The UK Pulse The Pulse of the UK

Oscar-winning songwriter Glen Hansard dies in Dublin crash

Oscar-winning songwriter Glen Hansard, singer with The Frames, has died in a motorbike crash in Dublin at the age of 56.

1 min read

Glen Hansard has short curly reddish/brown hair and a ginger beard and is playing a guitar and singing in a church

Silent Hill: Townfall heads to Scotland with a bleak new setting

Silent Hill: Townfall shifts the series to a remote Scottish island in 1996, with Simon Ordell uncovering eerie clues, new stealth mechanics and a bleak corporate cover-up.

7 min read

A man in a beanie and glasses looks down at a device in a foggy urban alley at night

Penri Williams i gael Medal R. Alun yn Eisteddfod y Garreg Las

Penri Williams fydd yn derbyn Medal R. Alun yn Eisteddfod y Garreg Las 2026 am dros 40 mlynedd o wasanaeth i'r Gymraeg.

4 min read

Spider-Man: Brand New Day review – Zendaya lifts Tom Holland’s reset sequel

Tom Holland returns as Spider-Man in a reset sequel that brings back MJ, new threats and familiar MCU spectacle, while Zendaya stands out as the film’s strongest presence.

4 min read

Douglas Stuart and Marlon James lead Brit-heavy Booker longlist

Douglas Stuart, Marlon James and Elizabeth Strout are among 13 authors on the 2026 Booker Prize longlist, which includes 10 first-time nominees and three debut novelists.

5 min read

“Range of tastes” and “openness of mind”... this year’s Booker prize longlist

Love Island champion Cach Mercer joins Strictly 2026 line-up

Love Island 2025 champion Cach Mercer joins Strictly Come Dancing 2026 as the fifth celebrity confirmed.

5 min read

Love Island UK crowns winners after twist-filled final

Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi won Love Island UK 2026 after a final with only three couples. The series ended after shock twists, while Priya Jaswal apologised for comments made on Aftersun.

5 min read

Love Island finalists Jasmine Muller, Kavan Murphy, Simba Kudyiwa, Angelista Gunda, Lorenzo Alessi and Julia Majchrzak

I took a standup class to cope with climate dread

A writer overwhelmed by climate dread joins a seven-week comedy class led by Belina Raffy and finds that standup can turn fear, anger and grief into something playful.

14 min read

A globe on a stool beside a microphone against red curtains

Naga Munchetty to leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years for Radio 5 Live

Naga Munchetty will leave BBC Breakfast after 17 years to join Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show in January, as Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards step down from 5 Live Breakfast in December.

3 min read

Ariana Grande sues hackers over leaked music and studio footage

Ariana Grande has sued two unidentified hackers, alleging they leaked unreleased music, footage and photos after targeting her collaborators and selling material online.

5 min read

Dysgwr y Flwyddyn 2026: Cwrdd â Jonathan Davies

Jonathan Davies, o Lwchwr ger Abertawe, yw un o bedwar yn rownd derfynol Dysgwr y Flwyddyn 2026 ar ôl dechrau dysgu Cymraeg yn Llundain i ailgysylltu â’i wreiddiau.

3 min read