Oh Netflix, you have a lot of apologizing to do.

Its latest reality game show, Wonka’s Golden Ticket, hasn’t even been on the platform for 24 hours, and it's already found itself in the midst of scathing criticism for, you guessed it, its controversial use of AI.

To put it into context, the show takes inspiration from the beloved 1971 movie musical with Gene Wilder, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In the game show, a group of contestants is thrust into a series of themed challenges filmed on elaborate sets based on the original movie’s fantastical aesthetic.

The first seven episodes are available to stream now, and the final two episodes will be released on September 30 where the champions will be revealed.

From its first teasers, I knew the show had already begun its downward spiral before it even saw the light of day. For me, Netflix game shows are nothing more than money-grabbers and devoid of any quality, and to those who held out hope for the show’s survival, you were very naïve indeed.

It was over before it started

When the best streaming service announced the show in the summer, it wasn’t just its cheap and gaudy attempt at resurrecting the movie’s familial charm that had viewers concerned. It was when Netflix unveiled that the show’s host would be an off-screen AI-generated recreation of Wilder’s voice — yes, the OG chocolatier — that the boycott really took shape.

What’s shocking is that, surprisingly, Wilder’s estate actually granted Netflix the right to use an AI recreation of his theatrical Wonka voice. Even so, we thought this decision was going too far. I was particularly upset; the original movie is a childhood staple of mine.

As you can imagine, the AI-generated voiceover is by far the most criticized aspect of the show. In addition to an eye-watering 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes, major outlets such as Variety and The Guardian haven’t taken well to the AI host, with the latter saying ‘it sounds stilted, indefinably wrong somehow’. That’s tame compared to what viewers are saying.

Despite the legal permission Wilder’s estate gave to Netflix, it’s still unfathomable to some that it was given a pass in the first place — including this user on X, who called Netflix "disgusting".

Equally, Reddit is full of posts featuring the same level of revulsion. One user was left asking, ‘Does Netflix do anything decent these days?’, to which another user replied, "[Netflix] has always been quantity over quality". My thoughts exactly.

A sickly streaming experience

I’ve never committed to any of Netflix’s game shows, but in the case of Wonka’s Golden Ticket, I streamed the first episode to see how much it lived up to its car crash reviews. The only thing I’ll say is, don’t waste your time.

It’s clear that Netflix has spent quite a bit of money on the production (the prize money alone equates to roughly $3 million, not to mention its sets and engineering must’ve also cost a fortune), but money doesn’t buy everything — not even a near-accurate AI version of Gene Wilder.

While there’s a slightly replicated cadence, the uncanny valley-ness of it all leaves you feeling rather sickly. It’s emotionless, robotic, and completely lacking the bold infectiousness that Wilder brought to the original role. It’s not just that; the structure and overall approach are just as disjointed.

Unlike the original five children who first stepped into the chaotic world of the chocolate factory, Netflix introduces 12 pairs of contestants, totalling 24 players, of which remembering all their names and relationships is a chore in itself. But the icing on the cake is the roster of false and unnatural reactions that are played to the camera during both the challenges and confessional segments. This isn’t The Traitors, this is a chocolate factory. It’s not that serious.

• Christopher Nolan's Memento is being restored for a 4K Blu-ray
• This marks the first Blu-ray release with Nolan-approved Dolby Vision HDR
• A release date hasn't been announced, but we know it's 'coming soon'

Christopher Nolan is ruling the box office right now with the release of his epic fantasy The Odyssey (2026), but the movie that introduced him to the world over 25 years ago is finally getting a 4K Blu-ray release.

Nolan’s sophomore feature Memento (2000) is being restored in 4K by independent Australian distributor and restoration specialist Umbrella, and will be available in Dolby Vision HDR in Collector and Standard editions. A release date hasn’t been announced, and it’s unclear whether the restoration will be sourced from the original film negative, but we know it’s ‘coming soon’.

To say that Memento put Christopher Nolan on the map is an understatement. The crime thriller, which stars Guy Pearce as a man with amnesia on a mission to find the person responsible for his wife’s murder, earned Oscar nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay, losing to Julian Fellowes for Gosford Park (2001).

When released, it will be the 12th Nolan feature to receive a 4K Blu-ray restoration, with The Odyssey 4K edition set for a November 17 release. That leaves his directorial debut, Following (1998), the only feature film without a 4K version, and one can only hope this will follow in the footsteps of his other movies.

That said, there’s a slight twist with Memento’s restoration, as it marks the first time one of his movies has received director-approved Dolby Vision HDR for a physical release. According to Umbrella, the company teamed up with Nolan to bring this added flair to the new 4K release and shared the following post to X:

While this is a first for Christopher Nolan and his physical releases, you can catch Dolby Vision HDR versions of his movies across the best streaming services, and through digital purchasing platforms such as Prime Video.

Why this is the case for digital versions and not physical formats is unknown, but it’s likely that it all comes down to control. Nolan seems to exercise a lot of control over the choice of formats used in the Blu-ray releases, but perhaps doesn't have as much control — or perhaps doesn't mind as much — when it comes to streaming. Platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, or other services also often have automated pipelines to support Dolby Vision, which may play a part.

As mentioned, Umbrella has yet to announce an official release date for the 4K Memento Blu-ray, so, annoyingly, we’re being forced to wait patiently. However, the distributor has released first-look images of the restoration, and it’s clear that a lot of work has gone into refining the feature’s neo-noir landscapes. Fingers crossed the viewing experience will blow previous 4K restorations out of the water.

Spotify Wrapped is roughly two to three months away (I know, I almost threw up in my mouth just at the thought of it), but not only does it show how fast the year flies by, but it also keeps you guessing which artists and songs will come out on top.

While pretty much all the best music streaming services have their own iterations of Wrapped — there’s Apple Music Replay and YouTube Music Recap — Spotify Wrapped is by far the one with the firmest cultural grip

It’s the surprise element that keeps us on our toes at the dawn of every year, but what if I told you there was a way for you to get a peek at your top songs early right within the Spotify app? Well, one user tried it, and the results are interesting.

A '3D chess move'

At the end of 2025 Spotify launched one of its most powerful playlist-making tools, Prompted Playlists, a feature that allows you to enter prompts to generate a hyper-specific playlist. You can also amend the settings so that the playlist updates daily, or on certain days of the week, sort of like Discover Weekly.

One of Prompted Playlists’ smarts is that it can compile a playlist of your most-streamed songs of all time, and you can even ask it to create playlists that reflect your Wrapped summaries from the past. Clever right? Well, one user has used the tool to get ahead of the upcoming Wrapped 2026 launch.

Redditor u/thosememes took to the platform to share images of a Prompted Playlist they created (see below), where they asked the tool to compile a list of their most-streamed songs between January 1 and September 17. One of the replies called it a '3D chess move' while others denied its performance, so I tested it out for myself — and I can confirm that it works.

My prompt was simple: "Create a playlist of my most-streamed songs between January 1 and September 21 this year, and present them in a Wrapped-style summary". It didn’t take long for it to birth a fresh list of tracks, and it even provided in-playlist notes telling me exactly how many times I’ve streamed my top songs this year so far.

It was almost too good to be true, but after refreshing the playlist and amending the prompt, the order of the songs in the playlist stayed the same, with each update showing that it does have some credibility. Though I respect the tool for its intelligence, I can’t say I’ll be using it much from now on.

Does no one enjoy surprises any more?

Now, this isn’t the only way for you to extract your music streaming data. Sites such as last.fm and stats.fm are leading third-party platforms for reviewing your most-streamed songs, artists, and albums, but having data features within the Spotify app is oh so convenient.

As well as Prompted Playlists, Spotify’s ‘Listening stats’ tab gives you a comprehensive overview of your most listened-to songs and artists over the last four weeks. It’s a fun way to see how your taste changes and listening behaviors shift, but it doesn’t give away who will be featured in your Wrapped results.

This is where my biggest concern with using Prompted Playlists like this lies: the surprise element is completely removed, which is the very backbone of these types of end-of-year recaps. If you remove the thrill of the unexpected, do you really have Spotify Wrapped? And yes, Wrapped is so much more than the artists and songs you stream, but at the end of the day, this is what the average user is most excited for.

Not only this, but there’s the risk of tarnishing how you stream music. What I mean by this is that having Prompted Playlists give you this information essentially ignites that urge to ‘fine-tune’ your Wrapped, which sits in your subconscious as you listen to music and brings out that inner saboteur that tells you, "your Wrapped must be perfect or else!"

It invites a listening regime that’s far more focused on aesthetics and creating false appearances rather than one that’s purely centered around enjoyment and discovery. The best Wrapped summaries are the ones that are varied and unhinged, because that’s when you know music fans are truly listening with the intent of being themselves.

• Lidl is relaunching its affordable dehumidifier on September 27
• It packs dehumidifying and drying settings, with a 2.1L removable tank
• As well as the appliance, you'll also get washable filters, a drainage hose, and garden hose adapter

Sometimes, supermarket appliances are more than enough to meet your tech needs, and Lidl's new dehumidifier is designed to help you keep on top of your laundry over the winter months.

Lidl’s Tronic dehumidifier will land in stores this week on September 27 as part of the supermarket’s home event. Compared to models from brands like Meaco, Lidl’s version is listed for £79.99, making it a budget-friendly appliance that arrives just in time for winter, when it gets harder to dry your laundry in a cost-effective way.

As well as the appliance itself, Lidl’s new dehumidifier comes with a 30cm drainage hose, a garden hose adapter (both of which are ideal for continuous operation), and removable and washable filters.

The dehumidifier itself has dimensions of 27 x 20.5 x 42.2cm (W x D x H), making it more compact than the Meaco 12L Low Energy Dehumidifier (24.8 x 32.5 x 48.5cm) for example. Lidl’s version also comes with four castors, so you can easily move it between rooms.

However, don’t underestimate it because of its sub-£100 price and compact size — it doesn’t compromise on features.

Packing two main programs, the appliance has distinct settings for dehumidifying and drying laundry, and can extract up to 10L of moisture over 24 hours. The only downside is that its removable water tank has a 2.1L capacity, so it’s not the biggest, and will require frequent emptying.

Despite this setback, the tank features a window allowing you to see how much water has been collected, with a warning signal that alerts you when the tank is full. If you somehow miss this alert, fear not, the dehumidifier has overflow protection to stop spills.

As the winter nights draw closer, many people are looking appliances to not only help dry clothes in the colder months, but dry clothes in the most cost-effective way. Dehumidifiers are just such an appliance.

If drying clothes at a lower cost takes priority over drying speed, we recommend compressor dehumidifiers, which draw damp air over a cold set of coils, allowing the water vapor to condense and is then collected in the tank. You can read more about which dehumidifier type is best for your needs by checking out our rundown of compressor and desiccant dehumidifiers.

Every now and then supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi replenish their middle aisles with affordable alternatives to devices from premium brands. Aldi recently did this with its Dyson and Shark stick vacuum rival.

Likewise with Aldi’s Specialbuys, Lidl’s upcoming appliance restock will be limited, so if your plan is to use your tumble dryer as little as possible this winter, get down to your nearest Lidl store as soon as you can when the dehumidifier drops this weekend.

• New Spotify billboards hint at an upcoming collaboration with GTA 6
• Some believe the streamer is teasing new playlists inspired by new GTA 6 radio stations
• There's also the theory that Spotify integration is coming to the game, allowing you to stream your playlists in-game

There’s something cooking in the Spotify kitchen, and the music-streaming service is teasing some sort of involvement with GTA 6 and Rockstar Games — but it’s keeping its card very close to its chest.

Earlier this week, Spotify billboards started appearing across major US cities including New York, LA, and Miami featuring GTA 6 artwork and the Spotify logo (see below). The billboards follow Rockstar’s recent announcement of Grand Theft Auto 6: The Album, a limited-edition vinyl that has already sold out.

What this could mean still remains unclear, and Spotify has yet to tell us what it and Rockstar have in store — but there’s a handful of theories floating around.

Firstly, some users on Reddit believe the billboards are just an extension of Rockstar’s marketing push for the GTA 6 soundtrack.

Before the tracklist was unveiled, artists including Travis Scott, Pinkpantheress, Future, Morgan Wallen, and more teased their musical contributions by sharing GTA 6 artwork to social media, so some think Spotify’s cryptic billboards are simply a sign that the original songs will soon be able to stream on the platform.

The billboards have also fueled speculation that curated Spotify playlists based on GTA 6 radio stations are part of the soundtrack rollout, which seems like a natural way for Spotify to contribute to the launch of the game. But others are convinced the streamer’s involvement is much more than this.

For years, players have requested direct Spotify integration with GTA, which would allow users to link their accounts and stream their own playlists in-game instead of the radio stations. On paper it sounds like a desirable option, however there’s a lot of skepticism surrounding this.

GTA has gained notoriety for its curated radio stations. If anything, they’ve emerged as somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon outside the world of gaming — as one Redditor puts it, ‘the radio stations make the game’.

Not only this, but given the time, creativity, and money that Rockstar puts into developing GTA’s radio stations (because getting artists on board costs), I can see how music streaming integration could be placed on the back burner for now.

That said, I wouldn’t totally rule out the possibility of Spotify integration coming to future GTA gameplays. For now, however, the billboards remain ambiguous, so it’s pretty much a waiting game.

• Disney+ has rolled out a new Playlists feature
• The feature groups movies and series by genres, franchises, characters, or moods, providing a continuous, 'lean-back' viewing experience
• You can also pause, rewind, and skip to the next title

Disney+ just rolled out a feature that could help put an end to incessantly browsing for a movie or TV show to watch — and it’s made one of the best streaming services even better.

The new Playlists feature, which has rolled out to Disney+ subscribers globally, is a collection of titles grouped by a specific genre, franchise, character, or mood. It's designed to give you an even more relaxed way to browse for movies and shows, allowing you to — as Disney puts it — enjoy a "lean-back viewing experience". So, if you’re after an action blockbuster or can’t decide on which Pixar movie to reminisce in, Playlists have your back.

I know what you’re thinking, ‘Disney+ already has themed Collections’ — and you’re right, it certainly does. But these new Playlists have a more of an edge over those standard Collections.

While Collections are mini hubs that group titles around a character, franchise, or theme, Playlists builds on this by offering a continuous viewing experience with playback controls to ensure you’re still the boss. For example, if you’re feeling a comedy movie, hit ‘Play’ on the ‘Comedy Movies’ playlist and a title will start playing at random — removing the time you would’ve spent searching individual categories.

That said, it doesn’t mean you’ll be forced to watch the first movie the playlist decides to show. Each playlist has its own controls allowing you to pause, rewind, and skip to the next title in the sequence. Additionally, Disney says that seasonal Playlists will become available throughout the year, so expect to see Halloween- and festive-themed collections.

However, Playlists aren't just about moods, there’s already a fair few collections dedicated to TV shows, including Modern Family, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, and my personal favorite, Family Guy. Essentially, these Playlists are like non-stop, 24-hour live channels dedicated to individual shows, except you have more freedom to skip.

I have severe indecisiveness issues just as much as the next person, and though I’m subscribed to Disney+, it’s definitely not my most-used streaming service — and that's largely due to how its search hub is designed. I was one click away from canceling, but Playlists could be the one feature that makes me stick around for a bit longer.

I’ve been playing around with Playlists just to get a feel for it, and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m quite impressed, especially with the TV show-themed ones. Hitting ‘Play’ on the Family Guy playlist starts a continuous run of random episodes, and you don’t have to do anything as much as lift the remote to stream an episode after another finishes — it’s literally my dream feature.

Disney+ could really be onto something here, and I hope that as time passes more themed Playlists are added (please, just give me the Glee and Desperate Housewives Playlists I’m urgently yearning for).

But Disney+ can’t get all the credit. Netflix released a similar feature years ago called Play Something, which was basically a shuffle feature that played a random movie or TV episode when you couldn’t decide on what to watch. However, low user engagement resulted in its short lifespan.

On paper it was a solid idea, but I think one of the reasons why it didn’t last very long was because Play Something didn’t divide titles into categories, and you got what you were given. Whereas with Disney+, narrowing down titles by genre, show, and character at least gives you some kind of a starting point.

I think Disney already has the edge over Netflix for this very reason, and there are plenty of choices at hand. I just hope that Disney+ continues to invest in this tool so it doesn’t join Play Something in the graveyard of streaming features.