We think we are here to see how playwright Molly Taylor has paid tribute to the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, but it turns out we are actually the audience at CrimeCon, a fan convention for lovers of detective fiction. Today’s special guest is Dr Jo Watson (a perky Alyce Liburd), here to be interviewed about her latest book. This being 2025, a podcaster is keeping track of it all.
Chester is some distance from 221B Baker Street, something Taylor’s gag-laden script draws attention to with the arrival of a metropolitan Sherlock Holmes (a loose-limbed Ethan Reid) who, despite his love of travel, holds these northern parts in low regard. He has shown up to lend Watson support after the theft of a painting from Eaton Hall, seat of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster (Eddy Westbury and Hannah Baker struggling to remember what the heirloom actually looked like).
With a healthy awareness of the audience (there are wrong ’uns among us), director Ellie Hurt keeps the twists and turns of the plot tripping along in the outdoor arena, emphasising the jollity with live music played by the cast and the occasional song. Even Sherlock has a go at the karaoke, taunting his adversaries with a full-bodied I Will Survive.
Loose-limbed … Ethan Reid, centre, as Sherlock Holmes. Photograph: Mark McNulty/Mark McNulty Photographer
If anyone will survive it is this detective, with his dazzling deductions and debonair cool. For all his pizzazz, though, only the unsung Watson will get him through it.
It is all breezily daft, the acting broad – sometimes too broad – and the story spooling out ever more preposterously as we encounter vicious nuns in Liverpool Metropolitan cathedral (cue Mersey tunnel jokes), a scheme to blow up much of central London and a Moriarty who wants to be his “authentic self”.
“Stranger things have happened,” says Sherlock. “Not in Chester,” quips the local inspector.
VShojo has come under renewed scrutiny after VTubers Camila and Veibae shared claims of mismanagement, legal intimidation, and opaque hiring decisions following the agency’s closure on July 24.
Camila alleged that in 2022, she participated in VShojo’s open auditions, making it to the third round before being abruptly dropped with no explanation. She claimed to have later learned that finalists were rejected so the agency could hire someone already known to them.
According to Camila, those candidates were then allegedly offered “hush money” to stay silent about the outcome. “The girls were devastated. Just like the rest of us who got dropped without warning,” she posted on X.
In addition to these claims, Camila said other VShojo members confided in her about unpaid work and a lack of communication from the company for extended periods.
She also linked a cover of Billie Eilish’s “Your Power” in what appeared to be a direct message to former CEO Justin “GunRun” Ignacio.
Separately, Veibae has also spoken out now that her NDA has expired. The former VShojo member stated that in 2023 she was pressured into signing a contract she described as “predatory.”
She claimed the company demanded over half of her sponsor revenue and 60% of merchandise sales. After hiring a lawyer, she was allegedly threatened with legal action and surveillance for any critical comments made in her streams or Discord server.
Veibae further revealed that she was not fully paid for sponsorships after her exit and said VShojo coordinated her departure with another VTuber, Silvervale, to manage public perception.
The agency’s shutdown has triggered a wave of disclosures from current and former talents, raising broader questions about contract practices, transparency, and creator welfare in the VTuber industry.
Admittedly, I’d be fibbing if I claimed that the promise of KAYTRANADA’s Ibiza debut (and his larger-than-life surprise guest!) hadn’t aroused my curiosity. That said, it was still always the Club Room and it’s Detroit-focused love-in that swooned my sensibilities on Sunday 13 July.
For all it’s reputation as a “retro” Disco party, Glitterbox has consistently programmed its tenure at Hï Ibiza with a high-calibre of artist.
That has been most evident in the pressure-cooker Club Room. Sure, you get the big room, singalong anthems with powerful diva vocals in The Theatre. But next door. you can count on crate-digging prowess from some of the most respected DJs in the game.
This time, it boasted two second generation artists from Techno city – and one of their daughters.
On one of her first public sets with her dad, youngling Lyric famously went off-script, playing Katy Perry and Martin Garrix’s Animals at Movement Detroit. Her father, Robert Hood – the man responsible for the Minimal movement, admired her chuzpah! They were audacious selections.
In the years since, Robert has assimilated Lyric into his revived, gospel-leaning Floorplan project. They not only produce music together, but tour as a back-to-back tandem.
Although, on recent evidence, the ballsy selections are still very much part of the package…
Eric Prydz’s Pjanoo mixed into Losing It by FISHER was certainly an eyebrow-raiser that caught our crew off guard. The folly of youth? Or free from the burden of expectation? Answer entirely subjective, depending on which camp you stand in.
These tracks got their crowd reaction, as you can imagine. Neither would have felt out of place in the main room. Fortunately, Floorplan had plenty more weapons to bring even the most stubborn of music snobs back onside.
LP Giobbi’s You Are was the smile-inducing number than had serotonin racing to the surface. It’s a piece of music that would not feel out of place in a Hans Zimmer score. Barely a month old, it has the makings of a future Ibiza classic. I hope we get to hear it played out again soon.
It’s in these moments why Glitterbox can never be written off. DJs taking risks create some of our fondest clubbing memories. They might not always hit the mark, but when they do, they become ingrained on our temporal lobe.
The night continued in safe hands, with the controls handed over to Moodymann. Old friends Robert and Kenny – two of their city’s favourite sons – shared a warm embrace in the intermission. Their continued contribution to electronic music cannot be overstated.
Afterwards, it wasn’t long before the allure of The Theatre had us straying next door to see the night out in fabulous fashion. As good as the spectacle was there, it was still the Club Room and the endless possibilities its protagonists threw up, that held my heart.
There are plenty more goodies in store before Glitterbox wraps up its 2025 campaign on 5 October. This clubber’s eyes are instantly drawn to Moodymann’s return on 17 August and the date with DJ Harvey and Gerd Janson on 7 September. You can find tickets and full listings below.
Meanwhile, Floorplan are back for the huge Glitterbox X BBC Radio 1 Dance takeover on 3 August.
The US tech firm whose CEO and chief people officer resigned after being caught on camera embracing at a Coldplay concert has released a tongue-in-cheek promotional video featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as a “temporary spokesperson”.
In the 60-second clip posted on Astronomer’s X account, Hollywood star Paltrow – who was married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for more than 10 years – says she wants to answer “the most” common questions the company has recently been asked.
The first of these questions, appearing as captions on screen, reads “OMG! What the actual f”, to which Paltrow responds: “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow”, she ends the answer by claiming the company is “thrilled so many people have a “newfound interest in data workflow automation”.
When a follow up question asks how the company’s social media team is “holding” after the clip went viral, Paltrow says spaces are still available for a forthcoming conference.
Paltrow signs off the clip, which has been viewed over 27 million times by thanking viewers for their “interest in Astronomer”, saying the company will now be returning “to what it does best”.
“It’s a really clever video,” Jordan Greenaway, CEO of PR firm Profile says.
“Everyone has heard about this scandal, everyone has seen the video. But if you’d gone down the street and asked someone who the CEO of Astronomer was, they’d say ‘the guy in the Coldplay video’, but if you then asked ‘what does Astronomer actually do or sell, they would probably say ‘they’re kind of a tech company.’”
Greenaway says the video going viral probably won’t have too much of a negative impact on Astronomer going forward, as the viral scandal “doesn’t strike at the heart of the quality of their product”.
He says the company’s goal was to create brand awareness amongst the mass public so the company isn’t just known for the scandal.
“I know there are some PRs whose default it is to lean into humour to bridge the scandal and get over the hump.”
“In most cases that doesn’t work.
“But this is what Astronomer is attempting to do in this case,” he says. “Rather than sidestepping things, they’re jumping in with both feet. That’s often a good strategy when a crisis is so big and well-known that you cannot easily duck it.”
Greenaway compares it to the horsemeat scandal of 2013, when horsemeat was discovered in beef products across Europe, and says “it would not have been right to dress that up in humour by posing as a horse, for example, and giving a response”.
“That could lead to your customers saying ‘this is something that attacked the quality of your product, and you’re making light of it’.”
The nature of this scandal gives Astronomer the flexibility to approach their response with a bit more humour because the company sells a data service, Greenaway continues.
“They’re not making fun of the quality of their product, they’re making fun of their CEO, who has now resigned.”
But Greenaway says while Astronomer can come out of this relatively unscathed, that isn’t the case for Andy Byron.
“He and his reputation are a different matter,” he says.
“If Andy Byron had made light of this, that would have been very unfair and very unethical, because he was the one undertaking in the bad behaviour.”
Byron had been CEO of Astronomer for two years when he and Kristin Cabot were caught on the giant screen at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on 16 July.
Greenaway says he would have taken “by and large the same strategy,” that Astronomer has had he been involved in a situation like this.
“I would have got rid of the CEO sooner. If possible I would have liked to have shown these type of leadership ethics at Astronomer are unacceptable.
“But in terms of moving the discussion back to the company, and what it actually does, I don’t think this is a bad way to go about it.
“I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do what they are doing, but I hope I would have.”
Coldplay’s US tour concludes this weekend in Miami, before they play their next shows in Hull [Getty Images]
Interest in Astronomer, which describes itself as “the best place to run Apache Airflow” – a product not developed by Astronomer – increased hugely since the clip of its former CEO went viral, with some unverified reports suggesting a spike of 15,000% in visits to the company’s website.
The company was founded in 2018, and provides services for companies that want to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Astronomer says it has worked with Apple, Ford and Uber, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Pete DeJoy, co-founder and chief product officer has been appointed as the company’s interim CEO, and can at least see a positive to all the attention on his company.
“The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
The only previous statement the company had made was on X, two days after the Coldplay concert.
“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability,” it said, while announcing a formal investigation had been launched.
Seeing the moment Byron and Cabot hid from the camera from his position on stage, Coldplay’s Chris Martin said: “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
And if you’re wondering what kind of PR impact this had on Paltrow’s famous ex-husband and his band, Greenaway thinks it’s neutral.
“I don’t think it increases awareness of them… the public at large have one thing in their head, and that’s the Kiss Cam video. That drowns out all the other stuff.”
Gwyneth Paltrow’s brief but buzzy stint as the face of crisis-hit tech firm Astronomer has sparked fresh headlines over how much she was paid. While neither the company nor the actor-entrepreneur has disclosed official figures, Paltrow’s biographer claims the paycheck may have reached “millions.”
In a video posted on July 26, journalist and author Amy Odell, who wrote Gwyneth, said Paltrow’s partnership with Astronomer was short but lucrative. “She was likely paid in the millions,” Odell said, noting that this was in line with other high-value endorsements the Shakespeare in Love star has taken on in recent years.
Among them: a $1.6 million appearance fee at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia and a reported $1.25 million partnership with Swarovski. Paltrow also attended the SKIMS x Swarovski launch last year, showcasing jewellery reportedly valued at up to $250,000. According to Odell, she’s previously earned similar figures for endorsing brands like Copper Fit.
Astronomer, a cloud data platform, drew attention earlier this month when its former CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristen Cabot were caught in an alleged affair on the Coldplay concert jumbotron in Boston, appearing close and then ducking out of the frame. The incident went viral, eventually leading to both executives stepping down.
For crisis management, Astronomer brought on Paltrow — who is Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s ex-wife — as a temporary spokesperson. In a video posted by the company on July 25, Paltrow addressed the public with humour, saying: “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer.” She sidestepped the controversy and instead promoted the company’s core services in data workflow automation.
Astronomer’s new CEO, Pete DeJoy, later addressed the media storm on LinkedIn, noting that while the attention was unexpected, the company remained focused and resilient.
Kylie Jenner and Stormi Webster have returned from their tour of the Mediterranean. In a rare moment across summer when the Kardashian-Jenner family aren’t pinballing around Europe, the family came together to celebrate the 91st birthday of grandmother Mary-Jo Campbell. Kylie and Stormi stepped out in their summeriest, and more subtle, articulation of mother-daughter style.
The duo were spotted arriving to The Ivy in Los Angeles yesterday (July 26). Kylie opted for a one-and-done, black-and-white gingham Miu Miu tank dress, with a pair of small black sunglasses, Manolo Blahnik leather Paterno sandals, and a small black leather handbag, accessorizing simply with a Cartier Panthere diamond watch. She wore her almost waist-length dark brown hair long and relaxed.
Photo: Backgrid
Seven-year-old Stormi, hand-in-hand with mom, wore a white denim jean jacket with a little popped collar and a matching denim skirt with silver cross embroidery, and swung a white and silver studded handbag with the same cross pattern. On her feet, some black sneakers.
It’s been a fun, frolicking summer for Kylie Jenner and Stormi, first hitting up Venice—as the Kylie Cosmetics founder attended the lavish wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos—with three-year-old Aire in tow. Across the last few weeks, they’ve enjoyed time in Tuscany and boating around Greek islands. The duo even dropped their first “get ready with me” beauty tutorial on TikTok.
Kylie and Stormi joined Kris Jenner and Mary-Jo Campbell, as well as Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, for The Ivy-set celebrations.
Box Office: Fawad Khan’s The Legend Of Maula Jatt Continues To Be #1 Punjabi Grosser Of All Time ( Photo Credit – X )
In the last few years, the Punjabi film industry has witnessed impressive growth, thanks to the significant increase in the audience base in the overseas market. The Punjabi-speaking Indian and Pakistani diaspora form a big chunk of moviegoers, which has helped the industry deliver 100 crore grossers at the worldwide box office. Talking about the top grosser, The Legend Of Maula Jatt is ruling the roost with impressive earnings. Keep reading for a detailed report!
Enjoyed positive reception from critics and audiences
The Pakistani Punjabi film, which was theatrically released in October 2022, was an action drama starring Fawad Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humaima Malik, Faris Shafi, and Mahira Khan in key roles. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances, direction, and other aspects. Even among the audience, it enjoyed favorable word-of-mouth.
How much did The Legend Of Maula Jatt earn at the worldwide box office?
Apart from Pakistan, The Legend Of Maula Jatt was a massive hit in the overseas market. As per Box Office Mojo, the film did a business of $5.08 million in Pakistan, which equals 43.91 crores in Indian rupees (as per the current currency rate). In North America (USA and Canada), it amassed a massive $5.01 million, which equals 43.31 crores. Another important contributor was the United Kingdom with $1.66 million, which equals 14.35 crores.
Overall, The Legend Of Maula Jatt earned $13.94 million at the worldwide box office, which equals 120.51 crores in Indian rupees. With such a massive total, it is the highest-grossing Punjabi film ever.
Box office breakdown:
Pakistan – $5.08 million
North America – $5.01 million
UK – $1.66 million
Rest of the world – $2.19 million
Worldwide total – $13.94 million
Ruling as the top Punjabi grosser since October 2022
The Fawad Khan starrer has been ruling at the top among Punjabi films for almost 33 months now. Diljit Dosanjh, Neeru Bajwa, and Jasmin Bajwa’s Jatt & Juliet 3 had an outside chance to come close to it in 2024, but wrapped up at 102.63 crores.
Diljit’s latest release, Sardaar Ji 3, has a chance of crossing it if it gets a green signal for its release in India. Already, it has earned well over 60 crores in the overseas market. With the Indian release, it might chase The Legend Of Maula Jatt’s lifetime collection to become the highest-grossing Punjabi film.
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates!
Must Read: Maareesan Box Office Collection Day 2: Fahadh Faasil & Vadivelu’s Film Shifts Its Gears On Saturday By Showing 48% Jump!
A fully flushing golden toilet which plays a selection of music is among the items on display at the exhibition
“Classic Scouse insults” and a musical golden toilet are among the offerings at a satirical art exhibition which has opened in Liverpool.
Jon Link, who co-founded cartoonist duo Modern Toss, said he and Mick Bunnage chose to launch the retrospective in the city due to its sense of humour.
The interactive exhibition looks back on 21 years of Modern Toss, whose art includes satire on working life.
Link said the pair were enjoying being in Liverpool and it seemed the perfect place because people “aren’t afraid to laugh at the state of things”.
Modern Toss
The Drive By Model Village exhibit is sponsored by Robert Smith from The Cure, Jon Link said
“A lot of our jokes are about people telling their boss where to stick it, and we thought where better to start the tour than in Liverpool,” he added.
Link said he was touched to receive some feedback from one fan of their work who had already been in to see the exhibition at the Northern Lights art gallery.
“The first thing he said was that ‘your cartoons helped get me through lockdown’,” Link said.
Asked what drew people to their work, Link said: “I think it’s relatable stuff and it’s just a feeling that there’s someone else that probably feels the same as you and someone stupid enough to turn it into a cartoon.”
Modern Toss
A smoking statue of Gerry, from Modern Toss’s 1970s-themed Cheese & Wine series, also features in the exhibition
The retrospective will also include a Wednesday Morning Work Therapy session, which the organisers said would be “a mixture of whale song and swearing”.
Over 100 pieces of work are featured in the exhibition, including an interactive Periodic Table of Swearing machine, which has had a “classic Scouse insults” section added especially for the Liverpool run.
Link said they had spoken to Liverpool residents while researching this for the first of their “regional swearing ideas”.
“I have designed it so that it merges from red into blue and blue into red for the teams,” said Link, in a nod to the city’s football clubs.
Modern Toss
Visitors are being offered the chance to have their portraits created in a photo booth
The work of Modern Toss has featured in a Channel 4 comedy series, as well as in publications including Private Eye and The Guardian and in books, comics and greetings cards.
Link said their work, which also encompasses publishing, sculpture, painting and live performance, is a satirical take on life in the early 21st century.
They use cartoon characters inspired by anything from global economic events to the internal thoughts of a fish on a hook, he added.
The Modern Toss 21st anniversary touring exhibition runs at Northern Lights art studio, Cains Brewery Village, until 10 August.
Aoibh Comer and her son Tádhg who has just turned one
The only human milk bank on the island of Ireland is appealing for more mothers to donate their breast milk.
The service at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh supports premature and sick babies in neonatal units throughout Ireland.
The Western Health Trust said hospitals were continuing to experience a high demand over the summer months when people are away on holiday and there is a constant turnover of donors.
Aoibh Comer donated her breastmilk to the service in 2024 and said she was “so grateful” to her baby son Tádhg for “giving her the opportunity to help care for other babies that need it”.
‘Please, please do it’
Ms Comer told BBC News NI she “just knew she had to do it”.
She heard about the service from a Northern Ireland Breastfeeding community group on social media.
“I was keen on donating milk from the start of my breastfeeding journey, knowing the human body could produce such goodness and I could supply milk to the wee babies that need it most,” the 25-year-old said.
“There is no substitute that completely matches breastmilk and the benefits babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) ward get from this is so beneficial for their wee growth.”
The former health care worker from Forkill in County Armagh is urging other mothers to donate.
“I would say to anyone in a position to donate, please please do it,” she said,
“The team make it so easy, they are so helpful and a friendly.
“There is such a great feeling of achievement when you fill your last bottle of milk to donate and I’m so grateful to my baby boy for giving us the opportunity.”
Handout
Baby Tádhg with his mum’s donated breastmilk
Human breast milk supports premature and sick babies as it helps build their immune system and their eye and brain development.
It can also prevent against diseases which can affect premature or low birth weight babies.
In particular, it can help to protect the gut from rupturing – a potentially life-threatening condition.
The service also supports mothers of twins, triplets and quadruplets who are unable to produce enough milk of their own.
Last year, the service provided more than 1,000 litres of donor breast milk to units across 27 hospitals throughout Ireland, helping 783 premature babies, of which 223 were either a twin or a triplet.
‘Life or death’ service
Handout
Susan Rogers manages the Human Milk Bank service at Enniskillen
Susan Rogers, lead nurse for public health at the Western Trust, said the bank was indebted to the donor mothers who had provided breast milk to thousands of babies since the project launched in 2000.
She told BBC News NI “the service means life or death really”.
“When you speak to anyone that has both donated and received breast milk, in the first few seconds you can get a sense of the emotion surrounding it,” she said.
“The reality is for very small premature babies breast milk supports so much of their journey.
“They have an immature gut and immune system and breast milk supports all of that.
“Often without breast milk they can become even sicker so for people that have premature babies it means everything to them.”
‘Lovely experience’
Handout
Sarah’s daughter Emily was born prematurely at 25 weeks
Sarah Haugh’s daughter Emily was born at 25 weeks and started on Sarah’s breast milk straight away.
“I was soon expressing full feeds and my freezer quickly filled up,” she told BBC News NI.
The feeding lead at the hospital suggested that she donated, a process she said was “incredibly easy”.
Sarah was able to donate 58 litres over seven months.
“It has been a lovely experience and very rewarding,” she said.
The trust is appealing for interested mothers to get in touch with the Human Milk Bank team through its website.
