Category: 5. Entertainment

Expectations are raised high, but not satisfyingly met, in this initially intriguing and certainly atmospheric Scandi thriller that ranges from Sweden to Poland and Exmoor in England; it teases hints of Gone Girl and Patricia Highsmith. Screenwriter-producer Michèle Marshall has adapted 2014 novel The Living and the Dead in Winsford by veteran Swedish crime writer Håkan Nesser, and Caroline Ingvarsson makes her feature directing debut.

The scene is the stylish home of a Swedish power couple. Maria (Mirja Turestedt) is the presenter of an popular TV talkshow, and she is married to the older Magnus (Thomas W Gabrielsson), a star academic with a drinking problem and a seedy reputation for infidelity. Maria is a former student of Magnus and has, in fact, surpassed him intellectually, now faintly despising herself for her middlebrow job as well as for editing and almost secretly co-writing papers for Magnus, who grumpily relies on her help. But Maria despises herself still more for standing by Magnus despite a rape charge against him. With an ugly, boorish defiance, Magnus intends to brazen it out legally and claim consent; in her heart, Maria does not believe him.

Things come to a crisis when the couple are driving through Poland after visiting an old friend of his, quarrelling constantly. They stop to look at an abandoned military bunker and things take a terrible turn. A series of flashbacks and a final, tense conversation with a police inspector are to disclose most (but, bafflingly, not quite all) of what is supposed to have happened. The audience are perhaps entitled to ask what precisely went on in the bunker, given that a final moment-by-moment revelation does seem to be implicitly promised; there are odd plot points that have been telescoped and garbled, possibly lost in the edit. Disappointing overall, but a strong performance from Turestedt.

This musical comedy about billionaire tech gurus Steve Jobs (Kane Oliver Parry) and Bill Gates (Dan Buckley) is, in all likelihood, not going to enlighten you about the making of these Silicon Valley founders.

A young Gates (of Microsoft) meets Jobs (of Apple and iPhones) at a Homebrew Computer Club competition in the 1970s. Jobs wins it and from hereon the rivalry is on – or that is how this production spins it.

Capturing the vaguest approximation of the relationship between the men, there is little fidelity to fact, or nuance, or penetrating psychological unpicking. But it is a highly entertaining, well put together parody all the same, however cartoonish in its portrayal of the two central players. It takes swipes at technology (from old-school cameras to printers and the limited life of Apple products) and the nerdy megalomania of tech culture itself.

Under the direction of Nick Winston, characters resemble the geeks from TV series The IT Crowd. To a lesser degree, it is about self-acceptance from those deemed oddballs by their school bullies, mainly through the character of Gates. Jobs is, by contrast, a visionary hippy and self-serving ladies’ man whose charisma Gates envies. Both are ridiculed and brilliantly performed.

Writer-lyricists Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner give the show a high school style makeover while Hal Goldberg’s score brings easy, fun tunes. There are romances for the men in Sally (Elise Zavou), a Xerox researcher with a social conscience, and fellow nerd Myrtle (Teleri Hughes) for Gates. Their real-life love lives, and wives, are nowhere to be found.

Real life is ignored or smoothed over on the whole: there is a legal battle, which follows some facts around Apple’s suing of Microsoft in 1988, and it ends in an out-of-court settlement, but without really telling us how or why. But it includes a thoroughly amusing rap battle between Gates and Jobs – a highlight of the show – which leads to the sudden transformation of Gates from an insecure tyrant into a fairy godfather of sorts. He steps away from Microsoft willingly here and devotes himself to his charitable foundation. Jobs’ death from cancer is ignored, too, although there is a – very funny – song in which he writes an email to God (with lots of ccs) because he thinks he is dying.

While it fails in its factual history, this is a compelling parody of the tech age, then and now, with heaps of the fun factor.

At Cowbarn at Underbelly, Bristo Square, Edinburgh, until 25 August

Published on
12/08/2025 – 11:55 GMT+2

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have renewed their partnership with Netflix in a fresh multi-year deal, continuing their collaboration through Archewell Productions.

The couple say the agreement reflects their mission to create “thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed the extension on Monday (11 August), with Netflix gaining first-look rights on upcoming projects. The renewed deal includes the return of “With Love, Meghan”, a lifestyle and cooking series starring the Duchess of Sussex, as well as a new documentary short Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, which centres on an orphanage in Uganda.

“My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision,” Meghan said in a statement.

Also on the slate is Meet Me at the Lake, a feature adaptation of Carley Fortune’s romantic novel about a decade-spanning love story sparked by a chance encounter.

This latest agreement is a continuation of Harry and Meghan’s post-royal streaming ventures, which began with a widely publicised Netflix partnership in 2020 – reported at the time to be worth around $100 million (€86.2 million).

Previous Archewell-produced projects for the streaming platform include the docuseries Harry & Meghan, Heart of Invictus, Live to Lead, and Polo.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, praised the couple’s storytelling efforts: “Harry and Meghan are influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere. The response to their work speaks for itself.”

But not all of that response has been glowing.

While Harry & Meghan performed strongly with 23.4 million viewers following its 2022 debut, “With Love, Meghan” has had a rockier journey. Despite being billed by Netflix as its most-watched culinary show this year, it pulled in just 5.3 million views – placing it outside the platform’s top 300 most-viewed shows in the first half of 2025.

Critics did not hold back. Reviews of the first series called the show “out of touch”, and its polished, curated aesthetic drew ridicule across social media platforms.

Memes and TikToks poked fun at the former actress’s on-screen persona, with some viewers calling the series overly staged.

Still, Netflix is backing a second season – set to air later this month – as well as a holiday special in December, inviting audiences to “join Meghan in Montecito for a magical holiday celebration.” The series is also linked to her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which includes products like rosé wine and jams.

Bollywood Hungama was the first one to break the viral story about the cuts given to War 2 by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). After the modifications were made, the censor certificate was handed to the makers, Yash Raj Films (YRF), on August 6. A day later, they again approached the CBFC as they wanted to voluntarily make deletions in the film to shorten the narrative. In this article, Bollywood Hungama will focus on these cuts made by the makers of the Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR starrer.

EXCLUSIVE: 28 scenes, 6.25 minutes – YRF’s post-censor cuts to War 2 REVEALED

YRF has made changes in a total of 28 scenes. Most of the deletions are just a few seconds long. This means that only certain shots have been reduced and the whole scene hasn’t been axed. Out of 22 scenes, 22 deleted shots are less than 10 seconds long. A chase sequence has been reduced by 16 seconds, while another action-packed scene is now 24 seconds shorter. Another sequence has been cut short by 32 seconds.

A certain dialogue between the protagonists has been reduced by 1 minute and 19 seconds, the longest cut given to any scene by the makers. Lastly, the speed of the rolling end credits has been changed, which has led to a reduction of 1 minute 47 seconds of the film’s run time.

In this way, the makers reduced 6 minutes 25 seconds of the film. Earlier, the run time of War 2 was 179.49 minutes, that is, 2 hours, 59 minutes and 49 seconds. The revised length of the film is 173.24 minutes, that is, 2 hours, 53 minutes and 24 seconds.

War 2 stars Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani and Ashutosh Rana. It is directed by Ayan Mukerji. It is the sixth film of the Yash Raj Spy Universe after Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), War (2019), Pathaan (2023) and Tiger 3 (2023).

Also Read: Coolie takes a lead of Rs. 70 crores over War 2 at the worldwide box office; Rajinikanth ready to conquer the throne

More Pages: War 2 Box Office Collection

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David Rendall, who has died aged 76, was a singer whose bronzed but mellifluous tenorial tones sustained a career lasting 30 years until it was shortened by an onstage accident. He enjoyed successful runs at the major British houses – Covent Garden, English National Opera and Glyndebourne – as well as the Metropolitan, New York, but he was also dogged by misfortune.

Progressing from lighter roles in Mozart and bel canto opera to weightier parts such as Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino and Cavaradossi in Tosca, he finally attained the zenith of many a tenor’s aspirations, the title role in Otello, bringing to the part his characteristic combination of commanding tone, lyrical timbre and skilful phrasing. Of his performance at ENO in 1998, the critic of Opera magazine prophesied: “Given the right opportunities, Rendall’s Otello will surely bestride the world.”

He did indeed go on to sing Otello at La Scala and Dresden, as well as Glyndebourne in 2001 and again four years later, but it was also in 2005 that there occurred a disastrous stage malfunction in a performance of Aida at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. Sealed in the underground tomb in the final act, he became aware of the stage above going sideways instead of up, resulting in the destruction of the set. “I was knocked down at least 15 feet”, he recalled, “and tried to crawl to safety to avoid being crushed.”

The serious injuries he suffered required a hip replacement, with subsequent knee-joint replacement, and extensive shoulder surgery. His £250,000 claim for compensation against the theatre’s owners, the Danish Ministry of Culture, cited loss of earnings, on the basis that opera companies doubted his ability to achieve the same high standards as previously. He subsequently also sued the surgeon who performed the operation for using a controversial technique of “mixing and matching” hip replacement parts, seriously affecting his mobility.

The Copenhagen incident was not the first time Rendall had been in the headlines for the wrong reasons. At a performance of Pagliacci in Milwaukee in 1998, the blade of the prop knife his character Canio was using to stab his unfaithful wife Nedda and her lover Silvio failed to retract. The baritone playing Silvio, Kimm Julian, narrowly escaped a possibly mortal injury. A farcical element was added when the police who had been called to the scene confused the plot of the opera recounted to them with the real-life scenario, and came to believe that Rendall himself was seeking revenge for a marital infidelity. He was finally released without charge.

Rendall was born in London, the son of Phyllis (nee Tuffin), a nurse, and John Rendall, a stockbroker’s manager. As a teenager he was the vocalist of a covers band called All on Edge, but was working in the BBC’s gramophone library (as it was then called) when he was overheard by Roy Plomley and Ronald Cook, the presenter and producer of Desert Island Discs, singing Questa o quella (a castaway’s choice) from Rigoletto. Disapproving of the choice of singer, he had played the disc 10 to 12 times, by his own account, “learned the tune and a couple of the words”, went into the studio and put it down on tape.

So impressed were Plomley and Cook, listening in an adjacent room, that they made contact on his behalf with two London conservatoires. He was offered a bursary at the Royal Academy of Music.

His debut as a soloist was with Glyndebourne Touring Opera in 1975 as Ferrando in Così fan tutte. He graduated to the festival proper in the same role the following year, but was not to return until 1988 as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, followed by Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress. Meanwhile at Covent Garden between 1975 and 1990, he sang such roles as Count Almaviva, Massenet’s Des Grieux, Matteo in Arabella and Rodrigo in La Donna del Lago, while at ENO between 1976 and 1992 he won acclaim as Leicester in Maria Stuarda, the Duke in Rigoletto, Rodolfo and Pinkerton. To all these roles he brought exemplary diction, an impressive legato line and a thrilling, though seemingly effortless, delivery.

He also flourished at the Met, making his debut there as Ernesto in Don Pasquale (1980) and returning for 10 seasons to sing six of the principal Mozart tenor roles as well as Matteo, Lensky and David in Die Meistersinger. Deciding, with his second wife, the mezzo-soprano Diana Montague, that they would focus their careers on the UK and Europe, in order to enjoy family life with their children, Rendall thereafter declined many offers from America and elsewhere.

In his enforced retirement he kept an entertaining blog retailing anecdotes from his life and career, including a temporary loss of sight after being struck on the temple by a singer playing Don Alfonso and an incident involving the New York police department when a dish of curry was emptied over the head of a restaurateur. The picture emerges of a colourful, combative character who, despite setbacks, lived life to the full.

He is survived by Diana, and their three children, Eleanor, Amelia and Huw, and by two children, Edward and Elizabeth, from his first marriage, to Kathryn George, which ended in divorce.

On Holding is poised to expand its relationship with Zendaya even further this fall — which should add another jolt to the sports brand that saw second-quarter sales jump 32 percent.

In an interview with WWD, Martin Hoffmann, who was elevated to sole chief executive officer and chief financial officer last month, confirmed reports that the company is working with Zendaya, an ambassador for the brand since June of 2024, on designing apparel. Without providing too many details, he said the actress is “currently working with us on the collection. We have new apparel coming in September with elements from her.”

Earlier this month, Zendaya and her longtime stylist, Law Roach, unveiled her first co-created shoe for the brand, the Cloudzone Moon.

Hoffmann said apparel continues to be a major growth opportunity for On. Although it still represents only around 7 to 8 percent of sales, the goal in the short term is to have that figure hit 10 percent. “Retail is very instrumental in growing apparel,” he said, adding that the company’s stores generally have apparel sales “well above” the 10 percent mark.

In reporting its earnings early Tuesday morning, the Zurich-based sports brand said sales blew past expectations, hitting 749.2 million Swiss francs and topping analysts’ projections of a 24 percent increase to 704 million Swiss francs.

However, the strengthening of the Swiss franc against the dollar took a bite out of the bottom line, leading to a net loss of 40.9 million Swiss francs and adjusted diluted earnings per share of 0.09 Swiss francs, well below the 0.21 Swiss francs in earnings Wall Street had been anticipated, according to Yahoo Finance.

Hoffmann stressed this was merely an accounting issue and “has nothing to do with our financial strength.”

Direct-to-consumer continues to be a driver for On. In the second quarter, net sales grew 47.2 percent to 308.3 million Swiss francs. DTC now represents 41.1 percent of the company’s overall business.

The company currently operates 54 stores around the world and Hoffmann said recent flagship openings in China and Singapore have exceeded expectations, with the Singapore store’s opening weekend the strongest of any of its previous stores. As a result, the company expects to add another five or six stores this year, four in the U.S. including one in Palo Alto, Calif., one in Mexico City, two in Seoul and “a big one” in On’s hometown of Zurich, Hoffmann said.

But DTC is not the only growth area for the brand. Wholesale sales increased 23 percent to 441 million Swiss francs in the second quarter, the company said.

By region, net sales in Europe rose 42.9 percent to 197.8 million Swiss francs; the Middle East was up 16.8 percent to 432.3 million Swiss francs, and Africa rose 101.3 percent to 119.2 million Swiss francs. In the EMEA, sales rose 46.1 percent, while in the Americas, they increased 23.6 percent to 432.3 million Swiss francs, and Asia-Pacific jumped 110.9 percent to 119.2 million Swiss francs.

Hoffmann said the growth in Europe is the company’s largest gain over the past two years and its “strategic repositioning” in that region “is paying off.” He also cited strength in the Americas, where DTC growth was especially buoyant, as well as the heightened demand the company is experiencing in Asia-Pacific.

“I’m really proud of our team,” Hoffmann said. “Halfway into our three-year plan, the momentum for the brand continues to be extremely strong globally. The power of being a premium brand is paying off.” He pointed in particular to the gross profit margin of 61.5 percent the company posted in the quarter, up from 59.9 percent in the prior-year period, as a highlight.

By category, sales of shoes rose 29.9 percent to 704.9 million Swiss francs; apparel jumped 67.5 percent to 36.7 million Swiss francs, and accessories rose 113 percent to 7.7 million Swiss francs. “Apparel really contributed strongly to our growth,” Hoffmann said. “More and more customers are starting their apparel journey with us earlier.”

Turning to tariffs, Hoffmann said that while the company is “not happy” with the increases, “it’s good to have clarity.” The bulk of On’s production is in Vietnam, where tariffs were just raised to 40 percent on transshipments.

Hoffmann said that the company is used to paying tariffs of around 20 percent to the U.S. and although this new round of taxes is not welcomed, On is strong enough to compensate for the increase in import charges and continue to focus on providing innovation, an elevated customer experience and superior service, he said.

As a result, the company raised its full-year guidance, projecting that sales will now increase at least 31 percent to 2.91 billion Swiss francs, above previous guidance of 28 percent, and it is calling for EBITDA of 17 to 17.5 percent, up from the 16.5 to 17.5 percent estimated earlier.

David Allemann, cofounder and executive co-chairman, summed it up this way: “Our Q2 results leave no doubt: On is playing the long game. We achieved a remarkable 38.2 percent net sales growth on a constant currency basis, not by chasing trends, but by building a resilient brand for decades ahead. This quarter proves our strategy is working — from our diversified portfolio of iconic footwear franchises to our stellar growth in apparel and our global brand footprint. The future of On is taking shape right now, and the most exciting chapters are ahead of us.”

Hoffmann concluded: “Our premium positioning is coming to life across every consumer touch point, with product innovation, storytelling and distribution all working together to elevate the brand further. We’re also incredibly encouraged by the strong engagement and enthusiasm we’re seeing from our retail partners, whose support adds to the momentum behind the brand. Our performance gives us strong conviction in the impact of our strategy and the opportunities ahead to build an even more distinctive and desirable global brand.”

With dulcet Welsh tones, an actor bearing an uncanny aural resemblance to Michael Sheen introduces players to the world of Mandrake. The village of Chandley is “small” and “complicated”, he says warmly. “Everyone’s got their own story.” The action cuts between cosy, wooden cottages and a moss-covered forest filled with folkloric creatures. We see the protagonist, a horticulturist wizard “steeped in the green and growing arts”, returning home and tending to an abundance of vegetables. Some you’ll find in your local supermarket; others are of a decidedly more magical variety.

As a rural life simulation, Mandrake is odder and more beguiling than most. It possesses the same undeniable allure as classics such as Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, inviting players to slip into the seasonal flow of crop cultivation, countryside exploration and conversations with suspiciously cheerful townsfolk. But there’s more going on here: lush, painterly visuals to start. And should you tire of tilling the soil, you might wander off the beaten path of this mythical, Brythonic-inspired land, perhaps eavesdropping on the dead or even befriending a river.

Weirdness is to be expected in a new release from Failbetter, the boutique UK studio behind acclaimed titles Fallen London and Sunless Sea. Set in a shared fictional universe, that narrative RPG and moody survival experience, respectively, were masterclasses in evocative prose and captivating world-building. London became “Fallen”, submerged in a darkened underworld called the Neath, newly situated on the coast of a vast, black ocean – the so-called Unterzee.

These games, horrifying and hilarious in nearly equal measure, were rooted in a deft sense of place. Mandrake foregrounds location in a friendlier, more accessible way. The beauty of the rural life sim, as game director Adam Myers sees it, is that “you’re able to zoom in on one community over time”. Across days, nights and seasons, the player bears witness to a changing place and its people. You go from a sense of total unfamiliarity, says Myers, to having developed a deep knowledge of the environment.

But Mandrake aims to eschew the genre’s grindier tendencies – cultivating acres of wheat and making multiple daily meals. “It isn’t optimal to grow your crops in large rectangular monocultures,” says Myers. “And you’re not doing the thing where you click 30 times and carry a banquet’s worth of ratatouille around in your inventory at all times.”

Gift-giving, the typical way players ingratiate themselves with their NPC neighbours in this genre, arrives with a wrinkle. Players cannot just hand out presents randomly (“That’s a little awkward,” laughs Myers). Instead, they must declare why they are handing out their offerings. This forms the start of a relationship based on obligation.

The aim is to not just replicate the pattern seen in other rural life sims, but “complicate” it, both through thoughtful mechanics and an unusual set of influences. Myers talks enthusiastically of anthropology, British folklore and esoteric traditions such as Renaissance alchemy. The world is filled with quirky and mysterious lore: it is inhabited by “quasi-monastic organisations” and despite the Welsh influences in the landscape, there is an eerie absence of sheep.

The comforting rituals of the rural life sim seem to function as a Trojan horse for Failbetter’s peculiar and offbeat tendencies. “One of the error patterns we’ve fallen into in the past is going too weird, too fast, too soon,” admits Myers. “We need to give players more stable ground to stand on so they can make sense of everything – put the pieces together to properly appreciate what’s unusual and strange.”

Ominous creatures undoubtedly lurk in these ancient woods; villagers are likely to conceal many portentous secrets. It’s reasonable to assume that Myers’s and his colleagues’ taste for the macabre surfaces in some manner. But there’s a crucial difference, a concession, perhaps, to maintaining what he hopes is a welcoming and “emotionally gentle” tone: unlike some of Failbetter’s other games, death doesn’t lurk quite so close to your shoulder. Or as Myers puts it, “you probably won’t be able to get yourself eaten in this one”.