Matt Rudd

Ant and Dec: Why turning 50 made us think again In a rare interview, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly talk about growing up together on screen, their difficult forties — and why they’re trying something new with a podcast

They make what they do look easy but it very definitely isn’t… exclusive (and rare) cover interview here and in Sunday Times Culture tomorrow…

Ant and Dec: Why turning 50 made us think again

www.thetimes.com/article/62a2...

For one day, I got to imagine what Ant & Dec & a Third Wheel would be like… the conversation was supposed to be about their new podcast but instead, we focused on the joy and horror of turning 50… their joy, my horror

Sorry, Delia, but lasagne is not a ‘simple supper’ Never in the entire history of the English language has such unimaginable misery been concealed so convincingly in just 34 words of a recipe

Bravely, I have declared war on lasagne (and to everyone saying I need to be a better cook, I am a great cook but lasagne is impossible)
www.thetimes.com/article/c9c7...

Mystery as remains of seven-arm deep-sea octopus wash up on beach Arms from the rarely-seen species were discovered at an Aberdeenshire national nature reserve.

Must be hard enough to find a partner when you have an arm penis but being called the blob can't help

"Also known as the blob octopus, they have eight arms - but in males one of the arms is also a reproductive organ that they attach to females when mating."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Late contender for headline (and stand) of the year… so nice to read furniture that isn’t SEOed to death (unless search engines are now tuned to partner and bishop?)

No running water? No problem. I’ve prepped for this I have six big water bottles in the garage. And some baked beans, some spare batteries and a wind-up radio. And Bananagrams

No running water? No problem. I’ve prepped for this

www.thetimes.com/article/c796...

My first recommendation: How to Cook A Wolf by MFK Fisher (first published in 1942 then updated with very witty annotations for the Cold War years).

Reading for pleasure is essential for health and joy, but Britain is facing a reading crisis.
I am supporting the Sunday Times Get Britain Reading campaign. Join me and pledge to spend at least 10 minutes a day reading for the next six weeks…

link.thetimes.co.uk/join/74t/sig...

The galactic task of building a 9,000-piece Lego Death Star Ten years after building its little brother — a mere 3,000 pieces — Matt Rudd and his sons tackled Lego’s largest and most expensive set. Was the force with them?

Ten years after building a 3,000-piece Lego Death Star with my kids (9, 7 and 2), I did it again. The kids were older, I was older… the Death Star was much, much bigger…

The galactic task of building a 9,000-piece Lego Death Star

www.thetimes.com/article/95eb...

What happened when Caitlin Moran met her heroine Kathy Burke She grew up in poverty and went on to become a comedy icon and best actress winner at Cannes. Now Kathy Burke has written a shocking memoir about her childhood. Caitlin Moran meets her heroine

Beautiful, upsetting, maddening, heartwarming interview

What happened when @mscaitlinmoran.bsky.social met her heroine Kathy Burke

www.thetimes.com/article/89f8...

A bargain for an app that costs so much in terms of mental health

Surgeon Neil Hopper jailed after amputation of own legs Neil Hopper claimed that injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and not self-inflicted.

The ultimate example of nominative determinism... surgeon Neil Hopper jailed after amputation of his own legs

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Incredible portraits by Austin Hargrave

Mark Hamill: Dad wasn’t impressed that I was Luke Skywalker Should you ever meet your childhood heroes? The one-time Jedi knight tells Matt Rudd about his difficult father, his biggest roles since Star Wars and why Harrison Ford was a much better actor

Mark Hamill: Dad wasn’t impressed that I was Luke Skywalker

www.thetimes.com/article/8bfc...

When I was nine, I devised a plan to meet Luke Skywalker… it was simple… I would become a journalist and then interview him… didn’t expect it to take 40 years but still…

Nine! Or 27! Plus two more I can’t fit in. Beat that…

Three? Well, there’s three on this beam but that wasn’t enough… not at all…

How many of these do you think we have in our small holiday cottage bedroom? One? Two? …

Friendly annual reminder to all A-level/GCSE students collecting exam results - if a photographer asks you to hold a piece of paper and jump in the air with delight, just say no.

My uplifting day at the repair café that fixes anything for free

Bags, blenders, antique clocks — if you name it, this army of volunteers in Tunbridge Wells can probably sort it with a smile and a story

My uplifting day at the repair café that fixes anything for free Bags, blenders, antique clocks — if you name it, this army of volunteers in Tunbridge Wells can probably sort it with a smile and a story

Favourite story of the year… meeting the 81 - 81! - volunteers and seeing their combined decades of expertise put to work at the Tunbridge Wells repair cafe…

My uplifting day at the repair café that fixes anything for free

www.thetimes.com/article/d9f4...

Thank you… it’s brutal but Floss has made a pretty good recovery for now. We’re appreciating every extra day.

Yes

Goodness me, how depressing: The US government is spending $160,000 to burn nearly $10m of contraceptives rather than sell them to the UN to ship to poor nations, according to sources.

I used to think it was a waste of money keeping an old dog alive ‘Five years ago I watched in disbelief as a friend spent thousands of pounds he didn’t have on improbable surgery for his 12-year-old dog’

An ode to a dog who had a stroke…

I used to think it was a waste of money keeping an old dog alive

www.thetimes.com/article/6dab...

Excited about National Caviar Day on the 18th. Only 11 more sleeps

Anyone else getting a lot of "press releases" from "relaytheupdate.com", "signalthenews.com" or similar? Emails from alleged humans eg Jasmine, Sienna, Adriana, Iris, Lucille etc. Replies get bounced back. Repping companies such as Number 1 Plates, Ski Vertigo, Plumb World. Is this death by AI PR?

A terracotta bowl with a few pebbles in it, partially filled with water.

A larger bowl filled with water.

Bird water bowl alongside seed

Forecast in the UK is scorching for the next week. If you can, please put out some water sources. One for bees/butterflies* and one for bigger critters. *Shallow bowl with stones is ideal for insects, so they can drink without drowning. If you can manage a bird-height one as well, brilliant.

Bird Corp. I’m in. We’re all going on a willow tit hunt. Maybe we can do a Times + event. Just a medium size cruise ship, Bill Oddie headlining, fat balls for canapés.

Very happy to bird bore with you @mscaitlinmoran.bsky.social any time… I can play you our top 10 Merlins. Also, we have a tame baby magpie this year. Magpies are ruthless killers but this one is very cute. Ps lovely column