Dear readers, at the end of another hectic news week I am grateful to Dave Mustaine’s “let there be shred!” declaration for helping take the edge off. But back to the news – and with all due respect to the Coalition implosion and Trump’s Greenland ambitions – the story that no one could get enough of kicks off this week’s selection.
1. The Beckham family feud goes public
In case you missed it: Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham, claimed on Instagram his parents had been controlling narratives in the press about his family and tried to “ruin” his relationship with his wife.
Marina Hyde’s take on Brooklyn’s conscious uncoupling with Posh and Becks takes in Goodfellas, the Windsors and whether under-16s social media bans need some amendments to rein in content-dependent parents.
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
Further reading: Emma Brockes on how modern kids go “no contact” with no guilt or stigma at all.
2. The unsung heroes behind ‘hero props’
“It’s nice that you are asking about props,” TV prop master Jode Mann tells Gabrielle Schwarz, “because they’re not really acknowledged.” But from lightsabers to severed horse heads to Rose’s necklace in Titanic, your favourite films would be a lot different if their respective property masters didn’t nail the directors’ brief.
Movie magic: Jamie Wilkinson – who has worked on two Wicked films and recent Star Wars sequels – argues real props will always trump special effects. “If the actors can physically see magic happening in front of them,” he says, “you get a different response.”
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
3. Going cold turkey on UPFs
A 2025 global report linked ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to multiple adverse health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. Emma Joyce has been eating UPFs all her life and has cartons of juice and flavoured yoghurt as part of her parenting arsenal.
Could she ditch UPFs for a week? “It’s possible,” one expert assured her, especially if you have some spare time and are food literate. Emma familiarised herself with the Nova classification system. Sacrifices were made. Then she reached the jam hurdle.
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“I stock up on rye bread from a bakery. It costs more than twice as much as a loaf of processed supermarket bread. I also buy butter made from 100% milk. The butter, like the bread, is $10. This exercise is starting to feel expensive – and it’s not even day one.”
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
Further reading: Nine easy swaps to reduce UPFs in your diet.
4. Bringing ‘sexy’ jacket potatoes back
Speaking of food that has traditionally been lathered with products made with chemical-sounding ingredients … the humble “bachelor spud” (as it’s known in my household) is on the comeback trail in the UK thanks to social media and the spud sellers out to “make the jacket potato sexy again”.
Dr Joanne Lunn, health and nutrition lead at Waitrose, attributes the booming interest in jacket potatoes to a “growing awareness of ultra-processed food”. Sammy Gecsoyler undertook several nights of taste-testing to see whether the hype is warranted.
The verdict on Subway’s spud offering: “Like a throwback to the sad, bland offerings you might have tolerated in the school canteen.”
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
5. The family found in the Siberian wilderness
The Old Believers are an Orthodox Christian schismatic sect who believed that they bore a tremendous burden – the preservation of the true words of God. For the most radical of its faith, holiness was directly correlated to isolation. Especially as Russian authorities were liable to shoot Old Believers at the first provocation.
Which is how the Lykov family came to be living in remote Siberia, 240km from the nearest settlement, when a team of scientists happened upon them in 1978. It was apparent they hadn’t interacted with outsiders in decades. Now, the last surviving member of the family is regarded as a national treasure.
Ignorance is bliss: The Lykovs hardly noticed the second world war, and in a 2023 interview Agafia Lykova seemed unaware it was again wartime for Russia.
How long will it take to read: Nine minutes.
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