In exploring lost and abandoned villages dating back to the 13th century, The Northern Echo has uncovered several places that no longer appear on modern maps but are recorded in historical documents and guides.

Lost and abandoned villages of Darlington and County Durham

Old Richmond

Located near Gainford in the civil parish of Barforth, Old Richmond is one such vanished settlement.

Barforth, situated in the Teesdale district of County Durham, had a population of just 77 at the time of the 2001 Census, remaining under 100 by 2011.

Due to its small size, details are now preserved within the nearby parish of Ovington.

Positioned along the northern banks of the River Tees, Barforth is home to the remains of Old Richmond.

Though the village itself has disappeared, several historic structures survive, including a dovecote, the ruins of St Lawrence’s Chapel and the still-inhabited Barforth Hall.

Ulnaby

Ulnaby is another deserted village with deep historical roots.

Recognised as an ancient monument, it lies within the grounds of Ulnaby Hall Farm near High Coniscliffe.

This former “toft” village was occupied from the late 13th century until the 16th century. Temporary buildings were later added during the 19th century.

Ulnaby Hall Farm, which dates from the late 16th century, is believed to have replaced an important medieval manorial enclosure connected to the original settlement.

The village once covered around 6.6 hectares, with visible ridge and furrow farming remains to the north and west.

An 1841 document refers to three named fields in the area: Back Field, Eastern Field and the Garths, along with New Acridge Carr to the south.

Whessoe

The medieval village of Whessoe once stood on the northern edge of what is now Faverdale, between High Faverdale and Whessoe Grange farms.

For centuries, earthworks and fragments of medieval buildings marked the site.

However, these remains were levelled in the 1950s.

Up until the mid-20th century, the surrounding area was largely rural, made up of properties including Faverdale House, Middle and High Faverdale farms, Cockerton Grange and Rise Carr.

Originally part of the Cockerton civil parish, the area was incorporated into Darlington in 1915.

Do you remember any of these villages? Let us know in the comments.

Officers were called at 5.55am on Saturday to Kennerleigh Avenue, Austhorpe, to reports of a young woman being found unconscious, West Yorkshire Police said.

She was found to have suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital for medical treatment, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Four people – two women aged 18, a man aged 20 and a boy aged 17 – were all arrested from a nearby address on suspicion of murder, police said.

All four remain in police custody and a crime scene is in place while officers carry out further inquiries.

The victim remains unidentified and inquiries are ongoing to identify her, police said.

Detectives are also releasing details of her identity in the hope that someone will recognise her.

She is of slim build and has tanned skin. She is described as 5ft 2ins tall and believed to be in her mid to late teens, with green eyes and brown hair with darker roots and blonder ends.

She also has fixed metal braces to her upper and lower teeth.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Marc Bowes said: “This is an extremely complex investigation where a young woman has sadly lost her life.

“We are treating her death as murder and have arrested four people in connection with it.

“Despite carrying out extensive inquiries throughout the course of today we have not yet been able to confirm her identity.

“We hope by releasing these details that someone will recognise who she is and come forward.

“I am also keen to speak to anyone who was in the Kennerleigh Avenue area in the early hours of this morning, or anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the vicinity.”

If you can assist this investigation then call 101, or use the live chat options at westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat, quoting log 280 of 28 March.

Information can also be given anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.

Britain’s Got Talent hosts Ant and Dec ‘changed the rules’ after one act’s future was hanging in the balance

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Britain’s Got Talent presenters Ant and Dec were forced to intervene and ‘change the rules’ after one contestant’s future on the show hung in the balance.

During Saturday’s (March 28) episode of the popular ITV talent programme, judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and KSI returned to our screens in their quest to discover the next standout act.

With a £250,000 prize and a coveted spot at the Royal Variety Performance up for grabs, it comes as no surprise that the contestants pulled out all the stops to impress the panel.

One performer in particular caused quite a stir. Kevin Hogg, widely regarded as a dance legend and known as Gateshead’s very own MC Tazo, stepped onto the stage and set about winning over the crowd with his MC abilities.

With his wife and two children, Tyler and Riley, watching proudly from the audience, he encouraged everyone to get to their feet and dance as he performed an original track dedicated entirely to Britain’s Got Talent, reports Belfast Live.

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KSI was clearly won over, with the musician and YouTuber dancing along and declaring Tazo’s song a “banger”. Fellow judge Simon was equally entertained and awarded him a ‘yes’.

Amanda and Alesha, however, were less enthusiastic and both delivered a ‘no’. With three ‘yesses’ required to advance to the next round, it appeared Tazo’s journey was over.

Yet Geordie hosts Ant and Dec had other ideas, stepping in to ‘change the rules’ and securing his place in the next round. As Ant walked onto the stage, he asked: “Can we just give a ‘yes’ then that will be three ‘yesses’?”

With the audience applauding, Simon responded: “OK right, I changed the rules.” Gesturing towards KSI, he clarified: “Two ‘yesses’, four ‘yesses’, he is through.”

Meanwhile, viewers were left puzzled by Simon’s surprising response to another act, with some suggesting “he’s lost the plot”.

Japanese music group Arubai appeared on stage and performed one of Queen’s most iconic songs in a style never before seen on the BGT platform. Their rendition of Don’t Stop Me Now was delivered as a Japanese punk number.

Simon was the only judge to vote ‘yes’, a decision that promptly sparked debate amongst fans who flocked to social media to voice their opinions.

One viewer posted on X: “wtf has happened to Simon he’s lost the plot #bgt.” Another queried: “Simon liked it.? #BGT #BritainsGotTalent.”

Britain’s Got Talent airs Saturday nights on ITV and ITVX.

For Caster Semenya, the new Olympics rules are not about providing clarity and protecting women’s sport but caving into political pressure, and are discriminatory.

Having fought athletics chiefs over her own gender eligibility, the double Olympic champion is shaping up for a new battle with the International Olympic Committee.

“If we have to say women must stop taking part in Olympics, so be it,” the South African said in an exclusive interview with Sky News.

“I will encourage athletes to come together as a class action … because this does not make sense. It does not save women’s sport.”

The South African is encouraging a challenge against the landmark decision to reintroduce sex testing alongside banning transgender women and athletes – like herself – with differences in sex development (DSD) from women’s competitions.

“I’m fighting for women’s dignity,” Semenya said. “Those who say, ‘I am not going to be tested to prove that I’m a woman’ … I will encourage them to do that to stop this nonsense.”

This goes beyond sport since Donald Trump seized on stopping “men beat and batter female athletes”.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a former Olympic champion swimmer, and many other women in sport now align with the US president.

The Zimbabwean determined it is not fair for biological males to compete in the female competitions because physiological advantages of having gone through male puberty, or the presence of XY chromosomes, can be the difference in determining medals.

“This regulation is totally shameful,” Semenya said. “It’s something that her as a president should have not allowed such to happen.”

But the IOC has said there is at least a 10% advantage in most running and swimming events for men – rising beyond 100% for sports requiring “explosive power” like boxing, which creates dangers beyond fairness of competitions.

I put this to Semenya.

“Based on what?” she responded. “There’s no scientific proof about what has been said. It’s an ideology.”

The full scientific research behind the decision has not been published. Nor has the IOC said what has changed in recent years scientifically or medically.

But is it not clear in combat sports there are safety concerns when a biological woman takes on a fighter who was born a man, with higher testosterone levels and greater muscle mass?

“What do you expect in boxing?” Semenya responded. “We understand that it’s a dangerous sport. We all sign in, in all sporting codes, knowing that there are safety precautions.

“There are risks, but you cannot come and then try to measure someone’s power based on how they look because you think they’re intersex or you think that they’re transgender.”

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Semenya has become the face of scrutiny of eligibility rules since her gender was questioned based on her appearance after winning gold at the world athletics championships as a 19-year-old in 2009.

Enforced verification tests showed that while she always identified as female and had female traits, Semenya also had the typical male XY chromosome pattern and high levels of naturally occurring testosterone.

After being cleared to race, Semenya was still able to win Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016.

But then she refused to artificially reduce her hormone levels as required by World Athletics and lost further legal challenges. So the 35-year-old now coaches.

Mandatory sex verification testing for all entrants into Olympic women’s events will ensure a competitor isn’t singled out for tests because they might have masculine characteristics.

The IOC’s stance has transformed since ruling out a return to the “bad old days” of sex testing during Paris 2024 when Thomas Bach was in charge.

But Semenya said: “There is no respect for women. The minute you start asking a woman to be tested to take part in sports, that’s not dignity.”

When the IOC said this policy would apply to all their events I asked Ms Coventry if that includes the Youth Olympics. It does, meaning girls as young as 15 will have to take sex tests.

She said: “We really went above and beyond, I think, talking to a lot of different athletes, around how the process should be followed and what does that look like, and the support networks that need to be in place.”

For Semenya this just adds to safeguarding issues.

“Testing a girl, a child, it is harmful and it is shameful,” she said.

Will the rules stand up to a legal challenge ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

While Semenya says she is fighting for the dignity of women, the IOC insists this is about protecting the safety and integrity of women’s sport but could need to produce more evidence.

Now recovered from an arm injury that forced the initial postponement of this show in January, Itauma is looking to make the biggest statement of his career so far against what on paper is his toughest test, one he sees as the final piece of the puzzle before pursuing world title opportunities. Franklin has never scaled the heights of boxing’s glamour division but is a tough and durable customer who gave Whyte plenty of trouble before dropping a close decision back in 2022 and was then beaten but not stopped by Anthony Joshua.

Britain’s Got Talent made a return to ITV on Saturday with a brand new episode

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Britain’s Got Talent hosts Ant and Dec were forced to step in and ‘change the rules’ after one act’s fate was left hanging in the balance.

During Saturday’s (March 28) episode of the ITV hit talent show, judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and KSI were back on our screens as they searched for the next big act.

It comes as no surprise that they went all out in a bid to impress the panel and win the £250,000 cash prize as well as a spot on the bill of the Royal Variety Performance.

However it was one performer that caused quite a stir. Kevin Hogg, who is known as a dance legend and Gateshead’s own MC Tazo, took to the stage and attempted to win over everyone with his MC skills.

As his wife and two children, Tyler and Riley, watched on from the crowd, he invited everyone in the audience to get up and dance as he MC’d his way through an original track all about Britain’s Got Talent.

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It was clear that KSI was a big fan as the musician and YouTuber danced along and described Tazo’s song as a “banger”. Fellow judge Simon also enjoyed the performance and gave him a ‘yes’.

However Amanda and Alesha weren’t feeling it and ultimately they weren’t that impressed and said ‘no’. It looked like Tazo was heading home as he needed three ‘yesses’ from the judges to go through to the next round.

But Geordie hosts Ant and Dec were not going to let that happen as they stepped in to ‘change the rules’ and put him through to the next round.

Walking onto the stage, Ant asked: “Can we just give a ‘yes’ then that will be three ‘yesses’?” As the crowd cheered, Simon replied: “OK right, I changed the rules.” Pointing at KSI he explained: “Two ‘yesses’, four ‘yesses’, he is through.”

It comes as elsewhere viewers were left baffled after Simon”s unexpected reaction to one act insisting “he’s lost the plot”.

Music group Arubai from Japan took to the stage and transformed one of Queen’s biggest hits into a genre yet to be heard on the BGT stage. They performed Don’t Stop Me Now as a Japanese punk track.

Simon was the only judge to say ‘yes’ and that moment didn’t go unnoticed by fans as they rushed straight to social media to share their reaction.

One fan wrote on X: “wtf has happened to Simon he’s lost the plot #bgt.” Another questioned: “Simon liked it.? #BGT #BritainsGotTalent.”

Britain’s Got Talent airs Saturday nights on ITV and ITVX.

BBC One viewers shared their excitement as one show returned for its fifth year

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BBC One audiences shared identical reactions within moments of The Big Night of Musicals beginning, as the beloved event returned to television for its fifth year.

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals came back on Saturday, March 28 on BBC One with comedian Jason Manford returning as presenter.

This year, viewers enjoyed special performances from some of Britain’s most prominent West End and touring shows including The Lion King and Wicked.

Taking to the stage were recognisable performers including Eurovision star Sam Ryder in a world exclusive, delivering a stunning performance from Jesus Christ Superstar before his debut in the production this summer. X Factor’s Alexandra Burke was also scheduled to perform as Chaka Khan in I’m Every Woman.

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Broadcasting on BBC One at 7.45pm, it had been previewed: “Back for a fifth year and filmed in front of an audience of 12,000 at Manchester’s AO Arena, the show brings together some of the biggest and most exciting productions currently on stage alongside exclusive previews of shows opening this year and unique one-off collaborations created especially for the night.”

Within minutes of the programme starting, viewers expressed the same sentiment as they flocked to social media to voice their enthusiasm, reports the Mirror.

Writing on X, one viewer said: “Hooray they’ve gone back to the original show and not showing clips.” Another posted: “Been looking forward to this #BigNightofMusicals.”

A third viewer posted: “#bignightofmusicals I defy anyone who says they don’t get musical theatre to watch #thelionking and not be moved.”

A fourth wrote: “I’ve waited a very long time to watch #BigNightOfMusicals, it’s finally here!!”

One person shared: “Love Big Night Of Musicals on BBC1 but I’m in floods of tears as they started with Lion King. Great one this time as I’ve seen most of the shows on tonight’s one.”

Another said: “Fuming I didn’t get tickets for The Big Night Of Musicals this year because Lion King would’ve had me sobbing.”

One BBC audience member remarked: “I love Big Night of Musicals” while another contributed: “#BigNightOfMusicals is pure joy. Love it!”

The programme opened with a special performance from The Lion King, which moved viewers to tears, before continuing with Oliver the musical and The Producers featuring Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin.

Big Night of Musicals is available on BBC iPlayer

We spoke exclusively to actor Joel Kinnaman about his brand-new Netflix crime drama Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole

Netflix has released a fresh crime drama that’s ideal for viewers seeking their next binge-worthy series.

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole, based on the globally best-selling author’s popular books, follows the alcoholic yet gifted detective Harry Hole (Tobias Santelmann) as he pursues a savage serial killer terrorising Oslo, Norway, reports the Mirror.

Simultaneously, Harry is attempting to expose his corrupt colleague, detective Tom Waaler (Joel Kinnaman), leading to a tense game of cat and mouse between the two.

The nine-part series, which could be likened to a blend of Luther and Line of Duty, features some particularly grisly scenes, placing it on par with Idris Elba’s BBC detective drama.

In a recent interview with Wales Online’s publishers Reach Plc, Joel Kinnaman, who stars in Detective Hole, dissected one of the show’s most gut-wrenching moments and offered some unexpected behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of this gruesome scene.

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WARNING: This article contains significant spoilers from Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole on Netflix

The scene in question involves Kinnaman’s sociopathic police officer Waaler enticing an unsuspecting man into public toilets under the guise of sexual favours, only to then castrate and murder him.

Kinnaman revealed: “When we were shooting that, that’s where you really felt like this big budget was coming in because that penis prosthesis was so perfect. It felt very real holding it.” He added: “It was a very realistic experience.”

Despite the sequence proving difficult to watch, shooting it was quite different for Kinnaman and the remainder of the cast and crew.

The star joked that whenever the prosthetic made an appearance, he would “make a soundtrack” for its entrance.

“It was pretty hard to keep from laughing but then when he got into it, it became sort of horrifying,” he said.

Adding: “It was a very strange feeling. It was very strange to do it, but I enjoyed it.”

Speaking about joining the crime drama, the Swedish-American actor said he was “very excited” about the prospect of portraying the Swedish character in a Netflix production, which he said would make it more “accessible” to viewers.

Kinnaman continued by saying he was thrilled to enter acclaimed crime author Nesbø’s universe and the character of Waaler, saying: “I’ve never got to play this kind of mouth-watering, crazy role. So fun and such an opportunity.”

The star continued about Waaler’s psychology: “He’s sort of morally conflicted and he’s driven by his sexual confusion and his sexual desires and his strive for power and power games. But what is also fuelling all of this is his childhood trauma.

“I sort of play him as a malignant narcissist on the scale of psychopathy. That was sort of the hypothesis that I was playing off of and that’s someone… he’s not born a psychopath, but he has been damaged at a young age.

“And then it veers, it makes his personality veer off in this direction and course.”

Kinnaman suggested that early-life trauma had resulted in Waaler’s absence of empathy, which subsequently drove his exceptionally brutal conduct.

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is streaming on Netflix now

Britain’s Got Talent viewers were anything but impressed after a major rule change was introduced this week.

As per tradition, an act must get at least three ‘yeses’ from judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI to go through to the next round, making a majority.

But tonight, at the last second, an unexpected switch-up secured one auditionee’s place in the competition after they were initially rejected.

From Newcastle, MC Tazo arrived onstage with a smile, having already been hyped up by fellow Geordies and hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly beforehand.

He explained to the panel that he had an eight-year-old and a 12-year-old, who were in the audience to support him and were ‘absolutely buzzing’ upon learning he was auditioning.

No further details were given ahead of his performance, but everything soon became clear as some intense music kicked in and he began hyping up the crowd.

‘Right, BGT, I wanna know, are you ready to have some fun out there?’, the 43-year-old gas engineer, whose real name is Kevin, shouted on the mic.

Encouraging everyone to put their hands in the air, he proceeded to rap about the show and yell for audience participation with, ‘When I say “Britain’s Got,” you say “Talent”.’

Kevin even managed to get boxer-turned-YouTuber KSI on his feet, who grooved through the whole thing.

As the performance came to a close, Simon had a smile on his face, and Ant and Dec were cheering from the wings… but Amanda and Alesha were in need of convincing.

‘I thought it was an absolute banger!’, declared KSI.

‘Love the energy, great vibes, got me out of my seat. I loved it,’ he screamed to the point where his voice was actually turning hoarse.

After KSI gave ‘the easiest yes of the night’, Simon told Kevin: ‘That was fun.

‘I think people are gonna like you, and I’m actually with KSI on this. I thought that was good. I liked it a lot. So I will say yes.’

Alas, Kevin needed three yeses to sail through, and it wasn’t going to come from Amanda, who admitted: ‘You’re lovely, but the song was not.’

After Simon’s attempt at guilt-tripping by reminding his fellow judges that the hopeful has ‘two young kids’, Mis-Teeq star Alesha said she was ‘hoping it was gonna be amazing’.

‘But it was slightly out of time, Kevin,’ she said, earning boos from the crowd, apologising before giving a hard ‘no’.

Ant and Dec were immediately gutted, rushing out onto the stage to intervene.

‘Can we just give a yes? That’s three yeses,’ asked Ant, which the crowd was more than happy to allow.

‘OK, right. We’ve changed the rules,’ Simon stated.

‘Two yeses,’ he said, pointing to himself and KSI, then pointing to the presenting duo: ‘Four yeses, you’re through.’

Ant and Dec celebrated and jumped to hug a relieved Kevin, although their rule change did not go down well with those watching at home.

Taking to X, @wonderthunder13 raged: ‘Make up the rules as we go along on’.

‘So what “talent” are Ant and Dec such fans of? I’ve got a headache’, said @rozlaws of the performance.

@RyanSoapKing25 also argued that the performer ‘wasn’t that good’.

However, many defended the auditionee, who is autistic and used his autism as inspiration for jokes throughout his routine, such as poking fun at his love of graphs and data.

‘Ant and Dec *personally* found him funny and the whole point of the golden buzzer is that they can let whoever they enjoy through, thats what its for,’ said @peraltasbearcam. Gross that some people are using this to be ableist’.

Ted also earned a wealth of positive feedback from the judges, who called his act ‘so unique’ and ‘brilliant’, while other online commenters, including those who are neurodivergent, hailed him as ‘one of the most creative acts I’ve ever seen’ and ‘good at what he does’.

Britain’s Got Talent continues next Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX.

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All three people who died in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon were television journalists, it has been confirmed.

The Lebanese trio were travelling in a car when they were killed on Saturday.

Fatima Ftouni, an Al Mayadeen reporter, and Ali Shoaib, an Al Manar correspondent, were among those who died.

It has emerged the third person killed was Ms Ftouni’s brother, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni.

Fatima Ftouni had done a live report from southern Lebanon just before the strike in the Jezzine region.

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Al Manar described Mr Shoaib as an “icon of resistance reporting”, while Al Mayadeen said Fatima Ftouni had been distinguished by her ⁠brave and objective reporting.

Sky’s special correspondent Alex Crawford said: “There has been strong condemnation of the attacks on the three journalists. They were travelling along one of the main roads in the south of Lebanon.

“The two senior correspondents were very well known in Lebanon.”

She added: “On top of these attacks against the journalists today… Israeli airstrikes have also killed seven medical workers… in a string of attacks across south Lebanon. There have also been a number of children killed.”

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Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said the attack on the journalists was a war crime.

He added: “We strongly condemn this aggression and demand that all international bodies take action to stop what is happening on our land, and we reiterate our condolences to the families of the martyrs and to the journalistic and media community in Lebanon.”

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the bombing as a “targeted strike” and claimed that Ali Shoaib was “a terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah‘s Radwan Force”.

It added: “Additionally, the terrorist engaged in incitement against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, using his position as a channel to disseminate Hezbollah propaganda materials.”

The military’s statement made no mention of the other casualties.

In a statement, Iran-backed Hezbollah denied the IDF’s claim.

It said: “The enemy’s ‌false claims are nothing but an expression of its weakness and fragility, and a desperate attempt to evade responsibility for this crime.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described Al Manar as a “Hezbollah-affiliated” channel and Al Mayadeen as being “pro-Hezbollah”.

But it said that journalists were “not legitimate targets, regardless of the outlet they work for”.

CPJ’s regional director Sara Qudah said it was investigating, adding: “We have seen a disturbing pattern in this war and in the decades prior of Israel accusing journalists of being active combatants and terrorists without providing credible evidence.”

The CPJ said at least four other journalists had died across the Middle East since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February.

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The IDF has denied deliberately targeting journalists in conflicts such as the war in Gaza.

Lebanon’s information minister Paul Morcos said his ministry and the foreign ministry were preparing to file a complaint to the UN Security Council over Israel’s targeting of journalists.

In a statement, Mr Morcos “stressed that Lebanon will not treat such attacks as normal and is committed to national unity”.

He also “called for reaffirming and enforcing international protections for journalists and warned against any attempt to weaken these safeguards”.

Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Israel.

It is the first time Israel has faced fire from Yemen since the start of the Iran conflict.

Houthi spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said they fired a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting what he described as “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel.

Israel’s military earlier said it had intercepted a missile.