Troupes take to the streets for 195-year-old play Troupes take to the streets for 195-year-old play Troupes of performers are set to stage a 195-year-old traditional folk play in streets across the island. The first known record of a performance of The White Boys in the Isle of Man was
The Wanted’s Max George has pacemaker fitted The Wanted’s Max George has pacemaker fitted Max George, a member of boy band The Wanted, has revealed he has had a pacemaker fitted days after saying he would need surgery for a heart condition. Max George, a member of boy band The
Actor stars in Christmas film with Strictly winner Actor stars in Christmas film with Strictly winner An actor appearing in a festive comedy, co-written by Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland, said he enjoyed the experience. Josiah Eloi, from Northampton, plays Little Barry Brennan, a member of a crime family
Unseen home videos of James Bond Unseen home videos of James Bond He had a licence to charm on screen, with his sultry voice and suave, chiselled good looks. But in private, actor Sir Roger Moore – who played James Bond in seven films – was equally as comfortable behind
Nigel Bates makes Christmas return to EastEnders Nigel Bates makes Christmas return to EastEnders Nigel Bates has returned to the BBC soap EastEnders for the first time in 26 years in a special Christmas Eve episode. The character, played by Paul Bradley, appeared at a community centre where Yolande Trueman,
Coronation Street’s Gail bids farewell after 50 years Coronation Street’s Gail bids farewell after 50 years Coronation Street’s longstanding, long-suffering character Gail said farewell to Weatherfield on Christmas Day, after 50 years on the cobbles. Actress Helen Worth has stuck with the character through thick and thin since 1974, and
Children take the lead in Christmas play Children take the lead in Christmas play Theatre companies have worked with children in Exeter to create a Christmas play for young people. Unlike a traditional play, Winterwood is an immersive experience. Actors from Above Bounds and Angel Exit Theatre held workshops at
Gavin and Stacey tops Christmas Day TV ratings Gavin and Stacey tops Christmas Day TV ratings The Gavin and Stacey finale attracted an average of 12.3 million TV viewers – the largest Christmas Day audience in more than a decade, overnight data shows. The new Wallace and Gromit film also
Nessa to read old Shipping Forecast for centenary Nessa to read old Shipping Forecast for centenary Gavin and Stacey character Nessa is one of a raft of famous voices who will recreate old versions of the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year’s Day to celebrate 100 years
Fog causes disruptions to UK flights for second day Fog causes disruptions to UK flights for second day Heavy fog has continued to cause delays and cancellations at some of the UK’s busiest airports for the second day in a row, with the majority of flights at Gatwick and Stansted
Three migrants die attempting to cross Channel Three migrants die attempting to cross Channel Three people have died attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat on Sunday morning, the French coastguard says. People ended up in the water after trying to board a boat off the coast
Welsh landmark inspires Wallace and Gromit finale Welsh landmark inspires Wallace and Gromit finale A Welsh landmark was the inspiration for the “gripping” finale in the new Wallace and Gromit film. The final minutes of Vengeance Most Fowl shows a chase across an aqueduct bearing a striking resemblance to Pontcysyllte,
Starmer asks UK regulators for ideas to boost growth Starmer asks UK regulators for ideas to boost growth Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the chancellor and business secretary have written to the UK’s main regulators asking them to come up with ideas for reform that could boost economic growth. They
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to his younger brother Nick, who had cancer, after he died on Boxing Day at the age of 60. Starmer pays tribute to brother who died on Boxing Day Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to his younger brother Nick,
London’s disappeared department stores of days gone by London’s disappeared department stores of days gone by Once the bastion of middle-class ladies going up to town to shop, with deferential and attentive staff and a respectable place to lunch, department stores were a world away from today’s shopping habits of
UK’s longest serving postman calls time on career UK’s longest serving postman calls time on career Britain’s longest-serving Royal Mail postman has recalled hand-delivering turkeys, kippers and last-minute gifts for Christmas as his record 60 years comes to an end. Robert Hudson, from Leyton, east London, started his career in
Man charged after car hit four people in London Man charged after car hit four people in London A man has been charged with four counts of attempted murder after four pedestrians were hit by a car in London’s West End on Christmas Day. The car was travelling on the
NHS workers’ wages wrong after pay deal – union NHS workers’ wages wrong after pay deal – union A union has said some staff at a hospital trust have been paid thousands of pounds less than they should have following a pay agreement. Unison represents healthcare support workers at Colchester
Free Christmas lunch helps combat loneliness Free Christmas lunch helps combat loneliness A free festive lunch was held in Bristol on Christmas Day as part of an initiative to help combat loneliness. Vehicle hire firm Motability Operations said it hosted 42 guests in its office in Stoke Gifford to ensure
King praises health workers and calls for unity after riots King praises health workers and calls for unity after riots King Charles has delivered a personal message of gratitude to health workers who have supported him during his cancer treatment, in his annual Christmas speech. In a candid message, he
Alfie Boe sings Happy Birthday to UK’s oldest man Alfie Boe sings Happy Birthday to UK’s oldest man Opera star Alfie Boe has serenaded the UK’s oldest man with a special version of Happy Birthday as he turned 110. The singer made a special appearance, by video call, during Donald
Zelensky condemns ‘inhumane’ Christmas Day attack Zelensky condemns ‘inhumane’ Christmas Day attack Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia made a “conscious choice” by launching a major overnight attack on his country’s energy infrastructure on Christmas Day. Ukraine’s air force said it had detected 184 missiles and drones, but many were
Morrisons Christmas delays extend to second day Morrisons Christmas delays extend to second day Some Morrisons customers encountered further delays with their Christmas orders more than 24 hours after after the supermarket experienced what it called “systems issues” on Monday. One customer told the BBC she was left waiting for
American Airlines resumes flights after technical issue American Airlines resumes flights after technical issue American Airlines has resumed flights after suspending its services for around an hour on Tuesday due to a technical issue that impacted the systems needed to release its planes. The nationwide halt was cancelled just before
Met Office forecasts a ‘green Christmas’ in the UK Met Office forecasts a ‘green Christmas’ in the UK People across much of the UK should be safe to leave their winter layers and umbrellas at home on Christmas Day, as a run of unseasonably mild weather continues. Highs of between
Old Oak Common – mega station starts to grow Old Oak Common – mega station starts to grow Trains won’t run into Paddington from Christmas Day until 30 December because of preparation work at the new mega station being built at Old Oak Common in north-west London. As well as
‘Severe’ disruption to Christmas train services ‘Severe’ disruption to Christmas train services East of England train passengers are being warned journey times over the holidays will be “significantly longer than normal”, due to substantial engineering works. A section of the Midland Main line will close from the 21-29 December –
Man ‘attacked with alkali’ at Winter Wonderland Man ‘attacked with alkali’ at Winter Wonderland Three people have been arrested after a man had a bottle of corrosive liquid thrown at him while visiting Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, the Met Police said. The man, 22, was taken to hospital after being
Balcony gardens to ‘modernise’ vacant City Hall Balcony gardens to ‘modernise’ vacant City Hall London’s former City Hall, which has stood empty since the mayor and London Assembly left in 2021, is to be re-purposed into shops, restaurants and offices under plans from its landlord. Southwark Council’s planning committee has
Thousands of Santas descend on capital for charity Thousands of Santas descend on capital for charity More than 3,000 runners dressed as Father Christmas descended onto the capital on Wednesday night to raise money for more than 50 charities. The run saw a wave of red-suited runners race through London’s
Dogs in Christmas jumpers parade in London Dogs in Christmas jumpers parade in London More than a hundred dogs dressed in Christmas jumpers have joined a festive parade in central London in support of rescue charities. About 130 pets made their way from St James’s Park, down the Mall towards
Man arrested after eight-year-old girl shot in car Man arrested after eight-year-old girl shot in car A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a double shooting into a car which left an eight-year-old girl and her father with serious injuries. They were both taken to
Trafalgar Square’s ‘majestic’ Christmas tree felled Trafalgar Square’s ‘majestic’ Christmas tree felled A Norwegian spruce, which is sent to London every year for Christmas, has been felled in a traditional ceremony. To make the tradition more environmentally friendly, this year the tree is travelling part of the way to the
Wetherspoon pub toilet rapist’s jail term doubled A rapist who attacked a woman in a Wetherspoon pub toilet has had his jail sentence more than doubled after a court deemed his original sentence was unduly lenient. Szczepan Zenon Malczewski, 38, was jailed for six years following a Court of Appeal
Former pub to become an Islamic community centre Former pub to become an Islamic community centre An Islamic education charity has been given permission to turn a former east London pub into a community centre. The Quwwat-Ul-Islam Society plans to convert the ground floor and basement of The Hudson Bay
Sir Keir Starmer vows to ‘take decisions’ on outdoor smoking ban to ease NHS ‘burden’ Free Sir Keir Starmer vows to ‘take decisions’ on outdoor smoking ban to ease NHS ‘burden’ Free NHS ‘heartened’ by possible beer garden smoking ban while pubs say it will ‘increase isolation’ Sir Keir Starmer
Newcastle Wetherspoons refuses assistance dog entry to pub Newcastle Wetherspoons refuses assistance dog entry to pub A disabled teenager has told how they “completely broke down” after being refused entry to a Wetherspoons pub in Newcastle with their assistance dog. River Cartledge, 19, who has a number of mental and
Wonky Haverhill Christmas tree outside a Wetherspoons ‘de-wonked’ A Christmas tree which had started to lean “a little too far” outside a pub in Suffolk has been straightened to a “respectable angle”. The festive fir, outside The Drabbet Smock on Peas Hill in Haverhill, had a slight lean when installed
Wetherspoons in London Every pub in Zone 1 ranked from best to worst Wetherspoons in London Every pub in Zone 1 ranked from best to worst Greenwich is welcoming a new £3million Spoons. But what about those closer to the centre of town? One word is all it takes to
Wetherspoon’s sales jump over Christmas but still lag behind pre-Covid Wetherspoon’s sales jump over Christmas but still lag behind pre-Covid The pub chain said like-for-like sales surged by nearly 18% over the last three months of 2022, compared with the same period in 2021. JD Wetherspoon has revealed that its
Man admits killing Wetherspoon worker outside Walsall pub Man admits killing Wetherspoon worker outside Walsall pub A man has admitted killing a bar worker who died following an attack outside a Wetherspoon pub. Bystander Matthew Powney, 31, died after the attack outside The Malthouse on New Road in Willenhall, Walsall
Wetherspoons runs low on some beer amid driver shortage Wetherspoons runs low on some beer amid driver shortage The Wetherspoons chain has said some of its pubs have run out of some beer brands because of supply chain issues. The Wetherspoons chain has said some of its pubs have run
Student with stoma accused by Wetherspoons staff of taking drugs Student with stoma accused by Wetherspoons staff of taking drugs A student who was accused of taking drugs while using a disabled toilet at a Wetherspoons pub is calling for better awareness of invisible disabilities. Amber Davies, 21, from Builth
Eddie Izzard and Wetherspoons among Brexit vote spenders Eddie Izzard and Wetherspoons among Brexit vote spenders Comedian Eddie Izzard spent £36,229 on his campaign to keep the UK in the EU, official details of spending in this summer’s referendum show. The Labour activist was among Remain supporters who spent less
JD Wetherspoon warns wage costs are likely to hit profits JD Wetherspoon warns wage costs are likely to hit profits The pub chain JD Wetherspoon has warned that full-year profits are likely to be “towards the lower end” of analyst’s expectations. The company, which spends almost a quarter of its
Dispute and danger down the Dog and Duck Dispute and danger down the Dog and Duck Do you go for a “drinking occasion” without a meal? We’re told it’s a disappearing habit across Britain – other than affluent areas – and that disappearance is accelerating. That’s not good for pubs.
Wetherspoon ends UK Heineken drinks deal over Ireland row Wetherspoon ends UK Heineken drinks deal over Ireland row Pub chain JD Wetherspoon will no longer sell Heineken products in its 926 pubs in the UK after an argument over pricing in Ireland. Wetherspoon fell out with the Dutch brewing giant
JD Wetherspoon to open first motorway pub on M40 JD Wetherspoon to open first motorway pub on M40 JD Wetherspoon said it will open its first motorway pub after being given the go-ahead at services on the M40. The firm said the bar and restaurant will open at Extra in
Wetherspoon pub group cautious on prospects Wetherspoon pub group cautious on prospects Pub group JD Wetherspoon has reported a decline in recent underlying sales and says it is cautious about the outlook for the next financial year. The company said like-for-like sales had dipped 0.8% in the 13 weeks to
Promotion helps Wetherspoon sales Promotion helps Wetherspoon sales Pub operator JD Wetherspoon has reported a rise in sales after reducing the cost of a pint of beer to 99p. The company said its sales in the last two weeks of trading were up 6.4% compared to a 2.6% rise in
