Jousting takes centre stage at Caerlaverock Castle
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
SAS Rogue Heroes creator shares update on season 3 of hit BBC WWII drama
Reach Screen Time spoke exclusively to SAS Rogue Heroes' creator Steven Knight The creative genius behind the BBC 's action drama SAS Rogue Heroes has given fans an update on the forthcoming third outing, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Ben Macintyre. In an exclusive interview with Reach Screen Time, Steven Knight said: 'I'm just completing the script as we speak. We start shooting very, very soon. 'It's the next stage. It's France and again it's coming together quite beautifully.' The BBC renewed SAS Rogue Heroes back in April following a successful second outing, with the next instalment focusing on the SAS under the command of the mercurial real-life soldier Paddy Mayne (played by Jack O'Connell). The acclaimed writer is also behind the global smash hit Peaky Blinders, with Knight teasing the forthcoming movie as 'brilliant' and he admitted he was very pleased with how the big-screen outing had turned out. Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for the film, which sees Saltburn's Barry Keoghan, Hollywood star Tim Roth, and Silo's Rebecca Ferguson joining the cast alongside Oscar winner Cillian Murphy and the stars of the TV show who reprise their roles. While fans wait, they can catch another spin-off from the Birmingham gangster franchise: Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby. The 2022 acclaimed stage production is coming to the iconic Sadler's Wells Theatre next month for a limited run. The production follows Tommy Shelby (played by Murphy in the TV series) and his tragic love story with Grace Burgess (Annabelle Wallis). The ballet was borne from a collaboration between Knight and Benoit Swan Pouffer , the artistic director of renowned dance troupe Rambert after the company was brought on for an episode of Peaky Blinders. Reflecting on writing the script, Knight said he sat down and thought about what he 'would like to see' and how to 'tell the story without words'. With the help of Swan Pouffer, who Knight described as a 'genius', the dance show came together. The writer and director and praised the power of dance and movement in telling the story without words. Since then, the production has been put on in various countries across Europe, and Knight said the show had been received with 'equal rapture' and standing ovations - even for matinee performances. He is now booked and busy on various projects, including Netflix's upcoming historical drama House of Guinness which has been described as Succession meets Peaky Blinders with Grantchester's James Norton. Knight is also working on several projects and addressed how he manages to balance writing multiple scripts at the same time. He explained: 'I am able to turn the page quite easily. In other words, I can two do weeks on one project and when that's done, I can go and do a different project and feel they're completely different energy, different source material. 'It does happen. I can turn one off and turn the other one on, which is fortunate but I can't do like two in the same day or something like that. That would be impossible, so it's setting up your mind in a particular way.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Victoria Starmer just stepped out in chic co-ord that looks VERY Kate Middleton - here's where to buy it on the high street before it sells out
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Lady Victoria Starmer turned heads during a visit to Scotland with her husband, Keir Starmer, and US President Donald Trump - and her outfit drew clear inspiration from the Princess of Wales. Victoria opted for an elegant ensemble, combining the Ashby Boucle Jacket and Eliza Pleated Skirt from Saint + Sofia. The look was reminiscent of the Dior two-piece Kate wore during French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron's state visit to the UK. Victoria's tailored cream jacket, featuring patch pockets and frayed edging, is handcrafted in Europe and exudes timeless luxury - a true wardrobe investment. It brought structure and sophistication to the voluminous skirt. While this pairing was perfect for a formal engagement, the jacket could just as easily elevate a pair of jeans on a more casual occasion. Saint + Sofia is known for its commitment to ethical fashion, partnering with family-owned factories in Europe and using sustainable materials along with biodegradable packaging. By streamlining their supply chain, optimising production processes and keeping overheads low, the brand is able to deliver premium-quality clothing at more accessible prices. Inspired by Victoria's refined style? You can shop her exact look or explore our favourite high street alternatives below. High street alternatives Jackets
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Fathers by John Niven review – class satire with grit
They're an unlikely duo. Jada is a petty criminal who lives hand to mouth in a cramped 60s tower block and can't remember how many children he has. Dan is a TV producer with a Tesla outside his mansion and who – after five years of trying and six rounds of IVF – is about to meet his first child. The pair encounter each other outside the sliding doors of Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University hospital, where Dan takes sips of cold air while he comes to terms with the wonder and terror of first-time parenthood and Jada sneaks a quick fag. Dan examines Jada's vigilant eyes and seasonally inappropriate sportswear; Jada clocks Dan's Rolex and works out how quickly he could take him in a fight. They bump into each other again in the lift a few days later, laying the seeds for a relationship that will reveal what divides them and what they share, building to a climax of kinship and betrayal. Since leaving his job as an A&R manager in 2002, John Niven has written novels and screenplays that mix industry satire (pop, publishing, film) with sometimes eye-popping hedonism; presumably both will feature in his next project, a 2026 play about Blur and Oasis called The Battle. Yet while there's a fair bit of hard living in The Fathers, Niven's latest also shows his softer side, as the two fortysomething Glaswegian protagonists manage domesticity. Dan obsessively childproofs his house, buying expensive baby accessories and doing his best to be the perfect dad to Tom, while Jada tries to be more present with his girlfriend Nicola and new son Jayden than he has been for his other children – for which read 'not very'. For all Dan's efforts, the mums take on the greatest share of child rearing, giving the dads space to transform their careers. Dan, bored with his wildly popular TV series McCallister (think Taggart meets Hamish MacBeth), aims to kill off the main character and write a novel. Jada, meanwhile, has a contact at Prestwick airport who can siphon off military surplus meant for Ukraine – a gig he thinks could set him up for life. Classic Scottish literary themes of duality, sentiment and booze are rarely far from the surface, most of them viewed through the prism of class. In the hospital, Dan's wife, Grace, has a private room and a smoothie that 'cost more than wine and tasted like cut grass'. On Nicola's bedside are a pack of cigarettes, a giant Toblerone and a bottle of Irn-Bru. In the months that come, Jayden's sippy cup is filled with the fizzy nectar, while Nicola and Jada enjoy the occasional blow-out with beer from 'PriceBeaster', plus ecstasy and heroin. Down the road, the West End's gentrified stretches do a steady trade in 'macchiatos, pastel de natas and designer knitwear'. There's plenty of inequality, hypocrisy and self-destruction on show, but Niven is also here for the laughs in a book that is sometimes very funny, but also happy to lean into cliche. You yearn to hear from someone who's neither an upper-middle-class twit nor a feckless chancer, or to hear a man articulate his feelings without the spurs of alcohol or desperation. Yet Niven never forgets his characters' humanity, and there's some fine detail on the way, whether comic (brushing a baby's teeth is like trying to 'draw a moustache on a live eel with a felt-tip pen') or poetic (in a brighter moment, Nicola marvels at the city, 'aw golden and peach and the river was dead flat and calm and there wiznae a soul around'). As The Fathers gets going, Niven tightens his narrative like a noose. By a third of the way in, the book is veering between unputdownable and put-it-down-quick-before-something-bad-happens. Jada's airport connection unearths a crate of pistols, which he aims to sell to a Northern Irish terrorist group, while Dan suffers a shocking disaster that flings him out of his herringbone-floored home into Jada's world of dodgy deals, sporadic violence and daytime pints. The result is a comic melodrama that's never dull, and a satire that hits most of its targets. After the darkness Niven lets in, the ending feels a touch glib, but the slow comradeship that grows between the two leads is charming nonetheless. The Fathers is a fine choice for anyone who likes a little grit in their holiday read. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion The Fathers by John Niven is published by Canongate (£18.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
