festivals

Lea Seydoux played the psychologist Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die when Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were in charge of 007.

Actress Léa Seydoux says the James Bond films will “never be the same” after Amazon bought the rights and gained creative control of the franchise. Lea played the psychologist Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die in 2015 and 2021 when Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were in charge of 007.

The daughter and stepson of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who launched Bond in 1962 have now stepped down and Amazon will now decide which actor will take over the famous character from Daniel Craig.

Speaking to Elle UK, Lea said “I really loved working with [former Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli and her brother Michael [G Wilson]. It was one of the best experiences, a pure delight. And I don’t know, it will be different.”

She added that the next film’s director Denis Villeneuve was a great choice but added: “Let’s see. I’m curious how they will reinvent it. But for me, it will never be the same because it was Barbara’s father who initiated the Bond movies. Now, I don’t know, it became American… I hope they will keep the British spirit.”

Lea also gave her thoughts on who should play the next Bond. She said: “He needs to be layered, you know? And that’s something that’s hard to find in young actors.”

James Norton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James have been among the bookmakers’ favourites to fill Craig’s shoes over the past few years.

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Lea has been at the Cannes Film Festival this summer where she launched two new films including Gentle Monster which is released at the end of the month and saw her in nude scenes which she filmed soon after the birth of her second son.

She said: “They were difficult for me, of course, but it’s the body I had at the time I made those films. I think it’s important to see bodies that you can relate to… to make it more believable in a way. It was a few months after I gave birth, and I’m proud to show my body, that is, a real body.”

She has also learned to accept her own body and how she isn’t always the most efficient person on a film set.

Lea explained: “I’m not someone who’s very efficient – but I think it’s good not to be. I don’t want to stick to one thing. I tried when I was younger to fit in more. Now I’m accepting this part of me, and I like it. There’s a great freedom in that. It’s something AI will never replicate.”

* The November issue of Elle UK is on sale from Thursday. Gentle Monster will be in select UK cinemas from October 30 and on Netflix from November 18.

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TEENAGE years were often consumed by the excitement of planning which festival to go to, met by the disappointment of not being able to afford (or even able to get) a ticket.

Fortunately, there is a way to get free festival tickets even as a now-adult.

Volunteering might remind you of litter picking in parks, but it looks a whole lot different at festivals.

With Oxfam, you can volunteer across a number of different roles while getting a free ticket to the festival.

Having done a number of festivals with the charity I can safely say that it is a lot more fun than you’d think, AND you get other great perks as well.

The role with the most positions available is to be a steward – you’ll carry out a range of roles across three eight-and-a-quarter- hour shifts including checking tickets on the gate, patrolling campsites or the arena and staffing accessibility platforms.

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You will get all the training you need, as well as a meal voucher for every shift, free tea and coffee, crew camping (read, quieter campsites), hot showers and free phone charging.

Applications for the positions open in the new year and are served on a first-come first-served basis.

You will need to fork out the ticket price upfront but this essentially acts as a deposit to ensure you show up to your shifts – you will then get it back four weeks after the festival.

You will also need to be 18-years-old or over to volunteer by the time you arrive onsite.

Other roles include campaigning, which requires four, six-hour shifts ending before headline acts, and shop volunteers to run festival shops, with one six hour shift a day.

For the latter role, you will need to be a current shop volunteer, intern or member of Oxfam staff with at least three months of experience.

But in reality what does the work actually look like?

For my first festival, I volunteered at NASS although this sadly no longer runs.

As a smaller festival in the UK, I was only required to do two shifts and these both consisted of checking tickets into the festival – one on arrival day and another for second day arrivals.

It meant I missed NOTHING – not a single act.

Both my shifts were finished before music even started, which meant I had enough time to nip back to the spacious campsite with hot showers and freshen up before going and singing my heart out as Loyle Carner performed just metres from me.

The other festivals I volunteered at were much bigger and are household names – Boardmasters in Cornwall and Reading Festival.

Staff camping at Reading was a decent walk from the main arena and while that meant it was a bit of a pain to just ‘nip’ back to your tent, it did mean that I was away from ALL noise.

The campsite is spacious, peaceful, empty of drunken festivalgoers and has its own toilet block – which were actual toilets with no stench.

When I saw the toilets in the main campsites, I realised how appreciative I was of swapping some hours of my time for a free festival ticket.

I slept soundly each night with no thumping music or rowdy people around me.

As for my shifts at Reading, one of my three, eight-hour shifts was spent checking tickets on the first arrival day – before the festival had even properly started.

My second shift was patrolling campsites during the daytime, before any major acts were on.

And my third shift? Being right in the pit as Sea Girls played, handing out water to festival-goers.

None of these tasks, other than perhaps standing in the blazing sun, are strenuous and shift leaders are great at constantly making sure you have water as well as regular time in the shade if your shift involves being in the direct sun.

What is volunteering at Glastonbury like?

DEPUTY Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey has previously volunteered at Glastonbury Festival with Oxfam and here are her thoughts:

I am not a festival-goer – camping on the cold hard ground, traipsing through the inevitable mud and don’t get me started on refusing to use anything other than a standard, private bathroom.

And then being made to pay at least £400 just to be allowed in the gates? I never saw the appeal.

However, when I did work Glastonbury with Oxfam, I was very much converted.

Early access, so a more laidback first day without the huge crowds, three meals a day without having to pay extortionate amounts, and, of course, much nicer toilets and showers.

Being able to charge my phone and have a much quieter campsite – it felt like glamping without the cost.

The only downside was the shift patterns. I was on ticket checking duty, and you had to do a day, afternoon and overnight shift.

You in theory could swap with people, but good luck trying when there was a big performer (I was there the year of Dolly Parton).

But as long as you aren’t going just for one act, I had the best time hanging with my fellow Oxfam crew as we played our own party tunes at the entrance, shared snacks – and laughed our heads off at all the men dressed up as good ol’ Dolly herself.

Oh, and it barely cost me a penny once my ticket costs rolled back into my bank account. Win win!

Across these three shifts I only missed one act I wanted to see.

And last but not least, Boardmasters was a similar story – one of my three eight-hour shifts was spent checking tickets before the festival began, another was a day shift campsite patrolling and the third was an overnight campsite shift.

Again, with these I missed no acts I wanted to see and while the final overnight shift was tiring (and cold), it involved standing and sitting at the entrance to a campsite answering questions… hardly hard work.

Across all shifts you get a half hour break as well as a meal token which you can use at selected vendors across the festival.

These often include gourmet burger joints and pizza vans, so there is plenty of choice.

Depending on what festival you are at, you might get actual shower and toilet blocks too, a communal area on your campsite and quite often other goodies like free Coca-Cola from brand sponsors walking the festival ground.

There are other companies and charities you can go through for festivals too, such as Hotbox Events, My Cause UK and Festaff.

Though, I wouldn’t look further than Oxfam – everyone is there to have a good time and thanks to not having to pay a penny and camping with more space, I’d say I was happier than most paying festivalgoers each time I volunteered.

AZERBAIJAN is nicknamed the Land of Fire and is a fascinating mix of Eastern and Western culture.

Antoinette Cumberbatch shares her account of discovering the country’s delicacies, hot weather, rich history, plus a party scene reminiscent of Miami.

Watching US rapper Busta Rhymes work the screaming crowd in the balmy 32ºC heat, I feel like I’m in Miami.

In fact, I’m actually dancing the night away beside the Caspian Sea at Azerbaijan’s lively Dream Fest, held each July.

It takes place 35 minutes’ drive from the enthralling capital, Baku, at Sea Breeze Resort on the golden coast, also home to a huge array of sports activities and buzzing beach clubs.

Fish Box serves up excellent sushi, from £13.50 a platter, and with my spacious one-bed pad at White Villas, I get a private garden. Villas sleeping two start from £110 a night (Seabreeze.az).

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Hours earlier, I’d explored another side of Azerbaijan, which straddles Europe and Asia, discovering why it’s nicknamed the Land of Fire.

On the outskirts of Baku, the Ateshgah Fire Temple vividly brings this to life.

Here, history isn’t tucked behind glass – instead, fire flashes red-hot between ancient stones from an altar in the middle, and I duck through low doorways to learn how merchants stopped here while travelling along the Silk Road. Entry costs £6.50 (Ateshgahtemple.az).

Another eternal flame is Yanar Dagh, a hillside of natural gas where fire burns continuously at a scorching 1,000ºC.

I finish my fiery sightseeing with a visit to Baku’s Bar19 at Flame Towers, an imposing structure by day and a dazzling sight at night, serving up city views alongside Flame cocktails – a sweet mix of Bacardi, Passoã, amaretto and lime juice, £13 (Fairmont.com).

Come morning, I stroll along the city’s waterfront, Baku Boulevard, to take in more futuristic landmarks, such as Deniz Mall and indoor arena Crystal Hall, plus the world’s largest flying flag in State Flag Square.

Then I explore Icherisherer, the official name for the Old City and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000.

I wander the labyrinth of passageways, where cats sleep in doorways and locals sell goods including carpets and pillbox sheepskin hats, haggling to nab one of the latter for £12. In other corners, I find locals offering home-made Turkish delight and playing draughts.

A few minutes’ walk from Icherisherer and an array of designer shops, is Art Gallery Hotel, set in a grand Art Deco building with walls adorned with striking pieces.

Luxurious rooms feature quirky headboards, gold lamps and large showers, and stays start from £85 per night (Arthotelbaku.com).

Dumpling Day

Sitting among retro ornaments and mismatched furniture at restaurant Ryumochnaya By Beerbasha, I feast on delicious pasztet – a chicken pâté with jam – £2.20, and moreish chicken Kyiv, £5.65.

The most surprising but incredible dish is a sweet tomato salad with cherry sauce, £5.25 (@Ryumochnaya_beerbasha).

At the more traditional Novbahar, I fill up on dushbara – tiny dumplings in a savoury broth, £2.60 – gutab flatbread filled with pumpkin, £1.30, and succulent grilled beef saj, £17.50. The local pinot grigio pairs nicely, too (Novbahar.az).

As my trip draws to a close, I climb the 12th-century Maiden Tower – 28m high and one of Baku’s most recognisable landmarks – for the sea views.

Entry costs £6.50. But for vistas of the entire city, I find Highland Park unbeatable.

The funicular up to its beautiful gardens costs less than 50p and, as I soak up the panoramic view of Baku, it leaves me awestruck. Just like Azerbaijan itself.

Former The Great British Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc opened up about past moments of jealousy in a candid insight into her friendship with a co-star

The Great British Bake Off returns for its 17th series, with hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding at the helm alongside judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson, who makes her debut on the show. Before the programme moved to Channel 4, presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins fronted the series for six years.

The gig was one of many the pair took on together during their long-running friendship, which Mel has now revealed hasn’t always been smooth sailing. The broadcaster said their relationship has gone through “phases”, with periods when they’re inseparable and other times when they’ve been “off” with each other.

Speaking on the Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball, Mel explained that she and Sue are currently in one of their closer spells, chatting and seeing each other frequently. At the time of recording, the pair were also preparing to reunite at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

“There’s a real friendship there, you’ve known each other for ages and you know you’ve got each other’s backs and I think that is such a lovely thing,” she shared. Though keen not to be “disingenuous”, Mel admitted there had been moments of jealousy.

“There’s been times over the last 39 years or whatever that I’ve known Sue, I’m sure that we’ve had moments of a little bit of jealously and, sort of, off with each other but, you know, at base you’ve got each other and it’s everything,” she shared.

“It really is everything and the older I get the more I realise that you have to cling to the real proper quality.”

Mel and Sue released a statement in 2016 when the show left the BBC, saying they were “very shocked and saddened” by the news. In the statement at the time, they praised the BBC for helping shape the programme’s tone and for growing its audience from two million to nearly 15 million.

They also confirmed they were “not going with the dough”, while wishing the future bakers well.

After their departure, the hosting role passed to Sandi Toksvig, who left in 2020, and Noel Fielding, who now presents the show alongside Alison Hammond.

The current judging panel consists of Paul Hollywood, who has been part of the programme since it began, and Nigella Lawson, who makes her debut after stepping into Prue Leith’s shoes.

The new series returns tonight, with 12 amateur bakers entering the tent in the hope of impressing the judges and being crowned this year’s champion.

Away from Bake Off, Mel and Sue have also returned to screens with their Saturday night gameshow Win Win with Postcode Lottery.

The Great British Bake Off airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4