How radical is the new biopic?
Nicholas Barber Features correspondent Number 9 Films Keira Knightley stars as Colette in the film about a taboo-busting writer. Does it match the brio of its subject? She might have been born in the late 19th Century, but Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette is a heroine for our times: a fearless, creative woman who challenged the patriarchy in […]
Tredegar volunteers help hundreds of people
Cymru Creations Philip Dobbs is one of the people who has been helped by community volunteers When retired steelworker Phillip Dobbs started self-isolating in Tredegar during the coronavirus lockdown, he had nobody to turn to for help. A relative in Birmingham was so concerned they notified the police. It was then they put him in […]
The eerie emptiness of ‘Britain’s Area 51’
Mark Piesing Features correspondent Geography Photos/Getty Images Orford Ness, on England’s east coast, is still steeped in secrecy following the work done there during two World Wars and the Cold War (Credit: Geography Photos/Getty Images) Orford Ness is now one of Britain’s most protected natural landscapes. For decades, however, it was the hidden nerve centre […]
Are Christmas parties being cancelled over Omicron?
A pattern is forming over no-shows at Christmas parties because of a fear of Covid, a restaurateur has said. Chris Seager, who runs Seagers Restaurant in Gorseinon, in Swansea, said the festive period was “lucrative” for the hospitality industry provided they have Christmas parties. He added that despite some no-shows, cancellations were not “excessive”. Penarth […]
How your family shapes your body image
Getty Images/Javier Hirschfeld Awareness of body ideals can start from a young age (Credit: Getty Images/Javier Hirschfeld) Comments about our looks from our loved ones and friends can cause lifelong insecurities. How can we teach kids to feel confident about their bodies instead? Picture the scene: a little girl tries on a sparkly dress, does […]
University smells project to recreate historic industrial and perfumed aromas
Matija Strlic Professor Matija Strlic smelling an historic book in the National Archives of The Netherlands The “foul and fragrant” smells of our past from industry to Marie Antoinette’s perfume are to be recreated in a £2.5m European project. Anglia Ruskin University is helping to build an archive of smells from the 16th to early […]
What it’s like living as a female psychopath
Megha Mohan Features correspondent Somsara Rielly/BBC Psychopathy is most commonly associated with men – particularly among criminal offenders – but it is largely understudied in women (Credit: Somsara Rielly/BBC) Psychopathy is a condition that reviles and fascinates many people in equal measure, but the deeply entrenched stigma surrounding it means the disorder is still poorly […]
Sri Lanka’s tea farmers struggling to survive
Secunder Kermani BBC News, Kandy, Sri Lanka BBC Sri Lanka’s tea pickers are badly hit by soaring inflation Leaves from the lush green tea estates covering the hills of central Sri Lanka end up in cups across the world. Tea is the island’s biggest export, normally bringing in more than $1bn a year, but the […]
Calories in popular foods must be cut, say health officials
Nick Triggle Health correspondent wildpixel Targets are to be set to reduce calories in pizzas, burgers and ready meals as part of the government’s drive to tackle child obesity in England. Health officials believe the move is needed as people are consuming 200 to 300 calories too many each day. It could see the size […]
The genius who scandalised society
Hephzibah Anderson Features correspondent Getty Images On the 200th anniversary of George Eliot’s birth, Hephzibah Anderson explores how the author was as revolutionary in life as in her novel writing. A woman sits engrossed in her reading, long hair hanging loose at her shoulders, feet slung over the arm of a chair. However you imagine […]