Canal restaurant review: ‘The cooking is excellent and colourful'
Because I never got to Bistro Freddie. And whenever I hear its name, I feel left out and awkward. Even a little triggered. It was a whole big thing this time last year and I can't remember why. It was in Shoreditch. Everyone was talking about it. But was it really good or really bad? Was it brilliantly French or annoyingly ersatz? I dimly recall Time Out liking it, having expected to hate it, and the FT hating it, having expected to like it. Or something. And then it was too late. The moment had passed.
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Daily Mirror
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
River Island's new £56 weekend bag looks just like Louis Vuitton's £3.5k holdall
River Island just dropped a new range of bags that are giving Louis Vuitton vibes for a fraction of the price, including a £56 weekend bag to rival the designer's £3.5k holdall Summer is the season of getaways, where it's a sunny holiday abroad or a weekend staycation, which means the need for some great luggage has never been higher. That's why River Island's latest collaboration has come at the perfect time, as it launches its Morgan X River Island collection, featuring a myriad of bags just in time for your next trip. One of the standout pieces in the new collab is the Brown Morgan Lips Monogram Print Holdall Bag, which you can pick up for £56. As well as being a great bag in its own right, it also has a striking resemblance to Louis Vuitton's iconic cherry print LV x TM Keepall Bandoulière 45 Bag, which costs a much pricier £3550. Similar to the designer holdall, the Morgan Lips Monogram Print Holdall Bag comes in a dark chocolate brown colour, with a subtle repeat River Island monogram all over it in a light tan colour. It also features tan details like grab top handles, trim around the edges and buckled straps across the middle. Its stand-out signature design, though, is the lips print done by British artist Morgan Seaford, which appears all across the bag in various shades of red and pink in a hand-painted effect. You can also pick up a floral printed version, which features pink and white flowers and butterflies printed across it. The Morgan Lips Monogram Print Holdall Bag fastens with a zip top to keep everything secure, and even comes with a detachable cross body strap, making it easier to carry – especially when it's full to the brim. It also measures 27cm high, 43cm wide and 26cm deep, giving you plenty of space to pack everything you need for a weekend away. We also spotted some similar styles at Debenhams, with the Ikrush Indigo Checked Print Overnight Bag now on sale down from £50.99 to £33.99 and featuring a two-tone brown checkerboard print very similar to another of Louis Vuitton's designs. If you want something that's a true designer buy without breaking the bank, this Retro Duffel Bag from Tommy Hilfiger is also on sale for £65 down from £78. However if you want to check out the rest of the Morgan X River Island collection, you can pick up everything from cross body and shoulder bags to shopper totes and purses. Each style comes in a variety of different unique painterly designs, so you can add some fun and playfulness to your handbag collection.
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
'One of the smartest shows on television': Your favourite TV spy thrillers
Intricate plots, heart-pounding action sequences and bucketfuls of suspense. Just three of the ingredients that make the spy genre so gripping. Amazon Prime Video's new crime thriller, The Assassin, is no exception, having proved popular with critics since landing on the streamer last week. Metro's own TV editor, Sabrina Barr, awarded the series four stars, praising its 'gripping twists' and confessing it had her on the edge of her seat from the very beginning. The series stars Keeley Hawes, who is no stranger to spy thrillers, having previously appeared in Bodyguard and Spooks, as a retired former assassin living in Greece. Her life is turned upside down when her estranged son (played by Freddie Highmore) arrives on the remote island. They soon find themselves on the run, and she is reluctantly drawn back into her former profession. Following the popularity of The Assassin, we asked Metro readers to share more of their favourite TV spy thrillers. From a 'tantalising' limited series to long-running classics, these are the five shows that came highly recommended by our readers… 'I was immediately enraptured by The Assassin's fast-paced action and cleverly choreographed fight sequences, as well as the wry British wit embodied by Julie and Edward as they strive to make something of their awkward relationship. Despite the wild twists and turns of the story, it still feels relatable and grounded at its core. 'Julie's no-nonsense wisecracks are a joy to watch, as is Edward's bumbling nature as he's forced to grapple with his entire world being flipped upside down. While he's the sensible one, his mother lives life on the reckless side – an entertaining subversion of the typical roles played by a parent and child.' Read Sabrina's review in full. Metro readers James Lyddall and Pramuditha Lakshan both recommended The Night Manager, which boasts a star-studded cast including Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki and Tom Hollander. The BBC thriller is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by John le Carré, who is known for his gripping novels about espionage. The critically acclaimed thriller aired on BBC One in 2016, picking up three Golden Globes among many other awards. It follows Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston), a former British soldier working as a hotel night porter, who must infiltrate the inner circle of lethal arms dealer Richard Roper (Laurie). In good news for its many fans, the BBC revealed last year that the spy thriller will be returning for not one but two new series, with Tom Hiddleston reprising his role. The release date for series two has not yet been confirmed. Where to watch: All six episodes of The Night Manager are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and Prime Video. Another award-winning series, The Americans, came highly recommended by Metro readers. Simone Rumfitt and Chathurinda Sumithraarachchi both suggested the series, which is set during the Cold War and follows the marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) are in an arranged marriage, but their connection soon becomes genuine. As the demands of their job increase, so does the personal toll, and their ability to protect both their cover and their family's safety becomes much more difficult. One reader said of the series, which aired between 2013 and 2018: 'This is a top five favourite show for me, not a single misstep or bad season, just a show that started great and got consistently better season to season and ends perfectly.' Many fans have raved about the ending of The Americans, with one reader hailing it as: 'One of the best series finales ever.' Where to watch: All six seasons of The Americans are available to stream on Channel 4. Unsurprisingly, several Metro readers also praised Apple TV Plus smash hit Slow Horses — and particularly Gary Oldman's performance as the dishevelled and obnoxious Secret Service agent Jackson Lamb. A user calling themselves Green4cl0ver added of the series, which follows a dysfunctional group of MI5 outcasts: 'This is how modern spy shows should be!' The show is so popular that it's already been renewed for a seventh season, even though the fifth instalment is yet to air. Set in modern-day London, the agents, who have been relegated to a run-down office called Slough House, must navigate the smoke and mirrors world of espionage along with their rude and flatulent boss. Slow Horses season five will arrive on Apple TV Plus on September 24. Metro TV reporter Ruth Lawes awarded the latest season of Slow Horses five stars in her review, writing that the show 'should be bigger than Line of Duty'. 'The drama does away with most thriller tropes – from an overabundance of female victims to missing children in backwater towns – and is all the more compelling for it. 'Season 4 takes this up a notch by making the plot, normally what drives any thriller, almost secondary to the characters. 'Despite their various vulgarities, I cried twice during the season because, for the first time in a long time in a crime drama, I actually cared about them. 'It's not just Oldman, who puts in a performance of a lifetime, but the rest of the Slough House misfits I'm rooting for too.' Read Ruth's full review. Where to watch: All four episodes of Slow Horses are available to watch on Apple TV Plus. Elsewhere, Netflix hit The Diplomat was praised by Metro readers as 'one of the smartest shows on television'. The series follows a US diplomat (played by Keri Russell), who juggles her job as ambassador to the United Kingdom with her strained marriage to a political star (Rufus Sewell). As she attempts to defuse international crises and form strategic alliances with other countries, her husband Hal finds it difficult to step out of the spotlight and let his wife shine. And there's more to come, with the series soon returning for a third season. Though the release date is yet to be confirmed, Netflix has said The Diplomat season three is expected to land in Autumn 2025. Where to watch: Both seasons of The Diplomat are available to watch on Netflix. Several readers mentioned BBC series Spooks, which ran for 10 seasons between 2002 and 2011. It follows a group of MI5 operatives who are tasked with keeping Britain safe from organised crime and terrorist activity. Metro reader Val Howard said it's so good that they're rewatching all the old episodes. More Trending The show saw a number of stars make appearances throughout, including The Assassin's Keeley Hawes as well as Matthew Macfadyen, Robert Hardy, Nicola Walker and Hugh Laurie, to name a few. The complex plots and strong characters made Spooks an instant hit for the BBC, with audiences showering praise on the series. Though some viewers at the time criticised the activities of the intelligence officers as unrealistic, audiences in recent years have commented on how relevant some of the storylines are to today. View More » Where to watch: All 10 series of Spooks are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and UKTV. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Channel 4 comedy branded 'a gift' to be greatest comeback of 2025 MORE: 'I'm a TV critic – I'm convinced Netflix's August thriller will blow me away' MORE: TV fans can finally binge 'unmissable' crime drama on free UK streamer
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
I visited a ‘cursed' island – and stumbled upon a 230-year mystery
When I arrived in Canada's lesser-known province of Nova Scotia, I was expecting tranquil seafronts – instead, I discovered a TV empire hinged on a 200-year-old mystery. For millions in North America and around the world, the province of Nova Scotia conjures up just two words – Oak Island. As I soon found out, the oft-whispered-about landmass in the eastern Canadian province is believed to be home to an as-yet undiscovered trove of treasure, following the discovery of a man-made network off the shorefront in 1795. Over the past two centuries, hundreds have flocked to the island, specifically to the area known as the 'Money Pit', to see if they can uncover the mysteries that lie within. In 2012, brothers Rick and Marty Lagina decided to televise their attempts to find this mythological treasure, backed by machine-powered drills, a metal detectorist named Gary Drayton, and various historians, in a show called The Curse of Oak Island. At its peak during season seven, it was regularly watched by over four million viewers in the US and was touted as the number one show on cable during that time, although it has declined in viewership since then. Still now it draws in a tidy two million or so, remaining a TV powerhouse in a saturated landscape. So there I was, after a frantic Google, piling onto a small boat ready to be shepherded around the island by one of the show's professional divers, Tony Sampson, who regaled us with the whole mystical tale. 'Some say it's the lost King's ransom of George II, some say it's a French treasure destined for the American Revolution, and obviously you can't have a mystery like this without some saying it was the aliens that did it,' Tony recounted to us Oak Island rookies. 'We also have bats*** crazy people that come up here. They say they've got a map of Oak Island from the 1600s [not possible] cause they want to get their face on TV,' he added, revealing that the frenzy around this treasure is so great that six people have even tragically died in pursuit of it over the years. In 2018, Tony set up Salty Dog Sea Tours as a 'part-time gig', but the sheer popularity of the show has drawn thousands of people to his door (and launched three spin-off shows). 'Now my whole life is talking to people about pirates and shipwrecks and treasure, which I love,' he added. The sea around the island even has its own version of the Bermuda Triangle where strange happenings occur, from failed radio communications to people washing up half-drowned. Now, 12 seasons in, one local who watches the show joked that the phrase 'Could it be?' followed by dramatic music (duh duh duh) has become its defining takeaway. Needless to say, so far it hasn't been. Although the actual existence of the treasure is up in the air, and buried under layers of sand and folklore, the area has several shipwrecks littering the seabed from which plenty of items has been procured. On the boat, we were shown coins from centuries ago still in salvageable condition, tobacco pipes, pot lids and more. As such, for many viewers, the show has provided invaluable insight into Nova Scotian and Canadian history, which has created an enduring appeal. 'This [show] is hundreds and millions of dollars in tourism and promotion for Nova Scotia with 4.5 million viewers in the US alone,' Tony explained. 'Wherever we go now in the world, you say Nova Scotia, they say Oak Island. I can't go down to the States. If we get off at an airport, somebody will come up and say, 'Oh my god, can you sign my T-shirt?',' he added with a grin. In many ways, discovering this show in such an unexpected and hands-on way felt like stepping through the looking glass into a totally different world. The sheer investment into this (in my opinion, doomed) treasure hunt is fascinating and baffling in equal measure. Although there is something rather sweet in the sentiment that the real treasure was the friends you made along the way. As I delved into a season 10 episode on YouTube to see what all the fuss was about (the clip has accumulated almost 70,000 views in just the three days since it was posted), the ethos of the show was made clear. After a tense 10 minutes finding very little under a drill (accompanied by a heart-pounding soundtrack and sweeping camera shots), Rick makes a rousing (and teary) speech to his crew in 'the war room'. 'Every journey is a shared experience and we have been on a decades-long journey together and that's quite remarkable… think of all the others who have come before us, it's incredible,' he says. 'Just give yourself a moment and say, 'You know what, I was part of something much bigger than myself.'' The comments under the YouTube video reflect just how much this show means to the audience as well, with one user, susancouder, writing: 'I get fed up with all the nails and bull shows they find but we still love this show and love these guys.' More Trending Dasha shared: 'If there was any treasure they would've found it by now but hope is a powerful thing.' There's no doubt the brothers have tapped into a great market, a pocket of history fuelled by an unsolvable puzzle – and as Tony told us, there are hopes it will go on for many more years. And who knows… just maybe I'll be tuning in for that 13th season to tag along for the ride. View More » The Curse of Oak Island is available to stream on Sky History and Now in the UK. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'I'm a TV critic – I'm convinced Netflix's August thriller will blow me away' MORE: WWE SummerSlam 2025 UK start time for Netflix live stream MORE: Jason Momoa: 'I can finally show who I really am after 26 years'
