Before and after: Alex Dymoke embarks on a transformation October 8, 2013 I’M NOT sure I have any muscles on my abdomen. I’ve certainly never seen any and it strikes me as an arrogant leap of faith to assume they exist. From the outside you wouldn’t be able to guess I’m so out of shape. At 6ft 1, I look quite skinny if I wear the right [...]
Review: the new BMW 4 Series October 7, 2013 Whatever you think about the name change, this new coupé is fast, fun and excellent value for money I used to love Opal Fruits as a kid. I would dance about the lounge with a mouthful of them, humming the theme tune to the advert. Then, in 1998, they changed the name to Starburst and [...]
Not convinced? October 7, 2013 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… AUDI S5 PRICE: £59,350 0-62MPH: 4.5 secs TOP SPEED: 155mph CO2 G/KM: 149g/km MPG COMBINED: 49.6mpg The VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Four Stars PRACTICALITY Four Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Four Stars MERCEDES C-CLASS COUPE PRICE: £38,315 0-62MPH: 6 secs TOP SPEED: 140mph CO2 G/KM: 164g/km MPG COMBINED: 40mpg The VERDICT: DESIGN Three Stars PERFORMANCE [...]
Time to play CATCH-UP* October 7, 2013 *THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS THE days of “event-TV” – when everyone in the office would crowd around the water-cooler to discuss what was on the night before – have been diluted by the advent of box-sets and on-demand viewing. Breaking Bad was an exception; it’s been difficult to find anyone who hasn’t been [...]
A rip-roaring adaptation of a Scandinavian classic October 6, 2013 THEATRE GHOSTS Almeida Theatre | By Alex Dymoke Four Stars THE PUBLICATION of Ibsen’s Ghosts in 1881 was met with total silence. The play was so at odds with the conventional morality that Norwegian critics dared not even raise their voices to condemn it. The British press were not so shy. A column in a [...]
Fringe production of Vietnam play is a moderate success October 6, 2013 THEATRE PVT WARS The Space | By Daniel O’Mahony Three Stars STAGED IN a cleverly converted church on the Isle of Dogs, this production from The Barebones Project is about Vietnam veterans; at least, you’re assured it is. Adorning the walls of the theatre are pictures from the conflict, and over the PA plays Hendrix’s [...]
Another striking play in The Shed at The National October 6, 2013 THEATRE THE WORLD OF EXTREME HAPPINESS The Shed | By Xenobe Purvis Three Stars A MAN describes the taste of pigeon excrement, his wife gives birth, praying with every eye-popping push that her child will be a son, and a newly-born daughter is thrown to the slop bucket, all within the space of ten minutes. [...]
You don’t need snow to have fun in Haute Savoie October 6, 2013 Savoie Mont Blanc in France is famous for its winter sports but it’s worth checking out all year FOR winter skiing in Haute Savoie, it always pays to put in a little training. Off-season trips, it turns out, require some preparation too: increase wine consumption in the weeks preceding; swap to elasticated trousers to allow [...]
Filthy, dirty and great fun October 3, 2013 FILM FILTH Cert 18 | By Steve Dinneen Three Stars Adaptations of Irvine Welsh novels, like Irvine Welsh novels, have gone downhill since Trainspotting. The Acid House (1998) had a flawed, lunatic charm but Ecstasy (2011) was little more than an anemic homage to Danny Boyle’s more famous Edinburgh romp. Filth – based on a [...]
Where to Drink: A new opening from the owners of Bodo’s and a slice of Indian chic in the middle of Mayfair October 3, 2013 SEPTEMBER witnessed a number of high-end clubs and bars launching across London and the Westbury Hotel has bragging rights to one such venue. No 41 is nestled underneath the newly Michelin-awarded Brasserie Chavot and accessed through a street-side entrance. The nightclub is a plush amalgam of self-aware opulence, with a design scheme replete with grand [...]