Test at the home of cricket against West Indies brings back memories of fun and games on both sides of the boundary rope but the picture is very different these days

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Will Poulter stars in British crime drama 'Wild Bill', out on 23 March

Agenda: Toast; Will Poulter; Bigkids; the Bon Bon bar; Game Of Thrones

Fashion: Toast of the town

Lisa Markwell: Who are the waiters in restaurants these days?

Where was I on one of the coldest nights of the year? Why, queuing outside a restaurant in London's Soho, of course...

Harriet Walker, right, enjoys a cigar with Edita Nemethova

Happiness is a hotel cigar evening for new generation of female smokers

Would Harriet Walker be hooked by the latest trend sweeping London's social scene? You're Havana laugh

Master chefs: The new London school

Taste la difference! The Cordon Bleu culinary school has a lavish new London flagship

It's a vote of confidence in British cooking, its owners tell Gillian Orr.

The scene in west London

Firefighters tackle 'challenging' west London fire

Around 75 firefighters and 15 fire engines were tackling a blaze at a site that is believed to be a dairy today.

'Selling books is what I do. I am a specialist'

As saviour-elect at Waterstone's he is greeted with near ecstasy, but can Daunt revive the ailing chain?

Andrew Martin: Prices rise, dining cars close, but the romance of the railway lives on

It's far too easy to moan about our trains. But the clever traveller can still secure comfort – and unmissable views

Smog alert issued for Easter break

The Government today issued a "smog alert" for the Easter weekend for ozone and polluting particles known as PM10s, which can affect people's health.

Dylan Jones: 'Londoners are getting obsessed with hot new restaurants'

My idea of the perfect fashionable new restaurant is one I don't have to go to. In my eyes, the narrative arc should go something like this: 1. Rumours start surrounding a hot new eatery opening in somewhere like Marylebone, Paddington or Notting Hill (or, God forbid, over there: East). 2. Said restaurant opens to great fanfare, fêted by critics, customers and celebrities alike. 3. People travel from all corners of the globe in the vain hope of getting a table. 4. Eighteen months later, said restaurant closes without me ever having had to go.

The 50 best fitness essentials

Ditched your New Year's exercise regime already? Sophie Morris has all the gear you need to get back on track

Cooper Brown: Driving

Not as much support as I’d hoped for my anti-politically correct brigade stance in yesterday’s diary. People really seem to be angry about this stuff. I rang Ben and we headed off to the Groucho for some liquid comfort. I love Ben. He is blissfully unconcerned about anything but his own happiness.

Wrexham & Shropshire rail to halt London services

A rail company is to cease operations on Friday, ending its services between North Wales and London, it was announced today.

Campaign grows against cuts that would shut 375 libraries

Anger against the funding bloodbath facing local libraries around the country swelled yesterday as key campaigners joined increasingly widespread protests against the cuts.

Would you swap your home for a holiday?

Thanks to Debbie Wosskow, founder of Luxe Home Swap, owners of mid to high-end properties can now exchange their homes in style. But what are the rules of engagement? And how can one avoid a house swap horror, asks Emily Jenkinson.
Career Services

Day In a Page

Countdown's rudest ever moments

Yesterday a contestant spelt the word 'minge'.
Special report: Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported

Special report

Tamil asylum-seekers to be forcibly deported
The problem with social mobility

The problem with social mobility

Politicians who say they want to break down Britain's social barriers have been told to unlock closed-shop professions – starting in their own backyard
France's sixth biggest city* goes to the polls (*that's London, by the way)

France's sixth biggest city* goes to the polls (*that's London, btw)

Next month expats in the stronghold of South Kensington will have a big say in who is returned as the first French overseas MP
Aftershock: How Haiti's quake hit the whole of Hispaniola

Aftershock: How Haiti's quake hit the whole of Hispaniola

Two years on from the disaster that shook the Caribbean state, its eastern neighbour, the Dominican Republic, fears a new wave of illegal immigrants could hurt its economy
Mean streets at the movies

Mean streets at the movies

Plan B's new film explores the urban tensions that led to last summer's riots – and he's not the only one finding cinematic inspiration in social unrest
Romney hits the magic number, but his smartphone app fails crucial spelling test

Romney hits the magic number...

... but his smartphone app fails crucial spelling test
Car-crash TV: Ferrari quits news after gaffes, rows and poor ratings

Car-crash TV: Ferrari quits news after gaffes, rows and poor ratings

Weeks after the demise of Sarkozy, the TF1 star he's said to have dated finds herself out of office too
Meet your doctor (please don't unplug it)

Meet your doctor (please don't unplug it)

Can a network of hi-tech terminals and online medics make the connection?
The 10 Best cycling gear

The 10 Best cycling gear

It’s summer, it's sunny... it’s the perfect time to get on your bike.
Song of the suicide bomber: How 'Babur in London' negotiated a cultural minefield

Song of the suicide bomber

Daring new opera 'Babur in London' features British terrorists planning an attack.
The school that brought the International Baccalaureate to the East End

Bringing the IB to the East End

The International Baccalaureate is not just for pupils in leafy suburbs.
England must beware brilliant Belgium

England must beware brilliant Belgium

They may have missed out on the Euros but the Belgians have a rash of young players who, thanks to the unifying skills of their coach, look to have a bright future
James Lawton: Liverpool must show new man the respect he needs to do the job

James Lawton

Liverpool must show new man the respect he needs to do the job
2012: the year when England's support decided to stay at home

2012: the year when England's support decided to stay at home

Three Lions will play their Euro 2012 games in front of only a few thousand of their fans