By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Another day another scandal at G4S, this time it has been claimed that staff made fake calls to a 999 emergency contact centre to ensure they met targets of answering 92 per cent of calls within ten seconds. This dire situation took place between November and December 2015 reports the Daily Mirror. There have been five staff who are now on suspension after they supposedly made over a thousand “test calls” at quiet times to...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor  A brilliant picture has emerged on Twitter regarding a banner battle between a pro-Brexit and Remain neighbours.The two banners were hung on opposite balconies in Gospel Oak, North London.Frank Chalmers, 61, added to the words "Vote Leave" with a homemade slogan: "... If you want to cut workers' rights."The image has proved an online hit after it was posted on Twitter by Frank's son Malcolm, 33.Unlike the Conservative party there is no bad blood between...

When AMC brought us The Walking Dead six years ago no one but the most avid fans of the comic series could have imagined it would become the most successful TV show in history, spawning spinoffs, video games and making creator Robert Kirkman a household name. Heck my parents watch it religiously week after week and they normally can’t stand the sight of gore or the zombie genre. Speaking of religion, Preacher premièred in the UK exclusively on Amazon Prime Video last night....

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The first fracking application in England for five years has just been approved by North Yorkshire Council. Their planning committee voted seven against four in favour of the fracking plans, by Third Energy a UK firm. Now the company will go ahead and frack for shale gas near the North Yorks village of Kirby Misperton. There have not been any fracking planning approval since 2011, after a series of tests on the Fylde coast in...

By Alex Lodge (@alexlodgemusic | Insta @alexlodgemusic7) Alex Lodge is a music supervisor for film, TV and advertising at Thirty Two.  It’s nearly June, everyone is starting to think about how they’re going to shed their winter coat (read excess weight) for the summer, and the city is starting to believe we might actually have some proper sun this year. Time for some dusty retro, some weird ambient and some astral jazz to get you ready to make the transition....

The late show host James Corden has managed to track down the internet's latest superstar for a new 'Late Late Show' skit. Mum of two, Candice Payne, went viral after posting a video of herself opening a new Starwars Chewbacca mask and breaking down into fits of laughter in her car. The new clip shows a giggling Candice driving Corden to work.  As she takes the wheel Candice shares with Corden her experience with finding instant internet fame after her...

Henry Mason, managing director of TrendWatching, talks to John Machin about how businesses can apply emerging trends to drive business insights We caught up with Henry Mason, managing director of TrendWatching and author of Trend-Driven Innovation, to find out how businesses can apply emerging trends to drive business insights and delight their customers. Let’s start with an obvious question: where do trends come from? We believe that trends emerge as innovators address people’s basic needs and wants in novel ways. The...

Review By Michael McNulty You may find it difficult to decide how to feel about Youth, Paolo Sorrentino’s most recent cinematic offering.  Set in a luxury spa hotel in the Swiss Alps, the film has a quiet melancholy about it with an undercurrent of comedy flowing beneath the surface. Youth’s rich visuals are beautifully stylised, but the film feels indulgent and overly sentimental and lacks a forward movement that limits its emotional engagement. It’s about two old, successful friends reflecting...

Reviewed by Miranda Schiller @mirandadadada Mavis! explores the life and career of Mavis Staples, from her beginnings as a young girl performing gospel songs with her dad Pops and her siblings as the Staples Singers, through their transition to soul, some of her most important collaborations, and the ups and downs of a career in a changing musical industry. With interview footage from herself, prominent collaborators and friends, and ample concert footage, it's an engaging portrait of a never-tired singer...