The Merry Wives of Windsor review: The RSC’s bubbly production at the Barbican is Shakespeare for the TOWIE generation December 17, 2018 If you don’t think Shakespeare comedies are, well, a laugh, then this version of The Merry Wives of Windsor is for you. Derided by critics as the time Shakespeare phoned it in, this production by the Royal Shakespeare Company takes those toffee noses and rubs them in smut. And it’s delicious. It begins with a [...]
Five things we learned from Liverpool 3, Manchester United 1: Reds pass another test; Jose Mourinho’s men losing touch with top five; Xherdan Shaqiri proves his worth December 16, 2018 The tests keep on coming for this Liverpool team and, with a new-found composure and a growing sense of destiny, Jurgen Klopp’s side keep on batting them away. On Sunday the challenge was to translate their momentum into a first Premier League win over Manchester United since 2014 and return to the top of the [...]
Weekend football talking points: Ralph Hasenhuttl makes Southampton mark; Tottenham super-subs; Leroy Sane shines in Benjamin Mendy’s absence; Rangers make Celtic sweat December 16, 2018 Southampton’s first home Premier League win since April, a harum-scarum 3-2 victory that ended Arsenal’s 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions, was a day to remember for new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. The impact of the Austrian, known as a task-master who favours a high-intensity approach, was evident on Sunday as the Saints gave the Gunners [...]
Boxing’s heavyweight division has failed to live up to expectations in 2018… Next year the best must face each other December 16, 2018 As the year draws to a close, it's hard to look back on boxing's heavyweight division without a tinge of scepticism as to why some of the big fights that could have been did not happen. We were promised fireworks and told that Anthony Joshua would be fighting to become the undisputed, unified, heavyweight champion [...]
The great TV robbery: How the world’s biggest sports broadcaster lost $1bn to a brazen campaign of piracy December 13, 2018 Imagine you’ve had something stolen. But this isn’t a conventional theft: you know who did it, how they did it, where they are – and you can prove it. It isn’t a one-off theft, but rather a never-ending succession of offences which the perpetrator does nothing to hide. Instead they taunt you frequently by flouting [...]
Liverpool v Manchester United: Jurgen Klopp’s team primed to end hoodoo against rivals but don’t discount party-pooper Jose Mourinho December 13, 2018 Supremacy in the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United has swung back and forth between English football’s two traditional powerhouses but there is no mistaking where it lies currently. Liverpool have added an armour-pleated rearguard to their quicksilver front line, are enjoying their best ever start to a Premier League season and sit top of [...]
Ollie Phillips: Elliot Daly’s proposed move to Saracens makes sense for the England man – but Wasps need to be weary of their brewing exodus December 13, 2018 The rumour mill has begun to turn and there are some big names considering moves in the Premiership right now. The most active club appear to be Wasps – but not in the way they’d like, with the makings of an exodus brewing in Coventry. A third of the squad's contracts expire at the end [...]
Winning formula: Electric series Formula E continues to evolve at a rapid rate and defy the constraints of traditional motorsport December 13, 2018 Formula E set out four years ago with the goal of revolutionising racing and pioneering a transition to electric vehicles. As it prepares for its fifth season, which starts on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, the series has continued to evolve at a rapid rate and defy the constraints of traditional motorsport. This year the series [...]
Formula One teams face battle to keep attracting lucrative sponsors as major revenue stream takes hit December 13, 2018 The sponsorship landscape has changed significantly for Formula One teams over the past decade or so and it has been a change for the worse for most involved. Revenue from sponsors has decreased by a quarter since 2007, falling from $1.01bn to $772.5m last season, according to data compiled by Formula Money. In fact, there [...]
Andy Warhol’s £6m selfie and how we can all now be famous for 15 minutes December 13, 2018 | City Talk One day in 1963, Andy Warhol walked into a New York photobooth and took what have become the world’s most famous selfies. One of these trailblazing self-portraits has just been sold at a Sotheby’s auction for just over £6m. These selfies perfectly suited Warhol’s vision of the pop art era of the late 1950s and [...]