Latest news with #Pride&Prejudice
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
I'm grew up in one of the UK's most ‘boring' towns – it's anything but with Netflix filming and beautiful castles
WHEN I was growing up in Grantham, it wasn't uncommon to hear the word 'boring' thrown around - and not just because I was a sullen teenager, In fact, the south-west Lincolnshire town where I whiled away my childhood had been branded dull on a number of occasions. 8 I grew up in Grantham and it's anything but boring 8 The town is known for being the home of Margaret Thatcher - when it was first named a dull town by Radio 1 Credit: Alamy It was dubbed the 'most boring town in Britain' in a 1980 Radio One survey, when its most famous former resident, Margaret Thatcher, was prime minister. It still makes me chuckle that when That the town is still shorthand for 'monotony' is an unfortunate fact raised again by a new Daily Telegraph round-up that has made headlines in the past few weeks. Grantham sits amongst Read more on UK towns However, now in my 30s, I can't help but disagree that, from things to do to sites to see, my hometown isn't so uninteresting after all. If you're into history , then Grantham has centuries of it - with sites arguably as impressive as nearby Stamford or There's the blue plaque to spy on the side of a shop on the town's North Parade where Thatcher was born in 1925 - which also happens to be a chiropractic clinic and natural therapy centre, called Living Health , if you fancy a massage too. There's likewise the Angel and Royal hotel - aged 821 years - which is believed to be one of the oldest hotels in the world, and has hosted no fewer than seven kings and queens. Most read in News Travel Even if you don't stay in one of its 31 bedrooms, you still pop in to the The Kings Room restaurant, as well as The Angel Bar - which serves cocktails and tapas. Just outside town, in the village of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, is the National Trust property Woolsthorpe Manor - the former home of Sir Isaac Newton. Grantham - underrated town of the Midlands It was from a tree at the premises that he famously saw the apple drop, leading to the discovery of Grantham has certainly had its brush with celebrity over the years, and usually as a filming location for iconic films and Netflix series. grand National Trust property on the edge of town - and a must-see in its own right - was famously enlisted for the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring More recently, the 17th-century mansion was used for the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte - in which it doubles up as the interior for Kew Palace and the exterior for Buckingham House. Another fancy residence close by that is well worth a visit, Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code - with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen spotted on set. 8 Belton House is a popular filming location Credit: Alamy 8 Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte was filmed there Credit: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX 8 The BBC's Pride & Prejudice also used the grounds as filming location As well as A-list royalty, plenty of real royalty have also passed through - including King Charles, who stayed over at Belton House during his training at RAF Cranwell in 1971. Currently, the most famous local residents are arguably Rebekah Vardy and her husband, If you like a good catch-up over a cappuccino, things have come a long way since I was a kid when the best place for a caffeine hit in town was Costa. Westgate Bakery is just off the Market Place, which hosts a market every Saturday selling all manner of lovely local produce, from honey to veg. The 14th-century Grantham House, yet another National Trust property, is currently the talk of the town since opening a new cafe within its five acres of walled gardens in April. Other local favourites for a cuppa include Kitchen and Coffee and the café at Belton Garden Centre. 8 Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code Credit: Alamy 8 The Angel and Royal is one of the UK's oldest hotels Credit: Alamy The aforementioned Belvoir Castle's Retail Village is also great spot to spend an afternoon, and you can also pick up some nice bits from the farm shop too. Fancy something stronger? The Blue Pig, a 16th-century watering hole, is perfect for a pint, while The Tap & Tonic is unrivalled for cocktails. If you're after a way to blow off some steam - and perhaps have little ones in tow - then Grantham actually has plenty of things to do. The Grantham Meres Leisure Centre boasts a semi-Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with three leisure pools and its very own big windy slide. Feeling competitive? Grantham Bowl has 12 lanes and an American-style diner for refreshments, while you can go go-karting at Ancaster Leisure which has one of the biggest tracks in the region. In fact, for kids, you also can't go wrong with a trip to Belton House's adventure playground, which is the National Trust's largest in the country. For adults who fancy a bit of relaxation, then the country hotel Belton Woods is home to a popular spa and golf course. When I was growing up the cinema had just two screens and was a bit tired - however the shiny new five-screen Savoy Cinema multiplex was built on the same site and opened in 2019. One of my favourite free activities? A rural hike up to Belmont Tower - just a ten-minute drive outside town - from which you can see for miles on a clear day. So with the historic hotels, famous castles and new attractions - Grantham is anything but boring. 8 It definitely isn't a boring town - I can vouch for that Credit: Getty
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike recalls getting punched and mugged in London: ‘All my mother heard was a scream'
British actor Rosamund Pike recently recalled a terrifying moment from nearly 20 years ago, when she was attacked and mugged while walking through London. The Gone Girl star, during a recent interview, shared that the incident took place in 2006 during what began as a casual phone call with her mother. 'I was on the phone to my mother, on a mobile phone walking along a road, and I was mugged,' Rosamund recalled during her recent appearance on Magic Radio. The assault, Rusamund recalled, happened suddenly, with a cyclist snatching the phone from her hand mid-conversation. 'The phone was snatched, so all she (her mother) heard was me scream and a thud, and the phone went dead,' Rosamund added. The mugger didn't stop at stealing her phone — Rosamund said she was physically assaulted during the encounter. '(e) Punched me down the side of my cheek,' she recalled, describing the shocking violence that accompanied the theft. Though she admitted feeling 'angry' in the moment, the 46-year-old actor said she was acutely aware that her mother, left in the dark by the sudden end of the call, endured her own wave of fear. 'I walked to the pub and called [my mom] when I got there and met my friends. But for her, it was probably a pretty horrible 15 minutes,' she said. Rosamund, who was born in London, has since built an impressive career with roles in acclaimed films like Die Another Day (2002), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Jack Reacher (2012), Beirut (2018), and Saltburn (2023). She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Gone Girl (2014), opposite Hollywood star Ben Affleck. Nearly two decades after the incident, Rosamund's candid account adds a layer of personal vulnerability to the public image of the accomplished and composed actor.
Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jane Austen's personal letters exposed in jaw-dropping BBC series on TV tonight
Jane Austen wrote thousands of letters but her sister burned most of them - this series uncovers those that were left Even if you're only a fan of Pride & Prejudice because of THAT Darcy lake scene, or Sense & Sensibility from the movie with Emma Thompson, you will have been enjoying Jane Austen's legacy for years. Revealing the inner lives of men and women, ripping up the rulebook to comment on society, class and politics, Jane Austen was outrageous and witty. Tonight's BBC2 series Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius, at 9pm, explores the life and legacy - more than two centuries on, her work leaves a lasting legacy that is read, enjoyed, adapted and cherished to this day. Along with her published work, she also wrote thousands of personal letters to her beloved sister Cassandra, sharing her deepest thoughts, but after her death at the age of 41 in 1817, her sister burned them. Cassandra must have known the outrage they would cause, but fortunately a handful survived. Drawing on these letters, alongside the insights of experts, novelists and actors, this series aims to piece her extraordinary life back together. Each episode weaves in cinematic re-enactments, with contributions from authors and writers including Helen Fielding, Candice Carty-Williams, Kate Atkinson, Colm Tóibín and Bee Rowlatt; actors Charity Wakefield, Greta Scacchi, Samuel West, Tamsin Greig, Tom Bennett and Greg Wise, experts and historians Dr Paula Byrne, Admiral Lord West, Dr Priya Atwal, Dr Louise Curran and Dr Paddy Bullard, and filmmaker Ken Loach. Author Helen Fielding says: 'Jane Austen's voice is so strong and funny and perceptive. And her work's still being copied and stolen by people like me.' Watch out for more special programming later this year to mark Austen's 250th birthday, and straight after this at 10pm, a screening of Pride & Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. *Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius is airing tonight (May 26) on BBC2 at 9pm There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest.. SPRINGWATCH, BBC2, 8pm It has been 20 years since Springwatch first aired, and it continues to broadcast incredible wildlife stories, thanks to two decades of unprecedented access to nests, setts, holts and waterways. Chris Packham and Michael Strachan lead three weeks of wildlife wonder from the National Trust's Longshaw Estate, in the heart of the Peak District. Alongside live action from the many hidden cameras, there will also be films to salute the passionate people who go the extra mile. Father and daughter duo David and Heather go freediving on the Cornish coast to observe changes in the seagrass beds and rocky reefs. We find out what happens with amorous molluscs are in need of a mate. Turns out those snails can be quite selfish. Cameraman Louis Labrom heads to Dartmoor to film the iconic swallow, while former farmer Philip Hambly and his wife Faith have transformed their 52 acres into a haven for birds, butterflies and plants. JAMIE COOKS: GEORGIA, CHANNEL 4, 7pm In this sumptuous one-off special, Jamie Oliver heads to eastern Europe to dive into the fascinating cuisine of Georgia, soaking up inspiration from its people, ingredients, techniques and traditions. From exploring the capital city of Tbilisi to the wine region, Jamie immerses himself with the locals and the culture, joins a traditional Georgian gathering and brings what he's learnt to his cooking back home to Essex. Jamie kicks off his trip in Tbilisi, on the ancient Silk Road. At the city's largest food market, the Dezerter Bazaar, local chef Meriko inspires Jamie with the innovative use of herbs. He falls in love with Khinkali - Georgian dumplings, and is allowed into a restaurant kitchen for his own special lesson where he learns traditional techniques. Heading east to the wine region and the vineyards of Kakheti, he arrives at the perfect time to 'birth the new wine', and he's invited to his very first Supra - a traditional communal feast. EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm John is tormented by nightmares of being arrested for Nate's murder as he and Victoria prepare for his wedding to Aaron. Moira anxiously watches as workers dredge the lake. When Cain reveals the dredging has begun, John panics and starts packing. Aaron catches him mid-escape but is reassured it's just pre-wedding jitters. Joe and Dawn's romance is derailed when a social worker arrives to follow up on a safeguarding concern. Ross takes Lewis out kayaking and sneakily pinches his house keys. EASTENDERS, BBC1, 7.30pm Zack puts his new plan into action and goes to Ravi for a loan to fund his escape. Ravi warns him not to mess with Nicola and reveals that she recently asked him to help move a body. Phil is confused when Nigel is angry that they didn't celebrate his birthday, despite saying he didn't want a fuss. Avani is upset when she receives an onslaught of cruel messages online as news gets out about her sleeping with Joel. CORONATION STREET, ITV1, 8pm Brody tenses as he listens to a message from his Dad. Kit returns home to find Brody smashing up his flat, revealing his Dad assures him he's innocent and it's a police stitch-up. When Ronnie introduces Debbie to Fiona, an old flame, Debbie's put out. Eileen tells George and Brian that the drugs found in Julie's system were the painkillers prescribed for her, not Julie. When Brian makes an innocuous remark, Eileen snaps and bans him from attending the funeral.
South Wales Argus
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Actor Rosamund Pike 'punched in the face' and mugged
Speaking to Magic Radio, Pike said that she was on the phone to her mother, opera singer Caroline Friend, when her phone was snatched out of her hand by a person on a bike. The actor said she "screamed in terror," leaving her mum, who was still on the phone, panicked for her daughter. Telling Magic Radio: "I was on the phone to my mother, on a mobile phone, walking along a road, and I was mugged. "The phone was snatched, so all she heard was me scream and a thud and the phone went dead." Pike added that the mugger flew past her on their bicycle and punched her cheek while grabbing her phone. The actor ran to a nearby pub and borrowed a phone from a friend to call her mother and let her know she was okay. Sharing: "For her, it was probably a pretty horrible 15 minutes.' Recommended Reading Actor Pike has appeared in many hit films and TV shows, including Gone Girl, Saltburn, Pride & Prejudice, James Bond movie Die Another Day and The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. In 2014, Pike was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the acclaimed film Gone Girl, while in 2024, she received a BAFTA Award nomination for Saltburn. Pike won an Emmy Award in 2019 for appearing in the TV show, State of the Union and in 2021 won a Golden Globe for her performance in I Care A Lot.
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
I visited pitiful never-before-seen room where Jane Austen took her last breath
The normally private residence where the Pride & Prejudice author lived for her final three months before she died has been opened to the public for the first time as part Winchester's 250th celebrations of their most famous resident, t The modest lodging room where one the world's greatest novelists, Jane Austen, breathed her last breath has been opened to the public for the first time in Winchester, Hampshire. Normally crowds of Jane Austen fans from all over the world gather outside the cream-coloured walls of this hallowed Georgian building at No 8 College Street to pay homage to their favourite author, whose six witty novels such as Sense & Sensibility captured a slice of 18th century English life and spawned a global romantic industry in Hollywood films, BBC period dramas and spin-off TV series. Normally the closest fans have been able to get over the years has been to take photos of the memorial plaque to Jane that hangs above the door at No 8, but have never been allowed to step foot inside. Now the hand-written note stuck to the wall outside reminding tourists that it is a private residence has been torn down, and the simple lodgings rooms where Jane spent three months before her untimely death, aged 41, has been opened for just 28 days to the public to mark the 250th anniversary of the author's birth. On 18 July 1817, Jane had a seizure after a long unknown illness and died with her head in her beloved sister Cassandra's lap upstairs in the lodging house, just five minutes walk from the Winchester Cathedral where she is buried. Born the seventh child of eight in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, where her father was rector, Jane famously never wed after her first love Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy (played by James McAvoy in the 2007 film Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway) departed for Dublin and wed a wealthy woman. The author, who just before her death had begun to enjoy a minor celebrity despite publishing her books anonymously, only earned around £650 in her lifetime (the equivalent of £40,000 today) from her work, and was used to living relatively modestly compared to her wealthy brothers. Jane and her sister and mother lived in Chawton Cottage, 10 miles from Winchester, which was one of many properties owned by her rich brother Edward, who had an annual income of £15,000 – even grander than Mr Darcy's £10,000 a year in Jane's most famous work, Pride & Prejudice. Guiding the first tour of its kind in the house, Adam Rattray, head of history of art at Winchester College, which owns the property, explains how historians and architects have been able to peel back the layers of history in the house to recreate what it would have looked like in Jane's time. 'Jane had been unwell for many months and when she arrived in Winchester on May 24, she was suffering from an unknown disease – possibly Addison's or Lupus. She had a blotchy face and she had not left her house in a long time and came to the city for medical treatment from Giles King Lyford, surgeon-general at county hospital. 'In her last letters to her nephew, Jane wrote about her 'comfortable lodgings, including the neat little drawing room with a bow window overlooking Dr Gabell's garden,' who was the master of the college. And how she mainly spent her days on a sofa, which we have replicated with a piece of furniture from the period covered with ticking. 'The house virtually remained untouched for years so much of the cornicing is original, and we have matched the same coloured green paint we found on the walls downstairs, and the grey, terracotta and cream of Jane's lodgings.' Sadly Jane never recovered and a day before she died, when asked by her sister what she needed, she replied, 'Only death itself.' Her last tragic words were, 'God grant me patience, Pray for me, Oh pray for me.' Jane was buried with just four male members of her family in attendance, as women did not attend funerals at the time. And her heartbroken sister Cassandra could only watch from the window upstairs in the lodging house as the funeral cortege carrying Jane passed on the way to her final resting place. Cassandra, who was played by Keeley Hawes in the recent BBC period drama Miss Austen, wrote later, 'I watched the little mournful procession the length of the street and when it turned from my sight… I had lost her forever,' before leaving the house never to return. The opening of the house where Jane died is part of a summer-long celebration of the Hampshire city's most famous resident, including a display in the City Museum of Jane's belongings such as her beautiful silk pelisse – or coat – which shows Jane stood about 5ft 7-tall and was a size six in modern UK sizing. Louise West, former curator of Jane's house, explains how when Jane began earning her own money, she loved to spend it. 'We have many everyday objects here that belonged to Jane such as purses which normally would have been thrown out, but by the end of her life, Jane's sister and mother were being asked for Jane's autographs, so she was beginning to become famous. 'Even though Jane made many of her clothes, she paid for the silk pelisse to be made for her at great expense, and if you look closely, you'll see it's covered in tiny oak leaves – a Naval symbol – in tribute to her two seafaring brothers. 'Jane's house at Chawton would have been very cold, and she would have worn the pelisse a bit like a housecoat to keep herself warm.' Visitors to the city can also experience the Jane Austen exhibition at Winchester Cathedral where she was buried, and where letters and poems between Jane and her good friend Anne Lefroy are on display. Jane met Anne Lefroy's nephew Tom as a lively 20-year-old when she attended many balls at the Assembly Rooms in Basingstoke. In early January 1796, Jane wrote excitedly to her older sister Cassandra about her crush, calling him "a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man'. But alas, Jane was unlikely to offer bring much in the way of a dowry, and in another of her letters later that year, she mentioned his departure and wrote, 'At length the day is come when I am to flirt my last with Tom Lefroy, and when you receive this it will be over. My tears flow as I write at the melancholy idea.' Indeed Tom left the country and married a wealthy woman Mary Paul in 1799, and they had seven children and lived in the family estate at Carrigglass Manor in County Longford in Ireland. Tom and Jane never saw each other again, but the Austen and Lefroy families kept in touch over the years, and descendants of Tom have been very involved with the celebrations of the famous author. Tim Lefroy, 77, who is Tom's brother's great grandson, also lives in Winchester, and attended the opening. He spoke about why his young Anglo Irish ancestor would never have married Jane. 'Tom was an impecunious lawyer and couldn't afford to marry Jane – he had yet to start his career.' As the years passed and Jane grew older, she remained unmarried. That's not to say she wasn't courted by other suitors – aged 27 she received a proposal from a local farmer Harris Bing-Wither who was due to inherit a large fortune, but after accepting him, the following day she turned him down. Curator Louise West adds, 'He was a very nice family friend, but rather dull. Considering what we know Jane thought of romance, it's hardly surprising she declined his offer.' Jane was a prolific letter writer and wrote thousands of them in her lifetime, but her sister burned all but 160 of them. Probably because Jane's sharp tongue would have embarrassed many with her witty yet indiscreet revelations about neighbours and family. However perhaps we should all be thankful Jane never married and had children – not least because three of her Jane's six sisters in law died in childbirth – but also, if she had, it's unlikely Jane would have had the time or support to write what are thought to be six of the greatest novels in the English language. And now her tomb inside the spectacular Norman Winchester Cathedral, which is engraved with an epitaph written by her brother Henry, is a shrine to fans who come from all over the world to lay flowers and pay their respects to one of the literary world's most famous women.
