It’s been 10 years since Fleabag first appeared on screens. 

Based on Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s one-woman show, the groundbreaking series followed protagonist ‘Fleabag’ [Phoebe] as a free-spirited but angry and confused young woman struggling to cope with her grief.

Despite airing for just two seasons, the show has been credited with changing the TV landscape, inspiring a wave of ‘messy female’ leads and encouraging others to break the fourth wall. 

Now regularly cited as ‘one of the greatest TV series of all time’, the show earned Phoebe a whole host of awards, including BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globes, as well as making her a household name. 

And Fleabag’s legacy continues, as while it may have been a decade since it aired, fans are still discovering the clever hidden details and meanings in the show. 

So, how many did you spot? 

The smoking symbolism

Unlike many modern shows, Fleabag featured several smoking scenes. 

Yet one theory is that Fleabag’s smoking mirrors her relationship with Dad. 

She offers Dad a cigarette in the series one finale during a row, but Dad takes it just to drop it. 

The second time she offers him one, as their relationship is on a smoother road but not quite healed, he considers taking it only to change his mind. 

By the series two finale as they have come to terms with their relationship, Dad finally smokes while chuckling to himself.  

The Four Evangelists

In season two, Fleabag’s sister Claire (Sian Clifford) is at the Best Woman In Business Awards when she makes a religious reference in her speech. 

She begins by saying: ‘A huge thanks to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for coming up with this award,’ a nod to the authors of the Gospels in the New Testament.

While there is of course irony in thanking four men for a women’s awards, she then has to hand Belinda Friers (Kristin Scott Thomas) a naked statue instead of the original award, setting the scene for Belinda’s feminism speech.

The mouse represents Fleabag’s Dad 

Fans have theorised that the quiet mouse in the attic represents Dad’s [Bill Paterson] feelings about his upcoming marriage. 

He reveals he has left a friendly trap for the rodent while also hinting that he feels trapped in his marriage with Godmother. 

Dad is also quiet as a mouse, failing to ever finish a sentence in the second series. 

The hidden tribute

Phoebe paid a subtle tribute to editor Gary Dollner who worked on both series of the show.

During the finale, Fleabag is seen sitting at a bus stop where the digital display reveals the bus is heading to Dollner Avenue. 

Phoebe went on to work with Gary again on Killing Eve. 

Fleabag has been credited with changing the TV landscape, inspiring a wave of ‘messy female’ leads and encouraging others to break the fourth wall

The fourth wall is her dead best friend 

Many viewers have suggested that when Fleabag breaks the fourth wall she isn’t speaking to the audience but in fact her friend Boo [Jenny Rainsford]. 

Boo accidentally killed herself when she intended to injure herself by walking into the path of an oncoming car after learning her boyfriend had cheated on her. 

Fans believe that as Fleabag finally starts to come to terms with Boo’s death she begins breaking the fourth wall less. 

At the end it’s apparent she has made peace with the tragedy as she waves goodbye.  

What does the fox say?

One of the biggest disagreements between Fleabag fans are the symbolism of the fox that is seen in several scenes of the show. 

Some believe the fox represents Hot Priest’s (Andrew Scott) struggle with celibacy, with the animal appearing just as he nearly succumbs to his lust. 

Others claim it represents Fleabag’s former self, given foxes are usually riddled with fleas and she tells the animal to follow Hot Priest in the series finale. 

Another theory is that the fox is the audience, and is who she is addressing when breaking the fourth wall, given that she waves goodbye to it during the finale.   

Fleabag is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Prime Video 

Gwent Police is appealing for information to locate a missing 16-year-old.

Sonny was last seen at around 10.45am on Saturday, July 25 in Cwmbran town centre.

A statement read: “Sonny is described as white, around 5’8”, with dark brown hair which is shaved at the back and front and soft, slight facial hair.

“He was last known to be wearing a black Nike vest top, black Nike shorts, long white socks with black rim, ‘Montro’ cap and black or grey shoes with a bubble design.

“He was also wearing a gold chain on his left wrist and a gold ring.

“Sonny has links to Cwmbran and Hampshire.

“Anyone with information on Sonny’s whereabouts should contact us via our website, direct message us on Facebook or X social media pages or call 101, quoting log reference 2600239733.

“Sonny is also asked to contact us.”

The 44-year-old represented himself in a bail hearing before the High Court

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An employee at a Dublin museum has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with possession of explosives that were intercepted in a car near the Irish border.

Simon O’Donovan, 44, with an address at Sperrin Road in Drimnagh, appeared before the Special Criminal Court at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Saturday evening.

O’Donovan also represented himself in a bail hearing before the High Court, where his application for bail was refused after gardaí raised objections.

The court was told during this hearing that he was employed at the Collins Barracks National Museum.

Detective Sergeant Shane Noone told the court that he arrested Mr O’Donovan at 5.07pm on Saturday and informed him he would be charged with possession of explosives at St Laurence’s Road in Chapelizod on Wednesday July 22.

After cautioning, Mr Noone said O’Donovan replied “I don’t understand” and was informed of the caution again.

Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law said he had not taken instruction from O’Donovan due to a solicitors’ strike over changes to criminal legal aid fees and was only appearing in court out of courtesy.

O’Donovan told Judge Patrick McGrath that he had “no representation at all”, and had asked for “the services of this gentleman beside me”, referring to Mr Mackin.

The court rose briefly so that O’Donovan could confer with Mr Mackin on an application for bail.

When it returned, Mr O’Donovan said he was looking to represent himself in a bail hearing before the High Court as he did not have the means to contest it privately.

He said the situation was “grossly unfair”, and that he would be “willing to try” a bail hearing and that his family and friends were present in court.

State solicitor Liam Mulholland said it was “very unusual” to apply for bail late in the day in “a matter such as this”, but added that if a person wants to apply for bail then the court has to hear the application.

The three-judge Special Criminal Court remanded him in custody until Monday and rose.

Judge McGrath then returned a few minutes later for a sitting of the High Court to hear O’Donovan’s bail application, which was refused after objections were raised by gardaí.

During the bail application, O’Donovan told the court: “Just to state on the record that it seems to be quite unfair and there doesn’t seem to be continuity about how bail is granted, some people who can afford can, and some people who can’t are left without it.”

O’Donovan is due to appear in person before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Monday. He blew kisses to his supporters in court before being remanded in custody.

On Wednesday, a vehicle travelling on the N2 near Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan was stopped and searched by gardaí.

Law student Isobella Perrie Sullivan, 25, of Abbeylands Park in Clane, Co Kildare, appeared before a district court on Friday, charged with possession of explosives in relation to the case.

Her solicitor Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law said she had been asked to take a bag to the north and had not been aware what was in it.

Perrie Sullivan was granted bail but remains in custody ahead of a further bail hearing on Monday.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

First came an apology. ‘Sorry guys,’ said Adam Ramsay-Peaty, as his voice began to tremble. He wiped away a tear from his face and stared at the Tollcross floor to find his words.

The bronze medal around his neck felt like a heavy weight. ‘It’s hard because I know how hard I’ve worked. I know the s**t I’ve been through, which is no fault of my own. It does take a toll.’

After standing upon the podium, the 31-year-old walked around the pool and stopped for selfies with his adoring fans. An Englishman has not received a reception like this in Glasgow for a long time.

He stopped to hug his pregnant wife, Holly – the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – before kissing her pregnant stomach. They are expecting a daughter in December and, as the swimmer confessed, family life has changed his priorities.

‘She’s always super proud of me,’ he said. ‘As a father, it doesn’t matter if you come home with the gold, as long as you come home with the teddy, which I did. That’s what matters. 

‘As you can tell, the emotion is always something that I’m going to carry. I’m never going to be afraid to show weakness because it’s so important for making stronger people, making stronger men, stronger fathers, stronger husbands.

‘I think ‘S**t, how have I worked so hard at this age?’ – then you get a result like that. I’m better than that. Maybe it’s because I’ve had two years out, but it does hurt. There’s a lot going on in my head right now.’ 

Adam Ramsay-Peaty stopped to hug his pregnant wife, Holly – the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay – before kissing her pregnant stomach

The pair wed on December 27 last year at Bath Abbey

Ramsay-Peaty was chasing from the start. He was not the leader of the pack. Perhaps he will fare better over 50 metres but here, over two lengths, he finished almost three seconds off his world record.

Australian Sam Williamson won gold and 18-year-old Filip Nowacki, of Jersey, claimed a brilliant silver that bodes well for the future of British swimming.

‘I’m not crying because it’s a bronze instead of a gold,’ said Peaty, choking up throughout. ‘I’m crying because I know that swim could have been better. I don’t really know what went wrong in these last two weeks but something isn’t hitting right, whether it’s pace or focus. 

‘I feel like I couldn’t have put more in, so you ask, ‘What’s the point of all the 5.30ams. What’s the point of all the metres every day? What’s the point of feeling exhausted all the time? What’s the point of saying, ‘No’ to all the family events because of training?’ It’s because you want excellence and that isn’t excellence for me.

‘I enjoy a scrap but I lost that scrap in the last 25 metres. That’s sport. Most of the time I’ve won the scrap. For some reason, the Commonwealths is that humble reminder.’

The wedding stories, the family feud and the social media abuse have taken their toll. The pool should be his place of escape but he swam with the world on his shoulders.

‘People who comment and read headlines have got to look themselves in the mirror. Ignoring that comes at a cost. That hasn’t played a part in that result here but it has to stop. Do better. I don’t want young Filip to go through that.’

Ramsay-Peaty was overcome with emotion in the mixed zone reflecting on his bronze medal

Throughout his decorated career, Ramsay-Peaty has been so far ahead of the field that he has had to look in the mirror to find competition. He has broken 14 world records, asserting a similar dominance to Sweden’s serial pole vault champion Armand Duplantis. Untouchables. Now people will ask if time is finally catching up with Britain’s greatest swimmer.

Nowacki is still waiting for his A Level results but the schoolboy from Millfield has already beaten his idol’s teenage records. In 2012, Jason Kenny beat Chris Hoy to become the top dog of cycling. Lamine Yamal overcame Lionel Messi in last week’s World Cup final. Swimming insiders believe it is a matter of time until Nowacki pulls a similar stunt.

‘For me, he’s got a very bright future ahead of him,’ said Ramsay-Peaty, whose gold earrings caught the light of the cameras. ‘He’s my favourite for the 200m. He’s definitely got the speed and he’s about 25kgs less! He’s got many many miles ahead of him, whereas my miles are probably coming to an end. I guess two years isn’t that long to try and find that in me.’

Side by side, they look like David and Goliath. Nowacki is five inches shorter and does not have the same popping biceps. Ramsay-Peaty changed the game with his powerful upper body stroke but Nowacki’s strength is in his kick. He keeps his hips high and moves more gracefully than his senior, who forces his way through the water.

Nowacki will discover his maths, economics and physics exam results during next month’s European Championships. Then he plans to enrol at Loughborough University, where he can master his craft in time for the LA 2028 Olympics. Major medals are in his sights, although Ramsay-Peaty is not ready to stand aside just yet.

‘To be racing one of the best in the world – arguably the greatest breaststroker of all time – is very special to me,’ said Nowacki, who won the world junior championships last year in a time of 2:07.32, which would have medalled in every senior Olympics, bar one

Ramsay-Peaty knows a promising swimmer when he sees one. He has already signed up Nowacki to his own agency and will continue to mentor his prodigy.

‘If I compare myself to 2014, 12 years ago, it’s very exciting where Filip and his career can go,’ he said. ‘It’s sport, it’s beautiful, but f**k me, it can hurt.’

LEGE-CAP FERRET, France (AP) — A raging wildfire in southwest France forced the evacuation of 55,000 people overnight Sunday, taking the total forced out of their homes to 220,000 in one region alone as the flames have crept ever closer to the wine region city of Bordeaux.

Authorities in the Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located, issued overnight evacuation orders for five more localities southwest of the historic city.

Gusting winds fed the flames overnight, accelerating the spread of the fire that has been burning out of control since midweek, the authorities’ statement said.

The Gironde prefect also ordered the partial closure of a major highway heading southwest from Bordeaux.

The city’s mayor said the fire “is still at the gates of the metropolitan area,” having advanced to about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Bordeaux at its closest point.

A second fire burning further south in the Landes region has also forced the evacuation of 30,000 people this week, taking the total driven out of their homes by the blazes to more than 250,000.

In neighboring Spain, authorities have evacuated 70,000 people this week because of fires west of Madrid.

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German authorities have identified the suspect wanted over the van ramming near Berlin’s Pride festival that killed one person and injured at least 16 others, as a major manhunt continues.

Police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Abdul B, who is described as slim, approximately 1.90m (6ft 3in) tall, with black hair. 

He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and white bottoms. The public has been warned not to approach him as he may be armed and dangerous.

Police and prosecutors said the suspect is believed to have injured several people with a moving vehicle before one or more people left the vehicle. 

Several people were also apparently stabbed, they added.

Police had said earlier that they had identified a suspect who has ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.

‘The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,’ police spokesperson Florian Nath said.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the incident late Saturday evening as ‘an attack on our society.’

The attack unfolded near the city’s annual Pride celebrations on Saturday evening, triggering a major emergency response and prompting authorities to launch a large-scale manhunt.

Pictured: Police walk next to a vehicle which crashed into a crowd near Berlin’s annual Christopher Street Day Pride parade on Saturday

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Pictured: Police and security personnel work near the scene where several people were injured on the sideline of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade

Police have not yet disclosed a motive but are investigating the incident as a suspected extremist attack.

Authorities continue to appeal for witnesses and are urging anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts to contact police immediately while avoiding any direct confrontation.

Nath added that investigators had no information on ‘his specific motives.’

According to police, a white van drove into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. and hit several people before colliding with a tree. 

The closing party at the Pride festival, known as Christopher Street Day, was ongoing nearby at the time, following a parade with some 80 trucks that had made its way through downtown Berlin earlier in the day.

Police said a woman was killed. Berlin’s fire service said that three people sustained life-threatening injuries, another eight were seriously injured and five had slight injuries.

Firefighters, ambulances, as well as other emergency services were at the park attending to victims. A helicopter landing pad was situated near the Reichstag.

Julian Miethig, who had attended the LGBTQ+ party, said he had just wanted to go to an afterparty when he heard from a friend that ‘something bad happened’.

He said he went to Tiergarten and was shocked that something like this could have happened at Berlin’s Pride celebrations. ‘It’s a dark day for the community,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Christian Gaebler, Berlin’s Senator for Urban Development, has warned against speculating about the incident.

He insisted it was too early to say if there was a motive behind the crash. ‘It didn’t even happen at the event itself, but actually in the Tiergarten,’ he said.

People wrapped in security blankets hug each other near the scene where several people were injured on the sideline of the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade in Berlin

The driver of the van ploughed into a crowd of people near Berlin’s Pride celebrations on Saturday evening in a ‘brutal attack’

Pictured: The wrecked vehicle used in the crime as the area has been cordoned off

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Pictured: Police officers work on the site, after the annual Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Pride parade was called off

The Pride event next to the Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. 

‘What an abhorrent act in Berlin,’ Merz wrote in a post on X. He added that Germany loves freedom, ‘and we will preserve and defend that.’

Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin to celebrate on Saturday, though it’s unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening. 

It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.

The word ‘Evacuation’ was displayed in bright colours on a large screen near the Brandenburg Gate.

People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the Tiergarten park, with an Instagram post instructing them to leave in an ‘orderly manner’.

‘Please avoid the Victory Column and the Tiergarten. Leave the area in the direction of the main train station,’ the post read.

Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city, dancing, and cheering as around 80 floats participated in the parade.

Does our new Chancellor mean what he says? In a speech to Treasury staff on Tuesday, John Healey said his priority was fiscal discipline, adding: ‘Because fiscal credibility is the bedrock of economic stability and national security.’

Well, let’s hope so and for three powerful reasons: the first two obvious, the third less so.

First, he has to hold down the cost of funding the national debt. Interest payments this year will be at least £110billion, making it the Government’s third-largest outgoing after social services (including pensions) and the NHS. 

The yield on ten-year gilts – Government bonds – is now over 5 per cent, which aside from a brief period in November last year is the highest since 2008.

That’s partly a reaction to global factors, in particular pressure on inflation after the latest surge in oil and gas prices – US rates have gone up too. 

But that’s small comfort to British taxpayers who one way or another will have to foot the extra interest bill, or indeed to homebuyers who will see mortgage costs climbing again.

Second, he has to maintain confidence in sterling as a stronger pound holds down the cost of imports, including oil and gas, and that in turn pushes down inflation. The pound is trading at $1.33. 

It ought to be around $1.50 if prices here were to be similar to those in the US. That is the so-called purchasing-power-parity rate calculated by the International Monetary Fund.

So if there was a bit more confidence among international investors, who by the way hold nearly a third of the national debt, not only could we cut the cost of borrowing; we could cut inflation too. 

That’s why ‘fiscal credibility’ matters and why Healey was right to go upfront on the subject.

There is, however, a third reason to hope the new Chancellor will be better than his predecessor. This is all to do with who owns British quoted companies.

We are a bargain-basement at the moment for canny overseas investors who can spot real value. Our Government has been pretty useless; our firms, or at least many of them, are pretty good.

The combination of having low share prices – the FTSE 100 is on a prospective price/earnings ratio of about 13 versus 21 for America’s S&P 500 – and an undervalued pound means investors can buy British companies for between half and two-thirds of the price of a similar US one.

So, surprise, surprise, there has been a tidal wave of bids for some of our best enterprises.

This year we have seen three Footsie companies taken over – insurer Beazley, wealth manager Schroders and quality assurance service Intertek – and there are bids for London-quoted energy distributor DCC and warehouse operator Segro. 

Former Footsie members Tate & Lyle and easyJet have received offers too and both look like they are going.

And there are lots more smaller companies that have gone, usually for huge premiums over their market value.

This is a disaster on several levels. One is that the pool of companies easily available for the bulk of UK investors to hold is shrinking. 

So most of us are denied a share in the growing wealth of our most vibrant enterprises, for only sophisticated investors can find some way of maintaining an interest, and often not even that.

A second is that decision-making is moved offshore. The buyers may go through the motions of saying they will protect jobs here, or that the UK management team will have a key voice in the wider enterprise, or similar guff.

But we all know the reality. If they need to save money it’s the UK factories that get the chop.

A third is that there is a huge incentive for entrepreneurs to start their business abroad where capital is cheaper and more available. 

This isn’t the place to get into the reasons for the decline of share trading in London – we’ve had 30 years of crass and at times wilfully destructive policies.

But one measure of the success or otherwise of this new Chancellor will be whether he can rebuild global confidence in UK plc.

There’s a lot to be done and I doubt this Government has any idea of how to go about it. But to put the nation’s finances on a sound basis would be a start.

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