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TV tonight: a depressing look at how TikTok Shop is making us spend

TV tonight: a depressing look at how TikTok Shop is making us spend

The Guardian17 hours ago
12.05am, Channel 4Anyone else find themself sheepishly asking for Dubai chocolate at the local corner shop earlier this year? Thank TikTok for that. Beyond making products go viral, TikTok Shop is a thriving platform where millions use videos to buy and sell items, often via livestreams. Content creator Mariam Musa takes an insightful, if depressing, look at this world and how easy it is to get sucked in. Hollie Richardson
8pm, Channel 4'It's my haven and my prison,' says Gail of her four-bed in Margate, drowning in faux-Victoriana and co-habited by 22 lifelike dolls. (Property expert Stuart: 'Every time I look at a doll, they're telling me to get out of the house.') Elsewhere, Nikki's Herne Bay property, with its gothic decor and dated bedrooms, needs a facelift. Ali Catterall
8pm, U&WAs season one of the girlboss answer to Dragons' Den comes to a close, it's time to invest. From pop-up dog crates to emergency undies, there are plenty of novel ideas – but which of the fledgling entrepreneurs will convince supermodel Ashley Graham and Kardashian business partner Emma Grede to part with their dosh? Hannah J Davies
8pm, U&AlibiJoely Richardson guest-stars as a film star in this fun period crime drama about a bookshop owner – Mr Book (Mark Gatiss) – who likes to solve cases on the side. When an actor drops dead on set after eating poisoned chocolates, suspicion points to the movie's leads. HR
9.50pm, PBS America
This two-part documentary undertakes a retrospective of the second world war Pearl Harbor attack by Japan. Expect plenty of archive footage and talking heads as it analyses the incident that led to the US entering the conflict. Alexi Duggins
10pm, BBC FourWriter Patrick Marber was once best known for comedy such as Alan Partridge, so it was an unexpected turn when he reimagined Strindberg's 1888 play After Miss Julie in 1995. Before it airs (at 10.15), he talks about making it, and working with Kathy Burke and Phil Daniels. HR
Tin Soldier (Brad Furman, 2025), Prime Video
Well, this is a weird one. Tin Soldier is a film where Scott Eastwood attempts to infiltrate a cult and overthrow its leader. What makes it odd, however, is how heavily this is overshadowed by its supporting cast. Robert De Niro features in a typically underpowered late-stage role as a kind of military adviser. But even he recedes into the shadows next to Jamie Foxx, playing the aforementioned cult leader. He has huge hair. He has silly glasses. He has questionable facial hair. His name is The Bokushi. None of it makes any sense. It's sort of incredible. Stuart Heritage
Emma (Autumn de Wilde, 2020), 11pm, BBC TwoThis 2020 Jane Austen adaptation was the directorial debut of photographer Autumn de Wilde, who brought all the experience of her old career to the table. The story of a wealthy woman who attempts to act as a matchmaker, with far-reaching consequences, has been told over and over again. What sets this version apart are the lively performances – from Anya Taylor-Joy, Josh O'Connor and Bill Nighy – and visuals that are modern enough to cut through all the period stuffiness. SH
Test cricket, England v India 10am, Sky Sports Main Event. Day one of the Fourth Test.
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Mother reveals how she created fake Snapchat account to help catch paedophile who targeted daughter
Mother reveals how she created fake Snapchat account to help catch paedophile who targeted daughter

Sky News

time38 minutes ago

  • Sky News

Mother reveals how she created fake Snapchat account to help catch paedophile who targeted daughter

A mother has revealed how she created a fake Snapchat account to help put a paedophile behind bars after he started messaging her daughter. Sarah's eight-year-old daughter Nicki was playing the online game MovieStarPlanet when she began receiving messages from someone claiming to be a 17-year-old boy. Speaking to Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee on The UK Tonight, Nicki said: "It was just someone starting off a normal conversation saying 'hi, how are you?'. And then it just started getting weirder... he was saying that I looked really sexy sometimes. And as I was an eight-year-old, I didn't really recognise that word... so then I went straight to my mum because it didn't look normal to me." The person messaging her, who it later turned out was a man in his 30s, had also repeatedly asked Nicky to speak to him on the social media app Snapchat - despite the fact her profile on MovieStarPlanet clearly said she was eight. Remembering the moment her daughter showed her the messages, Nicki's mother Sarah said: "I won't lie, initially I genuinely did think it was just a 17-year-old boy, you know, just sort of pushing his luck, if you will. "We deleted the account [on the game]. We made her a brand new account... and then 12 hours later, ping! He found her again." Sarah then decided to create a Snapchat account in her daughter's name before adding the person who had approached her on the game. She decided not to include any photos of her daughter on the account. However, Sarah continued: "He understood who it was straight away and the conversation continued... s o then, if you will, I became Nicki for about five days." Sarah says a "major red flag" occurred when the person started sending videos and pictures. "I was well aware that that was no 16 to 17-year-old boy. This was prior to us seeing a full facial image. Luckily enough, he sent that as well, which made it a lot easier to identify this as a fully-grown man." Sarah continued: "Knowing what he wanted from her, what he wanted to do to her. He was very explicit in telling me what he wanted her to do... it encouraged me to continue knowing that I can't let him do this to her or any other child, that I have to ensure that I stop him." The paedophile, who Sky News has chosen not to name, ended up serving eight months in prison after he was convicted in August 2023 - three years after he sent the messages. Nicki said she started crying when she was told the predator had been jailed. She added: "It was kind of relief and obviously joy... it was just amazing." Nicki said she often overhears pupils at her school talking about how they are chatting to people online who they don't really know. She said: "You just kind of think, well, is that not a bit of a stupid idea? Because obviously you've never met him... If a friend came up to me, then I'd actually have the conversation with them. You know, [tell them] that could be someone completely different to who they say they are." What have Snapchat and MovieStarPlanet said? A spokesperson for Snapchat said: "Any sexual exploitation of young people is abhorrent and illegal. We designed Snapchat with extra protections for teens - including private friend lists, pop-up warnings if they start to chat with someone we think they don't know and easy reporting tools so teens can get help quickly. "You must be at least 13 to use Snapchat and we also have Family Centre for parents, which allows them to see who their teen is talking with and when they last chatted." A spokesperson for MovieStarPlanet said: "First, and foremost, our thoughts go out to the family involved in these incidents and we wish them well in their recovery process. "As a registered social worker, professionally working to safeguard children, my main focus is to make sure there are comprehensive safeguarding systems in place to protect children and adolescents who engage with the online games that we produce. "This is also the main focus of everyone at MovieStarPlanet where we work with a safety by design philosophy when creating and producing our online games. MovieStarPlanet is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable online experience for everyone that engages with the online games that we produce. "We have implemented a comprehensive set of child safeguarding measures designed to protect our users from potential risks and promote civility through positive interactions. We continually assess and upgrade these systems when it is deemed necessary."

PATRICK MARMION reviews Inter Alia at the Lyttelton, National Theatre, London: All rise for Rosamund: Pike's a force of nature in electrifying sequel to hit courtroom drama
PATRICK MARMION reviews Inter Alia at the Lyttelton, National Theatre, London: All rise for Rosamund: Pike's a force of nature in electrifying sequel to hit courtroom drama

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

PATRICK MARMION reviews Inter Alia at the Lyttelton, National Theatre, London: All rise for Rosamund: Pike's a force of nature in electrifying sequel to hit courtroom drama

Inter Alia, Lyttelton, National Theatre, London Has lightning struck twice? Rosamund Pike was sensational on Wednesday night as a High Court judge in a new play at the National Theatre by Australian writer Suzie Miller – the woman who wrote that other hit play about the law, Prima Facie, starring a similarly sensational Jodie Comer in 2022. Intriguingly, Inter Alia is a mirror image of Prima Facie. Where Comer was Tessa Ensler, a have-it-all barrister defending rape suspects, Pike is Jessica Wheatley, a High Court judge trying and sentencing the same. Both plays have Latin titles and run for 100 minutes without an interval. Both are directed by Justin Martin and designed by Miriam Buether. And both turn the tables on their heroines to create devastating moral dilemmas. The difference is that, unlike Prima Facie, Inter Alia isn't entirely a monologue. We first encounter Pike as a clever, light-touch judge, feminising an alpha-male profession with her 'soft skills'. Then we discover her at home as a crusading super-mum: marinating veg, sorting laundry and doing the ironing – all before heading back to court and 'the manosphere'. Pike's Jessica is a force of nature, going out on karaoke nights with girlfriend barristers. But like every good middle-class mother she's also riven with guilt about not being good enough. And although her supportive husband Michael (Jamie Glover) is a sensitive yet adventurous lover, the god of her idolatry is her son Harry (Jasper Talbot). And it's because of Harry that her seemingly perfect life falls apart, despite best-practice parenting, including warning him about social media and online porn. It's reminiscent of Netflix's smash hit Adolescence, so no prizes for guessing why the wheels come off Jessica's dream. The fact that we can see it coming a mile off simply adds to the sense of dread in Martin's helter-skelter production. The only thing that rankled with me is the play's presumption that we are enchanted by Jessica's middle-class values and 'parenting style'. Even so, Inter Alia – whose title means 'among other things' – plays out like a Greek tragedy. Both the male characters are reduced to benign stereotypes. Michael is a basically good, if corner-cutting husband. And Harry is a basically good, if desperate-to-fit-in son. But Pike... she blazes alone: multitasking in the kitchen and in her judge's chambers, walking a mental tightrope and talking us through her 360-degree collapse. Increasingly uncomfortable to watch, just like Prima Facie it will keep the chattering classes chattering long into the night.

Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals why she refuses to look at the rumoured line-up as she insists she's 'stronger than ever' ahead of returning to the show after cancer battle
Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals why she refuses to look at the rumoured line-up as she insists she's 'stronger than ever' ahead of returning to the show after cancer battle

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Strictly's Amy Dowden reveals why she refuses to look at the rumoured line-up as she insists she's 'stronger than ever' ahead of returning to the show after cancer battle

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden says she had the 'hardest time' after ringing the chemotherapy bell when she completed her cancer treatment. The professional dancer Now in remission, Amy is hoping to raise awareness of the importance of checking in with people even after they have got the all-clear from cancer. 'I was so lucky with my friends and family; they rallied around us, but there's so many people who told me they didn't hear from anybody after they rang their bell - they thought they were fine. 'But little do they know, that's the hardest time, because that's when you've had all your chemo, that's when you're really struggling to walk up the stairs and really feeling the impact of a cancer treatment and diagnosis. 'I think it's important that people just having a better understanding.' has revealed why she refuses to look at the show's rumoured line-up. The BBC show is set to return to screens in September, with a plethora of celebrities tipped to take part including Dani Dyer, Stacey Solomon and Vicky Pattison. However, while excitement builds about the line-up, dancer Amy, 34, told in an exclusive interview with the MailOnline how she purposely avoids the speculation as she prefers her partner to be a 'lovely surprise'. Meanwhile, the Welsh beauty told how she's 'stronger than ever' as she gears up to join her fellow professional dancers for the new series following her battle with breast cancer. Speaking of the rumoured cast for the 2025 show, Amy shared: 'I haven't seen [the rumoured line-up], and I don't look at it. Normally, none of them are normally on the show anyway. 'We don't get told anything, and I'm glad we don't because I want a lovely surprise.' Amy went on to say that she'd recently been filming Celebrity Hunted alongside fellow pro Carlos Gu, so had not 'seen anything' anyway. She added: 'Me being genuinely honest, I don't tend to not look anyway, because most of the time it is not true.' Meanwhile, Amy insisted that she's feeling 'fitter and stronger than ever right now' in light of both her ongoing recovery from cancer as well as her injury last year which forced her to quit that series. The star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of just 32 in 2023 and made the decision early on to openly share her journey in the hope that it would help other people. When asked how she knew the lump she discovered the day before her honeymoon was different, she admitted that the key to her early, lifesaving diagnosis was getting to know her breasts ahead of time. She said: 'It was a real solid lump for a start, and it wasn't on the other breast.' The dancer, who was forced to pull out of last year's Strictly because of a foot injury, stressed: 'If there is something that you are not sure about, go to the GP. Get a check-up. 'It doesn't matter how big or small it might feel - don't think of being a nuisance. It's why we have the healthcare system we have in place.' Meanwhile, the Welsh beauty told how she's 'stronger than ever' as she gears up to join her fellow professional dancers for the new series following her battle with breast cancer While Amy was thankfully given the all-clear last year after an operation and chemotherapy, she is now speaking out about the 'longest' part of her cancer journey - her recovery While Amy was thankfully told she had 'no evidence of cancer' last year after surgery and chemotherapy, she is now speaking out about the 'longest' part of her journey - her recovery. Generally speaking, those who have had breast cancer are at the greatest risk of recurrence in the first five years. The star said: 'I was very deluded - I literally thought I would be ringing the bell and my life would come back. 'I didn't anticipate or realise the journey ahead of recovery and how long it was going to take, both physically and mentally, and I wish I had more preparation for that.' Speaking in collaboration with Keep Ahead, a campaign to raise awareness of the aftermath of cancer initiated by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, Amy said that while she still has a challenging number of years ahead of her, she is getting through the uncertainty by doing what she loves, dancing. She said: 'Especially this year, just throwing myself into that - taking dance lessons, being on theatre tours, and being able to now do what I love most and what makes me happy is what has got me through some tough times.' The star was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of just 32 in 2023 and made the decision early on to openly share her journey in the hope that it would help other people Amy was speaking at the launch of Keep Ahead - a campaign initiated and funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK. It aims to raise awareness of the life after cancer, risk and fear of recurrence, and empower people living with breast cancer to take an active role in decision making about their treatment and care journey.

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