• Guide/About........................ 102
• UK/World News...................... 300
• Bamboozle.......................... 452
• Chess.............................. 453
• Knightmare......................... 458
• Digitiser.......................... 470
• Turner the Worm.................... 496

Key:
To be implemented
Available

HELP

To advance (quickly) through the pages, press right square bracket key (located near the enter key), otherwise the pages will move forward every minute

To pause a page press "h" and then again to unpause

To move to another page (like 470) just type it in

NIGHT NETWORK

From 12am till 6am the site will play easy listening music to simulate the closedown of TV from the early eighties. This was initially started by Ceefax (the BBC teletext service) but did get picked up by Teletext.

FASTTEXT

Fasttext now added. This helped to jump to pages quickly without the need to key in the numbers. Bamboozle used this to great effect - to see this key in 452.

REVEAL

To be implemented.

ABOUT

I originally wanted to write a Windows 95 simulator as a follow-on homage to LGR's DOS portion of website - https://www.lazygamereviews.com/prompt/. I figured it should work quite well with the advancement in javascript over the years and it meant that I could utilise more JS programming skills as I don't do much of that currently.

I didn't want to use jQuery as I would only be using a small portion of that code and I wanted to try and keep the site as tightly written as possible, without excessive code. I have seen another website that does use jQuery and interestingly that is based more on Ceefax rather than mine which is Teletext based. You can find the site here: https://worldofpaul.com/teletext/.

SO WHY DIGITISER?

Around 2017, Mr Biffo (Paul Rose) of Digitiser fame, surfaced back into the "limelight" and was attending retro gaming events talking about the old Digitiser days. I thought it'd be pretty cool to make an online teletext simulator using nothing but HTML, CSS and Javascript. This would be a cut down challenge from the Windows based one and so here we are.

You stand before Knightmare Castle. With you is Treguard, Master of the Quest.

"Welcome, Adventurer! Your quest will take you to the Great Northern Ice Field, a frozen realm inhabited by ferocious Polar Bears! You travel to rescue a captive maiden. I will aid you when I can: you will hear my voice at time of need. Hold to the adventurer's code:

Answer truthfully, choose wisely, use force only in direst need. And remember

Cheats never prosper!

Treguard indicates the northern trail. Pulling your cloak tightly about you, you stride into the freezing wind. Ahead you see a tall figure: it is Hordriss the Confuser, magician extraordinary.

"Imprecations! Is this the best Treguard could find? One doubts if you are wise enough for such a Quest: one will test you. Tell me, puny adventurer those who dwell in this land are known to outsiders as Eskimos. How are they more properly called?"

Hordriss shakes his head sadly.

"One's worst fears are confirmed. One must go and find another to undertake this task. Farewell, ignorant adventurer."

He turns and leaves you standing alone in the freezing wind as the snows fall more heavily around you.

You wander through the snow as it falls ever harder and harder. All paths vanish in the white torrent that swirls about you. You tire rapidly as the warmth drains from your body. After long, confused wandering you feel yourself losing consciousness and falling into the deep, soft snow.....

You have been found wanting. This time, your Quest may not succeed. But take courage. You have journeyed far and attempted that of which many only dream

Next time you set foot beyond the walls of Castle Knightmare, who knows whence your path may lead?

"Ah," says Hordriss, " an enlightened Adventurer. Remarkable! Listen then: one's foolish daughter Sidriss has been captured by Aesandre the Ice Sorceress. Her palace lies far to the North. She awaits my rescue mission and has set magic traps for me. She will not expect YOU. There is a slight chance you might get through...

"One gifts you with a spell: HEAT. You may use it only once. Good fortune!"

You set out across the ice sheet along the path Hordriss indicates. Soon he is lost behind and you can see nothing but ice and snow in every direction. The chill enters your bones and you shiver in every limb.

Then ahead you spot a small white dome: An igloo!

Do you:

The valley path is filled with snowdrifts and as you push forward you find the snow reaches your knees. The fur coat is weighed down by heavy ice. You step boldly forward onto a slab of ice. It gives way beneath you and frozen snow closes over your head...

"Oh dear," says Treguard. "Frosted Adventurer! And not a microwave in sight!"

Inside the igloo it is slightly warmer. You find a collection of objects left behind by the owner.

A sack. Opening it you find it to be full of greasy, smelly lumps of something unpleasant.

A pair of snowshoes.

A white fur coat.

Which do you take?

Wrapping the coat around you and feeling warm and snug, you step out into the snow again. Heading ever northwards, you come to a divide in the path. You may travel down the valley or along a high rocky ledge.

Which route do you take now?

You climb up above the snowy valley, across bare rock jutting through the ice. At the top of the rise you pause to look down...

And turn at a snarling sound behind you

A large polar bear is growling and forcing you back towards the edge of the ledge.

"Very tactless to go around wearing one of his relatives," whispers Treguard as you fall from the rock-face. Oh dear

Strapping the huge snowshoes onto your feet, step out into the snow again. Heading ever northwards you come to a divide in the path. You may travel down a valley or along a high rocky ledge.

Which route do you take now?

Slinging the weight of the of the sack over one shoulder, you step out into the snow again. Moving north again you come to a divide in the path. You may travel down a valley or along a high rocky ledge.

Which route do you take now?

You climb up above the snowy valley, across the rocks jutting out of the ice. At the top of the rise you pause to look down...

A hideous snarling sounds behind you.

A large polar bear is growling and forcing you back towards the edge of the ledge.

"Decide quickly," says Tregaurd. "He looks hungry."

The valley path is filled with snowdrifts and as you push forward you find the snow spilling over your snowshoes. Once or twice you feel the ice below shifting as you step onto solid-looking surfaces but moving carefully with your snowshoes you manage to make your way to the easier path beyond the valley.

You climb up above the snowy valley, across bare rock jutting through the ice. At the top of the rise you pause..

A hideous snarling sounds behind you.

A large polar bear is growling, forcing you back towards the edge of the ledge. It leaps towards you...

...and rips the sack from your back. As you hurry away Treguard whispers: "You may not like the smell - but some regard two-week old whale blubber as quite a delicacy!"

The valley path is filled with ever deeper snowdrifts and as you push forward you find the snow reaches to your knees. The heavy sack makes you sink deeper in.

As you step boldly forward onto a frozen slab it gives way beneath you and the freezing snows close over your head.....

"Oh dear," says Treguard. "Now you know how a frozen beefburger feels!"

You trip over the heavy snowshoes you are wearing as the bear pounces on you. You have a last impression of its mighty jaws, gaping wide....

"Oh dear," mutters Treguard. "Still never mind: think of it as doing your bit to preserve an endangered species."

You are temporarily refreshed, but the icy wind blows you harder from the north. Your fingers and toes go numb and your vision blurs. The icy cold extends its reach into your very lungs. It seems that you can go no further.

What do you do?

Summoning your last reserves, you push forward and suddenly the blizzard falters. Ahead of you is, miraculously revealed, the ice palace of the sorceress! Its crystal walls, carved from ice tower hundreds of feet into the air. Within, lie the captive - and the enemy!

A desperate final effort propels you to the entrance.

The spell conjures a glowing ball of red light. You step through it and an invigorating rush of warmth floods your limbs and seems to cause the blizzard to falter for a moment. Ahead of you is suddenly revealed the ice palace of the sorceress! Its walls, carved from ice, tower hundreds of feet into the air. Within, lie the captive - and the enemy

You make for the entrance.

Inside the palace, a great hall of ice stretches out before you. At the far end Aesandre stands on a high platform beneath a glittering ice-chandelier. Beside her, frozen in a block of ice is Sidriss.

"So," cries Aesandre, "That old fool Hordriss thinks he can outwit me by sending a young fool in his place. Absurd!"

She raises her hands above her head: she is casting a spell! Do you:

Tregaurd whispers in your ear: "You used your only spell outside. Do you think you can cheat the Quest?"

A bolt of magic force strikes you as you stand there dithering and blackness falls around you.

"And thus fail all who try to cheat their fate." Tregaurd adds. "Be off with you!"

Inside the palace, a great hall of ice stretches out before you. At the far end Aesandre stands on a high platform beneath a glittering ice-chandelier. Beside her, frozen in a block of ice is Sidriss.

"So," cries Aesandre, "that old fool thinks he can outwit me by sending a young fool in his place. Absurd!"

And she raises her hands above her head to cast a spell at you. What do you do?

But before you can manage a single step a bolt of mystic energy flies from Aesandre's fingertips and strikes you full upon the chest. You feel a strange tingling spread through your body...

In this arctic wasteland you cannot survive long without food. Sheltering in a frozen ice-cave you come across a ragged hermit.

"I have food - but share it only with the wise," he says. "You may eat of my bread but only if you can answer me this: The North people believe in a hammer-god.

Which day is his?"

Invoking the spell conjures a ball of red light to form in your right hand. It pulses with warmth as you look up and try to identify a target upon which to use it.

Do you aim for the:

The red sphere flies straight and true towards the evil figure of your enemy.. She deftly bats it aside, causing it to crash out through the ice wall. With a malicious grin she unleashes her own spell which strikes you full in the chest. You feel a strange tingling spread through your body...

You look down at yourself. You seem to be wearing an ill-fitting dinner jacket and baggy trousers. Then you notice that your nose seems to have got longer your arms shorter and the floor closer.

Yes, you have been turned into a PENGUIN!

"Oh dear," says Treguard. "I hope you like fish dinners...."

Your heat spell flies off above the sorceress' head but misses the chandelier. It strikes the ceiling and for a moment there is silence. Then the great sheets of ice above your head shiver and crack. You hurry for the door but before you can reach safety...

CRRRRRRRASSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!

"Well," says Treguard, "that certainly brought the house down!"

The Sorceress blinks with surprise as the ball of HEAT flashes past her. She turns with alarm as the block the ice containing Sidriss shatters, exploding under pressure from within. The heat ball turns upon Aesandre and she abandons her attack on you to raise a hasty defence.

For a few moments you watch anxiously as the fight rages at the far end of the hall. But then the floor there melts, and with a hideous curse Aesandre sinks from view.

Sidriss conjures the ice to reform and runs towards you.

"At last one of my spells has worked! Now we must hurry from here. I doubt my magic will hold her long. Spellcasting: H.O.M.E........."

In the merest instant you are returned to Castle Knightmare. Hordriss is reunited with his daughter.

"Foolish one to risk the perils of the Ice Palace," he chides her.

"Well Done, brave traveller," says Treguard. "You have proven worthy and have achieved your Quest. You may now count yourself among the Knights of Knightmare Castle."

Written by Mike Cule. "Knightmare" is a Broadsword Production for Anglia TV

Digitext would like to thank castleteletext.com for permission in allowing this on here

Credits

Story written by Mike Cule

Original Teletext artwork by Mr Biffo

Thanks to Al for archiving the original Teletext pages. ROBOTFUZZ

Thanks to Mark from ‘Fighting Fantasy (and other gamebooks)’ for mapping it out FFAOGB

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BBC cancels MasterChef Christmas specials following Gregg Wallace allegations 301

Palestinians will take control of Gaza after war says ambassador 302

‘Total regional war’ a risk without end to Gaza fighting – Qatar 303

Twelve people killed overnight by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon 304

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BBC cancels MasterChef Christmas specials following Gregg Wallace allegations

The BBC has pulled two MasterChef Christmas specials from its schedule after its presenter Gregg Wallace was accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

More women have spoken out about their experiences working with him, but MasterChef The Professionals is still airing as planned.

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Palestinians will take control of Gaza after war says ambassador

Palestinian officials say Hamas and Fatah are getting close to an agreement to appoint a committee of technocrats to run Gaza after the war.

A deal between the rival factions would effectively end Hamas’ rule and could help ceasefire talks with Israel.

We discussed this further with Ambassador Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, and a senior member of Fatah.

Matt Frei: These talks, how far have they got so far? How far will they go? Are they at all realistic? Because you’re kind of your foes, right? Fatah and Hamas are foes.

Husam Zomlot: Well, these talks are not about Fatah and Hamas. These talks are about the Palestinian people, these talks about ending the genocide in Gaza. These talks are about giving a way forward. So it is indeed a positive development. And the idea is that the Palestinian state, represented by the PLO, despite the Netanyahu veto over this, would entrust a technocratic committee made of professionals that will provide for our people and, you know, the catastrophic situation, the unprecedented human suffering. So at least we pass this hurdle of who takes over in Gaza. Only Palestinians will take over in Gaza, and the Palestinians have addresses and national legitimacy.

Matt Frei: So no more bad blood between Hamas and Fatah?

Husam Zomlot: This is not about, this is about…

Matt Frei: As you said, it’s not about the two of you. But you’ve got to get on with each other?

Husam Zomlot: There is blood here, which is our people’s blood being spilled on a military basis, our children, our women, our families. And this is what we need to stop. So this is not about political rivalries or political reconciliation. This is about providing a way forward. This is about telling everybody that Palestinians will only be governed by Palestinians, that Gaza is an integral part of the state of Palestine, that the West Bank and Gaza is one territorial entity and there is one political system. And all other plans are not accepted.

Matt Frei: But can this committee of technocrats actually run the Gaza Strip or what’s left of it after this?

Husam Zomlot: Well, with the help of everybody, yes.

Matt Frei: Including the Israelis?

Husam Zomlot: And with removing Israeli vetoes over…Netanyahu has made it very clear he doesn’t want the Palestinian government to return to Gaza because simply he doesn’t want the Palestinian state to emerge again. He does not want to unify Palestinian occupied territory and people nor give legitimacy to the political system. Nonetheless, the legitimacy of the Palestinian national institutions come only from the Palestinian people, not Netanyahu. That’s the only legitimate entity that will have to be in charge of our people everywhere. And the only thing that can happen on the day after stopping Israel’s genocide – is the Palestinian national institutions taking care of our people.

Matt Frei: And this is also what the Saudis have been saying very openly, what we just heard from the Qatari foreign ministry. This is what the rest of the Arab world wants. This is what much of Europe wants. But what about the United States under Donald Trump? You have Mike Huckabee, a new ambassador to Israel from the United States who doesn’t even believe Palestinians exist. He doesn’t go to the West Bank. He calls it Judea and Samaria.

Husam Zomlot: Well, we will have to tell them that, ‘hello, we exist.’ And not only do we exist now, we have existed for millennia.

Matt Frei: But is he going to listen? And will Trump tell him to listen?

• Husam Zomlot: We will make him listen. We are the cradle of civilisations. We are the birthplace of Christianity, a vivid rooted nation. But this is not just about one nominee. President Trump-elect, during the election campaign, promised that he wants to stop the killings and the carnage, and he wants to bring peace to the Middle East. We take that to heart.

Matt Frei: So you think it could be good news for your cause?

Husam Zomlot: Well, we want it to be good news. I don’t know if it could or not, but we want it to be good news. And we want to make sure that any opportunity is tapped. And we…the one most important priority right now is to stop the killing, is to stop the mass murder, mass destruction against our people, and then to start the journey of healing and rebuilding. And from there we move to our political horizon.

Matt Frei: One of the priorities for Mr. Trump, the president-elect, is to get the hostages released. He wants them released before he takes office, presumably because he doesn’t want to deal with it when he’s in office. So can you persuade Hamas to get those hostages released? As a gesture of goodwill.

Husam Zomlot: There is a UN Security Council resolution that was tabled by the US, actually, by the US administration in May – 2735. And that UN Security Council resolution includes all the stages, includes all the steps, including the release of all hostages. So we need to implement that UN Security Council resolution, so President Trump, when he starts in his second term, he will have a ready formula to actually implement.

Matt Frei: And if he gets that, if those hostages are released, he can then build on something more positive, you hope?

Husam Zomlot: Yes, indeed. Not only we hope – we want to see him and the rest of the international community learning the lesson of the last awful 14 months, which is we have got to visit the root cause of all this. We have got to uproot the cause of this, which is occupation and colonisation, besiegement and apartheid and all this system of supremacy. This is about time that we end it once and for all and actually establish an independent, sovereign state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.

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‘Total regional war’ a risk without end to Gaza fighting – Qatar

The Emir of Qatar is embarking on a two day state visit to the UK.

Investment and trade aren’t the only topics on the table.

How to address the dangerous escalation in hostilities in the Middle East is also on the agenda.

We spoke about all this with Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Dr Majed al-Ansari in Doha.

Matt Frei: Does Qatar still believe Britain is an attractive place to invest in?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: Well, I don’t want to sound like the British commerce minister, but I can tell you very clearly that we have great confidence in the great British economy. All through the difficult times and in your history and the world’s history, investments in the UK have been very stable. They have a great return on investment. And the great thing I think about Britain is that you always keep calm and carry on, even economically.

Matt Frei:  I’m not sure the people here are quite as convinced of that as you are. Let’s turn to other matters in the Middle East. You’ve built up a reputation for being the go-betweens in some very, very tricky situations and indeed we will speak about Gaza and Israel in a minute. But first of all, on Syria. How worried are you by developments in Syria just in recent days?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: Yes, of course. We are always afraid that the situation in Syria is not stable and not sustainable. And what has happened in the last couple of days has proven this very clearly, that the sustainability of the frozen conflict in Syria is a mirage that we shouldn’t be complacent with.

Matt Frei: Is the Assad regime supported by Russia and Iran the best guarantee, in your mind, for keeping Syria sort of in one piece?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: Not at all. We have always said that the regime has committed atrocities that cannot be forgiven. And this is why we have this confrontation today. It’s because the regime has failed utterly in creating a situation of stability in Syria, even to the minimum extent.

Matt Frei: Is it possible that Qatar could host some kind of mediation or peace talks, for the future of Syria?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: The Qatari position since the beginning of the war has been very clear in condemning the regime. We have not normalised relations with the regime, and therefore we know that the regime wouldn’t look favourably to Qatar as a mediator. That said, we are ready to jump in at any time.

Matt Frei: As I said earlier, your country has developed a bit of a successful side hustle as mediators and negotiators in some very, very difficult situations, including Venezuela, Russia and then, of course, Hamas, Israel and Gaza. But those talks between Hamas and Israel have failed. And I just wonder whether you can tell me from a Qatari perspective why they failed?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: Well, first of all, let me tell you very clearly that mediation for Qatar is not a side hustle. If you look at our constitution, it’s the only constitution in the world that states that mediation is the main tool of our foreign policy. We believe in it, it is in our DNA, and we have been since April re-assessing our role as mediator between Hamas and Israel because we were convinced that there was not enough seriousness on both sides. When there was a deal on the table, when there was language that was supposedly acceptable to both sides, a deal did not materialise because one side decided to sabotage the talks. And as I said, we will not be political punching bags for those who want to use the mediation as a way just of, you know, pacifying its own people.

Matt Frei: And that must have been very painful for you, to invest all that time and that energy and also your reputation, and then end up with very little at the end of it.

Dr Majed al-Ansari: For months since the 7th of October, the team did not take any even day or hour off. I know that one of our negotiators spent ten hours on one phone call, attempting to deliver one of the hostages during the pause in November. But we have to remember that the only success in the mediation has happened throughout this mediation in November, and it helped release a number of 109 hostages and hundreds of prisoners from the Palestinian side. And we have seen that only seven days have come as a result of this mediation.

Matt Frei: Beyond the talks, where do you see the future of this particular problem in the Middle East, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? And do you think that the arrival of President Trump on the 20th of January in the White House will make a significant difference to this?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: Now when it comes to the future of the Palestinian issue, we have always said very clearly that unless the Palestinian issue is addressed in its entirety and in a holistic approach, there will be no end to the cycles of violence in the region. This is what we said when there were several attempts to sideline the Palestinian issue. Obviously, I would say that we have to give this administration the benefit of the doubt. We hope that there will be engagement and through engagement with players like Qatar, they would see things pragmatically and as they are. But we have worked very positively with the consecutive administrations, including the first Trump administration, over the issues of the region. And we’re hoping to continue this.

Matt Frei: There are so many different fuses lying around the world, and the world is really a big powder keg at the moment. Which fuse worries you the most?

Dr Majed al-Ansari: I think the main concern is for the escalation in the region to become total war, total regional war. And you have seen that almost happened with the escalation between Iran and Israel. Through mediation of countries like Qatar and exchanging messages, we were able to downplay that threat. But that threat always remains if the war in Gaza doesn’t end. If the situation in Lebanon is not pacified, we will end with total regional conflict, which is something none of us in the region can have and will have repercussions on the world as a whole.

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Twelve people killed overnight by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon

We have the latest on the situation in Lebanon.