Latest news with #Flintoff
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brutal reality of sports stars being seriously hurt on TV
Andrew Flintoff glares at the director of his eponymous documentary as he accuses television of treating him like 'a piece of meat'. 'Even you with your questions,' he tells John Dower in a gripping exchange about the horrific Top Gear crash that left him scarred for life and wishing he had died. 'I think that's the danger that TV falls into. And I found out the hard way, eventually,' Flintoff says towards the end of the Disney+ film. 'It's always more, isn't it? Everybody wants more. Everybody wants that thing that nobody has seen before. Everyone wants that bigger stunt. Everybody [thinks], 'Actually, in some ways, let's have that near-miss, because then that'll get viewers'. Everything's about viewers. Always. Always.' That Dower, an award-winning film-maker, agrees makes the exchange feel like a wake-up call to an industry that has long provided a second career for the country's most telegenic sporting stars but has not necessarily done so with their best interests in mind. Flintoff is among a rare breed whose popularity or personality have taken them beyond covering the sport that first made them famous. Before him came John Fashanu and Sharron Davies on Gladiators and Ian Wright, whose TV credits include presenting a reboot of the same programme and his own chat show. There was Chris Kamara, who fronted Ninja Warrior UK and Cash in the Attic. While Kriss Akabusi and Linford Christie both presented Record Breakers. More recently Jermaine Jenas hosted The One Show before sabotaging his BBC career and bid to succeed Gary Lineker on Match of the Day. And who would have thought life after Manchester United, Aston Villa and Coventry City would have involved Dion Dublin fronting Homes Under the Hammer? Of course, none of these names have suffered the kind of life-changing injuries during their broadcasting careers as Flintoff, who is now as famous for his near-fatal stint on Top Gear, and programmes such as A League of Their Own and a revival of Bullseye, as for his Ashes-winning heroics. But neither is the 47-year-old the only British sporting icon to be seriously hurt filming a television show. Olympic medallist Beth Tweddle suffered one of the worst injuries when she broke her back while appearing on The Jump. Davies, the Olympic swimming silver medallist who joined Gladiators in 1995 as 'Amazon', was forced to quit the following year after snapping the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while taking part in an event called Pyramid. 'With the knee, I just hauled this girl off the pyramid and she landed really awkward on it sideways and, obviously, the cruciate ligament just went,' Davies tells Telegraph Sport. 'I've had 10 operations since. I had an ACL reconstruction, had about 10 ops and I've got really bad arthritis in that knee because of it.' Comparing the likes of Pyramid with the events played in the current BBC Gladiators reboot, she adds: 'It wouldn't get past health and safety now. It literally wouldn't. Nowadays, health and safety is very different, which is why a lot of the games are much tamer than they were in the '90s.' Davies says she received a 'small payout' of around £20,000, which even taking into account inflation, was a tiny fraction of the £9 million Flintoff reportedly got from the BBC after his accident. She adds: 'The health and safety was definitely a lot more lax and we did have quite a few injuries. People falling off Pole-Axe and hurting necks and all sorts of things.' Davies also says she suffered 'two broken ribs and all sorts of issues' while taking part in Dancing on Ice in 2010. 'I carried on as long as I possibly could but the problem is, me being so very tall, the dynamics of what we were doing just, every time I got picked up, they were just squeezing my ribs, so it was absolutely difficult. And, in the end, the hospital were saying, 'Look, if you're not careful, you'll end up with a punctured lung'.' Davies, who did not quit the show but was voted off, adds: 'I had injections in my shoulder. I had all sorts of things going on.' Even her stint presenting The Big Breakfast in the mid-1990s was not without its health challenges. 'I ended up getting bronchiolitis, which I'd never done in my life, because I was getting up at three-o'clock in the morning.' she says. 'It's like a very, very bad chest infection and I just couldn't get rid of it.' Yet, the 61-year-old says she is 'philosophical' about the physical toll all this has taken on her, particularly a knee injury she had a 'clean out' on as recently as December. 'You know what you're saying yes to,' she says. 'And then you have to be aware that things happen.' She blames Flintoff's life-changing injuries on 'whoever's fault it was to not make him wear a crash helmet' while he was driving a three-wheeled open-top roadster. 'That was a serious mistake. I'm not sure that you'd be getting all this from Andrew now if it wasn't for the fact that he'd had that accident.' Indeed, Flintoff's own wife and agent respectively claim he was 'looking for that buzz that he had from playing cricket' and that he became 'a daredevil' on Top Gear 'because he naturally challenges himself'. Davies says: 'Someone like Andrew got offered all of these incredible opportunities to go and do risky things because of the type of person he was. And, because of the type of person he was, he said yes. And he went off and he enjoyed most of them. And, the weird thing is, had that accident not happened, who's to say that he wouldn't still be doing Top Gear?' Davies did quit one show, Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, which she appeared on in 2017. 'I wish I'd said 'no thank you' to Bear Grylls: The Island. That was quite horrible,' she says. 'This is literally where they dump you on an island with a machete and just leave you there. And we didn't have any food for nine days. Nothing. No water for three days, which is way worse. 'We all ended up with swamp hands and swamp feet, where you're so wet that they swell up three times the size. Oh, God. It was horrendous. It really was horrendous!' She claims she quit after programme-makers failed to honour an agreement to let her have contact with home 'every couple of days' due to a family member suffering a bereavement shortly before she was due to take part. 'After three weeks on the island, I just went, 'F--- this, I'm going home', because I am now petrified that something's happening.' The production company behind the programme, which last aired in 2018, did not respond to a request for comment. Davies branded reality television 'absolutely mercenary', adding: 'They are mercenary to members of the general public who want their five minutes of fame, and they will just go on to the next person. And they don't care about the consequences. Because it's fodder. You are fodder.' This is not a view shared by Phil Tufnell, the last England cricketer before Flintoff to make the leap from that sport into mainstream television. That owed everything to him winning I'm a Me Out of Here! in 2003. 'It was great fun! I thoroughly enjoyed it,' he says of his time on the programme's second series. His triumph paved the way for a TV career that included a stint as captain on the original sports-themed comedy panel show They Think It's All Over and a remarkable 13 years in the same role on A Question of Sport before he, Sue Barker and Matt Dawson were axed from the programme by the BBC. Tufnell, who has also made numerous appearances as a reporter for The One Show, says he has yet to watch the Flintoff documentary and sidesteps questions about his former England team-mate's view of the TV industry. Asked if he can recall any negative experiences of his own, he replies: 'Not particularly. Like in sport, you come and go.' He adds of Flintoff: 'I kind of understand what he means that, one minute, you're captain of England and then, the next minute, you're not. And, so, you have to sort of reinvent yourself a little bit perhaps.' Tufnell says he can recall few offers within television that he has turned down beyond one for him to 'pose naked' – 'I thought to myself, 'I don't think I'll do that'' – and another for him to host the Playboy Channel – 'I'm glad I gave that one a miss!' Despite being one of sport's big crossover stars, he says he does not know why he and the likes of Flintoff had managed to move into mainstream television when others had not. He adds of his own transition: 'I just went along, all ears, kept my eyes open, and was enthusiastic. If you're enthusiastic about things, it gets you quite a long way, I find, and if you've got energy and – as my father always said – keep a smile on your face, and you just go along, and if you're doing things that are interesting [that helps].' Jeremy Guscott was among the first stars of rugby union to branch out from punditry duties on the likes of the Six Nations. Starting in regional television, the former Bath and England centre was still playing when he was thrust into Saturday night primetime TV by replacing Fashanu on Gladiators. He also worked on daytime television on City Hospital. Comparing his own experience of the industry with that of Flintoff, Guscott says: 'I was treated really, really well.' He also says that, unlike Davies, he 'didn't see' anything during his own time on Gladiators that was a cause for concern. 'Being a Gladiator, it's hard,' he says. 'But I think you're hoping that your agent's signed you up to something and you might be old enough or wise enough or streetwise enough to know what's good and what's not and what your aftercare might be. I played rugby, you signed a contract. You got a lawyer to read it over and you got your medical insurance in place. Or you didn't.' Guscott admits there was one thing he did not enjoy about the show, and about TV more generally. 'I don't think I'm built to memorise script,' he says, recalling getting the names of contenders 'muddled up' on Gladiators and having to reshoot whole sequences. He also reveals he said no to I'm A Celebrity… – 'I'm not good with creepy crawlies' – as well as to celebrity ski-jumping show The Jump, which he says was due to the risk of getting seriously hurt. No show has injured more of Britain's sporting idols than The Jump, which aired between 2014 and 2017. Sir Steve Redgrave (broken hand), Sir Bradley Wiggins (broken leg), Rebecca Adlington (dislocated shoulder), Christie (hamstring) and Tweddle (broken back) were all forced to quit the programme. Even 2016 winner Ben Cohen (face) was among the 34 celebrities hurt during the show's four-year run (Tufnell took part in 2015 when he was the first contestant eliminated). It never returned after Tweddle sued programme makers over her injury, saying: 'I'm not sure I'll ever be 100 per cent again.' Telegraph Sport has been told production company Twofour admitted liability after initially denying responsibility. It did not respond to requests for comment about a case which, according to court documents, was eventually closed in October 2022, not long before Flintoff's Top Gear crash. Whether television heeds the wake-up call Flintoff delivers in his documentary remains to be seen. But if all that has befallen him fails to convince television that it needs to change then nothing ever will.
Scottish Sun
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Freddie Flintoff snubbed by BAFTA after inspiring television comeback – as he loses out on factual series award
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FREDDIE Flintoff has missed out on taking home a Bafta Award after his triumphant return to TV. The cricket player-turned-TV host was up for Best Factual series at this year's ceremony, being held at London's Royal Festival Hall today. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams on Tour missed out on the Bafta Credit: BBC 6 The cricket series has become beloved by fans Credit: BBC 6 A third series has already been given the go ahead Credit: BBC He was nominated for his BBC One series Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams on Tour, taking a team of unlikely lads from Lancashire to India. The adventure was dubbed "the most unlikely cricket tour that almost didn't happen". However, he faced stiff competition from Netflix's American Nightmare, Channel 4's The Push: Murder on The Cliff, and To Catch a Copper, which also aired on Channel 4. To Catch a Copper - which investigates officer misconduct within the Avon and Somerset Police, shedding light on misogyny, abuse of power and racial profiling in the process - ultimately took home the prize at the ceremony. Field of Dreams has proven a massive hit for the BBC, with a third series already being greenlit. Freddie will work the same magic on another gaggle of teenagers from his home city on the new show - but The Sun exclusively revealed they will all be girls this time round. A TV insider said: 'Freddie didn't see why the young women in Preston shouldn't get the same chances as the boys, particularly as more and more female teams are popping up across the country. 'After all, the whole point of the show is to provide equal opportunities and use the sport to help people regardless of their background. So why should gender be a barrier?' The snub for the series comes after the star was widely praised for another documentary, Flintoff, which followed the star's mental and physical recovery from a near-death car crash on the set of Top Gear. Released on Disney+, Flintoff gave cameras access to his life, doctors' appointments and home as he dealt with life-changing injuries to his face. TV Baftas 2025: Maura Higgins, Tasha Ghouri and Ella Morgan lead the glamour as stars arrive on glitzy red carpet His family also share the impact it had on them, with Freddie's three-year-old being too scared to go near him in the wake of the accident. In a brutally honest chat, he admits he got so low that he wished the crash would have killed him, and refused to leave the house for eight months. The release comes amid a very busy year for Flintoff, who has also already committed to a series of Bullseye for ITV. Bafta TV 2025 Winners List Here's everyone who has taken home an award at tonight's ceremony Entertainment: Would I Lie To You? Factual Series: To Catch a Copper International: Shogun Supporting Actor: Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman Supporting Actress: Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer Limited Drama: Mr Bates Vs The Post Office Male Performance in a Comedy: Danny Dyer, Mr Bigstuff Female Performance in a Comedy: Ruth Jones, Gavin and Stacey News Coverage: BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special Reality: The Jury: Murder Trial Scripted Comedy: Alma's Not Normal Short Form: Quiet Life Single Documentary: Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods Special Award: ITV - Mr Bates Vs The Post Office Soap: EastEnders Live Event Coverage: Glastonbury 2024 Specialist Factual: Atomic People Sports Coverage: Paris 2024 Olympics, BBC One Children's Non-Scripted: Disability and Me (FYI Investigates) Children's Scripted: Cbeebies As You Like It At Shakespeare's Globe Current Affairs: State of Rage P&O Cruises Memorable Moment: Daytime: Drama Series: Entertainment Performance: Factual Entertainment: Fellowship: Leading Actor: Leading Actress: 6 To Catch a Copper took home the Bafta for Factual series Credit: Gareth Iwan Jones / Channel 4 6 Flintoff has already been praised this year for his eye-opening personal documentary series Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Freddie Flintoff snubbed by BAFTA after inspiring television comeback – as he loses out on factual series award
FREDDIE Flintoff has missed out on taking home a Bafta Award after his triumphant return to TV. The Advertisement 6 Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams on Tour missed out on the Bafta Credit: BBC 6 The cricket series has become beloved by fans Credit: BBC 6 A third series has already been given the go ahead Credit: BBC He was nominated for his BBC One series Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams on Tour, taking a team of unlikely lads from Lancashire to India. The adventure was dubbed "the most unlikely cricket tour that almost didn't happen". However, he faced stiff competition from Advertisement READ MORE BAFTAS Field of Dreams has proven a massive hit for the BBC, with a Freddie will work the same magic on another gaggle of teenagers from his home city on the new show - but The Sun exclusively revealed A TV insider said: 'Freddie didn't see why the young women in Preston shouldn't get the same chances as the boys, particularly as more and more female teams are popping up across the country. 'After all, the whole point of the show is to provide equal opportunities and use the sport to help people regardless of their background. So why should gender be a barrier?' Advertisement Most read in TV The snub for the series comes after the star was widely praised for another documentary, Flintoff, which followed Released on Disney+, Flintoff gave cameras access to his life, doctors' appointments and home as he dealt with life-changing injuries to his face. TV Baftas 2025: Maura Higgins, Tasha Ghouri and Ella Morgan lead the glamour as stars arrive on glitzy red carpet His family also share the impact it had on them, with In a brutally honest chat, he admits he got so low that he Advertisement The release comes amid a very busy year for Flintoff, who has also Bafta TV 2025 Winners List Here's everyone who has taken home an award at tonight's ceremony Entertainment: Would I Lie To You? Factual Series: To Catch a Copper International: Shogun Supporting Actor: Ariyon Bakare, Mr Loverman Supporting Actress: Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer Limited Drama: Mr Bates Vs The Post Office Male Performance in a Comedy: Danny Dyer, Mr Bigstuff Female Performance in a Comedy: Ruth Jones, Gavin and Stacey News Coverage: BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special Reality: The Jury: Murder Trial Scripted Comedy: Alma's Not Normal Short Form: Quiet Life Single Documentary: Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods Special Award: ITV - Mr Bates Vs The Post Office Soap: EastEnders Live Event Coverage: Glastonbury 2024 Specialist Factual: Atomic People Sports Coverage: Paris 2024 Olympics, BBC One Children's Non-Scripted: Disability and Me (FYI Investigates) Children's Scripted: Cbeebies As You Like It At Shakespeare's Globe Current Affairs: State of Rage P&O Cruises Memorable Moment: Daytime: Drama Series: Entertainment Performance: Factual Entertainment: Fellowship: Leading Actor: Leading Actress: 6 To Catch a Copper took home the Bafta for Factual series Credit: Gareth Iwan Jones / Channel 4 6 Flintoff has already been praised this year for his eye-opening personal documentary series Credit: Getty 6 The in-demand star will return later this year for a new series of Bullseye Credit: Rex Advertisement
Wales Online
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Wales Online
Freddie Flintoff's huge net worth, ex-model wife and Top Gear injuries in full
Freddie Flintoff's huge net worth, ex-model wife and Top Gear injuries in full The England cricket legend is nominated for a BAFTA after coming back to TV following his life-changing car accident Flintoff suffered serious facial injuries in the crash in December 2022 England cricket legend Freddie Flintoff could win a BAFTA tonight, two-and-a-half years from the horrifying car accident that changed his life forever. The 47-year-old is up for the Best Factual Series award at the glitzy ceremony in London on Sunday night, with his BBC documentary series Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams nominated. It has been a remarkable journey for the cricket star turned presenter, who was seriously injured in the accident he was involved in while filming for Top Gear at the end of 2022, an incident that left him with serious scars both physical and mental. The presenter had been driving an open-topped three-wheeler around the show's test track at speeds of around 130mph before it flipped over in icy conditions. While he had slowed down to 22mph at that point, his face was dragged across the tarmac as he was not wearing a helmet and there was reportedly no airbag in the vehicle. As a result, he sustained severe facial injuries and multiple broken ribs from the crash and was immediately taken to hospital for what was reported to be four hours of surgery. His wife Rachael, who rushed from the couple's Atrincham home to the hospital in Surrey where he was being treated, was even warned by a surgeon to "expect the worst", while his son Corey later claimed he was lucky to be alive. Article continues below A surgeon who treated Flintoff later revealed that the "very complex" injuries the cricketer suffered included hard and soft tissue injuries, broken and lost teeth and fractures and displacement to part of the upper jaw bone. While he survived, Flintoff has been left with significant scarring and has battled mental health issues - including anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares - since the accident. In the aftermath of the incident, he admitted he was "struggling already" as he faced a "long road" to recovery. "Week and a half after my accident," he revealed in a video recorded in the hospital. "Genuinely should not be here after what happened. "This is going to be a long road back and I have only just started and I am struggling already. I need help. I really am not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes." Months on from the incident, he admitted the recovery process had been much more difficult than he expected, explaining: "I thought I could just shake it off, I want to shake it off and say 'here I am, I am alright' but it has not been the case, it has been a lot harder than I thought. "I am struggling with my anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks, it has been so hard to cope with," he added, as he admitted that he didn't know if he will ever feel "100 per cent" again. "I don't know what completely better is," said Flintoff. "I am what I am now, I am different to what I was. That is something I will probably have to deal with for the rest of my life. Better? No. Different." Flintoff soon stepped down from his presenting duties on Top Gear and later received a substantial compensation payout from the BBC, reportedly amounting to £9 million. Production of the show ceased, and the corporation has since apologised to the former England cricketer and confirmed that the programme is off air "for the foreseeable future" "We have sincerely apologised to Freddie and will continue to support him with his recovery," the BBC said in a statement. "We understand [halting the show] will be disappointing for fans, but it is the right thing to do, and we'll make a judgement about how best to continue later this year." Since the accident, Flintoff has been supported by his wife of 20 years, Rachael, who he married in Knightsbridge in March 2005. A former model, Rachael now runs her own thriving events firm called Strawberry Promotions, and met Flintoff for the first time while promoting her business at an event at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in 2002. Recalling how they first met, she admitted: "He really wasn't my type physically, because I generally prefer dark men. But I thought he was the funniest guy I had ever met. "He obtained my phone number and texted me a couple of times, and we went up for a drink, and I was really blown away by his charm." Together, the couple are parents to four children – Holly, 17, Corey, 16, Rocky, 13, and Preston, two – and live in a swanky £2.5m house in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. Flintoff's impressive career in both cricket and television have left him with a sizeable net worth, which is estimated to be in the region of £16 million. However, the company that he runs with his wife to manage his post-cricket business activities - Freddie Flintoff Enterprises - reported heavy losses earlier this year. Having posted a profit of £256,278 in the previous year, according to accounts filed with Companies House, the company reported a loss of £646,823 for the year ending 30 June 2024. Article continues below The company's net assets also fell from £6.9m to £6.3m during this period, but, despite the loss, dividends of £325,222 were paid out to the couple.
The Guardian
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Four Seasons, A Complete Unknown and Model/Actriz: the week in rave reviews
Netflix; full season available Summed up in a sentence Tina Fey's starry comedy follows three middle-aged couples on a series of eventful holidays our reviewer said 'Part White Lotus without fatalities, part Golden Girls with men, The Four Seasons is full of properly funny lines, rooted in properly middle-aged experience. It captures the warm, weary affection for life and each other only old friends and enduring couples really know. Rest your aching bones and enjoy.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading The Four Seasons to Flintoff: seven shows to stream this week Disney+; full season available Summed up in a sentence Suspenseful four-parter about the notorious 2005 killing of an innocent Brazilian man by armed our reviewer said 'It is an enraging picture of what went wrong after the 7 July 2005 explosions – scenes of which start off the series, submerging us in a febrile, panicked atmosphere. Ultimately it is a reminder that the least Jean Charles de Menezes deserves is the whole truth.' Jack Seale Read the full review Further reading 'We didn't want to avoid the reality of what happened': the drama telling the true story of Jean Charles de Menezes ITVX; full season available Summed up in a sentence Two-part documentary telling the shocking story of Carol and Stephen Baxter, found dead in their Essex home by their daughter our reviewer said 'What unfolds is astonishing – told courtesy of interviews with the investigating officers, who only just manage to maintain the veneer of professional detachment as their recounting of the extraordinary case goes on, and with Ellena, who speaks with the stark honesty of someone just coming out of the first shock of bereavement.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Apple TV+; new episodes Wednesdays Summed up in a sentence A tasty tale about Napoleon's renegade pastry chef cavorting around early 1800s our reviewer said 'As it scoffs and seduces its way through the Napoleonic era, it's hard not to fall for the extravagant charms of the Bake Off: Extra Spice. I know little about the real-life Carême, but this reimagining of him is stuffed to bursting. It is a rich, moreish and knowingly indulgent treat.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review BBC iPlayer; full series available Summed up in a sentence Three youngsters try to avoid being taken into care after their mother's disappearance in a heartbreaking, hugely funny our reviewer said 'Within each episode and over the entire series, Just Act Normal is beautifully structured and holds its many strands in perfect tension. It is altogether a wonderful thing.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading Just Act Normal is the best showcase for new talent since Adolescence In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Documentary following three siblings as they clear out their childhood home, and reckon with some difficult memories in the our reviewer said 'This warm, gentle documentary from Dutch director Suzanne Raes is about a family – and a family home – that might have interested Wes Anderson. The family itself could be seen as charming or twee and insufferable. The film-maker persuades you that it's the former.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Marvel's Florence Pugh-starring adventure is a charmingly unusual, if baggy, our reviewer said 'The globe-dominating franchise, biding its time until the next wave of Avengers movies, has been in desperate need of saving. And Thunderbolts*, which happens to be the best thing to come from the brand since WandaVision (still the high watermark), gets the job done.' Radheyan Simonpillai Read the full review Further reading Florence Pugh's skyscraper stunt positions her as the new Tom Cruise In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence The Wolverhampton rockers ride the giddy highs and brutal lows of the music industry in this re-released 1975 musical our reviewer said 'There's a creeping sense that it's all going to come crashing down. The best bits are always the band performing, with Holder's compelling rock'n'roll growl.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading The Citizen Kane of rock movies': glam rockers Slade and their bid for cinema greatness Disney+ Summed up in a sentence James Mangold's Oscar-nominated biopic follows the rise of Bob Dylan, played electrically by Timothée our reviewer said 'Chalamet is a hypnotic Dylan, performing the tracks himself and fabricating to a really impressive degree that stoner-hungover birdsong. He is also good at Dylan's insolent comedy in art as in life: puckish, witty, insufferable and yet wounded. There is amazing bravado in this performance.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading After decades of apathy, A Complete Unknown has turned me into a Dylan nut Available on digital download Summed up in a sentence A locksmith opens the wrong door in a tightly wound thriller that owes a debt to Michael Mann, but has a confidence all of its our reviewer said 'Brussels is probably not on the top of many lists of cities likely to serve as a setting for an exciting crime film. But this Francophone drama just goes to prove that, given enough moody lamplit street scenes and a bit of imagination, any city will work. It feels as grippy as duct tape throughout.' Leslie Felperin Read the full review Reviewed by Blake Morrison Summed up in a sentence Should rivers have human rights?What our reviewer said 'To the question 'Is a river alive?' Macfarlane wants to answer as simply and resoundingly as his nine-year-old son did: yes! And he wills himself to believe it by granting rivers human pronouns: instead of which or that, 'I prefer to speak of rivers who flow''. Read the full review Further reading Robert Macfarlane on the lives, deaths and rights of our rivers Reviewed by Anthony Quinn Summed up in a sentence A compassionate, darkly witty sequel to 2021's Double our reviewer said 'If there is a flaw in St Aubyn's dramas of consciousness it's the tendency of his characters all to think and talk in the same register of droll irony. Imagine a game of intellectual catch in which the best impersonation of Gore Vidal wins.' Read the full review Reviewed by Pratinav Anil Summed up in a sentence Meet the real-life our reviewer said 'Hatherley's heroes are the Jewish architects Berthold Lubetkin and Ernő Goldfinger, both unabashed Marxist modernists, the latter of whom was famously turned into a gold-loving Bond villain' Read the full review Reviewed by Lara Feigel Summed up in a sentence An intimate account of therapy by one of the US's most celebrated writers, taken from notes on her our reviewer said 'There's a crude fascination in seeing some of the raw material, but there's also something shameful about it. We're invading Didion's privacy – at times less as a mother than as a writer.' Read the full review Further reading: What do Joan Didion's therapy diaries reveal about guilt, motherhood and writing? 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Katie Hawthorne Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence A selection of 81 pieces from the composer's 10 volumes of miniatures, approved by Kurtág our reviewer said 'There are pieces that are fiercely expressionist, others that are sweetly lyrical, even sentimental, and others that are laugh-out-loud witty. Whole worlds of expression are encapsulated in just a few bars.' Andrew Clements Read the full review Further reading György Kurtág on depression, totalitarianism and his 73-year marriage Out now Summed up in a sentence The New York quartet's second album, inspired by Mariah and Kylie but full of jackhammer rhythms and our reviewer said 'Piroutte largely thrives on thrilling contrasts: between the band's tendency to cacophony and the taut control with which they play; between the sweetness of the tunes and the pummelling din behind them.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review Further reading One to watch: Model/Actriz Out now Summed up in a sentence Ideas of migration and self-discovery inspire the latest album from the drummer/composer and her imaginative our reviewer said 'Born in Incheon, South Korea, to a conservative family, Hong's teenage dream was to become a drummer. At 19, she moved to Europe and met her band of skilful soulmates. Her evolving music leans towards a European chamber-jazzy sound with occasional American hints.' John Fordham Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The North Shields songwriter's third album pairs sharp vignettes with giant choruses – perfect for his series of stadium gigs this our reviewer said 'Whether his gaze rests on his past, or his present, there's an urgency about what he has to say. Whatever else Fender's unlikely fame may have changed, it hasn't dimmed the potency of his music.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review
