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James Cameron-Wilson says that UK box office is down for the fifth week in a row. #3 is Companion which James says is best enjoyed knowing little about it. It has laughs, thrills and plenty of surprises but is essentially a black comedy. Steven Soderbergh's horror Presence has slipped to #20 but James found it a one-trick pony with little flesh on its bones, short though it is. He suggests everyone avoids at all costs Amazon Prime's matrimonial romcom You're Cordially Invited. With Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, it is depressing, irritating and mean-spirited and beggars belief in its awfulness.

For the 500th show, Steve Caplin takes a look back at some of the highlights of 10 years of Gadgets & Gizmos. He covers sprayable sleep, cows imitating zebras to ward off mosquitoes, crows collecting cigarette butts, NFTs, self-parking slippers, KFC chicken-tasting nail polish, the first human head transplant, the Skunklock noxious bike lock, Refrigerdating, the robot dog flamethrower, ant populated gin and how to make pain relief pills 10 times more effective.

While "Never Here" Keir Starmer thinks the UK can reset its position with the EU, political commentator Mike Indian believes the government is viewing the stagnating EU with rose-tinted spectacles and that this will not be a panacea for our financial troubles. Despite talking about it a great deal, the government has done little so far to promote growth and Reeves' recent speech highlighting a third runway at Heathrow will do little to change that. We need a better-connected country and should be encouraging local mutuals. Mike finds Trump's ideas for Gaza irresponsible and risks plunging the region back into conflict.

Finlay Mathers of Edison Group thinks investors should keep an eye on IntelliAM which uses AI software to provide solutions to target inefficiencies for companies in the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) sector. Able significantly to reduce the time equipment lies idle, it is small but has really great growth potential. He also looks at the way profit forecasts in the consumer sector are proving more resilient than their underperforming share prices would suggest. He discusses which sectors and companies are doing well and will continue to succeed.

Both the Office for Budget Responsibility and Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, have warned of serious consequences for public finances if significant action isn't taken. The assumption is that this must be achieved by lifting growth in productivity. But what if the main impediment to traditional economic growth, as evidenced by GDP, is endemic demonetization brought about by advancing technology and automation? Is it time to look for a radically new approach which will allow everyone to participate in that wealth creation? Background music: 'The New Order' by Aaron Kenny

The market was left with more questions than answers about the next era of artificial intelligence. As we wait, the hyperscalers keep spending. Jason Moser and Asit Sharma discuss the shockwaves of a cheaper, more efficient option in AI compute, why big tech leaders like Microsoft and Meta are sticking to their buildout plans, and Apple’s continued struggles to find growth with the iPhone and its China business. Then, 19 minutes in, the earning rundown continues: Tesla finishes a flat year, but has big futurey plans for 2025 and 2026, Starbucks’ first quarter under Brian Niccol looks a lot like the previous ones as the new CEO tries to get “Back to Starbucks”, and Visa and Mastercard show the consumer is still doing quite alright. Finally, 34 minutes in, Jason and Asit break down two stocks on their radar: UPS and ServiceNow. Stocks discussed: ASML, MSFT, META, AAPL, TSLA, SBUX, MA, V, UPS, NOW. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Jason Moser, Asit Sharma

More than a million people switched current account last year — the second time it has ticked over the 1m mark. So, who is winning the switching battle and is it all driven by people chasing a quick and easy buck from banks? Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost dive into the data and also look at why you might not be rich enough to bank with HSBC anymore — if you want its exclusive account. The Government rules out forcing businesses to accept cash — is that a smart move? Need help with your tax return? HMRC slammed for poor customer service record via the telephone, is all the criticism justified? And your next car insurance quote might just be significantly lower, as Lee sees a huge drop with an auto-renewal that had him smiling from ear-to-ear.

Meta and Microsoft are now spending roughly 30% of their annual revenues on capital expenditures. What are they hoping to get from all that investment? Asit Sharma and Mary Long break down earnings from Meta and Microsoft. They also discuss whether the DeepSeek story changes how investors should view off-the-walls AI spending, the future of Reality Labs, Microsoft’s $13Bn-and-growing AI business, and why “fungible fleet” is a potentially ominous phrase for Sam Altman. Companies discussed: META, MSFT, NVDA. Host - Mary Long; Guest - Asit Sharma

The tech battle between China and the U.S. is heating up — one player just showed the world that AI can be done well with a lot less. Tim Beyers and Dylan Lewis discuss the Chinese app that is shaking up the AI landscape — DeepSeek — and how its leaner, less resource-intensive approach will affect artificial intelligence technology, why software prowess and efficiency will be the major themes for AI in 2025, and what to focus on when the affected big tech companies — Apple, Microsoft, Meta, ASML — report earnings this week. Then, 19 minutes in, Senior Fool Analyst David Meier interviews John Zahurancik Fluence Energy’s President of the Americas about the utilities side of the renewables market. Companies discussed: MSFT, NVDA, AAPL, ASML, FLNC. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Tim Beyers, David Meier, John Zahurancik

Efforts to lose weight can feel like however hard you try to do the right thing, you make little progress. Those who like games can use terms like winning, losing — or cheating? What must you do to win? If this analogy applies to you, ask yourself if you've defined the rules properly. If your criteria are too vague, it can feel like it's going nowhere: so change the rules to make it winnable. Focus on day-to-day choices rather than impossible standards, and progress may become more realistic.