The BLT Episode 17: Sewage, Seals, Self-Satisfied
Maybe it’s all the rain we’ve had this week, but our thoughts have been with all things water and water dwelling.
Any BLT regulars will know our love of animal-based news stories, and in this episode, we managed to include two!
So, get your wet suit on and join us as we take a dive through the stories and easter eggs in this week’s BLT!
Do you have some news that’s perfect for the BLT that we’ve missed? Tell us, and find out more about how we work by getting in contact today!
Can you see the carp for the crap?
UK waterways can’t be much fun for fish at the moment. An interactive map released by Thames Water has revealed the shocking scale of untreated sewage discharges entering our rivers.
At the village of Marsh Gibbon, sewage was discharged for 395 hours (16 days). For more details and reaction, read this article.
Lake visitor does not get seal of approval
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that one seal has found its way to fresher water and made Rochford Reservoir in Essex it’s home. The seal has avoided being captured and has been described as ‘living its best life’, surrounded by expensive and delicious fish. So far, it’s got through £3000 worth.
It’s safe to say that Nick North, who manages the reservoir for Marks Hall Fisheries is not impressed. Find out more about this intrepid, and presumably vey satisfied seal, here.
James Pond strikes again
We love a good visual reference and couldn’t resist adding a callback to everyone’s favourite video game hero and underwater secret agent, James Pond. What we love most is the tagline to James Pond 2, “he's mean, he's green, he's part machine,” none of which is true.
Seaside town sees too much
While the Rochford seal hasn’t won everybody over, Thor the walrus has made a much better impression on the residents of Scarborough. So much so, that they cancelled the fireworks on New Year’s Eve to stop him getting distressed.
As the parent shielding his child’s eyes shows, Scarborians aren’t completely happy with Thor, who has some very public and very intimate habits….
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s BLT! We can’t wait to bring life together next week in another news round-up. We love using visual thinking and visual storytelling to create connected and layered whiteboard animations like this. We’d love to talk to you about how your message could look as a whiteboard animation, contact us today!
A lot can change in 102 years and this BLT delves into some of the odder differences between those innocent days of 1921 and … now.
We all want to feel special. But this week’s news has us wondering if the lines separating humans from animals, and even machines, are increasingly blurring.
From Peru to China to Australia, here are the offbeat news stories that made it into our latest BLT.
As Bob Dylan said, ‘these times, they are a-changing’. This week, we’ve taken a look at the impacts of changes in the publishing climate and the planetary climate.
As Bob Dylan said, ‘these times, they are a-changing’. This week, we’ve taken a look at the impacts of changes in the publishing climate and the planetary climate.
From treasure to tragedy, art to the amoral, we’ve crammed a lot into this week’s BLT. It’s a sandwich Scooby Doo and Shaggy would be proud of.
We are back with more fresh cuts and unlikely combinations that take us from pest control all the way to the potential resurrection of the dodo!
A puzzling week indeed. If our BLT left you bewildered or whet your appetite for more detail about the week's stories, this blog is for you.
Your visual news sandwich is back. This week it includes the Public Order Bill, an increase in Satanism members and energy bills.
Get your wet suit on and join us as we take a dive through through the stories and easter eggs in this weeks BLT!
2023: Back to porridge, back to the commute, back to the gym (if you're so inclined), and back to the BLT.
This week’s BLT reimagines the poster for Apocalypse Now, replacing Colonel Walter Kurtz with a crying dog. To find out how it all connects to the real world, read on.
The news this week has given us plenty to get our teeth into. From cat cameos to magnetic slime, all with unexpected links and crossovers.
Beginning with a moral dilemma, this week’s BLT touches on some ham-related scandals, the future of tattoos, and some of the lesser-known, more bizarre implications of our warming world.
Surprise surprise, animals featured heavily in this week’s BLT: from those caught up to no good to those that help maintain law and order.
Things got heated this week in more than one sense. Let’s unpack some of this week’s news stories and curiosities, plated up and delivered hot off the press in this week’s BLT.
There are a few things certain in this life. The classics include death and taxes, but if this week is anything to go by we can discoveries and consequences.
The BLT often includes animal content, and this episode is no exception, as we weave through the news stories that piqued our interest this week
This week’s episode takes us from old English woods to orbiting satellites as we tune in to the natural world’s response to climate change and create ways to reduce pollution and live more sustainably.
Of course, this week's BLT had to be themed around Glastonbury festival as it kicks off for the first time in 3 years.
Read on for more details about the festival and the other hot topics that made it into the BLT.
It’s been an exciting week for discoveries! Some have brought hope and sadly, some have reminded us of the impact we are having on this marvellous planet we call home. There have been a few losses this week, however.
Our national treasure, Sir David Attenborough has been knighted for the second time! We take a look at some positive climate updates in his honour.
It’s not every week that there is a Platinum Jubilee! We’ve chosen to focus this week’s BLT on Her Majesty, looking into some of the curiosities of the crown.
This week we tackle the virtual and the real, taking you below the sea and back to dry land.
Your weekly sandwich of visual news. This week it features other universes, Elon Music, mutant bacteria, pink pigeons and much much more.
The BLT combines our passion for visual thinking, the week’s news and our creative team to create a delicious visual treat for your feed every week!
Explainer videos and engaging whiteboard animations, have emerged as powerful tools to convey complex messages with simplicity and creativity. Here, we explore nine innovative ways to integrate explainer animations into your marketing strategy, enhancing your brand's visibility, engagement, and conversion rates.
In the modern workplace, where attention spans are short, and information overload is common, utilizing innovative internal communication strategies is crucial. This article explores creative internal comms ideas, focusing on the power of animated explainer videos and whiteboard animations.
Often the very first books we encounter are picture books, our first introduction to the power of rich visual language. While our books change, the power of this language doesn’t. We’ve reflected on visual language, from picture books to explainer videos and whiteboard animation.
Whether it's making complex ideas feel simple or dry subjects feel engaging, our mission is to democratise knowledge. For over twenty years, we’ve been making this mission a reality, working on whiteboard explainer videos for clients across sectors ranging from education and health to international law and energy.
The best bit of our job is working with clients who have big ideas and complex messages. We’re always ready to make a complicated message feel relatable and understandable or help a visionary get their message out to the masses.
As pioneers of whiteboard animation videos, we’re proud of its ability to make the complex simple and share information far and wide. We want to share its explainer and storytelling superpowers with as many people as possible, but to quote a modern-day classic, ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ That sometimes means saying ‘no’.
In today’s digital era, explainer videos have become indispensable tools for businesses, educators, and creatives to convey complex ideas in a clear and engaging manner. These videos, whether animated or utilizing techniques like whiteboard animation, captivate audiences and simplify intricate concepts.
We see whiteboard animation as a way of democratising knowledge and sharing the ideas that help us all understand and build a better, fairer world. It is packed with educational and visual storytelling tools that allow us to connect with viewers as we make even the biggest ideas accessible and understandable.
What’s the biggest hype narrative you’ve fallen for recently? Drop it below—no judgment. We’ve all bought something at 11 pm thinking it was genius, only to regret it by morning. (Although the Velcro drain unblocker is the shit!)
The Parker Probe isn’t just a shiny example of what humans can achieve when they stop arguing on X for five minutes. It’s also a reminder that big problems—whether they’re cosmic or corporate—need both boldness and a plan.
When we strip away the layers of imposter syndrome, it often boils down to storytelling—about who we are, what we’ve done, and where we’re headed. The narratives we tell ourselves shape our reality, and reframing those stories can unlock a healthier sense of self-worth.
Facebook and Instagram are going “back to their roots” of free expression. Because, clearly, what the internet desperately needed in 2025 was more rucks.
Watching The Traitors is like observing a high-stakes version of a spider weaving its web. Every accusation, every alliance, every teary-eyed confession pulls on the delicate threads of trust until the whole thing collapses in a heap of suspicion.
Ah, New Year’s resolutions. The annual tradition where we collectively trick ourselves into believing we’re only one heroic declaration away from becoming flawless human beings. This year, this will be the year we shed those bad habits like a moulting snake. Right? Wrong!
If you could pin down the essence of truth, could you draw it? That’s the question that lingered in my mind after speaking with Dan Ariely for my RSA Animate documentary—a project allowing me to reconnect with some of the most compelling thinkers of our time.
I have written a lot about failure. It’s something of a fascination for me. I am in a constantly evolving process with failure. When does failure become a success? Are there any true failures or is it just an endless process?
If you’ve spent any time in creative circles, you’ll know that while education has the potential to transform, we’ve been wielding this so-called "weapon" like a blunt instrument for far too long.
No matter where we find ourselves on the spectrum of human experience, creativity can play a vital role in survival, healing, and hope.
AI could revolutionise the NHS by taking on administrative tasks, giving doctors more time to spend with their patients. However, while this sounds like a dream solution, it comes with challenges. With great power comes great potential for, let’s face it, accidental chaos.
So, here’s the reflective takeaway: in a world of endless scrolling and relentless sameness, being bold is essential, but it’s only the first step. Jaguar has smashed the glass case, but now they need to decide what to do with the diamond.
Let’s face it, presenting isn’t just about showing up with slides and stats. It’s a performance. A dance. A chance to make ideas leap off the screen and stick. But how do you know if you’re nailing it? That’s where the Presentation Pulse Check comes in.
The familiar feels safe, even when it’s clearly sinking. Here’s the harsh truth: in a world that moves as fast as a TikTok trend, being slow to adapt is a recipe for stagnation.
Over-complication isn’t just tedious—it’s the nemesis of efficiency. Enter the KISS principle: “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”
Here’s the thing about getting comfortable – it’s the silent killer of real growth, and I am not talking about bottom-line growth – I’m talking about the type of growth that is far more valuable.
Ah, the Inverted Pyramid—It sounds like a tragic prog rock album you might find at a car boot sale, but it’s a concept that’s as intriguing as it is practical.
Sometimes it’s bloody tempting to focus on fighting today’s fires while forgetting the bigger picture, isn’t it?
Affordance is how something shows you what it can do, like a door handle that makes you want to pull the door open or a button that looks like it should be pressed.
Have you ever been in a meeting where you could just feel your team's energy slipping away? Sometimes meetings drag on, and fresh ideas are as rare as a decent cup of tea, well, in the whole of America!
This peculiar proportion, approximately 1.618, has been lurking in the shadows of human creativity for millennia, like a mathematical James Bond, seducing architects, artists, and designers with its promise of perfection.
Have you ever been in a meeting where you could just feel your team's energy slipping away? Sometimes meetings drag on, and fresh ideas are as rare as a decent cup of tea, well, in the whole of America!
Give us the week’s offbeat news stories, and we’ll sum them up in an image, bringing them into the same universe.