A strong narrative engages audiences
Supposedly old-fashioned, conventional storytelling has its critics but it brings clarity, focus and structure to a drama
In a world without the voiceover guy…
The king of the voiceovers, Don LaFontaine, has died at 68. How much will you miss his thunderous promos?
Carry on up the iTunes charts
A new trend has emerged where bands rush release covers of songs recently removed from iTunes. Is this simply a case of consumers no longer caring who is singing, or a cynical attempt to cash-in on the major-label dollar?
What film would you most like to pass on to future generations?
The British Film Institute is launching one of those polls to discover not the nation’s favourite film, but the film most worthy of being passed down through future generations. Since it is in aid of their 75th birthday, they have…
Should a POW be president?
John McCain’s campaign has invoked his five-year imprisonment in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" as a catch-all response to all number of stories, from his multiple house-ownership to allegations that he bent the rules at last month’s evangelical forum. But one…
Blame Newcastle’s boss for Keegan’s loss
The real culprit for the latest fiasco to engulf St James’s Park is not Kevin Keegan, but owner Mike Ashley
Time to rediscover the glory of chapbooks
The booklets have been spreading the literary word for more than 450 years and they still have the power to delight and inform in equal measure
Paxo rocks
Kenton Allen, the BBC’s larger-than-life creative head of talent and Comedy North bowed out on his last day at the corporation before heading into independent production in typical style last week. Kenton hosted a glitzy launch of the new BBC3…
What about the women?
Monkey was bemused at the offhand treatment dished out to the star act in new BBC3 comedy Massive at the show’s launch, a pair of overweight female singers called HearKittyKitty, played by a menacing Beverley Rudd and Faye McKeever. The…
Little Britton needs bounce back from Gastricgate
This Morning presenter must put her weight-loss troubles behind her and restore the jolly, upbeat persona that makes her a daytime TV favourite
Is Ruth a new Dawn?
Is Ruth Jones, of Gavin & Stacey fame, in danger of becoming the new Dawn French, on tap whenever a jolly, buxom Mumsy figure is required on screen? Monkey asks because at Monday night’s screening of the new BBC adaptation…
Harwood you like the job, Kate?
The BBC used the Tess of the d’Urbervilles launch to screen a preview tape of this autumn’s new dramas, which led into a lengthy introduction from the elegant Kate Harwood, executive producer and controller of series and serials for BBC…
Aussies not sweet on Sugar
How can this be? Sir Alan Sugar has proved a major flop in Australia. Surallun’s BBC1 version of The Apprentice started screening on the Seven network in the week after the Olympics finished and expectations were high. About 1 million…
Adam and Joe write Grazia song
If Monkey writes about Adam and Joe’s BBC 6Music show once more, you might begin to think they are paying him a retainer. But we have a good excuse, because the topic for this week’s Song Wars - in which…
Lost in Austen: finally, I get a straight leading role
It’s great to play the lead in Guy Andrews’ drama - I love Jane Austen novels and am glad to be taking on a part that’s not of a lesbian comedy sidekick
Is Berbatov really the right man for United?
Talented though he is, both Man United and Dimitar Berbatov will have to change to make the second-biggest transfer of the summer a success
Live blog: Big Brother double eviction tonight
We are now well and truly into the last week of Big Brother and with seven housemates still remaining, tonight two more will get the boot before Friday’s finale. But who will it be? Viewers are now voting for who…
The 24 greatest LA movies. And Fletch
The LA Times has published a list of movies depicting its home town, and there are surprises in store
Why don’t art and science mix?
The Darwin’s Canopy commission was a chance for artists to engage with science. What a shame they turned their backs on this challenge
The secrets of successful pop-star investments
Pop stars aren’t really known for their sound business plans, so is it a good idea for Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders to open his own pub? It is if he takes some tips from P Diddy and David Bowie
Google joins the browser wars with Chrome
Of all the internet-based services we use everyday, the web browser is arguably the last, major chunk of kit that Google does not have a hand in. Until today. The launch of Google Chrome had to be rushed out last…
Welcome back to the men of iron
There is nothing like an impending Lions tour to focus the mind at the start of a new rugby union season
Heat turns the tables on Frith
Here was Monkey, all ready to condemn Heat magazine for a puff interview with its former editor Mark Frith so he could plug his new book The Celeb Diaries - published by Ebury, out now - over four pages in…
Rough Guides Competition: Winners!
From Hillys in Beyond Good and Evil to the balcony in Westood Studio’s 1997 classic Bladerunner, our readers give us the lowdown on their favourite game locations.
Why Freddie Mercury is a punk-rock icon
Queen have always been considered the antithesis of punk. But if punk rock was about never being boring, then Mercury’s camp, Bollywood theatrics were almost a political weapon
What Pietersen must do if England are to build on their one-day success
Ahead of the testing ODI series in India, Kevin Pietersen need not see line-up changes as a sign of weakness, but as proof of adaptability
Do the Lady Boys of Bangkok light your fire?
Watch out, Beyoncé: these Thai queens are driving audiences wild. But what’s the appeal of the lip-synching, gender-bending troupe?
The dangerous newcomers to the international party
Montenegro might be ranked 143rd in the world but they shouldn’t be underestimated
Firefox boss responds to Google’s Chrome
Mozilla’s best friend is about to invade Mozilla’s prime market with a Windows browser
Free newspapers feel the pinch as advertising slump takes hold
Are we beginning to witness the bursting of the free newspaper bubble? There is increasing evidence pointing to that likelihood. Profits are proving hard, if not impossible, to find. Closures are becoming common (the latest examples are Nyhedsavisen in Denmark…
Which shows make big-screen winners?
Two hit stage shows are preparing to migrate to film and speculation grows over which movie stars, such as the ubiquitous Meryl Streep, will be given the juicy main roles
The end of Virgin Radio? Absolute-ly.
"You’re listening to Absolute Radio…" It’s the all-new name for Virgin Radio. Will you be tuning in?
Wonderful Wembley just beats character-filled Cardiff
Wembley Stadium provided a suitably grand stage for St Helens to earn their Challenge Cup hat-trick
Why I never want to hear Roger McGough Talk Talk again
It’s bad enough being put on hold while waiting to speak to a customer service rep, but it is even worse when you’re forced to listen to recorded poetry loops
Talking Horses
The latest news and best bets from around the country in our daily racing blog
Do you have a question for Daniel Craig?
Help make the readers of Sugar magazine look like the silly little pre-teens they really are with the perfect guardian.co.uk/film question for 007 himself
Le Guen sets out to prove that survival is a marathon, not a sprint
The manager, the chairman and the evergreen Claude Makélélé all deserve credit for the revival in PSG’s fortunes
Chatterbox Tuesday
Tuesday’s edition of Chatterbox.
Booker club: Girl in a Blue Dress
Gaynor Arnold’s novel based on the perspective of Dickens’s wife Catherine is a baggy and flawed attempt at a richly intriguing subject
Blood feud threat by blogger’s family
Hundreds of people took to the streets in the republic of Ingushetia yesterday to commemorate Magomed Yevloyev, the news website owner apparently shot dead by police the previous day. Yevloyev’s relatives have vowed to avenge the blogger’s death and declared…
Hugh gets revved up over bikes
Revealed! Hugh Laurie’s burning ambition before turning 50 next year is to ride across America on a motorcycle. "But not just any old motorcycle, one with a sidecar. That’d be fantastic," the House star tells the Daily Express. And only…
Masterchef’s new recipe hits the spot
The BBC has at last come up with a tasty format for its long-running cookery competition, co-hosted by top chef Michel Roux Jr
Where are you banned from taking photos in the UK?
The UK FOI requests blog tries to find out where you’re not allowed to take photos in the UK.
Ireland improves newsprint recycling
Ireland has emerged as one of the best countries in Europe for recycling newsprint, according to an audit by international environmental consultants RPS. Some 73.8% of all Irish newsprint was recycled last year, up from about 28% in 2002. The…
Hurricane stops print, but not the web
Hurricane Gustav may not have hit as hard as feared, but it still affected newsprint newspapers. The Times-Picayune of New Orleans suspended publication for two days, as did two other Louisiana titles, the The Courier and http://www.dailycomet.com/">Daily Comet . However,…
Brum blog lays into Trinity Mirror
It’s a rare thing indeed when you get candid assessment of life at a troubled UK newspaper published by the paper itself. So credit the Birmingham Post for having the cojones to carry a blog post on its website that…
BBC rustles up autumn promo
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The Phorm storm hits the US
The AP last night published a list of six US internet service providers that have confirmed they have trialled a targeted ad system that works by monitoring a user’s web behaviour - similar to the system being implemented by Phorm…
Manchester City’s new owners put national pride before profit
The Abu Dhabi company that has bought the Eastlands club sees its new acquisition as far more than a business opportunity
Dragons’ Den - Series 6, Episode 7
It’s episode seven of Dragons’ Den - who’s in with the Dragons and who’s out on their ear? Join me for the liveblog from 9pm.
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