MILITARY chiefs have rejected allegations that soldiers and their families are being housed in appalling conditions. This follows the release to the media of shocking photographs showing barracks and shower blocks with cracked walls, mildew and broken
DANISH cartoon Terkel i knibe has been turned into a riot of a dark comedy thanks to the wonderful voices of Bill Bailey as Barry the narrator and Ade Edmondson as the eponymous hero. Terkel is a sad little boy with odd parents and a mad uncle. His
BY JIMINY it's that ginger lad from Harry Potter. Wisely, he's keen to avoid being typecast as the weedy Weasely. And very well he does here too. He's not the best of young actors around but certainly palatable in this role. Gingery Rupert Grint
SEPARATE from the government, outside the police, beyond any kind of quality control - this "adult" spin-off from Dr Who promises far more than it delivers. Large dollops of swearing and same-sex kisses fail to disguise the holes in plots that, as
HAVING earned a wealth of positive reviews and no small amount of buzz in the wake of their NME-sponsored talent show success, Brighton three-piece My Device take a sideways step with the arrival of their first album. Its self-conscious production
THIS covers-only set of tracks used in ho-hum Fox TV teen drama The OC is a far from essential purchase, but it's well worth cherry-picking the best of it to download. As befits the show's endless round of lightweight takes on troubled teens' issues
HAVING already delivered the widely-praised Rather Ripped album this year, old-time format-busters Sonic Youth have decided to get out of their major label stranglehold, I mean, record deal with this round up of B-sides, lost tracks and rarities. All
ALFA ROMEO continues to refresh its line-up with the Brera Spider (convertible) in March, but the car everyone will be waiting for is the glorious looking 8C Competizione, a front-engined rear-wheel drive coupe. Powered by a 4.7 litre V8, this £100,000
KEVIN Bond has bolstered his resources by snapping up Portsmouth midfielder Marc Wilson - his second signing of the day. The Republic of Ireland under-21 international has joined Cherries on a month's loan and is in contention for tomorrow's League
Peter Pan on Ice, Windsor Hall, Bournemouth International Centre. IT is one of the most magical, enchanting, awe-inspiring ice shows ever to play Bournemouth. But best of all it is perfect all-round family entertainment. The exuberance, excitement and
THIS is the age of the specialist. Few jobs that pay a reasonable salary require no specialist qualifications. Confidence and self-respect come from being able to do a job expertly. Promotion is often dependent on achieving certain educational standards
IN FRONT of and behind the camera, Mel Gibson has never shied away from exacting creative challenges, whether it be the physical demands of the Mad Max films or the logistical enormity of his 1995 epic Braveheart. Two years ago, The Passion Of The
SET in a members-only discount warehouse which promises huge savings on bulk purchases, Employee Of The Month is a sweet and very slight romantic comedy which asks us to buy wholesale into the Hollywood fairy-tale of the good guy getting the girl.
WILL Smith plays a homeless solo dad in this gritty drama which previews at both the Odeon in Bournemouth and the Empire in Poole on Wednesday before opening nationwide next Friday. It finds the 38-year-old Bad Boys and Men in Black star shedding his
SCREENWRITER Matt Venne ventures into the world of the paranormal by contriving a hare-brained thriller around the commonly reported medical phenomenon of Near Death Experiences. The opening half hour conjures up a mood of grim foreboding as a grief
WITH worldwide sales in excess of 100,000,000 books, Beatrix Potter remains one of the most popular children's authors of all time with her enchanting tales of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-Duck and chums. The writer's extraordinary life
IT'S almost 124 feet long, weighs 200 tonnes, can house up to 10 guests, and is yours for a cool £8.7m. Sunseeker's biggest and most ambitious project yet goes on display at the London Boat Show on Friday (Jan 5). The landmark 37m Tri Deck yacht is
A MUM in a million is mourning the death of the foster son she said brought a smile to the face of all who knew him. Avril Jackson, voted Britain's Mum of the Year by GMTV viewers in March, and her husband Simon Miller, have been devastated by the loss
MORE than three-quarters of a million shoppers thronged into Bournemouth town centre during the festive period, new figures have shown. Yesterday the Daily Echo revealed how seasonal bargain-hunters had smashed all targets at the Castlepoint centre in
OVERSPENDING at Christmas has tipped many consumers into bankruptcy and left others facing insurmountable debt, say financial experts. Citizens Advice Bureaux across the region say they expect the number of debt-related calls for January to exceed those
IT'S already gone down as the most bizarre entry into the Big Brother House ever. Singing, swaying and wearing what appeared to be a wardrobe procured from the village panto, the soon-to-be octogenarian film director Ken Russell certainly made an impression
HEALTH officials in Dorset are reacting with caution to predictions of a national shortfall of 1,200 GPs, 14,000 nurses and 1,100 junior and staff grade doctors by 2010. The leaked NHS pay and workforce strategy warns that there will be 3,200 extra consultants
MET Office forecasters claim 2007 is likely to be the warmest year on record globally. Climate change experts say the global temperature is expected to be 0.54C above the long-term average of 14C and forecast a 60 per cent chance that this year will
THE rolling waves were rumbling as they thundered to the shore. The sound filled my ears. I was enjoying one of my favourite winter pursuits, walking around Hengistbury Head on a blustery and chilly day. This walk never fails to intrigue. Although
DORSET-HEADQUARTERED fashion chain New Look posted improved sales after Christmas shoppers warmed to new ranges including the Kelly Brook lingerie collection. UK like-for-like sales increased by 3.2 per cent in the 14 weeks to December 30 - driven
CAMERA club members have introduced a ban on nude photographs amid worries about children seeing unsuitable images. Members of Wimborne Camera Club, which meets at St Michael's Church Centre in Colehill, voted 34-5 in favour of the ban at their last
A THREE-storey block of flats and offices including a circular turret feature has been proposed for the redevelopment of a former filling station and garage in the centre of Walkford. Following its closure last year the Q8 filling station and Walkford
HEALTH chiefs at the new Lymington New Forest Hospital say reports that their small car park couldn't cope on the first day are misleading, because the site was simply extra busy because of the official opening. But they do admit that they plan to
PLANS for a multi-million pound housing development near Shaftesbury are due to go before a public inquiry next week. A four-day inquiry in front of a government inspector into plans for a 670-home project on land north of the A30 will open on Tuesday
SWANAGE and Wareham aim to erase the memory of a painful 8-8 home draw against Swindon when they travel to Wiltshire for the reverse fixture on Saturday (2.30pm). The Bestwall Boys dropped a valuable South West Division Two East point in November.
BOURNEMOUTH are appealing against a 12-week ban handed out to their under-18 player Liam Clark. He was sent off "for abuse of the referee and repeated infringements" in a match against Swanage and Wareham in October. Clark, immediately banned for
POOLE Stadium bosses and the borough council have sought to quash rampant speculation that the venue is to be sold or used for banger racing. Rumours are rife on internet forums that the home of top speedway team Poole Pirates could be changing hands
BOSS Kevin Bond has scotched suggestions that he is preparing a clear-out of his Cherries squad at the end of the season. Bond, who has 17 players out of contract in the summer, said: "There's a lot of speculation about people coming and going, but
A RINGWOOD family returned from a dream holiday in the USA to find double trouble at home with a flood and a fire on consecutive days. Carmen and Mike Rice and daughter Kate returned to their Cloughs Road home from a three-week break visiting family
THE involvement of directors Jeffery Zemmel and Roy Simmons with Poole Pottery appears to be over. The duo came together in August when Poole Holdings Ltd bought the pottery business, Mr Simmons taking over as chairman and Mr Zemmel as managing director
