Ben Stiller’s remake of a 67-year-old film is his strongest attempt yet to move from full-on comedy into heartfelt drama.

His fifth outing behind the camera, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (PG: Twentieth Century Fox), is a glossy adaptation of James Thurber’s short story, but a far cry from the beloved musical comedy starring Danny Kaye.

Stiller’s Mitty remains a man who daydreams about adventure while trying to hold on to a dreary job.

Only here he works for Life magazine so when redundancy looms, and with encouragement from secret object of desire Cheryl (Kirsten Wiig), he decides to go in search of globetrotting photographer Sean McConnell (Sean Penn).

His humdrum fantasies become exciting reality in a surprising mix of of sentiment and profundity.

Highlights include an impressive skateboard scene and Penn taking the mickey out of himself again.

Beautifully shot and incredibly ambitious, the film demonstrates that Stiller is well on the way to proving himself as a serious director.

> Daniel Radcliffe gives a mature performance in fact-based drama KILL YOUR DARLINGS (15: The Works), putting more clear water between himself and Harry Potter.

He plays Allen Ginsberg, who joins a circle of radical artists and is embroiled in a case involving the stabbing to death in dubious circumstances of one gay man by another.

The group also involves William Burroughs (Ben Foster) and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and Ginsburg faces a difficult choice when firebrand Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan) is charged with murder.

The title derives from a college professor’s recommendation that, if our young wunderkinds really want to write revolutionary poetry and prose, they should toss aside all the old lovey-dovey stuff. It’s certainly more self-aware and less self-indulgent than other recent films which also sought to capture pivotal moments in the 1940s and 1950s Beat movement.

> ALL IS LOST (12: Universal) tells the single-character story of a solo sailor (Robert Redford), far out in the Indian Ocean, whose yacht sustains a hole after a night-time collision with a shipping container.

The ensuing drama begins slowly, with the clearly experienced yachtsman patching up the damage and sluicing out the water, but when a massive storm hits, things become deadly serious.

The film has next to no dialogue and rapidly becomes a gripping series of set-pieces, with the stoic Redford tossed around like a rag doll as he clings defiantly to life.

If you’re tired of superhero movies, this is the perfect antidote and a terrifying reminder of the world’s natural dangers, as well as a homage to man’s survival instincts.

> Israeli drama FILL THE VOID (U: Artificial Eye) offers a rare glimpse into the secret lives of the Orthodox Jewish community.

A woman from a traditional Hassidic family dies in childbirth, leaving her husband to raise the baby alone.

His wife’s parents decide it would be best if he remarried as soon as possible.

So they try to force their unwilling younger daughter into an arranged marriage so that she can be a mother to her newborn nephew.

Luton Town Hall was lit a brillant blue last Wednesday, in order to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day.

Blue is recognised as the colour which represents autism and the town hall joined the BT Tower and the Empire State Building in lighting up.

In the run-up to, and during the four years of the First World War, we will be looking at how the Luton News covered the momentous events, week by week.

Luton got a new fire engine this month. The 60hp engine could carry 10/11 men and do 35/40 miles an hour.

A housing inquiry by the Land Enquiry Committee revealed some interesting details of workmen’s houses in Luton.

It said the houses generally inhabited by workmen in Luton are erected in large rows with a joint passageway between each pair.

The accommodation consists of a front parlour, often with a bay window, living room at the rear with a window looking into the yard or garden. A scullery with a copper and sink are built out from the main building with coals and WC adjoining.

There are two or three bedrooms on the first floor and about 40/50 foot of garden clear of the house.

The main defect is the lack of larder convenience and cupboard room.

Ethel Smith, aged 23, of Chequer Street, Luton, was charged with stabbing Thomas Hill with a knife on March 28. The couple had lived together as man and wife for about eight weeks. They had rowed over a fish and chip supper.

The case was sent to trial. Mr Hill was not badly injured.

A coroner ruled that a doctor who had refused to attend a four-year-old girl badly burned after playing with matches was within his rights as he was attending another important case at the time.

Louisa Owen, the adopted daughter of Mr and Mrs James Champkin, of Hartley Road, Luton, had told her father she would not touch matches again, as she was taken to hospital by cab, the inquest heard.

All the infants schools were closed over Easter. Queens Square and Surrey Street suffered fewer than 50% attendance because of fears of infectious diseases. The schools were to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected over the holidays.

A Facebook question and answer session with Beds Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins has revealed who he told sensitive details to regarding Leon Briggs.

The PCC is being investigated over claims he told a third party about the investigation into the death of Mr Briggs while in custody in Luton in November last year.

There had been claims it was a friend from the Home Office, but Mr Martins revealed on Monday’s question time that it had been his partner.

He wrote: “One night over dinner I discussed with my partner sensitive information relating to the tragic death of Leon Briggs. I acknowledge that in doing something perfectly normal, sharing the challenges of my day with my partner, I crossed a line by discussing information I should not have done. It was never intended by me to be made public.

“The Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel took legal advice as to whether I broke the law. On the basis of that advice they concluded I had not and therefore dealt with the matter, issuing a written reprimand.

“I am surprised therefore that the IPCC think this merits another investigation, but so as to remain open and transparent I am fully co-operating with that investigation.”

Five police staff are currently on suspension while investigations into Mr Briggs’ death take place.

It’s been an extremely busy start to 2014 for all concerned in the property market and it would seem Connells estate agents is expecting the market to get busier.

As part of its national network Connells has reported over a third more buyers registering an interest in buying a property in March compared with the same month last year.

With spring now upon us and interest from buyers continually rising, Connells’ Board of Management Partner Vincenzo Stamato believes that now is the time for potential sellers to get the wheels in motion and put your home on the market: “Easter is just around the corner and this is always our busiest time of year. If people looking to sell get their property on the market now they’ll be in the strongest position possible to secure a buyer,” says Vincenzo.

“It has been a brilliant start to 2014 with so much interest from buyers,” Vincenzo continues. “With spring being the best time for people to sell their homes we are confident the supply of property will begin to increase and catch up with the huge demand from home buyers.”

March has also been a record breaking month for sales at Connells. Across the UK there has been a 28% increase on sales made in March this year compared to last, showing just how buoyant the property market is at present.

“Although we’ve had a really successful first three months of the year, the need for more properties to enter onto the market still burns strongly,” says Vincenzo. If anybody out there is looking to sell their property then we urge them to get in touch now.”

As the weather gets warmer and the evenings longer, drivers across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire are being reminded to be motorbike cautious and to be mindful of motorcyclists’ vulnerability on the roads.

Chief Inspector Richard Hann, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit says “Motorcyclists are 35 times more likely than car occupants to be killed per mile they ride. I would urge motorcyclists to be extra vigilant when heading out this year and to ensure that they ride defensively and remain alert when manoeuvring. I would also highlight to drivers the importance of watching out for bikers and to always look carefully when pulling out of junctions, manoeuvring and changing lanes”.

In 2013, 16 motorcyclists were killed on the roads across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire which accounts for 20% of all the road deaths last year across the three counties. Bikers are being encouraged to make the most out of further training and assessments available to assist them in their defensive riding skills and to help improve their performance.

Bedfordshire motorcyclists can register interest in the FREE RideSafe assessment scheme which is a police led initiative by logging onto www.motorcyclingmatters.org and looking within the RideSafe area.

For further information and safety advice go to the Motorcyclists: Think website http://think.direct.gov.uk/motorcycles.html

For simple bike maintenance visit http://think.direct.gov.uk/assets/pdf/dg_195267.pdf

A partnership between eight schools in Luton is seeing standards rise in the borough.

Luton Futures, formed in 2010, has seen its first group set up who will become locally trained English teachers.

It’s the latest success for the secondary schools who each retain their own individuality but work together to build on each other’s strengths.

“We’re working together with common aims and a shared ethos and approach and shared values, “ said John Burridge, headteacher of Lealands High School.

Strength in numbers means the group can work together, achieve cost savings by buying goods and services in bulk, and share ideas and practices that have a proven success.

“Ultimately it’s about our students , giving them access to better resources and experiences they would not otherwise have,” said Mr Burridge.

Monica Austin, head of Ashcroft High School, said there was a lack of egos between the eight schools.

“It’s about raising standards in our own schools but having a collective responsibility for all children across Luton,” she said.

“It’s about building relationships and building trusts.”

Literacy has been one of the main focuses for Luton Futures, and Mr Burridge said the group is already starting to see successes. Lea Manor High School has been working with Lealands and has seen a significant rise in its English results, he said.

Lealands High School was satisfactory in a recent Ofsted inspection but has now been deemed good in its latest report, with comments about outstanding behaviour.

“We don’t think that would have happened without collaboration,” said Mr Burridge.

”There is a large focus on literacy because it has such an impact on other subjects,” said Ms Austin.

“We are developing character and rounded young people giving them skills for life.”

The eight schools also include Cardinal Newman, Challney High School, Icknield High School, Stopsley High School and Woodlands Secondary School.

“It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for…”

Do you believe if ghosts? Well, The Quiet Ones – from the producer who brought you The Woman In Black and Let Me In – is the slightly unnerving tale based on actual events of how a team of Oxford university students led by their professor conducted an ‘experiment’ to try and prove that spooks were simply a condition of the mind.

The experiment’s subject was one Jane Harper (Olivia ‘Bates Motel’ Cooke), a young girl full of unspeakable secrets, but are these secrets dark supernatural forces or rather more explainable homicidal issues?

So we join unorthodox Professor Coupland (Jared ‘Mad Men‘ Harris) as he recruits Brian McNeil (Sam ‘The Hunger Games’ Claflin) to film the experiment while goofy student Harry (Rory Fleck-Byrne) and sexy Krissi Dalton (Erin ‘soon to be in Gotham’ Richards), who insists on wearing hot pants which I’m not convinced are suitable scientific garb, tag along for the chilling ride.

Professor Coupland is obsessed with trying to prove his odd theory that evil spooks are not entities back from the afterlife but rather projections manifested by traumatized minds.

So his ‘experiment’ seeks to use fragile Jane and drive her to project negative energy and then ‘cure’ her. He does this by playing Quiet Riot’s ‘Come On Feel The Noise’ very loudly all night, which is probably enough to drive anyone insane.

Things invariably go ‘bump’ in the night and Jane somehow gets a scar in the shape of an occult symbol.

Turns out that this scar is that of an ancient goddess venerated by a cult, which believed that the soul of this goddess possessed a little girl called Evey. Hang on, isn’t that the name of the doll Jane carries?

Oh, and didn’t the members of the cult kill themselves in a big fire? The indications are that it will all end in tears.

Director John Pogue does an adequate job with the uneven screenplay by Craig Rosenberg and Oren Moverman. The Quiet Ones starts well and builds up a decent eerie premise in the first hour but when the ghostly hokum kicks off it all gets more silly than scary. Yes there are plenty of ‘false’ scares in the form of sudden jump moments – these are effective though – so much so that the woman behind me in the cinema screamed very loudly, very often!

One for hardcore ghostbusters only.

An 83-year-old woman had jewellery stolen from her home in Barton-Le-Clay during a distraction burglary on Thursday.

The incident took place at around 2.45pm as the victim was tending her front garden in Cromwell Road. A man started talking to the victim about gardening and the two chatted for several minutes.

As this conversation took place, a second offender used a key that the victim had on a string to gain entry to her home and stole two lockets. The first offender then left the front of the house with the second offender following soon afterwards.

Detective Constable Surfaz Hussain, who is investigating the distraction burglary, is keen to hear from anyone who was in Cromwell Road at the time of the incident and may have seen the offenders either before or afterwards.

The first offender – who talked to the victim – was a white man, around 40 years old, 5ft 8ins tall, well built, with short brown hair, wearing dark clothing and spoke with an English accent.

The second offender – who entered the house – was also a white man, around 40 years old, 5ft 7ins tall and wearing a baseball cap.

DC Hussain said: “These offenders appear to have deliberately picked on an elderly woman and taken advantage of her. The victim has been left extremely distressed by what has happened and we really need the public’s help in identifying the offenders.

“We would remind everyone to be extremely cautious about anyone calling at their home, to always use a spy hole and door chain and to insist on identification. If you are in any way suspicious, dial 999.

“We would really like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time or anyone else who may have information – however small or insignificant they think it is – that could help us. Don’t dismiss your information as unimportant – even tiny details which don’t seem relevant now might become useful later on in the investigation.”

If you have information relating to this incident, contact DC Hussain, in confidence, on 01582 394435, the non-emergency number 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

A motorcyclist sustained ‘serious injuries’ to both his arms after being struck by a car in a hit and run collision on Sunday.

The incident occurred at 7.45pm as a silver coloured Vauxhall Astra, being driven down Hart Lane towards the junction at Hitchin Road, collided with the motorbike.

Having hit the motorcyclist the driver of the Astra waited for 10 – 15 seconds before driving off at speed in the direction of Stockingstone Road.

PC Mark Casey, investigating, is appealing for witnesses to the collision to come forward.

He said: “While the motorcyclist’s injuries are not life threatening the fact that the driver of the car has failed to stop is very serious indeed.

“The silver Astra will have suffered significant impact damage to the driver’s door and wing so if anyone sees this car or is asked to repair it then please come forward and speak to the police.”

Anyone with information relating to this incident can contact PC Casey from the Roads Policing Unit, in confidence, on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Rothesay nursery is heading the right way after being placed in special measures last summer.

Staff have turned the school around and this has been acknowledged by Ofsted following an inspection.

Janet Brownjohn, headteacher, said: “We are not complacent and we know we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us.

“But we have been given a great boost by Ofsted as they have seen how committed we all are and have observed real improvements within the nursery, so we are confident that we are moving in the right direction.

“All the areas for improvement identified from the last Inspection in June 2013 are being addressed by our senior leaders and governors.”

Councillor Waheed Akbar, executive member with responsibility for children’s services, said: “This positive monitoring inspection report is great news for the nursery. The headteacher and her staff are very determined to be as good as other schools and are pulling out all the stops to make it happen.

Janet added: “Our staff has very good relationships with the children and parents and this has contributed to the positive behaviours we are experiencing within the nursery and has had a knock on effect in helping new children to settle in very quickly.”

Dynamo fulfilled the wishes of seriously ill children when he surprised them at Frankie & Benny’s in Wembley last Tuesday.

The magician is an ambassador of Rays of Sunshine Children’s charity, he spent the day showing the children some of his infamous tricks.

Jack Mongey, 15, of Luton, is living with a rare liver disease, he enjoyed a limosuine trip to London with his family to meet Dynamo.

Jack said to the illusionist: “You are a very gifted man and make a lot of people happy.”

Dynamo, who was diagnosed with chron’s disease when he was 13, said: “ “Meeting these children is so humbling and overwhelming. Just to be able to put smiles on their face, that’s what it’s all about really.

“Having chron’s disease myself, having lived through that, it put things into perspective a bit, so I can empathise with what these kids are going through.

“So to be able inspire these people and show that it doesn’t matter what you’ve got or any problems you’ve got in your life, you can still make something of yourself or have confidence to get out there and do something.

“Because when I was growing up I didn’t have anybody to do that other than my grandpa, and without him inspiring me, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today. So it’s great to be able to inspire these guys.”

Sharon Mongey, Jack’s mum said: “The whole family thoroughly enjoyed the special day with this truly magical man.”

The children’s charity brightens up lives of seriosuly ill children aged 13-18 in the UK by granting wishes and organising outings.

Luton had four finalists at Bedfordshire’s Young People of the Year (YOPEY) awards at the university of Bedfordshire on Thursday.

Chris Fox, Hifzur Rahman, Phoebe Heins and the Houghton Regis Youth Hub reached the final 12.

Autistic Chris Fox, 22, helps runs disabled football; he has volunteered over 500 hours of his time to youth clubs and has achieved his FA level one coaching award for disabled people.

He came third, winning £200, £100 will go to his chosen charity, he said: “I had a great night, it feels really good to win.

“I am honoured to have come third.

“I like giving back to people, I enjoy coaching and helping others.”

Tony Gearing, founder of YOPEY, said: “There are fabulous young people in Luton and tonight highlights that, they should all be proud of what they have achieved.

“It’s great to recognise what the young people do in the community and reward it with positive coverage.”

All the finalists received £50 for their charity or organisation.

Ms Heins, 15, inherited her mum’s fundraising army and raises thousands to fight cancer, she said: “I’m honoured to have been nominated for a YOPEY, I enjoy the fundraising and it really helped me to grieve for my mum.”

Houghton Regis youth hub was nominated for stopping anti-social behavior and helping the community.

Mr Rahman, 18, set up a tutoring service and helps fundraise for good causes.

Mr Gearing said: “It was a very good night, it was a strong final 12, they are all winners.”

Volunteers from Luton Sixth form college presented the ceremony, helped organise the night and worked on reception.

The finalists were judged by a cross-section of the community, from MPs and mayors to previous YOPEY finalists.

The awards were presented by councillor David Bowater of Bedfordshire, chief fire officer Paul Fuller, managing director of Atlas Alan Johnson and the lord-lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis.

Mr Gearing added: “I would like to thank our sponsors, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue, central Bedfordshire council, Atlas Converting, Carlisle Managed Solutions, William Jackson Food Group and Movianto UK.”

To read more about YOPEY visit www.yopey.org

Cigarettes worth £12,000 were stolen from a shop in Houghton Regis this morning.

The incident happened about 3.20-3.30am today (Monday April 14) when a black Audi pulled up outside the Nisa shop in Hillborough Crescent.

Four men dressed in dark clothing got out and broke into the back of the shop, getting away with a large number of cigarettes.

If you saw or heard any of this incident, contact Det Con Andrea Crouch direct at the burglary unit on 01582 394086, or call the 24 hour non-emergency police number 101, text the force control room on 07786 200011.

Alternatively call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. You do not have to give your name and no-one will know you called.

Council bosses have said that passenger figures for the £91m Luton Dunstable Busway are ‘exceptionally pleasing’, despite being just 41 per cent of what was predicted for the scheme.

Latest figures reveal that the busway’s first quarter in operation, from October 1 to December 31, saw 346,854 passenger trips on the four core services.

The 2008 business case for the scheme put predicted usage at 9,000 trips day, or 279,000 for a 31 day month.

The Busway’s first quarter figures fell to just 41 per cent of the projection, which would stand at 837,000 passenger journeys per quarter.

Initial statistics reported 120,000 journeys in October- 43 per cent of the expected total.

Councillor Dave Taylor said: “We continue to be exceptionally pleased with this indication of the busway’s strong performance during its early operating period. The figures are very encouraging and, if current patronage levels can be sustained and grow at a similar rate to the Cambridge busway, it is estimated around 1.5 million passenger journeys could be made on the busway’s core services during its first year of operation.”

Passenger statistics from January to March are ‘expected shortly’.

There’s traffic chaos in the Marsh Road area of Luton after one car has gone into a house and one into a lamppost following a collision at 3pm today.

The police say no-one is trapped but there is a lot of disruption in the area.

Arriva buses have been diverted.

A 13-year-old boy had his bike stolen after he was kicked to the ground by a gang on Friday.

The teen was confronted by a large group of teenagers in Orchid Close, off Sundon Park Road at 10.45pm.

The group of ten mixed race and black 15 to 16 year olds kicked the victim to the ground and took the bike before leaving the scene towards Hockwell Ring.

One of the offenders was 5’10” tall, stocky with short cropped hair and was clean shaven. He wore a blue or black Adidas tracksuit with black leather gloves.

The officer in charge of this investigation, Detective Constable Tim Worden, is keen to trace the bike or anyone who saw the offence.

DC Worden said: “This offence happened very close to Sundon Park Social Club and it is possible that those in the club saw a group of youths matching this description in the area on Friday night.

“It is also possible that someone is still using the bike and I would urge anyone who sees a Carrera red, black and grey mountain bike matching this description or anyone who saw the offence to come forward and assist with this investigation.”

Anyone with information relating to this crime can contact DC Worden, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394434, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crimefighting charity Crimewatch, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The former CEO of The Barnfield Federation was the highest paid further education principal in the country, Luton News can reveal.

Figures from the Skills Funding Agency’s annual college accounts show that Sir Peter Birkett was paid £228,000 in the 2012-13 academic year- a pay packet that tops every other FE head in England.

Sir Peter’s pay jumped £20,000 from the previous academic year, while he was also given £17,000 ‘benefits in kind’ and a £32,000 pension contribution.

Alone the basic salary was £85,500 higher than the Prime Minister’s annual pay.

A college spokesperson said: “Barnfield Federation is a group of companies comprising a college, five academies/schools, a shared service company and other limited companies.

“The salary published in the college accounts 2012-2013 was that of the CEO of the Federation at that time, and who is no longer a Federation employee.”

The revelation comes after the SFA issued a damning report in February on “irregular and improper” spending during Sir Peter’s tenure as CEO.

The report found that £2,124 was spent on three marble plaques to commemorate Sir Peter’s knighthood, while £10,000 was blown on annual staff parties- nearly £2,000 of which was for alcohol.

Sir Peter announced his departure from the federation in July and joined GEMS Education UK & Europe in September.

Just three months later he resigned, stating that a Department for Education investigation into his conduct would be a “distraction”.

What? More bank holidays? Oh, please – do we have to?

Now I can put my feet up and enjoy a day of elegant idleness with the best of them, but I’ve never been a fan of the whole bank holiday set-up and it’s about time someone had the sense to sort it all out.

We call them bank holidays, of course, but mostly they’re dropped into the calendar for religious reasons which for most people are lost in the mists of time.

Easter, which is just around the corner, merits two days off, and so does Christmas.

We get a day at the start of the year which just encourages the entire nation to shut down for a fortnight, and a couple more in May.

The ‘early May’ day off – nothing to do with international workers’ rights, let’s not go there – has only been on the books since 1978 and there’s also the ‘spring bank holiday’ one at the end of the month. No need to refer to Whitsun, it’s not really to do with religion any more, is it?

Then there’s nothing until late August, and that’s your lot.

Now the whole idea of a bank holiday, or a religious holiday, was to release the hard-pressed populace from whatever yoke they were forced to wear to make ends meet and concentrate on their inner souls, or just have a breather. Everything shut down, everyone was in the same boat.

That’s not the case today. If you’re lucky enough to be in a secure corporate or public sector slot, if such things can still be said to exist, you might get your full whack but for most of us bank holidays are nothing but days in the diary reserved for despair and disappointment.

We’re either expected to work to keep the machine running – whether that’s in a coffee bar or a casualty ward – or we’re stuck in traffic jams wondering why we thought getting away for a couple of days at the same time as everyone else would be a good idea.

The ranks of the self-employed, which we are told continue to grow, pay little or no attention to statutory days off and those who don’t follow the Christian religion have to juggle other holiday due if they want to mark their special days, while being forced to stand idle at times of the year that mean nothing to them.

There’s a simple solution – give everyone their own allowance so that they can take another eight days holiday throughout the year, whenever it suits them. No more than two days at a time, mind, and if you really want to be out of the office on Good Friday off knock yourself out. I think it’s a winner, and once we get the long weekend out of the way I’m going to get right on it.

Kids off school? Check. Sun beginning to show itself a bit? Fingers crossed. Sounds about time for the first of the summer blockbusters...

There are two important things to know about The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – one is that it’s exactly what you would expect it to be, and the other is that it’s even more overblown than you might have feared.

The regrettable tendency for all superhero sequels is to just chuck in more, and more, and more of the same until the audience is battered into submission.

So as well as Andrew Garfield in the central role and Emma Stone as his love interest, there are a whole range of new foes led by Jamie Foxx, a complicated plot about corporate connivance and Russian gangsters and a running time that heads ominously towards the 2.5 hour benchmark that seems to be de rigueur these days.

Foxx probably didn’t have to ask too many questions about internal character motivation when he checked out that his Electro alter ego is a wage slave transformed into a fearsome monster after an unfortunate mishap involving a tank of genetically-modified electric eels. I hope the proper health and safety investigation was carried out...

Meanwhile there is an option for those who don’t have kids in tow – Pierce Brosnan is continuing to impress in his post-Bond career, and Emma Thompson is on a roll after Saving Mr Banks.

Put them both together as a separated couple teaming up to rescue their threatened pension, add in Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie and some lush Riviera locations and you’ve got The Love Punch, a bright and breezy jewel heist caper that stands or falls on the cast – who are more than capable of standing, thank you very much. Not a stunner, but a charmer.