The actor teased the beloved BBC sitcom is not finished, as he confirmed he is already writing new material.

The lead of a cherished BBC sitcom has hinted at its continuation, confirming it hasn’t reached its conclusion.

Greg Davies both created and stars in The Cleaner, which first broadcast in 2021.

Adapted from a German comedy, the show centres on Greg as Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, a crime scene cleaner who encounters diverse individuals through his distinctive profession.

Featuring guest appearances from the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, David Mitchell, Ruth Madeley, and Layton Williams, it depicts Wicky navigating peculiar scenarios while removing all traces of death from crime scenes.

The BBC synopsis reveals: “After CSI have done their stuff, the cleaner mops up the grisly remains. For Wicky, a bloodbath and the pub is all in a day’s work,” reports the Mirror.

Almost two years following the third series’ conclusion in October 2024, Greg has now suggested further instalments are on the horizon.

During Wednesday’s appearance on The One Show, the Taskmaster presenter revealed: “I’ve been told I’m not allowed to say much, but all I can tell you is, it’s not over. The Cleaner is not finished, we’re working on something.”

He continued: “I’ll be writing, yes, but I am not allowed to tell you what form it’s in. Something is happening, I’m writing it. I’m chuffed that Wicky is coming back.”

This follows fans praising The Cleaner as the “perfect British comedy”, with one viewer commenting: “One of the best shows in recent years.”

Advertisement

Another remarked: “Haven’t laughed so much in a long time. Just happened upon this little gem. Was in stitches within minutes….brilliant!” One viewer commented: “Blasted through all episodes, and this was a little gem to find,” while another declared: “Hooked already.”

A further fan remarked: “The Cleaner is unexpectedly quirky and original. I have never seen anything like it. I laughed so hard that I had to pause the show to collect myself as I was losing the dialogue. Greg Davies is a comic genius.”

“Easily bingeable,” another viewer noted, with someone else stating: “Every episode a gem. Just one of the best TV series this year.”

Advertisement

Greg has previously discussed what he believes draws audiences to The Cleaner and his character Wicky, explaining to the BBC: “Well, it’s not for me to presume they did but what I like about the character is that in many ways he is quite innocent, almost childlike. He has settled into a very straightforward personal life but does a job that is constantly challenging that.

“He is forced to consider things about life that, left to his own devices he’s probably ‘brushed under the carpet’. Rarely does Wicky leave a crime scene without having learned something.”

He continued: “I love that each week is a new adventure for him. He is challenged by eccentric characters with colourful lives.

“It’s really nice to work intensely with a small cast week on week and it may seem petty but I like that, regardless of the guest actors illustrious careers, I’m always the tallest person on camera.”

The Cleaner is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Martin Anstee, 56, was evacuated on a medical flight this morning along with two others

A British man who was evacuated from the MV Hondius after falling sick amid a suspected outbreak of the hantavirus has been named.

Martin Anstee was an expedition guide on board the cruise ship. He was removed from the vessel alongside two other people this morning and flown to Europe for treatment.

Mr Anstee was removed from the vessel along with a Dutch colleague, 41, who was the ship’s doctor, and a 65-year-old German passenger, the Telegraph reported.

His wife Nocila told reporters he appeared to be on the mend following “a very traumatic few days,” the Mirror reports.

“The fear with this virus is it can deteriorate very quickly so it’s been a bit up and down for him,” she said. “I don’t believe he’s in imminent danger now, but it was horrible.

Mr Anstee’s family were relieved that he had been evacuated from the ship and taken to Holland for treatment, as early treatment is important for recovery from the virus, she said.

“We’re just glad the authorities managed to get to Cape Verde to evacuate them, so it’s just relief at the moment,” she added.

Mrs Anstee said she found out her husband was ill on Sunday. At first his sickness had been mild but his symptoms became “more serious” she said, adding that his condition seemed to have now stabilised.

The Atlantic Odyssey voyage departed from Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1 with several expedition crew members, including Mr Anstee. His role saw him help guide guests around some of the remotest islands in the world, where the boat stopped off. His work took him to South Georgia, Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena.

He is a keen nature photographer and snapped rare birds, including the Wilkins’s finch, the Inaccessible Island rail and the Nightingale Island finch, captured while he was exploring the Tristan da Cunha islands.

Arsenal await as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain contest the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in Germany tonight. There are huge expectations for another pulsating showdown between two of Europe’s biggest clubs after last week’s nine-goal thriller at the Parc des Princes, a modern classic that saw so much scintillating attacking football and jaw-dropping shifts in momentum as holders PSG eventually triumphed 5-4. It was the highest-scoring contest in the history of Champions League semi-finals and one of the best games in recent memory.

The DWP has confirmed the full list of 24 skin conditions that could qualify for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), worth up to £114 a week

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed the complete list of 24 skin conditions that qualify for the monthly Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

PIP offers vital financial assistance to millions of people throughout England and Wales. As of April 2026, more than 3.7 million claimants depend on this benefit to help cover the additional costs linked to long-term disabilities, physical health conditions, or mental health difficulties.

The tax-free, non-means-tested payment is intended to help individuals meet their day-to-day living needs.

Among the skin conditions that could make someone eligible for PIP are eczema – varicose and dermatitis – psoriasis and rosacea, amongst others, reports the Manchester Evening News.

PIP remains accessible to those who are working, studying, or have savings. It consists of a “daily living” component and a “mobility” component. Applicants may qualify for one, both, or neither, subject to their assessment outcome.

In January, the DWP revised its payment rates for 2026, incorporating 92 new qualifying conditions. This follows a 3.8 percent inflationary rise. The updated rates are as follows:

Daily Living Component

• Standard Rate: £76.70 per week
• Enhanced Rate: £114.60 per week

Mobility Component

• Standard Rate: £30.30 per week
• Enhanced Rate: £80.00 per week

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is available to you if the following criteria all apply: you are 16 or over, you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, you experience difficulty carrying out certain everyday tasks or getting around, and you expect these difficulties to persist for at least 12 months from when they began.

Below is the complete list of 24 skin conditions being claimed for as of January 2026 – the latest data available – along with the number of claimants for each condition. There are 29,634 claimants in total.

• Acne vulgaris: 19
• Eczema – varicose: 171
• Eczema (dermatitis): 1440
• Papulosquamous and inflammatory rashes – Other / type not known: 913
• Psoriasis: 2213
• Rosacea: 17
• Urticaria: 249
• Bullous disease – Other / type not known: 150
• Dermatitis herpetiformis: 49
• Epidemolysis bullosa: 317
• Pemphigoid: 32
• Pemphigus vulgaris: 36
• Blood vessels/lymphatics – Other diseases of / type not known: 1137
• Leg ulcers (arterial): 638
• Leg ulcers (venous): 1123
• Lymphoedema: 6356
• Pressure sores: 19
• Venous insufficiency – chronic: 156
• Collagen and elastic tissue – Other diseases of / type not known: 154
• Ehlers Danlos syndrome: 7175
• Burns: 763
• Skin disease – Other / type not known: 2318
• Cellulitis: 906
• Infections/other: 315

To begin a claim, contact the DWP on 0800 917 2222. This initial contact date is crucial for backdating claims should they prove successful.

Applicants will be sent the “PIP2” form, entitled: ‘How your disability affects you’. Further details and the complete application guidance can be found on the official Gov.uk website.

Donald Trump has paused a military operation to free stranded ships off Iran as a possible peace deal emerges – giving millions of holidaymakers hope of a summer getaway after all.

The nine-week Middle East conflict has seen fuel prices soar because of Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and led to airlines scrapping planned flights to cope with shortages.

Yesterday it was revealed seating capacity on planes has fallen by 2 million this month, with 13,005 flights cancelled around the world.

But the US president yesterday said his Project Freedom was being put on hold as a deal – said to based on a 14-page A4 document – was possible.

‘If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,’ Mr Trump posted.

Mr Trump said previously in a post on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen ‘assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption.’

Oil prices plunged on news of a possible deal. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell more than 10% to below $100 per barrel. Though still well above the average $70 before the conflict began, the fall helped US stock markets rise.

Only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the route protected by American ships and aircraft, and hundreds of merchant ships remain stranded.

But a shaky ceasefire had largely held, despite exchanges of fire, and the sinking of six small Iranian boats, as the operation in the strait began on Monday.

The carefully optimistic situation was put to test this evening after US fighter jet fired at an Iranian-flagged ship to stop it from reaching a blockaded port, the US Central Command said.

US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said the offensive stage of the war, Operation Epic Fury, is over.

Iran’s hard-line religious regime said the statements meant the US had ‘retreated’ but did not respond to suggestions a deal was close.

Mr Trump has argued the war – which began on February 28 with a missile attack that killed Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86 – was to stop it building a nuclear bomb.

The proposed deal is said to involve Iran halting all uranium enrichment for 12 to 15 years, with extra years added if it violates terms. It would also have to agree to move stockpiles of its highly enriched uranium out of the country. It has claimed its stocks are for a nuclear power programme – not weapons.

Mr Trump has called his predecessor Barak Obama’s 2015 agreement with Iran the ‘worst deal ever’. But the new plan is said to echo it, with sanctions lifted and assets worth billions gradually released.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei later said the proposal to end the war is ‘still being considered’. But another official described the plan as more of a ‘wish-list than reality’.

Both sides hope China can bridge the gap between them, after the repeated breakdown so far of peace talks brokered by Pakistan.

Mr Trump is due to visit Beijing next week to meet president Xi Jinping. His country’s close economic and political ties to Tehran give it unique influence.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was there yesterday for his first visit since the US and Israel attacked.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said the conflict ‘has not only caused serious losses to the Iranian people, but also had a severe impact on regional and global peace’. He added: ‘China is deeply distressed by this. We believe a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed.’

But at a White House briefing Mr Rubio responded: ‘I hope the Chinese tell him (Araghchi) what he needs to be told… that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy in this.’ Aviation analytics company Cirium revealed 120 flights from the UK have been axed so far this month as jet fuel prices soar.

Around 20% of global oil is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, off Iran’s coast. Though the figure represents only 0.53% of all departures it has cut capacity by 7,972 seats. The final week of May is half-term at many schools, and a peak getaway period.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander vowed summer holiday plans will not face major disruption as fuel for planes is being imported from the US.

But Paul Charles, founder of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said if the conflict continues ‘there will need to be many more cancellations as the jet fuel supply is squeezed’.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Doctors warn the UK could see an STI surge — here’s the reason why

MORE: Strait of Hormuz domino effect could lead to job losses in the UK

MORE: Donald Trump says he works out ‘one minute a day max’

Two people who returned independently to the UK from the cruise ship that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak have been told to self-isolate

Two people who returned independently to the UK from a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak have been instructed to self-isolate. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the guidance while stating that “the risk to the general public remains very low.”

The Government is “working urgently” to support British nationals caught up in the outbreak, which is linked to three deaths. A total of 19 British passengers and four British crew members were listed on the vessel as it sailed from Argentina toward Cape Verde.

Two Britons—one passenger and one crew member—are among those who have fallen ill during the suspected outbreak. Investigators have traced the source of the infection to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina, which two passengers attended before boarding the ship.

The crew member, understood to be a doctor on the ship, along with a Dutch crew member and another passenger were taken from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius on Wednesday for onward travel to the Netherlands, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

Spanish health officials said the British medic is now in a more “stable condition” after previously being in a “critical condition”.

The Associated Press reported that a medical evacuation flight arrived at Amsterdam’s airport on Wednesday evening.

The passenger was medically evacuated from the ship on April 27 and taken to Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Foreign Office said that it was “working urgently” to help get Britons “safely home with proper protection for public health”.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The outbreak of hantavirus is very serious and deeply stressful for those affected and their families.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting added: “The outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius will be worrying many.

“The Government are taking this incredibly seriously and are working urgently to support the British nationals involved.

“We are working across DHSC, UKHSA and the FCDO to ensure all those affected get home safely.”

The evacuation means the ship can now continue on its three-day journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities gave permission for the boat to dock.

But a row erupted after the president of the Canary Islands expressed concern over the ship docking in Tenerife.

In an update posted online, Spanish health authorities said that the ship is expected to arrive within 72 to 96 hours.

Officials said that passengers will be disembarked in a “controlled” way with “direct transfer from the port to the airport and subsequent return to their countries of origin, avoiding at all times transit through spaces open to the general population”.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that everyone on board should be considered as a “close contact”.

A Threat Assessment Brief posed by the European health agency states: “We consider everyone on the ship to be close contacts, due to the closed setting and shared social areas and activities, aligned with the precautionary principle.”

But it said that the strain of the virus “does not transmit easily so it is unlikely that it would cause many cases or a widespread outbreak in the community, if infection prevention and control measures are applied”.

The technical brief says people with symptoms should be medically evacuated while passengers without symptoms should receive a test when they disembark. However, it points out that a negative test “may not exclude infection”.

“Disembarking passengers should be provided with clear instructions and recommendations until their diagnosis is confirmed or ruled out,” it adds.

The Associated Press reported the Argentine government’s hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a birdwatching outing in the city of Ushuaia before boarding.

Two Argentine officials told the news agency that the couple visited a landfill during the birdwatching tour where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection.

The ship has been anchored off Cape Verde. Passengers are confined to their cabins while “disinfection and other public health measures are carried out”, the WHO said on Tuesday.

It is understood that none of the remaining passengers on board have symptoms and two extra medics have been flown in to assist.

The WHO said there are eight cases, three of which are confirmed, after a passenger on the boat presented himself to a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, and was confirmed to have the virus.

Health officials in South Africa are looking for people who had possible contact with one of the suspected cases.

The South African Health Ministry said officials have traced 42 out of 62 people they believe had contact with the two infected passengers who travelled there, the Associated Press reported.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced via social media today, Wednesday, May 6, that they are trying to trace the family of a man named Alan Ross.

Officers said the 78-year-old died on Sedgefield Drive in Bolton on April 30.

The force said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and urged anybody with information to contact the Police Coroner’s Office in Bolton.

A spokesperson, via social media, said: “Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace the family of Alan Ross, 78, who died on Sedgefield Drive, Bolton on 30 April.

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

“Anyone with information should contact the Police Coroner’s Office in Bolton on 0161 856 4687.”

Once the police have the details that they need, they will be passed along to the Coroner’s Office to let full cause of death be established.

Bayern Munich players, coaching staff and fans at the Allianz Arena were in disbelief after they were denied a penalty for a handball by Joao Neves in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris St-Germain.

Trailing the holders 1-0 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate, the German side’s players surrounded referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro at the half-hour mark when Vitinha rifled a clearance against his own team-mate Neves’ arm inside the box.

But Pinheiro waved away the Bayern protests with the video assistant referee (VAR) also not intervening, leaving social media wondering why a spot-kick was not given.

According to BBC Sport’s Football Issues Correspondent Dale Johnson, it was due to a little-known exemption within the handball law.

According to the laws of the game, it is not a handball if “hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free-kick is awarded to the other team)”.

“It covers when the ball is unexpectedly hit at you by a team-mate, even if your arm is away from your body, the law says you should not give away a penalty,” said Johnson.

“When Vitinha blasts the ball clear, could Joao Neves think the ball would be hit straight at him?

“Of course, this could be overridden by deliberate handball, but in the context of this situation, a penalty would not be expected to be awarded.”

In a statement tonight, Lisburn North Cllrs Gary Hynds and Pat Catney said: “Councillor Catney and I were informed after our committee meeting this evening, and we immediately went to Hillview Avenue together to speak with police and local residents.”

“Hillview Avenue is a great area with many good people and families living within it, including elderly residents and personal friends of mine.

“I want to thank the PSNI and council staff for acting quickly and professionally in what is a very difficult situation. I hope the situation is resolved as soon as possible and that residents can return safely to their homes.”

In an update issued on Wednesday evening, the UKHSA said “the risk to general public remains very low”

Advertisement

Two people who returned independently to the UK from the cruise ship MV Hondius that was hit by a hantavirus outbreak have been told to self-isolate, the UK Health Security Agency has said.

In an update issued on Wednesday evening, the UKHSA said “the risk to general public remains very low”, adding that neither of the two individuals who have been asked to self-isolate had reported symptoms.

The organisation said: “They are receiving advice and support from UKHSA and have been advised to self-isolate.

“UKHSA are supporting a small number of individuals identified as close contacts of those on the boat. They are being offered support and are also self-isolating. None are reporting any symptoms. The risk to the general public remains very low.”

The statement continued: “UKHSA is working closely with the FCDO, the Home Office, and Border Force to trace further individuals who may have been on the same flight as a confirmed case, in order to carry out public health risk assessments and ensure appropriate precautionary measures are in place.”

Dr Meera Chand, deputy director for epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA, said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius.

“It’s important to reassure people that the risk to the general public remains very low.

“We are standing up arrangements to support, isolate and monitor British nationals from the ship on their return to the UK and we are contact tracing anyone who may have been in contact with the ship or the hantavirus cases to limit the risk of onward transmission.

“UKHSA will continue to work closely with government partners to offer all necessary support.”