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The letters page usually features a submission comparing two famous individuals who look alike; frequently the two have an ironic connection too which is pointed out by the reader who submits the piece. The captions relating to the two individuals are invariably swapped around, implying that even the
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Subtitled "with meaningful and viable scenarios at this moment in time". Recording the nonsense rampant in "on the spot" interviews beginning in the 1970s, as television news coverage went live outside the studio, leading to unrehearsed speeches which naturally tended toward currently fashionable
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A collection of gaffes from radio and TV perpetrated by sports commentators and sportsmen, featuring inconsistencies, mixed metaphors, or otherwise ludicrous statements, such as "he's missed the goal by literally a million miles" or "if they played like this every week they wouldn't be so
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Quoting amusing misprints from newspapers or unintentionally funny examples of journalism, this section appears throughout the magazine. These often feature misprinted TV guides, such as a programme called "It Came from Outer Space" being illustrated by a picture of
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Highlighting the often unnecessary use by rolling news programmes of outside broadcasts, where reporters speak to camera simply as an alternative to broadcasting a studio-based commentary, even if they have no new insight to offer from the scene.
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A sub-section of the letters page devoted to pedantic corrections of or additions to previous articles or readers' letters. Under its previous title, 'Pedants Corner', this included several letters on the use of the
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magazine cannot tell which individual is which. The sender often finishes with the phrase "might they perhaps be related?" and/or "I think we should be told." This feature was copied by the
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remarking that, "the shooting left a horrible atmosphere here for a while. It made you aware of all the terrible things that go on. But I don't think it has affected house prices."
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in "Pedants'", which has variously appeared as "Pedants", "Pedant's" or "Ped'ants Corner". It was renamed "Pedantry Corner" in 2008 following a readerâs suggestion.
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wine columnist, wrote to the magazine complaining that "every time I describe a wine as anything other than red or white, dry or wet, I wind up in
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Highlighting the behaviour of those who have allegedly been sycophantic to those in authority, particularly in media and politics, such as
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Bizarre, ignorant or otherwise humorous answers to questions given by contestants on
British television and radio quiz shows, compiled by
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Comparing numerical figures relating to a current event with others that make the event seem comical, bizarre, irrelevant or despicable.
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and (b) that the magazine often hinted (correctly, as it turned out) that
Maxwell was a crook, were taken as proof of defamatory intent.
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Pictures sent in by readers showing contradictory, ironic, amusing, scatological, or otherwise amusing images. For example, a temporary "
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quotations from the media. At various times different columnists have been frequent entrants, with varied reactions. In the 1970s,
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Pamela
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and other theatrical celebrities. The term "luvvie" pre-dates the magazine as a derogatory noun for pretentious, overblown,
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people of an artistic or dramatic bent. The column was briefly renamed
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by claiming to provide 'solutions' where a simpler phrasing would seem more appropriate, such as describing
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A column giving examples of especially convoluted and impenetrable jargon from the BBC. Named after former
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The following is a list of regularly appearing mini-sections appearing in the
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for printing a made-up letter 'lookaliking' him with one of the
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and specialised in quotes from
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Sir Trevor Nunn brings Gone with the Wind to the West End
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