The Times & The Sunday Times Homepage
The party has more than 132,000 members, according to its website
newReform has more paid-up members than the Conservatives, Nigel Farage has claimed as he declared that his party was now the “real opposition” to Labour. Figures posted on Reform’s website showed that over 132,000 people have paid to join the party, up from about 100,000 last month. This is higher...Reform has more paid-up members than the Conservatives, Nigel Farage has claimed as he declared that his party was now the “real opposition” to Labour. Figures posted on Reform’s website showed that over 132,000 people have paid to join the party, up from about 100,000 last month. This is higher...Reform has more paid-up members than the Conservatives, Nigel Farage has claimed as he declared that his party was now the...
Nearly £1 in every £4 raised in council tax is now being spent on staff pensions, The Times can reveal. Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to more than 300 councils reveal the huge financial burden that the “unjustifiably generous” Local Government Pension Scheme is placing on authorities. The data shows that councils contributed nearly...Nearly £1 in every £4 raised in council tax is now being spent on staff pensions, The Times can reveal. Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to more than 300 councils reveal the huge financial burden that the “unjustifiably generous” Local Government Pension Scheme is placing on authorities. The data shows that councils contributed nearly...Nearly £1 in every £4 raised in council tax is now being spent on staff pensions, The Times can reveal. Freedom of Information...
video
Evidence appeared to mount yesterday that a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan killing 38 people was hit by a Russian air defence weapon over Chechnya in southern Russia. The Azerbaijan Airlines jet crash-landed on Wednesday morning near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after veering off its route from Baku...Evidence appeared to mount yesterday that a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan killing 38...Evidence appeared to mount yesterday that a passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan killing 38...
test your knowledge
video
review
Can you bottle lightning? Benjamin Franklin sought to prove it with a kite in the 18th century and now, about 275...Can you bottle lightning? Benjamin Franklin sought to prove it with a kite in the 18th century...Can you bottle lightning? Benjamin Franklin sought to prove it with a kite in the 18th century...
The only memorable event at the Ratnam family get-together on Boxing Day 2004 should have been a difference of...The only memorable event at the Ratnam family get-together on Boxing Day 2004 should have been a...The only memorable event at the Ratnam family get-together on Boxing Day 2004 should have been a...
Standing atop a half-built concrete block house just metres away from the sea, Graham Bromilow could barely process reality as the wall of water hurtled people, cars, roofs and fridges past him. Just moments before, he had been driving in a jeep...Standing atop a half-built concrete block house just metres away from the sea, Graham Bromilow...Standing atop a half-built concrete block house just metres away from the sea, Graham Bromilow...
Landowners have hit out at government plans to scrap the cut-off date for ramblers to register rights of way in...Landowners have hit out at government plans to scrap the cut-off date for ramblers to register...Landowners have hit out at government plans to scrap the cut-off date for ramblers to register...
THE TIMES DIARY
Like festive episodes of Doctor Who and Call the Midwife, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the Times...Like festive episodes of Doctor Who and Call the Midwife, it wouldn’t be Christmas without...Like festive episodes of Doctor Who and Call the Midwife, it wouldn’t be Christmas without...
photography
A year working at The Times throws up a huge variety of news assignments. Most are regular or planned events that we cover on a regular basis but others are unplanned and can crop up suddenly. These can happen anywhere and at any time...A year working at The Times throws up a huge variety of news assignments. Most are regular or...A year working at The Times throws up a huge variety of news assignments. Most are regular or...
clean it up
Dispatch
Country’s de facto leader promises religious minorities they will be safe, but many Christians in Damascus are sceptical
In the old city of Damascus, children in Christmas hats craned their necks to watch the fireworks explode in the sky above Straight Street. Almost 2,000 years ago, St Paul was baptised here, according to the Acts of the Apostles, after his Damascene conversion on the road from Jerusalem. For...In the old city of Damascus, children in Christmas hats craned their necks to watch the fireworks explode in the sky above Straight Street. Almost 2,000 years ago, St Paul was baptised here, according to the Acts of the Apostles, after his Damascene conversion on the road from Jerusalem. For...In the old city of Damascus, children in Christmas hats craned their necks to watch the fireworks explode in the sky above...
Some of the worst violence Syria has seen since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad erupted when Syrian government fighters cracked down on minority Alawi protests and in a separate incident gunmen killed 14 members of the new interior ministry. The individuals were killed when regime fighters tried to arrest a wanted member of Assad’s former...Some of the worst violence Syria has seen since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad erupted when Syrian government fighters cracked down on minority Alawi protests and in a separate incident gunmen killed 14 members of the new interior ministry. The individuals were killed when regime fighters tried to arrest a wanted member of Assad’s former...Some of the worst violence Syria has seen since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad erupted when Syrian government fighters...
More than 400 passengers were on board a high-speed train near Paris on Christmas Eve when the driver opened his door and apparently jumped off, leaving the passengers to speed away at 186mph. But within half a minute, the train’s controls averted disaster: they detected the driver’s absence and brought it to a halt...More than 400 passengers were on board a high-speed train near Paris on Christmas Eve when the...More than 400 passengers were on board a high-speed train near Paris on Christmas Eve when the...
letter from italy
On a clear night when the full moon reflects on the water of the Rhine, Marco Hecher forgets the daily travails of...On a clear night when the full moon reflects on the water of the Rhine, Marco Hecher forgets the...On a clear night when the full moon reflects on the water of the Rhine, Marco Hecher forgets the...
INTERVIEW
Islamic State is ready to rise again from the Syrian desert as it seeks to exploit the fall of Assad with a new wave...Islamic State is ready to rise again from the Syrian desert as it seeks to exploit the fall of...Islamic State is ready to rise again from the Syrian desert as it seeks to exploit the fall of...
Hedge funds stand to gain from any weak post-Christmas trading updates from Britain’s biggest retailers this year after taking large bets against their share prices. Investors have stepped up short attacks on a number of retailers in anticipation that the squeeze on consumers’ spending power and...Hedge funds stand to gain from any weak post-Christmas trading updates from Britain’s biggest retailers this year after taking large bets against their share prices. Investors have stepped up short attacks on a number of retailers in anticipation that the squeeze on consumers’ spending power and...Hedge funds stand to gain from any weak post-Christmas trading updates from Britain’s biggest retailers this year after taking...
Hitting a central target to decarbonise Britain’s electricity system by the end of the decade is “increasingly looking out of reach” without a dramatic increase in the financial support given to green projects, in addition to planning and grid reforms. The value of subsidies handed to the developers of wind and solar farms over the next two...Hitting a central target to decarbonise Britain’s electricity system by the end of the decade is “increasingly looking out of reach” without a dramatic increase in the financial support given to green projects, in addition to planning and grid reforms. The value of subsidies handed to the developers of wind and solar farms over the next two...Hitting a central target to decarbonise Britain’s electricity system by the end of the decade is “increasingly looking out of...
The global economy is on track to double in size to $221 trillion in nominal terms over the next 15 years, with growth fuelled by poorer nations catching up with richer ones, according to forecasters. Rapid growth among Asian countries such as Indonesia, which is projected to be the world’s tenth largest economy by...The global economy is on track to double in size to $221 trillion in nominal terms over the next...The global economy is on track to double in size to $221 trillion in nominal terms over the next...
QUIZ OF THE YEAR
How well do you remember the events of 2024? Test your knowledge with this year’s Times business quiz.How well do you remember the events of 2024? Test your knowledge with this year’s Times business...How well do you remember the events of 2024? Test your knowledge with this year’s Times business...
Vistry, the embattled FTSE 250 housebuilder, has issued its third profit warning in three months, blaming delays to transactions and the completion of homes. The builder said it now expected 2024 adjusted pre-tax profit to be...Vistry, the embattled FTSE 250 housebuilder, has issued its third profit warning in three months, blaming delays to transactions and the completion of homes. The builder said it now expected 2024 adjusted pre-tax profit to be...Vistry, the embattled FTSE 250 housebuilder, has issued its third profit warning in three months, blaming delays to...
Windward, the maritime analytics company chaired by the former BP boss Lord Browne of Madingley, has become the latest Aim-listed company to leave London. It has been sold for £216 million to an American private equity-owned...Windward, the maritime analytics company chaired by the former BP boss Lord Browne of Madingley, has become the latest Aim-listed company to leave London. It has been sold for £216 million to an American private equity-owned...Windward, the maritime analytics company chaired by the former BP boss Lord Browne of Madingley, has become the...
Management
Trading Conditions
Entrepreneurs on the Times/Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme discuss the challenges of trading with Europe and the impact of Brexit
Comment
Brands can use TikTok to reach millions of shoppers during the holidays, but they need to do it right
how i made it
Tom Whittle’s company puts on events for beers, spirits and energy drinks — but it had to pivot when Covid hit
Sustainability
RECRUITMENT
With a 33% growth in the past year, the demand for corporate investigators is soaring. Here’s how to get into the industry
Saying you’re employed as an “investigator” conjures up images of sleuths lurking in the shadows, but the new breed of corporate investigator is one of the UK’s fastest-growing professional careers. The incoming 2025 introduction of the new “failure to prevent fraud” offence — which will hold large firms to account if they profit from fraud committed by their employees...Saying you’re employed as an “investigator” conjures up images of sleuths lurking in the shadows...Saying you’re employed as an “investigator” conjures up images of sleuths lurking in the shadows...
SIX FROM THE BEST
It’s the busiest week of the year for jewellery sales. Anna Blackburn, managing director of the family-owned retailer...It’s the busiest week of the year for jewellery sales. Anna Blackburn, managing director of the family-owned retailer Beaverbrooks, began her career on the shopfloor at its Trafford Centre store in Manchester 26 years ago and is the first female, non-family member to lead the chain. Here, she shares her pearls of...It’s the busiest week of the year for jewellery sales. Anna Blackburn, managing director of the family-owned retailer...
premier league
Chelsea 1 Fulham 2
newEnzo Maresca will feel he has been justified in saying Chelsea are not yet ready to compete to be champions after losing their way — and throwing away all the points. If a goalless draw at Goodison Park on Sunday felt like they were making good progress in testing weather and tactical conditions...Enzo Maresca will feel he has been justified in saying Chelsea are not yet ready to compete to be champions after losing their way — and throwing away all the points. If a goalless draw at Goodison Park on Sunday felt like they were making good progress in testing weather and tactical conditions...Enzo Maresca will feel he has been justified in saying Chelsea are not yet ready to compete to be champions after losing their...
premier league
Nottingham Forest and their fans are dreaming about a return to European football after their win against Tottenham Hotspur sent them up to third in the league. A year ago, as Nuno Espírito Santo took over at a struggling Forest side, the Christmas wish for many of their supporters would have been purely to stay in the top flight. Now, 12...Nottingham Forest and their fans are dreaming about a return to European football after their win against Tottenham Hotspur sent them up to third in the league. A year ago, as Nuno Espírito Santo took over at a struggling Forest side, the Christmas wish for many of their supporters would have been purely to stay in the top flight. Now, 12...Nottingham Forest and their fans are dreaming about a return to European football after their win against Tottenham Hotspur...
Premier league
With just over 36 years in his legs, and only one Premier League start to his name this season before today, few would have predicted that Seamus Coleman would have gone on to have a pivotal role in this meeting with Manchester City when the team sheets were exchanged an hour before kick-off. Fast forward to the...With just over 36 years in his legs, and only one Premier League start to his name this season...With just over 36 years in his legs, and only one Premier League start to his name this season...
ALEX Lowe | Will Kelleher
from the archives
Boxing Day football. Whether just another match for a loyal fan, a yearly tradition for the family or just an excuse to get out of the house, it’s a wonderful fixture in the festive calendar. Apart from last year, when I sat in the cold, watching...Boxing Day football. Whether just another match for a loyal fan, a yearly tradition for the...Boxing Day football. Whether just another match for a loyal fan, a yearly tradition for the...
martin samuel meets harry and jamie redknapp
golf | rick broadbent
times sport unseen
This is probably the most difficult gallery to edit in 2024 as I have so many pictures from my year of unseen photographs. We have featured eight guest photographers so in the remaining 44 weeks Bradley and I have had 1,056 pictures used in 2024! Two factors have governed my choices: firstly and most importantly I wanted to revisit the eclectic mix of sports which, if...This is probably the most difficult gallery to edit in 2024 as I have so many pictures from my...This is probably the most difficult gallery to edit in 2024 as I have so many pictures from my...
Bet of the day
Tune In A Box (2.10 Chepstow)
This grey gelding made remarkable strides at the end of last...Bet of the day
Tune In A Box (2.10 Chepstow)
This grey gelding made remarkable strides at the end of last season, winning four of his final five starts and he can open his account for the season here. He shaped as though in need of the run on his return to action at this track in October and then ran a cracker...Bet of the day
Tune In A Box (2.10 Chepstow)
This grey gelding made remarkable strides at the end of last season, winning four...
test your knowledge
Stars were born and governments fell in 2024, but can you remember any of it, asks Stuart Heritage
Tom Peck
The Christmas special was a fitting end to a comedy classic
video
review
Netflix’s dystopian hit returns with a layered and nuanced story of revenge and redemption
The consultant neurologist Professor Guy Leschziner on what’s behind our worst behaviour
The first memoir ever written by a sitting Pope; a new novel from the mighty Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Michael Morpurgo but for adults: 2025 is already set to be full of literary delights. The books team have trawled through the publishing catalogues and even managed to do some advance reading, so that we can bring you the very best and most promising books of the...The first memoir ever written by a sitting Pope; a new novel from the mighty Chimamanda Ngozi...The first memoir ever written by a sitting Pope; a new novel from the mighty Chimamanda Ngozi...
It’s often said, not least by the man himself, that Robbie Williams’s talent and charisma predestined him for solo...It’s often said, not least by the man himself, that Robbie Williams’s talent and charisma predestined him for solo superstardom. But there were few signs of it in the early 1990s, when Take That — the gauche northern boy band in which Robbie played the Funny One — were labouring for hits. I was a journalist on teen...It’s often said, not least by the man himself, that Robbie Williams’s talent and charisma predestined him for solo superstardom.
JOE SWIFT
STEPHEN ANDERTON
INTERVIEW
I had the happiest childhood growing up in the beautiful seaside town of Southport in a three-bedroom council house...I had the happiest childhood growing up in the beautiful seaside town of Southport in a...I had the happiest childhood growing up in the beautiful seaside town of Southport in a...
THE BIG QUESTION | MONEY
Christmas is over, the turkey has been eaten, and people may find themselves with unwanted gifts. Some think...Christmas is over, the turkey has been eaten, and people may find themselves with unwanted gifts.Christmas is over, the turkey has been eaten, and people may find themselves with unwanted gifts.
Review
The BBC has its knockers but even its most fervent critic would have to admit that without it, Christmas Day TV would have been a pauper’s platter of stale scraps. With one honourable exception on Channel 4 and the ever-dependable soaps, the other mainstream channels were largely a ho-hum wasteland. The BBC alone served up hour after hour of original fare. Maybe ITV...The BBC has its knockers but even its most fervent critic would have to admit that without it...The BBC has its knockers but even its most fervent critic would have to admit that without it...
The countdown of the best TV shows of 2024 began yesterday with numbers 40 to 31, including ITV’s true crime Joan...The countdown of the best TV shows of 2024 began yesterday with numbers 40 to 31, including ITV’s true crime Joan starring Sophie Turner, the final lap for Jeremy, James and Richard in The Grand Tour and the excellent Channel 4 drama Truelove. Today, the Times and Sunday Times TV team’s quest to rank the top...The countdown of the best TV shows of 2024 began yesterday with numbers 40 to 31, including ITV’s true crime Joan starring...
MINDGAMES
There’s never been a better time to be an armchair cinema fan, with more ways to watch movies across TV channels, streaming services and digital downloads than ever before. But sometimes there can be too much choice, and that’s why our experts...There’s never been a better time to be an armchair cinema fan, with more ways to watch movies...There’s never been a better time to be an armchair cinema fan, with more ways to watch movies...
first person
I have a scattered and chaotic mind. Lately, I’ve been taking drugs designed for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and it has been going well. The first time I felt the effects of the dinky, pale blue cylindrical pill...I have a scattered and chaotic mind. Lately, I’ve been taking drugs designed for people with...I have a scattered and chaotic mind. Lately, I’ve been taking drugs designed for people with...
These kitchen maestros have ingenious ways of making yesterday’s bird today’s culinary masterpiece
The grounds at Gravetye Manor masterfully combine the creativity of its great Victorian gardener William Robinson and its present owners’ theatrical vision
The fictional lives, homes and wardrobes of the rich and famous, as seen on screen
From holiday antics in Italian splendour to bed hopping in the Cotswolds, these are the best opulent series to watch
Not participating in any chores is harder than it looks, but lazy guru Chiara Brown has some tips
While scars from the natural disaster still linger, this beautiful, resilient country has become a thriving tourist destination once again. Chris Haslam reports
From a slick Austrian retreat with a private chef and a wine cellar to a cosy self-catering retreat in France, these are the most distinctive stays to book now
If you’ve got an upcoming sailing but are nervous about feeling unwell on board, don’t panic. Sue Bryant has you covered with her guide to the remedies that work
Mixing coastal walks, cosy pubs and beach saunas , our writer enjoys a blustery break by the sea
Add some cheer to the post-festive gloom with a cosy weekend stay somewhere snug, chic and affordable
We are halfway up Volcan Baru — a dormant volcano and, at 3,475m, Panama’s highest peak — when my guide, César...We are halfway up Volcan Baru — a dormant volcano and, at 3,475m, Panama’s highest peak — when my...We are halfway up Volcan Baru — a dormant volcano and, at 3,475m, Panama’s highest peak — when my...
WHERE WAS I? COMPETITION
“This is a dreary line to take,” my friend exclaims with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Surely there’s more to this...“This is a dreary line to take,” my friend exclaims with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Surely...“This is a dreary line to take,” my friend exclaims with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Surely...
obituary
Businessman who presided over Yomiuri Shimbun, the daily newspaper with the largest circulation in the world
Obituaries
In April 1945, the Daily Express wrote a blistering six-line obituary of Adolf Hitler that ended: “His days upon the earth he sought to conquer were too long.” How the art of recording a life has changed. At The Times we endeavour to memorialise...In April 1945, the Daily Express wrote a blistering six-line obituary of Adolf Hitler that ended...In April 1945, the Daily Express wrote a blistering six-line obituary of Adolf Hitler that ended...
MindGames and Brain Boost puzzles to print and solve at your leisure
Despite warnings about the risks, a Scottish university leader says more collaboration with China is essential for scientific progress
The principal of a leading Scottish university has called for “deeper engagement” between British universities and China, despite ongoing concerns about the UK’s links with the superpower. Professor Richard A Williams, vice chancellor of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, has said greater...The principal of a leading Scottish university has called for “deeper engagement” between British universities and China, despite ongoing concerns about the UK’s links with the superpower. Professor Richard A Williams, vice chancellor of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, has said greater...The principal of a leading Scottish university has called for “deeper engagement” between British universities and China...
ScotRail is being urged to drop plans to reduce ticket office hours at 101 of its 143 staffed stations. The proposals would lead to the majority of offices being closed for parts of the day. The nationalised operator is carrying out a 12-week internal staff consultation on the proposals, which ends in February. Fiona Hyslop, the SNP...ScotRail is being urged to drop plans to reduce ticket office hours at 101 of its 143 staffed stations. The proposals would lead to the majority of offices being closed for parts of the day. The nationalised operator is carrying out a 12-week internal staff consultation on the proposals, which ends in February. Fiona Hyslop, the SNP...ScotRail is being urged to drop plans to reduce ticket office hours at 101 of its 143 staffed stations. The proposals would...
alex massie
This was the year the dream expired. For the first time in more than a dozen years Scotland’s great constitutional argument is settled. It has been put to rest, buried with Nineveh and Tyre and all the Norwegian parrots you can lay your hands upon. Nor shall it be resurrected next year or the year after that either.This was the year the dream expired. For the first time in more than a dozen years Scotland’s...This was the year the dream expired. For the first time in more than a dozen years Scotland’s...
They were the greatest of rivals, two legendary Scots vying for trophies at the pinnacle of English football. Now Sir Kenny Dalglish has told a documentary how he and Sir Alex Ferguson always exchanged congratulatory letters on each other’s...They were the greatest of rivals, two legendary Scots vying for trophies at the pinnacle of...They were the greatest of rivals, two legendary Scots vying for trophies at the pinnacle of...
outside | Best of Alba
RICHARD a WILLIAMS
Sunday Times Scotland Primary School League Table
sunday times secondary school league table
Comment
My first dry Christmas is a bit of a mystery
AN Wilson
A moderate and happy drinker all my life, I suddenly have no desire for alcohol — and find that slightly troubling
hugo rifkind
So Reform want disruption. And then what?
SARAH DITUM
When it comes to leftovers, go the whole hog
LESLEY THOMAS | NOTEBOOK
Cadbury has looked flaky for a long time now
harry hudson
Handwriting is not just for Christmas thank-you letters
Leading Articles
Damaged Church
A new Archbishop of Canterbury must be found swiftly, for the Church of England, damaged by scandal and sins of omission, cannot afford to be leaderless for long
Global Disorder
International institutions and alliances have struggled to manage crises in 2024
Fungal Growth
Truffles are driving economic development and culinary delight
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Transparency and trust in the legal system
Write to [email protected] Sir, I agree that wherever possible, courts should let the sunshine in and so promote the fundamental public interest in justice being seen to be done (“Seen To Be Done”, leading article, Dec 24). However...Write to [email protected] Sir, I agree that wherever possible, courts should let the...Write to [email protected] Sir, I agree that wherever possible, courts should let the...
Daily Universal Register
Briefing
UK: Today is Boxing Day and St Stephen’s Day.
Italy: The Pope opens a fifth “Holy Door”, at Rebibbia prison in Rome, to mark the 2025 jubilee Holy Year and give prisoners “hope” and “a concrete sign of closeness”.
On this day
In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie informed l’Académie des Sciences that they had discovered radium while experimenting with a mineral form of uranium oxide. They were co-recipients of the 1903 Nobel prize in physics, with Antoine Becquerel; in 1943 the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was sunk in an engagement with the battleship HMS Duke of York and her escorts off Norway in the Battle of the North Cape. Of the Scharnhorst’s crew of 1,968, 36 survived; in 1948 Bertrand Russell delivered the inaugural Reith Lecture for the BBC, his subject for the series of six talks being Authority and the Individual; in 1963 the US “bad-boy” wrestler “Gorgeous George” Wagner died, aged 48. He introduced a theatrical persona to the sport, and influenced performers such as Muhammad Ali and James Brown; in 2004 a 9.2-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra caused a tsunami in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and the Indian Ocean islands, killing nearly 230,000 people.
Nature notes
In our pre-industrial past, Boxing Day was a bad day to be a wren. For the rest of the year, our forebears believed these little birds brought good luck and should be protected. Old nicknames show this general reverence: God’s bird and Our Lady’s hen. A Scots rhyme warned: “Malaisons, malaisons mair than ten/ That harry our Lady of Heaven’s wren.” Folklore even crowned the wren king of the birds. However, all this changed on Boxing Day. The day after Christmas, bands of youths would hunt wrens, then take their plucked bodies round the doors for cash. This custom was known as the Hunting of the Wren. For only one day, the well-beloved bird became the Lord of Misrule, as heard in the folksong Cutty Wren. Jonathan Tulloch
Jonathan Tulloch
Birthdays today
Tomma Abts, artist, Turner prize (2006), 57; Simon Beaufoy, screenwriter, Slumdog Millionaire (2008), 58; Yohan Blake, Jamaican sprinter, two-time Olympic gold medallist, 35; Cyprian Broodbank, archaeologist, John Disney professor of archaeology, University of Cambridge, 60; Harry Christophers, conductor, founder (1979) and conductor of vocal ensemble the Sixteen, 71; Kit Harington, actor, Game of Thrones (2011-19), 38; Peter Hillary, mountaineer, chairman, Himalayan Trust charity, 70; Rohan Kanhai, cricketer, West Indies (1957-74), 89; Kirill Karabits, chief conductor, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, 48; Heather Knight, cricketer, England women’s captain, including of the 2017 World Cup-winning team, 34; Jane Lapotaire, actress, The Crown (2019), 80; Jared Leto, actor, Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and musician with Thirty Seconds to Mars, 53; John Lynch, actor, Sliding Doors (1998), 63; Shane Meadows, film-maker, This is England (2006), 52; Dermot Murnaghan, broadcaster, 67; Adrian Newey, chief technical officer, Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, 66; José Ramos-Horta, president of East Timor (also 2007-12) and Nobel peace prize winner (1996), 75; Aaron Ramsey, footballer, Cardiff City and Wales, 34; Emperor Rosko, broadcaster, best known for his Radio Caroline and BBC Radio 1, 82; David Sedaris, writer, A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-20) (2021), 68; Prof Dame Sarah Springman, triathlete, civil engineer and academic, principal, St Hilda’s College, Oxford, 68; Ed Stafford, explorer, the first person to walk the length of the Amazon River, 49; Mahdi Al Tajir, businessman (portfolio includes Sheraton Park Tower Hotel in London and Highland Spring), and former United Arab Emirates ambassador to the UK, 93; Lars Ulrich, musician, Metallica, 61; Douglas Wilson, director-general, Attorney-General’s Office, 47.