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  • Could a social media detox be good for the soul?

    Could a social media detox be good for the soul?

    Dr Mark Winwood has revealed that leaving social media could help your mental health – here’s how.

    Simon / Pixabay

    Social media is everywhere. If we’re not updating our connections about where we’ve been or what we’re seeing, we’re no doubt uploading a photo of the delicious meal we’re about to eat. The popularity of sharing our experiences via social channels can’t be denied, with an estimated 2.77 billion social media users globally, and it plays a significant role in our lives – both at work and at home.  But has our need to keep people updated on our every move or thought gone too far?

    An often debated benefit of social media is that it reduces isolation by connecting people all over the world, as you are able to track what your friend in New Zealand is up to, without needing to stay up late to Skype. However, in many ways, this connectivity can be a ‘false reality’ – simply a window through which you see just a snapshot of another person’s life – you don’t know what they’re really thinking or feeling, emotions which can only be delved into during a conversation.

    Additionally, this snapshot is often carefully choreographed, and portrays the subject at their best, without realities to impair the moment. As a result, when seeing these pictures of perfection, it’s natural to envisage their perfect life and compare their experiences to yours, which may not live up in comparison. It’s not surprising to learn that a recent study by researchers from the University of Houston in Texas has shown that social media is contributing to depression due to users comparing themselves to others.*

    So, bearing this in mind, is it time we put down Snapchat, deleted Facebook or disabled Instagram for a while, to give us not only a break from the perfect lives of others, but also to regain perspective?

    TheHilaryClark / Pixabay

    If you’re considering taking a social media holiday, bear the following in mind:

    1. Suspend your accounts – suspending them for a week means you can take a break without the temptation to check for any new notifications.
    2. Take the time for face-to-face – cutting down on virtual messaging may free up time to meet your friends in person. This not only allows you to have a proper catch up, it also fills the void in terms of knowing what’s going on
    3. Regain your focus – how many times have you missed a crucial moment on TV due to checking someone else’s holiday photos? Not having these distractions will help you tune into the moment more freely.
    4. Get an alarm clock – it’s easy to use your phone as an alarm clock, but this encourages you to look at it as soon as you wake. Try a conventional alarm clock and turn your phone off overnight. The blue light used by phones disrupts sleep**, so it may help your sleep quality too by switching it off completely.
    5. Rather than going cold turkey it’s best to start small and build up to something. Why not start by turning off notifications for an hour, then two, building up to a whole day, or even a week at a time? Check out apps designed to block sites at certain times of the day. This helps to avoid that mindless checking and re-checking we all fall victim to!

    Taking the plunge and giving up social media for a week or more can be an incredibly refreshing experience. It lets you live in the present, and remember memories in real-time, instead of via a camera lens. Technology has made it so easy for us to stay connected and to know our friends’ ins and outs, but it shouldn’t replace face-to-face contact as this is not always the healthy or desirable option.

    Experiencing stress and mental health challenges is a normal part of many people’s lives – for additional support, visit AXA PPP healthcare.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Persona

    THEATRE REVIEW | Persona

    INSISTENCE IS FUTILE!

    -By-

    Fraulein Sasha Selavie

    Rating: 2 out of 5.

    As Star Trek’s Borg Queen, Alice Krige was instantly, shockingly unearthly, an stunning visual heart-attack, as unlikely as an 8-foot drag queen twerking on crack! An arguable career highlight, the role propelled Krige into the media stratosphere, paving the way for an acclaimed, deeply nuanced run in Spooks.

    Profundity Murdered By Pedestrian Pedants! 

    Effortlessly cutting the actorial mustard, her every, hugely conflicted moment a master-class in killer drama, Krige proved an absolute dramatic revelation on screen.

    So – pardon our French – WTF happened to Krige’s live acting chops? In the beautifully refurbished Riverside Studios opening production, Persona, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergmans’ masterly and forensic dissection of identity, she’s an inaudible as a de-miked Madonna futilely gyrating on stage.

    How come? Was she somehow under the assumption that film-craft projection – where the slightest whisper is captured by multiple, ultra-sensitive boom mics – would be adequate for a packed space with severely raked seats, with all those packed bodies relentlessly soak up the sound?

    Poor, poor Alice – how badly mistaken can an actress be? And – to be fair – she’s hardly helped by those steep raked bench seats. Ever cursed the sea of bobbing heads blocking your sight-line at a badly-planned venue? Welcome to a Grade-A theatrical nightmare!

    And – unbelievably – the production choices descend from poor to atrocious.

    Bergman’s movie, briefly, is intensely focused on the deepening, psychic symbiosis between Sister Alma, a female nurse, and the inexplicably mute, traumatised actress –Elisabet – she’s caring for in a remote, isolated clinic.

    Never easy viewing and exceptionally demanding cinema, Bergman’s script is dense, tortuous, gnomic and elliptical, hardly the stuff of unintentional comedy. So it doesn’t help when – as a result of an inexplicable creative choice – director Paul Schoolman doubles up as an utterly superfluous, onstage narrator to what’s best staged as an intense two-hander. What on earth does adding a dreary, flatly inexpressive voice-over detailing Bergman’s creative process and thoughts on filming Persona add to a show where the principles – Krige and Nobuhle Mngcwengi’s mute actress Elizabet -are crouching invisible and inaudible on a visually obstructed stage?

    Which opens another, hugely contentious issue – colour-blind casting, which, normally, should be comprehensively embraced across the board. Here, however, Bergman’s crucial point is that the nurse and actress, initially almost physically identical, fuse even more deeply into an almost symbiotic psyche. So it’s especially jarring – and dramatically incoherent – to have an ice-pale Krige paired with Nobuhle Mngcwengi, a visually contrasting woman of colour, justly acclaimed as a singer/songwriter, but with a puzzlingly insubstantial acting CV.

    So, are there any redeeming aspects of this production? Mercifully, yes. Stepping into Riverside’s pristine, aesthetically barren main studio – less artistically inspired than Trump’s bright orange, mad clown make-up – my oestrogen-choked genitals suddenly leapt with faux-orgasmic joy. And the source of my bliss? William Close’s lusciously imposing Earth Harp, all taut, shining copper cables studded with lights and sensors, invitingly strung high above us from the stage to the studio’s rear wall.

    The effect? Gorgeously intimidating, like willingly entering a dominatrix’s hi-tech torture chamber, or feeling like human mice at the imminent mercy of a gigantic cheese-wire.

    Ever heard of Laurie Anderson? She’s an avant-garde electronica musician, who pioneered tactile instruments, surfaces sensitive to sensor gloves that instantly release sounds. Hugely bolstered by digital reverb, the resulting music is a physically exhilarating, deep bass throb in our helplessly receptive flesh.

    It’s an über-kinky, utterly cutting-edge cyber-fetishism, an ideal prop for an S&M, transhumanist orgy.

    And Earth Harp player William Close – all close-cropped, spiky silver hair and killer beard – plays his heart out like a swashbuckling, psychic pirate, unpredictably hi-jacking our sympathies as the score’s sonorous, body-shaking chords demand. If this production’s insistence on low-key whispering and restricted visibility is a misguided attempt at projecting emotional intimacy, William Close’s bravura swagger makes his startling soundscapes anything but futile!

    Persona adapted from the Ingmar Bergman movie at the Riverside Studios to February 23rd. 0208-237-1000

  • Actor Rick Cosnett comes out as gay, in proud Instagram video

    Actor Rick Cosnett comes out as gay, in proud Instagram video

    TV star Rick Cosnett has made an unashamed announcement – “I’m gay”.

    The actor who is most famous for starring in The Flash and Quantico took to Instragam to fulfil a promise he had made himself about living his truth every day.

    The 36-year-old told his 265,000 fans on Instagram,

    “I am gay. And I just wanted everyone to know.

    “Because I’ve made a promise to myself to live my truth every day. And sometimes that is a really hard thing to do when you have all these subconscious things you don’t even know about from childhood and society and just life.

    As well as Quantico from 2015-2016 and The Flash from 2014-2017, Rick has also starred in The Vampire Diaries and NCIS.

    “I am sure most of you probably knew anyway. I also have a stye in my eye which really adds to the whole drama of the whole thing.”

    View this post on Instagram

    Hello

    A post shared by Rick Cosnett (@rickcosnett) on Feb 13, 2020 at 3:24pm PST

  • Iconic LGBT pub in Bedford relaunched

    Iconic LGBT pub in Bedford relaunched

    The Barley Mow in Bedford, one of the most established LGBT venues in the UK has relaunched after new licensees take over.

    The pub, one of the only LGBT+ venues in the area has been given a new lease of life after the pub gained two new licensees, Katee and her father Stuart Turtill.

    With a combined 28 years of experience in the pub industry, the father and daughter duo aims to preserve the pub’s reputation and retain its strong roots as an established LGBT venue. This will include more community events and extending trading hours for customers to come and enjoy the pub throughout the day.

    Katee Turtill, Licensee of the Barley Mows commented: “Everything about the Barley Mow drew us to it. It’s a great pub with a fantastic community following. For that reason, we aren’t looking to change it too much, rather we want to enhance what people already recognised as being signature to the Barley Mow. I absolutely adore the pub; the customers are lovely, and I really want to make it that fun place for people to come back into.”

    Customers will be spoiled for choice with a fantastic line-up of events planned, including a monthly cabaret show and special weekly theme nights such as fancy-dress evenings, Ru Paul Drag Race nights, Rum and Reggae nights and Pop and Cheese nights. Resident Drag Queen host and karaoke master, Fanny Burns, will continue to entertain locals every Wednesday night with a DJ secured for both Friday and Saturday nights. Those visiting the pub for a tipple will be impressed by the extensive selection of fantastic draughts, spirits and signature cocktails which can be enjoyed in the spacious beer garden outside. 

    The Barley Mow will celebrated its official grand re-opening on Friday 7th February at 2 pm. Special guest, Dave Hodgson, Mayor of Bedford, hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony and raised a new LGBT flag to pay homage to the landmark pub along with Fanny Burns.

    A special karaoke line-up was hosted soon after by the lovely Fanny Burns following the ceremony. Resident DJ Brummy took to the decks from 9pm onwards. The dress code and theme of the day was smart-casual attire with a rainbow theme. 

    Business Development Manager for Admiral Taverns, Mick Sheridan said, “I am thrilled to have Katee and Stuart on board at the Barley Mow and look forward to working with them. Both of them are incredibly experienced and have fantastic reputations. Both Katee and Stuart understand the importance of this community pub and have a strong vision to keep this a fantastic asset to the local community. I am very excited to see the new Barley Mow and I look forward to seeing all the wonderful events they have planned over the next few months.” 

  • FILM REVIEW | Emma: is a Joy

    FILM REVIEW | Emma: is a Joy

    Emma ★★★★

    The new film ‘Emma’ – based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel – is about a rich young woman who sees her friends all around her falling in love. But does Emma want love?

    Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays Emma with a spark, and lives a very comfortable life with her very rich father (Bill Nighy) – who always feels a draft in his house) much to the dismay of his butlers. But it’s Emma who rules the roost – and who plays matchmaker for her girlfriends – all hanging on her every word.

    Her friends include the daughters of Miss Bates (a hilarious turn by Miranda Hart), and her friend Miss Harriet Smith (Mia Goth). But while others around her are falling in love right and left, love eludes Emma – and it’s been under her nose all along! Will her knight in shining armour be George (Johnny Flynn) or Mr Elton (Josh O’Connor) or Frank (Callum Turner)? ‘Emma’  – a story told many times in the past, is a fun film – perfect for Valentines Day. Directed by Autumn de Wilde, with sumptuous costumes and sets, and Anya Taylor-Joy is a joy!

    Now open in UK cinemas

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Muzik, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Muzik, London

    ★★★★★ | Muzik, Leicester Square Theatre, London

    It takes someone with a lot of talent, energy, charisma and pizzaz to keep you mesmerised, enthralled, entertained and laughing non-stop in a one hour show. Frances Barber does just this playing Billie Trix in the show ‘Muzik.’

    Barber is, in a word, brilliant in her one woman show where she recounts the life, and acting as, Billie Trix, who was an icon, rock star, screen goddess, and drug addict.

    In a show written by Jonathan Harvey and with songs by the Pet Shop Boys, Barber (Trix) tells of her life when she belonged to the Warhol crew (there is a funny joke about a gun and Valerie Solanas – the woman who shot Warhol), to her time in Paris, and how her and her mother never saw eye to eye. The jokes are fast and furious and hilarious. Barber keeps the momentum going singing the hilarious songs about anything and nothing. No stone is left unturned when she, truth or not, recounts the time when she was Donald Trumps lover and how she could’ve been the princess to Prince Harry.

    This one hour show is jam packed with her stories; Madonna is in disguise in the audience, and her agent, also in the audience, is happily eating away. If you get a chance go see this show. I knew nothing about Trix, and Barber until now – Barber made me laugh until I cried.

    MUSIK
    Written by Jonathan Harvey
    & Pet Shop Boys

    Leicester Square Theatre
    6 Leicester Place
    London WC2H 7BX

    Wednesday 5 February – Sunday 1 March

    Tues-Thurs £22.50, £34.50 & Premiums £42.50
    Fri-Sat £22.50, £42.50 & Premiums £49.50
    Sun £22.50, £37.50 & Premiums £45.00
    These prices are inclusive of all booking fees and theatre levy

    Ticket Booking Line
    0207 7342222

    www.leicestersquaretheatre.com

  • Limiting PrEP is holding us back in the fight to end new HIV transmissions

    Limiting PrEP is holding us back in the fight to end new HIV transmissions

    edf

    The fight to end new HIV transmissions in England and Wales is being severely limited according to the Head of Policy, Debbie Laycock, at the Terrence Higgins Trust.

    Although there are plans to make PrEP more widely available from April, Laycock says that the “continued lack of detail from Ministers about what a national programme will look like” gives the charity, “serious concerns”.

    In a statement, Debbie Laycock, said,

    “PrEP stops HIV and limiting access is holding us back in the fight to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. News that the Government plans to make PrEP routinely available by April is long overdue but we have serious concerns about the continued lack of detail from Ministers about what a national programme will look like.”

    As it stands, there is a limited medical trial in England and Wales for those at risk of contracting HIV. These trial places are very limited and many people, particularly gay and bisexual men have been denied placement or have had to wait on a list until a placement becomes available.

    In Scotland PrEP is available on the NHS.

    The Terrace Higgins Trust is concerned, as local councils, who will most likely be responsible for the drug’s distribution, are under enormous financial pressures since having their budgets slashed by the Conservative government by 25% since 2014.

    The government needs to “put his money where its mouth is”

    Debbie Laycock said,

    “If the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock is serious about championing public health, he needs to put his money where his mouth is and provide councils with the resources they need to make PrEP available.’

    “We’ve seen delay after delay on PrEP and we simply cannot wait any longer. The countdown to ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 has started and it’s time PrEP had a proper home so no one is turned away from this HIV game-changer.’

    What is PrEP?

    CREDIT: © rbhavana Depositphotos

    Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, it is a drug treatment protocol using prescription medicine and has been shown in clinical trials to be highly effective in preventing HIV, when taken daily and used in combination with other infection prevention measures.

    The once-a-day pill contains two main drugs (tenofovir and emtricitabine) and is already routinely used in combination with other medicines to treat existing HIV infection, helping those living with HIV to lower their viral load and effectively becoming undetectable.

    Find out about the PrEP trial, click here

  • This is what it’s like to go on a nudist beach, when you’re a nevernude!

    This is what it’s like to go on a nudist beach, when you’re a nevernude!

    It has to be said. I’m a never-nude.

    CREDIT: Jake Hook / THEGAYUK

    While my boyfriend takes almost every possible moment to whip his clothes off, I’m happy to keep it AbFab Saffy. He says I’m the only person he knows who dresses up to go to bed.

    So the idea of a nudist beach outing isn’t a natural fit for me, my Irish Roman Catholic never-naked family upbringing means that nudity to me is best kept in the dark. But as I’ve always said, “don’t say no, till you give it go”. So on a trip to Australia, I relented to my nagging boyfriend, who had heard there was a gay nude beach somewhere on the shores of Sydney.

    We were 9,445 miles away. No one I know would be there, and at 26 years old I was in my prime.

    Early one morning, we took a ferry to the Taronga Zoo and walked for what seemed like hours. With every step, my protestations got louder and more pronounced. “Did we really need to do this”, “There’s a perfectly nice, findable beach in Manly”, “What’s so special about getting naked anyway?”

    Finally, we found it. Opening up in front of us was a naked haven. It was less of a beach and more of a cove of smooth rocks, facing towards the sea. A bit like a penguin exhibit at a zoo. Numerous, well-placed, seemingly naturally occurring outcroppings of smoothish rocks, perfect for spreading out a towel and basking beneath the Aussie sun. It looked perfect. It looked secluded. At each end, there was a high wall of rocks and thick bush add to the seclusion. Perfect.

    My boyfriend’s little eyes lit up like it was Christmas, Easter, Valentines, New Year’s and Wirral Appreciation Day (he’s from Wirral) all in one. He started removing items of clothes as we picked our way across the rocks to find somewhere to settle.

    I started casually glancing around, more to make sure I had a good footing on the rocks, rather than goggling the naked men on show. There were penises everywhere.

    Some were casually flopping over the owner’s knees, some were neatly nestled in a well-groomed nest of pubic hair. All attached to perfectly bronzed and toned bodies.

    We had found a spot to make camp, my boyfriend literally ran off towards the ocean.

    I was left to undress and sink lower into my own self-loathing.

    I could feel expectant eyes around me. I was, still dressed, very much so. So I began to peel off an item of clothing one item at a time. It was like a very slow, very bizarre Victorian striptease. First flip-flop, second flip-flop and so on until it was just my underwear and nakedness. I was eking out every moment of clothed protection.

    I rooted around in my rucksack for my book. It was chunky. In what can only be described as pure magic, I whipped off my undies and firmly placed the book in front of the crown jewels in one swift, deft move. I was naked save for the book.

    Finally, with my undies still on, I rooted around in my rucksack for my book. It was chunky. In what can only be described as pure magic, I whipped off my undies and firmly placed the book in front of the crown jewels in one swift, deft move. I was naked save for the book. I looked around to see if there had been any signs of approval from the expectant eyes, but they had long bored of my antics and were distracting themselves in other ways.

    I pretended to thumb through my book. My boyfriend called for me to come down to the ocean.

    Could I?

    Could I walk to the ocean… exposed? Between where I was sitting and the shore there must have been about ten meters of rocks.

    Sod it. Do it. What’s the worst that could happen?

    Beneath my book, I gave my little Mr a tug. It’s the tugging that all men give themselves when you need a little something more. You know, in the right circumstances, you add a couple of inches to a flaccid knob.

    Finally, appeased by the length, I remove my book, stand up. I blind everyone. My pale never-nude body is so bright I’m sure it can be seen from space.

    I feel eyes on me. “Turn it around Jake, turn it around”, I coo to myself. In my mind, Sade’s “Smooth Operator” is playing, as I slink towards the shoreline. Not wanting to rush, I make sure each step is sure and solid. My boyfriend is seven meters away from me. He’s waving at me, encouraging me to come to the water’s edge. He’s waist-deep in the water and he’s been playing catch with some others that are in the sea. It looks fun. I want to join them.

    I continue to walk towards the sea. Why did we settle so far back from the shore? I’m five metres away now.

    Four meters… and then, I hear voices. These aren’t the subdued mumbles of the cove’s current inhabitants. No, I can hear children’s laughter and a general hubbub. I can hear a tannoy announcement. I can hear the churning of water from a propeller. From the left side of the cove, a tourist boat’s bow begins to appear.

    I’m three meters from the water now. More and more of the boat begins to show. It’s big. Actually, it’s massive. And there are lots of people on it. All of them with cameras pointed in the direction of the beach. The boat seems so close I’m sure I can hear the individual shutters of a hundred cameras firing.

    Forgetting ‘Smooth Operator’ and my careful footing, I make a dash for the water. Gazelle like, I spring over the last few rocks and dive.

    Into 3 inches of water.

    My pasty ass isn’t even covered with water.

    The tourist boat continues its slow-paced chugging, its slow speed is mocking me. The cameras are still clicking. Eventually, it disappears around the cove.

    My boyfriend is almost drowning with laughter.

    The expectant eyes, attached to waspy mouths are saying something… I think I can hear “oh look, a floating pomme”.

    I die.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Other Side Fried, Brixton, London

    RESTAURANT REVIEW | Other Side Fried, Brixton, London

    ★★★★ | Other Side Fried, Brixton, London

    Fried chicken was all the rage in 2019 – will it be just as popular in 2020? Well Other Side Fried (OSF) is trying to make sure this will be the case.

    With five locations in London, including two in Brixton, they are all about fried chicken – just what it says in the name! Buttermilk – dipped chicken is offered in several burger varieties. In my quick visit there one Saturday afternoon to the flagship restaurant in Brixton (not Pop) – the Honey Butter chicken burger stood out on the menu. Loads of pickles and lettuce under the chicken with bacon on top – was – to borrow a well-known phrase – finger-lickin’ good! It wasn’t that large considering the price –  £8.45 – but it was delicious thanks to the smoked honey butter sauce. My friend had the Bacon Cheese chicken burger with OSF special sauce – at £7.45. Other burgers include the Classic, Buffalo, Garlic & Mayo and Vegan – all priced between £6.45 and £8.45. What makes OSF chicken burgers taste better than KFC? The quality for one, and secondly the taste – OSF are original, and good.

    The order of fries were very good – they were of the small-sized variety. I asked for no salt so that I could taste them as they should be tasted – plain, but they came salted – oh well – but were cheap (£2.45). The Dirty Tots were superb. A bit pricey at £5 – they were topped with bacon bits and delicious ranch/hot sauce but weren’t hot at all. We thoroughly enjoyed these and ate them all up.

    We tried the Garlic Butter Mayo and Smoke Honey Mustard (superb) dips to go with our chicken and fries(a must at 50p each). If you want bacon or Parmesan cheese these will set you back £1 each. Beer, wine (pending liquor license approval in the main branch) and soft drinks are available as well.

    If you find yourself in either Camden (Camden Lock Market), Leicester Square or Peckham (Peckham Levels), you’ll find their other locations. They are smaller so there are less menu options but the quality of food is the same throughout all the locations. The original location is right near Brixton tube station – you can’t miss it – it’s all glass – and an ugly orange inside. Too bad loud rap music was on play – not pleasant for this small 16-seater location. And unusually it was not busy at all when we were there at Saturday lunchtime.

    Thanks to OSF – it looks like the fried chicken craze is here to stay – though I’d still stay away from Chicken with waffles – it’s so so wrong!

  • CAR REVIEW | Honda Civic EX Sport Line

    CAR REVIEW | Honda Civic EX Sport Line

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Civic Update

    What Do We Have?

    Honda has been busy evolving their tenth-generation Civic in an attempt to keep it abreast of the new challenges it faces within the competitive, if sometimes over-looked mid-sized hatchback segment.

    Changes for the new 19MY Civic include smoother front and rear bumpers and changes to the plethora of grills that dress them. The new model we came to try is being called the EX Sport Line. There also comes a new rear spoiler.

    The new car is being marketed as a sort of cheaper alternative to the highly acclaimed Type R. A Civic that is worshipped better than the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus [citation needed] Except with the Type R, it’s more about how immoral it is.

    The EX Sport Lines on offer for testing were fitted with either the slick 6-speed manual or new CVT gearbox. This CVT replaces the conventional automatic with its confusing push button selector. Instead, the new CVT is fitted with a standard stick shift as you’d find in a normal automatic.

    Driving

    Fitted with a plucky 3 cylinder petrol that pushes out a respectable 126 PS from a 1-litre capacity. Now this engine might not be what you would be expecting to see fitted considering the Sport Line is a type of Type R alternative but let us just remember that this is a Civic that mixes everyday drivability without the heart attack.

    Torque outputs alter retrospectively between the 2 transmission types with the manual having 20 Nm more at 200. On paper at least you could say you shouldn’t notice with outright performance figures being so close. That said, it did feel like the CVT was a little lethargic to shift unless you selected |sport| mode and then it would alter.

    Inside

    Inside sees changes to some textured panelling on the dashboard and the supportive seats. Racy red stitching is used to further heighten the racing appeal of the Sport Line.

    Where major changes have been made is within the new climate controls and stereo system. Main changes are the addition of buttons to help navigate the often criticised complicated screens. These now allow the most used sub-menus to be reached with one button.

    It is just a shame that the satnav detailing isn’t up to spec. Thankfully this can be avoided with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. I used Android and it worked very well. 

    Living With It

    It really comes down to what type of driver you are. The Civic is a car that comes highly recommended and you’ll find it has a legion of fans out there no matter what model they drive.

    So if you are a more enthusiastic driver then the manual will whet your curiosity to explore a random B road to its limits. The CVT won’t disappoint that much but you will have to work it that much harder and it’s not that rewarding to do so. As a competent commuter car that will sit in the daily grind of the A-B  traffic, it will be of great comfort that the cog swapping is left to the machine.

    Verdict

    The majority of the changes Honda has carried out haven’t really altered much to the Civic and there really wasn’t any need to do this anyway. The Civic has always been an accomplished car as both a driver’s car and a striking visual.

    We did ask about the change to a CVT gearbox. Honda was quick to point out its economy benefits and value for money in being able to offer an auto system cheaper than the system used previously. That aside, I personally feel it is a step backwards when Honda has progressed the Civic forward with the MY19 model.

    With that in mind, you will find this Civic being recommended, but just think about what type of driver you are before parting with your money.

    Love

    Looks

    Compliant ride

    Useable performance

    Loath

    “Sport Line” moniker

    Satnav graphics

    CVT gearbox

    The Lowdown

    Car – Honda Civic EX Sport Line

    Price (as tested) –  26,035 MANUAL (27,435 CVT )

    MPG – 45.6 MAN (42.2 CVT) WLTP combined

    Power – 126PS

    0-60 – 11.2 MAN (11.0 CVT)        

    Top speed – 126mph MAN (124 CVT)

    Co2 – 110g/km MAN (107g/km CVT) New Civic

    All photos Stuart M. Bird

  • MOTORING | The Passat. Volkswagen’s First Proper Car

    MOTORING | The Passat. Volkswagen’s First Proper Car

    VW has just launched Passat 8.5. In a market packed with over-inflated SUV’s, you could be forgiven for thinking the Passat was no longer with us. Truth is, it’s still an important model to VW and has been with us longer than the Golf.

    This mid-sized saloon hasn’t had the greatest starts in life if you include it past DNA and in that I’m talking about the ill-fated 411 and 412. VW couldn’t let go of that rear-engine layout and as a result, made a car that was out of date before it even started back in 1968.

    Europe was changing and it was all about engines at the front and luggage at the back.

    VW fought back with the purchase of NSU and Audi. Soon the Audi 80 was badged as the Passat and in 1973 in an array of models similar to the Audi, the Passat was born. Unlike the Audi, the VW had a fastback look about it in a hatchback configuration.

    In 1981 the B2 MK2 Passat was born. Unlike its stablemate from Audi, the B2 80 had been born much earlier in 1978. What VW was to do was to take the style of the 80’s sporty sibling, the GT coupe and turn it into their new Passat. Somewhat cheeky it has to be said but what this meant for the VW driver was a car that looked like the Audi Quattro rally weapon with all the practicalities of a Golf. The hatchback body remained and was only available as a Volkswagen.

    Fitted into this Passat and here for us to look at today is the 5 cylinder 2-litre engine. This 1988 GL5 model was packed with innovative ideas made it top of the range. The 5 cylinder, fitted with fuel injection meant performance and power. It developed 115bhp at a thundering 5400rpm. Torque was a useful 164Nm at 3200rpm. And this figure would plague you because this all-conquering model was mated to a 4+E gearbox. 

    The Audi That’s A Volkswagen

    This gearbox was Volkswagens attempt at making the car economical on a run. 4th being an overdrive and 5th being even more of an overdrive lowering the engine revs to an all-time low. This really did make 5th a gear a cruising gear. And it worked. On the urban cycle, it would return a normal 25.9 miles per gallon. Absolutely nothing to shout about but at 56mph you could get 47.1mpg and that meant you could travel some great distances on one tank of fuel. 

    Sadly you wouldn’t get close to that figure for one reason with that 5 cylinder engine up front. Forget the screaming sounds of V8’s or the silky feel of a V6. The straight 5 in the VW sounded like a budget Audi Quattro. The same Audi Quattro that you would hear on BBC’s Grandstand rally reports spitting fire. It was a sound that blew you away and in the Passat GL5, it blew you away even if it didn’t go quite as fast or spit fire from the exhaust. You see, it sounded fast. The engine felt amazing and it made you feel great.

    The drive and handling were set more for a luxury liner than a sports car. Spirited driving wouldn’t give you the full point and squirt of the Quattro and this is where your Quattro Passat ends but it’s also where Passat starts. The Passat GL5 was about distance cruising and it managed to do that well. Back to back with German cars of the time, this Passat has a distinctive French feel about it. It floats and cossets you like a Citroën. There is a massive amount of Germanic harshness missing. Its like has never been seen again from Volkswagen. 

    Was it expensive in that way Volkswagens were in the ’80s? Considering its relatively scarcity back then, it really wasn’t any more costly to buy that the top sellers in the market. For your £9356 you could save a grand and buy a Vauxhall Cavalier GLS or for about the same money, buy a loaded up Ford Sierra Ghia. Now, this was the problem for the Passat GL5. CAR magazine told you to buy the Cavalier. They said it was the better car but we all knew the GLS was the tops. It even came with alloy wheels and tinted glass. The Sierra rubbed its horse brass in your face with the badge of Ghia. A badge that stood for the top of the range. 

    Introverted German Style

    VW didn’t really shout out about their conservative Passat. The only car they did shout about was the Golf GTI and even then that didn’t quite get the fanfare it was worthy of. Volkswagen liked to keep it quiet, almost introverted. In the words of a Victoria Wood burger sketch from her one-off show, An Audience with…, “the introverts burger, it’s just a serviette but they don’t like to say anything”

    This was VW’s way. And a shame because despite the lacking of glitz and glamour, the inside of the Passat GL5 was steeped in plush velour everywhere. The carpets had a quality shag about them and it felt solid. And the inside niceties didn’t stop there. You had all-round electric windows with ergonomically challenging switches on the door or centre console. Fitted like an afterthought, the switches were at least taken from the modern VW switchgear. The rest of the switchgear was dated clicky switches from the last generation of Volkswagens. 

    The Passat has continued to shine as a product for VW and all generations have retained some element of DNA from this very model. The one thing, thankfully, they haven’t taken is the awful offset steering wheel. Perhaps that’s why VW didn’t want to shout about the Passat?

    All photos Stuart M. Bird