From love triangles to the bond between mothers and daughters, performers step into the relationships minefield

• Hottest front-room seats: the best theatre and dance online

The beady-eyed character of Iseult Golden’s monologue could be an Alan Bennett creation: steely and unsentimental, she speaks her mind smartingly in a video message to her daughter who refuses to talk to her. Her tone is spiky at first but Marion O’Dwyer’s wry, understated delivery gives the drama a quietly pained depth. Part of the Abbey theatre’s monumental series Dear Ireland, it captures the bristling complexities of love between mothers and daughters in eight bittersweet minutes.

Handing out contracts out to firms like Serco and G4S is now second nature to those in power. We need to rebuild state capacity

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The coronavirus pandemic has revealed a lot about British society – the fragility of the economy, the insecure situation so many workers find themselves in – but it has also shone a light on the state itself. Many comparisons have been made between the current mobilisation of state resources and the second world war. But while that crisis involved a ramping up of public sector capacity, this one is being managed by a state that believes itself to be utterly dependent on the private sector.

First, there are the outsourcing giants, shadowy corporations who have been handed numerous contracts over the past 20 years. Matt Hancock has put Serco in charge of the phonelines for contact tracing, a vital part of the government’s public health strategy. This is a company that mismanaged data at a GP surgery, and failed to train staff properly for a breast cancer hotline service. Along with G4S, it claimed money from the government for tracking prisoners who were later found to be dead.

Coronavirus is much more likely to claim the lives of black people than white. Socio-economic factors are a significant contributor

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A universal experience is highlighting the sharp divides in our society. Few are as stark and shocking as those revealed by Thursday’s news that black people in England and Wales are more than four times as likely to die from Covid-19 as white people. Bangladeshi and Pakistani people were about three and a half times more likely, and those of Indian origin two and a half times as likely, the Office for National Statistics reported.

The disproportionately high toll of BAME people was already evident, notably among medical staff: a review of just over a hundred NHS staff who died found that almost two-thirds were black or Asian, though those groups account for less than one in seven workers in the health service. It is all the more striking, given that age is one of the biggest risk factors and the over-65s comprise only one in 20 of the BAME population, compared with almost one in five of the white population.

Exclusive: Data suggests that sick may be avoiding hospital because of coronavirus fears

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About 8,000 more people have died in their own homes since the start of the coronavirus pandemic than in normal times, a Guardian analysis has found, as concerns grow over the number avoiding going to hospital.

Of that total, 80% died of conditions unrelated to Covid-19, according to their death certificates. Doctors’ leaders have warned that fears and deprioritisation of non-coronavirus patients are taking a deadly toll.

It was intended as an interim measure to protect people during the pandemic, but now that doctors across Canada have embraced virtual care, some clinicians and patients would like to see it continue.

The once mighty northern cod stocks' growth is stalled according to DFO science. Ecosystem conditions including a lack of food are contributing factors. Fish harvesters say in the bigger picture though, the numbers are moving in the right direction.

A small flock of shorebirds contaminated with oil after touching down on a northern Alberta tailings pond is expected to be released back into the wild within a week.

Whale and iceberg season has come early, but the local tourism industry has been forced to press pause.

Quebec provincial police are investigating whether at least two cellphone tower fires north of Montreal could be linked to conspiracy theories that 5G wireless technology caused the coronavirus pandemic.

The 'Saturday Night Live' alumni virtually reunited on Fallon's chat show

Show's expert called it 'by far the most expensive thing [he's] ever seen in 25 years'

'I'm not going to just abandon him when he needs support'

'I'm very hurt and angry that she had to go through all that pain alone'

Zoo owner also accuses Netflix of sensationalising' story to make him 'villain' in new aftershow

New head writer Suzanne Heathcote's zombie-writing experience might come in handy. Where 'Killing Eve' had a vitality, it now feels tired to the point of lifelessness

Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, Finn Wolfhard and many others joined

As a new drama about the 'most British crime of all time' arrives on ITV, here's a reminder of Charles and Diana Ingram's notorious quiz show appearance and their trial for conspiring to cheat

This dramatisation of the 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' coughing scandal is superbly entertaining and well constructed, and will likely make viewers rethink a story they thought they knew well

Whether or not the Ingrams were cheating on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', the resulting outrage was rooted in the same dynamics that have come to dominate social discourse in the years since, says Adam White

Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato will also appear on ABC's 'The Disney Family Singalong'

Former 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' contestant also branded original host Tarrant a 'liar'

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Ingram also called ITV's new drama about his cheating scandal 'terrifyingly accurate' and 'excruciatingly enjoyable'

While this drama set in a shadowy San Francisco tech start-up is wonderful to look at, its plot and character development are a little shaky

Fans had speculated that Lowe could be Baskin's first husband Michael Murdock in disguise

The series will give a first behind-the-scenes look at the making of 'The Mandalorian'

'Reasons to be Cheerful with Matt Lucas' will start on 26 April

Comedian finds it 'crazy' that New Yorkers in public housing must still pay rent despite coronavirus pandemic

Former 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' host did not like the way 'Quiz' suggested the Ingrams could be innocent

Original 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' host in feud with 'coughing major'

Esteemed actor of stage and screen died on Wednesday of natural causes

US talk show host previously said she returned to the air to support her crew, who she said she 'loves and misses'

The pair will reunite for BBC's 'Big Night In'

Contestants have to keep their hands of one another lest the prize money goes down

Thousands of drug convictions have been thrown out

New show follows 10 single people on a tropical island

Actor starred in both Bollywood films and US dramas

Many of the actor's co-stars expressed support for him after the emotional social media post

A cornucopia of huge pop names came together for an unprecedented cultural and technological event

Netflix's new dating series ended with a polarising finale, and one that also left a number of lingering questions about the show's two central couples

'That is the most exciting thing I've ever had happen!'

They might be so desperate for sex they're willing to pay £20,000 for it, but when the contestants of Too Hot To Handle return to normal life, they may well wonder what they were so looking forward to, writes Annie Lord

According to Paddy Power, the dating show has a 2/1 chance of beating Love Island's ratings

Presenter deemed president the 'moron-in-chief'

Hit dating show saw single contestants attempting to not have any physical intimacy with their fellow housemates

Soap halted production in late April due to Australia's coronavirus lockdown

Viewers reacted positively to the Spider-man star's 'adorable' gesture

Show has proven to be a hit for Netflix

The beloved presenting duo will film the series, called Keep Reading and Carry On, in their own homes

Report suggests the series takes place in a whole new part of the Star Wars timeline