Both Emily and I have experience testing mattresses, having contributed numerous reviews across our different mattress guides. It’s a difficult job for one obvious reason – they’re huge.

So, for this guide, you’ll find a mixture of products that Emily tested at home and ones I (Rebecca) tested after a week visiting dozens of showrooms across London. I tested sofa beds at the same time, if you’re in the market.

It’s important to note that the best mattress for each individual varies enormously, based on weight, height, pressure points, sleeping position and whether or not you share a bed.

Memory foam mattresses tested at home were slept on for at least a month, to get a true feel for how each one adjusted to the person sleeping on it and whether it helped regulate their temperature, and how durable it was. Edge support (being able to sleep at the edge of the mattress without rolling off) was also considered.

In the showroom, I judged the mattresses on more objective criteria: foam density and thickness, number of layers, temperature-regulating features, sustainability of materials and, of course, comfort.

All reviews are based on independent expert opinion and our hands-on testing. Visit our Who We Are page to learn more.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — David Punch provided some bulletin-board material this week when he told the Columbus Dispatch that TCU would beat Ohio State “nine times out of 10” because of its athleticism.

On Thursday, Punch and the Horned Frogs backed up his bold talk.

Punch delivered a textbook entry pass to Xavier Edmonds, who converted a layup to beat the shot clock with 4.3 seconds left as No. 9 seed TCU held off a furious second-half rally by eighth-seeded Ohio State for a 66-64 victory to open the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Bruce Thornton’s half-court heave at the buzzer hit all backboard, and the Buckeyes’ standout senior leaned forward and put his hands on his knees in dismay near midcourt as TCU began its celebration.

Micah Robinson made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points to lead TCU, Edmonds scored 16 and Punch had 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Horned Frogs (23-11) will play Saturday against either No. 16 seed Siena or Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.

“I felt like it kind of put a little more pressure on us, but at the same time, I know his words were just a little bit misconstrued and a little twisted,” Edmonds said of Punch’s comments. “That’s not 100 percent how he meant it. Still we seen it, and we felt like we had to stand on it. So we wanted to go out there and make sure we won nine out of 10 times.”

The 6-foot-7 Punch hurt the Buckeyes with his physicality in the paint, but no play was bigger than finding Edmonds for the winner.

“We got it to Punch, and he created some space,” Edmonds said. “He didn’t have a shot he wanted, so he kicked it out to me, and I had a good seal and I just went up with it. Credit to him for making a better pass.”

John Mobley Jr. scored 15 points to lead Ohio State (21-13), which was making its first March Madness appearance since 2022.

TCU built a 15-point halftime lead and appeared in control, only to miss 18 of its first 22 shots to start the second half and fall behind 55-50 with seven minutes left.

“I just thought, I’m not going home like that,” Mobley said. “I’m not going home without putting my all to it. I had a talk at halftime, I’ve just got to do better. I was a little sluggish in the first half, can’t do that.”

The Horned Frogs rallied for a 64-61 advantage on a 3 by Robinson with 56 seconds left. Thornton hit a tying 3 with 33 seconds remaining, and TCU called timeout to set up a final play in the halfcourt.

“What a character check for us down the stretch and just going and executing on every play,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “It was multiple guys in a variety of ways.”

Dixon won’t let his players overrule him again

Dixon said his players convinced him to change up the defense on Ohio State’s possession, which ended with Thornton’s tying 3.

“We guarded it well,” Dixon said. “So I’ll let them get away with that one. It was a tough 3 that they hit.”

Teams entered March Madness in fine form

Both teams came into the tournament playing well. Ohio State won four straight before falling to Michigan 71-67 in the Big Ten Tournament. TCU had won six in a row before losing to Kansas 79-78 in the Big 12 tourney.

Buckeyes find motivation for next season

Mobley said the loss will drive him and his young teammates in the offseason.

“There is a motivation now of getting back here,” Mobley said. “Ohio State has a great repertoire to come here. We want to keep building that. … When the guys come in, we’re going to have that and be ready to go for the summer.”

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

A total of 16 dates have been announced for 2026, including a stop at Leeds’ O2 Academy on October 16.

The tour marks the alt-rock band’s 40th anniversary and begins in Newcastle on October 1, concluding at London’s O2 Brixton Academy on December 8.

Vocalist and guitarist Miles Hunt said: “When the original line-up of The Wonder Stuff first rehearsed together on March 19th 1986 – exactly forty years ago today – I wonder what our thoughts might have been if Malc Treece and I knew that we would be fortunate enough to still be playing gigs together now?

“Whatever those scruffy young fellas would have thought I can tell you now, all these years later, both of us are incredibly grateful to all of the audiences that have stuck with us these past four decades.

“And it shall be our absolute honour to get up on stage this year and play as many of the old faves as we can to those wonderful people. We are blessed.”

The Wonder Stuff’s long-standing line-up will include Hunt, Malc Treece, Erica Nockalls, Mark Gemini Thwaite, Tim Sewell and Pete Howard.

They will perform a setlist covering their four-decade career, featuring hits such as Unbearable, A Wish Away, and Size of A Cow.

Formed in 1986 in the Birmingham/Black Country area, The Wonder Stuff signed to Polydor Records in 1987 and released four Top 20 albums between 1988 and 1994.

Joining them as special guests on the tour are Madchester favourites Inspiral Carpets.

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Inspiral Carpets said: “We are looking forward to hitting the road later this year with our mates The Wonder Stuff.

“Expect a set full of our garage pop hit singles and maybe a couple of surprises… see you down front.”

A venue pre-sale will take place from 10.00am on Wednesday, March 25, before going on general sale at 10.00am on Friday, March 27, available from www.thewonderstuff.co.uk.

The former world champion boxer was found dead at the age of 46 last year

A full inquest into the death of former world champion boxer Ricky Hatton will begin on Friday.

The British sporting legend was found dead at the age of 46 at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on September 14 last year, leaving the world of boxing stunned as tributes poured in from across the globe. Police said at the time that there was not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the tragedy, but referred Hatton’s death to the coroner.

An inquest into the boxer’s death was then opened in October, with the hearing at South Manchester Coroners’ Court in Stockport seeing senior coroner Alison Mutch give the provisional cause of death as ‘hanging’.

The inquest was then adjourned until March 20 (Friday), with further details of his final days and the events in the lead-up to his death now set to be made public as the full inquest begins.

Inquests are opened by coroners when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a death has occurred due to anything other than natural causes. While there is no exact legal definition of a ‘natural’ cause of death, it is typically described as “death due to a disease running its full course with no other intervening factors”.It comes after Hatton’s friend and manager Paul Speak, who found the boxing legend’s body after coming to his house to take him to the airport, revealed “the truth” about what happened to him.

“The lights weren’t on, which I thought was strange,” Speak told Boxing News after news of Hatton’s death broke. “I thought he’d overslept, but it’s not unusual. People do oversleep.

“So, I went inside – I have a key – shouting, ‘Rick, Rick, wake up! I heard music coming from upstairs, so I went upstairs… I took a look at him… I had to take some time to process it.

“I was in a state of shock and confusion and loss and many more emotions,” he added. “Then I called the police and the ambulance. But I firmly believe he didn’t intend to do it. It’s for the coroner to determine, but he had it all to live for.”

Maintaining that Hatton – who had been open about his struggles with mental health in recent years – had been “in a really good place” before his sudden death, Speak continued: “He’d arranged to take his daughters to see Oasis next week.

“He was planning to go to Thailand for the WBC convention and a holiday after his fight. He’d just booked a flight to Tenerife for Christmas. I want to get the truth out, otherwise people will just speculate.”

Thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester to pay their respects to Hatton ahead of his funeral service at the city’s cathedral in October, with Wayne Rooney and Liam Gallagher among those attending.

Speaking at the service, the former champion boxer’s 13-year-old daughter Millie delivered a heartbreaking eulogy, asking him “why didn’t you reach out?”.

Addressing the packed cathedral, she said: “I can’t help but think about how you will never walk me down the aisle, how you will never meet my children and your grandchildren, how you won’t be here to see me leave school or even see me grow into an adult.

“Why did you feel that way? Why didn’t you reach out about how you felt? I genuinely hope you don’t ever think you have let me down, because I would never think that. I love and miss you unconditionally.”

Anyone can contact Samaritans FREE any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. This number won’t show up on your phone bill. Or you can jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org

While the US has concentrated much of its military effort on degrading Iran’s missile and drone capability, sinking its Navy and, in recent days, attacking targets along Iran’s long Gulf shoreline, Israel has gone to great lengths to assassinate Iran’s leaders and attack elements of state control, including paramilitary Basij units responsible for much of the violent crackdown on protests earlier this year.

“Prior to the strikes, warnings were published to ensure that civilians distance themselves from the crossings, in order to reduce civilian harm. In footage released in the past few hours, a journalist is seen at the ‘Qasmiya’ crossing. An explicit warning had been issued regarding this area”, the force said.

​Further restrictions could be introduced to address complaints from Scarborough residents who have highlighted the ‘displacement effects’ of the overnight ban on campervans at Royal Albert Drive.

​​An Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) was introduced to restrict the vehicles at Sandsend, Royal Albert Drive, and Cayton Bay after the number of motorhomes had reached an “unacceptable level”.

​However, according to councillors, thousands of complaints have also been made by residents who are “waking up to campervans parked outside their windows”.

​Cllr Rich Maw, who represents Weaponness and Ramshill, said: “As I’ve previously warned, the introduction of this ETRO would displace campervans to surrounding streets.

​“Residents in South Cliff are now experiencing the consequences with camperavans parked outside their homes for long periods, increased police callouts, antisocial behaviour, the use of council assets without permission, and grey water being poured into surface drains at a time when we are actively trying ot improve the bathing water quality in the South Bay.”

​Speaking at a full meeting of North Yorkshire Council on Wednesday (March 18) he said: “If the Royal Albert Drive ETRO is to become permanent, residents in affected streets – and that includes Holbeck Road, Esplanade Crescent, and Belvedere Road – must be properly considered.

​“What immediate steps will the council take to protect residential amenity in these streets? Will additional ETROs be introduced in these streets to address the impact of displaced campervans?”

​“How will the council ensure that environmental and public health concerns, including water quality, are not compromised by unmanaged overnight camping in residential streets? Scarborough residents should not be expected to pay the price for a policy that was implemented without adequate mitigation.”

​North Yorkshire Council has plans to permanently prohibit the overnight stopping of campervans in Sandsend, near Whitby, and North Bay in Scarborough​.

​Cllr Malcolm Taylor, NYC’s executive member for highways and transportation, said the council could introduce additional traffic regulation orders “at some key residential hotspots in Scarborough”.

​He told the full meeting: “We do recognise that other areas in Scarborough, Whitby, and Sandsend have seen an increase in overnight caravan parking, and some objectors state that this is because of the restrictions of the ETROs.

​“A report is coming to the executive members’ meeting on Friday, March 27, for consideration, and it would be prudent to start looking at consultations on introducing some traffic regulation orders, similar to the ETROs, at some key residential hotspots in Scarborough, including the Esplanade and the South Cliff area that you represent.

“I think it’s also important to mention that I do get representations from other interested parties, such as the caravan owners in Scarborough, caravan park owners who invest in their sites and provide facilities and employment, and contribute to the economic development in Scarborough, and they are equally interested in this item.”

A study of 2,000 adults revealed hits such as Squid Game, The White Lotus and Crazy Rich Asians are all encouraging bookings to the Far East.

It emerged film and TV have motivated 20 per cent to travel to the region, thanks to showcasing beautiful scenery and destinations (45 per cent), historical landmarks (41 per cent) and highlighting cultural traditions (41 per cent).

It’s not just television either – Formula 1 (10 per cent), theme parks (15 per cent) and international sporting tournaments such as the Olympics (13 per cent) are also making people want to visit the continent.

Meanwhile, 29 per cent of Gen Zs have been influenced to visit thanks to social media creators – significantly more than any other generation.

The research was conducted by online travel agency, Trip.com.

Fred Fishlock, the UK country head for the business, said: “Film, music and modern digital influence are bringing distant Asian destinations into Brits’ homes and inspiring them to travel out there and see them.

“It’s great to see vibrant cities and cultural hotspots now firmly on people’s radars as a result of the stories, shows, and trends they connect with daily.”

The study also found 41 per cent would likely travel to Asia in the next five years.

Of those, Japan (35 per cent) is the country most would consider travelling to, followed by Thailand (24 per cent), Maldives (20 per cent), Singapore (19 per cent) and China (15 per cent).

And 35 per cent said they want to visit the continent more than they did five years ago, citing technological advancements such as high-speed internet global activity as reasons for this (43 per cent).

While the improvements of online booking platforms (37 per cent), digital maps and navigation tools (37 per cent), mobile payment systems (35 per cent) have contributed to the interest.

AI-powered translation apps were also named by 35 per cent as a factor for an increase in appeal, with 23 per cent of all respondents admitting language barriers had put them off visiting in the past.

Overall, 59 per cent have never visited Asia – as 39 per cent claimed the cost of flights was a reason why they haven’t ticked it off their holiday bucket list.

Whereas 36 per cent are put off by the long distance and flight times, and 22 per cent because of health concerns, as per OnePoll.com data.

Cultural differences also play a big role in hesitancy, with food and dining customs (19 per cent), and social norms and behaviours (22 per cent) among the things people would find hardest to navigate.

Visa requirements have deterred 18 per cent from visiting Asia too – although such concerns no longer apply to China as UK nationals can now travel visa-free to the country for up to 30 days.

Talking about the rule change, Fred Fishlock, added: “Visa-free travel has consistently proven to be one of the strongest catalysts for demand – particularly for long-haul routes and first-time travellers.

“We saw this clearly after China’s visa-free policy announcement in 2023, with research showing an increase in interest and flight bookings to the region over the next year for many countries in Europe.

“This, combined with the growing influence of popular culture and digital tools, shows a strong foundation for continued growth in travel to Asia in the coming years.

TOP 15 TV SHOWS OR FILMS THAT INSPIRE BRITS TO VISIT ASIA

1.        Race Across the World

2.        Squid Game

3.        The White Lotus

4.        Crazy Rich Asians

5.        Street Food Series – Asia

6.        KPop Demon Hunters

7.        Spirited Away

8.        Shōgun

9.        Lost in Translation

10.     Alice in Borderland

11.     Slumdog Millionaire

12.     Parasite

13.     Culinary Class Wars

14.     Pachinko

15.     Your Name

Heavy social media use has led to a stark drop in happiness among young people, according to a major academic study.

Fifteen-year-old girls who use social media for more than five hours a day are the most likely to see a drop in life-satisfaction, the 2026 edition of the World Happiness Report reveals.

The annual study, published by the University of Oxford, asked around 1,000 people to rate their lives from 0 to 10 each year.

Under-25s in English-speaking and Western European countries are also likely to have become unhappy, with scores dropping by almost one point over the past decade.

Young people who use social media for less than an hour a day report the highest levels of well-being, the researchers find.

“It is clear that we should look as much as possible to put the ‘social’ back into social media,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, an Oxford economics professor who directs the Wellbeing Research Centre.

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Researchers noted that in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and South America, the links between social media use and well-being are more positive – and youth well-being has not fallen despite heavy social media use.

Finland was crowned the happiest country in the world for the ninth year in a row – whilst other Nordic countries Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway all ranked among the top 10.

The United Kingdom came in 29th – unchanged from last year when it reached its lowest since the World Happiness Report began collecting data.

The UK’s best ranking came nine years ago when it was 13th, in 2019.

A new entry to the top five on the list is Costa Rica, which climbed to fourth place this year after rising through the ranks from 23rd place in 2023.

“We think it’s because of the quality of their social lives and the stability that they currently enjoy,” De Neve added.

“Latin America more generally has strong family ties, strong social ties, a great level of social capital, as a sociologist would call it, more so than in other places.”

Meanwhile the dominance of Nordic nations is put down to a combination of wealth distribution, welfare, and a healthy life expectancy.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said: “I do not think there is a magic potion, but it helps to have a society which strives towards freedom, equality and justice.”

Mr Cox, who was awarded an MBE in 1996 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the community in Airdrie, passed away on March 9.

Tributes have been paid to the former Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire Gibby Cox following his death earlier this month.

Mr Cox, who was awarded an MBE in 1996 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the community in Airdrie, passed away at the age of 90 on March 9.

He was later appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2010 for his service as the Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire.

Current Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, Lady Susan Haughey CBE, said: “Gibby was resolutely dedicated to people, local communities, and businesses across Lanarkshire, and he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.

“I’m sure you will join me in extending our condolences to his family and friends, as he will truly be remembered for the many years he served the people of Lanarkshire.”

A North Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: “Gibby is fondly remembered for his dedication to the role of Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, which he held for 10 years, retiring in August 2010 at the age of 75. Gibby served as a Deputy Lieutenant from 1989 until he was appointed Lord-Lieutenant in 2000.

“In 1996, Gibby received an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours for services to the community in Airdrie, and in 2010, he received a rare personal honour from the Queen, Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO), to mark a decade of royal service.

“The CVO is of such importance that it is not part of the main civil honours list of knighthoods and MBEs but has always been personally bestowed by the monarch since its inception in 1896 to recognise “services to the royal household”.

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“Gibby played a major role in promoting Lanarkshire throughout his term as Lord-Lieutenant. He spearheaded the fundraising campaign for Summerlee Heritage Park’s landmark refurbishment and helped bring the 2011 International Children’s Games to Lanarkshire.

“After retiring as Lord-Lieutenant, Gibby became Chairman of the St Andrew’s Hospice Capital Appeal, helping to raise substantial funds for the Hospice’s major refurbishment in 2018.

“Gibby was resolutely dedicated to people, local communities, and businesses across Lanarkshire, and he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.”

Following his retirement, Gibby served as chairman of St Andrew’s Hospice Capital Appeal for a number of years and was instrumental in raising the substantial funds that enabled the hospice to undertake its £9 million refurbishment in 2017–2018.

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St Andrew’s Hospice CEO Joy Farquharson added: “Gibby was a true gentleman who championed St Andrew’s Hospice across Lanarkshire, particularly within the business community, to ensure we could raise the millions required to refurbish the Hospice.

“We are indebted to him for his support, his tenacity, and his unwavering belief in our work. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this difficult time.”

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