Rent your Christmas! How to cut cost by hiring everything from party dresses to festive decor

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now 12.6 million people across Great Britain receiving State Pension payments, including 1.1 million living abroad and 992,052 in Scotland. Of that overall total, some 9.7 million people are receiving Basic State Pension payments of up to £156.20 each week, while 2.9 million are on - or due to claim - the New State Pension, which is worth up to £203.85 each week.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been left 'humiliated' after their invitation to spend Christmas with the Royal Family was 'withdrawn' before it was sent out.

Tubi Hires Endeavor Exec For International Expansion

who died at 65 early Thursday — the story behind his band’s Christmas-in-the-drunk-tank classic “Fairytale of New York” began with Elvis Costello.The “Alison” singer was the Pogues’ producer at the time, and he bet the band that they couldn’t write a hit holiday single.But MacGowan and Pogues banjo player Jem Finer would prove Costello wrong after writing “Fairytale of New York” — the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK — in 1985.Finer came up with the melody and original concept for the song, which was initially about a homesick sailor on Ireland’s West Coast. But Finer’s wife suggested changing up the lyrics to be a conversation between a couple at Christmas.Then the notoriously hard-drinking MacGowan took it from there and transformed it into the Broadway-style tinsel tune we know today.“I sat down, opened the sherry, got the peanuts out and pretended it was Christmas,” he told Melody Maker in 1985.“It’s quite sloppy ….

The United Kingdom is ready to dive head first into the much anticipated Christmas Decorating Weekend. Beyond the traditional ornaments and twinkling lights, whether is for your own Christmas tree or you want to make someone else's special, let us suggest you dress it up with beauty baubles.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tubi, Fox Corp.’s ad-supported video-on-demand service, is eyeing a bigger international footprint: The streamer has tapped David Salmon, former CTO of Endeavor Streaming, as executive VP and managing director of international. Salmon, based in the U.K., will report to Tubi CEO Anjali Sud, the ex-chief exec of Vimeo who started at the streamer in September. Tubi’s biggest market is the U.S., where it first launched.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Though the Red Sea Film Festival will feature a slew of films from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region – including 11 feature films from Saudi Arabia – there is a rich roster of international fare set to launch locally from Jeddah. Kaleem Aftab, the festival’s director of international programming, says they received lots more submissions for this year’s third edition.

Spotify Wrapped has been launched, revealing the most popular artists, songs, albums and podcasts in the UK and giving users special insight into their own listening habits.Shared each year by the streaming platform, this latest edition introduces a range of new features and is available to access now via the Spotify mobile app (iOS and Android) or on desktop by heading to the website.As well as showing the usual insights into each user’s own listening habits, a new range of features have been rolled out for the 2023 edition too. These include a new section called ‘Me in 2023’ which reveals which one of the 12 listening styles best describes the way you listen on Spotify, and a new section called ‘Sound Town’, which matches you to a city based on your listening and shared artist affinity.Pre-existing insights such as Top Five Genres and Top Five Artists have also been given a new design, and some of the most popular musicians of 2023 have recorded messages that will be played if they feature as one of your top artists.An AI DJ feature has also been added to guide listeners through their personalised Wrapped – serving up a mix based on your taste and sharing commentary about some of your favourite artists, genres, songs and more.

The first flu strain H1N2 – commonly known as swine flu – has been detected in a human based in the UK, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced.

A national database of drug-related medical incidents at UK music festivals could help reduce the number of fatalities, a new study has said. Between 2017 and 2023 there were 32 drug-related deaths at UK music festivals, including Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Creamfields and the Isle of Wight Festival, academics have estimated.

When the Christmas shopping frenzy is in full swing, it’s all too easy to blow the budget.

A grooming revolution is taking shape as BarberBoss, a vibrant and fast-expanding brand that makes quality grooming products accessible to the masses.

If you're going travelling next year, you may have already started to plan your trips and are brimming with wanderlust. But not everyone finds it quite so easy, realising that they are not sure where to start when it comes to going away and making an itinerary.

With its bright lights, cheery music and messages of goodwill, Christmas is meant to feel like the happiest time of the year. But for some it’s also a time of financial hardship and worry, with even more strain on already stretched purse strings. And this year, the nation’s households are going to be a staggering £3 billion worse off compared with the 2022 festive season.

Brittany Howard has debuted a new single, ‘Red Flags’, coinciding with the news that she will be opening for Hozier on his UK tour next year.‘Red Flags’ is set to be taken from Howard’s forthcoming second solo album ‘What Now’, which is due for release on February 2, 2024. It is the second single from that album, following the title track, which was released last month.Speaking about the track, the Alabama Shakes singer said: “In my past relationships, I’ve had a tendency to see red flags as part of some parade just for me—something for me to run right through without paying any attention.“To me ‘Red Flags’ sounds very dystopian, which makes sense for a song that feels like end-of-times as far as me emotionally maturing.

Howdy, Insiders. Jesse Whittock with you to run through another week in international film and TV news.. Don’t forget to sign up to the newsletter here. And a fair warning here, this newsletter does include The Crown season 6 spoilers.

Mariah Carey has revealed in an interview what her favourite Christmas song of all time is – and it is not ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’.In an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday (November 15), the singer was asked for her own yuletide favourite, and the title that came to mind was not her 1994 classic.“I have to say, my favourite all-time Christmas song is Nat ‘King’ Cole’s version of ‘[The] Christmas Song’, that’s my favourite,” the singer admitted.‘The Christmas Song’, which is known for its refrain of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, was written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé, and was recorded a number of times by Cole, most successfully in 1961.In addition, Hudson pressed Carey for her favourite festival films, to which she replied: “I love Elf” and “I like Miracle on 34th Street, the original one,” referring to the 1947 version.Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ both re-entered the UK Singles Chart earlier than ever this year, with the two festive classics reaching number 40 and 37 respectively this weekend (November 10).It is likely that both songs, as well as others, will remain in the charts throughout the lead up to Christmas over the coming weeks.Back in 2020, Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ became a UK Number One for the first time ever, 26 years after it was first released.“Happy Christmas UK!! We finally made it!!!,” the singer said at the time. “We are keeping the Christmas spirit alive together despite how dismal the year’s been.

Hundreds of shops all across the UK are discounting their products for Black Friday - and your Record is no different! To celebrate the biggest shopping event of the year, we're giving you the chance to lock in your favorite daily and Sunday newspapers, seven days a week, for only £2.99 a week ! That's less than a meal deal!

Energy experts have warned UK customers of the risks that can come about if your home isn't warm enough this winter.

There's little more unsettling than relaxing at home on a cosy winter's night and spotting a spider scuttling across your floor or walls.