Court Circular: August 16, 2025
The Duke of Edinburgh, Patron, Edinburgh International Festival, and The Duchess of Edinburgh this afternoon attended a performance of 'Orpheus and Eurydice' at Edinburgh Playhouse, 8-22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh.
His Royal Highness, Patron, Edinburgh International Festival, and Her Royal Highness this evening attended a performance of 'Mary, Queen of Scots' at the Festival Theatre, 13-29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh.
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Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Perrie Edwards shocks fans as she joins Robbie Williams on stage for surprise performance at Come Together Festival in Newcastle
Perrie Edwards commanded the stage as she made a surprise appearance alongside Robbie Williams at the Come Together Festival in Newcastle on Wednesday. The Little Mix star, 32, surprised attendees when she was introduced by Robbie and joined him for a performance of the song Relight My Fire. The singer looked incredible for the evening as she arrived on stage in a burgundy leather trench coat. Styling her blonde locks into an updo, Perrie also sported matching trousers and added height to her frame with a pair of boots. Robbie opted for a more casual look for his performance in a bright red vest and matching tracksuit bottoms. It comes after Perrie revealed she escaped a 'toxic' relationship with her ex-fiancé Zayn Malik that left her thinking she 'didn't want to meet anybody.' The star, who is now engaged to footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, shared the insight into her 'first love' in a hard-hitting interview with Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast. Reflecting on her dating history, Perrie, who did not name her ex-partner, admitted that behaviour in her 'first relationship' left her fearing the 'pain' of meeting someone new, as she was led to believe their actions were 'normal.' The singer previously got engaged to One Direction star Zayn Malik in 2013, but they split two years later. She said: 'I think definitely at the time I thought everything we experienced in our relationship was normal. 'Because it was my first relationship, first love. I was like, 'Oh, this is how it's supposed to feel. It's supposed to feel a little bit toxic. In some ways, this is probably normal, right?' 'And then when I became single, I was almost thinking, like, I never, ever want to go through that again. I didn't even want to meet anybody. I was like, that's me done. I don't think I could bear that pain.' 'But now, reflecting back, I'm thinking, oh, that probably wasn't good. And I've noticed it a lot. 'Like in the start of the relationship, I would handle things differently with Alex, and he'd come at it with such a level head that it would throw me.' Perrie went onto gush about Alex's 'laid-back nature,' after the couple's engagement in 2022. She said: 'Like, little things might happen, and I'd think, ''Oh, now he's going to kick off, he's not going to like this.'' And I'd be like, ''Oh, this happened.'' And he'd be like, ''Alright,'' and it would throw me. 'He's very mature. He's very laid back. He's very levelheaded. He's not the type to get mad or get angry or get funny about things.' Zayn previously reflected on his split from Perrie in an interview back in May, telling Nylon: 'From 17 to 21, I was in a relationship. I was engaged and [planned to get] married and I didn't know anything about anything at that point. 'I thought I did, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn't know s**t.'
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Revealed: The secret formula for making us laugh today
T he Edinburgh Fringe cracks its last gag of the year this weekend. As usual, I've spent the month in churches, gyms, packing crates and even purpose-built theatres looking for the best in Fringe comedy. But what have I learnt from the 80-odd shows I've seen? Apart, that is, from a few practical notes? Don't sigh too loudly when a fellow audience member brings out a camera phone (most shows). Don't make eye contact with a comedian looking for a volunteer (many shows). Don't go to see naked clowns who urinate in a bucket live on stage (only one show: Rosa Garland's much-acclaimed — but not by me — Primal Bog). Beyond that, here are this year's lessons from Fringe comedy. It would almost be quicker to list the comedians who weren't talking about their health woes than the ones who were. At a Fringe where identity politics and party politics took a back seat, everyone could unite behind the one thing we all really, really, really have in common: bodies. John Tothill, a comedian who has truly found his voice this year, talked about the 'obliterated' appendix that came close to killing him last year. And yet, in a gloriously garrulous, magpie-minded hour, it was only in the last third that he finally got to talking about his body shutting itself down, before showing us his unmetaphorical scars. He wants to celebrate life more than fear death. John Tothill talked about the 'obliterated' appendix that came close to killing him last year Cat Cohen — my vote for 'comedian whose show absolutely should have been nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award yet wasn't' — turned her stroke at 31 and subsequent heart operation into an hour of characteristically glam cabaret. Alison Spittle was one of several comedians talking about Mounjaro or Ozempic, after being told to lose weight for health reasons. Body positivity has its limits. The newcomer Molly McGuinness regaled us with her health horrors — nine days in a coma — but kept a droll distance from wallowing. 'Nearly dying,' she said, 'is the laziest way of being called brave.' • The best jokes of Edinburgh Fringe 2025 It's not that comedians aren't political, but there are few who want to be topical in their humour. There is so much semi-comical opining on such matters in podcasts, panel shows, newspapers and on the radio that comedians prefer to do something that is unique to them — and doesn't need rewiring every day. A notable exception was Matt Forde, but his act was nonetheless at its best when he spliced his adroit analysis and impressions with reflections on his attitudes to mortality — after a cancer condition he has been told has a 60 per cent likelihood of returning within six to ten years. Elsewhere the proudly leftist Josie Long wishing harm to centrist Starmer stood out for its pique and its rarity value, while from the more than 80 shows I saw there were a few murmurings of support for Palestine without anyone going into the weeds on the issue. 'It's absolutely crucial we talk of such matters,' Ivo Graham said of Palestine in his show, but then didn't. Hard to make geopolitical catastrophe amusing, after all. Which is maybe why comedians stick with what they know best: personal catastrophe. Alison Spittle was one of several comedians talking about Mounjaro or Ozempic KARLA GOWLETT What about the surge of mental health shows over the past few years? Are comedians still detailing their ADHD diagnoses and autism journeys? Spittle's show has a sharp line that explains why the game has moved on. 'Four years ago the richest comedians got privately diagnosed, then we watched their sets and went, 'Look, it's me!'' So mental health tales are still here, but only when they are truly sanity-testing or life-threatening. The New York comedian Rachel Kaly spent a whole hour detailing a lifetime of woes, including suicidal thoughts and borderline personality disorder while managing to be winningly dogged about finding the absurdity in it all. Joe Tracini, the son of the veteran comedian Joe Pasquale, did something similar (if frothier in the treatment). • Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025: the best comedy shows to see Dan Tiernan made us feel mental disintegration as if it were our own in one tremendous set piece capped by a perfect punchline. And finally, muscling in on the Adam Kay market, the psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse turned his book You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here into an interesting (if not outright funny) hour, Maddening. Rachel Kaly spent a whole hour detailing a lifetime of woes You could argue that the comedian is today's secular priest, offering sermons on the pressing issues of today. Just with more references to their sex lives and ambulance rides. What is a growing phenomenon, though, is the comedian meeting you outside the door as you file out, just like a priest checking in with their congregation. It's hard to go to your friend, 'Well, that was a waste of time,' when the timewaster in question is standing there handing out badges, thanking you for coming or — in venues that are free or pay-what-you-can — holding a card reader or a bucket for donations. The worst example of this I've had was when a performer stood in the aisle as everyone was leaving and looked them in the eye as she asked: 'Did you enjoy it?' • Read more comedy reviews, guides and interviews Did I see a perfect show all month? Probably not. Perfection isn't the point, even if some shows are more polished than others. Trying to say new things is what makes Fringe comedy so exciting and variable. While I really enjoyed Alan Davies's return to stand-up after a decade, I would bet big money that his tale of fatherhood and the childhood sexual abuse from his father that he has never talked about before on stage will take full flight once he's been on tour for a few weeks. The flat-out funniest show I saw all month? Tim Key's Loganberry, which he's been doing work-in-progress versions of for months. It's a slow process, even for the greats. Molly McGuinness regaled us with her health horrors The case against the Fringe is well rehearsed: primarily that it's so wildly expensive. Luke McQueen pointed out in his fine show, Comedian's Comedian, that even if he sold every ticket he would still lose money. And yet. The Fringe is part arts festival, part trade fair, and where else could you see genuinely exciting newcomers such as Ayoade Bamgboye, Rory Marshall, Toussaint Douglass, Elouise Eftos, Max Fulham and the sketch act Simple Town in a day? All, as it happens, at one venue (the Pleasance, having a good year). Have you seen any good shows at Edinburgh Fringe this summer? Let us know in the comments below
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Redditch mum writes song about baby loss
A woman whose newborn daughter died has written a song on what would have been her first birthday, to help other parents in a similar position to feel less Dewar's daughter Soulie was born in August last year, but had no brain activity and lived for just two Ms Dewar has written A Mother's Love about her grief, as a means of also helping her cope with her own it on her TikTok account, which has more than 200,000 followers, she said she wanted to be a voice for other mothers who had experienced baby loss. The song was produced by her brother Ben and has captured everything Ms Dewar wanted to achieve with it."It felt like the perfect way to honour [Soulie]," Ms Dewar said."I was trawling the internet trying to find a song that encapsulated everything that I felt and I couldn't find it, so I just thought, 'I'm going to have to write it'." Referring to helping other grieving parents, she said: "Unfortunately this is something that not only happened to me but happens to a lot of women and it's not talked about enough," she said."It was absolutely horrendous, heartbreaking, and no other mother should ever have to go through that." Ms Dewar had suffered with high blood pressure at the end of her pregnancy, which led to Soulie being been starved of oxygen."The thing is with blood pressure is, it sort of can go undiagnosed and also you don't feel unwell, so you're not aware unless you understand to look out for the signs," she said."There's more women who have been through something like this than we think," Ms Dewar added."You never ever think it is going to happen to you until it does."
