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MoviesHolliday Grainger: how the Strike star cast off her corsetsThe actor swaps period drama for partying hard in the film Animals, a subtle look at female friendship. She talks about playing drunk in Dublin and perfecting an Irish accent Holliday Grainger turned 30 last year in Dublin, while shooting her new film. In Animals, she plays Laura, a 32-year-old writer trying to balance the odd pressure of how she feels she should be behaving, and how she wants to behave.

Claire Moore in Peckham Wash and Dry launderette, London, 2021. Photograph: Alice HawkinsClaire Moore in Peckham Wash and Dry launderette, London, 2021. Photograph: Alice HawkinsDolly PartonEverybody loves the ‘Backwoods Barbie’. Especially photographer Alice Hawkins who has spent 10 years dolled up as her heroine – and meeting fellow devotees along the way In an age of political discord, endless culture wars and the continuing existence of Piers Morgan, only one force on Earth is powerful enough to unite the divided masses.

Raquel Welch: a life in pictures Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email The American actor has died at the age of 82. In 1966, her appearances in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC, wearing a fur bikini, shot her to stardom. Here we look back at her life and career. Raquel Welch, One Million Years BC actor, dies aged 82 Main image: Raquel Welch in a publicity shot for One Million Years B.

2 Aug 202310.21 BSTBut they’re not our story today, not by a long chalk. Taken simply as a game of football, what we’ve just seen was mindblowing; taken as a social, cultural earthquake, a reward for decades of pain, an expression of the human spirit and the unbeatable power of South African womanhood, it’s something different entirely, an eternal moment that encapsulates exactly why we’re here. Thanks for your company and comments; what a night!

Journeys in literatureJG BallardThe Crystal World by JG Ballard – a petrified apocalypseA voyage to a mysterious forest leads its hero to a violent yet beautiful fate I first read JG Ballard’s The Crystal World 10 years ago on a beach in Suffolk, the glare of the sea in my eyes. I looked out to the water, and the reflection of the sun on the waves blinded me. The wind dropped, the reeds on the dunes stopped waving and everything slowed down.

OpinionFilm This article is more than 11 years oldWhy did Jason Segel have to lose weight?This article is more than 11 years oldHadley FreemanI despair at the news that Hollywood bosses forced the actor to lose 30lbs for his latest filmContrary to the old saws, most clouds do not have silver linings but in fact have fuzzy cloudy linings and the road to hell is not paved with good intentions. It is paved with a sticky sediment of fire, brimstone, recycled copies of OK!

Notes and queriesHuman biologyReaders answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts While recently invigilating public examinations, I noticed that in almost all cases the young women sat with one leg crossed over the other, while the young men sat with their legs open. Is this instinctive? If so, what about cultures where people sit cross-legged? Nature or nurture? Jane Ghosh, Bristol

Social media This article is more than 6 years oldExplainerThis article is more than 6 years oldIf you’ve been wondering what it means, here’s the answer – and the complex tale of how some have tried to hijack it If you have been on social media over the last few weeks, you may have seen people tagging posts with the hashtag #FBPE, or using #FBPE in their usernames. But what does it mean?

Alabama This article is more than 5 months oldCarlee Russell admits she was not abducted and did not see child on roadThis article is more than 5 months oldAlabama woman could face charges for fabricating story, police say, as they try to determine whereabouts for two days A woman in Alabama has confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of the interstate.