This week’s selection of unmissable news brand stories from the past seven days includes an insight into Charlie Bigham’s world, the return of the queen of pop and secrets behind Big Brother’s challenging tasks…
1. War heroes
A series of powerful ceremonies have been held to commemorate heroic Caribbean soldiers killed on WW1 battlefields, the Daily Mirror reported. Soil brought over from a Caribbean island was laid among each grave of the 21 men who died. As part of Black History Month, veterans and serving soldiers travelled across to Belgium and France to pay their respects.
National Windrush Museum director Sue Libord said: “A light has been shone on the contribution, service and sacrifice made by black people of Caribbean heritage. Today we are here remembering and commemorating West Indians whose service and sacrifice ended in a loss of their life.”
2. Big Brother is watching you
Big Brother is back on our screens for its 20th series. On the latest episode of the Guardian’s Pop Culture, Chanté Joseph’s spoke to Daniel Nettleton, the former task producer who worked on eight series of the show. The pair discussed what exactly made the show so successful and the thought processes behind some of its most outrageous tasks.
Nettleton reveals how the team took inspiration for the tasks from the most unexpected places, being inspired by elements from horror films such as Saw.
He said: “We used to …weirdly get a lot of inspiration from places like 1970s psychology books, where they used it in the seventies in America. They do these crazy science experiments that often we would go, this is crazy but what if we did that?”
3. Return of the queen of pop
Madonna has returned, kicking off her Celebration Tour at the O2 Arena in London. The 65-year-old was forced to postpone the launch of her international tour after being hospitalised for a serious bacterial infection in June.
The show lasts two hours and features elements of more than 40 hits from her 40-year career, including Vogue and Ray Of Light. The Sun Showbiz spoke to fans of the star, eagerly anticipating the concert.
4. Success in the kitchen
A cut down bonus episode of the Evening Standard’s ‘The Leader’ podcast from its weekly show ‘How to be a CEO’ featured Charlie Bigham, the founder of the food company that bears his own name. The successful brand was created in 1996 in his own kitchen, now employs 700 people and sells dishes from pad thais to the best-selling fish pie, which has been the most popular for the last 10 years.
Bigham discussed why he gave up his career as a management consultant to pursue his own business and the importance of keeping things simple from business strategies to recipes. The episode also touched on how the business is adapting to new technology and AI.
5. Tips for a longer life
For many, the goal is to live a long and happy life. From G&Ts to daily fresh air, the i shared seven rules for a long and happy life according to six centenarians, including the habits they swear by and the secrets to their longevity.
