She's the cabaret siren, bringing a blaze of Broadway glamour, old Hollywood shimmer and flame-haired icons to Ripon – and she cannot, she insists, do a show without funny bones. There is a particular kind of performer who walks into a room and instantly rearranges its atmosphere. Amber Topaz is one of those.

In a country where most of the population seems to bemoan the fact that Chancellor Rachel Reeves, introduces new stealth taxes on a weekly basis, it is a curiosity that in Denmark, with one of the highest tax regimes in the world, there is little pushback against the Minister of Finance and people remain among the happiest on the planet.

It turns out that many of the things we were told - and chose to believe - about this country’s ancient rituals may not be true after all.

English wine has spent the past two decades proving it can rival Champagne. Now, a handful of ambitious producers are asking a different question altogether: can England make a genuinely great red wine for everyday drinking? Under a railway arch in the heart of Birmingham, Midland Press believes it can.

As the daddy of a nine-year-old and a five-year-old, I've experienced Blippi fever not once, but twice. Over the years, a much-loved Blippi doll has made the journey from older brother to younger sister, surviving countless adventures along the way.

We normally think of summertime as a time when we don’t worry so much about energy bills. Brits are now being urged to pay attention to their summer energy bills if they want to remain savvy about savings. From July 1st Britain’s energy price cap is set to rise by 13.5% for an average household – or £221 from the previous level.

Whilst most owners of horses and ponies are aware that spring grass and frosty paddocks can be dangerous to their animals, some are unaware that the problem persists year-round and is simply exacerbated in spring, as grass is high in sugar and fructans.

Tom Sorsby and the rest of the England men’s field hockey team are gearing up for the final stages of the 2025/26 FIH Men’s Pro League, which will take place in London over the next two weeks.

Fresh from his first headline European solo tour, Jack Cullen is preparing for his most ambitious challenge yet: running 22 ultramarathons in 22 days from Berlin to London ahead of his biggest headline show to date at Oslo Hackney.

The Arctic Truck AT35 is designed for those who intend to boldly go where no pickup has any right to go, whether that’s wandering through the frozen wastelands of Scandinavia and Iceland or wading through deep rainforest in warmer climes.

Abra-Cadabra My mother had more magic in her thumb than the length and breadth of any magician Weaving incredible stories around the dark-green senna brew just to make us slake the ritual Sunday purgative Knowing how to place a cochineal poultice on a fevered forehead Knowing how to measure a belly's symmetry kneading the narah pains away Once my baby sister stuffed a split-pea up her no…

We’re all told, ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.’ But one of the UK’s top leadership experts has said that in order to succeed, we need to step away and take time to think.

A devastatingly beautiful release from beginning to end, Olivia Rodrigo’s third album is a triumph of songwriting, performance and emotional storytelling. It is bold, vulnerable and endlessly compelling — the kind of album that deepens with every listen. More importantly, it feels like a defining statement from an artist who continues to surpass even the highest expectations. Her finest moment to date.

The music is, for the most part, elegantly crafted rather than profoundly searching—these are miniatures that delight in surface and atmosphere rather than structural ambition—and there were moments when the lush, exotic colouring put me in mind of Rimsky-Korsakov, particularly the languorous orientalism of Shéhérazade.

In 1917 The Ivy first opened its doors on West Street in London’s West End, and since then it's become synonymous with exceptional service and food. I remember when I worked in London meeting with colleagues for a quick bite to eat before going on to review a West End show.

Workouts can sometimes feel repetitive or uninspiring, and many people are turning to martial arts to reignite their motivation and transform their fitness routines.

As summer holiday season approaches, travellers everywhere are busy plotting itineraries, hunting for flight deals and perfecting the art of carry-on packing. But while most attention is given to the destination itself, travel experts say one of the most overlooked parts of any trip happens long before you check-in at the hotel: the flight.

House of Wonder, assembled to mark Beamish's seventieth birthday, is above all a personal album, and that comes through in every bar. To celebrate the occasion, Beamish has returned to the instrument that first shaped her career as a performer in the 1980s: the viola. Crucially, the instrument she plays throughout is a viola made in 2014 by Stephanie Irvine—a gift that, in Beamish's own account, rekindled her relationship with the instrument entirely. The album gathers works written by Beamish for herself to play alongside new commissions from her three children—all accomplished musicians in their own right—and a circle of close collaborators.

Make UK survey finds a quarter of firms are moving activity overseas

UK adults are building cash savings, but a reluctance to invest means millions may risk missing out on potential long term growth, new research from Scottish Friendly finds.

Newly-published data on corridor care is a welcome sign that a national scandal is being taken seriously - but data alone will not make a difference to patient care. This is the key concern from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine today (11 June), following the first-time publication of corridor care data by NHS England.

Carers UK today has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a public consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers. The Government’s consultation will explore a range of options to help unpaid carers remain in and return to work, including the introduction of a statutory right to paid Carer’s Leave.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has launched its 2026 apprenticeship programme, encouraging people across the North of England to start a career in energy — no matter their background. The campaign challenges outdated perceptions of who works in the industry, making it clear that you don’t need to fit a stereotype to succeed.

I’ve always thought that George Mallory’s raison d’etre for taking on the onerous burden of Everest’s North Face lacked gravitas; intended to convey an existential compulsion, his now-seminal phrase - ‘because it’s there’ - is inexpressive, listless, inadequate to the task of embodying a matter, quite literally, of life and death.

They’re back, The Thursday Murder Club! The residents of Cooper’s Chase Retirement Village. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are on the trail of the baddies once more and, as ever, are aided by Chris and Donna and of course, Bogdan, among others. The familiarity is comforting, like a cup of cocoa on a winter’s day. It’s a new puzzle but you know you’re surrounded by helpful friends.

Regular viewers of the BBC’s Gone Fishing programme will be familiar with Ted, the Patterdale cross dog who was given as a surprise Christmas present in 2012 and then abandoned at the New Year, at just six months old.

Babies are born with only two innate fears: falling and loud noises. Everything else they learn. Around age two or three, new fears emerge naturally. Fears of the dark, of strangers, of separation from parents, of dogs or thunder are developmentally normal – it’s part of how children learn to navigate the world.

Fresh from delighting audiences on The Masked Singer, preparing for a major UK tour with Kim Wilde and celebrating the release of her new cookbook, Pop Life, Tiffany is as busy as ever. Yet despite a career spanning decades, she remains wonderfully down-to-earth, warm and refreshingly easy to chat to.

The story of One Direction’s solo careers has been fascinating to watch unfold. After becoming one of the biggest pop groups of the 21st century, each member has carved out a distinct path. Harry Styles became a global superstar, filling stadiums and making headlines. Zayn embraced a more experimental, R&B-leaning sound. Louis Tomlinson found his footing in indie-infused guitar pop, while Liam Payne explored various contemporary pop styles before his tragic death in 2024.

Across all four movements, the London Symphony Orchestra plays with genuine commitment, reaching the emotional heart of what is, for a debut symphony, a monumental undertaking. This is music of vivid, strongly compelling sketches that covers the full gamut of human emotion—rage, despair, grief, resilience, and hope—expressed through tempi, expressive crescendos and diminuendos, and outbursts of passion that feel entirely authentic to their subject. It is an album that will reward repeated listening, and it is a deeply impressive arrival, however long in the making.

Buenos Aires - a multi-cultural melting pot pulsating with a kaleidoscope of colour - is the birthplace of tango and among the world’s most dynamic capital cities. Famed for icons including Eva Peron and Maradona, it is lovingly called the ‘Paris of South America’ with a rich cultural tapestry and vibrant arts scene to match London and the finest European capitals.

What a conclusion to the Arcadia Quartet's Weinberg series this volume is. The ensemble has spoken movingly of the moment they first encountered these string quartets—music, they say, that felt like "a glow of light surrounded by the darkness of the unknown"—and across these recordings they have made good on their ambition to dilute those shadows. This final volume crowns that mission magnificently.

Last week was a reminder of what British summers can now look like with the first heatwave of the year. With long dry spells arriving earlier and lasting longer, it's worth thinking about how you water, because a bit of care goes a long way when the ground is baked solid, and your plants are struggling.