TOM Cruise seems to be shaking off his clean-cut image and showing a darker side, onscreen, at any rate. Following his recent role as a haunted American civil war veteran in last year's Last Samurai, he now plays a cold-blooded hitman in Collateral, a
COLLATERAL (15): See review. STAGE BEAUTY (15): Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup), who's made his name as an actor in women's roles, faces ruin when Charles II permits actresses to take the stage. Bawdy costume romp with strong performances, and an affecting
IT'S A double whammy this year for holidaymakers Clara Kirk and her husband Roy. As well as notching up Clara's 100th birthday last weekend, the couple has also just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. And though Clara and Roy live in Leeds, they
MPs made history on Wednesday night by backing a ban on hunting for what could be the last time. After the sensational invasion of the House of Commons chamber by hunt supporters, MPs voted by 356 votes to 166 for the ban. The government has made it clear
A KEY member of a sophisticated international immigration scam that is thought to be responsible for smuggling 75 people into the area was jailed for six years on Wednesday. Guram Mgeladze, 41, and two illegal immigrants, charged up to £3,000 to give
A SUMMER clampdown on violent crime has led to a 22 per cent increase in arrests for such offences. Dorset Police targeted anti-social behaviour, mainly in town centres, during the busy summer months with 574 arrests in an eight-week period. Now assistant
THERE must be something in the compost! Maureen and Douglas Smith thought they were going quackers when they found this duck-shaped tomato growing in their greenhouse. It seems there are weird-shaped tomatoes sprouting up all over the county, including
WHEN I first started learning the guitar - back when girls were known as flappers, and men sang On Moonlight Bay - my enthusiastically appalling efforts were the very epitome of the term 'ham-fisted'. Very little has changed since then, admittedly, but
EVENTS overtook Poole-born author Mark Turley when, in the late summer of 2001, he started drafting his debut novel about a terrorist attack on London. He had no inkling that just around the corner the world's worst terrorist attack was about to be unleashed
Moore claims number two rank ALL eyes were on the race for second place in the final round of the national BMX racing series held in Harworth, Nottinghamshire. Josh and Eddie Moore, who both attend Mrs Ethelstons Primary School in Uplyme, competed in
Letherby flies flag for team GB BRIDPORT'S Abbie Letherby produced an excellent performance in the sixth Biathle World Championships in Germany. The 12-year-old Sir John Colfox School youngster was 11th out of 31 competitors in her age group, helping
Subs get Blues off to good start Bridport 24 Wimborne 3rds 15 BRIDPORT began life in Dorset and Wilts Division One with a battling victory at the Brewery Ground. The first ten minutes were played sensibly by the Blues as they sized up their more mature
THE Chandler family live in a beautiful country estate. Although very rich and well in with the aristocracy, things are not what they seem. Alice, in love with an unsuitable admirer, is marrying into another great house. And her father has been philandering
TWO opinionated lads travel around Europe, busking, calling officials fascists and enjoying the view of Dutch girls running naked into a lake. It can grate... but you can't help chuckling at some observations, such as the sign in a Kitzbuhel park showing
DUTIFUL Rhoda and her elderly mother are leaving the family home for a smaller house, a move which unsettles everybody. Rhoda questions her spinster role and brother Maurice his marriage to a shallow, snobbish wife. Will the current generation demand
FERNDOWN Otters got off to a winning start with a comfortable victory in the opening round of the Hants and South Coast League at Guildford. Many of their 17 wins were achieved by sizeable margins and they also recorded an impressive 13 second places.
THE THREE Christchurch Harbour sailing clubs - Christchurch, Mudeford and Highcliffe - have again been in action in the annual series of races known as the Harbour Challenge. Last year's winners, Mudeford Sailing Club, hosted the first in the series,
THE THREE Christchurch Harbour sailing clubs - Christchurch, Mudeford and Highcliffe - have again been in action in the annual series of races known as the Harbour Challenge. Last year's winners, Mudeford Sailing Club, hosted the first in the series,
WESTON-SUPER-MARE 2 WEYMOUTH 2 LEE Phillips is set to miss three weeks of Weymouth's Nationwide South season after suffering medial ligament damage last night. The striker collapsed in agony late on during the determined Terras 2-2 draw at Weston-super-Mare
POOLE RIAS Pirates suffered a heavy defeat last night when they went down 68-25 at Belle Vue, who won the bonus point, had Jason Crump as top rider with 15 points, while Poole saw Krzysztof Kasprzak pick up 8+1. Full report and heat details tomorrow
THERE is still time to enter the get us Together Drama Club talent show, which takes place at Weymouth Pavilion on Saturday, October 9. The contest has three sections for singing, dancing and open and three age categories - under nine years, under 13
A SERIES of free workshops on digital music production is being held at Dorchester Arts Centre, starting this Saturday, September 18. Using the centre's new music studio equipment, former Radio One producer Mickey Wills will help participants record,
SOME of the most popular excerpts from Carmen, La Traviata and Aida will be performed by the South Wessex Opera Company this weekend, overseen by former Covent Garden director Josephine Darnell. Three Opera Gems, which takes place at the Regent Centre
MIKE Maran makes a welcome return to Dorset next week when he brings his show Mahler: Song and Dance Man to the Lighthouse in Poole. The life and loves of Gustaf Mahler are brought glowingly to life by Mike and his company, complete with specially commissioned
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16 Mandragara - The Rydall, New Milton; Acoustic Lounge - The Salisbury arms, Purewell; The Happy Life + Dead Jack + Ashes Fall + Drawn - Mister Smiths; The Chicago Jazz Aces - The White Buck, Burley; Rubber Soul - The Plymouths + FeverKicks
FOLLOWING the sell-out concerts last year featuring Cleo Laine, Johnny Dankworth and Stacey Kent, the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne continues its series of high-profile jazz gigs with a performance by award-winning singer Claire Martin on Friday night (Sept
HUNT supporters from Dorset were caught up in bloody clashes as demonstrations turned ugly in London. Dozens of members from the South Dorset, Cattistock and Portman Hunts were involved in violent outbursts between police when they descended on Parliament
VISITORS to Dorchester's former brewery were given the chance to step back in time at a special open day. Developer Brewery Square Ltd and Dorchester Civic Society joined forces yesterday for the open day at the old Eldridge Pope Brewery. The open day
SHOCKED restaurateur Michael Campbell has lost his fight to serve teas in the garden of his picturesque village centre premises. Mr Campbell took over thatched Burley Manor Farm Brasserie and Tea Rooms three years ago. But he sparked a row when he started
A NEW Forest MP has spoken of the shocking moment when five pro-hunt protesters broke into the House of Commons. Desmond Swayne, Conservative MP for New Forest West, was in the commons chamber when the protesters burst in and ran shouting towards members
BEGGARS in Blandford are being targeted by a new Local Action Group and some could see themselves made the subject of antisocial behaviour orders. The group, made up of representatives from North Dorset District Council, police, the fire service, local
POLICE have praised a North Dorset community for helping them catch and prosecute two men for a "particularly nasty" road rage attack. Driver Nicholas Castle, 29, was jailed for two and a half years for unlawful wounding and his 16-year-old passenger
I've never been a dedicated follower of fashion. Just this week I was accused of having the same haircut as Sven-Goran Eriksson. Thanks a lot. I have to beg my wife to iron a shirt if I want to go out looking smart. And the only reason I manage to make
ASSISTANT manager Richard O'Kelly played down Cherries reserves' defeat at Swindon insisting "the result was not important." (Sept 11) Cherries fielded almost a full-strength first-team side for the reserve clash at the County Ground and looked on course
HE has so far enjoyed a 25-year broadcasting career, ranging from breakfast telly and gardening programmes to presenting this year's Last Night at the Proms live from the Albert Hall. But when Alan Titchmarsh passes to the great allotment in the sky,
PENSIONERS in the Bournemouth area are being offered a hotline for advice or emergency help, as Help the Aged lends its weight to the Daily Echo's Don't Knock It campaign. The charity has a number of free SeniorLink units to give elderly people in the
A COUPLE whose dream wedding plans were dashed when hurricane Ivan hit Jamaica are battling to stop a second wedding plan falling through. Michael Cannings and Nicky Carter, of Strouden Park, Bournemouth, had been saving up for their Caribbean ceremony
IT was the day that passions over the hunting debate finally boiled over. MPs voted to ban hunting on a day marked by violent clashes outside Parliament and an extraordinary invasion of the House of Commons. Around 50 pro-hunting demonstrators from the
CIVIC leaders in Purbeck have reacted angrily to the decision that Winfrith is the only suitable location for a new high-tech waste plant. MBT plants are new to Britain though well-established in Europe and combine the shredding of waste and composting
GLEN Dawson has been banned for the whole of next season and Weymouth sensationally docked 35 points for a dressing room joke that got out of control. The Weymouth fast bowler caused a storm after writing the caption 'kill the ****' under a picture of
Unless otherwise stated, expect gigs to start at around 8.30pm to 9pm. TONIGHT Stu Hamm (Mariner's, Maiden Street, Weymouth): Blimey - surely not the Stu Hamm, bass-playing legend honoured by Fender with a signature bass? The one and the same. Marco has
Russell's disbelief as three-goal lead slips Bridport 3 Keynsham Town 4 BRIDPORT were left shell-shocked after an amazing fightback by Keynsham Town at St Mary's Field on Saturday. The Bees somehow contrived to throw away a 3-0 half time lead, ending
Letherby flies GB flag BRIDPORT'S Abbie Letherby produced an excellent performance in the sixth Biathle World Championships in Germany. The 12-year-old Sir John Colfox School youngster was 11th out of 31 competitors in her age group, helping Great Britain
DORSET badminton stars started their season with a fist full of medals as they swept aside top opposition from around the country in the David Lloyd Bournemouth Open, sponsored by Yonex. Current Dorset ladies champion Nicola Cerfontyne celebrated her
COMPANIES vying for supremacy have until Friday, September 24 to enter the Echo-backed Dorset Business Awards. The four categories are: KPMG Company of the Year; Lester Aldridge Business Person of the Year; Dorset Business, The Chamber of Commerce and
CONTRBUTIONS are coming in thick and fast to the Daily Echo's Walking for Sophie appeal to make life easier for the four-year-old amputee. The Echo's postbag has been bulging with donations this week bringing the total to just over £1,800. But to buy
LIVING free from restrictions, being able to up sticks and move at the drop of a hat and travel anywhere in the country - that is the life "Lady Lee" has known for all of her 17 years. The thought of living in a house is abhorrent to Lady, one of a group
THE Deadwood Stage will be rolling on to the Weymouth Pavilion stage later this month when the town's operatic society stages its annual autumn show. This year they have chosen the classic Western musical Calamity Jane as their production - a poignant
A NEW professional producing theatre company which aims to showcase the work of up-and-coming young talent in Dorset is currently on stage at at Lighthouse in Poole. Called Ironic Comment, the company is the brainchild of actresses and drama teachers
THURSDAY (16) Memories of the Black and White Minstrels, Weymouth Pavilion Lawrence Coulson exhibition, Picturehouse Gallery, Poundbury Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Lighthouse, Poole That'll be the Day, Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth
GUITAR-toting funnyman Mitch Benn - star of umpteen Radio 4 shows, darling of the Edinburgh Fringe and Glastonbury favourite - hits the road on Saturday for a tour that kicks off at Wimborne's Tivoli Theatre. Called Mitch Benn and The Distractions, it
CYCLISTS blazed a trail through Dorset on the latest leg of a 400-mile journey between London and Cornwall's Eden Project. Riders from all over the country had breakfast at County Hall in Dorchester before setting off on the fifth day of the week-long
A TEENAGER who is living in a tent to look after her pet dog has been thrown a lifeline. Kayleigh Caswell, 16, could soon be joining her mum Eileen in bed and breakfast accommodation after generous Dorset Echo readers offered a home for their beloved
ABBOTSBURY Cricket Club has been shortlisted for the national Loveliest Ground Competition 2004. If the little village side with the picturesque home wins then it will pick up a specially-designed plaque and a cheque for £500. The competition was inaugurated
A TEST pilot who crashed into Poole Harbour during The Second World War has died in Australia aged 86. Michael de Lancey Wilson was well-known in Blandford where he worked as a solicitor and as clerk to the justices for many years. He joined the Royal
A MAN suffered "very serious" injuries and could lose the sight in one eye after an unprovoked attack after leaving a Blandford pub. Detectives are appealing for information after the man was attacked from behind near the Railway pub in Oakfield Street
CHERRIES star Wade Elliott could be ready to hand boss Sean O'Driscoll a timely boost by hitting the comeback trail. Elliott has been sidelined since breaking the little toe on his right foot during Cherries' 1-0 win over Wrexham at Dean Court 19 days
THE clouds hanging over Rainbow Pre-School's future appear to have been lifted with news that its landlord, Dorset County Council, will no longer be selling its Highcliffe home. The thriving playgroup is based in the now defunct youth club premises, originally
