
Channel 4 announces new lifestyle shows including railway series with Si King
Produced by Wales-based Yeti Television, the programme will see King explore the country's most unusual train stations as he is joined by transport historian Siddy Holloway and architect Damion Burrows.
Clemency Green, senior commissioning editor for lifestyle at Channel 4, said: 'As the rail network turns 200 years old, this series will spotlight the best of our country's engineering history in a different way.
'We're honoured Si will be presenting his first series for More4, and Yeti will no doubt deliver a captivating series that viewers will love to escape into.'
In another new series, titled What Not To Eat, Dr Tim Spector, along with Dr Kandi Ejiofor, will offer nutritious alternatives to junk food, ready meals and other ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
Each programme in the four-part series will feature one UK family who are looking to address various health concerns, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and more.
Spector, 67, said: 'It's hard for people to make good dietary choices when what they're sold as 'healthy' food, in my view, can hardly be defined as food at all.
'I passionately believe that even quite modest changes to our diet can have a big impact on our health, and I cannot wait to get started on this new series where I'm going to try and change people's lives by changing what they eat.'
Elsewhere, design expert George Clarke will offer help to homeowners facing design dilemmas in a new programme titled George Clarke's Kitchen Vs Garden.
Clarke, 51, will be joined by garden design expert Luke Millard for the programme, which follows homeowners facing design dilemmas.
Clarke said: 'This is a show that will inspire and help viewers to see the space they have in their homes differently.
'I know that the decisions involved in refurbishing them can be overwhelming so I'm excited to lend my expertise to help our renovators, and the viewers at home, to make the most of their spaces and create environments they'll love for years to come.'
George Clarke's Kitchen Vs Garden starts on Wednesday August 13 at 8pm on Channel 4.
Top Of The Stops will be available to watch on Channel 4 later this year and What Not To Eat will be broadcast in 2026.
Ms Green said: 'Together, these new titles demonstrate the strategic ambition of Channel 4 lifestyle's commissioning approach: engaging specialist communities, sparking national conversation, celebrating everyday life, and offering unmissable entertainment.
'From trains to fast food culture to home renovations, this new slate reflects the broad spectrum of knowledge Channel 4 talent bring to our portfolio, offering audiences what they love, wherever they watch.'
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘The Welsh language has been aggressively oppressed': Tristwch y Fenywod, the gothic trio communing with a mystical Wales
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Formed in Leeds by members of the underground groups Guttersnipe, Hawthonn and the Courtneys, and using Welsh pseudonyms for the project, Tristwch y Fenywod tap into a particularly Welsh mysticism. Ferch Lisbeth was born in Bangor, and lived in North Wales until the age of 12. 'I always found it to be a very mystical place,' she says. 'The language was definitely part of that, although we were in the minority of not being a Welsh-speaking family.' Before living in Leeds, Lygad grew up on the nearby Staffordshire-Shropshire border, and spent her childhood 'walking on Penmaenmawr mountain' – on the North Wales coast – 'and visiting the first stone circle I'd ever been to', which sparked 'a lifetime interest in archaeology, history and Welsh culture'. Ferch Lisbeth's family moved her to England aged 12, but the landscape and language of Wales stayed in her subconscious. In 2020, after discovering a friend on the Leeds experimental music scene was a fluent speaker, she dedicated herself to learning Welsh 'obsessively, every minute of every day'. She'd also started to date the band's third member, the Canadian bassist Sidni Sarffwraig, and the pair visited North Wales together. 'Having this beautiful sapphic connection in those places felt profound,' says Ferch Lisbeth. 'It was some logical arrival of fate for me; different threads of the psyche converging.' When Tristwch y Fenywod formed in 2022, Ferch Lisbeth was driven to sing in Welsh about queerness, mysticism and belonging, because 'maybe no one's ever written a song in Welsh from this perspective, and it's about time it existed.' Their band name translates to 'the sadness of women', and they are inspired by the 'stately, elegant, feminine sadness' of groups such as Dead Can Dance. They also embrace the experimental amateurism of the 1970s no wave scene. Lygad plays electronic drums, programmed with unconventional sounds from field recordings. Her snare is a recording of a snapping toy from a joke shop she exploded in an underground bunker, while her toms are the clicks made by echolocating bats, a particularly goth detail of her set-up. Sarffwraig plays a standard bass guitar, but Ferch Lisbeth plays a self-made instrument she calls a dwydelyn – Welsh for 'two-harp' – constructed from two zithers and a contact mic: 'I was thinking about Celtic harp music, and the first Dead Can Dance record where Lisa Gerrard is playing the yangqin [a Chinese dulcimer].' The three of them talk admiringly about the adventurous atmosphere they've cultivated within the band, and that's echoed in the Leeds scene that nurtured them. At the centre is Wharf Chambers, an accessible, co-op-run venue where, according to Ferch Lisbeth, 'honesty is rewarded and genuineness of expression is the goal'. This is especially crucial for a band who are all neurodivergent. 'For neurodivergent people, experimental music is a space to unmask and be publicly witnessed experiencing intense emotions,' says Sarffwraig. 'The scene around Wharf Chambers gave us space to do something weird in a language people don't understand. DIY venues have to be protected because they're so important for experimentation.' The band have found a similarly supportive second home in North Wales, in a community of alternative Welsh and Welsh-language musicians such as Anxiolytics, Sister Wives and Cerys Hafana that has 'a very wholesome, casual inclusion of queer, trans and neurodivergent people', according to Ferch Lisbeth. Established Welsh musicians have shown support, including Datblygu and the Super Furry Animals producer Gorwel Owen, members of Fflaps, and the singer Gwenno, who has recorded albums in Welsh and Cornish. 'Gwenno is a very important figure,' says Lygad. 'She's championing minority languages and is an outspoken anti-capitalist and anti-colonialist.' Outside of Wales, Tristwch y Fenywod have a kinship with groups such as Kneecap and Lankum, who share their anti-colonial approach to language and folk tradition. 'It's been lovely seeing Kneecap have success with the Irish language and take it to the mainstream, because that's where it should be,' says Lygad. The band hope their music inspires people to learn Welsh, or other minority languages, for pleasure and resistance. 'People talk about wanting large-scale systemic change, but they're still using the [English] language of laws and power structures,' says Ferch Lisbeth, who sees every language as 'a different system of perception'. They also model a radical connection with history and heritage. 'There's a way of respecting the past and tradition without the politics of nationalist ideas,' says Sarffwraig. 'Welsh is ancient, and allows you to connect with the way people were living a really long time ago. It's unfair that people with conservative politics get to have a monopoly on that culture and history. We're resisting that.' Tristwch y Fenywod play Green Man festival in Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales on 14 August; Big City festival in Glasgow on 16 August; Ara Deg festival in Bethesda, Wales on 13 September; Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht, the Netherlands on 8 November; and St Matthias Church, London on 14 November


Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Fuming comedian blames Oasis after no one turned up to Fringe gigs
The comedian blamed the 'Oasis Effect' after no one turned up to her show. A comedian has blamed the Oasis gigs at Murrayfield Stadium after she was forced to cancel two performances at the Fringe Festival when nobody showed up. London-based comic Kate Smurthwaite took to social media to lash out at the rock band for touring during the Fringe. The Edinburgh leg of the reunion tour kicked off last night, August 8, with additional performances tonight, August 9, and Tuesday, August 12. But the concerts, which are bringing 200,000 fans to Edinburgh, clash with the Fringe- the world's biggest arts festival. The English comedian informed her followers online that she noticed a difference in attendees when flyering for her show in the city centre, reported the Express. She then revealed that she was forced to cancel two of her scheduled gigs due to a lack of attendance. She argued: 'Big groups of people in Oasis shirts are not interested in my show or anybody else's. "I'm also aware of performers losing their accommodations because landlords have suddenly realised they can make more money by renting the space out to Oasis fans. "It's absolutely heart-breaking to be cancelling shows for the first time in ten years at the Edinburgh Fringe.' The 49-year-old continued: 'I'm pulling shows because no one turned up. I think the Fringe Society should have seen this coming and done more about it, and a band like Oasis should be more considerate of their fellow performers when they decide where and when to put their shows on.' She also added the caption: "The Oasis Effect. Cancelled 2/3 of my shows so far today. Please if you're local or able to get to Edinburgh come and support Fringe acts as the city gets turned into an Oasis-only zone and we all suffer." Many of her followers responded in mixed ways to her cancellations, with several saying that she shouldn't blame Oasis. One person typed: "Cmon, you can't blame Oasis. It's one of the biggest musical comebacks of our generation, but you really think Oasis or any band, for that matter, won't put a show on because the fringe is on? That's laughable. Completely different crowds, too. If anything, it'll bring more people to the city!" Another also chimed in: "Gonna be honest mate, there were plenty of people at Rizzle Kicks on the night of the first Oasis date at Heaton Park. Rizzle Kicks! I think the problem might not be Oasis." However, many fans sympathised with the comedian. One commented, "Dearest Kate, I am so so sorry… I really hope to get to see you. Sending so much love and support." A second also similarly echoed: "I agree! I don't understand why Oasis couldn't have come at a different time. What were they thinking?" The Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs for four weeks every summer. The Scottish capital will also stage huge performances by Chappell Roan, AC/DC and Sam Fender, which also clash with the Fringe. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.


BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Ladies of Llangollen's 'symbol of love' cutlery goes to auction
A cutlery set that belonged to the Ladies of Llangollen will go under the hammer on the open market for the first time. Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby spent 50 years together in their Plas Newydd manor in Llangollen, Denbighshire, during the 18th Century, and have become one of Wales' most famous lesbian couples. The auction, which will take place on 21 August in Cambridge, is expected to attract widespread interest, according to Steve Collins of Cheffins auction house. He said it was a "privilege to be able to offer these important pieces to the market", adding the sale represented "a powerful symbol of love, legacy, and defiance that continues to resonate". The lives of the pair, also simply known as the Ladies, partially inspired the hit BBC television show Gentlemen Jack, starring Suranne Jones and Sophie with the initials of the couple, the 23-piece Harlequin cutlery set with 10 additional pieces has been given a pre-sale price of between £800 and £1, the couple's deaths, Richard Jebb bought the silver at a Plas Newydd estate auction in was a land agent of Brynkinalt Estate in Wrexham, where the Ladies were tenants before moving to Plas 200 years later, his descendant has brought the cutlery back to auction. Norena Shopland, Welsh historian and director at Draig Enfys, an organisation which collects artefacts around LGBTQ+ people and issues in Wales, stressed the importance of the historical silverware."One of the difficulties, and the reason this collection is so important, is we have little amount of things to prove same-sex relationships throughout history," she said."There is a lot of lesbian history that is written away which portrays them as 'romantic friends', and the Ladies have suffered through that for a long time."Diversity, sexual orientation and gender identity has always been there."The historian added she would "love" to see the cutlery set returned to Plas Newydd, adding "I think it belongs there"."If somebody is planning to buy it and donate it to the house that would be great." Who were the Ladies of Llangollen? Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby met in 1768 in Ireland and later formed a romantic both belonged to influential Anglo-Irish families and were highly educated and well connected, but despite their traditional aristocratic background their characters were anything but two repeatedly broke societal norms, Ms Shopland said, dressing in male clothes and in top hats, riding astride on horseback throughout the countryside and refusing expected traditions and practices like marriage."People were a bit confused as to why they were doing this, they didn't understand same-sex relationships," Ms Shopland said."With women there was much more bewilderment about it but it was generally seen as 'unnatural' and thoroughly disapproved of." According to Ms Shopland, lesbians were understood at the time as "sapphists", an outdated term derived from the Greek poet Sappho and his depictions of same-sex relationships between term reflected the negative attitudes towards lesbians at the time, where it was heavily frowned upon, the historian said. After negotiations with their families, both women finally left Ireland for Wales in 1778, and in 1780 purchased they Plas Newydd."As they travelled through Wales, they stopped at Llangollen, loved it and decided to stay there for 50 years," Ms Shopland said. During their half a century at the town their notoriety grew among locals and Georgian high society, receiving visits from esteemed figures such as Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, the Duke of Wellington, English potter Josiah Wedgwood, and William Wordsworth."They were very well-loved in the area. Everyone knew they lived together and probably suspected they were 'sapphists' but people were very fond of them."Amid their colourful life, the Ladies' lifelong love for each other remained. They lived together, exchanged gifts of affection and wrote to each other often."You only have to read their letters. They talk about 'my beloved' and they were very, very affectionate towards each other," Ms Shopland 2 June 1829, Eleanor Butler died at the age of 90. Sarah Ponsonby died two years later aged 76. They are buried together in Llangollen at St Collen's Church, along with their housekeeper and friend, Mary Carryl.