#Ian Cromwell

[citizenscreen]

Ian Hunter, Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, and director John Cromwell during production of TO MARY - WITH LOVE (1936)

[wornoutspines]

Murder in a Small Town (Season Review) | A Season of Cozy Mysteries

If you love cozy mysteries with just the right mix of charm & suspense, #MurderInASmallTown is your next binge. 🕵️‍♀️ Quaint BC town + weekly murders + solid guest stars = TV comfort food. Read my full season review! 🍂🔪 #TVReview #CozyMystery

The first – and potentially only – season of Murder in a Small Town continued to deliver on the promise of its pilot episode: a breezy, low-stakes crime drama set in a charming coastal town in British Columbia. Adapted from L.R. Wright’s Alberg and Cassandra Mysteries, the series balances lighthearted escapism with a steady stream of murder mysteries, making it an easy watch for fans of cozy…

[gghostwriter]

Yours Truly, Romeo

Chapter 1 __ Case File No 576

Spencer Reid x FOC

Summary: Washington, DC - A string of grizzly murders and obsessive love letters causes Olivia and Spencer’s paths to intertwine. With a serial killer proclaiming his undying devotion to her and the thick tension surrounding her and her agent turned bodyguard, Olivia’s life is writing out like a contemporary love story that she, as a successful writer, could see herself publishing.

Previous chapter || series masterlist || next chapter

“The healthy man does not torture others. Generally, it is the tortured who turn into torturers.” - Carl Jung

Doctor Spencer Reid knew the next case would be a harsh one based on how pale and squeamish Penelope Garcia looked entering the conference room. He knew she had little to no tolerance on for any carnage that each case brings but her attempt to make the atmosphere light or lack of attempt signaled that this was a rough one. 

“Baby girl, what do you have for us?” Morgan asked, situating himself between Reid and Rossi at the round table.

“Sadly my chocolate thunder, not good,” Garcia replied then pressed the remote to showcase three different bodies with different types of crime done to them. “These are pictures that would haunt my nightmares.” 

“Maryland PD has reached out for help on a string of murders. Three men, possibly between the ages of 27-35. The bodies were found within three weeks from each other, all in a different state of decomposition, floating by the Potomac River. Each had blunt force trauma to the head but the forensic pathologist ruled that out as the cause of death.”

“If blunt force trauma wasn’t the cause of death and there were no signs of bullet or knife wounds, the unsub must be using some type of drug to kill them,” Prentiss suggested, flipping through the case file.

Garcia presented the next slide. “Yes and they’re all missing a different body part. The first body found was Kennedy Hale, 28, skin missing from his upper arm to his hands. The second body found was Adam Smith, 30, skin and bones missing from his nose. And the third body found was Ian Cromwell, 32, skin missing from his upper torso.”

“The unsub must be removing the parts post mortem. The cut around the wounds show no sign of blood still being pumped out by the heart and they’re too clean to be done to an alive victim,” Reid pointed out. “Any connections between the victims?”

JJ shook her head. “None that the Maryland PD could find and they also mentioned that the victims aren’t from Maryland. There wasn’t even a missing report filed on any of the victims.” 

"So our unsub is kidnapping and crossing state lines with the victims,” Rossi pointed out. “But why take the risk? And why Maryland?”

“Were there any evidence left on the bodies or nearby the river where the bodies were found?” Morgan asked.

Prentiss flipped the pages before answering. “None. No ID, no belongings, no clothes on the victims.”

Reid stared at the crime scene images once again, wondering if there was any detail his eye had missed. This case screamed personal for the unsub but based on the lack of additional information, there was no rhyme or reason between the choice of victims. 

“The river washed away all possible evidences and without them and a possible connection between the victims,” Hotch stated, standing up and collecting the case file as he went. “All we have is the profile. Wheels up in thirty.”

———

“Hey Reid, you have a statistic for us on poison used as a weapon of choice in homicides?” Morgan asked on the flight to Maryland.

“Based on national statistics collected from 13,922 homicides, only 11.4% of those were committed with the use of other weapons such as explosives, fire, narcotics and more. That’s only 1,591 out of the database. Out of the total homicides, Maryland contributed 551 and only 34 of those were with the use of other weapons. Also based on statistics, female serial killers are more often to use poison rather than a male serial killer.” Reid rambled on. “Female serial killers are also know to have a longer cooling off period and kill more often for money, revenge, or attention.”

“So highly likely, our unsub is a female,” JJ summarized, looking up from her case notes.

“Not necessarily. The unsub could still be a male perpetrator,” Rossi countered. “Crossing state lines for a female unsub is highly risky.”

“That’s true,” Prentiss added on. “Having to subdue male victims and having the power to haul them to and from a vehicle seems like to much work for a female.”

Morgan interjected. “What bothers me is the skinning post mortem like we’re in Silence of the Lambs. Why bother doing that when the victim is already dead? It’s not a form of torture, that’s for sure. There’s no pleasure in torturing an already dead victim.”

“There are 14 recorded killers who skinned their victims. Dahmer, Gein, Nelson, Bell, to name a few. Maybe this unsub is keeping the items as his trophy.” Reid answered. “It could also provide a sense of gratification for the unsub. Made them feel powerful and God-like.” 

“He couldn’t have started killing randomly,” JJ added on. “There must have been a recent stressor that caused him to kill. Loss of job, family problems, and such.” 

“Let’s not disregard any possibilities due to the statistic. Look at the case with an open mind and approach from there,” Hotch cleared his throat, effectively ending any conversation. “Morgan and Prentiss, visit the dump site and see if we can get any more clues from there. Reid, JJ, Rossi, and I will head on over to the precinct to coordinate with Maryland PD. And Garcia—“

“Yes sir, what can I help you with?”

“—I need you to dig up any information regarding our victims. No information is too small, there must be some sort of connection there.”

“Got it, I will search high and low and will leave no stone unturned. Garcia, out.” She said before cutting of the call.

———

Olivia Hill was having an ordinary week day. Emphasis on was. There was no indication that anything out of the ordinary would happen at any hour of the day. She  went for her usual run around her neighborhood in Spring Valley, Washington DC. Her eggs on toast were cooked to perfection and her coffee tasted excellent. She had the regular video call with her publishing agent regarding the launch of her fifth romance book, Book Lovers. Overall, everything was going well. Nothing out of the ordinary.

It all went down just after lunch when she was taking a small break from writing her next idea that was still untitled.

“Hey Olivia,” her editor and friend, Hollie, called out from her foyer as she locked the door after her.

“I’m at the office,” she called out to her friend. 

Hollie rounded the corner to the office with a stack of letters on hand. “How’s the book idea coming along?”

“Rough,” she sighed. “It’s turning out very different from what I usually write and my publishing agent has already expressed her concerns about the change of writing style and pace.”

Hollie sat beside her and gave her a pat at the back. “Oh sweetheart, you know how Amanda is. Scared of change, how typical of a Virgo of her.” 

“Hey, I’m a Virgo too you know,” she jested back, finally noticing the stack of mail Hollie placed on her desk. “Thanks for picking up my mail, by the way.”

Hollie hummed nonchalantly, already busy reading the rough draft she had opened on her laptop. She had been her number one fan ever since they were assigned as roommates in the university, 7 years ago from now and Olivia was forever grateful to her as she was there for it all, through her ups and downs, failures and successes. She flipped through the stack of letters, mostly noting that most were junk mail. Except for one ordinary white letter envelope, unsigned and with no postage stamp anywhere.

Curious, she grabbed her letter opener and carefully sliced it open. A number of Polaroid images fell on her lap upside down. She opened the letter and a chill went down her spine. 

Dear Juliet, 

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.

You must look no further than I for I am your equal and perfect companion.

Look upon these images and you shall see that I am made for you as you are made for me.

Yours truly, Romeo

The letter was made with a collage of letters cut from magazine. Hands shaking ever so slightly, she gathered the flipped Polaroids and found close up images of a pair of eyes, a set of hands, and more. The images gave off a stench of creep and horror, no matter how much she looked at it.

“Oh god,” she breathed out before dropping the Polaroids all over her wooden floor like it burned her skin to touch.

[bauliya]

in theory thrifting for books in delhi sounds fun in practice it is just perusing stacks and stacks of libertarian self help books, celebrity biographies, harry potter, tech ceo biographies, sarvakar for english speaking hindutvadis, ian mcewan, colleen hoover, john grisham, jeffery archer, sherlock holmes anthologies, chetan bhagat and his knock-offs, the shiva trilogy and its cringe ilk, and a couple of copies of the cromwell trilogy.

[scotianostra]

On December 25th 1950 four young Scots liberated the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey.

Here is a report from The newspaper The Guardian of the story that was enfolding.

“Scotland Yard had no further news last night of the Coronation Stone, the Stone of Scone, or the Stone of Destiny as it is variously called. There is "absolutely no trace” of it, but the police are still busy all over the country - especially on northward routes - looking for it. The stone was stolen in the early hours of Christmas Day from Westminster Abbey.

One theory is that the thieves - or from the point of view of certain Scotsmen, “liberator” - hid in a chapel overnight in readiness for their coup. They had first to prise the stone out of its housing under the Coronation Chair, which is behind the high altar. Then the stone - which weighs four hundredweight and measures roughly 26 inches by 16 inches by 11 inches - had to be carried round to the Poet’s Corner door where, presumably, it was loaded into a car. The police are looking for a man and a woman in a Ford Anglia car which was seen near the abbey in the small hours of the morning.

Descriptions of them have been circulated, and the police say they speak with Scottish accents. It is taken for granted that the stone has been stolen by Scottish Nationalists. The stone, which is rectangular and is of yellowish sandstone, has two rings let into it and normally lies behind a grille under the Coronation Chair. In 1940 it was buried in the abbey and the secret position marked on the chart which was sent to Canada for safety.

It is believed to have left the abbey only once, when it was taken across to Westminster Hall and used for the installation of Cromwell as Lord Protector in 1657. It has been “attacked” before and was once slightly damaged (in 1914), when a bomb was placed under the Coronation Chair during the woman suffrage agitation. Twenty-five years ago, Mr David Kirkwood was given permission to bring a bill for the removal of the stone to Holyrood Palace, but the bill went no farther.

The Coronation Chair is the oldest piece of furniture in the abbey, and has been used for 27 coronations. It was damaged by the removal of the stone; part of it was broken and a strip of wood from the grille was found lying on the floor. Scotland Yard sent a number of CID men, including fingerprint experts, to the abbey and have circulated a description of the stone.

There is no official confirmation of a rumour that a wristwatch was found near the Coronation Chair, but it has been stated that freshly carved initials “JFS” have been found in the gilding on the front of the chair. It seemed evident that the intruders were amateurs, for they made little attempt to hide their tracks. Whether or not they will make straight for Scotland with the stone is doubtful, though one Scottish paper said this morning that the stone might already have crossed the border.

It should not prove a difficult object to hide once it can be taken out of the car which is carrying it, and the police of the two countries are likely to find themselves with a difficult job - not so much in finding the culprits but in finding the stone. If anybody is brought to court either on a charge of stealing or of sacrilege, the case should produce some fine legal and historical points.“

In addition to numerous road blocks, a special watch was kept at docks and airports, while hundreds of CID officers checked hotels and B&Bs in the North of England. Following the delivery of an anonymous petition promising the “return” of the Stone – on condition that it would remain in Scotland – to a Glasgow newspaper, Special Branch officers soon started making enquiries about student political bodies at Glasgow University.

The liberators were indeed Scots, four students from The University of Glasgow, from the University of Glasgow (Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart, travelled to London, entered the Abbey in the small hours of Christmas Day and nabbed the Stone from beneath the coronation throne. They dropped it by accident and it broke in two. They loaded the Stone into their car boot and brought it back to Scotland – despite roadblocks and police searches.

The four became notorious for the daring heist and in Scotland they achieved nigh-on hero status, while in contrast the English were somewhat bewildered. All four of the group were interviewed and all later confessed to their involvement with the exception of Ian Hamilton. The authorities decided not to prosecute as the potential for the event to become politicised was far too great.

At the time, the leader of Scottish Covenant Association, Nigel Tranter commented

“This venture may appear foolish and childish on the surface, but it will have the effect down South of focusing attention on Scotland’s complaints. It takes a lot to get any news of Scotland’s national existence into the English Press, and this sort of thing is the only type of Home Rule story that gets a break in the English newspapers.”

Mungo Murray, 7th Earl of Mansfield and Lord of Scone, the spiritual home of the stone waded in with how he would be “extremely reluctant” to hand the Stone “to the English authorities,” assuming it should be returned to his property at Scone Palace. “In view of the fact that the Stone undoubtedly pertains to the line of Scottish kings, it belongs to the King as King of Scotland, not as King of England,” he said. “In the future the Stone should be kept at Scone or Holyrood instead of Westminster.”

Despite their best efforts, the authorities on both sides of the Border were unable to trace the Stone, at least until April 1951 when – draped in the Scottish Saltire – it was ceremonially deposited at the site of the high altar within the ruins of Arbroath Abbey. The Stone was accompanied by two unsigned letters, one addressed to the King, the other to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, described as “successor to the Abbots of Scone” and therefore the Stone’s “natural guardians”.

It would be a further 43 years before a UK Government agreed that the Stone. when not required for use in such ceremonies, I covered this in depth on St Andrews Day.

Church-bells across Scotland didn’t ring out in celebration – as portrayed in the 2008 film, The Stone of Destiny – yet Ian Hamilton and his friends nevertheless showed how what had seemed permanent and immutable could be changed.

The Stone of Destiny will again be on the move and will be the centrepiece of a new £26.5m museum, in Perth. Construction work on the new museum at Perth City Hall is due to start in February, with it scheduled to open in 2024. The third pic shows an artist impression of how it might look.

[dalekofchaos]

Raimiverse fancast

My fancast for an expanded Raimiverse fancast

Only recasting Venom since Topher was just not Venom. He wasn't.

Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Kirsten Dunst as Mary-Jane Watson

Sadie Sink as Spider-Girl/Mayday Parker

James Franco as Harry Osborn/New Goblin

Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy

Rosemary Harris as Aunt May Parker

JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Bill Nunn as Robbie Robertson

Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant

James Cromwell as Captain George Stacy

Gina Torres as Jean DeWolff

Glenn Close as Madame Webb

Joe Manganiello as Flash Thompson/Agent Venom

Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin/Norman Osborn

Alfred Molina as Doc Ock/Otto Octavius

Thomas Hayden Church as Sandman/Flint Marko

Skeet Ulrich as Venom/Eddie Brock

Matthew Lillard as Carnage/Cletus Cassidy

John Malkovich as The Vulture/Adrian Toombs

Anne Hathaway as Black Cat/Felicia Hardy(I know Raimi originally intended for her to be Vulture's daughter and the She-Vulture, but that was dumb)

Dylan Baker as The Lizard/Curt Connors

Bruce Campbell as Mysterio/Quentin Beck

Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin/Wilson Fisk

Arnold Vosloo as Scorpion/Mac Gargan

Ben Foster as Electro/Max Dillon

Kevin Grevioux as Tombstone/Lonnie Lincoln

Jackie Chan as Mister Negative/Martin Li

Keanu Reeves as Dr. Michael Morbius

Doug Jones as Chameleon

Matthew McConaughey as Hydro Man

Due to tumblr's bullshit 30 photo limit, cann't post anymore

Ben Stiller as Shocker

Russell Crowe as Kraven the Hunter

Vinnie Jones as The Rhino/Aleksei Sytsevich

Brad Douriff as Hobgoblin/Roderick Kingsley

Daniel Day-Lewis as Iron Man/Tony Stark

Brad Pitt as Captain America/Steve Rogers

Karl Urban as Thor Odinson

Eric Bana as The Hulk/Bruce Banner

Milla Jovovich as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

Paul Walker as Hawkeye/Clint Barton

Kurt Russell as Nick Cage

Ewan McGregor as Ant-Man/Hank Pym

Natalie Portman as Wasp/Janet Van Dyne

Rachel Weisz as Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff

Jake Gyllenhaal as Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff

Denzel Washington as Black Panther/T'Challa

Charlize Theron as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers

Cuba Gooding Jr. as War/Machine/James Rhodes

Hugh Jackmas as Wolverine

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier

Famke Janssen as Jean Grey

James Marsden as Cyclops/Scott Summers

Halle Berry as Storm/Ororo Munroe

Ioan Gruffudd as Mr Fantastic/Reed Richards

Jessica Alba as Invisible Woman/Sue Storm

Chris Evans as Human Torch/Johnny Storm

Michael Chiklis as The Thing/Ben Grimm

Laurence Fishburne as Silver Surfer

Oded Fehr as Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange

Ben Affleck as Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Jennifer Garner as Elektra

Thomas Jane as The Punisher

Terry Crews as Luke Cage

Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider

Jim Carrey as Loki Laufeyson

Jude Law as Ultron

Ron Pearlman as Thanos

Ian McKellan as Magneto

Julian McMahon as Dr Doom

Rufus Sewell as Baron Mordo

[werewolfetone]

Reading rashi so I can read the bible so I can read rousseau so I can read voltaire so I can read marat so I can read robespierre so I can read kant so I can read hegel so I can read marx so I can read lenin so I can read fanon so I can read connolly so I can read irish history so I can read oliver cromwell so I can read malthus so I can read trevelyan so I can read ian paisley so I can read bernadette devlin so I can read bobby sands so I can read gerry adams so I can read sociological literature on religion and armed resistance so I can write the dumbest historical fiction ever about a guy who thinks that bringing napoleon back would save northern ireland on google docs.gov

[theirmadness]

muse update list!

below the cut you will find: deleted muses i think aren't going anywhere. if we have any interactions with these muses, please consider them null. thanks!

all fantastic beast muses.

all cursed child era muses.

tom riddle.

severus snape.

sirius black.

remus lupin.

bucky barnes.

steve rogers.

hope van dyne.

thor odinson.

tony stark.

magneto.

thanos.

matt murdock.

bruce wayne.

arthur curry.

clark kent.

dr. fate.

starfire.

lois lane.

anakin skywalker.

kylo ren.

10th-12th doctor.

dean winchester.

castiel.

nicholas scratch.

gabriel.

daemon targaryen.

jon snow.

aragorn.

gandalf.

legolas.

thranduil.

smaug.

geralt.

jaskier.

belle french.

hannibal lecter.

charlie swan.

carlisle cullen.

edward cullen.

damon salvatore.

niklaus mikaelson.

stefan salvatore.

van helsing.

alice cooper.

hermione lodge.

hiram lodge.

alcide herveaux.

bill compton.

eric northman.

john watson.

mycroft holmes.

atticus lincoln.

amelia shepherd.

greg house.

aaron hotchner.

joe goldberg.

emily prentiss.

eve polastri.

joe goldberg.

ellie settler.

jeanine matthews.

lorraine warren.

doric.

ed warren.

jim preston.

ian malcolm.

oc muses:

agna blake.

bambi elsher.

bess cromwell.

bianca delaveaux.

camilla souza.

dahlia ledger.

elia sandstone.

emily reacher.

grace stevens.

george star.

harriet stark.

jane williams.

kitty green.

margot peach.

nymeria sand.

ophelia dragos.

pearl james.

roxy blue.

ruby andrews.

summer hayes.

suzanne preacher.

jean taylor.

gertrud northman.

jack smithman.

juliana marques.

madame erin.

margaret greene.

edward charles.

elias karlson.

jack wallace.

max everwell.

philip windsor.

tiresias iamus thebeus.

belial.

brandon strage.

christopher smith.

daniel williams.

dante smith.

harry williams.

ian caroll.

jeffrey cole.

patrick wright.

paul smith.

[justforbooks]

The actor Michael Jayston, who has died aged 88, was a distinguished performer on stage and screen. The roles that made his name were as the doomed Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in Franklin Schaffner’s sumptuous account of the last days of the Romanovs in Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), and as Alec Guinness’s intelligence minder in John Le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on television in 1979. He never made a song and dance about himself and perhaps as a consequence was not launched in Hollywood, as were many of his contemporaries.

Before these two parts, he had already played a key role in The Power Game on television and Henry Ireton, Cromwell’s son-in-law, in Ken Hughes’s fine Cromwell (1969), with Richard Harris in the title role and Guinness as King Charles I. And this followed five years with the Royal Shakespeare Company including a trip to Broadway in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, in which he replaced Michael Bryant as Teddy, the brother who returns to the US and leaves his wife in London to “take care of” his father and siblings.

Jayston, who was not flamboyantly good-looking but clearly and solidly attractive, with a steely, no-nonsense, demeanour and a steady, piercing gaze, could “do” the Pinter menace as well as anyone, and that cast – who also made the 1973 movie directed by Peter Hall – included Pinter’s then wife, Vivien Merchant, as well as Paul Rogers and Ian Holm.

Jayston had found a replacement family in the theatre. Born Michael James in Nottingham, he was the only child of Myfanwy (nee Llewelyn) and Vincent; his father died of pneumonia, following a serious accident on the rugby field, when Michael was one, and his mother died when he was a barely a teenager. He was then brought up by his grandmother and an uncle, and found himself involved in amateur theatre while doing national service in the army; he directed a production of The Happiest Days of Your Life.

He continued in amateur theatre while working for two years as a trainee accountant for the National Coal Board and in Nottingham fish market, before winning a scholarship, aged 23, to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he was five years older than everyone else on his course. He played in rep in Bangor, Northern Ireland, and at the Salisbury Playhouse before joining the Bristol Old Vic for two seasons in 1963.

At the RSC from 1965, he enjoyed good roles – Oswald in Ghosts, Bertram in All’s Well That Ends Well, Laertes to David Warner’s Hamlet – and was Demetrius in Hall’s film of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968), with Warner as Lysander in a romantic foursome with Diana Rigg and Helen Mirren.

But his RSC associate status did not translate itself into the stardom of, say, Alan Howard, Warner, Judi Dench, Ian Richardson and others at the time. He was never fazed or underrated in this company, but his career proceeded in a somewhat nebulous fashion, and Nicholas and Alexandra, for all its success and ballyhoo, did not bring him offers from the US.

Instead, he played Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972), a so-so British musical film version with music and lyrics by John Barry and Don Black, with Michael Crawford as the White Rabbit and Peter Sellers the March Hare. In 1979 he was a colonel in Zulu Dawn, a historically explanatory prequel to the earlier smash hit Zulu.

As an actor he seemed not to be a glory-hunter. Instead, in the 1980s, he turned in stylish and well-received leading performances in Noël Coward’s Private Lives, at the Duchess, opposite Maria Aitken (1980); as Captain von Trapp in the first major London revival of The Sound of Music at the Apollo Victoria in 1981, opposite Petula Clark; and, best of all, as Mirabell, often a thankless role, in William Gaskill’s superb 1984 revival, at Chichester and the Haymarket, of The Way of the World, by William Congreve, opposite Maggie Smith as Millamant.

Nor was he averse to taking over the leading roles in plays such as Peter Shaffer’s Equus (1973) or Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa (1992), roles first occupied in London by Alec McCowen. He rejoined the National Theatre – he had been Gratiano with Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright in The Merchant of Venice directed by Jonathan Miller in 1974 – to play a delightful Home Counties Ratty in the return of Alan Bennett’s blissful, Edwardian The Wind in the Willows in 1994.

On television, he was a favourite side-kick of David Jason in 13 episodes of David Nobbs’s A Bit of a Do (1989) – as the solicitor Neville Badger in a series of social functions and parties across West Yorkshire – and in four episodes of The Darling Buds of May (1992) as Ernest Bristow, the brewery owner. He appeared again with Jason in a 1996 episode of Only Fools and Horses.

He figured for the first time on fan sites when he appeared in the 1986 Doctor Who season The Trial of a Time Lord as Valeyard, the prosecuting counsel. In the new millennium he passed through both EastEnders and Coronation Street before bolstering the most lurid storyline of all in Emmerdale (2007-08): he was Donald de Souza, an unpleasant old cove who fell out with his family and invited his disaffected wife to push him off a cliff on the moors in his wheelchair, but died later of a heart attack.

By now living on the south coast, Jayston gravitated easily towards Chichester as a crusty old colonel – married to Wendy Craig – in Coward’s engaging early play Easy Virtue, in 1999, and, three years later, in 2002, as a hectored husband, called Hector, to Patricia Routledge’s dotty duchess in Timberlake Wertenbaker’s translation of Jean Anouilh’s Léocadia under the title Wild Orchids.

And then, in 2007, he exuded a tough spirituality as a confessor to David Suchet’s pragmatic pope-maker in The Last Confession, an old-fashioned but gripping Vatican thriller of financial and political finagling told in flashback. Roger Crane’s play transferred from Chichester to the Haymarket and toured abroad with a fine panoply of senior British actors, Jayston included.

After another collaboration with Jason, and Warner, in the television movie Albert’s Memorial (2009), a touching tale of old war-time buddies making sure one of them is buried on the German soil where first they met, and a theatre tour in Ronald Harwood’s musicians-in-retirement Quartet in 2010 with Susannah York, Gwen Taylor and Timothy West, he made occasional television appearances in Midsomer Murders, Doctors and Casualty. Last year he provided an introduction to a re-run of Tinker Tailor on BBC Four. He seemed always to be busy, available for all seasons.

As a keen cricketer (he also played darts and chess), Jayston was a member of the MCC and the Lord’s Taverners. After moving to Brighton, he became a member of Sussex county cricket club and played for Rottingdean, where he was also president.

His first two marriages – to the actor Lynn Farleigh in 1965 and the glass engraver Heather Sneddon in 1970 – ended in divorce. From his second marriage he had two sons, Tom and Ben, and a daughter, Li-an. In 1979 he married Ann Smithson, a nurse, and they had a son, Richard, and daughter, Katie.

🔔 Michael Jayston (Michael James), actor, born 29 October 1935; died 5 February 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[anithikos]

THE GOSPEL OF NOEL O’GRADY.

name: noel ian o’grady

aliases & nicknames: dr. o’grady  

age: 38

birthday: october 30

gender: cis male

pronouns: he/him

height: 6 feet 1 inch / 184 cm

build: lean

hair: ginger

eyes: hazel green

faceclaim: domhnall gleeson

+ traits: driven, organized, analytical, confident, quick learner

- traits: unempathetic, unethical, selfish, arrogant marital status: single

occupation: medical examiner zodiac sign: scorpio

biography:

content warnings for: parental death, murder, discussion of autopsies, gun violence

Noel is the only child of a fabric empire heiress turned oncology pharmacist and a cardiothoracic surgeon. Although his family hailed from Northern Ireland and he himself was born in Belfast, they soon would move to London so his father could take up a position at Cromwell Hospital. He would grow up surrounded by medical journals and diagrams, and became fascinated with human anatomy. His relationship with his parents was predictably distant, but this shared interest gave reason for conversation and closeness.

Like any proper wealthy Brit, Noel went to a posh boarding school for a number of years. There he would foster his love for science and medicine further. He excelled at biology and chemistry and set his sights on becoming a surgeon like his father. 

Noel would attend his father’s alma mater, Oxford University, for his medical training. It would become quickly apparent that while Noel had the intelligence and the stomach for medical work, he lacked the personality or the bedside manner. He quickly found himself unsure of his future, his legacy, and this was not acceptable.

As he was weighing his options and his future, his world would be shaken to its core. One phone call would change his life. Something about a robbery gone wrong, gunshot wounds, condolences, and identifying bodies in a morgue. His parents were dead, and as their next of kin, it was his job to confirm that it was truly them and handle their affairs. Heartbreak, anger, and shock would rattle him. But it would be followed by something unexpected: peace. In the cold light of the morgue, standing above the metal slabs and fridge doors where bodies were kept cool, Noel saw his future. He knew what he wanted to do with his life, and that was invigorating.

He knew he could not let tragedy ruin him. He intended to carry on his family’s legacy, but now he would do so as a doctor for the dead: a medical examiner. 

On the surface, Noel was cold. He seemed uncaring as he soldiered on through his education and moved towards his new career path. Inside, however, was turmoil. Noel withdrew, and with his inheritance would move himself to an isolated Edwardian manor house in the countryside. When he wasn’t working towards becoming a medical examiner, he was at home dealing with family affairs and drowning his sorrows in music, liquor, and sex. 

Eventually, Noel would achieve his dream. He would take up a spot as a medical examiner in the city of London, working to solve mysterious deaths and bring peace to grieving families. More importantly, he could surround himself with death, with quiet, and work in peace among the dead. Cadavers never complain, and each one gives him a chance to feel emotionally connected to his parents. To have his hands in someone’s chest cavity like his father would, to carefully put the pieces of a person back together like his mother would, to spend moments in the morgue with corpses as he did the last time he saw his mother and father. He studies cases like his parents, hopeful to one day crack the case and find their killers. Ethical or not, he takes notes home, takes photos home, and abuses his connections and power to search for answers all these years later. He has slowed, and his conviction has waned, but it has not gone completely. But with each passing day, week, month, and year, Noel grows increasingly jaded and misanthropic towards the living.

He remains forever grateful for the time he spends with the dead.

“LIFE IS HARD. THEN YOU DIE. THEN THEY THROW DIRT IN YOUR FACE. THEN THE WORMS EAT YOU. BE GRATEFUL IT HAPPENS IN THAT ORDER.” — DAVID GERROLD

verses: tba

[ultraericthered]

Favorite Takes - Marvel/Spider-Man

Where I cite my personal favorite non-source material (so film, TV, and video games only) adaptations of some comic book characters.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Insomniac Games (Yuri Lowenthal)

Marvel VS Capcom (Josh Keaton)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Christopher Daniel Barnes)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Josh Keaton)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Robbie Daymond)

Sony/MCU (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland)

NOTE: And the Spider-Men voiced by Paul Soles, Dan Gilvezan, Ted Schwartz, Rino Romano, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Edgerly, James Arnold Taylor, Mike Vaughn, Mike Kelley, Sam Reigel, Sean Chiplock, Griffin Burns, Jake Johnson, and Hudson Thames are all contenders.

Mary Jane Watson

Insomniac Games (Laura Bailey)

Sam Raimi Trilogy (Kirsten Dunst)

MCU (Zendaya Coleman)

MTV Spider-Man New Animated Series (Lisa Loeb)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Vanessa Marshall)

Marvel Rising (Tara Strong) and Marvel's Spider-Man (Felicia Day)

NOTE: Other fine MJs are Andrea Taylor in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, Dana Seltzer in Web of Shadows, Laura Vandervoort in Edge Of Time, Quinn Ljoka in Marvel Avengers Academy, and Zoe Kravitz in Into The Spiderverse. Kari Wahlgren also did a decent Kirsten Dunst in the Spider-Man 3 video game, and Erika Harlacher Stone was spot on casting for her in Spider-Geddon, albeit wasted.

Gwen Stacy

Marvel's Spider-Man (Laura Bailey)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Lacey Chabert)

Spiderverse Trilogy (Hailee Steinfeld)

Marvel Rising (Dove Cameron)

Mark Webb Duology (Emma Stone)

Sam Raimi Trilogy (Bryce Dallas Howard)

NOTE: Yeah, Laura Bailey is Best MJ AND Best Gwen! And the only other Gwens I think come close to contending with these ones would be the ones voiced by Mary Kay Bergman and Ashley Johnson.

Harry Osborn

Sam Raimi Trilogy (James Franco)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (James Arnold Taylor)

MTV Spider-Man New Animated Series (Ian Ziering)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Max Mittelman)

Insomniac Games (Scott Porter, Graham Philips)

Mark Webb Duology (Dane Dehaan)

NOTE: Shout out to Josh Keaton and Kevin Dorman here too!

J. Jonah Jameson

Sam Raimi Trilogy (JK Simmons)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Daran Norris)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Ed Asner)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Bob Joles)

Insomniac Games (Darin De Paul)

Edge Of Time (Fred Tatasciore)

NOTE: Paul Kligman, William Woodson, Richard Newman, Dee Bradley Baker, and Chris Edgerly also did some respectable Jonahs.

Flash Thompson

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Josh LeBarr)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Patrick Labyorteaux)

MTV Spider-Man New Animated Series (Devon Edward Sawa)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Ben Diskin)

Mark Webb Duology (Chris Zylka)

MCU (Tony Revolori)

Betty Brant

Sam Raimi Trilogy (Elizabeth Banks)

MCU (Angourie Rice)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Grey Griffin)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Grey Griffin)

Spider-Man Cartoon (Peg Dixon)

Liz Allan

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Alanna Ulbach)

MCU (Laura Harrier)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Natalie Lander)

Spider-Man 90s Animated Series (Marla Rubinoff)

George Stacy

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Clancy Brown)

Spiderverse Trilogy (Shea Whigham)

Mark Webb Duology (Dennis Leary)

Sam Raimi Trilogy (James Cromwell)

Marvel Rising (Steven Weber)

May Parker

Sam Raimi Trilogy (Rosemary Harris)

Spiderverse Trilogy (Lily Tomlin)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Deborah Strang)

Insomniac Games (Nancy Linari)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Nancy Linari)

Mark Webb Duology (Sally Fields) and MCU (Marisa Tomei)

Miles Morales

Spiderverse Trilogy (Shamiek Moore)

Insomniac Games (Nadji Jeter)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Nadji Jeter)

Ultimate Spider-Man (Donald Glover, Ogie Banks)

Marvel Avengers Academy (Brandon James Winckler)

NOTE: I'm not OK with the casting of that last one, though. Why???

Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Alan Rachins, Steve Blum)

Sam Raimi Trilogy + MCU (Willem Dafoe)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Josh Keaton)

Spider-Man 90s Animated Series (Neil Ross)

Insomniac Games (Mark Rolston) and The Black Order (Steve Blum)

LEGO Marvel (Nolan North, Josh Keaton)

NOTE: Steven Weber in Ultimate Spider-Man was a decent Norman but an awful Goblin, while Len Carlson, Dennis Marks, and Sam Vincent all did good Green Goblins but weren't really Normans.

Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus

Sam Raimi Trilogy + MCU (Alfred Molina)

Insomniac Games and The Black Order (William Salyers)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Peter Macnicol)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Scott Menville)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)

Universal Studios Ride (Rodger Bumpass)

NOTE: Olivia Octavius isn't included here since this is just for Otto. Vernon Chapman, Cam Clarke, Joe Alaskey, Charlie Adler, Tom Kenny, Kyle Hebert, and Dee Bradley Baker were also good Ottos.

Venom

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Hank Azaria)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Ben Diskin, Ben Pronsky)

Insomniac Games (Tony Todd)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Ben Diskin)

Spider-Man PS1 (Daran Norris) and Sony/MCU (Tom Hardy)

Web of Shadows (Keith Szarabajka) and Sam Raimi Trilogy

NOTE: Brian Drummond was also a top tier Venom voice. Shame the Venom/Eddie Brock he was voicing had to be such trash.

Eddie Brock

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Ben Diskin)

Ultimate Spider-Man Game (Daniel Capallero)

Sony/MCU (Tom Hardy)

Sam Raimi Trilogy (Topher Grace)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Hank Azaria)

Spider-Man PS1 (Daran Norris)

NOTE: Ben Pronsky's Eddie was alright too, but he was disposable.

The Lizard

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Dee Bradley Baker)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Joseph Campanella)

MTV Spider-Man New Animated Series (Rob Zombie)

Insomniac Games (Mark Whitten)

Mark Webb Duology + MCU (Rhys Ifans)

The Sandman

The Spectacular Spider-Man (John DiMaggio)

Shattered Dimensions (Dimitri Diatchenko)

Sam Raimi Trilogy + MCU (Thomas Hayden Church)

The Black Order (Richard Epcar)

Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends (Chris Latta)

The Rhino

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Clancy Brown)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Don Stark)

Sam Raimi Trilogy Video Games (John DiMaggio, Steve Blum)

Insomniac Games (Fred Tatasciore)

Web Of Shadows (Fred Tatasciore)

Electro

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Crispin Freeman)

Insomniac Games (Josh Keaton)

Ultimate Spider-Man (Christopher Daniel Barnes)

Mark Webb Duology + MCU (Jamie Foxx)

MTV Spider-Man New Animated Series (Ethan Embry)

The Vulture

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Robert Englund)

Sam Raimi Trilogy Video Games (Dwight Schultz)

MCU (Michael Keaton)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Alastair Duncan)

Insomniac Games (Dwight Schultz)

NOTE: Gillie Fenwick, Paul Soles, Don Messick, Christopher Tabori, Brian George and Steve Blum also deserve acknowledgement here.

Mysterio

Spider-Man Cartoon and Spider-Man 80's Animated Series (Chris Wiggins, Michael Rye and Peter Cullen).

MCU (Jake Gyllenthal)

Shattered Dimensions (David Kaye)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Xander Berkley)

Spider-Man 90's Animated (Gregg Berger)

NOTE: Also mesmerizing as Mysterio were Daran Norris, Dee Bradley Baker, James Arnold Taylor, Robin Atkins Downes, Greg Baldwin, and Crispin Freeman.

Hobgoblin

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Mark Hamill)

Marvel Superhero Adventures (Andrew Francis)

Universal Studios Ride (Patrick Fraley)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Courtney B. Vance)

Shattered Dimensions (Steve Blum)

NOTE: Marvel's Spider-Man barely counts for this, as it was just Harry and Norman respectively wearing a phony superhero identity.

Scorpion

Sam Raimi Trilogy Video Games (Michael McColl, Dee Bradley Baker)

Insomniac Games (Jason Spisak)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Martin Landau, Richard Moll)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Jason Spisak)

Ultimate Spider-Man (Dante Basco, Eric Bauza)

The Chameleon

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (N/A)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Steve Blum)

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (Hans Conried)

Mark Webb Duology Video Games (Glenn Steinbaum)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Patton Oswald)

Kraven the Hunter

Shattered Dimensions (Jim Cummings) and Insomniac Games (Jim Pirri)

Marvel's Spider-Man (Troy Baker)

MTV Spider-Man New Animated (Michael Dorn)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series and Ultimate Spider-Man (Gregg Berger and Diedrich Bader)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Eric Vesbit)

Black Cat

Insomniac Games (Erica Lindbeck)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Jennifer Hale)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (Tricia Helfer)

Sam Raimi Trilogy Video Games (Holly Fields)

Mark Webb Duology Video Games (Ali Hillis)

NOTE: Audrey Wasilewski, Katee Sachkhoff, Grey Griffin, Mel Gorsha, and Erika Harlacher Stone were also contenders here.

Michael Morbius

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Nick Jameson)

Sony/MCU (Jared Leto)

Ultimate Spider-Man (Ben Diskin)

Sam Raimi Trilogy Games (Sean Donnellan)

Marvel Superhero Squad (Tom Kenny)

Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin

MCU (Vincent D'onofrio)

Sony Daredevil 2003/MTV Spider-Man New Animated Series (Michael Clarke Duncan)

Spider-Man 90's Animated Series (Roscoe Lee Brown)

The Punisher Video Game (David Sobolov)

Raimi Trilogy Video Game (Bob Joles)

Insomniac Games (Travis Willingham) and The Black Order (Tim Blaney)

NOTE: Tom Harvey, Stan Jones, Stephen Stanton, Gregg Berger, Jim Cummings and JB Blanc also gave commendable takes on Fisk that worked for the iterations they were playing. Sorry to say, Spiderverse fans, but Liev Schreiber's Kingpin does nothing for me.

Doctor Doom

Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Clive Revill)

90's Animated Marvel (Neil Ross, Simon Templeman, Tom Kane, Ross Marquand)

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Lex Lang)

Marvel VS Capcom (Paul Dobson)

Disney Marvel Animation and The Black Order (Maurice LeMarche)

The Fantastic Four '94 film (Joseph Culp)

Spider-Man 80's Animated Series (Ralph James)

NOTE: Henry Ramer, Freddy Stebbin, Charlie Adler, Fred Tatasciore, Travis Willingham, and Grahama McTavish are also good Dooms.

[represseddilfs]

𝚃𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜

Indie role play blog featuring mainly older male OCs. Smut based. Dark and triggering content will be present and not tagged. Exploration of older, typically repressed married men. OC and canon friendly. Semi-selective, low to medium activity. Dash only. Written by Murdock, 29+ NB.

Use the links below for more information. Mobile friendly list of muses below the cut.

Muses

Rules

Kinks

Wanted opposites

Wishlist

Starters

Arthur Dawson: Mechanic, 53, dominant (JR Bourne)

Richard Winston: Bar owner, 55, dominant (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

Santiago Mendez: Detective, 48, switch (Pedro Pascal)

Forest Martin: Rancher, 46, dominant (Ian Bohen)

Alexei Volkov: Arms dealer, 43, dominant (Charlie Hunnam)

Marshall Teller: Personal trainer, 40, switch (Alan Ritchson)

Brandon Harris: Crooked cop, 45, switch (Tom Hardy)

Dominic Ricci: Surgeon, 56, dominant (Joe Manganiello)

Thomas Grant: Motorcycle street racer, 42, dominant (Ryan Gosling)

Nicolas Pederson: Band manager, 42, dominant (Chris Pine)

Carlos Alvarez: Professor, 49, switch (Danny Pino)

Cameron Davis: Baker, 42, switch (Chris Evans)

Dante Branson: Stock broker, 50, dominant (Anson Mount)

Jason Parker: Retired boxer, 54, dominant, (Hugh Jackman)

Elias Hoffman: Soldier, 43, switch (Luke MacFarlane)

Liam Abrams: Retired porn star, 55, dominant (Frank Grillo)

Rowan Montgomery: Gym owner, 45, dominant (Jon Bernthal)

Sebastian Richards: Author, 47, dominant (Liam O'Brien)

Ryan Cho: Theatre actor, 54, dominant (Daniel Dae Kim)

Dylan Cromwell: Tailor, 52, switch (Ewan McGregor)

Joshua Conelly: Stay at home dad, 40, switch (Henry Cavill)

Lance Priest: Construction site manager, 47, dominant (David Harbour)

Andrew Weeks: Lawyer, 45, dominant (Pablo Schreiber)

Oliver Velasco: Musician, 44, switch (Oscar Isaac)

Silas Perez: Outlaw biker, 45, dominant (Santiago Cabrera)

William Reichheld: Bounty hunter, 55, dominant (Tim Olyphant)

Joel Beckerman: Firefighter, 40, dominant (Sebastian Stan)

Bartholomew Walsh: Distiller, 47, switch (Cillian Murphy)

Nathaniel King: Security specialist, 54, doominant (Josh Brolin)

Dimitri Volkov: Arms dealer, 43, dominant (Joel Kinnaman)

Augustine Nelson: Casino owner, 58, switch (Keanu Reeves)

Caspian Fitzgerald: Hippotherapist, 42, dominant (Jake Gyllenhaal)

Max Berry: Contractor/house flipper, 53, dominant (Skeet Ulrich)

Zane Weisman: Wrestling coach, 33, dominant (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)

Deacon Abbott: Assassin, 52, dominant (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)

Wyatt McNabb: Repossession specialist, 34, switch (Ryan Corr)

[wornoutspines]

Murder in a Small Town (TV Series Pilot Review) | Murder with a Cozy Twist

If you're in the mood for a cozy mystery with charming coastal vibes, Murder in a Small Town is just the escape you need. Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk bring an easy charm to this laid-back crime drama. 🕵️‍♀️ #TVReview #CozyMystery #MurderInASmallT

Ian Weir (Showrunner), L.R. Wright (Novel) CAST Rossif SutherlandKristin Kreuk Review Murder in a Small Town is based on L.R. Wright’s Alberg and Cassandra Mysteries, set in a coastal town in British Columbia, Canada that hides a darker side beneath its quaint exterior. The show centers around Karl Alberg portrayed by Rossif Sutherland, a big-city cop seeking solace in a quieter life, only to…

[guerrerense]

Oliver Cromwell with freight train on the Great Central Railway, UK. por Ian Silvester Por Flickr: A charter on the 17th January 2012

[misplacedmidlanders]

Thursday, May 16th 2024. Lake Pukaki > Ben Ohau > Cromwell

This morning we circled back to Lake Pukaki, driving along the east side where we saw the area where they had built part of Lake Town in The Desolation of Smaug (the scene where the refugees all gather after their town is burnt down, although this is entirely based Jake's description of it as I literally have no memory of this film). 

The farm's owner, Ian, was essentially the Radagast of our tour so far, in that he described a very lengthy family history of how the farm was eventually passed down to him, but only spent about two minutes talking about the actual filmmaking that had happened there - although his starry suit and the mannequin strapped to the back of his car (a mannequin called Richard, and no I'm not kidding) at least made this more entertaining. We then grabbed some snaps of the lake and had a bit of archery sesh - shooting arrows at a poster of Smaug (360⁰ no-scoped him, I did).

Afterwards we went to Ben Ohau where they filmed the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King where we staged a re-enactment of The Witch King getting shanked in the face, and then Jake and I both recited King Théoden's speech to his soldiers (the others on our tour) before their charge towards the Sauron's army (Jake went the Shakespeare route with his Théoden performance, and I went with more of a Toby Flenderson from The Office type performance, to mixed results). 

We were then joined by Priscilla Cameron (and her dog Ginny), the owner of said field who had also worked as an extra during the time that they filmed there. At one point they had 500 horses and 2000 extras, 650-700 of whom were locals who they had hired as orcs and soldiers. She then informed us about nine years after they had filmed there that she had found one of the spears that they had left behind, and so we took photographs with an actual movie prop in the same field it was originally used in (naturally Jake and I posed for several pictures where we murdered each other with this spear, a foreshadowing for next week when it's just the two of us).

We grabbed lunch in Omarama at The Wrinkly Lambs where I enjoyed steak and chips before we made our way down to the Jones Family Fruit Store in Cromwell where I had my third ice cream in a week (the hotels all have gyms and yet I have taken the pathway to ice cream every time). For our dinner tonight we had Mexican at Amigos Cromwell and tomorrow we'll be heading down to Queenstown where our tour will be starting to come to an end (cue the violins).

[scotianostra]

Happy 85th Birthday Scottish actor Ian McCulloch was born in Glasgow 18th November 1939.

After doing his national service in the army McCulloch studied at Oxford, during this time he started picking up acting roles and was almost kicked out as it was seen to be interfering with his studies, he knuckled down and completed his university degree. McCulloch admits finding it hard to pick up parts early in his career, he took anything he could, and was known to take operatic parts before being recommended to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Another of those actors that you will know the face from many shows and films but might not recall his name, I remember him from a 70’s series my mum never missed, Survivors, where he played the enigmatic Greg Preston, McCulloch also wrote the final three episodes of the post-apocalyptic drama. Survivors was created by the man behind Dr Who, Terry Nation, so it won’t surprise you that McCulloch also starred in the episode Warriors of the Deep, the Doctor was played by Peter Davison. The episode is best remembered by cult television fans because the story featured quite possibly the most unconvincing monster in the history of the series.

He then starred in several notoriously violent Italian made horror films of the early 1980s that were part of the "video nasty" controversy within the UK. McCulloch was the male lead in the Romero inspired Zombie aka "Zombi 2" directed by Lucio Fulci, he was back battling more living dead in Zombie Holocaust aka "Dr Butcher MD" directed by Marino Girolami, and then McCulloch took on interplanetary invaders in the Alien rip-off Contamination, directed by Luigi Cozzi. I would think that by standard nowadays they would be pretty tame.

Ian McCulloch’s film credits are impressive playing supporting roles in Where Eagles Dare with the likes of Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood then Cromwell with Richard Harris and Alec Guinness but it was TV that he made a name for himself, Dr. Finlay’s Casebook, Colditz and Secret Army, as well as Survivors during the 70’s and in the 80’s, Diamonds, Bergerac, Childrens Ward and of course Taggart, as well as other Scottish shows, City Lights and The Tales of Para handy, McCulloch was never been short of work, however there has been nothing lately fro him and I assumed that he retired., but he turned up in a podcast of Survivors in 2016, and according to IMDB he is to feature in a film, The Witches of the Sands, which was due out this year, but apparently is still in production.