The BBC director general has said he has “kind of banned” referring to its high-profile staff as “talent” as the corporation grapples with the fallout from controversies involving a number of senior presenters.

Tim Davie was speaking after the BBC launched an independent review of its workplace culture after scandals including the one surrounding the disgraced presenter Huw Edwards.

Other controversies have included a furore over the welfare of contestants on the 2023 season of Strictly Come Dancing, and the sacking of the presenter Jermaine Jenas after complaints about his workplace conduct.

Speaking to Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Davie said no one at the corporation was “indispensable”. He told Robinson: “We often refer to people like yourself as talent, but I’ve kind of banned that. You’re a presenter, I’m a leader of the organisation, and we’re here to serve.

“I do think over the last decade or so we’ve seen fundamental changes in the culture in this industry, and it hasn’t been completely unique [to the BBC that] those that have had power in places can often use that in bad ways. I think the BBC is utterly committed – you see us acting in good faith to get at this [issue] – and I would say [it is] important that everyone is treated equally regardless of rank.”

The corporation last week announced the start of an independent review into its workplace culture by Grahame Russell, the executive chair and founder of the management consultancy Change Associates.

The review would “be helpful for us” in “sorting this culture”, Davie said, adding: “It’s about how people deploy power in a workplace, we’ve all seen it, it’s not unique to the BBC. Many good or bad things happen in the new age, but one thing we should take comfort from is that things are improving. People need to speak up and everyone at every level needs to be heard.”

The BBC boss was also asked if there had been progress on Edwards returning the estimated £200,000 salary he was paid between his arrest and leaving the corporation in April. He said there had been “some dialogue with the lawyers, but we’re yet to resolve that issue”, and suggested he was waiting for Edwards to respond.

Asked if he believed the money would be returned, Davie said: “I think the ball is clearly not in my court on that one.”

Edwards pleaded guilty in July to three counts of making indecent images of children, having accessed indecent photographs of children as young as seven that were sent to him by a convicted paedophile. He was given a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Davie was speaking before a speech to the Future Resilience Forum in London, where he appealed to the government to bolster funding of the World Service amid what he called an “all-out assault on truth worldwide” by hostile states and others.

“Bad actors” such as Russia were already moving into the void left by the loss of audiences for the BBC World Service by setting up in places such as Lebanon to pump out “unchallenged propaganda”, said Davie, as he warned that the stakes were high. “We are at a moment of choice. A choice to step aside and allow disinformation to destabilise our societies and disrupt our democracies. Or to fight back and pursue truth.”

TV VET Dr. Scott Miller shocked fans when he appeared on This Morning in a wheelchair.

The TV star, who rose to fame in Aussie vet drama Animal Hospital, had a medical emergency on his way to work back in August.

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He found himself rushed to hospital after hurting his back and remained in hospital for a few days.

Two months on, he has shared the dramatic the details exclusively with The Sun Online.

“I had two slipped discs. I actually went into This Morning and I reached to get some sunglasses, very, very macho, into the back of the car,” he said.

“And then I literally took five steps and I couldn’t get past the front door, really. Had to get rolled on in a wheelchair onto the set to do my item because I said that I definitely wanted to do it.

“But by the time I got home, I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t stand or sit.”

He continued: “So I had to crawl in and out of my car and then in the end it just was so bad.

“I went to A&E and then was admitted to hospital for five days. And, yeah, so two MRIs later and lots of medication.

“Thankfully, I didn’t need surgery. Now it’s sort of, you know, exercise and to sort of get myself right. But, yeah, it was a big wake up call.”

Scott badly injured his back just days after celebrating his 49th birthday.

The last time he was in hospital he praised the medics for swiftly coming to his aid.

He was also allowed visits from his dog Mango while in hospital.

Scott moved to the UK after finding fame on Aussie TV’s hit show, Animal Hospital.

As well as being This Morning’s resident vet, he runs three small animal practices in South-west London.

Catch This Morning on weekdays from 10am until 12.30pm on ITV and ITVX.

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Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston has publicly endorsed Kamala Harris to be the next president of the United States, highlighting his strong pro choice beliefs as the reason behind his support for the Democrat.

The 68-year-old actor has become one of a number of famous faces to approve of Harris for president in November’s election joining the likes of Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Harris’s opponent in the election, Donald Trump, has been publicly backed by Elon Musk, Amber Rose, Kid Rock and Dennis Quaid.

Cranston was speaking at a Democratic campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona titled “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom”. During his speech, he said: “I‘m not a politician; I’m not a doctor or a lawyer, but I have played all of this on television.”

He continued: “But I am a father of a daughter, and it’s important to me for her life now and for the future and for other fathers’ daughters to be able to have within their lifetime the fundamental right of freedom of choice.”

“There should not be anyone but them deciding what happens to their own body. That’s why I’m enthusiastically supporting Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz,” added the Malcolm in the Middle star.

Cranston’s support for Harris has been met with enthusiasm online from his fans. One wrote: “THIS is what I’ve been waiting to hear. So important. Thank you, Bryan!”

A second joked: “In a world of Dennis Quaids, be a Bryan Cranston!”

A third said: “Just when I couldn’t love Bryan Cranston even more!”

Many other’s used the pun: “Breaking Good.”

Cranston’s support for Harris should not come as a surprise to many having previously given his backing to her in September at a town hall event hosted by Oprah Winfrey, appearing alongside Chris Rock and Ben Stiller.

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, issuing a ruling that upholds a Mississippi law banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and striking down constitutional protections for abortion rights.

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The landmark precedent established in the 1973 ruling from Roe affirmed the constitutional right to abortion care.

The election is now less than a month away with both Harris and Trump now reportedly deadlocked in national polls.

The vice president and her opponent were tied in a new NBC News national poll of likely voters, both sitting at 48 per cent. In a CBS poll, Harris was ahead by one point nationally, 51 per cent to 50 per cent, and behind 49 per cent to 48 per cent in a consolidation of battleground states; both results well within the margin of error. And in an ABC News poll of registered voters, Harris was ahead 49 per cent to 47 per cent.

CHERRY Healey has revealed she ditched her “farce” of a boyfriend after starring in TV’s toughest reality series, Celeb SAS: Who Dares Wins.

The BBC presenter, 43, told how she was “infatuated” with a former lover as she signed up for the Channel 4 programme.

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Yet braving the elements, tough military talk and nail-biting challenges including jumping out of a holiday sparked a change oin mindset when it came to her love life.

After returning to home turf, she called time on the former relationship due to her newfound “self confidence.”

Cherry told OK! Magazine: “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.

“When I came out, I’d been dating this guy who was full of shenanigans.

“You know, there was lots of classic rubbish behaviour. I was really infatuated.

“I got back and the first thing I did was break it off with him because I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m going to jump out of a helicopter and then continue with this absolute farce.’

“So yeah, it changes you as a person and gives you a lot of self-confidence.”

The screen star, who is known for her BBC Three documentaries, told how it was an “immediate yes” when her agent got the call.

The mum of two had told how she needed a challenge as she entered perimenopause.

She added on her life shift: “There’s this preconception that when you become perimenopausal or menopausal you go and live under the bridge with all the other trolls.

“I really passionately want to wave the flag for this stage in your life.

“You can be vibrant, healthy, flourishing, thriving, have great sex, you can start a new job and travel.”

NEW CHAPTER

Fresh from ditching her former lover, Cherry has hit her stride.

She found love with fellow fitness fan Justin and back in June, the pair went Instagram official.

She ended her six-year relationship with advertising executive Carl Kisseih last year.

Sharing a string of snaps with her new man, Cherry wrote in her caption: “Cheesy post alert.

“Celebrating the most amazing six months with the smartest, coolest, most fun, kindest man I’ve ever met – feel like the luckiest girl in the world – Happy Anniversary @corporateath1ete.”

She was previously wed to entrepreneur Roly Allen and the couple have two children together, daughter Coco, 13, and son Bear, nine.

The BBC host also recently revealed how she binned off a date who talked about himself for 90 minutes solid.

She told The Sun: “This guy was gorgeous but talked about himself for an hour and a half. 

“He turned to me and said ‘do you want another drink?’ and I said ‘You know what, I’m going to go home because all you’ve done is talk about yourself and people I don’t know’.”

Yet, despite this Cherry, who has presented shows like Inside The Factory with Gregg Wallace, says dating in her 40s is better than any other decade.

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“Game of Thrones” fans came out in droves to bid on hundreds of costumes, props and other items from the series in an auction that raked in over $21 million.

From Thursday through Saturday, the Heritage Auctions event in Dallas featured over 900 lots including suits of armor, swords and weapons, jewelry and several other items of significance from the HBO series.

The top-dollar item was the very thing the characters in the series vied for throughout its eight-season run: the Iron Throne. After a six-minute bidding war, the throne sold for $1.49 million.

The replica was made of plastic and molded from the original screen-used version, then finished off with metallic paint and jewel embellishments. In the series, the throne was forged with dragon breath that melted the swords of a thousand vanquished challengers and became a symbol of the struggle for power throughout the show’s run.

Heritage Auctions said in a statement Sunday that the event brought in $21.1 million from more than 4,500 bidders. The auction marked Heritage’s second-best entertainment event, just shy of the record set by a Debbie Reynolds sale it held in 2011.

Heritage Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena said in a statement he knew the auction would resonate.

“These are extraordinary treasures made by Emmy-winning costume designers and prop makers, who worked tirelessly to adapt George R.R. Martin’s wonderful novels,” Maddalena said. “People wanted a piece of that ‘Game of Thrones’ magic.”

Beyond the coveted Iron Throne, over 30 other lots commanded six-figure price tags.

Jon Snow’s signature sword, Longclaw, wielded onscreen by Kit Harington, sold for $400,000 and his night’s watch ensemble, featuring a heavy cape, went for $337,500. Both items kicked off prolonged bidding wars.

Starting bids ranged from $500 to $20,000, but several items went for thousands of dollars more. Such was the case for several cloaks and dresses worn by Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen and Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister. A gray suede ensemble worn by Daenerys sold for $112,500, exactly $100,000 over its starting bid, and the red velvet dress Cersei wears in her final appearance on the show went for $137,500, which was $122,500 over its starting bid.

Suits of armor also proved popular, especially when they included sought-after weapons. Jaime Lannister’s black-leather armor ensemble fetched $275,000 and his Kingsguard armor – including his iconic Oathkeeper longsword – went for $212,500. Queensguard armor worn by the character Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane sold for $212,500.

In an interview when the auction was announced in September, Jay Roewe, HBO’s senior vice president of global incentives and production planning, said the sale speaks to the series’ staying power five years after its finale.

“‘Game of Thrones’ was a zeitgeist moment in our culture. It was a zeitgeist moment in high-end television. It was a zeitgeist moment in terms of HBO,” he said. “It’s impacted the culture.”

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Si King has admitted he has been struggling following the death of his Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers earlier this year.

Myers died of cancer in February, aged 66. The pair, who were creative partners as well as best friends, fused their love of motorcycles and cooking in a series of shows, which aired across the BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 5 and Good Food.

The chef announced he had cancer in 2022 with their last show airing shortly after his death.

King, 57, said he often felt the urge to escape his grief by “heading into the sunset”, but has decided to move forward with his life as Myers would have wanted.

“I’ll be honest with you, the past few months have been a struggle,” he said in an interview with The Sunday Times.

“More than once I was on the verge of jumping on my bike and heading into the sunset.

“Not tell anyone where I was going. Just clear off and never come back.

“Other times I was raging. Raging at that bloody disease, at God and anything else I could think of. People were asking what I was going to do next.

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“The answer is I am going to take some time to reflect on the life I had with my best mate, and think about moving forwards.

“Which is exactly what Dave would have wanted. Move forward, don’t dwell on the past.”

In the interview, which was published in The Observer in June, King opened up about the loss of his friend – and also the subject of what he will do next.

He ruled out the possibility of continuing Hairy Bikers without Myers.

“It can’t be the Hairy Bikers 2.0,” he said. “That’s not going to happen. It wouldn’t be respectful.”

King went on to explain that he is not only mourning the death of his friend, but also the life and career that they shared together.

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“There’s obviously the sense of losing your best mate,” he said. “But there’s also a sense of loss in that the experiences we had together can’t go on.”

The TV personality said that he has only recently, three months after Myers’ death, been able to grapple with the question of what is next for him career-wise.

He emphasised the importance of having a professional partner, stating: “I need someone to play off. I’m good at unpacking people. I’m genuinely interested in people’s stories.”