9 hours ago ‘Stunning, but so wrong’: inside raucous new drag sitcom Smoggie Queens

It’s loud, proud and very, very daft: the new BBC comedy plunges viewers into Middlesbrough’s hilariously catty drag scene. The creator and star Phil Dunning talks prosecco, parmos – and picking the worst wigs possibleMost sitcoms don’t imply that the lead character has died twice in the first 15 minutes. Most sitcoms don’t have an entire episode spoofing the film Titanic. And, even if they did, most sitcoms would not dress one of the main characters as the iceberg.But Smoggie Queens is not like other comedies. BBC Three’s new series is a surreal, deadpan and occasionally very rude tale of primarily LGBTQ+ friends who hang out under the same roof. It takes the model of a traditional family sitcom and refocuses it around a “chosen family” of people from different generations. Continue re...

Politics

9 hours ago Keir Starmer battered over farms inheritance tax raid and winter fuel allowance axe in local radio interviews as PM insists he is putting NHS ahead of the 'relatively wealthy'

Keir Starmer wriggled as he was challenged by a series of BBC presenters over the backlash against the key policies.

Economics

16 hours ago Why John Prescott was such an important politician – and not just for Labour

Former US Vice President Al Gore speaks of John Prescott’s ‘inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them’

Politics

16 hours ago Barry Island travel guide: Where to eat, drink, walk and stay in the home of Gavin and Stacey

Ten miles down the coast from Cardiff is a famous slice of Welsh seaside that’s ‘tidy’ beyond its Pleasure Park, says Natalie Wilson

Politics

20 hours ago QUENTIN LETTS: For sketch writers, Prescott was our Everest, our woolly

QUENTIN LETTS: For parliamentary sketch writers, John Prescott was our Everest, our woolly-fisted yeti, irresistibly abominable.

Politics

20 hours ago Last time I met John Prescott he poked me in the chest with his stick...then we hugged, writes DAVID BLUNKETT

DAVID BLUNKETT: Former Home Secretary David Blunkett recalls his days in the House of Commons with John Prescott, describing him as 'unlike any other colleague'.

Politics

23 hours ago Gavin And Stacey stars recreate famous photo 17 years later as fishing trip drama teased

Gavin And Stacey fans are bracing themselves for the upcoming Christmas special which will be the final outing for Gavin, Stacey, Nessa and Smithy – but bosses have dropped a teaser

Events

23 hours ago Last time I saw John Prescott he poked me in the chest with his stick...then we hugged, writes DAVID BLUNKETT

DAVID BLUNKETT: Former Home Secretary David Blunkett recalls his days in the House of Commons with John Prescott, describing him as 'unlike any other colleague'.

Politics

26 hours ago Gavin And Stacey cast recreate iconic photo 17 years on in first look image as major new plotlines are revealed for the Christmas Day special

The cast of Gavin And Stacey have recreated their iconic photo 17 years on, as anticipation builds for the last ever episode of the hugely popular BBC sitcom.

Politics

26 hours ago First look at Gavin And Stacey Christmas finale as full storyline details revealed

The main cast of Gavin and Stacey have posed up ahead of the finale to recreate an original pose from 17 years ago

Politics