EastEnders finished their Wednesday show with a dark cliffhanger, as Joel Marshall was left lying in the road after being attacked by someone on the square, leading some to wonder if he was dead

EastEnders‘ Joel Marshall has been left lying in the middle of the road, and some fans aren’t certain he’ll ever wake up.

During Wednesday’s show, the teen was lured to a party in the park, only for the rest of the teens to tie him up and pour warm beer over his head. They left him tied to a fence, but when they returned, he’d been set free. Cameras then cut to where Joel ended up – unconscious on the floor.

The way Joel was lying had some fans questioning if he was alive or not. “Do you think Joel is dead or do you think he will pull through?” one fan asked online.

In response, some argued that he could be, but that they weren’t sure, saying: “That’s what I’m assuming but cuz it was so dark I could barely see what was on his head”.

Another said that they didn’t want his story, in which he went down to manosphere pipeline, beat up his stepmother Vicki and posted revenge porn of Avani online, to end in his death. One fan said: “If Joel is dead it would be an awful end to a well written story.”

Regardless of whether Joel is dead or alive, someone attacked him. All signs appear to be pointing towards Avani having done it, as she almost attacked Joel last week and has been furious that he was back in Walford. But eagle-eyed fans have suggested it is her friend Amy instead.

“I feel like Amy is up to no good in the Joel assault,” a viewer wrote. “That will create a nice dynamic with Jack while Denise is struggling.”

Another agreed that her behaviour as the ringleader of the revenge plan against Joel had been “bizarre”. A third agreed that “Amy in particular seemed to get so much joy out of” pouring beer on Joel that they “wouldn’t be surprised at all” if she had hit him as well.

Others suggested the attacker could be Barney, who used to have a crush on Avani, especially since his mother has killed someone before. “I reckon they’re double bluffing us and it’s gonna turn out to be Barney,” a fan said. “He’s got his mother’s killer instincts after all.”

A second added: “He is very protective over Avani and they are close friends; so it wouldn’t be too much of a reach that gentle soul Barney makes a rash decision like this – thinking that if Ross & Joel see how hated he is then they will decide to leave and Avani will feel free again.”

While many fans are sure Avani wasn’t involved, they do still think she will come under suspicion: “I’m calling it now Avani and Denzel kissed when they went off for there heart to heart and they are going to want to keep it a secret so everyone will kinda think they did the attack.”

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The Crow Girl co-stars Eve Myles and Katherine Kelly have been full of praise for each other

Coronation Street’s Katherine Kelly has won praise from co-star Eve Myles for her “extraordinary” turn in The Crow Girl.

The duo appear together in the thriller, which is adapted from Erik Axl Sund’s bestselling Scandinavian novel, with their characters — DCI Jeanette Kilburn (Eve) and psychotherapist Dr Sophia Craven (Katherine) — tracking down a murderer.

The opening series of the gripping drama is showing on Channel 5, while the second series is available on Paramount+, and audiences have been captivated by the “great acting” and “suspenseful” narrative, reports the Daily Star.

The actors have both been full of praise for each other, with Katherine telling Digital Spy that Eve was “astonishing” in the drama. Meanwhile, Eve expressed how “proud” she felt of her colleague, who became a household name playing Becky McDonald in the ITV soap between 2006 and 2012.

“I cannot give you a single scene where Katherine Kelly is not extraordinary,” she said.

“I don’t use that word lightly, but she is extraordinary. Breathtaking. Bold, ambitious, tender, beautiful.”

She went on to describe Katherine as “absolutely a sensation” in The Crow Girl, which also features actor Dougray Scott.

The thriller debuted in 2025, with audiences hailing Jeanette and Sophia’s narrative as “a masterpiece”.

The show’s synopsis states: “When the bodies of unidentified young men start to show up around Bristol, beaten and full of the anaesthetic Lidocaine, police face mounting pressure and little evidence as they hunt the killer.”

“As more bodies surface – including a child missing for over 10 years – the killer edges closer to home, starting a race against time to untangle a web of secrets,” the synopsis continued.

“Dark and gripping, Crow Girl is a murder mystery series that masterfully blends grim themes with sharp, intelligent writing,” one impressed viewer wrote on IMDb. com.

Another fan posted: “It’s been a long time since a show kept me glued to the TV episode after episode. I watched this in one day and I am thoroughly left hanging with bated breath for season two.”

Another reviewer described it as “a challenging watch but very clever”.

The Crow Girl is airing on Channel 5.

Action at the World Matchplay had to be suspended during Cameron Menzies’ clash with Ross Smith as the former was taken off stage to receive medical attention – later withdrawing

Play at the World Matchplay in Blackpool had to be halted after Cameron Menzies was forced to leave the stage to receive medical attention – leading to his withdrawal from the tournament.

He was leading Ross Smith 2-1 but the fourth leg of their contest was put on hold. Before Menzies slumped over he was swaying on the stage, which caught the attention of those around him. He looked as if he was feeling faint before his discomfort became obvious.

Sky Sports presenter Emma Paton said: “We are having a break in our first match because Cameron Menzies is unwell. All we know at the moment is that he is being seen to by St John’s Ambulance. He is with some medics at the moment. Hopefully he is ok and feeling better very shortly.”

Mark Webster added on the incident: “Smith was obviously concerned. He’ll be offering his support. While the medics are seeing to Cameron, he’s got to stay on the practice board. But ultimately it’s just about hoping that Cameron is okay at the minute.”

Smith has ultimately progressed to the quarter-finals as a result of Menzies’ unfortunate illness. After Menzies’ withdrawal the night’s second match – Gian van Veen vs Wessel Nijman – has been bought forward.

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible. Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story. Follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, X, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.

There have been calls for clubs to be docked points or forfeit games if fans invade pitches in future.

The body that represents thousands of Scots cops has expressed ‘deep concerns’ that officers were left “petrified” following fan violence at a Scottish Cup tie earlier this year. The Old Firm, police chiefs and fans have been hammered in an SFA report into the scenes that marred the end of the tie in March between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox.

The review slammed “life-threatening violence” during a pitch invasion, with officers left “petrified” of policing another game at Ibrox. David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation – which represents officers up to the rank of Chief Inspector – said: “It is deeply concerning that experienced police officers have described feeling genuinely scared while carrying out their duties.

“No officer should ever feel that their personal safety is at such risk simply for policing a football match. The review itself highlights the concern that some officers were described as being ‘petrified’ at the prospect of policing another match at Ibrox, and that should concern everyone involved in Scottish football.

“What is important now is that Police Scotland, the Scottish FA and both football clubs work together to learn the lessons from these events and implement the necessary changes. The overwhelming majority of supporters simply want to enjoy the game safely, and everyone involved has a responsibility to ensure that Police officers, stewards, players and fans are never again placed in the position they found themselves in on 8 March.

“The Scottish Police Federation is still in the process of finalising its own health and safety report into the events of that day.” Shameful scenes followed the March match, which Celtic won on penalties.

Members of the Hoops fan group the Green Brigade had forced entry to the ground without tickets. A pitch invasion by the Celtic support prompted a counter-invasion by a section of Rangers fans.

Rival supporters went on to the field, leading to police, stewards and players being assaulted and flares being thrown. The damning report by UEFA security expert Mark Blackbourne for the SFA said: “On the pitch: the confrontation between both sets of supporters, with masked home fans armed with poles and reinforced gloves, came within a very small margin of becoming a violent mass confrontation.

“The four minutes and 28 seconds it a small took to establish of control was a period in which violent serious, potentially life-threatening violence was possible.”

The report went on: “The jeopardy of extra time and penalties, the scale of the away allocation and the historical resonance of the occasion combined to produce a risk profile. Neither Rangers FC nor Police Scotland had key leads on the ground with experience of managing an away allocation of 8000 Celtic supporters at Ibrox.”

Police Scotland have to date made 37 arrests in connection with the disorder. Blackbourne said it was a post-match Glasgow City Council Safety Advisory Group meeting which recorded that time-served cops were “petrified” of policing another match at Ibrox.

He added: “That word must be read in context, not in isolation, but so qualified, it remains deeply disturbing for Scottish football. This reference demands the most serious attention from all parties with responsibility for the governance of safety and security at major football fixtures in Scotland.”

Blackbourne’s report also outlines how a 10-year-old and nine-year-old were injured by coins thrown by fans and a Rangers player was racially abused. Former player and SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith says fans should be warned that their clubs could be docked points or have to forfeit games if they invade pitches in large numbers.

He added: “I think the fans should be told that invasion of the pitch would change the result of the match. In a league game they lose points, if is a cup game they are put out the cup even though they might win.

“I do think that would change the behaviour. They then know by doing that they are actually going against their team, their own club.

“They are actually doing a negative thing therefore that might be a way of controlling them and stopping them doing things like that if they know their club are going to suffer as a result. Any pitch invasion at all for me deserves that punishment.”

Smith also said it was a mistake by the SFA to allow so many away fans at the March cup game. He doesn’t want fans banned from Old Firm games but would prefer a reduced number being allowed into the away end for cup games as they are in league games.

Smith added: “It was a mistake to allow that. There had been a reduction in number of fans at Old Firm league games in terms of the away fans.

“I think that has been the right decision to reduce it. So there is less chance of a problem there.”

Smith continued: “We need to get to the same figures as the league are doing and the SFA have to change that for any cup matches in the future. It takes away totally from the game if there is no rival fans there.

“I am not in favour of away fans not being there. I am in favour of reduced numbers so that it is easier to control for the police.”

Chief Superintendent Rhona Fraser, vice president of The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents said: “We welcome the Blackbourne Report and the recommendations that place the collective responsibility for safety squarely on the shoulders of the fans and football clubs, supported by the authorities.

“Whilst sanctions against clubs should be a last resort, they must be swiftly implemented and sufficiently powerful to punish those offenders who bring shame on the national game. First and foremost, this is an issue for football, not the police or prosecutors.”

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said: “We will continue to engage with the clubs and football authorities on the recommendations contained in the report.”

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Oprah Winfrey has been criticised for failing to ‘challenge’ Meghan Markle’s claim that she was ‘silenced’ by the Royal Family after the broadcaster revisited their infamous 2021 interview. 

Rewatching the sit-down in a video for Vanity Fair yesterday, Oprah seemingly defended how the conversation went, saying ‘it was all for clarification.’

Royal fans on X have hit back at the veteran broadcaster for ‘backpedalling’ and trying to ‘distance’ herself from the interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, and several people asked why she didn’t question any of the Sussexes’ allegations at the time. 

The sit-down sent shockwaves around the world when it was aired on March 7, 2021, after the Duchess of Sussex claimed there had been ‘concerns’ within the Palace about the colour of their son Archie, while accusing The Firm of ‘perpetuating falsehoods about us’. 

She highlighted the ‘sad irony’ of being ‘silent’ during her time as a royal, considering ‘I’ve always been outspoken about women’s rights‘, when Oprah asked Meghan: ‘Were you silent or were you silenced?’ 

‘The latter,’ the duchess replied, explaining how ‘everyone in my world was given a very clear directive, from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating, to say “No comment”‘. 

Five years later, Oprah told Vanity Fair she asked Meghan that because ‘I wanted to be clear’.

‘I wanted to be clear because…was she silenced? Were people telling her not to talk? That’s why I said that,’ the billionaire media mogul explained. 

‘I said it for clarification because I didn’t want, later, to hear “Well no, it wasn’t that. It really was that I was silenced.” 

‘So it was all for clarification.’ 

Assertions that Meghan never researched the Royal Family before marrying Prince Harry or that the couple were secretly wed three days before their royal wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor have already been contested.

Some X users felt Oprah looked ‘uncomfortable’ watching the interview with Harry and Meghan back for Vanity Fair, while others said her comments about the ‘silent or silenced’ question amounted to ‘meaningless word salad’.

Others felt the explanation was too little too late, after the veteran broadcaster did not ask the Sussexes any tough questions during the three-and-a-half-hour sit-down that was filmed in Montecito. 

One person suggested: ‘She sounds so defensive, like she’s gotten a lot of flak for her “journalism” in that so-called interview.’ 

‘It is a bad look when Oprah has to clear this up now after so many years,’ another person wrote, while a third asked why Oprah did not ask for ‘clarification’ about things like ‘getting married before the wedding’. 

The broadcaster rewatched the clips as part of Vanity Fair’s Scene Selection show, which looked at her career highlights.

The interview with Harry and Meghan – fresh off the heels of their resignations as senior royals – rocked The Firm when it aired on American network CBS in 2021.

It firmly cemented Oprah – who attended their wedding in 2018 – as an ally of the Sussexes amid their rift with King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

‘I support them 1,000 per cent,’ she had said of the pair’s move away from the UK and distancing from royal duties in the schism dubbed ‘Megxit’. 

It is thought that Meghan and Oprah were introduced through CBS and met when Oprah found herself in London.

The presenter said she previously asked for an interview with Meghan, but her request was declined with the duchess apparently telling her it was ‘not the right time’.

The ‘right time’ would eventually be March 2021, one year after Harry and Meghan quit the Royal Family and moved to Montecito. 

During the interview, which featured a number of brazen claims about their lives as senior royals, a pregnant Meghan told the American TV host: ‘I’ve always been outspoken, especially about women’s rights, and that’s the sad irony of the last four years, I’ve advocated for so long for women to use their voice.

‘And then I was silent,’ she continued, as Oprah fired back: ‘Were you silent or were you silenced?’

In the wake of the interview being aired, the Daily Mail fact-checked Meghan and Harry’s sensational claims, including the fact that the duchess was ‘silenced’ by the institution. 

On the day they announced their engagement, Meghan and Harry gave a lengthy interview to the BBC’s Mishal Husain, although the duchess reportedly complained afterwards that the journalist had not been ‘warm enough’.

On their tour of South Africa, they granted interviews to ITN’s Tom Bradby, when Meghan memorably told him: ‘Not many people have asked if I’m OK.’

Royal insiders have stressed that it was very much the case that Harry and Meghan themselves ‘called the shots’ when it came to publicity, deciding which charities to support, which engagements to go on, and which media to grant interviews to. 

One of the duchess’s former friends, Ninaki Priddy, has also previously challenged the assertion that Meghan ‘never looked up my husband online’ before she married Prince Harry. 

Ninaki, who was Meghan’s maid of honour at her first wedding to Trevor Engelson, said the Suits star was ‘always fascinated by the Royal Family. She wants to be Princess Diana 2.0’.

The mother of Suzy Ardakani, one of the duchess’s high school friends, has described how she taped Diana’s wedding and would watch it with her daughter and Meghan years later.

Oprah’s interview with Vanity Fair comes days after Buckingham Palace confirmed King Charles and Queen Camilla held a private meeting with his estranged son and daughter-in-law as well as their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at Highgrove House. 

The gathering was particularly significant because it marked the first time that Meghan, Archie and Lilibet had seen the 77-year-old monarch – who is still undergoing treatment for cancer – in person since 2022.

He last saw Harry, 41, in September 2025, but was forced to publicly slap him down after Harry’s PR team falsely briefed that he had accepted an invitation to stay at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the UK earlier this month. 

Harry was visiting the UK to mark the one-year countdown to his Invictus Games 2027 in Birmingham, while Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet slipped into Britain unnoticed from their holiday home in Europe. 

Buckingham Palace refused to discuss any further details of what was described as a ‘private family occasion’ in a statement. 

Style icon Katie Holmes proved she can rock just about any trend as she enjoyed a date night with her younger new beau. 

The Dawson’s Creek alum, 47, was working a youthful style that looked as though it came from the closet of a twenty-something (or even a college student like her daughter Suri Cruise) as she stepped out with her new beau Jason Bard Yarmosky. 

From the Y2K-inspired pink tank top to the leather pants, Holmes was a vision of the latest trends. 

With a smile on her face, Holmes held hands with Yarmosky as they enjoyed a night out at the SoHo Sessions concert series in New York City on Tuesday.

Born in 1987, Yarmosky is ten years younger than Holmes but the age gap clearly hasn’t stopped the chemistry from brewing. 

Indeed, sparks were flying that evening – a source told People that the couple were kissing, hugging and holding hands as they watched Sienna Spiro perform. 

From the Y2K inspired tank top to the leather trousers, Holmes, 47, was rocking the type of outfit that could have been seen on a 20-something 

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Holmes for comment.  

The romance is rather new, with a source telling TMZ the couple first crossed paths at a Tribeca Festival dinner in NYC last month.

Yarmosky was born in New York and his work mainly focuses ‘on themes of aging, time, and memory – subjects the artist has been fascinated with since childhood,’ per his official website.

A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in NYC, Yarmosky’s artwork has been shown not just in the Big Apple, but internationally as well in cities such as Paris.

The actress’s new romance with the artist comes nearly four years after her split from Bobby Wooten III.

In April 2022, Holmes was romantically linked to the musician and the couple made a few public appearances together.

However, later that same year in December, it was revealed that they had gone their separate ways after eight months of dating.

At the time, a source told Us Weekly that the former couple ‘just didn’t work out together for the long run.’

The Hollywood star also briefly dated chef Emilio Vitolo Jr from September 2020 until their split the following year in May.

A separate insider said to Us Weekly that the romance ‘fizzled’ out and there had been ‘no drama.’

The new couple lovingly held hands as they made their way through the Big Apple

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The couple enjoyed an evening at SoHo Sessions

Holmes and Vitolo Jr still remain friends and ‘really enjoyed their time together – it just simply didn’t work out.’

The actress has also been linked to Jamie Foxx and Chris Klein.

She was previously married to fellow actor Tom Cruise from 2006 until their divorce in 2012.

Last month in June, Holmes and her Dawson’s Creek castmate Joshua Jackson also put on a flirty display at the screening of their new movie Happy Hours at the Tribeca Festival in NYC.

Holmes has Suri Cruise with her ex, Tom Cruise. Above, the mother and daughter last year

Both Jackson and Holmes previously starred on the hit teen drama series, and had a short-lived relationship while filming the early seasons of the show.

In a video shared to X, both he and the actress could be seen sweetly holding hands.

‘The time that we spent together when we were young is very precious to both of us,’ the actor expressed. ‘And [it] is, like, one of the core personal and professional relationships in my life.’

Jackson further gushed that it ‘was magical’ to be a part of the project while adding, ‘And you waited for me, which I appreciated.’

Holmes also explained that her ‘working relationship’ with Jackson is ‘sacred.’

Matt Damon underwent a six-month lifestyle overhaul in order to transform into the legendary Odysseus in Christopher Nolan‘s adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.

But the actor, 55, who slimmed down from 200lb to 167lb for the role, admitted that one scene depicting his muscles was actually done by female stunt double Devyn Dalton.

‘When we did the forced perspective stuff of the Laestrygonians, there were these kind of stuntmen who were all seven feet,’ Damon told Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz in a recent interview. 

The Laestrygonians are a tribe of man-eating giants encountered by Odysseus and his crew during their decade-long journey home to Ithaca. 

In order to show the difference between the size of the giants and Odysseus, Nolan opted to use a female stunt double for Damon.

‘And then they got stuntmen who were under five feet, and so my double was a woman, a female stunt performer who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen,’ Damon said.

The actor praised his stunt woman Devyn Dalton (pictured) for having ‘the greatest arms I’ve ever seen,’ while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast

Damon praised Dalton as he recalled meeting her for the first time.

‘When she came into the catering tent, it was the first time I met her, I went up and I hugged her and I thanked her for all the work she’d put in,’ he said.

‘And so there are those shots in the movie where you see these giants looming over me and (that’s her).

‘So it was almost 100 percent my arms in the movie, but you gotta give it up where it’s due.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Damon’s representative for comment.

Dalton confirmed her role in the film in a post she shared to her Instagram on Monday, showing some photos of her time in Scotland.

‘Scottish Highlands. The Odyssey. What an adventure. No spoilers just yet, but I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of the Laestrygonian battle. Stunt doubling the incredible @matt_damon_official,’ she wrote.

‘An epic team effort. We worked hard, shared plenty of laughs, and created memories I’ll never forget. The best part of this job is getting to venture to new places and meet amazing people along the way.’

In order to show the size difference between the film’s man-eating giants and Odysseus, Nolan opted to use Dalton (R) instead of Damon

‘When we did the forced perspective stuff of the Laestrygonians, there were these kind of stuntmen who were all seven feet,’ Damon said

‘And then they got stuntmen who were under five feet, and so my double was a woman,’ he explained

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Dalton confirmed her role in the film in a post she shared to her Instagram on Monday, showing some photos of her time in Scotland

Fans might also recognize Dalton from the horror movie Weapons and TV show The Last Of Us.

Damon recently spoke about the lifestyle changes he made to transform into the legendary Greek king of Ithaca.

‘It was more about just getting really, really physically fit, which just really involves changing your diet, just a whole lifestyle change,’ he said in his People cover story.

‘You have to just be very, very intentional about everything you’re putting in your body.’

Damon – who relies on fitness trainer Jason Walsh – gave up gluten ‘among other things’ but he made sure to do it all safely.

‘I didn’t change it in an unhealthy way,’ The Rip producer-star noted.

‘I think if I had done the opposite and put weight on, that would have been dangerous and it’s not something I’ll do anymore. I was happy to do it earlier in my life.’

The two-time Golden Globe winner also said The Odyssey was ‘the most challenging movie I’ve ever been a part of’ and it marked his third time being directed by Nolan after Oppenheimer and his 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar. 

The ensemble cast includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, James Remar and Travis Scott. 

Damon’s transformation earned praise from Theron, who couldn’t stop gushing about the muscles he developed for the role.

‘I’ve seen him without all of that suit on. He’s incredible. Incredible,’ she told ET in an interview promoting the epic.

‘I’m like staring at him weirdly. I’m looking at his a** right now. I shouldn’t do that! That’s just wrong. He looked amazing, yes.’

The film sailed straight to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, bringing home $124.5million in its opening weekend; Damon seen in a still with Zendaya 

Earlier this month, the official X account for The Odyssey was forced to restrict comments after conservatives bombarded it with complaints and racist comments regarding the film’s diverse cast members.

However, despite the early backlash, The Odyssey achieved a near-perfect score on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes shortly after its release.

The film sailed straight to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, bringing home $124.5million in its opening weekend.

It captured another $139million in overseas sales for a total of $263.5million, surpassing its $250million budget.

The Bollihope Burn Birch, a downy birch perched off a cliff edge in Stanhope, Weardale, has made the final ten shortlist for the prestigious national competition from the Woodland Trust.

Public voting opens today (July 23), giving people across the region the chance to back the County Durham entry as it competes for the title.

The annual contest celebrates and raises awareness of rare, ancient or at-risk trees across the country, with this year’s theme, “against all odds”, chosen to spotlight nature’s great survivors.

Of the ten shortlisted trees, a panel of experts selected eight, while the public chose two additional wildcard entries.

The Bollihope Burn Birch tree in Stanhope is one of the UK’s (Image: James Reader/Woodland Trust/PA Wire)

David Oakes, actor, nature podcaster and Woodland Trust ambassador, said the shortlist showcases how differently trees endure hardship compared with creatures that can simply move away.

“Most things survive by fleeing,” he said.

“A tree, rooted for life to a single patch of ground, doesn’t get that option.

“So trees have perfected the opposite: the art of weathering whatever arrives.

“But a few are frankly show-offs.”

He added that all ten nominees, including the County Durham birch, had “defied the odds in extraordinary ways, from clinging to cliffs and church towers, to enduring collisions and cannonballs.”

The Bollihope Burn Birch faces stiff competition from trees with equally dramatic backstories.

They include the “Bomber Oak” in Rutland, struck by a Second World War Lancaster bomber and later nearly lost to a water company’s pipe-laying works.

Also included is the Crowhurst Yew in East Sussex, thought to be up to 4,000 years old, which survived a direct hit from a Civil War cannonball, later dug up by villagers in 1820.

Other rivals for the crown include Northern Ireland’s “Bendy Tree”, a wych elm on Newcastle’s seaside promenade that grows almost horizontally after more than a century of coastal winds, and a 200-year-old yew growing from the top of a church tower in Culmstock, Devon.

The list is completed by the lightning-struck “Earlstoun Lightning Oak” in Dumfries and Galloway, the Wales Coast Path Oak in Ceredigion, and Brighton’s “Preston Twin”, believed to be the world’s oldest English elm.

The two public wildcard picks are the Balloch Castle ash by Loch Lomond, which has weathered lightning strikes, storms, disease and even an Oasis concert, and the Donnington Oak in West Berkshire, which stood unscathed through the siege of Donnington Castle in the Civil War.

People can vote for the Bollihope Burn Birch, or any of its rivals, via the Woodland Trust website until late September, with the winner announced in early October before going on to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals.

May Chemais, who runs the Ancient Tree Inventory at the Woodland Trust, said: “Trees can be both tough and flexible, as the shortlist proves.

“We hope people will enjoy discovering all the incredible stories of resilience behind our nominees this year.”