Blithe Spirit at Duke of York’s Theatre review: Jennifer Saunders shines in this playful ghost story March 16, 2020 Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit is a merry supernatural farce, which the old boy hurriedly knocked off as a distraction from the beastly inconvenience of the Blitz. It seems appropriate that it should manifest again now, as the country stockpiles toilet paper and prepares to baton down the hatches, not against the menace of the Luftwaffe, [...]
Jackson Wray interview: Saracens star on why he is staying at the club – and starting up a cold-brew coffee business March 15, 2020 While a number of players will use Saracens’ relegation for breaching the salary cap as an opportunity to move on – either permanently or on loan – many of the team’s core are determined to stay and continue building the club’s legacy. One such player is Jackson Wray, who graduated from the Sarries academy’s class [...]
Titian at the National Gallery review — Full-bodied masterpieces March 15, 2020 There are just seven paintings in National Gallery’s new exhibition Titian: Love, Desire and Death, but they pack a punch. This is the first time these great works have been exhibited in the same room in their 450-year history. Poesie, Titian calls them — “poetic pictures” inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Commissioned by a 21-year-old Prince [...]
Coronavirus sport updates LIVE: Wales v Scotland called off in dramatic U-turn as Premier League and EFL suspended March 13, 2020 Welcome to City A.M.’s live rundown of all the latest sporting events to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Please refresh your browser for live updates. The Premier League, EFL and FA have decided to suspend all matches until early April following an emergency meeting this morning. A number of other sports, including two Six [...]
Love, Love, Love at Lyric Hammersmith review: A witty, acerbic rumination on the generation gap March 13, 2020 There’s a theory that, no matter how leftie and woke we might be in our youth, we all become Tories in the end. But how do we get there? That’s the journey we’re taken on in Love, Love, Love, Mike Bartlett’s three-act drama which picks up with a couple, Kenneth and Sandra, in 1967, 1990 [...]
Entertaining Wales are on the right path under Wayne Pivac despite three straight Six Nations defeats March 12, 2020 Coronavirus has begun to have a huge impact across the sporting calendar, but for now the Six Nations has one of its three fixtures going ahead this weekend. While England’s trip to play Italy in Rome and Ireland’s visit to Paris to face France have been postponed due to the outbreak, Wales are still set [...]
Putting Six Nations behind a paywall would be ‘dreadful’, says BBC boss March 12, 2020 Any deal to put the Six Nations behind a paywall would be “dreadful” for both audiences and the sport, the BBC director general has said. The tender process for the rugby tournament’s next broadcasting contract is set to wrap up this weekend, but current holders BBC and ITV have been shut out of the bidding. [...]
Liverpool 2-3 Atletico Madrid: Llorente the unlikely assassin as Oblak stands tall and Adrian flops to send Reds out of the Champions League March 11, 2020 When Marcos Llorente came off the bench in the 56th minute of Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid last night those watching on barely noticed. Despite play stopping and the fourth official’s board going up to facilitate his arrival, the Atletico midfielder practically snuck onto the Anfield pitch. Diego Costa’s grumpy exit drew [...]
Marquees, team bonding and repetition: The secrets of a county cricket pre-season March 11, 2020 A month out from the start of the County Championship, players are beginning to ramp up their preparations behind the scenes. Pre-season has changed a lot since I began my career. In those days players were often on six-month contracts, meaning the off-season was left up to the individual. Players might go abroad to keep [...]
The Thick of It’s Chris Addison talks about the limits of satire, the trials of being a parent and his new show, Breeders March 11, 2020 He rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name playing The Thick of It’s hapless SpAd Ollie Reeder. Now, after a spell in Hollywood, Chris Addison is returning to British screens with his new sitcom Breeders, directed alongside Simon Blackwell and starring Martin Freeman. It’s a biting comedy about the sleepless [...]