There are a lot of problems with this summer. The World Cup is over, the climate is a nightmare and I can’t seem to escape ‘hot honey’ everywhere I go. The most irritating thing, though, is the FLIES that are living in my home rent-free.

I am so tired of it and I have tried what I thought was everything to get rid of them. The current nightmare wave of flies in the UK is ridiculously resilient. They don’t care about washing up liquid, about the handy little vinegar traps, the sticky traps, the CLOSED WINDOWS?!

I know that I’m not alone. In fact, back in May, we spoke to entomologist Professor Richard Wall from the University of Bristol who shared that the weather is very likely to blame as flies do breed faster when it’s hotter.

This isn’t a pleasant solution and as a big sensitive gal, it did take some getting used to. However, it is very effective and I can now get through my home without seeing flies or ducking from my cats as they (poorly) attempt to chase flies.

It’s an electric fly swatter. Sitting in the corner of my living room, it attracts and instantly kills the flies as they come into our home. It can be picked up and used like a manual swatter but works just as well staying in the spot it’s in.

EnviroBug explains: “Electric fly swatters have fantastic benefits. For instance, they offer instant results, which other products cannot. Sprays, traps and repellents can take several hours or days, but a swatter is effective as soon as you hit the insect.

“They are also chemical-free, ideal for use around food such as in the kitchen, around the BBQ or on a picnic. And because they are portable, you can use them at home, on the move and holiday. You can also use the same device in the kitchen and outside in the garden or park.”

However, if you have a real infestation, you do need to do a little more.

First of all, you have my deepest sympathies.

Secondly, it may be time to reach out to pest control. British Pest Control Association (BPCA) is a not-for-profit organisation representing, supporting and assuring 700+ member companies and the pest management sector.

Visit their website to find your local pest control and truly, good luck.

If you spend a substantial amount of time online, you might’ve already come across the terms “manlet” and “hiplet”. But for those who haven’t, “manlet” is a derogatory term that’s been used online for years as a way to height-shame shorter men and boys.

And now “hiplet”, which seems to be newer, is about body-shaming women and girls for having ‘hip dips’ (inward curves located below the hips and just above the thighs) as a retaliation to ‘manlet’ abuse.

Some claim the “the hiplet movement is an allegory to heightism” – basically, men are using the term “hiplet” to make a bigger point about prejudice against shorter men.

But these body-shaming terms ultimately aren’t helping anyone. Men have shared online how the term “manlet” has made them feel “depressed and insecure”, while women are saying “hiplet” is just another insecurity to add to the list.

Commenting on the trend, Fiona Yassin, family psychotherapist, and founder and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, told HuffPost UK: “Social media has a way of taking a perfectly normal human characteristic and turning it into a ‘flaw’ overnight.

“Terms like ‘manlet’ or ‘hiplet’ are designed to shame people by making them feel as though their body is somehow outside the norm, when in reality height, hip shape and body proportions vary enormously and are entirely unique.”

While adults might be able to brush off comments made online, for young people it can be a lot harder to just “ignore” them.

Yassin suggests that if a child reveals they’ve been targeted with one of these terms, parents should “resist the urge to dismiss it”.

“Instead, acknowledge what they are saying, validate their feelings, and remind them that these insults say far more about the culture of online comparison than they do about the person being targeted,” she added.

You could ask them open questions such as, “how did that make you feel in the moment?” or “what do you think those comments were trying to achieve?” – this, the therapist added, can help them process the experience rather than internalise it.

Of course, half the time these comments are probably coming from other young people who might not fully understand what they mean – or how they can seriously cause hurt.

“Children engaging in viral trends often don’t fully understand the potential impact on others,” continued Yassin.

“The goal for parents is to reintroduce mentalising – the ability to reflect on the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of both themselves and other people. When mentalising is ‘off-track’, children may act or speak without considering how it lands.”

If your child has called other people these terms, saying it was “just meant to be funny”, it can be helpful to remind them that a joke is only a joke when everyone is laughing.

The therapist continued that “if it’s damaging, toxic, makes others uncomfortable or is at someone else’s expense, it’s not a joke”.

“Ultimately, it’s important for children to understand that our actions always affect others.”

At home, it can also help to:

“Avoid comments about your teenager’s appearance – especially if they’re negative, or could be interpreted that way,” said Yassin.

It’s important children don’t hear the adults in their lives criticising their own bodies – or the bodies of other people.

“When parents criticise body shape, or suggest someone could improve their appearance, be ‘thinner’ or make their body different in some way, the underlying message is: you are not okay as you are,” warned the therapist.

“Building body confidence starts with helping teenagers see themselves as more than their appearance,” she continued.

You can do this by encouraging conversations about what their body allows them to do, rather than how it looks, and help them develop a critical eye towards social media trends that profit from insecurity and outrage.

“The goal isn’t to convince teenagers that cruel comments don’t matter, but to help them build a strong enough sense of self that someone else’s attempt to define them carries far less weight,” Yassin added.

Therapists and body image experts generally advise to steer clear of praising kids on their appearance or physical attributes, instead opting to praise kindness, creativity, resilience, humour, effort and values.

Unfortunately kids can’t escape bullying, as it can follow them home online.

Heightism, especially among boys, should be taken seriously – it’s a form of bullying and can have negative mental health implications for those on the receiving end.

Yassin advised that if body-shaming continues at school or begins to affect a young person’s mood, confidence or willingness to socialise, it’s important to involve the school and seek additional support if needed.

“If a young person shows signs of body image distress, restrictive eating, bingeing, purging, or obsessive exercise, early intervention is critical,” she added.

“Eating disorders are complex and often require the assistance of a psychiatric and mental health team. The earlier we intervene, the better the outcome.”

Last year, fans of The Inbetweeners got some promising news: it seemed set for a revival after a 10-plus-year hiatus, as production company Banijay UK and the show’s creators came to an agreement that “pave[d] the way” for its return.

And now, Variety has confirmed that the original cast is working on a reunion flick with streaming giant Netflix.

It follows two hit movies based on the teen sitcom, which chronicles the misadventures of friend group Will MacKenzie (Simon Bird), Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) and Jay Cartwright (James Buckley). The comedy blockbusters were released in 2011 and 2014, respectively.

The first installment, The Inbetweeners Movie, raked in about £66 million globally against an estimated £3.5 million budget. And its sequel, The Inbetweeners 2, made about £47.5 million worldwide.

These were based on the 2008-2010 UK series, which acted as a kind of grimly relatable alternative to sex-and-drug-fuelled teen hit Skins, which also aired on E4.

Simon Bird said, “Skins is great because it’s this fantasy of what you want your teenage years to be whereas The Inbetweeners is what your teenage years actually were”.

We don’t yet know anything about what Netflix’s The Inbetweeners flick might look like, though it’s hard to imagine the original cast, who appear to be attached to the title, will be playing their former adolescent selves.

The cast’s real-life ages range from their late 30s to early 40s.

Blake Harrison, who plays Neil, told the BBC in 2014 when he was aged 29: “The humour comes from their naivety and ignorance towards the world and as soon as you start placing that naivety and ignorance into people in their 20s and 30s, it becomes a bit more offensive and less funny”.

If your child’s starting Year 7 in September, there’s a strong chance you’ve already thought about their first day more than they have.

Every summer I meet parents worrying about whether their child will make friends, find their way around a much bigger building, or cope with going from top of the school to the very bottom overnight.

Those are all fair worries, and starting secondary school really is one of the biggest changes a child goes through.

But after watching hundreds of pupils make this exact move, I’ve come to think we tend to pin our nerves on the wrong day, because the transition is really made over the summer, weeks before the first bell.

The reassuring bit is that most children are far more ready than we give them credit for. By the time they leave primary, they’ve already learnt how to make friends, fall out and make up again; cope when a plan goes sideways; and ask an adult for help – and all of that will carry them through Year 7 just as well as knowing where the science block is.

None of which means every child sails through, because they won’t. But most of those worries do settle, and there’s solid research to show it. When University College London (UCL) followed around 2,000 children through the move for its STARS study, it found most had some worries beforehand that eased once they actually started secondary.

So, a bumpy first few weeks is usually just part of settling in, and a calm face at home is one of the best things a child has going for them while it passes.

Ahead of that nerve-wracking first day, here are some ways you can help prepare your child while they’re off for summer.

Kids clock our tone of voice long before they take in the actual words, so keep talk of secondary school on the sunny side. A few nerves are normal, so say so, then steer the conversation around to the good stuff, like new friends, new subjects and all the clubs they never got to do at primary school.

Ask Year 6s across the country what’s scaring them most and the answer is nearly always ‘getting lost’, which makes total sense when they’ve spent years in one building where they know every corner.

When your child asks “but what if I get lost?”, they usually want reassurance more than a plan, because underneath it they’re really asking whether it’s normal to feel nervous. It always is. Let them say the worry out loud, tell them how you felt on your own first day, and remind them that staff spend all of September helping Year 7s find their way.

Buy the bag, uniform and kit well before the last week of the holidays, because nobody wants to be tearing around town for the last pair of black school shoes or a scientific calculator the night before term.

Once it’s bought, hand it all over and let them unpack it, label it and sort it themselves, so it feels like old news by the time September comes.

Secondary runs on a hundred small jobs your child does without you, so treat the holidays as a low-stakes practice run. Let them nip to the shop, meet mates in town and get themselves ready for a day out. Once term starts, get them making their own packed lunch and laying their uniform out the night before.

For a lot of kids, getting to school is the first proper thing they’ll do on their own, so do a couple of trial runs. Walk, cycle or bus it together first, then let them try it with a friend, and time it while you’re at it. Talk through what to do if the bus doesn’t turn up or they take a wrong turn, because a plan they’ve already talked over does wonders for their confidence.

Those first few weeks are exhausting, with everything new at once, which is exactly why familiar faces and old routines are worth holding on to. An afternoon with primary school mates, or the usual Saturday footie, is a proper breather in the middle of the whirlwind, so give them room to find their feet and go easy on the questions at the school gate.

This year’s intake has something new to think about, because most will start secondary with much stricter rules around phones during the school day. Rather than letting it become another worry, look at your school’s policy together before September, so your child knows exactly what to expect.

If something’s worrying you, the school really does want to hear about it, so drop a line to your child’s tutor or head of year, get along to the information evenings, and keep half an eye on the emails coming home. It’s the quickest way to know what’s going on.

Every September I watch new Year 7s turn up looking tiny in oversized uniform, and within a few weeks the same children are finding their classrooms without a second thought, joining clubs and coming home name-dropping teachers you’re still struggling to keep track of yourself.

That happens because we give them room to work things out, with support around them when they need it.

So, talk up what’s coming, hand over a bit more responsibility than you did last month, and trust that seven years of primary school have got them more ready than either of you quite believes right now.

It’s a big milestone, but in the end it’s only one morning, and the real work is the bit you get to do together this summer.

Andrew Wilson is the chief executive of OAK Multi Academy Trust.

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If there’s one thing we take good care of in summer, it’s our skin. Or the skin on our face, at least.

While we spend the sunny months and beyond prepping our faces with acids, primers, and sunscreens, other areas get ignored.

But it’s time we get real about the spots that get the most sweaty during the heatwave – our genitals.

Yep, I’m going there. You might be wearing breathable cotton and linens on the rest of your body, but most of us forget to protect our bits during the heat, and they need just as much attention.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but sweating down there gets uncomfortable pretty quickly.

You don’t need to suffer in silence, though, because I’ve found the solution to better comfort between your legs in the heatwave: bamboo underwear.

Although lots of underwear brands use polyester and synthetic materials in their underwear, that could contribute to excess sweat, and won’t let your genitals breathe properly. Talk about a one way ticket to thrush town.

To combat discomfort during the warmer months, Step One has created an underwear line crafted entirely from bamboo.

As well as being sustainable (thanks to how quickly it grows) bamboo also makes breathable, antibacterial, and moisture-wicking underwear.

Not only does this make them comfy enough to wear all day, but also means they’re great for sweating during training or long runs.

And whether you’re a briefs gal or a trunks guy, Step One has crafted a shape for every occasion – it even has period pants (which just so happen to be this shopping writer’s favourite).

If you’re looking for a sure-fire way to transform your comfort during the heatwave, I’ve rounded up the best pieces of Step One underwear to shop now.

And if you’re in pursuit of a bargain, good news: when you buy a multi-pack you’ll get a discount of up to 15% off. Yippee!

“I had everything that could go wrong with me… go wrong with me,” he said at the time, adding that “drinking too much” left his kidneys “messed up”.

Phil has also explained he’s been dealing with a spinal injury as well as type 2 diabetes.

And speaking to The Times recently, the Genesis star shared that he almost died in 2024.

He said he was admitted to a Swiss hospital in late 2023 due to alcohol addiction before being discharged and brought back a second time. He added he was placed in intensive care on his return and was mostly unconscious during this second stay.

“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing up,” he told The Times.

“People were coming to say goodbye. But I don’t remember them coming. I didn’t have no idea this was going on. They were all worried that they wouldn’t see me again. It could all have gone so terribly wrong.”

His five children reportedly visited during this time.

Phil continued: “There were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’ kind of thing. I was very lucky to have come out of that… Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since.”

Back in 2021, Phil said he could no longer play the drums. “I’d love to but I mean, I can barely hold a stick with this hand,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“There are certain physical things which get in the way.”

The singer told Mojo magazine in 2025 that he’d considered making new music: “I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I’m not hungry for it anymore.

“The thing is, I’ve been sick. I mean very sick.”

You can read The Times’ interview in full here.