The third season of The Durrells began on ITV on Sunday 18th March at 8pm. The programme, set in 1937, follows Louisa Durrell’s attempt to make a new life for herself and her family in Corfu, after her husband died. The series stars Keeley Hawes, Josh O’Connor, Daisy Waterstone, Milo Parker, Callum Woodhouse, Leslie Caron, Yorgos Karamihos, Alexis Georgoulis and Christopher… Continue reading
Tesla packs brighter future for renewables on a South Wales hill
In any conversation about renewables, it’s the question sceptics, detractors and the just plain unconvinced always ask. “What happens when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine?” Now they might find the answer tucked away on a raw hill close to the M4 in South Wales. It’s an array of storage batteries from… Continue reading →
Oxford meets Istanbul in new book by best-selling Turkish writer Elif Şafak
Three Daughters of Eve, written by Elif Şafak, is set in Oxford and Istanbul and focusses on three Muslim women, several men, and one big question. Ron Charles wrote this in his notice in the Washington Post: Elif Shafak’s new novel reveals such a timely confluence of today’s issues that it seems almost clairvoyant…. Continue reading →
LA drive to the hill of dreams – how I made it to Hollywood, without a nomination
I wrote this in 2011, more in tribute to the liberating power of satnav than as a homage to Hollywood, which is really a world-wide community of sitting with strangers in a darkened space and being transporting to the far corners of the imagination by images and music. Los Angeles’s dubious reputation is “The city… Continue reading →
Belfast at peace: Lonely Planet’s choice of top place to visit in 2018
Feb 27th 2018 update. April 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. In May (departing on the 20th) veteran television journalist Martin Bell will lead a five night Prestige Holidays’ escorted tour to the province. The conflict had a huge impact on the then young journalist. Martin will give talks about his experiences, illustrated… Continue reading →
Rotterdam’s revival – how direct London trains will boost Holland’s second city
Eurostar launches direct services between London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam through the Channel Tunnel on 4 April, 2018. The first passenger train, for the press and “invited guests” (above), ran on Tuesday, Feb 20th, 2018. The inaugural train was slowed by the congestion caused by regular domestic services in Holland, but it still arrived early at Rotterdam Centraal. From London that… Continue reading →