Our appetite for data is growing fast. And so is the number of data centres filled with computer servers.
They store and process the data generated by our online activity, from social media to shopping to cloud storage.
And they consume massive amounts of water and electricity.
Big Tech companies are building data centres in places like drought-stricken Queretaro, in Mexico.
Robert De Niro, Dolly Parton and Jessie J are fans, they’re worth millions and play sell-out concerts around the world. The Wiggles – aka The Beatles for toddlers – are a preschooler’s entertainment juggernaut that has taken over the world.
They’ve got a new country album out, Wiggle Up Giddy Up, featuring two songs with the rhinestone queen herself, Dolly Parton. And tickets to their current world tour are hotter than an Oasis reunion gig.
They have previously sold out Madison Square Garden in New York for 12 days in a row and, ahead of this week’s show in the US, Hollywood legend De Niro, 81, was granted a backstage pass with his two-year-old daughter, Gia, to meet her idol – founder member, Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle).
Like most people over the age of five, De Niro didn’t have a clue about this global phenomenon until he had Gia with professional martial artist girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 45.
The Wiggles sang their classic banger Rock-A-Bye Your Bear for the veteran actor’s family, which drew a rare smile. And De Niro admitted: “I didn’t know of them until I started seeing them and my daughter loves to watch them… but they’re great!”
With the advent of YouTube and the arrival of their shows on Netflix, a new British audience is embracing The Wiggles.
When they came to the UK recently, Jessie J met them with her son Sky and was treated to some of the Tree of Wisdom’s viral TikTok dance moves.
They’re also part of a wave of Australian children’s TV, like Bluey, that is captivating British kids, giving them Aussie accents and pushing CBeebies off the map.
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Borkowski PR’s Gregor Cubie expects his 19-month-old to join the fan club soon, and wonders if ‘Aussie-ness’ is the magic ingredient wooing international audiences.
“In the same way that Bluey is almost universally popular and accessible, The Wiggles’ sheer Aussie-ness might work in their favour when it comes to their reputation,” he says.
But, scratch the surface, according to Gregor, and you’ll find a long-running supergroup, dogged by controversy, ill health and accusations of “going woke”.
One of Australia’s most successful exports, The Wiggles take it in turns with pop sensation Kylie Minogue and Hollywood actor Russell Crowe to top the Aussie rich list.
Majority owner Anthony is estimated to be worth £25m, on top of the £10 million a year the band rakes in from tours, TV shows, new releases, merchandise and sponsorships.
They have their own TV series Ready, Steady, Wiggle, have produced 62 studio albums, sold 40 million books, CDs and DVDS, and attracted more than 5 billion views on YouTube and 3 billion streams across various music services.
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They’ve been making ear-worm sing-a-long pop since 1991, when kindergarten teaching students Anthony and Jeff Fatt, who were members of the R&B pop band the Cockroaches, and got together with two fellow students – Murray Cook and Greg Page – in Sydney, to make an album of simple, catchy songs for pre-schoolers
After Anthony’s infant niece tragically died from sudden infant death syndrome, the Cockroaches disbanded.
One of the songs Anthony wrote, Get Ready to Wiggle, inspired the new band’s name because they thought “wiggling” describes how children dance.
“We met at university doing a course in early childhood – this connection with music and teaching is what became The Wiggles,” explains Anthony.
While The Wiggles has evolved since those early days, the four original members hold a special place in people’s hearts – Anthony and Jeff Fatt (Purple Wiggle), Murray Cook (Red Wiggle) and Greg Page (Yellow Wiggle). And their hits like Hot Potato and Fruit Salad, were toddler dance floor fillers for the next two decades.
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While members have changed, the primary colours of red, yellow, blue and purple that they wear is no doubt the secret of the Wiggles’ success with the ankle biters.
In Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles 2023 documentary, Anthony says: “It doesn’t matter who wears the skivvies, as long as we reflect our audience and communicate with children.”
Like any band, they had to break America to go truly global – and when the Disney Channel played them four times a day to their 85 million subscribers, their success was meteoric. All of a sudden, they were playing 10,000 seater arenas.
PR, Gregor puts their success down to a “combination of their prolific output with its ceaseless ability to hypnotise toddlers”.
He adds: “Also, a less extreme version of the Royal Family’s ‘never complain, never explain’ approach. Instead of saying nothing, they say the bare minimum and carry on as if nothing happened.
“You rarely see naval-gazing and the consistency and popularity of their work keeps generations of kids coming back for more.”
While there aren’t many skeletons to rattle in The Wiggle cupboards, behind their happy faces and signature finger point, members have been dogged by setbacks.
Controversies include the Hot Potato incident two years ago, when a council in Western Australia played their famous song on loop to deter anti-social behaviour at a homeless shelter.
The Wiggles complained, saying their music should only be used to “spread joy and happiness” but the damage was done.
But the fact De Niro was happy to be pictured with The Wiggles is a massive endorsement.
“Robert De Niro seems increasingly like the kind of guy who considers how his every public appearance and utterance might affect his legacy, so it’s a pretty major stamp of approval that he’s happy to be publicly associated with the Wiggles. Fundamentally they are free of reputation risk,” says Gregor.
“The irony is that the Wiggles have had a few controversies which are fairly stereotypical of long-running bands – walkouts, inter-band marriages and divorces; allegations that a song is racially insensitive, accusations of going ‘woke.’ They’ve been ruthlessly parodied on 30 Rock and, of course, the Hot Potato incident was unpleasant.”
For members of The Wiggles, the squeaky clean expectations can be tricky.
“During my time in The Wiggles, I was out at a gig one night and I was having a drink, and the next day a newspaper reported: ‘The Wiggles member caught having a beer’, and that was a shock. I am an adult!” says Murray.
And doing 400 to 500 shows a year – cramming up to three gigs into a single day – took its toll on the original members, with Jeff, Murray and Greg retiring for health reasons in 2012.
A mystery illness forced Greg to leave in 2006. He was replaced by Sam Morans, but came back in 2012. Then he suffered a heart attack on stage during a 2020 reunion show. That same year, Murray had open heart surgery.
Revealing his own struggles, Anthony released a memoir Out Of The Blue last year, detailing the years of mental and physical health problems he’s suffered, including depression, undiagnosed ADHD and chronic pain.
Yet Field created a second generation of Wiggles with Simon Pryce (Red Wiggle), Lachlan Gillespie (Purple Wiggle) and the first female, Emma Watkins (Yellow Wiggle).
“We might be responsible for their first experience of music,” says Emma, speaking about their responsibility to their tiny fans
Sadly, trouble soon upended their paradise, as shortly after Yellow Wiggle Emma married Purple Wiggle Lachie, they divorced and she left the group not long after.
Another shake-up in 2021 saw 15-year-old Tsehay Hawkins becoming Yellow Wiggle.
Now 62, Anthony is the only remaining original Wiggle, in a group of eight performers – Tsehay, Lachlan, and Simon, as well as Caterina Mete, Lucia Field, Simon Pryce, Evie Ferris, John Pearce – who are as gender-diverse and racially-diverse as their millions of fans.
Costumed characters, played by the more junior Wiggles, include Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, and Captain Feathersword.
While some of the newer members say their estimated £72,000 earnings are a fraction of the big bucks of the original members, they have given the group a bigger presence on social media, where the Tree of Wisdom (played by Anthony’s nephew, Dominic Field) regularly goes viral on TikTok, with his exuberant dance moves.
And, in recent years, they’ve been noticing something new – a generational crossover, as kids grow up, but remain fans.
Dorothy the Dinosaur is also now a DJ, who remixes the original Wiggles classics for the older audience. And they’ve been getting down with the cool kids – covering songs by Fatboy Slim, White Stripes and Tame Impala’s Elephant.
“We’re bringing back happy memories,” says Anthony. “And it’s a real privilege to do that.”
Altogether now, kids, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!
The Monkees, 1960s – Four cute surfer boys Davy Jones, Mickey Donlenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith running around in zany plots to brilliant pop tracks, in a sitcom that captured the spirit of the era.
The Banana Splits, 1970s – Four costumed animal characters who’d perform songs and comedy skits in a psychedelic world, was just as weird and fun as it sounds. The makers had clearly been on the wacky baccy.
Rainbow, 1980s – Presenter Geoffrey and his camp puppets Zippy, George and Bungle and hippy singers Rod, Jane and Freddy took us “Up above the streets and houses, Rainbow climbing high” every week. I still miss them.
Teletubbies, 1990s – Some called it the most disturbing children’s show on TV – but even now millions of babies are glued to repeats of these four tubby aliens, Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-laa, and Po, with coat hangers on their heads living on a mini golf course.
Zingzillas, 2000s – Puppet monkey band Zak, Tang, Panzee and Drum lived on a tropical island and made real music together and introduced tots to rock, soul, jazz and samba styles – along with some dodgy titles like Do You Didgeridoo?
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Sarah Ferguson has issued a direct message to the wife of Diogo Jota following his heartbreaking death, aged just 28. The Liverpool FC footballer and his brother tragically died after a fatal car crash in Spain, just ten days after he married his wife, Rute Cardoso.
Diogo and his brother Andre spun off the road before their car caught fire. One of the tyres had blown out while overtaking another car on the A-52, around 70 miles west of Valladolid, causing it to veer off the road. The incident occurred at around 12.40am. The blaze had spread to nearby vegetation which was eventually put out by firefighters, with the assistance from the Civil Guard.
Medical officials later confirmed the death of the two occupants of the car shortly after arriving on the scene. Tributes have flooded in for the Liverpool star and his brother. Adding to those messages of condolence in a touching statement shared on her Instagram, the Duchess of York said: “I simply cannot fathom the pain of losing two cherished sons. It is a loss beyond words.
” My heartfelt sympathy is with Rute, Diogo’s newlywed widow, the precious children who have lost their devoted father, and all those who loved these two extraordinary athletes, Diogo and Andre. May their light and legacy continue to inspire the world. “
The Duchess isn’t the only member of the Royal Family to issue a tribute. Just hours after Diogo’s death was confirmed, Prince William took to social media to issue a rare post. Taking to Instagram, the Prince of Wales signed off his post with” W”, signalling that it was him.
He penned:” As part of the footballing family, I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Diogo Jota and his brother. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him @LFC @Wolves. W. “
Since the news of Diogo’s death, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard in Zamora said:” The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers. We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. The full police report once it is completed will be submitted to a duty court in Zamora which has launched an ongoing judicial investigation into this crash.
“That report is going to take time to complete, probably about four or five days but possibly longer. At this moment in time it is impossible to say at exactly what speed the car was going but that is something the Civil Guard investigators will be able to detail at least approximately in their final report from things like the skid marks. What I can confirm is that no other vehicle was involved and no-one else was hurt”.
Police who arrived at the scene had been unable to ID the pair, with only the licence plate from the car they were driving to go on. Diogo had married Rute, the mother of his three children, just ten days ago and said he was “the luckiest man in the world” after tying the knot. Tragically, Rute had to identify her childhood sweetheart following his death.
She told the police that Jota and his brother had planned to spend the night in Benavente and continue their journey on Thursday to reach Santander before catching a ferry to Portsmouth, according to reports in Portugal.
Psychological assistance was requested for Jota’s wife and the personal belongings that were saved from the Lamborghini fire were given to her. It was one of the brothers ‘ relatives who alerted them that they had not arrived in Benavente, and later, they verified in the documentation that they were Portuguese subjects.
Jota’s former team, Liverpool have also issued a moving statement. They said: “Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.
” Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support. “
He joined the team from Wolves in 2020 and scored 65 goals during his 182 appearances for the Reds, including six last season when they won the Premier League title. Jota had also won the FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool and the Nations League twice with the Portuguese national team.
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Oluremi Tinubu, the president’s wife, has given $1 billion to Plateau State’s victims of the conflict.
When she and the RHI team traveled to the state in support of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Mrs. Tinubu announced the donation, which also included clothing and food items.
This was made public on Wednesday by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, in a statement.
The first lady made an appeal to the state’s elders during the visit to help keep the peace between the communities.
Read more about the Thirteen killed and homes burned as gunmen attack Plateau communities
“I come in as a mother who bleeds,” I say. This is the last time I’ll need to go to the state for something like this, I can assure you of that. And I apologise for doing this.
Do not allow the serpent to attack you on the edge. Fix the exposed edge. That is sufficient. Nigeria is a stunning nation. Welcome to the land of peace and tourism, said the young woman who had welcomed me at the airport. She was quoted as saying, “I pray this will be the case.”
In addition to food and clothing, the First Lady of Nigeria donated N1 billion to the victims of the state’s clashes on behalf of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
The President’s wife urged the men to do everything possible to protect their wives and children and allow them to continue working, including farming.
Bring peace to this land, she continued.
She urged the youth to embrace tolerance and national cohesion.
PRESS ELEASE
THIS SHOULD END WITH MOTHER WHO IS HEART BLOODING, FIRST LADY OLUREMI TINUBU.
Visits Plateau State and makes donations to unrest victims for Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI.Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady of Nigeria, has written to Plateau State’s elders… twitter.com/Vmq8iPFu7E
Caleb Mutfwuang, the governor of Plateau State, assured the president’s wife that peace and harmony would continue to be achieved between his people and his government.
The funds will be used wisely, according to Mutfwuang.
Wherever the edge has been damaged, we will repair it. With all of the men, we will make peace. You are entirely accountable for the funds you have given us.
“I appoint a force to stop.” No elite will steal it, he said in the statement that he was quoted as saying. We will give it to those for whom it is intended.
Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury Festival had been deemed “high risk” by top dogs at the BBC. However, the publicly funded corporation still went ahead and broadcast the set to millions across the country and online.
Now, the BBC have said in a new statement that the duo had previously been deemed to be “suitable for livestreaming” but with “appropriate mitigations”, although this was “clearly not the case”. Since last Sunday, the BBC has come under scrutiny following the performance, which saw their frontman, Pascal Robinson-Foster, but goes by the name Bobby Vylan, chant: “Death to the IDF” and “Free Palestine”.
The group performed on the West Holts Stage at Worthy Farm, with their set being live-streamed as they performed ahead of Kneecap’s set. The BBC have since said they regret not stepping in to halt its broadcast sooner but told “a small number of staff” to step back from their daily duties on music and live events.
Meanwhile, Director General Tim Davie, who attended the festival, issued an apology. In a statement, the corporation said: “We fully understand the strength of feeling regarding Bob Vylan’s live appearance at Glastonbury on the BBC.
” We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.
“It is clear that errors were made both in the lead-up to and during Bob Vylan’s appearance. We think it’s important to set out some of the detail around the streaming of this performance. Bob Vylan were deemed high risk following a risk assessment process applied to all acts appearing at Glastonbury.
” Seven acts including Bob Vylan were included in this category and they were all deemed suitable for live streaming with appropriate mitigations. “They added:” Prior to Glastonbury, a decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the live stream – through the use of language or content warnings – without the need for a delay. This was clearly not the case.
“During the performance, the live stream was monitored in line with the agreed compliance protocols and a number of issues were escalated. Warnings appeared on the stream on two occasions and the editorial team took the decision not to cut the feed. This was an error.
” The Director-General was subsequently made aware of what had happened and instructed the team that none of the performance should feature in further coverage. The team prioritised stopping the performance from featuring on demand. This meant that no downloads of Bob Vylan’s set were available on iPlayer or Sounds.
“However, the live feed, which was showing subsequent performances from other acts on the same Glastonbury stage, remained up until it was amended shortly after 8pm while teams worked on a technical solution. Given the failings that have been acknowledged we are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast. We will not comment further on those processes at this time.
” Furthermore, as a result, we will make immediate changes to live streaming music events. Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live. Editorial Policy support will always be available on site at major music festivals and events, to improve compliance processes and the speed of available advice – and we will provide more detailed, practical guidance on the threshold for withdrawing a live stream.
Avon and Somerset Police have also confirmed they are investigating both Bob Vylan for their “death to the IDF” chant and comment on working for “f***ing Zionists”. In a statement, the force said earlier this week: “Video footage and audio from Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s performances at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday has been reviewed.
” Following the completion of that assessment process we have decided further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken. A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation.
“This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage. The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes”.
They added: “We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling. There is absolutely no place in society for hate.
” Neighbourhood policing teams are speaking with people in their local communities and key stakeholders to make sure anyone who needs us knows that we are here for them. We hope the work we have carried out, and are continuing to carry out, reassures the public how seriously we are treating Saturday’s events. We politely ask the public refrain from continuing to report this matter to us because an investigation is already taking place. “
The duo have since been dropped by both their agent and management, while their US visas have been revoked ahead of their upcoming tour across the States, and performances in the UK, including at Radar Festival, have also been pulled. Moments after their performance, Glastonbury bosses issued a statement, saying that they had been” appalled “by the comments and that the lead singer of Bob Vylan had” crossed a line. “
Since the controversy, the band have taken to social media, saying:” We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. We like those in the spotlight before us are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. We are being targeted for speaking up. Free Palestine. “
In the second round of Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic defeated British wildcard Dan Evans, who is now seeking a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, while defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova tries to keep her romantic relationship with the All England Club.
Djokovic snagged a spot in second-round action after three stunning upsets at Wimbledon.
With a ruthless 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 victory over Evans on Centre Court, the Serb only needed one hour and 47 minutes to win.
It indicates that I’ve been playing for a while! When told he had just won his 99th Wimbledon match, Djokovic said.
“I still enjoy it.” I’ve gotten a lot from this court. My heart is forever dedicated to Wombledon. Any recorded history here is obviously very special.
Djokovic wants to become the most successful singles player in tennis history, adding to his incredible career.
Since winning his most recent major prize at the US Open in 2023, the 38-year-old is tied with Margaret Court for the record for 24 Grand Slam victories.
And despite facing Carlos Alcaraz in the final two matches of the Wimbledon, Djokovic thinks his best chance to capture the elusive 25th major lies in south-west London.
“I am aware of the history involved.” He said, “I’m considering the big things I can do in this tournament.”
“I won’t be reflecting on it at this time.” When I sip a margarita on the beach with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, I believe that will happen!”
Later on Thursday, Krejcikova and Jannik Sinner will head to the court and will undoubtedly avoid any additional giant-killing acts.
Eight of the top ten men’s and women’s singles players lost in the opening round, which is the most by a Grand Slam in the history of the Open.
Only one of the top five women’s seeds, world number one Aryna Sabalenka, is still standing after Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who finished second in the previous year’s Wimbledon final.
In her opening match, Krejcikova avoided serious injury and defeated Filipino Alexandra Eala in three sets.
Caroline Dolehide, the Czech 17th seed, will face her in the US in 2019, after she had already defeated her on clay in the US in 2019.
Krejcikova arrived at Wimbledon with only six matches to play in 2025, but she has had a bad year with injuries.
The two-time Grand Slam champion, however, describes her first-round encounter with Centre Court as “very beautiful and just very joyful,” adding that it is “very beautiful and just very joyful.”
She continued, “It’s just great to be back.” It’s simply wonderful to be playing tennis in its temple. It’s just a very, very special place.
The now-retired Andy Murray has taken on the role of the now-retired Jack Draper as the new face of British tennis.
The fourth seed appears content with his new position when he faces Marin Cilic, who was a finalist for the previous year.
The 23-year-old said, “I kind of play every match like my life depends on it.”
Iga Swiatek takes on America’s Caty McNally, while Sinner, who has never reached the Wimbledon final, takes on Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
Lucia Bronzetti defeated Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) on Court One, who is only 18 years old.
With a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Veronika Kudermetova from Russia, American 10th seed Emma Navarro also advanced to the third round.