Don’t be a Maybot – answer the question July 21, 2017 Does it drive you mad when people don’t answer your questions directly? The Prime Minister is the indisputable master of the genre. A few months ago, she told the BBC that the UK needed “strong and stable leadership” when asked about Harry Potter’s mugwumps. More recently, when asked by Channel 4 if the critics who [...]
When you answer a question, don’t stick to the script May 4, 2017 BBC: "Do you know what a mugwump is?" PM: "What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership." How I wish that Jeremy Paxman had handled this interview, which was broadcast by BBC Radio Derby last week. Would Paxman have launched a full offensive and asked May the [...]
Millicent Fawcett will be the first ever statue of a woman in Parliament Square April 2, 2017 Equality will come to Parliament Square as the first ever statue of a woman to be displayed at the heart of the UK’s political power has been announced. Dame Millicent Fawcett, one of many women who led the fight for women to have the vote, will be honoured after a high-profile campaign supported by Harry [...]
Ranked: The world’s 20 best airports (spoiler – Heathrow has swooped lower) March 15, 2017 Heathrow airport has been named the world's top airport for shopping by Skytrax’s World Airport Awards for the fifth year in a row – but has fallen in the overall ranking. Heathrow fell from eighth place in 2016 to ninth in this year's overall ranking, although it was also voted the best airport in Western Europe [...]
Tottenham Hotspur 4, Stoke City 0: Redemption for Dele Alli as Harry Kane nets 23-minute treble in Potters trouncing February 26, 2017 Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli admitted he owed his teammates a productive afternoon after a Harry Kane-inspired Spurs demolished Stoke to cut Chelsea’s lead at the Premier League summit. Alli, who was shown a straight red card in the first half of Tottenham’s midweek Europa League demise at the hands of Gent, netted Tottenham’s fourth goal [...]
Waterstones has finally turned a profit again after years of losses February 1, 2017 Waterstones has turned an annual profit for the first time since 2009 as book sales picked up in 2016. The figures The bookseller reported a pre-tax profit before exceptional items of £11.9m, which was up from a loss of £3.4m in the previous year. Sales rose 4.3 per cent to £409.1m for the year ended 30 April, up [...]
10 things to look forward to in London in 2017 January 6, 2017 Forget 2016; here's what you need to look forward to in London in 2017 1. Nordic Matters Festival, Southbank Centre The Southbank Centre is planning to explore all things Nordic through 2017, with some scandi-tastic special events. Think Moomins, Lego, hygge, saunas and gastronomic treats like cinnamon buns, pickling and curing — alongside the most [...]
Star Wars blasted way to top of UK box office in 2016 January 2, 2017 Walt Disney has described 2016 as a “phenomenal year” for its films in the UK and Ireland. The US media company said the new Star Wars spin-off, Rogue One, had taken over £50.7m, making it the biggest film of the year in the UK and Ireland. Read more: Star Wars spin-off feels the force after [...]
The UK tourism industry is set to gain £24.1bn next year as more overseas visitors flock to Britain December 30, 2016 The weak pound has wreaked all kinds of havoc on British industries, but there's at least one that's celebrating as predictions are made for 2017. More inbound visitors than ever before, 38.1m, are set to crowd the UK's streets next year. That's up four per cent from this year, which is set to reach around 36.7m, according [...]
A Monster Calls is a moving tale of loss that doesn’t pretend to have any of the answers December 13, 2016 From Harry Potter to the Secret Garden, children’s literature is chock full of orphans. Yet theirs is a rare form of bereavement, usually the result of a tragic accident that happened without warning at an age they barely remember. In A Monster Calls, 12-year-old protagonist Conor O’Malley faces up to a more common, brutal reality; [...]