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Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review: Silliness and slapstick make 39 Steps at Octagon a fun night out
If you go along expecting a tense thriller along the lines of the classic Hitchcock movie you're going to be sorely disappointed and more than a little confused. For this adaptation of John Buchan's novel by Patrick Barlow is an unashamedly silly romp full of cracking visual gags and a cast of four who work their socks off. For anyone with a knowledge of the original, the story is pretty much the same. The suave Richard Hannay shelters a mystery woman who is murdered at his flat but not before putting him on the trail of a gang of spies out to steal vital British secrets. The cast of The 39 Steps (Picture: Alastair Muir)From there on it's a helter-skelter chase which is part slapstick and part farce as our hero, wanted for a murder he didn't commit, tries to expose the fiendish plot. It does take a little while to get going and in the second half the pace dropped slightly for a time but when the cast were firing on all cylinders it was a joy to behold. Mateo Oxley was suitably dashing as Richard Hannay and had a good line in knowing looks to the audience when the absurdity kicked in. Mei Mei MacLeod, playing a spy, a crofter's wife and Hannay's ultimate love interest Pamela, was pulled off all three roles with aplomb. But it was the the comedy pairing of Danielle Bird and Phil Yarrow who were the real stars of the show. Playing everything from hapless policemen - more Keystone Cops than Scotland Yard - to eccentric hoteliers who wouldn't have been out of place in The League of Gentlemen, they stole every scene. Phil Yarrow and Danielle Bird in The 39 Steps (Picture: Alastair Muir)Operating at a frenetic pace their comic timing was superb and really the key to the play's success. There were some wonderfully observed comedy moments reminiscent of the silent films and an aerial scene that was pure Wallace and Gromit. A word too for the impressive staging. Embrace the silliness, admire the comic timing and you're going to have a fun night out. Until Saturday, May 10. Details from
The Independent
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Little Britain was ‘cancelled' in 2020 – so why does Gen-Z adore it?
J ust five years ago, Little Britain , Matt Lucas and David Walliams' sketch comedy that aired from 2003 to 2008, seemed doomed to be forgotten forever. With its frequent use of racism, class-based stereotypes and controversial portrayals of people with disabilities, Little Britain always divided people. Johann Hari wrote of the show in The Independent in 2005: 'The show is cluttered with ugly prejudices, and they are not ancillary to the jokes: they are the joke.' But, at its peak the show attracted nearly 10 million viewers and became a defining part of early Noughties British television. Taking inspiration from The League of Gentlemen , Little Britain was in many ways a traditional bawdy British sketch comedy, made in antithesis to the 'political correctness' of the time. Known for its iconic catchphrases, Bernard Manning-style shock factor and humour that walked the very thin line between parody and punching down, it won multiple Baftas and even sold out a live arena tour. In its heyday, Lucas and Walliams even described Little Britain as a celebration of diversity. 'We're everybody – tall, short, fat, thin, black, white, straight, gay, man, woman, whatever,' Lucas said in an interview in The Sunday Times in 2006. Up until early 2020, episodes were still being broadcast on TV. Then, in June of that year, when the BBC decided to pull the show, it stated: 'Times have changed.' Notably, this was after the global rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Little Britain was taken down not only from iPlayer but all UK streaming platforms, including BritBox and Netflix, with the pair's other series, the equally offensive mockumentary about a fictional airport Come Fly with Me , also removed. Both Lucas and Walliams appeared to show some remorse for their use of Blackface, stating that they 'regretted [playing] other races'. 'We want to make it clear that it was wrong, and we are very sorry,' the comedians said in a joint statement. By the time 2023 rolled around, the show was deemed 'explicitly racist and outdated' by Ofcom. But, in 2025, Little Britain has gained a new lease of life, with the show finding popularity on TikTok and new fans in Gen-Z. On the platform, the hashtag #littlebritain has accumulated over 61k posts, with short clips of the show constantly resurfacing and going viral. One such clip, with over 17k likes, shows the leader of a weight loss group, played by Lucas in drag, claiming she is unable to understand a South Asian woman's pronunciation of 'fish and chips'. 'It must be some sort of dish we don't get over here,' Lucas's character says. Despite the blatant racism on display, the kind long ago ruled as unacceptable, people commented questioning how this show was ever cancelled. Many of Little Britain 's new devotees will have only discovered the show in recent years. 'I first watched a clip of it last year on TikTok,' 20-year-old Bradley* says. 'I immediately thought it was great.' It's a twist of fate we couldn't have predicted: a show that was once veering on becoming a national embarrassment is now fuelling online content. But why are some of Gen-Z – previously thought of as part of that so-called 'snowflake' generation – loving Little Britain today? 'Social media has introduced the show to lots of people my age,' says 17-year-old Callum*, who fell in love with the show during lockdown. Bored during his time off school, he decided to try out a new series. 'I first watched it with my mum and dad; we were all laughing,' he says. Since then, he has seen every single episode several times. 'It is absolutely hilarious,' he says. 'Some of it has to be some of the greatest comedy ever to grace TV'. Callum is forensic in his knowledge of Little Britain ; he references specific scenes during our conversation and recites lines word for word. This won't be the case for most new fans, though, with many having only watched snippets of the series in short bursts; TikTok videos usually last no more than a couple of minutes. 'I've seen lots of clips of the show but never a whole episode,' Bradley says, 'but I still get what the show is about'. 'Eh-Yeysss': David Walliams and Matt Lucas in character as Lou and Andy (Getty Images) '[Gen-Z] are consuming the show in a micro form,' adds Chloe Combi, a Gen-Z expert and the author of Generation Z: Their Voices, Their Lives .'With shorts, you can take scenes out of context… but if they looked at the whole thing, they might think there is no place for it in 2025'. Get Apple TV+ for £2.99/month for 3 months Offer ends 24 April 2025. £2.99/month for first 3 months, then £8.99/month. Terms apply. Accept offer ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Get Apple TV+ for £2.99/month for 3 months Offer ends 24 April 2025. £2.99/month for first 3 months, then £8.99/month. Terms apply. Accept offer ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. It is possible, then, that Gen-Z isn't watching the most offensive parts of Little Britain ; the clip that Ofcom audience research deemed 'explicitly racist', for example, featured David Walliams as university professor Linda Flint describing a student as 'the ching-chong Chinaman'. But, the show's controversial comedy is clearly a pull for its young fanbase. 'The shows I've watched that were made more recently don't take as many risks,' says Bradley, ' Little Britain pushes the boundaries of comedy in a way modern shows don't'. Similarly, Callum thinks there hasn't been anything on TV in the last five years that has reached the humorous heights of Little Britain . 'If you don't like the jokes in it, you don't have to watch it,' he says simply. Criticism always followed Lucas and Walliams' shows. When Come Fly With Me was released in 2010, The Guardian described it as 'tasteless comedy… not art by any stretch of the word, but mere exploitation of the artistic licence for cheap laughs'. Still, Callum believes it is unlikely that a show like Little Britain would be made now. 'In today's world, Little Britain is highly offensive,' he concedes. But it is this rude, daring, and risqué territory that makes it interesting to him. 'The way I see it, it is just a comedy… it is just a joke,' he says, 'the world has gone a bit mad about what we can laugh at and what we can do'. Hearing that the BBC removed Little Britain from streaming sites makes Bradley frustrated. 'You can't just censor stuff,' he says. 'I don't feel guilty about laughing at it because they are made-up characters,' adds Bradley – his favourites are Andy, who uses a wheelchair and his carer Lou, and Anne, a non-verbal patient in a psychiatric hospital. Combi thinks that Gen-Z's love for the show is part of a wider trend – a knee-jerk reaction to quote-unquote 'wokeness'. 'Things that were incredibly taboo to say, even a few years ago, have suddenly become normalised,' she says. It can't be a coincidence that Little Britain 's resurgence also comes at a time when Gen-Z is romanticising and trying to recapture the Noughties in fashion, music and general aesthetic. 'One of the more charming elements of Little Britain was that it had a real symbiotic connection to a more old-fashioned, bawdy style of humour,' Combi says. 'I totally think that would appeal to Gen-Z who are obsessed with the Nineties and Y2K culture'. With Little Britain 's newfound public favour, Walliams and Lucas have begun to talk about their show positively again. On their YouTube account run by BBC studios, where the duo have 172k subscribers, they regularly share what they describe as 'classic clips' from Little Britain . Although they are no longer posting outwardly racist content, characters, including Vicky Pollard, who was much criticised for being a mockery of the working class, still feature regularly. In a recent interview with the presenter Lorraine Kelly, Walliams proudly declared that his 11-year-old son and his friends had been quoting Little Britain 's famous catchphrases in the playground. He even joked about the show's previous cancellation, saying: 'We've all been cancelled at some point. They can't do it again.' 'I'm a lady!': Vicky Pollard, played by Matt Lucas, with her mum, played by Dawn French (BBC) It's a drastic change in attitude for the pair who previously distanced themselves from Little Britain during that initial backlash. In 2017, Lucas expressed regret about some aspects of the programme. 'If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn't make those jokes about transvestites,' he said at the time. And in 2020, when the show was being removed from platforms, they again apologised profusely. Now, though, the comedy duo seem only too pleased to see their comedy on the rise again. In 2022, the series was put back onto BBC iPlayer, but with the scenes where Walliams is in Blackface edited out. A BBC spokesperson said: ' Little Britain has been made available to fans on BBC iPlayer following edits made to the series by Matt and David that better reflect the changes in the cultural landscape over the last 20 years since the show was first made.' Still, characters including Lou and Andy, Vicky Pollard and Bubbles DeVere, who was played by Lucas in a fat suit, remain. More recently, Lucas and Walliams have even publicly said that Little Britain could return. But, what does this mean for the show that was once so shameful that the BBC tried to wipe it from public consciousness? 'Only a few years ago, we were getting tearful apologies from them,' says Combi. 'Isn't it interesting now that everyone has sort of forgotten about that, they've decided to rewrite history… how authentic was that apology then, really?' She understands why they're changing their tune, 'but I think that's a very poor reflection of their characters because they distanced themselves from it when it was socially fashionable'. For now, though, this societal acceptance has its limits – attested to by the fact that the Little Britain lovers speaking in this piece requested that their names be changed. Ofcom drew the line at this skit in which David Walliams's character describes Asian student as having 'yellowish skin and smell of soy sauce' (BBC) Back in the early 2000s, Little Britain catchphrases ruled British playgrounds; children could be heard quoting it all across the country. And now, the show is well and truly back in the cultural lexicon, with the famous one-liners like 'computer says no' still being used among some Gen-Z. It is telling, too, that many of the clips on TikTok are posted by Gen-Z themselves. The account @ for example, which routinely shares clips of Little Britain , Benidorm and Mrs Brown's Boys to its 123,800 followers, is run by 26-year-old Liam. Meanwhile, @Conzaa22, who also posts scenes from Little Britain regularly, is run by someone who is only 22. New merchandise made by fans, like mugs with characters' faces on them, have also been created to be sold on TikTok shop. The spread of Little Britain 's modern fandom is coming from within Gen-Z. In some sense, young people have always been drawn to this sort of bottom-of-the-barrel, vulgar humour. 'I don't think it is quite as popular with young people now as it was back in the day, but we are definitely getting into it,' says Callum. And, with Little Britain 's popularity on the rise, Combi thinks it won't be long before we see more from Lucas and Walliams. 'The whole revival is holding up a mirror to a very speedy transformation from very serious political correctness to a kind of freedom, where you can make quite tasteless jokes and observations'. For Gen-Z it seems like once-disgraced shows like Little Britain don't have to be forgotten; just clipped up, repackaged and newly enjoyed. *names have been changed
Telegraph
27-03-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
I tried a £450 hypnotherapy session to cure my fear of spiders
For as long as I can remember I have been afraid of spiders. The little ones pose no problems, but the large ones, with their fat bodies, beady eyes and long legs, fill me with dread. In late summer, when those mottled garden spiders build their expansive webs across the back garden, I fear getting a face full of arachnid. Autumn is worse, though, when giant house spiders venture indoors, on their long, sprinting legs. If I'm brave enough to catch them beneath a glass, I'll release them 100 yards down the street, so they never darken my doors again. But I'd rather not interact with them at all. I realise my fear is irrational, infantile even. I'm a 6ft 1in middle-aged male. I go camping, I go hiking, I go mountain biking through the woods. Spiders surround me at all times. So why this ridiculous arachnophobia? It's an affliction, I'm sure, inherited as a toddler from my mother, who couldn't be in the same room as a spider. It may have eased off somewhat as I've grown older, but I still harbour a deep-seated fear, which is why, when offered hypnotherapy from a specialist, I leapt at the chance. Might I finally be cured of my ridiculous arachnophobia? Using your mind The expert in question is clinical hypnotherapist Aaron Surtees, director of City Hypnosis, in central London. Pioneer of a mind programming technique he calls the 'Surtees Method', he has treated thousands of phobia sufferers during his 20-year career – the majority of them scared of public speaking. The 47-year-old also cures addictions and procrastination, helps people dispel negative thoughts, and builds confidence and self-discipline. His method combines hypnotherapy with neuro-linguistic programming 'to tap into the power of the subconscious mind, bypassing willpower entirely to reframe clients' mindsets'. Although he can't reveal details of their ailments, several celebrities have laid upon his couch, including Ant McPartlin (of TV duo Ant & Dec), the singer Paul Young, the comedian Robert Webb, singers Perrie Edwards (from Little Mix) and Ashley Roberts (from The Pussycat Dolls), and a serving British MP, who he would rather not name. He has also treated actor Mark Gatiss (famous for comedy show The League of Gentlemen) for a phobia. Again, he can't reveal details. Wrapped in cotton wool My own session with Surtees, in his small treatment room in London's Holborn district, started with a brief history of my arachnophobia. Surtees then had me lying back on his reclining armchair, with my legs extended, almost horizontal. Upholstery and a soft rug made me feel like I was wrapped in cotton wool, while the subtle lighting added to my mood of calm. Speaking to me through headphones, Surtees then started to hypnotise me. This was my first experience of hypnosis, yet, thanks to Surtees's deep, languorous, reassuring, albeit rather croaky voice, I felt totally relaxed at all times. The background sound of gently flowing water coming through the headphones enhanced the effect. My eyes were closed, and my arms and legs began to tingle, feeling heavier and heavier. Surtees encouraged me to breathe deeply, slowly counting down from ten, all the while assuring me with relaxing phrases. I didn't fall asleep, as I expected. I remained conscious for the first half of the 20-minute session, or at least I think I did. I remember Surtees asking me to imagine writing and erasing words on a blackboard; to clear my mind of unwanted images and thoughts; to imagine a deep-rooted tree growing in the soil. There was no mention of spiders until halfway through the hypnosis, and it was at this stage I think I fell unconscious. Having recorded the session on a tape recorder, I later listened back to Surtees' words. 'No fear, no worry. Calm, unaffected, comfortable, near a spider, any time, any place, anywhere,' he said to me ever so slowly. 'Confident, at ease, clear-headed, inner calm, inner peace, effortless, able to manage fear, anxiety.' Then he slowly counted me back into a conscious state. Surtees explained how he uses a method called hypnotic suggestion, based on the theories of a Scottish surgeon called James Braid, who popularised the term 'hypnosis' in the 1840s, and is considered by some the 'father of modern hypnotism'. Turn the negatives to positives Surtees says our brains are able to rewire their neural connections thanks to something called neuroplasticity. He encourages patients to change negative thoughts – such as phobias, anxiety or addiction – into positive ones. 'You may be telling yourself you're going to mess up, or fall flat on your face,' he says. 'You may have a racing heart. My hypnosis will enable you to use that adrenalin positively and to feel confident you can manage panic or anxiety.' Unlike psychotherapists, Surtees does not dwell on childhood trauma or parental influence. Not for him any sort of Freudian psychoanalysis. Instead he focuses on clear, simple suggestions of positivity. 'This takes better effect, more quickly, and lasts long term,' he adds. 'It's easier for the brain to digest.' After my session, on the way home, I certainly felt more confident as I contemplated spiders. Without anxiety, I imagined huge house spiders running across my living-room floor, even across my bedcovers. Later, back at home, I wanted to test my new-found courage. A spider had been living in a dark corner of my kitchen all winter, and I'd been eyeing it suspiciously for months. Might I have defeated my nemesis? I stood on a chair and reached up towards it, touching its web without too much trouble. Then, boldly, I tried to touch the wee beastie itself – something I would never have contemplated before my session with Surtees. Unfortunately, this proved a step too far. I baulked. I think I may need a few more sessions with my hypnotist. How to conquer your phobias The NHS splits phobias into two types: specific or simple phobias, such as the fear of spiders, snakes, heights, germs, flying and injections; and complex phobias such as agoraphobia (fear of public transport or of leaving the house) and social phobia (fear of social situations). Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, sweating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, trembling and an upset stomach. Some phobias, such as ophidiophobia (the fear of snakes) or acrophobia (the fear of heights) have clearly evolved due to self-preservation. Others are completely irrational. Surtees says several of his clients display extreme fear of pigeons, for example. Causes of phobia Surtees says there are three main causes of phobias. 'Often a phobia is learnt in childhood from a relative,' he says. 'Arachnophobia or ophidiophobia, for example, can be passed on from mother to child.' Sometimes phobias stem from a single traumatic incident. 'Just one scary airplane flight, for example, can result in a lifelong fear of flying,' he adds. Genetics can play a role too, with agoraphobia one affliction thought to be naturally inherited by offspring from parents. Treatments for phobia Surtees uses his method of hypnotic suggestion to treat all phobias. 'While hypnotising a patient, I might say: 'You are starting to feel calmer and much more confident and positive',' he explains. 'I'll say: 'You are starting to manage anxiety and stress easily, confidently and effortlessly.' 'Hypnotic suggestion allows for a healthy, safe, natural and positive reprogramming of the mind with new patterns of behaviour, habits, thoughts and feelings. You're rooting out the weeds in your flower beds and planting new seeds that can grow into nourishing vegetables or beautiful flowers.' Other effective remedies: Write negative thoughts in a journal: 'More often than not, you'll realise the negative thoughts you're experiencing aren't true or useful.' Adopt a daily gratitude practice: 'Take a few minutes each day to write down three things you are grateful for, focusing on what's good and abundant in your life.' Meditation: 'Taking deep breaths, meditate for a few minutes, engaging with the present moment.' Positive visualisation: 'Spend a few minutes a day visualising positive outcomes for your goals and challenges. Imagine yourself succeeding.' Think of empowering statements: 'Instead of 'I can't do this' or 'I will fail', say, 'I believe in myself', 'I can do this', and 'I will succeed'.'
