Table of contents for Week 26 in Radio Times (2024)

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Radio Times|Week 26FROM THE EDITORSometimes I wake to the sound of Talking Heads booming from my teenage son’s bedroom. It is both confusing and baffling. Why is he obsessed by the same band I was at the same age when there’s so much more music to choose from?The answer explains a little about the extraordinary success of Glastonbury, now as firm a fixture in the summer calendar as a Buckingham Palace garden party.The advent of digital technology brought new music to millions. But it also brought old music to millions more. Every song ever sung is just a click away. And so Glastonbury – first a hippy hang-out, then a celebration of youth – is now in its Third Age and the rudest of health. As Tim Dowling notes on page 9, the average…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26WHAT’S GETTING US TALKING… newsOLD-SCHOOL SITCOM FOR SALE? The return of David Cameron to Number Ten could spell trouble for Channel 4. The PM’s new culture secretary, John Whittingdale, tried (unsuccessfully) to table an amendment to the 1996 Broadcasting Bill to have the broadcaster privatised and may try again. A recent report showing a worrying decline in ratings with a 31-year low in audience share won’t help. But Cameron’s return has one bonus: it has added urgency and relevance (C4 believe) to a planned comedy set in a private boarding school. Anarchic comedy trio WitTank (Naz Osmanoglu, Mark Cooper-Jones and Kieran Boyd) are making an E4 pilot based partly on their stage act, Old School Secrets. I’m sure it’s nothing like Eton, though. JANUARY JONES RETURNS Good news for Mad Men fans suffering withdrawal.…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26Rock on…SOME YEARS AGO my wife bought me a banjo for my birthday. This was a supremely selfless act – she was giving me something she really didn’t want me to have – and I had to continue to seem grateful long after I’d quietly decided that the banjo wasn’ t for me. I couldn’t get my head round the technique and the little metal picks hurt my fingers. I was also a middleaged man; too old to start learning an instrument from scratch.I kept the banjo on a stand near my desk, to show that I cared. But once it provided an alternative to work, playing the banjo started being fun. The world, it transpires, is full of people whose main hobby is posting free banjo lessons on YouTube. It…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26FANTASY TVMonths after Jeremy Clarkson was suspended by the BBC, the future of Top Gear remains unclear. What sort of show will emerge from the wreckage? Media insiders say the following proposals are still on the table... POT RAGE One leaked document describes this extreme cookery series as “The Great British Bake Off after a course of illegal testosterone injections”, and promises that there is no recipe so simple that it cannot cause a massive explosion. Clarkson and James May are interested, but Richard Hammond’s still hesitating — he has a phobia of meringues. TOP GEAR REDUX Under the provisions of this face-saving exercise, Clarkson would appear as a presenter of the next series, but with his words voiced by an actor (probably Jon Culshaw), to deny him the oxygen of…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Our top 101 Florence and the Machine’s epic scale should work well on the Pyramid stage this year. It’s a great slot she’s got – second last on the Friday night, because everyone’s still excited and up for it at that stage of the weekend. MR2 Burt Bacharach is so not Glastonbury. Burt is not canvas and stilts and lager in plastic glasses. Burt is adult tristesse in a loosened bow tie, Manhattans in a cocktail bar, the warm melancholy of those jazzy minor sevenths that run through some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded. I would not miss his performance on the Pyramid Stage for the world. SM3 Courtney Barnett is an Australian singer and guitarist with a beguilingly wonky indie charm. Imagine Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys’ witty…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26‘My shirt undone days are over’Love Your GardenTuesday 8.00pmITV Do you still enjoy your garden? Oh good Lord, yes. I’ve been gardening for a living for 51 years [he’s 66] and I did it for quite a few years before then. It’s just what I do; who I am. You revealed that your new Isle of Wight home came with a hot tub. Have you kept it? I don’t know anybody who’s got in one who hasn’t decided they’re the best thing since sliced bread! It came with the house and we thought we’d get rid of it. But it was working so we thought we’d give it a go. Oh my goodness! The worries of the day melted away and I’m sorry, but I’m now a fan. I’m totally addicted. Does it interfere with…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26THE LEGEND LIVES ON…PRETTY WOMAN La Traviata is used in Garry Marshall’s 1990 film to help unlock our sympathy for Julia Roberts’s character, Vivian. We weep with her as she weeps for Violetta at the performance of the opera that Richard Gere’s Edward takes her to. And at the end of the film, Gere’s plot-clinching climb up the fire escape to find Vivian is underscored with Verdi’s music. Yet Vivian makes the choice to escape her past that Violetta couldn’t, and the film’s rose-tinted resolution makes us believe in the Hollywood happy-ever-after in a way that Verdi’s drama does not. TOSCA, SALOME, LULU… Where would Giacomo Puccini, Richard Strauss, Alban Berg and the tragic heroines of their operas have been without Verdi and Violetta? The one thing the title roles in all of…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Holmes comes of ageDon’t miss... Chris Hemsworth plays playboy Formula One ace James Hunt in the premiere of Rush, Saturday C4ON A DAMP day in London, Ian McKellen clutches his side. His body contorts. An agonised wince takes hold of his face.“So that’s what you do,” he says, suddenly cheerful. This, in brief, is the McKellen guide to playing characters in old age. “You imagine aches and pains, and how the person accommodates them is part of who they are.” He smiles. “It’s just acting.”When we meet, McKellen has just celebrated his 76th birthday, a rangy, white-haired figure in a lilac shirt and charcoal suit. A few years ago, he says, birthdays began to slip by unnoticed, but as a keen user of social media, he is now wished well online. He looks…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26Holmes comes of ageDon’t miss... Chris Hemsworth plays playboy Formula One ace James Hunt in the premiere of Rush, Saturday C4 ON A DAMP day in London, Ian McKellen clutches his side. His body contorts. An agonised wince takes hold of his face. “So that’s what you do,” he says, suddenly cheerful. This, in brief, is the McKellen guide to playing characters in old age. “You imagine aches and pains, and how the person accommodates them is part of who they are.” He smiles. “It’s just acting.” When we meet, McKellen has just celebrated his 76th birthday, a rangy, white-haired figure in a lilac shirt and charcoal suit. A few years ago, he says, birthdays began to slip by unnoticed, but as a keen user of social media, he is now wished well…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26MY MOVIESA drama so vivid, it feels like a documentary Bloody Sunday Friday 11.10pmITV Five years ago the Saville Inquiry declared that on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Londonderry British troops had opened fire on unarmed people, killing 13 and wounding 13 others. This was a horrendous incident about which controversy had raged since its occurrence and to an extent rages still. It took Lord Saville and his team 12 years to reach their conclusion about what happened on the day that has gone down in Northern Irish history as “Bloody Sunday” and Paul Greengrass might well wonder what kept them so long. Nine years earlier, he had already pointed the finger at the troops in this remarkable film. I suppose technically it’s a docudrama but Greengrass’s account…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26SATURDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAYLa Traviata: Love, Death and Divas9.00pmBBC2ARTS “An exhibition of harlotry upon the London stage”… “a daemoniacal stimulus to jaded sensibilities”… Presenters Amanda Vickery and Tom Service read out some of the press notices that Verdi’s opera La Traviata received when it opened in London in 1856, by way of explaining what a bombshell it set off. Service flatly describes the question facing its promoter: “Would the great British public pay good money to see a prostitute die on stage?” They would indeed, despite those critics, and women in particular were drawn to a tale that put the predicament of a woman destroyed by love centre stage.Service and Vickery do a splendid job of charting how Verdi used the tale to redefine what operatic heroines could be like.…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26MONDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAYKevin McCloud’s Escape to the Wild9.00pmC4DOCUMENTARY “I’m not Bear Grylls, y’know,” grumbles Kevin as he treks through a Belizean rainforest in the pitch-black night to be greeted — slightly brusquely — by his hosts and then by a scorpion in his bedroom.Richard and Alisa Atkinson’s home is a series of huts (as well as a stunning Gaudi-esque “earthship” they’re in the process of building from recycled bottles and truck tyres) in the sixth most violent country in the world. They’ve chosen a dangerous lifestyle: a jaguar ate their pet dog and armed poachers regularly trespass on their 28-acre smallholding. This maybe explains why Richard is so prickly. “Fit in or f*** off,” is how he describes their life in Belize, while flatly refusing to discuss their former…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26WEDNESDAY ChoicesFRUITS OF BBC3 Don’t Tell the Bride joins Jack Whitehall’s Backchat and Russell Howard’s Good News (both now on BBC2) in moving from BBC3 ahead of the channel’s switch online next year. The amateur hairstyling contest Hair has also found a new home on BBC2 and a new presenter, comedian Katherine Ryan, replacing Steve Jones. The 13th season of BBC3 favourite Family Guy will be on BBC2 before moving to ITV2 in the autumn.PICK OF THE DAYDon’t Tell the Bride8.00pmBBC1REALITY BBC3 was Don’t Tell the Bride’s sweetheart — a glowing, hopeful love affair — but with the channel scheduled to move online next year, the series has hooked up with a richer beau.With the move to BBC1 come slightly older couples. They’re not necessarily more mature (grooms never truly grow…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26THURSDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAYCelebrity MasterChef9.00pmBBC1FOOD “I’m cooking baked salmon with potato wedges,” Amanda Donohoe tells Gregg Wallace. Which is fine, except the fish in the invention test is cod. But generally the five celebrities in this heat don’t do badly: as Paralympian Danny Crates jokingly points out, having only one arm does mean there’s less chance of his cutting his fingers with a knife.The chefs in the two professional kitchens treat the novices as gently as they would an oyster mushroom, which must be difficult when Syd Little is staring blankly at you, Sam Nixon is plating up nearly raw sausages and a constantly chattering Mica Paris is dropping carrots everywhere. A couple of the celebs are clearly decent cooks, so it’s not too difficult to guess who will be…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26MONDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAY Kevin McCloud’s Escape to the Wild 9.00pmC4 DOCUMENTARY “I’m not Bear Grylls, y’know,” grumbles Kevin as he treks through a Belizean rainforest in the pitch-black night to be greeted — slightly brusquely — by his hosts and then by a scorpion in his bedroom. Richard and Alisa Atkinson’s home is a series of huts (as well as a stunning Gaudi-esque “earthship” they’re in the process of building from recycled bottles and truck tyres) in the sixth most violent country in the world. They’ve chosen a dangerous lifestyle: a jaguar ate their pet dog and armed poachers regularly trespass on their 28-acre smallholding. This maybe explains why Richard is so prickly. “Fit in or f*** off,” is how he describes their life in Belize, while flatly refusing…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26TUESDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAY Mountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places — Natural World 8.00pmBBC2 NATURE Cougars, pumas or mountain lions? Whatever you want to call them, North America’s big cats are gorgeous creatures. You’ll see plenty of them in action in this quietly excellent Natural World based on the work of a Wyoming research project that has tracked the cats for years, and revolutionised scientific understanding of what makes them tick. In one scene, we see three adults sloping along together by some Rocky Mountain cliffs — a sight that overturned the previous consensus that cougars were solitary: nope, they’re happy to hang out together when it suits them. Some scenes here, where two siblings try to make a go of life in the wild before they’ve quite learned…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26FRIDAY ChoicesTONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS ■ BBC1 Chris Evans and Alex Jones present The One Show live from Glastonbury at 7pm ■ BBC2 7.30pm Florence and the Machine 10pm Mark Ronson 11pm Foo Fighters headline ■ BBC3 7pm James Bay; Catfish and the Bottlemen 8pm Jungle; the Vaccines 11pm Rudimental ■ BBC4 8.30pm Florence and the Machine (highlights) 9.30pm Motörhead (highlights) ■ Red Button services will be available from 7pm until 2am with a variety of coverage across three streams and six stages. PICK OF THE DAY Glastonbury from 7.00pmBBC1/BBC3; 7.30pmBBC2, 8.30pmBBC4 MUSIC Tickets for the world’s biggest music festival sold out in record time (again) this year: 150,000 tickets in 26 minutes, six months before the line-up was announced. The good news for the tens of thousands who missed out, and all…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26Double visionFIRST, AN APOLOGY for that recent cover of Radio Times. I’m truly sorry that your view of me was partially obscured by Nigel Lawson. I’m kidding. It was of course my good friend and broadcasting partner Robin Preston. As you may have heard, Robin and I have been thrown together into an interview series on Radio 4, the title of which is unimportant. I did warn in this column of an impending article and photoshoot for Radio Times, but trust me, the first I knew we were on the coveted cover was when I smelt smoke coming from my local newsagent, and I went over to find him hurling dozens of copies into a hastily-hired brazier. Apparently there had been “complaints”. It was a somewhat surreal experience being on the…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26Extra timeWomen’s World Cup From Saturday 8.45pmBBC3VANCOUVER FOR FOODVancouver is always a top contender for the world’s most liveable city. The stunning natural setting and abundance of outdoors activities have something to do with it – but the vibrant foodie scene probably doesn’t hurt, either. Chefs are spoilt for excellent local produce (especially seafood) and, thanks to an ethnically diverse population, you’ll find every style of cuisine.Microbreweries and craft distilleries are popping up everywhere, the street-food scene is thriving and restaurants are quick to embrace the next hot gastro trend. Over at Granville Island Public Market, the stalls are piled high with artisan breads, meats, cheeses and other goodies – perfect for a superlative picnic.MONCTON FOR COASTThink Canada and beaches don’t spring to mind, but there are some belters just outside…4 min
Radio Times|Week 26WHAT WE WATCHED2001 23—29 JUNETim Henman featured on the cover as BBC’s John Inverdale predicted which tennis stars would be making headlines. Inside, RT met the mob of The Sopranos series three on E4. The show’s star, James Gandolfini, said that its popularity came from its basis in reality. “Everybody’s got a family that drives them a little crazy. It reflects the way people are…” Elsewhere, Child of Our Time producer Tessa Livingstone reflected on the ambitious BBC series. “There is nothing so interesting as the way people’s lives unfold. You could never invent them.”1991 22—28 JUNEMonica Seles, the youngest-ever world number one tennis player, described her fame thus: “Even if I go to Japan, I can’t escape. For a rock star like Madonna it’s even worse, though.” Elsewhere, “Nasty” Nick Cotton…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26I ♥ ones we made earlierEMAILfeedback@radiotimes.comOR WRITE TO Letters Editor, Radio Times, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BTIs it possible to be nostalgic about something you don’t remember? Although I was born 21 years after Clangers first aired, I have a great fondness for those little pink lunar mice. In fact, quite a lot of the children’s shows I enjoyed watching while growing up were made long before my time. Bagpuss and The Herbs were among my favourites. Admittedly I didn’t see a lot of Clangers – a TV clip here, a McDonald’s toy there – but I still get excited hearing their name. Is it any wonder that I might be just a tad over-protective of all those wonderful characters?It makes me weep to see the blasphemy inflicted through the evil of…8 min
Radio Times|Week 26Nick KnowlesYou’re a man of many talents…If I start talking about the other things I do, it confuses people. But I’ve always done a lot of writing. I’ve written an action adventure novel. It’s got the working title Ice Witness, and it’s set around the world. It’s not going to win any of those book awards; it’s the kind of book you’d read on holiday.What would you be doing if you weren’t on TV?I’d have kept on with my writing. I’ve written a film that will be out this year. It’s called Golden Years, and it’s about a group of pensioners who can’t afford to live on their pensions, so turn to robbing banks.What do you make of the rumours you’re joining Top Gear?I’m a BBC regular and I’ve had conversations…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26crosswordPRIZE CROSSWORD One reader receives a Waterstones £75 voucher; five runners-up each get a £15 voucher. All six receive a voucher for Waterstones Book of the Week, The Peripheral by William Gibson — an explosive science-fiction mystery thriller that journeys to future London and small-town America. WORDFINDER Find the name of the show in the shaded squares to win the prize below. EASY CLUES For fun! Email your answers to xword26@radiotimescomps.co.uk PRIZE CROSSWORD ACROSS 6 Social climber first to roll up outside (9) 8 Ordinary case for Algerian money (5) 10 Bathe in what used to be hot (4) 11 Animal to bend over northern crustacean (5,5) 12 Hearth needn’t be moved at once (5,3,4) 15 Course — Jeremy’s first? (7) 16 Keep trying to remove stripes (7) 18 College…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26FROM THE EDITORSometimes I wake to the sound of Talking Heads booming from my teenage son’s bedroom. It is both confusing and baffling. Why is he obsessed by the same band I was at the same age when there’s so much more music to choose from? The answer explains a little about the extraordinary success of Glastonbury, now as firm a fixture in the summer calendar as a Buckingham Palace garden party. The advent of digital technology brought new music to millions. But it also brought old music to millions more. Every song ever sung is just a click away. And so Glastonbury – first a hippy hang-out, then a celebration of youth – is now in its Third Age and the rudest of health. As Tim Dowling notes on page 9,…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26The cat’s out of the bagBig Cats in High Places — Natural WorldTuesday 8.00pmBBC2 What could be cuter? A wild cougar cub is weighed and tagged before being returned to its mother in the backwoods of Wyoming. But the future for this young mountain lion is threatened by a modern conservation conundrum. The reintroduction of wolves across parts of North America has seen a dramatic decline in cougar numbers. The wolves not only compete for the available prey, but will also kill cubs. And even if the cubs manage to reach adulthood, they face death by rifle. Expert Mark Elbroch (above) says, “Only 20 kittens out of 100 survive until they are 18 months old and most of them are killed by other predators. And with adult mountain lions, 49 per cent of all deaths…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Rock on…SOME YEARS AGO my wife bought me a banjo for my birthday. This was a supremely selfless act – she was giving me something she really didn’t want me to have – and I had to continue to seem grateful long after I’d quietly decided that the banjo wasn’ t for me. I couldn’t get my head round the technique and the little metal picks hurt my fingers. I was also a middleaged man; too old to start learning an instrument from scratch. I kept the banjo on a stand near my desk, to show that I cared. But once it provided an alternative to work, playing the banjo started being fun. The world, it transpires, is full of people whose main hobby is posting free banjo lessons on YouTube.…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26Come rain or shineGlastonburyFridayBBC2, BBC3, BBC4; Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 MusicJo Whiley meets hitmaker Mark RonsonJO WHILEY: When was your first Glastonbury?MARK RONSON: The very first time we played was the first time I’d ever gone, back in 2007. I grew up in the States [Ronson was born in London in 1975 but moved to New York, aged eight], so that summer, touring my second album, Versions, I discovered festivals for the first time.I’d heard this mythical stuff about Glastonbury. Everyone kept saying it was a magical place to play, that the energy and the crowd are something that you don’t get anywhere else, but you can’t really understand it until you’re there, y’know?What was your first impression?Well, we showed up in our tour bus and it was so muddy. I think…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26Our top 101 Florence and the Machine’s epic scale should work well on the Pyramid stage this year. It’s a great slot she’s got – second last on the Friday night, because everyone’s still excited and up for it at that stage of the weekend. MR 2 Burt Bacharach is so not Glastonbury. Burt is not canvas and stilts and lager in plastic glasses. Burt is adult tristesse in a loosened bow tie, Manhattans in a cocktail bar, the warm melancholy of those jazzy minor sevenths that run through some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded. I would not miss his performance on the Pyramid Stage for the world. SM 3 Courtney Barnett is an Australian singer and guitarist with a beguilingly wonky indie charm. Imagine Alex Turner of the Arctic…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26‘My shirt undone days are over’Love Your GardenTuesday 8.00pmITVDo you still enjoy your garden?Oh good Lord, yes. I’ve been gardening for a living for 51 years [he’s 66] and I did it for quite a few years before then. It’s just what I do; who I am.You revealed that your new Isle of Wight home came with a hot tub. Have you kept it?I don’t know anybody who’s got in one who hasn’t decided they’re the best thing since sliced bread! It came with the house and we thought we’d get rid of it. But it was working so we thought we’d give it a go. Oh my goodness! The worries of the day melted away and I’m sorry, but I’m now a fan. I’m totally addicted.Does it interfere with your gardening?The key is, you…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26Verdi’s pretty womanLa Traviata: Love, Death and DivasSaturday 9.00pmBBC2 (9.30pm in Wales)LA TRAVIATA BY Giuseppe Verdi is one of the most performed operas in the world. An unashamed tear-jerker, it contains some of the most heart-wrenching, lush and lyrical music ever composed. “La traviata” literally means fallen woman. Our heroine, Violetta Valéry, is a doomed young courtesan, and the opera is unashamedly her story from beginning to end.But the character of Violetta was inspired by a real courtesan whose brief, gaudy career was even more painful, lurid and eventful than the operatic depiction.Marie Duplessis was the most desirable and fêted courtesan of 1840s Paris. One of her lovers described her as “tall, very slim, with black hair and a pink and white face. Her head was small and she had long lustrous…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26And finally...THE RT INTERVIEWThe News QuizFriday 6.30pmRadio 4SANDI TOKSVIG ARRIVES for our meeting on a motorbike. “I’ve been taking lessons from a large man in leathers so I’m perfectly safe,” she assures me. She’s recently moved to a part of London where there’s no Tube station so her reasons are practical, but I can’t help wondering if this isn’t part of midlife crisis. After all she’s 57, has lost four stone and is stepping down from Radio 4’s The News Quiz.Her final show will be aired on Friday: “Everyone is wearing black tie – even the audience. I am trying to get permission to give everybody a glass of fizz, and there are some surprises.”During her time as host the programme has become one of the most popular on Radio 4,…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26Where’s reverse?*Formula 1: Austrian Grand PrixSun from 11.30am (start time 1pm)Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports 1,12.55pmRadio 5 Live;5.05pmBBC1 (highlights)THE MODERN FORMULA One steering wheel isn’t just a tool to keep the car on the track. It’s a laptop computer, controlling up to 250 different engine modes, sensors and settings via a bewildering array of buttons, switches, paddles and knobs. When did drivers find all this extra control at their fingertips?“For most of my career I had one button on the steering, which was for the radio,” says Martin Brundle, who drove in F1 in the 1990s but got his chance to race Force India’s current car for a special feature with Sky Sports F1, set to be shown ahead of the British Grand Prix.Rule changes and engineering advances have transformed the…4 min
Radio Times|Week 26MY MOVIESA drama so vivid, it feels like a documentaryBloody Sunday Friday 11.10pmITVFive years ago the Saville Inquiry declared that on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Londonderry British troops had opened fire on unarmed people, killing 13 and wounding 13 others. This was a horrendous incident about which controversy had raged since its occurrence and to an extent rages still.It took Lord Saville and his team 12 years to reach their conclusion about what happened on the day that has gone down in Northern Irish history as “Bloody Sunday” and Paul Greengrass might well wonder what kept them so long. Nine years earlier, he had already pointed the finger at the troops in this remarkable film.I suppose technically it’s a docudrama but Greengrass’s account of the events on…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26Tears before bedtimeTELEVISION IS FULL of ersatz emotion – reality-show participants weeping extravagantly over the argument-fuelled death of friendships made about ten minutes earlier. Or doing that one-fingered wipe-away of streaming mascara as they lament an unrequited love as everyone ends up looking like drowned puppets.Outside of television news programmes, real emotion is hard to find. And certainly real emotion about real, emotional things is scarce and thus precious when you stumble upon it. People are encouraged to sob all the time, about pretty much anything; in fact, there are even conventions around on-screen weeping – the unfortunate participant fills up, waves a hand abstractedly then apologises to the camera. I always have to look away at these points; gazing at someone in distress is prurient and rude. That’s what my mum…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26Mission accomplished! Most of the time...First, an apology. The last time I wrote about Homeland was in RT’s Christmas issue, where I predicted the finale would be thrilling TV, a worthy ending to a great season. The episode hadn’t aired in the US when we went to press but I surmised, on the basis of various thundering storylines, that the climax would be a corker.It wasn’t. In fact it was the worst disappointment in a show that has made a habit of them. So why make this your next box set? Because Homeland’s occasional let-downs are a price worth paying for its much more frequent brilliance. It tries things other dramas would never try, it makes narrative somersaults and, yes, occasionally belly-flops. But when it gets it right, it’s like nothing else around.You probably know…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26SUNDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAYBlack Work9.00pm ITVDRAMA OF THE WEEK New seriesPolice officer Jo Gillespie’s husband Ryan, also a cop, is shot dead in a derelict warehouse in the ruined backwater of a Yorkshire city that looks very much like Leeds. But Jo (Sheridan Smith) is ever so gently but quite firmly urged by Ryan’s boss (Douglas Henshall) to say nothing, not even to her kids.In fact the murder is kept so deeply under wraps that only a handful of Ryan’s colleagues knows about it. In the first part of this sharp thriller from Matt Charman (Our Zoo), Jo is forced to question everything she thinks she knew about her husband and his work.He was under cover (the “black work” ) and about to unmask gun runners. But there are suspicions…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26discover tvTHEY’RE BACK! 1 Clangers iPlayer (CBeebies) Parents will be desperate to dip into this revival of the classic 60s/70s kids’ animation. But the people who count, of course, are the pre-schoolers for whom it’s been made. Will they be enchanted? Almost certainly: the modern version is smoother but still full of soothing innocence. STILL FUNNY 2 Man Down All 4 (Channel 4) Coping without the late Rik Mayall as his co-star was a huge ask for Man Down creator Greg Davies. Is his sitcom about a feckless teacher as free-flowing now as it was in its acclaimed first series? Not quite, but so far it’s still one of TV’s most raucously, naturally funny comedies. GRIPPING REALITY 3 An Hour to Save Your Life iPlayer (BBC2) If you can withstand it,…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26Mission accomplished! Most of the time...First, an apology. The last time I wrote about Homeland was in RT’s Christmas issue, where I predicted the finale would be thrilling TV, a worthy ending to a great season. The episode hadn’t aired in the US when we went to press but I surmised, on the basis of various thundering storylines, that the climax would be a corker. It wasn’t. In fact it was the worst disappointment in a show that has made a habit of them. So why make this your next box set? Because Homeland’s occasional let-downs are a price worth paying for its much more frequent brilliance. It tries things other dramas would never try, it makes narrative somersaults and, yes, occasionally belly-flops. But when it gets it right, it’s like nothing else around. You…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26FRIDAY ChoicesTONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS BBC1 Chris Evans and Alex Jones present The One Show live from Glastonbury at 7pm BBC2 7.30pm Florence and the Machine 10pm Mark Ronson 11pm Foo Fighters headline BBC3 7pm James Bay; Catfish and the Bottlemen 8pm Jungle; the Vaccines 11pm Rudimental BBC4 8.30pm Florence and the Machine (highlights) 9.30pm Motörhead (highlights) Red Button services will be available from 7pm until 2am with a variety of coverage across three streams and six stages.PICK OF THE DAYGlastonburyfrom 7.00pmBBC1/BBC3;7.30pmBBC2,8.30pmBBC4MUSIC Tickets for the world’s biggest music festival sold out in record time (again) this year: 150,000 tickets in 26 minutes, six months before the line-up was announced. The good news for the tens of thousands who missed out, and all those who don’t fancy three days on a farm in Somerset…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26SUNDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAY Black Work 9.00pm ITV DRAMA OF THE WEEK New series Police officer Jo Gillespie’s husband Ryan, also a cop, is shot dead in a derelict warehouse in the ruined backwater of a Yorkshire city that looks very much like Leeds. But Jo (Sheridan Smith) is ever so gently but quite firmly urged by Ryan’s boss (Douglas Henshall) to say nothing, not even to her kids. In fact the murder is kept so deeply under wraps that only a handful of Ryan’s colleagues knows about it. In the first part of this sharp thriller from Matt Charman (Our Zoo), Jo is forced to question everything she thinks she knew about her husband and his work. He was under cover (the “black work” ) and about to unmask…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26Double visionFIRST, AN APOLOGY for that recent cover of Radio Times. I’m truly sorry that your view of me was partially obscured by Nigel Lawson. I’m kidding. It was of course my good friend and broadcasting partner Robin Preston. As you may have heard, Robin and I have been thrown together into an interview series on Radio 4, the title of which is unimportant.I did warn in this column of an impending article and photoshoot for Radio Times, but trust me, the first I knew we were on the coveted cover was when I smelt smoke coming from my local newsagent, and I went over to find him hurling dozens of copies into a hastily-hired brazier. Apparently there had been “complaints”.It was a somewhat surreal experience being on the cover of…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26WEDNESDAY ChoicesFRUITS OF BBC3 ■ Don’t Tell the Bride joins Jack Whitehall’s Backchat and Russell Howard’s Good News (both now on BBC2) in moving from BBC3 ahead of the channel’s switch online next year. ■ The amateur hairstyling contest Hair has also found a new home on BBC2 and a new presenter, comedian Katherine Ryan, replacing Steve Jones. ■ The 13th season of BBC3 favourite Family Guy will be on BBC2 before moving to ITV2 in the autumn. PICK OF THE DAY Don’t Tell the Bride 8.00pmBBC1 REALITY BBC3 was Don’t Tell the Bride’s sweetheart — a glowing, hopeful love affair — but with the channel scheduled to move online next year, the series has hooked up with a richer beau. With the move to BBC1 come slightly older couples. They’re…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26Retiring? Do the maths...IT’S A SIMPLE question – how much will my state pension be? We all thought the answer would be easy for those reaching pension age from 6 April 2016. But next spring’s new state pension will be anything but simple.To get the new pension, you must be a woman born on or after 6 April 1953 or a man born on or after 6 April 1951. Many people in these age groups have gone online to get a pension statement from the Department for Work and Pensions to find out what their pension will be. But many are scratching their heads at what the figures mean.Although it has been called “flatrate”, the new state pension will be anything but. It is expected to be fixed at £154.15 a week (£8,015…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26crosswordPRIZE CROSSWORD One reader receives a Waterstones £75 voucher; five runners-up each get a £15 voucher. All six receive a voucher for Waterstones Book of the Week, The Peripheral by William Gibson — an explosive science-fiction mystery thriller that journeys to future London and small-town America. WORDFINDER Find the name of the show in the shaded squares to win the prize below. EASY CLUES For fun! Email your answers to xword26@radiotimescomps.co.ukPRIZE CROSSWORDACROSS6 Social climber first to roll up outside (9)8 Ordinary case for Algerian money (5)10 Bathe in what used to be hot (4)11 Animal to bend over northern crustacean (5,5)12 Hearth needn’t be moved at once (5,3,4)15 Course — Jeremy’s first? (7)16 Keep trying to remove stripes (7)18 College to give prize for picture (7,5)20 Hall drama swapped for…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26It’s murder at RT…THE EDITOR OF Radio Times is the prime suspect in a murder after a beloved BBC broadcaster is shot dead at point-blank range within minutes of commentating on a monumental national occasion. But please don’t head to page three to check that Ben Preston’s byline picture features him looking baleful in handcuffs. He’s a peaceable and non-homicidal man. Of course, none of this ever happened – not in real life. It forms the core of crime writer Nicola Upson’s latest novel in her successful and critically acclaimed Josephine Tey series, London Rain, set in May 1937 during the coronation of King George VI. Tey was a real-life crime fiction writer and playwright who died in 1952, aged 55. London Rain is the sixth in the series where Upson’s fictionalised version…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26Why has my favourite channel vanished?I hope the listings for Sky Arts 2 will be restored — it’s one of the few digital channels I watch! Stephen Turnbull, Looe, Cornwall…Whatever’s happened to Sky Arts 2? The channel brought us operas from the Met, plays from the Globe and concerts from all over the world. We’re devastated! Diana Mitchell, Maidenhead, BerkshireOn 9 June Sky Arts 1 and 2 merged into Sky Arts (Sky 121, Virgin 281). There is always a suspicion that mergers are a way of disguising cuts. But Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, tells Feedback: “We know RT readers are among the loyal viewers who enjoy the arts content we show, whether that’s opera, ballet, dance, music or art. We have no plans to change this. What we are doing is making it…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26Danes to ban cash in shopsDenmark is on the brink of banning cash. Or at least allowing shops to. The plan is part of a government proposal to grow the economy and cut business costs. Under the new law, retailers would be allowed to turn away a customer who proffered two 20 krone notes to pay for a Danish pastry. The plan still has to go through parliament and there will be an election in September. But little opposition is expected from Denmark’s people, who already use plastic for the smallest payments and retailers are happy to take it. Cash is now seen as uneconomic. Transactions are slower at the till and change has to be given. At the end of the working day the cash has to be counted, sorted, stored and then transported…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26puzzlesOnly Connect with Victoria Coren Mitchell The connecting wall from the BBC2 game show Only Connect is an inventive combination of general knowledge, word play and lateral thinking to give your brain cells a workout! How to play Your task is to sort the 16 seemingly random words/phrases below into four groups of four connected words. You may find some clues fall into more than one category, but there is only one complete solution. If you get stuck, have a look at the clues, on the side of the page… The Enigma code Can you crack the Enigma code? Each grid number represents a letter. Every letter of the alphabet is used. Use the given letter or letters — below the main grid — to start. The solution is on…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26I ♥ ones we made earlierEMAIL feedback@radiotimes.comOR WRITE TO Letters Editor, Radio Times, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT Is it possible to be nostalgic about something you don’t remember? Although I was born 21 years after Clangers first aired, I have a great fondness for those little pink lunar mice. In fact, quite a lot of the children’s shows I enjoyed watching while growing up were made long before my time. Bagpuss and The Herbs were among my favourites. Admittedly I didn’t see a lot of Clangers – a TV clip here, a McDonald’s toy there – but I still get excited hearing their name. Is it any wonder that I might be just a tad over-protective of all those wonderful characters? It makes me weep to see the blasphemy inflicted through…8 min
Radio Times|Week 26WHAT’S GETTING US TALKING… newsOLD-SCHOOL SITCOM FOR SALE?The return of David Cameron to Number Ten could spell trouble for Channel 4. The PM’s new culture secretary, John Whittingdale, tried (unsuccessfully) to table an amendment to the 1996 Broadcasting Bill to have the broadcaster privatised and may try again. A recent report showing a worrying decline in ratings with a 31-year low in audience share won’t help. But Cameron’s return has one bonus: it has added urgency and relevance (C4 believe) to a planned comedy set in a private boarding school. Anarchic comedy trio WitTank (Naz Osmanoglu, Mark Cooper-Jones and Kieran Boyd) are making an E4 pilot based partly on their stage act, Old School Secrets. I’m sure it’s nothing like Eton, though.JANUARY JONES RETURNSGood news for Mad Men fans suffering withdrawal. Betty Draper actress…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26The cat’s out of the bagBig Cats in High Places — Natural WorldTuesday 8.00pmBBC2What could be cuter? A wild cougar cub is weighed and tagged before being returned to its mother in the backwoods of Wyoming. But the future for this young mountain lion is threatened by a modern conservation conundrum. The reintroduction of wolves across parts of North America has seen a dramatic decline in cougar numbers. The wolves not only compete for the available prey, but will also kill cubs. And even if the cubs manage to reach adulthood, they face death by rifle.Expert Mark Elbroch (above) says, “Only 20 kittens out of 100 survive until they are 18 months old and most of them are killed by other predators. And with adult mountain lions, 49 per cent of all deaths are through…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26FANTASY TVMonths after Jeremy Clarkson was suspended by the BBC, the future of Top Gear remains unclear. What sort of show will emerge from the wreckage? Media insiders say the following proposals are still on the table...POT RAGEOne leaked document describes this extreme cookery series as “The Great British Bake Off after a course of illegal testosterone injections”, and promises that there is no recipe so simple that it cannot cause a massive explosion. Clarkson and James May are interested, but Richard Hammond’s still hesitating — he has a phobia of meringues.TOP GEAR REDUXUnder the provisions of this face-saving exercise, Clarkson would appear as a presenter of the next series, but with his words voiced by an actor (probably Jon Culshaw), to deny him the oxygen of publicity.SPEEDING CARS GUARANTEEDIn a…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Come rain or shineGlastonburyFridayBBC2, BBC3, BBC4; Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music Jo Whiley meets hitmaker Mark Ronson JO WHILEY: When was your first Glastonbury? MARK RONSON: The very first time we played was the first time I’d ever gone, back in 2007. I grew up in the States [Ronson was born in London in 1975 but moved to New York, aged eight], so that summer, touring my second album, Versions, I discovered festivals for the first time. I’d heard this mythical stuff about Glastonbury. Everyone kept saying it was a magical place to play, that the energy and the crowd are something that you don’t get anywhere else, but you can’t really understand it until you’re there, y’know? What was your first impression? Well, we showed up in our tour bus and…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26The next big thing…Radio 1’s Greg James talks to HozierGREG JAMES: Have you been to Glastonbury before?HOZIER: I performed on the John Peel Stage and the BBC Introducing Stage last year and that was my first Glastonbury experience. It was the biggest crowd I had ever played to, my first run of festival shows… I mean, my album wasn’t even out at that stage! So it was a daunting one, but amazing fun.And your first impression?It’s overwhelmingly big… I did a gig just outside Glastonbury the day before and I remember standing on a hill with a view over the whole thing – just seeing it all, it’s quite a spectacle. There was an incredible lightning storm just after Haim played, and that unpredictability is what makes it so special. Everyone is there…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26The next big thing…Radio 1’s Greg James talks to Hozier GREG JAMES: Have you been to Glastonbury before? HOZIER: I performed on the John Peel Stage and the BBC Introducing Stage last year and that was my first Glastonbury experience. It was the biggest crowd I had ever played to, my first run of festival shows… I mean, my album wasn’t even out at that stage! So it was a daunting one, but amazing fun. And your first impression? It’s overwhelmingly big… I did a gig just outside Glastonbury the day before and I remember standing on a hill with a view over the whole thing – just seeing it all, it’s quite a spectacle. There was an incredible lightning storm just after Haim played, and that unpredictability is what makes it so…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26THE LEGEND LIVES ON…PRETTY WOMANLa Traviata is used in Garry Marshall’s 1990 film to help unlock our sympathy for Julia Roberts’s character, Vivian. We weep with her as she weeps for Violetta at the performance of the opera that Richard Gere’s Edward takes her to. And at the end of the film, Gere’s plot-clinching climb up the fire escape to find Vivian is underscored with Verdi’s music. Yet Vivian makes the choice to escape her past that Violetta couldn’t, and the film’s rose-tinted resolution makes us believe in the Hollywood happy-ever-after in a way that Verdi’s drama does not.TOSCA, SALOME, LULU…Where would Giacomo Puccini, Richard Strauss, Alban Berg and the tragic heroines of their operas have been without Verdi and Violetta? The one thing the title roles in all of these operas have…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Verdi’s pretty womanLa Traviata: Love, Death and DivasSaturday 9.00pmBBC2 (9.30pm in Wales) LA TRAVIATA BY Giuseppe Verdi is one of the most performed operas in the world. An unashamed tear-jerker, it contains some of the most heart-wrenching, lush and lyrical music ever composed. “La traviata” literally means fallen woman. Our heroine, Violetta Valéry, is a doomed young courtesan, and the opera is unashamedly her story from beginning to end. But the character of Violetta was inspired by a real courtesan whose brief, gaudy career was even more painful, lurid and eventful than the operatic depiction. Marie Duplessis was the most desirable and fêted courtesan of 1840s Paris. One of her lovers described her as “tall, very slim, with black hair and a pink and white face. Her head was small and she…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26And finally...THE RT INTERVIEW The News QuizFriday 6.30pmRadio 4 SANDI TOKSVIG ARRIVES for our meeting on a motorbike. “I’ve been taking lessons from a large man in leathers so I’m perfectly safe,” she assures me. She’s recently moved to a part of London where there’s no Tube station so her reasons are practical, but I can’t help wondering if this isn’t part of midlife crisis. After all she’s 57, has lost four stone and is stepping down from Radio 4’s The News Quiz. Her final show will be aired on Friday: “Everyone is wearing black tie – even the audience. I am trying to get permission to give everybody a glass of fizz, and there are some surprises.” During her time as host the programme has become one of the most…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26Where’s reverse?*Formula 1: Austrian Grand PrixSun from 11.30am (start time 1pm)Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports 1, 12.55pmRadio 5 Live; 5.05pmBBC1 (highlights) THE MODERN FORMULA One steering wheel isn’t just a tool to keep the car on the track. It’s a laptop computer, controlling up to 250 different engine modes, sensors and settings via a bewildering array of buttons, switches, paddles and knobs. When did drivers find all this extra control at their fingertips? “For most of my career I had one button on the steering, which was for the radio,” says Martin Brundle, who drove in F1 in the 1990s but got his chance to race Force India’s current car for a special feature with Sky Sports F1, set to be shown ahead of the British Grand Prix. Rule changes and…4 min
Radio Times|Week 26discover tvTHEY’RE BACK!1 ClangersiPlayer (CBeebies)Parents will be desperate to dip into this revival of the classic 60s/70s kids’ animation. But the people who count, of course, are the pre-schoolers for whom it’s been made. Will they be enchanted? Almost certainly: the modern version is smoother but still full of soothing innocence.STILL FUNNY2 Man DownAll 4 (Channel 4)Coping without the late Rik Mayall as his co-star was a huge ask for Man Down creator Greg Davies. Is his sitcom about a feckless teacher as free-flowing now as it was in its acclaimed first series? Not quite, but so far it’s still one of TV’s most raucously, naturally funny comedies.GRIPPING REALITY3 An Hour to Save Your LifeiPlayer (BBC2)If you can withstand it, there’s no drama more awe-inspiring than the reality captured here: blood-soaked,…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26The future of music? Radio!The recently unveiled Apple Music is a lot like rival music service Spotify: you don’t download or “own” the tracks in the traditional sense, but can access a large library of music to stream to your phone, tablet or computer.However, there are some differences. Both have a free option: on Spotify, the music is interrupted by adverts; on Apple Music, free users can only listen to radio. Both give unlimited, unencumbered streaming for $10 a month (the pounds sterling price is to be announced).Apple’s secret weapon? Apart from the ability to control Apple Music with your voice, there’s also the company’s own online-only, global radio station called Beats 1, fronted by former Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. Lowe (“the world’s foremost authority on emerging music”) will work out of Los…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Tears before bedtimeTELEVISION IS FULL of ersatz emotion – reality-show participants weeping extravagantly over the argument-fuelled death of friendships made about ten minutes earlier. Or doing that one-fingered wipe-away of streaming mascara as they lament an unrequited love as everyone ends up looking like drowned puppets. Outside of television news programmes, real emotion is hard to find. And certainly real emotion about real, emotional things is scarce and thus precious when you stumble upon it. People are encouraged to sob all the time, about pretty much anything; in fact, there are even conventions around on-screen weeping – the unfortunate participant fills up, waves a hand abstractedly then apologises to the camera. I always have to look away at these points; gazing at someone in distress is prurient and rude. That’s what my…3 min
Radio Times|Week 26TUESDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAYMountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places — Natural World8.00pmBBC2NATURE Cougars, pumas or mountain lions? Whatever you want to call them, North America’s big cats are gorgeous creatures. You’ll see plenty of them in action in this quietly excellent Natural World based on the work of a Wyoming research project that has tracked the cats for years, and revolutionised scientific understanding of what makes them tick.In one scene, we see three adults sloping along together by some Rocky Mountain cliffs — a sight that overturned the previous consensus that cougars were solitary: nope, they’re happy to hang out together when it suits them. Some scenes here, where two siblings try to make a go of life in the wild before they’ve quite learned to hunt, are oddly…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26The future of music? Radio!The recently unveiled Apple Music is a lot like rival music service Spotify: you don’t download or “own” the tracks in the traditional sense, but can access a large library of music to stream to your phone, tablet or computer. However, there are some differences. Both have a free option: on Spotify, the music is interrupted by adverts; on Apple Music, free users can only listen to radio. Both give unlimited, unencumbered streaming for $10 a month (the pounds sterling price is to be announced). Apple’s secret weapon? Apart from the ability to control Apple Music with your voice, there’s also the company’s own online-only, global radio station called Beats 1, fronted by former Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. Lowe (“the world’s foremost authority on emerging music”) will work out…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26SATURDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAY La Traviata: Love, Death and Divas 9.00pmBBC2 ARTS “An exhibition of harlotry upon the London stage”… “a daemoniacal stimulus to jaded sensibilities”… Presenters Amanda Vickery and Tom Service read out some of the press notices that Verdi’s opera La Traviata received when it opened in London in 1856, by way of explaining what a bombshell it set off. Service flatly describes the question facing its promoter: “Would the great British public pay good money to see a prostitute die on stage?” They would indeed, despite those critics, and women in particular were drawn to a tale that put the predicament of a woman destroyed by love centre stage. Service and Vickery do a splendid job of charting how Verdi used the tale to redefine what operatic…6 min
Radio Times|Week 26THURSDAY ChoicesPICK OF THE DAY Celebrity MasterChef 9.00pmBBC1 FOOD “I’m cooking baked salmon with potato wedges,” Amanda Donohoe tells Gregg Wallace. Which is fine, except the fish in the invention test is cod. But generally the five celebrities in this heat don’t do badly: as Paralympian Danny Crates jokingly points out, having only one arm does mean there’s less chance of his cutting his fingers with a knife. The chefs in the two professional kitchens treat the novices as gently as they would an oyster mushroom, which must be difficult when Syd Little is staring blankly at you, Sam Nixon is plating up nearly raw sausages and a constantly chattering Mica Paris is dropping carrots everywhere. A couple of the celebs are clearly decent cooks, so it’s not too difficult to…7 min
Radio Times|Week 26It’s murder at RT…THE EDITOR OF Radio Times is the prime suspect in a murder after a beloved BBC broadcaster is shot dead at point-blank range within minutes of commentating on a monumental national occasion. But please don’t head to page three to check that Ben Preston’s byline picture features him looking baleful in handcuffs. He’s a peaceable and non-homicidal man. Of course, none of this ever happened – not in real life.It forms the core of crime writer Nicola Upson’s latest novel in her successful and critically acclaimed Josephine Tey series, London Rain, set in May 1937 during the coronation of King George VI. Tey was a real-life crime fiction writer and playwright who died in 1952, aged 55.London Rain is the sixth in the series where Upson’s fictionalised version of Tey…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26Danes to ban cash in shopsDenmark is on the brink of banning cash. Or at least allowing shops to. The plan is part of a government proposal to grow the economy and cut business costs. Under the new law, retailers would be allowed to turn away a customer who proffered two 20 krone notes to pay for a Danish pastry.The plan still has to go through parliament and there will be an election in September. But little opposition is expected from Denmark’s people, who already use plastic for the smallest payments and retailers are happy to take it.Cash is now seen as uneconomic. Transactions are slower at the till and change has to be given. At the end of the working day the cash has to be counted, sorted, stored and then transported to the…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26puzzlesOnly Connectwith Victoria Coren MitchellThe connecting wall from the BBC2 game show Only Connect is an inventive combination of general knowledge, word play and lateral thinking to give your brain cells a workout! How to play Your task is to sort the 16 seemingly random words/phrases below into four groups of four connected words. You may find some clues fall into more than one category, but there is only one complete solution. If you get stuck, have a look at the clues, on the side of the page…The Enigma codeCan you crack the Enigma code? Each grid number represents a letter. Every letter of the alphabet is used. Use the given letter or letters — below the main grid — to start. The solution is on the previous page.Difficulty: 16/20…5 min
Radio Times|Week 26Retiring? Do the maths...IT’S A SIMPLE question – how much will my state pension be? We all thought the answer would be easy for those reaching pension age from 6 April 2016. But next spring’s new state pension will be anything but simple. To get the new pension, you must be a woman born on or after 6 April 1953 or a man born on or after 6 April 1951. Many people in these age groups have gone online to get a pension statement from the Department for Work and Pensions to find out what their pension will be. But many are scratching their heads at what the figures mean. Although it has been called “flatrate”, the new state pension will be anything but. It is expected to be fixed at £154.15 a…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26Extra timeWomen’s World Cup From Saturday 8.45pmBBC3 VANCOUVER FOR FOOD Vancouver is always a top contender for the world’s most liveable city. The stunning natural setting and abundance of outdoors activities have something to do with it – but the vibrant foodie scene probably doesn’t hurt, either. Chefs are spoilt for excellent local produce (especially seafood) and, thanks to an ethnically diverse population, you’ll find every style of cuisine. Microbreweries and craft distilleries are popping up everywhere, the street-food scene is thriving and restaurants are quick to embrace the next hot gastro trend. Over at Granville Island Public Market, the stalls are piled high with artisan breads, meats, cheeses and other goodies – perfect for a superlative picnic. MONCTON FOR COAST Think Canada and beaches don’t spring to mind, but there…4 min
Radio Times|Week 26WHAT WE WATCHED2001 23—29 JUNE Tim Henman featured on the cover as BBC’s John Inverdale predicted which tennis stars would be making headlines. Inside, RT met the mob of The Sopranos series three on E4. The show’s star, James Gandolfini, said that its popularity came from its basis in reality. “Everybody’s got a family that drives them a little crazy. It reflects the way people are…” Elsewhere, Child of Our Time producer Tessa Livingstone reflected on the ambitious BBC series. “There is nothing so interesting as the way people’s lives unfold. You could never invent them.” 1991 22—28 JUNE Monica Seles, the youngest-ever world number one tennis player, described her fame thus: “Even if I go to Japan, I can’t escape. For a rock star like Madonna it’s even worse, though.” Elsewhere,…1 min
Radio Times|Week 26Why has my favourite channel vanished?I hope the listings for Sky Arts 2 will be restored — it’s one of the few digital channels I watch! Stephen Turnbull, Looe, Cornwall …Whatever’s happened to Sky Arts 2? The channel brought us operas from the Met, plays from the Globe and concerts from all over the world. We’re devastated! Diana Mitchell, Maidenhead, Berkshire On 9 June Sky Arts 1 and 2 merged into Sky Arts (Sky 121, Virgin 281). There is always a suspicion that mergers are a way of disguising cuts. But Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, tells Feedback: “We know RT readers are among the loyal viewers who enjoy the arts content we show, whether that’s opera, ballet, dance, music or art. We have no plans to change this. What we are doing is…2 min
Radio Times|Week 26Nick KnowlesYou’re a man of many talents… If I start talking about the other things I do, it confuses people. But I’ve always done a lot of writing. I’ve written an action adventure novel. It’s got the working title Ice Witness, and it’s set around the world. It’s not going to win any of those book awards; it’s the kind of book you’d read on holiday. What would you be doing if you weren’t on TV? I’d have kept on with my writing. I’ve written a film that will be out this year. It’s called Golden Years, and it’s about a group of pensioners who can’t afford to live on their pensions, so turn to robbing banks. What do you make of the rumours you’re joining Top Gear? I’m a BBC…2 min
Table of contents for Week 26 in Radio Times (2024)

FAQs

What are the top 10 quiz questions for adults? ›

My 40 great example questions for hosting your first quiz
  • How many time zones are there in Russia? ( ...
  • What's the national flower of Japan? ( ...
  • How many stripes are there on the US flag? ( ...
  • What's the national animal of Australia? ( ...
  • How many days does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun? (

What are some good general knowledge quiz questions? ›

General knowledge
  • How many time zones are there in Russia? ( ...
  • What's the national flower of Japan? ( ...
  • How many stripes are there on the US flag? ( ...
  • What's the national animal of Australia? ( ...
  • How many days does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun? (

How well do you know quiz questions? ›

These are mostly general questions, something you could use to kick off your date or a conversation with the person you like.
  • Which is my favorite TV show?
  • Who is my best friend?
  • What's my favorite season of the year?
  • If I could meet one historical figure, who would it be?
  • What's my favorite ice cream flavor?
Jul 22, 2024

What are the top five powerful questions? ›

5 Powerful Questions Every People Manager Needs to Know and Use
  • What do you think? Not rocket science is it? ...
  • What makes you think this? ...
  • Can you tell me more? ...
  • How can I support you with this? ...
  • What do you think are the next steps?

What's a good trivia question for today? ›

Best general trivia questions
  • Leonardo da Vinci's “Mona Lisa” hangs in what museum? ...
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  • What is the name of John Travolta's character in the 1977 film “Saturday Night Fever”? ...
  • What do you call a group of flamingos? ...
  • Relative to the internet, what does “URL” stand for?
Jun 7, 2024

What is a five question quiz? ›

A five-question quiz is taken in which the first and second questions have four answer choices, the third and fourth questions have three answer choices, and the last question has five answer choices.

How do I get better at general knowledge trivia? ›

5 Simple Tips on How To Improve Your Trivia Knowledge
  1. Watch Game Shows. One of the best ways to open yourself to an expansive set of facts and trivia is to watch your favorite gameshows. ...
  2. Play Different Quiz Games. ...
  3. Go Down Information Rabbit Holes. ...
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  5. Audio Books.

What are good pop quiz questions? ›

Pop Culture Trivia Questions
  • What was the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final? Argentina vs Brazil. ...
  • What is the last book in the Twilight novel series? Breaking Dawn. ...
  • Who is the most followed person on Instagram? ...
  • In what year was the first Avatar movie released? ...
  • Who was the first member of One Direction to leave in 2015?
Jun 28, 2023

What are some good questions to put in a quiz? ›

Easy quiz questions
  • How many days are there in July?
  • What temperature centigrade does water boil at?
  • What company is also the name of one of the longest rivers in the world?
  • What in the animal kingdom is a doe?
  • What is the tallest mountain in the world?
  • How many centimetres are there in a metre?
Aug 2, 2024

What are knowledgeable questions? ›

Knowledge Questions are contestable questions about knowledge itself. Knowledge Questions are crafted with intention to be open, general and contentious. They are succinct, grammatical and use precise concepts and vocabulary. They provoke discursive evaluation rather than any single, definitive response.

What are some fun trivia questions for adults? ›

General knowledge
  • How many time zones are there in Russia? ( ...
  • What's the national flower of Japan? ( ...
  • How many stripes are there on the US flag? ( ...
  • What's the national animal of Australia? ( ...
  • How many days does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun? (

Do both people answer the question in 21 questions? ›

If you're playing with two people, you and the other person can simply take turns answering questions. You can also modify this by having one person answer several questions in a row (or all 21 questions) before reversing roles and having the other person answer questions.

What is the best way to quiz yourself? ›

Just write a question on one side of a notecard and the answer on the other side and quiz yourself. You can also do this digitally with a card-based form. Use class worksheets and problem sets. Pull questions from previous assignments or tests into a new, personal quiz or test.

What are good questions for adults? ›

Personal Questions to Ask Someone
  • What is the biggest compliment you can give someone?
  • Do you think you're a friendly person?
  • What do you wish you did more of?
  • What is something that makes you really angry?
  • Do you have a biggest fear?
  • How do you express your love for someone?
  • What does friendship mean to you?
Jul 31, 2023

What are fun quiz questions? ›

Try these:
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Jun 11, 2024

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