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An impressive piece of joint reporting from The Times and Channel 4 published at the weekend laid out serious allegations against comedian Russell Brand including rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, allegations which he has denied vigorously. For many, the reports were shocking.
But Dr Ellie Tomsett has been researching the barriers to women’s participation in the UK comedy circuit for the past 10 years and she thinks the comedy industry in which Brand got his big break is particularly susceptible to fostering spaces of abuse. Here she explains why the nature of comedy itself makes it such a potentially toxic part of the entertainment sector.
“If you want to understand how Margaret Thatcher shaped Britain, revisiting one particular 1980s soap opera is a great place to start.” So says Dr Ben Williams, who has re-watched 150 episodes of the Channel 4 TV show, which is being rebroadcast on digital channel STV. Here’s what he’s learnt.
Starring in not one, but two animated adventure films, ants have a superior reputation to most creepy crawlies as the insect world’s builders. But some ants have become invasive species and pose a serious threat to biodiversity, as our experts explain.
Plus, the second episode of our new podcast series Inside the Oslo Accords is now available to listen to. This time we explore what happened in the years after the famous handshake between Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian prime minister, Yasser Arafat, on the White House lawn in September 1993.
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Anna Walker
Senior Arts + Culture Editor
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WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo
Ellie Tomsett, Birmingham City University
I’ve researched women’s experience of the UK comedy circuit for ten years – this is what I’ve learned.
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The Grant family, some of Brookside’s most famous characters.
Lime Pictures / STV Player
Ben Williams, University of Salford
The show is being rebroadcast for a new generation and is more educational and political than it might have first appeared.
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The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) is a notorious invasive ant species.
Lukman_M/Shutterstock
Maximillian Tercel, Cardiff University
Invasive ants are a major threat to biodiversity, according to a study.
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Politics + Society
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Polly Rippon, University of Sheffield
An expert on media law explains how newspapers avoid defamation when investigating a story.
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Sydney Calkin, Queen Mary University of London
The US is one of just four countries that have rolled back women’s abortion rights in recent years.
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Andi Hoxhaj, UCL
Addressing high levels of corruption is crucial if Albania wants to join the EU and improve its society and economy.
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Business + Economy
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Alper Kara, Brunel University London; Atilla Gumus, Nottingham Trent University
The cost of living crisis is affecting UK households, but there are options to consider if you’re having problems repaying debt such as mortgages and credit cards.
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Education
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Eric Freedman, Michigan State University; Bahtiyar Kurambayev, KIMEP University
In some cases, it can be difficult for academics to know which journals are not credible – but other times, people feel pressure to publish in these publications.
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Environment
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Malte Jansen, University of Sussex
Despite the meteoric rise of wind and solar, fossil energy sources have met most new demand in fast-growing economies.
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Health
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Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia
More than half the people who become infected with the Nipah virus die.
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Lydia Coxon, University of Oxford; Katy Vincent, University of Oxford
Our research showed that the mechanisms causing chronic pelvic pain vary from person to person.
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Goitseone Thamae, University of Cambridge
Studies have found that the gut microbiome in women with PCOS differs from those without the condition.
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Gemma Perry, Bond University; William Forde Thompson, Bond University
People claim humming can do everything from bust stress to clear congested sinuses.
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Science + Technology
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Christopher Pattison, University of Portsmouth
The space agency hopes to get to the bottom of the many sightings being reported.
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Michael Mair, University of Liverpool; Dipanjan Saha, University of Liverpool; Phillip David Brooker, University of Liverpool; Terence Heng, University of Liverpool
It might seem creepy but digital necromancy is a natural extension of how we grieve in the age of AI.
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Podcasts
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Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Amnon Aran, City, University of London; James Rodgers, City, University of London
In part 2 of Inside the Oslo Accords, a podcast series from The Conversation Weekly, Hanan Ashrawi and Yossi Beilin talk about what happened after the initial declaration of principles was signed.
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