A record of what was published, when, and how it changed.

Phyllida Law obituary

By Michael Coveney

Actor with a long career in theatre and on television who was known for the subtle quality of her work Although she was perhaps best known as the mother of two outstanding actors, Emma and Sophie Thompson, Phyllida Law, who has died aged 94, was supremely gifted herself – as an actor, costume designer and writer. She was not averse to appearing with either daughter: with Emma in her scabrously funny movie Nanny McPhe

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‘Audiences ask to feel my calves!’ The endurance extremists pounding treadmills and pumping pedals at the fringe

By Kate Wyver

How do you keep audiences gripped while cycling 27km per show? From the Australian recreating a Tour de France win to a ‘toxically positive’ spin queen, we meet the acts bringing Olympian fitness to Edinburgh Blood and sweat drip to the floor. Tears are on their way. In a small room in Edinburgh, Megan Tomei is cleat-clipped into a stationary bike, yelling above the music as she leads a high-intensity spin class gone

The ‘big-ass bag’ – do you really need a tote you can carry a small human in?

By Guardian Staff

Lululemon’s absurdly capacious 80-litre bag will set you back a small fortune – and it’s one of the cheapest giant holdalls on the market Name: Big-Ass Bags. Age: The titular “Big-Ass Bag” launched this month (but large carrying receptacles have been available for centuries). Continue reading...

By a Thread review – soulful circus with a sprinkle of magic

By Lyndsey Winship

Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Emotional group dynamics and individual skills make One Fell Swoop stand out in the crowded circus genre You cannot move at the Edinburgh fringe for circus shows. There are so many people in this city who can climb a rope, hang upside down, swing on a trapeze – so how do you make a show special when plenty of other folks are hawking the same skills? Melbourne company One Fell Swoop Circus ha

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I’m 50 years old. Why do I still struggle with the need to be liked?

By Stephanie Fairyington

An over-investment in people-pleasing can be emotionally costly. Here’s how I’m training myself to be OK with letting people down A few months ago, my 10-year-old daughter and I went to our neighborhood cafe. At the counter, the owner greeted us with her typical effusion of warmth and welcome. Instead of greeting her in kind, my daughter looked on with a stony expression and ungiving eyes. My face flushed. I was emba

Grenfell cladding firm Arconic paid shareholders £23m more in compensation than to fire victims

By Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent

Report’s author said findings highlighted ‘near-total failure’ to hold corporations accountable over the disaster that killed 72 people The company behind Grenfell Tower’s flammable cladding gave more compensation to its shareholders than to victims of the disaster, an investigation has found. Arconic, which made and sold the cladding panels found to be the “primary cause” of the rapid spread of the Grenfell fire, pa

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Things get even more tricky for Dicky Tice, the Reform deputy with lots of cash but zero self-awareness

By John Crace

Telling the country to enjoy the heat while it burns, you have to wonder if Tice has lost all sense of reality These are the doggiest of dog days. Times when hours turn into days and almost nothing happens in between. Days of precious R&R, when only a few politicians venture out, and then only to fend off accusations they are doing next to nothing and prove they are still alive. Much like the rest of us. The silliest

Rebecca Hendin on Richard Tice and the climate crisis – cartoon

By Rebecca Hendin

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UK parents and carers: what costs do you face when sending your children to school?

By Guardian community team

What are some of the weirdest or priciest things parents and carers have to buy From September 2026 a new law comes into force, which will mean parents and carers in England should not have to buy more than three items of branded school uniform. Secondary and middle schools may ask for four items if a tie is one of them. The government says it hopes the new law will “ensure the cost of school uniforms is reasonable a

Gang of Youths are back: ‘Does it sound like a cynical gesture towards pop radio stardom?’

By Sian Cain

Four years since their last album, the anthemic Australian band are back with a fresh sound and new music about finally being ‘overwhelmingly OK’ When tickets for the first Gang of Youths shows in Australia in four years went on sale last month, a one-off show in Thirroul sold out in 45 seconds; two shows at Sydney Opera House went in minutes. Though I have loved the band for years, I was surprised by how emotional i

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‘Low carb’, ‘gluten-free’, with collagen or electrolytes: is it really possible for alcohol to be healthy?

By Melissa Davey

Premixed drinks are ultra-processed products but their marketing claims create a ‘health halo’ that takes the focus away from the harms of alcohol, researchers say Premixed alcoholic drinks are not known for their health benefits. But that hasn’t stopped a boom in products being marketed with “better for you” claims designed to appeal to younger, more health-conscious drinkers. Labels such as “low sugar”, “gluten-fre

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Heavy rain on dry ground may cause UK floods but will not reverse drought

By Damien Gayle

‘First meaningful rain for a long time’ is forecast but water firms continue to ask customers to restrict use Floods and drought could hit the UK at the same time this week, with heavy rain forecast to fall on hard, parched soil. While some parts of the UK will have the “first meaningful rain for a long time” in the coming days, it will not reverse widespread drought conditions that have put pressure on wildlife, far

Where on earth is Melania Trump? | Arwa Mahdawi

By Arwa Mahdawi

In her husband’s first term, her absences sparked conspiracy theories. This time, she is somehow keeping an even lower profile Anyone seen a 56-year-old woman around lately? Tall, cinnamon blond hair, fond of a fancy hat and, to quote Vogue, occasionally dresses like a “freelance magician”. She goes by the name “Melania Trump” or “first lady”, and she appears to be missing again. According to an analysis by the Daily

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BBCNOW/Bancroft review – McGill is a stylish soloist in Kahane’s likable clarinet concerto

By Clive Paget

Royal Albert Hall, London With Stravinsky and Copland also on the programme, this was a lively if uneven concert In their different ways, both Stravinsky and Copland turned to the vernacular to lend authenticity and atmosphere to their ballet scores. Stravinsky incorporated folk tunes and popular song to depict the hurdy-gurdy players and wet nurses of St Petersburg’s bustling Shrovetide fair in Petrushka. For Billy

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‘Even its loos are on the outside’: hi-tech, inside-out marvel the Lloyd’s building is partying with the public

By Alice Fisher

It has been likened to a monster, an oil rig – and the Parthenon. Now, for its 40th birthday, the astonishing London landmark has joined the Open House festival, to grant admirers a rare look around the inside In his 2012 book A New Kind of Bleak, the critic Owen Hatherley called it “monstrous, compelling” and utterly messed-up. Back in the 1980s, a then Prince Charles suggested it had been inspired by a North Sea oi

The best packing cubes in the UK to save space and travel smarter – tested on real trips

By Pete Wise

Whether you’re trying to squeeze more into a carry-on or simply want a tidier suitcase, our expert rounds up the top cubes, from compression to lightweight • The best suitcases for your next holiday Nightmarish scenes reminiscent of a Hieronymus Bosch painting used to erupt whenever I travelled with a case. Skirts and shirt sleeves slithered out from under compression straps, worn clothes frolicked with unworn clothe

‘We humans are inept at taking care of baby animals’: why well-fed orphan bears die in the wild

By Rebecca Ratcliffe

Scientists surprised to find all but two of 12 grizzlies were dead within a year of ‘feelgood’ release, unable to sustain their high-calorie diet and inclined to approach humans The orphaned grizzly bear cubs were bulked up with a generous diet of roadkill, watermelon, dog food and snacks donated by the public. Their contact with carers was limited to two people. Then, after up to a year in rehabilitation, they retur

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Brain-breaking sex, bad boys in leather and queer glory: why TV vampires are so intoxicating

By Kayleigh Dray

The Vampire Lestat has seduced fans around the world with his eye-popping antics. But this obsession with hot vamps goes way beyond forbidden love, bare chests and a taste for LSD-laced blood If you want TV audiences to forgive a fictional man for absolutely anything, just sharpen his fangs and stick him in velvet. Case in point? The horny musical drama The Vampire Lestat, which became a cult hit in the US earlier th

Phyllida Law, prolific performer across stage and screen, dies aged 94

By Andrew Pulver

As adept at comedy and musicals as she was drama, Law also acted alongside daughters Sophie and Emma Thompson in a career spanning eight decades Phyllida Law, whose prolific acting career encompassed a wide range of stage, TV and film roles – a number of which were alongside her daughters, Emma and Sophie Thompson – has died aged 94. Her personal manager, Jacky Leggo, said in a statement that she “died supremely peac

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Cool as a cucumber: recipes and tips to save you from cooking in a heatwave | Kitchen aide

By Anna Berrill

When ovens and stovetops just won’t do, turn to loaded toasts, open sandwiches, cold noodles and smashed cucumbers, say our no-cook experts It’s too hot to turn on the oven or stove. What can I make for dinner that’s still substantial? Mark, via email This sounds like a job for Lucy Carr-Ellison, of Tart London, who is fully functioning in a no-oven household. “We moved in last year and there’s an Aga, which was amaz

‘Our task is to laugh at these enemies’: the Ukrainian unit posting drone videos of Russian soldiers’ last moments

By Luke Harding in Kyiv

Creators of chase compilations reject any moral qualms and say they show ‘death is waiting’ for those who join war To many observers they will appear dehumanising and offensive. To many Ukrainians, however, they are a brutal reminder of the fate that awaits Russian soldiers who take part in Vladimir Putin’s invasion, as well as a potent propaganda weapon. Over the past year and a half, videos of kamikaze drones chasi

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‘The ultimate gamers’ mascot’: Sonic the Hedgehog at 35 – from 2D to 3D to a billion-dollar film franchise

By Keith Stuart

Sonic’s creators explain how the speedy scamp has kept on running through generations as an enduring avatar of ‘attitude in the face of adversity’ One day in the early 1990s, I came home from university for the weekend and discovered that my dad had bought himself a Sega Mega Drive, bundled with a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I knew about Sega’s mascot of course. The launch of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game in

England’s ancient oak trees dying in extreme hot and dry weather

By Pippa Neill and Safeerah Ahmed

Woodland Trust says trees struggling in drought stress, with older ‘survivors’ disproportionately affected England’s ancient oak trees are dying in the summer’s extreme heat and dry weather, according to the Woodland Trust, with trees and ecosystems unable to adapt fast enough to the changing climate. The heatwaves across much of Europe this summer have had a notable impact on crop growth and plant health. To cope wi

Match review – gory and slyly satirical catfishing horror for the age of Hinge

By Leslie Felperin

Online dating’s eternal bugbear reaches a horrific apotheosis in this funny, grimy and impishly directed shocker Paola (Humberly González) is a pretty young woman about to turn 30 who hasn’t found herself a steady boyfriend – so, like many people of her generation, she’s on all the dating apps. The algorithm finds her match in Henry, who looks clean cut and kind eyed – or, at least, that’s what he seems from a very s

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Phoebe Bridgers review – high priestess of ambiguity turns grief Technicolor in intimate church show

By Aimee Cliff

Union Chapel, London Ahead of playing arenas this winter, Bridgers gives her third album, Lost Weekend, a stripped-back UK debut that makes its bewitching songs sound even more astounding Three days after the rapturous release of her third album, Lost Weekend, Phoebe Bridgers invites 900 people into her bedroom to hear her play some of its devastating songs live – or at least, that’s how it feels inside Union Chapel

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