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Annette Laing's avatar

I've been in the States for roughly a century, but reading this made me want to jump on a plane and return to the UK so I could be proper friends with you lot. Ohh, what the hey: Get me a key made and pop the kettle on, because I'm moving in. Meanwhile, let me know if you ever want a guest post about my life as a professional Doctor Who fan in 1980s America. 😀 Thanks for the shout out, too!

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Rowan Davies's avatar

Aw thank you Annette. Let us know if you turn up in London at any point! And meanwhile, we're extremely open to the idea of the guest post, given how much time we spend banging on about how Doctor Who is an avatar for Britishness... Happy New Year to you, hope 2023 is fabulous!

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Annette Laing's avatar

Same to you, Rowan, and I absolutely will give you a shout! Meanwhile, I'll be in touch re post. 😀

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Emily F. Popek's avatar

Really enjoy everything The Metropolitan has done this year and glad to have had the chance to "meet" you via Substack. Keep it up!

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Rowan Davies's avatar

Thank you so much Emily. I’ve really enjoyed Think of the Children this year - hope this year is a great one for you

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Whitney McKnight's avatar

Rowan Davies is one of my favorite Substack authors, hands down.

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Rowan Davies's avatar

What a lovely thing to say - thanks very much Whitney. We’ve really appreciated your engagement and comments over the last year.

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Whitney McKnight's avatar

Thank you. I have appreciated your cultural touchstones from across the Atlantic.

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Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover's avatar

Listened to the Top of the Pops podcast. (Also wondering since when Gen X are 'old'.) I watched TOTP from when it started in the 60s.

I had two mind-blowing moments: when Rod Stewart and The Faces did Maggie May and later, even more life-changing, when Bowie came on doing 'Starman'. I genuinely wondered if he was an alien.

The great thing about TOTP was that all the family watched it. It was a fantastic opportunity for elders to disapprove and take the piss out of their kids. I remember my mum dressing up as a punk to imitate me which I found slightly disturbing.

But it meant that older people knew what was influencing younger people. They knew what the fashions, music and dances were. Today it's all private, everybody on their own devices. Perhaps TikTok is the equivalent today, with whole families joining into dances and trending songs.

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Tobias Sturt's avatar

I know! Depressing that we’re now the old people grousing about the kids music.

I do think that that sense of a mainstream culture that you got from everyone watched totp together was really powerful. On the other hand, though, that culture was really limited by such a narrow broadcast channel (and often deliberately throttled by people who didn’t like it) and now kids have access to so many sources of music, the whole history of pop at their figuretips in a way we never did.

I do miss not being able to jibe at pop stars on the TV on Thursdays nights though.

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