Gareth Malone looks back: ‘After the Christmas No 1, I was meeting Simon Cowell, having tea with Gary Barlow and dinner with Andrew Lloyd Webber’
The choir leader and presenter on not fitting in at his all-boys grammar, how synthesisers changed everything, and his ‘dithering’ start on TVBorn in London in 1975, Gareth Malone is a choirmaster and broadcaster. He began his career running youth and…
My partner’s obnoxious conduct at our sons’ football matches is putting me off him | Annalisa Barbieri
His behaviour is certainly inappropriate, but take a quiet moment to try to find out where the anger is coming fromMy partner and I have been together for 25 years and we have two sons, aged 14 and 16. Both are football crazy and have played since they…
11 questions to ask yourself before going no contact with a family member
In the UK, one in five families are affected by permanent estrangement – it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. These are the questions experts suggest you ask yourself before cutting a relative out of your lifeIt’s important to be certain you aren’t…
Experience: I became the world’s oldest crowd surfer at 99
After retiring at 83, I had a new lease of life creating social media content with my grandson. Then I broke the crowd surfing world recordIn 2013, aged 87, I was playing basketball with my grandson Ross in Ohio while he was home from college. He made…
The dreadful decline of hosting at home: ‘I feel shame any time a friend comes over’
It used to be quite normal to pop next door for a coffee or invite friends over for dinner. But not any more. What’s behind this change – and just how damaging is it?‘I really loved hosting at home years ago, before I had kids, when my house wasn’t…
Contact review – Jonny Donahoe delivers a heated reunion at a bonfire of family photos
Òran Mór, GlasgowBlythe Duff and Mark Barrett are excellent as two people helplessly bound to each other in this bitter two-handerThe arrival of a first baby changes everything. It is not just the upheaval of fitting the child into your life: the shift…
Esther Rantzen’s Mama was a lifeline for new mums | Letters
Fiona Lindop says she will always be grateful to the TV presenter for establishing the Meet-a-Mum Association Esther Rantzen (Obituary, 1 October) is rightly remembered and honoured for her wide-ranging charity work, including establishing Childline and…
Halloween is looming – this year, I’m ditching my cynicism and getting busy with the pumpkins | Iman Amrani
From Day of the Dead to Samhain, celebrating autumn is centuries old. Now, I want this to be a moment of magic and connection for my kidsDarker nights are drawing in, there’s a hint of a chill in the air and the supermarket’s seasonal aisles are groaning…
Margot Robbie changing her name to her husband’s hurts my beautiful lesbian brain. Here’s why | Rebecca Shaw
I don’t flip a table every time this happens – but I actually do mind when it’s the default decision with no discussionBeing a lesbian in a heretofore heteronormative society means having to go along with lots of things that don’t make sense to your…
My wife obsessively consumes US news. She’s so stressed but can’t turn off. What should I do? | Leading questions
Instead of asking her to step away from her distress, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, could you suggest she channel it into action?Read more Leading questionsMy wife is obsessed with everything that’s happening in the US. She literally…