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The Transformative Night in Blackpool Bronzed, with winged tips and doused in Le Male, I clamped the baby pink GHDs to my hair until they sizzled and singed it. Emerging from a cloud of cheap hairspray, I was ready for the dancefloor. I was 18 and had grown up in Blackpool, a place synonymous with hedonism and fun. I came out in high school at the age of 14 and from 16 I studied performing arts at a local college. Underage, I was smuggled into clubs and in my spare time I watched shows in our many beautiful theatres. The bright lights of the illuminations, the showgirls, the feathers, sequins and rhinestones were intoxicating. Blackpool really was – and still is – extraordinary. When the bar closed, a new adventure would begin. One night, as the sun was coming up (and as was I), a drag queen took me back to her place. I didn't know the significance of what I was about to experience, but I was to receive an education no university course could ever match. The drag queen was a Liza Minnelli tribute act. She knew every beat of every Liza film, every concert, every move of choreography. She performed as Liza in all the bars around town. Now I was ordained by being welcomed into her home. This moment could be the plot of a movie with Blackpool as a beautiful backdrop to my coming out/coming-of-age fantasy The Muppet Show That Changed Everything Was I ready to be indoctrinated? Very. She led me to the living room for a VHS screening of what I was told was one of Liza's finest performances. I was expecting Cabaret, the winner of eight Academy Awards, but not on this occasion. She sat me on the sofa and played Episode 414 of The Muppet Show from 1979, with special guest the one and only Liza Minnelli. The premise works so beautifully for exactly the same reason that The Muppet Christmas Carol is so beloved. In that film, Michael Caine gives the performance of his life in a movie almost entirely populated by felt characters, and in her guest episode Liza matches him in commitment. Take the musical number Copacabana she performs: the curtain goes up and Liza is smoking. She is the narrator, the storyteller, in a Funny Face-esque black polo neck that gives a real sense of gravitas to those Barry Manilow lyrics. Moments later, she is Lola, dancing with human-sized muppets. Or in another scene Liza holds Kermit while they sing A Quiet Thing together. Their connection is pure and tender, a thing of simplicity and gentleness. A Career Born from Inspiration As I reflect on this story nearly 20 years later, I am now 10 years sober and while life might well be a cabaret, the decadence of my early youth is firmly in the past. But I think back to this moment, which could be the plot of a movie with Blackpool as a beautiful cinematic backdrop to my coming out/coming-of-age Technicolor fantasy. I didn't know at the time, but this incident set me on the path to my current profession. Four years later, in 2011, I started making cabaret performances in south London at the famed Royal Vauxhall Tavern at nights such as Duckie, where my turns were packed full of wigs and jockstraps, fake blood and mascot costumes. In 2015, I joined the international circuit when I became part of big touring pieces of variety and circus spectacle, showing off in the US, Australia, New Zealand and London's glittering West End. I once performed a 107-hour durational piece in drag at Glastonbury and at the Adelaide fringe, as a teenage girl who wouldn't leave her bedroom. A Lifelong Dedication to Liza's Legacy Ever since that fateful night back in Blackpool in the 2000s, Liza has been a hero of mine. I saw her live in concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 2013. I have a Liza tattoo on my right thigh. Back in 2019, I did an eight-hour performance in an old deconsecrated church in Brighton, dressed as Liza Minnelli, performing her album Results in full, emulating through endurance art Liza's beautiful commitment to performance. Pet Shop Boys, who produced Liza's Results album, even heard about what I was up to and said my performance sounded great. The Enduring Impact of a Single Performance And if you ever see one of my shows, please understand that the technical foundation of my performances isn't drama school training or Stanislavski; it's Liza on The Muppets. Truth be told, I don't know where the drag queen in the story is now. I hope she's OK, but if I did see her I'd say: "Thank you for changing my life." Harry Clayton-Wright's show Mr Blackpool is at the Grand theatre, Blackpool, 20 May.

Sawe shatters the two‑hour barrier in LondonIn April 2026, Sabastian Sawe crossed the London Marathon finish line in 1 hr 59 min 30 sec, becoming the first runner to officially break the two‑hour mark. The feat sparked worldwide media attention, largely focused on his carbon‑plated shoes.The Maurten hydrogel formula behind the recordBehind the scenes in Gothenburg, Maurten—co‑founded by Olof Sköld and led on nutrition by Tobias Christensson—provided Sawe’s team with a novel sports drink that encapsulates carbohydrates in a hydrogel matrix. This technology allows athletes to ingest larger carbohydrate loads without the gastrointestinal distress typical of conventional drinks, delivering rapid intestinal absorption during ultra‑endurance effort.Numbers that underline Maurten’s dominance in marathon recordsSince 2018, every men’s and women’s marathon world record has been set by athletes using Maurten products.At the 2026 London Marathon, 7 of the top 8 men and 5 of the top 6 women were officially linked to Maurten.Research cited by Maurten shows a runner would deplete glycogen after 85 minutes at two‑hour marathon pace without carbohydrate replenishment.Why elite nutrition is reshaping distance runningThe consistent presence of Maurten on elite podiums signals a shift from shoe‑centric narratives to a broader performance ecosystem. Athletes and coaches now view nutrition as a “game‑changing” factor, with hydrogel technology offering a competitive edge that is difficult to replicate without proprietary formulation.Future of marathon performance and the role of sports nutritionLooking ahead, Maurten plans to expand its research facilities into a custom‑built “innovation hangar,” aiming to refine hydrogel delivery and explore adjuncts such as sodium bicarbonate buffering. If these advances prove effective, the next barrier—perhaps a sub‑1 hr 55 min marathon—may be breached, cementing sports nutrition as a core pillar of elite endurance strategy.

The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2026The 70th year of the Eurovision Song Contest will see 20 acts perform at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna. Spain, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia are not participating due to Israel's participation. Graham Norton provides commentary, and the UK's entry is electro act Look Mum No Computer with the song Eins, Zwei, Drei.Britain's Got TalentThe fourth semi-final takes place tonight on ITV1, featuring acts like Mizuki the aerialist, Mega Unity dance squad, and 17-year-old harpist Niamh.World's Most Secret HotelsChannel 4 showcases unique getaways, including a sea-view hotel in Hamburg made from a freight crane, a wagon retreat in Utah, and a land-bound submarine-cum-hotel in the Scottish Highlands.Royal Peacemaker: Sophie, Duchess of EdinburghChannel 5 profiles Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, highlighting her rise in the House of Windsor and her ability to navigate royal challenges.Monsieur SpadeU&Drama; airs a crime drama starring Clive Owen as detective Sam Spade, investigating a murder in 1963 France.Saturday Night Live UKSky One's variety show concludes with a celebratory episode, featuring Ncuti Gatwa and music from Holly Humberstone.Film ChoicesDisney+ offers 'The Testament of Ann Lee,' a historical biopic and folk musical about the founder of the Shakers Christian sect. BBC Four airs 'The Teachers' Lounge,' a German drama exploring issues in a school.Live SportTonight's live sports include the Scottish Premiership Football match between Celtic and Hearts on Sky Sports Main Event, and the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Man City on BBC One.

Erling Haaland's Acting Debut Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is to make his feature acting debut, in an animated film as the voice of a Viking – called Haaland. The Film Details According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Norwegian international is to play “an animated version of himself” in Viqueens, directed and co-written by Harald Zwart, the Dutch-Norwegian director of The Karate Kid and Agent Cody Banks. The Film's Plot The film’s IMDB synopsis describes Viqeens’ storyline thus: “To return a stowaway, two courageous Viking girls go from Norway to China. Discovering secrets, becoming proficient with dragon kites, fireworks and kung fu, and realising that friendship’s gifts surpass anything taken from adversaries.” The Director's Perspective Zwart said: “Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world – powerful, fearless and uniquely Norwegian. Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story.” The Film's Cast Zwart has already secured musician Rita Ora and Yellowjackets’ Ella Purnell as its leads, named Hedvig and Ingrid, as well as chatshow host Alan Carr in a smaller role as “a lyrically challenged royal scribe”. Haaland's Current Form Haaland, who joined Manchester City in 2022 from Borussia Dortmund, is leading the race for the Golden Boot, having scored 26 goals so far in the 2025-26 Premier League season. The Film's Release Viqueens is due for release around Christmas.

The LeadLabour's economic policy is divided into four camps: Team Reeves, Labour Growth Group, Tribune Group, and Manchesterism. Wes Streeting has called for a 'battle of ideas' about the government's future direction.Team ReevesRachel Reeves' camp involves embracing AI opportunities, devolving tax revenues to metro mayoralties, and seeking a closer trading relationship with the EU. Reeves has rewritten fiscal rules to allow for more public borrowing for investment and has raised taxes on higher earners and businesses.The Labour Growth GroupThe Growth Group, chaired by Chris Curtis, argues that too much wealth in the UK accrues to people just for holding assets. They propose lifting the tax burden on workers, cutting the cost of basic essentials, and equalizing capital gains and income tax rates.The Tribune GroupThe Tribune Group, including Louise Haigh and Yuan Yang, emphasizes making space for more borrowing to invest. They propose tax reforms, such as scrapping stamp duty and cutting council tax in favor of a new property and land tax.The Impact AnalysisThese camps reflect different approaches to economic policy, from Reeves' focus on investment and tax increases to the Growth Group's emphasis on cutting costs and the Tribune Group's more radical tax reforms. The outcome will shape the UK's economic future and Labour's leadership direction.The PredictionThe Labour leadership contenders, including potential soft-left candidates like Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, or Ed Miliband, are likely to draw on ideas from these camps to shape their economic policies.

The Current Standings There are seven players tied for the lead, and another 42 within three shots of them. The day before Moving Day is going to feature a lot of jostling for position. Here's what the top of the leaderboard looked like at the end of the first day: -3: Potgieter, Jaeger, Lee, Hisatsune, Kaymer, Scheffler, Smalley -2: Brown, Theegala, Greyserman, Schauffele, Conners, Reed, Lowry Weather Conditions at Aronimink It shouldn't be too different to the first day. A little bit warmer, but with the wind expected to occasionally pick up again. It's blowing pretty briskly right now. There's not much chance of rain, and the course didn't get a soaking tonight, so it'll be a little bit firmer and the ball should scuttle further. Which, given so many of the fairways at Aronimink tilt towards penal rough, may not necessarily be a good thing. But it's a great day for golf! Michael Block's Remarkable Run Block party. It's happening again. He's happening again. Michael Block, the club pro who lit up the 2023 tournament with three rounds of 70 and a 71 that included an ace with Rory McIlroy in attendance, is doing it again. A round of 70 yesterday, and now a 20-foot putt for birdie at the par-three 5th. He's -1 overall and already beginning to dream of making the cut. It'd be an early birthday present: he's 50 next month. Good luck finding a single punter at Aronimink who won't be cheering him on. Today's Tee Times Starting on the 1st: 1145 Michael Block, Rasmus Højgaard, Dustin Johnson 1156 Mark Geddes, Steven Fisk, David Lipsky 1207 Sungjae Im, Austin Hurt, Casey Jarvis 1218 Andrew Putnam, Michael Kartrude, Matt Wallace 1229 Martin Kaymer, Elvis Smylie, Davis Riley 1240 Jason Dufner, Haotong Li, Jimmy Walker 1251 Nick Taylor, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Jordan Smith 1302 Emiliano Grillo, Patrick Reed, Pierceson Coody 1313 Brian Campbell, Adam Schenk, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1324 Marco Penge, Sepp Straka, Patrick Rodgers 1335 Aaron Rai, Travis Smyth, Sami Valimaki 1346 Sam Stevens, Jayden Schaper, Garrett Sapp 1357 Timothy Wiseman, Matti Schmid, Austin Smotherman 1715 Aldrich Potgieter, David Puig, Denny McCarthy 1726 William Mouw, Chris Gabriele, Taylor Pendrith 1737 Tom Hoge, Bryce Fisher, Joaquin Niemann 1748 Keith Mitchell, Billy Horschel, Ian Holt 1759 Gary Woodland, Jason Day, Sam Burns 1810 Wyndham Clark, Cameron Smith, Brian Harman 1821 Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Sahith Theegala 1832 Si Woo Kim, Derek Berg, Joe Highsmith 1843 Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Rickie Fowler 1854 Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton 1905 Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm 1916 Daniel Hillier, Ryan Vermeer, Max McGreevy 1927 Paul McClure, Mikael Lindberg, Angel Ayora Starting on the 10th: 1150 Andrew Novak, John Parry, Jordan Gumberg 1201 Ben Polland, Kurt Kitayama, Nico Echavarria 1212 Akshay Bhatia, Ricky Castillo, Michael Thorbjornsen 1223 Luke Donald, Jesse Droemer, Stewart Cink 1234 Hideki Matsuyama, J.J. Spaun, Max Homa 1245 Ben Kern, J.T. Poston, Russell Henley 1256 Adam Scott, Corey Conners, Daniel Berger 1307 Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry 1318 Chris Gotterup, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood 1329 Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas 1340 Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose 1351 Zach Haynes, Alex Smalley, Chandler Blanchet 1402 Bernd Wiesberger, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Andy Sullivan 1710 Braden Shattuck, Alex Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin 1721 Francisco Bide, Harry Hall, Ryan Gerard 1732 Johnny Keefer, Rico Hoey, Nicolai Højgaard 1743 Shaun Micheel, Michael Brennan, Garrick Higgo 1754 YE Yang, Jhonattan Vegas, Matt McCarty 1805 Lucas Glover, Tom McKibbin, Stephan Jaeger 1816 Daniel Brown, Adrien Saddier, Harris English 1827 Jacob Bridgeman, Bud Cauley, Alex Noren 1838 Chris Kirk, Max Greyserman, Kristoffer Reitan 1849 Maverick McNealy, Thomas Detry, Padraig Harrington 1900 Ryan Lenahan, Ryan Fox, Kazuki Higa 1911 Jared Jones, Michael Kim, Ryo Hisatsune 1922 Tyler Collet, Kota Kaneko, Brandt Snedeker

Top Picks in Crime and Thrillers A selection of standout crime and thriller novels reviewed recently. Honey by Imani Thompson Honey by Imani Thompson (Borough, £16.99) centres on Yrsa, a young Black woman studying for a sociology PhD and teaching undergraduates at Cambridge. Irritated by her solipsistic, over-privileged students and tired of situationships, she’s fed up with life, and men in particular. Her first killing – that of a much older supervisor who reneges on his promise to leave his wife for a colleague, and steals her research in the process – is an accident, but Yrsa, who has catastrophically poor impulse control, enjoys the sensation and, more importantly, gets away with it. Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre (Abacus, £22) features journalist Jack Parlabane, now 60, who feels increasingly like a “Boomer Ambassador” to the younger colleagues who are snapping at his heels. With his job on the line, he agrees to investigate a cold case: the death, 40 years earlier, of an MI5 operative. The Final Chapter by CB Everett The Final Chapter by CB Everett (Simon & Schuster, £18.99) is a metafictional tour de force: the story of literary superstar Jon Durward, who achieved critical acclaim, commercial success, well-regarded film adaptations and a Booker prize before he mysteriously disappeared in 2009. The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper, £18.99) is set in Appalachia, a prize-winning Scottish author’s latest novel and a masterpiece of smalltown horror. The town of Aurora seems doomed – blighted by poverty, drug addiction, diseased crops, a mysterious beast that slaughters dogs and an underground coal seam fire that grows ever closer. Shrink Solves Murder by Philippa Perry Shrink Solves Murder by Philippa Perry (Hutchinson Heinemann, £18.99) features therapist Patricia Phillips, who lives on East Sussex’s South Downs with Dave the cat, and swims in the sea every morning. When her client Henry Clayton’s body is found below cliffs near the notorious suicide spot Beachy Head, the police assume he has taken his own life.

The Lead Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne has made a dramatic entry into the UK's rich list at No. 6, debuting with an estimated fortune of £18.17bn. His appearance on the list comes amid controversy over his £5m donation to Nigel Farage, which has sparked a parliamentary standards investigation. The Crypto Tycoon's Political Donation Harborne, who made his wealth in cryptocurrency, became a political figure when he gifted Nigel Farage £5m weeks before the Reform leader announced his candidacy in the 2024 general election. The donation has been at the center of a political storm, with Farage initially claiming it was intended to cover personal security costs and therefore didn't need to be declared. However, after it emerged that Farage purchased a £1.4m property in cash shortly after receiving the gift, he changed his explanation, calling it a "reward" for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years. The Wealth Rankings and New Entries The Sunday Times Rich List, which ranks the 350 wealthiest UK residents and Britons abroad, has seen several notable first-time entries this year. Alongside Harborne, David and Victoria Beckham have joined Britain's billionaire club, making David the country's first billionaire sportsperson with their combined wealth estimated at £1.18bn. Other newcomers include Labour donor Gary Lubner (£1.3bn), the Gallagher brothers (£375m), and Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury festival founder Michael Eavis. The Top Wealthiest in the UK The Hinduja family topped the list again this year with an estimated fortune of £38bn through their Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group. The combined wealth of the UK's 350 wealthiest individuals and families rose by 1.4% in the last year to £784bn, with Britain's total of billionaires growing by just one to 157 after falling for three consecutive years. The Changing Landscape of UK Wealth Robert Watts, the compiler of the rich list, noted significant changes in recent years. "This year's rich list is a tale of two exoduses," he said. "One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don't feature this time." Many foreign billionaires have moved away from the UK, while there has been a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. The Future of UK's Wealth Elite As the UK's wealth landscape continues to evolve, the rich list reflects both the concentration of wealth and the changing nature of fortune creation. While traditional industrial and property fortunes remain prominent, new wealth from cryptocurrency, entertainment, and sports is increasingly represented. The political implications of wealth concentration and the transparency of political donations are likely to remain key issues as the 2024 general election approaches.

The Force-Fitted Meter Scandal UnfoldsThousands of British Gas customers who had prepayment meters (PPMs) force-fitted in their homes will receive up to £112m in compensation and debt write-offs on their energy bills. This substantial settlement comes after Great Britain's energy regulator, Ofgem, found that British Gas illegally installed these meters in homes struggling to pay bills during the height of the Russian gas crisis, marking one of the most complex Ofgem investigations in its history.Regulatory Action and Financial PenaltiesOver three years after the scandal emerged, British Gas faces significant consequences. The supplier must pay a £20m penalty into Ofgem's voluntary redress fund to compensate customers who suffered unfair treatment and write off debt worth up to £70m. Additionally, British Gas will continue to provide the remainder of a £22.4m voluntary support package launched in the wake of the scandal, specifically aimed at supporting customers on prepayment meters.Industry-Wide Problem and Previous InvestigationsThe investigation into British Gas concluded about one year after a separate investigation found that most of Great Britain's major energy suppliers—including ScottishPower, EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy, Utility Warehouse, Good Energy, TruEnergy, and Ecotricity—had also forced prepay meters into customers' homes during the 2022 energy cost crisis. These suppliers collectively agreed last May to pay 40,000 households more than £18.6m in compensation and debt write-offs.Regulatory Response and Consumer ProtectionsOfgem temporarily banned the practice of forcing prepayment meters on households that missed repeated payments after The Times reported in early 2023 that debt agents working for British Gas had ignored signs of vulnerability to fit the meters. The regulator later allowed suppliers to restart forced meter installations less than a year after its moratorium, although forced fittings in homes with young children or residents over 75 remain banned.Industry Response and Future OutlookTim Jarvis, Ofgem's chief executive, emphasized that "the installation of prepayment meters under warrant should only be a last resort, with rigorous checks to ensure debt is recovered lawfully, proportionately and safely." This investigation forms part of Ofgem's wider work to raise standards across the energy market and strengthen consumer protections.Chris O'Shea, chief executive of Centrica (which owns British Gas), acknowledged: "What happened should never have happened, and I am sorry to the prepayment customers who were affected." He added that the company has "made changes to our practices and put safeguards in place to ensure we deliver the standards our customers have every right to expect."