A WOMAN who lives in the smallest council house in the world has revealed she has to give visitors tours of her property every week.

Fay Laflin has lived in the 17th century Dutch Cottage in Raleigh, Essex since 2008.

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The property is only 6 meters wide and was probably built in 1621 by Dutch settlers, who came to Essex to work on the sea defenses.

The octagonal house is a Grade II listed building and is believed to be one of the few Dutch cottages left in Britain, and the only one owned by the council.

Fay pays just £75 a week to live in the cute thatched cottage, and is ecstatic with her tiny home.

Fay told MailOnline: “It’s compact and bijou, but it’s just such a beautiful place to live, it’s really quirky.”

Fay was one of fifty applicants who applied to live in the house, and the council decided she was best suited to live there.

She said: ‘I asked for it and hoped to get it. You had to write a letter explaining why you wanted to live here.

“I wrote and said I was only 6ft tall so I would be well suited for a small house.

“I don’t think it was the deciding factor, but I’m sure it helped.”

Fay’s house is so small that she had to have a special low bed made to fit into the small bedroom, which she can only access by a steep ladder.

The 49-year-old freelance director revealed that she has to open her tiny home to visitors once a week.

“It’s basically like living in a museum,” she said.

However, she said she is the perfect tour guide as her surname is Flemish and is related to 17th century settlers who came to the east of England after facing persecution.

“The Dutch colonists built sea walls on the coast.

“Who knows, they may have been here?” she said.

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RONNIE O’SULLIVAN plans to use exhibitions to sharpen his game for the Crucible.

The world number 1 exited the last 16 of the World Open when he lost 5-4 to Hossein Vafaei in Yushan.

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Iran’s Vafaei, 29, came from 63-37 down in the final frame and only sealed the win on the final suit after O’Sullivan missed a routine black.

The Rocket, 48, is his own worst critic, rating his technique and execution over the past two years – since becoming king of Sheffield – as only “four or five out of ten”.

To win a record eighth world title this spring, O’Sullivan will engage in a friendly shootout.

He said: “It wasn’t intentional. Many things are fate.

“Usually the better player wins 99 times out of 100. This is how the match goes.

“He deserved his win, he played better snooker. Disappointingly I didn’t play well enough to win.

“I’m doing a number of exhibitions in Hong Kong. I’m coming back to China for a tour in May.

“I’m trying to figure out why I don’t feel good there when I play.

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“I’m winning, I’m participating, but I’m not hitting the ball well. I think I play better when I know I’m doing more exhibitions.

“I’m learning to relax in front of a crowd. It’s difficult when you play matches against very good players all the time. You compete for ranking points.

“I have to find a way to get my game back.”

In the mood and market for a holiday romance?

Then pay close attention to the insights travel experts reveal here about how flirting differs around the world.

They reveal the best icebreaker in the US, the land where flirting is tangible and filled with winks and the place where lingering eye contact and buttery compliments are the order of the day on the courtship front.

Our love gurus also mention the countries where women can expect men to be openly persistent – and a place where men literally bark like dogs at the opposite sex.

Read on for some helpful global lessons in love…

UK – sharp humor hides simmering passion

Hannah Dorling, cruise travel expert and founder of I like cruise shipsis a Brit who has traveled the world and witnessed many a love affair on board.

She claims that humor is leading the way for chatting in Britain.

She tells MailOnline Travel: ‘British flirting succeeds more through banter and intellectual sparring than through overt displays… sharing private laughter helps intimacy grow.

‘For me the intrigue lies in the subtleties of British flirting. Mastering repartee, inside jokes and sensing the possibilities beneath… It may look subdued, but passions can still simmer beneath the surface.’

United States – direct and sincere

Noël Wolf is a culture expert and Babbel Live teacher for the language site Babble. He says: ‘Americans are known for being more to the point and sincere in their flirting than their compatriots in Britain.’

He notes that asking about someone’s career is the traditional American icebreaker, adding, “Americans tend to be less sarcastic than British people!”

South China – chopstick codes in rice balls

Clarissa Bloom is a relationship expert for ‘hen party experts’ www.thestagcompany.com. She notes a fun flirting tradition in southern China: ‘They celebrate the Sisters Meal Festival, their version of Valentine’s Day.

‘The women cook some glutinous rice in different colors, and when a man “takes the step” they hand him some rice in a handkerchief. If they unpack it and find two chopsticks, it means it worked.

“Only one chopstick means the girl isn’t interested, but since only the guy can see how many chopsticks are in it, it’s relatively subtle and less embarrassing if it’s a no.”

Spain – direct eye contact and lots of touching

Michele Massa is a Spanish travel expert and CEO of Ibiza summer villas. She talks about how Spaniards like to keep things tangible: ‘Spaniards are very expressive people and when flirting we tend to show this through direct eye contact and physical touch.’

Sara Rodriguez, founder of Madrid Travelagrees: ‘You don’t have to be shy with the ‘me gustas’ (I like you) – we strive to leave no uncertainty about romantic interest.

‘Women in particular are bold and lead with a smile and a wink… we think clarity is sexy – why dance around the chemistry when you can feel the fire?’

Canada – a subtle dance

Michael Donovan is a travel expert and co-founder of StayNewEngland.com.

He says: ‘Flirting in Canada tends to be quieter than in many parts of the world. Canadians have a reputation for being polite and respectful, and this translates into romantic pursuits.

‘Overtly sexual comments may be considered rude.

‘Although Canadian flirting has little impact, it runs deep. Canadians seek life partners, not conquests. It is a subtle dance, in which communication and egalitarian values ​​stimulate attraction.’

France – lingering eye contact and buttery compliments

Picking someone up is called ‘draguer’ in French, literally dredging.

Yet Fiona Spinks, travel expert and publisher of Fiona followedbelieves that the French have turned flirting into a high art: ‘AYou’ll have persistent eye contact, suggestive body language, and buttery compliments about your intelligence or irresistible je ne sais quoi.

“Leave it to the land of romance to take the simple chat-up line to a poetic level with romantic gestures like handwritten notes and intimate invitations.”

India – tradition runs deep

Travel expert Anjali Chawla, founder of Travel melodiesnotes that Indian romantic cues are subtle, with suitors relying on gestures, “gentle” compliments, and finding excuses to interact in social situations.

She says, “Being too direct or overt with advances is generally not appreciated.”

Tradition is the key. Anjali continues: ‘Since parental involvement often plays an important role in the matchmaking process, openly dating multiple potential partners is usually not an initially accepted option. Flirting occurs most often during family gatherings and other controlled environments in the early stages.

‘Long-standing power dynamics also favor lighter-skinned people over darker skin tones, although this is slowly becoming more prevalent in modern urban areas.’

Italy – persistent

Emily Mendez, psychotherapist and writer for Tom’s blog, notes: ‘Italy has a reputation for amorous, persistent men who ruthlessly pursue the objects of their desire. Serenades and poetic overtures are more common flirting tactics [there] than in many other countries.’

Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica – fast and aggressive

In Mexico and South America, flirting can become quite aggressive, according to Clarissa Bloom.

She says that in Brazil they are “much faster at dating and flirting,” adding, “It’s common to be close, dance together and kiss on a first date in Brazil.”

In Mexico, on the other hand, “it is common to hear wolves whistling or shouting comments out loud,” and in Costa Rica “you may hear men making dogs bark at you, which is a strange way to show your attraction.”

Egypt – keep it modest

‘[In Egypt] Islamic values ​​play an important role in shaping social interactions, including flirting,” said Mona Gomaa Flash Pack’s True Egypt tour.

She adds: ‘Modesty and respect are highly valued, and public displays of affection or provocative behavior are generally frowned upon in public.

‘Unmarried men and women generally do not interact freely and do not openly express their interest in each other. Instead, they may seek the help of intermediaries, such as family members or friends.”

Australia – friendly banter

Like their Commonwealth cousins, Australians prefer playful banter, fueled by humor and confidence, to pick-up lines, says Rosalind Cuthbertson, travel expert and co-owner of Frequent traveler.

She adds: ‘They tease with funny jokes, often about cultural touchpoints, demonstrating their ability to charm while gently poking fun.’

Germany – in advance and punctual

Noel Wolf from Babbel says: ‘Germans are known for being direct, and that can also apply in the dating world. Showing off or cheap lines don’t tend to be the preferred style.

‘Honest communication is appreciated, even though the truth can sometimes be a bit painful, so people tend not to beat around the bush.

‘One thing you should keep in mind is the importance of punctuality; Being fashionably late doesn’t make a good first impression!’

Denmark – talk honestly

According to Nicolai Lonne, travel expert and founder of Dive in, the Danish flirting style is similar to their German cousins: ‘We have a very direct approach to flirting and dating here in Denmark. For example, we Danes don’t really like playing hard-to-get or cryptic hints. We value honesty and openness about our intentions.‘

Most open world games these days are based on a tried and tested formula, and if you’ve played one or two, you’ll know what you’re getting into when you pick up the next one in the genre.

There’s usually a huge map to traverse, littered with quest markers and fast travel points that unlock more quest markers.

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You get a relatively linear main story and side missions to level up your character between major story pieces.

Typically, open world games hold your hand and make sure you know where to go so you don’t miss any content.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes most of these genre pillars and throws them away, proving that not sticking to what everyone else is doing is the way to go.

The game forces you to think about your every move, rather than mindlessly following a quest marker on your screen.

It rewards you for preparing well for your next adventure, and ensures you are well-rested and well-equipped for the task ahead.

You are encouraged to change your character’s calling and hire the right pawns into your party.

Still, the game will always punish you whenever you do something downright stupid.

This gives it an almost Monster Hunter-like feel, as Capcom’s other celebrated series are also more about preparation than the actual combat.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes no distinction between main and side missions, as even the most mundane task can often quickly turn into an adventure with major consequences.

The game wants you to be in charge of your decisions, good or bad, so there’s only one save file per playthrough, and it autosaves after important bits.

Fast travel is mostly limited to bullock carts between selected major locations, and even that system isn’t as simple as long-pressing a button, as things can happen along the way.

You can also travel between Portcrystals you find or place in the world, but this option is limited by the number of Ferrystones you have in your possession.

Everything in the game requires you to prepare and think, if you want to avoid or successfully deal with unpleasant surprises.

Even safe areas, such as camps and cities, are not completely safe, as random events can occur, which I won’t reveal.

Your own careless actions can turn a city against you, while aimless button pressing during combat will get you nowhere.

Unlike many other games in the genre, the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is designed for exploration rather than fast travel.

The game doesn’t reveal its secrets, but challenges you to find them for yourself, and trying to get the most out of them is infinitely more rewarding than following a question mark on your compass.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is no picnic and may seem quite challenging at first, but once you figure out what it wants from you, all the systems and quirky design choices fall into place.

Once that happens, it’s a true sandbox game that invites you to experiment with its mechanics and see how the complex world responds as you explore every corner.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 will be released on March 22, 2024 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Rating: 5/5

If you want to know more about other recent and upcoming games, check out our Alone in the Dark review.

From zombie apocalypses to Jedi Knights, now is definitely the time to look to the stars. 

And if Denis Villeneuve’s jaw-dropping sequel to Dune, which is currently in cinemas and stars Timothee Chalamet, isn’t enough to whet your sci-fi appetite, our experts have rounded up 25 of the best futuristic dramas to watch on-demand right now.

There are huge monsters, tense psychological thrillers and plenty more to sink your teeth into… 

Silo

The remains of humanity live deep underground in Apple’s finely acted mystery

Year: 2023

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Apple TV+

Shows with fantastical mysteries at the centre can be frustrating things. The classic example is Lost, which went on for 121 episodes before coming to a conclusion that wholly satisfied no one. The problem comes when the characters and world are less interesting than the mystery of the show, but that’s not the case with Silo. 

Based on a series of books (unlike Lost, which the writers made up as they went along) Apple’s show takes us into a silo-dwelling society deep under the planet’s surface, where the remains of humanity cower from what they believe to be a ruined and toxic surface. Are they being told the truth, though? That mystery feels very important at the start, but the more you get to know the characters, especially gruff engineer Juliette (beautifully and precisely played by Rebecca Ferguson), the less you’ll worry about what’s going on up top. Silo becomes more of a murder mystery than a fantastical mystery, and one that’ll grip you more with each passing episode. The wider and very fine cast includes David Oyelowo, Iain Glen, Harriet Walter and Tim Robbins and, once you reach the end, you’ll be especially glad to know that Silo will be back for series two. (Ten episodes) 

The Last Of Us

HBO’s epic, post-apocalyptic drama about a father-daughter bond

Year: 2022

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Sky

Watch now on NOW

It sounded like the last thing any of us needed – another post-apocalyptic drama about zombies, and one adapted from a video game, at that – but HBO’s The Last Of Us was a stunning surprise. It was grisly, yes, and full of desperate characters; but, unlike the relentlessly depressing Walking Dead, proved to be a show about hope, with two very likeable characters at its centre. 

Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) plays grieving father-figure Joel, who shepherds teenager Ellie, who is immune to the zombie-causing fungus, on a journey across the US. Ellie is played by rising Brit Bella Ramsey (Game Of Thrones), in a star-making performance that takes on real punch as the show evolves, venturing across a ruined world that’s realised with scale and detail. If you’re unsure if it’s for you, give it until part three – that’s when the tone really becomes clear. (Nine episodes) 

Halo

Action-packed sci-fi series based on the hit videogame

Year: 2022-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Paramount+

Full of armoured supersoldiers slugging it out with invading alien races intent on subjugating all of mankind, the Xbox game series Halo was never short on spectacle. The first series of this TV spin-off captured that nicely but also managed to squeeze in a degree of unexpected characterisation as it laid out the political, personal and scientific shenanigans going on behind the death-defying antics of heroic soldier Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber). 

The action-packed end result felt like a heady mash-up of the Battlestar Galactica revamp and the Tom Cruise film Edge Of Tomorrow. Series two carries that vibe forward as Master Chief and his Spartan team hunt for the alien artefact known as the Halo. (Two series) 

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor plays the Jedi master in this visually stunning Star Wars show

Year: 2022

Certificate: 12

Watch now on Disney+

Disney must have had a lot of faith in this six-parter as they chose, rather cheekily, to launch it on the same day as the return of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The big-budget series started life as a film project and has a big-screen feel, with Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Kenobi in a story set a decade after Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith – as the grieving, isolated Jedi watches over young Luke on Tatooine. 

Hayden Christensen also returns as Darth Vader, but he was never the world’s most dynamic actor, and the show’s secret weapon is actually Homeland’s Rupert Friend as one of Vader’s Jedi hunters. Overall, the series turned out to be chiefly a feast for the senses rather than anything more substantial, but it certainly builds out the Star Wars universe in eye-catching and light-hearted style and, sometimes, that’s exactly what you want. (Six episodes) 

Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters

Generation-spanning sci-fi series set in the world of King Kong and Godzilla

Year: 2023

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Apple TV+

Stretching from Godzilla (2014) to Godzilla vs Kong (2021) with more still to come, the movies that make up the MonsterVerse franchise are huge affairs in every sense, charting what happens when gigantic creatures cross paths with humble humans. One of the films saw San Francisco reduced to a smouldering ruin and that’s where this exciting, conspiracy-packed ten-part spin-off TV show begins as school teacher Cate (Anna Sawai) discovers her family’s connection to the mysterious Monarch organisation, which has seemingly been tracking the monsters for decades. 

Kurt Russell brings Hollywood swagger to proceedings as former army officer Lee Shaw, with his son Wyatt Russell entertainingly playing a younger version of the same man in flashback sequences set in the 1950s. The real stars here, though, are the monsters – the first sequence in which one is revealed is jaw-dropping. As ever, Apple has spared no expense in bringing this particular vision to the screen. (Ten episodes) 

Invasion

Earth is visited by an alien species that threatens the very existence of humanity

Year: 2021

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Apple TV+

Engrossing drama about an alien invasion in which the focus isn’t initially on the big screen theatrics of the supernatural beings – although there are fireballs and deaths aplenty – but on how humans, already dealing with issues in their own lives, cope with this latest challenge. 

For Aneesha (Golshifteh Farahani) the invasion happens just as she’s learned about her husband’s infidelity, while Japanese space worker Mitsuki (Shioli Kutsana) has to battle state secrecy to find out what’s happened to her astronaut lover and Sheriff Jim Bell Tyson (Sam Neill) is on his last working day when the pesky extraterrestrials make their presence felt. Over in London there’s a Lord of the Flies-style scenario when a bus full of children end up alone in a massive quarry. 

Series two opens four months into the invasion, and everyone’s lives are well and truly upset, so what follows looks more like what you’d expect of an alien invasion show, as characters such as haunted soldier Trevante strive to find hope for humanity. There’s a touch of the movie Arrival in the opening episodes, too, and if you’re left wanting more by the finale, then there’s good news – Invasion will be back for series three. (Two series)

Foundation

Epic sci-fi drama based on the novels by Isaac Asimov

Year: 2021

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Apple TV+

Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels charted the fall and rise of galactic powers over centuries, and what marked them out was the way they hinged around academia, rather than armadas. That academia was a predictive behavioural science known as ‘psychohistory’ devised by Hari Seldon, who tried to steer the galaxy away from hundreds of years of apocalyptic darkness. 

He’s played in Apple’s epic show by Jared Harris, and the other star of this show is the special effects – they are truly awe-inspiring, especially in the moments when one empire is falling and the other, led by Seldon, is rising. Fans of the books will notice a lot of differences in the show, but then Asimov did write the first of them in the 1940s. A second run has been ordered. (One series)

12 Monkeys

Mind-bending sci-fi adventure following a man to the past to save the future

Year: 2015-2018

Certificate: 15

Terry Gilliam’s cult classic is reimagined as a TV series, following a prisoner sent back in time to try to stop a plague from decimating the future population, with only the 12 Monkeys of the title as a cryptic clue. 

Aaron Stanford (Pyro in the early X-Men movies) stars as the time-hopping prisoner Cole (the Bruce Willis character from the movie) in a show that over four series takes time to indulge the strangeness of the premise, while still delivering sci-fi action, thrills, and not forgetting a dash of romance – a big part of the original. 

The whole thing fits together like a puzzle that rewards the patient viewer. It’s strictly for sci-fi fans who can enter into the spirit of its frequently flabby logic, but enjoyably bonkers, especially its way out there and hugely satisfying finale. (Four series)

Black Mirror (Series Six)

The unnerving anthology series returns with five disturbing one-off tales

Year: 2023

Certificate: 18

Watch now on Netflix

Written by British satirist Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror has delivered some of the most gloriously disturbing standalone TV tales of recent decades (if not ever…). In the sixth series, Brooker’s five tales cover everything from TV nightmares and high-tech missions to parallel universes, and the cast list for it all is impressive. 

Look out for Hollywood A-lister Salma Hayek and Rob Delaney in the Netflix-spoofing story Joan Is Awful, John Hannah in Loch Henry – which delves into a small Scottish town’s very dark secrets – and Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett in Beyond The Sea, a tense, spacebound and feature-length adventure set in an alternative 1969. Two further tales remain – Mazey Day, which tracks a starlet (The Rising’s Clara Rugaard) dogged by paparazzi, and Demon 79, a sepia-toned northern English story set in 1979, about a sales assistant with an understandable axe to grind. 

Now, be warned that this time around the general slant leans towards horror so, if you want an easier time of it, choose Joan Is Awful or Beyond The Sea, the first of which is actually quite funny. The best of them all is Loch Henry, but be prepare to be disturbed… (Five episodes) 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Rollicking prequel to the original sci-fi series that’s packed with great stories

Year: 2022-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Paramount+

The creators of this prequel to the original 1960s series really understand what it takes to make a good Star Trek show. They’ve taken the starry-eyed wonder of the original and blended it with the dark and witty tone of recent series, a mix that’s at its most potent in the lead character, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). The captain of the Enterprise looks like a typical western hero – we even first meet him at his ranch in Montana, horseriding and dodging work calls – and Mount has form in that genre, too (see Hell On Wheels on Amazon Freevee). Yet Pike is a man plagued by dark visions, and carries those with him on missions to exotic worlds that will inspire and surprise. 

Strange New Worlds sets a seriously high standard throughout, from its cinematic special effects to its acting, to the surprisingly bold storytelling choices as it goes on. The first series tells a gripping story that brings all of its characters to vibrant life, while series two continues in terrific form – featuring a crossover with the animated Star Trek comedy Lower Decks, more of a certain James T Kirk, and a breathtaking musical episode. (Two series) 

Hello Tomorrow!

The Morning Show’s Billy Crudup sells lunar dreams in this sci-fi dramedy

Year: 2023

Certificate: 12

Watch now on Apple TV+

Imagine the 1950s, but not as we know it – with cars that hover, black and white video phones, and travelling salesmen selling the dream of living the high life on the Moon. Is everything as it seems in this portrait of Americana, though? 

The Morning Show’s Billy Crudup stars as one of the salesmen, a man who seems to have it all together on the surface with that slick smile and easy manner, but has regrets about his past eating away at him inside. A chance encounter one day gives him a chance to rectify one regret, while Apple’s series also broadens out to show us the lives of the other sellers (one played by The Simpsons’ Hank Azaria) and the hopeful customers who buy their timeshare dreams.

Like Apple’s Severance, this is a show that pulls you in with its concept and extraordinary look, but keeps you with its characters and central mystery. There’s a touch of Glengarry Glen Ross to the thorny camaraderie between the salesmen, and a touch of The Twilight Zone to everything else. (One series)

The Mandalorian

Sci-fi meets Western in the first live-action Star Wars TV spin-off

Year: 2019

Certificate: pg

Watch now on Disney+

The first live-action Star Wars TV spin-off had a lot to live up to, and gave us plenty to enjoy with its western-style action, delightfully sweet sidekick and a rousing end credits theme that’s up there with the best western soundtracks. 

Our hero comes from a group called the Mandalorians, who were originally a noble warrior people – a bit like medieval knights – until the evil Empire scattered them across the universe, forcing them to scratch out a living as bounty-hunters. When we meet ‘Mando’ (Pedro Pascal), he’s every inch the mysterious stranger, and it doesn’t look like anything can get to him – but then he meets sweet little ‘Baby Yoda’. 

This show is precision-engineered to be something the whole family can watch and has a wry sense of humour that the Star Wars movies don’t always manage. (Three series)

Severance

Dystopian workplace drama starring Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette

Year: 2022

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Apple TV+

Apple’s first ‘must-see’ show since Ted Lasso is a drama directed by Ben Stiller that unfolds at a dystopian office where workers have no memory of their lives outside – and vice versa. It’s got style, secrets, the intelligence to pay off its premise and a great cast led by Adam Scott and Britt Lower as two of the workers. 

From their point of view, the moment after they step into the lift to go home, they step out to start a new shift. As the audience, we get to see some of what they don’t, but the higher-ups – including a boss played by Patricia Arquette – definitely know things we don’t and that, along with this show’s singular sense of style, keeps you hooked. (One series)

Extant

Halle Berry headlines a cerebral sci-fi mystery series

Year: 2014

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Prime Video

When astronaut Molly (Halle Berry) returns to earth after a 13-month solo stint on a space station, she finds herself inexplicably pregnant. Her hunt for answers is just one of the engines powering this intricate and involving science-fiction puzzle. It also touches on issues about just what makes someone human and the rights of machines to control their own destiny as Molly’s husband’s AI creations jostle for their own space in the world. 

Berry’s performance is excellent across the 26 episodes that make up the two series of the show, but there’s fantastic support too from the likes of ER’s Goran Visnjic and The Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan. (Two series, Freevee via Amazon) 

Under The Dome

Science-fiction mystery based on a novel by Stephen King

Year: 2013-2015

Certificate: 15

Watch now on My5

Inexplicably, an entire town is sealed inside a huge impenetrable dome. That’s the plot of The Simpsons Movie, too (released six years prior), but unlike the Simpson family who manage to escape their dome, the inhabitants of the town of Chester’s Mill really are stuck and remain so, no matter how much they shoot at their transparent prison or attempt to bulldoze their way through it. It’s bonkers but rather fun if you leave your brain outside your own rational thought bubble. The series is based on a novel by Stephen King, which he says he first started in 1976, then set aside until 2007. (Three series) 

Electric Dreams

Sci-fi anthology series inspired by the stories of Philip K. Dick

Year: 2017

Certificate: 15

This bold and ambitious sci-fi anthology series of stand-alone episodes – mini-movies if you like – is inspired by the short stories of Philip K. Dick, the prolific US author whose work has inspired movies such as Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report. 

The series is packed with a wealth of talent, both in front of and behind the camera (its executive producer is Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston), with different writers and directors bringing their visions to the screen over ten stories.. While the imaginative tales veer off in all directions, the unifying theme of the series is that of the nature of humans, says Philip K. Dick’s daughter Isa, one of the co-producers. ‘It’s ten mini-movies, all set in different worlds with different tones, but each focuses on what it is to be human,’ she said. 

One of the strongest episodes is The Hood Maker, written by Matthew Graham (Life On Mars), a futuristic tale about the war between normal human beings and a race of telepathic mutants. Holliday Grainger and Richard Madden lead the cast. Look out too for The Impossible Planet, which stars Geraldine Chaplin as a 342-year-old deaf woman living on the planet Fomalhaut IX who visits Earth, a ruined planet that hasn’t been inhabited for hundreds of years after becoming extinct in the year 2400. It will make you think. (One series)

The Lazarus Project

A secret organisation with the ability to turn back time finds its newest recruit

Year: 2022-

Certificate: 15

Watch now on NOW

Watch now on Sky

Sky’s time-loop thriller pulls you in very swiftly indeed with its exciting premise, and holds you with its unpredictable characters, fast-paced action and witty asides. The Lazarus Project is a top-secret organisation that, using the scientific theory of gravitational singularity, has the ability to rewind time whenever the world comes to an end. The series is the brainchild of writer Joe Barton – the creator of the Anglo-Japanese crime drama Giri/Haji – who was struck by how fortunate it is that the world has so far managed to avoid an apocalypse: ‘I thought it unbelievable that mankind hadn’t destroyed itself by accident at various times, and started to wonder why.’

Caroline Quentin stars as Wes, the leader of the Project, and her team includes Archie (Vigil’s Anjli Mohindra) and George (I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu). Series one sees George pulled into the bewildering world of the Project, and the second run opens with a succinct round-up of what happened: ‘Things got out of hand. I did some bad things – but I did them for a good reason.’ The stakes in series two include the pursuit of a rival group who have an actual time machine, and it plays with the same addictive mix of pace, action and wit. (Two series) 

Bodies

Four detectives probe the mystery of a dead body over four timelines

Year: 2023

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Netflix

Four detectives, four timelines, one body – as concepts go Bodies has a seriously good one. But the intrigue doesn’t end there – the detectives must all investigate the same murder to save Britain’s future. The series is based on a mind-bending graphic novel with a carefully defined plot and the show has been designed as a limited series, so these eight episodes are all there will ever be. 

The body is found in an East London alley by the four detectives at different points of British history: in the Victorian era, the Second World War, the present and the future, and the investigations all unfold in parallel. There’s a lot to set up in the first episode as you might imagine, but you’ll quickly become so engrossed you’ll need to know how it all pieces together, and how future overlord Elias Mannix  (Stephen Graham) fits into it all. Among the detectives, wartime inspector DS Charles Whiteman goes on a particularly intriguing journey. But the actor who plays him, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, says he had to be talked into that pencil moustache. (Eight episodes) 

Westworld

Reinvention of the 1973 sci-fi western movie set in the ultimate theme park

Year: 2016-2022

Certificate: 18

The first series of HBO’s reboot of the 1973 sci-fi western movie was a stone-cold classic, and told a complete story across ten parts as theme park robot Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) took control of the destiny set for her by her creator, Dr Ford (Anthony Hopkins). The dystopian premise is brilliant; Westworld is a dark Disneyland inhabited by amazingly life-like robots where humans can live out their cowboy fantasies of shootouts, murder and hot romance. But a malfunction means the robots remember everything that has happened to them, triggering a rebellion. 

The first two series, for which Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood both won awards, are the best. In series three and four it became more of a thoughtful action thriller and, while it never quite reached the very high watermark set at the start, Westworld remains one of the most exciting and visually stunning series to hit TV in a long time. (Four series)

Dead Ringers

Rachel Weisz delivers chilling twin performances in this TV remake of the 1988 film

Year: 2023

Certificate: 18

Watch now on Prime Video

There’s a list of things that can get you awards attention as an actor, and playing identical twins in a boldly disturbing drama is pretty high up that list. Rachel Weisz has done a superb job with it in Dead Ringers, a gender-flipped remake of the 1988 movie of the same name, which starred Jeremy Irons and was, in turn, very loosely based on the real-life gynaecologist twins Stewart and Cyril Marcus. 

There are two threads running through this. One is the consequences of the personal differences between the two sisters Elliot and Beverly, and what happens when an actress comes into one of their lives; the other is the ideas the show has about how pregnancy and women should be treated in society. The sisters are pushing at the boundaries of that with a new birthing centre, and are seeking funding to do it – but will they manage to keep their ethics along the way? That’s a significant question in this dreamlike series, but it’s really the sibling relationship that’s more important. Whatever part is in focus, though, the thing that keeps you mesmerised is Weisz’s unsettling but very clearly defined twin performances. (Six episodes) 

Extrapolations

An all-star cast for this apocalyptic climate-change drama

Year: 2023

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Apple TV+

Apocalyptic stories are often dramatic affairs, full of sudden change and big decisions. What’s unsettling about Apple’s climate-change drama is how its characters adapt to the slow-motion destruction of the world, shrugging their shoulders as one species then the next slides into memory, and as their daily lives become ever less easy.

The series tracks the impact of rising temperatures from 2037 to 2070, and does so with both an impressive budget and cast – Meryl Streep, Diane Lane, Sienna Miller, Matthew Rhys and Heather Graham are among them (actors love a drama with a cause), with Game Of Thrones’ Kit Harington as a tech titan who seems to be doing very well out of it all.  

That corporate side of the story is chillingly believable, but it’s the human stories that keep you watching, even through the understandably preachier moments. (Eight episodes)

Humans

Synthetic humanoids rebel in a gripping sci-fi drama

Year: 2015-2018

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Channel 4

This show, a big hit for Channel 4 when it launched in 2015, didn’t look particularly sci-fi, despite its central characters being ‘synths’ – perfectly formed synthetic lifeforms with jewel-green eyes. The result was a series that explored what it means to be human that didn’t just appeal to sci-fi fans. 

It’s set in a parallel present, a world where synths are the latest must-have gadgets and servile home helps and carers. But a small number of them are capable of consciousness – they have thoughts and feelings that are forbidden of their kind – and it is this group, and their allies, that we follow as they fight for a new future for their kind. 

Colin Morgan started on the road to ditching his tweeny Merlin fanbase, playing the son of the synth’s inventor who is part synth himself, one of a gang of conscious synths that includes Gemma Chan’s gentle Anita/Mia and Emily Berrington’s feisty Niska. (Three series)

Andor

Multi-stranded Star Wars spin-off centred on a rebel in hiding

Year: 2022-

Certificate: 12

Watch now on Disney+

This is a Star Wars show for people who don’t like Star Wars shows. Created by Bourne writer Tony Gilroy, Andor is a dramatically credible account of life at the sharp end of rebellion and is, essentially, a prequel to the brilliant movie Rogue One – which Gilroy also co-wrote, and was in itself essentially a sci-fi take on The Magnificent Seven. 

Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico) stars as Cassian Andor, a rebel in hiding, in a series that starts slowly but builds up and out in ways you don’t expect. In some places it becomes a workplace comedy drama set at Imperial intelligence, where the bureaucrats fight among themselves. It’s also a spy action thriller, with a particularly thrilling sideline in jail breaks, and it’s also a dark political drama about the consequences of fighting the system, hinged around a terrific performance from The Honourable Woman’s Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma. 

That last element has the feel of the US House Of Cards, which is no coincidence – Beau Willimon, who created that show, wrote several episodes of Andor. A second and final series is on the way, but probably not until 2024. (One series)

Brave New World

Classy retelling of Huxley’s dystopian chiller, with a starry cast

Year: 2020

Certificate: 15

Timing, they say, is everything, so to broadcast a series about a dystopian world from which people are desperate to escape, in the middle of a global pandemic, was possibly a little unfortunate. 

This nine-part series, based on the 1932 Aldous Huxley novel of the same name,  was originally shown on Sky in October 2020 and cancelled soon after. But now, post-pandemic, it definitely merits another viewing. 

Jessica Brown Findlay, Lady Sybil in Downton Abbey, is excellent in the leading role of Lenina Crowne, a lower-class worker whose adventures in the Wild Lands while on a date with the higher status Bernard Marx (Harry Lloyd) leads them both to question just how perfect their ‘perfect’ world actually is.

There’s also Hollywood royalty on board with Demi Moore playing Linda, the mother of John The Savage, and enough imaginatively designed furniture to distract from the occasionally dodgy dialogue. (One series)

War Of The Worlds

Contemporary reimagining of the HG Wells alien-invasion classic

Year: 2019-2022

Certificate: 15

Watch now on My5

Watch now on Disney+

This is no tired rehash of the HG Wells alien-invasion story but confidently charts its own way. First, the similarities: aliens invade and start wiping out much of humanity and, just like in the Wells version, these invaders have a weakness. That’s where the similarities end, though, and a dramatic big reveal between series one and two turns all expectations around. 

This is a genre show that is big on atmosphere and, despite its weighty sci-fi ideas, it really focuses on its characters, who are well defined and developed and have been brought together across Europe and Britain by the invasion. 

The cast is headed by Gabriel Byrne’s weary, hangdog neuroscientist hero Bill Ward, and the series was written by Brit Howard Overman, who won a BAFTA for his superhero comedy-drama Misfits. The show also wraps its story up neatly and tidily at the end of its third and final series. (Three series)

 

“The literature is clear in practice – the effect this had on socialization, pro-social behavior, if you will, and people’s ability to feel connected and have community,” said Dr. Norris on the pandemic. “A lot of the things that would normally have happened for people, especially young adults in high school, didn’t happen,” he added. “And that still happens.”

Jade Song, one 27 year old novelistcounted himself among those who had become increasingly unhappy in recent years.

“It’s mainly because as an adult you suddenly become aware of all the world news and pay more attention to what you can control, and you realize that there is so little you can control,” Ms Song, who was not part of the study , said in an interview. “Even if you protest or pay your rent and bills all on time, it’s so hard, especially now, to break away from the way you live your life when you realize how little impact your actions actually have on a broader audience . level.”

In 2022, a study from Harvard University showed this welfare among young adults in the United States had declined over the past two decades. Young people – people between 18 and 25 years old – reported the lowest levels of happiness compared to other age groups, as well as the poorest mental and physical health, meaning, character, virtue, close social relationships and financial stability. Similar findings have emerged in Great Britain and Canada.

“One factor we’re all thinking about is social media,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. “Because there is some research showing that depending on how we use social media, well-being decreases and rates of depression and anxiety increase, especially among young girls and women, teenage girls.”

Konstantin Koltsov, the boyfriend of tennis superstar Aryna Sabalenka, “was most likely drunk” when he died in Miami, his ex-wife has told media in Belarus.

Police confirmed on Tuesday that Koltsov had been to date Australian Open champion Sabalenka, 25, died on Monday at the age of 42 in an “apparent suicide” after jumping from a hotel balcony in Miami.

The Belarusian former professional hockey player, who shares three children with ex-wife Julija Mikhailova, is said to have joined his girlfriend in the city as she prepares for the Miami Open, where she starts her campaign on Friday.

Miami-Dade police have taken over the investigation into the suspected suicide, but in an interview with media in her native Belarus, Mikhailova gave her thoughts on what could have happened.

She has claimed her ex-husband was “most likely drunk” before the fatal fall, and while she says liquor bottles were found in his hotel room, officers could not find a suicide note. She also says that she believes his recent behavior indicated he was not preparing for suicide.

‘Most likely he was very drunk,” she said Zerkalo. ‘Unfortunately, hockey players are sometimes guilty of that.

‘Empty alcohol bottles were found in the room where Konstantin was staying. There was a balcony with an ocean view. Probably Konstantin did not keep track of his actions.

‘WWe still have the old family computer with Konstantin’s email. I knew the passwords and managed to open some emails. Konstantin had also booked apartments at another location. Purchases that have not yet arrived have been paid for. He rented a car for a long time.

“That is, he did not mean to die. Of course, anything can go to your head, but there was no sign of tragedy.”

She added that he had fallen from the 23rd floor of the St Regis Bal Harbor Resort, and while police immediately ruled out homicide, their investigation is expected to be completed within a month.

Mikhailova said their children Daniel, Alexander and Stefan, aged 18, 16 and five, are coming to terms with his death and claimed the couple’s eldest son, Daniel, is the heir to his estate.

Reflecting on her relationship with Sabalenka, Mikhailova said: ‘Nice girl. I loved Konstantin very much, but Sabalenka treated my children well, so I have a normal attitude towards her.’

She also shared how she first heard of her ex-husband’s death.

“It was March 18,” she said. ‘At first they called me several times asking if I was at home and saying they wanted to tell me something about Konstantin. And then the detective came.

‘He tried to convey the news in a gentle manner as much as possible. But of course I was in shock.

“He then shared information, asked some appropriate questions, explained several procedural points and said we could call him anytime.”

Mikhailova added that she had shared very little communication with Koltsov in the weeks leading up to his death.

Elsewhere, Koltsov’s first coach, Vladislav Astapenko, has expressed his belief that the 42-year-old’s death is linked to family problems.

“He had an argument, it’s a family situation,” he said Tribuna. ‘I can’t understand it myself, it’s very difficult, it’s difficult now’

According to investigators, Bal Harbor police and firefighters were dispatched to the St. Regis Bal Harbor Resort in reference to a man who jumped from a balcony at 12:39 a.m. ET on Monday.

Reports from his native Belarus initially claimed that Kolstov had died of a “dislodged blood clot.”

Koltsov, who played hockey for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, was pronounced dead by his former club Salavat Yulaev Ufa on the social messaging site Telegram on Tuesday.

“It is with deep sadness that we inform you that Salavat Yulaev’s coach, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away,” the Russian club’s statement read.

‘He was a strong and cheerful person, he was loved and respected by players, colleagues and fans. Konstantin wrote himself into the history of our club forever.

‘Koltsov won the Russian Championship and the Gagarin Cup as part of Salavat Yulaev and did a great job in the team’s technical staff.

“May his memory burn brightly.”

The death of Sabalenka’s partner comes just five years after her lost her father Sergey after his sudden death at the age of 43.

Like Koltsov, her father had also played professional hockey, and the Belarusian athlete has often spoken about the motivation her father inspired her in her tennis game.

Despite his apparent suicide, the Tennis Channel reports that Sabalenka still plans to play the tournament in the Sunshine State this month.

As a result, she returned to the court on Tuesday to practice for her draw in Friday’s Round of 64, when she will meet the winner of Simona Halep and Paula Badosa’s opening match.

In footage shared by Polish sports commentator Bartosz Ignacik, Sabalenka is seen working her serve, just 24 hours after Koltsov’s death was confirmed.

Sabalenka and Koltsov were first linked in June 2021 and the two-time Australian Open winner has regularly posted photos of them together on her Instagram account.

“I love you @koltsov2021,” she wrote in a message with hearts and other emojis.

“Happy birthday my love. You are my dearest person, my best friend and my strongest support. Peace be with you, strength, patience and health.

‘I hope we get everything we planned. I love you.’

For support, call Samaritans on 116123 in the UK or visit www.samaritans.org or www.thecalmzone.net/get-supportor call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988 in the US.