BIZARRE: Helen pidd | Mind Blowing Facts

‘Bring me a gigantic Gladiator who can cradle me like a baby!’: behind the scenes of the most joyous show on TV

When it first returned to our screens, people said Gladiators was a tired format. They had clearly forgotten the joy of watching half-clad hulks with silly names go to battle, says superfan Helen Pidd as she heads backstage

The Guardian - UK · Jan 10

I left the Tommy Robinson rally with the worrying realisation: this movement is only going to get bigger

Some in Whitehall were aggressive, some openly racist – but more still felt this far-right gathering was the only place they could be heard, says Guardian journalist Helen Pidd

The Guardian - UK · Sep 17, 2025

They were best mates. Then one had a baby, while the other struggled. Two brutally honest takes on what happens when motherhood affects friendship

They both had something the other wanted. Could their relationship survive?

The Guardian - UK · Nov 16, 2024

Tuesday briefing: Life term for UK’s worst child killer

In today’s newsletter: serious questions have been raised after the trial and conviction of a serial baby murderer • Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First Edition

The Guardian - UK · Aug 22, 2023

Friday briefing: An awful byelection night for Sunak – though the Tories avoid a wipeout

In today’s newsletter: a pair of major defeats for the Conservatives, but the PM will be relieved to have at least retained Boris Johnson’s old seat

The Guardian - UK · Jul 21, 2023

Street spirit: why this Guardian writer helped put on a coronation party

Our event in Stockport – a Coronation Street party – was a welcome chance to bring the community together

The Guardian - UK · May 7, 2023

My beloved Morecambe was once mocked for Mr Blobbyland, so it deserves its Eden Project

This £50m levelling up project certainly beats our old theme park. One official told me he’d do a deal with the devil to help the area. Seems he did, says Guardian North of England editor Helen Pidd

The Guardian - UK · Jan 20, 2023

Thursday briefing: How the north’s rail services went off track

In today’s newsletter: Perhaps nowhere in the UK are trains more in a crisis than in the north of England, where problems are thought to be costing the region up to £400m a year. What could be done to fix it?

The Guardian - UK · Dec 1, 2022

Just how bad do Britain’s trains have to get before the Tories act?

In the north of England in particular, rail companies such as Avanti are causing misery on a daily basis. This cannot go on, says Guardian North of England editor Helen Pidd

The Guardian - UK · Nov 24, 2022

How cycling has put us on the road to conflict

Letters: From aggressive driving to unfavourable comments about Lycra, readers respond to Helen Pidd’s article about the abuse cyclists face on a daily basis

The Guardian - UK · Sep 2, 2022