Round the List

  A cuddly preschoolers' cartoon about anthropomorphic dogs in the same way that Watership Down is a knockabout romp starring some cute bunnies, Bluey has surged so far ahead of its nominal competitors in wit, intelligence, substance and ambition that it has attracted a devoted adult following who can appreciate deft deconstructions of modern parenting and critiques of Western society at the same time as laughing at large blue heeler dog peeing on his foot.  Created by Australian animator Joe Brumm and first broadcast on ABC Kids in 2018, the multi-layered adventures of the inquisitive six-year old Bluey, her adorable younger sis Bingo, blokey but committed dad Bandit and serenely sarcastic mum Chili now run to over 150 episodes. Not all are gold (I will forever curse Brumm for bringing obnoxious hand-puppet Unicorse into my children's lives) but the high standard is astoundingly consistent and most episodes operate on more levels than a window cleaner at the Empire State Bu...

From The Wicker Man to Ghostwatch, I’ve always been a fan of scary screen shenanigans but I’ve never really embraced literary horror very much. So this October I set myself the challenge of reading fifty ‘classic’ short stories that would be perfect for Halloween; from pioneering gothic to Edwardian ghost stories via body horror and tales of the weird and uncanny where the flesh and blood humans could be creepier than any half-glimpsed spectre. This is my ranking of what I read (one story per author); none of them were terrible and some were masterpieces. I hope they give you some spooky inspiration for All Hallows’ Eve. 50 .  All Hallows by Walter de la Mare (1926) A disturbed verger takes a credulous tourist on a twilight tour of a haunted cathedral in a spooky story long on atmosphere but almost entirely devoid of incident. 49. The Tapestried Chamber by Sir Walter Scott (1828) One of the building blocks of the modern ghost story so we’ll forgive this slice of haunted castle fun ...