It lasted more than 36 hours and involved six coastguard and Border Force vessels, one French Navy helicopter and three coaches which travelled in a blue-light convoy with seven police cars and vans.

Throw in a knife-wielding hard-Right YouTube personality in a speedboat, plus an angry mob of balaclava-clad supporters and the whole thing adds up to an extremely expensive Anglo-French farce.

The so-called Bayeux Travesty, which this week saw 60-odd migrants make what is undoubtedly the longest and most chaotic Channel crossing since the rubber dinghy crisis began, speaks volumes for the broken nature of our asylum system.

Here, hour by preposterous hour, is how it all unfolded…

9.30am, Monday September 21

Fifty migrants scamper onto a sandy beach a few miles west of Port-en-Bessin, a seaside town near Bayeux in Normandy.

It’s a clear, sunny day with temperatures already in the high teens, and with the tide going out, conditions appear to be perfect for jumping aboard a 40ft rubber dinghy bound for the UK.

Like most of the craft used for Channel crossings, the vessel was imported from the Far East by people-smugglers and transported to the French coast.

Despite charging desperate migrants around £2,000 each for their passage, the gang behind this particular crossing have spent a mere £750 on their outboard motor, a 25-horsepower device made by Hangkai, a Chinese firm which makes budget equivalents of Yamaha and other Japanese brands.

It will prove to be woefully ill-equipped for the task ahead.

10am

Weighed down by its human cargo, the dinghy sets sail in a northerly direction towards England. Gendarmes watching from the shoreline duly alert the French maritime authorities. Four lifeboats and a coastguard tugboat named the Abeille Liberte (Liberty Bee) are duly scrambled to the scene, along with a French Navy search-and-rescue helicopter.

‘The boat was in a very bad way, very low in the water, with just a single outboard motor to power it,’ a spokesman for the rescue services later recalled. ‘The sea was calm and weather conditions were good, but a decision was taken to escort the boat, without intervening.’

The distance to Britain from the launch site, which is close to Omaha Beach, where thousands of Allied troops landed on D-Day, is at least 85 nautical miles.

6pm

The underpowered boat proves no match for the currents and winds that buffet the French coast, so instead of heading out to sea, the dinghy is dragged roughly 35 miles east along the coast, before being cast ashore on a beach near the town of Cabourg.

Here, as watching Gendarmes twiddle their thumbs, another ten migrants jump on board, dragging it still lower in the water.

Describing the unusual journey, a Maritime Prefecture source later told the Daily Mail: ‘We know there was a stop on a beach near Cabourg [Also on the Calvados/ Normandy coast] and that they set off again towards England. By this time there were about 60 people on board.’

According to the spokesman, the focus of the small French flotilla was on ensuring public safety, rather than on preventing the vessel from reaching the UK.

9pm

Still unable to break free of coastal currents, the dinghy has now spent 11 hours at sea. The sun has set and its passengers are cold, wet and increasingly febrile. Two of them suddenly jump into the sea. When a lifeboat approaches, the crew is informed that the migrants are suffering from hypothermia. They are therefore taken to hospital in Caen.

Pictured: The mega-dinghy with at least 60 migrants on board began its 38-hour journey escorted by the French Navy

The remaining 60-odd passengers continue to sit tight, refusing to give up their attempt to reach the UK. Britain has agreed to pay France some £662million, over the next three years, ostensibly to prevent such charades from taking place. But the local authorities seem unwilling to stop this particular boat.

Explaining why the group is allowed to remain at sea, despite the growing risk to life and public safety, a spokesman says: ‘This operation is also carried out within the known and delicate context of the migrants’ refusal of assistance, as they are determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.’

2am, Tuesday September 22

A falling tide, which bottoms out at 2.08am, has finally pushed the dinghy out to sea and, with the help of an almost full moon, it begins to make slow progress towards Britain.

Although the French Navy’s helicopters appear to have returned to base, it continues to be shadowed by the Abeille Liberte and two coastguard lifeboats.

The passengers, who are all young men, are by now exhausted. Those lucky enough to have lifejackets have been moved to the sides of the boat, where they spend the night sitting upright with feet dangling in the water. The migrants without orange safety devices are crammed into the bottom of the dinghy.

8.30am

A social media personality and far-Right activist named Daniel Thomas has been following the Abeille Liberte’s overnight progress via the AIS tracking system that all large ships carry.

The privately-educated 37-year-old former builder, who was jailed in 2016 for attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint over an alleged drug debt, now runs Patriot Platform, a YouTube channel which live-streams footage of anti-migrant demonstrations. And today, he’s going to be creating some viral content.

Speaking to followers from an orange rubber dinghy, he explains that he’s travelling towards a French vessel which set sail the previous morning ‘from the beaches where our grandfathers fought’.

11am

When day broke, the migrants were still able to see the French coast. But some five hours later, they are closing in on the maritime border, roughly 45 nautical miles from Cabourg, which marks the start of British territorial waters.

Pictured: Before the French sailors handed over to the RNLI in the Channel

Advertisement

The French authorities, which continue to shadow the vessel, call HM Coastguard to alert them of the incoming dinghy.

This triggers a well-worn emergency response procedure which involves the RNLI instructing two of its most experienced lifeboat crews, from Hastings and Eastbourne, to head out into the Channel to meet the migrant dinghy.

According to the RNLI’s tracker, Eastbourne RNLI was called out at 11.09am and Hastings, at 11.11am. They are to be supported by a UK Coastguard aeroplane.

12pm

Thomas, who is 18 miles off the south coast, catches sight of the Abeille Liberte. It takes another hour for his fishing dinghy to pull up alongside it.

The activist ignores a request from the French vessel to move away from them and instead spends the next two hours in an uneasy stand-off, entertaining viewers of his live-stream by shouting occasional insults in the general direction of the migrants and taunting the Gallic coastguards by calling them ‘French frogs’, as well as ‘sausages’.

Pointing towards the ‘absolutely rammed’ dinghy, he’s also seen shouting: ‘We want our money back. This is not what we paid for. We paid for you French frogs to take them back to France.’

3pm

Following the arrival of the RNLI, the migrants are transferred to two British lifeboats, leaving their dinghy empty.

Thomas, who is videoing the spectacle, describes the lifeboatmen as ‘a personal taxi service into our nation’, at one point shouting: ‘Lads, how do you sleep at night?’

4.30pm

Once the migrants have disembarked, Thomas records himself motoring up alongside the dinghy. After declaring ‘this is what needs to happen to every one of these boats’, he takes out a knife and begins slashing its inflatable sides.

A French coastguard has meanwhile boarded the now-punctured vessel and is attempting to secure it to his lifeboat so that it can be towed back to Normandy.

Thomas confronts him, shouting: ‘You are in English territory. This is England. This is not France any more, OK?

‘Get off the boat. You’ve got time to get off the boat!’

The boat was escorted by sturdier vessels throughout its passage to Britain

Advertisement

Motoring away, he adds: ‘Now try and take that boat back to France! You traitors! Traitors!’

Explaining his decision to puncture it, he adds: ‘We wanted to make sure that boat is not taken back to France and used again. That’s one boat that will not be used again.’

5pm

Thomas catches up with the RNLI boats, which had turned off their location tracking devices in an unsuccessful attempt to stop him from following them, and are now a couple of miles from the scene of the original handover.

He films the migrants being decanted onto the Border Force’s ship HMC Vigilant and invites supporters to head to Fort Blockhouse, a Victorian sea fort in Gosport where sources have informed him that they are to be brought ashore.

‘Anyone in the Portsmouth, Gosport, Southampton area, come to the Fort’, he says. ‘This boat is now coming to Portsmouth. Portsmouth is now a clear destination, like Dover, for the invasion of our country.’

Thomas instructs supporters to avoid bringing alcohol to the scene of the protest. ‘Remain calm. Do this the right way. This is a fight for the future of our nation. It’s not just a day out, having a pop at the Old Bill.’

6pm

On the streets of Gosport, Thomas’ supporters have other ideas. Between 150 and 200 of them have now turned up, many wearing black balaclavas and wrapped in flags.

As crowds of masked protesters confront a line of riot police, to chants of ‘let them drown’ sung by a child over a megaphone, occasional scuffles break out. According to Hampshire police, two men from Salisbury, aged 19 and 36, are arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, while four people from Gosport – two men aged 33 and 67, and two women aged 31 and 32 – are held on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 67-year-old is also held on suspicion of careless driving.

Many locals are unimpressed. ‘I’ve got two autistic daughters aged eight and five and they’re absolutely terrified, too scared to come out of the house’, a 48-year-old resident who gave his name as James told the Daily Mail.

‘They’re a bunch of narrow-minded idiots thinking they’re here for King and country when really they’re just morons.’

7pm

Ugly scenes have convinced the authorities to abandon plans to disembark the illegal migrants in Gosport. Instead, they have decided to change plan and use the RNLI lifeboats and Border Security Command ship to transport the young men more than 100 miles east towards Dover.

Police officers inform demonstrators: ‘We’ve been told to let you know that there will be no landing here this evening,’ and encourage them to leave.

Several attempt to adjourn for a drink. But several local pubs, including the Fighting Cocks, a few hundred yards from Fort Blockhouse, have decided to close their doors to avert trouble.

9pm

Empty coaches that had been sent to Gosport to pick up the migrants are now no longer needed in the town. So they are given a blue-light escort onto the motorway, with videos showing them being accompanied by at least seven police cars and vans.

George Madgwick, a local Reform UK councillor who posted the footage on X, said: ‘Unbelievable scene. Coaches that were planned for migrants to get on in Gosport being escorted from Hampshire by a larger motorcade than what the Prime Minister or King would get. This has to be seen to be believed.’

10pm

More than 36 hours after setting sail from the beaches of northern France, roughly 60 migrants are brought ashore in Dover and taken to Manston processing centre, completing the longest, and almost certainly most farcical, dinghy crossing in the history of the ongoing crisis.

Thomas is refuelling his Audi at a BP service station when two police cars descend on the scene.

Footage uploaded to social media soon afterwards shows an officer telling him: ‘Step out of the car please, sir, OK? At this moment in time we have information to suggest that you were involved in criminal damage.’

Thomas replies: ‘Yep, yep, can I just… give me my phone. I want my phone to be on, please.’ An unknown woman adds: ‘The cameras are on, let go of the phone.’

The officer continues: ‘At this point in time, you are under arrest – you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence…’ Thomas replies: ‘I understand.’

The officer adds: ‘The information that I’ve been given is that you’ve been involved in criminal damage that has recklessly endangered someone’s life, OK?’

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman later releases a statement saying: ‘A man has been arrested after a boat that had an emergency responder on board was damaged in the English Channel.’

Last night Hampshire Police confirmed that Thomas had been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose the PIN to his phone after he was filmed slashing a boat in the English Channel with a rescue crew member on board.

Additional reporting: Peter Allen and James Fielding

Macklemore has announced a string of Free Palestine gigs, after being kicked off Ed Sheeran‘s tour sparked a huge backlash.

The rapper was dropped as a support act from Ed’s Loop tour over pro-Palestine comments he made at the singer’s New Jersey shows earlier this month.

After Macklemore was dropped from performing at upcoming dates, all of Sheeran’s opening acts – Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, as well as his backing band Beoga – announced they would be leaving the tour in solidarity with the rapper and Palestine. 

Ed has since been accused of ‘bowing to the mob’ after he apologised to his fans for his handling of the row.

In a post on Instagram, Macklemore said that his ‘schedule has freed up a bit’ in the wake of being axed from the Loop tour.

The star then announced he would be performing concerts in Dublin, Paris and London, beginning on October 26, with proceeds ‘benefitting organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement’.

He wrote: ‘If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. 

The rapper was dropped as a support act from Ed’s Loop tour over pro-Palestine comments he made at the singer’s New Jersey shows earlier this month

‘There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.

‘It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. 

‘To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.

‘What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.

‘So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit.

‘I’ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences. 

‘Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe.

‘Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out. But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done.

In a post on Instagram, Macklemore said that his ‘schedule has freed up a bit’ in the wake of being axed from the Loop tour

‘So we’re going on tour. FREE PALESTINE TOUR. Dublin, Paris, London.

‘Artist announcements coming soon, as well as US dates.

‘Sign up for updates and first access to tickets at macklemore.com. Presale starts next Mon at 10am local, on sale next Wed at 10am local.

‘All proceeds will benefit organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.’

Over the weekend, Ed addressed the backlash around Macklemore being axed from the concert, telling 50,000 fans at his Philadelphia concert: ‘The last week of my life has been one of the worst weeks of my life.’

He added though that he was heartened by the fans who had come out to support him, telling them ‘today has been one of the weirdest days of my life. Tonight has been honestly the best show of my life, the best show.

‘I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on. I really didn’t know whether I’d even be getting on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all. In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it’s been a weird week.’

The singer has been accused of ‘bowing to the mob’ after he apologised to fans at the start of the gig, by reading a statement from an autocue.  

He backtracked on his previous vow not to bring politics to his show, as he called the situation in Gaza ‘catastrophic and unjustifiable’ and Hamas‘s October 7 attacks ‘horrific’. 

Reposting Sheeran’s speech on X, Piers Morgan commented: ‘I agree with Ed Sheeran’s overview of the Israel/Hamas war (Oct 7 terrible, Israel response disproportionate) but I wish he hadn’t bowed to the mob and felt forced to say it publicly, especially reading it off an autocue like some bullied puppet. He needs better advisors.’ 

Many agreed with Morgan, with one supporter posting: ‘His PR people need to be fired. No reason for him to have to speak to that outside of a very small mob of loudmouths.’

‘This dude simply wants to play and perform and has done so for years. He’s a bigger idiot than he was last week. What a disgrace to bow to the mob.’ 

Another X poster said that Sheeran’s use of a teleprompter ‘is not proof he doesn’t care’.

‘Ed is a singer. Not a politician. Not a news anchor. He does not spend his life rehearsing talking points on the most loaded conflict on the planet,’ the comment continued.

‘Asking him to speak off-the-cuff about Israel and Gaza in front of 50,000 people after a week that blew up his tour is not the same as asking him to sing “Castle on the Hill”. Using a teleprompter here is not proof he doesn’t care. It’s proof he was scared of getting the words wrong on something this radioactive. There is a difference.’

‘He just needs to be strong and say “No I’m not getting bullied and dragged in by any side”. He can walk away from this all and still have his music,’ agreed another.

‘To be fair, he was never going to “win” this regardless. What is shameful is that his “guest” on tour and band threw him under the bus,’ said one more.

On stage, Sheeran said he had been convinced to continue with his tour after he saw an uptick in ticket sales, telling the crowd: ‘Everyone’s telling me to cancel and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me – and I look at the end of the week, and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me.’ 

But while politics threatens to overtake Sheeran’s tour, concertgoers outside the Philadelphia concert said the general feeling was a determination to enjoy the music.

Ed has since been accused of ‘bowing to the mob’ after he apologised to his fans for his handling of the row

A concertgoer speaking to the BBC outside the Philadelphia concert said: ‘There was a sentiment of determination to enjoy an evening of music while at the same time supporting freedom of speech.’

Reacting to Sheeran’s remarks as they later left the venue, another fan said he had ‘covered both sides nicely, and I think everyone leaves happy’, while another called his speech ‘very sincere, and I think that’s what the people wanted to hear was sincerity’. 

In a solemn speech at the start of Saturday’s concert, Ed read off the autocue as he said: ‘I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity and not division, about humanity and not politics. 

‘But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

‘What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. 

‘My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.’

Ed told the audience that he plans to ‘continue my current tour’ despite each of his openers dropping out in solidarity with Macklemore.

Macklemore made the comments at two performances at MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5, as he introduced his 2024 protest song Hind’s Hall which condemns Israel’s military action in Gaza. 

Macklemore was removed from Ed’s tour after US stadium owner Robert Kraft accused him of hate speech and said he was ‘only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas’.

Kraft banned him from performing at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, which is owned by his holding company.

Ed struggled to hold back tears as he returned to the stage on Saturday, without his backing band and support acts.

The singer said he had ‘found out who his friends are’, adding: ‘I cannot hide how I feel… any more.’

In his first stage appearance since the Loop tour was plunged into turmoil, the father of two said he ‘never wanted to be an activist musician’ but the fierce criticism meant he has had to ‘take and make difficult decisions’.

He apologised and became visibly emotional again at the end of the show for bringing politics to his concert – something he had vowed not to do.

Ed said at the end of the night: ‘The one thing that I would like to apologise for is the first bit of the show where it wasn’t about music and I had to talk.

‘I understand that people have children here and I understand that families didn’t buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show, but that was something I felt like I needed to say.’

By the end of the show, Ed broke down into tears, telling fans: ‘I’m so grateful. The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope. This gives hope.’

The crowd broke out in applause as Ed appeared deeply moved.

‘My shows are about this,’ he said. ‘They are about people coming together that don’t know each other, that have different beliefs. They’re about unity. They’re about love. They’re about family.’

As fans cheered, Ed vowed that the controversy would not stop him from performing.

‘You’re jumping around like maniacs with each other and having fun,’ he said. ‘And I will never stop doing this. I will never stop doing this. I love doing this so much.’

At one point during the concert Ed explained he had scrapped his usual separate ‘B stage’ setup, telling fans he was concerned about ‘what might happen if [he] stood in the middle’ of the crowd. 

‘I didn’t know if they were going to throw things at me. I didn’t know if people would be angry with me,’ he said.

The crowd also gave a standing ovation after Ed brought out a group of musicians, led by the fiddler Alicia Enstrom, to back him on songs including his hit Galway Girl.

He explained how he reached out to the musicians after Irish folk band Beoga, who had played with him on the previous tour dates, dropped out of the tour.

‘There are certain songs that just don’t work as well with the loop pedal and when my friends pulled out of this show, I thought: “How am I going to keep the show the same? How am I going to get musicians to come on stage with me in a week when no one wants to come on stage with me?”‘ Ed said. 

‘I called a friend of mine who is an amazing person and I toured with her all last year and I said: “would you come on stage with me?” And she said “yes”,’ he added. 

‘I asked her if she had musician friends and she said yes. And they’ve had three days to learn these songs. And they agreed to come on stage knowing that the world might hate them too for coming on stage with me.’ 

David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin return for Ludwig series three and a special with a big change in location

Advertisement

The second series of David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin’s popular detective drama is drawing to a close.

The acclaimed show returned in August with David’s character, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, and his sister-in-law Lucy, portrayed by Anna, continuing from where the first series left off.

Shot in Cambridge, the second run has featured Ludwig working as a Crime Scene Consultant, partnering with DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) on “impossible” crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority.

In the second series finale, a devastating death close to home left John rattled when all evidence pointed towards Joanne Kemper.

The concluding episode was broadcast on Thursday, September 24, at 9pm on BBC One, prompting many to question whether a third series of the British mystery drama, praised as the “ultimate comfort food” in crime television, would follow. Here’s what we know, according to Wales Online.

Will there be a series 3 of Ludwig?

Advertisement

Yes, BBC executives confirmed a third series had been commissioned before the second had even been broadcast.

The third instalment, currently in production, will see David Mitchell reprise his role as ‘Ludwig’, with Anna Maxwell Martin returning as Lucy Betts-Taylor.

David Mitchell said at the time of the announcement: “I am delighted that Ludwig will be returning to solve more of Mark Brotherhood’s brilliant mysteries. I can’t wait to get started and have renewed the subscription on my denouement-learning app.”

Kenton Allen, Executive Producer and CEO Big Talk Studios, added: “Ludwig has become one of those rare shows that genuinely cuts through – critically, commercially and internationally. We’re hugely grateful to the BBC, ZDF and ITV Studios for the confidence they’ve shown in greenlighting a third season ahead of the launch of series two.

“What Mark Brotherhood has created is brilliantly original, hugely entertaining and deceptively distinctive in the way it blends smart comedy with a richly satisfying detective engine. At the heart of that success is the remarkable partnership between David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, brought to life by an exceptional creative team. In a crowded global market, for audiences to have embraced Ludwig on this scale feels incredibly special. There’s clearly nothing puzzling about that.”

Although a premiere date and full cast details are yet to be revealed, BBC bosses have confirmed that the third series will comprise six hour-long episodes.

What is the ‘extra’ Ludwig episode?

The BBC has confirmed that a Christmas special of Ludwig is in the works for this year, forming part of the Ludwig series 2 commission.

David and Anna will be joined by a stellar ensemble cast for the festive special, which includes Sir David Suchet, Jason Flemyng, Joe Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, Alexandra Roach, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

The 60-minute special will be set in Yorkshire rather than Cambridge, following John, Lucy, and Henry as they check into a secluded Christmas-themed hotel for what was intended to be a well-deserved break — until a sudden power cut transforms the festive retreat into a chilling locked-room murder mystery.

Stranded by a raging blizzard and completely cut off from the outside world, the guests find themselves forced to spend the night with a killer amongst them. With John reluctantly drawn into one of the most baffling cases of his career, the Taylor family must race against time to crack the crime before Christmas.

Ludwig seasons one and two are available on BBC iPlayer now.

By TARA RUSSELL

Published: 15:34 BST, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 23:30 BST, 24 September 2026

Presenter Zoe Hardman has issued a stark warning after discovering that her 11-year-old daughter had a secret TikTok account on which she posted videos of herself in a bikini.

The Heart FM DJ, 43, who also runs parenting podcast Made by Mammas, said she was ‘horrified’ to discover that daughter Luna has social media and admits she hadn’t been as strict as she should have been with parental controls.

She has now warned parents to closely monitor their children’s devices and be aware of what they’re accessing online.

Speaking on her podcast, she said: ‘When we were on holiday a couple of weeks ago I got a message from our nanny Taylor saying, ‘Were you aware that Luna has somehow managed to set herself up with a TikTok account?’

Advertisement

‘I was horrified. ” I don’t understand what you’re talking about, she doesn’t have TikTok on her iPad and she doesn’t really ever use her iPad.”‘

Ms Hardman confronted her daughter who was ‘so full of shame’ about the account which led to her ‘crying under the covers’ and repeatedly saying ‘I’m so sorry mummy’.

Presenter Zoe Hardman has issued a stark warning after discovering that her 11-year-old daughter had a secret TikTok account on which she posted videos of herself in a bikini

Advertisement

Instead of asking to see the TikTok account, Ms Hardman instructed her daughter to delete the profile without checking or removing the account from the platform herself.

Ms Hardman later discovered that her daughter had not deleted the account and was continuing to post videos.

‘When I went on to TikTok there were loads of videos of her doing dances in a bikini with a filter on her face, looking much older,’ she said.

She also found messages from people ‘who I had no idea who they were’ on her 11-year-old daughter’s social media.

Advertisement

In last Friday’s Q&A podcast, Ms Hardman added: ‘I want to share this, not to shame her, but as a warning. 

‘If you’ve taken the app off their iPads, they can still download things, I obviously haven’t got the right parental controls set up. I’m such an idiot.

‘I’ve deleted the account but who knows who has got hold of any of the videos.’

Ms Hardman’s warning comes as changes are being made to the way British children can access and use social media.

Advertisement

The Heart FM DJ, 43, who also runs parenting podcast Made by Mammas, said she was ‘horrified’ to discover that daughter Luna has social media

From Spring 2027, under-16s in the UK will no longer be able to use Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. 

YouTube will also be banned for under-16s but YouTube Kids will not be included.

The Government ban will also restrict livestreaming and strangers contacting children who are under-18.

Advertisement

The ban comes following a Government consultation and claims to ‘go further’ than other countries such as Australia where a social media ban for under-16s came into force in November 2024.

Sarah Lucas’ SLAG, all stuffed tights and tragedy, makes for fine company here, and in fact the sculptures present threaten to steal the show: Isabelle Albuquerque Orgy For Ten People In One Body: 7 (2021) where a couple of teddy bears ravish a woman’s body made from black locust hardwood; Jeff Koons’ shiny stainless steel toy locomotive; Vija Celmins Pink Pearl Eraser (1966–67); Soshiro Matsubara’s Der Traum des Schmetterlings (2018–26), a tragic woman-faced bird flat on its back. There’s also Magritte’s very own hat and suitcase, which are intriguing in themselves, like Wes Anderson artifacts (another cinematic filcher). Also among the sweetshop of oddities is Yoko Ono’s Sky TV, featuring a live feed of the sky above the gallery, echoing Magritte’s famous cloud works, represented here with The Curse (1931). Again though, why is a perfectly nice bit of cloud and blue sky, a curse?

Kevin Costner received the VIP treatment as he jetted out of Santa Barbara on Thursday.

The Hollywood icon, 71, was spotted traveling out of the American Riviera in a private jet, ahead of a gig in Southern California with his band, Kevin Costner & Modern West. 

Clad in a white T-shirt and tan slacks, Costner was seen making his way across the tarmac before climbing into the sleek aircraft. 

The youthful-looking star looked swoon-worthy ahead of the flight, exuding cool with a pair of sunglasses shielding his eyes. 

Yet there was no sign of either of the two women he has been linked to recently.

Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor is back on the market following his grueling divorce from Christine Baumgartner and has been making headlines this past week over two women who have been seen in his orbit. 

The latest woman to have been connected to Costner is 39-year-old lifestyle influencer McKenna Wesley.

The pair was first seen at a Field of Dreams screening in Scottsdale, Arizona in October 2025 and last month the actor was seen enjoying lunch with a woman who bore a resemblance to Wesley in Santa Barbara.

Sources recently told Page Six Wesley met him in her hometown of Scottsdale last year and has been a guest of his at his properties.

‘She has been his guest on multiple occasions at his Santa Barbara and Aspen properties,’ a source told Page Six.

A second source told the outlet they both share a passion for golf.

‘They met in Scottsdale about a year ago. They both love to golf,’ the source said.

It’s unclear when they met exactly, but they were seen last year at a screening of Field of Dreams at the Scottsdale Stadium in October 2025, an event hosted by Costner.

Wesley’s representative told Page Six: ‘McKenna doesn’t wish to comment on her relationship with Mr. Costner.’

The Daily Mail previously contacted representatives for Costner and Wesley for further comment.

Over 400,000 fans follow Wesley’s glamorous life on her Instagram account, where she goes by ‘The Bubbly Blonde.’

Clad in a white T-shirt and tan slacks, Costner was seen making his way across the tarmac before climbing into the sleek aircraft

Costner has been linked to 39-year-old lifestyle influencer McKenna Wesley (pictured) 

Advertisement

The actor was also seen in Santa Barbara with Jennifer Milburn, 40, a glamorous lifestyle coach 31 years his junior, earlier this month

The 5ft11in beauty hails from Scottsdale, Arizona and was modeling before she became a blogger.

‘This Arizona girl’s successful modeling career began when she was only 6 weeks old, which eventually led to living in Malibu, while modeling and happily traveling all over the USA,’ her profile on her website reads.

‘A long distance call from her mother changed everything when she casually suggested that McKenna explore becoming a blogger. This little suggestion was ignored for years, but when McKenna moved home to Arizona, her mother’s idea eventually became a reality and TheBubblyBlonde.Life officially began. 

‘When a 10 second fashion video of The Bubbly Blonde went viral with over a million views, McKenna knew she was on her way to something good.’

McKenna, also known as the ‘Bubbly Blonde’ online, has over 400,000 people following her glamorous adventures on Instagram 

Wesley is the latest woman Costner has been linked to since getting back on the market in 2024.

The news about Wesley comes just days after he was seen with Jennifer Milburn, 40, a glamorous lifestyle coach 31 years his junior.

The two were seen stocking up on steaks, vegetables, grapefruit juice, and cereal at Albertsons in Santa Barbara on September 7 – where onlookers described the pair as being ‘extremely affectionate.’

And Milburn herself did little to quell speculation about the nature of her relationship with Costner.

When contacted by the Daily Mail, she confirmed her identity, but abruptly hung up when asked whether she and the Oscar-winner were an item.

Costner has been linked to several women since ending his marriage to Baumgartner in 2024; pictured 2022

Advertisement

Costner was ultimately ordered to pay Baumgartner, now remarried, $63,209 in monthly child support for their three children – Cayden, 19, Hayes, 17, and 16-year-old Grace – and $1.5 million to her personally

Costner’s links to Milburn come after the twice-divorced Yellowstone star was reported last year to have quietly found love again with filmmaker Kelly Noonan Gores, in what sources described at the time as a ‘private and casual’ romance.

His apparent relationship with Noonan Gores, ex-wife of billionaire Alex Gores, was first revealed in August 2025 after the two spent time together in Aspen.

It was reported they met through mutual friends, with US Weekly quoting a source saying: ‘After such a public and expensive divorce, he’s being cautious.’

They ‘see each other when schedules allow, often spending time at his Santa Barbara estate’ and ‘love dinners at home, walks on the beach and quiet nights in,’ the source said at the time.

Another claimed that Costner was ‘not looking for a serious relationship or marriage any time soon.’

Costner finalized his divorce from his 52-year-old second wife Baumgartner last year following an eye-popping battle over cash and assets.

The Yellowstone actor was ultimately ordered to pay Baumgartner, now remarried, $63,209 in monthly child support for their three children – Cayden, 19, Hayes, 17, and 16-year-old Grace – and $1.5 million to her personally.

A wanted man carrying a machete was caught in a police ambush after officers went undercover as a takeaway rider and street cleaner.

Roy Hallissey was known to regularly visit a market in Poplar, east London, but would avoid the area whenever he spotted police.

So officers from the Metropolitan Police took a different approach.

One disguised himself as a street cleaner while another posed as a delivery rider, approaching Hallissey from separate directions.

The police then arrested him and found a large machete hidden around his waist.

1. Boy, 9, died after police worker ‘deliberately mistreated’ him in bedroom of horrors
   

   
   
   UK
   
   1 day ago
   By Barney Davis

   Advertisement
2. Woman dies after monkey launches flying kick at her outside her home
3. Family’s heartbreak after children and ‘devoted’ mother killed in Bootle house fire
4. Dad-of-three who ‘jumped off cruise ship’ was on wedding anniversary trip

Hallissey was wanted after being convicted of a stabbing and failing to attend court for sentencing. He was also wanted over an alleged assault on an emergency worker.

He had breached a criminal behaviour order banning him from Poplar.

Hallissey later pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article, breaching the order, driving offences, assaulting police and escaping lawful custody.

He is due to be sentenced on October 7.

Advertisement

MORE: The ‘charming’ London neighbourhood with a community vibe and cheaper rent

MORE: Inside Brian Laundrie’s parents’ lives as ‘pariahs’ — five years after Gabby Petito’s murder

MORE: Man’s last words in desperate 911 call after son ‘stabbed him 40 times’

Comments


Add as preferred source

Breaking News

Never miss the biggest stories with breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Advertisement

Email

Advertisement

I agree to receive newsletters from Metro

Sign Up

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Advertisement

Source link