91 m. ago The Guide #204: The local dystopian TV shows captivating global audiences

In this week’s newsletter: A new wave of post-apocalyptic dramas are serving up disaster tales shaped by the cultures they come from, and the results are fascinatingI’m scandalously late to The Eternaut (El Eternauta), the Argentinian dystopian thriller that was released way back in April on Netflix. I inhaled all six episodes of the show’s first season only a few weeks ago, after a glowing review on the podcast The Watch (which was also fairly late to it, making me feel a little better about my own finger-off-the-pulseness). Anyway, it’s absolutely terrific, an end-of-the-world chiller that is vividly, realistically rooted in the socio-politics of the country in which it is set. This despite a premise that sees Buenos Aires beset by an unseasonal flurry of what turns out to be killer snow.That specificity, as anyone familiar with The Eternaut will know, is mixed into the story’s foundations. The show is based on Héctor Germán Oesterheld’s 1957 comic strip of the same name, which pr...

Events

91 m. ago My Cultural Awakening: Years & Years helped me accept my bisexual identity

Olly Alexander’s stage presence and his band’s lyrics pulled together the two sides of my nature, and accept my desire for menI first discovered Olly Alexander, of Years & Years, by accident. I was teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea, and I showed a video of a BBC Glastonbury roundup on the projector as part of the lesson. I remember glimpsing an incredibly cute blond guy on stage, and being transfixed. I knew immediately that he was gay because the way he moved was unashamedly fluid and graceful. He was doing a pirouette.The clip was so short there wasn’t even a mention of the name of the band, so I had to do some detective work. I Googled something ridiculous like “bleached hair gay man Glastonbury 2015” and trawled through hundreds of search results until I found him. Continue reading...

Politics

91 m. ago Long Story Short: this Jewish family comedy from the creator of BoJack Horseman is painfully beautiful

A sweeping, hilarious family saga told in multiple timelines from the 50s to the present day. Yes, that’s right – it’s basically Bluey meets TolstoyLike schoolboys, my friend Charlie and I send each other coded messages. One of these is “Am back on the horse”, which means “Rewatching BoJack Horseman”, which means “Having a mental health crisis”. The recipient knows to go to the other’s house with Danish pastries and some grass to touch. That show changed my life. The Simpsons had redefined what a cartoon could be, Ren & Stimpy and South Park were transgressive thrill-rides. But Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s tale of a washed-up actor chasing redemption wasn’t just adult; it was profound.So I was worried, approaching the new animated series from that show’s creators. It’s not about celebrity. There are no talking dogs or porcupines, or underwater worlds. No Will Arnett. How could I watch without expectation? It feels unfair yet unavoidable to keep an artist’s previous work in mind. Isn’t...

Politics

91 m. ago South London hospital staff set to strike over 'Mickey Mouse' contracts

Ballot result showed 98% support for the strike

Events

92 m. ago Billie Shepherd 'hysterical' with pain over mystery disease as husband Greg steps in

Former TOWIE star Billie Shepherd lifts the lid on Sister Act, her new reality show with sister Sam, their tight bond and the secret health battle that left her bed bound

Politics

92 m. ago Anna Richardson would rather leave knickers on floor than move in with boyfriend

Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has revealed she's 'conflicted' about whether to move in with her boyfriend or not as she admits: 'I don't want to get hurt again'

Politics

92 m. ago Tragic mystery of missing toddler who was 'sold by mum after she beat tot with paddle'

Little London Kerr was last seen in 2022 and police are desperately trying to track her down. It comes as the child's mother Ashley Ceejay Rowland, 39, and boyfriend Joshua Denton, 40, have both been arrested on multiple counts of child abuse

Events

92 m. ago Strictly Come Dancing's Dianne Buswell's secret career she's kept hidden for years

Strictly Come Dancing star Dianne Buswell has had an impressive career on the BBC dance show, and she's also been dating a celebrity

Transport

92 m. ago Billie Shepherd 'hysterical' over mystery illness as husband Greg lends support

EXCLUSIVE: Former TOWIE star Billie Shepherd lifts the lid on Sister Act, her new reality show with sister Sam, their tight bond and the secret health battle that left her bed bound

Politics

92 m. ago Anna Richardson's heartbreaking reason for not moving in with boyfriend

EXCLUSIVE: Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has opened up about her relationship with her boyfriend and admits she's conflicted over moving in

Politics

92 m. ago A London Apartment Tower With Echoes of Victorian Rail and Ancient Rome

A London Apartment Tower With Echoes of Victorian Rail and Ancient Rome  Bloomberg.com

Politics

2 h. ago North Wales is home to some of the UK's best beaches but this one with a world

Dotted along the North Wales coastline you'll find dozens of amazing beaches but there's one with a world-famous pub that's worth the trip

Society

2 h. ago Inside Manchester's new Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe with molten chocolate on tap

The flagship store is a first for the luxury chocolatier and cacao grower

Politics

2 h. ago ‘I’m the one to beat’: is Taylor Swift’s Showgirl era set to take h to even greater heights?

Just-announced album already looks like it will make singer and partner Travis Kelce hysterically famous at a new level – and that may be precisely their planTaylor Swift’s podcast interview with her American football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, this week yielded plenty of tidbits for fans. Across two hours of loose chat on New Heights, the show Kelce helms with his brother Jason – also a football player – Swift revealed she was obsessed with sourdough and lurked on baking blogs. The couple spent the summer with her family, caring for her 73-year-old father, Scott, after he had a quintuple heart bypass. She gave Kelce a lesson on Hamlet and taught him how to avoid internalising speculation about their two-year relationship. You could call them the tentpoles of the 35-year-old pop star’s brand: literary passions and professional self-awareness.One surprising revelation came near the end. Until the record-breaking 149-date Eras tour that Swift mounted from 2023-24, she said she ha...

Politics

2 h. ago Tim Dowling: it’s time to name our band’s new album, and there are no bad ideas (in theory at least)

For the final flourish on our latest record, we’ve wheeled in a harmonium. If only I knew how to play it I’m in a recording studio with two other members of the band I’m in, listening to stuff we’ve recorded, with an eye toward finishing touches. But really it’s a last chance to fix mistakes: ropey backing vocals; mistimed bass notes; a banjo part played with an out‑of-tune B string.“I can easily redo it,” I say, thinking: I don’t even remember playing it in the first place. Continue reading...

Culture

2 h. ago Teletubbies' Tinky Winky star's tragic death after being found in unusual circumstances

The actor who played Tinky Winky in the beloved children's TV show, Simon Shelton Barnes, died in heartbreaking circumstances back in 2018, aged only 52 years old

Events

3 h. ago BBC Breakfast's Naga Munchetty hasn't followed 'outdated' 'TV wife' hosting norm

BBC Breakfast star Naga Munchetty has seemingly never been one to follow the crowd and has since been hailed for going against the hosting grain

Politics

3 h. ago We visit Ibiza's 'hidden gem' wellness hotel offering tons of free activities

Cala San Miguel is a far cry from the party scene Ibiza is known for, and is the perfect place to relax and unwind

Politics

3 h. ago People with 7 health concerns and disabilities may be eligible for extra DWP help

The Access to Work scheme is designed to help people with disabilities or conditions get jobs or stay in work

Politics

3 h. ago Thomas Edison and Henry Ford among the original snowbirds: The rich going to Florida for the winters

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are famous for their innovations in electricity generation and automobiles respectively, but they were also at the forefront of a massively popular trend in Florida: Rich people from up north spending the cold winter months in the Sunshine State

Politics