During the clip, Alex samples several items from the family-run business, including a scotch egg, corned beef slice and a pork pie, but it was the sausage roll that appeared to make the biggest impression.
Taking a bite, he said: “Man, that is good, holy smokes.”
He later described the pork pie as “really good”, while claiming the scotch egg was “egg-celent”.
The video quickly caught the attention of local residents, who flooded the comments section with recommendations and praise for some of Taylor’s most popular products.
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The video quickly caught local residents’ attention, prompting a flood of praise for Taylor’s most popular products.
After watching Alex try the pork pie, viewers agreed he had chosen one of the shop’s best products.
One said: “No other pork pie will ever measure up now you’ve had Taylor’s.”
Another added: “Try the pork pie with some Branston’s Pickle.”
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Alex’s praise for the sausage roll struck a chord with regular customers, too.
One viewer wrote: “I have a spreadsheet of sausage rolls and Taylor’s is number 1 by a long way.”
Taylors in Skinnergate, Darlington. (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Others used the video as an opportunity to celebrate independent butchers and local food producers, with one person describing them as “elite”.
The comments showcased local customers’ affection for Taylor’s as they backed Alex’s review and shared their favourite products.
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For many viewers, Alex’s video offered a fresh perspective on a Darlington favourite, while introducing thousands of people from outside the area to a butcher that locals were more than happy to recommend.
Judge Judy Sheindlin has revealed why she refuses to watch herself on screen.
The veteran TV star, 83, is best known for her near 30-year run on her eponymous reality courtroom series, which ran for a whopping 25 seasons from 1996 to 2021.
But Judy, who is planning to retire next month, has now explained that she is not a fan of watching herself at work.
‘I did [watch] in the beginning,’ she told People in a new interview.
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‘And then I realized that, in looking at myself, I was not only looking at the substance of what I was saying, but from a very surface position.
‘I was looking how my face looked and how my neck looked and what my best angle was.’
‘I found that I would think about it if I watched it myself,’ the longtime TV fixture continued.
‘I would think about it and say, “You know what? Don’t look up like that. Don’t look down like that. Your face doesn’t look good.”
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Judge Judy Sheindlin, 83, has revealed why she refuses to watch herself on screen
‘And I didn’t want that to be part of the way I worked.’
Judy explained that she did not want her self-critique to ‘interfere with the process’ – and so, she simply stopped tuning in.
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Earlier this month, the TV personality revealed what her future looked like after five years at the helm of Judy Justice.
She told People: ‘I have a lot of other things of interest.’
Judy added, ‘I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there.’
Her latest venture is now producing a small-claims court program featuring her son Adam Levy, 58, called Adam’s Law.
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Sheindlin said that her son ‘has what it takes’ to pick up where she’s leaving off after her career on TV as his background includes work on the Prime Video series Tribunal Justice.
She added, ‘There aren’t a lot of people who can carry a half hour on their own unscripted.’
The veteran TV star, 83, is best known for her near 30-year run on her eponymous reality courtroom series, which ran for a whopping 25 seasons from 1996 to 2021
Her latest venture is now producing a small-claims court program featuring her son Adam Levy, 58, called Adam’s Law (pictured together earlier this month)
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Join the discussion
Should TV stars feel pressured to change their appearance after seeing themselves on screen?
Levy’s legal background includes experience in private practice and multiple terms as Putnam County, New York’s district attorney.
Sheindlin said that she feels her son is properly seasoned in both law and TV.
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‘Maybe eight years ago he wasn’t ready,’ she told the outlet. ‘He’s ready now.’
Levy, who is father to three children with spouse Lori Leichtman, is based out of Wyoming, and films his series in Stamford, Connecticut.
He said that he is able to enjoy spending time with his mother during his trips to the East Coast.
Here’s what the stars have in store for your day (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
The Moon in Aquarius allows for a complex blend between productivity and emotion. Today could be the day to make tough decisions.
Cancer, Leo and Virgo, this placement puts your relationships under the microscope. Call on those you trust, and make decisions surrounding those you don’t.
Try to put things into perspective today, even if you feel torn. Turn to the comsmos for guidance on the complicated nature of life.
Ahead, you’ll find all star signs’ horoscopes for today: Wednesday September 23 2026.
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Aries
March 21 to April 20
Someone’s needs could clash with your social schedule, leaving you feeling guilty whatever decision you make. Avoid overreacting though as a domestic matter might require practical action rather than a drama-fest. There could be an element of irritation too, as the awkward Moon-Mars link will likely leave us frustrated by matters we wouldn’t usually react to.
Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications.
April 21 to May 21
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The Moon in Aquarius highlights your feelings about your career as well as a desire to promote your unique skills. With a link to Mars in sensitive Cancer good communication is the key. You’ll find it easy to pick up on other’s moods and this could lead to you making better decisions. Still, if you’re too flexible, you’ll miss an opportunity, so speak your truth.
It’s time to think bigger, explore new places and dare to exit your comfort zone. You may be ready to travel far, but how much are you willing to pay for the experience? Mars in your money zone encourages you to seek out a bargain. Whether you’re after a course, a short break or a longer vacation, looking around can help you find offers you simply can’t refuse.
The Moon in Aquarius forges an edgy angle to Mars in Cancer so although you may want things your way, you’ll need to take into account others’ deep-seated feelings about the important matters of life. This can include shared finances, deep emotional tangles and plans to pool resources. Put yourself in others’ shoes before you make any suggestions or plans.
Feelings around relationships could be enhanced by the Moon, making you aware of yours and others unique qualities and peccadilloes. Mars in a private zone joins in and could highlight a pattern of relating that you never knew you had. An insight at the perfect moment may help you understand why certain bonds work out as they do. It could be a revelation.
Need help with a task you can’t manage alone? Call up your friends as they’ll be ready to assist, especially if you offer a small reward. On the other hand your ability to be grounded and practical in an emergency could mean you’re the go-to person today that everyone wants a piece of. Balance is the key, as well as enjoying life and making the most of each moment.
Cosmic messages for Cosmic messages for Virgo today
Libra
September 24 to October 23
Perhaps you need to have a lighter and more playful outlook when it comes to your job, career or future path. You could be sensitive to the undercurrents around you and tend to take them to heart when you really don’t need to. Let your creative side out and let it extend into your professional life. Ideas will flow and they’ll be unique, forward-looking and impressive.
You may be keen to see more of the world, learn new things or generally expand your horizons, and with Mars in your sector of exploration this urge can get stronger and stronger. Even so, an awkward lunar link could find you busy with domestic responsibilities just when you’re ready to book that flight. Stay cool as the desire to travel likely won’t go away easily.
The Moon in Aquarius can get conversations buzzing, but its edgy angle to Mars suggests that discussions could be very intense. A chat might take you down an unexpected rabbit hole that unravels feelings you’ve kept buried for some time. Are you ready to talk about them? It could be just the chance you need, so share with a friend and feel a sense of relief.
Money, possessions and values are under the spotlight, highlighting the cost of certain friendships or relationships. Are you giving too much and not getting anything back? This may be an opportunity to put a few boundaries in place. There might also be some animated discussion if a partner has things they want to buy or you’re keen to invest in a shared idea.
You’ll be deeply aware of your feelings, so if tasks and responsibilities seem to have taken over your life, you’ll be acutely aware of wanting to make a few changes. In fact, this drive to get your life onto a evener keel could take over, pushing you to eliminate activities that aren’t bringing a good return. It’s time to take a long look at what really makes you happy.
Need a day to relax and unwind? Getting involved with creative hobbies could be a great way to get some much needed down time, especially if you use them as a way to express your feelings. Yet, any outing that allows you to switch off can be very therapeutic, so think cultural activities, a romantic date, or a walk in nature. Give yourself a chance to recharge.
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Hellberg cut the ribbon at a launch event attended by hospital staff, partners and guests.
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough FC manager, also pictured Adam Reed and Ian Gray Imaging Manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The new scanner has been installed by Circle Health Group and will be used to provide imaging services for patients across the region.
Woodlands Hospital, which is the Elite Healthcare Partner of Middlesbrough Football Club, will also use the scanner to support the club’s players.
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough FC manager, also pictured Adam Reed and Ian Gray Imaging Manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg Middlesbrough FC manager, also pictured Adam Reed and Ian Gray Imaging Manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Debbie Dobbs, Executive Director of Woodlands Hospital, said: “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Kim Hellberg for officially opening our new MRI scanner.
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“This significant investment by Circle Health Group demonstrates our continued commitment to providing the highest quality healthcare and diagnostic services for our patients and local community.
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
MRI Unit at Woodlands Hospital opened by Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough FC manager (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
“The installation of this new scanner represents an exciting step forward for Woodlands Hospital.
“It enhances our diagnostic capabilities and helps ensure that patients can access high-quality imaging technology closer to home.”
The hospital has an existing relationship with Middlesbrough FC and says the new equipment will also be available to players requiring MRI scans.
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Mrs Dobbs added: “We have a proud history of working alongside Middlesbrough Football Club and are delighted that our new MRI scanner will support the health and wellbeing of the players.
“We look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with the club and supporting them throughout the season ahead.”
The scanner forms part of wider investment by Circle Health Group at Woodlands Hospital, with the hospital saying it will improve access to diagnostic imaging for both local patients and professional sportspeople.
In a speech to the United Nations in New York, the Prime Minister said the UK had faced an ‘industrial scale assault by hostile actors’ aimed at undermining the country since leaving the EU.
In recent days, the PM has suggested that unnamed ‘outside actors’ had manipulated opinion during the 2016 referendum.
In his UN speech on Tuesday night, he said the situation had worsened since Brexit – and named Russia as the main culprit.
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Downing Street said a new National Centre for Information Defence announced by the PM – and dubbed the ‘Ministry of Truth’ – would detect and disrupt ‘hostile state information attacks’.
Mr Burnham has hinted this week he could commit Labour to rejoining the EU in the party’s next manifesto.
And in his UN speech he vowed to draw a line under a ‘corrosive’ decade.
‘It is now ten years since Brexit, my country has lived through the destruction, and it has given us a unique perspective that I want to share with you today,’ he told UN delegates.
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Andy Burnham delivered his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday night
The PM claimed Vladimir Putin had been exploiting Brexit to divide the country
‘I know this is a shared challenge. So we are going to use our experience in the UK – and the fact that we have already been through this shock – to help other countries.’
He said hostile agencies had ‘amplified far right narratives’ and ‘tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election’.
The PM said the Kremlin spends £1.3 billion a year ‘manipulating information’.
No 10 said the new disinformation unit would operate alongside intelligence agencies, the police and social media companies and focus on ‘improving local community cohesion and preventing a distorted and untrue narrative about Britain’.
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Mr Burnham said the UK ‘will not play Russia’s game of trading escalatory rhetoric,’ adding: ‘Instead, we will be prepared but not panic. Clear-eyed but cool-headed and unflinching in defending our people and our allies.’
The PM has said that for now he will stick to the Brexit red lines in Labour’s manifesto, which include no return to the single market or free movement.
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But he has said he hopes Britain will rejoin the EU in his lifetime.
Asked this week if he could pledge to rejoin in Labour’s next manifesto, he said the question was for ‘another day’.
Is Microsoft serious about saving Xbox? (Microsoft)
As hundreds more Xbox developers lose their jobs, GameCentral asks whether they’re necessary cutbacks or simply the latest step towards Microsoft giving up on gaming entirely.
Perhaps the worst thing about Xbox’s latest round of job cuts is knowing that there’s over 1,300 more of them to come. Microsoft announced back in July that they were cutting ‘approximately 3,200’ jobs within the next year, with 1,600 going that day. So Tuesday’s annoucement that 268 more people have been laid off still leaves over a thousand developers fearing for their jobs.
These are staggering numbers, each one an individual that no doubt viewed working in the games industry as a career highlight, if not a life goal. Many of them will be veterans with many years’ worth of experience, who will no doubt view their treatment as encouragement to get out of the industry entirely. Institutional knowledge and experience, of the sort that takes decades to build, is being lost on a scale that has never been seen before in the industry, and it’s not over yet.
Suggesting that Microsoft doesn’t care is besides the point as it’s never been clear that Microsoft, as an entity, cares about anything to do with video games. Most of the people working at Xbox do but there’s been little sign from anyone outside the division that they view it as anything other than a minor distraction, a money drain that the company can easily afford but is increasingly irritated by.
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There’s one school of thought that new Xbox boss Asha Sharma was brought in to offer only palliative care, her true goal being to slowly and quietly bring an end to Microsoft’s role in the games industry, so that the company loses as little face as possible when it eventually gives up entirely.
That is a possibility and you could argue that this week’s news is all part of that grand plan, as the number of semi-independent studios is drastically reduced, so that Activision and Bethesda are in charge of almost everything. British developer Rare, who can trace their lineage all the way back to Ultimate Play the Game in the early 80s, is now under the direct control of the same publisher that has done almost nothing but publish Call Of Duty games for the last two decades.
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The next Halo is to be made by an unnamed Activision studio (implying it won’t be out until well into the next decade); half of World’s Edge, who handle the Age Of Empires franchise, have reportedly been laid off; Ninja Theory and Arkane Studios are likely going to be shut down; Obsidian Entertainment is now under Bethesda’s aegis; and Turn 10 and Playground Games are to become one studio.
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Halo: Campaign Evolved hasn’t been much of a success (Xbox Game Studios)
Is this, as Xbox claims, a necessary attempt to streamline the business or has it just put all its game studios in a giant trash compactor, which will continue to squeeze and compress them until there’s nothing left? If it is the latter, then there’s not really much to discuss, as ordinary developers are forced to pay for the mistakes of incompetent management, that has so long been blamed for Xbox’s problems but will inevitably be the last to go.
But if this is a genuine attempt to save the business, can it work? Asha Sharma may, by her own admission, not know much about video games, but she appears to be a competent businessperson. Even if she suffers from the typical Microsoft fault of not realising how her ghoulishly fake smiles, and assurances that the business is still doing great, come across when she’s announcing that hundreds of people are losing their jobs.
If you were making a genuine effort to revive the business, then it’s easy to see most of the purchases orchestrated by former boss Phil Spencer as a mistake that needs to be addressed. It’s not going to be easy to offload Activision Blizzard now, even if they do regret the purchase, but the smaller bespoke developers, none of which were known for creating bestsellers or prominent IP, have now mostly all been dealt with.
What have they got to smile about? (Microsoft)
It’s cruel and unfair, and a terrible waste of talent, but the mistake was Microsoft buying them in the first place, which was not Sharma’s doing. Acquiring Bethesda made more sense, especially as they were in financial trouble at the time, but Microsoft’s complete inability to take advantage of the Fallout TV show’s surprise success is another prime example of how slow and inefficient Xbox is as a business.
Sharma has made it a point of saying that they should focus on their most popular properties and while that seems blindingly obvious it’s something Xbox has been terrible at for two generations in a row now. If the new Halo does come out in, say, 2032 it will be over a decade since the last new game, which was itself a major disappointment.
By that point there’s a good chance it’ll be too little, too late, which may already be the case for Gears Of War and this year’s prequel E-Day. As a result, much depends on the reception to next year’s Fable reboot, but how much can you really expect from a series that hasn’t had a new mainline entry in 17 years and was never that acclaimed or successful in the first place?
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Nevertheless, these games do represent Microsoft’s best chance for the future, with The Elder Scrolls 6 another key title, for which a very important decision needs to be made about its potential exclusivity. The same is true for Hideo Kojima’s OD and Physint, with Microsoft jumping in to save the latter after Sony tried to cancel it, a move that seemed more like an overly eager attempt to get one over on Sony than it did a sound business decision.
But ultimately, it’s not the games that are the root of the Xbox games business. Microsoft can happily go on as a third party publisher without any problem but for the Xbox name to mean something they have to have a hardware platform – or a widely used streaming service. At the moment they have neither.
The Xbox Series X/S has been a complete disaster and considering their recent changes to how you pay for streaming, one can only assume that’s not going well either. Microsoft is keen to insist that the next gen Project Helix is real and will be released soon but what is it? If it’s a traditional console it’s impossible to imagine that it can be a mass market success, given the decline in the Xbox hardware business and the inevitably high price of the new console.
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Could they make a success of some sort of cheaper, redesigned Xbox Series X? Perhaps a hybrid console in the style of the rumoured new PlayStation device? Perhaps, but what would be the selling point to anyone that isn’t already part of the Xbox ecosystem, considering PlayStation and Nintendo already exist as far more viable alternatives?
Only Microsoft currently knows the answer to that but unless it’s a good one, it’s difficult to see any future for Xbox as anything other than a third party publisher. And if that’s all it’s to become then it’s very likely Microsoft will just try to sell the division off to someone else. An ignoble end to a business that, in the last decade, has caused nothing but trouble for everyone involved.
Andy Burnham last night urged world leaders to come together to prevent AI from destroying humanity.
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister said global action was needed following a string of warnings that the technology could pose a threat to life if it is allowed to continue developing at breakneck speed.
He said the future of artificial intelligence was ‘too important’ to be left to the private sector and urged leaders to agree a set of common global rules.
The stance puts him on a collision course with Donald Trump, who has railed against the idea of regulation.
OpenAI chief Sam Altman is due to address the UN today.
President Trump has dismissed warnings about the threat to life from AI as a ‘hoax’ designed to dent the lead of US firms in the race to produce what he yesterday branded ‘super intelligence’.
In his speech in New York last night, Mr Burnham said it was time for the world to act.
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Andy Burnham addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters on Tuesday
The Prime Minister said AI had the power to transform the economy and cure diseases such as cancer if it was properly regulated to serve human interests.
But he added: ‘We know that AI will also be a source of disruption to the way we live and work – and a multiplier of risk. We’ve all heard the warnings, which we must heed. I know how worried people are. So we have to rise to this moment.
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‘Fundamental decisions on this technology are too important to be left to chance. They must be taken by elected governments who serve working people. And we need to give people the support they need through this change – ensuring that it becomes an engine for reindustrialisation and opportunity as well.’
Mr Burnham said there should be no repeat of a recent incident in which the UK’s AI Security Institute was denied pre-release access to the latest version of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos programme. He said security chiefs had been asked to establish a new National Centre for Information Defence to detect and disrupt attempts by hostile states to manipulate opinion and undermine society in the UK through disinformation.
The PM said Britain held ‘a unique position as an honest broker’, adding: ‘We are going to step into that role. And we are going to start with one of the most significant challenges and opportunities of our age – frontier AI.
‘The UK has some of the best tech and AI talent anywhere in the world. And when it comes to guarding against the risks, we have our world-leading AI Security Institute – working hand in glove with the US and the leading labs on AI safety. But we need to go further.’
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Mr Burnham likened the situation to the global financial crisis when world leaders came together to prevent the collapse of the banking system.
‘That is the kind of approach we need now,’ he said.
‘So we will bring the right people together on the key issues: delivering on the potential of AI for good, and dealing with the risks.
‘And we will work towards agreeing a single set of global principles and standards to ensure the transparency and access we need to increase our preparedness – and to ensure that AI development is safe.’
Mr Trump, who has previously dismissed concerns about AI safety as a “hoax”, told the UN: “The United States totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme of control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much now – hereinafter officially called super intelligence.”
The solar farm will operate for 45 years, which will allow the soil fertility to improve
A solar farm has been approved on farmland next to a small Cambridgeshire village. Huntingdonshire District Council’s development management committee met to decide on the application for land off Vicarage Lane in Diddington, just west of the A1.
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Buckden Parish Council and Southoe and Midloe Parish Council had objected to the plans as they said “there should be no more solar farms on greenfield sites until all residential and commercial roof spaces and brownfield sites have been fully utilised”.
Edmund Thornhill spoke in favour of the application and said the solar panels, expected to generate 35MW of electricity, are proposed on the “poorest performing” fields.
He said: “There needs to be careful consideration around best use of land even if that use is for a finite period – the farm already provides food, housing and space for nature. We want to support energy production as well over the poorest land.
“This scheme would provide diversified income to help fund moving to more regenerative agriculture on the rest of the farm.”
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Around 45 hectares of land will be covered and the solar farm is expected to operate for 45 years, which Mr Thornhill said would allow the soil fertility to improve. The company behind the plans, Cell Energy Limited, said it has an agreement with Anglian Water to provide the company with energy.
An underground cable will be built to their facility at Grafham Water which the planning application said was a “very significant energy user”.
Cllr Jon Neish, of Holywell-cum-Needingworth, said he couldn’t see a reason to object to the plans aside from the parish council’s objection.
The Conservative councillor said: “Unfortunately they haven’t come to explain a bit more in detail their views so at the moment I would struggle anywhere to say why we shouldn’t agree with it.”
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Cllr Lara Davenport-Ray, of St Neots East, said renewable energy projects are “really important” as natural gas is still used to generate much of the electricity in the area.
The Green councillor said: “If we don’t stop creating carbon emissions then our planet will continue to warm and it will make the growing of any crops impossible. I am disappointed to see no battery storage included but because of the overall direction that we need to go in I will suggest that we approve this application.”
The plans were approved with 12 voting in favour and one against.
The Danish way of parenting has inspired a slew of manuals that have become bestsellers. To parents elsewhere, the picture presented is a near utopia of supportive government policies and effortless rearing of happy babies.
But how different is parenting in Denmark really from other countries, like the UK?
I am a professor of psychological science at Aarhus University in Denmark. My research focuses on mental health and parenting in the early years. Here’s what the evidence shows.
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Health Gap / Sundhedskløften is a collaborative series from The Conversation UK and Denmark’s Videnskab.dk exploring what the two countries can learn from each other when it comes to health and wellbeing.
From cycling and alcohol to inequality, healthcare and everyday habits, the series looks beyond hospitals and medical treatment to explore how culture, politics and society shape the way people live – and how healthy they are.
More leave for dads
Denmark and the UK differ on leave for new parents in two striking ways: how much compensation is provided and how leave can be shared between parents.
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Denmark provides more generous leave compensation than the UK and assigns equal amounts of leave to each parent that cannot be transferred.
In 2022, Denmark implemented a reform offering 11 weeks of leave to fathers, and the equivalent to mothers, that is “use it or lose it”, and fathers are now estimated to take most of their nontransferable leave.
For fathers in the UK, the statutory leave entitlement is much shorter, at just two weeks. It is also less well paid, at around 19% of average earnings, compared with about 50% in Denmark.
Employers in both countries can offer enhanced paternity leave that provides more time off or higher pay than the legal minimum. But nonetheless, UK fathers take much less leave than fathers in Denmark, with a recent survey finding that most took around two weeks.
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But mums still do nights
Danish nontransferable paternity leave is intended to make the sharing of infant care more equal between parents and help mothers stay in paid work.
Childcare does seem to be shared more than is the norm in the UK and financial support helps to smooth mothers’ transition back to work.
Fathers may be around more in Denmark, but night-time wakings are still often dealt with by mum. pexels/william fortunato
Despite these strong policies to support father’s involvement in early care, in most families in Denmark, as in the UK, it is still mothers who are the primary caregivers. Even during paternity leave, our research shows that mothers are the ones who report getting up more often at night.
This matters for mothers’ health and their postpartum experiences. Disrupted sleep in the months after birth is associated with low mood and, in some cases, symptoms of depression.
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Danish fathers and mothers, too, endorse traditional ideas about men’s and women’s parenting ability, with most parents believing that mothers are better than fathers at early childcare.
So while policy clearly helps fathers take an active role, it does not fully equalise the caregiving load of fathers and mothers, or mean that men and women are perceived as equally competent carers.
Naps outside
Beyond policy, there are cultural beliefs about what is good for babies that differ between Denmark and the UK, too.
One highly visible example is the practice of leaving babies to nap outside, despite temperatures that frequently dip below zero.
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Uncommon in the UK, babies in Denmark and the Nordic countries often sleep outside during daytime hours, well bundled up in prams. Parents believe that the fresh air is good for a baby’s developing immune system, improves sleep quality and buys mothers some time for themselves.
Though, it is perhaps easier for Danish parents to engage in such a practice against a backdrop of relatively high social trust. In Denmark, 74% of respondents in a nationally representative survey agree that most people can be trusted, whereas only 43% of adults in the UK say the same.
Calmer babies?
Given the generosity of Danish parental policies and the trust in others that allows outdoor napping, it is little wonder that headlines about contented Danish babies appear in the media with some regularity. Indeed, one analysis positioned British babies as crying “the most” and Danish babies “the least”.
Various explanations have been suggested: that Danish parents are less stressed because of generous parental leave; that outdoor napping promotes calmer babies; or simply that Danish parents view crying as a normal way for babies to communicate rather than something to fear.
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Scandinavian babies generally spend more time outdoors compared to British babies. pexels/josh willink
However, a close look at the evidence suggests reason for caution. The estimates of Danish infants’ crying came from only a handful of studies conducted more than two decades ago, involving relatively small numbers of infants.
What distinguishes parenting in Denmark from the UK is not a single factor, but a combination of family policies, parenting practices and cultural ideas about what is good for children. Policies encourage fathers to be involved early on and make it easier for many mothers to remain in paid work.
They do not, however, mean that care is shared equally between parents. And based on the evidence to date, there is no guarantee that the Danish way results in babies that cry any less!
This series was commissioned as part of a partnership between Videnskab.dk and The Conversation, where articles are published in English and Danish.
Morgan has threatened to sue Earl Spencer over ‘fabricated inaccuracies’ and ‘examples of brazen falsity’ in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which has been serialised by the Mail.
Spencer claims Morgan ‘snarled with annoyance’ when told he was not invited to Diana’s funeral.
The allegation is part of an anecdote told by Spencer about his decision to uninvite all national newspaper editors from the funeral. Morgan was editor of the Mirror at the time.
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Spencer also wrote that he ‘assumed Morgan must be feeling particular guilt because, four years earlier, he and his Sunday Mirror counterpart’ published photos of Diana ‘taken with hidden cameras’.
But the pictures, which showed Diana in a leotard working out at the gym, were published in the Sunday Mirror in 1993 while Morgan was still working at The Sun. He joined the Mirror as editor in 1995.
Speaking on his YouTube show Piers Morgan Uncensored, Morgan read an extract from the book, which said: ‘The only one who sounded surly, as opposed to merely confused or embarrassed, was Piers Morgan of the Mirror, who snarled with annoyance before he hung up.’
He then told viewers the book ‘contains fabricated inaccuracies which will strike to the heart of his credibility’.
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Piers Morgan threatened to sue Earl Spencer over ‘fabricated inaccuracies’ in his new book
Charles Spencer’s book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister has been serialised by the Mail
‘Well, this is all pretty extraordinary stuff, isn’t it? And very damning, particularly about me,’ he said.
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‘I come across in the most despicable manner imaginable. There’s just one problem. It’s all bullshit and very, very easy bullshit for me to prove it.’
He addressed the earl directly and said ‘you’ll be hearing, and your publishers, from my lawyers’.
‘Because I would like the complete lie that you’ve published about me, and those photographs, to be removed from your book,’ Mr Morgan said.
‘And I would like a donation to be made to the King’s Trust for the damage that you’ve caused with your lie, after all.’
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Spencer apologised for the error on Tuesday but stood by his account that Mr Morgan was ‘surly and annoyed’ when he called the journalist to tell him he was not welcome at Diana’s funeral.
A statement said: ‘Earl Spencer’s account of his conversation with Piers Morgan is accurate.
‘Mr Morgan was surly and annoyed when Earl Spencer called personally to tell him that he was not welcome at his sister’s funeral.
‘The book then records Earl Spencer’s assumption that Mr Morgan’s response was because he was editor of the Daily Mirror when the Mirror Group had published highly intrusive photographs of Princess Diana at the gym.
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‘The photographs were published by the Sunday Mirror on November 7 1993. Mr Morgan has pointed out that he did not join the Daily Mirror until October 1995.
‘As an historian, accuracy is important to Earl Spencer. He therefore wishes to clarify that his assumption was incorrect. Earl Spencer apologises to Mr Morgan for this error.’
Earl Spencer’s book, pictured being sold for half price in a London bookshop, was releasedon Tuesday
Morgan later repeated his threat of legal action, writing on social media: ‘Earl Spencer has apologised to me for his defamatory lies published in his new book, Swan Song.
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‘But I am pursuing legal action against him and his publisher Penguin to have the lies removed, and damages paid to the King’s Trust.’
Morgan had also accused the earl of ‘using the Harry and Meghan playbook’ of ‘putting their truth before the truth’, continuing: ‘I expect there will be many more examples of brazen falsity after what I’ve uncovered.’
He referred to other claims in the book, including that the King told Spencer ‘we’ll forget [Diana] soon enough’ and sounded ‘giddily elated’ in the wake of the crash which killed her.
He said: ‘Many allies of His Majesty have called into question these facts, ever since the most salacious accusations were serialised by the Daily Mail.
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‘Many royal commentators and experts have lined up to say that they simply don’t ring true. The King himself issued a furious rebuke that is almost without precedent.’
The earl has stood by his account of the King’s alleged comments.
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