With apologies to Jane Austen, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged’ that many things today exasperate me.
For example, people who belligerently proclaim “I know my rights!” rarely consider other people’s rights.
Certain Welsh newspapers – not, I hasten with greater haste than I have ever hastened before, this one – are eager to have their patch of the Principality permanently linked with a celebrity or a film location, usually from years ago, even if that link is, at best, tenuous, at worst, a load of nonsense!
It usually stems from an original article written decades ago by someone not in full possession of the facts, who ‘elaborated’ a little to add some showbiz stardust to their work.
Take the local paper sold in a town somewhere between Cardiff and Chepstow. For decades it’s perpetuated the myth that Hollywood’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ of the 1940s, Johannesburg-born Basil Rathbone, lived in the town after World War One with his first wife.
But if, since its publication in 1956, someone at the paper had bothered to read Basil’s autobiography “In And Out Of Character”, they’d have learned that after being de-mobbed from the British army in 1919, he went straight into non-stop work in the West End, then sailed to America for the first time in 1921.
He makes no mention of setting foot in Wales, let alone living here – and, while he often refers to his second wife Ouida as the love of his life, he barely acknowledges his brief first marriage.
This didn’t prevent the first Mrs Rathbone from hanging on to her ex-husband’s surname for the rest of her life!
Another Welsh newspaper often claims Hollywood star Alan Ladd filmed swashbuckling scenes for “The Black Knight” at Castell Coch in 1953.
It took me five minutes to find out the man dressed in The Black Knight’s amour, complete with face-covering helmet, was Alan Ladd’s stunt double, who resembled the star so much he also doubled for him in many other scenes because Mr Ladd only worked on the film for 11 days and never left Pinewood Studios!
This is Phil Evans, the man with the facts, signing off!

I have been thinking of this for quite some time.
On the rare occasions that I have to purchase something online, I do make sure I read all the reviews.
The good, bad and in between.
There is something reassuring and satisfying in a good review.
This got me thinking.
With so many local businesses fighting hard to gain market share and spread the word in order to survive the challenging times, we can all make a difference by helping out with a positive review.
If someone has provided you with a good service, maybe a quality meal or made you feel valued as a customer – a short note, well-worded review on social media, Google or Trip Advisor could mean the difference between survival or closure to many of our much-needed local businesses.
Worth the effort? Absolutely.
We should all spread the word if we have been witness to a good deed or service.
Let’s lose the constant moaning culture and complain less!
Do something good this week to help our much-needed businesses community. It might make a huge difference.