Birthday – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Birthday

by Big Dave  

Big Dave’s Telegraph Crossword Blog celebrates its first birthday today!

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One year ago today I set up this blog, with absolutely no idea of where it would be after its first year – from 26 page views on the first full day to 4,500 ~ 5,000 today it has been an incredible journey.

I like to think that the success is due to a combination of having one of the strongest teams of crossword bloggers ever assembled and the emphasis on encouraging solvers of every level to enjoy their solving and to improve their skill rather than just reading the answers.

As ever, my biggest thank you goes to those who set the crosswords found in the Daily and Sunday Telegraph – without you all I would have is a blog for my curry recipes!

37 comments on “Birthday”

  2. Happy Birthday to the ‘Blog BD!. As you say, a testament to the talents and dedication of the reviewers,a big thanks to the setters but most of all a big thanks to you for setting it up!.
    Beers are on – er Hang on!

  4. Happy Birthday, and well done BD! I’ll mark your anniversary tonight with a Lamb Madras, and a glass or three!!

  5. Many happy returns. I’ll raise a virtual glass of something to celebrate a wonderful acheivement. Thanks for all your hard work on keeping things going and keeping us all entertained. Thanks also to Gazza, Libellule, Peter, Tilsit, Anax and Rishi for all their contributions that make the site such a success.

  7. Happy Birthday! Thank you so much for all your efforts which,for a relative newcomer to Daily Telegraph crosswords, have provided much interest,help and enjoyment.Long may it continue!

  8. Happy Birthday from snowy Canada. You have been an inspiration to someone who always seemed to be one clue short of finishing the puzzle.

  11. Happy Birthday! i understand the trials and tribulations of setting up a blog and it was an inspirational moment when you decided to do it. Well done BD and thanks to you and all those of every level, professional and amateur, who make this blog unmissable.

  12. A really Great Big Congratulations to Big Dave on his Anniversary, This site has calmed the savage breast more times than I care to admit !!!
    Here’s to the next twelve months, glug glug

  13. Happy birthday to Dave and the other bloggers, especially those who were new to crossword blogging. It took a while to get a good DT blog but after a couple of false starts we’ve got something that was worth the wait.

  14. Happy birthday for the first day of the sites creation Dave,Gazza, Libellule,etc., and happy birthday tomorrow for the first crossword being solved by what has become the must visit site on the web for Cruciverbolists. Thank you all for your hard work in helping many,many novices like me become ardent fans of the D.T. cryptic crosswords,
    Kram.

  15. Happy birthday to a very happy (most days) blog

    Happy birthday to you
    Oh what would we do
    without you
    to refer to
    Happy birthday to you

    to the tune of happy birthday etc……….

    hip hip etc.

  16. Happy anniversary with many more to come!
    It is a fantastic blog – three cheers to all concerned with it!!

  17. Happy birthday, with many more to come. Congratulations to all involved in making the blog so popular and successful.

  18. Happy first birthday and many congrats to BD and all the bloggers on a superbly run site. You do a great job in keeping the setters up to the mark and enabling us to get feedback!

  19. Happy First Birthday to all – BD, contributors, bloggers and setters. This site is what keeps the sanity going when ripping hair out over the solution to a clue. Thank you for all your hard work and here’s to another year of solving.

  20. Indeed Happy Birthday!

    Having been using the site since graduating last year (and subsequently having more time for crosswords) I would like to say thanks to all those involved, especially Big Dave and the other contributors. Also always good to read the comments from the regular posters – Mary et al.

    The explanations on this site have really helped me improve culminating in my quickest ever finish of the weekday yesterday!

    Anyway, thanks again, Robbo

  21. Congratulations on a special blog. I have been dabbling with the crossword since my dad introduced me in the fifties but never before has it been possible to understand the setter’s mind.

    Do you think the DT might recognise your achievement with a mention. Perhaps one of the setters has had a word in the Crossword Ed’s ear.

  22. Congratulations on the first anniversary of a first-class site BigDave et al.
    The rapid growth in the numbers of daily visitors simply reflects the quality of the information available.
    Best wishes for an even more successful second year. (S)

  23. Warmest congratulations on your first birthday. This is the best crossword blog on the internet by a considerable margin. Keep up the great work.

  25. Happy Birthday, this blog has been absolutely invaluable to me who has only being doing crosswords for a relatively short period of time. Congratulations, keep up the good work

  26. I send my best wishes to Big Dave “from the inside” and here’s to many more of them. I am certainly proud to be part of this terrific team and enjoy helping solvers get as much enjoyment out of puzzles as I have over the years.

    1. Tilsit, many thanks to you for your excellent contributions. The work of you, Big Dave, Gazza, Libellule, Peter, Anax and Rishi is much appreciated by myself and many others. I look forward to many more great blogs from you in the future.

  27. You are a bit like the Queen Dave – two birthdays – maybe today is your official one? the first actual ‘live’ blog – congratulations on your success and thanks particularly to yourself and Gazza who made me most welcome and gave me so much encouragement last June, when I began visiting the site, also to Libellulle who has also frequently helped me out, to Tillsitt (hope u r feeling much better), Peter, Annax & Rishi, without you all, i would still be very much in the dunces corner, thank you all :)

    1. There’s a certain similarity there in that I share my real birthday with the Queen (and Libellule if my memory serves me right) although she is 18 years older than me.

  31. Yes, a slightly belated Happy Birthday from me too. All of the other blogs out there are great but this is the one where we see novice solvers becoming increasingly confident about tackling puzzles, and that is a joy to watch.

    Well done BD on a fantastic achievement.

  32. Thanks so much for the site Dave, the depth of the explanations is superlative and it has been an enormous help to me.

    Hard to imagine now what life for Telegraph solvers must have been like before Big Dave!

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