The Latest Breaking News from Mike Leigh

INTERVIEW: The singer and actor parlayed her Noughties fame on ‘Popstars’ into an unpredictable career across stage, screen – and the cobbles. As her new play ‘Abigail’s Party’ rakes in rave reviews in Manchester, she sits down with Alim Kheraj to talk relationships, tabloid attention, and why she still speaks…

‘I wanted to do an Australian Mike Leigh film. I was convinced it was terrible – but we showed it at Cannes and they went crazy. Audiences had never seen a character like that treated sympathetically’

The writer and actor on his secret food obsession, Lessons in Chemistry on TV and the best place in London for a nap

Playing a raging but inwardly terrified housewife, the actor and a fine supporting cast are the intense focus of a story that cries out for closure

4/5 The British director’s new film features a titanic performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who reunites with him nearly three decades after his Oscar-nominated ‘Secrets & Lies’

4/5 Mike Leigh’s uncompromising latest film is harrowing and hilarious, centred around a fearless lead performance by Marianne Jean-Baptiste

IN FOCUS: On paper, BBC One’s weeknight light entertainment show should be one of the broadcaster’s most tedious programmes – but its jarring tonal shifts and random guest list often make for brilliantly bizarre viewing. Katie Rosseinsky explores the endearingly strange appeal of ‘The One Show’

The author and activist argues for a shift in the way we view size. Plus: the life and legacy of Emily Brontë. Here’s what to watch this evening

Oscar-nominated actor says she has had to compromise because of dearth of complex roles in UK and Hollywood