The Algorithm Age

Children's imaginations ran wild when a man from the moon with a pencil for a nose began to squiggle. Mr Squiggle lit up TV screens for 40 years — and now, decades after the kids' program last aired, the National Museum of Australia in Canberra is displaying hundreds of iconic Mr Squiggle items. The exhibit includes creator Norman Hetherington's artworks, scripts, and puppets. Hetherington operated and voiced the blue-haired, floppy, pencil-nosed puppet, with the role a perfect marriage of his skills as a cartoonist and puppeteer. Nineties kids will remember Mr Squiggle's sidekicks grumpy Blackboard, Bill Steamshovel and Gus the Snail. There was also Miss Rebecca, the daughter of Norman Hetherington and the show's last host. "The museum has done such an amazing job of collating it and restoring bits and pieces that needed a little bit of attention," Rebecca Hetherington said. "I'm so excited that...

One thing is certain when Wimbledon rolls around each year – aside from, y'know, the tennis. It's that the crowd at the tournament is inevitably dotted with famous faces , be they Hollywood stars, influencers or icons of the sporting world. Some are even lucky enough to wind up in the famous Royal Box , sitting in the presence of actual royalty at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. READ MORE:  The Aussie dressing royalty: 'Often they'll buy things themselves' After seeing the photos, you might have quietly pondered: how, exactly, does a David Beckham or an Olivia Rodrigo end up in the prestigious section when they aren't a royal? The hottest ticket in town The Royal Box, a Wimbledon institution since 1922, is a strictly invite-only section next to the stadium's Centre Court that sits 74 people, with no tickets available to the public. As you can guess from the name, members of the British and overseas roy...

Wimbledon 2025 day four is underway and the royal box is already packed with a star-studded guest list made up of TV presenters, actors and sports stars. Day four of the world-famous tennis tournament features a packed schedule with a raft of British players in action, including Jack Draper and Dan Evans , the latter taking on Novak Djokovic on Centre Court . Yesterday, Emma Raducanu headlined a brilliant day for British tennis at Wimbledon that also saw wins for Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie. Beyond the tennis, there have been plenty of famous faces for fans to spot, with the likes of Dave Grohl , Olivia Rodrigo and John Cena showing up on day three . The opening day at SW19 saw England football icons Sir David Beckham and Gareth Southgate rub shoulders with actors Eddie Redmayne and Jason Isaacs. Perhaps the biggest draw on day four is Bear Grylls , the infamous adventurer and TV presenter. The royal box, situated in the prime-vi...

Michael Madsen , a stoic actor who worked frequently with director Quentin Tarantino and appeared in various acclaimed films from the 1980s onward, has died, according to his publicist Liz Rodriguez. He was 67. Rodriguez told CNN that Madsen had a cardiac arrest and was found unresponsive in his Malibu, USA home Thursday morning. "Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood's most iconic actors, who will be missed by many," said a joint statement from his managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith of Bohemia Entertainment and Rodriguez. READ MORE: Photo that fuelled Beckham family feud rumours Sgt. Christopher Jauregui, watch commander for Los Angeles Sheriff Department Lost Hills Station confirmed to CNN Thursday that deputies responded to Madsen's home in Malibu this morning and found him "unresponsive." He was pronounced dead at 8:25am local time and no foul play is suspected, Jauregui added. Illustrious body of work Madsen was a pr...

It’s been a bad week for cruise ships . First there was the young girl who fell overboard in the Bahamas, swiftly pursued by her heroic dad. Then Cannes followed Venice, Nice, Barcelona and Amsterdam in becoming the latest city to ban or restrict giant cruise ships . Finally, Netflix’s new documentary Trainwreck: Poop Cruise told of how in 2013 a fire caused a ship to be cast adrift without power in the Gulf of Mexico. With the toilets no longer flushing, the 4,200 people aboard spent four days defecating into plastic bags. But if that’s the nightmare version of cruising , then Channel 4’s new series Supercruising: Life at Sea is all about selling the dream. This extended advert for a Dutch-American company follows two of their ships: one that is sailing 3,000 passengers from Dover to North Africa, and another that is ferrying a similar number around the Caribbean. The series is very much in the vein of all those other Channel 4 programmes about five-sta...

Ozzy Osbourne is heading to his home to take his final bow with a little help from his heavy metal friends. The self-styled Prince of Darkness announced in February he was getting the band back together for the first time in 20 years for one last concert. The singer and his original Black Sabbath bandmates will reunite on stage to perform as part of a day dedicated to the music. Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, the show’s music director, said: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.” It will also be a fundraising event for charities chosen by the artist and an opportunity for the 76-year-old, who has Parkinson’s, to bid farewell to fans and the genre he was instrumental in creating. When is the Black Sabbath ‘Back to the Beginning’ gig? Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning concert will be held on Saturday 5 July at Villa Park, the home ground of Aston Villa FC . Osbourne has been a life-long supporter of the club. Gates open at 1...

Actor Michael Madsen , best known for his roles in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 , has died aged 67. Born in Chicago , Illinois, in 1957, Madsen’s mother, Elaine, was a filmmaker and author, while his father, Calvin, was a World War II Navy veteran and a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department. After appearing on screens for the first time in the 1980s, Madsen went on to earn over 300 credits to his name throughout his career. It has been confirmed by his manager, Ron Smith, that the actor died Thursday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest and being found unresponsive in his Malibu home. ‘In the last two years, Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films Resurrection Road, Concessions and Cookbook for Southern Housewives, and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life. Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems c...

Entire generations of young girls grew up with fairy paintings or embroidery on their walls. The picturesque, idyllic world of fantasy art was enrapturing as a child: the idea of living (and flying) free in a world of magic and beauty, surrounded by nature. The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature feels inspired by this sense of whimsy, with artful design work and the arrival of Fairy Sims making this Expansion Pack a blissful experience. Entering the new town of Innisgreen, you can adventure through a world that feels entirely new, and packed with possibilities. In one part of the land, the Fairy realm resides, comprising the home of the Fairy Council, a magical lake with deep emotions, a tree housing the spirit of the Green Man, and all sorts of other secrets to uncover. Venturing further, you’ll find a dazzling and glitter-filled Fairy bar, and homes that alternately resemble Hobbit holes or eleven palaces. There’s touches of The Lord of the Rings here, as well as more t...

The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature Expansion Pack has been a long time coming. Over the years, one of the most-requested features for the game has been the return of the Fairy Occult Sim, particularly given their popularity in The Sims 3 . Now, finally, the fairies have arrived, in a major new expansion pack that introduces a vast new, nature-filled neighbourhood, new “Natural Living” skills, Hobbit -like homes, the return of a fan-favourite family from The Sims 2 , and much more. This upcoming expansion pack is one for nature lovers, and those looking for a bright, whimsical escape from the world. If you’re looking to tread green pathways, or to embrace the magic of life as a fairy, you’ll certainly want to visit Innisgreen, and discover everything this new neighbourhood has to offer. Here’s all the major new features of The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature , and why it’s shaping up to be such a novel, colourful new expansion pack. Table of Conten...

On June 4, Meghan Markle shocked the world when she shared a video of herself twerking with Prince Harry in a hospital delivery room, while heavily pregnant with their daughter. She posted the lighthearted clip on Instagram as a tribute to Princess Lilibet’s fourth birthday. Just weeks later, on June 25, reality TV stars Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing made a parody video, mocking Harry and Markle's Baby Mama Dance. The royal family’s cheeky response to the same, which threw major shade at Harry and Markle, left royal fans unimpressed and rushing to defend the Sussexes. Laing and Habboo filmed the parody video on the Buckingham Palace Grand Staircase while attending an event for King Charles’ charity, The King’s Trust. The couple, who are expecting their first child, were seen twerking and dancing to the same track used by Markle. The video prompted a comment from the royal family’s official Instagram, which read, "We see you 👀😉." The King’s Trus...

Three seasons later, " Squid Game" has ended . Was protagonist Gi-Hun's (Lee Jung-jae) fate spelled out in Season 1, Episode 1? The evidence is convincing, fans are saying online. In the hit Netflix show out of South Korea, financially desperate people battle each other for a prize pot of 4.56 billion won, or just over $33 million . After winning the first game in Season 1, Gi-hun returns, this time with the intention to take down the craven competition. He makes it to the end again. In the final moments, he chooses between sparing himself and taking the life of an infant born during the games, or leaving the infant as the sole winner. The words he says are a clue into his journey in the show. How do Gi-hun's last words tie back to Episode 1? In a dramatic, intense moment, Gi-hun turns to Front Man and the VIPs, who spectated the final game, and makes his thoughts clear. “We are not horses. We are humans. Humans are…” Gi-hun says as his voice t...

Neil Druckmann will not have anything to do with season 3 of The Last Of Us TV show, as he returns to work at Naughty Dog full-time. Naughty Dog is one of the most respected video game developers in the world but they’re certainly not the most prolific. They haven’t made a completely new game since The Last Of Us Part 2 in 2020 and they only announced Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as recently as last December. Despite very little of it having been shown, the fan response so far has been muted and so with another secret game also in development, studio head Neil Druckmann has announced he’s stepping away from The Last Of Us TV show at HBO and won’t be involved in the third season. Perhaps not coincidentally, he’s taking his leave after a less rapturous reception for the second season, which started to deviate considerably from the plot of the original game – which Druckmann himself co-wrote. ‘Now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to N...

Netflix subscribers have been left heartbroken over the cancellation of The Residence. The streaming service has made a habit of prematurely cancelling acclaimed shows over the years, with the most controversial cases including The OA , Mindhunter and Kaos , all of which were canned despite securing a cult fanbase . It has now been announced that murder mystery series The Residence , starring Orange is the New Black ’s Uzo Aduba , will not be returning for a second season. The Residence followed eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp (Aduba), who is invited to the White House to solve a murder that was committed during a state dinner. Reviews for the series were positive upon its release in March, with fans and critics expressing hope that Cordelia Cupp would return to solve more mysteries in future seasons in a similar vein to Benoit Blanc, Daniel Craig’s super detective in the Knives Out film series . While the show...

Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. invited a pro-Palestine group on stage at their festival slot at Roskilde, Denmark - one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. The band brought out the activist group mid-performance to show their solidarity with the people of Gaza and led chants in both English and Arabic. Check out the footage below. This comes as both Kneecap and Bob Vylan are under investigation by the police for their pro-Palestine comments at Glastonbury 2025. Fontaines D.C. also praised British punk rap duo Bob Vylan for voicing their support for Palestine during their gig on the West Holts stage last weekend. Bob Vylan projected a message reading “Free Palestine – United Nations have called it a genocide – the BBC calls it a ‘conflict’” onto the screen behind them, and also led chants of both “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces). Glastonbury organisers iss...

Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. invited a pro-Palestine group on stage at their festival slot at Roskilde, Denmark - one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. The band brought out the activist group mid-performance to show their solidarity with the people of Gaza and led chants in both English and Arabic. Check out the footage below. This comes as both Kneecap and Bob Vylan are under investigation by the police for their pro-Palestine comments at Glastonbury 2025. Fontaines D.C. also praised British punk rap duo Bob Vylan for voicing their support for Palestine during their gig on the West Holts stage last weekend. Bob Vylan projected a message reading “Free Palestine – United Nations have called it a genocide – the BBC calls it a ‘conflict’” onto the screen behind them, and also led chants of both “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces). Glastonbury organisers iss...

Warning: Spoilers for Ironheart, you have been warned… Looking for something to watch now you’ve binged The Bear and seen off Squid Game ? Well, you’re in luck! Six episodes of an incredible new action show are available to watch now on Disney Plus. The show is called Ironheart and it’s the latest chapter in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, if you’re a fan of the MCU , you’ll no doubt know what Ironheart is about, but if you’re not up to date on what’s happening on Earth-616, allow me to explain. Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , Ironheart follows genius gadgeteer Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as she teams up with the mysterious Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) in the hope of scraping together enough cash to build a new suit of Iron Man-style armour. However, Parker isn’t what he seems, and before long, Riri finds herself torn between the mystical and the mechanical. When the series first dropped, ther...

Kelly Ripa has no plans to dive back into the dating pool — ever. During the July 2 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark , the 54-year-old host got candid about a life without her husband of nearly three decades, Mark Consuelos . "Let's just say you were to leave me. I can say with 100 percent certainty that dating is out of the question," Ripa told her co-host and hubby. "I've had three kids, there's too much to explain." Ripa joked that even the idea of being intimate with someone new is a total no-go. "I'm not ever getting naked again — and I resent having to get naked in front of you sometimes," she quipped. "I'm like, 'No, no, no. Light out. You can wait until dark. Also, turn off that light, and also turn off your cell phone light. I want it pitch-black in here. And no unexpected touching!'" Consuelos laughed right along with the audience as Ripa continued on with her rant. ...