Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer not messing about in the river (Image: BBC/Robert Pereira Hind)Great to see Ted the dog up and at ‘em in Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing (BBC2, Christmas Eve). Ted was showing his age, which fitted in with the general mood of the Christmas special. Christmas for Bob this year meant no father-in-law, while Whitehouse recalled his parents squeezing in one last Christmas before they died in January, years apart. Meanwhile, Phillipa Dunne came close to stealing the show again as Anne, the Irish middle-class mammy with a wild streak. The cast of Amandaland in all their paper hat wearing glory (Image: PHOTOGRAPHER:Natalie Seery/BBC/Merman)Even better than the Christmas special was the programme before it.

‘I’m sitting thinking of this great ground and our great friend and you’ve done a piece about him, Shane Warne,’ Hussain told Sky Sports. ‘But your point is a good one, there are traditionalists in Test match cricket who like the ebbs and flows and the slow build. ‘Boxing Day Test match. ‘A short Test is bad for business,’ Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg told SEN, reflecting on the match. 'The players obviously want to be out there slogging it out over five days,' Ponting told Channel 7, as he too waded in on the MCG wicket.

Man Utd’s Patrick Dorgu ‘looked inside’ after Ruben Amorim’s confidence remarksBy Simon Peach, Press Association Chief Football WriterPatrick Dorgu feels he has reacted well to Ruben Amorim’s remarks about his confidence having “looked inside” and built himself into a Manchester United match-winner over the past month. “The manager spoke about my confidence a few weeks ago, so I just looked inside and tried to understand what he meant,” Dorgu said. “I’ve done that at my old team as well, so it’s nothing new to me,” Dorgu said of his more advanced wide role. “I knew already a few days ago, so I just tried to remember how to play there. Dorgu said: “We need to win the next game as well to build more confidence.

Luke Littler thanks parents for getting his eyesight ‘sorted’ in childhoodBy Jonathan Veal, Press AssociationLuke Littler has revealed his life could have taken a different path had he not had corrective eye surgery when he was a child. Luke Littler is defending his World Championship trophy (Zac Goodwin/PA) Photo by Zac GoodwinAsked if things could have been different, he said: “Well, who knows? It’s one of those things, obviously, it had to be sorted. My mum and dad wanted that sorted. And obviously, Christmas is darts.

This Boxing Day was a sad blot on English top-flight history thanks to the Premier League and Sky - but my day at Stockport County reminded me of all that's beautiful about this treasured tradition, writes OLIVER HOLT

‘The situation is grave’ – the Irish documents about Edward VIII’s abdication the UK wanted to keep privateThree decades after the king gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson in 1936, the British government requested that a conversation involving Éamon de Valera not be publishedState Papers Day 1 - 1995 and its place in Irish historyRalph Riegel Today at 06:30The British government asked Irish officials to withhold any documentation relating to the 1936 abdication of King Edward VIII from public release, 32 years after he stepped down so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

California-based Keith Costigan covers MLS for Apple TV having relocated from Dublin in the 1990sWhen Keith Costigan looks back on the 20 years since picking up a mic for his very first game, he feels blessed to have had two things largely on his side: the support of key people in the industry and a certain amount of luck.

One of the most popular Hollywood musicals of all time, its vivid dance sequences and catchy song lyrics are ingrained into the consciousness of generations. But now West Side Story, once considered a family classic, has been reclassified as a 12 certificate after 40 years of being a PG. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) identified a number of themes and scenes which it considers triggering for younger viewers, and so raised the age rating for the home entertainment release. Wicked, a spin-off of the Oz story, tells the backstory of Wicked Witch Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande). The BBFC updates its classification guidelines every four or five years after public consultation.

Munster welcome derby rivals Leinster to a sold-out Thomond Park on Saturday evening looking to give further evidence the province has stepped off the rollercoaster they had been riding for what seemed an eternity. The current Munster squad looks deeper in strength and better equipped than its predecessor of 11 seasons ago to do so but the gulf in quality to Leinster has arguably got broader in that same period. “We'll be able to answer that question a bit more accurately after the weekend,” the former Chiefs boss said. Tadhg Beirne returns to captain Munster from blindside flanker as Jack O’Donoghue switches to the openside. Replacements: John McKee, Paddy McCarthy, Tadhg Furlong, Diarmuid Mangan, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Charlie Tector, Andrew Osborne.

A Daily Mail audit of Food Standards Agency (FSA) hygiene ratings revealed 3,600 outlets were so dirty they failed inspection. However, at the other end of the filthy scale, 31 councils didn't have a single outlet that failed a hygiene rating. Consumers are now far more aware of food hygiene ratings than ever before, Food Safety Consultancy UK. 'Mandatory display of food hygiene ratings in England would likely help address this by increasing transparency and encouraging operators to prioritise compliance. 'Food hygiene standards across the UK are very high.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has named the club's worst ever signing as he criticised a former team-mate's professionalism. Scholes career at Old Trafford spanned two decades with the midfielder forming a key part of Sir Alex Ferguson's trophy winning teams. Scholes discussed Man United's worst signings during his time at the club on an episode of the Overlap. Scholes instead highlighted goalkeeper Mark Bosnich as one of Man United's worst signings, criticising his professionalism and ability to strike a ball. Paul Scholes has named Man United's worst signing from his time at the clubScholes claimed goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was 'unprofessional' while at Manchester United'Veron was a great player, a talented player.

Victoria Beckham wowed in a stunning satin teal dress from her own collection as she arrived with her daughter Harper and husband David at Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay's wedding on Saturday. Fashion designer Victoria, 51, looked sensational in her teal floor-length ensemble from her own brand, which retails for £1,290. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Harper followed in her mother's glamorous footsteps, appearing to wear a dress from Victoria's collection, which retails for £1,190. She looked stylish in a black satin floor-length dress, paired with a cropped black fluffy jacket and a matching Bottega Veneta clutch, retailing at £3,100. Meanwhile, Harper completed her look with a pair of black strappy heels as she walked alongside her fashionable mother.

Photograph: Jae C Hong/APClimate-related disasters caused severe economic harm in 2025, with the 10 most costly responsible for damage exceeding €100 billion. Fatalities directly caused by the fires numbered 31 but around 400 more are believed to have resulted indirectly. Wildfires destroyed 47,000 hectares of moor, woodland and highlands in Britain; 260,000 hectares in Portugal and 383,000 hectares in Spain. Drought crippled several countries in South America, Iran and west Asia while floods caused devastation in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo. This means meeting our climate finance targets, investing in climate action, and breaking our dependence on fossil fuels to urgently reduce emissions.”

That’s Ralphie VI, the live mascot of the Colorado Buffaloes college football team. And the third thing we know about Ember/Ralphie VI the buffalo/bison is that she isn’t the mascot of the CU Buffaloes. Now that’s the kind of team mascot we can all get behind. Listen | 48:26“Ember has been excellent in many aspects of her role as Ralphie,” said Taylor Stratton, director of the Ralphie Live Mascot Program (swear to God – none of this is made up). Ember, Ralphie – call her what you like.

But the true sensory relief came after nightfall when the inky blackness of the Mayo night fell. And so, MacMillan has been collaborating with residents of Newport, the town nearest the Dark Sky Park, to curb light pollution. Rather than projecting white light upwards, the plan used softer, warmer colours to minimise pollution and protect the dark. Not only does the church look more beautiful than ever, but carbon emissions have been cut by two tonnes and light pollution slashed by half. Yet unlike water or air pollution, light pollution is surprisingly straightforward to fix.