Ollie Phillips: Improving France will dethrone Six Nations favourites England – and empty stadiums will help Les Bleus February 6, 2021 It’s easy to see why England have been installed as the favourites for the Six Nations, which starts this weekend. But they aren’t my tip. Yes, England are the holders, having prevailed in an interrupted 2020 championship that finally concluded in October. They then won the Autumn Nations Cup, beating France in the process – [...]
WandaVision Episode 5: Huge reveals in biggest episode yet February 5, 2021 ** Warning: This review contains spoilers for the current episode of WandaVision ** Last week’s WandaVision welcomed us back to the real world, where we met the real Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and saw organisation SWORD’s attempts to breach Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) reality. We’ll admit, it wasn’t our favourite, becoming a bit of a familiar [...]
Best of travel: The town made famous by Bruce Springsteen February 5, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. This week we revisit Laura Millar’s trip to the downbeat seaside town in New Jersey made famous by Bruce Springsteen. Read more: Jaguar XF P300 review: revitalised luxury at a surprisingly low price ••• On the boardwalk of [...]
Alistair Brownlee interview: Olympic triathlon champion targeting world’s first sub-seven-hour Ironman and golden hat-trick in Tokyo February 5, 2021 Alistair Brownlee did his first triathlon aged eight and trains three times a day, almost every day. Friday is “easy day”, when he swims and works out in the gym. When he’s not training, he enjoys riding his mountain bike. “I don’t like sitting still,” he says. The reigning Olympic triathlon champion will harness that [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Fenerbahce step up attacks on beIN; CVC serves up $300m volleyball deal; London pipped by Big Apple; Qatar sales record; Man Utd February 5, 2021 Conflict is in the air at Fenerbahce – and not just because they face rivals Galatasaray in the Istanbul derby this weekend. Mesut Ozil’s new club have embarked on a bizarre crusade against broadcaster beIN Sports, accusing it of conspiring against the club by manipulating VAR and choosing camera angles or highlights that show them [...]
Owen Wilson Matrix-esque drama Bliss is a dark dose of reality February 4, 2021 In the past decade, Owen Wilson has been more prominent as a sofa salesman than he has as a movie star. Since his early 2010s peak as a mild-mannered comedy lead, he’s popped up in underwhelming sequels (Zoolander 2, Cars 3), and had a supporting role in wholesome hit 2017’s Wonder, but nothing that sticks [...]
A Glitch In The Matrix – reality docu is a stoners’ paradise February 4, 2021 Premiering at this week’s Sundance Film Festival, A Glitch In The Matrix ponders a very large idea: what if what we perceive as reality is in fact a computer simulation? Talking to academics, artists, and hardcore believers discuss the various clues around us that suggest not all is as it seems. Director Rodney Ascher’s Room [...]
Malcolm & Marie review – Zendaya saves clunky lockdown drama February 4, 2021 Unusual times call for unusual methods. With filming on their TV series Euphoria halted due to the COVID-19 lockdown, creator Sam Levinson and Emmy winning star Zendaya got together and filmed this relationship drama entirely contained within one building, with cast and crew isolating in order to work together safely. Told over the course of [...]
Chris Tremlett: India tours pose unique challenges, even more so at this time February 3, 2021 An India tour can feel very alien for a cricketer, as England’s players there for a Test series that begins on Friday will know. It is a completely different culture to other places you visit, like Australia, South Africa and the Caribbean, and poses unique challenges. Cricketers are like gods to Indians, so when you [...]
Why Test cricket is back on Channel 4 and what it means for the future of sport on terrestrial TV February 2, 2021 For the first time since the heady 2005 Ashes series, Test cricket is returning to British terrestrial television. Channel 4 has bought the rights to show England’s tour of India, which begins on Friday in Chennai. But why is cricket back on a free-to-air broadcaster? Who stands to gain? And what does this mean for [...]