I'm very new to Torchwood, but one of the most appealing aspects to me is the complexity of the characters, when you stop and think about them. Yeah, handwaving required sometimes, sure, but they can be fascinating and compelling too. ...

During a serious Friday-afternoon discussion on the many merits of Blu-ray, we couldn't help but notice that our esteemed editor had suddenly turned into Ron Perlman's alter ego, Hellboy:



Ish.

We love Custom Gibson Les Pauls. No, we LOVE Custom Gibson Les Pauls, so imagine our unbound glee when not one but two new ‘Inspired By’ models landed within days of each other; the Joe Bonamassa Aged Les Paul Gold Top and Gibson Steve Jones Les Paul Custom....Read More

2007 • PG • 112 mins • £19.99 • 24 November Director: David Dobkin Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, John Michael Higgins, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz Extras: Blame Tim Allen. Ever since The Santa Clause did big business back in...Read More

2008 • PG • 270 mins • £24.99 • 24 November Creators: Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy Starring: Bradley James, Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Anthony Head, Richard Wilson Extras: Better then the BBC’s recent Robin Hoodie update, but lacking the...Read More

Here are your templates for You Can Craft! Issue 14 – cupcakes, peacocks , last minute Christmas and loads more! To download all your issue 14 templates for FREE today, simply click on the links below for jpgs or pdfs of each page. Have fun with them!...Read More

2008 • 15 • 104 mins • £19.99 (one disc); £22.99 (two discs) • 24 November Director: Chris Carter Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly Extras: The laziest way to review a film spin-off from a television series is to...Read More

The December issue of Total Vauxhall is available in shops today and here’s what’s between its glossy covers… •    Our review of 2008 – we’ve picked out our highlights, frustrations, favourite cars, issues, events and features in a look back...Read More

Editor Ruth and I just got back from Bath's gorgeous Shiney Rocks shop, where we made all sorts of beaded lushness to celebrate it becoming the UK's first Create Your Style with Crystallized - Swarovski Elements recommended store.

It's a mouthful but it basically means that it's THE place in the UK to get stocked up with Swarovski's world-class crystals, attend fun classes and get beading tips from friendly and knowledgeable staff.

There are only a handful of Swarovski recommended stores in the world (the nearest one is in Belgium!) so it's a real coup for owners, Jane Purdy and Amanda Pickstock (pictured below). Well done ladies! Drop in tomorrow if you're in the area (5 Saville Row, Bath) for goodie bags, promotions, demos and workshops. You're sure to be inspired!

For more info, visit www.shineyrocks.co.uk

If you've ever dreamed of packing your life (and your stash) into a van and hitting the open road, discovering new places, new yarns with plenty of time to knit and explore, then hotfoot it over to the Woolly Wormhead blog.

With her bloke and her young son, Woolly Wormhead is travelling around Europe doing just that – and finding a bit of time to work on the follow up to her book Going Straight, a creative collection of hats knitted sideways on straight needles.

Of course, following your dream isn't always going to be easy, and although we wish the family nothing but blue skies, we do love honesty with which she charts the rough and the smooth. This is a fun, witty blog with a great balance of knitting, making, travelling and even the occasional essay about the craft we share.

Read a great blog? Write a great blog? Tell us what it is and why you like it, and you might see it here next Friday. 

Riding Honda’s insanely sublime Fireblade all year made me want to go back to the beginning to really understand where it came from. Back in the late Sixties, Soichiro Honda took a trip to the US of A, and came back wanting a beefy, sporty slayer of a...Read More

Next month will see Badly Drawn Boy take part in a London Light Of Day acoustic gig to raise money for research into finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. The gig – taking place at the Half Moon in Putney, London on 7 December – also features NYC based...Read More

Belgium-born artist Guy Peellaert, possibly best known for his album artwork, has died after suffering from cancer aged 74.

Although Peellaert had a varied career, and created artwork for several films, including Taxi Driver and Short Cuts, it is probably his seminal album covers that many will remember him for.

Standouts included the cover to The Rolling Stones' 1974 album It's Only Rock'N'Roll, and the slightly controversial (at the time) cover to David Bowie's Diamond Dogs album, also released in 1974, original uncensored copies of which are said to be worth several thousand dollars (the painting of Bowie as a half-man, half-dog character offended some, mainly because the hybrid creature's genitals were clearly shown – see below).