Is Clive Myrie right to call the Mastermind final ‘TV's toughest quiz'?

Much as I always enjoy Mastermind (BBC2), I would robustly disagree with Clive Myrie that it is 'television's toughest quiz'. No, it isn't.
Only Connect and University Challenge have far harder questions, though I do appreciate that they are both team quizzes and in Mastermind you are alone, braving the black chair naked. Metaphorically, I mean, not literally. That would be terrible for all concerned, including the black chair. Spoiler alert! Winner referenced ahead.
But, please. Warm-up general knowledge questions such as 'what domestic pet is popularly said to have nine lives?' and completing the lyric 'The hills are alive with the sound of …' do not belong in a Mastermind grand final but in a children's quiz. I will stop griping now, though, because

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The Sun

40 minutes ago

• The Sun

Inside Dua Lipa's ‘dream' Wembley shows with five outfit changes, star fans and cover with 90s music megastar

DUA LIPA realised a life dream as she played to 70,000 adoring fans at Wembley Stadium. Her Radical Optimism tour's sell-out gig on Friday — followed by another one yesterday — came ten years after she first per-formed in the capital to just 350 people. 11 11 11 11 The singer said: 'Wembley, thank you. It is something I've dreamt of my whole life, and all day I have been feeling so much love and gratitude to be here with you guys. 'It is just surreal. It feels like such a journey, but also like everything has happened so quickly. I want to thank you for believing in me and trusting me, dancing with me, singing with me — and allowing me to wake up every single morning to do what I love to do. Looking out and seeing all you guys means the absolute world to me.' Dazzling in a white Valentino sheer lace catsuit, she added: 'It has been ten years since our first London show and I just dreamt of a night like this.' Dua paraded in five different outfits during her set — also including a petrol-blue Balenciaga slip dress draped in a faux-fur coat lined with the Union Jack flag and a silver custom Swarovski bodysuit with matching Christian Louboutin boots. And it certainly seemed Queen Dua was reigning over North London — as billboards promoting her YSL plumping lip gloss were plastered on the famous Wembley Way. Fans, many of whom got tickets through Priority from O2, queued at merch-andise stands with T-shirts priced £40. She opened with hit track Training Season and thrilled the crowd with No1 singles New Rules, One Kiss and Dance The Night. Her ballad Falling Forever cast a spell as fans lit up the stadium by holding their phone torches in the air. Dua's mum Anesa and sister Rina, as well as actor fiance Callum Turner and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley were all in the audience. She even had support from the Spice Girls who sent her flowers. Dua Lipa surprises fans by bringing 90s band on stage as she stuns in diamonte bodysuit in front of star-studded crowd to Wembley And Dua shared a letter from the girls on Instagram. The post read: 'Dear Dua, we just wanted to wish you lots of luck with your sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium . . . that's Girl Power! We love you! The Spice Girls. XXXX.' Dua also got Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay on stage to join her in singing his band's 1996 hit, Virtual Insanity. She told fans: 'This next song is a really, really big dream for me because I want to introduce someone who has inspired me from the moment I started making music. 'He is someone who has been a trailblazer for British music and paved the way.' I imagine these Dua shows have inspired the next gener-ation of British music stars, too. A FEW months ago, Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock parted ways with label Warner Music and landed a new deal with Virgin – and she's wasted no time getting started with new music. The singer shot a video for upcoming single, Been A Minute, in Stoke Newington, East London, last week. An insider tells me: 'The song has a carnival vibe and Leigh-Anne is really excited about it.' Leigh-Anne will showcase the tune when she performs at Reading and Leeds Festivals later this year. OASIS STRING 'EM UP OASIS have spent weeks rehearsing in a secret location in London ahead of their reunion tour – and I can reveal that when the lads hit the stage they will be joined by an orchestra. As well as Liam and Noel Gallagher, Bonehead, Gem Archer and Andy Bell, there will be musicians playing the cello, violins and woodwind for several of their hits. An insider said: 'The live orchestra will add a cinematic element to their sound and elevate some of the harmonies. It won't take away from the band, just boost the sound.' I can also reveal that everyone around them has ditched booze and turned to clean living in a bid to spur on the brothers, inset below, as they prepare for their Live '25 shows. Cigarettes and alcohol have been binned in favour of non-alcoholic beers and meditation. An insider tells me: 'In these final few weeks before the tour kicks off, those around Liam and Noel have decided to focus on clean living. 'There are lots of positive vibes in the camp, a very meditative, focused mindset. Everyone around them is aware this is history in the making. 'Liam and Noel are the best of British, working class heroes, and they deserve this incredible moment. 'So those around them are determined to set positive examples and make sure everyone is giving 100 per cent. It's pretty impressive to see how dedicated everyone is.' Some Might Say they will be the gigs of the decade . . . MEL C says she is super 'pedantic' about pre-show rituals. Sporty Spice told England rugby star Natasha Hunt that she sticks to the same routine while on tour. Mel said: 'I get the mickey taken out of me because of how pedantic I am about my preparations. I will eat well, try and sleep well, hydration is key.' She spoke as part of Volvic's Force of Nature initiative, in partnership with the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. Sporty by name, sporty by nature. LIKE THE LUNCH BOX, PAUL PAUL MESCAL and girlfriend Gracie Abrams have been preparing for her gig at Glasto next week – with sunshine picnics in the park. The Normal People actor and the singer have been relaxing with friends before she rocks up at Worthy Farm to play The Other Stage on Friday – where Paul is expected to be cheering her on. 11 One park-goer at Highbury Fields in North London said of the pair: 'Paul and Gracie have been making the most of the warm weather by hanging out with friends in the park. 'Paul was boun-ding around and is clearly loving the long summer evenings.' The couple were first linked a year ago when snapped on a dinner date at London celebrity hang-out the BRAT Restaurant – and they seem to be going strong. Our source added: 'They looked super loved-up and Paul couldn't resist taking a picture of the sunset on his phone to capture the moment.' DUFFY TO ­RETURN DUFFY is secretly working on her long-awaited third album just months after she thrilled fans by appearing in a TikTok video. I can reveal that the Welsh singer, who posted herself lip-syncing to a remix of her hit Mercy back in March, has been in the studio working with ex-Suede musician Bernard Butler, who was a producer on her debut 2008 album. Duffy, whose first name is Aimée Anne, disappeared from the spotlight in 2011 after being kidnapped and raped and told her harrowing story in 2020. A source said: 'The time is right for her to make a comeback, she has done enough healing and is ready to make music. 'She has a great working relationship with Bernard and they trust each other.' In 2020, Duffy revealed in a social media post: ' I am OK and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days. Of course I survived. 'The recovery took time. But I can tell you, in the last decade the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine.' STRICTLY star Carlos Gu says he would love to perform with chat king Graham Norton. The pro dancer, who has previously been paired with EastEnders' Molly Rainford, said at the British LGBT Awards: 'I want to show two men can dance sexily and beautifully. I would love to dance with Graham. He would be great.'

Daily Mail​

40 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Rebel's Romance wins to end Charlie Appleby drought as wonder horse halts trainer's 37-race losing streak

Old friends are so special because they are there when you need them most. Royal Ascot had threatened to push Charlie Appleby to the brink, but then along came Rebel's Romance. 'Wonder horse' is an overused phrase but there is absolutely something wondrous — and marvellous — about Rebel's Romance, a seven-year-old with more stamps in his passports than the adventurer Simon Reeve and more money than a lottery winner. Appleby, the lead trainer for the Godolphin organisation, had not saddled a Royal Ascot winner since 2022 and when Treanmor — favourite for Saturday's opening race, the Chesham Stakes — was sunk without trace, his losing streak had reached 37 runners. There had been high-profile reverses in recent days — Ruling Court, Cinderella's Dream and Shadow Of Light — and you did not need to be a body language expert to understand Appleby and his jockey, William Buick, were feeling things before the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes. None of this mattered to Rebel's Romance, who prowled around the parade ring panther-like. He has been there and done it, having amassed 74,500 air miles to win in six different countries, from America to Hong Kong. With his pal in trouble, this gelding went out to take on the world for him. 'I've got a picture of this fellow on my bedside table,' said Appleby, a proud father of four. 'He means that much to us all.' You could see why. The Hardwicke Stakes is ferociously competitive but it was made for Rebel's Romance. When he struck the front, the kind of roar you expect at Cheltenham thundered from the stands and for all that Al Riffa and Ghostwriter snapped at his heels, they could not get past. Rebel's Romance, at one stage, clocked 42.9mph on the mile-and-a-half journey — a fraction faster than French sprinter Lazzat's top speed in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes and he has now won more than £10 million in prize money. 'Full credit to the horse first and foremost and full credit to all the team,' said Appleby. 'It's been a tough week but that is what you expect when you come here. It's the Olympics. You can come here thinking you are fully loaded with great chances. You can walk away with excuses but that's racing. 'I would like to think we compose ourselves well, we take (defeats) on the chin and then we look forward. I was always taught from a young age, when I came into racing by His Highness Sheik Mohammed, to applaud every winner and enjoy your own. 'I know how hard it is for people to get horses here, let alone to have a winner. I would like to think I'm the first to go and congratulate everyone when they have a winner. But if you could ever rely on one, it was him. Our last race, my last roll dice. He's more than an iron horse. He's kept us afloat.' Buick was similarly overcome. The jockey, whose week had been made by winning the Prince Of Wales's Stakes on Ombudsman and Gold Cup on Trawlerman for John and Thady Gosden, has ridden Rebel's Romance in 23 of his 26 races and the bond they share is huge. 'We have won more than 10 million in prize money,' said Buick. 'He has been around the block and is a top-class racehorse. 'You don't find many top-class horses with a will to win like he has. I always say he always finds a way. We gel well together. He is my best friend.' What a tribute. Racing becomes relatable to those with a passing interest in the sport when they learn about the exploits of these grand old stagers, who turn up and never disappoint. You'll get a chance to see Rebel's Romance here next month in the King George, Ascot's mid-summer championship. It needed something special to take the headlines on the final day and Lazzat, with his high jinks after winning the Group One sprint, almost provided it as he did a lap of the course, having got rid of jockey James Doyle as they posed for photographs. Lazzat, trained by Jerome Reynier, became France's first winner of the race and a fifth of an exceptional week for Wathan Racing, the venture of Qatar's Emir. The gelding got the better of a wonderful head-to-head with Japanese raider Satono Reve. 'I could feel Satono Reve coming but you won't get a more genuine horse than Lazzat,' said Doyle, Wathnan's retained rider. 'He really pinned his ears back when he joined me, and he was always going to see him off. 'He was my banker of the week. I feel guilty because we have only bought the horse (privately from his previous owners) a couple of weeks ago, and I landed on him. A huge thank you to the whole team, a big thanks to everyone.'

The Sun

an hour ago

• The Sun

90s movie pin-up, 55, has barely aged a day as she strips down to tiny bikini 26 years after iconic role

ONE of the biggest movie sex symbols of the nineties turned up the heat as she holidayed in Sardinia, Italy this weekend. Heather Graham, 55, showed off her ageless figure in a tiny red bikini as she enjoyed a beach day. 8 Famed for her roles in such iconic moves as Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and The Hangover, Heather made the most of the sizzling summer heatwave. Turning heads as she strutted her stuff along the golden sands, the blonde beauty cooled off with a dip in the waves. And the actress looks no different than she did almost three decades ago as the iconic Felicity Shagwell in the Mike Myers spy spoof. Heather, who also won praise for her turn as Boogie Nights' Roller Girl, was in town to attend the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, where she is part of the jury in the short film competition. But before hitting the red carpet, she made sure to soak up some rays and top up her tan. After plunging into the azure blue waters, she looked like a Bond girl as she emerged from the sea while pulling her blonde tresses back from her face. Heather then dried off on her lounger before slipping on a pair of pink shorts. The move star has previously spoken about her conflicting feelings about being cast in a string of sexy roles in the nineties. 'On one hand, it was fun, because I grew up feeling nerdy and like I wasn't the attractive girl at school," she told The Guardian last month. "I felt flattered; I felt like I was playing a character, like I was pretending to be this attractive actress. Underneath it all, I really felt like this nerdy girl.' Heather Graham 'doesn't age,' fans exclaim as star looks like a 'smokeshow' in bikinis on Mexico vacation She then admitted this came with a downside after struggling to break out of this stereotype with casting directors in Hollywood. 'I related to the awkward romantic comedy heroines more than to the glam characters. Sometimes, I felt like I wasn't being seen for my intelligence or other qualities.' These days, however, she had made peace with being seen as sexy and embraces it. She told the publication: 'I think there's a beauty that a woman can have as she gets older that's like a powerful, sexy beauty. Like, how do you still feel good and sexy about yourself at any age, and just embrace that? 8 8 8 "Because it really doesn't matter what other people think – it's how you feel about yourself. If you feel that you're hot, you feel hot. And I do feel hot.' Last year, Heather wrote, directed and starred in the rom com, Chosen Family. And earlier this year she appeared in big screen western Gunslingers, which also starred Stephen Dorff and Nicolas Cage. Heather also has a role in the upcoming miniseries Carrie, which is based on Stephen King's bestselling horror novel.