Whether it’s a thriller, a thought-provoking romance, or a non-fiction read you’re after, there’ll be something here for anyone! Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Despite being better known for Gone Girl, it’s my opinion that Sharp Objects is Flynn’s best novel by a country mile. It’s dark and visceral, and one of the only...
Read More
The tropes, tricks, and traits of silent comedy have echoed through the decades of Hollywood from the 1930s to present day. Films like Christmas-cult-classic Home Alone, childhood cartoon classic Tom and Jerry, and the comedic genius of Saturday Night Live (SNL) are all by-products of the evolution of silent comedy...
Read More
A recent Big Brother episode, where a contestant named Ali Bromley wore a shirt with a watermelon design, has sparked a new wave of controversy. The watermelon symbol—which has been used to signify support for the Palestinian cause—was edited out shortly after the episode’s first release in an apparent display...
Read More
In the ever-growing world of influencers across social media, it’s easy to fall prey to niche trends, suddenly finding your feed filled with almost identical content, often making it hard to distinguish between the thousands of creators. The fitness world of social media is no different, with videos for every...
Read More
British pop culture’s favourite well-mannered ursine, Paddington Brown, has become ever more beloved in recent years. Director Paul King’s 2014 and 2017 screen adaptations of the character, who first appeared in Michael Bond’s 1958 children’s book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’, proved instant family classics, with Paddington 2 at one point...
Read More
Dry January took on a more literal meaning this morning after a burst pipe left hundreds of students in Leamington Spa without running water. A notice sent out by water company Severn Trent at around 7am acknowledged reports of “no supply, low pressure, or discoloured water”, which it subsequently attributed...
Read More
With 2025 upon us, many people may have already set themselves New Year’s resolutions to achieve. But now, in the midst of January, fighting those winter blues and feeling the pressure of reaching New Year’s goals may seem too overwhelming. Resolutions can be motivating for the year ahead, but some...
Read More
Via a treacherous and ill-advised bike ride, I arrived at the New Windmill Ground to see Leamington FC take on visitors Chester in a Tuesday night fixture in the Vanarama National League North. For the uninitiated, this is the sixth tier of English football. The home side are nicknamed The...
Read More
The tragic events at the Magdeburg Christmas market on December 20 2024, in which five people, including a nine-year-old child, lost their lives and over two hundred others were injured, were met with an immediate media and political response that followed an all-too-familiar pattern. In the early hours after the...
Read More
The decision to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016 has had profound and wide-ranging economic consequences for the United Kingdom. While the promise of new freedoms and opportunities was a key driver for the Leave campaign, the reality in 2024 paints a different picture, one of significant economic costs...
Read More
Operation Varsity Blues was the single largest college admissions scandal to face the United States, with over 40 people indicted in a scheme that involved students gaining entrance to undergraduate programs at elite schools. William Rick Singer, the man who orchestrated the scheme, used the conceptual ‘side door’ to get...
Read More
On January 5 2025, the Golden Globes were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and were broadcast live on CBS. The Golden Globe Awards are an annual ceremony to celebrate excellence in international film and television. They are one of the most prestigious awards in this field, with the ceremony...
Read More
In my last column article, I expressed the necessity of learning how to write before you begin to pen your story. Though seemingly obvious, I neglected this in my haste to start writing – I subsequently kicked myself for it. This week, I am going to offer suggestions of how...
Read More