Harry and Meghan’s Spotify deal ends after Duchess hosts just one series of her podcast June 16, 2023 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s deal with Spotify has ended following a mutual agreement between the royals and the streaming giant. The parting of the ways was confirmed by a joint statement from Archewell Audio, the couple’s content creation label, and Spotify. Meghan hosted only one series as part of the deal – the [...]
Tudor’s new Jura Mountains facility places it at the bleeding edge of watchmaking June 16, 2023 There’s a valley in the Swiss Jura mountains, bordering France, fondly known as ‘Watch Valley’. At the easternmost end you’ll find the gridded Art Nouveau streets of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Europe’s highest city and home to Breitling, Girard-Perregaux, Cartier et al. Drive southwest to equally sleepy Le Locle at the other end and you’ll find Zenith, [...]
Roger Smith pocket watch smashes record at auction June 15, 2023 It may look like a Patek Philippe from the 19th century, but ‘Pocket Watch No.2′ was made between 1992 and 1997 – not by a Swiss atelier, but at the hands of Roger Smith, a Bolton lad, in his parents’ garage. Sold in 2004 to a US collector to fund Roger Smith’s commercial venture on [...]
The XX factor: New military-inspired watches from Breguet June 15, 2023 After five years, Breguet has finally relaunched its iconic pilot’s watch, the Type 20/XX, sure to instantly reopen connoisseurs’ wallets. Two new versions – the military-inspired ‘20’, and a dapper ‘XX’ more suited to civvy street – are each powered by a brand-new flyback chronograph movement, which Breguet has been working on for the past [...]
It’s no John Wick, but Extraction 2 still delivers where Extraction 2 counts – in thrills, kills and chills June 15, 2023 Action movie Extraction was a bold gamble for Netflix, which reportedly spent big on what they hoped would be their first big movie franchise. But while it boasted huge viewing figures, it’s not exactly talked about in the same breath as John Wick. Nevertheless, Chris Hemsworth is back as Tyler Rake in Extraction 2. He [...]
The Flash is a fantastic blockbuster and closure to DC Universe June 15, 2023 In the spirit of the film’s theme, here’s a very quick explainer of The Flash’s offscreen origins. Producer James Gunn was recently brought in to oversee a complete reboot of the DC Universe films using The Flash’s Multiverse time travel plot to essentially start from scratch. This turning point has been hampered by star Ezra [...]
Why Royal Ascot should never lose its dress code June 15, 2023 Royal Ascot is encouraging attendees to “look beyond the rules” for fashion inspiration this year – but Eliot Wilson thinks a dress code fuels creativity Royal Ascot is one of the greatest glories of the Season. It is the event which has it all: royalty, tradition, glamour, fashion, money (won and lost) and the centre [...]
Royal Ascot runner goes Thunder the hammer June 14, 2023 Tom Marriott speaks to Jack Davison ahead of today’s ThoroughBid online auction of Royal Ascot runner Thunderbear. WALKING into the parade ring, or maybe even the winners’ enclosure, at Royal Ascot, with a horse running in your colours… the stuff that dreams are made of. At 3:05pm next Saturday, Thunderbear will line up in the [...]
Where to celebrate English Wine Week in London, from tours to tastings June 14, 2023 As a UK-based wine lover, one of the most important weeks is nearly upon us: English Wine Week. England has always been one of the most important wine markets in the world, flooded with wines from every grape growing country, but 17-25 June is the time for our own produce to shine. At the recent [...]
Schofield affair ‘deeply inappropriate’ but ITV boss tells MPs there was no evidence June 14, 2023 Phillip Schofield’s affair with a young male colleague on This Morning was “deeply inappropriate”, the ITV chief executive has told MPs. Dame Carolyn McCall faced questions from MPs about Schofield’s exit during Wednesday morning’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee session in Parliament. She said the “imbalance of power… dynamics” made the relationship “deeply inappropriate”, and [...]