The 'prettiest' Berks village with Michelin-stars that is home to iconic actor
Not only is Bray home to some of the most awarded restaurants in the county, but it was also named as one of the prettiest places to live in the UK by the Telegraph.
It's no wonder that the rich and famous choose to move to the area, with one film icon happily calling it home.
Michael Caine made Berkshire his home, living in the quiet village of Bray, having previously lived In Surrey, Oxfordshire and the US.
The award-winning actor also lived in Windsor in the 1960s, in a home called the Old Mill House, which stood at the end of Mill Lane.
Caine lived in the house for a while but he later sold it to the rockstar Jimmy Page from the band Led Zeppelin, according to Berkshire Live.
Who else famous lives in Bray?
Aside from Caine, there's celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and BBC presenter Carol Kirkwood.
Visit Thames states: 'Bray, with a three-mile frontage on the Thames between Maidenhead and Windsor, has become a very popular stopping place for visitors to the Royal Borough as it features a wealth of cottages and houses, fine dining and attractive riverbank properties.
'As well as Bray's country charm the village offers a choice of excellent restaurants namely the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn and Fat Duck and Heston's 2AA Rosette The Crown.'
The parish of Bray incorporates a collection of villages and hamlets including Fifield, Holyport, Oakley Green, Stud Green, Braywick, Touchen End, Braywood and Moneyrow Green.
Recommended Reading:
Berkshire market town among most expensive to buy a house
10 best places to live in Berkshire by Muddy Stilettos
Where does George Clooney live? From Hollywood to Berks pubs
What is there to do in Bray?
Visit Thames recommends that you relax with a skippered yacht or enjoy dining at Bray Marina with some Mediterranean or Italian food.
There's also Monkey Island Estate, a luxury hotel on a private island, which is the 'perfect base to explore the area'.
Windsor Castle, which is one of the most-visited attractions in the UK, is also a short distance from Bray.
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Geek Girl Authority
10 minutes ago
- Geek Girl Authority
OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD Press Conference: Meet 5 Legacy Characters
Geek Girl Authority was privileged to be invited to an online press conference with five cast members from STARZ's new series Outlander: Blood of My Blood , all of whom play the younger versions of characters from the original Outlander series. Outlander: Blood of My Blood Outlander Via Zoom, press met Rory Alexander ('Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser'), Sam Retford ('Dougal MacKenzie'), Seamus McLean Ross ('Colum MacKenzie'), Conor MacNeill ('Ned Gowan'), and Tony Curran ('Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat'). The actors were asked pre-submitted, approved questions about their characters, the production, and their approach to the series. Disclaimer: The coverage below has been edited for clarity and length. Outlander: Blood of My Blood cast – Image Courtesy of Ferencomm and STARZ What Is Outlander: Blood of My Blood About? STARZ describes Outlander: Blood of My Blood as: a stand-alone prequel series set in the Outlander universe, [that] follows the romance between Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), and Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine). From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th-century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, unfolding in surprising and unforeseen ways. RELATED: SDCC 2025: Watch Outlander Season 8 Teaser and Blood of My Blood Sneak Peek Clips Simply put, the series explores the relationships of the parents of Outlander's central characters, Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). Jamie's parents, Ellen and Brian, are established characters in the books and have appeared in the original series. Claire's parents, Julia and Henry, are never seen in the series and, in the books, are presumed to have died in a car accident when Claire was very young. The Legacy Characters' Press Conference Each actor participant in the virtual press conference portrays the prequel version of a character who has been established and present for multiple seasons in the original Outlander series. It's a daunting task for any performer. Considering the passionate nature of Outlander fans, the actors understood the challenges in their roles. Outlander: Blood of My Blood – Image Credit: Courtesy of STARZ Seamus McLean Ross and Sam Retford play Colum and Dougal MacKenzie, respectively. In Outlander , they are Jamie's contentious uncles, played by Gary Lewis and Graham MacTavish, respectively. In Outlander: Blood of My Blood , they are Ellen's contentious brothers, battling for the clan's leadership in the wake of their father's death. Rory Alexander plays Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser in Outlander: Blood of My Blood , a character known to fans of the original series as Jamie's fiercely protective and resourceful but stony godfather, played by Duncan Lacroix. In the prequel series, he lives as Simon Fraser's ward and is Brian Fraser's closest friend. Tony Curran plays Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, and is just as opportunistic if a few decades younger than Clive Russell's portrayal of the historical figure. RELATED: Read our Outlander recaps Finally, Conor MacNeill takes on the role of Ned Gowan, the loyal legal advisor to the Clan MacKenzie. This younger version of Bill Paterson's Outlander character needs youthful energy and Gowan's ever-quick wits to manage the MacKenzie siblings while protecting the clan's power from encroaching outsiders. Three Little Words At the start of the press conference, the mediator asked each actor to describe their character in three words. Seamus McLean Ross: Three words to describe [Colum] are stoic, intense, and all-seeing. Sam Retford: Dougal is loyal, passionate, and fierce Conor MacNeill: I think three words to describe [Ned] are wise, loyal, and [thoughtful pause] … patient. Rory Alexander: Three words to describe [Murtagh's] character? Hopeful, loyal, and romantic Tony Curran: [to Rory] That was beautifully said. [to the camera] I would say Lord Lovat is devious. He's ambitious. And he's uncompromising. Keep an eye out for this guy. The Old Fox is coming to get you! Outlander: Blood of My Blood – Image Credit: Courtesy of STARZ Wearing the Characters SciFi Vision: How do the costumes inform the decisions that you make? TC: I'll go frustration . As soon as you put the heels on, it's complete and utter frustration for Lord Lovat because they hurt so much. So, for me, once I put my tights and my heels on, it definitely gets you into character. RELATED: Outlander: Blood of My Blood Gets Season 2 Renewal at STARZ CM: Now, y'see, I think the opposite about the heels because the heels give me a poise… They make me walk quite differently, and I'm instantly in a 'Ned' zone when I put the heels on. I also love the ponytail. It has a real impact on how I behave. Clothes That Make the Man SR: I feel that for us, the kilt-wearers, the kilt is the most practical piece of equipment we can be given to do our job in because, my goodness, you get a lot of freedom with that thing, sprinting through the Highland woods. TC: Do you wear your underwear or do you go full… umm… SMR: What d'ya call it, commando? SR: Well, yeah, I have to do quite a lot of rolly-pollying on the floor, and I'm afraid the amount I have flashed my underwear… if I wasn't wearing any, then I probably wouldn't be here right now. RELATED: TV Review: The Serpent Queen Season 2 SMR: For me, my favorite thing about it is the weight. The weight of the jacket just adds some power to me and really grounds him to the earth. I love it. RA: It changes the way you stand and the way you hold yourself. I go from this lanky, stooped person, and all of a sudden, you're wearing three layers of tweed. It removes you so far from how you normally, physically are; you're just instantly into it, a different headspace, which is so useful. Outlander: Blood of My Blood – Image Credit: Courtesy of STARZ The Outlander Tapestry Black Things UK: It can be a challenge to step into the light of an already established brand with beloved characters. When the last scene is shown, what do you want the audience's takeaway to be? SMR: I've talked about it like a tapestry. Stepping into a universe is something, as an actor, I've always wanted to do. Because it's such a detailed world, the fact we've been gifted this spin-off show, it's just adding more contrast, more detail, to an already beautiful painting. I hope fans are more entrenched in the story and see how complex these favorite characters' lives truly are, and the years of their lives that you've not already seen. It's adding more depth and more drama to a brilliant, brilliant story. CM: Yeah, you're getting a new perspective on characters you know and love so well. But you're getting the journey of how they got to be the characters that you know and love so well. You're seeing an entirely new version of them in our show, which is exciting. RELATED: Hair and Makeup Artist Jacquetta Levon Talks Incorporating Reality and Fantasy for The Serpent Queen SR: I hope it changes people's minds about certain characters. To be able to give people so much more context could really inspire a shift in how those characters come across and the reason behind a lot of their decisions, which objectively might not align with what fans want to happen. This at least allows a little window into the soul of where they're coming from. Traveling Without a Map TC: Obviously, Diana [Gabaldon]'s novels were adapted for television for Outlander . With our show, this new beginning, a genesis of where these incredible characters hailed from, we have carte blanche to do whatever we want to do from the First World War back to the first Jacobite Rebellion in 1714. Hopefully, the fans will respond to it. RA: To follow on what Seamus said about the tapestry, you're never quite sure what fans are gonna take away or which storyline or character that it is that they're going to relate to. And because the characters are so detailed, there are a few stories that you can follow, everyone has an opportunity to let something resonate with them that might be different from someone else who watches the show. So, I'm hoping that with the themes and setups that we have, people will be able to personally engage in quite different ways to how we're expecting, which would be exciting, too. TC: Like learning to love Lord Lovat, you mean? Is that what you're pertaining to? [group laughs] Outlander: Blood of My Blood – Image Credit: Courtesy of STARZ Building Out Known Characters Cherry the Geek TV: How familiar were you all with the Outlander franchise going in? Did you study the other actors' performances? Or did you want to keep it your own thing and stay away from that? RA: For me, I took the second option. Matt [B. Roberts] and Maril [Davis] kind of encouraged it. [They advised,] 'Don't go in and try to do an impersonation. If you can, at this point, keep clear.' I'd watched some of it prior to starting the process, but then I really tried to stop so that I didn't just make a bad impression of Duncan [Lacroix] and ruin what he had already done. Because it is the same world and universe, once you step into that, there are some pretty clear guidelines around, so you feel like you're very much walking the same path but wearing slightly different shoes. Well, actually, maybe we wear the same shoes. RELATED: 7 Royal Questions We'll Never Get Answered in The Great Season 4 CM: It's really nice having the show because you know the destination. You get to make the journey and the plan for the journey to get to that destination. It doesn't mean you're making an exact replica of what they're doing, but 'I see where I'm going towards.' That's quite a useful thing to have. SMR: And people change. Especially when you're 18-19 years old. Characters like Colum and Dougal, these guys have aspirations. Colum certainly didn't think he'd have legs like he does. He didn't think he would face such obstacles fighting for the leadership with his brother. Life throws all sorts of obstacles at you. Like Conor was saying, seeing where your characters end up gives you the freedom to show how he got there. Doing the Homework TC: With regards to Lord Lovat, I've watched three, four seasons because my wife loves the show and all her friends love it. I watched quite a lot of it, but I went and did a historical/political deep dive into Simon Fraser. My nephew gave me this first edition book. He lives in Nuremberg, Germany. He's at a little bookshop one day, and he found this first edition, 1903 or something. It was a biography about Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, written by a MacKenzie. RELATED: Read our My Lady Jane recaps The irony isn't lost on us all. I just started flicking through it. It was over a hundred years old. You could smell the history. It was all these incredible little gems about how Lovat played both sides. He'd play the Jacobites. He'd be with the Redcoats. By all means necessary, what he wanted to do, he would do it to get back to the glory days. A Little Detour Off-Track SR: All of this art and design then leads to us bleeding into the characters rather than us replicating them. It's down to the writing and the costumes. You are physically stepping into those shoes. Apart from me. I've got size 12 feet, and Graham [McTavish] has little size 4 women's feet. Really quite unusual. He struggles to balance. Looks quite large on tiny, tiny little feet. [gets back on track] That sort of does the work. [oops, nope] He's going to kill me for that. He didn't want the public to know. I had to sign an NDA. SMR: [Directly to the camera] Hi, Graham! [Entire group completely cracks up.] RELATED: Netflix Renews The Witcher for Fifth and Final Season SR: [Determinedly back on track] All of the work is done for us, really, so we can bring those early days, which can be a completely different person. By the time we get to the in 30 years, they've been through so much. SMR: Unrecognizable, really. Outlander: Blood of My Blood – Image Credit: Courtesy of STARZ For the Newcomers Scenes in Color: If you could send a message to new fans, what would it be? CM: You're getting elements of the characters you love so well that you've never seen before. And you're seeing aspects of the journey of how they all ended up where they end up and how those characters became who they are in Blood of My Blood , which isn't in Outlander . For that, come watch Blood of My Blood. SR: The show's so beautifully crafted in the way that it stands so firmly on its own foundations, and yet, there will be so much in there for the fans of the original show. So much more that they can extrapolate. All these Easter Eggs. There's another dimension of fun that can be taken away from the show, but, like I say, it really does stand as a piece on its own. You don't need any advice, only to come and switch on and switch off. Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres with two episodes on Friday, August 8, at 9/8c, on STARZ and the STARZ app. New TV Shows This Week (August 3-9) Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
A Breaking Musical Is a Fringe Hit. Just Don't Mention Raygun.
It was Saturday night at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and a woman dressed in the green and gold of an Australian Olympian was belting out a number about her journey to becoming the world's most notorious break dancer. 'I wanna achieve all my dreams,' she sang, 'I wanna dance like no one's watching.' Her story, told through silly songs, was remarkably similar to that of Rachel Gunn, better known as B-girl Raygun, the breaker whose unconventional routines at last summer's Paris Olympics — including a kangaroo impersonation — spawned mockery, memes and Halloween costumes. Yet at the start of 'Breaking: The Musical,' running at the Pleasance King Dome through Aug. 24, a disclaimer on a screen at the back of the stage had insisted that the musical wasn't about Raygun at all: It was actually about a 'completely fictional breakdancer from Australia' … called Spraygun. The disclaimer was essential. Last year, Gunn tried to shutter 'Breaking: The Musical,' saying that it would damage her brand. A promise not to use the name Raygun was part of a legal agreement that allowed the show to go on. Steph Broadbridge, the Australian comedian behind the musical, said in an interview that she had assumed Raygun would have wanted to 'be in on the joke' and give her Olympic saga a happy ending. The musical, added Broadbridge, 42, was 'nicer' to the dancer before the legal action. Since then, she added, 'There's been a few rewrites.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Anyone flying with Jet2 and Ryanair this week issued warning ahead of departure
Jet2 and Ryanair have issued warnings for travellers scheduled to depart today as Storm Floris pounds the UK with fierce winds. The Met Office has put two weather alerts in place for Monday, August 4, with the ferocious wind and rain threatening to put a dampener on school holiday getaways, reports MirrorOnline. An amber wind alert has been issued, with it running for 13 hours from 10am on Monday today across northern and central Scotland. READ MORE: Storm Floris alert sees Met Office urge everyone to carry three items today Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join Gusts are expected to reach 50 or 60mph. A yellow alert has also been declared for Northern England, Northern Ireland, North Wales and Scotland with winds of 40 to 50mph forecast, while exposed coastal regions and elevated areas could see gusts reaching 70mph. The alert took effect at 6am today and runs until midnight. The alert has been issued as Brits are urged to keep their windows closed today. The Met Office cautions that transport, including air travel, may be disrupted by the conditions, "with longer journey times and cancellations possible." Jet2 has confirmed that services should run as planned, but urged customers to allow extra time for airport arrival. In a statement posted online, Jet2 warned: "The Met Office has advised that Storm Floris is expected to bring adverse weather conditions, including strong winds to Northern parts of the UK. "All flights are expected to operate as scheduled, so please ensure you leave plenty of time to arrive at your departure airport. "Our check-in opens 2 hours before this time and will close 40 minutes prior to departure time. "If your flight is affected, we will have the later updates here and also via SMS, email and the Jet2 app. "You can log into Manage my Booking to ensure your details are correct. "We look forward to welcoming you on board." Ryanair has stated that it is "monitoring potential disruptions to flights" and will notify any passengers who may be affected. In a notice posted on its website, Ryanair advised: "Please be advised that we are monitoring potential disruptions to flights to/from the UK on Monday August 4 due to storm Floris. "Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Monday August 4 should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight. "We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions, which are outside of Ryanair's control and affect all airlines operating to/from the UK on Monday, August 4." If you are unsure if your flight will be delayed or cancelled, check with your airline. For those travelling within the UK today, or taking a train to the airport, there may be disruptions on the rails. Several train operators have issued 'do not travel' notices because of the risk of disruption caused by debris on the line, fallen trees and flooding. Hundreds of trains have been cancelled so fast today, including all services north of Edinburgh and Glasgow from midday. Dozens of ferries have also been cancelled. In Scotland, where the storms are expected to be the strongest, a nationwide speed limit of 50mph has been imposed, which will extend journey times and cause cancellations.
