21 h. ago ‘It’s more than a pretty backdrop’: crime writer Ann Cleeves on the magic of Orkney in Scotland

With her latest book, the author moves detective Jimmy Perez from Shetland to Orkney, where she was inspired by the deep history, huge skies and warm peopleFifty years ago, I headed north for the first time. I’d dropped out of my university literature course – with the arrogance of youth, I thought I could read books anywhere. After a chance meeting in a Putney pub, I got a job as assistant cook in the Bird Observatory in Fair Isle. At that point, I didn’t even know where Fair Isle was. I came from Devon and hadn’t made it farther north than Durham. Scotland was unknown territory.Of course, Fair Isle is part of the Shetland group and lies halfway between Shetland mainland and Orkney. That summer, I fell in love with the Northern Isles, with the romance of the isolation, the bleak beauty and the stories. Over the summer, I worked in the observatory with Alison, an Orcadian lass, who was there for her college holidays. “When you’ve finished your contract,” she said with the easy hospi...

Events

43 h. ago A Tooth Fairy Tale review – animated adventure with a sprinkling of family

A child-suitable romantic subplot underpins this enjoyable story of fairies putting their long-standing differences with goblins aside to defeat a common enemyIn this animated adventure for preteens, the fairy community’s mission in life is to gather teeth from slumbering children and leave gold for the kids to find under their pillows. (Gold? In my day it was 10p! That’s inflation for you.) Skateboarding teenage rebel fairy Van (voiced by Booboo Stewart) is less than thrilled by the prospect of spending the foreseeable collecting baby teeth and, to be fair to him, this is entirely reasonable. He’s only a tiny bit more interested in the underlying economics of the situation: the fairies deliver the teeth to unseen goblins, who provide metal in exchange. But Van’s curiosity is piqued when he lays eyes on a goblin (voiced by Larkin Bell) and she turns out to be far from the hideous gnome he had been led to expect.The stage is set for an adventure with a light sprinkling of teen romanc...

Society

3 d. ago British teen jailed in Dubai for 'holiday romance' with girl dies months after release

Marcus Fakana died in the early hours of Friday morning following a collision in Tottenham

Events

6 d. ago A moment that changed me: I froze in a job interview – and it made me stop hiding my disability

I had always been hyper-independent, preferring to get the wrong bus than ask for help with my visual impairment. When I finally acknowledged it, I was overwhelmed by the love and support of friends and strangersIn the first week of summer 2019, I decided I wanted a job. I was 16, finally old enough to attend festivals and concerts with my friends; all I needed was the money. With no prior work experience, I scraped together a CV that didn’t even fill a page and sent it to every shop and cafe in my little village in Chelmsford, Essex. Miraculously, I was offered a job interview at the local fast food restaurant.I remember the nerves I felt on the way there. What would they ask me? Would they like me? In the end, I had nothing to worry about. The interview went well and the hiring manager seemed ready to hand me a contract. But, before I left, he asked me to try out serving a customer. “Just give her the items shown next to her order number on that screen,” he said, pointing to a mon...

Politics

2 w. ago A summer of fashionable spoilers, from 'Devil Wears Prada 2' to 'American Love Story'

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “American Love Story” have yet to be released but social media users have had their fair share of spoilers from paparazzi photos and fan snapshots of the sets filming this Summer in New York

Politics

2 w. ago The summer love triangle that broke millions of hearts is getting its finale on the big screen

The summer love triangle that had millions of viewers swooning, and sobbing, isn’t over yet.

Politics

2 w. ago ‘It makes you feel like a teenager again!’ Why The Summer I Turned Pretty is 2025’s surprise TV hit

This nostalgic tale of first love is an agonising masterclass in modern romance. No wonder it’s become such a sensation – and that a movie is on the wayIt’s often said that the romcom is dead. Kiss goodbye to the crisp charm of Nora Ephron’s freshly sharpened pencil bouquets in the fall, embrace the era of musings on love as nothing more than a maths equation. Then along comes gripping teen romance The Summer I Turned Pretty and it gets us at the first Taylor Swift track.Across its 26-episode run, the adaptation of Jenny Han’s trilogy of novels has won the hearts of millennials who have been desperately yearning for a nostalgic watch to fill the void of 00s romcoms. Reminiscent of rose-tinted love stories of their youth, before dating apps, catfishing and ghosting entered their vocabulary, the show’s potency has been such that Prime Video even issued a warning asking viewers not to use hate speech towards the cast. It isn’t real, no matter how visceral it feels, and the streamer did...

Events

3 w. ago ‘It isn’t just a teen romance’: why millennial women love The Summer I Turned Pretty

As coming-of-age drama nears its end, part of its appeal is nostalgia for the noughties shows viewers grew up withIt was billed as a show for teenagers, but you would be hard pressed to find a millennial woman who has not watched – and become mildly obsessed with – The Summer I Turned Pretty.The coming-of-age drama, based on Jenny Han’s novel trilogy of the same name, has quietly grown into a global phenomenon for Prime Video. The first two episodes of its third and final season drew 25 million viewers, triple the audience of its debut. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Are Brits falling out of love with the Costas? Half of holidaymakers actively avoided Spain this summer

Spain has long been the go-to destination among Brits for sun, sea and sangria - but it seems the UK's love affair with the European hotspot could be wearing off, according to a new study.

Politics