Did anyone really need a medieval jousting movie scored to Queen and David Bowie? No. Did millennial audiences in 2001 immediately understand that Brian Helgeland’s A Knight’s Tale – out again in cinemas this week – was exactly what they wanted anyway? Absolutely.

Five years after Baz Luhrmann had proved that modern soundtracks could electrify period texts in Romeo + Juliet, Helgeland applied the same logic to tournaments in the Middle Ages, and discovered it worked brilliantly. For this is a film so joyous and free of pretentiousness that questions about historical accuracy splinter on impact.

Part of the film’s pleasure is indeed how gleefully it flaunts every bizarre, wonky anachronism: peasants hammer wooden stands to “We Will Rock You”, courtly balls pivot to Seventies disco, and the whole thing vibrates with a classic-rock swagger that feels bracingly alive. Heartwarming, too. Tingeing it all with bittersweetness, of course, is Heath Ledger’s wonderful lead performance, shot seven years before his death in 2008. The film preserves his beauty in permanent youth.

In many ways, A Knight’s Tale is a time capsule from a very specific cultural moment. The story of a peasant squire who seizes his destiny landed at a point when Pop Idol had reduced stardom to a phone-in vote and the right sob story; when The Strokes had every alternative kid in drainpipe Levi’s and battered Converse thinking they could transform themselves through nonchalance and the correct haircut.

What the film instinctively gets – and what millennials understood right back – is that reinvention isn’t about lying. It’s about performing a role so completely that the performance becomes the reality. William Thatcher doesn’t pretend to be a knight; he decides he is one, then commits. Beneath that surfer hair, he moves like nobility and talks the same way.

Confidence becomes truth – it’s the same logic that powers Gatsby’s rebranding, Don Draper’s assumed identity in Mad Men, and Julien Sorel’s social climbing in The Red and the Black. Helgeland applies it to the stratified ranks of 14th-century feudalism, and makes anything seem possible. If a peasant can become a knight through self-belief, why can’t a medieval movie have a soundtrack with synthesisers and guitar riffs?

Ledger and Paul Bettany are the film’s twin engines, both operating at maximum charisma. Ledger plays William with courtly grace despite the beach-blond tangles, spouting lines like “Perhaps angels have no names, only beautiful faces” as if Jocelyn’s reaction is the only thing in the world that matters.

Ah yes, Jocelyn. Played by Shannyn Sossamon – whom the casting director, Francine Maisler, discovered DJing Gwyneth Paltrow’s birthday party – she’s the hipster pinup with whom William is smitten. Watch Ledger’s face light up around Sossamon, around his co-stars, around the audacious silliness of it all. Bettany’s Chaucer – first appearing naked, trudging through the countryside having gambled away his clothes – struts through the film like he’s already famous, a braggadocious raconteur with mischief in his eyes.

Before his first joust, Chaucer promises William: “I got their attention, you go win their hearts.” If the baroque pre-tournament hype handles the attention-getting, the “Golden Years” scene is where the film ignites. At a formal ball, William is asked to demonstrate how nobles dance in Gelderland, his invented homeland. What starts as courtly footwork suddenly shifts when Bowie’s melody kicks in and the room turns into a swirling medieval rave. The young lovers start bouncing and flailing, while Rufus Sewell’s deliciously villainous Count Adhemar glowers from the sidelines.

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It will remind you of the prom scene from another millennial coming-of-age classic, 1999’s She’s All That, only in doublets and wimples. One reviewer admitted to leaving the film “with a great big grin” on their face, and that’s the alchemy of A Knight’s Tale. It bypasses any critical faculties, heading straight for the pleasure centres where sincerity and silliness become entwined.

Roger Ebert, the celebrated film critic, called it “whimsical, silly and romantic”, noting that it reminded him “of the days before films got so cynical and unrelentingly violent”. The cast back this up: Mark Addy’s Roland makes tunics from tents, Alan Tudyk’s Wat promises to “fong” his enemies, Laura Fraser’s Kate stamps her armour with a Nike swoosh. In one scene, they assemble a love letter together from the wreckage of their broken hearts, and somehow it doesn’t feel sickly sweet.

Weighed and measured, this is a movie that runs on innocence and uncut charm. Like its star, it will forever radiate warmth.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street kept calm Friday after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which had triggered panic in financial markets when announced last year, and stocks ticked higher.

The S&P 500 rose 0.7%. It had been flipping between small gains and losses before the court’s ruling, following discouraging reports showing slowing growth for the U.S. economy and faster inflation.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 230 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.9%.

Many on Wall Street were likely expecting such a ruling from the Supreme Court, according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. That likely led to the relatively muted reactions across financial markets, and trading remained tentative as investors tried to suss out the long-term effects.

Tariffs also aren’t going away, even with the Supreme Court’s ruling. Trump in the afternoon said he would use other avenues to put taxes on imports from other countries after calling the court’s decision terrible.

“Just so you understand, we have tariffs, we just have them in a different way,” Trump told reporters in an afternoon briefing. He said he would sign an executive order to impose a 10% global tariff under a law that could limit it to 150 days. The president also said he’s exploring other tariffs through other avenues, ones that would require an investigation through the Commerce Department.

“During that period of about five months, we are doing the various investigations necessary to put fair tariffs – or tariffs, period – on other countries,” Trump said.

Earlier in his comments, Trump said that the Supreme Court’s ruling had other countries “dancing in the streets, but they won’t be dancing for long.”

Among the tentative moves across markets, Treasury yields edged a bit higher in the bond market.

If investors thought the tariff ruling would improve inflation significantly, it could have sent yields lower. On the other hand, if investors were worried about the U.S. government’s debt rising faster in the future because of the loss of revenue from tariffs, long-term yields could have jumped. For now, at least, yields held relatively steady.

The stock price of Ralph Lauren, meanwhile, rushed from an early loss to a gain of 3.3% after investors learned of the Supreme Court’s ruling. But it quickly flipped back to a loss before finishing with a rise of 2.2%. During April last year, the stock had dropped nearly 23% in four days after Trump announced his tariffs because of worries about how they would hurt its profits.

In other markets, gold’s price slumped briefly after the ruling and then erased the loss. Stock indexes in Europe added to their gains from earlier in the day, while the U.S. dollar’s value edged down against other currencies.

Heading into the day, the main event for markets had seemed to be discouraging reports showing slowing U.S. economic growth and accelerating inflation. They found a relatively muted response from investors.

While the reports underscore the tricky situation the Federal Reserve faces as it sets interest rates, they did not change traders’ expectations much for what the Fed will ultimately do. Traders are still betting that the Fed will lower rates at least twice this year, according to data from CME Group. Some shifted bets for the timing of when the cuts could begin to slightly later in the summer.

Lower interest rates would give the economy and investment prices a boost, but they also risk worsening inflation. Fed officials said at their last meeting that they want to see inflation fall further before they would support cutting rates further.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury remained at 4.08%, where it was late Thursday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, inched up to 3.48% from 3.47%.

On Wall Street, Akamai Technologies dropped 14.1% for one of the market’s sharpest losses. The cybersecurity and cloud computing company reported stronger results for the end of 2025 than analysts expected, but it gave a profit forecast for the upcoming year that fell short of estimates.

Akamai plans to spend a bigger percentage of its revenue this upcoming year on equipment and other investments. It’s the latest potential indicator of how shortages of computer memory created by the AI boom are affecting customers throughout the economy.

On the winning side of the market was Comfort Systems, which rose 6.5% after the provider of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical services reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Brian Lane said his company is seeing “unprecedented demand.”

Al told, the S&P 500 rose 47.62 points to 6,909.51. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 230.81 to 49,625.97, and the Nasdaq composite rose 203.34 to 22,886.07.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a more mixed finish in Asia.

The Hang Seng fell 1.1%, but South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.3% to a record, led by major defense contractors like Hanwha Aerospace. The company is one of many benefiting from a ramp up in military spending in many countries.

___

AP Writers Matt Ott, Elaine Kurtenbach and Seung Min Kim contributed.

Kane Drummond, 25, was originally given a suspended sentence for a brutal attack outside a takeaway

An Oldham Athletic player who was given a second chance following a savage assault on a man during a night out has failed to comply with any of his court-ordered appointments. Kane Drummond, 25, received a suspended sentence after punching, kicking and stamping on his victim outside a Liverpool city centre takeaway.

The attack took place on December 12, 2022, outside Pizza King on Berry Street. Oldham Athletic forward Drummond and two of his former teammates, Leon Arnasalam and Rio Merrifield, became embroiled in a dispute with victim Shayan Lawrence after Merrifield “made a joke about one of the defendants scratching his car”.

The altercation escalated as Drummond, Arnasalam and Merrifield were caught on CCTV repeatedly striking Mr Lawrence as he lay defenceless on the ground. The victim sustained a fractured spine as a result of the attack.

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All three defendants pleaded guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm at Liverpool Crown Court in May last year. Drummond, of Mozart Street in Toxteth, was handed a 20-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, and instructed to complete 200 hours of unpaid work alongside a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days.

He returned to court on February 19, where he admitted violating the conditions of his suspended sentence by failing to attend unpaid work appointments, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Prosecutor Olivia Bell said: “The defendant failed to attend his first appointment for unpaid work in November, and a subsequent appointment in December.

“This defendant has not attended any unpaid work sessions. Since January, he has failed to attend six unpaid work appointments. He’s also attended no further supervision appointments. No further rehabilitation activity days have been completed – 20 remain outstanding.

“Notwithstanding this is a defendant who has shown persistent, wilful noncompliance with this order, probation has taken the view that they would be willing to work with with the defendant, as a degree of flexibility has been afforded to the defendant as I understand he’s a professional footballer and has a baby on the way.”

Paul Becker, defending, said Drummond, a Liverpool FC academy graduate, formerly played for Warrington and Macclesfield, and was now a striker for Oldham Athletic.

He said: “He understands that his commitments to his football club are no excuse as to why he’s not complying with the orders of the court. His concern was that if he failed to attend training, he would be in trouble with the club, he would be dropped from the team, and he wouldn’t be able to play.

“I have explained that’s all well and good, but if he doesn’t attend the appointments and is now in breach of the suspended sentence order, then he goes to jail. So if he didn’t understand the seriousness of the order, he does now.”

He added: “The defendant appreciates now that he needs to take this court order seriously. I have also instructed him that he needs to explain this to the club.

“I ask you to give him a further chance. The offence itself goes back to 2022 and he’s lightly convicted. I submit there’s a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. He’s a family man, he has a professional job and I would ask Your Honour to give him a further opportunity.”

Her Honour Judge O’Brien said “I have to say it’s not a good start”, but agreed to adjourn the case until April 15 “to see what the defendant has done” by then.

Mr Becker said Drummond “may well be spending the summer break in jail” if he continued to fail to attend his appointments.

Addressing Drummond, Judge O’Brien said: “You need to do the unpaid work in the meantime. It’s not for probation to be chasing around after you, trying to get you to do something the court has ordered you to do.

“You need to do the work and demonstrate you’re able to comply with the order, or the starting point is that the sentence is activated and you will be sent to prison.”

Following the court’s decision, Drummond was seen running out of court with his jacket over his head.

A self-confessed ‘cheapskate’ has shared how she keeps costs down while doing her weekly shop for her family of four. People shared their own money-saving tips.

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We’re all looking for ways to cut costs on our everyday necessities. A woman has wowed her social media followers by demonstrating how she managed to buy a week’s worth of food for her family of four at an astonishingly low price.

Known as frugal866 on TikTok, where she boasts more than 31,000 followers, the woman frequently shares tips on saving money. She recently posted a video of herself doing her usual weekly shop at a branch of Asda, showing how she keeps her costs low.

She kept her bill down by opting for the least expensive items and scouring the reduced section. All the products she chose were from Asda’s budget Just Essentials range, including several items that could be used to prepare multiple meals.

Here’s what she purchased:

• Stick of garlic bread
• Cheese and tomato snack pizza
• 15 cheesy slices
• Six scotch pancakes from the reduced section
• Pasta shapes
• Mild curry sauce
• Tomato ketchup
• Tomato soup 55p
• Tuna chunks in brine
• Four packets of chicken flavour instant noodles
• A bag of bananas
• New potatoes
• Carton of skimmed long life milk
• Two meat and potato pies
• 20 frozen sausages
• Self-raising flour
• Peach slices

While selecting her groceries, she shared some advice. When picking up a carton of milk, she said: “Never buy fresh milk, always long life because it lasts, and lasts for ages.”

And while grabbing a bag of flour, she remarked: “So, I never buy cakes, I always buy flour to make my cakes myself. So much cheaper that way.”

She concluded by showcasing her entire shopping haul, which included some items she hadn’t shown herself selecting, such as a loaf of bread with a reduced sticker on it, and a tin of baked beans. When asked about the total cost, she revealed it had come to just £33, reports the Mirror.

People shared their own cost-cutting advice in the comments. One person commented: “A lot of things that are packaged as yellow label are probably the same as the other stuff they sell at higher prices. Supermarkets have been doing this for years. A friend worked at a chicken factory and the same chickens went to cheaper shops and some to the expensive shops.”

In response, another user agreed: “Absolutely right! I worked at a cheese factory years ago and it was all the same cheese just different prices for different shops!!!”

Another person suggested: “Places like Aldi do the super 5. I would plan what you want to eat throughout the week… then work backwards… I was in Aldi this week and actually some of their own products are more expensive than brand. Go to Waitrose and M&S, their yellow sticker stuff is really good and the products have less preservatives in them – I don’t begrudge people buying these products like pasta etc… but the pre-made sauces are nasty.”

A different commenter offered: “Tomato soup, garlic and a dash of cream cheese makes a good cheap skate pasta sauce.”

And another added: “It’s not being a cheapskate, it’s called survival in 2026.”

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Together, the pair have hosted shows since 2002 and have come a long way since their start in Byker Grove in 1989. 

Since making the move from acting to hosting, Ant and Dec have gone on to present Britain’s Got Talent, Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity.

With an impressive catalogue of shows and productions (and music) under their belts, it’s not surprising that Ant and Dec have made a fortune.

How much are Ant and Dec worth?

It is believed that the presenting duo are worth around £62 million each.

According to The Sun, Ant and Dec signed a £40 million three-year deal with ITV in 2022.

The deal includes presenting family favourites like Britain’s Got Talent, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway.

This deal was expected to be worth £50 million but the exact amount is unknown.

How did Ant and Dec make their fortune?

The Newcastle presenters got their start as actors in the CBBC kids series Byker Grove in the 1980s.

Following the show, they became pop musicians under the same names as their TV characters in the series – PJ and Duncan.

Together, they have 43 National Television Awards and 18 Bafta Television Awards across their careers.

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Ant and Dec are also reported to have invested a lot in property and are thought to own houses worth around £10 million.

They also own a production company together called Mitre and Hurley, which is a promotions firm named after Ant’s dog.

The pair also have their own production companies, with Ant’s being called Teecourt and Dec’s called Deecourt.

EXCLUSIVE: STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer hit out at reports suggesting Ministers could delay the reform.

Scotland’s top trade unionist has demanded the Labour Government push ahead with a promise for a full minimum wage for young people. STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said claims UK Ministers are backtracking on equalising pay are “deeply disappointing”.

The UK has a tiered minimum wage system, with 18 to 20 year olds receiving at least £10 an hour and older workers on at least £12.21. Labour made a manifesto pledge to “remove the discriminatory age bands” but it was reported this week there could be a delay.

Fears exist that hitting bosses with extra costs could put off firms from hiring and undermine the fight against youth unemployment. Foyer, who represents hundreds of thousands of workers, said:

“It’s deeply disappointing that UK Government ministers seem to believe trapping young people on derisory, discriminatory wages tied to their age will tackle the disturbing rise in youth unemployment. A living wage with strong employment protections is a direct route to economic growth.

“Despite the business lobby and rogue politicians claiming the contrary, boosting wages and delivering higher quality jobs for young people actually increases productivity, broadens the tax base and promotes growth, not inhibits it. If the UK Government want to make real the change they promised during the election then only deeds and not words will suffice.”

OPINION

Paul Hutcheon

READ MORE: Reform UK continue to delay announcement of Holyrood candidates with weeks to go before election campaign

“They must get on with delivering the boost to young people’s pay-packets, whilst transitioning the economy away from low-paid service sectors to high-wage employment, or they risk letting down an entire generation of workers.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves dodged the question when asked whether the Government would stick to its plans to equalise the minimum wage.

Speaking at a supermarket in south London, the Chancellor was twice asked whether she would delay the wage increase for 18 to 20-year-olds.

She said: “We already have incentives to hire young people with the apprenticeship rate of the minimum wage, but also for no national insurance contributions for the youngest workers.

“But we do recognise there are challenges and that is why we’re extending the number of further education college places, extending the number of apprenticeship places to help young people get the skills and the experience that they need to move into work.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared more enthusiastic about the policy when asked about reports of a delay:

“We’ve made commitments to young people in our manifesto, and we will keep to those commitments, including the commitment that we would make sure that the living wage would go up this April, which I can absolutely confirm to you will happen.”

Although the PM said the minimum wage would go up in April, it is unclear when the promise to equalise pay will be fulfilled.

A decision could be made when the Government sets its annual remit to the Low Pay Commission, which advises the Government on the minimum wage rates.

The Commission considers labour market and pay data, as well as views from businesses, trades unions and workers, before making its recommendations.

The unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds surged to 16.1% in the three months to December – the highest level since early 2015.

Andrea Piardi is the referee for the Six Nations clash between England and Ireland.

Piardi became the first Italian to take charge of a fixture in the men’s Six Nations when he oversaw his first game in 2024.

The 32-year-old has been a familiar face on the touchlines as an assistant over the last few years, travelling to the World Cup in France in the autumn of 2023 as the sole Italian representative in the officiating group.

Born in Brescia, Piardi made his debut in what is now the United Rugby Championship in 2019, and he stepped up to international level that March, looking after Germany vs Spain in Cologne.

His quick rise continued with an appointment to the URC final between the Stormers and Munster in 2023, with Piardi now hoping to build further success with the whistle as he becomes a regular in the world’s top competitions.

A mechanical engineering graduate from his hometown university, Piardi became a professional referee relatively recently but is highly regarded. He took charge of the second British and Irish Lions Test against Australia at the MCG last July.

Match officials for England vs Ireland at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Ita)

Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (Fra) & Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)

Television Match Official: Matteo Liperini (Ita)

Foul Play Review Officer: Mike Adamson (Sco)

Sixty-three male and four female players from Pakistan have signed up for The Hundred auction.

In messages seen by the BBC, a senior official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) indicated to an agent that interest in his Pakistan players would be limited to sides not linked to the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Four of the eight franchises – Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds – are now at least part-owned by companies that control IPL teams.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Friday that the ECB “need to act fast” because omitting players based on their nationality “should not be allowed to happen”.

Players from Pakistan have not featured in the IPL since 2009 because of diplomatic tensions between Pakistan and India, and a refusal to sign players in The Hundred would follow the trend elsewhere in the franchise world.

No Pakistan players have featured in South Africa’s SA20, which launched in 2023. All six of its teams are owned by IPL franchise groups – including the four now involved in The Hundred.

In the United Arab Emirates’ ILT20, franchises controlled by the owners of MI London and Southern Brave have not signed a Pakistan player across four seasons, but have recruited cricketers from 15 other nationalities.

By contrast, American-owned ILT20 side Desert Vipers have signed eight Pakistan players over the same period.

Brook, who will have another busy schedule this summer as a multi-format England player, said he has already told Sunrisers he will not continue as captain.

“I am staying away from that stuff and will let the head coach and whoever is in charge control that,” he said.

In response to the BBC’s initial story, an ECB spokesperson said: “The Hundred welcomes men’s and women’s players from all over the world and we would expect the eight teams to reflect that.

“Almost 1,000 cricketers from 18 nations have registered for The Hundred auction, with representation on the longlist of over 50 players respectively from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies.”

Birmingham Phoenix, London Spirit, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire are the four Hundred teams not owned by IPL franchises.