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"Change the law!": Bob Irwin's campaign against social media “idiots"

<p>Bob Irwin is calling for the Queensland government to close a legal loophole that allows social media users to enter crocodile habitats for content.</p> <p>The proposed changes would establish an offence for individuals who recklessly use a crocodile habitat, along with penalties for people who disturb crocodiles to make online content.</p> <p>Mr Irwin, father of the late Steve Irwin, has asked the Environmental Defenders Office to address the issue, calling for them to draw up amendments to the Nature Conservation Act.</p> <p>He said the online content creators were only endangering themselves and the crocs by entering the habitats. These careless individuals are filming content purely for the croc factor.</p> <p>"The government says idiots like these are not breaking any laws. Well, I say, change the law!" He said in a statement. Well, if the snap fits...</p> <p>Over 40 traditional owners, conservationists, scientists, business owners and community members have backed Mr Irwin’s proposed changes.</p> <p>In February 2023, a 4.2 metre croc was shot dead by wildlife officers after it attacked a man and ate a dog in far north Queensland.</p> <p>The man was swimming at Bloomfield River which is a well-known crocodile habitat.</p> <p>Traditional owner Kathleen Walker said the actions of reckless people are giving the otherwise safe communities a bad reputation.</p> <p>"We support the Environmental Defenders Office's recommendations in the name of creating greater protection for our totem animal, the saltwater crocodile, when human error is involved," she said.</p> <p>"We would like to see a no-tolerance approach to members of the public who take the risk in crocodile territory and for greater mitigation measures to be legislated.”</p> <p>These kinds of individuals are in de-Nile if they believe the scaly predators won’t bite.</p> <p>The notorious “crocodile hunter” Steve Irwin once said, “Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you.” So, these croc-tent creators must leave it to the professionals, no matter how jaw-some the videos turn out to be.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

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Chokepoint Capitalism: why we’ll all lose unless we stop Amazon, Spotify and other platforms squeezing cash from creators

<p>In 2020, the independent authors and small publishers whose audiobooks reach their readers via Audible’s <a href="https://www.acx.com/">ACX platform</a> smelled a rat.</p> <p>Audiobooks were booming, but sales of their own books – produced at great expense and well-reviewed – were plummeting.</p> <p>Some of their royalty statements reported <em>negative</em> sales, as readers returned more books than they bought. This was hard to make sense of, because Audible only reported net sales, refusing to reveal the sales and refunds that made them up.</p> <p>Perth-based writer <a href="https://www.susanmaywriter.net/single-post/audiblegate-the-incredible-story-of-missing-sales">Susan May</a> wondered whether those returns might be the reason for her dwindling net sales. She pressed Audible to tell her how many of her sales were being negated by returns, but the company stonewalled.</p> <p>Then, in October 2020, a glitch caused three weeks of returns data to be reported in a single day, and authors discovered that hundreds (and even thousands) of their sales had been wiped out by returns.</p> <p>Suddenly, the scam came into focus: the Amazon-owned Audible had been offering an extraordinarily generous returns policy, encouraging subscribers to return books they’d had on their devices for months, even if they had listened to them the whole way through, even if they had loved them – no questions asked.</p> <p>Encouraged by the policy, some subscribers had been treating the service like a library – returning books for fresh credits they could swap for new ones. Few would have realised that Audible clawed back the royalties from the book’s authors every time a book was returned.</p> <p><strong>Good for Amazon, bad for authors</strong></p> <p>It was good for Amazon – it helped Audible gain and hold onto subscribers – but bad for the authors and the performers who created the audiobooks, who barely got paid.</p> <p>Understanding Amazon’s motivation helps us understand a phenomenon we call <a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">chokepoint capitalism</a>, a modern plague on creative industries and many other industries too.</p> <p>Orthodox economics tells us not to worry about corporations dominating markets because that will attract competitors, who will put things back in balance.</p> <p>But many of today’s big corporations and billionaire investors have perfected ways to make those supposedly-temporary advantages permanent.</p> <p>Warren Buffett salivates over businesses with “<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-moat-etf-simple-explanation-for-how-he-invests-and-its-easy-to-replicate-2017-10-1005613232">wide, sustainable moats</a>”. Peter Thiel scoffs that “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losers-1410535536">competition is for losers</a>”. Business schools teach students ways to lock in customers and suppliers and eliminate competition, so they can shake down the people who make what they supply and buy what they sell.</p> <p><strong>Locking in customers and creators</strong></p> <p>Amazon is the poster child for chokepoint capitalism. It boasts of its “<a href="https://feedvisor.com/resources/amazon-trends/amazon-flywheel-explained/">flywheel</a>” – a self-described “<a href="https://fourweekmba.com/amazon-flywheel/">virtuous cycle</a>” where its lower cost leads to lower prices and a better customer experience, which leads to more traffic, which leads to more sellers, and a better selection – which further propels the flywheel.</p> <hr /> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=379&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=379&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=379&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=477&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=477&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=477&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <hr /> <p>But the way the cycle works isn’t virtuous – it’s vicious and anti-competitive.</p> <p>Amazon openly admits to doing everything it can to lock in its customers. That’s why Audible encourages book returns: its generous offer only applies to ongoing subscribers. Audible wants the money from monthly subscribers and wants the fact that they are subscribed to prevent them from shopping elsewhere.</p> <p>Paying the people who actually made the product it sells a fair share of earnings isn’t Amazon’s priority. Because Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ famous maxim is “<a href="https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/the-cost-of-your-margin-is-my-opportunity">your margin is my opportunity</a>”, the executive who figured out how to make authors foot the bill for retaining subscribers probably got a bonus.</p> <p>Another way Audible locks customers in is by ensuring the books it sells are protected by <a href="https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/digital-rights-management-drm">digital rights management</a> (DRM) which means they are encrypted, and can only be read by software with the decryption key.</p> <p>Amazon claims DRM stops listeners from stealing from creators by pirating their books. But tools to strip away those locks are freely available online, and it’s easy for readers who can’t or won’t pay for books to find illegal versions.</p> <p>While DRM doesn’t prevent infringement, it <em>does</em> prevent competition.</p> <p>Startups that want to challenge Audible’s dominance – including those that would pay fairly – have to persuade potential customers to give up their Audible titles or to inconveniently maintain separate libraries.</p> <p>In this way, laws that were intended to protect against infringement of copyright have become tools to protect against infringement of corporate dominance.</p> <p>Once customers are locked in, suppliers (authors and publishers) are locked in too. It’s incredibly difficult to reach audiobook buyers unless you’re on Audible. When the suppliers are locked in, they can be shaken down for an ever-greater share of what the buyers hand over.</p> <hr /> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=377&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=377&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=377&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=474&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=474&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=474&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <hr /> <p><strong>How a few big buyers can control whole markets</strong></p> <p>The problem isn’t with middlemen as such: book shops, record labels, book and music publishers, agents and myriad others provide valuable services that help keep creative wheels turning.</p> <p>The problem arises when these middlemen grow powerful enough to bend markets into hourglass shapes, with audiences at one end, masses of creators at the other, and themselves operating as a chokepoint in the middle.</p> <p>Since everyone has to go through them, they’re able to control the terms on which creative goods and services are exchanged - and extract more than their fair share of value.</p> <p>The corporations who create these chokepoints are trying to “monopsonise” their markets. “Monopsony” isn’t a pretty word, but it’s one we are going to have to get familiar with to understand why so many of us are feeling squeezed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/monopoly">Monopoly</a> (or near-monopoly) is where there is only one big seller, leaving buyers with few other places to turn. <a href="https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/monopsony/">Monopsony</a> is where there is only one big buyer, leaving sellers with few other places to turn.</p> <p>In our book, we quote William Deresiewicz, a former professor of English at Yale University, who points out in his book <a href="https://www.chicagoreview.org/william-deresiewicz-the-death-of-the-artist/">The Death of the Artist</a> that “if you can only sell your product to a single entity, it’s not your customer; it’s your boss”.</p> <p>Increasingly, it is how the creative industries are structured. There’s Audible for audiobooks, Amazon for physical and digital versions, YouTube for video, Google and Facebook for online news advertising, the <a href="https://www.liveabout.com/big-three-record-labels-2460743">Big Three record labels</a> (who own the big three music publishers) for recorded music, <a href="https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/12/streaming-doesnt-pay/">Spotify</a> for streaming, Live Nation for live music and ticketing – and that’s just the start.</p> <p>But as corporate concentration increases across the board, monopsony is becoming a problem for the rest of us. For a glimpse into what happens to labour markets when buyers become too powerful, just think about how monopsonistic supermarkets bully food manufacturers and farmers.</p> <figure class="align-right "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=966&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=966&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=966&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1214&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1214&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1214&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">Scribe Publications</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>A fairer deal for consumers and creators</strong></p> <p>The good news is that we don’t have to put up with it.</p> <p><a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">Chokepoint Capitalism</a> isn’t one of those “Chapter 11 books” – ten chapters about how terrible everything is, plus a conclusion with some vague suggestions about what can be done.</p> <p>The whole second half is devoted to detailed proposals for widening these chokepoints out – such as transparency rights, among others.</p> <p>Audible’s sly trick only finally came to light because of the glitch that let authors see the scope of returns.</p> <p>That glitch enabled writers, led by Susan May, to organise a campaign that eventually forced Audible to reform some of its more egregious practices. But we need more light in dark corners.</p> <p>And we need reforms to contract law to level the playing field in negotiations, interoperability rights to prevent lock-in to platforms, copyrights being better secured to creators rather than publishers, and minimum wages for creative work.</p> <p>These and the other things we suggest would do much to empower artists and get them paid. And they would provide inspiration for the increasing rest of us who are supplying our goods or our labour to increasingly powerful corporations that can’t seem to keep their hands out of our pockets.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Chokepoint Capitalism: how big tech and big content captured creative labour markets, and how we’ll win them back is published on <a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">Tuesday November 15</a> by Scribe.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194069/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Writen by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/chokepoint-capitalism-why-well-all-lose-unless-we-stop-amazon-spotify-and-other-platforms-squeezing-cash-from-creators-194069" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Vale Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the GIF

<p dir="ltr">Stephen Wilhite, the man who invented the wildly popular GIF, has died aged 74.</p> <p dir="ltr">His wife, Kathleen, broke the news that he died of Covid on March 14.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wilhite created the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) - an image format with a short, looping video - while working at CompuServe in 1987.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He invented the GIF all by himself - he actually did that at home and brought it into work after he perfected it,” Kathleen told <em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/23/22992066/stephen-wilhite-gif-creator-dies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Verge</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He would figure out everything privately in his head and then go to town programming it on the computer.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He was later recognised for his work in 2013 when he was awarded a Webby lifetime achievement.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a5373d36-7fff-91ae-017d-d7e2872911b0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started programming,” he told The New York Times that same year, adding that the first image he created was of an airplane.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/01-06-17Avion.gif" alt="" width="400" height="149" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The first GIF created was of an airplane that seemed to move through clouds. Image: <a href="https://thefanatic.net/this-was-the-first-ever-gif/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TheFanatic.net</a></em></p> <p dir="ltr">The inventor and programmer also ended the debate on how to pronounce the name of his creation once and for all, saying it used a soft ‘g’ sound, like Jif peanut butter.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Those using the hard ‘g’, as in ‘got’ or ‘given’ are wrong,” he said. “End of story.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Kathleen said there was more to her husband than his invention of the GIF, and his love of trains led to him having a room dedicated to them in the basement of their home with “enormous train tracks”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Even after he retired in 2001, she said “he never stopped programming”.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to his <a href="https://www.megiefuneralhome.com/obituaries/Stephen-E.-Wilhite?obId=24311617" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obituary page</a>, he had 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren and “remained a very humble, kind and good man” even with all his accomplishments.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>An unknown icon in internet culture</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Though Wilhite's name might be unfamiliar to many, his creation certainly isn’t. From an origin as a method of distributing high quality graphics in colour when internet speeds were at a snail’s pace, the GIF has become an useful tool used to communicate in digital spaces.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-35eb45d2-7fff-ff93-c0f8-c33ac4146eb0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In linguist Gretchen McCulloch’s book, <em><a href="https://gretchenmcculloch.com/book/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Because Internet</a></em>, she describes how GIF’s are used most frequently now as depictions of people, animals or cartoon characters doing a certain action to represent your own body.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/safe_image-1.gif" alt="" width="640" height="572" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Modern-day GIFs are often used to represent us laughing, crying, or gesturing in real life, just like this one in response to one of our memes. Image: Facebook</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Whether that’s commenting on a funny image with a GIF of an animal that’s beside itself in invisible laughter or sharing birthday messages with GIFs of cakes covered in flickering candles, most of us can recall a time we relied on these instead of writing or speaking.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also describes their use as emblems, a linguistic term for nameable gestures like the middle finger, jazz hands, eye rolling, winking, and dropping an invisible microphone, as well as a way to show that we’re actively listening to someone.</p> <p dir="ltr">Social media platforms have even caught onto how we use GIFs to communicate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When you go to insert a GIF on Twitter, the built-in categories of GIF you’re offered are nameable, stylised gestures… such as applause, eww, eye roll, facepalm, fistbump, goodbye, happy dance hearts, high five (and others),” McCulloch writes.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b5dedcec-7fff-2d78-d4df-fe30ad8fae1b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Certain GIFs are so emblematic that they can be invoked by name, without an image file … when you want to convey your excitement in observing other people’s drama, you can send a GIF of Michael Jackson eating popcorn in a darkened movie theatre, eyes avidly glued to the screen, but you can also simply say #popcorngif or *popcorn.gif*.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/giphy.gif" alt="" width="420" height="315" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The MJ GIF in question. Image: Giphy.com</em></p> <p dir="ltr">With that in mind, Wilhite’s 35-year-old creation will stay popular as long as we continue to interact with others online in a legacy that many aren’t afforded. </p> <p dir="ltr">Yet Wilhite was more than his creation, and it’s important that we remember his name just as easily as we remember our go-to GIFs.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fe4257ee-7fff-52b3-15fe-147ff01552f8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Creator of The Block lifts the lid on show's biggest secrets

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the end of this year’s dramatic season of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, winners Mitch and Mark have started their own podcast and brought on Block co-creator Julian Cress as their first guest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The pair interviewed Cress for their podcast </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reality Reno</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which saw him sharing some of his best and worst moments during the show’s 17-year-run.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845481/mitch-mark5.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c757f136a7a24060b8bc57021db47eec" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @mitchandmark / Instagram</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also shared some of the show’s biggest secrets, including how Mitch and Mark secured their win thanks to a mysterious last-minute bidder.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You had a buyer, and that buyer came on board the night before the auction,” Cress </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/the-block-cocreator-julian-cress-reveals-shows-biggest-secrets-on-mitch-and-marks-podcast/news-story/153bf13b1f9f307bfd7b8ced9af1669a" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">recalled</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A guy came to your house and sat in the front garden, on that beautiful seat under that beautiful tree, and fell in love with it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If their buyer had not appeared, Cress said multi-millionaire Danny Wallis would have bought the home - making it his fourth </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> purchase this year - and paid less for it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Danny Wallis would’ve happily paid $3-$400,000 less for it on the day, let’s be honest, but there was this guy who really wanted it and just kept bidding against him,” Cress said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s the perfect storm, right?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The co-creator also tackled a common complaint that was especially relevant during the latest season, as some viewers have complained on social media that </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> spends too much time on the drama and not enough on the actual renovations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s bulls**t. Translated, it’s ‘I don’t want to watch this big fight - I want to watch paint dry’. It’s just not real, and the ratings reflect that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With this season’s cheating scandal, the show’s ratings were quick to pick up after a soft start.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cress did note that they did try to “strike a balance” between the drama and renovations on the show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But we’ve never just been about paint drying, we’ve always been about human drama,” he explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It used to be written in huge letters on our whiteboard in our office when we made the first series: ‘HUMAN DRAMA’. It was our reminder we weren’t just making a renovation show.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for his lowest moment on the show, Cress shared that it came during the first week of the 2019 season - which was Mitch and Mark’s debut on the competition - as contestants went about renovating the Oslo hotel in St Kilda.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I thought, this isn’t going to actually work. No-one’s going to deliver a room this week - I’ve asked too much,” he recalled.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We didn’t do a lot of preparation before you came in because I thought, ‘It’s just going to be so dramatic! The contestants having to make a room out of THIS? It’ll be brilliant TV!’”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also revealed that couples are most likely to get on the show rather than friends.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We haven’t had many examples of mates, or friends who don’t live together but they love catching up on the weekend so they thought they’d go on </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. I don’t think they have what it takes to get through it - I think, for a team to get through it, they need to be a couple and they need to have been a couple for some time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cress said that some couples who had only been together for a few years before going on the show had split “immediately after finishing” the show.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Block</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is too much pressure for a relationship that young,” he explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Cress, those who have the best odds of getting chosen are people “who know each other well enough that they’ll find a way through it; it’s going to be OK.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @mitchandmark / Instagram</span></em></p>

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The Crown creator defends “made up” scenes

<p>Peter Morgan, the brains behind The Crown has defended his decision of including imagined scenes in the latest season of the hit Netflix show.</p> <p>Season four, which is based on real-life events but not entirely factual, premiered on Netflix on Sunday with a number of new characters, including Princess Diana and then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher.</p> <p>In the first episode of the new series, Lord Louis Mountbatten, played by Charles Dance, confronts his great-nephew, Prince Charles, for having an affair with Camilla, who at the time, was married to Andrew Parker Bowles.</p> <p>In the episode, Mountbatten writes a scathing letter to Charles, accusing him of contemplating such “ruin and disappointment” to himself and his family, and orders him to instead marry “some sweet and innocent well-tempered girl with no past.”</p> <p>In the show, Charles receives the letter after finding out Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA - but some critics say there is no evidence that such a letter was ever written.</p> <p>Writer Morgan addressed the show's portrayal of the interaction in an episode of The Crown podcast, explaining that, while he "made up" the scene, he believed that the fictionalised interaction would have aligned with Mountbatten's views.</p> <p>"I made up in my head — whether it's right or wrong — what we know is that Mountbatten was really responsible for taking Charles to one side at precisely this point and saying, 'Look, you know, enough already with playing the field. It's time you got married and it's time you provided an heir,'" Morgan said.</p> <p>"I think everything that's in the letter that Mountbatten writes to Charles is what I really believe — you know, based on everything I've read and people I've spoken to, that that represents his view.</p> <p>"We will never know if it was put into a letter, and we will never know if Charles got that letter before or after Mountbatten's death but in this particular drama, this is how I decided to deal with it," he added.</p> <p>Critics have claimed the show has been filled with lies and misinformation. </p> <p>"People actually do believe it because it is well filmed, lavishly produced, well acted with good actors. You can't just dismiss it as tabloid rubbish," Hugo Vickers, historian and author of The Crown Dissected, told CNN.</p> <p>"In this particular series, every member of the royal family, in my view, comes out of it badly, except the Princess of Wales," he said. "It's totally one sided, it's totally against Prince Charles."</p> <p>Vickers told CNN that the show contains a number of "mischievous" inaccuracies — including scenes which show Queen Elizabeth at odds with Thatcher — adding that viewers could watch the show and assume it to be true.</p> <p>"Anyone watching, they may say, 'I saw it on The Crown, it must be true.' It's not true," he added.</p> <p>Last year, the British royal family denied any involvement with the Netflix series, after Morgan claimed to meet regularly with "people who are very high-ranking and very active within the organisation."</p> <p>Donal McCabe, the Queen's communications secretary, said in a letter to the UK's Times, which Buckingham Palace subsequently forwarded to CNN: "The Royal Household has never agreed to vet or approve content, has not asked to know what topics will be included, and would never express a view as to the programme's accuracy."</p>

TV

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Children’s app creator faces court over child abuse material and illegal filming offences

<p>An Adelaide man who recently launched an educational children’s app has faced court after being accused of possessing child abuse material and covertly filming women inside their homes.</p> <p>Video producer Luke Tregloan, 45, was arrested by the South Australian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team on Friday after an investigation involving the federal and state police.</p> <p>Police allege he used a female persona to upload child abuse material to an online platform.</p> <p>It is alleged that investigators found a collection of child exploitation material on Tregloan’s mobile phone, along with a “significant” number of videos that were filmed from outside Adelaide homes showing women involved in sexual activity and various states of undress.</p> <p>Tregloan has been charged with one count of possessing child abuse material, one count of indecent filming and one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material.</p> <p>“The person viewing this abhorrent material is as complicit as the person making and distributing the product,” said AFP detective acting superintendent Gavin Stone.</p> <p>“Protecting children is paramount and everyone has a role to play because these are crimes against our common future.”</p> <p>Tregloan, a father of two, was remanded in custody following his appearance before the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday. He will return to court next Monday.</p> <p>Last year, Tregloan designed and launched the children’s smartphone app Hip Hop Kangaroo and Friends featuring scenes filmed at South Australian locations.</p>

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Creator of Uluru’s Field of Light launches new exhibition in Darwin

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prolific light artist Bruce Munro is back again to dazzle tourists and locals alike in Darwin with his latest light-driven installation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The latest exhibit stretches across 2.5kms around Darwin’s city centre and features eight illuminated sculptures by Munro, whose a world renowned artist.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3w58f5lhfl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3w58f5lhfl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Bruce Munro: Tropical Light opens November 1st Darwin, Australia.Fireflies, copyright © 2019 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. Photography by Mark Pickthall.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/brucemunrostudio/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Bruce Munro</a> (@brucemunrostudio) on Oct 18, 2019 at 8:12am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Munro was inspired by the Northern Territory’s capital city and is the first citywide exhibition in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The collection reflects Munro’s personal history of visiting Australia as well as the Northern Territory.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is a collection of smaller installations and a very different experience to Field of Lights,” Mr Munro told </span><a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/northern-territory/creator-of-ulurus-field-of-light-launches-new-exhibition-in-darwin/news-story/003b3522311a1e3d4d96b451c20ed9d0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">news.com.au</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmRCh7BFaQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnmRCh7BFaQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">One of my favourite Fields of Light, Uluru, Australia - Jane OConnor, Bruce Munro Studio. Photographs by Mark Pickthall and Serena Munro</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/brucemunrostudio/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Bruce Munro</a> (@brucemunrostudio) on Sep 11, 2018 at 12:40pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Those coming to Darwin for Tropical Lights will experience the beautiful city … which has everything a big city has but slightly more condensed. This exhibition is not about me plonking sculptures from (the) other side of the world and putting them in Darwin, the sculptures are inspired by Darwin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So I am interested to see if people enjoy it and feel and think the same as I did when I first came here.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VKb-HlSw6/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4VKb-HlSw6/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Bruce Munro: Tropical Light, Darwin Australia. November 1st 2019 - April 30th 2020. Photography by Serena Munro, copyright © 2019 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. A huge thank you to @fusionexhibitionandhire &amp; @NTmajorevents an install we will never forget ❤️@tropicallights.darwin</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/brucemunrostudio/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Bruce Munro</a> (@brucemunrostudio) on Nov 1, 2019 at 10:09am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Tropical Light exhibit in Darwin is open until the 30th of April 2020. </p>

Domestic Travel

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Inside The Block creator’s $4 million Sydney home

<p>Julian Cress rose to prominence as the co-creator and executive producer of Channel Nine’s The Block, one of Australia’s most popular real estate programs, so it only makes sense that he’d have an incredible, unique property of his own.</p> <p>The television mogul’s $4 million Sydney property is about to hit the market, and as you can see when you scroll through the gallery above it’s quite a stunner.</p> <p>Cress transformed a sprawling warehouse in the inner-city Suburb of Annandale into a luxurious family home with his wife Sarah, and he’s reportedly reluctant to see it go.</p> <p>“I blame the kids,” Cress laughingly <a href="http://www.news.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>told News.com.au</strong></em></span></a>.</p> <p>“We are gutted to be selling. But with two boys (Max, 4, and Charlie, 3) we have realised The Block is going to be keeping us in Melbourne for a while. The kids are going to start school soon, so we won’t be back for 15 more years.</p> <p>“We want to see a family enjoy it.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s a decent property?</p>

Art

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Creator reveals how Call the Midwife proved critics wrong

<p>Heidi Thomas, the creator of the British period drama<em> Call the Midwife </em>has grave news to impart. There might have been no sixth series of her popular drama about London midwives in the 1960s.</p> <p>"When they were filming the Christmas special in South Africa, the whole cast clubbed together, hired a catamaran and went out sailing," says Thomas. "Back in England, I got a Snapchat picture from my husband, Stephen McGann, who plays Doctor Turner."</p> <p>Thomas, 54, who is also the award-winning writer of <em>Cranford</em>, continues that, "The photo was of the entire cast of <em>Call the Midwif</em>e on a very small catamaran in shark-infested waters. I thought, 'One freak wave and we have no Christmas special and no series six either. It was a dark moment."</p> <p>The success of the series came as something of a surprise to Thomas.</p> <p>"For a very long time before we started to film it, people told us nobody would watch it," she recalls.</p> <p>"They used to say young women will be frightened by it, older women will be disgusted by it, men won't watch it at all, and I used to think, 'Well, nobody will watch this show'.</p> <p>"But then the very first time it went out, we got eight million overnight viewers in the UK, and I think we were in a sort of shock.</p> <p>"Our viewing figures have held steady now for six years. But it's not about the numbers, it's the passion that people feel for the show, and for the stories that we're telling."</p> <p>Thomas adds that, "Our remit at <em>Call the Midwife</em> is to give a voice to people who have experienced great and beautiful and terrible things, and never had a voice before.</p> <p>"We are somehow digging up lives that were silent, and we're shining a light on lives that were experienced – if not in darkness at the time, but that very quickly vanished into the mists of history afterwards."</p> <p>Thomas reflects that <em>Call the Midwife</em> can be enjoyed on many different levels.</p> <p>"If you just want to flop down ... and look at the frocks, listen to the lovely music and maybe have a glass of wine and indulge yourself in an escapist treat, you can do that."</p> <p>Or, the writer continues, "You can dig a little bit deeper, looking at the social history, the prejudices that were involved, the difficulties people had before society became as it is today. You can even go down to the deepest level where we are telling stories about the human condition, and you can really engage with that – not just matters of society or medicine, but matters of human existence, life, death and birth.</p> <p>"You can dig down as deeply as you want to, but we don't make you work that hard if you really just need to be cradled for an hour."</p> <p>The historical aspect of the show also hits a chord with McGann, 54.</p> <p>"All over the world, there is a new generation and you mustn't take for granted that everyone understands all the historical context," he says.</p> <p>"Even though our programme is set in the recent past, it is quite surprising to us sometimes how the young respond.</p> <p>"They say, 'I actually had no idea that this all took place. I didn't know that homosexuality was illegal or about the role of women or that women couldn't open a bank account in Britain in the early 60s.' The world was a very different place. And yet, it is not so long ago."</p> <p>So, McGann says, "When you put it in historical context, you say, 'How did we get to here from there? Why did we make those choices? Were they good choices?' That's up to the audience to decide."</p> <p>The fact that <em>Call the Midwife</em> moves on a year with every series also keeps it fresh.</p> <p>Laura Main, 40, who portrays the former nun Shelagh Turner, says, "We don't repeat ourselves. That's one of the beauties of going forward a year with each series. You are presented with new challenges and it is all absolutely historically accurate and thoroughly researched.</p> <p>"So 1962 will present new issues and that's why we've managed to keep going. It's the same show, but it's always regenerating."</p> <p><em>Written by James Rampton. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

TV

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Creator reveals how Call the Midwife proved critics wrong

<p>Heidi Thomas, the creator of the British period drama<em> Call the Midwife </em>has grave news to impart. There might have been no sixth series of her popular drama about London midwives in the 1960s.</p> <p>"When they were filming the Christmas special in South Africa, the whole cast clubbed together, hired a catamaran and went out sailing," says Thomas. "Back in England, I got a Snapchat picture from my husband, Stephen McGann, who plays Doctor Turner."</p> <p>Thomas, 54, who is also the award-winning writer of <em>Cranford</em>, continues that, "The photo was of the entire cast of <em>Call the Midwif</em>e on a very small catamaran in shark-infested waters. I thought, 'One freak wave and we have no Christmas special and no series six either. It was a dark moment."</p> <p>The success of the series came as something of a surprise to Thomas.</p> <p>"For a very long time before we started to film it, people told us nobody would watch it," she recalls.</p> <p>"They used to say young women will be frightened by it, older women will be disgusted by it, men won't watch it at all, and I used to think, 'Well, nobody will watch this show'.</p> <p>"But then the very first time it went out, we got eight million overnight viewers in the UK, and I think we were in a sort of shock.</p> <p>"Our viewing figures have held steady now for six years. But it's not about the numbers, it's the passion that people feel for the show, and for the stories that we're telling."</p> <p>Thomas adds that, "Our remit at <em>Call the Midwife</em> is to give a voice to people who have experienced great and beautiful and terrible things, and never had a voice before.</p> <p>"We are somehow digging up lives that were silent, and we're shining a light on lives that were experienced – if not in darkness at the time, but that very quickly vanished into the mists of history afterwards."</p> <p>Thomas reflects that <em>Call the Midwife</em> can be enjoyed on many different levels.</p> <p>"If you just want to flop down ... and look at the frocks, listen to the lovely music and maybe have a glass of wine and indulge yourself in an escapist treat, you can do that."</p> <p>Or, the writer continues, "You can dig a little bit deeper, looking at the social history, the prejudices that were involved, the difficulties people had before society became as it is today. You can even go down to the deepest level where we are telling stories about the human condition, and you can really engage with that – not just matters of society or medicine, but matters of human existence, life, death and birth.</p> <p>"You can dig down as deeply as you want to, but we don't make you work that hard if you really just need to be cradled for an hour."</p> <p>The historical aspect of the show also hits a chord with McGann, 54.</p> <p>"All over the world, there is a new generation and you mustn't take for granted that everyone understands all the historical context," he says.</p> <p>"Even though our programme is set in the recent past, it is quite surprising to us sometimes how the young respond.</p> <p>"They say, 'I actually had no idea that this all took place. I didn't know that homosexuality was illegal or about the role of women or that women couldn't open a bank account in Britain in the early 60s.' The world was a very different place. And yet, it is not so long ago."</p> <p>So, McGann says, "When you put it in historical context, you say, 'How did we get to here from there? Why did we make those choices? Were they good choices?' That's up to the audience to decide."</p> <p>The fact that <em>Call the Midwife</em> moves on a year with every series also keeps it fresh.</p> <p>Laura Main, 40, who portrays the former nun Shelagh Turner, says, "We don't repeat ourselves. That's one of the beauties of going forward a year with each series. You are presented with new challenges and it is all absolutely historically accurate and thoroughly researched.</p> <p>"So 1962 will present new issues and that's why we've managed to keep going. It's the same show, but it's always regenerating."</p> <p><em>Written by James Rampton. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

TV

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Handmade quilts draped at creators funeral in her honour

<p>Janet White from New York, lived a fulfilling and long life. She was a passionate gardener and ran a dairy farm for a few decades in her life. In the 60s she travelled with her husband Bill to Hong Kong and to the Soviet Union.</p> <p>Out of all her various accomplishments, one she was renowned for was her quilt making. Janet made over 100 quilts for her children, grandchildren, friends and community members. Before she passed, she also made four more for her unmarried grandchildren to be gifted to them on their wedding days.</p> <p>Janet passed away at the age of 84 but at her funeral, her family draped her quilts over the church pews to honour her with a personal symbol of who she was. Her granddaughter posted a photo of the quilts online and it has gone viral. </p> <p>Online readers were touched by Janet’s legacy and the way her family chose to remember her. “I'm getting a little choked up reading this. The description of the life your grandmother lived seems magnificent and extravagant and it really makes me want to branch out and truly live life. The fact that a mere description of what she did can evoke such an emotional response from a total stranger is absolutely unique. My condolences for your grandmother OP," one user wrote.</p> <p>Janet’s care and love has certainly made an impact on those who knew her and those who hear her story. </p> <p><strong>Image credit: tits_mcgheee via Pinterest</strong></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2017/02/150-year-old-wedding-dress-found-at-drycleaners/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>150-year-old wedding dress found at drycleaners</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2017/02/mum-finds-letters-from-late-daughter/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Grieving mum finds letters from her late daughter</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2017/02/rose-osborne-who-is-the-storyteller-in-your-family/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Who is the storyteller in your family?</strong></em></span></a></p>

Retirement Life

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Dad’s Army creator Jimmy Perry dies aged 93

<p>It’s a sad day for fans of British comedy as Jimmy Perry, creator of the popular UK television sitcom Dad’s Army, has sadly passed away at the age of 93.</p> <p>Perry co-wrote the series with David Croft, famously drawing on his own experiences serving in the Home Guard during World War II. Many of the characters in the show were actually based on people Perry had met during his years of service.</p> <p>The nine-year series began in 1968 and ran for 80 episodes.</p> <p>Perry had a considerable impact on the tone of British comedy and went on to create other popular shows including It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M’Lord?.  </p> <p>His agent Tim Hancock said in a statement on Sunday “After a brief period of illness, Jimmy Perry died at 10.30 this morning, at home, surrounded by loved ones. His family would like to grieve in private. As his agent of many years, I have never met anyone as generous, dignified, funny and with as big a heart as Jimmy. He will be sadly missed.”</p> <p>Rest in peace Jimmy. You leave quite a legacy behind you. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/10/7-foods-to-lower-blood-pressure/"><strong>7 things to eat or avoid to lower your blood pressure</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/2016/10/dorrie-jacobson-on-body-issues-and-intimacy/"><strong>How body image issues hold you back from intimacy</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/10/the-healthiest-leanest-ways-to-cook/"><strong>5 of the healthiest, leanest ways to cook</strong></a></em></span></p>

News

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Downton Abbey creator reveals what would have happened next

<p>It’s been almost a year since we said goodbye to the Crawleys of <em>Downton Abbey</em>, and if, like us, you’ve been desperate for more, you’re in luck. Julian Fellowes, the show’s creator, has opened up about what might have happened if the series were to continue, offering glimpses into what a possible movie could look like.</p> <p>When we left <em>Downton Abbey</em>, the grand estate was under a bit of financial strife, with the Crawleys (like many families at the time) struggling to reconcile the maintenance of such a house in a time where they were becoming no longer relevant. In order to compensate for this, Fellowes believes Mary (played by Michelle Dockery) would step in with an ingenious solution – opening the Abbey to the public full-time.</p> <p>“My own belief is that Mary, whether you like her or dislike her, is a hard worker, and she’s practical,” Fellowes explained. “She would probably have opened the house to the public in the 1960s, as so many of them did, and she'd have retreated to a wing, and maybe only occupied the whole house during the winters.”</p> <p>And where would the Crawley descendants be today? “[They] would still be there, just as the Carnarvons [owners of the real-life location Highclere Castle] are today.”</p> <p>Fellowes also gave us a glimpse into the lives of the youngest Crawleys. “George [Mary’s first son] would have gone to the Second World War, and of course the fear is that he would be killed,” he said. “As for the title, I don’t know where it would go beyond George, but let’s hope he gets through the war and has children of his own.”</p> <p>Let’s hope we’ll see some of this play out on the big screen! Tell us in the comments below, what shows are you watching at the moment?</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/julian-fellowes-reveals-details-about-downton-abbey-film/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Julian Fellowes reveals details about Downton Abbey film</em></span></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/tv/2016/04/mrs-hughes-talks-about-final-series-of-downton-abbey/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Downton Abbey’s Mrs Hughes tells Over60 what it was like wrapping up season 6</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/tv/2016/04/hilarious-downton-abbey-quotes/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>24 hilarious quotes from Violet Crawley</strong></em></span></a></p>

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