We’ve all told the odd fib, or perhaps embellished the truth a little, but have you ever dived so deep into a falsehood that your entire life felt like a lie?

Back in the early 2000s, a couple of gutsy, talented Scottish rappers took a bus down to London to audition for a record company looking for the next Eminem. One of the executives dismissed them as the ‘rapping Proclaimers’, and they headed home, dejected and deflated.

But Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd (not to be confused with the Lord of the Rings actor) didn’t give up, deciding instead to reinvent themselves in the most audacious way possible. They renamed themselves Silibil N’ Brains, pretended they were an established duo from California and, before long, had a record deal, a big flat in Soho and all the excesses – and potential risks – that came with it. 

Were they out purely for themselves or were they aiming to expose the hypocrisy of the business? Maybe a bit of both.

It’s a cracking true story, and X-Men and Atonement star James McAvoy has turned it into a movie called California Schemin’, with a script by Elaine Gracie and Archie Thomson.

Asked why he picked this tale for his directorial debut, the Scottish-born star, 46, told Metro: ‘It gave me the opportunity to tell a unique story about people from a working-class background. It’s entertaining and with a possibility of reaching a mainstream audience – quite rare in the film business – while being funny and underpinned by some real stakes.’

In order to make their fake identities seem more believable, the boys agreed fully to inhabit their new characters, speaking with American accents and doing their best not to call each other by their real names. But, as is the case in many stories depicting a sharp, misguided trajectory to success, the two weren’t always on the same page, Gavin wrestling with his demons and ambition, and Billy trying to maintain a solid relationship with Mary, his girlfriend back home.

‘There was personal health, wellbeing and sanity at stake here, because the boys are faced with the opportunity to get ahead by sacrificing one of the most important things you have in this life, which is your personal identity, authenticity and integrity,’ says James, who plays a terrifying record company boss in the movie. ‘That’s also important to the art form, that they love each other so much.’

It’s not clear whether the two men’s friendship is still as tight in real life. Although they both continue to make music, Billy works on an oil rig and is devoted to his family. The film is based on Gavin’s book about the events, so he played a key part in the shape of California Schemin’. Billy got involved towards the end of the project (having previously been affiliated with another version of the story).

‘I think at times it’s difficult for them watching it, because we show them at their funniest and their best, and we also show them at their worst, making some bad choices and suffering because of it,’ says James. 

‘I can’t imagine what that would be like to watch, and reliving certain events, one of which has a guy in mortal danger at one point.’

Samuel Bottomley (who played the lead in Liam Williams coming-of-age comedy drama Ladhood) takes on the role of Billy, while Séamus McLean Ross (young Colum MacKenzie in Outlander, and the son of Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh) plays the troubled Gavin.

While Bradford-born Samuel plays a lad with a Fife accent pretending to be American, Séamus’s starting point is a Glaswegian accent. But the biggest change for them both was the rapping; they’re both big fans of the genre, but doing it on stage (albeit on a film set) is far from easy.

‘I grew up on Eminem and Dr Dre, and I love that stuff, man,’ says Samuel. ‘We both spent a lot of time listening to the songs and practicing them.’

‘Their flows are so fast and they love putting in as many complex words into each sentence as they can,’ adds Séamus. ‘It’s like they’re tripping each other up and making it as hard as they can to impress with their battle rapping.’

Both actors felt a responsibility to respect the intensity of Gavin and Billy’s friendship, especially when you get the sense that Billy would much rather be telling the truth and being his true self with Mary (played with charm and wit by Lucy Halliday).

‘Getting into Gavin’s psyche prior to and after the lie was very interesting because it really was like two different characters – Gavin and Brains,’ says Séamus. ‘The ways in which Gavin starts and how he ends up are so different; we had to map out where we see Gavin and where we see Brains.

‘Billy’s like a catalyst for Gavin. He allows him to expand and be confident. Without him his light diminishes. We see that in some bits of the film when Billy’s not around and Gavin’s by himself. It’s almost as if he’s thinking, “I don’t know what to do when my best friend’s not here.”’

‘I was really nervous to see how Gavin took it when he saw the movie for the first time,’ adds Sam. ‘We were in the same room, watching him, and he was really happy with it.’

‘Yeah, that felt like the biggest pay-off – getting the nod from Gavin,’ echoes Séamus. Lucy also got a heartwarming message from Mary, who she describes as ‘a fiercely intelligent person who knew what she wanted, and was key in helping the boys achieve this, but also key in creating the life that she and Billy have to this day’.

James is keen to do more directing, and is particularly interested in bringing to the big screen stories about relationships – ‘the connection between people’. But first, he’s got to get back to the day job.

‘I need to make some money and be an actor for a while,’ he smiles. ‘I’ve been directing for a year and three quarters and it does not pay. Not yet anyway. Maybe film number two.’

California Schemin’ is out in UK and Irish cinemas from April 10.

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MORE: James McAvoy reveals scraggly transformation for gritty Frankie Boyle TV series

President Donald Trump has boasted over his new renovation project at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool as part of his social media frenzy Thursday evening.

“We were told it was going to take YEARS to do this job, and it will take a fraction of that time, at a fraction of the cost — and it will be much more beautiful than the day it was built!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The reflecting pool has become one of the most iconic sites of Washington, D.C. It was completed after the Lincoln Memorial’s dedication in 1922. The reflecting pool was previously closed for renovations for two years and reopened in 2012.

Trump announced his plans to “fix” the reflecting pool with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last November.

“You won’t be seeing this Biden filth and incompetence much longer!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, alongside a black-and-white video of the pool, edited to highlight green water.

Trump has turned the beautification of the White House and the D.C. area into his passion project.

He has demolished the East Wing of the White House for his estimated $400 million ballroom, paved over the Rose Garden for a new patio and redesigned the Palm Room and bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom.

The president also wants to build a massive “Independence Arch” near the Arlington National Cemetery and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, which Trump’s name is now attached to symbolically. The Center is set to close for two years of renovations.

Trump had a very active night on Truth Social, boasting about his latest renovation project while also threatening Tehran during the two-week ceasefire in his war with Iran.

The president bashed The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board for writing that Trump has declared “premature victory” in Iran.

“Actually, it is a Victory, and there’s nothing ‘premature’ about it! Because of me, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON and, very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran and, to me, it makes no difference, either way,” Trump wrote.

Trump later accused Iran of doing “a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!”

The strait typically carries about a fifth of the world’s oil, but after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran nearly six weeks ago, the country effectively closed the waterway.

When Trump announced the U.S.-Iran ceasefire Tuesday, he said it was contingent on Iran agreeing to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Trump also blasted prominent MAGA media figures Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, who have all criticized his war with Iran.

“They think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs,” Trump wrote.

Trump then railed against former President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats for their immigration policies after a Haitian immigrant allegedly beat a woman to death with a hammer at a convenience store in Florida.

The immigrant, Rolbert Joachin, confessed to the murder, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing a police report. The Homeland Security Department said Joachin was an “illegal alien.”

“This animal was allowed to stay here because the Biden Administration granted him, and all Haitians, ‘Temporary Protective Status,’ a massively abused and fraudulent program which my Administration is working to terminate, but Deranged Liberal District Court Judges are standing in our way,” Trump wrote.

The man also pleaded guilty to possessing indecent photos of children

A man has appeared in court after being charged with possessing sexual images of a corpse. Ben Sharpe, 31, of Burlton Road, Cambridge, appeared at Cambridge Magistrates Court on Thursday (April 9).

The 31-year-old was charged with possessing an extreme pornographic image or images portraying acts which involved sexual interference with a corpse. This relates to three images on or before January 31, 2025, in Cambridge.

Sharpe pleaded guilty to this charge, as well as other offences. The other charges he faced and pleaded guilty to were:

• Making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child relating to 962 category A images on/before January 31, 2025 in Cambridge;
• Making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child relating to 388 category B images taken on/before January 31, 2025 in Cambridge;
• Making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child relating to 838 category C images taken on/before January 31, 2025 in Cambridge;
• Possession of a prohibited image of a child taken on/before January 31, 2025;
• Four counts of breaching a sexual prevention harm disorder.

He will next appear at Cambridge Crown Court on May 21 for sentencing.

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A friend of the rape complainant claimed she saw Marc Ogilve, now  27, whom she did not know, on his knees next to the woman student who had her eyes closed.

“He just sat still and stared at me like a rabbit in the headlights,” she alleged as she gave evidence against him.

She alleged she sent a text to a male friend saying she had just gone into her friend’s room and “some random boy was helping himself to her whilst she was asleep. Please ring us”.

Prosecution barrister Nick Adlington asked her: “Do you have any doubt in your mind when you opened that door, you saw the defendant having sex with (the complainant).”

“No doubt at all,” she responded.

The alleged victim claimed in evidence that she had been woken earlier during the night by a pain and felt that Ogilve was raping her.

She claimed she sent a message to the friend, who was on a night out in the city centre. She claimed she didn’t know what to do, cried for a bit and then fell asleep again.

The friend alleged that when she read the message some time after it was sent, she cut short her night out and returned to the house she and the complainant shared with other students.  She alleged she opened the complainant’s bedroom door and saw Ogilve.

The incident happened when all three were students in York some years ago.

Ogilve, of Half Mile, Pudsey, denies two charges of rape.

Giving evidence, Ogilve claimed he had gone to sleep alongside the complainant and the next thing he knew was waking to see her leave the room before the friend came in and asked him to leave the house.    

He claimed he assumed the complainant had sobered up and decided she didn’t want to be in the same bed as him.

He denied that before the complainant left, the friend had opened the door and seen him as she had described.

Asked by his barrister Nicholas Hammond if the first alleged rape occurred, he replied: “No.”

“Are you sure about that?” he was asked and replied: “100 per cent.”

He made similar replies to identical questions about the second alleged rape and denied that the woman had texted from the bed.

He claimed he had no idea why he was asked to leave the house in the early hours.

The jury has seen texts he sent the complainant the next day asking if she was all right and including: “Sorry if I upset you. I am sorry if I did, I didn’t mean to.”

He claimed he sent that because he didn’t understand why he had been asked to leave and couldn’t understand why she didn’t respond to his texts.

He alleged he had had no expectation of sex between them that night as he had only met the complainant once before that night, and denied that he’d decided to “try it on”.

The jury heard that the complainant had been with her friend and others drinking alcohol in the city centre earlier in the night. She had become separated from her friends and Ogilve had walked her home.

Both told the jury they had agreed nothing sexual would happen, that they were not in a relationship, and they only knew each other casually.

The complainant claimed she let Ogilve stay at her house because she knew he lived in a different part of York and would otherwise have a long walk.

The trial continues.

NASA leaders have “high confidence” in the Artemis II crew spacecraft’s heat shield ahead of Friday’s historic return.

The shield is a critical part of the Orion capsule, protecting the crew from exposure to lethal temperatures – reaching up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit – during their high-speed descent.

There were problems with the heat shield on the first Artemis flight, which had no human passengers. Gases that generated inside the shield’s outer material were not able to vent as expected, causing cracks.

Since then, the shield has undergone extensive testing and Amit Kshatriya, the space agency’s associate administrator, says his confidence in the tech is backed up by engineering and flight data.

“The engineering supports it, the Artemis I flight data supports it, all of our ground tests support it, our analysis supports it,” he told reporters at a briefing from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, “and tomorrow, the crew’s going to put their lives behind that confidence.”

The astronauts, including NASA’s Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen were said to be in “high spirits” as they started their journey to Earth following a record-breaking slingshot around the Moon.

A splashdown in the Pacific set to conclude their test flight on Friday.

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How the Artemis II astronauts will get home

Julia Musto10 April 2026 01:45

Check out these cool pictures of the moon from the Artemis II mission

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The song that Artemis II started their day with

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NASA posts stunning shot from Orion spacecraft

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NASA seeing ‘small leak’ in propulsion system

There is a small leak in the Artemis II propulsion system, Jeff Radigan, the flight director of Artemis II, told reporters on Thursday.

The two-part system uses fuel and an oxidizer: a substance that causes another substance to burn.

“We are seeing what is a small leak in our pressure system,” he said, adding that the “leak is internal to the system, across some of our valves.”

The crew still needs to characterize the leak to see what, if any, modifications they might need to make in the future.

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‘We are good to go’

“We are good to go,” Branelle Rodriguez, the Artemis II Orion vehicle manager, told reporters on Thursday.

She said that the Orion spacecraft remains “healthy.”

“Everything looks really, really well to continue on,” added Rodriguez.

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NASA shares Artemis II return times

Jeff Radigan, the flight director of Artemis II, announced several times of note ahead of the Orion crew’s splashdown.

The crew module and service module will separate at 6:33 p.m. local CT. There will be a communications blackout at 6:53 before parachutes deploy at 7:03 p.m.

Splashdown is planned for 7:07 p.m.

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Every system ‘depends on the final minutes of flight’

“Every system we’ve demonstrated over the past nine days, life support, navigation, propulsion, communications, all of it depends on the final minutes of flight,” Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator, said Thursday afternoon.

“We have high confidence in the heat shield and the parachutes and the recovery systems we’ve put together. The engineering supports it, the Artemis I flight data supports it, all of our ground tests support it, our analysis supports it,” he continued, “ and tomorrow, the crew’s going to put their lives behind that confidence.”

“The crew has done their part. Now we have to do our’s,” said Kshatriya.

Julia Musto9 April 2026 20:53

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The industry body, UK Pet Food, estimates that we spend some £380 million a year on bird food. Separate figures suggest that amounts to more than 150,000 tonnes annually – enough to sustain three times the breeding populations of the ten commonest garden species if they relied on it alone all year round.

Motorists across the country, including Oxfordshire, are being encouraged to top up before tomorrow evening as fuel costs are expected to shift.

This comes in the wake of falling oil prices, triggered by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a temporary truce between the United States and Iran.

The two countries announced on Tuesday that they had agreed to a fortnight-long ceasefire, which includes restoring passage through the strategic waterway.

READ MORE: Asda responds as UK drivers hit with fuel station shortages

This passage is part of a route that carries around a fifth of the world’s daily oil shipments.

News of the agreement sent international markets into retreat, with crude values sliding sharply.

The Strait of Hormuz has been closed since hostilities flared in late February, a disruption which sent petrol prices soaring worldwide.

According to experts, despite the immediate fall, it will take some time for drivers to feel the full benefit of the reopening at the pump, while many have predicted that for the prices to significantly drop will take around two weeks.

As prices often rise towards the end of the week, ensuring to restock before then will benefit your wallet, with 5pm on Thursday being the suggested cut-off time in a fresh report by JOE, which states drivers have been “urged” to fill up by then.

READ MORE: Sainsbury’s issues statement to UK drivers amid fuel shortages

In featured quotes in the report, William Fletcher, CEO of Car.co.uk, said: “Prices usually rise on Thursday evening and stay elevated through Sunday.

“If you can plan ahead and fill up mid-week instead, you’ll typically save 2-3 pence per litre, which adds up quickly over a year of driving.”

A statement from Scrap Car Comparison added: “When it comes to saving money on fuel, the advice is simple: fill up early in the week.

“We typically see prices rise towards the weekend, with Friday and Saturday being the most expensive days due to increased leisure travel.”

This comes after reports that Tesco in Banbury was out of fuel last week, while others said there was no diesel at several other petrol stations in Oxfordshire.

READ MORE: Morrisons responds on fuel shortages affecting UK drivers

These issues were widespread across the UK as drivers faced empty pumps at forecourts across Norfolk, as the price of petrol and diesel continues to rise.

The Eastern Daily Press reported that the disruption to supplies caused by the Iran conflict in the Middle East was having an impact on fuel.

Similarly, in North Yorkshire, there were also reports of fuel issues as well as in other places across the country.

This newspaper approached several supermarket brands to see how Oxfordshire stores’ petrol stations have been affected.

READ MORE: Police statement after shopper poos on shelf at The Range

Asda was one of those contacted, but the supermarket giant refused to comment on the situation at this time.

When approached, Morrisons informed this newspaper that MFG owns and operates all of the chain’s fuel stations.

MFG then refused to comment at this time when subsequently contacted.

Sainsbury’s issued a comment, which referred to the stores across the UK as a whole, informing drivers that sites would be resupplied if shortages occurred.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We are actively monitoring stock levels in all locations and continuing to resupply sites where needed.”

The man became unresponsive after taking the drugs in December 2025

A man who supplied drugs to a man who later died has been jailed. Thomas Kelly, 33, met the other man and another person at a Cambridge property in December last year.

Kelly brought along Ketamine, which all three of them took. Later that evening, Kelly noticed the other man had passed out and wasn’t breathing.

The other person began CPR while Kelly called an ambulance. Emergency services attended, but the man in his 40s was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kelly, of Green Park, Chatteris, was arrested on suspicion of supplying a class B drug. He later pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to eight months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on April 2.

Detective Constable Abbie Ellis, who investigated, said: “This was a truly tragic incident where a man has lost his life, all because of drugs. Many think class B drugs are safer, and relatively ‘risk free’, but this case shows the dangers.

“Drugs ruin lives and we will do all we can to bring those who supply them to justice. My thoughts are with the deceased man’s family at what must be an incredibly difficult time.”

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But will there be one coming to you soon?

Lidl was unable to get a standard off-sales licence for a shop in Northern Ireland.

Instead, it is building a pub in Dundonald in east Belfast, as its licence comes with the legal right to operate an off-sales section.

A stroke of genius, many pug goers with a penchant for pastries would agree.

The pub, which will accommodate up to 60 customers, will not operate in-store, but will be in separate premises next door.

Imagine what the middle aisle of the pub will be like. https://t.co/irJbcVToTc

— Colin the Dachshund (@DachshundColin) April 9, 2026

Regional Managing Director for Lidl Northern Ireland Gordon Cruikshanks said: “Lidl has been a part of the Dundonald community for more than 20 years and in that time our shoppers and residents have been unable to avail of Lidl Northern Ireland’s full product range due to licensing restrictions.

“After six years in the planning process, we’re delighted to confirm today the development of a brand new public house and associated off-sales located adjacent to our Dundonald store, which will enable customers to enjoy access to our award-winning range of wine, beer and spirits, some of which are crafted right here in Northern Ireland.

“With the rising cost of living, many more shoppers are voting with their feet and choosing to shop at Lidl and, within the Dundonald community in particular, shoppers and residents deserve equal access to our full range of products.

“Today’s announcement and our investment in realising this project over the last number of years reflects our long-term commitment to Northern Ireland and our loyal customer base in Dundonald.”

Will Lidl open more pubs across the UK?

In Northern Ireland, supermarkets face two main hurdles which pertain to the sale of alcohol.

First, they must acquire a licence that has been “surrendered” by another business, such as a pub that has closed, a system which effectively caps the total number of licensed premises.

Second, they have to satisfy what is known as the “inadequacy” test, demonstrating that the existing number of licensed outlets in the area is insufficient to meet public demand.

Lidl was unable to meet this test for a standard off-licence.

But, it did pass the test for a pub licence, because two bars near the store have shut in recent years.

These very specific local conditions mean Lidl is not about to roll out pubs across its 13,000 stores worldwide.

Would you like a Lidl pub near you? Let us know in the comments.

Emergency services were called to Elizabeth Way on Tuesday (April 7) after a blue VW Golf was involved in a crash just after 4am. 

Cleveland Police said the smash took place following a short police pursuit – with two passengers, a man, 34, and woman, 42, in the vehicle being taken to hospital. 

The man who sadly died in the single car crash has now been named as 44-year-old Duane Michael Birdsall.

The 42-year-old woman injured in the crash, has now been arrested and charged with robbery in connection with an incident the same morning.

The 34-year-old man taken to hospital with serious injuries remains in hospital.

The woman appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, April 8 and was remanded until her next appearance on Tuesday, May 5.

A spokesperson from Cleveland Police said: “Our thoughts are with Duane’s family and friends at this difficult time.

“Detectives are still appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage relating to the collision to get in touch.”

The road was closed for hours following the crash in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said: “We were called to a road traffic incident at the junction of Elizabeth Way and Tees Road, Hartlepool at 4.16am on April 7.

“We dispatched three double crewed ambulances, a clinical team leader, a specialist paramedic, two vehicles from our Hazardous Area Response Team and were supported by Great North Air Ambulance’s medical car.

“One patient was taken to North Tees Hospital and one patient was taken to James Cook Hospital with a doctor on board.”