William Shakespeare wouldn’t be wowed by this domestic drama about his home life back in Stratford-upon-Avon. Where’s the action? The wit? The wordplay?
The great playwright’s skill is hard to match. Instead, “Hamnet,” directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”), uses our curiosity about the Bard to spin a soggy story about love and grief with enough tears to flood the river Thames. Co-written by Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, this tonally faithful adaptation of O’Farrell’s florid 2020 novel of the same name stars Paul Mescal as Will — the name he goes by here — and Jessie Buckley as his wife, Agnes, pronounced Ahn-yes, although the real person was more commonly called Anne Hathaway. The 16th century’s fondness for treating Agnes/Anne and Hamnet/Hamlet as interchangeable versions of the same name is part of the plot and must be endured.
The tale is set during the years that Will launched his career in London, missed being at the deathbed of one of his children and funneled his guilt and sorrow into theater’s most prestigious ghost story. Mostly, however, we’re stuck at home with Agnes, who spends half the film weeping.
“There are many different ways to cry,” wrote O’Farrell, whose book goes on to list several variations. (The novel is overripe with descriptors, rarely using one word when a paragraph will do.) Buckley’s wet and wild performance shows us each of them — “the sudden outpouring of tears, the deep racking sobs, the soundless and endless leaking of water from the eyes’’ — plus a few others I’ll call the disgorged caterwaul, the furious scrunch and the chuckle swallowed into a choke. “Hamnet” is my least favorite of Buckley’s showcase roles (I loved “The Lost Daughter”), but the dampness of it has pundits wagering she’ll finally get her Academy Award.
Christopher Marlowe truthers aside, William Shakespeare was an actual person who, historical records concur, married a pregnant woman eight years his senior and had three kids: Susanna, the eldest, and twins Judith and Hamnet. (They’re played, respectively, by Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Olivia Lynes and Jacobi Jupe.) Nearly everything else ever written about the family is conjecture spun from the scraps of information that exist, such as Shakespeare’s will leaving nothing to his wife other than “his second-best bed.”
Previous fictions have deemed Agnes a cradle robber or a shrew or the Bard’s secret co-writer. Zhao’s script goes one further: This Agnes is a witch. Not merely in the slanderous meaning, as in a difficult woman (although she’s also that). Buckley’s Agnes is actually magic. She can predict someone’s destiny by squeezing their hand, the party trick Christopher Walken did in “The Dead Zone.” Sometimes she’s wrong, sometimes she fights fate with everything she’s got, yet her faith in her foresight is rarely shaken. Her husband, who would later write witches and sorcerers and soothsayers into “Macbeth,” “The Tempest” and “Julius Caesar,” is taxed by her psychic gifts. He grumbles that it’s hard to open up to someone who can already “divine your secrets at a glance.”
Her ability to see through time and space has somehow made Agnes transparent too. Joy, confusion, fascination and despair take over her entire face instantaneously, turning Buckley’s performance into an acting exercise of being raw and present. (The crooked smile that signifies her unvarnished realness gets wearying.) The plotting doesn’t have any subterranean levels either, trusting solely in its primal display of sweat, hormones and heartbreak. This period piece almost seems to believe Agnes is inventing each emotion.
Will, a tutor, is trapped inside teaching Latin the first time he spots his future bride romping around in the grass with a hawk on her arm. Cinematographer Łukasz Żal frames the scene in a pane of window glass so that Agnes’ reflection ripples across Will’s yearning face, contrasting the earthy enchantress with the indoor bookworm. These oddballs have little in common besides their defiance of village norms and their families’ mutual disapproval. “I’d rather you went to sea than marry this wench,” Will’s mother, Mary (Emily Watson), hisses. (Her gradual thaw is genuinely affecting.)
Meanwhile, Agnes’ most supportive sibling, a farmer named Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn), can’t fathom what Will has to offer. “Why marry a pasty-faced scholar?” he asks. “What use is he?”
Their flirtation — especially Mescal’s dumb, happy, horny grin — makes Shakespeare feel freshly relatable. Perhaps his Ye Olde Tinder profile read: “Aspiring playwright seeks older woman, pagan preferred.” At times in “Hamnet,” 1582, the year of their marriage, could pass for a millennium earlier, a rustic era where neither has anything more pressing to do than canoodle under the trees. Later on, their partnership feels more contemporary, a frustrated writer hitting the bottle while his missus supports but doesn’t understand his work.
That the greatest dramatist of the last 500 years is married to someone wholly incurious about his art is, in itself, a tragedy. There’s a scene in which you wonder not only if has Agnes never seen one of his plays, but if she even knows what a play is. Our credulity would snap if Mescal’s Shakespeare was the slick talker that his early biographer John Aubrey described as “very good company, of a very redie and pleasant smoothe Witt.” But this stammering, rather dull chap doesn’t come across as a genius. He must save it all for his quill.
This isn’t Mescal’s fault. The book’s version of him is pretty much the same, perhaps because O’Farrell doesn’t reveal that this fictional grieving character is Shakespeare until the last page. (Although the title is a gimmicky clue.) At least Zhao adds scenes that show him workshopping his material. The kids prance around the yard quoting “Macbeth” a decade before he’ll stage it and Mescal gets to recite a “Hamlet” soliloquy as a little treat. I enjoyed the unremarked-upon tension of Will returning home from London with a hip haircut and an earring.
The texture of the film is impressive. Żal’s camera swivels around their home, soaking it in like a documentary. Whenever the film goes outside, he and Zhao make you feel the mystical power of the dirt and leaves. The forest rumbles with so much energy that it sounds like living next to a freeway. To keep things feeling authentic, co-editors Affonso Gonçalves and Zhao keep in flukes that other filmmakers might consider flubs, like an insect dive-bombing one of the actor’s eyelashes. The spell of “Hamnet’s” naturalism rarely breaks, save for a couple nice flourishes, like a shadow puppet depiction of the plague and a shot of the underworld as seen through a black lace curtain, a literalization of going beyond the veil.
Meanwhile, the score by the talented Max Richter is made of soft, pleasant little piano plinks and one major if beautiful mistake: a climactic needle-drop of his 2004 masterpiece “On the Nature of Daylight.” That soul-stirring number is one of the loveliest compositions of the modern era, so good at making an audience sigh that it’s been used two dozen times already, including in “Arrival,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Shutter Island” and “The Last of Us.” As soon those violins kick up here, you’re shoved out of the 16th century and feel less moved than shamelessly manipulated.
“Hamnet’s” sweetest note is 12-year-old Jacobi Jupe playing the actual Hamnet. The script hangs on our immediate devotion to the boy and he stands up to the challenge. Unlike most child actors — and unlike his on-screen parents — he never overplays his big scenes. His stoicism is wrenching. Also terrific is his real-life older brother, Noah Jupe, as the play-within-a-film’s onstage Hamlet. In a rehearsal, this young actor seems dreadful. Zhao has him whiff it so that Mescal can say the lines again, louder. But on the play’s opening night, he’s a sensation.
Shakespeare didn’t invent “Hamlet” from whole cloth. He adapted it from a Norse yarn that had been around for centuries, and Lord knows if he was more inspired by his own child or by another successful version of “Hamlet” that played London a decade before. In our century, it’s been reworked for the screen more than 50 times, and mouthed by everyone from Ethan Hawke and Danny Devito to Shelley Long.
Yet I would have been happy watching the older Jupe do the whole thing again for this lively Globe Theatre crowd, the first to discover how Shakespeare’s version will end. As this Hamlet collapses, the audience reaches their arms toward the fallen prince. The actor draws strength from the groundlings and they, in turn, find solace in his pain. That stunning image alone single-handedly captures everything this movie has struggled to say (or sob) about the catharsis of art.
‘Hamnet’
Rated: PG-13, for thematic content, some strong sexuality and partial nudity
A fan-favourite presenter returned to Good Morning Britain on Friday after several weeks away
Good Morning Britain fans were delighted as a beloved star made their return to the ITV show on Friday (November 28).
During this morning’s instalment of the popular show, Kate Garraway was accompanied by Rob Rinder as they brought viewers the most recent news stories from Britain and beyond. It signals Rob’s comeback to the programme following a break of several weeks.
They were accompanied in the studio by Charlotte Hawkins, who managed the remainder of the day’s bulletins, whilst Laura Tobin delivered regular weather updates live from Austria.
Upon witnessing Rob’s comeback to the programme, numerous GMB watchers swiftly flocked to social media to express their joy, reports Wales Online.
“Glad to switch on to @robrinder, best presenter on the show, go get ’em Rob,” one viewer posted on X (formerly Twitter), with another commenting: “Brilliant to have Rob Rinder on this morning.”
A third declared, “Yay, Rob’s back!” with another likewise posting: “Nice to see Rob on.”
On today’s show, Rob and Kate discussed Labour’s U-turn on a key pledge for workers after they abandoned a promise to give all employees the right to claim unfair dismissal from their first day of employment. Business groups say it’s a crucial change.
They also anticipated a decision on whether the go-ahead will be given for a nationwide programme to screen millions of men for prostate cancer.
Plus, the duo met the everyday heroes aiming to top the charts, and revealed what could be Britain’s most Christmassy house.
However, ITV viewers couldn’t help but share their complaints minutes in as they didn’t understand why Laura was presenting the weather segment from the Austrian mountains instead of the studio.
“Scores of weather presenters and accompanying TV crews have travelled to Austria to talk about climate change,” one person wrote.
Another added: “Why is Laura in Austria to tell us about the UK weather? I thought we had to watch our carbon footprint?” while a third said: “Laura flew to Austria to discuss climate change on top of a mountain.”
A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: “The show’s climate activist has pointlessly travelled to Austria. Think of the carbon footprint you’ve used, Tobin.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am
BELLA Hadid brims with confidence as she anticipates the sweet smell of success from her new perfume.
The US supermodel, 29, wore a large titfer as she fronted up in a plunging white top and no bra to launch her fifth fragrance for her own brand, Orebella.
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Bella Hadid wore a large titfer as she fronted up in a plunging white top and no braCredit: InstagramBella also posed almost topless while clutching the golden bottle containing her new productCredit: Instagram
And it was hat’s off as she posed almost topless while clutching the golden bottle containing her new product.
She’s not short of naked ambition.
Her cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos, 37, would approve.
R&B singer Ray J was arrested early Thanksgiving morning, according to jail records and a police spokesman.
The 44-year-old artist — whose legal name is Willie Norwood — was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Mike Bland.
Jail records show Norwood was arrested around 4 a.m. by officers from LAPD’s Devonshire Division, which patrols parts of the San Fernando Valley including Chatsworth and Northridge.
Bland could not provide details on the incident or say exactly where Norwood was arrested. He was released on $50,000 bond a few hours after his arrest, according to jail records.
The younger brother of actress and singer Brandy, Norwood is best known for the tracks “One Wish” and “Sexy Can I.” He was sued for defamation in October by his ex-girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, over comments he made in a TMZ documentary.
I’m A Celebrity 2025 hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly gathered all the campmates for a live trial, but soon Aitch and Angry Ginge were left unimpressed by Ant
22:32, 27 Nov 2025Updated 22:32, 27 Nov 2025
I’m A Celebrity 2025 hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly gathered all the campmates for a live trial, but soon Aitch and Angry Ginge were left unimpressed(Image: ITV)
There was a live trial on I’m a Celebrity on Thursday night, and it was pure chaos.
All the celebrities learned they would take part in Cocktailsof Cruelty, a head-to-head drinking trial as part of the Rivals challenge ongoing. Each celebrity was allowed to pick two jungle ingredients for their fellow rival celebrity opponent to drink.
Each star in each pair then needed to down their drinks, and the first star to down their drink the fastest would win the task. The fastest drinkers would also get immunity from the first vote off happening very soon.
As the live trial got underway, Aitch and Angry Ginge got up to have their drinking showdown. In something dubbed “controversial” and “shocking scenes” by Ant, the pair were disqualified.
Neither of them won immunity after both of them spilled too much liquid. Aitch was first to break the rules, giving Ginge the chance to win.
But when Ginge then repeated his pal’s mistake, in tense scenes that saw the guys close to bickering, crew members in the gallery had to decide how to handle the situation. It was decided, as advised by Ant, that both stars had spilled too much and neither of them won.
As a result, neither of them had immunity and were now both at risk in the first vote-off. Ant was quick to call out the pair though saying they deserved it, as Aitch and Ginge were clearly fuming.
Aitch called it “ridiculous” and had his head in his hands, with Ginge also not happy about it. Ant barked back though: “They both spilled loads so they both deserve to be on the bench.”
It comes as hosts Ant and Dec commented on campmates Shona McGarty and Aitch being “very cosy” amid romance rumours. On Wednesday night, scenes saw the pair messing around, and Dec was quick to comment.
After Kelly Brook suggested a pillow fight in camp, the pair were seen rolling around and falling to the floor. Shona was leaning on Aitch as the pair laughed, with fans suggesting they were “looking into each other’s eyes”.
Aitch commented on his time in camp being “lovely” with him “seeing the beauty of it”, with a smirk on his face – just as the camera panned to him staring at Shona. Fans were sure he was talking about his time with Shona.
Speaking live on air at the end of Wednesday’s episode, Dec said to Ant: “Getting very cosy aren’t they,” before smirking. Ant then said back: “Well some of them are…”
Viewers also had their say after the playful scenes. Some fans even suggested Aitch deliberatly lost to be in the loser camp with Shona, with many viewers “rooting” for their possible romance.
One fan said: “Aitch and Shona ready for that Christmas love.” Another agreed: “Are we witnessing the chemistry between Aitch and Shona? You can feel the love.”
A third fan said: “Aitch and Shona are so cute and I am SO HERE FOR IT,” as a fourth added: “I know Aitch lost on purpose to be with Shona I just can’t prove it.” A fifth said: “I’m so rooting for Aitch and Shona.”
Another fan commented: “Aitch and Shona staring into each others eyes.” It’s not just fans who seem to be rooting for the pair though, with friends and family also commenting.
Aitch’s close pal and manager said the pair could make a “nice couple”. Shona’s sister Camila had her say too, and said: “He is a nice guy… I would definitely have him around for Christmas.”
Shona broke up with her musician fiancé, David Bracken, earlier this year. Insiders say the split is amicable, and he recently wished her all the best for the jungle on social media.
Romance talk started after Aitch spoke about Shona to Ginge in the camp. He said: “I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me.” Ginge replied: “I think she’s really nice, if that’s what you mean, yeah?” Keeping things low-key, Aitch commented: “Yeah, that’s what I mean…”
THE race to crown the Christmas No1 will get under way in two weeks.
And a dark horse, or should that be lovable bear, has entered the fray.
Paddington and McFly’s Tom Fletcher are joining forces with One Of Us, written by Tom for Paddington The MusicalCredit: SuppliedWham!’s hit has reached No1 for the last two ChristmasesCredit: Alamy
Paddington has become a major contender with song One Of Us, which is actually sung by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, who wrote it for the new Paddington The Musical in London’s West End.
He has stiff competition in what is looking set to be the most closely fought contest in years.
Martin Talbot, chief executive of The Official Charts Company, said: “The vision of Paddington taking on this year’s diverse gaggle of new festive chart contenders, alongside seasonal classics from The Pogues, Mariah Carey and Wham!, will be something to savour.”
The winning song will be revealed on The Radio 1 Chart Show just after 5.30pm on December 19.
Lee Phelps, from bookies William Hill, said: “Wham! are our odds-on favourites to be Christmas No1 for the third year running.
“They’ve been popular in the betting and are now as short as 1/2
“Kylie Minogue is the only other single-figure price at 11/2, while Together For Palestine take third spot in our market at 12/1.
“At 14/1, Taylor Swift joins Alison Limerick and Mariah Carey to top the charts on Christmas Day for the first time in the UK.”
Associate Bizarre Editor Howell Davies casts his eye over the contenders . . .
Odds provided by William Hill. See the full market at sports.williamhill.com.
Paddington and Tom Fletcher — One of Us
6/1
AS one of the nation’s favourite characters, Paddington has topped the box office multiple times.
Meanwhile McFly’s Tom Fletcher has scored seven No1 singles. Now they are joining forces with One Of Us, written by Tom for Paddington The Musical.
The video, which is out today along with the song, sees them appear together at Paddington train station in London and had to be filmed under the cover of darkness to keep the secret.
The full soundtrack to the musical will be released in March following rave reviews for the stage show.
Wham! — Last Christmas
1/2
WHAM!’s hit about a seasonal break-up, set against jingle bells, has reached No1 for the last two Christmases.
When it was first released in 1984, it was pipped to the top spot by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?.
It’s the third best-selling single in UK history and was already the highest charting Christmas song on last Friday’s rundown, when it was at No19.
The profits originally contributed to famine aid in Ethiopia, but in recent years George Michael’s estate has been dividing the proceeds between a series of other charity groups.
Roland Gift — Everybody Knows It’s Christmas
66/1
Roland Gift’s tune fuses glam rock with a festive, jingle bell ballCredit: SuppliedI hope this song brings a bit of warmth, a smile and maybe a bit of that Christmas magic your way, said Fine Young Cannibals frontman RolandCredit: Supplied
THIS number from Fine Young Cannibals frontman Roland Gift started off as a bet but has since racked up more than 86,000 views online.
It fuses glam rock with a festive, jingle bell ball and is being released on CD and 7in single, as well as streaming and download services, in a bid to boost sales.
Roland told The Sun: “It started out as a bet with my mate, who’s a big Slade fan.
“He said if I could write a Christmas song that was a hit, he’d give my car a free service and new tyres. I hope this song brings a bit of warmth, a smile and maybe a bit of that Christmas magic your way.”
Kylie Minogue — Xmas
11/2
Kylie Christmas’ new song Xmas is exclusive to Amazon MusicCredit: Getty
SHE released her album Kylie Christmas in 2015 and now the Aussie star is back to spread joy with a savvy link-up.
Her new song Xmas is exclusive to Amazon Music, meaning it can only be downloaded there or played through its streaming service.
But it’s a clever move, because it is among the first tracks to be played when people ask their Alexa devices to play Christmas music.
The last two years have seen Tom Grennan’s It Can’t Be Christmas and Sam Ryder’s You’re Christmas To Me finish in second place in the festive chart because of the power of Amazon.
Alison Limerick — Where Love Lives
14/1
This year’s John Lewis advert with Alison LimerickCredit: John LewisA cover by Labrinth of Alison’s house tune, originally released in 1990, is being tipped to be a top contenderCredit: John Lewis
THIS track has swelled in popularity since a cover by Labrinth featured in this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert.
Alison Limerick’s pulsating house tune was originally released in 1990. It peaked at No9 in 1996 but recently re-entered the charts at No44.
Now it is being tipped to rise far higher as the TV ad gets more plays.
Alison said: “Music has always had the power to bring all kinds of peeps together, but I hope this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert will give those who see it a new, emotional connection with the song.”
Denise Welch — Slayyy Bells
100/1
Denise Welch’s track has been released as a tie-in with choc brand CelebrationsCredit: Michael Leckie/PinPep
THE firm festive outsider this year is actress Denise Welch with her borderline-unlistenable offering.
The track has been released as a tie-in with choc brand Celebrations – 30 years after she hit No23 with a cover of You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.
Denise, whose son Matty Healy is lead singer for The 1975, said: “I love Christmas, but sometimes I want to shake things up a bit. We don’t always have to have turkey or play charades. We can celebrate this special holiday our way.
“This remix, apart from being cool, catchy and a sure- fire hit, is all about having fun.”
Mariah Carey — All I Want For Christmas Is You
14/1
Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You has been in the Top 40 every year since 2007Credit: Instagram
AS the Queen of Christmas, Mariah is never far from the charts at this time of year.
All I Want For Christmas Is You was first released in 1994 and has returned to the Top 40 every year since 2007.
It is an unabashedly joyful belter, complete with bell chimes and lyrics about ditching a desire for materialistic gifts.
It topped the charts in 2021 and remains a strong contender for Christmas No1, finishing last year at No3.
In the US, it is even more popular and has been the festive No1 for the past six years.
Taylor Swift — Opalite
14/1
Opalite, another track from her The Life Of A Showgirl album, could be a contender for top spot after Taylor Swift flew to London to shoot a festive videoCredit: PA
SHE already has five No1s to her name and has spent the same number of weeks at the top with The Fate Of Ophelia. But Opalite, another track from her The Life Of A Showgirl album, is poised to become a competitor after The Sun on Sunday revealed she had flown to London to shoot a festive video.
She hired out a shopping centre in Croydon to film the scenes, with the video believed to include cameos from singer Lewis Capaldi among others.
An updated version of Opalite is expected to be launched alongside the video, just in time for Christmas.
Together For Palestine — Lullaby
12/1
Together For Palestine are hoping to raise funds with their charity single LullabyCredit: Supplied
THERE have been plenty of Christmas songs for good causes. Now Together For Palestine are hoping to raise funds with their charity single Lullaby.
Musicians including Neneh Cherry, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Brian Eno, Bastille frontman Dan Smith and Celeste have joined forces with Palestinian musicians to appear on the track, which is a reimagining of a traditional Palestinian lullaby.
Speaking about the song, out on December 12, Eno said: “We have a real shot at landing Christmas No1 – and turning that moment into vital life-saving support for Gaza’s families.”
1. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Crown: $28) A lifelong letter writer reckons with a painful past.
2. Brimstone by Callie Hart (Forever: $33) The deluxe limited edition continues the fantasy adventure begun in “Quicksilver.”
3. Heart the Lover by Lily King (Grove Press: $28) A woman reflects on a youthful love triangle and its consequences.
4. What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Knopf: $30) A genre-bending love story about people and the words they leave behind.
5. Queen Esther by John Irving (Simon & Schuster: $30) The novelist revisits his bestselling “The Cider House Rules.”
6. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (Hogarth: $32) The fates of two young people intersect and diverge across continents and years.
7. Audition by Katie Kitamura (Riverhead Books: $28) An accomplished actor grapples with the varied roles she plays in her personal life.
8. Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin Press: $30) A private eye in 1932 Milwaukee is hired to find a missing dairy heiress.
9. The Black Wolf by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books: $30) The latest mystery in the Armand Gamache series.
10. Dog Show by Billy Collins, Pamela Sztybel (illustrator) (Random House: $20) The former U.S. poet laureate captures the essence of dogs in a collection of poems that includes watercolor canine portraits.
…
Hardcover nonfiction
1. 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Viking: $35) An exploration of the most infamous stock market crash in history.
2. Bread of Angels by Patti Smith (Random House: $30) A new memoir from the legendary writer and artist.
3. Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (Knopf: $35) A posthumous memoir by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victim.
4. Something From Nothing by Alison Roman (Clarkson Potter: $38) More than 100 recipes that make the most of a well-stocked pantry.
5. The Uncool by Cameron Crowe (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $35) The filmmaker recounts his experiences as a teenage music journalist.
6. Lessons From Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Reynolds (Grand Central Publishing: $13) A guide to channeling feline wisdom in the face of authoritarian nonsense.
7. Always Remember by Charlie Mackesy (Penguin Life: $27) Revisiting the world of “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.”
8. Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood (Doubleday: $35) The author of “The Handmaid’s Tale” tells her story.
9. Good Things by Samin Nosrat (Random House: $45) The celebrated chef shares 125 meticulously tested recipes.
10. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) How to stop wasting energy on things you can’t control.
…
Paperback fiction
1. On the Calculation of Volume (Book III) by Solvej Balle (New Directions: $16)
2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine: $22)
3. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (Vintage: $19)
4. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18)
5. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Transit Books: $17)
6. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Vintage: $18)
7. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20)
8. On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle, Barbara J. Haveland (translator) (New Directions: $16)
9. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Harper Perennial: $22)
10. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19)
…
Paperback nonfiction
1. Fight Oligarchy by Sen. Bernie Sanders (Crown: $15)
2. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $24)
3. The White Album by Joan Didion (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $18)
4. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions: $22)
5. Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $19)
6. The Most Human by Adam Nimoy (Chicago Review Press: $20)
7. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18)
8. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)
9. The Best American Essays 2025 by Jia Tolentino and Kim Dana Kupperman (editors) (Mariner Books: $19)
10. Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (Picador: $19)
One of the most acclaimed indie films of the year from the winner of last year’s Best Picture Oscar will be streaming on Netflix from Friday
Netflix adds ‘striking’ five-star gem from Best Picture winner(Image: NETFLIX)
Netflix is adding one of the best films of 2025 that you may not have heard of but is definitely worth your attention this week.
From director Shih-Ching Tsou and co-written by her long-time collaborator Sean Baker, Left-Handed Girl is a brilliantly understated family drama that will leave you breathless.
Baker is the most recent recipient of the Best Picture trophy at the Academy Awards for his masterful modern epic Anora, starring Mikey Madison, while Tsou has worked with him on his other films such as Tangerine and The Florida Project.
Tsou has now made her solo directorial debut with Left-Handed Girl, a heartfelt portrait of single mother Shu-Fen (played by Janel Tsai) who moves back to Taipei with her two daughters.
When her five-year-old I-Jing (Nina Ye) develops a dominant left hand, the family struggles to come to terms with her newfound quirk when her superstitious grandpa calls it her “devil hand” and forbids I-Jing from using it.
Set to stream on Netflix from Friday, 28th November, the film has already received critical acclaim and will be Taiwan’s submission for best international film at next year’s Oscars.
The Guardian has awarded it five-stars, writing this “striking Taiwanese family drama is a real marvel”.
They went on: “Tsou and Baker’s script sharply examines what it really means to lose face: which shames are noble, which are indulgent and what should be passed from one generation to the next?”
“Above all else, this film features what may be one of the best child performances that I’ve seen in recent memory,” one Letterboxd reviewer claimed after seeing Left-Handed Girl at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Where this movie goes from one innocent little assumption passed by family escalates into something unexpected. It’s enough to prove Shih-Ching Tsou is on her way to becoming a great filmmaker in her own right too.”
Someone else shared: “Genuinely a very strong contender for the best film of the year. So glad I took the time to see this.
“It was so nice to hear the incredibly positive reactions from the other folks around me in the theatre when the credits rolled. It’s been a minute since I’ve been in a theatre where the audience clapped at the end. So lovely!”
A third wrote: “It does not surprise me that Sean Baker is one of the screenwriters on this film. It is a beautifully nuanced depiction of family dynamics, and family secrets.
“The wonderful performances, sometimes very raw, also felt very flawed and real. This film and also their other collaborations all worth revisiting!”
Watch Bridgerton on Netflix for free with Sky
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For decades, those six simple words have heralded the arrival on stage of the world’s greatest rock and roll band.
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From December 10, the fabled film, Rolling Stones — At The Max, returns to select IMAX and Cineworld venues across the UKCredit: SuppliedUsing eight IMAX cameras, it was the first full concert movie to be shown on the giant screens and featured a typically storming setCredit: Supplied
The announcement most likely paves the way for the raw, staccato thrill of Start Me Up, followed by at least two more hours of music mayhem.
It is the moment when all the work put in by the band’s creative director and lighting designer, Patrick Woodroffe, comes to fruition.
Since the 1982 tour supporting the Tattoo You album, Woodroffe and his team have been tasked with shining the spotlight on the Stones — literally.
It has been their job to showcase the swagger of Mick Jagger, the laid-back riffing of Keith Richards, the playful interaction of Ronnie Wood and the effortlessly cool drumming of the late Charlie Watts.
We know ever-energetic Jagger struts across cavernous stages in front of vast crowds, but Woodroffe says: “Keith once told me that Mick could perform on a coffee table, and it would still be great. Our job is simply to provide a setting in which he can work.”
Although the Stones’ age-defying shows continue to this day, fans and casual observers alike are being invited to step back in time to 1990 for what the band calls “a bigger, louder and more immersive” experience.
From December 10, the fabled film, Rolling Stones — At The Max, returns to select IMAX and Cineworld venues across the UK.
‘Visual narrative’
First released in 1991 and now remastered, it captures the previous year’s Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour in all its raging glory and is also notable for the final performances with the band of bassist Bill Wyman.
The film was shot in three European cities, London (Wembley Stadium), Turin and, less than two months before the reunification of Germany, East Berlin.
Using eight IMAX cameras, it was the first full concert movie to be shown on the giant screens and featured a typically storming set.
Rocking live staples were present and correct — Honky Tonk Women, Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man, Brown Sugar and the Stones’ favourite finale (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
Jagger gives a vocal masterclass on mid-Sixties classics, Ruby Tuesday and Paint It Black, while Richards takes his customary turn at the mic for a rousing Happy.
There’s room for live rarity 2000 Light Years From Home, which first appeared on the Stones’ psychedelic 1967 outing, Their Satanic Majesties Request.
And for several tracks on newly minted Steel Wheels — Sad Sad Sad, Rock
And A Hard Place, and a wild, experimental sonic adventure called Continental Drift.
So, which songs in the live repertoire make for particularly dramatic visuals?
“Certain numbers are considered production numbers,” says Woodroffe.
“Sympathy For The Devil is a good example as is Gimme Shelter.
I met Mick for the first time that night in a tiny dressing room under the stage just before the show
Woodroffe
“These are powerful songs, typically longer than most, which allow time to build a visual narrative. For Sympathy, we set the stage on fire! Not literally of course, but smoke machines, flame effects and pulsing red lights give a pretty good impression of it.”
To celebrate the 2025 At The Max refresh, I’m speaking to Woodroffe about his association with the Stones, which stretches back to the early Eighties.
He recalls his initial dealings with Jagger and Co: “The first show I ever made for the Rolling Stones was at the Capitol Theatre in Aberdeen in the summer of 1982.
“It was also the first show for our musical director, Chuck Leavell. So he and I share the distinction of being the longest- serving Stones employees, something we are both very proud of.”
Woodroffe remembers a fateful encounter in that north-eastern corner of Scotland: “I met Mick for the first time that night in a tiny dressing room under the stage just before the show.
“His only direction to me then was, ‘Bright for the first numbers and darker for the ballads’. Not bad advice and something I have followed for the last 45 years.”
So, I venture, how involved have the band members been in the process of designing, lighting and staging a show?
He replies: “Mick and Charlie have been the most involved with helping our set designer Mark Fisher to develop designs for tours. But Ronnie and Keith have also been very aware of the stages on which they perform.
“Keith always refers to the stage as ‘The Office’.”
I always watch a Stones show in two very distinct ways
Woodroffe
Next, Woodroffe talks of the strong rapport he has built up over the years: “Much of the success of the relationship I have with the band is simply based on longevity.
“There is a real shorthand and understanding of what we’re all doing to create these shows, so communication is easy.
“But I’m also genuinely enthusiastic about my work and I think that probably has some resonance with the band.
“I’ve always loved their music — and having a job that allows me to be a part of their world is hugely gratifying.”
Over the years, Woodroffe has learned how to highlight the band in different settings.
“I always watch a Stones show in two very distinct ways,” he says.
“The first is to make sure that our part of it is right in terms of the lighting, the staging and the video content.
“The second is to understand the audience who come to watch the band — and that changes every night.
“An audience of 60,000 in a giant stadium in Tokyo is a very different beast from a club show in Paris or a run of shows at Madison Square Garden.
“It is how an audience acts, how they respond to the band emotionally and, more to the point, how the band responds to them.
“That is something that’s unique from show to show.”
This brings us to the challenges of staging the 1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours with At The Max in mind.
Woodroffe says: “Stones shows are often filmed for either live broadcast or simply as a record of a tour.
“Each time, lighting and the staging is adjusted to capture the show on film but, for the IMAX project, we were in unknown territory.
“No one had done anything like this before and everything was different, particularly the cameras themselves, which were enormous and took three people to run them.
“The film cartridges also only lasted 12 minutes, at which point another three people had to reload the film canisters.
‘Huge spectacle’
“Unlike a normal video shoot where a TV monitor can show us instant results and can therefore be adjusted on the fly, the IMAX system had no facility for this.
“Instead, we would shoot something one night, the film would then be flown to the States to be processed, then flown back again to Europe where we would have to find an IMAX cinema near wherever we were touring.
A Stones performance is an interesting mix of huge spectacle — sound, light, video and pyrotechnics — with intimate performance where the heart and soul of this extraordinary band is there for all to see
Woodroffe
“Then we’d go to watch the rushes at one o’clock in the morning when the theatre was empty!”
Next, I ask Woodroffe how he and his team went about achieving the right atmosphere for such big screens?
He answers: “A Stones performance is an interesting mix of huge spectacle — sound, light, video and pyrotechnics — with intimate performance where the heart and soul of this extraordinary band is there for all to see.
“Getting that balance right is key to a successful concert and, on the IMAX film, we achieved that with real success.
“With all the talk of immersive experiences, At The Max is as immersive as it gets.
“You really do feel as if you were there and the Rolling Stones are performing just for you!”
The band with creative director and lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, centreCredit: Supplied
Like the rest of us, the Stones and their production team are only human, so I’m keen to find out if things ever go wrong.
“Things always go wrong on some level!” says Woodroffe. “But it’s usually quite easy to hide them. Even something as obvious as a microphone going down can easily just be considered part of the energy of a live performance.
“But, in the 45 years I’ve worked with the band, we’ve never lost a show because of a technical issue.
“After all, that famous mantra ‘the show must go on’ applies to us as much as anyone.”
Woodroffe’s career goes back to 1973 and he has lit and directed shows for many artists who sit at rock and pop’s top table.
Among them are AC/DC, The Police, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Lady Gaga — but who are his favourite artists to work with, aside from the Stones, of course?
‘My soundtrack’
Woodroffe tells me: “All an audience ever wants to see from an artist or a performer is authenticity.
“However staged or considered or planned a concert might be, it is that connection between the artist and audience that matters — more than any special effect or fancy costume. And the Stones are nothing but authentic.
“I think Stevie Wonder is probably the one other artist that I felt the most connected to other than the Stones, which is of course ironic as Stevie has never seen my work.
“But his music was the soundtrack of my life and growing up. So, to be a part of interpreting that with light and colour, helping him to share it with an audience, was a privilege.”
Woodroffe reserves his final comment for the Rolling Stones, giving a clue to his strong and enduring relationship with them.
“I consider myself a fan and a friend.”
Like the rest of us, the Stones and their production team are only human, so I’m keen to find out if things ever go wrong.
I consider myself a fan and a friend
Woodroffe
“Things always go wrong on some level!” says Woodroffe. “But it’s usually quite easy to hide them. Even something as obvious as a microphone going down can easily just be considered part of the energy of a live performance.
“But, in the 45 years I’ve worked with the band, we’ve never lost a show because of a technical issue.
“After all, that famous mantra ‘the show must go on’ applies to us as much as anyone.”
Woodroffe’s career goes back to 1973 and he has lit and directed shows for many artists who sit at rock and pop’s top table.
Among them are AC/DC, The Police, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Lady Gaga — but who are his favourite artists to work with, aside from the Stones, of course?
‘My soundtrack’
Woodroffe tells me: “All an audience ever wants to see from an artist or a performer is authenticity.
“However staged or considered or planned a concert might be, it is that connection between the artist and audience that matters — more than any special effect or fancy costume. And the Stones are nothing but authentic.
“I think Stevie Wonder is probably the one other artist that I felt the most connected to other than the Stones, which is of course ironic as Stevie has never seen my work.
“But his music was the soundtrack of my life and growing up. So, to be a part of interpreting that with light and colour, helping him to share it with an audience, was a privilege.”
Woodroffe reserves his final comment for the Rolling Stones, giving a clue to his strong and enduring relationship with them.
Spanish language network Univision is back on YouTube TV after parent company TelevisaUnivision reached a new distribution agreement with the Google-owned streaming service.
TelevisaUnivision announced Wednesday that it has a multi-year “expanded partnership” with YouTube TV, which will carry the company’s U.S. networks including Univision, Unimas, TUDN and Galavisión on its base plan available to its 10 million subscribers.
The deal ends a two-month blackout of the channels, including Los Angeles flagship KMEX.
Under the new pact, YouTube will also make Univision’s subscription streaming service Vix available on its Primetime Channels hub.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that restores Univision to YouTube TV, ensuring millions of Hispanics can access the news, sports, and entertainment they care about and have relied on for over 70 years,” said Daniel Alegre, CEO of TelevisaUnivision, said in a statement.
YouTube TV had sought to move Univision’s channels to a more expensive Spanish-language add-on package, amounting to an 18% fee increase for customers.
Putting Univision on a higher-priced tier also would have cut into subscriber revenues, as the fees the networks received are based on the number of customers paying for the higher-priced tier.
The proposal became a major sticking point in negotiations, keeping the Univision channels off YouTube TV since Sept. 30 and drawing the attention of Washington. A number of legislators expressed concerns that consumers were being asked to pay more for Spanish-language programming.
YouTube TV was introduced in 2017 as a lower-priced alternative to cable and satellite packages. But the cost of programming goes up with every deal made to carry major networks, leading to blackouts and tense negotiations.
The Walt Disney Co.’s networks, including ESPN, were off YouTube TV for 10 days before the two sides could agree on a new carriage deal on Nov. 14.
NBCUniversal’s channels were also at risk of being pulled before a new deal was reached on Oct. 2.
The price of a YouTube TV subscription — $82.99 a month — has more than doubled since the service launched.
I’m A Celebrity will air the first elimination of the series on Friday with a group of campmates facing the public vote, as confirmed by hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly
22:50, 27 Nov 2025Updated 22:50, 27 Nov 2025
I’m A Celebrity will air the first elimination of the series on Friday(Image: ITV)
As the first vote-off of this series of I’m a Celebrity draws closer, fans think they already know who will be sent home.
After a live trial on Thursday, hosts Ant and Dec confirmed which stars were up for the axe. Jack Osbourne, Alex Scott, Angry Ginge, Aitch, Martin Kemp, Ruby Wax and Kelly Brook all lost out on immunity after a series of challenges.
Controversially, Aitch and Ginge were told both of them would be up after they spilled too much liquid in the drinking challenge. In a trial that saw tension and plenty of vomit, stars including Jack and Kelly learned they could be leaving the jungle forever the next day.
But fans think they already know amid the vote opening who will leave first. Viewers repeated the same two names as the possible stars facing leaving camp.
Kelly and Alex were repeatedly named by viewers on X, with them predicted to be leaving the show. One fan said: “I think Alex or Kelly will go tbh.”
Another agreed: “I think Kelly or Alex will be the first person out,” as a third said: “Kelly out first.” A fourth viewer said: “I think it’ll be Kelly or Alex who go tomorrow,” while a further comment read: “Alex or Kelly to go first I think.”
It comes as hosts Ant and Dec commented on campmates Shona McGarty and Aitch being “very cosy” amid romance rumours. On Wednesday night, scenes saw the pair messing around, and Dec was quick to comment.
After Kelly Brook suggested a pillow fight in camp, the pair were seen rolling around and falling to the floor. Shona was leaning on Aitch as the pair laughed, with fans suggesting they were “looking into each other’s eyes”.
Aitch commented on his time in camp being “lovely” with him “seeing the beauty of it”, with a smirk on his face – just as the camera panned to him staring at Shona. Fans were sure he was talking about his time with Shona.
Speaking live on air at the end of Wednesday’s episode, Dec said to Ant: “Getting very cosy aren’t they,” before smirking. Ant then said back: “Well some of them are…”
Viewers also had their say after the playful scenes. Some fans even suggested Aitch deliberatly lost to be in the loser camp with Shona, with many viewers “rooting” for their possible romance.
One fan said: “Aitch and Shona ready for that Christmas love.” Another agreed: “Are we witnessing the chemistry between Aitch and Shona? You can feel the love.”
A third fan said: “Aitch and Shona are so cute and I am SO HERE FOR IT,” as a fourth added: “I know Aitch lost on purpose to be with Shona I just can’t prove it.” A fifth said: “I’m so rooting for Aitch and Shona.”
Another fan commented: “Aitch and Shona staring into each others eyes.” It’s not just fans who seem to be rooting for the pair though, with friends and family also commenting.
Aitch’s close pal and manager said the pair could make a “nice couple”. Shona’s sister Camila had her say too, and said: “He is a nice guy… I would definitely have him around for Christmas.”
Shona broke up with her musician fiancé, David Bracken, earlier this year. Insiders say the split is amicable, and he recently wished her all the best for the jungle on social media.
Romance talk started after Aitch spoke about Shona to Ginge in the camp. He said: “I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me.” Ginge replied: “I think she’s really nice, if that’s what you mean, yeah?” Keeping things low-key, Aitch commented: “Yeah, that’s what I mean…”
WOKE theatre chiefs have warned musical Jesus Christ Superstar will “include an onstage depiction of the crucifixion” when it returns next year
Staggered fans have hit out at producers who have also seen fit to alert would-be watchers that the rock opera also has in it “some violence” and “imitation blood”.
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Eurovision star Sam Ryder will play the part of JesusCredit: Getty
Tickets only went on sale yesterday for the work which will be staged at the London Palladium.
It will star Eurovision and “Space Man” crooner Sam Ryder playing the part of Jesus.
It recounts the final week of Jesus’ life, from the perspective of his disciple and betrayer, Judas Iscariot.
The original — condemned by religious groups for its “sympathetic” portrayal of Judas — opened in London in 1972 and closed in 1980 after 3,357 productions.
Gerald Dixon, an admirer of the musical, which includes hits “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Superstar”, was among those nonplussed by the warning attached to the forthcoming show.
He told The Sun: “What next? A warning that the hit musical includes catchy tunes?
“This nonsense is enough to make anyone utter the Lord’s name in vain.”
LW Theatres, London’s largest operator of musical theatres, was contacted for comment on the warning yesterday.
Woke theatre chiefs have warned musical Jesus Christ Superstar will include an onstage depiction of the crucifixion when it returns next yearCredit: Getty – ContributorThe trigger warning on the theatre’s information page
A gauge of risk on Oracle Corp.’s debt reached a three-year high in November, and things are only going to get worse in 2026 unless the database giant is able to assuage investor anxiety about a massive artificial intelligence spending spree, according to Morgan Stanley.
A funding gap, swelling balance sheet and obsolescence risk are just some of the hazards Oracle is facing, according to Lindsay Tyler and David Hamburger, credit analysts at the brokerage. The cost of insuring Oracle Corp.’s debt against default over the next five years rose to 1.25 percentage point a year on Tuesday, according to ICE Data Services.
The price on the five-year credit default swaps is at risk of toppling a record set in 2008 as concerns over the company’s borrowing binge to finance its AI ambitions continue to spur heavy hedging by banks and investors, they warned in a note Wednesday.
The CDS could break through 1.5 percentage point in the near term and could approach 2 percentage points if communication around its financing strategy remains limited as the new year progresses, the analysts wrote. Oracle CDS hit a record 1.98 percentage point in 2008, ICE Data Services shows.
A representative for Oracle declined to comment.
Oracle is among firms taking part in an artificial intelligence spending race, which has quickly made the data center giant the credit market’s barometer for AI risk. The company borrowed $18 billion in the US high-grade market in September. Then in early November, a group of about 20 banks arranged a roughly $18 billion project finance loan to construct a data center campus in New Mexico, which Oracle will take over as tenant.
Banks are also providing a separate $38 billion loan package to help finance the construction of data centers in Texas and Wisconsin developed by Vantage Data Centers, Bloomberg reported last month. Lenders involved in these construction loans linked to Oracle are likely a key driver of the surge in trading volume on the Oracle’s CDS recently, a trend that may persist, according to Morgan Stanley.
“Over the past two months, it has become more apparent that reported construction loans in the works, for sites where Oracle is the future tenant, may be an even greater driver of hedging of late and going forward,” wrote the analysts.
There is a risk that some hedges by banks could unwind if and when banks distribute these loans to other parties, they wrote. Still, other parties may also hedge at some point even if down the road plus the construction debt funding needs don’t stop after the Vantage sites and the New Mexico site.
Last month, the analysts said they expect near-term credit deterioration and uncertainty to drive further hedging by bondholders, lenders and thematic players.
“The bondholder hedging dynamic and also the thematic hedging dynamic could both grow in importance down the road,” they added.
Oracle CDS have underperformed the broader investment-grade CDX index and Oracle corporate bonds have underperformed the Bloomberg high-grade index amid the jump in hedging demand and the weakening sentiment. Concerns have also started to weigh on Oracle’s stock, which the analysts said may incentivize management to outline a financing plan on the upcoming earnings call, including details on Stargate, data centers and capital spending.
The analysts had previously been recommending investors buy Oracle bonds and CDS in what is known as a basis trade, to profit from their expectation that credit derivatives would widen more than the bonds. Now they’re saying it’s a cleaner trade to just buy the CDS outright.
“Therefore, we are closing the ‘buy bond’ part of the basis trade, and keeping the ‘buy CDS protection’ leg of it,” they wrote. “We think a trade in CDS outright is cleaner right now and will result in a greater spread move.”
Chris Hughes’ comments on Celebrity MasterChef have stunned fans after he declared himself single on the latest episode of the BBC show
19:38, 27 Nov 2025Updated 19:38, 27 Nov 2025
JoJo Siwa with Celebrity Big Brother co-star Chris Hughes(Image: ITV)
JoJo Siwa fans have been left speechless after Chris Hughes declared himself single. The reality TV star is appearing on BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef and admitted he “wants a girlfriend”.
In this week’s episode, Chris, 32, says: “So, I live on my own. I’ve been single for three years so it’s not like I’m cooking for anyone. If I’m just cooking for myself, no one can appreciate it, apart from me.”
He ended by saying it’s “quite sad really, isn’t it?” But his comments shocked fans of his and JoJo’s. The pair met earlier this year as they appeared in the Celebrity Big Brother house. After forming a formidable friendship, the duo shared a romantic connection outside of the TV show.
But after his comments on air, fans questioned what was going on. One user on Twitter /X said: “Why is Chris saying he’s been single for 3 years?” Another added: “Chris had been with JoJo for ages and he says he’s single?”
Others were keen to know when the footage was actually filmed. A third viewer asked: “This was filmed after he met JoJo surely?! #masterchefuk” And another said: “Was this recorded before Chris and jojo got together?”
The show was indeed filmed prior to Chris meeting American JoJo in the CBB house in April. It was confirmed filming for the series was completed before Chris’ stint in the house.
The duo are clearly still very much loved up and continue to share their journey with their fans online. And Chris recently revealed the exact moment he felt himself falling in love with the former Dance Moms star.
His admission confirmed a theory that fans of the couple hatched months ago. The 32-year-old former Love Island contestant and the 22-year-old American singer first met each other on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.
Chris has since opened up to Harry Corrin on the Question The Default podcast. He insisted that: “Nothing was rushed or forced, it just happened.”
Chris said he flew to meet her in Mexico shortly after CBB. “I flew out to surprise her, which was nice,” he said. “I spent a few days with her and her family in Orlando as well before flying home, and that’s where it all started.”
He went on to reveal: “I went to Mexico and met up with her, which is where the whole feelings developed and things changed. Which was lovely and no secret to anybody.
“But it was genuinely lovely and nothing was rushed or forced, it just happened.” Six months have passed since Chris and JoJo first met and the pair have suggested they have wedding plans on their mind. American star JoJo has opened up about her hope to walk down the aisle.
Speaking previously to The Sun, JoJo said: “A wedding is a two-person thing. So we would have to decide what it looks like. But I do know that I want it to have a baby-blue scheme, and I need to help Chris make the playlist.”
HOLLYWOOD star Ioan Gruffud has welcomed a baby into the world with wife Bianca Wallace amid his court battles with his ex wife Alice Evans.
Bianca and Ioan, who is already a dad to two daughters with Alice, shared their happy news on social media today.
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Bianca Wallace has given birth to her first child with Hollywood star husband Ioan GruffudIoan and Bianca pictured at the 2024 Race To Erase MS Gala at Fairmont Century Plaza, California, last yearCredit: GettyIoan with ex Alice – the pair officially ended their marriage in 2023Credit: INSTAGRAM/ALICE EVANS
The couple wrote alongside a photo of them enjoying a kiss in the hospital: “November was a biggie… Name: Mila Mae Gruffudd.
“Birth date: 2 November 2025. Due date: 2 December 2025.
“Bubba Bear and Rocky: Absolutely smitten. Daddy & Mummy: Completely and totally in love with our tiny little angel
Australian actress and producer Bianca was diagnosed with incurable and aggressive MS (Multiple Sclerosis), an inflammatory disease which attacks the central nervous system and for which there is no cure, seven years ago.
She previously said she initially sought medical help when she struggled to pick up a pen to write, and admitted that “everything changed” thereafter.
Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, vision issues, and difficulties with walking or balance.
In September, Bianca was asked about her health and how she was coping being pregnant, and replied to a follower on Instagram: “Thank you for asking!
“The MS has been in remission and it’s been the most confronting, yet amazing thing to experience!
“I’ve heard breastfeeding also should help keep it at bay.
“My doctors have such great plan in place that I have a lot of hope that things won’t go back to how bad it was before pregnancy.”
Although there is no cure, various medicines and treatments can help alleviate some symptoms.
Speaking about her condition previously, she said in a lengthy post: “I celebrate this every single year. It pops up in my calendar and I have a happy moment …
“And so I’m at five years of MS today, not diagnosed, this is the day that the symptoms came up. I’m diagnosed October (2022), will be five years diagnosed.
“But I think it’s crucial and important to celebrate these moments and do not let them take you… these anniversaries, they really pack a punch in these kind of situations.”
Ioan announced he was going to be a dad again on Father’s Day this yearCredit: instagram
After recently announcing major cuts to its youth orchestra, the L.A. Phil has secured additional donor funding to ensure the East L.A. branch of the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) program will continue at full capacity until the end of the school year.
In an email to the students’ parents last week, the nonprofit organization announced that it would need to “significantly modify” the programming at the Esteban E. Torres High School site “due to unanticipated financial and funding challenges for the organization.” With these proposed changes, the site’s teaching artists were laid off, the younger students’ programming was gutted and practices for the older students were reduced.
The students’ parents and the local community rallied together in response to the cuts, creating a campaign on Instagram and organizing at town hall meetings. After hearing this outcry and receiving additional funds, the L.A. Phil has been able to temporarily preserve the Torres site.
In a statement to The Times on Wednesday, LA Phil President and CEO Kim Noltemy says, “We are thrilled our donors recognized that this funding provides vital access to music education for the East LA community.”
“Joining together, we have and will continue working tirelessly over the coming months to ensure we remain in a position to support this program, because it is more important than ever,” said Noltemy.
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel rehearses with young musicians from around the country participating in the L.A. Phil’s annual YOLA National Program at Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2023.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
YOLA has offered a free musical education to students ages 5 through 18 since 2007. Run by the L.A. Phil, the program gives students access to free instruments and the firsthand experience of being in a musical ensemble. YOLA currently operates out of Inglewood, East L.A., Rampart District and Westlake/MacArthur Park. The Torres site, specifically, serves 165 students.
This program has been championed by star conductor Gustavo Dudamel since he first came to L.A. in 2009. Its teaching format is heavily inspired by El Sistema, the publicly funded program where he first learned music in Venezuela. After his 17-year tenure with the L.A. Phil, the conductor will be leaving the orchestra in June to work with the New York Philharmonic.
An L.A. Phil spokesperson told The Times that their ongoing funding challenges come from “fundraising limitations and rising operating costs,” while also maintaining their day-to-day operations, including free/low-cost community programs.
These cuts were originally set to go into effect after Dec. 12, months before Dudamel’s departure. But with these new funds, the instruction and rehearsal time will stay fully operational, and the previously laid-off staff will be reinstated for the remainder of the program.
These tentative revisions were also announced days before the teaching artists voted to unionize, under the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. There has been some speculation about whether this unionization played a role in these cuts.
In a statement to the Times, the L.A. Phil says it has a long history of “working constructively with unions” and that the cuts were based “solely [on] financial and organizational needs.”
At the end of the 2025-2026 school year, the L.A. Phil Board will evaluate the Torres site to see if it is the “best and most sustainable location for YOLA programming after this school year.” The Philharmonic says in the release that its board “is committed to sustaining a long-term YOLA program in the East LA community.”
In an effort to build a transparent, collaborative community, the Phil has also announced that it will work to create a parent advisory committee where YOLA families will be heard as future decisions are made.
The social media star slams reports of her six-figure fee and reveals the wet, sleep-deprived reality of life in the jungle a year on from when she took part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
16:35, 27 Nov 2025Updated 16:36, 27 Nov 2025
For years, fans of ITV’s I’m A Celeb have speculated about the ‘astronomical’ fees commanded by the stars who brave the Australian bush. But according to former campmate GK Barry, also known as Grace Keeling, the reality of the pay packet is far less glamorous than the headlines suggest.
The social media sensation, who won over the nation during her stint in the jungle last year, has hit out at reports claiming she walked away with a massive fortune, branding the rumours “a load of s***.” Amidst the trials and tribulations of camp life, reports circulated that Grace had secured a fee of £150,000 for her appearance. However, the podcast host insists that figures reported in the press are vastly inflated.
“The Daily Mail like to release what we’re all being paid for it, it’s a load of s***,” she said in a TikTok video. To illustrate just how wide of the mark the rumours were, she joked that a fee of that magnitude would have fundamentally changed her behaviour in the trials.
“They said I got £150,000,” she said. “If I got paid 150 [thousand] Great British pounds to go in that jungle, I wouldn’t have even screamed once during a trial. They always overdo it, we don’t get paid that much.”
Beyond the pay dispute, Grace was keen to dispel the long-standing conspiracy theory that the camp is a sound stage or that celebrities retreat to luxury hotels once the cameras stop rolling. She described the living conditions as genuinely miserable, particularly when the weather turns.
“The camp is covered but it’s covered by a flimsy bit of material that opens up and shuts so when it rains, you still get rained on,” she revealed. “Our camp got so flooded last year, everything was wet, our sleeping bags, the fire kept going out…”
She added: “Everyone thinks the jungle isn’t a real jungle, but the place is giving jungle. There are animals, you could not find your way through there easily, and we do stay there, we do sleep there… We don’t go off to the hotel at night, I wish we did.”
While they don’t get hotels, the celebrities do get one small mercy: they aren’t allowed to poison themselves. Grace revealed a behind-the-scenes secret about how the campmates manage to cook obscure jungle rations like eel without making themselves ill.
It involves a producer known as the “Voice of God” who speaks over a tannoy system.
“You cook it until you think it’s done,” she explained. “And if you go to take it off and it’s not done, the voice of God will be like, ‘that could probably do with 10 more minutes’. So you’re never at risk of eating something raw.”
Perhaps the most gruelling aspect of the show isn’t the creepy crawlies, but the schedule. Grace painted a picture of a routine designed to keep the stars exhausted.
The day begins when the hosts arrive live on air. “We hear Ant and Dec do I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here so we know it’s 7.30 in the morning,” she said.
However, the days are long. Dinner often doesn’t arrive until 8pm or 9pm, followed by washing up and mandatory diary room sessions.
“Before you’re allowed to go to bed, you all have to do your bush telegraph things,” she recalled. “So I genuinely think we were going to bed at midnight and up again at 6.30am.”
GK Barry placed fifth in the 2024 series, being the eight contestant eliminated from the jungle.
A BIG Brother star has been spotted working the door of a high-end restaurant in London, almost two decades after he rose to fame on the then-Channel 4 show.
A star who rose to fame in Big Brother almost two decades ago, has swapped fame for a quieter life as a restaurant doormanCredit: SplashThe former musician and TV star was seen helping Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of upmarket restaurant Aki London this weekCredit: SplashZiggy Lichman appeared on Big Brother back in 2007Credit: Not known
Despite success across TV and music, it appears Ziggy, real name Zac, has shunned fame as he was spotted working at gourmet Japanese restaurant Aki London.
And the new role doesn’t mean Ziggy is far from the spotlight, as he is still brushing shoulders with the A-list at the food hotspot.
On Wednesday evening, Ziggy was seen escorting Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of Aki.
The Osbourne’s are unlikely to be Ziggy’s only famous guests, with the likes of Romeo Beckham and actress Holly Valance spotted there previously.
Back in 2017, it was reported that Ziggy was working on the door of upmarket members club Paper Soho.
He is since thought to have opened two of his own bars across North London, The Shop NW10, a cocktail bar and café, and bar The Wealthy Beggar.
Ziggy is also still in touch with his ex-girlfriend Chanelle, following their joint rise to fame on Big Brother.
Despite being split up for 18 years, the duo remain friends and even appeared on Loose Women together in 2018.
“She’s absolutely smashed it. She’s held her own, had a family, gone through some tough times as you know.
“I still love her to bits, absolutely,” said Ziggy of Chanelle, who continued to pursue a career in the spotlight after the show.
Ziggy was known on Big Brother for his on/off romance with housemate Chanelle Hayes, whom he split from after the series finishedCredit: Channel 4He and Chanelle remain friends and eve reunited in 2018 to appear on Loose WomenCredit: Rex FeaturesHe was also a member of boyband Northern Line, which consisted originally of Lee Baldry, Dan Corsi, Andy Love, Ian Mason and Michael Sharpe – and later Ziggy and Warren MorrisCredit: AlamyZiggy has been working in the restaurant and bar industry for several years and was spotted working the door of a members club in 2017Credit: Splash
This article contains spoilers for Season 5, Volume 1 of “Stranger Things.”
If anyone visited Jamie Campbell Bower in the days before he secured the role of Vecna in “Stranger Things,” they might have been disturbed by what they found.
Bower had spent that period “kind of going crazy,” studying the audition materials he had been given — a scene from the series (with fake character names), one from the 1996 film “Primal Fear” and one from the ‘80s horror classic “Hellraiser.” He then crafted a whodunit-style vision board, pinning printed images of iconic movie villains onto his walls. He latched onto Doug Bradley’s Pinhead and incorporated Voldemort, Nosferatu, Dracula and images from “The Shining,” “Insidious” and “The Prince of Darkness.”
Bower had essentially made a shrine to villainy. But what better way is there to make a monster than to draw from the scariest and most spine-chilling in the game?
He thumbed through a neat binder with all of the reference images that were once tacked to his walls as he sat in a hotel room at the Four Seasons earlier this month that was done up in “Stranger Things” decor. Although he had pulled ideas and inspiration from several different characters and movies, he couldn’t shake Bradley’s work from his mind.
He wanted Vecna to feel “so poised, so considered and surgical, almost. And Pinhead is that. He doesn’t run. Pinhead never runs. He knows that he’s an ultimate power all the time,” Bower said. “That feels really strong for me. I really, really like that.”
In addition to playing the monster, Bower plays the man he once was, Henry Creel, in “Stranger Things,” Netflix’s supernatural sensation, which released the first batch of episodes for its fifth and final season Wednesday. Henry, who we first meet as a young boy with powerful psychokinetic abilities, evolves throughout the show from the first child test subject in Hawkins Labs to the powerful Vecna after he’s banished to the Upside Down.
As he devolves in the dark, decaying shadow dimension, he becomes less and less human in both spirit and appearance. His skin is scorched by lightning, his body is overtaken by the vines from the Upside Down, and his left hand is mutilated. He has a deep, booming voice, which is actually Bower speaking without manipulation in post-production. And in Season 4, most of what the audience sees of Vecna — the vines wrapped around his body, his mutilations and burns, the slimy texture of his skin, his startling walk and movement — was pulled off practically with prosthetics, appliances and makeup.
Bringing Vecna to life was no easy feat, with a lot of cross-departmental collaboration happening behind the scenes. In Season 4, where Vecna is first introduced, the team built full-body prosthetics based on concept art for the character that took roughly eight hours to apply on Bower.
But for Season 5, the creatives behind the show were looking to make “Vecna on steroids,” as Barrie Gower, the prosthetics wiz for “Stranger Things,” put it.
Vecna has a sharper appearance and broader stance in Season 5 of “Stranger Things.”
(Netflix)
Michael Maher Jr., a concept illustrator and visual effects supervisor who had cooked up the earliest iterations of Vecna, said the show’s creators, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, wanted Vecna to feel more powerful this season, “but not [in] the cliché, bigger and bulkier way.” They also wanted the extent of his injuries from the Season 4 finale, where his opponents set him on fire, shoot him repeatedly and send him flying out of a second-story window, to be evident.
Maher said he was sculpting to ideate on this new version of the character when he accidentally punched a hole in the figure’s torso. It was a serendipitous moment, however; it clicked for him that Vecna 2.0 could be simultaneously more exposed and sharper. The vines that overtook his body now have a Medusa-like quality near his head and shoulders, essentially serving as armor, Maher said.
His mutilated arm and hand, which was already terrifying with its long digits and sharp claws that he would draw close to his victims’ faces, is now extendable, as if he has become one with the vines of the Upside Down.
Because of Vecna’s souped-up look for the final season, a blend of practical and visual effects were used to accomplish the final look. Gower called it a “really beautiful marriage” of the two. The monster’s head, shoulders and right arm were made up of prosthetics, but for the rest, Bower wore a spandex suit that had a printed pattern of Vecna’s body from Season 4, serving as a reference for the visual effects team. Bower also wore foam inserts under his arms to capture the gait and broad stance of the creature.
Gower said with all of the moving parts and elements of Vecna’s body that they wanted to change for the new season, it would have been a “logistical nightmare” to pull off practically. He and Maher’s teams had lengthy conversations early on in the process to prevent overbuilding the prosthetics, Gower said. Creating the new look took about three months.
The team behind Vecna opted for a blend of prosthetics, appliances and a spandex suit to film Season 5. (Niko Tavernise / Netflix)
The character Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and Vecna come face-to-face in Season 5. (Niko Tavernise / Netflix)
When the Duffer Brothers and Maher were initially talking about the design of Vecna, they drew from Pinhead and Freddy Krueger in the same way Bower did for his performance. The creatives had been pulling from ‘80s classic movies for the “nostalgia quality,” Maher said, but the challenge for him was creating something that still felt fresh and reflected Vecna’s power. He wanted to make it clear Vecna was “a character that is mostly powerful with his mind, that really resonates as a villain,” he said.
By 2019 as the developmental process for the concept art was moving along, the Duffer Brothers approached Gower, whose work on “Game of Thrones” and “Chernobyl” they admired. Gower has a young daughter who was an avid fan of “Stranger Things” at the time, and he said he couldn’t possibly turn down the opportunity. Even before Bower was cast, a roughly five-month process (save a pause in production for the pandemic) kicked off for Gower and his team to develop the Vecna gear. The full-body suit was made up of about 26 overlapping prosthetic pieces that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Gower and his team used foam latex, which is lightweight and opaque, to cover large body pieces for Vecna, mainly his left arm and lower body. Silicone-based materials came into play for his face, soldiers, chest, back and right arm, since the material is clear and can be dyed to match the pigment of the creature’s skin. It’s challenging to paint the two different materials and make them appear as one, cohesive body, Gower said, but the artists he worked with are “incredible craftspeople,” some of whom are classically trained painters.
Gower said with all of the logistics involved in creating Vecna, Bower was patient and collaborative — whether that was through 2 a.m. calls to get the prosthetics applied before he was called to set or through the adjustments Gower’s team had to make as those long shoot days progressed. Gower also praised not only Bower’s stamina, but also his commitment to the performance.
Bower described the “gothy folk, black metal” music he would play as he sat in the makeup chair, which would get faster and more hardcore as they progressed. Gower said at the start of the hours-long application, Bower would crack jokes and be himself. But as they neared the end, they would “start to lose Jamie.”
Jamie Campbell Bower in his Vecna costume on the set of “Stranger Things” with showrunners Matt Duffer, left, and Ross Duffer.
(Niko Tavernise / Netflix)
“Vecna’s voice would start coming out,” Gower said. “By the end of the process, it was Vecna talking to us. It wasn’t Jamie anymore.”
“I really can’t imagine Vecna being as successful, as iconic a villain and character without it being Jamie Campbell Bower,” Gower continued. “He’s incredible.”
Becoming Vecna can be both mentally and physically taxing because of the prosthetics and the dark place it requires the actor to go. But Bower said he found playing Henry, Vecna’s human form, even more challenging this season.
For him, Vecna is devoid of any humanity, but when he is playing Henry, there’s still “elements of humanity,” though his intentions are pure evil. In Vol. 1, we see Henry targeting the children of Hawkins, but instead of presenting himself as Vecna, as he did in Season 4, he’s approaching his victims with a friendly, well-dressed front — they call him Mr. Whatsit.
“There was something that was arguably more terrifying in having the composure enough to be able to let whomever else is there make wrong choices,” Bower said. It’s a fun puzzle for him to figure out how much emotion to show and when to let the mask slip to the audience, he added.
In comparison to the monsters Bower drew from to develop Vecna, he looked to one person as inspiration for Henry in Season 5: Mister Rogers.
He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And Bower promises we’ll see more of the wolf come out as the season progresses, though he’s careful not to reveal too much.
Former The Only Way Is Essex sisters Sam and Billie Faiers, who have made their fortune off of reality TV, have announced their joint reality show has been axed after just one series
13:39, 27 Nov 2025Updated 13:48, 27 Nov 2025
Sam Faiers announced the news in an Instagram Q&A session today(Image: PR)
Sam and Billie Faiers have faced a bitter career blow as their joint reality TV show has got the chop after just one series.
The reality TV sisters, who shot to fame on The Only Way Is Essex before taking on their own hugely-successful series The Mummy Diaries, joined forces yet again last year – four years after The Mummy Diaries came to an end.
Sisters Sam, 34, and Billie, 35, came back together in Sister Act, which was filmed last year and premiered in August this year. However, Sam has now revealed the programme will not continue, which she says is due to a heavy workload.
Sam, who has been with partner Paul Knightley since 2014, revealed the news during a Q&A session on her Instagram stories on Wednesday, after a fan asked: “Love watching you and Billie on Sister Act, will we see another series soon?”
Revealing the news, Sam replied: “Billie and I had the best time filming Sister Act last year. It was honestly such a special experience. We don’t have any plans for another series right now as work is pretty full on for both of us.”
Despite Sam’s claims that the decision was taken due to workload, it has been reported that unexpected low rating figures are a factor in Sister Act facing the chop. An insider told The Sun: “Sam hadn’t been on TV in a while and it doesn’t look like viewers missed her.
“Viewing figures weren’t what they hoped, and a lot of the show was based around the sisters selling products, which felt a bit like one long advert.” Sister Act came off the back of Sam and Billie’s ITV reality show, The Mummy Diaries, which documented their lives as parents.
Sam and her partner Paul Knightley – who share children Paul, nine, Rosie, seven, and three year old Edward together – quit the programme in 2021.
After Sam left, Billie and her husband Greg Shepherd – who are parents to Nelly, 11, Arthur, eight, and two year old Margot – continued with the show and renamed it The Family Diaries, which came to an end in 2024.
In one episode of Sister Act, some viewers slammed Sam for offering “dangerous” medical advice to Billie, ahead of Arthur getting his tonsils removed following “six” bouts of tonsillitis. Billie said: “Arthur is getting his tonsils out. He had tonsillitis, I’d say six times last year, and it made him so poorly.
“When the doctor looked at them, straight away he said to me, ‘Nah…’ he went ‘They are really, really unhealthy tonsils. But tonsils serve no purpose in your body.”
Sam feared that if Arthur had his tonsils removed, his body would not be able to tell him or other people that he is ill. Sam said: “Everything in your body serves a purpose.
“When you’re not well, and something inflames in your body, or your tonsils are raised, or your hair is falling out, or you’ve got a rash, it’s because your body is telling you something isn’t right.
“So it’s Arthur’s body’s way of telling him I’ve got an allergy, or you know, I’ve got a virus, and that’s his way. So when they’re out, how else is his body going to tell you that something is wrong?”
One viewer blasted Sam on social media, writing: “Don’t ever mess about waiting for tonsils out mine was left when I was you by 17 rushed into hospital because it made me soo ill had swollen all over from leaking I’ve had fibromyalgia for 15 years nothing can help and now serve arthritis all over from sport pus single parent disabled daughter I wish I could dream everything be OK with positivity or a cream or holistic but life not like that.”
And another penned: “She’s no doctor and shouldn’t be allowed to give advice that’s dangerous.”
