Harry Potter’s wizarding world is an authoritarian dystopia December 23, 2024 Secret police, slavery and mass indoctrination of children – Harry Potter’s wizarding world is a greatest hits of repressive regimes, says Sam Fowles Here’s a fun Christmas party game: name your favourite fictional authoritarian state. Is it George Orwell’s “Airstrip 1”? Margaret Atwood’s New England? Or perhaps (whisper it) JK Rowling’s “wizarding world”? It’s better [...]
Chung and Superstar to shoot to the top December 20, 2024 YOUNG three-pound claiming rider Angus Chung would have left the midweek racing at Sha Tin on a high, after a pillar-to-post victory riding Young Brilliant, and he looks sure to adopt similar tactics for the same ownership, when climbing aboard YOUNG SUPERSTAR in the Pok Oi Cup (8.10am) over six furlongs. It hasn’t been easy [...]
Paul McCartney tour review: a raw and relatable five-star triumph December 19, 2024 Paul McCartney tour at the 02 review:★★★★★ There is a cognitive dissonance between Paul McCartney the 82-year-old and The Beatles. Anyone vaguely young surely struggles, as I do, to be understand that this funky grandad is the same flesh and bones as that young man who strutted across Abbey Road (‘Paul is Dead’ conspiracy theories [...]
CHMC ACCREDITATION: Elevating Standards in the UK’s Professional Services Sector December 19, 2024 Competition is alive and well in the UK’s professional services sector. It drives businesses to continually evolve and adapt and SMEs are always seeking ways to stand out and break through. Professionals are continually looking to improve their skills, develop their talents and prove their worth. Buyers are insisting on ever-greater value for money and [...]
The class divide: Why social mobility is the missing piece in DEI December 19, 2024 Any DEI framework that’s focused on ethnicity but silent on the messy realities of social mobility risks letting down the very people it’s trying to champion, says Eliza Filby A couple of months ago I was running a workshop for trainees at an international law firm in the UK helping bright Gen Z recruits integrate [...]
It’s not just Waspi women, the government has taken everyone for fools December 18, 2024 You don’t have to agree with the principle of the Waspi women’s campaign to sympathise with their feelings of betrayal. Cynicism is one thing in politics, but saying absolutely anything to get in power will ultimately harm democracy, says Alys Denby Waspi stands for: Women Against State Pension Inequality. It’s a confusing name, because the [...]
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof review: Daisy Edgar-Jones in Tennessee Williams misfire December 18, 2024 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof review and star rating: ★★ Rebecca Frecknall is hoping for a third strike of luck with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, her third Tennessee Williams production at the Almeida following the buzzy Streetcar Named Desire with hot-boy-of-the-moment Paul Mescal, and 2019’s Summer and Smoke. The Gladiator II actor [...]
All BBC Sports Personality of the Year category winners December 17, 2024 On Tuesday the nation picks its Sports Personality of the Year with a grand ceremony crowning the winner. Jude Bellingham, Luke Littler, Alex Yee, Keely Hodgkinson, Dame Sarah Storey and Joe Root are up for the main gong. But there are a number of awards that celebrate teams, individuals and unsung heroes. An all-female cast [...]
Royal Albert Hall to stage British boxing grudge match on special date December 17, 2024 London’s Royal Albert Hall will host an all-British blockbuster fight between arch-rivals Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price on International Women’s Day next year. The world welterweight unification fight between Liverpudlian Jonas and former Wales footballer Price will top a women-only bill at the historic venue on Friday March 7. It comes after both fighters defended [...]
How the ‘Littler Effect’ helped Target Darts hit a commercial bullseye December 17, 2024 The Littler Effect helped Target to double its business and earned the teenager over £1m.