title: Emma Chambers

text: In 1989 Chambers was nominated for a Radio Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her work in the BBC Radio 4 program "Girl of My Best Friend". That same year she starred in Giles Cole's "Suspects" at the Swansea Grand Theatre with Diana Kent, Roy Boyd, and Ben Onwukwe; and portrayed the central character of Lucy Baines in the world premiere of Alan Ayckbourn's "Invisible Friends" at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. She remained with the latter production when it moved to the Royal National Theatre in 1991; earning positive critical attention for her portrayal of a teenager who engages with an imaginary friend to escape her troubled home life.


title: Emma Chambers

text: In the Fall of 1991 Chambers was a member of Mark Brickman's repertory company at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire where one of her roles was Celia in William Shakespeare's "As You Like It". She returned to the Royal National Theatre in 1993 as Avonia Bunn in Arthur Wing Pinero's "Trelawny of the 'Wells'" under the direction of John Caird.


title: Emma Chambers

text: After taking some smaller parts on television productions such as "The Bill", in November 1994, Chambers portrayed the role of Charity Pecksniff in the television serialisation of the Charles Dickens novel "Martin Chuzzlewit". From 1994 to 2007, she portrayed the role of Alice Tinker in the BBC comedy "The Vicar of Dibley". Chambers appeared in all 20 episodes and four Comic Relief specials until 2007. In 1998, Chambers won the British Comedy Award (BCA) for Best Actress for her performance; having been nominated for a BCA previously for her portrayal of Alice in 1995.


title: Emma Chambers

text: Chambers voiced the character of "Belle Stickleback" in two series of the animated television programme "Pond Life" (1996 and 2000) and took the role of Helen Yardley in the TV series "How Do You Want Me?" (1998) and appeared in the film "Notting Hill" (1999), as Honey, the younger sister of Hugh Grant's character.


title: Emma Chambers

text: She was cast as Martha Thompson in "Take a Girl Like You" (2000), a made-for-television drama based on the Kingsley Amis novel and a remake of the 1970 film. Chambers worked as a voice performer in the animated made-for-television film "The Wind in the Willows" (1995) and provided the voice of Spotty for two episodes in the CBeebies series" Little Robots" (2003).


title: Emma Chambers

text: In 2002, Chambers toured with the Michael Frayn play, "Benefactors", where she starred opposite Neil Pearson.


title: Emma Chambers

text: Chambers was married to fellow actor Ian M Dunn. Before their marriage, she lodged with Ian McKellen, whom she regarded as "a sort of father figure". She had a chronic allergy to animals as well as asthma.


title: Emma Chambers

text: On 26 February 2018 BBC One broadcast "The Vicar of Dibley" January 1998 episode "Love and Marriage" in Chambers' memory. In a similar vein, on 11 March 2018 (on what would have been Chambers' 54th birthday), the Gold channel hosted a "The Vicar of Dibley" day in her memory.


title: Emma Chambers

text: In December 2020, in a series of shorter 'lockdown' episodes of "The Vicar of Dibley", Chambers' character Alice was written out of the sitcom, it being revealed that the character had died of cancer. Similarly the final lockdown episode ended with a tribute just before the closing credits reading, "In loving memory of Liz, John, Emma and Roger", paying tribute to Chambers and also three other late "Dibley" cast members (Liz Smith, John Bluthal and Roger Lloyd-Pack).


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realism is one of the dominant schools of thought in international relations theory, theoretically formalising the Realpolitik statesmanship of early modern Europe. Although a highly diverse body of thought, it is unified by the belief that world politics is always and necessarily a field of conflict among actors pursuing wealth and power. The theories of realism are contrasted by the cooperative ideals of liberalism in international relations.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realists are divided into three classes based on their view of the essential causes of interstate conflict. Classical realists believe it follows from human nature; neorealists attribute it to the dynamics of the anarchic state system; neoclassical realists believe it results from both, in combination with domestic politics. Neorealists are also divided between defensive and offensive realism. Realists trace the history of their ideas back through classical antiquity, beginning with Thucydides.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realism entails a spectrum of ideas, which tend to revolve around several central propositions, such as:


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realism is often associated with realpolitik, as both deal with the pursuit, possession, and application of power. Realpolitik, however, is an older prescriptive guideline limited to policy-making, while realism is a wider theoretical and methodological paradigm to describe, explain, and predict events in international relations. As an academic pursuit, realism is not necessarily tied to ideology; it does not favor any particular moral philosophy, nor does it consider ideology to be a major factor in the behavior of nations. However, realists are generally critical of liberal foreign policy. Priorities of realists have been described as Machiavellian, single-mindedly seeking the power of one's own nation over others, although realists also advocated the idea that powerful nations concede spheres of influence to other powerful nations.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realists think that mankind is not inherently benevolent but rather self-centered and competitive. This perspective, which is shared by theorists such as Thomas Hobbes, views human nature as egocentric (not necessarily selfish) and conflictual unless there exist conditions under which humans may coexist. It is also disposed of the notion that an individual's intuitive nature is made up of anarchy. In regards to self-interest, these individuals are self-reliant and are motivated in seeking more power. They are also believed to be fearful. This view contrasts with the approach of liberalism to international relations.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: The state emphasises an interest in accumulating power to ensure security in an anarchic world. Power is a concept primarily thought of in terms of material resources necessary to induce harm or coerce other states (to fight and win wars). The use of power places an emphasis on coercive tactics being acceptable to either accomplish something in the national interest or avoid something inimical to the national interest. The state is the most important actor under realism. It is unitary and autonomous because it speaks and acts with one voice. The power of the state is understood in terms of its military capabilities. A key concept under realism is the international distribution of power referred to as system polarity. Polarity refers to the number of blocs of states that exert power in an international system. A multipolar system is composed of three or more blocs, a bipolar system is composed of two blocs, and a unipolar system is dominated by a single power or hegemon. Under unipolarity realism predicts that states will band together to oppose the hegemon and restore a balance of power. Although all states seek hegemony under realism as the only way to ensure their own security, other states in the system are incentivised to prevent the emergence of a hegemon through balancing.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: States employ the rational model of decision making by obtaining and acting upon complete and accurate information. The state is sovereign and guided by a national interest defined in terms of power. Since the only constraint of the international system is anarchy, there is no international authority and states are left to their own devices to ensure their own security. Realists believe that sovereign states are the principal actors in the international system. International institutions, non-governmental organizations, multinational corporations, individuals and other sub-state or trans-state actors are viewed as having little independent influence. States are inherently aggressive (offensive realism) and obsessed with security (defensive realism). Territorial expansion is only constrained by opposing powers. This aggressive build-up, however, leads to a security dilemma whereby increasing one's security may bring along even greater instability as an opposing power builds up its own arms in response (an arms race). Thus, security becomes a zero-sum game where only relative gains can be made.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realists believe that there are no universal principles with which all states may guide their actions. Instead, a state must always be aware of the actions of the states around it and must use a pragmatic approach to resolve problems as they arise. A lack of certainty regarding intentions prompts mistrust and competition between states.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Rather than assume that states are the central actors, some realists, such as William Wohlforth and Randall Schweller refer instead to "groups" as the key actors of interest.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Finally, states are sometimes described as "billiard balls" or "black boxes". This analogy is meant to underscore the secondary importance of internal state dynamics and decisionmaking in realist models, in stark contrast to bureaucratic or individual-level theories of international relations.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: The ideas behind George F. Kennan's work as a diplomat and diplomatic historian remain relevant to the debate over American foreign policy, which since the 19th century has been characterized by a shift from the Founding Fathers' realist school to the idealistic or Wilsonian school of international relations. In the realist tradition, security is based on the principle of a balance of power and the reliance on morality as the sole determining factor in statecraft is considered impractical. According to the Wilsonian approach, on the other hand, the spread of democracy abroad as a foreign policy is key and morals are universally valid. During the Presidency of Bill Clinton, American diplomacy reflected the Wilsonian school to such a degree that those in favor of the realist approach likened Clinton's policies to social work. Some argue that in Kennan's view of American diplomacy, based on the realist approach, such apparent moralism without regard to the realities of power and the national interest is self-defeating and may lead to the erosion of power, to America's detriment. Others argue that Kennan, a proponent of the Marshall Plan (which gave out bountiful American aid to post-WW2 countries), might agree that Clinton's aid functioned strategically to secure international leverage: a diplomatic maneuver well within the bounds of political realism as described by Hedley Bull.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Realists often hold that statesmen tend towards realism whereas realism is deeply unpopular among the public. When statesmen take actions that divert from realist policies, academic realists often argue that this is due to distortions that stem from domestic politics. However, some research suggests that realist policies are actually popular among the public whereas elites are more beholden to liberal ideas. Abrahamsen suggested that realpolitik for middle powers can include supporting idealism and liberal internationalism.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: While realism as a formal discipline in international relations did not arrive until World War II, its primary assumptions have been expressed in earlier writings.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Modern realism began as a serious field of research in the United States during and after World War II. This evolution was partly fueled by European war migrants like Hans Morgenthau, whose work "Politics Among Nations" is considered a seminal development in the rise of modern realism. Other influential figures were George F. Kennan (known for his work on containment), Nicholas Spykman (known for his work on geostrategy and containment), Herman Kahn (known for his work on nuclear strategy) and E. H. Carr.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Classical realism states that it is fundamentally the nature of humans that pushes states and individuals to act in a way that places interests over ideologies. Classical realism is an ideology defined as the view that the "drive for power and the will to dominate [that are] held to be fundamental aspects of human nature".


title: Realism (international relations)

text: The English school holds that the international system, while anarchical in structure, forms a "society of states" where common norms and interests allow for more order and stability than that which may be expected in a strict realist view. Prominent English School writer Hedley Bull's 1977 classic, "The Anarchical Society", is a key statement of this position.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Neorealism derives from classical realism except that instead of human nature, its focus is predominantly on the anarchic structure of the international system. States are primary actors because there is no political monopoly on force existing above any sovereign. While states remain the principal actors, greater attention is given to the forces above and below the states through levels of analysis or structure and agency debate. The international system is seen as a structure acting on the state with individuals below the level of the state acting as agency on the state as a whole.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: While neorealism shares a focus on the international system with the English school, neorealism differs in the emphasis it places on the permanence of conflict. To ensure state security, states must be on constant preparation for conflict through economic and military build-up.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Neoclassical realism can be seen as the third generation of realism, coming after the classical authors of the first wave (Thucydides, Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes) and the neorealists (especially Kenneth Waltz). Its designation of "neoclassical", then, has a double meaning:


title: Realism (international relations)

text: The primary motivation underlying the development of neoclassical realism was the fact that neorealism was only useful to explain political outcomes (classified as being theories of international politics), but had nothing to offer about particular states' behavior (or theories of foreign policy). The basic approach, then, was for these authors to "refine, not refute, Kenneth Waltz", by adding domestic intervening variables between systemic incentives and a state's foreign policy decision. Thus, the basic theoretical architecture of neoclassical realism is:


title: Realism (international relations)

text: While neoclassical realism has only been used for theories of foreign policy so far, Randall Schweller notes that it could be useful to explain certain types of political outcomes as well.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Neoclassical realism is particularly appealing from a research standpoint because it still retains a lot of the theoretical rigor that Waltz has brought to realism, but at the same time can easily incorporate a content-rich analysis, since its main method for testing theories is the process-tracing of case studies.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Some see a complementarity between realism and constructivism. Samuel Barkin, for instance, holds that "realist constructivism" can fruitfully "study the relationship between normative structures, the carriers of political morality, and uses of power" in ways that existing approaches do not. Similarly, Jennifer Sterling-Folker has argued that theoretical synthesis helps explanations of international monetary policy by combining realism's emphasis of an anarchic system with constructivism's insights regarding important factors from the domestic level. Scholars such as Oded Löwenheim and Ned Lebow have also been associated with realist constructivism.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Democratic peace theory advocates also that realism is not applicable to democratic states' relations with each another as their studies claim that such states do not go to war with one another. However, realists and proponents of other schools have critiqued both this claim and the studies which appear to support it, claiming that its definitions of "war" and "democracy" must be tweaked in order to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, a realist government may not consider it in its interest to start a war for little gain, so realism does not necessarily mean constant battles.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Robert Gilpin developed the theory of hegemonic stability theory within the realist framework, but limited it to the economic field. Niall Ferguson remarked that the theory has offered insights into the way that economic power works, but neglected the military and cultural aspects of power.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: John Ikenberry and Daniel Deudney state that the Iraq War, conventionally blamed on liberal internationalism by realists, actually originates more closely from hegemonic realism. The "instigators of the war", they suggest, were hegemonic realists. Where liberal internationalists reluctantly supported the war, they followed arguments linked to interdependence realism relating to arms control. The realist scholar John Mearsheimer states that "One might think..." events including the Bush Doctrine are "evidence of untethered realism that unipolarity made possible," but disagrees and contends that various interventions are caused by a belief that a liberal international order can transcend power politics.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Scholars have argued that realist theories, in particular realist conceptions of anarchy and balances of power, have not characterized the international systems of East Asia and Africa (before, during and after colonization).


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Scholars have criticized realist theories of international relations for assuming that states are fixed and unitary units.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: In the mid-20th century, realism was seen as discredited in the United Kingdom due to its association with appeasement in the 1930s. It re-emerged slowly during the Cold War.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: Scholar Aaron McKeil pointed to major illiberal tendencies within realism that, aiming for a sense of "restraint" against liberal interventionism, would lead to more proxy wars, and fail to offer institutions and norms for mitigating great power conflict.


title: Realism (international relations)

text: John A. Vasquez applied Imre Lakatos's criteria, and concluded that realist-based research program is seen as degenerating due to the protean character of its theoretical development, an unwillingness to specify what makes the true theory, a continuous adoption of auxiliary propostions to explain away flaws, and lack of strong research findings. Against Vasquez, Stephen Walt argued that Vasquez overlooked the progressive power of realist theory. Kenneth Waltz claimed that Vasquez misunderstood Lakatos.


title: Emo rap

text: Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commonly found in emo music. Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, and Juice Wrld are some of the most notable musicians in the genre.


title: Emo rap

text: Publications have described emo rap as taking influence from hip hop, emo, trap, pop punk, nu metal, indie rock, post-hardcore, and cloud rap.


title: Emo rap

text: Emo rap departs from the "traditional" tones found in modern mainstream hip hop in favor of more emotional and personal lyrical content, described by the Wall Street Journal as "giving their elders the finger." Lyrics tend to focus on topics such as depression, loneliness, anxiety, consumption of drugs and alcohol, nihilism, suicide, heartbreak, and self-medication. The genre is characterized by its combination of musical elements commonly found in conscious hip hop with indie rock instrumentals. Sampling often uses 2000s pop punk and emo songs. Much of the sampling has been influenced by artists who inspired the genre, such as Mineral, Underoath, and the Postal Service. Some emo rappers also make use of original instrumentation. Horse Head of the collective GothBoiClique has described the music as "...sort of nostalgic, but it's new too...no one's really done shit like this. It's like emo rap and melodic trap".


title: Emo rap

text: Fans of the music are sometimes referred to as "sad boys", in reference to emo rapper Yung Lean's music group by the same name.


title: Emo rap

text: Prior to emo rap solidifying itself as a genre, the term was applied by critics to rappers such as Joe Budden, Kanye West, and Drake due to their emotional styles of lyric writing. American rapper Slug of Atmosphere claimed in 2017 that he invented the name "emo rap" in an IR Magazine article from 1997. The music of German rapper Casper, which was influenced by both hip hop and bands like Give up the Ghost, Modern Life is War, and Grave Digger, was often referred to as "emo rap" early on in his career. Huffington Post writer Kia Makarechi described American group Hollywood Undead as "crass emo-rap" in 2012 article.


title: Emo rap

text: Additionally, between the 1990s and early-2010s, there was a number of significant crossovers between the hip hop scene and the emo and pop punk scene. Zebrahead have been playing a style of music that features vocalist Ali Tabatabaee rapping over pop punk instrumentals since the band's formation in 1995. Rapper MC Lars has been making use of samples and references to emo and pop punk songs in his music since his 2004 debut album. Pop punk band Good Charlotte, often stated that they took influence from hip hop and in 2007 released the album "Greatest Remixes", which consisted of a number of their previously released songs being remixed by both hip hop and pop punk musicians such as Jay E, Patrick Stump, Marshall Goodman, and William Beckett. In 2005, Stump and Pete Wentz founded DCD2 Records, which signed both emo and hip hop artists, who would often collaborate and tour alongside one another. DCD2 signees Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes also merged elements of both genres. In 2006, rapper Kanye West remixed emo pop band Fall Out Boy's song "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race". Fearless Records released the album Punk Goes Crunk in 2008, which was made up of emo and pop punk musicians covering popular hip hip songs. Emo band Framing Hanley covered rapper Lil Wayne's song "Lollipop" in 2008 and Lil Wayne went on to collaborative with pop punk band Weezer in 2011, on the song "Can't Stop Partying". Also in 2012, prominent pop-punk band Blink-182 featured rapper Yelawolf on the track "Pretty Little Girl" from their Dogs Eating Dogs EP.


title: Emo rap

text: In 2013, Swedish rapper and member of the Sad Boys collective, Yung Lean, released "Ginseng Strip 2002" and the highly influential mixtape "Unknown Death 2002", which many have regarded as cementing Yung Lean as the "father of emo rap".


title: Emo rap

text: Emo rap was pioneered by Bones, whose VHS-recorded music videos and dark production and aesthetic were so influential on the hip hop underground of the time that "Dazed" described him as the "underground rap king." In 2012, members of Thraxxhouse, a subgroup of Raider Klan, formed GothBoiClique (GBC), with the intention of drawing connections between the emo, trap, dark wave, black metal, and indie rock scenes. GBC's style of emo rap influenced swathes of artists in the underground emo and hip hop scenes on SoundCloud, with Lil Lotus, Lil Peep and Lil Tracy, all citing the group as an influence and the latter-most two even eventually becoming members. During this time, a DIY ethos came to define the genre, to the extent that when Shinigami released his debut album "Luna" on Spotify, he was derided as a sellout, due to the streaming service's ability to monetize.


title: Emo rap

text: In 2017, Lil Uzi Vert's song "XO Tour Llif3" became a sleeper hit. The song, characterized as emo hip hop due to its lyrics referring to suicide and emotional breakdowns peaked at number seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In August 2017, XXXTentacion released his debut album "17" with the lead single "Jocelyn Flores" which addresses the suicide of a friend and Lil Uzi Vert released his debut studio album "Luv Is Rage 2". The release of both the projects and their high peak on the "Billboard" 200 became defining moments for emo rap in the mainstream. At the same time, Lil Peep was branded by "Pitchfork" the "future of emo" in January 2017 and in April 2017, "The Guardian" concluded that his "continuing rise is testament to the timeless appeal of introspection."


title: Emo rap

text: In November 2017, Lil Peep died of a Fentanyl overdose. Shortly afterwards, Lil Peep's debut studio album "Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 1" and the lead single "Awful Things" charted on the "Billboard" charts. His death brought increased notability to the genre as a whole and particularly to artists such as Trippie Redd and Lil Aaron. In June 2018, XXXTentacion was murdered, and like Peep, his albums "17" and "?" charted the following week, along with his hit song "SAD!" charting at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In September 2018, a posthumous collaboration between the two artists, "Falling Down" was released and became certified platinum in the US. The same year, emo rap was the fastest-growing genre on Spotify in 2018. In December 2019, Juice WRLD died after suffering a seizure, induced by an overdose of oxycodone and codeine. He was known to most people for the songs "All Girls Are the Same" and "Lucid Dreams", the latter which peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in 2018 and returned to the chart in 2019 at number eight following his death.


title: Emo rap

text: In 2018 and 2019, notable emo rappers 24kGoldn, Poorstacy, the Kid Laroi, Powfu and Iann Dior were all signed by labels where they released their debut EPs. On February 8, 2020, Powfu released their single "Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)" with Beabadoobee, which peaked at number one on the U.S. Hot Rock/Alternative Songs chart. On July 24, 2020, Dior and 24kGoldn released the chart-topping song "Mood", which is currently certified quadruple platinum. "Forbes" described 2020 as "The Year Rap Artists Rule the Rock Charts", while "Spin" writer Al Shipley described the merger of pop punk and rap as 2020's "commercial juggernaut". In March 2022, emo rapper Lil Bo Weep died of a drug overdose, a long time the girl struggled with depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder after the loss of a child.


title: Emo rap

text: The popularity of emo rap led to a number of mainstream musicians incorporating elements of it into their music in the late-2010s and early-2020s. Notable artists to do so include Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Miley Cyrus.


title: Emo rap

text: Emo rap, along with styles like cloud rap, trap, dubstep, trance, chiptune and pop music were influential on the development of the hyperpop genre. The genre gained mainstream attention in the late-2010s and early-2020s through artists such as 100 Gecs, Charli XCX, and Dorian Electra.


title: Emo rap

text: The genre also brought about a revived interest in pop punk in the mainstream. This interest led to the 2020s pop punk revival. In particular, Machine Gun Kelly's album "Tickets to My Downfall" was described by the Evening Standard as "bridg[ing] the gap" between the contemporary pop punk and emo rap scenes. During this time, a number of emo rappers such as Trippie Redd, Lil Tracy, Cold Hart, Lil Aaron, and 24kGoldn also began releasing pop punk albums and songs.


title: David Coulthard

text: David Marshall Coulthard (; born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver from Scotland, later turned presenter, commentator and journalist. Nicknamed 'DC', he competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between and , taking 13 Grand Prix victories and 62 podium finishes. He was runner-up in the championship, driving for McLaren.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard began karting at the age of eleven and achieved early success before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the Formula 3000 series. He first drove in Formula One with Williams in the 1994 season succeeding the late Ayrton Senna. The following year he won his first Grand Prix in Portugal, and then for the 1996 season he moved to McLaren. After winning two races in the 1997 season, he finished 3rd in the World Drivers' Championship in the 1998 season.


title: David Coulthard

text: He won five races during 1999 and 2000 before finishing 2nd in the Drivers' Championship to Michael Schumacher in 2001. Two more victories followed between 2002 and 2003 before he left McLaren at the end of 2004. He moved to Red Bull in 2005 and secured their first podium a year later. Coulthard retired from Formula One racing at the end of 2008.


title: David Coulthard

text: After retiring from Formula One, Coulthard continued working with Red Bull as a consultant and joined the BBC as a commentator and pundit for their coverage of Formula One. He returned to active motorsports in 2010 joining Mücke Motorsport in


title: David Coulthard

text: DTM, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (German Touring Car Masters) and retired at the end of 2012. Coulthard has also participated in the Race of Champions, finishing runner-up in the Drivers' Cup in 2008, and winning the competition in 2014 and 2018. Since 2016 he has worked as a commentator and analyst for Channel 4 after they took over the BBC's terrestrial television rights.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 2019, he was elected president of the British Racing Drivers' Club (owner of Silverstone Circuit).


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard was born on 27 March 1971 in Twynholm, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, one of three children to road haulier Duncan Coulthard and Elizabeth Joyce Coulthard née Marshall. His family was connected to motor racing: his grandfather competed in the Monte Carlo Rally and his father drove karts, becoming Scottish National Champion. From an early age motorsport was where his interest lay, later listing Formula One World Champions Jim Clark, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost as his childhood heroes. Coulthard was educated at Kirkcudbright Academy, achieving eight O-grades.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard began karting when his father presented him with his first kart for his eleventh birthday. Having won several local karting championships including the Scottish Junior Kart Championship and the Scottish Kart Championship, Coulthard participated in events further down the UK, including title victory in the Cumbria Kart Racing Club Championship in 1985. Coulthard graded each race he entered on a scale of 1 to 10, with an additional column headlined "Performance". He later gave credit to David Leslie, senior and junior for allowing his career to develop.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 1989, Coulthard made the transition from karting to car racing. It is often erroneously claimed that he won the British Formula Ford Championship that season, however this is not the case. Coulthard actually won the lesser P&O Ferries Formula Ford 1600 Junior championship.


title: David Coulthard

text: He became the first recipient of the McLaren/Autosport Young Driver of the Year award, which allowed him to test a McLaren Formula One car. In 1990, Coulthard travelled to Belgium to compete in the EFDA Nations Cup for Great Britain and was partnered with Nicky Hart, where they finished 9th. During the year, Coulthard was selected by Vauxhall Motorsport to race in a one-off appearance in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch, where he finished 13th. He did not return to the series after suffering a leg injury in a Formula Vauxhall race at Spa-Francorchamps.


title: David Coulthard

text: For 1991, Coulthard signed with Paul Stewart Racing to compete in the British Formula 3 series, taking five victories and finishing second in the Championship behind Rubens Barrichello. Coulthard won the Macau Grand Prix and the Masters of Formula Three. He later traveled to the Fuji Speedway to compete in the annual Formula Three Fuji Cup, taking pole position and finished second behind Jordi Gené.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 1992, he moved to the International Formula 3000 series, where he suffered from a lack of competitiveness and finished ninth in the championship. For 1993, Coulthard joined Pacific Racing, taking one victory and finishing third in the series. He entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside John Nielsen and David Brabham for the TWR Jaguar Racing team. The trio won the GT Class, although they were later disqualified for a technical infringement. He moved to the Vortex team in 1994, which received investment from a private investor, allowing Coulthard to drive for the team. In his first and only race for the team held at Silverstone, Coulthard finished third.


title: David Coulthard

text: Throughout 1993 and 1994, Coulthard was employed by the Williams team as their official test driver. A race seat became available after the death of Ayrton Senna in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Coulthard received a telephone call from team principal Frank Williams to test the Williams car at Jerez circuit over four days, causing him to miss a Formula 3000 race at Pau.


title: David Coulthard

text: Making his début in Spain, Coulthard qualified in eighth position, and was set to score a point before his engine failed 34 laps from the finish. He followed this up by scoring his first points with a fifth-place finish in Canada. Williams dropped Coulthard for the following race in France, allowing 1992 Drivers' Champion Nigel Mansell to make a one-off appearance due to pressure from engine supplier Renault. The move strained the relationship between Williams and Coulthard who returned for the British Grand Prix, finishing fifth. For Germany, Williams introduced a revised version of their car, the Williams FW16B. He suffered back to back retirements in the next two races but secured three consecutive points scoring positions—including a podium finish with a second-place in Portugal. Mansell later returned to fill Coulthard's seat for the final three races of the season. Coulthard finished the season in eighth place with Williams first in the Constructors' Championship. For his role, Coulthard was awarded BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and received an award at the BBC Scottish Sports Personality of the Year.


title: David Coulthard

text: In November, Coulthard became embroiled in a contract dispute. During the Australian Grand Prix, Coulthard chose to leave Williams and signed a contract with McLaren. Williams, however, insisted that they had the right to exercise their option to keep Coulthard, who was on a three-year contract with the team. Coulthard's management argued that the Williams option was not binding. The dispute went to Formula One's Contract Recognition Board, who ruled in favour of Williams on 14 December, forcing Coulthard to stay with the team.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 1995, Coulthard again competed with Williams alongside Damon Hill. He was optimistic for the season, saying: "I'd like to think I can win a Grand Prix this year. That's really my aim, plus to score points in as many races as possible." Coulthard's season started off with controversy when he and Benetton driver Michael Schumacher were disqualified for fuel irregularities in the first round in Brazil, where Coulthard finished second. On appeal, the original results of both drivers were reinstated. The next five races saw four retirements for Coulthard, plus a fourth-place finish in San Marino.


title: David Coulthard

text: Despite his poor form in the early part of the season, Coulthard secured four consecutive podiums, with a further two consecutive retirements in Belgium and Italy, where he secured his first pole position of his career. For Portugal, Williams introduced a revised version of their car, the Williams FW17B. Coulthard took pole position and led a majority of the race to take his first Formula One race victory. He took a further two podiums at the Nürburgring and Aida and retired in the final two races at Suzuka and Adelaide. Coulthard finished the season third in the Drivers' Championship, helping Williams secure second place in the Constructors' Championship.


title: David Coulthard

text: For 1996, Coulthard partnered experienced driver Mika Häkkinen at McLaren, and believed there was a chance of winning races, though a challenge for the World Championship was unlikely until 1997 or 1998. His season started badly; he suffered a throttle issue in Australia, including a collision with Jordan driver Martin Brundle on the first lap. Coulthard spun off in Brazil and finished outside the points in Argentina. However, Coulthard secured a podium at the Nürburgring and led the race in San Marino before suffering a hydraulic failure.


title: David Coulthard

text: He followed the result with a second-place finish in the wet race at Monaco before suffering a first-lap accident in the wet race in Spain. Before the Canadian Grand Prix, Coulthard signed an extension to his contract that would keep him at McLaren until 1998. Coulthard secured points finishing positions in the next four races, before suffering three consecutive retirements. He rounded these results by finishing outside the points-scoring positions in Portugal and Japan. Coulthard managed to secure seventh place in the Drivers' Championship.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 1997, Coulthard again partnered Häkkinen at McLaren. He started his season by taking victory in the opening round in Australia. Coulthard was unable to score in the next four rounds, due to being involved in a collision in Argentina and contended with unreliability with his car. The factor of unreliability had an impact throughout the season, which became notable in Canada when Coulthard made a pit stop while leading and the car developed clutch problems. He suffered from four more retirements throughout the season, and was able to take victory at the Italian Grand Prix. He was able to secure two more podium positions in Austria and Jerez, where Coulthard conceded second place to teammate Häkkinen under team orders. Coulthard managed to finish in third place in the Drivers' Championship, tied on points with Benetton driver Jean Alesi.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 1998, Coulthard remained at McLaren and continued to be partnered by Häkkinen. The season started controversially in Australia for the McLaren team when Coulthard, who was leading let Häkkinen past to win the race. Coulthard later revealed a pre-race agreement by the team that whoever led into the first corner on the first lap would be allowed to win the race. However, the race marked a run of consistent results, with Coulthard scoring three further podiums, including victory in San Marino. Coulthard retired from three out of the next four races, and followed this up by taking a further five podiums during the remainder of the season, including a retirement in Italy.


title: David Coulthard

text: His only finish outside the points-scoring positions was in Belgium, following a 7th-place finish. In wet conditions, Coulthard initially crashed out on the first lap, triggering an enormous multi-car collision. The race was restarted, and he was later involved in a controversial collision with Michael Schumacher when being lapped, leading to an angry confrontation in the pit lane. Coulthard came third in the Drivers' Championship, behind Schumacher and Häkkinen, and helped McLaren clinch the Constructors' Championship. Coulthard was awarded the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy, an annual award given to the most successful British or Commonwealth driver in Formula One over the course of one season.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard stayed with McLaren, alongside Häkkinen for 1999. His season got off with two consecutive retirements in Australia and Brazil caused by hydraulics and gearbox failures, respectively. Coulthard managed to clinch second place in San Marino before suffering from another gearbox issue at Monaco. He took his second podium of the year in Spain before Coulthard later finished outside the points-scoring positions in Canada and retired with electrical problems in France.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard managed to secure six consecutive finishes inside of the points, which included victories in Britain and Belgium and podium finishes in Austria and Hungary. His season was rounded by three consecutive retirements in the final rounds of the season. Overall, Coulthard finished in fourth place in the Drivers' Championship, six points behind Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen, and helped McLaren take second place in the Constructors' Championship.


title: David Coulthard

text: For 2000, Coulthard reorganised his schedule for the season, concentrating on his performances and spending less time working on promotional campaigns. Many motorsport critics labelled 2000 as Coulthard's "make or break" year.


title: David Coulthard

text: The first rounds of the season proved difficult for Coulthard; In the opening round in Australia, he retired from engine problems, and finished second in Brazil, before being disqualified as the front wing endplates on his car 7mm lower than the required 50mm above the reference plane. Coulthard overcame these setbacks and finished on the podium in the next five races, which included victories in Britain and Monaco. In June, Coulthard signed an extension to his contract, confirming he would remain at McLaren for 2001. A non-points scoring finish in Canada, followed victory in France, a victory which he later described as the most memorable of his career which also happened to be McLaren's only ever win at the Magny-Cours circuit. A hat-trick of podiums followed in the next three rounds and secured a fourth-place finish in Belgium. Coulthard was involved in a multi-car collision on the first lap in Italy. This would be marked by scoring points in the final three rounds, including podiums in Japan and Malaysia. Coulthard finished third in the Drivers' Championship, with 73 points, and McLaren finished second in the Constructors' Champions. For his efforts during the season, Coulthard was awarded his second Hawthorn Memorial Trophy.


title: David Coulthard

text: McLaren team principal Ron Dennis was ambitious about Coulthard's prospects for the new season, saying: "David is extremely fired up. He's strong and wants to test as much as possible. I honestly feel that David can win the world championship this year." Coulthard performed well in the first seven races, scoring forty points, including victories in Brazil and Austria. In Canada, he suffered his first retirement of the season when his car developed engine problems while running in fourth position. Coulthard followed his non-finish with a podium at the Nürburgring and by finishing fourth in France.


title: David Coulthard

text: The remaining seven races saw Coulthard retire on three more occasions and achieved four more podium positions—in Hungary, Belgium, the United States and Japan. Overall, Coulthard secured a career best second place in the Drivers' Championship, 58 points behind World Champion Michael Schumacher. As a result, Coulthard was awarded with his second consecutive Hawthorn Memorial Trophy, and third overall (1998, 2000 and 2001).


title: David Coulthard

text: The 2002 season was the first in which Coulthard was the more experienced driver in his team. He was optimistic for the new season, saying: "If they need an opinion then they have to come to me this year. In the past they didn't. But that said, it's important for me not to get bogged down in the history of what happened in the past. We just have to go forward." He endured a torrid start: Coulthard's car suffered from gearbox issues and retired after 35 laps; and in the following race in Malaysia, both cars retired from engine failure after 24 laps. Two weeks later in the Brazilian Grand Prix, Coulthard secured his first podium of the season with a third-place finish. The start managed to get better as Coulthard took four consecutive finishes inside of the points; this included his only victory of the season in Monaco.


title: David Coulthard

text: At the Canadian Grand Prix, Coulthard took his second consecutive podium by finishing second. He retired from the next race at the Nürburgring due to a collision with Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya. This marked a turning point as Coulthard managed to finish five out of the next eight races in the points with a non-finish at the final round of the season in Japan. Coulthard finished the season fifth in the Drivers' Championship, with 41 points. Coulthard was awarded his third consecutive Hawthorn Memorial Trophy for his efforts during the 2002 season.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard was again partnered at McLaren by Räikkönen for 2003. Former World Drivers' Champion Niki Lauda aired doubts over Coulthard's ability to handle pressure with teammate Räikkönen over the coming season, saying: "Coulthard has the advantage of experience - as I did over Prost - but in qualifying Raikkonen has put him under a lot of pressure."


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard began the season by taking victory in Australia and retired in Malaysia when his car developed an electrical problem. He managed to take back-to-back points in Brazil and San Marino as he was retired from a collision in Spain. In August, Coulthard signed an extension to his contract that would keep him at McLaren until 2004. Coulthard was able to secure two more podium positions in Germany and Japan. Coulthard finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship, scoring 51 points. After the season's conclusion, McLaren announced that Coulthard would be dropped at the end of 2004 and replaced by Juan Pablo Montoya. Coulthard earned his fourth consecutive Hawthorn Memorial Trophy for his efforts during the season.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard went into the 2004 season with McLaren knowing he would lose his seat at the end of the year. However, he insisted he had his team's backing, and pledged that his approach for 2004 would be more aggressive. He endured a consistent start: Coulthard managed to finish eighth in the first race in Australia despite being off the pace, and in the following race in Malaysia, he managed to take sixth position. During the race in Bahrain, both McLaren drivers were forced into retirement due to engine failures after fifty laps. Coulthard did not score in the next four races, which included consecutive retirements in Monaco and at the Nürburgring. He was able to take points scoring positions at the next two races in Canada and the United States.


title: David Coulthard

text: McLaren introduced a revised version of their car the McLaren MP4-19B in France. The change of car improved reliability and results, helping Coulthard to achieve sixth place during the Grand Prix, and secured further points in the races in Britain and the Hockenheimring. Coulthard managed to further points in Belgium and Italy, only suffering from one further non-finish from a collision with Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello in Japan. Overall, Coulthard finished tenth in the Drivers' Championship, equal on points with Ralf Schumacher, and did not score any podium finishes during the season.


title: David Coulthard

text: Following the purchase of the Jaguar team by Red Bull, Coulthard announced on 17 December 2004 that he would leave McLaren to move to Red Bull for the 2005 season. He signed a one-year deal for a reported £1.8 million to drive alongside Austrian driver Christian Klien. Coulthard was offered a testing role at Ferrari, which he declined as he decided to remain in a race seat.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard began the season by scoring points in four of the first five races. Before the San Marino Grand Prix, Klien was replaced by Red Bull test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi who partnered Coulthard for the next four races. The forced withdrawal of all teams using Michelin tyres, including Red Bull, at the controversial United States Grand Prix, meant Coulthard did not start a race for the first time in his career. In July, it was announced that Coulthard would remain at Red Bull for 2006. This marked a turning point in his season as Coulthard did not score points in six of the nine remaining races. He achieved points three times during this period—in Germany, Turkey and Japan. He finished the season in twelfth place with Red Bull seventh in the Constructors' Championship.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard stayed with Red Bull in 2006, and continued to be partnered by Klien. Coulthard started his season with retirements in Bahrain and in the following race in Malaysia whilst running tenth. The next three races saw Coulthard finish outside the points-scoring positions with consecutive retirements in San Marino and the Nürburgring. Coulthard secured Red Bull Racing's first podium position by finishing 3rd in Monaco. He managed to finish in the next ten races he entered which included finishing in the points in Canada, the United States and Hungary.


title: David Coulthard

text: In August, it was announced that Coulthard had extended his contract with Red Bull for 2007 and would be partnered by Williams driver Mark Webber. Before the Chinese Grand Prix, Klien lost his seat at Red Bull, so Coulthard was partnered with Robert Doornbos. Coulthard finished the season by finishing 13th in the Drivers' Championship, with 14 points.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard continued as a driver at Red Bull in 2007, partnered by Webber. He endured a torrid start: Coulthard retired in Australia following a collision with Williams driver Alexander Wurz, and in the following race in Malaysia, he retired with brake problems. In Bahrain, Coulthard ran in eighth position before his car developed driveshaft problems and was forced to retire. He was able to score his first points of the season by taking fifth position in Spain. Coulthard finished outside the points, with consecutive retirements in Canada and the United States, before he secured fifth position in the European Grand Prix. In July, it was announced that Coulthard would remain with Red Bull in 2008. Coulthard secured tenth position in the Drivers' Championship, with 14 points.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard started the season with a retirement after colliding with Ferrari driver Felipe Massa. In Malaysia Coulthard's suffered from a suspension failure on his car during practice which resulted in Red Bull placed under investigation for car safety. Coulthard was later cleared to race, and managed to secure 9th. He was unable to score points until Canada, when he finished on the podium in 3rd. Before the British Grand Prix, where he retired on the first lap when he was hit by Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel, Coulthard announced that he would retire from Formula One at the end of the season, though he would remain at Red Bull as a testing and development consultant.


title: David Coulthard

text: Over the next five races, Coulthard was able to finish albeit outside the points-scoring positions. He took the final points of his career with seventh place in Singapore. In his final race in Brazil, Coulthard's Red Bull RB4 was decorated in the colours of "Wings for Life", a charity dedicated to raising awareness of spinal cord injuries. He was unable to finish the race, when his car was hit by Williams driver Nico Rosberg and Coulthard's car was sent into the path of Rosberg's teammate Kazuki Nakajima.


title: David Coulthard

text: On 4 December 2004, Coulthard participated in his first Race of Champions for Great Britain alongside 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae. Coulthard was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the racing group having taken a time penalty, losing to Heikki Kovalainen. Coulthard and McRae were again chosen to compete in 2005, when the event was held in Stade de France. Coulthard was eliminated in the first round by Tom Kristensen and Great Britain were defeated by France in the semi-finals of the Nations Cup. In 2006, Coulthard was eliminated in the quarter-finals stage by Yvan Muller.


title: David Coulthard

text: For 2007, Alister McRae partnered Coulthard after Colin McRae was killed in a helicopter crash. For the second consecutive year, Coulthard was eliminated at the quarter-final stage, this time by Sébastien Bourdais. On 30 October 2008, Coulthard was announced as one of the competitors of the event in 2008 for F1 Racing Great Britain, held at Wembley Stadium on 14 December. He reached the final of the Drivers' Cup and lost out to World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. In 2009, Coulthard raced for the All-Stars team alongside Giniel de Villiers. The pair were eliminated in Group B of the Nations Cup, and Coulthard was defeated in the quarter-finals of the World Finals by Sebastian Vettel.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard did not participate in 2010 and was replaced by BTCC driver Jason Plato. Coulthard returned for 2011, joining the All-Stars team alongside Filipe Albuquerque. Neither driver achieved success at the competition. In 2012, Coulthard remained in the Race of Champions and returned to compete for Great Britain, partnering Andy Priaulx. The pairing were eliminated in the group stages, with Coulthard being eliminated during the semi-finals by Kristensen in the Drivers' Cup.


title: David Coulthard

text: For 2013, Coulthard was to be partnered by Williams development driver Susie Wolff, the first female competitor in the history of the Race of Champions. However, two weeks before the event was due to take place in Bangkok, the Sports Authority of Thailand and Race of Champions organisers announced the event would be cancelled due to political unrest in Thailand. For 2014, Coulthard went onto the Nation's Cup with Wolff and the pair reached the final, finishing runner-up to Team Nordic's Tom Kristensen and Petter Solberg. Coulthard then went on to win the Driver's Cup after beating Pascal Wehrlein in the final to claim his first Race of Champions Driver's title. He went on to beat Solberg to win the 2018 Race of Champions.


title: David Coulthard

text: On 25 November 2008, it was announced that Coulthard would join the BBC as a pundit alongside Jake Humphrey and Eddie Jordan for the broadcaster's coverage of Formula One. With the departure of commentator Jonathan Legard at the end of 2010, Coulthard was announced as a co-commentator alongside Brundle, after undergoing successful screen tests. He also writes a regular column for "The Daily Telegraph" and BBC Sport.


title: David Coulthard

text: In 2016, Coulthard left the BBC to join Channel 4 after the BBC abandoned its coverage of Formula One. With Channel 4 he continued to commentate and be a co-presenter of their Formula 1 coverage. Coulthard co-owns Whisper Films, along with former co-presenter Jake Humphrey, and the production company was chosen by Channel 4 to produce its coverage of all of its races. He was offered a presenting role on "Top Gear" alongside Jordan but turned down the offer because "Channel 4 pulled a blinder".


title: David Coulthard

text: For the 2017 Mexico City ePrix he made a guest appearance as an analyst for Channel 5 coverage. On 10 October 2018, Coulthard was announced as a spokesperson and advisory board member of the forthcoming W Series, a racing championship for women based on Formula 3-homologated Tatuus T-318 chassis. He is also a co-commentator for W Series.


title: David Coulthard

text: On 4 April 2010, Coulthard announced a return to motor racing when he secured a contract to drive for Mücke Motorsport and would be partnered by Maro Engel. Coulthard started the season by finishing in the first two races and retired from a collision in Lausitz. He managed to secure a further five consecutive finishes, although he did not score points in these races. Coulthard retired on the first lap of the next race at the Hockenheimring when he was involved in a multi-car collision. Coulthard rounded out the season with an eighth-place finish in Shanghai. Coulthard finished 16th in the Drivers' Championship, with one point.


title: David Coulthard

text: On 6 April 2011, it was announced that Coulthard would be retained by Mücke and would once again be partnered by Engel. Coulthard stated at 2010 was his "apprenticeship year" and pledged during 2011, that he would become more competitive. Coulthard started off his season by finishing in the first four races, albeit outside the points-scoring positions. He secured his only points of the year at the fifth race of the season at the Norisring, where he finished 8th. The remainder of the season saw Coulthard finish every race, although he was disqualified from the race at Ricardo Tormo as his car's rear wing was found to have been incorrectly mounted during the qualifying session. For the second consecutive year, Coulthard finished 16th in the Drivers' Championship, with one point.


title: David Coulthard

text: On 29 February 2012, it was announced that Coulthard would once again be retained by Mücke and would be partnered by Robert Wickens. Coulthard finished in the points with 8th position in the opening round held at the Hockenheimring. He did not score points in the next three races, which included a retirement at the Red Bull Ring. He recovered from this to take fifth position in the next round at the Norisring. Before the final race at the Hockenheim, Coulthard announced his retirement from motor racing, citing the reason to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on his co-commentary role with the BBC, as well as managing his off-track businesses. Overall, Coulthard secured fifteenth in the Drivers' Championship, with 14 points.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard became known for having a smooth driving style. This style allowed him to perform at circuits where chicanes are common. However, this also meant that he was not suited to modern-day circuit configurations where a majority of the corners are taken at a medium-speed.


title: David Coulthard

text: During his Formula Ford career, Coulthard gained a reputation of performing better at races than during qualifying sessions. The problem became particularly prevalent during 2003, when one-lap qualifying was introduced, in an effort for smaller teams to gain more television exposure. Coulthard became an open vocal opponent of the format, saying: "I just don't like the single-lap qualifying format, I don't think it's right that one lap judges whether you are fast or not."


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard's helmet design is blue and consists of a white saltire on the top which resembles the flag of Scotland and the four tips are trespassed from the top of the chin area. Coulthard borrowed a helmet belonging to Michael Schumacher for the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix as his regular helmet was suffering from steaming up during the weekend. Upon Schumacher's first retirement in 2006, he suggested to Coulthard that he would swap one of his own helmets for one of Coulthard's, which was agreed by Coulthard. For the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, he changed his design to grey with a stylised saltire on the sides of his helmet, as an homage to the late World Rally Champion Colin McRae.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard has lived for some time in Monaco, and also owns homes in London, Belgium and Switzerland. He owns several luxury hotels in Britain and is a former owner of the Columbus Hotel Monaco, which is located in Monaco's Fontvieille.


title: David Coulthard

text: On 2 May 2000, while he was leasing the Learjet of friend David Murray, the aeroplane developed engine trouble en route to Côte d'Azur International Airport in Nice and crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Lyon-Satolas Airport, France. Coulthard, his then-fiancée the American model Heidi Wichlinski and personal trainer/bodyguard Andy Matthews survived; Murray's personal pilot David Saunders and co-pilot Dan Worley died. Coulthard and Wichlinski ended their engagement before the beginning of the 2001 season, which was followed with a series of inaccurate newspaper reports about alleged affairs with other women.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard was involved in a four-year relationship with Brazilian model Simone Abdelnour, before ending the relationship in 2005. Coulthard became engaged to Karen Minier, a Belgian Formula One correspondent for French TV channel TF1, on 2 June 2006. The couple married in 2013. Coulthard and Minier had their first child, Dayton Minier Coulthard, on 20 November 2008.


title: David Coulthard

text: A museum in his home village, Twynholm, was dedicated to Coulthard, but it has now closed. It was previously run by Coulthard's sister, who died in February 2013. Fans in his home village are called "Twynosi" (a cross between Twynholm and the Italian word for "fans", "tifosi", as used by Ferrari fans), who gather on race days. He released his autobiography in 2007, entitled "It is What It Is". In it, he stated that he had suffered from bulimia as a teenager, caused by the need to lose weight when competing in karting championships. In 2008, Coulthard was best man at the wedding of Christian Hughes and actress/presenter Amanda Holden.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard's second cousin, New Zealander Fabian Coulthard, is also a racing driver, and has won several junior championships. He is currently racing in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series for Team Sydney.


title: David Coulthard

text: Coulthard is an ambassador for the spinal injuries charity Wings For Life. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to motorsport. Coulthard is a Mercedes-Benz Brand Ambassador, and was involved with the development of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.


title: Balochistan

text: Balochistan ( ; ; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region of desert and mountains is primarily populated by ethnic Baloch people.


title: Balochistan

text: The Balochistan region is split between three countries: Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Administratively it comprises the Pakistani province of Balochistan, the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and the southern areas of Afghanistan, which include Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces. It borders the Pashtunistan region to the north, Sindh and Punjab to the east, and Iranian regions to the west. Its southern coastline, including the Makran Coast, is washed by the Arabian Sea, in particular by its western part, the Gulf of Oman.


title: Balochistan

text: The name "Balochistan" is generally believed to derive from the name of the Baloch people. Since the Baloch people are not mentioned in pre-Islamic sources, it is likely that the Baloch were known by some other name in their place of origin and that they acquired the name "Baloch" only after arriving in Balochistan sometime in the 10th century.


title: Balochistan

text: Johan Hansman relates the term "Baloch" to "Meluḫḫa", the name by which the Indus Valley civilisation is believed to have been known to the Sumerians (2900–2350 BC) and Akkadians (2334–2154 BC) in Mesopotamia. "Meluḫḫa" disappears from the Mesopotamian records at the beginning of the second millennium BC. However, Hansman states that a trace of it in a modified form, as "Baluḫḫu", was retained in the names of products imported by the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC). Al-Muqaddasī, who visited the capital of Makran - Bannajbur, wrote 985 AD that it was populated by people called "Balūṣī" (Baluchi), leading Hansman to postulate "Baluch" as a modification of "Meluḫḫa" and "Baluḫḫu".


title: Balochistan

text: Asko Parpola relates the name "Meluḫḫa" to Indo-Aryan words "mleccha" (Sanskrit) and "milakkha/milakkhu" (Pali) etc., which do not have an Indo-European etymology even though they were used to refer to non-Aryan people. Taking them to be proto-Dravidian in origin, he interprets the term as meaning either a proper name "milu-akam" (from which "tamilakam" was derived when the Indus people migrated south) or "melu-akam", meaning "high country", a possible reference to Balochistani high lands. Historian Romila Thapar also interprets "Meluḫḫa" as a proto-Dravidian term, possibly "mēlukku", and suggests the meaning "western extremity" (of the Dravidian-speaking regions in the Indian subcontinent). A literal translation into Sanskrit, "aparānta", was later used to describe the region by the Indo-Aryans.


title: Balochistan

text: During the time of Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), the Greeks called the land "Gedrosia" and its people "Gedrosoi", terms of unknown origin. Using etymological reasoning, H. W. Bailey reconstructs a possible Iranian name, "uadravati", meaning "the land of underground channels", which could have been transformed to "badlaut" in the 9th century and further to "balōč" in later times. This reasoning remains speculative.


title: Balochistan

text: Nearly 5100 years ago, a multitude of tribes left their abodes in Central Asia and moved toward west, south, and southeast directions. These people were called Aryans and a section among them became known as Indo-Iranic tribes. Some of the Indo-Iranic tribes settled in northwestern Iranian region of Balashakan. Circumstances forced this pastoralist nomadic group of tribes known at that time as Balashchik to migrate en masse and abandon their original homeland. After many centuries of wandering and sufferings, these pastoralist nomads ultimately settled in the south and eastern fringes of Iranian plateau. Here they changed from being the Balashchik to become the Baloch, and the name of the region they finally settled became known as Balochistan, "the land of the Baloch".


title: Balochistan

text: The earliest evidence of human occupation in what is now Balochistan is dated to the Paleolithic era, represented by hunting camps and lithic scatter, chipped and flaked stone tools. The earliest settled villages in the region date to the ceramic Neolithic (–6000 BCE) and included the site of Mehrgarh in the Kachi Plain. These villages expanded in size during the subsequent Chalcolithic when interaction was amplified. This involved the movement of finished goods and raw materials, including chank shell, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and ceramics. By 2500 BCE (the Bronze Age), the region now known as Pakistani Balochistan had become part of the Harappan cultural orbit, providing key resources to the expansive settlements of the Indus river basin to the east.


title: Balochistan

text: From the 1st century to the 3rd century CE, the region was ruled by the Pāratarājas (lit. "Pārata Kings"), a dynasty of Indo-Parthian kings. The dynasty of the Pāratas is thought to be identical with the Pāradas of the Mahabharata, the Puranas and other Vedic and Iranian sources. The Parata kings are primarily known through their coins, which typically exhibit the bust of the ruler (with long hair in a headband) on the obverse, and a swastika within a circular legend on the reverse, written in Brahmi (usually silver coins) or Kharoshthi (copper coins). These coins are mainly found in Loralai in today's western Pakistan.


title: Balochistan

text: During the wars between Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) and Emperor Darius III (336-330 BC), the Baloch were allied with the last Achaemenid emperor. According to Shustheri (1925), Darius III, after much hesitation, assembled an army at Arbela to counter the army of invading Greeks. His cousin Besius was the commander, leading the horsemen from Balkh. Berzanthis was the commander of the Baloch forces, Okeshthra was the commander of the forces from Khuzistan, Maseus was the commander of the Syrian and Egyptian contingent, Ozbed was the commander of the Medes, and Phirthaphirna was leading the Sakas and forces from Tabaristan, Gurgan, and Khurasan. Obviously, as part of a losing side, the Baloch certainly got their share of punishment from the victorious Macedonian forces.


title: Balochistan

text: During the reign of Arab dynasties, the medieval Iran suffered the onslaught of Ghaznavids, Mongols, Timurids, and the incursions of Guzz Turks. The relationship between the Baloch and nearly all these powers were hostile, and the Baloch suffered enormously during this long period. The Baloch encounters with these powers and the subsequent Baloch miseries forced the Baloch tribes to move from the areas of conflicts and to settle in the farflung and inaccessible regions. The bloody conflicts with Buyids and Seljuqs were instrumental in waves of migration by the Baloch tribes from Kerman to further east.


title: Balochistan

text: Herodotus in 450 BCE described the "Paraitakenoi" as a tribe ruled by Deiokes, a Persian king, in northwestern Persia (History I.101). Arrian describes how Alexander the Great encountered the "Pareitakai" in Bactria and Sogdiana, and had them conquered by Craterus (Anabasis Alexandrou IV). The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century CE) describes the territory of the "Paradon" beyond the Ommanitic region, on the coast of modern Balochistan.


title: Balochistan

text: The Hindu Sewa Dynasty ruled parts of Balochistan, chiefly Kalat. The Sibi Division, which was carved out of Quetta Division and Kalat Division in 1974, derives its name from Rani Sewi, the queen of the Sewa dynasty.


title: Balochistan

text: The region was fully Islamized by the 9th century and became part of the territory of the Saffarids of Zaranj, followed by the Ghaznavids, then the Ghorids. Ahmad Shah Durrani made it part of the Afghan Empire in 1749. In 1758 the Khan of Kalat, Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch, revolted against Ahmed Shah Durrani, defeated him, and freed Balochistan, winning complete independence.


title: Balochistan

text: The relation between the Ghaznavids and the Baloch had never been peaceful. Turan and Makuran came under the Ghaznavids founder Sebuktegin's suzerainty as early as AD 976-977 (Bosworth, 1963). The Baloch tribes fought against Sebuktegin when he attacked Khuzdar in AD 994. The Baloch were in the army of Saffarids Amir Khalaf and fought against Mahmud when the Ghaznavids forces invaded Sistan in AD 1013 (Muir, 1924). Many other occasions were mentioned by the historians of the Ghaznavids era in which the Baloch came into confrontation with the Ghaznavids forces (Nizam al-Mulk, 1960).


title: Balochistan

text: There are only passing references of Baloch encounters with the Mongol hordes. In one of the classical Balochi ballads, there is mention of a Baloch chieftain, Shah Baloch, who, no doubt, heroically resisted a Mongol advance somewhere in Sistan.


title: Balochistan

text: During the long period of en masse migrations, the Baloch were traveling through settled territories, and it could not have been possible to survive simply as wandering nomads. Perpetual migrations, hostile attitudes of other tribes and rulers, and adverse climactic conditions ruined much of their cattle breeding. Settled agriculture became a necessity for the survival of herds and an increased population. They began to combine settled agriculture with animal husbandry. The Baloch tribes now consisted of sedentary and nomadic population, a composition that remained an established feature of the Baloch tribes until recently.


title: Balochistan

text: In the 1870s, Baluchistan came under control of the British Indian Empire in colonial India. During the time of the Indian independence movement, "three pro-Congress parties were still active in Balochistan's politics", such as the Anjuman-i-Watan Baluchistan, which favoured a united India and opposed its partition.


title: Balochistan

text: In 2021, there was an earthquake that killed dozens of people. This came to be known as the 2021 Balochistan earthquake. There were other major earthquakes in 2013 (2013 Balochistan earthquake and 2013 Saravan earthquake).


title: Balochistan

text: Baloch tribalism in medieval times was synonymous with pastoral nomadism. Nomadic people, as observed by Heape (1931), regard themselves as the superior of sedentary or agriculturist. It is, perhaps, because the occupation of nomads made them strong, active, and inured to hardship and the dangers which beset a mobile life.


title: Balochistan

text: The areas of Balochistan where the Baloch tribes moved in had a sedentary population, and the Baloch tribes were compelled to deal with their sedentary neighbors. Being in a weaker position, the Baloch tribes were in need of constant vigils for their survival in new lands. To deal with this problem, they began to make alliances and organized themselves into a more structured way. The structural solution to this problem was to create tribal confederacies or unions. Thus, in conditions of insecurity and disorder or when threatened by a predatory regional authority or a hostile central government, several tribal communities would form a cluster around a chief who had demonstrated his ability to offer protection and security.


title: Balochistan

text: The fundamental objective of the British to enter into a treaty agreement with the Khanate of Kalat was to provide a passage and supplies to the "Army of Indus" on its way to Kandahar through Shikarpur, Jacobabad (Khangadh), Dhadar, Bolan Pass, Quetta, and Khojak Pass. It is interesting to note that the British imperialist interests in Balochistan were not primarily economic as was the case with other regions of India. Rather, it was of a military and geopolitical nature. Their basic objective in their advent in Balochistan was to station garrisons so as to defend the frontiers of British India from any threat coming from Iran and Afghanistan.


title: Balochistan

text: Beginning from 1840, there began a general insurrection against the British rule throughout Balochistan. The Baloch were not ready to accept their country as part of an occupied Afghanistan and to be ruled under a puppet Khan. The powerful Mari tribe rose in total revolt. The British retaliated with excessive force, and a British contingent under the command of Major Brown on May 11, 1840, attacked the Mari headquarter of Kahan and occupied Kahan Fort and the surrounding areas (Masson, 1974). The Mari forces withdrew from the area, regrouped, and in an ambush wiped out a whole convoy of British troops near Filiji, killing more than one hundred British troops.


title: Balochistan

text: The cultural values which are the pillars of the Baloch individual and national identity were firmly established during the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, a period which not only brought sufferings for the Baloch and forced them into en masse migrations but also brought fundamental sociocultural transformation of the Baloch society. An overlapping of pastoral ecology and tribal structure had shaped contemporary Baloch social values. The pastoralist nomadic way of life and the inclination to resist the assimilation attempts of various powerful ethnic identities shaped the peculiar Baloch ethnic identity. It was the persecution by strong and organized religions for the last two thousand years that has shaped their secular attitude about religion in social or community affairs. Their independent and stubborn behavior as the distinctive feature of the Baloch identity is consistent with their nomadic or agro-pastoral past.


title: Balochistan

text: Med o Maraka, for resolution of disputes among the Baloch, is a much-honored tradition. In a broader context, it is, in a way, accepting the guilt by the accused or offender and asking for forgiveness from the affected party. Usually, the offender himself does this by going to the home of the affected person and asking for forgiveness.


title: Balochistan

text: Dress code and personal upkeeping are among the cultural values, which distinguish a Baloch from others. The Baloch dress and personal upkeeping very much resemble the Median and Parthian ways. Surprisingly, no significant changes can be observed in the Balochi dress since the ancient times. A typical Balochi outfit consisted of loose-fitting and many-folded trousers held by garters, bobbed hair, shirt (qamis), and a head turban. Generally, both hair and beard were carefully curled, but, sometimes, they depended on long straight locks. A typical dress of a Baloch woman consists of a long frock and trouser (Shalwaar) with a headscarf.


title: Balochistan

text: Historically, there is no documented evidence of religious practices of the Baloch in ancient times. Many among the Baloch writers observed that the persecutions of the Baloch by Sassanid Emperor Shahpur and Khusrow had a strong religious or sectarian element. They believed that there are strong indications that the Baloch were the followers of Mazdakian and Manichean sects of Zoroastrian religion at the time of their fatal encounters with Sassanid forces. No elaborate structure of religious institutions has been visible in the Baloch society during the Middle Ages. Originally, the Baloch were the followers of the Zoroastrian religion and its various sects, converted to Islam (nearly all Baloch belong to the Sunni sect of Islam) after the Arab conquest of Balochistan during the seventh century.


title: Balochistan

text: The Balochistan region is administratively divided among three countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. The largest portion in area and population is in Pakistan, whose largest province (in land area) is Balochistan. An estimated 6.9 million of Pakistan's population is Baloch. In Iran there are about two million ethnic Baloch and a majority of the population of the eastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province is of Baloch ethnicity. The Afghan portion of Balochistan includes the Chahar Burjak District of Nimruz Province, and the Registan Desert in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The governors of Nimruz province in Afghanistan belong to the Baloch ethnic group.


title: Balochistan

text: The Balochistan region has also experienced a number of insurgencies with separatist militants demanding independence of Baloch regions in the three countries to form "Greater Balochistan". In Pakistan, insurgencies by separatist militants in Balochistan province have been fought in 1948, 1958–59, 1962–63 and 1973–1977 – with a new ongoing low-intensity insurgency beginning in 2003. Historically, drivers of the conflict are reported to include "tribal divisions", the Baloch-Pashtun ethnic divisions, "marginalization by Punjabi interests", and


title: Balochistan

text: "economic oppression". However, over the years, insurgency waged by separatist militants declined as result of crackdown by Pakistani security forces, infighting among the separatist militants and assassinations of Baloch politicians willing to take part in Pakistan's democratic process by the separatist militants. Separatist militants in Pakistan demand more autonomy and a greater share in the region's natural resources. In 2019, United States declared Baloch Liberation Army, one of the separatist militants fighting the government of Pakistan, a global terrorist group.


title: Balochistan

text: In Iran, separatist fighting has reportedly not gained as much ground as the conflict in Pakistan, but has grown and become more sectarian since 2012, with the majority-Sunni Baloch showing a greater degree of Salafist and anti-Shia ideology in their fight against the Shia-Islamist Iranian government. Separatist militants fighting in Iran demand more rights for ethnic Baloch living in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province.


title: Balochistan

text: The main instruments of Baluchi music are the "sorud" fiddle, the "doneli" double flute, the benju zither, the tanburag lute, and the dholak.


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: Salem's Lot is an upcoming American supernatural horror film written and directed by Gary Dauberman, based on Stephen King's 1975 novel of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster Productions, and Vertigo Entertainment, the film stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk, Alfre Woodard, and William Sadler. The plot centers on a writer who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration, only to discover the presence of a vampire.


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: "Salem's Lot" is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures.


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: Ben Mears is a writer who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration, only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a vampire, leading him to band together with a ragtag group to fight it.


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: "Salem's Lot" is an adaptation of the 1975 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The feature film from New Line Cinema was announced in April 2019 when "The Hollywood Reporter" revealed Gary Dauberman was set to write the screenplay and executive produce and James Wan was attached as a producer. In an interview, Dauberman was asked if he would apply the same writing approach he utilized for "It" (2017) and "It Chapter Two" (2019), adaptations of King's novel of the same name, to which he replied, "I like to be as true to the story as I possibly can until it gets a little too unwieldy for a movie. I'm very, very excited to be a part of that and tackle it. It hasn't had the big-screen treatment yet, which is how I felt about "It". It's so fun to play around with vampires and make something truly scary. I haven't seen that in a long, long time, and I'm excited for people to see it."


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: In April 2020, Dauberman was announced as director. In August 2021, Lewis Pullman was selected to portray the film's lead role. In September, principal photography commenced in Boston with cinematographer Michael Burgess. Filming in the state of Massachusetts took place in Ipswich and the towns of Sterling and Clinton, both within Worcester County. The Princeton Public Library in Princeton, Massachusetts, was also booked as a filming location for three days.


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: Additional photography occurred in late May or early June 2022. During post-production, Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott composed the score.


title: Salem's Lot (film)

text: "Salem's Lot" was originally set to release on September 9, 2022, the post–Labor Day weekend that had been successful for the studio's past horror releases, and then on April 21, 2023, "due to COVID-related delays in the post-production realm". In August 2022, the film lost its release date, after the studio's "Evil Dead Rise" was rescheduled to that date.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Set in the fantasy world of Spira, a setting influenced by the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan, the game's story revolves around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as Sin. The player character is Tidus, a star athlete in the fictional sport of blitzball, who finds himself in Spira after Sin destroyed his home city of Zanarkand. Shortly after arriving to Spira, Tidus becomes a guardian to summoner Yuna to destroy Sin upon learning its true identity is that of his missing father, Jecht.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Development of "Final Fantasy X" began in 1999, with a budget of more than ( in dollars) and a team of more than 100 people. The game was the first in the main series not entirely scored by Nobuo Uematsu; Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano were signed as Uematsu's fellow composers. "Final Fantasy X" was both a critical and commercial success, shipping over 8.5 million units worldwide on PlayStation 2. It is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. On March 13, 2003, it was followed by "Final Fantasy X-2", making it the first "Final Fantasy" game to have a direct game sequel. As of September 2021, the "Final Fantasy X" series had sold over 20.8 million units worldwide, and at the end of March 2022 had surpassed 21.1 million.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Like previous games in the series, "Final Fantasy X" is presented in a third-person perspective, with players directly navigating the main character, Tidus, around the world to interact with objects and people. Unlike previous games, however, the world and town maps have been fully integrated, with terrain outside of cities rendered to scale. As Tidus explores the world, he randomly encounters enemies. When an enemy is encountered, the environment switches to a turn-based battle area where characters and enemies await their turn to attack.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: The gameplay of "Final Fantasy X" differs from that of previous "Final Fantasy" games in its lack of a top-down perspective world map. Earlier games featured a miniature representation of the expansive areas between towns and other distinct locations, used for long-distance traveling. In "Final Fantasy X", almost all the locations are essentially continuous and never fade out to a world map. Regional connections are mostly linear, forming a single path through the game's locations, though an airship becomes available late in the game, giving the player the ability to navigate Spira faster. Like previous games in the series, "Final Fantasy X" features numerous minigames, most notably the fictional underwater sport "blitzball".


title: Final Fantasy X

text: "Final Fantasy X" introduces the "Conditional Turn-Based Battle" system in place of the series' traditional "Active Time Battle" system first used in "Final Fantasy IV". Whereas the ATB concept features real-time elements, the CTB system is a turn-based format that pauses the battle during each of the player's turns. Thus, the CTB design allows the player to select an action without time pressure. A graphical timeline along the upper-right side of the screen details who will be receiving turns next, and how various actions taken will affect the subsequent order of turns. The ordering of turns can be affected by a number of spells, items, and abilities that inflict status effects upon the controlled characters or the enemies. The player can control up to three characters in battle, though a swapping system allows the player to replace them with a character outside the active party at any time. "Limit Breaks", highly damaging special attacks, reappear in "Final Fantasy X" as "Overdrives". In this new incarnation of the feature, most of the techniques are interactive, requiring button inputs to increase their effectiveness. While initially the Overdrives can be used when the character receives a significant amount of damage, the player is able to modify the requirements to unlock them.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: "Final Fantasy X" introduces an overhaul of the summoning system employed in previous games of the series. Whereas in previous titles a summoned creature would arrive, perform one action, and then depart, the "Aeons" of "Final Fantasy X" arrive and entirely replace the battle party, fighting in their place until either the aeon wins the battle, is defeated itself, or is dismissed by the player. Aeons have their own statistics, commands, special attacks, spells, and Overdrives. The player acquires five aeons over the course of the game through the completion of Cloister of Trials puzzles, but three additional aeons can be obtained by completing various side-quests.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: As with previous titles in the series, players have the opportunity to develop and improve their characters by defeating enemies and acquiring items, though the traditional experience point system is replaced by a new system called the "Sphere Grid". Instead of characters gaining pre-determined statistic bonuses for their attributes after leveling up, each character gains "Sphere Levels" after collecting enough Ability Points (AP). Sphere Levels allow players to move around the Sphere Grid, a pre-determined grid of interconnected nodes consisting of various statistic and ability bonuses. "Spheres" are applied to these nodes, unlocking its function for the selected character.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: The Sphere Grid system also allows players to fully customize characters in contrast to their intended battle roles, such as turning the White Mage-roled Yuna into a physical powerhouse and the swordsman Auron into a healer. The "International" and PAL versions of the game include an optional "Expert" version of the Sphere Grid; in these versions, all of the characters start in the middle of the grid and may follow whichever path the player chooses. As a trade-off, the Expert grid has fewer nodes in total, thus decreasing the total statistic upgrades available during the game.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Blitzball is a minigame that requires strategy and tactics. The underwater sport is played in a large, hovering sphere of water surrounded by a larger audience of onlookers. The player controls one character at a time as they swim through the sphere performing passes, tackles, and attempts to score. The gameplay is similar to that of the main game in the way that the controlled character moves through the area until they encounter an enemy. In this case, the enemy is a member of the opposing team. Status effects are also implemented in the minigame as each player can learn techniques that are equivalent to abilities in the main game.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Blitzball is first introduced in the beginning of the game during one of the early cinematic sequences in which Tidus, the main character who is described as a star blitzball player, is part of an intense game. It is the only minigame that plays a role in the overall plot line as it is not only a main part of Tidus's character, but it's also in the first scene where the game's main antagonist, Sin is shown. Unlike with the other minigames, playing blitzball is mandatory near the beginning of the game, but it is later optional.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: "Final Fantasy X" is set in the fictional world of Spira, consisting of one large landmass divided into three subcontinents, surrounded by small tropical islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the tropical Besaid and Kilika islands, to the temperate Mi'ihen region, to the frigid Macalania and Mt. Gagazet areas. Spira is very different from the mainly European-style worlds found in previous "Final Fantasy" games, being much more closely modeled on Southeast Asia, most notably with respect to vegetation, topography, architecture, and names.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Although predominantly populated by humans, Spira features a variety of races. Among them are the Al Bhed, a technologically advanced but disenfranchised sub-group of humans with distinctive green eyes and unique language. The Guado, which are less human in appearance, with elongated fingers and other arboreal features. Still less human are the lion-like Ronso and the frog-like Hypello. A subset of Spira's sentient races are the "unsent", the strong-willed spirits of the dead that remain in corporeal form. In Spira, the dead who are not sent to the Farplane by a summoner come to envy the living and transform into "fiends", the monsters that are encountered throughout the game; however, unsent with strong attachments to the world of the living may retain their human form. Other fauna in Spira, aside from those drawn from real animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, and butterflies, include the gigantic, amphibious shoopufs (which are similar to elephants); and the emu-like chocobo, which appears in most "Final Fantasy" games.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: There are seven main playable characters in "Final Fantasy X", starting with Tidus (James Arnold Taylor/Masakazu Morita), a cheerful young teenager and a star blitzball player from Zanarkand, who seeks a way home after an encounter with Sin transported him to Spira. To do so, he joins Yuna (Hedy Burress/Mayuko Aoki), a summoner on a journey to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat the enormous whale-like "Sin". Journeying with them are: Kimahri Ronso (John DiMaggio/Katsumi Chō), a young warrior of the Ronso tribe who watched over Yuna during her childhood; Wakka (also DiMaggio/Kazuya Nakai), a blitzball player whose younger brother was killed by Sin; and Lulu (Paula Tiso/Rio Natsuki), a stoic black mage close to Yuna and Wakka. During the journey, they are joined by Auron (Matt McKenzie/Hideo Ishikawa), a former warrior monk, who worked with both Tidus' and Yuna's fathers to defeat Sin 10 years prior; and Rikku (Tara Strong/Marika Matsumoto), Yuna's cousin, a perky Al Bhed girl and the first friendly person Tidus meets upon arriving in Spira.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Tidus waits with his allies outside the ruins of an ancient city. He narrates the events that led to the present, spanning most of the game's storyline. It begins in his home city, the high-tech metropolis of Zanarkand, where he is a renowned blitzball player and son of the famous blitzball star, Jecht, an abusive father who disappeared 10 years prior. During a blitzball tournament, the city is attacked by an immense creature that Auron, a man not originally from Zanarkand, calls "Sin". Sin destroys Zanarkand and takes Tidus and Auron to the world of Spira. Upon arriving in Spira, Tidus is rescued by Al Bhed salvagers, with the young Rikku says Sin destroyed Zanarkand 1,000 years ago. After Sin attacks again, Tidus is separated from the divers and drifts to the tropical island of Besaid, where he meets Wakka, captain of the local blitzball team. Wakka introduces Tidus to Yuna, a young summoner about to go on a pilgrimage to obtain the Final Aeon and defeat Sin with her guardians Lulu, a mage of black magic, and Kimahri, a member of the Ronso tribe. The party travels across Spira to gather aeons, defending against attacks by Sin and its "offspring" called Sinspawn. Tidus meets Auron again, who convinces Tidus to become Yuna's guardian upon revealing that Jecht is Sin's true identity. Ten years ago, Auron and Jecht bodyguarded Yuna's late father Braska to defeat Sin but Jecht became a new Sin. As Yuna's party continues their pilgrimage, Tidus reunites with Rikku, who the party learns is Yuna's cousin.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: When the party arrives in the city of Guadosalam, the leader of the Guado and major clergy member Seymour Guado, proposes to Yuna, saying that it will ease Spira's sorrow. At Macalania Temple, the group discovers a message from the spirit of Seymour's father, Lord Jyscal; he declares that he was killed by his own son, who now aims to destroy Spira. The group reunites with Yuna and kills Seymour in battle; soon afterward, Sin attacks, separating Yuna and sending the others to the arid Bikanel Island. While searching for Yuna at the island's Al Bhed settlement, Tidus has an emotional breakdown when he learns that summoners die after summoning the Final Aeon, leading to his desire to find a way to defeat Sin while keeping Yuna alive. The group finds Yuna in Bevelle, the center of the clergy’s power, where she is being forced to marry the unsent Seymour. They crash the wedding, after which Seymour reveals his plan to become Sin with Yuna's help. The party defeats him a second time and escapes with Yuna. The group heads toward the ruins of Zanarkand, seen in the introduction of the game.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Shortly before arriving, Tidus learns that he, Jecht, and the Zanarkand they hail from are summoned entities akin to aeons based on the original Zanarkand and its people. Long ago, the original Zanarkand battled Bevelle in a machina war, in which the former was defeated. Zanarkand's survivors became "fayth" so that they could use their memories of Zanarkand to create a new city in their image, removed from the reality of Spira. Once they reach Zanarkand, Yunalesca—the first summoner to defeat Sin and unsent ever since—tells the group that the Final Aeon is created from the fayth of one close to the summoner. After defeating Sin, the Final Aeon kills the summoner and transforms into a new Sin, which has caused its cycle of rebirth to continue. The group decides against using the Final Aeon, due to the futile sacrifices it carries and the fact that Sin would still be reborn. Yunalesca tries to kill Tidus' group, but she is defeated and vanishes, ending hope of ever attaining the Final Aeon.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: After the fight, the group learns that Yu Yevon — the deity of the Yevon religion who was a summoner from Zanarkand before losing his humanity and mind — is behind Sin's cycle of rebirth. This leads the group to infiltrate Sin's body in order to find Yu Yevon. Inside Sin, the party finds the unsent Seymour, who had been absorbed by Sin and intends to control it from within. Yuna defeats him for the final time before sending him to the Farplane. Shortly after, the group reaches the core of Sin and finds Jecht's imprisoned spirit. Tidus and Jecht finally come to terms with the latter’s abuse. Jecht transforms into his Final Aeon form, asking the party to defeat him and end the cycle; they do so. With Sin's host defeated, Yuna summons and the group defeats each aeon after Yu Yevon possesses each one until finally they vanquish Yu Yevon himself.


title: Final Fantasy X

text: Sin's cycle of rebirth ends when Yuna sends Sin and the Aeons to the farplane, and the spirits of Spira's fayth are freed from their imprisonment. Auron, who had been revealed to be unsent, is sent to the Farplane. Dream Zanarkand and Tidus disappear, now that the freed fayth stopped the summoning. Afterward, in a speech to the citizens of Spira, Yuna resolves to help rebuild their world now that it is free of Sin. In a post-credits scene, Tidus awakens under water and swims towards the ocean surface.