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If you love both reading and watching films, 2026 offers rich rewards – this year will see everything from new Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility adaptations to yet another instalment in the Dune franchise.

Project Hail Mary, The Odyssey, H is For Hawk, and Wuthering Heights are already out, meanwhile.

Generally, hitting the big or small screen spells good news for book sales. People can’t stop buying copies of the Homeric text after Nolan’s blockbuster; Wuthering Heights sales skyrocketed after Emerald Fennell’s controversial interpretation.

But that doesn’t mean every author is a fan of their works’ film or telly counterparts.

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Here, we rounded up eight authors who criticised adaptations of their books:

1) E.B. White wasn’t delighted with 1973’s Charlotte’s Web

E.B. White, who wrote the 1952 children’s book, had been in negotiations with the production team John and Faith Hubley.

Eventually, Hanna-Barbera got the rights instead. After their animated 1973 movie came out, White wrote: “The movie of Charlotte’s Web is about what I expected it to be. The story is interrupted every few minutes so that somebody can sing a jolly song. I don’t care much for jolly songs. The Blue Hill Fair, which I tried to report faithfully in the book, has become a Disney World, with 76 trombones.”

His wife, meanwhile, told would-be director of the abandoned original adaptation, Gene Dietch, “We have never ceased to regret that your version of Charlotte’s Web never got made. The Hanna-Barbera version has never pleased either of us.”

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2) Truman Capote didn’t love 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Author Truman Capote spent many years disparaging the movie based on his 1958 novel, calling it the “most miscast” movie (he’d wanted Marilyn Monroe for the part Audrey Hepburn got).

When asked what he didn’t like about the adaptation, he replied, “Oh god, just everything” – the book’s narrator role changes, as does the book’s ending.

3) Stephen King had issues with 1980’s The Shining

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Speaking to The Paris Review about Kubrick’s version of his story, King said he thought the movie was “Too cold. No sense of emotional investment in the family whatsoever on his part”.

He added that Shelley Duvall as Wendy was “insulting to women. She’s basically a scream machine…

“And Kubrick didn’t seem to have any idea that Jack Nicholson was playing the same motorcycle psycho that he played in all those biker films he did… The guy is crazy. So where is the tragedy if the guy shows up for his job interview and he’s already bonkers? No, I hated what Kubrick did with that.”

The writer had penned his own version of the script, which Kubrick didn’t use.

4) Rick Riordan disavowed the 2010 Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief flick

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Author Rick Riordan let his feelings about the adaptation be known on X, where he likened the movie to “my life’s work going through a meat grinder when I pleaded with [the studio] not to do it.”

He also posted, “I still have not seen the movies, and don’t plan on ever doing so… I judge them from having read the scripts because I care most about the story. I certainly have nothing against the very talented actors. Not their fault. I’m just sorry they got dragged into that mess.”

Still, the writer hinted he was “gonna fix” this with Disney+’s 2023 series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, for which he had more oversight.

5) Michael Ende called 1984’s The Neverending Story “revolting”

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Going so far as to remove his name from the movie’s credits, Ende publicly described the movie as “revolting” and claimed, “the makers of the film simply did not understand the book at all”.

The author even reportedly tried (and failed) to sue in order to stop the movie from going out, saying his “moral and artistic existence is at stake in this film”.

6) PL Travers had such a contentious relationship with Disney due to Mary Poppins, there’s a whole film about it

The film, which won a remarkable five Oscars, had a very different nanny to the one in PL Travers’ books (she “never wastes time being nice”) – Travers also disliked the fact that Disney made Mrs Banks a Suffragette.

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So contentious was her relationship with Walt Disney that the movie Saving Mr Banks was made to chronicle the making of the film.

7) Alan Moore, the mind behind V for Vendetta’s comics, called the 2005 movie’s writing “rubbish”

When asked to weigh in on the adaptation, Moore said: “I’ve read the screenplay. It’s rubbish”.

He also told the New York Times that for a lot of the DC projects that had become movies, “I don’t want anything more to do with these works because they were stolen from me – knowingly stolen from me.”

8) Moore also slammed the Watchmen film

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The writer, who claimed the studio was using his brother’s serious illness to pressure him, said of the movie: “curse this wretched film and everything connected with it”.

Speaking to GQ, meanwhile, he said: “I would be the last person to want to sit through any adaptations of my work.

“From what I’ve heard of them, it would be enormously punishing. It would be torturous, and for no very good reason… It seemed to me that what people were taking away from works like Watchmen or V For Vendetta wasn’t the storytelling techniques, which to me seemed to be the most important part of it. It was instead this greater leeway with violence and with sexual references. Tits and innards.”

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The parliamentary standards watchdog has opened an investigation into Reform UK deputy Richard Tice. The allegation focuses on Tice failing to declare an interest that related to a Commons debate on Israeli influence.

Tice himself has disputed media reporting, although the following claim is in part at odds with what the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards stated.

Contrary to garbage in media:

I am being investigated for standing against antisemitism. You could not make it up.

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Standards Commissioner is considering complaint by anti semitic anti Israel lobby group over whether I should have referenced my register of interests at start of…

— Richard Tice MP (@TiceRichard) August 3, 2026

Richard Tice claims probe is over antisemitism stance

In full, Tice said:

Contrary to garbage in media:

I am being investigated for standing against antisemitism. You could not make it up.

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Standards Commissioner is considering complaint by anti semitic anti Israel lobby group over whether I should have referenced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence.

The same anti Israel group failed to notify Commissioner that Ayoub Khan MP did not declare his substantial donation received from a pro Palestine group.

Funny that…..

Adding further context, the BBC reported:

Reform said Tice did not mention in his 22 June speech that he had been on a trip to Israel last September, funded by a pro-Israel lobbying group.

The trip has been listed in Tice’s Declaration of Members’ Interests.

Here is what the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner published regarding the ongoing investigation:

Therefore, it is not the case that the commissioner is investigating Tice for “standing against antisemitism”, as he suggested.

The ‘Rule 6’ stipulates:

Members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders.

Additional guidance states that MPs can refer to register of interests entries but:

Such a reference will not suffice on its own, as the declaration must provide sufficient information to convey the nature of the interest without the listener or the reader having to have recourse to the Register or other publication.

Israeli influence

The debate in question happened as a result of a Parliament petition passing 100,000 signatures. The petition read:

We are concerned about reported Israeli state-linked and pro-Israel lobbying activity in UK politics. We believe it is important to determine the scope and impact of any such influence campaigns.

We feel that the horrific devastation in Gaza, the ongoing suppression of Palestinians in the West Bank, and the UK’s political response underline the urgent need to scrutinise how pro-Israel organisations, networks, and lobbying efforts may shape government decisions, party policy, and public debate.

Featured image via Office of the President of Israel/ X

By Willem Moore

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There are many miserable people in Great Britain who love to spread their misery around. One such person is  Jeremy Clarkson, who seemingly spends his free time devising new ways to belittle benefit claimants.

NEW: Jeremy Clarkson says benefits claimants should be forced to write a genuine thank you email to a random worker every week

“It is SO kind of you to go to work every day so that I don’t have to. Thanks to you I was able to buy an even bigger television this week”

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) August 3, 2026

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As many have pointed out, Clarkson himself is a beneficiary of government money. In other words, expect a thank you letter from him sometime soon.

Jeremy Clarkson, the meat w*nker

In his latest piece for the Times, Clarkson compares welfare recipients to dogs. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the broadcaster suggested that welfare recipients are actually worse than animals, because “at least dogs are grateful”.

Speaking of gratitude, now is a good time to remind you Clarkson once punched a man because the platter of meat he brought was cold — not hot, as Jeremy would have preferred. Is this the famous ‘gratitude’ he’s speaking of?

Clarkson’s piece begins:

As I’m sure you’ve heard, there are now more than a million young people in this country who are not working. They’re not even looking for work. They’re just sitting at home all day, gormlessly watching shortform nonsense on their massive vulgarsonic televisions.

Nearly a million young people being out of work is true. The idea that none of them are “even looking for work” is some shite he made up. Also, we’re not sure he should be criticising people for “gormlessly watching nonsense on television” given that he was the host of Top Gear.

If you live in the world, you’re no doubt unsurprised to learn that a significant number of young people are out of work. The high streets are run down, many jobs have been lost to automation, and people can’t afford to go out, which means fewer jobs in hospitality. These are all areas in which young people traditionally worked, so of course fewer of them are in work.

Plus, the rise in national minimum wage has reduced the jobs available for youngsters.

While he’s coming at it from the wrong angle, Clarkson isn’t wrong to suggest social media is having an impact. Because of phones, we’re never more than a swipe away from seeing how the other half lives. You don’t think that will instill a sense of hopelessness in young people who can’t even get an interview in retail?

Clarkson clueless about PIP

Like everyone on the right, Clarkson doesn’t understand how Personal Independence Payments (PIP) work. Clarkson suggests they’re given to people for not working, but Rachel Charlton-Dailey explained:

PIP isn’t an out-of-work benefit and has nothing to do with employment.

Here’s what Clarkson said:

And what makes this especially dispiriting is that if they’ve got ants in their pants, or ADHD as it’s now called, or some other head-based issue with an acronym, the state will give them up to £194 a week. Which is £100 more than they’d get if they got off their arses and did some kind of part-time work in the local shop.

Charlton-Dailey reported that about four in 10 claimants with ADHD receive the top rate of £194. As this is PIP, many will be in work because that’s how PIP functions.

Misery loves company

Clarkson’s piece contains a long section about his dogs, in which he admits that they sometimes shit in his house (training issue). He then gets to his idea to belittle benefit claimants:

It’s very simple. Every week, when the benefits are paid, the recipient is given the email address of a randomly selected person who is getting up and going to work every day. And they are told that unless a proper and genuine email is sent, thanking the working person for their generosity, the benefits will stop. And I’m not talking about a cursory “thanks mate”. I want fulsomeness. I want to hear what they’ve done with the £194 I gave them that week. And I want effusiveness as well. I want to feel their gratitude.

“It is SO kind of you to go to work every day so that I don’t have to. Thanks to you I was able to buy an even bigger television this week”

This way, the communists in the Labour party would be happy because the benefits are still being paid. And the taxpayer will feel a bit better too because they’re at least being thanked.

This might not need pointing out, but this is blatant right-wing propaganda. We have a benefits system to ensure:

• Those who become unemployed can survive between jobs
• Sick and disabled people don’t become homeless
• People of retirement age are able to retire

£29 a week doesn't even cover a basic grocery top-up, yet @JeremyClarkson thinks disabled people and trauma survivors owe the public a handwritten thank-you note for it. https://t.co/KonzXmfD2v

— Dr_Rebecca (@Dr_Bekka_UK) August 3, 2026

The benefits system was designed to benefit everyone besides the ultra-wealthy — the people who will never require government support for themselves or their loved ones. The reason they’ll never require it isn’t because they’re inherently better than us; it’s because they and their ancestors benefitted from the fruits of other people’s labour.

Jeremy Clarkson benefits from govt handouts

These ultra-wealthy people use their position of influence to highlight the small numbers of people who are, admittedly, taking the piss, to tarnish the reputation of the entire benefits system. For what? So they can get away with paying less tax?

Clarkson has an estimated net worth of £50 million by the way. Despite this, he’s accepted the following government and EU subsidies:

• Environmental Stewardship scheme (£116,352)
• Basic Payment Scheme (£133,733)

The government subsidises things like farming because crops — much like people — are needed to ensure society remains functional. The right-wing press doesn’t criticise farming subsidies because the land barons who benefit from them are often right-wing themselves. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Says the man who bought a farm partly to avoid inheritance tax! He should write one to the 35,000 grieving relatives who have to pay it this year saying thanks for paying it so farmers can have a £2.5m allowance and half the rate of tax above that! https://t.co/cuVU9XH26S

— Paul Lewis (@paullewismoney) August 3, 2026

This aside, there is a method for people to make money without working, and that method is to be born wealthy.

If a person has a million pounds, they can pay a second person to turn that fortune into more money through investing and asset hoarding. Over time, this has led to a situation in which global wealth is concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people. And wouldn’t you know it, this has also coincided with there being fewer opportunities for ordinary working people.

To be fair to Jeremy Clarkson, he does seem like someone who works hard. The problem is, he works hard at being a f*cking knucklehead.

The longer we allow the rich to seize all the wealth, the worse things will get. The worse things get, the more that the rich will blame us for the problems they created.

Featured image via Acub Porzycki/ Getty Images

By Willem Moore

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The cyber-criminal group ExfilSquad has leaked the names and contact details of more than 100,000 police staff on the dark web.

The news follows threats from the same group last week to leak more data unless public institutions met their demands for payment. ExfilSquad posted on X:

Check your emails! We warned most of you before posting these public warnings!!

Once your company’s data is posted here, it’s NEVER leaving the public eye and it will be passed around the internet FOREVER.

The payment we request of you is simply a rounding error compared to the litigation costs of your data leaking. Be smart and just pay.

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Hackers put multiple organisations under threat

Last week, the Canary reported that the same hackers had posted data stolen from the Department for Education (DfE) and the Police National Legal Database (PNLD). A source explained that a majority of the 145,550 full-time police officers employed in England and Wales have used the PNLD as part of their daily work.

Whilst ExfilSquad stated that they targeted 14 institutions in total, the identities of the others were not public knowledge. However, the most recent reporting from the Telegraph has revealed that the wide-scale hack targeted the Crown Prosecution Service, Home Office, Ministry of Defence and the National Crime Agency.

Likewise, the cyber criminals also breached Newcastle University — the only non-state body named so far. ExfilSquad reportedly stole data including the names, addresses and phone numbers of both staff and students.

The university has already begun an investigation into the exact nature of the attack and the vulnerability of its systems.

Cybersecurity adviser Jake Moore, of European infosec giant Eset, explained:

The information put on the dark web should not be underestimated. More experienced threat actors see it as highly valuable because it enables them to personalise follow-up attacks, such as phishing or social engineering, which puts even more data at risk.

***

These attacks are becoming more common as criminals increasingly automate their tactics with ease and exploit the development using AI. The knock-on effect means organisations are facing a far higher volume of attacks, often with far less effort required from the attacker.

‘Officers at serious risk’

The Times reported that a government spokesperson declined to comment on the security breach, stating:

We have dedicated capabilities to respond to cyber incidents, and it would be inappropriate to comment on a live investigation.

However, a staff member from one of the targeted law enforcement organisations said: 

I have worked in serious organised crime and put high-level criminals behind bars. For private information to be leaked about me is very disconcerting and puts officers at serious risk.

In the past I have been forced to move into safe houses and sell cars due to my job. Now I will have to keep my wits about me online and look out for anyone trying to get more serious information. It is not a good look.

Featured image via Ethan Wilkinson/ Unsplash

By Grace

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A new four‑day vegan festival in London, billed as being “built on principles of love and kindness for all sentient beings” has been cancelled after complaints from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

The Scout Association cancelled the Great Vegan Festival’s venue booking just weeks before the event was to take place at their Gilwell Park Activity Centre in Chingford.

The association pulled the plug after UKLFI wrote to management warning them that several acts on the line‑up were “antisemitic”.

A statement from the Great Vegan Gathering read:

After pressure from UK Lawyers for Israel, Gilwell Park decided to cancel our venue hire contract just weeks before the event. As vegans, we oppose oppression in any context and therefore stand resolutely against Israel’s genocide of Palestinian humans and animals in Gaza.

It is deeply regrettable that an event seeking to raise funds for rescued animals at sanctuaries was attacked by UKLFI, an anti-Palestinian group that has repeatedly targeted cultural events and organisations.

The Scout Association has cancelled a venue booking by a vegan music festival after @UKLFI warned that bands on its line-up had promoted material alleged to be antisemitic and supportive of violence against Israelis. Read more: https://t.co/66wGB1NVa6

— UK Lawyers For Israel (@UKLFI) July 30, 2026

UKLFI accuses musicians of ‘endorsing violence’

UKLFI claimed the musicians had published or performed material that “endorsed violence, vilified Israel and Israelis, and risked stirring up racial hatred”.

The bands HAWXX, Active Slaughter, and Millie Manders and the Shutup were specifically mentioned by UKLFI. They had previously spoken up against ‘Israel’s’ genocide, colonialism and fascism, and the criminal IOF.

UKLFI highlighted several of their songs, to justify its actions.

One of these was Active Slaughter’s song, It’s Not Anti-Semitic to Hate Fascists, which UKLFI claimed “accuses Israeli forces of killing ‘for fun’ and planting knives beside injured Palestinian teenagers”. But this is true, as this film about Palestinian human rights defenders in Hebron clearly shows.

Israeli forces have filmed knives being planted beside Palestinian youths on more than one occasion.

UKLFI also claimed that if the festival went ahead in its proposed form, it could expose the Scout Association, as the venue operator, to legal, safeguarding and reputational risks.

Andrew Thorp, deputy public relations lead for the Scout Association, told us:

A decision has been made to cancel the hire of our venue for The Great Vegan Gathering at Gilwell Park.

Following the initial confirmation of the booking, we conducted a review into some actions taken by the event organisers. The review concluded that these actions were not consistent with Scout values or our venue hire policies.

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As a result, we have informed the organisers that the event will not proceed at Gilwell Park.

We remain committed to ensuring that all activity taking place at our venues reflects our values and supports an inclusive, respectful and welcoming environment for everyone.”

The Canary asked Thorp for more details, but he did not respond further.

Repeat targeting of cultural organisations and events

Anyone cancelling the use of their venue based on this should be absolutely ashamed, and consulting their lawyers @scoutadventures

All solidarity with the Great Vegan Gathering.@MiddleEastEye pic.twitter.com/JT49cZky0O

— Stop genocide. End apartheid. Free Palestine (@JonWooders) July 30, 2026

JJ Maguire, a singer in Active Slaughter, told Middle East Eye:

My Jewish granddad escaped persecution in Nazi Germany, but many of his family members were murdered…It’s with him in mind that I founded a band which, in keeping with punk traditions, refuses far right politics wherever it rears its head.

***

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I was absolutely appalled to learn that UK Lawyers for Israel had mounted an attack on our pro-Palestine free speech.

Millie Manders, from the band, Millie Manders and the Shutup, said:

My band and I are proud to support justice for all animals and humans. This includes opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, a position shared by millions of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and atheists – people from every background.

Manders added:

We will never stop advocating for what’s right.

Attempted erasure of Palestine

UKLFI uses tactics of “legal intimidation” to silence pro-Palestine, or anti-‘Israel’ speech and activism. It sends letters, suggesting the possibility of legal action, while events are told they raise legal or equality concerns. The institution on the receiving end then risks legal action, costs and reputational damage.

By doing this the organisation erodes democratic rights as it aims to erase Palestine from public life. It has taken matters upon itself to police our speech and actions. Academic institutions, the internet, sports, public institutions, charities, councils, companies and individuals have all come under fire.

In 2026, its actions led to the cancellation of academic events and the banning of Palestine Solidarity symbols worn by various railway, airport and hospital staff. It has also influenced guidance on investment of council pension funds.

Worryingly, two encyclopedias were told by UKLFI that their referencing to Palestine was incorrect. In addition, academic institutions have changed the description and wording of courses to remove the word ‘Palestine’.

Of course, UKLFI is lying when it states its concerns are “rooted in historical accuracy and educational responsibility”.

The Scouts have been repeatedly targeted. In January, UKLFI wrote to a north London Scout group after an adult leader wore a keffiyeh, arguing the conduct may amount to harassment under the Equality Act.

In February, UKLFI wrote again after staff were seen wearing symbols of support for Palestine.

..@UklfiT has written to a North London Scout group after being informed that an adult leader at a Beavers meeting for children aged six to eight wore a keffiyeh, a garment with widely recognised political significance connected to the Palestinian cause. https://t.co/OBaLqtrVy1

— UK Lawyers For Israel (@UKLFI) January 17, 2026

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UKLFI’s role in shutting down Palestine discourse

In August 2025, UKLFI complained to Hertfordshire Scouts about Camp Wilayah, an annual Islamic children’s summer camp on its land. UKLFI alleged breaches of the Public Order Act, the Counter‑Terrorism and Security Act and the Children Act. The Scouts cancelled the booking, even though the camp had taken place for more than 13 years with no complaints.

The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and Forensic Architecture labelled UKLFI a “major actor” in the repression of pro‑Palestinian activism in the UK.

It exploits the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which equates criticism of ‘Israel’ with antisemitism. It also exploits terror legislation to create a chilling effect on pro-Palestine discourse.

Various organisations are taking action against UKLFI’s threatening behaviour and weaponisation of the law.

The Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) and ELSC have filed a 114‑page complaint with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. They claim UKLFI is using legal threats as a form of strategic intimidation to shut down public debate on Palestine. As such, they are calling for UKLFI to be regulated as an unregistered law firm.

The Charity Commission is also investigating UKLFI’s charitable wing after a complaint by CAGE. CAGE accused it of “engaging in vexatious and malicious complaints” against pro-Palestinian activism, while “masquerading as a charity.”

Senior barristers linked to the group also face a separate complaint over their role as patrons.

$730m hasbara budget making no difference

Pressure from UKLFI is part of a much larger, state‑backed effort to manage the occupation’s global image. In 2026, the ‘Israeli’ government approved a public diplomacy budget of roughly $730m.

Foreign minister Gideon Saar argues that managing ‘Israel’s’ image should be treated like “investing in jets, bombs, and missile interceptors”.

More than $50m is going into digital ad buys, around $40m into flying in delegations, and tens of millions more into influencer networks, AI‑driven content tools and targeted campaigns aimed at US universities and young Americans, where support for ‘Israel’ has plummeted.

Despite this unprecedented propaganda budget, unfavourable views continue to rise. No amount of money or digital campaigns can buy back the truth. The official story, framing ‘Israel’ as a democracy under threat, which treats all criticism as antisemitism and refers Palestinian resistance as terrorism, is starting to fall apart.

Featured image via Vegan FTA

By Charlie Jaay

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