Entertainment

An all-female garage punk band whose members have an average age of 55 are trying to encourage more middle-aged women to play instruments. The Verinos, who formed as Leicester’s extended lockdown measures were eased, perform songs which address age and gender stereotypes. The five-piece act has auditioned to play at next year’s Glastonbudget music festival

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has begun its autumn season with musician Felix Klieser as its artist in residence. The 30-year-old German professional hornist will tour with the orchestra for the next two years. Felix was born without arms and plays the keys with his left foot. Klieser spoke to the BBC’s Andrew Plant. Camera and

A teenager from north London has beaten over 6,000 young writers to win one of the biggest poetry competitions in the world. Giovanni Rose, 17, wrote the poem Welcome to Tottenham based on his experiences of growing up in the area. He said: “It was an amazing feeling. It’s important to use your voice; you’ll never

Earl Spencer has told the BBC he is still waiting for a personal apology from Martin Bashir for his conduct in securing a BBC interview with his late sister, Princess Diana, in 1995. An independent inquiry by Lord Dyson, a former senior judge, found that Martin Bashir deceived both the princess and Earl Spencer, and

Owain Wyn Evans, who millions of people on social media watched drumming along to the BBC News theme tune, has been joined by 50 drummers to recreate his viral hit. It was part of the presenter’s 24-hour Drumathon to raise money for BBC Children in Need. Watch more: Drumming BBC weather presenter goes viral

A retiring lace-maker from one of the last British manufacturers of its kind has been recalling his role in the crafting of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress. Ian Palfreyman, 72, from Sawley, Derbyshire, has worked as a twist hand – somebody who operates machines – at Cluny Lace in Ilkeston, producing Nottingham lace for

Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams says it’s important for people to “continue to break barriers” around race in sport. “If you’re good enough and if you’re great enough you open the way for other people,” she said. “And I think generations behind us are able to just play tennis and hopefully don’t have

After quitting K-Pop boy band Super Junior M, Henry Lau has had a successful solo career as a musician, producer and actor. Now he’s also put paint to paper to create works of art. Henry’s work is currently hanging at Knightsbridge’s Arx gallery, but before that formed part of a Saatchi gallery show. Unable to

Watch the moment South African author Damon Galgut won the Booker Prize for fiction for The Promise. On picking up the award, he said: “I would like to accept this on behalf of all the stories told and untold, the writers heard and unheard, from the remarkable continent that I’m part of”. Read more: ‘Tour

Private Eye is best-known for jokes, satire and investigative journalism. And as Britain’s best-selling news and current affairs magazine, it’s risen in circulation while print media has fallen. But do features like Glenda Slagg stand the test of time? And is it impossible to satirise politicians in 2021? Kirsty Wark speaks to Ian Hislop, Private

In Indian-administered Kashmir, Yemberzal is the first all-women Sufiyana music group. This music – which had been dying out in the region – was a uniquely male tradition. People have tried to put the group down in many ways, such as telling them that Sufiyana wasn’t meant for women. One of the group’s fathers was

Earlier this month, Ed Sheeran let slip that he’d recorded a Christmas duet with Sir Elton John, during an interview with Dutch radio presenter Jan-Willem Roodbeen. The pop star gave Radio 2’s Zoe Ball a sneak preview of the song during her Breakfast Show on Friday, 29 October. You can hear the full interview on

Ruth Negga stars in Passing, a film which follows two black women living in 1920s New York. One of them, Clare Kendry played by Negga, “passes” for white and has a white husband who doesn’t know she’s black. Based on the 1929 book by Nella Larsen, the film received rave reviews at the Sundance Film

Joanna Lumley has called for a return to a form of “wartime rationing” to help reduce consumption in the face of climate change. The actor told BBC Breakfast that the climate crisis is a “different form of wartime” and that a “voucher system” which encompasses goods and services such as air miles and food could

A Bristol artist has been making casts of women’s bodies to help them to reconnect themselves physically after facing trauma. Bristol artist Ellen Downes has been inviting women to her studio in Barton Hill to cast their torsos and paint them gold. When the cast is done, the models are then shown alongside their words.

Senegalese-born TikTok star Khaby Lame is a viral sensation. Known for his myth-busting of “life hacks” and his famous shrug, he quickly became an international household name. The 21-year-old has even done collaborations with the likes of Naomi Campbell and Greta Thunberg, and is currently the second most popular TikToker. But how did he rise