Latest news with #Hammersmith
Time Out
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
‘Grenfell: Uncovered' interview: ‘This community lost so much and got so little back'
The biggest residential fire since the Blitz broke out in Grenfell tower on June 14, 2017. Few Londoners can have shaken off the memory of the North Kensington high-rise blazing through the night as firefighters worked desperately – and fruitlessly – to subdue it. 'I was on holiday in Thailand at the time,' remembers Grenfell: Uncovered director Olaide Sadiq. 'The news [chyron] had 'fire in London' on it, but I didn't think it was real. I didn't understand how it was even possible that this had happened.' When she got back to the UK, the filmmaker discovered that she knew one of the victims of the fire – 'Her face was popping up in group chats as missing' – which added a personal dimension to the disaster. Eight years on, her documentary about the fire is both poignant and enraging. None of the responsible parties is let off the hook – cladding manufacturers like Arconic, bureaucrats like Hammersmith and Fulham Council, and politicians alike – but the deeper story is one of resilience and misplaced trust. 'This was the biggest residential fire in Britain since the Blitz,' says Sadiq. 'You expect this kind of devastation at war, but you don't expect it in the middle of the night when people are sleeping.' You speak to a lot of traumatised people in the film. How did you approach those interviews? With respect and care. A lot of the Grenfell community have been poked and prodded for a long time, and there's a lot of trauma in everyone that's been affected by the story. We had to make it as safe a space as possible. The interviews were still the hardest I've ever done. You interrogate the companies behind the cladding products. How challenging was that aspect of the film? Yeah, the corporate side of things was complicated and eye-opening. A lot of people didn't want to speak to us, and understandably so, but everyone was given an opportunity to respond. But I'm very aware there's an ongoing criminal investigation, so I wasn't expecting anyone to welcome us with open arms. Are you concerned that a fire like this could happen again? Yeah, I think I am. We've had cladding fires since Grenfell: there was a fatal cladding fire in Valencia last year, and another one in Dagenham, where luckily there were no fatalities. I have to think that it's possible that it will happen again. Hopefully, the response will be different. The Prime Minister at the time, Theresa May, famously failed to meet Grenfell survivors. How did you get her to talk in the film? The decision to talk to us was quick; the decision to be on camera was slower. Regardless of people's political affiliations and opinions, I think it was quite brave [of her]. She wanted to own what she did and didn't do. She was happy to own that on camera, and we gave her the opportunity to do that. I respected that. What does this story say about the country that we live in? Great question. That we place a lot of trust in those that are meant to look after us. It showed me that this country is sometimes hesitant to change, but hopefully this film will spark real conversations about change. It's what the people affected by Grenfell want. Accountability, as well. You must have had two audiences in mind: the Grenfell survivors groups and those who were less familiar with the story? The story is not finished for [the Grenfell groups]. They are still waiting for what the Met Police decides to do. They're hoping [the film] brings more awareness to their story. We want it to ignite real conversation about what happened and what people want to happen next. There's still a lot of buildings with flammable cladding on them. What did you learn about Londoners making this film? I felt a sense of closeness within the community, but a sadness to it. I've always felt relatively safe living in London. What working on this showed me is that there's times it isn't safe – but in a way that you're not expecting. If you go down a dark alley in the middle of the night, you might expect something bad to happen to you, but they went to bed and woke up in the middle of night with their building on fire. That's the biggest violation of safety most people could experience. What binds the survivors together? Resilience. We spoke to very young people, we spoke to grandparents, and across the board there was a sense of resilience that I was astounded by. I was breaking down just reading the witness statements – it was harrowing. I couldn't imagine how people could get up and go after that. There was such resilience and strength in the community that lost so much and got so little back. The community lost so much and got so little back How do you cope with watching this harrowing footage, day after day? It was very difficult. It was really hard to watch some of the footage – some of it was too harrowing to use. I went for walks and listened to cheesy music, but there were people there to support us as well. I had to make sure I wasn't always sitting with the images.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Celebrated author Hanif Kureishi, 70, marries Italian 20 years his junior after he was confined to a wheelchair
His talent and appetite for mocking bourgeois pieties have been evident since his debut screenplay in 1984, My Beautiful Launderette, which earned him an Oscar nomination and propelled its star, Daniel Day-Lewis, to international attention. But finally, at the age of 70, Hanif Kureishi, whose first novel, The Buddha of Suburbia, managed to outrage his own sister, seems ready to embrace convention. This week, I can disclose, he married – for the first time – many years after fathering twin boys by one lover, Tracey Scoffield, and another son by Monique Proudlove, the younger woman for whom he abandoned Scoffield. Indeed, such is Kureishi's new-found enthusiasm for the institution of marriage, he talked about it in front of an audience at the British Library at the weekend while in conversation with author Monisha Rajesh. 'I have never tried it,' reflected Kureishi, speaking from the wheelchair to which he is now confined since breaking his neck in a fall in 2022. 'So I am going to try it on Monday. I am getting married in London in Hammersmith near my house so I can go round in my wheelchair.' His bride is Isabella d'Amico, an Italian 20 years his junior with whom he has shared his life since 2012. Unable to hold a pen, or a glass or 'fiddle with a phone or use a computer', Kureishi explained that there will always be three in the marriage – even when he and Isabella are at home, having supper. 'A full-time carer is sitting there with us, and she will be there every night forever,' reflected Kureishi, adding that the accident, and its consequences, continue to be 'mind-blowing and traumatic and painful to absorb. Isabella was saying last night I was asleep but screaming and shouting all night. The horror of what happened doesn't go away.' Revealing that his account of the accident and its aftermath, Shattered, is being turned into a film, Kureishi offered evidence that his trademark humour has survived. 'I wanted Brad Pitt to play me,' he told the audience, to laughter. 'They thought he was a bit young for the part.' What has 'really changed', Kureishi added, was his relationship with other people – a detail which might intrigue an ex-girlfriend who said that Kureishi's second screenplay, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, ought to have been entitled: 'Hanif Gets Paid, Sally Gets Exploited'. The relationship, Kureishi said, 'became much deeper and my need became greater, and they responded to my need for love from them'. Let's hope that that includes his new Italian mother-in-law. Once, on the phone, she asked Kureishi what he was doing. Watching The Sopranos, came the reply – 'to learn about your people and their background...' Fearne gets her sparkle back partying in Ibiza Fearne Cotton, who announced her separation from her husband Jesse Wood earlier this year, is determined to recapture her youth. The 43-year-old TV presenter shared a series of vibrant snaps from the celebration on Instagram on Tuesday The former presenter, 43, has been enjoying 'relentless' revelling on the Spanish party island of Ibiza. 'My cup is full, and I need some sleep,' she wrote next to this photo with her hands in the air while wearing a sequin mini dress. Fearne, who prides herself on living a life dedicated to wellness, was seen kissing TV director Elliot Hegarty, 53, 11 weeks after announcing her break-up. They were said to have been secretly dating since January, after her split from Wood. Florence pours pints for punters Florence Pugh was spotted pouring pints for customers in a London pub last week, after the Oppenheimer star had appeared in a music video for pop star Yungblud. The actress, 29, can certainly afford a round or two. Newly published figures for the performing arts company into which she channels her earnings, Flo Pug, disclose that it made a £1.2 million profit in the year to last August. It takes accumulated earnings held by her in the business to £3.9 million. Monty Python star say's he 'doesn't need' royal honour Michael Palin accepted a knighthood, but his fellow Monty Python star John Cleese has rejected several honours. 'I simply don't need that sort of validation,' Cleese declares. 'It's enough for me to know that I've helped people through difficult times by making them laugh. 'They come home, turn on Fawlty Towers and the world doesn't seem quite so bleak. That's my reward.' He adds: 'Also, look at those men who have turned down awards and titles: David Bowie, Michael Frayn... I have respect for them.' What an honour for little Kidd! Model-turned-make-up artist Jemma Kidd and Marquess of Douror Arthur Wellesley ended their 16-year marriage in 2021, but they had something to reunite them this week: Their youngest was a Page of Honour to King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Order of the Garter service in Windsor. Alfred Wellesley, ten, helped carry the heavy train of King Charles's robe at the St George's Chapel service. Alfred's relations have strong links to the Windsors, shown yesterday by the presence of his grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Wellington, in the Royal Procession at Ascot, alongside Princess Anne. Sir David wins out after a barny with his Cotswolds neighbours Newly knighted Sir David Beckham, October's guest editor of Country Life magazine, has won a row with his neighbours over plans for a barn at his £6 million Cotswolds estate. He and Victoria, or Lady Beckham, applied to West Oxfordshire District Council to build a 'storage barn for hay or straw and agricultural equipment', prompting some complaints from locals. Now, planners have provided a 'prior determination notification' which confirms that the former England footballer is permitted to build the barn. Ringo's small jibe at Daltrey After his chaotic departure from The Who – he was fired, reinstated and fired again – drummer Zak Starkey confirms his father, Sir Ringo Starr, is no fan of the band's frontman, Sir Roger Daltrey. Though Zak says he personally holds no grudges against the singer, knighted in the King's Birthday Honours, he claims Beatle Ringo said: 'I've never liked the way that little man runs that band.' Ringo is 5ft 7in to Roger's 5ft 5in.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Murder accused shot cousin and injured brother after wake row, court told
A man has appeared in court accused of shooting to death his cousin and injuring his brother following a row at a wake. Jahmel Joseph, 28, allegedly shot Jordan Rodney, 30, in the eye and also blasted his brother Omar Joseph in the head and hand after an earlier falling out at a family gathering for a younger relative in Hammersmith, west London, on June 11. The victims had been standing outside the address when an attacker armed with a sawn-off shotgun arrived on a motorbike, the Old Bailey was told. At 11.17pm, the gunman opened fire on the two men at 'point-blank range', the court was told. Omar Joseph, who is in his 30s, moved his head as he was shot, narrowly avoiding more serious harm, prosecutor Fiona Robertson said. Mr Rodney was taken to hospital where he died the next day. Hours after the shooting, a red Mercedes car linked to the defendant activated a traffic camera and police officers tried to detain him, the court was told. A high-speed chase followed in which the defendant collided with pedestrians and cyclists before crashing, it is claimed. The defendant, carrying a black bag, is alleged to had fled on foot through neighbouring gardens but was eventually arrested in Tolson Road in Isleworth, Hounslow, at 8.23am on June 12. Residents pointed police towards a discarded bag which contained the alleged murder weapon, a double-barrelled shotgun which had been shortened at both ends. Joseph, of Eaton Rise, Ealing, west London, was charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of a prohibited weapon and dangerous driving. He appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing before Judge Judy Khan KC. The judge set a plea hearing on September 2 and a provisional three-week trial from October 20 before remanding Joseph into custody. Members of the victims' family sat in court for the short hearing during which the defendant spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. In an earlier statement, Mr Rodney's family said: 'It is with unimaginable heartbreak that we confirm the tragic loss of our beloved Jordan Olivier Rodney, who was taken from us far too soon. 'Jordan was a man who touched the lives of everyone who knew him. He was warm, funny, and loving. Always quick with a smile or a joke that could brighten the dark day. 'His kindness, generosity, and humour left a lasting impression on friends and family alike. Our son, brother, uncle, and friend was so much more than the circumstances of his death. He brought joy to our lives every single day, and his absence leaves a hole that can never be filled.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Man killed in Hammersmith double shooting named and pictured for the first time
A man who died following a double shooting in Hammersmith has been named as Jordan Oliver Rodney from Northolt. Police were called to Claxton Grove at 11.19pm on Tuesday, June 11, following reports of gunfire. Officers arrived to find two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were taken to hospital. READ MORE: Claxton Grove, Hammersmith shooting: Murder suspect arrested Tragically, 30-year-old Rodney died from his injuries the following day (June 12). A post-mortem examination has since been carried out. The second victim, also in his 30s, has been discharged from hospital. Jahmel Joseph, 28, of Eaton Rise, Ealing, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of a prohibited weapon, and dangerous driving. He appeared in custody at Bromley Magistrates' Court on Saturday, July 14, and has been remanded to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, July 18. In a statement, Mr Rodney's family said: 'It is with unimaginable heartbreak that we confirm the tragic loss of our beloved Jordan Olivier Rodney, who was taken from us far too soon. 'Jordan was a man who touched the lives of everyone who knew him. 'He was warm, funny, and loving. 'Always quick with a smile or a joke that could brighten the dark day. 'His kindness, generosity, and humour left a lasting impression on friends and family alike. 'Our son, brother, uncle, and friend was so much more than the circumstances of his death. 'He brought joy to our lives every single day, and his absence leaves a hole that can never be filled. 'We will remember Jordie for the love he shared so freely, the laughter he inspired, and the way he made us all feel seen and valued. 'We ask for privacy as we grieve this devastating loss and whilst we work to come to terms with what has happened. 'We are eternally grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this incredibly difficult time.'
Telegraph
12-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Tourist hordes are destroying my beloved Notting Hill
We have to repaint our house in Notting Hill. (Bear with me. This will not be paint drying, I promise.) When we bought it in 1992, it was a splotchy pink, like drying plaster, as was the one next door. These houses have always matched, the only two on the quiet street. When I was at secondary school in Hammersmith, I'd cycle past them every day, having dragged my bike from the festering bin cupboard in the basement of my mother's flat on the corner of Ladbroke Grove. I'd hurtle down Elgin Crescent and would always look up at these two houses on the rise, surrounded by communal gardens on all sides. Their setting was operatic, romantic, and unattainable. 'I will live there one day,' a voice in my head would tell me, aged 16. Fast forward 10 years, and I am pregnant with my first child, and living in a bijou blue-painted cottage in Hillgate Village behind Notting Hill Gate tube station with my soon-to-be husband, and house-hunting. He drives me to Clapham, and Camberwell, and explains how much bang we will get for our buck if we leave Notting Hill. He drives me to a fine townhouse on the common with a 'wealth of period features'. My only knowledge of Clapham, Balham, Stockwell or Kennington was going to friends' house parties there, an experience always tinged with that anxiety that no cabbie would go south of the river after midnight, and panic that I couldn't afford a black cab anyway (I should say now that my son rents in Clapham and loves it and most of my day is spent sending him links to starter properties in Ladbroke Grove which he refuses to acknowledge). We drove back north in silence. I was being entitled and obstinate. I am entitled and obstinate. In fact, I think it was during that drive that I made my position clear: I'm sure there were wonderful houses all over London, I said, but he should know that there were only three streets I was prepared to live in: Elgin Crescent, Lansdowne Road and Clarendon Road, all in W11. It all sounds beyond spoilt written down. But I wanted to remain as close as possible to my mother, who had Parkinson's disease. I knew this decision – where to buy the family house – would be life-defining. It was like Eminem's Lose Yourself. I knew I had one shot to seize everything I had ever wanted in one moment of house purchase. My husband has never forgotten this little speech, as I had no money and wasn't buying the house and he was (my sole contribution was the baby, and then the Aga, if not in that order). 'All was quiet on the western front until that film' And then this house came up – from where I write this now. One of the pink pair. There was a printing press in the basement. It was falling down, and uninsurable until it was underpinned. It was beyond our budget. But we (by that I mean 'he') pushed the boat out and bought it. It was not so much manifestation, I think, or my magical thinking – it was determination. That was 1992. We camped in my mother-in-law's flat (in Lansdowne Road, so that was OK) while it was being done up and had the baby there and moved in some time the year after. We moved out for the underpinning and had two more babies and all was quiet on the western front until that film. In 1999, Notting Hill the movie came out, and life has never been the same since. It didn't help that Hugh Grant jumped over the garden gate saying 'whoops-a-daisy' yards from my actual front door (when tourists come knocking, my husband, Ivo, always tells them, pointing far, far away from our house, 'Ah no, no, ha ha! It's not THIS GARDEN; it's over there!'). It didn't help that at the time, there really was an excellent travel bookshop in Blenheim Crescent, and a blue doorway where Rhys Ifans twirled for the paps in his Y-fronts. The film turned the W11 postcode (the sort that estate agents called 'desirable' – that is, it was the sort of hood where media moguls rubbed shoulders with Notting Hill Tories such as David Cameron and George Osborne – and 'vibrant' – that is, everyone had a dope dealer) into a destination. After that film, it was a bit bankers-goes-the-neighbourhood. It felt like that nice Richard Curtis had turned our home, our neighbourhood, into a theme park... for everyone else. I didn't help, either. I wrote a semi-autobiographical novel called Notting Hell (Penguin, 2006), whose main character, Mimi, i.e. me, was married to a man called Ralph, a moth-eaten Old Etonian, i.e. Ivo, who was more trout stream than fast lane. My sequel, Shire Hell, had Mimi and Ralph downsizing for Dorset, and then, finally, there was Fresh Hell, when Mimi and family return to London, but can't afford Notting Hill and relocate to Queen's Park. I had to provide a detailed glossary for all the US editions, so 'the Slut and Legless' was the Slug and Lettuce, a pub favoured by antipodean drinkers; Ribena, Babington House and so on are all in there. 'Hugh Grant woke me up at 6am every morning' Interesting residential detail: Hugh Grant moved to Elgin Crescent for a few years. He was filming Paddington 2. He'd park his red Ferrari outside my house. Every morning at 6am, he'd rev the backfiring engine and wake me up as he roared off to the studios. Despite my man-sized crush on him I'd complain every time I saw him. He applied successfully to join the tennis club up the road ('the single most humiliating experience of my adult life,' he reported afterwards – and that was not just because he was paired to 'play in' with the editor of Private Eye, an organ that has had its fun with our most clever, funny and handsome actor over the years). Then the Grants left, which was a shame, as I don't think he even played once at the club. 'I missed the superficiality of Fulham,' he explained. The bookshop and the blue doorway have long gone, too, and my mother died in 2021 (having lived cheek by jowl with me, I'm glad to say, for the rest of her life), but still the hordes of tourists and, now increasingly, these mysterious, pointless influencers, come, to pose against the blossom and the ice-cream-coloured houses, even though the film was made almost 30 years ago. The locals are understandably fed up. The Japanese girls come with suitcases of clothes and lighting and set up camp on their doorsteps for the TikToks, to the extent that some locals are now painting their houses black to put them off. When Notting Hillers have to repaint (as we do), we are being encouraged to deter over-tourism and the scourge of the influencers by painting our houses black. 'It's clear that the bright and contrasting house colours are a major draw for photographs for social media accounts,' a letter seen by the London Standard has reported. Will I paint it black? As things stand, the house is a yellowy off-white, a bit like English teeth. I'd love to go for an ice cream colour, but I don't think my minimalist neighbours would ever agree to one, so it's going to be the stone tones of Farrow & Ball's Clunch or String, I expect. Second interesting property detail: Richard Curtis, who cast Hugh Grant, of course, in That Film, lived up the road, with his now wife, Emma Freud, for decades. Now the man who put Notting Hill on the tourist map has moved to Hampstead, but I'm staying put. It's feet first for me.
