1 hour ago ‘I knew my job was to fulfil a man’s fantasy’: Elizabeth McGovern on Downton, early fame and co

As the Downton Abbey finale hits the big screen, the actor looks back on the pitfalls of scoring huge success so young – and the liberation she later found singing in a band and writing a play about Ava GardnerFor the maudlin among us, the final Downton Abbey film should perhaps come with a warning. Everything in it is tinged with wistfulness – a goodbye to cherished characters and a farewell to a stately home that was a sturdy presence in a transient world. When the ITV series started in 2010, wasn’t life better? Did Elizabeth McGovern feel this too, the sense of time passing? After all, her character, Cora, is now ageing out of custodianship of Downton along with her husband, Lord Grantham, in favour of a younger generation and a changing era as the 1930s dawn.“No!” says McGovern, snapping me out of my melancholy. “I feel very excited that I’m going into a gratifying new phase in my career.” As well as reviving Cora, there is the play she has written, Ava: The Secret Conversations...

Politics

5 h. ago Ellie Goldstein, 23, smiles as she steps out after being the first star with Down syndrome to be cast on Strictly Come Dancing after making waves modelling for Vogue and launching a Barbie doll

The trailblazing Down syndrome model, 23, has seen huge success in her career and has now achieved another major milestone after joining the 2025 series of Strictly.

Culture

8 h. ago The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar review – whimsical fantasy in a kingdom long, long ago

In this first adult novel from the acclaimed children’s author, an immortal magician returns to tell the story of a royal court where he cast his spells some 500 years beforeThe American author Louis Sachar’s most celebrated book, 1998’s YA novel Holes, was a huge word-of-mouth success on both sides of the Atlantic. Its short, punchy chapters tell the story of plump, hapless Stanley Yelnats, sent to a summer camp for wayward boys, where a terrifying Warden has peculiar ideas about character reformation. The 5ft-deep holes the boys are required to dig turn out to have a surprising purpose. Shifts of time, register and perspective render a simple premise mesmerisingly intricate. It has peril, love, crime, wickedness, redemption and friendship in, well, spades.A quarter of a century later, Sachar has written his first supposedly adult novel, in which many of the same ingredients reappear. A man “dressed like a typical American tourist”, but with an odd habit of storing cake crumbs in t...

Politics

27 h. ago Princess Andre eyes up Kylie Jenner empire as Katie Price says she’s been 'shut out'

Reality TV star Princess Andre has been tipped as the UK version of Kylie Jenner as she sets her sights on a huge beauty empire following the success of her ITV show

Politics

41 h. ago Oasis 'flooded with huge offers for 2026 shows including Knebworth' amid reunion success

Liam and Noel Gallagher could carry on their huge Oasis reunion tour into next year as offers have reportedly been put to the band as the decision is all in their hands

Events

5 d. ago Cult classic 90s comedy shaped a generation finally streaming on Netflix

Clueless was a hit with critics and audiences alike and quickly became a cultural touchstone - not to mention a huge box office success. The film was followed by a TV series spin-off, which ran for three seasons from 1996 to 1999.

Sport

3 w. ago Who needs quinoa? 17 overlooked and affordable superfoods, from peas and potatoes to popcorn and even sugar

Can’t afford goji berries, spirulina or turmeric – or just don’t like the taste? Most kitchens are full of healthy but unglamorous alternatives. Nutrition experts name their favouritesWhat is a superfood? According to Italian scientists writing in the journal Frontiers in Food Science and Technology in February, the term was coined in the 1960s to describe foods that could fight malnutrition. It wasn’t until the 00s that it was co-opted to sell exotic and expensive ingredients to health-conscious customers. During the pandemic, interest in so-called superfoods increased again, especially those said to “boost immunity” and “protect against pathogens”.The researchers, Giulia Santunione and Giuseppe Montevecchi, define superfoods as “a marketing term used to describe nutrient-dense foods claimed to have health benefits”. In sales terms, the superfood label has been a huge success. The global superfoods market is projected to rise from an estimated $155.2bn in 2022 to $344.9bn by 2033. ...

Politics

3 w. ago Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathew's divorce was 'the nastiest in history'. Now as their sudden closeness and her gig perks are raising eyebrows, friends tell KATIE HIND exactly what's going on...

When Noel Gallagher was on the cusp of huge success with his fledgling band Oasis, there was one woman at his side.

Politics

3 w. ago Virgin River's 'perfect replacement' confirms exciting update after huge Netflix success

A hit romance drama has just been renewed for season four, just a few weeks after wrapping up its third season

Politics

3 w. ago Archaeological dig in pub garden hailed 'huge success' as Roman remains found

An archaeological dig was opened to the public in the garden of the Rose & Crown pub in St Albans, which is being redeveloped, between Friday and Monday

Politics

4 w. ago Bigger, better, more often? Infantino won’t let up on his ambition for Club World Cup

With claims of 2bn TV views, $2.1bn revenues and a push for it to go every two years, Infantino’s pet project is here to stayAll that can be said with certainty about the future of the Club World Cup is that it is not going away. The 24-carat gold Tiffany trophy presented to Reece James by Donald Trump in New York, in one of the most surreal scenes seen in a sports stadium, will be up for grabs again in four years. The event could well be bigger, Fifa intends it to be better and the presentation will surely not be as brash.Gianni Infantino was widely criticised for imposing the Club World Cup on an indifferent sporting public, against a backdrop of hostility from players’ unions and domestic leagues, but his belief that top clubs would back his vision has been vindicated, albeit largely because of the $1bn prize fund. With Chelsea banking £85m for winning seven matches, others are keen for a slice of the pie. Continue reading...

Politics

last month Organisers of controversial Blackweir Live gigs in Cardiff reveal plans for future events

The organisers of the Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morisette and Noah Kahan gigs in the central Cardiff park said they were a 'huge success

Politics

last month Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump and how Fifa went full Maga at the Club World Cup

After the bizarre spectacle of Gianni Infantino’s Club World Cup final being hijacked by Donald Trump, football has officially entered its post-truth era

Politics

last month Club World Cup dismissed as a Fifa ‘fiction’ by head of players’ union

Sergio Marchi likens Infantino to Roman emperor NeroHe says staging was reminiscent of ‘bread and circuses’The president of Fifpro has described the Club World Cup as a “fiction” and compared Gianni Infantino to the Roman emperor Nero, as the dispute between the players’ union and Fifa continued to escalate.Sergio Marchi joined the ranks of those critical of Infantino’s expanded tournament, saying a “lack of protection” for players had left the Club World Cup equivalent to “bread and circuses”. It is understood Fifpro was not invited to a meeting regarding player welfare held by Infantino in New York on the eve of the final, won 3-0 by Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain. Continue reading...

Sport

last month No, Gianni – the Club World Cup wasn’t a ‘huge, huge, huge success’

Fifa boss Gianni Infantino took a leaf out of the Donald Trump playbook when he was quick to declare the Club World Cup a roaring success but the actual evidence would suggest otherwise

Politics

last month How Chelsea justified the Club World Cup’s existence by sinking PSG in stunning final

Chelsea 3-0 PSG: Enzo Maresca’s side stunned the European champions to become the tournament’s first ever winners

Sport