78 m. ago Billie Piper on toxic masculinity, raising teens, and playing complex characters: ‘I’ve been a woman on the edge – I’m not afraid of it!’

As part of a Bafta TV special, the nominated actor talks carving out a niche playing people at breaking point, the ‘dreamy’ romcom she’s currently writing, and what she really thought of that Prince Andrew interview“I’ve had so many coffees, I feel hysterical,” says Billie Piper. The 42-year-old actor has set up camp in a caff in Camden, London, while she finishes the final draft of a romcom she’s working on – a follow-up to her 2021 directorial debut, Rare Beasts. Piper shot to fame at 15 as a pop star, then transitioned into acting, becoming a household name as Rose Tyler in Doctor Who. Since then, she’s carved out a niche playing women at breaking point (like Suzie Pickles in I Hate Suzie). Now, she’s ready to do less acting and more work behind the scenes. Not that her on-screen career is slowing down – she just bagged her fifth Bafta nomination, for playing journalist Sam McAlister in Scoop, the dramatisation of the BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew about Jeffrey Epste...

Events

2 h. ago Judge orders White House to temporarily halt sweeping government layoffs

San Francisco district judge says Congress did not authorize large-scale staffing cuts and restructuring of agenciesDonald Trump’s administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies, a federal judge in California said on Friday.US district judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments in blocking large-scale mass layoffs known as “reductions in force” for 14 days. Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago BBC horror movie with whopping 95% Rotten Tomatoes score hailed as an 'underrated masterpiece' and 'pure cinematic gold' as it's made free to stream

The thriller premiered back in 2014 and sees a young woman, Kylie (Morgan O'Reilley) who was placed under house arrest in her childhood home.

Sport

2 h. ago We run the best bed and breakfast in Europe... but a bitter loophole cost us being crowned the world's no1

Toulson Court bosses James and Angela Rusden still run the best guest house in Britain and Europe, according to a TripAdvisor poll.

Politics

3 h. ago Prince Harry roams around London knocking on random houses, orders food on app after raising alarm about security

Prince Harry roams around London knocking on random houses, orders food on app after raising alarm about security  Mint

Events

3 h. ago Households urged to plant £1.48 fruit and watch it grow in the soil

Best-seller author and gardening expert, Simon Akeroyd, is now advising his followers to start planting their own produce, such as blueberries, with an easy tutorial.

Economics

4 h. ago Crass, flashy, outrageous: Trump media blitz redefines meaning of presidential

White House communications have adopted a Trumpian air that’s ‘either completely malevolent or completely brilliant’There was a disturbance in the Force. Donald Trump celebrated “Star Wars Day” this week with an AI-generated image of himself as a muscle-bound warrior holding a red lightsaber in front of two US flags and eagles.It seemed like a bit of fun but appeared on the White House’s official X account with a dark political message: “Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy. You’re not the Rebellion – you’re the Empire. May the 4th be with you.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Prince Harry stuns Londoners by turning up at wrong house while looking for friend

The Duke of Sussex was seen tieless in a blue suit with a phone pressed to his ear as he approached homes on a quiet residential street

Politics

4 h. ago Lisa Armstrong splashing £31m Ant McPartlin divorce payout on third house

Ant McPartlin's ex-wife has bought a new house in Oxford as she builds an impressive property portfolio in the wake of her divorce from the TV star

Economics

4 h. ago Real Housewives of Cheshire star DAWN WARD reveals all about her 'unrecognisable' facelift

When Dawn Ward turned 50, she promised herself a truly self-indulgent present - a facelift. Of course she did; no one would expect anything else of the WAG Real Housewives Of Cheshire star.

Events

4 h. ago 'I'm trying to sell my house but my entitled neighbour may ruin everything'

Selling a house is one of life's most stressful events, so the last thing you need is extra pressure or drama from your neighbours - and one woman has been left in a nightmare while trying to flog her home

Politics

5 h. ago Grass stains will disappear from clothes with 85p household staple

Chlorophyll is the green pigment in grass that latches onto clothes and makes it hard to remove.

Events

5 h. ago Man, 87, dies after being ‘robbed’ near kids’ playground in broad daylight

Peter Augustine, 58, from Hornsey, north London, has been charged with the murder of an 87-year-old man in Manor House, north London - he has also been charged with robbery

Events

5 h. ago Tom Brady could be added by Gisele Bundchen to guest lift for 'difficult' wedding

Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady ended their 13-year marriage in October 2022, but the NFL legend could still be invited to his ex-wife's wedding if she ties the knot with Joaquim Valente

Politics

7 h. ago Why a police raid of a meeting at a London Quaker house is causing outrage

Why a police raid of a meeting at a London Quaker house is causing outrage  The Guardian

Events

7 h. ago Why did 30 Met officers kick the door down at a teenage tea and biscuits meeting in a Quaker house?

When six young women hired a room to discuss the war in Gaza, the gathering ended with 30 officers storming in to make arrestsWhen six young women gathered in central London to discuss the climate crisis and the war in Gaza, the setting could not have been more appropriate. The building in which they sat was a Quaker meeting house, the home of a movement whose centuries-long history is rooted in protest and a commitment to social justice. On the table were cups of jasmine tea, ginger biscuits and a selection of vegan cheese straws.But the events that brought this apparently convivial gathering to an abrupt end have sparked protests of a different kind and raised questions about how justice is administered by the UK’s largest and most embattled police force. Continue reading...

Society

8 h. ago Next shoppers solution for 'corners with no plug sockets' is 'pretty' table lamp

The Confetti Glass Rechargeable Wireless Table Lamp from Next requires no plug sockets so shoppers can take it to any room in the house

Politics

8 h. ago I love living on my canal boat... but it can be so hard I've burst into tears

El Sutcliffe, based in Burton-on-Trent, bought her first house with her former partner in 2022 - but after their relationship broke down she purchased and renovated a narrowboat.

Politics

9 h. ago Buck up, Michelle Obama – nothing is more fabulous than an empty nest | Kathy Lette

The former US first lady says she’s in counselling after her daughters left home. She and Barack should run around the house naked. Yodelling. With antlers on their headsYour kids are the greatest love affair of your life, and that love is unconditional Although wait, on second thoughts, there are a few conditions. No child must ever be allowed to take up the bagpipes, drums or descant recorder. Come meal times there are two options – spag bol or adoption. No mother should have to teach a child to drive while simultaneously going through the menopause. And, most important of all, progeny must be out the door by 24.Without a doubt, the two nicest words in the English language are “empty” and “nest”. And yet my kitchen is constantly full of female friends weeping into their wine about how much they will miss their kids when they leave for university, flat shares or gap year travels.Kathy Lette is a comedy writer and novelist. Her latest book is The Revenge Club Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Whiplash reversals mean Trump’s erratic trade policy is as clear as mud

The specifics of the administration’s economic masterplan – from strollers to movies to China – change by the dayDecades of economic orthodoxy failed millions of Americans, according to Donald Trump, who marched back into the White House promising to shred the status quo. But the specifics of his alternative – exactly how his administration claims it will make America great again – change by the day.The US president declared this week to be a key milestone of his second term, as he unveiled his first major trade deal since returning to office following accelerated talks with the UK. Continue reading...

Politics