Ben Thomas

BBC Studios. TV and podcast senior producer. Manchester, Dunblane and Redcar.

[Ben Thomas @bmt44]

Beautiful Barra.

[Ben Thomas @bmt44]

@AasmahMir Hot water bottles out of the freezer ?

[Ben Thomas @bmt44]

Worth all journalists taking a minute to read and support Hannah and our colleagues

[Hannah Brown @HannahMargBrown]

Seeing the pen this morning made my heart sink.

For women in political journalism, being heard in a crowded scrum is already hard enough. Physical restrictions only make it easier for our questions to be missed. Transparency shouldn't come with barriers.

https://t.co/w0xwXlljjh

[Daily Mail @DailyMail]

EXCLUSIVE: A multi-millionaire banker descended from royalty has been arrested by police hunting the 'Putney Pusher', the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.

The suspect was detained today at his £1.4million home in west London.

A director at a private bank, he is a decorated former British Army officer who served in several major conflicts.

His arrest comes nearly ten years after a jogger shoved a female pedestrian into the path of a double-decker bus on Putney Bridge.

[Ben Thomas @bmt44]

Headline https://t.co/2rgTuea2xg

[Ben Thomas @bmt44]

Fact from @business More than 277 million SpaceX shares have traded since today’s opening a little more than a hour ago. That’s almost half of the 555.6 million shares sold in the offering

[Press Gazette @pressgazette]

NYT-owned The Athletic, normally paywalled, says it is making its World Cup coverage free to read in its app until the day of the final on 19 July.

[John Stepek @John_Stepek]

Someone better ask Andy which pot we're going to grab for the Waspi women because it looks as if defence is all out of spare dosh

[Middlesbrough FC @Boro]

We are desperately saddened to report the passing of our former Academy player Anthony Renton.

An inspirational character, Anthony bravely battled leukaemia for almost nine years - and never let it diminish his love of our game.

Anthony was a promising defender and had only recently signed his first professional terms with Boro when he was first diagnosed with leukaemia back in July 2017.

Despite the many challenges and setbacks he faced as a result of his cancer battle, Anthony continued to be a beacon of positivity.

He spent many of his later years in coaching, including some time with our Academy. His dedication to supporting young footballers in their development both on and off the pitch will always be remembered, and leaves a lasting legacy with so many children and their families across Teesside.

Anthony’s commitment was recognised when he was named a hugely deserved first winner of our MFC Academy Alumni Award in March 2026.

Anthony passed away peacefully over the weekend at the age of 27.

Our thoughts go out to Anthony’s family and friends at this devastating time.

[Nigel Planer @NigelPlaner1]

Anthony Head = elegance and charm. we first met at drama school in 1974. much more of a giggler than you see on telly. But I loved him as the sound engineer in our Comic Strip Bad News films. We had a little harmony singing group together in the early days after college. He also did a bit on my comedy podcast during lockdown which he left on a phone message, brilliant. A very old pal. 50 years! RIP Tony

[Simon Parkin💙 @SimonParkinTV]

Actual 1987 me and #Rivals 1987 me. Well I don’t think I’ve aged…!!!

[Peter Bedford MP @PeterABedford]

It's amazing what you stumble across in rural Leicestershire 🦊

[Chris Rea @chrisreamusic]

40 years after its original release, Chris Rea’s timeless album On The Beach will be returning in a special 40th Anniversary Edition on Sea Blue Marble vinyl. The record will be out on the 26th June https://t.co/zyPrfvfpkZ

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

Bloomberg News exclusive:

Vladimir Putin has been told by senior Russian officials that the war in Ukraine is becoming unaffordable, the most serious sign of internal division in Moscow since the full-scale invasion began

https://t.co/gpk6OChdlC

[Dan Roan @danroan]

EXCLUSIVE:
“He should have expressed that stronger”

Southampton owner Dragan Solak tells me club’s analyst intern should have spoken out when he felt he was being wrongly pressured to spy on rivals’ training sessions ⬇️
#spygate #southamptonfc #saints
https://t.co/drzwYRtMHL

[Jamie Stone MP @Jamie4North]

11 years ago today, the Highlands lost a much-loved and greatly trusted public servant. Charles Kennedy.

Charles understood his Highland constituents because he was one of them.

Everything I do today, I hold up against the standard Charles set. He is not forgotten.

[Ben Thomas @bmt44]

@JacquiOatley @British_Airways I once had an emergency landing with them at Gatwick. Honestly, I’ve been in more stressful work meetings

[The Sting @TheStingisBack]

Cinematographer Gordon Willis, often dubbed "The Prince of Darkness", for his use of deep shadows, particularly in shooting The Godfather Trilogy, was born on this day in 1931. He shaped some of cinema’s most iconic images in films like Manhattan, Klute, and The Parallax View.

Incredibly, he shot three Best Picture winners in a six‑year run, which is still unmatched, yet the Academy ignored him for competitive cinematography Oscars in his prime. He finally received an Honorary Oscar in 2009.

He summed up the art of cinematography perfectly, saying, "You're kind of a visual psychiatrist. You move the audience visually. You want them to feel this, you want them to feel that way. You want to embrace the film visually so everybody's pointed in the right direction... It's your job to point the audience in a direction."

A great example of "pointing the audience in the right direction", is this visually stunning shot from All the President's Men (1976). It took 3 weeks to pull off. A camera was rigged to a remote-controlled cable with a radio-controlled focus system, which was also attached to an electric winch at the top of the Library of Congress dome.

Because it didn’t start dead-centre, the crew used tag lines to steer it onto perfect alignment, without sway or drift. They needed two attempts on two different days to nail it.

This haunting visual metaphor perfectly illustrates two tiny reporters completely overwhelmed by the towering, institutional weight of Washington corruption.

[Yapp @YappAppLtd]

✈️ Jack from Wakefield caused chaos at Manchester Airport today when he was prevented from flying after ‘peeing’ himself he claimed

Big delays hit Manchester Airport this afternoon after a police incident closed the drop-off and pick-up areas at Terminal 2.

Passengers ditched taxis and walked with their bags to catch flights, while heavy queues across nearby roads. Terminal 3 was unaffected.

Airport bosses say use the free Jet Parks 1 for drop-offs and allow plenty of extra time.

The incident unfolded early today when Jack from Wakefield was prevented from flying to Jamaica. He claims this is due to being unfit to fly.

He climbing onto the wrong side of a bridge at terminal 2 bringing it to a standstill. Traffic, trains and planes were all affected for hours.

He was finally reimbursed over £3000 for his holiday before bringing his protest to an end. https://t.co/hhBmw5csZU