the late great Steve Hewlett - a history of the BBC's many mortal crises:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...
BBC Radio 4 - Archive on 4, The Future of the BBC: A History
Steve Hewlett explores the troubled past behind today's debates on the future of the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Poor Auntie Beeb - my barbs are dipped in deep affection, not malice. Saying that, in all the emergency meetings that will happen this morning at BH, I wonder if anyone will suggest using AI to bring back Lord Reith.
November 10, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Been a while, but building a Hasagawa Typhoon 1/48. #histscalemodels
November 9, 2025 at 9:36 PM
This week's post is about the contribution that ENSA made to the war effort and why they should be remembered.
open.substack.com/pub/matteato...
#skystorians
November 9, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Some more marvels of the mycelium network on my walk today.
November 7, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Fireworks? Great fun! And no Mickey doesn't usually sit on me like this as he's 36kg! Spare a thought for the animals.
November 7, 2025 at 7:31 PM
"It had to be me" by Collie Knox (1947) arrived today. Bought largely for one chapter on his time as Director of Public Relations at ENSA, but looking forward to devouring the rest this weekend. #histbookchat
November 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Long been on the cards. Good decision to hold on to the golden goose (ITV Studios) and sell the rest. Not sure where this leaves ITN though - would a Comcast ITV be able to not use Sky News? Not great for advertisers though as it would only leave Channel 4 as a realistic alternative for TV sales.
ITV confirms it is in talks to sell media and entertainment operations to Sky – business live
ITV confirms it is in talks to sell media and entertainment operations to Sky – business live
ITV says it is in preliminary discussions regarding a possible sale of its M&E business to Sky for an enterprise value of £1.6bn. Despite pre-budget uncertainty, UK house prices jumped by 0.6% last month according to new data from lender Halifax. Halifax reported that the value of the average UK home increasing by almost £1,650 last month to £299,862 – the highest on record. This also lifted the annual rate of hous inflation to 1.9%, from 1.3% in September. “Demand from buyers has held up well coming into autumn, despite a degree of uncertainty in the market, with the number of new mortgages being approved recently hitting its highest level so far this year. “There is no doubt that affordability remains a challenge for many. Average fixed mortgage rates are currently around 4% and likely to ease down further, but with property prices at record levels, moving home can feel like a stretch. A split of ITV’s operations is one of a number of options that the broadcaster’s management, led by chief executive Carolyn McCall, has looked at as part of efforts to boost the value of the company. McCall’s team believes ITV is undervalued on the stock market. Doubling down on UK broadcasting would mark a gutsy bet by Comcast, which has written down the value of Sky by billions of dollars since acquiring it for $39 billion in 2018. The US company agreed in June to sell its German business Sky Deutschland for an upfront price of €150 million ($173 million), a fraction of its valuation in previous years, showing how much the market for European broadcasters has deteriorated. Comcast’s deliberations are ongoing and may not lead to a transaction, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Media analyst Ian Whittaker told the BBC that a combination of Sky and ITV would mean that had “70% plus” of the UK TV advertising market, which he said “in normal circumstances” would be rejected by regulators because of the dominance it would give them. But he added that with questions hanging over the future of TV, a takeover could be seen as almost a rescue deal. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Leaving it a bit late this year - but 50 or so days of steeping in sherry should be ok. The kitchen smells very Christmassy!
November 5, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Small mushrooms on trees on the dog walk this morning - the white domed one is Porcelaine Fungus apparently.
November 5, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Wartime entertainment was just some toothy bloke with a ukulele. Hold my beer! Excited to be presenting a topic close to my heart on @ww2tv.bsky.social in early December! #histbookchat
November 4, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Another Magpie Ink-cap in the woods today! @hopeeaton.bsky.social took this excellent photo, which involves something called "composition". She's so much better at taking photos than me!
November 2, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Matt Eaton
Any of the #histscalemodels community going to SMW in Telford next weekend? If so, drop by the IPMS Rutland table in Hall 1 and say hi.
November 1, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Here's my latest bi-weekly blog post, just for a bit of fun on the Grenadier Guards at Anzio.

matteatonmedia.substack.com/p/twice-the-...
October 31, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Happy Halloween! A huge Crown Prince ready to make pumpkin soup later.
October 31, 2025 at 9:15 AM
The autumnal colours are spectacular this year - and a pleasing toadstool.
October 30, 2025 at 7:30 AM
The Chancellor did what? Malcolm fucking Tucker would like a quiet word.
a close up of a man 's face with his mouth open and his eyes closed .
ALT: a close up of a man 's face with his mouth open and his eyes closed .
media.tenor.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:28 PM
"Don't remember them as old or frail; remember them as they were! Determined men, sometimes frightened, but fighting as best they could for their country and a cause they believed in." Recommend @peterhart.bsky.social's story of the 16 DLI in Footsloggers. Thought-provoking and novel. #histbookchat
October 27, 2025 at 7:08 PM
A musical treat in Watlington last night watching the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir and the Aberdare Dare to Sing ladies' choir. Much Gwlad and beautiful renditions of Suo Gan and Adiemus.
October 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Spent the day at the IWM Research Room picking through service newspapers. Some very useful finds and a few surprises.
October 22, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Damn, this is a big outage. DynamoDB in US-East-1 region affecting most of Europe too.
health.aws.amazon.com/health/status
health.aws.amazon.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Why can't every war diary be as descriptive and entertaining as the 5 Grenadier Guards? 24 January 1944, assaulting The Factory, Anzio:
"However admirable a vehicle a Jeep may be one feels particularly naked in one when being shelled."
And this beautiful aerial photo of their target.
October 19, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Sharing on #histbookchat feed
Hi All, my latest book, War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why, is being released in North America in two weeks. The Publisher, Basic Books/Hatchette, has just released a discount code for 20% if you buy through them. Code is WAR&POWER (not case sensitive). www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/phill...
War and Power
A bold, revisionist study of modern warfare, showing that military victory is rooted not in large armies and decisive battles, but in the full spectrum of ec...
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The slide into total Alan Partridge is almost complete. Driving back from London I found myself banging out this tune at full blast.
October 18, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Off to the National Archives tomorrow after a few months off. Next chapter of the PhD is buried in there somewhere!
October 17, 2025 at 5:27 PM