6 h. ago The Extraordinary Miss Flower review – secret life exposed through treasure trove of love letters

Nick Cave and Richard Ayoade are among those reading out the posthumously discovered missives that inspired an album by Emilíana Torrini, who soundtracks this gorgeous filmYou’d be forgiven for not having heard of Geraldine Flower, the subject of A new film from artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the pair behind the 2014 Nick Cave documentary 20,000 Days on Earth. (Cave makes an appearance here reading a letter or two.) Flower was not famous in her lifetime and in fact, after watching the film we’re none the wiser about how she spent her later years. But when she died in 2019, a suitcase packed with hundreds of love letters written to her by smitten men in the 60s and 70s was found in her London flat.The letters inspired a 2024 album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini (called Miss Flower) and also this intriguing, gorgeous and creative documentary – a film somewhere between an installation with songs and an extended music promo. It features Torrini and her band perf...

Politics

32 h. ago Homefires burning: how a cache of passionate love letters shows the second world war on two fronts

The intimate correspondence of a Manchester Guardian journalist and his wife is the basis for a theatre piece marking the 80th anniversary of VE DayDuring a house move, a cardboard box belonging to my husband Matthew’s grandparents came to light. Inside we found thousands of love letters sent between the Manchester Guardian journalist Gerard Fay and his wife Alice, during the second world war. They were jumbled up and undated, and reading them all seemed a daunting task, so the box was shelved.Matthew is an academic writing a book about an earlier generation of Fays, Frank and Willie, the actors who co-founded Dublin’s Abbey theatre with WB Yeats. Frank was Gerard’s father, so when lockdown happened we decided to tackle the correspondence, to see if there was any useful information for Matthew’s book. We discovered so much more. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Don't forget the sun cream... for your CAT: Vet urges pet owners to take care of their felines as temperatures rise

A white rescue cat named Bobble has undergone life-changing surgery after years of sun exposure left her with skin cancer so severe that vets were forced to amputate both of her ears.

Politics

6 d. ago Pentagon whistleblower fears execution after revealing bombshell UFO program secretly studying alien tech

A Pentagon insider who uncovered a secret UFO surveillance program has revealed his identity for the first time - and says he fears prison or worse.

Events

6 d. ago Identity of whistleblower who exposed 'secret Pentagon UFO program' revealed as he says he fears for his life

A Pentagon insider who uncovered a secret UFO surveillance program has revealed his identity for the first time - and says he fears prison or worse.

Politics

7 d. ago The Life of Sean DeLear review – loving film about queer black punk rocker, and secret legend

Sweet documentary about Sean DeLear, of LA punk band Glue, who never landed a major record deal but was famous among celebrities That’s Sean DeLear, pronounced like “chandelier”, born Anthony Robertson in 1964. You probably haven’t heard of him: DeLear was the lead singer of a band called Glue on the underground post-punk scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s and 90s. On stage, he performed in drag, singing punk songs dressed like a 1960s go-do dancer in cute little dresses. The band never landed a major record deal, and DeLear died from cancer in 2017. This sweet, scrappy documentary has been lovingly put together by his friend Markus Zizenbacher.It’s not the first posthumous attempt at recognition for DeLear. In 2023, his teenage diary, written in 1979, was published under the title I Could Not Believe It. Extracts of this queer black memoir are read here on the voiceover – and they are glorious. Even aged 14 years old, living with his Christian parents in a conservative suburb of Los...

Politics

7 d. ago TOBY WALNE: The 13 items that reveal 'car boot sale rubbish' is being sold at huge mark

The online marketplace Vinted has started dealing in vintage furniture. But is it offering an exciting new way to discover Antiques Roadshow treasures - or just tat that would look better in a jumble sale?

Politics

9 d. ago UK's most dangerous prisoner's love letters to new girlfriend

Robert Maudsley, who has been dubbed Hannibal the Cannibal, has never met his new girlfriend Loveinia MacKenney, but the pair say they have a 'special bond'

Events

9 d. ago UK's most dangerous prisoner's disturbing love letters to new girlfriend

Robert Maudsley, once the UK's most dangerous prisoner, has found love according to a series of cards penned behind bars and seen for the first time by the Mirror

Events

9 d. ago Melania Trump 'happy to be in spotlight' as insiders reveal truth to Amazon documentary

Melania Trump's Amazon documentary surrounding her life is set to expose private details of life as a First Lady and the president will also make an appearance

Politics

9 d. ago Telling the incredible tale of Anna Politkovskaya has taught me one thing: I could never be that brave | Maxine Peake

She faced endless opposition and threats to her life. This has become a reality for far too many journalistsMaxine Peake is an actor who appears in the new film Words of WarWhat drives someone to become a journalist? A good journalist, someone whose keyboard is a tool for exposing injustice, a truth-seeker who would risk life and limb to report their experiences back to the world? I know I couldn’t do it. I’ve interviewed people for a research project and was hopeless. I found myself shying away from asking the really difficult questions. There’s no way I could confront a corrupt official, or race to file a breaking story before a hostile regime tried to silence me, possibly for ever. I like to think of myself as the kind of person who would speak truth to power, but would I really, if my life was in the balance?One of the many privileges of being an actor is that it affords you the opportunity to dip your toes into other worlds and experiences from the safest possible distance. In ...

Politics

1 week ago With WH Smith's name set to disappear from the high street, LAURA CRAIK writes a love letter to the stores that are no more

When yet another former high-street favourite shuts, it's not just doors that are closing, but a portal to our past, too. Laura Craik writes a love letter to the stores that are no more

Events

1 week ago Bad Friend by Tiffany Watt Smith review – refreshingly frank portraits of female friendship

A social and personal history that refuses to gloss over the rage, envy and hurt that form part of every close bondFalling out with a friend can feel oddly shameful. Romantic relationships are meant to have passionate highs and lows, but by the time you reach adulthood, you expect your friendships to have reached some kind of equilibrium. I have this image in my head of myself as an affectionate, devoted friend – but sometimes I examine my true feelings towards the women who are closest to me and feel shocked by my own pettiness. It is embarrassing to be a grownup but still capable of such intense flashes of rage, and envy. When my friendships become distant or strained, I wonder why I still struggle to do this basic thing.Bad Friend represents a kind of love letter to female friendship, but doesn’t gloss over how difficult it can be. Tiffany Watt Smith is a historian, and this book is a deeply researched study of 20th-century women’s relationships, but the reason for writing i...

Politics

1 week ago I found an old letter. What it said changed how I think about love

Holding onto keepsakes isn’t holding onto the past, and moving on doesn’t have to mean completely forgetting the old flames who helped form us. Helen Coffey takes a trip down memory lane and thanks her former self for having the foresight to preserve her romantic souvenirs

Politics

1 week ago Don’t throw away love letters and mementos from exes – you’ll regret it

Holding onto keepsakes isn’t holding onto the past, and moving on doesn’t have to mean completely forgetting the old flames who helped form us. Helen Coffey takes a trip down memory lane and thanks her former self for having the foresight to preserve her romantic souvenirs

Politics

1 week ago Why I still keep love letters and mementos from exes – and you should too

Holding onto keepsakes isn’t holding onto the past, and moving on doesn’t have to mean completely forgetting the old flames who helped form us. Helen Coffey takes a trip down memory lane and thanks her former self for having the foresight to preserve her romantic souvenirs

Politics

1 week ago Bride killed days before Disney wedding after 'she exposed hubby's secret life'

Corrections officer Molly Watson was shot and killed just two days before her scheduled Disney-themed wedding to James Addie, who was later found to be leading a double life

Events

1 week ago Bride shot dead two days before Disney wedding after exposing husband's secret double life

Molly Watson was found dead just two days before her Disney-themed wedding and her fiance James Addie was later convicted of her murder after his secret life was exposed

Society

3 w. ago Archaeology wonder on Scottish isle is a treasure trove of human bones and artefacts

An island community will become Scotland’s first to buy the ancient structure after securing over £300,000 in funding

Politics

3 w. ago The quirky farm shop village with free play area, tearooms and treasure trove stalls

It boasts treasure trove shops, a huge cafe with outdoor seating and a free play area for kids and is not far off the M6

Politics