13 h. ago Royal tour paintings from Charles’s personal collection go on display

Tom Hallifax described being a royal tour artist as ‘a lovely thing’ that is ‘very challenging as an artist, fascinating as a person’.

Politics

3 d. ago Anne Reid on fame, desire and ambition at 90: ‘The most wonderful things have happened since I was 68!’

In her 20s, the actor says, casting directors didn’t rate her. In her 60s, she got her big break. She discusses fun, family, optimism, regrets – and wild sex on screen with Daniel CraigAnne Reid wants to get one thing straight from the off. She adores working with the director Dominic Dromgoole. “He treats actors like grownups. Some directors feel as if they’ve got to play games and teach you how to act. But a conductor doesn’t teach a viola player how to play the blooming instrument, does he?” She talks about directors who get actors to throw bean bags at each other and go round the room making them recite each other’s names. “Blimey! I want to be an adult. I think I’ve earned it now.” She pauses. Reid has always been a master of the timely pause. “You can’t get more adult than me and be alive really, can you, darling?”Reid turned 90 in May. She celebrated by going on a national tour with Daisy Goodwin’s new play, By Royal Appointment. I catch up with the show at Cheltenham’s Every...

Politics

9 d. ago Costumes, props and ‘llama’ from Monty Python’s final live show to be auctioned

Fans of the comedy troupe will be able to bid on props and costumes from the live show, and collectibles from Terry Gilliam’s personal collection.

Economics

2 w. ago Inside the royal tour to South Africa which was the young Elizabeth's FIRST trip abroad, royal author reveals

With the memory of World War Two still very raw, the spring 1947 royal tour of South Africa was seen as the perfect opportunity for the Royal Family to enjoy some well earned sunshine.

Culture

3 w. ago J Hus review – rapper touched by genius can’t quite channel his energy

Royal Albert Hall, LondonAfter a cancelled arena tour, expectations are high for J Hus’s return – but for all his swagger and melody, he ends up falling short due to sound issues and a lack of visionJ Hus’s one-night-only show at the Royal Albert Hall, celebrating the five-year anniversary of his album Big Conspiracy, begins with the British rapper’s sister and collaborator iceè tgm reciting a poem in front of a black curtain. “It all starts with a question,” she posits. “What is the big conspiracy?” By the end, the show leaves even more unanswered questions.When the curtain falls, it reveals a small symphony orchestra placed behind live band the Compozers. Hus opens with force: Helicopter, Triumph, Fight for Your Right, Fortune Teller, Reckless, and No Denying come in quick succession. He spits with braggadocious swagger, jumping from a protruding platform into the throes of the adoring crowd standing in the stalls. Even looking up towards the gallery, the venue’s grandeur feels en...

Politics

3 w. ago Meghan Markle 'hated every second' of the 'pointless' engagements on 16

The visit, which took place in October 2018, coincided with the fourth Invictus Games and marked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's first official royal tour since their marriage.

Politics

3 w. ago Dangerous Animals review – serial killer meets shark movie in this formulaic fizzer

Jai Courtney eats up his role as the crazed captain of a tourist boat – but he can’t quite wrestle this creature feature from its straitjacketGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailFor a long time, serial killer and shark movies were separate forms of cinema; never the twain did meet. In Dangerous Animals they’ve been blended into one foul fishy stew, theoretically delivering the best of both worlds: a Wolf Creekian adventure with a creature feature twist. But, sadly, this collision of genres hasn’t resulted in any real freshness or flair, playing out with a stinky waft of the familiar.Jai Courtney gets the meatiest and most entertaining role as Tucker, the owner of a Gold Coast business that ferries thrill-seekers out into shark-infested waters, where they observe the great beasts from inside an underwater cage. After they’re hauled back on to the boat, Tucker kills them and feeds them to the sharks, while filming their grisly deaths on a camcorder for his personal collection o...

Events

3 w. ago ‘I yearned to be a California Girl – but I lived in Burnley’: readers on their love for Brian Wilson

From memories of photoshoots and telephone calls with the late Beach Boy, to appraisals of his complex but pure music, Guardian readers pay tribute to a greatWhether wistful or euphoric, Brian Wilson made pop’s most overwhelmingly beautiful musicRay Davies, Graham Nash and others on Brian Wilson’s songwriting geniusEndless summer: how Brian Wilson soundtracked CaliforniaI remember the Christmas after my mother’s death in 1989 when I was 15, I purchased the best-of collection from Asda, interested to see what I would hear. It had the hits, of course, but also a few of the deeper cuts from Pet Sounds and onwards. To say this changed my life is an understatement – Brian’s music, harmonies and subject matters struck an incredible chord in me. It did exactly what he existed for, bringing comfort to a heart and soul that needs it. I’ve been a fan ever since – I saw him at the Royal Festival Hall on his first Pet Sounds tour, watched him perform Smile in utter disbelief and wonder in Liver...

Events

3 w. ago Unseen pictures of King Charles that show him as never before: ROBERT HARDMAN reveals what really happens to the artists that go on royal tours

Arrested in Oman, sunstroke in Saudi, lost in Morocco - alongside the stunning art in a new book of royal tour paintings, the artists reveal how they almost came a cropper in front of Charles.

Culture