11+ hour, 33+ min ago (883+ words) The government has come under fire after it emerged that a record "60.9m of taxpayers' cash was handed to Disney last year to film the Ryan Reynolds superhero movie Deadpool & Wolverine in London " despite the studio making "3bn of operating profit in 2024. It is understood to be the largest sum ever handed to a movie production company in a single year since the government introduced its incentives to attract film makers to the UK in 2007. The blockbuster payment would cover the cost of 802 GPs for a year, 4,227 hip operations or 61 MRI scanners. It has attracted the ire of campaigners as it was revealed in accounts just days before an unexpected rise in the government's energy price cap and ahead of the budget which is expected to introduce a string of tax hikes. "It's extraordinary that at a time when the tax burden…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (1016+ words) Ewan McGregor said it was "amazing" to receive an outstanding contribution award from Bafta Scotland and paid tribute to his actor uncle for inspiring him as he collected the honour in Glasgow. Others recognised at the event included James McArdle who received the Actor Film/Television award for his role in Four Mothers and Saoirse Ronan who received the Actress Film/Television honour for her part in The Outrun. McGregor was presented with the award by his uncle, actor Denis Lawson, who described his nephew as an "extraordinarily versatile actor". McGregor made his breakthrough in the 1990s in films such as Brassed Off, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, and has gone on to star in Star Wars and Moulin Rouge. Receiving the award on Sunday, he described his uncle, who also appeared in Star Wars, as "my biggest inspiration" and credited him…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (493+ words) Podcast The Rest Is History has released a special four-part series exploring the life and legacy of Walt Disney. The series includes interviews with Disney chief executive Bob Iger, who joins hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook for two special videoed episodes. Iger offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney creator's influence as an animator and film producer, as well as the cultural significance and enduring impact of Disneyland. Iger also gives Holland and Sandbrook a private tour of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, and of the Disneyland Park, which opened in 1955. Sandbrook said: "Everybody knows the name Disney. It's an organisation with an almost unparalleled grip on the world's imagination " particularly of children, when your imagination is most formative. "Walt Disney himself is one of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century, and anyone who says…...

3+ week, 5+ hour ago (609+ words) Will Ferrell's festive costume from the Christmas film Elf could fetch between "100,000 and "200,000 when it goes under the hammer as part of a movie memorabilia auction. The green, white, yellow and black elf outfit, which originates from the film's producer Jon Berg, is screen matched to the lift scene where Buddy pushes all of the buttons to see them light up like a Christmas tree. The movie, about a man raised as one of Father Christmas's elves who travels to New York to find his real father, was released in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, and is considered to be one of the top Christmas films of all time. Propstore's Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction showcases a range of props, costumes and other items, including the hoverboard used by Michael J Fox's character Marty McFly in Back To The Future Part…...