David Blaine is inspired by 14-year-old daughter
David Blaine says he would support his teen daughter Dessa who has expressed interest in going into his business of magic and endurance stunts. Blaine currently stars in a new series on National Geographic called, 'Do Not Attempt.' (March 24)
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Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
29 Things To Put An End To Your Search For A New Hobby
The Reverse Coloring Book to bring a quirky little twist to my homebodies who want a relaxing activity as they lounge on the couch. Instead of coloring within the lines, you actually add the lines — the perfect activity for those who prefer sketching over fiddling with a bunch of different colored pencils. Whimsical? Absolutely. A beginner's guide to calligraphy because you're tired of the chicken-scratch handwriting on your ~fancy~ cards, and it's about time you have penmanship that actually screams, "Why yes, I *am* a sophisticated adult." "The Secret Soup," a whimsical, colorful addition to the TikTok-famous Magic Puzzle series that has taken social media by storm. This isn't just any regular ol' puzzle but an adventure with optical illusions, a ton of Easter eggs, and a ~magical~ twist at the end! This has 1,000 pieces, so you'll certainly be occupied during your evenings at home. A beginner's embroidery kit for adults, because you would love for your hands to have a task to do as you marathon the latest season of 90 Day Fiancé. And nothing says "relaxing night at home" like stitching a vase full of flowers as one of the characters on the show throws a real vase during an argument with their S.O. A National Geographic geodes science kit that'll make for a ~smashing~ hobby. People, young and old alike, will have so much fun discovering the hidden beauty inside each and every unassuming rock. A gorgeous pastel paint-by-number so you can create an artist-level masterpiece even if you're a complete painting novice. Time to open a museum in your honor — or, you know, you can display your works of art on your fridge like every other budding talent. A copy of The Book of Myself: A Do-It-Yourself Autobiography in 201 Questions, perfect for recording those precious experiences and memories that have defined your life. This is a soothing activity to do on your night off if you're looking for something that is sure to bring a smile to your face. A mushroom growing kit you can grow right there in the package, so you can add some earthy flavors to that meal you've got whippin' up in the kitchen. Your fresh pasta dish will now finally have that extra flavor kick it's been missing. Or a beginner-friendly Click & Grow Indoor Herb Garden Kit — in other words, a smart garden so you can grow the plants you've always wanted, even if you live in a teensy tiny (and somewhat gloomy) apartment. You can select grow pods for cilantro, basil, lavender, wild strawberries, thyme, chili peppers, and more! A small DIY cheese kit so you can learn how to make creamy, delicious batches of cheese in just half an hour — perfect for that date night dinner you plan on whippin' up. A copy of Burn After Writing, a guided journal that has gone viral across all your fave social media platforms, thanks to the deep prompts and series of questions that help people truly examine their feelings in new and unique ways. Get ready to change your perspective — this book will help you view your life through a completely different lens. A beginner's sushi-making kit to fulfill your nigiri dreams of making your own personalized sushi Every. Single. Night. Now you can experiment with all types of weird, creative flavors without having to deal with the waitress at your favorite Japanese spot side-eyeing you. Do you think honey goes with crab and avocado?? Time to find out. A set of Shrinky Dinks sheets, because you've been looking for a craft hobby lately, and making tiny works of art is just about quirky enough to really get your attention. Pretty soon, you'll be making enough to start handing out cool lil' knick-knacks to all your friends. "You get a keychain! And you get a keychain!! EVERYONE GETS A KEYCHAIN!!!" A beginner-friendly diamond painting coaster set to add a bit of ooh là là to your coffee table. You know what's better than colorful coasters? Sparkly colorful coasters! Time to order a pack (or two or three) ASAP. A beginner-friendly vintage-style tarot deck that's so much cooler than a regular old deck thanks to the sophisticated design, large size, and nice weight. You're gonna be reading the future for everyone — from your neighbor to your cat. The newest version of the (waterproof!) Kindle Paperwhite to carry an entire library's worth of books, so you're always entertained during that eight-hour flight, that poolside vacay, or just lounging around the couch as you wait for all your chronically late kids to finally get dressed to go out for the evening. You can even customize the covers and fonts so you can finally have the library of your dreams. 📖 PLUS a bright, oh-so-cheerful "Book Club" reading journal perfect for tracking all of your adventures and the characters you've met along the way. You can review up to 80 of your fave (or absolutely despised) books, load up on the details, and even complete reading challenges. The next time you're racking your brain tryna figure out the name of that one book you read with a dragon, all you need to do is thumb through this journal! And it even has bonus pages, like TBR lists and reading goals. A ridiculously fun Tiki Toss ring game so you can flaunt your athletic ability and completely school all your friends when you debut this game at your next house party. This game is super-duper easy to set up and learn, so you can quickly teach your buddies and have an even easier time turning it into a proper drinking game. A flower press kit to preserve a rose from the bouquet your special someone gave you. 🌹 Don't be surprised if you start saving any and every petal and leaf that catches your eye for scrapbooking, decorating, and gift wrapping. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking — the beloved cookbook that has cemented itself in the Cookbooks Hall of Fame. This'll teach you how to whip up pure, Italian recipes so authentically delicious, the local Nonna's will give you their stamp of approval. Some people spend all day thinking about the Roman Empire, you'll spend all day thinking about Roman ricotta. Or Small Batch Bakes, a baking book with a bunch of delicious recipes that use a minimum amount of ingredients and equipment — perfect for those of you who wanna learn how to bake without dealing with the tons of extra dishes you definitely don't want to tackle on your night off. Plus, these tiny treats are great if you want a sweet snack, but don't want a bunch of leftovers taking up space in the fridge. A DIY hot sauce making kit to help you experiment with 🔥🌶️ spice levels 🌶️🔥 and create the perfect sauce tailored to your palette. This comes with guided instructions and ingredients so you can get started on making delicious sauces right from your kitchen. Wreck This Journal, a guided journal full of prompts such as "eat some candy and lick this page," and "poke holes in this page using a pencil." Write, shred, tear, and create by following the instructions, and allow it to guide you to throw caution to the wind and have fun wrecking everything. A Stealth core trainer to turn core training into a game, so you can focus on beating your high score on games like "Speed Gliding" and "Galaxy Adventure" — instead of the burning of your abdomen. A starter's weaving loom kit so you can create beautiful pastel tapestries, coasters, and bookmarks. Coziest. Hobby. Ever. A spin and paint art set techinicallyyyyy made for kids, but trust me, you'll end up having way more fun with it than you thought. Plus, when you display your genius neon splatters on your wall, your dinner guests are gonna think you managed to get your hands on a real Jackson Pollock. A unicorn slime-making kit so you and your kiddos can spend some quality time together crafting a big ol' glop of glittery slime. A 5-pound bucket of Crayola Air Dry Clay because you've always wanted to try pottery, but actually taking classes and cleaning up the mess is... a lot. Instead, can just pull out this clay, shape it, and let it air dry — no oven or heavy cleaning required! After it dries, you can even paint it to make a truly unique work of art. A string art kit so your hobby can generate some unique wall art that'll definitely impress your friends when they come over for dinner.
National Geographic
3 days ago
- National Geographic
The best evidence yet Queen Victoria had a secret "marriage"
A portrait of Queen Victoria taken in honor of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Victoria was 78-years-old in the photograph, more than 30 years after her rumored affair with servant John Brown. Photograph By Press Association/ AP Images When Queen Victoria died in 1901, she was laid to rest with photographs of her family and mementos from her husband and consort, Prince Albert, who had passed 40 years earlier. Tucked into her coffin were Albert's handkerchiefs and a marble sculpture made from a cast of his hand. Her devotion into the grave is no surprise: Victoria has spent four decades publicly grieving his death, wearing mourning clothes, and lavishly commemorating Albert's life. But it wasn't just Albert's mementos she sought in death: she also wanted a photograph of her longtime servant John Brown, locks of his hair, and his mother's wedding ring. Brown, a Scot employed at Victoria's Scottish estate Balmoral, had spent almost two decades constantly at Victoria's side, emerging as her closest companion after Albert's death. At the time, only her doctor and ladies-in-waiting knew about her desire to be buried with Brown's effects, but nevertheless, for 160 years, rumors have swirled about the precise nature of the relationship between Victoria and Brown. Was he a particularly devoted servant? A platonic male shoulder to lean on in her grief? Or did the pair have a romantic relationship? The rumor has fascinated historians for over a century, each generation arguing over scraps of evidence, reinterpreting the relationship and reshaping their knowledge of Victoria and her era. Victoria's own writings have fueled the speculation, too: 'Perhaps never in history was there so strong and true an attachment, so warm and loving a friendship between the sovereign and servant,' she wrote in a letter after he died. Historian Dr. Fern Riddell recently entered the debate with her new book Victoria's Secret: The Private Passion of a Queen and its accompanying documentary, which claims to reveal new evidence about Victoria's and Brown's relationship. Riddell tells a compelling story filled with midlife passion, gossiping courtiers, and resentful adult children. 'It's got everything—it's tragedy, it's high romance, it's love across a huge social divide, it's the secrecy of it,' Riddell tells National Geographic. 'And when you look at it closely, it's the story of a man who was absolutely devoted to the woman that he loved. And that's very powerful for us today.' Riddell's cheekily named book is part of a 21st century attempt to correct the historical record. Since the moment she was laid in her grave, Victoria has been remembered as a stern, remote, even prudish monarch in voluminous black dresses. But her posthumous reputation is a far cry from the flesh-and-blood realities of her life. A 1864 photograph of Victoria and John Brown. Brown worked as a ghillie at Balmoral, the Queen's estate in Scotland, and was rumored to have had an affair with Victoria. The long-standing rumors about Mrs. Brown Limited Time: Bonus Issue Offer Subscribe now and gift up to 4 bonus issues—starting at $34/year. The rumors started shortly after Victoria was widowed. Avoiding the British public and frustrated with her ministers, she retreated to solitude at the picturesque Balmoral, an estate she'd built with Albert in 1852. Brown had worked at Balmoral for years as a ghillie, an attendant on hunting trips but, by 1864, Victoria had promoted him, giving him the official title of Queen's Highland Servant—'to remain constantly in attendance upon the Queen,' according to the memorandum Victoria issued to Brown. In the years that followed, Brown was constantly at Victoria's side, accumulating enormous sway within her household. Her courtiers started talking, and then the gossip spread into the boisterous print culture of 19th century London, with satirical magazines publishing sly items about Brown's omnipresence; The Tomahawk, for instance, published a cartoon of Brown leaning on an empty throne, gazing down on an attentive British lion. Most explosive was an 1866 report from the Swiss Gazette de Lausanne, which suggested that not only was Victoria—so thoroughly secluded since Albert's death, so far from the public eye, routinely missing important ceremonial occasionals like the opening of Parliament—involved with Brown, but more scandalously, she'd become pregnant. 'They say… she is in an interesting condition and if she didn't attend the Volunteers review and the unveiling of Prince Albert's memorial, that would be only to conceal her pregnancy,' the paper reported. Victoria did little to squelch the rumors. Instead, she commissioned a large-scale painting by one of Britain's most important painters, Edwin Landseer. Shown at the Spring Exhibition of the Royal Academy, a major cultural event, Her Majesty at Osborne (1866) showed Victoria in her customary black, atop a horse guided by Brown, official papers littering the ground, in full view of the titillated British public. 'If anyone will stand by this picture for a quarter of an hour and listen to the comments of visitors he will learn how great an imprudence has been committed,' wrote a contemporary art critic. Victorians widely gossiped about the Queen's romance and even a possible love child, dubbing Victoria 'Mrs. Brown.' The coverup In 1883, Brown died suddenly at the age of 56. Once again, Victoria mourned, closing Brown's rooms, pouring out her sadness in her correspondence, and commissioning various memorials, but unlike Albert, where her grief left a trail across modern London, posterity began minimizing Brown. First, her advisors talked her out of privately publishing a memoir about Brown (the draft was later destroyed); it was already bad enough that she'd dedicated the second volume of selections from her Highland journals to him. Then, when Victoria died, she left care of her journals to her youngest daughter who spent years heavily editing the volumes and burning the originals. Victoria's letters, meanwhile, were edited for publication by two men with their own agendas, who weren't interested in things like pregnancy or motherhood, shaping her image for decades to come. And her eldest son Bertie, who became Edward VII, immediately turned Brown's chambers into a billiard room and purged all the reminders of the Scottish servant, including the numerous paintings and busts that his mother had commissioned over the years. After her death, 'Victorian' came to be synonymous with prudery, while Victoria herself was reduced to a black-clad, elderly great-grandmother, head topped with a fussy bonnet, perpetually unamused, never mind that she did have nine children. John Brown circa 1865. His relationship with the Queen was the source of endless Victorian gossip, leading many to dub Victoria, "Mrs. Brown." Photograph by W. & D. Downey/Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, photographed before his early death in 1861 at age 42. Victoria was buried with many of Albert's mementos, including a marble sculpture taken from a plaster cast of his hand. Photograph By Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty Images The rumors persist into the 20th century Despite the attempts by posterity to purge Brown from public memory of Victoria's reign, stories about 'Mrs. Brown' continued to fascinate. Tantalizing hints also emerged over the course of the 20th century, Victoria's contemporaries dead long enough that their diaries, letters, and other papers became public. The world could finally read politician Lord Derby despairing over her lack of propriety with Brown, rattling off in his journal about the relationship: Long, solitary rides, in secluded parts of the park: constant attendance upon her in her room: private messages sent by him to persons of rank: avoidance of observation while he is leading her pony or driving her little carriage. The princesses, Derby added, referred to Brown as 'Mamma's lover.' Tom Cullen's 1969 book, Empress Brown, included a facsimile of a letter from Victoria to Brown's brother after his death, recounting a conversation in which they pledged their devotion to one another: 'Afterwards I told him no-one loved him more than I did … and he answered 'nor you – than me … No-one loves you more.'' The book suggested the existence of more evidence from Brown's own family, but his descendants refused access to any of it, with rare exceptions. The evidence piled up, even as historians continued to express skepticism or at least to point out the difficulty of knowing exactly what these two meant to each other, like Victoria's instructions for her burial arrangements. But the steady drip of stories kept the notion of Mrs. Brown sufficiently alive that in 1997, it was fodder for a historical drama that garnered Judi Dench a Golden Globe for her performance as Victoria—though a review of the movie described it as 'willfully discreet.' (Screenwriter Jeremy Brock was one of the few people who got a look at the Browns' archives, until now.) Reassessing Queen Victoria, the woman In recent years, increasingly, there's been a reassessment of Victoria. Books like Yvonne M. Ward's Censoring Queen Victoria, Lucy Worsley's Queen Victoria, and Julia Bard's Victoria: The Queen, have attempted to excavate the woman from the monarch and her public image. They're increasingly frank about the realities of Victoria's life as a woman, including her desires, the toll taken by so many pregnancies, the postpartum depression, even her rocky experience of menopause. We know now, for example, that Victoria dreaded pregnancy and struggled with severe postpartum depression. She was physically very attracted to her husband: 'his love and gentleness is beyond everything, and to kiss that dear soft cheek, to press my lips to his, is heavenly bliss,' she wrote in her journal just days after they married. That reassessment extends to the topic of her relationship with Brown: 'There are few subjects as wildly speculated about and poorly documented as Queen Victoria's relationship with John Brown,' writes Baird. Still, she concludes: 'What is certain is that Queen Victoria was in love with John Brown.' Meanwhile, Worsley is skeptical that their relationship was a sexual one, chalking the scandal up to 'the unspoken belief that a widowed woman of middle age, as Victoria was, must inevitably become sexually insatiable.' The royal family is still staying silent on the topic of Mrs. Brown. As Baird revealed in her book, researchers who use the Royal Archives are required to agree that any quotes and 'all intended passages based on information obtained from those records' must be submitted for approval. And she was asked to remove 'large sections' from her book based on material found outside the archives, including Victoria's requests for the items in her coffin. Riddell enters the chat Riddell wades into the debate with a new approach, re-examining the existing evidence while looking much more closely at Brown, his family, and the community around Balmoral. 'I've always been fascinated by the idea that there was this man from a crofting farmer's family who stood at Victoria's side, the most powerful woman in the world, at this point, for 20 years, and we knew so little about him,' Riddell says. And she finally confirms the existence of that letter from Victoria to Brown's brother, as well as the Brown family archive, hinted at in Cullen's Empress Brown, much of which is now accessible at local archives in Aberdeen — and reveals much more about its content. For instance, Victoria had a cast made of Brown's hand just after his death, nearly identical to the one she had made of Albert's. There's also a New Year's card inscribed, 'To my best friend JB / From his best friend V.R.I.' (V.R.I was Victoria's royal cypher, meaning 'Victoria Regina Imperatrix.') Pointing to an account of a deathbed confession by Victoria's royal chaplain of marrying the pair and Victoria's documented behavior regarding Brown, including her demands that her sons shake his hand, as though he were their social equal, Riddell makes the case that Victoria and Brown likely had an 'irregular' marriage. Scottish marital customs were notoriously flexible at the time, and it had become common for couples to 'marry' by simply swearing vows. 'We'd only ever considered this possibility of a marriage from an English lens—there had to be a priest, there had to be marriage banns, there had to be a church wedding,' says Riddell. 'No one had ever considered it from his community's perspective.' Most interesting is Riddell's discovery of an enduring Brown family story which tells of a child. Angela Webb-Milinkovich, a pierced and tattooed care worker from Minnesota descended from Brown's brother Hugh tells Riddell: 'We were always told that we were the illegitimate line.' Hugh and his wife emigrated to New Zealand in the mid-1860s and registered a daughter's birth, the couple's only child. The couple stayed for only a decade, returning to the United Kingdom in the 1870s, child in tow. Their return trip was paid for by Victoria. There are plentiful reasons to be skeptical about a potential secret child—family stories about lineage are often unreliable, and Victoria was in her early 40s when her relationship with Brown developed. Plus, Victoria suffered from a painful injury, a prolapsed uterus, that her doctor discovered only after her death. But Riddell argues that none of that rules out the possibility that Victoria had another child. 'There's no evidence to support the idea that she had a prolapsed uterus immediately after [her youngest child's] birth,' Riddell says, and it's common for the injury to happen later in life. Nor was she too old: 'Many women in this period have their last baby between 45 and 47,' Riddell says. Plus, a pregnancy would have been easier than many might assume to conceal. Victoria was deep in seclusion, wearing voluminous mourning gowns. 'No one saw the queen naked. No one touched her body, apart from the four women who were her dressers,' says Riddell. Of course, there are Victoria's own words. She was famously vocal about her difficulties with pregnancy and doctors had advised Victoria not to have any more children over concerns about postpartum depression. But after Albert's death, Victoria longed, one of her daughters wrote, 'for another child.' Proof, though, would be difficult to establish. When it comes to DNA, 'it's much more complicated and much more delicate than television and culture has given us the impression of,' says Riddell, who makes no definitive claim regarding the story, simply presenting the evidence for and against. But what does become clear in Riddell's book is that Brown's own family understood that a relationship existed. The rumor of Mrs. Brown will no doubt endure; it's just too tempting to speculate about the private lives of the powerful, particularly when the details are so at odds with the public image. What Victoria's contemporaries saw between the monarch and her Highland Servant says as much about their society's fears, preoccupations, and messy realities as it does about these two individuals, and the modern fascination is no different. Everybody wants to know what happens behind closed doors, especially palace doors.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Must-watch TV this week: Rob Brydon's European road trip and Davina McCall's ITV return
This week is set to be a thrilling one for telly addicts, with new dramas and documentaries lined up. Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon, will keep viewers on their toes as he hosts Destination X, a new game show on BBC One that pushes thirteen individuals out of their comfort zones on a European road trip. Meanwhile, Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell are back on ITV, catching up with foundlings from previous episodes. Dan Snow and Kate Lister delve into the history of Pompeii on Channel 5. READ MORE: Love Island star Gio Russo explains why he never revealed his famous sister on show READ MORE: Watch moment Coronation Street star performs at Jack P Shepherd's wedding National Geographic and Disney provide a glimpse into the lives of Hurricane Katrina survivors, two decades after the disaster. But there's more in store for you this week - here's the rundown. I Am Raquel Welch Saturday, Sky Documentaries Raquel Welch was more than just a pin-up; she redefined what it meant to be a leading lady. This intimate portrait traces her journey from bombshell to feminist icon, highlighting the strength behind her beauty. Through archival footage and poignant interviews, Raquel unveils herself as a single mother of two, a shrewd businesswoman, and a quiet pioneer who held her ground in a male-dominated world. It's a celebration of glamour, grit, and a legacy that helped reshape Hollywood from within. Fergie, Andrew & the Scandal of South York Saturday, 8pm, Channel 5 Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, who tied the knot in 1986, made Sunninghill Park, also known as SouthYork, their marital home. This property witnessed significant moments of their married life, from the birth and upbringing of their daughters to high-profile parties and, eventually, their separation. Once a symbol of Royal family life, the home has since been tainted with controversy. Now, this documentary delves into the history of Sunninghill Park and reveals the secrets still hidden within its walls. The Facebook Honey Trap Sunday, Amazon Prime In 2014, when Christine Robinson was brutally murdered at her South African lodge, her family's world was turned upside down. Years later, the investigation takes an unexpected turn - but it's not led by detectives. Due to a chronic illness, Christine's niece, confined to the UK, has never given up the search for the perpetrator. Using only Facebook to gather clues, she embarked on a digital quest for justice across continents. This gripping true crime documentary explores obsession, grief and determination through one woman's relentless pursuit of justice. Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time Sunday on National Geographic, Monday on Disney+ In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc in southeastern Louisiana, becoming one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in the US. This raw five-part series transports viewers back to one of America's darkest periods - when lives were lost and a city was nearly submerged. This programme, told through the testimonies of survivors, doesn't just recount events, it relives them. From the chaos in the Superdrome to the heartbreak on flooded streets, it's a tribute to the resilience of survivors, a must-watch reminder of what happened - and what was left behind. Animal Park Monday, BBC1 Kate Humble and Ben Fogle return to Britain's first safari park for a brand new series of Animal Park - and it's as wild and wonderful as ever. Set in the heart of Longleat, in Wiltshire, the show offers an adorable - often dramatic - glimpse into the lives of the exotic residents and the dedicated teams who care for them. From the arrival of the park's first hippos in forty years to tensions in Lion Country, there's never a dull moment. The Nazi Cartel Tuesday, Sky What do Nazis, cocaine cartels and Bolivian politics have in common? More than you'd think. This jaw-dropping docu-thriller uncovers how Michael Levine, a DEA agent deeply undercover in Argentina, discovered that a cattle rancher named Roberto Suarez had become the Pablo Escobar of the 1970s. But the real twist? Roberto was allegedly being advised by Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie - hiding in plain sight as Klaus Altmann. This gripping show is an insight into corruption, legacy and the power of unchecked ambition. Pompeii: Life in the City Tuesday, 9pm, 5 Pompeii comes back to life as historians Dan Snow and Dr Kate Lister reveal the reality behind the history books in this powerful new show. Kate and Dan delve into the heart of Ancient Rome, revealing everything from local delicacies to residents' bedtime routines and the dangers that once lurked in the streets of the now-mythical city. It's like stepping into real-life Pompeii, but with all the gritty details. Long Lost Family Born Without a Trace: What happened next Wednesday, ITV This emotional catch-up special revisits the heart-wrenching stories of foundlings featured in previous episodes. Hosts Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell explore what happened after the cameras stopped rolling, whether it's sisters reunited after years apart or a nurse grappling with her beginnings as a severely ill baby left in a basket. These deeply human stories about connection, identity and closure are both poignant and profound, celebrating family, fate and second chances. Destination X Wednesday, BBC1 Mystery meets strategy in Destination X - the BBC's latest high-concept reality game show hosted by Rob Brydon. Thirteen contestants travel through Europe on a bus with blacked-out windows, relying solely on clues, instincts and deductive skills to figure out their location. With wild challenges, cryptic signs and mind games at every stop, this addictive blend of The Traitors and Race Across the World is sure to keep you hooked. Buckle up! Project Runway Thursday, Disney + Fashion's most intense competition is back on the runway, with Heidi Klum returning as both host and judge. Alongside her are Nina Garcia, Law Roach and Christian Siriano, all ready to mentor a new batch of aspiring designers with high-fashion dreams. Expect avant-garde challenges, emotional meltdowns, and an increasingly difficult runway. The stakes are higher, the pressure is on, and the glamour, grit and glitter are in full swing. Marked Thursday, Netflix This gripping South African drama features Lerato Mvelase in a standout performance as Babalwa - a security guard pushed to her limits. Faced with her daughter Palesa's (Ama Qamata) life-threatening situation, Babalwa makes an unthinkable decision: betray her job to fund a miracle. But loyalty is put to the test and betrayal cuts deep, as survival comes with a chilling price. Dark, emotional and tightly woven, Marked delves into the lengths a mother will go for love - and what it truly means to lose oneself in the process. Kirstie and Phil's Love It Or List It: Brilliant Builds Friday, C4 The dynamic property pair return with the sixth series of their Brilliant Builds, delving into some of the most remarkable transformations and inherited homes from Love It or List It across five captivating episodes. Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer are back on our screens, revisiting some of the most memorable episodes from their hit show. They'll be checking in on the couples they've helped over the years, seeing if they decided to stay put or move on. Expect ingenious design tips, real-life drama, and plenty of emotional moments. My Oxford Year Friday, Netflix Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest star in this heartwarming drama that gives romance a scholarly twist. When ambitious American Anna secures her dream spot at the University of Oxford, she doesn't anticipate falling for the charming local lad, Jamie. However, love and ambition collide in this beautiful adaptation of Julia Whelan's bestselling novel. With its cobbled streets, enchanting libraries, and poignant surprises, it's a film that will warm your heart and break it all at once.
