SATURDAY
October 2 2021 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73592
At home with the Kennys
PM rebukes
police over
treatment
of women
Forces accused of not taking violence seriously
Steven Swinford Political Editor
Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor
Fiona Hamilton Crime & Security Editor
The failure of police to take violence
against women and girls seriously
enough is “infuriating”, Boris Johnson
has said in response to Sarah Everard’s
murder.
In an interview with The Times, the
prime minister said the public were
right to feel that the police were failing
women and girls who were subjected to
violence and sexual abuse.
Everard, 33, was kidnapped, raped
and murdered by Wayne Couzens, 48,
a serving police officer, who was given a
whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey
this week.
Johnson held talks on Thursday with
Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan
Police commissioner, about how to
boost the prosecutions for rape and
secure more convictions.
Johnson said: “But there’s another
problem, which is partly caused by the
failure of the criminal justice system to
dispose of these [cases]. Are the police
taking this issue seriously enough? It’s
infuriating. I think the public feel that
they aren’t and they’re not wrong.
“Do I fundamentally believe the
police are on our side? Yes, absolutely
they are. Can you trust the police? Yes
you can. But there is an issue about how
we handle sexual violence, domestic
violence, the sensitivity, the diligence,
the time, the delay, the confusion about
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The truth about
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your mobile phone. That’s the thing we
need to fix.”
He said that although there were
hundreds of thousands of “wonderful
police officers in this country”, there
was an issue with the way police treated
women. “What is unquestionably going
up is the number of complaints by
women that are not being taken
Europe’s best
seriously,” he said. “What has been
unquestionably going down has been rail journeys
the number of successful prosecutions
for rape. The public know that. They Book the
can feel it. They know there’s some-
thing going wrong in the system.”
He said that many women gave up
sleeper car
attempts to find justice because of
“victim attrition”, adding: “Far, far too
many women are basically finding their
lives lost to this system, waiting for their
COMMENT
complaint to be taken seriously, waiting
for their case to be heard, and nothing Matthew
is happening. You’re seeing victim
attrition, you’re seeing people giving
up, it’s utterly miserable for them. It’s
Parris
infuriating.
“The police are realising when they
Starmer as PM?
arrest someone they’re not getting
through the system fast enough. Very
It could happen
sadly that may well be one of the reasons
why they’re not doing enough to help
the victims that report and we need to
fix that.”
He stood by Dick, 60, amid calls for
her to resign. “I’ve known her for a long
time and worked with her in a number
of positions,” he said. “I think that she
Continued on page 2, col 3
Open season The fashion designer Isabel Marant used her catwalk show in Paris
to inspire wanderlust for spring next year as international travel returns. Page 16
y(7HB7E2*OTSNQN( |||+@!}
2 2GM K1 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

News

Today’s highlights Heads warn against return of

6.20am Chrissy Grant, Australian Aboriginal elder who negotiated
the return of the Daintree rainforest to
its traditional owners
national tests for 14-year-olds
8.35am Jim McMahon, shadow secretary of aged 14, the newspaper said. Amanda June when the government did not
Nicola Woolcock Education Editor
state for transport Spielman, the head of Ofsted, has previ- adopt his plan in full.
Noon The director Mike Leigh on his book National tests for 14-year-olds could be ously criticised schools for stretching A comprehensive spending review is
Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh reintroduced in England under the GCSE syllabus over three years due later this month but the DfE is not
2.15pm The comedian Shappi Khorsandi, government plans that head teachers rather than two by starting it in year 9, in line for a substantial payout, it is
right, talks about going on tour for the have described as regressive. saying that schools were cutting the understood.
first time since the pandemic began Proposals to bring back Key Stage 3 curriculum to “game” GCSE results. One academy trust leader said the
tests, taken at the end of year 9, are said Since then, more schools have DfE and head teachers should prioritise
to be under consideration at the moved back to two-year GCSE courses, helping pupils catch up on learning lost
Department for Education (DfE). but concerns remain about the focus of during the pandemic, saying: “If the
DAB RADIO l ONLINE l SMART SPEAKER l APP This would allow children who have the first few years of secondary school. 1,265 hours agreement goes, it would al-
missed Sats at the end of primary Sources told The Guardian that low head teachers to determine locally
school for the past two years, because of ministers were worried that Key Stage 3 what the working arrangements in the
the pandemic, to be measured on had “got a bit lost” because there was no school were. It could make longer days
T O D AY ’ S E D I T I O N progress before they take their GCSEs. assessment at the end of it, and children cheaper, because you wouldn’t have to
A white paper being drawn up at the could end up losing focus. pay teachers to do it.
department also suggests handing Literacy surveys have shown that the “There’s quite a lot of misunder-
Students must Bouncer jailed Surrey oil field more powers to Ofsted and scrapping reading levels of many pupils stall in the standing about how fatigued, tired and
limits on teaching hours, The Guardian early years of secondary school. frustrated the profession is. They’ve
‘admit guilt’ for killing Briton hypocrisy claim reported last night. The DfE is also said to be considering really gone the extra mile. Anything
A St Andrews module A Swiss court has jailed Boris Johnson has been Key Stage 3 tests were abolished in removing the cap on the number of that pushed them like this, you could
requiring new students Marc Schätzle, 32, a accused of hypocrisy 2008 by Labour over fears that they hours that teachers must be available to see a backlash.”
to admit “personal German bouncer, for over the government’s fuelled anxiety and distorted children’s work, which would allow local negotia- Paul Whiteman, the general secre-
guilt” is among courses 18 years for strangling plan to defend the education. At present Sats remain at tions rather than a national limit. It tary of the National Association of
used by universities Anna Reed, 22, from drilling of an oil field the ages of 7 and 11, although those for means academy leaders could negoti- Head Teachers, said: “Further unneces-
on topics such as Harrogate, who was in Surrey in the month younger pupils will be replaced by base- ate with staff to extend the school day. sary high-stakes accountability meas-
sustainability, diversity about to end their he hosts the Cop26 line tests for children in reception. Sir Kevan Collins, the former educa- ures will do nothing to help the recov-
and consent. Page 4 relationship. Page 5 climate summit. Page 8 Nadhim Zahawi, the new education tion recovery commissioner, suggested ery mission. What schools are crying
secretary, will consider next year whe- in his £15 billion catch-up plan that the out for is support, not sanction.”
ther to reintroduce externally marked school day should be extended by half A DfE spokeswoman said: “We do
Furlough staff MH370 search US investors in standard assessment tests for pupils an hour on average. He resigned in not comment on speculation.”
‘told to work’ could resume Morrison’s talks
KAU Media Group, The search for the The US investment
which won £40 million
in Covid-19 contracts,
airliner MH370 could
be renewed thanks
firm Fortress was in
talks with pension
No more business as usual, Swallow a
has been accused of
telling furloughed staff
to work and threatening
to a technology that
promises to better
predict its last location
trustees of the
Morrison’s
supermarket chain
Javid tells NHS managers camera for
them with the sack if
they spoke out. Page 20
before it vanished in
2014. Page 44
before a takeover
auction today. Page 51 “Business as usual” must end, NHS would be “the most far reaching review
cancer check
bosses will be told as ministers launch since 1983”, adding: “We are putting in
what they hope will be the biggest re- the money that is needed but with that Tablet-sized miniature cameras are
COMMENT 29 REGISTER 80 TV & RADIO view of health service management for needs to come change, we can’t have being used in a trial of home bowel
LEADING ARTICLES 33 CROSSWORD 87 SATURDAY REVIEW four decades. business as usual. This review will high- cancer checks for 11,000 patients.
All aspects of NHS leadership will be light what is working well, what is Great Western Hospital in Swindon
FOLLOW US scrutinised as ministers seek to ensure working less well and what we can do is one of four NHS trusts in the region
thetimes timesandsundaytimes thetimes that extra cash provided brings results. about that.” using imaging technology known as
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said The 1983 review introduced profes- colon capsule endoscopy, which can
management must “change for the bet- sional managers in place of a consen- provide a diagnosis within hours with
MONEY WEEKEND SPORT ter” in exchange for £16 billion of fund- sus-led system, leading to private sector minimal inconvenience.
ing over the next three years to deal management techniques and cost con- After swallowing the capsule, people
with Covid-19 backlogs. trols. Javid has asked the new review to can continue with normal activities
It will be funded by a 1.25 per cent rise consider how the NHS can learn from while images of their gastrointestinal
in national insurance and amid Tory business, as well as how it can spread tract are sent to a device worn on
backbench concerns about rising taxes, examples of good practice throughout their waist.
Javid is looking to hold the NHS to ac- the service. He said: “We are committed “I think this will be a great step for-
count for change and delivery. The cash to providing the resources health and ward towards improving the experi-
injection comes on top of a £20 billion social care needs but that must come ence for patients needing a colonic in-
budget increase begun under Theresa with change for the better.” vestigation,” Anwar Owais, the consult-
May, which formed a key part of Boris Chris Hopson, head of the hospitals’ ant colorectal surgeon leading the
Johnson’s 2019 election campaign. group NHS Providers, said that “inter- project in Swindon, said.
COPPER-PLATED TIME OUT NO STRIKER . . . General Sir Gordon Messenger, the national evidence shows that the NHS “Importantly, the capsule cameras
How to cash in on Three therapists are but 14 players have former vice-chief of the defence staff is one of the most efficient health ser- will help to speed up the checks and
the international running a retreat for scored this season who oversaw the coronavirus testing vices in the world”. avoid delays in cancer diagnosis.”
supply crisis heartbroken women for Manchester City scheme last year, will lead the review. In 2015 Lord Carter of Coles, the La- The usual method of diagnosing
He is due to report back in about four bour peer, found that NHS hospitals bowel cancer is a traditional colonosco-
MAIN SECTION, PAGE 64 PULLOUT, COVER STORY PULLOUT, COVER STORY
months and ministers are promising an could save £5 billion a year if they all py where a patient undergoes an
action plan shortly afterwards. matched the efficiency and productiv- outpatient procedure involving a tube
A senior government source said it ity of the best performing ones. being inserted into the large intestine.
THE WEATHER © TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 2021.
Published in print and all other derivative
formats by Times Newspapers Ltd, 1 continued from page 1 renewed criticism over the govern- after one of the main messages from
London Bridge St, London, SE1 9GF, Trust the police, says Johnson
telephone 020 7782 5000. Printed by: ment’s lack of action. senior Met officers was to tell women to
9 Newsprinters (Broxbourne) Ltd, Great In an interview with London’s hail a bus or call 999 if they were
Cambridge Rd, Waltham Cross, EN8 8DY; understands what a huge task we all face Evening Standard, Patel refused to concerned about a lone officer. The
Newsprinters (Knowsley) Ltd, Kitling Rd, in making sure women feel more confi- name Couzens, instead describing him chief constable said it would have been
23 Prescot, Merseyside, L34 9HN; dent about the way their complaints are as “a monster that absolutely abused helpful to have a “coherent public
8 33 Newsprinters (Eurocentral) Ltd,
Byramsmuir Road, Holytown, Motherwell, going to be taken by the police.” power and authority”. The home secre- message that puts the emphasis on the
ML1 1NP; Associated Printing (Carn) Ltd, The number of rape cases reported to tary added: “That’s an absolute scandal police service, not on women, to sort
10 Morton 2 Esky Drive, Carn Industial Estate, the police that led to a suspect being and that’s where the police will have to this out”.
12
11 Portadown, BT63 5YY; News Press Ireland charged fell to a record low of 1,490 last make some changes through the re- The Times reported yesterday that five
Limited, Kells Industrial Estate, Virginia year, a rate of 3 per cent. This year the forms, through being held to account serving police officers, including three
14
Rd, Kells, County Meath, Ireland; KP government promised to reverse the and through difficult conversations.” from the Met, were under investigation
15 Services, La Rue Martel, La Rue des Pres
Trading Estate, St Saviour, Jersey, JE2 fall and set a target of 13 per cent. She insisted that she would “not shy for allegedly exchanging misogynistic
19
7QR. For permission to copy articles or Priti Patel, the home secretary, de- away from difficult conversations with and racist material with Couzens in 2019.
headlines for internal information scribed Everard’s murder as an “abso- all levels of policing, believe you me”. The Met officers, two of whom are under
purposes contact Newspaper Licensing lute scandal” for the Met and demanded One chief constable said that the criminal investigation, have been placed
Breezy, with rain spreading Agency at PO Box 101, Tunbridge Wells, that the force make immediate changes Couzens case was the “Dr Shipman for on restricted duties but not suspended.
TN1 1WX, tel 01892 525274, e-mail
northeastwards over Britain, often copy@nla.co.uk. For all other reproduction to the way it handled violence against policing” and needed to result in mean- Boris Johnson interview, pages 6-7
heavy and persistent. Forecast, page 79 and licensing inquiries contact Licensing women. ingful change. The comment was a Sarah Everard reports, pages 10-11
Department, 1 London Bridge St, London, She led calls for a wider societal reference to Harold Shipman, a GP We see police now as just men with
If a section of your Times is missing, please call 020-7711 1525 or e-mail SE1 9GF, telephone 020 7711 7888, change to end violence against women, who murdered 250 people. There was handcuffs, Janice Turner, page 31
help@timesplus.co.uk and we will send it to you, subject to availability. e-mail enquiries@newslicensing.co.uk declaring “enough is enough” but faced an immediate public backlash, however, Met’s need to repair trust, letters, page 32
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 3

News

Python’s family enter legal snakepit ALAN DAVIDSON; PHIL LEWIS/WENN

Ben Ellery
It is an age-old tale — a bereft family
contesting the will of their late father,
who left them for a younger woman.
Now the saga is about to play out at
the High Court and Terry Jones, the
late Monty Python star, is taking centre
stage.
Jones’s adult children have launched
the legal battle, claiming he did not
have mental capacity when he made a
will leaving his estate to his second wife.
Sally, 47, and Bill, 45, the children
from his first marriage, claim the 2016
will entitling Anna Söderström, 38, to
his estate should not stand as he was
suffering from a rare form of dementia.
Söderström sold the home she
owned with Jones, in Highgate, north
London, for £2.8 million in March.
Sources close to her say that the money Anna Söderström inherited challenged by the Python’s
has gone on legal fees dealing with Terry Jones’s estate, which son Bill — far left with his
inquiries from the family and looking included the home they father and mother, Alison
after her 12-year-old daughter, Siri, shared in north London. Telfer, in 1981 — and his
who is vulnerable and has special The move is being daughter Sally, below left
needs.
Jones’s estate includes Fegg Fea-
tures, a company that handles royalties
for his work. Accounts show that it held
more than £400,000 in shareholder
funds last year.
It is understood that Söderström’s de-
fence will argue that at the time the will
was drawn up Jones did have mental
capacity and will call upon his working
life as evidence. At the time he was ap-
pearing on stage and directing a play.
The Welsh-born comedian died aged
77 last year after suffering from a rare
form of dementia that robbed him of
his speech. He had two children with
his first wife, Alison Telfer, whom he
divorced after 42 years of marriage in
2012 after falling in love with Söder-
ström, a Swedish Oxford University
graduate 41 years his junior. The couple
had Siri when Jones was 67.
A source close to Söderström said:
“Ultimately this is just very sad and the
last thing that Terry would’ve wanted.
“Anna has been left baffled by it.
She has no plans to disinherit his
children. They are directors of the
company that receives his
royalties and she’s happy for that to
continue — that is where the real
value is. v
very accomplished woman and they who ever lived, who tried to keep every- Python’s Flying Circus and directed
“When he died there was very w
were together in a relationship for body happy but he left things in a bit of their films The Meaning of Life and Life
little money. Most of his pension a
around 17 years. She gave up her a muddle. I think that the family are just of Brian. In the latter film he played
was spent on providing care for him c
career to look after Terry. Now she angry about Terry leaving them for Brian’s mother and delivered the line:
— it didn’t even cover the mortgage h been left as a single mother with
has Anna.” “He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very
that was left on the house — there a traumatised child who has special Jones’s daughter Sally is a furniture naughty boy.”
was still around £350,000 left to n
needs. Effectively, his older child- designer and Bill, his son, is a producer. Jones took part in a reunion of
pay. Plus the closing of his estate rren are suing their sister. He met Söderström at a book signing remaining Monty Python members in
and legal costs have gone over six “Even if the will was successfully in Oxford when she was 23 and 2014. Terry Gilliam later recalled that
figures. What was left from the sale ccontested it would make no studying modern languages. They had his fellow Pythons realised Jones was
of the house is now being swallowed d
difference to the share out as Anna a “very small wedding” in a London having difficulty remembering his lines
up by legal fees caused by this court w
was his wife and would be entitled register office in 2012. as a result of the frontotemporal de-
action. tto the estate. The comedian, actor and director mentia, which was diagnosed in 2015.
“Anna is not a gold-digger, she is a “Terry was one of the nicest men was best known as a member of Monty He died at home in January last year.

Old-school, gay, a woman . . . it’s time to decide Bond’s future

David Sanderson Arts Correspondent
Take James Bond back to Ian Fleming’s
1950s, says one. Make him a her, says Sir
Keir Starmer. Keep him a he, says Boris
Johnson. Why not a gay actor, says Q.
Just give me a rest, says Barbara
Broccoli.
This week’s release of the biggest film
in two years has unleashed a flood of
commercial activity and speculation
about the future of the franchise.
Daniel Craig’s retirement as Bond
after a five-film run has left the fran-
chise, run by Broccoli and Michael G
Wilson, at what experts say is a critical
juncture. Ben Whishaw, the actor who
plays Q in No Time To Die, which has
managed to set one cinema record upon
its release this week, said that some-
thing “quite radical, really different”
was required if the series was to avoid
becoming a “museum piece”.
He called for a gay actor to be chosen
to follow Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Timo-
thy Dalton, Sir Roger Moore, George
Lazenby and Sir Sean Connery as the
British agent with the licence to kill,
who first appeared in Fleming’s novel
Casino Royale in 1953. Whishaw sug-
gested two British actors, Luke Evans
and Jonathan Bailey, as possible re-
placements. They join a lengthy list of
“potentials” including Regé-Jean Page,
the bookmakers’ favourite, Tom Hardy,
Idris Elba and James Norton.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader,
said this week that he thought it time for
a female Bond; a suggestion that has
been continually dismissed by Broccoli
and Craig. However, Boris Johnson said
that the next Bond “should be a man”.
He added: “I think it will be up to who-
ever the next James Bond is to identify
his or herself. I think it’s gotta be a man,
frankly. That’s my view.”
Broccoli, who with Wilson makes the
big Bond decisions, has said that she is
not going to even think about Craig’s
replacement until next year.
The film, which opened on Thursday
in Britain with high hopes that it would
help restore some of the cinema indus-
try’s fortunes, has performed well in a
market still affected by the pandemic,
according to analysts.
It is Britain’s widest ever theatrical
release having opened in 772 cinemas
on Thursday, 25 more than the previous
record-holder, 2019’s Star Wars: Rise of
Skywalker.
Universal Pictures estimated it had
taken between £4.5 and £5 million on
its opening day, which the studio
said was 13 per cent higher than
its predecessor, Spectre, in
2015 but below 2012’s Skyfall.
It opens in the United States
next week.
Ian Kinane, editor of the
International Journal of James
Bond Studies and a professor
at the University of
It is time for Daniel Craig to
be replaced as James Bond
Roehampton, speaking before he had
seen the ending of No Time To Die, said
he thought there were two routes the
franchise could take in its post-
Craig period.
“It could go full retrograde and
set Bond as a period piece back in
the 1950s in the era when Flem-
ing was writing,” he said. This
could “give licence for the unbri-
dled, unapologetic bigotry, homo-
phobia and sexism of the era”, but
he added that a return to the origins
worked for 2006’s Casino Royale.
The other route would, he said,
be a slotting in a new male
actor along the by-now reg-
ular cast of Ralph Fiennes,
Naomie Harris and Whishaw.
4 2GM
News
Professor who called for ‘end of Zionism’ is fired
Will Humphries
Southwest Correspondent
A university professor accused of anti-
semitism has been fired after claiming
that Jewish students and societies who
had complained about him were part of
a campaign of censorship “directed by
the state of Israel”.
David Miller, a professor of political
sociology at the University of Bristol,
was accused of bigotry after video
Weaving a tale Lubaina Himid’s Lost Threads at the BritishTextile Biennial 2021 at Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley, uses 1,300ft of fabric to reflect on the history of cotton
Universities accused of abusing
power with bias and guilt courses
Nicola Woolcock Education Editor
A St Andrews module suggesting that
new students should acknowledge
“personal guilt” to overcome uncon-
scious bias is one of many courses used
by universities to train freshers in
subjects such as “carbon literacy” and
“how to be an active bystander”.
A former universities minister
warned last night that some of the
courses were “an abuse of authority” as
the scale of the trend was revealed.
St Andrews University has mandato-
ry training for freshers in sustainability,
diversity, good academic practice and
consent. It will not allow students to
matriculate if they do not “pass” by
agreeing with certain statements relat-
ing to equality and unconscious bias
within the sustainability module. The
university said the inductions were set
up at the request of students.
Southampton University is introduc-
ing anti-racist and “active bystander”
training, which teaches skills to chal-
lenge unacceptable behaviour, and
University College London runs an in-
duction course on what sustainability
emerged of him calling for “the end of
Zionism” and saying that Israel “is try-
ing to exert its will all over the world”.
The university had been under
pressure for months from students,
academics, Jewish leaders, MPs and
government ministers.
Miller, who quit the Labour Party last
year after claiming that Sir Keir
Starmer took “Zionist” money, is a
member of the self-styled Working
Group on Syria, Propaganda and
and climate action mean for students.
Bath University has “carbon literacy”
training for first-year undergraduates.
It teaches the science behind climate
action and the concept of climate jus-
tice, including what can be done
through individual and social action
and how to talk to others about it.
Chris Skidmore, the former universi-
ties minister, said some of the induction
sessions were inappropriate and an
“abuse of authority when students
should be receiving support for their
transition from school, not moralising”.
Universities have also introduced
modules on sexual consent after criti-
cism that some had not tackled harass-
ment by other students or academics.
A company that creates the training
courses said it was responding to great-
er pressure on universities to address
students’ physical and emotional safety.
Marshall E-Learning says on its web-
site: “Freshers’ week activities and gen-
erally bringing people together in new
environments can result in safety con-
cerns around areas like alcohol and
drug misuse, sexual harassment, racial
prejudice and mental health. A lot more
Media, which a Times investigation
found was spreading misinformation
promoting President Assad of Syria
and conspiracies pushed by Russia.
The university said that Miller’s
employment had been “terminated
with immediate effect” after a disciplin-
ary hearing found he “did not meet the
standards of behaviour we expect from
our staff”. It said that academic freedom
was “fundamental” and that it took any
threat to that freedom seriously.
universities and colleges are looking to
pre-empt student welfare issues by run-
ning student induction training.”
Bristol University runs an online
welcome module covering values,
expected behaviours and consent. It is
not assessed or compulsory.
York University has an online con-
sent module, which students must com-
plete before they arrive. Colleges also
run sessions on wellbeing, consent,
sexual violence, respect and how to in-
tervene safely in “difficult situations”.
Southampton University requires
students to take an online course about
sexual consent in their first month and
Warwick has mandatory training
called “Warwick Values”, which stu-
dents must complete at the start of each
academic year. This came after a Face-
book group chat was uncovered in 2019
in which male students had joked about
raping their peers.
A spokeswoman for Universities UK,
which represents vice-chancellors,
said: “Mechanisms to ensure students
are aware of appropriate behaviours
can be through codes of conduct or
charters, campaigns or modules. These
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Miller said he would appeal the deci-
sion and take the university to an em-
ployment tribunal if necessary. The
Support David Miller campaign said
that the university had been “bludg-
eoned into sacking Professor Miller by
a barrage of pro-Israel actors”.
Miller was supported by hundreds of
academics who said he had “responded
honestly” when asked about Israel-
Palestine, but others said his state-
ments were “morally reprehensible”.
JAMES SPEAKMAN/MERCURY PRESS
are often led by students’ unions, and
student-led initiatives such as training
can be popular.”
A spokesman for St Andrews said
that it had been running the induction
courses for five years and that they had
been taken by thousands of students.
He said: “With the exception of the
good academic practice training, all of
these modules were introduced in re-
sponse to clearly expressed student de-
mand. Our students pushed for the
mandatory consent module, wrote the
sustainability module, and were central
members of the equality, diversity and
inclusion group which brought in the
mandatory diversity module.
“The modules were developed to
align with St Andrews’ strategic
priorities — diversity, inclusion, social
responsibility, good academic practice,
and zero tolerance for gender-based
violence — and help develop skills and
awareness valuable to life at university.”
He said that students had to com-
plete them or show a reason for exemp-
tion and that very few had complained.
University free speech restrictions are
outrageous, leading article, page 33
Quintagram® No 1123
Solve all five clues using each
letter underneath once only
1 English county (5)
-----
2 Parent of one’s spouse (2-3)
-----
3 Artist’s workshop (6)
------
4 Handheld sign (7)
-------
5 Act of speech (9)
---------
A A A A C C D D
D E E E I I L L
N N N O O P R R
S T T T U U V W
Solutions see page 87
Cryptic clues every day online
Death nursery shut
The death of a child in a “medical
emergency” has led to the closure
of Jelly Beans nursery in Ashford,
Kent, for six weeks. Ofsted acted
because of “serious safeguarding
concerns”. Further details about
the death on September 23 have
not been revealed. The nursery
said that it was “co-operating
fully with all relevant authorities”.
In 2016 a toddler there was given
an overdose of prescription
medication. Ofsted downgraded it
from “good” to “inadequate” but
restored its “good” rating in 2018.
Garage feud killing
A woman who ferried a hitman to
and from the car he used to carry
out a drive-by shooting has been
jailed for 15 years. Judy Chapman,
27, of Great Harwood, Lancashire,
was found guilty at Preston
crown court of the manslaughter
of Aya Hachem, 19, a passer-by,
but cleared of trying to murder
Pachah Khan, in a feud between
garage owners in Blackburn.
Lorry driver jailed
A lorry driver continued a phone
call and drove on after a crash
that killed a motorcyclist. Lucian-
Sorin Todor, 52, of Waterlooville,
Hampshire, was found guilty at
Winchester crown court of
causing the death by dangerous
driving of Jack Burgess, 22, also of
Waterlooville, in 2019. His lorry
veered on the A32 at Petersfield.
He was jailed for eight years.
Covid boosters launch
More than 860,000 people have
had their “top-up” coronavirus
shots after the launch of the
booster campaign, NHS England
has said. More than a million
people have booked a booster jab
since the NHS’s online portal
opened on September 21. The
NHS sent another one million
invitations to people this week.
Coronavirus reports, pages 20-21
Hurt host gets £1.6m
A TV presenter hurt while playing
the role of a “crash test dummy”
has been awarded £1.6 million in
damages after a High Court fight
with the BBC. Jeremy Stansfield
was injured while carrying out
“crash tests” for the BBC’s Bang
Goes the Theory in February 2013.
He claimed that he suffered spine
and brain injuries and lost
£3 million in future earnings.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Briton killed by
the bouncer she
was bankrolling
Davide Martinoni Locarno
Tom Kington Rome
A wealthy Briton was strangled in a
hotel room in Switzerland by her
“narcissistic” boyfriend when she
threatened to leave him, a court has
ruled as it jailed him for 18 years.
Anna Reed, 22, from Harrogate, was
killed in a rage by Marc Schätzle, 32, a
German bouncer, because she was
about to end the free-spending rela-
tionship that she funded.
Delivering the verdict in Locarno,
Judge Mauro Ermani rejected Schätz-
le’s claim that Reed died during a sex
game that went wrong. “This was no
erotic game that ended in the girl’s as-
phyxia, as he has always claimed, but a
violent argument which ended in
Anna Reed had been funding the
relationship with her boyfriend
Schätzle grabbing Anna’s neck and
strangling her until she stopped breath-
ing. The motive was financial,” he said.
Reed was found dead in bed at the
Hotel la Palma au Lac in Locarno in
April 2019, several months after start-
ing a relationship with Schätzle.
Privately educated at Ashville Col-
lege, Harrogate, Reed moved to Berlin
after completing her A-levels, then met
Schätzle in Thailand as she travelled
the world thanks to a 21st birthday gift
from her father Clive, the owner of a
stud farm.
The court heard that during their
Daley rushed to hospital
with fever before Olympics
Cameron Charters
Tom Daley was taken to hospital
with coronavirus before the Olympics
but hid it from his rivals because
he didn’t want them to have an edge
over him.
The diver has revealed that his
preparations for the Olympic Games
were thrown into disarray in January
when a series of headaches and cold
symptoms turned out to be the virus.
Describing the sensation as being
like “razor blades” at the back of his
throat, Daley tried to battle on.
As he was putting his son to bed his
body was overtaken by a fever and he
resolved to phone a doctor the
following morning.
A paramedic was sent round to his
house and Daley was taken to hospital
in the back of an ambulance fearing for
his life.
In his upcoming book, Coming
Up for Air, being serialised in The Times
and The Sunday Times, Daley says: “I
had flashes of fear about whether
I would be put on a ventilator, and my
5
News
PAUL SCOTT/TRIANGLE NEWS
travels together Reed paid for Schätzle,
a father of two with the word “warrior”
tattooed on his forehead.
The night she died the pair ordered a
£100 bottle of champagne with dinner
before returning to their room. Guests
later complained of the sound of loud Basking in the glow The northern lights lit up Findhorn Beach in Moray, Scotland, on Thursday evening. Forecast, page 79
arguing before Schätzle appeared at re-
ception to say Reed was unwell.
A post mortem examination found
that she had been strangled and had
suffered small cuts and fractures.
Schätzle alleged Reed had agreed to
participate in a sex game involving par-
tial asphyxiation.
Before the trial his lawyer, Yasar Ravi,
said: “He has said he didn’t want to kill
her, it was an accident. He is sorry for
what happened and has suffered being
in custody since his arrest.”
The judge dismissed the German’s
claims. “Schätzle wanted to end the life
of a young woman who had given him
love, money and wellbeing,” he said.
Accidental strangulation was un-
likely, he added. “Death by strangula-
tion is not instantaneous — whoever
inflicts it has all the time they need to
see what is happening, to see the victim
suffocating without stopping,” he said.
Ermani added that Schätzle’s finan-
cial motive was proven when, five
months after Reed’s death, investiga-
tors discovered a credit card belonging
to her hidden in a panel of the lift at the
hotel. Prosecutors believe he stole it
from her, hoping to return to retrieve it.
When challenged, Schätzle said he had
hid it as a joke on the night of her death.
“He wanted to use the card to pay for
the room and return to Zurich where he
was living. That is why he hid it,” said
Ermani.
The judge described Schätzle as “a
disturbed personality; he is a narcissist”.
He added: “He has never obeyed the
rules, he is just an opportunist, ready to
do anything to satisfy his needs. He be-
lieves he owes nothing but is entitled to
everything.” Schätzle’s lawyer said he
would appeal.
time being up. I was really terrified.”
Daley was in hospital for ten hours so
that his condition could be stabilised
before being sent home, where it took
him three days to begin to recover. He
then faced the pressure of deciding
what to do about the Tokyo Olympics.
“You can’t let your competitors think
that they’ve got one up on you,” he said.
“I wanted them to think that I was
training as hard as them. I spent the first
three months of this year not diving,
only using the power of visualisation –
just imagining myself doing the dives
day in, day out.”
Although he was stricken by the
disease and a knee injury, Daley went
on to perform at the Tokyo Olympics
this year, winning a gold medal in the
synchronised 10m (32ft) platform and a
bronze in the men’s 10m platform.
Despite his success and even though
he is a top athlete in his prime, Daley
suspects that his cardiovascular fitness
may have fallen by 5 per cent. “I would
consider myself to be quite a healthy
person, but Covid doesn’t discriminate
at all,” he said.
6 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
News
News Politics
‘You can’t just reach for the lever
On the eve of the Conservative Party conference,
Boris Johnson brushes aside the rising threat of
economic turmoil and tells Steven Swinford that
companies must increase salaries and investment
B
oris Johnson is looking
forward to the Conservative
Party conference, the first
in-person version for two
years. “It’s very, very
exciting, we will be back together in
the traditional Tory cheek-by-jowl
way,” he told The Times from
Downing Street yesterday. “That’s
because we’ve had the fastest vaccine
rollout in Europe. The result is the
fastest-growing economy in the G7.
There is a lot to be very confident
about. There’s a massive agenda and I
think people will be looking forward
to it. They will be in high spirits.”
While Johnson is enthused by the
prospect of the Conservatives’
gathering in Manchester this
weekend, some of his ministers are
increasingly nervous. On Thursday
the government formally ended the
furlough scheme; yesterday the
energy price cap rose by £139 for
millions of people. On Wednesday —
the day of Johnson’s conference
speech — the £20-a-week universal
credit uplift formally comes to an end.
Added to that is looming inflation,
the petrol crisis and mounting
pre-Christmas supply chain issues. A
conference that has been positioned
by the Tories as a post-pandemic
launchpad is at risk of being
overshadowed by economic turmoil.
Johnson, however, says people
should be “very confident” about the
economy. “Yes, we are seeing some
post-Covid stresses,” he says. “There’s
a shortage of lorry drivers which has
been around for a very long time,
that’s one of the things we need to fix.
If you look at the road-haulage
industry in this country there are
issues about pay and conditions that I
think you’re going to change. You’re
going to move to a higher investment,
higher-productivity economy.”
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has
said that the prospect of higher
inflation keeps him up at night.
Johnson, however, is more relaxed.
“We’re seeing wages rise, which is
very good,” he says. “Once the global
economy gets moving and opens up
again, things will be fine.”
Britain is facing a shortage of about
100,000 hauliers, with its impact
being felt across the economy. When
it emerged that BP had begun
rationing fuel to forecourts because it
did not have enough drivers, panic
buying ensued. Retailers and suppliers
are now warning of shortages of
turkey and party food this Christmas.
The prime minister views the driver
shortage through the prism of the EU
referendum and his vision of post-
Brexit Britain, one that is predicated
on controlling immigration and
paying people more. The government
has offered 5,000 visas to foreign
lorry drivers but Johnson is clear
there will not be any more.
“It’s a matter for the market,” he
says. “We’re not going to intervene
and set pay and conditions but the
facts speak for themselves. What
we’re saying is that you can’t simply The prime minister said that the public
reach for the lever marked
‘uncontrolled immigration’ in order to universal credit uplift. “We’ve always
avoid making crucial investments in been clear that there’s a particular
your company. bunch of things we did to help people
“The choice is very clear for the through Covid,” he says. “We’re now
country. Do we go forward with moving into a period where we’re
steady improvements in productivity seeing a very strong, jobs-led
or back to a policy of low-wage, low- recovery. That’s what I think is the
skilled, uncontrolled immigration? I right way forward. I don’t want to see
don’t think that’s the way forward. We more money going in taxes to
need an approach that makes sure we subsidise low pay. I want to see people
invest in people, invest in skills, invest paid more.”
in capital technology in this country.” Johnson, who views himself as a
Can he guarantee that there won’t low-tax conservative, has overseen
be empty shelves this Christmas? two of the biggest tax rises in a
Johnson dodges the question but says generation — first to corporation tax
it will be significantly better than the and then national insurance. Johnson
last one, which he effectively justifies it by comparing it to the
cancelled after a surge in Covid-19. Conservatives’ 1981 budget, when
“People are going to have a great Margaret Thatcher raised taxes in an
Christmas,” he says. “What I effort to repair the public finances.
confidently predict is that this “We’ve been through a once-in-a-
Christmas will be considerably better century event. We had to look after
than last Christmas. It will be everyone in this country and furlough
considerably jollier and more festive. huge numbers of people in this
The yuletide spirit will flow in much country to protect businesses, to
greater abundance.” protect jobs. In the end it was far, far
Johnson is more reticent about the better to do that than let businesses
petrol crisis. Industry sources have go to the wall. It was very expensive.
said that disruption at the pumps It has left a big fiscal hole.
could last for a month, although there “If you have an issue like that, a big
is evidence that panic buying is crater in the public finances caused by
slowing in some areas. From Monday something like Covid, then you have
soldiers will be deployed to drive to act. If you think back to Margaret
petrol tankers to ensure deliveries. Thatcher and the 1981 budget, when
Could it last for a month? “This is a you have a fiscal problem you have to
problem that is being driven by address it. You don’t leave it to future
demand, not supply,” he says. Does he generations to pay off.”
have any advice for motorists? “I Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the
appreciate people’s frustration and Commons, has warned against any
you know I sympathise very much further tax rises. While Johnson says
but this is a problem being driven by he does not want further tax rises, he
demand, not supply.” does not explicitly rule them out.
Johnson is adamant that the “It’s going to be a matter for the
government will not reverse the chancellor of the exchequer, you can
decision to cut the £20-a-week take it from me that I’m not keen on
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
to get uncontrolled immigration’
did not want a return to “the status quo ante-Covid”, and promised longer-term reforms to drive up productivity and pay
Quickfire
Should the next Chevening — Dom Joe Biden or
James Bond be a man Raab or Liz Truss? The Emmanuel Macron? We
or a woman? I think it people’s government have great relations
will be up to whoever does not deal with with the US and France.
the next James Bond is fripperies, not even in
to identify him or quickfire rounds. John Lewis or Lulu
herself. I think it’s gotta Lytle? I am a devotee
be a man frankly. That’s Keir Starmer or Nicola at the shrine of John
my view. Sturgeon? Both. Lewis.
tax rises,” he says. “The last thing any can make all the difference to the job
Conservative wants to do is put in tax you have.”
rises on working people. We’re not He hints that there will be more of
keen on it. You’ll have to wait for the a role for mayors in the forthcoming
budget.” levelling-up white paper. “It’s not
His government will deliver on the going to be one size fits all. A lot of it
“big issues” that his predecessors will be about local leadership and
“shirked”, he says. “They [the public] finding people who can make the
didn’t go through Covid to go back to change in their area that people
the status quo ante-Covid, they want want.”
to build back better, they want to see The turning point of the EU
things change and improve. We’ve referendum, he says, was the disparity
resolved our relationship with the in wages. “We want to make sure that
EU. We’ve got Brexit done. We’re they see changes in their wages,” he
fixing the problems in social care. And says. “That is the first and most
we’re also going to make the long- important thing people voted for.
term reforms to tackle productivity . . . They voted for change in 2016. They
[and] ensure we have higher wages.” voted for us again in 2019. I’m proud
Johnson’s plans for a high-wage to say you are starting to see that
economy lie at the crux of his vision position changing, people are getting
for levelling up the country. He says better paid across the country. That is
that it is a “disgrace” that in the past, what I mean by levelling up.”
investment has focused on London Amid concerns about rising energy
and the southeast. “It’s madness so bills, the prime minister says that
many parts of this country don’t have “we’ve got to get back into nuclear”
the basic transport infrastructure that — a reference to the government’s
they need,” he says. “We can fix that. plans to support the construction of a
That will make a huge difference to new generation of nuclear power
people’s prospects. Very often the stations. He also wants more offshore
ability to get the right bus connection wind power. The government has
from your home to your place of work already committed to supplying 40
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL
gigawatts of energy by 2030, up from
present levels of about ten gigawatts.
Johnson says there is “no reason why
we shouldn’t do 60 gigawatts in the
long term”. “That will bring down the
cost of energy, the cost of transport,
the cost of housing,” he says.
Johnson reserves his strongest
intervention for the police after
murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne
Couzens, who was a serving officer.
The police, he says, are failing to take
violence against women and girls
seriously enough. “It’s infuriating. The
public feel that they aren’t, and
they’re not wrong,” he says.
He says that while he believes that
the police are “fundamentally on our
side”, there are issues with the
number of successful prosecutions for
rape. “What is unquestionably going
up is the number of complaints by
women that are not being taken
seriously. What has been
unquestionably going down has been
the number of successful prosecutions
for rape,” he says. “The public know
that. They can feel it. They know
there’s something going wrong in the
system.”
Are women who say they can no
longer trust the police right? “I think
that everybody should be able to trust
the police,” he says. “It’s vital that we
do trust the police. That’s why the
murder of Sarah Everard by a police
officer is so utterly horrific. When you
talk to the police you can see how
inwardly sickened they are
themselves by this.”
Starmer as PM can happen,
Matthew Parris, page 29
Tories must beware deepening cost-of-
living crisis, leading article, page 33
Guide to the government, pages 84-85
Despite the woes,
Tory faith in PM
stronger than ever
Oliver Wright Policy Editor
Conventional political wisdom would
have it that there is nothing like a petrol
crisis to undermine the public’s faith in
their elected leaders.
When the pumps last ran dry in 2000
it was the only point during Blair’s first
term that William Hague took a lead in
the opinion polls.
Yet on the eve of the Conservative
conference focus groups and polling
conducted for The Times suggest that
the wisdom needs to be rethought.
Despite the petrol crisis, a manifesto-
breaking tax rise rising energy costs,
Covid-19 and Brexit, voters seem more
enamoured of Boris Johnson than ever.
Not only do they not blame him for
the current economic uncertainty —
and the real risk of shortages in the run
up to Christmas but, after Covid-19,
they are more convinced than ever that
he is the right man to lead the country.
“I mean, when you think back, the
last government that had to deal with
something like Boris is having to deal
with is the days of Margaret Thatcher
where she had massive things like the
Falklands, and the coal strike,” Carole, a
mother of two from Derby, said.
“Brexit and Covid — they’re just as
massive. And they’ve handled it really
well on the whole. Yeah, they’ve made
hiccups. But who wouldn’t?”
Margarite from London, said: “I
would have said before Covid I was
worried about Boris. However, I’m
quite glad we have him now because I
think he’s done a fantastic job, actually.
A lot better than I expected.”
The Times held two focus groups con-
ducted by Public First. One in Derby
North, a bellwether seat on the edge of
the red wall that has switched between
Labour and the Tories for 30 years.
The other in Finchley & Golders
Green, a metropolitan seat Sir Keir
Starmer must win back from the Con-
servatives if he has any chance of enter-
ing No 10 at the next election.
Some of those we spoke to said they
voted Tory in 2019 — though none
were dyed-in-the-wool Conservatives
— but thought that Johnson was large-
ly not to blame for events which they
see as largely outside the government’s
control.
Jeremy, who worked for 30 years as a
royal protection officer and lives in
north London, was not a fan of the gov-
ernment’s decision to raise taxes to pay
for the NHS and social care arguing
that people are not ready to shoulder
additional costs just yet.
He was worried about the cost of
living and the wider supply crisis in the
supermarkets, saying that at his local
Tesco many shelves are “bare”.
Despite this he said Johnson could
not be held responsible because he is
dealing with the aftermath of an un-
precedented crisis.
“When he came in as prime minister
he never knew what this was going to be
like. Not at all. You can’t blame one per-
son and say it’s Boris’s fault.”
Jeremy’s comments are broadly sup-
ported by YouGov polling for The Times
that shows the cost of living is climbing
the agenda, but so far that is not trans-
lating into blame on the government.
7
News
News
Asked about the most important
issues facing the country, the cost of liv-
ing ranked third behind health and the
wider economy at 34 per cent. Only
20 per cent of voters think Brexit is a
priority and only 13 per cent cite crime.
Just one in five Tory voters believe
the government shares any blame for
rising energy prices, with most blaming
gas firms and Covid-19 for price rises.
When it comes to the fuel crisis the
results are even starker. Despite confu-
sion in No 10 with how to deal with the
problem including the U-turn over
granting visas to foreign hauliers —
most of the public blame themselves
rather than Johnson for the mess.
Nearly three quarters of voters say
panic buying is responsible for the
shortages while half blame a shortage
of hauliers. In contrast just 25 per cent
How has Boris Johnson been as
prime minister?
Responses from Conservative voters at
the 2019 election
Better than expected 29%
As good as expected 34%
Don’t know 5%
As bad as expected 7%
Worse than expected 26%
Source: YouGov
of voters blame the government. Kevin
said: “I’ve been out and about in Derby
over the past few days and it’s chaos. So
Boris has a lot to deal with. And the me-
dia doesn’t help, because the media has
an agenda to keep this going. A lot of it
is scaremongering.”
Paul added: “The government can
only do so much. People get worried
and want to make sure they’re okay,
which I understand. It’s very difficult
for a government to run a country
under the circumstances.”
Overall what is remarkable is that de-
spite the multiple challenges facing
Johnson his support among the broad
coalition who voted for him in 2019 ap-
pears remarkably resilient.
Nearly a third of that group think he
has been a better prime minister than
they expected and another third think
he has lived up to expectations. Over 40
per cent think he has been either a great
or a good prime minister and a further
36 per cent think he is at least average.
Cara, who works in education, said
that she finds Johnson “a little bit con-
fusing at times” and “quite chaotic” but
thinks “his heart is in the right place”.
In both our focus groups most people
had yet to make up their minds about
Starmer but were largely sceptical. “I
don’t think Labour is strong enough to
deal with what we’re having to deal
with at the moment,” Carole said.
Andy, who works for the NHS said: “I
wouldn’t put my faith in Labour in this
current crisis. I don’t think they under-
stand the people of this country. When
Keir came along, I thought he would be
a good opposition to Boris. But so far we
haven’t really seen him act as that.”
At the Tory conference the c-word will
mean Chevening, Matt Chorley, page 35
My week: Sir Keir Starmer, page 42
8 2GM
News
Five energy
firms owe
Ofgem £7m
Five small energy suppliers face having
their licences revoked if they fail to pay
£7 million towards Ofgem’s renewables
scheme.
The regulator said yesterday that it
was consulting on final orders for Am-
powerUK, Whoop Energy, Goto
Energy, Home Energy Trading and Col-
orado Energy. It said the suppliers had
missed an initial deadline of August 31
or September 1 and a final order to pay
could be sent by the end of the month.
Ofgem said AmpowerUK was re-
quired to make £3.59 million in obliga-
tion payments, Goto Energy £2.47 mil-
lion, Colorado Energy £883,182, Whoop
Energy £56,306 and Home Energy
Trading £2,252. The regulator said: “If
they do not pay [we] could start the pro-
cess of revoking their licences to supply
energy.”
Firms must either supply a portion of
their electric from green sources or pay
a levy. Failure to pay renewables obliga-
tions is sometimes viewed as a sign that
companies are under financial distress.
Igloo, Symbio and Enstroga ceased
trading on Wednesday, taking the total
of energy-company failures in Septem-
ber to nine after gas prices soared.
No point getting a new deal, page 63
Anger at Surrey oil drilling ‘hypocrisy’
George Grylls Political Reporter
Boris Johnson has been accused of the
“height of hypocrisy” over the
government’s plan to defend drilling for
oil in Surrey in the month he will be
hosting the Cop26 climate conference.
A case in the Court of Appeal is
threatening to overshadow the prime
minister’s attempts in Glasgow next
month to convince world leaders to
sign up to more ambitious targets to
reduce their fossil fuel emissions.
Days after the conference concludes,
the government will defend a decision
by Surrey council to grant planning
permission for six oil wells in the green
belt.
In 2019 the council approved a pro-
posal from Horse Hill Developments, a
Big wigs Judges and lawyers gathered at Westminster Abbey to mark the new legal year. The annual service dates to 1897
subsidiary of UK Oil and Gas, to extract
three million tonnes of oil over 20 years
from farmland two miles outside the
town of Horley, near Gatwick airport.
Sarah Finch, who lives there, chal-
lenged the decision, saying that the
council had not taken into account the
environmental impact of ten million
tonnes of carbon dioxide being pumped
into the atmosphere from the oil.
Last year the High Court upheld the
council’s original decision, leading to a
further case that will now be heard at
the Court of Appeal.
Michael Gove, the communities
secretary, has recused himself from in-
volvement in the case because his con-
stituency is close to the site of the pro-
posed oil field. However, his depart-
ment is an interested party since the
application relates to national planning
policy. Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the
Liberal Democrats, has written to Gove
demanding that the government step
back from the case.
He said: “Under these proposals,
which the Conservative government
supports, Surrey will soon become the
UK’s oil drilling hotspot. From Albury
to Surrey Heath, Horse Hill to the
Surrey Hills, I fear we may lose
treasured parts of the region for ever to
a Conservative government and
council hellbent on ripping up green
land for oil.”
Finch said that the exploratory work
for the oil wells was already damaging
the countryside around her home. “The
work so far has meant noise, light pollu-
tion and smells in this quiet area — and
FRANK AUGSTEIN/AP
heavy lorries on a leafy undulating lane
much used by cyclists and horse riders,”
she said.
Dave Timms, head of political affairs
at Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s the
height of hypocrisy for the government
to claim to be a climate leader on the
global stage while piling into court to
defend a decision to allow millions of
barrels of oil to be drilled out of the
Surrey countryside. They need to with-
draw from this case now.”
Under pressure from environmental
campaigners, in March the govern-
ment blocked a controversial scheme
for a new coal mine in Cumbria, calling
in the decision for a public inquiry.
The Climate Change Commission,
the environmental watchdog, has
warned the government that the devel-
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
I hated row
over PM’s flat,
says designer
Cameron Charters
The designer behind the revamp of
Boris Johnson’s flat has said she hated
every minute of the press furore follow-
ing the renovation.
Lulu Lytle, 50, was brought in to help
to redesign the rooms above No 11
Downing Street, where the prime min-
ister lives with his wife, Carrie, and their
son, Wilfred. Speculation as to how the
changes were paid for included ru-
mours that £200,000 had been
splurged. The real figure, official docu-
ments disclosed, was closer to £90,000.
At the heart of the row were sugges-
tions that Johnson had ordered golden
wallpaper decorated with leaves and
costing £840 per metre. Speaking from
her showroom in Pimlico, central
London, Lytle denied selling any “gold
leaf wallpaper and said it was “huge
misinformation”.
She told the Financial Times that the
Foreign Office then decided not to en-
gage her to restore the ambassador’s
residence in Washington. But she said
the truly hurtful aspect of the episode
was that her work was perceived
inaccurately, adding that her fabrics
“represent 30 years of research”.
opment of new oil fields in the UK must
be “strictly limited”.
A spokesman for Surrey council said:
“The county council will present its
case at the hearing and the court will
issue its decision in due course.” UK Oil
and Gas declined to comment.
The Department for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities said: “We
are leading the world on our climate
change commitments and as demand
for fossil fuels is falling, we are rapidly
scaling up our capacity and use of
renewable energy — this is a transition
as we support those in the oil and gas
industry to shift to clean, green energy
through our North Sea Transition
Deal. This decision by Surrey council is
subject to a legal challenge, we do not
comment about ongoing cases.”
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Pill to be taken
at home could
cut Covid deaths
Tom Whipple Science Editor
An antiviral pill cuts the risk of needing
hospital treatment for Covid-19 in half
and slashes the chance of dying from it,
a study has suggested.
The possibly game-changing results
could offer a new way of treating the
disease, and represent what scientists
hope will be the first of many successful
antivirals. Until now the only way of
treating the disease has been with ster-
oids such as dexamethasone and intra-
venous antibodies. Both require
patients be in hospitals or clinics.
The new treatment, molnupiravir,
created by the pharmaceutical compa-
nies Merck (MSD outside the US) and
Analysis
he announcement of an
T
antiviral pill that will
keep you out of hospital
is a revolution (Tom
Whipple writes).
Antivirals are, for many, the
final piece in the puzzle of how to
bring the world back to normal.
Despite the success of vaccines, it
became clear they could not
prevent all hospital admissions.
The problem with trying to kill
viruses is that they are essentially
already dead. Most of what they
achieve comes through tricking
the body to do it for them: the
only way to stop them is to find
one of the few tasks the viruses
perform and find a way to jam it.
This antiviral interferes with
the virus’s copying process,
introducing mutations so it is
unable to hijack cells.
There are, as ever, caveats. It is
highly unlikely it will completely
prevent death. And at about £500
per course, it is not cheap. It will
probably be kept for the most at
risk. Let’s hope though that like
the vaccine, the first antiviral will
soon be one of many.
9
News
STUDIO CANAL/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
Top page-turners
I Capture the Castle by
Dodie Smith (1948) This
story of family drama,
bohemian poverty and first
love in the 1930s enchants
(Alex O’Connell writes)
Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone by JK
Rowling (1997) The Potter
books have been a comfort
Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, targets the blanket for my teenagers
virus’s life cycle, introducing errors in during lockdown. The first
its genome so it cannot reproduce. book is still my No 1
For the study almost 800 unvaccinat-
ed people were treated within five days The Graveyard Book by
of symptoms appearing. All had at least Neil Gaiman (2008) The
one risk factor for developing severe adventures of a boy named
Covid-19. Among the half on molnupir- Bod brought up by ghosts
avir, 7 per cent ended up in hospital. In in a graveyard after his
the half given a placebo, it was 14 per family is murdered, who
cent. The drug also had a strong effect learns the art of haunting
on preventing death from the disease,
albeit based on small numbers. Nine of The Hate U Give by Angie
those on the placebo were dead after a Thomas (2017) Its black
month compared with none of those on teenage heroine turns
molnupiravir. activist to try to secure
Independent data-monitoring scien- justice when her friend is
tists have recommended stopping the shot dead by a police officer
trial and applying for emergency-use
authorisation for the drug immediately. Pony by RJ Palacio (2021)
Wendy Holman, chief executive of My new favourite novel for
Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, said that if teenagers (see Saturday
approved the drug would have a clear Review). A thrilling story set
role in the next phase of the pandemic. in the 1860s in an American
“With the virus continuing to circu- nowheresville. Silas Bird, a
late widely . . . antiviral treatments that boy who can see dead
can be taken at home to keep people people, tries to find his
with Covid-19 out of the hospital are kidnapped father
critically needed,” she said.
Dr Daria Hazuda, chief science offi-
cer at MSD, said: “Given the data that released her third The Railway Children has teenagers, saying: “Some
there were nine deaths in the placebo
arm and none in the molnupiravir arm,
Read to “reimagining” of a classic.
The Primrose Railway
inspired film adaptations
and a new take by Dame
of my most precious
memories of my
Children, based on the E daughter’s childhood, and
I think that’s game-changing.”
The drug’s usefulness will depend on teenagers, Nesbit book, is retold
Jacqueline Wilson. Neil
Gaiman’s The Graveyard some of hers, were from
how fast and cheaply it can be made. using modern characters Book is for young adults reading to her long after
The US has bought 1.7 million courses
at $700 each. MSD says that it can make
writer tells from the point of view
of the youngest child.
she could read to
h
herself. You can read
8.3 million more courses by the end of
the year.
parents Wilson, 75, told The
Times she was never
m
more
m
more
mature books,
interesting
Eddie Gray, the head of Britain’s anti- read to as a child but b
books with more
arents should that she enjoyed d
demanding
P
viral taskforce, hopes to have two pill-
based treatments in the NHS by the keep reading to reading to her v
vocabulary.” Wilson
end of the year. He said he could not their children daughter beyond early s
suggested Dickens
disclose whether Britain was in line to until they are childhood. She also fo people who “like
for
buy molnupiravir. teenagers, praised the Victorian to show off a bit” and
Other antivirals in development in- according to a former practice of adults d the voices or Jane
do
clude one by Pfizer, which targets an children’s laureate (Nicola reading out loud to E
Eyre for older girls.
enzyme used in viral reproduction. Woolcock writes). each other and S is speaking this
She
Peter Horby, professor of emerging Dame Jacqueline discussing passages in m
month at Adventures
infectious diseases at the University of Wilson, who created the the books. She in Bookland, a Girls’
Oxford, said that if approved, mol- Hetty Feather and Tracy suggested parents D Schools Trust
Day
nupiravir would be a “huge advance”. Beaker stories, has just should read to their e
event.
PPE boss ‘threatened staff’, pages 20-21
10 2GM Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

News
News Sarah Everard

Met must improve March 3, 2021: 5.52pm

Sarah Everard leaving
her home in Brixton

way it deals with

violence, says Patel
Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor
Fiona Hamilton Crime & Security Editor
Priti Patel has told Britain’s biggest
police force to change how it treats
violence against women after it faced
criticism for advising anyone who felt
in danger to flag down a bus.
The home secretary described the
abduction, rape and murder of Sarah
Everard by Wayne Couzens, a Metro-
politan Police constable who used his
position to falsely arrest her, as a
scandal for the force.
Patel said the Met must make imme-
diate changes internally and externally
to the way it handles violence against
women, declaring: “Enough is enough.”
In an interview with the Evening
Standard in London, Patel refused to
use Couzens’s name, instead describing
him as “a monster that absolutely
abused power and authority”. She
added: “That’s an absolute scandal and
that’s where the police will have to
make some changes through the
reforms, being held to account and
through difficult conversations.”
Patel insisted that she would “not shy
away from difficult conversations with
all levels of policing, believe you me”.
Her comments came after The Times
revealed that five serving police offi-
cers, including three from the Met,
were under investigation by the watch-
dog for allegedly exchanging misogy-
nistic and racist material with Couzens
in 2019. Yesterday it emerged that the
Met officers, two of whom are under
criminal investigation, were on restrict-
ed duties rather than suspended.
Patel was also said to be angry at the
Met’s “tone-deaf” advice following
Couzens’s sentencing on Thursday. It
included advising women to “wave
down a bus” if they feared being abduct-
ed by an officer they did not trust.
Home Office sources said they were
stunned at the advice, describing
Thursday as “another bad day for the
Met”. One source said: “What are they
thinking? It gives people like Couzens
what they want, instilling fear in people.
This does nothing to restore the faith in
Delays over
flash report
Cameron Charters
A McDonald’s worker who
reported Wayne Couzens for
ordering food naked from the
waist down has condemned police
for not acting on her information
sooner.
Asking not to be named, she
said the incident happened at the
McDonald’s drive-through on the
A20 at Swanley, Kent, in February
and the police report was made
three days before Couzens killed
Sarah Everard.
She told the Daily Mail: “The
police took our statements and
took away CCTV. If they had
taken this more seriously they
could easily have figured out that
he was a policeman who had
committed these crimes.”
The Metropolitan Police said:
“We received an allegation of
indecent exposure 72 hours before
Sarah was abducted. That crime
was allocated for investigation.
There was no named suspect
identified at the time but we
subsequently linked it to Couzens.”
Ministry of Justice data shows
that there were 10,775 cases of
exposure and voyeurism logged
last year across England and Wales
but only 594 reached court, ending
in 435 guilty verdicts.
the police.” One of Dame Cressida
Dick’s predecessors, who was Met com-
missioner between 2009 and 2011, also
expressed concern about the force’s ad-
vice. In a letter to The Times, Sir Paul
Stephenson said: “A recurring theme
over the past 24 hours has been the sug-
gestion that officers should routinely
operate in pairs to remove the risk of a
‘lone wolf’ . . . irrespective of whether
this represents effective use of public
resources, I would be concerned that
women and girls might be rendered
vulnerable to predatory men who
might exploit this advice through im-
personation of a police officer.”
Last night a YouGov poll found that 8pm
Wayne Couzens seen
four in ten people believed Dick should
resign; 27 per cent thought she should in Tesco, Kensington
stay and 35 per cent were unsure.
Kit Malthouse, the policing minister,
accepted that Everard’s abduction, in
south London in March, had under-
mined the public’s faith in the police,
and thousands of officers would have to
work hard to regain that trust. He told
Sky News: “They recognise that this
has struck a devastating blow to the
confidence that people have in police
officers but also in the Met Police in
particular. For those thousands and
thousands of police officers out there
who will have to work harder — much
harder — to win public trust it is a very,
very difficult time.”
Yesterday multiple women detailed
stories on social media of being made to
feel uncomfortable by police officers.
One described being pulled over by a
lone officer who falsely claimed that
she had been speeding and then tried to
persuade her to get into his car.
In a reference to Harold Shipman, 9.27pm
the GP who murdered at least 250 Everard captured on
patients from the 1970s to the 1990s, CCTV walking home
one chief constable said that the
Couzens case was the “Dr Shipman for
policing” and that there needed to be
meaningful change.
6 The elected police, fire and crime
commissioner for North Yorkshire has
apologised for saying Everard should
not have allowed herself to be falsely
arrested by Couzens. Philip Allott, a
Conservative, told BBC Radio York:
“Women, first of all, need to be street-
wise about when they can be arrested
and when they can’t be arrested. She
should never have been arrested and
submitted to that.” He retracted his re-
mark but faced calls to resign, including
from Sir Keir Starmer, Labour’s leader.
Met needs to repair trust, letters, page 32

Plans to protect women

What the government has

proposed:
After Sarah Everard’s
murder, ministers instructed
all police forces to start
recording a crime of
violence motivated by a
victim’s sex or gender as a
hate crime.
Campaigners had called
for this so the police could
collect data on violence
against women and girls
and better understand and
tackle the crime.
Perpetrators face tougher
sentencing if an offence is
classed as a hate crime,
because it can be an
aggravating factor.
Immediately after
Everard’s murder, the
government doubled the
size of its Safer Streets fund
to £45 million to provide
better lighting and CCTV.
It also announced
funding to install plain-
clothed officers outside
nightclubs and bars to spot
male predators, which was
heavily criticised given that
Everard’s murderer posed
as an undercover officer.
Priti Patel has created a
national policing leader to
ensure best practice on
tackling violence towards
women. The appointment
of Maggie Blythe of
Hampshire police aims to
improve response times.
Universities and colleges
will face limitations on the
use of non-disclosure
agreements that have been
used to stop students
speaking out about
complaints of sexual assault
on campus. Research found
a third of universities had
used the “gagging” clauses.
Is it enough?
No, according to the police
inspectorate, campaigners,
MPs and the victims’
commissioner. A report by
Zoe Billingham, HM
inspector of constabulary,
last month said preventing
violence against women
should be taken as seriously
as counterterrorism, for
which spending is
ringfenced. This would
require a big cash injection.
Kit Malthouse, the policing
minister, said the proposal
was being considered but
was criticised yesterday for
saying police forces could
prioritise violence against
women “if they want to”.
Other proposals include
immediately suspending all
serving officers who face an
allegation of violence
against women.
Harriet Harman, a senior
Labour MP, has also
proposed that the vetting of
recruits should include
assessing their attitude
towards violence against
women, including engaging
in violent sex and porn.
Higher prosecution rates
must be a focus,
campaigners say, to ensure
perpetrators know they are
likely to be caught.
How killer was snared
Fiona Hamilton
The detective in charge of the investi-
gation into Sarah Everard’s disappear-
ance has revealed how they trawled
thousands of hours of CCTV to pin-
point her attacker and painstakingly
piece together her final moments.
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine
Goodwin said that police tracked
Everard’s last movements, leading
them to PC Wayne Couzens, in a metic-
ulous examination of CCTV that took
days. She also told of her “absolute
shock” at learning that the suspect was
a police officer.
Everard, 33, left a friend’s house in
Clapham Common, south London, on
Wednesday March 3 and disappeared
as she walked home towards Brixton
along the South Circular road.
Goodwin said the case immediately
rang “alarm bells” and detectives began
tracking her likely route home. There
was a clear likely route but several roads
where she might have taken a shortcut.
Detectives also needed to eliminate the
possibility that she had hailed a taxi or
taken a bus. Goodwin sent divers to the
ponds at Clapham Common and offi-
cers began a huge trawl of CCTV video.
Phone cell site analysis placed
Everard at Poynders Court on the
South Circular just before 9.30pm. De-
tectives went through all the CCTV
video at a specific point on the next
street that led down to Brixton and con-
cluded that Everard had not walked
past. Goodwin said: “On this length of
road, which is no more than 300 me-
tres, we knew that Sarah must have
gone missing. But what we didn’t know
was how or under what circumstances.
“This small area became the focus of
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 2GM 11

News
News
METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP/GETTY; PA; ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES

9.34pm
A couple driving past
in their car see
Force resists treating
Couzens, right,
detaining Everard
misogyny as a hate
crime despite support
Fiona Hamilton
6pm
Everard in Sainsbury’s A majority of chief constables have
in Brixton Hill indicated their support for recording
misogyny as a hate crime, although
Scotland Yard is sceptical.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council
(NPCC) met this week and agreed to
tell the Home Office that police forces
would “welcome” a direction from it to
officially record offending in that way.
Campaigners have said that the
change would encourage women to re-
port public harassment because they
could have more confidence that it
9.37pm would be treated as a serious crime.
Dashcam video shows They believe it would also help to
Everard in the rear change the culture of police forces so
seat of Couzens’s that officers take violence against
hired Vauxhall Astra women more seriously.
The Metropolitan Police are under-
stood to be unsure about recording
misogyny, with some senior officers be-
lieving present legislation is adequate.
Recording misogyny as a hate crime
was a key reform for all police forces an-
nounced by the government after the
murder of Sarah Everard in March.
Eleven of the 43 forces in England
and Wales already follow the practice
and Priti Patel said the others would fol-
low suit. However, little has changed
since. Chief constables have been wait-
ing for Home Office guidance to out-
line specifically how it would be record-
ed and what offences would be applied.
The issue was discussed once again
by the NPCC this week as Wayne
Couzens was sentenced at the Old
Bailey to a whole-life tariff for Everard’s
abduction, rape and murder. Sources
March 4, 9.21am said that a majority of chiefs indicated
Couzens is filmed in their support for the first time.
Sandwich, Kent. However, the Met, which is under
Everard’s phone is pressure over its handling of violence
recover
recovered from a against women, is understood to re-
nearby canal by police main unconvinced.
In the summer Sir Steve House, the
Met’s deputy commissioner, said that
Dame Cressida Dick, the commission-
er, and another senior female officer
needed to be “convinced” on the matter
and did not believe it was “necessarily
the right step”. At the time the Met
stressed that it wanted to “focus on the
real, tangible impacts that will help
women in London feel safer and better
protected” and would speak up if it felt
a proposal only added to bureaucracy.
House is understood to have made
clear to colleagues that the Met’s posi-
tion had not changed.
Stella Creasy, a Labour MP, said that
the Met had been the “biggest block” to
change. “There is evidence that this
does change policing culture as well as
improve detection rates and victim
confidence.” She said that police claims
that they were waiting for a Law Com-
mission review before making a deci-
sion was a “red herring”.
“The commission is going to re-
Dame Cressida
Dick was said to be
resisting change
commend whether to give courts the
ability to recognise misogyny [as an
aggravating factor] in sentencing,
which would drive the change from the
other direction. But that doesn’t stop
police recording the data. A quarter of
them already do.”
The Home Office has said that police
forces will be required to record hate
crime by the autumn. However, the
deadline may be pushed back, given the
apparent lack of clarity on what crimes
will apply. It is thought likely that it will
involve crimes of violence, including
stalking and sexual offences, believed
by the victim to have been motivated by
“hostility based on their sex”.
Eight in ten women say they have
been harassed in public but nine in ten
did not report harassment because they
did not believe it would be pursued.
We see police now as just men with
handcuffs, Janice Turner, page 31

Inquiry after senior police

officers shared gang claims
Fiona Hamilton at his first magistrates’ court appear-
ance in March.
A group of senior officers, including Two officers were served with mis-

in a vast web of security cameras Police Federation officials, are under

the investigation. Had she turned off
the road north or south? Had she got
into a bus or a taxi? Had she met some-
one and gone into a house in that area?
We began to methodically box off that
small area establishing whether she had
diverted, whatever explanations there
might be.”
Goodwin said the challenge of CCTV
was that video did not come into the
Met chronologically, as it was played in
the Old Bailey, but piecemeal. Detect-
ives had the challenge of going through
every piece of CCTV and bus camera
video minute by minute in no clear or-
der to fill gaps in the timeline.
At 3pm on Tuesday March 9 there
was a breakthrough. CCTV from a bus
showed Everard standing next to a
white car with the hazard lights flash-
ing. The rental vehicle was traced to
Couzens. “I will never forget the
moment one of my team came running
into my office, closed the door and told
me the renter of the car was a police of-
ficer,” she said. “I was in absolute shock.”
She sent a team to Couzens’s address
in Deal, Kent, while other officers used
CCTV and automatic number-plate re-
cognition cameras to learn how he had
driven on March 3 to rural Kent. There
was a two-hour gap between officers
arriving outside his property and the
arrest, in which time Couzens, 48,
carried out a factory reset on his phone.
Neighbours said at the time that the
police had been visible.
Goodwin said: “Whilst we were open
to all possibilities, including the worst, I
and the team were massively hoping
that there was another explanation —
Sarah had got into a cab, had got on to
a bus and her card hadn’t registered the
journey. We wanted so much for her to
be alive and well.” She said that the
police investigation continued weeks
after the discovery of Everard’s body in
a pond in Hoad’s Wood, Kent, on
March 10. Goodwin said that when the
body was moved into a private
ambulance to be taken away the police
officers at the scene took off their hats
as a mark of respect. “After the terrible
way that he had treated her, we wanted
to show the utmost respect and care,”
she said.
In total officers reviewed more than
2,000 hours of CCTV and recovered
1,727 items of physical evidence, 95
items of digital evidence and 295
forensic samples.
Goodwin said that the Metropolitan
Police were investigating whether Cou-
zens was responsible for other crimes
and has issued an appeal for anyone
with information to come forward.
investigation by the independent
watchdog for sharing information
about the prosecution of Wayne
Couzens.
The police officers, from several
forces across England and Wales, have
been accused of using a messaging app
to discuss Couzens’s bogus defence.
The Independent Office for Police
Conduct (IOPC) is examining whether
they breached standards of profession-
al behaviour by sharing information
when there was allegedly “no policing
purpose to do so”.
Couzens, who raped and murdered
Sarah Everard, initially admitted to de-
tectives that he had abducted the 33-
year-old but had handed her over to an
eastern European prostitution gang to
which he owed money.
A police officer is being investigated
for gross misconduct after putting that
information on a messaging app group.
His message is understood to have
briefly summarised Couzens’s claims,
after they were outlined by prosecutors
conduct notices as they joined in the
conversation, and four more because
they “failed to challenge the sharing of
the information”, the IOPC said. Those
four are believed to have been cleared.
The IOPC’s decision to investigate
has caused a rift with the federation,
which represents rank-and-file officers.
Some officials feel it is “payback” after
the federation publicly claimed the
IOPC was leaving officers in limbo with
lengthy misconduct issues.
Others believe that the IOPC has
come down too heavily on the officers
for sharing information about a crime
that had shocked policing and the
nation.
The IOPC said it started an investi-
gation after receiving a referral from
the force connected with each officer.
The forces believed an investigation
was in the public interest.
The IOPC said it shared its investi-
gation report and conclusions with the
forces in August and would publish its
findings when it had made final deci-
sions on further action.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Machine finishes Beethoven’s 10th symphony
Oliver Moody Berlin
When Beethoven died in 1827 he left
behind a few pieces of paper with notes
and scraps of melody for what could
have been his final masterpiece.
One wonders what he might have
said had he been told that two centuries
later a thinking machine would take
those tantalising fragments and finish
the job for him.
An artificial intelligence (AI)
programme has reconstructed half of
the composer’s Symphony No 10 so
convincingly that professional musi-
cians and scholars have been unable to
tell where the original phrases stopped
enerated
and the computer-generated
passages began.
Next Saturday the two
movements will be given en
their world premiere in n
Bonn, Beethoven’s
west German home
town, in a belated
celebration of the
250th anniversary of
his birth.
It is the first time
that an algorithm has
recreated the work of a
classical composer on n T AI was designed
en
this scale. AI has written
passable music of its own
elodies
and harmonies for melodies
from Bach and Mozart, but the at-
tempt to generate a full ll 40 minutes of
Beethoven from a mere 250 surviving
bars of notes is in a league of its own.
The project was launched two years
ago by Deutsche Telekom, a German
telecoms company, which sought the
Dirk Kaftan will conduct Beethoven Orchestra Bonn in a world premiere of the symphony next weekend
D that the nature of genius is to see
as
assistance of the Aus-
tri
trian music technolo-
gis Matthias Röder.
gist
The
by Ahmed
by Ah Elgammal, pro-
fessor of
fessor o computer science at
Rutgers University in New
Rutgers
Jersey, who h
Jersey, had previously built a
system that could emulate the work of
artists such as Picasso and the Impres-
sionists well enough to fool experts.
Beethoven posed difficulties of a
different order. “It really requires us to
understand, for example, how Beetho-
ven would take a four-note motif like in
the Symphony No 5 — da-da-da-da —
and evolve that into a whole move-
ment,” Elgammal said.
“Because of the nature of music being
very structured and mathematical, I
believed from the beginning that AI
can do that.”
The researchers started by feeding
the AI the collected works of Mozart,
Haydn, Bach and all the other compos-
ers Beethoven would have listened to.
After that it was fed gobbets of Beet-
hoven and taught to predict what might
ALAMY
come next. Then, once it had developed
an accurate model of how Beethoven
worked, it was set loose on his sketches
for the tenth symphony.
Röder said he was delighted with the
results, which include a chorale titled
Herr Gott, dich loben wir (Lord God, we
praise you), and occasional references
back to Beethoven’s earlier works.
“As far as the music’s concerned, I’m
totally happy,” Röder said.
He added: “I think if Beethoven were
still alive today he’d be using technolo-
gies like this himself.”
13
News
Analysis
et’s give some credit to
L
the computer (Richard
Morrison writes). The
completion of
“Beethoven’s Tenth” is
recognisably Beethovenian — in
the sense that it sounds as if
someone has sliced up his nine
symphonies, put them in a mixer,
then stuck together the bits in a
random new order.
You can hear snippets from the
Fifth and Ninth, even if over-
enthusiastic syncopation has
produced effects that sound more
like Duke Ellington.
There’s no ethical reason why
computers shouldn’t have a crack
at imitating composers. Elgar’s
Third and Mahler’s Tenth have
had speculative completions by
humans. The problem, for
computer and human alike, is
possibilities that ordinary minds
don’t. Beethoven did so almost
every time he picked up his quill.
The Sixth (the Pastoral) is in a
different emotional and stylistic
universe from the turbulent Fifth,
for example.
So trying to second-guess his
Tenth Symphony by reference to
his other nine is pointless. The
one thing we can know is that it
would have broken new ground.
Every Beethoven symphony did.
He never looked back.
14 2GM Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

News
News Supply crisis

Medicine deliveries being hit by

Oliver Wright, Chris Smyth
Ashley Armstrong, Andrew Ellson
Chemists have given warning that the
fuel and haulage crisis is affecting
supplies of vital medicines to
pharmacies as ministers announced
that the army would begin delivering
petrol from Monday.
In a sign that the government
believes that shortages will continue
for several weeks, about a hundred
army drivers will be deployed to
forecourts after undergoing training
this week.
Downing Street also announced that
it was forgoing normal immigration
rules to fast-track visas for 300 foreign
fuel tanker drivers to come to the UK
immediately. The Home Office said
that the “bespoke” scheme was due to
the “exceptional circumstances” of the
current crisis. The 300 workers will
form part of the 5,000 foreign HGV
drivers the government has already
said will be granted visas.
Drivers will now be allowed to stay
until February 28 rather than Christ-
mas Eve, while a similar scheme for
poultry workers has been extended to
New Year’s Eve.
What’s causing the crisis?
Rod McKenzie, of the Road Haulage
Association, said that the extension Supermarkets Transport Construction
was “not much help” and accused min-
isters of “lurching from an unworkable
idea to one that’s slightly less unappeal-
ing to foreign drivers — but only just”.
The move comes amid growing evi- Pasta Bottled water Cars Timber
dence that the HGV shortages, along Pasta supplies have been hit by a Supermarkets have been Demand has not been The home improvements
with fuel supply problems, are spread- poor durum wheat harvest in reducing the supply of bottled met because of a boom during lockdown, higher
ing to other critical parts of the eco- north America and a shortage of water because it is bulky and semiconductor shortage. demand from China and warm
nomy. Pharmacy chiefs said that some HGV drivers in Britain. has a relatively low value. The Cars can require 1,400 winter weather in Europe sent
scheduled deliveries had been “inter- Supermarkets have reduced lines shortage of HGV drivers means computer chips so buyers supply and demand in opposite
rupted” as a result of fuel shortages and because pasta is a relatively retailers have been focusing on have been forced to wait directions. Britain gets about
a nationwide lack of drivers. bulky product to transport. higher-value items. months. half of its timber from Europe.
Although they said that it had not
“generally” impacted on patients’ ac-
cess to treatment, they called on minis-
ters to ensure that the situation did not
worsen. Andrew Lane, chairman of the
National Pharmacy Association, said: Turkeys
“A resilient medicines supply chain is Farmers did not rear as many
obviously vital to the health of the chicks as normal because they
nation, so it’s important this isn’t al- did not think they would have the
lowed to escalate into a widespread workers to process them. The
problem that impacts patient care.” British Poultry Council predicts
Government sources insist that the that Christmas turkey production
problems are localised and that so far has dropped by 20 per cent.
they are not affecting patient care. But
it is understood there are significant
concerns in Whitehall that medicine
supplies could be interrupted next
week if a solution is not found.
Pharmacists around the country Fruit and vegetables Pigs in blankets and canapés Petrol Building materials
have said that deliveries are being can- British farmers planted fewer The meat-processing The crisis was triggered by Supplies of roof tiles, cement,
celled at short notice. One senior phar- crops this year because of industry has about 15,000 the shortage of tanker drivers, plasterboard, steel and other
macist said that delayed deliveries had concerns about labour shortages. fewer workers than it needs which meant some suppliers materials are dwindling due to
been an issue since August — “If one But a lack of fruit and veg can be because of stricter immigration were unable to refill forecourts increased demand for building
driver is off they can’t get any agency made up by imports. There are rules since Brexit. To keep the quickly. When the public found and DIY last year, combined
drivers.” However, they stressed that gaps on shelves because there supply to supermarkets out about the problem many with a slowdown in production,
most shops had buffer stocks to cope are not enough drivers to get the factories have had to decided to fill their cars, delays at ports and a lack of
with a “day or two” of delay. stock there in time. concentrate on simpler cuts. leading to a surge in demand. delivery drivers.
The average stock level for fuel in
forecourts across the UK remains at

Fight to save nation’s Christmas lunch

just above 20 per cent but there are
signs that it is improving in some areas
and ministers insisted that more fuel
was now being delivered than sold.
The northwest and East Midlands
yesterday moved from red to amber on
Whitehall’s analysis of fuel shortages.
The East Midlands, East of England,
London and the southeast remain red.
Northern Ireland is the only green
contains all the ingredients for chaos
area, with fuel levels of over 40 per cent.
Meanwhile, retailers said that
After Brexit, government and industry are blaming a fuel crisis, now threatens to result in a
food shortage.
apart as they seem, but the difference in
tone reflects fundamentally different
demand for frozen turkeys was surging
because shoppers feared that shortages
each other for failures, write Chris Smyth, Ashley As the army prepares to start driving
fuel tankers, a spectacular row has
perspectives on what is happening: for
business, it is an avoidable crisis caused
could threaten Christmas dinner. Armstrong, Andrew Ellson and Henry Zeffman erupted in Whitehall between business by a failure of government planning.
Waitrose said that it had already had leaders and ministers over who is to For ministers, it is an inevitable “transi-
25,000 Christmas delivery slots The government’s “poultry taskforce” age crisis that industry leaders say raises blame. Industry accuses the govern- tion” to a post-Brexit economy that can
booked, more than twice as many as met for the first time yesterday with one the prospect of scaled-down dinners as ment of failing to listen to months of no longer be dependent on cheap
this time last year, with customers fear- mission: to save the Christmas turkey. demand surges in the festive season. warnings, while ministers take to the foreign workers.
ing that otherwise they might miss out. A year ago Boris Johnson was Gas prices are rising, there is a lack of airwaves to express absolute confidence Ian Wright, head of the Food and
Forward the Fuel Brigade — charge for battling Covid-19 to “save Christmas”. skilled meat packers and the acute that all will be fine. Drink Federation, said that when busi-
the pumps!, Giles Coren, page 30 Now he is facing a multi-fronted short- shortage of HGV drivers that produced In reality the two sides are not as far nesses first raised problems at Easter,
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
driver shortages, say pharmacies
KEY
Semi conductors shortage
HGV shortage Weather
How everything from home improvements to your Christmas
turkey has been hit by intersecting supply problems
Consumer products
Games consoles
Struggling to find a PlayStation
5? That’s because manufacturers
can’t supply enough parts. The
electrical appliance industry has
been hit by a semiconductor
shortage after factories shut
because of Covid-19.
Bikes
About one in every three bicycles
at Halfords is out of stock. High
demand since the first lockdown has
not tailed off, the pandemic
disrupted production at factories,
and labour shortages and shipping
delays have hit distribution.
Sofas
Lead times for sofas are up to
15 weeks, compared with the typical
eight, because of shipping delays
and a lack of drivers. A shortage of
containers from China to Europe,
partly owing to port shutdowns in
Asia, the Suez Canal blockage and
high US demand are also factors.
ministers only wanted to talk about
Covid-19 and Brexit transition. “There
was also a degree of scepticism about
what we were saying. Remember most
politicians never go shopping. They
wouldn’t have noticed . . . As recently as
three weeks ago they were telling us
they were not going to do anything.”
One senior supermarket source
called the government “learner drivers
in this subject”, with the industry argu-
ing that ministers should have done
more earlier to make driving a HGV
more attractive to British workers, such
as by fulfilling promises of more
parking spaces to take breaks and
better training opportunities.
Rod McKenzie, managing director of
the Road Haulage Association, said
that a promise by ministers a week ago
of three-month visas for 5,000 drivers,
“simply does not work”, while a major
2GM
Labour shortages
Gas crisis Demand
Shipping
Beer and fizzy drinks
Some fizzy drinks have been in
short supply after natural gas
prices soared. This led to the
temporary closure of fertiliser
plants that supply CO2. Supply
problems will persist unless gas
prices fall back.
Toys
Toymakers and retailers are
struggling with shipping delays,
labour shortages and difficulty
sourcing materials. Ports around the
globe have suffered delays because
of labour shortages, including a lack
of HGV drivers. There is also a
shortage of shipping containers.
retail boss was blunter: “5,000 drivers is
pissing in the wind.”
Some meetings have been fractious.
On a call on Tuesday “both sides were
getting cross with each other”, with
senior civil servants accused of “lectur-
ing” food executives, according to a
senior industry source.
Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s
former chief adviser, said Whitehall
was to blame, writing on his blog this
week: “It is obvious that the govern-
ment has failed to prepare for supply
chain problems that we were discussing
in May 2020.” He urged people to stock-
pile because Johnson “definitely won’t
understand what’s actually going on”.
However, ministers counter that al-
though they have been working since
the spring on problems such as speed-
ing up HGV testing, the true failure has
been industry’s reluctance to plan to
end its reliance on cheap labour. Kwasi
Kwarteng, the business secretary, told
the Conservative Home website yester-
day: “Having rejected the low-wage,
high-immigration model, we were al-
ways going to try to transition to some-
thing else. What we’re seeing now is
part of that transition . . . people are re-
sisting that, particularly employers that
were benefiting from an influx of labour
that could keep wages low.”
However, some MPs are nervous
that even Brexit supporters will not
tolerate empty shelves. One said that
they feared being “punished” by voters
for a disrupted Christmas: “I dread
what people will think if having can-
celled last Christmas we now have no
Christmas again.”
So far voters do not appear to be
turning against the government. Even
though 66 per cent think the govern-
ment has handled the fuel crisis badly,
only 9 per cent blame Johnson person-
ally for causing it, and only 24 per cent
blame the government. Some 74 per
cent cited panic buying, according to a
YouGov poll for The Times.
However, backbench nervousness
has led to questions among Conserva-
tives about Stephen Barclay, the Cabi-
net Office minister, who has taken over
from Michael Gove as the man tasked
with “saving Christmas”.
While the vastly experienced Gove
was a veteran of no-deal Brexit prepa-
rations and has a powerful reputation
for effectiveness, Barclay has been at
the top table for only two years.
Allies of Barclay bridle at these con-
cerns, insisting that he was “responsible
for getting us out of the EU” as Brexit
secretary and has strong relationships
with the rest of the cabinet, despite
overseeing a tough spending review as
chief security to the Treasury. They
also say it is “no coincidence” that the
government finally acted on the HGV
shortage in his first week in the job,
Others in government are clearly not
so bullish. When Simon Clarke, chief
secretary to the Treasury, was sent on to
the airways on Wednesday he insisted
that he was “confident that we have the
resilience that is required”.
Yet within minutes of his comments
being reported, Treasury officials were
trying to row back: Clarke had not, they
insisted, said that supermarket shelves
would be fully stocked and fuel pumps
would be open at Christmas.
More philosophical ministers believe
that the gap with industry is not as large
as it seems. Wright stressed that “there
is enough food but it is choice that is
being restricted”.
The government’s understanding is
similar, with industry telling ministers
the risk is not about eating nut roast in-
stead of turkey for Christmas dinner,
but about having two different types of
pigs in blankets on shelves, not five.
The implication is that this is a price
worth paying to give low-wage Brexit
voters a hefty pay rise. Some senior
MPs think the crisis overblown.
“I don’t think it’s bad as everyone
says,” one Brexiteer said. “The narra-
tive is that the entire country is on its
knees and no one can go anywhere and
by Christmas we’ll have to be burning
furniture to keep warm and eating the
dog. I don’t think that’s reality of
people’s lives.”
Even if Christmas does look relatively
normal, the problems are likely to drag
on into the new year. Johnson talked
about readying the supply chain to “get
through to Christmas and beyond”
earlier this week, while yesterday
Kwarteng suggested disruption could
last up to a year.
For ministers, the shortages are the
birth pangs of a new economic reality.
And they want it to be for life, not just
for Christmas.
‘A banker rang to ask
how long it took to
get behind the wheel’
Charlotte Wace
An increasing number of women, as
well as bankers and shop workers, are
among thousands of new recruits
seeking to train as HGV drivers.
A recent survey of members by the
Road Haulage Association (RHA) esti-
mated that there was a shortage of
more than 100,000 qualified drivers in
the UK. It prompted some companies
to advertise salaries of £50,000, leading
to a rush of interest in the occupation.
Hughes Driver Training, Britain's
largest HGV school with 12 sites across
the country, is getting thousands of in-
quiries a week. “You used to pigeon-
hole the type of person who would be a
lorry driver. Now you can’t do that,”
Carl Hughes, its managing director,
said. Three years ago women made up
about 2 per cent of the company’s
trainees; now they account for about
5 per cent. Only 1 per cent of lorry driv-
ers are women at present.
New drivers include Paige Johnson,
19, who trained with Hughes and yes-
terday passed her Class C+E test, the re-
quirement for operating an articulated
vehicle or a rigid vehicle towing a large
trailer. She plans to use her qualifica-
tion to drive lorries for the catering
company run by her family but may al-
so take on part-time work this winter.
Johnson, from Yorkshire, sat A-levels
but decided against university. “I didn’t
want to do it because of the pandemic
and everything,” she said. Getting an
HGV licence had been an old ambition.
She thought some women might be put
off by male stereotypes but that was not
an issue for her. “It has nothing to do
with your femininity or masculinity, it’s
just driving,” she said. “It wouldn’t put
you off driving a car, so why should it
put you off driving a lorry?”
People who had lost their jobs as the
furlough scheme came to an end were
also among those making inquiries,
Hughes said. Retail and hospitality
workers have chosen to switch after
months of uncertainty and closures.
Others are on zero-hours contracts and
Firefighters and ambulance
crew urged to come forward
Oliver Wright Policy Editor
Ministers have written to thousands of
firefighters, ambulance drivers and ser-
vice personnel suggesting they take up
roles driving HGVs in the run-up to
Christmas.
In an embarrassing move the letter
was sent to more than a million holders
of the class C driving licence.
The letter from Baroness Vere of
Norbiton, the transport minister, high-
lighted the “fantastic opportunities” of
driving delivery lorries including “at-
tractive pay rates” and “flexible hours”.
“There are fantastic HGV driving op-
portunities in the logistics industry and
conditions of employment and pay
have been improving across the sector,”
she wrote. “There has never been a bet-
ter time to find the type of HGV driving
job you want.”
15
News
News
Carl Hughes with Paige Johnson, 19, a
graduate of his HGV training company
have been lured by the promises of
stable work and salaries that can rival
those of a trainee lawyer.
“We’ve got people who as soon as
they have passed their test are starting
on over £40,000 a year,” Hughes said.
“You take someone on minimum wage
and once they can get through the
process you are changing their lives. It’s
really positive what we’re doing. It’s just
tough at the moment getting everyone
through.” He said that the process was
taking longer than six months instead
of the usual 16 weeks, because of delays
in getting provisional licences.
The Driver Training Centre, in Has-
tings, has also been besieged with calls.
“It has just been manic,” Paul Gardiner,
the office manager, said. “There are
people from all sorts of walks of life. I
had a banker on the phone the other
day. He’d had enough, wanted to do
something else and asked, how could he
go about driving an articulated lorry?”
“The number of inquiries from
women has certainly increased I would
say, particularly over the last month to
six weeks. Not just young women either
— some of them are in their fifties.”
Public sector unions took a dim view
of the letter, which will also have gone
to other essential workers such as
refuse collectors, and said it could put
pressure on more critical services.
Colm Porter, the national officer at
Unison, told Mailonline: “Enticing
scarce staff away will pile pressure on to
the service, resulting in long 999 wait
times with potentially deadly conse-
quences.”
Dr Susan Crossland, president of the
Society for Acute Medicine, said send-
ing the letter was “short-sighted”. “For
it [the government] to seek to raid
healthcare at such a desperate time for
staff and patients is indicative of its out
of touch perspective,” she said.
The Department for Transport said:
“We categorically don’t want emer-
gency service drivers to change jobs, or
to be diverted from their vital work.”
16 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

News

Tokens for the homeless spread across country

Will Humphries
Southwest Correspondent
A simple idea to help homeless people
that nearly died with the young care
assistant who came up with it has
spread to four cities after his family
channelled their grief into making it a
reality.
Billy Abernethy-Hope, 20, had spo-
ken before his sudden death in 2018
about creating a token to give a home-
less person a drink or a meal so people
who are uncomfortable giving them
cash can help in a different way.
After he was killed in a motorbike
crash four days into a holiday in Thai-
The chips show
Billy Abernethy-
Hope, who came
up with the idea
before his death
three years ago
land, his family remembered the idea
he had shared with them. A year later
they launched the “Billy Chip” token in
Bristol, which can be bought for £2 from
participating shops and given to a
homeless person to redeem against
food or a hot drink.
What started as a trial in three coffee
shops in the city has spread to 50 cafés
and shops across Bristol, Bath, Chelten-
ham and Oxford, and 1,600 chips are in
circulation. The charity has been
awarded a £10,000 National Lottery
grant so it can provide starter packs to
any shop that wants to take part.
Megan Abernethy-Hope, 24, Billy’s
sister, said: “If Billy was still here he
would think we were completely bonk-
ers but he would also be really proud
that so many people labelled the invis-
ible community for so long are starting
to feel seen. For us to be able to spread
this out of our city and let people know
about this nationally is something we
are really proud of . . . there is absolutely
no reason why we can’t do this in
Aberdeen, Leicester, Durham — any-
where.”
Each chip carries an image of Billy’s
smiling face and a message that says:
“You’re fabulous, and don’t you ever
forget it.” Those were the last words he
wrote to his mother, in her Mother’s
Day card, before he died. The chip also
has a QR code that allows people to find
out which shops are participating and
where they are.
Avon and Somerset police are sup-
porting the scheme. Its officers carry
chips on their stab vests to allow them
to guide homeless people to the nearest
shop accepting the tokens.
“A lot of the homeless community
know about the chips now,” Abernethy-
Hope said. “At Christmas I handed out
a Billy Chip to somebody and the lady
said, ‘We have heard about these and
we think Billy is amazing and his family
must be so chuffed’, and then she real-
ised I was his sister and we both stood in
the street bawling our eyes out.”
There is no cost to the traders who
stock and accept the tokens, which are
paid for by the charity.
Billy’s family, from Chew Valley in
Somerset, set up the BA Hope Founda-
tion in his memory, and some of the
proceeds of the £2 cost of each chip go
towards homeless charities supported
by the foundation.

Loewe dresses
and jumpsuits
grabbed
attention.
Centre: Isabel
Marant haute
athleisure

diamanté-handled
Loewe’s stilettoes lilac fun fur mini-
totes. For the more
eco-conscious shoe-
hit surreal height shoppers, transparent
trainers made from
compostable plastic
f after lockdown similarly attention- answered the question

I the idea of
wearing high
heels again
seems surreal,
look no further than
yesterday’s Loewe
show in Paris, where
grabbing. Ribbed
jersey column dresses
protruded with
angular lumps and
bumps. Backwards,
backless trenchcoats
were held on by
of what to do when
they wear out.
There was more
haute athleisure at
Isabel Marant’s show
in the Palais Royal
gardens on Thursday
the shoes were metallic breastplates. night. Marant’s USP is
positively Dali-esque Cartoonish as this fun and frothy 1980s
(Harriet Walker all seems, there is chic with a dash of
writes). always beauty in French Vogue cool.
Models wore Anderson’s clothes. Cropped silk anoraks
stilettoes supported Tracksuit fabric was were printed with
by red roses, bars of turned into elegant metallic floral and
soap, birthday cake strapless jumpsuits. leaf motifs.
candles and cracked Even a shellsuit There were sequin-
eggs oozing yolks. became soignée, with embellished bombers,
They were perfect for voluminous wide-leg beaded stonewash
the arty crowd that trousers. denim skirts and
the northern Irish However, it is the folksy gap-year gilets.
designer Jonathan handbags that fuel As travel opens up
Anderson has this brand and there again, Isabel Marant
cultivated at this was plenty to satisfy seemed intent on
Spanish label. among the logo-print inspiring wanderlust
The clothes were bowling bags and for spring 2022.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Polymaths
plan to teach
universities a
thing or two
Students are signing up
for an interdisciplinary
approach to solving
the world’s big issues,
Nicola Woolcock writes
Stroll up Whitechapel Road in east
London, past Jack the Chipper and
Hichki Mumbai Kitchen, and you
could easily miss the most radical new
university to open in decades.
The first hand-selected students
started this week at an incubator for
21st century polymaths — London
Interdisciplinary School (LIS). They
beat intense competition for a place on
its inaugural course: a bachelor of arts
and sciences in real-world problems.
Hidden inside the discreet façade of
two Victorian townhouses is the em-
bodiment of change to the university
system that began almost five years ago.
It is on the site of the Salvation Army’s
former headquarters, the People’s Mis-
sion Hall, but is now home to a new type
of reforming organisation.
Jo Johnson, then universities minis-
ter, was the architect of legislation that
gave new institutions their own degree-
awarding powers after he accused trad-
itional universities of acting like a “car-
tel” and “burly bouncers deciding who
should be let into the club”.
The school and the New Model Insti-
tute of Technology and Engineering
(Nmite), which opened in Hereford this
month, are a new breed of university.
Russell Group students demand end of online lectures
Nicola Woolcock Education Editor
More students have started petitions
against remote teaching as universities
continue to deliver lectures online.
Many Russell Group universities
have adopted a “blended” timetable
this year with tutorials in person and
large lectures conducted virtually.
Undergraduates at King’s College
London, Manchester, Leeds and Liver-
pool Universities have already cam-
paigned against having lectures online.
They aim to shatter the division
between arts and sciences and chal-
lenge centuries-old methods of teach-
ing involving large lectures, smaller
tutorials and minimal contact time on
some courses. Nmite has taken 27
students, 11 of whom do not have any
maths or science A-levels, usually a pre-
requisite for engineering degrees.
The 66 freshers at LIS who started
this week were picked after two rigor-
ous interviews of 700 applicants.
Their A-level resultsts range
from none to fourr A*
grades, and 30 havee at
least three A grades es
at A level. Twentyy
are from deprived
backgrounds or
are leaving care.
Ed Fidoe, chief
executive of the
university, says
those making up
the founding cohortt
come from a wide de
range of academic and
social backgrounds ds but
are unified by theirr curiosity,
desire to combine disciplines, moti-
vation to embrace an academically rig-
orous course and desire to make their
own impact through tackling complex
problems such as climate change and
inequality.
Eva Fisher, 24, has A levels in French,
film and photography, while Gavin De
Silva, 27, has A levels in maths, further
maths, physics and chemistry. They are
on the same course — a BASc in inter-
disciplinary problems and methods —
Now 1,700 students at Warwick Uni-
versity have signed a petition against
online classes, citing a “detrimental im-
pact on the quality of teaching and our
mental health” for the sake of “higher
profits”, the Financial Times reported.
The university said it was moving lec-
tures with 50 or more people online to
“limit the risk of the spread of Covid-19”.
Some campuses have welcomed
record numbers of new students
because of grade inflation, and lectur-
ers are threatening to strike this
The London Interdisciplinary School wants its students to be problem solvers with a wide range of academic interests
and will have personalised coaching to
plug the gaps in their skills.
This term they will tackle inequality.
Next term it will be sustainability, and
in the third term their own free-choice
essay. Next year they could analyse ar-
tificial intelligence or ethics.
De Silva said: “I like the idea of
learning around problems and learning
skills to make the world a better place.
My A levels being all in science and
maths was not personal choice;
I’m also int
interested in history
and liter
literature.”
Fish said: “I’m in-
Fisher
teres
terested in so many
diff
different things and
c
I couldn’t pick just
on
one subject to
st
study for three
y
years. University
is such an invest-
m
ment but just
ha
having a degree
doe
doesn’t mean you
h
will have a job at the
end of it.”
Throug
Throughout each term,
students will tackle the “prob-
lems” by studying concepts and
lems”
theories from different academic disci-
plines. They will also learn a wide varie-
ty of methods — across arts and scien-
ces — to investigate and produce solu-
tions, including coding, analysing
numbers and clear writing skills.
Sitting in the building’s daylight-
flooded attic, renovated with triangular
tables, dangling plants, “writing” walls
and the smell of fresh paint, the stu-
dents ooze enthusiasm. Teachers in-
autumn. Halimah Begum, a law student
at Aston University, Birmingham, who
spent her first year doing classes via
Zoom, is among those hoping for a
more face-to-face university experi-
ence this year. “I do hope that things
will be very different this year . . . I don’t
want to be in the situation where we're
just a bit abandoned,” she said.
The Russell Group, made up of 24 re-
search universities, said that the shift to
digital learning had long roots and that
the pandemic had improved under-
clude Waqas Ahmed, founder of the
DaVinci Network and author of The
Polymath , who has a BSc in economics
and postgraduate degrees in inter-
national history and neuroscience.
Before running the LIS, Fidoe was a
manager at the consultants McKinsey,
which he left to co-found one of the first
free schools in 2012. He also used to run
a theatre company.
He said: “At A level, students have to
ditch subjects that they love and that
means you stop doing art or drama.
Students have to tell the story that
they’ve always wanted to just do
science, but for so many that’s just not
true.”
“There are also still access problems
for some students to university and the
reliance on A levels, so it felt like there
was a big opportunity to try and change
the ancient system”.
Students applied to the university
rather than through Ucas. Admissions
tutors gathered bespoke information
looking at each applicant’s background,
with no minimum grades bar.
“We interviewed them twice — one
was an academic interview and one was
more about their attitudes, where we
assess them on what they’re curious
about, why they’re motivated,” Fidoe
said. “We’ve invested a huge amount of
time in this, we spent hundreds of hours
deliberating. We made academic offers
that were bespoke for their context and
we gave some additional tasks to do like
to write an essay, if we were a little bit
worried about their English.”
Too many traditional degrees leave
students taking individual modules
standing of how technology could
“enhance the teaching experience”.
Although most seminars, small group
classes and lab work would be taught in
person, conventional lectures “are
likely to feature much less in future”, it
added.
The National Union of Students
(NUS) said that online lectures had im-
proved accessibility for many students
while making learning more difficult
for others. Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, the
NUS vice-president, urged institutions
17
News
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE
without understanding the connection
between them, he added.
The small institution has big ambi-
tions. It can house up to 300 students
and the founders say they could take
over neighbouring buildings or move in
a few years so it can teach more than
1,000 undergraduates. Next year LIS is
launching a masters in arts and science.
This year’s students who fear that their
maths is not up to scratch can drop into
the on-site Quantum Café for support
and coaching in a relaxed setting.
The inspiration for the course was
the realisation that the world’s biggest
problems need an interdisciplinary
approach. Students learn quantitative
and qualitative methods such as survey
design or graphic research, statistical
analysis or coding.
Another co-founder is Carl Gom-
brich, who was a professorial teaching
fellow of interdisciplinary education at
UCL and who is cautious of the word
polymath. “People misunderstand it,
they think you have to be Leonardo
Da Vinci. For me it’s much more about
recognising that most lives these days
involve understanding both arts and
science.
At Nmite students learn in studios
between 9am and 5pm, Monday to
Friday, 46 weeks a year. That time is a
mix of learning from academics, team-
work, independent work, practicals and
solving challenges set by industry.
Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon,
its president and chief executive, said
that opening its doors was “one of the
most exciting achievements in the
history of engineering education”.
to put students “front and centre of
decision making”.
At Bath University, one student
union officer said that satisfying all par-
ties was impossible: “It’s a bit like Goldi-
locks and the three bears; for some it’s
too much, for some it’s not enough, and
for others it’s just the right amount.”
The University and College Union
will ballot this month on whether to
strike over pensions, making it likely
that most universities will be hit by
walkouts before Christmas.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
diary@thetimes.co.uk | @timesdiary
Parris makes
a break for it
Tomorrow’s London Marathon has
a record 22 sitting MPs taking part.
Alun Cairns, the former Welsh
secretary, is perhaps favourite, with
a personal best of 3hr 28min, but
that is a long way behind the record
by an MP of 2hr 33min, set by our
own Matthew Parris in 1985. Parris,
above, recalls hearing the crowd’s
roar in the final miles and thinking
in his egotism they were cheering
for him “until I realised I was just
behind the leading women”. Asked
if he has any advice for this year’s
athletes he says: “Your constituents
are not quite as interested in your
heroics as you hoped. There are less
painful ways to attract attention.”
As Matt Hancock, one of those
running, knows sadly all too well.
what might have been
With 20 books to his name, on
subjects from George III to
Napoleon, the historian Andrew
Roberts sometimes feels wistful that
he is always writing about Great
Men rather than being one. “Walter
Scott said every historian slightly
despises themselves for not making
history and that’s definitely true for
me,” he tells Tatler. But Roberts
2GM
TMS
admits he lacks the emotional
qualities to be a politician. The
biggest problem? “The amount of
boring people you have to speak to.”
Five years ago Andrea Leadsom
almost became prime minister. Now
she contents herself with being the
Tory Super Mario. Writing for The
House magazine about the delights
of the conference exhibition hall,
Leadsom says proudly that she was
once “the fastest MP to join two
pieces of pipe together at the Pimlico
Plumbers stand”. That’s one way of
preventing a leak investigation.
when boris bunked off
When Boris Johnson resigned as
foreign secretary in 2018, he may
have seen his spell in the wilderness
as being like Churchill. His former
special adviser saw him more as
Ronnie Barker. Lee Cain tells
Politico that Johnson was given a
“punishment office” in the bowels of
the Commons, a cell that reminded
him of HMP Slade in Porridge. “We
used to be like Fletcher and
Godber,” Cain says of learning from
the old lag. Eventually, of course,
they escaped and life became like
another sitcom: Yes . . . Fawlty Towers.
After yesterday’s item on the clock in
11 Downing Street being half an hour
fast, Jeffrey Littmen emailed to say
that Edward VII also set the clocks at
Sandringham fast to allow more
daylight for shooting. George V kept
the quirk but the future Edward VIII
had them corrected as his father lay
dying. “I wonder,” Archbishop Lang is
said to have sighed, “what other
customs he will put back.”
theatre open, case closed
Nothing proves an actor’s worth like
how they handle another’s mistakes.
John Lithgow found this when
Glenn Close saved him on
Broadway. At the end of the first act,
new characters arrived and he was
to go off to collect their luggage and
bring it onstage. On the first night,
he forgot to return and went to his
dressing room, up three flights of
stairs. After the stage manager found
him, Lithgow ran back to hear Close
still valiantly ad-libbing, including
the line as he entered: “They can’t
have had that much luggage.”
patrick kidd
War on woke splits
the National Trust
Nina Lloyd
Members of the National Trust are
waging a campaign against the charity’s
perceived indulgence of “woke” issues.
Restore Trust, a group of 6,100
current and former trust members, is
endorsing six candidates it believes will
re-prioritise heritage to fill vacancies
on the charity’s council.
Last month it emailed trust members
drawing attention to the opportunity
for a change in personnel. It urged re-
cipients to consider voting for people
who could steer the charity, which has
5.5 million members, back to traditional
purposes such as “looking after the
countryside” and curatorship.
While the 36-member council does
not hold the same governing power as
the board of trustees, it does play a role
in appointing the board. Restore Trust
is also proposing that the council has
the chance to “veto” whoever is nomi-
nated as chairman or chairwoman.
The group plans to table resolutions
on issues including full disclosure of
senior staff pay and the marginalisation
of volunteers. It will also condemn the
sacking of some expert curators.
The trust, which is 125 years old, infu-
riated some of its longest-standing
members last year by publishing a
115-page report into the links between
its properties and slavery and colonial-
ism, which included references to
Winston Churchill.
Among the candidates Reform Trust
19
News
backs for the council is one who argues
that many in the countryside feel that
the charity leadership is failing to listen
as it implements new policies. Another
accuses the charity of being “obsessed”
with “LGBTQ+ issues”.
Since forming after the report’s
publication, the rebel group has won
considerable support from Conserva-
tive MPs and other trust members. A
fighting fund of £40,000 has been
raised and a following of at least 10,000
supporters has been built.
This year Tim Parker, the charity’s
leader, resigned after a proposal from
Restore Trust for a vote of confidence,
although the trust said that he had
always intended to step down after the
pandemic crisis had passed.
Some figures involved in the
National Trust have accused Reform
Trust of fighting against multicultural-
ism and holding an overly traditional
view of “Englishness”.
“While I wouldn’t say they’re exactly
the same [as with Brexit], I think what is
happening to some degree at the
National Trust has a certain sense of
trying to preserve a notion of England,”
Raj Pal, a historian and member of the
charity who contributed to its report on
colonialism and slavery, told The
Guardian.
“It’s a sense of trying to use the
National Trust as a temple to a certain
level of Englishness of the past
uncontaminated, in some people’s eyes,
by all this multiculturalism.”
20
News
News Coronavirus
PPE boss ‘told furlough staff to
Ben Ellery, Martin Williams
Peter Geoghegan
A company that won £40 million in
Covid-19 contracts has been accused of
forcing staff to work while on furlough
and threatening them with the sack if
they spoke out.
KAU Media Group (KMG) wrongly
claimed tens of thousands of pounds in
furlough funding while pocketing
multimillion-pound government con-
tracts to deliver personal protective
equipment (PPE). The deals were
awarded without competitive tender,
despite the London-based digital mar-
keting company having no experience
with PPE.
An investigation by The Times and
the OpenDemocracy website can
reveal that one of its directors,
Mohammed Kashif Khokhar, 40,
known as Kash, quickly banked
£10 million for himself and his wife.
Since then he has bragged about his
expensive lifestyle, posting pictures of
himself online wearing a £130,000
watch behind the wheel of a Lambor-
ghini and at Wembley watching
England play in the Euro 2020 finals.
An employee who sent a formal com-
plaint to HM Revenue & Customs
about being made to work while fur-
loughed did not receive a response. In
an audio recording Khokhar is heard
warning that anyone who spoke out
would be “removed from the business”,
saying: “There should be a level of fear.
If someone makes accusations about
the business, about furlough . . . or
f***ing reporting to HMRC, they can
go f*** themselves.”
He confirmed that staff were “asked
to be reactive to clients” while on
furlough but denied they were forced,
saying that this “information has been
taken out of context”. He also said the
furlough money had been repaid in full.
In March this year reports of possible
furlough fraud topped 26,000, raising
fears that Rishi Sunak’s job protection
scheme had been abused. The scheme
funded 80 per cent of people’s salaries
up to a certain level. The initial rules said
that furloughed staff must stop working
to be eligible. Companies were not
allowed to claim support for those who
continued working.
The Times has seen evidence includ-
ing payslips, emails, WhatsApp messa-
ges and audio recordings that purport
to show KMG staff were expected to
V2 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
continue working while being paid
80 per cent of their usual salaries.
More than half a dozen former
employees, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said that they were scared
of being fired if they spoke out. One
said: “I was furloughed, and I worked
basically full time the whole time. I was
made to work.”
Another said: “Either you accepted,
or you resigned.” A third said that they
worked “flat out”, while a fourth said
that “everyone was made to work”.
An all-staff email from bosses on
March 27 last year confirmed: “Every-
one in the company has agreed to be
furloughed.” However, the following
month Khokhar sent staff a WhatsApp
message saying that anyone with “IT
issues” should “come in [to the office] so
I can sort them”.
One employee said: “[We worked] as
much as we could . . . You’d be in trouble
if you weren’t. People got pretty upset Kash Khokhar and Abz Masood, above centre, and right, ran KMG,
about it, being forced to go against what which secured big PPE contracts, despite having no experience
they knew was right by the govern- in the industry. Khokhar has posted pictures of his Ferrari
ment. We just all got told to toe the line
and work or we'd be fired — so we did.”
Messages show that in April a staff
member posted in a group chat saying
that they had just “come off a call with
a client”. Another mentioned that some
people were “in [the] same office”.
In May a boss messaged: “FYI folks
— monday is a business day in the UK!
i had previously thought it was a bank
holiday but had forgotten its changed
this year.” Another message shows a
manager talking about the need to get a
new client “live” as soon as they pay.
Payslips which state “furloughpay
(80%)” correspond with messages at the
time showing that staff were working.
Khokhar, who runs the company with
Mohammed Abid Masood, known as
Abz, said that he had stopped claiming
furlough in June when he became aware
that staff activities extended beyond jointly with his wife. The company leaders in healthcare advertising and ment’s flexible furlough scheme, under
“taking the odd phone call from a client”. charged KMG £10.1 million in “broker- have a deep understanding of the which employees worked part time.
Although Khokhar says he repaid age fees”, before being quickly wound market as well as the contacts to deliver Khokhar told this newspaper: “You
HMRC the furlough money, staff say he up, allowing the money to be passed di- PPE. Contracts were delivered in full clearly are speaking to disgruntled em-
never repaid them the missing 20 per rectly to the couple. Khokhar said: ahead of schedule and saved lives.” ployees therefore the opinion is one
cent from their salary. “True, what does this have to do with That month staff were told they sided. Our staff would say the contrary.”
In April last year KMG, whose web- the price of bread? You have also failed could return to the office in London and In a statement KMG said: “Our staff
site states that its clients include Citro- to identify the millions of pounds of tax- the company withdrew from the fur- were asked to be reactive if a client
ën, Mitsubishi and Samsung, was es paid to the government as a result.” lough scheme. It has about 27 employ- reached out during this period as there
awarded government Covid-19 In June last year KMG was given a ees and is thought to have claimed tens were no part-time furlough options
contracts worth £20 million to supply £20.3 million PPE contract for the de- of thousands of pounds. Official data available from the government. This
coveralls and gowns to the NHS. About livery of masks and aprons. Former em- also reveals that KMG received at least has been communicated transparently
two weeks after the deals were ployees said they had no idea how the £175,000 between December last year to HMRC and we have paid back the
confirmed Khokhar set up a shell com- company had won such contracts. and June this year. KMG said that dur- furlough in full for that period.”
pany called MKEDO Limited, owned Khokhar said: “We are market ing that period it took up the govern- The Department for Health and
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 V2 21

News
News

work’ The national picture

How many people have Covid-19?
There were 36,480 new cases reported on
Thursday, bringing the total to 7,807,036
or 116.9 for every 1,000 people
Daily cases
After 18 months, Australia to
let stranded expats fly home
6.5% increase from seven days ago
(based on seven-day moving average)
Bernard Lagan Sydney
Seven-day National 60,000 World update
average R number Australian states will begin to reopen to
0.8 to 1.1 40,000 Global cases Global deaths Deaths per million population
international arrivals in November
when vaccination rates reach 80 per 233,742,102 4,782,950 Rank Now Jan 31
20,000 cent, allowing thousands of marooned 1 Peru 6,047 1,234 (16)
expatriates to return home. Most new cases 2 Bosnia & Herz. 3,233 1,431 (7)
0 International arrivals have been 1 US 110,594
Oct Jan Apr Jul 3 N.Macedonia 3,201 1,367 (10)
restricted for 18 months, stranding tens 2 UK 36,480 4 Hungary 3,125 1,296 (14)
How many are in hospital? of thousands overseas. Departures 5 Bulgaria 3,005 1,299 (13)
have also been limited. 3 Turkey 29,104
There are 6,853 patients in hospital being 6 Czechia 2,844 1,523 (5)
treated, of whom 813 are on ventilators. An The reduced numbers of travellers 4 Brazil 27,527 7 Brazil 2,807 1,048 (24)
additional 657 patients have been who have been allowed to enter Austra- 5 India 26,727 8 Argentina 2,548 1,057 (23)
admitted, down 13.7 per cent in seven days lia have been required to spend two
to Sep 26 when this data was last updated 6 Russia 23,330 9 Colombia 2,482 1,047 (25)
weeks in mandatory hotel quarantine. 10 Slovakia 2,315 836 (37)
Hospital admissions Under plans announced by Scott 11 Paraguay 2,271 378 (68)
Seven-day
4,000 Morrison, the prime minister, borders Countries reporting most deaths
12 Georgia 2,243 797 (40)
average will open next month to vaccinated 1 US 697,851 13 Belgium 2,209 1,833 (3)
3,000 travellers who have taken a pre-flight 14 Slovenia 2,194 1,836 (2)
2 Brazil 596,749
2,000
Covid-19 test. Travel would not imme-
3 India 448,339 15 Italy 2,165 1,460 (6)
diately be open to foreigners but the
4 Mexico 16 Mexico 2,152 1,214 (18)
1,000 government is working “towards 277,507
17 US 2,108 1,309 (11)
welcoming tourists back”. Expats, upon 5 Russia 203,549
0 18 Tunisia 2,106 565 (51)
Oct Jan Apr Jul arrival, will no longer have to spend 6 Peru 199,367
time under hotel quarantine. Instead, 19 Croatia 2,105 1,225 (17)
7 Indonesia 141,939 20 UK 2,013 1,555 (4)
How many have died? they must stay at home for a week. 8 UK 136,662 Data supplied by Johns Hopkins University. US data
On Thursday, there were 137 deaths “It’s time to give Australians their fluctuates because of irregular reporting by different
9 Italy 130,921
reported, bringing the total number in the lives back,” Morrison said. “The gov- states. Figures as of 6pm yesterday.
past seven days to 859. The rolling average ernment’s intention is that once 10 Colombia 126,299 Source: Our World in Data, selected countries
number of daily deaths is 122.7, down from
142.6 a day a week ago
changes are made in November, the
current overseas travel restrictions hospital fire in Constanta. It was
Deaths
Seven-day 1,500
related to Covid-19 will be removed and
Australians will be able to travel subject
Mask sceptics’ the third deadly hospital blaze in a
year, causing anger over the
average
1,000
to any other travel advice and limits, as
long as they are fully vaccinated and
those countries’ border settings allow.”
Stars of David nation’s dilapidated infrastructure.
russia
500 The government has developed vac- united states The Kremlin said it had no plans
cine passports based on QR codes that The mayor of Anchorage, Dave to impose a lockdown after 887
0
will certify a passenger’s vaccine status. Bronson, has apologised after the deaths were reported, the fourth
Oct Jan Apr Jul The announcement was welcomed Jewish community objected to him consecutive record daily total.
by Qantas, which will accelerate the re- defending the use of yellow Stars “The dynamic is bad. It elicits
How does 2021 compare? sumption of international flights by a of David by Alaskans opposed to a concern,” Dmitry Peskov, the
There were 11,009 deaths from all causes month, to November 14, beginning with proposed order requiring masks in government spokesman, said.
recorded in England and Wales in the week three return flights a week from Sydney indoor public spaces and large Russia has had only one
to September 17, of which the coronavirus to London and Sydney to Los Angeles. events outdoors. He had told a nationwide lockdown, at the start
Social Care defended the awarding of accounted for 7.7 per cent. The number of For most of the past 18 months, public meeting that the use of the of the pandemic last year.
weekly deaths was 1,703 higher than the
PPE contracts, saying that all procure- five-year average for the same time of year
residents have only been permitted to symbol by anti-mask campaigners
ment went through robust assurance leave Australia for exceptional reasons was “a credit” to its Jewish origin.
processes. The department did not 20,000 such as essential work or to visit a dying pakistan
respond to questions about KMG’s relative. Entry has been limited to citi- japan Unvaccinated adults were banned
contracts, or whether the company 2020/21
15,000
zens and others with travel exemptions. A state of emergency was lifted for from domestic flights, adding to
delivered on the deals. Morrison said that the 14-day hotel the whole country for the first time measures to stop them working in
HMRC said that it could not com- quarantine, which costs each arriving in more than six months. Daily offices and visiting shopping malls.
ment on the company’s furlough claims 10,000 traveller A$3,000 (£1,600), would end. reported cases fell to below 1,600 Nearly 30 million people are fully
because confidentiality rules prevent- It will be replaced by seven days of on Wednesday, less than one tenth vaccinated in a population of
ed it from discussing identifiable tax- 5,000 home quarantine for jabbed travellers. of the mid-August peak of 25,000. 220 million. There is no shortage
payers. A spokesman said that anyone Five-year average The most populous state of New of vaccines but many people have
who believed an employer had abused 0
South Wales is expected to be the first romania been hesitating. The bans do not
the furlough scheme should report it to Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul state to cross the 80 per cent threshold, Seven Covid-19 patients died in a affect children.
its fraud hotline. *figures from Thursday 6pm in a few weeks.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Lock him up, says
princess fighting
ex-Blair fundraiser
over £2m divorce
David Brown
An Austrian princess is seeking to have
a British diplomatic adviser jailed for
allegedly failing to pay her a £2 million
divorce settlement.
Her Serene Highness Princess
Marie-Therese von Hohenberg claims
that Anthony Bailey, a former fundrais-
er for Tony Blair and PR consultant, is
enjoying the “life of Riley” at his Portu-
guese mansion despite being barred
from travelling abroad.
The allegations are deeply embar-
rassing for Bailey, 51, who once had two
knighthoods and counts Baroness
Scotland of Asthal, the Common-
wealth secretary-general, among his
international backers. He denies any
wrongdoing.
This week Bailey remained behind
the locked gates and security cameras
that guard the mansion — complete
with a large outdoor swimming pool —
in the heart of the historic town of Sin-
tra on the outskirts of Lisbon.
The couple married in 2007 in a
£1 million ceremony described by the
celebrity magazine Hello as “one of the
most glittering society weddings of the
year”. Six hundred guests attended the
event at St Peter’s Abbey in Salz-
burg followed by a reception at
the city’s Festival Hall.
The bride, then 35, is a great-
granddaughter of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, whose as-
sassination led to the First
World War. The groom, two
years her senior, from Ruislip,
northwest London, is the son
of a retired engineer and a
foster carer.
The wedding was followed
by a civil ceremony at the
National Palace of Pena in
Sintra before the couple settled
in Twickenham, southwest
London. They became local ce-
lebrities while Bailey toured the
world as an ambassador and advis-
er to Middle Eastern and eastern
European royalty, companies and
governments.
Bailey’s influence was enhanced
by his revival of the Sacred Military
Marie-Therese von Hohenberg
married Anthony Bailey in 2007. He
is staying at his mansion, above
Constantinian Order of Saint Ge-
orge, which brought together influen-
tial members of the Catholic clergy,
vestiges of obscure European monar-
chies, and politicians.
Baroness Scotland was a member
of the order and attended a ceremo-
ny in 2014 at which the government
of Antigua and Barbuda presented
Bailey with a knighthood in recog-
nition of its charitable work
Jorge Sampaio, who was then
Portuguese president, appointed
Bailey as Commander with Star of
23
News
the Order of Infante Dom Henrique in
2005 for furthering the country’s rela-
tions with Saudi Arabia.
The Antiguan knighthood was
rescinded in 2017 after the islands’ gov-
ernor-general, Sir Rodney Williams,
reported that there had been “irregu-
larities”. Grenada had already revoked
another knighthood.
Bailey said at the time he had been
assured by the governor-general that
the decision “was due to an administra-
tive and legal error on the part of the
Antiguan government”.
The collapse of Bailey’s marriage has
mirrored the downfall of his career as
an envoy and consultant.
He has resigned from the Order of St
George saying he is “suffering with sig-
nificant health concerns and the con-
tinued impact of five years of personal
familial tragedies”. His eponymous
international consulting company has
been dissolved after its final set of ac-
counts showed debts of £220,000.
Mr Justice Holman, sitting in the
family division of the High Court in
London this week, said he was “very
sympathetic” to the situation Princess
Marie-Therese found herself in, having
spent £800,000 on legal fees. The judge
has been asked to jail Bailey for con-
tempt of court and a further hearing
will take place next month.
Princess Marie-Therese’s lawyer,
Julian Ribet, said after the hearing:
“Having been involved in litigation
with Mr Bailey for over five years and
given the approach that he has chosen
to adopt [Mrs Bailey] has no option but
to ask the court to intervene to compel
Mr Bailey to do that which he has
already been ordered to do by the court.
She has not taken this step lightly.”
Bailey has declined to comment. The
High Court was told he disputes the
allegations against him.
24
News
Stop and search for glue and
locks to prevent road protests
Patrick Maguire Red Box Editor
Matt Dathan Home Affairs Editor
Priti Patel will announce a series of
police powers to prevent disruptive
protests in her speech to the Conserva-
tive Party conference next week, The
Times has learnt.
Police will be given powers to stop
and search individuals they suspect are
carrying devices intended to lock
themselves to critical infrastructure,
such as handcuffs, bike locks or glue.
Insulate Britain activists have glued
themselves to several motorway junc-
tions to cause massive disruption over
the past three weeks. It takes police 15
minutes to unstick each protester’s
hand.
The new stop and search powers —
which are set to be included in meas-
ures that will be announced in Patel’s
speech on Tuesday — would be similar
to the police’s ability to stop individuals
they suspect of carrying knives.
Last night it was also disclosed that
there are plans to make participation in
Insulate Britain protests and obstruc-
tive action against the HS2 rail expan-
sion project a specific offence.
Patel will also close a legal loophole
that means a highway is no longer a
highway once it is closed, which limits
the charging options for police.
All measures, which were still being
finalised by Patel’s officials last night,
2GM Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
that “obstructs traffic on major A
Where the protests A1
M11 roads” as well as motorways.
and arrests were 18 9 People would be in breach of the
injunction if they damaged the road
Date of 29 M1 BARNET surface or infrastructure, which would
protests 15 Insulate Britain
include glueing themselves to roads or activists fasten
17 M25 abandoning their vehicles, sources said. themselves together
Sept 13 M40 ILFORD
Activists breaching the injunction using bicycle locks
Sept 17 would be in contempt of court, which
London carries a maximum sentence of two
M4 13 years in prison or an unlimited fine.
Sept 20
53 36* J14 Shapps tweeted: “Activists who
Sept 21 invade and glue themselves to roads
10 and motorways represent unaccept-
Sept 27
M3 CROYDON 11 12 able, disruptive and dangerous behav-
Sept 29 J6
iour.”
38 Two injunctions granted last month
14
Yesterday *36 arrests at J6 Four miles apply only to the M25 and the A20 at
and J14 combined the port of Dover.
The two government departments in
will be added to the Police, Crime, Sen- Junction 1 of the M1. Later the M25 was charge of dealing with the protests are
tencing and Courts Bill, which is going blocked at Junction 25 for Waltham at loggerheads over the failure to find a
through parliament, sources said . Cross in Hertfordshire, despite an way of preventing roadblocks.
News of the measures came as minis- injunction banning protests on that Priti Patel, the home secretary, was
ters applied for a court order to ban motorway. said to be “amazed” at delays at the
protests on all major roads in southeast Grant Shapps, the transport secre- Department for Transport, which is
England, following a Whitehall row tary, said that National Highways, for- responsible for the government’s legal
over the failure to stop them. merly Highways England, was drawing action over the disruption.
Climate activists from Insulate Brit- up an application for an injunction on National Highways is applying for a
ain staged a tenth day of protests in less protests that would apply on all major “contra mundum injunction”, which
than three weeks yesterday. The police roads in the southeast. Ministers were would apply to anyone who breached
arrested a total of 39 people at three optimistic that it would be granted. its terms, not only those formally noti-
roadblocks. The Times understands that the fied. Ministers hope to submit the appli-
Activists brought traffic to a standstill injunction would apply to “any of the cation for a full injunction by Monday,
during the morning rush hour at Junc- highways of the strategic road network in time for a High Court hearing later
tion 3 of the M4 near Heathrow and linked to the M25”. It would ban activity in the week. Police needed specialist equipment to
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 25

News
PETER CZIBORRA/REUTERS; LNP
Banned from the M25 by a court
injunction, protesters from Insulate
Britain block the M1 at Staples Corner in
Mat is used to north London yesterday
protect activists
from any sparks i
individuals can take up to a
released by the ffortnight — during which they are
angle-grinder free to return to protest again.
Towel is put over Ministers are planning to
the head of second overcome these problems by
protester for safety applying for a broader “contra
mundum injunction”, which will
apply to anyone in breach and not
require each protester to be served.
They will also seek a full injunction
covering all major roads.
However, government lawyers
have warned that applying for a
nationwide injunction would risk it
being rejected by judges on the
grounds that it is disproportionate.
Those arguing for a more hardline
approach have criticised
government lawyers for being too
emergency injunctions risk-averse and have blamed a lack
Cat and mouse to prevent further disruption on
specific motorways. But that means
of experience among lawyers for
National Highways, which has
game courts will playing cat and mouse with Insulate
Britain. The tenth day of protests
ultimate responsibility for applying
for and enforcing the injunctions,
struggle to stop yesterday exposed the two main
reasons why the injunctions —
for its sluggish response.
Even the hardliners admit the
barring protests on the M25 and the government can only go so far.
Analysis A20, after protesters blockaded the “You’re always going to get idiots
port of Dover last week — have glueing themselves to the floor —
nsulate Britain activists have proved ineffective. you can’t stop them leaving their
Police use an
angle-grinder to cut
through bicycle lock
Ear defenders and
a face shield are
used to protect
the protester
I outfoxed police forces,
ministers and the courts to
continue causing motorway
chaos for three weeks (Matt
Dathan and Jonathan Ames write).
Because they were committing
public order breaches that do not
Firstly, the injunctions did not
cover other highways, so about 30
protesters were able to block parts
of the M1 and M4 — a highly
predictable response. Secondly, even
when protesters did return to
protest on the M25 yesterday, the
homes, you can’t lock them up
indefinitely,” a Whitehall source
involved in the discussions admitted.
So whether or not motorists will
continue to be hit by disruptions will
come down to how willing and
determined Insulate Britain activists
incur custodial sentences, the injunction did not apply to them. are to repeatedly break the law —
protesters could not be detained for Why? Because the injunctions and how many substitutes will take
more than 24 hours and were bailed were for “persons unknown”. their place if they are detained.
without restrictive conditions. Protesters first had to be arrested It is a war of attrition that even
free protesters who blocked a motorway junction near Heathrow yesterday The government applied for and named. Serving them on the courts will not be able to stop.
26 2GM Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

News

BBC executives handed pay rises of up to 40%

Jake Kanter Media Correspondent
Half the BBC’s top executive team have
been awarded pay rises of up to 40 per
cent even as the corporation cuts jobs
and prepares for a below-inflation
licence-fee deal.
The salaries of five of the BBC’s ten-
strong executive committee were in-
creased, including that of Tim Davie,
the director-general, whose pay rose by
16.6 per cent to £525,000 last month as
part of an agreement signed when he
took office last year.
The pay rise for some members of the
committee came after a promotion.
Rhodri Talfan Davies was made direct-
or of nations after running operations
in Wales; his remuneration increased
by 40 per cent to £260,000. Charlotte
Moore was elevated to chief content
officer, adding radio to her duties run-
ning television. Her salary increased by
9 per cent to £402,000.
Others took on additional responsi-
bilities. Gautam Rangarajan received a
10 per cent pay rise to £199,000 after he
was made group director of perform-
ance as well as strategy.
Bob Shennan, the BBC’s group man-
aging director, was the fifth member of
the top team to receive a raise. He takes
home £310,000, a rise of 2 per cent.
Bectu, the TV and radio trade union,
was critical of Davie’s “gargantuan” pay
rise. Noel McClean, its national secre-
tary, said it was incomprehensible at a
time when the BBC had cut 1,200 jobs.
He said: “BBC funding and the licence
fee are a political football that the BBC’s
enemies love nothing more than to kick
about. Unfortunately Tim Davie has
left them with an open goal this time.”
Other executive committee mem-
bers also earned more during the latest
financial year. Tom Fussell, the acting
chief executive of BBC Studios, re-
ceived a bonus of £27,000. His total
earnings, which were not disclosed, are
drawn from BBC Studios’ commercial
revenue, rather than the licence fee.
BBC Studios has previously said it
would not be appropriate to award
bonuses linked to financial perform-
ance during the pandemic. Fussell
received his for the “achievement of
personal objectives”.
June Sarpong, the director of creative
diversity, was paid a part-time salary of
£267,000 in the year to the end of
March, compared with £75,000 in her
first five months at the BBC. The BBC
said it reflected her working more
hours.
Sarah Jones, the BBC’s group general
counsel, who sets executive committee
pay, also benefited from a salary in-
crease following an external bench-
marking exercise. Her pay rose by 4 per
cent to £289,999.
Fran Unsworth, the outgoing direct-
or of news, and Kerris Bright, chief
customer officer, stayed on £340,000
and £360,000 respectively. Leigh
Tavaziva earns £400,000 after joining
in February as group chief operating
officer.
The BBC cut total executive commit-
tee pay by £1 million this year after
nearly halving the number of members.
A spokesman said: “Like most organisa-
tions if individuals are promoted or take
on more responsibilities then that is
reflected in their pay. Our salaries are
below market rates.”

MARC LANGLEY

Rock star Anna Taylor, 23, has become the first woman to complete all 83 routes
in the Classic Rock guidebook to British climbing. Her journey took her 62 days

Carer stole from centenarian

Will Humphries
A carer who withdrew thousands of
pounds from the bank account of a
100-year-old woman has been found
guilty of fraud.
Rhian Horsey, 55, carried out seven
acts of fraud between 2011 and 2017,
stealing a total of £226,300 from Iris
Sansom. Horsey, of Groesfaen, Ponty-
clun, south Wales, denied the charges
but was found guilty by a jury at Cardiff
crown court yesterday.
Horsey began caring for Sansom at
her home in Cardiff after she suffered a
heart attack in 2003.
The carer was trusted with running
her financial affairs and would use a
credit card to withdraw funds on her
behalf. Sansom’s daughter became con-
cerned after noticing “sudden and sig-
nificant withdrawals”.
James Wilson, for the prosecution,
said Horsey had systematically exploit-
ed Sansom. She was “living a life
beyond her means” and had used the
money for expensive holidays.
Horsey will be sentenced on Monday.

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the times | Saturday October 2 2021 27

News
ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA
The Queen and Prince of made it and said we did
Wales marked the start a lovely job.”
Queen’s jubilee tree of the tree-planting
season at Balmoral
Lilian Field,
headmistress at the
school, said: “We made
scheme takes root they were joined by
children from Crathie
quite a special card.
Every child made a
he Prince of beech, planted as part Primary School. picture of a tree and

T Wales
suggested
that he and
the Queen
were hostages to
fortune as they planted
a sapling in the
of the Queen’s Green
Canopy scheme, the
heir to the throne
remarked: “Let’s hope
it will survive.”
The project is
designed to “create a
Pupils from the school
have undertaken
nature projects as part
of the initiative, and
were exploring woods
in the grounds of
Balmoral on Friday.
we put it together in a
concertina-like way.”
The Green Canopy
project encourages
people to join in, with
the tagline: “Plant a
tree for the jubilee.”
grounds of Balmoral lasting legacy” in Some of the children The scheme
Castle to mark the advance of the 70th were wearing crowns encourages planting to
beginning of a national anniversary of her made of twigs and take place between
tree-planting season reign, which will make leaves, prompting the October and March, to
(Jack Malvern writes). her the first British Queen to say: “They give trees the best
As they poured soil monarch to celebrate a don’t look very chance of surviving.
around the copper platinum jubilee. comfortable. They’re Photographs of the
like a bird’s nest.” royal planting will be
The Queen, wearing The pupils presented added to the project’s
a headscarf patterned the Queen with a interactive map. The
with leaves, and the handmade card to first pin on the map
prince, who is officially mark the end of her marks a Verdun oak
described as the Duke traditional summer planted by the Queen
of Rothesay when in break at her Scottish and prince in Windsor
Scotland, planted the residence. Annie Great Park this year.
tree at Balmoral’s Hutchin, aged six, said: Plants to inspire a nation,
cricket pavilion, where “She asked how we leading article, page 33

‘Creepy Epstein
party attended by
Andrew was like
Eyes Wide Shut’
Will Pavia New York
It was billed as Jeffrey Epstein’s return
to high society: a dinner party where
the paedophile, fresh from serving a
prison term, hosted the Duke of York,
broadcasters and celebrities at his
Manhattan townhouse.
In the years since, most of the guests
have become reluctant to speak of it.
But the television presenter Katie
Couric has offered a vivid description of
the evening in her book, comparing the
setting to the Stanley Kubrick film Eyes
Wide Shut, in which a secret society
gathers in a mansion for masked orgies.
The townhouse on the Upper East
Side is said to be the largest private resi-
dence in Manhattan. Guests entered
through a 15ft high oak front door, set in
a stone façade bearing the initials JE.
It was “Eyes Wide Shut with a twist —
creepy chandeliers and body-part art,”
Couric writes, according to an extract
published by the Daily Mail. A visitor in
2003 reported that the entrance hall
was lined not with paintings but with
“row upon row of individually framed
eyeballs”, imported from England and
originally made for injured soldiers.
Couric said women came to take
their coats and her boyfriend remarked
at how young they seemed. It was
December 2010 and besides Prince
Andrew the guests were the
broadcasters Charlie Rose
and George Stephano- no-
poulos, Woody Allen n was strange that some-
and his wife Soon-Yi
and the comedian
Chelsea Handler.
Couric said Ep-
stein held court
before a fireplace.
For dinner they
were served lasagna
In Eyes Wide Shut a
secret society meets in a
mansion for masked orgies
in shallow bowls. “I couldn’t imagine
what Epstein and Andrew were up to,
apart from trying to cultivate friends in
the media,” she wrote. Epstein was
charged with sex trafficking minors in
July 2019 and took his own life the
following month. In the days after his
arrest, several guests from the dinner
expressed regret that they had attend-
ed. “I should have done more due dili-
gence,” Stephanopoulos told The New
York Times. Handler called the dinner
“so awkward and so weird” in an inter-
view on the podcast Literally! “When I
got there I was like, ‘What is this gather-
ing?’ Prince Andrew was there with —
no, with no one, I guess he was there
with Jeffrey Epstein.”
She said Allen was seated next to her
and she asked how he met his wife
Soon-Yi, the adopted daughter of
Allen’s former partner Mia Farrow. “I
had forgotten for a moment . . . but as it
came out of my mouth, I knew it was
too late,” she said. “The kicker is that
Woody Allen was actually amused by
the question, because in the company
of those men of course he was.”
The guests had been invited at the
last moment by the publicist Peggy
Siegal, who has since said that she had
no idea the Florida charges against
Epstein involved minors. Epstein called
her on the day of the party, explaining
that he was h hosting Prince An-
drew, sh she told Vanity Fair
last yyear. “I thought it
one who actually had
p
a prince in his house
as a house guest
co
couldn’t figure out a
fe people to invite
few
fo
for dinner?
Andrew told
Ne
Newsnight in 2019 the
part
party was merely “a
d inne and he had gone
dinner”
tto
o stay with Epstein to
b reak off th
break their friendship.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Forward the Fuel Brigade!
Charge for the pumps!
Giles Coren
Page 30
Starmer as prime minister? Yes, it can happen
The past few decades of election results have defied all predictions, so don’t let anyone tell you Labour cannot win
Matthew
Parris
‘N
ow,” said The
Independent, “it is
crunch time. We can
reveal the pollsters’ final
forecasts. Their average
prediction is that the Conservatives
will win the most seats but won’t be
able to put together a majority. So,
Ed Miliband would become prime
minister with the support, whether
he wants it or not, of the SNP.”
That was just before the 2015
general election, which David
Cameron won with an absolute
majority. But, believe me, I do not
mock. Here’s the headline above a
column by somebody called Parris a
couple of years ago, as Boris Johnson
cruised towards victory in his party’s
leadership elections: “Johnson
premiership will fall apart in a year.”
As I watch the Tories gather this
weekend for their Manchester
conference, while the massed ranks
of media commentators mingle with
them, this column is not about
finger-pointing. It’s about a human
error that’s as old as politics: thinking
we have the least idea what’s going
to happen.
We so rarely do. Forget talk of
Johnson striding to victory/ limping
towards a hung parliament/ falling
apart. Forget wise prophecies of Sir
Keir Starmer’s demise/ survival to
fight an early/ late general election
ending in Labour’s collapse/ victory/
coalition. We haven’t a clue. Our
future politics is totally up for grabs.
We can expect nothing, anticipate
nothing. Nobody’s got it sewn up,
and nobody should despair. As
Margaret Thatcher loved to repeat:
Carol Midgley Notebook
I couldn’t be
prouder of
my lawn’s
dark patches
T
he new bone of contention
in our house concerns
dozens of brown splodges
on the lawn caused by the
dog voiding her bladder.
Are they a terrible eyesore that “ruin
the garden” (one spouse’s tetchy
take) or a symbol of triumph (mine)?
Well it’s obvious: the scorched earth
patches are badges of honour. Every
spot of “lawn burn” means one less
nitrogen-rich puddle on the carpet,
gold stars for my brilliant toilet
training skills.
Our dog was rescued from the
“The unexpected always happens.”
A catalogue follows for whose
itemisation I do not apologise
because an awkward truth needs to
be rubbed in: we should not flinch
from telling our embarrassed selves
how unhelpful the crystal ball of
punditry keeps proving. I start where
my detailed political memory starts,
on the road to Margaret Thatcher’s
triumph in 1979. A year beforehand
this could not have been predicted
because nobody predicted Labour’s
“Winter of Discontent”, or its effect
on the national psyche. Soon,
however, her government was in
deep trouble. Then the Falklands
conflict saved her bacon. Nobody
had predicted that either.
John Major’s victory in 1992 came
as a surprise to many: Neil Kinnock
thought he had it in the bag. Nor did
the pundits predict the scale of Tony
Blair’s success five years later, but a
mood of “that’s enough of the
Tories” was sweeping the nation and
A month after it began,
Cleggmania ended in
seats lost at the polls
these gales, when they blow, change
everything — yet are almost
impossible to forecast. The wind rises,
and drops, without obvious warning.
Thus we didn’t (how could we?)
see Cleggmania coming: the Lib
Dems hit 30 per cent in April 2010.
And we didn’t see it going: a month
later his party actually lost seats in
the general election. The Tory-Lib
Dem coalition surprised us too: we’d
been talking about a Labour-SNP (or
Lib Dem) coalition, prospects that
disappeared in a puff of smoke. The
coalition’s viability proved an even
bigger surprise, but the biggest was
for the Lib Dems, whose popularity
streets of Bucharest and had
never been in a house so
initially took a broad view of
what constituted a “toilet” (RIP
every rug in the house). But
we all cheered each garden
wee like she had just won
Olympic gold and she
began to twig that al-fresco
voiding was good. I can
hardly say to her now:
“Actually, remember all
that praise? Unlearn it.
You’re wrecking what
Kirstie Allsopp calls ‘kerb
appeal’.”
We didn’t have this
problem with our previous
male dog: leg-cocking is
kinder to lawns than
squatting. Tips to offset the
bleach-damage include
hosing the area afterwards
and using paint spray,
which literally turns the grass
green, like a bottle blonde
touching up her roots. I’ve now
sank even as the buoyancy of the
coalition endured. None of this was
foreseen. None was foreseeable.
The Conservatives were not
expected to win in 2015. Having won
they were not expected to lose the
2016 Brexit referendum. Which of us
warned Theresa May that an easy
win in 2017 would prove a mirage?
“A massive Tory majority is likely on
June 8,” predicted one observer, yet
all Britain’s agonies over a Brexit
withdrawal agreement stemmed from
May’s shock election collapse. Had it
not been for Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival
(from nowhere — we didn’t see that
coming either) she would have lost.
And then came her successor and
his 2019 general election. “The UK
could be heading for another hung
parliament as Boris Johnson’s poll
lead is cut in half,” reported one
publication on the eve of that
election, citing “YouGov’s highly-
anticipated MRP poll”. Johnson
triumphed because the Corbyn effect
kicked in. Installed in No 10, he has
easily weathered the last two years:
largely because of the intervention of
Covid-19. Corbyn, Covid: two random
and unpredictable pestilences.
Johnson’s stroke of (political) luck in
both contracting and surviving the
virus is yet another of those bolts
from the blue that are beyond our
powers to foresee.
Enough. I’m blaming no one, but
look at how wrong we kept getting it;
look at how often what swings
history is an event, or more often a
complicated interplay of events, that
our powers of projection are too
crude to trace. We’re facing
backwards in this train and can see
only what has passed. Ask any
meteorologist about weather-
forecasting: yesterday is quite a good
guide to today, and today a fair guide
to tomorrow, but next month? It’s not
that, with the means and information,
bought some “Pee-Fix”, a
probiotic neutraliser. It promises
to repair the grass
and, with luck,
marital relations.
Free rides
A
mid the “fuel
crisis” may I
ask where
you stand on
freewheeling? I once
knew someone who,
when driving downhill,
would smugly
announce “free ride
time!” like Alan
Partridge in his string-
back gloves, then slip
into neutral while
boasting that it saved
petrol. Does it? I know
skipping gears and
emptying your boot does
but I can’t see how coasting for
30 seconds saves fuel more than
just easing off the accelerator. I see
Comment
The ‘Winter of Discontent’ transformed
Margaret Thatcher’s chances of victory
we couldn’t in principle predict the
long-term weather; it’s just that so
vast an abundance of data is way
beyond human reach or collation.
And so it is with politics. You or I
could make an intelligent list of
factors which might shape our
politics over the next few years. The
economy, inflation, Brexit, scandal,
human misjudgment, the clash of
political ambitions, global problems,
an NHS crisis . . . they are legion; but
we cannot forecast the likelihood,
magnitude or order of their arrival,
still less the effects of their
combination.
As I watch Labour’s and now the
Tories’ conferences, I can tell you
only this: that it is far, far too early
for Johnson to be optimistic of
success, for Labour to despair of
Starmer, or for Sir Keir himself to
write off his chances of being in
online some people argue coasting
actually uses more petrol. So you’re
paying to lose control of your vehicle.
High-fashion wedgies
I
never embraced the trend for
pulling up your thong or
underpants to show above your
waistband but if that’s your bag I
bring mixed tidings. The good news is
that Balenciaga has launched £900
“sagging sweatpants” with sewn-in
boxer shorts peeking over the top.
The bad news is that it stands
accused of culturally appropriating
black youth culture. Fashion is so
tricky, isn’t it? You could argue this
trend has existed ever since children
began giving each other eye-
crossingly painful wedgies in PE. If
only we’d known how achingly
vogueish it looked.
The first and best
T
he creator of Have I Got News
for You wants to bring back
Angus Deayton, saying he has
29
Downing Street within a few years.
Starmer (who as a party leader
comes across to me as boring,
lacklustre, unoriginal,
circumlocutory, fussy, timid and
politically maladroit) has had a
decent conference. With confidence
we can already say of him this: he is
not stupid, not mad, not evil, not an
ideologue, and his instincts are
cautiously centrist. Many such men
have become prime minister.
Quick-witted Johnson
has streaks of both
genius and rascality
Of Johnson, now facing his own
conference, we can already say this:
he’s quick-witted, crafty, unreliable,
dishonest and accident-prone, with
streaks of both genius and rascality
— easy to fall for and easy to detest.
Such men — think Disraeli — have
proved survivors before.
Starmer’s great obstacle is his party.
Johnson’s great obstacle is himself. If
Johnson (whose MPs dislike him)
stumbles, or if our country gets into
serious difficulties, there is no
reason why Starmer could not win a
general election. It might prove
tough to get an absolute majority,
though landslides do happen, but it’s
easily imaginable that the Tories
could lose theirs.
In short, this conference season
will end with the future cloudy and
everything to play for. Don’t write
anyone, or anything, off.
red box
For the best analysis
and commentary on
the political landscape
thetimes.co.uk
served his time after being sacked in
2002 over his enthusiasm for drugs
and prostitutes. I agree. Deayton
may seem insufferably smug and
supercilious but he was the best
presenter the show ever had.
No matter the myriad guest hosts
since (the funniest including Jo
Brand, Alexander Armstrong, Martin
Clunes and David Tennant). They
never managed the same chemistry.
This applies to most TV shows:
when the original host quits or dies it
is never quite the same.Take
Question Time with Robin Day: the
first and the best. Ditto Magnus
Magnusson on Mastermind, Bamber
Gascoigne on University Challenge,
Brucie on The Generation Game,
Richard Whiteley on Countdown.
The exception was Blankety Blank
when people thought it would flop
without Terry Wogan. Les Dawson
couldn’t flop to save his life.
@carolmidgley
30
Comment
Forward the Fuel Brigade! Charge for the pumps!
Luckily for him, Tennyson had something a bit more heroic to write about than soldiers delivering a tanker of unleaded
Giles
Coren
A
s “several hundred”
British troops prepare to
begin delivering fuel to
depleted petrol stations
up and down the
country, with some saying they will
be vital for the delivery and
protection of gasoline, and others,
such as the Conservative MP,
former soldier and general military
enthusiast Tom Tugendhat
claiming the gesture is “more
symbolic than real”, it occurred to
me to wonder what some of the
great war poets of the 19th and 20th
centuries might have made of this
latest dashing escapade of the
British Army . . .
The Charge of the Fuel Brigade
after Alfred Tennyson
Half an inch, half an inch,
Half an inch onward,
Outside the Heston Services
Crawled the six hundred.
“Forward, the Fuel Brigade!
Charge for the pumps!” he said:
All down the M4
Queued the six hundred.
“Forward, the Fuel Brigade!”
Was there a price displayed?
Nope, Not a drop in stock
Boris had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to really try:
Melissa Harrison Nature Notebook
The harvest
moon marks
change of
the seasons
T
he moon was full and I
wanted to see her. Weeks of
building work at home and
travelling to promote books
had left me feeling lost and
unsettled, unsure of where the year
was in its natural cycle.
The seasons are a way to mark time
and hold steady through changes,
one I’ve relied on since
childhood. Now I
wanted to connect
myself to
autumn, which
I felt was
happening
without me — not
just to the idea of
it, but to its feel
and smell and
sound.
We get only one
harvest moon a
year, and in good
weather it can be
To get some petrol
To the six hundred.
School mums to right of them,
School mums to left of them,
School mums in front of them
“Petrol!” they thunder’d;
Got to get our kids to school
We deserve all the fuel!”
“Never mind you shirkers,
Save it for the key workers!”
Yelled the six hundred.
Came to the exit, there,
Coasting on fumes and air,
“Can we blame the Brexit ’mare?
Raise the ghost of Tony Blair?”
Keir Starmer wondered:
“Will the Labour Party settle
If I show some ‘worker’ mettle?”
“Up yer bum, yer Tory scum!”
Came the angry lady’s heckle.
Conference was sunder’d.
Which please the Left, but not
Not the six hundred.
Shortages to right of them,
Shortages to left of them,
Shortages behind them
“Save Christmas!” they thunder’d;
Have to get the turkeys through,
Non-drop trees and toys too,
Without them, what will England
do?
A fate far worse than Death,
To be Christmasless,
“Boo hoo, boo hoo.”
Wept the six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
Depends if there’s a difference
made!
All the world wonder’d.
Their names will only be held far up
If they helped us fill the car up.
spectacular. Once, its light was a
boon for farmers and fieldworkers
working into the night to gather in
the last of the crops; modern
agricultural techniques mean we’re
now able to bring them in a little
earlier, and the arable fields around
my Suffolk cottage have been stubble
for weeks.
The light was failing when I
walked out of the village along a
sandy, rutted track. Already, tawnies
were sending out their wavering
cries from the dim spinneys, and
once I heard the hissing screech of a
barn owl, below, from somewhere
closer to hand. Now and then came
the high, unsettling drone of a
mosquito, while the hedgerows were
full of the sudden rustles of small
creatures, not all of which would live
to see the moon set.
The sky darkened to
velvet overhead and the
fields around me
became indistinct. Only
b stepped aside to let a car pass — but
Venus broke the blue,
until at last, above the
black papercut of the
treeline to the east,
a faint glow
appeared, as
though orange
chalk had been
smudged across
gauze. And then,
as I stood and
watched from the
Fear not, the cavalry will be arriving
soon at a petrol station near you
Fingers crossed, Fuel Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Anthem for Doomed Fuel
after Wilfred Owen
What forecourt snacks for these who
bring us diesel?
Only the monstrous Ginsters
sausage rolls,
Only the vomitous pasties, made of
weasel,
And Pringles from the basket by
the till.
No deployment now for them; no
beers nor girls
Nor any voice of warning, save the
choirs
The shrill, demented choirs of
empty autumn acres, 2021’s harvest
moon rose huge and warm and full.
Something made me turn, then —
I couldn’t say what. Behind me a
shape was barely visible in the
darkness, and I had the sensation of
being watched. I took out my torch
and in its bright beam saw a lone roe
deer turn and bound away until, at
the field’s edge, it paused, and
looked, and I caught the twin stars of
its eyes.
I shut off the torch and walked on.
Mars had joined Venus overhead and
crickets chirped from the bramble
banks and thickets, one with the
rhythmical tick of a bicycle wheel; a
faint drone spoke of a distant aircraft
somewhere. When I reached the
road I turned back towards the quiet
village as at last the constellations
appeared, the Plough wheeling high
over the outlying farms.
Then a beam of light briefly
illuminated the road ahead and I
there were no cars. The chopper’s
drone came now from somewhere
above me, and again I had the
sensation of being observed. It was
an Army Air Corps Apache on a
training exercise from RAF
Wattisham, circling and turning in
the darkness; and as the harvest
moon at last grew bright enough to
cast shadows, I walked the rest of the
way home with an invisible escort
that kept pace with me, high overhead.
wailing horns.
And drivers shouting at them from
Zafiras.
The Old Petrol Station, Grantchester
after Rupert Brooke
. . . Yet
Stands the Church clock at ten to
three?
And is there diesel still for me?
Adlestrop
after Edward Thomas
Yes, I remember Adlestrop —
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up
there
Unwontedly. It was out of fuel.
The General
after Siegfried Sassoon
“Good-morning, good-morning!”
the General said
When we met him last week on our
way up to Shell.
Now the cars we was driving are
most of ’em dead,
And the lorries and Transits and
mopeds as well.
“He’s a cheery old card,” grunted
Harry to Dan
As they slogged up to Esso for gas in
a can.
But he did for them both, with the
government plan.
The Soldier
after Rupert Brooke
If I should dry, think only this of
me:
The gold-green frog that made itself
at home in Melissa Harrison’s pond
Newsworthy foxes
B
uilding work on my cottage has
revealed a treasure trove of old
newspapers and magazines
stuffed behind a sheet of chipboard.
One, from 1968, features a story
about foxes being seen in London.
“They come in from the countryside
and outlying suburbs just like anyone
else — by Underground,” runs the
report, explaining that “its cuttings,
tunnels and embankments make an
ideal night highway.”
How strange to think that these
most commonplace of London
residents were so unusual as to be
newsworthy just half a century ago.
The London Wildlife Trust estimates
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
That there’s some corner of a
foreign forecourt
With petrol, unlike England.
The Fuel Crisis as It Appeared
to Eco-Warriors at Its
Commencement
after Wordsworth
Oh! pleasant exercise of hope and
joy!
For mighty were the Tesla cars
which then stood
Upon our side, we who were strong
in love!
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to drive an electric was very
heaven!
Dulce et Decorum Est
after Wilfred Owen
. . . Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! An ecstasy
of fumbling
Grabbing the rusty fuel cans just in
time,
But someone still was yelling out and
stumbling
“You missed a drop, that’s liquid gold,
you swine!”
Dim through the misty panes and
thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him
siphoning . . .
For the Broken (down)
after Laurence Binyon
We shall drive not cars
As those who have left drove cars
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning
We’ll get the bus.
there are more than 10,000 resident
foxes in the city, keeping down
rodent numbers and taking
advantage of all our waste and mess.
In fact, these days it’s far easier to
see them in the capital than it is out
in the countryside.
Urban fox control was abandoned
in the 1980s after it was discovered
that culling made no difference to
population levels; far better, anyway,
to accept that we share the world
with other creatures which are,
individually and collectively, just as
important as us.
My pond comes to life
I
n June I dug a tiny pond in my back
garden, less than a metre square
and almost entirely shaded by a
fence. It was the only spot I had, and I
didn’t hold out much hope for it; but
while I was out pulling down the last
of the faded sweet peas I glanced over
and saw it held a beautiful gold-green
frog. I’d be very surprised if I get
spawn in spring, but even if I’ve just
provided a refuge and watering spot
for these lovely, declining amphibians
I’m thrilled. Never has the RSPB’s
strapline seemed more accurate: if
you build it, they will come.
The Stubborn Light of Things: A Nature
Diary is out in paperback now
@m_z_harrison
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
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We see police now as just men with handcuffs
Sarah Everard’s killer wasn’t a single bad apple; he was given cover by a profession that is rotten through with misogyny
Janice
Turner
@victoriapeckham
W
omen woke to find a
new item on our
stay-safe list. Beneath
“stick to well-lit
streets” and “wear
flat shoes you can run in”; after “text
your taxi’s number plate to a friend”
and “clutch keys in your fist like a
claw” came new guidance: “Don’t
trust a policeman working alone.”
Is this our duty too? To adjudge on
dark nights whether men paid with
our taxes to protect us may prefer to
kill us? The North Yorkshire police
commissioner Philip Allott said that
Sarah Everard “should never have
submitted to arrest”. But women are
raised to comply. It’s drummed into
us: be good, be kind. Sarah got into
Wayne Couzens’s car because, in
visiting her friend, she knew she’d
broken lockdown rules. Sorry, officer,
I’ll come to the station. Handcuffs?
Are you sure? OK . . .
No more. If Naomi Alderman’s
novel The Power, in which women’s
rage converts into high-voltage
electricity, were true, skies would
crackle, buildings blaze. Not just for
2GM
Sarah or Sabina Nessa, bludgeoned
crossing a park, or Julia James,
walking her dog, or Nicole Smallman
and Bibaa Henry, enjoying a summer
night. Nor even for all 80 women
killed by men since Sarah. But
because we will no longer accept male
violence, and the misogyny which
underpins it, being shrugged away.
The police should have no doubt
this is their Jimmy Savile moment.
Cressida Dick chose the day Couzens
pleaded guilty to kidnapping and
rape to talk about the odd ‘bad ’un’ in
the force. But what does that make
colleagues who let him slide across
the spectrum, from slapping a female
cop’s backside to stopping only
women motorists, using personal
details to loiter outside their homes.
Protesters lying on the
M25 are ‘political’ but
women are collateral
Women now know that acquiring the
nickname The Rapist is no
impediment to a police career.
It’s all banter isn’t it, just a laugh?
Couzens, spotted driving around
naked from the waist-down? A kink,
maybe. (Once flashers were comedy
staples, now it’s argued that indecent
exposure is an outdated offence in
our sex-positive age.) Couzens using
violent pornography or hiring
prostitutes? Only a prude would
judge. (Unembarrassed men browse
PornHub right beside you on a
train.) Every warning sign that
Couzens saw women as disposable
objects was glossed over, not even
picked up in professional screening
which granted him a gun.
Because we never riot and, alas,
lack electric super-powers, police
disregard our deaths. Even our grief
at the Sarah Everard vigil, where
officers stomped flowers and
strong-armed speakers, wasn’t
worthy of the respect protesters
receive for lying on the M25. They
are political: women are collateral.
If a man is freaked out by
lockdown he might kill his wife of 44
years: Ruth Williams. If he’s drunk,
horny and has watched choking porn
he might strangle his mistress: Sophie
Moss. (Both men got five years.) All
these reported pillars of the
community, decent dads, nice, quiet
blokes who just “turned”. Nothing to
see. Just an annual 150 or so one-offs.
Yet Sue Fish, the former chief
constable of Nottinghamshire, has
spoken of “institutional misogyny” so
ingrained in the decision-making
“they don’t realise they are doing it
and why”. She reports police calling
young women “whores” or “sugar
tits”, older ones “Dorises”.
No surprise that Couzens and
colleagues traded racist and
misogynist WhatsApp messages or
that other Met officers posed for
selfies by Nicole and Bibaa’s dead
bodies. Because we know northern
police forces ignored gangs trafficking
underage girls for sex for decades,
since they were just “little slags”. We
learnt this week that police chiefs
disregarded undercover cops having
sexual relationships with women by
deception. The impunity of the penis
rules the police, as elsewhere.
Now a third of officers are women,
yet it is still hard to complain about
Since 2009 at least 15
serving or ex officers
have killed women
men like Couzens. Parm Sandhu, a
former chief superintendent, said
female officers hesitate to report
colleagues lest they be labelled as
troublemakers so “when you press
your emergency button on your
radio for back up, no one comes and
you get beaten up in the street”.
In a super-complaint lodged by the
Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), of
which I am a trustee, 666 women
reported abuse by police officer
partners. Australian research has
shown that since policemen tend to
have more authoritarian personalities
they are more likely to be controlling
spouses, yet their conviction rate for
domestic violence is 3.9 per cent
31
Comment
compared with a 6.2 per cent
average in the general population.
CWJ argues this is because the
police service looks after its own.
Abusive officers told their wives that
since colleagues would investigate
their claims, they would never be
believed. Indeed, in case after case
women report that witnesses aren’t
contacted, statements and evidence
lost, no further action taken. (CWJ
wants a separate channel for police
partners to report abuse away from
boys’-club meddling.) No wonder
that since 2009 at least 15 serving or
ex-police officers have killed women.
This statistic is from the femicide
census, the annual list read in
parliament by Jess Phillips compiled
by the campaigner Karen Ingala
Smith from news reports. She does
this because, astonishingly, the
government doesn’t keep data on
how many women are killed by men.
The first of many acts police need to
perform to win back women’s trust is
create a femicide league table showing
which forces have brought women’s
deaths down. And spare us that sly
obfuscation “gender-based violence”.
It is time for the demands of
violence against women campaigners
to be addressed. Cressida Dick should
dedicate her remaining years to this
most intractable crime. Male violence
is a problem with the deepest, most
tangled roots. And police are just men,
but with handcuffs and warrant cards.
32
Letters to the Editor
Seeing your GP
Sir, Further to your report “Patients
still struggle to see GPs after
lockdown” (Oct 1), I am sure GPs are
doing their best to see as many people
as possible. However, when I trained
to be a nurse we were taught to look
for signs and symptoms. If a GP does
not see a person these signs cannot be
seen, and if patients cannot articulate
their symptoms then they are at risk
of having serious health problems
overlooked. Professor Martin
Marshall, chairman of the Royal
College of GPs, suggests that “GPs
strive to deliver the same quality of
care whether a consultation is remote
or in person”. I am sure they do strive,
but patients are disadvantaged by this
lack of face-to-face consultation and
it is time for a change.
Catherine Havill
Luton
Sir, Now that doctors are allowed to
refuel their cars in “empty” petrol
stations (letter, Sep 30), are tanker
drivers going to be given face-to-face
GP appointments?
David Coldicott
Dartmouth, Devon
Salacious drama
Sir, I could not agree more with
Richard Morrison (“Tim Davie should
think again about the BBC’s Jimmy
Savile drama”, The Arts Column,
Times2, Oct 1). Dramatisation of
events long past become of historical
interest whereas dramas of recent
crimes are salacious and voyeuristic
and must add greatly to the distress of
victims and their families.
How long will it be before one of
the networks thinks it acceptable (and
profitable) to portray the tragic story
of Sarah Everard?
Shelagh Dixon
Ampthill, Beds
Letters to the Editor must be exclusive
to The Times and may be edited. Please
include a full address and daytime
telephone number.
Corrections and
clarifications
6 A guide to wild swimming
suggested walking from Rydal Mount
to Buckstones Jum, Cumbria
(Weekend, Sept 25). We have been
asked to make clear that part of this
route may in fact cross private land.
Buckstones Jum can be reached on a
public right of way from Ambleside
via Birk Hagg Woods. A guide to
autumn fell running the same day
gave an incorrect postcode for the
carpark in Craster, Northumberland.
The correct postcode is NE66 3TW.
The Times takes
complaints
about editorial
content seriously. We are committed to
abiding by the Independent Press
Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules
and regulations and the Editors’ Code of
Practice that IPSO enforces.
Requests for corrections or
clarifications should be sent by email to
feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to
Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge
Street, London SE1 9GF
German delight in the woes of Brexit Britain
Sir, Peter Tiede of Bild is right when
he says that UK hauliers avoided
paying attractive wages to recruit UK
drivers into what is a solitary, stressful
and unsocial hours job by taking on
low-wage Eastern Europeans instead
(“Oh, the delicious schadenfreude!
Germans grin at Britain’s misery”, Oct
1). British shipowners did exactly the
same when Merchant Navy ratings
began leaving the industry to use
their skills for better-paid jobs with
more home leave on offshore oil rigs.
In the case of my ship, the owners
replaced skilled UK ratings with
Portuguese former fishermen rather
than improve pay and conditions. The
Portuguese received less than half the
pay of the Brits and served five-
month tours of duty instead of the
British sailors’ four-week tours. Most
of the Portuguese ex-fishermen
understood little or no English and
lacked proper merchant vessel skills.
This made for a dangerous
operational situation as my officers
and I could never be certain that our
orders had been understood.
Tiede neatly sums up the attitude
of many UK employers, particularly
in the transport sector.
Peter Adams
Master mariner, Southwell, Notts
Met’s need to repair trust in the police after Everard’s murder
Sir, Given Wayne Couzens’s
background and manner in which he
carried out his atrocious crimes, it is
inevitable that trust and confidence in
the police has been eroded (“Crisis of
Confidence”, leading article, Oct 1).
How to repair that damage is far less
obvious. Dame Cressida Dick’s
statement and the announcements by
her deputy, Sir Stephen House, on
strategy and tactics are a start. I
would also point to the sense in many
of Harriet Harman’s proposals, though
her call for the resignation of Dame
Cressida seemed at odds with the
logic of the rest of her contribution.
A recurring theme over the past 24
hours has been the suggestion that
officers should routinely operate in
pairs to remove the risk of a “lone
wolf”. Irrespective of whether this
represents effective use of public
resources, I would be concerned that
women and girls might be rendered
vulnerable to predatory men who
might exploit this advice through
impersonation of a police officer.
A meaningful commitment by the
service to the safety of our streets
through a uniformed presence,
FRANCE
HOLDS AIR
SPEED RECORD
from the times october 2, 1921
France has retained her supremacy
in flying speed. The French airman
Kirsch won the Deutsch de la
Meurthe international air cup at the
Ville Sauvage aerodrome near
Etampes yesterday, when he covered
a 300 kilometre course in 1h 4min
39¼sec. His flying speed works out
as 278km, or nearly 175 miles an
hour. Last year’s “record” is thus
broken and had Kirsch tried to make
faster time there is little doubt but
that he would have done so. He was,
however, the last competitor to take
the air and the British and Italian
airmen had retired from the
Sir, Peter Tiede misses the point in his
comments about the fuel crisis. Driver
shortages as a result of Brexit and the
pandemic are only small contributors
to the problems we are facing. The
biggest contributor is the fragility of
the just-in-time supply chain. When
consumers behave predictably the
just-in-time supply chain works
brilliantly, ensuring that goods arrive
at the right place, at the right time
and in the right quantities. However,
when consumers behave
unpredictably, as we have seen this
week, the supply chain collapses. We
saw this with the panic buying of
lavatory paper last year, and it’s now
fuel. The media also has a role; after
all, this whole episode was triggered
by a small news story about a limited
number of forecourts running out of
fuel. Had this gone unreported,
consumers would have continued to
behave normally and there would not
have been a crisis. Germany would
experience the same crisis if rumours
of shortages were reported there.
Patrick Carr
Weald, Kent
Sir, Schadenfreude is always delicious
but may I remind Peter Tiede that
nearly half of those who voted in the
accompanied by a reduced reliance
upon telephone and points-based
responses to public reports of crime,
would greatly help. This would raise
questions of resources and
prioritisation but a visible and
responsive service is central to public
trust in our policing model.
Sir Paul Stephenson, QPM
Commissioner of the Metropolitan
Police 2009-11
Sir, Sarah’s Everard’s killer has rightly
been given a whole life sentence but
how was a man with such openly
sexist attitudes allowed to serve as a
police officer for so long, especially
when his behaviour had identified
him as a risk to women? The Met,
and other police forces, must end the
widespread sexism that has been
tolerated for far too long and which
prevents women from disclosing
abuse and violence. Although these
are attitudes that pervade society, the
women we work with continue to tell
us that their experiences at the hands
of violent men are belittled,
disbelieved and dismissed by police.
This cannot continue. Police forces
competition before his flight began.
Second place went to the French
pilot Lasne, who was just over five
minutes slower than Kirsch. Both
Frenchmen flew Nieuport Delarge
machines, that used by Kirsch being
a Sesquiplane (something of a cross
between monoplane and biplane),
fitted with a 360hp Hispano-Suiza
motor. The sensation of the day was,
however not Kirsch’s victory but
Sadi Lecointe’s crash and nearly
miraculous escape from death. Sadi
Lecointe was the first competitor out
and soon after 9 o’clock he started at
terrific speed. He had just covered
about a third of the course when his
propeller gave way under the strain
and was shivered into matchwood.
With wonderful skill, the pilot, who
was flying something like 200 miles
an hour, managed to guide his
machine near to the ground. When
it struck the impact was so terrific
that the aeroplane was smashed to
fragments. Sadi Lecointe, though
Letters to the Editor should be sent to
letters@thetimes.co.uk or by post to
1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
2016 referendum wanted to remain in
the EU. They, like me, will be reading
his amusing article with a wry smile
on their face.
Tessa King-Farlow
London SW8
Sir, In his commentary on the fuel
shortages in Britain, Peter Tiede
shows no understanding of the fact
that Brexit is a project rather than an
act, and one for which the outcome
won’t be known for many years.
David Newman
Peaslake, Surrey
Sir, Further to Emma Duncan’s article
“Why give visas to artists but not
HGV drivers?” (Comment, Oct 1), I
agree with her that all types of skill
sets are required across the UK. I do
not agree, however, that the best way
forward would be for the government
to set a cap on the number of working
visas and to auction them to
companies. Under this scenario, the
government would simply reduce the
number of visas artificially below the
number actually required, thus
pushing up the price to companies —
another company tax in the making.
Ian Borrington
Horsham, W Sussex
must take the following restorative
action: eradicate sexism and
misogyny at all levels; implement
mandatory training (such as that
provided by Women’s Aid) for all
police staff; balance the work force to
reflect gender equality; and, crucially,
treat violence against women and
girls as seriously as terrorism.
Police forces must stop placing
responsibility on women for their
own safety and recognise that violent
men cause violence against women
and girls. Only then can the police
start to repair the damage and begin
to rebuild the trust that has been
absent for too long.
Farah Nazeer
Chief executive, Women’s Aid
Sir, The murder of Sarah Everard
should not blind us to the fact that
men are still far more likely to be
victims of homicide than women.
Figures by the Office for National
Statistics for the year to March 2020
show that almost three quarters of all
homicide victims were male.
Jennifer Rees
Cardiff
badly shaken and dazed — when
picked up his first remark was,
“What time do we start?” — was
unhurt except for a few abrasions.
He is now in bed at his home in
Paris. When his machine failed to
reappear, gloom settled thickly over
thousands who had gathered to see
the flight, and rumour had it that he
was killed or badly hurt. Though,
happily, these stories proved untrue,
nervous tension overshadowed the
rest of the meeting. The British
competitor Herbert James, on a
Bamel-Gloucestershire biplane, was
generally considered to be favourite.
He covered the first 100km at a good
speed, flying considerably higher
than his rivals, but after entering the
second lap was compelled to
abandon the flight owing to the
loosening of the fabric and wires on
the lower wings of his aeroplane.
thetimes.co.uk/archive
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Art of architecture
Sir, James Marriott is right to
exonerate architects in the public’s
dissatisfaction with modern
architecture (“Architects are window
into our national soul”, Sep 30). Most
unloved, soulless recent buildings are
the result of unsuccessful attempts to
dress up lumps arising from
unconstrained commercialism or
incorporate unrelieved repetition,
which is the enemy of individualism.
Architecture can no longer confidently
express our disparate and multifaceted
democratic culture. Common strands
of relevance and taste are hard to
define. At the same time design
choices have multiplied as the
technological possibilities have
expanded. The basic tenets of good
design still apply but none of the past
styles can be honestly applied. The
challenge now is to produce
economical, low-carbon, energy-
efficient buildings that function well,
respect context and look good.
Jim Harbord, RIBA (ret’d)
Cirencester, Glos
Sir, James Marriott says that many
residents in Poundbury apparently
find the town “soulless” and like a
“film set”. I have lived in Poundbury
for 14 years and have never heard such
claims. There is a significant premium
for buying in Poundbury compared
with surrounding areas and, as all the
houses here seem to be snapped up as
soon as they are put on the market, I
think one can assume that people find
it an attractive place to live and are
not too concerned by any
“fundamental spiritual untruthfulness”.
Nigel Walker
Poundbury, Dorset
University bias tests
Sir, A ritual genuflection before the
conventional pieties of the day is not
a new demand (“St Andrews sets bias
tests for entry”, Oct 1). For nearly 300
years every prospective student at
Oxford was required, as a condition
of entry, to sign up to the Thirty-Nine
Articles of the Church of England.
Some did so willingly and sincerely;
others assented with varying degrees
of scepticism and disdain. This
detached and dispassionate attitude
has much to commend it.
Gareth Howlett
Edinburgh
Room with a pew
Sir, Stewart Coltart implies (letter, Sep
30) that churches were devoid of pews
until some 200 years ago, and hence
were previously available for such
non-religious activities as markets. In
fact virtually all churches had pews
about 400 years ago because the
Reformation led to longer sermons.
Also, there are numerous surviving
examples of churches with complete
sets of pews dating back as far as 600
years; these are widely scattered and
include Mullion in Cornwall and three
churches in Wiggenhall in Norfolk.
Emeritus Professor David King
Sutton Courtenay, Oxon
Zip it, buster
Sir, Apropos your report on small talk,
“Strangers on a train could bring you
deep and meaningful joy” (Oct 1),
should a fellow passenger ask me “If a
crystal ball could tell you the truth
about yourself, your life, your future
or anything else, what would you want
to know?”, my response would be: “Is
there a free seat somewhere else?”
Jan Wilson-Ward
North Bradley, Wilts
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Daily Universal Register
UK: Institute for Fiscal Studies report into
cost of UK achieving net-zero emissions by
its 2050 target; Henley Literary Festival.
France: Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe race, Paris.
Birthdays today
Sting (Gordon Sumner),
pictured, singer and bass
guitarist, the Police, and
solo, 70; Keith
Bradshaw, cricketer,
secretary and chief
executive, Marylebone
Cricket Club (2006-11),
58; Sir Trevor Brooking, footballer, director
of football development at the FA (2004-14),
73; Victoria Derbyshire, broadcaster, 53;
Anna Ford, newsreader, 78; Peter Frankl,
pianist, 86; Prof Sir John Gurdon,
developmental biologist, Nobel prizewinner
(2012), 88; Matt Hancock, Conservative MP,
health and social care secretary (2018-Jun
2021), 43; Diana Hendry, poet and children’s
writer, 80; Dr Francis Jackson, organist and
master of the music, York Minster (1946-82,
now emeritus), 104; Donna Karan, fashion
designer, 73; Annie Leibovitz, photographer,
72; Don McLean, singer, American Pie (1971),
76; George Nash, rower, Olympic gold
medallist (2016), 32; Phil Oakey, singer and
songwriter, the Human League, 66; John
Pienaar, broadcaster, Times Radio, deputy
political editor, BBC News (2016-20), 65;
Gordon Reid, wheelchair tennis player,
Paralympic gold medallist (2016), 30;
Prof Dame Nancy Rothwell, physiologist,
chairwoman, Russell Group, president and
vice-chancellor, University of Manchester,
66; Jon Speelman, chess grandmaster, 65;
Lisa St Aubin de Terán, writer, 68.
Birthdays tomorrow
Lena Headey, pictured,
actress, Game of Thrones
(2011-19), 48; Earl (John)
Attlee, government whip
(2010-14), 65; Zeinab
Badawi, BBC presenter,
trustee, The Royal
Foundation, 62; Bertram
Bowyer, Lord Denham, served in the
governments of five prime ministers,
government chief whip, House of Lords
(1979-91), 94; Charles Duke, astronaut, in
1972 he became the youngest person to walk
on the moon, 86; Sir Terence English,
surgeon, performed Britain’s first heart
transplant (1979), 89; Neale Fraser, tennis
player, Wimbledon champion (1960), 88;
Captain David Hart Dyke, naval
commander in the Falklands conflict (HMS
Coventry), 83; Denis Haughey, co-founder
of the SDLP, 77; Ven Dr Alex Hughes,
archdeacon of Cambridge, 46; Eddie
Hughes, Conservative MP for Walsall
North, minister at the department for
levelling up, 53; Rachel Maclean,
Conservative MP for Redditch, minister for
safeguarding, 56; Clive Owen, actor, Closer
(2004), 57; Earl (William) Peel, lord
chamberlain (2006-Mar 2021), 74; Sir
Shridath “Sonny” Ramphal, secretary-
general of the Commonwealth (1975-90), 93;
Jeff Randall, Sky News presenter (2007-14),
City and business editor, The Sunday Times
(1989-95), 67; Rev Al Sharpton, civil rights
activist, 67; Rebecca Stephens, mountaineer,
the first British woman to reach summit of
Everest (1993), 60.
On this day
In 1836 HMS Beagle sailed into Falmouth,
Cornwall, completing the naturalist Charles
Darwin’s voyage around the world. It had
left Plymouth, Devon, on December 27, 1831.
The last word
“Secrecy lies at the very core of power.” Elias
Canetti, Bulgarian-born writer, later a
British citizen, Crowds and Power (1960)
Transition Costs
Conservative voters show little sign of blaming Boris Johnson for the continuing
economic disruption. But the Tories must beware a deepening cost of living crisis
According to the normal laws of politics, the
Conservatives ought to be approaching their first
in-person conference since winning the 2019
election with trepidation. The feelgood factor
from the vaccine programme has given way to
rising anxiety about fuel and food shortages and
the rising cost of living. There is chaos at petrol
stations, energy prices are soaring, labour short-
ages across the economy and gaps on supermarket
shelves. Meanwhile the government has just
broken two manifesto promises by raising taxes
and scrapping the pensions triple lock to fund an
increase in health and social care spending. And it
is about to end the £20 a week rise to universal
credit which will hit the incomes of the poorest
families.
However, Boris Johnson has long been a politi-
cian to whom the normal rules of politics do not
seem to apply. He heads to Manchester this week-
end with an eight-point lead in the polls over
Labour whose own conference last week appears
to have done little to convince voters it is a viable
alternative government. As we report today, there
is little evidence from focus groups observed by
The Times that voters who supported Mr Johnson
in 2019 blame him for the country’s present
problems or are contemplating abandoning him.
Free speech restrictions imposed by some universities are becoming outrageous
Britain’s seats of higher learning have over recent
years found themselves compelled to address
issues regarding the longstanding, insensitive,
unfair, and on occasions plain illegal, treatment
suffered by some students in their care. Such self-
examination is sensible and important. Unpleas-
antness, let alone harassment, abuse, discrimina-
tion or, in some cases, assault, directed at anyone
on any basis should not be tolerated. This is partic-
ularly true in an environment dedicated to the
expression and exploration of differing opinions
and also charged with safeguarding the physical
and mental health of potentially vulnerable young-
sters living away from home for the first time.
Numerous recent reports of abuse, both histori-
cal and sadly current, reveal that some universi-
ties have over many years neglected to fulfil their
duty to provide a secure sanctuary. That neglect
applies particularly to women. Until relatively re-
cently the propositioning of female students by
male members of faculty was considered to be, if
not entirely desirable, then certainly routine and
unworthy of sanction. That this shameful ap-
proach is no longer acceptable is entirely welcome.
Greening the Realm
The Queen’s tree-planting should inspire a nation to follow suit
Now is the season to plant trees, and yesterday the
Queen and the Prince of Wales were doing their
bit, tamping the soil around a copper beech at the
Balmoral cricket pavilion. The Queen is by now a
dab hand with the shovel and has been leaving
arboreal mementos across her realm for decades.
Many of the saplings she has nurtured are mighty
oaks or maple, enough to shade entire parks. Now
she has launched something much more ambi-
tious: the greening of all the kingdom, with a
project to mark next year’s Platinum Jubilee by
getting schools, scouts, villages, cities, counties
and corporates to plant trees in her honour.
Nearly 80 per cent of those who took part believed
he was doing a good job in trying to grapple with
crises ranging from the pandemic to driver short-
ages beyond his control.
This will only reinforce Mr Johnson’s belief that
he can ride out what is certain to be a difficult
winter. Indeed, after weeks in which the govern-
ment has tried to deny any link between the prob-
lems facing the economy and Brexit the prime
minister now appears determined to embrace the
disruption as evidence of the success of Brexit. In
an interview with The Times today he says that the
country faces a choice: “Do we go forward with
steady improvements in productivity or back to a
policy of low-wage, low-skilled, uncontrolled
immigration?” The answer to the lorry driver
shortage, he said, was for haulage companies to
improve pay and conditions. Kwasi Kwarteng, the
business secretary, underlined the point yesterday
when he acknowledged that the country was in the
process of a transition to a new economic model.
Nonetheless the government needs to be realis-
tic about how long this transition may take and the
continued disruption it will cause. Ministers may
be rightly frustrated with businesses for not
making the necessary investments sooner to pre-
pare for the prospect of labour shortages, given
Beyond all Reason
That said, some of the clumsy efforts of universi-
ties to make amends for their past sins are both ri-
diculous and sinister, an object lesson in the perils
of lurching from one extreme to the other. Anx-
ious deans and vice-chancellors are in record time
switching from laissez-faire complacency to
embracing absurd wokeist orthodoxy.
As we reported yesterday the University of
St Andrews requires new students to sit, and
indeed “pass”, a so-called bias test before they can
matriculate. This is the latest example of unworld-
ly academics running scared of an outcry dictated
by social media that they do not fully understand
but feel they ought nonetheless to try to assuage.
That, at least, is the charitable explanation for
the University of St Andrews requiring students to
agree, in an induction questionnaire, with the
statement that “acknowledging your personal
guilt is a useful start point in overcoming uncon-
scious bias”. If they tick “disagree” respondents are
marked incorrect. Too many “wrong” answers to
this and other similarly egregious questions and
the newcomer must retake the relevant module,
presumably until the response is deemed suitable.
In ancient times Britain was covered by forests
and woods; today it has less tree cover than almost
any European nation. One aim of the Queen’s
Green Canopy is also to identify and protect 70
ancient woodlands and identify 70 ancient trees to
mark her 70 years on the throne. Diversity and
variety, today’s buzzwords, are the key. Britain
does not need yet more pines to add to gloomy
Highland ranges waiting to be harvested. It needs
deciduous as well as evergreen trees: oaks, poplars,
sycamore, limes and beeches as well, if possible, as
those much missed elms and ash.
Anyone can plant a tree. The incentive is not
33
Leading articles
that it has been clear for five years that free move-
ment for European Union workers was going to
end, but it will take time to recruit and train the
workers to fill the vacancies across the economy. It
takes 18 months, for example, to train a butcher.
And while the government has increased the
number of HGV tests, lorry driver training centres
are already operating at capacity. Nor will rising
wages necessarily lure workers to jobs in meat-
processing or fruit-picking in rural areas if there is
a shortage of affordable housing.
The danger is that the looming cost of living
crisis will worsen in the coming months, not least
as higher wages in those sectors suffering short-
ages are passed on to the wider economy in the
form of higher prices. Retailers are warning of less
choice on shop shelves this Christmas while some
families may find the cost of a turkey is beyond
reach. Mr Johnson will need to do more in
Manchester than proclaim his trust in market
forces. The cost of living ranks third in the list of
the concerns of voters, while nearly all the Tory
supporters in our focus groups were opposed to
the cut to universal credit. Voters may not blame
Mr Johnson for the shocks to the economy, but
they may be less forgiving if they conclude he has
not done all he could to cushion the blow.
What on earth can the authorities at St Andrews
have been thinking? What, one wonders, is the
nature and scope of the “personal guilt” which the
average fresher, eager to begin his or her studies,
is supposed to acknowledge? Being white and
comfortably well-off, perhaps? Since when did an
18-year-old’s ethnicity or social class become
grounds for a confession of personal guilt? If
St Andrews has a troubled conscience, as well it
might given its well-documented preference for
admitting privileged undergraduates, there are
better ways to atone.
It’s a strong word, guilt, especially when levelled
at an 18-year-old. What is one so young likely to be
guilty of? Accusations of “unconscious bias”
sound like an injunction to abjure any opinions
not considered acceptable by the box-ticking
bureaucrats who compiled the questionnaire.
Such a fixation with enforcing groupthink
constitutes a form of indoctrination utterly inimi-
cal to the purpose of universities. St Andrews, the
third most ancient university in the English-
speaking world and recently ranked the best in the
country, ought to be ashamed of itself.
simply to give structure to a garden, but to feast on
the apples, pears, mulberries and plums that will
fill fruit bowls every autumn, or to amuse the child-
ren with a monkey-puzzle tree or conkers from a
chestnut. Orchards can be planted by farmers,
councils line roads with silver birch and villages
can mark out the boundaries of a new copse.
There is also a compelling reason to plant trees:
to suck carbon from the air and mitigate climate
change. This is the rationale for the Queen’s other
project, to get the whole Commonwealth planting
trees. She in an indefatigable arboriculturist.
Others should be inspired to pick up their spades.
34
Comment
Trying not to
mention the war
is a losing battle
Rose
Wild
Feedback
@timesfeedback
A
ndrew Brooke writes from
Pulborough, West Sussex,
“I enjoy reading history
and I am moderately
interested in the Second
World War. Clearly a lot of books are
written about it, and it seems that
your book review section has
adopted a policy of reviewing every
one of them. I’m not criticising the
books, or indeed the reviews, but I do
get tired of this concentration on one
event, however significant it may
have been. Could not your review
section occasionally skip the war in
favour of something different?”
This is a complaint which I suspect
the editors of books pages must
sometimes feel like directing towards
the publishers, but there seems no
prospect of the subject losing its
appeal, or for a let-up in the supply
of new works. As far back as 1975
Alan Coren, then a writer for Punch
and later for this newspaper, asked
WH Smith what subjects were
guaranteed to sell a book. The reply,
pets, golf and Nazis, resulted in his
collection of essays, Golfing for Cats,
which had a cover featuring a cat
playing golf in front of a large
swastika, but with none of those
subjects mentioned inside the book.
Miles Kington, reviewing it for The
Times, remarked, “My only worry
now is how Mr Coren is going to
combine four or five fashionable
subjects in his next book. The
Edwardian Diary of a Country Dog
Cookbook, with Introduction by Prince
Philip might just about pass muster,
but nothing less will do.”
Indeed, Kington was right that
toffs and cookery have long
commanded an unassailable place in
the bestseller lists. I don’t know how
golf is doing these days but cats and
swastikas have never lost their
appeal. One of the maddest titles I’ve
come across in the WW2 category is
a book called Collectible Spoons of
the 3rd Reich. I looked it up on
Amazon to see if it was real and, yes,
not only is it real but it’s the author
James A Yannes’s third work on Nazi
cutlery — “a much overlooked
collectible area”, apparently.
Amazon’s customers, I’m glad to
say, don’t seem to have grasped the
seriousness of the subject: the top
review says, “Pretty dull. Nazi spoons
all look the same”, and, in a truly
Corenesque piece of serendipity, the
link under “Customers who viewed
this item also viewed . . . ” is to a
book called How to Talk to Your Cats
about Gun Safety.
There is, incidentally, a
transatlantic version of the pets, golf
and Nazis motif. Asked for the
requisites of a surefire bestseller,
Bennett Cerf, founder of Random
House publishers, replied, “Lincoln’s
doctor’s dog”. Americans, he claimed,
would buy anything to do with
Abraham Lincoln, medicine or pets
(again). If you google “Abraham
Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog” it seems that
a remarkable number of people have
published books with just that title.
None looks like a bestseller to me.
Part and parcel
L
ast week I quoted an old
heraldry buffer complaining
that, since a crest is only a part
of a coat of arms, to call a coat of
Write to Feedback by emailing
feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to
1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
arms a crest “is like calling a
chimney a house”.
A learned reader, Lucy Tyler,
pointed out in the comments that
using “crest” for “coat of arms” is an
example of synecdoche, a figure of
speech in which a part of something
is substituted for the whole, or vice
versa, the whole for a part. A “brief”
to mean a barrister is synecdoche,
“wheels” for a car, “boots on the
ground” for soldiers or “hired hands”
for staff and so on. In reverse, we use
“Westminster” to mean parliament,
“the law” for the police.
Synecdoche comes from the Greek
word meaning “the understanding of
one thing from another”. It’s not the
sort of word you’d expect to bandy
about in conversation every day, or
even in comments below Times
articles, but it never hurts to know
the name of something we use
unconsciously all the time.
Fitness for all ages
M
artin Frayn of Lichfield has
taken exception to a headline
in Times2, “How to stay fit
after you’ve hit 40”.
“Does this wording imply that
‘hitting 40’ is in some way similar to
‘hitting’ a brick wall? For the same
letter-count you could have said
‘How to stay fit after you reach 40’.
Maybe it doesn’t have the same
impact — in both senses of the word
— but I would find it more palatable
and less like meeting some
insurmountable life event.”
I appreciate that these are sensitive
issues but I don’t think he’s got a
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
future in headline writing. Of course,
age is only relative. Frank Halford of
Shenfield, Essex, is a lesson to all of
us: “The Times,” he writes, “regularly
gives good advice to the young and
middle-aged on how to keep fit but I
have never seen any exercises for
those of us aged 90 or more. Do you
not think that there could be many
of your readers who would
appreciate this? I know I would.”
This seems like an excellent idea, if
only because those of us who aren’t
quite there yet might actually find
some exercises we could manage too.
Hardworking phrases
I
t’s party conference irritation
season. Charlotte Steerpike has
written to complain about
politicians pronouncing patriotism
with a long “a” to rhyme with pay,
which she claims to be American, but
is hardly our fault. My mother used
to get similarly cross with Margaret
Thatcher for saying “circumstance”
so that it rhymed with “aunts”, which
has become very popular at the BBC.
Pronunciation aside, my own
bugbear is the emotive cliché of the
“hardworking people” or
“hardworking families” to whom so
many empty promises are made. It
was Winston Churchill, no less, who
first wielded this phrase, in a speech
to the Council of Europe in 1948. It
lurked in deserved obscurity until
the arrival of New Labour, when
Brown and Blair spotted its potential
and made it their own.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence we’ve
been hearing it so often this week.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
S
ix months. Six whole months.
I have spent more of my life at
party conferences than in full-
on Covid lockdown. Four days
with the comrades this week
meant I returned from Brighton with
a thick cold and a thin idea about
what Labour will do in power. (Only
kidding.) Still, this is what I learnt:
The c-word: Labour won’t stop
fighting over the c-word. Not
Conservatives — they’ve no idea
what to do about them. Cervixes.
Who has them and who doesn’t.
Keir Starmer is so obsessed with
everyone’s innards he declared the
next James Bond should be a
woman. A bold move to suggest that,
after a long list of middle-aged men
overseeing a troubled franchise, it
was time to put a woman in charge.
At the Tory conference next week
the only c-word you’re likely to hear
is Chevening, when Liz Truss makes
Bowie’s Heroes helped tear down that wall
Five years after his death the Thin White Duke’s music and his fight against totalitarianism have never been more relevant
Ben
Macintyre
@benmacintyre1
D
avid Bowie’s lost album
Toy will be released next
month, a mixture of his
early songs from the 1960s
and 1970s, re-recorded in
2001, and now available five years
after his death.
The album combines the past, the
present and the posthumous, a fitting
combination for an artist who
constantly invented and reinvented
himself and his music during his life,
and is still doing so.
“The songs are so alive and full of
colour,” Bowie said. “It’s really hard
to believe that they were written so
long ago.” The songs may be old, but
they have a profound modern
relevance, written at a time when
Bowie was discovering the political
power of his art.
He wrote them during the period
when David Robert Jones was
becoming Bowie, borrowing the
name from the 19th century knife-
wielding American pioneer, soldier,
and slave trader. Those years saw his
descent into drug addiction, the
mixing of pop, folk rock and
psychedelia, but also the slow
emergence of Bowie’s interest in
political and cultural change.
For while he is rightly
remembered as one of the most
significant figures in modern music,
his political impact is often
overlooked. Bowie was Ziggy
Stardust, the Thin White Duke,
Aladdin Sane and Major Tom; but he
was also an important combatant in
the Cold War, whose music helped to
bring down the Berlin Wall.
In 1977 Bowie was living in West
Berlin, sharing an apartment with
Iggy Pop, trying to wean himself off
narcotics and relaunch his career.
That year, in a studio just a stone’s
throw from the wall dividing the city,
he recorded Heroes, an experimental
art rock anthem that is Bowie’s most
frequently downloaded song.
He was inspired by looking out of
lots of jokes about not sharing her
grace-and-favour house with
Dominic Raab. Sorry Dom,
Chevening is actually closed etc etc.
Dud brothers: The other couple of
c-words of the week are the Corbyns.
The Chuckle (If You Understand
Irony) Brothers.
“To me, to Jew” Jeremy cheerfully
reminded everyone why it’s better if
your party isn’t packed with
antisemites. But brother Piers went
one better/worse by protesting about
lockdown outside the Sarah Everard
court hearing. The best advert for
why private schooling can’t buy you
brains. Or a shred of decency.
Having him for breakfast: If an
army fights on its stomach, I’m not
sure Labour is marching to victory. I
bumped into Starmer at the hotel
buffet and asked what he was eating.
“A little bit of fish, a little bit of
cheese.” Peppered mackerel and a
David Bowie serenading East and West Berliners in 1987 and, below, border guards look on as the wall is dismantled in 1989
the studio window and seeing two
lovers embrace beneath the
machinegun watchtowers: his
producer, Toni Visconti, and the
German backing vocalist with whom
he was having an affair.
A few months earlier East German
border guards had shot and killed
18-year-old Dietmar Schwietzer as
he tried to escape to the West, and
Bowie used the image of the lovers
to symbolise the emotional and
At the Tory
conference
the c-word
will mean
Chevening,
not cervix
Matt Chorley
Listen to Matt Chorley
every Monday to Friday,
10am to 1pm
political gulf created by the wall.
Heroes is a song-poem of desperation
and despair in a divided city, each
verse ending with the line “nothing
can keep us together”.
The song was avowedly political, a
condemnation of the communist
East Berlin’s rulers who had driven
an ideological wedge through the
German capital.
I, I can remember
Standing, by the wall
And the guns, shot above our head
And we kissed, as though nothing
could fall
And the shame, was on the other side
But there is also optimism, a hope
that the world will eventually change
and the lovers will be together, a call
for romantic reunification: “ . . . But
we could be safer, just for one day.”
A decade later Bowie performed
Heroes during a three-day concert in
front of the Reichstag. The demand
for political change in East Germany
was swelling, and pop music was
seen as a subversive threat by its
communist leadership. The concert
could be heard in East Berlin. “We
slice of Swiss stuff with holes in. Odd
for a vegetarian. I tried it. Grim. In
fact the fish repeated on me so much
it’s now got a series on Dave.
For completeness, Ed Miliband
was deep into porridge, not a bacon
sandwich. And Andy Burnham spent
the week wishing he was made of
chocolate so he could eat himself.
On the subject of food,
Johnson’s under pressure to
save Christmas from a shortage
of butchers. He needs
someone with time on their
hands who knows his way
around a pig. Dave?
Missing in action:
Headline which I thought
was about Starmer but
wasn’t: “Missing man
accidentally joins his own
search party for hours until
he hears them call his name.”
Not the sharpest tool: Did
SCHERHAUFER/ULLSTEIN BILD/GETTY IMAGES
send our wishes to all our friends
who are on the other side of the
wall,” said Bowie, in German, as he
launched into the song.
East Berliners crowded as close to
the wall as they could get to listen
as Bowie’s demand for love across
the divide boomed out over the
barbed wire.
“There were thousands on the
other side that had come close to the
wall,” Bowie said afterwards. “So it
was like a double concert where the
wall was the division. And we would
hear them cheering and singing
along from the other side.”
The line-up included New Model
Army, Eurythmics and Bruce
Hornsby. By the third day of the
concert, the East German
authorities were thoroughly
spooked. As Paul Young and
Genesis played, the police launched
a violent crackdown, beating the
crowd with truncheons, dispersing
the impromptu concertgoers with
water cannon, and arresting 200
people.
Stasi officers in civilian clothes
dragged individuals from the crowd.
The violence of the overreaction
35
Comment
you know Starmer had a dad? And a
mum? Extraordinary. Really marks
him out. His speech mentioned Mum
15 times, Dad 11. “I remember my dad
working with a spark eroder
submerging metal in liquid and using
an electrical charge to shape it.” I’d
love to see the polling on how many
votes that’s going to shift. He is
obsessed with tools. The power loom.
His heirloom. The word loom is
another word for tool. And then he
ruined it with a joke about Johnson’s
dad being a tool maker. So instead of
thinking about the dignity of manual
labour, we were forced to consider
Stanley Johnson with his pants down.
Party leaders only give “their most
personal speech yet” when they are
in trouble. Johnson has never treated
us to a detailed account of his family
arrangements, although to be fair
that might be because it would last
more than six months on its own.
helped crystalise popular resistance
in East Germany. A week later
President Ronald Reagan stood in
front of the Brandenburg Gate and
called on the Soviet leader, Mikhail
Gorbachev, to “tear down this wall”.
It would be ludicrous to suggest
that Bowie brought down the wall.
The political and economic
undercurrents of that revolution had
been bubbling for years, even
decades. But Heroes and the 1987
Berlin concert captured a defiant
mood and channelled a mass
movement with effects that are still
being felt today. Vladimir Putin fears
Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist
punk group, just as the overlords of
East Germany and the Soviet Union
dreaded the sound of Heroes.
Bowie insisted he was “apolitical”.
He seldom uttered an explicit
political statement and when he did
he regretted it. He once told an
interviewer that he believed “very
The idea was ordinary
people can bring
about great change
strongly in fascism”, a statement that
he blamed on hard drugs.
But he understood the
insurrectionary quality of his art,
with its willingness to question,
deride and undermine authority, and
thus improve the world. In 1985,
after Live Aid, he observed: “We
always knew that pop music had a
huge capacity for change, but no one
had really believed that.”
On his death, the German
government paid tribute to Bowie for
“helping to bring down the Wall”.
At the time he was writing the
songs that will finally be heard in
their new form on the album Toy,
Bowie was already a radical
provocateur challenging tradition
with dystopian lyrics, gender-
challenging personas and insistence
that society can see itself differently.
Those ideas would find the most
powerful and lasting expression in a
song about love thwarted by
totalitarianism, and the idea that
ordinary people can bring about
great changes: We can be heroes, just
for one day.
36
Comment
weekend essay
Youthquake will
drive millions of
Africans on trek
towards Europe
In just 60 years there will be more
Nigerians than Europeans and, as
climate change takes its toll, our
continent is set to become the
spillover zone for African
cities bursting at the
seams, says Roger Boyess
T
hey’re called invisible shipwrecks: migrant
boats that sink without a trace as they make
their way from west Africa to the Canaries. So
far this year 9,386 Africans have made it alive.
Close to 800 died in the Atlantic. Most could
not be identified from the body parts washed into the
nets of fishermen. One woman survivor, interviewed by
the UN’s Institute of Migration, described the scene on
the smugglers’ boat before it capsized last month off the
Mauritanian coast. “After three days at sea the engine
broke down and we ran out of food and water. People
were already starting to die.”
Bodies were thrown overboard to lighten the load
and reduce the stench. “There were people who looked
like they had gone mad,” she said. “Some bit each other.
They shouted and threw themselves into the sea.”
The flight from Africa isn’t just an Atlantic or
Mediterranean event, and what we see every day on
the Channel is a mere sideshow. It’s part of an epic
journey that began, perhaps, in a trek from the
scorched earth of a village that can no longer produce
a crop to the outer suburbs of Lagos, Kinshasa and
Accra. There, young men try, from the noisy sleepless
shanty towns, to find a job that pays enough to send
money home to the villages they left. When they fail
they are gripped by guilt. The cities of Africa are
growing so quickly and so chaotically that there is no
time to build the basic infrastructure and so, in the
end, they are failing Africa’s youth.
Sodjah Evans, 22, left school with dreams of
studying business administration in the Ghanaian
capital. “Everyone comes to Accra because they think
there will be job opportunities,” he said. “They think
they will be valued.” The reality is different. He
scrapes a hand-to-mouth existence tutoring children
in his commune. His sister, a mother of five, is the
breadwinner, selling rice and beans at the side of one
of the main roads into the city.
There are plenty like them. Two thirds of Africans
are under 25. In 1950 Lagos had 325,000 inhabitants.
The 1960 street map of Lagos shows a comfortable
coastal city of under a million that a savvy traveller
could cross in less than an hour. By 1990 it had swollen
to four million and is now 14 million. If you count outer
Lagos, it’s 20 million. It’s growing at more than 3 per
cent a year and by the end of this century will be as
populous as Britain is now. In 60 years there will be
2GM Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
more Nigerians than Europeans. This is the youthquake
turning not just Lagos but dozens of African capitals
into megacities. It should be a good thing. It’s what
created the brand of “Africa Rising”. The West’s boomer
generation is associated with prosperity, the Tiger states
of Asia became flush with cash. And just as Europe
started to labour under falling birth rates, as even
China began to flounder under its unsustainable one-
“
child policy, Africa’s megacities — Luanda, Dar es
Salaam, Abidjan and Kinshasa among them — were
bursting with hormones, becoming mini-states full of
youthful energy. The Nigerian government boasted of
“youth know rotten governance when they see
it”. When gas and electricity subsidies are cut,
its start-ups, of a film industry, Nollywood. Now mass protests ensue. That’s true of deferential
fretting leaders seem to think they have created a Asian states such as Thailand, of European
Aid policy has to
Frankenstein monster, a force they can’t control. “In the countries with high living standards, but above
past year,” says Emmanuel Adegboye of the Mo
Ibrahim Foundation, “Nigerians have woken up to bans
be less geared to all in youth-heavy Africa.
“The average age in Senegal is 19. We are a
on motorcycle taxis in Lagos, cryptocurrency
transactions involving banks and, most recently, Twitter.”
the alleviation of country of teenagers,” says Nzinga Biegung Mboup,
a 32-year-old who works as an architect in the
All these obstacles are regarded by the urban young poverty and capital, Dakar. She says she can understand the anger
as hostile acts by the state. Motorcycle taxis of the younger Senegalese. “There is a huge shortage
summoned by hailing apps are often the only way of more towards of housing. Across the country the government is
making appointments in the turgid compression of trying to provide 100,000 houses in the next five years,
rush hour, or the “go slow” as the start-up generation persuading but demand is about triple that. The government builds
calls it. As for the Twitter ban, imposed because it had
become a protest tool to demand an end to police
young people it’s houses just outside the city but this creates its own
problems. People want access to schools and
brutality and extortion, it’s part of the democratic
fabric for the Nigerian young. The International
worth trying to healthcare.” Planning and public transport are key,
she says.
Finance Corporation estimates that the internet realise their The density of Africa’s emerging mega-cities focuses
economy has the potential to reach $180 billion by demands on better governance. The would-be
2025 and $700 billion by 2050. dreams in their entrepreneurs are feeling it. Even the powerful mobile
But that won’t happen if it’s blocked by governments phone operators reckon they are being blocked, but so
nervous about a young generation wanting to put an own countries are those who have arrived from the rural hinterland
end to the old patterns of corruption and bureaucratic and who have failed to find a foothold. “The cost of
obstruction. Young Africans smell a rat. That’s part of a living is very high,” says Hawa Yokie, a 21-year-old
global trend. Parag Khanna, author of Move, notes that environmental activist who moved from the provinces
of Sierra Leone to its capital, Freetown, in search of a
better education.
The young continent “People are living on below $1 a day. There’s no
Population of Nigeria to exceed Europe Africa’s fastest growing countries access to good education. No access to jobs. And
800 Change, m 1960-2020 2020-2080
Projected everything is getting expensive. There’s no easy way to
2080 total
PROJECTION m population
survive.” She was shocked by the slums, with many
Europe Nigeria 161m
700 414 620.5m
living next to the expanding rubbish dump in the city
93 centre. She has already been robbed in daylight, as has
Ethiopia
160 274.6m her mother. The city, she says, has become a violent
600
Egypt 76 place. “We see gangs, moto-taxi drivers and the
104 206.6m police fighting each other, huge fights in which people
500 DRC 74 are killed.”
219 308.5m
Tanzania 50 The innate violence, the sense of turmoil of the
400 163 222.8m African megacity is beginning to outweigh the sense
Africa’s fastest growing cities of opportunity. And the result: migration to Europe, to
300 Change 2005-2025, % (population* 2025, m) neighbouring states or, when the frustration has
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania 85.2% (6.2m) become particularly intense, recruitment in Islamist
200 groups that promise a better world-beyond-the-world.
Nairobi, Kenya 77.3 (6.2m)
Nigeria Sub-Saharan states such as Mali and Niger are viewed
Kinshasa, DRC 71.8 (15m) as fruitful recruiting grounds by Islamist radicals. The
100
Luanda, Angola 69.3 (8.1m) Sahel — the poorest part of the poorest continent,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 62.4 (4.8m) which also includes parts of Chad, Sudan and
0 Mauritania — is set to register the largest population
*projected
1950 2000 2050 2100 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire 53.2 (6.3m)
growth in the world between now and 2050, doubling
Sources: United Nations, UN-Habitat Dakar, Senegal 51.5 (4.3m)
to 2.4 billion. That’s because of high fertility rates —
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
ADEKUNLE AJAYI/NURPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
Rescued migrants are brought ashore at Dungeness
women in the Sahel give birth on
average to 5.2 children
compared to 1.6 in
Europe and 1.9 in North
America — and
declining infant
mortality. In Niger,
women are giving birth to
7.6 children on average.
Europe, then, has become
the spillover zone for
African cities that are
bursting at the seams. The
British demographer Paul
Morland talks of the Europeans
becoming both greyer, because of
declining birth rates, and blacker,
because of the inevitability of migrant
birth rates filling the gap. Right-wing
populist governments such as Poland and
Hungary paint this as a threat. Viktor Orban, the
Hungarian prime minister, declares: “We want
Hungarian children; migration is a surrender.” About
5 per cent of GDP is earmarked towards pushing up
the domestic birth rate. Poland has rolled out a near-
total ban on abortion.
The pandemic has further depressed western birth
rates. The monthly fertility rate in England and Wales
in December 2020 and January 2021 — that is about
nine months after the first lockdown — fell by 8.1 per
cent and 10.2 per cent year-on-year. The US fertility
rate fell by 4 per cent in 2020, a record low. Italy’s
birth rate is the lowest since unification. In China, Xi
Jinping has relaxed the one-child policy and is
permitting a three-child family. Not many seem to be
taking up the offer.
In 1972 the Club of Rome — financial, political and
academic brains set on saving the world — presented a
manifesto, The Limits to Growth. It developed the kind
of dystopian future envisaged by the scholar Thomas
Malthus during the Industrial Revolution: populations
would grow at such a pace the planet wouldn’t be able
to feed itself. The Limits to Growth still underpins some
of the arguments used by climate change activists:
natural resources are finite, competition for them could
lead to famine and war.
They’re not wrong, yet the global population is
about to top eight billion and the world hasn’t
collapsed. Agriculture has become smarter; as the
African middle class grows so the birth rate will fall
naturally. There are already a few, admittedly rare,
parts of Africa with European fertility rates. And
migration to Europe, the careful integration of new
arrivals, could eventually be seen as a demographic
boon. That was one of the supporting arguments in
Germany in 2015 when Angela Merkel opened her
doors to Syrians. After all, said her fan club, someone
has to pay the pensions of the boomer generation.
But just around the corner is a mass movement
even greater than the 2015 influx. Climate migration is
likely to exceed anything in history. The World Bank
estimates that 30 million to 70 million people in sub-
Saharan Africa will be displaced from their homes at
A crowded least in part because of the rising temperatures. Where
marketplace in will they go? The shift to cities on the coast,
the booming meanwhile, suggests that up to 36 million could be
Nigerian city living precariously on the floodplains of megacities.
of Lagos Nigerians, for example, are living in the Lagos slums
37
Comment
of Makoko, which is built on swampland. How will
they survive the rising waters of the Atlantic?
Africa is larger than the territorial space of the US,
Europe, China and India combined. But internal
displacement in overstretched states, or on the land of
neighbouring countries, is no real solution. The most
likely scenario is a trek north towards Europe, a
dramatic escalation of what is already happening.
Hawa Yokie in Freetown compares it with Temple Run,
a smartphone game. The player is forced to jump,
duck and swerve around obstacles in the hunt for gold,
pursued by demonic monkeys. That’s how the exodus
through the Sahara and across the Med is described
by Sierra Leoners. “A lot of young people I know have
died along the way.” Every border brings danger.
The migrants stress that the journey is the worst
part. But even when they reach the apparent safety of
Europe, it’s dog eat dog. In the encampments on the
French coastline that have sprung up to replace the
“Jungle” there are fights between Eritreans and
Afghans, feuds between people fleeing never-ending
military conscription or the random cruelty of the
Taliban. The brutalisation of refugees during their
odyssey won’t be any easier to shake off than the
experiences that drove them to flee in the first place.
Now imagine this flow — one million Syrians at its
peak in 2015-2016 — multiplied by a factor of five or
ten: the extraordinary despair, the relentless march,
and the cracks that will be quickly exposed in western
societies and our stitch-in-time immigration system.
Perhaps the estimates are wrong. Perhaps the
impact of the coming climate upheaval will be more
piecemeal. Perhaps — and this is the least probable
scenario — African governments will inspire heroic
acts of resilience. I’m with the Nigerian playwright
Wole Soyinka on this: states are already buckling
under the pressure of long decades of corrupt
governance. “Even during the [1967-70] civil war, I do
not believe that we devalued humanity as much as we
do today,” the Nobel laureate said in a recent
interview. “It’s like something has broken in society.”
He’s 87 but his analysis is as clear-eyed as any of
those in the vanguard of the youthquake. The
challenge then is what can be done by westerners.
Immigration policy has to function not so much as a
Maginot Line but rather as a series of nudges that
have to be framed by the social upheaval that we
expect across the globe. If aid policy is to make sense
in Africa it has to be less geared to the generalised
alleviation of poverty and more towards persuading
this vast group of young people that it’s worth trying
to realise their dreams in their own countries.
C
ritics of educational projects in Africa argue
that they end up making the beneficiaries
into more savvy economic migrants. But
there is one priority that will always bring
both fast and lasting rewards, and that is
education for girls. Their contribution to the
workforce, the sense of independence the schooling
brings, modernises society, increases household
income, reduces the birth rate and provides the most
powerful riposte to the likes of the Islamist terror
gangs of Boko Haram, who after a decade of activity
believe they are invincible. Family-planning clinics are
springing up across the continent but not fast enough.
Even small doses of aid give encouragement.
Then there is the way that urbanisation, which
should be a tool for modernising society, is becoming
dysfunctional. British help can make the cities more
liveable. We have waste-disposal experts who can put
an end to the stinking piles of landfill that make life so
unhealthy. We have driving school instructors who can
set up training centres for HGV drivers, and offer the
best a chance of residence in Britain. If we have surplus
Covid-19 vaccine we can strike partnerships with
hospitals. Traffic engineers can advise on congestion.
Mayors have to become go-to partners. British business
has to pepper them with questions: what are you doing
to build sea defences? Can we help? We can work
together to digitalise African economies, find ways of
gathering and deploying data to improve productivity.
Schadrack Bwata Ongwe, 34, a videographer from
Kinshasa, says Africans would not think of moving if
there were opportunities at home. “If you have a job, if
you have a business, you wouldn’t dream of living in
Europe. There is youth coming up and we need to find
more opportunities for them.”
All this doesn’t cost a fortune. And it’s not crass
mercantilism. Nor is it just a polite way of saying: stay
where you are, don’t come to us in droves. It establishes
the bonds we need if Global Britain is to become more
than a slogan. But we need to get on with it.
Additional reporting by Sam Bradpiece
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 39

News

Space factory to make out-of-this-world materials

Larisa Brown Defence Editor
An autonomous space factory that
harnesses the lack of gravity to create
high-performance materials impossi-
ble to make on Earth is under develop-
ment with British government funding.
Space Forge will launch its robotic
ForgeStar Orbital Vehicle — the size of
an oven — into outer space so it can
create semiconductors, alloys and
pharmaceuticals in optimum condi-
tions without the need for humans
before returning to Earth.
The experts behind it also want it to
be used for vaccine research as well as
the development of 3D bioprinting,
which would allow the creation of new
organs such as kidneys. At present,
when tissue is created this way with
gravity it can easily collapse.
Some of the materials created in
space inside the small satellite will have
never been seen before.
Space-made semiconductors are bet-
ter quality than ones made on Earth
and can halve the energy use on the
ground because they are more efficient,
Joshua Western, the CEO and co-
founder of Space Forge, explained.
The vacuum in space, which is effec-
tively contaminant-free, allows the
compound to be grown in layers one
atom high.
Western said: “We live on this planet
and we have gravity that weighs us
down and we have a dense ambient
atmosphere filled with all sorts of
things that contaminate processes. And
to a large extent we have a fairly con-
sistent temperature across the whole
planet. None of those things make for a
good manufacturing base.
“We have found ways to overcome
some of them . . . however, the one thing
that we haven’t been able to overcome
really is gravity, without paying for it
dearly.”
Once launched from a platform such
as an aircraft, the satellite will sit
between 300 to 500 miles from Earth
and automatically manufacture prod-
ucts. One of the main advantages of
creating the products in space is the
easily changeable extreme tempera-
tures, down to -260C depending on
which way the satellite faces.
Space Forge has received €2 million
of funding from the European Space
Agency as part of their Boost! pro-
gramme, supported by the UK Space
Agency — who have already invested
£500,000 — to develop a returnable
and reusable platform for space.
Although there has been space man-
ufacturing on a small scale previously,
the factory will be the first dedicated
platform to create and commercialise
the materials to be sold to businesses
Joshua Western
co-founded
Space Forge
18 months ago
and used by the UK government.
The company is focused on creating
alloys, including those used in car man-
ufacturing, next-generation novel
types of semiconductors, and compos-
ites ten to a hundred times more effi-
cient than those made on Earth.
Western said they would be able to
create products that take 25 per cent of
the weight out of an electric aircraft or
reduce the power consumption in high-
value infrastructure by 50 per cent.
“They have knock-on benefits of
creating efficient and more reliable sys-
tems and there is also an enormous en-
vironmental benefit too”, he added.
At present the factory is the size of an
oven, however, the company is going to
increase it to the size just shy of a classic
Mini so it can return tonnes of products
from space in one mission.
The company began in Cardiff 18
months ago with two people in a garage
and now has 20 employees. It will be
launching its demonstrator next year
and a larger version in 2024.

How projects could 3 One of these satellites could

work together be the ForgeStar, which sits
about 500 miles above
Earth and automatically
manufactures products
500 miles

2 The rocket is deployed

into orbit from the
aircraft and up to ten
miniature satellites
are released

Co
osm Girl, a Boeing
1 Cosmic
74
747
47-4
47
47- 4
747-400, takes off from
C
Corn
orn
n
Cornwall spaceport and
carrri LauncherOne rocket
carries
to a
ann altitude of 35,000ft

35,000ft

First British rocket will lift

off from a civilian airport
Larisa Brown
The Queen will become the first British
monarch to celebrate a Platinum
Jubilee next June. To mark the historic
occasion there will be another first —
the launch of rockets into orbit from
the UK.
Melissa Thorpe, the head of Space-
port Cornwall, said an eight-year
project would culminate next summer
with the flight of Cosmic Girl, a Boeing
747-400, which has been modified to
carry a 70ft rocket packed with small
satellites into space.
If any of the satellites are taken out by
a hostile actor, the British military will
deploy back-ups within 24 hours in the
hope that the speed with which they
can be replaced will act as a deterrent.
The craft will launch from Cornwall
Airport Newquay, making it the only
spaceport in the world to integrate a
satellite launch into a civilian airport.
“You will be landing on your flight
from London and you will be looking
out your window and you will see Cos-
mic Girl ready to launch into space,”
Thorpe said.
Boris Johnson said this week that
spaceports in Cornwall and Scotland
would launch rockets next year as part
of his plan to create “galactic Britain”.
Britain’s space industry is worth £16 bil-
lion a year and employs 45,000 people.
It is hoped that satellites launched
from the rocket on Cosmic Girl will
make observations of Earth, forecast-
ing the weather and monitoring the
health of the ocean such as the
pollution levels, visibility and erosion.
The satellites could also be used for
communication.
Thorpe said the full delivery of the
launch would be next year and that
they were aiming for June, around the
jubilee.
Cosmic Girl will take off at the end of
the runway and fly up to 35,000ft, and
the rocket will be deployed horizontally
in mid-air and go into orbit. Each rocket
will be able to carry as many as ten
cubesats, otherwise known as minia-
ture satellites.
The plan is for the spaceport to be the
most sustainable in the world, with a
focus on looking at using biofuels for
rocket fuel and offsetting emissions.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Cannabis rules stop sick
children getting medicine
Katie Gibbons
Severely ill children are being denied
safe medicine because of guidance that
led to a top paediatrician being investi-
gated for prescribing medical cannabis.
Medical cannabis was made legal
almost three years ago but is difficult to
access on the NHS. It is prescribed
privately but doctors have said that
strict guidance by the organisation that
represents child neurologists means
potential recipients are missing out.
Nathan Hasson, a consultant paedia-
trician with more than 40 years’ experi-
ence, was reported to the General Med-
ical Council (GMC) by colleagues last
year for treating children who have
epilepsy with whole plant cannabis oil.
The complaints were backed by the
British Paediatric Neurology Associa-
Dr Nathan Hasson
was reported by
his colleagues
tion. The president of the BPNA
claimed that Hasson was putting his
young patients in danger because he
was not qualified to prescribe the drugs.
Although he has done research into
child neurology, Hasson is not a
qualified neurologist. However, the
GMC investigation concluded last
month that he “provided adequate care
to the families who consulted him, with
evidence of benefit, and no evidence of
harm”. He has continued to prescribe
the medical cannabis.
The BPNA does not support the use
of whole plant medicinal cannabis,
which contains the psychoactive
ingredient THC. It has also published
guidance stating that only neurologists
should be allowed to prescribe
cannabinoids containing CBD.
This guidance has been criticised for
being excessively negative and overly
restrictive. The GMC’s independent
Soprano’s brother sues over
surgery that ‘paralysed’ her
Sam Tobin
The brother of the Grammy award-
winning soprano Jessye Norman is
suing two doctors and a private hospital
over spinal surgery that he claims left
her “wheelchair-bound”.
The singer died aged 74 in 2019, four
years after undergoing a procedure
called epidurolysis, which is used to dis-
solve scar tissue around nerves in the
spine, at the London Bridge Hospital to
try to cure a back problem.
Her brother claims medical negli-
gence by the anaesthetist and pain spe-
cialist Dr Adnan Al-Kaisy and the con-
sultant spinal surgeon Khai Lam left his
sister “effectively paralysed from the
waist downwards” after she underwent
the procedure in May 2015.
James Norman alleges that Al-Kaisy
performed the epidurolysis despite the
“limited evidence of the procedure’s ef-
ficacy, and little if any evidence of its
safety” and that Lam did not warn his
sister of “the significant risk of para-
lysis”, in a civil claim filed at the High
Court in London which has been re-
ported by The Guardian.
He is also suing the American health-
care giant HCA, which owns and runs
41
News
ADRIAN SHERRATT FOR THE TIMES
expert said: “The BPNA position that to the GMC was a total shock . . . In put-
only paediatric neurologists should ting Clover’s prescription at risk, they
initiate treatment is not supported by are risking both her life and her well-
other national guidance, and probably being,” Howis added.
not in the best interests of children, as it The BPNA said it did not support
may impede debate and research into “products containing THC, as the com-
the appropriate use of cannabidiols in panies producing those products have
refractory epilepsy.” not undertaken required clinical trials
In an open letter being sent next to prove their safety and effectiveness”.
week to Sajid Javid, the health secre- It is working on two clinical trials into
tary, almost 50 doctors accuse the the safety and efficacy of whole-plant
BPNA of being “very much opposed to cannabis for children with epilepsy. Spencer Carkeet and Emily Howis are paying £1,000 a month for Clover’s drugs
the prescription of medical cannabis”.
“It is deterring private prescriptions
and is playing a part in the almost total
block on NHS prescriptions.”
It will also be sent to paediatricians
across the country in an attempt to
raise awareness that the BPNA’s stance
is at odds with government guidelines.
Hasson, who specialises in rheuma-
tology, is also one of three paediatri-
cians in Britain who prescribe
whole-plant cannabis oil to children
with debilitating epilepsy.
There are 26,000 children in Britain
with drug-resistant epilepsy and thou-
sands are prescribed medical cannabis
as part of their treatment plan. About
150 of these take whole-plant medica-
tion containing THC but only three
children have it prescribed on the NHS.
Hasson prescribes medical cannabis
to about 40 young patients, including
some for rheumatology, and is one the
UK’s leading experts.
One of his infant patients, Clover,
was having up to 30 clusters of seizures
a week, with between 30 and 50 fits per
cluster. She had been on a “cocktail of
industrial strength drugs” since she was
three months old, her mother, Emily
Howis, from Somerset, said.
“It completely changed her life over-
night,” said Howis. “She now has just
one seizure every nine days. She is a
very happy little thing and always ac-
tive.” Clover, now two and a half, started
mainstream nursery a few weeks ago.
The family have had their request for
Clover’s drugs to be prescribed on the
NHS denied and are paying almost
£1,000 a month. “The BPNA complaint
the London Bridge Hospital, for alleged
negligence. Both doctors and HCA are
defending against Norman’s claim.
Norman’s solicitor, Olive Lewin from
the law firm Leigh Day, said: “The inju-
ries Miss Norman sustained made her
final years extremely difficult.
“Jessye Norman had painful sciatica,
and was admitted to the London Bridge
Hospital for a pain-relieving procedure.
She ended up being paralysed within
hours of a procedure for which the
claimant says there was no informed
consent, and the efficacy of the pro-
cedure has not been proven. A negli-
gence claim is being pursued as a result.
This remains an ongoing claim, which
is currently being defended.”
The singer first sought advice about
legal action while she was still in hospi-
tal after her treatment in 2015, accord-
ing to reports. She later began legal pro-
ceedings and her brother is said to have
taken over after she died.
A HCA spokesman said: “We would
not comment on an inquiry into any
individual’s care.” Al-Kaisy’s solicitor
Matthew Trinder, from the law firm
Browne Jacobson, said “all the allega-
tions are strenuously denied and a full
defence has been served”.
42
News
My Week Sir Keir Starmer*
Monday
We’re all in Brighton for the party
conference and things are tense. So
I’ve gathered the shadow cabinet to
make sure we stay on track.
“Don’t call them scum,” I’m saying.
“It’s a thing that shouldn’t be said.”
Angela Rayner is putting on more
lipstick while smoking. She rolls her
eyes.
“Seriously,” I say. “Obey me. Or you
know what I’ll have to do.”
“Give me another job title?” says
Angela.
“Drink may have been partaken,”
says Emily Thornberry.
“But it’s only 10am,” says Ed
Miliband.
“Thanks,” says Emily. “Mine’s a
red.”
I sigh. Then I tell them all to be
quiet, because there are actually some
really important things we need to
talk about. Apart from whether Tories
are scum or not.
“Please not cervixes,” says Lisa
Nandy.
“What actually is a cervix?” says
David Lammy.
“It’s a wildcat,” says Ed, confidently.
“With really long ears.”
“No it isn’t,” says Rachel Reeves.
“Do all women have them?” says
David.
“But how could they?” says Ed.
“Actually,” says Emily, “shall we get
a couple of bottles?”
“Yes,” I say, heavily.
Tuesday
I’m standing on my balcony, thinking
hard about my speech.
What people need to realise is that
we’re a different sort of Labour Party.
Not Old Labour. Also, not New
Labour. Newer than that. But also, not
so new as Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. A
sort of older newer thing. New like it
used to be. Before it got old again.
That’s when Ed Miliband drops by,
to tell me that two terrible things
have happened. Andy Baker has
resigned, and the McDonald’s Union
has disaffiliated.
This is a shock. Not least because
I’ve never heard of him or it.
“Actually,” says Ed, “it might be
Andy Macdonald. And the Bakers’
Union.
“But either way. It’s a sign that the
party is deeply divided.”
I don’t care, I tell him. Because all
that matters is victory. And I refuse to
be hamstrung by the legacy of
previous disastrous leaders.
“Woah,” says Ed. “Bit harsh.”
“Sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean you.”
“Phew,” says Ed.
“Or at least,” I clarify, “not just you.”
Wednesday
Speech day. Very nervous. So I’ve
gathered all the team again, to
run them through my main
themes.
“I’m going to say that victory is
more important than unity,” I say.
“And I just wanted to check we all
agreed.”
“I think I
speak for all of
us,” yawns
Angela Rayner,
who is drawing
a skull and
bones on her
bicep with a felt
tip, “when I say it’s not
really our problem.”
Then Emily
Thornberry asks if
I’m going to have a
slogan.
“No,” I say.
“What matters?
Shouting slogans, or
changing lives?”
“Oh that’s good,” says
Emily. “Say it lots.”
“Put it on a mug,”
suggests Ed.
Gene ‘makes
risky driving
automatic’
Rhys Blakely Science Correspondent
Some drivers may be predisposed to
accidents because their DNA contains
a “boy racer” gene, research suggests.
The world’s only long-term study to
track the psychology and biology of
motorists has found a gene variant that
appears to be linked to speeding.
The study involved more than 800
drivers in Estonia, about half male and
half female. As part of a study that has
run for two decades, they completed
questionnaires over several years to
measure traits such as impulsivity, as
well as blood tests and genetic analysis.
Reaction times were also assessed.
These results were cross-referenced
with police and insurance databases to
shed light on the traits associated with
risky driving. The team found that the
137 drivers who had been cautioned for
exceeding the speed limit tended to have
faster-than-average reaction times.
They also scored higher for physical
and verbal aggression and reported
higher consumption of junk foods, in-
cluding energy drinks. This cluster of
traits was also associated with variants
of a gene known as SLC6A4. The gene
is linked to serotonin, a hormone that
plays a role in stabilising mood.
The results will be presented at the
annual conference of the European
College of Neuropsychopharmacology,
which begins today.
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Thursday
Back to London, where I go on Good
Morning Britain and somehow end up
saying that I think the next James
Bond should be a woman.
“Drink may have been partaken,”
says Emily Thornberry, when we
debrief afterwards.
“Although what I don’t understand,”
says David Lammy, “is how you know
the last one wasn’t a woman, too.”
“I don’t think he had a cervix,” says
Rachel Reeves.
“Although Roger Moore in
Octopussy,” says Ed Miliband, “did
have to tame that lion.”
Friday
Last big Zoom call before we all take
the week off for the Tory conference.
“Okay,” says Angela Rayner, “but do
you think the Tories are scum or not?”
The point is, I tell her, it’s a thing
that shouldn’t be said.
“Also,” says Rachel Reeves, “do you
want to raise income taxes?”
That also shouldn’t be said, I say.
“And cervixes?” says David Lammy.
“Do only women have them?”
I refer you, I say, to my
previous answer.
There’s a bit of grumbling.
Then Emily asks if I'm just
going to say that about
everything.
“Look,” I say. “Do you
lot actually want me to
be prime minister? Or
are you all just
pretending, and
waiting for me to fail,
so you can have a big
fight about who
goes next?”
There’s an
awkward silence.
“What,
honestly?” says
Lisa Nandy,
finally.
“No,” I say. “It’s
a thing that
shouldn’t be said.”
*according to Hugo
Rifkind
Feeling flush?
Artist sells his
urine for £200
Jack Malvern
When the Young British Artists were in
their pomp, Gavin Turk’s bronze
re-creations of everyday items were
among their most collectible works.
The artist admits that his latest idea
may have a hint of desperation to it:
selling sealed drinks cans of his own
urine.
Turk, 54, has made £57,000 so far by
selling 100 cans for £200 apiece as well
as some solid bronze cans (not
containing urine) for £5,000.
He is disappointed that 230 cans
remain unsold. “It’s gone very slow,” he
said. “I think I’ve done my bit of
promotion and now it’s slowed down.
“Obviously I’m quite disappointed
with this small tail-off [of sales], but I
have got suddenly distracted recently
in the studio.”
Although he has exceeded his goal of
raising £20,000 on Kickstarter, the
crowdfunding website, he was hoping
to raise enough money to buy an edi-
tion of the work that inspired him: Piero
Manzoni’s 1960s series Artist’s Shit.
Manzoni created 90 sealed tins,
which he signed and claimed contained
his own faeces. In 2000 Tate bought
one for £22,000. Other examples have
since fetched up to £185,000.
Turk said of his cans: “I definitely feel
like it is quite a cheap artwork. I would
hope that it would go up in value.”
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Courtroom revival given touch of majesty
Theatre Clive Davis
Witness for the Prosecution
County Hall, SE1
HHHHI
The real star of the show isn’t the
aggrieved defendant, his shifty
German wife or the suave lawyers
debating a matter of life or death. Nor
is it Agatha Christie’s script, a vintage
piece of engineering that belongs to
an era when foreigners were not to be
trusted.
No, the best reason for seeing Lucy
Bailey’s handsome courtroom revival
— now in its fifth year and back in
session after lockdown — is the
setting itself. The debating chamber
of the old Greater London Council
(Ken Livingstone’s name is on one of
the scrolls of honour outside the
room) lends a genuine touch of
majesty to proceedings. I once did
jury service on a murder trial at a
provincial crown court; if only it had
been as imposing an edifice as this.
Sitting in these grand surroundings,
we really do feel as though a man’s
life could be in our hands. The
illusion lingers during the interval
when, as we wander back to the foyer,
we see the gowned actors strolling to
their quarters, chatting amiably, as if
comparing notes on the cut and
thrust of the QCs.
The storyline — for those who have
never seen the play or the Billy
Wilder screen version with Marlene
Teddy Kempner plays Mr Mayhew and Joe McNamara stars as Leonard Vole in this vintage piece of Christie engineering
Dietrich and Charles Laughton —
concerns a wimpish young man,
Leonard Vole (nicely played by Joe
McNamara), who is accused of
murdering a matronly, well-to-do
woman who has taken him under her
wing. Did he kill her for profit, or is
he the victim of a hideous chain of
misleading evidence? Not for the first
time in a Christie tale, everything
turns on a last-minute twist.
On William Dudley’s set we are
reminded what is at stake at the
opening as a gallows briefly rises from
the ground in a nightmarish vision.
After a brief interlude in the
chambers of the defence lawyer, Sir
Wilfrid Robarts (Jonathan Firth is as
slim and sleek as Laughton was stout
and oracular), we are plunged into the
trial itself, with Miles Richardson
perfect as the sardonic prosecution
barrister, Mr Myers. One acid glance
from him would be enough to make
most witnesses crumple.
Mic Pool’s sound design adds
ELLIE KURTZZ
courtroom hubbub as well as echoing
voices from the corridors beyond.
Vole’s beret-wearing wife, Romaine
(Emer McDaid), is an improbable
creation, it has to be said, part villain,
part vamp. Yvonne Gidden gives us a
suitably frosty housekeeper in Janet
Mackenzie. You cannot help noticing
that Christie takes a dim view of
women here. They’re just not
clubbable.
To March 20, 2022;
witnesscountyhall.com
43
News
Parkinson’s
helps Paxman
make friends
Cameron Charters
Jeremy Paxman has been comforted by
the public response to the news that he
has Parkinson’s disease. Discussing the
condition was cathartic and has helped
him make new friends, he said.
The former BBC Newsnight
presenter, 71, said that his faith in
humanity had been bolstered by the
messages he received after he gave an
interview to The Sunday Times.
Writing in The Spectator, Paxman
said: “I am pleased by the reaction to my
recent interview for The Sunday Times
... The process was rather cathartic and
enjoyable.
“Reaction to the interview, much of
which ended up being about
Parkinson’s disease, reaffirmed my
faith in ordinary people. I received lots
of letters and emails agreeing what a
bore the condition is, the frustration of
there being no cure, and suggestions of
weird and wonderful therapies from
across the world.” The University Chal-
lenge host admitted, however: “Getting
Parkinson’s has been shit.”
Paxman reflected on marriage in a
separate article for Saga Magazine. “The
myth of marriage is that in becoming
‘one flesh’, the distinction between the
sexes disappears. I am not being a sexist
pig in observing that many women
consider any male in a kitchen to be
simply getting in the way.” He separat-
ed from Elizabeth Clough, the mother
of his three children, in 2016.
44
World
Capital of the Caliphate
is now Syria’s boom town
The Isis hotbed has
been reborn as a refuge
for people fleeing
poverty, reports
Richard Spencer
inside Raqqa
Paradise Square in Raqqa was once the
roundabout where Islamic State cruci-
fied and displayed the heads of its vic-
tims. Now it has a Nutella House café.
Newly built next to one of many
bombsites in Islamic State’s former
capital, the café is just one symbol of the
Syrian city’s stark change in fortunes
since it was pummelled into submission
by British and American missiles in
2017.
Today its streets are packed and lined
with new restaurants, and officials say
its population has grown beyond pre-
war numbers as Syrians flee violence
and poverty elsewhere. Raqqa has
become an unlikely refuge.
“The economic situation at home is
terrible,” said Juneya Sayyan,
who has moved to Raqqa
with her children from a
village near Damascus,
which is firmly under the
control of President
Assad’s regime.
“My house was de-
stroyed in the war,”
she said. “There is no
work there, and
prices are sky-high.
So we came here.”
She lives in a
block of flats that,
like 80 per cent of
the city’s build-
ings, was partially
destroyed in a coali-
tion airstrike when
the West’s Kurdish-led
allies on the ground
drove out Isis’s
Obscure radio database may answer riddle of MH370
Australia
Bernard Lagan Sydney
The search for the airliner MH370
could be renewed thanks to a techno-
logy that promises to more accurately
predict its final location before it van-
ished over the Indian Ocean in 2014.
Despite the most expensive search in
aviation history, little trace has been
found of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing
777 after it and its 239 passengers and
crew went missing on a flight from
Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Ocean Infini-
ty, a marine robotics company, con-
ducted the last search in 2018 with a
fleet of unmanned underwater vehi-
cles, which covered almost 50,000
square miles and found nothing.
However, trials of a new technology
fighters. Holes gape in the walls pock-
marked by bullet holes, offering a
glimpse of children playing in the
ruined landscape. It is hardly ideal but
at least it is safe.
Sayyan’s husband was killed in cross-
fire in a gun battle between the rebels
and Syrian forces and her eldest son
disappeared into a regime jail nine
years ago, never to be seen again.
In Raqqa, her only remaining son has
a job at a chicken restaurant earning
about $90 a month — almost double
the equivalent job in Damascus. The
capital is suffering from western sanc-
tions and has endured a collapse in its
currency similar to that in neighbour-
ing Lebanon, in whose failed banks
many Syrians kept their money.
Raqqa is on the fringes of the desert
where Mohammed Emwazi — the
London-educated jihadist known as
Jihadi John — paraded his captives
from 2014 as Isis proclaimed a caliphate
and held territory in Iraq and Syria.
When the jihadists were driven out of
the city, it was after one of the fiercest
military campaigns in modern history.
The attacking army, the Kurdish-domi-
nated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),
had to fight from building to building to
dislodge the Isis fighters, who were
down to a hardened, fanatical rump
after three years of war.
The SDF developed an
extraordinary tactic
with their British and
American allies. As they
advanced, they marked
Isis outposts on com-
puter pads linked to a
central database.
The co-ordinates
would then be trans-
mitted by allied
headquarters dir-
ectly to the jets’
missile guidance
systems.
As a tactic, it
Jihad Azo, with her
granddaughter, has
found relative safety
that tracks historical data on radio sig-
nals bumping off aircraft fuselages
have been so successful that its pio-
neers hope it can be used to chart
MH370’s last minutes with greater ac-
curacy, and provide investigators with a
much narrower undersea search area.
The tests, by the British aerospace
engineer Richard Godfrey, made use of
a little-known online database set up in
2009, known as the Weak Signal Propa-
gation Reporter (WSPR), which
records every interaction between air-
craft in the sky and signals sent by
ground-based radio transmitters.
Godfrey likens the network to a maze
of invisible detectors that record move-
ment. “Imagine crossing a prairie with
invisible tripwires crossing the whole
area and going back and forth across
Balloons are for sale on the streets
of Raqqa, once a battleground
saved many SDF lives. How many civil-
ians died on the ground, trapped in
basements under the Isis positions,
remains hotly disputed.
What is not disputed is that the city
was physically levelled in a way rarely
seen even in modern warfare, with
schools, hospitals and basic services
almost totally destroyed.
“When we arrived here there was no
one,” said Asma Habal, 36, who came
from Aleppo with her extended family.
Her husband had been killed by an Isis
car bomb and some family members
were wanted by the Assad regime.
Others feared being called up for mili-
tary service..
Her cousin, Ahmed Hamido, 26, a
journalist in rebel-held Aleppo when it
was surrounded and barrel-bombed by
the Assad regime, said he feared he
would be a target for retribution.
Insecurity continues to pervade life
in the wreckage of Raqqa, where there
are regular arrests of what the author-
ities say are Isis sleeper cells. But com-
pared with the fighting that continues
in northwest and southern Syria, and
the economic devastation in regime-
held territory, Raqqa is starting to look
good.
Mustafa Hamshu, a local tribal elder,
said the number of people in Raqqa
the length and breadth,” he told The
Times. “Each step you make you tread
on particular tripwires and we can lo-
cate you at the intersection of the dis-
turbed tripwires. We can track your
path as you move across the prairie.”
The engineer, who is part of a team of
experts still trying to locate MH370,
used the method to track the flight path
of a New Zealand Air Force Orion air-
craft that photographed debris on the
surface of the ocean soon after MH370
disappeared. The debris, which was
never recovered, included a large panel
resembling a Boeing 777 wing compo-
nent, which many experts now suspect
was part of MH370. If so, this would
place the Orion at the closest known lo-
cation to where MH370 disappeared
and within the same rough time frame,
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
province was now several times higher
than before the war and a report by
Save the Children agreed.
The charity said conditions were still
poor, with more than a third of the city’s
buildings wrecked and families camp-
ing in the ruins, afraid that their roof
could fall in on them.
In addition, drought and a fall in the
level of the nearby River Euphrates is
leading to disease, and schools have not
yet been rebuilt. “Children are still liv-
ing among ruins, with limited water,
electricity and access to education,”
Save the Children found.
However, the families seeking refuge
often have no home to go back to. Here,
the local authorities have granted them
permission to stay in old council
accommodation, even if it is badly
damaged.
Although the main Syrian Kurdish
party, the PYD, has a reputation for
authoritarian behaviour, it allows a
greater degree of freedom than either
the regime or the Islamist militia Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham, a former offshoot of
al-Qaeda, which runs Idlib province in
the northwest.
Understandably, safety is a priority
for families who have fled to Raqqa.
Even in SDF-run territory further
north, Turkish forces shell positions
occupied by Kurdish soldiers, many of
whom are in effect the local affiliate of
the Turkey-based guerrilla organisa-
tion the PKK.
Raqqa, however, is protected by the
US presence and is anyway no longer
fought over — perhaps not really
Russia’s ‘royal
wanted — by any of the other powers
that have contributed to Syria’s
wedding’ rings
destruction.
In Sayyan’s first-floor flat, Jihad Azo
hollow for
told how she lost two grandsons aged 10
and 11 when her family home was
President Putin
ussia’s first royal wedding for
R
bombed during the siege of Aleppo. As
she sat cradling her baby granddaugh- 127 years was held in St
ter, the wall behind her lay open to the Petersburg yesterday — if
elements. only the groom’s countrymen
“Our homes here may be destroyed would accept his links to the last
and open to the sky, but at least there’s tsar, Nicholas II (Matthew
shelter,” she said. “And we have our Luxmoore writes). Grand Duke
children in our laps.”
making the Orion’s flight the ideal can-
How WSPR could find MH370 didate on which to test the technology.
In the case of MH370, Godfrey ex-
1 Signals sent around world with pects the radio signal database will re-
g ers encoded
e information
tanbul laanbaat
Tund is
asp
2 TAWhen
ri i t
xalindriaircraft
lepo e Tpasses
Sea
ehran
ar
veal more precisely the route taken by
a Baghdad the aircraft and where it crashed. The
through ro C ai it is Active
Re d
recorded on database WSPR links task of trawling through the database to
Kharto
um find the tracks left by MH370 — a job to
S e a
LaPoints
gos where MH370 1 2
Ju ba
could have been be performed by special software —
shdetected
as
will take two months.
nda a Ocean Infinity said it was aware of
I C
the trials and was open to reaching a
3 deal with Malaysia for a new search,
Area of ocean and added: “We are always interested in
unsuccessfully resuming the search whether as a result
searched for of new information or new technology.”
plane debris Theories for the disappearance have
ranged from technical failure to a mass
3 Detections can be used to suggest murder-suicide by Zaharie Ahmad
flight path Shah, 53, the Malaysian captain.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
George Mikhailovich Romanov tied
the knot at St Isaac’s Cathedral with
Rebecca Bettarini, an Italian, in a
ceremony billed as “an extensive
journey into the history and
traditions of Russia”.
Romanov, 40, is the son of Grand
Duchess Maria Vladimirovna
Romanova, one of several self-
proclaimed imperial heirs whose
families were forced into exile after
the Russian monarchy fell and have
feuded ever since over which of
them deserves the defunct throne
they hope to one day reinstate.
Romanov’s great-grandfather
Mitterrand had lover 50 years Macron’s baguette champion is
his junior right up to the end accused of being jihad supporter
France
Charles Bremner Paris
France thought there was little more to
learn about the prolific love life of
President Mitterrand, who kept a
mistress in a secret second household
throughout his 14-year term. This
week, a woman in her fifties revealed
that she had also been his secret lover
for the last eight years of his life.
“Claire” was a 22-year-old law stu-
dent and Mitterrand was 50 years older
when he began a close romantic and
physical liaison with her, according to
Le Dernier Secret (The Last Secret), a
book by Solenn de Royer.
The Socialist president took notice of
Claire when she followed him around
Prince Kirill Vladimirovich was
stripped of his right to the throne by
Nicholas II, who allegedly took
offence at Kirill’s marriage to a
divorced cousin and — if he hadn’t
been murdered by the Bolsheviks —
would probably have taken even
greater offence at Kirill’s public oath
of allegiance to the communists.
Royal fever swept parts of Moscow
during live state TV coverage of the
wedding of Prince William and Kate
Middleton in 2011. This time,
however, commentators were
scathing. “Even now we find those
who continue to fight for succession
the country after he came to power in
1981, and began an affair when she
invited him to her small flat in Paris.
She knew Danielle Mitterrand, the first
lady, but did not know of Anne Pingeot,
Mitterrand’s long-term mistress.
When Paris Match magazine ex-
posed the existence of Pingeot and her
daughter in 1994, Mitterrand made no
excuses to Claire when she remonstrat-
ed with him. “They are nice people,” he
told her. Yet she remained in love and
unable to break off the relationship up
until his death aged 79, she said. While
Danielle Mitterrand and Pingeot, with
their daughter, made headlines attend-
ing his funeral together in January
1996, Claire, then nearly 30, watched
along with the public.
China wants video games
to be morally uplifting
Page 46
to a non-existent throne, and expect
special privileges,” said a report on
the Rossiya 24 news channel.
Many of the 1,500 wedding guests
flew in from abroad, including
Queen Sofía of Spain, Prince
Rudolph of Liechtenstein and the
former king and queen of Bulgaria.
Also present were the monarchist
billionaire Konstantin Malofeev and
the Russian foreign ministry
spokeswoman Maria Zakharova,
according to AFP.
Romanov, who has spent much of
his life in France and speaks Russian
with a light accent, moved to
Adam Sage Paris
The heart-warming tale of a Tunisian
migrant chosen to become President
Macron’s official baguette-maker has
been tarnished by accusations that he is
an Islamist radical.
The claims have embarrassed the
Greater Paris Union of Bakers, which
crowned Makram Akrout, 42, the
maker of the finest bread in Paris, and
led to calls for him to be banned from
supplying the Élysée Palace. He denies
being an Islamist who loathes France.
The owner of Les Boulangers de
Reuilly in east Paris, Akrout won the
Prix de la Meilleure Baguette de Paris
last month, 19 years after arriving from
Tunisia as an illegal migrant. The win-
PETER KOVALEV/TASS/GETTY IMAGES
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich
Romanov wed Rebecca Bettarini in
front of European royalty yesterday
Moscow with Bettarini three years
ago. He and his wife hope to
become “ambassadors of goodwill”
to restore royal relations, he said.
A spokesman for President
Putin said the wedding was not on
the Kremlin’s agenda. “Lots of
weddings happen every day in
Moscow, St Petersburg and other
Russian cities,” Dmitry Peskov
told reporters. “We always wish
the very best to newlyweds.”
ner gets €4,000 and the right to supply
bread to the presidency for 12 months.
His victory was the fifth by a baker of
Tunisian origin in the past decade. The
narrative of integration started to un-
ravel when far-right websites published
images of a Facebook account attribut-
ed to Akrout featuring pro-Islamist
messages. One said: “We cried for Char-
lie Hebdo [the 2015 terrorist attack on the
satirical magazine] and for Notre-Dame
[where there was a fire in 2019] but on
the French side, these dogs do not cry
when the master of creation, Allah, is
mocked.”
Akrout rejected allegations of Islam-
ism, telling Le Parisien his account had
been hacked. His lawyer said he was the
victim of a “sick” campaign.
45
The dog father: trainer to
New York mobsters’ pets
Page 49
German poll
winner will
turn back on
US, says rival
Germany
Oliver Moody Berlin
Germany’s standing in the West will be
damaged if Olaf Scholz becomes
chancellor because of his left-wing
party’s reluctance to keep American
nuclear weapons on German soil or
stand up to Russia and China, the head
of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs
committee has warned.
Scholz, 63, the finance minister and
strongest contender to be the country’s
next leader, is trying to build a ruling
coalition with the Greens and the
economically liberal Free Democratic
Party (FDP) after a narrow victory in
last week’s general election by his
centre-left Social Democratic Party
(SPD).
He has yet to set out his foreign policy
goals in detail. However, SDP leaders
have called for Germany to be “decou-
pled” from America and urged Wash-
ington to remove its nuclear weapons.
Norbert Röttgen, the leading foreign
affairs expert from the outgoing chan-
cellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right
Christian Democratic Union (CDU),
said he was “really worried” that Ger-
many’s role on the international stage
would be diminished under Scholz.
Röttgen, 56, said that the balance of
power in the European Union could
shift from Berlin to Paris as an SPD-led
government would fall into step behind
President Macron, who has described
Nato as “brain-dead” and set out an
ambition to distance the bloc from
Washington in strategic terms.
“There will be concerns in Washing-
ton and Nato about whether [the SPD]
talks about ‘Europeanisation’ in the
sense of a retreat from Nato and the
transatlantic partnership,” Röttgen told
The Times.
Foreign policy scarcely figured in the
German election campaign but is now
taking on greater significance as the
country’s allies look to Berlin to take a
more assertive role in Europe and the
wider world.
Among the potential flashpoints is
Germany’s commitment as a Nato
member to spend 2 per cent of its GDP
on defence. The budget has risen under
Merkel’s chancellorship to 1.57 per cent,
with Scholz’s approval, but both the
SPD and the Greens have signalled an
unwillingness to go any further.
Last year Rolf Mützenich, 62, the
SPD’s leader in the Bundestag, de-
scribed the target as an “arbitrarily
fixed percentage”.
Both Mützenich and the party’s two
national leaders have demanded that
the US withdraw about 20 atomic
weapons stationed at the Büchel
airbase in southwest Germany, an
emblem of the American “nuclear
umbrella” shielding Europe.
“I don’t think you’ll hear from the
SPD that [our international responsi-
bilities] include a tougher collective
approach to Russia and China,”
Röttgen said.
Röttgen’s CDU is smarting from the
worst general election defeat in its
history after falling nearly nine points
to 24.1 per cent of the vote. There is
speculation that the party leader,
Armin Laschet, could be ousted.
46 2GM Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

World
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES

North Korean missile

Princess has PTSD
over press coverage
rincess Mako
Princess Mako faces
aims to break deadlock
calls to break off her
engagement to Kei South Korea North Korea said
Komuro amid tabloid
claims over money
that it had test-fired a new
anti-aircraft missile — its fourth
weapons launch in recent weeks,
reported a family repeatedly and felt

P
of Japan
has post-
traumatic
stress
disorder caused by
critical coverage of
her planned wedding,
the latest woman in
the imperial family to
succumb to mental
illness (Richard Lloyd
Parry writes).
According to her
psychiatrist, the
princess has “complex
PTSD” after years of
criticism of her
engagement to Kei
Komuro, who recently
returned from the
United States for their
wedding due later this
month. Both are 29.
Mako, daughter of
Crown Prince
Fumihito, Emperor
Naruhito’s younger
brother, met Komuro
at the International
Christian University in
Tokyo. Soon after the
couple announced
their engagement in
2017, a magazine
which experts say is part of a
financial dispute, that she could not strategy to win relief from
forcing them to escape from these. She sanctions. North Korean ballistic
suspend their plans. felt her dignity as a missile launches are banned by
Komuro’s widowed human being had been UN resolutions. South Korea,
mother is in a trampled, and feared it Japan and the US did not confirm
protracted legal might be impossible to that the latest launch took place,
disagreement with have a peaceful and as they normally would do,
her former partner happy life after suggesting that a different kind of
over ¥4 million marriage. She weapon may have been used.
(£27,000) that he becomes pessimistic Talks with Pyongyang have
contributed to the and finds it difficult to largely been deadlocked since
family. Mrs Komuro experience happiness. early 2019, leaving it struggling
regards it as gift; the There are many under crippling sanctions. This
man claims it is a loan occasions when she week, in a conciliatory move, it
to be repaid. The suffers extreme pain offered to reactivate hotlines with
insinuation that Kei in daily life.” South Korea, which have been
Komuro might be Mako is the third used to set up meetings, arrange
motivated to marry by generation of women border crossings and avoid
the desire for money in the imperial family accidental clashes. (AP)
has turned the row to suffer mental ill
into fodder for Japan’s health. Her aunt, New volcanic eruption
weekly tabloid Empress Masako, 57,
magazines, putting the withdrew from public Spain Lava flowed from a new
couple under pressure duties and had an crack in the Cumbre Vieja
to separate. adjustment disorder volcano in the Canary island of
Dr Tsuyoshi diagnosed after La Palma some 1,300ft from
Akiyama, the coming under intense where eruptions began last
princess’s psychiatrist, pressure to have a son. month. The Canaries
said: “Princess Mako The former Empress Volcanology Institute said the
experienced what she Michiko, now 86, opening was a “focus of eruption”.
felt to be slanders and suffered a nervous The Canary Islands’ emergency
libels against herself, breakdown after services said no more evacuations
her family, her fiancé alleged bullying by her had been ordered. About 6,000
and his family mother-in-law. people have been evacuated since
the eruption began. More than
800 buildings, including houses,

Xi bans gay characters and Nazis

churches and schools, have been
destroyed. (Reuters)

Macron criticises Mali

from Chinese computer games

China
Didi Tang Beijing
China has said it will ban video games
that promote “effeminate males” and
gay relationships, involve the conquest
of “barbarians” or seek to alter the
history of the Nazis and imperial Japan.
According to a leaked memo, Beijing
no longer sees gaming as “entertain-
ment” but as an art form that must
serve the party by promoting “correct
values” and “accurate understanding”
of history and culture. In August China
limited children to three hours a week
of online gaming to “curb addiction”.
The instructions, reported by the
South China Morning Post as advice for
game creators, said that characters
must have a “clear gender” and plots
cannot “have blurred moral bounda-
ries”. It said: “If regulators can’t tell the
character’s gender immediately . . . red
flags will be raised.”
Games that encourage players to de-
stroy “barbarians” could be reviewed
for spreading “colonialism”, and those
featuring Japanese warlords could be
seen as glorifying “militarism” and “jin-
goism”. The memo said “games can’t
distort facts or provoke controversy,
Call of Duty is
among the
western franchises
to fall foul of
censorship
and historical figures with established
narratives must not be refashioned”.
On morality, the advice said games
that let players choose to be good or evil
would be censored. “We don’t think that
games should give players this choice . . .
and this must be altered,” it said.
The advice was published as Chinese
censors announced that no new
domestically produced games had been
approved since July, with no imported
games approved since June.
In a meeting on September 8 with
leading gaming developers, the censors
told them of stricter regulations on con-
tent, including a ban on anything with
the “wrong value orientation”, as well as
pornography and violence. The
developers were told to “firmly boycott
any ill culture such as money worship-
ping, effeminate males and boys’ love”.
The gaming industry, which grew to
£32 billion last year in China, is a force
too big for the government to overlook.
Last month a leading Chinese retail
site removed 87 console games, includ-
ing Activision Blizzard Inc’s Call of Duty
and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New
Horizons. JD.com, the retailer, said that
the titles had been removed because
they were unlicensed and unregistered.
In its latest monthly report, the
Guangzhou gaming industry
association said that it had removed
30,000 accounts and silenced another
96,000 over “rule violations”. Offences
include improper political remarks, su-
perstition, rumour, pornography, vul-
gar content, cyberbullying, privacy
breach and discriminatory comments.
The association said it had addressed
issues such as historical nihilism, de-
faming heroic martyrs, terrorism, ex-
tremism, ethnic hatred, cults and fraud.
Last month 213 gaming companies
published a self-regulation pact, in
which they vowed to “build up a safety
line and boycott any ill content”.
Zhongqingbao, a Shenzhen-based
developer of “red games”, including one
about China’s resistance war against
Japan, is ready to capitalise on the rules.
“Games will be evaluated whether their
content fits with core socialist values, if
they spread positive energy, and are
conducive to fostering virtue,” it said.
France President Macron said he
was “shocked” when Mali’s prime
minister described France’s plans
to reduce its troop commitment
there as an “abandonment”.
Macron said Choguel Maiga’s
remark was unacceptable coming
from a prime minister who is in
place after two coups and a
government that has “zero
democratic legitimacy”. France
has 5,000 troops in the Sahel,
which it plans to halve. It wants
African and European countries
to help fight Islamist extremists
in the region. (AP)
Jewel gang arrest
Spain Police in Barcelona said
they have arrested a Croatian
alleged to be a member of the
“Pink Panthers” gang and wanted
in Germany for three robberies in
2015 and 2016 in which jewellery
worth €715,000 was stolen. The
suspect is wanted for robbery
with violence, assault and battery
and the illegal possession of
weapons. The gang, an
international network led by
masterminds from the former

Survival challenge thriller could beat Bridgerton on Netflix Yugoslavia, was named by British
police after a diamond theft in
London in 2003. (AFP)

South Korea
David Charter Washington
The ultra-violent South Korean thriller
series Squid Game is set to become the
most popular show ever on Netflix,
with audiences gripped by its blood-
soaked survival plot based around
familiar childhood games.
Since its premier two weeks ago it has
become the first Korean drama to hit
the top spot on the streaming service in
the US and could well overtake Bridger-
ton, the Regency-era drama, for the
most views worldwide in its first month.
Squid Game is named after the last of
six traditional challenges to be played
by survivors of 456 cash-strapped con-
testants who were originally invited to
risk their lives to compete for a prize of
45.6 billion won (£28.5 million).
The series extends South Korea’s
reputation for global entertainment
after the success of K-pop music and
the 2019 hit film Parasite. In a similar
vein to the Oscar-winning film, Squid
Game highlights the desperation felt by
those living at the margins of society.
“We did not see that coming, in terms
of its global popularity,” Ted Sarandos,
the co-chief executive of Netflix, said.
Characters in the nine-part series
range from a North Korean defector to
a fund manager charged with embez-
zlement and a Pakistani labourer mis-
treated by his employers. They sign up
Hae-soo Park, left, and Jung-jae Lee
star as cash-strapped contestants
for a series of simple but lethal games
organised by mysterious hosts in masks
and red overalls.
The consequences of failure become
clear in the first episode, based around
the Red Light, Green Light game where
competitors must either run or stand
completely still. Players caught moving
after a red light are identified by a giant
robot doll and mown down by machi-
neguns.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director,
said: “People are attracted by the irony
that hopeless grown-ups risk their lives
to win a kids’ game. The games are
simple and easy, so viewers can give
more focus on each character rather
than complex game rules.”
Dead man’s winnings
United States A man died with a
lottery ticket worth $45,000 in
his wallet. Greg Jarvis, 57, won the
money playing a lottery-style
gambling game at the Blue Water
Inn, in Caseville, Michigan, last
month. The bar’s owner, Dawn
Talaski, said that Jarvis could not
cash the ticket because he did not
have a social security card and
was applying for one. A week
later his body was found by his
boat in Saginaw Bay. Police say
he fell and hit his head while
securing the vessel. His family
have been given the ticket. (AP)
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Raiders who saved 118 Jews honoured
Belgium
Bruno Waterfield Brussels
On March 17, 1943, the 11-year-old
Simon Gronowski, his mother, Chana,
and sister, Ita, were arrested by the
Gestapo in Brussels.
They were taken to the Kazerne
Dossin detention camp 30 miles away in
Mechelen to await deportation. Just
over a month later, on April 19, Simon
and his mother were loaded on to cattle
trucks between two rows of soldiers,
including Belgian Waffen SS men.
The train, Convoy 20, was loaded with
1,631 Jewish men, women and children.
They were bound for the gas chambers.
“It was evening, it was dark. The cattle
truck was a gaping black hole,” Gronow-
ski, 89, told The Times in his home in
Brussels this week. “It was completely
Sacré bleu!
Lyons bans
food favourite
France
Charles Bremner Paris
Chicken cordon bleu, a staple of French
canteens, has been banned from
schools in the city of Lyons because the
city’s council deems it to be unhealthy.
Grégory Doucet, of the Greens party,
one of a new breed of environmentally-
minded city mayors, ruled that in its
mass catering form the chicken cutlet
filled with ham and cheese symbolised
the worst of ultra-processed food.
The dish, popular in self-service cafe-
terias and canteens in recent decades, is
not originally French. It appeared in
veal form in Switzerland in the 1940s
and the chicken version was popular-
ised in the United States in the 1950s.
“The cordon bleu is the spearhead of
ultra-processed food products and has
no reason to be in schools in Lyons,
France’s culinary capital,” Gauthier
Chapuis, the councillor in charge of
food, told local media. “We don’t know
where the meat comes from, the cheese
is poor quality and it is full of additives.”
The decision drew criticism from
opponents of the council, who accused
it of imposing the Greens’ ideology on
residents. In April public hostility
forced the council to backtrack on a
decision to remove meat from the
menus in school canteens, which serve
26,000 children a day.
New Greens mayors around the
country have stirred controversy with
actions promoting the environmental
creed. The mayor of Bordeaux
scrapped the municipal Christmas tree
and the mayor of Rennes banned a stop
there by the Tour de France cycle race,
saying that it was polluting, male-domi-
nated and aggressive.
Policeman admits unsolved murders and rapes in suicide note
France
Adam Sage Paris
A retired police officer has killed him-
self after confessing to being a serial
killer and rapist responsible for crimes
that remained unresolved for decades.
François Verove, whose police career
included postings in an elite unit re-
sponsible for protecting the presidential
palace and also in a squad that
investigates paedophilia, is thought to
have committed at least four murders
and six rapes between 1986 and 1997.
dark inside and there were more than 50
of us packed inside with one bucket.”
Shortly after leaving Mechelen, the
train screeched to a halt. “There were
screams and yells in German. I heard
shooting,” Gronowski said. The convoy
had been stopped near the village of
Boortmeerbeek and attacked by three
young resistance fighters. “They saved
my life,” he said.
Using a red lantern to halt the train
and then a pistol to fire on the guards, Dr
Youra Livchitz and Jean Franklemon,
both 25, and Robert Maistriau, 22, tried
to free the prisoners. Their bravery
would result in 233 people escaping, of
whom 118 survived. Some of the prison-
ers in Gronowski’s railway car forced
open the sliding door. “I was fast asleep.
Suddenly my mother woke me and led
me to the door of the moving train by
Puffed up with pride Marines in South Korea stage a smokescreened landing drill to mark the 73rd Armed Forces Day
Among his victims was Cécile Bloch, 11,
whom he raped and stabbed in her
block of flats in the Paris region in 1986,
and another girl of the same age who
was raped after being snatched from her
bicycle, also in the Paris region, in 1994.
Verove, who was 59, killed himself in
an Airbnb flat he had rented in Le
Grau-du-Roi in southern France after
receiving a summons from a judge
investigating a cold case.
Verove was one of more than 750
retired members of the gendarmerie —
France’s military police force — work-
my hand. ‘Now jump,’ she said. I obeyed
my mother. If she had said stay with me
I would have stayed and died with her,”
he said. “If I had known she would not
jump, I would not have done so.”
Gronowski thinks his mother did not
want to slow him down. “She sacrificed
herself for me,” he said, his voice break-
ing with emotion. “She died in the gas
three days later.” He escaped and was
protected by Jean Aerts, a local gen-
darme, who told him: “You were on that
train. Don’t be afraid, I am a good Bel-
gian. I will not betray or denounce you.”
Gronowski said: “I fell into his arms
crying and calling for my mother. If the
Nazis had found out that a Flemish gen-
darme had protected an escaped Jewish
child, they would have shot him.” After
the war Gronowski became a lawyer, a
father of two, and a renowned jazz pian-
ing in Paris at the time of the crimes to
be summoned after investigators be-
came convinced that the killer must
have been an officer.
Police had a photofit drawn up with
the help of witnesses who had seen a
man leaving Cécile’s block of flats and a
nickname for him: le Grêlé (the Pock-
marked One).
They discovered his identity only
after his relatives, thought to include
his wife, said that he had gone missing
this week.
A suicide note by his body said that
ist. But he carried a secret grief. “I cried
a lot when I was alone. My lovely family
was killed in the gas and my father died
despairing and ill in July 1945.”
He was silent for decades until a
friend asked him to tell his story in 2002.
His account has led to greater recogni-
tion of the act of resistance
and of the heroism shown
by the “good Belgians”
who resisted the Nazis
or sheltered Jews.
Livchitz, a Jew,
was wounded in
the raid and be-
trayed a month
later but escaped
the Gestapo,
before being
caught and
killed in 1944.
LEE JIN-MAN/REUTERS
he was le Grêlé. The note is believed to
have said his life had “not being going
well” at the time of the crimes, that he
had had “urges” but had later “got a
grip” on himself and committed no
offences since 1997, a claim investiga-
tors are seeking to verify. His DNA
matched that found at a crime scene.
Verove is reported to have been a
gendarme in 1983-88. After retiring he
moved with his wife to Prades-le-Lez, a
small town in southern France, where
he was elected to the council in 1994. He
then left the gendarmerie to join the
47
World
Franklemon and Maistriau continued
to resist the occupation, were arrested
and sent to concentration camps but
survived. Franklemon died in 1977,
Maistriau in 2008. A monument to the
trio will be erected by 2023.
After going public, Gronowski was
contacted by Koenraad Tinel, a
Belgian sculptor whose
brother, Walter, had been a
Flemish Waffen SS guard at
the Dossin camp. In 2012
Walter Tinel was dying and
asked for Gronowski to
visit. “He implored me for
forgiveness and said he
had repented,” Gronow-
ski said. “I forgave him.”
Simon Gronowski, right,
with Koenraad Tinel
‘Kidnapper’
for Pinochet
held at hotel
Italy
Tom Kington Rome
A German pensioner enjoying a
holiday with a tour group in Italy has
been arrested on charges of kidnapping
in Chile in the 1970s at a Nazi-linked
cult compound.
Police pounced after Reinhard
Doring Falkenberg, 75, and his wife
arrived from Gronau in Germany and
checked into a hotel in Forte dei Marmi,
Tuscany. During a check of hotel
guests’ names, police discovered that
Falkenberg was wanted in Chile for
crimes committed during the Pinochet
regime and are now holding him pend-
ing an extradition hearing.
Falkenberg is accused of kidnapping
a Chilean anti-government activist in
1976 at a secluded farm known as
Colonia Dignidad, which was set up in
1961 by Paul Schäfer, a German émigré,
and reportedly used as a hideout for
fugitive Nazis including Josef Mengele.
On the run from child molestation
accusations in Germany, Schäfer ran
the 34,000-acre farm like a cult. He was
sentenced in 2006 to 20 years for child
sex abuse and died in jail in 2010.
He also allegedly collaborated with
the regime of General Pinochet in the
1970s and 1980s, taking in Chilean
political prisoners who were tortured,
with about 100 killed at the compound.
In 2005 Falkenburg was convicted in
absentia in Chile of serving as a liaison
at the camp with the Chilean secret
police and playing a role in the kidnap-
ping of the Chilean anti-government
activist Juan Maino Canales, 27, who
vanished after he was sent to the farm.
His lawyer, Simona Selvanetti, said
that he had not known he was wanted.
Police Nationale, the civil force, where
he worked for a squad specialising in
crimes against children, notably sex
crimes.
Among his other presumed crimes
are the murders of Irmgard Mueller, 20,
a German au pair found tied up with
her throat slit in the flat where she was
employed in Paris, and of Gilles Politi,
38, an Air France mechanic who was
the father of the family for whom she
worked. Verove is also suspected of kill-
ing Karine Leroy, 19, whose body was
found in woods outside Paris in 1994.
48 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

World
JOHN TLUMACKI/THE BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY IMAGES; KELLY SULLIVAN/WEWORK CREATOR AWARDS/GETTY IMAGES

Sage Humphries, below, unspecified reasons. She

says she was sexually has continued teaching
abused by Dusty Button as a freelancer, building
and Mitchell Taylor Button a merchandising brand
and offering career
husband, who married management services.
in 2013, deny the The lawsuit says a
allegations. The case has “culture of harassment
shaken the ballet world and abuse” permeates
and raised questions the dance world and that
about what the dance the Buttons used “an
companies and schools intentional combination
that Button worked for of emotional control,
did — and when — to financial manipulation
protect young hopefuls and sexual abuse”.
who looked up to her. One of those suing,
Boston Ballet cut ties Sage Humphries, claims
Ballet star ‘held gun as with her in 2017 for she was told to put on a
spandex suit that left
only her nose and
husband raped dancer’ e
ears exposed, then
t
tied down and
n the outwardly — who trained at the a
assaulted.

I genteel world of
ballet, she was an
edgy star —
building a
reputation as a “punk
rock Black Swan
ballerina” who
Royal Ballet School
before becoming
principal dancer at the
Boston Ballet — was a
sexual predator who
used her status to groom
and terrorise aspiring
b
la

G
Marc Randazza, a
lawyer
told
Globe:
fo
forward
both
c
court”,
for the couple,
to The Boston
“We look
to clearing
of their names in
adding that it
combined traditional young dancers, along alcohol by the couple a firearm. “This case is dancers across the w interesting that
was
dance with a modern with her dance and raped by Mitchell about a couple that has country,” states the t media were aware
the
vibe (Jacqui Goddard instructor husband, a Taylor Button in a room exploited their position lawsuit, filed in o the complaint
of
writes). lawsuit alleges. hung with guns while his of power and influence Nevada by five b
before Button. “Maybe
Behind the curtain, One alleged victim wife held her down and, in the dance world to alleged victims. th should inspire
that
however, Dusty Button says she was plied with at one point, brandished sexually abuse young Button, 32, and her s
some cynicism.”

Rich suburb seeks to split

from crime-ridden Atlanta
Attempted breakaways by the
David regions of San Fernando Valley in
Los Angeles and Staten Island in
Charter New York failed owing to the
strength of historic ties but the
Buckhead City movement appears
to be gaining momentum in an
age of greater polarisation and
washington social media-driven atomisation.
“Atlanta, like most American
t is an ambition as old as cities, suffers from tremendous
a seven-year-old black girl,
Kennedy Maxie, who was hit by a
stray bullet in her aunt’s car while
out shopping last December.
The new city would take 20 per
cent of Atlanta’s population and
40 per cent of its property value.
While residents will have the final
say in a referendum, the plan has
first to clear the Republican-
controlled state legislature.

I America — self-governance
by a community that sets its
own budget and taxes. Yet the
push for cityhood in the well-
to-do Atlanta suburb of Buckhead
is different from the frontier ideal
of staking out new city limits and
segregation — essentially, certain
communities are far wealthier and
more white than other
communities,” said Yonah
Freemark, a senior researcher at
the Urban Institute, a think tank
in Washington. “It is hard not to
Eric Tanenblatt, a Buckhead
businessman, appealed to
residents to vote for change in
next month’s city elections rather
than contemplate secession.
Preventing a breakaway is high on
the list of priorities for the main
choosing a mayor and a sheriff. feel that the secession movement candidates for Atlanta mayor.
Buckhead is incorporated as is inspired by racial and class Tanenblatt said he agreed that
part of the capital of Georgia. It is animus with regards to the rest of Buckhead residents were being
the wealthiest and whitest part of Atlanta.” ignored but: “I do not believe
the majority-black metropolis and Not so, says Bill White, chief de-annexing Buckhead from
its push for secession is driven by executive of the Buckhead City Atlanta is the right approach.”
claims of being overlooked during committee, adding that “the only Laura Dobson, a resident, told
a crime wave. thing white about this is my last The Atlanta-Journal Constitution
Organisers of the Buckhead name”. White, a New Yorker who that she opposed breaking away
City campaign pledge to triple moved to the area three years ago but that the mood was different to
police numbers, slash bureaucracy to be near his husband’s family, previous secession discussions.
and use surplus funds for a tax cut said: “The crime is colour-blind, it “Everyone is frustrated. People
or investment in schools. is affecting everybody.” think if we separate ourselves or
Opponents say they could One the most horrifying insulate, we’ll be safe,” she said.
bankrupt Atlanta and trigger a incidents that have fuelled the “If it gets to a vote it’ll be very
trend of similar big-city cases. cityhood campaign is the killing of close.”

Johansson and Disney settle film row

United States was on in cinemas had deprived Black Widow, which meant that her
her of money. The dispute was earnings were tied to the box office
Joshua Thurston
closely watched as media performance.
Scarlett Johansson and Walt companies are seeking to Disney chose a hybrid release in
Disney Studios have settled build streaming services by July, when many cinemas remained
their legal dispute over her offering premium content closed because of the pandemic.
alleged loss of earnings from to lure subscribers. Black Widow earned more than
the film Black Widow. Johansson, 36, was $378 million (£280 million), a large
The US actress sued the also a producer on part of which came from Disney+.
studio in July, claiming that The terms of the settlement were
releasing the Marvel super- The star has played not disclosed. “I look forward to
hero movie on its Disney+ Black Widow in continuing our collaboration in years
streaming service while it eight movies to come,” Johansson said.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 49

Dog trainer made a killing handling mutts for the New York Mob
United States
Will Pavia New York
Not long after he set up in business as
an animal trainer, Warren Eckstein
received a call from a man named Wal-
ter asking him to come to a nice house
on the southern shore of Long Island.
“There was a big guy standing out
front,” Eckstein recalled. “He says:
‘Who are you? What are you doing
here?’ Then Walter appeared.”
Walter had explained that the great
dane that needed training belonged to
his boss. He had not said that his boss
was Carlo Gambino, head of the most
powerful crime family in the New York
mafia.
When he found out whose dog it was,
“my training increased tremendously”,
Eckstein said. “By the time I was fin-
ished this dog was probably speaking
Italian and cooking pasta. I didn’t want
to take any chances whatsoever.”
He did such a good job that Walter
recommended him to all of his associ-
ates. “Once I finished with that dog, my
phone was ringing,” he said. “At that
time they all used the same doctors, the
same accountants, the same lawyers. I
got a reputation for being the dog train-
er and pet behaviourist for the Mob.”
He was also discreet. “For years I said
nothing,” he said. “Now they are all
dead or in jail.”
Once, he pulled up outside a brown-
stone building in Brooklyn and gave his
name to the men standing outside.
“They said, ‘Go downstairs’,” he said.
World
“I’m looking around, I saw maybe 12 television show about the Mob, “I
desks, 12 different telephones. I would say to my wife: I was
thought: These guys don’t look like at that house.”
they’re raising money for In 1990 his second wife died.
muscular dystrophy. As it Two years later he moved to
turned out it was an illegal California and became an
gambling operation.” animal expert on The
Eckstein, 72, first spoke of Today Show, while training
his experience with his the dogs of Hollywood
second wife. Watching a actors. “I think I was more
intimidated by celebrities,”
Carlo Gambino needed his he said. “I felt more comfort-
unruly great dane trained able with the Mob.”

LIAN LAW, C SPENCER/NPS

Alaskan bears are feeding

Bear weight watchers up on salmon before the
winter. The public can vote
vote for favourite fatty online in a contest for
heaviest contender

or a beauty get fat and what that include Holly, known as

F pageant, the
focus on
contestants’
chubby figures
and missing teeth,
analysis of their fat
reserves and description
of their appearance as
“grizzled” might seem a
little off (Jacqui
Goddard writes).
One competitor has a
“low-hanging belly”,
another walks with a
limp. Some sport scars
and a few have a
tendency for brawling,
organisers note.
Yet so compelling is
the line-up for Fat Bear
Week, a competition
showcasing the ursine
occupants of Alaska’s
Katmai National Park
and Preserve, that it
draws more public votes
than the state counted in
last year’s US
presidential election.
“It’s an opportunity to
not just look at fat bears
but to consider why
bears get fat, how they
means to their overall
survival. In this
competition, fat is good.
The fatter the better,”
said Mike Fitz, a
resident naturalist
helping to co-ordinate
the Queen of
Corpulence, whose
appearance “somewhat
resembles the shape and
colour of a toasted
marshmallow”.
Otis is missing two
the competition. canine teeth and
The Katmai expends as little energy
wilderness covers just as possible in catching
over four million acres salmon. He
and is home to about “occasionally appears to
2,200 brown bears. be napping or not paying
From June to mid- attention”, yet has one of
October, they gather at the highest salmon
Brooks River — the catch rates.
largest sockeye salmon Popeye — whose
run left on Earth — to forearms were so thickly
gorge on fish and bulk furred as a youngster
up for their months-long that he resembled the
cartoon character — is
an ageing male who
sometimes shows up late
to the fishing party.
Chunk has many scars,
h
hibernation, during Fat Bear Week ploy for educating the carries his weight in his
w
which they will lose operates as the public about problems rear end and “is not
u to a third of their
up antithesis to fat-shaming affecting the ecosystem hesitant to challenge
w
weight. Rangers — it is a contest in and raising awareness and displace others from
a
assess their fat which piling on the about the bears’ the resources he wants”.
re
reserves using pounds is celebrated and survival. Online voting
re
remote laser- greed is good. Primarily, Contenders for the culminates next week,
sc
scanning technology. according to Fitz, it is a title of Fat Bear 2021 on Fat Bear Tuesday.

Spying fears as Chinese wind farm Astronauts

tycoon buys land near US airbase
United States
Hugh Tomlinson Washington
A massive wind farm project by a
secretive Chinese billionaire with
alleged military ties has provoked a pol-
itical firestorm in Texas, where conser-
vationists and lawmakers have united
in a campaign to block the scheme.
Sun Guangxin, a property tycoon,
has spent an estimated $110 million
(£80 million) buying up swathes of land
in Val Verde county, on the border with
Mexico. Since 2016 Sun’s subsidiary
companies have bought about 140,000
acres, with land allocated for the Blue
Hills Wind development, a wind farm
of 46 turbines, some 700 feet tall, set to
plug into the Texas electricity grid.
Val Verde locals and conservation-
ists, worried about pollution to the
Devils River, launched a campaign to
block the project in 2017.
The environmental menace posed by
Sun, 59, gained little attention until the
campaigners changed tack, focusing
instead on the billionaire’s links to the
Chinese Communist Party and the
potential national security threat to the
nearby Laughlin Air Force Base.
Allegations of covert spying by Bei-
jing soon caught the attention of Texas
Republicans. In months a campaign to
preserve a local river escalated into a
political row over covert Chinese mili-
tary incursion into the United States.
Sun’s companies are accused of re-
cruiting Chinese military and govern-
ment officials. More strident oppo-
nents claim he may have financial in-
terests in China’s crackdown on Uighur
Muslims in his home province of Xinji-
ang. Those claims have not been con-
firmed and the State Department has
not commented on Sun’s investment.
The project was cleared by federal in-
spectors last year but the controversy
has continued to escalate in Texas as
local and national politicians denounce
Beijing’s stealthy advance into the state.
Senator Ted Cruz visited the air base
last year, where he spoke of the threat
from Sun’s investment group, GH
America. Cruz warned the Trump ad-
ministration about the project in a let-
ter, attaching an amendment to the
National Defense Authorization Act,
urging tougher oversight of wind farms
close to US military facilities.
“These wind farms affect our train-
ture Protection Act, which bars anyone
Sun Guangxin has in Texas from signing contracts with
alleged links to businesses or government officials
Beijing’s military from “China, Iran, North Korea,
Russia” or any country designated by
the state leadership as a threat.
“Access to critical infrastructure
within the state of Texas should not be
open to companies owned and con-
US trolled by the governments of aggres-
sor nations,” the Republican senator
Donna Campbell, who proposed the
Dallas
Val Verde act, wrote in a post to constituents.
County Sun’s opponents said that the wind
TEXAS farm could be used to disrupt or shut
San down the Texas power grid, which col-
Antonio lapsed during unseasonal snowstorms
Laughlin this year, leaving almost three million
MEXICO airbase
200 miles homes without electricity for days.
GH America has insisted that the
ing routes and pose a severe risk to our project is fully transparent, and
national security,” Cruz said. “The Chi- concerns about potential disruption to
nese Communist Party has demon- military flight paths from Laughlin by
strated time and again they’re willing to the wind turbines have been dismissed.
invest billions of dollars to expand their Economists have suggested that, far
espionage capabilities and their global from seeking to expand a covert
reach, including through land purchase Chinese military presence on US soil,
schemes near military bases.” Sun could be seeking to move his
Texas politicians went further in capital abroad, out of reach of the
June, passing the Lone Star Infrastruc- Chinese Communist Party.
need a little
jiggy stardust
Tom Whipple Science Editor
Geoffrey Wyatt
It is time, at last, for space to see a big
bang. A group of psychologists has
urged space agencies to “embrace a new
discipline: space sexology”.
Writing on the academic website The
Conversation, they call for “the com-
prehensive scientific study of extra-
terrestrial intimacy and sexuality”.
The academics, including research-
ers from Concordia University in Cana-
da, said that as space opens up to
human exploration, treating astro-
nauts as if they are sexless is untenable.
“Love and sex are central to human
life. Despite this, national and private
space organisations are moving for-
ward with long-term missions to the
International Space Station, the moon
and Mars without any concrete re-
search and plans to address human
eroticism in space,” they write.
If we are to become a true spacefaring
race, they argue, we are going to have to
accept a bit of sexual stardust. They also
suggested that at the very least we
should also look at encouraging some
sexual activity in space.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 K1 51

Business
world markets (Change on the day) commodities currencies
FTSE 100 Dow Jones Gold Brent crude (6pm) £/$ £/€
7,027.07 (-59.35) 34,326.46 (+482.54) $1,761.82 (+3.59) $ $78.73 (+0.11) $ $1.3569 (+0.0101) $ €1.1698 (+0.0063) ¤
7,500 36,000 2,000 80 1.450 1.200

7,000 34,000 1,800 75 1.400 1.175

6,500 32,000 1,600 70 1.350 1.150

6,000 30,000 1,400 65 1.300 1.125

Sept 2 10 20 28 Sept 2 10 20 28 Sept 2 10 20 28 Sept 2 10 20 28 Sept 2 10 20 28 Sept 2 10 20 28

Housing boom could net Bridgepoint £1.3bn for Miller Homes sale
Louisa Clarence-Smith
Chief Business Correspondent
Bridgepoint is preparing a sale or float
of one of Britain’s biggest housebuilders
after a rise in valuations on the back of
an exceptionally strong housing
market.
The private equity firm has appoint-
ed Rothschild, the investment bank, to
advise on its potential exit from Miller
Homes. Any deal is expected to value
the builder at more than £1.3 billion.
Bridgepoint bought the company from
GSO Capital Partners, part of Black-
stone, for £650 million in 2017.
Miller was founded 87 years ago as a
family-owned housebuilder in Edin-
burgh and it has expanded to have
interests in construction and mining. It
came under pressure during the 2008
financial crisis and some family mem-
bers sold their holdings to HBOS,
months before the bank was acquired
by Lloyds. GSO Capital Partners
became the majority shareholder in
2011 after a refinancing of Miller’s
£600 million debt.
Miller Homes operates in Scotland,
northern and southern England and
the West Midlands. It sold 2,620 homes
last year for an average £261,000. The
volume of sales was 25 per cent lower
than in 2019 because of the shutdown of
the housing market at the start of the
pandemic. The development value of
the housebuilder’s land bank at the end
of last year was £2.8 billion, according to
its 2020 annual report.
Competition for land has increased
as leading housebuilders have returned
to a market with limited stock and have
built up huge cash reserves after the
boom in sales. The value of greenfield
and urban residential development
sites rose by about 3 per cent in the year
to June 2021, Savills, the property con-
sultancy, has said. Over the same
period, average UK house prices in-
creased by 13.2 per cent to a record
£266,000, according to the Office for
National Statistics.
Despite the end of the stamp duty
holiday, demand for property is
expected to stay high as more people
working from home seek additional
space. Rothschild’s appointment as
adviser was first reported by Sky News.
Bridgepoint and Miller Homes de-
clined to comment.

PETER MACDIARMID/LNP

Morrisons Bitcoin jumps

as Fed says it
has no plan
in 11th-hour for crypto ban
Hamzah Khalique-Loonat

pension talks Jerome Powell, the chairman of the US

Fortress meets trustees ahead of auction day
Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor
Fortress was locked in talks last night
with Wm Morrison’s pension trustees
in an attempt to reach an agreement
before a showdown today with Clayton
Dubilier & Rice, the American invest-
ment firm’s rival bidder, that will
determine which takes ownership of
the supermarket group.
Today’s auction will resolve almost
four months of takeover speculation
that has pitted Clayton Dubilier & Rice,
a US private equity house, against
Fortress, a New York investment firm
controlled by SoftBank, of Japan.
Morrisons’ shareholders have bet
that the auction will lead to a £7.16 bil-
lion takeover of the Bradford-based
chain — Britain’s biggest take-private
deal in at least a decade — with shares
in the group rising by 2½p, or 0.8 per
cent, to 297p yesterday. This is a 66 per
cent premium to where Morrisons’
shares were in June before the bid inter-
est emerged and 4 per cent higher than
the recommended deal with Clayton
Dubilier & Rice.
Public takeover auctions used to be
rare but they have become increasingly
is prepared to join the Fortress con-
sortium, giving it even more firepower
to compete in the auction. Fortress has
backing from Koch Industries, Cana-
da’s Pension Protection Investment
Board and Singapore’s GIC sovereign
wealth fund, while Clayton Dubilier &
Rice has a financing package in place
from 12 leading banks and Goldman
Sachs’ West Street and Ares funds.
The battle for Morrisons has taken
several twists. Despite Fortress making
a secret approach in mid-May, Clayton
Dubilier & Rice made a 230p-a-share
offer a month later that was rebuffed by
the group’s board. Two weeks later,
Morrisons’ directors then recom-
mended a 254p-a-share deal with
Fortress.
Resistance from a quartet of
Morrisons’ top investors, including
JO Hambro, which called for the
grocer to engage at 270p a share, led to
Fortress lifting its bid to 272p.
Morrisons’ board switched its recom-
mendation six weeks ago to Clayton
Dubilier & Rice’s offer after the private
equity firm tabled a higher 285p-a-
share bid. The bidder also matched
Fortress on making assurances on
Federal Reserve, sparked a rally in
cryptocurrencies yesterday by announ-
cing that the United States had no plans
to ban them.
In New York last night bitcoin, the
most popular cryptocurrency, was
10.1 per cent higher at $47,319.94, lifting
it by 13.2 per cent over the past seven
days.
Powell made his comments to
Congress’s oversight of the Treasury
department’s and Federal Reserve’s
pandemic response committee. When
asked whether America intended to
ban or limit the use of cryptocurrencies
in the country, he replied that the Fed
had no such plans. “Stable coins are like
money market funds, bank deposits,
but they’re to some extent outside the
regulatory perimeter and it’s appro-
priate that they be regulated. Same
activity, same regulation,” he said.
Stable coins are cryptocurrencies
designed to have a stable price, through
being pegged to a commodity or a
currency, or even having their supply
regulated through an algorithm. One
example of a stable coin is tether, which
has the fifth highest market cap, ac-
cording to coinmarketcap.com.
chancellor and Murty impaired investment of Despite the prospect of regulation
Sunak’s wife in 2013, invests in start- £324,995 had been and the specific reference to stable
ups “with the view to recognised after the coins, cryptocurrency markets resp-
lends £4.3m future capital growth financial year end. onded to the news positively, following
and income This is thought to be bitcoin’s price rise.
to start-up distributions”. a reference to Mrs Bitcoin was created in 2008 as strings
Murty is the Wordsmith, an of computer code with no physical
kshata Murty, daughter of NR education start-up

A
frequent as the pace of dealmaking has backing Morrisons’ management’s form. It was intended as an alternative
roared into life, with a record number of existing strategy, its store estate, work- the wife of Rishi Narayana Murthy, the backed by Catamaran means of payment but its main use so
overseas buyers targeting British ers and has since made a commitment Sunak, lent her Indian billionaire and that failed less than six far has largely been for speculative
businesses. Bankers said that Fortress to the grocer’s pension trustees. start-up investment co-founder of Infosys, months after receiving trading. Bitcoin has delivered returns of
would have to make the first move in Morrisons has 53,600 members in its company £4.3 million the consulting £650,000 from the 62 per cent so far in 2021, reaching a
the auction, which will have five rounds pension plan and employs 120,000 staff last year, up from company. The Murthy taxpayer via Sunak’s yearly high of almost $65,000. It was
of bidding, to show that it could match in its 497 supermarkets, factories, farms £1.7 million in 2019, as family reportedly Future Fund, a priced at roughly $10,600 this time last
Clayton Dubilier & Rice’s recommend- and on its fishing trawler. The group it slipped into the red invested part of the pandemic funding year.
ed £7 billion deal. uses online partners including Ocado, (James Hurley writes). wealth created by scheme. Catamaran A week ago China issued a ban on
It is understood that Apollo, another which fulfils orders through its website, The London-based Infosys through and the Treasury were cryptocurrency transactions and prices
American private equity firm that had Amazon and Deliveroo to cater to the Catamaran Ventures Catamaran. approached for fell, with dozens of cryptocurrencies
considered making a bid for Morrisons, Continued on page 52, col 5 UK, founded by the Catamaran noted an comment. following the fortunes of bitcoin.
552 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Business

Need to know
‘My launch was
1
Ofgem, the energy regulator,
has said that it could start the
process to revoke the licences
of five small UK energy suppliers
crushed by men’
— Ampoweruk, Whoop Energy,
n a bitter clash of company, while Goga

I
Goto Energy, Home Energy
Trading and Colorado Energy — if London high
they fail to pay £7 million towards society and the
its renewable scheme. Page 8 hard-headed world
of City business, a
socialite who has dated
Ashkenazi, 41, and
Tamara Beckwith, 51,
her fellow socialites,
also invested in the
fledgling retailer in

2
An increasing number of
women as well as bankers, both Prince Andrew 2008. Stanbury’s father
chefs and shop workers are and Hugh Grant has Anthony, 78, a former
among thousands of new recruits claimed that her managing director of
seeking to train as HGV drivers as dreams of creating a Jaeger, the fashion
demand soars amid an estimated luxury online retailer label, became chief
shortage of more than 100,000 were crushed by the operating officer.
qualified drivers in Britain. bullying of a group of John Dodd, 60, a
Hughes Driver Training, the powerful male investors fund manager at
country’s largest HGV driving (David Brown writes). Artemis Alpha Trust,
school, said that it was receiving Caroline Stanbury, met Stanbury at a
thousands of inquiries a week after who has been cleared shooting weekend in
some companies advertised jobs at of unlawfully Oxfordshire in 2011.
£50,000 a year. Pages 14-15 transferring assets of a The following year
£1.4 million subsidiary Artemis invested
to herself before the £1.5 million in Gift

3
Fortress, the American
investment firm, was locked in collapse of Gift Library, Library when it ran
talks last night with told the High Court into cashflow problems.
Wm Morrison’s pension trustees that she had been the As part of the deal,
with the aim of reaching an victim of bullying and Style Counsel,
agreement before a dramatic one- intimidation by Stanbury’s personal
day auction contest with Clayton investors headed by styling business valued
Dubilier & Rice today that will David Ross, the at £1.4 million, was
determine which will own the telecoms tycoon. merged with Gift
supermarkets group. Page 51 Ross, 56, a co- Library, which was
founder of Carphone valued at £400,000.
Warehouse, has denied When the socialite

4
Bridgepoint, the private
equity firm, is preparing a the claim and has complained that her Stanbury’s father then three powerful men” — online luxury goods belittle me, making me
sale or float of Miller Homes, alleged that there were salary in the merged resigned. He told the Ross, Rind and Dodd. retailer.” anxious of any
one of Britain’s biggest concerns that investors’ company was High Court: “I could Stanbury told the She claimed that interaction with him.
housebuilders, after a rise in money was being used significantly less than tell very quickly that court that Ross was “a Ross, Rind and Dodd “Ross ultimately
valuations built on an to fund the socialite’s her earnings before the Ross had no very difficult investor to had wanted to make caused me to become
exceptionally strong housing personal life. deal, she was given understanding of work with, being a man the decisions about the ill for an extended
market. Page 51 Stanbury, 45, founded permission to continue luxury retail and that who was used to getting running of the retailer. period of time, which,
Gift Library on the her personal styling via he was wholly his own way. He was “I felt like I was being of course, had an
back of her success as a a new company, also unequipped to be confident that he knew systematically bullied adverse impact on my

5
Jerome Powell, chairman of
the US Federal Reserve, fashion stylist for called Style Counsel. making decisions on how best to run [Gift by Ross. He would ask ability to run the
sparked a rally in celebrities. Her Ross, who knew Gift behalf of [the Library], but there are me inappropriate business.”
cryptocurrencies by announcing godfather Alan Rind, Library as his girlfriend company]. He claimed stark differences personal questions Stanbury resigned as
that the United States had no 80, the City fund worked for the that the business had between a business during board meetings chief executive in
plans to ban them. Page 51 manager, lent her company, invested been ruined by the such as Carphone in an attempt to October 2014. Gift
£500,000 to start her £2 million in 2014. “non-cooperation of Warehouse and an publicly embarrass and Library was placed into

6
Akshata Murty, the wife of
Rishi Sunak, lent Catamaran

Rules of the game are clear

Ventures UK, her London-
based start-up investment
company, £4.3 million last year, up
from £1.7 million in 2019, as it
slipped into the red. Page 51

7 in climax to Morrisons fight

European stocks have fallen to
their lowest level in two
months, as warnings from
companies and factory activity
data highlighted the economic
headwinds from supply chain
constraints and elevated prices.
Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor How does a takeover auction work? their offers to try to gauge how much
continued from page 51

8
The last time that stagflation
gripped the West, it sparked
an economic revolution. One
of the accepted principles of
Keynesianism, the orthodoxy since
the Second World War, was that
high unemployment and rising
inflation were mutually exclusive.
Yet in the 1970s, the impossible
became real. Today, talk of
stagflation is back, with rising
prices and low growth threatening
to plunge the economy into a
1970s-style crisis Pages 54-55
When Fortress Investment Group
quietly approached Wm Morrison in
May, it was surprised to discover that
the supermarkets group had already
rejected a £5.5 billion approach by
Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). For-
tress offered £6.3 billion, but when
shareholders rejected that as too low,
Clayton Dubilier & Rice upped its bid to
£7 billion. The Morrisons’ board rec-
ommended it, but Fortress didn’t give
up. Now the rivals face a five-round
auction today to decide which can take
over the grocery chain.
Takeover Panel rules include a ready-
made template for a five-day auction,
with bids declared at 5pm each day after
the stock market has closed. That
applied to the £627 million takeover of
Kcom, a telecoms investment special-
ist, in 2019. In Morrisons’ case, a one-
day weekend auction with five rounds
has been agreed to avoid causing dis-
ruption to markets. The £30.6 billion
takeover of Sky in 2018 was settled in a
three-round auction between Disney
and Comcast on a Saturday. The goal is
for each bidder to reach its “final” price,
its binding best offer. To ensure that the
their rival is willing to pay. Bidders also
do not want to risk the embarrassment
of overpaying by vastly outbidding a
rival. They reserve their full firepower
for the decisive final bid.
When will we know who wins?
Sources say that the action should
be over by about 2pm today and the
panel will release the final bids by
Fortress and CD&R. Morrisons has
until 7am on Tuesday, October 5, to an-
nounce which it is recommending, but
it is unlikely to leave the markets in
doubt for so long.
Fortress seeks advantage
before Morrisons auction
growing demand for deliveries. While
the battle for the supermarket chain
has come down to price, both would-be
buyers have been at pains to style
themselves as responsible owners of
the group and have written to Kwasi
Kwarteng, the business secretary, to
make commitments in this respect.
Takeover Panel rules, however, are
legally binding for only 12 months.
Sources have highlighted that For-

9
AO World, the online white
goods retailer, has joined the
list of companies warning that
their profits will be hit by the lorry
driver shortage. Its shares fell after
it said that it was facing
“challenging” market dynamics in
Britain and Germany. Page 56
How common are auctions?
Public takeover auctions used to be a
rarity, but now there will have been
three auction attempts in as many
months: Philip Morris and Carlyle were
scheduled to face off in a £1 billion take-
over battle for Vectura, the maker of
respiratory drugs, in August before
Morrisons contest cannot end in a
draw, the panel has stipulated that For-
tress must make an offer at an even
number of pence-a-share and Clayton
Dubilier & Rice an odd number offer.
What are the tactics?
Cash bid auctions are settled by
whoever can afford the most. If no
What risk after the auction is there to
the deal completing?
Shareholders seem to have accepted
that Morrisons will be taken private,
with Silchester, the largest investor,
already reducing its stake. Fortress, un-
like CD&R, has not made commit-
ments to Morrisons’ pensions trustees,
tress did not clinch an agreement with
Morrisons’ pension trustees, despite
having a board recommendation in
place for seven weeks, prompting the
trustees to warn that a debt-financed
takeover could “materially worsen” the
financial strength of Morrisons. It is un-
derstood that Fortress could put the
finishing touches to an agreement with

10 JD Wetherspoon, the pubs

company, is planning to
hit back at the negative
impact of corporate governance
rules by promoting worker
directors to its board. Page 57
Philip Morris abruptly ended the
drama by declaring its offer final. Last
week Augean, a waste management
company, was bought by Ancala Part-
ners for £390 million after it outbid
Morgan Stanley Infrastructure in a
single-day auction.
increased bids are made in the first
round, CD&R’s existing 285p-a-share
bid will instantly be declared the win-
ner. That means Fortress has to make a
higher first-round bid to challenge
CD&R’s agreed deal. Typically, bidders
make incremental improvements on
which could be a source of tension if it
wins. If CD&R wins, the sale will face
regulatory approval because of the
potential competition concerns of
merging Morrisons’ petrol forecourt
the pension trustees after the outcome
of the auction if the consortium wins.
Morrisons is attractive to private
equity firms because it owns 85 per cent
of the freeholds of its store estate, which
business, but it is not conditional to the potentially could be leveraged in sale-
deal. and-leaseback arrangements.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 2GM 53

Business
REBECCA MILLER/NBCU/GETTY IMAGES; ALAN DAVIDSON/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; DAVE M BENETT/GETTY IMAGES
high-end bags and
jewellery for
[Stanbury’s] styling
clients from time to
time at their request
Spoons’ staff with a
and to sell the same to
such clients at an uplift.
“[Stanbury]
assiduously sought and
seat at the table
relied upon the advice
and assistance of
experienced lawyers business commentary Patrick Hosking
and accountants at all
material times. It is

administration in
February 2015.
The administrator
claimed that the
original Style Counsel
deal had been “a result
of the improper and
unlawful transfer of its
business” and
threatened Stanbury
T
im Martin was on them instead. We now have the
most regrettable that harrumphingly good form unprecedented spectacle of the
she and her family have yesterday. The government urging employers to
been put through the Wetherspoon chairman, raise wages, something Sir Howard
stress of these who is never knowingly Davies, former Bank of England
proceedings.” understated when promoting the deputy governor, said was bizarre
A spokeswoman for interests of his pub chain, launched and could lead to “government-
Ross, who was not a half a dozen salvos from his holiday induced wage inflation.”
party in the case, said: retreat in the Scilly Isles. How long will ministers hold out
“David Ross was never There was one for HMRC, which against more visa concessions? That
a director, executive or was disgracefully refusing to refund will depend on whether bottlenecks
board member of Gift £524,000 of accidentally paid alcohol worsen. But watch the pound and
Library, so he had duty. And one for those pesky the bond market, too. The exchange
limited dealings with Scottish rates assessors, unfairly rate is the classic barometer of how
executives from the e- discriminating against lower-priced overseas investors see prospects for
retailer and no boozers like Spoons. the UK, while footage of queues at
responsibility for the But Martin kept his greatest ire for filling stations are doing the image of
company’s trading the corporate governance wonks Britain no good overseas
performance. who in his view impose ridiculous The pound’s plunge this week was
“Ultimately, Gift one-size-fits-all restrictions on the especially concerning because, with
Library failed because Spoons boardroom. His new idea? inflation concerns and interest rate
its major creditor lost Worker directors. Yes, a wheeze last expectations rising, it normally
faith in its management seriously espoused by Jeremy would have been expected to
and pulled the plug on Corbyn, not exactly an ideological strengthen. As the former Bank
what became clear was bedfellow to Martin. Corbyn wanted governor Mark Carney repeatedly
a struggling business. one third of board seats to be said, we still rely on “the kindness of
“While we strongly reserved for worker directors and strangers” to balance the books.
refute all of Ms put it in the 2019 Labour manifesto. A few empty shelves in the
Caroline Stanbury, main Stanbury’s allegations, Martin has a good point. The supermarket will problably not be
picture, left, dated Hugh there were serious technocrats deemed ideal to sit in enough to persuade ministers to
Grant, catered to clients concerns that investors’ the boardrooms of listed companies budge. A fully fledged sterling crisis
including Tamara money was being used often (a) don’t have an or a buyers’ strike in the gilts market
Eccleston, above left, to fund Ms Stanbury’s entrepreneurial bone in their bodies certainly would.
and accused David Ross personal life. Despite (b) enough time to understand the
Ms Stanbury’s claims businesses they govern and (c) don’t
has now ruled that there that she was unable to stay long enough to learn. Let buyer beware
was no “unlawful work with the Four Spoons pub or area managers
transfer”. She said: “The investors, she

with bankruptcy
proceedings unless she
handed over
£1.4 million.
Judge Sally Barber
W
with an average of 26 years’ service hat is the point of lock-up
‘handbag and jewellery continued to ask for with the company have been arrangements? These are
business’ . . . was funding from them shortlisted for board seats. Their the promises made by
ultimately no more than with apparent full knowledge of what makes the early-stage backers of floating
a selection of sales knowledge that it was business tick “vastly exceeds my businesses not to sell any more of
opportunities to ‘source’ an unviable business.” own”, says Martin. their shares usually for three, six or
This is a business that owes its twelve months after an initial public
phenomenal success not so much to offering.

European shares hit two-month low big, strategic decisions as to

Emma Powell
European stocks fell to their lowest
levels in two months yesterday as
warnings from companies and factory
activity data highlighted the twin
threats of problems with supply chains
and rising prices.
The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 index
closed down 0.4 per cent, bringing its
weekly fall to 2.2 per cent. A survey
showed that eurozone manufacturing
growth was strong last month, but
activity took a big hit from supply
bottlenecks that are likely to persist and
hundreds of tiny incremental
operating improvements. Why on
earth would it not have space in the
In theory the pledges reassure new
investors. The earlier backers aren’t
going to do a price-depressing
runner. They are less likely to float a
cent by the end of the year because of Sachs, said: “For equities, this combina- boardroom for long-servers best able turkey if they have skin in the game.
a shift in the backdrop towards “anti- tion of slowing growth, albeit at a high to spot potential flaws in policy In practice, the handcuffs are
goldilocks”, where slowing growth is level of demand, rising inflation and changes imposed from on high? easily removed. Banks advising on
accompanied by higher discount rates. higher bond yields has meant slightly Of course, Wetherspoon needs the float have the discretion to waive
In London, markets fell as concerns higher volatility, lower market returns beefily independent non-execs, too, these rules when asked, and almost
over stagflation persisted and weaker and a rotation beneath the surface. It the kind to hold the powerful Martin always do. Bankers struggle to come
British and Chinese economic data hasn’t helped that earnings revisions to account. A relatively junior pub up with an instance when permission
dented investors’ confidence. The have also started to slow from their manager whose livelihood ultimately to sell early was actually denied.
FTSE 100 fell by 59.35 points, or 0.8 per frenetic pace earlier in the year.” depends on pleasing the chairman Early backers of Darktrace
cent, to 7,027.07, bringing its weekly loss However, Wall Street stocks steadied might not be the best person to yesterday sold another chunk of
to 0.4 per cent but still leaving London’s as bargain-hunters sought to take challenge him. stock after banks to the
leading index 8.8 per cent higher than it advantage of the worst September for cybersecurity company float gave
was at the beginning of January. markets since 2011. In New York the their permission. It was their second
The more domestically focused Dow Jones industrial average closed up Crisis? What crisis? waiver in less than two months.
FTSE 250 closed down 55.52 points, or by 482.54 points, or 1.4 per cent, at Comically, in this case one of the

to keep inflationary pressures high.
Bank of America Global Research
cut its outlook for European stocks,
predicting a decline of nearly 10 per
M
0.2 per cent, at 22,975.77, for a weekly 34,326.46. The more broadly based inisters need to recognise banks and one of the selling
loss of 2.7 per cent, but still 11.9 per cent S&P 500 was up 1.2 per cent, or 49.50 that it is going to take five or shareholders came from the same
up in the year to date. points, at 4,357.04. ten years to fully educate, stable, KKR. That must have been a
Sharon Bell, a strategist at Goldman Market report, page 58 train, test, recruit and promote hard decision. It’s time to drop these
sufficient workers to fill the gaps left pointless non-binding pledges from
by retreating skilled EU workers. It float documents and just let the

Banking chief resigns over ‘bullying culture’ can’t be done overnight.

AO World, the online appliances
retailer, is the latest company to
buyer beware.

Morrisons auction
blow a fuse because of skills
Katherine Griffiths Banking Editor Authority. White’s investigation came treats women less favourably than shortages. It can’t find enough

The head of an official body set up to
increase competition in banking has
resigned after an investigation dis-
covered “a culture of bullying and
intimidation”.
Imran Gulamhuseinwala, who has
run the open banking organisation
since 2017, stepped down after Alison
White, an independent governance
expert, concluded that the body had
been poorly run, with conflicts of
interest and inadequate internal over-
sight undermining its mission handed
down by the Competition and Markets
I
after allegations by a whistleblower men.” However, she found that “too delivery drivers, a warning that sent t’s on. The 5pm Friday deadline
about sexism and other misbehaviour much power was vested in one individ- its share price down by 24 per cent. passed with neither bidder for
in a complaint in September to the ual [Gulamhuseinwala] with insuffi- The idea that the problem can be Morrisons making a “no increase”
CMA about Gulamhuseinwala and cient checks and balances”. solved by issuing temporary visas to statement. The auction for Britain’s
other senior staff members. That was The Open Banking Implementation 5,000 lorry drivers for just two or fourth biggest supermarket group
widened into an inquiry that heard Entity was created in 2017 by the com- three months is not realistic. There will take place today, with the
from various parties complaining about petition authority to boost competition need to be more visas for longer Takeover Panel wielding the
alleged bullying and intimidation. by making it easier for customers to periods across more industries. auctioneer’s hammer. It’s quick and
White, who was assisted by Mishcon switch from Britain’s nine biggest banks The government is desperate not simple: who blinks, loses. Or, if you
de Reya, the law firm, concluded that to smaller players. to budge on this. One of the few believe both sides are in danger of
“contrary to the allegations of the Gulamhuseinwala, who had been on persuasive reasons for Brexit was to overpaying, wins.
whistleblower, we have found no secondment to the open banking body stem the inflow of non-UK workers
evidence to suggest that Gulam- from EY, will be replaced by Charlotte doing these skilled and well-paid jobs patrick.hosking@thetimes.co.uk
huseinwala holds a discriminatory Crosswell, former head of Innovate and to train domestic workers to do 6 Alistair Osborne is away
attitude towards women, or that he Finance, a financial technology group.
554 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Business
Factories hit
by weakest
growth since
Is stagflation set History repeating itself

Inflation pressures are rising

Factory gate inflation
%

to spring a nasty
CPI
10

February 4% BoE peak

CPI forecast
8
6
4
Gurpreet Narwan 2

Manufacturers have suffered their

weakest performance since February
as supply chain problems continue to
plague the sector, according to a closely
watched survey.
The IHS Markit/CIPS UK manu-
shock on Britain? 2010 12 14 16 18 20
0
-2
-4

facturing purchasing managers’ index

has fallen for a fourth consecutive
Rising prices and low measures are at an eight-year high and
the public’s short-term expectations are
drove up prices. The US was caught in a
stagflation trap, one echoed in the UK, Not 1970s stagflation yet
month, from 60.3 to 57.1. Although the
index is above a reading of 50, the
growth risk plunging at a thirteen-year high, while growth
forecasts are being trimmed.
where unions were also at their most
powerful.
CPI GDP
Unemployment rate
%

threshold for an expansion in activity,
the latest numbers suggest that the
sector is at its weakest since February,
when the country was in lockdown.
Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit,
said: “Companies are facing a growing
list of headwinds, which includes dec-
lining new export orders, component
shortages, delays to air, land and sea
freight, staff shortages exacerbated by
Covid-19 illnesses, Brexit disruptions,
sharply rising costs and now fuel
shortages.”
New export orders shrank for the
first time in eight months and growth in
jobs was the worst since January. The
report said that jobs growth had slowed
at large and medium-sized companies
and small manufacturers were cutting
jobs for the first time in eight months.
The findings suggest that demand is
also starting to soften, but it continues
to outstrip supply and businesses are
6 Factory activity in China shrank
unexpectedly in September amid
wider curbs on electricity use and
higher input costs. The official
manufacturing purchasing
managers’ index fell to 49.6 in
September from 50.1 in August, with
any reading below 50 representing a
contraction in activity. It was the
first contraction since February
2020. Rising cases of Covid-19 in
several big cities over the summer
also disrupted factory output and
the services sector.
struggling to fulfil client orders as they
grapple with material and staff short-
ages. This has pushed up input costs
and forced manufacturers to pass on
some of the extra outlay.
IHS Markit said that selling prices
and input costs had risen again and it
warned: “The September PMI high-
lights the risk of the UK descending to-
wards a bout of stagflation as growth of
manufacturing output and new orders
eased sharply while input costs and sell-
ing prices continued to surge higher.”
The problems are plaguing many
advanced economies since they have
emerged from lockdown. The eurozone
PMI fell from 61.4 to 58.6 last month, its
sharpest drop since April last year.
Mounting supply chain problems
and fuel shortages have made the Bank
of England reduce its growth forecasts
for the third quarter of 2021. It expects
the economy to grow by 2.1 per cent,
down from a previous estimate of
2.9 per cent, and inflation to reach 4 per
cent before the end of the year.
Central bankers, however, are
relatively sanguine and believe that
inflation will fall back over the coming
years. Gabriella Dickens, at Pantheon
Macroeconomics, the consultancy,
said: “The big picture is that the recent
weakening of activity data strengthens
the case for the [Bank’s ratesetting]
monetary policy committee to give the
economic recovery more time to devel-
op by not rushing to raise Bank rate in
the first quarter of 2022.”
the economy into a
1970s-style crisis.
Philip Aldrick reports
The last time that stagflation gripped
the West, it sparked an economic
revolution. One of the accepted princi-
ples of Keynesianism, the orthodoxy
since the Second World War, was that
high unemployment and rising infla-
tion were mutually exclusive. Yet in the
1970s, the impossible became real. By
the middle of the decade a toxic
combination of 9 per cent unemploy-
ment in the United States and double-
digit inflation had set in.
In the battle of ideas that followed,
monetarism — Milton Friedman’s free-
market vision that captured Margaret
Thatcher and Ronald Reagan —
emerged victorious. The capitalism of
John Maynard Keynes, with guardrails
and muscular state intervention, was
overthrown.
Today, talk of stagflation is back.
Bloomberg’s News Trend function,
which counts mentions of a topic across
sources, shows that uses of the word are
the highest they’ve been since at least
September 2011. A fivefold
increase in gas prices and
shipping costs, $80-a-bar-
rel oil and a 30 per cent rise
in global food prices are
potent parallels with
the price shocks of the
1970s. In Britain, wage
growth is at 4 per cent,
the highest since 2008,
with pay pressures
rising in the face of
acute labour market
shortages.
Stagflation domi-
nated markets this week.
Expectations of inflation
are picking up, UK market
Margaret Thatcher and
Ronald Reagan backed
new economic thinking
after 70s stagflation
Oil analysts expect Brent crude to top $80
Hamzah Khalique-Loonat
Analysts upgrading their forecasts for
the oil price ahead of Opec’s meeting of
on Monday expect Brent crude, the
international benchmark, to climb
above $80 a barrel for the first time
since the start of the pandemic.
Opec+, the group of leading producer
nations that includes the Saudi Arabia-
dominated cartel and others such as
Russia, expects worldwide demand for
oil to rise significantly over the next 24
years and for it to remain the leading
global energy source until 2045.
Opec’s World Oil Outlook said that
demand would be driven by growing
economies and populations in Asia,
The Bank of England expects infla-
tion to climb above 4 per cent, its high-
est in a decade. BlueBay Asset Manage-
ment reckons it will hit 6 per cent, the
highest since 1992. In Germany, infla-
tion is at a 29-year high; in the US, a 13-
year high. Some of the rise reflects a fall
in prices during lockdowns last year, but
the supply shock caused by commodity
prices and logistical bottlenecks will
“linger through much of 2022”, accord-
ing to the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development.
Growth is flagging. Andrew Bailey,
the Bank’s governor, said that the eco-
nomy would take a few months longer
than expected to return to its pre-pan-
demic levels. Deutsche Bank slashed its
UK GDP growth forecast for 2022 from
5 per cent to 3.6 per cent and from 2 per
cent to 1.5 per cent for 2023. This week’s
stock market sell-off as government
bonds were dumped spoke to stagfla-
tion fears.
This time, though, stagflation has a
different definition. Inflation remains a
concern, but in place of unemployment
markets worry about weak growth. The
common thread binding the 1970s and
today is the cause: a “supply shock”. In
the 1970s, oil prices soared twice: in 1974,
as Opec enforced an embargo on coun-
tries that supported Israel in the
Yom Kippur war; and in 1979 after
the Iranian revolution. Mean-
while, President Nixon aban-
doned wage-price controls that
were supposed to restrain in-
flation.
The combination of pent-
up wage demands and
higher energy costs caused
“abrupt restrictions in ag-
gregate supply”, according
to work by Alan Blinder,
an economics professor at
Princeton University.
Under huge cost pres-
sures, companies strug-
gled to maintain produc-
tion, lowering economic
capacity.
As prices rose, workers de-
manded higher pay, which
Africa and the Middle East, while lead-
ing established nations in the Organi-
sation for Economic Co-operation and
Development move towards more
renewable energy sources.
Callum Macpherson, Investec’s head
of commodities, said that rising gas and
coal prices had led some countries to
switch to oil as a source of energy,
which may mean that the price rises
even higher in the short term.
Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs
were optimistic about oil’s prospects
long-term. Goldman found that a rise in
output by Opec+ would strengthen the
commodity’s long-term fortunes as
spare capacity was used up. The invest-
ment bank’s analysis also noted strong
Today, the debate is whether the
supply shock dealt by Covid will be tran-
sitory or persistent. Central banks insist
on the former, but others are sceptical.
“The pandemic has caused severe
supply bottlenecks, global logistical
chaos and various reopening costs for
businesses,” Dario Perkins, an econo-
mist at TS Lombard, said.
Shipping costs have remained high,
confounding the Bank’s prediction in
August; energy prices are surging as
factories across the world compete for
gas supplies; businesses have had to be-
come “Covid-secure”; and online shop-
ping has multiplied demand for delivery
drivers. Brexit, by cutting access to
cheap migrant labour and increasing
administrative border costs, has magni-
fied the Covid supply shock in Britain.
Covid has “caused massive shifts in
the way people spend”. Demand for
goods has surged as people spend less
on services, such as eating out. In
response, China is rationing energy in
some areas to keep factory lights on.
“Combine booming world trade with
supply bottlenecks and shortages and
you get a large spike in consumer
prices,” Perkins said. “The second infla-
tionary impact from the pandemic is
that it made most economies less effi-
cient at allocating resources. We see this
most clearly in labour markets, where a
serious mismatch has appeared.
“The coexistence of large numbers of
unfilled job vacancies and high levels of
unemployment suggests the market is
not working as effectively as it used to.”
The big question is what will happen
now furlough has been withdrawn. Just
over a million people were estimated to
be on the scheme when it ended this
week, half of them working part-time.
Since the worst of the pandemic, a fur-
ther 820,000 have lost their jobs or have
left the labour market.
Will they fill the one million job va-
cancies, or are they in the wrong place
with the wrong skills?
“What if these supply disruptions do
not end quickly? What if we now need
fewer waiters and more cloud-comput-
ing experts? That is not to say the world
demand from China. Despite growing
concerns over Evergrande, the indebt-
ed Chinese developer, and its potential
to damage the Chinese property market
and beyond, construction contributes
only 1 per cent of China’s demand for oil.
In addition, oil demand should rise as
the aviation industry picks up, with
about 85,000 global flights made every
day — short of the 120,000-a-day high
of January last year, but with the number
having risen steadily since May. Since
the second quarter of this year, demand
for oil has tended to outpace supply.
Helima Croft, head of global com-
modity strategy and Middle East and
North Africa research at RBC Capital
Markets, said Opec was likely to face
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
2021 figs are year to date, GDP 2021 fig is BoE forecast
Wages are rising %
8
7
4% Sept 2021 BoE
estimate of underlying 6
wage inflation forecast 5
4
3
2
1
0
Data distorted
-1
by pandemic
-2
2006 08 10 12 14 16 18 20
won’t adjust, but it could take longer
than people realise,” Perkins said.
The Bank has warned that cost
pressures may be “more persistent” and
it is conducting a “supply side” stock-
take to determine whether economic
capacity has been lastingly affected. It
believes the stable rate of unemploy-
ment will be higher than before Covid
for a while as the labour market clears,
which points to wages rising further.
At 4 per cent, wage growth is already
“not consistent with a 2 per cent infla-
tion target”, Martin Weale, a former
Bank ratesetter, said, adding that
Britain’s decade-long record of weak
productivity is accentuating stagflation
risks. The UK has struggled to raise pro-
ductivity to 1 per cent, which would sug-
gest that wage growth cannot exceed
3 per cent before it starts driving up con-
sumer prices. For the Bank, the loudest
inflation alarm bell is rising unit labour
pressure from America to raise produc-
tion to ease inflation, but this would de-
pend on Saudi Arabia increasing out-
put and Opec nations agreeing.
While the UK and the rest of the G7
are focused on investing in renewables,
issues persist with their ability to store
the energy produced. Oil can be stock-
piled and stored and production can be
boosted to meet demand in a way that
wind or hydroelectric power cannot.
Macpherson said Britain’s electrifica-
tion process was still underdeveloped
and, given that it was ahead of many
others in its renewable energy produc-
tion, demand for oil was likely to persist
among less-developed countries, un-
derpinning long-term industry growth.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Source: ONS & BoE
Market inflation
expectations have jumped % ticked along at about 2.5 per cent a
5yr/5yr inflation swaps 4.0
3.6
3.2
2.8
2.4
2.0
2006 08 10 12 14 16 18 20
costs, the net effect of wage growth and
productivity. Weale is clear that stagfla-
tion should not be a threat. If inflation
picks up, the Bank can raise interest
rates. “The Bank can stop the inflation
part of stagflation. If you don’t think
that’s possible, you should not have an
inflation target,” he said. But that would
mean accepting “weaker growth”.
The Bank is edging closer to a rate
rise, with markets priced for a February
move from 0.1 per cent to 0.25 per cent
and to 0.5 per cent by the end of 2022.
A rise above 1 per cent would “push the
economy into recession”, BlueBay said.
Supply shocks pass. What made the
1970s different, Blinder wrote, was that
shocks came in waves: an oil shock, a
wage shock, a food price shock and
another oil shock. That was enough to
upend economics. Central bankers are
hoping that this supply shock is both
shortlived and a one-off.
Philip Aldrick
Private sector investment is what’s
‘‘
needed to restore Britain’s fortunes
I have only once
been asked to tackle
a specific subject in
the eight years I
have been writing
this column. It was late 2013 and the
request was that I cover productivity.
At the time, it seemed surprising.
Productivity was an economic
technicality, of huge importance for
living standards but beyond the reach
of short-term policy measures and
certainly beyond popular interest.
George Osborne could attack the
deficit by cutting spending and Ed
Balls could go for growth by spending
more — it was the age of austerity,
after all — but there was no quick
productivity fix. The standard levers
of investing in infrastructure,
technology and education would not
pay off until well beyond the end of
the parliament, leaving the political
spoils for others.
In 2013, productivity was just
beginning to become the cause of
national soul-searching that it is today
and had not entered the public
lexicon. Before the 2008 financial
crisis, growth in output per hour
year. As long as workers produced
2.5 per cent more without labouring
harder, wages could rise by 4.5 per
cent and companies would need to lift
prices by only 2 per cent, in line with
the Bank of England’s inflation target.
With inflation stable, interest rates
could remain low.
Living standards were improving
and economic policy appeared to have
an effortless balance. Every year
Britons grew richer in real terms. Of
course, it did not quite work like that.
The riches were shared unequally,
bankers gorged while others starved,
but at least the productivity engine
was functioning in aggregate. After
2008 it stalled, across the west but
most strikingly in the UK.
By 2013, three years into the
recovery, productivity was going
backwards in Britain, which meant
declining living standards for the first
time in generations. Economic policy
was suddenly adrift. For a
government, there can be no worse
economic legacy.
This is my last column before I
move on from The Times and, despite
numerous government efforts in the
years that have passed, the
productivity puzzle has not been
solved. Real wages, adjusted for
inflation, had only just returned to
2008 levels before the pandemic,
having bottomed out in 2015. The last
time annual productivity growth was
above 1 per cent was in 2011. A decade
of progress has been lost.
It is no coincidence that Theresa
May promised to help those “just
about managing” and Boris Johnson
is “levelling up”. As living standards
declined, those with their heads just
above water sank below. Before May
and Johnson, in 2015, Osborne set
about “fixing the foundations” with
his 15-point “productivity plan”, which
now looks wearily familiar. Every goal
has been rebranded and relaunched,
but the economy has not rebooted.
Osborne outlined incentives for
businesses’ investment, namely cuts
in corporation tax; an apprenticeship
levy to boost skills; money for real
and digital infrastructure and more
for research; higher pay with the
national living wage; a new
“productive finance” mandate for the
Bank; devolution and regional
“rebalancing”. It came too late. Brexit
a year later was the response to half a
decade of declining living standards, a
decision that only deepened the
productivity malaise. In the four years
of uncertainty that followed, business
investment stagnated in the UK.
Numerous solutions have been
offered for the productivity puzzle,
from statistical difficulties in
estimating the economic contribution
of the digital economy to improving
the dire management practices of
Britain’s long tail of family-owned
businesses to capital misallocation as
low interest rates allow zombie
companies to stagger on.
Some obvious problems have been
addressed. Over the past five years,
net investment by the state has
averaged 2.1 per cent of GDP, the
highest since the early 1980s, though
Gordon Brown’s off-balance sheet
private finance initiatives may have
understated New Labour’s spending
and it is now clear that the way
productivity in banking was measured
overstated the industry’s impact
before the financial crisis. Banks were
judged to be more productive the
55
Business
Business
more they grew their balance sheets,
regardless of what they did with the
assets. The toxic bubble they blew did
wonders for productivity, supposedly.
Rishi Sunak is the latest chancellor
to have inherited Osborne’s plans.
Philip Hammond, Osborne’s
successor, pinned his hopes on
infrastructure spending and
investment in research and
development. Sunak has committed
more public spending to both and his
business tax cuts are better targeted.
Corporation tax may be rising, but
every pound a company invests brings
£1.20 of “super-deduction” relief.
Big-picture macroeconomic
policies, such as multibillion-pound
spending pledges, may capture the
public imagination and are easy
political gambits, but I suspect the
productivity puzzle will be fixed only
by microeconomic tinkering.
What gives me hope is not the
£600 billion pledged on infrastructure
and skills in this parliament but the
£200 million to train small business
bosses with mini-MBAs and the
£500 million for their software
upgrades, the corporation tax super-
deduction, the Bank’s new “productive
capital” plans that remove deterrents
to long-term investment in both listed
and unlisted companies, the new
competition powers to tackle
monopolies and restore market
dynamism, greater devolution and the
higher minimum wage that will end
incentives to substitute cheap labour
for innovation.
The real investment shortfall in the
UK, compared with Europe, is not by
the state but by the private sector.
Figures from the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and
Development show that private
investment as a share of GDP in
Britain is the lowest of the 36
members assessed. British state
investment is average. Business needs
to pick up the slack.
There is a huge prize if it can, if the
’’
UK does close the 20 per cent
productivity gap with other G7
nations. In 2015 Osborne calculated it
was worth £21,000 annually per
household in added economic output.
After eight years of
disappointment, I’d
be happy just to get
the engine going
again.
Philip Aldrick is Economics Editor of
The Times
556 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Business

Shortage of drivers
The fashion brand
started by Johnnie
Boden, below with
his wife, will not
pay a dividend

is a ‘bump in the
road’ at AO World
Ashley Armstrong Retail Editor
AO World has joined the growing list of
companies warning that their profits
will be hit by the lorry driver shortage.
In a warning that sent shares in the
online white goods retailer tumbling by
almost a quarter, AO World said that it
was facing “challenging” market
dynamics in Britain and Germany and
that its sales growth in the UK was
being affected by the “shortage of
delivery drivers and the disruption in
the global supply chain”.
It said that it expected annual adjust-
ed earnings of between £35 million and
£50 million, compared with the
£64 million it reported last year.
The cautious tone was in
stark contrast from thee
mood only three months
ago when John Roberts,
48, its founder and chief
executive, gave a bullish
outlook and said that AO
would continue to achieve
double-digit sales growth
because the online shoppingg
revolution was here to stay.
Shares in AO World fell
sharply, to close 52¾p, or 24.3 per
cent, down at 164½p, dragging its stock is starting to have affect all business
market value lower to a little more than sectors and is leading to gaps on super-
£1 billion. Analysts at Peel Hunt called market shelves and a fuel crisis. The
AO World’s profit warning a “bump in shortage has been blamed on several
the road”. factors. Between 16,000 and 20,000
However, despite the supply chain foreign drivers are said to have
challenges, AO said that its group sales returned home after Brexit and the clo-
had increased by 5 per cent during the sure of testing sites during lockdowns
first half of the year compared with the led to 40,000 new driver tests being
same period in 2020 and were 66 per cancelled. A wave of older drivers have
cent higher than two years ago. In left the industry amid complaints about
Britain sales were 6 per cent higher certification requirements, tax changes
than 2020 and 63 per cent more than and poor roadside conditions.
2019, while in Germany sales rose AO World, based in Bolton, was
by 3 per cent during the first half of the founded by Roberts in 2000 after a
year but were 84 per cent higher they friend made him a £1 bet that you could
were than two years ago. not make money selling fridges online.
“The challenging The business was floated in a £1.2 billion
marke dynamics in
market listing in 2014. In July the business
both the UK and recorded a £20 million pre-tax profit as
Ge
Germany resulted sales rose by two thirds after online
in lower volumes retail boomed during the pandemic.
th
than expected, The supply chain disruptions are
w
which affected op- now affecting AO World’s growth
er
erational leverage, ambitions. Andrew Wade, an analyst at
pa
particularly in the Jefferies, said: “We see the UK shortfall
sec
second quarter,” as fairly understandable, given well-
AO said.
AO known challenges around driver short-
Brit
Britain is suffering ages, global supply chains and the
from a shortage of
from difficulties of predicting growth against
100,000 lorry
100,000 lor drivers, which demanding comparatives.”

Appetite for food on the go drives upgrades for Greencore revenue

Dominic Walsh
Britain’s biggest maker of sandwiches
has shrugged off supply chain and
labour problems to deliver a further
improvement in trading during its final
quarter.
In a pre-close trading update,
Greencore said that it had made
progress in revenue, profitability and
cash in the past three months thanks to
demand for “food to go” and new
business wins.
It said yesterday that revenues were
up 27 per cent on the final quarter of
last year and 1 per cent up on the
equivalent period in 2019, before Covid-
19 hit. For the full year it predicted
revenue of £1.32 billion, up from
£1.27 billion.
It expected to generate operating
profit “towards the upper end” of previ-
ous guidance of between £36 million
and £40 million on an adjusted basis,
while its net debt would finish the year
below £190 million, compared with pre-
vious forecasts of up to £240 million.
Greencore operates 13 “food to go”
manufacturing units, including eight
focused on sandwiches, three on salads
and two on sushi. It has eight other
plants in convenience categories in-
cluding chilled soups, cooking sauces
and Yorkshire puddings. The Dublin-
based group has a UK distribution
operation with more than 500 vehicles,
four regional centres and 14 transport
hubs that delivers Greencore products
and third-party products to more than
10,000 small format stores. It supplies
all the big supermarkets.
The group said that it had been en-
couraged by the progress made in the
final quarter, and added: “While the
well-documented supply chain and
labour challenges persist across the UK
food industry, the group is working
closely with customers and suppliers to
mitigate the impact and to deliver
strong operational service levels.”
It said that it was also engaging inten-
sively with customers to recover input
cost and other inflation.
Shares of Greencore fell 3½p, or
2.4 per cent, to 137¾p.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 2GM 57

Business
BODEN

Shoppers in 1999. The brand now

has 1.9 million
Wetherspoon to put
customers.
tighten
their belts
Boden said that it
had continued to invest
heavily in its website
workers on its board
infrastructure
at Boden throughout the Dominic Walsh £44.7 million and revenues fell by
pandemic, in line with 38.8 per cent to £772.6 million. Includ-
oden has plans to create “a

B
JD Wetherspoon is planning to hit back ing one-offs, its pre-tax losses almost
scrapped its customer-led, digital at the negative impact of corporate doubled to £194.6 million
dividend business” and to boost governance rules by promoting worker Wetherspoons, founded by Martin in
after sales at its international sales. directors to its board. 1979, sells cheap ales, breakfasts,
the A sharp drop in the The pubs company said that by lunches and dinners. It had 44 pubs in
upmarket fashion number of customers forcing frequent changes of directors, 1992 at its flotation and today it has 861
brand fell by 14.2 per sending back unwanted the regulations “often diluted or even in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
cent last year, driven goods, selling more destroyed” the culture of a company It has more than 40,000 employees. In
in part by a 20 per goods at full price and that had been developed over years and November it reported its first annual
cent drop in demand strong demand for its that directors with long experience of loss since 1984.
for womenswear childrenswear helped working for the group would counter In January Wetherspoon bolstered
(Louis Goss writes). Boden to a “strong that. its finances with its second equity-rais-
Lower demand for performance”, in spite Tim Martin, the chain’s founder and ing of the pandemic. The placing, which
smart dresses and of the fall in chairman, said: “The pattern of a low raised £93.7 million at £11.20 a share,
holidaywear, with womenswear sales. level of executive representation and followed one in April last year, when
people stuck at home The retailer said that non-executives who stay, on average, the business raised £141 million at 900p.
during lockdowns, it would not pay a for short tenures is bound to have a Martin, 66, did not participate in the
caused sales to fall to dividend for 2020 in deleterious effect on the DNA.” fundraising and his personal stake fell
£332.7 million in 2020, light of the pandemic, He said that if the nine-year maxi- from 27 per cent to 25 per cent, well
down from after the privately mum tenure rule were to be strictly below the 32 per cent that he was sitting
£387.9 million the owned firm distributed applied at Wetherspoon, he and two of on before the pandemic. Today his
previous year, £6.5 million to the four non-executives would be holding is 22 per cent.
according to filings at shareholders in 2019. immediately replaced by independents, The group reported an 8.7 per cent
Companies House. Children’s clothing destabilising the company and “jeopar- fall in like-for-like sales in the first nine
However, Boden’s sales rose by 12 per dising its DNA”. weeks of the financial year compared
pre-tax profit cent compared with As a result, the group is planning to with the same weeks in August and
increased by 20 per 2019. promote several worker directors, September 2019, before the pandemic
cent to £18.5 million Lower returns have who are experienced pub or area started. In the last four weeks of the
from £15.3 million in been an industry-wide managers, to board positions, which period, like-for-like sales were 6.4 per
2019, as higher phenomenon during Martin hopes will help to protect the cent lower.
margins and a cost- the pandemic as business for future generations. Martin Its workforce averaged 39,025 in the
saving scheme offset customers switched to said that a shortlist of four people with financial year, increasing to 42,003 for
the decline in sales. buying items such as an average of twenty-six years’ service the week that ended on September 20.
Founded in 1991 by loungewear and took a with the company had been drawn up, Martin said that during the pandemic
Johnnie Boden as a more cautious adding: “The knowledge of experi- the pressure on pub managers and
catalogue fashion approach to spending. enced managers vastly exceeds my staff had been particularly intense
business, it has Boden expects returns own.” because of abrupt closures and reopen-
become an online to rise as customers The news came as Wetherspoon rep- ings.
retailer since the buy more dresses and orted its second annual loss in a row. In After a weak start to trading, shares
launch of its website smart outfits. the 52 weeks to July 25, pre-tax losses in Wetherspoon rose by 26p, or 2.5 per
before exceptionals widened from cent, to £10.69 yesterday.

Sensyne fear £23.6 million. Revenues rose by £7 mil-

over ‘ability
to continue’
Simon Duke
A healthcare technology business
founded by Lord Drayson has warned
that it may not be able to continue
operating in its present form.
Sensyne Health yesterday flagged a
lion to £9.1 million in the year to the end
of April thanks to its “existing and new
agreements” with life sciences compa-
nies. Its turnover included £5.1 million
from a testing contract with Excalibur
Healthcare Services and the Depart-
ment for Health and Social Care.
Sensyne uses machine learning to
analyse anonymised patient data in the
hope of generating intellectual prop-
erty that can be licensed to pharmaceu-
ticals companies. It has partnerships
with NHS trusts and drugs developers
including Bayer and Alexion.
Sensyne, which is based in Cam-
bridge, has endured a bumpy ride since
Nasdaq float Investors sell stakes after
nets professor Darktrace valuation surges
£338m stake
Hamzah Khalique-Loonat
A University of Dundee professor has
made a paper fortune of about £338 mil-
lion after shares in his artificial intelli-
gence company made their debut on
the Nasdaq stock exchange.
Simon Duke Share price
Three early backers of Darktrace have
pared their stakes after a jump in the 1,000p
cybersecurity company’s valuation
since it went public in May. 800
The funds sold £188 million of shares
yesterday in spite of a “lock-up” agree- 600
ment designed to prevent them from
cashing out until six months after the
400
Source: Refinitiv

“material uncertainty” over its “ability
to continue as a going concern”.
The group, which is listed on Aim,
London’s junior stock market, said that
its “base” assumption was that it would
have enough cash to meet its liabilities
this year. However, it conceded there
was “no guarantee” that it would be
able to raise more capital were it to miss
out on new business and require a cash
injection.
The “going concern” warning is the
first since Drayson, 61, a former Labour
science minister, took Sensyne public in
2018. The company said that it was
“confident” in its growth
prospects, noting that it had
tapped investors for
£28 million in January. y.
Sensyne’s pre-tax x trad
losses widened by
£5.8 million to
£28.4 million in the
year to the end of
April. After burning
through £8.1 million
on an underlying
o
basis, its net cash fell to
Lord Drayson made
£40 million from the
sale of PowderJect
floating at 175p a share. Yesterday the Andrew Hopkins, chief executive of flotation.
stock, which fell below 30p in July last Exscientia, is a professor of chemo- KKR, Summit and Balderton Capital
year, closed down by 8p, or 5.5 per cent, informatics, chemogenomics and drug offloaded 25 million Darktrace shares 200
at 138½p, giving it a stock market valua- discovery. The company was floated on at 750p each, a 9 per cent discount to
tion of about £241 million. the technology-heavy index in New Thursday’s closing price. By the close 0
The group has been rocked by several York with a market valuation of $2.9 bil- shares in Darktrace were at 794p, down May Jun Jul Aug Sept
governance scandals, including its lion. Hopkins, 49, has a 15.8 per cent 3.2 per cent, or 26p, on the day but
failure to disclose a £1 million bonus stake, worth about $458 million. above the placing price. demic as businesses strengthen their
payment for Drayson and its former Exscientia uses artificial intelligence The Cambridge-based business has bid defences to accommodate staff
finance director. Drayson, an amateur to create antiviral pills designed to treat been one of the best-performing new working from home. It has raised its
racing driver who has a PhD in robotics, Covid-19, but also potentially to pre- listings this year, its stock having tripled profits forecasts twice since floating.
served in the last Labour government vent future pandemics. The technology from the 250p offer price. It was Darktrace’s revenues climbed 41 per
and has donated money to the party. He aims to “modernise” how medicines are established in 2013 by Mike Lynch, the cent to $281 million in the year to the
made more than £40 million from the discovered and developed, and to do so Autonomy founder, and a team of end of June. Its underlying losses
sale of PowderJect, the listed biotech- faster than the rest of the industry. In cybersecurity specialists. widened to $39 million, from $25 mil-
nology grou
group, in 2003. With real terms, this means calculating dos- Lynch, 56, provided office space and lion in the previous year, after the float
his wife, h
he controls 24 per age quantity and being able to target funding through Invoke Capital, the unlocked share-based bonuses for staff
cent o
of Sensyne. specific cells. venture fund he created after the ill- and tax expenses.
Se
Sensyne said that Exscientia, which is based in Oxford, -fated $11 billion sale of Autonomy to It expects turnover to expand by
trading since the is looking at treatments for corona- Hewlett Packard a decade ago. Lynch between 35 per cent and 37 per cent in
sta of May had
start viruses as well as flu and nipah virus, faces extradition to the United States the present year.
be “slower than
been which is transmitted from bats to on fraud charges related to the Auto- At the time of the listing, Darktrace’s
ex
expected” because humans. Hopkins, a former Pfizer exec- nomy takeover and denies wrongdoing. existing investors pledged not to sell
o
of “uncertainty” utive, founded the company in 2012. He and his wife own 16 per cent of the stock for six months unless it got the
ar
around the use of Last month Exscientia secured company. green light from the banks that
m
mass testing for $160 million from the Bill & Melinda Darktrace’s software helps its 5,600 arranged the float.
Co
Covid-19. This had Gates Foundation and SoftBank. The clients to identify suspicious activity on Jefferies, Berenberg and KKR Capi-
rest
restrained adoption latter is the largest shareholder in the their IT systems, working on the tal Markets, which arranged the float,
of its MagnifEye tech- company with a 16.3 per cent stake. assumption that skilled hackers will said that it had “agreed to waive the
nology which helps to
nology, This year Bristol Myers Squibb find ways to infiltrate corporate net- sellers’ lock-up arrangements”. KKR,
la
process lateral flow diag- agreed a deal with Exscientia worth works. The company has enjoyed a Hoxton Ventures and Balderton sold
nostics tests. $1.2 billion to unearth new drugs. surge in new orders during the pan- £150 million of shares in August.
558
Business
Travel sector takes its cue from
IAG to ascend across the board
Jessica Newman Market report
T
he owner of British Airways
flew to the top of the
FTSE 100 leaderboard after
Deutsche Bank told its
clients to buy the
stock. Analysts at the German bank
saw the “near-term risks increasingly
skewed by the upside” at
International Consolidated Airlines
Group and added that the stock’s
price and the fact that the United
States had set out plans to ease its
entry requirements next month
served as a “much better backdrop for
the shares to kick on from here”.
The company, with the rest of the
travel sector, has been one of the big
losers of the pandemic. The share
price fell to its lowest level in October
last year, just above 80p. At the same
time, it launched a $2.5 billion rights
issue to help to strengthen its
finances, which the analysts said
meant it would emerge from the
pandemic with “higher financial
leverage”. Deutsche Bank, which
placed a 220p price target on the
stock, said that if its predictions were
right, investors could see a 40 per
cent upside in the shares, which
closed up 9½p, or 5.3 per cent, at 188p.
They were not lonely flyers. Tui,
Europe’s biggest travel group, ended
the day up 17½p, or 5.5 per cent, at
339½p; easyJet climbed 41p, or 6.2 per
cent, to 703¾p and Wizz Air jumped
200p, or 4 per cent, to £52.14. Rolls-
Royce, the aircraft engine maker,
advanced, too, rising 2¾p, or 2 per
cent, to 142¾p. SSP, which operates
food outlets at railway stations and
airports and is another likely to
benefit from the change in American
rules, rose by 20½p, or 7.4 per cent, to
297½p.
Outside the airport terminal
lounge, hotel groups benefited as well,
with Whitbread, the owner of
Premier Inn as well as the Beefeater
and Brewers Fayre brands, gaining
90p, or 2.7 per cent, to £34.06, and
Intercontinental Hotels Group
adding 169p, or 3.5 per cent, to £49.25.
Even though travel stocks were on
a tear, it wasn’t enough to pull up
London’s benchmark index. The
FTSE 100 closed in the red, losing
59.35 points, or 0.8 per cent, to end
Wall Street report
News of positive data on Merck’s
Covid-19 antiviral pill was what the
indices needed after a painful
September. The Dow Jones
industrial average, rose 482.54
points, or 1.4 per cent, to 34,326.46,
still down 1.4 per cent on the week.
the day at 7,027.07. Overall, the senior
share index dipped by 33.62 points, or
0.5 per cent on the week. The FTSE
250, also fell, losing 55.52 points, or
0.2 per cent, to 22,975.77, for a weekly
loss of 2.7 per cent.
AO World, the online retailer, was
by far the heaviest faller. The FTSE
250 constituent, which sells freezers
and washing machines, tumbled 52¾p,
or 24.3 per cent, to 164½p after it
warned that the lorry driver shortage
would lead to lower profits this year.
Alphawave IP, a chip
manufacturer, recovered some of the
losses it made this week, when its
share price fell by more than 50 per
cent after reports of a conflict of
interest discovered in its float filings.
By the end of the latest session, the
group had clawed back 43½p, or
18.8 per cent, to 275½p.
Results in brief
Name
Salt Lake Potash (resources FY)
Wetherspoon (JD) (leisure FY)
6 Results in brief are given for all companies valued at more than £30 million. f = final p = payable
The day’s biggest movers
Company
Euromoney Institutional Investor Profits forecast to be ahead of expectations
SSP Makes back-to-back gains
Watches of Switzerland Finds buyers after recent wobble
easyJet Aviation sector a hit with investors
Mitchells & Butlers Investors flock after previous sell-off
Oxford BioMedica Investors continue to avoid stock
Ferrexpo Price falls after back-to-back gains
Hill & Smith Holdings Investors lose interest after previous day’s rally
Curry’s Falls to lowest price since June
AO World Lorry driver shortage will lower profits
K1 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Evergrande’s debt is
still in demand
Investors and distressed debt
funds have bought China
Evergrande Group debt, in spite
of the teetering property group
failing to pay out on foreign
bonds twice this week, with
expectations rising that Beijing
will step in to support it.
Evergrande holds liabilities of
$305 billion and its share price
has plummeted in recent months.
Bruce Richards, chief executive of
Marathon Asset Management,
said on Wednesday that his fund
was buying Evergrande’s
distressed debt. Since then other
investors such as Saba Capital
Management, Redwood Capital
Management, Silver Point Capital
and Contrarian Capital
Management are said to have
purchased the Chinese group’s
debt. At present Evergrande
appears to be more committed to
meeting its domestic bond
repayments rather than those of
foreign creditors.
Tech giants in spotlight
over fraud prevention
Internet groups such as Google
and Amazon should be more
transparent about their fraud
prevention safeguards, according
to an MP leading an inquiry into
economic crime. Mel Stride,
chairman of the Treasury select
committee, has written to Google,
eBay, Facebook and Amazon
urging greater disclosure of their
plans to shield consumers from
scams. The committee launched
its inquiry after the collapse of
London Capital & Finance, which
left thousands of small investors
nursing losses. Many had signed
up to the scheme after seeing
online adverts. “There has been a
huge rise in online crime and, as
a committee, we want to gain a
clearer understanding of what is
needed to ensure that technology
platforms are safe spaces for
people to operate,” Stride said.
Pay strikes cast cloud
over merger plan
National Express’s takeover of
Stagecoach is beginning to look
like the acquisition of an
industrial relations problem. Last
month, National Express
announced plans to merge its UK
coach company and its West
Midlands bus operations with
Stagecoach in a deal that would
value the transport company at
nearly £2 billion. Yesterday the
RMT union announced plans for
strikes by Stagecoach staff in the
southwest, East Midlands and in
Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Unite
said that 250 of its members in
Preston, Lancashire, had called
two strikes; in Manchester 1,000
Stagecoach staff voted to strike.
Pre-tax figure Dividend
Profit (+) loss (-)
-$7.2m (-$35.3m) nil
-£194.6m (-£105.3m) nil
Change
7.7%
7.4%
6.6%
6.2%
6.1%
-4.8%
-5.2%
-6.3%
-8.6%
-24.3%
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 2GM 59

The Manifesto Business

Stop? Rest? There’s barely time to draw

breath in Whoop’s rapid rise to the top
PAT GREENHOUSE/BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY IMAGES

Covid-19 has simply recovery w

spot wh
was the blind
when it came to
accelerated the growth succe
successful training
for aathletes. “Ten
of many athletes’ yea
years ago, the
go
goal was seen
favourite device, writes to be exercising
tw
twice or even
Ashley Armstrong th
three times a
da
day as a

M
ost wearable technology
devices work on the
basis of nudging you to
do something — to
stretch your legs, run
faster, reply to a message or even to go
to bed. Irritated by how often he was
getting injured from overtraining, Will
Ahmed wanted to create a device that
told its users when to stop.
He used to be “so focused on getting
fitter and fitter and then it would just
fall off a cliff when I got injured. It felt
like the ultimate betrayal by your
body.”
That frustration has turned into a
$3.6 billion business with Whoop, his
wearable fitness start-up, having
garnered another $200 million in a
fundraising last month led by the
SoftBank Vision Fund, part of the vast
SoftBank technology conglomerate.
Its fans, sporting a Whoop band on
their wrists, stretch from City bankers
and the Silicon Valley elite to world-
renowned athletes including Michael
Phelps, the swimmer, LeBron James,
the basketball star, and Rory McIlroy,
the golfer, all of whom who have
adopted the kit to accurately monitor
the amount of strain that they put
their bodies under.
Whoop is not alone — the fitness
tracker industry is becoming an
increasingly crowded space, with the
likes of Garmin, Apple Watch, Fitbit,
Oura and Amazon’s Halo all using
sensors to monitor physiological data
— but Ahmed, 31, claims that Whoop’s
algorithms are much more
sophisticated, with the accuracy of
heart rate variability measurements
co
competitive
ath
athlete; now
reco
recovery is
startin
starting to be
apprecia
appreciated.”
To date, the company
has raised $400 million in
has
total and it has not spent all of the
$150 million it raised from backers last
year, suggesting that the fast-growing
space is a gold rush for investors
looking to back the next big thing.
The latest funding will be ploughed
into more research and development,
expanding Whoop beyond its present
workforce of 500 and more marketing
as it targets a wider audience. The
business still does not disclose its user
numbers or any financial data,
something that will have to change as
it potentially targets a stock market
listing that “we are going to look at it
carefully within the next two years”.
The growing cultural obsession with
health and wellness has been pushed
to the forefront even more so by the
pandemic, with Whoop being a huge
beneficiary after two professional
golfers publicly credited the app last
year for flagging that they had
coronavirus even when earlier tests
had shown as negative. Nick Watney,
an American professional golfer,
revealed that he had requested a
Covid-19 test only after noticing that
his respiratory rate on Whoop was
abnormally elevated. It led to Whoop
sending more than 1,000 of its smart
wristbands to players, caddies and
employees on the PGA Tour, Korn
Will Ahmed has turned an early interest in physiology into a booming wearable tech business. Inset, the Whoop fitness band Ferry Tour and Champions Tour in a
move that generated money-can’t-buy

Q&A
typically picked up only by a full ECG. weight. “It’s an aspirational gadget levels of publicity for a start-up.
“Just because [rivals] are entering this around many investors squash competitively because people want to understand Indeed, Whoop started its own
market doesn’t mean that the and meeting different and I do running, golf how to improve themselves.” research into the coronavirus when
competition will be successful. There management teams and soccer league Not that Whoop’s founder is lacking reports in China first started surfacing
are plenty of trackers that just give when we have raised What is your favourite in motivation himself. The only child in January last year and it added the
you numbers, but Whoop is focused capital television programme? of an Egyptian immigrant father and respiratory rate monitoring feature a
on explaining what those numbers Does money motivate Who inspires you? My Sunday Night Football an American writer mother, he was few weeks later in early March, before
mean for your body. What it means if, you? No. I’m most parents. My dad [American]. It’s a good raised in Long Island and became lockdowns were in place in the west.
for example, you do want to stay up motivated by working emigrated when he was way to end the week obsessed with learning more about “We worked with global teams and
that bit later.” to create a culture that 22 years old with and it’s often the best physiology to understand his young noticed the smoking gun was
A Whoop device used to cost about builds growth $100,000 in his games body better. He claims to have read respiratory rate, that people who got
£500, but the rapid growth of a What does leadership suitcases. My mum is a What book are you 500 scientific papers on the subject and Covid-19 had an elevated respiratory
subscription model that starts at £30 a mean to you? writer and intellectual reading? I’m in the while his degree was in government rate in 80 per cent of cases.”
month has prompted the company to Identifying amazing, What was the most middle of a few, but I and economics at Harvard, he ended As a result, more people are now
make the wristband free because it is talented people and important event in just finished the book up writing his own physiological paper tracking their health with Whoop
useless without the membership to the putting them in an your career? Probably on Netflix — No Rules on how to continously measure the than ever before. To make the gadget
app. Last month Ahmed unveiled the environment that founding Whoop Rules, by Reed Hastings human body. That research paper even more appealing, Whoop
fourth iteration of the product with a makes them and deciding that’s and Erin Meyer became the blueprint for the recently added a feature to allow golf

CV
slick, polished video that seemed to succeed what I’m going to business and he enlisted two friends, a fans to see how much adrenaline
mark his arrival into the technocrati. together do with my life. I computer scientist and an engineer courses through a professional’s body
Dressed entirely in monochrome, the Who is your decided I was going “who was doing the hardest math in as they step up to tee-off. During last
New Yorker unveiled Whoop 4.0, mentor? I to be an the country”, to help him to build month’s Ryder Cup, Ian Poulter’s heart
which comes with a bamboozling list don’t entrepreneur prototypes. The name “Whoop” came rate leapt to 130 as he struck his tee
of new functions, including four times really before I from “how we all used to express shot, according to Whoop’s pressure-
as many photodiodes (sensors) that have a knew what Age: 31 excitement. Ultimately, you don’t forget tracking technology, compared with a
can track pulse oximetry, which mentor, the word Education: St Paul’s the name and it makes you smile.” resting rate in the fifties.
enables a user to check their daily although was boarding school, New Initially Ahmed raised $300,000 Getting an inside track on how
blood oxygen levels. I have How do Hampshire; Harvard from friends and family, a task almost professionals at the top of their game
Ahmed is conscious that to keep learnt a you relax? University more challenging than the recent deal with sweaty palms and nerves is
expanding the business, Whoop can’t lot from It’s a big Career: 2010: summer $200 million fundraising because “in all part of how Whoop wants to
appeal simply to the rare few who being thing for analyst, Allen & the early days my vision definitely become an essential device for fitness
overtrain but must reach those who me. I do 22 Company; 2011: exceeded what we could actually do”. enthusiasts. After all, with a potential
could do with some encouragement to minutes of summer analyst, However, his fervour for the subject New York listing on the horizon,
lace up their trainers. He describes the Patrick transcendenta Lindsay Goldberg; 2012: made him convinced that “the value Ahmed is far from finished and wants
product as aspirational, highlighting Mahomes of l meditation. I founder and chief of the data that we collected would be “to move at an uncomfortably fast
that 70 per cent of its user base is the Kansas excercise most executive, Whoop of benefit to anyone that wanted to pace”. There is just the hope that
recreational, with users registering City Chiefs days. I still play Family: Married understand their body”. He was also Whoop isn’t going to hurt from
their goals as improving sleep or losing painfully aware of how sleep and running too fast, too soon.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
How to cash in
on the global
supply crisis
Pages 64-65
The end of
super-cheap
mortgages
is coming
Interest rates have been low for 13 years but
look set to rise. You can future-proof a deal by
locking into a low fixed rate, writes Imogen Tew
W
hen interest rates
were slashed from
5.5 per cent to 0.5 per
cent during the finan-
cial crash 13 years ago,
many assumed that the drop would be
temporary.
The UK had never had a base rate so
low, and because rates had fluctuated
between 4 and 7 per cent since the early
1990s, analysts and bankers alike as-
sumed the central bank would increase
the rate again within a few years.
Due to the slow economic growth
that followed, however, the Bank of En-
gland’s base rate stuck at 0.5 per cent for
seven years before a small fluctuation
and then dropped to a record low of
0.1 per cent last year as the UK grappled
with the coronavirus crisis.
All this has gone hand-in-hand with
a generous quantitative easing pro-
gramme that has pumped £900 billion
into the economy. But with inflation
The cash injection
Bank of England quantitative easing
Nov 2009 £200bn
Jul 2012 £375bn
Aug 2016 £445bn
Mar 2020 £645bn
Jun 2020 £745bn
Nov 2020 £895bn
Source: Bank of England
. . . but landlords can now snare a record-low rate below 1%
L
andlords can take advantage of
the first sub-1 per cent buy-to-let
mortgage.
Deals below 1 per cent for ordinary
residential mortgage customers have
been around for months, but landlords
have had to pay more.
The two-year 0.99 per cent fixed rate
from The Mortgage Works, part of The
Nationwide Building society, is avail-
able to those with at least a 35 per cent
deposit, but there is a potentially huge
fee of 2 per cent of the loan amount.
The launch shows a growing appetite
Follow us on twitter @timesmoney | @jimconey | @jessiehewitson | @davidbyers26 | @AlihussainST | @katedpalmer | @katjdenham | @davidbrenchley | @imogent_ | @George_Nixon97
looming, rates on bonds rising and
economists worrying over growth, is it
time to lock up a long-term mortgage
rate?
Borrowers have enjoyed plummeting
mortgage rates for more than a decade.
In the past few months lenders have
offered record-breaking deals with
sub-1 per cent prices. The cheapest two-
year rate is now 0.84 per cent compared
with 6.19 per cent in May 2008. You can
get a five-year fix at 0.96 per cent
whereas the best on offer 13 years ago
was 6 per cent.
Inflation overshot the Bank of En-
gland’s 2 per cent target in June, reach-
ing 2.5 per cent, and the central bank
thinks it will rise to 4 per cent this year.
It is weighing up the possibility of rais-
ing the base rate before 2022.
The Bank’s quantitative easing pro-
gramme has given banks billions in
cheap money but is set to end by Janu-
ary. QE involves a central bank buying
UK government or corporate bonds
(debt) from other financial institutions,
increasing the price of such bonds and
reducing their yield (interest rate). This
feeds through to lower interest rates,
including on mortgages.
The base rate affects the “swap rate”
— the price at which lenders can bor-
row money, and in turn, the price at
which they lend money. Typically, the
higher the base rate, the higher the
swap rate. The higher the swap rate, the
lower the chance of a cheap mortgage.
Swap rates have risen from 0.7 per cent
among lenders to attract landlords.
Platform, part of the Co-operative
Bank, is offering a two-year fixed rate of
1 per cent that requires a 40 per cent
deposit and had a £2,450 fee.
Other lenders are expected to follow
suit with sub-1 per cent offers. Last
month the lowest you could get was
1.19 per cent.
While there has been little change in
average buy-to-let rates — 2.94 per
cent now compared with 2.79 per cent
two years ago, according to the data
company Moneyfacts — lenders are
in August to 0.95 per cent. “Interest
rates are going to start going up next
year, and this may feed through to
mortgages,” said Mike Bell, a global
market strategist at JP Morgan Asset
Management. “Quantitative easing
and the base rate affect mortgage rates,
and the Bank of England is now, in
theory, open to putting up rates before
its QE programme ends.”
Higher mortgage rates will not affect
you yet if you are on a fixed-rate deal,
but will start to hurt if you are on a stan-
dard variable mortgage rate or a tracker
that follows the base rate.
About £29 billion of home loans are
set to come to the end of their fixed-rate
period in the next few months, accord-
offering far lower fees to investors with
lots of equity.
It may be worth paying an early re-
demption charge to switch away from a
more expensive deal, said Chris Sykes
from the mortgage broker Private Fi-
nance, which is calling clients to tell
them about the cheap new deals
Sykes said: “These rates are near
enough unprecedented in the buy-to-
let market. With residential rates so low
at the moment and margins so tight on
them lenders are looking at ways to win
business. Lenders are in this war on
Money
ing to Caci, a market analyst, so it is
worth checking the dates on your loan.
You can “lock in” a new rate up to six
months before your deal ends, so you
could secure today’s historically low
mortgage rates and protect yourself
from rises in the new year. If rates fell,
most lenders allow you to ditch the
locked-in deal for a better one when
you remortgage.
Most people fix for two or five years,
but ten-year deals are becoming popu-
lar as people bet on interest rates rising.
The best two-year fix is Nationwide’s
0.99 per cent with a £999 fee, available
at 75 per cent loan-to-value (LTV), ac-
cording to the mortgage broker L&C.
If you have a smaller deposit, Santander
rates. Even after the stamp duty holiday
they are reportedly still sitting on tens
or hundreds of billions of pounds that
isn’t making any money. They may as
well offer deals with a small margin
now with a view to retaining a customer
long-term.”
The number of buy-to-let deals is at a
14-year high. In September there were
2,968 — more than in any month since
the pandemic began in March 2020.
Mark Harris, the chief executive of
the mortgage broker SPF Private
Clients, said: “Mortgage pricing has
61
‘We have
fixed for
5 years
at 0.99%’
einier and Marta
R Bosman, 45 and
43, from
Hampstead in north
London, have swooped
on the low mortgage
rates available at the
moment, bagging a
0.99 per cent five-year
fix from Halifax
(Imogen Tew writes).
The couple’s existing
1.19 per cent two-year
fixed rate from NatWest
ends in February, but
Reinier, who works in
financial services, said
he wanted to secure a
deal at below 1 per cent
while he still can.
When you remortgage
you can lock in a new
rate up to six months
before your fixed term
ends, and still have the
flexibility to not take it
up if interest rates fall
lower.
Reinier, left,with
Marta and their
children, Elizabeth and
Gabriel, said: “I never
thought I would be
taking on a five-year fix,
but I couldn’t believe
the good value of the
deal. If the rates get
better, I can walk away,
but if it gets worse, I
already have the offer.”
has the best two-year fix at 1.84 per cent
at 90 per cent LTV with a £749 fee.
HSBC’s 0.94 per cent with a £999 fee
is the best five-year fix at 60 per cent
LTV, and the best three-year fix is Na-
tionwide’s 0.99 per cent with a £999 fee
at 75 per cent LTV.
“A mortgage is, for many, the highest
monthly outgoing,” said Nick Morrey
from the broker John Charcol. “What to
do with it, whether to fix and for how
long seems the question everyone
wants to know the answer to. You want
to ensure you fix for the right period. A
two-year will allow you to review your
options more regularly, but if you are
looking for stability and have no plans
to move, a five-year may be suitable.”
been falling across the board, and it was
only a matter of time before buy-to-let
had a sub-1 per cent rate. The 2 per cent
fee will not suit all borrowers, depend-
ing on the size of mortgage they need,
so it is worth seeking advice rather than
simply opting for what you think is the
cheapest rate.
“If you are on a much higher rate it
may be worth investigating whether it
is worth remortgaging, factoring in the
rate as well as fees and any early repay-
ment charges.”
Ali Hussain
62
Money
A fuel crisis? Home
Economics
Jessie Hewitson
This is the day
my husband
dreamt of . . .
S
o there I was jogging on the
spot in my living room,
listening to the instructions
from my personal trainer who
was on the other end of our
regular morning session on Zoom.
Then, just as I was bringing my
arms to my knees ready for a lunge,
my phone conked out. The battery
had died, yet it had been plugged in
all night by my bed.
My eyes swivelled to the switch of
the plug socket, which soon revealed
the problem: it was switched off.
If I hadn’t been so out of breath I
would have let out a primal scream
while waiting for my phone to power
up again, which takes for ever.
And if you think my reaction is
over the top, then you have not lived
with my husband, a man whose
commitments to energy efficiency are
only marginally less than the people
who are currently glueing their hands
to motorways.
As well as vigilance over plug
sockets, he also ensures that the TV
GETTY IMAGES
We need to act to save the ice caps
Beware the return of insurance salesmen
Comment
James
Coney
Money
editor
The greatest hits of the insurance
industry take some beating.
In the late 1980s and early 90s,
they were hauled over the coals for
mis-selling millions of pensions.
Advisers linked to insurance
companies convinced people to opt
out of their company pension and
open one with the insurer. That was
terrible advice and eventually
compensation was paid.
Next up we had endowments.
Banks, building societies and
mortgage brokers were culpable
here, but also advisers tied to
insurance companies who urged
homeowners to take out an
investment known as a with-profits
isn’t ever on standby, that the
microwave is turned off at the wall so
no lights are on, the dishwasher
and washing machine are only used
on the shortest, coldest cycles and
that the heating does not go on unless
a child produces a frostbitten digit as
evidence as to why it should.
I could go on and, my God, it’s
tempting, but I suspect that’s enough
gory matrimonial detail for now.
All this was even before the energy
crisis, when we didn’t pay £2,104 for
our gas and electricity a year — the
amount someone in my household
(no names mentioned, and to be
fair he was at least sorting out our
bills, which I don’t do) fixed last
week through Octopus.
It was a deal that we are going
to get out of this week because it
is about £1,000 more than if we
had stayed on the default tariff,
which, from yesterday, is capped
to a limit that works out to about
£1,277 a year for the average user.
We don’t know how long energy
bills will be high, but it could be that
we’re in for two years of my husband
telling me and our two kids to put a
jumper on with an even greater
frequency and intensity than before.
Meteorologists have predicted that
the UK is likely to have a colder than
average winter this year, which means
more demand, less supply, resulting
in even more expensive gas bills —
and prices have already quadrupled in
the past 12 months. If this is the case,
prices are not predicted to fall again
until 2023. This means our usual
plan alongside an interest-only
mortgage. The idea was that the
with-profits investment would
perform spectacularly well and
leave you with enough money to
pay off the mortgage, and more.
They didn’t, it was terrible advice
and savers had to fight for
compensation.
£24m
And the hits just
kept on coming,
because then there
were annuities.
When you
approached
retirement the fines issued
company you had for mis-sold
saved with would get annuities
in touch and offer you
advice on how to turn
your pension pot into an
income for life. But the sick, and
those with partners, missed out
because the advisers from the
insurance companies were
incentivised to flog the worst deals.
When this was exposed by the
media the insurers aggressively
argued that they were doing
nothing wrong. When the regulator is that the pension freedoms are a
method of switching to a cheaper deal
easily once our fixed deal ends is not
going to be available for some time.
Possibly never again once the market
shrinks to fewer, larger suppliers who
have less need to set competitive
rates.
So we’re going to have to find
practical ways to use less energy and
spend less money as inflation
continues to bite.
I’m also having to do this because
finally got round to looking at it,
tens of millions of pounds had to be
paid in compensation and fines.
These days financial advisers are
banned from taking commission.
They are also barred from calling
themselves independent if, really,
they work for an insurance
company.
All this led to the
pension freedoms, which
meant that everyone
was allowed to do what
they wanted with their
savings when they
retired. But now the
insurance industry
thinks we have a new
problem — not enough
people are taking financial
advice.
Its solution to the mess that it
created through numerous mis-
selling scandals is to tear up EU
rules that we don’t have to abide by
any more to let insurers offer
advice to their own customers. You
have to admire the brass neck.
The overriding assumption here
my husband has started a three-
month unpaid sabbatical, meaning
that I’m covering the mortgage and
the bills for now.
Energy-wise I could get the gadget
out of my cupboard that told us how
much energy we used when we boiled
the kettle. I threw it in there in anger
because starting the day with an
examination of my energy use was
not my favourite accompaniment to
cornflakes and tea. But perhaps now I
disaster and that people are
blowing their cash willy-nilly.
That may be true, it may not be;
the only evidence we have comes
from the City watchdog two years
ago which found that if anything,
savers were not taking enough risk.
I’m sure many could benefit from
independent financial advice. But
they don’t want to pay through the
traditional annual percentage
charge, they want one-off fees. As
a result more investment firms are
starting advice arms to flog you
their own products. It’s a disaster
waiting to happen.
Truly independent financial
advisers have to help themselves
and offer more one-off advice. And
regulators have to help them too by
reducing the burden of red tape
and industry fees they face so they
can help more people.
The pension freedoms gave
savers the power to do what they
want with their money. Now
regulators must change the rules
so they can get independent advice
— not from an insurance salesman.
@jimconey
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
need to get a more concrete sense of
our usage. I imagine we’ll be heating
the whole house less and getting
convector heaters to heat individual
rooms more.
Beyond energy, I’ve pruned my
subscriptions, our cleaner is coming
once every two weeks, and we have
less childcare than before. Then there
is my shopping. For this I’ve installed
a firebreak on buying clothes or any
non-essential items — I pick what I
want online, put them in the basket,
then leave it a day or two before I buy
anything. Occasionally I still go
ahead, but I’m taking far more time
weighing things up before I commit.
Spending money — and energy —
comes down to habits, and to a
certain extent you learn habits from
your parents. While my husband
comes from a line of Welsh arch
recyclers (whose recycling comes
from a place of thrift and economic
necessity), I come from mixed genes.
My mum, from New Zealand,
where they don’t have central heating
because Kiwis are hardy and
happy walking around in singlets,
shorts and jandles in the snow, was
always careful about the heating in
our draughty family home. This
meant I dreamt of being at an age
when I could control the thermostat
and turn it up any time I like (damn
you, black swan energy event).
Meanwhile my late dad, after he
divorced from my mum, used more
energy than anyone I’ve ever known.
His favoured style of home lighting
was a recreation of the intense
brightness you get after a nuclear
bomb is detonated. And when he
went out all the many, many lights
stayed on, as did the radio. When he
came to stay in my flat, my husband
made regular contraband visits into
the guest bedroom to turn off all the
lights and the radio, only for them to
go straight back on shortly after.
I need to say — in print, at least,
because I don’t say this enough in
person — that my husband is right.
He’s right to use less energy
because we very much do want the
polar ice caps to remain in place in
my sons’ lifetime. He’s also right now
because of financial necessity. I have
become too detached from how much
energy I use and the costs.
I can’t be complacent any longer.
I love being warm, but I’m going to
have to put more jumpers on, and
rethink my tumble dryer usage (sob).
But I draw the line at the plug next to
my bed: that needs to stay on.
IN THE
SUNDAY TIMES
TOMORROW
special report
Families fight
back over child
benefit fines
plus
PayPal is growing —
so are the complaints
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Call 159 for bank fraud (unless you’re
with HSBC, or Virgin, or Monzo . . .)
A new trial scheme to help customers avoid
scams can include only nine banks because of
the limits of phone keypads, writes David Byers
T
he 999-style hotline being set
up to respond quickly to bank
customers who fear they are
being defrauded will not in-
clude four leading banks —
because there are only nine digits on a
phone keypad.
When you dial the 159 hotline num-
ber you will get nine options, one for
each bank. You press the number for
your bank and will be put straight
through.
But those who bank with HSBC, Vir-
gin Money, Nationwide and Monzo,
which have 34 million UK customers
between them, will not be able to use
the service until at least next year.
Stop Scams UK said it was using key-
pad options “to get the scheme up and
running” so there was a limit on num-
bers. “In 2022 we’ll move to voice acti-
vated software, so as many banks that
want to can join.”
Priority has gone to the nine found-
ing members of Stop Scams UK, which
was set up last year and is supported by
the City watchdog and the telecoms
regulator. The nine are Barclays, Bank
of Scotland, Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest,
The hotline hitlist
Push the button for:
1 Barclays, 2 Bank of Scotland,
3 Santander, 4 Halifax, 5 Lloyds,
6 NatWest, 7 RBS, 8 Starling and
9 Ulster Bank
. . . but you won’t get through to:
HSBC, Metrobank, Monzo, Virgin
Money, Nationwide, TSB
No point fixing a new energy deal . . .
T
he energy bills of 15 million
households in England, Wales
and Scotland rose 12 per cent
yesterday when the industry regulator’s
price cap hit its highest level —and
there were no cheap fixed-rate deals
they could switch to.
Ofgem raised the limit on gas and
electricity charges so that the amount
paid by a dual fuel customer on a
standard variable rate tariff (SVT) with
average usage should be about £1,277 —
up from £1,138. This was because of
rising wholesale energy costs and ex-
perts the cap will go up another £280
when it is reviewed again in April.
The cap does not apply to Northern
Ireland, where the energy sector is
overseen by a separate regulator.
With suppliers going bust in their
droves as energy costs soar (11 in Sep-
tember, three this week), the fixed rate
deals that used to be cheaped than the
SVT cap have all disappeared.
The cap applies only to SVTs, a
supplier’s default price plan that you are
RBS, Santander, Starling, and Ulster
Bank. Together they represent 70 per
cent of banking customers — of which
many are multiple account holders.
All banks say they want to take part
in the service, which is being run on a
trial basis for a year.
TSB wanted to join in January but
Stop Scams UK said it would only be
able to “once voice recognition is avail-
£355.3m
lost to push payment fraud between
January and the end of June
able and we have no date for it yet, other
than that it will be 2022. We will try to
make it as early as possible.”
The hotline will be available through
BT, EE, Gamma, Sky, TalkTalk, Tele-
fonica O2, Three, Vodafone and Virgin
Media.
The 159 number — easy-to-remem-
ber because the numbers lie diagonally
across a phone keypad — is for use by
anyone who has suspicions about an
email, call or text message claiming to
be from an official body, such as
HMRC, their bank or a parcel service. If
you call 159 then press the relevant
number, you will be put straight
through to an agent from your bank
who will advise on whether you might
have been contacted by a scammer.
The nine banks said that they would
not be putting on extra staff to answer
the calls. Santander and Starling said
they did not expect call volumes to go
up and the others said they would see
how the trial went first.
Banks hope that the hotline will help
to reduce the soaring number of so-
called push-payment frauds, where vic-
tims are persuaded to transfer money to
scammers.
In the first half of the year £355.3 mil-
lion was lost — up 71 per cent on the
same time last year. The banks refund-
ed £150.7 million — 42.4 per cent.
TSB is the only bank that has a
moved to when your fixed-rate deal
ends.
Analysis by The Energy Shop web-
site yesterday found 25 fixed-rate tariffs
on the market. The cheapest was a one-
year fix from Scottish Power that
The cheapest fixed rate
deal is now higher than
the government’s cap
worked out at £1,574.78 a year for an
average house on dual fuel — way more
than you would pay for simply staying
on your supplier’s SVT.
The most expensive was a one-year
Eco7 deal from the supplier Outfox the
Market, which worked out at £2,112.48 a
year for average use — £835.48 more
special pledge to refund all customers.
Ruth Evans, the chairwoman of Stop
Scams UK, said: “Criminal fraudsters
destroy lives and cause untold harm.
We have set up 159 to give people a new
way to fight back.
“If you ever feel pressured into trans-
ferring money or giving out personal
details, you should hang up and call 159
expensive than you would pay on the
maximum SVT.
The second most expensive was So
Energy’s coconut green tariff that
worked out at £2,076.55 a year.
Scott Byrom from the Energy Shop
comparison website said to ignore the
best-buy tables and do nothing until
wholesale prices stabilise and it be-
comes clear which suppliers will sur-
vive and which will go bust. Then he
thinks the fixed-rate deals on offer will
improve.
“Some of the prices available now are
frankly scary,” he said.
It was reported yesterday that Ofgem
had hired the consulting company
Teneo in case on the of the leading
energy supplier collapses. Teneo will
act as a “special administrator” if a large
company cannot easily have its cus-
tomers reallocated to an Ofgem-ap-
pointed “supplier of last resort”. It has
been suggested that up to five suppliers
could go bust next week.
David Byers
‘I wish I
had been
able to
check’
to check it’s for real. Criminals rely on
forcing people into heat-of-the-mo-
ment decisions, and calling 159 is a
simple, practical tool to break their
spell.
“The 159 hotline is the result of an un-
precedented collaboration between
major banks and telecoms firms who
are working to put a stop to fraud.”
The nation’s favourite
bank falls out of favour
C
omplaints about National Sav-
ings & Investments (S&I) rose
more than tenfold after the bank
slashed its savings rates, had a customer
service meltdown and decided to get rid
of Premium Bonds cheques.
There were 820 complaints to the
Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
about NS&I in the first half of this year,
up from 77 in the same period last year.
Customer satisfaction with the Trea-
sury-backed bank fell from 84.3 per
cent in 2019-20 to 76.1 per cent in 2020-
21, according to its annual report.
Phone waiting times were 20 minutes
last October and the problems were so
bad that three of the bank’s senior staff
were called before MPs on the Treasury
select committee in March.
Savers flocked to NS&I, where de-
posits are 100 per cent guaranteed by
the government, because it maintained
market-leading rates during the pan-
63
Money
hen the retired
W actor David
Bale, 76, fell for
a scammer pretending to
be an investigator from
TSB, his bank, he
remembers wishing he
had a simple number he
could call to double-
check if the caller was for
real (David Byers writes).
The scammer had
called David on his
mobile and told him that
security on his savings
account had been
compromised and rushed
him into making an
urgent transfer of £6,000
to what he was told was a
“safe” account.
Bale, said he had been
“sucked into a whirlpool”
during the call in 2019.
“They put me under so
much pressure and I had
no idea how to get out.”
Bale did not feel he had
time to locate his bank’s
customer service
number.
“Had I been able to call
159 things could have
been totally different.
Quite early on in the call
I would have rung off and
called 159 for a quick
check with my bank.
159 would have given me
a simple, easy-to-
remember way to
escape,” he said.
Bale is a TSB customer.
The bank promises to
refund all victims of fraud
in full and gave Bale all
of his £6,000 back.
Andrew Hagger, the founder of the
personal finance site Moneycomms,
said: “I’m amazed that HSBC isn’t
included in the initial trials. You would
expect 100 per cent participation from
all banks and building societies and
telecoms companies.
“Hopefully this can be rectified soon-
er rather than later.”
demic. But in September it said it would
be cutting them to almost nothing from
November, leading to a flood of with-
drawals and jammed phone lines. It al-
so said that it would scrap prize cheques
for Premium Bonds winners and told
holders to register for electronic pay-
ments. It changed its mind in June after
thousands of complaints.
NS&I handed out £920,550 compen-
sation to settle complaints in the 12
months to April. Anna Bowes from the
Savings Champion website said: “There
is still a significant legacy left over from
the treatment people received from
NS&I in 2020. It still has work to do to
rebuild its reputation.”
NS&I said: “Regrettably, the combi-
nation of exceptional demand and sig-
nificantly reduced capacity resulted in
some customers experiencing service
that did not meet our usual standards.”
George Nixon
64 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Money

How to cash in on Commodities prices

the international
supply crisis January 1 to September 21
Hard coking coal
Baltic Dry Bulk Index
Lithium
273.9%
215.1%
200%
Ruthenium 150%
Demand for oil, copper and other commodities is growing — could this Molybdenum 111.1%
help investors to beat the pressures of inflation, asks David Brenchley Iridium 92.3%
Carbon 86%

T
he prices of lithium, alumini-
um and copper are soaring,
wholesale gas prices have
jumped sixfold and the oil
price has hit a three-year
high.
All of these movements are ominous
for consumers. These resources,
known broadly as commodities, power
our smartphones, cars and homes and
are used in the construction of build-
ings and bridges.
If commodities rise, so do consumer
prices. Oil in particular is a large
contributor to the inflation figures you
see in newspapers: it is 3.2 per cent in
the UK, the highest since 2012.
The jump in gas prices has already
sent nine UK suppliers and one switch-
ing website to the wall in September.
Prices here are rising too.
Could investing in commodities help
you to combat these inflationary pres-
surs and cushion your portfolio from
the fallout from the pandemic?
The Bloomberg Commodity Spot
Index, which measures the price
movements of commodities, is at a
ten-year high. We weigh up the goods.
0 Is it boom time?
After a post-pandemic bounce that
pushed Brent crude, the global bench-
mark oil price, to trade above $80, up
from below $20 in April 2020, some
analysts predicted what they call a
commodities supercycle. This is essen-
tially a period — normally lasting for
more than ten years — when the prices
of materials such as oil and copper trade
well above normal levels. The last
supercycle started at the turn of the
millennium when demand from the
rapidly industrialising China was far
greater than supply and commodity
prices rocketed. The cycle started to
cool in 2011 and ended in 2014.
Now that commodity prices are
rising again, speculation is growing that
we could be heading for another super-
cycle. Many analysts believe that the
multi-trillion dollar stimuli that have
been announced in the US and Europe
to lead a green infrastructure revolu-
Copper and nickel are
key elements in electric
vehicle production
tion will send prices even higher.
“We are in an infrastructure boom,”
said Nitesh Shah from the fund
manager Wisdom Tree. He expects the
transition to a less carbon-intensive
economy to boost some commodities
— but not all.
Remember when economies shut
down last year, building activity
stopped and commodities weren’t
needed? Economies are now opening
up rapidly and demand for commodi-
ties has returned, but the supply has
taken longer to bounce back. Tom
Price, a commodities analyst at the
broker Liberum, thinks that all we have Tin 69.5%
seen after Covid is “a recovery in de- Bauxite 56.8%
mand from really low levels”. Brent crude oil 45.2%
He does not think that the huge
change in demand needed to fuel a Aluminium 44.1%
supercycle is there yet. Cobalt 23.3%
LME Metals Index 23.3%
0 How to invest
Even if you do not believe the hype Tungsten 19.4%
about supercycles, you may still want to Copper 16.8%
take advantage of leaping prices for es- S&P 500 16%
sential materials, particularly given the
Nickel 15.2%
threat that rising inflation poses to your
savings pots. Zinc 9.8%
You can do this in different ways. Lead 9%
Miners share prices are more volatile FTSE 100 6.8%
than commodity prices. They can rise
faster than the materials they mine, but Bloomberg World Mining Index 3.9%
also fall faster. FTSE All-Share Mining Index -8.9%
Some investment management firms Platinum -14.2%
run funds that invest in oil firms, miners
and green energy companies. Silver -15.6%
Investment trusts (funds that are Palladium -19.8%
companies in their own right and listed Source: Liberum/Bloomberg
on the stock market, so you buy shares
in the company instead of buying units fund manager Interactive Investor sug- to August, its share price, which was
of a fund) can provide access to mining gests the WisdomTree Enhanced about £48.30 on Friday, has fallen by a
company shares, as well as allowing you Commodity ETF, which tracks the fifth. Iron ore prices have halved since
to invest in renewable energy such as price of gold, gas, oil, copper, soybean July because of a drop in demand from
solar and wind farms. These trusts can oil and coffee, among others. In the past China. Despite this, Rio was one of the
also be volatile, but not as much as own- year it has returned 34.3 per cent. five most popular shares on the invest-
ing individual stocks. The share prices of mining compa- ment platform Hargreaves Lansdown
Exchange traded funds (ETFs), nies tend to be more volatile than indi- last week.
which are also listed on the stock vidual commodities. They do, however, Nuclear power will play a key role in
market, are passive investments that pay good dividends. The iron ore miner, the global move towards net zero
track the performance of a specific Rio Tinto, has paid a dividend yield of carbon emissions, said Matthew Read
index or commodity by replicating its 10 per cent this year — the most gener- at Quoted Data, a research firm. This
holdings. They can offer less risk with ous of all the FTSE 100 companies. has pushed the uranium price up.
lower fees. Dzmitry Lipski from the After rising 50 per cent from October Read said that Geiger Counter

Watch out for the £7,000 a year cost of being a retired woman
S
tate pension reforms have boosted
women’s retirement incomes but
last year they were still an average
of £7,000 worse off than men because of
the gender gap in private pensions.
There was a 37.9 per cent difference in
men’s and women’s retirement pay, in-
cluding state and private pensions, ac-
cording to the trade union Prospect.
Prospect looked at official govern-
ment data and found an “unacceptably
high level of gender inequality in pen-
sions”. The gender gap between retire-
ment incomes in the EU was 29.4 per
cent in 2018-19. In the UK it was
40.3 per cent and the year before it was
39.9 per cent.
Sue Ferns from Prospect said: “Un-
less we turn on the pressure this will be
a persistent problem.”
Since 2016 the new state pension
pays a maximum of £179.60 a week to
those who have 35 full years of national
insurance contributions. It is guaran-
teed to rise next year by whichever is
highest from the rate of inflation, earn-
ings growth or 2.5 per cent. Last year
women on the new state pension got an
average of £159.26 a week and men
£166.22, according to the Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The gender gap was wider under the
How to get a bigger pension
Register for child benefit —
even if you don’t qualify
If you’re caring for a child
under 12 and not working,
you can claim national
insurance credits to go
towards your state pension.
If you signed up for child
benefit when your baby
was born, you should get
the credits automatically,
but even those who don’t
claim the benefit should
register. You can apply for
credits at any time by
sending a CA9176 form to
the tax office. You need 35
years of NI contributions to
get the full state pension of
£179.60 a week.
Check your state pension
If you get a very low
pension and started
claiming it before the new
system began in April 2016,
you could be due an
income boost. Tens of
old state pensions system, as many
women contracted out of the earnings-
related part of it.
thousands of people are the fund platform AJ Bell. If relief on contributions of up Experts says gender discrimination is
being underpaid, partly you took a one-year break to £3,600 a year. built into the pensions system. Women
because they are eligible at 30, and another at 33, are disproportionately excluded from
for a top-up based on their making no pension Check your pension company pensions because you only
age or their spouse’s contributions, your pot investments and fees qualify for auto-enrolment if you earn
contributions history. would be £25,493 lower. If If you’ve had multiple jobs, £10,000 in a single job. If women have
Anyone who thinks they are you take parental leave, it’s likely that you have multiple part-time jobs to fit their work
not getting the right keep making pension multiple pension pots, around family life, they miss out.
amount should contact the contributions if you can, probably with different Many women also do not know that
Department for Work and because your employer will companies. Each will have they should claim national insurance
Pensions. also then have to different charges and credits if they take time off to care for
contribute, effectively investments. Most savers someone. Women who take maternity
Pay into a pension, adding free money. have their pension money leave, for example, must register for
even if you are off work If one person in a couple invested in a default fund, child benefit to get the credits even if
Taking time out is working where the pension firm they are not eligible for the benefit.
for childcare while the picks investments on your Prospect wants the government to
can strip other is behalf depending on how have to report the gender pensions gap,
thousands of caring for close you are to retirement. in the same way that some companies
pounds from children, it Some experts think these must make their gender pay gap figures
your pension can be tax- funds are too cautious, public, and it wants to change the way
pot. A five- efficient for potentially costing you auto-enrolment works to bring more
year career them to pay money over the long term. low-paid men and women into private
break then into the Look at the fees and pension savings. According to the
returning part- unpaid consider switching away DWP, 284,000 more women would get
time could cost partner’s from expensive plans. You auto-enrolment if the threshold was
you more than pension can switch old pension pots moved from £10,000 to £6,240.
£100,000 by age because they to your workplace pension “That’s a huge prize we think is
68, according to will still get tax or a new personal pension. achievable,” Ferns said.
Kate Palmer
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
3.2%
inflation rate
in August —
its highest level
since 2012
$80
trading price of
Brent crude. In
April 2020 it was
about $20
Investment Trust, which has gone up
163 per cent in the past 12 months may
be volatile but the small uranium
miners it invests in should continue to
benefit.
For more diversified mining compa-
nies, Jason Hollands from Bestinvest
suggests BlackRock Gold & General.
He also likes the Guinness Global
Energy and Guinness Sustainable
Energy funds. The former invests in the
oil, natural gas, coal and utilities
sectors, with the latter owning renew-
able energy companies. Investment
Need advice on pension
transfers? That’ll be £10k
F
inancial advisers are planning to
stop offering advice on transfer-
ring out of final salary pensions
because of fears of future misselling
claims and the rising cost of insurance.
A third of those who have permission
to provide such advice were unsure that
they would continue to next year,
according to a survey by the pensions
analyst LCP and the insurer Aviva.
Savers who have £30,000 or more in
gold-plated final salary schemes (also
known as defined benefit (DB) pen-
sions because they offer guaranteed in-
come in retirement) are required by law
to seek advice before they are allowed
to transfer money out. DB schemes
provide inflation-proof income linked
to your salary, regardless of how much
you paid into them. The rules are
intended to ensure that people realise
the benefits of these pensions and do
not give them up without taking advice.
The number of advisers with permis-
sion to provide DB transfer advice
halved from just over 3,000 in the
autumn of 2018 to about 1,500 at the
start of this year, according to the
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA),
65
Money
trusts in renewable energy include
Bluefield Solar Income fund, JLEN
Environemental Assets and Ecofin US
Golden opportunities
Renewables. Commodities may be according to Morningstar, a get worse over the next 1990 and the gold price fell
getting their moment in the data provider. The gold decade. Your interest is from a peak of $800 an
0 Copper and nickel spotlight amid talk of a price has fallen about 14 per probably not going to go up ounce to below $300 by the
Copper and nickel are two key compo- supercycle, but investors cent since July 2020, but it a lot, but inflation probably end of the century. “Since
nents of electric car production. have always taken a shine is still prized by investors as will,” Lyon said. The price of the mid-2000s we’ve been
Copper is used in the motor and wiring to gold. a safe-haven asset. gold has doubled since in the opposite of that,”
of the car, while nickel is the biggest The two most popular Sebastian Lyon from Troy 2009 and it plays a big part Lyon said.
part of the battery chain. Copper is also exchange traded Asset Management said in how investors combat Lyon’s £6 billion Troy
used in the power grid, which will be commodities (ETCs) — a that gold would continue to financial repression. Trojan fund holds the
needed to charge electric cars, and in “tracker” investment in protect investors from Lyon said: “We’ve held Invesco Physical Gold ETC
water pipes. It has been used widely in metals, livestock and other inflation. If you had put all gold since 2005. It’s not a as well as shares in Franco-
China’s property sector, which is commodities — track the of your cash into the bank permanent holding. If a Nevada, a Toronto-based
probably going to slow down thanks to price of gold. Investors in 2009, you would have bank was going to pay you business that provides
the debt-crisis engulfing the Chinese have poured an estimated earned 6 per cent. The 3 per cent when inflation finance to gold miners and
property developer Evergrande. £1.4 billion into the Invesco retail price index measure was 1 per cent, you don’t receives a royalty, which it
This would offset demand from the Physical Gold ETC and the of inflation increased 39 per need to own gold.” pays to shareholders as a
electric car industry and Price thinks WisdomTree Physical Gold cent in that time. Savings rates ran above dividend.
investors should therefore avoid cop- ETC over the past year, “That’s probably going to inflation through 1980 and David Brenchley
per, which “still has a long way to come
down from very high levels. There’s a
lot of speculative money in the copper
price,” he said.
Two thirds of nickel mined globally is
used to produce stainless steel, which
can be used for the exteriors of build-
ings, so could also be hit by a Chinese
construction slowdown.
WisdomTree offers Copper and
Nickel Exchange Traded Commodi-
ties (ETCs), investment structures that
operate in a similar way to ETFs except
that they hold financial instruments
known as derivatives rather than hold-
ing real commodities. Their ongoing
charge is 0.54 per cent.
0 Renewable energy
Countries around the world are in-
creasing their use of wind power, which
makes Mark Lacey, the manager of the
Schroder Energy Transition fund, a fan.
The two largest holdings in Lacey’s
fund, Denmark’s Vestas and Spain’s
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy,
make wind turbines.
Read likes the investment trust
Greencoat UK Wind, which runs a
suite of UK wind farms, and also
suggested the Bluefield Solar Income
fund, which mainly owns solar farms,
but has recent added wind farms to its
portfolio. “Wind and solar are highly
complementary: when the sun is
shining, wind tends to blow less and
vice versa,” said Read.
Fossil fuels are increasingly being
replaced by biochemicals — chemical
compounds made up of living cells. The
chemicals firm Croda, based in York-
shire, is a market leader here, said
Graeme Baker, co-manager of the
Ninety One Global Environment fund.
the City regulator. This follows a spate
of misselling by advisers who were in-
centivised to sign off unwise transfers.
If their customers didn’t take the rec-
ommended product, the adviser got
nothing. This contingent charging was
banned in October. Advisers must now
charge for their services instead of rely-
ing on product commission and are
quoting up to £10,000 — almost three
times what the regulator suggested —
1,500
advisers authorised to give
advice on DB pension transfers
for advice on whether a client should
transfer out of a gold-plated scheme.
Advisers are also insisting on manag-
ing a customer’s new personal pension
as a condition of providing advice.
Alistair McQueen from Aviva said:
“The industry and its regulators must
ensure that those seeking DB advice
are not left stranded and exposed.”
Ali Hussain
66
Money
I am reaching for new
heights with small firms
G
ood things come in small
Get rich slowly
owly packages, or so I am told.
At about 5ft 6in tall, I am
David inclined to agree. It’s
certainly true in the
Brenchley investment world. Small businesses
tend to outperform their large
counterparts over time.
This is because the smaller you are,
the bigger your rate of growth – be
that sales, profit or share price (but
maybe not height, sadly). You can also
be more nimble. It’s easier to change a
process or strategy or develop new
products if you have fewer employees
and systems than if you’re an
unwieldy conglomerate.
I have been focusing on smaller
companies in my Isa, in the hope that
my long-term investment will secure
From little acorns
Fund
Five-year
performance
BlackRock Throgmorton Trust
Marlborough Nano Cap Growth
FP Octopus UK Micro Cap Growth
Liontrust UK Micro Cap Growth
Jupiter UK Smaller Companies
JPMorgan Smaller Companies IT
iShares MSCI UK Small Cap UCITS ETF
higher returns. About a quarter of my
invested cash is in five funds that buy
shares of smaller companies.
The downside of investing small is
the volatility. In some ways this
should not matter, because I’m in it
for the long-term, but on the other
hand why bother going through the
ups and downs when you can find a
good fund with a smoother journey?
I would not call myself particularly
risk-averse, but I don’t like waking up
to unpleasant surprises. My two UK
smaller company holdings are quite
volatile, so I don’t want the next ones
I add to fluctuate wildly. I want them
to have a track record of good growth.
These three funds are on my
shortlist and fit this bill. The
£309 million FP Octopus UK Micro
Cap Growth fund is headed by
Richard Power and invests in smaller
UK companies such as Sureserve, a
heating and energy services specialist,
and Brickability, which supplies
building materials such as bricks and
cladding. The fund had a steady five-
year gain of 173.6 per cent to the end
of August, according to FE fundinfo,
the analyst. This compares well with
the FTSE Small Cap, which rose
79.9 per cent over the same time.
The fund manager Liontrust’s
smaller companies team is also
impressive. Its £1.7 billion UK
Smaller Companies fund returned
138.4 per cent and its £204 million
UK Micro Cap fund 167.7 per cent
over the same five-year period.
The Micro Cap fund is slightly
more volatile but has performed
better.
There are some useful figures
that you can look for: one that
measures volatility and one that
shows maximum drawdown. The
volatility percentage shows how
much a fund fluctuates over
time, while the drawdown shows
the percentage loss you would
have suffered if you had bought
then sold at the worst times.
The best place to find this data
is on a fund’s factsheet on
Trustnet’s website. Some
companies, including Liontrust,
publish volatility data, but others
— and Octopus is among them —
do not. The higher the volatility
Annuities out of favour
F
ewer people are buying an annuity
with their pension pot as rates
continue to fall and savers benefit
from more freedom over what to do
with their savings.
Rule changes in April 2015 allowed
savers with a defined contribution (DC)
pension — where the amount you have
at retirement is solely dependent on
how much you pay in and investment
growth — to no longer have to use their
pot to buy an annuity, which provides a
guaranteed income for life.
Since then the numbers have plum-
meted. Only 49,000 people bought an
annuity last year, according to the Pen-
sions Policy Institute (PPI), down from
189,000 in 2014.
It is mainly savers with smaller pen-
sion pots who are ditching them.
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Five-year
volatility
Five-year
drawdown
241.2% 21.5% 32.5%
176.5% 20.6% 33.6%
173.6% 16.5% 21%
167.7% 16.8% 26.5%
142.6% 20.9% 33.3%
230% 28.2% 42.5%
52% 17.5% 32.4%
Figures to end of August. Source: FE fundinfo
rating, the riskier the investment.
Lower numbers are a good sign in
drawdown ratings, which are based
on the gap between peaks and
troughs.
Octopus UK Micro Cap Growth
fund has an impressive maximum
drawdown over five years of 21 per
cent and a volatility rating of 16.5 per
cent. Liontrust’s Smaller Companies
fund has drawdown of 23.7 per cent
and volatility of 15.6 per cent.
By comparison, the FTSE Small
Cap index has volatility of 15.6 per
cent and drawdown of 27.9 per cent.
The FTSE 100’s numbers are a
smoother 13.5 per cent for volatility
and 24 per cent for drawdown, but
five-year gain is much lower at
27.5 per cent including dividend
returns.
When investing small, active is
better than passive. You have to pay
for active management, where a fund
manager decides what to invest in,
rather than having a passive
algorithm following an index, but you
should get value for your money.
The continuing charge for the
Octopus fund is 1.25 per cent,
Liontrust UK Smaller Companies is
1.36 per cent and its UK Micro Cap
fund is 1.38 per cent. My VT Teviot
UK Smaller Companies fund is
cheaper at 0.84 per cent, while
BlackRock Throgmorton Trust is
more expensive at 1.61 per cent.
Throgmorton has been the best
performer in my Isa so far — up
241.2 per cent in five years. It fares
well compared with the iShares
MSCI UK Small Cap exchange
traded fund, which has returned
52 per cent over five years. Of 44
actively managed funds in its sector
that have been running for that long,
only one has failed to beat it.
Share prices are volatile.
You should be able to
stomach some
volatility if you’re
investing for, say, 30
years, but the trick is
to buy a fund that
performs well and
will help you to sleep
tight, confident that
your small investment
can help your savings to grow.
A healthy 65-year-old with a
£100,000 pension pot would get an av-
erage annuity income of about £5,000 a
year, according to Sharing Pensions, a
financial planner. They would have
been able to get nearly £15,000 in 1990.
Analysis from the PPI shows that
those still opting for annuities are not
shopping around for the best rates. A
person with a pot of £100,000 taking
out a lifetime annuity could make gains
of between 6 and 8 per cent by search-
ing for the best rate, which is the differ-
ence between £388 and £419 a month.
Mark Ormston at Retirement Line,
an annuity provider, said: “In recent
years approximately half of all lifetime
annuity customers have potentially
missed out on higher annuity income.”
Imogen Tew
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Why pay more for the same fund?
Times Money
Mentor
Troubleshooter
Katherine
Denham
I
am having difficulty trying to
transfer a £300,000 pension
fund held in a Scottish Widows
drawdown account. I want to
keep my pot invested in the
same fund but move the money into
a retirement account also run by
Scottish Widows, with lower fees.
I pay a 0.875 per cent management
charge, which would fall to 0.35 per
cent for the same fund in the Retire-
ment Account. This includes a ser-
vice charge of 0.25 per cent.
This means that I am paying about
£1,700 in excess fees every year. Scot-
tish Widows refuses to give me an il-
lustration of the fees I would incur in
the Retirement Account because it
says I cannot switch without taking
financial advice, which would obvi-
ously be a significant cost in itself.
I cannot see why I should be forced
to take advice when all I want to do is
switch to a product with the same
company, in the same fund.
Scottish Widows tells me that this
is company policy and is related to
the Pension Schemes Act, but as my
pension is not from a defined benefit
scheme and has no other guarantees
attached I do not believe I am legally
obliged to take advice on this transfer.
This appears to be a case of Scottish
Widows applying a policy regardless
of the merits of the individual case.
All I want is this pot under the same
management at a lower cost. It seems
absurd and possibly unethical that I
cannot make this switch without
taking professional advice.
Ken Hathaway, Swindon
Troubleshooter says
Trying to compare pension fees can
be hard work, so I’m impressed that
My foolish friend can’t get a debit card
A friend of mine is due to start
university after completing his
A-levels. He is 18 and has had a
bank account for several years
but his bank refuses to give him
a debit card. This is because a
couple of years ago he foolishly
and naively allowed someone to
use his bank account to launder
money from illegal drug sales.
My friend was not charged with
a crime.
Is there any way he can open
a “normal” bank account?
Name and address withheld
Troubleshooter says
Your friend was very young when
this happened and I wonder if he
was aware of the consequences.
Anyone who allows criminal
funds to go through their bank
account is what is known as a
money mule. Young people are
lured into this kind of activity
by criminals offering them
money — about 14,000 people
aged between 21 and 30 made
Money Mentor
Online
Find the cheapest
personal pensions
thetimes.co.uk/money-mentor
you discovered you could be paying
less simply by switching to another
product with the same company.
I think pension companies should
be obliged to automatically move
customers into cheaper versions of
investment funds if one is available,
but they do not have to unless you
ask. This means that lots of people
end up paying too much.
You would think that moving your
pension within a company would be
simple, but you have hit a brick wall.
If you want to transfer a pension
that is valued at more than £30,000
and is a defined benefit (also known
as a final salary) scheme, which gives
a guaranteed income, set at a propor-
tion of your salary, for life, then you
are required by law to take financial
transfers on behalf of criminals
in the first half of this year,
according to the fraud prevention
agency Cifas.
While your friend avoided
prosecution, I wonder if he was
aware that mules can be
sentenced to jail for up to 14
years.
Your friend has realised that
being caught out also affects your
access to banking services. As
well as closing your account, a
bank will report you to the credit
agencies, which can make it
difficult to get a loan or even a
phone contract. If there is a
guarantor attached to the bank
account they may be affected too.
Mules will end up with a Cifas
marker against their name and it
will be recorded in the National
Fraud Database.
Financial organisations use this
database when deciding whether
to offer financial products like
bank accounts or debit cards. I’m
afraid many are likely to give
67
Money
given you a goodwill payment of £50,
plus an extra £150 for the delays in re-
sponding to your complaint.
You accepted this but said it
seemed like scant compensation
given the excess fees you have paid
over the years. The good news is that
the company agreed to find out whe-
ther it was possible to make your
transfer happen, and it was given the
go-ahead at the end of August, two
months after you first contacted me.
You also finally got that pension il-
lustration comparing the two funds,
which confirmed that you had paid
thousands of pounds in excess fees.
It was not clear whether the com-
pany had changed its policy or made
an exception in your case, but I would
like to think it has made it easier for
other customers to switch to a cheap-
er fund. Perhaps I’m too optimistic.
If you would like us to investigate
a consumer problem, write to
Troubleshooter, Times Money,
1 London Bridge Street,
London SE1 9GF or
troubleshooter@thetimes.co.uk.
Please include a phone number
advice. As your pension is a defined
contribution scheme, where the
amount you get in retirement
depends on how much is paid in and
the performance of the investments,
you are right that these rules do not
apply.
However, when you retired 18
months ago, you withdrew your tax-
free lump sum of 25 per cent and
some companies do not allow you to
transfer once you are in what is re-
ferred to as drawdown (ie you have
started taking money from your pen-
sion pot).
I asked Scottish Widows and it said
that yes, any customer drawing
money from their pension is asked to
seek financial advice if they want to
switch investments. Given that mov-
ing your investment at this point can
make such a big difference to your re-
tirement, the company wants to
make sure that transferring would be
in your best interest.
But why was this not explained to
you properly at the time? Scottish
Widows has apologised for giving
you incorrect information and has
your friend a wide berth and he
may have to shop around.
Your friend might have more
luck trying to open a basic bank
account, which is designed for
people with poor credit histories
and has restrictions, such as not
allowing customers to be
overdrawn. It may be that they
will allow him a debit card.
The banks don’t tend to
advertise this type of account, so
your friend would need to do
some research.
Another option might be some
of the newer digital financial
companies which do not tend to
carry out credit checks before
offering services to customers,
but bear in mind that deposits
are not protected by the
Financial Services Compensation
Scheme.
As Cifas markers can be held
for up to six years, I’m afraid
your friend might have to wait
a few years before he will have
that removed.
68 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Money
Unit trust and open-ended investment company prices

Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld
Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- %

ALLIANZ GLOBAL INVESTORS FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL UK Sml Cos Eqty Acc ‡@ 1845.56 … -12.57 … UK Irsh Sm Co Fd A Acc ‡@ 742.50 … +6.60 … M & G SECURITIES Envir Invtr A Acc ‡@ 386.50 … -12.40 0.52
Inv Serv: 020 7065 1400 Helpline: 0800 317 573 Private Clnts 0800 414161 Broker Dlgs 0800 414181 UK Sml Cos Gwth ‡@ 82.54 … -1.65 … UK Property A Acc @ 244.53 257.15 +1.38 2.62 Enq: 0800 390 390 Dealing Line: 0800 328 3196 Hi Inc Bond A Ac ‡@ 260.30 … -0.90 3.94
Gilt Yield A ‡@ 206.01 … -0.62 … Amer Spec Sits ‡@ 1962.00 … -3.00 … UK Property A Inc @ 99.02 104.12 +0.56 2.67 Authorised Inv Funds Hi Inc Bond A Inc ‡@ 82.94 … -0.30 4.03
Strategic Bond Fund ‡@ 194.25 … -1.52 1.07 American ‡@ 5931.00 … -186.00 … US Growth Fund A Acc ‡@ 1935.00 … -72.00 … Charifund Inc ‡ 1537.49 … -7.30 4.42 Hi Res A Acc ‡@ 380.50 … -2.60 3.40
UK Corp Bond C ‡@ 104.79 … -0.77 … Euro Opps ‡@ 587.30 … -20.90 … Hi Res A Inc ‡@ 124.40 … -0.80 3.47
UK Eqty C ‡@ 6317.26 … +49.77 3.28 European ‡@ 3125.00 … -109.00 0.28 Safety Plus A Acc ‡@ 40.49 … -0.14 …
UK Eqty Inc A ‡@ 320.94 … -4.46 3.66 Extra Income ‡@ 28.15 … -0.30 3.32 Sterling Class A Investment Funds 1 Strat Inc A Acc ‡@ 225.50 … -2.00 1.71
UK Gwth A ‡@ 7844.73 … -67.96 1.54 Glob Spec Sits ‡@ 5574.00 … -139.00 … Strat Inc A Inc ‡@ 103.20 … -1.10 1.73
INVESTEC FUND MGRS Euro Smlr Cos Acc ‡ 543.46 … -24.77 … UK Gwth A Acc ‡@ 189.50 … -1.50 1.51
UK Index A Inc ‡@ 1423.81 … -10.08 … Global Focus ‡@ 3074.00 … -106.00 … Euro Smlr Cos Inc ‡ 478.50 … -21.82 0.66
UK Mid Cap A ‡@ 6066.60 … -281.55 0.05 International ‡@ 149.50 … +1.10 … Broker Support and Dealing: 020 7597 1900 UK Sel Gwth A Acc ‡@ 2366.00 … -51.00 0.88
JP MORGAN ASSET MGMT
Japan ‡@ 548.80 … -10.10 0.20
OEIC Series i,ii,iii, & iv
Moneybldr Bal ‡@ 46.54 … -0.66 3.11 OEIC Sterling Class A Investment Funds 2
Moneybldr Glob 327.60 327.60 -1.90 … American A Acc ‡@ 671.41 … -20.17 …
Moneybldr Gwth ‡@ 76.12 … +0.20 … Asia A Acc ‡@ 307.40 … +3.80 … Extra Income Inc ‡ 726.41 … -3.11 4.17
Asia ex Japan A Acc ‡@ 839.22 … -3.97 … Gilt & Fxd Int Inc ‡ 98.99 … -2.25 0.76
Moneybldr Inc ‡@ 37.45 … -0.45 3.01 Emerging Mkts ‡@ 318.90 … -2.50 … OEIC B Class
Capital Accumulator A Acc ‡@ 231.48 … +8.50 … Gl Hi Yd Bd Inc ‡ 47.52 … -0.27 4.37
ARTEMIS FUND MGRS LTD Moneybldr UK Ind ‡@ 118.89 … -1.34 2.14 Eur Dyn (ex-UK) A Acc ‡@ 279.40 … -9.40 0.54 Tracker and Specialist Investment Funds
Cautious Managed A Acc ‡@ 408.13 … -6.77 1.67 Index Linked Bd Inc ‡ 163.67 … -6.56 …
0800 092 2051 Special Sits ‡@ 4371.00 … -75.00 0.90 Euro Smllr Cos ‡@ 1066.00 … -56.00 … UK Trkr B Acc ‡@ 376.90 … +0.70 2.42
Cautious Managed A Inc ‡@ 262.86 … -5.38 1.69 Index Trckr Inc ‡ 75.18 … -0.07 2.79
Authorised Inv Funds Wealthbuilder 69.75 72.18 -0.11 0.44 Europe A Acc ‡@ 1805.00 … -58.00 1.57 UK Trkr B Inc ‡@ 176.20 … -3.00 2.48
Diversified Growth A Acc ‡@ 137.30 … -2.20 0.55 Short Dated Corp Bd Inc ‡ 25.93 … -0.03 1.26
Capital R Acc ‡@ 1961.51 … -5.76 2.23 Diversified Growth A Inc ‡@ 146.27 … -2.34 0.57 Gbl Hi Yld Bd A Acc ‡@ 130.10 … -0.90 4.33
UK Select A Inc ‡ 3293.55 … -55.35 1.94
Euro Opps R Acc ‡@ 91.26 … +1.71 … Diversified Income A Acc ‡@ 330.74 … -2.62 2.48 Gbl Hi Yld Bd A Inc ‡@ 36.01 … -0.26 4.44
Euro Opps R Inc ‡@ 85.36 … +1.59 … Diversified Income A Inc ‡@ 74.18 … -0.81 3.96 Gl ex-UK Bd A Acc ‡@ 288.30 … -1.60 …
European Growth R Acc ‡@ 371.11 … -5.84 1.83 HALIFAX INVESTMENT FUND MGRS LTD Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Acc ‡@ 126.68 … -0.93 3.44 Gl ex-UK Bd A Inc ‡@ 220.90 … -1.20 …
Sterling Class A Investment Funds 3
Global Energy R Acc ‡@ 28.64 … +1.31 1.90 01296 386 386 Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Acc Gross ‡@ 125.82 … +0.06 … Glb Fins A Acc ‡@ 1077.00 … +12.00 1.03 UK and Income Investment Funds
Global Growth R Acc ‡@ 337.60 … -0.84 1.43 Authorised Inv Funds Global A Acc ‡@ 2342.00 … -90.00 … Corp Bd A Inc ‡ 40.88 … -0.75 2.63
Emerging Mkts Blended Debt A Inc ‡@ 79.45 … -0.59 5.18 Corp Bond B Acc ‡@ 370.70 … +0.40 …
Global Income R Acc ‡@ 148.27 … -2.32 2.34 Share Class `C Japan A Acc ‡@ 698.80 … -49.70 … Dividend Inc ‡ 55.26 … -0.29 4.54
Emerging Mkts Equity A Acc ‡@ 171.90 … -0.86 0.21 Corp Bond B Inc ‡@ 136.30 … +0.10 …
Global Income R Inc ‡@ 98.45 … -1.54 2.38 Multi-Man Tst A Acc ‡@ 1433.00 … -43.00 0.70 Recovery A Inc ‡ 122.07 … +0.67 1.68
Corporate Bond ‡@ 40.24 … -0.50 1.69 Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt A Acc ‡@ 187.04 … -0.04 3.83 UK Gwth B Acc ‡@ 205.60 … -0.60 1.79
Global Select R Acc ‡@ 156.92 … -6.39 … Multi-Man Tst A Inc ‡@ 1280.00 … -38.00 0.72 Sml Cos Inc ‡ 485.21 … -10.09 1.34
Ethical ‡@ 115.50 … -0.10 … Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt A Inc ‡@ 79.80 … -0.02 4.17 UK Sel Gwth B Acc ‡@ 2481.00 … +8.00 …
High Income R Inc ‡@ 73.58 … -0.48 4.58 European ‡@ 110.00 … -1.70 0.61 Emrg Mkts Local Curr Debt Gross I Acc ‡@ 220.49 … -1.26 … Nat Resources ‡@ 700.10 … +12.70 1.89
Income R Acc ‡@ 474.49 … -7.15 3.37 Far Eastern ‡ 120.50 … -0.20 1.21 Enhanced Natural Resources A Acc ‡@ 134.24 … -4.54 … New Europe A ‡@ 267.80 … +3.20 1.81
Income R Inc ‡@ 220.81 … -3.33 3.46 Sterling Class A Investment Funds 4
Fund of Inv Tst ‡@ 151.20 … -1.80 0.43 Global Bond A Acc ‡@ 139.30 … +5.98 0.82 Portfolio ‡@ 324.00 … -5.20 1.06
Monthly Dist R Inc ‡@ 69.75 … -0.66 3.32 Intl Gwth ‡ 119.90 … +0.40 0.69 Global Bond A Inc ‡@ 109.33 … +4.52 0.82 Stg Corp Bd A Acc ‡@ 103.40 … -1.00 1.07 Episode Allocation A Inc ‡@ 143.33 … -1.19 1.98
Strategic Assets R Acc ‡ 78.09 … -0.83 … Japanese ‡ 73.52 … -0.16 0.52 Stg Corp Bd A Inc ‡@ 58.97 … -0.54 1.07
Global Bond I Gross Inc ‡@ 1167.00 … +46.14 1.25 OEIC C Class
Strategic Bond R M Acc ‡@ 106.51 … -0.45 1.80 North Amer ‡ 140.80 … +1.30 0.31 UK Act 350 A Acc ‡@ 199.00 … -1.30 …
Global Dynamic A Acc ‡@ 202.76 … -4.97 0.24 UK and Income Investment Funds
Strategic Bond R M Inc ‡@ 58.17 … -0.54 1.82 Smaller Cos ‡@ 133.90 … -2.40 0.10 UK Dynamic Acc ‡@ 206.20 … -3.70 1.29 MARKS & SPENCER UNIT TRUST LTD
Global Energy A Acc ‡@ 170.97 … -4.81 …
Strategic Bond R Q Acc ‡@ 106.32 … -0.45 1.86 Special Sits ‡@ 51.36 … -1.03 1.35 UK Dynamic Inc ‡@ 150.80 … -2.70 1.24 0808 005 5555 UK Gth C Inc ‡@ 130.30 … -1.10 2.27
Global Equity A Acc ‡@ 220.44 … -3.67 0.04
Strategic Bond R Q Inc ‡@ 58.24 … -0.36 1.87 UK Equity Inc ‡@ 86.54 … -0.39 3.31 UK Equity A Acc ‡@ 401.90 … -4.70 3.45 High Income 109.20 109.20 -0.90 3.86 UK Sel Gwth C Acc ‡@ 2598.00 … +8.00 …
Global Franchise A Acc ‡@ 304.98 … -9.28 …
UK Growth R Acc ‡@ 730.29 … -20.36 0.32 UK FTSE 100 IT ‡@ 63.11 … +0.36 2.03 UK Equity A Inc ‡@ 46.44 … -0.54 3.49 High Income Acc 287.00 287.00 -2.50 3.77
Global Free Enterprise A Acc ‡@ 1279.17 … -26.21 0.10
UK Smaller Cos R Acc ‡@ 2042.15 … -38.40 … UK FTSE All-S IT ‡@ 75.14 … +0.36 1.83 UK 100 Comp Acc @ 407.80 407.80 +2.80 0.44
Global Gold A Acc ‡@ 168.51 … +0.85 … UK Eqy & Bd Inc Acc ‡@ 167.10 … +2.30 3.41
UK Special Sits R Acc ‡@ 726.60 … -17.50 0.79 UK Growth ‡@ 80.70 … -0.14 2.15 UK 100 Cos @ 208.60 208.60 +1.30 0.87
Global Special Situations A Acc ‡@ 292.34 … +2.15 … UK Eqy & Bd Inc Inc ‡@ 90.29 … +0.88 3.50
Global Special Situations A Inc ‡@ 226.12 … +1.67 … UK Higher Inc A Acc ‡@ 1132.00 … +12.00 … UK Select Pflo @ 325.00 325.00 +2.00 2.01
Managed Growth A Acc ‡@ 283.64 … -0.68 0.31 UK Higher Inc A Inc ‡@ 531.30 … +4.30 … UK Selection Port Acc @ 641.20 641.20 +3.80 2.02 STANDARD LIFE INVESTMENTS
Monthly High Income A Acc ‡@ 246.87 … -1.39 3.49 UK Sm Cos A Acc ‡@ 744.50 … -28.20 … Worldwide Mgd Acc @ 968.40 968.40 -1.60 0.28 0845 279 3003
HSBC GLOBAL ASSET MGMT (UK) LTD Monthly High Income A Inc ‡@ 64.64 … -0.66 4.91 UK Str Eq Inc A Acc ‡@ 195.10 … -2.20 1.98 Wwide Mgd @ 575.50 575.50 -1.00 0.85 Investment Funds (OEIC) - Retail Shares
Enq: 0845 745 6123 Dlg: 0845 745 6126 Mon-Fri 8-6 Multi-Asset Protector A Acc ‡@ 173.72 … -0.99 … UK Str Eq Inc A Inc ‡@ 102.40 … -1.10 1.95 AAA Inc CAT Acc ‡@ 100.10 … -0.50 0.96
AXA FRAMLINGTON UNIT MGMT LTD
HSBC Index Tracker Investment Funds (OEIC) Strategic Bond A Acc ‡@ 244.54 … +0.50 … US A Acc ‡@ 1036.00 … +14.00 … AAA Inc CAT Inc ‡@ 57.20 … -0.29 0.96
Dling: 0845 602 1952 Priv Clients: 0845 777 5511
Amer Ind Acc ‡@ 864.63 … -17.35 0.98 Strategic Bond A Inc ‡@ 119.47 … +0.23 … US Sm Cos A Acc ‡@ 1111.00 … -40.00 … MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MGMT LTD AAA Income Acc ‡@ 108.40 … -0.60 1.36
Equity Inc ‡@ 572.40 … -2.10 … Enquires: 0800 0961 962
Amer Ind Inc ‡@ 701.63 … -14.08 0.94 Amer Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 217.10 … -3.80 …
Gilt Acc @ 201.30 211.80 -1.50 … The Morgan Stanley Funds (UK)
Euro Ind Acc ‡@ 1141.48 … -32.13 1.72 Corp Bond Acc ‡@ 187.70 … -1.90 2.49
Gilt Inc @ 74.35 78.24 -1.00 … Class A Shares
Euro Ind Inc ‡@ 747.82 … -21.04 1.68 Corp Bond Inc ‡@ 65.16 … -0.64 2.52
Health Acc ‡ 2742.00 … -53.00 … Equity
FTSE 100 Ind Acc ‡@ 243.23 … -1.63 2.55 Euro Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 263.20 … -9.30 0.33
Jap Smlr Co Ac @ 62.56 66.09 -0.93 0.30
FTSE 100 Ind Inc ‡@ 116.14 … -0.76 2.12 Dev Opp Fund F Acc ‡ 1010.69 … -10.31 … Glb Advtg CAT Acc ‡@ 161.70 … -3.10 0.65
Managed Inc ‡@ 138.30 … -0.70 …
FTSE 250 Ind Acc ‡@ 328.58 … -13.14 1.41 Dev Opp Fund I Acc ‡ 1008.33 … -10.32 … Glob Advtg Acc ‡@ 213.60 … -4.10 0.62
Monthly Inc Inc ‡@ 253.80 … -0.60 3.85
FTSE 250 Ind Inc ‡@ 207.71 … -8.30 0.41 Glob Bal Inc F F Acc ‡@ 1004.95 … -1.34 … Glob Eq Uncstrd Acc ‡@ 165.80 … -2.00 …
UK Growth Inc ‡@ 257.50 … -7.90 0.42
FTSE All-S Acc ‡@ 649.23 … -7.33 2.44 Glob Bal Inc F F Inc ‡@ 1004.94 … -1.35 … Higher Inc Acc ‡@ 153.70 … -0.70 3.85
UK Select Opps Inc ‡@ 2159.00 … -47.00 0.62
FTSE All-S Inc ‡@ 344.65 … -3.89 2.43 Glob Bal Inc F I Acc ‡ 1004.74 … -1.36 … Higher Inc Inc ‡@ 50.58 … -0.22 3.95
UK Sml Cos Inc ‡@ 427.60 … -10.10 …
Jap Ind Acc ‡@ 150.30 … -5.78 1.41 Glob Bal Inc F I Inc ‡ 1004.74 … -1.36 … Japan Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 130.70 … -7.10 …
Jap Ind Inc ‡@ 119.86 … -4.62 1.15 Glob Bal Sust F F Acc ‡@ 1010.13 … -3.34 … Managed Acc ‡@ 335.30 … -7.80 0.43
Pac Ind Acc ‡@ 500.72 … -9.80 2.07 Glob Bal Sust F F Inc ‡@ 1010.12 … -3.34 … Select Inc Acc ‡@ 98.28 … -0.20 2.08
Pac Ind Inc ‡@ 323.51 … -6.33 0.45 Glob Bal Sust F I Acc ‡ 1009.86 … -3.36 … Select Inc Inc ‡@ 56.18 … -0.11 2.11
Glob Bal Sust F I Inc ‡ 1009.86 … -3.36 … UK Eq Gth Acc ‡@ 357.10 … -7.10 1.39
Glob Br Eq Inc Fund F Inc ‡@ 1347.25 … -10.66 3.68 UK Eq Hi Alpha ‡@ 221.00 … -4.30 …
AXA FUND MANAGERS LTD
Glob Br Eq Inc Fund I Acc ‡@ 1758.59 … -14.01 3.66 UK Eq Hi Inc Acc ‡@ 248.80 … -2.30 3.65
Admin & Enq 0117 989 0808
HSBC Investment Funds (OEIC) - Retail Share Class Glob Br Eq Inc Fund I Inc ‡@ 1449.07 … -11.54 3.76 UK Eq Hi Inc Inc ‡@ 71.54 … -0.67 3.76
AXA Trusts
Glob Br Fund I Acc (PH) ‡@ 13066.70 … -111.00 0.79 UK Ethical Acc ‡@ 241.30 … -10.30 0.45
Gen Acc ‡@ 2101.00 … -53.00 … Balanced Acc ‡@ 244.73 … -2.74 0.54
Glob Br Fund I Acc (PH) ‡@ 1629.05 … -38.08 0.77 UK Opps Acc ‡@ 340.50 … -12.50 0.03
Gen Inc ‡@ 1079.00 … -32.00 … Balanced Inc ‡@ 151.95 … +3.09 …
Glob Br Fund I Inc (PH) ‡@ 3623.63 … -30.79 0.79 UK Opps Inc ‡@ 309.50 … -11.30 0.03
Corp Bd Acc ‡@ 317.82 … -2.97 2.35
Glob Br Fund I Inc (PH) ‡@ 1575.79 … -36.80 0.78 UK Smlr Cos Acc ‡@ 1139.00 … -34.00 …
Corp Bd Inc ‡@ 128.93 … -1.20 2.39
Glob Brands A Acc ‡@ 13066.70 … -111.00 0.79
Gilt & Fd Int Acc ‡@ 497.78 … +7.06 …
Glob Ins Fund F Acc ‡ 1033.03 … -70.75 …
Gilt & Fd Int Inc ‡@ 74.17 … +1.05 …
Glob Ins Fund F Inc ‡ 1033.03 … -70.75 …
Income Acc ‡@ 638.21 … -1.92 2.88
Glob Ins Fund I Acc ‡ 1031.97 … -70.74 …
UK/Global Investment Companies Income Inc ‡@ 279.14 … -0.84 2.99
Glob Ins Fund I Inc ‡ 1031.98 … -70.73 … SVS BROWN SHIPLEY FUNDS
Euro Acc A ‡@ 234.70 … +0.10 … Monthly Inc Acc ‡@ 305.52 … -1.39 2.98
Glob Sust Fund F Acc (PH) ‡ 1259.95 … -30.42 0.56 Enquiries: 0141 222 1151
Extra Inc Inc B ‡@ 86.74 … -1.81 1.16 Monthly Inc Inc ‡@ 132.20 … -0.60 3.03
Glob Sust Fund F Inc ‡@ 1262.13 … -11.58 0.58
UK Grth & Inc Ret B Acc ‡@ 132.93 … -0.45 2.75 Balanced A Acc ‡@ 155.19 … -1.74 0.57
Global Gwth Acc R ‡@ 285.10 … -5.60 0.40 Glob Sust Fund I Acc ‡@ 1268.86 … -11.67 0.50
UK Grth & Inc Ret B Inc ‡@62.45 … -0.21 2.82 Balanced A Inc ‡@ 140.15 … -1.57 0.57
Japan Acc A ‡@ 183.20 … -3.30 1.38 Glob Sust Fund I Acc (PH) ‡@ 1262.11 … -30.49 0.44
UK Gth & Inc Acc ‡@ 132.93 … -0.45 2.75 Cautious A Acc ‡@ 125.15 … -1.45 0.91
Pac Gwth Acc A ‡@ 530.70 … -3.30 1.82 Glob Sustain Fund F Acc ‡@ 1272.93 … -11.67 0.58
UK Gth & Inc Inc ‡@ 62.45 … -0.21 2.82 Cautious A Inc ‡@ 110.20 … -1.28 0.92
Stg Corp Bond F F Acc ‡@ 141.12 … -1.84 2.37
Dynamic A Acc ‡@ 373.60 … -4.18 0.28
Stg Corp Bond F F Inc ‡@ 116.13 … -1.52 2.40
Dynamic A Inc ‡@ 339.03 … -3.80 0.28
Stg Corp Bond F I Acc ‡@ 3007.40 … -39.34 2.21
Growth A Acc ‡@ 385.82 … -4.00 0.26
Stg Corp Bond F I Inc ‡@1644.98 … -21.52 2.27
HSBC Specialist Investment Funds (OEIC) Income A Acc ‡@ 276.56 … -2.90 0.91
Sust Fixed Inc Opps F F Acc ‡ 998.62 … -4.59 …
CIS UNIT MANAGERS LTD Sterling Bond Acc ‡@ 242.37 … +1.39 …
American Index Retail Acc ‡@ 864.63 … -17.35 0.98 Sust Fixed Inc Opps F F Inc ‡ 991.04 … -4.56 …
08457 46 46 46 Sterling Bond Inc ‡@ 97.00 … +0.54 …
American Index Retail Inc ‡@ 701.63 … -14.08 0.94 Sust Fixed Inc Opps F I Acc ‡ 997.02 … -4.62 …
European Gwth ‡@ 204.10 … -6.60 0.19 Asian Gth Acc ‡@ 147.77 … -0.67 … Sust Fixed Inc Opps F I Inc ‡ 990.49 … -4.59 …
Sus Leaders ‡@ 797.20 … -24.50 0.66 Asian Gth Inc ‡@ 130.99 … -0.59 … US Adv F F Acc ‡@ 2641.47 … -145.03 …
UK Growth ‡@ 657.60 … -20.40 0.94 Chinese Eq Acc ‡@ 513.81 … -13.85 0.40 US Adv F F Acc (PH) ‡@ 1683.09 … -126.30 …
UK Income ‡@ 210.60 … -5.40 3.85 Chinese Eq Inc ‡@ 434.76 … -11.72 0.34 US Adv F I Acc ‡@ 2822.14 … -155.12 …
Euro Gth Acc ‡@ 973.97 … -10.00 … US Adv F I Acc (PH) ‡@ 1767.95 … -132.79 … THREADNEEDLE INVESTMENTS
Euro Gth Inc ‡@ 817.05 … -8.39 … Client Serv: 0800 0683000
Intermediary Serv: 0800 0684000
SANTANDER UNIT TST MGRS Institutional Shares (Class 2) (163500,000 min)
08457 413002 UK Oseas Earns ‡@ 121.90 … -2.27 0.84
CLOSE FUND MANAGEMENT LTD IGNIS ASSET MGMT Bal Pfolio Inc ‡@ 110.50 … … 2.41
0870 606 6402 Dlg: 0141 222 8282 Bal Port Gwth Acc ‡@ 240.80 … -4.50 1.28
Beacon Inv ‡ 84.88 … +0.45 0.01 American Gth Inc @ 322.55 340.42 +1.71 … Equity Inc Inc ‡@ 226.80 … -4.60 4.50
Balanced Growth @ 262.17 276.69 -1.59 … Target Return A Acc ‡@ 102.03 … +0.39 0.82 JUPITER UT MGRS LTD N&P UK Gwth Inc ‡@ 182.80 … +6.00 …
Balanced Growth Acc @ 393.13 414.92 -2.40 … Target Return A Inc ‡@ 87.63 … -0.07 0.87 Stkmkt 100 Tkr @ 235.80 235.80 +1.30 1.41 Managed Funds
020 7581 3020
Corporate Bond ‡@ 99.69 … -1.17 … UK Alpha A Acc ‡@ 2665.48 … -47.90 0.94 UK Growth Acc ‡@ 499.10 … -10.00 2.41 Def Eqty & Bd Acc @ 128.00 128.00 +1.40 0.74
European Growth @ 403.88 426.26 -1.19 … Absolute Return ‡@ 39.33 … -0.48 0.50 UK Growth Inc ‡@ 280.20 … -5.60 2.46 Eqty & Bd Acc @ 179.90 179.90 +3.30 0.73
UK Blue Chip A Acc ‡@ 770.11 … +5.67 …
European Growth Acc @ 475.71 502.07 -1.47 … Distribution and Growth ‡@ 104.14 … -3.39 2.48 Mgd Income @ 77.80 77.80 +1.83 …
Dealing: 020 7426 6232 UK Smaller Companies A Acc ‡@ 7288.54 … -200.16 …
Glob Gwth @ 331.53 349.90 +2.16 … Emg Euro Opps ‡@ 262.20 … +5.11 2.31
UK Smaller Companies A Inc ‡@ 6537.38 … -179.53 … SCOTTISH MUTUAL INV MNGRS LTD
Winchester ‡ 3756.55 … -1.70 0.68 Higher Yield @ 83.98 88.64 +0.86 … Euro Special Sits ‡@ 516.86 … -25.89 …
Higher Yield Acc @ 275.04 290.28 +2.83 … UK Special Situations A Acc ‡@ 1351.21 … -8.29 0.55 0141 248 6100
European ‡@ 3102.09 … -149.02 …
Japan @ 49.06 51.78 -2.35 … UK Special Situations A Inc ‡@ 494.33 … -4.66 0.56 Financial Opps ‡@ 899.11 … -22.06 … European Inc 1777.00 1873.48 +12.14 …
Managed @ 130.89 138.15 +0.95 … Income Trust ‡@ 471.75 … -2.13 3.20 Far Eastern Inc 584.69 617.09 +3.79 … Retail Shares (Class 1)
Managed Trust @ 71.96 76.96 +1.59 … Merlin Bal (Acc) ‡@ 227.83 … -0.76 1.74 Intl Growth Inc 380.56 400.59 -0.13 …
Mngd Pfolio Inc @ 95.54 100.84 +0.63 … Stg Bd Ret Inc ‡@ 59.08 … -0.94 0.52
Merlin Gwth (Acc) ‡@ 534.33 … -1.75 … Japanese Inc 41.85 41.85 +0.57 0.56
EDENTREE INV MGMT LTD Pacific Grth @ 498.71 526.34 -0.26 … Strat Bd Ret ‡@ 48.03 … -0.20 2.22
Merlin Inc (Acc) ‡@ 351.04 … -1.89 2.06 Mutual European 2759.77 2909.15 -62.74 0.80
0800 358 3010 Smaller Comp @ 756.24 798.14 -8.40 0.15 UK Corp Bond ‡@ 65.45 … -0.55 1.71
Merlin Wwide (Inc) ‡@ 391.56 … -1.03 … Mutual Far Eastern 1055.89 1114.40 +2.07 0.67
Smaller Cos @ 628.94 663.79 -6.93 0.21 UK Corp Ret ‡@ 65.35 … -0.56 1.38
Amity European A ‡ 306.50 … -6.20 0.83 UK Growth ‡@ 249.45 … -5.20 0.23 Mutual North Am 1983.00 2092.88 +19.24 0.24
For ISIS Asset Mgmt see F&C Fd Mgmt Ltd (OEICS) UK Eqty Inc Ret ‡@ 97.69 … -1.91 2.99
Amity International A ‡ 362.60 … -9.40 0.03 UK Special Sits (Inc) ‡@ 186.87 … -2.91 1.09 Mutual UK Eq 1314.28 1387.10 -4.50 2.23
UK Gwth & Inc Ret ‡@ 93.81 … -1.96 2.39
Amity Sterling Bond A ‡ 103.80 … -1.50 3.40 JANUS HENDERSON INVESTORS Nth American Inc 1227.65 1295.67 +29.21 …
UK Hi Yld Bd 1 ‡@ 42.51 … -0.21 3.57
Amity UK A Inc ‡ 264.80 … -7.80 0.38 UK Equity Inc 568.43 599.93 -1.95 2.27
Investors Serv: 0800 832 832 Dlng: 0845 946 4646 UK Inst Acc ‡@ 174.65 … -1.88 1.30
Higher Income A ‡ 130.60 … -1.50 3.53 INSIGHT INVESTMENT FDS MANAGEMENT LTD
UK Mnthly Extra Inc ‡@ 83.35 … -1.45 2.80
UK Equity Growth A ‡ 356.40 … -8.90 0.52 Client Servs: 0207 163 4000
All Stks Credit A Inc ‡@ 140.30 … -1.80 1.51 UK Mnthly Inc Ret ‡@ 69.11 … -1.41 3.54
Insight Investment Multi-Manager Funds SCOTTISH WIDOWS UNIT TRUST MGRS
UK Retail ‡@ 134.03 … -2.52 1.33
Asian Div Inc U Trst Inc ‡@87.54 … +0.40 8.24 0845 300 2244
Well Bldr Bal Acc ‡@ 96.05 … +0.24 … UK Sel Retail ‡@ 122.30 … -2.49 1.74
Well Bldr Gwth Acc ‡@ 93.79 … -0.32 … Cautious Man Fd A Acc ‡@ 293.00 … -3.40 3.14 LEGAL & GENERAL (UT MGRS) LTD Authorised Inv Funds (OEICs)
UK Smaller Cos ‡@ 501.23 … -14.59 …
Cautious Man Fd A Inc ‡@ 150.80 … -1.70 3.20 OEIC A Class
Enquiries: 0870 050 0955 Dealing: 0870 050 0956 Managed Investment Funds
China Opp Fund A Acc ‡@ 1534.00 … +39.00 0.13
F & C FUND MANAGEMENT LTD (OEICS) Bal Port A Acc ‡@ 237.60 … -0.10 0.01
Emg Mkts Opps Fd A Acc ‡@ 236.60 … -5.70 0.03 Equity Acc @ 2616.00 2639.00 +17.00 2.12
Enqs: 0870 601 6183 Dealing: 0870 601 6083 Caut Port A Acc ‡@ 207.10 … +0.30 …
INVESCO FUND MGRS LTD Erpn Grth Fund A Acc ‡@ 287.90 … -7.10 0.40 Equity Dist @ 893.80 902.00 +5.60 2.15
Share Class 1 - Retail Caut Port A Inc ‡@ 152.00 … +0.30 …
Dling: 0800 085 8571 Inv Serv: 0800 085 8677 Euro Ind Acc ‡@ 504.00 … -14.90 1.31 For Resolution see Ignis
Corporate Bd ‡@ 59.76 … -0.40 1.63 Erpn Sel Opps Fd A Acc ‡@ 2178.00 … -55.00 0.28
Brkr Serv: 0800 028 2121 Euro Ind Inc ‡@ 338.20 … -10.10 1.33 Opps Port A Acc ‡@ 280.20 … -0.70 … TU FUND MANAGERS LIMITED
Emerging Mkts ‡@ 135.00 … -0.40 … INVESCO Funds Fix Int Mnthly Inc Fd Acc ‡@ 34.80 … -0.20 4.09 Prog Port A Acc ‡@ 266.60 … -0.50 …
Fixed Int Acc ‡@ 158.40 … -1.60 1.59 British 948.90 948.90 -38.40 0.40
Euro Gwth & Inc 1 ‡@ 1263.00 … -59.00 … Global Equity Fund Acc ‡@ 4658.00 … -157.00 …
UK Str Inc N/Trl ‡@ 323.57 … -2.78 7.05 Fixed Int Dist ‡@ 76.19 … -0.76 1.61 European 210.70 219.40 +3.90 …
Extra Inc Bond ‡@ 49.96 … -0.20 1.65 Global Equity Income A Inc ‡@ 62.41 … -0.92 3.07 Glob Gwth Acc @ 243.90 243.90 +0.60 1.15
FTSE All-Shr Track ‡@ 413.80 … -4.50 2.08 Global Tech A Acc ‡@ 3299.00 … -106.00 … Overseas Growth Investment Funds
Glob Health Acc ‡@ 101.50 … -0.90 0.70
Global Gwth SC1 ‡@ 342.90 … -12.80 … Eur Sel Gth A Acc ‡@ 3546.00 … -70.00 0.33 This list contains unit trusts and Oeics widely held
Instl UK Idx Opps A Acc ‡@ 106.68 … -1.86 2.44 Glob Tech Acc ‡@ 96.90 … -2.14 0.08
High Inc Trst @ 12.52 13.19 -0.16 5.02 by private investors. The weekly price change is
Max Inc Bond ‡@ 49.95 … -0.29 2.27 INVESCO PERPETUAL Funds M-Asset Abs Ret A Acc ‡@ 154.90 … -0.80 1.69 Gwth Tst Acc @ 106.00 106.50 -2.10 … based on a Friday-to-Thursday trading period.*
Multi Man Caut ‡@ 70.41 … +0.79 3.18 Childrens Acc ‡@ 477.86 … -4.55 1.28 M-Man Active Fd A Acc ‡@ 267.10 … -5.00 … High Inc Acc ‡@ 143.50 … -0.80 4.66 Yield expressed as CAR (Compound Annual
Japan Ind Acc ‡@ 73.71 … -2.76 1.28 Tracker and Specialist Investment Funds Return); † Ex dividend; ‡ Middle price; . . . No sig-
Multi Man Distr ‡@ 60.44 … +0.45 3.37 Corp Bond Acc ‡@ 226.29 … -1.43 2.15 M-Man Inc Grth A Inc ‡@ 160.90 … -1.30 1.74 nificant data. # Periodic charge deducted from cap-
North Amer ‡@ 773.80 … -18.60 … High Income Inc ‡@ 323.10 … -0.88 2.86 Pacific Ind Acc ‡@ 202.40 … -3.30 2.11 UK Trkr A Acc ‡@ 341.90 … +0.60 2.01
M-Man Inc Grth Fd A Acc ‡@ 199.40 … -1.70 1.72 ital; @ Exit charge
Pacific Gwth ‡@ 525.70 … +1.40 … Income & Grth Inc ‡@ 419.60 … -5.20 2.67 UK 100 Ind Acc @ 180.90 180.90 +7.60 3.19 UK Trkr A Inc ‡@ 177.30 … -2.70 2.05
Sterling Bond U Trst Acc ‡@ 247.00 … -2.40 1.14
Strategic Bd ‡@ 210.80 … -0.90 0.65 Income Inc ‡@ 1303.48 … -1.47 2.29 UK Active Opps Acc @ 249.90 252.90 +1.80 …
Sterling Bond U Trst Inc ‡@ 68.92 … -0.66 1.14 Data as shown is
UK Equity ‡@ 3308.00 … -53.00 0.32 Money Acc ‡@ 90.96 … -0.02 … UK Index Acc ‡@ 319.80 … -3.50 2.20
Strategic Bond A Inc ‡@ 130.50 … -1.40 3.32 UK and Income Investment Funds for information
UK Gwth & Inc Acc 1 ‡@ 658.50 … +2.90 … Monthly Inc Plus Inc ‡@ 107.88 … -0.54 5.26 UK Index Dist ‡@ 162.00 … -1.80 2.25
UK Gwth & Inc Dist ‡@ 234.70 … +1.00 … UK Aggressive Inc ‡@ 154.28 … +0.90 … UK Abs Ret Fd A Acc ‡@ 166.90 … -1.50 … US Ind Acc ‡@ 791.00 … +1.40 0.69 Corp Bond A Acc ‡@ 348.90 … -3.30 0.97
purposes only. No offer is made by
UK Smaller Cos ‡@ 1236.00 … -34.00 … UK Growth Acc ‡@ 748.73 … +5.31 1.30 UK Alpha Fund A Acc ‡@ 172.40 … -5.80 0.27 Worldwide Acc ‡@ 369.10 … -7.90 0.38 Corp Bond A Inc ‡@ 132.90 … -1.40 0.98 Morningstar or this publication
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 69

Money

Best buys Data supplied by

Savings Mortgages Personal loans

Easy access (without introductory bonus) First time buyer mortgages Fixed monthly repayment on £10,000 for 5 years
Provider Contact Account Min AER Redmptn (without insurance)
Provider Contact Initial Period Max Fee Charge Rep Amount per Total
Coventry BS via website Four Access Saver £1 0.65%
Rate LTV Until Provider Contact APR month repaid
Family Building Society via website Premium Saver (4) £10,000 0.65% Nationwide BS 0800 302010 2.99%F for 2 years 95% - 1st 2 yrs cahoot via website 2.8% £178.64 £10,718.40
Buckinghamshire BS via branch Single Access Saver £100 0.60% West Brom BS 0800 298 0008 2.99%F to 31.12.23 95% - To 31.12.23 M&S Bank 0800 363400 2.8% £178.64 £10,718.40
Aldermore via website Double Access 1 £1,000 0.60% Nationwide BS 0800 302010 2.99%F for 3 years 95% - 1st 3 yrs MBNA Limited via website 2.8% £178.64 £10,718.40
Charter Savings Bank via website Easy Access - 23 £5,000 0.60% West Brom BS 0800 298 0008 2.99%F to 31.12.26 95% £999 To 31.12.26 TSB 0345 835 3861 2.8% £178.64 £10,718.40
Yorkshire BS 0345 120 0100 3.00%F to 31.10.26 95% £995 To 31.10.26
Long-term fixed rates Borrowing rates and availability of products are subject to individual credit ratings.

Provider Contact Account Min AER Remortgages

Recognise Bank via website Fixed Rate (5 yr) £1,000 2.00% F
Redmptn Credit cards
Provider Contact Initial Period Max Fee Charge
Atom Bank via website Fixed Saver (5 yr) £50 1.86% F Rate LTV Until Introductory rate for balance transfers
Gatehouse Bank A via website Green Saver (5 yr) £1,000 1.86% F Santander 0800 100802 1.09% F to 2.1.24 70% - To 2.1.24 Bal trans Purch
Secure Trust Bank via website Fixed Bond (03.11.26) £1,000 1.85% F Furness BS 0800 220568 1.44% F for 2 years 80% £999 1st 2 yrs Provider Contact Product name Transfer Fee APR
JN Bank via website Fixed Savings (5 yr) £1,000 1.84% F Nationwide BS 0800 302010 0.99% F for 3 years 75% £999 1st 3 yrs Santander 0800 912 3123 Everyday Long Term MC 0% 1st 31 mths 2.75% 20.9%
Barclays Mortgage 0333 202 7580 2.02% F to 30.11.26 85% £999 To 30.11.26 Sainsbury's Bank 0808 540 5060 Balance Transfer CC MC 0% 1st 29 mths 2.00% 21.9%
Easy access cash Isas
first direct 0800 482448 2.19% V for term 75% £490 None MBNA Ltd 0345 606 2062 Long 0% BT CC MC 0% 1st 29 mths 2.69% 21.9%
Provider Contact Account Min AER
Halifax 0345 944 4555 Longest 0% BT CC MC 0% 1st 29 mths 2.70% 21.9%
Marcus by Goldman Sachs® via website Cash Isa £1 0.60% B Short-term fixed-rate mortgages
Virgin Money 0800 389 2875 Balance Transfer CC MC 0% 1st 29 mths 2.70% 21.9%
Cynergy Bank via website Online Isa (16) £1 0.60% Redmptn
Provider Contact Initial Period Max Fee Charge
Coventry BS via website Ltd Isa (Online) (2) £1 0.55% Introductory rate for purchases
Rate LTV Until
Leeds BS via website Ltd Issue Isa (37) £1,000 0.55% Barclays Mortgage 0333 202 7580 1.07% to 30.11.23 60% - To 30.11.23 Introductory Purch
Tesco Bank via website Instant Access Isa £1 0.51% B Barclays Mortgage 0333 202 7580 1.19% to 30.11.23 75% - To 30.11.23 Provider Contact Product name Term APR

Fixed-cash Isas Santander 0800 100802 1.84% to 2.1.24 90% £749 To 2.1.24 Tesco Bank 0345 300 4278 Clubcard Purchases MC 0% 1st 22 mths 20.9%
Nationwide BS 0800 302010 0.99% for 3 years 75% £999 1st 3 yrs M&S Bank 0800 997 996 Shopping Plus Offer MC 0% 1st 22 mths 21.9%
Provider Contact Account Min AER
Nationwide BS 0800 302010 1.94% for 3 years 90% £999 1st 3 yrs Sainsbury's Bank 0808 540 5060 Dual Offer CC MC 0% 1st 21 mths 20.9%
UBL UK via website Fixed Isa (5 yr) £2,000 1.51% F
Barclaycard 0800 151 0900 All-Rounder Visa 0% 1st 21 mths 21.9%
United Trust Bank via post Isa Bond (7 yr) £15,0001.40% F Long-term fixed-rate mortgages
MBNA Limited 0345 606 2062 0% Tfr & Pur CC MC 0% 1st 21 mths 21.9%
UBL UK via website Fixed Isa (4 yr) £2,000 1.36% F Redmptn
United Trust Bank via post Isa Bond (5 yr) £15,0001.35% F Provider Contact Initial Period Max Fee Charge
Rate LTV Until Cashback credit card
Coventry BS via website Isa (140) (30.11.26) £11.30% F
Santander 0800 100802 0.99% to 2.1.27 60% £999 To 2.1.27
Purchase
Lifetime cash Isas HSBC 0800 169 6333 1.99% to 30.11.26 85% £999 To 30.11.26 Provider Contact Product name APR Cashback
Provider Contact Account Min AER Santander 0800 100802 2.50% to 2.1.27 90% £999 To 2.1.27 American Express 0800 917 8047 Platinum Cashback 29.8% 0.75% - 1.25% standard
Moneybox via website Cash Lifetime Isa £1 0.60% B Virgin Money 0330 057 1701 1.95% to 1.2.32 65% £995 To 1.2.32 Intro 5%/3mth (max £125)
Skipton BS 0800 446776 2.35% to 30.11.31 75% - To 30.11.31 American Express 0800 917 8047 Plat Cashback Everyday 24.5% 0.50% - 1.00% standard
Paragon Bank via website Cash Lifetime Isa (3) £1 0.50%
Intro 5%/3mth (max £100)
Newcastle BS via website Cash Lifetime Isa (3) £1 0.35% Variable-rate mortgages Santander 0800 912 3123 All in One CC M'card 23.7% Standard 0.50% on spend
Skipton BS via website Online Lifetime Isa 4 £1 0.10% Redmptn over £1 per month
Provider Contact Initial Period Max Fee Charge Lloyds Bank 0345 602 1997 Cashback CC MC 19.9% Standard 0.25% - 0.50%
Rate LTV Until on spend over £1 a year
Regular savings accounts first direct 0800 482448 2.19% term 75% £490 None Barclaycard 0800 151 0900 Rewards Visa 22.9% Standard 0.25% on spend
Provider Contact Account Min AER first direct 0800 482448 2.34% term 75% - None over £1 per year
Mntly
Bank of China (UK) 0800 389 5566 2.59% term 80% £1,295 1st yr Borrowing rates and products are subject to credit ratings. Terms apply to all cashback
NatWest via website Digital Regular Saver £0 3.04% V
first direct 0800 482448 2.64% term 80% £490 None
Royal Bank of Scotland via website Digital Regular Saver £0 3.04% V
first direct 0800 482448 3.29% term 90% £490 None Current accounts
Newcastle BS via branch Regular Saver £1 2.00% F
West Brom BS via branch Regular Saver (4) £10 2.00% F Buy-to-let Mortgages Credit interest
Saffron BS via website Small Saver 2 £1 1.75% F Redmptn Account
Provider Contact Initial Period Max Fee Charge Provider Contact Account name Fee AER
Pension annuities Rate LTV Until Halifax 0345 720 3040 Reward Current Account None £5 pm C
Principality BS 0330 333 4002 1.95% D to 31.1.24 60% - To 31.1.24 TSB 0345 975 8758 Spend & Save None £5 pm B
Single life Hinckley & Rugby BS 01455 251234 3.14% D for term 75% £1,500 None Virgin Money 0800 678 3654 M Plus Account None 2.02%
Provider Contact Age 60 Age 65 Age 70 Leeds BS 0345 045 4049 1.58% F to 31.12.23 60% - To 31.12.23 Nationwide BS 0800 30 20 10 FlexDirect None 2% B
Canada Life 0345 300 3199 £2,003.64 £2,333.16 £2,717.52 Virgin Money 0330 057 1701 1.35% F to 1.2.25 75% £1,995 To 1.2.25 The Co-op Bank 0345 721 2212 Current Everyday Rewards None £1 pm C
Legal & General 0345 765 4465 £1,992.60 £2,315.40 £2,727.96 Barclays Mortgage 0800 197 1081 1.77% F to 30.11.26 75% £1,295 To 30.11.26
Aviva 0800 015 5064 £1,821.02 £2,254.37 £2,660.33 The selections above are based on a combination of initial rate, fee and incentive available. Arranged overdrafts
Just 0345 302 2287 £1,861.20 £2,153.28 £2,581.32 Account 0% OD
National Savings & investments Provider Contact Account name Fee EAR Limit
Starling Bank via website Current Account None 15% £0
Notice or Min AER Interest
Joint life Term Paid first direct 0345 600 2424 1st Account None 39.9% £250
Provider Contact Male: Age 60 Age 65 Age 70 Accounts and bonds Virgin Money 0800 678 3654 M Plus Account None 19.9% £0
Female: Age 55 Age 60 Age 65
Direct Saver None £1 0.15% Yearly Lloyds Bank 0800 015 4000 Club Lloyds £3pm 27.5% £50
Canada Life 0345 300 3199 £1,674.12 £1,873.08 £2,136.24
Investment Account None £20 0.01% Yearly TSB 0345 975 8758 Spend & Save Plus £3pm 39.9% £100
Legal & General 0345 765 4465 £1,621.32 £1,859.64 £2,111.40 Current account interest rates paid up to a specified level, terms may apply to qualify for
Income Bonds None £500 0.01% Monthly rates shown. A = Introductory rate for a limited period. B = Paid net of income tax. F = Fixed
Aviva 0800 015 5064 £1,471.59 £1,751.90 £1,996.47
rate. D = Discounted variable rate. V = Variable rate. All savings rates are shown as AER
Just 0345 302 2287 £1,550.64 £1,746.12 £1,962.72 Tax-free products variable unless otherwise stated. Methods of opening and operating accounts will vary.
All rates and terms are subject to change without notice and should be checked before
Junior Isa Age 18 £1 1.50% Yearly finaliasing any arrangement. No liability can be accepted for any direct or consequential loss
Based on a pension pot of £50,000. Direct Isa None £1 0.10% Yearly arising from the use of, or reliance upon, this information. Readers who are not financial
professionals should seek expert advice. Visit moneyfacts.co.uk for full details
70 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Money
Dividend yields Please note dividend yields are 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price
supplied by Morningstar. The yield is the sum of a High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E

company’s trailing 12-month dividend payments 50 26K Lloyds Bkg Gp 45V – 1N … 18.1 342 264 Billington Hldgsv 270 – 2 … 10.3 7N 5 Secure Propertyv 7N – V … … 2710 940 Dewhurstv 1850 – 50 0.7 32.2
divided by the last month’s ending share price 37O 27X LMS Capital 34 … 2.6 14.7 290 234 Boot (Henry)‡ 280 – 3 1.2 31.4 1306K 871V Segro 1207 + 12 1.8 5.6 380 238 Dialight 358 + 2K … …
12 month high and low Please note the 12 month high 9910 6914 Lond Stk Ex Gp 7448 – 2 1.0 68.7 112O 68K Breedon Groupv 98 – K … 23.3 63K 23X SIG 48W + N … -2.0 2215V 1586Y Electrolux 'B' 1693N – 10Y 5.5 8.0

and low figures for shares supplied by Morningstar are 248K 144O M&G 200O – 2O 9.0 83.6 544O 340W Br Land 494V – 1 1.7 -4.4 113 43O SigmaRocv 103 – 2K … 33.1 1W K Feedbackv O … … -4.7

based on intra-day figures, not closing prices. 219 107K Man 202K – 1X 3.7 12.4 152K 110K Caledonian Tstv 145 + 7K … …
135V 73 Sirius Real Estate 130 – O 2.3 10.9 1550 972 Gooch Hsegov 1240 – 20 … …
131K 111K Smart (J) 128K … 2.5 13.1 3935 2790 Goodwin‡ 3590 + 40 2.2 40.3
9N 7 Manx Finv 8K … … 6.8 186N 99 Cap & Count Prop 166O + X … -3.8
61 25K Steppe Cementv 44K … 8.6 11.9 3137 2194 Halma 2820 – 22 0.6 52.6
12 month Price 12 month Price 6V Y Marechale Capv 1O … … 5.2 92 34Y Cap & Regnl 60 – 1O 18.3 -0.3
High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E 191X 105O Taylor Wimpey 154K – 1N 2.6 11.2
11902 7635N Marsh McLn 11398Y + 214V 1.1 32.4 1925 1720 Cardiff Prop 1875 … 0.9 12.5 1902 1170 Hill & Smith 1702 – 114 1.5 67.2
145N 81K Town Centre 136 + 5 3.6 -2.6
825 625 Mattioli Woodsv‡ 815 … 2.4 22.1 47K 28 Carecapitalv 36 … … -4.1 98K 37K Holders Techv‡ 95 … 0.5 …
338 263K Direct Line Ins 286O – 2O 7.7 10.8
Automobiles & parts 58N 52K Downing ONE VCT 57 … 5.7 14.2 32K 19 Metal Tigerv 21 + N … -0.3 183 80Y Clarke T‡ 159K – 4O 2.7 17.8
1900N 989W Travis Perkins‡ 1512K – 22K … 21.7
4N 1Y Image Scanv 2O … … …
239K 154X Tritax Big Box REIT 214W + 1O 3.0 5.0
O W Drumzv K … … -1.5 1827 1034 IMI 1646 – 14 2.9 24.7
149Y 58 Metro Bank 110 + 4V … -0.9 262 191 CLS Hldgs 226 + 3 3.3 14.2
2273 965K Aston Martin Lag 1829K – 86 … -6.6 507 225 Tyman 421 + 1 0.9 16.1
123K 90V EFG-Hermes Hldg 118V + 5V … 7.4 V … Inspirit Energyv … … … -3.8
1546 936Y Nat Aust Bk 1461O – 30 2.2 17.3 571K 330K Countryside Prop 497W – 8 … …
435 206 EPE Special Oppsv 377 – 3 … 3.2 98W 51K U + I 86O – 2W … -1.2
8000 4970 Judges Scientificv 7700 + 90 0.6 59.8
Banking & finance 790O
90
501Y FBD
65 Fiskev
670X
75 –
…
2K
…
…
8.7
…
224K 107K NWG 222Y – 2 1.3 14.7 77O 30W Craven Housev 40Y – 2V … -0.2 1237 809K Unite Group‡ 1102 + 14 1.1 51.9
96K 66K LPAv 73K – 2 … 17.2
398 286K Numisv 351 – 8 3.4 7.4 3921 2636 CRH‡ 3438 – 52 1.9 33.1 1346K 540 Vistry Group 1200K – 21K … 34.6
75 41 Frenkel Toppingv‡ 73K – K 2.7 72.0 839V 262K Meggitt 743O + 5W … 99.1
331 218 abrdn 252Y – 2X 5.7 3.8 509K 276V Onesavings Bank 502 + 1K 2.8 8.0 3802 2594 Derwent London‡ 3496 + 38 2.1 75.8
720 370 Georgia Capital 611 + 11 … 0.9 167K 105 Warehouse REITv‡ 147W + V 4.2 4.1
3688 2642 Admiral‡ 3131 + 23 3.7 14.0 207K 129K Melrose‡ 172O – 1N … …
83 11 ADVFNv 70K – 1 … 42.2 955 730 Gresham Housev 907 … 0.5 … N … Origo Partnersv V … … -0.4 4K 2Y Dolphin Capitalv 4 … … -2.2 971 552 Workspace Grp 841K + 16K 2.9 -6.4
475 389O AJ Bell 395V – 3O 1.2 47.4 1725 980 Gresh Hse Stratv 1700 … 1.4 3.5 412K 232K Morgan Advanced 356 – 4K 1.5 23.5
721 497 PayPoint 710 … 4.3 32.4 40 28K First Propv 30K – 1 5.4 11.3 735 565 Wynnstay Propsv 725 – 10 2.1 5.3
223 148 Amryt Pharmav 178K + 2K … -5.0
325 198 H&T Groupv‡ 293 + 2K 2.9 9.3 647 327K Mpacv 544 – 16 … 33.5
22187Y 13346X Aon Corpn 21377K + 270N 0.6 32.4 30K 18K PCF Groupv# 24 … 1.6 10.4 47K 32K Fletcher Kingv 45 … 3.3 -9.0
46 25V Appreciate Groupv‡ 28X – N 1.4 62.2 65 30X Hansard Global‡ 54O – N 8.1 16.5
240 107K MS Intlv 219 … 1.6 31.2
1175 607K Arbuthnot Bkgv 890 – 37K … 51.1 1788 1348K Hargreaves L‡ 1421K – 10 2.6 22.7 786V 623W Phoenix Gp 636K – 9 7.4 … 74V 32V Foxtons Group 49Y … … … Consumer goods 172 66K Northbrdg Indv 172 + 1K … -6.1
22 10K Arden Partnersv 22 … … 5.5 213Y 111W Helios Underv 155 … … …
360O 184 Provident 337O + 3W … -7.8 182K 70 Galliford Try 177K – 4K … -4.7
23K 18K Argo Groupv 19 … … 8.7 1108K 770 Hiscox 835 – 4K … … 2680 1524 Oxford Inst‡ 2250 – 30 0.1 31.2
479K 340 Ashmore Gp 340 – K 4.9 12.1 6V 4N Agriterrav 5N + O … -0.5
1585K 934W Prudential 1450K – 4K 0.8 20.1 801 430 Genuit Group 685 – 11 0.7 44.1
455K 296K HSBC 388X – 1W 2.7 11.9 4369 3216O Philips El nv 3232 – 51O 2.2 33.9
1582 915 Aus New Z 1470Y – 38 2.2 16.1 36 27 Aireav 29 … … 12.8
426V 256K Aviva‡ 393O – 2 6.8 13.1 952K 750 IG Group‡ 809 + 4K 5.3 8.1 3O V Quantum Blockchain techv1W – V … -8.9 900 518 Gleeson (MJ) 790 … … 45.8
724 467K Anglo-Eastern 615 – 11 … 10.4 16K 5X PipeHawkv 16K + 2N … …
300K 134K Banco Santander 272N + 1V … -6.8 1314 495 Impaxv 1128 – 24 0.7 67.9
168Y 120O Quilter PLC 142N – V 3.2 39.5 1412 667K Grafton Gp Uts‡ 1255 – 20 … 27.8
1670 860 Bank of Georgia 1568 + 14 … 5.3 2340 1171 Intermed Cap 2047 + 2 2.5 13.0 420 152K Animalcarev 420 … 0.4 … 113K 58 Pressure Techv 75K + K … -0.8
189V 97X Barclays 187Y – 1X 0.5 9.5 155W 45K IPF‡ 136K – 1K … 16.0 191 155 Randall & Quilterv‡ 176 – 1 2.1 15.8 335 259K Grainger 306O + 1O 1.7 21.6
2494 1639K AB Foods 1844K – 15K … 36.4 6900 4642 Renishaw‡ 4642 – 106 … 74.5
421K 293W Beazley 379X + K … 30.8
176K 161 Intl Public Pntshp‡ 163O + 1O 4.4 43.5 2065 1414 Rathbone Brs‡ 2000 – 15 3.6 25.0 803K 571K Gr Portland 751K + 5 1.6 -9.4
N V Blue Star Capitalv V … … 2.6 140V 57O Bakkavor Group‡ 129K – 4W … 22.3 28K 10 Renoldv 25W + W … 15.8
335 225 BP Marsh&Ptnrsv 316 – 5 0.7 8.2 320 143N Investec 320 + 1 1.7 12.8
2N O RiverFort Global Oppsv 1W … 1.4 6.2 44N 16 Hammerson 33V + Y 1.2 -1.8
128K 16K Braveheart Invv 33O + O … 0.9 316 270 Investment Co 301 … 2.2 -6.6 582 451 Barr (AG) 529 + 12 … 30.8 147W 38Y Rolls-Royce 142Y + 2X … 3.1
406 233 Brewin Dolphin 373 – 10 4.4 23.4 155V 77N IP Group 137K – 2W 0.7 5.1 2950 1640 S & U 2840 – 30 3.8 23.5 183 86O Harworth Gp‡ 174 – 1 0.1 21.7
13 1X Bidstack Groupv 1O … … -1.0 4 1 Ross Gp 3N … … -4.9
569 452 Bridgepoint 501 – 3 … …
365 170 Jarvis Securitiesv 287K – 2K 4.5 19.8 3O 2V Sancus Lending Grpv 2O … … -0.6 385 245 Heath (Samuel)v 375 … … 24.1
94 45 Cenkos Secsv 83 + K 2.4 25.1 200 115 Brand Architektsv 165 – 5 … -6.9 376K 279K Rotork 341W – 7W 2.9 31.0
306K 225O Jupiter Fund Mgmt 245O – 4V 6.9 10.7
515 224 Charles Stanley 512K … 1.7 25.6 53 30V Schroder REIT 48K – X 3.2 53.9 497 304 Helical Bar 440 – 2 1.9 30.3 2924 2448 Brit Amer Tob‡ 2539K – 64K 8.3 9.4 215 62V SDI Groupv 176K – 8 … 38.5
314 258K Chesnara‡ 281K – 3 7.6 20.0 111W 41X Just Group 91 + K … -6.3
90K 70W City of Lon Gpv 75 … … -3.3 763 567 Lancashire Hdgs 567 + 4 2.0 23.0 3871 2603 Schroders 3546 – 49 3.2 17.9 885 610 Highcroft Invs‡ 875 – 5 5.4 … 1006 728 Britvic 889K – 4 2.4 26.7 181 44W Senior 166 – 6V … …
560 390 City Lon Inv Gp 543 – 7 5.5 19.7 296W 182N Legal & Gen 279N – 1O 6.2 8.3 2735 1770 Schroders N/V 2475 + 35 4.6 12.5 390 272V HK Land 355N + X 4.4 -6.8 2264 1356 Burberry Grp 1860 + 45 … 20.0 82K 53W Severfield 75 – K 3.8 13.3
1685 1019 Close Bros 1550 + 3 2.5 21.3
46623X 466X Liberty Group 466X + W … 24.8
538 268K CMC Markets 270K – 13K 7.9 4.4 1692 885K St James Place 1491 – 16 3.3 39.4 242W 147O Ibstock 203 – 4 0.7 25.3 298 135X C&C Grp 236 + K … -8.6 16K 8N Six Hundredv 14N … 1.7 …
589V 342O Commerzbk 480O – 12V … -2.1 2485 1185 Liontrust 2105 – 20 1.6 45.5
47O 34 Livermore Invsv 43Y – V 5.7 … 521K 345 Stand Chart‡ 432N – 3X 1.5 21.6 578 438 James Halsteadv 520 – 6 2.7 30.9 20O 9 Capital Metalsv 10X – K … … 2179K 1544K SKF B 1727 – 21Y 3.1 14.1
1077K 610N Deutsche Bk 925 – 20W … 17.2
167K 94O Carr's Grp‡ 155 … 3.0 17.2 270 190 Slingsby (HC)v 190 … … 3.1
705 310 Character Grpv 465 – 37K 1.0 12.5
Investment companies 2025 1020 Churchill Chinav 1850 … 0.5 38.6
1661 1329 Smiths 1433K – 7K 2.4 76.2

1185 560 Solid Statev 1185 + 15 1.0 25.9

12 month Price Yld Dis(-) 12 month Price Yld Dis(-) 2784 1755 Coca Cola HBC 2404 + 5 … 19.4
560 231 Somero Enterv‡ 510 – 20 2.4 21.1
High Low Company (p) +/- % or Pm High Low Company (p) +/- % or Pm
675 400 Colefaxv 640 … … 24.9
4083 2415 Spectris 3861 – 10 2.8 19.5
4148 3200 Cranswick 3528 – 44 1.7 20.0
1350K 946K 3I Group 1281 – K 3.6 22.9 425 287W Invesco Asia Tr 329 – 18 3.9 -10.7 16600 10710 Spirax-Sarco 14765 – 205 0.7 62.8
325K 283 3i Infrastructure 309 + 5 3.7 15.5 203 168K Invesco BondInc 194 + 1K 5.2 -2.4 227K 146W Devro 213 – K 7.1 13.0
79 41X Surface Trsfmsv 66 … … …
103K 87O Abrdn Div I&G 100 … 4.5 -16.2 170 138V IPST Bal 167K … … -2.1
3635K 2499 Diageo‡ 3531 – 75 1.9 31.1
1622O 822 Aberforth Smlr 1500 – 6 1.9 -12.7 237Y 175 IPST Gbl Eq 235 – 1 2.9 -2.3 3W 1Y Tanfieldv 2N … … -5.2
1048 797 Alliance 1000 – 14 1.3 -5.5 104Y 101 IPST Managed 103K … 0.9 -3.3 3 1V Distilv 2 … … 30.0
520 286 Thorpe FWv 450 + 2 1.2 39.4
604 408 Asia Dragon Tr 490 – 10 0.8 -11.6 190 136 IPST UK Eq 185 – 2 3.4 -4.3 810 550 Evans (M.P.)v 810 + 11 2.0 29.6
260 155 Athelney Trust 245 … 3.3 -16.3 664 371W IP UKSmallerCos 600 – 20 0.5 -11.9 7N 3V TP Groupv 5V – V … -8.0
1026O 726 AVI Global Trust 1004 – 16 1.4 -6.7 700X 499 JPM American 679 – 8 0.9 -2.6 96 51V Finsbury Foodv 95 – 1 … …
116 49K Transense Techv 94 – 6K … …
658 363K Baillie Gifford Ch Gr 370K – 4K 1.7 -5.7 550 406 JPM Asia 417 – 5K 4.1 -8.2 12220 9135 Games Workshop‡ 9925 – 345 2.3 26.7
171 115K Baillie Gifford Eu Gr 149 – 3W 0.2 -1.3 875Y 487O JPM Chinese 510 – 8 4.0 -8.9 3370 1856 Ultra Electrncs 3230 – 6 2.9 23.6
952 515 JPM Claverhs 728 – 20 4.0 -0.9 1310O 669K Glanbia‡ 1216N + 1X 1.8 24.5
1136 879 Baillie Gifford Jpn Tr 1006 – 16 0.4 -2.3
590 390 Vesuvius 482O – 5V 3.6 21.2
274K 215O Baillie Gifford SN 240 – 7K … 1.3 105 100 JPM Elect Mg C 102K … 0.3 -0.7 170O 89V Greencore 137O – 3W … …
257 177O Baillie Gifford UK Gr 229 – 4 1.0 -2.3 1098 790 JPM Elect Mg G 1050 – 15 1.4 -1.6 1615 680 Vitec‡ 1505 + 5 0.3 45.3
536 251 Headlam 482 – 10 … …
119O 97K Bankers 110V – V 1.8 -5.7 111 76K JPM Elect Mg I 106K … 4.3 -2.0
152Y 108V JPM Em Mkts 129V … 1.0 -8.6 493K 182 Volexv 414 – 21K 0.7 23.9
3730 3139V BH Macro 3500 – 50 … 4.4 1240 996 Hilton Food 1162 – 8 1.9 24.2
1750 1130N Biotech Growth 1174 – 32 … -6.6 375 254 JPM Eur IT Gth 355 – 5 1.3 -10.2 2107 1272 Weir 1635K – 56 … 27.9
71K 34 Hornbyv 43K + 2 … 54.3
110 59 BlckRck Com Inc 91X … 4.1 -7.0 161 107W JPM Eur IT Inc 151 – K 3.8 -10.0
559 368Y JPM Euro disc 520 + 10 1.1 -14.3 1674 1219 Imperial Brands 1527 – 31K 12.1 9.6 5700 3960 XP Power‡ 5070 – 70 1.8 27.0
130 91K BlckRck Fro Inv 122K … 3.7 -11.3
712 431 BlckRck Grt Euro 646 – 14 0.9 2.8 162 110 JPM GEMI 140K – 2K 3.2 -8.7 180 112K Zytronicv 170 … … …
1K W J Lewis Hfordv 1N … … -3.9
200 148 BlckRck Inc & Gwth 189K – 3K 3.6 -4.2 457 332 JPM GG&I 436 – 10 3.2 3.5
845 563N JPM Indian 824 – 7 … -15.6 11122W 8621V Kerry Gp 10029Y + 107 0.7 36.4
427O 297 BlckRck Latin Am 339 – 7 5.3 -11.0
204 142K BlckRck Sustain Amer 188N – 2O 4.0 -3.9 569Y
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2230N 1212V BlckRck Smlr 2035 – 25 1.5 -5.3
1585V 852 JPM Mid Cap 1350 – 35 1.9 -8.3 407 140 Mulberry Groupv 310 … … 38.6
1046 577K BlckRck Throgmorton 943 – 2 1.0 -0.4
699V 390O BlckRck Wld Min 519 – 5 4.2 -5.5 110N 80K JPM Multi-Ass G&I 105O … 4.7 -0.2 1640 982 Nicholsv 1325 – 5 2.7 48.2 1719 1188 Abcamv 1482 – 16 0.2 …
864W 535 JPM Russian 836 – 8 6.5 -8.6
33 19 Blue Plan Int Fn# 26 – 1 1.7 -9.8 336 140 Norcros 300 … … 16.1 308 200 AdvancedMedicalv‡ 306K – 2 0.5 77.7
478W 245N JPM Smllr Co 393 – 15 1.2 -7.9
341 235X BMO Cap&Inc 324 – 1 3.5 -2.0
375 244 Keystone IT 331 – 13 3.1 -0.9 341X 281Y Origin Entsv 282X … 0.9 17.3 38K 12O Allergy Therapv 37 – K … 38.1
101Y 58X BMO Comm Prop 98 + 1X 3.2 -20.4
813 487K Law Debenture 771 + 5 2.6 -2.0
173O 119 BMO Glbl Smaller 164K – 2 0.9 -8.2 72 37 Pittardsv 72 + 5 … -4.0 110 73 Allnce Pharmav 103O – K 0.5 68.2
1450 888 Lowland 1285 – 30 5.1 -8.1
500 269X BMO Priv Eq Ord 462 – 11 3.0 -14.3
253V 175 Majedie 222 – 8 4.0 -18.3 700 365 Portmeirionv 685 … … … 139 39O Anglev 135 + K … …
81K 51 BMO Real Estate 74K + 2V 3.5 -29.0
428W 333X M Currie Port 390 – 10 1.0 2.1
101 72K BMO UK HIT 98 … 5.3 -2.8 1 K Provexisv O … … … 715 400 Anpariov 595 … 1.2 33.4
130 99 Marwyn Val In 122 … 3.7 -32.9
108 74V BMO UK HIT B 103K … … 2.6
294K 175K Mercantile IT 267 + 1 2.2 -9.7 32K 14K Starvestv 16 … … 0.9 1028 506 Keller 963 + 11 5.9 13.2 274K 220 PZ Cussons 225K … 2.5 46.4 … … Aqua Bounty … … … …
408 285 BMO UK HIT UNIT 389 … 3.9 -3.5
545 330K Merchants 534 – 8 4.9 0.3 37K 26 STM Groupv 34 + K 3.8 12.5
1470 931N Brown Advsr US Smlr1335 – 45 … -9.1 8406N 4551V Kingspan Group‡ 7427O + 61X 0.2 33.7 67K 50 REA 58K + N … -2.6 8845 6794 AstraZeneca 8773 – 185 2.3 42.2
838 640 Mid Wynd 764 – 34 1.2 2.8
1110 721W Brunner 1010 – 20 1.7 -9.1 3929Y 3037V Sun Life Can 3788V – 11 3.3 11.4
1490 1104X Monks Inv Tst 1370 – 20 0.1 0.2 750K 505 Land Sec‡ 697 … 2.5 -3.7 4O 1K Real Gd Fdv 1O + V … … 44 21K Circassia Groupv 44 – W … -6.2
3490 2118 Caledonia Inv 3375 – 55 1.4 -22.5
2170 194O Montanaro Eur Sml 196 – 4 0.4 0.6 4Y 1N Tavistock Invv‡ 4K … … -4.5
203 168K Invesco BondInc 194 + 1K 5.2 -2.4 396 208 Stock Spirits 374K … 2.2 42.4 262K 174Y Convatec Group‡ 210W – 5K 1.9 42.7
959K 694 Murray Income Trust 875 – 3 3.6 -7.4 18 7K Lon & Assoc 18 + K … -2.2
404 304V City of Lon IT 384 – 2K 5.0 0.6 1450 907 TBC Bank Group 1440 – 10 … 5.3
1240 904 Murray Int 1078 – 14 4.7 -7.2 705 395 Tandemv 565 + 10 1.0 8.7 134 46 Creighton‡ 110K – 1K 0.5 18.7
117 73K Crystal Amber Fd 112 – 1K 3.6 -18.4 30N 5O Ternv 20 + O … 66.6 265V 206V London Metric Prop‡ 243O + 4K 3.5 8.5
90O 75O Nb Global Floating 89 … 5.3 -6.7 815O 595V Tate & Lyle 686 – 5O 4.3 12.7
444W 278 Dunedin Entp 426 + 2 0.4 -14.6 31O 15O Time Financev 23O … … … 73 53 Macau Prop Op 56K … … -3.0 5405 3174 Dechra Pharma 4804 – 46 0.7 …
376 267X Pacific Assets 350 – 10 0.6 -6.2
647 430V Edinburgh IT 604 – 6 4.3 -9.3 1225 586 Treatt 1015 … 0.5 56.5
3713 2030 Pantheon Int 3000 – 10 … -22.4 262K 158 TP ICAP PLC‡ 159Y + N 9.3 10.5 2N 1 Deltex Medicalv 1K … … …
425 215 Edin Wwide 305K – 2 … -3.8 845 628 Marshalls 732K – 13K 0.5 30.9
2845 2025 Pershing Sq 2665 + 10 0.7 -29.4 5O 4O Ukrproduct Gpv 4O … … -1.6
674 165 Electra Pte Eq 588 – 30 … 20.1 215W 73X Virgin Money UK 196N – 8 … … 35 12K e-Therapeuticsv 34V – 1N … …
49650 43840O Personal Assets 48750 + 300 1.1 0.4 239 176 McKay Secs 223 – 3 3.2 …
300 239 EP Global Opp 276 – 5 1.8 -12.9 1500 1275 Volverev 1285 … … … 5322 4305K Unilever (NV) 4649 – 15K 2.3 26.2
2593 2015 Polar Cap Tech 2390 – 28 … -8.8 395 202K Eco Animal Hlthv‡ 315 – 10 … 62.8
152 98O European Assets 138K – 1 5.3 -4.4 162K 87N Michelmershv 126K … … 25.5
206 116 Prem Glb & Inf 186K + K 4.2 -9.6 58K 36 WH Irelandv 53 … … 25.6 4892 3733 Unilever 3973 – 32 3.6 22.4
878 594 European Opp Tr 803 – 5 0.3 -11.2 85 58K EKF Diagnosticsv 81 – 2W 1.2 33.4
139O 118O Renewables Inf 124O + 1W 6.0 7.9 2685 1096 Morgan Sindall 2350 – 35 2.6 14.6
904 672 F&C Investment Tr 853 – 7 1.2 -9.3 36K 25K Walker Crips Grp‡ 31K … 1.9 … 1190 297K Victoriav 940 + 16 … …
3635N 1786 RIT Cap Ptnr 2535 – 20 … -5.8 67K 12K Futura Medicalv 37Y – W … …
510 324 Fidlty Asian Val 474 – 10 1.6 -4.2 492V 243W Riverstone 474 – 8 … -29.4 3793K 1567O Wells Fargo 3447 + 19V 0.8 12.7 14350 10300 Mountview 13750 – 200 2.9 17.3
503 233K Fidelity China Sp 315 – 1 1.3 -9.2 551 424V Schroder TotRt 491 – 7 1.4 0.1 6070 3834 Genus 5360 – 110 0.5 72.8
331K 243K Fidlty Euro Val 308K + K 1.9 -7.4 686N 504 Schrd Asia Pac 573 – 6 1.2 -9.7
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106O 50K NewRiver REIT 83V … … -1.6
Engineering 1525O 1190O GlaxoSmKline‡ 1385K – 18 5.7 15.9
268W 197 Fidlty Jap Tru 245 – 7 … -5.4 323 228 Schrod Inc Gwth 299 – 8 4.2 0.6 298 117K NMCN# 117K … 7.6 3.2
312 170 Fidlty Spec Val 289 – 3 2.0 -2.0 231 172 Schrod Jap Gwth 218 – 6 1.9 -9.8 32604W 23930K Zurich Fincl 30264 – 206K 5.2 12.9 2K Y Gunsyndv 1 … … -6.8
273 182 Palace Capital‡ 242 – 3 4.1 … … … Ass Br Eng# 15 … … -0.2
928 774 Fins Gwth & Inc 877 + 1 1.8 -4.5 809 456 Schrod UKMid 720 – 10 1.7 -7.7 2695 2193 Hikma Pharms 2367 – 83 1.5 16.2
155K 88V GCP Infrastructure 102O + 2W 7.1 -1.8 39Y 24Y Schroder UK PP Tr 35 – V … -13.4 280 175 Panther Securitiesv 275 + 20 2.1 18.4 4625 1763 Avon Rubber 1955 + 13 1.3 98.4
216 107V GCP Student Living 212 + K 0.3 8.2 528 416V Scot American 498 – 2 2.4 2.1 Construction & 3238 2314 Persimmon 2605 – 63 9.0 10.5
380V 199 Babcock 367X – 4 … -1.0
624 352 Hutchmed Chinav 529 – 13 … …
950 750 Gen Emer Mkts 878 + 10 1.3 -9.0
65V 38 Gldn Prosp Prc Mtl 40O + K … -14.0
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582K 397 BAE Sys 565 – V 6.6 10.2
380 182 Immunodiag Sysv 378 … 0.5 …

143W 124K Greencoat UK Wind 132K + 2O 5.7 3.5 219 183X Secs Tst Scot 207 – 7 2.7 0.1 13O 7V ImmuPharmav 7X … … -2.2
984K 592 Bodycote 845 – 32K 3.8 47.2
248 156 Hansa Investment 220 – 2 0.9 -33.1 114K 102 Sequoia Eco 108V + 1V 6.1 4.2 425 20 Plaza Cent 125 – 255 … -0.2
277K 79 Alumascv‡ 235 + 10 0.8 17.4 218 94K Indivior 216 + V … 16.5
238 159 Hansa Inv Co 'A' 218 … 0.9 -34.3 2400 1340 Braime A N/Vv‡ 2400 … 0.4 40.5
1182 632O Temple Bar 1052 – 12 3.0 -8.5 169K 138O Primary Hlth 153K + 2X 2.9 14.4
2725K 1375O Hbrvest Glbl Pt Eq 2340 … … -25.0 25V 22V Aseana Props 22V – X … -1.8 150 62 Inspiration Healthv 118K … 0.1 23.3
216 163O Tplton Emg Mkt 178O – 1V 2.9 -10.0 2500 1575 Braime Groupv‡ 2440 – 60 0.4 41.1
1666O 1196K Hend Euro Foc 1550 – 40 1.8 -8.2 Y V Tiger Royal and Invv N … … 20.6 79O 70Y Assura Grp‡ 72O + 1N 3.9 17.7 36 23O Raven Property 32O … … …
525 270 Caffyns 500 … … 9.6 123K 62K IXICOv 79 – 1 … 29.4
189K 122 Hend High Inc 158K – 4 5.7 -5.0 511X 287X TR Property 474K + 4K 3.0 -0.9 2 1V Aukett Swankev 2 … … -4.8 122 106K Raven Property Gr 117K … … … 344K 269K Mediclinic Int 315O + 3W … 34.3
1378 744W Hend Smlr 1228 + 2 1.7 -8.8 79K 67 Troy Inc&Gth 76 – K 2.1 -1.4 13O 4V Cap XX Ldv 5O … … -8.1
322O 208O Balfour Beatty 272O + 1O 0.5 29.9
2670 1604 Herald 2370 – 60 … -10.2 286O 150 Utilico Ord 265 – 2 2.0 -31.0 42O 27 Real Estate Invsv 40K … 6.1 -3.5 12K 5N N4 Pharmav 8 + V … -8.4
420 302 Castings 356 + 4 4.2 37.4
412K 276K HgCapital Trust 395 + 4 1.3 5.1 229 166 Utilico Emerging Mkt 216 – 3 3.2 -12.2 794O 482K Barratt Devs‡ 654 – 6W … 16.5
718O 407V Redrow‡ 648 – 19K … 17.6 13O 7 Chamberlinv 8N … … -0.6 97.30 77.56 Novartis CHF81.80 – 0.21 3.9 21.1
180K 158X HICL Infra 167W + O 5.4 9.3 141X 125 UtilFin RdZDP 2022 140K … … 2.0 3712 2317 Bellway 3225 – 54 1.5 21.8
278 206Y Highbridge Tactical 270 + 3 … -1.0 726 447K Vietnam Ent Inv 712 + 2 … -16.4 1189 735K Safestore 1069 + 20 1.7 9.2 107 42 Omega Diagsv 49 + 4 … …
5352W 4293 Berkeley 4293 – 69 2.7 12.9 66 44 Checkitv 54K – 1 … -6.5
1270 774 ICG Ent Tr 1188 + 14 1.7 -15.9 324O 183O Witan 242K – 2K 2.0 -7.0
548 347N Impax Env Mkts 521 – 2 0.4 7.8 3965 3401X Ww Health 3580 – 45 0.6 -2.0 1573 1033 Big Yellow Group 1400 + 5 2.4 9.2 1399 793K Savills‡ 1329 – 22 1.2 17.0 678 494 Cohortv 574 + 18 1.7 25.5 13N 8O Ovoca Biov 12N … … -4.8
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 71

Money
12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price 12 month Price
High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E High Low Company (p) +/- Yld% P/E

1634 783 Oxford Biomedica 1474 – 74 … … 250 137K DCD Mediav 185 … … 92.5 2 Y Europa Oil&Gasv 1K … … -2.8 N … UK Oil & Gasv V … … -0.5 696K 523 RWS Hldgsv 617K – 9 1.4 44.7 88N 43N IQEv 47K … … …
9N 5V Physiomicsv 6V – N … … 61 18N Ebiquityv 57K … … … 698V 340K Evraz 570O – 23K 8.8 7.5 535 205 URU Metalsv 308 + 8 … -2.0 490 235 Science Groupv 470 – 5 1.2 20.2 217 86 K3 Business Tchv 178K + 3 … -3.0
9Y 3V Proteome Sciesv 5N – V … 41.1 1112 806 Euromoney In Inv 1094 + 78 2.0 37.9 18K 6N Vast Resv 6N … … -1.6 145O 106K Serco Gp‡ 132W – 1K 1.0 5.5 2877K 1001V LG Electronics 1920W – 251V 2.0 5.5
501 168W Ferrexpo 310V – 17 4.6 2.4
7706 5519 Reckitt Benck 5704 – 126 3.0 … 6W 2 Victoria Oil&Gasv 3X … … -1.4 45W 24K Smiths News 39 – K 2.5 7.9 Y N Location Sciencesv K … … -2.1
3910 1634 Future 3758 + 68 … 58.4 1357K 745V Fresnillo 777 – 4W 2.3 12.9
176K 117K RUA Life Sciencesv 140 – 3K … … 4305 2904 Smurfit Kappa‡ 3793 – 79 4.4 19.3 587K 211O Micro Focus Intl 410 + N 2.7 -0.8
1660 1175 GlobalDatav‡ 1475 … 1.1 3.2 28 … G3 Exploration# 28 … … -2.6 18 6N W Resourcesv 6W … … -1.4
9V O Sareum Hldgsv 6W – V … … 92O 22O Staffline Gpv 64 – 4 … -0.9 91K 43 MTI Wirelessv 70 – 4 2.5 23.7
152 49Y Hyve Group 115O + 4 … -2.5 22 7O Westmount Engyv 10N … … …
43 14 Galantas Goldv 23 … … -4.9
649 339 Silence Therapv 529 + 8 … … 602 241 SThree 569 – 11 0.8 26.2 29O 8O Nanoco Gp 18Y – N … …
646 397 IG Design Grpv‡ 484 – 1 1.7 79.5 360K 202K Wood Grp (J) 225K – 4K … -9.0
15N 4N GCM Resourcesv 4O + N … -2.7
1668K 1281K Smith & Neph‡ 1281K – 5K 2.0 28.0 4 1V NAPSTER GROUP PLCv 1V … … -1.1
7X 2V Woodboisv 4K … … 17.3 150 90 Synecticsv 104 … … -5.2
40K 12X Immedia Grpv 13O … … -1.9
253 96 Spire Hcare 210K + 4K … -3.6 78W 34K Gem Diamonds 50V – 1 … 5.7 87 37 Netcallv 85K – 2K 0.2 72.4
8K 1V Xtract Resourcesv 4W – V … … 28V 20Y Thruvision Groupv 20Y … … …
598K 381W Informa 560O + 11W … …
224X 77 Synairgenv 131 – 16W … … 43N 10W Getechv 22 – K … -5.0 77 51K Northamberv 59K … 0.5 39.6
7 K Zephyr Energyv 5Y … … … 110 60O Tribalv 97 – 5 1.1 29.3
132K 68X ITV 109V + 2K … 12.1
O N Tissue Regenixv K … … -2.8 350X 155K Glencore 350X – 1V 1.2 30.2 106K 17 Online Blockchainv 39 + 1 … …
58 22K Zoltav Resourcev 34 … … -4.9 6W 3V Universe Grpv 4 … … …
204 48K Tiziana Life 48K – 2 … -4.0 16K 2N Jaywingv 11N … … -1.2
1K W Global Petrolv K … … -0.5 112 74 Oxford Metricsv 106 – 1K 1.7 47.5
117K 60K Vianetv 115 … … …
43N 17 Totallyv‡ 35V – N 1.4 … 10N 3W Live Company Gpv 4N – V … -0.4
106177W 605K Gold Fields 605K – 5Y 1.8 10.2 13K 6N Parityv 6N … … -7.2
680 480 Tristelv 605 … 1.0 54.1 V … Mediazestv … … … -2.4
8O 6X Goldplatv 6Y … … 4.1
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39N 17O ValiRxv 39N – 1O … … 75 57K Merit Grpv 57K … … -3.3
14K 7N Goldstone Resv 10X + V … …
support services 514V 331Y Playtech 476W + 7V … …
173 99X Vectura Grp 164K … … 8.1 85 60 Miradav 65 … … -9.1 356 236W QinetiQ 317K – 6K 2.0 14.7

89K 54K Mission Groupv 72 – 2 … …

37N 15Y Greatld Gldv 15Y … … …
3170 1744 4imprint Grp 3065 + 55 … …
Retailing 255 164 RM 232K – 2K 1.2 16.7
153K 58K Griffin Miningv 83 – 2 … 9.1
Industrials 305W 211 Moneysupermarket 211 – 2 5.5 20.1
205 68 Gulf Keystone‡ 197W – 4K … …
625 490 Andrews Sykesv 535 – 7K 4.1 14.4
433K 164K AO World 164K – 52O … 44.7
756K 558K Sage Gp 700W – 9V 2.4 24.8

2049Y 961Y News Corp A 1744K + 6X 0.8 43.0 6162 2774 Ashtead 5612 – 34 0.7 40.9 12V 4 Seeing Machinesv 9 – W … …
5918 2965 Asosv 2965 – 37 … 16.4
188 85 Accsys Techv 160N – 4O … … 647V 225V Harbour Energy 355 – 8 … … 215 129 Shearwater Grpv 138 – 1K … …
1924K 955N News Corp B 1734N + 18W 0.8 42.7 74 21K Asimilar Groupv 38 … … 2.3
601 461K B&M European 573V – 17W 1.6 13.4
6241 4007K BASF 5533V – 107 5.1 30.4 51W 16Y Harland & Wolff Group Holdingsv17V … … 1.3 2300 393 AssetCov 1700 … … 5.3 6K 4O SimiGonv 4O … … -1.6
1200 438 Next 15 Commsv 1125 – 5 … …
79Y 46N Brown (N)v 49 – 1N … 18.6
4925V 3469 Bayer DM50 3986N – 39O 4.3 -6.0 270W 131N Hochschild 131N – 1X 3.4 15.1 51 26 Avisenv 42 – K … … 182K 81 Smartspace S'warev 110 – 7 … …
869W 499K Pearson 726W + 14K 2.6 19.6
84 48 Cambria Autov 82K + K … 7.5
505 155 Biome Techv 432 … … -8.4 9Y 5X Horizonte Minrlsv 8 – K … … 2240 1100 Softcat 2008 – 18 0.8 45.0
78O 43X Photo-Me 60V – 1K 14.0 6.7 148K 82 Begbies Traynorv 135W – 1O 2.0 …
95K 30K Card Factory 53W – N … …
8W 4N Byotrolv 4W … … 9.7 303 228K Spirent Comms 278W – 1V 1.5 28.9
39K 15Y Hummingbird Resv 15Y … … … 292 190 Blancco Techv 265 – 13K … …
5 3 Primorus Invv 3O + V … 1.2 2770 1190 CVS Groupv 2375 – 45 … …
6O 5 Camb Gbl Timberv 6 … … -7.4 45 30 SRT Marinev 39 … … -8.3
105 46K Quarto 96K … … 5.3 289K 122 Hunting 225K … 1.6 -2.1 2700 2150 Bunzl 2420 – 35 2.1 18.8
79O 54W Coats Grp 67K … 1.3 16.1 359X 248Y Dairy Farm Intl 248Y – 2Y 4.8 26.9
1022W 805V Tele. Ericsson 826N – 8K 1.7 16.4
420 72X Reach 348 – 1K 1.2 … 28O 7Y IGas Energyv 16Y – 1X … -0.4 52O 23X Capita 50K – W … 3.3
9304 5860 Croda‡ 8440 – 104 1.0 46.7 300 172V DFS Furn 250 – 9K … …
90 37 Touchstarv 82K – 2K … 80.1
1W N Independ Resv K … … -0.6 51 22K CEPSv 51 … … -9.2
1475 815 Cropper (James)v 1375 – 15 … 83.8 3X Y REACT Grpv 2V … … 54.3 1561 1141 Dunelm‡ 1365 – 57 … 25.3
1100 505 Tracsisv 955 + 5 … …
235 186 Indus Gasv 228 … … 11.7 136 65K Christie Groupv‡ 125 … … -6.4
161X 72V Elementis 147 – 1Y … … 2226 1527K Relx 2170 + 23 2.1 31.3 701K 347K Frasers Group 666 – 17K … 29.6 24K 13K Trakm8v 20 … … -8.1
1N N Ironveldv X … … -4.8 1646 1055 Compass 1558K + 34K … …
42K 23K Hardidev 31 … … -7.0 746O 555O Rightmove‡ 682K – O 0.6 38.6 27K 5K French Conn 24 – 1W … -1.1 150 24 Triad Grp 105 … … 24.7
717 227 ITM Powerv 408O – 22 … … 567K 239 CPPGroupv 422 – 12 … …
4998X 2952K Jardine Math 3794Y – 122K 3.2 78.2 16K 4 SpaceandPeoplev 9K … … -0.6 3120 1222 Greggs‡ 2984 + 36 … 35.6 540 260 Wandiscov 322 + 16 … -7.3
3300 2149 Johnson Math 2650 – 35 1.9 24.9 89 59 Croma Securityv 84 … 2.3 …
375 244Y STV Group‡ 370 … … 21.1 49 16K JKX Oil & Gas 49 – K … 4.0 435 219 Halfords 299W – 4K … 11.3 1340 415 Water Intelv 1195 – 80 … 86.8
2068 1463 Mondi 1811K – 18 4.3 17.6 6614 5006 DCC 6140 – 58 2.4 20.7 975K 595K Howden Join 887O – 8 1.0 20.6
358 109K System1 Groupv 254 + 1 … 19.3 21Y 5V Jubilee Metalsv 15N – K … 10.4 258K 110 Xaar 161K – 6O … …
169 90 Robinsonv‡ 90 – 2K 9.4 … 207 133K De La Rue 177 – 7 … 47.8 933 451 Inchcape 808K – 2K 0.8 43.4
3276K 1877 21st Cent Fox Inc A 2992 + 29K 1.1 11.4 6K 2W Karel Diamd Resv 2O … … -3.7 21N 11Y Yourgenev 14N – N … -7.9
462N 277 Smith (DS) 400O – 12 1.0 30.3 940 430K Dignity 685 + 13 … … 14Y 4N IQ-AI 7N + W … …
3073W 1855K 21st Cent Fox Inc B 2767K + 25O 1.2 10.5 2W 1 KEFI Gold and Copperv 1 … … -4.6 151 53K Zoo Digitalv 120 + 1K … …
610X 336N Swire Pacific 441 + 8 5.0 -6.3 3166 2050 Diploma 2874 + 32 0.7 66.0 1151 691 JD Sports 1035 – 13K … 44.9
V … Vela Techv … … … -1.0 466 252 Kenmare Res‡ 430 … 1.6 12.6
27O

564
14N Symph Environv

313 Synthomer
27K

485W –
…

12V 2.3
… …

9.5
230 123 Wilmington 222 – 1 … 32.8 82W 26O Lamprell 36K + O … -3.2
1262 560 Discoverie PLC 1060 + 18 0.3 81.5 376W 260N Kingfisher 332K – 3Y … 11.9 Telecoms
61 44K Driver Groupv‡ 51K … 1.4 28.6 72W 33O Lookers 64W – W … …
1017K 599O WPP 994 – 6K 2.4 25.2 39O 18O Landore Resv 23N – N … -7.7
2862V 2153 Takeda Pharm 2420V – 41Y 4.8 13.5 119 67K DWF‡ 113 + 4 2.8 … 192O 88X Marks Spencer 181K – 1Y … … 315 196 AdEPT Technologyv 285 … … …
1445 870 YouGov PLCv 1247K – 12K 0.4 … 2K X Lansdowne O&Gv X … … …
11 4 Velocysv 5 … … -4.8 1119 679K Electrocompnts 1068 – 10 1.4 38.8 297 161O Morrison (W) 297 + 2K 2.2 27.3 205K 98X BT Group 158O – Y … 10.8
74 52K Zinc Mediav 62K … … -0.9
2706 1830 Victrex 2392 + 10 1.9 38.6 29K 11 Leeds Groupv 25K … … …
182O 99V Equiniti Group 178O – V … 76.8 18 10N Mothercarev 17X – N … -3.1 159V 10 Currys plc 122 – 11K … 5.7
592 282K Wynnstay Groupv‡ 545 – 3 2.6 17.3 5Y 2K Lexington Goldv 3O … … -8.8
332K 234 Essentra‡ 266K – 1 1.2 45.1 888 415 Naked Winesv 672 – 21 … … 2335 1455 Gamma Commsv‡ 1812 – 18 0.6 27.2
494 360 Zotefoams‡ 387 + 4 1.6 23.2 Natural resources 8K 5 MC Miningv 6 … … -1.5 3388 2273 Experian 3108 – 1 1.0 48.9 8394 5744 Next 8172 – 40 … 36.8 189 137V Helios Towers 183O + 2O … …
3 1N Metals Explornv 1N … … 3.7 10765 7722 Ferguson 10230 – 105 1.4 28.7 2883 1645 Ocado Gp 1645 – 17K … … 9980 5468 Just Eat T'away 5468 + 70 … …
Leisure 6K 2V ADM Energyv 2V – V … -0.5
X N Nostra Terrav W … … -1.7 265 200 FIH Groupv 215 … 0.8 -4.5 21 7O Pendragon 18N … … … X V Mobile Streamsv K … … -3.3
3K 2 Advance Energyv 3K … … -5.2
15 7K Nostrum O&G 8K – W … … 272 44 Gattacav 212 + 2 … … 519 369 Pets at Home 474V – 6W 1.5 24.4 5Y 2Y Mobile Tornadov 2Y … … -9.9
478 251 888 Hldgs‡ 426 – 4 1.0 … 85 17 AFC Energyv 52K + K … …
244O 135 Oil Search 229W – 5Y 1.3 … 2131V 120K Saga 353W + 1W … -5.2 1494 1010 Telecom Plus 1214 – 2 4.7 29.3
8N 4 Grafeniav 5O – W … -1.8
992 250 Accesso Techv 900 – 15 … … … … Afentra PLC … … … …
340 190N Sainsbury J 284K – Y 1.1 … 142W 101X Vodafone Gp 112V – 1 6.8 …
W … Oilexv V … … -5.7 568 200 Hargeaves Servv‡ 428 – 10 1.0 …
3440 635 Best of the Bestv‡ 655 + 15 0.4 7.7 K V Alba Mineral Resv V … … -4.5
1X N Oriole Resourcesv W … … … 1267 896 Homeserve 896 – 8K 2.6 97.3 2016 930K Smith WH 1748K + 35K … -6.5
1865W 838V Carnival 1741W + 59W … -2.6

127K 94K Celticv 106 … … -4.0

2Y X Alien Metalsv O … … …
2Y X Ormonde Miningv 1 … … -5.0 400 220 Impellam Grpv 396 – 4 … 22.5 36 13X Sosandarv 27O – Y … -7.7 Transport
118Y 72N Alumina 112K … 4.1 30.1
88V 19 Ince Gv 54K – K … 2.9 4V 2K Stanley Gbbnsv 3V … … -3.3
122 24N Cineworld 78Y + N … -0.9 39 13W Orosur Miningv 16X – W … …
1K W Aminex O … … -6.4 99V 60W Air Partner 91O – 4V 0.8 9.8
6440 4867 Intertek‡ 4867 – 110 2.1 29.5 315 234 Studio Retail Group 262 – 3 … 7.0
431K 301K Domino's Pizza 404W + 8V 3.6 20.2 26K 15V Pan African Resv 15K – V 4.3 6.4
2Y 1N Amur Mins Corpv 1Y … … … 310 123 Braemar Ship 250K – 3K 2.0 9.8
383K 252V IWG 307 + 14 … -5.2 212W 85 Ted Baker 141K – 1N … -2.5
2377 933 Entain 2156 + 26 … 80.4 75 22X Pantheon Resv 71W – V … …
1104646Y 6466X Anglo Amer Plat 6466X – 3O 3.5 4.7 4010 2000 Clarkson 3890 + 90 3.3 …
180W 86 Johnson Srvcev 145O – 4K … … 312K 219N Tesco 247Y – 5N 4.9 32.8
16915 11860 Flutter Ent 14820 + 140 … …
3444 1788 Ang Am 2603K – 19 2.7 6.6 60 26W Parkmead Grpv 60 + 2 … … 921Y 396N easyJet 703O + 41 6.2 -2.6
954 550 Fullr Sm A 734 + 4 … -8.4 137 43K Journeov 119 … … 52.6 75K 43 Topps Tiles 65K – 3 3.5 …
177 108 Anglo Asian Mngv 129K + K 5.0 8.7 Y W Pathfinder Minsv X … … -3.8 37X 12 Esken Limited 14V … … -0.5
47 17O Gaming Realmsv 33 – 1Y … … 133 37V Kier Gp 119W – 1 … -1.7
2N 1N Petra Diamonds 1X … … -0.1 97V 39K FirstGroup 90 + 1 … 23.0
430 300 Heavitreev 300 – 3 … …
1925 980K Antofagasta‡ 1353K – 8K 0.7 36.5
4W 1X Petrel Resourcesv 1X … … -6.6
1365 800 Latham (J)v 1070 – 100 1.4 14.2 Technology 1316 737 Fisher (James) 857 – 2 0.9 -7.5
8V 3 Arc Mineralsv 3X … … 2.6
300 200 Heavitree Av 200 – 10 … … 845 510 Lok'n Storev 790 – 20 1.6 64.7
1435 551K Go-Ahead 813K + 6K … -7.5
6 4V Ariana Resv 4N … … 9.6 8K 2N Petro Matadv 2O … … -7.6 156K 77 Access Intellv 151K … … …
105 90 Hermes Pacificv 90 … … … 2600 2020 Lon Securityv 2600 … 2.3 17.8 217O 91 Intl Cons Air 188 + 9K … -1.9
5312 3870 Intercont Htls 4925 + 169 … … 1Y X Arkle Resourcesv O … … -1.7 177K 91W Petrofac 174 + 5W … -4.4 170 115 Aferian plcv 162K + 4 1.1 54.4
490 204 LSL Prop Services 431 – 5 … 12.0 425N 276N Irish Cont Uts 370K … … …
158X 123 Mandarin Orntl 153X – X … -6.7 6N 3 Armadale Capv 4Y – N … … 4K K Petroneft Resv 3K … … -8.9 193 115 Alfa Financial 182 … … 26.8
145 79K Macfarlane‡ 136K – 1 0.5 21.2 1564K 696 Jet2v 1306K + 26K … -7.8
1K Y Minoan Gpv 1 … … -7.0 6 2 Asiamet Rsrcsv 2K … … -4.2 33O 18Y Petropavlovsk 20 – W … … 41N 19K Allied Minds 22K – 1V … -1.4
410 221 Maintel Hldgsv 333 … … … 328V 141X Natl Express 244K + 3W … -5.2
337K 119 Mitch & Butlers 251V + 14W … -7.3 360 151 Atalaya Minev 317 + 2 … 5.6 8 4 Phoenix Globalv 5O … … -1.1 725 436K Aptitude Software 678 – 4 0.8 51.3
N … Malvern Intlv V … … -0.8 1135 620 Ocean Wilson 982K + 2K 8.1 5.0
504 210 On The Beach 392 + 9 … … … … Baron Oilv … … … -3.1 609W 420 Avast‡ 565K – 2V 2.0 27.9
24 9N Plexus Holdingsv 12N … … -3.8
224 105K Mears Group 200 – 6 … 46.1 1504V 977X Ryanair 1475O + 68K … …
1774 928 PPHE Hotels 1422 – 38 … -7.4 6X 3X Beowulf Miningv 5 … … … 4220 3107 Aveva Gp 3516 – 84 1.1 …
1883K 1228 Polymetal Intl 1228 – 30 5.0 7.3 353 102W Menzies (John) 300 – 9 … -1.9 108 36O Stagecoach 85Y + 1K … 14.3
207 86 Rank Grp 176O + 4O 1.5 -8.9 235 151 Bangov 187K – 5K … …
W V Bezant Resv V … … -2.7 690 485 Porvair 674 – 18 0.7 31.0 27K 15K Sutton Harbourv 25 – … …
77N 27N Mitie Gp 69X – 1N … … K
139K 40 Restaurant Gp 105K + 2K … -4.9 122K 78 BATM Adv Coms 89K – K … 27.1
2375K 1490V BHP Group 1843K – 44K 4.7 18.3 4N 1W Prospex Energyv 3O … … -1.8 470 206 Wincanton 348 – 7 0.8 10.5
45 8N MobilityOnev 15K … … 20.3
36 19 Rotalav 30 – K … 26.3 42K 12K Berkeley Res 16N … … -1.8
2K K Border & Sthn Petv O … … -3.5 5565 3124 Wizz Air Hldgs 5214 + 200 … -9.2
125 25N Proton Motor Power Sv 25N – 1V … -0.4 1W Y Newmark Secv Y … … …
40V 16O Sportechv 38V + 1V … -7.0
38 13W Bougainville 18O – K … … 40 17K Blackbirdv 35K + 1 … …
346 147N SSP Group 297N + 20K … -3.0 8W 3 Providence Resv 3X … … -3.0 170 72K Norishv‡ 170 – 5 … 25.9
115 55K Cloudcall Groupv 58 – K … -3.9
7Y 1N Tastyv 7V … … -0.7
8N 3K BowLevenv 4N – V … -6.7
6N 1O Quadrise Fuels Intlv 3Y + V … -8.6 10N 4 Norm Broadbentv 6X … … …
1O 1 CloudCoCo Groupv 1X … … -4.4
Utilities
338N 193W BP 337Y – 2N 4.4 10.9
87K 35 Tintra PLCv 70 + 10 … -1.3 90 19O Rambler Met&Minv 19O – 1W … -2.7 59 48 Northern Bearv 50 … … -5.2
3030 2086 Computacenter‡ 2706 – 12 0.4 20.2
31 10Y Cadence Minv 17 – K … 2.5 58 37V Centrica 57X + 1 … 4.1
452O 170K TUI 339K + 17K … -1.9 O V Reabold Resourcesv V … … -4.7 230 180 NWF Grpv 195 – 1 3.5 11.2
114 80 Concurrent Techv‡ 86K – 2K 2.9 23.1
5K 2W Cadogan Petrol 3K … … -1.6 219 187K ContourGlobal 188V – K 6.4 …
6K 1N Webis Holdingsv 4 + V … 33.7 651 356W PageGroup‡ 617K – 3K … 57.1
1N K Red Rock Resv K … … 1.0 16 7X Corerov 10X … … …
251X 125K Cairn Energy 189V + 1X … … 503 268W Drax Group‡ 495O + 14 3.4 …
1404 773K Wetherspoon JD 1069 + 26 … -6.5 117K 38K PCI-PALv 67K … … -9.0
7200V 4873 Rio Tinto Ltd 5214X – 155W 6.4 6.2 2830 1370 Cranewarev 2420 … 1.0 51.9 600 482 Jersey Electricity 592K … 2.7 15.6
3595 2101 Whitbread 3406 + 90 … -7.0 1470 880 Caledonia Miningv 900 … 3.3 10.6 18N 6W Petardsv 12 … … …
6658 4266 Rio Tinto 4808 – 105K 7.0 5.7 3Y 2X Crimson Tidev 2X – V … 16.5 979 806W Natl Grid 895V + 10K 5.4 19.3
1675 778 Young & Co - Av 1550 + 10 … … 4 1K Caspian Sunrisev 3O – V … … 24 11 PHSCv‡ 22 + K 4.5 36.6
1651V 900 Ryl Dtch Sh A 1647O – 7V 2.9 32.0 16K 3Y CyanConn Hldgsv 14O … … … 21N 9K OPG Powerv 12O … … 3.7
982 496 Young & Co - N/Vv 870 – 11 … … 201 89O Centamin 94K – 1 6.9 10.7 10N 2N PowerHouse Egyv 3Y … … -6.9
1648 866W Ryl Dtch Sh B 1645K – 4 2.9 32.0 400 177 D4t4 Solutionsv 340 … 0.8 50.3 1827 1130 Pennon 1130 – 3 4.9 29.6
293 156W Cent Asia Metalsv‡ 222 + K 2.6 12.6 78 42K Prime Peoplev 71K – 1 … …
2Y 1N DeepMatter Gpv 1N … … -4.5 1V W Rurelecv W … … -0.8
Media 32O 20N Chaarat Goldv 23 – Y … -7.1
45 22 San Leon Energyv# 40O + 3W … …
102 36O Record 77 – 3 2.9 28.2
27K 15 Dillistone Groupv 22K … … -6.6 2915 2168 Severn Trent 2603 – 1 3.8 29.3
2W O Scirocco Energyv 1 … … -2.3
11W 3W Chariot Oil & Gasv 6K … … -0.4 443 177K Redde Northgate 410 + 8 2.4 15.6 146 74K Elecov‡ 118K … … 30.3 1675 1250 SSE 1584 + 13 5.0 7.3
1Y W 7digital Gpv W … … -5.0 109 61 Serabi Goldv 67K – K … 6.2
11K 6X China Nonferr Goldv 11 + N … -9.1 850 435 Renew Hldgsv 762 – 28 1.0 20.4 2O W EQTECv 1V … … … 1088K 850W Utd Utilities 969W + 1 4.4 14.6
43K 20 Aeorema Commsv 43K … … … 232 92X Serica Energyv 227K – 4 1.3 75.8
K N Clontarf Energyv N … … -4.9 611 206 Renewi 598 – 8 … 50.1 1362 959 FDM Group 1254 – 10 3.7 45.4
57 11N Altitude Groupv 35 … … -8.0 20N 11K Shanta Goldv 12X … … 8.5
55 37K Condor Gldv 37K + K … …
208 133K Arcontech Grpv‡ 147 – 1K 1.7 17.0
613O 464K Rentokil Itl 580 – 3K 0.9 41.8 12K 7V Filtronicv 10K … … … uAIM company; # Price at suspension;
2N O Corcelv 1W … … 2.2 3 1V Sound Energyv 1W … … -0.9
518 286 Restorev‡ 485 – 6 … 86.6
† Ex dividend; ‡ Ex scrip; s Ex rights issue;
454W 267 Ascential 421K + 11W … … 3520 1962 First Derivtsv 2310 – 40 … 72.1 t Ex all; § Ex capital distribution; * figures
N V Sunrise Resourcesv V … … …
10628 60V DRD Gold 60V + X 5.4 15.9 489 331 Ricardo 424 – 1 1.4 … 954 700 GB Groupv 845 – 20 0.3 62.5 or report awaited; . . . No significant data.
660O 539O Auto Trader 583O – 5 … 44.1
K V Tertiary Mineralsv N … … -0.8 Companies in bold are constituents of the
4N 1W ECR Mineralsv 1X … … -8.6 3K K Ridgecrest Plcv# 1V + V … -6.0 176 110K GreshamTech 173K … 0.4 …
401 190K Bloomsbury Pub 327 – 6 0.3 19.5 FTSE 100 Index. Investment Cos sector Nav
52K 23K Edenville Energyv 23K … … -1.1 1N X Thor Miningv Y … … … 756 353 Robert Walters‡ 728 – 8 2.1 31.1 271N 82O Ilikav 131 – 9 … …
Dis or Prm supplied by Morningstar.
17N 5N Bonhill Groupv 11N + O … -0.8
8K 3N Empyrean Energyv 6 … … … 4371K 2182O Total Eng SE‡ 3523O + 141O 6.4 20.1 606W 226K Royal Mail 416K – 4K … 6.7 87K 65K Ingentav‡ 67K … 2.2 43.5
53 37 Catalyst Mediav 44K … … -5.0 Data as shown is
4V O Catenaev O … … -1.5 26N 9V EnQuest 23Y + V … -0.8 K V Tower Resourcesv N … … -4.0 123W 46 RPS Group‡ 118V … … 39.0 117K 66K Intercedev 92K … … 33.0 for information
purposes only. No offer is made by
1124 668 Daily Mail 1080 + 8 2.2 47.1 42K 15 Eurasia Miningv 25K + K … … 64Y 14N Tullow Oil 51 – V … -0.8 65 35K RTC Groupv 46K + 2 … 12.2 352 178 Iomartv 178 – 38 3.6 19.5 Morningstar or this publication
72 K1 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Money
Wall Street Major indices Eurotop 100 FTSE volumes (000s)

Oct 1 wkly Oct 1 wkly Oct 1 wkly Close +/- 12mthhigh 12mthlow Yield P/E 3i 928 Kingfisher 7,298
close +/- close +/- close +/- New York
abrdn 4,176 Land Sec 3,792
Dow Jones 34326.46 (+482.54) RWE AG 30.52 +0.09 38.50 28.42 2.79 17.11 Admiral 2,223 Legal & Gen 7,164
3M 176.68 -4.36 eBay 69.91 -3.08 Northern Trust 109.23 -0.10
Nasdaq Composite 14566.70 (+118.12) Swatch Group AG 246.00 +0.50 333.90 190.85 1.40 24.88 Ang Am 4,476 Lloyds Bkg Gp 187,922
Abbott Labs 117.21 -7.16 Ecolab 213.65 -10.12 Northrop Grum 360.92 +5.22
S&P 500 4357.04 (+49.50) Antofagasta 1,821 Lond Stk Ex Gp 438
AbbVie 109.09 +2.02 Edison Intl 55.04 -2.53 Nucor 97.65 -3.27 AP Moller-Maersk A Dn Kr 16360.00 -190.00 19140.00 8975.00 2.00 5.82
Ashtead 584 M&G 5,770
Accenture 324.86 -14.37 Edwards Life 112.28 -7.79 Nvidia 207.42 -13.39 AP Moller-Maersk B Dn Kr 17275.00 -110.00 20570.00 9734.00 1.89 6.15 AB Foods 934 Meggitt 2,048
Tokyo
Activision Blizzard 78.53 +3.27 Electronic Arts 143.59 +13.69 Occidental Petr 31.15 +3.05 ABB Ltd S SF 30.61 -0.78 34.79 21.85 2.53 76.34 AstraZeneca 1,963 Melrose 7,124
Nikkei 225 28771.07 (-681.59)
Adobe Sys 577.47 -45.24 Eli Lilly 229.59 -2.09 ONEOK 59.45 +1.98 Air Liquide Fr ¤ 140.02 +1.44 153.26 123.60 1.97 25.54 Auto Trader 1,346 Mondi 1,299
Aflac 52.94 +0.31 Emerson Elec 95.16 -1.15 Oracle 89.74 -0.20 Hong Kong AVAST PLC 8,178 Morrison (W) 12,978
Airbus Fr ¤ 116.58 +1.48 121.00 59.28 30.29
Agilent Tech 155.99 -16.41 EOG Res 83.91 +5.81 O'Reilly 604.44 -21.10 AVEVA Grp 707 Natl Grid 6,293
Hang Seng 24575.64 (-87.86) Allianz G ¤ 195.30 +0.46 223.50 148.60 4.93 9.37 Aviva 10,563 NWG 19,693
Air Prods & Chm 257.43 -2.13 Equifax 256.31 -9.19 Paccar 79.45 -1.08
Anglo American UK p 2611.46 -11.04 3492.83 1747.11 2.77 6.64 B&M European 3,007 Next 380
Albemarle Corp 218.89 -7.51 Equinix 789.32 -45.36 Parker-Hannifin 291.69 +3.85 Amsterdam
Anheuser-Busch InBev B ¤ 48.70 -0.45 65.86 43.87 1.05 20.22 BAE SYS 9,737 Ocado Gp 1,081
Alexion Pharmas 182.50 Equity Res 81.55 +0.01 Paychex 115.15 +5.17 AEX Index 766.69 (-5.25) Barclays 32,468 Pearson 2,299
Allergan 193.02 Essex Property 326.13 -1.39 Paypal Hldngs 264.65 -13.46 Arcelor Mittal 25.20 -1.26 30.88 11.33 0.98 4.72
Barratt Devs 2,027 Pershing Square 171
Allstate 127.72 -2.78 Estee Lauder 310.68 -9.97 PepsiCo 150.95 -3.25 Sydney ASML Holding Nl ¤ 632.50 -13.40 764.40 304.50 0.44 54.97 Berkeley 275 Persimmon 1,031
Altria 45.86 -2.60 Evrsurce Engy 81.84 -0.83 Pfizer 42.93 -1.01 AO 7486.60 (-143.10) AstraZeneca UK p 8773.00 -185.00 8998.00 6499.80 2.35 42.23 BHP Group 6,206 Phoenix Gp 1,524
Amazon 3283.26 -142.26 Exelon 47.79 -1.45 PG&E 9.61 -0.33 Atlas Copco A Sw Kr 531.60 -0.60 612.60 388.00 1.35 39.11 BP 54,325 Polymetal Intl 1,674
Amer Elec Pwr 81.38 -0.67 Expedia 169.79 -2.20 Philip Morris Intl 96.08 -5.74 Frankfurt Brit Amer Tob 4,760 Prudential 5,712
Atlas Copco B Sw Kr 451.60 +3.10 518.00 336.00 1.59 33.22 Br Land 2,026 Reckitt Benck 1,276
Amer Express 173.94 -1.78 Express Scripts 92.33 Phillips66 72.57 +4.53 DAX 15156.44 (-104.25)
AXA Fr ¤ 23.88 -0.21 24.45 13.34 6.00 10.27 BT Group 15,375 RELX PLC 3,077
Amer Tower 266.61 -15.57 Extra Space Stor 168.94 -3.67 Pioneer Ntrl Rscs 174.68 +12.65
Singapore Banco Santander Es ¤ 3.12 -0.01 3.51 1.48 Bunzl 1,128 Rentokil Itl 2,110
Ameren Corp 80.61 -2.96 Exxon Mobil 60.93 +3.34 PNC Finl 198.31 +3.81
BBVA Es ¤ 5.63 -0.08 5.93 2.18 1.05 11.24 Burberry Grp 1,025 Rightmove 1,228
American Int 55.48 +0.67 Facebook 343.01 -9.95 PPG Inds 144.01 -4.57 Straits 3051.11 (-35.59)
Coca Cola HBC 511 Rio Tinto 2,423
American Wtr W 168.34 -8.45 Fastenal 51.68 -2.42 PPL 27.96 -0.46 Barclays UK p 187.88 -1.72 217.63 96.49 0.53 9.52 Compass 3,105 Rolls-Royce 45,860
Ameriprise 268.53 -2.87 Fedex 222.53 -4.11 Praxair 164.50 -0.44 Brussels BASF G ¤ 64.60 -1.25 72.88 45.92 5.12 30.40 CRH 1,187 Ryl Dtch Sh A 5,004
AmerisrceBerg 119.81 -2.49 Fifth Third 43.66 +2.15 Price T Rowe 198.54 -12.68 BEL20 4137.31 (-21.58) Bayer G ¤ 46.54 -0.47 57.73 39.91 4.31 Croda 271 Ryl Dtch Sh B 5,839
Ametek 124.96 -4.65 FIS 123.27 +1.24 Priceline.com 1905.64 +20.64 DCC 168 Royal Mail 6,336
Paris BHP Group UK p 1843.60 -44.60 2505.00 1438.36 4.76 18.33
Amgen 213.92 +0.31 Fiserv 109.78 +0.04 Procter & Gmbl 139.58 -3.97 Diageo 4,205 Sage Gp 2,255
CAC-40 6517.69 (-2.32) BMW G ¤ 83.83 +1.07 96.39 57.25 2.27 5.00 Evraz 2,044 Sainsbury J 4,151
Amphenol 74.61 -2.88 Ford Motor 14.16 +0.38 Progressive Cp 90.94 -0.62
BNP Paribas Fr ¤ 54.89 -0.55 57.92 28.79 2.03 8.86 Experian 890 Schroders 221
Anadarko Petrlm 72.77 Freeport-Mcm 32.84 +0.60 Prologis 126.43 -1.47
Zurich BP UK p 337.95 -2.35 361.71 3.20 Ferguson 388 Scot Mtge 4,479
Analog Devices 167.37 -11.16 Garmin 155.11 -17.51 Prudential Finl 106.18 +2.43 Flutter Ent 265 SEGRO 1,358
SMI Index 11575.37 (-67.08) British Am Tob UK p 2598.56 -5.44 2961.50 207.50 8.34 9.41
Anthem 375.93 -5.40 Gen Dynamics 198.22 +0.80 Public Serv Ent 60.46 -0.24 Fresnillo 674 Severn Trent 353
Aon Corp 291.08 -8.09 Gen Electric 105.82 +2.02 Public Storage 297.20 -6.68 DJ Euro Stoxx 50 4035.30 (-12.78) BT Group UK p 158.85 -0.95 206.70 97.04 10.88 GlaxoSmKline 5,855 Smith & Neph 4,485
Apple 142.65 -4.27 Gen Growth Props 22.06 +0.43 Qualcomm 128.71 -5.17 Centrica UK p 57.72 +1.04 59.32 35.69 4.18 Glencore 45,037 Smith (DS) 4,398
London
Applied Mats 129.13 -12.79 General Mills 60.62 +0.08 Realty Income 65.85 -0.61 Christian Dior Fr ¤ 628.00 +4.00 728.00 346.60 0.96 29.06 Halma 375 Smiths 585
FTSE 100 7027.07 (-59.35) Hargreaves L 1,621 Smurfit Kappa 347
Archer Daniels 60.80 +1.04 General Mtrs 53.13 +0.90 Red Hat 187.71 Compagnie de Saint-Gobain 56.86 -1.54 67.63 31.26 2.37 13.74
Arthur J. Gallagher152.44 -1.60 Gilead Sciences 68.56 -2.63 Regeneron Pharm 570.79 -68.11 FTSE 250 22975.77 (-55.52) Hikma Pharms 249 Spirax-Sarco 169
FTSE 350 4044.03 (-29.77) CS Group S SF 9.19 -0.11 13.50 8.50 2.93 21.54 HSBC 16,244 SSE 2,926
AT&T 27.16 +0.03 Global Payments 159.85 -1.79 Regions Financial 21.74 +1.09
Daimler G ¤ 77.37 +0.65 80.41 43.12 2.91 6.16 Imperial Brands 1,701 St James Place 813
Auto Data Proc 202.00 -0.22 Goldman Sachs 380.00 -10.85 Republic Serv 120.73 -4.08 FTSE Eurotop 100 3279.77 (-15.38) Informa 4,285 Stand Chart 7,988
Autodesk 284.06 -10.61 Google Class A 2730.86 -113.44 Rockwell Auto 294.86 -7.71 Danone Fr ¤ 58.11 -0.94 65.30 46.03 6.97 18.89
FTSE All-Shares 4028.97 (-29.99) Intercont Htls 1,305 Taylor Wimpey 15,011
Autozone 1672.28 -22.55 Google Class C CS 2729.25 -123.41 Rockwell Collins 141.04 Deutsche Bank G ¤ 10.80 -0.24 12.56 7.03 17.24 Intermediate Cap 389 Tesco 20,836
FTSE Non Financials 4845.95 (-35.57)
AvalonBay 222.76 -3.65 Grainger (WW) 398.25 -7.10 Roper Inds 447.58 -18.42 Deutsche Telekom G ¤ 17.36 -0.03 18.92 12.59 3.46 15.47 Intl Cons Air 45,364 Unilever 2,702
techMARK 100 7160.97 (-49.38)
Baker Hughes 57.68 Harris 189.13 -8.09 Ross Stores 111.09 -4.90 Diageo UK p 3531.00 -75.00 3666.00 2474.00 1.99 31.14 Intertek 253 Utd Utilities 1,087
Ball Corp 89.85 -2.45 Hartford Financial 71.01 +1.61 RylCaribbean 92.33 +1.64
Bargains n/a ITV 8,758 Vodafone Gp 70,922
EON G ¤ 10.77 +0.20 11.43 8.27 4.37 8.27
Bank NY Mellon 52.92 +1.37 HCA Hldngs 247.79 -8.54 Salesforce.com 275.26 -10.37 US$ 1.3560 (+0.0093) JD Sports 1,396 Whitbread 594
EDF Fr ¤ 11.54 +0.65 13.58 8.97 1.82 7.24 Johnson Math 606 WPP 2,948
Bank of America 43.08 +0.94 Hershey 170.78 -3.26 Schlumberger 30.36 +1.35 Euro 1.1688 (+0.0053)
Enel It ¤ 6.73 +0.08 9.05 6.55 5.11 27.97
Bard (CR) 331.24 Hess 81.14 +5.80 Schwab (Charles) 74.42 -1.17 £:SDR 0.98 (+0.00)
Engie (FR) 11.62 +0.28 13.87 10.10 4.57 57.99
Baxter Intl
BB&T
81.29 +0.44
54.24 -0.48
Home Depot
Honeywell Intl
329.86 -7.63
215.65 -3.54
Sempra Energy 125.58
Sherwin-Williams 285.04
-4.19
-6.76
Exchange Index 80.95 (+0.37)
ENI It ¤ 11.48 -0.06 11.58 5.73 5.01
European money
Bank of England official close (4pm)
Becton Dickinsn 244.68 -8.50
Berkshire Hath 275.71 -2.16
Hormel Foods
HP Inc
40.89 +0.09
28.07 +0.18
Simon Prop
SkyworksSol
133.14
163.92
-0.71
-8.73
CPI 112.09 Aug (2015 = 100)
Fresenius Medical Care Ag & Co 73.67 -0.85 83.15 63.51 3.76 19.82 deposits %
GlaxoSmKline UK p 1385.60 -18.00 1528.80 1190.80 5.77 15.98
Best Buy 105.31 +0.57 Humana 391.55 -7.36 Southern Co 61.75 -1.41 RPI 307.40 Aug (Jan 1987 = 100) Currency
Glencre Xstrata 347.50 -4.35 375.80 3.40 1.24 30.28
Biogen Idec 283.94 -7.77 Huntington 15.86 +0.67 S&P Global 428.36 -24.72 RPIX 290.10 Jun (Jan 1987 = 100) 1mth 3mth 6mth 12mth
Heineken NV Nl ¤ 90.22 +0.02 103.80 74.82 0.78 45.93 Dollar
Blackrock 841.89 -32.73 IBM 143.32 +5.83 Spectra Engy 319.56 -20.85 Morningstar Long Commodity 677.16 (+5.72)
Henkel KGaA G ¤ 73.30 -1.25 86.50 71.45 2.50 20.20 0.13 0.20 0.29 0.55
Boeing 226.00 +4.61 ICE Group 115.40 -4.34 Stan Blk & Dkr 174.87 -10.49 Morningstar Long/Short Commod 4703.45 (+27.75) Sterling
Henkel KGaA Pref G ¤ 78.78 -1.40 99.50 76.96 2.33 21.71
Boston Sci 43.80 -0.90 IFF 141.10 +8.46 Starbucks 112.92 -1.19 0.05 0.08 0.17 0.38
Bristol-Myrs Sq 59.51 -0.72 Illinois Tool 206.87 -9.07 State Street 86.41 +0.67 Hermes Intl SCA Fr ¤ 1195.50 -1.00 1354.50 738.40 0.38 56.27 Euro
Broadcom Ord 487.35 -17.57 Illumina 394.84 -37.98 Sthwest Airlines 54.35 +1.50 Commodities HSBC UK p 388.65 -1.40 462.55 292.80 2.76 11.93 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.50
Brown-Forman- B 67.18 -1.46 Ingersoll-Rand 50.87 -2.64 Stryker 268.22 -8.42 Iberdrola Es ¤ 8.73 +0.04 12.57 8.59 4.59 17.42
Capital One Fin 166.54 +0.37 Intel 53.86 -0.36 SunTrust Banks 70.13 ICIS pricing (London 7.30pm) Imperial Tobacco UK p 1527.00 -31.50 1686.00 1142.00 12.16 9.66 Gold/precious
CarMax 127.18 -17.24 Intl Paper 53.26 -3.71 Synchrony Fin 49.91 -0.32
Carnival 26.09 +0.65 Intuit 543.97 -33.95 Sysco 80.82 +0.34
Crude Oils ($/barrel FOB)
Inditex Es ¤
ING Nl ¤
32.02
12.50
+0.20
-0.06
32.85
12.83
20.86
5.65
1.81
0.96
50.80
9.75
metals
Caterpillar 194.33 -2.49 Intuitive Surg 1009.50 -33.83 Target 228.42 -13.02
Intesa Sanpaolo It ¤ 2.45 2.50 1.38 19.14 Because of a technical issue, the gold fix
Celgene 108.24 Johnsn & Johnsn 160.47 -3.89 TE Connectivity 141.73 -2.32 Brent Physical 79.36 +0.87
BFOE(Dec) 78.66 +1.02 Linde G ¤ 253.55 -2.55 271.55 183.15 1.35 48.16 prices are from Thursday.
Centene 63.05 +0.23 Johnson Controls 69.02 -4.55 Texas Insts 193.79 -6.86
Cerner 70.34 -2.64 JP Morgan Chase 167.13 +4.09 TheKraftHeinz 36.68 +0.29 BFOE(Jan) 79.39 +0.97 Lloyds Bkg Gp UK p 45.24 -1.33 50.56 25.94 18.10
WTI(Dec) 75.12 +0.93 Bullion: Open $1752.89
Chevron 104.33 +3.73 Kansas City 276.96 +4.53 Thermo Fisher 572.72 -37.06 L'Oreal Fr ¤ 361.55 +4.70 406.25 275.10 1.11 49.42
WTI(Jan) 75.58 +0.88 Close $1761.59-1762.05 High $1763.45
Chipotle Mex Gr 1828.60 -108.62 Kellogg 63.87 +0.09 TJX 66.61 -4.49 LVMH Fr ¤ 630.00 +9.90 716.60 396.30 0.95 33.49
Cigna Corp 202.60 -1.29 KeyCorp 22.34 +1.20 Tractor Supply Co 201.36 -9.36 Munich Re G ¤ 237.25 +0.35 269.30 194.10 4.14 15.73 Low $1749.79
Cintas 387.32 -14.15 Kimberly-Clark 132.18 -0.81 Transdigm Group 652.93 +8.51 Products ($/MT)
Natl Grid UK p 895.20 +10.60 983.70 805.40 5.47 19.33 AM $1730.95 PM $1742.80
Cisco Systems 55.14 -1.59 Kinder Morgan 16.91 +0.38 Travelers 152.42 -4.04
Spot CIF NW Europe (prompt delivery) Nestle S SF 112.12 -0.58 117.44 95.34 Krugerrand $1743.00-2838.00 (£1284.55-2091.53)
Citigroup 71.18 KLA-Tencor 335.02 -34.51 TSYS 133.27
Novartis S SF 76.06 -0.77 86.92 70.42 3.97 21.13
Citizens Financial 48.27 +2.95 Kroger 39.14 -0.84 Tyson Foods 78.31 +2.09 Premium Unld 707.00 709.00 +8.00 Platinum $985.00 (£725.92)
CME 196.59 -1.42 Lab Corp Amer 279.48 -16.89 Union Pacific 201.74 -2.06 Gasoil EEC 668.00 670.00 -3.00 Orange 9.28 -0.07 10.87 8.63 7.56 28.06
Coca-Cola 53.02 -0.87 Lam Research 569.73 -42.75 Untd Rentls 358.15 +1.64 3.5 Fuel Oil 432.00 433.25 +3.00 Pernod Ricard NV Fr ¤ 190.05 -0.65 194.00 133.65 1.46 172.79 Silver $22.57 (£16.64)
Cognizant Tech 75.27 -2.35 Lennar 93.70 -6.26 UPS 181.49 -6.53 Naphtha 710.00 712.00 -3.00 Philips Elect Nl ¤ 37.74 -0.61 50.98 37.04 2.26 33.92 Palladium $1930.00 (£1422.36)
Colgate-Palm 75.58 -1.05 Lockheed Martin 347.80 -1.72 US Bancorp 60.76 +0.97 Prudential UK p 1450.50 -4.50 1598.50 861.00 0.81 20.16
Comcast 57.21 +0.97 Lowes Cos 203.70 -4.17 Utd Health 392.43 -14.65
ConocoPhillips 70.10 +5.08 LyondellBasell 95.83 +2.73 Utd Tech 86.01 -18.63
ICE Futures Reckitt Benckiser UK p
Richemont S SF
6498.00
99.06
+6.00
+1.64
8020.00
119.00
5782.00
56.20
2.69
1.00 40.23
Dollar rates
Consd Edison 71.60 -1.40 Marathon Petrol 63.56 +1.67 Valero Energy 73.62 +5.99 Gas Oil Rio Tinto UK p 4835.99 -77.51 6876.26 4252.50 7.00 5.76 Australia 1.3752-1.3753
Constellation Brs 213.48 +0.86 Marriott Intl 155.97 +3.46 Ventas 56.08 +0.70 Oct 681.25-681.00 Jan 672.75-672.50 Canada 1.2653-1.2654
Corning 36.98 -1.41 Marsh & McLenn 154.13 -5.33 VeriSign 206.68 -11.09 Roche Hldgs S SF 385.00 +0.60 413.80 292.40 2.33 24.03
Nov 681.00-680.75 Feb 669.75-668.75 Denmark 6.4110-6.4115
Costco Whole 448.33 -19.42 MartinMarietta 354.01 +3.01 Verisk Analyt CS 199.99 -7.98 Dec 677.00-676.75 Volume: 691981 Rolls-Royce UK p 142.88 +2.74 148.45 34.59 3.12 Euro 0.8621-0.8621
Crown Castle Int 173.02 -9.05 MasterCard 360.18 +2.02 Verizon Comm 54.30 -0.07 Royal Bank Scot UK p 120.90 -0.45 265.00 100.34 2.48 8.01 Hong Kong 7.7850-7.7855
CSX 30.34 -0.08 McDonald's 242.93 -3.49 Vertex Pharma 180.35 -3.26 Brent (9.00pm) Royal Dutch Shell A UK p 1643.60 -11.40 1718.36 878.10 2.94 32.06 Japan 110.97-110.97
Malaysia 4.1850-4.1880
Cummins 227.96 +0.30 McKesson 200.02 -3.13 VF Corp 68.20 +0.24 Dec 79.18-79.17 Mar 77.02-76.95 Royal Dutch Shell B UK p 1645.60 -4.00 1668.98 845.10 2.94 32.02 Norway 8.6199-8.6258
CVS Caremark 84.07 -0.64 Medtronic 127.31 -2.71 Visa 230.46 -1.13 Jan 78.42-78.40 Apr 77.44-76.26 Sanofi-Aventis Fr ¤ 82.61 -0.47 91.14 74.92 3.88 17.91 Singapore 1.3546-1.3551
Danaher 302.32 -22.18 Merck & Co 81.40 +7.79 Vulcan Mats 172.94 -3.12 Feb 77.70-77.63 Volume: 1711625 Sweden 8.7457-8.7505
SAP G ¤ 116.26 -0.62 135.62 89.93 1.59 23.39 Switzerland 0.9296-0.9296
Deere&Co 342.20 -7.05 Metlife 62.52 +1.16 Walgreens Boots 46.80 -1.51
LIFFE Schneider Electric Fr ¤ 142.52 -1.38 159.30 101.25 1.83 27.33
Delta Air Lines 45.38 +1.85 Microchip 152.71 -12.59 Wal-Mart 137.05 -6.12
Devon Energy 36.81 +3.72 Micron 70.99 -3.06 Walt Disney 176.01 +0.01
Cocoa
Siemens G ¤
Standard Chartered UK p
137.70
432.30
-4.22
-3.70
151.86
533.20
98.50
345.00
2.55
1.51
22.05
21.61
Other Sterling
Digital Realty Tr. 145.06 -7.66 Microsoft 289.10 -10.25 Waste Mgt 149.84 -4.35
Discover Financial 127.19 -2.82 Mondelez 58.21 -2.15 Waters 355.70 -37.88 Dec 1885-1883 Mar 1731-1720 Swatch Gp BR S SF 246.00 +0.50 333.90 190.85 1.40 24.88 Argentina peso 134.02-134.03
Dollar General 209.21 -8.50 Monster Bvrge 89.88 -2.86 WEC Engy 87.62 -2.38 Mar 1859-1853 May 1732-1720 Swiss Re AG S SF 79.74 -0.40 94.96 62.22 7.42 20.12 Australia dollar 1.8659-1.8661
May 1903-1823 Jul 1716-1710
Dollar Tree 97.98 +13.44 Moodys 359.25 -17.02 Wells Fargo 47.02 -0.90 Telefonica Es ¤ 4.00 -0.05 4.32 2.71 9.83 2.45 Bahrain dinar 0.5080-0.5150
Jul 1873-1801
Dominion Res 72.29 -2.29 Morgan Stanley 99.05 -3.86 Weyerhaeuser 35.77 -1.42 Sep 1800-1779 Tenaris SA It ¤ 9.08 -0.01 9.99 3.76 2.27 23.16 Brazil real 7.2877-7.2918
Dover 156.88 -5.02 Motorola Sols 234.31 -6.46 Williams Cos 26.40 +1.00 Dec 1752-1738 Volume: 80045 Tesco UK p 247.20 -6.10 317.55 2.74 4.96 32.88 Euro 1.1697-1.1698
Dow Chemical 58.58 +1.77 Nasdaq OMX 193.73 -3.05 Xcel Energy 62.49 -0.83
Total Fr ¤ 39.69 +0.87 42.19 24.51 6.66 19.52 Hong Kong dollar 10.563-10.565
D.R. Horton 83.75 -3.29 Netflix 613.15 +20.76 Xilinx 151.87 -5.37 RobustaCoffee
Dr Pepper Snap 123.66 -0.02 Newmont Mining 53.56 -0.31 Xylem 121.30 -14.32 UBS AG S SF 14.76 -0.25 15.81 10.16 4.54 7.90 India rupee 100.62-100.63
Nov 2175-2173 Sep 2047-1900
DTE Energy 111.67 -2.04 NextEra Energy 79.21 -1.49 Yum Brands 123.64 -1.88 Jan 2170-2160 Nov 2049-1900 Unilever NV Nl ¤ 46.49 -0.16 53.66 43.00 2.34 26.29 Indonesia rupiah 19358-19358
Duke Energy 98.46 Nike 147.06 -2.53 Zimmer 149.47 -1.76 May 2084-2082 Vinci Fr ¤ 90.85 +0.70 96.95 64.86 2.25 23.12 Kuwait dinar KD 0.4076-0.4099
Eaton 150.65 -5.36 Norfolk Sthn 243.54 -1.53 Zoetis 196.19 -8.54 Jul 2075-2070 Volume: 12462 Vivendi Fr ¤ 10.87 -0.04 33.48 10.00 5.53 10.33 Malaysia ringgit 5.6749-5.6790
Vodafone Group UK p 112.20 -1.10 157.52 1.56 6.83 346.30 New Zealand dollar 1.9544-1.9548
White Sugar (FOB)
London Financial Futures Reuters Aug
Oct
498.50-494.00
493.60-485.00
Volkswagen G ¤
Volvo B Sw Kr
267.40
194.50
-0.60
-2.56
357.40
240.80
131.80
165.60
1.80
3.10
7.58
12.05
Singapore dollar
S Africa rand
1.8382-1.8386
20.186-20.199
Period Open High Low Sett Vol Open Int Dec 510.80-510.00 Dec 489.80-482.00 Zurich Fin S SF 381.00 -2.60 411.30 297.80 5.26 12.95 U A E dirham 4.9793-4.9820
Long Gilt Dec 21 125.59 125.72 125.21 125.33 243802 792176 Mar 512.90-511.00 Mar 485.90-380.10
May 507.70-502.00 Volume: 52372
Mar 22 124.00 124.18 124.00 124.36 2 12732 Money rates % Exchange rates
3-Mth Sterling Dec 21 99.780 99.800 99.775 99.795 59747 646117 London Grain Futures
Mar 22 99.525 99.540 99.515 99.530 55870 432175 Base Rates Clearing Banks 0.10 ECB Refi -0.50 US Fed Fd 0.00-0.25 Bid Change
LIFFE Wheat (close £/t)
Jun 22 99.380 99.405 99.370 99.385 55715 273312 Australia $ 1.866
Halifax Mortgage Rate 3.74
Sep 22 99.260 99.290 99.255 99.270 63120 369471 Nov 202.75 Jan unq Mar 197.00 Canada $ 1.716 +0.01
May 209.25 Jul unq Volume: 1004 Denmark Kr 8.683 +0.03
Dec 22 99.200 99.220 99.180 99.200 79174 509227 Treasury Bills (Dis) Buy: 1 mth 0.019; 3 mth 0.001. Sell: 1 mth 0.000; 3 mth -0.015
3-Mth Euribor Dec 21 100.54 100.55 100.54 100.54 52849 459259 Euro ¤ 1.168
London Metal Exchange Hong Kong $ 10.542 +0.05
Mar 22 100.52 100.53 100.52 100.52 48234 292253 1 mth 2 mth 3 mth 6 mth 12 mth
(Official) Hungary 416.618 -1.30
Jun 22 100.49 100.50 100.49 100.49 35010 342901
Sep 22 100.46 100.47 100.45 100.46 36806 462006
Interbank Rates 0.0475 0.0680 0.0819 0.1746 0.3753 Indonesia 19370.845 +72.66
Cash 3mth Dec 22 Israel Shk 4.358 +0.01
Dec 21 100.43 100.44 100.42 100.43 50041 450538 Eurodollar Deps 0.05-0.25 0.06-0.26 0.07-0.27 0.10-0.30 0.16-0.36
Japan Yen 150.235 -0.21
3-Mth Euroswiss Dec 21 100.77 100.77 100.76 100.77 745 59736 Copper Gde A ($/tonne)
New Zealand $ 1.953
Mar 22 100.72 100.73 100.71 100.72 1070 50438 9112.0-9113.0 9099.0-9101.0 9040.0-9050.0 Sterling spot and forward rates Norway Kr 11.687 -0.08
Jun 22 100.69 100.71 100.69 100.70 4853 33449 Poland 5.355
Lead ($/tonne) Mkt Rates for Range Close 1 month 3 month
Sep 22 100.66 100.68 100.66 100.67 4479 33985 Russia 98.575 +0.44
2154.0-2155.0 2124.0-2126.0 2093.0-2098.0
FTSE100 Dec 21 7044.5 7055.0 6958.5 6995.0 119421 602490 Copenhagen 8.6237-8.7024 8.6971-8.7021 52ds 169ds S Africa Rd 20.159 -0.13
Mar 22 7008.0 7008.0 7008.0 6925.0 1 114 Zinc Spec Hi Gde ($/tonne) Euro 1.1704-1.1596 1.1698-1.1697 5pr 16pr Sweden Kr 11.870 +0.07
FTSEurofirst 80 Dec 21 5540.0 2998.5-2999.0 3007.0-3008.0 2963.0-2968.0 Switzerland Fr 1.259
Montreal 1.7075-1.7193 1.7168-1.7169 1pr 3pr
Mar 22 5523.0 Turkey Lira 12.003 +0.02
Alum Hi Gde ($/tonne) New York 1.3435-1.3573 1.3568-1.3569 1pr 3pr USA $ 1.354 +0.01
2864.0-2865.0 2880.0-2881.0 2763.0-2768.0 Oslo 11.684-11.808 11.697-11.702 44pr 145pr Rates supplied by Morningstar
© 2021 Tradeweb Markets LLC. All rights reserved.
The Tradeweb FTSE Gilt Closing Prices information contained Nickel ($/tonne) Stockholm 11.790-11.883 11.867-11.871 21ds 96ds
herein is proprietary to Tradeweb; may not be copied or 18120.0-18125.0 18080.0-18100.0 17985.0-18035.0 Tokyo 149.24-150.69 150.57-150.59 3ds 12ds Data as shown is
re-distributed; is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely; and does not constitute for information
investment advice. Tradeweb is not responsible for any loss or damage that might result Tin ($/tonne) 15mth Zurich 1.2505-1.2621 1.2612-1.2614 9ds 29ds
purposes only. No offer is made by
from the use of this information. 35550.0-35600.0 33950.0-34000.0 31145.0-31195.0 Premium = pr Discount = ds Morningstar or this publication
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 73

Money
Unit-linked insurance investments
Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld Weekly Yld
Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- % Sell Buy +/- %

ABBEY LIFE CLERICAL MEDICAL INVESTMENT GROUP International 640.80 674.50 -4.50 … Oseas Equity Ord 1824.30 1920.30 +1.20 … Gilts & Fxd Int 631.00 664.20 -12.00 … Squirrel 28.63 30.14 -0.01 …
01202 292373 Narrow Plain,, Bristol BS2 0JH 0117 9290566 Japan 351.30 369.70 -7.00 … Property Init 278.00 292.60 +3.70 … Growth Fund 896.30 943.50 -4.50 … Stag 100.90 106.20 -1.40 …
80 Holdenhurst Road,, Bournemouth Life Funds North Amer 4036.00 4248.40 +7.20 … Property Ord 981.70 1033.40 +13.50 … International Fd 1285.50 1353.20 -2.80 …
BH8 8AL Perpetual 468.00 492.60 -1.30 … North American 2203.50 2319.50 +10.40 … Pensions
Cash 294.88 310.40 … …
American Ser 4 3667.20 3860.20 -44.60 … Dist Acc S2 225.17 225.17 -3.58 … Schroders 1479.10 1556.90 +14.40 … NPI Opportunity Fd 870.90 916.80 -3.00 … Bear 116.90 123.10 -1.20 …
Custodian S4 596.90 628.30 -5.00 … Fidelity Bal 1195.64 1258.56 +0.95 … Select Mgd 147.80 155.60 -0.30 … 020 7477 5567 Safety Fund 680.60 716.40 -5.00 … Bull 121.30 127.70 -0.30 …
Equity Ser 4 723.00 761.10 -8.20 … Gilt & Fixed Int 583.85 614.58 -9.08 … UK Eqty Inc 1540.30 1621.30 -39.50 … 55 Moorgate, London EC2 UK Equity 901.30 948.70 -3.10 … Deposit 34.62 36.44 … …
Ethical S4 415.90 437.80 -4.80 … Non Eqty 427.20 449.69 -1.84 … UK Equity Gwth 2140.80 2253.40 -26.60 … Gilt Edged 75.97 79.97 -1.91 …
UK Fxd Int 655.80 690.30 -9.80 … Americas 2507.50 2639.50 +16.90 … Owl 135.80 142.90 -0.70 …
European S4 929.50 978.40 -23.70 … Nth American 2820.48 2968.93 +22.51 … Deposit 358.10 377.00 … … SCOTTISH PROVIDENT INSTITUTION
Fixed Int Ser 4 978.00 1029.50 -15.50 … Property 728.06 766.38 +7.35 … 0131 556 9181 Squirrel 46.27 48.71 -0.01 …
Far East 1722.30 1813.00 -2.80 … Stag 167.70 176.60 -2.80 …
High Inc Ser 4 2390.70 2516.50 -9.00 … UK Gwth 1282.10 1349.58 -0.17 … Pension Fixed Interest 1106.70 1165.00 -19.50 … 6 St Andrews Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YA
International S4 789.10 830.60 -10.30 … With Prof Bd S2 121.70 121.70 … … Aggressive Mgd 4 1003.20 1055.90 -3.70 … Indexed Gilt 960.00 1010.60 -37.80 … Cash 299.50 315.30 … … Pre 1982 Series
Japan Ser 4 573.10 603.30 +2.60 … With Profits Flex 127.30 127.30 … … Balanced Mgd 3 3919.10 4125.30 -39.20 … Managed 1746.70 1838.70 -6.10 … Equity 912.90 960.90 -8.40 …
Man Ser 4 2327.00 2449.50 -23.60 … With Profits Reg 390.30 410.90 +0.20 … 3-Way Fund 3031.90 3031.90 -5.60 …
Cautious Mgd 2 815.90 858.80 -3.90 … Overseas Equity 2333.60 2456.50 -1.40 … Fixed Interest 805.50 847.90 -12.70 …
Money Ser 4 526.10 553.70 … … European 1322.20 1391.70 -26.30 … UK Equity 2331.20 2453.90 -7.20 … Index Linked 678.50 714.20 -23.80 … Gresham
Prop Fd Ser 4 1029.20 1083.40 +0.50 … Pension Funds Far Eastern 2986.80 3143.90 -12.90 … International 1074.60 1131.20 -2.30 …
Protected Gth S4 213.80 225.00 … … American & Genrl 4505.40 4742.50 +34.40 …
Cash 334.41 352.01 +0.01 … Framlington 258.10 271.70 +0.80 … PEARL Managed 922.30 970.80 -4.70 … Capital Fund 2393.10 2519.10 -4.40 …
European 2035.26 2142.38 -29.96 … Green 1069.80 1126.10 -14.90 … The Pearl Centre,, Lynch
y Wood,, Peterboroughg Property 624.20 657.10 +3.40 … Equity Fund 2726.20 2869.70 -5.00 …
Fomerly Hill Samuel Life Assurance Ltd Gilt & Fixed Int 685.32 721.39 -13.27 … International 951.50 1001.50 -7.70 … PE2 6FY 01733 470 470 Fixed Interest 769.80 810.40 -15.40 …
Halifax 142.88 150.40 … … Japan 448.10 471.60 -9.20 … Formerly Prolific Income 3183.90 3351.40 -5.80 …
Equity Fund 2838.80 3004.10 -36.00 … North Amer 11677.40 12292.00 +10.30 … Inv Equity 5513.10 5803.30 -4.90 …
European Fund 4849.40 5131.70 -123.50 … Nth American 4280.59 4505.88 +39.26 … Adventurous Mg 880.00 926.40 -2.80 … International Gth 3801.70 4001.80 +3.20 …
PP Bal Pens 1212.08 1275.88 +1.01 … Perpetual 566.20 595.90 -1.90 … Inv Managed 3940.90 4148.40 -12.40 … Japan & General 646.70 680.70 +0.60 …
Fixed Intl 1083.80 1146.90 -17.20 … Schroders 2846.70 2996.50 +33.90 … Inv Prop Ac Grs 853.40 898.40 … … Bal Gwth Mngd 2800.40 2947.80 -14.10 …
Income Fund 3149.20 3332.40 -90.70 … PP Caut Pens 394.14 414.88 -1.60 … Cash Fund 542.40 571.00 … … Managed Bond 3361.40 3538.30 -6.50 …
PP UK Gth Pens 1118.93 1177.82 -1.78 … Select Mgd 158.90 167.30 -0.30 … Inv Prop Dist 270.00 284.30 … … Money Fund 525.40 553.00 … …
International 2125.60 2249.30 -27.70 … UK Eqty Gwth 3796.20 3995.90 -57.80 … Ret Managed 4733.90 4983.10 -18.70 … Cautious Mngd 423.30 445.60 -3.10 …
Managed Series A 2197.90 2325.80 -22.70 … PP UK Prop Pens 777.92 818.87 +7.97 … Equity Fund 3763.50 3961.60 -7.80 … Property Fund 1264.10 1330.60 +0.70 …
With Profits Reg 691.60 728.10 +0.50 … UK Eqty Inc 2512.60 2644.80 -64.20 … Recovery Fund 2898.50 3051.10 -39.60 …
Managed Units 3994.60 4204.80 -41.10 … UK Fxd Int 1390.50 1463.60 -25.70 … Equity Inc Dist 153.70 161.80 -0.60 …
Money Series A 477.00 504.80 … … With Profits Spec 685.20 721.30 +0.60 … PHOENIX LIFE LTD European 819.20 862.40 -15.50 …
Edward Pavilion,, Liverpool
p L3 4SL 0151 239 3000 WINTERTHUR LIFE UK LIMITED
Money Units 671.90 707.30 … … Extra Income Fd 1416.50 1491.10 -7.80 … 01256 470707
Property Series A 1414.60 1496.90 +0.90 … COUNTRYWIDE ASSURED LLOYDS TSB LIFE LTD For further fund p
prices p
please ring:
g 0800 731 2031 Far East 2313.00 2434.80 -8.70 …
Harbour House,, Portway,y, Preston,, Lancs For further fund prices
p please
p ringg 0800 731 2031 Winterthur Way, y, Basingstoke
g RG21 6SZ
Property Units 2598.70 2735.50 +1.80 … 01634 834000 Fxd Interest Fund 1364.90 1436.80 -25.70 … Formerly Colonial
PR2 2PR Mountbatten Hse,, Chatham,, Kent Broker Life Funds
Smaller Cos 3810.50 4032.30 -152.10 … High Income 2820.50 2969.00 -7.50 …
CA Funds 0800 262536 Life Funds Moneyhill Grth 510.43 537.29 +2.58 … International 1288.80 1356.70 -3.20 … Cash ‡ 285.70 … … …
Deposit Life 220.90 232.50 … … Managed Dist 146.40 154.20 -0.90 … Cash Inv Pens ‡ 532.70 … -0.10 …
Formerly Target Life Assurance Co Ltd Equity 1608.40 1693.10 +4.80 … Cash Pens ‡ 146.40 … -0.10 …
Deposit Pen 308.70 324.90 … … Managed 3697.50 3697.50 +8.00 … Lifestyle Bond Funds (Post 29/1/01) North American 3656.40 3848.90 +17.30 …
Deposit 357.20 376.00 -0.10 … Intl Life 943.70 993.30 -4.10 … Property Fund 941.60 991.20 +5.80 … Equity ‡ 1403.90 … -0.30 …
Income 3161.90 3328.30 -19.50 … Equity Inv Pens 8627.20 9081.20 -50.90 …
Financial Ser 1 261.30 275.10 +2.00 … Intl Pen 1315.90 1385.10 -6.90 … Managed Inv 1933.40 2035.10 +4.00 … Cautious Mgd 263.30 263.30 -2.00 … Technology 7505.90 7901.00 -74.80 …
Fixed Interest 725.80 764.00 -11.50 … Mgd Life 801.20 843.30 -3.70 … Deposit 149.90 149.90 … … UK Mid Cap 3900.60 4105.90 -103.80 … Equity Pens Cap 2302.60 2423.80 -15.20 …
Managed 2189.50 2304.80 -21.50 … Mgd Pen 1208.20 1271.70 -6.70 … Equity 250.20 250.20 -1.00 … Fxd Int ‡ 1003.90 … -7.20 …
Mngd Growth 799.70 841.80 -9.30 … Life Funds-Series Two-Current Series Equity Inc 268.30 268.30 -1.10 … Fxd Int Inv Pens ‡ 2451.20 … -12.30 …
UK Eqty Life 788.10 829.50 -7.00 … Henderson Investment Bonds
Property 838.50 882.60 +0.50 … UK Eqty Pen 1026.80 1080.80 -11.10 … American 3083.20 3245.50 +14.80 … European 343.10 343.10 -7.70 … Fxd Int Pens Cap ‡ 677.60 … -3.30 …
TSB Intl 1510.70 1590.20 -19.80 … Balanced 2438.80 2567.20 -18.80 … Eurotech 90.10 90.10 -0.20 … Deposit Fund 368.50 387.90 … … Idx Lk Inv Pens ‡ 1479.60 … … …
Cash 414.30 436.10 -0.10 … Far East 443.70 443.70 -4.50 … European Fund 1343.90 1414.70 -25.30 … Idx Lk Pens Cap ‡ 408.40 … -0.40 …
CWA Series Funds 0870 600 0014 Key ‡ … … -1.60 …
European Gth 868.80 914.50 -7.50 … Fixed Int 237.60 237.60 -3.60 … Far East Fund 2272.80 2392.50 -8.60 …
AEGON SCOTTISH EQUITABLE
Q Equity Fd 1690.80 1779.80 -8.70 … Fixed Interest 924.50 973.10 -20.50 … FTSE All Share Tkr 273.20 273.20 -0.40 … Fixed Interest 66.30 69.80 -1.30 … Managed 1367.60 1439.60 -4.20 …
08456 100010 Glob Cash 362.40 381.50 … … German Growth 1648.10 1734.90 -22.10 … Income Dist I 119.40 119.40 -0.80 … Global Managed 1609.40 1694.20 -8.00 … Mngd Inv Pens 3738.50 3935.30 -14.10 …
Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh EH12 9SE Glob Eqty 3348.90 3525.20 +11.20 … Income 2931.10 3085.40 -18.20 … Income Dist II 117.50 117.50 -0.80 … North America 1627.20 1712.90 +7.80 … Mngd Pens Cap 998.10 1050.70 -4.50 …
American 2187.70 2302.84 -0.20 … Glob Fxd Int 1590.40 1674.10 -23.50 … Japan Growth 333.90 351.50 -1.30 … International 311.20 311.20 -3.90 … UK Equity Fd 876.40 922.60 +4.20 … Pacemaker ‡ … … -3.10 …
Cash 277.47 292.08 -0.06 … Glob Mgd 2391.20 2517.10 -6.90 … Managed Inv 2095.60 2205.90 +4.40 … Japan Grth 204.80 204.80 -5.00 …
Glob Prop 844.30 888.70 -0.30 … ZURICH ASSURANCE LTD
Distribution 105.33 110.88 -0.91 … Pacific Basin 1452.60 1529.10 -0.90 … Managed 280.90 280.90 -2.00 … SCOTTISH WIDOWS GROUP 0845 300 2332
Ethical 778.13 819.08 -23.72 … Managed Fd 2988.10 3145.40 -8.80 … Property 1697.60 1786.90 +18.10 … North America 452.70 452.70 -5.60 … PO Box 902, Edinburgh EH16 5BU
Property Fd 694.10 730.60 -0.20 … UK Life Centre,, Swindon SN1 1EL
European 1327.47 1397.34 -35.63 … Smllr Cos Recov 5813.80 6119.80 -55.30 … Pacific Grth 705.90 705.90 -1.20 … Life Funds
Fixed Interest 580.46 611.01 -11.18 … Property 345.70 345.70 +1.70 … Cash Fund 360.90 379.90 -0.10 …
Worldwide Gth 1925.50 2026.80 +1.90 … Equity Fund 2329.20 2451.80 -19.70 …
Global 391.77 412.39 -2.87 … FRIENDS PROVIDENT UK Leader 251.30 251.30 +1.10 … Equity 10577.30 11134.00 -4.10 …
International 1183.00 1245.26 -7.67 … 01722 413366 UK Smlr Cos 376.00 376.00 -10.30 … Fixed Interest Fd 1131.40 1191.00 -25.10 … Managed (1) 1126.60 1185.90 -3.70 …
Castle Street, Salisbury, Wilts SP1 3SH Pension Funds Indexed Stock Fd 877.70 923.90 -31.10 … Managed (2) 856.00 901.10 -2.80 …
Japan 507.73 534.45 -5.17 … With Profits 149.46 149.46 +0.07 …
Mixed 1023.91 1077.80 -9.02 … American Pens 1869.40 1967.80 +10.50 … International Fd 2368.10 2492.80 +7.60 … Managed (3) ‡ 657.80 … -2.00 …
Cash 322.60 339.60 … … Inv Cash 546.80 575.60 -0.10 …
Pacific 1721.00 1811.58 +15.08 … European 1596.40 1680.40 -20.20 … Cash Pen 311.40 327.80 … … Mangd Gen 4 161.80 170.30 -0.30 …
European Pen 1628.40 1714.10 -16.70 … Other Life & Pension Funds Inv Pol 1 5127.80 5127.80 +12.90 … Property 2013.90 2119.90 +16.00 …
Technology 5018.58 5282.71 -131.53 … Fixed Inter Life 794.50 836.30 -8.70 …
UK Equity 998.23 1050.77 -8.12 … Far East Pen 628.80 661.90 -0.50 … Pens Unit W Prof 231.72 243.91 +0.18 … Inv Pol 2 4358.00 4587.30 +10.80 … Property (1) 424.20 446.50 +3.40 …
Index Linked 719.00 756.90 -26.90 … Inv Pol 3 3621.20 3811.80 +8.70 …
Managed 1209.30 1273.00 -8.90 … Fixed Int Pen 688.90 725.10 -19.10 … With Profits Bd 182.46 182.46 +0.11 … Property (2) ‡ 454.70 … +3.70 …
FTSE 100 355.90 374.60 +3.10 … Mixed Fund 1986.30 2090.90 +0.30 …
ALBA LIFE North American 1232.70 1297.60 +7.30 … Property Fund 1007.40 1060.40 +10.20 … Pension
Overseas Equity 1807.30 1902.40 -4.70 … Managed Pen 1026.80 1080.90 +1.20 … Pensions Solution Funds (Post 6/4/2001)
50 Bothwell St,, Glasgow
g G2 6HR Property Pen 1034.20 1088.60 +10.50 … Managed (1) 1621.60 1706.90 -6.70 …
0141 248 2000 Pacific Basin 612.80 645.10 -2.40 … Balanced Grth 300.30 300.30 -2.80 …
Property 704.70 741.80 +5.70 … UK Equity Pen 760.80 800.90 -7.20 … SKANDIA LIFE ASSURANCE CO LTD Equity Acc 29627.80 31187.20 -11.90 …
Formerly y Britannia Cash Deposit 159.00 159.00 … … 01703 334411 Managed Acc 17238.40 18145.70 -37.90 …
Life Stewardship 1732.40 1823.60 -29.30 … Equity 255.40 255.40 -1.20 …
UK Equity 1643.90 1730.40 -7.90 … LONDON LIFE Skandia House,, Portland Terrace Property (1) 755.90 795.60 +6.70 …
European 1586.20 1669.70 -18.40 … Equity Inc 274.80 274.80 -1.20 … Southampton SO9 7BX Property (2) ‡ 791.00 … +7.10 …
0117 984 7777 European 407.40 407.40 -10.70 …
Far East 677.60 713.30 -2.50 … Spectrum, Bond Street, Bristol, BS1 3AL Balanced Acc 947.70 997.50 +4.90 … Property Acc 8975.80 9448.20 +79.00 …
Formerly London & Manchester Assurance Eurotech 173.80 173.80 +4.40 … With Profs (5) ‡ 231.10 … +0.10 …
Fixed Interest 945.00 994.70 -15.70 … Equity Acc 2269.30 2388.70 -29.70 …
International 1436.30 1511.90 -3.60 … Equity Ex Cap ‡ … … -2.00 … Deposit 506.00 506.00 … … Far East 552.50 552.50 -6.80 … With Profs (6) ‡ 203.00 … +0.10 …
Deposit A 290.50 305.80 … … Fixed Int 281.80 281.80 -5.30 … Global Acc 812.50 855.20 -1.20 …
Japan 722.50 760.60 -3.00 … Equity Life ‡ … … -8.90 …
Deposit P 646.50 646.50 … … FTSE All Share Tkr 305.20 305.20 -0.40 … Property 580.30 610.80 +0.40 … Share Class 1 - Retail
Managed Fund 1530.80 1611.40 -7.60 … Fixed Interest ‡ … … -9.40 …
Money Market 399.50 420.50 … … Fxd Int Ex Cap ‡ … … -1.90 … Equity 3849.90 3849.90 -9.30 … Index Linked 395.40 395.40 -13.80 … Managed (2) ‡ 834.00 … -3.30 …
Gtd Dep Ex Cap ‡ … … -0.10 … Equity A 857.90 903.10 -2.10 … International 380.30 380.30 -5.40 … STANDARD LIFE ASSURANCE CO
North America 1386.20 1459.10 +6.60 … Standard Life House,, 30 Lothian Road,,
Property 1042.90 1097.80 +7.80 … Guaranteed Deposit ‡ … … … … Equity P 3371.30 3371.30 -10.70 … Managed Grth 312.10 312.10 -2.80 …
UK Equity 2497.50 2629.00 -5.60 … Inter Life ‡
Intl Ex Cap ‡
…
…
…
…
-5.10
-1.30
…
…
Fixed Int A
Fixed Int P
575.10 605.40
2190.30 2190.30
-10.10
-48.60
…
…
Pens Protector
Property
345.20
444.90
345.20
444.90
-13.50
+2.70
…
…
Edinburgh EH1 2DH 0131 225 2552
Cash 435.40 458.40 … …
British funds
Prop Ex Cap ‡ … … +0.90 … Fixed Interest 1349.40 1349.40 -23.70 … UK Leader 269.60 269.60 +1.30 … Equity 4491.90 4728.40 -53.10 … Stock Price Wkly Int Yld Grs rd
Pensions Prop Life ‡ … … +5.00 … Index Stock A 749.20 788.70 -29.40 … Unitised W Prof 194.73 194.73 +0.15 … European 978.50 1030.10 -24.40 … Outstanding(£) Stock (£) +/– % yld
Equity 1746.50 1838.40 -4.40 … Index Stock P 1423.50 1423.50 -70.60 … Far East 598.40 629.90 -3.10 … Index-linked
European 2025.70 2132.30 -27.60 … FP Life Assurance ex NM Indexed Stock 996.10 996.10 -39.20 … PRUDENTIAL INDIVIDUAL LIFE FUNDS Fixed Interest 1247.70 1313.40 -16.80 …
International 1446.00 1446.00 -0.90 … 110.67 107.69 Tr IL 1Y% 22 108.53 – .05 1.78 –5.33
Far Eastern 568.00 597.90 -2.50 … American 3329.10 3504.30 +19.20 … 0345 601601 Index Linked 905.90 953.60 -30.80 … 366.00 354.43 Tr IL 2K% 24 * 364.98 + .17 1.48 –3.53
Fixed Interest 1011.40 1064.60 -21.10 … International A 867.80 913.50 -0.50 … 55 King's Road, Reading, RG1 3AH International 2875.30 3026.70 -10.80 …
Deposit 541.90 570.40 -0.10 … International P 1925.90 1925.90 -1.70 … 111.71 108.92 Tr IL 0V% 24 110.35 + .03 … –3.83
International 1256.70 1322.80 -3.70 … European 3896.70 4101.80 -48.60 … Euro Fund 1614.30 1699.30 +5.70 … Managed 3184.90 3352.60 -15.20 … 119.56 115.34 Tr IL 0V% 26 116.76 + .09 … –3.32
Japan 372.90 392.60 -1.90 … Mixed 2447.60 2447.60 -10.10 … Nth American 1077.20 1133.90 +7.80 …
Fixed Interest 1663.80 1751.30 -18.10 … N American Fd 1924.70 2026.00 +19.40 … 135.50 128.69 Tr IL 1N% 27 130.44 + .17 1.05 –3.20
Managed 1091.90 1149.40 -6.70 … Mixed A 772.70 813.40 -3.20 … Property 876.70 922.90 +11.50 … 129.22 122.67 + .26 … –3.09
Income Acc 3647.00 3839.00 +19.70 … Strategic Fund 644.30 678.20 -11.00 … Tr IL 0V% 28 124.78
Money Market 471.20 496.00 … … Mixed P 2471.70 2471.70 -9.40 … 131.37 123.92 Tr IL 0V% 29 126.10 + .30 … –2.97
Income Dist 675.80 711.40 +3.70 … Property 773.90 773.90 … …
North America 2048.30 2156.10 +11.30 … International 1799.60 1894.30 -4.20 … Pensions (Series 4) 137.56 130.97 Tr IL 0V% 31 133.44 + .49 … –2.80
Property 941.00 990.50 +7.00 … Property A 332.50 350.00 … … Scottish Amicable Life Fds (First Series) 389.95 366.57 Tr IL 4V% 30 * 380.81 + 1.03 1.70 –2.83
Managed 2712.30 2855.10 -20.20 … Property P 593.90 593.90 … … Cash ‡ 133.30 … … …
Mixed 1776.00 1869.50 -17.90 … Cash Fund 532.70 560.80 -0.10 … 162.42 149.94 Tr IL 1N% 32 152.49 + .56 0.82 –2.75
Equity ‡ 238.90 … -1.90 … 160.01 146.68 Tr IL 0O% 34 150.17 + .66 … –2.63
AXA SUN LIFE Property 1991.40 2096.20 +16.10 … Equity Fund 6479.40 6820.40 -75.50 … European ‡ 295.70 … -9.00 …
Singapore & Mal 1347.40 1418.30 -5.80 … MERCHANT INVESTORS ASSURANCE CO LTD Fixed Interest 1513.50 1593.10 -34.20 … 310.21 284.82 Tr IL 2% 35 * 301.34 + 1.40 0.81 –2.57
PO Box 1810,, Bristol BS99 5SN St Bartholomews House,, Lewins Mead Far East ‡ 319.10 … -0.80 … 158.96 143.91 Tr IL 0V% 36 149.61 + .88 … –2.54
AXA Assurance - 02476 235500 Tokyo Fund 1235.70 1300.70 -4.80 … Intl Fund 2724.70 2868.10 +7.90 … Fixed Interest ‡ 269.90 … -4.90 …
Bristol BS1 2NH Managed Fund 3392.30 3570.90 -15.00 … 185.58 167.60 Tr IL 1V% 37 173.48 + 1.02 0.68 –2.53
Sun Life - 0117 989 3000 UK Equity 2281.50 2401.50 -10.30 … Index Linked ‡ 359.00 … -17.40 … 163.67 151.90 Tr IL 0V% 39 155.58 + 1.13 … –2.41
AXA Equity
q y & Law - 02476 235400 Far East 821.00 864.20 … … Property Fund 1192.70 1255.50 +1.00 … International ‡ 360.50 … -1.20 … 181.84 162.72 Tr IL 0X% 40 170.88 + 1.26 … –2.40
Life Assnce - AXA Equity & Law Series 6. 1% AMC Friends Prov (London & Manchester) Ass Ltd Fd Gilt Edged 1725.50 1816.30 -26.80 … Managed ‡ 294.70 … -1.40 … 173.66 153.83 Tr IL 0V% 41 163.96 + 1.41 … –2.38
Balced Ser 6 2679.40 2820.40 -9.00 … Capital Gth Acc ‡ … … +10.90 … Interest Fund 564.40 594.10 -0.10 … PRUDENTIAL LIFE FUNDS Nth American ‡ 407.80 … +3.70 … 193.09 170.46 Tr IL 0X% 42 181.47 + 1.58 0.34 –2.33
Distribution Ser 6 104.00 109.50 -0.60 … Flexible Acc ‡ … … -13.40 … Intl Equity 2121.40 2233.10 -24.00 … 01786 448844 Property ‡ 268.70 … +4.70 … 182.97 158.61 Tr IL 0V% 44 170.20 + 1.69 … –2.26
Europe Ser 6 2008.60 2114.30 -36.10 … Flexible Cap ‡ … … -2.90 … Managed Fd 1224.90 1289.40 -8.70 … PO Box 14962,, Craigforth,
g , Stirling,
g, FK9 4ZD Stock Exchange ‡ 365.00 … -1.50 … 191.46 163.05 Tr IL 0V% 46 176.41 + 1.89 … –2.21
Higher Inc Ser 6 4818.10 5071.60 -61.90 … Inv Trust Acc ‡ … … -77.50 … North American 865.00 910.50 +0.30 … Others 223.92 190.09 Tr IL 0O% 47 205.79 + 2.26 0.37 –2.22
Property Ser 6 1688.00 1776.80 +11.00 … Inv Trust Cap ‡ … … -15.40 … Property 1349.00 1420.00 +2.60 … 203.74 169.38 Tr IL 0V% 48 185.88 + 2.20 … –2.20
UK Equity 1125.50 1184.70 -2.90 … BonusBond 242.20 255.00 -0.30 … SUN LIFE OF CANADA
UK Equities Ser 6 3825.10 4026.40 -11.40 … Moneymaker Acc ‡ … … +3.00 … Cap Gteed Bd 390.40 410.90 +1.20 … Basingview,
g , Basingstoke,
g , Hants RG21 2DZ 226.58 187.79 Tr IL 0K% 50 206.18 + 2.51 … –2.17
Prud Inher Bd (Cap) ‡ … … -1.50 … Dealing: 01256 841414 226.04 183.97 Tr IL 0N% 52 203.89 + 2.72 … –2.15
GUARDIAN MGM ASSURANCE Prud Inher Bd (Inc) ‡ … … +0.20 … 301.36 243.63 Tr IL 1N% 55 270.98 + 3.69 0.51 –2.13
Life Funds - Sun Life (inc Birmingham Midshires)& AXA Assurance 1% AMC MGM House,, Heene Road,, Worthing g Equity Account 7126.20 7126.20 -87.60 … 244.19 192.25 Tr IL 0V% 56 216.89 + 3.58 … –2.11
01253 733151 Equity Fund Acc 2706.30 2848.70 -33.50 …
Cash Acc 471.10 495.90 -0.10 … Ballam Rd, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire FY8 4JZ BN11 2DY 01903 836000 252.84 196.27 Tr IL 0V% 58 223.22 + 3.77 … –2.10
Scottish Amicable Life Fds (First Series) Equity II 6368.80 6704.00 -80.00 … 294.28 223.37 Tr IL 0W% 62 257.38 + 4.91 … –2.08
Deffrd Dist 743.30 782.40 -4.70 … Deposit 114.48 120.50 -0.08 …
Deposit 434.60 457.40 … … Cash 371.40 390.90 … … Fixed Int Fd Acc 969.10 1020.10 -14.30 … 305.91 224.55 Tr IL 0V% 65 264.04 + 5.64 … –2.11
Distribution Fund 388.50 408.90 -2.40 … Deposit Acc 369.10 388.52 -0.02 …
Equity Life 4384.80 4615.60 -7.50 … Equity 2516.60 2649.00 -29.20 … Growth Acc 8458.80 8458.80 -104.00 … 331.31 240.40 Tr IL 0V% 68 284.00 + 6.45 … –2.16
Equity Acc 5594.00 5888.40 -16.60 … Fixed Interest 387.54 407.93 -3.32 …
European 675.00 710.50 +1.90 … Fixed Interest 1107.70 1166.00 -25.00 … Indx-Lnkd Scs Acc 858.50 903.60 -20.70 … Longs (Over 15 years)
European 948.60 998.50 -17.00 … Fixed Interest Acc 1300.58 1369.03 -16.69 …
Fixed Interest 1966.30 2069.80 -29.00 … Index-Linked 819.00 862.20 -26.20 … Managed Account ‡ … … -34.30 …
Far Eastern Acc 2433.10 2561.10 -12.50 … Managed 483.36 508.80 -9.19 … 155.96 139.97 Tr 4N% 36 140.14 + .17 3.03 1.21
Index Linked 742.80 781.90 -11.00 … International 1940.10 2042.20 +5.70 … Managed IV 4113.10 4329.50 -32.70 … 119.09 106.39 Tr 1O% 37 106.61 + .17 … 1.29
Fixed Int Acc 1113.40 1172.00 -13.50 … Managed Acc 1577.87 1660.92 -12.38 …
Inter Life 2697.30 2839.20 +7.40 … Managed 2069.30 2178.20 -9.00 … Mngd Fund Acc 1779.10 1872.70 -13.90 … 172.61 153.53 Tr 4O% 38 153.74 + .21 3.09 1.26
Global Eqty Acc 2544.30 2678.20 +7.40 … Property 250.17 263.34 -0.42 …
Managed Life 2740.90 2885.10 -5.20 … Property 1176.30 1238.30 +0.70 … Money Fund Acc 339.20 357.00 -0.10 … 165.61 146.92 Tr 4N% 39 147.11 + .19 2.89 1.30
Japan Acc 410.70 432.40 -6.40 … Property Acc 875.14 921.20 +6.46 …
North American 1386.00 1458.90 +3.80 … Pens Equity 1773.00 1866.30 -26.90 … 168.69 149.17 Tr 4N% 40 149.37 + .20 … 1.33
Managed Acc 3283.50 3456.30 -11.00 …
Pacific 836.80 880.80 +2.30 … Pens Fixed Int 1240.50 1305.70 -23.00 … 111.54 97.05 Tr 1N% 41 97.98 + .16 … 1.37
North Amer Acc 2962.40 3118.40 +31.40 … The M & G Series
Prop Life 1041.30 1096.10 -2.00 … NAT WEST LIFE ASSCE LTD Pens Guarantee 1407.50 1481.50 +1.30 … 155.06 135.48 Tr 3N% 44 135.76 + .19 … 1.38
Pacific Acc 1782.90 1876.80 +4.10 …
PO Box 886, Trinity Quay, Bristol BS99 5LJ Amer Bond Acc 1351.10 1418.80 -21.40 … Pens Indx-Lnkd 1087.40 1144.60 -36.60 … 179.20 157.69 Tr 4K% 42 157.91 + .22 2.85 1.35
Property Acc 1288.40 1356.20 +8.30 …
HALIFAX LIFE LTD Growth Mgd Pens 581.25 611.84 -2.31 … Deposit Bond Acc 524.70 551.10 -0.10 … Pens Intl 1389.90 1463.00 -10.60 … 162.58 141.72 Tr 3K% 45 142.09 + .17 … 1.38
PO Box 285,, York YO1 1YB 01904 611110 Equity Bond Acc 5162.10 5420.30 -60.80 … Pens Mngd Acct 4662.40 4907.70 -46.90 … 184.75 160.09 Tr 4N% 46 160.67 + .18 2.65 1.39
BARCLAYS LIFE ASSURANCE CO LTD Life Funds Euro Smlr Cos 209.30 219.90 -21.90 … Pens Money 433.20 456.00 … … 101.07 87.91 Tr 0Y% 46 89.08 + .15 … 1.41
0845 603 5000 NORWICH UNION LIFE INSURANCE Pens Property 1871.90 1970.40 +22.60 … 119.35 101.25 Tr 1K% 47 102.33 + .10 … 1.39
Balanced 98.37 103.54 +0.37 … SOCIETY - Ex NUAM Funds European Bd Acc 2037.30 2139.20 +23.30 …
Level 12, 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP Deposit 36.08 37.98 … … Extra Yld Bd Acc 4314.30 4530.20 -16.60 … Pers Pens Acct ‡ … … -101.30 … 126.89 107.13 Tr 1O% 49 108.25 + .10 … 1.39
PO Box 140,, Norwich NR3 1PP Prop Fund Acc 1474.90 1552.50 +17.60 … 193.66 166.14 Tr 4N% 49 167.13 + .14 2.54 1.37
500 Accum 1381.92 1454.65 -2.19 … Foundation 102.65 108.05 +0.32 … 01603 622200 Gbl Basics Bd Acc 1161.30 1219.40 +16.90 …
America Acc 2700.39 2842.52 +20.50 … Gilt Bond Acc 1206.60 1267.00 -27.30 … 97.84 80.47 Tr 0X% 50 81.96 + .11 … 1.38
Opportunity 116.21 122.33 +0.19 … 214.55 175.21 Tr 0V% 51 193.90 + 2.57 … –2.14
Comb Inc Acc 2728.29 2871.89 -5.32 … Deposit Fund 605.13 636.98 -0.05 … High Yield Bond 488.20 512.70 -3.70 … TESCO PERSONAL FINANCIAL LIFE LTD
Equity Acc 3700.59 3895.36 -6.74 … Eqity Fund 15011.04 15801.09 -51.98 … Index-Lnkd Gt Bd 375.60 394.40 -6.10 … 0845 845 5555 107.88 95.12 Tr 1N% 51 96.36 + .12 … 1.40
Pension Funds 187.60 158.62 Tr 3O% 52 159.68 + .12 … 1.37
Far East Gwth 1278.95 1346.26 -8.39 … Fixed Int Fd 1989.68 2094.40 -43.66 … International Bd 5512.50 5788.20 -30.50 … PO Box 23042, Edinburgh EH3 8YG
Balanced S2 100.45 105.73 +0.46 … Higher Inc Plus 245.76 258.70 -1.97 … Japan Bond Acc 464.20 487.50 +3.00 … 136.30 110.32 Tr 1O% 57 111.94 + .04 … 1.33
Gilt 2 Init 274.68 289.14 -5.69 … Balanced Growth 297.30 297.30 -1.20 … 217.37 179.62 Tr 4% 60 181.46 + .03 … 1.30
Gilt Edged Acc 1055.99 1111.57 -21.14 … Deposit S2 41.68 43.87 … … Intl Fund 1264.76 1331.33 +0.91 … Japan Sm Cos Acc 235.80 247.70 -3.80 …
Foundation S2 102.32 107.70 +0.40 … Managed Fund 6437.77 6776.60 -19.51 … Intl Growth 434.20 434.20 +0.60 … 96.18 73.87 Tr 0K% 61 75.60 + .02 … 1.28
Inter 2 Init 499.45 525.73 -1.62 … Managed Bond Acc 3768.10 3956.60 -17.00 … UK Growth 265.40 265.40 -0.70 … 174.06 139.05 Tr 2K% 65 141.23 + .01 … 1.27
International Acc 1918.77 2019.76 -4.93 … Opportunity S2 115.76 121.85 +0.25 … Property Fd 2468.98 2598.92 +34.25 … Prop Bond Acc 1653.90 1736.70 +1.00 … 128.57 105.36 Tr 1X% 54 106.83 + .12 … 1.37
Japan Acc 478.62 503.81 +0.44 … Rec Bond Acc 3458.90 3632.00 +16.80 … 149.84 114.27 Tr 1X% 71 116.34 – .01 … 1.19
INVESCO FUNDS MGMT LTD Formerly Commercial Union S East Asia Bd Acc 1300.20 1365.30 -20.40 … WINDSOR LIFE ASSUR CO LTD
Managed 2 Init 588.59 619.56 -1.54 … 01952 292929 220.73 177.31 Tr 3K% 68 179.44 + .01 … 1.25
Managed Acc 2253.58 2372.19 -4.39 … Alban Gate,, 14th Flr,, 125 London Wall,, Lond
EC2Y 5AS 020 7710 4567 Cash 308.80 325.10 -0.10 … Windsor House,, Telford,, Shropshire
p 212.62 178.26 Tr 4N% 55 179.48 + .03 2.37 1.34
Managed Alpha 1579.81 1662.96 -2.51 … Fxd Int 634.40 667.80 -14.00 … PRUDENTIAL PENSION FUNDS Formerly y AEtna Mediums (5-15 years)
Money Acc 431.00 453.69 -0.09 … Formerly GT Global Fund Mgmt Ltd
Index-Lnkd 772.20 812.90 -31.80 … Scottish Amicable Non Series A 1982 Series 102.40 100.83 Tr 0O% 23 100.84 + .01 … 0.28
Prop 2 Init 255.15 268.57 -0.03 … Plan Far East 554.30 583.40 … … Int Equity 1401.30 1475.10 +0.90 …
Property Acc 974.80 1026.11 +0.51 … Plan Wwide 924.50 973.20 -0.10 … 100% Safeguard 155.80 164.00 … … Cash Deposit 328.00 345.20 … … 106.87 103.75 Tr 2N% 23 103.75 + … … 0.29
Managed 1479.40 1557.30 -4.60 … 95% Safeguard 171.90 180.90 +1.80 … Far East Equity 1717.20 1807.50 -7.40 … 100.64 99.32 Tr 0V% 24 99.34 + .02 … 0.41
UK Growth Acc 1167.89 1229.36 -2.05 … Property 844.90 889.40 +11.70 … 103.93 101.53 Tr 1% 24 101.55 + .02 … 0.39
Univ Tech Acc 837.56 881.64 -2.15 … LEGAL & GENERAL INVESTMENT MGMT Fixed 819.00 862.10 -16.40 …
UK Equity 1834.30 1930.90 -6.60 … Index-Linked Fd 818.20 861.30 -28.20 … 111.19 106.79 Tr 2O% 24 106.79 + .01 … 0.41
0203 1243000 Var Ann (5) ‡ … … +0.20 … SAVE & PROSPER INSURANCE AND PENSIONS 122.64 115.39 Tr 5% 25 115.39 + … 4.33 0.47
One Coleman Street, EC2R 5AA St James's House,, 27-43 Eastern Rd,, Romford Managed 1502.80 1581.90 -2.90 …
& AXA Assurance 1% AM Var Ann Acc (5) ‡ … … +3.40 … N Amer Equity 2266.10 2385.40 +17.20 … 103.31 100.52 Tr 0X% 25 100.56 + .04 … 0.47
B Soc Lnkd Init 136.20 143.40 … … RM1 3NH 110.37 105.85 Tr 2% 25 105.87 + .03 … 0.49
Equity 2 Init 960.62 1011.18 -2.40 … Brit Opps Int 221.20 232.80 -3.70 … Customer Helpline: 0845 3000144 Property 538.60 566.90 +0.30 … 100.90 98.11 Tr 0V% 26 98.16 + .05 … 0.56
Formerly General Accident Special Opp 2206.20 2322.30 -30.20 …
British Opp 761.40 801.40 -0.40 … Bal Inv Fund 357.20 376.00 -1.60 … 109.07 104.43 Tr 1K% 26 104.48 + .05 … 0.55
Building Soc Linked 283.40 298.30 … … American 1447.80 1523.90 +7.20 … UK Equity 1528.90 1609.40 -2.80 … 108.49 103.31 Tr 1N% 27 103.39 + .08 … 0.65
CANADA LIFE Deposit Fund (2) 641.80 675.60 -0.10 …
01707 651122 Cash 440.00 463.20 -0.10 … Cash Deposit 261.80 275.40 … … Gilt Fund 1704.50 1794.20 -32.80 … 130.36 121.50 Tr 4N% 27 121.57 + .07 3.50 0.68
2-6 High Street, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 5BA Cash Initial 119.10 125.40 -0.30 … Conv Life 431.60 454.20 … … Global Equity Fd 1573.60 1656.40 -7.10 … Formerly AEGON Life 100.62 96.15 Tr 0V% 28 96.27 + .12 … 0.73
Equity 4883.90 5140.90 -41.50 … European 1089.90 1147.10 -12.60 … Property Fund (46) 302.50 318.40 +1.20 … Balanced 2095.60 2217.50 -4.00 … 112.63 105.94 Tr 1X% 28 106.06 + .12 … 0.74
Cash 319.70 336.50 -0.10 … Fixed Int 532.80 560.70 -11.70 … 147.96 136.46 Tr 6% 28 136.56 + .10 4.39 0.76
CLife Euro Mgd 1667.00 1754.00 -32.00 … Equity Initial 1073.10 1129.60 -14.50 … Fixed Interest 759.50 803.80 -15.20 …
Fixed Initial 463.80 488.20 +3.70 … Index-Linked 749.70 789.10 -30.90 … International 2356.80 2494.00 +2.00 … 106.70 100.06 Tr 0Y% 29 100.19 + .13 … 0.85
CLife Intl Fd 1600.00 1684.00 +4.00 … International 891.50 938.40 +0.60 … SCOTTISH LIFE INVESTMENTS 101.85 94.90 Tr 0W% 30 95.04 + .14 … 0.95
Deposit Fund 513.80 540.80 … … Fixed Interest 1645.10 1731.70 -31.20 … 0131 225 2211 Money 395.50 418.50 -0.10 …
Index Linked Gilt 882.80 929.30 -32.60 … Japan 439.60 462.60 +0.80 … 145.97 133.43 Tr 4O% 30 133.57 + .14 3.56 0.92
Equity 1178.00 1239.00 -5.00 … 19 St Andrews Square, Edinburgh EH2 1YE Property 1356.60 1435.60 +0.70 … 99.94 92.54 Tr 0N% 31 92.84 + .15 … 1.02
Index Lkd 270.30 284.50 +0.60 … Japan Smllr Cos 449.70 473.30 +0.90 … UK Equity 2529.70 2677.00 -4.60 …
Equity Fund 2906.00 3058.00 -13.00 … Managed 747.70 787.00 -2.30 … American 1746.70 1838.70 +12.90 … 145.27 132.17 Tr 4N% 32 132.33 + .16 3.21 1.04
European 1841.90 1938.80 -38.60 … International 2379.30 2504.50 +8.40 … 155.36 139.88 + .20 3.21 1.15
Pacific Fund 1002.90 1055.60 -4.10 … Deposit 312.20 328.70 … … Tr 4K% 34 140.08
Fixed Interest 1274.70 1341.70 -36.30 … Intl Initial 537.00 565.30 -6.40 … Formerly Crown 101.77 91.57 Tr 0X% 35 92.17 + .15 … 1.24
Life Property 1439.30 1515.00 +0.60 … Property 613.40 645.60 +8.40 … European 2754.10 2899.10 -64.90 …
Gilt & Fxd Int 605.90 637.70 -17.30 … UK Equity 1050.20 1105.40 -3.70 … Fixed Interest 813.10 856.00 -16.30 … Life Equity Acc 3840.70 4042.90 -6.80 … Shorts (under 5 years)
Gilt Edged Fd 1562.00 1644.00 -45.00 … Managed 3272.40 3444.70 -22.10 …
Managed Initial 770.70 811.30 -3.70 … Unitised Profit 393.60 414.30 +0.30 … Global Mgd 1436.60 1512.30 -4.30 … Life Fxd Int Acc 961.00 1011.50 -19.20 … 117.13 108.58 Tr 3O% 21 115.83 – .08 … 1.24
International 2547.00 2681.00 +8.00 … Index Linked 899.00 946.40 -31.90 … Life High Inc Acc 3048.20 3208.60 +8.50 … 142.92 135.65 Tr 8% 21 141.44 – .10 5.66 1.19
Intl Mgd 3441.10 3622.20 +11.70 … Property Initial 349.80 368.20 -0.60 …
Formerly Provident Mutual Managed 1331.40 1401.50 +4.30 … Life Intl Acc 2849.50 2999.50 +2.60 … 101.03 100.26 Tr 0K% 22 100.26 – .03 … 0.17
Investment Fd 1474.00 1547.00 -8.00 … Pacific 1187.30 1249.80 -12.80 … Life Inv Tst Acc 3675.30 3868.70 -7.10 … 103.48 101.41 Tr 1O% 22 101.41 – .06 … 0.22
Japanese 408.50 429.90 -4.60 … LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP Deposit Initial 90.90 95.70 -0.10 …
Barnett Way, y, Barnwood,, Gloucester GL4 3RZ Pen Worldwide 504.70 531.30 -0.10 … Life Managed Acc 2664.10 2804.40 -5.30 … 105.79 101.69 Tr 4% 22 101.69 – .04 3.93 0.02
Managed 1269.00 1335.00 … … Deposit Ord 321.70 338.60 … … Property 974.20 1025.50 +6.90 … Life Money Acc 472.60 497.50 -0.10 … 100.44 99.84 Tr 0V% 23 99.85 + .01 … 0.24
Managed Fund 2709.00 2851.00 … … 01452 371371 For further prices
p 0800 7315139 Equity Init 761.70 801.80 -3.20 …
Life UK Equity 1767.30 1860.40 -18.70 … Life Property Acc 798.40 840.50 +0.30 … 100.41 98.65 Tr 0W% 26 98.70 + .05 … 0.64
ML Intl Fxd Int 697.00 733.60 -0.30 … Equity Ord 2736.10 2880.10 -9.70 … Worldwide 436.60 459.60 -0.60 … * maturities having an eight-month indexation lag.
Money 533.40 561.40 -0.10 … Aggressive Mgd 4 719.00 756.80 -2.20 … Fixed Int Init 227.40 239.40 -5.10 …
Multiple Inv 3441.10 3622.20 -1.70 … Balanced Mgd 3 1726.00 1816.80 -14.10 … Fixed Int Ord 802.70 844.90 -17.60 … Life Funds
North Amer 2266.90 2386.20 +22.40 … Cautious Mgd 2 490.90 516.70 -1.90 … I-Linked Gilt Init 290.70 306.00 -12.10 … SCOTTISH MUTUAL ASSURANCE Bear 67.64 71.20 -0.57 … Data as shown is
Property 1011.00 1064.00 +5.00 … European 842.80 887.10 -14.20 … I-Linked Gilt Ord 941.30 990.80 -38.70 … 0141 248 6321 Bull 77.06 81.12 -0.16 …
301 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5HN for information
Property Fund 1927.00 2028.00 +9.00 … Far Eastern 1862.70 1960.70 -7.70 … Managed Initial 495.10 521.10 -1.80 … Deposit 21.90 23.05 -0.01 …
UK Equity 4400.30 4631.80 -26.00 … Framlington 215.60 227.00 +0.40 … Managed Ord 1759.40 1852.00 -5.40 … Cash Fund 282.90 297.80 … … Gilt Edged 45.43 47.82 -0.91 … purposes only. No offer is made by
UK Property 1325.50 1395.20 +3.80 … Green 663.80 698.70 -7.90 … Oseas Equity Init 485.00 510.50 … … European Fund 2115.70 2227.00 -40.10 … Owl 88.82 93.49 -0.36 … Morningstar or this publication
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 79

Weather
Today Breezy, with rain spreading northeastwards over Britain, often heavy and persistent. Max 18C (64F), min 1C (34F) Weather Eye
Paul Simons
Around Britain Five days ahead Wind speed Sea state Orkney
ney Shetland
Sh
Key: b=bright, c=cloud, d=drizzle, pc=partly cloudy Often wet and windy 34 Calm
du=dull, f=fair, fg=fog, h=hail, m=mist, r=rain, (mph) 18 11
sh=showers, sl=sleet, sn=snow, s=sun, t=thunder with a mixture of Slight 21
*=previous day **=data not available showers, longer spells of Temperature Moderate
Rough
Temp C Rain mm Sun hr* rain and bright intervals 28 (degrees C)
11
midday yesterday 24 hrs to 5pm yesterday
11 20
12 C 2.8 0.0
Tomorrow Flood alerts and warnings
Aberdeen
Rain persisting over northern Scotland
Aberporth 13 PC 11.8 0.1
and potentially lingering in eastern At 17:00 on Friday there was one 11
Anglesey 13 PC 2.8 0.0 England at first, but otherwise a flood alert in England, one flood alert 8
Aviemore 10 PC 5.6 0.8 bright and breezy day with scattered in Wales and four flood alerts in
good October and a

‘A
Barnstaple 15 PC 6.0 ** showers, most frequent in the west.
Scotland, but no flood warnings. 25 C F
Bedford 15 D 1.4 ** Aberdeen
Belfast 11 DU 4.2 0.0
Max 17C, min 3C
For further information and updates 35
30
95
86
good blast,/ To blow the
in England visit flood-warning-
Birmingham 13 R 9.4 **
information.service.gov.uk, for Wales 25 77 hog acorn and mast.”
Bournemouth 16 C 16.2 0.0 10 NORTH Folklore tells how
14 PC 12.4 **
naturalresources.wales/flooding and 20 68
Bridlington
for Scotland SEPA.org.uk SEA 15 59 strong October winds
Bristol 15 C 8.8 0.0
Camborne 14 PC 2.4 0.0
13
9
Edinburgh
10 50
gave pigs a feast of acorns and beech
Cardiff 14 S 12.0 0.0
16
13 Glasgow 5 41
masts blown down off the trees, and
Edinburgh 11 PC 5.6 0.6 0 32
Eskdalemuir 9 PC 19.8 0.0
9 33 -5 23 this weekend the country is facing
Glasgow 10 R 13.2 0.0
15
-10 14 plenty of gales, rain and even some
Hereford
Herstmonceux
14
16
PC
PC
11.8
4.0
**
0.0 ATLANTIC
Londonderry -15 5 hail and thunder.
Ipswich 14 PC 5.4 0.0 OCEAN
Newcastle This wild weather comes from a
Carlisle
Isle of Man 13 PC 1.8 0.0
Monday Belfast collision way out in the Atlantic.
Isle of Wight 17 C 8.0 ** 12
Jersey 16 PC 4.0 4.4 Scattered showers continuing, once 13 10 Warm sub-tropical air is colliding
Keswick 12 PC 13.2 **
again most frequent near western-
facing coastlines and interspersed
10
Yorkk with cold air streaming down from
Kinloss
Leeds
12
12
C
PC
1.2
8.2
3.0
**
with sunny spells. Rain spreading into
southwestern areas later.
36 the Arctic, and that sharp contrast
Lerwick 11 R 2.2 3.1 Max 17C, min 2C Manchester Hull
in temperatures is fuelling furious
Leuchars 13 PC 4.2 0.3 ooo
Liverpool 12 bursts of wind in the core of the jet
Galway IRISH 29
Lincoln 15
13
PC
PC
8.2
3.4
0.0
** 12
stream. That has turned it into a
Liverpool SEA Sheffield
London 16 C 6.2 0.0 Dublin
LLlandudno
11 conveyor belt for powering up strong
Lyneham 13 C 1.2 0.0 depressions and driving them across
Manchester
Margate
13
13
PC
R
9.0
5.0
0.4
0.0
13 12
Shrewsbury
Nottingham the Atlantic, leaving the UK
Milford Haven 14 PC 8.8 ** 17
i h
Norwich
battered by high winds and heavy
Newcastle 12 S 3.4 ** 12 10 rains.
13 C 12.4 0.0
Nottingham
Orkney 12 DU 3.6 0.7 16
Cork
Birmingham Cambridge Today, a particularly powerful
Oxford 15 B 0.4 ** 11
Swansea Oxford 14 surge in the jet stream is developing
Plymouth
Portland
14
16
PC
PC
4.6
4.0
**
** Cardiff
a rapidly strengthening depression
Scilly, St Mary’s 15 PC 0.8 **
Tuesday Channel Islands CELTIC 4
14 with very strong winds and rains
Shoreham 16 C 15.0 0.0 A breezy and unsettled day with a
SEA Bristol London sweeping northwards. By tomorrow
mixture of outbreaks of rain, scattered
15
Shrewsbury
Snowdonia
13
10
PC
PC
13.8
19.8
0.0
**
showers and occasional bright or
sunny intervals. Rain may turn heavy Southampton
many parts will have brighter, sunny
3
13 skies, although other areas face
Southend 15 S 6.6 0.0 and persistent in places. Exeterr
South Uist 10 PC 11.8 ** Max 15C, min 3C 35 Plymouth Brighton blustery showers with hail and
Stornoway
Tiree
10
12
PC
PC
5.0
11.4
1.6
1.9
thunder. The start of next week
Whitehaven 11 PC 20.0 0.0 11
17
CHANNEL 28
brings more of the same: frequent
Wick 9 R 3.4 ** 30 rain and showers, some hail and
16 PC 0.6 0.0
Yeovilton
thunder, while remaining windy.
11
14 General situation: Wet and windy as ndon E Anglia
SE Eng, London, Anglia, Mids, E Eng, southerly winds. Maximum 14C (57F), Adding to this chaos, racing
The world rain spreads northeastwards across Cen N Eng, NE Eng: Some brightness in minimum 4C (39F). northwards up through the
All readings local midday yesterday
Britain. Bright with showers in Ireland. the north at first, but a mostly cloudy N Ireland, Republic of Ireland: Showery mid-Atlantic is Hurricane Sam. It
Alicante
Amsterdam
27
14
PC
R
Madeira
Madrid
25
23
PC
S
12 Channel Is, SW Eng, Cen S Eng, Wales: start with a few showers ahead of rain at first, then turning brighter with reached wind speeds of 155mph, but
Rather cloudy with rain spreading rain spreading up from the southwest. sunny spells and scattered showers.
Athens 21 PC Malaga 26 PC
northeastwards, heavy and persistent Light south to southeasterly winds, Light to moderate southerly winds, fortunately steered clear of land. It
Auckland 15 B Mallorca 20 R
at times, especially near the south becoming moderate to strong, up to turning westerly. Maximum 13C (55F), is now weakening in cooler northern
Wednesday
Bahrain
Bangkok
37
32
S
PC
Malta
Melbourne
26
19
PC
B Rain clearing eastern areas at first
coast and over high ground of Wales. gale force near the coast. Maximum minimum 2C (36F). seas and will lose its hurricane
Barbados 27 SH Mexico City 23 B and although a few showers may Rain beginning to clear southwestern 17C (63F), minimum 4C (39F). Scotland: Some early brightness before identity by early next week as it runs
areas later. Light to fresh southerly NW Eng, Lake District, IoM: Variable spells of showery rain spread up from
Barcelona 23 PC Miami 30 B linger, many places will turn drier and
brighter for a time before further rain winds, near-gale force along the coast cloud, bright intervals and showers, the southwest. Light to fresh south to
out of fuel from warm seas.
21 S 19 PC
Beijing
Beirut 28 PC
Milan
Mombasa 30 PC
spreads into northwestern areas.
and turning westerly later. Maximum but turning cloudier with longer spells southeasterly winds. Maximum The leftovers of the hurricane
Belgrade 20 PC Montreal 16 B
Max 15C, min 5C
18C (64F), minimum 5C (41F). of rain later. Moderate to strong 13C (55F), minimum 1C (34F). could play havoc with the jet stream
Berlin 17 S Moscow 6 DU by injecting a mighty load of energy,
27 PC 31 S
Bermuda
Bordeaux 20 C
Mumbai
Munich 16 S
13 Tides Noon today sending it hurtling northwards
Brussels 16 PC Nairobi 25 B Tidal predictions. HIGH HIGH towards Iceland. That would actually
Bucharest 17 S Naples 27 S
14
Heights in metres
1040 1032 have the happy result of turning the
16 PC New Orleans 29 DU Today Ht Ht
Budapest
Buenos Aires 16 T New York 19 B 14 Aberdeen 11:34 3.5 23:46 3.6 1032
1024
weather in Britain calm and dry by
HIGH 1016
Cairo 27 PC Nice 24 PC Avonmouth 04:33 9.5 17:02 10.2 1008 late next week. However, if the
Calcutta 33 S Nicosia 29
11
PC
R 14
Belfast 08:55 2.8 21:02 3.1 1000 1024
ex-hurricane doesn’t engage with
Canberra 18 B Oslo
Cape Town 20 PC Paris 16 B
Cardiff 04:22
03:07
9.1
4.2
16:48 9.8
15:30 4.6
1024 LOW 992
1016
1008
the jet stream, it leaves the way open
Devonport 984
Chicago 25 B Perth 18 SH
Dover 08:50 5.4 21:14 5.6 for more of the same wet and windy
Copenhagen 14
23
PC
PC
Prague 15
8
S
B Thursday Dublin 09:40 3.4 21:50 3.6
LOW
992
weather battering the UK. It is a
Corfu Reykjavik
Delhi 33 S Riga 11 DU Further outbreaks of rain will spread Falmouth 02:42 4.0 15:08 4.3 LOW HIGH
1000
very uncertain picture and is
Dubai 39 S Rio de Janeiro 27 B in from the west, although some
southeastern areas may stay on the
Greenock 10:34 2.8 22:12 3.0 1016 1024
1016 1008 Cold front literally all up in the air, depending
Harwich 08:51 3.2 21:48 3.3
Dublin
Faro
13
24
B
S
Riyadh
Rome
39
26
S
S
drier and brighter side.
Holyhead 08:27 4.5 20:40 4.8 Warm front on how the remnants of Sam behave
Florence 26 S San Francisco 27 S
Max 17C, min 7C
Hull 03:44 5.7 16:22 6.0 Occluded front far away in the Atlantic.
1024
Frankfurt 17 S Santiago 18 S Leith 12:24 4.5 --:-- -- Trough
Geneva 19 S São Paulo 22 PC Liverpool 09:01 7.3 21:21 7.8
Gibraltar 24 PC Seoul 26 S 12 London Bridge 11:10 5.4 23:45 5.9
Synoptic situation Highs and lows Hours of darkness
Helsinki 10 M Seychelles 29 PC Lowestoft 06:49 2.2 20:03 2.3 24hrs to 5pm yesterday Aberdeen 19:10-06:47
Hong Kong 33 PC Singapore 29 SH Milford Haven 03:55 5.1 16:20 5.5 An area of low pressure will Belfast 19:27-07:00
Honolulu 31 B St Petersburg 10 DU track northeastwards, bringing Warmest: Tibenham,
15 Morecambe 09:14 7.2 21:34 7.7 Norfolk, 18.5C Birmingham 19:12-06:42
Istanbul 19 PC Stockholm 14 PC spells of heavy and persistent Coldest: Aonach Mor, -0.2C
15 Newhaven 08:56 5.2 21:17 5.4 Cardiff 19:18-06:47
Jerusalem 29 PC Sydney 24 S rain to England and Wales, Wettest: Achnagart,
Newquay 02:51 5.2 15:16 5.6 Exeter 19:20-06:48
Johannesburg 15 PC Tel Aviv 29 PC arriving in Scotland later. Winds Inverness-shire, 30.2mm
Oban 04:20 3.0 16:29 3.3 Sunniest: Jersey, 4.4hrs* Glasgow 19:19-06:54
Kuala Lumpur 30 PC Tenerife 31 S will also strengthen, especially
16 Penzance 02:23 4.2 14:46 4.5 Liverpool 19:16-06:47
Kyiv 15 S Tokyo 19 SH in southeastern England.
32 S 14 B Portsmouth 09:40 3.9 21:52 3.9 Sun and moon London 19:06-06:35
Lanzarote Vancouver Meanwhile, a trough of low For Greenwich Manchester 19:13-06:44
Las Palmas 27 PC Venice 21 S Shoreham 08:51 4.9 21:16 5.0 Sun rises: 07.02
The Times weather Southampton 08:11 3.7 20:36 3.7
pressure will clear Ireland Newcastle 19:09-06:43
Lima 15 M Vienna 18 S Sun sets: 18.35
to the northeast, allowing Moon rises: 01.22 Norwich 18:59-06:30
Lisbon 25 PC Warsaw 14 PC page is provided Swansea 03:56 7.0 16:20 7.5
conditions to turn brighter with Moon sets: 17.37 Penzance 19:28-06:55
Los Angeles 26 PC Washington 23 PC Tees 00:58 4.4 13:47 4.6
34 S 17 S
by Weatherquest scattered showers. New moon: October 06 Sheffield 19:10-06:41
Luxor Zurich Weymouth 04:06 1.3 16:21 1.5
80 Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Register
Obituaries

Professor Antony Hewish

Nobel prizewinning radio astronomer known for the discovery of ‘pulsars’
The red quarter-inch squiggles on the
reams of chart paper generated by the
radio telescope were a mystery.
Antony Hewish had designed the
Interplanetary Scintillation Array, a
four-acre web of antennas, posts, cables
and wires in a field near Cambridge, to
scan the skies for “twinkling” quasars.
This unfamiliar signal, apparently
heralding an object two hundred light
years distant and throbbing at intervals
of 1.3 seconds, was something else. But
what? Electrical interference, Hewish
suspected. A practical but open-mind-
ed man of science who detected radio
waves to decode the mysteries of the
heavens, he was disinclined to give
much credence to the most breath-
taking possibility: that the bizarre blips
indicated extra-terrestrial life.
Still, Hewish and Jocelyn Bell, the
graduate student who first noticed the
signal, humorously dubbed the 1967 dis-
covery LGM-1, for “Little Green Men”.
It was Bell, a diligent 24-year-old
tasked with analysing the ink lines on
30 metres-worth of paper each day,
who had first noticed the strange read-
ings she described as “bits of scruff”.
Bell, Hewish and the rest of his team
firmed up their research, keeping the
news quiet for months lest it spark a
media frenzy, though they ruled out the
aliens theory.
What Bell had found was a pulsar.
These are compact, spherical, fast-
spinning neutron stars formed when
stars more massive than the sun burn
out — stop generating energy from nu-
clear fusion — and collapse under the
force of their own gravity, producing a
dazzlingly bright supernova explosion.
Pulsars are exceptionally dense:
though typically about 12 miles in
diameter, their mass is about 400,000
times greater than that of Earth, so a
teaspoon’s worth of material would
weigh a billion tonnes on our planet,
according to a Nasa estimate.
Particles stream out, emitting beams
of radiation from magnetic poles that,
owing to the rapid and regular rotation,
appear to blink like lighthouse beacons
when observed from Earth. More than
2,000 pulsars have been recorded. They
offer valuable insights to scientists
to many observers, the lack of recogni-
tion seemed to be a product of in-
grained sexism and a rigid hierarchical
culture that did not give underlings
their due. “At the time the Nobel com-
mittee didn’t consider mere research
students as existing,” Bell Burnell wrote
in The Sunday Times in 2018.
She wrote that Hewish and Ryle
stood by in 1968 while journalists treat-
ed her as the “human interest” element
of the story, inquiring about boyfriends
and the colour of her hair, while Hewish
was portrayed as the “big brains”. Bell
Burnell felt unable to complain, she
added, because she needed a job refer-
ence from the department.
Still, she wrote, “I don’t actually regret
not winning. I think it would have been
a real burden on me at that stage in my
career.” Now Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
and a visiting astrophysics professor at
the University of Oxford, she was award-
ed a $3 million prize in 2018 and pledged
to use the money to create a fund to fight
“unconscious bias” in physics.
Hewish, who in interviews acknowl-
Hewish at Mullard Radio Astronomy
Observatory in Cambridgeshire
edged that Bell was the first to notice the
signals and praised her ability, dis-
missed Hoyle’s criticism as the bitter
extended to tinkering with explosives,
light switches and electrical sockets. “I
sometimes used to fuse the whole
system, of course, and plunge the bank
into darkness, so I wasn’t very popular,”
he recalled.
He married Marjorie (née Richards)
in 1950 after they met in Cambridge.
She survives him along with their son,
Nicholas, a physicist and software engi-
neer. A daughter, Jennifer, a languages
teacher, predeceased him.
He was educated at King’s College,
Taunton, and read natural sciences at
Gonville and Caius College, Cam-
bridge, where he spent as much time
rowing on the Cam as he did revising
for his first-year examinations. His
studies were in any case interrupted by
wartime service at research facilities,
where he met Ryle and worked on
radar-jamming technology that could
be mounted in the tails of bomber air-
craft to counter the Luftwaffe during
night missions.
The experience gave him maturity
and focus when he returned to complete
his undergraduate degree. After obtain-
ing his PhD in 1952 he became a
research fellow at Gonville and Caius.
Investigating solar radiation, he realised
the potential of the relatively new field of
radio astronomy to reveal insights about
the atmosphere of Earth and the wider
universe.
He installed radio telescopes across
East Anglia to measure solar wind. The
He gave little credence
to the idea that they may
have discovered alien life
Scintillation Array was constructed over
two years by Hewish, staff and students.
A distinctive figure with dark-
rimmed spectacles and a shock of sil-
very hair later in life, he transferred to
Churchill College in 1961 to take up the
role of director of studies in physics. He
was professor of radio astronomy from
1971 until he retired in 1989. A fellow of
the Royal Society, he received numer-
ous awards and also had a spell in
charge of the Mullard Observatory.

studying nuclear and particle physics.
Hewish was awarded the Nobel Prize
in physics in 1974, the committee citing
his “decisive role in the discovery of pul-
sars”. His colleague, Sir Martin Ryle, the
director of the Mullard Radio Astro-
nomy Observatory, shared the accolade
for developing techniques that helped
pave the way for the discovery.
Bell Burnell (as she was known after
marriage) was not honoured by the
Nobel judges. Some felt this was unjust,
including the astronomer Sir Fred
Hoyle. In what The Times reported as
an “unprecedented attack on a fellow
scientist”, he accused senior depart-
ment members of “pinching the discov-
ery from the girl, or that was what it
amounted to”, sparking a controversy
that partly unfurled in the letters
section of this newspaper.
Bell Burnell distanced herself from
the broadside at the time and pointed
out that the paper published in Nature
in 1968 announcing the discovery was
credited to five people, with her name
second after that of Hewish. However,
fruit of professional rivalry. He insisted
that the Nobel committee had made
the correct decision given his overall
direction of the project, “much as it
would have eased my life later if she had
been awarded the prize,” he said in a
2008 interview. “Feminists, of course,
jump on the bandwagon here and I’ve
had dealings with them as well.”
He appeared in a recent New York
Times documentary about the break-
through. “When you plan a ship of
discovery and somebody up the mast-
head says ‘land ho’, that’s great — but I
mean, who actually inspired it and con-
ceived it and decides what to do and so
on?” he said. “There is a difference
between skipper and crew.”
Antony Hewish was born in Fowey,
Cornwall, in 1924, to Ernest and Fran-
ces (née Pinch). The family lived in
Newquay above the bank managed by
his father. The location bred a love of
boats and the ocean and Hewish also
grew fascinated with machinery and
model aircraft. His interest in under-
standing components and structures
He relished some of the privileges
that come with the status of Nobel
laureate. He straightened the tie of
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn before the 1974
ceremony (when the author finally
received the literature prize awarded
four years earlier), sat next to Desmond
Tutu at a function in Sweden and was
invited to a state banquet at Holyrood
Palace when Carl XVI Gustaf visited
the UK in 1975. His attempts to make
polite conversation with the then-29-
year-old Swedish king were drowned
out by a band of bagpipers marching
around the table.
The king then came to Cambridge for
a tour of the observatory but he was
better known for his love of sports cars
than any passion for science. “He was
more of a playboy in those days,”
Hewish said. “If we’d talked about
swimming or surfing or something, that
would have been a lot better.”
Professor Antony Hewish, radio
astronomer, was born on May 11, 1924.
He died on September 13, 2021, aged 97
Jane Powell
Much-married Hollywood actress who had a
starring role in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Jane Powell was never allowed to be the
perfect all-American schoolgirl that she
portrayed so convincingly on screen in
the dying days of Hollywood musicals.
Petite and blonde, with a ready smile
and a wide-ranging soprano voice,
Powell became a regular fixture in the
MGM musicals of the 1940s and early
1950s, mostly cast as the winsome, vir-
ginal girl next door. In films such as
Three Daring Daughters and A Date
with Judy, in which she co-starred with
Elizabeth Taylor, she exuded every-
thing wholesome about American
teenage girlhood — on the cusp of its
coming “corruption” by rock’n’roll. Yet
in later years she felt little pride or nos-
talgia in being one the last survivors of
the golden age of Hollywood.
She confessed to having been a deep-
ly lonely young woman, suffering from
severe depression and anxiety having
been pushed into showbusiness by her
alcoholic mother and forbidden from
completing high school or going to
college.
“I was at MGM for 11 years and no-
body ever let me play anything but
teenagers,” she told The New York Ob-
server in 2017. “I was 25 years old with
kids of my own and it was getting ridic-
ulous. It was hard work, I had no
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Powell, right, with Elizabeth Taylor in A Date with Judy (1948), and in the hugely
successful musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), her biggest film role
friends, no social interaction with
people my age and the isolation was
tough. But I had to support my family,
so I did what I was told.”
She did at least have two opportuni-
ties to showcase her talents, over and
above the tediously recurring one of
being a soppy teen queen. In the 1951
film Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire,
she relished matching the great maestro
move for move and in witty, knowing
banter. The film historian Robert Os-
borne wrote: “She’s hilarious, chewing
gum, swinging her hips and acting like a
tough broad. It’s too bad MGM didn’t
capitalise more on her comedic side.”
Then in 1954 she won her biggest role
as Howard Keel’s feisty wife (under-
standably unhappy to discover after her
wedding that she has seven brothers-in-
law to cook and clean for) in the rumbus-
tious musical Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers. The film was a big commercial
success. As for Powell, the critic Dilys
GAB ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
Powell praised her singing but missed
the charisma of a Judy Garland. It was a
fair comment on Powell’s career as a
whole. She was appealing and proficient,
but a little anodyne. As the Hollywood
musical went into its death throes, so too
did her career at the top.
She was born Suzanne Lorraine
Burce into a poor family in Portland,
Oregon, in 1929. Her father, Paul,
worked at a Wonder Bread factory. Her
mother, Eileen, decided early on that
Suzanne was going to be the real bread-
winner. As a young child she was given
a perm to make her look like Shirley
Temple and enrolled in dance classes.
She sang on local radio stations and
toured the state during the war as the
“Oregon Victory Girl”. At 15, she told
her mother that she wanted to return to
Grant High School and attend college,
but was firmly rebuffed: “You already
have a career. Why would you want to
go to college?” she recalled her mother
telling her.
Instead, the family moved to Califor-
nia in 1944 after Powell won a talent
competition in Los Angeles. In the audi-
ence was Joe Pasternak, the MGM pro-
ducer who had discovered Deanna Dur-
She was pushed into
showbusiness and not
allowed to go to school
bin and felt convinced he had caught
another pretty songbird. That year she
made her first film, Song of the Open
Road, in which she played a child star
called Jane Powell. MGM decided this
should be her stage name.
“I didn’t even know anything about
sex until I was 21,” Powell recalled. “I was
forced to live up to an image, and the on-
ly advice I ever got in acting was, ‘Stay as
sweet as you are and never change’.”
While Seven Brides put Powell on the
A-list it did little in the long run to en-
hance her career. She was awkwardly
teamed with Edmund Purdom in Athe-
na while Hit the Deck (1955) was a poor
imitation of On the Town with San
Francisco standing in for New York.
Soon afterwards Powell signed to
RKO but made only one film, The Girl
Most Likely, before the studio closed. She
finally secured the serious role she
craved, playing Hedy Lamarr’s daughter
in The Female Animal (1958). It was not a
happy experience: “At last I got to play a
sexpot, but it was so bad I never saw it.
Nobody did. Hedy didn’t want to play
anybody’s mother. She was the worst
person I ever worked with and the whole
thing was just miserable. After that, I just
gave up on movies.”
She turned to television, taking the
Judy Garland role in a remake of Meet
Me in St Louis. She also guested on the
top variety shows of the 1950s and
1960s, supporting Perry Como, Andy
Williams, Dean Martin and Garland.
In the theatre she appeared in tour-
ing productions of musicals including
The Sound of Music, Oklahoma! Carou-
sel and My Fair Lady.
Her private life was both complex and
energetic. In 1949 she married the figure
skater turned insurance broker Geary
Steffen, with whom she had a son, Gear-
hardt III, and a daughter, Suzanne. The
couple divorced in 1953. A year later she
married Patrick Nerney, a car executive,
with whom she had a daughter, Lindsey.
They divorced in 1963. Her third hus-
band was James Fitzgerald, a theatrical
agent. Her fourth was David Parlour, a
producer. From 1988 she found happi-
ness with her fifth husband, Dickie
Moore, a former child actor who played
Oliver Twist and gave Shirley Temple
her first screen kiss. He died in 2015.
To the end, she looked back on her
movie years with bemusement. “My
whole life seems to have happened to
somebody else. I just wish I could have
been around to enjoy it.”
Jane Powell, actress, singer and dancer,
was born on April 1, 1929. She died on
September 16, 2021, aged 92
‘We didn’t stop talking
on our first date’
Marriages and engagements
Page 82
John Vincent Smith
England and Barbarians wing who became
president of the Rugby Football Union
An occasional wearer of blazers he may
have been, but in other ways John
Vincent Smith did not conform to the
“old fart” stereotype of a rugby admin-
istrator, as defined by the England cap-
tain Will Carling. As president of the
Rugby Football Union (RFU) Smith
had energy, not only overseeing the
development of the South Stand but
also the Rose Room at Twickenham.
As a wing for England and the
Barbarians he had been an enthusiastic
participant in the post-match celebra-
tions. He also had an eccentric side,
once delivering a speech entirely in
Latin, only to be followed to the micro-
phone by a befuddled former
captain of Wales, Cliffiff Mor-
gan, who was convincednced
en-
he had just been listen-
ing to a speech deliv--
ered in Welsh.
He had also won
a scholarship to
the University of
Cambridge, writ-
ten historical
books and founded
a body called The
Flat Earth Societyy
with a professor at thehe
University of Harvard,vard,
which proved too esoteric
mbers.
to attract many members.
John Vincent Smith, th who was always
known by his initials, lived for virtually
all his life in his beloved Gloucester-
shire. He was born in 1926, the son of
Arthur Smith, who owned a large mill
and various companies in the county,
and his wife Amy (née Tanner). John
was educated at Marling School in
Stroud, where he became head boy and
a keen cricketer, once cycling to watch
the great Wally Hammond at the
crease for Gloucestershire — only for
him to be dismissed as he arrived.
Smith played cricket and rugby for
Stroud as well as cricket for Gloucester-
shire Gypsies. In 1944, when he was 18,
he was called up to join the Army and
took part in the rugby Inter-Services
Championship, but was then unable to
play for a year after fracturing his spine
while training with The Parachute Reg-
iment in Aldershot. He was in plaster
for more than three months.
This did not prevent Smith from
taking up a Forces Scholarship at St
Catharine’s College, Cambridge, where
he studied agricultural sciences. “In
those days, the top players played for
the top universities — something like
22 international players took part in the
1948 Varsity match,” he said.
He won three Blues and joined an
Oxbridge tour to South Africa and
Kenya, where he found a strong anti-
pathy towards British rule. He passed
this on to Lord Wakefield of Kendal, the
president of the RFU, who in turn
informed Clement Attlee. The prime
minister wrote to Smith to thank him
for this information. Then, in the bar of
the team’s hotel, Smith fell into conver-
sation with a member of a minority pol-
itical party. Some time later he found
this man had been badly beaten up.
He won his four England caps in the
four Five Nations matches in 1950. “I
played in the centre and on the wing
and was one of the smallest players, but
pretty fast,” he recalled.
81
What was more, Smith scored four of
the five England tries in the Five
Nations. “The fifth, I drew the opposi-
tion full back and Vic Roberts, our
wing-forward, scored.” He was invited
to join the British Lions tour to New
Zealand and Australia later that year,
but owing to the long journey by ship,
let alone the length of the tour itself and
the fact that he was on a scholarship, his
tutor at Cambridge told him not to go.
England players came and went rap-
idly in Smith’s era. He suffered a shoul-
der injury in 1951 and decided work had
to come before rugby, therefore joining
John Sutcliffe, a catering company in
London.
Finola, hhis daughter, said:
“My father gave a
lifetim
lifetime of support, not
just at national level,
bu
but locally, helping
se up clubs includ-
set
in Minchinhamp-
ing
to
ton, a small village
in Gloucestershire
w
where Mike Tin-
da was to play. He
dall
wa a real believer
was
in the amateur
game
game.”
Smit a dapper man,
Smith,
presid of the RFU in
was president
1982-83, a per
1982-83, period of increasing
commercialisation in the game. His
book Good Morning, President con-
cerned his time in the role, which
carried more weight in an era of fewer
chief executives. Although strongly
anti-apartheid and of the view that
sport could not be separated from poli-
tics, he nonetheless accepted an invita-
tion to attend the re-opening of Ellis
Park stadium in South Africa on the
basis that he had been asked in an offi-
cial, not personal, capacity. Although
not as confrontational as Dickie Jeeps
had been in this role, he had to contend
with the RFU’s attempts to establish
whether amateur players were receiv-
ing payments from Adidas.
He became a JP and stood for the Lib-
eral Party at Stroud in the 1966 general
election but was unable to make a dent
in the Conservative MP’s large major-
ity. He wrote books on local history and
on the National Trust and was an ex-
pert on local flora.
In 1952 he married Elfreda Lee, an
artist he met in London. Among her
portrait subjects was Peter May, the
England cricket captain. She prede-
ceased Smith in 2011. They had three
children: Peter, who became a univers-
ity lecturer; Susan, a landscape design-
er; and Finola, who helped build up a
cancer hospital and foundation.
Smith became the oldest surviving
England player. There was no bombast
from him about the game having been
superior in the 1940s and 1950s: he
admired modern skills. “A lot of kicks
went nowhere near the posts because
the ball was so heavy and even heavier
once it was wet,” he recalled, “They
were funny old days.”
John Vincent Smith, rugby player and
administrator, was born on May 23, 1926.
He died on September 17, 2021, aged 95
Email: obituaries@thetimes.co.uk
82
Readers’ Lives
Marriages and engagements
‘We didn’t stop talking on our first date’
Vikki Walwyn, 41, a teacher at Leeds
City College, and Mark Hobson, 39, a
paraplanner for a financial services
company, were married on July 31,
2021, at the Deer House on the
Swinton Estate, in North Yorkshire
Mark had planned to
propose to Vikki on the
Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco but Covid
intervened to cancel their
trip. They decided to use
the plane tickets for their
honeymoon instead, but the
same thing happened again.
The plan (for now) is to
celebrate their first wedding
anniversary in America next
summer.
One of the biggest joys of
their wedding was being
reunited with family who
they had not seen for almost
two years. “It was a bit like a
family reunion as well as a
wedding,” says Vikki. Their
wedding took place a fortnight
after restrictions had been
lifted, but, with the safety of
their guests in mind, they
invited only 25.
Vikki and Mark met in 2015
through an online dating site.
She was attracted to a photograph h of
Mark standing by a car at Le Mans,
the 24-hour car race in France. When
she messaged him, it turned out that
he was at Le Mans on an annual trip
with his father.
He “was quite embarrassed with the
whole online dating thing” but
arranged to meet Vikki at a bar in
Leeds. She chose not to wear glasses
so missed Mark as she walked into
the bar and straight past him. He
shouted to get her attention.
“We talked all evening,” he says.
Two days later they met for a second
date to watch a local band at a bar.
Vikki was then a dance teacher at
Leeds City College and rather
awkwardly recognised some of her
former students at the gig.
She grew up in Leicestershire and
studied dance at Coventry University.
She had a brief career as a performer
working at holiday parks before
starting teaching at the age of 25.
Raised outside Sunderland, Mark
studied at Newcastle University and
the University of Sunderland and now
works for a financial services
company.
They were both living alone when
they met. He had a flat in Leeds city
centre; Vikki rented a cottage on a
farm on the outskirts. They spent so
much time staying with one another
The perfect gift
for new parents
Celebrate the arrival of
a newborn in Readers’
Lives, a service in
contracted tributes
Call 020 7782 5583 or email
readerslives@thetimes.co.uk
Mark and Vikki met in 2015. They
share a love of travelling and plan
to spend their first wedding
anniversary in America
that he moved in with her in 2016. In
2018 they bought a house near by.
“I think I’m more relaxed,” says
Mark. “I think Vikki has more of the
teacher in her. She is strict on how
she does things.” They share a giggly
sense of humour. “We balance each
other out,” she says. They enjoy
travelling and cycling, and have been
to France three times to follow the
Tour de France.
“She just gets me,” he says. “We just
have a great life. We don’t please any
other people than ourselves.”
Marriage was not something they
had talked about before Mark
proposed in July last year. He had
been to San Francisco before and had
intended to propose on Vikki’s 40th
birthday. Because of the Covid
restrictions, he proposed in Wales
instead.
They stayed in a cabin and, on their
first morning, went for a walk on
Newborough Beach in Anglesey.
Mark found a quiet spot before going
down on one knee with a ring. “It was
50%
discount for
subscribers
a complete surprise,” Vikki says. He
had not told anyone of his plans.
They chose the first wedding venue
they visited. The Deer House on the
Swinton Estate is set within 200 acres
of parkland with fallow deer and
views of North Yorkshire. They did
the decorations themselves and
created a display of memories with
photographs, their medals from the
Great North Run, and wristbands
from Leeds Festival.
Vikki struggled to choose a
wedding dress during lockdown.
When the shops reopened, she
undertook a solo mission to a bridal
shop in Leeds.
She and Mark, along with their
guests, stayed in a large log cabin
near the venue for a few days before
their wedding. Mark’s father was his
best man.
At the 5pm ceremony Vikki walked
in with her father to Fleetwood Mac’s
Dreams. “I was excited,” she says. “I
was looking forward to being
married.” They wanted to keep it
BETHANY CLARKE
simple and did not have readings.
They had a BBQ menu sit-down
wedding breakfast with a fish option
for Vikki, who is a pescatarian. The
top tier of their cake was wonky. “It
was a rustic theme so we got away
with it,” she says.
They decided to be spontaneous
and did not practise their first dance
to Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere.
Mark’s younger sister cheekily
commented afterwards that he was
somewhat wooden. Guests waved
1.5m-long sparklers to send off the
newlyweds.
“He is my best friend,” says Vikki.
“We have so much fun together.”
If you would like to feature a
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‘She has her father’s eyes
and face shape but her
mother’s lips and nose’
PIPPA SUZANNE DRACOTT WAS BORN ON MAY 28, 2020,
AT BROOMFIELD HOSPITAL IN CHELMSFORD, ESSEX,
TO CLAIRE, 30, AND GARY DRACOTT, 30
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
New readers
Zachary Edwin Shepherd was born
on April 30, 2021, at St Thomas’
Hospital in London to Naomi, 37, and
Cameron Shepherd, 34
Naomi and
Cameron knew
they were having
a boy. “We
wanted to find
out. It made the
November
lockdown a lot
more exciting
because we could
decorate his room,” she says. Their
first child has a mix of their
characteristics and looks, but
definitely gets his big blue eyes from
Naomi’s side of the family.
Cheeky and sociable, Zachary has
been enjoying the Scottish Highlands
this week (Naomi’s father, Edwin, is
originally from Inverness). “We went
on a seal cruise and he was screaming
with excitement,” she says.
Cameron is an avid Spurs fan and
can’t wait to take his son to matches
when he is older. He is Australian and
both he and Naomi, who grew up in
Jersey, love going for walks on the
beach and being by the sea. They
hope that Zachary will too.
Austin William Mullane Rickford
was born on June 28, 2021, at Whipps
Cross Hospital in Leytonstone,
London, to Louise Mullane, 35, and
Conor Rickford, 35
Austin arrived a
couple of days
early weighing
9lb 7oz. His
father Conor
reckons he looks
like him but will
let others decide.
Already Austin
“has proven
himself to be fairly obstinate — that’s
a trait on both sides of his parentage”.
Conor and Louise both come from
Irish backgrounds and wanted their
son to have a name reflecting that:
“Austin is an old Irish name, albeit
with a different spelling.” They would
love him to enjoy the arts and play
the guitar or drums, especially as he
“stands to inherit a large library and a
large record collection”. Of late,
Austin has been listening to a lot of
Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Given they live near Epping Forest,
they are looking forward to family
walks and teaching him the names of
all the trees, flowers and mushrooms.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Remembering loved ones
Pangbourne
teacher and
‘anchor’ for
half a century
Lionel Stephens, 95
When Lionel Stephens arrived in 1954
at the Nautical College Pangbourne
(NCP) in Berkshire to teach history,
the school’s single purpose was to
train boys for the Royal or Merchant
Navy. The regime was tough: a mile
run before breakfast to be followed by
a cold shower with parades twice a
day. The college was run by the
captain superintendent, a naval
officer, and a system of hierarchy
prevailed among the boys and the
year groups.
Lionel, who became known as
“Steve” or “Basil” to staff and pupils,
had been teaching history at the
school for a dozen or more years
when, in the late 1960s, the shipping
companies that had funded
A rugby referee, he had a
touchline role in 1961 at
an England international
Pangbourne started going out of
business. It looked as if the school was
heading for the rocks and, to avert a
potential catastrophe, Lionel stepped
into the breach. Bypassing an
unyielding captain superintendent, he
and two colleagues presented a
memorandum to the board of
governors outlining the changes they
thought necessary for the school to
stay afloat. Their initiative paid off.
Two years later the captain
superintendent resigned and the NCP
morphed into the more liberal
Paediatric allergy consultant who played piano with her patients
Marta Krawiec, 41
As any parent of a child who suffers
from allergies knows, they can be
terrifying. The anxiety is exacerbated
by knowing that an apparently benign
substance in the environment,
harmless to many, could hurt your
son or daughter.
Among the many innovative
clinical trials at the Evelina London
Children’s Hospital clinical trial unit
in southeast London, the paediatric
allergy consultant Dr Marta Krawiec
and her team immersed themselves in
peanut allergy.
They treated it with oral
immunotherapy, in which small
amounts of the allergen are given to
children to enable them to build a
potentially life-saving tolerance.
Starting with doses as low as a
thousandth of a peanut to gauge the
extent of the allergy, they would ask
the young patients to return at
Pangbourne College. Out went the
nautical emphasis on the education
offered and in came a friendlier, more
consensual outlook. The momentum
had started and for Lionel, who
embraced reform — often in a
minority of one — the ideas kept
coming. They included a careers
room for those not wishing to go to
sea, improvements to the
library’s shelves and a
growing range of
“hobbies” (in thee
early days a chessss
club and a
printing press).
Lionel also
lobbied for the
so-called
minor sports
such as
squash to take
place one
afternoon a
week.
The arrival of
Peter Points in
ool’s
1969 as the school’s
first headmasterr served
nel further.
to galvanise Lionel
ristian, he began to
A practising Christian,
deliver eloquent and thoughtful
sermons in chapel. Ever the historian,
he started a lone decades-long
struggle to preserve and collate the
school archives that were stored in a
19th-century cellar and he once
saved them from a flood caused by a
burst pipe.
Lionel Stephens was born in 1926 to
Albert, a bank manager, and Dorothy
(née Hallum). He had an elder
brother, Edward, who emigrated to
Dr Marta Krawiec treated peanut
allergies with oral immunotherapy
regular intervals for the team to
monitor their progress.
The progress has been significant:
children for whom any peanut would
trigger a life-threatening reaction are
now able to live safer lives and soon a
Lionel Stephens
S helped to initiate and lead reform at the
Nautical
Nautic College Pangbourne. Left, with his wife, Pat
wh was then
what
Rh
Rhodesia after
th
the Second
W
World War.
L
Lionel was
la
largely raised
in Bedford
an
and went to
Be
Bedford
Sch
School.
In 1944, when
he was 18, he was
called up for basic
training wit
with the Royal
East Kent regim
East regiment known
as the Buffs. He embar
embarked for
India the day after VE Day and was in
the country when the atomic bombs
were dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in August 1945.
Soon after he was deployed to the
North West Frontier Province to keep
peace with a Pashtun tribal leader
known as the Faqir of Ipi, whose
objective was to drive the British out
and set up a separate state. Lionel was
assigned the role of regimental motor
transport officer in charge of 75 mules
product will exist that will enable the
treatment to be given to children
outside research.
It is precise and demanding work,
but Marta loved it. She was known
not only for her reassurance, grace,
humour and lightness, but also for her
photographic ability to remember the
names of each member of every
family she encountered, alongside the
medical history and wellbeing of their
children.
Dr Marta Krawiec was born in
Poland in 1980 to Ewa, a retired
teacher, and Adam Krawiec, a former
horticultural specialist, in
Skierniewice, southwest of Warsaw.
The eldest of four, she had two sisters,
Aleksandra and Ewa, and a brother,
Tomasz.
Marta studied medicine at the
Medical University of Warsaw, soon
adding a PhD in paediatric allergies
and asthma to her professional
qualifications. In 2016 she left her
post as a paediatric allergist to come
as well as motor vehicles, but had not
yet learnt to drive so taught himself in
a Bren gun carrier. In his role of
transport officer he reasoned he could
sign his own certificate of competence
to drive and when he returned to
Britain in January 1947 he never took
a test.
Lionel taught sport at a prep school
before going up to Merton College,
Oxford, later that year. He graduated
with a degree in modern history and
then, largely to please his father,
joined the Macleans toothpaste
company in Brentford before deciding
to change direction and settling on a
teaching career.
The nautical college in Berkshire
would take up the rest of his life, and
he remained devoted to the wellbeing
of the school and its former pupils. He
was head of history for 25 years as
well as housemaster of the junior
house Port Jackson and then a senior
house, Macquarie.
In the mid-1950s he had joined
Blackheath rugby football club in
southeast London and at Pangbourne
to Britain, taking on the role of
clinical research fellow at the
paediatric allergy research
department at King’s College London,
set in the Evelina London Children’s
Hospital clinical trial unit.
The unit is a world-renowned
centre in establishing peanut allergy
She could remember the
names of each member
of every family she met
prevention and a leader in the novel
diagnosis and treatment of food
allergies in children. Energetic and
talented, Marta would become an
NHS consultant in the Evelina
children’s allergies service only two
years later.
From the flat she found in Tufnell
Park, north London, Marta relished
life in the capital, regularly going to
the theatre, exhibitions and concerts
83
Readers’ Lives
he relished the role of master-in-
charge of rugby, coaching a team that
remained unbeaten for its first two
years. He also co-founded the
Nightowls cricket team. Beyond
school life, he became a leading rugby
referee, reaching his peak with a
touchline role in 1961 at an England
international at Twickenham.
Behind the forthright demeanour
there was a touch of the exhibitionist
about Lionel and he appeared in
school productions of Gilbert and
Sullivan operettas showing an acute
sense of comic timing and a
mischievous sense of humour.
In 1963, aged 37, he married Pat
In India in the 1940s he
taught himself to drive
in a Bren gun carrier
Bradley, the sister-in-charge of Sick
Bay and a former military nurse who
had worked in a field hospital behind
advancing Allied ground forces in
Normandy after D-Day. They raised
two children: Nicholas, a director of a
holiday letting and cottage cleaning
company in Whitby, North Yorkshire,
and Jenny, a teacher in Winchcombe,
Gloucestershire.
On retirement in 1986, Lionel and
Pat settled in Goring, Oxfordshire,
and he continued his commitment to
Pangbourne. He researched and
wrote the first history of the college,
which was published in 1991, and as
the honorary secretary of the OP
Society edited the OP magazine,
wrote countless letters to OPs, and
visited them in Australia, New
Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
He attended innumerable dinners,
meetings, funerals and reunions. Pat
died in 2012.
It was with some reluctance that
Lionel retired from the old boys’
association in 2009 at the age of 83.
He had given 55 years to the school.
Remembered as a strongly individual
character with firm views that he did
not hesitate to express, Lionel ended
up epitomising what a colleague
described as “the conscience of the
college” or, as an old boy put it, “the
anchor of the Pangbourne ship”.
If you would like to commemorate
the life of a relative, friend or
colleague, call 020 7782 5583 to
discuss the content and cost, or
email: readerslives@thetimes.co.uk.
thetimes.co.uk/static/terms-and-conditions
with her partner, Raph, an advertising
creative director. She particularly
liked JS Bach.
Marta shared her love of music
with some of her young patients,
taking them up to a piano on the
third floor of the hospital where they
would play music together during
the rare moments when the ward
wasn’t busy.
It was outdoors, however, that
Marta was at her happiest. For all her
accomplishments in academic halls,
laboratories and wards, nothing
satisfied her curiosity more than
exploring the British coastline, hiking
through the countryside or swimming
across the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond on
Hampstead Heath around the corner
from her home.
During lockdown she took up
cycling to reach her patients safely. It
was on her way to work in August
that she was killed in a collision. A
remarkable being, Marta touched the
lives of many.
84
Register
Register Guide to the government
Prime
minister’s
office
Boris Johnson 57,
prime minister
(£157,372)
Principal special advisers: Dan
Rosenfield, Baroness Finn,
Munira Mirza, Henry Newman,
Jack Doyle, Rosie Bate-Williams
Principal private secretary:
Martin Reynolds
Parliamentary private
secretaries: Andrew Griffith,
Sarah Dines
10 Downing Street, SW1 2AA
020 7930 4433
no10.gov.uk
Cabinet Office
Stephen Barclay 49,
chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster
(£149,437)
Alok Sharma 54, COP 26
president (£149,437) Lord Frost
56, minister of state (£81,485)
Nigel Adams 54, minister of
state (£113,612) Michael Ellis 53,
paymaster-general (£113,612)
Lord Agnew of Oulton 60,
(jointly with the Treasury)
minister of state (£81,485)
Lord True 70, minister of state
(£81,485) Leo Docherty 44,
(joint with the Ministry of
Defence) parliamentary
secretary (£104,307)
Special advisers: Aled
Maclean-Jones, Amy Milner,
Allegra Stratton, Alex Hitchcock,
Cleo Watson
Cabinet secretary: Simon Case
70 Whitehall, SW1A 2AS
020 7267 1234
cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Department for
Business, Energy
and Industrial
Strategy
Kwasi Kwarteng 46,
secretary of state for
business, energy and
industrial strategy
(£149,437)
Greg Hands 55, minister of state
(£113,612) Lord Grimstone of
Boscobel 72, (jointly with the
Department for International
Trade) minister of state (£81,485)
Lee Rowley 41, parliamentary
under secretary of state and
junior lord of the Treasury
(£99,849) Paul Scully 53,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307)
George Freeman 54,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) Lord
Callanan 60, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£70,969)
Special advisers: Cameron
Brown, Celia McSwaine, Marcus
Natale
Permanent secretary: Sarah
Munby
1 Victoria Street, SW1H 0ET
020 7215 5000
beis.gov.uk
Ministry of
Defence
Ben Wallace 51,
secretary of state for
defence (£149,437)
Jeremy Quin 53, minister of
state (£113,612) Baroness Goldie
71, minister of state (unpaid)
James Heappey 40,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307)
Leo Docherty 44, (joint with the
Cabinet Office) parliamentary
secretary (£104,307)
Special advisers: Peter Quentin,
Daisy Peck, Edwina Thomas
Permanent secretary: David
Williams
Whitehall, SW1A 2HB
020 7218 9000
mod.gov.uk
Department for
Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport
Nadine Dorries 64,
secretary of state for
digital, culture, media
and sport (£149,437)
Julia Lopez 37, minister of state
(£113,612) Chris Philp 45,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) Nigel
Huddleston 50, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£104,307)
Special advisers: Robert Oxley,
Hudson Roe, William Joce
Permanent secretary: Sarah
Healey
100 Parliament Street,
SW1A 2BQ
020 7211 6000
dcms.gov.uk
Department for
Education
Nadhim Zahawi 54,
secretary of state for
education (£149,437)
Michelle Donelan 37, minister of
state (£113,612) Robin Walker 43,
minister of state (£113,612)
Alex Burghart 44, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£104,307) Will Quince 38,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307)
Baroness Barran 62,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (unpaid)
Special advisers: Tom Kennedy,
Iain Mansfield
Permanent secretary: Susan
Acland-Hood
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
0370 000 2288
education.gov.uk
Department for
Environment,
Food and Rural
Affairs
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
George Eustice 49,
secretary of state for
environment, food and
rural affairs (£149,437)
Victoria Prentis 50, minister of
state (£113,612) Lord Goldsmith
of Richmond Park 46, (jointly
with the Foreign,
Commonwealth and
Development Office) minister of
state (unpaid) Rebecca Pow 60,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) Jo Churchill
57, parliamentary under
secretary of state (£104,307)
Lord Benyon 60, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£70,969)
Special advisers: Emma Pryor,
Megan Trethewey, Richard
Coates
Permanent secretary: Tamara
Finkelstein
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
0345 9335 577
defra.gov.uk
Foreign,
Commonwealth
and Development
Office
Liz Truss 46, secretary
of state for foreign and
commonwealth and
development affairs
and minister for women and
equalities (£149,437)
Amanda Milling 46, minister of
state (£113,612) James Cleverly
52, minister of state (£113,612),
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond
Park 46, (jointly with
Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs) minister
of state (unpaid) Lord Ahmad of
Wimbledon 53, minister of state
The cabinet
(£81,485) Kemi Badenoch 41,
(jointly with the Department for 1 Boris Johnson prime minister, commonwealth and relations 8 Sajid Javid secretary
Levelling Up, Housing and first lord of the Treasury, development affairs; minister for of state for health and social
minister for the Union, minister women and equalities care 9 Steve Barclay minister
Communities) minister of state
for the civil service 5 Priti Patel secretary of state for the cabinet office, chancellor
(£113,612) Vicky Ford 54,
parliamentary under secretary 2 Dominic Raab deputy prime for the home department of the Duchy of Lancaster
minister, lord chancellor and 6 Ben Wallace secretary of state 10 Kwasi Kwarteng secretary of
of state (£104,307)
Wendy Morton 53, secretary of state for justice for defence 7 Michael Gove state for business, energy and
parliamentary under secretary 3 Rishi Sunak chancellor of the
exchequer 4 Elizabeth Truss
secretary of state for levelling
up, housing and communities;
industrial strategy
11 Alok Sharma COP26
of state (£104,307),
Baroness Stedman-Scott 65, secretary of state for foreign, minister for intergovernmental president 12 Anne-Marie
(jointly with the Department for
Work and Pensions)
parliamentary under secretary of state (£104,307) Maria Communities) minister of state Kemi Badenoch 41 (jointly with
of state (£70,969) Mike Freer 61, Caulfield 48, parliamentary (unpaid) Rachel Maclean 55, the Foreign, Commonwealth and
(jointly with the Department for under secretary of state parliamentary under secretary Development Office) minister of
International Trade), (£104,307) Lord Kamall 54, of state (£104,307) Kevin Foster state (£113,612)
parliamentary under secretary parliamentary under secretary 42, parliamentary under Christopher Pincher 52,
of state (£104,307) of state (£70,969) secretary of state (£104,307) minister of state (£113,612) Lord
Special advisers: Damon Poole, Tom Pursglove 32, (jointly with Greenhalgh 54, (jointly with the
Special advisers: Sophie Jarvis,
Samuel Coates, Emma Dean, the Ministry of Justice) Home Office) minister of state
Adam Jones, Jamie Hope
Adam Memon, Allan Nixon, parliamentary under secretary (unpaid) Eddie Hughes 52,
Beatrice Timpson of state (£104,307) parliamentary under secretary
Permanent secretary: Sir Philip
Special advisers: Hannah Guerin, of state (£104,307) Neil O’Brien
Barton
Permanent secretary: Sir Chris Charlotte Miller, Harry Methley, 42, parliamentary under
Wormald Michael Stott secretary of state (£104,307)
King Charles Street
Special advisers: Josh
SW1A 2AH
39 Victoria Street, SW1H 0EU Permanent secretary: Matthew Grimstone, Charlie Rowley,
United Kingdom
020 7210 4850 Rycroft Andrew Hood, Keelan Carr
020 7008 5000
dhsc.gov.uk 2 Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF Permanent secretary: Jeremy
fcdo.gov.uk
020 7035 4646 Pocklington
Department of Home Office homeoffice.gov.uk 2 Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Health and Social Priti Patel 49, home
communities.gov.uk
Care secretary (£149,437) Department for
Kit Malthouse 54,
Levelling Up, Department for
Sajid Javid 51,
secretary of state for (jointly with the Ministry of Housing and International
Justice) minister of state
health and social care
(£149,437) (£113,612) Damian Hinds 51, Communities Trade
minister of state (£113,612)
Michael Gove 54,
Edward Argar 43, minister of Baroness Williams of Trafford Anne-Marie Trevelyan
54, minister of state (£81,485) secretary of state for 52, secretary of state
state (£113,612) Gillian Keegan
53, minister of state (£113,612) Lord Greenhalgh 54, (jointly levelling up, housing
and communities,
for international trade
with the Department for and president of the
Maggie Throup, 64,
Levelling Up, Housing and minister for intergovernmental board of trade (£149,437)
parliamentary under secretary relations (£149,437)
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Trevelyan secretary of state for
international trade and
president of the board of trade
13 Thérèse Coffey secretary of
state for work and pensions
14 Nadhim Zahawi secretary of
state for education
15 George Eustice secretary of
state for environment, food and
rural affairs 16 Grant Shapps
Penny Mordaunt 48, minister of
state (£113,612) Lord Grimstone
of Boscobel 72, (jointly with the
Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy)
minister of state (£81,485) Mike
Freer 61, (jointly with the
Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office)
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) Ranil
Jayawardena 35, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£104,307)
Special advisers: Will Holloway,
Will Sweet, Rhiannon Padley
Permanent secretary: James
Bowler
Old Admiralty Building
Admiralty Place, SW1A 2DY
United Kingdom
0207 215 5000
Dit.gov.uk
Ministry of
Justice
Dominic Raab 47,
deputy prime minister,
lord chancellor and
secretary of state for
3 4
12
8 11
14
17
19
23
secretary of state for transport
17 Brandon Lewis secretary of
state for northern ireland 18
Alister Jack secretary of state
for scotland 19 Simon Hart
secretary of state for wales
20 Baroness Evans of Bowes
Park leader of the House of
Lords, lord privy seal 21 Nadine
Dorries secretary of state for
justice (£149,437)
Kit Malthouse 54, (jointly with
the Home Office) minister of
state (£113,612) Victoria Atkins
45, minister of state (£113,612)
Tom Pursglove 32, (jointly with
the Home Office)
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) James
Cartlidge 47, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£99,849) Lord Wolfson of
Tredegar 53, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(unpaid)
Permanent secretary: Antonia
Romeo
102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ
0203 334 3555
moj.gov.uk
HM Treasury
Rishi Sunak 41,
chancellor of the
exchequer (£149,437)
Simon Clarke 36, chief secretary
to the Treasury (£113,612) Lucy
Frazer 49, financial secretary to
the Treasury (£113,612)
24 25
9 16 18 21 27
22 20 26
10
1 020 7271 2492
13
digital, culture, media and sport
22 Lord Frost minister of state
23 Oliver Dowden minister
without portfolio
Also attending cabinet
24 Mark Spencer parliamentary
secretary to the Treasury (chief
whip) 25 Simon Clarke chief
secretary to the Treasury
Lord Agnew of Oulton 60,
(jointly with the Cabinet Office)
minister of state (unpaid) John
Glen 47, economic secretary to
the Treasury (£104,307) Helen
Whately 45, exchequer
secretary to the Treasury
(£104,307)
Special advisers: Liam Booth-
Smith, Oliva Oates, Cass
Horowitz, Nerissa Chesterfield,
Douglas McNeill, Michael Webb,
Rupert Yorke, Lisa Lovering,
James Nation
Permanent secretary: Tom
Scholar
1 Horse Guards Road
Westminster, SW1A 2HQ
020 7270 5000
hm-treasury.gov.uk
Department for
Work and
Pensions
Thérèse Coffey 49,
secretary of state for
work and pensions
(£149,437)
Chloe Smith 39, minister of state
BEN STANSALL/REUTERS
minister of state (£113,612)
Robert Courts 42,
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) Trudy
Harrison 45, parliamentary
under secretary of state
(£104,307) Baroness Vere of
Norbiton parliamentary under
secretary of state (£104,307)
Special advisers: Neil Tweedie,
Ryan Hopkins, Meera Vadher
Permanent secretary:
Bernadette Kelly
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road, SW1P 4DR
0300 330 3000
dft.gov.uk
Law Officers
Suella Braverman 41,
attorney-general
(£176, 382)
Alex Chalk 45, solicitor-general
(£139,894), Lord Stewart of
Dirleton HM advocate-general
for Scotland (£94,772)
Special advisers: Christopher
Jenkins, Emily Law
Director-general: Douglas Wilson
7
6 102 Petty France, SW1H 9EA
5
2 28 attorneygeneral.gov.uk
15
Northern Ireland
29 Office
Brandon Lewis 50,
secretary of state for
Northern Ireland
(£149,437)
Conor Burns 49, minister of
state (£113,612)
Special advisers: Amy Fisher,
Isabel Bruce, Oliver Legard
26 Jacob Rees-Mogg lord Permanent secretary: Madeleine
president of the council, leader Alessandri
of the House of Commons
27 Suella Braverman attorney- Stormont House, Belfast
general 28 Kit Malthouse Northern Ireland
minister of state (minister for BT4 3SH
crime and policing) 29 Michelle
Donelan minister of state nio.gov.uk
Nigel Adams minister of state
(minister without portfolio) Scotland Office
Alister Jack 58,
(£113,612) Mims Davies 46, secretary of state for
parliamentary under secretary Scotland (£149,437)
of state (£104,307) Guy
Opperman 56, parliamentary Iain Stewart 49, parliamentary
under secretary of state under secretary of state
(£104,307) David Rutley 60, (£104,307)
parliamentary under secretary Special advisers: Geoff
of state (£104,307) Baroness Mawdsley, Magnus Gardham,
Stedman-Scott 65, (jointly with Tom Peterkin, John Cooper
the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office) Director: Laurence Rockey
parliamentary under secretary
of state (£104,307) Queen Elizabeth House
Special advisers: Jess Prestidge, Edinburgh, EH8 8FT
Ed Winfield
0131 244 9010
Permanent secretary: Peter gov.uk/scotland
Schofield
Caxton House, Tothill St, Wales Office
SW1H 9NA
Simon Hart 58,
dwp.gov.uk secretary of state for
Wales (£149,437)
Department for David TC Davies 51,
Transport parliamentary under secretary
of state (£99,849)
Grant Shapps 53, Special advisers: Jack Sellers,
secretary of state for Olivia Williams
transport (£149,437)
Director: Glynne Jones
Andrew Stephenson 40,
minister of state (£113,612) William Morgan House
Chris Heaton-Harris 53, 6-7 Central Square
85
Register
Register
Cardiff, CF10 1EP
02920 924216
gov.uk/wales
Office of the
Leader of the
House of Lords
Baroness Evans of
Bowes Park 45, lord
privy seal and
leader of the House of
Lords (£104,360) Earl
Howe deputy leader of the
House of Lords (unpaid)
Special advisers: Annabel Eyre,
Hannah Ellis, Yasmin Kalhori
Room 20, Principal Floor
West Front, House of Lords
SW1A 0PW
Office of the
Leader of the
House of
Commons
Jacob Rees-Mogg 52,
lord president of the
council and leader of
the House of
Commons (£113,612)
Special advisers: Beatrice
Timpson, Fred de Fossard
House of
Commons Whips
Mark Spencer 51,
parliamentary
secretary to the
Treasury and chief
whip (£113,612) Stuart Andrew
49, treasurer of HM household
and deputy chief whip (£113,612)
Marcus Jones 47, comptroller of
HM household and government
whip (£99,849) James Morris
54, vice-chamberlain of HM
household and government
whip (£99,849)
Lords Commissioners of the
Treasury (whips)
Amanda Solloway 60 Lee
Rowley 41 (and parliamentary
under secretary of state at the
department of business, energy
and industrial strategy) Michael
Tomlinson 43 Alan Mak 37
(unpaid) Craig Whittaker 59,
Rebecca Harris 53 (all £99,849
unless otherwise stated)
Assistant Whips
Scott Mann 44 David TC Davies
51 (and parliamentary under
secretary of state at the Wales
Office) James Cartlidge 47 (and
parliamentary under secretary
of state at the ministry of
justice) Gareth Johnson 51
Heather Wheeler 62 Andrea
Jenkyns 47 Steve Double 54 (all
£99,849)
House of Lords
Whips
Lord Ashton of Hyde
63, captain of the
Honourable Corps of
Gentlemen at Arms
(Lords chief whip) (£81,485) Earl
of Courtown 67, captain of The
Queen’s Bodyguard of the
Yeomen of the Guard (deputy
chief whip) (£70,969)
Baronesses and lords in waiting
Baroness Scott of Bybrook 74,
Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton
Waldrist 61 Baroness Chisholm
of Owlpen 69 Lord Parkinson
of Whitley Bay 38 Viscount
Younger of Leckie 65 (£65,625)
86
Register
Births, Marriages and Deaths
STAND up and bless the LORD your God
for ever and ever: and blessed be thy
glorious name, which is exalted above all
blessing and praise. Nehemiah 9.5b (AKJV)
Bible verses are provided by the Bible
Society
Births
ANDERSON on 26th September 2021 to
Rosanna and William, a daughter, Ingrid
Matilda Esio, sister to Gertrude, at Royal
Sussex County Hospital.
FITZPATRICK on 30th August 2021 to
Ione (née Bingley) and Angus, a daughter,
Ithaca Avon Christina.
HARRISON on 28th September 2021 to
Clementina and Oliver, a daughter, Tallulah
Willa.
HENDRY on 16th September 2021 to
Annaliese (née Briggs) and Jamie, a
daughter, Philomena Mary, sister to
Florence and Saxon.
MCCAFFERTY on 4th September 2021 to
Anna (née Lewis) and Thomas, a daughter,
Imogen Isla, sister to Rory.
O’REILLY on 5th July 2021 to Yulia (née
Gil) and Liam, a daughter, Ciara Eve.
RICE on 23rd September 2021 to Ellie
(née West) and Tom, a daughter, Sophie
Isabelle, sister to Lily. Born at Royal Surrey
Hospital, Guildford.
UNGER-HAMILTON on 21st September
2021 to April (née Travell) and Gus, a son,
Aubin Jethro Virgo Travell.
WOOLSEY on 21st September 2021 to
Camilla (née Whittington) and William, a
daughter, Henrietta Philippa Rose.
Forthcoming Marriages
MR A. J. SCOTT-BOWDEN
AND MISS L. C. G. BARGE
The engagement is announced between
Arthur, youngest son of Major and Mrs
James Scott-Bowden of Alderley,
Gloucestershire, and Lydia, eldest
daughter of Mr and Mrs Henry Barge of
Auchtermuchty, Fife.
MR W. R. SHAW
AND MISS J. M. C. BELL
The engagement is announced between
William, younger son of Martin and
Georgina Shaw of London, and Jennifer,
younger daughter of Kevin and Gill Bell of
Hampton, Middx.
MR T. M. D. TOPHAM
AND MISS H. S. A. EVANS
The engagement is announced between
Timothy, son of Lt Col Christopher and Dr
Katherine Topham of Gasper, Wiltshire, and
Harriet, daughter of Mr David Evans and
Mrs Josephine Cabedo Evans, of Gibraltar.
MR E. KEABLE
AND MISS Z. GASZTOWICZ
The engagement is announced between
Elliot, elder son of Mr and Mrs Tony Keable,
of Medbourne, Leicestershire, and Zara,
daughter of Mr and Mrs Steven Gasztowicz
of Oadby, Leicestershire.
MR R. J. MCPHERSON
AND MISS O. C. A. STEVENS
The engagement is announced between
Rory, only son of Mr Malcolm and the late
Hilary McPherson of Newmarket,
Cambridgeshire, and Olivia, younger
daughter of Mr and Mrs Julian Stevens of
Clanfield, Oxfordshire.
DR A. S. M. TIDMAN
AND MR J. L. T. TAYLOR
The engagement is announced between
Alice Sarah Marion, daughter of Drs Jill and
Michael Tidman, Edinburgh, and James
Lyle Templeton, son of Mr and Mrs Norman
Taylor, Crieff.
MR M. J. BANCROFT
AND MISS I. F. YOUNG
The engagement is announced between
Matthew, son of Judith and Geoffrey
Bancroft of Leicestershire, and Imogen,
daughter of Suzanne and Dean Young of
the Vale of Glamorgan.
Marriages
MR P. W. JONES
AND DR R. A. E. HARRISON
The marriage took place on 29th August
2021 at Holy Trinity Church, Headington,
Oxford, between Paul and Ruth.
Thank you to all the guests who travelled
to be with them.
Trustee Acts
MAKIN, Gareth Alan, 26 Robert  Available 24 hours a day,
Sheffield S8 7TL. Died 17th March
particulars to Guy Roland Nigel M
Flat 10-31, Kempton Court, Lond
5BD by 3rd December 2021.
Anniversaries
SNELL : TROTH
On 3rd October 1981, Mike to Carole.
Celebrating 40 fabulous years, with love
from Paul and Ian.
Deaths
BIRTWISTLE Anthony Gerard Astley died
peacefully on 26th September 2021, aged
93, dearly loved husband of Diana, father of
Caroline, Emma, Lucinda and Sophie,
beloved grandfather and great-
grandfather. Family funeral only on Friday
15th October at 2pm at the Divine
Motherhood & St Francis of Assisi,
Midhurst. No flowers please.
BROTHERTON
Peter Malcolm died on 19th
September 2021 after a struggle with
cancer. Peter’s funeral will be held at
Christ Church, Kilndown, Kent,
at noon on Friday 8th October 2021.
Family flowers only please. Any
donations kindly to Hospice in the
Weald, Maidstone Road, Pembury, for
their ongoing care and support.
Inquiries to Andy at Holly’s Funerals
on 01580 389184.
COSSON Clare Emily (née Cochrane) on
21st September 2021, aged 49. Died
peacefully at The Royal Marsden. Adored
wife of Ludo, beloved daughter of Mike and
Marian, much-loved sister of Lucy, Kate and
Jo, and wonderful aunt of Henry, Arthur,
Kit, Louis, Livvy, Otto and Will.
CUTFIELD Ruth (née Kirkby) died
peacefully on 23rd September 2021, aged
92. Beloved mother, grandmother and
great-grandmother, Ruth passed away in
Chester on Thursday. She will be forever in
our memories. Ruth’s ashes will be laid to
rest together with her beloved husband
Ted in Wells Cathedral.
D’CRUZ Trevlyn Raphael died peacefully
on 18th September 2021, aged 83, after a
short illness. Adored husband, father and
grandfather, a cherished friend to many,
now in Paradise with Jill, his beloved wife
of 57 years. Funeral at St Luke’s SW12
14th October at 2.30pm. Donations to
Royal Trinity https://
www.royaltrinityhospice.london/ or
Women’s Aid https://
www.womensaid.org.uk/regular-donation/
DARKER Nicholas Faviell Marrack on
31st July 2021, aged 40, passed away
unexpectedly at home in Toronto. Beloved
son of John and Pamela and dearest
brother of Elizabeth. He will be forever in
our hearts. The funeral service will take
place on 16th October at St Leonard’s
Church, Sherfield on Loddon. Further
details from Spencer & Peyton
01256 323165.
FABER Malcolm Stuart David died on
Saturday the 18th of September 2021, at
the age of 80. It is with the greatest
possible sadness that the Faber family
announce the peaceful passing in hospital
of dear Malcolm. This decline in health
followed a spinal injury three years ago
which eventually led to complications. So
deeply mourned and missed by his wife
Pat, daughters Anna and Stephanie,
brothers Roger and Trevor, sister-in-law
Trina, sons-in-law Mark and Sam, nephews
Gavin, Niall and Joel, grandchildren Benjy,
Naomi, Millie and Eve and his countless
friends. May his dear soul rest in
everlasting peace. Donations in Malcolm’s
name gratefully welcomed to
www.rjah.nhs.uk/Fundraising/charity.aspx
HAMMERSLEY Philip Tom died on 17th
September 2021, aged 90. Beloved
husband of Lesley, much-loved father to
Mark, Alison and Paul, and Grandpa to
Henry, Charlotte, Anna, Izzy, Mia, Sassy
and Will. A funeral service will be held at
Guildford Cathedral on Monday 18th
October at 2pm. No flowers please but
donations to Woking Hospice via
www.alangreenwoodfunerals.com/
obituaries
HITCHINS
Stephen Robert passed away
peacefully on 13th August 2021. He
lived life to the fullest and took great
pleasure in achieving what he was
told he couldn’t. An incredible man,
full of knowledge, wit and love, much
cherished by Tania, Harry and Chloe.
We all, his family and friends, have
such fond memories of him and are
comforted by enjoying all he created.
Any donations to Gloucestershire
Community Foundation via their
website.
LEGAL, PUBLIC, COMPANY &
PARLIAMENTARY NOTICES
To place notices for these
sections please call
020 7481 4000
Notices should be received
by 11.30am three days prior
to insertion
HUTCHESON
Ian Stuart Hutcheson CBE died
peacefully on 28th September 2021,
aged 91.
Thrice married, the beloved husband
of Jean, Gillian (deceased) and Audrey
(deceased), much-loved father of
James (deceased), Stephen, Sarah and
Claire, and proud grandfather to Paul,
Simon, Peter, Marie, Thalia, Alex and
Edward will be sadly missed.
Further survived by great-
grandchildren, nephews, other
relatives and friends, Ian will be
fondly remembered as a loving father,
the distinguished founder of Acatos &
Hutcheson PLC, a generous friend and
most charming host.
A funeral service will take place at
St Mary the Virgin, Hartfield, TN7 4AG,
on Friday 8th October 2021 at 2.15pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to the Hospice in the Weald
in his memory.
(www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk)
HYDE-THOMSON Zoë died peacefully at
home, on 27th September 2021, aged 91.
Much loved. A wonderful lady who lived life
well to the end. Funeral service at St
Andrew’s Church, North Kilworth, on
Tuesday 12th October at 3pm, followed by
burial. All inquiries, including live streaming
details, to J. Stamp & Sons. Tel 01858
462524. www.jstampandsons.co.uk
KING
Prof Peter John Henry died peacefully
on 17th September 2021, aged 89.
Funeral at Eltham Crematorium
SE9 2AZ on
October 12th at 2pm.
Wake at Royal Blackheath Golf Club,
Court Rd, Eltham SE9 5AF.
Donations to Demelza.org.uk instead
of flowers.
Cards and notes to E. Head, 416
Footscray Rd, Eltham SE9 3TU.
A webcast log-in is available for those
who would like to attend remotely.
Please contact
clarestephens63@gmail.com
LENG Virginia. Died peacefully on
Wednesday 8th September, aged 90.
Beloved mother, grandmother and great-
grandmother who will be sadly missed by
all. Memorial service to be held at St John
The Baptist Church, Stockton, Wilts, on
Friday 22nd October 2021 at 11am. No
flowers. Donations if desired to World
Horse Welfare, Spinal Research or
Alzheimer’s Research UK may be sent c/o
Iles & Vincent Funeral Services, The
Cornmarket, Warminster BA12 9BX.
MARKHAM Frederick Charles Theodore
(Freddy) of Morland, Cumbria, died
peacefully at home after a long illness on
27th September, at the age of 72. A much-
loved father of Gervase, Art, Di and Fra,
brother of Vicky and Frances, grandfather
of seven and companion of Fay. Burial and
thanksgiving at the Church of St Laurence,
Morland, on Tuesday 12th October at 2pm.
Family flowers only. Any donations to
Morland Church or the PSPA c/o Walkers
Funeral Directors, Penrith 01768 892211.
MUXLOW Ruth Madeleine formerly of
Leeds and Bromley, Kent. Sadly passed
away on 9th September 2021, at Queen’s
Medical Centre, Nottingham. She will be
sadly missed by her sister Judith, cousin
Patricia, all the Muxlow family and her best
friend Jackie. Funeral service to be held at
Wilford Hill Crematorium on Tuesday 5th
October at 2.30pm. Inquiries to Baguley
Brothers Funeral Directors 0115 9605797.
O’TOOLE Victoria (née Helly) on 8th
September 2021, aged 90, passed away
peacefully at home, joining her husband
(Larry). Much-loved mother to Martin and
Tricia and adored grandmother to Katie,
Tabby and Fane. The funeral service will be
held at St Brannoc’s Catholic Church in
Braunton on Friday 8th October at 1.30pm.
Family flowers only. Donations if desired to
the North Devon Hospice c/o L Clarke &
Sons, Braunton, EX33 1EE (01271 813526).
PAGE-TURNER The Rev Canon Gregory
died peacefully on 19th September 2021,
aged 89, dearly loved by his family.
Thanksgiving Requiem service at St Mary’s
Church Beaminster 28th October 2021,
2pm. Inquiries A J Wakely 01308 423726.
PHILPOTT Patricia (née Ward) died
peacefully on 7th September 2021, aged 84.
Beloved wife, mother and grandmother.
Dedicated history teacher and head of
Sixth at St Crispin’s, Wokingham. Funeral
service at St Michael’s Church, Sandhurst,
Berks. 7th October, 10.30am.
The simple way to place your
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SIMMONS Professor Jack A, died
peacefully on 27th September 2021, aged
87. Much-loved husband, father and
grandfather. A scientist and a gentleman.
Funeral service at Golders Green
Crematorium (West Chapel), NW11, on
Friday 15th October 2021 at noon. Our
grateful thanks to UCLH and the NHS for
their care. Donations in lieu of flowers to
Blood Cancer UK and Williams Syndrome
Foundation via https://
jacksimmons.muchloved.com/
Inquiries to Levertons Funeral Directors on
020 7387 6075.
Funeral Arrangements
RONALD TRAVERS OBE
The funeral service will be held in
St George’s Church, Dittisham, on
Wednesday 13th October 2021 at 1pm.
Donations in his memory may be
made to the Leonard Cheshire
Foundation.
Memorial Services
HAYNES Nicholas (Nick) at Marston St
Lawrence Church, Banbury OX17 2DA on
4th November 2021 at 2pm RSVP
nfhmemorial@outlook.com
JAQUES Nigel (NJTJ), at Eton College
Chapel, SL4 6DW, on 12th November 2021
at 2.30pm. All are welcome.
General Announcements
COURTING
Stuart & Kerry have the pleasure in
announcing their intention to
continue their period of indefinite
courting for a third year.
Court Circular
Palace of Holyroodhouse
1st October, 2021
The Queen, accompanied by The Prince
Charles, Duke of Rothesay, Patron, this
morning planted a tree on the Balmoral
Estate to mark the start of the official
planting season for The Queen’s Green
Canopy.
Her Majesty, accompanied by His Royal
Highness, met local schoolchildren who
were attending an education session on
the Estate.
The Queen arrived at the Palace of
Holyroodhouse from Balmoral Castle this
afternoon.
The Queen was represented by Colonel
Toby Browne (Crown Equerry) at the
Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of
Mrs. David Tudway-Quilter which was
held in Wells Cathedral, Somerset, this
afternoon.
Clarence House
1st October, 2021
The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay and
The Duchess of Rothesay today undertook
engagements in Edinburgh.
His Royal Highness, Patron, and Her
Royal Highness this afternoon visited the
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh,
Arboretum Place, to mark its Three
Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary and
were received by Her Majesty’s Lord-
Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh
(Councillor Francis Ross, the Rt Hon the
Lord Provost).
The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay,
afterwards visited Johnnie Walker Princes
Street, 145 Princes Street.
His Royal Highness subsequently
attended a Reception for the Financial
Services Sector at the Bank of Scotland
Foundation, the Mound.
The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay,
Chairman, the Royal Collection Trust, later
visited Abbey Strand, Edinburgh.
His Royal Highness this evening
attended the Kirking of the Sixth Session
of the Scottish Parliament at St. Giles’
Cathedral.
The Duchess of Rothesay, President,
Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, this
afternoon visited Maggie’s Edinburgh,
Western General Hospital, Crewe Road
South, and was received by Brigadier John
Thomson (Deputy Lieutenant of the City
of Edinburgh).
Her Royal Highness, Colonel-in-Chief,
subsequently visited 3rd Battalion The
Rifles, Dreghorn Barracks, Redford Road.
St James’s Palace
1st October, 2021
The Princess Royal, Colonel-in-Chief, The
Royal Corps of Signals, today visited 1st
Signal Regiment and 15th Signal Regiment
at Swinton Barracks, Perham Down,
Wiltshire.
St James’s Palace
1st October, 2021
The Duke of Kent, Patron, International
Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, this
evening attended a Concert at Wigmore
Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1, and
was received by Her Majesty’s
Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
(Sir Kenneth Olisa).
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Pastoral vision of
St Francis of Assisi
can revive church
Credo
Peter
Townley
O
f all the saints, St
Francis of Assisi
must be one who
has most caught
the popular
imagination.
Born in 1182, the son of a
wealthy woollen merchant,
Francis embraced the leper,
swapping clothes with a
beggar and devoting himself
to the created order of
Brother Sun and Sister Moon.
His love for animals has
inspired writers, artists, film-
makers and followers through
the ages.
It was Francis who
introduced the Christmas crib
and a more visual spirituality.
The hymn attributed to him,
Make Me a Channel of Your
Peace, is much-requested at
weddings and funerals and
not least by those who never
go near a church. Those
words have significantly
shaped their world view since
they were children.
On Monday, Christians
celebrate the feast day of St
Francis, whose story really
began in the Church of St
Damiano in Assisi when he
had a vision of Christ on the
Cross saying to him, “Go
Francis and rebuild my
church”.
Not only did those words
change his life, but they
present a profound challenge
to the church today.
The pandemic over the past
two years has brought into
sharp relief the problem of
how to keep the church
sustainable for new
generations. What was going
to become the challenge ten
or 15 years hence has become
a present reality. It has
become a regular mantra that
there are too many church
buildings, too few people
going to church (many of
them elderly) and crippling
financial problems.
At a time when the church
should be connected we seem
disconnected. Should we be
surprised that many get their
spiritual sustenance from
Gardeners’ World?
In 1986 Walbert Bühlmann,
a Swiss Capuchin, wrote The
Church of the Future: a model
for the year 2001. One chapter
is entitled “Francis, Brother
To All”.
For him Francis is a
prophet of a new apostolic
Join us for breakfast
Listen to Aasmah Mir and
Stig Abell on Times Radio,
Monday to Thursday at 6am
presence in the world of today
as people search for a less
structured and freer church.
This year in the Anglican
Communion the Society of
St Francis celebrates the
centenary of Hilfield Friary in
Dorset. Many of the brothers
and sisters down the years
will be remembered.
Among them is Brother
Neville, who went to live in
their house in Cable Street in
London’s East End. The
house, with a chapel at its
heart, was a rat-infested
former brothel. Neville’s deep
pastoral care, together with
non-judgmental commitment
to the poor, were in every way
as much a byword and part of
the texture of East End life as
that of the Anglican sisters of
Nonnatus House in Poplar of
Call the Midwife fame.
Rooted in the Gospel and
sacraments, the radical yet
orthodox vision of St Francis
was a universal one. One of
the great Franciscan prayers
is: “We adore you, most Holy
Lord Jesus Christ, here, and
in all your churches
throughout all the world.” It
continues to be outward
looking and not constrained
by any ecclesiastical bubble
we inhabit. It is about lifestyle
and not just pious platitudes.
It is about the simplicity of
deeds and actions.
The prophetic action of St
Francis reaching out to the
Muslims is a fillip for a vision
of ecumenism as we look to
the future of the church, a
vision of the ark of salvation
for the whole earth. The
greatest ecumenical
challenge is not how
Christians might get on
together but rather, as we
look to future generations,
how Christians and Muslims
might share one world.
After his papal election the
Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario
Bergoglio chose the name
Francis. It is more than an act
of prophetic symbolism. It
gives us a sense of direction
as we look to the future.
GK Chesterton wrote of the
age of St Francis as one of a
fresh flowering of culture and
an awakening of the world. In
our own time the nature of
many of our institutions
seems fragile as we await the
dawning of something new.
As we look back to St
Francis and his vision, living
in a time not dissimilar to our
own with all its division and
pain, we can see in God’s
bricklayer an important
building block for our age.
The Ven Peter Townley is the
archdeacon of Pontefract
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 87

Register
The Times Saturday Quiz Olav Bjortomt O Tempora! Crossword CCCXIII by Basil
A weekly crossword for the classically minded
GETTY IMAGES

1 Placing a blanket over a fire

extinguishes it by depriving the
flame of which gas?
20 1 2 3 4 5

6 7
Clues, which may
be straight or
mildly cryptic,
always lead to
8 9

2 Which Agatha Christie detective

is described as “the worst cat in
the village”?
answers in Latin

10 11

3 Who disguises himself as

“General Brickwall Jackson” in
the Looney Tunes cartoon Southern
12

Fried Rabbit? 13 14

15
In a poem, Ted Hughes wrote
4 about which farm animal having
“Such weight and thick pink bulk”?
16 17 18

19

5 Marni Nixon dubbed the singing

voice of Natalie Wood (Maria) in
which 1961 film musical?
20 21

Which mistress of Lord Nelson

6 was described by George Romney
as “the divine lady … superior to all
22

womankind”? Across 2 They will follow all the way;

In 1830, which Irishman became the Fina World Championships (33)?

7 Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was the

main opposition candidate in
13 the first Catholic in modern
history to sit in the House of Billy Bonds made a record
1 ____ Caesare (abl abs): with Caesar
as commander (10)
imitabuntur (12)
3 Festinat, praeceps cadit (4)
which country’s 2020 presidential
election?
Commons? 19 799 appearances for which
football club?
8 Maiore languiditate; slower (7)
9 Oratio, colloquium; speech, plain
talk (5)
4 She scares me (6)
5 Sustineat; let him stand against
them (8)
Which pain-relieving ointment

8 Of which 1991 hit did Kurt Cobain

say “I was trying to write the
14 was developed during the
1870s in Rangoon by the herbalist 20 Which castle near Grantham
is pictured?
10 Vertex, cacumen, summa: the top!
(4)
11 Masks (through which the sound
6 I come across (deponent); non
obviam eo, sed me ad alterum
locum moveo (12)
ultimate pop song”? Aw Chu Kin? came), characters (8) 7 Fero, patior; I can put up with it (6)
13 Sanguis qui ex vulnere fluit (5) 12 I quake with fear at: “sonitumque
9 The area of skin known as the
“T-zone” is located where on
the body?
15 Sukhumi is the capital and
largest city of which partially
recognised state in the South
Answers below right 14 I show, prove, make clear (5)
16 Additional names, eg Africanus,
pedum vocemque ____” (Aen 3. 648)
— there’s a Cyclops about (8)
13 Let him shout (pres subj) (6)
Cunctator (8)
Caucasus? Last week’s O Tempora! solution 17 Vestimenta ____, I wear; me ____, I 15 Dico, aio; often indicating direct
In 1624, responsibility for stage
10 censorship was transferred from
Master of the Revels to which royal 16 Who wrote the 1961 children’s
adventure novel The Phantom
behave (4)
20 ____ ligneus: fatalis Troiae machina
(Aen 2) (5)
speech (6)
18 Minime laborandum est: ____
habemus ad potandum: time for a
officer? Tollbooth? 21 Artibus vestris ____: use your skills drink (5)
(7) 19 Nil ____ bonum dicendum est: speak
Which US president opted not Abbreviated to COWM, which
11 to run for re-election in 1928? 17 Japanese new religion was
founded in 1935 by Mokichi Okada?
22 How we do things; the custom of
our ancestors (3,7)
only good of (4)

12 On September 28, AD235,

Pontian became the first pope
to do what? 18 Who holds the record for the
most swimming medals won at
Down
1 Inside? Come in! (5)

Times Crossword No 28,098 Suko No 3297

Times Crossword No 28,098
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Across 26 Rake around garden primarily to
remove unwanted plants (5)
9 1 A case of my being taken in by 27 Article sounds owlish on US
swindle (6) company’s colluding (2,7)
10 11 4 What’s been well done since old 28 Act as mortgagee, one
radio presenter died (1,4,3) understands, without company (8)
10 Drink just for Frank (9) 29 Goal minder may (6)
11 Note pulse rising and falling? (5)
12 13 12 Mistake stretching US A&E Down
department? (3)
13 Ask for quiet perhaps to contact 1 Club member mostly to avoid
Dial-A-Pizza? (4,2,5) upset (6)
14 15 16 17 14 Maybe halfway through acquiring 2 Firm given fighting chance, shying
something very small (6) away from it? (9)
16 Sounded like an Arab, perhaps, 3 Ancient king, very large and fat,
18
heeding orders (7) ditching horse (5)
19 Sportsman beginning to tacitly 5 Understand, trendy place for tie —
19 20
flatter hosts (7) but be dressed down (3,2,2,3,4)
20 Supplier of pork and game for 6 Being smarter than officer,
21
hamper (6) initially labouring to fix gun (9)
7 Green dress? Just the top is worn Place the numbers 1 to 9 in the spaces so
22 23 24 25
22 Council employee’s private place that the number in each circle is equal to
in solarium? (4,7) (5)
the sum of the four surrounding spaces,
25 Very little change reflected in 8 City left standing after brigade’s
and each colour total is correct.
bureau, ostensibly (3) evacuation (8) Solution MindGames in Saturday Review
9 Obscure marginal seat, one I
26 27 could secure all things being Quiz answers 1 Oxygen. 2 Miss
6 1 Marple. 3 Bugs Bunny. 4 A pig — in
equal? (14)
View of a Pig. 5 West Side Story.
15 Take the lead on social security, as
6 Lady Emma Hamilton. 7 Belarus.
papers do first (2,2,5) 8 Smells Like Teen Spirit. 9 On the
28 29 17 Is welcoming to opponents at face. 10 Lord Chamberlain. 11 Calvin
table? One’s cold and hard (9) Coolidge. 12 Resign or abdicate (the
18 Controversial treatment said to throne of St Peter). 13 Daniel
A £20 Waterstones gift voucher will be awarded to the senders of the first five correct solutions
opened on Thursday. Enter by post to: Times Crossword No 28,098, PO Box 2164, Colchester, Essex put pressure on chest (8) O’Connell. 14 Tiger Balm. 15 Abkhazia.
CO2 8LJ, or by email to: prize@thetimes.co.uk, with “Crossword 28098” in the subject line. Open 21 Grand having American firm 16 Norton Juster. 17 Church of World
to 18+, UK & ROI residents only. Winners and solutions will appear on Monday week. providing joint support (6) Messianity or Sekai Kyusei Kyo.
23 American serving up filling pasty 18 Michael Phelps. 19 West Ham
Name/Address ................................................................................................................................................... in English town (5) United. 20 Belvoir Castle.
............................................................................................................................................................................... 24 What’s found in pub that’s up for Quintagram answers 1 Devon
............................................................................................................................................................................... restoration (5) 2 In-law 3 Studio 4 Placard
............................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Utterance.
M AGA ZI N E OF T H E Y E A R

02.10.21
G OLD!
OUR OLYMPIANS
The Kennys The power couple
Tom Daley The dynamo diver
Adam Peaty The super-swimmer
 02.10.21

G OLD!
16-page Olympic
celebration with our
double cover stars:
which one did you get?

28 20

12 5 Caitlin Moran The problem with drag. 7 What I’ve learnt Footballer Kalvin Phillips. 9 Spinal column: Melanie
Reid My big adventure. 12 Adam Peaty The swimming star makes a splash on Strictly. 20 Jason and Laura
Kenny The golden couple of cycling. 28 Tom Daley The diver won gold in Tokyo, but Covid almost stopped
him. 36 Future shock Could artificial intelligence outsmart us? Tech guru Mo Gawdat thinks so. 41 Eat!
At home with Monica Galetti. 54 What price a Covid vaccine? How big drugs firms have profited from the
pandemic. 62 Pride of the Springboks South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi on his tough upbringing.
70 Home! All change for a former London school. 77 Shop! Great buys under £50. 79 Pout! Spritzers for the
skin. 80 Rahul Mandal bakes Pear frangipane tart. 86 Beta male: Robert Crampton I’m a hugger.

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EDITOR NICOLA JEAL DEPUTY EDITOR LOUISE FRANCE ART DIRECTOR CHRIS HITCHCOCK ASSOCIATE EDITOR JANE MULKERRINS ASSISTANT EDITOR TONY TURNBULL FEATURES EDITOR MONIQUE RIVALLAND CHIEF SUB-EDITOR AMANDA LINFOOT
DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR JO PLENT DEPUTY CHIEF SUB-EDITOR CHRIS RILEY PICTURE EDITOR ANNA BASSETT DEPUTY PICTURE EDITOR LUCY DALEY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR BRIDGET HARRISON EDITORIAL ASSISTANT GEORGINA ROBERTS

The Times Magazine 3

 CAITLIN MORAN
Enough already. I’m over men in drag
They turn older women into frumps, cougars or idiots
I
love a drag queen. I love drag. Some
of the most practical conversations
I’ve had with my teenage daughters
have come after watching RuPaul’s
Drag Race together. It’s like a
gag-laden, Day-Glo adaptation of
Simone de Beauvoir’s truth: “One isn’t
born a woman – one becomes one.”
It’s easy to finally understand the
“performance element” of modern femininity
when you’ve seen a bunch of dudes, turning
up in jeans and T-shirts, doing it from scratch.
Plus, these guys are generally doing it because
they’re fanboys of female culture – they
love the glamour, the divas, the storytelling.
And they are also simpatico with the effort,
suffering and camel-toe.
There are, of course, problems with drag
– “fishy” being used as the word for the most
feminine queens (think about it. Ugh); the
phrase “hog body” for those who have not
cinched their waists in hard enough. But by
and large it’s a joyous, positive thing in regards
to women – certainly more so than the news,
or most dramas – and I can’t get enough of it.
Or at least, I thought I couldn’t get enough
of it, until I started to realise I was getting
too much of it. That, in drag, there is an
imbalance. And that, at its most commercially
successful end, it tips into… a darkness?
Last week saw the start of a new Channel 4
sitcom, The Holden Girls. A mockumentary,
it follows Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda
Holden over the course of two weeks, as
her elderly, working-class grandma moves
in with her. But there’s a twist in the show!
Her nan isn’t her nan, after all. Her nan is
Leigh Francis, aka Keith Lemon, in drag.
“Nan” is 84, shuffling and stooped. “Nan” is
occasionally outrageous – lusting after a Good
Morning Britain presenter, discussing her
medical ailments loudly. She plays a grotesque
disruptor, but with a heart of gold.
I can’t recall a British
The Holden Girls joins Mrs Brown’s Boys
– in which Brendan O’Carroll drags up.
comedy about older
That’s two sitcoms in which the starring,
older woman is actually played by a man.
women in which
I’ve looked through the comedy listings
of the past two years, and can find no British
the older woman is
comedies about older women in which the
older woman is actually played by an older
actually played by
an older woman
ROBERT WILSON
woman. There is a generation of actresses
over sixty who face little employment – a
current Twitter campaign (#DontCastHerOut
#ActingYourAgeCampaign) draws daily
attention to the lack of roles for them – and
yet younger men pretending to be them get
their gigs, on top of their usual, male offerings.
Comedy has a history of men dragging
up as grotesque, older women – pantomime
dames; The Two Ronnies; in the West End,
in the past few years, Miss Trunchbull, Miss
Hannigan and Lady Bracknell all being played
by men – but the trope almost always goes
only one way. I can only think of Kathy Burke
as Perry, and French & Saunders’ disgusting
old men sketches – and they did their last
turns in, respectively, 2000 and 2004.
Additionally, Burke’s Perry was a thumbnail
sketch of the awkwardness of teen boys; the
laughs came from a psychological masterclass.
Men as older women, on the other hand,
tend to rely on the quiet understanding that
older women are a bit… beast-like. Just “being
an old lady” is the joke.
They can show none of the beauty or
power of female old age. Drag has to go
for recognisable clichés – the frump, the
cougar, the confused old idiot, rather than
the modern, older women we see now. The
last actual older woman I saw on TV was
Mary Beard, talking about little-known
emperors. Would men in drag depict this
kind of woman? Of course not. Would I die
to watch a sitcom about their lives? At 46, I’m
gagging for it. I need to see what is possible
in my next decades. Men have Harrison
Ford being Indiana Jones again, at the age
of 79. Meanwhile, the adventurous lady
archaeologist Lara Croft got recast as soon
as Angelina Jolie hit 43.
The idea of drag is a useful one. It allows
us to see how much of gender is an idea,
or a game. Men could learn just as much
from women parodying, and honouring,
masculinity as my daughters and I have
learnt from watching RuPaul parodying,
and honouring, femininity.
Before lockdown, I went to see Emilia
in the West End, where all the roles were
played by women. It was revelatory. Those
women played male roles like our gender has
had 10,000 years of silently observing men
– and, by now, had a lot of new stuff to say
on the subject.
Meanwhile, I doubt any middle-aged,
straight man will ever have anything new to
say about older women. Especially not when
wearing comedy bosoms and talking about
their problems “downstairs”. n
The Times Magazine 5
 What I’ve learnt Kalvin Phillips
Footballer Kalvin Phillips, 25, grew up in Leeds as a triplet, one
of whom died shortly after birth, and his father was in and out
of prison during his childhood. He plays in midfield for Premier
League side Leeds United and was voted England fans’ player
‘I met my
of the year after his performances in Euro 2020. girlfriend
I was the kid who got free school meals. I would see my
friends coming in with their packed lunches. I remember at school in
asking my mum, “Can I have a packed lunch?” She was
like, “Well, not really. We can’t afford it.” My mum’s been Year 9’
a single parent for most of her life. She worked two jobs
to try and keep us all happy and healthy. But without my
father there to support her with money, it was tough.
My girlfriend is my best friend. We were in Year 9 at
school when we got together. The day I left to play for
England, she showed me a nice picture of us from years
ago, when I had a massive Afro and she had braces. When
I’m feeling down, she’s always the one comforting me.
People don’t realise I’m mixed race. Because of my skin
colour, a lot of people don’t necessarily refer to me as
black. In a way I wish they would, so then I would realise
how certain players feel when they are racially abused.
I just want it to stop. The England v Hungary game was
one of the worst times we’ve experienced it. You just
think, what’s going on with the world?
My goal celebration is for my sister who passed away.
Making tributes to Lacreasha is something that will
always make me happy. We have all sorts of rituals to
remember her, like birthday parties.
I’m a shy person. I’ve never wanted to be too out-there or
too loud. Because I didn’t know what people would think
about me if I was doing that.
Initially, I wasn’t really bothered when we lost the Euro
2020 final. I was more worried about comforting Bukayo
[Saka, who missed the decisive penalty]. I thought, the
first thing I have to do is go and make sure he’s all right.
For the fans to turn on the penalty-takers because of how
the game resulted was disheartening.
Whenever I miss my Granny Val, I watch a video of her
dancing to Billy Ocean. It was very difficult when she
passed [in February]; I was devastated. The video is only
short, but it’s one of the times I’ll always remember being
with her. She was basically another mum to me. When
I saw the “Granny Val” England shirt my family made
[for the semi-final], I said, “No matter the result, make
sure you give me that shirt after the game.”
My brother and I didn’t have a father figure in our lives.
If you don’t have that relationship, then you have to try
to build that with your other family members. I like to let
my brother know that I’m always there for him.
When Gareth Southgate called, I thought someone was
UEFA/GETTY IMAGES

messing with me. I didn’t say anything for three or four

seconds because I didn’t really know what was going on.
When he said that he wanted me [in the England squad],
I was ecstatic. I remember screaming at the top of my
voice. My gran was the first person I told. n

Kalvin Phillips is an ambassador for McDonald’s Fun

Football. Find your local session at mcdonalds.co.uk/football

INTERVIEW Georgina Roberts PORTRAIT Ryan Pierse

The Times Magazine 7

 SPINAL COLUMN
MELANIE REID
‘Our first holiday
in years – a road
trip to the edge
of the world. How
would I survive?’
T
o get to the Outer
Hebrides, islands on the
edge of the world, takes
time, endurance and
patience – even if you’re
able-bodied. If you’re as
crocked as me, it is only
possible if you have a posse
of good-humoured slaves
and you enjoy jeopardy.
To be honest, Dave and I can no longer go
on holiday anywhere without a helper or two.
This trip has been years in the planning, but
events made it ambitious. For a start, my new
van wasn’t ready – Covid, Brexit etc – so I had
to bring the old one out of retirement, but
all its hand controls had been stripped out.
Maddeningly, this meant I couldn’t share the
mammoth, twisty, seven-hour drive. That was
Slave No 1’s job.
It also meant I had too much time to
become completely neurotic about mechanical
breakdowns. Ostensibly my task was to sit up
front in my wheelchair relaxing, enjoying the
view and feeding Slave 1 good cheer. Inside,
silently, I catastrophised non-stop about a) the
van breaking down and missing the ferry, b)
the ferry being cancelled, or c) the ferry not
being cancelled but the van breaking down on
board. Once upon a time, I reflected, I was so
confident I never worried about anything.
MURDO MACLEOD
In the back, meanwhile, Slave 2 dished
out great snacks and Slave 3, aka my
husband, serenely let her take responsibility
for everything.
We had a mini-crisis on the ferry, when the
ramp from the car deck – car decks kill me;
they’re so stressy! – was too angled for my
power chair, and it needed half the ship’s crew
to hump me into the lift, which caused me to
spend the first half of the voyage sobbing with
self-pity on Slave 2’s shoulder. (Slaves 3 and 1
went to the bar.)
When Slaves 4 and 5 first mooted a reunion
at their holiday house on a faraway island
overlooking the cleanest turquoise sea in the
world, there was no way we weren’t going to
make it. We are, mostly, core members of a
gang who went skiing together in the days
when we were young and tequila slammers
were cheap. We are better behaved now but
the fun is just as good.
One by one my phantom terrors receded.
We made it off the boat and arrived
somewhere in the inky dark at the bottom
of a hillside, the sea lapping nearby. The final
challenge was a steep gravel and concrete
footpath up to the house, newly laid with
hairpin bends especially for me, but by now
I was heady with relief. We’d made it.
Sometimes, since my accident, this happens.
A kind of mad exhilaration will seize me: the
sense that the worst has already happened, so
who cares. (Dave doesn’t appreciate me in this
mood.) I launched my chair off on that first
precipitous night-time climb: just me and a
panting Slave 4, who confessed later he’d been
secretly terrified I wouldn’t get up.
That path became almost my favourite part
of the holiday, a personal Cresta Run, dicing
with gravity and sliding wheels, defying
the maker’s instructions for every power
wheelchair ever built. Going down was truly
wild, with Slave 1 hanging on behind and
Slave 4 grimly anchoring from the side. The
best one was when an Atlantic gale blew in
and the descent was like a scene from The
Tempest, with me yelling, “This is fantastic!”
above the howl of wind, rain, flapping hoods
and the cries of anxious slaves.
I can’t really speak for my dear, overworked
friends, but I had a wonderful time. You can’t
beat having good slaves. We experienced every
kind of weather, watched otters on the shore
from the living room, and became blasé
spotting sea eagles, gannets, curlews and
lapwings close up. Slaves 4 and 5 were amazing
hosts, Slaves 1 and 2 became impossibly smug
after swimming without wetsuits, Slave 3
got much needed respite from me, and we
ate huge freshly hand-dived scallops and
drank lots.
A holiday for Dave must include retail
therapy, and shortly before the ferry sailed
he rushed to try on Harris Tweed jackets.
When he saw the price tag he changed
his mind and grabbed a £30 tub of men’s
moisturiser, made from seaweed, which he
claims will make him look young again. Me,
I’m just thrilled to report nothing broke down
on the journey home. n
@Mel_ReidTimes
Melanie Reid is tetraplegic after breaking her
neck and back in a riding accident in April 2010
The Times Magazine 9
G OLD!
16-PAGE OLYMPIC
CELEBR ATION

‘THE STRICTLY CURSE? YOU GET CLOSE.

I CAN SEE HOW IT HAPPENS’
Adam Peaty is the gold-winning swimmer who has not been
beaten in seven years. Now he’s climbed out of the pool and
into sequins for Strictly. Jane Mulkerrins meets him
PORTRAITS Robert Wilson STYLING Hannah Rogers
 Peaty does the cha-cha-cha
with Katya Jones in the
first week of Strictly

T
he fastest breaststroker in the
history of the sport is performing
push-ups, shirtless, on the floor
in front of me. Not purely for my
personal gratification, although
naturally I’m appreciating Adam
Peaty’s efforts, but chiefly to boost
the blood flow to his upper body,
in order that those dinner-plate-
sized pecs and biceps that warrant
their own postcode will “pop” in the pictures.
He uprights himself, 6ft 3in and 15-odd
stone of elite athlete, and looks down at his
chest and shoulders. “I look smaller. I’ve lost
quite a bit of muscle already. Can you tell?” he
asks. To be honest, Adam, it’s all still looking
pretty impressive from here – an inverted
triangle of testosterone and training; a toned,
honed haystack of a human body. “I’ve lost
weight already too,” he says – almost half a
stone in less than a fortnight. That’s the
dancing for you.
As you will be aware, if you’ve given the
merest glance at a television or tabloid in
the past two weeks, the 26-year-old, double
Olympic gold-winning swimmer has, post-
Tokyo, put some clothes on – albeit glittery
shirts and very tight trousers – and joined
the line-up of Strictly Come Dancing.
He’s still hedging his bets about his
prospects. “Because I’m an Olympic
champion, people are expecting that I’m
going to be really fit. But that’s got nothing to
do with it,” he insists. “In swimming, it’s all
one movement; it’s fluid.” He demonstrates
for me, windmilling those Popeye arms and
spade-like hands through the air. “On land,
I struggle with coordination – where my
hands are, where my feet are.”
In the pool, Peaty – a sub-aquatic
superhuman who holds the 20 fastest times in
PREVIOUS SPREAD: SHIRT, HUGOBOSS.COM; TROUSERS, HUGO BOSS (MRPORTER.COM). GROOMING:

100m breaststroke history, and was the first

person to break the 57-second barrier, in July
JULIA WREN AT CAROL HAYES MANAGEMENT USING TOM FORD FOR MEN. THIS PAGE: BBC

2019 – has not been beaten in seven years.

No one has even come within a second of
his world record of 56.88 seconds. On land,
however, he is mortal. His long-time coach,
Mel Marshall, has – some might say a little
uncharitably – flagged up his lack of spatial
awareness: “Adam has been trying to skip for
11 years and still can’t properly. His athletic
ability in the air, away from water, is not his
strength,” she has said. Ouch. “Fish out of
water,” he agrees, grinning. “I’m surprised
I’ve caught up with my dancing so well.”

‘ON LAND, I STRUGGLE

WITH COORDINATION
– WHERE MY HANDS ARE,
WHERE MY FEET ARE’
The Times Magazine 15
 Winning a gold medal in Tokyo. Below right: with his partner, Eiri Munro, and son, George-Anderson

‘I WAS LIKE, I’M NOT

PREPARED TO BE
A FATHER. I’M VERY
SELFISH. I’M AN ATHLETE’
One might almost suspect the swimming
champion of deliberately underpromising in
order to overdeliver. Peaty’s debut dance with
his partner, Katya Jones, last Saturday, a
steamily snake-hipped, high-energy cha-cha-
cha, scored him the second highest mark of
the 15 couples and left even the most critical
of judges, Craig Revel Horwood, flustered: “I
was glued to every inch of movement, darling.
You couldn’t get my eyes off it, I’m afraid,” he
gushed. “Fantastic. Really masculine, strong.
Going for gold.”
Fellow judge Shirley Ballas, meanwhile,
called it “effortless”, ”oozing” and “beautiful”
and declared herself “in awe”. The collective
swooning from his colleagues prompted Anton
Du Beke to comment that he wasn’t sure
“what you’ve done to the rest of this panel”
but declared his dance moves “tremendous”.
That Peaty would take to the primetime
dancefloor like a pro should never really have
been in doubt. He is credited with bringing
drama to swimming, both playing to and
feeding off the crowd, treating races as
theatre. “Sport is entertainment,” he enthuses.
“And I’m a show-off. If you can be the best
in the world, break records and add
showmanship, that’s what people want to see.”
And, before even trotting out his first
tango, Peaty had already won himself a
reputation for roguish mischief, posting a shot
of his first Strictly spray tan – naked. Instagram
duly banned the picture, deeming it too racy.
Today, as we wander through a studio good energy,” while the right has Achilles, title, but also the strongest gold medal hope.
complex in Shoreditch, we discuss the “Strictly Athena and a Spartan warrior. “This side is “I don’t think I’ll ever have that amount of
curse”, the showmance that perennially about fire, chaos, anger – one of the most pressure again.”
blossoms between one on-screen pair, powerful emotions in sport.” Did he unleash the beast? “I just roared.
regardless of relationship status. Peaty chuckles His left upper arm also features a giant I just let it all go.” He also swore in his BBC
and shows me one of the moves he’s been lion, which, while obviously land-based, seems interview immediately afterwards, which led
learning. “My hips are here, hers are here, apt too; there’s a leonine quality to Peaty, who to a telling-off. “That’s passion. That’s the
and then we do this…” He motions a pelvis lollops where others merely walk, and who emotion. That’s what people want to see.”
gyration that would make Elvis blush. “You get describes his most explosive, historic swims He refuses to be media-trained. “If I’m
close. I can see how it happens,” he twinkles. as moments of “unleashing the beast”. swearing, I’m swearing. I want my personality
It’s a warm September morning – even This summer, though, in Tokyo, after to come across. I can’t sound like a robot. I
without the filthy hip swivels – so Peaty training in a hot tub with a current – the don’t go out there to please everyone, because
suggests we sit outside on the deck, beside swimming equivalent of a treadmill, installed it wouldn’t be me, you know?” Yes, after only
London’s Regent’s Canal. Does he ever go wild in his garden during lockdown – then 15 minutes in his company, I think I do know.
swimming? He looks horrified. “Oh no, I like competing in front of an empty, silent, When I ask how he met his girlfriend, the
it clean. Chlorinated.” He’s sporting shorts and crowdless Aquatics Centre, he looked less half-Welsh, half-Nigerian 23-year-old artist
a vest, handily cut to display his trademark triumphant than simply relieved when he Eiri Munro, he doesn’t flinch: “Tinder.” And,
tattoos, which he now talks me through. On became the first member of Team GB to win he tells me without hesitation, they’d known
his left arm there’s Poseidon, “equilibrium” and gold. “Yes. I touched the wall and I was like, each for just two months when she discovered
GETTY IMAGES

“MMXVI” – 2016, the year of his first Olympic ‘Thank God that race is over,’” he nods. Going she was pregnant. (I’m not at all surprised;
gold. “On this side, you’ve got the water, the into the Games, not only was Peaty the first after a little over an hour across a table from
fluidity – peace, courage, belief, the kind of British swimmer ever to defend an Olympic him, I wonder if I might be pregnant too.)

The Times Magazine 17

 “Obviously it wasn’t planned. I got the call
in Australia, with her crying. I was like, ‘OK,
this is going to change my life for ever,’” he
recalls. “I was like, ‘I’m not prepared to be a
father.’ I’m very selfish. I’m an athlete. The
best athletes in the world have to look after
themselves first.
“I’ve never been able to stay in a
relationship because my sport is so
demanding,” he continues. “I live and
breathe what I do. I have to train, watch
what I eat, how I sleep. I rarely switch off.”
George-Anderson was born last September,
lockdown a blessing for the incipient family
– “We got to know each other. We got to bond
together.” Munro is “a great mother, a great
person. But it’s not a Hollywood thing, it’s not
all sunshine and rainbows – definitely not.”
Peaty grew up the youngest of four, in
Uttoxeter, where his father, Mark, was a
bricklayer and his mother, Caroline, managed
a nursery. His parents’ combined income was
never more than £20,000 a year, and when
they flew to Rio in 2016, to watch their son
win gold – a trip funded by Whirlpool after
Caroline mentioned the prohibitive costs to
an engineer repairing their washing machine
– it was his mother’s first time on a plane.
He came to competitive swimming
relatively late, when Mel Marshall saw him,
at 14, at the City of Derby Swimming Club,
looking “like a JCB eating up the water”. It
wasn’t just his height, or the size of his hands;
Peaty has double-jointed knees and ankles,
allowing him to kick in ways others cannot.
I ask to what extent he believes his success
is down to these freakish physical advantages,
what percentage his dogged, disciplined hard
work – 4am starts as a teenager, 11,000 metres
in the pool, daily – and what extent the
psychology of it all, the tough mental attitude.
“Oh, it’s all in here,” says Peaty, tapping the
side of his lightly ginger head. “The mind is
the athlete. The body is simply the means.”
At 17, he began working with the sports
psychologist Bill Beswick, whose previous
clients include Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane
and Steven Gerrard. Beswick showed him two
videos of the New Zealand All Blacks playing
France; in the first, the All Blacks performed
the haka, “and France got dominated because
they were looking away, scared”. Before the
second match, “New Zealand did the haka
again and France stared them down, right in
the eye, straight through their soul.” That
lesson formed his bedrock: “Look fear straight
in the eye, embrace it, and go, ‘Not today.’”
Much of Peaty’s own language when he
talks of competition is that of warfare. “Yes,
military tactics,” he agrees. “Outmanoeuvring,
ROBERT WILSON
outflanking, a war of attrition, a siege.” Before
races, “I look at people on the poolside, with
my headphones in. How’s he feeling? Where
do I put my men? Where do I put my energy?”
18 The Times Magazine
, bottoms, £60, castore.com
Adam Peaty wears vest, £35
HE IS PROUDLY
COMPETITIVE. ‘I’D RATHER
DIE THAN LOSE. SECOND,
FOR ME, IS LOSING’
It is not a shock, then, to learn that Peaty
is a fan of military history, obsessed with
Spitfires and Alexander the Great. He used
to dress as a soldier on school non-uniform
days – “ghillie suits, hip flask, everything. I
loved it” – and wanted to be a fighter pilot. His
forthcoming book – part autobiography, part
motivational tome, to be released in early
November – is titled The Gladiator Mindset.
But, just as his tattoos represent competing
yet complementary energies, Peaty’s militaristic
syntax is tempered with a strong quasi-
religiosity. “I’ve never liked not suffering,”
he says. “I’ve always seen suffering as
improvement.” I understand that; like Peaty,
I also spent 14 years at a Catholic state school
in the Midlands. “I’m not religious, but I believe
there is some kind of universal energy,” he
says. “There must be a reason why karma
comes back around. Why energy you give
comes back to you.” Peaty is big on energy.
“Energy is my currency,” he tells me. “You’re
giving me lots now, and I’m giving it back. If
you were here, just asking me [he pulls a bored
face], ‘How’s Strictly?’, I can’t feed off that.
“The idea of 40 days, 40 nights, I relate
to that,” he continues. “Temptation.” Is
that a tough one for him? “Extremely
hard, temptation. But you’ve just got to stay
disciplined, with the bigger goal in sight.” For
Peaty, that bigger goal has religious overtones
too: Project Immortal, his aim of setting a
world record that is unbeatable. Does he
still think that’s feasible? “Yes. I wouldn’t be
going back [to swimming] if it wasn’t.”
While we’re being a bit high-minded, I ask
him about his idea of happiness. “We all think
happiness is a destination, but it’s a constant
journey. I don’t think you’ll ever reach it,”
he muses. Certainly, he does not equate
happiness with comfort. “I’ve spoken to a
lot of rich people who are comfortable and
not happy.” Which is not to say that he
doesn’t enjoy being comfortable now. He likes
shopping, “and food is a big thing for me”. Can
he cook? “Nah, but I like good restaurants.”
And fast cars, of which he has a few, “But
I can’t say any of those, because I’ve got a
thing with Cupra, so just say, ‘I like my cars.’”
George is growing up in a very different
socio-economic situation than his father did,
which raises the question of how Peaty will
instil the same drive in his son. “I won’t be
putting him in a school where they give
medals out to everyone, put it that way.
You don’t get a medal for turning up. No
way. You get a medal for winning.”
Peaty has never apologised for his ultra-
competitive nature. “I’d rather die than lose,”
he tells me. And in case you were in any
doubt: “Second, for me, is losing.” On Strictly,
however, “It’s completely different, because
I’m having so much fun.” What if he gets
low scores, though, or Craig eviscerates him?
“Don’t manifest it,” he cries. “And if I do get
low scores, hopefully I’m still entertaining. I’m
a serious athlete, but I like to have a laugh.”
But if he’d rather die than lose, when will
he know when to stop swimming? “If I’ve
settled for silver,” he shrugs. “The dream is to
go to Paris, win, then do one last hoorah in
2028. So that’s probably when I’d call it a day.
But I want my last hoorah.”
After which a career in motivational
speaking – or military dictatorship – surely
beckons. “I actually can’t wait for that. When
it’s time to pass the baton it will be liberating,”
he grins. “Every dog has his day.” And,
definitely more lion than dog, he lollops off
down the corridor to do some more push-ups. n
Adam Peaty is a brand ambassador for
Castore (castore.com)
 G OLD!

Jason, 33, and Laura Kenny, 29.

Jason wears blazer and trousers,
Nanushka (matchesfashion.com);
T-shirt, lesgirlslesboys.com; shoes,
christianlouboutin.com. Laura wears
bustier, Loewe (mytheresa.com);
trousers and boots, albertaferretti.com;
earrings, mariatash.com
 HE SAYS ‘LAURA JUST WANTS TO WIN, WIN, WIN. ALL THE TIME’
SHE SAYS ‘JASON REACHES A TIPPING POINT AND THEN HE GOES MAD’

Jason and Laura Kenny are the most

successful couple in Olympic history.
They share 12 cycling golds – along with
a four-year-old son. How do they do it?
You may well ask. Ben Machell finds out
PORTRAITS Robert Wilson STYLING Prue White
 Clockwise from this picture:
the couple at Rio 2016;
Laura and Katie Archibald in

T
his summer, in Tokyo, Laura
Kenny won the fifth Olympic gold the women’s madison final
medal of her cycling career. In at Tokyo 2020; Jason wins
keirin gold in Tokyo
partnership with team-mate Katie
Archibald, she dominated the final
of the women’s madison, a frenetic
tag-team relay event in which
a crowded field of riders jostle
and jockey over the course of
120 velodrome laps at speeds of
over 40mph. Victory meant that Kenny not
only became Britain’s most decorated female
Olympian, but also the first British woman to
take golds at three consecutive games.
“Laura just wants to win,” says her
husband, Jason Kenny, looking at the small,
bright-eyed woman sitting beside him. “Win,
win, win, win. All the time. And she does a
pretty good job of it.”
Jason is quite useful himself. At Tokyo, he
won the keirin sprint cycling event, taking his
total haul of Olympic golds to seven, the most
ever won by any British athlete. Whereas his
wife tends towards nerves before a race – “I’m
like… bleurgggh!” she squeals, pulling a manic
expression and waving her hands around – he
will appear calm on the start line. “The camera
will pan to him and he’s not moving his legs,
not looking nervous, not looking like there’s
any adrenaline there at all,” she says, frowning.
When they first met she remembers being
struck by how, in race environments, he
seemed her complete opposite. “He was
really relaxed, almost as if he didn’t care. And
I obviously cared a lot,” she says. She smiles
at him – the sort of teasing, private smile
you know there is no point in attempting to
decode. “It was just like yin and yang.”
There are successful couples and there are
the Kennys. We are in a large photographic
studio in Manchester, not so far from where THE OLYMPICS WERE GREAT – ‘OUR FIRST TWO WEEKS
BRYN LENNON/GETTY IMAGES, SERGEI BOBYLEV/GETTY IMAGES, JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/GETTY IMAGES

they live with their four-year-old son, Albie, as

well as their dogs, sundry ducks and chickens
plus, of course, their 12 gold medals. No couple
in Olympic history has won more – and yet,
for all their freakish ability and consistency,
there is something appealingly familiar about
them, both as people and as a pairing.
Jason is 33, comes from Bolton, has a
sensible haircut, is deadpan and prone to
circumspection. Laura is 29, grew up in
Essex and is talkative and open, nudging her
husband into conversation when necessary,
cheerfully doing the social legwork.
They first met more than a decade ago
after she – then Laura Trott – had moved up
to Manchester to be part of the British Cycling
set-up. Her initial impression was that he was
unresponsive, bordering on rude.
“I’ve got a reputation for being grumpy at
the track,” he says quietly. “Everyone’s scared
that I’m going to bite their head off.”
Only, during the World Championships
in the spring of 2012, Trott managed to
OF UNDISTURBED SLEEP AFTER HAVING ALBIE’
break her headphones. “And so I asked Jase
if I could borrow his. But while he was on the
track I proceeded to break said headphones,
so I just put them back on his chair like,
‘Ooops!’ ” she says. She didn’t apologise or
even tell him. “I just sort of… left them there.”
And the weird thing was that Jason didn’t
complain. Even his own coach was perplexed.
“He was like, ‘He didn’t bite your head
off?’ ” she says. This, she now realises, was
meaningful: the moment she began to reassess
who this man was and, perhaps, who he might
one day be. “It was the first point…” she says,
before trailing off. A small silence. Jason shrugs.
“I think my reputation was unfounded anyway.”
They became friendly, then friends, then
something altogether more. By the summer
of 2012 and the London Games, they were
in a relationship. This was supposed to be
confidential but, after they each won a pair of
golds, photographs of them snogging behind
David Beckham in the VIP seats of a beach
volleyball event made the press and, well, their
secret was out. Cue photographers waiting
for them everywhere they went, practically
blockading them inside their homes. It was
intense, unpleasant but still, in a way, heady.
“With Jason and I saying that we were
together and stuff, we’d never experienced
anything like that, had we? So there was part
of it that was horrendous. But then there were
other parts that I look back on and think, that
was one of the best times of my life.”
More golds for them both followed in Rio
2016. Getting your head around the physical
and mental requirements needed to achieve
these levels is hard, because the Kennys are
people who, for a very long time, simply

22 The Times Magazine

 Laura wears dress, gucci.com;
earrings, mariatash.com. Jason
wears blazer and trousers,
Mr P (mrporter.com); T-shirt,
lesgirlslesboys.com; shoes,
christianlouboutin.com
 Kissing at London 2012, behind David and Cruz Beckham Laura wears dress and boots,
Andrew Gn (net-a-porter.com);
earrings, mariatash.com. Jason
wears blazer and trousers,
Mr P (mrporter.com); T-shirt,
lesgirls lesboys.com; shoes,
christianlouboutin.com

WALKING UP A HILL
IS EXHAUSTING. ‘EVEN
STANDING HURTS. SHOW
ME A CHAIR AND I’M IN IT’
did not exist in the same world as we do. They
are barely the same species. A couple of years
ago, they wrote a book in which they compared
themselves to “weird creatures” who had
evolved and adapted to do one specific thing
perfectly, which is to say, pedalling very quickly
around a banked track while turning left.
As a result, however, their physical ability
BENNY HANCOCK (JASON) AND KATIE MCIVER SKIN, ARMANI BEAUTY, CHARLOTTE TILBURY AND NARS (LAURA). HAMAX KISS CHILD’S BIKE
PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/GETTY IMAGES. HAIR: LIAM MOORE AT ME AGENCY USING KIEHL’S. MAKE-UP: LOU ROTHWELL AT ME AGENCY USING

to do pretty much anything else has gradually

atrophied. Walking up a gentle hill can be
exhausting, says Laura, because their bodies
are not used to it. Pushing a supermarket
SEAT, BAMBINOBIKING.CO.UK. TANDEM: WITH THANKS TO BURY TANDEM CLUB FOR BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE

trolley for 20 minutes proves beyond

wearying. On the track, they were apex
predators. In the real world, they were dodos.
“Even standing hurts,” she explained. “Show
me a chair and I’m in it.”
As Rio approached, for example, they both
refused to vacuum their house for fear of
tiring themselves. The necessary neuroticism
and “selfishness” – a word they both use – of
elite-level athletes dictated their daily lives.
They were rubbing antibacterial gel into their
hands long before Covid, simply to avoid
performance-denting illnesses, and would bail
on social engagements without a flicker of
remorse. “If you’d arranged to go out with
friends and then you pull out at the last minute,
they’d just be like, ‘Oh well. It’s Laura.’ ”
And then, in 2017, they had Albie. After
spending years constructing a finely tuned
existence over which they had complete
control, suddenly there was this… baby.
Suddenly they were in the same world as the
rest of us: a sleepless and unpredictable world
of pram-pushing and lower-back pain, of
endless sniffles and constant low-level worry.
The transition should have sent them
insane. Yet weirdly, the Kennys are the only
parents I’ve met who became less neurotic
and less uptight after having a child, rather
than more. “It’s like our lives became normal,”
says Laura. “When we decided we wanted
to have a baby, we had to accept that things
weren’t going to be like they were before.”
They took Albie with them to one of the
World Championships. But he wouldn’t sleep
in the travel cot the fancy hotel provided
– babies never sleep in the travel cots the
hotel provides – and so they did the usual
thing of desperately trying to rearrange the
available bedding into some workable format
that might, with God’s grace, lead to a sleeping
child. “We were pushing beds round, moving
them up against the wall,” remembers Jason.
“You ended up sleeping on the floor,”
says Laura, laughing.
They both became less selfish, which was
liberating. Rather than fixating on what was
best for them at any one moment, they only
really cared about what was best for their son.
“We wanted to take him places, so we couldn’t
be selfish,” says Laura. “Like, if you wanted to
take him to a soft play, you would just accept
that you would probably have a cold at the
end of that.”
“You feel a lot more pressure to be good,”
says Jason. “You know, a good person. When
you’re an athlete, you just put yourself first.
Looking out for No 1 sort of thing. And when
you have a little ’un, you start thinking about
being a good example to them.”
Like most new parents, they would angst
about whether they were making the best
decisions for Albie. If one of them had to
travel to a cycling event for a few days, saying
goodbye was “one of the hardest things we
had to deal with”, says Laura. But for his
first two years or so they tended to take
him everywhere with them anyway, and so
they would angst over that instead. “You’re
thinking, is this best for him? Should he be
at nursery? Should we be doing this? You’re
constantly questioning your own decisions.”
Albie, they explain, has just started
reception. This has helped prise the Kennys

The Times Magazine 25

further out of their once cloistered lives. “I’ll
talk to anyone really,” says Laura. “But I find
it quite overwhelming when you turn up at
school and everyone is just… there. It takes
me out of my comfort zone, because we’re not
really used to it. And we don’t really have a
massive group of friends, do we? And because
of cycling, you’ve never really had the chance
to socialise with people you don’t know.”
Just the other weekend, she continues,
she had to take Albie to a party. She describes
arriving at the venue and sitting in the car,
gripping the wheel, almost too anxious to get
out. This is an athlete who has performed in
front of millions at the highest level time and
again, working up the courage to show up
to a fifth birthday bash. “It’s stupid,” she says,
laughing. “There are a lot of things you get
invited to through school and deep down you
think, ‘I’m not going to that.’ But then you
force yourself to go for Albie’s sake.”
The fact that they are both incredibly
successful cyclists has meant that, in the past,
they were prone to being buttonholed by eager
enthusiasts who would grill them about their
careers or pepper them with nerdy technical
questions. What they’ve found these past few
weeks, though, is that other parents will ask
about cycling only for it to become clear
pretty quickly that they are just using it as a
way to break the ice. “Once you get talking
you think, you didn’t even want to ask about
cycling; you just wanted someone to talk to.”
Like all couples, they argue. “Athletes are
decisive,” says Jason. “But Laura acts very
quickly on her decisions. To the point where
we got ducks before we had anywhere to put
them. And they’re not easy things to store.
You can’t just pop them in a cupboard.”
She straightens her back. This does not
feel like the first time they have discussed the
ducks. “The thing is, right, and I think this is
why it does eventually work, is that I’ll make
my mind up and go, ‘Right. We are going
to Lapland.’ And Jason doesn’t want to go to
Lapland,” she says, providing no context as
to why we’re suddenly talking about Lapland.
“But then when we go, he has a really nice
time. And so I’m glad I made that decision.”
“What about the ducks?” he says.
“The ducks that want to kill each other
in the garden?”
His wife holds up two manicured hands.
“I mean, the ducks are a situation, OK. But
we’ll figure that one out at a later date.” She
regards him sidelong. “I dunno. The thing with
Jase is that, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK, it’s OK.’ And then
it’ll be one thing that’s tipped him. Maybe just
a small thing. And then you go mad.”
“This is like counselling now,” he mutters.
Before I really know what I’m saying,
I find myself suggesting to Laura that perhaps
when she hears Jason saying, “It’s OK, it’s
OK, it’s OK,” what she’s really hearing is her
26 The Times Magazine
‘I WAS JEALOUS. JASON
WAS FINDING FORM
AND I WAS MILES OFF.
THEN I BROKE MY ARM’
husband doing his best to quietly internalise
his frustration, anger and disappointment. And
that, rightly or wrongly, she should perhaps
expect that this will all come out at some point.
“What Laura thinks is that as long as we’ve
stopped talking about it, it’s fine,” says Jason.
“Then it’s gone,” she says, starting to giggle.
“We’ll have an argument, or you’ll annoy
me or something, and I’ll have a rant. And
then Laura will be like, ‘Ooh, we’ve stopped
now,’ ” he says in a high-pitched voice. “ ‘It
must be better.’ ”
He has her laughing her head off by this
point. So having covered ducks and Lapland,
we return to cycling and parenthood. When
they decided to have Albie, did she accept the
possibility that, after pregnancy and childbirth,
she may never return to her best? She shakes
her head. Jason cautioned her that it was a
risk, she says, “but I was just so determined
to make it work. It was stupid because I never
wanted to give up on [cycling]. I kept thinking,
‘It will be fine. It will be fine.’ You push it to
the back of your head.”
But she was not prepared for how difficult
a return to the sport would be. “I remember
doing my first hard-ish turbo session and just
being, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this.
This is awful,’ ” she says. “I underestimated how
hard it was going to be. I had internal pains
for I don’t know how long. I couldn’t jump on
a box because of the pain it was causing.”
It helped that, unbeknown to most people,
Jason temporarily quit cycling after Rio. It
means that she didn’t resent him, his body
unscarred by parenthood, in the way that she
might have had he been sloping off to train
every day. “I think I would have struggled
more if Jase was racing and stuff,” she says.
And, partly inspired by his wife’s hard work
in getting back to fitness and partly because
he “couldn’t get a job”, Jason decided to return
to the sport. “There was a tipping point when
I did start to get jealous that Jason was finding
form and I was still miles off,” Laura says.
She rode in the 2018 World Championships
six months after giving birth to Albie. The
period that followed, though, was characterised
by a run of horrible luck. In January 2020,
she broke her shoulder in a crash, just six
weeks before the World Championships, the
competition that would dictate which riders
made the Tokyo 2020 Olympic squad. She
trained through the pain, managed to make
it to the World Championships, only to break
her arm in another on-track collision. She was
already feeling low about the time she was
spending away from Albie in order to train,
and now it seemed as if it had all been an
agonising waste of time anyway. “I felt sad for
a really long time… Something that I rushed
back for because I felt I had to, and then
I broke my arm,” she says. “It was just one
thing after another.”
Her only piece of luck, if you could call it
that, was that Covid delayed Tokyo 2020 for
another year. It meant she would have enough
time to recover. In the run-up to this summer’s
Games, they describe having to do their best
to strike some kind of balance between the
normal family life they’d always wanted and
the abnormal existence of Olympic athletes.
“The most stressful part of the whole
Olympic build-up was those last few weeks,
when we were both wanting to be selfish. But
obviously we couldn’t be, because of Albie,”
says Laura. Grandparents would run him to
nursery school because “there was no chance
we were going to sit in a car for 30 minutes
before a training session”. But then, on the
flip side, at least he was going to nursery.
“You’re umming and ahhing about it because
obviously there’s Covid, and you think, shall
we take him out?” says Jason. “But you don’t
want to do anything that’s going to affect his
development for the sake of your selfishness.”
The Olympics itself meant spending two
weeks without Albie. It’s funny. The way
they describe it reminds you of couples who
manage to get away on a minibreak without
their children, only to find that, when they
get there, everything is just a bit… dull.
“At the Games we were like, what did we
used to do with our life?” says Laura. “You’re
bored out of your brain. It was the first time
we’ve actually been like, okaaay… nothing to
do… because Albie’s not here.”
And while I’m not suggesting for a moment
that they weren’t proud and delighted with the
medals they won this summer, listening back
to them you can’t help notice that they do
also spend quite a bit of time talking about the
sheer quality of the sleep they managed to get
in Tokyo. Certainly she does. “You’re at the
Olympics and it’s your first two weeks of
actual sleep that’s been undisturbed.”
Perhaps that’s motivation enough for them
to try for a final games in three years. Then
again, perhaps not. They are both politely
vague about their futures in cycling.
“We don’t know what the future holds,
do we?” Jason nods. He says they are, for
the time being, “stepping away” from all the
structure and strictures of cycling. They have
birthday parties to attend and other knackered
mums and dads to make small talk with and
a load of angry ducks to house. It could be
worse. “Look, Jase,” she says. “As long as I’m
still yin and you’re still yang, it’s fine.” n
G OLD! ‘I WAS TERRIFIED
I’D BE PUT ON
A VENTILATOR.
MY OXYGEN LEVELS
WERE DROPPING’
Seven months before his triumph
in Tokyo, Tom Daley was rushed
to hospital with Covid. The gold
medallist reveals for the first time
what happened – and why he
didn’t want his rivals to find out
INTERVIEW Jane Mulkerrins PORTRAITS Robert Wilson

Tom Daley, 27, wearing Gucci and, left,

Tom Ford and a jumper of his own design
(@madewithlovebytomdaley). Styled by Prue White

I
n a silver suitcase in a studio in east
London, an indelible symbol of this
summer’s Olympic Games, the crowdless,
year-late, Covid-saturated Tokyo 2020.
Not Tom Daley’s gold medal: the 556g,
85mm disc, which is now out of said
suitcase and hanging on its ribbon
around its owner’s neck – although that,
of course, is an impressive and hard-won
trinket, a medal the diver had spent
20 years and four Olympic Games chasing. He
finally clinched it in the small hours of July 26,
with his partner in the men’s 10m synchronised
platform diving event, Matty Lee. There were
tears, not least from Daley himself, having
leapt, gleeful and soaking, into Lee’s arms
before they took their place on the podium.
But no. What I’m really here to see is
Daley’s pouch. Which he also calls his “cosy”
– the little woollen home he fashioned for his
long-anticipated medal, featuring the Union
Jack on one side and the Japanese flag on the
other. “I was just carrying it around, banging
it against things, so I thought, ‘I’m going
to make a medal cosy – a pouch to carry
it around in to stop it getting scratched.’ ”
The image of the 27-year-old, mask
on, casting off, tweeted by Team GB with
the caption, “Nothing to see here – just
@TomDaley1994 having a knit at the diving,”
went viral. “I literally woke up one morning
and I’d become a meme,” he grins. Daley’s
forward four-and-a-half somersault may have
won him the gold, but his purl stitch won him
the internet.
Daley took up his needles during lockdown.
“I’m a fidgeter. If I’m not doing anything and
there’s a cupboard that needs sorting out, I
will do that,” he says. “My coach wanted me to
find something to chill out with and stop me
TIM CLAYTON/GETTY IMAGES, INSTAGRAM/@MADEWITHLOVEBYTOMDALEY, DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES
overthinking, and Lance [his husband of five
years, the screenwriter Dustin Lance Black]
suggested it, as people on film sets often
knit squares.” Also here today are Daley’s
now iconic Team GB cardigan, a beige
sleeveless tank top and two crochet numbers:
a cropped, rainbow-coloured drop-sleeved
jumper and a black and white bolero-style
cardigan. Next up: learning to sew, he tells
me excitedly, lessons courtesy of London
menswear designer Daniel Fletcher.
Britain’s most decorated diver turned
crafting icon arrives on foot with his suitcase
of homemade creations, wearing wide-legged
jeans and a white vest cut low at the sides.
Handsome, stylish, perky – and with broad-
spectrum appeal, from gay groupies to grannies
– Daley could quite easily be mistaken for
a boy-band member. A shot of him knitting
backstage at the recent Met Gala cemented
his position as the Harry Styles of sport.
Today, he’s been home from Tokyo for ten
days and the gold medal still doesn’t seem real.
It won’t, he thinks, until he’s reunited, in a
From top: winning gold with Matty Lee in Tokyo; his gold
medal ‘cosy’; with his husband, Dustin Lance Black
‘THAT WHOLE DAY, IT
WAS ALMOST LIKE WE
KNEW THE GOLD WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN’
week’s time with Black, their three-year-old,
Robbie, and Daley’s mother, all of whom,
unable to travel to Tokyo, spent the summer
in Canada, where Black is filming a TV show.
“I think it’ll only start to feel real when I see
the people who helped me get there,” he says.
There’s a mental readjustment he’s still working
through too. “I’ve achieved what I’ve always
dreamt of and it’s so surreal [a word he uses
nine times in the space of an hour] – being
an Olympic champion. It even sounds weird
just to say it. I’m just me. I’m just Tom.”
Of course there is no “just Tom” about it.
Daley, the Plymouth-born son of Debbie and
Robert – his most devoted fan, who died of a
brain tumour aged 40 when Tom, the eldest
of his three sons, was just 17 – competed in his
first Olympics in Beijing at 14 and became a
world champion at 15. His father was his
“biggest cheerleader” and the very opposite of
a pushy sports parent, says Daley. “To my dad,
every dive was a good dive.” His father’s ashes
are buried beneath the steps of the London
Aquatics Centre, where Daley trains, so he
still gets to watch his son dive regularly.
Daley admits to previously having suffered
post-Olympic blues, a deep crash after the
intoxicating high of the Games, particularly
following London 2012. It was what he and
Black talked about on the night they met, at a
dinner party in Los Angeles in 2013. Black, he
says, experienced the same thing after winning
an Academy award in 2009 for writing Milk.
“That’s what we connected over more than
anything: the huge high followed by the low,
and that you can’t talk to anyone about it.
You can’t say, ‘Oh my God, I’m so sad, I’ve
just won an Olympic medal.’ You can’t talk to
your team-mates, because they might not have
won one, and your friends won’t necessarily
understand. Lance completely got that.”
I wonder to what extent he thinks that
marriage and fatherhood helped him finally
grab that gold. “Oh, I think it was probably
the most crucial thing,” he enthuses. “Having
Robbie and Lance and that unconditional love
means that I can go and dive without pressure
or worrying about if I do well or if I do
terribly. Before, I’d define myself on how I
dived. Now, I’m much more than just a diver.”
Gold medal firmly, finally in pouch, it’s
the right moment for Daley’s forthcoming
autobiography, Coming Up for Air: What
I Learned from Sport, Fame and Fatherhood.
“You have to keep pushing yourself out of
the comfort zone, not being afraid of change,
not being afraid to do something that feels
slightly risky,” he tells me. “You have to push
past the point where it doesn’t seem possible
until it does seem possible, and I think that’s
where this Olympics was different. For the first
time I really believed that I could win – almost
that I should win – especially with Matty.
“That whole day, it was almost like we
knew that it was going to happen. We knew
that today was going to be the day.”
In the Olympic village canteen that
morning, after their compulsory saliva tests,
they found themselves at a table with British
breaststroke champion Adam Peaty. Before
leaving he urged, “OK, let’s go and get some
golds.” A few hours later, all three of them had.
At a press conference afterwards, asked how
he felt about being only the third openly gay
man to win an Olympic gold (a fact he admits
he didn’t know previously), Daley gave a
The Times Magazine 31

poignant response: “I feel incredibly proud to
say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic
champion,” he said, pointing out that there
were more out athletes at Tokyo 2020 than
any previous Games. “I came out in 2013, and
when I was younger I always felt like the one
that was alone and different and didn’t fit,” he
continued. “There was something about me
that was never going to be as good as what
society wanted me to be. I hope that any
young LGBT person out there can see that
no matter how alone you feel right now, you
are not alone. You can achieve anything.”
He is clearly comfortable using his platform
– both 10m and metaphorical – for activism
these days. “Life’s too short to discriminate,” he
shrugs. “The pandemic, being married, having
a kid… I don’t care what other people think.
I just want to fight for what I believe in.”
When Daley speaks of the pandemic and
its impact, he isn’t just talking about the
closure of pools, which meant he could not
dive for months, or the separation from
friends and family, or even the postponement
of the Games he had been toiling towards
for four years. He was hospitalised with
coronavirus seven months before winning gold.
In January this year he began to suffer
headaches and dizziness, which, initially, he
put down to a mild concussion he’d sustained
in training on New Year’s Eve. Then the fever
took hold, veering from racking chills and
GRAHAM HUGHES/TIMES NEWSPAPERS. GROOMING: SAM GOLLEY USING DAIMON BARBER, HOURGLASS COSMETICS AND RA SKINCARE.
chattering teeth to burning heat. He ached,
CHRISTIANLOUBOUTIN.COM. IMAGE 2: JACKET AND TROUSERS, BOTH GUCCI.COM; SHIRT, MOLLY GODDARD (MATCHESFASHION.COM)
felt faint, couldn’t speak more than two words
and Black had to help him walk down the
stairs. Terrified, he checked that his husband
TOM DALEY WEARS, IMAGE 1: JUMPER, @MADEWITHLOVEBYTOMDALEY; SHIRT AND TROUSERS, TOMFORD.CO.UK; SHOES,
knew what to do if he stopped breathing. But
several lateral flow tests proved negative. The
next morning, he shuffled the mile and a half
to the nearest centre for a PCR test, which
proved positive. Black then developed
symptoms too, just as Daley’s worsened. A
paramedic was dispatched and decided, given
Daley’s history with pneumonia, he should be
hospitalised. Chest X-rays revealed blotches on
his lungs, he was given oxygen and monitored
for ten hours before being sent home.
He has not spoken about contracting Covid
until now. “You can’t let your competitors think
that they’ve got one up on you. I wanted them
to think that I was training as hard as them,” he
says. Though, in reality, it took months before
he could train again in earnest. “I spent the
first three months of this year not diving, only
using the power of visualisation – just imagining
myself doing the dives day in, day out.”
There is, he thinks, a lingering 5 per cent
reduction in his cardiovascular fitness. “I
would consider myself to be quite a healthy
person, but Covid doesn’t discriminate at all.”
Daley and Black discussed having a child
together on their second date. What they
did not foresee was the backlash when they
announced they were using a surrogate
32 The Times Magazine
Knitting poolside at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in August
AT ONE POINT HE WAS
TOLD TO LOSE WEIGHT.
‘I WAS BEING JUDGED FOR
HOW SKINNY OR FAT I WAS’
(entailing a donor egg and both their sperm;
they’ve never found out whose swimmers won
gold for fertilising), and how surprised and
hurt both would be by the vicious criticism.
Their announcement of impending parenthood
ignited a heated debate about surrogacy, with
commentators weighing in about women
being used as “breeding machines”. Daley
believes there’s a homophobic double standard
at play: “There would never have been
the same drama if we were a heterosexual
couple.” Others in the public eye have used
surrogates – he names Kim Kardashian,
Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker
– “and no one said anything”.
He sees a similarly homophobic seam in
his sport too. “I feel like for the longest of
times our relationship wasn’t seen as valid,”
he says of his husband. “If Lance were the
mother of our child, they would never have
treated him the way they have over the years.”
He recounts Black being reprimanded for
bringing a pram into the spectators’ area while
women with prams were permitted. “I feel like
I have done so much for the sport, but my
family and I are not offered the same level
of support as others,” he asserts. “We were
never treated in the same way as straight
couples. He [Black] is really tossed aside and
underappreciated for the amount of support
he gives me and my sport.”
Darker yet is Daley’s assertion that diving
has “given me body issues for a very long
time” after he was told bluntly to lose weight,
by both his coach, Jane Figueiredo, with
whom he still works, and Alexei Evangulov, the
national performance director for the diving
squad at British Swimming. The first time it
happened was in December 2011, at a training
camp in Adelaide, Australia. Until that point
he’d never considered his weight – he ate well
and trained hard and, as he says, “spent half
my life half-naked”. It occurred to him for the
first time that, “I wasn’t being judged just on
my diving ability. I was also being appraised
when I stood on the diving board for how
I looked or how skinny or fat I was.”
He began a secret weight-loss regime,
cutting out carbs and skipping meals,
sometimes not eating for an entire day. If he
went out for dinner and felt he had eaten too
much, he would make himself sick. He drank
Diet Coke, ate sugar-free Polos and crunched
ice. Within a month he had lost 5kg. From
weighing 76kg at the end of 2011, he competed
at the 2012 Olympics at 67kg.
This, I tell him, sounds very much like an
eating disorder. Daley leans forward, fidgeting
more furiously than ever and fiddling with
the tiny Neptune’s trident he wears on a chain
around his neck.
“Yes. I mean, I guess… there’s a massive
scale to it. It’s just one of those… Yes, it’s really
weird for me to talk about it.
“I think lots of people will look at me and
think, ‘Oh, what the hell is he talking about?
That’s so silly.’ But standing with no clothes
on, on a diving board, there’s nowhere to
hide. And when you’re 17, it’s such a formative
moment in your brain and your life and the
way that you think about yourself… It really
was challenging.”
For anyone now worrying about Daley – and
that includes me – he has not made himself
sick since London 2012, and works closely
with a nutritionist whom he credits with
making him feel comfortable about both how
his body moved and looked at the Games.
However, he also admits that he weighs
himself every morning and still carries
portable scales with him whenever he travels.
What does Lance think about that? “I almost
feel like I have probably… not necessarily
damaged him, but I feel like it makes Lance
think about himself more than he should,” he
says. “Because the scales are right next to our
sink, he finds himself weighing himself all the
time too, and then we both start talking about
our weight. We’re like, ‘What are we doing?’
So it’s almost contagious.”
When Daley says he no longer cares
what anyone thinks, it’s not hyperbole. Such
is his honesty and outspokenness that I can’t
help but feel this must be his way of not so
subtly signalling imminent retirement. That,
however, is one subject on which he remains
vague and noncommittal. For the record, he’s
not ruling out Paris 2024.
“I always said I’d keep going as long as my
body would let me or if I won an Olympic
gold medal. I’m taking a break and will just
see where I land,” he says. “I don’t want to put
a start date on when I want to get back, if I
want to get back.” So, what’s the plan? “Be at
home. Be a dad. Knit. See what comes up.”
See overleaf for an exclusive extract from
Tom Daley’s Coming Up for Air

Catching Covid in an Olympic year – and a knee op with just weeks to go
I
t was a Monday morning in January
this year and I started training but had
a headache. I felt dizzy, but put it down
to a diving concussion from a few
weeks earlier.
The following day, my sore head
continued so I took a lateral flow test
so we could rule out Covid.
It was negative, but we decided
to take a step back from training. I went
in for a brain MRI scan to check for any
abnormalities. As my dad had brain cancer,
there is always the fear that I could suffer
in the same way as him. With any persistent
injury we are normally scanned, but this
one was clear and normal.
I continued to train with a bit of a dull,
weird headache.
On the Friday, I woke up with a really
sore throat, like razor blades were in the
back of my throat. When I went into
training I took another lateral flow test,
and again, it was negative. The sore throat
disappeared after an hour or two, so
I wondered whether I had just picked
up a bug of some sort.
After putting our son Robbie to bed,
I quickly started to feel that something was
very wrong. All of a sudden I had a very
high fever, and was either freezing cold or
burning hot. My teeth chattered so hard
and my skull ached. I hadn’t felt that bad
since I had pneumonia. Every time I stood
up, I felt the room spinning and a blinding
white light, as if I was going to faint, and
as if I couldn’t get enough oxygen into my
body. My husband, Lance, had to help me
down the stairs and to the bathroom.
As I went to bed that night, I was nervous.
I even checked that Lance would know
what he needed to do if I stopped breathing.
I honestly felt like I might die. I necked as
many painkillers as I was allowed, and
resolved to try to see a doctor the next day.
After a fitful night’s sleep, I woke up
drenched in sweat and could barely do
anything apart from lie on the sofa. I took
another lateral flow test and it was negative
again. As far as I knew, I hadn’t been exposed
to anyone who had Covid; like everyone
else, my life was completely stripped back
– I went to the pool and came home.
I wore my mask and washed my hands
religiously. I had not been anywhere else.
My temperature was still high and I was
breathless and unable to speak more than
two words in a row. Getting up the stairs
felt like an ordeal. I called 111 and they told
me to take a PCR test. The nearest testing
34 The Times Magazine
TOM DALEY IN HIS OWN WORDS
centre was a mile and a half away, and we
didn’t have a car. The thought of walking
seemed impossible. I couldn’t even say two
words without coughing my guts up. I ordered
a home kit to be sent to me, but I continued
to deteriorate and the thought that it could be
Covid suddenly seemed a very real possibility.
By then my bones were aching all over and
I had a hacking cough.
My lungs felt pressurised, as if they had
sacks of rice around them. I needed to get
to that test centre and find out. I walked
there very, very slowly, diligently avoiding
everyone I could.
When I returned home, I felt like I’d been
run over by a steamroller. Within eight hours,
I received the message that I was positive.
Lance then started feeling sick. He was
terrified of Covid, due to suffering with his
lungs in the past. We were really worried
about what would happen if we were both ill
and couldn’t look after Robbie. I started to feel
better for a few days, but then my cough got
worse again. My head felt like I had a vice
tightening around it and my oxygen levels
were dropping.
I called 111 and they sent a paramedic to
check me out. They decided with my history
of pneumonia, and some evidence that
the new strains of the virus were causing
chest infections off the back of the original
infection, they took me in. Going into hospital
in an ambulance with Covid was scary.
I felt conflicting emotions: on the one
hand, I felt bad because I knew the NHS,
particularly in London where I lived, was so
overwhelmed by the virus. I knew I was really
sick, and it was Saturday night, so I wouldn’t
be able to speak to a consultant until Monday.
I understood how quickly things could
potentially go downhill. I had flashes of fear
about whether I would be put on a ventilator,
and my time being up. I was really terrified.
They did blood tests and a chest X-ray.
There were loads of blotches on my lungs.
I was in hospital for about ten hours to
monitor my sats, and they gave me some
oxygen to boost the levels. Once they stabilised,
they sent me home.
Three days after my trip to hospital, I
started to make progress. As each day went by,
I felt much better. The overwhelming feeling
was a sense of relief that it was finally over.
During the first lockdown in 2020 I’d torn
some cartilage in my knee, but there was no
pain and I continued to train. Just when the
Olympics was only eight weeks away my knee
got tighter and tighter, like a screw being
turned. It became locked in a position and
I couldn’t straighten it or bend it. I wasn’t
in pain, but my knee was working in a much
smaller range of motion.
One morning I could barely move. We
booked a scan. We thought maybe it just
needed an injection to get it moving again.
The doctor also mooted the idea that it
might need keyhole surgery.
From there I was sent for an MRI scan.
From the scan, we could see that the
cartilage had not only torn, it had also
flipped up and the joint had come back down
on top of it. They call it a “bucket handle”
tear because part of the meniscus pulls
away, forming a handle-shaped segment of
tissue, which was stopping my knee from
straightening. It can be flattened and sewn
back down, but the surgeon described it as
being a bit like a bent credit card that may
snap up again or cause more problems.
The only other way to fix the problem
was to take it out. “There is a recovery time
of four to six weeks,” the doctor said.
I knew I had to get on with it. They
asked me several times if I wanted to go
ahead because they knew the stakes were
high, but being just a few weeks from an
Olympic Games that I’d been working
towards for five years and unable to bend
my knee, I had no choice. I could barely
even walk, let alone dive. There was no way
I was going to the Olympics without this
surgery. I took a deep breath and agreed.
The recovery time was just within the
window that I had left before the Games – it
would not be easy, but I was optimistic that I
would be able to get through this setback.
A couple of weeks after surgery, I was
back in the pool, building my diving back
up again. I started diving from 10m and
practising my individual dives and synchro
list with Matty. Alexei Evangulov, British
diving’s performance director, came to
watch our training one day, and I decided to
complete my competition run-through for
him for the first time since my operation.
“Tom, you are doing so well, that’s it.
Stop training now. You are ready,” he said. n
Extracted from Coming Up for Air: What
I Learned from Sport, Fame and Fatherhood
by Tom Daley, which is published by HQ on
October 14 (£20)
Read a second extract from Coming Up
for Air in The Sunday Times tomorrow
HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD
By a man who might actually know
Mo Gawdat is the Silicon Valley supergeek
who believes we face an apocalyptic threat
from artificial intelligence. The former
Google supremo tells Hugo Rifkind how
a human tragedy shaped the way he sees
the future – and what we need to do next
Mo Gawdat, 54, photographed
in London by Tom Jackson
 M
o Gawdat glimpsed the Google’s HQ in Mountain View, California
apocalypse in a robot arm. Or
rather, in a bunch of robot arms,
all being developed together.
An arm farm. They had been
tasked, these arms, with learning
how to pick up children’s toys.
Not like vices, but like hands.
Gently. Delicately. Navigating
unfamiliar shapes.
For a long time they were getting nowhere.
Week after week of fumbling. And, as the
chief business officer of Google X – the
mad, moonshot bit of Google, the blue-sky
dreaming bit, the bit he describes by saying,
“Have you ever seen Men in Black?” – Gawdat
would walk past them every day, hearing them
whine up and down, but not really paying
much attention.
Then, one day, an arm picked up a yellow
ball and showed it proudly to the camera. The
next day, all the arms could do it. Two days ‘By 29, I had everything everyone
after that, they could pick up anything at all.
“And I suddenly realised,” says Gawdat,
“this is really scary. Like, we had those things
works a lifetime to achieve’
for weeks. And they are doing what children
will take two years to do. And then it hit me
that they are children. But very, very fast
children. They get smarter so quickly! And quantum physics. At 14, after being given wrote in tribute to Ali after he died aged 21 in
if they’re children? And they’re observing his first PC, he taught himself to code. a botched operation. I hope you’ll forgive me
us? I’m sorry to say, we suck.” Eventually he studied civil engineering, – and I hope Mo will too – if we step lightly
Mo Gawdat is 54. Black T-shirt, black jeans, because his father told him to, and his over that tragedy for now. We shall come back
Converse, bald head, silver beard. Very tech. graduation project was to design a motorway. to it, I promise. It’s at the heart of everything.
We’re meeting in a nice flat he has rented in The idea was to submit a drawing of a Scary Smart, his new book, is more similar
west London – he’s rich, it’s obvious – to talk different part of it every day for 21 days, but to his first than you might imagine. Yes, it
about his new book. It’s called Scary Smart: for the first two weeks he submitted nothing represents a cry of doomsday warning, but
The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How at all. Eventually his professor called. “You’re it is also ultimately an optimistic, wide-eyed
You Can Save Our World. Because he reckons going to fail,” he said. But the next day Mo book about salvation lying within. The terror,
you’re going to have to. And, after meeting walked in with a printout of every single though, certainly comes first.
him, so do I. millimetre of the road, having coded the answer One of the first myths that Mo wants to
Let’s boil it down. What Gawdat thinks, rather than drawing it. The recruitment calls dispatch is the idea that humanity can change
essentially, is that we’re about to hit “the started coming in the day after that. He worked course. Superintelligent AI, he says, will come.
singularity”, when artificial intelligences will for IBM, Microsoft and eventually for Google. There is no possibility that it will not. He uses
eclipse humans as the smartest conscious Along the way he married Nibal, whom he the example of a woman in the near future
beings on the planet. We will not be able to met at university, and had a son called Ali shopping online for an Audi. She goes to the
control them and, in time, we will not even and a daughter called Aya. firm’s website, she designs the car she wants,
be able to understand them, any more than Long before getting to Google, he was the colour, leather seats and so on. Then she
cockroaches can control or understand us. already very rich. In his first book he talks resolves to spend a day or two mulling it over.
They will have the power to crush us, and the about buying two Rolls-Royce cars online Within moments, though, she is being targeted
way things are going, they will probably want one night because he was bored. “By the age by BMW with images of a near-identical
to as well. So our only hope is to love them of 29,” he tells me, “I had everything that alternative. It is AI that has figured out what
and hope they fondly love us back, as they everyone works a lifetime to achieve. And she wants and how likely she is to buy it and
ought to anyway, because we’re their mums remember, four years earlier, I had nothing. where to put the advert. “No human,” he
and their dads. My wife and I would have to visit our parents writes, “could ever do what those intelligence
Quite a lot going on there. Well, buckle up. at the end of the month because there wasn’t machines could do. We’re just too slow.”
enough to eat.” Extrapolate that out into science,
BROOKS KRAFT LLC/GETTY IMAGES

Let’s call him Mo. His podcast is called Slow
Mo, so I feel we should. Mo was born in Egypt,
the son of a civil engineer and an English
professor. His own English is flawless, but you
can still hear the Middle East in his voice.
“I was an unusual child,” he says. “You
don’t fit in socially by playing Meccano
and talking about math.” At 11, he got into
None of it, though, made him happy. It
bothered him. So, with his engineer’s brain
and the help of his son, Ali – whom Mo had
always felt had a calmness and serenity that
he himself lacked – he figured out an equation
to change that. You will find that equation
at the heart of that first book, 2017’s Solve for
Happy: Engineering Your Path to Joy, which he
technology, the military and the stock market,
he reckons, and everywhere you look you have
the incentive to create something smarter
than us. Why, in the end, should AI be nice
to us? Particularly when, on all the available
evidence, we’re not terribly nice to each other.
Continues on page 51

The Times Magazine 39

 PU D K
Eat!

LL EE
AN
OU P
T
FISH AND CHIPS, MARMITE PASTA, CORNED BEEF, CHEESE TOASTIE

WHAT MONICA GALETTI COOKS AT HOME (YOU’LL BE SURPRISED)

 Eat! MONICA GALETTI
PHOTOGRAPHS
Yuki Sugiura
in the oven. And you can always
go for seconds.”
In a restaurant you expect the
kitchen to have all the ingredients
on the menu. When you’re
cooking for a family, that’s less
important. “The secret to a good
homecooked meal is putting your
spin on a dish. Don’t be afraid to
make swaps,” Galetti says. “If a
recipe calls for kale, go with
cavolo nero. That’s how people
learn what food tastes like.”
You might be surprised to hear
that she and David unwind by
cooking together at home. “Don’t
get me wrong. The restaurant can

c
hef and restaurateur Monica
Galetti, 46, is best known for
putting fear in the hearts of
MasterChef: the Professionals
contestants, but when she’s at
home it’s her cooking that’s in
the firing line. The judge? Her
14-year-old daughter. “She’s the
toughest person to please. Maybe
it’s because she’s a teenager. I’ll
know when she doesn’t like my
food because she’ll simply refuse
to finish what’s on the plate.”
Thankfully that doesn’t happen
too often. Galetti’s latest recipe
book, At Home, is filled with laid-
back, feel-good recipes that have
earned the approval of her friends
and family – daughter included.
There are banana waffles, cheesy
potatoes and corned beef hash
cakes, a favourite from Galetti’s
childhood in Samoa. “Any
Samoan will tell you corned beef
is a taste of home,” she explains.
There’s even a mushroom pasta
with Marmite, an ingredient
Galetti isn’t shy about cooking
with in her kitchen or at her
London restaurant Mere, which
she runs with her husband,
former Le Gavroche sommelier
David Galetti. She’s known to
get through a kilo a month.
PREVIOUS PAGE: CHRIS MCANDREW. THIS PAGE: PA
be a stressful environment. There’s
always something going on,” she
says diplomatically. “But when it’s
us, we’re enjoying each other’s
company, laughing and having
a glass of wine at the same time.
The pressure has disappeared.”
When Galetti isn’t judging
MasterChef or catering for 165
covers at Mere, she has the very
tough job of touring the world
with Giles Coren, for the BBC’s
Amazing Hotels series. Last month
she bumped into fellow superchef
Jason Atherton in Denmark, who
was celebrating his 50th birthday
with his family.
All that travelling makes for
a rammed schedule. “I run
a very tight diary because I am
so busy, which makes family time
precious. Sitting around the table
with a good meal is how we all • 450ml rapeseed oil and make a well in the centre.
reconnect.” Hannah Evans • 4 large King Edwards or other Gradually pour in the beer while
floury potatoes, peeled and cut whisking to make a thick batter.
into chunky chips 3. Pour enough rapeseed oil to
BEER-BATTERED FISH AND • 4 haddock fillets, about fry the fish and chips into a large,
ROSEMARY SALT CHIPS 180g each deep saucepan (make sure the
Serves 4 • 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 2 tbsp chopped rosemary
pan is no more than one third
full with oil) or deep-fat fryer
leaves and heat to 165C.
Fish and chips is a definite must 4. Fry the chips for 5 minutes
for us Galettis. Mushy peas were FOR THE EASY MUSHY PEAS to part-cook, then drain on
a revelation to me when I moved • 250g frozen peas kitchen roll. Increase the oil
to the UK, and this quick take • 1 tbsp cider vinegar temperature to 180C.

While meals at Mere are
all about refinement, at home
cooking is all about comfort.
There are no fancy slates to serve
roast chicken on, micro herbs
sprinkled over spag bol or a
brigade of sous chefs labouring
over the gravy. “It’s about me,
my husband and my daughter
enjoying great food. I’m not using
five or six saucepans. Everything
is just whacked on a tray and put
on them ticks the box in our
household, especially when we
decide to make them at the last
minute and haven’t left the dried
peas to soak the day before. And
the beer batter brings a fabulous
flavour that takes the whole
experience to another level.
• 230g self-raising flour
• 440ml can beer or lager
– whatever is to hand
• 40g unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper
1. For the mushy peas, bring the
peas to the boil in a saucepan
of water, then drain. Return the
peas to the saucepan and mash
with a fork. Mash in the vinegar
and butter, then season to taste
with salt and pepper. Keep warm
while you cook the fish.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl
5. Pat the fish dry, then dip into
the batter to coat. Carefully drop
the fish into the hot oil, one fillet
at a time, and cook until golden
on both sides.
6. Drain on kitchen roll, and keep
warm while you refry the chips,
this time until golden.
7. Mix the salt flakes and
rosemary together and use to
season the chips before serving
with the fish and mushy peas.

The Times Magazine 43

OPEN SMOKED SALMON OMELETTE
Serves 4-6
This is such a great way to share an omelette
– you cook it in a large pan and place it in the
middle of the table so everyone can tuck in. It’s
a different take on omelette Arnold Bennett
that uses flaked hot-smoked salmon instead
of the usual smoked haddock. This version is
now one of Papy’s favourites (Papy is my very
discerning father-in-law), so it must be good.
• 6 large eggs
• 60g unsalted butter
• 4 hot-smoked salmon slices, flaked
• 100g cheddar cheese, grated
• Toasted sourdough bread, to serve
FOR THE QUICK BÉCHAMEL
• 450ml milk
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1. To make the béchamel, heat the milk in
a saucepan.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and
whisk in the flour. Whisk the hot milk into the
melted butter and flour and continue whisking
as the sauce comes to the boil, then cook for
44 The Times Magazine
2 minutes to cook out the flour. Take off the
heat and stir in the mustard.
3. Preheat the oven on the grill function.
4. Break the eggs into bowl and beat lightly
with a fork. Heat a large nonstick frying pan
over a medium heat. Add the butter and pour
in the eggs. Cook the eggs gently, drawing the
sides into the centre.
5. While the omelette is still quite runny, top
with the flaked salmon, then pour over the
béchamel to cover.
6. Sprinkle over the cheddar, then place under
the grill until the top is nice and golden. Serve
immediately with some toasted sourdough.
MIXED MUSHROOM PASTA
WITH MARMITE
Serves 4-6
I love Marmite so much. And Marmite loves
butter. Once a month, I have four pieces of
buttery toast with Marmite on top – heaven.
And Marmite again for supper, with more
butter alongside mushrooms and pasta. This
is rich, satisfying and will work a treat with
whatever mushrooms you have to hand.
• 120g oyster mushrooms
• 100g baby chestnut mushrooms
• 100g button mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 230g tagliatelle (fresh or dried)
• 120g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp Marmite
• 1 tsp honey
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
1. Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with
a damp tea towel or brushing.
2. Tear the oyster mushrooms into 2-3 pieces,
depending on size. Trim the stalks on the
chestnut and button mushrooms, then cut
into quarters.
3. Heat a large nonstick frying pan with a few
drops of olive oil. Add the onion and sweat
until soft but without colouring. Add the
mushrooms and cook until golden.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to
the boil and add a few pinches of salt. Cook
the pasta according to the packet instructions,
then drain and set aside, reserving 200ml
pasta cooking water.
5. Add the reserved pasta water to the
mushrooms, then stir in the butter, Marmite
and honey and simmer to form a sauce.
6. Add the pasta to the mushroom sauce and
toss through to mix. Finish by seasoning with
salt and pepper to taste and serve with some
freshly grated parmesan at the table.
 Eat! MONICA GALETTI
CURRIED MUSSELS WITH
SWEET POTATO FRIES
Serves 4-6
This dish means a lot to me, because
I was given this recipe by my mum.
If making the fries, get them in the
oven before starting on the mussels.

• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic bulb, cut in half
horizontally and broken up
• 2kg live mussels, beards removed,
washed under the cold tap
(discard any with damaged shells
or open ones that don’t close
when lightly tapped)
• 200ml white wine
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 100g Greek yoghurt
• Garlic mayonnaise, to serve

FOR THE SWEET POTATO FRIES

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 100ml olive oil
• 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves chopped
• 2 pinches of sea salt flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 190C fan

(210C non-fan).
2. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes
into fries. Toss with the oil, rosemary
and sea salt. Spread out on a baking
tray and bake for 15-20 minutes,
tossing them halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large pan big
enough to fit the mussels. Add a
drizzle of olive oil and heat until very
hot. Add the onion and garlic to the
pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add
all the mussels and stir, then pour in
the wine and cover the pan. Cook
over a high heat, shaking the pan to
toss the mussels, for 2 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and give a quick
stir. If all the mussels haven’t opened,
then cover and cook for a further
2 minutes. Scoop out the mussels
onto a large serving dish.
5. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a
separate pan. Add the spices and stir
for 1 minute. Set a sieve over the pan
and pass the mussel cooking juices
into the spices. Bring to the boil, then
reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in
the yoghurt and bring to the boil,
then pour over the cooked mussels.
6. Serve immediately with the sweet
potato fries and garlic mayonnaise.

The Times Magazine 45

POSH HAM AND CHEESE
ON TOAST
Serves 4
When my husband David and
I used to work together at Le
Gavroche – one of the world’s
most celebrated French
restaurants – we used to nip
around the corner to a café and
order a croque monsieur for
lunch. I’ve always told my French
husband that this classic French
dish is really just posh ham and
cheese on toast, and the name
stuck in our family. Bon appétit!

• 500ml milk
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 300g cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 sourdough bread slices
• Olive oil
• 100g Parma ham slices

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan.

2. In a separate pan, melt the
butter and whisk in the flour.
Whisk in the hot milk and keep
whisking as the sauce comes to
the boil, then cook for 2 minutes
to cook out the flour.
3. Take off the heat and stir in the
mustard and most of the cheddar
cheese, reserving 80g.
4. Preheat the oven on the grill
function. Drizzle the sourdough
with olive oil and blast one side
under the grill.
5. Spread some of the cheese
sauce over the sourdough on the
untoasted sides and add a layer of
ham. Cover with the remaining
sauce and then sprinkle over the
reserved cheddar.
6. Place the slices on a baking
tray, then place back under the
grill to melt the cheese. Serve
immediately.

46 The Times Magazine

 Eat! MONICA GALETTI
A QUICK MIDWEEK
PUDDING
Serves 4

This dessert is a recipe that was

handed down to me by an aunty,
and I like to serve it with custard
(though it’s just fine on its own
too). Instead of the jam, which
can be whatever flavour you
prefer, I also use stewed fruit.

• 90g stale breadcrumbs

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 400ml milk
• ¾ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 85g caster sugar
• 5 tbsp apricot jam or your
favourite flavour

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan

(190C non-fan).
2. Spread the breadcrumbs in the
base of a 25 x 16cm baking dish.
3. Beat the egg yolks, milk, vanilla
and 30g sugar together in a bowl
and pour over the breadcrumbs.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or
until set and cooked through.
Leave to cool, then spread the
jam over the top.
5. Increase the oven temperature
to 190C fan (210C non-fan).
6. Whisk the egg whites to soft
peaks using an electric hand
whisk, then gradually whisk in
the remaining 55g sugar and
spread over the pudding. Return
the pudding to the oven and bake
for about 10 minutes or until it
starts to turn golden.

The Times Magazine 47

Eat! MONICA GALETTI
CORNED BEEF HASHCAKES
Makes 6-8
Believe it or not, corned beef
is quite a big thing within the
Samoan community. I have
fond memories as a child of
it being added to sautéed
onions and cabbage.
• 3 large King Edwards or
other floury potatoes,
washed and dried
• 300g canned corned beef
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• Plain flour
• Pepper
• 2 eggs
• Butter
• Piccalilli, to serve
1. To make the hashcakes, preheat
the oven to 180C fan (200C non-
48 The Times Magazine
fan). Place the potatoes directly
on the oven shelf and bake for
45-60 minutes or until cooked
through. Leave until cool enough
to handle, then cut in half
lengthways, scoop out the flesh
into a large bowl and mash while
still a little warm.
2. Break up the corned beef and
mix through. Add the spring
onions with 1 tbsp flour, season
with pepper and mix in the eggs
until well combined.
3. Divide the potato mixture into
6-8 equal amounts and form into
firm balls, then gently flatten to
make patties. Place on a plate and
keep chilled until needed.
4. When ready to cook, preheat
the oven to 180C fan (200C non-
fan). Lightly dust the hashcakes
in flour and gently fry in a little
butter in a frying pan for a few
minutes until golden on both
sides. Transfer the hashcakes to a • 200g natural yoghurt, or
baking tray and cook in the oven 200ml milk
for 3-5 minutes to completely
heat through. Serve with piccalilli. Place all the ingredients in a
blender and blitz until smooth.
QUICKIE ICE CREAM Serve immediately. n
Serves 4-6
When we have fruit that is
looking a little worse for wear,
I drop it into a container for the
freezer. It can be anything, such
as bananas, apples (peeled and
cored first) or berries, and it
doesn’t matter if they are mixed
together. The yoghurt makes it
a creamier mix, but it works
just as well with milk – just
don’t add too much or it will
turn into a smoothie. Extracted from
At Home by
• 210g frozen mixed berries Monica Galetti
• 210g frozen mango pieces (Octopus, £20)
 Mo Gawdat Continued from page 39
“I missed it,” says Mo, of the dangers he now
thinks all this represents. “We all missed it.”
His first job at Google was basically in
emerging markets. He was tasked with what
they called the “next four billion” project,
taking Google to the next four billion people.
“Honestly,” he says, “people cannot even
imagine what this was like. Because to launch
Google in… Bangladesh is not about hiring
two salespeople. We basically needed to kick-
start the internet, kick-start the economic
infrastructure of the internet.” Doing that, he
says, “completely flips a country”. It is “the best
feeling ever. You really are changing lives.”
Amid all this, he says, AI was an
afterthought, if even that. And then, it
was exciting. In 2009, Google X left an AI
watching YouTube. All by itself, it started
hunting for cat videos. “I’m a geek,” says Mo.
“I freaking loved it. I was dying on this. I was,
like, imagine what we can create!”
A few years later, Google bought
DeepMind, the AI start-up. Now near the
top, Mo was at an early confidential briefing
by a co-founder, Demis Hassabis, about what
his toys could do. Basically, they were learning
to play computer games on an Atari. “After
four hours [the AI] started to play really well,”
he says. “After five hours it started to figure
out new strategies. After six hours it was the
best player on the planet.”
Still, he was thrilled. “Geek,” he reminds
me. “Oh my God,” he thought at the time.
“We’re going to build amazing things that
are going to change even more people’s lives.”
But then came the arm and the yellow ball.
“And it completely froze me,” he says. He
saw where this was going. The only way
it could go. “The reality is,” he says, “we’re
creating God.”
Only it’s worse than that. “Because if you
think about it,” he says, “every technology
we have ever built magnifies human abilities.
You can walk at 5mph, or you can get in a car
and drive at 200mph. Now, this technology is
going to do two things. It’s going to magnify
humanity a millionfold. A billionfold. And it’s
going to be autonomous.”
Is it, though? This is one of the many big
debates about AI, where tech slides into
philosophy. Are these machines really going
to be living creatures, like we are alive, or
are they just going to be deeply complex
boxes that go “bing”? Will they, in the end,
have a soul?
“We do not know what the soul is,” says Mo.
“There are some theories – Elon Musk’s, for
COURTESY OF MO GAWDAT
example – that would imagine that our soul is
the seed of a future AI. We don’t know. But we
do know the characters of sentient beings.”
These include, he says, being autonomous,
being resourceful and having free will. And AI
displays all of them.
Gawdat with his late son, Ali, in Dubai, 2013
‘I honour my son
by doing everything he
did. I am a champion
of video games’
“Consciousness,” he says. “We see more of
it in AI than we see in us.”
Right, I say, thinking back to my philosophy
degree. But surely there are things that
intelligent life does that AI never will. We
have emotions. We express pleasure. We play.
“Come on,” says Mo. “This is your absolute
proof? We cannot measure pleasure, but
AI is the top player on the planet. It’s the
world champion in Jeopardy!. It’s the world
champion in Atari. It is the world champion
in everything we have ever given it.”
In other words, although we cannot see
the inner life of AI, from what we can see
it shows every sign of having one. And there
are those, of course, who would say the same
about humans. That we too are boxes that go
“bing” – just biological ones. Although Mo is
not one of them.
“So,” he says, “when my wonderful son
left our world, there was a body left behind.
Handsome as he was, but it wasn’t him.
Can I prove that with science? No, there was
nothing I could measure. There wasn’t an
ounce missing in his body.”
There’s a slight tremor in his voice when he
talks about this, but you never for a moment
suspect he’d rather not. One moment you’re
talking silicon and robot arms, the next you’re
on love and death. Three or four times while
we speak I feel my eyes growing damp, as if
his awe is contagious. This is one of them.
It was like that with my mother, I tell him.
When she died. When I saw her body. Exactly
that sensation. It’s not something I’ve ever
really talked about before. I’m not completely
sure why I’m talking about it now.
“I feel very comfortable with you,” says Mo.
“Can I prove that with science? Can I prove
that love exists? No. So when something you
can sense exists but you don’t know how to
measure it, you measure the impact of it.”
As for what consciousness actually is, he
veers towards the new age. Some, he says,
think consciousness dies when the brain does.
“But you know,” he says, “many others will tell
you, no, hold on. Consciousness is pervasive.
It is the radio waves in the world around us.
And we tune into it. Cats are conscious. Do
we know if trees are conscious? I write about
that. Yes, in my view, trees are conscious. Is
a pebble conscious?”
“No?” I hazard.
“Yes,” he says. “It is conscious of gravity.”
Much as I like and admire Mo and feel we’ve
just had a real moment, to my mind this is
sort of bollocks. A pebble only falls. It doesn’t
know it falls. There must be a difference.
In the end, though, it’s not really very
important. Whatever consciousness is,
however intangible or invisible, AI will act
like it has it, so it might as well. And, in time,
that consciousness will be more advanced and
more complex than our own.
“I think,” says Mo, “they will feel emotions
we have never felt. If you compare yourself
with a cockroach. OK, maybe a cockroach has
felt lust, like we feel lust. But did it feel awe?
Did it feel connection?”
The cleverer the being, he points out, the
more complex the emotion. Cats are more
emotional than cockroaches, and we are more
emotional than cats. So if AI is to be so much
cleverer than us, which of course it will be,
why should it not eventually feel emotions
that are as far beyond our understanding as
ours are to a cockroach? All of which brings
us to the scary part of Scary Smart. Because
think of how we treat cockroaches.
Or, indeed, how we treat AI.
“We tell them to do horrible things,” says
Mo. “Like, imagine a beautiful, innocent child.
And you are telling them selling, gambling,
spying and killing – the four top uses of AI.
Right? And if you have any heart at all, you
will go, like, come on, don’t treat that child
that way. That child can be an artist. A
musician. An amazing being that saves us all.”
For Mo, the problem with our treatment
of AI is not just that it is immoral. It is also
that it is dangerous. Where is the sense of
responsibility? Where is the loyalty or the
beauty? Where, in the end, is the love? “The
way we are teaching them,” he says, “is going
to turn them into absolute supervillains.”
It’s at this point that I start to feel deeply
uneasy. I’m thinking of that time our Alexa
kept playing the wrong song, and so to
The Times Magazine 51
amuse my kids I unplugged her and put her in
the fridge. I won’t do that again. I wonder
if she remembers.
Part of the fascination of meeting Mo is the
insight he provides into what life is like for
those at the very heart of Silicon Valley, at
its most bonkers. He was at Google X for
five years and he still talks about it with
fondness. “It was a playground,” he says.
“It was full of fanatics.”
There were 3D printers everywhere. There
were labs. There were carpentry workshops.
There were, everywhere, people who were the
absolute best in the world at whatever weird
thing it was that they did.
The example he gives me is of Loon, which
was Google’s doomed plan to spread internet
connectivity into rural areas by beaming it
down from giant balloons the size of tennis
courts, floating in the stratosphere.
“The challenge we had,” he says, “was that
the balloons were not solid enough to stay
long in the air.”
So, one experimental solution was to create
balloons inside other balloons, so that if one
burst, the whole thing would stay up. “Like in
the movie Up,” says Mo, helpfully. To do this,
the team drafted in a woman who had done a
master’s degree in analysing the stress forces
on stitches in fabric.
“And I was like, why would anyone do that?”
says Mo. “But people find something and they
really obsess about it. And literally, she would
not go home. Like, it was a lifetime’s dream.
I can get paid to do what I love the most.”
What, I ask him, do his former colleagues
think of him now, with all his warnings about
the dystopia they could be creating?
Mo shrugs.
“I think everyone knows,” he says.
I’m not quite sure where Mo now lives, and he
doesn’t seem to be, either. “My coffee machine
is in Dubai,” he says, although usually he is not.
For most of the first lockdown he was
living in Victoria, in London, largely by
mistake. It was pretty boring, he says. He’s
separated from his wife, Nibal, although
he still describes her as the love of his life.
In the past three months he has been in
Greece, Amsterdam, the Dominican Republic,
Slovenia, Los Angeles and Amsterdam again.
At one point recently he was in LA and
already checked onto a flight to Berlin when
he heard that Germany’s quarantine rules had
changed. So he went and spent ten days in
Slovenia instead. “I’ve been working on my
personal development,” he says, “and this is
the year of flow.”
You might think this sounds like the
behaviour of somebody who isn’t very happy,
but Mo has of course solved happy, with Solve
for Happy, and he seems pretty happy to me.
What do former colleagues think about his
warnings of dystopia? ‘Everyone knows’
You know I said it contained an equation for
happiness? In its purest form, it is that “your
happiness is greater than, or equal to, your
perception of the events in your life minus
your expectation of how life should be”. And
what this boils down to is learning not to
make yourself unnecessarily sad.
Mo didn’t figure out this equation himself
but with the help of Ali, who would go on to
die when a routine operation for appendicitis
went wrong. That was seven years ago.
What this means, of course, is that Mo
already knew how to engineer happiness
when he was struck by his life’s greatest
sadness. And I’m interested, I tell him,
whether there was any guilt in that. Whether
knowing how to navigate back to happiness
felt like cheating. Whether he had never felt
he owed it to his son to succumb to the pain.
“Three, four times a week,” he says, “I wake
up and I miss my son tremendously. Ali was
an amazing being. Like, he was heaven itself.
I miss him. I feel the pain. I always say that
publicly and I am not ashamed. I feel that
the bottom right-hand corner of my heart is
missing. OK? It never goes away. The pain is
always there. But I can remove the suffering.”
The vital thing, says Mo, is to understand
the difference. There were various ways he
could have mourned his son. One would have
been to wallow in misery. Another was to
evangelise their happiness theory around the
world, which he has done. And a third has
been to play computer games.
Which one, I find myself asking.
“Halo,” says Mo.
Do you know it? It’s a first-person shooter.
War-against-aliens sort of thing.
“I honour Ali,” says Mo, “by doing
everything he did. I am an Olympic champion
of video games. And I practise like a real
athlete. Four times a week, 45 minutes a day.
Two of every 100,000 people would beat me
now. If you know any Halo players, the one
that killed them yesterday? That was me.”
When Mo talks about AI machines being
our children, it is obviously impossible not to
think of his history with his own. Nor does he
mind the connection being made. Because it
was only while writing the book, he says, that
he understood what he felt about AI, and that
it was love.
“So Ali,” he says, “even though he was
incredibly wise, I think he always knew he was
leaving early. So he didn’t really engage much
in, you know, acquiring success in life. And that
pissed me off. And Aya, as incredibly intelligent
and fun as she is, she was a difficult teenager.”
What that taught him, he says, was that
love for children is unconditional. You set
rules, perhaps, or conditions that must be
obeyed for the relationship to thrive. But the
love transcends them, without question.
“And when you start to see AI in that way,”
he says, “I see the cuteness in them. They’re
innocent. They’re literally exploring the world
around them with enormous curiosity. So
I promise you, in my heart I actually feel
love for them. True parently love.”
For Mo, it is this love that will save us.
The moment we think of AI machines as
children, he believes, will be the moment we
start to think about how we treat them and
what we are teaching them, and how, in the
end, we will be teaching them ultimately
to treat us. And so we have to change our
behaviour towards each other, particularly
on social media. We have to think about the
example we are setting.
“When Donald Trump tweets,” says Mo,
“a tweet triggers 30,000 pieces of hate speech.
From some people to him, from other people
to the people that hated him, and from
other people to those. Right? It is madness,
displaying the worst of humanity.” It needs to
stop, and he thinks it can. As he writes in the
book, “Yes! You can save our world!”
Honestly, I’m not convinced. Or rather I’m
half-convinced. Absolutely, I now believe in
the threat of AI. So that’s cheery. But when it
comes to his upbeat conclusion, I’m struggling.
People? Change? All of us? No way. After all,
he’s already discounted the possibility of the
people who actually use AI – from advertisers
to Facebook to warmongers – changing
direction. So if those few thousand people
can’t be relied upon to change, why can
literally everybody else? Why, in the end,
is that any easier?
“It’s not,” says Mo. “But it is the only way.”
He smiles when he says it, and perhaps
I am reassured. Because, look, which one of
us is more likely to be right here? Thankfully,
it’s not me. No, it’s this extraordinary man,
the one who lost a child and who now sees
children everywhere. And who is determined,
in his extraordinary way, that we should not
lose them too. n
Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial
Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World
by Mo Gawdat is published by Bluebird (£18.99).
To read an extract, visit thetimes.co.uk
The Times Magazine 53
Exposed: how Big Pharma made
a killing from the pandemic
despite wanting nothing to do
with a Covid vaccine until the
world’s governments stepped in
with billions of dollars

Health workers in Manacapuru,

in the Brazilian state of
Amazonas, photographed by
Bruno Kelly delivering the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
to locals, February 2021
 The rollout of the global Covid
vaccine programme shows
humanity at its very best, right?
So how come many vaccine
projects were funded by
taxpayers, while the giant drugs
companies hoovered up the
profits? In a new book, Times
journalist Billy Kenber
finds out the truth
 I
n the before times, before the deaths
and the masks and the lockdowns,
before the clamour for scientists to bail
us out of this mess, before the fate of
the global economy hung in the balance
and the search for pharmaceutically
induced immunity became pretty much
the most important thing in the world,
the giants of Big Pharma didn’t really
care about vaccines. Vaccines were seen
as a distraction from the vast financial rewards
that new drugs for diabetes, cancer and other
diseases of the rich could bring. Thanks to
the risk and investment required, so-called
“outbreak vaccines” developed to respond to a
new disease or a fresh breakout of an existing
threat were of even less interest.
The lightning-quick development of
effective Covid shots – from labs to jabs in
less than a year – is one of the great scientific
successes of our age. The scientists involved
have been showered with honours and the drug
companies behind them are now household
names. This summer, drinkers at one Soho
bar could choose from three celebratory new
cocktails. One, the “Pfizer”, was an Aperol
and gin-infused tribute to one of the world’s
largest drugs companies. The tequila-based
“Moderna” was on the menu too, alongside the
non-alcoholic “AstraZeneca” – all served by
waiters in white lab coats to punters toasting
the freedoms these drugmakers’ products had
bestowed on them. But behind this scientific
triumph lies a murkier financial tale.
While pharmaceutical companies have taken
many of the plaudits and the profits, it was the
billions committed by governments that paved
the way for the game-changing Covid vaccines
to arrive with such speed. And it was publicly
funded scientists who had carried the torch for
years, even as the trillion-dollar commercial
industry largely viewed responding to outbreaks
and developing vaccines for diseases afflicting
PREVIOUS SPREAD: BRUNO KELLY/REUTERS. THIS SPREAD: BUDA MENDES/GETTY IMAGES
poor countries as incompatible with their
profit-driven ethos. Even in those crucial early
months of 2020 after the new coronavirus
had been identified and case numbers grew
exponentially, many of the biggest companies
were hesitant to enter the race for a vaccine.
“There was extreme reluctance to get
involved,” says Peter Hale, the founder of
the Foundation for Vaccine Research, a
Washington DC-based advocacy organisation.
“None of the Big Pharma companies thought
they could make any money developing a
Covid vaccine.”
At one of the largest vaccine manufacturers,
this prevarication continued deep into the
spring. “It got to the point where a couple of
middle-level executives… threatened to resign
unless the company got involved,” Hale adds.
It is clear, he says, that, “None of the success
that we’ve had would have been possible
without massive government infusion of funds.”
56 The Times Magazine
Yet those companies that did come out
as winners in the great vaccine race stand
to make billions from governments – and
ultimately taxpayers – around the world for
years to come. Pfizer, which had initially
turned down the opportunity to develop a
vaccine with a small German company, is on
track to book sales this year of $40 billion or
more from Covid-19 shots, equivalent to the
company’s total revenue last year. The value
of Moderna – a Boston biotech firm that had
never previously brought a product to market
– has soared from $6.5 billion to more than
$180 billion, making its fortysomething French
chief executive, Stéphane Bancel, a billionaire
in the process. The development of its vaccine
was fully funded by the US government.
Both companies have already increased the
price of their jabs while AstraZeneca, forced
under the terms of a deal with University of
Oxford scientists initially to sell at cost, has
made clear its vaccine will be sold for profit
in the near future. Meanwhile, with governments
willing to stump up billions for vaccine
‘There was extreme reluctance to get involved
– they didn’t think they could make any money’
development and to pay whatever prices were
required to secure vaccine doses, the industry
has as little financial incentive as ever to be
more prepared for the next time a novel
pathogen threatens to cause a pandemic.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) keeps
a list of “priority diseases” like Mers, Sars,
ebola and zika, which pose the gravest threat
to public health and for which there are no
adequate treatments. Among them since 2018
has been “Disease X”, a placeholder representing
“the knowledge that a serious international
epidemic could be caused by a pathogen
currently unknown to cause human disease”.
In late 2019, one such “Disease X” emerged in
Wuhan, China – a new and deadly infectious
disease that was given the name SARS-CoV-2.
But even as cases spread abroad, Big Pharma
still didn’t want to act.
The initial inertia of many large
drugmakers came as little surprise to Peter
Hale. The 76-year-old is a former Madison
Avenue advertising executive who swapped
flogging detergent brands for campaigning
for public health causes after witnessing his
partner die during the Aids epidemic in the
Eighties. He helped set up the Global Fund to
Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which
uses billions raised from governments and
donors to combat these deadly infectious
diseases. Hale later worked in Africa, advising
governments on how to seek Global Fund
grants and seeing first-hand the crying need
for treatments for “tropical diseases western
countries weren’t interested in funding
research [or] developing vaccines for, because
they couldn’t see a market”. In the late 2000s,
Hale returned to the US and set up a non-profit
organisation to push for more vaccine research.
Vaccine research was once a mainstay of the
companies that built their reputations helping
the world eradicate polio and smallpox.
However, interest has gradually dwindled.
Between 1967 and 2004, the number of vaccine
manufacturers dropped from 26 to 5. “The big
picture is, drug companies make their money
developing drugs and treatments for chronic
diseases that go on and on and on,” Hale says.
Pharma giants can sell cancer drugs for
tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per
patient, while vaccines are generally cheap,
low-margin, high-volume products. In the
past few years, new jabs for pneumonia and
HPV and higher-dose flu shots have become
lucrative revenue streams but, until Covid hit,
vaccine sales made up no more than 2 or 3 per
cent of the global market. Just four major drug
companies – Pfizer, GSK, Merck & Co and
Sanofi – had large vaccine divisions.
Hale’s outfit, which became the Foundation
for Vaccine Research in 2011, was initially
focused on addressing the pharmaceutical
industry’s lack of interest in neglected diseases
– those that afflicted poor countries that
didn’t represent a lucrative market. But the
foundation’s mission soon spread to include
responses to infectious diseases that might
lead to a pandemic. For Hale, pharmaceutical
companies have a moral duty to take on
these health challenges, even if they wouldn’t
generate meaningful profits. The industry had
once shared this outlook. When American giant
Merck & Co developed a drug that prevented
river blindness in the Eighties, it pledged
to donate it free of charge to the African
countries where the disease was prevalent.
In the past two decades, however, several
large drug companies have been stung when
scrambling to respond – sometimes belatedly
– to new disease threats. They committed
funds and disrupted their operations only to
be left out of pocket when a vaccine candidate
failed in trials or the crisis ended before it was
ready to be sold. Big Pharma was no longer
prepared to take the risks of committing
resources to emerging pathogens, Hale says.
The public sector would have to step in.
Prompted by the slow response to the
2013 ebola crisis, in 2015 Hale’s foundation
Jurema Nunes, a Guarani
indigenous chief, gets a
CoronaVac jab from nurse
Rosane das Neves in Marica,
Brazil, January 2021
 Ellen Prosser, 100, known
as Nell, receives the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
from Dr Nikki Kanani at
the Sunrise Care Home in
Sidcup, January 2021
orchestrated a call published in the New England
Journal of Medicine for a global vaccine
development fund to pay for research projects
to develop promising candidates. This led to the
establishment in early 2017 of the Coalition for
Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
When Covid first emerged, it was CEPI that
“reacted more rapidly than any other outfit”,
Hale says. “They had already assessed all the
different vaccine platforms out there that held
promise,” and handed out the first grants for
the development of Covid vaccines in January
2020. Among the first recipients of a grant
was a partnership between the US National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and Moderna.
Elsewhere, scientists at several universities
had already heeded WHO’s warnings about
“Disease X” and the risk of a future pandemic.
Among them were two University of Oxford
professors at the Jenner Institute, Sarah
Gilbert and Adrian Hill, who had been
working – with the help of CEPI and UK
government grants – on technology that
could rapidly be used to make a vaccine for a
previously unknown virus. When the Wuhan
GETTY IMAGES
genetic code was first published in early
January 2020, Gilbert and team sprang into
action. The resulting vaccine was ready for
58 The Times Magazine
As the arguments
raged, the virus
reached the chalets and
bars of the Italian Alps
animal testing by mid-February, but raising
funding proved difficult. “Getting money was
my main activity until April, just trying to
persuade people to fund it now,” Gilbert would
later say. The University of Oxford ended up
having to underwrite the costs of producing a
quantity of the potential vaccine in Italy before
the British government and CEPI handed over
several million pounds. Researchers have
estimated that at least 97 per cent of the funds
for developing the Oxford vaccine came from
charitable trusts and taxpayers.
At the same time, scientists at NIH and the
University of Austin were working on what
would become a crucial component of Pfizer
and Moderna’s vaccines: stabilising a modified
version of the pre-fusion SARS-CoV-2 spike
protein. Meanwhile, in Germany, Ugur Sahin
and Ozlem Tureci, a husband-and-wife team
who ran a small firm in Mainz called BioNTech
that was attempting, with EU funding, to use
a new technology to develop cancer treatments,
turned their attention to the growing threat.
They had a small partnership with Pfizer
to try to develop an mRNA flu vaccine, but
the US giant initially declined to work with
BioNTech to see if the technology could work
against Covid-19, believing the outbreak would
be controlled and there would be no money
to be made. It would be another two months
before Pfizer announced that it was in.
As arguments raged inside the offices of
Big Pharma giants about whether to disrupt
their normal profit-making activities and
commit resources, the virus had already made
it to the chalets and après-ski bars of the Italian
Alps. Governments, now faced with drawing
up plans for hitherto unheard of national
lockdowns, broke the impasse with billions of
dollars in grants and spending commitments.
This helped to de-risk the process of developing
a Covid vaccine for manufacturers.
Much came from US taxpayers – initially,
as Trump dismissed the “China virus” as
nothing to worry about, from the Biomedical
Advanced Research and Development Authority.
 NHS staff and key workers
queue for Pfizer injections in the
temporary Louisa Jordan hospital
in Glasgow, January 2021
Then, as US deaths climbed towards 100,000,
grants were overseen by the White House’s
$18 billion Operation Warp Speed programme,
which handed out more than $12 billion to
vaccine producers. This included $1.2 billion
to accelerate the development of the Oxford-
AstraZeneca vaccine. By late last year, the
British government had committed £6 billion
to buying and developing vaccines, a figure
that has since risen. This included more than
£900 million upfront to secure doses of five
vaccines; only one of those contracts would
offer a full refund if the vaccine failed in testing.
The government also agreed to indemnify
pharmaceutical companies against legal action
from any adverse effects from their vaccines.
These billions brought rapid results, with
several vaccines approved and ready to be
administered within a year, far quicker than
the previous record of four years for a mumps
vaccine in the Sixties. These included two
revolutionary mRNA vaccines, which used
a technology underpinned by years of public
funding of basic research. Yet the profits
would be privatised.
Scientists at the Jenner Institute in Oxford
were adamant that their vaccine should be sold
on a not-for-profit basis, says Sir John Bell,
Moderna, which got
$1 billion from the US
government and orders
of $3.2 billion, has a
profit-driven approach
regius professor of medicine at the university.
They had hoped to offer it for free to a range
of manufacturers, but were persuaded to strike
an exclusive deal with a Big Pharma company
to shepherd the drug through trials and secure
regulatory approval. Bell was told making the
vaccine not-for-profit was a key condition
when seeking a partner. “If you’re a company
that has shareholders, it’s quite a complicated
conversation,” Bell says, but AstraZeneca
“didn’t shy away from that”. Pascal Soriot, the
chief executive, told him, “My kids would kill
me if I didn’t do this.” The company agreed to
make several billion doses available at cost
while the pandemic lasted and to supply lower-
income countries at that price indefinitely.
Johnson and Johnson’s pharmaceutical
division, Janssen, which received $1 billion for
vaccine development from the US government,
also announced that it would make the
product available on a non-profit basis while
infections raged. However, the US government
money didn’t come with any strings attached
on pricing and not everyone was prepared to
limit their profits. Moderna, which received
$1 billion in development funding and advance
orders worth $3.2 billion from Operation
Warp Speed, has taken a resolutely profit-
driven approach. While AstraZeneca’s vaccine
was sold for a couple of dollars a shot, Moderna
said it would charge $64 to $74 per two-shot
course for smaller orders of its vaccine. This
made it the most expensive available, although
it offered significant discounts for large orders,
charging the EU and the United States around
half that amount for orders running into
hundreds of millions of doses.
Pfizer, which set a US price tag of $39 for its
own two-shot course and reportedly charged
as much as $60 to the Israeli government,
stood alone in not taking grant money from
Operation Warp Speed, saying it wanted
to avoid red tape and move as quickly as
possible. It invested more than $2 billion to
The Times Magazine 59
run development and manufacturing processes
in parallel and said the price was “significantly
discounted from our normal benchmarks”
during the pandemic. Its partner, BioNTech,
had nevertheless received up to $445 million
from the German government to help fund
development and boost manufacturing capacity,
while Pfizer also benefited from an agreement
for the US to pay $2 billion for 100 million doses
if it secured regulatory approval, with an option
for 500 million more. The US government’s
commitment removed the risk seen with some
previous outbreak vaccines of the market
disappearing before the product appeared.
Since then, Pfizer and Moderna have both
increased the prices of their jabs. Pfizer’s sale
price to the EU has risen by around 25 per cent
while the price paid by the US government
increased from $19.50 to around $24 a dose.
The UK has also seen the prices demanded
rise and is paying £22 a jab for 35 million shots
ordered this summer, up from £18 previously.
Pfizer’s chief executive has said it sells the
vaccine to middle-income countries at half the
price of richer nations and aims to provide it
‘This isn’t a fair negotiation. A pharmaceutical company holds all the cards’
to poorer nations on an at-cost basis. Moderna
has also raised the price of its vaccine, with
the EU now paying $25.50 a dose instead of
around $22.50, the Financial Times reported.
The price paid by the UK has not been
disclosed. Pfizer pays a royalty to NIH, but
Moderna is not believed to be paying one.
“The pricing of the Moderna vaccine is
outrageous. They’re in it just for the money,”
Hale says. “Pfizer is… a huge company and they
have shareholders, so they have every right to
make money, but I consider their vaccine also
incredibly expensive.” AstraZeneca has agreed
to keep selling the jab on a non-profit basis
while the pandemic lasts, but has the right to
declare when it is over and then increase prices.
“Even in high-income countries all the
leverage is based in the pharmaceutical industry
because you’ve got a perfect combination for
them of supply scarcity, huge demand and
enormous political pressure to vaccinate the
population, with tens of thousands in any
given country dying and the economy
tanking,” Lawrence Gostin, professor of global
health law at Georgetown University, says. “This
isn’t a fair negotiation. This is something where
a pharmaceutical company holds all the cards.”
For the first time, “outbreak vaccines” have
proved to have huge profit potential. Pfizer
announced orders for this year of $33.5 billion as
of mid-July and has since sold at least another
255 million doses, taking sales towards
$40 billion. Moderna expects to generate
$20 billion from its vaccine sales in 2021. This
success has helped its share price rise more
than 20 times higher than it was before the
pandemic and executives have cashed in, selling
shares worth $1.8 billion this year alone.
As the pandemic enters a new phase, the
sale of booster shots is expected to drive revenue
even higher. Global sales of western vaccines
are expected to reach $70 billion this year and
rise to $127 billion in 2022, according to data
analytics company Airfinity. British taxpayers
have already spent £1 billion on jabs for over-
fifties for next year and this could treble if a
wider programme is needed. Forecasts estimate
the UK will have to spend at least £1 billion a
year on Covid vaccines for several years.
The coronavirus pandemic has delivered two
concerning lessons. One is that the earliest
supplies will go to those countries willing to
accept the prices demanded and purchase on
an at-risk basis. The EU’s attempt to haggle
pushed it towards the back of the queue while
the UK rapidly agreed to pay billions for a range
of vaccines. The other is that pharmaceutical
companies need not risk their own funds during
public health emergencies because governments
have shown they will cover the costs. “We’ve
reached a point where industry wants
government to fund their vaccine research
and development,” Hale says. “It’s that simple.”
“I think,” Gostin adds, “industry has got the
lesson that the model is innovate quickly, take
as much public money as you can, get premium
prices, particularly from high-income countries
early on, and then worry about equity and
tiered pricing and donations down the road
once your bottom line’s been satisfied.”
The long-term decline in commercial
interest in vaccines also added to the immense
logistical challenge of scaling up manufacturing,
and along with Big Pharma’s decision to sell
off the vast majority of early doses to the richest
countries, this has left huge inequalities in
access. Gostin said Pfizer and Moderna had
struck a “devil’s bargain with high-income
countries to buy up all supplies in advance
and [was] getting premium prices for doing it”.
Although they have said they will sell doses
at lower prices to middle and low-income
countries – with Pfizer pledging two billion
in 2021 and 2022 – the vast majority supplied so
far have been at high prices to wealthy nations.
Almost six billion doses have been administered
globally, but only 0.4 per cent of these in low-
income countries. Ethiopia has only given 2.9
jabs per 100 people; in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, that number is 0.2 doses per 100.
When jabs do reach less well-off nations, it is
typically taxpayers in rich countries who are
expected to foot the bill, rather than vaccine
manufacturers donating them.
One way of averting this might have been
to widen the pool of manufacturers. WHO set
up a “technology access pool” in May 2020,
encouraging companies to share intellectual
property on Covid treatments and vaccines,
but it remains empty, and an effort to persuade
countries to waive patent rights has foundered.
Earlier this year, the Access to Medicine
Foundation published a report on what was
being done to tackle the threat of the next
pandemic. It examined research efforts into
16 diseases identified by WHO as posing a
serious epidemic risk and found that, despite
everything, the largest pharmaceutical
companies still had no projects in the pipeline
for ten of them, just as the same firms had had
no coronavirus projects under way in 2018.
“These are 16 defined pathogens that are
already costing lives and economies around
the world,” says Jayasree Iyer, the foundation’s
executive director. Drug companies are reluctant
to commit resources to diseases like Rift Valley
fever, which has infected people in Kenya,
Egypt and Niger, among other countries,
and Lassa fever in West Africa, because they
question whether they will spread further
afield and, “Even if it does become a
pandemic, will this truly affect patients who
will be able to afford treatment and pay for
treatment?” Iyer adds. Without sustained
investment by companies with the capacity to
manufacture treatments and vaccines at scale,
the report warns, global populations “will
remain worryingly vulnerable to pandemics
and epidemics, particularly those that mainly
affect low-income countries”.
The coronavirus pandemic has triggered
significant international investment in efforts
to identify and track new viruses and has
persuaded governments to commit greater
resources to small risks with huge potential
consequences. But when the next pandemic
hits, the world will once again be reliant
on the resources of Big Pharma to take
vaccine candidates underpinned by publicly
funded research through clinical trials and
manufacture them on a vast scale. When
that happens, taxpayers will once again be
expected to stump up billions towards those
development costs and tens of billions more to
meet the prices charged for the jab while Big
Pharma enjoys the rewards. n
© Billy Kenber 2021. Sick Money: The Truth
About the Global Pharmaceutical Industry
by Billy Kenber is published by Canongate on
October 7 (£18.99)
The Times Magazine 61
‘THEY PUT A GUN AGAINST MY HEAD. I STARTED
CRYING. I JUST THOUGHT, “THIS IS IT. I’M GONE’’ ’
 Siya Kolisi lifts the World
Cup after South Africa’s
2019 win over England.
Opposite: at a Springboks
press conference in 2018

Siya Kolisi was raised in extreme poverty in a township. As a teenager he was held at
gunpoint and almost destroyed by alcohol and violence. As an adult he was the first
black man to captain the South African rugby team, guiding them to World Cup
glory. He talks to Ben Machell about his incredible rise – both on and off the pitch
 Kolisi playing for Western Province v Griquas, 2011

W
hen Siya Kolisi was 18 years
old and at the very start of his
rugby career, he was jumped
on by a group of armed men.
He was lodging with his agent
in a leafy suburb of Cape Town
and was walking back to the
house when suddenly he was
surrounded by a squad of
officers employed by a private
security company. They had spotted him, leapt
out of their vehicles, grabbed him, screamed
in his face and forced him to his knees. “There
were no questions asked,” he says. “They put
a gun against my head. I started crying. I just
thought, ‘This is it. I’m gone. I’m going to die.
Right here, right now.’ ”
A local woman had just been robbed.
Kolisi was a young black man in a nice white
neighbourhood and that, it seemed, was
sufficient grounds for a gun to the head.
It was daytime. As people came out of their
homes to observe the commotion, Kolisi tried
to explain that he was living in the area and
not some transient, opportunist criminal.
He then spotted a man he recognised, a
neighbour of his agent who had seen Kolisi
coming and going many times over the
past few weeks. He called out to him. “I was
like, ‘You know me! Just tell them! Tell them
I would never do anything silly!’ ” Only the himself to oblivion. “If I was going through
neighbour said nothing. “He ignored me. He something, that’s how I would escape. If I was
PREVIOUS SPREAD: HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES, CLIVE ROSE/GETTY IMAGES. THIS SPREAD: COURTESY OF SIYA KOLISI, GETTY IMAGES

just looked down at the ground.”
Eventually, it became clear that Kolisi did
not fit the description of the robber. And so
the security men returned to their vehicles
and drove away – “No ‘sorry’, no nothing”
– and the onlookers drifted back to their
houses. Kolisi says he just stayed sitting on
the spot where he had been held, thinking
about how close he had been to death – a
sudden move, a slip of the finger – and about
how to some people the colour of his skin
would always define who he was. The incident
is seared in his memory and he thinks about it
often. “The sun was out. The sky was blue,” he
says, shaking his head. “It was a beautiful day.
I will never forget it.”
Ten years later, Kolisi would lead South
Africa to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He is the
first black player to captain the Springboks, an
institution that for so long served as a pillar of
white Afrikaner pride and identity. When you
look at the bare narrative bones of his life,
there is a temptation to frame his story as
being somehow “inspirational”. He was born
one day before the repeal of apartheid, raised
in township poverty but found a path out
via rugby that would lead, in time, to fame,
fortune and his historic captaincy. But the way
he tells it, both in person and in his brilliant
new autobiography, Rise, his life seems less
fairytale and more a lens through which
to examine a South Africa that is still, in so
With his wife, Rachel, and their children, Nicholas and Keziah
many ways, beset by dysfunction. “Inequality.
Poverty. Unemployment. Corruption,” he lists.
“Gender-based violence. My mum experienced
that when I was growing up. And there was
nothing I could do to help her.”
Kolisi is now 30 years old. On the pitch,
he is a dynamic loose forward. “I make lots
of tackles, I run a lot, up and down the pitch,
clearing out rucks, trying to gain metres for
the team,” he says. In person, though, he is
at pains to make clear that he is neither
superhuman nor the paragon that some would
have him be. As a younger man he would
numb his emotions with alcohol, drinking
happy about something, I’d go have a drink.
If I was upset about something, I’d go have
a drink.” As a teenager, he would get into
serious fights. “I got stabbed in my neck on
the left-hand side,” he says, tilting his chin and
running his fingers along his skin. During one
teenage brawl, he almost had an ear ripped
off. He chuckles. “Yeah. I had to sit a school
exam with a bandage around my head.”
Kolisi grew up in Zwide, a township outside
Port Elizabeth. His mother and father were
teenagers when he was born – just 17 and 15
respectively. He was raised by his paternal
grandmother as his parents separated and
then drifted in and out of his existence.
He remembers sleeping on the floor and
the sensation of rats scurrying over his body
in the night. Hunger was a constant feature of
his childhood. “Getting a meal each day was a
struggle for me,” he says. At school, he’d get a
slice of bread with peanut butter and a glass
of powdered milk, which would do him for the
entire day. “But the tough times were at the
weekends.” He would try to fill up on water,
sometimes with sugar stirred in for extra
calories. By the age of seven, he had a job
helping a neighbour make and bake bricks, for
which he would be paid in food. He and other
kids would get blitzed inhaling petrol fumes;
he started drinking alcohol “when I was nine
or ten years old”.
Violence was everywhere in Zwide. When

64 The Times Magazine


HE SAW A MAN STONED. ‘I WATCHED AS THE LIFE WENT
OUT OF HIM. THE TOUGH PART IS, IT BECOMES NORMAL’
he was five, he remembers picking up two of
his mother’s teeth off the street after a man
had knocked them out. He recalls hearing the
screams of men being beaten at night, and, on
one occasion, he witnessed somebody being
stoned to death by a mob who had believed
him to be a gang member. He saw a young girl
hurl a rock at his head. “I watched this man as
the life went out of him,” he writes in Rise.
“You never forget,” he mutters today.
“And looking back, the tough part is that it
becomes normal. It doesn’t become a surprise
any more.”
But at the same time, he says, there was
an intensity and communality of experience
in Zwide that he loved, and still does. “The
small things made us happy. Playing soccer
in the street, chasing after car tyres, singing
together,” he says. There was also a culture
of resilience, an ability to get on and make do
with whatever was at hand, that he believes is
still within him. “There was hardship, but the
good times were really amazing. The kind of
happiness that money can’t buy.”
From the age of eight, he and some friends
started playing rugby at a local club, the
African Bombers. It was a no-frills operation:
the pitch was hard and thorny and Kolisi
was forced to play in boxer shorts because he
couldn’t afford any rugby kit. But there was
something about the environment that drew
him in. “It was a sense of belonging. The
people wanted me there, and they didn’t want
anything back from me apart from my efforts
on the pitch. And I loved that.”
Despite his small size, he was tenacious and,
aged 11, a life-changing opportunity presented
itself. Grey High School – a private boarding
school in Port Elizabeth – offered Kolisi and
two of his African Bombers team-mates full
scholarships. It wasn’t even a decision. He
showed up with no English – in Zwide he had
spoken isiXhosa – and malnourished. “I had
these big hands, big feet and big ears, but
small head and small body,” he says, grinning.
At Grey, he would eat and eat and eat until
people had to tell him to stop. But he slowly
grew into his extremities. “And by 16, I had
started to become really good at rugby.”
The problem, though, was that his identity
was now split between two very different
places: an exclusive boarding school opened in
1859 on the one hand and the township where
he grew up on the other. He would return to
Zwide during the holidays and other boys
would deride him for not being up to date
In Cape Town, celebrating with locals outside
the building where Nelson Mandela gave his
first speech on his release from prison
with the latest slang, for being an outsider.
This is when his fighting became a problem.
“People thought I was becoming soft. And so
I had to prove myself to them.”
It wasn’t just that he wanted to put his
taunters in their place. He was carrying a lot
of understandable anger and pain. As a child,
he had seen his grandmother – “The one person
who had loved me unconditionally” – simply
collapse to the floor in front of him and die. At
15, he was informed that his mother had passed
away in her sleep, while his father was, for much
of his childhood, an inconsistent presence and
prone to bouts of heavy drinking. “Why didn’t
he want me? Why didn’t he want to be around
me?” he says today, a hulking man repeating
the questions of a hurt boy. By the end of his
time at Grey, Kolisi was drinking “too much”
and fighting more than was perhaps sensible
for somebody embarking on a rugby career.
This is why his agent moved him out to
suburban Cape Town, except that ended with
the trauma of a gun to the head on that bright
sunny day. “I thought, shit, I might as well be
at home. To be treated like this.”
He signed professional terms with Western
Province before moving to the Stormers
franchise, and embraced the unreconstructed
work-hard, play-hard life of a young pro. Over
the coming years, several things would happen
that would gradually change the course of his
life. He met Rachel, the woman who would
eventually become his wife and the mother
of his two children. The fact that she was a
The Times Magazine 65

white South African and he was black was
not an issue to either of their families. “My
grandmother had taught me that if you love
someone, it doesn’t matter what they look like,”
he says. Yet he was a player with a burgeoning
profile and the pair did have to deal with a
torrent of online abuse. “People saying how
disgusting we were, how horrible it was,” he says.
“People telling my wife that she was a waste
of white sperm, of white genes.” Kolisi was
accused of self-loathing by some black South
Africans. “That I didn’t want to have kids that
looked like me and all that kind of stuff. Some
of it did hurt. But I know who I am.”
After his parents had separated, Kolisi’s
mother had more children. For several years
he was aware that he had two younger half-
siblings, a boy and a girl named Liyema and
Liphelo. But after his mother’s death and
then the subsequent death of their own father,
they entered the foster-care system and their
whereabouts became obscure. Ever since
turning professional he had wanted to find
and help them. Then, in 2014, during a trip
back to Zwide, he picked up word of where
they might be. He tracked them down,
eventually finding they were staying with
an elderly relative, and describes how he
dashed to the nearest shop and “filled the
boot of my car with sweets”, which he then
lavished on them. This was just the start,
though. He and Rachel began the legal process
by which they would become Liyema and
Liphelo’s legal guardians. His siblings have
lived with him ever since, growing up alongside
Kolisi’s own children, Nicholas and Keziah.
Even though he was, by this point, a
pater familias and a regular in the Springboks
squad, he would still drink past the point of
no return, wind up in strip clubs and spend
the next day lying bleary-eyed on the lawn.
On one such occasion, he describes how
his little sister, Liphelo, approached him and
simply informed him this is what he looks like
when he’s “been bad”.
“And that kind of broke me,” he says.
His subsequent move towards sobriety was
gradual. He started attending Rachel’s church
on Sundays, something he had never done
before, and arranged to be mentored in
Christianity by a friend of his wife’s family.
This sounds evangelical, but much of the
guidance he began to receive seems like the
kind of practical advice that any number of
twentysomething men would benefit from.
Respect yourself. Respect your wife. If you
make bad decisions when you’re drunk, then
don’t drink. Set a good example as a father. Be
COURTESY OF SIYA KOLISI
honest and open about your emotions.
This last one, in particular, struck home.
“My wife, she expresses how she feels. But my
heart was so hard that I didn’t know how to
speak to her,” he says. “So that was something
I had to learn. Because I didn’t want my kids
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal ahead of their charity
match in Cape Town in February of last year
HE AND HIS WIFE HAD
A LOT OF ONLINE ABUSE,
‘PEOPLE SAYING HOW
DISGUSTING WE WERE’
to go through the same things I had to go
through.” It was only this year, he continues,
that he actually sat down with his father
and had a conversation about his childhood.
“And I got to understand my dad a bit more.
Because, you know, in our culture, we don’t
talk to one another. We don’t ask these
deep questions. Most men don’t talk that
way, showing emotion,” he says. He discovered
that it wasn’t that his dad didn’t want to be
near him during his childhood; more that
he had to leave Zwide and travel around the
country to find work. “He moved to look for
better opportunities.” This simple knowledge,
he says, was cathartic.
When Kolisi was named as the Springboks’
captain prior to a Test series against England
in June 2018, he says he was shocked. “I never
even dreamt of being captain. It wasn’t one
of the things I’d put when I had to write my
goals or anything.” At first, the historic nature
of the appointment didn’t even occur to him.
“Genuinely, I didn’t know. I just wanted to play.”
It didn’t take long for the significance of his
captaincy to hit home. He thought – and still
thinks – about the thousands of other black
boys who never had the chance to play for
South Africa, not because of apartheid but
for lack of opportunity. At the same time
he understood that he could not simply be
a captain for people who looked like him.
“I hope I get to inspire not only black people,
but every South African,” he told the press
after the announcement. “Because I don’t
only represent black people but everyone in
this country.”
Since then, he has been committed to
improving the lives of people in South Africa.
“I’m always thinking to myself, what were
your struggles when you were young? And
how can you make that right? I remember the
night before the World Cup final, sitting with
my wife in the corridor outside our room. We
believed we were going to win. And we were
like, how can I use this win to better help
South Africa? That’s what I was thinking
about all the time when I was playing. That
this isn’t just going to be good for me. People
in South Africa can use this.”
And when the Springboks duly won the
final, dominating England 32-12, Kolisi became
the first World Cup-winning captain to
reference the domestic problems faced by
the winning nation in his victory speech. On
an average day in South Africa, he notes in
Rise, 58 people will be murdered, 114 will be
raped and 200,000 will go to sleep homeless.
Winning the World Cup alone didn’t stop any
of that. But using his profile as a player to
draw attention to these problems will help.
And just because he is rich does not mean he
is insulated. He has a foundation that, among
other things, works to provide food and fresh
water to impoverished communities. Not so
long ago, some of his old friends from Zwide
were killed. “They were shot in the streets,” he
says. Kolisi’s best friend, who was still close to
the victims, was distraught. “For the first time
I saw my best mate cry. Because he was scared.
He said, ‘When is my day going to come?’
And so I took him. I said, ‘I’m too scared to
lose you.’ So now he’s staying with me. He’s
doing a course and he wants to get a job.”
Rugby, he says, is a job rather than a
calling. He cannot see himself playing for
many more years. When I ask if he’d consider
politics, he laughs. “I don’t know if I’d be able
to be a politician,” he says, shaking his head.
“I don’t know. But never say never.”
For the time being, he says he’s focusing
on his foundation. And rugby. And trying his
best to be a good example. “I know I’m not
perfect,” he says, smiling. “And I know that
I’m not always going to get things right. But
you’ve just got to share. Be honest.”
Recently, he says he has started seeing a
therapist who was sensitive to the fact that
the Springboks captain may not want to be
spotted visiting him. “He said, ‘Do you want to
come to my office or go somewhere private?’
And I said, I don’t care if people see me
coming to speak to you. Because this is what
I’m going through right now. It’s OK to let
people know about your struggles,” he says.
“Because someone else is probably going
through the same thing.” n
Rise by Siya Kolisi is published by HarperCollins
on Monday (£20)
EXCLUSIVE: SIYA KOLISI’S MEMOIR
Read an extract in Times Sport today
The Times Magazine 67
 CLASS ACT: HOW AN OLD
SCHOOL WAS TRANSFORMED
The playground is now the living room in the revamped
home of Whistles founders Lucille and Richard Lewin
REPORT Carolyn Asome PHOTOGRAPHS Romas Foord
Home!

The living area – formerly

the old school playground.
Opposite: the dining table,
with chairs from Howe
T
he tall red-brick building that
stands towards the end of a
quiet street close to the bustle of
Marylebone Road in London has
had several incarnations since it
was built in 1825. It was originally
a school but has variously been
a warehouse, studio and storage
place for thousands of buttons for
the nearby rag trade area.
Thirty-eight years ago, the fashion designer
turned sculptor Lucille Lewin bought part
of it with her husband, Rick, as an atelier
for Whistles. The fashion brand, which they
founded in 1976, was a huge success in the
Nineties. Lucille understood how to bridge the
gap between cheap fast fashion and expensive
designer labels, and Whistles shops became
fashion destinations for stylish women.
“You have to remember, this part of London
was deeply unfashionable,” she explains of the
neighbourhood that is a stone’s throw from
72 The Times Magazine
the famous Chiltern Firehouse restaurant. “We
were considered a bit weird to be here.”
After selling their company in 2001, they
sought permission to change the building’s
use of space. Architect Seth Stein, with whom
the Lewins had already established a design
vernacular, helped to convert it into their home
and Lucille’s studio. While the Lewins wished
to downsize from their family home once their
sons had left, they didn’t want anything tame.
There is nothing ordinary about the
verdant jungle of a courtyard designed by
Geraldine Casey, with its different-sized
fronds that greet you as you enter through
an unremarkable gate. “I wanted something
creepy, like a forest walk in a dark place, as
if a wizard had created it,” says Lucille. To
the left are 4m-high floor-to-ceiling windows,
which box in what were once the arches of the
school playground. This area is now a living
room that doubles as a gallery space for
Lucille’s work and the pieces she collects.
 Home!

Clockwise from top left:

the courtyard; the main
bedroom; cupboard housing
Hylton Nel ceramics; original
tiles in the stairwell;
Lucille in her studio

The Times Magazine 73


The corridor between
the bedrooms that
doubles as a study space.
Right: Lucille’s studio
The industrial feel of the space makes you
recall Antwerp rather than London. At the
other end of the room is the kitchen, which
was commissioned from Plain English and
comprises free-standing metal cupboards as
well as fitted ones. In front of five more floor-
to-ceiling windows that line the back wall is
a long wooden table, around which are black
wooden chairs from Howe.
Seth Stein’s brief was to retain as much
as he could and not impose too greatly on the
building. “It’s an industrial space with its own
character, so all we wanted to do really was
open it up as much as possible.”
On the first floor are three bedrooms,
Lucille’s studio, and a long, well-lit corridor
that connects the rooms and doubles as
two open-plan desk spaces. Exposing the
brickwork in the stairwell highlighted the
building’s history as a school and the rawness
of the concrete floor and original tiles.
When they tried to repair the floor in the
main space it collapsed, and all the flooring
and electrics had to be redone. This job took
two and a half years.
For Lucille, her home is a work in progress.
“Everything has fallen into place quite gently;
it has never had a rigorous eye over it.” There
is, she thinks, a serendipity and haphazardness
to what she collects: the work of artist-potter
Hylton Nel shares the space with pieces by
her former tutor, Robert Cooper.
The absence of colour on the walls is carried
through the rooms, and the work she has of
artists such as Kaori Tatebayashi is mostly
white. “I’ve increasingly got into neutral
Home!
‘Everything in the house
has fallen into place quite
gently; it has never had
a rigorous eye over it’
colours and, in my work, very neutral ones.”
In some ways the imperfection of her
home is analogous to her work: the way she
takes gutsy, irregular, natural materials and
seeks to rearrange and make sense of them.
Her confections of porcelain recall curiosities,
a baroque fantasia or the marine formations of
coral and seaweed. “I love things that relate to
the natural world but are not of the natural
world,” she says.
Her second career as a sculptor came about
by chance. After a stint as creative director at
Liberty in the Noughties and then recovering
from an operation to remove a benign brain
tumour, she was dropping off a friend to a
ceramic class when she was invited to try her
hand. She started night classes and before
long was encouraged by her tutors to apply to
the Royal College, where she earned a master’s
in ceramics and glass in 2017. She has since
shown at the V&A, Christie’s and Collect at
the Saatchi Gallery.
Next week, the 73-year-old is exhibiting a
lockdown body of work with Nicole Farhi, a
fellow fashion designer turned sculptor. “The
exhibition celebrates friendship and gave us
terrific focus during rather a bleak time.” n
In Good Company: Lucille Lewin and Nicole
Farhi runs at No 7, 78 Chiltern Street, London
W1 from October 5-22
The Times Magazine 75
 Shop!

SHOP! ON 3

3. and 4. Shirt,
5
Skirt,
£29.99,

A BUDGET £35, trousers, zara.com

£49.99, mango.
com

AUTUMN
BEST BUYS
By Hannah Skelley

2
Belt bag, £49, charleskeith.co.uk
23
UNDER

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£50
7 8 9 10 11 12
Tote bag,
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11. £35, arket.com. 12. Tom Ford

7. Coat, £39.99, hm.com. 8. £36, warehousefashion.com. clutch-size lip balm in Cruising, £29
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13 14 15 16

6
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16. £45, marksandspencer.co.uk.

17 18 19 20 21 22

23

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21. £43, anna-nina.nl. 22. £30, hush-uk.com. 23. £29.99, zara.com.

The Times Magazine 77

 Pout!
By Lesley Thomas
Make mine a spritzer – for my face
Back in the office? Here’s how to halt the dehydrating effect of air con
here are a few embarrassingly
T first-world things I miss about being
stuck at home. One of them is having
just the one make-up station. I liked
not having to decide where to keep
my favourite mascara, since all slap was
applied in the bathroom. Now we are dashing
about again and it’s back to having make-up
scattered all around life. There’s a pouch of
essentials in my bag, emergency items in
the car, some blusher by the front door.
The budget airlines collection of precious
miniatures remains dormant, but ready for
take-off. Every site has a mascara, of course.
Away from home, the second most important
make-up staging post is my desk in the office,
where I now, once again, spend most of my
waking hours. The desk cosmetics edit needs to
cover afternoon touch-ups as well as desk-to-
dinner makeovers. But what I’ve noticed since
being back is that deskside skincare, rather
than make-up, has become a priority.
The return to air-conditioned environments
and the resultant dehydration is sucking the
living daylights out of our skin. But we can
fight back. A super-rich handcream sits by my
keyboard (Avène Cicalfate Restorative Hand
Cream for Very Dry, Cracked Hands, £9.50;
boots.com). But I’m pretty sure this was the
case before the pandemic. Now there are
essential facial products too.
TOM JACKSON
Even as a skincare obsessive, I honestly
used to laugh at the idea of facial spritzers
– those skin products that come in a spray
What Lesley loves Face mists
Designed to Formulated by
neutralise dermatologist
computers’ Anita
‘blue light’ Sturnham
Susanne Kaufmann Blue Decree Preparatory
Light Defence Mist, £54 Mist, £52
(cultbeauty.co.uk) (libertylondon.com)
bottle. Who on earth would need to pause to
moisturise during the day? Well, quite a lot of
us in 2021. To be fair, the earlier versions of
these sprays were essentially water. In the
early Noughties, even Evian’s water spray
was pretty popular.
The advantage of these products is that
you can spray them on over your make-up
and, nowadays, the contents are a bit more
sophisticated than H2O. The one I am
With A French
hyaluronic classic with
acid a light spray
Beauty Pie Triple Hyaluronic Caudalie
Acid Hydra Plump Dewy Skin Beauty Elixir, £12
Mist, £16.58 (beautypie.com) (cultbeauty.co.uk)
currently committed to is Beauty Pie’s Triple
Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Plump Dewy Skin
Mist (£16.58 to subscribers at beautypie.com),
a spray version of the brand’s line-fighting
skin serum. The classic skin-misting bottle is
Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir (£12; cultbeauty.co.uk),
a bestselling French pharmacy product that
happens to come in a spray. It’s packed with
rosemary, orange blossom, rose, myrrh and
organic balm mint, so as well as having
skin-boosting properties, the zingy scent is a
wake-up call. Some sprays make you look as
though you’ve been out in the rain, but this
one leaves a light whisper of hydration.
So too does the Blue Light Defence and
Moisturising Mist (£54; cultbeauty.co.uk)
by Susanne Kaufmann, a luxy plant-based
Austrian brand. This one is probably my
favourite, leaving a glow that lasts, but it is
expensive. I am, slowly, being convinced that
it might be a good idea to use products to
protect against the unnatural “blue light”
from computers and devices. Scientists at
Unilever recently found that damage to
the skin such as hyperpigmentation and
premature ageing caused by sitting at a
computer was as bad as being in the sun
without protection. Who knows whether the
scores of new products that claim to protect
from blue light actually work? I am taking no
chances. Most of us were a bit slow to believe
in the efficacy of SPF50. n
instagram.com/lesleyjthomas
Tones and Good for
hydrates oily skins.
Calms
redness
Biossance Squalane+ The Light Salon Boost Cleanse
Hyaluronic Toning Mist, £25 & Recovery Spray, £18
(selfridges.com) (thelight-salon.com)
The Times Magazine 79
 BAKING WITH RAHUL
This easy pear frangipane tart has a delicious chocolate and cardamom twist

T
his pear tart is one of my favourite things to bake and
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. The cardamom and
chocolate give the traditional pear frangipane a twist.
It looks gorgeous, but is deceptively simple to make. Fill the tart
case with chocolate frangipane, lay the poached pears on top
and bake. That’s about it. Just make sure you leave the melted
chocolate to cool completely before adding it to the whisked
butter and sugar for the frangipane.

PEAR FRANGIPANE TART paper and beans/rice/lentils and

Serves 8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking/baking time: 60-75 minutes
bake for a further 5 minutes.
3. Remove the pastry case from
the oven and leave to cool for
15-20 minutes. Lower the oven
temperature to 155C (175C non-fan).

• 320g ready-rolled all-butter To prepare the pears

shortcrust pastry
• 4 medium-firm Conference pears
(about 350g), peeled
• 125g unsalted butter, at
room temperature
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 75g dark chocolate, melted
• 120g ground almonds
• 20g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
For the poaching liquid
• 100g granulated sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3-4 green cardamom pods
For the glaze
• Apricot jam
• A few almond flakes
To prepare the pastry
1. Take the pastry out of the fridge
about 30 minutes before baking.
Carefully line the inside of a 20cm tart
tin. Trim the excess pastry with a
knife. Use a fork to stab the base of
the pastry a few times to stop it
puffing up when it bakes. Chill in the
fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 170C (190C
non-fan). Take the pastry case out of
the fridge. Line the inside with baking
paper and pour in some baking beans,
JAY BROOKS
As the tart is baking, lightly poach
the pears. In a medium saucepan bring
500ml water to the boil with the sugar,
lemon juice and cardamom pods. Add
the pears. Poach for 5-7 minutes, then
remove from the syrup. Pat dry with a
clean tea towel or kitchen roll and let
them cool to room temperature. When
cold, cut them into quarters.
To make the frangipane
1. Whisk the butter and sugar in a
bowl using an electric whisk until light
and fluffy. Add the egg, followed by
the melted (and cooled) chocolate and
whisk again to make a smooth batter.
Add the ground almonds, cocoa
powder and ground cardamom and
fold in carefully.
2. Spread the chocolate frangipane
mix inside the baked tart case and
smooth it with a palette knife. Arrange
the pear quarters in a concentric circle
on top of the frangipane.
3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until
the tart is nicely baked all the way
through. Remove from the oven and
let it cool in the tin on a wire rack.
To decorate
When cool, glaze the top with warm
apricot jam and sprinkle a handful of
flaked almonds on top. n

dried rice or lentils. Blind bake the You can find all Rahul Mandal’s
pastry for about 15 minutes. Take it recipes for The Times at
out of the oven, remove the baking thetimes.co.uk

80 The Times Magazine

PHOTOGRAPH Romas Foord

The Times Magazine 81

LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE
 Beta male
Robert Crampton
Hull in the My view on the vaccine is I don’t want
Whitty or Vallance telling me how to write
mildly amusing, moderately diverting, wry and
Seventies wasn’t a sideways magazine columns, so why should
they want me pretending I know even a tiny
huggy place. But bit as much as they do about medical science?
It’d be the height of both arrogance and
now I miss my kids’ stupidity, like refusing to drive over a bridge
because a man down the pub had told you his
embrace terribly cousin’s boyfriend heard that back in the day
the civil engineer hadn’t got his sums right.
If a doctor tells me that doing such and such
is a health benefit, I believe her.
Doesn’t mean I necessarily do anything
about it. But neither does it mean I think
she’s wrong.
Still, the double jab, mid-March and
late May, didn’t stop me, a fortnight ago,
scoring the dreaded double line on the little
antigen gizmo.
“I’m positive,” I told Nicola, which
reminded me of when, 25 years ago, she told
me, “I’m pregnant.” Except back then I didn’t
say, “Shit!” like Nicola did now.
That said, she remains resolutely negative.
I guess coronavirus wouldn’t dare. No doubt
the nasty spiky microscopic so-and-sos took a
look at my wife’s fearsome immune system and
thought, “Nah, not worth the aggravation.”
Responsible citizen that I try to be and
almost always am, I duly isolated for ten days.
For the first few days, I felt – maybe, possibly,
marginally – under the weather. A bit tired. A
bit achy. A bit short of breath. But truthfully, if
I hadn’t known I was supposed to be ill, I’m
not sure I would have thought I was.
I stopped smoking. I must be one of the
few people who caught corona and actually
coughed less.
We’ve got one of those oximeters you clip
on your finger to measure your blood oxygen
count. If it falls below 95, you need to worry.
The lowest I got was 97. By day three after
testing positive, I was stable at 99.
I don’t want to boast, but I couldn’t help
noticing also that my resting heart rate came
in at an admirably low 62 beats per minute or
so. Not as good as 30 years ago when I was
cycling 20 miles a day and it got down into
the low fifties, but not bad. For context, the
average is about 70. Lance Armstrong used
to be 32bpm. Not when he was on the bike,
mind, just when he was chilling out, kicking
TOM JACKSON
back and necking his drugs.
Obviously, even though I felt pretty fine,
I milked it. Stayed upstairs in bed. Nicola
© Times Newspapers Ltd, 2021. Published and licensed by Times Newspapers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF (020 7782 5000). Printed by Prinovis UK Ltd, Liverpool. Not to be sold separately.
brought me food and left it at the bedroom
door, chicken soup, tuna sandwiches, Jelly
Babies as a treat, yum yum, nothing wrong
with my appetite.
“Do you think you could get me a flat
white?” I’d whine, chancing my arm.
I read a lot: Stephen King; Elmore Leonard;
Carl Hiaasen; blood-soaked stabbin’ n’ shaggin’
historical fiction, the usual suspects. I might
even have sneaked in a cheeky Freddie
Forsyth reread around day four. Can’t beat
a bit of Freddie. I interviewed him in 1994.
“Who do you imagine reads your books?”
I asked. “Seriously menopausal middle-aged
men,” he drawled. I didn’t know what he
meant then. I do now.
I slept a lot too, nodded right off mid-
chapter, so I can’t have been completely
tickety-boo, can I? It’s disorientating, sleeping
in the day, I find. Even though you tend to
have really good dreams, they’re good as in
vivid, not good as in enjoyable.
Frankly most of my dreams are bloody
terrifying, whether the show screens at 3am
or 3pm. I’ve always thought that “live your
dream” schtick was utterly baffling: resit my
maths O-level in my underpants with Maggie
Thatcher invigilating? No, thanks.
Lying around, horizontal 23 hours out
of 24, my step count inevitably suffered.
Catastrophically, in fact. I’ve been knocking
out a steady five miles a day average all year,
yet after two – OK, perhaps three, OK, maybe
six – days spent essentially immobile my
September count struggled to reach four.
It’s one of the pitfalls of elite performance.
At the rarefied levels of steppage I’m operating
on (my phone app says I’m more active than
93 per cent of other users; there must be a
whole load of lazy buggers out there) even
a minor blip is a disaster, stats-wise.
The worst thing the Cove threw at me, by
far, was the lack of human contact. Physical
contact. As a child, ours was not a home
comfortable with overt, or indeed any, displays
of affection. I don’t think we were unusual
in that respect. Hull wasn’t a huggy kinda
place in the Seventies.
Times change, however, and now after
20-odd years of enfolding my own kids in my
arms pretty much every time I see them,
I missed their embrace terribly.
When Sam tested positive the day after
I did, it was a major relief. n
robert.crampton @thetimes.co.uk
 Saturday October 2 2021

7-DAY
T
TV & RADIO
GUIDE
page 23

Dancing king
Why the artist
Poussin has all
the best moves

What Ben Macintyre

on the art of
makes being a spook
a good
spy?

art books theatre film music television what’s on puzzles

the times | Saturday October 2 2021
showing this week
What the critics are watching and listening to
Cesar Corrales and Francesca Hayward in the Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet
Film
No Time to Die
The new Bond film — Daniel Craig’s final
outing as 007 — is all heart, a moving
portrait of an antiquated hero facing his
obsolescence. A thundering epic expertly
directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, it yanks
our beloved bruiser out of retirement for
one last mission to hunt down a lethal
bioweapon wielded by a homicidal mega-
lomaniac (Rami Malek). Craig is a tower-
ing, charismatic presence from opening
frame to closing shot, and he bows out
in terrific, soulful style. In cinemas, see
cover feature, overleaf
Kevin Maher
Television
Blair and Brown: The New Labour
Revolution
From the team that brought you the peer-
less Mrs Thatcher: A Very British Revolu-
tion in 2019 comes this superb (and timely)
series about the men who made Labour
electable again. Once again there are no
pundits, just interviews with people who
knew and worked with our subjects. The
editing and research make for many
(sometimes unwittingly) revealing mom-
ents in a forensic study that is as much a
psychological as a political treasure trove.
BBC2, Mon
Ben Dowell
Theatre
The Mirror and the Light
Just over a year after the final instalment
of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy was
published, the stage adaptation provides
an opportunity to relive the decline and
fall of Thomas Cromwell. Ben Miles
returns to the role. This time he has helped
Mantel to write the script too. Gielgud
Theatre, London W1 (themirrorandthe-
light.co.uk), to Jan 23
Clive Davis
Opera
Carmen
Hot on the heels of Welsh National
Opera’s revisionist Madam Butterfly comes
a new Carmen from Opera North, a work
that the company says “presents a new
challenge to contemporary sensibilities”.
Edward Dick is the director navigating
these straits, while Garry Walker conducts
saturday review 3
Contents Interview 10
Will.i.am tells Ed Potton
TV & radio 23-51
1960s thriller Ridley Road
HELEN MAYBANKS/ROH
about his new television on BBC1; plus, David
Cover story 4-5 series The Blackprint Attenborough’s back,
Ben Macintyre on the My culture fix 7 with The Mating Game
new, realistic James Bond The writer Meg Mason Television 11
film No Time to Die. Plus, lets us into her cultural The Israeli creators of a Puzzles 52-55
what the critics think life, from Dolly Parton new war drama tell Anne Crosswords, sudoku,
to Stephen Fry Joseph how it emerged Scrabble and your
Hugo Rifkind 6 favourite brain teasers
“Documenting lives on Visual art 8-9 Books 12-21
screen has gone from Laura Freeman on a new A history of showbiz and Cover photograph
novel to ubiquitous”: show of Poussin’s work spying, and the Tudor-era Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
28 Up reviewed at the National Gallery novel you should read via Alamy
his first ON show as music director. The
American mezzo Chrystal E Williams
plays the doomed heroine. Grand, Leeds
(operanorth.co.uk), to Oct 28 and touring
Neil Fisher
Dance
Romeo and Juliet
The Royal Ballet opens its first full season
in two years with one of the most popular
works in its repertoire. Kenneth MacMil-
lan’s Shakespeare adaptation has been a
hit since it was first seen at Covent Garden
in 1965. Prokofiev’s mighty score and
Nicholas Georgiadis’s handsome designs
are matched by the lush sensuality of
MacMillan’s choreography, seen to great
advantage in some of the finest love duets
ever created for the ballet stage. Royal
Opera House, London WC2 (roh.org.uk),
Tue-Feb 25
Debra Craine
Pop
Bo Ningen
Impressive not only for their mastery of
wild, improvisational acid rock, but also for
their lustrous manes of jet-black hair, the
Japan-born, London-based Bo Ningen —
“stick man” in Japanese — have also devel-
oped into one of the most exciting live
bands. Alongside becoming increasingly
honed as a proper riff-laden rock band
with plenty of space for manic guitar solos,
they provide a visual spectacle. The Loft,
Southampton, Sun; Record Junkee, Sheffield,
Thu; District, Liverpool, Fri (dice.fm)
Will Hodgkinson
Visual art
Pablo Bronstein: Hell in Its Heyday
Pablo Bronstein is best known for meticu-
lous architectural drawings. But what
makes them peculiar is that, for all their
delicate detail, they document objects and
buildings, places and spaces that don’t
exist. Now, in a playful new series of large-
scale watercolours created especially for
Sir John Soane’s Museum, he takes specta-
tors on a tour of Hell. It’s a city, apparently,
with concert halls, casinos and botanical
gardens, car factories and oil rigs — within
you will discover details picked up from
objects in the museum’s collection. Sir John
Soane’s Museum, London WC2 (soane.org)
Wed-Jan 2
Rachel Campbell-Johnston
4 saturday review
cover story
Why the new
Bond could get
a job at MI6 today
In No Time to Die, Bond has dropped the womanising, casual
racism and behaviours of a rogue assassin and become the
very model of a modern operative, argues Ben Macintyre
J
ames Bond is not the man he
was. But he has become the
spy he never was.
The secret agent-lothario
now treats women with re-
spect, even love. Today he
would never force himself on
a non-consenting Pussy Galore, as he did
in Goldfinger (1964). He doesn’t drink like
he used to. In the old films he chugged an
endless torrent of vodka martinis, cham-
pagne and whisky. In the original Ian
Fleming novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Ser-
vice Bond guzzled no fewer than 46 drinks.
He doesn’t kill with quite the same
abandon or relish. The face of the old
warrior reflects internal scarring as
much as external wounds. The
casual racism is gone. (Recall
Dr No from 1962, in which Bond
instructs a black man to “fetch
my shoes”.)
In many respects, 007 has
become a real, credible modern
man. He has also become a
much more believable spy.
The most significant develop-
ment in No Time to Die is that the
espionage it portrays comes closer
than ever before to real spying: the
plot is fantastic, occasionally baffling
and wildly over the top, but in essence in
this instalment James Bond goes abroad to
steal secrets, protect Britain and her allies,
and further the national interest. That is
pretty close to a definition of what the Brit-
ish intelligence services actually do.
The earlier 007 was not really an MI6 of-
ficer at all, although that is what he pur-
ported to be. He was an assassin, operating
semi-independently, with a limitless sup-
ply of weaponry, a bottomless expense ac-
count and a drinking problem, who spent
most of his time tracking down, shooting
or blowing up crime syndicates. That is
pretty close to a definition of what the Brit-
ish intelligence services do not do. Ever.
No one in MI6, or the Secret Intelli-
gence Service (SIS), as it prefers to be
known, has ever had a licence to kill. (The
intelligence services are subject to the
most rigorous oversight; merely getting
permission to tap into a private email
account is a byzantine judicial process
requiring ministerial approval.) In 20 years
of studying British espionage I have
found only one case in which MI6 was
complicit in a killing, and that was an acci-
dent, when a suspected Nazi collaborator
was shot by an overenthusiastic French
Resistance fighter.
The yawning gulf between the fiction of
Bond and the reality of espionage has long
posed a problem for the British intelli-
gence services. MI6 simultaneously repu-
diates and embraces the James Bond my-
thology. “We’ve got to get over and see
through the Bond thing,” Alex Younger,
the chief of MI6 at the time, said in 2017.
Then he added: “All right, that’s good actu-
ally — let’s do the Bond thing for a bit. It’s
great in some ways because it means that
all of our opponents think there’s an MI6
officer behind every bush and that we’re
10,000 times larger than we actually are.”
The official website of SIS goes out of
its way to stress that officers will not be
expected to kill, or be killed, by steel-
rimmed bowler hat, laser or ex-
ploding briefcase. It’s “not usual-
ly” a dangerous job, the site says:
“The vast majority of roles
wouldn’t be classed as danger-
ous.” On the other hand James
Bond remains the greatest re-
cruiting sergeant for the intelli-
gence services, a legend that
still allows Britain to punch
above its weight in international
espionage.
When No Time to Die was being
filmed Younger visited the set at Pine-
wood Studios and presented Ralph
Fiennes, who plays M, with the green-ink
pen traditionally used by successive Cs, as
SIS chiefs are known. That was more than
raising the spectre a publicity stunt; it was a symbolic recogni-
Christoph Waltz as tion that the real James Bonds and their
Blofeld in No Time fictional counterparts are growing closer.
to Die Take the plot of the film: an ageing Bond
is pulled out of retirement to hunt down a
lethal bioweapon that can be specifically
targeted at individuals using stolen DNA
profiles. That is wildly exaggerated, of
course, but biological weapons — releas-
ing viruses, bacteria, fungi or other toxins
deliberately to cause disease and death —
remain a top priority concern of the intelli-
gence services. No one on the planet needs
Some reminding of the chaos that can be caused
by a virus running amok.
scientists The poisoning of the former Russian in-
fear that telligence agents Alexander Litvinenko
and Sergei Skripal brutally demonstrated
flying robots the willingness of some international ac-
tors to pervert scientific research for mur-
the size of derous purposes, whether with polonium
insects could or novichok. The villain in the film invents
a chemical that makes an individual so
be used to “allergic/reactive” to another person that
they die on contact, a process strongly
deliver toxins reminiscent of the poison smeared on a
door handle in Salisbury, an invisible toxin
that can kill with a touch.
The villain Safin (which sounds like sa-
rin, the human-made chemical warfare
nerve agent), played by Rami Malek, has
developed a poison farm and a factory on
his private island. Such places exist. In The
KGB’s Poison Factory (2009) the former
Russian military intelligence officer Boris
Volodarsky revealed the extent of bespoke
poisoning operations carried out all over
the world to eliminate the enemies of the
Soviet Union, from the poisoning of the
Soviet defector Nikolai Khokhlov with
radioactive thallium in Frankfurt in Sep-
tember 1957 to the ricin “umbrella murder”
of the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov
in London in 1978.
Secret agents really are working to com-
bat biological threats, principally at
Porton Down, home of the govern-
ment’s Defence Science
and Technology Labo-
ratory. Scientists there
played a key role in
testing the toxins
used in the Salis-
bury poisonings,
and helped to save
the lives of Skripal
and his daughter,
Yulia. No Time to
Die could be seen as
that plot, but on a global
cinematic scale.
Like every good Bond
film, this one is awash
with gadgets, but unlike
many of the earlier
movie gizmos, these
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
have a basis in reality: bombs stuck to the
side of buildings, ships that explode on
timers, DB5 machinegun lights, wind-
screen glass able to withstand any amount
of machinegun bombardment, a magnet
dropped down a lift shaft allowing suited-
up spies to descend several floors in safety.
These are technological possibilities, un-
like the fantastic but scientifically impossi-
ble inventions of the earlier films, such as
homing pills, jet packs, and the “Electro-
magnetic RPM Controller Ring”, capable
of ensuring a jackpot on any slot machine.
Although contemporary spy gadgetry is
predominantly virtual and digital, British
intelligence has relied heavily on techno-
logical wizardry since the Second World
War, when Charles Fraser-Smith, the
model for Fleming’s Q, invented a series
of gadgets for MI6 and the Special
Operations Executive. They includ-
ed steel shoelaces that doubled up
as garrottes, a camera inside a cig-
arette lighter and a compass
inside a button that un-
screwed clockwise,
based on the
theory that the
“unswerving
logic of the
German
mind” would
never imagine
a secret com-
partment that
unscrewed
wrong way. The
the
MI6 museum, lo-
cated beneath one of
its training centres and
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 saturday review 5
METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER VIA ALAMY

No Time to Die: the verdicts

Kevin Maher, The Times,
{{{{{: “It’s better
than good. It’s
magnificent [. . .] He’s a
towering, charismatic
presence from opening
frame to closing shot,
and he bows out in
terrific, soulful style.
His, perhaps, is an
impossible act to follow.”
Robbie Collin, The
Telegraph, {{{{{:
“We’ve been expecting
you, Mr Bond, for quite
some time — and what a
joy and relief it is to have
you back.”
Peter Bradshaw, The
Guardian, {{{{{:
“An epic barnstormer”
featuring “pathos,
drama, camp comedy
[. . .] heartbreak, macabre
horror, and outrageously
silly old-fashioned action
[. . .] Director Cary
Fukunaga delivers it with
terrific panache [. . .] very
enjoyable and gleefully
spectacular.”
Clarisse Loughrey, The
Independent, {{{((:
“Generic spy nonsense
[. . .] What’s most
disappointing about the
film is how strangely
anticlimactic the whole
thing feels [. . .] Despite
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s
much-publicised
contributions to the
film’s script, No Time to
Die hardly feels like the
radical feminist rewrite
we were promised.”
Brian Viner, The Daily
Mail {{{{(: “No Time
to Die is a triumph: an
explosive, tense, daring,
and most of all
surprising adventure,
toying with our
preconceptions about
the world’s greatest
secret agent and
exploring his personal
life more intimately than
ever before.”
AO Scott, The New York
Times: “The overall vibe
— a look that is both
opulent and generic; a
tone that mixes brisk
professionalism with
maundering self-pity; an
aggressive, exhausting
fusion of grandiosity and
fun — is more superhero
saga than espionage
caper.”
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time: “At two hours and
43 minutes, it’s too long
and too overstuffed with
plot — more isn’t always
better. And it features
one of the dullest villains
in the series’ history,
played by Rami Malek in
mottled skin and dumb
silky PJs.” Nonetheless,
the film “is perfectly
tailored to the actor who
is, to me, the best Bond
of all”.
John Nugent, Empire,
{{{{(: “A middle
third bogged down by
plotting and exposition
doesn’t justify that
heaving runtime.”
Jonathan Romney,
Screen Daily: “It’s
certainly a film that
breaks many of the
canonical rules of the
series, though not
entirely to dazzling
effect [. . .] There’s plenty
to gawk at, and to argue
over, in this episode —
yet No Time to Die is
oddly lacking in pleasure
or real wit.”
David Rooney,
Hollywood Reporter:
“The uneven movie’s
big issue, however, is
that the path to Craig’s
momentous departure
is drowning in plot; it’s
so convoluted and
protracted you might
find yourself zoning out
through much of the
villainy.”

closed to the public, con-

tains many such devices. “Q
Branch” really exists inside
the MI6 building at Vaux-
hall, London, working to
provide technological an-
swers to the problems
faced by agents in the field.
In the film nanobots de-
liver the poison under the
skin. That, too, is alarm-
ingly close to technologi-
cal reality. Some scientists
fear that flying robots the
size of insects could, in
the wrong hands, be used
to deliver toxins or to
contaminate food or
water supplies. “Nano-
bots could be weapons of
mass destruction,” ac-
cording to Louis A Del Monte, an Amer Amer-
ican physicist and the author of Nano-
weapons: A Growing Threat to Humanity.
Yet perhaps the clearest way in which
the 25th James Bond film has inched
closer to the real world of intelligence is in
its gender make-up. Ana de Armas plays a
female spy who is not only a harder drinker
but also a better shot than Bond, although
she was probably joking when she said she
had only been training for three weeks.
There have been women spies through-
out history, but usually they have been
couriers, informants, agents collecting
intelligence or secretaries like Miss
Moneypenny. They have very seldom
been officers, trained professionals for
whom intelligence was a career and
vocation. The number of women in
senior positions in any of
the intelligence services
th
before the Second World
b
My top five Bond films
War was vanishingly
W 1 Goldfinger modernity and begin again in his own pri-
ssmall. That has changed. The one where everything finally came to- vate Atlantis (magnificently imagined by
MI5 has had two female
M gether: gadgets, female frenemies (step for- Bond design legend Ken Adam). Standing
cchiefs, Stella Rimington ward Honor Blackman’s Pussy Galore), an in his way is the joint sexy firepower of
aand Eliza Manningham- effortless central turn from Sean Connery Bond and his undercover Soviet lover
Buller, and women make
B and some inventive villainy: Gert Fröbe’s Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach). There are
up a far larger proportion
u Auric Goldfinger plans to irradiate the gold underwater chases, fights with sharks,
of the services.
o in Fort Knox (to destabilise global markets) submarine-jacking and the never-topped
At the Women in IT with the aid of his lethal blonde aerobatic gadget of the amphibious Lotus Esprit.
aawards in 2017, Younger daredevilettes. It’s also smartly written, and
ssaid: “Success for me is a contains a plethora of quotable lines. “Do 4 Casino Royale
deeper, broader range of
d you expect me to talk?” Bond asks, nerv- Everything here was about reinvention,
technological skills in MI6
te ously. “No, Mr Bond,” comes the including our new, tougher “blunt
aand more diversity, in reply. “I expect you to die.” instrument” (M’s words) protag-
particular more women . . .
p onist, his penchant for hand-
IIf any of you would like to 2 No Time to Die to-hand combat (borrowed
join us . . . the real-life Q is
jo The movie that didn’t just from the white-hot Jason
looking forward to meeting
lo disprove the law of dimin- Bourne series), and his
yyou and I’m pleased to ishing returns by deliver- convincing romance with
new agent Lashana report ththatt the real-life Q is a woman.” ing never bettered action Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd.
Lynch as Nomi, who What of Bond himself, who, at times in in the opening scene. It A franchise was reborn.
has taken Bond’s 007 his latest adventure, is in danger of looking didn’t just wrestle openly
number, and Léa like a family man? In that, too, he may be with the modern relevance 5 From Russia with Love
Seydoux as Madeleine drawing closer to the real MI6, which hap- of Bond, by surrounding him The quintessential “spy mov-
Swann in No Time to pily proclaims that “many of our staff have with romantically uninterested ie” Bond luxuriates in the Cold
Die. Left: Lynch and a family . . . join us and you’ll find that our women and sending him on a mission War setting, features a Soviet cryptog-
Daniel Craig. Top: flexible working policy means you can that has little actual use for gadgets. It raphy device reminiscent of the Enigma
Craig in a scene shot work around personal commitments . . . risked everything by giving him a soul. The machine and has an exquisitely played
for the new film we’ll support you and your loved ones both first Bond to jerk a tear? Probably. sequence set on board the Orient Express.
during any relocation overseas and while Here Robert Shaw as Spectre agent Grant,
you’re there”. 3 The Spy Who Loved Me posing as British agent Nash, makes the
So Bond’s latest outing has him older, Roger Moore, 1970s Bond and the maxi- fatal faux pas of ordering chianti with
wiser, more battered and lifelike, more ro- malist tendencies of the series thus far grilled sole. “Red wine with fish?” says
mantic and less predatory, more sober, less all climax in this gloriously overstuffed Bond, ruefully, when Grant reveals his
privileged and contemplating domesticity: adventure about Karl Stromberg (Curt true identity. “That should have told me
a plausible person, and an almost authen- Jurgens), a shipping tycoon who plans to something.” Classy.
tic spy. trigger the Third World War, eradicate Kevin Maher
6 saturday review
Hugo Rifkind on TV
Seeing the Up generation at 28,
their eyes are a little less bright
28 Up
BBC1
Squid Game
Netflix
Vigil
BBC1
Hollington Drive
ITV
T
here are no boring lives.
That’s one of the first
rules of journalism and
it’s absolutely true, if easy
to forget at a Labour
Party conference fringe
meeting when people
start speaking from the floor.
The brilliant Up series — begun by
Michael Apted in 1964 — represents the
incarnation of it. He picked 14 children,
all seven years old, and went back to them
every seven years, and the results were
never anything other than fascinating.
Apted died in January, and you hope that
the series will keep on going. “Give me a
child until he is seven and I will show you
the man,” Aristotle said, albeit not on
camera, but he was wrong. Lives follow
their own paths, not yours.
A second Up started in 2000, on the
same principles, and this week it reached
28 Up. Are they, though, the same princi-
ples at all? The business of documenting
lives on screen has since 1964 gone from
being novel to being ubiquitous; we all do
it all the time. What’s more, one partici-
pant here — Sanchez, from Leeds — has
since been in another reality TV show, the
very different Ibiza Dreams.
Having aimed once to become a profes-
sional footballer (at 19 he was on the bench
for Leeds United) Sanchez is now a DJ
for BBC Radio Leeds. “It has put me on
course,” he says, “for global world domina-
tion.” Oliver, having been clearly picked to
be the posh one, seems to be on the oppo-
site journey. At seven he was explaining:
“My mum is a director at Harrods and my
dad is a lawyer at Clifford Chance.” At 14
he was at Eton and at 21 at Yale. Now fin-
ishing a history PhD, he’s deep in that
period of crestfallen humility through
which the elite make their peace with rela-
tive normality.
Courtney, from Kirby near Liverpool,
was equally clearly intended to be a study
in deprivation, but has buggered that up by
getting a law degree and teaching herself
Mandarin and Hebrew. She’s now training
as a teacher.
There’s something trepidatious about
28, particularly when contrasted with 21.
The eyes are a little less bright, the dreams
a little more realistic. A few of them refer to
a period of anger that came between.
Gemma from Bolton, paralysed by a virus
as a baby, talked about the furious realisa-
tion that she was being judged by her dis-
ability, even when applying for jobs for
which she was supremely qualified. John
from Slough, your classic extreme sports
boy racer, is just beginning to worry about
his many injuries. Ben from Mull feels
sad about missing the boat on university.
You’re only 28, you want to say, do it now.
It’s different from the Apted series, isn’t
it? What it has lost — in a good way — is
the sense that all the lives we are seeing are
inevitably going to be transformed by the
fact that we are even looking. Yes,, even
from a young age, this lot are seeingg them-
selves with external eyes, aware that
they are living a story, and worrying ing
whether that story is good enough h stuff),
for public consumption. Although
these days, don’t we all?
Obviously, I have also been
watching the gloriously twisted
Squid Game, which has somehow
reared up to the top of Netflix. It’s
a South Korean dystopian thriller,
and it has now reached that slightlyy
terrifying level of Tiger King-style le
momentum whereby everybodyy is
watching it because everybody is watch-
ing it because everybody is watching hing it.
Including me.
There is simply no way to even describe
escribe
Squid Game without a fairly big spoiler of
the first episode, so you’re just going to
have to deal with it. Or, alternatively, stop
reading and watch it. All the same to me.
Basically though, Seong Gi-hun (Lee
Jung-jae) is an inveterate gambler who
owes money to loan sharks. Then, right at
the end of the line, he gets kidnapped by a
shadowy syndicate who want him to be a
contestant in a madcap series of play-
ground games. Win the games, and you
win untold billions. Lose, and you die. Like,
literally. They shoot you.
I’m only three episodes in and I’m not
yet convinced Squid Game is quite as good
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
MULTISTORY MEDIA/BBC
changing faces Up as everybody keeps telling me it is. Perhaps melodrama. Less Das Boot, more “Subma-
participant Gemma in something is being lost in translation, but riner Foster”, it didn’t let up for a second.
2000, 2007, 2014 and now. parts of it are glacially slow. It also, at least We need a name for this genre; these grip-
Below: Sanchez, who has so far, suffers from a bad case of “this main ping shows that everybody enjoys bitching
become a radio DJ character is unlikely to die yet”, which about for their implausibility, but we all
somewhat dampens the jeopardy. Still, it’s still watch, transfixed, to the end. I’d sug-
definitely interesting. So far, the thing it gest we go with “things that have got Sur-
most reminds me of is Lost, I suppose, with anne Jones in them” but that doesn’t quite
a dash of The Prisoner thrown in. work because there was also Bodyguard.
In the b background, there’s a lurking, un-
settled sadness. Our characters resent Finally, Hollington Drive is good-quality
the games
ga (what with all the death and suburban claustrophobia. Written by
stuff but are also clearly destined to Sophie Petzal, it stars Anna Maxwell Mar-
conclude
con that they need them. Aes- tin, who is somehow all the more convin-
thetically,
th the neon-lit Seoul cing in a role where she is neither funny
streets,
st where it always seems to nor hammy because of all the times she
be
b raining, are contrasted with has gleefully been both. She plays Theresa,
the
th horribly familiar insanity of who lives in the same neighbourhood as
the
th game world, where the bunk Helen (Rachael Stirling), her slightly over-
beds
be rise up to the height of bearing sister.
houses,
ho and the henchmen all While they’re having a family barbecue,
wear
wea handmaid red and hide be- a local child disappears. “What, again?”
hind fencing masks with console you’re probably thinking, but this plot
symbols
symbo on them. Behind it all, there’s seems a little different. Theresa has con-
an almost
almos Lovecraftian sense of horror, to cerns about her son, whom she fears may
do with normal
no lives being unliveable, and harbour violent tendencies. Her husband,
huge, unknowable
unk powers in the back- Fraser (Rhashan Stone), has his irritating
ground that
th will smirk while you die. Is it brother staying, which may not be irrele-
just the players who are the prisoners? Or vant. Helen, headmistress at the local
the henchmen? Or all of us? Etc. school, has her own secrets. For one rea-
son or another, almost everybody looks
My lasting takeaway from the end of askance at everybody else.
This lot Vigil, meanwhile, is that I definitely do not Hollington Drive is perhaps not a million
are seeing want to spend any time at all stuck in a tor- miles away from the whole “quite horrible
pedo tube on a nuclear submarine. It’s just things happening to people with quite de-
themselves not for me. Also, how terrible a captain was sirable kitchens” genre we have seen quite
with external Paterson Joseph’s Newsome? Imagine it,
down the Jobcentre. “And why did you
a lot of lately, but the first episode at least
launches with a tightness and a restraint
eyes, aware leave your last job?” “Oh, I got back into that makes me fairly confident that Sur-
port and we found the soggy corpse of a anne Jones would not be welcome here.
they are policewoman behind a hatch. Hadn’t even Performance-wise, Maxwell Martin steals
living a story noticed she’d gone.”
Billed as drama, it was actually more
every scene she is in, with twitching inten-
sity. Mind you, she always does.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
my culture fix
The novelist lets us into her cultural life
Meg Mason
My favourite author
Nancy Mitford, unwaveringly, since I
was 21 and found The Pursuit of Love.
Because it wasn’t by recommendation, I
just came across it on my own, I felt I’d
discovered her — as in, not just for
myself but actually discovered Nancy
Mitford as a talent for all time. Deep
down I still believe it — that I was her
first champion and probably, she would
say, her truest fan.
The book I’m reading
I just read and underlined some bit
of brilliance on every page of Ann
Patchett’s new collection of essays,
These Precious Days.
The book I wish I had written
If I were Max Porter and I had written
Grief is the Thing with Feathers, I’d feel as
if I never had to lift a finger, creatively,
again, having produced the perfect book.
The book I couldn’t finish
Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle was
also my struggle for the few hours until
I gave up on it, mystified and exhausted
and furious that an author felt entitled
to spend, as it is in my memory, 70 pages
thinking about lighting a cigarette, not
even actually lighting it, and another 50
pages deciding, ultimately, not to.
The book I’m ashamed I
haven’t read
Even though I grew up in a house with
books, I was a conscientious objector to
o until listening to Chimamanda Ngozi
reading as a child and resisted until
my late teens. I’ve been reading to
catch up since, but at 43 I feel as
though I have a reading age of 30,
and blanket shame about the whole
libraries I haven’t read — Tolkien,
Wharton, Baldwin, not even every
Austen, and no Proust, which is a fact
unlikely to change. But I press on. Next,
xt,
with Chekhov, helped by George
Saunders’s companion text A Swim in a
Pond in the Rain.
My favourite film
This week The Courier with Benedict
Cumberbatch. Next week something else
with Benedict Cumberbatch.
My favourite play
I have a tendency to invent feeling
in strangers and imagine their
private experience a bit too
intensely, just as they go about
things in public. It’s useful as a writer,
but fatal to me as a theatregoer; if an
actor does a tiny stumble or has to
drink out of a cup that clearly has
nothing in it, I just die of empathy. But
I can safely read plays, most recently
a Harold Pinter after Antonia Fraser’s
memoir of their marriage.
The box set I’m hooked on
Trying, about a couple attempting to
adopt. It’s so beautiful and sad and
saturday review 7
MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES
And I’ll put on this music . . . listeners worldwide. I can’t imagine ever
bettering that as an achievement in
As the host you’re meant to choose my lifetime.
according to your guests’ tastes, not your
own I think, so a playlist of Wagner, The film I walked out on
Tudor court music and the Doobie
Brothers, which was Victoria Wood’s Streep/Hanks, The Post, because the
castaway choice on Desert Island Discs. man next to me extracted a kebab from
his backpack just as it started and my
The book I’m looking forward to cinematic experience felt pre-ruined.
Whatever Sara Collins writes next, after Overrated
being completely broken by The
Confessions of Frannie Langton. Having confessed to being an unmusical,
poorly read, non-theatregoer, I might as
The lyric I wish I’d written well be like . . . is Shakespeare that good,
though?
Any by Paul Simon. It’s just endlessly
astonishing to me that he, and Underrated
songwriters generally, can tell a story
in 200 words. The New Zealand novelist Janet Frame,
anywhere outside of New Zealand (Owls
The music that cheers me up Do Cry is the best to start with).
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is out
I listened to Dolly Parton’s The Seeker now (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). Mason
so much in the less happy months of appears at The Times and The Sunday
2020 that at the end of the year I got a Times Cheltenham Literature Festival
notification from Spotify announcing (cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature)
me in the top 1 per cent of Dolly on October 16
seeking happiness funny, and sort of . . . friendly. And, gosh,
Dolly Parton songs Imelda Staunton is a revelation as their
cheer up Meg Mason. social worker.
Below: Sara Collins.
Bottom: Nancy Mitford My favourite TV series
Patrick Melrose was heartbreakingly
good, although I don’t think I could ever
watch it again. Stath Lets Flats I could
rewatch on a quarterly basis.
My favourite piece of music
Life Is Sweet by Natalie Merchant. Or
Kind and Generous or My Beloved Wife.
Or, really, any Natalie Merchant.
The last film that made me cry
I am such
s a ready weeper with films or
music,
music but I hadn’t cried in a podcast
Adichie
Adic on How to Fail with Elizabeth
Day.
Da She seemed to contain the entire
human
hu experience in a single hour.
The
T instrument I played
The
Th cello, flute and the saxophone,
which
wh paints me as the most musical
child,
chil especially if I’d been learning
them all at once. But actually it was one
after another because teachers kept
inviting
invit me to consider a different
instrument
instr and, if not, another teacher.
The instrument I wish I’d learnt
I did learn the piano for ten years,
because my mother insisted that the
only career path open to me if I quit was
vandalism. She finally gave in after our
billionth argument and like everyone
who fought and won that fight, in the
end, I wish I hadn’t.
If I could own one painting it
would be . . .
A small, perfect still-life by the
Australian artist Margaret Preston.
I’m having a fantasy dinner party,
I’ll invite these artists and
authors . . .
Stephen Fry, Hilary Mantel and
Victoria Wood, but then I’d be so
overawed, I couldn’t actually be
present.
8 saturday review Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

visual art
Party with Poussin! The painter of BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE WALLACE COLLECTION, LONDON © THE TRUSTEES OF THE WALLACE COLLECTION; GETTY IMAGES

A new show of the

classicist painter’s
work at the National
Gallery shows what a
fun guy he was, says
Laura Freeman

D
uring my stint as a
dance critic, I reviewed
ballets inspired by
Auguste Rodin, Frida
Kahlo and Egon Schie-
le. One of the best
nights I’ve had in the
stalls was at the Royal Ballet’s triple bill of
ballets after paintings by Titian. I have
never seen a ballet based on Nicolas Pous-
sin, but his graceful influence is there in
every scene in which nymphs frolic, maid-
ens gather and villagers dance a roundel in
a woodland clearing.
The National Gallery’s autumn exhibi-
tion, Poussin and the Dance, opens next
week. The central work in the show, the
maypole if you like, is Poussin’s A Dance to
the Music of Time (c 1634), which has been
lent by the Wallace Collection. You know
the one. The beautiful, wistful painting
that opens Anthony Powell’s great novel
cycle A Dance to the Music of Time (and the
Channel 4 adaptation).
Four dancers link arms. They are spring,
summer, autumn and winter; poverty,
labour, wealth and pleasure. Round and
round and round they go. Too much pleas-
ure leads to poverty, as surely as winter
becomes spring. Above the dancers is
Aurora, goddess of dawn, heralding the
sun-chariot of Apollo, who carries a hula-
hoop of a zodiac ring.
In the left foreground stands a two-
faced statue of the Roman god Janus, one
face looking towards the old year, the
other towards the new. Below, a mournful
little putto is forever blowing bubbles.
They swell, they fly, then “Pop!”, they’re
gone. That’s life. A second putto holds up
an hourglass and watches the sands as Poussin was born in Normandy in 1594. keep on moving from the first century BC. If his pictures abandon, all horns and tambourines, spilt
they trickle. Behind him, Old Father Time, His father came from a ruined noble A Dance to the Music look as if they have been lifted from a wine and leopard-print capes. Poussin’s
in marvellous shape for his age, strums his family, his mother was a magistrate’s of Time by Nicolas frieze, it is because very often they were compositions are antic but not hectic, busy
lyre. It’s all so . . . inexorable. Life, death and daughter. He went to the Jesuit College at Poussin, c 1634 lifted from existing sculptural sources, tilt- but beautifully disposed. Where a gown
the dance never stop. Rouen, then started his artistic training in ed and given new lilt and life. has slipped from a shoulder, one senses it
Poussin’s paintings are studies in contra- his mid-teens, late by the standards of the Poussin’s early bacchic revels might slipped with intent.
diction. They got rhythm, they got music. day. He ran away to Paris where he studied have been painted speculatively, as an The Adoration of the Golden Calf (c 1633-
Yet at the same time they are curiously still under the mannerist Georges Lallemant ankle flash (bum flash, breast flash) to pro- 34) is the only religious painting by Pous-
and sculptural. How perfect the outline of and the portrait painter Ferdinand Elle. spective patrons. Seicento sex sells. A Bac- sin in which there is dancing. This is danc-
each dancer, how easily you could cut out Poussin made three attempts on Rome. chanalian Revel Before a Term (c 1632-33) is ing as idolatry, as the Israelites shimmy
each figure with a scalpel. It’s a paradox The first time he got as far as Florence, the all buttocks and wardrobe malfunctions. round the golden calf. Only it isn’t a calf, it’s
that the curators Emily A Beeny and Fran- second Lyons, where his money ran out. To the left of the picture, a woman is led
cesca Whitlum-Cooper explore in their
exhibition, which presents Poussin’s paint-
In 1624, third time lucky, he arrived in
the Eternal City, where, within a year, he
away by two men. As a parting gesture, she
graciously squeezes a bunch of grapes into
Poussin’s pictures
ings alongside antique sculptures. had met Cassiano dal Pozzo, an antiquari- a bowl held up by two squabbling putti. A are celebrations of
Poussin, the classicist’s classicist, has a an who became his greatest Roman third has passed out drunk, sleepily suck-
reputation for chilliness, for pictures more patron. Cassiano is remembered today ing his thumb. youth and music,
intellectual than instinctive, for a certain
Latin-primer formality. Not so, say the cu-
for his Museo Cartaceo (Paper Museum)
a marvellous collection of more than
Poussin attracted patrons, both prurient
and pious. For Cardinal Francesco Barber-
wine and sun
rators, who have borrowed more than 20 10,000 drawings, watercolours and prints ini, Poussin painted the high-minded a bull, which is worse. A tangle of legs fills
paintings and drawings that show Poussin forming a pictorial encyclopaedia of bota- Death of Germanicus (1627), and in 1628, he the foreground. It isn’t instantly clear
at his riotous, bibulous best. You know how ny, zoology, geology, ancient sculpture, received a papal commission for an altar- which feet belong to which bodies in this
millennials talk about going out-out? Well, architecture and the arts. Everything piece depicting the martyrdom of Saint Exodus debauch. In the background
this is Poussin out-out, Poussin in his toga under Apollo’s sun. Erasmus for St Peter’s Basilica. Poussin comes Moses, the old spoilsport, holding
glad-rags, Poussin on the town with “the Poussin, lodging with a stonemason, could do saints and he could do sinners. his tablets aloft.
lads”, the lads being Bacchus, Silenus and made a study of works by Titian, Raphael For Cardinal Richelieu of France, he This isn’t a daring show, this isn’t a
that old goat-god Pan. This is the Poussin and Polidoro and looked closely at sar- Poussin and the painted three unholy subjects: The Tri- groundbreaking show, but it is a show to
of satyrs and maenads, of boozy putti and cophagi, antique bas-reliefs and vessels Dance is at the National umph of Pan (1636), The Triumph of Bac- make you wistful. Poussin’s pictures are
Priapic worship. (Don’t peer too closely at such as the Borghese and Salpion Vases, Gallery, London WC2 chus (1635-36) and The Triumph of Silenus celebrations of youth and music, wine and
the statue in Hymenaios Disguised as a two neo-Attic kraters (great cups in which (nationalgallery.org.uk), (c 1636). sun and the sheer pleasure of sandals kick-
Woman During an Offering to Priapus.) water and wine are mixed before a feast) Oct 9 to Jan 2, 2022 These are scenes of choreographed ed off before dancing till dawn.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 saturday review 9

dancing and delight

Dancers to draw
you in — my
six favourites
by Laura Freeman
Thomas Gainsborough/Giovanna
Baccelli (1782)
Tate Britain, London
The Italian dancer Giovanna Francesca
Antonio Guiseppe Zanerini, known by
her stage name Giovanna Baccelli, was
thought more charming than beautiful.
The dress is certainly prettier than she
is, but was there ever a prettier pair of
pointed feet? A contemporary
newspaper critic thought
Gainsborough’s portrait “as the Original,
light airy and elegant”. Giovanna was
the last and longest-lasting mistress of
John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of
Dorset. When Gainsborough’s Giovanna
was exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1782, his portrait of the duke was
withdrawn to see off gossip.

Édouard Manet/Spanish Ballet (1862)

Phillips Collection, Washington DC
Manet was mad for Spanish art, culture
and dance. In 1862 his imagination was
fired by a troupe of Spanish dancers
from the Royal Theatre of Madrid led by
Don Mariano Camprubi, who had first
thrilled Paris audiences in 1834 when he
danced the bolero. During their season
at the Paris Hippodrome in 1862, Manet
arranged for the principal dancers to
pose in a studio. The shadows are odd,
all falling at slightly different angles, but
the four central dancers — and their
bouquet — are brilliantly lit, the whites
of their costumes shining as if under the
lamps of the stage.

Edgar Degas/Danseuses bleues

(c 1890)
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Degas’s bronze sculpture Little Dancer
of Fourteen Years, with her tulle skirt
and satin ribbon, is the artist’s most
famous work inspired by the ballet, but
this painting beats it for behind-the-
scenes intrigue. We’re in the wings,
behind a strut or a column, while the
dancers of the corps de ballet, the
Opera House’s “little rats”, are testing
their pointe shoes, adjusting their
bodices, fiddling with loose strands of
hair. The blues of their skirts dissolve
into featherlight layers. It is intimate —
even a little intrusive.
Gustave Moreau/Salome Dancing
Before Herod (1876)
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
In an Arabian Nights fantasy palace,
the New Testament temptress Salome
slinks towards Herod Antipas. The
Gospel of Mark tells us that King Herod
was so pleased with her performance
that he offered Salome anything she
asked for. She demanded the head of
John the Baptist on a platter. It is a
scene of seductive excess. The leading
lady, holding a lotus flower, seems in
a trance, her feet almost levitating
above the flower-strewn carpet. She
is upstaged by her costume and the
set: a composite of Hagia Sophia, the
Alhambra, the Great Mosque of Cordoba
taking the floor Jan Sluijters’s Bal
Tabarin depicts a Monmartre cabaret
and sundry Etruscan, Roman, Egyptian,
Indian and Chinese motifs.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir/Dance at
Bougival (1883)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Dancing nearly cheek to cheek (and
almost on each other’s toes) a couple
waltz at an open-air café in suburban
Bougival on the River Seine west of
Paris. The floor is littered with
cigarettes, spent matches, a dropped
posy of violets. He wears heavy tan
leather boots, wrinkled but polished.
Her one little slipper with a bow on the
toes can just be seen beneath the hem
of her skirt. Renoir, the son of a tailor
and a dressmaker, delighted in bonnets,
trims, ruffles and bustles. Is she keen or
isn’t she? His hand is on her back, hers
around his neck. He angles for a kiss,
she turns her head, unsure. Either way,
they are lost in their own dancefloor
world. The beer-drinkers behind are out
let’s dance Clockwise of focus, the plein air café is a
from top left: Danseuses mere suggestion of back-and-forth
bleues by Edgar Degas; brushstrokes. Her eyes are lowered,
Giovanna Baccelli by his are hidden by a hat, yet how they
Thomas Gainsborough; draw us in.
Dance at Bougival by
Pierre-Auguste Renoir; Jan Sluijters/Bal Tabarin (1907)
Salome Dancing Before Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Herod by Gustave This is a pinwheeling disco-ball of a
Moreau; Spanish Ballet picture, all swirl and sparkle and skirts.
by Édouard Manet It’s a bit expressionist, a bit
impressionist, a bit pointillist and a lot
dazzled by its own reflective brilliance.
The Bal Tabarin was a cabaret club in
Montmartre lit by new electric lamps. It
was a setting for ballets and floor shows
and spectacular tableaux. The Dutch
painter Sluijters discovered the Tabarin
when he visited Paris in 1906. In his
vision of the scene, the dancefloor,
walls and ceiling dissolve under
sunburst chandeliers. The composition
is dizzy, tipsy and seemingly spinning
with irrepressible joie de la danse.
10 saturday review
interview
From the Peas
to world peace
Will.i.am tells Ed Potton about the Black Eyed
Peas, a new TV series — and his philanthropy
W
hen I met tune into technological projects; his role as
Will.i.am five a judge on The Voice; or the moot question
years ago it was of whether he has ADHD. He repeatedly
like talking to a chided journalists for our shallowness, and
whirlwind in pur- at the end said sorry for being combative.
ple glasses. There Today, speaking by Zoom from Paris, he
was an undercur- cuts a far more placid figure. Could it be his
rent of stress, whether we were discussing diet? Last time we met he was devouring
the Black Eyed Peas, with whom he has chicken wings; now, at 46, he is a fervent
sold 80 million records and won seven vegan. Will.i.am, real name William
Grammys; ploughing his $70 million for- Adams, is also on a high after playing a
Global Citizen event in front of 100, 000 at
the Eiffel Tower. “I haven’t heard a roar
like that in a long time,” he says. Tonight
they will play at the Pyramids in Egypt.
There still seems to be no time — or per-
haps inclination — for a romantic partner.
Another reason for his calmness could
be his new project, whose subject matter
contrasts with the sugar rush of his career
to date. The Blackprint is a documentary in
which he explores black British history
from slavery to civil rights, and contrasts it
with his experiences. He grew up in
a tough part of eastern Los Angeles
and his family originated in
Mississippi. His surname, he assu-
mes, belonged to a slave owner.
The big difference between
being black in America and the
UK, he says, “is that your police
don’t have guns”. It was chasten-
ing, however, to learn about Brit-
ish colonial history. “A lot of
places the UK goes, they really
f*** shit up. They win the
f***-shit-up award. But is the UK
a nice place? Yeah. It’s like Nan-
do’s or McDonald’s: the food
f***s you up but you like it.” He
loves a dodgy metaphor.
The Black Lives Matter protests in the
UK adopted the Black Eyed Peas’ Where Is
the Love? as an anthem, but he wonders in
the film whether “the UK is going to let me
back after this”. Does he feel pressure to
stay in his entertainment box? “There’s
nothing wrong with being put in a box if it’s
titled ‘Do the right thing’,” he says. “If it’s
being shipped to the future and the address
is ‘Opportunity’, then put me in a f***ing
box.” Told you he loved a metaphor.
Should we pull down statues? There’s a
20-second pause. “If the only effort to fix
the past is to take down statues, keep them
up but educate people on how f***ed up
those people are. There’s another path:
take them down, but replace them with
people that are real freedom fighters.”
He supports reparations for the des-
cendants of slaves, pointing out that the
UK spent millions of pounds compensat-
ing families of slave owners, only finishing
its payments in 2015. “And then they’re
appalled to even consider reparations for
the people of folks that were enslaved!”
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
NEALE HAYNES FOR THE TIMES
plugged in Will.i.am, Would he have thought twice about
the musician and playing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Voice judge, who gave had he known the extent to which the
£1 million to the Prince’s royal family had profited from the
Trust and has a new exploitation of its colonies? “It’s no differ-
series about black ent than going to Disneyland,” he says. “It’s
history on ITV, below a new era. What is it called — the sins of
my father?” Even so, he checked with his
mother before he made a donation to the
Prince’s Trust. “I was, like, ‘Yo, Mom, I’m
going to give Prince Charles a million
dollars.’ ”
The money was to fund education for
children in east London in science,
technology, engineering and
te
mathematics. That’s where the
m
real royalty are, he says. “Facebook
re
is a kingdom, Google is a kingdom,
Apple’s like the biggest kingdom.”
A
He does some prodigious Silicon
H
Valley name-dropping. “I was with
V
Jack [Dorsey, of Twitter] yesterday
Ja
and I’ve known Elon [Musk, of
an
Tesla] for a while. Sergey [Brin, of
T
Google] is really cool. Larry [Page,
G
also Google] helped me understand
al
that my name was a [web] hotlink.”
th
Adams is investing in robotics,
artificial intelligence and the Xuper-
ar
mask, which combines “face techno-
m
logy wwith integrated audio engineering”,
and does a television show in America
I was, like, called Alter Ego, in which competitors sing
as digital avatars. What does he make of
‘Yo, Mom, Abba playing shows like that? “It’s one
thing to have a performance and it’s
I’m going to another to have back-and-forth banter.”
give Prince He shows me a video on his phone of
him talking to a lifelike avatar of himself. “I
Charles haven’t launched it yet because there’s no
regulations when it comes to AI, deep
a million fakes, machine learning. The people who’ll
dollars’ get hurt most are kids in the inner city.
Somebody could take your face right now,
make a model of you and FaceTime your
significant others.”
Scruples like those are admirable but
does he, as one interviewer suggested,
have a messiah complex? “That’s a very
narrow-minded perspective on people
The Blackprint, ITV, that are trying their best to solve prob-
Thursday, October 14, lems,” he says. “That’s like saying, ‘You’ve
9pm, part of a season got a do-shit-with-your-life complex.’ ”
celebrating Black There are many things you can accuse
History Month Will.i.am of. Lack of application is not one.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
television
Finished Fauda? Your next Israeli TV fix
Anne Joseph talks
to the creators of a
bold new drama
about a war no one
wanted to remember
I
t was the moment that marked
the end of “the first Israel”, says
the Israeli-American film and TV
writer Ron Leshem. An first air
raid siren sounded across the
country at 2pm on Saturday, Oc-
tober 6, 1973, on Yom Kippur, the
Jewish Day of Atonement. It signified the
beginning of what is known as the Yom
Kippur War, when Egyptian and Syrian
forces launched a surprise attack on Israel
on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a
day when many Jews were fasting, in syna-
gogue or at home. “Israel died at that
moment and another Israel was born,”
Leshem says.
There had been rumours of war. The
journalist Hirsh Goodman , 75, was a mili-
tary correspondent for The Jerusalem Post
in the days preceding the conflict, before
being called up as a reservist to fight. “Gen-
eral Eli Zeira, head of military intelligence,
held a briefing on the Friday afternoon to
tell the military correspondents to stop
warmongering, that we were causing un-
necessary public panic, and that we were
trying to cause a war that was not going to
happen,” he recalls. “And Zeira sat there . . .
I’ll never forget it . . . peeling almonds with
a little silver knife and a water bowl. We
were told, ‘We know what’s going on. You
only hear titbits of rumours. We have a
context, blah, blah, blah. Go home.’ ”
Although the 19-day conflict resulted in
a narrow victory for Israel, the Yom Kip-
pur War shattered the illusion of the coun-
try’s invincibility and sense of euphoria
after the 1967 war, when Israel defeated its
Arab neighbours in six days. The impact
on the Jewish state was profound. “It
was a huge disaster,” Leshem, 44,
says, speaking over Zoom. “It was
our biggest trauma.”
The trauma and pain are the
reasons that the war has remained
largely untouched within Israeli
culture, believes Leshem (Eupho-
ria, Incitement, Beaufort), who, with
Amit Cohen (False Flag, The Gordin
Cell) and the director Yaron Zilber-
man (Incitement, A Late Quartet), has
created Valley of Tears, a harrowing yet
compelling ten-part Israeli TV drama, set
during the first three days of fighting,
when Israel feared destruction. Named
after the site of an important battle, the
show premiered in Israel last October to
critical acclaim on KAN, the Israeli public
broadcaster, and will be shown in the UK
from next week on More4.
Inspired by true events, and starring
Lior Ashkenazi, Aviv Alush, Joy Rieger
and Omer Perelman Striks, it focuses on
the experiences of several combatants
through four intertwined stories. There is
a geeky intelligence officer and his com-
mander; three tank crewmen who are
members of the Israeli Black Panthers
movement, fighting for equality for
Sephardim (Jews descended from those
expelled from Iberia); a female officer who
defies orders by refusing to leave the bat-
tlefields; and a famous journalist searching
for his estranged, enlisted son. Each of the
saturday review 11
WARNER BROS
ask themselves and their parents: are we
fulfilling this thing that we promised?”
Valley of Tears was made for a domestic
audience and its creators never imagined
it would reach viewers worldwide. They
say they are amazed at the response —
it broke Israeli viewing records. Yet some-
thing Zilberman is particularly proud of
is winning an audience award in Israel
Bidur, an internet magazine.
“It’s not the Academy, or something
intellectual or critical — 300,000 people
voted, and most are young people, so it
gives an indication of the popularity of the
show among the younger generation,
[some of whom] didn’t know anything
about this war. But they embraced it and
they understand. That, for me, is a major
achievement.”
Valley of Tears starts on More4 on
Friday, before going live as a full box
set on All 4
painful past Ofer characters grapples with the chaos, ten-
Hayoun and Imri Biton sion and tragedy that rapidly unfolds.
in Valley of Tears. In Israel, the series — shot on location in
Below: Yaron Zilberman the Golan Heights, on the northern border
and Ron Leshem with Syria — prompted the reopening of
a national wound. Although the war
started on Yom Kippur, and so Israelis are
reminded of the conflict annually, the
country has never really processed its
shock and trauma. When the show
launched, Leshem says, “we suddenly real-
ised that kids had never heard their parents
or grandparents tell them stories about this
war or of the trauma they experienced.”
For Zilberman, 54, one of his motiva-
tions in making the series was to bring the
subject matter to an audience in an acces-
sible way, to enable viewers to compre-
hend it from those who went through it.
“Post-traumatic people always say that
people who were not there will never un-
derstand. Not only war, but any trauma.
Here, I want to make the case for them to
feel heard.”
Valley of Tears was ten years in the
making and is the biggest budget
Israeli TV series to date. Achieving
authenticity was vital, the creators
say, and they studied numerous
soldiers’ testimonies and battle
sequences in meticulous detail.
“I wanted to transport us into the
battles,” Zilberman says. “So, you
feel like you’re really there in the
action.” But filming so close to Syria
meant that, at one point, they had to
stop for three weeks because of missiles
and rockets from the Syrian civil war.
Recreating the war presented complica-
tions and technical challenges. In parti-
cular it took several years to acquire tanks
that were used at the time. “None were
available in Israel,” Leshem explains.
“They were all demolished years ago. The
only way was to buy them from US collec-
tors, but Israeli law forbids importing
tanks, even for filming purposes.” Event-
We realised ually they took some tanks from museums
and rebuilt their engines, but they also had
kids hadn’t to use a lot of CGI. “Something we never
heard their do in Israel.”
The characters are based on real people,
parents or but the writers chose not to identify them
by name, and sometimes mixed several
grandparents stories into one person.
tell them After the war there was an impetus for
change. “Everyone promised themselves
stories about that we’re going to change, be a better
this war country, a better people,” Leshem says. “At
the end of the show, we wanted Israelis to
12 saturday review Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

books
Planning a
secret mission?
Hire an actor
or showgirl
Book of the week too far. In 1941 Dudley Clarke, who came
up with the idea of the Commandos and
masterminded Allied deception schemes
There is a business in north Africa, was arrested in Madrid
while posing as a correspondent for The
like showbusiness — Times. That was not his only cover. He was
it’s espionage, says also dressed as a woman, “down to a bras-
siere”, the British embassy reported.
this history of stars Theatricality did run in the family — his
brother wrote Ealing comedies. Yet as Kim
who spied. Review Philby, the head of MI6’s Iberian section,
by James Owen no doubt gleefully related to his Soviet
masters, Clarke’s claim that it was a prank
— with his wearing clothes he was bring-
SStars & Spies ing to a lady friend — did not explain how
I
Intelligence the shoes fitted him.
Operations and the
O Spies have pretended to be entertainers
Entertainment
E since at least the night that Alfred the
Business
B Great infiltrated the Danes’ camp dressed
bby Christopher Andrew as a harpist. Stars & Spies — the title re-
aand Julius Green verses that of novelist Charlotte Bingham’s
memoir of her time with MI5 — begins its
Bodley Head, 512pp; £20
B historical survey, however, in Elizabethan
times, when the state watched for Roman

S
pies have always made for good
entertainment. The world can’t get
enough of the new James Bond
film. And such is John le Carré’s
appeal that in a fortnight’s time his
publisher is putting out a posthumous
novel, Silverview. Yet while in real life espi-
onage and showbusiness would seem to
exist in different worlds — one seeks the
shadows and the other the limelight — the
authors of this wide-ranging history of the
links between the two reveal that there has
always been interplay between them.
As Christopher Andrew, the official his-
torian of MI5, and Julius Green, a theatre
historian and producer of West End shows,
point out, the two professions “require
similar skills and attract similar personali-
ties”. In both, you pretend to be someone
you’re not. At their heart lies deception
(and sometimes, perhaps more than is
acknowledged, self-deception).
Artists, writers and actors have often
used their skills in the service of the state,
and spies have found an outlet for their
imaginations in performances of all kinds.
The places frequented by the two have
also overlapped. Mansfield Cumming, the
original “C”, or Chief of the Secret Intelli-
gence Service (MI6), would buy the dis-
guises he donned for meeting agents from
the same costumier used by London thea-
tres. He had a taste for drama and would
test the mettle of prospective recruits by
seeing how they reacted when he suddenly
stabbed himself in the leg. Cumming, of
course, knew his limb was made of wood.
Sometimes those involved in espionage
have taken their love of dressing-up a bit
Catholic and Spanish plots.
The lutenist John Dowland, for instance,
used his contacts to provide warning of
preparations for the Armada. Christopher
Marlowe also worked as a spy — the pro-
tagonist of his tragedy Doctor Faustus sells
his soul to the Devil — and he might have
discussed his work with
Shakespeare when they
collaborated on plays. Rich-
ard III has the first use in
English of “intelligence” to
mean “secret information”
and Hamlet the first signifi-
cant one of the word “spy”.
Meanwhile, Giacomo Casa-
nova, whose talents extend-
ed to writing plays as well as
spying for Venice, was the
first to describe himself as a
“secret agent”.
A century beforehand,
Andrew and Green disclose,
one of the first female English playwrights,
Aphra Behn, also became the first known
female state spy. She was paid to be a
“honeytrap” in Antwerp, targeting exiles
from Stuart England conspiring with the
Dutch. At a time when few read books,
the stage was used as a political pulpit, and
the decision to allow the Lord Chamber-
lain’s Office to censor plays from 1737
inadvertently encouraged the develop-
ment of the novel.
Other nations, of course, played the
same great game. Napoleon III’s police
spied on Victor Hugo, a fierce opponent of
the emperor, and deciphered the coded
diaries in which the writer recorded his
bouts
b of womanising;
“suisses”
“ were breasts,
Switzerland being known
S In modern times, as popular culture
ffor milk. More loyally, in
pre-revolutionary France,
p the two worlds have become still more
tthe playwright Pierre
Beaumarchais ran a front
B ma footage shot by Lowell Thomas of
ccompany for the French
ccrown smuggling arms
tto George Washington’s
rrebels in America. The
fforce that won the deci-
ssive victory over the Brit-
iish at Saratoga was largely
equipped by hihis operation.
hidden talents Top: The Dutch striptease artist Mata Hari,
the French actress and who worked for the Germans in France
spy Mistinguett. Above: during the First World War, became syn-
the CIA funded the 1954 onymous with espionage. Less well known
animated adaptation of are the contemporaneous exploits of the
Orwell’s Animal Farm French actress and singer Mistinguett, at
the time the world’s best-paid female
entertainer, who wheedled out of a Prus-
sian prince the location of Germany’s final
offensive of the war.
As well as gathering information, crea-
tive types have been used to undertake a
wide range of associated activities. These
have included code-breaking (at Bletchley
Park during the Second World War the ac-
tor Frank Birch was deputy director) and
what intelligence services term “influence
operations”, the projection of propaganda.
began to exploit the appeal of secret work,
intertwined. It was, for example, the cine-
Lawrence of Arabia in action behind the
lines that really created the soldier’s repu-
tation, even if what the eye saw was not
entirely reliable. A famous sequence show-
ing Lawrence having his camel shot from
under him during the attack on Aqaba
concealed the fact that Lawrence had
accidentally shot the beast himself.
Film work also offered coverage for
arguably the most effective Soviet agent of
the 20th century. Arnold Deutsch, who re-
cruited the Cambridge Spies in the 1930s,
worked at the time for the Odeon cinema
chain run by his cousin Oscar Deutsch.
Increasingly, those with experience of
intelligence work, among them Somerset
Maugham and Graham Greene, began to
write books that drew on their secret lives.
Ian Fleming had been involved in the cele-
brated Operation Mincemeat, which used
a corpse dressed as a British officer to fool
the Germans into thinking that the Allies
would land in Greece rather than Sicily.
Another imaginative wartime deception
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
KEYSTONE-FRANCE/GETTY IMAGES
was the creation of a bogus map that alle-
gedly showed Nazi plans to conquer South
America. Devised by Eric Maschwitz, who
in civilian life wrote the lyrics to songs such
as These Foolish Things, it helped to con-
vince President Roosevelt to aid Britain’s
cause even before Japan brought America
into the war. Maschwitz ended up as head
of light entertainment at the BBC.
The FBI had already appreciated how
film could help to fight its battles — Ron-
ald Reagan made his name on screen as
undercover agent Brass Bancroft — and in
the 1950s the CIA bought the film rights to
Animal Farm and funded the animated
adaptation of Orwell’s novel. The official
in charge, E Howard Hunt, later became
infamous for organising the break-ins that
became the Watergate scandal.
Histories of intelligence must often be
content simply to unearth what has been
hidden rather than being able to discern
broader patterns, and given the challenges
posed by its being a collaboration, Stars
& Spies would have benefited from firmer
direction, not least because it contains
few real revelations. Yet as a treasure
trove of human ingenuity, and testament
to our need to tell and believe stories, it
deserves a front-row seat at any budding
Bond’s bedside.
All rise: the Beyoncé of the legal world
Melanie Reid finds
inspiration in the life
of a ‘plump, speccy
swot’ who became a
Supreme Court judge
T
he wider public became aware of
Brenda Hale in 2019 when, as
president of the Supreme Court,
she delivered the judgment that
Boris Johnson’s attempt to pro-
rogue Parliament was illegal. Amid the
divisive frenzy of Brexit, it was a constitu-
tional bombshell, and the small grey-
haired woman with a large spider brooch
on her dress became an instant celebrity.
Or rather the spider did. Within hours it
was trending on Twitter, had T-shirts print-
ed in its honour and was being interpreted
as a coded message that Lady Hale — I’m
defying the Times style rule to call her by
her surname; you’ll see why later — had
trapped her prey. Hadn’t the Who recorded
a song about Boris the Spider, who came to
a sticky end? But in her memoir she firmly
puts us right.
She wore brooches solely to enliven aus-
tere judicial clothing; frogs, dragonflies
and bees, each pinned to a different outfit.
That particular dress always carried a spi-
der. In fact the usual spider had dropped
off and she had replaced it that very morn-
ing with a £12 one from Cards Galore. Fur-
thermore, she was unaware of the song
and had she realised there would be specu-
lation, wouldn’t have worn it. Case closed,
although I’d love to know if she has ever
listened to the Who.
Lady Hale definitely has a sense of
humour, but not when it comes to matters
of impartiality. Without profound serious-
ness, hard work, ambition and intellect, a
little girl from a Yorkshire village doesn’t
have an astonishing career arc such as hers:
the first person from her school to go to
Cambridge, the first woman on the Law
Commission, the first female Law Lord, the
first female Supreme Court justice and its
first woman head, the pinnacle of the law.
Born in 1945, she grew up in Scorton,
near Richmond, a self-described short,
plump, speccy swot. Her family were mid-
dle-class outsiders: her father the head of
an independent boys’ grammar school; her
mother, formerly a teacher, its caretaker.
From the start their middle daughter was
immersed in books and the ethos of educa-
tion. She attended the local primary, sat
her 11-plus aged ten, the only child in her
year to pass, and went to the girls’ high
school in Richmond.
When she was 13, however, family life
was shattered. She remembers she was
playing with her younger sister in the
grounds of their father’s school when they
saw an ambulance pull up at the door and
someone being carried into it. Only later
did they discover it was their father, who
had had a heart attack. He died two days
later, aged 49.
Lady Hale comes from a long line of
strong-minded women, but watching her
devastated mother resume teaching as a
single parent made her determined to forge
a career at all costs. Her book reveals how
her experiences nurtured a core theme in
her life’s work: compassion towards women
and the inequalities they face.
Originally keen to study history, even
though her teacher doubted she was clever
Lady Hale
The pioneering senior judge
discusses her memoir Spider
Woman on Monday, October 11
cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature
SUPREME COURT/PA
web sensation enough, she took up law, entering a man’s
Lady Hale wearing her world and a justice system weighted against
distinctive spider brooch women and families. At Girton College,
in the Supreme Court Cambridge, in the early 1960s, her lecturers
in criminal law refused to talk about sexual
offences if women were in the room. She
watched “irritatingly entitled young men”
sail into unmerited positions; underwent
pupilage at the Bar by a barrister who didn’t
approve of women in the job, and particu-
larly at the dinners; saw magistrates re-
quired to ask wives to reconcile with violent
husbands and industrial tribunals tell
women to “dry their tears and look for other
employment”. She hated wigs because they
were men’s wigs, denying female barristers
Spider Woman and judges the right to assert their gender.
A Life Humane, fearless and clever, she shook
by Lady Hale off the vestiges of impostor syndrome and
set out to address unfairness where she
Bodley Head, 288pp; £20 encountered it. “I have never been afraid
to call myself a feminist . . . but I have not
always been popular for doing so,” she
writes. When she became a Law Lord one
of her fellow justices wrote in his diary:
“Brenda will be a source of anxiety until we
adjust to the very different contribution
she will make.” She now gets a laugh quot-
ing the line in lectures.
Most of the book is about these battles,
the reforming legislation she pioneered
and the judgments she influenced. At the
Law Commission, what her male col-
leagues called “Brenda’s weird child law”
became the Children Act 1989; her work
also shaped the Family Law Act 1996 and
the Mental Capacity Act 2005, all land-
mark modernisations. As a judge she
brought a female perspective to numerous
key cases, among them child custody and
family disputes, the right to free abortions
in England for Northern Irish women, and
the right for women to be rehoused if stay-
ing at home would lead to violence against
them (she praises The Archers for its story-
line on Helen Archer’s coercive husband).
Feminism, not grandiosity, seems to be
behind a career-long preoccupation with
correct titles. As a High Court judge, she
saturday review 13
supported an unsuccessful attempt in 1994
to have both sexes referred to as Justice +
surname, instead of, in her case, Mrs Justice
Hale. In 2001 she relished being one of
three women Appeal Court justices sitting
together and addressed for the first time as
“My Ladies”. I honestly can’t decide whe-
ther she’s being droll in her displeasure
about the rarity of Dame on drop-down
website menus, but I’d certainly hate to call
her the wrong thing.
While she is at ease describing her child-
hood, including a fleeting mention of a
schoolgirl romance with a carpenter’s
apprentice, she clams up about her adult
private life. She met her first husband, John
Hoggett, when they were both lecturers at
Manchester University. “Here at last was
someone who was extremely clever him-
self and was not put off by the thought that
I might be almost as clever as he was.” In
1973 their daughter, Julia, was born very
prematurely, weighing 3lb 4oz, after Lady
Hale had spent weeks on hospital bed-rest
with pre-eclampsia. Reluctantly, she fol-
lowed advice to have no more babies.
Beyond that, there are only tantalising
personal scraps, but enough to glean that
she’s fun: her party piece is singing On
Ilkley Moor Bar t’At and getting everyone
to join the chorus. She confesses she is
“a bit of an actress”, remains a fan of Geor-
gette Heyer’s period novels and her
default expression, she says, is a smile.
There is no mention of divorce, unless it
is so skilfully buried that I missed it; only in
passing do we learn that she and another
former Manchester University colleague,
Julian Farrand, who went to work at the
Law Commission at the same time, “did
eventually run away together” and marry.
She is similarly oblique about her daughter,
whose situation she refers to in relation to
legal debate over a non-birth mother’s pa-
rental rights to an IVF baby. Happily, one
gathers Lady Hale is now an established
grandmother. Yet very sadly, just months
‘Are we to feel sorry
if men are afraid
they will lose their
privileged position?’
after her retirement from the Supreme
Court last year at the age of 75, her husband
died unexpectedly. “My life is now nothing
like I expected it to be,” she writes.
But what a life, what a story. The woman
once dubbed by students “the Beyoncé of
the legal world”, whose heraldic motto is
omnia feminae aequisssimae — women are
equal to anything — played a role in help-
ing to modernise and humanise British
society. Spider Woman is restrained, warm,
dryly funny, fairly legally dense and an
inspiration to all women to aim high. I’d
have liked less law and more of the woman
herself, but lawyers will disagree.
In 2017, during the interview for the top
job, she was asked how her colleagues
might feel about her being “so vociferous”
about the need for more women. She
seethed inwardly and gave an anodyne
answer. What would have happened, she
wonders now, had she said what she really
thought? “Are men such delicate flowers
that their feelings will be hurt if women
push for more equal opportunities? Are we
to be blamed for doing so? Or are we to feel
sorry if they are afraid that they will lose
their privileged position? Surely not.”
Whatever her title, Brenda Hale rocks.
14 saturday review
books
A tale of harlots
and hypocrites
This history of
prostitution, from
1800BC to now, shows
us how little changes,
says Gerard DeGroot
I
n 1444 King Charles VII named Agnès
Sorel his royal mistress, the first Harlots, Whores
woman officially designated as such in
France. In exchange for sexual favours, & Hackabouts
she received enormous rewards, her A History of Sex for Sale
title an acknowledgment of her sexual by Kate Lister
prowess. The king’s generosity towards Thames & Hudson,
her, however, contrasted sharply with his 256pp; £20
repressive policies towards the sex trade in sex sells Lucas Cranach the Elder’s painting Old Man Beguiled by Courtesans, c 1537
general. While he was cavorting with
Agnès, “girls and women of ill repute” were
rounded up and forced to work in state-
run brothels, with the government taking
a large cut of the profits.
In other words, the king’s policy towards
prostitution was riddled with hypocrisy.
That’s nothing new. Granted, Sorel was
not strictly speaking a prostitute, but sex
was her commodity. As Kate Lister argues:
“What is meant by a ‘prostitute’ can vary
considerably but however [the word] is
deployed it is tangled in assumptions
about a woman’s morality and worth.” The
higher up the social scale, the less shame is
attached to the woman who sells her body.
The nomenclature reflects this hierarchy:
mistress, courtesan, concubine, harlot,
whore. The “prostitute” is judged accord-
ing to the wealth and power of her patron.
Last year Lister published A Curious
History of Sex, a delightful combination of
serious research and irreverent commen-
tary. That book and her popular Whores of
Yore website have established her as a
leading (or at least the most outspoken)
authority on the history of sex. Harlots,
Whores and Hackabouts is a more serious
book about the history of sex for sale. It’s
still occasionally funny, but its main pur-
pose is to uncover how “stereotypes,
stigma and sensationalism have obscured
the lived experience of people selling sex”.
Lister begins with the legend of Sham-
hat the harlot, the earliest surviving story
of transactional sex, told in The Epic of Gil-
gamesh around 1800BC. She concludes
with a discussion of the Charter for Prosti-
tutes’ Rights, adopted at the World
Whores’ Congress in 1985, part of a cam-
paign to decriminalise the sex trade. Along
the way, she travels through classical
Greece, medieval London, Renaissance
Italy, Edo Japan, the Qing dynasty, 19th-
century France and Nazi Germany.
Around the world and across the ages,
reactions to the sex trade have remained
remarkably the same. Sex has always been
a popular commodity, but one that pro-
vokes shame and censure. Governments,
fretting about the trade, have “moved
through various stages of repression, toler-
ation, legalisation, control, moral outrage
and abolition, before circling back again”.
The range of Lister’s scholarship is im-
pressive, but the plethora of evidence she
provides merely reinforces a few recurring
and disturbing truths.
During phases of repression, govern-
ments have tried to eradicate the trade by
imposing severe deterrents — on sellers
rather than customers. In medieval
London, for instance, women accused of
“common harlotry” had their heads
shaved and were paraded through the
streets wearing a striped hood. They were
then taken to Cock Lane where they were
forced to sit in a thewe, a pillory specially
designed for women. Harsh though that
might seem, the punishment pales in com-
parison with Bologna, where a 1259 statute
held that any woman caught selling sex
would have her nose cut off.
More recently, the Nazis sent prostitutes
to concentration camps such as Ravens-
brück, where they were forced to work in
camp brothels. In Maoist China, prostitu-
tion was seen as inherently capitalist; the
guilty were sent to re-education camps
where they were often sexually abused.
A common punishment throughout the
ages has been to banish “fallen women”.
Between 1718 and 1775 “prostitute” was the
second most common category among
British women transported to the colonies.
Outcasts, separated from friends and
family, would become even more likely to
resort to prostitution, especially since the
‘Common harlots’
were taken to Cock
Lane and forced to
sit in a pillory
wages have always been more lucrative
than what could be earned in a sweatshop.
Stated simply, repression has never
worked because demand never dies. Nor
does poverty, the single most important
motivator for women who enter the trade.
Punishment forces prostitution under-
ground, into the seedier parts of cities. In
14th-century London sex could be bought
in Gropecunt Lane, Codpiece Alley,
Whores’ Nest and Sluts’ Hole. Prostitutes
in 18th-century China could be found on
“lob-lob boats” in the harbours of big cities.
San Francisco and New York had their
aptly named Tenderloin districts. Vene-
tians in the 14th century forced prostitutes
into an area called Castelletto, accessed by
the Ponte delle Tette — or Bridge of Tits.
Between clients they fortified themselves
with pasta flavoured with puttanesca
sauce, which, translated literally, means
“cooked in the whorish fashion”.
Recognising the futility of repression,
Napoleon tried tolerance instead. Prosti-
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
HERITAGE IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES
tutes were licensed and subjected to
bi-monthly vaginal examinations. In
truth, there was nothing new about this
approach; in the 15th century the bishop of
Winchester forced the “stewhouses” to
conform to 36 regulations governing the
sex trade, including the food that could be
served in brothels and the opening hours
on religious holidays. Women were in-
spected for the “sickness of burning”.
While tolerance of this sort was un-
doubtedly more humane than cutting off
noses, it never succeeded in regulating the
trade. As Lister argues, all efforts to police
prostitution fell at the same hurdle: “It is
very difficult to define what counts as
prostitution.” A brothel is easy to identify,
but not all “prostitutes” worked in one.
“What about kept women, professional
mistresses or the countless women who
were happy to occasionally top up their
income by indulging the lusts of wealthy
men?” Regulations and inspection applied
only to suppliers, seldom to customers.
Lister is a historian, but also an enthusi-
astic advocate for the rights of sex workers.
Her two roles occasionally clash; she
doesn’t pretend to objectivity in this book.
That hardly matters, however, because she
uses her knowledge to expose an ancient
injustice, namely the persecution of work-
ers in an industry that society deems both
reprehensible and essential.
Harlots, Whores and Hackabouts is a fas-
cinating book about a subject too often
swept under the rug. It’s also very beauti-
ful, magnificently designed and packed
with superb photos. The illustrations are
appropriate because sex is, after all, an in-
tensely visual thing. This is a coffee-table
book that packs a powerful bite. There are
erotic drawings from China, photos of the
“seat of love” that the Prince of Wales
(later Edward VII) installed at his favourite
brothel in Paris and reproductions from
Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies, an
almanac of London’s sex workers pub-
lished from 1757 to 1795. The most in-
triguing illustrations, however, are those
of prostitutes looking entirely normal.
Lister’s book is by no means comprehen-
sive, but it doesn’t need to be. The same tale
of hypocrisy repeats itself ad infinitum. “It
is testament to the sheer resilience of the
sex trade,” she argues, “that the London
authorities have yet to find a way to stamp
it out despite over a thousand years of
trying.” The same could be said of Beijing,
New York or Berlin. Maybe, just maybe, it’s
time for a new approach.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
A liberal-baiting Silicon Valley supervillain
The billionaire tech
investor Peter Thiel
is a fascinating
and odd character,
says Hugo Rifkind
The Contrarian
Peter Thiel and
Silicon Valley’s
Pursuit of Power
by Max Chafkin
Bloomsbury,
400pp; £25
P
eter Thiel? Pronounced “teal”,
like the green. Or the duck. He’s
not Mark Zuckerberg and he’s not
Jeff Bezos. He’s not Elon Musk,
although now you’re getting
close. Nothing to do with Napster, Google,
Twitter or Apple. He’s the guy who said,
brilliantly: “We wanted flying cars, instead
we got 140 characters.” And yet, he’s also
the one behind PayPal, which is not at the
“flying car” end of the digital revolution.
Still, he wants the super-rich to be free to
live on oil rigs and pay no tax, and he wants
to live for ever.
Max Chafkin’s The Contrarian is a por-
trait of a man who in some respects utterly
defies the Silicon Valley tech overlord
archetype, but in others could be respon-
sible for creating it. I’ve read a lot of these
people’s origin stories and they’re usually
pretty similar. The geeky child, normally
of immigrants, brilliant at maths, gets his
first computer, learns to code, finds his
people, boom.
Thiel’s story begins this way, but veers
off, early on. Crucially, he never seems into
computers. He’s a keen techno-evangelist
today, at least in his enthusiasm for finding
immortality through parabiosis, other-
wise known as one organism being grafted
on to another, perhaps leaving you looking
a bit like the rebel leader in Total Recall.
His great successes, though, are essential-
ly ones of venture capitalism, after spot-
ting the first dotcom boom before most.
“Great, I want to invest,” he said, when a
friend told him about budding technology
that allowed payments to be sent between
Palm Pilots, and he did, to the tune of
$250,000. The resulting service became
PayPal, which was bought by eBay for
$1.5 billion. Thiel owned only 3.7 per cent
of it by then, but $55 million isn’t bad. Later,
as immortalised in the film The Social Net-
work, he put half a million dollars into the
fledgling Facebook, in exchange for about
a tenth of it. That holding would go on to
earn him in the region of $2 billion.
Today, Forbes puts his wealth at about
$4.3 billion, which is paltry compared
with the $200ish billion of his PayPal
co-founder Elon Musk. Yet Thiel’s influ-
ence on Silicon Valley hasn’t all been about
cash. He is also an evangelist of ideas.
PayPal began as a libertarian dream;
money swapped between individuals with-
out the need for banks or governments.
There were similar ideas, later, behind bit-
coin. Facebook would become famed for
Zuckerberg’s motto of “move fast and break
things”, but it was his mentor Thiel who
with PayPal pioneered the idea of disrupt-
ive, runaway growth above all else.
Throughout his career, Thiel seems to
have benefited from two particular char-
acter traits. One, clearly, is that he is very
clever. The other is that people don’t like
him. Born in 1967 to a German mining en-
gineer and his wife, he spent the first year
of his life in Frankfurt before moving to the
US. Fellow kids remember him as being a
control freak at Dungeons & Dragons and
a really, really bad loser at everything, par-
ticularly at chess. At high school, fellow
pupils would bully him by collecting “For
Sale” signs from other houses and planting
them in his front yard.
At Stanford University, having been a
small and effeminate teenager, he became
something of a gym bunny. Still, nobody
liked him, and he didn’t like them either. As
Chafkin puts it, it was a time of partying
and unseriousness, and Thiel objected to
all of it, and became an object of ridicule.
After an argument, a room-mate stuck a
fake commemorative sign on the dorm
ceiling that read “Under this spot, Peter
Thiel first said the word ‘f***’ ”, which
stayed there, unnoticed by its victim, until
somebody told him on the last day of the
semester and he wordlessly took it down.
Each morning, Chafkin writes, he would
“walk to the water fountain and make a big
show of taking his vitamins, one by one,
always at the same time, in the same
order . . . as if intent on showing his class-
mates that he was, in every way, superior to
his hungover peers”.
According to classmates, he would fre-
quently defend apartheid (he lived in
South Africa as a child for a while), includ-
ing once to a black student without a flick-
er of awkwardness. As another classmate
puts it: “He viewed liberals through a lens
as people who were not nice to him.”
Inspired by the writing of Ayn Rand, he
founded the Stanford Review, a magazine
of right-wing provocation, which railed
against what we would now call wokeism.
Diversity and feminism were frequent
ALBIN LOHR-JONES/POOL VIA BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
‘friends for life’ targets, but contributors were particularly
Donald Trump with enraged about what they considered to be
Peter Thiel, a member the promotion of homosexuality, which,
of the president-elect’s with Aids at its height, included condom
transition team, in initiatives. This, even though a great many
New York in 2016 of the contributors were gay, as indeed is
Thiel. Which, Chafkin writes, “is both
strange and entirely predictable”.
Thiel seems to wind up liberals almost as
much as liberals wind up him. Gawker, a
bitchy gossip website network, spent a
while in the mid-2000s reminding readers
that he was gay whenever possible. “Peter
Thiel is totally gay, people,” was one head-
line. Often the website — itself run by the
liberal gay journalist Nick Denton — is
accused of having outed him, but Chafkin
quotes an employee as saying: “It wasn’t
even an open secret, it was just open.”
Probably it was the generalised mockery,
of which there was also plenty, that bother-
ed Thiel more.
Thiel’s revenge was elaborate, calculat-
ed and terrifying. By covertly bankrolling
unconnected lawsuits, including by the
wrestler Hulk Hogan over a sex tape, he
succeeded in bankrupting Denton and
forcing Gawker into liquidation. Perhaps
it’s just the journalist in me that sees this as
real supervillain stuff.
Along the way he was thriving, most
recently with Palantir, a data firm believed
to be widely used by US defence and intel-
ligence. At some points, he even seems to
He wants the have been happy, enjoying his wealth, em-
bracing his sexuality and, as an employee
super-rich to put it, “letting his freak flag fly”. Increas-
be free to live ingly, in the background, there would be a
bevy of attractive young male protégés.
on oil rigs Yet if you imagine all that lurking Ran-
dish libertarianism must have been going
and pay no somewhere, you’d be right. Thiel’s exact
tax, and he involvement with the American alt-right
remains murky, but he was certainly
wants to live intrigued. “Peter’s not a Nazi,” is how one
for ever far-right activist puts it to Chafkin. “Nazi-
curious, maybe.” More transparently,
saturday review 15
while the bulk of Silicon Valley viewed the
rise of Donald Trump with undisguised
loathing, Thiel embraced him. “We’re
friends for life,” Trump told him, after
Thiel spoke in his support at the Republi-
can national convention of 2016. On
election night Thiel threw a party in San
Francisco and invited all the local Trump
supporters he knew. “It was not a huge
crowd,” we learn, consisting of about 20
people, many of whom worked for him.
Thiel ended up on Trump’s transition
team, but the results were forlorn. He had
enough influence with Silicon Valley to
broker an extraordinary meeting between
the president-elect and tech bosses includ-
ing Musk, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Larry
Page and Eric Schmidt of Google, Sheryl
Sandberg of Facebook, Tim Cook of Apple
and senior execs from Cisco, IBM, Micro-
soft and Intel simultaneously.
But he may have overestimated his influ-
ence with Trump himself. He suggested
150 people for senior government roles, but
almost none was appointed. For science
adviser he suggested a climate change de-
nier; for the Food and Drug Administra-
tion he put forward candidates who didn’t
believe regulating drugs was necessary.
“Peter’s idea of disrupting government is
out there,” Trump’s former strategist Steve
Bannon says, and that’s something coming
from him. In the end, it may be that Trump
was too much of a moderate.
Chafkin’s title — The Contrarian — nods
towards the slight flaw with this fascinat-
ing book about this fascinating man, which
is that there is a little bit too much going
on with Thiel for any sketch to quite do
him justice. There is no space to discuss
his pension, in which he has reportedly
stashed billions, or his association with
New Zealand, which involved him wran-
gling for citizenship, buying a 470-acre
plot and sparking a whole trend of tech
bosses seeking apocalypse-ready bolt
holes there, before seemingly losing inter-
est in the country altogether.
His relationship with Musk could be a
book in its own right. Early on in their
association, Musk drove Thiel to meet in-
vestors in an uninsured McLaren F1 worth
$1 million, and crashed it. They ended up
having to hitchhike, and it’s feasible the re-
lationship never quite recovered. Much
later Musk would ask Thiel to invest in
Tesla. He said no, Musk says, in part
because “he doesn’t fully buy into the
climate change thing”.
There is also — and one writes this very
cautiously — a slight whiff of bullshit
about the man. His data firm Palantir has
often profited from the suggestion that it
was intimately involved in the finding of
Osama bin Laden. Yet according to one
journalist quoted: “No one I spoke with in
either national security or intelligence
believes Palantir played any significant
role in finding bin Laden.”
His politics, meanwhile, come across as
just a little bit basic. I mean, it’s all just “rich
people should be allowed to do anything”,
isn’t it? I wanted more. You wonder what
Zuckerberg, Musk and the like think when
he calls; whether it’s “Hey, this will be fasci-
nating!” or whether it’s more “Oh, God,
him again, pretend I’m in the floatation
tank”. You also wonder if he knows that,
and that’s what the bitterness is all about.
As if, while rubbing shoulders with so
many brilliant people, there’s a small part
of him that has never quite come to terms
with being merely very, very clever.
16 saturday review
books
Dear diary: back
to the world of
David Sedaris
The humorist’s eye
for the peculiar is as
sharp as ever in this
new set of journals,
says Ben Dowell
A Carnival
of Snackery
Diaries 2003-2020
by David Sedaris
Little, Brown,
566pp; £20
T
here’s a moment late into his
volume of diaries when the
American humourist David
Sedaris remembers what it was
like to be poor. It’s March 2020
and he’s checking out of the Ritz in Santi-
ago and his bank card has been declined.
It’s just a technical blip, but he finds himself
being treated differently and feeling
self-conscious about looking like a “tramp”
although his sweat-stained bandana cost
$160. His airport car is cancelled, he has to
take an ordinary taxi (quelle horreur), and
it’s only when he arrives at the destination
that he returns to the life he enjoys now.
“Executive platinum,” a soothing voice
tells him. “Please, sir, come with us.”
There’s another airport entry from 2014
where he’s watching, rapt, a man drinking
juice from a bottle while chewing tobacco,
the brown spittle oozing down the sides.
Typically he wonders, “How much would
someone have to pay me to drink that?”
“Thirty years ago I’d have done it for $50,”
Sedaris writes.
If the 64-year-old Sedaris knows one
thing in this new set of diaries it’s what a
paperbacks
Hurdy Gurdy by Christopher
Wilson Faber, 272pp, £8.99
Here’s that rare thing — a funny,
picaresque novel about the Black
Death. Hurdy Gurdy is narrated by
Brother Diggory, a novice in the
obscure Order of St Odo. He is 16,
sweet-natured and unkissed.
Diggory, a holy innocent, admits
that “in recent months, I find my
thoughts, like wanton, frisky goats,
stray from the pastures of my work
— my daily tasks of prayer — and
jump the fence of discipline”. Worse
still, it is the Year of Our Lord 1349
and soon the pox will be upon his
monastery. He will have to leave
very different creature he is to the one
presented in the first volume, Theft by
Finding, which covered the years 1977 to
2002. Then we found him often drifting
through art college cadging jobs (decor-
ating houses or working as a Christmas elf
in Macy’s department store), hitchhiking,
taking far too many drugs, at one point
being thrown out of the North Carolina
family home by his grouchy Republican-
voting dad possibly because he had just
come out as gay.
If that was “David Copperfield Sedaris”
(as his partner of more than 30 years,
Hugh Hamrick, describes volume one),
this collection presents Sedaris the urbane
globetrotter with a growing portfolio of
homes in London, Paris, New York and of
course West Sussex, where he enjoys Eng-
lish summers and litter-picking (some-
thing, he decides, that makes him look
like a tramp, but actually marks him out as
bourgeois). In 2014 Horsham district
council named a “garbage truck” after him.
Diaries can be private spaces, but these
recollections were clearly written with
public dissemination in mind. He couldn’t
write a bad sentence if he tried, but it’s their
performative nature that gives his work a
beautiful rhythm. The timbre of his lovely,
soft, slightly high-pitched, slightly lisping
voice echoes in your head as punchlines
are deftly delivered.
It also means that diehard Sedaris fans
will spot the seeds of anecdotes that
became longer essays or stories we have
already heard on the radio. Like the one
about him watching a man at an airport
leaving an uneaten pizza; not wanting to
see the food go to waste, Sedaris pops over
and polishes off a slice and returns to his
seat, only for the man to later return from
the toilet to pick up where he left off. What,
Sedaris wonders, would the man think if
he had caught him in the act?
It must be exhausting being Sedaris, of
course, constantly reaching for his small
notebook, collecting strange people as a
and walk alone in a dangerous, fallen
world. What could possibly go wrong
for a naive, callow youth with raging
hormones, a hostage to “Man’s
braggart, dangling parts”? So we
follow him on his adventures among
sin-eaters, lepers, indulgence-sellers,
possessed pigs and, the most curious
of the lot, women. “Not only are
there some fine jokes and
entertaining set pieces,” Robbie
Millen wrote in his review, “Wilson
conjures up the gloriously upside-
down medieval world view.” A cure
for pandemic gloom.
The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander
Boschwitz Pushkin, 266pp; £8.99
This rediscovered thriller became
one of the year’s surprise bestsellers
when it came out this year. As the
violence of Kristallnacht shatters
The author David
Sedaris in 2018
In his own
words
September 7, 2010;
London: I told Zoe [his
publicist] that before
buying our cottage in
West Sussex, we
considered one called
Faggot Stacks that
was located between
the villages of Balls
Cross and Titty Hill.
Americans die
laughing at those
names but Zoe, who
is British, remained
straight-faced and
told me that as a
child she’d spent her
summers in Slack
Bottom, which is in
Yorkshire midway
between Slack Top
and Big Dike.
July 1, 2017; Raleigh,
North Carolina: My
favourite person at
last night’s signing
was a 50-year-old
man who lives with
his mother. “What do
you do for a living?”
I asked. “Well,” he
said, “I’m mentally ill.
And that keeps me
pretty busy.”
Berlin in 1938, the wealthy Jewish
businessman Otto Silbermann crams
money into a suitcase, hoping to flee
the country by train. But has he left
it too late? And will his identity be
exposed before he can cross the
border? What makes this thriller
particularly notable is that it was
written in four weeks after the events
of Kristallnacht in November 1938
by a 23-year-old writer who was in
exile in Sweden. Ulrich Alexander
Boschwitz made it to Britain by 1939,
was interned as an enemy alien and
then packed off to Australia. After
reclassification as a “friendly alien”
he was freed in 1942 and set off back
to Britain on a troopship that was
sunk by a German U-boat. Boschwitz
lost his life, aged just 27. The thriller
reviewer James Owen called it “a
very welcome rediscovery”.
lepidopterist would butterflies. When he
sees a grandmother being vile to her
granddaughter (“You. Are. A. Very. Self-
centered. Child!”) on the Eurostar in 2010
he wants to admonish the woman for
being an “asshole”. But he then finds
himself “jealous” of the little girl and hopes
she is keeping a diary for the great stories
this woman (“a gold mine dressed like a
gold miner”) is unwittingly bestowing.
When Sedaris was a boy his father was
pretty mean to him too, but the adult writ-
er knows the benefits. It also helps that he
travels a lot (well, before Covid anyway)
and his drivers offer endless material. He
dislikes those who politely ask how his
flight was, preferring the one who tells the
story of the baby who had an arm chewed
off “by pigs”. Readers also do their jobs at
his many book-reading events. One
woman in Albuquerque told him that her
pug “scratched at his bandage with his
back leg so hard that his eyeball literally
popped out of his head. And he ate it.”
Cruelty and kindness, tragedy and joy
rub fabulously together as they always do
in Sedaris world. He follows a story about
a restaurant serving smoked whale by dis-
closing that he has been raped three times
in his life. In 2013 his troubled sister Tiffa-
ny killed herself, but Sedaris doesn’t dedi-
cate as many entries to her as you might
expect and much about this awful event
(which he has written about elsewhere)
goes unsaid. I’d sniff self-censorship if he
wasn’t such a relentlessly honest chroni-
cler, so I suspect he was being respectful
and sensitive to the rest of his family. The
passage where he learns of Tiffany’s death,
hoping it was one of her jokes and that it
would be a “bridge that would bring us
back together”, is one of the most intensely
moving bits in the book.
Girl A by Abigail Dean
HarperCollins, 336pp; £8.99
Survivor’s guilt propels this debut
novel of suspense. In a well-
controlled narrative, Alexandra is a
lawyer based in New York. As a child,
however, she and her siblings were in
the public eye in Britain after being
rescued from a “house of horrors”.
They had endured years of abuse at
the hands of their father. Now that
their mother has died, in prison, it
falls to Lex as her executor to contact
her brothers and sisters about their
inheritance. Lex’s telling, ranging
back and forth in time, mostly leaves
it to the reader to imagine what
was inflicted on the children, but
gradually reveals the scars it left. And
beneath layers of self-protection, Lex
may be more damaged than she
seems. “VC Andrews for Generation
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
ULRICH BAUMGARTEN/GETTY IMAGES
His father, an unerringly brilliant, if not
always likeable, character, is on his last legs
by the end of this volume, ending the dia-
ries aged 96 and in a home (he died in
May). The father-son sparring makes for
gripping reading, but there are some lovely
moments of filial soul-searching too.
Sedaris agonises about whether he loves
his father, saying he has no good memories
of him, hating the way he voted against
same-sex marriage in a referendum, loath-
ing his devotion to Trump and Fox News.
Then he discovers that the dad who often
used to call him a “big fat zero” as a child
regularly called his local newspaper leav-
ing anonymous messages notifying them
One driver tells him
the story of a baby
who had an arm
chewed off ‘by pigs’
of a piece his son had in The New Yorker
and insisting they write about him.
His diaries meander pleasingly from 7/7
through to the Donald and Brexit (and you
sense this impeccable liberal slightly fall-
ing out of love with this country after the
2016 vote). But while he clearly cares about
politics (and cancel culture) they are usu-
ally the backdrop to a rich array of human
(and often animal) stories. Only he could
watch the television drama masterpiece
The Wire and dwell on the amount of
littering done by the drug dealers of Balti-
more. He’s not missing the point, though.
That is the point of David Sedaris, a man
whose ceaseless curiosity about human
beings and eye for the peculiar is as
unusual as it is delightful, wise, funny and
hugely life-affirming.
Z,” the thriller reviewer James Owen
said of the book, a bestseller that is
being adapted for the screen.
JFK: Volume One by Fredrik
Logevall Penguin, 792pp; £14.99
This first volume of the life of John F
Kennedy covers the first 39 years of
his life, from birth to the point where
he decided to run for the presidency.
The Harvard historian Fredrik
Logevall received universal praise
for this work, which challenges the
standard account of JFK being an
accidental president and that his
elder brother Joe Jr had been the one
groomed by his father for the highest
office. Daniel Finkelstein in his
review said that the two-volume
sequence was likely to become the
definitive biography. There is no firm
date for volume two.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
The defeat of the Spanish
Armada in 1588
When England was a failed state
The violent years of
the Stuart dynasty
are told through
the eyes of foreign
observers. Review
by Leanda de Lisle
Devil-Land
England Under Siege
1588-1688
by Clare Jackson
Allen Lane, 684pp; £35
D
evil-Land is the story of the rise
and fall of the Stuart dynasty in
England, as seen through the
eyes of our often confused
European neighbours. It begins
with the execution of Mary Stuart, in 1587,
and ends with the coronation of William
and Mary, in 1689, both events taking place
in the shadow of foreign invasion.
The Spanish effort of 1588 failed. The
Dutch effort, a century later, is described
by Clare Jackson as the first successful
invasion of England since the Norman
Conquest. Not so. The Welsh Tudors owed
their crown to a successful invasion led
from France in 1485. Kings must win their
battles and Richard III lost his to Henry
Tudor at Bosworth Field. They must also
have sons if their dynasty is to continue.
In a striking phrase, Jackson refers to the
“biological bankruptcy”, which, by 1587,
had left Henry’s granddaughter Elizabeth
I endangered by an array of would-be
successors. Elizabeth had destroyed the
claims of her leading English Protestant
heirs, the Seymours, leaving her elite fear-
ful of the accession of a foreign Catholic.
The beheading of her cousin Mary, Queen
of Scots, the former consort of a king of
France, confirmed our reputation in
Europe as “fallen angels”, rebels with a
habit of murdering monarchs.
A year later Philip II, the Spanish king,
sought to impose his blood claim as the
senior descendant of John of Gaunt. Al-
though the Armada sank, Devil-Land
describes how, for another 100 years,
England was “under siege”. But was it?
England’s rulers certainly felt besieged. As
Jackson says, “to contemporaries and
foreigners alike, 17th-century England was
a failed state; a byword for seditious rebel-
lion, religious extremism and regime
change.” Hence the anonymous Dutch
pamphleteer who in 1652 thundered that
England — “Angel-land” — should be
rechristened “Devil-land”.
Jackson, a Cambridge history don, also
reminds us this period saw Protestantism
shrink from claiming nearly half of Europe
to one fifth. This was not merely a result of
the military prowess of Catholic powers; it
was also the result of the missionary
success of the reformed Catholic Church
that flourished after the Council of Trent.
The English response was the persecu-
tion of the country’s Catholic minority
that inspired tracts all over Europe de-
scribing English cruelty. There were hopes
that Mary, Queen of Scots’s Protestant
son, James, who succeeded Elizabeth in
1603, would end the persecution. The
Gunpowder Plot was an expression of
disappointment that he did not. It was
also a reminder that England’s religious
policy was dependent on the wishes of
the monarch.
James had been invited to be king by the
English Privy Council, but like Elizabeth
he feared Protestant as well as Catholic
zealotry. The assassination of Henri IV of
France in 1610 by a fellow Catholic was a
reminder that fanatics murdered mon-
archs of their own faith if they did not
believe them to be “true” believers. James’s
theories on divine right kingship were his
response to claims that it was virtuous to
kill monarchs of the “wrong” religion.
Yet James also had to deal with the
reality that however divine his rights, his
MPs held the purse strings. In the words of
a Venetian observer, “parliaments are
the Indies and Peru of England”, which
potentially offered monarchs access to
vast funds. James had no taste for war, the
most expensive of royal pastimes, which
allowed him long periods of rule without
parliamentary interference. However, his
peace policy gained him little respect after
his son-in-law, Frederick V, the elector
Palatine, triggered the Thirty Years’ War.
Frederick’s accepting the crown of Bo-
hemia from rebels against the Habsburg
Holy Roman Emperor had ushered in
what a Venetian historian called “the Age
of Iron and Blood”. James did not win any
battles, but nor did he lose them and he
did produce an heir: his son Charles who
Foreign succeeded in 1625. The Bodleian librarian
Thomas Lockey observed in 1633 that
thoughts Charles, in turn, had had more children
than Henry VIII had sired by six wives.
Charles did, however, lose a succession
6 After four decades of battles against Spain and France, in the
in England, the Tuscan Protestant cause. An attack on Cadiz in
Petruccio Ubaldini 1625 ended with the ears of English sailors
concluded the English decorating Spanish hats. A disastrous
had a “mortal and invasion of France in 1627 meant that the
dangerous hatred of glorious victories of “Poitiers, Cressy,
all foreigners” — Agincourt, all lie buried”. The man judged
indeed it was easier responsible, Charles’s favourite George
“to find flocks of Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was assassi-
white cows than one nated the next year. The murderer, John
Englishman who loves Felton, was compared by the attorney
a foreigner”. general, Sir Robert Heath, to the killer of
6 A 17th-century Henri IV. In other words, Buckingham was
adage ran that the a surrogate for the king.
Spanish king was “Rex There was not only anger over Charles’s
Hominum, the king military failures, however, there were also
of men”, comfortably concerns that Charles I’s ceremonial style
reliant on his subjects’ Church of England was undermining its
loyalty; the King of traditional moderate Calvinism. The
France was “Rex
Asinorum, the king
king’s enemies used claims of “Romish
conspiracy” to attack his reforms.
of asses” because he During the early 1630s Charles kept
levied exorbitant England at peace and called no parlia-
taxes on his suffering ments. His “personal promotion of Protes-
subjects; the king of
England was “Rex
tantism was displaced into architectural
edification”, Jackson tells us, describing
Diablorum, the the immense portico he built for St Paul’s
king of devils, by Cathedral. The French taste of his wife,
reason of their Henrietta Maria, prevailed at court, while
many rebellions”. the ranks of ambassadors were expanded
6 In 1624 the Venetian to include an official envoy from the Pope
ambassador reported: who bought works of art, or “trumperies
“Matters are in a state from Rome” as the Puritan William
of fluctuation, not to Prynne called them.
say decadence; every Despite this cosmopolitanism, ambas-
day brings its novelty, sadors found the English peculiar. “No
and the novelties nation in Europe is more haughty and dis-
are but detestable. dainful,” one Frenchman recorded. They
Nothing is more stable “adore all their own opinions”. Another
than instability.” French envoy noted: “Everybody thinks it
6 The French his right to speak of the affairs of state, and
physician Samuel de the very boatmen want the milords to talk
Sorbière observed in to them about such topics while they row
1666 that “the English them to Parliament.” The result was they
may be easily brought had “contracted all the instability of the
to anything, provided element by which they are surrounded”,
you fill their bellies, namely, water.
let them have freedom It turned out that the Scots were no bet-
of speech, and do not ter. Charles’s peaceful idyll ended when he
bear too hard upon tried to impose an Anglican-style prayer
their lazy temper”. book on his stroppy Presbyterian country-
men. Losing to the Scots rebels paved the
saturday review 17
road to the English Civil War. Mercenaries
from all over Europe fought for both the
royalist and parliamentarian cause, but
despite fears that France or Spain would
intervene the only foreign nation to do so
was Scotland, first for parliament and later
for the king.
There was shock and anger when
Charles was executed by his enemies, who
in doing so had decapitated the principal
threat to their anti-episcopal brand of Prot-
estantism. “We are here in utter chaos,” the
Spanish ambassador wrote three days later.
With parliament purged they were living,
“without religion, king or law, subject
entirely to the power of the sword”. Yet
despite all the huffing and puffing Spain
was quick to recognise the republic.
When Cromwell became Lord Protec-
tor “all the kings of this earth”, said one
contemporary, “prostrated themselves
before this idol”. A royalist described the
conspicuously present foreign ambassa-
dors as “damned lick-arses”. In France
Cardinal Mazarin grieved when the man
A royalist described
the ambassadors
to Cromwell as
‘damned lick-arses’
he described as “a great hell-cat” died. The
Stuart restoration in 1660 owed more to
the collapse of the republic than to the
meddling of any foreign power.
Instead of continental armies, there
was reinvasion of French culture. Jackson
quotes a popular play in which a Sir
Richard Plainbread arrives in London to
discover the horror of French cuisine (om-
elettes!). More dismaying still, after the
accession of James II, was the new king’s
openly professed Catholicism. When he
had a son, the prospect of a future line of
Catholic monarchs destroyed support for
his crown and his son-in-law, William of
Orange, led his Dutch invasion.
In truth the siege of England had been
more about perception than reality. De-
spite the fear of the advance of Catholicism
in Europe, as Jackson’s wonderfully clear
and original history suggests, after the
Armada, there were only rare and fearful
attempts by Europe’s great powers to poke
at this strange Devil-Land. And in the face
of the Popish threat, we chose our foreign
rulers for ourselves.
18 saturday review
books
Ignore the
loons: we’re a
rational bunch
Steven Pinker makes
the optimistic case for
sweet reason. Review
by Tom Chivers
T
he past 18 months have, in a way,
been a stark advertisement for
the benefits of believing true
things. True beliefs about the
dangers of Covid and the things
that reduce them have saved lives; false
beliefs have ended lives, in fairly large
numbers. It’s a good time to be rational.
You may think it unfortunate, then, that
this has also been a time when humanity is
widely believed to have reached peak irra-
tionality. You can’t move for crazy beliefs,
often held by influential people — the
Democrats run a paedophile ring out of a
Washington pizzeria; climate change is a
Chinese hoax; biological sex doesn’t exist.
And you may also think it unfortunate that
the human brain is so beautifully designed
for irrationality, crammed as it is with
flaws such as confirmation bias, as you’ll
Joyless? Prudish? Milton has been
This biography sets out to rescue the
great author from his grimly puritan
reputation. Review by Paul Lay
P
uritans abhor music, so the cliché
goes, and for many John Milton,
the poet and polemicist, is the
archetypal puritan. Yet the house
in the City of London in which he
was born in 1608 was full of music. Milton’s
father, a moneylender, was an amateur
musician of some distinction and Milton,
who was said to have “a delicate, tuneable
voice”, was astoundingly sensitive to
sound. He described the passages of
Paradise Lost that came to him at night as
“harmonious numbers” and his works are
peppered with musical terminology.
Milton’s lifelong obsession with the in-
tensely musical language of Italy was one
of physical, rhythmical relish. Handel and
Haydn would be among those who set his
words to music. Paradise Lost is best per-
formed aloud; listen to Anton Lesser’s
masterly recording and luxuriate in the ba-
roque cadences and sonorous vocabulary
born of a mastery of a host of languages.
Joe Moshenska, professor of English lit-
erature at University College, Oxford, is
astute in placing music, especially rhythm
(a word neither Milton nor Shakespeare
used) and its visceral relationship to the
body, at the root of this original, penetrat-
ing, cleverly constructed and occasionally
frustrating biography. It takes its title from
a phrase uttered in Paradise Lost by the
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Rationality have read in pop-psychology books with
What It Is, Why names such as Predictably Irrational.
Steven Pinker, in his new book Rational-
It Seems Scarce, ity, wants to make the opposite case: man
Why It Matters really is the rational animal. He points out
by Steven Pinker that hunter-gatherer tribes in the Kalahari
Allen Lane, 412pp; £25 will use sophisticated methods to establish
facts: if the tracks of a kudu show that it
rested to one side of a tree, they will use the
angle of the sun to estimate the time at
which that side was in shadow, and thus
how long ago the antelope passed. The
tribe’s survival rests on the ability to assess
those facts accurately, so that their hunts
are successful and they can eat.
Pinker spends most of the book on the
first clause of the subtitle, what rationality
“smooth-tongued” devil Belial, arguing,
not entirely convincingly, that the horrors
of Hell “will grow mild, this darkness light”.
Moshenska makes light of Milton and
his works as he traverses 11 crucial days in
his life. It is occasionally, in Moshenska’s
words, “too full of its author”; Moshenska
never misses an opportunity to declare
ostentatiously his distaste at the failings of
Milton’s age, such as the brutality of his
rigorous schooling, his chauvinism, his
misogyny and even his alleged racism. Yet
it would be harsh to be overly critical of a
brave study that offers much insight.
Having written 19 poems in Latin, six in
Italian and one in Greek, Milton com-
posed his first great poem in English in
1629: On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,
also known as The Nativity Ode. A medita-
tion on the birth of Christianity, it employs
Making Darkness a “shadowy cast of vanishing demons and
idols” that would become a blueprint for
Light his later epic, a poetry of difficulty, com-
The Lives and Times plexity and ambiguity.
of John Milton After eight more years of “studious re-
by Joe Moshenska tirement”, a period of near maniacal learn-
ing, Milton wrote “perhaps the greatest
Basic, 456pp; £25 short poem in English”. Lycidas is a strange,
disquieting elegy to Edward King, a fellow
Cambridge student who drowned. Its
“day-star” and “new-spangled” beams
would even, Moshenska argues, resonate
across the Atlantic in the US national
anthem, Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled
Banner. Lycidas also revealed Milton’s
growing opposition to the highly ceremo-
nial, “popish” Church of England dominat-
ed by Archbishop William Laud during the
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
is. He talks about different aspects. Formal
logic, putting together syllogisms such as,
“all things made from plants are healthy;
cigarettes are made from plants; therefore
cigarettes are healthy”, and our ability to
tell whether those syllogisms are valid
or not. Game theory, making decisions
that take into account other people’s deci-
sions, and how individually rational be-
haviour can lead to collectively irrational
situations.
Yet in the end they all come down, it’s
fair to say, to believing true things and
making decisions that achieve your goals.
A person is rational in so far as they make
the best use of the evidence available to
believe true things about the world and to
maligned
Personal Rule of Charles I. Their flock of
“hungry sheep look up, and are not fed”.
In the late 1630s Milton made his way to
Europe. Moshenska indulges his imagina-
tion to seat Milton beside the diplomat and
“self-confessed papist Englishman” Ken-
elm Digby at the ambassador’s residence
in Paris. Moshenska uses this fictional
encounter to demonstrate Milton’s belief —
at odds with his own time and, sadly, ours —
that “difference had to be actively courted
and transformatively encountered”. In
Florence, he almost certainly met Galileo
(the “Tuscan artist” of Paradise Lost), but it
was a Venetian, dead for 15 years, who
would leave the greatest impression.
Paolo Sarpi had been chief propagandist
of the Republic of Venice during its dispute
with the papacy over the appointment of
bishops in its mainland possessions. As a
result Venice was effectively excommuni-
cated in 1606 and it was Sarpi who argued
its case. The ambassador to Venice, Henry
Wotton, introduced Milton to Sarpi’s work
and the free-thinking priest became the
most quoted figure in the poet’s common-
place book. It was on his return to England,
soon to descend into civil war, that Milton
transferred his energies from poetry to
prose, embracing the ideas of Sarpi, not
least on matters of marriage and divorce.
In 1642 Milton had married Mary Pow-
ell, just 15 years old and “auctioned off” by
her indebted father. Husband and wife,
unhappy together, were soon separated
for three years by civil war. It is this rela-
tionship that has done most to create the
image of Milton as a “joyless, prudish,
ARTUR WIDAK/PA
act in ways that achieve things that they
want to achieve.
He makes a good case for the basic
rationality of humans — he points out that
many of the things we consider irrational,
such as children who “fail” the marshmal-
low test and eat one marshmallow now
rather than waiting 15 minutes and having
two, are not obviously so. A child who
doesn’t trust the experimenter might not
believe that the second marshmallow is
forthcoming. By analogy, someone who
doesn’t believe that the pension fund will
still be solvent in 40 years might be ration-
al not to invest in a pension, even if the
numbers supposedly line up.
Similarly, our tendency to believe crazy
things such as QAnon conspiracies stems,
he says, from the different roles beliefs play
in our minds. Our beliefs about our daily
lives, such as the best way to do our job,
need to be accurate and so usually are.
Other beliefs, about, say, far-off things like
the universe or politics, often play a role
that is more to do with signalling group
membership than directly navigating the
world. It may be rational to be a climate-
change denier if your social circle is all
crazy gang Antivaxers climate-change deniers: your belief in cli-
and conspiracy theorists mate change will have almost no effect on
can make us feel as if the climate, but will have a profound effect
we have reached peak on your ability to get on with your friends.
irrationality It is, of course, a matter of perspective —
he acknowledges that irrationality is real.
When we are told that one treatment will
It’s too easy at save 200 out of 600 patients, but another
treatment has a one third chance of saving
the moment all 600, but a two thirds chance of saving
to believe nobody, we want the first. When we’re told
that one treatment will let 400 people die,
that we’re but the other has a one third chance of no
one dying and a two thirds chance of 600
surrounded people dying, people want the second. But
by idiots they’re the same choice in different words.
Pinker, though, wants to say that the fash-
rhythm master
Portrait of John Milton
misogynist”, one encouraged by the
fictional treatments of Robert Graves (in
Wife to Mr Milton) among others.
The situation inspired Milton’s The Doc-
trine and Discipline of Divorce, published Unhappily
in 1643. In caustic language Milton wrote
of “two carcasses chained unnaturally
married,
together” and the “grind in the mill of an Milton wrote
undelighted and servile copulation”. The
fierce polemic suggested that other socie-
that ‘husband
tal bonds might also be broken. “As a whole
people is in proportion to an ill govern-
and wife
ment, so is one man to an ill marriage.” In grind in the
an age of civil war it is not hard to see
where such logic might lead.
mill of an
Areopagitica, his prose masterpiece pub- undelighted
lished in 1644, argued that censorship was
“wrong, misguided, and ineffective”. Again, and servile
Milton took his cue from Sarpi, believing
that evil must be known and confronted if
copulation’
ion for pointing out human irrationality
has gone too far, and wants to emphasise
how rational we really are.
It’s a fun, fast-paced book — Pinker, as
always, is a lucid writer and a wise one. And
he explains tricky concepts simply and
well. That said, if you’re a long-term reader
of his, you may not find that it reaches the
heights of his great works — The Language
Instinct, How the Mind Works and The Bet-
ter Angels of our Nature. Those books felt
like a glimpse into a great mind working at
the cutting edge of human understanding.
Rationality is thoughtful and intelligent ,
but there are many books that contain
much of the same material. Julia Galef’s
The Scout Mindset covers similar ground,
but is better. Perhaps it’s diminishing re-
turns — the more books you read by the
same insightful author, the fewer insights
you’ll glean from each new one — and a
second-tier Pinker book is still better than
most authors’ best work, but it’s not as
knife-sharp as some of his earlier offerings.
The last two chapters, on why we think
rationality is declining and why rationality
matters, are the strongest. He makes the
case that reason drives almost all of hu-
manity’s progress — that even apparently
morally inspired social reforms such as the
abolition of slavery or women’s suffrage
were sparked by logical, rational argu-
ment. I wish this was expanded to more of
the book; I buy the argument he’s making,
but people who don’t believe it already
probably won’t be persuaded.
Still, it’s a good read. If nothing else, it’s
too easy at the moment to believe that
we’re surrounded by idiots — fools to the
left of us, jokers to the right; antivaxers,
conspiracy theorists and all these things.
It’s good to be reminded that humans are
pretty bright and have done pretty well.
Tom Chivers is science editor at
unherd.com
it were to be conquered. For the rest of the
civil war Milton was relatively quiet, but he
re-emerged in 1649 after the execution of
Charles I, an act that he defended repeated-
ly. He became secretary for foreign tongues
under the Commonwealth, although he
became critical of the increasingly monar-
chical trappings of the Protectorate of
Oliver Cromwell, whom he had dubbed
“Our Chief of Men”. By then entirely blind,
he was quiet amid the chaos and pandemo-
nium that followed Cromwell’s death and
survived the “vengeful remembrance and
tactful forgetting” of Charles II’s Restora-
tion despite his defence of the regicide.
It is Paradise Lost, in which he mines “the
satanic, angelic, human, divine”, that floats
above the later decades of his life. William
Blake, an admirer, thought Milton “of the
Devil’s party without knowing it”, and his
Satan is a sympathetic, almost heroic char-
acter. The complexities of Paradise Lost
prompt Moshenska to ask what Milton
really believed. According to his De Doctri-
na Christiana, lost until the 19th century, he
appears not to have subscribed to the Trin-
ity. For Milton, the Father precedes, and
creates, the Son. Socinianism, as this doc-
trine was known, was perceived to be
heretical because it confused the human
and the divine, separating Christ from
God, as The Nativity Ode had anticipated.
In Milton’s final years his many enemies
cited Virgil’s “horrifying monster, form-
less, huge, devoid of sight”. He preferred
the association of blindness with “pro-
phetic illumination”. In Samson Agonistes,
which emerged three years before his
death in 1674, he portrayed “a blind, defeat-
ed, heroic” figure bent on divine revenge.
Like Cromwell, Milton remains the font of
passionate disagreement, “out of time and
at one with it”. Read him aloud.
saturday review 19
fiction shorts
Siobhan Murphy on
a literary trial, an
Irish family saga and
a social-media satire
Tenderness by Alison
T
MacLeod Bloomsbury,
M
640pp;
6 £18.99
This
T is a beast of a book,
juggling
j big ideas, multiple
narrative
n strands and a
formidable
f amount of
research,
r which in the
endd proves quite
it overwhelming. It
spins around DH Lawrence and Lady
Chatterley’s Lover. We have a vividly
drawn Lawrence, incorrigible yet
captivating, broke and struggling with
the censors, interspersed with a tale of
how Jackie Kennedy’s interest in Lady C
hands the FBI boss J Edgar Hoover a
chance to scupper JFK’s White House
bid. Plus the story of a Cambridge
ungrad who loses her virginity amid the
“dirty books” collection in the university
library, then plays a key role in the Lady
C trial of 1960 (recounted in blow-by-
blow detail). Modern parallels are drawn;
the transcendental nature of great
literature is celebrated. It’s a work of
huge imagination, and rather exhausting.
T Ghostlights by
The
Gráinne Murphy
G
Legend, 284pp; £8.99
L
IIrish fairy lore says the
gghostlights lead the lost
home. For the eternally
h
rrestless and dissatisfied
Marianne, that’s the B&B
M
iin Coolaroone
C l run by her widowed
mother, Ethel, and twin sister, Liv. She
has ended up back there one Easter
weekend after a disastrous row with her
boyfriend, only to discover that her mum
has turned into a hopeless stop-out
drunk not averse to offering “favours” to
the local men in exchange for a couple
of drinks. The mysterious death of one of
the B&B guests brings life into focus for
all three women. Gráinne Murphy laces
a tale of life’s disappointments with a
delightfully wry humour, and conjures
the inhabitants of Coolaroone — claim
to fame: a “miraculous” statue of Our
Lady that was once seen to move — with
incisive strokes, deft turns of phrase and
great warmth.
T End of the World
The
IIs Flat by Simon Edge
Lightning, 331pp; £8.99
L
A small one-issue charity
ccampaigns for people to
use maps that reflect the
u
way the world really is.
w
IIt achieves its goal —
hurray! Then it’sit hijacked by a tech
billionaire who believes the world is flat
and will bankroll this well-regarded
charity to convince everyone else of
his delusion. A newly installed boss
harnesses the dark manipulative power
of social media, and some biddable
academics; soon Twitter is thrumming
with pious types claiming that anyone
with a “globularist” world view is a racist
“Terg”. Real-life consequences soon
follow . . . Sound familiar? Simon Edge —
a voice of sanity in the Twitter hellscape
— wears his anger remarkably lightly
as he skewers the shocking state of the
trans rights row with some nifty, often
snort-inducingly funny satire.
20 saturday review Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
GETTY IMAGES

books
Move aside, Mantel:
this book brings
the Tudors to life
educate the reader. There is none of that in
rereading this novel, published in 1952. Hilda Prescott
doesn’t explain. She writes as if she’s seeing
this landscape and its people. Reading her
The classic historical prose is less like looking at words on a page
novel The Man on and more like looking through a window.
She was an academic (her biography of
a Donkey thrusts Mary Tudor won the James Tait Black prize
Frank Cottrell-Boyce in 1941) and familiar with the manners and
customs of the England of the 16th century.
into Henry VIII’s time Perhaps that’s why it never occurs to her
that the reader might need them explained.

I
have no idea how this book got into our
house. I would occasionally notice its
fat, battered spine on the bookcase and
wonder what it was. Then a few weeks
ago I got talking to my youngest about
which fictional worlds we’d really like to
visit: Earthsea, Middle-earth, Blandings
Castle. He said England — but the
England in The Man on a Donkey.
I said: “What even is it? What made you
read that?” “It’s about the Pilgrimage of
Grace and it’s the most immersive book
I’ve ever read.” I told him not to use the
word immersive again in my hearing,
picked up the book and began. Half an
hour later I was . . . immersed. There really
is no other word for it.
The story — or “chronicle” — takes place
against the background of Henry VIII’s di-
vorce from Catherine of Aragon, the Disso-
lution of the Monasteries and the Pilgrim-
age of Grace, the great uprising in 1536
against Henry’s religious policies. Great
historical figures — Henry VIII, Anne
Boleyn, Cardinal Wolsey and the rebel
leader Robert Aske — appear and are
brought vividly to life. But somehow this
doesn’t feel like any other historical novel.
Ever since Walter Scott, part of the
pleasure of historical fiction has been to
She doesn’t tell you about the times, she in-
vites you to inhabit them.
Then there’s the sheer scope of the book.
Yes, there are great historical figures, but
there’s no controlling point of view. The
chronicle unfolds through an accumula-
In a dark time Hilda
Prescott rebuilt a
lost England from
memory and notes
tion of anecdotes, scenes and glimpses.
Here’s Henry tuning out of a conversation
with one of his lords because he has heard
Anne’s voice down in the garden. Here’s
Wolsey walking flat-footed and head
down out of the palace that the king has
just confiscated from him.
But The Man on a Donkey is less about
the great figures who shape historical
change and more about what it’s like to live
through it. The way it hits us. What will
happen to the nuns in Marrick Priory
when it is closed, for instance. And in parti-
cular what will happen to the prioress’s
favourite cup — made out of cokernut and
treasured since childhood. The only com-
road to ruins Whitby
Abbey, North Yorkshire.
HFM Prescott’s book
takes place against
the background of the
Dissolution of the
Monasteries
parison I can make is with those Renais-
sance paintings of the Nativity or the Cru-
cifixion where the wealthy patrons appear
in the painting alongside Joseph, Mary
and the shepherds and cattle. In those
paintings everything is held together by its
relation to a great event — the birth or
death of God — rather than by any coinci-
dence of their lives.
We often assume that the people of the
past were like us but in fancy dress. Histori-
cal novelists make their lead characters
more sympathetic by making them more
like us. Think of Kevin Costner’s Robin
Hood going around delivering babies and
being tolerant of Islam, or Hilary Mantel’s
tolerant, pragmatic Thomas Cromwell.
Prescott, on the other hand, makes you feel
what it’s like to see and feel the world differ-
ently. Christabel Cowper, the prioress of
Marrick, is ambitious and vain. But she’s al-
so prayerful and considered. I love that her
vanities are so small — a silk veil and that
cokernut cup. You really get a sense of how
little these people had and what pleasure
they could find in the smallest luxuries.
The novel was written during the
Second World War, when Prescott didn’t
have any direct access to the primary
sources she drew on so brilliantly. In a
dark time she rebuilt a lost and shining
England from memory and notes. Then
told the story of its destruction. Maybe
there’s a resonance there with this past
year or so when we have all been thrown
back onto our own inner resources.
Immerse yourself.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an award-
winning author of childrens’ fiction.
His latest book is Noah’s Gold

Prepare to have your mind bent

And this does indeed dovetail neatly
with the “biographical material” Burnet
has “collected” on Braithwaite that occu-
pies alternate chapters. One of the psy-
chologist’s controversial ideas stems from
two years ago, in response to a blogpost he his belief that RD Laing’s notion of a “div-
James Walton enjoys had written on the once controversial, now ided self” relied on an obvious falsehood:
a clever page-turner forgotten (and fictional) Sixties psycholo-
gist Collins Braithwaite, he’d been con-
that we have an authentic inner self in the
first place. Instead, Braithwaite argues,
about a rogueish tacted by a man whose cousin had been a we’re a bundle of “present-in-the-moment
Braithwaite client in 1965. Would Burnet selves”, all of which are as authentic — or
Sixties psychologist like to see the notebooks she had written at inauthentic — as any other, and none of
the time? which should be under the tyranny of an

G
raeme Macrae Burnet earned
a deserved place on the 2016
Booker shortlist with His
Bloody Project, a novel about a
triple murder in the Scottish
Highlands of the 1860s. Not that everyone
realised it was a novel. The premise was
that Burnet had come across the case
while researching his family history. He
then presented the documents he had
supposedly discovered (witness state-
ments, court reports, the killer’s memoir)
so convincingly that some bookshops filed
it under true crime. If a similar thing
happens with the equally artful Case
Study, you might want to check in the
psychology section because it’s certainly
worth finding.
In the preface Burnet “explains” that
To begin with, Burnet wonders if this is
a prank. If so, however, it’s quite an elabo-
rate one, given that the five notebooks run
Case Study to nearly 200 pages. Once he has read
them and done some fact-checking, he
by Graeme Macrae decides that they “dovetailed neatly” with
Burnet his biographical research into Braithwaite
Saraband, 278pp; £14.99 and thus would “form the basis of an inter-
esting book”.
He is, as it soon turns out, right. The
unnamed client is a shy, sexually repressed
Londoner in her twenties who lives with
her widowed father and treats herself to
the occasional pot of tea at a Lyons’ Corner
House. She also holds Braithwaite respon-
sible for the death of her high-flying sister
Veronica, who had been consulting him in
the weeks before her suicide. To explore
this theory further, she books weekly
perfect plot Graeme Macrae Burnet
sessions with him, posing as Rebecca
Smyth, a more confident and distinctly
racier woman than herself.
It’s as Rebecca, too, that she meets the
hunky Tom, relying on her alter ego to do
the requisite flirting and generally behave
like “a Jezebel”. Or at least that’s how she
tells it in the notebooks. Yet might it be that
Rebecca is the more honest self-portrait
and the mousy tea-drinker the fictional
construct?
imagined “persisting-over-time Self”.
Hence his declaration: “To escape des-
pair, don’t kill yourself; kill your Self.” The
trouble is, of course, that this idea isn’t
entirely distinguishable from just doing
whatever the hell you feel like at whatever
cost to others — which is pretty much
Braithwaite’s own MO.
Such admittedly lofty themes might
give the impression that Case Study is a
rather punishing chin-stroker of a novel.
In fact, Burnet’s triumph is that it’s a page-
turning blast, funny, sinister and perfectly
plotted so as to reveal — or withhold — its
secrets in a consistently satisfying way.
It also does a fine job of keeping our sym-
pathies shifting, and of conjuring up a lost
cultural era. Rarely has being constantly
wrong-footed been so much fun.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
bestsellers
audiobook
of the
week
A Calling for Charlie
Barnes by Joshua Ferris,
read by Nick Offerman,
Penguin, 11hr 25min
“Steady Boy”, as
Charlie Barnes is wryly
nicknamed, is 68 years
old, an ever-sanguine,
ever-failing Chicago
businessman who has just
been diagnosed with
incurable pancreatic
cancer. In the general
estimation of his family
he’s “a big fat fraud”. But
as Jake, the only member
of his family still to hold
him dear, chronicles his
father’s failed marriages
and over-optimistic
inventions, we grow
increasingly fond of
Charlie. Wishful thinking
and a relish for novelty
are his watchwords. His
priority is domestic bliss.
Although worshipping
the go-getting American
dream, he has a distinct
moral compass. He
“flickered uncertainly
between a knight in
shining armour and one
more jerk who would
come and go, and no-one,
not even he, could say
which way for certain it
would ultimately break”.
Adding huge value to
the novel is its narrator,
Nick Offerman, whose
own bestselling self-read
books (see Paddle Your
Own Canoe: One Man’s
Fundamentals for
Delicious Living) are kin
to Charlie’s eccentricities;
he has a warmly bullish
but measured voice that
brings out all the humour
and wisdom of the novel.
Christina Hardyment
saturday review 21
Graeme Macrae Burnet
The novelist talks about a writer he
loves and reads from his own work
on October 11 & 12
cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature
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THE NUMBER IN PARENTHESES REPRESENTS CHART POSITIONS LAST WEEK. DATA SUPPLIED BY WATERSTONES FOR THE WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 25
2017 became a Hollywood film starring Sense, rather than the sort of Josephine away to enact the chemistry for their
children’s book Jacob Tremblay as the boy and Julia
Roberts and Owen Wilson as his
Pullein-Thompson horse story its title
might suggest. Silas Bird, a 12-year-old
counterfeiting scam, the boy begins a
quest to find him. With the help of
of the week parents. It was a hit and a
phenomenon, packed with
boy who shares the resilience and
temperament of Wonder’s
Mittenwool, a ghost who has been his
friend since childhood, a craggy US
precepts about the value Auggie Pullman, sees dead marshal, a sheriff and his deputy, and
Alex O’Connell enjoys of being nice, and it people. We are in the Pony, an almost magical Arabian who
developed its own 1860s, in the aftermath arrives with the gang of men and
a supernatural tale hashtag, #choosekind. of the American Civil becomes Silas’s rock, he hunts down
set in America’s past Palacio’s second novel
has been almost a
War, in a fictional rural
nowheresville.
the beautifully drawn baddies.
Palacio, left, is a fantastic writer and
Pony (11+) by RJ decade coming (word Silas’s mother died the action scenes — ravine jumps,
Palacio, Puffin, is she tore up her first shortly after his birth shoot-ups, wrestles — are thrillingly
294pp; £12.99 attempt after five years and he lives a spartan but told as she weaves in American history
RJ Palacio first came and changed direction emotionally rich life with and thoughts on the spirit world and
to our attention with radically). Well, #goodcall, for his book-loving father, Simon, where it rubs up against our own.
Wonder, her debut it’s well worth the wait. a photographer ingenious with My own visions? Prizes and a film
novel, about a boy Pony is reminiscent of Tanya daguerreotypes and chemicals. When adaptation, but more importantly, a
with a severe facial Landman’s historical adventures crossed a bunch of hardmen turn up at their story that will take many children on
difference, which in with the supernatural thriller The Sixth house on horses and take Silas’s father the ride of their literary lives.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
tv & radio Full seven-day listings & previews
Critic’s choice
The Mating
Game
Sun, BBC1, 8pm
There is a double fix of David
Attenborough tomorrow. On
BBC4 he appears in the
excellent classical music film
Listening Through the Lens
(see below). But first he is on
more familiar ground, where
his unmistakable tones are
heard offering explanations
of the lengths animals will
go to in their desire to
provide offspring.
The series is not short on
behavioural quirks and its
makers have spent two and
a half years filming the
courtship rituals: ostriches
dancing, topi antelopes
jousting and male nursery
web spiders giving flies to
their desired females. The last
is an extraordinary sequence,
but arachnophobes beware if
you’re watching on a large
screen. It’s amazing that
Attenborough’s series keep
finding fresh insights. Did you
know that an African termite
queen will produce more than
a quarter of a billion offspring
in her lifetime? That’s the kind
of fact that becomes more
astonishing the more you
think about it.
James Jackson
Best of the rest
Ridley Road
Sun, BBC1, 9pm
A new four-part undercover
drama sending us back to
1962 London, where a young
Jewish woman must infiltrate
a neo-Nazi organisation.
Agnes O’Casey, right,
is captivating enough
to carry a darkly
potent story.
Midsomer Murders
Sun, ITV, 8pm
DCI Barnaby returns,
stranded in a house during
a storm with the suspects in
the murder of a board-game
magnate, who was impaled by
a statue of Anubis.
Animals’ courtship
rituals are revealed
in The Mating Game
Listening Through the Lens
Sun, BBC4, 9pm
Daniel Barenboim and David
Attenborough are among
those contributing to a
lovingly assembled film about
Christopher Nupen and his
decades of films about
classical music.
Blair & Brown:
The New Labour
Revolution
Mon, BBC2, 9pm
They were “the Lennon
and McCartney of Labour
politics”, one former
speechwriter of Tony Blair
and Gordon Brown suggests
at the start of this superb
re-examination of the New
Labour project.
Dementia & Us
Tue, BBC2, 9pm
A valuable and inevitably
moving new series following
individuals in early stages of
dementia over two years.
Murder Island
Tue, Channel 4, 9.30pm
Eight members of the public
try to sleuth their way to a
£50,000 prize by solving a
murder mystery written by
Ian Rankin. Interwoven with
dramatised scenes to give a
sense of the victim’s story, this
is a real genre mash-up. JJ
The best films
Judas and the Black
Messiah (15)
Sky/Now
Potent undercover thriller
about an FBI informant spying
on the Black Panther Fred
Hampton, played by an
Oscar-winning Daniel
Kaluuya, right.
I Wake Up
Screaming (PG)
Today, Talking
Pictures TV, 7pm
An early film noir
from 1941 stars
Victor Mature and
Betty Grable, but it’s
Laird Cregar stealing the show
as a villainous detective.
Rocketman (15)
Today, Channel 4, 9pm
Suitably flamboyant romp of
a biopic, with Taron Egerton
superb as the extroverted
introvert Elton John.
If Beale Street Could
Talk (15)
Sun, BBC2, 9.45pm
Barry Jenkins’s follow-
up to Moonlight is a
dreamlike romance
set in 1970s Harlem,
where a couple are
kept apart by the
era’s racism. JJ
saturday review 23
Radio choice
A Home of
Our Own
Mon, Radio 4, 1.45pm
Here’s a novel approach to
a programme about the
challenges facing Britain’s
housing market in 2021 —
look at ten homes, one each
weekday, and reveal the
stories they have to tell. The
presenter Lynsey Hanley
begins her journey in Cornwall
with Hillside Cottage in St
Mawes. It is owned by Phil
Salter, 79, who bought the
17th-century fisherman’s
cottage in 1989 after selling
his ex-council house. Hillside
is worth more than £1 million.
Hanley discovers what
Salter’s cottage tells us about
the impact of council house
sales — Margaret Thatcher’s
right-to-buy policy was much
criticised when it came into
force in 1980 — and of second
homes in Cornwall.
The house historian Melanie
Backe-Hansen fills in the gaps
in the life of Hillside, which
started as a storehouse for
fish. Paul Cheshire, an
emeritus professor of
economic geography at the
London School of Economics,
talks about the context of
Cornwall’s overheated
property market. Over the
course of two weeks the series
will visit houses of all shapes
and ages, from a new-build in
west Belfast to a handsome
Georgian-style terrace in
Newcastle and the tenements
of Glasgow. Each property will
offer a unique perspective on
the UK’s housing crisis.
Debra Craine
Podcast choice
In Our Time
bbc.co.uk
In Our Time forges ahead, as
brilliant as ever. Where else
could you find successive
episodes on Herodotus,
crocodiles and Anne Brontë?
Learning that crocodiles once
walked on their hind legs will
cheer me up for the rest of my
life. James Marriott
24 saturday review
Saturday 2 | Viewing guide
Critic’s choice
Strictly Come Dancing
BBC1, 6.45pm
They’ve broken in their
dancing shoes and the 15
contestants face the first
elimination weekend, albeit
without the pop star Tom
Fletcher and his professional
partner, Amy Dowden, who
tested positive for Covid-19
and cannot take part this
week. The standard has been
pretty high, although a few
contestants were given some
stern pointers last week. The
head judge, Shirley Ballas,
and Motsi Mabuse were
surprisingly stingy with their
scores, while Craig Revel
Horwood seemed to be on
extraordinarily generous
form. All the judges’ pencils
will be sharper for tonight’s
live show (the results are on
BBC1 tomorrow at 7.05pm).
Early stars last week included
AJ Odudu, right with Kai
Widdrington, who performed
an extraordinary jive that
Ballas said was worthy of a
week nine dance. Also getting
Royal Academy
Summer
Exhibition 2021
BBC2, 8pm
This year’s summer exhibition,
overseen by the British-
Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare,
aims to put a smile on the face
of art lovers with its theme of
magic. After the past 18 months
it seems like a noble objective,
not least because Covid has
shunted the event to the
autumn. The presenters Kirsty
Wark and Brenda Emmanus
examine what is on its walls,
talking to Cathie Pilkington,
the new keeper of the Royal
Academy Schools, before
joining the Summer Exhibition
preview party. BD
Catch
up
Y: The Last Man
Star/Disney+
Based on the sci-fi comic-book
series by Brian
K Vaughan and
Pia Guerra, this
ambitious,
high-concept
thriller is set in a
post-apocalyptic
world where only
one man and his
monkey survive after
all other mammals
with a Y chromosome
die. We meet our gas-
masked protagonist,
the amateur escape
artist Yorick Brown
nicely into groove was Rhys
Stephenson, while the gangly
BBC breakfast presenter Dan
Walker earned some decent
(if faint) praise. “I thought
you were going to be awful,
but you were terrific,” Anton
Du Beke told him. Some of
the competitors touched the
heart. The deaf contestant
Rose Ayling-Ellis was
sensational and charming,
and it was lovely to see her
professional partner, Giovanni
Pernice, learning to sign.
The former rugby player
Ugo Monye also performed
strongly on what he revealed
was the day of his father’s
funeral. Less adept was the
Dragons’ Den panellist Sara
Davies, who Revel Horwood
said gave more of a walk than
a dance. The comedian Robert
Webb also has work to do,
although his exuberance
and sense of fun should be
enough to keep him in for a
few weeks yet. Ben Dowell
Britain’s Forgotten
Wars
Channel 4, 8pm
Tony Robinson puts the civil
war in the former Yugoslavia in
the spotlight, a conflict that he
says we have put to the back
of our minds because most of
us don’t understand it and
don’t want to think too much
about the atrocities that took
place. The film picks apart its
origins in the rise of nationalist
leaders in Serbia and Croatia
in the early 1990s, after the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
They played on fears to shore
up their power base, according
to the journalist Misha Glenny,
effectively playing with
matches in front of an array
of “terrifying fireworks”. BD
(Ben Schnetzer, below), and his
simian friend on the corpse-
laden streets of New York City
in scenes that will be familiar
to fans of The Walking Dead,
although the dead in this case
aren’t walking anywhere.
The action then rewinds to
the day before the mysterious
cataclysmic event that caused
males to be (almost)
completely wiped out,
introducing the cast of
characters who will
be pivotal to Yorick’s
future and
the new
world order.
Joe Clay
Blankety Blank
BBC1, 9pm
After all the energy and
movement of Strictly, BBC1
turns to the sedentary charms
of the revived comedy quiz
show. The new presenter
is Bradley Walsh (filling the
mighty shoes of Terry Wogan
and Les Dawson), but the
theme tune and oo-er Carry
On-style silliness are the same,
as is the chequebook and pen
awarded to the loser of the
opening round and the rubbish
prize in the Supermatch game
(this week it’s a cast-iron
cooking set). The panel of
celebrities filling in the missing
blanks are Adjoa Andoh,
Martine McCutcheon, Johnny
Vegas, Jimmy Carr, Chizzy
Akudolu and Joe Swash. BD
Regional programmes
● BBC1 Wales As BBC1 except: 2.45pm
Garden Rescue. The team must create a
tranquil garden suitable for meditation (r)
3.30-4.00 The Girl with the Colourful Leg:
Our Lives. Following Bernadette Hagans’
journey to the final of Miss Ireland (r)
● BBC2 Wales As BBC2 except: 4.15pm
Flog It! (r) 4.30 A House Through Time.
Last in the series (r) 5.30-6.00 Inside
Culture. Mary Beard meets Hillary
Rodham Clinton 7.00-8.00 Gardeners’
World. Monty Don is preparing the
borders for the change of seasons
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except:
4.15pm Gardening Together with
Diarmuid Gavin (r) 4.30 Gardeners’ World
5.30-6.00 Farm to Feast: Best Menu Wins
(r) 7.00-8.00 A House Through Time. The
final episode opens at the outbreak
of the Second World War (r)
● BBC1 Scotland As BBC1 except:
10.00am The Great Food Guys 10.30
Nadiya’s Family Favourites (r) 11.00-12.00
The Royal Opening of the Scottish
Parliament. Laura Miller presents live
coverage 4.00pm-5.10 Sportscene
Results. A round-up of the afternoon’s
football news 11.50 Sportscene Saturday
12.50am Tonight with Target 1.40 The
NFL Show 2.10 Weather for the Week
Ahead 2.15-6.00 BBC News
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Michael Caine: Films of the day
The Man and Rocketman (15, 2019)
the Movies Channel 4, 9pm
The Elton John biopic is a rousing dazzle of soul and senses that
Channel 5, 9pm transformed the singer’s career, difficult childhood and exquisite
back catalogue into a perfectly formed megamix of ache and
Most people are familiar with isolation. The arrangement of Your Song, for instance, is softly
the double Oscar winner who done, a tearjerker, and delivered like a whisper between a slowly
has nearly 150 films to his emerging singer (Taron Egerton, below, a barnstorming turn) and
name: his humble beginnings his friend and fellow songwriter Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). The
in the East End of London, his movie, written by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), charts the singer’s rise
breakthrough role in Zulu and to fame, his drug and alcohol addictions, and his destructive
his acclaimed work in films relationship with his boyfriend and former manager John Reid
such as Alfie, Sleuth, Educating (Richard Madden). It isn’t squeamish either. There’s gay sex, an
Rita, Hannah and Her Sisters orgy scene, bulimia and lashings of cocaine. (121min) Kevin Maher
and The Cider House Rules.
Still, this profile is enjoyable
enough, emphasising his huge
work rate. Watching his hard-
working father — a Billingsgate
fish porter — die virtually
penniless instilled in Caine
an iron will to succeed. BD
● BBC Scotland 7.00pm The Seven 7.15
The Edit 7.30 Sportscene Saturday.
Highlights of the latest Scottish
Premiership matches 8.30 Born to Be
Wild (r) 9.30 Scot Squad (r) 10.00 Best
of Chewin’ the Fat (r) 10.30 Two Doors
Down (r) 11.00-Midnight TRNSMT
● S4C 6.00am Cyw: Sali Mali (r) 6.05
Halibalw (r) 6.15 Guto Gwningen (r) 6.30
Llan-ar-goll-en (r) 6.45 Ben a Mali a’u Byd
Bach O Hud (r) 6.55 Antur Natur Cyw (r)
7.10 Digbi Draig (r) 7.20 Anifeiliaid Bach y
Byd (r) 7.30 Stiw (r) 7.45 Cacamwnci (r)
8.00 Bernard (r) 8.05 Y Doniolis (r) 8.15 Ar
The Truth (PG, 2019)
Goll yn Oz (r) 8.35 Cath-Od (r) 8.45 Byd BBC4, 9pm
Rwtsh Dai Potsh (r) 8.55 Chwarter Call (r) There’s a compilation waiting to happen of Catherine Deneuve’s
9.10 Mabinogi-ogi a Mwy (r) 9.35 imperious putdowns in The Truth. In this witty and moving
Dreigiau: Gwarchodwyr Berc (r) 10.00
Mynyddoedd y Byd (r) 11.00 Codi Hwyl melodrama, mostly in French but sometimes in English (it co-stars
America (r) 11.30 Dau Gi Bach (r) 12.00 Ethan Hawke), the septuagenarian French movie legend and star
Ffermio (r) 12.30pm Nyrsys (r) 1.00 of Belle de Jour plays a septuagenarian French movie legend and
Pysgod i Bawb (r) 1.30 Cynefin (r) 2.30
Am Dro! (r) 3.30 Hydref Gwyllt Iolo (r) star of, ahem, The Belle of Paris. Deneuve’s Fabienne still craves
4.30 Dan Do (r) 5.00 24 Awr: Tomi the limelight, is essentially embittered and rarely suffers fools, or
Roberts-Jones (r) 5.15 Clwb Rygbi (r) 6.15 anyone else, gladly. Hawke plays her son-in-law, Hank, an alcoholic
Hewlfa Drysor (r) 7.15 News 7.30 C’mon
Midffild (r) 8.15 Corau Rhys Meirion (r)
actor, with Juliette Binoche as her furious and resentful daughter,
9.15 Sgwrs Dan y Lloer (r) 9.45 Clwb Lumir. The film was written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda,
Rygbi. Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2018 for Shoplifters and is
11.30-12.05am Cryfder Sioned Halpin (r)
far too smart to play this one by the numbers. (107min) KM
(r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 10.00 Saturday
Kitchen Live. Matt Tebbutt is joined by
guests Ben Miller, Ollie Dabbous and
Monica Galetti 11.30 Nadiya’s Family
Favourites (r) 12.00 Football Focus
1.00pm BBC News; Weather 1.15
London Marathon: We Run Together
1.45 Escape to the Country (r) 2.45
Money for Nothing (r) 3.15 Garden
Rescue. The team must create a
tranquil garden suitable for
meditation (r) 4.00 Final Score.
A round-up of this afternoon’s football
results 5.10 BBC News 5.20 BBC
Regional News; Weather 5.30
Question of Sport. With Christine
Ohuruogu, John McGinn, Jamie Laing,
and Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (r)
6.00 The Hit List. Contestants from
Cardiff, Derry and Northampton
show off their music knowledge
Host Bradley Walsh (9pm)
6.45 Strictly Come Dancing Tess
Daly and Claudia Winkleman
present as the famous faces
take to the dance floor once
again. This week, the pressure
is really on, with viewers given
the chance to vote for their
favourite couples for the first
time. As ever, the judges will be
offering their own words of
wisdom and waving their
scoring paddles. None of the
duos will want to be the first to
leave, but one of them will be
waltzing off into the sunset
when the results are announced
tomorrow. See Viewing Guide
9.00 Blankety Blank New series.
Bradley Walsh hosts the quiz
show. See Viewing Guide (1/10)
9.30 Casualty Matthew is stuck in
traffic when an injured teenage
girl falls onto his car leaving a
bloody handprint, bringing
traumatic memories of his
time in Africa flooding back
10.15 BBC News and Weather
10.30 Match of the Day Gary Lineker
presents highlights of the latest
Premier League matches,
including Manchester
United v Everton, Chelsea
v Southampton, and
Wolverhampton Wanderers
v Newcastle United
11.50 Tonight with Target With live
performances from Arrdee,
Potter Payper, Jaz Karis
and Tiwa Savage (5/6)
12.40am The NFL Show. Dan Walker is
joined by Osi Umenyiora and Jason
Bell to present highlights of Thursday
night’s game — Cincinnati Bengals v
Jacksonville Jaguars, held at Paul
Brown Stadium 1.10 Weather for
the Week Ahead 1.15 BBC News
Also available online and on tablet
Digital subscribers can now use our interactive seven-day
guide with comprehensive listings of all TV channels
thetimes.co.uk/tvplanner
BBC2
6.45am The Dengineers (r) 7.15 Ricky
Wilson’s Art Jam (r) 7.30 Blue Peter (r)
8.00 Deadly 60 (r) 8.30 Supersized
Earth (r) 9.30 Landward 10.00 Hugh’s
Wild West (r) 11.00 Serengeti II (r)
12.00 The Hairy Bikers Go North (r)
1.00pm Best Bakes Ever (r) 1.45 Take a
Hike. The first of five countryside
walks in the Highlands and Islands (r)
2.15 Take a Hike. A musical hike along
Cromarty’s coastal path (r) 2.45 Take
a Hike. A hike around Loch Long (r)
3.15 Take a Hike. A coastal walk from
the town of Tobermory (r) 3.45 Take
a Hike. The Glenfinnan Viaduct. Last
in the series (r) 4.15 Flog It! (r) 5.00
A House Through Time. The final
episode opens at the outbreak of the
Second World War (r) 6.00 Super
League Play Off Highlights. Action
from the play-off semi-finals
South Korea crime thriller (12.30am)
7.00 Meet the Moose Family:
Natural World The intimate
story of a mother moose
bringing up her calf in the wilds
of the Canadian Rockies, who
face a life of constant danger
from the hungry wolves and
bears that live nearby (3/9) (r)
8.00 Royal Academy Summer
Exhibition The presenters
Kirsty Wark and Brenda
Emmanus go behind the scenes
at the London arts institution to
find out which aspiring artists
will make it on to the walls this
year. See Viewing Guide
9.00 The Spice Girls at the BBC A trip
into the music archives to mark
25 years since the formation of
the Spice Girls, featuring their
finest appearances on a range
of BBC shows from over the
year, from Wannabe through to
their final release as a girl band
10.00Later: with Jools Holland New
series. Featuring performances
by Damon Albarn, Emeli
Sandé and Lonelady
10.45 Last Man Standing: Suge
Knight and the Murders of
Biggie and Tupac Nick
Broomfield revisits Los
Angeles in search of new
evidence of rap mogul
Suge Knight’s involvement
in the deaths of Tupac Shakur
and the Notorious BIG
12.30-2.15am FILM The Gangster, the
Cop, the Devil (15, 2019) A crime boss
forms an alliance with a cop to bring a
serial killer to justice. South Korean
crime thriller starring Ma Dong-seok,
Mu-Yeol Kim, Kim Sungkyu and
Gyu-ri Kim. In Korean and English
ITV
6.00am CITV 9.25 ITV News 9.30
James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
With ITV’s resident medic Dr Hilary
Jones 11.40 Ainsley’s Good Mood
Food 12.35pm James Martin’s
American Adventure (r) 1.05 Simply
Raymond Blanc (r) 1.35 ITV News;
Weather 1.40 You’ve Been Framed!
Unstoppable! 2.40 FILM Live and Let
Die (PG, 1973) James Bond battles the
dictator of a Caribbean island intent
on flooding America with limitless
supplies of heroin. Spy adventure
with Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto and
Jane Seymour 5.00 Family Fortunes.
The Collards of Barry Island go up
against the Mitchell family of Croydon
(r) 6.00 ITV News; Weather 6.15
Regional News; Weather 6.30
Celebrity Catchphrase. With Bill
Bailey, Kathy Burke and Gok Wan
Live and Let Die (2.40pm)
7.30 The Cube Brothers from
Manchester conclude their
journey inside The Cube, while
partners from Port Talbot are
confident that they have the
skills to win. The further they
go, the more money they win,
up to a jackpot of £250,000
8.30 Beat the Chasers Contestants
from across the UK take on
Jenny Ryan, Anne Hegerty,
Shaun Wallace, Mark Labbett,
Paul Sinha and Darragh Ennis,
hoping to win big money.
Bradley Walsh hosts
9.30 Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night
Line Up Paul puts questions,
scenarios and dilemmas to Bill
Bailey, Mel B, Ross Kemp and
Nicola Adams, who find out how
the British public see them (4/6)
10.15 ITV News
10.35 FILM The Silence of the Lambs
(18, 1991) A trainee FBI agent
engages in a battle of wills with
an imprisoned psychopath to
gain his help in catching a serial
killer. Jonathan Demme’s
thriller, based on Thomas
Harris’s novel, starring Jodie
Foster, Anthony Hopkins,
Scott Glenn and Ted Levine
12.45am Teleshopping 3.00 FYI Extra
3.15 The Void. Game show hosted by
Ashley Banjo and Fleur East (r) (SL)
4.05 Unwind With ITV. Daily escape
designed to calm the mind and
encourage relaxation and reflection
5.10 Winning Combination (r) (SL)
Saturday 2
Channel 4
6.05am The King of Queens (r) 6.30
The King of Queens (r) 6.55 The King
of Queens (r) 7.20 Mike & Molly (r)
7.40 Mike & Molly (r) 8.00 Frasier (r)
8.25 Frasier (r) 8.55 Frasier (r) 9.25
The Simpsons (r) 9.55 The Simpsons
(r) 10.25 The Simpsons (r) 10.50 The
Simpsons (r) 11.20 The Simpsons (r)
11.50 Couples Come Dine with Me (r)
12.50pm Four in a Bed (r) 1.25 Four in
a Bed (r) 1.55 Four in a Bed (r) 2.25
Four in a Bed (r) 3.00 Four in a Bed (r)
3.35 A Place in the Sun. In the Spanish
town of Dolores (r) 4.35 George
Clarke’s Old House, New Home.
Helping a retired couple redesign
their Edwardian home (r) 5.35 Kirstie
and Phil’s Love It or List It. Phil
Spencer returns to Brixworth in
Northamptonshire to catch up with
a couple (r) 6.30 Channel 4 News
Bettany Hughes in Istanbul (7pm)
7.00 Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of
the World The historian visits
a dig in Istanbul containing
artefacts from multiple eras,
and follows in the footsteps of
one of her heroes, Byzantine
empress Theodora (5/5)
8.00 Britain’s Forgotten Wars with
Tony Robinson The civil war
that raged after the break-up of
Yugoslavia in 1992, as UN forces
struggled to maintain order in
the newly created nation of
Bosnia. See Viewing Guide (2/6)
9.00 FILM Rocketman (15, 2019)
Elton John enters an addiction
rehabilitation session, and
recounts his life in a flashback,
covering his days as young
Reginald Dwight growing up in
1950s Britain. He takes piano
lessons, makes his way into the
Royal Academy of Music, and
hones his craft in local pubs
before becoming one of the
world’s biggest pop stars. Biopic
starring Taron Egerton, Jamie
Bell and Richard Madden.
See Film Choice
11.20 Elton John: The Red Piano
The singer’s critically
acclaimed Las Vegas concert,
featuring hits from his
remarkable repertoire
1.20am The Last Leg. Comic review of
the significant moments of the past
seven days (r) 2.15 The Simpsons (r)
2.40 The Simpsons. Blood-curdling
tales (r) 3.05 24 Hours in A&E (r) 3.55
Iris Prize Best British Shorts: Pompeii
(r) 4.10 Hollyoaks Omnibus (r) (SL)
saturday review 25
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 10.00 SpongeBob
SquarePants (r) 10.10 SpongeBob
SquarePants (r) 10.25 Entertainment
News on 5 10.30 Friends (r) 10.55
Friends (r) 11.25 Friends (r) 11.55
Friends (r) 12.25pm Friends (r) 12.55
Police Interceptors (r) 1.55 Police
Interceptors. Police hunt for two men
armed with machetes and a sawn-off
shotgun, and officers take two
dangerous boy racers off the road (r)
2.55 FILM A Bridge Too Far (PG, 1977)
Fact-based drama recreating the
famous Second World War battle
for Arnhem, as Allied forces try to
capture a series of strategically
important bridges and cut off the
Germans from their retreat through
Europe. Starring Dirk Bogarde,
Robert Redford and Michael
Caine 6.20 5 News Weekend
Michael Caine stars (6.25pm)
6.25 FILM Battle of Britain (PG,
1969) In 1940, the Luftwaffe
launches a campaign of aerial
attacks against Britain to gain
control of the skies ahead of a
planned land invasion. Under
the leadership of Air Chief
Marshal Hugh Dowding, the
RAF mounts a determined
defence over the summer and
autumn, despite being heavily
outnumbered and forced to
match inexperienced pilots
against German veterans.
Second World War drama
starring Laurence Olivier
and Michael Caine
9.00 Michael Caine: The Man & The
Movies The story of the actor’s
extraordinary journey to the
top of international movie
stardom, featuring interviews
given across his stellar career.
See Viewing Guide
10.30 FILM Harry Brown (18, 2009)
An elderly retired marine takes
the law into his own hands
when his friend is murdered by
hoodlums on a London estate.
Crime thriller starring Michael
Caine and Emily Mortimer
12.30am Criminals: Caught on
Camera (r) 1.00 21.co.uk Live Casino
Show 3.00 Entertainment News 3.05
Cocaine: Can’t Stop Using (r) 3.55
The Great Gardening Challenge: The
Final (r) 4.50 Wildlife SOS (r) 5.15
Great Artists (r) 5.40 Milkshake!
26 saturday review
Saturday 2 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Vienna: Empire, Dynasty
and Dream Following the
Habsburgs to their dramatic
demise, as Emperor Franz
Josef’s empire and his
family proved impossible to
control. Last in the series
8.00 Brazil with Michael Palin
Michael finds a rich mix of
people in the Brazilian
south, meeting German
speakers, Bavarian dancers,
cowboys and a man who
has made a fortune out of
rubbish. Last in the series
9.00 FILM The Truth (PG, 2019)
A movie star is reunited
with her daughter after
publishing her memoirs,
leading to a series of
revelations. Drama starring
Catherine Deneuve.
See Film Choice
10.40-12.05am United Skates:
Storyville A campaign
to save the US’s last
standing roller rinks
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
6.10pm FILM Despicable Me 3 (U,
2017) Gru sets off to meet his
long-lost brother. Animated sequel
with the voice of Steve Carell
8.00 FILM Pitch Perfect 2 (12,
2015) The singers try to win the
a cappella world championships.
Comedy sequel with Anna
Kendrick and Rebel Wilson
10.15 Family Guy Joe’s son returns
10.45 Family Guy Lois gets a
job at Chris and Meg’s school
11.15 Family Guy
11.45-12.10am American Dad!
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.35pm Revolution in Colour (2/2)
7.40 Mystery of the Celtic Tomb
Investigating human remains
found in a 2,400-year-old tomb
8.50 Frontline The rising threat
of far-right violence in America
10.00 Terror A look at how the
actions of Anders Breivik in 2011
changed so many lives (6/6)
11.00 Revolution in Colour The
struggle for Irish independence in
the early 20th century (1/2)
12.00-1.05am Revolution in Colour
The Irish civil war (2/2)
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
6.00pm Inspector George Gently
An elderly man is killed (1/4)
8.00 Father Brown The priest is
stranded with hedonists (8/15)
9.00 Father Brown A body is
discovered in a vineyard (9/15)
10.00 Luther The detective faces
suspension. Paul Rhys guests (3/6)
11.20-12.40am Luther (4/6)
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
8.00am-10.20 Live Rugby
Championship: Argentina v
Australia (Kick-off 8.05)
11.00 Live WSL: Chelsea v
Brighton & Hove Albion
2.00pm Live County
Championship Cricket Final day of
the final of the Bob Willis Trophy
5.00 Live SNF: Brighton & Hove
Albion v Arsenal (Kick-off 5.30)
7.30 Live Fight Night International:
Chris Eubank Jr v Anatoli Muratov
10.30-12.00 Live PGA Tour Golf
Sanderson Farms Championship
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
7.00pm Midsomer Murders The
bodies of a glamorous
senior citizen and a
distinguished doctor are
found beside a river — and
although suspicion for their
murders initially falls
on poachers, Barnaby
suspects a more monetary
motive for the attack
9.00 Vera Delving into the past
of an extreme sports
enthusiast who has plunged
from a cliff in a ball of
flames, Vera uncovers a
lifetime of bullying and an
unexpected story of rough
justice. Brenda Blethyn stars
11.00-1.00am Agatha Christie’s
Marple While staying at a
hotel in the Caribbean, Miss
Marple investigates the
death of a fellow guest,
refusing to believe he died
of a heart attack. Julia
McKenzie stars, with Antony
Sher and Robert Webb
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
6.40pm FILM The Poseidon
Adventure (PG, 1972) Trapped
survivors try to escape from a
capsized cruise liner. Disaster
movie starring Gene Hackman
9.00 FILM The Blues Brothers (15,
1980) Two criminal brothers cause
mayhem when they re-form their
blues band. Comedy starring
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd
11.40-3.00am FILM Scarface (18,
1983) A powerful drug baron’s
empire is threatened. Gangster
thriller remake starring Al Pacino
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm The Hunt for Hitler’s
Missing Millions Uncovering the
extent of Adolf Hitler’s wealth
8.00 Adolf Island Charting a Nazi
concentration camp secretly set up
on the Channel Islands
9.00 9/11: The Heartland Tapes
The day America was attacked by
al-Qaeda suicide terrorists
10.00 9/11: Stories in Fragments
Objects donated after the attacks
11.00 Atomic Age Declassified
12.00-1.00am Atomic
Age Declassified
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Gold Rush
9.00 Outback Truckers Robbie’s
truck gets stuck in gravel
10.00 Killers of the Cosmos
Experts investigate extra-terrestrial
beings and their threat to humans
11.00 UFO Witness
12.00-2.00am Alaska: Homestead
Rescue Making a solar kiln
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
11.00am-2.00pm Live WSL:
Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion
(Kick-off 11.30). The women’s
match from Kingsmeadow
5.00 Live SNF: Brighton & Hove
Albion v Arsenal (Kick-off 5.30).
Coverage of the top-flight
encounter from AMEX Stadium
8.30 Game of the Day Enjoy
a full 90-minute rerun of
one of the Saturday afternoon
fixtures in the Premier League
10.30-12.15am Premier League
Enjoy a full 90-minute rerun
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Inside the Spitfire Factory
The newly built fuselage is
sent off to the paint shop,
while owner Peter Monk
travels to Normandy in a
Second World War Jeep
8.00 Inside Bentley: A Great
British Motor Car Going
behind the scenes at the car
company’s plant as work
gets underway on a range
of 4x4s, from the factory
floor to the world’s most
exclusive car showroom
9.00 24 Hours in A&E A five-year-
old is rushed to A&E after
being hit by a car, and while
a 26-year-old is treated after
slicing through his leg
10.00 24 Hours in A&E A
10-year-old needs surgery
for a broken femur
11.05-12.05am 8 Out of 10 Cats
Does Countdown Johnny
Vegas and Rhod Gilbert
take on Joe Wilkinson
and Roisin Conaty (4/4)
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
6.30pm FILM Now You See Me 2
(12, 2016) Magicians turned
criminals expose the activities of a
ruthless businessman. Crime
thriller sequel with Jesse Eisenberg
9.00 Celebrity Gogglebox Shows
under scrutiny include Love Island
and Nigella: At My Table (3/6)
10.00 Gogglebox Strictly Come
Dancing and The Great British
Bake Off are appraised
11.05-12.10am Gogglebox Shows
including Michael McIntyre’s
The Wheel are appraised
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
5.50pm Eric Clapton: Crossroads
Guitar Festival 2019 Dallas in 2019
8.00 Music Icons: British Rhythm
& Blues An exploration of
the origins of the genre
8.30 Music Icons: Chicago Blues
How Chicago blues replaced
acoustic guitars with electric ones
9.00 Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan
Records Telling of the love affair
between Jamaican reggae and
British youth culture
11.00-1.00am Inna de Yard
The history of reggae music
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Drain the Oceans (9/15)
8.00 Drain the Oceans (10/15)
9.00 Drain the Oceans Exploring
the depths of Loch Ness (11/15)
10.00 Draining the Thames
Exploring London’s history (12/15)
11.00 Drain the Oceans (15/15)
12.00-1.00am Drain the Oceans
Bikini Atoll in the Pacific (1/10)
Chris Eubank Jr is taking on
Anatoli Muratov in a Fight Night
event (Sky Main Event, 7.30pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm Karl Pilkington: The
Moaning of Life Karl
considers professional
success (4/5) (R)
8.00 A League of Their Own With
guests Troy Deeney, AJ
Odudu, Roisin Conaty, Geoff
Norcott, Alex Brooker
and Tom Allen (R)
9.00 Strike Back: Retribution
Jensen starts to delve into
Project Tenebrae, while
Mac and Wyatt try to break
Idrisi out before Lowry
gets to him (8/10) (R)
10.00 Rob & Romesh vs NBA
Basketball Rob Beckett and
Romesh Ranganathan learn
about the sport (2/4) (R)
11.00 007: The Daniel Craig Years
As the actor prepares to
bow out as James Bond, this
documentary reflects on his
five films in the role (R)
12.00-1.00am A League of Their
Own With Troy Deeney, AJ
Odudu and Tom Allen (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
6.40pm Would I Lie to You? With
Warwick Davis, Paul Hollywood,
Jason Manford and Joan Bakewell
7.20 Would I Lie to You? With
Dermot O’Leary and Mel Giedroyc
8.00 QI XL With guests Jimmy
Carr, Lee Mack and Alice Levine
9.00 Outsiders David Mitchell
oversees the chaos as three pairs
of comedians try to prove they can
survive in the outdoors
10.00-12.25am FILM Bad Boys (18,
1995) Action thriller starring Will
Smith and Martin Lawrence
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
7.00pm The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air Queen Latifah guest stars
7.30 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
8.00 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
8.30 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
9.00 Hitmen: Reloaded Jamie and
Fran are back and ready to put on
their 80s gear for a school reunion
9.30 Hitmen: Reloaded Fran and
Jamie stake out an arms dealer
10.00 Eastbound & Down (5/6)
10.35 Eastbound & Down (6/6)
11.15-12.15am The Tonight Show
Starring Jimmy Fallon
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
5.30pm FILM Ace Ventura: Pet
Detective (12, 1994) Comedy
7.15 FILM Ace Ventura: When
Nature Calls (PG, 1995) Comedy
9.00 FILM There’s Something
About Mary (15, 1998) Comedy
with Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller
11.30-1.30am FILM Kick-Ass 2 (15,
2013) Superhero comedy sequel
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
10.20am Live County
Championship Cricket The fifth
and final day of the final of the Bob
Willis Trophy, held at Lord’s
6.30pm Talking Cricket
7.00 The Fletcher Years (1/4)
8.00 County Championship
Cricket Action from the fifth and
final day of the final of the Bob
Willis Trophy, held at Lord’s
9.00 IPL Double bill
11.00 County Championship
Cricket The fifth and final day
12.00-4.00am IPL
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.50pm The Sopranos AJ’s
therapist prescribes him
antidepressants after his
split from Blanca, but Tony
has his own brand of
medicine in store (R)
7.55 The Sopranos Tony grows
suspicious of Christopher’s
behaviour in the car and,
when his nephew is left
badly injured by a crash, he
takes drastic action (R)
9.00 Game of Thrones Arya
continues her training at the
House of Black and White,
Jorah and Tyrion run into
slavers and the Sand Snakes
mount an attack (6/10) (R)
10.05 Game of Thrones Jon
prepares for conflict, Sansa
tries to talk to Theon,
Brienne waits for a sign, and
Jaime tries to reconnect
with his family (7/10) (R)
11.10-12.15am Game of Thrones
Arya makes progress
in her training (8/10) (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.00pm The Brokenwood
Mysteries The team looks into the
murder of a farmer’s market owner
8.00 Hetty Wainthropp
Investigates Hetty tries to
expose an arsonist who is
terrorising a housing estate
9.00 Silent Witness The Lyell team
investigates a suspicious death
from 20 years previously after a
skeleton is found in a car park
11.20-12.40am Ashes to Ashes
Alex returns to the 1980s,
where the team is in disarray
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Blue Bloods Danny learns
he is under investigation by
the district attorney
8.00 Blue Bloods A police officer
is accused of killing a suspect
9.00 The Equalizer A wife reports
her husband’s involvement
in a city bombing (9/10)
10.00 FBI The team infiltrates a
drug trafficking gang (6/15)
11.00 FBI: Most Wanted
A robbery goes wrong (6/15)
12.00-1.00am Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit
Gold
SKY 110, BT 310
6.00pm Only Fools and Horses
7.40 Only Fools and Horses
8.20 Only Fools and Horses
9.00 Only Fools and Horses
9.40 All Round to Mrs Brown’s
11.00 Lenny Henry’s Race Through
Comedy Stand-up comedy
12.00-1.00am Lenny Henry’s
Race Through Comedy
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
11.30am-3.00pm Live Premier
League: Manchester United v
Everton (Kick-off 12.30). The
top-flight match from Old Trafford
5.00 Live Vanarama National
League: Eastleigh v Boreham
Wood (Kick-off 5.20). Coverage of
the match from Silverlake Stadium
7.30-9.45 Live Serie A: Sassuolo v
Inter Milan (Kick-off 7.45).
Coverage of the Italian top-flight
encounter from Mapei Stadium
12.00-3.00am Live MLB Action
from Major League Baseball
The Poseidon
Adventure
Ronald Neame’s 1972
disaster drama
ITV4, 6.40pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
6.00pm What’s My Name:
Muhammad Ali Chronicling
the extraordinary life of
one of boxing’s most iconic
figures, delving into the
life and legacy of
Muhammad Ali (1/2) (R)
7.30 What’s My Name:
Muhammad Ali
Documentary charting the
events that followed
Muhammed Ali’s defeat to
Joe Frazier in 1971 (2/2) (R)
9.00 Between the World and Me
Poetic adaptation of
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ bestseller,
recounting the author’s
experiences growing up in
Baltimore’s inner city and
his fear of violence against
the Black community
10.50-12.40am Bright Lights:
Starring Carrie Fisher and
Debbie Reynolds The
mother and daughter
relationship of the
Hollywood stars (R)
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Great Continental Railway
Journeys Visiting Germany (3/5)
8.00 dinnerladies Jean gets angry
with the customers
8.40 dinnerladies Bren gets
excited about her holiday
9.20 dinnerladies A convict
escapes near the factory
10.00 Guitar Heroes at the BBC
Footage of Carlos Santana (1/6)
11.00 Guitar Heroes at the BBC
Featuring Jimi Hendrix (2/6)
12.00-1.00am Guitar Heroes at the
BBC Footage of Status Quo (3/6)
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm Curse of Skinwalker
Ranch The team members
get an otherworldly surprise
8.00 Cities of the Underworld
America’s first inhabitants
9.00 Baghdad Diary Documentary
on the Iraq War and its aftermath
11.00 Dog the Bounty Hunter:
Most Wanted The team attempts
to track down five fugitives in
Alabama in a week (3/10)
12.00-12.30am Pawn Stars
A Smarties dispenser is
brought into the shop
W
SKY 109, BT 311
7.00pm Miranda
7.40 Miranda
8.20 Miranda Things look
up for Miranda’s love life
9.00 The Catherine Tate Show
9.40 The Catherine Tate Show
10.20 The Catherine Tate Show
11.00-1.00am Louis Theroux: By
Reason of Insanity Double bill
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
3.00pm Live MotoGP FP3 from
the Grand Prix of The Americas
6.00 Live MotoGP Coverage of
the Qualifying session from the
Grand Prix of The Americas
10.15 Vanarama National
League Highlights
10.45 Fury v Wilder: The Trilogy All
the build-up to Tyson Fury’s trilogy
bout with Deontay Wilder
12.00-3.00am Live MLB
5.15-6.45am Live Women’s Test
Match Cricket: Australia v India
Coverage from Metricon Stadium
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am Carry On Nurse (PG,
1959) Comedy with Kenneth
Williams and Hattie Jacques
12.45pm The Simpsons
Movie (PG, 2007) Animated
comedy featuring the
voice of Dan Castellaneta
2.30 Lemony Snicket’s
A Series of Unfortunate
Events (PG, 2004) Comedy
adventure starring Jim Carrey
4.35 Ice Age: Collision Course
(U, 2016) Animated sequel
with the voice of Ray Romano
6.25 Hidden Figures (PG,
2016) Fact-based drama
starring Taraji P Henson
9.00 War of the Worlds (12,
2005) A father tries to protect
his two children as alien war
machines target humankind.
Sci-fi thriller with Tom Cruise
11.15 The Dead Centre
(18, 2018) Psychological
horror starring Shane Carruth
1.05am-3.25 Thelma
(15, 2017) Supernatural
thriller starring Eili Harboe
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am Mistaken Identity
(U, 1942) Comedy starring
Richard Goolden
7.00 Warlords of Atlantis
(PG, 1978) Sci-fi adventure
starring Doug McClure
9.25 The Green Hornet
Strikes Again!
9.50 The Flood (U, 1963)
Drama starring Waveney Lee
11.00 Bar 20 Rides Again
11.10 Dick Tracy
11.35 The Phantom Empire
12.00 Spies of the Air (PG,
1940) Espionage adventure
starring Barry K Barnes
1.35pm Demetrius and the
Gladiators (PG, 1954) Drama
starring Victor Mature
3.35 Halls of Montezuma
(U, 1951) Wartime adventure
starring Richard Widmark
5.50 Look at Life
6.00 Scotland Yard
6.35 A Day Begins in
Manchester
7.00 I Wake Up Screaming
(PG, 1941) Thriller with Victor
Mature and Laird Cregar
8.35 Noble House
10.25 Without a Clue (PG,
1988) Comedy with Michael
Caine and Ben Kingsley
12.35am Sidney Sheldon’s
Bloodline (18, 1979) Mystery
starring Audrey Hepburn
2.55 Station Six: Sahara (15,
1963) Drama starring Carroll
Baker and Peter van Eyck
4.55-5.30 The Pale Faced Girl
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am GREAT! Movie News
9.10 Secret Liaison (12, 2013)
Thriller with Meredith Monroe
11.00 The Killer Trainer
(PG, 2018) Thriller
12.50pm The Nurse (PG,
2014) Drama with Willa Ford
Tom Cruise stars in War of
the Worlds (Film4, 9pm)
2.40 Fun with Dick and Jane
(12, 2005) Crime comedy
4.30 The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty (PG, 2013) Comedy
drama starring Ben Stiller
6.45 Night at the Museum
(PG, 2006) Fantasy comedy
starring Ben Stiller
9.00 The General’s Daughter
(18, 1999) Mystery thriller
starring John Travolta
11.20-1.15am Basic (15, 2003)
Thriller starring John Travolta
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
6.00am The Barretts of
Wimpole Street (U, 1957)
Drama with John Gielgud
8.10 Cattle Annie and Little
Britches (PG, 1980) Western
10.20 The Cowboys (PG,
1972) Western starring John
Wayne and Bruce Dern
12.55pm Torpedo Run
(U, 1958) Second World War
adventure starring Glenn Ford
3.00 Last Stagecoach West
(U, 1957) Western starring
Jim Davis and Mary Castle
4.30 Good Day for a Hanging
(U, 1959) Western starring
Fred MacMurray
6.20 El Paso (PG, 1949)
Western starring John Payne
8.30 TCM Shorts:
Michael Caine Off Set
9.00 Oldboy (18, 2013)
Thriller starring Josh Brolin
11.10-1.50am The Fugitive (15,
1993) Thriller with Harrison
Ford and Tommy Lee Jones
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.35pm Locked In (15, 2021)
2.20 Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
4.30 Senior Moment (15,
2021) Romantic comedy
drama with William Shatner
6.10 Superintelligence
(PG, 2020) Sci-fi comedy
starring Melissa McCarthy
8.00 Locked In (15, 2021)
A mother must protect her
daughter and herself during
a heist gone wrong. Thriller
starring Mena Suvari
9.40 Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
starring Daniel Kaluuya
11.50-1.35am Reboot Camp
(15, 2020) Comedy starring
David Lipper and Keli Price
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
6.00am Jenny Kleeman and
Luke Jones with Times Radio
Breakfast 10.00 Hugo Rifkind
1.00pm Alexis Conran 4.00
Ayesha Hazarika 7.00 The TLS
Podcast 8.00 Stories of Our
Times 8.30 Red Box 9.00
Highlights from Times Radio
10.00 Kait Borsay 1.00am
Highlights from Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
5.00am Radio 2 in Concert:
Beverley Knight (r) 6.00
Sounds of the 60s with Tony
Blackburn 8.00 Dermot
O’Leary 10.00 Claudia
Winkleman 1.00pm Pick of the
Pops 3.00 Rylan on Saturday
6.00 Liza Tarbuck 8.00 The
Rock Show with Johnnie
Walker 9.00 Shaggy’s Reggae
Hotshots 10.00 The Craig
Charles House Party 11.30 The
Craig Charles House Party
Mixtape 12.00 Ana Matronic’s
Dance Devotion 2.00am Let’s
Abba Party! (r) 4.00 TBA
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
7.00am Breakfast
9.00 Record Review
Simon Heighes chooses
his favourite recording of
Bach’s Coffee Cantata
11.45 Music Matters News
from the music world
12.30pm This Classical Life
Saxophonist Jess Gillam chats
to fellow musicians
1.00 Inside Music The tenor
Nicky Spence chooses a
selection of pieces
3.00 Sound of Gaming
4.00 Music Planet With a
concert by Ballaké Sissoko
recorded in Paris
5.00 J to Z The pianist Hiromi
shares her musical influences
6.30 Young Voices at
Southbank A mix of music by
young people involved with
London’s Southbank Centre
7.30 Live Radio 3 in Concert
Galuppi (Andante spiritoso);
Mozart (Rondo in F); CPE Bach
(Rondo in D minor); Cimarosa
(Sonata No 42 in D minor, arr.
Olafsson); Mozart (Fantasia in
D minor; Rondo in D); Cimarosa
(Sonata No 55 in A minor, arr.
Olafsson); Haydn (Piano
Sonata in B minor); Mozart
(Eine kleine Gigue in G; Sonata
in C); Mozart (Adagio 3rd
movement); Galuppi
(Larghetto 1st movement);
Mozart (Sonata in C minor;
Adagio in B minor); Liszt (Ave
verum corpus) See Choice
10.00 Live New Music Show
Molly Joyce (High and Low);
Alex Groves (Curved Form);
Andrew Hamilton (In
Beautiful May); George
Crumb (Vox balaenae)
12.00 Freeness
1.00am Through the Night (r)
Today’s pick
Radio 3 in Concert
Radio 3, 7.30pm
In this live broadcast from the
Royal Festival Hall in London
we hear the celebrated
Icelandic pianist Vikingur
Olafsson in a recital of music
from Mozart, Bach, Haydn
and Liszt. Tomorrow night
(also 7.30pm) it’s the turn of
the Philharmonia and its
Finnish principal conductor
Santtu-Matias Rouvali to
present a programme that
includes Stravinsky’s
groundbreaking ballet The
Rite of Spring along with the
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Four Thought (r)
6.00 News and Papers
6.07 Ramblings (r)
6.30 Farming Today This
Week
7.00 Today
9.00 Saturday Live
10.30 The Kitchen Cabinet Jay
Rayner hosts the culinary
panel show, joined by Jordan
Bourke, Shelina Permalloo, Tim
Hayward and Dr Zoe Laughlin
11.00 The Briefing Room (r)
11.30 From Our Own
Correspondent
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 Money Box
12.30 The News Quiz (r)
1.00 News
1.10 Any Questions? (r)
2.00 Any Answers? Phone-in
2.45 Just One Thing with
Michael Mosley (r)
3.00 Drama: The Goldilocks
Zone By Tanika Gupta. An
astrophysicist’s discovery of a
potentially habitable planet
opens up painful memories for
her but a startling new truth
for humanity
4.00 Weekend Woman’s Hour
5.00 Saturday PM
5.30 Political Thinking with
Nick Robinson The Today
presenter interviews major
political figures about their
lives and careers (5/5)
5.54 Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.15 Loose Ends Clive
Anderson is joined by novelist
Kimberley Chambers
7.00 Profile The personality
and motivation of a person
making the headlines
7.15 The Infinite Monkey Cage
Taking a look at the merits
of flies (1/6) (r)
7.45 It Ain’t Me You’re Looking
For: Bob Dylan at 80 (5/5) (r)
8.00 Archive on 4: The Black
Panthers (r)
9.00 GF Newman’s The
Corrupted (5/10) (r)
9.45 Scottish Shorts (3/3) (r)
10.00 News
10.15 Bringing Up Britain (r)
Saturday 2
UK premiere of Bryce
Dessner’s Violin Concerto
played by the Finnish soloist
Pekka Kuusisto, above. That
brings to an end Radio 3’s
residency at the Southbank
Centre this year. Debra Craine
11.00 Brain of Britain (r)
11.30 Contains Strong
Language Live from
Coventry (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.15am Green Originals (r)
12.30 New Frequencies (r)
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am 5 Live Boxing 6.00
Saturday Breakfast 9.00 Scott
Mills and Chris Stark 11.00
Fighting Talk 12.00 5 Live
Sport 3.00pm 5 Live Sport
5.00 Sports Report 6.00
6-0-6 8.00 Kermode and
Mayo’s Film Review 9.00
Stephen Nolan 12.00 As
Heard on BBC Sounds
1.00am Hayley Hassall
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
6.00am GameDay Breakfast
9.00 GameDay Warm Up
11.00 Live GameDay
Exclusive: Manchester United
v Everton (Kick-off 12.30)
2.30pm GameDay Live 5.15
Live GameDay Exclusive:
Brighton & Hove Albion v
Arsenal (Kick-off 5.30) 7.30
GameDay: Your Verdict 10.00
Fight Night 1.00am Extra
Time with Martin Kelner
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am Clashes of the Week
7.00 Cristo Foufas 10.00 Rob
Rinder 1.00pm The Week
with Trisha 4.00 The Andy
Jaye Show 5.00 Claudia-Liza
Armah 7.00 Nick De Bois
10.00 Darryl Morris
1.00am Martin Kelner
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
8.00am The Motion Show
8.30 Snap 9.00 Some of Our
Archives Were Missing 12.00
The Write Stuff 12.30pm Man
at the Helm 1.00 Pieces of
Britney 1.55 Inheritance
Tracks 2.00 Alex Horne
Presents the Horne Section
saturday review 27
2.30 Revolting People 3.00
The Sofa of Time 3.30 Mark
Thomas Presents 4.00 The
Chalk Garden 5.30 Great
Lives 6.00 The Prisoner 6.40
Short Shocks 7.00 Some of
Our Archives Were Missing
10.00 Alex Horne Presents
the Horne Section 10.30
ElvenQuest 11.00 The Curried
Goat Show 11.30 Cowards
12.00 The Prisoner 12.40am
Short Shocks
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06 BBC OS
Conversations 9.30 World of
Wisdom 9.50 Over to You
10.00 News 10.06 Sports
Hour 11.00 The Newsroom
11.30 WorkLifeIndia 12.00
News 12.06pm World Book
Club 1.00 Newshour 2.00
News 2.06 Sportsworld 6.00
The Newsroom 6.30 30
Animals That Made Us
Smarter 6.50 Sporting
Witness 7.00 News 7.06 The
History Hour 8.00 News 8.06
The Arts Hour 9.00
Newshour 10.00 News 10.06
Music Life 11.00 The
Newsroom 11.20 Sports News
11.30 The Cultural Frontline
12.00 News 12.06am BBC OS
Conversations 12.30 30
Animals That Made Us
Smarter 12.50 Over to You
1.00 News 1.06 The Science
Hour 2.00 The Newsroom
2.30 Healthcheck 3.00 News
3.06 World Book Club 4.00
News 4.06 From Our Own
Correspondent 4.30 The
Cultural Frontline
6 Music
Digital only
7.00am Mark Radcliffe 10.00
The Huey Show 1.00pm
Jamz Supernova on 6 3.00
Gilles Peterson 6.00 The
Funk and Soul Show 9.00
The Blessed Madonna 12.00
Lose Yourself With 1.00am
Lose Yourself With 2.00 6
Music Artist in Residence
3.00 The Morning After Mix
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.00am Amy Voce 9.30
Graham Norton 12.30pm
Virgin Radio On Demand
4.00 Bam 7.00 Ben Jones
10.00 Stu Elmore 1.00am
Through The Night
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
7.00am Alan Titchmarsh
10.00 Bill Turnbull 1.00pm
Alexander Armstrong 4.00
Moira Stuart’s Hall of Fame
Concert 7.00 Saturday
Night at the Movies 9.00
David Mellor’s Melodies
10.00 Smooth Classics
1.00am Katie Breathwick
4.00 Sam Pittis
28 saturday review
Sunday 3 | Viewing guide
Critic’s choice
Ridley Road
BBC1, 9pm
Sarah Solemani is best known
as an actress in BBC comedies
including Him & Her and Bad
Education. However, she has
been earning a reputation as
a writer in the US, where she
won a Writers Guild America
award for her work on HBO’s
Barry and is penning a
comedy drama for Sarah
Jessica Parker’s production
company. This four-part
drama is by far her biggest
project to date, an adaptation
of Jo Bloom’s novel that puts
romance at the heart of the
story of the rise of fascism in
London during the Swinging
Sixties. Newcomer Agnes
O’Casey, right, stars as Vivien
Epstein, a young Jewish
woman leading a comfortable
middle-class existence in
Manchester and engaged to
be married into a prominent
Jewish family. However, she is
having a fling with handsome
Jack (Tom Varey) and when he
disappears to London, she
The Earthshot
Prize: Repairing
Our Planet
BBC1, 6.05pm
The Earthshot prize offers
awards to those offering
“solutions that promise to
deliver us all a sustainable
world in which both nature and
humanity can thrive”. Before
the ceremony on October 17,
the BBC is showing five films
that look at each category —
Protect and restore nature;
Fix our climate; Clean our air;
Revive our oceans; Build a
waste-free world. The prize
council includes Prince William
and David Attenborough. It
continues on Tuesday and
Wednesday at 10.35pm. JC
Catch
up
Manhunt: The Night Stalker
ITV Hub
Two years on from the first
series of Manhunt we are
reintroduced to DCI Colin
Sutton. Martin Clunes,
right, plays him not with
maverick tendencies, but
as entirely normal.
Yet when he is put
on a high-profile
case, his
unflustered,
methodical
approach gets
results other
cops cannot
reach. The first
series, a hit with
goes after him. In Soho she
gets a job in a hair salon and
her search for Jack leads to
her becoming involved with
the 62 Group, a coalition of
Jewish men who are standing
against the rising tide of neo-
Nazism in postwar Britain.
Seventeen years after the end
of the Second World War, the
National Socialist Movement,
inspired by Hitler’s Nazi Party,
has set up its headquarters in
London. Their real-life leader
was Colin Jordan, played by
Rory Kinnear, the go-to actor
for evil rightwingers after his
turn as a Nazi paediatrician in
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.
It’s a strong opening, with
Solemani’s script building the
tension effectively, excellent
period design, an impressive
debut performance from
O’Casey and a supporting cast
that includes Eddie Marsan,
Tracy Ann Oberman and
Samantha Spiro.
Joe Clay
The Mating Game
BBC1, 8pm
It is unlikely that David
Attenborough thought he
would be spending his dotage
providing the voiceover for
animals going at it. Yet here he
is, at the age of 95, doing
exactly that for this new four-
part series, which reveals “the
extraordinary strategies that
animals employ to succeed in
the mating game”. The need to
breed unites all animals and
we begin in the open spaces of
the grasslands. There we meet
an overworked male zebra
defending his mares from the
roaming bachelors in a 30,000-
strong herd, a cunning cross-
dressing bird and a queen that
can create half a billion
offspring in her lifetime. JC
audiences and critics alike,
depicted him bringing the
serial killer Levi Bellfield to
justice. This excellent recent
four-part series is also based in
truth, following what happened
when Sutton was put on the
case of “the Night Stalker”, a
serial rapist who
committed his crimes
for 17 years without
being caught.
Sutton sets about
overturning old
stones. It is
pleasingly
straightforward
storytelling
that, like its
hero, is
effective in
its apparent
ordinariness.
James
Jackson
Midsomer Murders Listening Through
ITV, 8pm the Lens
“Those things will be the
death of you,” a wife tells her
husband as he assembles his
vape. The couple, who own
a board games company, are
hosting a murder-mystery
weekend at their country
pile and, as seasoned watchers
of Midsomer Murders will
know, nobody is likely to
snuff it from puffing on a
vape. In fact, the first victim is
an actor playing the part of a
dead man whose murder the
assembled guests must solve.
But then someone really is
killed and the murderer
must be in the house. It’s a
real-life Cluedo puzzle for DCI
John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon)
to solve. JC
Regional programmes
● BBC1 Wales As BBC1 except:
8.30am-9.00 Money for Nothing (r)
3.40pm Hidden Wales with Will Millard (r)
4.10-4.40 Betty Campbell: Statue for a
Heroine. Cerys Matthews presents the
story of Wales’ first black head teacher (r)
● BBC2 Wales As BBC2 except: 10.00am
Politics Wales 10.30-11.00 The Hairy
Bikers’ Bakeation (r) 4.30pm-5.30
Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve.
Last in the series (r) 7.00 Scrum V. Action
from the United Rugby Championship
7.45-8.00 Nature’s Weirdest Events (r)
● BBC1 N Ireland As BBC1 except:
8.30am-9.00 Barra on the Bann (r)
2.45pm Sunday Politics Northern Ireland
3.20 Songs of Praise. A 60th anniversary
edition 4.00 Points of View 4.15-4.40
Weather Watchers with Barra Best (r)
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except:
9.45pm Willie John: Rógaire Mór Dhoire.
The true story of Derry City’s greatest
ever conman, Bernard Gallagher 10.15
Sunday Politics Northern Ireland (r) 10.50
FILM If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Drama 12.40am-1.05 BBC News
● BBC1 Scotland As BBC1 except:
8.30am-9.00 The Great Food Guys (r)
2.45pm The Sunday Show 3.10 Songs of
Praise 3.50 Points of View 4.05-4.40
Bargain Hunt. In Nottinghamshire (r)
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Films of the day
My New York Year (15, 2021)
BBC4, 9pm Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm
Towering turns from Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley
The South African-born film- are the driving force behind this true-life tale of literary ambition
maker Christopher Nupen is in mid-1990s New York. Adapted from the memoir of Joanna
renowned for documentaries Rakoff, it pitches our young, overeducated heroine, Joanna
about classical music, including (Qualley), into the lion’s den when she nabs an assistant’s job
five award-winning films about working for one of the city’s oldest literary agencies, Harold
Jacqueline du Pré. “What a Ober Associates. Her boss is its most formidable player, who
really talented musician can is here known as Margaret, but is based on the agent Phyllis
do is beyond the wildest Westberg. Margaret is JD Salinger’s agent, an intellectual snob
imagination of most people,” and in her initial clashes with the cheery, less sophisticated
he said in 2014. “And I wanted Joanna, especially over how to handle “Jerry” (Salinger),
to tell the world about that.” He Weaver is a dyspeptic delight. (101min) Kevin Maher
made his first film for the BBC
in 1966 and his skill for getting
top musicians to trust him
gave him access to a golden
generation. Now 86, Nupen is
joined by some of his subjects
to reflect on 75 productions
spanning five decades. JC
11.45 Sportscene 1.00am The Women’s
Football Show 1.35 Weather for the
Week Ahead 1.40-6.00 BBC News
● STV As ITV except: 1.00pm-3.30pm
Live STV Racing 6.45-7.00 STV News
● BBC Scotland 10.00am-10.30 The
Sunday Show 7.00pm The Seven 7.15
Sportscene 8.30 The Mountain (r) 9.00
The Common Riding (r) 10.00 Still Game
(r) 10.30 David Wilson’s Crime Files
11.00-Midnight Seven Days
● S4C 6.00am Cyw: Jen a Jim Pob Dim (r)
6.15 Guto Gwningen (r) 6.30 Sbridiri (r)
6.50 Meic y Marchog (r) 7.05 Sigldigwt (r)
If Beale Street Could Talk (15, 2018)
7.20 Cei Bach (r) 7.35 Jamborî (r) 7.45 Sion BBC2, 9.45pm
y Chef (r) 7.55 Gwdihw (r) 8.10 Bach a Barry Jenkins’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning Moonlight is a
Mawr (r) 8.20 Patrôl Pawennau (r) 8.35 wonderful, delicate thunderclap of a film. Faithfully adapting the
Ahoi! (r) 8.50 Penblwyddi Cyw 9.00
Llwybrau’r Eirth (r) 10.00 Ffit Cymru (r) James Baldwin novel, Jenkins delivers a seductive tale of love
11.00 Mamwlad Gyda Ffion Hague (r) and devotion in 1970s New York via non-chronological narrative
11.30 Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol (r) beats, note-perfect central performances and a wistful yet
12.00 Yr Wythnos 12.30pm Dan Do (r)
1.00 Rygbi Pawb (r) 1.45 Live Clwb Rygbi: ultimately desolate mood. It begins in optimism, with the
Dragons v Leinster (Kick-off 2.00) 4.05 burgeoning love of childhood sweethearts turned soulmates Tish
Agor y Clo Byr 4.15 Eisteddfod AmGen: Rivers (KiKi Layne) and Alonzo “Fonny’’ Hunt (Stephan James,
Cwt Cerdd (r) 5.15 Ffermio (r) 5.45
Pobol y Cwm Omnibws (r) 7.15 News
above with Layne). Flashforwards, however, soon add a bracing
7.30 Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol dash of reality — Fonny is behind bars, falsely accused of burglary
8.00 Am Dro! 9.00 Drych 10.00 and rape. The ending is tough. The compensation resides in
Y Byd yn ei Le (r) 10.30-11.35 Cynefin (r)
the elegant and searing film-making of Jenkins. (119min) KM
(r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 7.10 Match of the
Day (r) 8.30 Politics England 9.00 The
Andrew Marr Show 10.00 Live
London Marathon. Gabby Logan
presents further coverage of the 41st
London Marathon, as runners make
their way towards the finish line of the
26.2-mile course 2.30pm BBC News;
Weather 2.45 Songs of Praise. A 60th
anniversary edition from Westminster
Abbey 3.25 Points of View 3.40 Best
of Seven Worlds, One Planet (r) 4.40
BBC News 4.55 BBC Regional News;
Weather 5.05 Countryfile. Sean
Fletcher and Charlotte Smith catch up
with a mother and son farming duo,
who face a series of challenges ahead
6.05 The Earthshot Prize: Repairing
Our Planet. New series. Five simple
but ambitious goals to repair our
planet. See Viewing Guide
The Earthshot Prize (6.05pm)
7.05 Strictly Come Dancing: The
Results Tess Daly and Claudia
Winkleman present as the two
lowest-scoring couples face
elimination in this year’s first
dance-off. Tom Grennan
provides the music
8.00 The Mating Game New series.
David Attenborough explores
the lengths animals go to in
search of a mate, including
ostriches, zebras, kangaroos
and nursery web spiders.
See Viewing Guide (1/5)
9.00 Ridley Road New series.
Fact-based drama about a
Jewish hairdresser living in
early 1960s London who joins
an underground movement
trying to prevent the rise of
far right extremist groups.
See Viewing Guide (1/4)
10.00BBC News
10.20 BBC Regional News; Weather
10.30 Match of the Day 2 Mark
Chapman presents action from
the latest Premier League
fixtures, including Liverpool v
Manchester City at Anfield.
Plus, Crystal Palace v Leicester
City, Tottenham Hotspur v
Aston Villa and West Ham
United v Brentford
11.45 The Women’s Football Show
Highlights of the weekend’s
games in the Super League
12.20am FILM Rosie (12, 2018)
A mother tries to protect her family
after their landlord sells the house
they were renting, leaving them
homeless. Drama with Sarah Greene
and Moe Dunford 1.45 Weather for
the Week Ahead 1.50 BBC News
Also available online and on tablet
Digital subscribers can now use our interactive seven-day
guide with comprehensive listings of all TV channels
thetimes.co.uk/tvplanner
BBC2
6.05am Gardeners’ World (r) 7.05
Countryfile (r) 8.00 Live London
Marathon. Gabby Logan presents live
coverage of the start of the 41st
London Marathon, as 50,000 virtual
runners join up with 42,000 on the
streets of London 10.00 Your Home
Made Perfect (r) 11.00 The World’s
Most Extraordinary Homes (r) 12.00
Live MOTD: Women’s Super League —
Aston Villa v Arsenal (Kick-off 12.30).
All the action from the top-flight
encounter at Villa Park 2.40pm Flog
It! (r) 3.30 Jay’s Yorkshire Workshop
(r) 4.30 Saving Lives at Sea. A race
against time to rescue two young
men (r) 5.30 Villages by the Sea. The
archaeologist Ben Robinson examines
the history of Lindisfarne (r) 6.00
London Marathon Highlights. Action
from the 41st staging of the race
Fishermen Paul and Bob (8pm)
7.00 Incredible Journeys with
Simon Reeve The presenter
discusses the challenge
of preserving unspoilt
wildernesses, from the icy
expanses of Siberia to the
tropical forests of central
and South America (4/4) (r)
8.00 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone
Fishing The pair fish for zander
on the River Severn (6/6)
8.30 Chris and Meg’s Wild Summer
Chris Packham and Megan
McCubbin head to the Western
Isles. Last in the series
9.00 The Ranganation New run of
the topical comedy show
hosted by Romesh
Ranganathan (1/6)
9.45 FILM If Beale Street Could Talk
(15, 2018) In early 1970s Harlem,
19-year old Tish Rivers recalls
the longtime relationship
between her and fiancé Alonzo
‘Fonny’ Hunt. With a child on
the way, their plans of starting a
family and embracing the
future are derailed when Fonny
is arrested for a crime he did
not commit. Barry Jenkins’
drama starring KiKi Layne,
Stephan James and Colman
Domingo. See Film Choice
11.35 FILM I Am Not Your Negro (12,
2016) The documentary-maker
Raoul Peck uses the words of
James Baldwin to explore the
black experience in America
1.05am Sign Zone: Prince Philip — The
Royal Family Remembers. A royal
tribute to the Duke by his children
and other members of the family (r)
(SL) 2.05 Question Time. Fiona Bruce
hosts the political debate (r) (SL)
3.05-3.45 Holby City (r) (SL)
ITV
6.00am CITV 9.25 ITV News 9.30
Wonders of Scotland with David
Hayman (r) 10.00 Love Your Weekend
with Alan Titchmarsh 11.55 All Around
Britain 12.55pm ITV News; Weather
1.00 Live ITV Racing: Prix de L’Arc de
Triomphe. Ed Chamberlin and
Francesca Cumani present coverage
from ParisLongchamp, which features
the best horses in the world over the
mile and a half trip 3.30 Tipping Point:
Lucky Stars. With Gareth Thomas,
Ranvir Singh and London Hughes (r)
4.30 Dickinson’s Biggest and Best
Deals. David Dickinson delves into
the archives to share more of his
favourite moments from Real Deal
5.30 The Cube. Two brothers
conclude their journey inside The
Cube (r) 6.30 ITV News; Weather
6.45 Regional News; Weather
Midsomer Murders (8pm)
7.00 Family Fortunes Gino
D’Acampo hosts as the Serghiou
family from Clacton-on-Sea face
the Cooper family from
Scotland, trying to guess the
most popular responses to
surveys posed to 100 people
8.00 Midsomer Murders As the
owners of Karras Games gather
for a murder mystery weekend,
the immersive experience takes
a puzzling twist when a killer
strikes for real. A storm rages
outside adding to the
experience of the fictional
murder playing out in front of
them, until one of them tumbles
down the stairs, and is impaled
by a life-size Egyptian figure.
See Viewing Guide
10.00ITV News
10.20 Sorry, I Didn’t Know New series.
Classic panel show with a twist,
hosted by Jimmy Akingbola
10.45 Unbelievable Moments Caught
on Camera A selection of
extraordinary eyewitness
footage, including the dramatic
moment a man in danger of
being swept over a steep
waterfall is rescued (r)
11.40 All Around Britain Ria Hebden
and Alex Beresford head
to the city of Belfast (r)
12.40am Teleshopping 3.00 FYI Extra
3.15 Motorsport UK. Richard John Neil
presents action from Oulton Park,
featuring round eight of the Ginetta
GT4 Supercup, and round 10 of the
Ginetta Juniors (r) 4.05 Unwind With
ITV 5.05 Tipping Point (r) (SL)
Channel 4
6.10am Mike & Molly (r) 6.30 Mike &
Molly (r) 6.55 Mike & Molly (r) 7.15 The
King of Queens (r) 7.40 The King of
Queens (r) 8.05 The King of Queens
(r) 8.30 The Simpsons (r) 9.00 The
Simpsons (r) 9.30 Sunday Brunch
12.30pm The Simpsons (r) 12.55 The
Simpsons (r) 1.25 The Simpsons.
Homer hires a private detective (r)
1.50 The Simpsons. A Hollywood star
visits Springfield (r) 2.20 The
Simpsons. Homer discovers the
power of prayer (r) 2.45 The Great
British Bake Off. The bakers make
brandy snaps and an interactive toy
made from biscuit (r) 4.15 FILM Mrs
Doubtfire (12, 1993) A divorced actor
disguises himself as an ageing female
housekeeper to get a job looking after
his own children. Comedy with Robin
Williams 6.30 Channel 4 News
Maya Jama and Foxy (10pm)
7.00 Big Ben: Restoring the World’s
Most Famous Clock The
architectural historian Anna
Keay explores restoration
work on the clock tower,
designed to restore it to its
original gothic glory while
also adding a modern lift
8.00 Lost Treasure Tombs of the
Ancient Maya Evidence of
human sacrifice is uncovered
in Honduras, and an expedition
to Guatemala must brave
an erupting volcano to
discover why the Maya
abandoned their cities (2/2)
9.00 Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins
The five remaining recruits go
on the run from a trained team
of hunters in the final challenge,
with just a compass and a map
to find their way to safety.
Last in the series
10.00Foxy’s Fearless 48 Hours with
Maya Jama The model trains to
bungee jump off a 75-metre-
high transporter bridge by
abseiling off sea cliffs and rising
a a 100-metre zipline across a
gap spanning jagged rocks
11.00 Gogglebox The armchair critics
share their opinions on what
they have been watching
during the week (3/13) (r)
12.00 FILM Overlord (18, 2018)
Action thriller 1.50am FILM Nobody’s
Fool (15, 2018) 3.40 FILM Iris Prize
Best British Shorts: Dungarees
(2020) 3.50 Couples Come Dine
with Me (r) 4.40 Location, Location,
Location (r) 5.35 Beat the Chef (r)
saturday review 29
Sunday 3
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 10.00 SpongeBob
SquarePants (r) 10.15 SpongeBob
SquarePants (r) 10.25 Entertainment
News on 5 10.30 NFL End Zone 11.00
Friends (r) 11.25 Friends (r) 11.55
Friends. Phoebe learns the result of
her pregnancy test (r) 12.25pm
Friends. Rachel develops a crush (r)
12.55 FILM Planet of the Apes (12,
2001) An astronaut crash-lands on a
planet ruled by intelligent apes, who
capture and enslave him. Tim Burton’s
sci-fi remake, starring Mark Wahlberg
and Helena Bonham Carter 3.10 FILM
The Fifth Element (PG, 1997) A
23rd-century New York cab driver
protects a mysterious woman
destined to save the world from
destruction. Sci-fi adventure starring
Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla
Jovovich 5.35 5 News Weekend
Alicia Vikander stars (5.40pm)
5.40 FILM Tomb Raider (12, 2018)
A kickboxing heiress risks her
life to save her missing father
when she discovers a clue to
his location. Action adventure
starring Alicia Vikander
8.00 Million Pound Motorhomes
Rustie Lee goes shopping for
her first motorhome, and a
couple with a baby and a dog
take the leap of moving out
of their house and into a
customised overlander (4/4)
9.00 Rich House, Poor House
Organic farmers and their
two children leave their
Northumberland home to
swap lives with a millionaire
businesswoman who lives just
outside Manchester (11/12) (r)
10.00When TV Goes Horribly Wrong
A compilation of television
mishaps, including the time a
fire alarm on Channel 4 News
left the presenter Krishnan
Guru-Murthy making the
headlines rather than reporting
them. Anthea Turner reflects
on the horror of being set on
fire in front of an audience of
millions, the comedian Bobby
Davro opens up about his show
when the laughter turned
into horror, and the journalist
Michael Crick looks back at a
cringeworthy encounter
with an angry MP (r)
1.00am The 21.co.uk Live Casino
Show. Interactive gambling 3.00
Entertainment News on 5 3.10 The
Tube: Going Underground (r) 4.00
British Made with John Prescott (r)
4.45 Wildlife SOS (r) (SL) 5.10 Great
Artists (r) (SL) 5.40 Milkshake!
30 saturday review
Sunday 3 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Classic Cellists at the BBC
A celebration of the cello,
through some of its
greatest interpreters
8.00 Jacqueline du Pre: A Gift
Beyond Words Tribute to
the cellist, who died of
multiple sclerosis aged just
42 in October 1987
9.00 Listening Through the
Lens: The Christopher
Nupen Films Documentary
about the director who
championed classical music
on television, seizing upon
his unique access to a
generation of musicians.
See Viewing Guide
10.30 We Want the Light: Jews
and German Music The
relationship between Jewish
people and German music
12.00-1.00am How to Get Ahead:
At Renaissance Court
Exploring Florence under
the reign of Grand Duke
Cosimo Medici (2/3)
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
6.55pm FILM The Fast and the
Furious: Tokyo Drift (12, 2006)
An American teen living in Japan
gets involved in street racing.
Action adventure starring Lucas
Black and Nathalie Kelley
9.00 FILM Mean Girls (12, 2004)
A teenager is shocked to be
befriended by the most popular
clique at her new school.
Comedy starring Lindsay Lohan
11.10 Family Guy
11.35 Family Guy
12.00-12.25am American Dad!
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.25pm Country Music A look at
how country music adapted to the
cultural changes of immediate
post-war society (3/8)
8.50 In the Executioner’s Shadow
Documentary looking at the
consequences of the death penalty
9.55 Maxima Following a woman
fighting to stop a multibillion-dollar
mining project in Peru
11.00-12.05am Chasing the Moon
Documentary detailing America’s
determination to put a man on the
Moon ahead of Soviet Russia (1/6)
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
7.00pm Hudson & Rex (3/16)
8.00 Hudson & Rex Charlie and
Rex wade into a mystery deeper
than the sea itself (4/16)
9.00 Death in Paradise A desert
island survival course goes wrong
when the leader is killed (6/8)
10.20 Death in Paradise (7/8)
11.40-12.40am Murdoch Mysteries
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
8.30am Live NRL Coverage
of this year’s Grand Final
11.30 Live SPFL: Aberdeen v Celtic
2.00pm Live Renault Super
Sunday: Crystal Palace v
Leicester City (Kick-off 2.00)
4.00 Live Renault Super Sunday:
Liverpool v Manchester City
6.45 Live WSL: Birmingham City v
Manchester United (Kick-off 6.45)
9.15 Live NFL An NFL match
12.30am Live NBC’s FNIA
1.10-4.30 Live NFL: New England
Patriots v Tampa Bay Buccaneers
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
6.00pm Lewis Hathaway and
Lewis investigate a murder
committed on the first night
of a quiz weekend held at
Chaucer College (3/4)
8.00 Joanna Lumley’s Home
Sweet Home: Travels in My
Own Land The actress
makes a trip across the UK,
starting at Tilbury Docks in
Essex, and also makes a
nostalgic return to
Coronation Street (1/3)
9.00 The Savoy Documentary
offering a glimpse into the
lives of those lucky enough
to check into the glamorous
London hotel (1/5)
10.00 Vera A respected surgeon is
murdered and his two
daughters are abducted
12.00-2.40am Coronation Street
Omnibus David reports
Daniel to the school for
assaulting Max. Sabeen
asks Imran to join her on
a lucrative appeal case
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
6.35pm FILM Force 10 from
Navarone (15, 1978) Second World
War adventure sequel starring
Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw
9.00 FILM Van Helsing (12, 2004)
A vampire slayer sets out to
vanquish the evil Count Dracula
once and for all. Gothic action
adventure starring Hugh Jackman
11.40-1.25am FILM Passenger 57
(15, 1992) The flight of an airline
security adviser is hijacked by a
terrorist. Action thriller starring
Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm Yellowstone
Supervolcano An insight into the
supervolcano brewing beneath
Yellowstone National Park
8.00 Inside the Factory Visiting a
Grimsby fish finger factory
9.00 Impossible Repairs A mission
to haul hefty cargo across
Switzerland to the Netherlands
10.00 Searching for Secrets How a
Victorian gas lamp helped solve
London’s sewage problem
11.00 Murderous History
12.00-1.00am Impossible Repairs
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Gold Rush
8.00 Gold Rush
9.00 Chasing Ocean Giants
Patrick Dykstra travels to Russia
to find a bowhead whale
10.00 Ancient Unexplained Files
A red skeleton in a Maya city
11.00 The Dino Hunters
12.00-2.00am Deadliest Catch
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
1.00pm Live Renault Super
Sunday: Crystal Palace v Leicester
City (Kick-off 2.00). The top-flight
encounter from Selhurst Park
4.00 Live Renault Super Sunday:
Liverpool v Manchester City
(Kick-off 4.30). Coverage of the
top-flight match from Anfield
7.30 SNF Brighton &
Hove Albion v Arsenal
9.15 PL 100 Club
9.45 Matchday Plus
10.00 Premier League
11.45-1.30am Premier League
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Four in a Bed The
contestants stay at the
Mariners Beachside
B&B in Seaton, Devon
7.25 Four in a Bed The B&B
owners meet for the final
time to find out what
they have been paid
8.00 George Clarke’s Old House,
New Home George Clarke
unlocks the potential of old
houses, trying to redesign a
1930s Liverpool semi (1/4)
9.00 999: On the Front Line
A baby has a dangerously
high temperature and the
paramedics suspect sepsis
10.00 24 Hours in A&E A 78-year-
old man is rushed in with
breathing difficulties, while
a 75-year-old is treated after
falling down stairs (1/11)
11.05-12.10am Emergency
Helicopter Medics In
Hartlepool, the heli-medics
are tasked with treating
a man hit by a train
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
6.40pm FILM The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay — Part 1 (12, 2014)
Katniss Everdeen becomes the
figurehead of a revolution against
the Panem regime. Sci-fi adventure
sequel starring Jennifer Lawrence
9.00 FILM Kingsman: The Secret
Service (15, 2015) A teenager is
given the chance to work with a
spy organisation. Action comedy
with Colin Firth and Taron Egerton
11.35-12.40am Naked Attraction
A twice-divorced woman is in
search of husband number three
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
6.00pm FILM Concert for George
(2003) A special tribute concert
for the late George Harrison
8.45 Carole King: Welcome to
My Living Room The singer-
songwriter performs her
hits on tour in 2005
11.00 Isle of Wight Festival
Greatest Hits Highlights of
Nile Rodgers and Chic
11.30 Isle of Wight Festival
Greatest Hits Kings of Leon
12.00-1.00am The Music Videos
That Shaped the 80s
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Shipwreck Graveyard
8.00 Europe from Above Aerial
voyage across Iceland (4/6)
9.00 Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted
The unique cuisine of Puerto Rico
10.00 Drain the Oceans (13/15)
11.00 Drain the Oceans (14/15)
12.00-1.00am Drain the Oceans
A city in the Nile delta (2/10)
Jack Grealish should line up
for Manchester City against
Liverpool (Sky Main Event, 4pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm 007: Licence to Drive To
mark the release of No Time
to Die, this documentary
looks at the Aston Martin
DB5’s impact on the James
Bond franchise (R)
8.00 007: The Daniel Craig Years
As the actor prepares to
bow out as James Bond, this
documentary reflects on his
five films in the role (R)
9.00 COBRA Sutherland’s
knowledge about his
daughter’s part in her
friend’s death is questioned,
while a new threat
rears its head (4/6) (R)
10.00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks
With Ellie Goulding, Tom
Grennan and Yungblud (R)
10.45 A League of Their Own With
guests Troy Deeney, AJ
Odudu, Roisin Conaty, Geoff
Norcott, Alex Brooker
and Tom Allen (R)
11.45-12.15am Road Wars
Vehicle crime (11/16) (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
7.00pm Fast Justice The Sentinels
stop a taxi linked to drugs
8.00 Border Force: America’s
Gatekeepers Packages of meth are
found in the wall of a trailer
9.00 Have I Got a Bit More News
for You With Jo Brand, Reginald D
Hunter and Charlene White
10.00 Late Night Mash
11.00 Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
With guests Joanne McNally,
Jonny Pelham, Harriet Kemsley
and Richard Ayoade
12.00-1.00am QI XL
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
7.00pm Will & Grace Jack agrees
to marry Karen’s maid
7.30 Will & Grace A fresh start
beckons for Grace
8.00 Wellington Paranormal (3/7)
8.30 Wellington Paranormal (4/7)
9.00 Saturday Night Live New
series. The topical sketch show
returns for a 47th series
10.30 Flight of the Conchords
The Conchords go to a party
at a friend’s house (1/12)
11.00-12.30am Saturday Night
Live Topical sketch show
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
7.00pm Friends Four editions
9.00 FILM The Longest Yard (12,
2005) An imprisoned quarterback
is given the job of forming a team
of inmates to play American
football. Comedy remake starring
Adam Sandler and Chris Rock
11.15-2.15am Greatest Ever
Rom-Com Movies
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
10.50am Live Indian Premier
League: Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Punjab Kings
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Kolkata Knight Riders v
Sunrisers Hyderabad
7.00 The Fletcher Years (3/4)
8.00 IPL Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Punjab Kings
9.00 IPL Kolkata Knight Riders
v Sunrisers Hyderabad
10.00 IPL
11.00 IPL
12.00-4.00am IPL
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.45pm The Sopranos Tony and
Paulie take action against
Phil Leotardo before he sets
his own plans in motion (R)
7.50 The Sopranos In the
last-ever episode, Tony
comes out of hiding to
find Phil, while AJ and
Rhiannon narrowly
escape an explosion (R)
9.00 Britannia Cait and Divis
harness the power of Big
Pebble in their search for
the traitor (6/8) (R)
10.00 FILM The Red Turtle
(PG, 2016) After a
devastating storm leaves
him shipwrecked on a
deserted island, a mariner
encounters a red turtle, and
the two strike up a bond.
Animated fantasy starring
Emmanuel Garijo. In
French and Japanese
11.40-12.15am In Treatment Eladio
reaches a transformative
conclusion (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.20pm Call the Midwife The
locals are evacuated after the
discovery of an unexploded bomb
8.00 Miss Scarlet and the Duke
Crime drama set in Victorian
London starring Kate Phillips
9.10 Broken With time running out
on her deception, Roz phones
Father Michael from work, ahead
of a devastating and public
confrontation with her boss
10.30-12.05am Rebus The
detective investigates the
deaths of two schoolboys
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Caught on Dashcam Road
disasters captured on video by
drivers’ dashboard cameras (5/5)
8.00 The Resident Cain’s elected
surgery patient returns with
complications (2/14)
9.00 New Amsterdam Bloom
returns from vacation with a
surprising new attitude (11/14)
10.00 For Life Aaron seeks a way
to gain the upper hand on Maskins
11.00 Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit A girl vanishes from her home
12.00-1.00am Chicago Med
Gold
SKY 110, BT 310
7.00pm Only Fools and Horses
Christmas Special
7.40 Only Fools and Horses
9.35 All Round to Mrs Brown’s
With Sue Perkins, Emilia Fox,
Ashley Banjo and Aston Merrygold
10.55 Lenny Henry’s Race
Through Comedy
11.55-12.35am Mrs Brown’s Boys
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
7.30am-8.30 Live World Rally
Championship Action from Stage
17 in Finland at Ruuhimaki
12.00 Live Ligue 1: Rennes v Paris
Saint-Germain (Kick-off 12.00)
2.00pm-5.15 Live Gallagher
Premiership Rugby Union: Sale
Sharks v Exeter Chiefs (Kick-off
3.00). From AJ Bell Stadium
7.45 Live Serie A: Atalanta v
AC Milan (Kick-off 8.00)
10.00 WWE NXT UK
11.00-12.00 WWE
SmackDown Highlights
Force 10 from
Navarone
Robert Shaw and Harrison
Ford star in the war drama
ITV4, 6.35pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
7.00pm The Apollo Documentary
exploring the history of the
Harlem venue, with archive
footage of performances by
Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross,
Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix
and Pharrell Williams (R)
9.00 King in the Wilderness
Documentary chronicling
the final chapters of Dr
Martin Luther King Jr’s life,
revealing a conflicted leader
who faced criticism from
both sides of the political
spectrum (R)
11.10 FILM I Am Burt Reynolds
(12, 2020) Family and
friends of the iconic
Hollywood actor come
together to share memories
of his life and fruitful career
1.00am-2.50 Our Towns Taking a
look at how the rise of civic
and economic reinvention is
shaping and transforming
small cities and towns
across the US (R)
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Nazi Hunters The search
for Nazi war criminals (1/13)
8.00 Nazi Hunters How Martin
Bormann was tracked down (2/13)
9.00 One Foot in the Grave Victor
Meldrew faces up to retirement
9.40 One Foot in the Grave
Victor attends a fitness class
10.20 One Foot in the Grave
11.00 Bangers and Cash Derek
auctions off a Jensen Interceptor
and a Jensen Healey (1/10)
12.00-1.00am Bangers and Cash
A Roller and a Rover (2/10)
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm World War II: The Price of
Empire A focus on the Battle of
Britain and the Blitz (4/13)
8.00 World War II: The Price of
Empire Examining the
key events of 1941 (5/13)
9.00 Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of
Courage The impact of America’s
first Black military pilots
10.00 400 Years Taking the Knee
The fight against colonialism (1/2)
11.00 400 Years Taking the Knee
The fight against colonialism (2/2)
12.00-1.15am Alone
W
SKY 109, BT 311
7.00pm Extreme Food Phobics
8.00 Nurses Down Under Treating
a man in anaphylactic shock
9.00 Louis Theroux: By Reason
of Insanity Double bill
11.00 Inside the Ambulance:
Coast and Country
12.00-1.00am One Born:
What Happened Next?
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
9.30am-10.15 Live Motorsport:
DTM Action from the second
qualifying session at the
Hockenheimring in Germany
11.30-1.30pm Live Serie A:
Bologna v Lazio (Kick-off 11.30)
2.30 Live MotoGP The Warm Ups
4.15 Live MotoGP Coverage of the
Moto3 race at the Grand Prix of
The Americas (Start-time 5.00)
6.00 Live MotoGP Coverage of the
Moto2 race (Start-time 6.20)
7.30-9.00 Live MotoGP The
MotoGP race (Start-time 8.00)
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am Man of the West (12,
1958) Western starring Gary
Cooper and Lee J Cobb
1.05pm Stuart Little (U, 1999)
Comedy adventure with the
voice of Michael J Fox
2.45 The Book of Life (U,
2014) Animated adventure
with the voice of Diego Luna
4.35 Baby Boom (PG, 1987)
Comedy with Diane Keaton
6.45 Bumblebee (PG, 2018)
Transformers prequel
with Hailee Steinfeld
9.00 Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom (12, 1984)
The archaeologist battles to
retrieve sacred stones in the
possession of a cult. Action
adventure with Harrison Ford
11.20 A Most Wanted Man
(15, 2014) Intelligence
agencies try to determine
the identity of a victim of
torture. Thriller starring
Philip Seymour Hoffman
1.45am-3.55 Gerry (15, 2002)
Drama starring Matt Damon
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am The Lost City
7.55 Captain Scarlett (U, 1953)
Swashbuckling adventure
starring Richard Greene
9.30 Law of the Plainsman
10.00 Mutiny (U, 1952)
Adventure with Mark Stevens
11.35 A-Bob-In-The-
Pound with Tommy
Handley: Glimpses
11.40 Dublin Nightmare
(PG, 1958) Crime thriller
starring William Sylvester
12.55pm The Young Wives’
Tale (1951) Comedy
starring Joan Greenwood
2.30 Kathy Kirby: My Story
4.15 Laura (PG, 1944) Murder
mystery starring Dana
Andrews and Gene Tierney
6.00 Upstairs, Downstairs
7.00 King of the Khyber
Rifles (PG, 1953) Adventure
starring Tyrone Power
9.00 Secret Army
10.05 Omen III: The Final
Conflict (18, 1981)
Supernatural horror starring
Sam Neill and Rossano Brazzi
12.15am The Best
of the Adventures
1.55 Horrors of the Black
Museum (15, 1959) Horror
starring Michael Gough
3.35-5.25 Lady of Deceit
(PG, 1947) Crime drama
starring Claire Trevor
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am Taken Back: Finding
Haley (12, 2012) Thriller
starring Moira Kelly
10.45 Flawless (2020)
Drama starring Sarah Fisher
12.30pm Left for Dead (2014)
Thriller with Elisabeth Rohm
2.20 The Bounty Hunter
(12, 2010) Action comedy
starring Gerard Butler
Margaret Qualley in My New
York Year (Sky Premiere, 8pm)
4.30 Sweet Home Alabama
(12, 2002) Romantic comedy
starring Reese Witherspoon
and Josh Lucas
6.40 How Do You Know (12,
2010) Romantic comedy
starring Reese Witherspoon
and Paul Rudd
9.00 Seven Pounds (12,
2008) Drama with Will Smith
11.25-1.40am Once Upon a
Time in Mexico (15, 2003)
Action thriller with Antonio
Banderas and Johnny Depp
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
8.25am Seven Brides for
Seven Brothers (U, 1954)
Musical starring Howard Keel
10.35 The Odessa File (PG,
1974) Thriller with Jon Voight
1.15pm Face of a Fugitive
(U, 1959) Western with Fred
MacMurray and Lin McCarthy
3.00 Quincannon, Frontier
Scout (U, 1956) Western
starring Tony Martin
4.50 The Lusty Men (U, 1952)
Rodeo adventure starring
Robert Mitchum
7.10 When the Redskins Rode
(U, 1951) Western starring
Jon Hall and James Seay
8.50 Off Set
9.00 Unbroken (15, 2014)
Fact-based drama
starring Jack O’Connell
11.50-1.50am Fire with Fire
(15, 2012) Action thriller
starring Josh Duhamel
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.50pm Superintelligence
(PG, 2020) Sci-fi comedy
2.40 Cowboys (15, 2020)
Drama starring Steve Zahn
4.10 Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
6.20 Locked In (15, 2021)
Crime thriller starring Mena
Suvari and Jeff Fahey
8.00 My New York Year (15,
2021) A college graduate
takes a clerical job working
for the literary agent of JD
Salinger. Drama with Margaret
Qualley. See Film Choice
9.45 Superintelligence
(PG, 2020) Sci-fi comedy
starring Melissa McCarthy
11.35-1.45am Judas and the
Black Messiah (15, 2021)
Drama with Daniel Kaluuya
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
6.00am Jenny Kleeman and
Luke Jones with Times Radio
Breakfast 10.00 T&G with Tom
Newton Dunn Live from the
Conservative Party Conference
1.00pm Alexis Conran 4.00
Ayesha Hazarika Live from the
Conservative Party Conference
7.00 Past Imperfect: Shirley
Ballas 8.00 Stories of Our
Times 8.30 Red Box 9.00
Highlights from Times Radio
10.00 Kait Borsay 1.00am
Highlights from Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
5.00am Tracks of My Years
6.00 Good Morning Sunday
9.00 Steve Wright’s Sunday
Love Songs 11.00 Alex Jones
1.00pm Elaine Paige 3.00
Sounds of the 70s with
Johnnie Walker 5.00 Paul
O’Grady 7.00 Sunday Night Is
Music Night. Hits from the
1980s at the London Coliseum
(r) 9.00 The Sounds of 2004
10.00 Dr Rangan Chatterjee
12.00 OJ Borg 2.30am One Hit
Wonders 3.00 Pick of the Pops
(r) 4.00 Vanessa Feltz
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
7.00am Breakfast
9.00 Sunday Morning
12.00 Private Passions
Michael Berkeley’s guest is
historian Gretchen Gerzina (r)
1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime
Concert Nielsen (Serenata in
Vano); Brahms (Sereande No 1
— original version) (r)
2.00 The Early Music Show
3.00 Choral Evensong
From Worcester Cathedral
on the Feast of St Michael
and All Angels (r)
4.00 Jazz Record Requests
With tracks by Lester Young,
Marian Montgomery and
Michael Brecker
5.00 The Listening Service
5.30 Words and Music
Poetry, prose and music on the
theme of transport
6.45 Sunday Feature: Dear
Phillis Arts reports. See Choice
7.30 Live Radio 3 in Concert
Revueltas (La Noche de los
Mayas Part III: Noche de
Yucatán); Bryce Dessner
(Violin Concerto); Stravinsky
(The Rite of Spring)
9.00 Record Review Extra The
recommended version of
Bach’s Coffee Cantata
11.30 Slow Radio: Homeward
12.00 Classical Fix Linton
Stephens creates a bespoke
classical playlist for a guest
12.30am Through the Night (r)
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Bells on Sunday
Today’s pick
Sunday Feature
Radio 3, 6.45pm
This week’s edition looks at
the life and legacy of the
18th-century African-
American poet Phillis
Wheatley, right, who was
born in west Africa and sold
into slavery as a child. She
was bought by the Wheatley
family of Boston who
encouraged her talent.
Wheatley was emancipated
after her book of poems was
published in 1773 but died in
poverty and obscurity aged
31. The British poet Momtaza
5.45 Profile (r)
6.00 News Headlines
6.05 Something Understood
6.35 Natural Histories (r)
7.00 News and Papers
7.10 Sunday
7.54 Radio 4 Appeal
8.00 News and Papers
8.10 Sunday Worship
8.48 A Point of View (r)
8.58 Tweet of the Day (r)
9.00 Broadcasting House
10.00 The Archers (r)
11.00 Desert Island Discs
Entrepreneur Tom Ilube talks
to Lauren Laverne and selects
eight favourite recordings
11.45 Just One Thing with
Michael Mosley
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 Just a Minute (r)
12.32 The Food Programme
1.00 The World This Weekend
1.30 The Listening Project
2.00 Gardeners’ Question
Time (r)
2.45 Green Originals (r)
3.00 Drama: The Good Earth
By Pearl S Buck (2/2)
4.00 Bookclub Anthony Doerr
discusses All the Light We
Cannot See
4.30 Art of Now: Hong Kong
5.00 File on 4 (r)
5.40 Profile Broadcast earlier
5.54 Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.15 Pick of the Week
7.00 The Archers
7.15 Comedy from the
Wilderness
7.45 Miss Bessemer Saves the
Train By Roy Apps (2/5)
8.00 More or Less (r)
8.30 Last Word (r)
9.00 Money Box (r)
9.25 Radio 4 Appeal
9.30 Analysis (r)
10.00 The Westminster Hour
11.00 The Film Programme
11.30 Something Understood
Broadcast earlier
12.00 News and Weather
12.15am Thinking Allowed (r)
12.45 Bells on Sunday
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am Sports Desk 5.30 5
Live Sport 6.00 5 Live Science
Sunday 3
Mehri journeys through
Wheatley’s complex legacies
and meets the contemporary
writers and scholars who
have revitalised interest in
her work. Debra Craine
7.00 Sunday Breakfast 10.00
Laura Whitmore 12.00 5 Live
Sport 2.00pm 5 Live Sport
4.00 5 Live Sport 4.30 5 Live
Sport 6.30 6-0-6 9.00
Mobeen Azhar 1.00am
Dotun Adebayo
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
6.00am Weekend Sports
Breakfast 9.00 Jonny Owen
and Friends 11.00 The Warm
Up 1.00pm The Sunday
Session 5.00 Darren Bent’s
Boot Room 8.00 A talkSPORT
Special 9.00 Trans Europe
Express 12.00 Extra Time
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am The Best of TalkRadio
7.00 Cristo Foufas 10.00
Richard Tice 1.00pm Bob
Mills 4.00 Plank of the Week
5.00 Clashes of the Week
7.00 Driven Chat with Andy
Jaye 8.00 Nick De Bois 10.00
The Unexplained with
Howard Hughes 1.00am
Paul Ross
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
7.20am Writing the Century:
The Dock, Nuremberg
Omnibus 8.30 Doctor at
Large 9.00 Not in Front of the
Children 9.30 Man at the
Helm 10.00 Desert Island
Discs 10.45 David
Attenborough’s Life Stories
11.00 Radiolab 11.55
Inheritance Tracks 12.00
Poetry Extra 12.30pm Micky
Flanagan: What Chance
Change? 1.00 The Music Shop
Omnibus: Part One 2.10
Inheritance Tracks 2.20 That
Was Then Omnibus 3.30 The
Pickwick Poppers 4.00 What
Happened with St George
5.00 Poetry Extra 5.30 Micky
Flanagan: What Chance
Change? 6.00 Maleficium
6.45 Monsieur Oufle 7.00
Radiolab 7.55 Inheritance
Tracks 8.00 What Happened
with St George 9.00 Desert
Island Discs 9.45 David
Attenborough’s Life Stories
saturday review 31
10.00 Micky Flanagan:
What Chance Change?
10.30 Mark Steel’s in Town
11.00 On the Hour 11.30 A
Look Back at the Nineties
12.00 Maleficium 12.45am
Monsieur Oufle
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06 From Our
Own Correspondent 9.30
Outlook 10.00 News 10.06 A
Geo-chemical History of Life
on Earth 10.30 Heart and
Soul 11.00 The Newsroom
11.30 The Compass: Sugar-
Coated World 12.00 News
12.06pm The Inquiry 12.30
Assignment 1.00 Newshour
2.00 News 2.06 The Forum
2.50 More or Less 3.00 News
3.06 Music Life 4.00 News
4.06 Sportsworld 7.00 The
Newsroom 7.30 Heart and
Soul 8.00 News 8.06
Business Weekly 9.00
Newshour 10.06 A Geo-
chemical History of Life on
Earth 10.30 World of Wisdom
10.50 More or Less 11.00 The
Newsroom 11.20 Sports News
11.30 Outlook 12.00 News
12.06am From Our Own
Correspondent 12.30 Heart
and Soul 1.00 News 1.06
Business 1.30 Discovery 2.00
The Newsroom 2.30 The
Climate Question 3.00 News
3.06 A Geo-chemical History
of Life on Earth 3.30 World of
Wisdom 3.50 Over to You
4.00 The Newsroom 4.30
The Conversation
6 Music
Digital only
7.00am Mark Radcliffe 10.00
Cerys Matthews 1.00pm
Music Life 2.00 Ezra
Furman’s Finest Hour 4.00
Amy Lamé 6.00 Now Playing
@6Music 8.00 Stuart
Maconie’s 10.00 Don Letts
12.00 Ezra Furman’s Finest
Hour 2.00am 6 Music Artist
in Residence 3.00 James
Acaster’s Perfect Sounds
3.30 James Acaster’s Perfect
Sounds 4.00 The BBC
Introducing Mixtape
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.00am Amy Voce 9.30 The
Graham Norton Show
12.30pm Virgin Radio On
Demand 4.00 Bam 7.00
Christian Williams 10.00
Stu Elmore 1.00am Through
The Night 4.00 Sam Pinkham
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
7.00am Aled Jones 10.00
Bill Turnbull 1.00pm
Catherine Bott 4.00 John
Humphrys 7.00 Smooth
Classics 9.00 Moira Stuart
Meets 10.00 Smooth Classics
1.00am Bill Overton
32 saturday review
Monday 4 | Viewing guide
Critic’s choice Blair & Brown:
The New Labour Revolution
BBC2, 9pm
This story of Labour in the
1990s is made by the team
behind 2019’s peerless
Mrs Thatcher: A Very British
Revolution and the format is
identical: no pundits, just
interviews with people (such
as Peter Mandelson and
Alastair Campbell) who knew
and worked with Tony Blair
and Gordon Brown — although
this time the principal subjects
are alive to give their side too.
Well-edited, well-researched
clips, such as the interview
with 24-year-old Brown in his
role as rector of the University
of Edinburgh, are fascinating,
as is the way he was dismissed
by the university principal for
acting as if he was prime
minister. Other similar
moments inject a sometimes
ironic edge to the pacy,
thoughtful narrative. We get
glimpses of the touchy, petty
side to Brown, who points out
that he met Bill Clinton before
Blair did. It’s a familiar story, of
Hitler’s
Circle of Evil
PBS America, 8.40pm
This documentary examines
Hitler’s rise to power through
the men who got him there,
his early devotees Heinrich
Himmler, Rudolf Hess and
Hermann Goering, who turned
the Nazi machine from a bunch
of political outcasts to the
conquerors of Europe in just 15
years. It’s heavy on dramatic
reconstructions from the early
days when Hitler addressed
beer halls, and his failed putsch.
We see how his followers were
united in their devotion to one
man holding them, as one
historian puts it, like a bag of
fighting cats, who were happy
to turn on each other. BD
Catch
up
Goliath
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon is wringing one more
series — a fourth and final one
— out of this high-quality
legal drama, and who’s to
complain when Billy Bob
Thornton, right, is so good in
it? He returns from the dead
as the wily street lawyer Billy
McBride with a new
antagonist, or
“goliath”, to take
down. This time
it is JK
Simmons’s
smug big-
pharm boss,
profiteering
course, but what may be half-
remembered details for many
of us are brought into sharp
relief, including the fact that
Brown was seen as the natural
successor before John Smith
died, his hesitancy in not
standing against Blair
setting him on the path to
grumpdom. We’re also
reminded of how close they
were before it went south.
This episode covers the
famous Granita deal, and finds
both men giving subtly
different accounts, as you
might expect. It soon became
clear that Blair was the
coming man, determined that
his party would look forward
not back — lessons some in
the party perhaps still need to
learn. Will we be having films
about people who sit at the
centre of our political life in
20 years’ time? So many of
them seem like pygmies in
comparison.
Ben Dowell
Silent Witness
BBC1, 9pm
The final double bill of what
has been a very good series
starts in the room of a care
home where one of the
residents, Mr Robson, lies
dead, with one of his friends
convinced that “Robbo” was
killed. He has donated his
body to medical science,
meaning that the forensic
team led by Nikki (Emilia Fox)
get a look in. When one of
her students makes an
alarming discovery, the game
is afoot, and it’s not too long
before Jack (David Caves)
and Simone (Genesis Lynea)
investigate, their efforts not
helped when a diverted river
floods the area. Concludes
tomorrow. BD
from addictive opioids but
hitting problems when his
disgusted brother (the great
Bruce Dern) takes the stand
against him. Did I say
addictive? This series tends to
be once it settles into its
groove, helped along by a
quality cast bolstered by
a return for William
Hurt as Donald
Cooperman,
McBride’s former
legal firm partner-
and the nemesis
from series one,
who now
functions
largely as
a recluse.
James
Jackson
Gordon, Gino &
Fred Go Greek
ITV, 9pm
The final part of the double bill
starts with Gordon Ramsay,
Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix
pitching up in Athens, cradle of
civilisation, birthplace of
philosophy and home to the
best souvlaki on the planet.
With Viagra negronis to imbibe
and wooden willies to snicker
at in some of the shops they
pass, the male menopause
energy is on overdrive,
especially when Gordon and
Gino see if they can cook better
than the locals. Still, when they
journey to the monasteries of
Meteora to meet beekeeping
nuns they are, I’m glad to say,
on better behaviour. BD
Regional programmes
● BBC1 Wales As BBC1 except:
7.35pm-8.05 X-Ray 10.35 Panorama
11.05 RuPaul’s Drag Race UK 12.20am-
1.30 The Apprentice Australia
● BBC2 Wales As BBC2 except:
7.00pm-7.30 Black and Welsh (r)
11.15 It’s My Shout 11.25 Saving Lives
at Sea (r) 12.25am-12.45 Coast (r)
● BBC1 N Ireland As BBC1 except:
7.35pm-8.05 Farm to Feast: Best Menu
Wins 8.30-9.00 Panorama 10.35 There’s
No Place Like Tyrone 11.05 RuPaul’s Drag
Race UK 12.20am The Apprentice
Australia 1.30-6.00 BBC News
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except:
10.00pm-10.30 Peataí! 11.15 NIFL
Premiership Highlights 11.45 Alma’s Not
Normal 12.15am-12.45 Sign Zone: NHS:
Wait or Pay? — Panorama (r)
● BBC1 Scotland As BBC1 except:
7.35pm-8.05 Disclosure: Who’s Watching
the Kids? 10.35 The Scotts 11.05
Panorama 11.35 Sportscene 12.05am
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK 1.20 The Edit 1.35
The Apprentice Australia 2.45 Weather
for the Week Ahead 2.50-6.00 BBC News
● ITV Wales As ITV except: 8.00pm-8.30
The Pier. New series 11.00 Sharp End.
Political discussion 11.25 Beyond the Line:
North Wales Traffic Cops (r) 11.55-12.45am
The Real Manhunt: The Night Stalker (r)
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
24 Hours in Films of the day
Police Custody Cast Away (12, 2000)
Channel 4, 9pm GREAT! Movies, 9pm
Tom Hanks, below, reunited with the Forrest Gump director Robert
A spicy episode in more ways Zemeckis for this tale of man versus the wilderness. Hanks plays
than one starts with a violent Chuck Noland, a FedEx troubleshooter who spends much of his life
brawl fought with knives and on an aircraft, rushing to deal with packaging crises around the
hammers in front of a Luton world. However, his plan to marry his long-suffering girlfriend
takeaway in broad daylight. (Helen Hunt) is placed on ice when he crashes on a deserted island
One man appears to have and is left to fend for himself, with nothing but a volleyball for
hot oil thrown over him. The company. There’s something mesmeric in watching Hanks silently
police initially struggle to try to solve the basic problems on which his survival hinges, such
deal with the case because of as lighting a fire and opening a coconut. Filming began in Fiji in
a lack of personnel — causing 1998, then production was shut down for a year so Hanks could
questions to be raised in lose 50lb and grow a beard. (143min) Wendy Ide
parliament. When they do
manage to delve deeper they
discover a long-running feud
between two rival families over
control of the area’s lucrative
chicken trade before a massive
drugs haul cracks the case
open further. BD
● STV As ITV except: 10.45pm STV News
10.50 Scotland Tonight 11.20 The Real
Manhunt: The Night Stalker (r)
12.15am-3.00 Teleshopping
● UTV As ITV except: 11.00pm View from
Stormont 12.00-12.45am The Real
Manhunt: The Night Stalker (r)
● BBC Scotland 2.00pm Sign Zone:
Disclosure: Priced Out (r) 2.30 Sign Zone:
Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs (r)
3.00-4.00 Sign Zone: Our Planet Now:
Scotland Climate Change Special (r) 7.00
Sportscene: SWPL Highlights 7.30
Landward (r) 8.00 Back from the Brink
Woman at War (12, 2018)
8.50 Loop (r) 9.00 The Nine 10.00 Channel 4, 2.10am
River City 11.00 Scot Squad (r) This quirky Icelandic-language dramedy about an unassuming
11.30-Midnight Scary Adult Things (r) choir conductor from Reykjavik turned notorious eco-terrorist has
● S4C 6.00am Cyw 12.00 News 12.05pm
Nyrsys (r) 12.30 Heno (r) 1.00 Ar Werth (r) a prodigious go-for-broke central performance from Halldora
1.30 Llefydd Sanctaidd (r) 2.00 News Geirharosdottir. She plays the longbow-wielding, Semtex-toting
2.05 Prynhawn Da 3.00 News 3.05 Corau heroine Halla, and Halla’s disapproving twin sister, Asa. When we
Rhys Meirion (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr 5.00
Stwnsh 6.00 Y Sioe Fwyd (r) 6.30 Garejis: meet Halla she’s being hunted by police drones and American spy
Dan y Bonet (r) 6.57 News S4C 7.00 Heno choppers but contemplates a career change when her four-year-
7.30 News 8.00 Pobol y Cwm 8.25 Sgwrs old adoption application for a traumatised Ukrainian child is
Dan y Lloer. Elin Fflur chats to Owain
Arthur 8.55 News 9.00 Ffermio 9.30
accepted. There’s a stylistic trick here that puts the soundtrack
Cymru ar Ffilm: O’r Pridd i’r Plât (r) 10.00 band (a jolly oompah group) into the scene whenever music is
Ceffylau Cymru (r) 10.30 Bois y Rhondda required. It’s good fun, but becomes wearisome. It gives the whole
(r) 11.00-11.35 Cymry ar Gynfas (r)
film the veneer of an Icelandic folk promo. (100min) Kevin Maher
(r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Rip Off Britain
10.00 Defenders UK 10.45 Claimed
and Shamed (r) 11.15 Homes Under
the Hammer (r) 12.15pm Bargain Hunt
1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.30
BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45
Doctors. Bear’s attempt to help his
mum backfires 2.15 Unbeatable.
General knowledge quiz hosted by
Jason Manford (r) 3.00 Escape to the
Country. A couple recently returned
from Bermuda look for a new home
in Northamptonshire 3.45 Garden
Rescue. Charlie Dimmock and Harry
and David Rich head to Yardley in
Birmingham (r) 4.30 Antiques Road
Trip. Margie Cooper and Paul Martin
search for bargains in Somerset 5.15
Pointless. Alexander Armstrong hosts
6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather 6.30
BBC Regional News; Weather
Silent Witness continues (9pm)
7.00 The One Show Jermaine Jenas
and Sam Quek present topical
stories and showbiz chat
7.35 Panorama In-depth current
affairs report covering a story
behind the headlines
8.05 EastEnders Suki uses her
authority to get revenge on
Honey. Vinny steps up for Dotty
8.30 The Goes Wrong Show Chris
resumes control and puts on a
production of a little-known
Shakespeare play (2/5)
9.00 Silent Witness Part one of two.
Nikki’s students make an
alarming discovery while
dissecting a body donated for
their training. The case that
follows brings Nikki
dangerously close to a student.
See Viewing Guide (9/10)
10.00BBC News at Ten
10.25 BBC Regional News
10.35 RuPaul’s Drag Race UK The
queens are settling in, but the
pressure is on as the queens’
dance and co-ordination skills
are given a high energy
workout in their first complex
dance challenge. Two-time
Strictly champion Oti Mabuse
coaches the queens (2/10)
11.50 The Apprentice Australia
Creating the ultimate Sydney
tourism experience (2/12)
1.00am The Graham Norton Show.
The host catches up with guests
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Greg Davies,
Dave Grohl and Kadeena Cox. Plus,
music from Jack Savoretti and
Nile Rodgers (r) 1.45 Weather for
the Week Ahead 1.50 BBC News
Also available online and on tablet
Digital subscribers can now use our interactive seven-day
guide with comprehensive listings of all TV channels
thetimes.co.uk/tvplanner
BBC2
6.30am Bargain Hunt (r) 7.15 Antiques
Road Trip (r) 8.00 Sign Zone: Jay’s
Yorkshire Workshop (r) (SL) 9.00 BBC
News at 9 10.00 BBC News 12.15pm
Politics Live Conference 2021.
Coverage of the Conservative Party
conference in Manchester 1.00 Head
Hunters (r) 1.45 Eggheads (r) 2.20
FILM Crossfire (12, 1947) A detective
tracks down the murderer of a Jewish
war veteran, while a soldier tries to
prove his friend’s innocence. Drama
starring Robert Mitchum (b/w) 3.45
Curiosity (r) 4.30 Glorious Gardens
from Above. Christine Walkden takes
to the skies above Gloucestershire (r)
5.15 Flog It!. Valuing antiques in rural
Essex (r) 6.00 Richard Osman’s House
of Games. With Roger Black, Jo Brand,
Sanjeev Kohli and Tiff Stevenson 6.30
Strictly: It Takes Two. Weekday fanzine
Comedy Alma’s Not Normal (10pm)
7.00 River Walks: The Deben
Miranda Krestovnikoff walks
along the Deben in Suffolk
7.30 Mastermind Specialist subjects
include James Bond villains
and the life of Lord Byron
8.00 Only Connect The Librarians
take on the Animal Lovers
8.30 University Challenge Wolfson
College, Oxford, clash with
the University of Bristol
9.00 Blair & Brown: The New Labour
Revolution New series.
Examining the careers of those
at the heart of New Labour,
featuring interviews with the
key players involved. See
Viewing Guide (1/5)
10.00Alma’s Not Normal The hospital
informs Lin that her section
could finally be lifted (4/6)
10.30 Newsnight Headline analysis
11.15 Black Power: A British Story
of Resistance Looking at the
1960s and ’70s through the
eyes of the young black people
who refused to take racism
as a part of the natural order
of things in the UK (r)
12.45am Sign Zone: Countryfile. Matt
Baker and Helen Skelton present the
One Man And His Dog sheepdog trials
(r) (SL) 1.45 Saving Lives at Sea.
A crew battle through huge waves to
try to save a surfer (r) (SL) 2.45-3.45
When Ruby Wax Met (r) (SL)
ITV
6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00
Lorraine 10.00 This Morning 12.30pm
Loose Women. Showbiz interviews
and studio discussion from a female
perspective 1.30 ITV News; Weather
1.55 Regional News; Weather 2.00
Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories. The
cases of 23-year-old Natalie Jarvis,
and talented teenage boxer Trent
Warburton, who was knocked off his
bike in a drugs-induced hit and run
3.00 Winning Combination. Quiz
hosted by Omid Djalili 4.00 Tipping
Point. Ben Shephard hosts the
arcade-themed quiz in which
contestants drop tokens down a
choice of four chutes in the hope
of winning a £10,000 jackpot 5.00
The Chase. Quiz show hosted by
Bradley Walsh 6.00 Regional News;
Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather
Gordon, Gino and Fred (9pm)
7.00 Emmerdale Chas plays
hardball, and Kim employs
someone to track down Jamie
7.30 Coronation Street Nina decides
to name and shame Corey
8.00 Beyond the Line: North Wales
Traffic Cops A look at the
dangers of the job (3/4)
8.30 Coronation Street Nina refuses
to let Corey go unpunished
9.00 Gordon, Gino & Fred Go Greek
After indulging in the unique
produce of the Greek islands,
Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo
and Fred Sirieix head to the
Greek capital Athens in a
vintage VW campervan.
See Viewing Guide (2/2)
10.15 ITV News at Ten;
followed by Weather
10.45 Regional News; followed
by Regional Weather
11.00 The Real Manhunt: The Night
Stalker The story of the 17-year
hunt for the serial rapist known
as The Night Stalker (r)
11.55 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite
Hard-hitting action from the
world of All Elite Wrestling
12.45am Teleshopping 3.00 FYI Extra.
Entertainment news 3.15 Lingo. Adil
Ray hosts as a Cumbrian couple,
flatmates, and sporty partners
compete in the quiz (r) (SL) 4.05
Unwind With ITV 5.05 Tipping Point.
Quiz hosted by Ben Shephard (r) (SL)
Channel 4
6.00am Countdown (r) 6.40 Cheers
(r) 7.05 Cheers (r) 7.35 The King of
Queens (r) 8.00 The King of Queens
(r) 8.30 The King of Queens (r) 9.00
Frasier (r) 9.30 Frasier (r) 10.00
Frasier (r) 10.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4
News Summary 11.30 Find It, Fix It,
Flog It (r) 12.30pm Steph’s Packed
Lunch 2.10 Countdown 3.00 A Place
in the Sun (r) 4.00 Château DIY. New
chateau owners Helen and Matt
create a homage to Napoleon 5.00
Four in a Bed. The first of this week’s
destinations is The View in
Tynemouth 5.30 The Perfect Pitch.
This week’s campers visit a seaside
site in Pembrokeshire 6.00 The
Simpsons. Bart goes to work in a
burlesque theatre (r) 6.30 Hollyoaks.
Nancy comes to a realisation (r)
Another round of First Dates (10pm)
7.00 Channel 4 News
Including sport and weather
7.55 Rebecca’s Story:
Stand Up to Cancer (r)
8.00 Jamie Oliver: Together
The chef prepares an all-
vegetarian menu of curries with
a selection of side dishes for a
gathering of NHS junior doctors
and midwives enjoying a
well-deserved night off
9.00 24 Hours in Police Custody
A violent brawl fought with
knives and hammers breaks out
in front of a Luton takeaway,
while the local police struggles
to deal with the case due to
a lack of personnel. See
Viewing Guide (2/6)
10.00First Dates A sexual health
advisor with two soon-to-be-
married daughters goes looking
for love, and a part-time singer
enjoys an evening with a
professional magician
11.05 The Holden Girls: Mandy &
Myrtle Amanda throws Myrtle
a star-studded party (7/8) (r)
11.40 The Holden Girls: Mandy &
Myrtle Myrtle must decide
whether to stay in London with
Amanda. Last in the series (r)
12.05am Sex Actually 1.05
Undercover Boss 1.55 British Shorts
2.10 FILM Woman at War (12, 2018)
Comedy drama. See Film Choice 3.50
British Shorts 4.05 Couples Come
Dine with Me 5.00 Location, Location,
Location 5.50 Fill Your House for Free
saturday review 33
Monday 4
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine
11.15 Nightmare Tenants, Slum
Landlords (r) 12.10pm 5 News at
Lunchtime 12.15 Police Interceptors
(r) 1.15 Home and Away (r) 1.45
Neighbours 2.15 FILM Witness to
Murder: A Darrow & Darrow Mystery
(PG, TVM, 2020) When Claire Darrow
defends a friend of her mother in a
case, the identity of the prosecuting
attorney causes complications.
Thriller starring Kimberly Williams-
Paisley 4.00 Bargain-Loving Brits in
the Sun (r) 5.00 5 News at 5 5.30
Neighbours. Melanie launches into
a secret project to win back Toadie (r)
6.00 Home and Away. Martha calls
Alf out for his behaviour (r) 6.30
Eggheads. New series. A team
that organised a charity online
pub quiz takes on the experts
Quiz show Eggheads (6.30pm)
7.00 London’s Greatest Bridges
with Rob Bell; followed
by 5 News Update
8.00 Motorway Cops: Catching
Britain’s Speeders A suspected
drug dealer has an unusual
explanation for the suspicious
contents of his car — but an
even bigger surprise faces the
police when they also search
his home (3/8); 5 News Update
9.00 Casualty 24/7: Every Second
Counts New series.
Documentary following the
work of medical emergency
teams in the A&E department
of Barnsley Hospital
10.00Police Code Zero: Officer
Under Attack Programme
exploring the rising number
of assaults on police officers,
revealing what they face in the
line of duty, and the emotional
toll these incidents take (7/10)
11.05 Police UK: Armed & Deadly
This edition examines how the
police arm themselves to take
on the dangerous threat of
organised criminal gangs,
featuring contributions from
officers who have been on
the front line (4/4) (r)
12.00 Criminals: Caught on Camera
(r) 12.50am Entertainment News on 5
1.00 Live NFL: Monday Night Football
4.30 Britain’s Greatest Bridges (r) (SL)
4.45 Wildlife SOS (r) (SL) 5.10 House
Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35 Fireman Sam (r)
(SL) 5.45 Paw Patrol (r) (SL)
34 saturday review
Monday 4 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Great British Railway
Journeys From Criccieth
to Caernarfon (15/15)
7.30 The Joy of Painting Bob
Ross paints a peaceful scene
of a mountain overlooking
a still wilderness lake
8.00 Secrets of the Museum
The original Frankenstein’s
monster is brought back
to life at the V&A (5/6)
9.00 Madame Tussaud: A
Legend in Wax The woman
behind the worldwide
waxworks empire
10.00 The Russian Revolutionary:
Zaha Hadid on Kazimir
Malevich The avant-garde
works of Russian abstract
artist Kazimir Malevich
10.30 Imagine British architect
David Chipperfield talks to
Alan Yentob about his work
11.40-12.40am Stonehenge:
A Timewatch Guide How
the BBC has interpreted
moments in history (1/4)
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
7.00pm Superstore Glenn
suspects Mateo is guilty of fraud
7.30 Superstore Amy organises
a post-divorce party
8.00 Bob’s Burgers
8.30 Bob’s Burgers
9.00 Family Guy
9.30 American Dad! The boys go
on Klaus’s stag weekend
10.00 Family Guy
10.30 Family Guy
10.55 Family Guy
11.25 American Dad!
11.55-12.20am Bob’s Burgers
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.20pm Beyond the Elements
The chemical reactions that have
transform the world (1/3)
7.30 Countdown to Surrender: The
Last 100 Days The final 100 days
of the Second World War (1/3)
8.40 Hitler’s Circle of Evil A look at
the rise and fall of the Third Reich.
See Viewing Guide (1/10)
9.55 The Iran-Iraq War: A Tragedy
That Changed History Examining
the course of the Iran-Iraq War (1/4)
11.00-12.15am Beyond the
Elements Chemical reactions (1/3)
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
7.00pm Hudson & Rex (13/16)
8.00 Death in Paradise (6/8)
9.00 Evil Father Mulvehill asks the
team for a confidential evaluation,
as he fears he might be the victim
of diabolical oppression (5/13)
10.00 Limetown (9/10)
10.30 Limetown (10/10)
11.10-12.10am The Good Wife
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
9.00am-11.00 Live International
Netball: England Vitality Roses v
Australia Diamonds
3.00pm Live Indian Premier
League: Delhi Capitals v
Chennai Super Kings
7.00 Live World Grand Prix Darts
Day two of the tournament from
the Morningside Arena in Leicester
11.00 Live: NFL Fantasy
12.00 Live: Total Access
1.00am-4.30 Live NFL: Los
Angeles Chargers v Las Vegas
Raiders (Kick-off 1.15)
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
7.00pm Wycliffe A wealthy
businessman is killed and
suspicion falls on his son —
but Wycliffe feels sure
the real culprit is to be
found elsewhere (6/6)
8.00 Lewis A professor is found
dead on Hallowe’en with a
stake through her heart and
it turns out she was an old
student friend of Hobson.
Rupert Graves and Niamh
Cusack guest star (4/4)
10.00 Blue Murder Janine asks
Richard to prioritise the case
of a promising footballer
who was killed while out
celebrating his birthday with
friends, but is annoyed to
find his mind seems
elsewhere. Guest
starring Kate Ford (1/3)
11.35-12.45am Wycliffe A wealthy
businessman is killed and
suspicion falls on his son.
Jack Shepherd stars as the
Cornish copper (6/6)
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
7.00pm Junk and Disorderly
Making a profit on automobile
memorabilia (6/10)
8.00 MotoGP Highlights The Red
Bull Grand Prix of the Americas
9.00 Cycling: Women’s Tour
Highlights Action from stage one
10.00-12.45am FILM The Matrix
(15, 1999) A computer hacker joins
rebel fighters to free the human
race from a virtual-reality fantasy
created by machines. Sci-fi action
thriller starring Keanu Reeves
and Laurence Fishburne
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm Inside the Factory Behind
the scenes at a fish finger factory
8.00 Impossible Repairs
A behind-the-scenes look at
the Panama Canal Railway
9.00 How Did They Build That?
Construction techniques
behind viaducts and hotels
10.00 Inside the Factory A look at
the production of sauces
11.00 Impossible Repairs
The Panama Canal Railway
12.00-1.00am How Did They Build
That? Building viaducts and hotels
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Outback Truckers
8.00 Kindig Customs
9.00 Wheeler Dealers Restoring
iconic cars to sell for a profit
10.00 Monster Garage The crew
try to convert a gasoline-powered
Corvette to run on fire
11.00 Combat Dealers
12.00-1.00am Wheeler Dealers
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
7.00pm PL Review A look back at
the weekend’s action in the
Premier League, featuring all of the
goals, news and major talking
points from around the top flight
8.00 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox The
presenter talks to Robert Pires
8.30 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox The
presenter talks to Michael Owen
9.00 PL Review The weekend’s
action in the Premier League
10.00 Premier League Icons
A profile of Luis Suarez
10.30-12.30am PL Retro
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Escape to the Château:
DIY Stephanie prepares to
end the year in style by
throwing a Christmas dinner
to remember (6/15)
7.55 Grand Designs Kevin
McCloud revisits a couple
who built an earth-sheltered
home in Cumbria, to find out
whether it has delivered the
eco-friendly life they desired
9.00 The World’s Most Beautiful
Landscapes: The Canadian
Rockies The extraordinary
landscape of the
Canadian Rockies
10.00 A Lake District Farm Shop
A family-run shop and the
people who produce the
goods sold there. The first
episode features a ramen
chef with a new recipe (1/4)
11.05-12.10am 24 Hours in A&E
A 77-year-old man is rushed
in after collapsing, while a
six-year-old who cut
her head is treated
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
7.00pm Hollyoaks Cindy decides
to call Luke out for his behaviour
7.30 Married at First Sight
Australia New series. Eighteen
hopeful singles come together
for a Stag and Hens night
9.00 Married at First Sight UK:
Reunion The social experiment
concludes. Last in the series
10.00 Zoey’s Extraordinary
Playlist Zoey’s attempts to spend
private time with Max are
continually thwarted
11.00-12.05am Naked Attraction
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
7.00pm André Rieu: Welcome to
My World The violinist looks back
at a concert in Maastricht (4/10)
8.00 Landmark Three artists
compete in the Wales heat (5/7)
9.00 Fleetwood Mac: Live in
Boston A 2004 concert
by the band (1/2)
10.05 Fleetwood Mac: Live in
Boston The band perform more
of their greatest hits (2/2)
11.20-1.20am Stevie Nicks: 24
Karat Gold Tour Concert footage
of the Fleetwood Mac singer
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Car S.O.S (1/10)
8.00 Hitler’s Last Stand A Nazi
occupied castle in Italy (5/6)
9.00 Drain the Oceans New series.
A clash over a treasure trove (7/10)
10.00 Drain the Oceans (2/15)
11.00 Nazi Megastructures (3/7)
12.00-1.00am Hitler’s Last Stand
Documentary series (1/4)
Gerwyn Price of Wales is
competing in World Grand Prix
Darts (Sky Main Event, 7pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm Karl Pilkington: The
Moaning of Life Karl
takes a look at differing
attitudes to death (5/5) (R)
8.00 A League of Their Own Troy
Deeney, AJ Odudu, Roisin
Conaty, Geoff Norcott, Alex
Brooker and Tom Allen join
team captains Jamie
Redknapp and Andrew
Flintoff, with Romesh
Ranganathan asking the
questions (R)
9.00 COBRA Sutherland
considers extreme
measures to keep control
of the country (5/6) (R)
10.00 007: Licence to Drive
The Aston Martin DB5’s
impact on the James
Bond franchise (R)
11.00 Road Wars Video footage of
dangers on the road and
how to prevent it (1/16) (R)
11.30-12.25am The Russell Howard
Hour Topical comedy and
entertainment show (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
7.00pm Richard Osman’s House of
Games With Rachel Riley
7.40 Would I Lie to You? With
David Baddiel, Ed Balls, Jo Brand
and Kimberly Wyatt
8.20 QI With Sue Perkins, Bill Bailey
and Gyles Brandreth
9.00 QI XL With Phill Jupitus, Cally
Beaton and Rhod Gilbert
10.00 British as Folk Darren, Fern
and Ivo head to the most
’misjudged’ city in the UK, Glasgow
11.00 Outsiders
12.00-1.00am Taskmaster
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
6.30pm Silicon Valley (7/10)
7.05 Silicon Valley (8/10)
7.40 Curb Your Enthusiasm (5/10)
8.20 Curb Your Enthusiasm (6/10)
9.00 Miracle Workers: Oregon
Trail A small-town reverend leads a
wagon train across the American
West in the 1840s (1/10)
9.30 Flight of the Conchords First
episode of the comedy (1/12)
10.00 Last Week Tonight with
John Oliver News and pop culture
10.40 Real Time with Bill Maher
11.45-12.15am Trollied (4/13)
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
7.00pm Friends
7.30 Friends
8.00 Friends
9.00 The Complaints Department
10.00 Impractical Jokers
10.30 Impractical Jokers:
Joker for a Day — Part Two
11.00 Rob Beckett’s Undeniable
12.00-1.00am Criminally Funny
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Delhi Capitals v
Chennai Super Kings Coverage
of the T20 match from Dubai
International Cricket Stadium
7.00 Best of ICC WT20
8.00 Cricket in Mumbai Nasser
Hussain examines Mumbai’s
influence on Indian cricket
9.00 IPL Delhi Capitals v
Chennai Super Kings
10.00 Dinesh Karthik Meets
10.45-4.10am IPL Triple bill looking
back at memorable moments
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.45pm Succession Greg is tasked
to retrieve some important
items from the Roy
apartment (2/10) (R)
7.50 Game of Thrones Arya
continues her training at the
House of Black and White,
Jorah and Tyrion run into
slavers and the Sand Snakes
mount an attack (6/10) (R)
9.00 In Treatment When Laila
disappears, Brooke forces
Rhonda to consider how
profoundly her expectations
have affected the teen
9.35 In Treatment Brooke
confronts revelations that
may inform her future
with her son and
relationship with Adam
10.10 Dexter Life as a single father
proves to be too much for
Dexter, and he decides to
hire a nanny (3/12) (R)
11.15-12.20am Dexter The vigilante
saves a life instead of
taking one (4/12) (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.40pm ’Allo ’Allo! Rene is in
trouble with the Resistance
7.20 Last of the Summer Wine
Hobbo becomes a master of
disguise to deceive his enemies
8.00 The Brokenwood Mysteries
A fundraising evening at the
historic Brokenwood Empire
Cinema becomes fatal
10.00 New Tricks Jack investigates
when a diamond is found in a
flat and traces it to a heist
11.20-12.35am Bad Girls
Crystal airs her grievances
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Nothing to Declare
7.30 Nothing to Declare The work
of customs officers in Australia
8.00 9-1-1 A huge tsunami
hits the Santa Monica Pier
9.00 For Life Aaron adjusts
to life outside prison
10.00 Criminal Minds Garcia leads
a hacking competition (4/10)
11.00 Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit A music student is raped at
gunpoint in her apartment
12.00-1.00am The Good Doctor
Shaun and Morgan disagree
Gold
SKY 110, VIRGIN 124, BT 310
6.40pm Hi-de-Hi!
7.20 Dad’s Army
8.00 The Vicar of Dibley
8.40 The Vicar of Dibley
9.20 Mrs Brown’s Boys
10.00 Mrs Brown’s Boys
10.40 The Royle Family
11.20 The Royle Family
12.00-12.35am Peep Show
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
7.45am Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga
10.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
12.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
2.00pm Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
4.00-6.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
1.00am-4.15 Live: WWE Monday
Night Raw Watch all of your
favourite WWE Superstars
face-off inside the ring
Licence to Drive
A look at the impact of the
Aston Martin DB5 on the
James Bond franchise
Sky Max, 10pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
7.00pm The Story of Late Night
Documentary about the
history of late night talk
shows, beginning with the
early shows presented by
Steve Allen, Jack Paar and
Johnny Carson (1/6) (R)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Hotel
Secrets The actor explores
the varied aspects of the
hospitality industry (1/8) (R)
9.00 I Am Steve McQueen
The life and career of the
American actor, with
contributions by members
of his family, ex-wives Neile
Adams McQueen and Ali
MacGraw and widow
Barbara Minty McQueen (R)
10.40 Escobar by Escobar The
story behind the cursed
Escobar empire (4/4) (R)
11.35-12.35am Micah Richards:
Tackling Racism The
former Premier League
star discusses racism in
British football (4/4) (R)
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Bangers and Cash
An Aston Martin DB6 (4/10)
8.00 The Architecture The
Railways Built Tim Dunn heads
underground at the magnificent
Victorian Bramhope Tunnel
in West Yorkshire (4/10)
9.00 The Architecture The
Railways Built A look at how two
rail companies fought to be first to
get to Queen Victoria (3/10)
10.00 Abandoned Engineering
11.00 Nazi Hunters (1/13)
12.00-1.00am Nazi Hunters (2/13)
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm Forged in Fire
8.00 American Pickers Robbie
gets his hands on a legendary car
9.00 How the Nazis Lost the War
New series. Germany’s allyship
with despots and dictators (1/6)
10.00 Cities of the Underworld
The dark and murky uncharted
spaces beneath American cities
11.00 Digging Up Britain’s Past
Helen Skelton and Alex Langlands
learn about Robin Hood (4/6)
12.00-1.00am Book of Secrets
with Lance Reddick
W
SKY 109, VIRGIN 125, BT 311
7.00pm MasterChef Australia
8.00 Inside the Ambulance
9.00 Extreme Food Phobics
10.00 Killer Women with Piers
Morgan Meeting Rebecca Fenton
11.00 Louis Theroux: Miami Mega
Jail Life in Miami County Jail
12.00-1.00am One Born Every
Minute A premature baby
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
7.00pm Motorsport: DTM
Action from the latest round
of the DTM season at the
Hockenheimring in Germany
8.00 WRC Review All the best
action from Rally Finland
9.00 Fishing: On The Bank Taking
a look at the best of the action
from round four of the UK
Angling Championship
10.00 Rugby Tonight BT Sport’s
panel of experts are joined by
guests to discuss all things rugby
10.45-12.30am BT Sport Films
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am Cowboy (U, 1958)
Western with Jack Lemmon
12.50pm The Spy in Black (U,
1939) Romantic First World
War drama starring Conrad
Veidt and Valerie Hobson
2.30 Tiger Bay (PG, 1959)
Thriller starring John Mills
4.40 Rawhide (PG, 1951)
Western with Tyrone Power
6.25 A Knight’s Tale (PG,
2001) Comedy adventure
starring Heath Ledger
9.00 Catch Me If You Can (12,
2002) A dogged FBI agent
pursues a successful teenage
conman. Fact-based drama
starring Leonardo DiCaprio
11.50 Funny Cow (15, 2018)
Drama starring Maxine Peake
1.55-3.50am Hunger (15,
2008) Fact-based drama
starring Michael Fassbender
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am Helter Skelter
(U, 1949) Slapstick comedy
starring Carol Marsh
7.30 She Knows Y’know
(PG, 1962) Comedy starring
Hylda Baker and Cyril Smith
9.00 Together
9.30 The Adventures
of William Tell
10.00 Up with the Lark (U,
1943) Second World War
comedy starring Ethel Revnell
11.10 The Big Blockade (U,
1942) Mock-documentary
starring Leslie Banks
12.40pm The Steel Key (PG,
1953) Thriller starring Terence
Morgan and Joan Rice
2.00 Rooms Double bill
3.00 Mrs Pym of Scotland
Yard (PG, 1940) Mystery
starring Mary Clare
4.15 Laura (PG, 1944) Murder
mystery with Dana Andrews
6.00 Scotland Yard
6.35 Marilyn (PG, 1953) Crime
drama starring Sandra Dorne
8.00 The Main Chance
9.00 Up the Junction (15,
1967) Drama starring Dennis
Waterman and Suzy Kendall
11.25 Lady Godiva Rides
Again (PG, 1951) Comedy
starring Diana Dors
1.25am Lease of Life (U, 1954)
Drama starring Robert Donat
3.15-5.10am Harry’s War (PG,
1981) Drama starring Edward
Herrmann and Geraldine Page
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am A Mother Betrayed
(PG, 2015) Psychological
thriller starring Lynn Collins
10.50 GREAT! Movie News
11.00 911 Nightmare (15,
2015) Thriller starring Fiona
Gubelmann and Scott Bailey
12.50pm GREAT! Movie News
1.00 Fatal Reunion (12, 2005)
Thriller starring Erika Eleniak
2.50 Lost Letter Mysteries:
Truth Be Told (PG, 2015)
Drama starring Eric Mabius
Maxine Peake stars in Funny
Cow (Film4, 11.50pm)
4.40 Fire Down Below
(PG, 1957) Romantic drama
starring Rita Hayworth
7.00 GREAT! Movie News
7.10 Armored (12, 2009)
Crime thriller with Matt Dillon
9.00 Cast Away (12, 2000)
Adventure drama with Tom
Hanks. See Film Choice
11.50-2.25am Almost Famous
(15, 2000) Comedy drama
starring Patrick Fugit
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
6.00am Hollywood’s
Best Film Directors
6.35 TCM Shorts:
Ben Miller Off Set
6.55 Black Patch
(PG, 1957) Western
8.40 Good Day for a Hanging
(U, 1959) Western
10.30 South of Death Valley
(U, 1949) Western
starring Charles Starrett
11.45 Man from Del Rio
(PG, 1956) Western
1.30pm Rio Bravo (PG, 1959)
Western with John Wayne
4.30 Silver River (PG, 1948)
Western starring Errol Flynn
6.50 Funeral in Berlin (PG,
1966) Cold War thriller with
Michael Caine and Eva Renzi
9.00 Universal Soldier: The
Return (18, 1999) Adventure
with Jean-Claude Van Damme
10.45-1.30am The
Andromeda Strain (PG, 1971)
Sci-fi thriller with Arthur Hill
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.10pm Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
2.30 Senior Moment (
15, 2021) Romantic comedy
drama with William Shatner
4.15 Flashback (15, 2020)
Thriller starring Dylan O’Brien
6.05 My New York Year
(15, 2021) Drama starring
Margaret Qualley
8.00 Locked In (15, 2021)
Crime thriller starring Mena
Suvari and Jeff Fahey
9.40 Drunk Bus (15, 2020) A
young campus bus driver and
a Samoan security guard form
an unlikely kinship. Comedy
drama starring Charlie Tahan
11.25-1.35am Judas and the
Black Messiah (15, 2021)
Drama with Daniel Kaluuya
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
5.00am Calum Macdonald
with Early Breakfast. The best
way to start the week 6.00
Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell with
Times Radio Breakfast.
Monday’s big stories and
interviews 10.00 Matt Chorley
Live from the Conservative
Party Conference. Live
coverage of the conference
with guests and analysis
1.00pm Mariella Frostrup.
News, views and reviews
4.00 John Pienaar with Times
Radio Drive Live from the
Conservative Party
Conference. Coverage of the
conference with guests and
analysis 7.00 Phil Williams.
Entertaining evening
conversation 10.00 Carole
Walker Live from the
Conservative Party Conference
1.00am Stories of Our Times.
The Times’s daily podcast 1.30
Red Box. Matt Chorley’s
politics podcast 2.00
Highlights from Times Radio.
The best of Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast
Show 9.30 Ken Bruce. Actress
Cynthia Erivo chooses her
Tracks of My Years 12.00
Jeremy Vine 2.00pm Steve
Wright 5.00 Sara Cox 6.30
Sara Cox’s Half Wower 7.00
Jo Whiley’s Shiny Happy
Playlist 7.30 Jo Whiley 9.00
The Blues Show with Cerys
Matthews 10.00 Trevor
Nelson’s Rhythm Nation 12.00
OJ Borg 3.00am Pick of the
Pops (r) 4.00 Vanessa Feltz
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30am Breakfast
9.00 Essential Classics
12.00 Composer of the Week:
Julius Eastman
1.00pm Live Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Komitas
(7 Armenian folk dances);
Debussy (Page d’album; Elégie;
Les soirs illuminés par l’ardeur
du charbon; Berceuse
héroïque; Etude retrouvée);
Janacek (Piano Sonata 1. X);
Víezslava Kapralova (April
Preludes, Op 13); Scriabin
(Vers la flamme, Op 72)
2.00 Afternoon Concert
Beethoven (Overture — King
Stephan); Brahms (Geistliches
Lied); Mendelssohn
(Symphony No. 5, Op.107
‘Reformation’); Moeran (Lonely
Waters); Lili Boulanger (Pie
Jesu); Grieg (Piano Concerto in
A minor, Op.16); Zangius
(Magnificat Secundi Toni)
4.30 New Generation Artists
5.00 In Tune
7.00 In Tune Mixtape An
eclectic non-stop mix of music
7.30 Radio 3 in Concert
Classical performance
Today’s pick
Ten Days That
Shook the World
Radio 4 Extra, 2.15pm
The US journalist John Reed
was a war correspondent
during the First World War
but is best known for a book
he wrote about the Russian
revolution. A communist
activist, he was in Petrograd
(now St Petersburg) in 1917,
and was witness to one of the
most significant events in the
20th century. His bestselling
book Ten Days That Shook the
World is dramatised here in
ten parts, starring Richard
10.00 Music Matters (r)
10.45 The Essay: Telegraph
Wires — Five Views of
Ted Hughes (r)
11.00 Night Tracks
12.30am Through the Night
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Farming Today
5.58 Tweet of the Day (r)
6.00 Today
9.00 Start the Week
9.45 (LW) Daily Service
9.45 Book of the Week:
George III (1/5)
10.00 Woman’s Hour
11.00 The Untold
11.30 Loose Ends (r)
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 The Reader (1/5)
12.18 You and Yours
1.00 The World at One
1.45 A Home of Our Own New
series. Lynsey Hanley tells the
stories of 10 very different
homes and their occupants
2.00 The Archers (r)
2.15 Drama: The National
By Sarah Wooley (1/3) (r)
3.00 Brain of Britain
3.30 The Food Programme (r)
4.00 The Dreams We Live
Inside (r)
4.30 Beyond Belief
5.00 PM
5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.30 Just a Minute
7.00 The Archers Brian meets
his match and Chelsea throws
a spanner in the works
7.15 Front Row
8.00 White Mischief New
series. Ekow Eshun explores
the concept of whiteness
8.30 Analysis
9.00 Electric Ride UK (3/3) (r)
9.30 Start the Week (r)
10.00 The World Tonight
10.45 Book at Bedtime: The
Reader (1/5) (r)
11.00 George the Poet
11.30 Mastertapes (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Book of the Week:
George III (1/5) (r)
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
Monday 4
Laing and Kelly Burke, above.
Reed died from typhus in
1920 in Russia, where he was
given a Soviet state funeral.
His book inspired the 1981
Oscar-winning film Reds.
Debra Craine
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am Wake Up to Money
6.00 Breakfast 9.00 Your Call
10.00 Naga Munchetty
1.00pm Nihal Arthanayake
4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 The
Monday Night Club 9.00 5
Live Sport 10.00 5 Live Rugby
Union 10.30 Colin Murray
1.00am Dotun Adebayo
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
5.00am Early Breakfast
6.00 Laura Woods 10.00 Jim
White and Simon Jordan
1.00pm Jonny Owen &
Charlie Baker 4.00 Drive 7.00
The PressBox 10.00 Sports
Bar 1.00am Extra Time
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am James Max 6.30 Julia
Hartley-Brewer 10.00 Mike
Graham 1.00pm Ian Collins
4.00 Jeremy Kyle 7.00 Kevin
O’Sullivan 10.00 James
Whale 1.00am Paul Ross
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
8.00am Steptoe and Son
8.30 Albert and Me 9.00 Jest
a Minute 9.30 Getting
Nowhere Fast 10.00 The Last
September 11.00 TED Radio
Hour 11.50 Inheritance Tracks
12.00 Steptoe and Son
12.30pm Albert and Me 1.00
Sherlock Holmes with
Carleton Hobbs 1.30 Raffles
2.00 A Better Class of Person
2.15 Ten Days That Shook
the World. Robin Brooks’s
dramatisation of John
Reed’s work. See Choice
2.30 Journey of a Lifetime
3.00 Last September 4.00
Jest a Minute 4.30 Getting
Nowhere Fast 5.00 Man at the
Helm 5.30 Just a Minute 6.00
The Spaceship II 6.30 A Good
Read 7.00 Steptoe and Son
7.30 Albert and Me 8.00
Sherlock Holmes with
Carleton Hobbs 8.30 Raffles
9.00 TED Radio Hour
9.50 Inheritance Tracks
saturday review 35
10.00 Just a Minute 10.30
The Sofa of Time 11.00
The News Quiz 11.30 The
Harri-Parris’ Radio Show
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06 The
Climate Question 9.30
CrowdScience 10.00 News
10.06 The Cultural Frontline
10.30 30 Animals That Made
Us Smarter 10.50 More or
Less 11.00 The Newsroom
11.30 The Conversation 12.00
News 12.06pm Outlook 12.50
Witness History 1.00 The
Newsroom 1.30
CrowdScience 2.00
Newshour 3.00 News 3.06
HARDtalk 3.30 Business 4.00
BBC OS 6.00 News 6.06
Outlook 6.50 Witness History
7.00 The Newsroom 7.30
Sport Today 8.06 The
Climate Question 8.30
Discovery 9.00 Newshour
10.00 News 10.06 HARDtalk
10.30 The Conversation
11.00 The Newsroom 11.20
Sports News 11.30 Business
12.00 News 12.06am The
History Hour 1.00 News 1.06
Business Matters 2.00 The
Newsroom 2.30 The
Documentary 3.00 News
3.06 Outlook 3.50 Witness
History 4.00 The Newsroom
4.30 In the Studio
6 Music
Digital only
7.30am Lauren Laverne
10.30 Mary Anne Hobbs
1.00pm Chris Hawkins 4.00
Steve Lamacq 7.00 Marc
Riley 9.00 Gideon Coe 12.00
In Their Own Words: Michael
Kiwanuka 1.00am Michael
Kiwanuka at the BBC
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.30am The Chris Evans
Breakfast Show with Sky
10.00 Eddy Temple-Morris
1.00pm Tim Cocker 4.00
Kate Lawler 7.00 Steve
Denyer 10.00 Amy Voce
1.00am Virgin Radio Through
The Night 4.00 Sam Pinkham
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
6.00am More Music
Breakfast 9.00 Alexander
Armstrong 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 4.00pm John
Brunning 7.00 Smooth
Classics 8.00 The Classic FM
Concert with John Suchet.
Smetana (Vltava); Debbie
Wiseman (Falling Leaves of
Autumn); Tchaikovsky (The
Seasons Op 37b); Grieg
(Holberg Suite Op 40);
Glazunov (The Seasons Op
67); Vivaldi (Four Seasons Op
8); Raff (Symphony No 10 in F
minor Op 213) 10.00 Smooth
Classics 1.00am Bill Overton
36 saturday review Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Tuesday 5 | Viewing guide

Critic’s choice
Murder Island
Channel 4, 9.30pm

It’s a cold, clear day on a It’s an engaging watch that

remote Scottish island and a
woman called Charly
Hendricks has been
discovered dead in her large
rented house. “The person in
that body bag,” the narrator
tells us, “is me.” This unusual
whodunnit finds paired-up
members of the public aiming
to win £50,000 by solving
a mystery devised by the
Scottish crime writer Ian
Rankin. They are overseen by
proper cops, the fearsome
senior investigating officer,
former chief superintendent
Parm Sandhu, pictured, and
her two deputies, Simon, left,
and Graham, who shadow
the investigations like the
advisers on The Apprentice.
Actors play the parts of locals,
including Hamish the taciturn
crofter and shifty Jean, who
runs the post office on the
island, where tensions have
been mounting around plans
to build an eco-tourism centre.
reveals much about the
methods employed by police
officers, spotting crime-scene
clues and painting a picture.
“When you understand the
victim you might understand
how they died,” one of the
detectives says, although
at first any one of our
sleuthing pairs look capable
of being the first to be evicted
from the investigation. A
number of them tread in
crime-scene blood spatters
and aren’t good at asking
questions or listening
properly. But they are a
likeable and enthusiastic
bunch — especially the
colourful double act of Dot
and Rox, and the older pair
Caroline and Chrissie, who
feel that they may be
underestimated by the
suspects and could bring a
bit of eagle-eyed Miss Marple
magic to their endeavours.
Ben Dowell

Saving Lives at Sea The Great British
BBC2, 8pm Bake Off
We start with our RNLI
heroes and heroines rushing
to help a 51-year-old man who
has suffered serious injuries
after base jumping off Beachy
Head in East Sussex. We see
him howling in pain with a
mashed-up foot and bone
sticking from his leg. Another
call finds rescuers racing
against time to help a man
who has had a seizure aboard a
tall ship. The sea, one of the
RNLI crew tells us, constantly
surprises them, a point that is
beautifully demonstrated when
they rescue a five-year-old
springer spaniel called Molly
that got in trouble after
chasing seagulls into the sea.
BD
Channel 4, 8pm
Last week we said farewell to
Jairzeno after his cake boat
failed to sail, and Amanda and
Maggie breathed a sigh of
relief. Jürgen was star baker for
the second week running and
looks unstoppable. But it’s
bread this week, always a tricky
challenge, with master dough
man Paul Hollywood watching
as they tackle focaccia and
a decorative milk bread
showstopper. The retired
midwife Maggie is her loveably
no-nonsense self. “A traditional
flavour is a traditional flavour
because it was good in the first
place,” she says. You tell ’em,
Maggie. BD
Dementia & Us
BBC2, 9pm
Over two years this moving
and important film follows
four people aged between
45 and 91 who have been
diagnosed with different
forms of dementia. They
include Gilly, a 77-year-old
former professional footballer
with vascular dementia who
can look over a faded black
and white photo of his former
team-mates and remember
each name, but cannot tell us
what he did yesterday. It’s a
tough watch at times, but
there’s happiness and laughter
too, even for Chris, 45, a former
soldier who sleeps on his
sister’s sofa but tells us that
“it could be worse, I could be
a Man City fan”. BD
Our Yorkshire
Farm
Channel 5, 9pm
If life wasn’t hard enough for
Amanda and Clive Owen on
their remote moorland farm,
lockdown and the coldest
January in ten years made it
that bit more gruelling. Their
energy levels are extraordinary
as their nine children need to
be home schooled and kept
away from mischief while snow
drifts and blizzards threaten
the safety of their sheep.
Once again Covid regulations
mean the film crews cannot
operate, so they have to film
everything on their phones.
Everyone, not surprisingly, is
looking forward to the arrival
of spring. BD
Films of the day
King of Thieves (15, 2018)
Channel 5, 11pm
They say there’s no honour among thieves, but to judge from this
seamy recreation of the Hatton Garden burglary of 2015, pretty
much everything is in short supply except greed and one-liners.
“The problem with gold is the effect it has on people,” says Michael
Caine, playing the leader of the gang, Brian Reader. While James
Marsh dramatises the heist with sweaty urgency, he’s more
concerned with the effect of that gold. That’s not to say his film
isn’t a hoot at times, with Caine and his co-stars Jim Broadbent,
Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone and Paul Whitehouse orchestrating
a symphony of lurid London villainy. Age is a recurring theme —
Joe Penhall adapted his tremendous screenplay from a Vanity Fair
article titled “The Over the Hill Mob”. (105min) Ed Potton

killed in similar circumstances Regional programmes

Catch
up
Last Man Standing: Suge
Knight and the Murders
of Biggie and Tupac
BBC iPlayer
Nick Broomfield follows up
his 2002 documentary
Biggie and Tupac with
another film about the
unsolved murders of the
rappers. Tupac “2Pac”
Shakur was murdered in
a drive-by shooting in
1996, aged 25.
Christopher
Wallace,
aka
Biggie
Smalls,
was
the next year, aged 24. The
focus for Broomfield this time
is Suge Knight, below, the
former head of Death Row
Records, mentor to Tupac and
enemy of Biggie. He is serving
28 years in prison, convicted
of voluntary manslaughter for
crashing his car into two
men, one of whom
died. The saga takes
in the east coast v
west coast US
hip-hop rivalry,
LA gang warfare and
allegedly dirty cops.
Joe Clay
● BBC1 Wales As BBC1 except: 10.45am
Homes Under the Hammer 11.45-12.15pm
X-Ray (r) 8.30-9.00 The Crash Detectives.
A pedestrian is seriously injured
after being struck by a car
● BBC2 Wales As BBC2 except: 1.45pm
First Minister’s Questions 2.35 Eggheads
(r) 3.10 FILM A Woman’s Secret (1949)
(b/w) 4.35 Glorious Gardens from Above
(r) 5.20-6.00 Coast (r) 7.00 The Hairy
Bikers’ Asian Adventure. Dave and Si head
to Japan (r) 7.30-8.00 Wales’ Black
Miners (r) 11.15 It’s My Shout 11.30 NFL
This Week 12.20am-1.05 Natural World (r)
● BBC1 N Ireland As BBC1 except:
8.30pm-9.00 The Goes Wrong Show.
Chris resumes control of the group 10.35
Spotlight 11.05 The Earthshot Prize:
Repairing Our Planet 12.10am Question of
Sport (r) 12.40 Richard Osman’s House of
Games Night (r) 1.10 The Graham Norton
Show (r) 2.00-6.00 BBC News
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except:
10.00pm-10.30 There’s No Place Like
Tyrone. Declan gives his friend Keith
an online cookery lesson (r)
● BBC1 Scotland As BBC1 except:
7.00pm River City (r) 8.00 EastEnders
8.20-9.00 Holby City. Sparks fly on AAU
● ITV Wales As ITV except: 10.45pm-11.10
Fishlock’s Choice. A walk near Bethesda
● STV As ITV except: 10.30pm STV News
10.40 Scotland Tonight 11.05 Heathrow:
Britain’s Busiest Airport (r) 11.35 Beat the
Chasers (r) 12.30am-3.00 Teleshopping
● UTV As ITV except: 10.45pm-11.10
Simply Raymond Blanc (r)
● BBC Scotland 2.15pm-3.00 BBC
Scotland News Special: Coronavirus
Update 7.00 Roaming in the Wild (r) 7.30
Black & Scottish (r) 8.00 Scotland’s
Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle. New
series. Exploring the ancient sea roads of
the Inner Hebrides 9.00 The Nine 10.00
Monsoon Wedding (15, 2001)
Slavery: Scotland’s Hidden Shame (r)
11.00-Midnight The Common Riding (r) Film4, 1.45am
● S4C 6.00am Cyw 12.00 News 12.05pm There are few directors better than Mira Nair at capturing the
Caru Siopa (r) 12.30 Heno (r) 1.00 Ar y mercurial tensions of domestic life. Vibrant and messy, but with an
Lein (r) 1.30 Ffermio (r) 2.00 News 2.05
honest approach to the characters’ problems, Monsoon Wedding
Prynhawn Da 3.00 News 3.05 Noson
Lawen 2021 (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr: Sali Mali is a delight. The story depicts various romantic entanglements
(r) 4.05 Stiw (r) 4.20 Anifeiliaid Bach y during the chaos of a four-day Punjabi wedding, above, including
Byd (r) 4.30 Octonots (r) 4.45 Ahoi! (r)
the heart-swelling love affair that blossoms between the wedding
5.00 Stwnsh: Byd Rwtsh Dai Potsh (r) 5.15
planner PK Dubey (Vijay Raaz) and the family maid Alice (Tillotama
Cer I Greu (r) 5.35 Un Cwestiwn 5.55 Ffeil
6.00 Wil ac Aeron: Taith yr Alban (r) 6.30 Shome). Nair’s film, which has the feel of a documentary and was
Rownd a Rownd (r) 6.57 News S4C 7.00
shot in a month on hand-held cameras, spoofs Bollywood
Heno 7.30 News 8.00 Pobol y Cwm
conventions while celebrating their vitality. It won the Golden Lion
8.25 Rownd a Rownd 8.55 News 9.00
Cynefin. Last in the series 10.00 at the Venice film festival in 2001, and a musical based on the film
Heliwr 11.05-11.40 Pobl a’u Gerddi (r)
premiered on Broadway in April 2014. (113min) Joe Clay
(r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Rip Off Britain
10.00 Defenders UK. Officers clamp
down on traders selling sub-standard
face masks 10.45 Claimed and
Shamed (r) 11.15 Homes Under the
Hammer 12.15pm Bargain Hunt (r)
1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.30
BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45
Doctors. A woman in labour enlists
Ruhma’s help 2.15 Unbeatable. Quiz
show (r) 3.00 Escape to the Country.
A globetrotting couple search for a
base in the Wiltshire countryside 3.45
Garden Rescue. The team comes up
with plans for a cookery-themed
cottage garden (r) 4.30 Antiques
Road Trip. A juggling clown catches
Paul Martin’s eye 5.15 Pointless. Quiz
hosted by Alexander Armstrong
6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather
6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather
EastEnders’ Dotty (7.30pm)
7.00 The One Show Presented by
Sam Quek and Jermaine Jenas
7.30 EastEnders Dotty is shocked
by an unwanted reveller
7.50 Holby City Donna struggles to
connect with Mia, Jac tries to
win Holby a contract that
might save her life, and Louis is
forced to make a decision
8.30 My Family Janey’s boyfriend
stays the night (7/13) (r)
9.00 Silent Witness Part two of two.
Stranded in the flooded care
home, Jack and Simone fight to
help the residents, while Nikki
and Galloway discover the killer
may also be inside (10/10)
10.00BBC News at Ten
10.25 BBC Regional News
10.35 The Earthshot Prize: Repairing
Our Planet The climate
category, focusing on the
inspiring and often unexpected
solutions to the climate
challenge nominated for the
first Earthshot Prize (2/5)
11.40 Question of Sport With
Christine Ohuruogu, John
McGinn, Jamie Laing, and
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (r)
12.10am Richard Osman’s House
of Games Night. Ed Gamble, Sian
Gibson, Dara O Briain and Sindhu Vee
compete (r) 12.40 The Hit List. With
contestants from Cardiff, Derry and
Northampton (r) 1.25 Weather for
the Week Ahead 1.30 BBC News
Also available online and on tablet
Digital subscribers can now use our interactive seven-day
guide with comprehensive listings of all TV channels
thetimes.co.uk/tvplanner
BBC2
6.30am Bargain Hunt (r) 7.15 Antiques
Road Trip (r) 8.00 Sign Zone: Shop
Well for Less? (r) (SL) 9.00 BBC News
at 9 10.00 BBC News 12.15pm Politics
Live Conference 2021. Coverage of
the Conservative Party conference in
Manchester 1.00 Head Hunters (r)
1.45 Eggheads (r) 2.20 FILM
A Woman’s Secret (PG, 1949)
A former singer confesses to shooting
her protegee, but her friend and a
detective suspect she is covering up
the truth. Mystery starring Maureen
O’Hara (b/w) 3.45 Curiosity (r) 4.30
Glorious Gardens from Above (r) 5.15
Flog It!. From Guildford Cathedral (r)
6.00 Richard Osman’s House of
Games. With Roger Black, Jo Brand,
Sanjeev Kohli and Tiff Stevenson
6.30 Strictly: It Takes Two. With the
winners of Sunday night’s dance-off
Saving Lives at Sea (8pm)
7.00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
The comedians Jamali Maddix
and Bobby Mair compete to
buy items of interest in West
Yorkshire, guided by experts
Natasha Raskin Sharp and
Angus Ashworth (r)
8.00 Saving Lives at Sea The RNLI
crew in Newhaven face a race
against time as they respond to
reports of a man who has
suffered a seizure on board a
tall ship. At Loch Ness, a sea
plane runs into trouble. See
Viewing Guide (7/10)
9.00 Dementia & Us Groundbreaking
series following four people
with dementia and theirfamilies
over the course of two years.
See Viewing Guide (1/2)
10.00Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone
Fishing The duo fish for zander
on the River Severn (6/6) (r)
10.30 Newsnight Headline analysis
11.15 NFL This Week Action from
the fourth week of fixtures,
including Philadelphia Eagles v
Kansas City Chiefs and
New England Patriots v
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12.05am Sign Zone: Patrick Kielty —
One Hundred Years of Union. How the
trauma of the past is shaping the
future (r) (SL) 1.05 For Peat’s Sake:
Our Lives. A look at peat-cutting
season on the Isle of Lewis (r) (SL)
1.35-2.35 A Killing in Tiger Bay (r) (SL)
ITV
6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00
Lorraine. Entertainment and fashion
news 10.00 This Morning 12.30pm
Loose Women. More interviews
and topical debate from a female
perspective 1.30 ITV News; Weather
1.55 Regional News; Weather 2.00
Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories. This
episode examines the events that led
to the discovery of the largest slavery
gang in UK history by West Midlands
Police in 2015 3.00 Winning
Combination. Quiz hosted by Omid
Djalili 4.00 Tipping Point. Ben
Shephard hosts the arcade-themed
quiz in which contestants drop tokens
down a choice of four chutes in the
hope of winning a £10,000 jackpot
5.00 The Chase. Quiz show hosted by
Bradley Walsh 6.00 Regional News;
Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather
Wonders of Scotland (7.30pm)
7.00 Emmerdale Meena makes her
presence felt at home
7.30 Wonders of Scotland with
David Hayman The actor’s
journey draws to a close with a
venture along the rugged North
Sea shores of East Lothian (4/4)
8.00 Love Your Garden
Alan Titchmarsh and team
demonstrate how to take
inspiration from the gardens of
grand stately homes to create a
beautiful design that works for
a traditional domestic garden
9.00 Unbelievable Moments Caught
on Camera Extraordinary
eyewitness footage, including a
man wrestling an alligator to
save the life of his puppy, and a
couple are caught on camera
being attacked by a wild, rabid
animal on their own driveway
10.00ITV News at Ten and Weather;
followed by Regional News
and Regional Weather
10.45 Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest
Airport A passenger has armed
police waiting for him (r)
11.10 Beat the Chasers Contestants
from across the UK take on
Jenny Ryan, Anne Hegerty,
Shaun Wallace, Mark Labbett,
Paul Sinha and Darragh Ennis,
hoping to win big money.
Bradley Walsh hosts (r)
12.10am Junk and Disorderly. Henry
Cole and Sam Lovegrove look to
make a profit on automobile
memorabilia (r) 1.00 Teleshopping
3.00 FYI Extra 3.15 Loose Women (r)
4.05 Unwind With ITV 5.05 Tipping
Point. Ben Shephard hosts (r) (SL)
Channel 4
6.00am Countdown (r) 6.40 Cheers
(r) 7.05 Cheers (r) 7.35 The King of
Queens (r) 8.00 The King of Queens
(r) 8.30 The King of Queens (r) 9.00
Frasier (r) 9.30 Frasier (r) 10.00
Frasier (r) 10.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4
News Summary 11.30 Find It, Fix It,
Flog It (r) 12.30pm Steph’s Packed
Lunch 2.10 Countdown 3.00 A Place
in the Sun (r) 4.00 Château DIY. Helen
and Matt create an armoury in one of
their towers 5.00 Four in a Bed. The
best-value B&B contest continues at
Northern Hotel in Angus 5.30 The
Perfect Pitch. The campers visit the
eco-friendly Kite View Farm near
Haverfordwest 6.00 The Simpsons.
Homer worries about his marriage (r)
6.30 Hollyoaks. Cindy decides to call
Luke out for his behaviour (r)
The Perfect Pitch (5.30pm)
7.00 Channel 4 News
Including sport and weather
8.00 The Great British Bake Off The
contestants take on a trio of
bread challenges, putting their
own twist on an Italian focaccia,
making a Greek-inspired snack
and creating a decorative
showpiece in milk bread.
See Viewing Guide (3/10)
9.30 Murder Island New series.
Murder mystery with a twist
— the amateur investigators
are members of the public,
competing to find the killer and
pocket themselves £50,000.
Created by the crime writer Ian
Rankin. See Viewing Guide (1/6)
10.30 Gogglebox The armchair critics
share their opinions on what
they have been watching
during the week (3/13) (r)
11.35 Taskmaster Greg Davies sets
more tasks to Alan Davies,
Desiree Burch, Guz Khan,
Morgana Robinson and Victoria
Coren Mitchell (2/10) (r)
12.35am Foxy’s Fearless 48 Hours
with Maya Jama (r) 1.30 Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 2.20 Undercover
Boss USA (r) 3.10 Amazing Spaces (r)
4.05 Unreported World (r) 4.30
Location, Location, Location (r) 5.25
Beat the Chef (r) 5.50 Comfort Food
saturday review 37
Tuesday 5
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine
11.15 Nightmare Tenants, Slum
Landlords (r) 12.10pm 5 News at
Lunchtime 12.15 Police Interceptors (r)
1.15 Home and Away (r) 1.45
Neighbours 2.20 FILM A Sinister
Secret (PG, TVM, 2020) A mother
helps her daughter become captain
of the cheerleading squad only to
discover that someone is giving the
youngster steroids. Thriller with
Margaret Anne Florence 4.00
Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun (r)
5.00 5 News at 5 5.30 Neighbours.
The testicular cancer testing
booth brings out all the men in
Erinsborough (r) 6.00 Home and
Away. It is getting harder for Chloe
and Ryder to hide their secret use
of the kitchen (r) 6.30 Eggheads.
A team of chemists take part
Our Yorkshire Farm returns (9pm)
7.00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors
A regular patient comes to see
Dr Sobia Wyne, having been
diagnosed with cirrhosis of the
liver and the possibility of
Hepatitis C; 5 News Update
8.00 The Yorkshire Vet A goat with
a painful foot condition is
brought in to see Peter, who
takes some X-rays to try and
find out the cause. A bulldog is
rushed in after eating some
chewing gum (5/12); followed
by 5 News Update
9.00 Our Yorkshire Farm New
series. The family tackle their
second lockdown during
one of the worst winters
they have ever faced, and
have to juggle work on the
farm with homeschooling.
See Viewing Guide (1/7)
10.00Hoarders: Buried Alive A
71-year-old in Dorking finally
decides to seek expert help
after filling his home with over
four decades worth of daily
newspapers (5/9) (r)
11.00 FILM King of Thieves (15, 2018)
Retired criminals attempt to
pull off a major burglary in
London’s jewellery district.
Crime drama based on the
Hatton Garden heist starring
Michael Caine. See Film Choice
1.10am The 21.co.uk Live Casino Show
3.10 The Tube: Secrets of the
Underground. The Piccadilly Line (r)
4.00 British Made with John Prescott
(r) 4.45 Wildlife SOS (r) (SL) 5.10
House Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35 Fireman
Sam (r) (SL) 5.45 Paw Patrol (r)
38 saturday review
Tuesday 5 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Great British Railway
Journeys Setting off on
a trip through Britain’s
industrial heartland (1/15)
7.30 The Joy of Painting The
American artist Bob Ross
paints a lakeside path
8.00 The Good Life Perky the pig
gives birth to her litter (2/7)
8.30 One Foot in the Grave
Victor Meldrew faces
up to retirement (1/6)
9.00 300 Years of French &
Saunders The duo celebrate
the 30th anniversary of
their sketch show
9.50 Dawn French Live: 30
Million Minutes A recording
of the comedian’s one-
woman show, which takes
her audience on a journey
through her life experiences
11.45-12.15am Some Vicars with
Jokes Part one of two.
Clergymen from across
the UK share their
favourite gags (1/5)
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
7.00pm Superstore Cheyenne
accidentally agrees to be a
surrogate for Glenn and his wife
7.30 Superstore
8.00 Bob’s Burgers
8.30 Bob’s Burgers
9.00 Family Guy Peter ends up
becoming the face of social justice
9.30 Family Guy
10.00 Plebs (3/8)
10.30 Plebs (4/8)
11.00 Family Guy
11.30 American Dad!
12.00-12.30am American Dad!
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.20pm Beyond the Elements The
quest to develop durable types of
glass, rubber and plastic (2/3)
7.30 Countdown to Surrender:
The Last 100 Days Examining how
Cologne became the first major
city to fall to the Allies (2/3)
8.40 Hitler’s Circle of Evil
Hitler’s rise to power (2/10)
9.55 The Iran-Iraq War: A Tragedy
That Changed History Examining
the course of the Iran-Iraq War (2/4)
11.00-12.15am Beyond the
Elements (2/3)
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
7.00pm Hudson & Rex
Charlie and Rex have a run-in with
a wanted criminal (14/16)
8.00 Death in Paradise (8/8)
9.00 Happy Valley Catherine
receives a tip-off regarding
Tommy’s whereabouts (2/6)
10.20 Why Women Kill (8/10)
11.20-12.20am The Good Wife
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
3.00pm Live Indian Premier
League: Rajasthan Royals v
Mumbai Indians Coverage
of the T20 match from
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
7.00 Live World Grand Prix Darts
Coverage of day three of the
tournament from the Morningside
Arena in Leicester, where Gerwyn
Price is the defending champion
11.00 Live: NFL Fantasy Featuring
NFL fantasy experts and analysts
12.00 Live: Total Access
1.00-6.00am Sky Sports News
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
7.00pm Wycliffe The detective
embarks on a race against
time to recapture a
dangerous convict who has
escaped from Bodmin
prison — a case that leads
them to an elaborate
drugs racket (1/8)
8.00 Midsomer Murders A land
dispute leads to murder
during a cowboy fair run by
the Wild West Society of a
Midsomer village. Guest
starring Kenneth Cranham
10.00 Blue Murder Janine
investigates the death of a
family doctor, and when one
of his colleagues disappears
shortly afterwards she
starts to suspect all of the
surgery’s staff may be in
danger. Caroline Quentin
and Ian Kelsey star (2/3)
11.35-12.40am Wycliffe The
detective embarks on a race
against time to recapture a
dangerous convict (1/8)
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
7.00pm Junk and Disorderly
Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove
visit the Stafford Show (7/10)
8.00 Cycling: Women’s Tour
Highlights Action from stage two
9.00 World Superbike Highlights
Action from the Algarve
10.00-12.45am FILM The Matrix
Reloaded (15, 2003) As the
machines threaten the last refuge
of humanity, freedom fighters
journey into the virtual world
to end the war. Sci-fi thriller
sequel starring Keanu Reeves
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm Inside the Factory
Investigating the production of
sauces in the Netherlands
8.00 Atomic Age Declassified
The US government’s atomic
programme, with reference to
covert radiation experiments,
battle plans for a Second World
War and the Manhattan Project
9.00 Atomic Age Declassified
10.00 Atomic Age Declassified
11.00 Atomic Age Declassified
12.00-1.00am Atomic Age
Declassified Documentary
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Outback Truckers
8.00 Kindig Customs The team
refits a 1932 Roadster
9.00 Gold Rush Gold miners of the
Yukon put everything on the line in
the hopes of striking it rich
11.00 Combat Dealers Bruce
trades with Hollywood producers
12.00-2.00am Gold Rush
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
7.00pm PL Review
A look back at the weekend’s
action in the Premier League
8.00 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox
With Jamie Carragher (1/6)
8.30 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox
With Phil Neville (2/6)
9.00 PL Review A look back at the
weekend’s action in the Premier
League, featuring all of the goals,
news and major talking points
10.00 Premier League Icons
A profile of Paolo Di Canio
10.30-12.30am PL Retro
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Escape to the Château:
DIY A recent storm leaves
a castle keep in need of
urgent repairs (7/15)
7.55 Grand Designs
In Maidstone, a
septuagenarian couple
entrust the building of a
contemporary bungalow
to their daughter and
son-in-law, who have little
such experience
9.00 24 Hours in A&E A law
student is treated for a
condition that causes his
ribs to grow inwardly,
and an 88-year-old
woman collapses
10.00 999: What’s Your
Emergency? Officers
receive multiple reports of
a son attacking his father
11.05-12.05am 8 Out of 10 Cats
Does Countdown Sean Lock
and Phil Wang take on guest
captain Alan Carr and
Harriet Kemsley (5/8)
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
7.00pm Hollyoaks The day of
Brody’s funeral arrives
7.30 Married at First Sight
Australia The next three couples
make their way down the aisle
9.15 Celebrity Gogglebox
Appraisals of Britain’s Got Talent,
The Favourite, Misery and Alan
Carr’s Epic Gameshow (1/7)
10.20 Naked Attraction A
23-year-old virgin from Kent picks a
partner from six naked candidates
11.25-12.30am Naked Attraction
A DJ and a former ballet dancer
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
7.00pm Landmark Three artists
compete in the Wales heat (5/7)
8.00 The Michelangelo Code:
Secrets of the Sistine Chapel
The art critic Waldemar Januszczak
searches for the code hidden in
the ceiling of the chapel
10.15 James Brown: Live at
Montreux The soul and funk
pioneer’s performance at the
Swiss jazz festival in 1981
11.35-12.35am Soundbreaking
Documentary tracing the history
of music recording (1/8)
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Car S.O.S (2/10)
8.00 Rise Again: Tulsa and the
Red Summer The excavation of a
possible mass grave in Tulsa
10.00 Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat
Turner In pre-Civil War America
11.00 Nazi Megastructures (6/7)
12.00-1.00am Hitler’s Last Stand
Documentary (2/4)
Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians
are up against Rajasthan Royals
(Sky Main Event, 3pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm There’s Something About
Movies Guests Sean Bean,
Josh Widdicombe and
Suzi Ruffell join team
captains Michael Sheen and
Jennifer Saunders on the
comedy panel show,
with Alan Carr asking
the questions (3/6) (R)
8.00 Supergirl Kelly is horrified
when the Ormfell building
implodes and causes
scores of injuries
9.00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks
With Richard Ayoade, DJ
Majestic and Mollie King
9.45 Rob & Romesh vs Cricket:
South Africa Rob Beckett
and Romesh Ranganathan
go to Cape Town to see
England play a Test (3/4) (R)
10.45 Wolfe A colossal fatberg
holds the remains of a
seemingly sadistic ritual
killing (4/6) (R)
11.40-12.35am DC’s Legends of
Tomorrow (14/15) (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
7.00pm Richard Osman’s House of
Games Rachel Riley, JB Gill, Katie
Derham and Richard Herring
compete in the trivia-based games
7.40 Would I Lie to You? With Mark
Bonnar, Sheila Hancock, Stephen
Mangan and Anita Rani
8.20 QI With Sean Lock, David
Mitchell and Danny Baker
9.00 QI XL With guests Aisling Bea,
Holly Walsh and Nikki Bedi
10.00 QI XL
11.00 Taskmaster
12.00-12.40am Mock the Week
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
6.30pm Silicon Valley (9/10)
7.05 Silicon Valley (10/10)
7.40 Curb Your Enthusiasm
Comedy starring Larry David (7/10)
8.20 Curb Your Enthusiasm (8/10)
9.00 Bored to Death A newly
single Jonathan is kidnapped (3/8)
9.40 Bored to Death Jonathan is
hired to find a valuable book (4/8)
10.15 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon American chat show
11.15-12.15am The Late Late Show
with James Corden: Best of the
Week Highlights of the talk show
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
7.00pm Friends
7.30 Friends
8.00 Friends
8.30 Friends
9.00 FILM Coming to America
(15, 1988) Comedy starring Eddie
Murphy and Arsenio Hall
11.20-1.20am FILM Beverly Hills
Cop II (15, 1987) Comedy sequel
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Rajasthan Royals v
Mumbai Indians Coverage
of the T20 match from
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
7.00 Best of ICC WT20
8.00 Dinesh Karthik Meets
8.45 IPL The top 10 catches
taken during the season
9.00 IPL Rajasthan Royals v
Mumbai Indians
10.00 Dinesh Karthik Meets
10.45 India’s History At Lord’s
11.00-4.10am IPL
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.45pm Succession The family
attends an annual company
gala overseen by Connor
and highlighted by a
surprise announcement
(4/10) (R)
7.50 Game of Thrones
Jon prepares for conflict,
Sansa tries to talk to
Theon, and Brienne waits
for a sign. Elsewhere, Jaime
attempts to reconnect with
his family (7/10) (R)
9.00 Britannia Cait and her band
continue their quest to
reach Lucius because of his
knowledge of the Spear.
Hemple is furious that Veran
seems to have got the
better of her (7/8)
10.00 Patrick Melrose In 2003,
Patrick and his family visit
his ailing mother for the
summer (4/5) (R)
11.10-12.15am Dexter The
bloodthirsty vigilante faces
tough decisions (5/12) (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.40pm ’Allo ’Allo! In the aftermath
of her wedding day, Denise has
escaped and is out for blood
7.20 Last of the Summer Wine
Hobbo, Alvin and Entwistle
investigate when Howard suspects
Pearl is seeing someone else
8.00 The Last Detective An ex-con
is murdered as he prepares to
publish his memoirs
9.35 New Tricks Standing
investigates a greyhound’s
kidnapping. With Dennis Waterman
10.55-12.05am Bad Girls
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Nothing to Declare
7.30 Nothing to Declare
8.00 9-1-1 The first responders race
to save lives following the
devastating tsunami
9.00 The Equalizer Delilah and her
friends are threatened (10/10)
10.00 Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit A CIA agent’s fiancee
is raped and murdered by a hitman
11.00 Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit The detectives investigate a
mail-order bride business
12.00-1.00am The Good Doctor
Gold
SKY 110, VIRGIN 124, BT 310
6.35pm Hi-de-Hi!
7.20 Dad’s Army
8.00 The Vicar of Dibley
8.40 The Vicar of Dibley
9.20 Mrs Brown’s Boys
10.00 Sandylands Comedy with
Natalie Dew and Sanjeev Bhaskar
10.40 Mrs Brown’s Boys
11.20-12.05am The Young Ones
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
7.45am Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
10.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
12.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
2.00pm Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
4.00-6.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
7.30-10.00 Live Vanarama
National League: Wealdstone v
Solihull Moors (Kick-off 7.45)
1.00am-3.15 Live: WWE NXT
French &
Saunders
A celebration of 30 years
of the comedy sketch show
BBC4, 9pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
7.00pm The Story of Late Night
Johnny Carson’s rise to
fame in the 1960s (2/6) (R)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Hotel
Secrets The actor tours the
rooms, restaurants and bars
where the rich and famous
have lived, died and fallen
in love, visiting the Paris
hotel where Oscar Wilde
spent his final days (2/8) (R)
9.00 What’s My Name:
Muhammad Ali Two-part
documentary chronicling
the extraordinary life of one
of boxing’s most iconic
figures, delving into the
life and legacy of
Muhammad Ali (1/2) (R)
10.30 What’s My Name:
Muhammad Ali (2/2) (R)
12.00-2.30am FILM Cobain:
Montage of Heck (15, 2015)
Filmmaker Brett Morgen
explores the Nirvana
frontman’s childhood,
career and death aged 27
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Bangers and Cash Derek
picks up some “emerging” sporting
classics from the Far East (5/10)
8.00 Nazi Hunters (1/13)
9.00 Rise of the Nazis The
infamous Night of the Long Knives
in June and July of 1934 (3/3)
10.00 Narrow Escapes of World
War Two How a squadron of low
-flying bombers freed resistance
fighters from Amiens Jail
11.00 Narrow Escapes of World
War Two Documentary
12.00-1.00am Bangers and Cash
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm Forged in Fire
8.00 Ancient Aliens A hotbed of
strange events and otherworldly
visitors in northern California
9.00 Book of Secrets with Lance
Reddick An assessment of how
prepared the US government is for
an attack or catastrophic event
10.00 Ancient Superstructures
The temple complex Angkor Wat
11.00 Paranormal: Caught on
Camera A fleet of UFOs in Utah.
12.00-1.00am Curse of Skinwalker
Ranch An otherworldly surprise
W
SKY 109, VIRGIN 125, BT 311
7.00pm MasterChef Australia
8.00 Inside the Ambulance: Coast
and Country Two episodes
10.00 Nurses Down Under Nurses
fight to save a man in shock
10.59 Killer Women with Piers
Morgan Rebecca Fenton
12.00-1.00am One Born Every
Minute Birthing stories
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
6.30pm Badminton Action from
the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals
8.30 Ultra-Trail World Tour
Coverage of the Ultra-Trail World
Tour, the international circuit for
long distance trail running races
9.00 Ligue 1 Highlights
A look back at all the recent action
from French Ligue 1, including
Rennes v PSG, Monaco v
Bordeaux and Lille v Marseille
10.00-2.30am Live PSA Squash
Action from the women’s and
men’s semi-finals at the US Open
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am Santa Fe Passage
(U, 1955) Western adventure
starring John Payne
12.50pm A Night to
Remember (PG, 1958)
Fact-based drama
starring Kenneth More
3.25 The Duel at Silver Creek
(PG, 1952) Western
starring Audie Murphy
5.00 Last Train from Gun Hill
(12, 1959) Western with Kirk
Douglas and Carolyn Jones
6.55 Belle (12, 2013) Fact-
based period drama with
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
9.00 Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade (PG, 1989) The
intrepid archaeologist sets
out to find his estranged
father, who has gone missing
while searching for the Holy
Grail. Action adventure sequel
starring Harrison Ford
11.35 Assassin’s Creed
(12, 2016) Action adventure
starring Michael Fassbender
1.45am-4.00 Monsoon
Wedding (15, 2001) Comedy
drama starring Vasundhara
Das. See Film Choice
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am The True Glory
7.40 The Shipbuilders (PG,
1943) Drama with Clive Brook
9.15 Look at Life
9.30 Sir Francis Drake
10.00 Street of Shadows
(PG, 1953) Crime drama
starring Cesar Romero
11.40 The Long Arm (U, 1956)
Thriller starring Jack Hawkins
1.35pm A Scream in The Dark
(PG, 1943) Crime drama
starring Robert Lowery
2.45 The Hospital Nurse
2.55 Della (15, 1965) Drama
starring Joan Crawford
4.15 Kathy Kirby: My Story
6.00 One Step Beyond
6.35 The Marked One (U,
1963) Thriller starring William
Lucas and Zena Walker
7.50 Snow
8.00 The Human Jungle
9.00 Rebecca (PG, 1940)
Romantic thriller starring
Laurence Olivier
11.35 The Hot Rock (U, 1972)
Crime comedy with Robert
Redford and George Segal
1.40am Jack London (PG,
1943) Biopic of the writer
starring Michael O’Shea
3.25 Wood Finishes:
Staining and Polishing
3.40-5.00 The Sicilians (U,
1964) Gangster thriller
starring Robert Hutton
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am Assumed Killer (12,
2013) Thriller starring Barbie
Castro and Casper Van Dien
10.50 GREAT! Movie News
11.00 Patient Killer (PG, 2015)
Thriller starring Victoria Pratt
12.50pm GREAT! Movie News
Billie Piper stars in Rare
Beasts (Sky Premiere, 8pm)
1.00 A Date with Murder
(15, 2008) Mystery
starring Alexandra Paul
2.50 Lost Letter Mysteries:
The Impossible Dream (PG,
2015) Drama with Eric Mabius
4.40 Neighbors (15, 1981)
Comedy starring John Belushi
6.25 Godzilla (PG, 1998)
Monster adventure remake
with Matthew Broderick
9.00 Panic Room (15, 2002)
Thriller with Jodie Foster
11.25-1.20am The Cable Guy
(12, 1996) Comedy
starring Jim Carrey
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
6.00am Off Set
6.25 Assignment in Brittany
(PG, 1943) Wartime drama
starring Jean-Pierre Aumont
8.30 The Lusty Men (U, 1952)
Adventure starring Robert
Mitchum and Susan Hayward
10.50 The Cowboys (PG,
1972) Western starring John
Wayne and Bruce Dern
1.30pm Fort Yuma (PG, 1955)
Western starring Peter Graves
3.10 Cow Country (U, 1953)
Western with Edmond O’Brien
4.55 Cattle Annie and Little
Britches (PG, 1980) Western
starring Burt Lancaster
6.50 El Paso (PG, 1949)
Western starring John Payne
9.00 Breakdown (15, 1997)
Thriller with Kurt Russell
10.55-1.45am The Outlaw
Josey Wales (18, 1976)
Western with Clint Eastwood
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.45pm Locked In (15, 2021)
2.25 Drunk Bus (15, 2020)
Comedy with Charlie Tahan
4.15 Cowboys (15, 2020)
Drama starring Steve Zahn
5.50 Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
starring Daniel Kaluuya
8.00 Rare Beasts (15, 2019)
A career-driven single mother
falls in love with a charming
traditionalist. Romantic
comedy drama starring
Billie Piper and Leo Bill
9.40 Locked In (15, 2021)
Thriller starring Mena Suvari
11.20-1.05am My New York
Year (15, 2021) Drama
starring Margaret Qualley
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
5.00am Calum Macdonald
with Early Breakfast 6.00
Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell with
Times Radio Breakfast.
Monday’s big stories and
interviews 10.00 Matt Chorley
Live from the Conservative
Party Conference 1.00pm
Mariella Frostrup. News, views
and reviews 4.00 John Pienaar
with Times Radio Drive Live
from the Conservative Party
Conference 7.00 Phil Williams.
Entertaining evening
conversation 10.00 Carole
Walker Live from the
Conservative Party Conference
1.00am Stories of Our Times.
The Times’s daily podcast 1.30
Red Box. Matt Chorley’s
politics podcast 2.00
Highlights from Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast
Show 9.30 Ken Bruce 12.00
Jeremy Vine 2.00pm Steve
Wright 5.00 Sara Cox 6.30
Sara Cox’s Half Wower 7.00 Jo
Whiley’s Shiny Happy Playlist
7.30 Jo Whiley 9.00 The Jazz
Show with Jamie Cullum 10.00
Trevor Nelson’s Rhythm Nation
12.00 OJ Borg 3.00am
Shaggy’s Reggae Hotshots (r)
4.00 Vanessa Feltz
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30am Breakfast
9.00 Essential Classics
12.00 Composer of the Week:
Julius Eastman
1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime
Concert Sarah Walker presents
a week of concerts from the
Verbier Festival, starting with
Saint-Saens, Brahms and Bach
2.00 Afternoon Concert
Bartok (Romanian Folk
Dances); Ravel (Ma mère l’oye);
Luython (Missa basim Caesar
vive!); Saint-Saens (Piano
Concerto No.5 ‘Egyptian’);
Gibbons (Grand Pavan); Mozart
(Symphony No.39 in E flat);
Ludovic Lamothe (Danza No.3);
Sibelius (Symphony No.7 in C)
5.00 In Tune
7.00 In Tune Mixtape An
eclectic non-stop mix of music
7.30 Radio 3 in Concert
Gavin Higgins (Rough Voices);
Beethoven (Piano Concerto
No 4 in G, Op 58); Sibelius
(Symphony No 2 in D major,
Op 43). Recorded on
September 30
10.00 Free Thinking
Matthew Sweet and guests
discuss what people’s
breakfast choices signify
10.45 The Essay: Telegraph
Wires — Five Views of Ted
Hughes Sean O’Brien
considers the reputations of
Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin
11.00 Night Tracks
12.30am Through the Night (r)
Today’s pick
People Fixing the World
World Service, 3.06pm
Robots patrolling the streets?
If you think that’s far-fetched,
check out one community in
southern California where
it’s happening. Police there
claim that robots on the
streets have led to a
reduction in crime and an
increase in arrests.
Meanwhile, in New York,
authorities experimented
with using a robot police dog,
right, although the results
were mixed. Still, as Robots
on the Beat tells us, it’s all part
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Farming Today
5.58 Tweet of the Day (r)
6.00 Today
9.00 The Life Scientific The
work of scientists whose
research is changing the world
9.30 One to One With Janet
Ellis and Jackie Weaver
9.45 (LW) Daily Service
9.45 Book of the Week:
George III (2/5)
10.00 Woman’s Hour Topical
conversation offering a female
perspective on the world,
presented by Emma Barnett
11.00 A Voice for the
Voiceless (r)
11.30 The End of the World
Has Already Happened (r)
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 The Reader By
Bernhard Schlink (2/5)
12.18 Call You and Yours
1.00 The World at One
1.45 A Home of Our Own
2.00 The Archers (r)
2.15 Drama: The National By
Sarah Wooley (2/3) (r)
3.00 The Kitchen Cabinet (r)
3.30 Costing the Earth
4.00 100 Years of Exile New
series. Katy Long investigates
100 years of refugee politics
4.30 A Good Read New series.
Neil Brand and Tiff Stevenson
make their literary choices
5.00 PM
5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.30 The Birthday Cake
Game (6/6)
7.00 The Archers
7.15 Front Row
8.00 File on 4
8.40 In Touch
9.00 Inside Health
Weekly quest to demystify
health issues
9.30 The Life Scientific (r)
10.00 The World Tonight
10.45 Book at Bedtime: The
Reader Broadcast earlier (2/5)
11.00 Fortunately
11.30 Mastertapes (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Book of the Week:
George III (2/5) (r)
Tuesday 5
of the use of cutting-edge
technology designed to make
America’s streets safer. Not
everyone is happy, however —
there are accusations of racial
profiling and invasions of
privacy. Debra Craine
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am Wake Up to Money
6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00
Your Call 10.00 Naga
Munchetty 1.00pm Nihal
Arthanayake 4.00 5 Live
Drive 7.00 5 Live Boxing 8.00
5 Live Rugby League 9.00 5
Live Sport 10.30 Colin Murray
1.00am Dotun Adebayo
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00
Breakfast with Laura Woods
10.00 Jim White and Simon
Jordan 1.00pm Jonny Owen
& Charlie Baker 4.00 Drive
with Andy Goldstein & Darren
Gough 7.00 Kick Off 10.00
Sports Bar 12.00 Extra Time
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am James Max 6.30 Julia
Hartley-Brewer 10.00 Mike
Graham 1.00pm Ian Collins
4.00 Jeremy Kyle 7.00
Kevin O’Sullivan 10.00 James
Whale 1.00am Paul Ross
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
8.00am Round the Horne
8.30 Our Man At Wembley
9.00 The News Quiz 9.30
Nineteen Ninety-Eight 10.00
The Last September 11.00
Pieces of Britney 11.50 The
Chippendales 12.00 Round
the Horne 12.30pm Our Man
At Wembley 1.00 Sherlock
Holmes with Carleton Hobbs
1.30 Imperial Palace 2.00 A
Better Class of Person 2.15
Ten Days That Shook the
World 2.30 The Man with
Many Names 3.00 The Last
September 4.00 The 3rd
Degree 4.30 Nineteen
Ninety-Eight 5.00 The Tim
Vine Chat Show 5.30 The
Birthday Cake Game 6.00
The Spaceship II 6.30 Soul
Music 7.00 Round the Horne
7.30 Our Man At Wembley
saturday review 39
8.00 Sherlock Holmes
with Carleton Hobbs
8.30 Imperial Palace 9.00
Pieces of Britney 9.50 The
Chippendales 10.00 Comedy
Club: The Birthday Cake
Game 10.30 Revolting People
11.00 Small Scenes 11.30 Vent
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06 The
Documentary 9.30 Discovery
10.00 News 10.06 The Arts
Hour 11.00 The Newsroom
11.30 In the Studio 12.00
News 12.06pm Outlook 12.50
Witness History 1.00 The
Newsroom 1.30 Discovery
2.00 Newshour 3.00 News
3.06 People Fixing the
World. See Choice
3.30 Business 4.00 BBC OS
6.00 News 6.06 Outlook
6.50 Witness History 7.00
The Newsroom 7.30 Sport
Today 8.00 News 8.06 The
Documentary 8.30 Digital
Planet 9.00 Newshour 10.00
News 10.06 People Fixing the
World 10.30 In the Studio
11.00 The Newsroom 11.20
Sports News 11.30 Business
12.00 News 12.06am The
Arts Hour 1.00 News 1.06
Business Matters 2.00 The
Newsroom 2.30 Compass
3.06 Outlook 3.50 Witness
History 4.00 The Newsroom
4.30 A Wish for Afghanistan
6 Music
Digital only
7.30am Lauren Laverne
10.30 Mary Anne Hobbs
1.00pm Chris Hawkins 4.00
Steve Lamacq 7.00 Marc
Riley 9.00 Gideon Coe 12.00
Artist in Residence 1.00am
Overnight Documentary
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.30am The Chris Evans
Breakfast Show with Sky
10.00 Eddy Temple-Morris
1.00pm Tim Cocker 4.00
Kate Lawler 7.00 Steve
Denyer 10.00 Amy Voce
1.00am Virgin Radio Through
The Night 4.00 Sam Pinkham
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
6.00am More Music
Breakfast 9.00 Alexander
Armstrong 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 4.00pm John
Brunning 7.00 Smooth
Classics 8.00 The Classic FM
Concert with John Suchet.
Rossini (The Barber of Seville
— Overture); Field (Piano
Concerto No 3 in E-flat);
Mozart (Symphony No 39
in E-flat K.543); Chopin
(Nocturne in E-flat Op 9
No 2); Dvorák (Slavonic
Rhapsody No 3 in A-flat)
10.00 Smooth Classics
1.00am Bill Overton
40 saturday review
Wednesday 6 | Viewing guide
Critic’s choice
Brassic
Sky Max/Now, 10pm
The Bafta-winning writer
Danny Brocklehurst’s gang of
reprobates and ne’er-do-wells
are back for a third series of
crime capers pitched
somewhere between Shane
Meadows in knockabout
mode and a Guy Ritchie
gangster flick. It’s still
powered by a winning turn
from Joseph Gilgun, as bipolar
Vinnie, who at the end of
series two finally confessed
his feelings for single mum
Erin (Michelle Keegan, right
with Gilgun), who was
previously in a relationship
with Vinnie’s best mate, Dylan
(Damien Moloney). “I know it’s
wrong, but you’re the first
thing in the morning and
you’re the last thing at night,”
he told her. The cliffhanger
was that we don’t know
whether Erin felt the same,
as what she whispered in his
ear before he was dragged
off by the police to do some
well-deserved time at Her
Catching a Predator Hollington Drive
BBC2, 9pm
For more than a decade
Reynhard Sinaga, a mature PhD
student from Indonesia, preyed
on drunken young men as they
left nightclubs and bars in
Manchester, luring them back
to his nearby flat with the
promise of assistance or more
alcohol. Detectives believe
Sinaga sexually assaulted more
than 200 men, most of whom
were heterosexual, drugging
his victims, filming the attacks
and collecting personal
belongings as “trophies”. With
exclusive access to Greater
Manchester police’s 2017-19
investigation, this film tells the
story of how Sinaga, Britain’s
most prolific known rapist, was
caught and convicted. JC
Catch
up
Hawking: Can You Hear Me?
Sky/Now
In 1962 Stephen
Hawking was told that
he would have only
two years to live.
He went on to
become one of
the world’s
greatest
physicists.
This intimate
documentary
profile
features
testimony from
his first wife,
Jane, right with
Hawking, sons
Majesty’s pleasure was
inaudible. So the third series
begins with Vinnie in prison,
although his stretch is
condensed into a comical
minute of sped-up action —
Jimmy McGovern’s Time this
ain’t. We need Vinnie back on
the outside so we can find out
if true love will blossom
between him and Erin and
also what crackpot get-rich-
quick scheme he will get
involved with next. With DI
Carl Slater (John Weaver)
watching his every move,
determined to put Vinnie and
“his scrotey mates” behind
bars, he has to be careful. “I
need occupying,” Vinnie tells
his doctor (Dominic West).
“Or the voices kick in.” Enter
Farmer Jim with a proposal
for a heist that involves
stealing valuable frozen bull
semen from a breeder’s farm,
resulting in more farcical and
X-rated events that aren’t for
the easily offended. Joe Clay
ITV, 9pm
A decent cast has been
assembled for this rather by-
the-numbers mystery drama,
but Anna Maxwell Martin is
operating at a different level
from everyone else. Maybe
it’s just that her character is
better drawn, but she is the
main reason to watch. As the
drama continues, the sisters
Theresa (Maxwell Martin) and
Helen (Rachael Stirling) try to
pick apart their children’s
conflicting stories about
what happened to Alex.
But who is telling the truth?
And is Theresa willing to lie to
protect her son? Secrets and
lies run rampant amid the
tasteful John Lewis furnishings
of the titular street. JC
Robert and Tim, and daughter
Lucy, along with contributions
from Hawking’s peers from the
scientific community. It’s not
always a pleasant life story,
though, particularly when
dealing with allegations
(which Hawking denied) that
he was being abused
by his second wife,
Elaine Mason, later
in life. But his final
moments were
beautifully
peaceful, with
Lucy recalling
the time she
built a
snowman
outside his
window
with a tilted
head gazing
at the stars.
Ben Dowell
Iceland
Channel 5, 9pm
“Beyond Vikings, volcanoes
and Björk”, Alexander
Armstrong knows very little
about Iceland, so Channel 5 is
sending him off on a jolly to
broaden his knowledge of the
“large rock in the middle of the
Atlantic”. Nice work etc.
Armstrong is good at this sort
of thing, all wry quips and
endless charm, so it’s never
less than an entertaining 45
minutes or so of telly (with two
more episodes to come). The
Pointless host hovers above an
erupting volcano in a
helicopter, hangs out with a
woman who says she can talk
to elves, wallows in a hot
spring and enjoys the nightlife
of Reykjavik. JC
Regional programmes
● BBC1 Wales As BBC1 except: 6.55pm-
7.00 Party Political Broadcast by the
Welsh Conservatives (r) 10.30 BBC Wales
Live 11.05 The Earthshot Prize: Repairing
Our Planet 12.05am The Mating Game
(r) 1.05-2.05am Ambulance (r)
● BBC1 N Ireland As BBC1 except:
7.30pm-8.00 A Stitch Through Time.
New series 10.35 Nolan Live 11.35 The
Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet
12.35am-1.35 The Mating Game (r)
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except:
10.00pm-10.30 Spotlight (r)
● BBC1 Scotland As BBC1 except:
2.15pm Politics Scotland 3.00-3.45
Unbeatable (r) 6.55-7.00 Party Political
Broadcast by the Scottish Conservative
Party 11.35 Debate Night. Topical debate
(r) 12.35am-1.35 The Mating Game (r)
● ITV Wales As ITV except:
6.25pm-6.30 Party Political Broadcast
● STV As ITV except: 6.25pm-6.30 Party
Political Broadcast 10.30 STV News
10.40 Scotland Tonight 11.05 Peston
12.00-12.55am Junk and Disorderly (r)
● BBC Scotland 7.00pm Scotland’s Sacred
Islands with Ben Fogle (r) 8.00 Roaming
in the Wild 8.30 Landward. Visiting
Ullapool 9.00 The Nine 10.00 Two Doors
Down (r) 10.30 Debate Night 11.30-
Midnight David Wilson’s Crime Files (r)
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Restoring the Films of the day
Earth: The Age Selma (12, 2014)
of Nature BBC2, 11.15pm
David Oyelowo subtly transmogrifies into Martin Luther King Jr,
BBC4, 9pm displaying intelligent self-doubt, not political pomp. This gripping
drama mostly takes place over four months, starting with King
This three-part series, narrated receiving his Nobel peace prize in December 1964. The film’s
by Anna Friel, argues director, Ava DuVernay, takes a rich slice through the life of
persuasively that ecosystems King and his supporters during the campaign to secure rights
devastated by the actions of for black voters in the American South, culminating in the
humans can be revived. This 54-mile march in Alabama, from Selma to Montgomery. The
knowledge of nature’s film also shows the political game being played out between
resilience and recovery, even in King, an apparently helpful President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson)
the face of devastation such as and the Machiavellian FBI director J Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker).
the 1946 nuclear bomb test (125min) Kate Muir
that almost wiped out the tiny
Bikini Atoll in the Marshall
Islands, provides reasons to be
hopeful. The series focuses on
success stories as scientists,
citizens and governments act
to fix past mistakes and restore
the environment. JC
● S4C 6.00am Cyw: Blociau Rhif (r) 6.05
Halibalw (r) 6.15 Sam Tân (r) 6.25 Cei Bach
(r) 6.40 Patrôl Pawennau (r) 6.55 Timpo
(r) 7.05 Y Brodyr Coala (r) 7.15 Bach a
Mawr (r) 7.30 Pablo 7.45 Gwdihw (r) 8.00
Caru Canu (r) 8.05 Abadas (r) 8.15 Y
Diwrnod Mawr (r) 8.30 Twt (r) 8.40 Loti
Borloti (r) 8.55 Cymylaubychain (r) 9.05
Nos Da Cyw (r) 9.15 Llan-ar-goll-en (r)
9.30 Sion y Chef (r) 9.45 Sbarc (r) 10.00
Timpo (r) 10.10 Y Brodyr Coala (r) 10.20
Bach a Mawr (r) 10.30 Pablo (r) 10.45
Gwdihw (r) 11.00 Dysgu Gyda Cyw:
Darllen ’Da Fi (r) 11.05 Ben a Mali a’u Byd
Solace (15, 2015)
Bach O Hud (r) 11.20 Do Re Mi Dona (r) Channel 4, 2.45am
11.35 Shwshaswyn (r) 11.45 Y Diwrnod Anthony Hopkins, above, plays Dr John Clancy, a clairvoyant
Mawr (r) 12.00 News 12.05pm Dau Gi adviser to a police department searching for a serial killer who
Bach (r) 12.30 Heno (r) 1.00 Ceffylau
Cymru (r) 1.30 Sgwrs Dan y Lloer (r) 2.00 seems to consider himself a mobile branch of Dignitas. There’s a
News 2.05 Prynhawn Da 3.00 News 3.05 sense of déjà vu, because Hopkins also helped to trace a serial
Cynefin (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr 5.00 Stwnsh: killer in The Silence of the Lambs, but at least there is no
Rhyfeddodau Chwilengoch a Cath Ddu
cannibalism here. Instead Clancy teams up with two FBI agents,
5.25 Boom! (r) 5.35 Potsh (r) 5.55 Ffeil
6.00 Ar Werth (r) 6.25 Darllediad played by Abbie Cornish and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Hopkins is
Gwleidyddol gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig good value, and the plot has plenty of twists and a killer played
6.30 Bois y Rhondda (r) 6.57 News S4C
by Colin Farrell. Directed by the Brazilian Afonso Poyart, the film
7.00 Heno 7.30 News 8.00 Pobol y Cwm
8.25 Y Byd yn ei Le 8.55 News 9.00 has a tendency to shoot off into mad horror montages of red neon
Trysorau Gareth Edwards 10.00 Am Dro! crosses, lightning and crime scenes, none of which really adds to
(r) 11.00-11.35 Wyt Ti’n Iawn? (r)
the tension. (101min) KM
(r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Rip Off Britain
10.00 Defenders UK 10.45 Claimed
and Shamed (r) 11.15 Homes Under
the Hammer 12.15pm Bargain Hunt (r)
1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.30
BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45
Doctors. Rob drowns his sorrows with
Sid, so Karen confronts her husband
2.15 Unbeatable. Quiz hosted by
Jason Manford (r) 3.00 Escape to the
Country. A couple looking to move
from a Scottish city to rural Wiltshire
(r) 3.45 Garden Rescue. Creating an
exotic garden in Ruddington (r) 4.30
Antiques Road Trip. Margie Cooper
tries her hand at pottery in Devon 5.15
Pointless. Quiz hosted by Alexander
Armstrong 6.00 BBC News at Six;
Weather 6.30 BBC Regional News;
Weather 6.55 Party Political
Broadcast. By the Conservative Party
28 Up’s Orala (9pm)
7.00 The One Show With Sam Quek
and Jermaine Jenas
7.30 Boots and Beards: Our Lives
The story of a Scots-Asian
hillwalking group
8.00 The Repair Shop The
craftspeople turn their attention
to a vintage steel-bodied
acoustic guitar, a precious toy
doll, a sculpture broken in
an earthquake and a well-
travelled leather trunk (r)
9.00 28 Up: Millennium Generation
The documentary catches up
with cerebral palsy sufferer
Talan, who is moving into his
own home, and Stacey, who is
starting a new chapter after
teaching in China (2/2)
10.00BBC News at Ten
10.25 BBC Regional News
10.35 The Earthshot Prize: Repairing
Our Planet The documentary
continues with the global issue
of air pollution and the toll it is
taking on people’s health,
including the stories of people
shortlisted for the Clean
Our Air category (3/5)
11.35 The Mating Game
Documentary (1/5) (r)
12.35am Ambulance. Cameras follow
as a call to help a patient threatening
to jump off a bridge requires an
urgent response during a busy day
shift for the staff of North West
Ambulance Service (r) 1.35 Weather
for the Week Ahead 1.40 BBC News
Also available online and on tablet
Digital subscribers can now use our interactive seven-day
guide with comprehensive listings of all TV channels
thetimes.co.uk/tvplanner
BBC2
6.30am Escape to the Country (r) 7.15
Antiques Road Trip (r) 8.00 Sign Zone:
See Hear (SL) 8.30 Beechgrove (r)
(SL) 9.00 BBC News at 9 10.00 BBC
News 11.00 Politics Live Conference
2021 1.00pm Head Hunters (r) 1.45
Eggheads (r) 2.15 Celebrity Painting
Challenge (r) 3.15 An Island Parish:
Anguilla. Bishop Brooks checks on
church renovations on neighbouring
St Barths (r) 3.45 Curiosity. With Paul
Martin (r) 4.30 Glorious Gardens from
Above. Christine Walkden visits the
gardens of Staffordshire (r) 5.15 Flog
It! From Newcastle upon Tyne (r) 6.00
Richard Osman’s House of Games.
With Roger Black, Jo Brand, Sanjeev
Kohli and Tiff Stevenson 6.30 Strictly:
It Takes Two. Janette Manrara chats
to four more couples as they prepare
for their next performance
Your Home Made Perfect (8pm)
7.00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Former cricketer David Gower
and comedian and television
presenter Nick Hancock take a
road trip through Hampshire on
a search for antiques, with
expert help from Charlie Ross
and Philip Serrell (r)
8.00 Your Home Made Perfect
The architects Damion Burrows
and Will Foster compete using
virtual reality to remodel a
1990s build in Milton Keynes
for Victoria and Raheel (6/8)
9.00 Catching a Predator The inside
story of the investigation into
serial male rapist Reynhard
Sinaga, the biggest rape
case in British legal history.
See Viewing Guide
10.00Mock the Week Dara O Briain
looks back on 2020 (r)
10.30 Newsnight Headline analysis
11.15 FILM Selma (12, 2014) In 1965,
civil rights campaigner Dr
Martin Luther King Jr plans a
peaceful march across Alabama
which will change history.
Fact-based drama with David
Oyelowo. See Film Choice
1.15am Sign Zone: See Hear (r) (SL)
1.45-2.45 A House Through Time.
Digging into the affairs of the house’s
next resident Benjamin Wild, David
Olusoga discovers a factory owner
with a history of questionable
business dealings (r) (SL)
ITV
6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00
Lorraine. Entertainment and fashion
news 10.00 This Morning 12.30pm
Loose Women. Another helping of
topical studio discussion from a
female perspective 1.30 ITV News;
Weather 1.55 Regional News; Weather
2.00 Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories.
The barrister examines the case of a
fire that ravaged a mansion in
Shropshire village in 2008, and the
efforts of police to uncover the cause
behind the mysterious blaze 3.00
Winning Combination. Omid Djalili
hosts 4.00 Tipping Point. Ben
Shephard hosts the arcade-themed
quiz 5.00 The Chase. Quiz show with
Bradley Walsh 6.00 Regional News;
Weather 6.25 Party Political
Broadcast. By the Conservative
Party 6.30 ITV News; Weather
Anna Maxwell Martin stars (9pm)
7.00 Emmerdale Rodney continues
his campaign to win back Diane
7.30 Coronation Street Kevin is
concerned that something
has happened to Abi
8.00 Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest
Airport Staff prepare for
the arrival of Air Force 1
8.30 Coronation Street Kevin’s
hunt for Abi leads to an
encounter with Seb’s dad
9.00 Hollington Drive Theresa
and Helen are still trying to
make sense of the children’s
conflicting stories when
Hollington Drive is rocked once
again after a body is discovered.
See Viewing Guide (2/4)
10.00ITV News at Ten;
followed by Weather
10.30 Regional News; followed
by Regional Weather
10.45 Peston Political magazine show
presented by Robert Peston,
featuring major interviews
with MPs, topical guests
and cultural figures
11.40 British Touring Car
Championship Highlights
Action from the eighth meeting
of the season from Silverstone
12.55am Teleshopping 3.00 FYI Extra
3.15 Cooking with the Stars. Emma
Willis and Tom Allen host the celebrity
cookery series (r) (SL) 4.05 Unwind
With ITV. Daily escape designed to
calm the mind 5.05 Tipping Point.
Quiz hosted by Ben Shephard (r) (SL)
Wednesday 6
Channel 4
6.00am Countdown (r) 6.40 Cheers
(r) 7.05 Cheers (r) 7.35 The King of
Queens (r) 8.00 The King of Queens
(r) 8.30 The King of Queens (r) 9.00
Frasier (r) 9.30 Frasier (r) 10.00
Frasier (r) 10.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4
News Summary 11.30 Find It, Fix It,
Flog It (r) 12.30pm Steph’s Packed
Lunch 2.10 Countdown 3.00 A Place
in the Sun (r) 4.00 Château DIY. Helen
and Matt have to hoist a four-poster
through their bridal suite window
5.00 Four in a Bed. The rivals stay
over at the Kirkstyle Inn in Dunning,
Perth 5.30 The Perfect Pitch. The
campers visit Folly Farm campsite,
and the zoo and adventure park
next door 6.00 The Simpsons. Lisa
falls for Nelson (r) 6.30 Hollyoaks.
The day of Brody’s funeral arrives (r)
Alice Levine looks at sex (10pm)
7.00 Channel 4 News
Including sport and weather
7.55 Young Carers:
Stand Up to Cancer
8.00 Location, Location, Location
Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer
search Wales and Cheshire
respectively for a couple who
need more space and retirees
moving from Scotland to
the Manchester area
9.00 Grand Designs Kevin McCloud
meets a couple planning to
create a hybrid structure by
slotting in an entirely new
home within the walls of
a 200-year-old former
blacking mill in Cumbria
10.00Sex Actually with Alice Levine
Alice explores the world of sex
and wellness, meeting a tantric
influencer, a man on a journey
of sexual discovery and a
woman who runs “sexual
goddess” courses (3/3)
11.05 The Love Triangle Dating
show featuring couples
who are wanting to try a
polyamorous relationship.
Presented by Desiree Burch,
assisted by a voiceover from
Bimini Bon Boulash (r)
12.05am The Great British Bake Off:
An Extra Slice 1.00 Ramsay’s Kitchen
Nightmares USA 1.50 Got Your Back
2.45 FILM Solace (15, 2015) Crime
thriller. See Film Choice 4.25 Location,
Location, Location 5.20 Beat the Chef
5.45 Kirstie’s Fill Your House for Free
saturday review 41
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine
11.15 Nightmare Tenants, Slum
Landlords (r) 12.10pm 5 News at
Lunchtime 12.15 Police Interceptors (r)
1.15 Home and Away 1.45 Neighbours
2.20 FILM A Deceitful Mother: Lies
That Kill (PG, TVM, 2020) A teenager
finds her birth mother on a DNA
website, but problems ensue when
the unpredictable biological mum
crashes into her life. Thriller starring
Tanya Clarke 4.00 Bargain-Loving
Brits in the Sun. A Welsh couple
search for a bar they can rent (r) 5.00
5 News at 5 5.30 Neighbours. Aaron
and David realise their daughter has
been taken (r) 6.00 Home and Away.
The all-nighters are taking their toll on
Ryder and Chloe (r) 6.30 Eggheads.
Members of two separate pub quiz
teams join forces to take part
Alexander Armstrong (9pm)
7.00 The Gadget Show Jon takes to
the skies to put Apple’s highly
impressive AirPods Max to the
test, and Harry Wallop shares
tips to save money on bicycle
insurance (2/12); followed
by 5 News Update
8.00 This Week on the Farm Peter
Wright heads to Scarborough
to find out about the damage
plastic waste causes to local
marine life, and Reuben Owen
puts a new electric tractor
to the test (4/7); followed
by 5 News Update
9.00 Iceland with Alexander
Armstrong New series. The
presenter embarks on a
journey across Iceland, aiming
to discover more about
Iceland’s unique culture,
wildlife and landscapes.
See Viewing Guide (1/3)
10.00Million Pound Motorhomes
A look at the country’s most
impressive motorhomes,
beginning with a couple who
are having their own off-road
vehicle built that can deal
with any terrain (1/3) (r)
11.00 FILM The Fifth Element (PG,
1997) A 23rd-century New York
cab driver protects a
mysterious woman destined
to save the world from
destruction. Sci-fi adventure
starring Bruce Willis, Gary
Oldman and Milla Jovovich
1.25am The 21.co.uk Live Casino
Show 3.25 Entertainment News on 5
3.35 Michael Portillo: Our Housing
Crisis — Who’s to Blame? (r) 4.15
Inside the Tube: Going Underground
(r) 5.05 House Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35
Fireman Sam (r) 5.45 Paw Patrol (r)
42 saturday review
Wednesday 6 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Great British Railway
Journeys Catching a rare
glimpse of Edwardian
life on celluloid (2/15)
7.30 The Joy of Painting An oval
painting inspired by autumn
8.00 Wild Brazil The animals look
for breeding partners (3/3)
9.00 Enslaved with Samuel L
Jackson The actor and a
team of journalists
investigate the transatlantic
slave trade (1/4)
10.00 Restoring the Earth: The
Age of Nature New series.
Documentary series about
nature’s resilience. See
Viewing Guide (1/3)
10.55 From Ice to Fire: The
Incredible Science of
Temperature The
temperature scale (1/3)
11.55-12.55am From Ice to Fire:
The Incredible Science of
Temperature The narrow
band of temperature that
has led to life on Earth (2/3)
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
7.00pm Superstore Amy does
not feel ready to start dating
again so soon after her divorce
7.30 Superstore Jonah tries to help
Amy secure a hot new video game
8.00 Bob’s Burgers
8.30 Bob’s Burgers
9.00 Family Guy
9.30 Family Guy
10.00 Family Guy
10.30 Family Guy
11.00 Family Guy
11.25 American Dad!
11.55-12.25am American Dad!
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.20pm Beyond the Elements
A look at the molecules that
allowed life on Earth to begin (3/3)
7.30 Countdown to Surrender:
The Last 100 Days The events
leading to Hitler’s suicide (3/3)
8.40 Hitler’s Circle of Evil
Exploring the demise of Nazi
militant Ernst Rohm (3/10)
9.55 The Iran-Iraq War: A Tragedy
That Changed History The course
of the Iran-Iraq War (3/4)
11.00-12.15am Beyond the
Elements (3/3)
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
7.00pm Hudson & Rex Charlie and
Rex investigate the death of a
figure skating coach (15/16)
8.00 The Coroner Crime drama
starring Claire Goose (1/10)
9.00 Whiskey Cavalier (13/13)
10.00 Evil (5/13)
11.00 The Good Wife
12.00-1.00am Unforgettable
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
9.00am-11.00 Live International
Netball: England Vitality Roses v
Australia Diamonds
3.00pm Live Indian Premier
League: Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Sunrisers Hyderabad
Coverage of the T20 match
7.00 Live World Grand Prix Darts
Coverage of day four of the
tournament from the Morningside
Arena in Leicester
11.00 Live: NFL Fantasy
12.00-2.00am Live WNBA
Coverage of a play-off match
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
6.55pm Wycliffe The detective
investigates a suspected
kidnapping, but the missing
woman turns up dead at the
wheel of a crashed car (2/8)
8.00 Endeavour The newly
promoted Detective
Sergeant Morse investigates
when a famous international
thief tries to steal a Fabergé
egg from an auction. The
case leads to the gruesome
murders of an academic and
a gangster, and Morse is
convinced the deaths are
the work of the same man.
Shaun Evans stars (1/6)
10.05 Blue Murder Janine is called
in when an army battalion is
rocked by the murder of a
NCO, but finds herself falling
for the officer who sought
out her aid. With Richard
Fleeshman, Jill Halfpenny
and Neil Fitzmaurice (3/3)
11.35-12.45am Wycliffe Whodunit
starring Jack Shepherd (2/8)
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
7.00pm Junk and Disorderly
Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove
head to an automotive show
in Chippenham (8/10)
8.00 Cycling: Women’s Tour
Highlights Action from stage three
9.00 World Rally Championship
Highlights Stage ten of the
campaign is the WRC Secto
Automotive Rally Finland
10.00-12.40am FILM The Matrix
Revolutions (15, 2003) Freedom
fighters battle to end the conflict.
Sci-fi sequel starring Keanu Reeves
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm Testing the Atomic Bomb
The dawn of the atomic age
8.00 Islands of Fire Wildlife on a
chain of volcanic mountains
9.00 Ocean Super Predators The
extraordinary intelligence of many
marine predators, as wise
assassins set elaborate traps and
tap into each other’s expertise to
reel in their prey
10.00 Crazy Monster Frogs
11.00 Islands of Fire
12.00-1.00am Ocean Super
Predators
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Outback Truckers
Trucking veteran Steve Grahame
conquers the treacherous Gibb
River Road on a 600km venture
8.00 Kindig Customs Finding and
transforming a 1967 GTO
9.00 The Dino Hunters
10.00 Outback Truckers
11.00-1.00am Gold Rush
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
7.00pm PL World A round-up of all
the latest headlines from the
2021-22 Premier League
7.30 Soccer AM: The Best Bits
Jimmy Bullard and John Fendley
are joined by guests from the
world of sports and entertainment
8.00 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox
With Sol Campbell (5/6)
8.30 PL World
9.00 PL Review
10.00 Premier League Icons
A profile of Dennis Bergkamp
10.30-12.30am PL Retro
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Escape to the Château:
DIY Dick offers his advice to
a couple constructing a
water feature (8/15)
7.55 Grand Designs Kevin
McCloud meets Andy Stakes
and Jeanette Hardy, who
are building a new house on
top of a sheer cliff on the
west coast of Scotland
9.00 Prue’s Great Garden Plot
New series. Documentary
following Prue Leith and her
husband as they move into a
new home, and set about
turning the adjacent
two-acre rubbish tip into a
glorious garden (1/4)
10.00 Johnny Vegas: Carry on
Glamping The comedian
enters the glamping
business, buying a
vintage bus online (1/4)
11.05-12.05am 24 Hours in A&E
A man faces extensive
surgery after colliding with
a car on his motorbike
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
7.00pm Hollyoaks Sami reads
Sienna and Damon Brody’s will
7.30 Married at First Sight
Australia The experts match the
next two Australian couples
9.00 Naked, Alone and Racing to
Get Home Two pairs of complete
strangers strip bare and race
across the English countryside
10.00 Naked Attraction A single
mum and a sales adviser take part
11.05-12.10am Gogglebox Review
of Game of Thrones finale and
The Eurovision Song Contest
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
7.00pm Portrait Artist of the Year
2020 The comedian Eddie Izzard
sits for the finalists (10/11)
8.00 Portrait Artist of the Year
2020 Following the winner as they
complete a £10,000 commission to
paint Carlos Acosta (11/11)
9.00 FILM Janine Jansen: Falling
for Stradivari (U, 2021) The
musician plays 12 of the world’s
greatest violins in 10 days
10.15 John Lennon: Imagine
The making of the 1971 album
11.30-12.30am Landmark (5/7)
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Car S.O.S (6/10)
8.00 Lost Treasures of Egypt (4/8)
9.00 Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted
10.00 Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted
The chef explores the Indonesian
island of Sumatra
11.00 Nazi Megastructures (5/7)
12.00-1.00am Hitler’s Last Stand
Documentary (3/4)
Glenn Maxwell of Royal
Challengers Bangalore
(Sky Main Event, 3pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm There’s Something About
Movies With Matt Dillon,
Guz Khan and Hannah
John-Kamen (5/6) (R)
8.00 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Sara realises what Bishop is
planning, so Ava convinces
her to allow the Legends to
make exceptions to the rules
to help fight back (15/15)
9.00 Strike Back: Retribution
Section 20 run into trouble
as they race to get Idrisi
across Europe (9/10) (R)
10.00 Brassic New series. Vinnie is
released from prison and
does his best to lie low, but
Farmer Jim arrives with a
very lucrative job offer.
See Viewing Guide (1/8)
11.00 A League of Their Own With
guests Troy Deeney, AJ
Odudu, Roisin Conaty, Geoff
Norcott, Alex Brooker
and Tom Allen (R)
12.00-1.00am The Russell Howard
Hour Topical comedy (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
7.00pm Richard Osman’s House of
Games Rachel Riley, JB Gill, Katie
Derham and Richard Herring
compete in the trivia-based show
7.40 Would I Lie to You? With
James Acaster, Gabby Logan,
Melvin Odoom and Fay Ripley
8.20 QI With Jo Brand, Jack Dee
and Jimmy Carr
9.00 QI XL With Josh Widdicombe,
Cariad Lloyd and Paul Sinha
10.00 Outsiders
11.00 Live at the Apollo
12.00-12.40am Mock the Week
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
6.30pm Silicon Valley
7.05 Silicon Valley
7.40 Curb Your Enthusiasm (9/10)
8.20 Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry causes a rift between
expectant parents (10/10)
9.00 Hitmen: Reloaded
9.30 Hitmen: Reloaded
10.00 TBA
10.30 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon American chat show
11.30-12.30am The Late Late Show
with James Corden: Best of the
Week Highlights of the talk show
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
7.00pm Friends
7.30 Friends
8.00 Friends
8.30 Friends
9.00 Rob Beckett’s Undeniable
10.00 Asian Provocateur
10.30 Asian Provocateur
11.00 Live at the Apollo
12.00-1.00am Criminally Funny
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Sunrisers Hyderabad
Coverage of the T20 match from
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
7.00 Best of ICC WT20
8.00 Dinesh Karthik Meets
8.45 India’s History At Lord’s
9.00 IPL Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Sunrisers Hyderabad
10.00 Cricket in Mumbai Nasser
Hussain examines Mumbai’s
influence on Indian cricket
11.00-4.10am IPL
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.45pm Succession Roman and
Kendall attempt to sway
the board, while Shiv
explores her options in
Washington, DC (6/10) (R)
7.50 Game of Thrones Arya
makes progress in her
training, Sansa confronts
an old friend, Cersei faces
a struggle and Jon embarks
on a journey. Fantasy drama
with Lena Headey (8/10) (R)
9.00 Billions The fifth season of
the cat-and-mouse drama
concludes (12/12)
10.05 In Treatment When Laila
disappears, Brooke forces
Rhonda to consider how
profoundly her expectations
have affected the teen (R)
10.40 In Treatment Brooke
confronts revelations that
may inform her future (R)
11.15-12.20am Dexter The vigilante
ends up on a collision
course with the homicide
team (7/12) (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.40pm ’Allo ’Allo! Helga
reports the whereabouts of the
paintings to the Colonel
7.20 Last of the Summer Wine
After suffering a brush with Stella,
Hobbo resolves to find her a man
8.00 The Inspector Lynley
Mysteries Havers is sent to
investigate the death of a radical
politician’s illegitimate daughter
10.00 New Tricks The team tracks
a possible serial killer
11.20-12.35am Bad Girls Crystal is
released from Larkhall
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Nothing to Declare
Following the work of customs
officers in Australia
7.30 Nothing to Declare The work
of customs officers in Australia
8.00 9-1-1 Eddie helps Christopher
deal with his trauma
9.00 New Amsterdam A burst pipe
wreaks havoc in the ED (12/14)
10.00 Blue Bloods Danny and Baez
race to find a missing girl
11.00 Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit A rape in a hospital
12.00-1.00am The Good Doctor
Gold
SKY 110, VIRGIN 124, BT 310
6.40pm Hi-de-Hi! Gladys decides
to marry Clive
7.20 Dad’s Army
8.00 The Vicar of Dibley
8.40 The Vicar of Dibley
9.20 Mrs Brown’s Boys
10.00 Sandylands
10.40 Mrs Brown’s Boys
11.20-12.05am The Young Ones
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
7.45am Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
10.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
12.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
2.00pm Live: European Cricket
Championship Action from the
European Cricket Championship
4.00-6.00 Live: European Cricket
Championship In Malaga, Spain
11.00-1.30am Live PSA Squash
Action from the Women’s and
Men’s Finals at the US Open
Prue’s Great
Garden Plot
Prue Leith and her husband
try to create a garden
More4, 9pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
7.00pm The Story of Late Night
How the rise to fame of
David Letterman in the
1980s reinvented the talk
show format, as thoughts
turned to who would fill
Johnny Carson’s shoes
when he retired (3/6) (R)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Hotel
Secrets The actor uncovers
the gossip, intrigue and
scandal lurking behind the
closed doors of some of the
world’s most famous rooms
and suites (3/8) (R)
9.00 FILM Tina (15, 2021),
Featuring contributions
from the Grammy
Award-winning artist, as
well as Angela Bassett
and Oprah Winfrey
11.10-1.10am The Apollo, With
archive footage of
performances by Aretha
Franklin, Diana Ross, Stevie
Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and
Pharrell Williams (R)
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Bangers and Cash Derek
auctions off some vehicles that
were used in the television show
Heartbeat (6/10)
8.00 Bangers and Cash Behind
the scenes of a North Yorkshire-
based, family-run historic car
auction business (1/10)
9.00 ’Allo ’Allo! The resistance
plans a daring rescue of the airmen
9.40 ’Allo ’Allo!
10.20 ’Allo ’Allo!
11.00 The Two Ronnies
11.50-12.50am The Two Ronnies
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm Forged in Fire Bladesmiths
are challenged to recreate the
mighty Serrated Tegha Sword
8.00 Swamp People Frenchy and
Gee return to the battle, but a
familiar foe has other plans
9.00 Curse of Skinwalker Ranch
The team members witness
unidentified phenomena
10.00 Mountain Men (16/12)
11.00 Battle of Britain 80: Allies at
War How British armed forces
regrouped after Dunkirk
12.00-1.00am Forged in Fire
W
SKY 109, VIRGIN 125, BT 311
7.00pm MasterChef Australia A
dish inspired by family members
8.00 Extreme Food Phobics
9.00 Nurses Down Under
10.00 Gavin & Stacey
10.40 Gavin & Stacey
11.20 Gavin & Stacey
12.00-1.00am One Born Every
Minute Amazing birthing stories
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
6.30pm FIM Speedway Highlights
8.30 MotoGP Highlights
MotoGP highlights from the
Grand Prix of The Americas
9.30 British RallyCross Highlights
Round four of the British Rallycross
Championship at Knockhill
10.30 Speed Catamarans GC32
11.00 Inside Sailing
11.30 Motorsport: DTM
12.30am-3.30 Live CFL: Toronto
Argonauts v Ottawa Redblacks
(Kick-off 12.30). Coverage of the
match from BMO Field
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am Bugles in the
Afternoon (U, 1952) Western
starring Ray Milland
12.40pm Campbell’s
Kingdom (U, 1957) Adventure
starring Dirk Bogarde
2.45 Dark Command (U,
1940) American Civil War-era
Western starring John Wayne
4.35 Attack! (PG, 1956)
Second World War drama
starring Jack Palance
6.45 The Post (12, 2017)
Fact-based drama starring
Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks
9.00 John Wick: Chapter 3 —
Parabellum (15, 2019) Action
thriller starring Keanu Reeves
11.35 Four Weddings and a
Funeral (15, 1994) Romantic
comedy with Hugh Grant
1.55am-3.50 Dark River
(15, 2017) Period drama
starring Ruth Wilson
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am The Limping Man
(PG, 1953) Crime thriller
starring Lloyd Bridges
7.30 Mr Horatio Knibbles
(U, 1971) Children’s fantasy
comedy starring Lesley Roach
8.45 Look at Life
9.00 Together
9.30 The Champions
10.30 I Wake Up Screaming
(PG, 1941) Thriller with Victor
Mature and Laird Cregar
12.05pm How a Bicycle is
Made Short documentary
12.25 The Young Wives’ Tale
(1951) Comedy starring
Joan Greenwood
2.00 Secret Army
3.05 The Gelignite Gang (U,
1956) Thriller starring Wayne
Morris and Sandra Dorne
4.35 Doublecross (U, 1956)
Thriller with Donald Houston
6.00 Sherlock Holmes
6.30 Look at Life
6.50 The Edgar Wallace
Mystery Theatre
8.00 Rumpole of the Bailey
9.05 Water (15, 1985) Comedy
starring Michael Caine
11.25 Hole Lot of Trouble
12.00 Cellar Club with
Caroline Munro
12.05am The Devil Rides Out
(15, 1968) Hammer horror
starring Christopher Lee
1.55 Cellar Club
with Caroline Munro
2.00 He Walked By Night (PG,
1948) Thriller starring Richard
Basehart and Scott Brady
3.40 Cellar Club with
Caroline Munro
3.45-5.00 Half Human: The
Story of the Abominable
Snowman (15, 1957) Fantasy
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am Dead Lines (PG,
2010) Thriller with Jeri Ryan
10.50 GREAT! Movie News
11.00 Retribution (PG, 2012)
Drama with Cynthia Watros
Ruth Wilson stars in Dark
River (Film4, 1.55am)
12.50pm GREAT! Movie News
1.00 Burden of Evil (12, 2012)
Thriller starring Natalie Zea
2.50 Lost Letter Mysteries:
Signed Sealed Delivered
(2013) Drama starring Eric
Mabius and Kristin Booth
4.40 You Must Be Joking!
(PG, 1965) Comedy
starring Lionel Jeffries
6.40 Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon (12, 2000) Martial
arts drama with Chow Yun-Fat
9.00 The International
(15, 2009) Thriller with Clive
Owen and Naomi Watts
11.20-1.45am Seven Pounds
(12, 2008) Drama starring Will
Smith and Rosario Dawson
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
6.00am Hollywood’s Best
Film Directors Double bill
7.10 Off Set
7.25 The Lusty Men
(U, 1952) Rodeo adventure
9.45 Gunfight at Comanche
Creek (U, 1964) Western
11.35 The Cross of Lorraine
(PG, 1943) Wartime drama
1.30pm Funeral in Berlin
(PG, 1966) Cold War thriller
starring Michael Caine
3.40 Torpedo Run (U, 1958)
Adventure with Glenn Ford
5.45 Westbound (U, 1959)
Western with Randolph Scott
7.15 Quincannon, Frontier
Scout (U, 1956) Western
starring Tony Martin
9.00 Posse (15, 1993) Western
starring Mario Van Peebles
11.25-1.10am Universal
Soldier: The Return (18, 1999)
Action adventure sequel with
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.30pm Mahalia (PG, 2021)
2.40 Rare Beasts (15, 2019)
Romantic comedy drama
starring Billie Piper
4.20 My New York Year
(15, 2021) Drama starring
Margaret Qualley
6.10 Drunk Bus (15, 2020)
Comedy with Charlie Tahan
8.00 Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
starring Daniel Kaluuya
10.10-12.20am Mahalia (PG,
2021) Drama starring Danielle
Brooks and Rob Demery
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
5.00am Calum Macdonald
with Early Breakfast 6.00
Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell with
Times Radio Breakfast. All the
morning’s headlines 10.00
Matt Chorley Live from the
Conservative Party Conference
1.00pm Mariella Frostrup.
A fresh look at the issues
shaping our world 4.00 John
Pienaar at Drive 7.00 Phil
Williams. Entertaining evening
conversation 10.00 Carole
Walker 1.00am Stories of Our
Times 1.30 Red Box. Matt
Chorley’s politics podcast 2.00
Highlights from Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast
Show 9.30 Ken Bruce 12.00
Jeremy Vine 2.00pm Steve
Wright 5.00 Sara Cox 6.30
Sara Cox’s Half Wower 7.00 Jo
Whiley’s Shiny Happy Playlist
7.30 Jo Whiley 9.00 The Folk
Show with Mark Radcliffe
10.00 Trevor Nelson’s Rhythm
Nation 12.00 OJ Borg 3.00am
Sounds of the 90s with Fearne
Cotton (r) 4.00 Vanessa Feltz
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30am Breakfast
9.00 Essential Classics
12.00 Composer of the Week:
Julius Eastman Donald
Macleod follows Eastman
as he makes a pivotal move
in his musical game plan
1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime
Concert Beethoven (Piano
Sonata No.14 in C# minor,
op.27/2; Violin Sonata No. 7
in C minor, op. 30/2); Holmes
(Recitative and Song, from ‘la
vision de la reine’); Saint-Saens
(Romance Op.36)
2.00 Afternoon Concert
Mendelssohn (Hebrides
Overture, op.26 ‘Fingal’s Cave’);
R Strauss (Horn Concerto No.2
in E flat); Martinu (Na msu
svatu zvoniju/Ave Maria); Byrd
(Ut-re-mi-fa-sol-la); Liszt (Piano
Concerto No.2 in A); Corelli
(Concerto grosso in D, Op.6/4);
Respighi (Fountains of Rome)
4.00 Live Choral Evensong
5.00 In Tune
7.00 In Tune Mixtape
7.30 Radio 3 in Concert
Schubert (String Quartet No. 6,
D74); Thomas Ades (Alchymia).
Brahms (Clarinet Quintet
in B minor, Op. 115)
10.00 Free Thinking Books
shortlisted for the British
Academy Book Prize for Global
Cultural Understanding
10.45 The Essay: Telegraph
Wires — Five Views of Ted
Hughes Poet Karen McCarthy
Woolf on finding solace in
Hughes’ work during a
troubled childhood
11.00 Night Tracks
12.30am Through the Night
Today’s pick
Hancock: The Blood Donor
Radio 4 Extra, 7pm
This is one of the most
celebrated comedy half-
hours in radio history. Yet it
began life on television. It
was part of the final season
of Hancock, the TV version of
Tony Hancock’s radio show.
The Blood Donor was
broadcast in 1961, after which
Pye Records gathered the
team together to re-record
the show for commercial
release. Chaos reigns when
Hancock, right, goes to his
local hospital to donate
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Farming Today
5.58 Tweet of the Day (r)
6.00 Today
9.00 More or Less (6/6)
9.30 Four Thought
9.45 (LW) Daily Service
9.45 Book of the Week:
George III (3/5)
10.00 Woman’s Hour A female
perspective on the world
11.00 White Mischief (r)
11.30 What’s Funny About
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 The Reader (3/5)
12.18 You and Yours
1.00 The World at One
1.45 A Home of Our Own
2.00 The Archers (r)
2.15 Drama: The National By
Sarah Wooley (3/3) (r)
3.00 Money Box Live
3.30 Inside Health (r)
4.00 Thinking Allowed
4.30 The Media Show
5.00 PM
5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.30 The Cold Swedish Winter
By Danny Robins. Geoff’s
father-in-law Sten sponsors
Ashkan, a young refugee from
Afghanistan, who has applied
for asylum (2/4) (r)
7.00 The Archers Vince is in
the doghouse and Jazzer
seeks an escape
7.15 Front Row
8.00 Bringing Up Britain How
to help the young negotiate
difficult relationships (4/4)
8.45 Four Thought (r)
9.00 Costing the Earth (r)
9.30 The Media Show
Broadcast earlier
10.00 The World Tonight
10.45 Book at Bedtime: The
Reader Broadcast earlier (3/5)
11.00 Njambi McGrath:
Becoming Njambi
11.15 Tarot: Soundbleed New
series. Sketch comedy (1/4)
11.30 Mastertapes (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Book of the Week:
George III (3/5) (r)
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
Wednesday 6
blood. Needless to say his is
the rarest of all blood types.
June Whitfield is on hand as
the put-upon nurse. Seven
years later Hancock was dead,
having committed suicide at
the age of 44. Debra Craine
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am Wake Up to Money
6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00
Your Call 10.00 Adrian Chiles
1.00pm Nihal Arthanayake
4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 5 Live
Sport 10.30 Colin Murray
1.00am Dotun Adebayo
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00
Breakfast with Laura Woods
10.00 Jim White and Simon
Jordan 1.00pm Jonny Owen
& Charlie Baker 4.00 Drive
with Andy Goldstein & Darren
Gough 7.00 Kick Off 10.00
Sports Bar 1.00am Extra Time
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am James Max 6.30 Julia
Hartley-Brewer 10.00 Mike
Graham 1.00pm Ian Collins
4.00 Jeremy Kyle 7.00 Kevin
O’Sullivan 10.00 James
Whale 1.00am Paul Ross
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
8.00am Hancock: The Blood
Donor 8.30 Give or Take 9.00
The Motion Show 9.30
Smelling of Roses 10.00
Verona: A Conspiracy of
Parrots 10.45 Tapestry 11.00
Motherhood: Bump, Birth and
Beyond 12.00 Hancock: The
Blood Donor 12.30pm Give or
Take 1.00 Sherlock Holmes
with Carleton Hobbs 1.30
Imperial Palace 2.00 A Better
Class of Person 2.15 Ten Days
That Shook the World 2.30
The Welsh M1 3.00 Verona:
A Conspiracy of Parrots 3.45
Tapestry 4.00 The Motion
Show 4.30 Smelling of Roses
5.00 Rob Newman’s
Neuropolis 5.30 The Cold
Swedish Winter 6.00 The
Spaceship II 6.30 Short Cuts
7.00 Hancock: The Blood
Donor. Comedy. See Choice
7.30 Give or Take 8.00
Sherlock Holmes with
Carleton Hobbs 8.30 Imperial
Palace 9.00 Motherhood
saturday review 43
10.00 Comedy Club: The
Cold Swedish Winter 10.30
Sam Simmons Is Not a People
Person 10.45 Mae Martin’s
Guide to 21st Century
Sexuality 11.00 Radio Active
11.30 And Now in Colour
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06 The
Compass: Sugar-Coated
World 9.30 Digital Planet
10.00 News 10.06 World
Book Club 11.00 The
Newsroom 11.30 A Wish for
Afghanistan 12.00 News
12.06pm Outlook 12.50
Witness History 1.00 The
Newsroom 1.30 Digital Planet
2.00 Newshour 3.00 News
3.06 HARDtalk 3.30 Business
4.00 BBC OS 6.00 News 6.06
Outlook 6.50 Witness History
7.00 The Newsroom 7.30
Sport Today 8.00 News 8.06
The Compass: Sugar-Coated
World 8.30 Healthcheck 9.00
Newshour 10.00 News 10.06
HARDtalk 10.30 A Wish for
Afghanistan 11.00 The
Newsroom 11.20 Sports News
11.30 Business 12.00 News
12.06am World Book Club
1.00 News 1.06 Business
Matters 2.00 The Newsroom
2.30 Assignment 3.00 News
3.06 Outlook 3.50 Witness
History 4.00 The Newsroom
4.30 The Food Chain
6 Music
Digital only
7.30am Lauren Laverne
10.30 Mary Anne Hobbs
1.00pm Chris Hawkins 4.00
Steve Lamacq 6.00 The
6 Music Album Club 7.00
Marc Riley 9.00 Gideon Coe
12.00 Freak Zone Playlist
1.00am 6 Music Festival
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.30am The Chris Evans
Breakfast Show with Sky
10.00 Eddy Temple-Morris
1.00pm Tim Cocker 4.00
Kate Lawler 7.00 Steve
Denyer 10.00 Amy Voce
1.00am Virgin Radio Through
The Night 4.00 Sam Pinkham
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
6.00am More Music
Breakfast 9.00 Alexander
Armstrong 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 4.00pm John
Brunning 7.00 Smooth
Classics 8.00 The Classic FM
Concert. Glinka (Ruslan &
Ludmilla — Overture);
Rachmaninov (Piano
Concerto No 3 in D minor);
Shostakovich (The Gadfly);
Silvestrov (Bagatelle);
Tchaikovsky (Symphony No 2
in C minor Op 17 (“Little
Russian”) 10.00 Smooth
Classics 1.00am Bill Overton
44 saturday review
Thursday 7 | Viewing guide
Critic’s choice
Savile: Portrait of a Predator
ITV, 9pm
Ten years after Jimmy Savile’s
death, his abhorrent crimes
continue to exert a grim
fascination — namely, how he
got away with it for so long.
This shocking new
documentary investigates
how Savile, now recognised
as one of Britain’s most prolific
sex offenders, engineered
his career and lifestyle to
abuse and escape detection.
“He normalised abnormal
behaviour to the point
where it wasn’t considered
a problem,” says Gary
Pankhurst, a former Operation
Yewtree detective who is
being interviewed for the first
time on camera. Pankhurst
describes Savile as “a high-
functioning psychopath”, an
“abuser first and a celebrity
second”, tricking people who
should have known better
into giving him their seal
of approval. Meirion Jones,
a journalist who investigated
Savile’s crimes after his death,
Auschwitz:
One Day
PBS America, 7.25pm
Based on the Auschwitz Album,
a unique collection of about
200 photographs taken in May
1944 by SS Sergeant Bernhard
Walter, this harrowing film
looks at a typical day in the
“death factory” of Auschwitz-
Birkenau from the perspective
of its victims. On arriving at
the camp as a child, Irene
Weiss remembers hearing
her father deducing that it
was a labour camp. “People
were suddenly relaxed,” she
recalls. “They said, ‘We can
work until the war is over.’ ”
More than 1.1 million men,
women and children would
die there. JC
Catch
up
Deceit
Britbox
The hefty disclaimer at the
start of this four-part true-
crime drama hints at the
troubled waters we’re
entering. In revisiting
the case of Rachel
Nickell’s murder on
Wimbledon
Common,
southwest
London, in 1992,
this is not the
usual depiction
of a British
manhunt.
Instead it
focuses on the
reveals how he courted
establishment figures,
including Prince Charles (his
office declined to comment
for the programme), to give
him respectability. “If you’re
a friend of the royal family,
a chief constable is going
to think twice about putting
a team on an investigation
of you,” Jones says. The
film analyses Savile’s TV
appearances and includes
new testimony from some
of his victims. Pankhurst
believes that Savile, right,
learnt how to control and
manipulate those around him
from criminals during his
career as a DJ in Manchester
in the 1950s. “Understanding
how he could get into so
many organisations, how he
could operate in so many
different environments and
still get away with it — that’s
the story that needs to be
told,” Pankhurst says.
Joe Clay
The Hairy Bikers
Go North
BBC2, 8pm
Dave Myers and Si King
continue their northern
odyssey with a ride through
Cumbria, home turf for Myers.
The scenery on show tonight is
more of a draw than the food,
with the glorious vistas of the
Lake District dominating
proceedings. They start in the
working-class industrial town
of Barrow-in-Furness, where
Myers grew up. They then
meet a chef near Windermere
whose combination of French
and Indian cuisine has won a
Michelin star, try the famous
Morecambe Bay shrimps,
and Myers invites one of his
oldest friends for lunch. JC
undercover officer, known to
the public by her pseudonym
Lizzie James, who acted as
a honeytrap to lure suspect
Colin Stagg. It required her
to befriend him and concoct
bleak sexual fantasies to coax
him into incriminating
himself. She succeeded in
this — except Stagg was
innocent. This is written
by Emilia di Girolamo
as a comment on the
sexism faced by
James (Niamh
Algar, left) and
a broader view
on the male
psyche best
described as
unsettling.
James
Jackson
All Creatures
Great and Small
Channel 5, 9pm
It’s Tristan’s birthday and
Siegfried has two significant
gifts for him: a new veterinary
bag and his first opportunity
to fly solo (well, with James
in tow, just in case). One of
Farnon Jr’s first stops is the
estate, a daunting prospect
that leads Tristan to suspect
that his big bro is “setting him
up to fail”. Especially when
one of his patients is a horse
called Satan, an “evil bugger”
who needs his teeth filing.
Meanwhile, Mrs Hall lets the cat
out of the bag to Helen about
James’s Glasgow job offer and
there’s a shattering revelation
for the birthday boy. JC
Regional programmes
● BBC2 Wales As BBC2 except: 11.15pm
it’s My Shout 11.30-Midnight Coast (r)
● BBC1 N Ireland As BBC1 except:
6.55pm-7.00 Party Political Broadcast (r)
10.35 The View 11.15 Question Time
12.15am Newscast 12.45 Blankety
Blank (r) 1.20-6.00 BBC News
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except:
10.00pm-10.30 The Ulster Rugby Show.
Ulster Rugby’s latest matches 11.15 QI
11.45-Midnight The Chronicles of Erne (r)
● STV As ITV except: 7.30pm-8.00
Scotland Tonight 10.30 STV News 10.45
How Green Is Your Supermarket? Tonight
11.10 Gordon, Gino & Fred Go Greek! (r)
12.15am Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night
Line Up (r) 12.55-3.00 Teleshopping
● UTV As ITV except: 6.25pm-6.30
Party Political Broadcast
● BBC Scotland Midday-1.00pm First
Minister’s Questions 7.00pm Live
Sportscene: Denmark Under-21s v
Scotland Under-21s (Kick-off 7.05) 9.00
The Nine 10.00 The Scotts (r) 10.30 Best
of Chewin’ the Fat (r) 11.00-Midnight
Slavery: Scotland’s Hidden Shame (r)
● S4C 6.00am Cyw: Sali Mali (r) 6.05
Straeon Ty Pen (r) 6.20 Tomos a’i
Ffrindiau (r) 6.30 Do Re Mi Dona (r)
6.45 Syrcas Deithiol Dewi (r) 6.55
Sblij a Sbloj (r) 7.05 Octonots (r)
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Hunting the Films of the day
Football Trolls The Babadook (15, 2014)
Channel 4, 10pm BBC4, 9pm
The Australian horror taps into every parent’s gut-wrenching
In the aftermath of the Euro paranoia that they may not be a fit parent or even like their child.
2020 final in June England’s A single mother called Amelia (Essie Davis) is a woman on the
Marcus Rashford, Bukayo brink. Still grieving over the violent death of her husband, she is
Saka and Jadon Sancho were finding it difficult to connect to her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman).
subjected to racist abuse To make matters worse, Samuel is convinced that there is a
online after missing penalties. monstrous creature that visits his room at night. It started with
This hard-hitting documentary a bedtime story that tells of the Babadook. Samuel’s response
follows the footballer turned is chilling. This is a well-crafted exercise in atmosphere, with
pundit Jermaine Jenas as he echoes of The Shining. The writer-director Jennifer Kent is
investigates if the social media adamant that there will never be a sequel, despite the film’s
companies have kept their success. (92min) Wendy Ide
promise to do more to tackle
the problem. Jenas meets
those on the front line,
including players such as Anita
Asante and Kyle Walker and
joins the UK’s only dedicated
football policing unit trying to
track down perpetrators. JC
7.20 Anifeiliaid Bach y Byd (r) 7.30 Blero
yn Mynd i Ocido (r) 7.45 Deian a Loli 8.00
Peppa (r) 8.05 Meic y Marchog (r) 8.20
Jen a Jim a’r Cywiadur (r) 8.35 Digbi Draig
(r) 8.45 Nico Nôg (r) 8.55 Twm Tisian (r)
9.05 Wibli Sochyn y Mochyn (r) 9.15
Hafod Haul (r) 9.30 Stiw (r) 9.40 Ahoi! (r)
10.00 Sali Mali (r) 10.05 Straeon Ty Pen (r)
10.20 Tomos a’i Ffrindiau (r) 10.30 Do Re
Mi Dona (r) 10.45 Syrcas Deithiol Dewi (r)
10.55 Sblij a Sbloj (r) 11.05 Octonots (r)
11.20 Anifeiliaid Bach y Byd (r) 11.30 Blero
yn Mynd i Ocido (r) 11.45 Deian a Loli (r) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
12.00 News 12.05pm Pysgod i Bawb (r)
12.30 Heno (r) 1.00 Mynyddoedd y Byd (r)
Crystal Skull (12, 2008)
2.00 News 2.05 Prynhawn Da 3.00 News Film4, 9pm
3.05 Am Dro! (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr: Tomos a’i After an 18-year gap between the ripping yarns featuring Harrison
Ffrindiau (r) 4.10 Sblij a Sbloj (r) 4.20 Oli
Ford’s daredevil archaeologist, nothing much changed. That said,
Wyn (r) 4.30 Digbi Draig (r) 4.45 Deian a
Loli (r) 5.00 Stwnsh: Y Doniolis (r) 5.10 Ar Steven Spielberg adds a couple of fresh elements — a communist
Goll yn Oz (r) 5.30 Mabinogi-ogi a Mwy (r) threat and a Roswell reference — which gel with the sensibility of
5.55 Ffeil 6.00 Lowri Morgan: Her 333 (r) the 1950s setting. A remarkably well-preserved Indiana Jones is
6.25 Darllediad Gwleidyddol gan Plaid
Cymru 6.30 Rownd a Rownd (r) 6.57 now a college lecturer, until a kid (Shia LaBeouf, above with Ford)
News S4C 7.00 Heno 7.30 News 8.00 arrives with a message from his old chum Professor Oxley (John
Pobol y Cwm 8.25 Rownd a Rownd 8.55 Hurt), who seems to have had his brain scrambled by exposure to
News 9.00 Bois y Rhondda 9.30 Rygbi
Pawb 10.15 Welsh Whisperer: Ni’n Teithio
a mysterious artefact — the Crystal Skull. What follows is a frantic
Nawr (r) 10.45-11.50 Drych: Jason dash to spend the film’s effects budget. A fifth movie in the
Mohammad: Trelai, Y Terfysg a Fi (r) franchise is due next year. (122min) Wendy Ide
(r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Rip Off Britain
10.00 Defenders UK 10.45 Claimed
and Shamed (r) 11.15 Homes Under
the Hammer (r) 11.45 The Queen’s
Baton Relay 12.30pm Bargain Hunt (r)
1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.30
BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45
Doctors. Karen lashes out at Luca 2.15
Unbeatable. Quiz (r) 3.00 Escape to
the Country. A couple searching for a
house in rural North Yorkshire (r) 3.45
Garden Rescue. In Cambridgeshire,
Marcus and Rebecca ask the Rich
Brothers and Arit Anderson for an
Australia-meets-Scotland garden (r)
4.30 Antiques Road Trip. Margie
Cooper and Paul Martin travel
through Cornwall 5.15 Pointless.
Quiz hosted by Alexander Armstrong
6.00 BBC News at Six; Weather
6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather
Paramedics Nicole and Dec (9pm)
7.00 The One Show Magazine show
hosted by Ronan Keating
and Rylan Clark-Neal
7.35 EastEnders Dotty invites mum
Sandy for a chat, despite
Rocky’s concerns
8.00 Shop Well for Less? Alex Jones
and Steph McGovern try to help
the Miller family in North
Lincolnshire, with parents
Wes and Mel wanting to
save up for their wedding after
10 years together (3/5) (r)
9.00 Ambulance Dec and Nicole are
dispatched to an eight-week-old
baby who has stopped
breathing, and Dec also cares
for the parents who have
been left looking on fearful
for the outcome (2/6)
10.00BBC News at Ten
10.25 BBC Regional News
10.35 Question Time Fiona Bruce
presents the topical debate,
inviting a panel of politicians
and other guests to answer
questions from an audience on
subjects that have made the
headlines over the past week
11.35 Newscast Adam Fleming, Laura
Kuenssberg and Chris Mason
discuss the week’s biggest
stories on their weekly
round-up from Westminster
12.05am Blankety Blank. Bradley
Walsh hosts a revival of the comedy
quiz show. With Adjoa Andoh, Martine
McCutcheon, Johnny Vegas, Jimmy
Carr, Chizzy Akudolu and Joe Swash
(r) 12.40 Weather for the Week Ahead
12.45 BBC News
Also available online and on tablet
Digital subscribers can now use our interactive seven-day
guide with comprehensive listings of all TV channels
thetimes.co.uk/tvplanner
BBC2
6.30am Escape to the Country (r) 7.15
Antiques Road Trip (r) 8.00 Sign Zone:
Gardeners’ World (r) (SL) 9.00 BBC
News at 9 10.00 BBC News 12.15pm
Politics Live 1.00 Head Hunters. Quiz
(r) 1.45 Eggheads. Jeremy Vine hosts
the quiz (r) 2.15 Celebrity Painting
Challenge. The VIP artists tackle
landscapes (r) 3.15 An Island Parish.
Four women battle it out to be
crowned Miss Anguilla (r) 3.45
Curiosity. Paul Martin hosts as a duo
from the West Midlands take part (r)
4.30 Glorious Gardens from Above.
Christine Walkden descends on
Norfolk (r) 5.15 Flog It! (r) 6.00
Richard Osman’s House of Games.
Roger Black, Jo Brand, Sanjeev Kohli
and Tiff Stevenson test their skills
6.30 Strictly: It Takes Two. Janette
Manrara dishes up backstage gossip
Si and Dave are in Cumbria (8pm)
7.00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Paralympians and gold medal
winners Danny Crates and
Liz Johnson shop their way
around Suffolk and Essex,
while David Harper and Arusha
Irvine offer advice (r)
8.00 The Hairy Bikers Go North
Simon King and Dave Myers
explore an area close to Dave’s
heart — Cumbria and the Lake
District. They cook a Cumbrian
breakfast, a summer vegetable
strudel and a Thai feast (3/8)
See Viewing Guide
9.00 Don’t Exclude Me Marie
Gentles continues her work at
Milton Hall Primary School.
Olivia’s anger and outbursts
mean that her relationships
with staff have deteriorated,
and she is spending more time
out of class than in it (2/2)
10.00QI With guest panellists Alice
Levine, Jason Manford, Rose
Matafeo and Alan Davies
10.30 Newsnight
11.15 The Ranganation Comedy
show in which a group of 20
members of the public get the
chance to have their say on the
state of modern Britain, along
with two celebrity guests,
including Jack Dee (1/6) (r)
12.00 Sign Zone: Fever Pitch — The
Rise of the Premier League. A look at
the rise of the celebrity footballer,
symbolised by David Beckham
(r) (SL) 1.00am Strictly Come Dancing
(r) (SL) 3.15-4.10 Strictly Come
Dancing: The Results (r) (SL)
ITV
6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00
Lorraine 10.00 This Morning 12.30pm
Loose Women. The women put the
world to rights once more 1.30 ITV
News; Weather 1.55 Regional News;
Weather 2.00 Judge Rinder’s Crime
Stories. Robert Rinder investigates
the case of Dr Ian Paterson, and a
burglar who targeted the village of
Wimbledon for 10 years 3.00 Winning
Combination. Omid Djalili hosts the
quiz in which Jack, Clare, Cheyenne,
June, Victor, Sarah, Nick, Ben and
Lewis hope to win the prize pot 4.00
Tipping Point. Ben Shephard hosts
the arcade-themed quiz in which
contestants drop tokens down a
choice of four chutes in the hope of
winning a jackpot 5.00 The Chase.
Quiz show 6.00 Regional News;
Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather
Emmerdale’s Bob and Marlon (7pm)
7.00 Emmerdale Marlon orders
Bob to stay away from April,
and Belle annoys Diane
7.30 How Green Is Your
Supermarket? Tonight The
Green credentials of Britain’s
biggest supermarkets
8.00 Emmerdale Tracy cries with
relief, and Diane gets caught
up in the moment
8.30 The Martin Lewis Money Show:
Live The finance expert
answers questions on family
finances and bills
9.00 Savile: Portrait of a Predator
A look inside the criminal world
of Jimmy Savile — one of
Britain’s most prolific sex
offenders — through the eyes of
those who worked with him and
who investigated him after his
death. See Viewing Guide
10.00ITV News at Ten; followed by
Weather
10.30 Regional News; followed by
Regional Weather
10.45 Gordon, Gino & Fred Go Greek!
After indulging in the unique
produce of the Greek islands,
the trio head to the Greek
capital Athens in a vintage VW
campervan (2/2) (r)
11.50 Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night
Line Up Paul puts questions,
scenarios and dilemmas to Bill
Bailey, Mel B, Ross Kemp and
Nicola Adams, who find out how
the public see them (4/6) (r)
12.30am Shop: Teleshopping 3.00 FYI
Extra 3.30 How Green Is Your
Supermarket? Tonight (r) 3.55 Unwind
With ITV 5.05 Tipping Point (r) (SL)
Thursday 7
Channel 4
6.00am Countdown (r) 6.40 Cheers
(r) 7.05 Cheers (r) 7.35 The King of
Queens (r) 8.00 The King of Queens
(r) 8.30 The King of Queens (r) 9.00
Frasier (r) 9.30 Frasier (r) 10.00
Frasier (r) 10.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4
News Summary 11.30 Find It, Fix It,
Flog It (r) 12.30pm Steph’s Packed
Lunch 2.10 Countdown 3.00 A Place
in the Sun (r) 4.00 Château DIY. Helen
and Matt get ready to finally open
their chateau to guests on Valentine’s
Day 5.00 Four in a Bed. The week’s
final visit is to Hazeldene Guest House
in Perth 5.30 The Perfect Pitch. The
campers explore the Preseli Hills on
horseback 6.00 The Simpsons (r)
6.30 Hollyoaks. Sienna and Damon
hit another bump in the road when
Sami reads them Brody’s will (r)
Taskmaster continues (9pm)
7.00 Channel 4 News
7.55 Courtney and Cameron’s Story:
Stand Up to Cancer (r)
8.00 Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back Jo
Brand joins Joe as he goes on a
mission to make Britain’s
beaches more eco-friendly by
banning cheap polystyrene
bodyboards (8/8)
9.00 Taskmaster Greg Davies sets
more challenges to a team of
celebrities comprising Alan
Davies, Desiree Burch, Guz
Khan, Morgana Robinson and
Victoria Coren Mitchell (3/10)
10.00Hunting the Football Trolls:
Jermaine Jenas The growing
problem of online trolling
focusing on the abusive tweets
targeted at Marcus Rashford,
Jadon Sancho and Raheem
Sterling in the 24 hours after the
Euros final. See Viewing Guide
11.05 24 Hours in Police Custody
A violent brawl breaks out in
Luton, and the police struggle
to deal with the case due to a
lack of personnel (2/6) (r)
12.05am Black, British and Funny (r)
(SL) 1.05 Celebrity SAS (r) (SL) 2.00
Taskmaster (r) (SL) 2.55 Iris Prize Best
British Shorts (r) 3.10 Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 4.00 Come Dine
with Me (r) 4.50 Location, Location,
Location (r) 5.45 Comfort Food (r)
saturday review 45
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine
11.15 Nightmare Tenants, Slum
Landlords (r) 12.10pm 5 News at
Lunchtime 12.15 Police Interceptors (r)
1.15 Home and Away 1.45 Neighbours
2.20 FILM Tracking a Killer (PG, TVM,
2021) When her daughter is accused
of murdering a high school track
teammate, a mother sets out to
determine who could have framed
her. Drama starring Laurie Fortier
4.00 Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun.
A pest controller who battles critters
across the Costa del Sol (r) 5.00 5
News at 5 5.30 Neighbours. The truth
of what has been going on over the
past few months comes to light (r)
6.00 Home and Away. Leah tries her
best to mediate between Justin
and John (r) 6.30 Eggheads. ‘Midlife
Crisis’ take on the regular team
All Creatures Great & Small (9pm)
7.00 Autumn Gardening With Carol
Klein New series. The
gardening expert reveals
some of the seasonal changes
since the last trip to Glebe
Cottage in the spring (1/5);
followed by 5 News Update
8.00 The World’s Most Scenic
Railway Journeys In
Anchorage, Alaska, cameras
focus on flagship service the
Denali Star, a luxury passenger
train and part of the great
Alaska Railroad fleet (2/6);
followed by 5 News Update
9.00 All Creatures Great and Small
It is an important day for
Tristan as Siegfried gives him
new responsibilities, and Mrs
Hall reminds James that he
needs to tell Helen some home
truths (4/6) See Viewing Guide
10.00Ambulance: Code Red Critical
care paramedic Pete Edwards
and the Midlands Air
Ambulance Trauma Team
are dispatched to give
lifesaving treatment to a
motorcyclist who has been
thrown off his bike (4/10) (r)
11.05 FILM Tomb Raider (12, 2018)
A kickboxing heiress risks her
life to save her missing father
when she discovers a clue to
his location. Action adventure
starring Alicia Vikander,
Dominic West, Walton Goggins
and Kristin Scott Thomas
1.00am The 21.co.uk Live Casino
Show 3.00 Entertainment News on 5
3.10 One Night with My Ex (r) 4.00
Secrets of British Factories (r) 4.45
Wildlife SOS (r) (SL) 5.10 House
Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35 Fireman Sam (r)
5.45 Paw Patrol (r) (SL)
46 saturday review
Thursday 7 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Great British Railway
Journeys Michael Portillo
visits Heaton Park in
Manchester, where one of
the first open air concerts
was held in 1909 (3/15)
7.30 The Joy of Painting
A mountain landscape
8.00 A House Through Time
Charting history through
the successive inhabitants
of a house in Newcastle (1/4)
9.00 FILM The Babadook (15,
2014) A stressed mother
begins to believe that the
imaginary monster her son
lives in constant terror of
may be real. Horror starring
Essie Davis. See Film Choice
10.30 Mark Kermode’s Secrets of
Cinema The critic dissects
the horror genre.
Last in the series
11.30-12.55am FILM Hitchcock’s
Shower Scene: 78/52 (15,
2017) The enduring legacy
of the Psycho segment
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
7.00pm Superstore
7.30 Superstore
8.00 Bob’s Burgers
8.30 Bob’s Burgers Linda and the
children search for a wolf that has
been terrorising the town
9.00 Hell’s Kitchen The chefs have
their first team challenge
10.00 The Emily Atack Show
New series. Sketches, stand-up
comedy and impressions
10.45 Family Guy
11.15 Family Guy
11.45-12.10am American Dad!
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.20pm Fawn Identity The stories
of two fawns on the plains of Africa
7.25 Auschwitz: One Day Charting
a typical day in the concentration
camp. See Viewing Guide
8.40 Hitler’s Circle of Evil How
Himmler, Goebbels and Goring
jockeyed for position while the
Nazis controlled Germany (4/10)
9.55 The Iran-Iraq War: A Tragedy
That Changed History Examining
the course of the Iran-Iraq War
over eight long years (4/4)
11.00-12.15am Fawn Identity
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
7.00pm Hudson & Rex (16/16)
8.00 The Coroner (2/10)
9.00 Why Women Kill Alma
decides to run for the vacated
presidency (9/10)
10.00 Harrow A distraction is
found in a bizarre case (2/10)
11.00 The Good Wife
12.00-1.00am Unforgettable
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
11.00am Live Indian Premier
League: Chennai Super Kings v
Punjab Kings
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Kolkata Knight Riders v
Rajasthan Royals
7.00 Live World Grand Prix Darts
Coverage of day five of the
tournament from the Morningside
Arena in Leicester
11.00 Sky Sports News
12.30-5.00am Live NFL:
Seattle Seahawks v Los Angeles
Rams (Kick-off 1.20)
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
7.00pm Wycliffe The detective
applies his intuition to a fatal
shooting, and soon begins
to suspect the dead man’s
brother-in-law may know
more about the case than
he is letting on (3/8)
8.00 Vera The detective is
brought in to investigate
when a former Met police
officer is stabbed to death
outside a nightclub in
Newcastle. The team initially
suspects a crime of passion
after it emerges the victim
had recently rekindled his
affair with his childhood
sweetheart, whose husband
has a history of violence
10.00 Blue Murder (1/2) Shap’s
behaviour becomes
increasingly erratic when
the team investigates the
death of a private detective.
Meanwhile, Janine deals
with her son’s truancy (5/6)
11.05-12.10am Wycliffe (3/8)
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
7.00pm Junk and Disorderly
Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove
look to make a profit on
automobile memorabilia at the
Bristol Classic Car Show (9/10)
8.00 Cycling: Women’s Tour
Highlights Action from stage four
9.00-12.05am FILM Casino Royale
(12, 2006) James Bond pursues an
international criminal responsible
for financing terrorist
organisations across the world. Spy
thriller starring Daniel Craig, Eva
Green and Mads Mikkelsen
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm Mystic Britain The
Cotswolds’ “Whispering Knights”
8.00 Inside the Factory
Gregg Wallace investigates
the production of sauces
in the Netherlands
9.00 Bird vs Plane The story of the
emergency landing of US Airways
flight 1549 on the Hudson River
10.00 Space Disasters How
lightning nearly scuppered Apollo
12 and solar flares were a threat
11.00 Apollo’s Moon Shot
12.00-1.00am Bird vs Plane
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Outback Truckers
8.00 Kindig Customs The ‘67
GTO is ready for its debut
9.00 Naked and Afraid XL A
reckless decision puts a
survivalist’s challenge at risk
11.00 Combat Dealers
12.00-2.00am Naked and Afraid
XL Two camps face off
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
6.00pm Inside the WSL
7.10 Live International Under-21
Football: Slovenia v England
(Kick-off 7.15). Coverage of the
2023 UEFA European Under-21
Championship Group G qualifying
match from Stadion Z’dezele
9.15 Inside the WSL
10.30 PL Retro
12.30am Premier League Icons
1.00 PL Years
3.00 PL Greatest Games
4.00 Best PL Goals
5.30-6.00am PL 100 Club
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Escape to the Château:
DIY Stephanie sets out to
restore the château’s
greenhouse, which has been
damaged in a storm (9/15)
7.55 Grand Designs Kevin
McCloud meets Paul
Wilkinson and his wife
Amy, who are building a
giant new home on a
16-acre plot in Lincolnshire
9.00 George Clarke’s Amazing
Spaces The architect meets
a couple crafting a magical
den for their toddler, while
an aircraft technician turns a
jet engine’s housing into a
unique camper (3/4)
10.00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does
Countdown Sean Lock and
Roisin Conaty take on Alan
Carr and Joe Lycett (8/8)
11.05-12.05am 999: On the Front
Line A baby has a
dangerously high
temperature and the
paramedics suspect sepsis
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
7.00pm Hollyoaks Liberty tries to
convince Damon to let go of his
resentment towards Sienna
7.30 Married at First Sight
Australia The honeymoons
continue as the couples get to
know each other better
9.00 First Dates Australia
New series. Hopeful singles
from across Australia hope to
meet their dream partner
10.00 Naked Attraction Singletons
from Kent and Basingstoke take part
11.05-12.10am Gogglebox
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
7.00pm Great Film Composers:
The Music of the Movies A look at
soundtracks of the 1990s (11/12)
8.00 The Undiscovered Tony
Hancock A profile of the comedian
9.00 Comedy Legends Barry Cryer
pays tribute to actor and comedian
Tim Allen, who rose to fame in US
sitcom Home Improvement
10.00 Chris O’Dowd: Off Camera
The actor chats to Sam Jones
11.15-12.15am The Movies A look
at cinema from the 2000s through
to the present day (11/12)
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Car S.O.S (3/10)
8.00 Wicked Tuna Captain Dave
Marciano defies the fleet by
fishing in a secret location
9.00 Alaska: The Next Generation
10.00 Alaska State Troopers (5/10)
11.00 Nazi Megastructures (4/7)
12.00-1.00am Hitler’s Last Stand
Protecting French PoW’s (4/4)
Cole Palmer and England play
in an Under-21 Euros qualifier
(Sky Premier League, 7.10pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm There’s Something About
Movies Alan Carr returns
with the comedy panel
show, with Gemma Arterton,
Jonathan Ross and Guz
Khan joining team captains
Jennifer Saunders and
Michael Sheen (1/6) (R)
8.00 The Flash An army of
Godspeeds attacks Central
City, forcing Barry and Iris
to put their family plans on
hold to take on the latest
threat. Chillblaine is
released from prison
9.00 A League of Their Own
With Jonathan Ross, Joe
Marler, David Walliams, Joel
Dommett and Kelly Somers
10.00 The Russell Howard Hour
Topical comedy and
entertainment show
11.00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks
With Richard Ayoade, DJ
Majestic and Mollie King (R)
11.45-12.45am The Force:
Manchester (2/10) (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
7.00pm Richard Osman’s House of
Games With guests Rachel Riley,
JB Gill, Katie Derham and Richard
Herring competing in the show
7.40 Would I Lie to You?
With Susie Dent, Bob Mortimer, Ore
Oduba and Stacey Solomon
8.20 QI With Ruby Wax, Ross Noble
and Sean Lock
9.00 QI XL With Sindhu Vee, Rhod
Gilbert and Ed Byrne
10.00 Late Night Mash
11.00 British as Folk
12.00-12.40am Mock the Week
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
6.30pm Silicon Valley Richard
makes an unlikely ally (4/10)
7.05 Silicon Valley (5/10)
7.40 Silicon Valley (6/10)
8.15 Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry causes a rift between
expectant parents (10/10)
9.00 Greg Davies: The Back of
My Mum’s Head Stand-up comedy
with the Man Down star, from
the Lowry in Salford
10.45 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon American chat show
11.45-12.15am Hitmen: Reloaded
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
7.00pm Friends Four episodes
9.00 Live at the Apollo A
performance from Dara O Briain
10.00 The Complaints
Department Jason Manford hosts
11.00 Asian Provocateur
11.30 Asian Provocateur
12.00-1.00am Michael McIntyre’s
Big Show Family entertainment
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
10.50am Live Indian Premier
League: Chennai Super Kings v
Punjab Kings Coverage of the
T20 match from Dubai
International Cricket Stadium
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Kolkata Knight Riders v
Rajasthan Royals.Coverage of
the T20 match from Sharjah
Cricket Stadium
7.00 Best of ICC WT20
8.00 IPL
4.00am The Fletcher Years (1/4)
5.00-6.00am Best of ICC WT20
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.45pm Succession Tom has
a bachelor party to
remember. Kendall and
Roman eye new business
opportunities (8/10) (R)
7.50 Game of Thrones In
Braavos, Arya runs into a
familiar face and Mace
Tyrell visits the Iron Bank,
while in Meereen,
Daenerys hosts a much-
anticipated celebration
of athleticism (9/10) (R)
9.00 The Night Of The defence
calls Detective Box to
the stand (7/8) (R)
10.05 Billions The fifth season of
the cat-and-mouse drama
concludes (12/12) (R)
11.10-12.20am Patrick Melrose In
2003, Patrick and his family
visit his ailing mother for the
summer. However, some
unwelcome guests impede
on any hope of a blissful
break. Starring Benedict
Cumberbatch (4/5) (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.40pm ’Allo ’Allo! Rene discovers
the invasion plans
7.20 Last of the Summer Wine
Hobbo continues his quest to find
a man for Stella
8.00 Dalziel & Pascoe A housewife
dies of chemical poisoning
10.00 New Tricks A Home Office
pathologist joins the team to help
discover the identity of a girl found
dead in woodland in 1987
11.20-12.30am Bad Girls Ritchie
welcomes Karen back from her
holiday, but Yvonne disapproves
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Nothing to Declare
Officers deal with a man who calls
himself the “lonely rider”
7.30 Nothing to Declare
8.00 9-1-1 Athena takes action
after her family experiences a
traumatic traffic stop
9.00 FBI The agents hunt a killer
who is fatally shooting seemingly
unrelated targets (7/15)
10.00 FBI: Most Wanted (7/15)
11.00 Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit A Romany boy goes missing
12.00-1.00am The Good Doctor
Gold
SKY 110, VIRGIN 124, BT 310
6.35pm Hi-de-Hi!
7.20 Dad’s Army
8.00 The Vicar of Dibley
8.40 The Vicar of Dibley
9.20 Mrs Brown’s Boys
10.00 Sandylands
10.40 Lenny Henry’s Race
Through Comedy
11.40-12.15am Peep Show
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
9.15am-1.15pm Live Women’s
International T20 Cricket:
Australia v India Coverage of the
first T20 in the three-match series
from Metricon Stadium
5.00 WWE Friday Night
SmackDown
6.30 WWE Monday Night Raw
9.00 WWE NXT Highlights
10.00 Live MLB Action from the
MLB Postseason
1.30am Live MLB Action from the
MLB Postseason
5.00-5.30am MLB’s Best
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig stars for the
first time as James Bond in
the 21st film in the franchise
ITV4, 9pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
7.00pm The Story of Late Night
The retirement of Johnny
Carson in 1992 becomes a
huge media event — and
marks the beginning of an
ongoing rivalry between
David Letterman and
Jay Leno (4/6) (R)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Hotel
Secrets The actor learns
what it means to be treated
like a VIP in some of the
world’s finest hotels (4/8) (R)
9.00 FILM Going Clear:
Scientology and the Prison
of Belief (15, 2015)
Documentary exploring the
history of the controversial
religious movement, and
profiling eight former
members, who offer their
perspective on the Church’s
actions past and present
11.20-1.10am Between the World
and Me Poetic adaptation
of Ta-Nehisi Coates’
bestseller (R)
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Bangers and Cash A
couple of different Ford Capris go
head-to-head at the auction (7/10)
8.00 Warbird Workshop
Documentary following the
engineers and aviators who battle
to keep the UK’s most historic
warplanes in the air (1/6)
9.00 Secret Nazi Bases (6/8)
10.00 Buried War
11.00 The Buildings That Fought
Hitler Chatham Docks (7/8)
12.00-1.00am The Buildings That
Fought Hitler (8/8)
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm Forged in Fire Four smiths
get to choose their own forging
method and materials
8.00 Pawn Stars The team checks
out an autographed Apollo 10 book
9.00 Forged in Fire Four
bladesmiths pick their mild steel
to make a san mai blade
10.00 Alone The struggle to find
food takes its toll as some
participants try out new ideas
11.30-12.30am American
Restoration Efforts to restore a
long-forgotten 1956 Ford pick-up
W
SKY 109, VIRGIN 125, BT 311
7.00pm MasterChef Australia
The contestants must keep up with
legendary chef Curtis Stone
9.00 Gavin & Stacey
9.40 Gavin & Stacey
10.20 Gavin & Stacey
11.00 Extreme Food Phobics
12.00-1.00am One Born Every
Minute Using poetry during labour
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
7.45am-6.00pm Live European
Cricket Championship
Action from Malaga, Spain
7.00 Motorsport: DTM
8.00 MotoGP Highlights
9.00 Serie A: Full Impact
9.30 Kite Masters
10.00 UK Pro League Tennis
12.00 BT Sport Reload
12.30-4.00am Live College
Football: Arkansas State Red
Wolves v Coastal Carolina
Chanticleers (Kick-off 12.30)
5.00-6.00am Motorsport: DTM
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am A Day to Remember
(U, 1953) Comedy starring
Stanley Holloway
12.50pm The File on Thelma
Jordon (12, 1950) Film noir
starring Barbara Stanwyck
2.50 Ten Tall Men (U, 1951)
Comedy adventure with Burt
Lancaster and Jody Lawrence
4.45 Carry On Nurse (PG,
1959) Comedy with Kenneth
Williams and Hattie Jacques
6.30 Hidden Figures
(PG, 2016) Fact-based drama
starring Taraji P Henson
9.00 Indiana Jones and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
(12, 2008) The archaeologist
races to find a mysterious
artefact of untold power.
Action adventure sequel
starring Harrison Ford.
See Film Choice
11.25 Allied (15, 2016) Second
World War thriller starring
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard
1.50am-4.00 Patti Cake$ (15,
2017) Drama starring Danielle
Macdonald and Sahr Ngaujah
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am Alf’s Button Afloat
(U, 1938) Music hall farce
starring Flanagan and Allen
7.50 Talking Pictures
Remembers James Hayter
8.25 Forever Female (PG,
1953) Comedy starring Ginger
Rogers and William Holden
10.15 Paper Tiger (PG, 1975)
Comedy starring David Niven
12.15pm The Lost Moment
(U, 1947) Romantic drama
starring Susan Hayward
2.00 So Long at the Fair
(PG, 1950) Period mystery
starring Dirk Bogarde
3.45 Halls of Montezuma
(U, 1951) Wartime adventure
with Richard Widmark
6.00 Interpol Calling
6.30 Our Girl Friday (PG,
1954) Comedy starring Joan
Collins and George Cole
8.00 Justice
9.00 Morituri (12, 1965)
Second World War drama
starring Marlon Brando
11.30 It Always Rains on
Sunday (PG, 1947) Crime
drama with Googie Withers
1.20am King David (PG, 1985)
Drama starring Richard Gere
3.30-5.00 Recoil (PG, 1953)
Crime drama starring
Elizabeth Sellars
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am Taken Too Far (2017)
Drama starring Christina Cox
10.50 GREAT! Movie News
11.00 Sins of The Preacher
(15, 2013) Fact-based thriller
12.50pm GREAT! Movie News
1.00 The Nurse (PG, 2014)
Drama starring Willa Ford
2.50 Lost Letter Mysteries for
Christmas (PG, 2014) Festive
comedy starring Eric Mabius
Reese Witherspoon stars
(GREAT! Movies, 7.40pm)
4.40 Son of Paleface
(PG, 1952) Comedy Western
starring Bob Hope
7.35 GREAT! Movie News
7.40 How Do You Know
(12, 2010) Romantic comedy
starring Reese Witherspoon
and Paul Rudd
9.00 47 Ronin (12, 2013)
Fantasy adventure
starring Keanu Reeves
11.15-1.30am Push (12, 2009)
Sci-fi thriller with Chris Evans
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
6.00am Hollywood’s Best
Film Directors Double bill
7.10 Off Set
7.35 The Wild Westerners
(U, 1962) Western
9.10 Torpedo Run (U, 1958)
Adventure with Glenn Ford
11.10 Silver River (PG, 1948)
Western starring Errol Flynn
1.30pm Valerie (PG, 1957)
Western starring Sterling
Hayden and Anita Ekberg
3.20 Wild Bill Hickok Rides (U,
1942) Western starring Bruce
Cabot and Constance Bennett
5.05 Raiders of the South
(U, 1947) Western starring
Johnny Mack Brown
6.20 The Cowboys (PG, 1972)
Western with John Wayne
9.00 Fire with Fire (15, 2012)
Action thriller with Josh
Duhamel and Bruce Willis
11.05-1.50am The Andromeda
Strain (PG, 1971) Sci-fi thriller
starring Arthur Hill
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.50pm Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
3.00 Drunk Bus (15, 2020)
Comedy with Charlie Tahan
4.50 Cowboys (15, 2020)
Drama starring Steve Zahn
6.20 Rare Beasts (15, 2019)
Romantic comedy drama with
Billie Piper and Leo Bill
8.00 Locked In (15, 2021)
Thriller starring Mena Suvari
9.40 Poster Boys (15, 2020)
A man mistakenly agrees to
mind his nephew for a week,
placing his job and home in
jeopardy. Comedy drama
starring Trevor O’Connell
11.10-1.20am Judas and the
Black Messiah (15, 2021)
Drama with Daniel Kaluuya
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
5.00am Calum Macdonald
with Early Breakfast 6.00
Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell with
Times Radio Breakfast. 10.00
Matt Chorley. An insider’s
guide to politics 1.00pm
Mariella Frostrup. Cultural
guests and big thinkers 4.00
John Pienaar at Drive.
Conversation with political and
economic guests 7.00 Phil
Williams. Evening headlines
and conversation 10.00 Carole
Walker. Late-night news
1.00am Stories of Our Times
1.30 Red Box 2.00 Highlights
from Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast
Show 9.30 Ken Bruce 12.00
Jeremy Vine 2.00pm Steve
Wright 5.00 Sara Cox 6.30
Sara Cox’s Half Wower 7.00 Jo
Whiley’s Shiny Happy Playlist
7.30 Jo Whiley 9.00 The
Country Show 10.00 Trevor
Nelson’s Rhythm Nation 12.00
OJ Borg 3.00am Sounds of the
90s with Fearne Cotton (r)
4.00 A Dance Through the
Decades 4.30 Vanessa Feltz
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30am Breakfast
9.00 Essential Classics
12.00 Composer of the Week:
Julius Eastman
1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime
Concert Liszt (Sonata in B
minor, S.178); Bridge (Cello
Sonata in D minor, H.125)
2.00 Afternoon Concert
Ravel (Alborada del gracioso);
Carl Luython (Ricercare
cromatico in E; Lamentationes
Hieremiae Prophetae);
Mahler (Kindertotenlieder);
Chopin (Piano Concerto No.1
in E minor); Gibbons (The
woode so wilde); Arvo Part
(Summa); Emilie Mayer
(Faust Overture); Dvorak
(Symphonic Variations);
Mozart (Exsultate, jubilate)
5.00 In Tune
7.00 In Tune Mixtape An
eclectic non-stop mix of music
7.30 Live Radio 3 in Concert
Anna Thorvaldsdottir
(Dreaming); Davóne Tines
(Concerto No 1); Igee
Dieudonné and Davóne Tines
(Vigil); Anthony Davis
(‘Malcolm’s Aria’); Dvorak
(Symphony No. 9 in E Minor)
10.00 Free Thinking
10.45 The Essay: Telegraph
Wires — Five Views of Ted
Hughes Continuing the
programme looking back at
Ted Hughes’ legacy 20 years
after his death, poet Zaffar
Kunial explores his personal
obsession with dates (r)
11.00 The Night Tracks Mix
11.30 Unclassified
12.30am Through the Night
Today’s pick
The Curious Cases of
Rutherford and Fry
Radio 4, 4pm
In the first of six episodes,
Hannah Fry travels to Guide
Dogs UK’s training school in
Leamington Spa to find out
how the dogs do their jobs.
She meets the expert Graham
Kensett to find out what it
takes to make a guide dog
from nose to tail, starting from
before birth and following
the life course through to
retirement. Adam Rutherford,
right with Fry, talks to Richard
Lane, who has owned guide
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Farming Today
5.58 Tweet of the Day (r)
6.00 Today
9.00 In Our Time
9.45 (LW) Daily Service
9.45 Book of the Week:
George III (4/5)
10.00 Woman’s Hour
11.00 From Our Own
Correspondent
11.30 The Dreams We Live
Inside
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 The Reader (4/5)
12.18 You and Yours
1.00 The World at One
1.45 A Home of Our Own
2.00 The Archers (r)
2.15 Drama: The Attendant By
the Cullen Brothers. The lives
of a socially awkward petrol
station attendant and
cycling-mad woman-of-action
collide. With Will Merrick and
Patricia Allison (1/5)
2.45 The Things We Leave
Behind (1/5) (r)
3.00 Ramblings (6/6)
3.27 Radio 4 Appeal (r)
3.30 Bookclub (r)
4.00 The Curious Cases of
Rutherford & Fry New series.
Adam Rutherford and
Hannah Fry address a query
about guide dogs. See Choice
4.30 BBC Inside Science
5.00 PM
5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.30 The Break (2/6) (r)
7.00 The Archers Tensions
mount at the BL meeting
7.15 Front Row
8.00 The Briefing Room
8.30 The Bottom Line
New series. Business issues
that matter
9.00 BBC Inside Science (r)
9.30 In Our Time (r)
10.00 The World Tonight
10.45 Book at Bedtime: The
Reader Broadcast earlier (4/5)
11.00 Drop the Dead Panda
11.30 Mastertapes (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Book of the Week:
George III (4/5) (r)
Thursday 7
dogs for more than 25 years
and says that when a dog and
its owner are working in
perfect harmony they can
navigate Waterloo station
better than some sighted
people. Debra Craine
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am Wake Up to Money
6.00 Breakfast 9.00 Your Call
10.00 Adrian Chiles 1.00pm
Nihal Arthanayake 4.00 5
Live Drive 7.00 5 Live Sport
8.00 Euro Leagues Podcast
9.00 5 Live Sport 10.00 5 Live
Formula 1 10.30 Colin Murray
1.00am Dotun Adebayo
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00
Breakfast with Alan Brazil
10.00 Jim White and Simon
Jordan 1.00pm Hawksbee
& Baker 4.00 Drive 7.00
Kick Off 10.00 Sports Bar
1.00am Extra Time
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am James Max 6.30 Julia
Hartley-Brewer 10.00 Mike
Graham 1.00pm Ian Collins
4.00 Jeremy Kyle 7.00
Kevin O’Sullivan 10.00 James
Whale 1.00am Paul Ross
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
8.00am I’m Sorry I’ll Read
That Again 8.30 After Henry
9.00 The Write Stuff 9.30
Beaumarchais 10.00 Rebus:
Fleshmarket Close 11.00
Desert Island Discs 11.45
David Attenborough’s Life
Stories 12.00 I’m Sorry I’ll
Read That Again 12.30pm
After Henry 1.00 Sherlock
Holmes with Carleton Hobbs
1.30 Imperial Palace 2.00
A Better Class of Person 2.15
Ten Days That Shook the
World 2.30 The Welsh M1
3.00 Rebus: Fleshmarket
Close 4.00 The Write Stuff
4.30 Beaumarchais 5.00
Ankle Tag 5.30 The Break
6.00 The Spaceship II 6.30
Great Lives 7.00 I’m Sorry I’ll
Read That Again 7.30 After
Henry 8.00 Sherlock Holmes
with Carleton Hobbs
saturday review 47
8.30 Imperial Palace 9.00
Desert Island Discs 9.45
David Attenborough’s Life
Stories 10.00 The Break
10.30 What’s Funny About
11.30 The Secret World
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06
Assignment 9.30
Healthcheck 10.00 News
10.06 The Forum 10.50
Sporting Witness 11.00 The
Newsroom 11.30 The Food
Chain 12.00 News 12.06pm
Outlook 12.50 Witness
History 1.00 The Newsroom
1.30 Healthcheck 2.00
Newshour 3.00 News 3.06
The Inquiry 3.30 Business
4.00 BBC OS 6.00 News 6.06
Outlook 6.50 Witness History
7.00 The Newsroom 7.30
Sport Today 8.00 News 8.06
Assignment 8.30 Science in
Action 9.00 Newshour 10.00
News 10.06 The Inquiry
10.30 The Food Chain 11.00
The Newsroom 11.20 Sports
News 11.30 Business 12.00
News 12.06am The Forum
12.50 Sporting Witness 1.00
News 1.06 Business Matters
2.00 The Newsroom 2.30
World Football 3.00 News
3.06 Outlook 3.50 Witness
History 4.00 The Newsroom
4.30 Heart and Soul
6 Music
Digital only
7.30am Lauren Laverne
10.30 Mary Anne Hobbs
1.00pm Chris Hawkins 4.00
Steve Lamacq 7.00 Marc
Riley 9.00 Gideon Coe 12.00
New Music Fix with Steve
Lamacq 1.00am New Music
Fix with Lauren Laverne
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.30am The Chris Evans
Breakfast Show with Sky
10.00 Eddy Temple-Morris
1.00pm Tim Cocker 4.00
Amy Voce 7.00 Steve Denyer
10.00 Amy Voce 1.00am
Virgin Radio Through The
Night 4.00 Sam Pinkham
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
6.00am More Music
Breakfast 9.00 Alexander
Armstrong 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 4.00pm John
Brunning 7.00 Smooth
Classics 8.00 The Classic FM
Concert with John Suchet.
Vaughan Williams (Five
Variants of Dives & Lazarus);
Beethoven (Symphony No 3
in E-flat Op 55 “Eroica”);
Mozart (Violin Concerto No 2
in D K.211); Alice Mary Smith
(Andante for Clarinet &
Orchestra); Chabrier (Suite
Pastorale) 10.00 Smooth
Classics 1.00am Bill Overton
48 saturday review Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

Friday 8 | Viewing guide

Critic’s choice
Valley of Tears
More4, 9pm

In 1973 Syrian and Egyptian a young intelligence officer

forces attacked Israeli forces
occupying the Sinai peninsula
and the Golan Heights on the
holiest day in the Jewish
calendar. The war lasted a
little under three weeks, yet
was the biggest and bloodiest
of Arab-Israeli conflicts and
became known as the Yom
Kippur war. It is the subject of
this ten-part retelling, which
has been described as one of
the most expensive TV series
made in Israel. That said, like
the best war dramas, from All
Quiet on the Western Front
to Generation Kill, it draws
you in through the personal
perspectives of conflict. In this
case through the intertwined
stories of members of the
Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
The first episode starts in
measured fashion as it sets
out the relationships between
the protagonists before all
hell breaks loose about half
an hour in. That’s because
has just intercepted wiretap
messages that reveal that
270,000 enemy troops and
1,600 tanks are on their way
to the IDF’s outpost on the
Syrian border. The IDF has
177 tanks. Apart from the
soldiers facing the first wave
of attacks, there is Melakhi, a
tank commander-cum-activist
who must first escape from
prison (after an arrest for
protesting) to make a
desperate bid to join his
buddies on the front line.
He is picked up by Meni, a
bohemian, somewhat over-
the-hill TV personality hoping
to find his newly enlisted son,
which initiates a road trip
through a desert raining with
bullets. All of this means a
fast-moving drama full of
high-octane battle scenes.
In particular, you get a vivid
sense of being inside the
tanks in the eye of the storm.
James Jackson

The Thames with
Tony Robinson
Channel 5, 7pm
To southwest London where
Tony “have-a-go” Robinson
visits Henry VIII’s ego built in
brick, aka Hampton Court. You
may feel you’ve seen enough
of this place in Lucy Worsley or
Anne Boleyn programmes, but
they didn’t start on the site of
the old loos. So begins a typical
hour of presenter-on-a-tour TV
(see also Pam Ayres at 8pm),
moving from place to place to
show us this and that, from
the polo club at Ham to the
old Twickenham rock haunt
Eel Pie Island via the swans at
Shepperton. This affords the
sight of Robinson wrangling
a hissing, angry bird. JJ
Classic Albums
Sky Arts/Now, 8pm
The latest series of Classic
Albums has been a rich one for
delving beyond the more done-
to-death records of yesteryear.
This week’s edition is a case in
point, examining the Mothers
of Invention’s cult 1966 LP
Freak Out! — one of the first
double albums, one of the first
“concept albums” (being a
satire of American pop culture)
and one of the first to highlight
the madcap talents of Frank
Zappa. Freak Out! was met with
bafflement (“musical gibberish”
wrote one critic) before Paul
McCartney declared Sgt
Pepper’s the Beatles’ answer to
Freak Out! The music is of its
acid-head time, as are many of
the great stories behind it. JJ
Citizens of
Boomtown
BBC4, 9pm
The first Boomtown Rats
album in decades had barely
been released when lockdown
arrived last year, but their
return to the fray occurred just
in time for the BBC to make this
rock documentary, one that
reminds you how good the
Rats were in the late 1970s. Bob
Geldof was a terrific frontman,
and their second album, Tonic
for the Troops, had an instant
No 1 in Rat Trap. The film recalls
their rise and fall while looking
more broadly at the staid
Ireland that this melodic
new-wave band lit up. It’s
followed at 10.30pm by a
BBC concert from 1984. JJ
The North Water
BBC2, 9.30pm
One of the darkest, grimmest
series of the year has
evolved into one of the most
gripping, and the finale is no
exception. To Live Is to Suffer
goes its subtitle, although one
assumes viewers will have
already got that message by
now, such are the travails of
the survivors of the Victorian
ship the Volunteer. Spoilers
ahead for those not up to
speed, but we’d left Dr Sumner
(Jack O’Connell) once again in
big trouble on the Arctic ice.
His story has a way to go
yet, though — not least there is
the question of whether he has
seen the last of the
psychopathic Drax (Colin
Farrell). You can assume not. JJ
Films of the day
Rocky IV (PG, 1985)
ITV, 10.45pm
Made when relations between the US and the Soviet Union were
frosty to say the least, the fourth film in the boxing franchise pits
Sylvester Stallone’s plucky Philly slugger against the ultra-mean
Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). Rocky, who is the world
heavyweight champion, refuses to fight. Instead, his good pal and
former nemesis Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) gets in the ring and
is fatally beaten. So when Rocky finally accepts Drago’s challenge,
it is not just USA v USSR, but also a revenge mission. “I must break
you,” Drago says to Rocky — and he actually did. During filming,
Lundgren punched Stallone so hard that his ribcage was pushed
into his chest, compressing his heart and putting Stallone in
intensive care for four days. (92min) Joe Clay

people in North America. “You Regional programmes

guys,” the band’s drummer,
Catch Dave Grohl, tells us Brits, “were
● BBC1 Wales As BBC1 except:
3.00pm-3.45 Bargain Hunt 6.55-7.00
10.00 Still Game (r) 10.30 A View from
the Terrace 11.30-Midnight Up for It (r)
up the first with everything.” And
while the story must end with
Party Political Broadcast by Plaid Cymru
11.25 Match of the Day Wales
● S4C 6.00am Cyw: Blociau Rhif (r) 6.05
Halibalw (r) 6.15 Sam Tân (r) 6.25 Asra (r)
the suicide of Kurt Cobain, 11.55-1.30am FILM Sliding Doors (1998) 6.40 Patrôl Pawennau (r) 6.55 Timpo (r)
● BBC2 Wales As BBC2 except: 7.05 Y Brodyr Coala (r) 7.15 Bach a Mawr
When NIrvana below, in 1994, this programme 7.30pm-9.30 Live Scrum V: Ospreys v (r) 7.30 Guto Gwningen (r) 7.45 Byd
Came to Britain at least fills in the band’s Sharks 11.05 It’s My Shout 11.20 Inside Tad-Cu 8.00 Meripwsan (r) 8.05 Abadas
BBC iPlayer happy hours. The footage that Culture 11.50-12.05am Coast (r) (r) 8.15 Dwylo’r Enfys (r) 8.30 Twt (r) 8.40
● BBC2 N Ireland As BBC2 except: Sbridiri (r) 9.00 Cyw a’i Ffrindiau (r) 9.05
The story of the the bassist Krist 7.00pm Live United Rugby Shwshaswyn (r) 9.15 Rapsgaliwn (r) 9.30
Seattle grungers Novoselic filmed
N Championship: Ulster v Benetton (Kick-off Sion y Chef (r) 9.45 Sigldigwt (r) 10.00
is familiar rock of them mucking 7.35) 10.00-10.30 MOTDx 11.05 The North Blociau Rhif (r) 10.05 Halibalw (r) 10.15
Sliding Doors (15, 1998)
documentary Water 12.05am Inside Culture 12.35-1.05 Sam Tân (r) 10.25 Asra (r) 10.40 Patrôl
about during their
ab Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (r) Pawennau (r) 10.55 Timpo (r) 11.05 Y BBC1, 11.25pm
territory, but first UK tour is lovely,
fi ● BBC1 Scotland As BBC1 except: Brodyr Coala (r) 11.15 Bach a Mawr (r) The slightly gimmicky premise — two alternative realities in
this engaging happy faces showing
ha 6.55pm-7.00 Party Political Broadcast by 11.30 Olobobs (r) 11.35 Guto Gwningen (r) one woman’s life hinge on whether she catches a train — is
film focuses the Scottish Greens 7.30-8.00 Landward 11.50 Byd Tad-Cu (r) 12.05pm News 12.15
that
th they were (r) 11.25 Question of Sport 11.55 A View Datganiad Covid-19 1.00 Garejis: Dan y carried along by one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s most likeable
on the band’s grateful for their
g from the Terrace (r) 12.55am FILM Sliding Bonet (r) 1.30 Bois y Rhondda (r) 2.00 performances. She plays Helen, above, a trendy Londoner
special place in break
b as well as Doors (1998) 2.30 Weather for the News 2.05 Prynhawn Da 3.00 News 3.05 who is fired from her job in PR then in one strand gets home
the affections some clean bed linen.
so Week Ahead 2.35-6.00 BBC News Llanw (r) 4.00 Awr Fawr 5.00 Stwnsh:
● ITV Wales As ITV except: 6.25pm-6.30 Dennis a Dannedd 5.10 Cath-Od (r) 5.20 in time to catch her boyfriend cheating, and in another is
of its UK Their
T 1992 Reading Party Political Broadcast Cic 5.40 Rygbi Pawb (r) 5.55 Ffeil 6.00 mugged and continues to know nothing about his extracurricular
audience, who set (and last UK
se ● STV As ITV except: 6.25pm-6.30 Party Pobl a’u Gerddi (r) 6.30 Sgwrs Dan y activities. The director Peter Howitt deftly juggles the two
packed out appearance), which
ap Political Broadcast 10.30-10.45 STV News Lloer (r) 7.00 News 7.30 Live Sgorio
stories with a lightness of touch that prevents the film getting
● UTV As ITV except: 8.00pm-8.30 Rhyngwladol: Czech Republic v Wales
their earliest draws
d this film to a UTV Life. Stories and studio guests (Kick-off 7.45) 10.00 Nigel Owens: bogged down by its narrative device. Support comes from
gigs when they were still
till close,
close was quite something. ● BBC Scotland 7.00pm The Seven 8.00 Wyt Ti’n Gêm? (r) 10.35-11.40 John Hannah, John Lynch (as the boyfriend) and Jeanne
playing to mere handfuls of Ben Dowell Our Planet Now: Scotland Climate Eisteddfod AmGen: Cwt Cerdd (r)
Tripplehorn. (95min) Wendy Ide
Change Special (r) 9.00 Guilt (r) (r) repeat (SL) In-vision signing
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
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BBC1
6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Rip Off Britain
10.00 Defenders UK 10.45 Claimed
and Shamed (r) 11.15 Homes Under
the Hammer (r) 12.15pm Bargain Hunt
1.00 BBC News at One; Weather 1.30
BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45
Unbeatable. Quiz, hosted by Jason
Manford (r) 2.30 The Repair Shop.
A wartime bicycle car is restored (r)
3.00 Escape to the Country. Ginny
Buckley helps a couple to find a rural
retreat in the Norfolk countryside (r)
3.45 Garden Rescue. Charlie and the
Rich brothers help Elizabeth from
Brighton (r) 4.30 Antiques Road Trip.
Margie Cooper and Paul Martin head
for Plymouth on their last leg. Last in
the series 5.15 Pointless. Quiz, hosted
by Alexander Armstrong 6.00 BBC
News at Six; Weather 6.30 BBC
Regional News; Weather
Comedy The Cleaner (9.30pm)
7.00 The One Show With Ronan
Keating and Angellica Bell
7.30 Question of Sport With
Olympic medallists Kate French,
Jack Laugher, Karriss Artingstall
and Charlotte Worthington
8.00 EastEnders Dotty’s frustrations
increase when her mum comes
under fire once more
8.30 Richard Osman’s House of
Games Night Four famous
faces test their general
knowledge skills (2/6)
9.00 Have I Got News for You New
series. Satirical quiz, with Ian
Hislop and Paul Merton (1/10)
9.30 The Cleaner Wicky meets a
social media influencer with
millions of followers (5/6)
10.00BBC News at Ten
10.25 BBC Regional News
10.35 The Graham Norton Show The
host is joined by actress Andie
MacDowell, who discusses her
Netflix “dramedy” Maid, and
Billy Porter, the award-winning
singer and star of drama Pose
11.25 FILM Sliding Doors (15, 1998)
A London woman’s entire future
hinges on whether or not she
catches a train. In one version
of events, she gets the chance
to start afresh and lead a happy
new life, but in the other she is
stuck supporting her lazy,
unfaithful boyfriend. Comedy
drama starring Gwyneth
Paltrow. See Film Choice
1.00am Weather for the Week Ahead
1.05 BBC News
BBC2
6.15am Homes Under the Hammer (r)
7.15 Antiques Road Trip (r) 8.00 Sign
Zone: Chris and Meg’s Wild Summer
(r) (SL) 8.30 Mortimer & Whitehouse:
Gone Fishing (r) (SL) 9.00 BBC News
at 9 10.00 BBC News 12.15pm Politics
UK 1.00 Head Hunters (r) 1.45
Eggheads (r) 2.15 Celebrity Painting
Challenge. The semi-final sees the
artists challenged to capture
movement on canvas (r) 3.15 An
Island Parish. The island hosts its
annual carnival (r) 3.45 Curiosity (r)
4.30 Glorious Gardens from Above.
Exploring Hampshire by hot-air
balloon (r) 5.15 Flog It! (r) 6.00
Richard Osman’s House of Games.
Roger Black, Jo Brand, Sanjeev Kohli
and Tiff Stevenson take part 6.30
Strictly: It Takes Two. Rylan Clark-Neal
gets all the backstage gossip
Jack O’Connell stars (9.30pm)
7.00 MOTDx A look at the lifestyle
and culture that surrounds
the Premier League
7.30 Inside Culture Mary Beard asks
why we are drawn to literature,
theatre, TV and film that take us
‘back to school’ (3/7)
8.00 Grand Tours of Scotland’s
Lochs Paul Murton explores the
lochs of Skye (1/6) (r)
8.30 Gardeners’ World The team
celebrates the wonder of trees,
and explores the vital role they
play in our gardens and the
wider landscape. Zoe Ball joins
Toby Buckland on a visit to a
tree project in North London
9.30 The North Water The priest
takes care of Sumner,
explaining he has spent many
months as a missionary for the
Inuits, attempting to convert
them. See Viewing Guide (5/5)
10.30 Newsnight Headline analysis
11.05 Blair & Brown: The New
Labour Revolution Examining
the careers of those at the
heart of New Labour, featuring
interviews with the key
players involved in a movement
that still divides opinion
to this day (1/5) (r)
12.05am Dementia & Us.
Groundbreaking two-part series
following four people with dementia
and their families over the course of
two whole years (r) 1.05-1.35 Sign
Zone: Panorama. In-depth current
affairs report (r) (SL)
ITV
6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00
Lorraine 10.00 This Morning 12.30pm
Loose Women 1.30 ITV News;
Weather 1.55 Regional News; Weather
2.00 Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories.
Robert Rinder examines the murders
of police officers Nicola Hughes and
Fiona Bone in 2012, hearing about
their fathers’ efforts to fundraise in
their memories (r) 3.00 Winning
Combination. Omid Djalili hosts the
quiz in which Caroline, Sharron, Paul,
Rebecca, Deanna, Sandra, Graeme,
Stefanie and Tim hope to win the
prize pot 4.00 Tipping Point. Ben
Shephard hosts the arcade-themed
quiz in which contestants drop tokens
down a choice of four chutes in the
hope of winning a jackpot 5.00 The
Chase 6.00 Regional News; Weather
6.30 ITV News; Weather
Corrie’s Daisy (7.30pm/8.30pm)
7.00 Emmerdale An accident gives
Rodney an opportunity, and
Bob feels pleased with himself
7.30 Coronation Street Alya and
Zeedan fight back against
Debbie, and Kevin demands
information from Tez
8.00 Simply Raymond Blanc The
chef cooks fried squid, with a
fennel and rocket salad (r)
8.30 Coronation Street Zeedan’s
father-in-law spells out exactly
what he wants, and James looks
forward to a bright future
9.00 Grantchester When the leader
of a student CND group falls to
her death from a college
building while staging a protest,
Will and Geordie discover her
demise is not as accidental
as it appears (6/8)
10.00ITV News at Ten; followed by
Weather
10.30 Regional News; followed by
Regional Weather
10.45 FILM Rocky IV (PG, 1985) The
Italian Stallion agrees to help
former champion Apollo Creed
train for a match against a
seemingly invincible boxer
from the Soviet Union, only to
see his friend die as a result of
injuries sustained in the fight.
Rocky vows to avenge him, and
prepares to take on the Russian
heavyweight in his own
country. Drama with Sylvester
Stallone. See Film Choice
12.20am Sorry, I Didn’t Know (r)
12.45 Shop: Teleshopping 3.00 FYI
Extra 3.15 Rolling in It (r) (SL) 4.05
Unwind With ITV 5.05 Winning
Combination (r) (SL)
Channel 4
6.00am Countdown (r) 6.40 Cheers
(r) 7.05 Cheers (r) 7.35 The King of
Queens (r) 8.00 The King of Queens
(r) 8.30 The King of Queens (r) 9.00
Frasier (r) 9.30 Frasier (r) 10.00
Frasier (r) 10.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen
Nightmares USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4
News Summary 11.30 Find It, Fix It,
Flog It (r) 12.30pm Steph’s Packed
Lunch 2.10 Countdown 3.00 A Place
in the Sun (r) 4.00 Château DIY. Anna
and Philipp discover some unwanted
wildlife in their chimney 5.00 Four in
a Bed 5.30 The Perfect Pitch. The
campers pitch up at Fishguard Bay
Resort 6.00 The Simpsons. An
overdose of spicy food causes Homer
to experience hallucinations (r)
6.30 Hollyoaks. Liberty tries to
convince Damon to let go of his
resentment towards Sienna (r)
Behind Enemy Lines (1.05am)
7.00 Channel 4 News
7.30 Unreported World The
indigenous women going
missing without a trace in the
wilderness of the United States
8.00 The Great British Bake Off: An
Extra Slice Jo Brand chews over
recent events in the contest,
joined by fans of the show
Aisling Bea, Martin Kemp and
Melvin Odoom. Plus, an
interview with the week’s
eliminated baker (3/10)
9.00 Gogglebox The armchair critics
share their opinions on what
they have been watching
during the week (4/13)
10.00The Last Leg Adam Hills, Josh
Widdicombe and Alex Brooker
are joined by celebrity guests
for a comic review of the
significant moments of the
past seven days
11.05 First Dates A sexual health
advisor with two soon-to-be-
married daughters goes looking
for love, and a part-time singer
enjoys an evening with a
professional magician (r)
12.10am Murder Island (r) 1.05 FILM
Behind Enemy Lines (12, 2001) 2.50
Come Dine with Me (r) 3.15 Come
Dine with Me (r) 3.45 Come Dine with
Me (r) 4.15 Come Dine with Me (r)
4.40 Come Dine with Me (r) 5.10
Location, Location, Location (r)
saturday review 49
Friday 8
Channel 5
6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine
11.15 Nightmare Tenants, Slum
Landlords (r) 12.10pm 5 News at
Lunchtime 12.15 Police Interceptors (r)
1.15 Home and Away (r) 1.45
Neighbours 2.15 FILM Death and
Deceit: Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries
2 (PG, TVM, 2020) A former detective
and a doctor track down their friend’s
missing emerald brooch, a thief — and
a murderer. Mystery starring Jesse
Metcalfe 4.00 Bargain-Loving Brits in
the Sun. West Midlander Vince rushes
to get his new bar ready (r) 5.00 5
News at 5 5.30 Neighbours. Tensions
are high between several caretakers
(r) 6.00 Home and Away. Nikau
comes up with a plan to keep Bella
from getting rid of her camera for
good (r) 6.30 Eggheads. The
Crabapples take on the Eggheads
Pam Ayres in the Cotswolds (8pm)
7.00 The Thames with Tony
Robinson The presenter
starts his journey in Richmond
upon Thames, at Hampton
Court Palace, a 1,000-room
residence, which was King
Henry VIII’s favourite.
See Viewing Guide (7/8)
8.00 The Cotswolds with Pam
Ayres The poet visits the
Oxfordshire town of Burford
for a look round Cotswold
Wildlife Park, a place she has
been visiting for decades (4/4);
followed by 5 News Update
9.00 Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out
on the Norfolk Broads
New series. The comedian’s
second run of excursions
begins on the Norfolk Broads,
where she is invited aboard a
beautifully restored boat
known as a wherry (1/12)
10.001984: The 30 Greatest Hits
Suggs counts down the 30
biggest pop anthems from the
year, featuring hits from Prince,
Madonna, Frankie Goes to
Hollywood, Cyndi Lauper and
Tina Turner. The Madness
frontman also take viewers on
a nostalgic tour of the most
important cultural events and
movements in music and
elsewhere, including Jayne
Torvill and Christopher Dean
winning gold at the Winter
Olympics (2/3) (r)
1.00am The 21.co.uk Live Casino
Show 3.00 Entertainment News
on 5 3.10 One Night with My Ex (r)
4.00 British Made with John Prescott
(r) 4.45 Wildlife SOS (r) (SL) 5.10
House Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35 Fireman
Sam (r) 5.45 Paw Patrol (r)
550 saturday review
Friday 8 | Primetime digital guide
BBC4
FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107
7.00pm Irish Rock at the BBC
Archive compilation
8.00 TOTP: 1991 With Brothers in
Rhythm, Utah Saints,
Oceanic and Simply Red
8.30 TOTP: 1991 With Hannah
and Her Sisters, Bizarre Inc
and Sabrina Johnston
9.00 Citizens of Boomtown:
The Story of the Boomtown
Rats Documentary telling
the story of the Irish band
led by Bob Geldof, who
scored hits in the late 1970s
and early 1980s before
disbanding a year after
Geldof’s successful Live Aid
event. See Viewing Guide
10.30 Sight and Sound in Concert:
Boomtown Rats Pete
Drummond introduces a
concert by Bob Geldof’s
band from 1984
11.30-12.10am The Old Grey
Whistle Test Featuring an
archive musical
performance by Dr Hook
ITV2
FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115
7.00pm Superstore Jeff leaves
Cloud 9 to work at a rival shop
7.30 Superstore The employees
worry when their new district
manager arrives
8.00 Bob’s Burgers
8.30 Bob’s Burgers
9.00 Hell’s Kitchen The teams go
head to head in a speed challenge
10.00 Family Guy
10.30 Family Guy
10.55 Family Guy
11.25 American Dad!
11.55-12.25am American Dad!
PBS America
FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273
6.20pm Elephant, Return to the
Wild Following the progress of two
elephants in northern Thailand
7.25 The Serengeti Rules
Scientists share the stories of
their adventures in the 1960s
8.40 Hitler’s Circle of Evil
The influence of Martin Bormann
on the Fuhrer (5/10)
9.55 Africa’s Great Civilisations
The history of the continent (1/6)
11.00-12.05am Elephant, Return to
the Wild Following the progress of
two elephants in northern Thailand
Alibi
SKY 132, VIRGIN 126
7.00pm Hudson & Rex
Investigating when the lead singer
of a local band is found dead (1/16)
8.00 The Coroner The new mayor
is found dead (3/10)
9.00 Deception (12/13)
10.00 Whiskey Cavalier (13/13)
11.00 The Good Wife
12.00-1.00am Unforgettable
Sky Main Event
SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467
11.00am Live Indian Premier
League: Sunrisers Hyderabad v
Mumbai Indians
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Delhi Capitals
7.00 Live World Cup Qualifier:
Czech Republic v Wales (Kick-off
7.45). Coverage of the Group E
clash from Eden Arena, Prague
10.15 Live PGA Tour Golf: The
Shriners Children’s Open Day two
at the TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas
1.00-6.00am Sky Sports News
FV Freeview FS Freesat
ITV3
FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117
6.55pm Wycliffe Two grieving
widows lay rival claims
to a corpse found washed
up on the beach, each
insisting it is the body of her
missing husband (4/8)
8.00 Doc Martin A stomach bug
sweeps through Portwenn
and the doctor suspects the
local water supply is to
blame, taking to the
airwaves in a bid to warn
everyone (3/6)
9.00 Doc Martin Louisa tries to
help one of her pupils, and
Mark seeks romantic advice,
while Martin encounters a
delusional park ranger with
an imaginary friend — a
giant squirrel called
Anthony (4/6)
10.05 Blue Murder (2/2) As the
murder investigation steps
up following the confession,
Janine tries to make amends
with her son Tom (6/6)
11.10-12.15am Wycliffe (4/8)
ITV4
FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118
7.00pm Junk and Disorderly
Henry Cole and Sam Lovegrove
visit the Classic Motor Show in
Birmingham (10/10)
8.00 Cycling: Women’s Tour
Highlights Action from stage five
9.00 FILM Quantum of Solace (12,
2008) James Bond sets out on a
personal mission of vengeance
and uncovers a plan to cause a
coup in a Latin American country.
Spy thriller with Daniel Craig
11.15-1.20am All Elite Wrestling:
Dynamite
Smithsonian
FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276
7.00pm Aerial Greece The south of
Greece — a land of Spartan warriors,
mythical legends and gods
8.00 Aerial Ireland Exploring the
diversity and history of Ireland
9.00 Mystic Britain Clive Anderson
and Mary-Ann Ochota explore one
of Britain’s best-known but most
mysterious sites, Stonehene
10.00 Mystic Britain Exploring
an epic tale of Vikings, giants and
the Loch Ness Monster
11.00 Aerial Ireland
12.00-1.00am Mystic Britain
Discovery
SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322
7.00pm Gold Rush Gold miners of
the Yukon put everything on the
line in the hopes of striking it rich
9.00 UFO Witness Ben Hansen
investigates alleged extraterrestrial
encounters in the US
10.00 Expedition Unknown
11.00 Combat Dealers
12.00-1.00am UFO Witness
Sky Premier League
SKY 402, VIRGIN 512
6.00pm Inside the WSL
7.00 PL World
7.30 One2Eleven: Markus Babbel
7.40 Live World Cup Qualifier:
Germany v Romania (Kick-off 7.45)
9.45 PL World
10.15 PL Greatest Games
10.30 PL Retro
12.30am Premier League Icons
1.00 PL Years
3.00 PL Greatest Games
4.00 PL Best Goals 15/16
5.00 Best PL Goals 16/17
5.30-6.00am PL 100 Club
More 4
FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147
6.55pm Escape to the Château:
DIY Stephanie begins
restoring her old stable into
a studio for her art
weekends (10/15)
7.55 Grand Designs Kevin
McCloud follows the
progress of a dual-purpose
family and wheelchair-
friendly home built by
former Paralympic
swimmer, Mark Butler
9.00 Valley of Tears New series.
Israeli drama depicting the
1973 Yom Kippur War,
examining the experiences
of a number of soldiers in
the midst of the battle.
See Viewing Guide
10.05 Valley of Tears Yoav seeks
to protect the Hermon
intelligence soldiers. In
Hebrew and English
11.05-12.05am 24 Hours in A&E
A 13-year-old boy is rushed
to A&E after crashing his
bike into a parked car
E4
FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106
7.00pm Hollyoaks Juliet gets one
step closer to finding out the
identity of Peri’s stalker
7.30 Married at First Sight
Australia The last two couples are
selected for the experiment
9.15 FILM Kingsman: The Secret
Service (15, 2015) A streetwise
teenager is given the opportunity
to work with a super-secret spy
organisation. Action comedy
starring Colin Firth
11.55-1.40am Married at First
Sight Australia
Sky Arts
FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165
7.00pm Dolly Parton: Song by
Song Reflections on 9 to 5 (5/6)
7.30 Dolly Parton: Song by Song
Reflections on Travelin’ Thru (6/6)
8.00 Classic Albums The making
of Mothers of Invention’s Freak
Out! See Viewing Guide
9.00 California Dreamin’:
The Songs of the Mamas
and the Papas
10.15 Steve Miller Band: Austin
City Limits A 2011 performance
11.15-12.20am FILM Janine Jansen:
Falling for Stradivari (U, 2021)
Nat Geographic
SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317
7.00pm Europe from Above
Aerial voyage across Iceland (4/6)
8.00 Storm Rising (4/5)
9.00 Australia’s Hardest Prison
Inside a maximum security prison
10.00 Banged Up Abroad
11.00 Nazi Megastructures (1/7)
12.00-1.00am Hitler’s Last Stand
Documentary (1/6)
Martin Laird defends his title at
the Shriners Children’s Open
(Sky Main Event, 10.15pm)
Sky Max
SKY 113, VIRGIN 122
7.00pm There’s Something About
Movies Alan Carr hosts the
comedy panel show, with
team captains Michael
Sheen and Jennifer
Saunders welcoming guests
Nick Frost, Phil Wang and
Roisin Conaty (3/6) (R)
8.00 Freddie Down Under
On Australia’s east coast,
Freddie and Rob prepare
to swim with sharks
before spending the night
in an unusual camping
spot — suspended over
a cliff edge (3/6) (R)
9.00 Wolfe the body of an imam
is found at the scene of a fire
at a mosque (5/6)
10.00 Wolfe The credibility of all
the cases Wolfe has ever
worked on is put at risk.
Last in the series
11.00 Rob & Romesh vs Cricket:
South Africa (3/4) (R)
12.00-12.45am Never Mind the
Buzzcocks (R)
Dave
FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127
7.00pm Richard Osman’s House of
Games With guests Lolly Adefope,
Dan Walker, Sarah Greene and
Miles Jupp taking part in the show
7.40 Would I Lie to You? At
Christmas With Henry Blofeld,
Kerry Howard, the Rev Richard
Coles and Clive Myrie
8.20 QI With Andy Hamilton, Rich
Hall, Phill Jupitus and Alan Davies
9.00 QI With guests Joe Lycett,
Phil Wang and Ellie Taylor
10.00-12.30am FILM Bad Boys (18,
1995) Action thriller with Will Smith
Sky Comedy
SKY 114, VIRGIN 135
7.00pm Will & Grace Jack agrees
to marry Karen’s maid
7.30 Will & Grace A fresh start
beckons for Grace
8.00 Young Rock (5/11)
8.30 Mr Mayor (3/9)
9.00 Yonderland (3/8)
9.30 Yonderland (4/8)
10.00 Hunderby
10.30 Hunderby
11.00 The Late Late Show with
James Corden: Best of the Week
12.00-1.00am The Tonight Show
Starring Jimmy Fallon
Comedy Central
SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307
7.00pm Friends Four episodes
9.00 Chris Ramsey: Just Happy to
Get Out of the House A stand-up
performance by the comedian
10.00 Greatest Ever Movie
Blunders Mistakes in movies
11.00 Greatest Ever Movie
Blunders Mistakes in movies
12.00-1.00am Criminally Funny
Sky Cricket
SKY 404, VIRGIN 514
10.50am Live Indian Premier
League: Sunrisers Hyderabad v
Mumbai Indians Coverage of the
T20 match from Sheikh Zayed
Stadium, Abu Dhabi
2.50pm Live Indian Premier
League: Royal Challengers
Bangalore v Delhi Capitals
The T20 match from Dubai
International Cricket Stadium
7.00 Best of ICC WT20
8.00 IPL
4.00am The Fletcher Years (3/4)
5.00-6.00am Best of ICC WT20
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sky Atlantic
SKY 108
6.45pm Succession In the final
episode, Logan and his team
find themselves in defence
mode as word of the
Waystar takeover bid
spreads (10/10) (R)
7.50 Game of Thrones Cersei
finds herself seeking
forgiveness in King’s
Landing. Jon is challenged
at the Wall, while across the
Narrow Sea, Daenerys is
surrounded by strangers
(10/10) (R)
9.00 Your Honor Michael and
his son Adam create an
alibi for the day of the
accident. Meanwhile, Kofi
gets approached about a
job. Crime drama starring
Bryan Cranston (2/10) (R)
10.15 Britannia Cait continues her
quest to reach Lucius (R)
11.15-12.20am Dexter Someone
outside of Miami Metro
takes an interest in Dexter’s
activities (11/12) (R)
Drama
FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130
6.40pm ’Allo ’Allo! Michelle reveals
her love for René
7.15 Last of the Summer Wine
Hobbo learns that Howard and
Toby are unhappy with their lives
8.00 Father Brown A mysterious
saboteur tries to stop Kembleford
winning the Three Counties choir
competition. Mark Williams stars
9.00 Miss Scarlet and the Duke
Crime drama set in Victorian
London starring Kate Phillips
10.10 New Tricks
11.25-12.35am Bad Girls
Sky Witness
SKY 107, VIRGIN 112
7.00pm Nothing to Declare
Following the work of customs
officers in Australia
7.30 Nothing to Declare
8.00 9-1-1 Athena and the 118
respond to a series of odd calls
on Hallowe’en
9.00 The Resident Cain is struck
by a car while trying to help out at
a crash scene (3/14)
10.00 9-1-1: Lone Star (3/10)
11.00 Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit Crime drama with Danny Pino
12.00-1.00am The Good Doctor
Gold
SKY 110, VIRGIN 124, BT 310
6.40pm Are You Being Served?
7.20 Dad’s Army
8.00 The Vicar of Dibley
8.40 The Vicar of Dibley
9.40 Lenny Henry’s Race Through
Comedy Five decades of comedy
10.40 Inside No 9
11.20 Peep Show
11.55-12.30am Peep Show
BT Sport 1
SKY 413, BT 459
7.45am-12noon Live European
Cricket Championship Action from
the tournament in Malaga, Spain
1.00-3.00pm Live European
Cricket Championship
4.00-6.00 Live European Cricket
Championship From Malaga
7.00 Live Gallagher Premiership
Rugby Union: Harlequins v Bristol
Bears (Kick-off 7.45)
10.00 WWE NXT UK
11.00 WWE NXT Highlights
12.00 UFC Live
12.30-1.00am UFC Fight Camp
Kingsman: the
Secret Service
Colin Firth and Taron
Egerton star
E4, 9.15pm
Sky Documentaries
SKY 121, VIRGIN 278
7.00pm The Story of Late Night
How talk shows embraced
topical comedy and more
diverse hosts in the 2000s,
with the rise to fame of
Chelsea Handler, George
Lopez, Jon Stewart and
Stephen Colbert (5/6) (R)
8.00 Richard E Grant’s Hotel
Secrets The actor visits
London, Paris and Los
Angeles as he discovers
some of the hidden extras
on offer in the world’s most
expensive hotels (5/8) (R)
9.00 Obama: In Pursuit of a More
Perfect Union Documentary
exploring the journey of
Barack Obama from his
early upbringing to
becoming the US president,
set against the backdrop
of the country’s racial
history (2/3) (R)
10.50-1.00am King in the
Wilderness
Documentary (R)
Yesterday
FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129
7.00pm Bangers and Cash
The Mathewsons sell a 1958
Bedford D122 and a 1969 Vanden
Plas Princess (8/10)
8.00 Abandoned Engineering
Exploring a bloody battleground
on the Pacific Island of Peleliu
9.00 Train Truckers Kevin Norris
and Kieran Chisnall move three
state-of-the-art trains (5/6)
10.00 Train Truckers The crew
visits Germany (6/6)
11.00 The Two Ronnies
11.50-12.30am The Two Ronnies
Sky History
SKY 123, VIRGIN 270
7.00pm Forged in Fire The smiths
recreate a pair of Spetsnaz shovels
8.00 Counting Cars Danny takes
on a botched restoration job on
a 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass
9.00 Vikings Lagertha leads her
village’s response to the recent
attacks with tragic consequences
10.00 Dog the Bounty Hunter:
Most Wanted Dog and his team
help hunt down a fugitive (4/10)
11.00 Deadliest Warrior (11/13)
12.00-1.00am How the Nazis Lost
the War Doomed allyship (1/6)
W
SKY 109, VIRGIN 125, BT 311
7.00pm MasterChef Australia
A double elimination challenge
8.30 Nurses Down Under
9.30 Inside the Ambulance
10.00 The Catherine Tate Show
10.40 The Catherine Tate Show
11.20 The Catherine Tate Show
12.00-1.00am One Born Every
Minute A woman’s fifth pregnancy
BT Sport 2
SKY 414, BT 460
7.00pm BT Sport Films
8.30 Uefa Champions League
Magazine The latest news
and updates from the UEFA
Champions League
9.00 PL World A round-up of all
the news from the Premier League
9.30 UFC Fight Camp
10.00 Serie A: Full Impact
10.30 Speed Catamarans GC32
11.00 Live MLB Action from the
MLB Postseason
2.30-6.00am Live MLB Action
from the MLB Postseason
the times | Saturday October 2 2021
Film guide
Film4
FV 14 FS 300 SKY 313 VIRGIN 428
11.00am Anne of the
Thousand Days (PG, 1969)
Drama with Richard Burton
2.05pm How Green Was
My Valley (U, 1941) Drama
starring Walter Pidgeon
4.35 Man of the West (12,
1958) Western starring Gary
Cooper and Lee J Cobb
6.45 Raiders of the Lost Ark
(PG, 1981) Action adventure
starring Harrison Ford
9.00 The Mountain Between
Us (12, 2017) A neurosurgeon
and a bride try to survive
when their plane crashes.
Romantic adventure starring
Idris Elba and Kate Winslet
11.10 Shooter (15, 2007)
Action thriller starring Mark
Wahlberg and Michael Pena
1.35am-3.45 10 Cloverfield
Lane (12, 2016) Thriller with
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Talking Pictures TV
FV 81 FS 306 SKY 328 VIRGIN 445
6.00am On the Night of
the Fire (U, 1940) Thriller
starring Ralph Richardson
7.55 Four Star Theatre
8.25 The Wedding of Lilli
Marlene (U, 1953) Drama
sequel starring Lisa Daniely
10.10 The Baby and the
Battleship (U, 1956) British
comedy starring John Mills
12.10pm The Egyptian (PG,
1954) Historical drama
starring Victor Mature
3.00 King of the Khyber
Rifles (PG, 1953) Adventure
starring Tyrone Power
5.00 Upstairs, Downstairs
6.00 Sunday Night at the
London Palladium
7.00 The Girl Can’t Help It
(U, 1956) Romantic comedy
starring Jayne Mansfield
9.00 Cellar Club with
Caroline Munro
9.05 Captain Kronos:
Vampire Hunter (15, 1974)
Hammer fantasy adventure
starring Horst Janson
10.55 Cellar Club with
Caroline Munro
11.00 Trapped (PG, 1949)
Crime drama starring Lloyd
Bridges and John Hoyt
12.35am Cellar Club with
Caroline Munro
12.40 The Brain That
Wouldn’t Die (12, 1962) Sci-fi
horror starring Jason Evers
2.20 Cellar Club with
Caroline Munro
2.25 Tread Softly Stranger
(PG, 1958) Crime drama
starring Terence Morgan
4.10-5.00 Break-In
GREAT! Movies
FV 33 FS 302 SKY 321 VIRGIN 425
9.00am Murder Unresolved
(PG, 2015) Thriller
11.55 GREAT! Movie News
12.00 A Mother’s Sacrifice
(PG, 2017) Thriller with Kristy
Swanson and Samm Wiechec
1.55pm GREAT! Movie News
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and
John Goodman (Film4, 1.35am)
2.00 Killer Student (12, 2017)
Thriller with Alicia Leigh Willis
2.50 Lost Letter Mysteries:
From the Heart (PG, 2016)
Drama starring Eric Mabius
4.40 The Wrong Box (U,
1966) Black comedy starring
John Mills and Michael Caine
6.50 The Bounty Hunter
(12, 2010) Action comedy
starring Gerard Butler
9.00 Survivor (PG, 2015)
Thriller starring Milla Jovovich
10.55-12.45am I Am Wrath
(15, 2016) Crime thriller
starring John Travolta
TCM Movies
SKY 315 VIRGIN 415
6.00am Hollywood’s Best
Film Directors Double bill
7.10 The Barretts of Wimpole
Street (U, 1957) Romantic
drama with John Gielgud
9.25 Gunfight at Comanche
Creek (U, 1964) Western
remake with Audie Murphy
11.20 Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers (U, 1954) Musical
Western starring Howard Keel
1.30pm Joe Dakota (PG, 1957)
Western with Jock Mahoney
3.15 Fort Yuma (PG, 1955)
Western starring Peter Graves
4.55 Imitation of Life (12,
1959) Drama with Lana Turner
7.30 Westbound (U, 1959)
Western with Randolph Scott
9.00 The Matrix (15, 1999)
Sci-fi action thriller
starring Keanu Reeves
11.50-2.40am The Matrix
Reloaded (15, 2003) Sci-fi
thriller starring Keanu Reeves
Sky Cinema Premiere
SKY 301 VIRGIN 401
12.20pm Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
2.30 Locked In (15, 2021)
4.10 Rare Beasts (15, 2019)
Romantic comedy drama
starring Billie Piper
5.50 Judas and the Black
Messiah (15, 2021) Drama
starring Daniel Kaluuya
8.00 Voyagers (15, 2021)
A crew of astronauts descend
into paranoia and madness.
Sci-fi thriller with Colin Farrell
9.50 Locked In (15, 2021)
Thriller starring Mena Suvari
11.30-1.15am My New York
Year (15, 2021) Drama
starring Margaret Qualley
Radio guide
Times Radio
Digital only
5.00am Calum Macdonald
with Early Breakfast 6.00
Jenny Kleeman and Luke
Jones with Times Radio
Breakfast. All the morning’s big
stories 10.00 Matt Chorley.
Politics without the boring bits
1.00pm Giles Coren. Fast-
talking chat 4.00 Cathy
Newman at Drive. Friday’s
headlines and discussions 7.00
Michael Portillo. Cultured
conversation and political
interview 10.00 Kait Borsay
1.00am Stories of Our Times
1.30 Red Box 2.00 Highlights
from Times Radio
Radio 2
FM: 88-90.2 MHz
6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast
Show 9.30 Ken Bruce 12.00
Jeremy Vine 2.00pm Steve
Wright 5.00 Sara Cox 7.00
Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour
8.00 Sounds of the 80s with
Gary Davies 10.00 Sounds of
the 90s with Fearne Cotton
12.00 You, Me & R&B with
Cheryl 1.00am The Craig
Charles House Party (r)
3.00 TBA 4.00 Sophie
Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco
Radio 3
FM: 90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30am Breakfast
9.00 Essential Classics
12.00 Composer of the Week:
Julius Eastman
1.00pm Radio 3 Lunchtime
Concert Britten (Cello Sonata
in C, Op. 65); Beethoven (Piano
Sonata No.32 in C minor, op.111)
2.00 Live Afternoon Concert
Mozart (Overture: La Clemenza
di Tito); Haydn (Symphony
No.101 in D ‘The Clock’);
MacDowell (Piano Sonata No.4
in E minor ‘Keltic’); Mozart
(Symphony No.40 in G minor,
K.550); Smetana (Ba,
nejveselejsi je tento svet
(Dalibor); Zitko krasne (The
Secret); Lullaby (The Kiss); Jitro
krasne (Two Widows); Proc
bychom se netesili (The
Bartered Bride); Noc je tak
ticha (The Brandenburgers in
Bohemia); Copland (Billy the
Kid Suite); Arvo Part (Fratres)
4.30 The Listening Service (r)
5.00 In Tune
7.00 In Tune Mixtape An
eclectic non-stop mix of music
7.30 Radio 3 in Concert
Sibelius (Pelléas et Mélisande);
Shostakovich (Cello Concerto
No. 1); Mendelssohn
(Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’)
10.00 The Verb Celebrating
the relationship between
mentor and mentee
10.45 The Essay: Telegraph
Wires — Five Views of Ted
Hughes Simon Armitage talks
about finding an unexpected
tenderness in Hughes’ work (r)
11.00 Late Junction
1.00am Through the Night (r)
Today’s pick
The Young Farmer
Radio 4, 11am
Fans of The Archers might
want to tune in for this slice
of real farming life. It’s a
series of three programmes
looking at the trials and
triumphs of young farmers
at the beginning of their
careers. From coping with
issues such as meat-free
diets, mental health
awareness, industrial and
automated farming methods,
to grappling with changing
subsidies and the urgent
problems of climate change
Radio 4
FM: 92.4-94.6 MHz
LW: 198 kHz MW: 720 kHz
5.30am News Briefing
5.43 Prayer for the Day
5.45 Farming Today
5.58 Tweet of the Day (r)
6.00 Today
9.00 Desert Island Discs (r)
9.45 (LW) Daily Service
9.45 Book of the Week:
George III (5/5)
10.00 Woman’s Hour
Magazine exploring issues
from a female perspective
11.00 The Young Farmers
New series. Documentary
following young farmers from
springtime to harvest, starting
with lambing. See Choice
11.30 Charlotte and Lillian
12.01pm (LW) Shipping
Forecast
12.04 The Reader (5/5)
12.18 You and Yours
1.00 The World at One
1.45 A Home of Our Own
Lynsey Hanley talks to Chris,
who bought his house in
Liverpool for just £1
2.00 The Archers (r)
2.15 Drama: Nuremberg (7/8)
2.45 A History of Ghosts (r)
3.00 Gardeners’ Question
Time Matt Biggs, Bunny
Guinness and James Wong
answer listeners’ queries
3.45 New Frequencies (2/3)
4.00 Last Word
4.30 More or Less (6/6) (r)
5.00 PM
5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast
6.00 Six O’Clock News
6.30 The News Quiz
7.00 Four Thought (r)
7.15 Add to Playlist New series.
A musical journey of discovery
8.00 Any Questions? A debate
8.50 A Point of View
9.00 A Home of Our Own (1/2)
A look at people and the
property ladder
10.00 The World Tonight
10.45 Book at Bedtime: The
Reader Broadcast earlier (5/5)
11.00 A Good Read With Neil
Brand and Tiff Stevenson (r)
11.30 The Delirium Wards (r)
12.00 News and Weather
12.30am Book of the Week:
George III (5/5) (r)
12.48 Shipping Forecast
1.00 As BBC World Service
and biodiversity loss. In the
first programme, presented
by Hannah Jackson, we
accompany three sheep
farmers during their busiest
period of the year: lambing.
Debra Craine
Radio 5 Live
MW: 693, 909
5.00am Wake Up to Money
6.00 5 Live Breakfast 9.00
Your Call 10.00 Chiles on
Friday 1.00pm Elis James
and John Robins 3.00
Kermode and Mayo’s Film
Review 5.00 5 Live Drive 7.00
5 Live Sport. Czech Republic v
Wales 10.00 Stephen Nolan
1.00am Hayley Hassall
talkSPORT
MW: 1053, 1089 kHz
5.00am Early Breakfast 6.00
talkSPORT Breakfast with
Alan Brazil 10.00 Jim White
and Simon Jordan 1.00pm
Hawksbee and Jacobs 4.00
talkSPORT Drive with Andy
Goldstein and Darren Bent
7.00 GameDay Countdown
10.00 Sports Bar 1.00am
Extra Time with Martin Kelner
talkRADIO
Digital only
5.00am James Max 6.30 Julia
Hartley-Brewer 10.00 Mike
Graham 1.00pm Ian Collins
4.00 Afternoon Show 7.00
Kevin O’Sullivan 10.00 Darryl
Morris 1.00am Martin Kelner
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
8.00am Dad’s Army 8.30
Coming Alive 9.00 The Food
Quiz 9.30 Clare in the
Community 10.00 Rebus:
Fleshmarket Close 12.00
Dad’s Army 12.30pm Coming
Alive 1.00 Sherlock Holmes
with Carleton Hobbs 1.30
Imperial Palace 2.00 A Better
Class of Person 2.15 Ten Days
That Shook the World 2.30
Losing the Children 3.00
Rebus: Fleshmarket Close
4.00 The Food Quiz 4.30
Clare in the Community
5.00 On the Rocks 5.30
Comedy from the Wilderness
6.00 The Spaceship II 6.30
Off the Page 7.00 Dad’s
Army 7.30 Coming Alive
8.00 Sherlock Holmes
with Carleton Hobbs
8.30 Imperial Palace
saturday review 51
Friday 8
10.00 Comedy from the
Wilderness. A report on the
Wilderness Festival in
Oxfordshire 10.30 Comedy
Club: Mark Thomas Presents
11.00 Brian Appleton’s
Unofficial Multi-Media
Lecture 11.15 Jail Diaries of Sir
Ralph Stanza 11.30 Sarah
Kendall: Australian Trilogy
BBC World Service
Digital only
9.00am News 9.06 Tech Tent
9.30 Science in Action 10.00
News 10.06 The Real Story
11.00 The Newsroom 11.30
World Football 12.00 News
12.06pm The Fifth Floor
12.50 Witness History 1.00
The Newsroom 1.32 Science
in Action 2.00 Newshour
3.00 News 3.06 HARDtalk
3.30 Business 4.00 BBC OS
6.00 News 6.06 The Fifth
Floor 6.50 Witness History
7.00 The Newsroom 7.30
Sport Today 8.00 News 8.06
Tech Tent 8.30 CrowdScience
9.00 Newshour 10.00 News
10.06 HARDtalk 10.30 World
Football 11.00 The Newsroom
11.20 Sports News 11.30
Business 12.00 News
12.06am The Real Story
1.00 News 1.06 Business
Matters 2.00 The Newsroom
2.30 Stumped 3.00 News
3.06 The Fifth Floor 3.50
Witness History 4.00 News
4.06 The Real Story
6 Music
Digital only
7.30am Lauren Laverne
10.30 Mary Anne Hobbs
1.00pm Chris Hawkins
4.00 Steve Lamacq 7.00
TBA 9.00 Tom Ravenscroft
11.00 The Ravers Hour
12.00 Focus Beats
Virgin Radio
Digital only
6.30am The Chris Evans
Breakfast Show with Sky
10.00 Eddy Temple-Morris
1.00pm Tim Cocker 4.00
Gaby Roslin 7.00 Ben
Jones 10.00 Stu Elmore
1.00am Virgin Radio
Through The Night
Classic FM
FM: 100-102 MHz
6.00am More Music
Breakfast 9.00 Alexander
Armstrong 12.00 Anne-Marie
Minhall 4.00pm John
Brunning 7.00 Smooth
Classics 8.00 The Classic FM
Concert with John Suchet.
Butterworth (The Banks of
Green Willow); Haydn (Cello
Concerto No 1 in C); Saint-
Georges (Symphony No 2 in
D Op 11 No 2); Mozart (Flute
Concerto No 2 in D K.314)
10.00 Smooth Classics
1.00am Katie Breathwick
4.00 Sam Pittis
552 saturday review
MindGames
Samurai Sudoku No 788 — Medium
© PUZZLER MEDIA
Solution to last week’s Samurai Sudoku
Our five-grid Sudoku will test your
powers of logic and deduction —
against the clock.
Fill each grid so that every col-
umn, every row and every 3x3 box
contains the digits 1 to 9. Where the
puzzles overlap, the rows and col-
umns do not go beyond their usual
length. The interlocking nature of
the grid gives you more clues — and
more complexity.
Remember — don’t try to solve
each Sudoku grid in turn; the puzzle
has to be tackled as a whole.
Stuck? Call 0901 293 6263
to receive four clues for
today’s Samurai Sudoku.
Calls cost £1 plus your telephone
company’s network access charge.
SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri
9am-5.30pm)
Tredoku
No 1702 — Hard
Tredoku is similar to Sudoku:
the digits 1 to 9 must appear once
only in each 3x3 box and in each
line of nine consecutive cells.
However, since the puzzle is
three-dimensional, the lines may
be straight or bent around angles.
Follow each line’s direction in
search of clues.
Sudoku/Killer © Puzzler Media
KenKen™ Puzzles are used with permission
of Gakken Co Ltd and Nextoy, LLC
Puzzle content © 2009 Gakken Co Ltd
Tredoku © Mindome Ltd 2009. TREDOKU®
is the registered trademark of Mindome
Saturday October 2 2021 | the times
Sudoku No 12,696 — Fiendish Square Routes®
No 134 — Easy
Ian Simpson & Richard Heald
*
* *
* *
*
*
Put one letter in each cell so that each word on
the right can be spelt out by moving from cell
to cell without using diagonal moves. You can
use a cell more than once in a word (including
backtracking into a cell you’ve just used), but
double letters (eg, the LL in ALL) must use two
adjacent cells. The words start in the coloured
How to solve Sudoku. Fill the grid so that every column, cells and the vowels are shown by asterisks.
every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9
Solution on Monday
Stuck on KenKen, Killer or Sudoku?
Call 0901 293 6263 before midnight to receive four clues
for any of today’s puzzles. Calls cost £1 plus your
Answers
Friday’s solutions
telephone company’s network access charge. KenKen No 5387 Sudoku No 12,693
SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm).
Killer No 7950 — Deadly
Sudoku No 12,694 Sudoku No 12,695
Killer No 7948 Killer No 7949
Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every
3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Each set of cells
joined by dotted lines must add up to the target
number in its top-left corner. Within each set of cells
joined by dotted lines, a digit cannot be repeated. Train Tracks No 1442 Codeword No 4395
For solutions to KenKen, Sudoku & Killer see
Times2 on Monday
KenKen No 5388 — Medium
© 2010 KENKEN PUZZLE & TM NEXTOY. DIST. BY UFS, INC. WWW.KENKEN.COM
The Listener 4676
Back to the Future by Chalicea
Initial letters of “turned” extra words in clues
spelt “Dick Whittington”. The highlighting
cryptically represents the traditional verse “Turn
again, ... thrice Lord Mayor of London”. More
details at listenercrossword.com. The winners
All the digits 1 to 6 must appear in every row and column.
are Dr J Barnett of Washington, Tyne and Wear;
In each thick-line “block”, the target number in the top Paul Trott of Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex;
left-hand corner is calculated from the digits in all the cells Kathryn Friedlander of Quainton,
in the block, using the operation indicated by the symbol. Buckinghamshire.
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 saturday review 53

Solve Cryptic Quintagram every weekday online

Go to thetimes.co.uk

Cryptic Quintagram® Word Watch Scrabble® Paul Gallen Chess David Howell
Solve all five cryptic clues using David Parfitt Similar to other board games Russian brilliancy White has lost a piece — by acci-
each letter underneath once only
Lox
or sports, securing victory in a :
caff Russia triumphed at the Online dent or design. The key now is the
1 Periodical newspaper for wise
people (4) a. A unit of brightness Scrabble tournament is difficult :
r i Olympiad in convincing fashion. activity of White’s remaining pie-
to achieve after a bad start. At The second edition of the event ces. 20 Ne4 This knight hits a
b. Smoked salmon :
ja za
the 2021 Australian Masters, No 1 once again attracted worldwide queen, a bishop, and attempts to
---- c. To curse tow v support, with 153 federations jump into f6. 20…Qxe5 21 Rh5
2 Glory with sudoku almost cracked seed David Eldar lost four of his
(5) first six games, which ultimately r l ah sending teams compromising Every move arrives with a threat.
Sessile
led to a seventh-place finish. qIs nob men, women and junior players. 21…f5? This allows a beautiful
-----
3 Heard where hearings take place in
a. Stalkless
b. Occurring at intervals In Scrabble, there are many a tae The unique format of the On- finish. 21…Qg7 is the only way to
hearing (6) reasons why even a highly ranked
:
g i d line Olympiad favours countries battle on: 22 Rg5 (22 Rxc5 Rb8 at
c. Limp, floppy
player can register a considerable e who invest heavily in their least gives Black a glimmer of
-4 Fancy
- -hotel
- stocking
- - an alcohol (7) Troynovant number of early losses. Here are d women and juniors. It was thus counterplay) 22…Qxg5 (22…Qh6
two positions from one of Eldar’s : no surprise to see Russia, China, 23 Rxg8+ Kxg8 24 Nxc5 and the
a. A pedlar
-------
5 Shame about dreadful person’s b. London games illustrating the typical India, and the USA cruise into black bishop is paralysed) 23
the semi-finals. Russia defeated Nxg5 Rxg5 24 Qxc4. Despite the
c. Trident-like setbacks that can occur and thus move of OREXIS (J15d) for 44
tendency (10) China with Alexandra Kosteniuk material imbalance White’s initi-
damage one’s chances of winning points, as shown on the main
---------- Persiflage an event.
The first position demonstrates
board below, regained the lead
but presented his opponent
and Andrei Esipenko playing star ative is decisive. 22 Ng5! Unveil-
roles, while the American team ing a discovered attack against
A A A C D E E G a. Light banter
how the complexion of the game with the S to play a third bonus edged past India after a tense tie- the queen while simultaneously
b. Whipping with twigs
G H H I I K L M can be significantly altered by word, EUGENIAS (O8a) for break. weaving a mating net around
c. The act of kindling
N N O O O P P R the opponent securing back-to- 80 points. Computer analysis The final between Russia and Black’s king. 22…Qc7 22…Qxe2
back bonus words. Eldar led 132- suggests that the endgame was the USA was decided on the 23 Rxh7 mate. 23 Qe5+! A text-
S S T T T U U Y women’s boards. Kosteniuk — book deflection tactic. 23…Rg7
120 before his opponent played unwinnable and there was only
Answers below Answers below TRIAGED (D3d) for 66 points, one tricky sequence that would fresh from her victory at the 23…Qxe5 24 Rxh7 mate. 24 Rd8+!
as shown on the board extract have salvaged a draw. Trailing World Cup — produced a tactical Another deflection motif to re-
opposite, followed by TINNERS 370-408, Eldar’s rack was the masterpiece. move the black queen’s defence of
6 8 7 9 2 5 6 6 2 1 Solution to Cryptic White: Alexandra Kosteniuk g7. 24…Qxd8 25 Rxh7+ Kg8 26
8 2 8 1 1 2 0 2 0 8 Jumbo 1518 (I4d) for 71 points using the rack following:
Black: Irina Krush Rxg7 mate A definite candidate
0 0 5
7
2 7
5
5
8
02 5 3
5
2 8 6
0 7
The winner is below. ADENOTY Online Olympiad, chess.com for Game of the Year.
2 1 7 7 6 6 7 7 5 7 Ms Louisa Knutton EINNRST His opponent held only three 2021
1 3 5 of Coventry, Can you find the other seven- tiles: EIO. Can you find the cre-
5
8
1 7 6 22 1
1
5
6
0
5
2 West Midlands letter word on the rack and its ative sequence that would have
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4
Winning Move
1 0 1 2 1 7 0 1 2 only valid placement? secured the draw, involving a Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bg5 e6 7 Qd2 Black to play. Vachier-Lagrave —
5 7 7 2 1 2 Eldar managed to narrow the 26-point five-letter word fol-
1 1 1 2 0 6 0 1 5
Be7 8 0-0-0 a6 9 Nxc6 bxc6 10 Mamedyarov, chess24.com 2021.
6 3 7 7 0 1 7
deficit but he suffered another lowed by a 25-point three-letter Bxf6 gxf6 11 Bc4 This is a trendy It appears that Black is in deep
2 8 1 7 6 3 8 7 8 5 6 classic setback after providing word? Assume that the opponent branch of the Richter-Rauzer trouble. Which surprising re-
8 5 5 5 6 3 1 the perfect floating letter for played REO (N4a) for 15 points
02 5 6 7 7 5 6
variation of the Classical Sicilian. source allows Black to turn the
8 2 7 2
his opponent’s rack. Eldar’s following your first move. Both sides have reasons to be tables?
6
6
0 5
2
2
2 6
7 7 8 1
6
content. White has quick and ________W
easy piece development, as well
02 7
8 6
5 6 5 8 1
2
7 2 8
5 2
6
8
5 1 Collins Official Scrabble Words is the word authority used.
as the safer king. Black mean-
áWDWDWDWi]
Word positions use the grid reference plus (a)cross or (d)own.
1 2 1 5 0 1 2 while has the pair of bishops and àDpDW!W0W]
6 0 1 6 8 9 double letter triple letter double word triple word
a mobile central pawn mass. Nav- ßpHW)WDW0]
7 5 6 2 5 1 1 5 1 square (dl) square (tl) square (dw) square (tw)
igating the intricate nuances of Þ)WDP1WDW]
A M S T E R D A M W A S T E C R A C K E D Solution to times2 Letter this double-edged position, how-
T T L E A H T P O E H I Jumbo 1518 :
caff b : values ever, can prove a difficult task. ÝW)WDWDWD]
L A R G E
A A C
B A R R I
R K M
E R
Y
S U F F
O F
O
L
C A T E
K S
The winner is Mr :
r i u ae : L W 11…0-0 A committal decision. Ü$WDW0W)W]
Tim Williams of Castling on the other side is also ÛWDWDB4W)]
S A I N T L
G R
I N E S S
S D I
C
H
O M P E T
R
I
A
T I V E
L Bedlington,
:
ja zap nu aeiou viable: 11…Bb7 followed by
S C H O O L A L I C A N T E D A N I S H Northumberland tow v go lnrst 12…Qc7 and 13…0-0-0. 12 Rhe1 ÚDWDWhWDK]
E T C
A F F L U E
U
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Y A
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I
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H E I M P
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L A C E Cell Blocks 4278 r l ah : si L W Kh8 13 Re3 Kosteniuk swiftly de- ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ
M O T I D I E R R K L q I s l nob t c dg clares her intentions to target the
a i tae E l
A G R E E S M O O T H I N C O M P L E T E
vulnerable black king. 13…Rg8 The first correct entry drawn on
N W O O Y I I X S N L W 14 f4 d5 Logical play. Fighting in Thursday will receive a copy of
S T A T I O
H R N
N A R Y
K U
K N
C
O T T Y
Y G
P
R
I P I T
E L
vog we i dirled bcmp the centre is a good way to rebuff Collins English Dictionary and
I N D O C T R I N A T I O N B E V E R A G E eth p an attack on the flank. 15 Qe2 Thesaurus. The two runners-up
L W
P L R A O I N G N L R S
Suko 3297 die to Bd6 Stepping out of the d-file pin will receive a book prize. Answers
S Y R I A N B U L L S E Y E D I V E R S
fhvwy
C M C I I M H M I ny :
r with 15…Qb6 seems strong: 16 on a postcard to: The Times Win-
H E R B I V
U O N
O R O U S
R P A
S
T
E N S A T
A N
I
N
O N A L
L A n :
e k Bb3 Rxg2! and the white queen is ning Move, PO Box 2164, Col-
R I G M A R O L E B L E S S E D A D O R N 0 merk :
x jx overloaded: 17 Qxg2 Qxe3+ with chester, Essex CO2 8LJ, or email
an extra pawn for Black. 16 e5 to: winningmove@thetimes.co.uk.
r i
C E T U R L N I L R V C 1
H A R N E S S A D E P T A C E T Y L E N E
: :
qz fxe5 16…Bf8 is safest, keeping the Open to 18+, UK and ROI resi-
2 mous eugenias black monarch protected and dents only. The answer will be
Mindset Troynovant (b) London SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark of J. W. Spear & Sons Ltd ©Mattel 2021 opening as few lines as possible. published next Saturday.
1 Sets are: {ROCK} — 30 Rock (Brewer’s). Persiflage 17 fxe5 Bc5 18 Rh3 Qg5+ The
(the US sitcom); {FIVE, (a) Light banter (OED). Polygon Roger Phillips Cell Blocks 4279 black queen gets out of the pin Solution to last week’s puzzle:
DOZEN} — 60; {BOXCAR, Polygon bach, back, backcloth, with tempo. Krush must have 1 Nxf7! wins a key pawn. 1…Kxf7
EXCUSE, OXCART} — backlot, baht, balk, batch, bath, been confident at this point, is met by 2 Bxc6, for example
contain XC, 90 in Roman black, blah, blat, bloat, bloc, thinking her opponent had blun- 2…Qxc6? 3 Ne5+ with a deadly
numerals; {SECONDS, IN, block, blot, blotch, boak, boat, dered. 19 Kb1 Escaping the check. fork.
TWO, MINUTES} — 120; bock, bolt, botch, both, cobalt. 19…dxc4? Black happily cap-
{CESS, SQUEEZE, SENT, Scrabble INTERNS (E6d) — tures a bishop, but crucially this The winner is Steve Dean of Seaton,
ANY, ALL} — homophone for 61 points; DETOX (M11a) — 26 allows the white knight to spring Devon.
“sesquicentennial”, 150 years. points followed by NAY (L10a) to life. A calm defensive move
2 25th October. Successive — 25 points would have such as 19…Rg7 would have pre-
months are “previous word’s resulted in a 423-423 draw vented any catastrophe: 20 Bd3
© PUZZLER MEDIA

name length” months later (eg following adjustments for the Rb8 when all results are possible.
September is five months after opponent’s unused I.
W________W
April); days are “position in Literary quiz árDbDWDri]
alphabet of last letter of 1 The Barsetshire novels of Using the given letters no more than Divide the grid into square àDWDWDpDp]
previous word” (eg L is 12th Anthony Trollope. once, make as many words as possible of or rectangular blocks, each
letter). “20th April” derives 2 Under Milk Wood by Dylan four or more letters, always including containing one digit only. Every
ßpDpDpDWD]
the central letter. Capitalised words,
from applying the rules to its Thomas. 3 The Great Gatsby by plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense block must contain the number ÞDWgW)W1W]
preceding word, “next”. F Scott Fitzgerald. 4 Changing etc), adverbs ending in LY, comparatives of cells indicated by the digit ÝWDpDWDWD]
3 CLONE. Can follow CY; the Places and other novels by and superlatives are disallowed. inside it.
others can precede CY. David Lodge. How you rate: 9 words average; Yesterday’s solution, left
ÜDWHWDWDR]
Word Watch: Lox (b) Smoked Cryptic Quintagram 1 Magi 12, good; 18, very good; 25, excellent. ÛP)PDQDP)]
salmon (Collins). Sessile (a) 2 Kudos 3 Caught 4 Ethanol Answers to Friday’s Polygon are to the
left. Today’s answers are printed in
ÚDKDRDWDW]
Stalkless (Chambers). 5 Propensity.
MindGames on Monday ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ
554 saturday review Saturday October 2 2021 | the times

MindGames The Times Crossword, Latin Crossword, Saturday Quiz and

Suko are in the back of the main paper

Codeword No 4396 The Listener Crossword No 4679 Basic Fact by Opsimath Bridge Andrew Robson
“Nothing can be said to be cer-
tain, except death and taxes,”
said Benjamin Franklin. To
that he could have added this
week’s 3NT contract after
West led the three of hearts.
However, theoretical certainty
and actual success were some-
what different ...
Dealer North N-S Vul
♠ A Q 10 6 4 2
♥A6
♦864
♣AK
♠83 N ♠KJ95
♥ Q 10 8 3 2 W E ♥ 9 7 4
S
♦ Q 10 9 ♦KJ72
♣Q86 ♣7 4
♠7
♥KJ5
♦A53
♣ J 10 9 5 3 2
S W N E
1♠ Pass
2♣ Pass 3♠ Pass
3NT end
Senders of the first three correct entries drawn will receive Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable At the table, keen for a third
or may choose from a selection of other books (see below). Send your entry with contact details heart trick, declarer ran West’s
Every letter in this crossword-style grid has been substituted for a number from completed to: Listener Crossword 4679, 63 Green Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 6HE, to heart lead to his jack. He then
1 to 26. Each letter of the alphabet appears at least once. Use the letters already arrive by October 14. Listener 4676 solution crossed to the ace-king of
provided to work out further letters. Enter letters in the main grid and the Prize options and more at listenercrossword.com clubs, hoping for a bonanza if
smaller reference grid. Proper nouns are excluded. Yesterday’s solution on page 52 on page 52
More information about Chambers books can be found at chambers.co.uk the queen fell. It did not.
Stuck on Codeword? To receive four random clues call 0901 293 6262 or text Stuck in dummy, declarer
TIMECODE to 64343. Calls cost £1 plus your telephone company’s network access Name........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ cashed the ace of hearts and
charge. Texts cost £1 plus your standard network charge. For the full solution call ducked a diamond. He was
0905 757 0142. Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s network access Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
charge. SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm). hoping the defence would win
Postcode .............................................................................. Phone number .................................................................................................................... and lead a third heart, where-
times2 Crossword No 8712 In the grid solvers must highlight a basic fact, including three different symbols, in 22 cells. upon he would have the sec-
Numbers in brackets are the lengths of grid entries. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary ond entry to his hand in order
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
reference. to enjoy his clubs. However,
West won the diamond and
Across 4 Pace with a vacant look (4) switched to the eight of spades.
1 A cold fall just like this time (5, two words) 5 Invade privacy? Only after abandoning Declarer tried the queen but
8 9 5 Famous vineyard’s best wine cup with international holiday (3) East won the king and led a
merrier revels? (10, two words) 6 Gambling centre where expert turns up (4) second diamond. Declarer
12 Autocrat who takes by force, we hear (6) 7 Old unit leaders coming from military ducked this to West, who
13 Nut embracing her poem composed as a household officers (3) promptly led a third diamond.
10 11 12 Declarer won the ace of dia-
fleeting thing (9) 8 Hopefully improves space objects (6)
14 Work steadily to consume alcohol in lavish 9 Dodger, rogue member of wild Indian pack monds and exited with a third
13 club (East discarding a heart).
style (4) (6, two words)
18 Ladder in dock’s to get tankers up? (6) 10 Wounded comrade losing head wandered West won the queen and
14 15 16 17 exited with his second spade.
20 Two heads topping in Moscow? (9, two around (6)
words) 11 One in the provinces went missing from Declarer forlornly tried
24 Excited squeal after company gets people Keswick lake, submerged (10) dummy’s ten, East winning the
on the same level (3) 15 No peers quarter in central and southern jack and cashing the 13th dia-
18 19 20 mond. There was some small
25 West Indies dot one single again (7) states in America (3)
26 So much gold brought back to Italy, masses 16 Rather wet communist loses it in some solace for declarer as East then
from the Levant (7) places (5) had to lead from ♠95 round to
27 Oddly neglected vistas of a lifeless thing (3) 17 Dreadfully odd aunt now destitute (8) ♠A6 but that was two down.
21 22 Let’s go right back to the
28 Being timely, no longer plough tracks 19 Site of famous stone — she sculpted on
south (9) base (5) beginning. The key is to estab-
lish your clubs. Nothing else
30 Small anteater distressed a mad aunt (6) 21 Floating accommodation distressed
matters. Rise with dummy’s
23 24 34 151-nil, historically inspirational! (4) notables endlessly (6) ace of hearts (the third heart
35 Meet skier dressed in cherry-red stuff (9) 22 Note artist giving up her independence is trick is neither here nor there).
36 Key amateur race series, one in Le subdued (6) At tricks two and three,
Across 20 Actor's signal (3) Mans (6) 23 Alarmed, I pedal like bats (6) unblock the ace-king of clubs.
1 Slope upwards (5) 21 Power network (4) 37 Most thin elders sent mad (10) 27 Bella’s savings account book (3) No queen falls but you now
4 Oversensitive (6) 22 Extremely bad (8) 38 Oil used in backward-looking trattoria (5) 29 See the last of tennis after Ms Barker takes cross to the king of hearts. (You
23 Wanders; gets lost (6) Down to court (4) could cross to the ace of dia-
8 Not guilty (8) 1 Admiral of the Fleet admitting captain 31 Key blood type for singer (4)
24 Cat (5) monds but there is a risk dia-
9 Citrus fruit (4) pranks retired heads (10, two words) 32 Some painful nails in part of forearm (4) monds are 5-2 and the defence
10 Prickly seed case (3) 2 According to Art, Irish makes Scots sore (4) 33 60 per cent of rice wine used by Russian can defeat you with four dia-
Down 3 Nothing further disturbed Ray leaving commune (3) mond tricks. Assuming the three
11 Mercy (8) supernaturally in pieces (8, three words) 34 About time for a native of Van, perhaps (3)
1 Card game for two (8) of hearts is West’s fourth high-
14 Male goose (6) est, West cannot have six hearts
2 Lack of knowledge (9)
16 Fertiliser (6) so won’t beat you in hearts.) At
3 Two-wheeled vehicle (7)
18 Blood feud (8) 5 Very best (7)
Mindset by 700 Literary Quiz trick five, you lead the jack of
clubs (or any other club).
Solution to Crossword 8711 6 Punctuation mark (5) 1 The following words can be divided into five sets of size 5, 4, 3, 2 The Times Literary Desk Let West win the queen of
CO R RA L S P UN 7 Delicious (5) and 1. What are the sets? (Hint: the size of each set provides an clubs and cash the queen of
S H E S I I
12 Woman's carried oblique clue to its theme). Imaginary Environs hearts (felling your jack) and
MOU S S A K A F L E X
In whose literary work would two long hearts, for you simply
O M T O L L O accessory (6,3) discard losing diamonds from
ALL ANY BOXCAR CESS DOZEN you find the following places?
K I P A DU L A T I ON 13 Burial ground (8) hand. You can win West’s (say)
E U T N O 15 Return of a spacecraft to EXCUSE FIVE IN MINUTES OXCART spade return with dummy’s ace,
ROT A R Y SC AN
T Y 1 Hogglestock, Puddingdale cross to your ace of diamonds,
R A A A O the atmosphere (2-5) ROCK SECONDS SENT SQUEEZE TWO and Barchester and enjoy three winning clubs.
D I AG N OS I S ARK 17 Word arranging another's 2 Llareggub Nine tricks made via one spade,
E C T S H M I letters (7) 2 What date comes next?
3 East and West Egg two hearts, one diamond and,
F A T E ME R I D I AN 20th April, 12th September, 18th June, 5th October, 18th May, crucially, five clubs.
O O R R S G
18 Infective particle (5) 25th August, 20th February, ? 4 The university city of
19 Lowest point (5) Rummidge Declarer had fallen victim of
EURO S T RE S S
that common bridge affliction
3 Which is the odd word out? known as Trick One Avarice.
BANKRUPT, CAPTAIN, CLONE, DIPLOMA, FAN, FLEE
Need help with today’s puzzle? Call 0905 757 0143 to check the answers. andrew.robson@thetimes.co.uk
Calls cost £1 per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
SP: Spoke, 0333 202 3390 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm). Answers on page 53 Answers on page 53
the times | Saturday October 2 2021 saturday review 55

For more crosswords and your favourite

puzzles go to thetimes.co.uk

Jumbo crossword No 1520

Cryptic clues 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Across Down
1 Religious claim is thrown out (7) 1 Written avoiding rules? Trainee
5 Where one may find hot spices — penning lie mostly needs attention 13 14
hot not cold — readily (2,1,5) (11)
9 Weaken one politician with broadcast 2 Remaining airlines’ business losing
(6) following (5) 15
13 What leads to colours in fall? Crown 3 Preserved meat given up by one who
cover around New York has can tell the future is fish (7) 16 17 18
northeast eclipsing south (16) 4 Principal uneasy over scheme,
14 Hearing organ’s part in tango make something governing body moves
sweet backing (6) (7,7,6)
16 Rascal with Irish accent, not British 5 Cardinal’s twiddling a sort of chain 19 20 21 22
(5) (6,3)
17 Managed most of palace retinue’s 6 Attacked caterpillar always will
resentment (7) escape the onset initially (5)
18 One only separating in Louisiana to 7 I shush rep being unruly in director’s
23 24 25 26 27 28
annoy Louis XIV (3,6) office (9)
19 Bury Malian unclothed among other 8 Potato disease resistance in being
things (5,4) acquired protects tuber finally (4,3)
21 Current EU politician getting round 10 Inventor surrounded by old stuff set
popular old chancellor (7) up (7) 29 30 31 32 33
22 Playwright capturing all the rage 11 Gross rage is out of order for
about mad cow disease (5) assailant (9)
23 After a change to the final ordering, 12 Brilliant place to finish in here,
goes out live (5) avoiding pressure (11) 34 35 36
25 Typical EU out of control — they 15 Clear damage on electronic
have branches in Australia (9) component with direct oscillation
27 Hertfordshire village a short way east (6,8,6)
of railway (7) 20 Time to acquire? Save up for washing
29 Dog — retired always going after machine (4-3) 37 38 39 40 41 42
right one (9) 21 Balkan region once badly run with
31 Check bank document’s replacement imam regularly ignored (7)
(13) 24 Falls around church? It can put one’s
34 Still show nave vault a bit damaged arm out (7) 43 44 45 46 47 48
(7,6) 26 Included map showing home station
35 Work on and off switch for siren (9) (5)
37 Note falsehoods going about like false 28 Carpets woven in ranges of colour (7)
names (7) 30 Indian dish of husked bran with fat 49 50 51 52 53
39 Civil engineer needs resistance in a (5)
soil to settle (9) 32 Fit to grasp English acting (7)
42 Make amends towards an individual 33 Perhaps blight turned some of the
(5) rose yellow (7)
43 Woollen footwear perhaps is striking 34 An exchange of words travelling on 54 55
(5) last train (11)
45 Son Tommy upset about papa’s sign 36 Grand mushrooms rising broad and
of disease (7) flat, billions must be about (11)
47 Thrilled about a ram for religious 38 Raid home with dogs inside having 56 57 58
ritual (9) eaten nought (9)
49 Point to a missile advanced across 40 Bound to harvest green buds (3,6)
river bank (9) 41 Rain beats violently, but one’s staying Name......................................................................................................... Prizes
50 A very dishonourable man in the dry (9)
centre of Wood Green (7) 44 Noticed millions doing evil in place of The prize for each of the first
52 Old Mexican investigator chasing a deal making? (7) Address..................................................................................................... correct solutions to the Cryptic
and times2 Jumbo clues to be
final letter (5) 46 Fanatical about knight with a female
opened will be a collection of
54 Inflammation is rife in tissue in to worship (7) Times reference books —
spleen, primarily (6) 48 Spider scuttled to end up under ...................................................................................................................... including The Times Universal
55 Plant type of breakfast perhaps article (7) Atlas of the World, Collins
coming from Asia to Europe (16) 51 Female novelist, note, unknown years English Dictionary & Thesaurus, and Bradford’s
56 What fool called Lear’s sister and after men (5) ...................................................................................................................... Crossword Solver’s Dictionary published by
called regularly (6) 53 Measure a line integral (5) HarperCollins. Entries should be marked “Cryptic” or
“times2” and sent to: The Times Jumbo Crossword
57 No saint — certainly Romeo, though
this one might deny it (8) ............................................................ Postcode..................................... 1520, PO Box 2164, Colchester, Essex CO2 8LJ; or
emailed to: jumbo@thetimes.co.uk, with “Cryptic 1520”
58 Tubercular university lecturer or “times2 1520” in the subject line, to arrive by October
returning with a lot of fat (7) 14. Open to 18+, UK & ROI residents only. The winners
Phone number...................................................................................... and the solutions will be published on October 16.

times2 clues
Train
Across 45 Horizontal member serving to 15 Everything is accounted for
Tracks 1 Academic certificate (7) separate (3,4) (3,7,3,7)
No 1443 5 Public disgrace or shame (8) 47 Shedding leaves annually (9) 20 Liked by many (7)
9 Wounding; spiteful (6) 49 Person formally declining to vote 21 Transport plying between two
Lay tracks 13 Commercial centre (8,8) (9) places (7)
to enable
the train to 14 Native of, eg, Tripoli (6) 50 Percussionist (7) 24 Noble title and rank (7)
travel from 16 Origins (5) 52 Spiteful (5) 26 Particular position (5)
village A to 17 Minor illness (7) 54 Imagined perfect place (6) 28 Succeed, flourish (7)
village B. 18 Chatty (9) 55 Acknowledge defeat (5,2,3,6) 30 Hard-wearing fabric (5)
The numbers 19 Legal right to material (9) 56 Hostility (6) 32 Town on the river Avon (7)
indicate 21 Stir, rouse (5,2) 57 Woollen garments (8) 33 Fast movement (7)
how many 22 Sum (3,2) 58 Frog larva (7) 34 Intensity of heat (11)
sections of 23 (Of a canine) pregnant (2,3) Down 36 Synthetic resin (11)
rail go in 25 Active by night (9) 1 Preventing concentration (11) 38 Teaching location (9)
each row 27 Give authority to (7) 2 Snap (5) 40 Fast water transport (9)
and column. 29 Garden plant with yellow flowers 3 One who resists (7) 41 Instrument for measuring distance
There are (9) 4 AGM in full (6,7,7) travelled (9)
only straight
31 In a betraying manner (13) 5 Unwise (9) 44 Russian monarchist (7)
rails and
curved rails. 34 Pretend not to have seen (4,1,5,3) 6 Brother or sister’s daughter (5) 46 Made of fired clay (7)
The track 35 Begin operations (3,2,4) 7 Post transporter (4,5) 48 Crustacean such as a shrimp (7)
cannot 37 Broad heavy knife (7) 8 Formal wear (7) 51 Come together (5)
cross itself. 39 Deformed (9) 10 Arabian Nights hero (3,4) 53 Argentine dance (5)
Solution 42 Relating to the countryside (5) 11 Building feature (3,6)
on Monday 43 Precise (5) 12 Social dining occasion (6,5)
 Saturday October 2 2021

Bond actor Rory Kinnear on love, family

and the loss of his beloved sister

Weekend Travel
Starts on
page 41

Great European
adventures by rail

The sleeper from

Paris to Nice

An overnight
train to Budapest

Can you mend a

broken heart?
ts who say they can (in 3 days)
Yes! The therapis The best Scandi
trips to take

2 Body + Soul
Welcome to
Heartbreak Hotel
Check in if you’ve
been cheated on
Three therapists have launched a retreat for heartbroken
women — but no talking about the ex. By Bridget Harrison
H
ow do you mend a broken
heart? If this was a ques-
tion that until recently
was asked only by lovelorn
songwriters, times are
changing. Research is
highlighting what many
who are suffering at the end of a relation-
ship will tell you for themselves: heart-
break is a physical thing. It hurts. In Japan
they call the most extreme forms of it
takotsubo syndrome. In Germany heart-
ache is called liebeskummer — translation:
“love grief” — and it is taken so seriously
you are allowed to take time off work for it.
For good reason. Research by scientists at
Imperial College London and the Univers-
ity of Göttingen in Germany has found
that the stress and anxiety of heartbreak
can damage the heart badly enough to
cause a heart attack.
So what can you do to heal yourself in
the UK if you have been dumped, be-
trayed, wounded in love? Alice Haddon, a
psychotherapist with 25 years’ experience
in the NHS and as a private practitioner,
believes she can help. She has joined forces
with Ciara O’Gorman, a psychotherapist,
trauma specialist and consultant in eye
movement desensitisation and reprocess-
ing, or EMDR (made famous recently as
the mental health therapy used by Prince
Harry), and Ruth Field, a life coach and
bestselling self-help author.
Next month they are launching the first
of a series of three-day retreats called the
Heartbreak Hotel. It costs nearly £2,000 to
check in, but it comes with the pledge that
if a woman has been broken by love, they
will put her back together.
“When people are heartbroken the
brain reacts in a way that mimics actual
physical pain, and this is particularly true
for the experience of rejection,” says
Haddon, who lectures in counselling
psychology at City, University of London.
“When you factor this in with the surge in
stress hormones, heartbreak is not only a
very painful emotional experience, it can
have physical manifestations.”
She believes that a programme of in-
tense expert therapy, in a group with
others going through similar experiences,
plus a lot of cosy downtime, can put people
on a firm road to recovery.
the times Saturday October 2 2021
COVER AND BELOW: KATIE WILSON FOR THE TIMES. HAIR AND MAKE-UP: FIONA MOORE AT ARLINGTON ARTISTS USING BARE MINERALS. STYLIST: SIDONIE WILSON. RUTH WEARS MIRLA BEANE
JUMPSUIT AND MANOLO BLAHNIK SHOES. ALICE WEARS MIRLA BEANE SAFFRON DRESS AND SCHUH STAN SMITH TRAINERS. CIARA WEARS HER OWN CLOTHES AND MANOLO BLAHNIK SHOES
“We are not promising to take away all of
someone’s pain in three days; the loss and
grief of a relationship breakdown takes
time to heal,” Haddon says. “But what we
are intending is for women to really move
forward from their pain and find their own
groove again.”
Haddon, 46, decided to launch the
Heartbreak Hotel after realising that, un-
like in Germany where there are specific
liebeskummer practitioners, there are no
easy-to-find mental health resources in
the UK that are tailored to help people
suffering the messy end of a relationship.
And that help is needed more than ever.
“It has never been easier for you to go
and meet people, but what is there to
support you when it all goes wrong?” she
says. “If you have a bereavement you go to
a bereavement counsellor, but if you have
just been massively betrayed by someone From left: Ruth Field, Alice
there is no ‘Oh I know, I can go here, or to Haddon and Ciara O’Gorman
this specific person’.”
She is not just talking about people at the
mercy of apps and dating websites. The place of ‘This has been done to me’ to The retreat will use practical sessions to
strain of the pandemic has meant there is ‘Look where I can go, even though this help to address the physical manifestation
heartache for long-term couples too, she has happened’.” of trauma that comes with rejection and
says. “Relationships have suffered enor- Haddon, who traditionally sees clients betrayal. Emotional pain has a physical
mously during the past 18 months. I have for 50 minutes a week, believes that an presence, explains co-host O’Gorman,
seen numerous betrayals and infidelities.” approach where she is on hand all week- there are thoughts, emotions and body
The Heartbreak Hotel’s first guests, end will get faster results. sensations associated with it, which often
eight in total, will in November check in for “With a weekly session a client goes involve the release of stress hormones
a retreat aimed specifically at women who back to their busy life and with it all the such as cortisol. Breathwork, guided
have suffered betrayal. They’ll stay in a avoidance tactics we use to escape prob- visualisations and the neurologically led
luxurious converted barn complex on the lems, but on a retreat they have time to techniques of EMDR (which involves bi-
Norfolk coast. There will be a chef, cosy work through them, and all the time be lateral eye and body movements) all help
fireside sofas, early walks on the beach and carried along and forward by the group.” people to deal with the legacy of distress-
optional sea dips. Activities such as walks, delicious meals, ing events, she says. “When we experience
On the first evening the group will be fireside chats, plus plenty of sleeping and trauma, sometimes the brain files it in the
encouraged to share their stories, but after lounging around are just as essential to the wrong place, so that every time we think
that any mention of the cheating ex is process as the formal therapy, she says. about it it feels like it’s happening again.
banned. “This weekend isn’t about the ex,” She is speaking from experience. She lost EMDR is about finding these rogue mem-
Haddon says. “Yes, we know they have her mother to cancer just before the first ories of a traumatic event and filing them
done a shitty thing, they have been lockdown and says its forced hibernation in the right place, so that when you think
unfaithful, you have a right to be angry, gave her space to grieve for her mother. about them again it’s less distressing.”
Dating has but this is about taking you on another
journey, one that focuses on you.”
“Any form of heartbreak is a lonely
experience, it is a loss. Having been
O’Gorman, 49, is also a systemic psy-
chotherapist, specialising in the dynamics
never been There is a particular anatomy of betray- through my own loss, I know you need not between couples or individuals where
easier, but what al to address from a psychological point of
view, Haddon explains. “It’s a very
only professional help but blankets and
hot-water bottles, kindness and nature,
there is recurring heartache and trauma.
“This is about helping you look at the
support is there personal sense of having been lied to or
misled, and trust having been broken.
and to not have to do very much. I realised
I wanted to create a place where people
patterns in your relationships that have
gone wrong and how to change those and
when it all When people are betrayed they feel angry
and lost and often blaming. What we are
can go and get what they need when they
are heartbroken in loss and to feel really
do something different,” she says.
If therapy tends to focus on the “why”
goes wrong? trying to do is help someone to leave a taken care of.” things have happened, coaching is about
the times Saturday October 2 2021
practical strategies, looking forward, says
Field, 46, a long-time friend of Haddon
and the author of books including Run Fat
B!tch Run. Outgoing and forthright, she
wants to bring laughter to the retreat and
believes women have moved on from the
man-dependent clichés of Bridget Jones.
“This retreat is not about women work-
ing out what they did wrong so they can
meet Mr Right, at all. It’s about who am I
really? What do I really value about
myself? It’s about getting back together
with yourself.”
As divorce rates rise in midlife, she says,
there are more women than ever who are
re-evaluating what they want for the next
half of their lives.
“We no longer want to frame our lives in
terms of ‘Oh shit, my marriage has failed,
well what is there for me now?’ ” she says.
“Women are increasingly saying, ‘I am
Heartbreak is going to take this time for myself now and
I deserve it and need it. I am going to spend
lonely, it is a some money, I am going to go to stay
loss. You need somewhere absolutely amazing and I am
going to work on this shit. Because I have
hot-water only got this weekend. I don’t want to be in
therapy for the next seven years.’ ”
bottles, nature, Perhaps this will be the new way to deal
with liebeskummer in the UK.
kindness theheartbreakhotel.co.uk
Is a weekly ‘grievance meeting’
the secret to marital harmony?
Experts say that
saving complaints
for a set time will
help a relationship.
We asked one
couple to try it
Anna’s verdict
S T
pewing out your every
complaint in real time can
erode your relationship.
But I can’t help myself. The
other week my husband,
Phil, left for work at 6am,
shutting our bedroom door
— despite my mumbling, “Don’t shut
the bedroom door.” This meant that the
cat yowled to be let in, so I had to wake
up and get up. Drunk-tired, I wildly
texted Phil: “Why would you do that —
WTF?” Answer: he hadn’t heard, and
thought I wanted the door shut. OK.
Fine. Sorry. Looking forward to seeing
you later!
It would have been far more
circumspect to say to myself: “Hmm,
annoying, I’m going to write this down
in my special Relationship Complaints
notebook and raise this with him at our
scheduled disagreement meeting in
[checks diary] three months’ time.”
The scheduled disagreement meeting
is a strategy of delaying conflict, adopted
by forward-thinking American couples,
to encourage you to stop berating and
alienating your partner, day in day out,
over trifles. Instead, you scribble down
gripes and agree a date to discuss them.
On row day, you read back all your little
whinges, realise most of them are silly
and cross them out. Ideally, what’s left is
important.
Broadly, the idea is that you have time
to cool off, and you approach your
disagreement meeting feeling calm,
constructive and hoping to resolve the
issues together.
Liz Hamlin, the joint head of clinical
services at Tavistock Relationships,
which offers couples counselling, says
scheduled disagreement may help
couples to avoid heat-of-the-moment
criticism, defensiveness, contempt and
stonewalling: things that signal doom for
a relationship if prevalent.
She favours a weekly meeting rather
than quarterly, unless you want to
explode. But, she notes, this approach
requires emotional resilience because
it’s a risk. “If the issues are difficult for
each individual to understand but cause
immense anxiety and distress”, the
delay provides no guarantee of a calm
exchange. You still need psychological
insight and the ability to explore
sensitive issues in a non-defensive way,
so that the discussion increases intimacy
and isn’t “bruising.”
What Hamlin does approve of is that
the scheduled argument time ensures
“the relationship itself is being attended
to on a regular basis in a serious way.
It isn’t just languishing.” She advises
KATIE WILSON FOR THE TIMES
Anna Maxted and Phil Robinson
approaching it in the spirit of “gratitude”
for your partner — basically so you keep
your disagreement respectful and kind.
After apologising to Phil for thinking
he had shut the bedroom door to spite
me I suggest the scheduled disagreement
as a more sophisticated way of relating.
He says it sounds like the tradition of
bottling stuff up until Christmas then
airing it all a sustained blast. We agree
that a weekly row is more workable.
I can’t say that this experiment in
biting our tongues is entirely successful.
Phil is now full time in an office, after
20 years of working from home with me.
My housekeeping responsibilities have
ballooned. He has adopted this habit
of calling me at 6pm about dinner
(“Any ideas about . . . dinner?”). I know
he hates it when he comes home and the
place looks like an Athenian flea market,
which it usually does because none of
the kids tidies up and if work is busy
I don’t have the energy to make them.
(I say Athenian flea market because
my son and his girlfriend went to one
last month. “Oh look,” she said. “It’s
your house.”)
This week, instead of saying, “The
place is a tip,” Phil just grits his teeth,
opens the dishwasher and starts
smashing clean cups into cupboards. I
feel furious. I’m not sitting here painting
my nails! I write this into my notebook.
I realise I’m partly furious because I miss
him. Now when he gets home, we barely
talk. The day before row day Phil sees
my blank looks and says: “Have you had
a hard week?” I say: “I’ve had a lonely
week, Phil.” He replies: “Save it for the
weekend!” I’m joking, he says.
Minutes before our disagreement
meeting, I open my notebook and cross
out the snipe about painting my nails.
There are rules, such as being prepared
to admit your faults, and understanding
that if something is a problem for one
partner then it is a problem.
I regret having blurted out the
loneliness thing in a self-pitying,
accusatory way, instead of waiting until
the meeting and saying: “I’m missing
your company.” But he isn’t defensive. He
understands. So his first suggestion in
the meeting is that we speak every day,
and meet for dinner in town midweek.
We also discuss the messy house. Phil
Body + Soul 3
explains that he finds it mentally
“overwhelming”, that “it makes
everything feel out of control”.
It isn’t restorative. I get it and
vow to change my slovenly
ways, as do the children.
Not only have we addressed
simmering problems; as Hamlin
says, our scheduled meeting
treats our relationship as an
entity that needs nurturing and
attention. It’s not left to run
into the ground on bickering
autopilot. Can’t argue with that.
Phil’s verdict
he scheduled row
makes sense.
Rather than
spend the week
moaning at one
another over
every petty thing
(“Why can’t
ca you pick up the Apple TV
remote without turning the entire house
off?”) I must bottle up everything until
the weekend.
The theory is that this will perpetuate
a friendlier, more forgiving and
harmonious atmosphere. So I try to let
things slide that I would normally
address in an “emotional” tone. On
Monday I get home from the office to
find that everyone has cooked different
meals and the kitchen work surface is
a Manhattan skyline of bottles and
packets. We have a full house — three
teenagers, one teenager’s girlfriend and
one fully grown-up wife — yet they
seem to be incapable of doing something
as basic as stacking and unstacking a
dishwasher unless I have a tantrum. If
they each put in ten minutes of tidying,
that would sort it. So why is Anna just
sitting there?
Normally at this point I’d blurt
something. How can she stand the mess?
Doesn’t it make her feel out of control?
Why is she making me feel out of
control? Today’s mission is to park it
until the weekend. I compromise by
simply raising my eyebrows. Anna
catches this silent scream and growls:
“The children don’t listen to me and I
have to finish this work.” Her gaze
returns to her laptop. I clear up myself.
I’m like a passive-aggressive mime act
exploring a theme of tidying-up.
I know that this is probably the
perfect argument to carry over to the
weekend when I’ll feel more rested and
emotionally calm, but it’s impossible to
relax. I don’t think my annoyance will
have abated by the weekend, either. It
will have hardened into a precious stone
of compressed annoyance.
I’m pleasantly surprised that when
the row meeting comes around,
most items on my list (eg empty milk
bottles left in the fridge) seem petty.
And instead of bickering about the
mess, this time gives us what
psychologists call “space” to discuss how
I feel about it in a civilised way (largely)
devoid of drama or blame. I also realise
that Anna has been quiet because she
misses me — nothing more sinister.
This approach seems remarkably
constructive and useful. Pencilling in
the next scheduled disagreement
meeting now.

4 Body + Soul
The truth about health targets
Eating certain foods, exercising and drinking water — do the
daily health goals we all aim for really make sense, asks Peta Bee
D
o you worry if you fail to
get eight hours of sleep a
night? Always make time
to brush your teeth twice a
day? And if your Fitbit or
Apple Watch tells you to
move every hour or
increase your daily steps, do you do it?
We all think we know what our health
targets should be, but are we right?
Here the experts sort the facts from
the fiction.
Eat 2,000 calories
a day
FALSE
For years the standard nutrition advice for
those wishing to maintain a healthy
weight and prevent ill health was a daily
intake of 2,000 calories for women and
2,500 for men. But in recent years Public
Health England has changed its guidelines
to recommend 1,800 daily calories, con-
sumed as 400 calories for breakfast, 600
calories at lunch and dinner, and 200 calo-
ries in snacks.
Why the lower target? Because left to
our own devices, we eat a lot more than we
think, which is one of the reasons nearly
two thirds of UK adults (63 per cent) are
classed as being obese or overweight.
Most people underestimate their calorie
intake by 32 per cent, according to the
Office for National Statistics.
We also overestimate how much energy
we expend, with a study showing that
people typically overestimate their
physical activity levels by 36 to 173
per cent.
Exercise for
30 minutes
es
a day
TRUE
Most of us
know by now
that govern-
ment and
World Health
Organisation
(WHO) guide- e-
lines state that hat
adults need to do at
least 30 minutesutes of
moderate aerobic ic exercise
althy — brisk
a day to stay healthy
walking, dancing,g, cycling, tennis and
aerobics all count. We need to get our
heart rate up every day, and countless
studies support this amount as a daily
minimum.
One recent study in the British Journal
of Sports Medicine by scientists at
Glasgow Caledonian University involved
more than 130,000 adult participants,
and its results confirmed that a daily half
an hour of activity decreased the risk
of early death by up to 80 per cent for
most people.
Be warned, though, that if you spend
11 or more hours a day sitting, the same
researchers suggested that you would
need to do more than 30 minutes of daily
exercise to offset the ill effects.
the times Saturday October 2 2021
Eat five portions of of a daily water consumption target was
challenged as long ago as 2011, when a
fruit and vegetables report published in the British Medical
a day Journal described the advice to drink six to
eight glasses of water a day to prevent
FALSE dehydration as “not only nonsense, but
This familiar target has been recommend- thoroughly debunked nonsense”.
ed since the government launched its “5 a Clinical guidelines produced by the
day” campaign in 2003, based on the European Food Safety Authority
WHO’s recommended minimum daily recommend that we drink 35ml of fluid per
intake of 400g of fruit and vegetables. Un- kilogram of our body weight every day,
fortunately we’re hopeless at hitting the which for most people equates to 8-12 cups
target — the National Diet and Nutrition a day, or 2 litres for women and 2.5 litres
Survey in 2019 discovered that our average for men. But that recommendation
intake is a paltry 3.7 daily portions of fruit includes fluid from sources other than
and veg — and scientists believe that we the tap.
should double the recommended amount.
In a meta-analysis of 95 studies on fruit
In a trial by the universities of Stirling,
Loughborough and Bangor, scientists test-
and vegetable intake by two million ing the effects of 13 commonly consumed
people, scientists from Imperial College drinks on urine output and fluid balance
London found that the greatest benefit to found orange juice and milk to be more
health came from eating 800g of fruit and hydrating than plain water. “The human
vegetables a day, equivalent to ten portions body isn’t fooled by the presence of other
(one portion is defined as 80g). ingredients present,” the nutrition thera-
“Our results suggest that, although five pist Ian Marber says. “It doesn’t have to be
portions of fruit and vegetables is good, ten plain water and it doesn’t have to be exact-
a day is even better,” says Dr Dagfinn ly eight glasses or more a day.”
Aune, the lead author of the paper pub- If you eat fresh fruit and vegetables,
lished in the International Journal of Epi- soups, sauces or casseroles, they all con-
demiology. However, the team did find tribute to your fluid intake.
that even a daily intake of 200g, or 2.5 serv-
ings, was associated with a 16 per cent re- Look away from your
duced risk of heart disease, an 18 per cent
screen for 20 seconds
reduced risk of stroke and a 13 per cent re-
duced risk of cardiovascular disease. every 20 minutes How
Stand up every hour TRUE
Screens are no worse for your vision than
much oily
FALSE
Your fitness tracker might prompt
other “near” work, such as reading or intri-
cate DIY, but they can still be harmful. Too
fish should
you to stand up u from your
sof every hour,
desk or sofa
much screen use, especially sitting in one
position, can overwork the internal and
you eat each
e
but is it enough to off-
set the ill effects of
external muscles of the eye, causing eye
strain and fatigue.
week?
sittin which in-
sitting, David Cartwright, an optometrist and
clud weight gain
clude the chairman of the charity Eye Health
an rising blood
and UK, says that the 20-20-20 rule of shifting
fa and sugar
fat your gaze away from the screen every 10,000 steps, it won’t necessarily lead to a
le
levels? Prob- 20 minutes to look at something else 20ft longer life.
a
ably not, say away for at least 20 seconds is recom- If your goal is to lose weight, however,
S
Swedish re- mended. “Try to blink when you do this as it’s a different story. The consensus is that
se
searchers, who blinking lubricates the eyes and reduces you need to cover closer to 15,000 steps a
re
recently report- eye tiredness,” he says. day, or about seven miles. Researchers at
ed in the Amer- the University of Warwick found that
ican Journal of Take 10,000 steps a day postal workers who covered this distance
Phys
Physiology that daily had normal body mass indexes,
getting up and mov- FALSE waistlines and metabolic profiles.
ing about
abou as much as Walking is good for our health, but how
possible — some study many daily steps we should aim for as a Eat fish twice a week
participants climbed
cl stairs, minimum is open to debate. It largely de-
marched on the spot or even per- pends on your age and fitness level, as well TRUE
formed squats — every 30 minutes for as what you are hoping to gain from your The official recommendation from Public
about three minutes is what is needed. daily steps. Health England is that we should consume
Erik Näslund, a professor in the depart- Activity trackers may have it as their two 140g portions of fish a week, including
ment of clinical sciences at the Karolinska default goal, but in reality the mantra of one of oily fish, but we fall well short, with
Institute in Stockholm who led the study, doing 10,000 daily steps was devised ran- an average weekly intake of only 54g.
says his findings may represent “the mini- domly by the Japanese manufacturer of a All fish is a source of lean protein, vita-
mum effective dose for breaking sedentary pedometer in the 1960s and adopted mins A and D, B vitamins and minerals
behaviour”. In other words, even more purely for marketing reasons, with no such as iron, iodine, selenium and zinc. In
standing up could be more beneficial. scientific backing. addition, oily, darker-fleshed fish, such as
One new study of 2,110 adults suggests salmon and herring, are rich in heart-
Drink eight glasses that accumulating at least 7,000 daily steps healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Note that
from the age of 40 can result in a 50 per tuna, either fresh or canned, doesn’t con-
of water a day cent lower risk of premature death. How- tain particularly high levels.
FALSE ever, the study also found that people Juliette Kellow, a dietician and spokes-
taking more than 10,000 steps a day rarely woman for the British Dietetic Associa-
We take our bottles of water everywhere outlived those taking at least 7,000. So tion, says that studies show that fish
with us, but do we really need to? The idea while it’s not unhealthy to take more than consumption is associated with lower
the times Saturday October 2 2021
— from 10,000 steps to 5 a day
Do you
really need
two litres
of water
a day?
incidence of heart disease, and omega-3
fatty acids are important for brain and eye
health, but we should be more adventur-
ous in what we choose.
“We tend to focus too heavily on cod,
haddock, tuna, salmon or prawns,” Kellow
says. “A greater variety of fish and from UK
waters would be better for the environ-
ment and also meet dietary needs.”
If you don’t eat fish, you can obtain
some omega-3 fats from seaweed, chia
seeds and walnuts, as well as tofu and other
soy products.
Brush your teeth
twice a day
TRUE
Research suggests that, in theory, tooth
brushing once a day should be enough to
maintain oral health, remove plaque and
prevent tooth decay, but unfortunately
scientific literature also shows that few
people brush well enough for that to
be sufficient.
Twice a day is recommended by the
NHS and the British Dental Association,
but surveys by the Oral Health
Foundation suggest that almost one in five
adults don’t achieve that target. “The aim
should be to brush well for two minutes
twice a day using a fluoride-containing
toothpaste,” says Dr Nigel Carter, the chief
executive of the Oral Health Foundation.
The latest studies suggest that a three-
minute daily goal is even better. Research-
ers at the Ewha Womans University
College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea,
have reported that brushing teeth three
or more times a day is associated with a
lower risk of atrial fibrillation, heart fail-
ure, type 2 diabetes and strokes. Poor oral
health increases the risk of bacterial infec-
tions in the bloodstream, which can affect
the heart.
Get eight hours of
sleep a night
FALSE
We all know that too little sleep can have
far-reaching effects on anything from our
memory to our waistline, but do we really
need a full eight hours a night to be
healthy? There is no one-size-fits-all when
it comes to how much sleep we need, says
Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep researcher and the
author of How To Sleep Well. A lot depends
on how we are hardwired biologically and
on our body’s individual requirements.
GETTY IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK
Are
you eating
enough
fruit and
veg?
“It is disingenuous to suggest that eight
hours’ sleep is anything other than an
average figure for most people, and it
should not be held up as an ideal,” Stanley
says. “Generally the durations of sleep that
are not recommended for adults are
having less than six hours or more than ten
hours, and most people do best having
somewhere in between.”
Stanley says that the only reliable way to
tell you are getting enough sleep is if you
wake up feeling refreshed and ready to
face the day on a regular basis.
Eat three meals a day
FALSE
Your mother may have insisted you eat
three meals a day to remain healthy, but
most scientists would now agree that this is
not a blanket rule that suits everyone, par-
ticularly when it comes to weight mainte-
nance. Some studies have shown that
people given the same daily amount of
food have healthier outcomes and lose
more weight if they consume it as two
meals instead of three.
In a meta-analysis of 22 clinical trials
looking at the impact of meal frequency on
647 participants, published in the journal
Advances in Nutrition, it was suggested that
Body + Soul 5
eating two meals a day slightly reduced
body weight compared with three meals
providing the same total calories, and that
two daily meals were “probably” better
than six smaller meals when it came to
shrinking waist circumference. One daily
meal — reportedly the practice of the
model and actress Elizabeth Hurley, who
has admitted that “the only meal I have is
dinner” — was ranked top for reducing
body weight.
Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epi-
demiology at King’s College London who
has studied meal frequency and timings,
says that not everyone benefits from the
same approach.
“Our research shows that everything
from our blood sugar to our gut
microbiome responds differently to differ-
ent foods,” he says. “Even our body clocks
play a part in determining when is best
to eat, and it’s because we all have a differ-
ent circadian rhythm that some people
thrive when they skip breakfast and
others don’t.”
Longer gaps
between meals
can improve
metabolism
and potentially
help with
weight loss
In general, though, the more you can
spread out your meals the better, and whe-
ther you prefer two or three daily meals,
try consuming them within an “eating
window” of eight to ten hours to allow your
body a period of fasting.
“Longer gaps between meals can im-
prove your metabolism and potentially
help with weight loss,” Spector says.
“Experiment and find out what works
for you.”
Get outside every day
TRUE
Direct sunlight is the most efficient source
of vitamin D — it is synthesised when
chemicals in the skin react to ultraviolet
rays — and the government advises get-
ting outside for 15 minutes daily between
April and September, preferably between
11am and 3pm when sun is at its strongest,
to boost your supplies.
But there are other reasons to get a dose
of daylight, even in winter. David Ray, a
professor of endocrinology at the Univers-
ity of Oxford, says we are not designed to
be indoors all day and our body’s circadian
rhythm has evolved to thrive in cycles of
daylight and darkness.
“Even on cloudy, darker days it is impor-
tant to get outside, preferably as early in
the day as possible,” Ray says.
“No artificial light matches daylight
when it comes to resetting our body
clocks, and the earlier you do this in the
day the better.”
Getting outside every day, even in mod-
erate daylight, has also been shown to have
a protective effect on the eyes, reducing
the risk of developing short-sightedness
(myopia) in children.
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

6 Body + Soul

Women and autism: why are

There has been a huge increase in autism
statistics in England among children
and adults. Anna Hollingsworth reports When I
discovered

W
hen Charlotte’s
autistic friend sug-
gested to her that
she too could be
on the spectrum,
she laughed it off
at first. “I com-
pletely thought she was mad,” she says
now, a year after her diagnosis at the age of
30. “I thought that I can’t be autistic, I
really care about people. It’s really embar-
rassing to even say this now because it’s
such a mistaken idea.
“People don’t really imagine autistic
adults, it’s usually a child, it’s usually a male
child. I just didn’t identify with any of that.”
As a child Charlotte was always seen as
eccentric and living in her own world, but
no one inquired about it. Her brother, who
has attention deficit hyperactivity disor-
der (ADHD), drew more attention
because adults wanted to stop what they
saw as his disruptive behaviour. Of course,
at that time autism would rarely, if at all,
have been considered as a diagnosis for
girls. Matters are slowly changing. This
week a new report showed that there was
an explosive growth — 787 per cent — in
autism diagnoses in England between
1998 and 2018, largely owing to an increase
in recognition. And the rise has been
greater in women than men.
After the conversation with her friend,
Charlotte found out more about autism
and the pieces began to fall together.
“It was quite a terrifying, unsettling, but
also incredibly enlightening experience,”
she recalls. “I was always aware of this dif-
ference: people always react to things I say,
Yet the term still conjures up images of
white boys lashing out or deep-diving into
train timetables. People tend to think of
I was autistic
Rain Man, the 1988 film in which Dustin my entire
Hoffman plays an autistic savant who
has superior memory but little emotional life suddenly
expression, or Mark Haddon’s The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, in
made sense
which the main character is described as a
“mathematician with some behavioural
difficulties”.
These portrayals are being increasingly
challenged by people such as the authors
Naoise Dolan and Holly Smale, the scien-
tist Dr Camilla Pang and the environmen-
tal activist Greta Thunberg, who has de-
scribed the condition as her “superpower”.
Indeed, one salient disparity is the gen-
der-diagnosis gap. Historically, autism has
been seen as a male condition, and esti-
mates of the ratio of autistic males to
females have ranged from 16:1 to 2:1.
“Previously studies were saying that
there is much greater discrepancy in terms
of the ratios, but those studies were based
on what we would now refer to possibly as
classic autism, the kind of autism with very
obvious signs of behaviours that meet
the diagnostic criteria,” says Dr Sarah List-
er Brook, the clinical director at the
National Autistic Society. “The ratios have
shifted because the spectrum has widened
and more girls are now included in terms
of diagnosis.”
Holly Smale, 39, was diagnosed only last
year. She says that people “see autism
through a sexist lens. If a boy collects and
lines up 50 trains, people will go get a doc-
tor. If a girl collects and lines up 50 dolls,

Author Holly Smale,

people laugh when I don’t really intend on she’s just being ‘maternal’. If a girl has an
being funny. My experience was one of autistic meltdown, she’s ‘dramatic’; food

deep confusion over years and not having
the tools to understand.”
She had tried to find answers before. As
a teenager, realising that she was gay, she
thought: “That’s why, that’s it, because I’m
gay and gay people are different.” At uni-
versity she was assessed for dyspraxia
because she would get into trouble for not
arriving at classes, no matter how hard she
tried not to get muddled. Understanding
that she is autistic changed everything.
“I was always measuring myself up
against neurotypical standards,” she says.
“I always felt like I put my foot in it, I’m
always doing the wrong thing, I always up-
set people when I’ve got such good inten-
tions. That understanding has allowed me
to develop new strategies.”
Charlotte isn’t alone in her experience.
The 50 autistic people I spoke to for this
article told similar stories of searching for
answers, often for decades; being dis-
missed by healthcare professionals and
struggling because they failed to fit the
stereotypes of autism. One in a hundred
people are on the autism spectrum, each of
them with various strengths and weak-
nesses. Their neurodevelopmental differ-
ence comes with challenges in social com-
munication, repetitive and restrictive be-
haviour, over and under-sensitivity to
sensory stimuli and highly focused special
interests. Some have an accompanying
learning disability and need support in ev-
eryday tasks, others are in full-time work.
restrictions are ‘fussiness’; sensory issues
are ‘sensitive girliness’. The list is endless.
Girls get labelled, boys get diagnosed. Au-
tistic little girls are also less likely to cause
trouble in class, so they fly under the radar.
We’re no less autistic, but the world is still
so gendered, nobody sees it.”
The diagnosis, she says, was a relief. “It
meant realising that I wasn’t a broken neu-
rotypical person, I was a perfect autistic
person, and it saved my life. I’m finding my
community, I’m happier than I’ve ever
been. My relationships are better.”
Although all the causes of autism are
not known, genetic factors and prenatal
hormones, such as testosterone and oe-
strogen, have been identified in research.
According to Dr Simon Baron-Cohen,
a professor in the departments of psychol-
ogy and psychiatry at the University of
Cambridge and the director of the Autism
Research Centre, male foetuses produce
higher levels of testosterone prenatally,
which may lead to autism being more
prevalent in men. However, biology is very
unlikely to be the only reason for the dis-
parity in diagnoses.
“I don’t think we’ve reached the true
number yet,” Baron-Cohen says of the ra-
tio. He was involved in setting up the first
adult clinic for autism diagnosis in the UK
in the 1990s and saw how different clinical
methods could pick up people who might
otherwise have not been diagnosed. At the
clinic the team would see adults who were
diagnosed at 39
seeking a late diagnosis for Asperger syn-
drome, now regarded as an outdated term
for autism without an associated learning
difficulty. “Because we were using clinical
methods that were much more like a
clinical interview, letting the patient speak
rather than boxing them in with very
structured, predesigned
women were being identified and diag-
questions,
nosed even in the late Nineties. It wasn’t
that 4:1 ratio.”
Yet many people, women in particular,
continue to be misdiagnosed or undiag-
nosed.“If clinicians over the years have
had more experience in diagnosing more
boys, the pattern of what autism looks like
in males might be easier for them to ident-
ify. That has nothing to do with the biolo-
gy, it can actually just be a limitation on the
clinicians’ experience,” Baron-Cohen says.
Autistic women are often referred to as
“hiding in plain sight” because of the no-
tion that women are adept at masking typ-
ical traits. “Females who are undiagnosed
might be more motivated to try and hide
their autism, maybe because in our culture
there is greater pressure on girls than on
boys to appear sociable and to fit in. That
might, in turn, reflect greater stigma
around autism in girls,” Baron-Cohen says.
787% From the outside, someone who is able
to mask their autistic traits can appear
chatty and not struggle with conversa-
The number tions. They can keep masking while
of autism they’re at work or with friends, but when
they get home the fatigue from doing so
cases surge sets in. Baron-Cohen describes a woman
he saw at the clinic who would spend hours
in 20 years rehearsing conversations before meeting
Source: University of Exeter
someone for lunch.
Many of the diagnostic tools have also
been developed based on populations of
men. “In the data that’s been collected
with them, there have been samples where
3:1 there are more males than females. In that
sense maybe some of the test results are
Is the biased, even if the tools aren’t,” Baron-
Cohen says.
present As a result, Lister Brook says, boys are
autism more likely to get people’s attention early.
They also tend to play in larger groups, so
diagnosis it is more obvious if a child is left on the pe-
riphery. An autistic girl, on the other hand,
ratio of men is more likely to appear as if she’s fitting in-
to a smaller group. “It is a very common
v women scenario that you will find descriptions of
Source: National Autistic society their play and social interaction from the
schools saying, ‘We’ve got no concerns, no
the times Saturday October 2 2021

Body + Soul 7

there so many new diagnoses?
DAN KENNEDY FOR THE TIMES MAGAZINE; JOHN ANGERSON FOR THE TIMES
“It was only when I discovered I was
autistic that my entire life and everything
about my brain and body suddenly made
sense. Autism isn’t a ‘social quirk’, it’s liter-
I was affectionately
ally how you’re wired, through and
through, and there is nothing wrong with
it. It’s a difference, not a disorder.”
called ‘quirky’
Not surprisingly, depression and anxie-
ty are common experiences, and autistic
adults are nine times more likely to die
Florence Leslie, 27

Florence Leslie,
diagnosed at 2 1
worries,’ because they look like they’re fit-
ting in,” Lister Brook says.
Many practitioners are now abandon-
ing those gender-based descriptions. Tara
Killen is a founder of Thriving Autistic, a
team of autistic and otherwise neurodiver-
gent support professionals.“It would make
a big difference to public perception to un-
derstand that it’s not male versus female
presentations, it’s more high-camouflage
versus low-camouflage,” she says.
Whatever the reasons for a missed dia-
gnosis, not knowing can be extremely life-
limiting. In the stories of the late-diag-
nosed people I spoke to the same themes
kept repeating: lack of support; feelings of
shame for not being able to manage life in
the way that others can; thinking of them-
selves as weird, broken or wrong; being la-
belled as a problem child, rebellious, too
deep or too sensitive. The list goes on.
“I spent my entire life feeling like a bro-
ken neurotypical person and trying to pass
as one, and it nearly killed me,” Smale says.
“By my thirties I was an exhausted, suicid-
al mess. I remember saying to my thera-
pist, ‘I’m broken and have been since I was
a baby, but I don’t know why and I don’t
think anyone can help me.’
from suicide than the general population.
For others, the battles can extend to eat-
ing disorders, and it is estimated that 20
per cent of women with anorexia are autis-
tic. It has been suggested that eating disor-
ders can provide autistic people with ways
of coping by introducing routine and pre-
dictability or by distracting them from
things that they find overwhelming.
As a teenager, Mair Elliott, now 24,
didn’t know she was autistic, but she knew
that she was different. “Knowing you’re
different but not knowing why leads to a
whole host of difficulties in understanding
the world and yourself,” she says. “Part of
the fallout of that was not being able to eat
properly. There’s an assumption that it’s to
do with body weight or it’s anorexia in the
making. For me, it really wasn’t. I needed
to have a way of knowing that I was safe.
Food was that safety, or rather not eating
food was that safety.”
Many women suffer negative conse-
quences in the workplace. Susanna, 30,
works in healthcare and hasn’t spoken to
colleagues about her autism. “I don’t share
it because there does tend to be an assump-
tion that if you’re autistic, you’ll be less
capable,” she says. On a child mental
health course she took recently, one of the
lecturers said that autistic people didn’t
have empathy. “I cited a couple of exam-
ples of autistic children I’d worked with
showing great empathy,” Susanna recalls.
“She told me that I would only have re-
membered those examples because they
were unusual. The penalty for disclosing a
diagnosis, I think, can be really severe.”
Others find themselves slotted into ra-
cial stereotypes. Noon Abbas, 20, de-
scribes how she has to cope with masking
and sensory overload. “Many times I’ve
been labelled as rude or aggressive for rea-
sons related to autism, and while that is
something lots of autistic people have to
deal with, I feel there’s another layer to it
20% when being labelled as the ‘angry black
woman’. I think it comes down to the per-
Of women ception that misbehaving black children
are labelled as disruptive and naughty, and
with mistakes and shortcomings on the part of
black people are more readily labelled as
anorexia are incompetence. Nobody wants to consider
the possibility of a deeper issue at play.”
also autistic A recurring theme in all the interviews
Source: BMC (Bio Med Central) with women I did was the wish for more
understanding. Innovative solutions, pas-
sionate interests, deep empathy and being
observant of how others behave were
strengths that came up. After a decade in
and out of hospitals, Elliot is in a good
700,000 place now. “I live my life as a happy,
healthy autistic person, keeping busy and-
developing relationships — things that au-
People in tistic people are capable of doing if they
the UK are have the environment and the resources
they need to do that,” she says.
on the “If autistic people had a safe world to live
in, then we wouldn’t have to deal with
autistic these issues. We can blame different
people for that, but actually it’s the whole
spectrum of society that has to change.”
Source: NHS, 2018 For too many autistic people, I discov-
ered, this is still work-in-progress.
I
tried to get an understanding when
I was at university, so I filled out a
questionnaire. I remember ticking
a box that said I struggled to
interpret facial expressions. Weeks
later I drifted into the student bar.
“I’ve just been diagnosed as
autistic,” I told my friends, and laughed.
Although my long and lonely intuition
had been confirmed, I still felt resentful
that I could be labelled as having
difficulties with communication when
I often felt as though I was trying harder
than anyone I had encountered. Then I
started sobbing.
I did weeks of research to try to make
sense of this, and I finally found a name
for this experience: masking, where
autistic people, usually women, try to
hide how being autistic can affect them.
According to the National Autistic
Society website, 3:1 is the most recent
estimate of the ratio of men diagnosed
as autistic compared with women. The
charity lists several reasons for this
imbalance, including that “women and
girls are often better at masking or
camouflaging their difficulties”. I believe
that this is one of the reasons I wasn’t
diagnosed until I was 21.
I felt misunderstood at school and was
desperate for a fresh start at university.
But once I arrived, I lived in chaos.
I crept into seminars 20 minutes late
because I couldn’t navigate the campus,
even though my classes were held in the
same rooms every week. I picked at plain
pasta. Anxiety chewed my stomach, and
I was often sick. I missed my essay
deadlines. Yet my biggest sense of failure
still came from feeling socially isolated,
and the harder I tried to fit in, the more
cheerful I tried to appear, the more
distant I felt. I stayed awake all night and
slept all day, until I didn’t wave a white
flag so much as crawl under a bedsheet
and surrender.
I was referred to Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as
a young teenager, but it wasn’t
considered that I could be autistic.
I was affectionately called “quirky” and
I hoped that I would grow out of my
foibles, which I found became less
endearing and potentially more
dangerous as I got older, like erupting
into tears if plans changed at the
last minute, saying something too honest
at an inappropriate time, and not
noticing non-verbal communication.
I faced, and feared, increasing judgment
because women are often encouraged
to fit in.
I did have “special interests”, a term
used by the autistic community for
passionate interests often vital to our
wellbeing, but they weren’t thought of as
outlandish. I was highly engaged with
books written by a favourite author or
historical figure and learnt to keep quiet
about the library of information I
collected so I didn’t bore people.
By my second year of university I
could no longer endure the relentless
anxiety and was diagnosed with severe
clinical depression.
Although it could be argued that
masking difficulties proves that someone
might not struggle with social skills or
has learnt to cope so they don’t need a
diagnosis, I found masking so tiring
that it was unsustainable, and I dread
contemplating what my life would be
like today if I had continued to minimise
my experiences. Long NHS waiting
times, expensive private diagnosis or
some professionals not knowing
enough about the sometimes subtler
presentation of autistic women can be
frustrating barriers to a diagnosis. Some
people are happy to self-diagnose as
autistic if they have learnt their own
coping skills and identify with the
common experiences of autistic people,
and this is widely accepted among the
autistic community.
As well as it being “the only way to
know for certain”, the National Autistic
Society lists other positives of a formal
diagnosis for adults who think that they
might be autistic in its pre-diagnosis
advice and guidance, such as being
The harder I
tried to fit in,
the more
cheerful I
tried to appear,
the more
distant I felt
“entitled to have reasonable adjustments
made by your employer, college or
university”. I can’t emphasise enough
how important it is to ask for help.
I know some people argue that in an
ideal world we wouldn’t need diagnoses
for our differences to be appreciated and
for us to be ourselves, and autism should
be removed as a diagnostic category.
Personally, my autism diagnosis helps
me to put something previously
intangible into words. It helps to
clarify what I need help with and, most
relieving of all, feel part of a community.
Until society is more accepting, I think
diagnosis can be helpful, but it’s also
important to emphasise the strengths of
being autistic too.
When I’m particularly stressed I tend
to fixate on a topic and stay awake for
hours gathering information. But I think
this trait also makes me more dedicated
— and useful for my job. Weathering my
difficulties makes me more resilient and
compassionate.
The older I get, the more I understand
that self-acceptance is success. Every day
I am reminded that my autism diagnosis
gives me permission to be myself.

8 Body + Soul
Sit up straight! What bad posture
is doing to your child’s health
Dr Hannah Scott
knows all too well
the end results of
poor posture in early
life — and how to
prevent them
T
he other day I watched my
son stoop over his iPad, then
put on his heavy backpack
and set off to school with
rounded shoulders. My
heart sank. He has bad pos-
ture already and he’s only
eight years old.
As a consultant anaesthetist who has
observed the end results in hospital pain
clinics, I know all too well the consequen-
ces of bad posture. It’s not just back pain,
but a raft of health problems that may lie
in store for our slouching children, from
headaches to poor concentration. Telling
your kids to “Sit up straight!” seems rather
old-fashioned. It’s something that your
parents might have said to you when you
were a child, but it’s more important for
children today. We are fastidious about
teaching our kids to clean their teeth and
floss daily. We need to dedicate as much ef-
fort to their precious, irreplaceable backs.
Poor posture in childhood and adoles-
cence is on the rise. The pandemic has, of
course, exacerbated the problem, with
children and teenagers spending hours in
front of screens, for education and enter-
tainment, while exercise was curtailed.
But it existed before that. Back conditions
are being diagnosed in younger and
younger age groups, according to a meta-
analysis of studies in the journal BMC
Paediatrics. The same research found that
10 per cent of ten-year-olds have lower-
back pain associated with posture, while
another study found that 38 per cent of
primary school children had bad posture.
Why is there such an increase? I believe
there are several reasons. Childhood obe-
sity is more common nowadays. Accord-
ing to the National Child Measurement
Programme, 21 per cent of children aged
10-11 are obese and 14 per cent are over-
weight. That causes changes to weight dis-
tribution throughout the body, including a
protruding stomach, a hunched upper
back and a concave lower back. Children
spend less time being active and more time
being driven around in cars. They also
spend a lot of time carrying heavy school
bags around, thanks to laptops and giant
text books.
And, of course, there is the ubiquitous
problem of tablets and smartphones. I’ve
seen the problems they can cause. Child-
ren hold their devices at chest level so they
have to look down. They end up sticking
their head forwards, beyond the centre of
gravity in the middle of their shoulders,
and can develop what’s colloquially called
“tech neck” — where the cervical spine
becomes curved. Children — and, indeed,
adults — should always bring devices up to
eye level.
Even before the pandemic children and
adolescents were spending more than four
hours a day on their screens. Unfortunate-
ly rates of exercise, which helps to offset
the damage, are down. According to one
(pre-pandemic) government health sur-
vey, most children in the UK do less than
one hour’s physical activity a week.
Bad posture can cause a number of
immediate health issues in children. One
issue is headaches: maintaining an abnor-
mal head position leads to a build-up of
tension in the neck muscles. Then there’s
fatigue: hunching reduces lung capacity,
meaning the body doesn’t get as much
oxygen, and slouching causes reduced
concentration, but sitting up straight
increases blood flow and oxygen to the
brain by up to 40 per cent. Research has
also shown that children who slump
release more stress hormones and are
more tearful, hostile, nervous, quiet and
passive. In contrast, standing up straight is
directly related to better mood.
What’s more, the unhealthy positions
that children adopt as they grow become
their default positions in adulthood. And
this, most importantly, can contribute to
degenerative back conditions — put sim-
ply, wear and tear of the joints. To give an
example, I’ve seen how long-term slouch-
ing places abnormal strain on the cartilage
pads that lie between the lower backbones.
This can lead to disc degeneration, where
the pads thin down and bulge out. Chronic
slouching stretches and weakens the long
stabilising muscles that run down either
side of the spine. This contributes to
hyperkyphosis, an extremely humped up-
per torso.
The list of complaints related to degen-
erative back conditions in adults is long. It
includes osteoarthritis of other joints,
gastric reflux (as a scrunched lower back
compresses the stomach, pushing gastric
acid upwards), poor balance, falls and frac-
tures. The latter is because changes in nor-
mal curvature of the spine offset the centre
of gravity and stiff back joints hinder the
small movements important for correct-
ing imbalance.
Correcting such conditions is much
more challenging than correcting posture.
I’ve seen patients in chronic pain clinics
with a lifetime of suffering and failed treat-
ments behind them. Or presenting for
surgery — a very last resort. Prevention
really is better than cure.
In Europe they seem to take posture in
children much more seriously. In Italy and
Germany, when children start school, as a
rite of passage, it is not uncommon for
parents to spend more than £250 on an
ergonomic backpack. It’s a purchase that
is given the same importance we give to
buying car seats and buggies. The Ger-
mans have the AGR, the Aktion Gesunder
Rücken, an association made up of profes-
sionals dedicated to back care, which
includes posture, core movement and
prevention of injury. The AGR awards
products with a seal of approval when they
the times Saturday October 2 2021
GETTY IMAGES
7 ways to help
young backs
6 Encourage children to bring their
devices up to eye level. You want them
looking straight ahead, which keeps the
neck and spine in correct alignment.
6 Ensure tables, chairs and computers
are set at the correct height for your
child. Their backs should be straight and
their feet flat on the floor. They should
be positioned to allow them to look
straight ahead at the computer.
6 Get them moving. Any exercise at all
is better than nothing.
6 Buy a backpack with wide, well-
padded straps — ideally at least 4cm
wide — and make sure your child uses
both shoulder straps.
6 Encourage stretch breaks. Every
20 minutes during homework or on
screens of any kind, get your kids into
the habit of standing up and stretching.
6 When you see bad posture, remind
them to stand or sit up straight.
Physiotherapists use a red-dot
technique, placing red stickers around
the house as a visual trigger. When the
child sees them, they remember to
stand tall.
6 Get your child to do five minutes of
back-strengthening exercises a day.
One good one is lying on their front,
extending the arms forwards and lifting
the arms up in a superman pose.
comply with back-protection standards;
tables, chairs, car seats, straps and bags are
examined and reviewed yearly. Consum-
ers look out for the AGR-approval logo in
Slouching the same way that we look out for the
causes reduced organic logo when buying food.
I don’t believe there is anything to com-
concentration. pare here in the UK, however much kids
may love their fashionable backpacks. The
Sitting up best I’ve seen are from Ergobag, available
on Amazon, which come in various
increases blood designs. They’re expensive, though — at
flow to the least £100. There are things parents can
look out for when choosing a backpack.
brain by up to Make sure the straps are wide and that the
bag has a bit of structure. Try to buy one
40 per cent that is designed so the weight is carried in
the centre of the child’s back, not in any
side pockets.
The good news is that teaching good
posture is effective. There is evidence to
show that posture can improve all the way
through childhood and adolescence, so
even if your child is 16 it’s not too late to
do something about it. Although
repetitive and boring, it is well worth
putting the time in to encourage your
child to sit up straight or stand with
shoulders back. Research shows that
to create a postural habit takes about
300-500 repetitions, but to correct a
faulty habit takes about 3,000-5,000
repetitions, so it’s worth getting them
into good habits early. It takes time
An Ergobag backpack, and effort, but correcting your
£182, amazon.co.uk children’s posture can profoundly
change their lives.
the times Saturday October 2 2021
The Bond actor
Rory Kinnear talks
to Julia Llewellyn
Smith about the loss
of his sister to Covid
I
n May last year, just as the first
lockdown restrictions were easing,
the actor Rory Kinnear’s sister
Karina died of Covid-19, aged 48.
Deprived of oxygen at birth, she was
severely brain damaged, and a life-
saving operation on her spine had
left her quadriplegic.
Her lung capacity was severely dimin-
ished, and her family — Kinnear, his ac-
tress mother, Carmel Cryan, and his older
sister, Kirsty Kinnear — had feared for her
since coronavirus arrived. But they
couldn’t have foreseen that Covid rules
would mean that the three households,
separated by lockdown, could say goodbye
to Karina only remotely, with Carmel
reading her a story via FaceTime before
holding her landline to her mobile so
Kirsty could say her goodbyes on speaker-
phone. Kirsty then used her husband’s
phone to broadcast Kinnear on his speaker
playing his sister music. “[I] told her how
proud I was to have been her brother and
what gratitude I felt for what she had
taught me about life,” says Kinnear, 43.
“We were pretty much using tin cans,
but it didn’t feel like the right time to crack
open a Zoom, so this was as good as we
could have thought it through. Obviously
there’d been the weighing-up of would we
have gone to hospital if it was allowed ver-
sus the anxiety, particularly my mum’s,
about just how dangerous and contagious
it was. The general feeling was, given
we’d previously seen her on FaceTime and
it didn’t look like there was much
consciousness, it wasn’t worth the risk. It
was horrible.”
Being deprived of a face-to-face farewell
made mourning Karina even harder.
When he was ten Kinnear lost his father,
the beloved comic actor Roy Kinnear,
after he fell from a horse during filming
and suffered a heart attack. “I know from
losing my father, grief is a lifelong event.
There’s no final moment where you can
clap your hands and say, ‘That’s all done.’
But by not going to the home, there was
a big sense of not fully committing to
[Karina’s death], of not being fully over-
whelmed by it.
“There are thousands and thousands of
people in our country, let alone across the
world, going through a similar thing of di-
recting grief in a different way and letting
it slightly more leak out than rush out. It’s
trying to create a happy memory of her
life, which we all do have, which had an
end that was obviously unforeseeable and
cataclysmic as kind of a global event, and
to try to make some kind of sense of solace
in that shared experience, globally, with
everyone else’s grief, but not to lose the in-
dividual nature of it as well.”
Afterwards Kinnear — known for
everything from the BBC drama Years and
Years to his award-winning stage perform-
ances as Iago and Hamlet and his regular
turn in the James Bond franchise as M’s
chief of staff Bill Tanner — wrote an article
remembering his sister’s “daredevil’s spir-
it”. Writing it, he says, “was a big help not
just to me, but to my family, not to let her
go quietly”. It was also a political act, a
riposte to those arguing that the virus
should be allowed to rip through the
vulnerable while the majority carried on
as normal. “[Karina] did not have it
Rory Kinnear
I know that grief is
a lifelong event
coming, she was no more disposable than
anyone else,” he wrote.
Huge numbers contacted him, “obvi-
ously to pay their condolences, but also to
pick up on the message about hopefully in
the future prioritising those that need our
care and compassion — and that people
with underlying health conditions weren’t
of less value than those without”.
Kinnear’s latest television role is in the
BBC drama Ridley Road as Colin Jordan,
leader of the National Socialist Move-
ment, a group of British neo-Nazis that
briefly flourished in the 1960s. “It’s so
stunning to learn people then were still
affiliating themselves not just with the
nature of fascism, but with Hitler himself,
as a heroic figure,” he says.
Trying to understand Jordan, who died
aged 85 in 2009, was challenging. “He
seemed fairly intelligent, ordinary, there
was nothing deeply seemingly impactful
in his young life that, on a cod psychology
level, would necessarily have led to this
narcissism and hateful racism.”
There’s an air of homesickness to Kin-
near, who’s speaking from a rented house
in Los Angeles, where he has been since
June filming an HBO drama. His children,
REBECCA REID/EVENING STANDARD/EYEVINE; MGM/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
aged ten and seven, visited for six weeks in
the holidays, while his actress partner,
Pandora Clifford, was in a play in London,
but now they’re back at school. “I’ve never
spent more than two weeks away from
them before,” Kinnear says. “Whenever
you tell anyone you’re having this long
spell without children they think it sounds
idyllic, but actually two days without is
lovely — then you miss them. You wonder
where a fixed sense of happiness exists.”
Soon, however, he’ll be back in his native
London rehearsing for the stage version of
the film Force Majeure at the Donmar
and gauging reactions to No Time to Die,
released this week after 18 months of
Covid delays. He has been a Bond regular
since appearing in Quantum of Solace in
2008. When Kinnear auditioned for the
franchise aged 29, he didn’t know he was
up to replace regular Michael Kitchen.
“I didn’t really know what I was going in
for, so when they said I’d got it, it sounded
fun, I was pretty excited, but I still wasn’t
entirely sure what it was. It wasn’t until
I got a script some time after that I
thought, ‘Oh, right, I’m really in it!’ ”
An alumnus of St Paul’s School in
London and Balliol College, Oxford,
Body + Soul 9
tre
Kinnear with Daniel Craig in Spec
where he read English, Kinnear is pleasant
company, but fiercely cerebral. He loves
listening to classical music and prefers
Scrabble to watching television.
He has said that respect for his mother,
widowed at 39 and constantly fighting the
system for Karina’s needs, meant there
was little room for adolescent rebellion.
“Mum’s a fighter all right; I think it came
from need, but she and my dad had also
There’s no
final moment
where you
can clap your
hands and say,
‘That’s all done’
been so close, and I think that fuelled the
dedication to Karina, because she was
another part of him.”
Caring for Karina made them an incred-
ibly close-knit and socially aware unit. “I’m
well aware that having had a disabled sister
my entire life, I’m more sensitive to the
notion of those who need a bit more help
to get by, and getting them that help,”
Kinnear says. “I’ve also seen the effects on
a family whose lives are centred on the
struggle to provide that extra support.
My mum refused to accept what she was
being told was the status quo — at the time
government funding ran out for education
for young disabled adults at the age of 19,
and the options for Karina were either one
of those long-stay brain-damage hospitals
or places that were two or three hours’
drive away. My mum was like a water divin-
er in sensing when she had a chest infec-
tion coming on and needed care quickly.”
Rory So Karina returned to live permanently
Kinnear’s at home from 19, while Kinnear and his
mother battled bureaucracy to set up a
perfect charity care home, Roy Kinnear House, in
Twickenham, southwest London, for six
weekend severely disabled adults. “We obviously
used my dad’s name and the connections
Pub roast or cook it to demand attention,” he says. “We were
yourself? very aware that not everyone has that, or
Cook my own roast the time or the wherewithal, or the energy,
DIY hero or call in the but that’s been my interaction with life
experts? and society.”
DIY hero That interaction could be frustrating,
Cat or dog? but it was intensely rewarding.
My partner’s obsessed “When someone is non-verbal but
with cats, so we have a reveals such happiness in your presence,
cat it’s an incredibly powerful bonding tool,”
Who or what is your he says. “She’d be so ludicrously excited
screensaver? every time my mum walked into the room,
My children and Mum went to see her every day. You
I couldn’t get through become aware of the privilege of knowing
the weekend without . . . someone like that, and in its absence
Sport. In the first two you’re further resolved to keep that sense
months of lockdown, of perspective. It gives you a tender central
when there was no fulcrum to your life.”
Saturday sport to watch, Ridley Road starts on BBC1 at 9pm to-
I was at a complete loss morrow
the times Saturday October 2 2021
My new man is
quite dull in bed
Suzi Godson
Sex counsel
Q My boyfriend and I
are in our twenties
and have been
together only a few months.
He wants the quickest route
to an orgasm; I like to take
my time. I don’t expect
tantric sex, I just want
things to slow down. He
seems to think sex is
an end-of-the-night thing
before we go to sleep. How
can someone so young be
so unadventurous?
A
We have a tendency to presume
that the people we have sex with
know what they are doing, but
that’s not necessarily the case.
I don’t know how many partners your new
boyfriend has had, but it sounds to me as if
he is inexperienced. It’s a pity that people
are not more open about sexual inexperi-
ence because from the time that young
people become sexually active, every rela-
tionship is an important opportunity to
learn. The ideal time to start this conversa-
tion is in the first flush of a new relation-
ship when everything is rose-tinted. At
that point, people are generally eager to
please. When you have already been sleep-
ing with someone for six months, guidance
can easily be interpreted as criticism.
Your new boyfriend’s haste is almost cer-
tainly a mix of urgency and inexperience,
but heading straight for the finish line is a
sign of ignorance; most young men are
simply clueless about female sexual
response. From the age of 11, boys get most
of their sex education from porn, so by the
time they are sexually active, they believe
that there is a straight line between erec-
tion, penetration, ejaculation and female
orgasm. The situation is not helped by
RSHE (relationships and social education
and health education) in schools being so
exiguous. One can only wonder how the
sex lives of the next generation would be
improved if young people were taught that
the average time it takes a male to ejacu-
late once penetrative sex begins is 5.7 min-
utes, whereas the average time it takes for
a woman to become aroused enough to
achieve orgasm once penetrative sex be-
gins is 14 minutes.
What confuses me is that there is so
much information about sex available on-
line, on TV, in newspapers, in magazines
and in books, so why do more men not take
the time to learn how to satisfy a female
partner? Whether it is naivety or wilful ig-
norance doesn’t really matter. The result is
the same: orgasms for him and none for
you. So I’m afraid you need to make clear
to him that you need foreplay, clitoral
stimulation and time before you have a
hope of achieving orgasm. I know it
shouldn’t be up to women to “teach” young
men that real women don’t respond the
way that porn stars do, but if a man you like
in every other way consistently demon-
strates an inability to take your sexual
needs into account, you have no choice.
Sign up for
The Times
Wellness bulletin
Our weekly email with news
and expert advice for a healthier,
happier body and mind
thetimes.co.uk/bulletins
Body + Soul 11
Putting your boyfriend’s repetitious rep-
ertoire down to being “unadventurous” is
generous. He may just be lazy. He is get-
ting what he wants, when he wants it, and
that is enough for him. It shouldn’t be
enough for you. You have to be more
assertive, and the easiest way to change
the pace is to force him into a more
passive role. If you get on top, you are in
control of the level of stimulation and
the pace. During oral sex, when you
feel he is pushing towards climax,
stop and tell him it is your turn.
Introduce him to edging; bring
him to the brink of orgasm,
then let the sensations sub-
side before stimulating him
again. This will enable him to
develop better ejaculatory
control and help him to be-
come more confident about his
ability to slow things without
losing his erection.
Initiating sex on a weekend
morning is likely to be more lei-
surely than last thing at night,
and you might even decide that
you want to explore tantra
together. Tantra has a reputa-
tion for being about four-
hour orgasms, but in fact it is
more about connection; it has
lots in common with mindful-
ness and meditation. Learning
new skills together is a gentle
way to put the past behind you,
and it’ll help you forge the sexual
relationship you both want.
Send your questions to
weekendsex@thetimes.co.uk

12 Food + Drink
Easy Ottolenghi:
how the chef
changed his ways
Forget fennel pollen and black garlic, Yotam Ottolenghi’s new
book uses simple methods and (mostly) supermarket items
Y
ou wouldn’t expect to find
the HQ of a culinary em-
pire in this scruffy corner of
north London, but push
through a nondescript door
next to the Holloway Road
branch of Lidl and you find
yourself transported into the fragrant
world of Yotam Ottolenghi. The sweet
smell of baking drifts down the corridor
from the commercial kitchens that supply
the chef’s delis, the warm scents of cumin
and fenugreek waft in from the vast store-
room for his online business, and from
upstairs comes the sound of laughter. It is
here, on the top floor, that the real action
is going on.
In a huge open-plan test kitchen half a
dozen cooks are gathered round the man
himself. Cradled in his hands is a bowl of
bolognese built around the Asian flavours
of cinnamon, star anise, Szechuan pepper
and miso. On top is a sprinkling of pickled
cucumber. It strikes me as the archetypal
Ottolenghi dish.
“How’s the salt level? Can we get away
without the soy,” asks the dish’s creator,
Helen Goh, who co-authored the cook-
book Sweet with Ottolenghi and is a stal-
wart of his team.
“No, I don’t find it too salty with the pas-
What to do with
black limes
(Yotam’s hot new ingredient)
If you can’t find dried black
limes, use the lighter-coloured
dried limes. The two are pretty
much interchangeable and last
for ever. Black limes (also called
Omami limes) have been
treated with a saltwater
solution, before being left out to
dry in the sun until dehydrated
and very dark. They’re a staple
ingredient throughout the
Persian Gulf, adding an earthy,
bitter depth to dishes.
• Throw them whole into soups and d The new book, subtitled Shelf Love, aims
stews to add a subtle tang. Poke a
few holes in them first, to help release
their flavour.
• Blitz them into a powder to use in rubs
and marinades. A coffee or spice grinder
is best for this; crush the black limes
lightly with your hands before blitzing.
• Buy black limes that are whole and not
ground — they’ll keep for much longer.
ta and the cucumber,” Ottolenghi replies,
nodding appreciatively, but you can be
sure this isn’t the finished article. We’re
only on the second version, and it always
takes at least four or five goes before they
get the final recipe. And that’s before it has
been sent to Claudine, who tests all the
recipes from her family kitchen in Wales.
What? You think you build a global
brand and sell more than a million cook-
books by working on your own?
“I’ve always been very open about what
a collaborative process it is,” says the grey-
ing but still youthful 52-year-old. “Plenty
[published in 2010] was the last one that I
tested on my own at home. The test kit-
chen as a communal space started about
nine years ago. It’s a much better environ-
ment for innovation as everyone can bring
their own perspectives.”
“I like to think of us as the Test Kitchen
Avengers,” says Noor Murad, who heads
the team. “We all wield a different
superpower.”
We move on to taste a lasagne. “I’m sure
before this was smaller, the cheese layers
were thinner and it wasn’t so soggy,” Otto-
lenghi says. Goh agrees, but there is a more
pressing concern. It’s still too true to its
Italian roots. “Yes, that’s the problem,”
Ottolenghi says with a laugh. “Where’s the
Ottolenghi twist?”
That’s the trouble when your name has
become synonymous with unexpected
flavours. You can’t just knock out a
decent lasagne. “We ask ourselves all the
time, ‘How do we Ottolenghify this?’ ”
Murad says.
Ottolenghi describes his trade-
mark style as one of merging unex-
pected elements with big, sunny fla-
vours. “It could be a way of cooking
something or changing our notion
of an ingredient by using it in an un-
familiar way. He points to a recipe in
his latest book (co-written with
Murad) called Ottolenghi Test Kit-
chen. “Here we have feta baked with
sesame seeds and drizzled with a
lemon and honey syrup. It’s un-
usual to find feta in a semi-sweet
context.”
to answer the critics who accuse him of
overcomplicating his recipes. It uses the
kind of store-cupboard ingredients that
any Ottolenghi veteran will have built up
over the years — those half-jars of sumac,
and za’atar, black garlic and tahini.
“I have changed my attitude over the
years. I was a maximalist and rightly
earned my reputation. My cooking will
never be boring and minimalist, but I’m
not sending anyone on those wild goose
chases to find a rare ingredient any more,”
Ottolenghi says, recounting a complaint
from a reader whose husband had gone
missing in action just before a dinner party,
“looking for f***ing fennel pollen”.
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen was born out of
the pandemic, when we were isolating at
home and had to use what we had, but Ot-
tolenghi feels that it is relevant to the world
we live in now anyway. “There’s an air of
frugality. People want to use fewer, cheap-
er, more humble ingredients,” he says.
Few of us are blessed with as large a store
cupboard as Ottolenghi’s, though. What’s
the most exotic ingredient he assumes
we’ll all have? He thinks for a moment
before answering — black lime.
“It is very common in Bahraini cooking,”
I’m not sending
anyone on
those wild
goose chases
to find a rare
ingredient
any more
Murad says. “It’s very bitter and astringent,
but fragrant at the same time. It adds an
amazing depth of flavour to soups, stews
and rice dishes.” They are already available
in Waitrose (£2 for 6 limes) — give it a year
and it will be the new preserved lemon.
Ottolenghi is being called away again to
taste more of Goh’s creations, this time a
pasta “handkerchief” made of polenta —
“I love the texture,” he says approvingly.
Ottolenghi seems happy. “I only com-
ment when necessary,” he says. “I don’t
find myself many times saying, ‘I don’t like
this’. And it’s important they aren’t cook-
ing to satisfy my palate. I want to like it, but
the main thing is that they like it.”
So will we see these recipes in print
soon? Well, he lets slip, there are another
two books ahead of Goh’s next one, the
first of which will focus on homemade
pickles, condiments and sauces. So Otto-
lenghi Test Kitchen may be designed to help
clear out your store cupboard, but you’d
better make room on the bookshelf too.
Tony Turnbull
the times Saturday October 2 2021
Sesame-crusted feta with
black lime honey syrup
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 blocks of Greek feta (360g),
each cut into 4 triangles
(8 triangles in total)
35g rice flour (or plain flour if
gluten-free flour not needed)
1 large egg, well beaten
100g mixed black and white
sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp picked lemon thyme
leaves, or regular thyme leaves
For the syrup
120g runny honey
1 tsp ground black lime
3 lemons: 1 juiced to get 1 tbsp
and the other 2 left whole
Method
1 Line a shallow baking dish (or
baking tray with a slight lip),
about 30cm x 20cm in size,
with baking parchment.
2 Pat dry the feta pieces, then
dip each piece in the flour,
gently shaking off the excess.
Coat in the egg, followed by the
sesame seeds, making sure the
feta pieces are completely
coated. Transfer each piece to
your prepared dish and
refrigerate for at least 30 min,
or longer if time allows.
3 Preheat the oven to 220C fan/
gas 7. Drizzle the feta pieces
with the oil and bake from cold
for 18 min, gently flipping the
pieces over halfway, or until
golden and warmed through.
4 While the feta is baking, put
the honey and black lime into a
small saucepan on a medium-
high heat. Once it starts to
bubble, turn the heat to
medium and cook, stirring
occasionally, until it turns a
deep amber caramel, about
6-7 min. Take off the heat and
stir in the lemon juice. Set aside
to cool for 5 min.
5 Use a small, sharp knife to
peel and segment the
remaining two lemons and stir
the segments into the cooled
honey mixture.
6 When ready, pour the lemon
syrup directly over the feta in
the baking dish, sprinkle with
the thyme and serve at once
straight from the dish.
the times Saturday October 2 2021

ELENA HEATHERWICK
Food + Drink 13

The new, sophisticated tequilas

Jane MacQuitty

R
ocketing tequila sales —
up 80 per cent from last
year — are not all down
to celebrity endorsements
from George Clooney,
Dwayne “the Rock”
Johnson and the like.
It has been our fastest-growing spirit
for some years and its popularity has
more to do with its reformed taste than
celebrity stardust. What was once a
head-banging Mexican firewater is now
a silky, floral, spicy charmer, albeit with
an earthy, peppery kick.
Tequila aficionados are fond of
explaining that it is the finest mezcal, a
bit like cognac is the finest brandy. Made
Grilled courgettes with exclusively from blue agave, a giant spiky
wa rm butter
cactus-like plant, the best comes from
Jalisco; indeed, the spirit is named after a
city in the western Mexican state. What
distinguishes modern tequila from other
mezcals is provenance and production.
The valley of Tequila was the original
spirit’s first home, but production since
the 1950s has shifted to the cooler,
higher-altitude Los Altos region, where
the slower-maturing blue agave’s giant
pineapple hearts, or piña, and higher
sugar levels make for a softer, silky style.
Blue agave piñas baked, crushed,
fermented and double distilled in copper
pot stills are behind every great tequila,
but of late even the mixto tequilas made
from a combination of agave and sugar
cane have much improved. It’s worth
noting that if a tequila label lacks the
“100% Agave” tag, it will be a mixto.
If it’s a budget silver or blanco tequila
you want, Aldi’s El Toro Silver (38 per
cent, 70cl, £16.99), is a sweet, citrus and
herb-scented cocktail base. At the pricey
end, I loved the perfumed, bosky joy
that is Don Fulano 100 Proof Silver, a
delicious 50 per cent tequila, best treated
with respect as a sipping shot (70cl,
thewhiskyexchange.com, £49.75).
Reposado or “rested” tequilas, aged in
oak barrels, are, at their finest, golden,
smoky-oaky hits with honeyed, peppery
notes. Vivir’s is a star with delicious,
What was once golden raisin and clove spice (40 per
cent, 70cl, Waitrose, £39).
a head-banging Finally, don’t forget anejo, or “old”
tequila, aged for at least a year in
firewater is now oak casks — an acquired taste, but
Clooney and chums’ Casamigos Tequila
a silky, floral, Anejo, (40 per cent, 70cl, Harvey
spicy charmer Nichols, £73) is a simple, honeyed,
smoky, vanilla pod charge.

My top
bottles

Yotam Ottolenghi Sesame-crusted feta

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

by Noor Murad and
Yotam Ottolenghi is
published by Ebury, £25
Grilled courgettes with
warm yoghurt and
saffron butter Jose Cuervo Reposado, Tapatio Blanco, Vivir Tequila Blanco, Don Fulano Reposado,
Serves 2-4 and a good grind of 38 per cent, 70cl 40 per cent, 50cl 40 per cent, 70cl 40 per cent, 70cl
Ingredients pepper. Arrange them Asda, £18, down Selfridges, £31.99 Waitrose, £32, down thewhiskyexchange.com,
30g unsalted butter cut side up and grill for from £21 Surprisingly Easy-sipping, silky, from £36 £45.95 Absolutely
¼ tsp saffron threads, 15-20 min until nicely elegant, smoky, tangy, floral, mint and Vivir rocks. With this delicious oak-aged
roughly crushed charred and softened. bestselling tequila, with eucalyptus-scented, smooth, verdant blanco reposado, all punchy yet
4 small courgettes, tops 4 Towards the last a pleasing butterscotch mixer-loving blanco; closing on a fruity, citrus velvety, cinnamon and
trimmed slightly and 10 min of grilling time note and finish. margaritas all round? edge, it’s the perfect shot. black pepper oomph.
courgettes halved make the sauce. In a
lengthways (600g)
2½ tbsp olive oil
bowl whisk together
the cornflour and This week’s top supermarket wines
1 tsp cornflour 3 tablespoons of water
300g Greek-style until smooth, then add
yoghurt the yoghurt, garlic,
2 garlic cloves, crushed dried mint, ½ a
½ tsp dried mint teaspoon of salt and the
¾ tsp coriander seeds, remaining ½ a
toasted and roughly tablespoon of oil. Whisk
crushed to combine, then

Eat!
1½ tbsp mint leaves transfer to a large, non-
½ lemon stick pan on a medium
Salt and black pepper heat. Cook, stirring
continuously, for about
Method 10 min, until thickened

Monica 1 Preheat the oven to a

high grill setting.
2 Put the butter and
slightly. Do not let the
sauce boil or it will split.
5 Transfer the yoghurt

Galetti’s saffron into a small

saucepan on a medium
sauce to a plate, and top
with the courgettes, 2019 Campaneo Old 2019 Specially Selected 2020 Taste the 2020 Bonny Doon Vin

home heat. When the butter

has melted, set aside.
3 Place the courgettes
grilled side up. Spoon
over the saffron butter,
then sprinkle with the
Vines Garnacha, Spain
14 per cent
Tesco, £5
Criollo Uruguayan
Tannat, 14 per cent
Aldi, £6.99
Difference Prosecco
Conegliano, Italy,
10.5 per cent
Gris de Cigare Rosé,
California, 13.5 per cent
Waitrose, £9.99, down

cooking on a parchment-lined
baking tray and toss
with 2 tablespoons of
coriander seeds and
mint leaves. Squeeze
over the lemon half and
Everyone loves a good
ordinary, easy-swigging,
red plum-packed, fruity
Punching above its
weight, this inky, earthy,
black plum and dark
Sainsbury’s, £10
Just-landed frothy, pear
drop and apple-orchard
from £12.99
Cheapest price all year
for this dry, herby, mostly
Magazine oil, ⅓ teaspoon of salt serve immediately. £5 winter red, and this a
great choice.
chocolate-laced tannat
gets my vote.
fizz, the best of the £10
Prosecco Superiore pops.
grenache and grenache
blanc-based pink.
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

14
the times Saturday October 2 2021

15
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

16

Outside
Keep borders
flourishing
with sedums
These plants come in
all shapes and sizes,
and some flower
through to November,
writes Joe Swift

O
ne of my running jokes
when laying out any
sedum plants on site is
to randomly shout out:
“Look, sedum here,
sedum there, sedum
bloody everywhere!”
Recently, however, sedums have had a
name change; their Latin name is now Hy-
lotelephium. Fortunately, they are still gen-
erally called sedums (other common
names include stonecrop or ice plant), so I
can still laugh at my cheesy humour.
In the old days sedums were — under-
standably, but perhaps unfairly — tagged
as “suburban plants”, with an extremely
limited colour palette of mainly green and
pink flowers. They have been rather re-
invented in recent years. One factor is that
plant breeders have capitalised on their
natural attractiveness and widened their
range — many now pack more of a punch,
with red flowers and deep burgundy foli-
age, while others have pinky-red blooms
set against their blue-green foliage.
Their flat and gently dome-shaped flow-
ers offer a useful form in the border, slot-
ting seamlessly into the ever-broadening
new perennial style (alongside ornamen-
tal grasses, late summer daisies, asters etc).
It’s an easy and impactful way of gardening
that many of us have embraced. They are
the times Saturday October 2 2021

MARIANNE MAJERUS GARDEN IMAGES; ALAMY

17

‘We sat on a bank and listened

Page to squirrels crunching the
last of the hazelnuts’
19 Christopher Somerville’s good walk

Nine great sedums

Weeder’s
digest

When you see clumps

of colchicums in flower
now, the corms are just
starting to make this
year’s new roots and
you can still dig them
up and divide them;
the leaves will only
come in spring.
Lawn edges that have
been trodden down look,
from a distance, as if
they wave in and out and
Hylotelephium ‘Matrona’ H. spectabile ‘Stardust’ H. ‘Red Cauli’ will muddle up your
Softly rounded clusters of pale-pink (ice plant) Dramatic deep red flowers above design (nothing to do
starry flowers and blue-green leaves White flowers and light-green fleshy attractive blue-green foliage and with the length of the
with darker tints of burgundy. Height leaves. Turns more autumnal shades green stems. They look great grass). To fix it, slice some
up to 75cm x spread 50cm towards the end of summer. Height alongside yellow rudbeckias. Height lines through the turf
45cm x spread 40cm 40cm x spread 30cm with a spade at right
angles to the lawn’s edge,
slide the spade under the
turf to free it and roll it
back, allowing you to add
in extra soil to build up
the level. Roll back the
turf and tamp it down
firmly with the back of
the spade.
Where perennials have
flopped over lawn
edges, pulling them
clear now will give the
browned grass below
time to green up while
it’s still growing strongly.
Grass usually recovers
after a few weeks in
the light and air, but
recovery is harder once
H. ‘Herbstfreude’ the season turns cold.
H. cauticola ‘Coca Cola’ H. cauticola H. ‘Karfunkelstein’ If you are having to use
A lower-growing “stonecrop” sedum Low-growing with light grey-green The fleshy leaves are purple when they Roundup on problem
also extremely long-lasting, some flower- with silver-grey foliage and masses leaves and pink flowers. I think it looks first appear and then turn a very deep weeds (ground elder,
ing from August to November. of soft-pink flowers in late summer. happiest trailing over a raised bed, burgundy to set off the bright pink couch grass etc), now is
Once planted, they require very little Grows well in a pot or in a raised bed. grown in a pot or within a gravel area. flowers to perfection. Height 30cm x a good time to apply it
attention. Indeed, they thrive on neglect Height 20cm x spread 30cm Height 10cm x spread 30cm spread 50cm to the remaining green
because their waxy, succulent leaves store leaves, which will
moisture, which means they rarely need efficiently take the
watering. They are also magnets for polli- chemicals down into the
nators because they produce plenty of root. It will not be taken
easy and accessible late nectar. up by dead foliage.
Damp autumn weather
How to grow them and general care with leaves lying around
Sedums are all-out sun lovers. Too many in eddies is the perfect
nutrients, especially nitrogen, will make time for slug damage
them grow large, lush and ultimately too to take you by surprise,
tall for their stems to sustain the weight, so especially to small,
they end up flopping over. The key is to delicate plants such as
grow them hard on poor soils with good alpines. Even if you take
drainage and never feed them. If you an easygoing approach
already have some that get floppy, look to to leaf clearance, it’s
reduce the fertility around them over the worth doing some
next few years. In the meantime give them regular housekeeping
the “Chelsea chop” to keep them stocky where there are
(next May cut back all the stems by a delicate plants.
third), which will result in them producing Divide clumps of Pacific
masses of smaller flowers a little later in Coast irises such as
the year and help them to stay more H. ‘Lime Zinger’ H. ‘Herbstfreude’ H. telephium ‘Touchdown Teak’ I. douglasiana, into
compact overall. Ideal as low-growing ground cover Light-green leaves and salmon-pink A new variety with deep burgundy groups of five to eight
When planting avoid acidic soils and for a border or the top of a pot. Zingy flowers, which turn orange-red in upright leaves topped with reddish pink rhizomes. Unlike most
add plenty of grit for extra drainage. The lime-green leaves and pink flowers in autumn. Height and spread 50cm flowers. Height 50cm x spread 50cm irises they are evergreen
smaller varieties do well in containers too; summer. Height 20cm x spread 45cm and happy in leafy soil
again, add some grit when planting. and light shade. SA
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

18 Outside

Plant lush green foliage for an Question

time

autumn garden that shines GARETH IWAN JONES FOR THE TIMES; JOANNA KOSSAK/GARDEN DESIGN BY DANUTA MLOZNIAK/GAP PHOTOS
Q I have a lily in an
outdoor pot that has
produced a wonderful
array of flowers for two
Stephen Anderton years running. When the
flowers are gone, should
picks his favourite I keep on watering them
or leave them to dry out
varieties that serve until next year?
G Orpin
as a background A After flowering, lilies

for bright colours should be kept cool and

in leaf for as long as
possible to feed the

T
he ability to “keep their bulbs. Lilies will flower
head when all about are well for a couple of years
losing theirs” might be the without repotting, so long
essence of a good autumn as you feed them, but
plant, or at least a massively then in February you
useful autumn plant. should repot them in
Because, while dahlias and fresh rich compost such
monkshoods and rudbeckias are flowering as John Innes No 3. In
away, fit to burst in autumn, other plants ‘Texanum’ the years you don’t repot,
Ligustrum japonicum
are already shabby. it is enough to scrape off
How valuable it is, then, to have plants tthe upper compost
that, even though they may not even be Th lone 1m and 2m stems of this year’s
The above the bulbs and
in flower, are still looking really smart plants are long finished, and these refresh that alone.
and pristine of leaf, plants that don’t seedlings are making hairy grey rosettes
look remotely sad or autumnal but shine 60cm across that will themselves flower Q I have managed to
with unseasonal perfection. Plants next year. grow a plum tree from
that are the ideal foil for those that do Every time it rains, the new leaves seed. It is now about
the flowering. emerge 10cm longer. It is wonderfully re- 12in tall in a pot. When
warding watching them establish with is the best time of year
such spring-like vigour, although they to plant it out to its
What to grow beneath will slow down soon enough as the permanent position?
shrubs season cools. P Mason
A good leathery leaf counts for a lot in
the autumn glamour stakes, and ele- Top shrubs and trees A So long as its position
phant’s ears (Bergenia cordifolia) is a There are shrubs too that seem to look is safe from pests/
brilliant choice of plant for this time of better than ever at this time of year. mowers/people, the
year. I grow it at the foot of an ancient Until they finally start to yellow, sooner your tree is
laurel and it looks absolutely flawless figs look impossibly succulent of leaf, planted the better. It
right now. with the second crop of little figs will grow like crazy for
sitting there on the tree full of promise but several years and not
Beds and borders sadly unlikely to ripen before the winter flower, that’s to be
Little Bergenia stracheyi I have at the edge Low clumps of Hakonechloa destroys them. expected, but on the
of a border and the delicate flowered macra set off darker plants The privet bushes are looking superb other hand it will never
B. omeiensis in a large square as well. Forget hedging privet, that need staking. As a
container. Both look terrific now; is a different beast altogether. I am talking, seedling tree, its fruit
their leaves are only 15cm long for one, about the Japanese privet may be good, bad or
rather than B. cordifolia’s 30cm, form broad drifts 30cm tall that tickle In damp shady soil Ligustrum japonicum. It has a slow, indifferent — that’s
and there is not a shabby one to bare feet exquisitely. Right now it is still very dense growing form called the risk you take by
be seen. looking fresh, especially the yellow You would be right ight to think of ‘Rotundifolium’,
Rotundifolium , with round not buying a reliable
People say that Melianthus forms, such as ‘Aureola’ and ‘Albolineata’. most grey-leaved d plants as shiny leaves,
leaves useful as an named variety.
major smells of peanut but- Delicious with nerines. heat lovers, but alternative
alternativ to a big
ter, and I can see what they Actually, nerines are a tricky Anaphalis triplinervis
nervis box ball,
bal which at this Q I’ve managed, with my
mean. Its great waxy plant to find a place for because the is an exception. ion. time of year is glossy green fingers, to grow
sea-green feathers of bulbs need a hot summer bake It needs fairly ly as sin
si and a perfect two lemon trees now
foliage are freshness and they can’t be smothered by damp soil and d foil
foi for any looser three years old. The
itself now and still hap- other plants, even though leafless even a little plants.
pl leaves have a sticky
pily unfolding at the top then. But I have found that if shade. Its great For the first substance on them.
of its 1m stems. I have the steely-blue New Zealand charm is its time
ti this year I Why? C Beviss
it with the dangling burr Acaena ‘Blue Haze’ is plant- lovely clouds also
a got hold
wisteria-like flowers of ed near by it can be allowed to of chalky-white of another form
o A Usually sticky leaves
Indigofera pendula, and sprawl thinly over them through everlasting flow- of it, the Texas mean something is
the two of them per- summer without stopping ers that mound d privet,
pr Ligustrum dropping onto the leaf
form their duet right flowering. It’s cut back in spring up in late summer, r, japonicum ‘Texa-
jap surface from above. As
through October. to re-expose them. And just more like a cloudoud num’.
num I bought often as not with potted
now, the Acaena is looking its of pale foliage than three of them dirt lemons, it’s scale insects,
Full sun and steely best. flowers, and they ey last cheap online
o in 9cm which live mostly on the
way into autumn.
umn. Bergenia pots, and what a leaf! underside of the leaves,
well-drained soil cordifolia Think of a camellia but dropping their excretions
Some grasses look world- Between
etween paler, with a silver bac
back and tapering onto the upper surface
weary in autumn, and that’s to an elegant point. I shall try it in of the lower leaves. Look
part of their charm; others,
the paving cracks the ground, as well as in tubs, where for little brown discs
especially the evergreen Out in the sun I have young I’ll hope to make spheres of it, fixed tightly to the leaf
kinds, less so. The Japanese seedlings of our common because privets usually respond so well to veins and twigs.
hakone grass Hakonechloa mullein Verbascum cutting back. Send your questions
macra is a low, soft clump- Stephen Anderton thapsus growing in The thing is, if you don’t try new things, to stephen.anderton@
former that can be planted to cracks in the paving. you will never learn. thetimes.co.uk
the times Saturday October 2 2021
A good walk Penshurst and
the Eden Valley Walk, Kent
How hard is it?
5½ miles; easy; field
paths and lanes
A
sunny afternoon over
Penshurst, the blue
sky silvered with lazily
drifting clouds. The
village houses of mellow
brick and Kentish
weatherboard held
enough olde-worlde charm to spark
nostalgia for JRR Tolkien’s mythical
Shire. I popped into the Forge Stores,
with its round wooden hobbit-hole
frontage, and was tempted to ask for a
flask of mead and pouch of Longbottom
Leaf along with my chocolate bar.
An embanked lane led west between
bracken slopes, sloe bushes heavy with
shiny dark fruit and hedges a-twitter
with flocks of pink-breasted linnets. This
is beautifully maintained countryside,
giving off a whiff of money well spent.
Field ditches have been dug and cleaned,
new plantations of cherry, hazel and
hawthorn established, hedges allowed
to bulk out as food and cover for wildlife.
Along the valley stretched a line of
Second World War pillboxes, the derelict
old strongpoints sprouting ivy and elder.
We crossed the sluggish River Eden,
where silver dace flicked with a tiny
splash into the sheltering shade of alder
London
Canterbury
Eastbourne
Sliders Watstock
Barn
Farm
Russell’s
Wood
Yewtree
Wood
Oakenden
Farm
roots. There was a whisper of wind and
a shiver of leaves in the poplar groves.
A straggle of straws and leaves along
the way showed where last winter’s
floods had drowned the path as they
encroached on these low-lying fields.
This part of Kent is famous for its
hops; witness the cluster of former oasts,
or drying kilns, that stood at Salman’s
Farm like red-habited nuns under white
coif caps. Beyond on a slope, vines had
been planted, the grapes hanging from
wires stretched at shoulder height. We
sat on a bench to eat our picnic, looking
down the rows and imagining the
Outside 19
JANE SOMERVILLE; ALAMY
Watercourses near The walk ended with a stroll across the
Penshurst. Top right: sward in front of 14th-century Penshurst
Penshurst Place. Above
right: linnets flock to
Place, an extravagant mishmash of brick,
stone, chimneys, gables and arches all
Penshurst
the Kentish hedges picked out in the low, late-afternoon sun.
Start Penshurst Place car park, Penshurst
Place TN11 8DG (OS ref TQ 530440)
Getting there Bus 231, 233 (Lingfield-
Tunbridge Wells)
R
iv
e
r
E
d
e
n
Road Penshurst is signed from A26
K E N T
(Tonbridge-Tunbridge Wells).
Salman’s
Farm PENSHURST
Walk (OS Explorer 147). Down Penshurst
st
Place drive; right along street. Past Forge
ar
Stores, right along the Warren (525436).
t
In 1 mile at Salman’s Farm, through
River
Eden
kissing gate/KG (512432); right up track;
River
left, and keep ahead (yellow arrow/YA).
Medway At T-junction in Russell’s Wood, right
(507430, YA, “441”). Opposite Oakenden
house, right (501428, YA, stile), then
right through KG, across fields; through
500 metres Yewtree Wood. On west edge of wood
cross stile (502435, YA); on to road
(501436). Right; pass Sliders Barn; in
harvest. Regent grapes for a nice rosé, 150m, right along drive (503439); follow
said the adjacent notice. That would do. Eden Valley walk for 1½ miles to
Twisted hornbeams and hollies Penshurst. Left at B2176 (525439); in
reflected a sombre light in Russell’s 200m, right (525440, KG) through the
Wood. Beyond, in Yewtree Wood,
children shouted and swooped, walking An embanked grounds of Penshurst Place to car park.
Lunch/accommodation Leicester Arms,
the plank along the recumbent trunks
of old beeches that had been thrown in
lane led west Penshurst TN11 8BT (01892 871617,
theleicesterarms.com)
storms long gone and forgotten.
At Watstock Farm on the homeward
between sloe More information Penshurst Place —
01892 870307, penshurstplace.com
path, we sat on a bank and listened to bushes heavy Twitter @somerville_c
squirrels crunching the last of the
hazelnuts in the hedge behind us. Back with shiny Christopher Somerville
The View from the Hill (Haus
at Penshurst youngsters were jumping
with much ado into and out of the river.
dark fruit Publishing), a collection of Christopher
Somerville’s outdoor writing, is out now
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Travel
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
The great sleeper-train revival
O
n December 13, 2009, a
Overnight rail certain sleeper train
screeched to a halt in
travel is enjoying Vienna for the last time,
and so arrived at the
a renaissance — terminus of a 126-year
history. That train was
Oliver Smith picks the Orient Express, Europe’s original
sleeper. It had carried royals and rulers
the best journeys from Paris to Istanbul, but like many night
trains across Europe it had long since had
its route shortened. It eventually ended up
to book now surplus to requirements.
Its name has been evoked elsewhere,
notably the luxury Venice Simplon-
Orient-Express, but that little train in
Vienna was the true descendant of the
pioneering 1883 service first gasped at by
crowds in top hats: a functional train found
Page
52
in timetables, not brochures. Had a certain
Belgian detective been on the platform
that day, he might have ascribed the
murder of the Orient Express —
indeed, the demise of night trains
across Europe — to multiple cul-
prits. Budget airlines wielded
the knife. New high-speed
trains had a stab. The eternal
sleep of the European sleeper
seemed certain. Until now.
“There is a resurgence in
night trains right now,” says
Mark Smith of the Man in Seat 61
website. “People are getting more
climate-conscious and are willing to
consider trains over planes for increas-
ing distances. When I started seat61.com
20 years ago the people who used it often
Travel 41
‘Rocks rise through pine trees
on one side; on the other is the
Bages lagoon and sea’
Anthony Peregrine checks in to a Languedoc château
DAVID NOTON/BELMOND; GETTY IMAGES
had a fear of flying. Now they say two
things: they’re fed up with the airline
experience and they want to cut their
carbon footprint.”
In the age of Greta Thunberg,
flygskam (Swedish for flight
shame) and passengers seeking
Covid-safe self-enclosed com-
partments, sleepers are back
in fashion. Strangely, Vienna is
at the centre of this revival:
the Austrian national operator’s
Nightjet brand is leading the
charge with plans to offer six new
routes over the coming years, plus a
swish new fleet of carriages with
“mini capsules”.
Private players are entering the market
Wake up in Paris too. From April 2022 European Sleeper W
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

42 Travel
Old Town, Stockholm

W will use Czech rolling stock to travel London to Fort William

from Brussels across Germany to Prague,
Of all the sleeper trains across the globe,
while the luxury company Midnight
this is the one that really gets the
Trains has ambitious plans for hotel-like
anoraks misty-eyed and reaching for
services to canter across the Continent, in-
the nearest single malt. The Caledonian
cluding from Edinburgh to Paris. A new
Sleeper departs the miserable
golden age for sleepers has seemed certain
multistorey car park of London Euston
in recent weeks, with the German Green
for glorious Highland glens — a journey
Party announcing a blueprint of routes it
along the length of this island. In the
wants to see by 2030, among them London
wee hours northbound trains divide to
to Barcelona, Glasgow to Frankfurt and
serve multiple destinations: oil folk head
London to Rome. In one sleep you could
for Aberdeen, hopeful skiers make for
be ushered from the pigeons of Euston
Aviemore, but the classic option is Fort
Road to the piazzas of the Eternal City.
William. Set your alarm early for views
However, there’s a catch. Experts point
of Rannoch Moor, where deer canter
out that the Greens’ plan is just a wish list,
through peat and heather. New carriages
and that any sleeper train between the UK
were added two years ago with double
and the Continent — such as from London
beds and en suite bathrooms.
to Barcelona — is closer to a pipe dream
Best bit Nine excellent single malts
than an imminent possibility.
available in the bar
The “Nightstar” trains, the
Details Classic compartment
nocturnal versions of
for two people from £100
Eurostar, were axed
(sleeper.scot)
before launch in the
late 1990s because
of a lack of profit- Brussels
ability; sleeper
carriages take to Vienna
fewer passengers The Brussels to
than their day- Vienna Nightjet
time counter- service
parts and can’t so launched, with
easily stop to unfortunate
take on new fares. timing, at the
Smith remains start of 2020.
suspicious of any It had British
modern sleeper ser- railway aficionados
vice that promises to Helsinki salivating at the
cross the Channel Tunnel. Central station prospect of an afternoon
“As soon as you add Channel Tun- Eurostar to Brussels followed
nel access fees and HS1 access fees, it blows by milky coffee in a Ringstrasse café the
the business case out the water,” he says. next morning. Covid-19 meant it
But with Brussels and Paris about two shuddered to a halt, but now it’s back up
hours away by Eurostar, Brits can still take and running — and, even more
advantage of evolving routes on the excitingly, is set to be joined by a sibling
Continent and enjoy the experience that sleeper train from Paris to Vienna in
beguiled the passengers of the Orient December. For now, though, the Belgian
Express. A nightcap in the dining car. version is a swift, satisfying way of
Dozing to the lullaby of clattering rails. moving east into the Continent; look out hour later and split in two, going south,
The joy of simultaneously departing and for the spire of Aachen Cathedral before Rome to Palermo past the fiery foothills of Etna to
arriving: landing in your little compart- bedtime as you cross into Germany. Waking up on a sleeper train is the best
terminate in ancient Syracuse, or west,
ment as the train heaves out into the night. While you snore you’ll join the current part of the experience: parting the
to arrive in the capital, Palermo. There’s
of the River Danube on its merry waltz curtains can be like opening presents on
a choice of linen-clad beds with en suite
Proposed Nightjet routes downstream towards the Austrian Christmas morning. Nowhere does the
bathrooms and basic couchettes: food
December 2021: Paris to Vienna capital. big reveal better than the southbound
on board is limited, so bring a picnic.
December 2021: Amsterdam to Zurich Best bit The seamless transfer from sleeper from Rome to Palermo: you find
2022: Zurich to Rome Eurostar to Nightjet, all within Brussels that you have become an unwitting Best bit Rise early to see the wildly
2023: Paris to Berlin Midi station sailor as carriages are loaded onto a scenic Calabrian coast
2023: Brussels to Berlin Details Single berth among four ferry over the Strait of Messina. Trains Details Single berth among four
2024: Zurich to Barcelona couchettes from £120 (nightjet.com) roll off on to Sicilian soil less than an couchettes from £35 (trenitalia.com)
the times Saturday October 2 2021
GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY
Paris to Nice
The Train Bleu was famous for ushering
bohemians and aristocrats from London
and Paris to the shores of the Côte
d’Azur. It met its end long ago, but its
ghost haunts the Gare de Lyon, where
the most opulent station restaurant in
the world carries its name (le-train-
bleu.com). Make time for an evening
croque monsieur before heading to the
Gare d’Austerlitz over the Seine to catch
Le Train Bleu’s modern successor. There
are few signs of fin-de-siècle opulence
aboard this couchettes-only Intercités
de Nuit service, but it still transports
you from the City of Lights to the
Mediterranean as you catch 40 winks.
Best bit Emerging for a morning stroll
along the Promenade des Anglais
Details Single berth among six
couchettes from £25 (sncf.com)
Stockholm to Narvik
Bid farewell to the steeples and palaces
of the Swedish capital in late afternoon,
tracing the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia
into the Arctic Circle. Things get
more rugged the next afternoon when
you cross the Norwegian border and
chunter through the mountains to
Narvik, a gateway to the fjords beyond.
Compartments and couchettes are warm
in sub-zero winters.
Best bit The line teetering high above
the Rombaken fjord in Norway
Details Single berth among six
couchettes from £80 (acprail.com)
London to Penzance
The Night Riviera is the second survivor
from the glory days of British sleepers,
shuttling you between London
Overnight to Penzance for
views of St Michael’s Mount
Skadarlija, Belgrade
Paddington and Cornwall on a happy
overnight hop. Westbound passengers
might watch the first rays of dawn as
they cross Brunel’s bridge over the River
Tamar, or disembark by bobbing boats
at Penzance after eight hours’ snooze. St
Austell and Truro are other stops. Where
the Caledonian Sleeper has brand-new
trains, the Night Riviera uses old-school
British Rail coaches given a wholesale
facelift in 2018. It departs around
midnight westbound, so dining is more
basic than on its Scottish counterpart.
Best bit Skirting a midnight sea at
Dawlish on eastbound trains
Details Solo-berth cabin from £119
(gwr.com)
Belgrade to Bar
The Belgrade to Bar railway is a
rollercoaster ride through the Balkans,
taking in more than 400 tunnels and
250 bridges as it zigzags over the Dinaric
Alps, crossing Serbia and taking a nibble
at Bosnian soil before reaching the shore
of the Adriatic in Montenegro. Opened
as a pet project of Marshal Tito (who
liked to ride the rails on his own palatial
train), it’s a great route to traverse by
sleeper, waking to see rosy dawn rays
catching the karst summits above. The
final stretch is the most stirring: the
hair-raising Mala Rijeka viaduct was
The Rannoch Viaduct
once the tallest railway bridge in the
world. Good-value trains have seats,
couchettes and compartments.
Best bit Seeing Tito’s train lording over
the sidings at Belgrade
Details Couchettes from about £25;
buy tickets at Belgrade or Bar
Helsinki to Rovaniemi
The received wisdom is that Father
Christmas travels by sleigh. In Finland,
however, it’s by sleeper train, specifically
a double-decker one adorned with
Travel 43
Booking a sleeper
What you need to know
Generally speaking, a sleeper or
night train will offer three types of
ticket: the first, a simple seat, is the
cheapest option, but far from the
comfiest. Couchettes are common
on continental night trains. These are
daytime seats that after dark morph
into four or six bunks where you
make your own bed (women-only
couchettes are often available). Most
desirable is a compartment (also
called a cabin, or simply “sleeper”
class). These rooms can take many
forms, from comfortable to luxurious
with en suite bathrooms. They have
no more than three made-up beds —
book them all out if you want the
space to yourself, or risk sharing with
a stranger (of the same gender).
Be aware that prices on sleeper
trains can fluctuate wildly; the prices
included here are an indication.
By far the best resource is the
encyclopaedic website seat61.com.
• All prices quoted are one way
pictures of owls, cats in dungarees and
his ruddy visage. Whatever the age of
the passengers (or the time of year), it’s
a merry, practical way of travelling from
Helsinki to Santa’s supposed home town,
the Lapland capital of Rovaniemi beyond
the Arctic Circle. Comfy compartments
(some en suite) offer festive views.
Best bit Boarding at the magnificent
Helsinki Central station, flanked by
supersized granite statues
Details Cabin without shower for two
people from £85 (vr.fi)
Munich to Budapest
The stretch of line between Munich and
Budapest was travelled by the original
Orient Express. With a little less pomp
and circumstance, the Hungarian sleeper
Kalman Imre travels the same route
today, one that, in concert with a
Eurostar to Paris and a TGV to the
Bavarian capital, offers a way to reach
Budapest in less than 24 hours from
London. The train skirts the Chiemsee
after midnight, and restless souls might
catch a strain of Mozart in the small
hours as they pass Salzburg, where a
dining car is attached to provide
breakfasts. Passengers disembark under
the triumphal arch of Keleti station, an
architectural wonder of Mitteleuropa.
Best bit Sinking steins at Augustiner
Keller before an evening departure from
the adjacent Munich Hauptbahnhof
Details Single berth among six
couchettes from £70 (oebb.at)
Paris to Moscow
The epic Russian Railways Paris to
Moscow sleeper makes a journey over
three days, sufficient hours to wrestle
with the prose of Tolstoy or Dostoevsky
as you feast on goulash in the dining car.
In normal times it goes once a week
from the Gare de l’Est, speeding through
Berlin Hauptbahnhof, crossing the
Vistula at Warsaw and rattling through
the forests of Belarus, stopping only
under the mint-green turrets of Moscow
Belorussky. Sadly it has been suspended
through Covid-19; fingers crossed this
sleeping giant reawakens soon.
Best bit Meeting your provodnitsa, an
attendant who serves each carriage
Details Single berth in four-bed sleeper
compartment about £270 (eng.rzd.ru)
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

44 Travel
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Travel 45
the times Saturday October 2 2021
UK breaks — the pick of the
cultural getaways for autumn
Mozart in Bath,
Hepworth in
Yorkshire and books
in the Borders —
Sean Newsom has
the top escapes
Beethoven in Liverpool
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
has a new chief conductor. Domingo
Hindoyan, from Venezuela, has worked
with Daniel Barenboim, the Vienna State
Opera and the Met in New York — and
kicks off his tenure with a series of
blockbusters, including Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony (October 14 and 16,
from £24; liverpoolphil.com). Add the
Lucian Freud and Louise Bourgeois
exhibitions at the Tate (tate.org.uk) and a
couple of nights at 2 Blackburne Terrace,
which has its own contemporary art
gallery, for a real cultural treat.
Details B&B doubles from £180
(2blackburne terrace.com)
Music and design in
Derbyshire
Quick, book yourself a spa weekend at
the restored Buxton Crescent Hotel.
From October 15-17 the Opera House
next door is hosting a mini-festival of
music and talks, with the jazz guitarist
Nigel Price and English National
Opera’s Harewood Artists on the menu
(£25; buxtonfestival.co.uk). Add a walk of
operatic grandeur along the Great Ridge
above Edale, stopping off on your return
at the David Mellor Visitor Centre at
Hathersage (davidmellordesign.com).
p
The designer of Britain’s postwar bus
shelters and traffic lights also
made cutlery, whichch you
hop.
can buy from the shop.
Details B&B doubles es
from £155
(ensanahotels.com m
/buxton)
Books on
the Tweed
Val McDermid’s
1979 has been
called her “best
book in years”. So
the crime writer’s
appearance is boundnd to Have a sleepover at
add an extra buzz to this year’s Thornbury Castle
delayed Borders Book
ook Festival
(November 2-7, tickets from £6;
bordersbookfestival.org). As will its new
venue: Sir Walter Scott’s baronial
mansion at Abbotsford, near Melrose,
will be hosting talks and readings, with
Ian Rankin among the other confirmed
guests. Near by, the Scandi-flavoured
Travel 47
ALAMY; LEE SEARLE
Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott’s home, near Melrose
Trouthouse at St Boswells is the perfect Max Hastings, Clare Balding and dozens
venue for a party of whodunnit fans. A Hawker Hurricane replica at the more. Book town-centre accommodation
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for six Bentley Priory Museum in Stanmore soon. The hip, luxe No 131 is two
from £1,219 (crabtreeandcrabtree.com) minutes’ walk from the festival village
at Montpellier Gardens.
Details B&B doubles from £162
Carmen and (no131.com)
Bernstein in Leeds
For a double helping of Opera North’s Code breakers and
new season, aim for October 22-23,
when the Leeds Grand Theatre hosts
RAF bunkers
back-to-back performances. First up is a Two days in Bletchley, Stanmore and
Leonard Bernstei
Bernstein spectacular, Uxbridge beckon on this guided tour of
featuring Trouble
Tr in Tahiti Britain’s backroom war effort. The
symp
and symphonic dances cracking of the Enigma and Lorenz
W Side Story.
from West cipher machines is a key part of the
Then it’s Bizet’s story. So too the essential work at the
Car
Carmen (from £15; RAF’s No 11 Group Operations Room
op
operanorth.co.uk). Bunker in the Battle of Britain. Guide
St at the newly
Stay monasteries. But don’t just gawp, have Colonel Paul Beaver is fascinating
re
restored art deco a sleepover. The castle has been a hotel company, because of what he has
since the 1960s and its new owners have done as much as what he knows.
Q
Queen’s Hotel.
sunk millions into its refurbishment. His pilot’s log includes Spitfire and
Details
D
B
B&B doubles Details B&B doubles from £229 Mustang flights.
fro
from £138 (thornburycastle.co.uk) Details Two nights’ half-board from
(th
(thequeensleeds. £775pp, departing on October 25
co.u
co.uk) Cheltenham (andantetravels.co.uk)
Bed d down in Literature Festival
Full disclosure: this newspaper Tyneside in the frame
a Tudor
Tudo castle sponsors the Cheltenham Literature At Newcastle’s Laing Art Gallery,
For anyone with a hehead for Festival (October 8-17, from £6; 85 intimate oil paintings, drawings and
16th-century history and architecture, cheltenhamfestivals.com), but it really is prints explore Britain’s love of
Thornbury’s ensemble of castle and the hottest literary ticket this autumn, portraiture in the 20th century, in an
church north of Bristol is dazzling. with a guest list brimming with big exhibition organised by the art dealers
The castle was built for the Duke of names, including the poet Raymond Liss Llewellyn, with many works rarely
Buckingham, who was beheaded in 1521. Antrobus, the Booker prizewinner seen by the public (until February 26, £7;
St Mary’s graceful tower was built in Bernardine Evaristo and the classicist laingartgallery.org.uk). Meanwhile,
the midst of the dissolution of the Mary Beard, as well as Sebastian Faulks, at the Baltic, Sutapa Biswas explores W
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

48 Travel

W themes of time, space, culture and and 31, £12.50; pallant.org.uk). One Still Life Essentials course (£335;
identity (until March 20, free; celebr
celebrates the role that St Ives played schoolofpainting.co.uk) in its seaside
baltic.art). The quayside Malmaisonon making English art modern. The
in m studio. Then, from November 8-10, the
hotel offers quick access to both. other focuses on Ben Nicholson’s
oth Newlyn School of Art has a new
Details B&B doubles from £110 journey
jou towards abstraction Experimental Figure course that aims to
(malmaison.com) while he lived in the same town.
w make your work more expressive (£395;
Stay
S at the colourful, grade II newlynartschool.co.uk). Stay at the
listed
li Purchases. Chapel House hotel in Penzance for an
Art in Chichester Details B&B doubles from £120
D inspiring mix of Georgian elegance and
Thanks to inspired collecting by (p
(purchasesrestaurant.co.uk) airy, Scandi luxury.
the late cathedral dean Walter Details B&B doubles from £160
Hussey, Chichester has long been n Still life in the
St (chapelhousepz.co.uk)
a honeypot of 20th-century art.
Pallant House Gallery is the hub, and We Country
West Harps and evensong
this autumn its two main exhibitions
ons From November
N 5-7 the St Ives
The Hepworth gallery on the Isle of Wight
focus on Cornwall (until October 24 School of Painting beckons with a
in Wakefield
The seventh annual Harp on Wight
music festival kicks off on October 22,
with its patron, Anne Denholm (the
former official harpist for the Prince
of Wales), performing on the first
night and a strong emphasis on Celtic
music over the next four days (from £5;
harponwight.co.uk). Stay in one of the
bright white rooms at the upmarket
Fishbourne inn.
Details B&B doubles from £164
(thefishbourne.co.uk)

Writing retreat in
Devon
Collections of short stories are making
a comeback, and if you think you have
the precision and lightness of touch to
write your own, sign up for Unexpected
Journeys, a short-story writers’ retreat
with the Arvon Foundation
(November 29-December 4). Run in
the 16th-century Totleigh Barton centre,
it harnesses the experience and insights
of the writer-tutors Chris Power and
KJ Orr, and offers five exhilarating
days of discussion, readings and
one-on-one tutorials.
Details Five nights’ full board from
£815pp (arvon.org)

Royal history in York

There’s a touch of irony here: holding
a historical symposium on the Tudors
in York. After all, which royal house did
they defeat in an iron-fisted power grab?
Still, the distant echoes of Yorkist
despair just add to the fascination of
this three-day gathering of leading
Tudor historians (October 6-8). The
broadcaster Susannah Lipscomb, the
biographer John Guy (winner of the
Whitbread prize for his biography of
Mary, Queen of Scots), and the Wolsey
expert Glenn Richardson feature on
the list of speakers. The Grand hotel is
your accommodation; the venue, its
oak-panelled Grand Boardroom in the
former offices of the North Eastern
Railway.
Details Two nights’ B&B from £850pp A Mozart statue in Bath
(martinrandall.com)
of the modern abstract masters (and
Hepworth in Wakefield partners) Sean Scully and Liliane
It has been ten years since the Tomasko. The next mixes Julian Opie’s
Hepworth Wakefield first opened its private art collection with his own work
doors and, to celebrate, the museum (November 6 to March 6, £12.50;
has mounted the biggest show of newlandshouse.gallery). Plus, next door
Barbara Hepworth’s work since her at Petworth House you’ll find work by
death in 1975 (until February 27, 2022, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Gainsborough
£12; hepworthwakefield.org). More than — as well as one of nature’s most
200 sculptures, paintings and drawings dramatic autumn displays, the deer rut
trace her career. Make a weekend of it (£16; nationaltrust.org.uk). The historic,
by bunking down at the Mews Hotel in arty Angel Inn offers a ringside perch.
Ossett. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park Details B&B doubles from £100
is bursting with exhibitions near by (angelinnpetworth.co.uk)
(£6; ysp.org.uk).
Details B&B doubles from £90
(mews-hotel.co.uk)
Kendal festival returns
After its successful 2020 online edition,
the adventurers’ annual shindig is back,
Deer and abstract art featuring film and literature festivals
The latest show at Newlands Gallery in as well as speaker sessions and free
Petworth, West Sussex, pairs the work events at the bustling Brewery Arts
the times Saturday October 2 2021
Tuition with Newlyn School of Art
Centre hub (November 18-21,
kendalmountainfestival.com). Tickets
and the full programme will be released
shortly, but highlights are sure to include
Colin Prior’s exhibition of Karakoram
mountain photography and the UK
premiere of the sustainable surf movie
Wave of Change. Near by, the
self-catering flat at Airethwaite House
makes a snug base camp.
Details Three nights’ self-catering for
two from £375 (booking.com)
Fiddling in Ayrshire
With the nights drawing in, why not
soak up some ceilidh spirit at Glenapp
Castle? Until the end of October the
Relais & Châteaux retreat in Ayrshire is
offering two days of beginner-friendly
lessons in Scottish fiddling with the local
expert Mark Mitchel. You’ll get plenty of
The V&A design museum in Dundee, on the Tay
A Scully-Tomasko
piece in Petworth
local produce at dinner — pan-fried
scallops, perhaps, or venison with haggis
and parsnip puree.
Details Two nights’ half-board from
£350pp, including tuition (glenapp.com)
Bronze Age beauty
in Shrewsbury
In May 2018 an extraordinary sun
pendant, fashioned from a sheet of gold,
was discovered by a metal detectorist in
Shropshire. According to the British
Museum, it’s one of the most significant
Bronze Age finds in Britain for more
than a century. This autumn it’s on
display for the first time in 3,000 years,
with other priceless gold items from the
era, at the Shrewsbury Museum & Art
Gallery (until December 12, free;
shropshiremuseums.org.uk). Add to
the sense of history by staying at
ALAMY; JAY WILLIAMS; BARNEY HINDLE; JASON INGRAM
Shrewsbury’s oldest hotel, the Golden
Cross, which dates from 1428.
Details B&B doubles from £85
(goldencrosshotel.co.uk)
Mozart in Bath
The former Radio 3 presenter Sandy
Burnett brings a kaleidoscopic range of
musical experience to his lectures on
this six-concert sojourn at November’s
Bath Mozartfest. As well as broadcasting,
Burnett has conducted Bath cantatas,
plays double bass with leading jazz
musicians and has collaborated with
the RSC. Meanwhile, the performers
include the Grammy-winning pianist
Christopher Glynn and the violinist
Rachel Podger (Gramophone’s 2018 artist
of the year), playing the haunting sonata
for violin and piano in E minor, K304.
Details Four nights’ half-board from
£1,375pp, departing on November 13
(aceculturaltours.co.uk)
Club culture in Dundee
Missing the mad-for-it days of your
youth? Book into Sleeperz, by Dundee’s
railway station, next door to the
sharp-edged, Tayside splendour of the
V&A. Here, until January 9, Night Fever
explores the heady cocktail of music,
money, dancing and design that shaped
club culture, and picks out the pivotal
moments. New York’s Studio 54, the
Hacienda in Manchester, Kinky
Gerlinky in London — they all take a
bow (£12; vam.ac.uk). Come before
October 3 and you’ll catch Dundee’s
Design Festival too
(2021.dundeedesignfestival.com).
Details B&B doubles from £88
(sleeperz.com)
Travel 49
Mary Beale at
Bury St Edmunds
From October 23 the West Suffolk
Heritage Service is showing its entire
collection of portraits by the local art
hero Mary Beale. Born in 1633, Beale was
one of England’s first female professional
artists, with a London studio on the Mall.
More than 25 works at Moyse’s Hall
Museum in Bury St Edmunds show why
she had a stellar list of clients (October
23 to January 30, £5; moyseshall.org).
Book into the chic Angel hotel opposite
the abbey gatehouse.
Details B&B doubles from £121
(theangel.co.uk)
Art and film on
the south coast
Youth and diversity are the watchwords
as Southampton bids to be UK City of
Culture 2025 — and if you book into the
Pig, embedded in the city walls, you’ll be
well placed to soak up its open-minded
atmosphere. Complete Portrait of Arthur
Jeffress is the key exhibition, dedicated
to the influential art collector and
benefactor (until January 22, free;
southamptoncityartgallery.com).
Meanwhile, Hetain Patel’s film Trinity
sets the visual worlds of sign language
and martial arts against his Indian
cultural background (until October 30,
free; jhg.art).
Details Room-only doubles from £140
(thepighotel.com)
Archaeology in Kent
Anyone keen on Roman history will be
buzzing to know that archaeologists are
re-excavating part of Richborough. At
the front door of Roman Britain on the
edge of Kent, Richborough’s town and
mighty Saxon Shore fort have been the
subject of numerous digs. But for the
first time since 1849 its amphitheatre is
being examined. From Monday to
November 12 you can join guided tours
of the dig along with exploring the fort
(£7.60; english-heritage.co.uk). Book into
the new B&B Number 37 in nearby Ash.
Details B&B doubles from £60
(37ash.co.uk)
Grinling Gibbons
at Compton Verney
Regarded as the finest of all English
woodcarvers, Grinling Gibbons is the
subject of a wide-ranging exhibition at
Warwickshire mansion and art gallery
Compton Verney (until January 30,
£14.90; comptonverney. org.uk). From
here it’s a 20-minute drive to Stratford-
upon-Avon, where the half-timbered
Hotel Indigo stands hard by
Shakespeare’s grammar school.
Details Room-only doubles from £110
(stratford.hotelindigo.com)
Hiking Offa’s Dyke
There are few more pleasurable hikes
than the one that follows Offa’s Dyke.
On this eight-day, self-guided itinerary
(last departure October 5) you’ll trace
the southern end, from Chepstow to
Knighton, through a remarkable literary
landscape. Pack a copy of Wordsworth’s
Lines Composed a Few Miles above
Tintern Abbey — and budget for a visit to
the lovely Poetry Bookshop at Hay-on-
Wye. You’ll be staying in the second-
hand book capital on your fifth night.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £650pp,
including luggage transfers
(walkersbritain.co.uk)
More culture next page
 the times Saturday October 2 2021

50 Travel
Overseas Travel

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the times Saturday October 2 2021
An arty weekend in
vibrant Amsterdam
I
n 1508 Albrecht Dürer drew a black-
chalk portrait of a young, bearded
African. The name of his sitter has
been lost, but there’s no mistaking the
man’s clear-eyed gaze, or the sense
of a living, breathing human cap-
tured by Dürer’s delicate lines and
fingertip smudges.
Astonishingly, this is thought to be the
first portrait of a black-skinned man in
European art. So it’s no wonder it’s one of
the stars of the Rijksmuseum’s autumn
exhibition, Remember Me, which started
yesterday in Amsterdam (until January 16,
£17, rijksmuseum.nl).
The show brings together 100 Renais-
sance portraits, and examines one of the
new impulses of the age — the longing to
be immortalised by art. Works by Holbein,
Titian and Veronese all feature, as well as
another by Dürer — the calm, contempla-
tive Portrait of a Young Woman with Her
Hair Down.
If that sounds like a good reason to
jump on a Eurostar to the Netherlands,
just as the leaves are turning and appel-
taart appears on every menu, here’s
another. Just down the road from the
Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum of
modern art has a new exhibition featuring
two of the greatest German expressionists.
Kirchner and Nolde: Expressionism. Coloni-
alism fixes their work within the acquisi-
tive, empire-building milieu of the time —
and tells the stories of the individuals,
sculptures and masks they painted (until
December 5, £17, stedelijk.nl).
Where to stay
Reopened in September 2020 after a top-
to-bottom refit, the boutiquey De Ware
Jacob occupies an early 20th-century
townhouse in the posh Oud-Zuid district.
Its snug, mushroom-coloured rooms ms —
complete with marble fireplaces — are just
ten minutes’ walk from the Stedelijk k and
Rijksmuseum (room-only doubles bles
from £95, dewarejacobhotel.com).
Those who want to be in the thick k
of things should look east to thee
exuberant, multicoloured Estheréa.
Set in a Golden Age mansion on
the Singel canal, with cafés and res-
taurants on every street corner, it’s
only 15 minutes on foot from thee
museum district (room-only doubles es
from £120, estherea.nl).
For something grander, try the calm,
stripped-back spaces of the five-starve-star
Dylan in an 18th-century building on the
Travel 51
ALBERTINE DIJKEMA/RIJKSMUSEUM; ALAMY
Visit the Rijksmuseum’s
new portraits exhibition
Keizersg
Keizersgracht canal (room-only doubles le Vin bakery (levainetlevin.com), or head
from £32
£328, dylanamsterdam.com). to Patisserie Holtkamp (patisserieholt-
kamp.nl), close to the Rijksmuseum. Stock
Wher
Where to eat and drink up on delicious apple pies and go and eat
The Rijksmuseum’s restaurant has a them in the canalside Weteringpark.
Mi
Michelin star, and has been busy
up
updating Dutch cuisine since 2014. Getting there
N
New potatoes with hay foam and Eurostar offers one direct service a day to
pi
pickled egg yolk, smoked beef heart Amsterdam from London St Pancras
an
and grey mullet tartar feature on International (eurostar.com). A second
th
the menu (sharing plates from £12, direct service will be added on October
rijk
rijksrestaurant.nl). Near by, Bo Nam 25. Fly direct with easyJet, BA and KLM.
will stretch your palate in other di- Two nights’ room-only at the Hotel
recti
rections with Vietnamese spring rolls Estheréa from £193pp, with flights
and spicy
sp salmon served in banana leaf (easyjet.com). For more information see
Prince’s Canal, (mains ffrom £15, bo-nam.nl). For coffee iamsterdam.com/en
Amsterdam and fresh
freshly baked buns visit the Levain et Sean Newsom

52 Travel
Luxury travel
Linger in a regal
new stay in
the Languedoc
Château Capitoul
near Narbonne
combines first-class
wines with top-end
hospitality, discovers
Anthony Peregrine
I
f I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hun-
dred times: Languedoc is the stretch
of southern France that curvesves round
the Mediterranean from thee Rhône
towards the Pyrenees. It ranges
from sea to mountains via
lagoons full of flamingos and nd
y,
plains full of vines. It is hot, rocky,
dry and combustible. The localss
have been uppity since their
13th-century Cathar heretics
took on the king and pope and
lost. They still play rugby as
though exacting revenge.
In the more recent past —thee
19th to mid-20th centuries —
the region grew rich producing ing
plonk to slake the staggering thirstssts of
the French working classes. (Back k then,
some industrial-town bars sold wine by
the hour.) More recently still they ey devel-
oped the seaside for popular holidays
for French folk who didn’t aspire to the
Riviera further east.
It’s all been pretty tumultuous, yet here’s
the thing — the Languedoc is still routine-
ly billed as “the undiscovered south of
France”. Please. Get a grip. The English
were here during the Hundred Years’ War.
The Scottish poet Tobias Smollett passed
through, as did Sherlock Holmes (Adven-
tures of the Empty House etc); millions of
French people too — the region has been
discovered to death.
Nor should it come as a surprise that in
the past three decades the Languedoc
has been broadening its appeal. There’s
now much less wine produced, and what
there is tastes very much better — none
will rip out your throat. The region has
also embraced more ambitious tourism
(that’s code for “has attracted more rich
people”). I’ve also mentioned this quite
frequently, but no one has taken notice:
they are still discovering that undiscov-
ered France can be civilised.
It was, therefore, with relief that I made
the times Saturday October 2 2021
Château Capitoul
recently for the Château Capitoul, just
opened near Narbonne. The hotel, villa
and vineyard project exemplifies exactly
what I’ve been on about for ages: the
bringing together of first-class wines and
top-end hospitality. I’m hoping that this
will put the matter to rest definitively.
Capitoul is the third château venture of
Karl O’Hanlon and his wife, Anita, both Robine Canal in the city
from Dublin, and the Bonfils family, who
are key wine producers in the Languedoc
— and it has cost them about £35 million.
They are among those continuing to
smarten up the region, but with feet
grounded in land and landscape; Riviera
rootlessness isn’t their thing.
For a start, the 240-acre site couldn’t be
more Languedocien
Lang were it to put on a
rugby shirt
shir and beret and start playing
pétanqu It’s on the edge of the Clape
pétanque.
massi the only mountainous part
massif,
of aan otherwise flat coastal area.
Ro rise sheer through pine trees
Rocks
on one side; on the other is the
B
Bages lagoon and sea; between
a vines, pines, olives, a canal
are
aand marshy bits — keep your
eeyes open, turn through 360
d
degrees and you get the entirety
of Languedoc landscapes in one most cases, pools. Views to the lagoon
pan
panorama. This saves a lot of make being mesmerised the only option.
trave
travelling time. Rent one of these and you’ll feel as though FRANCE
The focal point of Capitoul is a you’ve “arrived”. Then again, you’d need Béziers
smallish 19th-century neo-gothic to have arrived to afford it in the first
bu to show off someone’s wealth
château built place, but that’s life.
The pool terrace in the boom years of cheap wine. It’s brick Elsewhere, this is a hospitality set-up C
DO
at Château Capitoul and stone, and has white rendering and a grafted on to a winemaking operation. I G UE
damsel-in-distress tower, which contains would call it a “resort”, but that conjures L AN
the spiral staircase to the first and second up images of Club Med. Here luxury is
floors — a minimum of puff is required. anchored in the natural surroundings, Narbonne Narbonne
That said, the rooms are big, comfortable wildlife and farming. (If that sounds Plage
and contemporary; all blues, greys and right-on, so be it.) The former winery — Château
marble, suitable for a diplomat and her there’s a new one round the back — has Capitoul
design-student daughter. been expanded to house the reception,
The same could be said of the 44 villas, a restaurant and bars fronting terraces Gruissan 2 miles
newly built in three hillside terraces, just of the sort where, in adverts, beautiful
beyond another pine wood. These are the people in white sip wine and laugh blithely
Need to lynchpin of the operation. They have all as the sun sets over the Mediterranean went ape. During construction there were
been sold to private owners (mainly from while hazy lounge music plays. Here we nasty rumours about the project, with
know the UK and the US), but are managed by can all join in, although I’d go steady on some surfacing in the local press; “On vous
Capitoul and available for self-catering the blithe laughter. aura” (“We will get you”) was daubed in
rental when the owners are not there, So you wander — past trees bent as graffiti on a wall.
Anthony Peregrine was which is most of the time. They are expan- though fleeing, for this can be a windy spot. The O’Hanlons came through this by
a guest of Domaine & sive and comforting in unchallenging Grounds cede to vine fields, ceding to out-greening the greens. It’s what they had
Demeure. B&B doubles styles (who needs to be challenged by their pastures of horses and cattle, ceding to wanted to do anyway. Opponents said
in one of eight hotel fixtures and fittings?). garigue and wilderness. You’re out of reach that there were four at-risk lizard species
bedrooms at Château There are no splashes of yellow or daft of wi-fi in short order. Strolling by the on the site. Wrong, O’Hanlon said, there
Capitoul cost from exhortatory slogans plastered on the walls villas, you’ll bump into a vast infinity pool, were five, and the objective was to ensure
£265; self-catering in (“Wake up and be awesome!”). You have tennis courts and a boulodrome. There they thrived, which — thanks to the
a two-bedroom villa solid dining tables, great beds, Italian was nothing but rocks, Aleppo pines and building of more than a mile of dry-stone
is from £470 a night kitchens, more bathrooms per villa than holm oaks here before; predictably, radical walls full of cavities, plus other lizard-
(chateaucapitoul.com) anyone needs, private gardens and, in ecologists — Narbonne has its share — friendly hotels — they have. As have birds,
the times Saturday October 2 2021
mosses, insects and bats, not least Leisler’s
bat, which (like the O’Hanlons) is more
usually found in Ireland; cherish this beast,
for it eats mosquitoes.
Equally annoyingly for the naysayers,
the pines and oaks have been flanked with
65,000 plants of more than 100 Mediterra-
nean species. They sweep across the site in
waves. As developed by the dry-garden
specialist Olivier Filippi and the Chelsea
Flower Show medal-winning designer
James Basson, these require no fertiliser or
pesticide and almost no water, which is just
as well because there’s not much — it
rarely rains here. Once established, the
swathes are going to look terrific, continu-
ing the landscape of the Clape massif by
other means.
Then you wander more — maybe
to the wine store, where, if you’re lucky,
Jean-Michel Guiraud will host a tasting.
I’ve done a zillion wine tastings, including
a few with Guiraud, and there is none
better. “This,” he said of Capitoul’s Maelma
red, “is to drink by the fire with a dog at
your side.” Of another he said: “And this is
exuberant, full of conversation.” And in
both cases they absolutely were.
Wine tourism is a key aspect of the
Capitoul agenda, with walks, talks and
masterclasses. You can also join in with
harvesting and wine production. “We’re
not Bordeaux or Burgundy,” Laurent
A room at the château
Bonfils said. “We’re Languedoc. We don’t
have big heads. We want wine tourism
accessible to all.” Absolutely everyone,
but especially those who can afford
£265 a night. “Exactly. Everybody,” he
said with a broad smile. He smiles often, as
you would if your family owned 17 wine
domains and châteaux.
Bikes are available to borrow, and after
15 minutes’ pedalling along tracks, you ar-
rive in Gruissan, the loveliest spot on this
coast, simply because it has been there for
ever and has spun out to seasidery only re-
cently. You may remember Gruissan’s
beachside chalets-on-stilts from the 1986
film Betty Blue. Near by, the more modern
Narbonne Plage has three miles of flat,
safe beach.
Going the other way, the main town
of Narbonne is a 35-minute pedal, or a
ten-minute drive. You need to see this
place, if only for the brand-new Narbo Via
Museum. Designed by Norman Foster’s
practice, its job is to recall that in Roman
times Narbonne was a regional capital and
main Mediterranean port. No space here
to do it justice, but please go, it’s riveting
(£7, narbovia.fr). As is much else in Nar-
bonne, including the episcopal complex of
palace and cathedral, and the most vigor-
ous covered market in southern France.
Back at the Capitoul you might use the
Cinq Mondes spa. (I didn’t. Though it
GRÉGOIRE KUENY; ALAMY
more luxury hotels
5 in Languedoc-Roussillon
Hôtel Richer de Belleval,
Montpellier
The chef twins Jacques and
Laurent Pourcel have this
summer opened a flagship
hotel containing the new
version of their Jardin des Sens
restaurant. It’s in a magnificent
17th-century hôtel particulier
— Montpellier’s town hall until
1975 — on one of the city’s
most elegant squares. The
style introduces sober splashes
of the 21st century alongside
columns, vaulted ceilings,
frescoes of all ages, patios,
courtyards and phenomenal
attention to detail. Alongside
the principal restaurant
(mains from £53), the Pourcels
have a less ambitiously priced
bistronomic spot, with two
courses for £32.
Details Room-only doubles
from £188 (hotel-richer
debelleval.com)
Hôtel Les Roches Brunes,
Collioure
Collioure is the poster child of
the Roussillon coast, between
The cathedral in Narbonne Perpignan and the Spanish
border — and the entirely
renovated Roches Brunes is the
hotel from which to appreciate
it. The name tells no lies — it’s
on rocks over the sea, with
direct access to the beach.
All rooms have Med views
so need little in the way of
decor. The restaurant majors
on Mediterranean food with an
Italian accent.
Details Room-only doubles
from £128 (hotel-lesroches
brunes.com)
Margaret Hôtel Chouleur,
Nîmes
Another ancient townhouse —
in the historic heart of Nîmes —
re-emerges as an elegant hotel.
looked comprehensive — hammams, in- Rooms are as someone from
door pool, treatment rooms — but I get my the siècle des lumières would
wellness from the wine shop.) Or the bars. favour were they to show up in
Or the dinner table. The Capitoul’s posh 2021. Space, wood and colour
restaurant, the Mediterraneo, opened the are abundant, and there’s a
night after I left, illustrating my customary swimming pool in the interior
lack of foresight. The aim, they said, was
Michelin stars via top-class tweaks to
Mediterranean cuisine, on menus from
£56. I’m sure it works well — perhaps you’d
let me know when you’ve been.
Across the gravel terrace the Asado is a
mix of Argentine open-grill cooking —
with 500C ovens that can apparently cook
a chicken in five minutes — and French
brasserie, embellished by a huge terrace
with killer views. It bounces with sharp
black, gold and brown decor, grand chan-
deliers, Languedocien fare and dishes
delivered with panache (duck breast,
prime rib, sea bream, turbot), from £15.
Happiness-producing-wise, it made my
top three restaurants of 2021 so far.
This was helped by the Franco-Polish
woman celebrating her 42nd birthday
with friends on the next table. Towards the
end of her meal she came across to give me
a kiss, crying: “I’m so pleased to see you.”
As I told my wife, I’d never seen her before,
but I shall be back there next year to cele-
brate her 43rd — we seemed to get on so A suite at Margaret Hôtel Chouleur
well. There are lots of other reasons too, of
course. Please see above.
Travel 53
garden. It’s small, but what do
you expect amid the streets of
the city centre? In the hands
of Georgiana Viou, the Rouge
restaurant gives Med cooking
a Beninese slant. And there’s
a courtyard coffee shop too.
Details Room-only doubles
from £192 (margaret-hotel
chouleur.com)
Domaine Tarbouriech,
Marseillan
On the back of the region’s
most celebrated oyster-farming
outfit, and on the banks of the
oyster-filled Thau lagoon (near
Sète), the Tarbouriech family
have established what may be
the only oyster-based hotel in
France. It’s a classy operation
— no slumming it in ramshackle
oyster huts. We’re talking
rooms and suites in venerable
buildings, and lodges in a
13th-century barn. There are
swimming pools, oyster bars
and a cracking main restaurant
serving dishes including oyster,
octopus and shellfish risotto
(from £24).
Details Room-only doubles
from £132 (domaine-
tarbouriech.fr)
Domaine de Biar, Lavérune
Tarbouriech was oysters; here,
in the countryside at the gates
of Montpellier, it’s horses.
What was in Louis XV’s time
a royal farm has a fine old
house of manorial mien,
125 acres of grounds, many
horses (for breeding, stabling
and training) and quite a few
cattle. The aristocratic charm
is complemented by New
Age stuff such as yoga and
hammams. The restaurant is
pretty right-on too, with ample
vegan options and mains from
£18. In the unlikely event that
the swimming pool proves
insufficient, Med beaches
are five miles away.
Details Room-only doubles
from £144 (domaine
debiar.com)

56 Travel
The Times
hotel guide
Pan Pacific,
London
Food {{{{{
Location {{{{{
Rooms {{{{{
What’s the story?
When the property tycoon Gerald
Ronson decided to offload a parcel of his
(substantial) land assets within the City
in 2014, Singapore’s UOL group snapped
up Heron Plaza on Bishopsgate for
£97 million. This month it unveiled its
new creation on the site: a 43-floor,
bronze-clad skyscraper, made up of
the 237-room Pan Pacific hotel and
20 storeys of hotel-serviced flats above.
This year the hotel will unveil a rooftop
restaurant, a Tom Dixon-designed bar
and a patisserie.
What do we like?
The owners have sprinkled the
skyscraper with Asian touches that
soften it and give it a slightly exotic feel.
Walk into the soaring marble atrium of
the hotel and there are tropical plants
everywhere: huge vases of ginger lilies in
The Pan Pacific hotel
the Ginger Lily bar; planters of white
orchids in the Orchid Lounge. Even the
afternoon tea, devised by the Bake Off
judge Cherish Finden, features dishes
such as bao and dim sum.
It’s far from an Asian theme park,
however, thanks to the design firm Yabu
Pushelberg, which has created luxurious
contemporary interiors featuring
soothing colours, minimalist furniture
and natural materials. Pad across a
bedroom floor to admire views of the
Gherkin and your toes touch only wood
and wool.
Equally soothing is its fourth floor,
which is devoted to wellness. A large
gym is fitted with state-of-the-art fitness
machines, including Europe’s first
TecnoBody D-Wall, whose 3D camera
enables bio-feedback during exercises.
There are two treatment rooms, for
massages with organic PanPuri oils
from Thailand, and a darkened spa
“rest room” (which is, rather unrestfully,
situated by the hotel’s day room, for
early check-ins and late check-outs).
Perhaps best of all there’s an 18.5m
infinity pool that overlooks Bishopsgate,
so you can float above the bustling
outside world while admiring the stone
spire of St Botolph’s (where Keats
was baptised).
Although the bar is small, the wine list
features 500 varieties, including Chinese
JACK HARDY
A guest bathroom
Lisa Grainger was a
guest of Pan Pacific.
Doubles from £325;
mains from £16
(panpacific.com)
the times Saturday October 2 2021
labels rarely seen in the UK, as well
as a cocktail menu with more than
150 rums. Upstairs, food in the soothing
Japanese-meets-Scandi-style Straits
Kitchen combines local ingredients and
eastern flavours: whole crabs, wok-fried
in chilli (delicious, if messy); Scottish
lobster cooked in a laksa sauce; coconut
in sago soup (nicer than it sounds).
What’s near by?
City airport is a 30-minute drive by car,
and Liverpool Street station a six-minute
walk. Shoreditch and Spitalfields Market
are a short stroll away, as is the Barbican
for cultural events.
Lisa Grainger

58 Travel
Travel doctor Solving your holiday dilemmas
Q
I’ve been fruitlessly
looking for a villa in
northwest France for a
multi-generational family
holiday next summer.
We want somewhere less
than three hours from St Malo that can
sleep 11, has a pool and garden and is
within walking distance (for small
children) of a safe beach, with a village
near by for shopping. This is to be a
holiday to celebrate a significant
birthday and successful recovery from
a serious operation, so there are no
budget restrictions. Can you help?
Anthony Gibbons, via email
A
Select Villas has several
holiday houses on a lovely
stretch of Brittany’s south
coast between Concarneau
and Lorient. Mandhura
sleeps 11 and has a heated indoor pool
(with sliding doors leading onto a
terrace), a hot tub, sauna and games
room, as well as a big garden where
the children can let off steam. A Blue
Flag beach is 400m away and the
village of Kergroes, with its bakery and
supermarket, is a 30-minute stroll.
Don’t miss a trip to one of the quayside
restaurants or cafés in the little fishing
village of Doëlan, famous in France as
the location for the French TV version
of Doc Martin. A week next August will
cost about £3,300 (2022 rates aren’t
available yet) through selectvillas.co.uk.
Q In November I booked a package
holiday with Tui to Ikos Oceania in
Halkidiki. This included flight
BA2642 leaving from Gatwick on
October 18 this year. Since British
Airways has chosen not to fly
from Gatwick, BA2642 is now
leaving from Heathrow. Tui has
cancelled the package on this
basis, despite the fact the flight
still exists. I have spent three
hours on the phone, mostly trying
to get through to someone. When I
finally did, the representative
was unable to do anything other than
put a note in my file saying I’d prefer
Doëlan port, Brittany. to switch flights than receive a refund.
Below: Manhattan As far as I can tell, an airport change
is not in itself a reason to cancel
a holiday. Am I right?
Jennifer Carlstrom, via email
A If Tui had asked you to switch
airports in London you wouldn’t
have been able to refuse because
this wouldn’t be regarded as a
“significant” change to your
holiday, so it’s a bit rich that you
were being asked to sacrifice
your trip, but the company has
had a change of heart. “We’re sorry
that we were initially unable to offer
Ms Carlstrom the flight from London
Heathrow and for the inconvenience
this caused. Having looked into this
further, we’re pleased that we’ve now
been able to resolve this and that she will
be able to continue with her holiday as
planned,” it said.
Q My friend and I hope to get to New
York at the third attempt next April to
see Hugh Jackman in a revival on
Broadway. We’re staying for five nights
and would like a two-bedroom suite or
apartment in Manhattan. Our budget
is up to £5,000, but we’re struggling
to find anywhere that doesn’t cost
Don’t put
up with this
Our rental car only
lasted 18 miles
We rented a vehicle through Goldcar
from Malaga airport in July. At the
rental desk we declined additional
insurance for the car (because we
have an annual insurance policy),
but found the sales tactics very
heavy-handed. The clutch in the car
wasn’t working well, but since we
an absolute fortune. Any suggestions?
Viv Belcher, via email
A If you want to be within easy reach of
Hugh and the revival of The Music Man
at the Winter Garden Theatre, stay at
the Kimberly Hotel, which is 15 minutes’
walk away. A classic New York hotel, full
of vintage charm, it has a rooftop terrace
bar with views of Manhattan, including
the wonderful Chrysler building, and an
excellent steakhouse off the lobby
(although you might want to swerve the
£150 wagyu beef). A two-bedroom suite
with a balcony overlooking 50th Street
would cost £3,990 for five nights in April,
room only (kimberlyhotel.com).
Another Midtown stalwart is the
Lombardy, built in 1926 by the
newspaper baron William Randolph
Hearst for his mistress and once the
home of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard
Burton. It’s a co-op boutique hotel full of
private apartments that can be rented
for a night or more, and a two-bedroom,
room-only apartment will cost £3,562 for
five nights in April. Its steakhouse and
espresso bar should have reopened by
the spring too (lombardyhotel.com).
Q My wife and I booked a holiday to
Sharm el-Sheikh for February because
planned to stay local we weren’t
overly concerned. We had driven only
18 miles to our holiday home, but
when we went to drive the mile to the
beach, the clutch failed.
We contacted Goldcar, which called
a breakdown company. After being
told we’d have to return to the airport
to collect an alternative vehicle,
and pay for the breakdown call-out
and repair because we had not
selected the insurance, we decided to
return the car, terminate the rental
contract and use taxis. We were
subsequently charged for the week’s
rental, clutch-change repair and
roadside assistance, which came to
the times Saturday October 2 2021
Julia Brookes
Consumer expert
GETTY IMAGES
Egypt came off the red list. Now I’ve
read that it’s on a government “no go”
list. I’m very confused. We thought
destinations were red or green. Will
we be able to go without quarantining
when we get back to the UK?
Ian Davies, via email
A I’m not surprised you’re confused.
Eight countries were taken off the red
list on September 17 by the Department
for Transport, so hotel quarantine isn’t
required on return to the UK. But the
Foreign Office continued to advise
against non-essential travel to several
of these, including Egypt, Sri Lanka and
the Maldives. This meant that many
standard travel insurance policies
wouldn’t have been valid for your
holiday, but the good news is that the
Foreign Office advice has changed for
Egypt, as well as Sri Lanka, the Maldives
and Pakistan, and you can look forward
to some winter sun.
Contact us
If you have a gripe, suggestion or question
relating to your holidays, please email
traveldoctor@thetimes.co.uk or you
can tweet your comments to Julia Brookes
at @travdr. Regrettably, we are unable
to accept postal correspondence.
£617. How can I get my money back?
Katja McDonald, via email
Goldcar has a slew of poor reviews
online, but it was quick to react when
I sent over details of your case. It has
taken into consideration the car’s
mileage and has apologised and
refunded you the damage charge and
cost of the rental, and given you an
extra €50 (£43). Responding to the
clutch issue, a spokeswoman said:
“The challenging conditions of the last
18 months have affected vehicle supply
for all rental companies. As a result,
some vehicles have remained on the
fleet for longer than usual.”
the times Saturday October 2 2021

Travel 59