Marshall’s 2007 movie Death at a Funeral sees hilarity and chaos reign when one man tries to put his recently deceased father to rest after a mysterious guest shows up at the ceremony.
Thrown into the mix is accidentally drug ingestion, family tensions, dry wit and slapstick humour all blended together perfectly.
Death at a Funeral boasts an all-star including Pride and Prejudice and Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen, Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, Keeley Hawes from The Durrells, Sherlock star Rupert Graves, Trainspotting actor Ewen Bremner, The Capture’s Andy Nyman, and Firefly’s Alan Tudyk, along with Marshall.
Although the movie was directed by Bowfinger filmmaker Frank Oz and shot in America, Death at a Funeral is very much a British comedy at its heart.
Death at a Funeral was remade in 2010 by the same production team, including writer Dean Craig, who penned the original and star Dinklage, who reprised his role for the film. However, the original movie is still hailed as the best version.
The film has been praised by audiences on IMDb, who have waxed lyrical about the British comedy.
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One person wrote on their 10/10 review: “It’s been a while since there’s been a genuinely good British farce, but this one pressed all the right buttons.”
Another person posted: “Death at a Funeral has a distinct Four Weddings and a Funeral feel.”
They elaborated: “Despite being directed by a Yank, Death at a Funeral has a very British flavour.
“In fact, at times it reminded me of nothing less than an extended episode of Fawlty Towers, minus the manic genius of John Cleese.”
A third user said their “nearly died laughing” in their 9/10 review and explained: “This film reminded me a bit of “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, but even more of those British madcap black comedies of the 60s with Alec Guinness or Peter Sellers.”
Someone else titled their 10/10 review: “One of the years best comedies” and said “When we came out of the theater, we’ve had tears in our eyes – it was just too hilarious! I haven’t laughed that much in a movie for quite a while [sic].” Adding: “You won’t regret watching it!”
Death at a Funeral is streaming on Prime Video for a fee
A UK seaside town is set to receive a new direct train service to London.
The “underrated” seafront spot is often overlooked by tourists for more popular Welsh beaches.
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The Welsh harbour town is set to get a direct rail route to LondonCredit: Alamy Stock PhotoEluned Morgan, First Minister for Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, has pledged to create the service to boost tourism and economic growthCredit: Unknown
Passengers will be able to travel straight from the seaside town to the capital with the new route, which promises to bolster economic and tourism growth in the surrounding area.
Alongside the speedy service to London, the upgrade would also include an hourly service and safety improvements to the station’s level crossing.
The new route will build upon the current £50 million investment into Milford Haven’s transport links.
Refurbishments on the town’s railway service are already underway, aiming to develop Milford Haven into a modern transport hub.
Plans for the renovation include new modern facilities, a relocated train platform, improved walking and cycling routes, a new taxi rank and better parking.
The investment is being delivered in partnership by the Welsh Labour Government and Pembrokeshire County Council.
The First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, Eluned Morgan, said: “This pledge sits alongside a record commitment to rail in Wales – up to £14 billion of investment, new stations and a transformed Metro.”
“But this is about more than just a rail line.
“It’s about opening Pembrokeshire up – bringing more people to one of the most beautiful parts of Wales, strengthening our tourism sector, and creating new opportunities for local businesses to grow.
“This is how we build a stronger future for west Wales – with better connections, more opportunity and an economy that works with our environment, not against it.”
Milford Haven, located on the Pembrokeshire coast, is an “underrated” seafront town, according to Wales Online, often overlooked for the more popular seaside spot of Tenby.
Less crowded than its competitor, visitors to Milford Haven will find charming shops, restaurants and sandy beaches.
The harbour town is also home to Wales’s largest fishing port.
The proposed direct rail service will aim to develop tourism in the town and surrounding Pembrokeshire area, and support the local economy.
Marc Tierney, Welsh Labour candidate for Ceredigion Penfro, said: “A direct train to London from Milford would be a game changer for our communities – boosting tourism, supporting local businesses and making it easier for people to live and work here.
“The work underway to transform Milford Haven station into a modern transport hub, alongside plans for an hourly service, shows what Welsh Labour can deliver when we work in partnership with local authorities – investing in the infrastructure our communities deserve.
“With new funding from the UK Labour Government and a strong partnership in place, we can now go further.”
THEY say good things come to those who wait, so I have high expectations for Roger Sanchez’s first studio album in two decades.
And as he gears up to release the 13-track record, Spectrum, on June 5, the superstar DJ reveals he’s thrown fans a curveball after teaming up with Melanie C on his song I Don’t Wanna Know.
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The Spice Girls, from left: Mel C, Mel B, Victoria Beckham, Geri Horner and Emma BuntonCredit: Refer to SourceBizarre’s Ellie Henman and Roger SanchezCredit: Supplied
“That’s one I didn’t have on my dance card,” Roger tells me after popping into Bizarre HQ, where he takes his tea “milky, two sweeteners”.
“When the Spice Girls first came out, I always felt she was underrated. There was such a power in her voice and I didn’t feel in the Spice Girls she got her due for how powerful her voice is.
“She’s the bubbliest one of the group. She’s a powerhouse.
“I had this track and I was talking to my team about artists who people wouldn’t expect me to work with.
“My manager was like, ‘How about the Spice Girls?’ and I said, ‘Well it’s got to be Mel C if we’re going to do it.’
“We sent the track that I had originally done to her team, and she loved it. And so she sent me back the song that she wrote. And I was like, let’s go.”
“You don’t ever count Madonna out,” Roger explains.
“I know she’s been around for quite some time.
“And as somebody who’s been around for a minute myself, I can say creative forces like that are probably becoming a little more rare as time goes on, because of just the way things are done now.
“You just never count her out because she’s always brewing something
“And it’s always going to be something that moves the needle somehow.”
Just days after Roger drops Spectrum, he will head to his spiritual home in Ibiza to take up a residency at super club Pacha, after spending weeks in the UK finishing the record.
“I started forming where I wanted a body of work to go around 2020. Before we dove into the hell that was known as Covid.
“Coming out of that, the UK was one of the first markets to reopen so I started touring.
“I wound up spending a lot of time in London and I’ve got a flat in Shoreditch.
“The UK became a real central point for me. I connected with a lot of writers and artists here. This is a London album.”
Spectrum is packed with dance bangers including my favourites Midas Touch, Come My Way and How Do We Say Goodbye with Karen Harding, which will be the next single to be released.
And Roger is hoping to return to Glastonbury one day to play the record, after a killer headline set at NYC Downlow back in 2016.
“That was my first kind of performing experience at Glastonbury,” Roger explains.
“It felt like a 1989 rave in the UK. Very, very dark and very loud.
“And people weren’t on their phones. They really plugged into the moment.
“I’ve played a few times since. I did one for Glitterbox and I did another for Greenpeace in a tree.
“There’s a little door opening in the base, and you climb up a bloody ladder.
“You feel like you’re a hobbit. It felt a bit like Gandalf walking into Bilbo Baggins’ home.”
SPICE IT UP
Mel B supported her ‘Spice Sister’ Mel C at a gig in Leeds this weekendCredit: InstagramThe two Mels shared the stage and belted out smash hit Spice Up Your LifeCredit: Instagram
They sang Spice Up Your Life for the first time since the group’s 2019 tour at a concert in Leeds.
Mel C played the gig to celebrate the release of latest solo album Sweat, which is on course to go to No2 this Friday.
TENSIONS between Gordon Ramsey and Brooklyn Beckham were high back in February after the famous chef fired a warning shot to the wannabe over his feud with his parents.
Now it seems Gordon is coming for Brooklyn in business.
Gordon has trademarked Hotter Than Hell by Gordon Ramsay – the name given to the spicy relishes he uses in some of his restaurants.
But it appears he could be preparing to flog bottles of the sauce to customers and if he goes ahead with the venture, he will be competing with Brookylyn’s Cloud 23 hot sauce, which he launched back in 2024.
“If Gordon is launching his own sauce he’ll be going up against Brooklyn in that market,” an insider told me.
“Things will get spicy if they end up clashing over it.”
In February, Gordon told our newspaper he thought Brooklyn had got carried away by his marriage to Nicola Peltz.
Asked about how Posh and Becks were coping after their son’s acid-tongued Instagram statement about them, Gordon said: “Victoria is upset, and I know 24/7, seven days a week, just how much David loves Brooklyn.
“Brooklyn and I have messaged a little bit. Our relationship is solid. I love him.
“His heart is incredible. But it’s hard, isn’t it, when you’re infatuated?
“Love is blind. It’s easy to get up on that rollercoaster and get carried away. But it will come back.”
Awkward.
Moment in the sun
Promising British pop star Bellah Mae is having her moment in the sun after signing a record deal in the StatesCredit: Matthew Berinato
PROMISING British pop star Bellah Mae is having her moment in the sun after signing a record deal in the States.
The Birmingham-born singer posed on a lounger in a snap to promote her new single Salt And Sugar from her upcoming EP, Keep It Peachy, which will be out on May 29.
It’s the first release for Bellah, who is currently on tour across the US, with her new label Sony Nashville.
She told me: “I’ve been coming to Nashville to write since I was 19 years old and knew I wanted to eventually spend more time here from the first time I came over, so to be one of the first UK artists signing to Sony Nashville and be here is a lot of dreams all coming true.
“I wanna bridge the gap between the UK and US country-pop worlds and take over the space one song at a time… the British Hannah Montana!
“The new era is fun, flirty and confident.”
Shakira loves a Brazilian
Shakira made history on Saturday as she played one of the highest attended concerts of all timeCredit: EPAMore than 2million fans saw the Colombian superstar play a free gig at Copacabana Beach in Rio De JaneiroCredit: GettyShe wore ten costumes, many of which were made by local designers – including a jumpsuit with Swarovski crystals in the pattern of the Brazilian flagCredit: Getty
SHAKIRA made history on Saturday as she played one of the highest attended concerts of all time.
More than 2million fans saw the Colombian superstar play a free gig at Copacabana Beach in Rio De Janeiro.
During the spectacular show, the She Wolf singer wore ten costumes, many of which were made by local designers – including a jumpsuit with Swarovski crystals in the pattern of the Brazilian flag.
More than 1,500 drones lit up the sky before Shakira took to the stage.
And the singer was later joined by Anitta to perform their new single, Choka Choka.
Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour will come to Europe in September, where she will play 11 nights at the purpose-built Shakira Stadium in Madrid.
The BBC star, who will be commentating on the song contest in Vienna on May 16, said the live final is such a slog, he needs a drink to get through it.
On Alan Carr’s Bottoms Up! podcast, Graham said former host Terry Wogan called him before his first ever contest in Moscow with some tips.
He said: “The only bit of advice he gave me was, ‘Don’t have a drink before song nine’.
“But I’m drinking whatever I can lay my hands on because it’s a long old stretch.”
Graham also admitted that refreshments are not easy to source at the venues, saying “normally, it’s smuggled in”.
But he knows better than to overdo it during the live show.
Given the quality of some of the songs, I’m amazed he can wait until number nine.
OLIVIA RODRIGO mocked Jake Paul as she hosted Saturday Night Live in the US.
Speaking about the boxer, who she starred with on the Disney show Bizaardvark a decade ago, Olivia said: “We’d always talk about our futures, me and Jake.
“I’d say, ‘I wanna create music that explores the complexities of girls my age’, and he’d say, ‘One day I wanna beat up old guys on Netflix’.”
LIAM AND NOEL NOT IN TUNE
LIAM GALLAGHER has admitted he’s in the dark when it comes to the new music his brother Noel has been writing – and whether it could be for Oasis.
Last month, Noel revealed he had been “in the studio, noodling away” on new tunes.
But when asked about it on X at the weekend, Liam was none the wiser.
He said: “I’ve not heard anything unless he’s doing a solo album, which would be a real shame, I mean really good.”
When someone else commented: “So he just doesn’t tell you his plans?” he replied: “Pretty much.”
Given how much Liam spouts off online, I can’t really blame Noel for keeping schtum.
Spotted looking chic
Nicole Scherzinger looked chic in a polka dot dress as she sang the US national anthem at Saturday’s Kentucky DerbyCredit: Getty
While Nicole looked chic in a polka dot dress as she sang the US national anthem at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt were busy going through their paces during rehearsals.
The Dolls, who are now a trio, kick off their reunion tour in California in a month’s time, before shows on this side of the Atlantic in September.
If their tour is anything like their shows back in the day, they will have a lot of dance moves to learn between now and then.
THE WEEK IN BIZNESS
TODAY: Beyonce chairs the glitzy Met Gala in New York, where she is expected to tease details of her highly anticipated new album.
TUESDAY: Spanish singer/songwriter Rosalia brings her critically acclaimed Lux Tour to London’s O2 Arena for two nights.
WEDNESDAY: Rockers No Doubt return to the stage for the opening night of their Las Vegas reunion residency at state-of-the-art music venue, Sphere.
SUNDAY: The Bafta TV Awards take place at London’s Royal Festival Hall, where Adolescence leads the nominations. The show, hosted by Greg Davies, airs on BBC One.
In the mood for more sun? Wizz Air are launching six new routes from London to Spanish hotspots this summer, and prices start from just £18 one way to some of the country’s best destinations
New Wizz Air routes mean more people can enjoy the Spanish sunshine(Image: Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP via Getty Images)
Nothing beats some Spanish sunshine, and if the British weather still isn’t warm enough for you, then some new Wizz Air routes can take you somewhere with better weather in less than three hours.
Wizz Air is launching new flights from London Luton Airport to six Spanish destinations, adding to its existing route from the Bedfordshire airport to Palma in Majorca. The new destinations include a mix of city breaks and coastal favourites, so whether you’re looking for a family holiday or a cultural weekend away, there is bound to be something to suit you.
Here are the new destinations now available to book from London Luton and what you need to know about each one.
Bilbao
Bilbao is set in Spain’s lesser-visited north, which has been growing in popularity recently as people look to explore different parts of the country.
This classic Basque city has a mix of old-world and industrial influences, and it’s a cultural hub for the area. There’s the Guggenheim Museum with a Frank Gehry-designed exterior, the medieval Casco Viejo old town, and Mercado de la Ribera, the world’s largest indoor market.
Barcelona
Can’t decide between a city break and the beach? Choose Barcelona, which not only has the long sandy Barceloneta Beach, but also has the gorgeous city center, including Gaudí’s iconic architecture, La Ramblas, a thriving food scene, and endless museums and things to do.
Best of all, the London to Barcelona flight time is just shy of two hours, so it’s perfect for a short break, such as a weekend away, and the compact size means you can fit plenty into a short trip.
Madrid
The vibrant and energetic capital of Madrid is an ideal city break thanks to its short flight times and streets packed with history and culture. It’s home to some of Spain’s most important museums such as the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. The latter hosts a number of iconic paintings from renaissance to pop art pieces.
Visitors should also visit the grand Royal Palace, and walk along the historic Plaza Mayor, which is full of chic cafés and places serving authentic Spanish cuisine.
Valencia
An underrated city break destination, Valencia sits on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. While it’s the third-largest city in Spain, it’s not often visited by Brits, despite having an impressive amount of things to do.
From historic markets to green spaces, the modern City of Arts and Sciences to the La Lonja de la Seda, an ornate palace, Valencia packs in the old and new. Its location also means it has an abundance of beautiful beaches, so you can get some time in the sun after sightseeing.
Alicante
Alicante needs no introduction. It’s that city you land in on the way to Benidorm. However, before you board the transfer bus, you may want to spend some time in Alicante itself. Walk the peaceful Explanada de España, lined with palm trees, or the Castell de Santa Bàrbera fort from the 16th century.
Alicante’s hillside Barrio Santa Cruz is full of traditional Mediterranean homes and colourful buildings, and feels a world away from Benidorm. There’s also the sandy Playa del Postiguet beach just steps from the town.
Say olé to Seville and you could be enjoying vibrant flamenco shows, authentic tapas, and the beautiful narrow winding streets of this historic city.
Visit the stunning Alcázar palace, or walk the world-famous Plaza de España, enjoying the intricate mosaic designs. Seville also has the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, and as impressive as it is, it’s just one of the many breathtaking buildings you’ll see around the city.
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Everyone craves a spa weekend getaway, but this destination is just a short flight away from the UK and it’s so worth the visit. People even claimed it’s quite “underrated”
You must visit this European destination (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Ditch the pricey spa breaks here in the UK and hop on a flight to this unmissable European city instead. If you’re on the hunt for a relaxing weekend retreat, then you’re in for a treat.
A spa weekend can work wonders, not only for your mental health but also for your body, offering deep relaxation, stress relief and improved sleep quality. Now, travellers are singing the praises of one European destination that boasts an “unbelievable” spa complete with indoor and outdoor bars, as well as water slides.
The destination in question is Bucharest, Romania. In a viral TikTok video, a popular travel account told followers to pay a visit to Therme Bucharest – and for very good reason.
In the TikTok clip shared with its 27,200 followers, the video opened with: “A cheap underrated European city break you need to visit.”
It continued: “No joke, I genuinely believe that a trip to this European spa can be cheaper than going to one in the UK nowadays.
“Therme Bucharest is located in Romania and honestly is one of the most underrated city breaks.
“The city itself is absolutely gorgeous and the spa is unbelievable. They have indoor bars, outdoor bars, the most gorgeous botanical interior, face mask that you can use, temples, aqua aerobics, saunas, water slides, it’s honestly massive.”
What does the spa offer?
Therme Bucharest offers three unique experiences to “suit your desires”.
Galaxy: Perfect for family entertainment as it boasts 1.7km of exhilarating water slides, a wave pool and interactive activities for all ages. This is the sole area where children aged 3-14 are allowed.
The Palm: An adults-only pool featuring a retractable roof, mineral pools, hydromassage beds, a pool bar, plus indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces.
Elysium: After a premium experience? This relaxation zone provides thematic saunas, a wide array of wellness therapies, bespoke spa treatments and fine dining experiences.
If you’re planning a visit, ensure you bring your swimsuit, flip-flops and a towel. You can pop to the shop for any essentials.
Ticket prices vary from £20-£50 per adult, roughly 100-250 RON. This depends on the length of your visit, 3 hours, 4 hours or a full day, plus the number of zones accessed (Galaxy, Palm or Elysium).
Spa tickets typically start around £22-£24 for basic access, with extra costs for sauna packages or full-day access.
How much do flights cost?
Amid the ongoing travel disruption around the world, flights from the UK to Bucharest generally cost around £40-£100 for budget airlines like Ryanair or Wizz Air, if you’re departing from London.
Nevertheless, average return prices are often near £169, with premium or last-minute flights potentially higher. Direct flight time is approximately 3 hours 10 minutes.
