Those in the know about real “Celtic noir” (Letters, 18 January) have been watching Y Gwyll/Hinterland on S4C and BBC 1 Wales. Beats me why the BBC did not mainstream this superb series.
John Box
Ironbridge, Shropshire
• What a shame Alec Luhn did not mention one of the most popular exports to Russia (Report, 18 January). Brewers in the UK have been exporting Imperial Russian Stout for years to Moscow. It is a brew that is increasingly popular here, especially as a winter beer as it is typically strong, from 7% to as high as 9% abv.
Alan Craw
Chesterfield
• I recall using this public toilet and seeing the goldfish apparently happy in their environment (Letters, 20 January). Perhaps the regular flow of humans kept them from getting bored. Because of its position in High Holborn and the fact that it was always well maintained, it was known among the regular users in the London cab trade as the Incontinental. Happy days.
Louis Staal
London
• Agree with your Edinburgh correspondent (Letters, 18 January) that Good Friday is “gardeners’ holiday”, but I still follow my father’s custom to plant early potatoes on 21 March to start digging crop on 21 June; except he planted “May queen” variety while I plant “foremost”. So this Anglican quite happy with fixed Easter.
Lionel Jones
Cam, Gloucestershire
• Loved Arachne’s anagram for “fit Etonians” (Cryptic crossword no 26,784, 19 January). “Infestation” was harrowing, very harrowing.
Richard Benefer
Leek, Staffordshire
• John Dee, “scholar, courtier or magician” … or spy (Report, 18 January)? Dee is said to have indicated that letters to the queen were “for your eyes only” with a sort of Tudor emoticon consisting of two zeros hooded by an elongated seven to form an 007 moniker.
Austen Lynch
Garstang, Lancashire
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