Stephen Byers is one of a small group of prominent Blairite "ultras" who have been a thorn in the side of Gordon Brown since he became Prime Minister.

Rowan Atkinson is set to bring crowds flocking to Oliver! again. And though the show's history has its tragedies, the potent mix of fun and misery is perfect for our times, says Michael Coveney

Arc could be on agenda after a superb performance which landed trainer Aidan O'Brien his 14th Group One success of the season

A snappy portrait of a royal scoundrel

A new mother was unlawfully killed when an epidural drug was mistakenly fed into her arm via an intravenous drip, an inquest jury found today.

Abacus £8.99

'As an Australian myself, I was taken aback to find he had taught the Sherpas insulting remarks about Aussie sportsmanship in their own language'

When England won the World Cup, Geoff Hurst returned home to Essex the next day and was asked by his wife, Judith, to mow the lawn outside his bungalow that had been allowed to grow while he had been away. When he finished he gave the car a wash. Less than 24 hours after scoring his hat-trick at Wembley, he could already feel his World Cup journey coming to an end.

I'm aware that you might not know what is going on," someone said during the draw for the qualifying stage of the 2002 World Cup (Sky Sports One), "but I have at least a rough idea." Which, if it did not exactly fill you with confidence, was an endearingly honest admission. The only slight worry was that the person concerned was not the reporter from BSkyB, or even Kevin Keegan. It was Michel Zen-Ruffinen, the general secretary of Fifa - the man in charge, so to speak, of the balls.

`This is a bold leap forward from the 17th century to the 18th century'

THE CORNISH town of St Mawes is becoming too fashionable for its own good. With five hotels, including one owned by Olga Polizzi, daughter of Lord Forte, this old-fashioned seaside resort attracts an increasingly cosmopolitan crowd. Recent visitors include Pierce Brosnan, Kofi Annan, John Le Carre and Frederick Forsyth. It is also a favourite of David Baddiel and Harry Enfield.

IT WAS so easy, it was almost insulting, and it certainly put the critics in their place. Daylami, the horse known as the Grey Rocket in the United States but hitherto given only grudging accolades on this side of the Atlantic, turned the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes into a hack in the park. He passed the post with his ears pricked five lengths clear of his Godolphin stablemate Nedawi, and felt so pleased with himself that he put in a buck and a kick as Frankie Dettori cantered him back towards a deservedly rapturous reception.

Tea with the Queen is said to be a common anxiety dream, not least among her own children