Several BBC programmes are currently recruiting contestants and contributors, offering TV fans the chance to appear on some of the broadcaster’s biggest shows.

New Gordon Ramsay show

Gordon Ramsay’s television production company is making a new show for the BBC (Image: Jas Lehal/PA Media Assignments)

There is a new cooking show, yet to be named, which is being produced for the BBC by Studio Ramsay Global – Gordon Ramsay’s television production company.

The description for applicants reads “Whether you’re hoping to build confidence in the kitchen, master a cherished family recipe, learn a new cooking skill for an important life moment – if food has the power to change something in your life, we’d love to hear from you.”

Anyone aged over 18 can apply now until October 31, but has to be available for filming in November in the UK.

Home renovations

Homes under the Hammer aims to help those who have bought a house at auction (Image: BBC)

Homes Under the Hammer is perfect for those looking to make the most out of property they have recently bought at auction.

Presenters Martin Roberts, Dion Dublin, Martel Maxwell, Tommy Walsh and Jacqui Joseph can help create a dream home or undertake a renovation before selling it on.

The programme is open for people to apply with applicants required to be 18 or over.

Face The Dragons

The Dragons are looking for more entrepreneurs to invest in (Image: BBC)

The Dragons are on the hunt for new applicants to find entrepreneurs to invest in.

People looking to pitch ideas and gain advice from some of the most successful business moguls in the country can register their interest for the next series now.

You’re hired!

Applications for The Apprentice are now open (Image: BBC)

For other business-savvy individuals, people are also able to apply to the next series of The Apprentice until January 2027.

After beating 11 other candidates, the winner will receive an investment of up to £250,000 and will go into a 50:50 business with Lord Alan Sugar.

Thrifting with Stacey

New participants are needed for Joanna Page’s show Shift that Thrift (Image: BBC)

Joanna Page of Gavin and Stacey fame needs couples, friends or family duos who are happy to compete against each other for the second series of her show Shift the Thrift.

The pairs, who should apply by September 27, will try to make the most money for a good cause close to their hearts by auctioning off items they have found in a charity shop.

Images of a Hyrox star accidentally soiling herself during a competition in China – before carrying on regardless and winning the event – have thrust the gruelling fitness contest into the global spotlight. 

Yet it is far from the first controversy to engulf the fast-growing sport. Founded in Germany in 2017, Hyrox combines endurance running with functional fitness, including sled pushes, burpees and throwing a ball at a wall 100 times.

Competitors race through eight 1km runs, each separated by a punishing workout station, with the aim of completing the course in the fastest possible time. The best are elevated to ‘professional’ status, known as Elite 15.

In less than a decade, the sport has grown from a niche fitness event into a global phenomenon, attracting hundreds of thousands of competitors and spectators worldwide, taking its estimated value to $700m (£520m).

Last weekend, Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, 24, went viral after footage emerged from a Hyrox event in Beijing showing her continuing to compete after soiling herself during the race.

Video showed Ms Wietrzyk using shared exercise equipment while visible faecal matter clung to her arms, lower body and trainers.

The decision to allow her to continue – and ultimately win – sparked widespread debate about hygiene, athlete welfare and race management, particularly as other competitors were required to use equipment after her.

But the Beijing incident is only the latest in a string of controversies to hit the rapidly expanding international fitness brand.

The sport’s Instagram page promotes the highly competitive nature of Hyrox, which some have branded ‘toxic’. In 2026, more than 100 events took place dedicated to the fast-growing sport

PRICEY OBSESSION

‘How do you know if someone is doing Hyrox? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you!’ It is a joke that has gained traction among fitness fans – but there is more than a little truth behind it.

Critics have called the events ‘toxic’, ‘individualistic’ and ‘ego-driven’, saying competitors will try and win at any cost, and suggesting some are so ‘obsessed’ they’re prepared to debase themselves for the kudos of going home with an event title.

Last year, an estimated 650,000 people took part in Hyrox competitions around the world, with 40,000 competing at its biggest-ever event at London’s ExCeL Centre.

The sport is regularly described as having a ‘cult-like’ following, placing it alongside other all-consuming fitness crazes such as CrossFit, F45, marathon running, wild swimming and 90-minute hot yoga classes.

And as its popularity has grown, so has the entry fee. Hyrox co-founder Christian Toetzke has said that the very first test event in Hamburg generated average ticket revenue of only around €35 (£30) per competitor. 

Today, entry to major UK races can cost around £125 before travel, accommodation, kit and optional add-ons are taken into account.

Yet higher prices have done little to dampen demand, and when tickets for Hyrox Birmingham 2026 went on sale, one Reddit user said he logged on only to discover he was number 26,000 in the online queue.

Other competitors have described UK ticket drops as a frantic ‘fastest finger first’ scramble, with popular races regularly selling out despite stretching across several days.

But devotion to Hyrox can come at a considerable cost because it’s not just the entry ticket you need to pay for.

The organisers are facing a furious backlash for allowing Ms Wietrzyk to continue to compete despite her faecal matter contaminating carpets and communal equipment at the event 

The brand’s co-founder, Moritz Fürste, apologised over the incident on the Hyrox Instagram page

Evgenia Koroleva, founder of ONE LDN gym, told the BBC that expenses for competitors can be ‘absolutely astronomical’, with a race weekend easily costing between £500 and £1,000 once entry, travel and accommodation are factored in.

She said: ‘Hyrox has created this addiction for people who do it because they never really do one race. When they do their first race they then sign up for another one and because the course is the same it creates this level of competition with yourself.’

For its most committed devotees, Hyrox can become a serious investment of both time and money, with competitors training for months through pricey officially affiliated gyms, entering race after race and travelling internationally in pursuit of faster times.

One 29-year-old woman told the BBC she had competed in 20 Hyrox races across six countries and 12 cities, and even spent £2,000 attending the World Championships in Chicago.

She said: ‘For competitions abroad, I normally spend approximately £400 per trip for two nights’ stay and travel.’

There’s another big cost, too: kit. She added that her relentless training schedule means that she ‘burns through ridiculous amounts of shoes’.

As well as an excuse to buy a new pair of trainers, completing a Hyrox also brings some serious bragging rights.

Unlike other fitness contests which present you with a medal for crossing the finishing line, Hyrox gives out patches that can be sewn onto gym bags… and leave people in the changing room green with envy.

STAFFED BY VOLUNTEERS 

Despite its deep coffers, Hyrox relies heavily on volunteers to help keep its events running smoothly – and they’re paid in merchandise.

They are openly recruited to judge the competition’s eight workout stations, as well as taking on roles across event operations – from staffing water stations and registration desks to managing bag drops and merchandise stands.

But they are not doing it entirely for free. In return, volunteers can earn entry to a future race – a valuable perk given that many events sell out almost as soon as they are announced – as well as a special T-shirt and a coveted Hyrox patch.

Last month, there was an outcry when Hyrox UK appeared to change the deal, with a new rewards system reportedly offering only a 50 per cent discount on a future race rather than a free entry for an eight-hour shift.

The move sparked a backlash, with some volunteers arguing that the reduced benefit no longer justified the long hours, travel and accommodation costs involved.

One previous volunteer raged on Reddit: ‘My time, travel expenses, tolerance for abuse from athletes who don’t like my calls and risks of being berated publicly on Facebook by the spectators with cameras is not worth a small discount, free T-shirt that stretches after one wash and a cheap ready meal.’

Hyrox relies heavily on volunteers to help keep it’s events running smoothly

Hyrox later reversed the change and reinstated the previous one-shift-for-one-race reward.

The row has also fuelled a wider discussion over whether a rapidly growing – and financially buoyant – international sport should continue relying on volunteers to officiate races, particularly amid repeated disputes over inconsistent judging and penalties.

DEATHS 

This year, two competitors tragically died after collapsing at Hyrox events.

In August, South African-born fitness coach Leroy Saunders, 41, lost consciousness while competing at Hyrox Bangkok and was given CPR by event staff and medics before being taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His death came just weeks after an unnamed 28-year-old woman died during Hyrox Lyon. French media reported that she collapsed on the running track after suffering acute hyperthermia – dangerous overheating of the body – during an intense heatwave.

Hyrox does not appear to have issued a publicly available statement following either death, although Mr Saunders’ family specifically asked the organisation and media not to comment on the circumstances while his cause of death was being established.

‘TWO TIER’ RULES 

Hyrox competitors are expected to follow a strict set of rules – but there have been accusations that those rules are not always applied consistently, particularly when elite athletes are involved.

At Hyrox Washington in March 2026, eventual men’s singles winner Cole Learn was filmed pouring aid-station water over himself, despite the published rulebook stating that using drinking water for cooling carries a two-minute penalty.

That same month, at the EMEA Regional final, winner Hidde Weersma was filmed discarding a gel packet even though littering is listed as an offence under Hyrox rules.

No penalty was issued to either competitor, despite both breaches being caught on the events’ livestreams.

BULLYING 

Official commentators at the Hyrox Chengdu event were sacked after mocking Chinese Olympic table-tennis champion Zhang Jike while he struggled through the race last month.

As well as making unkind comments about him being better suited to ‘variety TV’, they invited viewers to screenshot his ‘pain face’ to make memes.

The remarks sparked a fierce backlash in China, prompting Hyrox’s local office to publicly apologise to Zhang and cut ties with the commentators.

HYROX CRUISE 

A participant competes at the burpees station during the Hyrox Men Istanbul 2026 fitness race at the Istanbul Expo Center

At the end of next month, the Hyrox cruise will embark on a four-night voyage around the Mediterranean, carrying around 2,300 fitness fans from Palma to Marseille and Barcelona.

According to the marketing blurb, the entire 295-metre cruise liner will be transformed into a ‘full-on Hyrox training ecosystem’, with workouts, coaching from elite competitors, nutrition and recovery sessions, wellness facilities and even Hyrox-themed parties.

A double-berth cabin starts from €2,599 (£2,233), including food and drink and access to more than 350 hours of coaching from Hyrox trainers and brand partners.

But taking the fitness phenomenon to the high seas has not been entirely smooth sailing.

Plans to stage an Elite 15 competition on board were scrapped after Hyrox acknowledged it could not guarantee ‘fair, standardised and repeatable race conditions’ on a moving cruise ship.

There was also anger among some early customers after prices were later slashed by as much as 40 per cent, just months after they had paid full price for the same accommodation.

In the aftermath of Ms Wietrzyk’s Beijing event, a spokesman for Hyrox said a ‘major clean-up operation’ had taken place in the venue where Ms Wietrzyk had competed, including the sanitising of carpets and equipment. 

However, as complaints about the handling of the incident escalated online, the brand’s co-founder Moritz Fürste apologised – and vowed to change the sport’s rules.

Mr Fürste said: ‘Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.’

While incidents of bowel and bladder incontinence aren’t uncommon at outdoor endurance events such as marathons – at the 2005 London Marathon Paula Radcliffe famously relieved herself on the streets during the 26-mile race, contamination in indoor venues poses a much more serious risk to public health. 

She was the longest serving Strictly professional before she was culled from the show in a pro dancer bloodbath.

Yet with the new series set to launch tonight, Karen Hauer has revealed that she doesn’t miss being on the programme and is enjoying the time off after a more than a decade on the dancefloor. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Karen mused: ‘For 14 years I was locked in, and that’s what I wanted… You can’t go in halfway and that’s what all the pros do, and that’s why it’s so intense. 

‘You can’t go, well I’m going to take the day off today, it doesn’t work like that, and it doesn’t work like that in any job either way. I was locked in and disciplined.

‘I have some great memories from Strictly, but do I miss being in it? No. I like having a little less stress and a little bit more time.

‘I know the process and I know how hard it is. I love seeing the new trailers and it’s great seeing that energy, but I’m loving my time now. I feel very positive.’

Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe will make their hosting debut when Strictly returns at 7.25 on BBC – but Karen won’t be tuning in 

Despite Karen enjoying the clips she’s seen promoting the show, she revealed she won’t be tuning in for the launch because she’ll be working. 

Karen is currently starring in the touring production of Stepping Out, in which she plays dance teacher Mavis.

She landed her role in the stage show just weeks after the Strictly lineup reshuffle and explained: ‘I feel like I haven’t stopped in a way, and I think mentally that’s great.

‘I’ve never just laid down and cried about things, I don’t have time for that, you know.

‘I feel really good. I have a really good circle of friends around me that are supportive and my partner Simon and my dogs.’

Of her new job, Karen added: ‘I love what I do. I’ve always loved theatre, and I’ve always loved performing and doing a live performance on an everyday basis.

‘I love that connection that I have with the public and I love that connection that I have with other humans around me on stage.’

Yet while Karen is enjoying her time on the stage, she revealed she hasn’t ruled out a comeback to Strictly, saying she’d be open to returning down the line in some capacity, such as a judge. 

‘I am taking opportunities as they come,’ Karen explained. ‘If an opportunity like that comes I will welcome it. 

‘I have a lot of love for the show and something that I will always carry with me to everything that I do is the experience that I gained for 14 years on Strictly.’

For now, Karen is waiting to see what Strictly will look like after the hosting revamp that’s seen Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman replaced by Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.

‘It’s hard because you had Tess and Claudia who’d been there for a very long time,’ Karen mused. ‘But you have Emma who is a megastar, she knows what she’s doing.

‘She’s an incredible woman, and I love that, seeing a woman just owning it.

‘And Josh is a dear friend of mine, we were paired up on the Christmas special and we have that connection.

‘I’m really looking forward to his humour and his relatability. He’s done the show so he knows what happens and that’s what you need.

‘And then we have Johannes, who’s incredible on all cylinders. Not only does he know the inside, but he knows the “in-ins”. I mean, it’s a win-win.’

Karen, who danced with Josh in the Christmas special said ‘I’m really looking forward to his humour and his relatability’ when he makes his hosting debut (pictured in 2024) 

Karen is working with Burns Pet Nutrition to host The Burns Bravery Awards in November and is calling on the nation to nominate Britain’s Bravest Dog

Now as Karen prepares for her first winter without Strictly in 14 years, she is working with Burns Pet Nutrition to host The Burns Bravery Awards in November, and is calling on the nation to nominate Britain’s Bravest Dog.

From Search & Rescue and assistance dogs to rescue dogs, working dogs and beloved family companions, the campaign is inviting people to come forward with deserving dogs.

Karen said: ‘I’m a dog lover and I have four incredible rescue dogs who mean the world to me, so being part of these incredible awards is a dream come true in a way.

‘A lot of people have different dreams, but my dream is always to, you know, be talking about dogs and how incredible they are and the meaning that they have to us.

‘We’re asking for everyone across the country to nominate a dog that’s done something for them or that they’ve seen doing incredible jobs.

‘We want to hear their stories and we want to share their stories with everyone around them.

‘What I say about my dogs is that I rescued them, but they actually rescued me. They support us, they comfort us, it’s beautiful. 

‘The instincts that they have to nurture and to know when you’re in danger, when you are feeling low, how it helps with our mental well-being, how it helps with our physical well-being.

‘We have our own little personal trainers with us and our psychologists.’

You can nominate a brave dog and learn more about the awards at https://burnspet.co.uk/pages/burns-bravery-awards 

Vast quantities of plastic and fishing gear are washing up along the shores of the Seychelles, destroying fragile ecosystems and causing significant economic problems.

Aldabra Atoll, a Unesco world heritage site in this archipelago nation of 115 islands, is estimated to have accumulated more than 500 tonnes of plastic on its shores alone. Most of this plastic debris continues to pile up along its beaches today. It was estimated that removing it would cost approximately US$4.68 million (£3.46 million) and would require 18,000 hours of labour.

Small island developing states are particularly vulnerable to plastic debris on their beaches. It can damage tourism and fishing in these coastal communities, which is essential to their economies. Clean-up costs can be prohibitive.

Fish and other marine life can also be killed by getting entangled with or ingesting plastic debris.

It is impossible to tackle this growing problem without knowing where this pollution is coming from and who is responsible. We investigated this in our recent study using computer simulations and observations, focusing on pollution in the western Indian Ocean from fisheries and shipping.

We found that most pollution probably comes from vessels in or near the Seychelles’ own waters. This challenges the assumption from previous work that island plastic mainly drifts in from distant shores.

We know fishing vessels lose nets and gear, and shipping vessels illegally discard plastic and other items. But to work out which vessels are responsible and where their debris ends up, we needed to know which ships and fishing boats operate near the Seychelles.

To do this, we used satellite tracking data from fishing and shipping vessels over five years (from 2018 to 2022) to estimate activity across the region. Using this map, we simulated the drift of billions of virtual pollution fragments and followed where they ended up.

From this we built a map showing how likely a given vessel location is to pose a risk to the Seychelles’ islands. We did this separately for fishing and shipping.

Our research shows, based on previous fishing activity, that most fishing gear that is swept up on the beaches of the Seychelles comes from fishing within its own exclusive economic zone. These are the waters, extending 200 nautical miles (370km) offshore, over which a state has exclusive control over marine resources, including fisheries.

These waters are full of tuna, and the Seychelles’ economy leans heavily on industrial fishing, both as an employer and as a large source of foreign currency.

Where does the waste come from?

It is likely that some of the gear and plastic waste is coming from EU vessels. The Seychelles’ waters are heavily fished by two types of European fishing boats, purse-seiners and longliners. This falls under a longstanding agreement between the EU and the Seychelles granting them the right to fish here. Purse-seiners circle around tuna schools with a large net, and longliners trail baited hooks over many kilometres.

Indeed, a report presented to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission found that 76% of 214 of the drifting fish aggregating devices used by tuna fisheries to attract shoals of fish in the Seychelles’ exclusive economic zone were from Spanish-owned vessels. This is an industry making significant profits, while leaving behind environmental damage.

Recently, the Seychelles–EU fishing agreement was renewed for 2026–30 at €5,750,000 per year (£4.89 million), allowing 38 EU fishing vessels to operate in these waters. The Seychelles government is believed to have pushed for a 30% rise in this annual payment from the EU but it is believed they settled on 7%, according to some reports.

Given that the cost associated with cleaning up a single island already runs into millions, the Seychelles-EU deal is small compared to the indirect damages imposed on the nation.

Other proposed solutions

International shipping creates other issues. Our study suggests that more than 90% of plastic being swept up on the Seychelles’ coast from shipping comes from just five lanes crossing the western Indian Ocean. The origin and destination ports of these lanes line up with the countries named on labels of plastic bottles washed ashore on Aldabra.

Debris from international shipping lanes requires a different solution. Unlike the tuna fleets fishing under the agreement between the Seychelles and the EU, this is international traffic passing by. A solution to the plastic waste coming from these ships would be more rigorous enforcement of existing international rules against dumping waste at sea, and bilateral cooperation between the Seychelles and the many nations whose ships use these routes.

Even simple measures could cut litter. For instance, ensuring vessels carry enough safe drinking water to reduce the use of plastic bottles should cut some debris found on Aldabra.

The true cost of cleaning up this huge level of plastic pollution tends not to fall on those who have left it there. The Seychelles needs to work out the cost of the damage being done by these mountains of waste to get a better deal in future negotiations with the EU.

That should help fund clean ups and repair the fragile ecosystems of the islands, helping to preserve them for the future.

His behaviour after her death then amplified the agony for her heartbroken parents. He lied about what had happened to her, then confessed, then changed his original plea of guilty to manslaughter to not guilty and not guilty to murder forcing her family to endure the stress and torment of a trial.

Now a Parole Board panel has decided he should not be released after a third review of his case. They also decided he should not be transferred to an open prison.

Mollie’s mother, Rachel Webb told the MEN: “He should never come out, he’s a monster. He will never change. He’s evil.”

The mother-of-two added: “Stoker is living in his own world still denying what he has done. He is a hard-faced horrible person.

“I have never been asked to make an impact statement for the Parole Board – I wish I had been asked. I want to make one if he tries again to get out.

“My daughter was nine months old when she was cruelly murdered by her uncle Trevor Stoker – 21 years has gone by and it’s still as raw today as the day she was brutally attacked and died four days later due to severe head trauma and broken eye sockets and broken brain stem.

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“Trevor Stoker is an evil man who to this day is still denying doing it and has now gone up for a third time for parole. My fear is that he would do this again and I never want another family to go through what I have..

“It still traumatises me everyday and will still everyday of my life to come. I fear he would come for me and my other children and not think twice of hurting us.

“He should remain in jail for the rest of his life. He still has no remorse for what he did and what he took away from me that day. He broke my family that day and we are still grieving the loss of our beautiful baby girl who should now be living her life to the fullest.”

As required by law Mr Stoker’s case was referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice to determine whether he could be safely released on parole licence. If not, the panel had to consider whether transfer to open conditions could be recommended.

The panel could only direct release if it was satisfied that it was no longer necessary for the protection of the public that Mr Stoker remained in prison.

In a summary report the Parole Board says: “In reaching its decision, the panel considered the contents of Mr Stoker’s dossier, prepared by the Secretary of State. This included up-to-date reports from Mr Stoker’s probation officer based in the community and other assessments and documentation from the establishment.

“The panel did not have the benefit of a victim personal statement but appreciated there was continuing engagement with the victim liaison scheme.”

On 15 November 2006 Mr Stoker received a mandatory life sentence with a minimum tariff of 15 years, seven months and six days’ imprisonment, following his conviction for murder.

He was 38 years old at the time he was sentenced and was aged 57 when his case was reviewed for a third time by the Parole Board. Stoker first became eligible to be considered for release in June 2022.

The report says: “Having considered the index offence and the other evidence before it, the panel listed as risk factors those influences which made it more likely that Mr Stoker would reoffend.

“At the time of his offending, these risk factors had included not being able to control extreme emotion, not thinking what will happen as a result of his actions, difficulties in relationships.

“Evidence was presented in the dossier regarding Mr Stoker’s progress and custodial conduct during this sentence. He maintains his innocence and has not undertaken any accredited programmes. Key report writers could not support his release.

“The panel examined the release plan provided by Mr Stoker’s probation officer and weighed its proposals against assessed risks. The panel concluded this plan was not robust enough to manage Mr Stoker in the community at this stage as necessary core risk reduction work remained outstanding and his risk had not been effectively reduced.

“After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public. Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that Mr Stoker should be transferred to open prison. He will be eligible for another parole review in due course.”

Stoker’s trial left jury members at Manchester Crown Court in tears. But the death of nine-month-old Mollie would ultimately change the way police investigate child homicides.

The case was a landmark for UK policing. Detectives, forensic officers, and medical experts pushed the boundaries of investigation to prove that Stoker had killed Mollie. Their work showed Stoker’s explanation that he fell downstairs with Mollie accidentally was a lie.

The brutal truth was that Stoke had punched Mollie in the face and body through a pillow, and then lifted her by her ankles into the air and swung her down against a bed.

The brain injuries she suffered made medical history due to their severity on a baby so young.

Stoker later told police when he was punching the child he was “trying to take the hate out on Mollie”. After the verdict, Mollie’s parents, Rachel Webb and Carl Norman, said: “We trusted him and he was evil.”

Mollie died in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool on June 16, 2005, four days after Stoker attacked her at his home in Briar. That day, he confessed to killing Mollie during a dramatic phone call to police.

But at first he claimed the fatal injuries Mollie suffered were due to a fall down stairs. He also pretended to use his life saving skills picked up in the armed forces to reassure Mollie’s family she would be okay.

Stoker was arrested at a service station on the M5 as he made his way to Bristol with the intention of jumping from a bridge. He later confessed to killing Mollie in a police interview and in a letter to a detective.

But he then said the confessions were false as he wanted to take the blame as he was concerned Mollie’s family might attack his wife.

When confessing, Stoker said that during the evening before the attack he squeezed Mollie tightly, causing her distress. This was to get anger out of his system. He also spoke of his hatred towards Mollie’s father, Carl Norman, describing him as a ‘dead leg’.

Manchester Crown Court was told Stoker’s motive for attacking Mollie was to get at her father. He resented what he believed was his idle nature and thought it a “bit of a cheek” that he and his wife had been asked to babysit Mollie when his in-laws had babysat the previous weekend.

The officer in charge of the investigation was Detective Chief Inspector, Geoff Wessell, based in Salford, who went on to become an Assistant Chief Constable with Avon and Somerset Police force before retiring.

Mr Wessell said: “”What Stoker did to Mollie will live in my memory for a long time. For years. And as a senior investigating officer, it’s one of the most significant cases I’ve dealt with. It was a great team effort to get the conviction with how Stoker messed around after his despicable act.

“But also, I can remember the impact on Carl and Rachel and the wider family, which will live with me for a long time.”

To his wife and two children, Stoker was a hard-working HGV driver and a caring father. A non-smoker and almost teetotal, he would get up at 5.30am to workout with weights or go for a run, a legacy of his military training.

But at Stoker’s trial it was revealed that 18 years earlier, when he was a 20-year-old Army private, he had assaulted a 10-month-old boy who was the child of his then girlfriend, Susan Rackley, in London.

He was left alone with Aaron at Susan’s London flat after she went to work. During his murder trial Stoker told the court what he did on that occasion: “While I was changing his bottom he kept crawling away. I ended up losing my temper. I felt bad, guilty at what I had done.”

He admitted giving Aaron a couple of slaps and leaving him with a mark on his head where he had kept pulling him back along the carpet. Later that day he went out for a drink with friends, telling them Aaron had been “a little b*****” and he had “nearly killed him”.

Mr Wessell said: “You look back now and add the years on of where Mollie should be in terms of her life, now in early 20s – enjoying all the things that a 20 year old should do, that’s been taken away from her.

“We’re guided by society in terms of whether he’s (Stoker) dangerous he’s obviously clearly got a temper, he’s clearly got some issues. Whether he’s a changed person I don’t know my thoughts always come back to Mollie and comes back to Carl and Rachel and what they’ve lost.”

When Stoker spoke to a police officer as he drove south, seemingly with the intention of leaping from a Bristol bridge, he referred to himself in the third person, saying “Trevor” was a kind and devoted father-of-two, but a “demon” inside his mind was responsible for his appalling crime.

A prolific people smuggler, dubbed ‘Freya The Ice Queen’, has been jailed along with the rest of her gang for forcing 24 Thai women into prostitution after trafficking them into Britain.

Achareeya Spurr, aka ‘Freya’, Chin Ping, Ugur Sahin and Sarunyoo Siriwan ran a complex smuggling operation which spread to 26 brothels across London and Kent.

They were busted after police raided the establishments and found dozens of Thai women who had been forced into prostitution by the smuggling gang.

Many told officers they had had their passports taken from them by a woman known to them as ‘Freya’ or ‘Freya Ice Queen’.

Some had been smuggled across the Channel in the back of lorries from the Netherlands. 

Spurr, 49, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit human trafficking, conspiracy to control prostitution for gain and acquiring, using or possessing criminal property – while Ping, 56, Sahin, 27, and Siriwan, 31, were convicted of all charges after a seven-week trial. 

The three men were also found guilty of facilitating a breach of UK immigration law by a non-UK national. 

The gang was jailed for a combined 23 years, with ‘Freya’ sentenced to more than seven years behind bars.

Gang members targeted Thai women and arranged for them to travel to the UK, often under the pretence of legitimate visitor visas, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Chin Ping, another member of the gang which forced the woman into prostitution and confiscated their passports

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Sarunyoo Siriwan was jailed for four years and four months after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court

Once they arrived, victims were taken to brothels and coerced into sex to repay alleged debts, which had often spiralled into the tens of thousands of pounds.

Their passports were typically confiscated and kept by gangsters to control them, leaving the women isolated and dependent.

Detectives found at least one victim was smuggled into the UK in the back of a vehicle across the English Channel from the Netherlands.

Last October officers from the Metropolitan Police’s modern slavery and child exploitation team searched seven addresses and seized £57,145 in cash, a money-counting machine, designer watches and handbags, mobile phones, Sim and bank cards and three victims’ passports.

Police linked 26 brothels to the group and found 24 victims believed to have been exploited by them who arrived in the UK last year.

Detective Constable Kathryn Horne, of the Met, said: ‘This was a sophisticated criminal enterprise that targeted women for financial gain, treating them as commodities to be bought, controlled and exploited.

‘The defendants profited from the suffering of women who had travelled thousands of miles to the UK, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of debt, control and sexual exploitation.

‘I would like to thank the victims for their courage throughout this investigation. Their accounts were crucial in bringing those responsible to justice.’

Ugur Sahin was the fourth convicted member of the gang, which was linked to 26 brothels across London and Kent

During searches of addresses linked to the gang police found stashes of designer watches

Officers also found wads of cash and passports belonging to the victims

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Debi Lloyd, head of UK counter-trafficking operations at the victim support group Justice & Care, said: ‘First and foremost, this result is about the incredible courage of the victims who have come forward to share their story and engaged with a criminal justice process. After experiencing such significant trauma, this takes enormous strength.

‘This case also shows what is possible when agencies work together around the individual, combining a determined law enforcement response with consistent, specialist support. No court result can undo the harm someone has experienced, and we know that recovery is rarely a straight line.

‘But victims deserve to be heard, believed and supported to make their own choices, while those responsible for serious abuse and exploitation are held to account.

‘I am incredibly proud of the partnership working that helped make this result possible, and above all, I want to recognise the bravery of the victims at the heart of this case.’

Spurr was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison, while Ping was jailed for six years and nine months, Siriwan for four years and four months and Sahin for four years.

Rover.com has released the best dog-friendly pubs across England after sending its expert Tavern Testers to test out 110 different places.

The Penny Hedge in Whitby was named as the best dog-friendly pub in Yorkshire and has a sizeable beer garden for dogs to enjoy.

The pub also has a pub garden. (Image: Tripadvisor)

What is the Penny Hedge like?

Adem Fehmi, Rover’s Canine Behaviourist expert comments: “For dogs who are comfortable in social settings, a trip to the pub can be a really positive experience, offering plenty of mental stimulation through new sights, sounds and smells, as well as valuable quality time with their owners.

“The best dog-friendly venues understand that a warm welcome goes beyond simply allowing dogs through the door – having access to fresh water, enough space to settle and a calm, comfortable environment can all help dogs feel at ease.

“The Brandling Villa has clearly thought about the experience from a dog’s perspective, while adding plenty of fun touches for owners too, making it a worthy winner this year.”

Described as being “family-friendly”, the Penny Hedge has both indoor and outdoor seating for you to enjoy a drink no matter what the weather is like.

The pub has “expertly crafted ales, carefully selected wines, and a comprehensive range of spirits” on offer.

The Penny Hedge has a continental and cooked breakfast menu for those wanting to get a good start to the day as well as a set lunch menu where you can enjoy three courses for only £19.50.

On its main menu, there is a range of pub classics from Whitby scampi to sausage and mash as well as burgers and steaks.

What do reviews say about the Penny Hedge?

The Penny Hedge has a rating of 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor with 729 people leaving reviews after their trip.

One person said: “Great experience, good food and drink selection.

“Play area outside is perfect for kids, then a reading corner inside for children which was nice and quiet.

“Service was amazing, very polite and they couldn’t have been more accommodating.

“Dog friendly and Plenty of parking on site.”

Another person said: “Had a lovely Sunday lunch – we were warmly welcomed by Carolyn and the team.

“Had a lovely table and the recommendation to have a side of the cauliflower cheese was spot on!!

“Presented beautifully and portion size excellent.

“It was a most pleasurable way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

“Will definitely visit again.”

Will you be taking your dog to the Penny Hedge? Let us know in the comments.

The former Coronation Street actress dined with her children at The Clog and Billycock on Billinge End Road.

The mum-of-three shared an Instagram video showing plates piled high with meat, vegetables and giant Yorkshire puddings.

Writing to her 1.1 million followers, she said: “The Clog and Billycock never fails.”

The Clog and Billycock website says the Brunning and Price pub dates back 150 years.

Sunday roast at The Clog and Billycock in Pleasington

The pub opened as the Bay Horse before being renamed in 1973 after former landlord Alfred Pomfret, who wore clogs and a billycock hat behind the bar.

Helen regularly visits the pub and often praises its Sunday roasts, hailing a nut roast as “the best she has ever eaten”.

The pub’s Sunday menu features pink roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast porchetta with sage and apple stuffing, a mixed roast and roast shoulder of lamb with rosemary and red wine gravy, according to its website.

It also offers a Sunday sharing board with pigs in blankets, buttered mash, cauliflower cheese and duck-fat roast potatoes.

Prices range from £19.95 to £26.95.

With its open fires, wooden floors and garden room, the pub offers a relaxed setting for family meals.

Its private dining room seats up to 24 people for business lunches or family gatherings.

The flower-lined terrace is a summer sun trap and a cosy cooler-weather spot with covered seating and an open fire.

READ THE FIRST ARTICLE: THE MINERS’ CERAMIC HEART-SHAPED HEADSTONES OF SOUTH DURHAM

The earliest heart-shaped headstone in Wheatley Hill is from this toddler, John Ephraim, who was nearly thee when he died in 1910

ALL 22 heart-shaped ceramic headstones in Wheatley Hill cemetery have been recorded by the local history society, and we can learn much from them.

The first of the 22 is very early, from August 1910, and it is just a white heart lain on the turf. It marks the last resting place of John Ephraim, of Wingate Lane, who was two years 10 months when he died.

All the others are the cream coloured, free standing hearts. There is one from 1912, three from 1916 and then a glut: three in 1918, six in 1919, four in 1920 and three in 1921. The fashion for them then tails off with the last one being dated 1926.

They tend to commemorate young adults – only three of them are for people aged more than 51 but five are for children under 10. Most are for people who died in their late teens or early twenties.

They seem to commemorate largely working class people. There aren’t any doctors or reverends, but there are three men who were killed accidentally in Thornley pit and another, Robert Harkness, who was killed at Kelloe Duff Heap – a duff heap being a pile of fine coal dust that was usually waste.

Robert Harkness, killed at Kelloe Duff Heap

Three contain references to lost soldiers.

When Catherine Gilling died aged 57 on October 9, 1916, her heart-shaped headstone contains a reference to her son, James, “who was missing in France, September 25, 1915”.

So poor Catherine had died after more than a year of not knowing what had happened to 22-year-old James, although the Commonwealth War Graves website confirms he had indeed died on September 25, 1915, while serving with 15DLI and his body was never recovered.

Brother and sister Elizabeth and Mckeand share this heart-shaped headstone

A similar story of not-knowing is told on the heart dedicated by her parents to Elizabeth McKeand who died aged 17 on March 1, 1919. Under her name, they’ve written that of their son, Pte JG McKeand “who died of wounds somewhere in France on October 9, 1916”. He was 22, a member of 20DLI, and he lies on the Somme.

Thomas Coldwell

And then there’s Pte Thomas Coldwell, 24, the husband of Hannah. He died of wounds on August 6, 1915, at Bagthorpe Military Hospital in Nottingham.

He has a proper Portland Stone military headstone in the Wheatley Hill cemetery and a less militaristic heart-shaped headstone on which his family placed a poem:

He marched away so bravely, his young head proudly held
His footsteps never faltered, his courage never failed,
And on the field of battle, he calmly took his place,
He found and died for Britain, the honour of his race
For King and Country he did his best
May God grant him eternal rest,
Sadly missed by his loving wife, and daughter Minnie.

Margaret Hedley, of Wheatley Hill Local History Society, says: “I think these headstones were much cheaper than the traditional stone headstones because of the ceramic-type material they were made from, which was also used to make underground drainage and sewer pipes.

“I have noticed that the majority of them are wearing a lot better than other materials, such as stone, that were used for headstones during the same period.”

The headstones in the High Escomb cemetery

“THERE are quite a few heart-shaped headstones that have escaped the almost criminal desecration of High Escomb cemetery,” says Howard Chadwick.

When St John’s Church at High Escomb was demolished in 1971, most headstones were either removed or laid flat, and then the churchyard was abandoned. In recent years, Howard and a team of volunteers have been rescuing what survives from the overgrowth.

“I think the ceramic hearts were made at Tindale Crescent by Shaw and Knight,” he says.

Shaw and Knight made white, glazed fireclay sanitary products, like toilets, sinks, urinals, ablution bowls and even post-mortem tables for mortuaries. They used clay which came out of Durham coalmines – there are often layers of clay immediately below and above coal seams.

Especially important to S&K was clay known as “FTB” – “Fir Tree Ballarat”.

At Fir Tree, near Crook, S&K employed at least 50 men in a driftmine that dug into thin seam – less than 2ft thick – of coal that the rest of the coalfield knew as “Top Busty”.

However, in the Fir Tree area it must have been discovered after the 1851 rush to Ballarat in Victoria, Australia, when gold was found there, and so was given the name of “Ballarat”.

The presence of FTB must have made the digging for the meagre coal seam financially viable for S&K.

S&K closed in the 1960s but one of its four tall chimneys on the edge of Bishop Auckland lasted as a landmark, with “S&K” written in its brickwork, until 1976. The Roman Way Industrial estate now occupies its site with many of its buildings still in use.

From St Mary’s at Sherburn (Image: Phil Dyer)

IN St Mary’s churchyard at Sherburn there are two hearts, reports Phil Dyer, attaching a picture of one dated 1911, which is pretty early in the phenomenon.

It is supported by a brown column that is designed to look like the bark on a trunk of a tree.

This common design may be a nod to the Arts and Crafts movement of about 1880 to 1920 which liked naturalistic designs.

At the back, the trunk has a hole in the top. We wondered uncertainly whether this was for ease of carrying, but Phil has a better idea.

“I wonder if the hole was to stand flowers in,” he says.

Margeretta Walls in Hetton-le-Hole cemetery

MEMORIES 796 used the website of the Tiles & Architectural Ceramic Society to scratch the surface of the heart-shaped headstone phenomenon.

The website has a gazetteer of cemeteries across the country which contain rare ceramic headstones.

In all of London, there are only 14 whereas in County Durham, there are 24 – and we now think there are many more.

For instance, Paul Robson points out that Hetton-le-Hole cemetery is not included in the gazetteer yet that is where his great-great-grandmother, Margaret Walls, rests beneath a ceramic heart which rather fondly calls her “Margaretta”.

“Her end in 1916 was a sad one,” he says. “She was 60 years of age and lost an argument with a taxi cab on the road in South Hetton.

“Interesting to note was that her son-in-law was Thomas Donkin, under-manager of Hetton Lyons Colliery – might this have influenced the family’s choice of headstone?

“The heart itself is in remarkably good condition for its 110 years.”

This heart illustrates another part of the phenomenon: the poem.

On traditional stone headstones, the fashion for having a poem died out in the middle of the 19th Century, but here in the second decade of the 20th Century, it seems to have been revived. Margaret’s verse reads:

The call was short, the shock severe
To part with one we loved so dear.
Our hopes in heaven that we may meet,
And then our joy will be complete.

Who wrote these verses? They seem quite personal, so was it the family themselves, or did the manufacturers – the colliery brickworks or Shaw & Knight? – have a resident poet who could knock out an odd ode whenever called upon?

Elizabeth and Joe Campbell in Hetton-le-Hole cemetery

MARGARET WALLS is not alone in being commemorated by a heart in Hetton.

“In the cemetery, which opened in 1891, there are currently 16 such memorials in various states of dilapidation,” says Peter High. “They are all sited in the older part of the cemetery and are mainly clustered into the 1900-1920 period.

“At Easington Lane cemetery, which opened in 1892, there are currently 20 complete or damaged memorials and one base although there are thought to have been many more

“The cemeteries are, respectively, north and south of the former pioneering Hetton Lyons colliery which had a brickworks that operated until the 1950s.

“I understand this, and other colliery brickworks, also produced salt-glazed drainage pipes and fittings as well as large thick tiles (not unlike the plaques) that were used to pave the yards of the now demolished colliery houses in the area.

“The damaged and weathered memorials point to them being made in two parts. The faux tree trunks are a variation on a drainage pipe with apparently a shallow socket and/or a rough edge for mounting the plaque.

“These could well have been made in bulk in a brickworks. The slip, glaze and typesetting on the plaques suggest more skilled processes in their manufacture which could have been at nearby potteries.

“The mounting of the plaques at a gravity-defying angle has, however, proven to be a design flaw.”

Indeed, across the county, the glue holding a percentage of plaques in place has failed causing the hearts to fall to the ground and break.

All of these headstones tell a story of human life.

One in Hetton tells of the terrible anguish of George and Rebecca Campbell who lost their children Elizabeth, aged six, and Joseph, aged 10 weeks, in such a short space of time that they are commemorated on the one heart with one date: February 28, 1919.

This places them in the third wave of the Spanish flu epidemic – the second wave, in October and November 1918 in Durham, was the most deadly but poor Joseph had not been alive to catch it then.

Arthur Bainbridge in Hetton-le-Hole cemetery

And then there’s the elaborate marker for Arthur Bainbridge, who died February 19, 1919, aged 40.

It has the same typeface, the same tree effects and the same coloured clay as all the others, but is a unique style – unless you have seen anything similar?

• Are there any ceramic headstones in your area or your family? Can you tell us anything more about them? We’d love to hear more about this fascinating Durham phenomenon. Please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk