Something of a revelation, this: an attempt to review and analyse the cultural context of every no. 1 single on the British pop charts since 1952.

I’m just dipping into the most recent entries now — it’s closing in on the 1980s at the time of writing — but it’s consistently deft and erudite, but special mention must be made of the excellent comments section, which is a treasure trove of nostalgia, bitterness, amusing anecdote, and insidery pop gossip.

The entry on Bright Eyes, a song that (confessional alert) reliably made me burst into tears as a wee nipper, is amusingly disrespectful but still captures the power of the material.

But the less said about Bony M the better.

Via Paul Cornell’s blog, where he’s currently celebrating the best of the year, with obligatory quotes from fellow Doctor Who writers.