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  • Top Summer Gin Recipes

    For all you gin lovers out there we’ve compiled a collection of five simple recipes, with the help of some friends, to get you through the long summer of outdoor dining and socials. Your soirée is guaranteed to become a much talked about success with these tempting tipples, especially when (like me) all you’ve served in the past has been a can of shop bought premix, garnished with a bit of left over celery leaf from last night’s salad. Enjoy.

     

    Hayman’s Lavender Lady

    The Lavender Lady is the Hayman’s take on the traditional sour White Lady cocktail. The egg white creates a silky mixture, which perfectly accompanies the honey and Cointreau. Top the cocktail with a sprig of Lavender, and sit back in the garden and relax.

    Ingredients:
    50ml Hayman’s London Dry Gin
    20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
    10ml of locally sourced honey or 20ml of honey water (see below)
    10ml Cointreau
    1 medium egg white
    Dash of orange bitters
    Sprig of lavender to garnish

    Honey water:
    Combine equal parts of honey and hot water
    Stir until mixed

    Method:
    – Add cubed ice to a cocktail shaker
    – Pour the Hayman’s London Dry Gin over the ice
    – Add all the remaining ingredients, except the garnish
    – Give all the ingredients a very hard shake and strain into cocktail glass
    – Garnish with a sprig of lavender

     

    British Bramble

    Langley’s English gin brings us the best of British with this take on the Bramble. Made using classic English gin, Langley’s No. 8, and premium British blackcurrant liqueur, British Cassis, this is a versatile drink that’s ideal to enjoy on a hot (or rainy) summer day. One sip and you’ll soon be foraging for more.

    Ingredients:
    60ml Langley’s No. 8 gin
    30ml Lemon Juice
    15ml British Cassis
    10ml of sugar syrup

    Method:
    – Pour Langley’s No. 8 gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into your shaker, half-fill with ice, and shake until ice cold.
    – Strain into a rock glass filled with crushed ice
    – Drizzle British Cassis over the top so it trickles through the ice
    – Garnish with fresh blackberries and a slice of lemon

     

    Coconut Ramos

    Mr Lyan says: “In the original recipe that inspired me, Ramos Gin Fizz, the drink was reputedly shaken for five minutes solid to get it to what was described as ‘drinking clouds’. Apparently, it took 18 bartenders standing in a line taking over from each other when their arms began to ache. In this recipe I’ve used a soda siphon – you ‘charge’ it with nitrogen and CO2 to whip air in!” Recipe from Ryan’s book: Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan & Friends. Images courtesy of Waitrose.com.

    Ingredients:
    250ml London Dry Gin
    120ml lemon juice
    150ml rice milk
    90ml Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients Organic Coconut Cream
    150ml cold water
    120ml egg white
    50ml sugar syrup
    2 dashes orange blossom water
    1 dash rose water

    Method:
    – Whisk all the ingredients together and then add to a soda siphon.
    – Charge with one bulb of nitrogen and one bulb of CO2.
    – Pour into chilled flutes and garnish with candied ginger.

     

    Hayman’s Victorian Mojito

    Ingredients:
    50ml Hayman’s London Dry Gin
    25ml freshly squeezed lime juice
    20ml sugar syrup
    Premium tonic water or soda water
    Freshly picked mint leaves

    Method:
    – Fill a highball glass with cracked or crushed ice and a few fresh mint leaves
    – Pour in the Hayman’s London Dry Gin and let it run down over the ice
    – Add the lime juice and sugar syrup
    – Churn vigorously ensuring the ingredients are well mixed
    – Top with the tonic water or soda water
    – Garnish with a mint sprig

     

    Diamond Southside

    Mr Lyan says: “With lots of fruity flavours, this is a great summer cocktail – it’s light and really refreshing. Crushed ice is good for tempering sweet or sharp drinks.” Images courtesy of Waitrose.com.

    Ingredients:
    50ml London Dry Gin
    Splash of lime juice
    6 mint leaves
    30ml cloudy apple juice
    10ml rhubarb and lavender syrup*
    Strip of cucumber

    Method:
    – Build over crushed ice in a wine glass. Add more crushed ice and garnish with a sprig of mint.

    *To make a flavoured syrup, bring one part water to two parts sugar to the boil. Turn off and add your flavours while the syrup is still warm. As the syrup cools it extracts the flavour from whatever you have added. Much like cooking, keep tasting until you have the right balance. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

  • SEX ADVICE: Tips For Great One Night Stands

    One Night Stands can be a whole mix of emotions from pre-bedroom nerves to an overwhelming fear of doing something wrong. Of course they can also be a lot of fun. We asked Sexpert Alix Fox about how to get the most from your one night stands. Having written for many large titles on the various aspects of sex, her nookie knowledge spans the whole sexual spectrum from beginner and vanilla to the most obscure and fascinating kooky kinks.

    CREDIT: © dnf style| Depositphotos

    “I’m a strong advocate of the idea that almost anything goes in the boudoir so long as it’s safe, consensual, and conscientiously considered, so whatever rocks your world is unlikely to shock this girl!” she smiles. “Equally though, I don’t preach that you have to be some kind of crazy wild child in order to have a satisfying love life – not at all. Sex isn’t a competition to see who can be the most bonkers, so I’m a big believer in getting the basics right, and recognising and developing whatever works for you.”

    Since she’s down-to-earth about getting down ‘n’ dirty, THEGAYUK asked Alix to give some top tips on getting the best from one night stands. “Often, the one night stand – or ONS – is simply a one-off night of indulgent fun for both partners,” she says, “but sometimes an ONS can leave both parties feeling like the experience could have been better, both physically and emotionally, and perhaps stop a could-have-been relationship in its tracks if it’s disappointing. There are no hard and fast rules about how to make a hard and fast night go brilliantly, but my tips are designed to avoid a one night stand becoming a stand-up comedy (or worse) and instead make it stand and deliver a damn great time, and maybe even lead to more.”

    Make sure your head’s in the right place (and I’m not talking about saucy positions). Many a lasting love has stemmed from what was originally intended to be a one night stand, and some people like to cut to the chase and find out quickly if they’re likely to be sexually compatible before they begin dating someone on a longer-term basis. However, the majority of ONSs are just that – one-time hook-ups. Ensure that you’re in the right frame of mind to appreciate this. Be honest with yourself about the situation, and realistic in your expectations. If, afterwards, it’ll make you bawl if they don’t call, an ONS could set you up for a fall.

    Clear the doom from your room. If you know you’re likely to be bringing someone back to your place, do at least a 10-minute basic tidy before you head out. Make your bed; whack dirty washing out of sight; make sure there’s bog roll and baby wipes in the bathroom so it’s easy for your ONS to freshen up before you get fresh; and for God’s sake, make sure there’s no poo in your loo. Ew! This may not be your style, but I like scented candles in my boudoir: not only do they make it smell delicious, but they cast light that’s much more flattering and relaxing than having the big bulb on.

    Get Durexcellent! Surely I do not need to tell you the zillion reasons why you need to use protection if a newcomer penis is going to feature in your plans. Carry at least a couple of condoms, and carry them correctly: they can get creased and damaged in your wallet, so slip some into a metal business card holder instead. Keep condoms by your bed, too – I empty mine into a discreet wooden box so that a new lover doesn’t see an opened packet and wonder who (ahem) came before him. Just make sure that if you have a mixture in there, they’re all in date. Top quality condoms mean peace of mind, easier use and better sensation. If you’re sleeping with someone for one night only, don’t risk the experience being downgraded by relying on some dodgy beer-flavoured novelty rubber from a pub vending machine.

    A range of condoms and other bedroom items can be found in our online store here.

    Don’t let ‘one on the rocks’ stop you getting your rocks off. It might be tempting to knock back extra booze to give you Dutch Courage before an ONS, but that ‘one for the road’ could make sex a car crash. Too much booze can make it tougher for gents to maintain an erection, and generally makes it more likely that your ONS will become a fumbling, bumbling, right rum do. Alcohol can make your mouth dry, too; grab a glass of water before you head to bed to keep kisses (and the rest) juicy.

    Check your bellybutton before you try to push buttons! Pre-sauce session, nip to the WC and check your navel isn’t full o’ fluff! If you’ve worn a new top or pants, and especially if you’re a hairy guy, there may be lint in there. It’s not seductive for a new partner to find Carpet World hiding in your tummybutton while they’re kissing their way down your happy trail.

    A kiss is not a contract. And neither is inviting someone into your home or going back to theirs. If you change your mind at any point during an ONS, that is just fine. You don’t owe anybody anything, so don’t feel obliged to go through with something or push yourself beyond your comfort zone ‘because you’ve already got this far’. The objective for both people is to have a good time. If you’re not, stop. And if your play pal says they’d like to slow down – or you just get the vibe that this might be the case even if they don’t pipe up – be cool, respectful and good-natured about it, and make it clear that just savouring some snogging together – or whatever – is A-OK. Being honourable is way more important than any orgasm.

    Turn ‘interruption’ into ‘intimacy’ or ‘intensity’. Some people complain that putting on condoms ‘interrupts the moment’ or ‘spoils the mood’, which can be particularly unwelcome during an ONS, but that doesn’t have to be the case at all. Putting a condom on means that all the attention is focused closely on the penis, and that can be an enticing, exciting thing for you both, rather than a moment of sombre, serious silence. If you’re not the one unrolling the condom, don’t sit staring like a spare part while he prepares his parts: be vocal about how hot his cock looks if you’re into dirty talk, or stroke his neck, nipples, torso or inner thighs. Suspect he needs to concentrate or not feel like he’s being watched, but don’t want to feel like a left-out lemon? Get behind him and kiss his neck or put your arms around him and lay your head on his back. Alternatively, put on a show that will keep him hard and thus make the condom-donning easier by touching yourself in front of him.

    Give a (hopefully genuine) compliment or two. You may never see your ONS again, but by saying something nice about how they look in the nude, or an aspect of their technique, you leave them with a pleasant memory and a confidence boost. Even if, in some ways, the sex turns out a little clumsily – as it can when you’re with a new partner whose body and tastes you’re unfamiliar with – simple praise like “Mmm, your ass is gorgeous!” or “You’re great at that” can help leave an overriding impression that the experience with you was a worthwhile, good one. Which is helpful if you do see them again.

    Make sure you can grab a cab. Install a taxi app on your mobile that uses GPS to find your location and allows you to pay using your pre-loaded credit card details, so that if you go back to someone else’s place, you can always get home safely and easily as and when you want to, without needing to give a cabbie directions or have cash on you.

    Talk with your hands. We all know good communication improves sex. In long-term relationships, you get to gradually explore about what your partner likes, and discuss what works for you both. Yet with a one night stand, you and your playmate may know little or nothing about each other’s preferences. You need to learn fast, but you’re eager for copulation, not conversation – so let your fingers do some of the talking instead. If you’re giving oral sex, try putting a digit in your lover’s mouth, telling them “Show me what you like”, and mimicking their movements and pace as they lick or suck it.

    Follow Alix on Twitter @AlixFox

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Cambridge Arts Theatre

    ★★★★★ – Dangerous, jaw-dropping and comedy genius!

    Mischief Theatre, in role as The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, brought to the Cambridge Arts Theatre stage an uproariously funny murder mystery entitled The Murder at Haversham Manor and it went south, literally.

    The Play That Goes Wrong was a comedic masterpiece, like its successor Peter Pan, Goes Wrong, with dangerous and risky tricks that left audiences clutching on to their seats as pieces of stage fell off and got thrown around, sometimes missing the actors by inches. The actors were so efficient in everything they did, from balancing three objects across two body parts, to expertly delivering their lines while dodging canvasses, candelabras and each other. What was sublime about The Play That Goes Wrong was that if ever you have seen an amateur, or a badly produced professional, play, this show embodies the different mistakes and disasters that have occurred in the former shows. There’ll be a moment where you cannot help but recall a bad production where sets had fallen down or actors had genuinely forgotten lines and asked for “line” throughout entire speeches.

    Jason Callender who plays Jonathan playing Charles Haversham was brilliant. His gag was always turning up at the wrong point in the play, revealing the ending every time. It was very comedic, too, when Jonathan was rarely allowed to play dead, for actors clumsily walked on him, sat on him, or fell on him. He made the audience laugh at his every entrance, and I chiefly loved his sneaking off stage wriggling subtly on the floor as if to kid the audience that we couldn’t see him depart. Patrick Warner who plays Chris playing Inspector Carter was a comedy genius. Every reaction was crafted to perfection, and his lines were well-timed with the action. The audience hung on to every word he said. He played the director too, so it was particularly hilarious when, under his breath, he would mutter a direction to understudies that had come on to fill in for a part. Ham acting is a feature often prominent in amateur murder mystery productions, and Alastair Kirton playing Max playing Cecil Haversham did a sterling job showcasing this. Max’s sawing the air with his hands and over dramatising his role while stopping to smile as the audience laughed during one of his lines, was incredibly entertaining. When Max changed role to be the Gardener he flashed his clothes to tell it was still him, and that he had returned, but as a different character. Absolutely hilarious. Lastly, Natasha Culley as Sandra Wilkinson enacting the role of Florence Colleymoore was a treat. Sandra was everything that had ever gone wrong with acting all sewn together in one actress. Her ticks, shallow demeanour, and not able to improvise without direction, was a great feast for the senses. Her overproduction of movement as she spoke, too, was hilarious. Overall, each cast member contributed to one of funniest nights I’ve had this year.

    The Play That Goes Wrong was especially entertaining for the set was a safety hazard, as the study, built atop of the drawing room, with no rails or support, collapsed gradually while the actors were still on there. It eventually fell down while an actor was under it, but the dexterity by which the actors moved and positioned themselves, made the accidents sort of safe, and we could exhale once again.

    Mischief Theatre is like Alton Towers, you queue to get on, you get several scares, and then you want to hop on again and again.

    The Play That Goes Wrong is playing at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, until 12th August 2017

    Originally reviewed at the Birmingham Rep

  • The Hottest Intimate Gay Scenes Of All Time In Cinema

    The Hottest Intimate Gay Scenes Of All Time In Cinema

    Well someone had to sit down and do it… Putting porn to one side, here’s six of the most memorable gay same sex scenes in film.

     

    6. Threesome

    Intellectual Eddie (Josh Charles) is in the closet. Heading to college, he finds himself sharing a dorm with Stuart (Stephen Baldwin), a jock and serial womaniser. But due to an administrative error, their other roommate is Alex (Lara Flynn Boyle), a feisty young woman who is down as a male on the college records. But the complications start as they grow closer. Stuart loves Alex and wants sex with her. Alex loves Eddie and wants sex with him. And Eddie loves Stuart, hiding his desires to have sex with him and secretly checking him out at every opportunity. The three of them become firm friends and, of course, sex gets in the way. Until that is, they think that they have found the perfect solution…. But will the three of them end up in a ménage a Trois and will Eddie ever get his desires towards Stuart fulfilled? A mostly shirtless, muscular Baldwin brother plays the all-American depraved teen with lustful desires towards his female roommate, but who gets more of an education at college than he probably imagined when he filled out his application.

    BUY ON AMAZON

    05. Shelter

    Zack is an aspiring artist trapped in a life of supporting his dysfunctional family and caring for his nephew, until his best friend’s gay brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe), comes back from L.A. As the two hang out and surf together their feelings for each other develop among the waves, surfboards and wetsuits. Not only do they hide their relationship for Zack’s benefit, who is struggling with his new found feelings, Shaun encourages Zack to take control of his life and follow his ambitions. But not before the two of them have engaged in plenty of bedroom activities. If a hunky surfer, a semi-twink and lots of manly dudes in wetsuits is your thing, then this film may be for you. The beautiful boys find time to kiss, cuddle and caress each other in the California sun, the highlight of this film is an early morning romp whereby the boys nearly get caught by their brother and best friend.

    BUY ON AMAZON

     

    04. Wild Things

    In this steamy thriller, two girls accuse a high school counsellor of raping them in a convoluted extortion plot. But as they key players in the plan find themselves increasingly mistrusting of the others, Suzie Marie Toller (played by Neve Cambell) attacks Kelly Lanier Van Ryan (Denise Richards) in a swimming pool, but the attack turns to lust as the two girls kiss passionately and undress each other, whilst all the time being observed and filmed by a police officer hiding in the undergrowth. The swimming pool scene is one example of how this film strides out where other erotic thrillers (Basic Instinct, Showgirls) feared to tread by showing erotic lesbian sex scenes with partially nude Hollywood starlets. After watching this, it becomes clear why they stayed in the pool to cool off.

    BUY ON AMAZON

     

    03. Beautiful Thing

     

    Teenage life on a London council estate is difficult for Jamie, who has a crush on his handsome classmate and neighbour, Ste (played by the very beautiful Scott Neal). Ste has his own problems with his dysfunctional family and alcoholic father. Love slowly blossoms between the two boys as they deal with an interfering neighbour, visit their first gay bar and grow into their sexuality. The catalyst for all of this is when Ste is beaten by his father and spends the night at Jamie’s. Sleeping “top to toe”, Jamie starts by massaging Ste’s bruised body, but this turns into much more as the two boys end up kissing and subsequently sleeping together. But what makes this scene so special is that it is a beautifully tender moment which takes you back to your first love and maybe even reminds you of those fledgeling fumbles you once had.

    BUY ON AMAZON

     

    02. Bound

    In this film noir fuelled movie, Violet (Jennifer Tilley) wishes to escape her violent criminal boyfriend and so engages in a clandestine affair with a sexually charged ex-con, Corky (Gina Gershon) and the two of them plan to rip off $2 million of mob money. Double crossing, violent criminals and underhand tactics cannot detract from the explicit sexual aspects of this film. The two women are beautiful and their first encounter is a breathy, whispered and intimate one. Who ever thought that showing someone your tattoo would lead to such an erotic encounter? But their second encounter is why this film makes the list. As the camera pans around the two women, their graphic intimacy is clearly shown and the passion of the two women for each other really shows. More visually detailed than your usual mainstream Hollywood film, this was a groundbreaking film at the time and settles in a high position in this list.

    BUY ON AMAZON

     

    1. Brokeback Mountain

    Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist Jake Gyllenhaal) are two Cowboys who find themselves with only each other for company whilst working high up on the slopes of Brokeback Mountain. With nothing but a supply of whisky and each other, they find a way to pass the time, leading to some fairly rough initial intimacy and huge feelings of guilt. But as the years go by, they share something more special than either of them ever anticipated and what starts off as a drunken fumble becomes a deep love for each other, although Ennis struggles more with it than Jack, who wants them to be together. Who could resist Heath ledger and Jake Gyllenhall dressed as cowboys and engaging in some manly fun? Their first encounter in the tent, involving some spit and a few minutes of grunting is perhaps the best-known sex scene in the film, despite a number of other more romantic encounters as the years go by. But the film makes the list not for this scene or for the tantalising prospect of the two leads in various states of undress, but for the most romantic scene whereby, on a fishing trip, Ennis approaches Jack and simply folds his arms around him in an emotional embrace. Who says that romance is dead?

    BUY ON AMAZON

  • Singer Aaron Carter has come out as bisexual

    Singer Aaron Carter has told his fans in a heart felt note that he’s bisexual.

    Aaron Carter, who made his fame in the late 90’s as pre-teen pop singer has come out as bisexual. He recently split with his girlfriend Madison Parker, the Daily Mail reports.

    His brother Nick Carter was in the super ground, Backstreet Boys.

    Taking to Twitter, Aaron told his 623,000 fans, in a heartful letter, that his bisexuality did not bring him shame and he didn’t want to be a “figure of disappointment”.

    He wrote that how during the earlier stages of his career he began an “experience” with a male that he had grown up with.

    He wrote,

    “To start off, I would like to say that I love each and EVERY ONE of my fans.

    “There’s something I’d like to say that I feel is important for myself and my identity that has been weighing on my chest for nearly half of my life.

    “This doesn’t bring me shame, just a weight and burden I have held onto for a long time that I would like lifted off of me.”

    “I grew up in this entertainment industry at a very young age and when I was around 13-years-old I started to find boys and girls attractive.

    “There were years that went by that I thought about it, but it wasn’t until I was 17-years-old, after a few relationships with girls, I had an experience with a male that I had an attraction to who I also worked with and grew up with,

    “To me, music has always been my temple.

    “Music will ALWAYS be what transcends all of us and myself.

    “The studio has always been my safe haven.

    “But the ultimate goal for me is to be satisfied.

    “I never want to be a figure of disappointment,”

    “The best quote to sum “I’ve never felt as though I didn’t belong, I just acted as though I did.” – Boy George.”

    Heartfelt coming out on Twitter

    https://twitter.com/aaroncarter/status/894022605216370688

     

    The singer has released four albums, the last in 2002. His first, self-titled album went to number 12 in the charts. In 1998 he released a song called “Crazy Little Party Girl” which went to number 7 in the UK charts.

    Earlier this year the singer released an EP, LØVE which reached number 37 in the US independent charts.

     

  • CAR REVIEW | Peugeot 3008 GT

    ★★★★  | Peugeot 3008 GT

    It’s a bit of a standing joke between a motoring journalist friend of mine and me about how I can wax lyrical about Peugeot products awarding them 5 stars when others don’t. And in truth I do but that makes me more critical because having been brought up with French cars for my first 20 years of motoring I want them to succeed and indeed they can if they only made them better in terms of quality.

    That, I am glad to say is now the case. The 3008 (the first Peugeot to carry over an existing number so don’t confuse it with that one) SUV is what I have been dreaming of from the company in Sochaux-Montbeliard, France.

    I have been excited about visuals shown on the new interior and the design of the cabin. If you are for want of a better word, going to reinvent the wheel, you’d best make sure it’s damn good and the 6 piano buttons that control the 8” infotainment screen work with German fluidity. You then look around the i-cockpit as they call it of this 3008 and you realise that this Peugeot has the potential to challenge VW head on in the quality feel arena for the first time. A car needs to have a tactile feel to remove any deadness about the cabin and certainly from the driver’s seat, the 3008 has it in spades.

    The window switches felt far superior in feel than they looked being not too dissimilar to the generic buttons found across the fleet. The dashboard really is like a massive chunk of contoured rubber and because of this has that tactility that makes it all the more inviting and the solid feel of quality. The design contours flow around the driver with little touches here and there that made it the most inviting Peugeot I have ever been in. The blueish wood grain effect door inserts added to the quality feel of a very upmarket Peugeot.

    And the wax lyrical praise doesn’t stop there. The ambience could then come with changes to the fascia panel in front of the driver and above the small steering wheel. Peugeot says this positioned closer to the road and more in the field of the driver’s vision making it safer for eye glances to be made. It feels very natural.

    The GT model also came with ambience choices within the set up allowing for lights within the dashboard and doors to be dimmed thus allowing you to make a cockpit to suit you. And then I found the massage seats. I could have stayed in it forever. What didn’t work for me was the two choices of amplifying settings available called “boost” and “relax”. While relaxing you could think of as basic settings, boost on the other hand changed throttle response, steering feel and pumps out engine noises through the speakers. To me, it didn’t change it enough for me to really notice other than when flooring it on the M20 and the change in exhaust note from nothing to a nice growl.

    The 3008 GT as tested is the flagship model and apart from the £1300 coupe Franche paintwork you really can’t fault it. Or so I thought. The Franche paint job is a blight on to the otherwise stylized body with an ungainly angled painted block of black colour up the rear door and over the boot. It’s nicely done and the paint edge is smoothed into the rest of the paintwork but your options money would be wisely spent elsewhere. Like the advance grip control unit and Visio 360 degree camera and park assist pack. Added together they come to £710. Two well worth options in my opinion.

    What I really can’t forgive the 3008 GT is its engine. More to the point, the choice of engine units available. There is only one. A diesel. It’s actually a very nice 2-litre diesel engine to use. It makes all its power of 180hp within a useable 3750rpm range and 400Nm of torque at a lowly 2000rpm. That big shove of torque power comes with limited turbo lag enabling rapid acceleration from T junctions a breeze. It runs through a 6-speed automatic gearbox that you couldn’t fault its gear selections though using the paddles and doing it yourself made it quite spirited. If it’s going to wear the GT badge, it best behaves like one even if it is an SUV. It did and l enjoyed the many miles I travelled in it.

    The ride and handling helped this sense of GT spirit. It wasn’t too harsh or too soft and it wasn’t Germanic. After years of wanting Peugeot to return to form and make their own suspension settings instead of copying the market leaders, they have created a suspension system that is compliant for almost every eventuality one could wish for in a drive across Kent. That eventuality was aided by a fantastic sat nav that l have to thank greatly for aiding me in avoiding 3 nasty hold-ups between South London and Folkstone. Tomtom and Peugeot have made a very useable system that doesn’t make you curse at it. It alerts you to any given problem and can navigate you around it.

    I’ve a lot of love for the 3008 and I am not the only one. This Peugeot has won many industry awards in 2017. It’s an easy car to live with and it’s a Peugeot built to last. Press cars are not treated with kid gloves so this one having a tow bar and over 10,000 miles on the clock when l got it still felt solid.

    What I can’t get out of my head is that the GT is only available with that diesel engine. In a time when the UK is uncertain which way to go regarding the derv engine, I am puzzled as to why they only give it this one option on the flagship model. As Peugeot quote in the brochure, the GT ”will leave you wanting for nothing” and it does except I want a petrol engine.

    Likes
    Cockpit
    Driving ability
    Kit as standard on the GT

    Loathes
    Very limited engine options
    Switches below the piano keys look out of place
    Auto close boot resistance very strong

    The Lowdown
    Car Peugeot 3008 GT
    Price £33,695 (as tested)
    MPG 58.9mpg (combined)
    Power 180bhp
    0-62mph 8.9 seconds
    Top speed 131mph
    Co2 124 (g/km)

  • COMMENT | The real backlash is against the LGBT community, not the National Trust over rainbow uniform

    Oh the trolls are out today. Can you feel them?

    The National Trust’s ill-advised policy of punishing its volunteers to backroom duties if they don’t feel comfortable wearing the rainbow symbol is incredibly damaging. Not to the National Trust but to us. The LGBT community.

    “PC Gone Mad”

    “When you have to force your ideas on people it never works out”.

    Just spend a moment in the comment section of any of the national papers who’ve run this story and you’ll see, it’s not the National Trust that’s being lambasted but the LGBT community. Sure the National Trust may have taken a hit when a couple of hundred angry people ripped up their membership cards – but the lasting damage is on us.

    This has fueled the bigots and they are out in force, bemoaning that the LGBT community is once again being recognised. There are the usual cries of “why do they have to have a pride/month/day/rainbow… etc etc. They are moaning that this policy was forcing LGBT politics down their throats.

    When you have to force your ideas on people it never works out.

    “Forcing people out of roles that they love doing isn’t going to win them over – in fact, I’ll bet that it will just further entrench their feelings”

    I truly believe that you don’t win the battle for acceptance by punishing those who don’t: get us, agree with us or just plain despise us. Forcing people out of roles that they love doing isn’t going to win them over – in fact, I’ll bet that it will just further entrench their feelings – double down on them – and for all the lookie loos reading about this story it just gives them another reason to spew their vile tirades.

    Embracing or Excluding?

    If the purpose of wearing the lanyards was to ensure that LGBT visitors felt comfortable visiting a National Trust site, it’s failed. It’s not the staff or volunteers we have to worry about its the fellow guests – if the comment sections are anything to go by.

    An NHS trust recently embarked on a similar rainbow lanyard experiment to promote a pro-LGBT environment, but it was perfect in its execution. Only those who wanted to wear it – did – and as a result, they wore it with pride – it was about letting patients know that there was a friendly face, someone they could trust. That’s what the Rainbow symbol is about.

    Not forced politics and thought policing.

    Handled right this could have been the perfect opportunity to embrace the LGBT community, instead all this has done has excluded staff – and in the process made the LGBT community the scape goat.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • U turn from National Trust after “hundreds” revoke their membership over gay rainbow uniform

    National Trust has U-turned on its volunteers wearing the LGBT rainbow after its membership reportedly took a hit following reports that up to 11 volunteers at Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk, were removed from their front of house duties after they refused to wear Rainbow lanyards.

    U turn from National Trust after "hundreds" revoke their membership over gay rainbow uniform

    Volunteers who refused to wear Rainbow lanyards and badges at the National Trust’s Norfolk’s Felbrigg Hall were told they could not take part in public facing roles causing “hundreds” of members to effectively boycott the trust and revoke their membership status. The trust has now u-turned on its decision meaning that volunteers who do not want to wear the rainbow symbol will not have to.

    According to those who volunteer at the hall, all front of house workers were told to wear LGBT lanyards to celebrate one of previous owners of the hall, Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer, who was gay.

    The campaign is part of the National Trust’s Pride Prejudice and Pride season to mark the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

    U-Turn Time

    According to the Independent, a spokesperson for National Trust said it had never been their “intention” to ignore the personal opinions of its volunteer staff.

    They added,

    “We remain absolutely committed to our Pride programme, which will continue as intended, along with the exhibition at Felbrigg,

    “However, we are aware that some volunteers had conflicting personal opinions about wearing the rainbow lanyards and badges. That was never our intention.

    “We are therefore making it clear to volunteers that the wearing of the badge is optional and a personal decision.”

    Boycott of National Trust membership

    The Daily Telegraph is reporting that at least 250 members have phoned the trust and revoked their membership after boycott campaign was started. Many of those members have accused the charity of being “overly politically correct”.

    According to those who volunteer at the hall, all front of house workers were told to wear LGBT lanyards to celebrate one of previous owners of the hall, Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer, who was gay. The campaign is part of the National Trust’s Pride Prejudice and Pride season to mark the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

    The real backlash will be on the LGBT Community

    Editor of THEGAYUK, Jake Hook said,

    “It’s a real shame that something that was supposed to bring attention to LGBT history and interesting characters from our collective history has backfired in a terrible way. Now, because of the way this has been handled, by the National Trust the LGBT community once again finds itself in the firing line from comment trolls, the right-wing media and online bullies.

    “The volunteers who refused to wear the Rainbow lanyard should never be punished in this way. Rarely does punishment work in these situations and actually could cause a backlash towards the LGBT community.

    “A programme of education and enlightenment about LGBT matters is always more preferable”.

     

  • What time is Lip Sync Battle UK on Channel 5 and who is David Walliams?

    Lip Sync Battle UK airs tonight on Channel 5 – and stars David Walliams and Alesha Dixon.

    Two of the UK’s most famous talent judges, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon go head to head tonight on Channel 5 in Lip Sync Battle UK. The show is hosted by former Spice Girl Mel B and Professor Green. The show is a repeat.

    What time is Lip Sync Battle UK on tonight?

    Lip Sync Battle UK airs tonight on Channel 5 at 11.35 PM and repeats on 5+1 at 12.35 PM

    Who is David Walliams?

    Not only is David a talented comedian and actor in his own right, with millions of fans, but he’s also one of the UK’s most beloved talent judges thanks to his involvement in the juggernaut ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, and it might just be because of this show that many people search the internet for clues about David’s sexuality.

    He has in the past, stood accused of camping up and “acting gay” during his time as a judge on the show, with many suggesting that he’s doing it just for the laughs. In fact, earlier this year, he sent the Internet into overdrive over his sexuality after seemingly falling in love with an act. Fans of the show took to social media to question David’s sexuality. Many viewers suggested that David’s behaviour was offensive and insulting because he seemed to be using overtly camp gestures or using homosexual innuendos for laughs.

    Up until 2015, David Walliams was married to the supermodel, Lara Stone, after their split, fans of David’s started to question whether the Little Britain star was, in fact, gay or potentially bisexual.

    In an interview with the Radio Times, he may have answered their question by saying that the gender of a partner isn’t important, but that their “heart and soul” were key factors. He hinted that he could potentially fall for either a man or a woman and suggested that “things can change for people over the years“.

    In an interview, he said that as a child that he had “gay experiences” and remembering being “very confused” about it. He also admitted that has always been effeminate and that people often confuse effeminacy with being gay. He finished by remarking,

    “I guess I’m just very honest about my sexuality.

    “But there are plenty of effeminate people who are straight, and plenty of butch people who are gay.

    Anyways, as it’s 2017 it doesn’t matter which way David swings…

  • What time is Celebrity Big Brother on tonight and what’s the latest gossip?

    Celebrity Big Brother continues tonight on Channel 5 at a slightly later time.

    What time is Celebrity Big Brother on tonight and what's the latest gossip?

    The UK’s most famous house returns tonight at 22.30 PM – a slightly later time than usual. You’ll be able to catch up on all the latest gossip from the last 24 hours in Celebrity Big Brother.

    Tonight sees Helen Lederer, Derek Acorah and Paul Danan get immunity from nomination.

    What time is Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side on tonight?

    Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit with Rylan on the Side isn’t on air tonight and returns on Monday night at 11.05 PM.

    Who is Rylan Clark-Neal?

    Rylan is probably most famous for his stint on the X Factor in 2012 where he finished in fifth place. He then went on to take part in and win Celebrity Big Brother in January 2013.  He was born in 1988 and actually first made his name on a smaller reality show called, Signed By Katie Price, which he placed runner up.

     

  • DVD REVIEW | Gayby

    ★★★★ | Gayby

    I had some reservations about Gayby. A lot of these ‘gay films’ are usually clichéd drivel, almost always, an unlikely relationship sparks and then it’s just an hour of plot-holes and bad acting.

    Jenn, a yoga instructor, and Matt, a comic book store worker, are best friends from college who are now single and in their 30’s. In agreement with a pact they made in their youth, the two decide to have a baby (“Gayby”) together, even though Jenn is straight and Matt is gay. Jenn’s grandmother set her up with a trust fund for if she ever had a child, so Jenn is confident that she and Matt will have the finances to have one. However, Jenn states that she wants to have a baby through natural conception, so the two begin awkwardly having sex.

    Gayby was something very different indeed. I found it to be relentlessly charming in every way, with just the perfect amount of drama peppered in. Superbly written and directed by relative newcomer Jonathon Lisecki, It had something that all these other films are missing… A great script.

    The awkwardness of the “Attempted Conception” scenes was genius, with just the perfect combination of one liners, curious glances and the various montages of penetration were just divinely cringe worthy.Possibly the stand out performance of the film is that of Jenn Harris. Harris plays the quintessential fag hag (Jen) to the devastatingly handsome Matthew Wilkas (Matt). Harris brings a depressive vibe into a relatively overused character, which is surprisingly, a breath of fresh air.

    Although it’s the supporting characters that steal the show, both fag and hag have terrifically bitchy henchmen as it were, the ‘femme-bear’ “Nelson” and the incredibly bitchy “Jamie” (Jack Ferver)

    By far the highlight of the film is the fabulous wannabe bear, Nelson, played brilliantly by writer and director Lisecki. The character of Nelson wasn’t particularly appealing to me at the beginning, then suddenly; the character soon manifests as the star of the show. Clearly, Lisecki gave himself some of the best lines, yet you don’t really mind, seeing as he pulls them off in the most gorgeously sarcastic manner.

    Gayby’s plot isn’t really anything special; it is essentially a romantic comedy in disguise.

    It’s the characters that make the film stand out. They are multidimensional and most importantly they’re ‘real’.

    Uncompromisingly jovial, I would certainly recommend Gayby to anyone; it has buckets of charm, something that I find to be a rarity in gay cinema.

    BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON | BUY IT ON iTunes

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