From the imaginative mind of Exciting Science creator Mike Newman, the hour-long show combines family-friendly storytelling, puppetry and “roarsome” science as the ancient world of dinosaurs crashes back to life for gasps, giggles and occasional jump-scares when Mike’s cast of intrepid rangers leads a quest to recover the data crystal, restore power to the island and save the dinosaurs.

From a shadowy raptor on the loose to baby dinosaurs that you can feed – very carefully – Dinosaur Adventure Live blends humour, thrills and hands-on learning in a physically interactive stage experience, where children are encouraged to “stomp, roar and swish their tails”, climaxing with the T-Rex bursting on to the stage in a heart-pounding finale. Beyond the action, the show is educative too, sprinkled throughout with Dino-Facts and paleontological titbits.

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“The show’s been running since 2022,” says Mike. “I wrote the first show that year, which ran successfully in 2022 and 2023, then the follow-up , Trouble On Volcano Island, and then it became a trilogy in 2025, with The Big Jurassic Storm, and  now we’ve gone back to the first one for a bit of a re-work for the latest tour called Danger On T-Rex Mountain.”

Mike’s company’s offices are in Bloomsbury Street, London, where the high costs of central London make storage of the dinosaurs unimaginable there. Instead, they are stored elsewhere in a “fair amount of 40ft shipping containers”.

“In producing the show, one of the first things you have to consider is the size of the show, because although you can write something, you have to start from the basic proviso of it being a show with a ticket price of under £20 to make it viable, and that determines a lot of things. So the show tours with everything in one low loader and one long wheelbase Sprinter,” says Mike, who lives in Bedfordshire, where he conducted this interview from his Portakabin office at the end of his garden.

The new T-Rex for the 2026 tour of Dinosaur Adventure Live: Danger On T-Rex Mountain (Image: Provided)

“The great thing with these dinosaurs is, it’s not that we are under any illusion they are real, but the fact you can take a 12ft tail and head off an 8ft body makes it a lot more feasible to tour – and you can get a fair amount of stuff inside the body too. Of course, it doesn’t leave room for much else!”

 Mike is the definition of an arts and entertainment polymath, as an actor, puppeteer and theatre producer, having presented The Sooty Show from 2005 to 2008, taken the mic as a stand-up comedian and written, directed and performed in live stage adaptations of children’s shows, such as Rainbow, featuring Zippy, George and Bungle, since 2009.

Now dinosaur adventures have taken on growing prominence in his diary. “I knew you couldn’t just throw something on stage and watch it roar and think ‘that’s cool’, but kids want something more that they can invest in, and that’s why we have a story for each one, so it has a lot more to it than something visual that says ‘wow, that’s a raptor, isn’t that exciting’.

“They are shows for the whole family to go to because dads love to see a T-Rex just as little children do. As the children grow older, they invest in the story, and as they grow older still, the invest in the details; the size of the dinosaur, how many teeth it has; the power of the jaw to crush, which teenagers find pretty cool.”

Close encounter: One of the rangers in the mouth of a dinosaur in Dinosaur Adventure Live (Image: James Halsall-Fox)

The Dinosaur Adventure Live dinosaurs are “surprisingly light for the size of them”. “You think, ‘how on Earth can you pick that up?’, but in reality they are very light, but they do look incredibly impressive,” says Mike.

“We have a new T-Rex for this tour, a massive upgrade on 2022, in terms of what he can do and in terms of having an animatronic mouth and eyes. The dinosaurs all have cameras inside them and the newer ones have two cameras with split screens.

“When the T-Rex rises up [manipulated by its operator], it’s a good 12ft-14ft high and he can ‘run’ right to the front of the stage, open the jaw wide and rest his head in the lap of a dad!”

Dinosaurs are not Mike’s only venture into the distant past, by the way. “Since April, we’ve been touring Ice Age Adventure, featuring huge woolly mammoths, a white wolf and a baby sloth,” he says.

Dinosaur Adventure Live, Danger On T-Rex Mountain, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow (18/7/2026), 2.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Age guidance: Four plus.

By DANIEL MATTHEWS, US SENIOR SPORTS WRITER

Published: 23:07 BST, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 23:26 BST, 17 July 2026

A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service told WalesOnline that the blaze is ongoing.

She said many calls had been received from people travelling on the A48 who had seen the smoke.

Initial reports were of a vehicle fire, but it is understood the blaze is as a result of burning tyres.

Crews from a number of stations arrived at around 6pm, and five aerial appliances and three water bowsers are in use.

Before you head to one of Northern Ireland’s 33 designated bathing sites this summer, find out how each beach has scored in the latest official water quality assessment from DAERA

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As Northern Ireland basks in more gloriously sunny weather this weekend, many will be opting for a trip to the beach.

But before you take a dip in one of NI’s 33 designated bathing sites. to cool down, you’ll want to know exactly what you’re swimming in.

Bathing waters are bodies of water where swimming and other recreational activities are common, and whose quality is monitored by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Northern Ireland’s bathing season begins on June 1 and ends on September 15 each year. DAERA is responsible for making sure that coastal waters are of high enough quality to bathe in. The goal is to ensure safe bathing conditions by providing information on water quality to the public and taking action to address pollution.

The Quality of Bathing Water Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 sets quality standards for bathing water. Bathing water quality is monitored by DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division. One of its responsibilities is to ensure coastal waters are of high enough quality for the general public to bathe in.

During the bathing season, the water quality is assessed on 20 different occasions. Water samples are collected and analysed by DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division.

The sites’ water quality is ranked on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being excellent, 2 being good, 3 being satisfactory and 4 meaning temporary advice has been issued against bathing due to faecal indication.

Here’s how the 33 identified bathing waters have scored with data from July 8:

Antrim Coast

Ballycastle – Excellent

Waterfoot- Excellent

Carnlough- Excellent

Ballygally- Excellent

Brown’s Bay- Excellent

Cushendall – Excellent

Drain’s Bay – Excellent

Portmuck – Excellent

North Coast

Magilligan Benone – Excellent

Magilligan Downhill – Excellent

Castlerock – Excellent

Portstewart – Excellent

Portrush Mill (West Strand) – Excellent

Portrush Curran (East Strand) – Excellent

Portrush White Rocks – Excellent

Portballintrae Salmon Rock – Excellent

North Down

Helen’s Bay – Excellent

Crawfordsburn – Excellent

Ballyholme – Excellent

Groomsport – Excellent

Millisle – Excellent

Ballywalter – Excellent

Cloughey – Excellent

Brompton – Excellent

Donaghadee – Excellent

South Down

Tyrella – Excellent

Newcastle – Excellent

Murlough (Co Down) – Excellent

Cranfield (Cranfield Bay) – Excellent

Kilclief – Excellent

Ballyhornan – Excellent

Warrenpoint – Excellent

Inland

Rea’s Wood – Temporary advice issued against bathing

You can find up to date information on bathing water quality in Northern Ireland by clicking here.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Donald Trump‘s World Cup chief has thrown his support behind Argentina in the row over the South Americans’ Falkland Islands banner. 

The Argentinians sparked a feud with political figures in England by displaying a sign which read ‘The Malvinas are Argentine,’ using the country’s term for the South Atlantic islands. 

The banner was paraded after Lionel Messi and Co’s 2-1 victory over the Three Lions in Atlanta, with Premier League stars Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez two of those seen celebrating. 

It prompted a fierce response in London as Business Secretary Peter Kyle demanded a FIFA investigation into the matter before Sir Keir Starmer publicly backed those calls.

Now, however, the US president’s head of the White House FIFA task force, Andrew Giuliani, has taken the side of Argentina.  

He told members of the press today in Washington: ‘We believe in our First Amendment rights here in the United States of America. 

Argentina held a banner reading ‘The Malvinas are Argentine,’ using the country’s term for the South Atlantic islands, after they beat England in the World Cup semi-final

‘And in terms of the ability, the opportunity to be able to make statements, (Argentina) has the ability to do that in the United States of America.’

FIFA’s rules forbid the use of any political messaging at the World Cup but the body has previously turned a blind eye to acts which could be deemed to have breached its rulebook. Argentina have already been spotted singing – and posting to social media – a song about the 1982 conflict.

Whether any FIFA probe would conclude – and any potential punishment be handed out – before Sunday’s final against Spain remains to be seen. Daily Mail Sport has asked FIFA for clarity. 

A FIFA spokesman said: ‘As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA Disciplinary Code.’

A spokesman for Starmer said: ‘The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are. Our position is unchanged. Self-determination rests with the islanders and our commitment to the Falklands will never waver.

‘More broadly, potential action is a matter for Fifa, but it’s been a fantastic World Cup and we’ve said throughout that politics should stay out of football.’

When asked who Starmer would be supporting, the spokesman added: ‘The PM wishes both teams well for the final, especially Spain.’

Kyle branded the banner ‘an egregious violation of the rules of not having political activity as part of the football’ when he spoke to the BBC.

Argentinian president Javier Milei later waded into the row, declaring that his government was getting ‘closer every day’ to recovering sovereignty over the islands.

He wrote on X: ‘While some are busy throwing tantrums befitting a terminally mononeuronal teenager, we, through the diplomatic route, are getting closer every day to the recovery of the Malvinas Islands, Georgias del Sur and the South Sandwich Islands, and the surrounding maritime space.’

A total of 907 people died after Argentina invaded the islands in 1982 and were subsequently removed by British forces.

President Donald Trump will be in attendance on Sunday as Spain take on Argentina at the MetLife Stadium

It comes as it was revealed that Trump will indeed be attending Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey between Argentina and Spain.  

The president has not been present for any of the previous 102 games this summer, though it had long been expected that he would attend the final.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino hinted last month that Trump will present the trophy to the winner, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to confirm or deny whether that rumour was true.

It has become a tradition for heads of state to involve themselves in the World Cup trophy presentation. At the last Finals, the Emir of Qatar joined Infantino on stage after Argentina triumphed, while four years earlier Vladimir Putin placed gold medals on the shoulders of France’s players after they beat Croatia.

And, only last year, Trump left Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Reece James bemused by involving himself in their Club World Cup celebrations.

The political figure stood right by James’s side as he lifted the trophy, sparking confusion amongst the Blues squad. 

‘Before, they told me he was going to present the trophy, and then exit the stage,’ James said afterwards. ‘I thought he was going to exit the stage, but I think he wanted to stay.’

Trump travelled from Washington to New York earlier today, and will attend a FIFA reception at his Trump Tower tonight.

The president’s relationship with Infantino has been one of the most controversial talking points of this summer’s World Cup.

After USA striker Folarin Balogun picked up a red card which meant he would miss his country’s Round of 16 tie with Belgium, Trump asked FIFA for a ‘review’.

Days later it was announced that the forward’s suspension had been over-turned, though the US went on to lose 4-1 to Belgium the following day.

How much is David Beckham set to pocket from his World Cup brand deals? Take on our quiz in our newsletter HERE.

She was recently handed the keys to her new home in part of a 24-home development

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After months of sofa surfing, one Tyrone woman is delighted to have been given “a fresh start”.

Aimee Leigh Kelly received the keys to her new home at Gortview Close in Coalisland, a 24-home development recently completed by Apex Housing Association (Apex), helping to transform the lives of local families in need of housing.

Speaking about her new home, Aimee Leigh said: “I absolutely love it – it’s modern, open and perfectly laid out. I was sofa surfing before getting the house so it’s a fresh start for me. Sometimes you have to go through some bad things to get something good.

“When I found out I got the house, I was so overwhelmed and excited. Everyone in Apex has been really supportive. The house is fantastic, I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Gortview Close is a continuation of Apex’s established Gortview Park development in Coalisland and features sixteen two-bedroom houses, seven three-bedroom houses and one three-bedroom wheelchair-accessible bungalow.

The £5 million scheme was delivered with £2.7 million Housing Association Grant funding from the Department for Communities and £2.3 million in private finance provided by Apex.

Many of the homes overlook an attractive area of open space, while the development has been designed in accordance with ‘Secured by Design’ principles to help create a safe and sustainable neighbourhood.