4 h. ago Steve Coogan says Richard III film was ‘story I wanted to tell’ as defamed academic to get payout

Case had been due to go to trial after judge ruled 2022’s The Lost King, which Coogan co-wrote, portrayed Richard Taylor as ‘smug and patronising’Steve Coogan has said his film about the discovery of the remains of Richard III was “the story I wanted to tell, and I am happy I did” after he and two production companies agreed to pay “substantial damages” to settle a high court libel claim over the film’s portrayal of a university academic.Richard Taylor, deputy registrar at the University of Leicester at the time of the find, sued Coogan, his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions for libel over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King, which follows the amateur historian Philippa Langley and her search for the king’s skeleton. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Producers pay damages to settle libel suit over movie about search for King Richard III

The producers of "The Lost King" have agreed to pay damages to an academic who sued for libel over his portrayal in the film

Events

6 h. ago Coogan says Richard III film was ‘the story I wanted to tell’ after libel claim

Steve Coogan and two production companies have agreed to pay ‘substantial damages’ to a university academic who sued for libel over the film.

Politics

6 h. ago Steve Coogan insists he is 'happy' he made Richard III movie after losing defamation battle to academic

Coogan has been forced to pay a 'substantial' amount of money in damages to an academic who a court ruled was defamed in his film The Lost King.

Events

8 h. ago Steve Coogan to pay ‘substantial damages’ to academic defamed in Richard III film

Case had been due to go to trial after judge ruled 2022’s The Lost King, which Coogan co-wrote, portrayed claimant as ‘smug, unduly dismissive and patronising’Steve Coogan and two production companies will pay “substantial damages” to a university academic to settle a high court libel case over his portrayal in a film about the discovery of Richard III’s remains in a Leicester car park in 2012.Richard Taylor, deputy registrar at the University of Leicester at the time of the find, sued Coogan, his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Productions for libel over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King, which follows amateur historian Philippa Langley and her search to find the king’s skeleton. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Steve Coogan pays 'substantial sum' to academic defamed in film The Lost King with 'weasel

Richard Taylor, formerly deputy registrar of the University of Leicester, has succesfully sued Coogan, who was a writer and producer of the 2022 film, The Lost King.

Politics

11 h. ago Academic to receive ‘substantial damages’ over portrayal in Steve Coogan film

Richard Taylor sued Coogan and two production companies over his portrayal in the 2022 film The Lost King.

Events

8 d. ago Chinese spy suspect was detained at Heathrow with £4000 in cash lying in his suitcase

Christopher Berry (pictured) - a 33-year-old academic from Witney in Oxfordshire - was stopped with the large sum of money in February 2023.

Economics

9 d. ago Prince Andrew lost titles after King Charles had crisis talks with Prince William

King Charles is understood to have consulted with Prince William and other members of the Royal Family before Prince Andrew confirmed he would give up his titles and honours

Politics

1 week ago Premier League clubs turn to hidden gambling partners to beat sponsorship ban

Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds and Nottingham Forest fail to respond to questions sent by the Guardian, while Sunderland refuse to commentEleven Premier League clubs will have to find new principal sponsors next season when the ban on front-of-shirt advertising for betting companies takes effect. This will represent a financial blow for the clubs concerned: gambling operators are known to pay a substantial premium on standard industry rates. As Karren Brady told the House of Lords in a debate on the football governance bill last November, “the typical difference between gambling and non-gambling shirt sponsorships is around 40%”. The vice-chair of West Ham warned: “For some Premier League clubs, this decision [to ban front-of-shirt gambling advertising] will mean a reduction of around 20% of their total commercial revenues.”So how to make for the shortfall? Some clubs seem to have opted for the simplest of solutions: to carry on as before, by adapting the nature of their offer to gambl...

Politics

2 w. ago Who is King Kylie? Kardashian sister revives lost era that made her a social media icon

Kylie Jenner has revived her most iconic era 10 years later, and fans are freaking out over what she has been working on for her newest Kylie Cosmetics collection

Politics

2 w. ago Steve Coogan now screams back at fans with iconic Alan Partridge catchphrase

Legendary funnyman Steve Coogan found fame as hilarious newscaster spoof Alan Partridge, but now he is opting to yell his catchphrase back when people say it to him

Politics

2 w. ago My kids gave me enough material to write TV comedy. Where will the jokes come from now they’ve left? | Helen Serafinowicz

The inspirations for my BBC show have packed up and gone to uni, leaving me to rattle around on my own. At least they will be back for ChristmasHelen Serafinowicz is the writer of Motherland and AmandalandMotherhood has given me two kids and a TV show (and a spin-off). When I first entered Motherland, it was quite clear this was a mad world, and ripe for the picking. Trying to find your tribe when you have absolutely nothing in common with your fellow tribespeople, other than babies of the same age, is very difficult, but also rich in inspiration for comedy.Over the years, I would write down little moments or observations that made me chuckle: arriving at a kids’ party dressed exactly like one of the dads; watching in amazement as a mum asked an usher to turn the heating up in the auditorium on a school trip to see The Lion King; the mum whose advice to her children if they got lost in a crowd was “think like a paedophile” (we used this – with permission – in the Halloween episode o...

Culture

2 w. ago Steve Coogan, 59, reveals he's set to become a grandfather for the first time as he reflects on 'hugely unsuccessful' love life and cocaine

Steve Coogan has revealed he is set to become a grandfather for the first time, as the actor and comedian opened up about his turbulent cocaine-fuelled past.

Politics

3 w. ago Alan Partridge is back at rock bottom – and it’s the funniest he’s been in years

After stadium tour success, the delusional broadcaster is back where he belongs: self-funding a series about the nation’s mental health. As comedy goes, it couldn’t be more pleasurableLike anyone who has grown up in the shadow of Alan Partridge’s three-decade dominion over British comedy, I want only the very best for Norwich’s most relentless broadcaster. By which I mean the absolute worst. For me, Partridge is at his finest when he’s scrabbling around the media’s outer fringes, rebranding past humiliations as glories and furiously name-dropping 1980s television personalities to the nonplussed acquaintances he genuinely believes to be his closest friends.Sadly, Alan has been riding (relatively) high in recent years. In 2022, Steve Coogan’s creation – now co-written by Rob and Neil Gibbons – embarked on a UK arena tour as a motivational speaker, imparting dubious advice to tens of thousands of adoring fans. Before that, he landed the job of a lifetime: a presenting gig on the BBC’s ...

Politics

3 w. ago Rob Brydon’s Honky Tonk Road Trip review – proof that he doesn’t need Steve Coogan for a fun travelogue

The genial Welshman marks the 100th anniversary of country music by dressing like a cowboy, and driving 2,000 miles across the US. He’s a great fit for this breezy show, which is definitely not The TripWhile the Euro-hopping reality competition Destination X might not have been the Traitors-rivalling summer smash the BBC were hoping for, it did give host Rob Brydon a lovely glow-up. The convoluted coach trip clearly wanted to give off a jet-setting vibe, so its master of ceremonies was outfitted in deluxe tailoring: boldly coloured three-piece suits, silky cravats and yacht-ready blazers. All of a sudden, Brydon had the debonair look to match his vintage Roger Moore impression.His latest three-part series, Rob Brydon’s Honky Tonk Road Trip, also features some Mr Benn-style thematic wardrobe. The genial Welshman goes full Yellowstone cowpoke in a parade of flannel shirts, rugged jackets and the occasional Stetson hat. It’s all part of a premise that sees him piloting an imposing Ford...

Transport

3 w. ago How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge) on BBC One review: Steve Coogan's cringefest catches the cultural zeitgeist

Now's a great time to bring back problematic Partridge, and the new series is as bitingly good as ever

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Motherhood penalty’ costs women an average £65,618 in pay by time first child turns five

Women’s average monthly earnings fall by 42% compared with one year before birth, ONS study findsMothers lose an average of £65,618 in pay by the time their first child turns five, as the “motherhood penalty” risks their financial security, official figures show.Mums in England are hit by a “substantial and long-lasting reduction” in their pay after they have children, as they become less likely to stay in paid employment, the Office for National Statistics have said. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) review – nothing else on TV has this many laugh

The fictional broadcaster remains the funniest comic creation in Britain, as he returns with this hilariously sloppy look at mental health. Is anything as joyous as watching his blunders? Surely notAlan Partridge is in crisis! But then, who isn’t these days? Last time he was on television, Alan was melting down live on air while hosting the light magazine show This Time, ending the series quite literally locked out of the BBC. At the start of his new, self-produced project, the light documentary How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge), the broadcaster reveals he’s since hit another low by fainting into the lap of a female interviewee during a corporate event for Norfolk agribusiness stalwarts Bannroyd Animal Feed. Tough times, but personalities of Partridge’s calibre know how to bounce back: tie your troubles to a national trend and see if you can get a series out of it.How Are You?, then, sees Steve Coogan’s immortal alter ego in roving factual mode, looking into an epidemic of anxiety,...

Politics

3 w. ago Alan Partridge takes on mental health – and the results are magnificent, excruciating and genuinely touching

From its depiction of midlife ennui to its satirical take on therapy-speak, ‘How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge)’ is the best Partridge-related project in years, writes Phil Harrison

Politics