Matthew Kelly: ‘Something extinct I’d bring back to life? Wokeness – a good thing that’s been hijacked’ 14 February 2026 at 05:00

Matthew Kelly: ‘Something extinct I’d bring back to life? Wokeness – a good thing that’s been hijacked’

14 February 2026 at 05:00

The actor on a massive scam, the guilty pleasure of Judge Judy and why he’s never done a day’s work in his life

Born in Lancashire, Matthew Kelly, 75, studied drama at Manchester Polytechnic and acted at the Liverpool Everyman. He moved into TV, presenting Game for a Laugh in the 80s, You Bet! in the 90s and Stars in their Eyes from 1993 to 2004. Having returned to the stage, he received an Olivier award in 2004 for his role in Of Mice and Men in London’s West End. He stars in Waiting for Godot at Glasgow’s Citizens theatre from 20 February to 14 March, then takes the play to Liverpool and Bolton. He has two children and lives in London.

What is your greatest fear?
Not being able to work.

From Wuthering Heights to Mario Tennis Fever: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead 14 February 2026 at 01:00

From Wuthering Heights to Mario Tennis Fever: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

The Guardian

By:Guardian Staff

14 February 2026 at 01:00

Emerald Fennell’s film brings the raunch to Brontë’s romance, while Nintendo’s beloved plumber stars in a colourful, family-friendly sports game

Wuthering Heights
Out now
Out on the wily, windy moors, writer-director Emerald Fennell has constructed a new interpretation of the Emily Brontë classic. Margot Robbie is Cathy while Jacob Elordi takes on Heathcliff, and as you might expect from the film-maker behind Saltburn, the passionate pair are set to leave no height unwuthered.

Crime 101 to Small Prophets: the week in rave reviews 14 February 2026 at 01:00

Crime 101 to Small Prophets: the week in rave reviews

The Guardian

By:Guardian Staff

14 February 2026 at 01:00

A stylish high-stakes armed robbery thriller with Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, and a gentle supernatural comedy from Mackenzie Crook. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews

‘People laughed at TV jobs in Belfast!’ How Northern Ireland’s capital became the home of quality drama 13 February 2026 at 10:45

‘People laughed at TV jobs in Belfast!’ How Northern Ireland’s capital became the home of quality drama

The Guardian

By:Hollie Richardson

13 February 2026 at 10:45

From Blue Lights gossip to How to Get to Heaven from Belfast cocktails, the city has become a small-screen hotspot – and is basking in its newfound fame

‘I love them!” Minutes after I jump into a taxi at Belfast International airport, the driver is beaming about Derry Girls. So many tourists he picks up want to talk about the hit comedy and, as a fan himself, he’s happy to oblige.

We’re stuck in traffic, which is odd for this small city on a wet Tuesday morning. “It’s because all the media are here,” he jokes. But there is some truth to it. I’m visiting for the world premiere of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, the new series from Derry Girls mastermind Lisa McGee, and to see how the capital became home to the best TV.

Steven Spielberg, Dawson Leery’s idol, donates $25,000 to James Van Der Beek fundraiser 13 February 2026 at 08:14

Steven Spielberg, Dawson Leery’s idol, donates $25,000 to James Van Der Beek fundraiser

The Guardian

By:Catherine Shoard

13 February 2026 at 08:14

Director revered by actor’s character in Dawson’s Creek is among film industry figures – also including Zoe Saldaña and John M Chu – to make large donation to family

The film director Steven Spielberg has donated $25,000 (£18,365) to a crowdfunder to help the widow and six children of the actor James Van Der Beek, who died this week after being diagnosed with cancer in 2023.

Dawson Leery, Van Der Beek’s character in Dawson’s Creek, the 90s teen soap that shot him to fame, was an aspiring director who idolised Spielberg. Show creator Kevin Williamson had based the character on himself; he went on to write the horror-comedy Scream and other films in the franchise.

Tell us your favourite TV romance 13 February 2026 at 08:13

Tell us your favourite TV romance

The Guardian

By:Guardian community team

13 February 2026 at 08:13

Who is your favourite television couple, and why?

From sparks flying during The OC’s Spider-Man snog to love stories so powerful they make you weep, Guardian writers have picked the television couples whose tales never fail to make hearts pound. Now we would like to hear yours. What is your favourite TV romance, and why?

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Meet the unlikely star of the bodice-ripping Wuthering Heights: Martin Clunes 13 February 2026 at 08:02

Meet the unlikely star of the bodice-ripping Wuthering Heights: Martin Clunes

The Guardian

By:Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

13 February 2026 at 08:02

In Emerald Fennell’s BDSM-tinged film, critics have praised Clunes’s turn as the ‘devout misogynist’ Mr Earnshaw

It has been billed as the sexiest adaptation of Wuthering Heights, with bodices ripped to shreds and a flirtation with BDSM. And yet the standout star of Emerald Fennell’s new film isn’t one of its smouldering young lovers, played by Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, but British television’s most affable grump – Martin Clunes.

Clunes plays Mr Earnshaw, the patriarch of the Earnshaw household whose decision to bring home a destitute young Heathcliff from Liverpool to the Yorkshire Moors sets in motion the destructive love story at the centre of Wuthering Heights. In Fennell’s reworking, Cathy’s elder brother, Hindley, is abolished entirely, with his cruelty, boozing and gambling folded into the father instead.

‘It launched a million fantasies’: the greatest ever TV romances 13 February 2026 at 05:27

‘It launched a million fantasies’: the greatest ever TV romances

The Guardian

By:Lucinda Everett · Chitra Ramaswamy · Hollie Richardson · Michael Hogan · Michael Cragg · Ann Lee · Sarah Dempster · Jack Seale · Lucy Knight · Alexi Duggins · Phil Harrison · Sasha Mistlin · Coco Khan and Kate Abbott

13 February 2026 at 05:27

From sparks flying during The OC’s Spider-Man snog to love stories so powerful they make you weep, Guardian writers pick the television couples whose tales never fail to make hearts pound

As TV romances go, it’s not the most original. Nerdy teen boy finally gets the queen bee he’s loved since they still had baby teeth – and off we pop on a four-season cycle of dramatic breakups and grand-gesture-fuelled reunions. Yet through all of the faintly ridiculous plotlines, their romance is anchored by that most elusive of on-screen tricks: actual, palpable chemistry. There is the sarcastic sparring, the physical spark (who could ever forget that Spiderman snog?) but also a feeling of deep care and genuine friendship – one that helps both characters grow into promising mini-grownups by the end. Watching the pair navigate insecurities, battle identity crises and generally make some spectacularly poor choices, lets us all feel better about the emotional dumpster fires of our own adolescence. And the fact that they keep on choosing each other speaks to that part of our teen selves that longed to find someone who might jump on to a coffee cart and declare their love for us – or at least wait around all summer while we campaigned to save sea otters. Lucinda Everett

Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette review – TV to send you cross-eyed with boredom 13 February 2026 at 03:00

Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette review – TV to send you cross-eyed with boredom

The Guardian

By:Lucy Mangan

13 February 2026 at 03:00

Ryan Murphy turns his increasingly unsteady hand to the tale of America’s privileged, cursed dynasty – even diehard fans will find this tedious drama a punishing slog

A new product from the Ryan Murphy brand is becoming ever less dependable a delight. Will it be a Nip/Tuck or Glee-level triumph? A return to inaugural American Horror Story form, as his recent outing The Beauty so nearly was? Or will it be something towards the other end of the scale, where the so-bad-it’s-bad, Kim-Kardashian-as-a-divorce-lawyer All’s Fair lurks?

Hmm. The latest one is Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette. It is a nine-episode series that lasts roughly as long as the golden couple’s relationship did in real life and is (unlike All’s Fair) punishingly boring. Some of this will be due to the fact that for a UK audience the Kennedys simply do not hold the fascination they have always held for Americans. Ever since the patriarch Joe successfully manoeuvred his telegenic son John F Kennedy into politics, the political dynasty have been the United States’ answer to the royal family. The minutiae of their privileged, cursed lives have been breathlessly chronicled in books by hagiographic biographers, tabloid articles seeking scandal, and everything in between. Over here, of course, we have naturally been less enthralled.

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model to Being Gordon Ramsay – the seven best shows to stream this week 13 February 2026 at 02:00

Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model to Being Gordon Ramsay – the seven best shows to stream this week

The Guardian

By:Phil Harrison

13 February 2026 at 02:00

The morally questionable drama and meltdowns of the 00’s pop-culture phenomenon gets an exposé, while Gordon Ramsay serves up a feast of swearing

There’s now a secondary industry around huge, morally questionable shows from the gold-rush era of post-millennial reality TV. After last year’s Netflix expose of fat-shaming behemoth The Biggest Loser comes this series exploring the chequered story of America’s Next Top Model. It’s a depressing insight into the values of the times, tracing the trajectory of a show which began as a source of Black and LGBTQ+ empowerment but lost its ethical bearings. Many former contestants contribute (the story of Shandi Sullivan is particularly grotesque) as does creator Tyra Banks, who seems alternately sheepish and weirdly accusatory. “You guys were demanding it,” she claims. “So we kept pushing.”
Netflix, from Monday 16 February

TV tonight: confessions and cliffhangers in Under Salt Marsh 13 February 2026 at 01:15

TV tonight: confessions and cliffhangers in Under Salt Marsh

The Guardian

By:Hollie Richardson · Ellen E Jones · Alexi Duggins · Phil Harrison and Simon Wardell

13 February 2026 at 01:15

Rafe Spall’s detective continues his inquiries in Sky’s moody crime thriller. Plus: could you spell ‘testicular torsion’? Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Atlantic
After Nessa’s body was found in the landfill, local farmer Solomon (Jonathan Pryce) left us with a confession cliffhanger – but what part did he really play in the little girl’s death? While detective Bull (Rafe Spall) questions him, Jackie (Kelly Reilly) grieves her niece and attempts to reconnect with her sister after years of guilt. The village needs to evacuate for the killer storm that’s coming – but it will take more than a natural disaster to ruin Jackie’s perfectly bedhead-tousled mop of hair. Hollie Richardson

Spider-Noir teaser comes in colorized "True Hue" and black and white 12 February 2026 at 17:14

Spider-Noir teaser comes in colorized "True Hue" and black and white

Ars Technica

By:Jennifer Ouellette

12 February 2026 at 17:14

Nicolas Cage has carved out a quirky niche for himself in recent years with such films as Color Out of Space (2019), Pig (2021), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), Dream Scenario (2023), and Longlegs (2024), among others. Now he's starring in Spider-Noir, a new live-action series based on the Marvel Comics character. Cage plays an aging private investigator and disillusioned superhero in 1930s New York. Prime Video released the first teaser in two forms: one in black and white—very Raymond Chandler-esque—and another in color, which the showrunners are calling "True Hue."

Marvel Comics created its "noir" line in 2009, reinterpreting familiar Marvel characters in an alternate universe, usually set during the Great Depression in the US. A version of the Spider-Noir character, voiced by Cage, briefly appeared in the animated masterpieces, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Across the Spider-Verse (2023). (He is set to reprise that role in the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse.)

Co-showrunner (with Steve Lightfoot) Oren Uziel is a film noir fan, so that Marvel series naturally appealed to him. The live-action series is still set in 1930s New York, but the spidery superhero is not Peter Parker. (Uziel thought the Parker character was too associated with a boyish high school type, which didn't really fit the noir vibe.) So Cage is playing Ben Reilly, a hard-boiled PI with a secret superhero identity, The Spider. Cage has described his portrayal as "70 percent Humphrey Bogart [specifically The Big Sleep] and 30 percent Bugs Bunny," which seems pretty on point for Cage's distinctively flamboyant style.

Read full article

Comments

Family tells of ‘profound sadness’ after jury finds Strictly dancer took his own life 12 February 2026 at 17:21

Family tells of ‘profound sadness’ after jury finds Strictly dancer took his own life

The Guardian

By:Nadeem Badshah

12 February 2026 at 17:21

Inquest concluded Robin Windsor was ‘vulnerable to rejection’ which was among ‘contributing factors’ that led to death

The family of a Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer have told of their “profound sadness” after an inquest jury concluded he took his own life.

Robin Windsor, 44, was found in a hotel room in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, in February 2024.

James Van Der Beek obituary 12 February 2026 at 12:46

James Van Der Beek obituary

The Guardian

By:Anthony Hayward

12 February 2026 at 12:46

American actor best known for his role in the television drama Dawson’s Creek

For a worldwide generation of young television viewers in the 1990s, James Van Der Beek, who has died aged 48 after suffering from cancer, provided the role model of a sensitive male teenager. As the fresh-faced Dawson Leery in the American drama Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003) – shown in the UK on Channel 4 and then on Channel 5 – he starred in a series portraying friendship, first love and the trials and tribulations of adolescence in the fictional coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts.

The nerdy Dawson’s idealism and habit of over-analysing often give him unrealistic expectations and a tendency to make long emotional speeches. “It’s not about the kiss – it’s about the journey and creating a sustaining magic,” he reflects in an early episode.

Katie Holmes pays tribute to James Van Der Beek: ‘The journey of a hero’ 12 February 2026 at 09:45

Katie Holmes pays tribute to James Van Der Beek: ‘The journey of a hero’

The Guardian

By:Benjamin Lee

12 February 2026 at 09:45

Actor pens emotional handwritten letter to remember late Dawson’s Creek co-star as show creator also shares his grief

Katie Holmes has shared a handwritten letter to her late Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek.

The actor, who played Joey in the era-defining teen drama series, posted a tribute on Instagram addressed to Van Der Beek, who died this week at the age of 48.

TV, It’s Not Just for Humans Anymore 12 February 2026 at 05:00

TV, It’s Not Just for Humans Anymore

NYT: Science

By:Emily Anthes

12 February 2026 at 05:00

Videos aimed at pets are drawing millions of views. But who’s actually watching?

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast review – if you see nothing else this year, watch this 12 February 2026 at 03:00

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast review – if you see nothing else this year, watch this

The Guardian

By:Lucy Mangan

12 February 2026 at 03:00

When old school friends reunite at a funeral, they suspect foul play. Cue this frenetic, witty caper from Derry Girls’ Lisa McGee – complete with a sensational performance from Saoirse-Monica Jackson

Three middle-aged women may be all you need for anything. To run a business, raise a village, end a war, retool a civilisation, empty the loft. Even more usefully, you can make a great murder-mystery caper with them, as Lisa McGee (a fourth woman! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it) has done with her new series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.

McGee made her name, of course, with Derry Girls – a nigh-on perfect sitcom that followed the trials and tribulations of a group of Northern Irish Catholic schoolgirls (and a beleaguered English cousin) as they went about the chaotic business of growing up in the mid-90s at the tail end of the Troubles. The main characters of the new offering don’t map precisely on to the previous one but the DNA of Derry Girls as an entity remains gloriously alive (is DNA alive? I feel a curious urge to consult Sister Michael). How to Get to Heaven has all of the verve, acuity and havoc dancing on top of the immaculate plotting that you find in McGee’s masterwork. The only difference is that one of the schoolgirls is dead. Probably. Maybe. Perhaps not.

Ugly tears and floppy-haired heartthrobs: Dawson’s Creek’s 10 best moments 11 February 2026 at 22:56

Ugly tears and floppy-haired heartthrobs: Dawson’s Creek’s 10 best moments

The Guardian

By:Anna Spargo-Ryan

11 February 2026 at 22:56

As fans mourn the death of James Van Der Beek, we look back at the show he made a teen sensation

James Van Der Beek has died at 48, leaving a Dawson-shaped hole in the heart of many a millennial TV fanatic. A role model to all of a certain age, Dawson Leery taught us how to break and enter, how to be a bad friend and, most importantly, how to yearn. His years-long pursuit of the girl next door is still, for some of us, the reason we keep sending late-night texts to people who absolutely do not want to hear from us.

So, as we grieve the floppy-haired man who became the less-hot lead as the series went on, let’s look back at some of the most iconic moments spent in Capeside.

‘Deaf people can’t hide behind words!’ Inside the first ever dating show to use British Sign Language 11 February 2026 at 11:03

‘Deaf people can’t hide behind words!’ Inside the first ever dating show to use British Sign Language

The Guardian

By:Liam O'Dell

11 February 2026 at 11:03

Hold My Hand focuses exclusively on signers – who can be refreshingly blunt and extremely revealing. Heroda and Hermon Berhane, the deaf identical twin presenters, say it reveals their community in a way never seen before

It may not be the first TV programme to describe itself as being “more than just a dating show”, but Hold My Hand is undoubtedly the first to focus exclusively on British Sign Language.

“We’ve been waiting to get a show of our own for such a long time,” says Heroda Berhane, one half of the deaf identical twin presenting duo, Hermon and Heroda. “People have never seen our culture, our identity, the way we discuss the things. So it’s a dating show, yes, but it’s not just about dating; it’s also revealing our identity and our culture, and that has never been seen before.”

Godlike Titan threatens humanity in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 trailer 3 February 2026 at 17:55

Godlike Titan threatens humanity in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 trailer

Ars Technica

By:Jennifer Ouellette

3 February 2026 at 17:55

Last month, Apple TV released a teaser for the second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, part of Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse, which brought Godzilla, King Kong, and various other monsters (kaiju) created by Toho Co., Ltd into a shared narrative. But we only got the most fleeting glimpse of the promised new mythical Titan threatening the human race. The full trailer just dropped and rectifies that: It's a gigantic tentacled undersea being dubbed Titan X—and only Kong and Godzilla can stop it.

(Spoilers for Season 1 below.)

As previously reported, the first season picked up where 2014’s Godzilla left off, specifically the introduction of Project Monarch, a secret organization established in the 1950s to study Godzilla and other kaiju—after attempts to kill Godzilla with nuclear weapons failed. In the S1 finale, Godzilla fights off an Ion Dragon, tossing it through a rift back to the Hollow Earth, and Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) seemingly sacrifices himself to save his colleagues. Per the official Season 2 premise:

Read full article

Comments

Stranded boys struggle to survive in Lord of the Flies trailer 28 January 2026 at 16:37

Stranded boys struggle to survive in Lord of the Flies trailer

Ars Technica

By:Jennifer Ouellette

28 January 2026 at 16:37

BBC One has adapted William Golding's classic 1954 novel Lord of the Flies into a new miniseries and just dropped the first trailer. The book has been adapted for film three times since its publication and also inspired the Emmy-nominated TV series Yellowjackets (renewed for its fourth and final season this year). This BBC miniseries apparently has the support of the Golding family and is expected to hew quite closely to the novel.

(Spoilers for the 1954 novel below.)

Golding was inspired to write Lord of the Flies by a popular, pro-colonialism children's novel called The Coral Island, whose central theme was the civilizing influence of British colonial efforts and Christianity on a "savage" people. Golding wanted to write a book about children on an island who "behave the way children really would behave."

Read full article

Comments