As part of our production of 'Every Brilliant Thing' which ran from August 31st to September 7th 2024, we asked the Criterion community to get engaged and send us your own brilliant things.
And you did! In fact, we had some 400 list entries submitted. You may have been lucky enough to have had yours read out by the narrator during one of the seven performances.
We thought it would be another very brilliant thing to be able to share these with you all so, here is the complete list, compiled diligently by one of our Heads of Props, Erica Young. This comprises the items in the script and said either by the narrator or by the audience, and also the items generated by cast, crew and audience.
There are roughly 500 items on the list, so actually only 0.05% of the million brilliant things that were talked about.
We hope that they fill you with joy.
With much love,
The Creative Team of 'Every Brilliant Thing'.
Key: Bold text: taken from the script
1 Ice cream
2 Water fights
3 Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV
4 The colour yellow
5 Things with stripes
6 Roller coasters
7 People falling over
8 Juice
9 Orange Club biscuits
10 Kind old people who aren't weird and don't smell unusual
11 Bed
12 Climbing trees
13 The raspberries you eat when you're meant to be picking them for jam
14 Eating peas from the pod
15 building with Lego
16 Getting the giggles
17 The Clangers
18 Watching Jim'll Fix It
19 That eight-week school summer holiday we used to have
20 Roller skating
21 Having a Chopper bike
22 Having the Action Man with the parachute
23 Bagpuss
24 Spaghetti Bolognese
25 Wearing a cape
26 Peeing in the sea and nobody knows?
27 Building sandcastles
28 Playing conkers
29 Playing with a Slinky on the stairs
31 Bird song
45 Hugging
180 Scoring a treble treble twenty at darts
201 Hammocks
210 The pleasure of a table full of guests falling silent as they enjoy eating the food you have prepared for them
313 Having a piano in the kitchen
314 The way Ray Charles sings the word ‘you’
315 The smell of old books
316 John McEnroe
317 The even numbered Star Trek films
318 Burning things
319 Laughing so hard you shoot milk out of your nose
320 Making up after an argument
324 Nina Simone's voice
341 Alcohol
342 Looking at clouds across a landscape and knowing that the formations you see will never be seen again
343 Archbishop Desmond Tutu
427 Golden runny yolks when cracking a boiled egg
428 Being born in God's own county (Yorkshire)
429 A fantastic sneeze
516 Winning something
517 Knowing someone well enough to get them to check your teeth for broccoli.
518 When idioms coincide with real life occurrences, for instance: waking up, realising something and simultaneously smelling coffee
521 The word ‘plinth’
522 Being able to say ‘I was there’ about Live Aid
523 Witnessing an eclipse
524 Making the first footprints on a sandy beach after the tide goes out
525 The ‘play with songs’, ‘Midsummer’
575 Piglets
577 Tea and biscuits
654 Marlon Brando
715 Honey
716 Standing at the edge of a cliff and worrying everyone, when you know that you won't fall
717 Growing the tallest sunflower
718 Dippy eggs and soldiers
719 Bubble bath
720 Going to the fun fair
721 Making someone smile
722 Someone making you smile
723 Wearing only a sarong, day in, day out
724 Travelling down the Mekong
725 Finishing the Daily Telegraph crossword in a personal best time
727 ‘Hi ho silver lining’ playing at the end of the disco and all dancing the silly dance
728 Going so high on a swing that it feels like you might go right over the top
729 Eating mango in the bath
730 The first snowdrop of spring
731 A hot drink after a cold swim
732 Gin and tonic (artisan, small batch gin, obviously, darling)
733 The first swallow of summer
734 A baby holding your finger
735 Successfully changing a new-fangled nappy
736 A kebab on Earlsdon Street, when there was salad waiting at home
737 Pistachio ice cream
738 Trees
739 Fresh figs
740 Listening to Mozart’s clarinet concerto
741 Curling up in front of an open fire
742 Picking tomatoes and eating them fresh from the vine
743 The smell of freshly cut hay
744 Anticipating what someone else needs and handing it to them almost before they know that they need it
745 Having a long, long hug, and holding each other while the world seems to stand still
746 Throwing a double six
747 The sound of a skylark singing
748 Watching a skylark do a vertical take-off and then hover high up
749 When a child proudly shows off a missing tooth in a gappy grin
750 Seeing someone achieving the success that they have worked for and deserve
751 The satisfying squelch of your boots on a muddy walk
752 Marvelling that a bumble bee can fly
753 Puffins
754 Ice cold beer drunk outside in the sunshine on a hot day
755 Finishing a long mountain walk and enjoying a sit down and a pint of bitter
756 Watching shaggy Highland cattle cool off by paddling in a loch
757 Children growing their imaginations by playing make believe games
758 Throwing off the shackles of adulthood and acting like a child again
759 Shamelessly enjoying the children's sweets at a wedding reception and gleefully filling a paper bag with all your favourites
760 Inviting someone to tell you their story and delighting in learning more about them
761 Deciding you’re not too old to climb trees
762 Someone remembering, and using, your name
763 Rainbows, especially when you can see both ends
764 Kittens playing, and then crashing out and sleeping
765 Oak trees that are older than anyone now alive
766 Wearing your favourite pair of jeans
767 Seeing the Northern Lights
768 Eating cold baked beans straight from the tin
769 Kissing under the mistletoe
770 The weight of a sleeping child on your lap
771 Watching fabulous theatre that makes you think and question things
772 The Archers omnibus on catch up
773 A nice pint and a fag … mmm….
774 Proper Yorkshire pudding cooked in beef dripping
775 A bacon sandwich cooked outside on a Primus stove
776 Climbing into bed between freshly laundered sheets
777 A field of sunflowers all facing the sun
778 When that seed comes up and you grow your own flowers
779 Being present for the birth of a child
780 Time away on holiday with your family
781 Freshly baked bread
782 A really good slide
783 A warm day when you can leave the house in shorts and T-shirt
784 Breaking in a brand-new notebook
785 Dancing with someone you love
786 Going to the coast and breathing in and out to the rhythm of the waves
787 Opening the dishwasher, to find that someone else has already put it all away
788 Giving someone a present that is so perfect that it makes them cry
789 Discovering that ‘orchestra’ is an anagram of ‘carthorse’
790 That quiet time, late evening, when you put the world to rights over a session in the hot tub
791 Looking for something you have lost, and not finding that, but finding something else that you had also lost
792 A really cold glass of Sauvignon blanc
793 The love and friendship of our family at the Criterion Theatre
794 Knowing that you have friends who have your back
795 Love, gratitude, laughter, sleep, education, family, friends, health, hugs, purpose, positivity, joy and love
796 Being with people whom you share a passion with
797 Hopeful shoots growing from the stump of the felled Sycamore Gap tree
798 A BBQ with Uncle Neil
799 Hysterically laughing with someone and you keep trying to stop, then one of you starts laughing again and sets it back off
823 Skinny dipping
824 Knowing that there's a spare loo roll to hand
992 Knowing to jangle keys at the wildlife park if you want the otters to come out
993 Having dessert as a main course
994 Hairdressers who listen to what you want
995 Bubble wrap
996 Really good oranges
997 Cycling downhill
998 Aromatic duck pancakes with Hoisin sauce
999 Sunlight
1000 When someone lends you books
1001 When someone actually reads the books you give them
1002 When you learn something about someone that surprises you but which makes complete sense
1003 Realising that for the first time in your life someone is occupying your every waking thought, making it hard to eat or sleep or concentrate, and that they feel familiar to you even though they're brand new
1004 Finding an opportunity to say this in a way which doesn't involve being in the same room at the same time, as we're both shy and terrified of rejection and if I don't say something now, it'll never happen
1005 Writing about yourself in the Third Person
1006 Surprises
1007 The fact that sometimes there is a perfect song to match how you're feeling
1008 Dancing in private
1009 Dancing in public, fearlessly
1010 Reading something which articulates exactly how you feel but lacked the words to express yourself
1092 Conversation
1150 A small jewel like flower that shines beyond its size
1151 Variegated shades of dappled green filtering sunlight through the undersides of sycamores
1152 Henry Cavill
1153 A cold bedroom and a warm bed
1154 The first coffee of the day
1155 A good, squishy stress ball
1156 My other half
1157 My mum’s perfume
1158 Being transported by music to another age
1159 The freedom and joy of cycling naked
1160 Peeling off a sheet of wallpaper in one intact piece
1161 Getting back to the team you had to leave behind and missed so much. Bliss
1201 A real fire
1202 Wearing your favourite jeans
1203 A Sunday morning swim in the river Avon with good friends
1204 Dolphins riding the bow wave of your boat
1205 The sound of a baby's laugh
1206 A dram of single malt whisky - Scottish of course
1427 Not worrying about how much money you're spending on holiday because all international currency looks like Monopoly money
1654 Christopher Walken's voice
1655 Christopher Walken's hair
1857 Planning a declaration of love
2000 Coffee
2001 Films that are better than the books they’re adapted from
2002 Seeing someone make it onto the train just as the doors are closing, making eye-contact and sharing in this little victory
2003 This song. Especially the drums on this track. The single ends at around 4 minutes but the album version continues for another 5 minutes and has the most insane drums. In fact...
2004 Any song with an extended drum break involving a full kit, bongos and cowbell, have you heard ‘I'm a Man’ by Chicago?
2005 ‘I'm a Man’ by Chicago.
2006 Vinyl records. I'm not being pretentious, the sound quality is better, it isn't compressed and it's tactile, you get to feel the weight of it in your hands. You can't skip like with CDs or MP3s, you listen through to the entire album. Dad’s room had records on every surface and I loved the gatefold sleeves, the artwork, I love reading through the acknowledgments and the sleeve notes, the story of the making of the object.
2007 Scones with jam, and then clotted cream on top
2008 Seeing a flash of blue by a river and realising that it's a kingfisher
2009 Baked Camembert
2010 My next-door neighbours
2011 When your cat insists on making friends with the person who hates cats
2012 When your dog insists on making friends with the person who hates dogs
2013 Stick insects. Why, God. Why?
2014 Freshly milled black pepper
2015 Finding a new author to enjoy and realising how many books they have written
2016 Finding a use for a scrappy bit of paper
2017 Islands small enough to walk right round
2018 Still enjoying The Lord of the Rings however many times you've read it already
2019 The infinite number of shades of green in an English wood
2304 Receiving your first Valentine's card
2389 Badgers
2390 People who can't sing but either don't know or don't care
3100 Shared memories
3101 Making friends with someone you didn't take to on first meeting
3102 The smell of freshly laid tarmac
3103 Your first bike for Christmas
3104 Getting to call someone to tell them ‘You got the job!’
3105 Fluffy puppies
3106 Sausages. You can eat them hot or cold and they are great for breakfast, lunch or an evening meal
3107 Holding hands
3108 Tracing a raindrop down the car window
3109 Butter melting into an English muffin
3110 When someone says they’re proud of you
3111 A pair of comfy shoes that also look good
3112 A Santorini sunset
3113 A baby wrapping their hand round your finger
3114 Finding a ladybird on you
3115 Staring into a painting and losing yourself in it
3116 Tom Daley’s abs.
3117 Keeping your child’s first artwork for ever
3118 The skin on a baked rice pudding
3119 Learning that the collective noun for otters is a ‘romp of otters’
3120 That teacher, who believed in you and helped you to believe in yourself
3121 A friend that you can pick up with where you left off, even if you haven’t seen them for years and years
3122 Petrichor
3123 Being the only people on a beach
3124 Finding out whodunnit
3125 Black and white mints - the Lancashire sort
3126 Being welcomed when you arrive
3127 Sherbert lemons
3128 Books, books, books, books, BOOKS
3129 Spending time with your dead wife, in your dreams
4217 The smell of a new car
4218 Standing watching and listening to a waterfall
4219 A new book being published by your favourite author
4220 The way Paul Robeson sang ‘Old Man River’
4221 Singing ‘Old Man River’ in the style of Paul Robeson
4222 Your team winning on penalties
4223 Coconut macaroons
4225 The way ink flows from a fountain pen
4224 The pop of a champagne cork
4226 Candlelight
4227 Michael Johnson's voice
4228 Hitting the bullseye
4229 Seeing the pyramids at Giza for the first time
4230 The view from the top of the Empire State Building
4231 Visiting Venice and finding it as amazing as you hoped it would be
4232 Walking in a bluebell wood in the spring
4233 A mug of cocoa on a cold winter's night
4234 Making snow angels
4235 Singing in the rain and throwing a few dance moves
4236 Cheese fondue
4237 Driving in an open topped car and feeling the wind in your hair
4238 The smell of a cigar even though you don't actually smoke
4239 Telling the time with a dandelion clock
4240 The colour pink
4241 Being able to remember that ‘gato’ is Italian for ‘cat,’ by visualising a cat with a cake
4242 Finding a dock leaf when you've had a nettle sting
4997 Gifts you actually want and didn't ask for
4998 Falling asleep as soon as you get on a plane, waking up when you land and feeling like a time- traveller
5001 The NHS - and the medication you need to stay well
5002 The company of friends whilst exploring our glorious country
5003 Being invited to tell your story by someone who then actually listens to what you say
5004 Listening to the rain in the night, when you are warm and cosy
5005 An old friend's wicked laugh echoing down the phone
5006 Friends send you flowers, totally out of the blue
5007 Mmmm Momos, when you have been craving Momos…
5008 A light breeze on a newly shaven head feels amazing
5009 It's amazing when you are told to eat all the things you've spent your life avoiding, because they're fattening and bad for you
5010 Rain when it's humid
5011 The first bite of a freshly baked blueberry muffin
5012 When you discover that your 12-year-old great nephew is possessed of a very active social conscience, has deep wells of love and compassion and is his own true self. There is hope.
5013 Waking naturally, curtains wide open, to the glorious light of a summer day
5014 Lying in bed watching the dawn breaking, bringing a fresh start
5015 Today, right now, at this minute, I feel fine. And that is wonderful.
5016 Watching a squirrel enjoying the very first of the hazelnuts. Do young, unripe nuts taste very different?
5018 Dozing in the garden as her family
5019 Interesting food
5020 Having a bath for the first time in three weeks!
5021 The bliss of waking up to the realisation that today you feel better
5022 An unexpected visit from an old friend, bearing flowers
5023 Steroids make you hungry! Ate lots and enjoyed it
9993 dreams of flying
9994 friendly cats
9995 falling in love
9996 sex
9997 being cooked for
9998 watching someone watching your favourite film
9999 staying up all night talking
10,000 waking up late with someone you love
11000 Spending time with grandchildren
11001 Mum's strawberry crumble and custard - amazing
11002 The smell of roasting coffee beans
11003 Really tangy mature cheddar cheese
11004 English strawberries
11005 Falling asleep the minute after you get into bed
11006 The house lights going down to black at the theatre
11007 A full stomach
11008 The eradication of smallpox
11009 A newly finished painting
11010 A cloudless bright blue sky
11011 The way hearing an old song can take you straight back to a happy childhood moment
11013 Having a lie in
11014 Enjoying a good book
11015 Eczema treatment
11016 The birth of my first grandchild
11017 Drinking from the wrong side of the glass to cure hiccups
11018 Getting every answer right on the game show you're watching
11019 Finding acceptance in your second family
11020 Walking my daughter up the aisle
11021 Tigers coming off the endangered list
11022 The sound of just-hatched chicks welcoming their breakfast delivery
11023 Exploring the rock pools on the beach with my dad, why my mum and sister did boring sunbathing
11024 The first bulbs to poke their heads through the soil after a cold winter, to show you that spring is on the way
11025 A baby’s smile followed by their gorgeous giggles
11026 Waking up before your alarm and realising that you still have another two hours in bed
11027 New shoes
11028 Hitting the top of the wave as it breaks and it taking you 7 feet in the air
11029 The sound of heavy rain on your conservatory roof
11030 The taste of wine
11031 Taking your bra off at the end of a long day
11032 Waking up after a good night's sleep
11033 The Repair Shop TV show
11034 Listening to my happy playlist
11035 Payday
11036 Waking up to sunshine
11037 The sound of the waves and the smell of the sea
11038 Going on holiday
11039 Coventry City scoring at football (rare but brilliant)
11040 Hearing that your friend is cancer free
11041 Listening to my favourite playlist on repeat, for weeks
11042 Finally cracking the plot of something you're writing
11043 Finally memorising lines you've struggled with for weeks
11044 Being on stage with my favourite people
11045 Chest binders
11046 Adopting a teddy bear which otherwise would be homeless
11047 Crunching dry leaves under your feet and they have that perfect CHREOWWWCH noise
11048 Learning that the fault on your car is covered by the warranty
11049 The beginning of a romance, where everything shimmers
12513 Looking at the stars in a really dark sky, and then seeing the stars between the stars
14271 Spotting a chameleon
14272 Snowflakes
20202 Taking a trip with a can of CBD-infused fizzy pop
20203 Feeding the goats at the farm park and the gentle way they take the food out of your hand
33100 Watching a squirrel beat a maze
33101 Getting Wordle in three
33102 Zip wiring nearly a mile in under a minute in Wales
33103 Driving away from home on the first day of a holiday
33104 Singing along to ‘One More Day’ from Les Mis
33105 Listening to the second side of Abbey Road
33106 Joining in with Bohemian Rhapsody at the Criterion’s Christmas party
33107 Lip syncing ‘What an idiot’ with Hermione in the first Harry Potter movie
33108 Watching an otter family playing in the early morning
33109 Hair straighteners
33110 Getting a proper laugh in your Best Man speech
33111 Holding your grandchild for the first time. Anytime, actually
33112 Seeing your granddaughter's reaction when she notices that you've come to visit
33113 Eating an oyster
33114 That moment when Del Boy falls through the bar
33115 French motorways
33116 Fresh croissants
33117 Floating on your back in the sea and enjoying the buoyancy of salt water
33118 Revisiting old friends in the National Gallery
33119 Revisiting favourite pictures in the Musee d’Orsay
33120 Walking alongside the River Seine
33121 Seeing Ben Nevis from the Loch Eil Road
33122 An unexpected but welcome hug
33123 Someone discovering an unexpected royal ancestor on ‘Who do you think you are?’
33124 enjoying the same old plot trajectory on Death in Paradise
33125 Unexpectedly being met at the station and not having to walk home, after all
33126 Seeing your ‘Strictly’ favourite win the glitterball
33127 Walking on newly fallen powder snow
33128 Putting the final piece in a 1000-piece jigsaw
33129 Getting your puppy to come back to you when you call them
33130 Coming home late and finding someone has cooked dinner for you
42351 This chocolate
51000 That feeling of being in a sea of people singing and dancing along to that music or that beat
51001 Having some private space
51002 Clear, frosty weather
51003 Mending something you thought was unmendable
51004 A cuddle after making love
51005 Watching butterflies flit about the garden from flower to flower on a sunny day
51006 Throwing yourself into the mosh pit at a gig where your favourite band are playing
51007 The smell of brewing hops on a damp, foggy November evening in Edinburgh
51008 Sunday roast with all the trimmings, best enjoyed with family
51009 Getting to wear a sarong all day
51010 The sound of children laughing and playing
51011 Forming deep connections with others
51012 My son, and Fenerbahce
51013 Love, in all its forms
51014 Having opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery
51015 Having a secret fag that your significant other doesn't know about
51016 Children's TV shows that are still good - if not better - as an adult
51017 The delightful sound after rain of droplets of water falling from the leaves of trees and the fairy light effect of the raindrops twinkling in the sunshine
51018 Seeing your first seedlings come through in spring
51019 Catching someone's eye when you want to laugh but know you mustn't
51020 A peaceful day's County cricket at Edgbaston
51021 Learning about a burger for the road
51022 Hang Gliding
51023 Finding the perfect translation for a passage in a book you're reading
51024 Getting to spend time in my happy place
51025 When you wake up thinking it's a workday then realise it's Saturday
51026 Learning a new skill
51027 Theatre in the round
51028 Just friendship
91427 A poke of chips with salt and vinegar
123321 Palindromes
253263 The feeling of calm which follows the realisation that, although you may be in a regrettable situation, there's nothing you can do about it
312444 Egyptian cotton bed sheets
312446 Swedish salty liquorice
312447 Brian May's hair
312448 Scampi and chips
312449 Hot smoked salmon
312450 That sense of relief when you thought you were lost, but find your way again
312451 That sensation when a plane takes off
312453 Finding that a poolside sun lounger is free
312454 Partying until the sun comes up
312455 Reading ‘50 Shades of Grey’ on your iPad on the train and nobody knowing what you're reading
312456 Getting the exam grades that you needed
312457 Getting through to the GP on the phone before they run out of appointments
312458 The smell of a sweaty horse
312459 ‘Ghosts’ - the UK version not the US
312460 Visiting Paris
312461 Listening to your cat purring
312462 Marmite
312463 Seeing goldfinches on your bird feeder
312464 The feel of silk on your skin
312465 Oversized T-shirts
312466 Taking your high heels off when you get home after a night out
312467 Saving three match points and going on to win
312468 Plain chocolate Magnum ice creams
312469 Really sharp kitchen knives
312470 ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac
312471 ‘Brothers in Arms’ by Dire Straits
312472 Monet's paintings of Rouen Cathedral
312473 Raindrops on roses
312474 Warm woollen mittens
312475 Schnitzel with noodles
312477 Sunset on a tropical island
312478 The ticking of a grandfather clock
312479 Getting tickets for Glastonbury
312480 The first cup of tea in the morning
312481 Nelson's column
312482 Looking down from the top of the Eiffel Tower
312483 Visiting your grandparents in Blackpool and going to the penny arcade
312484 Straw hats
312485 The full moon
312486 Lying on your back on a beach and looking up at the sky
312487 Orangutans
312488 Silk underwear
312489 Bare feet on wet grass
312490 Putting down your phone and talking face to face
312491 Meeting someone you love at the airport
312492 Looking out across the frozen Arctic Ocean and thinking how beautiful the ice is, and seeing the blue of the glacier, and thinking it doesn't matter if you don't see any polar bears because it's all just so breathtakingly lovely. And then seeing your first wild polar bear
312493 Christmas crackers
312495 ice cold milk
312496 Pepperoni pizza
312497 The way Lou Reed sings ‘Perfect Day’
312498 Chilled rice pudding
312499 Dancing the Gay Gordons down the middle of the street
312500 That intense physical awareness of another person
312501 Greek yoghurt with honey
312502 Getting your book published
312503 Galloping a horse along a beach while singing the Chariots of Fire theme
312504 Flying a kite
312505 Drifting over the English countryside in a hot air balloon
312506 Unexpectedly smelling honeysuckle while walking in the countryside
312507 Candy floss
312509 Snorkelling over a coral garden
312510 The atmosphere at a really big sporting fixture
312511 Learning that someone you care about is going to be OK, after they've been really ill, and you thought they might die
312512 Seeing your best friend fall in love
312513 The smell of freshly cut lavender
312514 Watching a lava lamp
312515 Having a pedicure
312516 Dyeing your hair an outrageous colour
312517 That first bacon buttie when you give up on vegetarianism
312518 Puffins
321123 Cheese and pineapple on sticks
412412 The word punnet
512375 Seeing your parents living their best life in what used to be called retirement
525924 Track seven on every great record
714192 Feeling a baby move inside you
714193 Scallops and black pudding with apple sauce
714194 That sketch with Morecambe and Wise and André Previn
714195 ‘Don't tell him, Pike’
714196 When flowers are delivered, and you have no idea who they are from until you open the card
714197 Homemade butter shortbread
714198 Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, and the wet shirt moment
714199 Landing on Saint Kilda
714200 Flowers blooming in the cracks of a pavement
714201 Watching a lion cub stalk its dad
714202 Unconditional friendship
714203 Penguin chicks
714204 Realising that someone understands what makes you tick
714205 Seeing that a small act of kindness has made a big difference
742137 Recognising that life isn't all about Amazon and that there are still independent sellers with original products
777777 The prospect of dressing up as a Mexican wrestler
999997 The alphabet
999998 Inappropriate songs played at emotional moments
999999 Completing a task
1000000 Listening to a record for the first time. Turning it over in your hands, placing it on the deck and putting the needle down, hearing the faint hiss and crackle of the sharp metal point on the wax before the music begins, then sitting and listening while reading through the sleeve notes