The Rehearsal to The Ballad of Wallis Island: the week in rave reviews
Sky Comedy & Now; episodes weekly
Summed up in a sentence A mind-boggling comedy-cum-documentary-cum-reality show that helps people prepare for big life events by staging hugely elaborate mockups – currently focusing on how to prevent aviation disasters by improving communication in the cockpit.
What our reviewer said 'As with season one, the producers have managed to find civilians who are so uniquely awkward that they feel like integral parts of the chaos. These are people who blur the line between committed normie and aspiring actor so well that many have, in fact, been accused of being fake. But they are all real.' Hannah J Davies
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Further reading The Rehearsal: Nathan Fielder makes genius appointment TV … that may spoil you for ever
BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now
Summed up in a sentence A loving, exhaustive docuseries celebrating the author on the 250th anniversary of her birth, narrated by Juliet Stevenson.
What our reviewer said 'The mood is impassioned and enthusiastic without being emetic – suffused with love of the work, and mapping the contours of the specific genius without anyone getting un-Janeishly carried away. You feel she would approve.' Lucy Mangan
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Further reading 'Much darker than Pride and Prejudice!': authors pick their favourite Jane Austen novel
Netflix; full series available now
Summed up in a sentence Arrogant detective ends up accidentally causing a death, and is sidelined to a dank basement investigating cold cases – only to assemble a crack team.
What our reviewer said 'It is all fantastically well, and rigorously, done. The pacing has a leisurely confidence that some may find a touch slow, but allows for a character-first approach, creating a richness that amply rewards initial patience.' Lucy Mangan
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Further reading Dept Q's Kelly Macdonald on her Trainspotting teen highs and hitting her stride in her 40s
BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now
Summed up in a sentence A deep dive into the life of the entrepreneur, from fly-on-the-wall footage of her starting a lingerie empire, through to an investigative thriller about the PPE political scandal.
What our reviewer said 'In some ways, this is a parable of fame. Mone courted it and won it, but eventually learned that once you turn on the faucet of public attention, trying to turn it off again is a sisyphean task.' Rebecca Nicholson
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Netflix; all episodes available
Summed up in a sentence A sensitive, sweet modern-day reimagining of Judy Blume's 1975 novel about teen desire which has been repeatedly banned by less tolerant schools and libraries.
What our reviewer said 'As a teen drama, it works because, Heartstopper-style, its teenagers actually look and behave like teenagers. The performances are excellent, especially Karen Pittman and Xosha Roquemore as the mothers, but it all rides on whether you can buy into what leads Michael Cooper Jr and Lovie Simone are selling, and they sell it perfectly.' Rebecca Nicholson
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Further reading Judy Blume forever: the writer who dares to tell girls the plain truth
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Funny/melancholy story of a former folk duo (Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden) who are inveigled into a comeback performance on a remote island for a single superfan.
What our reviewer said 'You'll leave wanting your own island, your own gig and your own lock of Carey Mulligan's hair.' Catherine Bray
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Further reading 'There's no chance an American will laugh': Tim Key on his very British new film and the US Office sequel
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan team up in a charming throwback sequel to the 2010 remake, with Ben Wang as the latest kid to don the bandana and learn the age-old secret of kicking ass with a dose of moral philosophy.
What our reviewer said 'It's warm, it's breezy – it's a burst of summery family fun that is sure to inspire long looks back at the old movies and Cobra Kai episodes while sparking renewed interest in martial arts apprenticeship. Anyone would get a kick out of it.' Andrew Lawrence
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Further reading Ralph Macchio on kicking it as The Karate Kid for 41 years
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Affecting drama based on Raynor Winn's memoir, in which Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs undertake a redemptive hike along the English south-west coast.
What our reviewer said 'Somehow, they all bring a real sense of meaning and truth to cheap-sounding messages about living in the moment, and the possibility of long-term relationships deepening and growing in ways impossible to predict.' Cath Clarke
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Further reading Walk on the wild side: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs on their epic hiking movie The Salt Path
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Complex relationship movie from French director Katell Quillévéré, focusing on the marriage of a single mother and closeted gay academic.
What our reviewer said 'The awful toxicity of love … is an underground stream that has become very much an overground stream in this new, heartfelt movie.' Peter Bradshaw
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Sky Cinema and Now; available now
Summed up in a sentence Jesse Armstrong's post-Succession uber-wealth satire about four plutocrats on a lodge weekend that goes awry when the planet descends into chaos.
What our reviewer said 'More than any comedy or even film I've seen recently, this is movie driven by the line-by-line need for fierce, nasty, funny punched-up stuff in the dialogue, and narrative arcs and character development aren't the point. But as with Succession, this does a really good job of persuading you that, yes, this is what our overlords are really like.' Peter Bradshaw
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Review by James Smart
Summed up in a sentence Her latest autofictional work finds the great graphic novelist exploring midlife contentment.
Our reviewer said 'Writing about herself from a greater fictional distance seems to have given Bechdel more room to have fun: dramas and mishaps unspool with a lightly comic charm that belies the darkness in the world outside.'
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Further reading Alison Bechdel: 'The Bechdel test was a joke… I didn't intend for it to become a real gauge'
Review by Blake Morrison
Summed up in a sentence Coming of age in 70s England.
Our reviewer said 'Toy soldiers, conker fights, fizzy drinks, Wall's ice-creams, chicken-in-a-basket pub lunches, swimming lessons (plus verrucas): Dyer's recall of period detail and brand names is exceptional.'
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Further reading Best seat in the house: writer Geoff Dyer on why sitting in a corner is so satisfying
Review by Arin Keeble
Summed up in a sentence Migration and heritage are explored through one woman's life, in 60s Italy and present-day Ireland.
Our reviewer said 'A powerful and beautifully written story of family, friendship and identity.'
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Further reading Novelist Sarah Moss: 'Hunger numbed my shame and humiliation'
Review by Stuart Jeffries
Summed up in a sentence A peek inside the seaborne world of the super-rich.
Our reviewer said 'It's not just how big your superyacht is, but what you put inside it. The latest fashions include Imax theatres, ski rooms where guests can suit up for a helicopter trip to a mountaintop, and hospital equipment.'
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Review by Kitty Drake
Summed up in a sentence A cultural history of female friendship.
Our reviewer said 'In this book, Watt Smith trawls through the archives to trace the history of imperfect, ordinary friends – who hurt and disappoint each other, but keep striving for connection regardless.'
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Further reading The big idea: should you dump your toxic friend?
Out 13 June
Summed up in a sentence Jazz artist Halvorson is one of the most exciting guitarists in North America. Her new album features one of her largest backing bands to date.
What our reviewer said 'Recently discussing Robert Wyatt in Jazzwise magazine, Halvorson said she loved his ability to blend 'the weird with the beautiful'. She wouldn't dream of it, but she could have been saying much the same of herself.'. John Fordham
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Further reading Jazz guitar 'genius' Mary Halvorson on cocktails, tarot and making music that combusts
Out now
Summed up in a sentence After the blockbuster success of Flowers, Cyrus clearly has carte blanche to do what she wants – and has billed her new album as psychedelic and healing.
What our reviewer said 'It's all about as psychedelic as a baked potato. But it's still all very well written and well made.' Alexis Petridis
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Out now
Summed up in a sentence This Scottish indie-folk artist has been creating some sizeable buzz around their spellbindingly beautiful voice and arrangements.
What our reviewer said 'These story songs – about youthful infatuation, reckless hedonism and one-sided obsession – are brittle and wounded, each zeroing in on a different strain of disappointment or heartache.' Shaad D'Souza
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Further reading One to watch: Jacob Alon
Out now
Summed up in a sentence Marking the 400th anniversary of the death of English pre-baroque composer Gibbons, this is a set of his works with a new piece by American composer Muhly at its centre.
What our reviewer said 'Muhly's composition, with its urgent string figures, contrasts beautifully with the flowing imitations of Gibbons' fantasias around it.' Andrew Clements
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O2 Academy, Glasgow; touring to 7 June
Summed up in a sentence On her first tour since 2018, the Walsall soul-R&B-garage singer shows off how adventurous her songcraft has become.
What our reviewer said 'Her searing, smoky voice is used sparingly to start, sometimes even drowned out by the power of the band's two drummers. But by Feelings, Smith drops the wall. She beams megawatt charisma through the track's lyrically chilly push-and-pull, and slinks between risers, glamorously at ease.'. Katie Hawthorne
Read the full review
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The Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island fans work out Harry's ‘real plan' after Helena is stunned to learn he kissed bombshell Yasmin three times
LOVE Island viewers believe they have worked out Harry's 'real plan' after he snogged Yasmin three times behind Helena's back. Helena was fuming to learn what had happened during last night's challenge, and wasted no time calling it quits with the footballer. 6 6 6 But now fans of the show reckon that Harry didn't lock lips with Yasmin because he wants to be with the brunette bombshell, but more because he wanted Helena to end their coupling as he has his sights set on Shakira. Speaking on reddit, one show devotee wrote: "Let's be honest, Harry never got over what he thought about Helena's lifestyle. Instead of ending it directly he wanted her to do it because he wanted to save face when he realised she heard what he said. They continued: "Let me be frank, When a boy thinks that about any girl they are never going to take them seriously. That is why he started messing around with Yasmin while still coupled up with Helena." And the theorist added that they believe he is playing the game to eventually work his way back to Shakira. They said: "Now that Shakira's in the picture, he's made it obvious that she's his priority but she was in the situation with Ben. Yasmin's basically been sidelined, and it's clear she was just a backup plan to keep him in the villa. "If Helena's lifestyle was an issue for him, Yasmin's boldness probably is too, he just hasn't vocalised it. He's playing the long game and was using people to buy time to get onto Shakira or the next bombshell." There certainly appeared to be something in this fan's intuition after Harry's behaviour in last night's episode. After his kisses with Yasmin were exposed, Helena ended things and he wasn't seen talking to Yasmin again. He did, however, make a beeline for Shakira, who called time on her time with Ben last night. "I wanted to see how you were feeling because I think initially you were number one for me and I kind of f***ed it," he said. Love Island first look: Are Harry and Shakira back on the cards? "It's not even like the pickle I have got in with Helena. I just don't think I would do the things I do if it was you because I know you wouldn't stand for it, Shakira then replied: "It was you and it still is you but it's your behaviour for me that I can't tolerate. "Obviously it's not with me, which is fair, but if you ever did treat me like that, it would just be a f****** waste of time because I would never stand for it, ever." Harry went on to say: "It would be different if we were coupled up and I was getting to know people, I wouldnt have done it. 6 6 6 "I have got away with so much with Helena already, I can just keep getting away with it, kind of thing." In the same reddit post, other fans agreed he likes Shakira but warned he will have eyes for lots of the Casa Amor beauties. One said: "Please, he'll be cracking on in Casa Amor. He likes Shakira for sure but not enough to stop him being a bit of a man s**g lol." A second agreed, chiming in: "If he's like this now I can't imagine casa." Meanwhile a third weighed in, with more words of warning for Shakira. "He wants Shakira, but he only wants her because she's the one who pied him at the beginning and he wants to prove he can get her," they said. "If she thinks he will treat her differently, she is in for a shock."
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC must not show Kneecap at Glastonbury says Kemi Badenoch after member of Irish rap group was charged with carrying Hezbollah flag
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said she thinks the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury Festival next week. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. The 27-year-old arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning following the alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London. Ms Badenoch said in the X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' The Tory leader has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. Kneecap took aim at Ms Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London's Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss. On Wednesday, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in 'Free Mo Chara' T-shirts. Og O hAnnaidh wore sunglasses, a black t-shirt, trousers and black jacket and held a Keffiyeh - a type of shawl often worn by supporters of the pro-Palestine movement. The members then walked up the stairs of the court and looked over the balcony, smiling and giving a thumbs up to their supporters gathered outside. Members of the crowd had surged around the entrance, with some also entering the lobby. During the proceedings, the court heard the 27-year-old is 'well within his rights' to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum is a 'wholly different thing'. O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20. He requested an Irish language interpreter for the trial. Following the hearing, the rapper said: 'For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. 'If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September. 'But most importantly: free, free Palestine.' Speaking outside the court, a spokesperson for the band said: 'Over 18 countries, 100,000 fans, 80 concerts, not a single complaint. 'Around the world Kneecap are hailed as heroes for speaking truth to power. 'The truth was outed. This was a rushed prosecution following the Coachella performance where Kneecap did not shy away from speaking truth to power. 'Oppression fears the freedom of expression but the reality is Kneecap would stand up to the freedom of expresssion and they will defend their rights. Not only the rights of them but the rights of artists and people all around the world. 'And it's not new for Irish people to be prosecuted under special powers and terrorism acts. But friends, fans, family do not be afraid we are on the right side of history 'The more they come after Kneecap the louder we will get. If the British Government had any sense of history they will know they have already lost.' The charge came after a counter terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light, which also allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs. In April, Kneecap apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. In an initial post in response to the charge, Kneecap said: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.'
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Stephanie Davis appears to confirm split with boyfriend Joe McKalroy in emotional new post
STEPHANIE Davis appears to have confirmed she's split with her boyfriend Joe McKalroy in an emotional new post. Coronation Street star Stephanie and her boyfriend Joseph McKalroy welcomed their son Samuel in January. 6 6 6 However, the Sun sadly reported that the couple - who got together in 2022 - allegedly parted ways ahead of Father's Day. Stephanie failed to mention her baby's dad Joseph in her emotional post on social media on the honoured day. And instead she shared a photograph alongside her own father, alongside a touching tribute. Now, in a new emotional video, which shows her j ourney with her baby, Stephanie hasn't mentioned Joe again. And she appears to suggest that's is just her and the kids now. Especially with the poignant line "Everything I do is for you and your brother and I will always be here every single day for you, cheering you on." Stephanie captioned the adorable video: "This Day 5 months ago you came into this world. "Only 5 months old today ( I know he's still a tiny baby) It's crazy to think he's not been out in this world as long as he was in my tummy. "From nearly losing you in the beginning, the worst pregnancy, I couldn't walk with pelvic girdle trapped in the house for months & months. "A terrible birth, then lifting doing every night feed lifting after a C-section , then your breathing episodes which was the scariest time of my life, it's been a long hard traumatic road. "But here you are thriving my miracle my rainbow, my world. "Everything I do is for you and your brother and I will always be here every single day for you, cheering you on. "I'm so lucky getting to watch you grow every single day by your side into the most beautiful little boy. "It's so sad I don't have many photos of me and you bar selfies I've taken, but from now on I'll make sure we have many together. "You will always be my priority. I love you baby." The former Hollyoaks star previously revealed the birth was "tough" and they suffered a scary ordeal at the start of April when Samuel stopped breathing. The traumatic episode left him requiring hospital treatment. Joe and Stephanie welcomed their son at the beginning of the year following a devastating miscarriage in 2022 at three months pregnant. Speaking about their loss, she explained: "The anxiety, the heartbreak and the sadness we have gone through was horrendous. "Me and Joe were so excited and already had visioned and planned a life with our family of four. "I was already looking at what I was doing for my baby shower. "You think when you get further on like I was that everything will be ok, so it was a big shock." Reality TV star Stephanie also shares her son Caben with former Celebrity Big Brother star Jeremy McConnell. 6 6 6
