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The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book | BBC Books

February 8th, 2020

For every Shipping Forecast area, you find the places on the map indicated by various clues. Join the places to form the shapes of letters. Join the letters to form a sea shanty.

Out 5 November from your local bookshop / Penguin / Waterstones / Amazon etc.

It also gives a flavour of what it’s like to be in each of Dogger, Fisher, German Bight…

BBC Books / Ebury Publishing
ISBN: 9781785945106
240 pages; 216 x 135 mm
Goodreads · LibraryThing
Previously: Two Girls, One on Each Knee: The Puzzling, Playful World of the Crossword; The Joy of Quiz

Tags: bbc, bbcradio4, books, quiz, radio4, shippingforecast, writing
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Gegs | Radio 4

April 6th, 2024

Good times talking to James Peak for this documentary.

And an Everyman puzzle to match.

Radio 4, 7 April 2024, 1915

Tags: audio, bbc, bbcradio4, crosswords, puzzles, radio, radio4
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The Traitors: The Interactive Game Book | Century Books

October 31st, 2023

Choose your way through the story, plus some new games, out 23 November:

Tags: books, games, thetraitors, traitors, tv, writing
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Pointless Facts for Curious Minds | BBC Books

October 26th, 2023

Be the Host and the Pointless Friend:

Tags: books, pointless, quiz, quizzing, tv, writing
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The World At One | Radio 4

October 23rd, 2023

I’m right at the end of today’s episode:

Tags: bbc, crosswords, quiz, radio4, wato
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House of Games | BBC2

September 25th, 2023

Series seven:

Tags: bbc, bbc2, houseofgames, quiz, rohog, tv, writing
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‘Very Guardian’ puzzle | Guardian

July 8th, 2023

I edited the puzzle supplement in the Guardian today – check it out! Lots of wonderful word, logic and other puzzles pic.twitter.com/oqGZsi9esl
— Alex Bellos (@alexbellos) July 8, 2023

Tags: crossword, puzzle
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I collaborated with Allan Scott, Colin Gumbrell and – via the archives – the other three setters of the Everyman crossword since 1945 (Alec Robins, Dorothy Taylor and of course Derrick Somerset Macnutt) on an anniversary puzzle.

Observer profile
Anniversary puzzle
Everyman #1
Image: Suki Dhanda/The Observer

Tags: crossword, journalism
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Off-Grid | Podcast

April 9th, 2023

More from the ‘not really about crosswords’ podcast:

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The Reluctant Traveler | Apple TV

January 18th, 2023

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Everyman crossword | Observer

November 27th, 2022

It’s my 200th puzzle for the Observer’s Everyman series.

There’s an interview at the Guardian; Enigmatist / Nimrod has kindly assisted in the unmasking there and in the weekend i (print/subscription):

Tags: crosswords, everyman, theguardian, theobserver
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House of Games: Question Smash | BBC Books

October 6th, 2022

All-new material and mostly-fake glimpses behind the scenes:

Tags: bbcbooks, books, houseofgames, quiz, tv
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A History of Britain in Just A Minute | BBC Books

September 20th, 2022

On bookshelves 22 September.

Tags: bbc, books, comedy, writing
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House of Games | BBC2

September 8th, 2022

Series six:

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Summer puzzle supplement | Guardian

July 18th, 2022

Delighted to have created a US-style puzzle and “The Most Guardian Crossword Ever” for this. If you missed it, “Most Guardian” is here and US-style is in puz and pdf or interactive below.