Helen Mirren decries condescending attitudes towards couples in their 80s

It’s a sight that makes even the most hard-hearted millennial coo: an octogenarian couple expressing their affection towards one another.But Helen Mirren has railed against being so “insulting”, saying such condescension makes her want to tell people to “fuck off”.The actor said the hardest part of turning 80 last month was the “condescension” she was forced to endure when holding hands in public with her husband, Taylor Hackford.Speaking to the Times while promoting the release of her latest film, The Thursday Murder Club, she said: “It really annoys me.“If my husband and I are holding hands, someone might say: ‘Oh, look

Women’s groups hail Noel Clarke libel defeat as victory for victims and press freedom

Women’s groups have said a high court judgment dismissing a libel claim against the Guardian by actor Noel Clarke marks a victory not just for his victims, but for press freedom and public interest reporting as a whole.They said too often “wealthy and abusive men” have been able to use the courts to try to silence victims, hiding “behind injunctions, NDAs, [and] threats of defamation suits”.Clarke claimed the allegations published by the Guardian after an investigation were false and he had been the victim of an unlawful conspiracy.During the five-week civil case, 26 witnesses gave evidence against him, detailing allegations of bullying and professional and sexual misconduct.On Friday, Mrs Justice Steyn rejected Clarke’s claims, ruling the Guardian had proved both its defences: truth and public interest

‘New Noel Clarkes will surface’ without change in film and TV, say female witnesses

The culture of the television and film industries needs to change to protect women from the actions of sexual predators, women who gave evidence against Noel Clarke in his failed libel action have said.“Noel’s behaviour was an open secret, everyone knew,” said Penelope, a pseudonym for an actor who filmed a sex scene with Clarke. “He didn’t work alone. Those who enabled and protected him should be accountable.“He found a way to operate as he did because there is a culture across these industries of actors not being protected while at work and having no way of whistleblowing,” she told the Guardian after the court dismissed Clarke’s case on Friday

The Guide #205: In an age of streaming clutter, why not rediscover Britain’s rich documentary past?

The state of British TV documentary film-making is a little depressing at the moment. Open up the documentaries tab on iPlayer, Now, ITVX or Channel 4, and you’ll be assaulted by a rush of true crime docs, each with their own macabre/salacious title – Satan’s Au Pair, Catching the Frying Pan Killer, that sort of thing – and a little rectangular title card with said killer looking evil, preferably in a grainy black and white picture with a bloody thumbprint overlaid.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more

Eddington to Deftones: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

EddingtonOut now From Hereditary to Beau Is Afraid, Ari Aster’s films are always an event. They’re also an acquired taste, with this neo-western about a hotly contested mayoral election set during the pandemic in New Mexico dividing critics. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler and Emma Stone.The Life of ChuckOut now Based on a Stephen King novella, this fantasy drama centres on Charles “Chuck” Krantz (played by different actors at different ages, including Tom Hiddleston in middle age), an accountant who loves to dance and whose image begins to appear on billboards and in adverts, as society experiences environmental and technological breakdowns.Sorry, BabyOut now Literature professor Agnes (Eva Victor, who also wrote and directed) works at a college in rural New England in this dark comedy

Notting Hill carnival came ‘very close’ to not happening, says chair in funding appeal

About 2 million people are expected to take to the streets this weekend at the annual Notting Hill carnival for its mix of music, food and Caribbean culture, but for the man who runs it, there is a sense of relief to see it taking place at all.The chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, told the Guardian that the event needed to secure a sustainable future after a year of funding rows, public disagreements with the Met police, and negative press after violence last year.This year’s event was saved only a few weeks ago after almost £1m of funding was raised to provide extra safety and infrastructure measures, with Comfort admitting it came “very close” to not happening.Comfort, who usually stays in the background and rarely gives interviews, says that cannot continue. He says the whole conversation around carnival, which costs more than £11m a year to police but is worth about £400m to the local economy, needs to change