Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hannah Waddingham Finally Sets The Record Straight On Wicked Movie Audition Rumours

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Hannah Waddingham has responded to the rumour that she was, at one point, in the running for a role in the film adaptation of Wicked.

The Ted Lasso star got her start in musical theatre, racking up three Olivier nominations for her work in Spamalot, A Little Night Music and Kiss Me, Kate, as well as appearing in the film Les Misérables.

Because of her background in performing, word somehow got around online that Hannah had auditioned for the supporting role of Madame Morrible in Wicked, which eventually went to Michelle Yeoh.

However, while the British star has conceded she’d loved to have played the part on screen, she’s insisted she never actually auditioned – and by the time she got wind that the movie was happening, Michelle had seemingly already been cast.

“I didn’t!” she confirmed when asked by Variety about the rumours. “This is the funniest thing. We can put this to bed once and for all.”

The Emmy winner continued: “I would have loved to have been seen for that – but it was a fait accompli, as they say.”

Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible in Wicked
Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible in Wicked

She also teased that there is one musical theatre role she’s dying to bring to the big screen, but she’s “keeping it under my hat because I want to do it”.

Hannah is currently gearing up to return to the role of Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, after a three-year absence, during which it was thought that the Apple TV+ sports comedy had already come to an end.

In that time, Hannah has made no secret of her hopes for Ted Lasso to return, with the new episodes reuniting her with co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Nick Mohammed and Brett Goldstein.

“We thought we’d mourned the loss, and now it’s rising from the dead,” she said last year, adding that she thought news of the show’s return was “amazing”.

Read Hannah Waddingham’s full interview in Variety here.

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Trick For Stopping A Toddler Travel Tantrum In 30 Seconds – Does It Work?

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A parent has shared the unusual trick she used to calm her toddler’s tantrum on a flight in under a minute.

Taking to Instagram, content creator and photographer Shante Hutton recommended a “nervous system reset hack” for toddlers who are in “meltdown mode” – and it might be particularly useful while travelling.

What’s the tantrum trick?

In a video shared by Hutton, her toddler can be seen sitting having his feet, and then his stomach, brushed with a comb.

“Take a small comb and gently brush their feet, hands, and tummy – slow, light strokes,” said Hutton. “It interrupts the overwhelm, gives their brain a new sensory input, and calms them down fast.”

The parent added that when she tried the trick, “we went from red-faced screaming to comatose in under a minute”.

She then urged families to add a comb to their carry-on luggage the next time they take a flight with young kids.

Does it work?

“My daughter[’s] OT [occupational therapy] recommend we brush her daily,” said one commenter. “Sounds like I own a horse, but it works.”

A grandparent added: “Interesting! I draw circles on their palms (or feet) with my finger and they almost go into a trance.”

One parent admitted they started “skin brushing” when their baby was a newborn and they “swear it helps with the milestones too”.

There were even some who joked: “Giving my husband a comb for my meltdown later.”

Obviously this isn’t a hack that works for everyone – we’re all different, and some kids might love the sensory experience while others… well, not so much. You know your child and whether they’d respond well to this or not.

Any other meltdown hacks?

Prevention is key. Take lots of snacks and toys to keep them occupied. Tablets can be useful if your child is of an age where they can be distracted by TV shows and films for periods of time. Choosing flights that work around naps can also be beneficial.

One parent swears by painter’s tape to keep her child occupied on a plane – it’s cheap, easy to rip (and remove from surfaces, once stuck), and colourful. Just make sure you clean it all up before you disembark.

If your child is in the thick of a tantrum and the comb trick isn’t working, you could try asking them a “tiny, non-threatening question”, according to Jo Walker, a hypnotherapist at Walker’s Therapy.

The question should have nothing to do with the tantrum. So, Walker gave an example of, “hey, I just noticed your shoes. Where did you get those from?” or “what is the animal on your T-shirt?”.

Other parenting pros, like Jon Fogel, have recommended similar techniques, such as the colour game, where you ask your child to find something of a certain colour.

Good luck!

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Sydney Sweeney Appears To Take Swipe At Critics Of Graphic Euphoria Scenes

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While Sydney remained tight-lipped on the debate throughout the season, it seemed she had something to say about it all in a post shared on Instagram before the season finale aired.

Alongside a series of behind-the-scenes snaps from season three – including some of the more racy set-ups involving her character – Sydney said simply: “It’s called… acting.”

In the past, Sydney has repeatedly called out the “double standard” she has noticed around the way male and female actors who have appeared nude on screen are treated.

Back in 2022, she told The Independent: “When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, it’s completely different.”

Elsewhere in the same interview, she also made a point of saying: “I’ve never felt like Sam [Levinson, Euphoria’s creator] has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”

He claimed: “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.”

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Critics Hail Russell T Davies’ New Channel 4 Drama As ‘Terrifying’ And ‘Unforgettable’

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Bafta-winning screenwriter Russell T Davies has another critical hit on his hands thanks to his new show Tip Toe.

The unflinching new drama stars Alan Cumming and David Morrissey as two neighbours who find themselves in a feud that quickly spirals out of control with disastrous results, while diving into thorny issues like online radicalisation, prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community, misinformation in the digital age and generational conflict.

During a recent interview with HuffPost UK, Russell called Tip Toe an “urgent” and “necessary” reflection of a world that is “out of control” and “at war with ourselves”, which critics have certainly agreed with so far.

Ahead of episode one’s premiere on Sunday, reviews have near-unanimously praised the series – the latest TV offering from the creator of shows like Queer As Folk, Years And Years and It’s A Sin – which they’ve hailed as “chilling”, “devastating”, “terrifying” and “unforgettable”.

Here’s a snippet of what the critics are saying about Tip Toe…

“This is urgent, state-of-the-nation stuff from one of our shrewdest screenwriters […] Tip Toe isn’t just sobering; it’s visceral and chilling viewing for all queer people and everyone who loves and supports us.”

“At times it feels as subtle as a brick in the face. But when Davies steps down from his pulpit and lets his characters breathe, his storytelling is visionary, devastating, passionate and humane. And we should listen.”

Alan Cumming as Leo in Tip Toe
Alan Cumming as Leo in Tip Toe

James_Stack/Channel 4

“Alan Cumming is extraordinary in this terrifying, landmark queer drama […] While this series is a fiction, and one that makes its arguments with sledgehammer grace, it is sadly not absurd, or abstract.”

“Tip Toe, the latest gut-punching drama from Russell T. Davies – his first since the life-altering It’s A Sin – is an alarming, though not inaccurate, portrayal of what it’s really like to be unapologetically gay in a Britain that hates us […] Tip Toe is Davies at his most impassioned; a wake-up call that this is not a time to be complacent.”

“Television writers will tell you that they never want to come across as preachy, and that good drama should ask teasing questions and then step away. The sense in Tip Toe is that Davies is done with this kind of pussyfooting around, and is up for a scrap.

“It makes for a drama that takes wrong turns but is never less than bold and, in the round, deeply stirring. TV polemic is back, loud and proud.”

David Morrissey plays Clive in Russell T Davies' Tip Toe
David Morrissey plays Clive in Russell T Davies’ Tip Toe

Ben Blackall/Channel 4

“Tip Toe may be an extreme example of how frenzied that intolerance can become. Its dialogue, with long, culturally-charged monologues, can also be a little tiring. But it should be all of these things […] A word of warning, though, from someone who literally watches TV for a living: by the end, this is the most distressing series I’ve ever seen. It’s not rewatchable, but it’s unforgettable.”

“[Tip Toe] lacks the discipline that made his other state of the historical/future nation pieces, Years and Years or It’s a Sin, so powerful and moving, but the strands begin to interweave, momentum builds and if the extremity of the conclusion still doesn’t quite ring true, everyone has worked hard to get it as close to authentic and emotionally credible as possible.”

The first two episodes of Tip Toe are now streaming on Channel 4, with the final three following on Sunday 7 June.

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Dementia Risk Factors Seem To Have A Sleep Change In Common

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Researchers think heart conditions, chronic stress, and depression may all be linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.

Thankfully, many of these risk factors are “potentially modifiable,” per a standing review from medical journal The Lancet. Treating high cholesterol, staying physically active, and not smoking can all help, for instance.

But a new review published in Science suggested that one thing might link multiple dementia risk factors: how well our brain is able to clear waste while we’re sleeping.

What part of sleep may affect dementia risk factors?

Researcher and neuroscientist Professor Maiken Nedergaard from the University of Rochester Medicine (URM) tried to look at sleep in terms of brain chemicals such as norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.

These “neuromodulators” affect our mood, attention, how awake we feel, and even how well we learn.

Her research noted that “neuromodulators” behave differently during sleep. They run in slow cycles that turn roughly every minute in a manner believed to affect everything from breathing to brain activity.

These sleep changes are also linked to changes in blood vessels called vasomotion, which works independently of our hearts’ pumping motion. One effect of this process is pushing fluid through the brain, helping to clear waste products such as amyloid-beta and tau proteins.

Amyloid plaques come from the buildup of abnormal protein fragments, while tau can turn into stringy proteins that lead to tau tangles. Amyloid plaques and tau tangles have been compared to the “trigger and bullet” of dementia progression.

This paper argued that changes to vasomotion, which happen when we age, face stress, experience some heart conditions, experience poor sleep, or take certain medications, might connect various dementia risk factors.

“Many disorders that increase dementia risk also disrupt the brain’s sleep rhythms”, Prof Nedergaard told URM.

“Our work suggests these may not be separate phenomena. They may be connected through the brain’s ability to clear waste during sleep”.

The researchers hope this will lead to earlier dementia detection

This paper also mentioned heart rate variability, or the variation of time between heartbeats, as a possible sign of sleep-related brain health.

The study authors hope that tracking this might serve as a non-invasive way to monitor the brain’s waste-clearing systems, potentially helping to spot dementia risk earlier.

“Sleep is not a quiet or inactive state,” Prof Nedergaard said.

“During sleep, the brain shifts into a coordinated rhythm that appears to support one of its most important housekeeping functions.”

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Nicola Sturgeon: ‘I’m Serving A Sentence For A Crime I Did Not Commit’

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Nicola Sturgeon has told the BBC she is “serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit” in relation to her ex-husband’s embezzlement of SNP funds.

Peter Murrell, chief executive of the Scottish National Party between 2001 and 2023, pleaded guilty to taking more than £400,000 from the SNP this week.

He has been charged with embezzling funds from the party between August 2010 and October 2022.

Arrested in 2023 and charged in 2024, Murrell has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced at the end of June.

He made a series of extravagant purchases while he was SNP chief, including a £124,550 campervan for his own personal use.

His then-wife Sturgeon was also arrested in 2024 and questioned by detectives, but was never charged with any offences.

The former first minister of Scotland and ex-SNP leader has faced a barrage of criticism after she claimed she was completely unaware of her then-spouse Peter Murrell’s crimes.

Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Sturgeon said: “A lot of women find themselves blamed for the men of the actions in their lives – I’m not going to contribute to that in a sense that I am responsible for somebody else’s crimes.”

She added: “I believe strongly in that accountability, but I am not responsible for the crimes my former husband committed and I’m not going to apologise for somebody else’s crimes.”

But BBC presenter Kuenssberg pointed out that Sturgeon was still leader of the party when Murrell was taking funds from the party, and asked if she therefore beared responsibility.

“He perpetrated a crime on the SNP,” the ex-first minister said. “By definition, that includes me as party leader.

“He misled, he deceived. He is serving and will be serving a sentence for a crime he committed.

“I’m out here, feeling as if I’m serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit.”

Asked why she only gave “no comment” responses to the police when she was arrested, Sturgeon said: “I was in a state of near collapse. I was terrified, I was bewildered, I was in a state of high stress and anxiety.”

She said her lawyer told her not to answer questions “in such a state of stress”, and that she prepared a detailed statement afterwards.

Sturgeon also insisted she was unaware that her husband had bought the campervan.

“My mother and father’s house has a driveway in front where we would park our car and then we would go into the house,” she said.

“Where the motorhome was was round the side of the house, which was not immediately visible in the way that we went into the house.”

She said: “I genuinely, genuinely, don’t have any conscious memory of seeing that motorhome.

“If I saw it I probably would have assumed it was a neighbour’s. My mother and father-in-law were in their mid-80s, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind that it was theirs and why would it have crossed my mind that it was the SNP’s, that Peter had bought it?”

She said it was “never” discussed, adding: “I genuinely do not recall seeing it in a way that I registered it and thought, ‘oh there’s a motorhome’.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Top Tory Humiliated With Brutal Makerfield Poll Putting Conservatives In Last Place

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A senior Conservative was left red-faced on Sunday when presented with the results of an opinion poll of the Makerfield voters.

Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips showed shadow home secretary Chris Philp the findings from a Survation survey of 369 people set to vote in the crunch by-election.

The graph showed put the Conservatives in last place on 2% in the constituency.

The Green Party were just in front on 3%, the Liberal Democrats on 4%, Restore Britain on 7%, Reform UK on 40% and Labour in the lead on 43%.

Phillips said: “Before 2024, you used to come second between 20 and 30% of the vote.

“Now there are three parties that could describe themselves as being of the right, or centre right, and you – you’re the official opposition – you’re the least popular of the three!

“Reform, Restore, Conservatives.”

Pointing to the graph, he said: “Look, there are the Tories, down there at the bottom. What the heck happened?”

Sky News' graph of the Survation opinion poll
Sky News’ graph of the Survation opinion poll

The Tory MP replied: “By-elections are very strange things. You’ve got this weird dynamic where Andy Burnham is running as a Labour candidate to basically kick out Keir Starmer.

“So this by-election is idiosyncratic, it’s incredibly unusual.”

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is hoping to win the Makerfield seat so he can challenge the prime minister’s leadership.

Phillips said: “But people of the right aren’t going to you. They’re going to Reform, they’re going to Restore, which is a party almost nobody has even heard of.

“They are polling better than you are! What has happened to the Tories?”

“Let’s just see what the actual result says,” Philp replied, claiming this was “just one little poll in one constituency in very unusual circumstances”.

He said: “If you take the [national] polls as a whole, we’re often in second place, Kemi is rated as the best leader and you can see that we’re the only party holding the failing Labour Party to account.”

Philp also noted that it takes time to “rebuild trust” with the public following their unpopular 14-year stint in government.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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‘What Is Wrong With Labour?’ Trevor Phillips Scorches Minister Over Glaring Issue Within Party

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Sky News’ Trevor Phillips asked a senior minister what is “wrong” with Labour as he tore into the party’s lack of female leaders.

Labour is currently in turmoil as speculation of a coup mounts.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is campaigning as the party’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election.

If he wins and becomes an MP, he is expected to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership, sparking a contest which ex-health secretary Wes Streeting has already vowed to join.

Senior female party figures, like former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, are yet to say if they would partake in any leadership race.

Interviewing work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden on Sky News, Phillips said: “There’s a shadow contest going on. The Labour Party’s not going to have a female leader. It’s bizarre.

“This is not something you could say of any self-democratic party, most of the centre-right parties in Europe [have had a female leader] – the Tories have had four!

“Genuinely, what is about the Labour Party that makes it, as far as I can see, incapable of having a serious female contender for leadership?”

McFadden said that was a “good and serious point”, though he rejected claims there was any contest coming on right now as no one has formally challenged the prime minister.

But he added: “If there is a contest, then why should it just be with the people who so far have been mentioned?”

Phillips said: “What’s wrong with the Labour Party?”

“The Labour Party’s not perfect, like any other organisation,” McFadden replied. “There are wonderful women politicians in the Labour Party, many of them are capable of leadership, and if we ever are in a position of a contest, why wouldn’t they put themselves forward?”

Phillips’ question comes after Jess Phillips told the Hay festival this week that her party is sexist for having no permanent female leaders in its history.

The MP for Birmingham Yardley, who resigned as the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls earlier this month, said: “Like all institutions [Labour] is a bit sexist”.

She added that “every institution that every single person in this room works for is led by the patriarchy”.

However, she disputed the idea that just having a woman in power would improve the UK.

“I have to say, the idea that a woman leads and it makes it better for women is not one that I’ve recognised in this country,” she said.

“My mortgage went up by a thousand pounds a month, cheers Liz [Truss]. I shouted at her, every time I saw her, the amount that she now owed me. She has not paid me back.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Four Steps A Horticulturist Takes To Hosepipe-Ban-Proof Gardens

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This month, the UK provisionally broke May temperature records two days in a row. That led some lawns to curl and yellow in distress, though you’re best off waiting for the rain instead of hosing your grass down, even when it looks worse for wear.

And even though no hosepipe bans have been announced in the UK, a peek at Google Trends shows that searches are significantly up from last week. It looks like gardeners are prepping, or at least checking, for sanctions.

But are those fears reasonable, and how can we get our gardens ready now for possible bans later on?

Will we have a hosepipe ban in 2026?

We can’t say for sure yet.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)′ Chief Horticulturist, Guy Barter, said: “Although we had a wet winter which filled reservoirs and aquifers and there is no indication of temporary use restrictions (as hosepipe bans are officially called), supply and demand problems in the intense recent heat have been reported in the press”.

The BBC, for instance, reports we may be on track to see the same drought conditions we saw last year, which led to a ban; that’s not to mention 2026′s predicted super El Niño.

Professor Emeritus of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at University College London, Prof Bill McGuire, previously told HuffPost UK that this extreme weather event could have “a huge impact on global weather, bringing drought, floods and other extreme weather right across the planet”.

Though what that might mean for the UK specifically is harder to tell in the short term.

How can I start to prepare now for possible hosepipe bans?

Barter told us that “Episodes like this [recent heatwave] remind gardeners why it is wise to have water butts for tiding the garden over dry periods. With luck, they will be refilled by summer rainstorms.”

Water butts divert rainfall from places like your gutter into a large barrel, which often has a tap on the bottom, so it’s smart to place it on a stand.

It’s not just that they’re a smarter use of water, either. Plants much prefer rainwater to the stuff from your taps, because it has a pH and mineral content they love.

What if I don’t have room for a water butt?

In that case, try mulching to keep whatever rain has fallen on your soil. Additionally, putting saucers under plants allows rain to collect in helpful puddles underneath pots.

During water shortages, the RHS added, “grey water” from e.g. your shower or washing-up bowl will do the job for a while.

“Waste water from the kitchen, bathroom basins, baths and showers can also be used in summer gardening. Plants seldom resent this and it ekes out mains water supplies,” Barter said.

Smart planting matters, too.

“Gardeners who have planted drought-tolerant borders and gardens have been rewarded by lovely flowers and plants with no need to water. Where watering has been needed, consider planting more drought-tolerant plants in autumn for next year,” the expert said.

“It is a bit late for planting now, but any containers or baskets that need restocking can be planted with angelonia, pelargoniums and salvia, all of which can get by with less water than most plants.”

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The Worst Mistake A Psychologist Says Demotivated People Make

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We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how feeling “meh” all the time can be a sign of anhedonia or dysthymia.

But according to psychologist Dr Bijal Chheda of Nos Curare, not feeling particularly motivated can be caused by a range of issues and conditions.

She said that demotivation is “one of the brain’s early responses to ongoing stress,” explaining, “As stress builds, the brain shifts into energy-saving mode, making focus and initiating tasks feel difficult, which can drain motivation.”

This can be common among those with ADHD, for instance, she added.

While many of us may try to will ourselves out of these periods, the psychologist said this is a mistake.

What should I do if I feel demotivated?

Sometimes, Dr Chheda said, the stress and self-blame you feel about not being productive can, ironically, take a lot of energy. “Overwhelm and perfectionism” are common culprits.

But believing you’re a failure when you don’t give everything 100% – and thinking you can will yourself back into an A-star performance – is a trap that can sap your motivation, she continued.

“If this sounds familiar, it can help to stop relying on willpower and instead lower the barrier to entry. Start with a messy first version, giving yourself permission to do it badly just to get it moving.”

I’ve seen success with half-assed workouts, which helped to keep me way more consistent than all-or-nothing exercise regimens I inevitably dropped out of. Science says that tiny shifts in our eating, sleep, and exercise routines – we’re talking two minutes more movement and grams more vegetables a day – can help you to live longer, too.

Actively deciding it’s OK to do a less-than-optimal version of whatever task you’re hoping to achieve “makes it easier to re-engage with the task, without feeling pressure to succeed the first time round,” the expert said.

Speak to an expert if demotivation lasts a long time

As we’ve mentioned before, feeling demotivated for a long time can be related to anhedonia or dysthymia.

“If you feel this is a consistent pattern, it may be worth exploring whether ADHD could be a factor with a qualified mental health professional,” Dr Chheda added.

The NHS says that low mood, which can include not enjoying things you used to, not being able to concentrate, and feeling helpless, can be signs of depression, for which you should consider speaking to a professional.

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