Who is Constance Marten's evangelical mum Virginie de Selliers and siblings?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
England 2005 Ashes hero warns Ben Stokes and co over final India Test match
EXCLUSIVE: England head to The Oval this week knowing they will win the series against India if they avoid defeat in the fifth Test, just like against Australia in 2005 Ashes legend Matthew Hoggard now runs a barbecue school - and after landing the holy grill in 2005 he says England must cook up a storm this week. Going to The Oval 2-1 up in a gripping marquee series? Hoggard has been there and done that 20 years ago as Michael Vaughan's heroes recaptured the urn in a seismic summer when cricket was the only show in town. Now England are in the same boat after a tetchy, thrilling win at Lord's and a sour finish to the stalemate at Old Trafford as Ben Stokes fed two Indian batters joke bowling to bring up their centuries when they refused to shake hands on the draw earlier. And Hoggard was thrilled the class of 2005 was namechecked by Joe Root as one of his inspirations growing up after Yorkshire's batting royalty unfurled his 38th Test century at the weekend. Hoggy, who took 248 wickets in 67 Tests, said: 'Listening to Joe being interviewed, after he had just become the second-greatest run scorer of all time in Test cricket, saying he had been inspired by the Ashes winners of 2005 was music to my ears. That's why we play cricket - to leave a legacy, and leave something behind to inspire younger generations, still gives you goosebumps. 'I think back to 2005 with 10,000 people being turned away from the final day at Old Trafford, people bunking off work or school to watch the finale at The Oval and, yes, it was the best of times. 'When I look at footage of the open-top bus parade to Trafalgar Square, and none of us look sober, in the social media age we would probably have been crucified but I genuinely can't remember anyone giving us any stick. We went round the Prime Minister's house a bit worse for wear, went to Trafalgar Square for the parade a bit bleary-eyed and went back to Lord's for a reception in a state of disrepair - but nobody minded because we were winners.' Hoggard hopes Stokes' side will turn up cooking on the front burner on Thursday after a nerve-jangling climax in 2005 was only settled by Kevin Pietersen's audacious 158 on the final afternoon. 'We had gone 2-1 up at Trent Bridge in an unbearably tense finish when I was hiding under towels and trembling in the physio's room, unable to watch as the wickets fell as we chased 129 to win,' Hoggard who is now working as one of the UK's leading Motivational Speakers, told Mirror Sport. 'But when it was my turn to bat, with 13 runs still needed and Brett Lee's bowling 95mph rockets, you switch on and it gets easier - because you're the one who is empowered to take charge and get the job done. 'Lee was either trying to kill me or york me, but when he got one wrong and I managed to send it to the extra cover boundary I think Vaughany (captain Michael Vaughan) nearly fell off the balcony. I'm not sure he'd ever seen me hit an extra cover drive before. 'As Ashley Giles, who hit the winning runs, and I walked off, he said, 'Enjoy the moment, we're kings for the night.' He was right - our pace attack was called the Fab Four but it was really a fab five because Gilo was the forgotten man of that bowling unit. He was immense. 'But when we got to The Oval for the final Test, the nerves took over again. The night before I was out for dinner with my wife and I was so uptight I called for the bill and walked out. My head was all over the place, I'm afraid I was a bit of a t**t.' England's pace attack was detained in the field 143 overs as they chased victory in vain at Old Trafford, and Hoggard warned: 'It's going to be survival of the fittest and it reminds me of 2005. You can't go to The Oval and play for a draw because you'll come unstuck if the mentality isn't right. 'In an ideal world we bat first, go big and put India under pressure to match us or go past us. England have more gears in the batting line-up than India, especially if they are going to be without Rishabh Pant. 'It's been hard graft for bowlers on both sides, but we score quicker than India and if they have to put their foot down to chase the game, that's when The Oval can be a tricky customer.'
Metro
7 hours ago
- Metro
The Bend It Like Beckham sequel needs to be gay as hell
An old Indian lady stood at a bride's procession and innocently said: 'Lesbian? Her birthday's in March. I thought she was Pisces?' Another piped up: 'She's not Lebanese, she's Punjabi!' When I first saw this scene from the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, I was in shock. I couldn't imagine seeing an old Indian woman say the word 'lesbian'. And since then, my queer friends and I quote these lines at least once a month, while rolling around laughing. But it's not just a silly joke – it's a pinnacle moment in a film that changed so many lives. For South Asian people, Bend It Like Beckham offered insight into our culture, the racism we face and the expectations we have of each other. It put my South Asian hometown, Hounslow, on the map and it is still the film we go back to when we want to talk about representation. But it also became a queer cult film for its suggestive subtext, quotable queer lines and coming-out storyline. So when I heard that the director, Gurinder Chada, has confirmed a sequel – hopefully with members of the original cast – I was ecstatic. But I had one thought: it better be more queer. No subtext. No nods and winks. Gay. As. Hell. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! The 2002 Bend it Like Beckham revolved around Jess (Parminder Nagra) a young girl who wants to play football professionally. She meets Jules (Keira Knightley) and joins the girl's local football team, Hounslow Harriers, against her parent's wishes. It was a hit – made on only a $5.6 million budget, Bend it Like Beckham grossed over $76.8 million at the global box office. While the film didn't explicitly stipulate Jess' sexuality, her rejection of over-sexualisation of teenage girls and disinterest in boys made her the blueprint for a baby queer like me, and many others, to help understand ourselves. In one scene, when Jess and Jules get accepted for football scholarships in the United States, they celebrate with a hug and almost kiss while embracing – to my queer teenage eyes, they were basically fully making out. In another, Jess' best friend Tony comes out by telling her: 'I really like Beckham', giving her a pointed look. 'But you're Indian!', Jess exclaims – just as many have exclaimed to me when I came out. And, like the accepting friend she is, she instantly accepts him. Jess' cut off vest/hoodie was, and still probably is, the most lesbian outfit I've seen on an Indian woman on TV, and it helped me accept my own style. As a young teenager, I forced myself to dress and act for the male gaze. But by 17, I became an emo, wearing multiple studded belts, thick eyeliner around my eyes and baggy clothes. I was often called a 'tomboy' or 'weird' because I had rejected the expectation to marry a 'good Indian boy', and given space to my own expression. Some of my family had a similar reaction towards me that Jess' family had to her in the film, exclaiming that I had to embrace Indian traditions and be more like the Indian girls they knew. They wanted me to be less strange…less queer. But when Hounslow Harriers' coach Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), says, 'Your parents don't always know what's best for you' I realised that the concept of 'respecting your elders' was a technique of control. The film could have been made for me. It's not just the narrative of the film, either, but the subject matter: women's football is indeed currently very gay. Today, there is a significant presence of openly LGBTQ+ players in women's teams. While the characters in Bend it Like Beckham would joke about sleeping with men and have crushes on their coach, the current Euro-winning women's England team today is made up of players like Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Jess Carter and Lauren Hemp who are openly LGBTQ+. Gurinder Chadha revealed her sequel aims to release in 2027, to align with the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. Chadha has been quoted as saying that she is 'excited to revisit the original characters and revive the enduring story and build on the legacy we helped to create for the women's game' and that, 'women's football is more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever. It is an honor for me to be a small part of it'. More Trending Now we don't just want it back again, we want it gay. Just like the football we watch now, the lives we live now and the Indian people we openly exist as now. In 2002, we heard Jess say: 'I'm not playing with boys anymore – I'm joining a girl's team'. And in 2027, I want this to come true in every sense of the word. Let's make Bend it Like Beckham as queer as it was always meant to be. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: A stranger's rude question left me in fear of one word MORE: A cancer reoccurrence is a chance to life my best life MORE: My drink was spiked – then I got a life-changing diagnosis
Scotsman
10 hours ago
- Scotsman
Kanpur: 1857 preview: Fringe show about Indian rebellion has 'unavoidable' parallels with Gaza
It may be set in mid-19th century India, but Niall Moorjani's play Kanpur: 1857 has plenty of contemporary resonance, writes Joyce McMillan Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In the old colonial history British people were taught at school, it was always called the 'Indian Mutiny'. In Indian history, though, it is known as the Kanpur Uprising of 1857, one of the first stirrings of the movement against British colonial rule that would eventually, in 1947, lead to Indian independence; and Scottish-Indian theatre-maker Niall Moorjani – raised in Dundee, now based in London – was already working on the story when that period of colonial history began to take on a whole new contemporary meaning. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's the story of a people suddenly rising up in a violent insurrection against a brutal colonial power,' explains Moorjani, 'an insurrection that involved some atrocious acts of violence against British women and children; and then of the hugely disproportionate and violent response to that outrage, in which at least 100,000 people are thought to have died. The parallels to the current situation in Gaza were unavoidable; and it made me think even more deeply about how the colonial mindset never changes, through the ages.' Niall Moorjani and Jonathan Oldfield, stars of Kanpur: 1857 The result was Moorjani's play Kanpur: 1857, this year's winner of the Pleasance Theatre's £10,000 Charlie Hartill award, designed to encourage the presentation of significant new plays on the Edinburgh Fringe. Working with fellow performer and co-director Jonathan Oldfield – rising star of BBC comedy, and director of four other comedy shows on this year's Fringe – and the Scottish-Indian musician Sodhi, known as Talking Tabla, Moorjani has created a tense one-hour two-handed drama, backed by Sodhi's music, in which Moorjani's character – an Indian rebel strapped to a cannon, and about to be blown to pieces for his role in the rising – is interrogated by a British officer, played by Oldfield. 'That was a punishment widely used by the British in suppressing the rebellion,' explains Moorjani, 'so the whole thing is closely based on the history of the event. It is a fictional story, though, and it has other elements – one theme of the play is how colonial attitudes appear both at the macro level, in major political events, and at the micro level, in people's personal lives. 'So there is also a love story here, and it's one that involves a relationship between the Indian rebel and a hijra, a member of India's traditional 'third sex', neither male nor female, whose position in Indian society was always respected until the British passed a law against hijras and their culture, a few years after the events in this play. As a non-binary person myself, I'm fascinated by this aspect of Indian culture, and by how the British in India increasingly saw it as incompatible with their colonial rule.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Publicity image for Kanpur: 1857 Despite its fiercely serious themes, though, Moorjani is clear that Kanpur: 1857 is not a solemn show, to be endured rather than enjoyed. 'In fact it's quite a strongly comedic show,' says Moorjani, 'because I think that when you encounter oppressive forms of power, laughing at them is one of the best ways of opposing and challenging them. The truth is that however much pain and horror they inflict, colonial attitudes are ridiculous - they're based on a laughable set of assumptions about superiority, and so on. So why not laugh at them? 'And I should also say how wonderful it has been to win the Charlie Hartill award, and to have that support in bringing this show to the Fringe – it just transforms the Fringe from an unaffordable festival to one where you can pay people, and do the show you want to do. 'The Pleasance have been absolutely fantastic – they've given us all the support they promised and more, and without this award we simply couldn't have done a full run of this show in this form. So it's a wonderful thing that the Pleasance does every year, and there should be more of it. I know other venues also have their own schemes for supporting new work; but the more the better, because with costs soaring every year, it's desperately needed.'
