Rob Linham
@radinden.bsky.social
Human rights policy expert, former 🇬🇧 diplomat, Somerset CCC member, music fan, proud Brightonian. Views may not be mine, certainly no-one else's. He/him.
This is a work of art.
Every 20th Century British Character Actor's Wikipedia page:
![Ptolemy William de Wincey Claudia Winkleman Hexaquine-Matravers, known professionally as Bill Matravers, (/’:mæθrɑːvɛrzj:/; [1] 25 December 1925 – 6 September 2012) was an Indian-born British actor.
Born in Utter Pradesh (British Raj) in 1925, Matravers grew up in Heligoland, Nigeria and Kathmandu; his father was later Governor-General of Kenya. His mother was a singer and dancer, and an accomplished theatre actor with Dame Joyce Cuthbertson's 'The Daft Burghers' troupe. His uncle was the Hollywood actor Leslie Howard, and his grandfather was chairman of the Sheffield-based Bassett's confectionary company. His maternal great-grandfather, Sir John St John Winton, was the brother of Richard Spencer-Churchill, 7th Viscount of Marlington, and drafted the Great Reform Act in 1832. His family were descended from Edward III's cat [citation needed]. Actor-manager Henry Ainley, a close-friend of his father, was his godfather. As a child he met Lillie Langtry and once shook hands with Heinrich Himmler. In later life, he often said he would have shot Himmler personally if he had had a gun when he was 10.[2] He narrowly escaped death in the Hindenburg disaster.
He attended Sherborne School in Dorset, where he was expelled for anti-fascist graffiti and sleeping with the headmaster's wife in the boiler room. He was briefly a poster-boy for Pears Soap and modelled Arran sweaters for knitting pattern catalogues. During World War II, he was a member of the 3rd Bishop Auckland Yeomanry in the North African campaign. He was briefly attached to the SOE under Ian Fleming. He joined ENSA in 1942 but was later captured and sent to Stalag Luft III where he conceived a primitive escape helicopter to be made from matchsticks. The camp was liberated by the Icelandish before his plan was put into practice. After the war, he worked in variety (briefly as a singing sten gun) and as a comedian at Butlins in Skegness before joining Staffordshire rep in 1949 and touring army camps with his o…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:h2tgvjw6vgyhxsiw6he55yc3/bafkreib7nbjfs47atxh7kpsqmg6qqoqc6a3pnk5idcauqrpmneptludiee@jpeg)
February 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This is a work of art.
Reposted by Rob Linham
BLOG UPDATE: Enough of the "50 Best TV Shows of 2024" lists. What about the 50 Most Inescapable TV Shows of 2024? The ones you simply can't avoid. Here's the definitive list. brokentv.uk/2024/12/20/t...
The Most 50 TV Shows of 2024
Yes, that’s not a typo. Or at least, not an accidental one. Lots of newspapers, magazines and websites are currently parading their list of The 50 Best TV Shows of 2024 (spoiler: you haven…
brokentv.uk
December 20, 2024 at 4:42 PM
BLOG UPDATE: Enough of the "50 Best TV Shows of 2024" lists. What about the 50 Most Inescapable TV Shows of 2024? The ones you simply can't avoid. Here's the definitive list. brokentv.uk/2024/12/20/t...
In the manner of one of our most distinguished civil service forbears, albeit of the fictional variety, may I just briefly intrude upon your attention to discharge a by-no-means disagreeable obligation by taking this opportunity to express, with all due deference... (cont.)
December 25, 2024 at 11:32 AM
In the manner of one of our most distinguished civil service forbears, albeit of the fictional variety, may I just briefly intrude upon your attention to discharge a by-no-means disagreeable obligation by taking this opportunity to express, with all due deference... (cont.)
Applications for candidates to be the next UK judge of the European Court of Human Rights are now open on the link below, with a closing date of 13 January.
Are you, or do you know, a distinguished lawyer with the highest experience in leadership, collaboration, legal reasoning, and decision-making? We'll soon open the competition to find three exceptional candidates to succeed Tim Eicke KC as ECtHR judge. judicialappointments.gov.uk/applications...
December 2, 2024 at 1:23 PM
Applications for candidates to be the next UK judge of the European Court of Human Rights are now open on the link below, with a closing date of 13 January.
Are you, or do you know, a distinguished lawyer with the highest experience in leadership, collaboration, legal reasoning, and decision-making? We'll soon open the competition to find three exceptional candidates to succeed Tim Eicke KC as ECtHR judge. judicialappointments.gov.uk/applications...
November 18, 2024 at 9:37 PM
Are you, or do you know, a distinguished lawyer with the highest experience in leadership, collaboration, legal reasoning, and decision-making? We'll soon open the competition to find three exceptional candidates to succeed Tim Eicke KC as ECtHR judge. judicialappointments.gov.uk/applications...
Irresistible force meets immovable object: recycling truck with collections to make meets scaffolders' lorry determined to block the road. Phenomenal stand-off ensues.
October 29, 2024 at 9:18 AM
Irresistible force meets immovable object: recycling truck with collections to make meets scaffolders' lorry determined to block the road. Phenomenal stand-off ensues.
Geneva, for the second time this year: having run the UK delegation to the Human Rights Committee back in March, it was nice this time for the Committee on Racial Discrimination to concentrate ‘only’ on answering questions in MoJ's remit. Doing it in 32° heat was somewhat less fun.
August 23, 2024 at 9:51 AM
Geneva, for the second time this year: having run the UK delegation to the Human Rights Committee back in March, it was nice this time for the Committee on Racial Discrimination to concentrate ‘only’ on answering questions in MoJ's remit. Doing it in 32° heat was somewhat less fun.
This weekend, I cleared out my travel receipts from my time in Strasbourg, having punctiliously kept them just in case someone audited me (they didn’t). It was bittersweet to glance through them: so many fun trips and so much important work, but also so many Covid tests… (cont.)
July 29, 2024 at 7:44 AM
This weekend, I cleared out my travel receipts from my time in Strasbourg, having punctiliously kept them just in case someone audited me (they didn’t). It was bittersweet to glance through them: so many fun trips and so much important work, but also so many Covid tests… (cont.)
Say what you will about the Harry Potter franchise (but do so somewhere else, please), but it was surprisingly adorable watching the reactions of groups of foreign teenagers approaching Kings Cross “Platform 9¾” with various shades of shock and excitement.
July 16, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Say what you will about the Harry Potter franchise (but do so somewhere else, please), but it was surprisingly adorable watching the reactions of groups of foreign teenagers approaching Kings Cross “Platform 9¾” with various shades of shock and excitement.
Even though I’m post here only rarely anyway, I’ll be going quiet for the next six weeks during this outbreak of democracy, barring maybe occasional cake or concert photos over on the ’gram which I’d hope can’t possibly be considered political. Have a nice election, y’all.
May 23, 2024 at 5:01 PM
Even though I’m post here only rarely anyway, I’ll be going quiet for the next six weeks during this outbreak of democracy, barring maybe occasional cake or concert photos over on the ’gram which I’d hope can’t possibly be considered political. Have a nice election, y’all.
Spring must be coming: on this morning's run, I definitely spotted the seasonal emergence of the "oh $#!+ I'm doing that (half) marathon in X weeks" runners. My condolences to their knees.
February 13, 2024 at 9:52 AM
Spring must be coming: on this morning's run, I definitely spotted the seasonal emergence of the "oh $#!+ I'm doing that (half) marathon in X weeks" runners. My condolences to their knees.
At this time of year, I don’t know whether I prefer going to work in the dark, when you can’t really see how bad the weather is, or in daylight, when you know for sure.
February 6, 2024 at 7:38 AM
At this time of year, I don’t know whether I prefer going to work in the dark, when you can’t really see how bad the weather is, or in daylight, when you know for sure.
The great satisfaction of Maidstone United being in FA Cup round 4 is that all those annoying pedants arguing whether or not it was our first time in round 3 (reformed club, you see) can now all comprehensively shut up: this is the first time, ever. And it’s gonna be fun.
January 6, 2024 at 2:51 PM
The great satisfaction of Maidstone United being in FA Cup round 4 is that all those annoying pedants arguing whether or not it was our first time in round 3 (reformed club, you see) can now all comprehensively shut up: this is the first time, ever. And it’s gonna be fun.
“Radio 1 Happy” - yeah, it’s a cruel thing on a Saturday morning - just played Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u”. Great song, sure, but I suspect that someone didn’t listen to the lyrics when programming that: happy‽
January 6, 2024 at 6:23 AM
“Radio 1 Happy” - yeah, it’s a cruel thing on a Saturday morning - just played Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u”. Great song, sure, but I suspect that someone didn’t listen to the lyrics when programming that: happy‽
A lot more owners seem to tolerate their dogs jumping up at strangers in public these days. Is this a product of people who got dogs during lockdown and never trained them properly? They're sort of social distancing guard dogs whose jobs are now redundant.
January 5, 2024 at 9:46 AM
A lot more owners seem to tolerate their dogs jumping up at strangers in public these days. Is this a product of people who got dogs during lockdown and never trained them properly? They're sort of social distancing guard dogs whose jobs are now redundant.
I've greatly enjoyed Wikipedia's editors trying to decide whether this year's Gävle Goat has been destroyed or not. This is what it looked like as the New Year dawned, somewhat threadbare thanks to the birds hanging suspiciously around the scene of the crime. 🧵1/3
January 1, 2024 at 10:04 AM
I've greatly enjoyed Wikipedia's editors trying to decide whether this year's Gävle Goat has been destroyed or not. This is what it looked like as the New Year dawned, somewhat threadbare thanks to the birds hanging suspiciously around the scene of the crime. 🧵1/3
Welcome to (2^10)+(10^3).
January 1, 2024 at 6:44 AM
Welcome to (2^10)+(10^3).
Talking to my barber (hi, Matt!) the other day about new year celebrations, he said that watching fireworks on television is like listening to snooker, and that line's been living in my head rent-free since.
Happy new year, anyway, even to those who listen to snooker.
Happy new year, anyway, even to those who listen to snooker.
December 31, 2023 at 10:03 PM
Talking to my barber (hi, Matt!) the other day about new year celebrations, he said that watching fireworks on television is like listening to snooker, and that line's been living in my head rent-free since.
Happy new year, anyway, even to those who listen to snooker.
Happy new year, anyway, even to those who listen to snooker.
I don’t often get reverse culture shock, but the instant end to Christmas on 26 December gets me every year: normal music on the radio this morning, decorations will all be gone in a few days. In France I was still hearing “Last Christmas” in the supermarket in mid-January.
December 26, 2023 at 7:07 AM
I don’t often get reverse culture shock, but the instant end to Christmas on 26 December gets me every year: normal music on the radio this morning, decorations will all be gone in a few days. In France I was still hearing “Last Christmas” in the supermarket in mid-January.
Highlight of Christmas Day probably my mother nailing the 1-in-150 shot to win Cluedo with the first guess of the game.
December 25, 2023 at 8:56 PM
Highlight of Christmas Day probably my mother nailing the 1-in-150 shot to win Cluedo with the first guess of the game.
Listening to Greg James and his Sprouty Claus malarkey on the radio this morning, I’ve belatedly realised he’s this generation’s answer to the great Terry Wogan, and this is his Floral Dance. Just a shame there’s no longer Tops of the Pops on which he can look bewildered.
December 21, 2023 at 9:23 AM
Listening to Greg James and his Sprouty Claus malarkey on the radio this morning, I’ve belatedly realised he’s this generation’s answer to the great Terry Wogan, and this is his Floral Dance. Just a shame there’s no longer Tops of the Pops on which he can look bewildered.
After all these years, I finally accept that my career is basically Person Who Sits Behind Other People.
December 13, 2023 at 10:16 PM
After all these years, I finally accept that my career is basically Person Who Sits Behind Other People.
Great pleasure to discuss the international system, sovereignty, and the origins and drive for universalism of human rights with international relations students at Birmingham City University this morning: as ever, fascinating to see how they grapple with topics on which I’ve previously advised.
November 23, 2023 at 12:16 PM
Great pleasure to discuss the international system, sovereignty, and the origins and drive for universalism of human rights with international relations students at Birmingham City University this morning: as ever, fascinating to see how they grapple with topics on which I’ve previously advised.
There's a real tension in deciding one's first post on any social medium, as you may find yourself forced to recall it many years later. Despite plenty of practice lately, this is mine for here, and it's profoundly underwhelming.
November 20, 2023 at 2:15 PM
There's a real tension in deciding one's first post on any social medium, as you may find yourself forced to recall it many years later. Despite plenty of practice lately, this is mine for here, and it's profoundly underwhelming.