Latest news with #TobyJones
South Wales Argus
6 days ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
A look back at the Newport Ship: Remembering the timbers
Archaeologists have spent years drying and restoring the wooden skeleton of the 15th-century ship, which was uncovered in the muddy banks of the Usk in 2002 close to where the Riverfront is now. The return of the ship to Newport offered the city a chance to bring in "generations" of tourists and money, capitalising on the historical importance of the ship which is believed to have carried out trade between Britain and the Iberian peninsula. The Friends of Newport Ship The campaign to preserve the ship Crowds when the ship was discovered in 2022 Crowds when the ship was discovered in 2022 Curator Toby Jones and a model of the ship, pictured in 2012 Kelsey Dronfield, pictured at an open day in 2012 The panels of the Newport Ship Jean Gray (left) of the Friends of Newport Ship An artist's reconstruction of Newport when the Newport Ship was sailing, by Anne Leave and Bob Trett's Jean Gray (right) of the Friends of Newport Ship A French coin from 1447 found in the Newport Ship The excavation of the Newport Ship Crowds when the Newport Ship was discovered in 2002 The timbers from the Newport Ship The timbers from the Newport Ship The excavation of the Newport Ship
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Richard Wilson's fantastic King Lear is proof that the BBC should be doing more Shakespeare
According to the actor Jonathan Pryce, you should play Lear while your back can still handle it. Pryce played the octogenarian king when he was a mere 65, and still put his back out staggering onstage with Cordelia in his arms. Drama on 4: King Lear (Radio 4, Sunday) gave us a satisfying reminder that radio drama can reach the places other mediums can't, as the 89-year-old Richard Wilson took on the role – becoming the oldest British actor to do so in the process. When he staggers on with Cordelia in Sunday's concluding part, Wilson's back will be safe. Clive Brill's production, while relatively no-frills, is a treat, as well as being a potential blueprint for BBC radio drama. Wilson is the eye-catching name at the top of the bill, but the undercard isn't too shabby either – Toby Jones as Gloucester, David Tennant as Edmund, Greta Scacchi as Goneril, Tamsin Greig as Regan. Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis adds interstitial howls from his bow, which begin a little overbearing but grow in stature as the play increases in intensity. Among the less starry cast, Trevor Fox's Geordie Fool stands out. However, it is Wilson that this production will be judged on. His Lear is a slow-burn, beginning, as he vaingloriously beseeches his daughters to shower him with sycophancy in return for a share of the kingdom, in a stubbornly low gear. It is a little jarring at first, with Lear sounding mildly peeved rather than furious at Cordelia's refusal to play ball. 'Come not between a dragon and his wrath,' he says, sounding more like a sleepy guard dog lazing in the sun. While it's sensible not to start Lear at too high a pitch – he has some serious emotional mountains to climb later – I was, in those very early scenes, left wanting a bit more p--s and vinegar from Wilson. His stolid, pompous statesman act felt like it was going to be overshadowed by Tennant's duplicitous bastard (in every sense of the word) Edmund. Tennant gave the listener a fairground ride of an opening soliloquy ('Why brand they us / With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?') and his slippery chameleon act was matched by an emotionally raw performance from Jones, who reacted to Edgar's invented betrayal with the sort of passion previously missing from Wilson. Perhaps Wilson was to play an anchor role next to the pyrotechnics from his younger castmates. I was, like Lear, too quick to rush judgement and gradually Wilson's haughty, dismissive old king began to take a grip on proceedings. His Lear is a man who has grown used to hearing no dissent, to having his every whim catered to. When things do not go his way, he does not get angry (at first), because he does not need to – he'll still win. At the point Cordelia 'betrays' him, his reaction is not hot anger, but a surprised disappointment followed by a swift execution. He is vain, thin-skinned, completely in love with his own power, and unwilling to brook any kind of dissent or believe the cards will not fall for him. 'Fetch me a better answer,' he says when Regan and Goneril will not meet him. There is, yes, something very Trumpian about this Lear. If there's a sense that Wilson is saving something up for the more explosive events of this weekend's instalment, that's understandable, but it's tricky to truly give a verdict on his Lear before he has wandered the heath and delivered the most memorable lines ('Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!', 'Howl, howl, howl, howl!', 'I don't believe it!' etc). Yet what a pleasure it is to hear him, age 89, delivering the words that presumably he'd long given up imagining he would. The production is also a salute to the power of the older actor – Matthew Marsh (Kent) is 70, Scacchi is 65, Jones and Greig are 58. Yet that cast is significant for another reason – put this production on in the West End, with the same actors, and you'd be paying more than £100 to sit behind a pillar or peer at them dimly from the upper circle. With theatre pricing becoming increasingly eye-watering, the BBC has a chance to remind everyone (ahead of charter renewal) of its essential place in British culture. With the Corporation's sway and reputation, they could put a star-name Shakespeare on once a month, or even once a week, increasing access beyond those who can justify the exorbitant West End fees. Not only can BBC radio drama save Wilson's back, it can save something that should be coursing through the nation's veins.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Toby Jones performs Portrait of a Romantic by ASJ Tessimond
The actor reads a poem in memory of his father, who knew many poems by heart. The film is part of a series to mark Celebration Day 2025 – a new annual moment, held on the last bank holiday Monday of May, to honour and celebrate those who have shaped our lives but are no longer with us. Directed by Oliver Parker at Abbey Road Studios, curated by Allie Esiri and published exclusively by the Guardian. On Celebration Day, join in by sharing your memories using #ShareYourStar 'He lived inside poetry': Toby Jones and Helena Bonham Carter perform poems in memory of lost loved ones Asa Butterfield performs The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry – video
Leader Live
26-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Post office: Sir Alan Bates says compensation scheme ‘unfair'
The former North Wales subpostmaster, who has campaigned for justice for colleagues, added that he has been offered compensation which he said amounts to less than half of his original claim. Writing in the Sunday Times, the 70-year-old said: 'The subpostmaster compensation schemes have been turned into quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses. 'Claims are, and have been, knocked back on the basis that legally you would not be able to make them, or that the parameters of the scheme do not extend to certain items.' More than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Many are still awaiting compensation despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts. The group litigation order (GLO) scheme was set up to achieve redress for the 555 claimants who took the Post Office to the High Court between 2017 and 2019. But Sir Alan, who was portrayed by actor Toby Jones in ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, said promises that compensation schemes would be 'non-legalistic' had turned out to be 'worthless'. He has also called for an independent body to be created to deliver compensation schemes for this and similar public sector scandals. Under the GLO, claimants can take a fixed sum of £75,000 or seek their own settlement. If there are disputes in individual cases, they are referred to an independent panel for review. Postmasters can also seek a final view from Sir Ross Cranston, a former High Court judge, if they believe the panel has got it wrong. Sir Alan was knighted last year for his services to justice, having founded the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA). Last month, he sent an email to members of his group, calling on victims to take the Government to court over delays to financial redress, adding that a judicial review would 'probably be the quickest way to ensure fairness for all'. It is understood that 80% of postmasters in Sir Alan's group have accepted a full and final redress or been paid most of their offer. A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said: 'We pay tribute to all the postmasters who've suffered from this scandal, including Sir Alan for his tireless campaign for justice, and we have quadrupled the total amount paid to postmasters since entering government. 'We recognise there will be an absence of evidence given the length of time which has passed, and we therefore aim to give the benefit of the doubt to postmasters as far as possible. Anyone unhappy with their offer can have their case reviewed by a panel of experts, which is independent of the Government.'
North Wales Chronicle
25-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Post office: Sir Alan Bates says compensation scheme ‘unfair'
The former North Wales subpostmaster, who has campaigned for justice for colleagues, added that he has been offered compensation which he said amounts to less than half of his original claim. Writing in the Sunday Times, the 70-year-old said: 'The subpostmaster compensation schemes have been turned into quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses. 'Claims are, and have been, knocked back on the basis that legally you would not be able to make them, or that the parameters of the scheme do not extend to certain items.' More than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Many are still awaiting compensation despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts. The group litigation order (GLO) scheme was set up to achieve redress for the 555 claimants who took the Post Office to the High Court between 2017 and 2019. But Sir Alan, who was portrayed by actor Toby Jones in ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, said promises that compensation schemes would be 'non-legalistic' had turned out to be 'worthless'. He has also called for an independent body to be created to deliver compensation schemes for this and similar public sector scandals. Under the GLO, claimants can take a fixed sum of £75,000 or seek their own settlement. If there are disputes in individual cases, they are referred to an independent panel for review. Postmasters can also seek a final view from Sir Ross Cranston, a former High Court judge, if they believe the panel has got it wrong. Sir Alan was knighted last year for his services to justice, having founded the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA). Last month, he sent an email to members of his group, calling on victims to take the Government to court over delays to financial redress, adding that a judicial review would 'probably be the quickest way to ensure fairness for all'. It is understood that 80% of postmasters in Sir Alan's group have accepted a full and final redress or been paid most of their offer. A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said: 'We pay tribute to all the postmasters who've suffered from this scandal, including Sir Alan for his tireless campaign for justice, and we have quadrupled the total amount paid to postmasters since entering government. 'We recognise there will be an absence of evidence given the length of time which has passed, and we therefore aim to give the benefit of the doubt to postmasters as far as possible. Anyone unhappy with their offer can have their case reviewed by a panel of experts, which is independent of the Government.'
