Made and Remade: Scum

The film Scum was released in 1979 and is a no-holds-barred depiction of life within the British Borstal system. Due to the film’s extremely violent nature and the profuse use of foul language Scum became one of the most controversial films of the 1980s and Mary Whitehouse campaigned to have it banned. Being banned was nothing new for Scum though, because it was a remake of a television programme that the BBC decided not to broadcast because they deemed it to be too violent: Scum Was a Remake, But Nobody Knew It.

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No Longer Confined to the Tower, The Wandering Ghost of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536 and it is probably not surprising that her ghost is reputedly a long-term resident of The Tower of London, where she spent her final days. Unlike other ghosts though, Anne Boleyn appears to get around and sightings have been reported from many different areas of the British Isles.

The ghost of Anne Boleyn has been sighted at Blicking Hall,  Hever Castle, Salle Church, Marwell Hall, Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle. So it would appear that Anne Boleyn’s ghost gets around a lot more than the average phantom: The Wandering Ghost of Anne Boleyn.

The Unruly Game of Mob Football

A GAME OF MEDIEVAL MOB FOOTBALL

If the legend is true. the game of mob football began with a bit of a kick about with a severed head. The game caught on, but using a ball instead of a head. Even with a ball though, it remains a rough game and, in some part of the UK,  it remains a popular bank holiday activity. What am I talking about? The game of mob football. A game with very few rules and where the players have even been known to loose their lives instead of a penalty.

Mob football continues to be a popular game in certain areas of the UK. In Sedgefield, there's a game every year on Shrove Tuesday and the local shops have been known to board up their windows for the occasion. This may seem a little extreme, but  this is not an ordinary game of football. It's mob football and in mob football there are very few rules.

The game of  mob football did not originate in Sedgefield and it is not the only place where the game is played. It is a very old sport, however, and there is a rather nasty legend that states the game was originally played with the head of a Danish Prince who had once ruled England, but had been deposed and beheaded.

 Mob football can have any number of players and it is not a team sport. In fact the game can get so rough that in the past people have been known to loose their lives during play.  Apparently in 1,280, and then again in 1,320 some players had fatal accidents because they were carrying sheath knives while playing.

Traditionally mob football can be played on any bank holiday, including Christmas and New Year and other places where you can witness a game include Ashbourne in Derbyshire and the Orkney Islands, where it is known as the Ba Game.

The Hands Resist Him

It appeared on eBay in 2,000. The sellers claimed it was a haunted painting and it was an instant eBay hit. The listing had over 30,000 page views and the winning bid was for a staggering $1,025. Rather a lot of money for a painting that was found discarded behind a brewery. The Hands Resist Him is now one of the most famous haunted paintings in the world, and this is regardless of the fact that is would appear that it is nothing more than a normal painting with an unusual theme. Hype sells and some people just cannot resist getting their hands on something that is believed to have a supernatural bonus thrown in for free: The Hands Resist Him, a Lesson in Hype.

Cursed Painting: The Crying Boy

Back in the1980s pictures of The Crying Boy were a very popular thing to have hung on your wall. Then something strange emerged. It was noticed that a lot of houses that had a Crying Boy in them were burning down. In nearly every case the picture survived the blaze: The Curse of the Crying Boy Painting.

The 27 Club

Apart from singing, what do Brian Jones and Jimi Hendrix have in common? I'll give you a clue, they share it with Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.

Any idea?

The all died when they were twenty-seven-years-old: The 27 Club.

A Short History of The Ritz Cinema

The Ritz cinema at Thirsk was built in the middle of the 19th Century and began its life as a Mechanic’s Institute, but by 1912 Mechanic’s Institutes were pretty much a thing of the past and Walter Power renamed the building The Picture House and began showing silent movies, which soon became known as ‘Powers’ amongst the local community: A Short History of Thirsk's Ritz Cinema.