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CBS News
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
At Tribeca Festival 2025, music rules on screen and on stage. Here's a guide to this year's lineup.
Music is the star attraction at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, which opens Wednesday evening in New York City. The subject of numerous documentary and narrative films, music will also be a live feature at this particularly festive festival, with some artists performing mini-concerts in conjunction with film premieres. This year's Tribeca, the 24th edition of the festival, showcases nearly 120 feature-length narrative and documentary films — many of them world or New York premieres — along with shorts, revivals, filmmaker Q&As, immersive art installations, video games, audio storytelling, and music performances. Screenings and events will be held at venues across Manhattan and at the Brooklyn Bowl. The festival's opening night feature is the documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," a portrait of the quintessentially New York piano man. Blending archival footage with new interviews, the film — which will stream later this year on HBO Max — tracks the career of the 76-year-old musician and 23-time Grammy Award-winner, who recently suspended his performance schedule for health reasons. The film also screens June 5, 11 & 15. Other music subjects include: "Depeche Mode: M" (June 5, 6 & 14), which uses the British electronic band's Mexico City concerts as the framework of meditations on mortality. Depeche Mode will participate in a Q&A following the premiere screening. "Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?" (June 5, 7 & 9) traces the turbulent path of the San Francisco indie rock band Counting Crows and its front man Adam Duritz. "Boy George & Culture Club" (June 5, 6, 8 & 12) explores the '80s British glam rock group. "Something Beautiful with Miley Cyrus" (June 6) is a pop opera comprised of songs from Cyrus' album "Something Beautiful." She'll chat about it afterwards). "Billy Idol Should Be Dead" (June 10, 12 & 13) is a portrait of the punk rocker, past and present. Idol will perform following the premiere. "Sun Ra: Do the Impossible" (June 10, 11, 12 & 14) is a biography of the free-form jazz pioneer, poet and activist. "Metallica Saved My Life" (June 11, 12 & 14) examines the special relationship between the heavy metal band and its fans. Director Jonas Åkerlund and members of Metallica will discuss the film after the premiere. Among the films featuring musicians bowing at the 2025 Tribeca Festival are (clockwise from top left): "Billy Joel: And So It Goes"; "Something Beautiful with Miley Cyrus"; "Sun Ra: Do the Impossible"; "Metallica Saved My Life"; "Rebecca," featuring Becky G; and "Depeche Mode: M." Tribeca Festival The documentary "Matter of Time" (June 12, 13, 14 & 15) features a solo performance by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, dedicated to raising research funds for Epidermolysis Bullosa. Vedder will play an acoustic set following the premiere. Mexican star Becky G, the focus of the documentary "Rebecca (a.k.a. Becky G)" (June 12, 13 & 14), will perform following the world premiere at the United Palace. The South Korean band The Rose is front-and-center of "The Rose: Come Back to Me," and will make an appearance at the premiere (June 6, 7, 12 & 15). "Still Free TC" (June 13, 14 & 15) follows the divergent paths taken by rapper and producer Ty Dolla $ign, seen during the production of his new album, and his brother, Gabriel, who is serving a 67-year-sentence for murder. "The Sixth Borough" traces the Long Island roots of hip-hop (June 11, 12 & 14), while 2025 Sundance entry "Move Ya Body: The Birth of House," about Chicago's role in the popularization of house music, will have its New York City premiere (June 13, 14 & 15). And you don't always need instruments; "Just Sing" (June 6, 7, 11 & 13) follows members of the VoCals, a University of Southern California a capella group. There are also fiction films whose stories are centered in the worlds of K-pop ("K-Pops!"), indie record labels ("Paradise Records," directed by Logic), classical music (Isabel Hagen's "On a String"), and music therapists (Libby Ewing's "Charliebird"). And among the guests at this year's Tribeca Talks is music producer Mark Ronson (June 7). A world of non-fiction On June 14 the festival's closing night attraction is the documentary "Yanuni," in which an Indigenous woman, Juma Xipaia, leader of an Amazonia tribe in the Middle Xingu, evolved from an environmental warrior facing police tear gas to becoming a member of government. Directed by Richard Ladkani and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. Other documentary subjects making their bows at Tribeca include the world premiere of "Surviving Ohio State" (June 9, 10 & 13). Co-produced by George Clooney and directed by Eve Orner, the long-awaited exposé examines the sexual abuse scandal involving Ohio State athletics doctor Richard Strauss and the trauma inflicted upon young athletes. It will later be streamed on HBO Max. The comedian/performance artist Andy Kaufman, whose skyrocketing career careened from indescribable standup — he claimed to never tell jokes — to impersonating bad lounge singers and wrestling women on stage, until his death from cancer in 1984, is captured in the intimate documentary "Andy Kaufman Is Me" (June 6, 7 & 12). Making fulsome use of Kaufman's personal trove of audio and video recordings, interviews and puppetry, it seeks to answer the question: Who really was Andy Kaufman? We may never know. "Jimmy & the Demons" (June 8, 10, 13 & 15) profiles graphic artist and sculptor James Grashow as he completes a remarkable, religious-themed commission on mortality — and then faces staging a career-spanning exhibition of his own life's work. "Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything" looks back at the life and work of the trailblazing broadcast journalist, whose stamp on television spanned more than seven decades (June 12, 13 & 15). "Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print" (June 10, 11, 12, 14 & 15) chronicles the history and cultural impact of Ms. Magazine. "The Inquisitor" is a profile of Barbara Jordan, the first Southern Black woman in Congress (June 8, 13 & 14). "State of Firsts" (June 7, 8 & 11) tracks the rise of Delaware's U.S. Representative Sarah McBride, the first transgender person to be elected to Congress. The Netflix documentary "Titan: The OceanGate Disaster" profiles Stockton Rush, the OceanGate CEO whose submersible descending to the wreck of the Titanic in 2023 imploded, killing Rush and four others on board (June 6, 7, 9 & 12). "Bodyguard of Lies" (a CBS Studios/Paramount production, co-produced by Alex Gibney) is an exposé of government deception and lack of accountability over the war in Afghanistan (June 8, 10, 11 & 13). The antebellum homes of Natchez, Mississippi, are a tourist magnet, and a source of civic pride for the town. But as "Natchez" explores, they're more than just pretty buildings — they're an evocation of a racist past that some aren't ready to let go of (June 9, 10 & 14). Choreographer and performer Jenn Freeman, diagnosed later in life with autism, prepares a solo dance that confronts her life's challenges in "Room to Move" (June 11, 12 & 13). Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron is the subject of "Are We Good?" (June 14 & 15). "Just Kids" (June 7, 8 & 13) follows the challenges facing parents seeking gender-affirming care for their children in states where such treatments have been banned. "Saturday Night Live" actress Julia Sweeney's androgynous character Pat is the subject of "We Are Pat" (June 8, 9 & 10), which looks at gender identity and trans visibility. "Holding Liat" (June 9, 10, 11 & 12) follows the ordeal of the family of Israeli-American Liat Atzili, who was kidnapped from his kibbutz during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack. "An Eye for an Eye" (June 6, 7, 8 & 9) examines sharia law and revenge as an Iranian woman, convicted of murdering her husband, faces possible execution based on the wishes of the dead man's family. Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield, who died tragically at age 34, is the subject of "My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay" (June 13, 14 & 15), a personal film by the star of "Law & Order: SVU." One of the most memorable of pop culture icons, Dorothy Gale, the witch-killer from "The Wizard of Oz," is dissected in "It's Dorothy!" (June 7, 8 & 9). Alex Ross Perry's "Videoheaven" (June 10, 11 & 12) makes its case for the once-ubiquitous video store as a vital pillar of film culture — one we're sad to see gone. If you were to put the tabloid Weekly World News and notoriously incompetent filmmaker Ed Wood in a blender, you might come up with Staten Island underground filmmaker Andy Milligan, a '60s director who reveled in gore, violence and sex in exploitation films like "Gutter Trash." Well, Tribeca is not so stuffy that it wouldn't celebrate his oeuvre with the documentary "The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan" (June 11, 12 & 14). In many places, one may struggle to latch onto Wi-Fi or complain about cellphone reception. In the town of Green Back, West Virginia, home of the world's largest radio telescope, Wi-Fi and phone signals are not allowed. "The End of Quiet" (June 7, 8 & 11) explores a life of silence in the so-called "Quiet Zone." Hungry after all that? "Nobu" is a portrait of sushi chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa (June 11, 13 & 15). He appears in conversation with Robert De Niro after the film's premiere. Fiction Many American and international narrative films are having their world or U.S. debuts prior to their announced theatrical releases or streaming runs. Among them: Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon bring their natural chemistry to "Best You Can," about the blossoming friendship between a security guard and a urologist. With Judd Hirsch and Brittany O'Grady (June 7, 8, 9 & 15). In the comedy-drama "Everything's Going to Be Great," Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney star as theater managers whose dire circumstances force their family into uncomfortable and messy tensions (June 9, 10, 12 & 15). Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman are a young couple on a romantic getaway in a farmhouse in the comedy "Oh, Hi!" (June 13 & 14). In the comedy "A Tree Fell in the Woods" (June 8, 9, 10 & 13), two couples on a trip to the woods actually experience said tree. Lies and psychedelic drinks ensue. With Alexandra Daddario, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad and Ashley Park. In "Esta Isla (This Island") (June 7, 8 & 14), young lovers in Puerto Rico escape to the mountains to evade a local drug dealer. Nick Offerman ("Civil War") stars as an extremist whose son (played by Jacob Tremblay, of "Room") questions his father's allegiance to the sovereign citizen's movement, in the based-on-true-events thriller "Sovereign." Co-starring Dennis Quaid and Martha Plimpton (June 8, 9, 11 & 12). In "Rosemead," Lucy Liu stars as a Chinese immigrant who fears her son has become dangerously fixated on mass shootings (June 6, 7, 12 & 14). Guy Pearce (an Oscar-nominee for "The Brutalist") returns as a long-term prisoner who becomes a mentor for an incarcerated young man in "Inside" (June 7, 8, 12 & 13). Oscar nominees Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn star in "Dragonfly," about a woman takes upon herself the care of an elderly neighbor — possibly with not-entirely-altruistic intentions (June 6, 7, 11 & 13). In 1996, French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier was murdered while on vacation in Ireland. A suspect was tried in abstentia by a French court and convicted. What if he had stood trial in Ireland? Directors Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot") and David Merriman ("Rock Against Homelessness") present "Re-Creation," a fictitious take on that potential trial's jury deliberation, starring Vicky Krieps and Colm Meaney (June 8, 9 & 12). "Kites" is a magical-realist view of life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, in which a young man's guardian angel seeks to direct him from a life of crime. From first-time director Walter-Thompson Hernández (June 6, 7 & 13). The horror-comedy "Queens of the Dead" answers the question: what do you get when you mix drag queens with flesh-eating zombies? (June 7, 8, 13 & 15.) Finn Wittrock ("American Horror Story") stars as a failed filmmaker who returns to his Long Island hometown to confront the actions of his past in "Westhampton" (June 7, 8, 11 & 14). A struggling filmmaker fears losing his free-travel perk when his roommate, an airline employee, begins dating someone in "The Travel Companion" (June 5, 6, 11, 14 & 15). "Honeyjoon" explores matters of grief and a young woman re-gaining an appreciation of life during a trip the Azores (June 7, 8, 12 & 13). In the growing tradition of live-action remakes of animated films, Mason Thames plays the young Viking lad who tames and befriends Toothless, a young dragon, in "How to Train Your Dragon" (June 11, prior to its theatrical release June 13). Retrospectives and reunions Tribeca will host a 30th anniversary screening of "Casino" (June 5), followed by a talk with star Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese. There are also 25th anniversary screenings of the Christopher Guest mockumentary "Best in Show" (with Guest and cast members, June 12), "Requiem for a Dream" (with director Darren Aronofsky and actor Ellen Burstyn, June 10), "American Psycho" (June 12), and "Meet the Parents" (with De Niro, stars Ben Stiller and Teri Polo, director Jay Roach and producer Jane Rosenthal, June 7). Sen. Cory Booker attends a 20th anniversary screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Street Fight" ( June 13). It took 50 years, but the 1975 body horror flick "Shivers" will play Tribeca, followed by a talk with director David Cronenberg (June 14). And in honor of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday, Martin Scorsese's 1997 biography "Kundun" will be screened (June 6). A 20th anniversary 4K remaster of the Japanese musical comedy "Linda Linda Linda," a cult favorite about an all-girl high school band, with music by Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha, unspools on June 8. TV Episodic television is also featured, with screenings of new seasons of the MGM+ series "Godfather of Harlem" (June 11), HBO Max's "The Gilded Age" (June 12), and Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" (June 14). Novelist Dennis Lehan is the writer-producer behind "Smoke" (Apple TV+), about an arson investor and detective tracking serial arsonists (June 12). From Britbox comes "Outrageous," about six scandalous, aristocratic sisters (June 5). Also screening are "We Were Liars," a Prime Video adaptation of the E. Lockhart bestseller (June 10), and the Hulu documentary "Call Her Alex" about podcaster Alex Cooper (June 8). Tribeca Talks Artist and newsmaker interviews include talks with Jim Gaffigan and Michael Ian Black (June 5); Sean Penn, interviewed by Kaitlan Collins (June 8); Rep. Jasmine Crockett in conversation with Whoopi Goldberg (June 13); and actress Ellen Pompeo, interviewed by Katie Couric (June 14). There are also panel discussions with creatives about the industry, from storytelling to funding. Immersive storytelling programs at the Tribeca Festival include (clockwise from top left): "Uncharted VR," a cosmic merging of the human body with pan-African languages and AI data sculpture; "Scent," a game in which the player (as a dog) roams a war-torn city; Boreal Dreams," a simulation of the Boreal Zone and the relationship between climate and consciousness; and "A Father's Lullaby and Lullabies Through Time," an interactive installation featuring formerly incarcerated fathers. Tribeca Festival Immersive art and games The festival's immersive storytelling program, titled "In Search of Us," features 11 projects by artists working via VR, augmented and mixed reality, and multimedia installations. Pier 57, open to the public June 11-15, will feature playable demos of this year's games selections, including the fantasy game "Absolum"; "Cairn," in which you try to survive reaching the summit of Mount Kami; "Mixtape," a nostalgic look back on high school; "Take Us North," with is built on the stories of real-life migrants; and the horror games "Sleep Awake," in which the player must evade death cults, and "Possessor(s)," where you must escape a flooded city. Festival Guide The festival runs from June 4-15. For more information about films, immersive exhibits, special events and ticketing (single tickets and passes), visit the Tribeca Festival website.
Stuff.tv
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
WH-1000XM6: the secrets behind Sony's best headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones aren't designed for audio obsessives. At least, not exclusively. They're also made for commuters, remote workers, casual gamers, frequent flyers, and anyone who wants great sound — and noise cancellation — with minimal faff. And it's precisely this versatility that makes them interesting. Because, as it turns out, they weren't easy to make. At a press event held at Sony's slick 5020 Studios in Madrid, the company pulled back the curtain on how the WH-1000XM6 came to be. What emerged was a picture of a product shaped as much by collaboration, restraint, and problem-solving as by cutting-edge innovation, worthy of topping our list of the best headphones. Shaping the sound The sound of the WH-1000XM6 wasn't grown in a sterile lab. It came from repeated sessions between Sony's engineers and mastering engineer Mike Piacentini, who works at Sony Music's Battery Studios in New York. Having mastered records for artists including Bob Dylan, Depeche Mode, Rage Against the Machine, and more, Piacentini's job was to help tune the XM6 so that they sound good with any genre, on any pair of ears — a task that's easier said than done. 'Koji's team came over twice,' Piacentini said, referring to Sony audio engineer Koji Takamura. 'They brought prototypes — different driver designs, different tuning profiles — and we just listened. We'd sit in my room, compare them to other headphones, my speaker setup, and argue about EQ. That's kind of the job.' He wasn't just tweaking software presets. 'They'd come back after I gave them notes and literally change the physical design — airflow, diaphragm shape, materials,' he said. 'Like, I'd say 'make the snare pop a bit more,' and a few weeks later they'd show up with a totally reworked prototype that actually did it. It's always impressive how they turn abstract EQ feedback into real, physical changes.' Takamura explained that the XM6's 30mm driver is structurally similar to the one found in the XM5, but with key upgrades. 'The dome is carbon fibre composite — more rigid now — so the high frequency response is more natural and clean,' he said. 'The diaphragm edge is soft, and we added airflow holes in the bobbin to make the sound smoother and more natural.' Unlike professional-grade studio headphones used by producers and sound engineers (where the goal is to use the flattest, most clinical-sounding pair of headphones possible), designing a pair of consumer headphones is a different beast entirely. 'With studio headphones, you know who you're building for. With these, you don't. They'll be used by people listening to everything from Dylan to EDM. So it's about making smart compromises that still feel musical.' Piacentini also spoke about the reference material used in testing — a tight selection of tracks he either worked on directly or knew intimately. 'You listen to the same songs 50, 60 times while tuning,' he said. 'You're listening for balance — does the snare hit the same way? Is the vocal sitting right? And more than anything, does it translate from the studio to these headphones?' Interestingly, other engineers brought in by Sony — including Randy Merrill, Chris Gehringer, and Michael Romanowski — all made similar tuning decisions. 'It was reassuring,' Piacentini said. 'We weren't working in a vacuum. The choices we made seemed to land with everyone.' The tuning process itself, once the hardware was fixed, also took time. 'We started with a few different EQs,' Takamura said. 'Then we brought it to Mike. He helped us tune it more precisely, and we saved that as a preset.' Naturally, one of the other key challenges was balancing ANC with sound quality. 'If the noise cancelling is too strong, you lose clarity,' Takamura continues. 'We worked on an algorithm that adapts to your head shape and your surroundings. That's new.' The sound of silence On that note, Sony's noise cancelling has long been among the best — and the XM6 pushes things further. The jump from eight microphones to 12 (six per earcup) gives the system more data to work with, and it's all handled by the new QN3 noise-cancelling processor, combined with a powerful, all-new algorithm. According to Sony, it's seven times faster than the QN1 chip used in the XM5, enabling more responsive real-time adjustments to changing environments. But it's not just about the hardware. Takamura explained how the new algorithm adapts not just to background noise, but also to head shape and air pressure — crucial for keeping ANC consistent in different situations. Still, he acknowledged the trade-offs. 'There's always a small difference between sound with ANC on and off — but we tried to keep it as small as possible.' In testing, the WH-1000XM6 delivered one of the most effective ANC performances I've used. On a flight, engine noise faded to near silence. In a busy home office, keyboard clacks and fan hum dropped to a distant murmur. Even without music playing, the XM6 created a noticeably quieter bubble — and once audio kicks in, external distractions all but vanish. The ambient mode (Sony's take on transparency) has been improved too. It now adjusts automatically based on surroundings — opening up more in quiet spaces, pulling back in louder ones — with no need for manual tweaks. Some power users may lament the lack of customisable ANC controls regardless, and I totally get that. For me, I have zero complaints about the ANC autopilot in the WH-1000XM6. Though I wouldn't mind seeing a future app update with customisation options. Power to the people, and all that. Nips and tucks While not a million miles away from the design of the XM5, there are some notable changes in the XM6 which, according to Sony designerChai Yee L., was led by a mixture of user feedback and stubborn attention to detail. 'We call it evolutionary, not revolutionary,' she said, 'but each change solves a specific problem.' One example, is the headband. On the XM5, it was perfectly symmetrical — sleek, but occasionally confusing. 'Some users wore them the wrong way round,' she admitted. 'That affects the seal, and sound quality. So the new headband is slightly asymmetrical, with a seam at the back to help you identify the correct orientation by feel.' Even the way the headphones fold was rethought. 'We brought back the folding design because people missed it,' she said. 'But we also reworked the hinge. There's less swing, more stiffness, a straighter profile. We wanted to reduce what we call the 'Mickey Mouse effect' — that triangular gap between the earcup and the head.' The carry case, too, has had a rethink — prompted by Sony's Inclusive Design Workshop in 2024. 'The old zip was hard for some people to use. Now it's a magnetic flap. You can open it with one hand.' Play Other small but considered changes include a redesigned power button (to avoid accidental presses), softer synthetic leather pads, and increased clamping force for better ANC performance. 'You can now wear it around your neck with closed cups too,' she added. 'We wanted it to look and feel more portable.' Sony WH-1000XM6: the best headphones for most people If someone were to ask me what headphones they should get, I'd point them in the direction of the WH-1000XM6 without hesitation — budget permitting, of course. They aren't exactly cheap. But if you're after a single pair of headphones for every conceivable task, and are willing to spend a premium, you won't be disappointed. And as for the inevitable XM7? I'm looking forward to what Sony's engineers and designers will cook up over the next few years.
The Courier
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
How dairy boss Robert Graham grew Stirling business from 7 milk vans to £155m turnover
The title of managing director doesn't sit comfortably with Stirlingshire dairy boss Robert Graham. The 54-year-old heads up his multi-million-pound third-generation family firm but he refuses to see himself as 'corporate'. 'We are a family business that started with my grandfather milking cows by hand. That is what we are all about,' Robert is keen to stress. 'I hate titles like managing director and CEO, I grew up driving tractors in my school holidays.' Graham's the Family Dairy, based in Bridge of Allan, is now Scotland's largest independent dairy, shipping products around the world. Last year, its turnover was more than £155 million – with dozens of products from butter and cottage cheese to kefir and protein ice cream. However, it began as a herd of just 12 Friesian cows in 1939. In 1947 – after producing milk to feed the troops during WW2 – Robert's grandfather, Robert Graham, bought his first delivery van. His father, also Robert Graham, was instrumental in expanding production and by the 1960s, R. Graham & Son was supplying homes and shops in the Stirling area with pasteurised milk. Born in 1970, Robert Jnr enjoyed a 'wonderful childhood' on Airthrey Kerse Farm. 'I have very fond memories of being a kid. I grew up feeling happy and safe,' he said. 'My dad worked very hard and was out of the house before dawn but we always had dinner together at 5pm – me, my older sister Carol, mum and dad. 'In the winter we would help with lambing and in the summer we would help with the hay. 'I loved driving the tractor in my teens, listening to Depeche Mode and Madonna on my Walkman. Life was simpler then.' He continued: 'I was fairly privileged, yes, but also pretty normal. 'My friends and I were always out cycling to the local ice cream shop and played tennis, hockey and football.' Robert went to Beaconhurst independent school in Bridge of Allan for his primary education, before attending Morrison's Academy in Crieff. He excelled in history and mathematics at school but was less fond of English, he recalls. While he had a close group of friends, he admits he 'wasn't as popular as Ewan McGregor' in the year below, who was 'too cool for me'. On finishing school, Robert secured a place at Heriot Watt University to study accountancy and finance. He had initially planned to move to London after graduating to join an investment firm in the City, but found himself longing to come home. He said: 'There had been no plan in place for me to join the family business at that point. 'It was certainly a shock for my parents when I came back the summer after university and asked my dad to get involved. 'I had ideas about things that could be done to move the business forward and wanted to give my energy to our company. 'There were also some Halcyon memories of Bridge of Allan, I think.' Robert recalls 'butting heads' with his father at first – and struggled with the 4am starts. But his ideas started to bear fruit and the dairy began expanding. He continued: 'When I came on board, properly, we had about seven vans and only delivered in Stirling. 'I remember writing a list of things we should do on a piece of paper. 'My dad thought it was ridiculous at the time… but we have now done all of the things on that list from more than 30 years ago. 'We both wanted the business to grow and after butting heads at first we started to work really well together. 'When we first made it to £1m turnover we thought that was amazing and then quite quickly we were at £2.5m.' In the 1990s, Graham's expanded its delivery area beyond Stirling to Falkirk, then Perth and Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Robert Jnr became managing director in 1996 and in 1999 the business won its first supermarket contract. In 2005, now a household name, Graham's the Family Dairy reported a £22m turnover and started to sell more than just milk. 'It was then we really started to upscale,' Robert recalls. 'We expanded into butter and Jersey milk and then, in 2010, we started making yoghurt. 'Looking back, I am very proud of everything the team achieved to build the business.' In recent years, thanks in part to a 'dairy renaissance' – as Robert calls it – sales have rocketed for Graham's. Growing numbers of consumers have turned their back on processed oat and nut milks in favour of high-protein, natural foods. The volume of Graham's cottage cheese sold has increased by an astonishing 80% year-on-year – the equivalent of two million extra kilograms of cottage cheese. The Stirlingshire firm, which has its own prize Jersey herd at Mains of Boquhan near Kippen, now works with 90 milk producers across the country. 'Remarkably, our protein pouches are now bigger than our conventional milk business – and milk is what our whole business was built on. '10 years ago, butter our second biggest line but now, despite still selling well, it's no longer one of our top eight products. 'We are fortunate to be in product categories that are going through explosive growth just now. 'Fats are no longer demonised and people are looking for high-quality, high-protein natural foods. 'The story and provenance of our brand is also very important to our customers.' Despite growing revenue, Graham's the Family Dairy has not been immune to energy price and national insurance hikes. 2023 saw it suffer its first operating loss of £200,000 but last year it was back in £4.5m profit. Robert is confident that 2025 will see a further increase but admits 'it has been very tough'. Fewer than 50% of Graham's sales are now Scottish. The vast majority of the remaining sales come from south of the border but the products are also popular in Ireland. In recent years, Graham's now exports to a number of Arab nations and Caribbean islands. Growing the brand internationally is something Robert hopes to continue, but he is also keen to make the most of the time he isn't at work. The father-of-three says he has always tried to do as much as he can for his children – teenagers Holly and Douglas and seven-year-old Charlie. Being able to attend each of Holly's school hockey matches is something he is immensely proud of, and he provides 'dad's taxi service' whenever he is called upon. A keen hill runner, who regularly climbs nearby Dumyat at speed, he is also determined to keep his fitness up. 'One of the perks of having a family business should be that you are able to make time for your own family,' Robert reflects. 'I live a few minutes from the farm and am across most things but I also work with a great team of people – including my 84-year-old dad and my sister Carol – who I trust to get things done.'
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Phillip Schofield joke branded 'sick' as it's cut from TV show
The Power of Parker returns to the BBC this week for another hilarious series - but star and creator Sian Gibson has revealed that some '90s references had to be cut From the Queen's annus horribilis and John Major as prime minister to Depeche Mode storming the charts, The Power of Parker is taking us back to 1992 for its second series after two years off our screens. The BBC sitcom sees Conleth Hill return as down-on-his-luck businessman Martin Parker, who is out of a job after losing his electrical goods store over an affair with Kath (Sian Gibson) - the sister of his wife Diane (Rosie Cavaliero). While the series fully embraces the early Nineties, star and creator Sian admits that there are some references that had to be left in the past. 'We did have one joke about Diane saying that her ideal man was Phillip Schofield,' she says. 'But that went because it's sick isn't it?' The disgraced TV presenter, who left This Morning two years ago after an affair with a younger male co-worker, didn't get a mention in the end. However, Sian and her co-writer Paul Coleman did include a few figures who happened to make headlines this year. 'Gene Hackman - we didn't know he was going to die,' Sian says. 'And we didn't know Daley Thompson was going to be on Celebrity Big Brother.' We last saw Martin turn up on the doorstep of his mistress Kath after he was believed to have perished in a fire at his shop. Now two years on, Martin is living with now-girlfriend Kath and desperate for a job after Diane ran him out of the family business - now new and improved after the blaze. 'We left it on a cliffhanger thinking that the BBC will want to know what happens,' Sian admits. Conleth is lacing up his cowboy boots once again to play Martin - but reveals that his family weren't too impressed with the character when the first series aired. 'My older relatives didn't like him because he was an adulterer,' he shares. 'I based him on a mate of mine back home who wears cowboy boots and suits. When he doesn't, he looks like a dumpy middle-aged man but transforms in the suit and cowboy boots,' he admits. 'It's just something about the choice of 'I'm going to give myself a couple more inches' in the boots that I liked immediatley.' Martin is at 'his lowest' at the beginning of the series, but resorts to his old manipulative ways as the series progresses. 'It's just self preservation at all costs. He'll betray the woman he used to love and betray the woman he currently loves just to save his own skin,' Conleth says. 'There's something liberating about playing somebody that selfish.' Conleth wasn't the only star in dodgy Nineties fashion however, with Sian and Rosie sporting 'flammable and tight' clothing and bouffant heads of hair. 'The hair took ages,' Rosie says. 'We would get in the chair for about seven or six in the morning and then the rollers would stay in for ages.' Sian adds, 'I wore a very tight red dress and I said to Rosie at the fitting, 'I can't wear this, what can I do?' Rosie said, 'You're a comedy actress, you can't be vain.'' Meanwhile, the huge high heels proved to be dangerous for Sian. 'I slipped over for real in front of 70 supporting actors, all male over the age of 60,' she admits. 'I fell by Rosie and Steve [Pemberton's] feet. They burst out laughing. It went right up my coccyx to my head. Everyone tried to act concerned. All day, all these old men kept asking if I was OK.' BAFTA winner Steve Pemberton returns as Martin's former business partner Sandy - who joins forces with Diane and turns out to be a chauvinistic nightmare. The Inside No. 9 star and co-creator admits that working on someone else's project for once made for a rewarding change. 'It feels like play to me because I'm not thinking about the schedule or the scripts or the casting. I'm just enjoying myself,' he says. 'That's genuinely why I said yes - I thought I'm going to really enjoy going back up north. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't very good.' Sian adds, 'I'm always nervous when I send the script to you. I'm like, 'Steve, just say what you want!'' Happy Valley 's Bob Costigan plays the role of Diane and Kath's dad Dougie - whose storyline was inspired by Sian's own life. 'We didn't want Diane and Kath to row over Martin anymore and me and my sisters row over my dad - who does the most, who went to see him the week before,' Sian says. 'We tried to bring a bit of that into it. I feel now we're all of a certian age where our parents are a certain age and that's another challenge you have in life. Maybe you have children and older parents - it's the juggle with all of that. That's the one thing that hasn't changed since the '90s.'
CairoScene
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Fulltone & Parallelle Drop Nu-Disco Single ‘Shining in the Dark'
Danceable and downright fun, the track features Barbara Lau's soul-inflected vocals, reminiscent of disco tracks from the 70s. May 19, 2025 Egyptian electronic virtuoso Fulltone has joined forces with Amsterdam-based French electronic duo Parallelle on a collaborative single, 'Shining in the Dark'. Parallelle are best known for their innovative approach, crafting a distinctive style that blends house and techno with various influences from jazz, soul to funk and disco. They often incorporate organic sounds, live instrumentations, and field recordings into their productions, reflecting their global travels and diverse musical influences. Refreshing, danceable, and downright fun, 'Shining in the Dark' sees Fulltone venturing a little bit away from his conventional productions, heavily drawing on 80s and 90s house music, and embracing more effects on vocals, to craft a sound that is as nostalgic as it is innovative. The track is packed with fat, funky lead lines, bumpy basslines, with that sweet 80s-inspired chord progressions, analogue-effected experimental loops, and that fleeting traces of the pop energy of bands like Depeche Mode. Around the 90-second mark, the track slows into a cosmic style of wonky synths before Barbara Lau's soul-inflected vocals enter, adding an extra-groovy dimension to the track's production, reminiscent of classic disco tracks from the 70s.
