Rio Ferdinand has encouraged Manchester United to find an ‘understudy’ rather than a replacement for Luke Shaw before the summer transfer deadline.

Shaw and the rest of Michael Carrick’s squad came in for heavy criticism after falling to a 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City in their Premier League opener last weekend.

The 31-year-old left-back also endured a difficult start against Ipswich as he was beaten all ends up by Abdul Fatawu on the wing for Leif Davis’ strike in the 29th minute on Sunday afternoon.

However, Bruno Fernandes inspired a spirited fightback with a stunning hat-trick to ensure the Red Devils came away from Old Trafford with a 5-2 victory – the club’s first win of the campaign.

Carrick decided to take Shaw off for Noussair Mazraoui with 17 minutes remaining of normal time, one of five changes made by the United head coach in a breathless second half at the Theatre of Dreams.

After the game, Rio Ferdinand launched an impassioned defence of Shaw on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, claiming the England full-back had been one of United’s most ‘consistent’ performances over the last 12 months.

According to Ferdinand, United should be looking for left-back to ‘bed in over time’ rather than someone to force Shaw – the club’s longest serving player – from the side.

The legendary ex-United and England defender said: ‘In a couple of my WhatsApp chats, some United fans were saying, “Luke Shaw, get rid!”… Luke Shaw, over the last year, has been one of our most consistent performers and you’re sitting there saying, “He should be there”, or, “He should be somewhere else”… no!

‘Go and get a left-back that we want to actually bed in over time to be a replacement for someone like Luke Shaw.

‘You think you’re going to go in the market and find someone? It’s like £60m we’d have to pay. We ain’t got that!

‘We haven’t got the budget after paying the amount of money that we have to reinforce the midfield.’

Ferdinand argued that one ‘below-par’ game was not enough for fans to start calling for Shaw’s head.

He added: Listen, Luke Shaw has had better games, yes, but is he one where we’re looking to improve that area immediately? No, no. We need back-up in that area now with the thought of long-term.

‘Let’s not get carried away. There’s too many people getting carried away and have personal vendettas against people to try and make people think he’s not good enough.

‘Just look at the last year’s performance. He was one of our top four or five performing players consistency-wise, 100 per cent. One below-par game today doesn’t change things for me.

‘The only thing I would say is in the left-back area, yes, we haven’t got that understudy there where you’re thinking that’s a ready-made replacement looking to come in. We haven’t got that guy right now.’

United have been linked with a host of left-backs across the summer, including Newcastle and England star Lewis Hall.

However, Newcastle have reportedly ruled out a move for Hall and the Red Devils are fast running out of time to strengthen the position.

‘The club don’t think Harry Amass is that guy it seems because he doesn’t seem to be close to it at the moment,’ Ferdinand went on.

‘That’s the way it is, whether we believe Harry Amass is good enough or not.

‘It seems the club doesn’t feel like that so I don’t look it at like: replace Luke Shaw. I look at it like: let’s find someone who could be a replacement in time, over time, because I still think he [Shaw] is good enough to play.

‘It’s just the volume of games we’re going to have this season, he isn’t going to be able to play all of those games.’

After the club’s nightmare start at Hull, Ferdinand was pleased to see Fernandes and Co turn it around with an ‘entertaining’ display against another of the Premier League’s new boys.

‘It was nice to watch after an uncomfortable first half,’ the six-time Premier League winner said of United’s showing against Ipswich.

‘We’d given up too many chances, they should have probably gone in ahead at half-time.

‘I will say the first half was nervy but this game is about entertainment and you’ve got to embrace that.

‘We’re nit-picking, we’re overcritical. Sometimes it’s about entertainment. Do you want to pay for your ticket to sit and watch the game live or on your sofa and be entertained?

‘Manchester United today have entertained us so you know what? I’m satisfied after the first half.’

United will look to pick up where they left off when they return to action away to David Moyes’ Everton in a week’s time.

Sunday’s result saw the Red Devils finish the weekend in tenth place in the Premier League table.

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A MAN from West Yorkshire last seen in the Ryedale area of North Yorkshire has gone missing, prompting an urgent appeal from police.

The man has recently been staying in Scrayingham, a village a few miles north-east of Stamford Bridge and was last seen in Welham Road, Norton at 8.25am on Friday, August 28.

North Yorkshire Police describe him as white, around 6 feet tall, of medium build, with green eyes, short light brown hair, and a well-kept short beard.

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He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, grey trousers, black shoes, and carrying a black backpack.

A police spokesperson said: “Any immediate sightings of the man should be reported by dialling 999 so we can quickly ensure he is safe.”

Other information can be reported by calling 101 and quoting reference number 12260168826.

Former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is keen to be reunited with Leny Yoro at his new club AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.

Yoro has struggled to live up to expectations since joining United from Lille in a £52million deal as a teenager two years ago.

In that time, the 20-year-old defender has made 67 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, chipping in with one goal and three assists.

A serious ankle injury badly hampered Yoro’s progress in his debut season at Old Trafford and the Frenchman has been in and out of United’s starting XI ever since.

Yoro was an unused substitute in United’s shock 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City last weekend and he started on the bench again versus Ipswich – before coming on for Diogo Dalot at right-back in the 73rd minute.

Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez appear to have nailed down their places as United’s first-choice centre-back partnership in Michael Carrick’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, raising questions over Yoro’s future at the Theatre of Dreams.

According to Italian publication Tuttosport, AC Milan are monitoring the situation and could make a surprise move before the summer transfer window slams shut on Tuesday.

Milan have turned their attentions to strengthening their defence after wrapping up an agreement with Nottingham Forest for England Under-21 attacker Omari Hutchinson.

The Rossoneri have also captured Goncalo Ramos, Mario Gila, Sankhoun Diawara and Diego Moreira in a €150million (£128m) spending spree this summer.

It’s claimed Amorim sat down in a hotel to discuss transfer targets with with Milan directors Hendrik Almstadt and Bobby Gardiner for nearly five hours on Saturday, where he was assured that further signings were being explored.

The Serie A giants remain in the hunt for an attacking midfielder, a central defender and a left-back, and the report claims super-agent Jorge Mendes could ‘play a role’ in any negotiations.

Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has been identified as a target at full-back, while United centre-half Yoro is mentioned as another player ‘in the mix’ and attracting strong interest.

Signed when Erik ten Haag was at the helm at Old Trafford, Yoro still has three years remaining on his current contract in the north west.

Yoro has given no indication of wanting to depart United and it would likely require an astronomical fee to convince the Red Devils to part with the young centre-back before the transfer deadline.

Before the season got underway, Yoro spoke of his excitement about playing in the Champions League and testing himself against the finest attacking players in Europe.

‘All the players in the world want to play in this competition,’ he told the club’s official website.

‘I did the Conference League, Europa League, and now I’m going to play in the Champions League. So yeah, I think the step is very good.

‘It’s a competition with the best players in the world.

‘You play different types of strikers, different types of opponents, and it’s never easy. So you have to be ready, and yeah, I can’t wait to play against these types of players.’

He added: ‘The other lads have spoken about when you train with the Champions League ball and hear the music of the Champions League, it’s just a different atmosphere from the league,” Yoro said.

‘We play against different clubs from all over the world, so [they have spoken to me] about the atmosphere and the magic of this competition.

‘Most of them have played in this competition, and everyone says it’s just magic to play.’

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NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered near New York City’s popular Washington Square Park Sunday to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest.

The winner, Amadeo Fusca, was the crowd favorite, wearing a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks underneath a suit. Fusca also had a haircut and facial hair similar to Mamdani, taking home a $100 prize.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January, has amassed a large following on social media and among younger residents. The event was sponsored by the social media app, Sonder.

Mamdani’s agenda as mayor is centered on refocusing the power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.

Nine participants, many with facial hair similar to Mamdani’s, came dressed in myriad Mamdani style, including the brown suit Mamdani wore while campaigning in 2025, red and black patterned ties, dress shoes, dark blue and black suits, and silver rings. One of the participants showed up shirtless but wearing an apron — a reference to a rap music video Mamdani made in 2019.

The men were asked one question in the competition — name their favorite pizza — and the winner was decided by who got the most applause.

Attendees initially gathered in the park, but police told them they had to leave because they hadn’t obtained a permit. So they moved just outside the park for the competition.

It wasn’t the first time Mamdani look-alikes gathered. A similar contest was held in Brooklyn in 2025 when Mamdani was campaigning for mayor.

___

Wilder reported from Austin, Texas, and is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Trump administration plans to impose sanctions on another bank this week in an effort to clamp down on Iran transactions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.

Bessent spoke with The Associated Press ahead of Group of 20 meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, where he will meet individually with his counterparts from the world’s major and developing economies to encourage participation in the economic isolation of Iran.

“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said in the interview. “We are showing people that we know who you are, you know who you are, and this has got to stop.”

Bessent had recently announced a new campaign to push countries that still do business with the already heavily sanctioned Islamic Republic to sever their financial ties or face retaliation from the United States.

Treasury’s first official action in this campaign was a proposed rulemaking on Friday, which would, if finalized, sever the Emirati branches of Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest bank, from access to the U.S. financial system.

In stopping short of imposing sanctions on the Egyptian bank, the Republican administration appeared to be signaling its reluctance to penalize major trading partners that do business with Iran, including China and India, whose officials Bessent will have meetings with this week.

Bessent told the AP he would speak to his Chinese counterparts at the G-20 meeting and “all options are on the table” in terms of sanctioning Beijing for its continued purchases. But he downplayed this reluctance in the interview, calling it “a completely false narrative that the media picked up on” and insisting that China and the U.S. agree on the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

During their announcement of what they called a “landmark partnership”, Chelsea explained: “The partnership comes at a pivotal moment for the world. Stablecoins are moving from early adoption toward the mainstream, creating an unprecedented opportunity to make money as open, accessible, and useful as the internet itself.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, of Cleveland Police, were killed in a crash on the A66 in South Bank, Teesside, in the early hours of Saturday morning

The two lads of a police officer tragically killed in the A66 collision led out Manchester United as mascots on Sunday. PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, from Cleveland Police, perished when a Volkswagen Passat smashed into the marked police armed response vehicle they were in.

The Passat was fleeing from officers and travelling the wrong way on the A66 in South Bank when the collision occurred at 3.39am on Saturday, August 22. The five occupants of the Passat were also declared dead at the scene.

They were Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23 year olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak. Cleveland Police confirmed its officers have been probing alleged organised crime and 24 individuals have been arrested.

Manchester United included a tribute to PC Matthew Blades in their matchday programme prior to their Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town on Sunday. They portrayed him as a proud Red, a dedicated family man and a police officer who committed his life to serving others.

His wife Sarah and their two boys were invited to Old Trafford for the match. The youngsters led the squad onto the pitch as mascots, walking alongside captain Bruno Fernandes and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, reports Teesside Live.

A photograph of PC Blades with his two lads at Old Trafford appeared in the programme. There was also a tribute from an unnamed close friend and colleague which stated: “For Matthew, United was a lifelong love, a passion he shared with his family.

“Since Matt’s tragic death there has been an extraordinary outpouring of grief and support. That love has been seen in countless tributes and acts of kindness. Today, we remember a fellow Red. A husband. A father. A son. A brother. A friend. A police officer. A man who gave his life in the service of others. Forever our superhero.”

On Saturday, Middlesbrough honoured the two officers at the Riverside Stadium, where Boro fans applauded PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough ahead of the 12.30pm home fixture against West Bromwich Albion.

Players from both sides lined up to clap as images of the fallen officers were displayed on the stadium screen. Supporters from both clubs were seen on their feet, applauding in a powerful display of solidarity over their heartbreaking deaths.

At Hartlepool United’s match against Eastleigh FC on Friday, two police helmets were placed on the pitch to honour each officer, as a two-minute silence was observed. It also came to light on Friday that King Charles had personally written to the officers’ families, acknowledging that they had made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’.

A fundraiser established in memory of the two officers is fast approaching £1.2 million, with a remarkable 42,000 people having contributed to the appeal, which stood at £1,168,000 at the time of publication.

The GoFundMe page was set up by the Cleveland Police Federation, with the proceeds to be divided between the families of both officers. To view the fundraising page click here.

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The third series sees DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones), who hails from Greater Manchester, and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) return for a new case that takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been murdered.

Amy and Kirsten need to catch the killer and defuse a potential international confrontation, as different nations compete for control of the Arctic and its resources in the changing polar climate, with both their careers and relationship on the line.

This is what the two main characters have to say about the new BBC drama.

:DI Kirsten Longacre (ROSE LESLIE), Amy Silva (SURANNE JONES) (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

Suranne Jones (Amy Silva)

(Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

For those coming to Vigil for the first time, who is Amy Silva and what challenges does she face in series three?

Amy Silva is a detective. She is feisty, she’s a maverick, she’s straight talking, she has a really good heart and a strong belief for the need for the world to be good.

All of the Vigil series are about fighting for truth, coming up against the bigger picture and wanting the world to be a better place, so that really attracted me. Each series also brings new challenges with Amy not knowing her surroundings – she’s constantly put into these new worlds, with new rules and new characters and so she’s always trying to figure out where her authority is in that. I also think Amy and Kirsten are kept in the dark with what they’re being told and it’s their job to find the gaps and piece it together.

We’ve seen Amy underwater, we’ve seen her fighting drones, and now series three is set in the Arctic. We had the opportunity to go to Svalbard, which was such an experience. It was so beautiful and we filmed those scenes at the beginning of the shoot, which allowed us to get a real feel of the world that we were inhabiting, so when we came back to Scotland to continue filming, it was easier to imagine all of that.

Tell us more about what it was it like filming in Svalbard?

Svalbard was amazing. Rose and I felt like we were just on top of the world because we went to places that tourists don’t normally visit since we were filming in such remote locations. There were reindeer outside the breakfast room every morning, we got to drive the snow buggies, and we really had to layer up – the problem was when we got back to Glasgow we were too hot because we still had to film with all our layers on!

The people and the crew in Svalbard were incredible and we tried some moose and reindeer, which is part of the local cuisine – I had moose stew! Overall, it was such an incredible experience and a great start to the shoot.

Did you get to explore much of Svalbard outside of filming?

We were shooting pretty much the whole time we were there. I had one day to acclimatise. I went to a husky café where you get to have a coffee and meet retired husky dogs!

Do you have any highlights or standout memories from filming?

Rose is always my standout of filming Vigil because it’s always gorgeous to see her and work with her. We didn’t stop talking the whole time. We got to spend a lot more time together this series in comparison to the previous ones, because Amy joins Kirsten in Svalbard midway through and they work on the case together.

What’s also lovely is having a new cast for every series of Vigil because we’re in a different world every series, so the entire cast changes except for a few of us. The new characters for this series are brilliant and such fun. Eric Godon (plays Mayor Korotayev) used to bring his own coffee onto set and he’s from Belgium, so he’d sometimes bring Belgian chocolates in.

We’re just like a band of brothers and we’re all in it together so we’re a real team – that involves the crew too. I loved going into make-up first thing in the morning, it’s my favourite place as they’re so great and they really get you going at the start of the day.

What item(s) could you not live without on the shoot in Svalbard/in-between takes?

When we were filming in Svalbard, our gloves were swapped out for heated gloves and we also had heated gilets, which was amazing. At the end of the day, Rose and I would have the soup from the hotel we were staying in, and it was everything you would hope somewhere like Svalbard would have – a warm open fires and throws – it was just gorgeous to warm up at the end of the day.

Did you do any research before filming?

I love research, I’m quite geeky about that, so with my other roles like Gentleman Jack I had the diaries or with Doctor Foster I went to see a GP, but with Vigil I didn’t have to. James Strong, one of the directors for the first series, was quite adamant to keep the submarine crew and cast to their job and then I would just fly in knowing nothing and so we’ve kept to that across all of the series, which I love because then I find it out as I go along.

Why do you think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten?

In the first series you see Amy and Kirsten meet, and they start this relationship. In the second series, Kirsten is pregnant and in this series, you see them as a real family. We’re proudly representing two women that are now together, they’re married, they have two children.

Rose and I have always taken the personal scenes and made sure that there is some weight to them so that we can really play, even if it’s one or two scenes, we try and make those count because it’s about our connection and always has been.

I think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten because they hope for the best in every situation and they try to see the good in everything. They keep fighting, which is hard these days, but they feel quite hopeful as a duo to change the world. It is the systems around them that let them down.

What are the key themes for series three?

Amy and Kirsten are always fighting a bigger monster, and each time we’ve seen Amy go into these worlds and realise how fruitless it is in a way, and how she has to compromise. At the end of this series in fact there are quite big compromises, but you’ll have to wait to see what I mean by that!

In this series in particular, I think Amy is a bit more ruthless and reckless once her eyes are open to what’s going on, as there are lots of different countries at play and no-one can truly be trusted. I like it that she has a bit of fight back because she’s just not going to play by the rules herself anymore, because no-one else is.

Vigil is an entertainment programme, but Tom Edge has always chosen subjects that open your eyes to things, so I think it can help to start a conversation. But ultimately I do think anyone can enjoy Vigil, it’s a really good and entertaining watch.

Do you think you’d make a good detective?

I would make a terrible detective! I’m nosy which is good, but the paperwork and the knowledge you need to have isn’t for me – it’s not for the faint hearted!

Rose Leslie (Kirsten Longacre)

(Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

You’ve of course been part of Vigil right from the beginning. What was it that initially attracted you to the project?

DI Kirsten Longacre is a strong-willed, tenacious police officer who is loyal but also very passionate about her job and is married to DCI Silva. The initial attraction was knowing that we were going to be airing on the BBC and, despite the fact that my character was never in the submarine, I loved the premise of the first series being set on board a submarine and the claustrophobia of what that then brings – and now we’re on the third series!

The joy of this particular role is playing opposite Suranne and also being a part of a thriller, and the plots and the twists and the turns that brings.

:DI Kirsten Longacre (ROSE LESLIE), (Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

In series three, what new challenges does Kirsten face?

Kirsten has been asked to spearhead the murder investigation of a British soldier in demilitarised Svalbard. This is the first time that she has ever headed up an investigation on an international scale like this, so she’s stepping into new shoes, and she feels ready for it.

At the same time, it comes with trying to figure out the balance of leaving home and putting your job first. I also think for Kirsten, returning to work post maternity leave is emotional, sometimes exhausting, but certainly an identity shifting experience.

You shot in both Glasgow and Svalbard, with new cast members joining you too. Tell us how that was?

It was so lovely to be back in Glasgow and, having grown up there, I have such a deep fondness for Scotland.

It was also very thrilling to be so far north for filming in Svalbard. The landscape was luna, or what I imagine the moon would look like. I felt so fortunate to experience almost complete isolation on the mountain tops. We had really bulky snowsuits which kept us nice and warm, along with the feet warmers and woolly hats.

On our first day we really were on a boat – it was me, Jeppe (Henrik) and Tornike (Fyodor), sailing for two hours towards a glacier. Then we went into the cabin all feeling seasick – but that’s one way to bond! We were in the cabin, chatting away and asking lots of questions and getting to know and understand each other. Jeppe and Tornike have a similar sense of humour, so they were quite the double act, and it was a joy to observe it all when the three of us were on set together.

What would you say the main themes or concerns that Kirsten has to work through?

I think for Kirsten, in this series, she has a drip feed realisation that countries would go to nefarious depths to make sure that the current order remains and is as prevalent as possible. I think she feels defiant, betrayed and certainly has loyalty to her country, but she has a very good barometer for what she knows to be right.

Do you think you would make a good detective?

I wouldn’t say I have particularly acute observational skills, and I would find the relentless persistence required to be a good detective quite challenging…!

She’s known for quizzing politicians and reading the headlines on Good Morning Britain.

But viewers will see a whole new side to Ranvir Singh as she appears on celebrity gameshow The Box, hosted by Gary Lineker.

The presenter, 49, has said the experience pushed her ‘out of her comfort zone’ and was life-changing, as she overcame her fear of water.

‘Being on an entertainment show is very different to being obviously in news. The whole thing was out of my comfort zone. But I couldn’t have wished for a better experience actually,’ she told the Daily Mail at the ITV show’s launch event.

Speaking about overcoming her fear of water, and how it helped her bond more with her son Tushaan, 14, she said: ‘I’ve got a son who is very active and loves the water; he’s a little fish really, he just loves it, but you know he’s always tried to encourage me to try and go out into the water.

‘I really hate anything where I can’t touch the… It’s not that I hate it, I actually can’t do it right, so on our holiday after The Box, it was the first time that I’ve had the courage to do it.

The presenter, 49, has said the experience pushed her ‘out of her comfort zone’ and was life-changing, as she overcame her fear of water

‘Even though I’ve got a life jacket on, but the life jacket with a phobia is just something that can save my life, it doesn’t solve my phobia if you see what I mean. So it was the first time that I’ve actually snorkelled with him out in the sea.

‘It was amazing. He was so proud of me. I was glad for him that he could see me conquer my fear. So it’s definitely changed how I approach my life. It’s opened up doors.

‘I feel really proud of myself.’

Ranvir shares Tushaan with her ex-husband Ranjeet Singh Dehal, who she secretly split with when she was seven months pregnant.

She is currently dating Louis Church, who is 18 years her junior, after meeting him when he worked behind-the-scenes during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

Elsewhere, Ranvir said she hopes her colleagues, including Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley, will be surprised at her performance on the show.

She said: ‘I hope they’re surprised. I’m usually quite composed and know what I’m doing

‘Also, the problem slightly is that when you are a journalist, you’re expected to know stuff and have the answers, or you can certainly find the answer out. So it’s very discombobulating for me from my day job to have no briefing notes.’

Ranvir is currently dating Louis Church, who is 18 years her junior, after meeting him when he worked behind-the-scenes during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing

Ranvir, who has worked on GMB for over 12 years, added that while she might have interviewed her The Box co-stars, if it hadn’t been for the show, they never would have become friends.

‘We just really got to know each other; that’s like a lovely experience which we never get time to sit with a bunch of people who in your normal daily life we would never work together because our paths just don’t cross. 

‘I probably would interview everybody here on TV for my job, but you don’t get to properly get to know people, so it’s really nice.’ 

On the show, Ranvir, alongside nine other celebrities, will be sealed inside yellow boxes and dropped into mystery locations where they face unpredictable physical, mental and logical challenges with little to no instruction.

Asked about her strategy on the show, Ranvir said: ‘I suppose I was never really seen as a threat. I wasn’t the fastest. I never fully understood the game. 

‘I’m not especially competitive. I was much more interested in enjoying the experience. Some of the others were incredibly competitive, they were absolutely determined to eliminate each other.’

Touted as a replacement for Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, each episode of The Box concludes with ‘The Duel’, an elimination showdown where two players face off.

Asked about this being the first time hosting a big entertainment show, Lineker said: ‘It’s different – it’s something I’ve never done before, which appealed to me, alongside the unique nature of the concept.’

Lineker signed the huge deal with ITV after leaving the BBC last year following an anti-semitism row. 

The former Match of the Day presenter was axed after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur. 

He later ‘apologised unreservedly’ for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: ‘I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for.’

He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC – where he was once the highest paid star – was ‘the responsible course of action’.

The Box begins Saturday, September 5 on ITV1 and ITVX.