A group of researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia have discovered a potential “cosmic glitch” in the universe’s gravity, explaining its strange behaviour on a cosmic scale.

Judi Dench has tackled nearly every female role in William Shakespeare’s plays, from Juliet to Cleopatra, in her illustrious seven-decade career. Together with Brendan O’Hea, a friend and fellow actor, Dench explores her connection with Shakespeare in their collaborative book, “Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent.”

The title is a nod to how Dench and her late husband humorously referred to Shakespeare.

During the pandemic, while secluded at her home outside London, Dench received a call from O’Hea that set the stage for their book. O’Hea, an actor and director, proposed they discuss Dench’s extensive history with Shakespearean roles.

“We just kind of rescued each other and we rescued each other through Shakespeare,” said O’Hea.

The conversations, which totaled around 120 hours and included plenty of playful bickering, revisited Dench’s illustrious stage career, including her debut as Ophelia in “Hamlet” at the Old Vic when she was just 22.

She followed that with a role in Henry V. She recounted how her co-star, Laurence Harvey, thought she would be taller, leading to some onstage challenges.

“I kept trying to attract his attention,” Dench said as she stretched her neck. “It never worked.”

Some of her now legendary Shakespearean performances have been preserved on film, though she admits to rarely watching them due to her critical eye.

Dench’s venture into film wasn’t straightforward. Despite a director once telling her she didn’t have the face for film, she later achieved international fame as M in the James Bond series starting in 1995, transforming her into a global icon. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in “Shakespeare in Love” earned her an Oscar.

As she approaches her 90th birthday in December, Dench continues to cherish every moment, evident in her decision to get her first tattoo on her 81st birthday. It reads “carpe diem,” which is Latin for “seize the day” — or, as Dench prefers, “savor the day.”

Anthony Mason

Anthony Mason is senior culture and senior national correspondent for CBS News. He has been a frequent contributor to “CBS Sunday Morning,” and is the former co-host for “CBS This Morning: Saturday” and “CBS This Morning.”

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Four senior female news presenters have accused the BBC of “grinding down” women on pay and failing to tackle persistent pay discrimination at a tribunal court hearing in London.

The presenter Martine Croxall – alongside Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh – accused the broadcaster of conducting a “sham recruitment exercise” after they lost their jobs when the BBC merged its domestic and global news channels last year.

In witness statements the women, aged between 48 and 54, said they had been discriminated against because of their sex, age and union membership.

The four said they had been victimised and suffered harassment, ill-health and reputational damage for bringing their claims, which had resulted in them being off air for more than a year. The BBC has denied the claims.

The women said evidence from a whistleblower would show that the BBC “rigged” the process of recruiting chief presenters for the new BBC News channel in January 2023 and they were “set up to fail in the jobs process”.

In documents the women said that Jess Brammar, the BBC’s then editor of news channels, “privately assured four other chief presenters – two men and two younger women – their jobs were safe, but admitted she couldn’t say much ‘for legal reasons’”.

In witness statements the women said that while some of them were demoted, others faced a pay cut. They added: “No men and no women younger than us suffered these detriments.”

They said reports from clinical psychologists would show they had suffered “negative physical and mental health impacts” because of their treatment by the BBC.

Court documents showed that the women have had multiple equal pay battles with the BBC.

Croxall and McVeigh settled an equal pay claim with the broadcaster in 2014 and pursued a further dispute in 2020 before starting this legal claim. In court documents the women said they accepted a pay revision from the BBC in 2020 after “it became apparent the BBC had allowed its pay for news channel chief presenters to again become tainted by sex”.

Speaking in court on Wednesday, Croxall said discrimination was “baked in” to BBC pay structures. She said she recognised the expense of equalising pay, adding: “I can see why they don’t want to [equalise pay], but it is unlawful to pay women less than men.”

Referring to previous settlements she had made, Croxall told the court: “The BBC grinds you down, it breaks you. You don’t feel like you can continue with it in the moment and that’s why I’m here.”

On the opening day of a two-day preliminary hearing at London central tribunal court the 55-year-old broadcaster, who has been off air since March 2023, said there were “bad structural problems” surrounding equal pay at the BBC that had not been addressed despite repeated promises from Tim Davie, the director general.

Croxall said that over a decade as a union representative she had helped “many women” with equal pay claims and knew that “despite assurances publicly by the [BBC] director general that these issues would not arise again, I knew they would”.

The women are hoping that the evidence put forward on Wednesday could form part of a full hearing, which could take place later this year. Lawyers for the BBC argued that previous settlements should mean the equal pay aspects of their claims should not progress to a full hearing, with a decision yet to be made.

The BBC insists its application process was “rigorous and fair” and also denies the claims that the women were paid less than an equivalent male colleague, according to its website.

In 2020 Samira Ahmed won an equal pay claim against the BBC, two years after Carrie Gracie, a former China editor, won substantial back pay. The broadcaster Sarah Montague has also said she won a £400,000 settlement and an apology from the BBC over unequal treatment. In 2021 the corporation disclosed it had spent more than £1m on legal fees fighting equal pay and race discrimination cases brought by staff.

The BBC declined to comment. The hearing continues.