I watched Strictly filming at Blackpool Tower & is Bluesky Social the answer?
Plus, first snow of season in the shire and a writing reset is needed | News & opportunities
My dear wordsmiths,
Hello! If you are new here thanks for subscribing and if not, please do! Lovely to meet you. I’m Nicola, a journalism leader, writer etc. in the north of England where it’s currently freezing and snowing but beautiful.
The last few weeks in media land have been tough with just the glimmer of tinsel when I received a last minute media ticket to Strictly Come Dancing at Blackpool Tower. So let’s focus on that.
Strictly filming at Blackpool Tower Ballroom
I certainly wasn’t expecting to go to Strictly Come Dancing this year as I have been before and it was somebody else’s turn but they opted out last minute. So I found myself sifting through the black in my wardrobe for a hint of sparkle and heading out to blustery Blackpool for the seven hour marathon which is a day filming both the live Saturday show and pre-recorded Sunday show. This is not for the faint-hearted as you certainly become numb of bum and hands (from clapping to order) but it is worth it for the gloriously celebratory dancing extravaganza and mental health boost in the stunning Tower ballroom that is Strictly Blackpool. I’ll hear no naysayers.
I was seated off camera this year, which is a bit easier (you can go to the loo without impacting continuity). As a result I got a glorious view of backstage shenanigans (what goes on tour stays on tour) and was sitting in close proximity to a giant bottle of sparkly Strictly Ketchup and a Juliette balcony. If you know you know. I was super impressed as they were actually making sets off the end of the dance floor during live filming. The crew at Strictly are really remarkable - they can even choreograph drilling to the beat.
I was also sitting near the cousin of one of the costume department and we watched in fascination as she chased dancers around and sewed up ripped clothing on the spot, somehow finding time to dash between emergency modesty-threatening situations, scattered sequins and broken shoes.
The celebrity contingent was high this year (a lot of Gladiators) although I’m never particularly good at spotting famous people. We also struck lucky with the Pet Shop Boys medley (see start of Saturday show) which was spectacular and repeated three times partly due to a large escaped silver ball from the set. Those professional dancers really work for their buck.
The madness between shows is probably the reason they confiscate phones from the whole audience apart from celebrities - so see Dan Walker’s Instagram to see Carlos singing up a storm..
The grass is greener and and the sky is Blue
I joined the the stampede to Bluesky Social this week as the tired Twitterati moved across in droves to get Elon Musk’s diatribes out their feeds and experience life as it used to be before Twitter became X - which in case you are wondering means accident in Teeline shorthand.
Journalists were first in the queue to join and writers and authors who haven’t interacted with their Twitter mates or had a retweet for ages weren’t far behind. In case this is news to you, Bluesky Social is the latest social media app to try and replicate the joyful experience that used to be Twitter before Musk bought it out and the algorithms were adapted to help Trump win the US election and push a more right wing agenda. Twitter was great when you could actually see the people you follow in your feed but you simply can’t anymore. The joy has gone.
The move have been frustrating for those who developed large audiences over the years but times change and here’s hoping Bluesky, which is laid out almost identically to X, is the answer. In the last week the numbers on Bluesky have more than doubled and companies and brands are also joining up. Watch this space and you can link up with my profile HERE.
Overcoming writer’s malaise
I want to be all wise on here and share the secrets to overcoming this - but instead I’m looking for inspiration myself. I’m attempting a reset -if anyone has any wise advice to share, please do. Juggling work and writing is HARD.
News, events and opportunities:
2025 Newspaper Awards: Now open for entries, the entry form for The 2025 Newspaper Awards is now available to download HERE The 2025 Newspaper Awards are the only awards to focus entirely on recognising excellence in the printed newspaper. For more detail, please follow the link below. Closing date for entries is 16 December 2024 - all entries are free of charge.
Top books of 2024 (Waterstones Picks) (via my colleagues at The Scotsman): The countdown to Christmas has started and we’re all starting to come up with present ideas for family and friends. A good book is always a great gift, so we’re looking at the year’s best to give you a few ideas. Waterstones has become one of Britain’s biggest booksellers since being established in 1982 and each year choose their favourites. From children’s books to thrillers, and educational books to cookbooks, here are their 15 picks of the year. READ MORE
Viktor Crime Award: Author Gillian McAllister won Germany's prestigious Viktor Crime Award on November 1st for her 2022 thriller Wrong Place Wrong Time. The prize was awarded as part of Europe's largest international crime festival Mord am Hellweg. It was founded by bestselling German crime author Sebastian Fitzek. The prize 'honours new, successful voices that have achieved the best debut of the last two years on the German-speaking market.
Waterstones Book of the year - shortlist: The winner of Waterstones Book of the Year 2024 will be be announced on Thursday November 28. Eachyear Waterstones booksellers are called on to nominate a book they enjoyed recommending to readers over the previous year. Books on this year’s 15-strong shortlist range from Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo to Holly Jackson’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price (Farshore) and the The Siege by Ben Macintyre (Viking). Full list here
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Nicola x