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4/5 Classic 2000s films are hard to beat, though the first time I watched The Devil Wears Prada, it didn’t strike me as such. I turned it off halfway through. However, upon giving it another go, I can confirm that this 2006 star-studded Hollywood dramatisation of the book by the same name, is a classic […]

I mean, couldn’t they have just let Beyoncé and Childish Gambino make a cover album and avoided all this? Hello. I’m back. I have descended from my mountain cave at the whisper on the winds of a new Disney ‘live-action’ remake to get annoyed at. This time, it’s not even live-action at all. The Lion […]

5/5 As co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck and Ian Brennan say in the very first episode of Glee, the literal definition of the word is: “open delight or pleasure”. Glee – the show and the word itself – is all about sheer happiness and joy. To be gleeful is to watch Glee – that is […]

It’s no lie that there is a large lack of excitement when it comes to women’s football, especially when compared to the football fever that struck the nation during the men’s World Cup in 2018. It’s hard to forget the ecstatic feeling of watching England’s finest do their best with a number of chants echoing […]

In the one and only Conservative leadership race debate on ITV, hopefuls Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt went head to head on issues from Brexit to the NHS to what it means to be the British prime minister. If you missed the debate, or just couldn’t understand anything other than Boris Johnson talking over everyone, […]

Elton John is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers and artists of all time. His songs will long outlive him, and his stage presence will be felt for a long time after his retirement when the Farwell Yellow Brick Road Tour comes to an end. And, in light of this and the Elton biopic Rocketman‘s […]

Okay – I’ve got something to say. I was wrong. On 18th April 2017, I said that Apple Music was better than Spotify. Having been a loyal customer since then, I have since changed my mind. Yes – I have converted. I’m a Spotify streamer. Finally, at long last, I can connect with my friends […]

4.5/5 North Shields singer Sam Fender yesterday evening released a new single on BBC 1 to the delight of fans. Will We Talk? is yet another smash-hit from the young singer who received the Brits Critics’ Choice Award this year. Will We Talk? – as usual with Fender – is totally irresistible. It has everything you […]

Of all the attempted cinematic universes trying to copy Marvel, who would have thought Godzilla and King Kong would be the ones to succeed. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the sequel to the 2014 Godzilla movie which everyone either thought was great or boring. I thought it was both. This time around, it stars […]

It’s been a busy week for me. I’ve seen four movies, only one of which I feel I can actually talk about for any length of article. So I thought, I’d save myself the stretching and do some quick-fire reviews for the first three. Aladdin Aladdin is the latest live-action remake of a classic Disney […]

Not exactly a household name, Chris Lilley an Australian comedian who you either know and love or haven’t really heard of at all. For a certain few, the trailer for the release of his latest series Lunatics was something of a big deal. Known for mockumentary-style shows like Summer Heights High and Angry Boys, Lilley is responsible for portraying some […]

We’ve got a text! It’s officially Love Island time on 3rd June where the hit TV show will entertain millions of viewers up and down the country. ITV has released the contestant line-up – and we’re going to go through it all with you. Following last year’s massive success, there are high expectations being placed […]

The film that I will never be able to stop accidentally calling ‘perineum’. John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, henceforth referred to as John Wick 3, is a direct sequel to the first two action movies that revitalized Keanu Reeves’ blockbuster career. It follows the titular assassin as he is forced out of his shadowy hitman […]

Aah 2019. I knew you’d come around eventually. Avengers: Endgame is the 22nd film in the MCU and, in effect, does exactly what it says on the tin. It concludes the story we started in 2008 with an AC/DC backed Tony Stark, back when Christian Bale was still Batman and Barack Obama became president. It […]

Oh dear 2019. You aren’t doing brilliantly are you. Hellboy is a reboot of the franchise from the mid-2000s and an adaptation of the comics of the same name. It stars Stranger Things‘ David Harbour as the demon who fights for the US government against paranormal threats. And it’s not very good. I’m in three […]

Is it just me that feels a bit weird about films having punctuation in their title? I can accept a colon. But that’s my limit. Shazam! (see, it’s weird, right?) is the latest film from DC and Warner Brothers. It stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a 14-year-old who gains the ability to transform into […]

4.5/5 With the Easter holidays in full swing, lots of families in the northeast will be looking for places to take a day-trip to. The historical city of Durham is a great place for a family day out, and Tango, a burger restaurant located on Elvet Bridge, is the perfect place to stop by for […]

We all suffer from the occasional mistake. Whether it’s putting your clothes on backwards, falling asleep in a test, or saying a table is solid mahogany from Oak Furniture Land, none of us are perfect. The same goes for some of our favourite series. Here are 5 games which are the interactive media equivalent of […]

5/5 Here at b**p we love a good Netflix series (or two, in this case), and so when we finally sat down to watch Stranger Things, we were totally obsessed. Set in the ’80s in the fictional American town of Hawkins, Stranger Things follows the storyline of Will Byers’ mysterious disappearance. The young boy completely […]

5/5 This spring Netflix has been doing wonders for subscribers, first of all in the form of comedian Ricky Gervais’ After Life, a series about love, loss and life itself. After Life is true British comedy at its finest, with lots of the C-word, fat, bald, middle-aged men, and an all-star British comedian line-up. Ricky […]

5/5 The historical city of Durham is the perfect place for a day-trip in the North East. And if you’re heading there with friends or loved ones, Durham’s Riverview Kitchen is just the place to be if you want breakfast, brunch, lunch or a sweet treat and a cup of tea. Situated right on the […]

Look, Disney. I’ve been sort of guiltily fine with the sinister monopoly you’re establishing in Hollywood. But that was when you were making good stuff. Out of the three live-action remakes, Disney is giving us this year, 1941’s Dumbo makes the most sense to make. Firstly, it’s much much older than either Aladdin or The […]

4/5 The Brexit process has caused an absolute storm in Parliament and across the whole country. But what’s it like being right at the heart of all the drama? BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg shows exactly what it’s like throughout her new feature programme The Brexit Storm: Laura Kuenssberg’s Inside Story. Tracking through the past […]

Listen, the movie’s great but can we stop with minimalist titles? If I text my girlfriend saying that I want to talk about Us, it sends the wrong message Jordan mate. Us is the second directed film from Jordan Peele, director of Get Out and fair warning, Get Out‘s shadow looms heavy over this review. […]

For non-fans, it may be surprising to learn that Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the third best selling comic of all time, and the best selling manga – but it’s likely that you’ve heard or seen its impact in one of its 934 chapters, 831 episodes (of the anime) or 51 video games since its […]

World Book Day is always one of the best days in the calendar for children in particular. It’s a day that celebrates literature and creativity, encouraging children to embrace their own creative abilities and to really think hard about books and stories and characters. So, of course, we thought we’d share our top five literary […]

The Anti Bullying Ambassador training day that I attended was on Wednesday the 13th of February at Kenton school, in Newcastle. I was inspired to take part in this magnificent cause because of a friend, whose story I told in detail in my previous article, Anxiety And Children, who suffers from multiple anxieties. Anti-bullying means […]

The Oscars ceremony takes place this Sunday – click here for my predictions – and thankfully I’ve finished my homework in record time. Rather than boring everyone with a rapidly produced series of lukewarm 300-word reviews, I found this alternative. So you’re welcome. I’ve tried to pack as much detail as I could into these […]

5/5 It’s not often that big media outlets like Netflix manage to create a realistic TV show about what it’s like to be a young person in the modern world. Think 13 Reasons Why and think about how awful a portrayal of suicide and young people it gave to its millions of viewers. However, the […]

Last night marked the 39th edition of the Brit awards. Held at the O2 in London, it featured show-stopping performances, deserving winners and much more. Here’s a brief summary of what when down during Brits 2019. The ‘Greatest’ Show The show opened and closed with some of the best performances of the night. Hugh Jackman […]

After watching Abducted in Plain Sight, it seems that a normal review will not reflect how this one-part documentary has affected all those who’ve seen it. In an attempt to do it justice, we have reviewed not only the film itself but people’s response to this truly unforgettable story. Bizarre, disturbing and downright sick Just […]

I mean someone’s done every ‘glass half empty’ joke by this point, hasn’t it? Glass is the sequel to 2016’s Split which was a shadow sequel to 2000’s Unbreakable. Series creator M. Night Shyamalan directs and it is the story of the three main characters from the first two movies meeting in an insane asylum. […]

Since Matt Smith’s 2nd series, I’ve thought of DW as the best bad show on television. Or the worst good show, depending on the episode. Steven Moffat’s writing style often convoluted simple and effective concepts in service of unsatisfying mystery boxes. The new showrunner Chris Chibnall had a lot to improve on for the new […]

As loyal readers of b**p will know all too well, I have been a House of Cards superfan from the first second I watched the series. My biggest achievement to date (screw the A Levels and getting into uni) is finishing the series in four days. When allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Kevin […]

It’s been [unjustly] hailed as a ‘dark drama that wants to be Breaking Bad’ that isn’t ‘quite up to par‘. I am talking about the Netflix Original series everyone should be talking about: Ozark. The series follows Marty Byrde as he attempts to launder money for Mexico’s second-largest drug cartel. As you might expect, this […]

There must be at least one person out there who agrees. It’s Christmas day. You delve halfway into a pile of presents – significantly smaller in size than last year – and you find yourself opening…please, no! It’s a Lynx set, again! To make matters worse, it’s either the abhorrent ‘Dark Temptation’ or every pubescent schoolboy’s […]

How many landlords can compete with a portfolio that includes 66 castles, 23 historic gardens and one (very famous) battlefield? Not many. In excess of 400 sites of national significance are managed by English Heritage, the government-funded organisation entrusted to care for England’s protected heritage collection, or – as they put it – ‘telling England’s […]

Hey, I didn’t know we were getting a remake of Batman Begins this year. How come no one told me? Except now Bruce Wayne is calling himself Robin of Loxley and Ra’s al Ghul is Arthur from Peaky Blinders. Robin Hood is 2018’s version of that King Arthur movie from last year, in that, I’ll […]

I wasn’t going to write this review. Someone else was going to have to cover this because I doubted my ability to think objectively due to my deep unconditional love of all things Harry Potter. I needn’t have worried about that. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the sequel to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where […]

Anderson Paak’s 2016 hip hop hit Malibu has to be one of the most entertaining, intelligent and genuinely enjoyable albums of its genre. It’s poppy and funky, creating a bridge for fans of the Top 40 and most mainstream pop from the past to walk along and enjoy, which is credit to Paak’s crafty musical […]

5/5 Generally speaking, biopics about iconic music figures long after they’ve passed away never do them justice. That’s why the usual gods of music are mostly left alone nowadays when it comes to biopics. You don’t see ones about Whitney Houston, Prince or Michael Jackson. However, this year’s Bohemian Rhapsody biopic about the legendary Queen […]

Not sure whether you’ve heard, but K-pop is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, with the likes of BTS making appearances on shows such as Ellen Degeneres, and collaborating with Nicki Minaj. However, this appears to be just the beginning, and we have a 2-for-1 deal for you right here. First up we have BLACKPINK or BLΛƆKPIИK, an emerging South […]

At some point, we’ve all wished we had magical powers. Well, the following individuals on this list were granted that dream and, as far as we’re concerned, squandered it. Consider the following magicians, wizards or sorcerers who majorly wasted their abilities. Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) The Fellowship of the Ring’s resident wizard, Gandalf is, […]

Or is it favour? It’s an American film so I guess I’ll stoop to that unsettling spelling. A Simple Favour is the latest attempt to do Gone Girl again after The Girl on the Train failed. It’s directed by Paul Feig and stars Anna Kendrick while she searches for her missing friend Blake Lively. Along the way, […]

As September marks the birth month of one of children’s literature’s most influential authors, thousands of parents and their sons and daughters will be celebrating Roald Dahl Day. Each year, Dahl’s birthday is celebrated with a ‘wonderful array of events’ according to the official website, including a party at the Roald Dahl Museum in Great […]

4.5/5 After reading Pride and Prejudice and feeling totally disappointed, my hopes were as low as can be when I started reading Persuasion. It reads basically the same as Austen’s most famous work, but Persuasion is undoubtedly filled with more wit and humour accessible to any reader than P&P, making it much more bearable in […]

And finally… with this… I can finally stop being mad at the World Cup for delaying releases. Ant-Man and the Wasp is the sequel to the 2015 movie which was the definition of average Marvel. It’s also the first post-Infinity War MCU project. It, again, stars Paul Rudd as the eponymous miniature superhero alongside Evangeline […]

Finally, in theatres! Come one! Come all! See the moustache that ruined Justice League! Mission Impossible: Fallout is the sixth film in the franchise and the first to have a returning director in Christopher McQuarrie. It features Ethan Hunt and the MI gang dealing with a plot to nuke the world or something. Look, the […]