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Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard on divorce, ‘nepo baby’ CEOs, and fame in the Noughties: ‘There were some scary people around’

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Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard on divorce, ‘nepo baby’ CEOs, and fame in the Noughties: ‘There were some scary people around’

If anyone can write a great breakup album, it’s Ben Gibbard. For almost 30 years, the Death Cab for Cutie frontman has channelled misery into such emotionally ruinous songs as 2003’s “Tiny Vessels”, with its cool and cruel detached lover, to “The Sound of Settling”, a lesson in unending, unrequited pining.

Today, though, Gibbard is reluctant to call the band’s new project a “divorce record”, despite the fact that, yes, it was written in the aftermath of his marriage ending. “Oftentimes those records are someone saying, ‘I’m going to bring this into the court of public opinion and tell my one-sided story about how this went down,’” he says. “You know the phrase, only a fool goes to court thinking the jury are bound to see it their way?”

Gibbard is the first to admit he’s played the fool before. “I’ve certainly taken that tactic before, when I was younger,” he says, citing 2015’s Kintsugi, written in the wake of his split from actor and musician Zooey Deschanel – to whom he was married for three years – as the most obvious example. “I’ve long since realised that painting yourself as the aggrieved narrator… well, there is a time and place for that, but at a certain moment in life, you’ve got to grow out of it.” Anyway, he adds wryly, “Does anyone really think the biggest pop star in the world is always the innocent bystander in their own life? I don’t think so.”

Nearing 50, Gibbard has grown out of it and then some. Released last week, the band’s 11th album, I Built You a Tower, opens with mellow, melancholic guitar and the line: “Please forgive me.” It’s as much a plea to himself as it is to the person he’s speaking to. Later, on the jittery “Punching the Flowers”, Gibbard sings of words “sharpened like axes” that a man swings around “blindly”. Lyrically, Gibbard appears ready to look inward, to hold his hands up and own his mistakes. It’s not you, it’s me, he seems to be saying. Or at the very least, it’s both of us.

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Death Cab for Cutie have released their 11th album, ‘I Built You a Tower’
Death Cab for Cutie have released their 11th album, ‘I Built You a Tower’ (Provided by label)

The songs are no less potent for their maturity; age has given them a hard-won patina. Even after they aged out of it, Death Cab have always tuned into that high frequency of youth, when everything is either the end or the beginning of the world. The confessional lyricism and assured sound of their Grammy-nominated fifth studio album Plans, released in 2005, proved to be their breakthrough from the Pacific Northwest music scene. It was also the first record they released on a major label (Atlantic), and the first time they’d recorded outside of their hometown.

“I felt less comfortable in my own skin in the world,” Gibbard says of their cultural “peak”, a time when their music was inescapable thanks to relentless syncing by hit shows such as The OC, Grey’s Anatomy, and One Tree Hill. “Trying to go about my life the way I’d gone about it before, I felt that more people were staring at me in places I was not used to being stared at. It’s kind of a headf*** when you feel like your presence is a topic of conversation whereas before nobody gave a s***.” Increasingly, celebrity felt like anathema to Gibbard, both living his life, and later, making music.

Those feelings were amplified when he began dating Deschanel. Pre-New Girl but post-500 Days of Summer, she was considerably more famous than Gibbard, who had to adapt.

Gibbard with Zooey Deschanel in 2009
Gibbard with Zooey Deschanel in 2009 (Getty)

“Without going into detail, there were some scary people around, and that changed how I had to live my life,” he says. “I felt like I was living my life in public like a Secret Service agent.” When they went out on dates, Gibbard would locate the exits by second nature; he and Deschanel had code words for emergencies.

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That feeling of being surveilled 24/7 invariably had an impact on Gibbard’s songwriting: “When you’re with someone who’s recognisable, you start taking on some of that reticence as well. I found myself deferring to her level of reticence because, well, it was different for her than it was for me. I think I retreated as a writer as a result of that.”

We’re speaking over a video call, but Gibbard’s screen is dark. “I’m a pacer when I talk,” he explains, and I get the sense that he is more open because of it. The absence of video, though, does mean I have to rely on recent photographs to know that he is no longer sporting that age-old emo signifier: the side fringe. Instead, the hairs sweep up, optimistic and hopeful.

Without going into detail, there were some scary people around, and that changed how I had to live my life

As we get older, we find new ways of coping. I Built You a Tower refers to Gibbard’s penchant for compartmentalisation, a process in which he assigns the memories and people in his life – whether wonderful or painful – a place in his psychological skyline. Death Cab, for example, looms large on the horizon, like a skyscraper. The tower was erected after his last marriage: “But sometimes the memories, the people, find their way out of the structures. You hear a song, or smell something, and all of a sudden you’re back in that time of your life,” he says. The album’s title track explores exactly this: “’Cause I needed you/ I needed you contained.”

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But nothing stays contained for ever. His second divorce, from tour manager and photographer Rachel Demy, spilled over into a 2023 anniversary tour for both Death Cab and Gibbard’s other longtime band, Postal Service. In some ways, performing became a salve, he says. “To be back in my 26-year-old self, so to speak, for two hours a night, and play these songs from a very different time in my life…” Other times, the clashing of his two lives felt disorientating: “One moment you’re emailing with a lawyer, dealing with the ugly elements of divorce – I wouldn’t recommend it, of course – and then, all of a sudden, it’s time to go on stage.’”

It helped that everyone – from his bandmates to the crew – knew what was going on. “Everyone understood the pressure that was on me,” he says. “The timing of it was not ideal, but at the same time, there really couldn’t have been a better group of people to be around.”

In truth, playing anniversary shows is weird even without the divorce element, says Gibbard. Coming face-to-face with your 20-year-old self isn’t always flattering. But it can also be funny. “I’ll be listening to songs on the first record about some girl I dated for two months, and it’ll be like, ‘Oh my God! I can’t believe this happened!’ and then you get older and it’s like, yeah, s*** happens. Life is a series of s*** happening. That’s how life works.”

Gibbard: ‘The girl I wrote “Tiny Vessels” about... We laugh about it now’
Gibbard: ‘The girl I wrote “Tiny Vessels” about… We laugh about it now’ (Getty)

Gibbard sees the gulf between himself now and himself back then as a sign of emotional growth, reassurance that he isn’t the same mercenary lover who whined “you are beautiful but you don’t mean a thing to me” on “Tiny Vessels” more than 20 years ago. “The girl I wrote that song about… We laugh about it now,” he says. “ I just think, ‘Oh my God. I was really being such a little b**** about this.’”

On I Built You a Tower, he’s as candid as he was when the band first started. It’s their first release since going independent again – the original plan was one more album with Atlantic, until a personnel change prompted them to leave. “It was like an episode of Succession,” says Gibbard, recalling how former CEO Julie Greenwald left in 2024. “This nepo baby [Elliot Grainge, son of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grange] was given the label,” he says critically. “We took one look at this guy’s picture and we were like, ‘This guy didn’t have a Transatlanticism phase in college. This guy didn’t rock with Plans. I think we can safely say that this isn’t our guy.” And so they left.

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At Anti, Death Cab are in good company with fellow artists MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee, Fleet Foxes, Slow Pulp, The Beths. “I mean, f***ing Tom Waits,” continues Gibbard. “It felt like the perfect place for us. We’re not being put out to pasture on a retirement label.”

He has no interest in giving in to the pull of Noughties nostalgia; beyond the lyrical evolutions, I Built You a Tower is expansive and diverse in sound, too. That said, he knows what it means to fans to hear their old stuff live, because he is a fan first and foremost himself. “What’s the point of playing a show if you’re not going to honour the connection that people have with that music?” he asks. It’s further evidence of how Gibbard has matured. He cares how the other side feels.

‘I Built You a Tower’ is out now via Anti

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Singer tearfully thanks family as she makes history joining Songwriters Hall of Fame

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Singer tearfully thanks family as she makes history joining Songwriters Hall of Fame

Also joining were Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, who has written for Beyoncé, Rihanna and Katy Perry; Walter Afanasieff, known for his work with Mariah Carey; Terry Britten, whose songs include Tina Turner’s We Don’t Need Another Hero; and Graham Lyle, who was behind Turner’s What’s Love Got to Do with It?

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I Have ADHD. This Is The One Thing You Can Do To Help Neurodivergent Kids

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I Have ADHD. This Is The One Thing You Can Do To Help Neurodivergent Kids

Today’s world doesn’t cater for ADHD. Children are expected to sit in a classroom all day and if they display their natural behaviour, they are branded “too much”.

In fact, it’s thought kids with ADHD could be exposed to 20,000 negative comments by the age of 10; expressions like ‘Calm down!’, ‘Stop doing that’, ‘Sit still’ and ‘Why can’t you just be normal?’.

As a child, I never felt comfortable in my own skin. After I finished watching a film, I would act like the main character for days or even weeks, until I got bored and moved on to something else.

When I did interact with people, I found myself copying their mannerisms and their tone of voice. I even pretended to share their interests and hobbies. I altered who I was in order to appear likeable to whoever I was with.

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ADHD children have as much right to be their authentic selves as anybody else and that means they might fidget, move around and get lost on their way to places – and none of that behaviour needs telling off.

The worst thing you can do to an ADHD kid is to try to turn them into a neurotypical kid or bring them closer to a neurotypical one.

Parents need to stop trying to knock the ADHD out of their child. We must accept it, without shame, and work with it.

How can you do that for your child?

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Try to connect with other parents and spend time with other ADHD children. This will help you to learn by sharing common experiences.

It will also enable your child to spend time with other children who share similar traits. This puts them in an environment where they feel less pressure to mask because there will be less contrast between their authentic behaviour and the behaviour of the other children.

Make ‘effort’ the metric for success, too. Starting a task can be extremely hard for ADHD children. They might not be able to communicate this, so it’s important they’re encouraged and praised when they start a task – and not just when a task is completed.

And don’t forget to encourage physical play time and exercise. This will allow them to have a release for any pent-up hyperactivity and also give them the dopamine they need to be happy.

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Use their hyperactivity to their advantage. Don’t tell them off for it. Examples of physical play time can include running, playing ‘hide and seek’, going to the beach, playing with friends, ball games, swimming, skipping, dancing and many others.

If I had been born with the understanding of ADHD I have now, my life would have been very different. So much pain would have been avoided.

I wish I could go back in time with the knowledge I have accumulated, put my arms around the younger version of me and tell him: you’re not broken. You don’t need to be fixed. Your brain works a little bit differently. And with the right tools, you can mitigate the challenges and lean into your strengths – and ultimately, achieve amazing things.

Alex Partridge is the founder of LADbible and UNILAD and the host of the ADHD Chatter podcast. His book Now It All Makes Sense: How An ADHD Diagnosis Brought Clarity To My Life is out now, published by Sheldon Press, priced £16.99.

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Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson retires from international cricket

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Kane Williamson smiling and wearing a black New Zealand cap sits in front of two long black microphones

And so another one of the Fab Four exits the Test arena. Kane Williamson follows Virat Kohli in hanging up his whites, leaving only Joe Root and Steve Smith remaining.

With the landscape of the sport changing so quickly, it is not a stretch to wonder if such an era of Test batting will be replicated again.

Compared to the rest of the illustrious quartet, Williamson was an outlier. New Zealand do not play as many Tests as England, India or Australia. His career haul would have been much greater if he had the opportunities of the other three.

Only last week, in the days leading up to the first Test against England, Williamson said he was “towards the back end” of his career, giving no indication that this decision was close.

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When asked about the prospect of reaching 10,000 Test runs, he said he was “not in the game” for personal milestones. “When the day comes, it comes,” were his words. Instead, Williamson ends an agonising 485 runs short.

If Martin Crowe is the godfather of New Zealand batting, then Williamson picked up the mantle and became the most prolific of all the Black Caps. Playing late with soft hands, Williamson’s ability to somehow guide any delivery to the third-man boundary appeared to defy geometry.

Incredibly modest, there was a famous moment at the end of the 2019 World Cup final, when Williamson endured the heartbreak of being the losing captain in perhaps the greatest game of cricket ever played. He was told he had been named player of the tournament and could not hide his disbelief.

Two years later, it was Williamson who led New Zealand to their redemption, when the Kiwis were crowned the inaugural world Test champions, with victory over India in Southampton.

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Back to Lord’s, and the build-up to the first Test, ultimately Williamson’s last. In doing a round of media interviews, he said he was being held up from getting his hands on a famous Lord’s lunch. When he finally was done with the press, Williamson was delayed further by a routine drugs test.

He never did get to sit down to that lunch and now there will be no more international runs, either.

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Plans could see up to 180 homes built in town near Cambridgeshire

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Cambridgeshire Live

The 22-acre site would deliver homes with up to five bedrooms, including bungalows

A developer is hoping to build up to 180 new homes in a town near Cambridgeshire. Bellway Strategic Land is seeking outline planning permission to Central Bedfordshire Council for the development of land north of Myers Road on the edge of Potton.

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The proposals for the 22-acre site would deliver a range of homes with up to five bedrooms, including bungalows. Of the 180 homes, 30 per cent of the properties would be offered as affordable housing for low-cost rent or shared ownership.

The site would provide public open space, children’s play areas, and new walking and cycling routes. According to Bellway Strategic Land, the development could also support expanding the Potton Green Wheel, which aims to connect publicly accessible routes and green spaces around the town.

Matthew Gransbury, strategic land and planning associate for Bellway, said: “There is a significant and growing need for new housing in Central Bedfordshire. Our proposals for the site at Myers Road would help to address this identified shortfall across the district whilst also meeting the recognised demand for smaller-sized properties for first-time buyers and downsizers within Potton itself.

“With almost 3,000 households on the district’s housing waiting list, the need for affordable homes is particularly acute. This development would provide 30 per cent affordable housing in line with the council’s policy requirements.”

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Before submitting a planning application, Bellway Strategic Land, part of Bellway, conducted an extensive consultation process which involved engagement with the local planning authority, ward councillors, Potton Town Council, and residents.

Mr Gransbury said feedback received during this process was “integral in shaping the proposals to balance the requirement for new housing with the need to respect the countryside setting”.

As a result, the maximum number of homes proposed has reduced from 200 to 180, allowing for more green space between the development and existing properties on Myers Road. Proposed allotments have been changed in favour of more tree planting and community orchards.

The development would provide 10.5 acres of green space, including children’s play areas. A new priority junction would be created to allow vehicles to access the development from Everton Road, while a second emergency access would be provided from Myers Road.

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The proposals would also see highway improvements at the Myers Road and Everton Road junction, alongside enhanced pedestrian and cycle connectivity through to Potton Primary School.

If outline planning permission is granted, a reserved matters application will then be submitted to determine the exact number and mix of homes to be built.

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Southampton rioter ‘launched frying pan at police’ in unrest following Henry Nowak death

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Daily Record

So far 10 people have been jailed following the demonstration involving 1,000 people

A man who hurled a frying pan at police during violent clashes in Southampton has admitted taking part in the disorder that erupted after the murder of student Henry Nowak.

Ryan Atkinson, 36, from Highcliff Avenue, became the 22nd person charged over the chaos as he pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates’ Court.

District Judge Henry Gordon said Atkinson had “picked up a large frying pan and launched it at police” as tempers flared. He remanded the defendant in custody to be sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on June 29 and told him: “I find there are substantial grounds that if I granted you bail you would commit further offences.”

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So far 10 people have been jailed following the demonstration involving 1,000 people which started outside Southampton Central Police Station on June 2 before hundreds moved on to the Portswood area where Mr Nowak was killed and where the violence started.

Anger had erupted after police body-worn video was released showing Mr Nowak being placed in handcuffs moments before he became unconscious and subsequently died. Vickrum Digwa, 23, who lived in a nearby road with his family, was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 21 years for his murder.

The court hearings have been told that 13 police officers and a police dog were injured in the protest and a member of the public suffered a broken jaw.

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The police operation involved 100 officers from nine different areas with a cost of £443,000 and a clean-up cost to the local council of £7,000, the court heard.

Four more men are set to be sentenced at Southampton Crown on Friday for their parts in the disorder.

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8 Books To Read From 2026 TV And Movie Adaptations

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8 Books To Read From 2026 TV And Movie Adaptations

Whether it’s the new Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility adaptations (this time from Netflix and Focus Features, respectively) or yet another instalment in the Dune franchise, 2026′s film and TV schedule ought to make readers pretty happy.

There’s something for sci-fi, romance, and classic lit lovers alike – bonus points if you’re a fan of Twilight star Robert Pattinson, who’s set to appear in both Christopher Nolan flick The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three this year.

Zendaya will also feature in both movies alongside her The Drama co-star.

If you want to read ahead of this year’s releases or are keen to find out more about the origins of the movies and shows already out this year, we’ve got your back (or should that be your spine?).

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Here are eight books to read from 2026′s most exciting book-to-screen options:

1) Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir

Ryan Gosling at the Project Hail Mary premiere

The 2021 sci-fi novel focuses on teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship one day with no memory of how he got there. Then, he learns he’s accidentally become humanity’s last hope (space enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that some of its scientific details are NASA-backed).

The movie stars Ryan Gosling, Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, and, if you listen close enough, Meryl Streep. Even better news: it’s set to be released on streamer MGM+ on Thursday, June 18, in the UK, and can be rented through YouTube or Amazon Prime already.

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Movie release date: It came out on March 9, 2026

2) Sunrise On The Reaping, by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games author’s prequel explores the experience Katniss and Peeta’s tutor, Haymitch, had as a young tribute in Panem’s earlier Games.

Portrayed by Owen Wilson in the original movies, Sunrise On The Reaping’s Haymitch will be played by Joseph Zada (previously part of Prime Video’s YA adaptation, We Were Liars) instead. The cast will also include Ralph Fiennes, Regretting You’s McKenna Grace, and Hocus Pocus 2′s Whitney Peak.

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Movie release date: 20 November, 2026

3) Rivals, by Jilly Cooper

David Tennant at a Rivals season 2 screening
David Tennant at a Rivals season 2 screening

The 1988 novel is the second of Dame Jilly Cooper’s 11 Rutshire Chronicles books (the last, Tackle!, was published much later than the others, in 2023).

Not only is the Rivals book filled with all the sex, scandal, and ’80s glamour you’d expect, rumour has it that the production company that made the Disney+ version has the rights to nine of the original 10 books – meaning readers who keep leafing through the series could be richly rewarded later on.

While 2026′s second Rivals season deviates from the book at times, it’s proven a hit among viewers and critics alike.

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TV show release date: the first season is available to stream on Disney+, as are the first six episodes of season two. However, the series has taken a break and is expected to return to the streamer in November 2026.

4) Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

It’s no secret I’m a bit of an Austen fan, but even those who don’t usually go in for Regency novels ought to give the classic book a go. The funny, quietly subversive story focuses on the almost-certainly-financially-screwed Bennet sisters, the ridiculous and cynical Georgian marriage market, and some very eligible real estate.

If nothing else, reading it will add an extra layer of enjoyment to on-screen hits like The Other Bennet Sister and Bridget Jones.

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Plus, when the 2026 Netflix series (starring Emma Corrin and Olivia Colman) comes out, you can decide for yourself whether screenwriter Dolly Alderton kept faithful ot the text – or, like Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, carved her own controversial path.

TV show release date: autumn, 2026

5) The Odyssey, by Homer

The way this Ancient Greek poem is talked about, you’d swear it wasn’t basically a sex and violence-packed soap opera. But in many ways, soldier Odysseus’ long journey home is exactly that – he meets with fantastical creatures, evil witches, and sneaky sirens during what must surely go down in history as the world’s most eventful commute.

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It seems Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which stars Matt Damon in the lead role, Anne Hathaway as his wife Penelope and Tom Holland as his son Telemachus, alongside Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Travis Scott, Charlize Theron and Robert Pattinson, will be similarly impressive.

Not only is the movie shot entirely with IMAX cameras – a first for director but the star-studded cast has described it as “unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before” and “exactly what you want [from] a summer movie”.

Movie release date: July 17, 2026

6) The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood

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A sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, this story is set 15 years after the cliffhanger ending of the first book. Aunt Lydia shows her mettle as she fights against the oppressive regime set in the original novel.

The Disney+ series sees Ann Dowd, who also played Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale series, reprise her role. She stars alongside One Battle After Another actor Chase Infiniti and Bafta winner Lucy Halliday in a show critics have dubbed “ravishing” and “a triumph”.

TV show release: The first season is already out on Disney+.

7) Dune and Dune Messiah, by Frank Herbert

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me reading the first Dune trilogy, despite my aversion to sci-fi
me reading the first Dune trilogy, despite my aversion to sci-fi

To be honest, the first novel will see you through most of the first two movies, and is more than enough to call yourself a sandworm bookworm. But Dune: Part Three leans heavily on Dune: Messiah, the second in Herbert’s canonical six-part series.

It’s less action-packed than the first entry, but it contains arguably weirder characters – like a gas-guzzling fish-human hybrid – that make you wonder where the movie, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh, could possibly go.

Movie release date: December 18, 2026 (just about enough time to finish the first trilogy)

8) Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen

It might not be as essential an Austen read as Pride and Prejudice. But Elinor and Marianne Dashwood’s plight is no less engaging than the Bennet sisters’: after some significant downsizing, the family has to make their way in a very new society. Yearning and love troubles inevitably ensue.

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This year’s movie marks the first screen adaptation of the book since the BBC’s excellent 2008 TV series. Only time will tell if stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Hanna star Esmé Creed-Miles will prove just as dazzling on the big screen.

Movie release date: September 25, 2026.

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In pictures: The circus artists rewriting the rules of ageing

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In pictures: The circus artists rewriting the rules of ageing

“There’s something radical about seeing people reclaim play, performance and visibility later in life,” says those behind an over-50s circus showcase

Roll up, roll up: this weekend sees the return of Generation Circus’ Over 50s Circus Showcase, a joyful challenge to the idea that play, performance and risk-taking belong only to the young.

Held on Sunday, 14 June in Hertfordshire, UK, the show — ‘A Rebellion Against Ageism’ — will bring together circus artists ranging in age from 50 all the way up to 96. Trapeze, hula hoop, juggling, clowning and dance are all on the bill.

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Each performer is a weekly attendee at Generation Circus’ circus skills workshops held at Ware Drill Hall, learning new skills from juggling to trapeze. Classes are completely free and funded by the The National Lottery Community Fund.

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Pink-haired Carol (main picture), who performs trapeze, dance, and hoop, said that her world “came crashing down” after the death of her daughter four years ago. “Circus gave me a way to reconnect with the world, it’s given me a purpose and brought a little bit of sparkle back into my life. Performing is my escape from the reality of life’s hard knocks, my happy place.”

Several performers are returning from last year’s show, ‘Will You Still Love Me?’, which drew sell-out audiences of 500.

 

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Carol now also performs burlesque as her alter ego Talula Demure. She added: “I say be a kid at heart because the older you get the more you can get away with.”

Emma Taylor launched Generation Circus in collaboration with her daughter, Maisy. The pair have an extensive background in contemporary and social circus. Back in the 1990s, Emma and husband Dave had a doubles trapeze act – with Maisy always taking part in the show, even at just age four.

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“Maisy, Dave and I have been a circus family for three decades — and building Generation Circus together has been the most rewarding adventure of all,” said Emma. 

Dave now also works tirelessly behind the scenes on Generation Circus, sorting out everything “from welding rigging plates to mending fairy lights to fixing the wheels on our stage chair”.

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Another of last year’s performers, Alison, said: “Emma has created a wonderfully nurturing, safe space where we can come as we are and feel accepted. There’s no too big, too much, too weird here!”

The portraits featured here, taken by Andy Holloway, carry the same spirit: older adults seen not as frail or fading, but theatrical, funny, visible and fully in the frame. As Generation Circus founder Emma Taylor puts it: “there’s something radical about seeing people reclaim play, performance and visibility later in life.”

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Bob (above), a clown and dancer, said: “I’m not a performer, I’m not comfortable being on stage … or so I have thought all my life. Circus has made me think about who I am. And it turns out I AM a performer!”

“The encouragement of the group has brought out something I never imagined was in me,” added Bob.

Photography by Andy Holloway

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Pathologist gives evidence at trial of man who strangled his wife in their bedroom – live updates

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Wales Online

The trial of a man from Bridgend who killed his wife is entering its fifth day on Friday. Michael Davies, 57, is on trial at Newport Crown Court accused of murdering his wife Tracey Davies, 48, at their home at Bryn Terrace, Cefn Cribwr, near Bridgend, on April 18 last year.

He denies murder but accepts that he killed her, and has told police he did so by strangling her between 7.30am and 8am that morning.

On the fourth day of the trial, the court heard details of his police interview in which Davies outlined how he killed his wife.

Davies told officers he didn’t have control of what he was doing, saying: “I loved her to bits but I didn’t seem to have any understanding over my hands. I’m not sure what I was even doing. I just wanted to keep strangling her.”

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Tracey was found dead on a bed in one of the bedrooms. The defendant had cuts to his throat and leg and was found slumped behind the bedroom door.

Tracey Davies’ sister remembered her as being ‘the life and soul of the party’(Image: Family photo)

In the police interview, the defendant told officers that after Ms Davies came into the bedroom he put his hands on her neck and started squeezing. He said he kept the pressure on her neck but he didn’t understand what was going on, and he said he kept trying to squeeze her neck and wanted to keep strangling her.

He told officers he then had “an overwhelming feeling” to get a knife from the kitchen and said he had a feeling to put the knife into himself. He then said he couldn’t remember anything else until he woke up in the UHW.

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When asked whether he had intended to kill his wife, he replied, “not at all”. Davies said his mind was so broken he didn’t know what his intention was.

So far, the jury has heard the distressing account he gave police of how he took her life, as well as evidence from the accused’s daughter and healthcare professionals.

Davies, of Cefn Road in Bridgend, denies murdering his wife, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The trial continues.

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Influential British artist David Hockney dies aged of 88

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Influential British artist David Hockney dies aged of 88

Mr Hockney, who was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in 1937, passed away peacefully at his home on June 11, just weeks before what would have been his 89th birthday.

The artist’s publicist described him as “one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries”.

A statement said: “The celebrated British artist David Hockney, one of the most important figures in contemporary art in both the 20th and 21st centuries, passed away peacefully at home on 11 June 2026, one month short of his 89th birthday.”

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The life of David Hockney

Mr Hockney began his training at the Bradford School of Art before moving on to the Royal College of Art in London, where he emerged as a prominent figure in the British pop art movement.

He was best known for his vibrant, sunlit paintings, particularly his iconic Los Angeles swimming pool scenes.

His wide-ranging body of work included photography, printmaking, stage design, and later, digital art.

His career spanned more than 70 years and was defined by an unrelenting sense of optimism and experimentation.

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Much of his work drew on influences from the Renaissance and the abstract expressionist movement, but he remained resolutely individual in his approach, often rejecting artistic trends in favour of his own vision.

Mr Hockney’s formative years in Bradford left a long-lasting impression on his art.

He grew up in a working-class family and began drawing at an early age, despite little encouragement at Bradford Grammar School.

With the backing of his parents, he enrolled at art college and later the Royal College of Art, where he was known as a rebellious student.

He was warned that he could not graduate – in part because he had not done enough life drawings – to which he responded by painting Life Painting for a Diploma – a bold, unconventional piece that ultimately earned him the college’s gold medal in painting.

A breakthrough came in 1961, when Mr Hockney was featured in the Young Contemporaries exhibition alongside other rising stars of British pop art.

Although associated with the pop art movement, his work also contained strong expressionist influences.

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His artistic direction changed dramatically after moving to Los Angeles in 1964.

He was captivated by the Californian light and lifestyle, which became central themes in his work.

Using bold colours and acrylic paints, he created his iconic swimming pool series, including the renowned A Bigger Splash.

Mr Hockney also gained recognition for his portraits, such as Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, and his innovative photo-collages like Pearblossom Highway.

He continued to push boundaries in later years, embracing new technology and producing art on iPads and other digital devices.

In the 1990s, Mr Hockney returned regularly to Yorkshire and began painting the local landscapes.

He eventually moved back full-time, settling in Bridlington and creating works inspired by the region’s countryside.

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One of his major pieces from this period, Bigger Trees Near Warter, is a 12-metre-wide oil painting made up of 50 panels.

His Yorkshire landscapes were featured in the Royal Academy’s 2012 exhibition, A Bigger Picture, which attracted 600,000 visitors.

Despite his decades-long residence in the US, Mr Hockney always considered himself “very English.”

He declined the chance to paint Queen Elizabeth II, stating he was “too busy” painting England.

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He did, however, design a stained glass window for Westminster Abbey in her honour, depicting hawthorn blossom from his native Yorkshire.

Following the loss of his hearing, he continued to paint for up to six hours a day, stating that the impairment allowed him to “see space clearer.”

Throughout his life, Mr Hockney remained a committed smoker, often wearing badges that read “End bossiness soon.”

Even in his final years, he found joy in the routine of painting, once saying: “I’m happiest when I’m painting.

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“If I can paint every day I don’t care about anything else.”

Are you a fan of David Hockney’s works? Let us know in the comments.

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Emergency services called to A1(M) Southbound after crash

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Emergency services called to A1(M) Southbound after crash

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