Kate Lloyd

Some see the fiery root as a miracle cure for colds, but there are easier, cheaper ways to support your immune system

Do you find yourself buying tiny bottles of fiery gloop at the first signs of a cold? You’re not alone. Ginger shots have become a trend in recent years, thanks to the perception that they’re good for immunity. But are they?

Dr Emily Leeming, a dietitian at King’s College London, says it’s unlikely they are a miracle cure. She says there has been only a small amount of research that shows that gingerol extracts, the active polyphenols in ginger, may help lower some markers of inflammation (an immune response), but the evidence is pretty weak.

As part of a Bafta TV special, the nominated actor talks carving out a niche playing people at breaking point, the ‘dreamy’ romcom she’s currently writing, and what she really thought of that Prince Andrew interview

“I’ve had so many coffees, I feel hysterical,” says Billie Piper. The 42-year-old actor has set up camp in a caff in Camden, London, while she finishes the final draft of a romcom she’s working on – a follow-up to her 2021 directorial debut, Rare Beasts. Piper shot to fame at 15 as a pop star, then transitioned into acting, becoming a household name as Rose Tyler in Doctor Who. Since then, she’s carved out a niche playing women at breaking point (like Suzie Pickles in I Hate Suzie). Now, she’s ready to do less acting and more work behind the scenes. Not that her on-screen career is slowing down – she just bagged her fifth Bafta nomination, for playing journalist Sam McAlister in Scoop, the dramatisation of the BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew about Jeffrey Epstein. She will also appear in the Netflix mega-hit and Addams family spin-off, Wednesday, later this year.

As part of a Bafta TV special, the nominated actor talks about playing a dastardly lord in the small screen adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, and whether he’d return to the Tardis

It is rare that TV shows are as much of a riot as Disney’s Rivals, the screen adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1980s bonkbuster about feuding media power players living in the Cotswolds. And David Tennant – as charismatic-but-dastardly TV boss Lord Tony Baddingham – is the show’s rioter-in-chief. In person, the 54-year-old is as charming as his character (if less wicked) – often hooting with laughter to emphasise a point. Rivals isn’t the Scottish actor’s first go at playing the bad guy. While the multi-award-winner is most famous for his stint in Doctor Who, he won an Emmy for his appearance as serial killer Dennis Nilsen in ITV’s Des and starred as a cheeky demon, alongside Michael Sheen, in Good Omens on Prime Video. Series one of Rivals ended with him getting walloped on the head with a TV award, but he promises he’s coming back for Rivals series two.