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The ultranationalist TV channel fast becoming Israel’s most-watched news source | Israel

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An ultranationalist Israeli television channel backed by the government is fast emerging as one of the country’s most-watched news sources, despite allegations from liberal groups that it is inciting war crimes, and claims from the army that it is riling up hatred of its generals for not being far enough to the right.

Last month Channel 14, also known as Now 14, beat Israel’s principal mainstream news outlet, Channel 12, in viewer ratings when 343,000 Israelis watched Channel 14’s “Patriots” talkshow, known for its virulent rhetoric on Gaza.

Media analysts say Channel 14’s rise is both a sign and a driver of the shift of Israeli public opinion to the extreme right that has rapidly accelerated since the start of the Gaza war a year ago.

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Ayala Panievsky, a presidential fellow in the journalism department of City St George’s, University of London, said: “It is pretty wild, because Israelis consume a lot of news through the big TV channels, 12 and 13, and to a lesser extent the public broadcaster, but Channel 14 was not even in the game until very recently. The war seemed to have helped this channel ride the ‘rally around the flag’ effect and the rising time of nationalism to gain more support.”

Channel 14 has even questioned the loyalty of the Israeli army because of its perceived lack of ideological zeal. Last week, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), R Adm Daniel Hagari, wrote a formal complaint to the broadcasting authority and the ministry of defence accusing Channel 14 of incitement against its leadership.

The broadcast that prompted the letter showed doctored pictures of the IDF’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, his face distorted to make him look deranged and shrieking at the sight of messianic religious insignia on a soldier’s uniform. Hagari said the IDF could accept criticism but the channel had “crossed a red line”.

He wrote: “It is deliberate incitement and humiliation of the IDF and its commanders during a war. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Channel 14 has taken such action towards the IDF.”

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Channel 14 denied the claim that the broadcast was inflammatory and sardonically advised Hagari not to become a television critic. Netanyahu’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, backed the channel over the army.

Just over a month earlier, three Israeli civil society groups formally demanded that the country’s attorney general launch a criminal investigation into the channel, accusing it of broadcasting material that incited war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide.

In their complaint on 23 September, the organisations – Zulat – Equality and Human Rights; the Democratic Bloc; and the Association for Fair Regulation – supplied a list of 265 quotes from talkshow hosts and guests on Channel 14.

The remarks included guests or presenters using phrases such as “total annihilation” and “exterminate” in reference to people in Gaza. The legal complaint alleged at least 50 of the quotes on the list “call for or support the commission of genocide”.

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In a response to the Guardian via its US-based lawyers, Channel 14 denied the claims that its coverage incited genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. It referred to the complaint as “baseless and highly defamatory” and added that the complaint was made by an extreme group in Israel, and that it had been dismissed by the high Court in August.

The complaint argues that the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, is legally obliged to launch an investigation on the grounds that Israel is a signatory to the genocide convention, and because the international court of justice (ICJ) issued an interim order in January instructing the Israeli government to prevent and punish incitement to genocide.

“The explicit calls for committing horrifying crimes against millions of civilians find a home and are legitimised within the Israeli public, partly due to the statements made on the channel,” the groups alleged in their legal complaint.

Channel 14 responded to say the complainants filed an identical or substantially similar “complaint against Channel 14 in the Israeli high court of justice” which was dismissed. “Because the previous complaint was deemed entirely baseless, the high court recommended that plaintiffs withdraw the pleading so that it could be deleted,” the channel’s lawyers said.

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Zehava Galon, the president of Zulat and the former leader of the Meretz party, said the high court case was on a different subject, “primarily concerning fake news and a smear campaign against the judicial system”.

“Most of these complaints were from the months preceding October 7. None of the complaints in the appeal pertained to crimes against humanity,” Galon said, adding that the recommendation to withdraw “was based on a conservative policy that discourages the court from substituting the judgment of the regulator”.

The three organisations sent a similar letter to Israel’s media regulator. The letters do not make a judgment on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, an allegation being considered by the ICJ following a legal proceeding instigated by South Africa in December which discusses incitement at length.

Among the examples presented in the legal complaint is a Channel 14 anchor threatening the “annihilation” of Palestinians, killing “numbers not seen before in Arab history”.

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Another presenter, Shimon Riklin, said on 7 October of Palestinians in Gaza: “We should supply them with neither water nor electricity. Let them drop dead in there!” and tweeted: “Gaza should be wiped off the face of the earth.”

Danny Neuman, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party and a regular Channel 14 panellist, said: “We should have killed 100,000 Gazans in the first two days.”

In a broadcast on 6 May, Neuman said: “A tiny few of them can be deemed human there. Ninety per cent are terrorists and ‘involved’! ”

Channel 14’s lawyers said many remarks referred to in the complaint were “made by guests and reporters on Channel 14 in the wake of the horrific 7 October terrorist attacks”. The lawyers also say that the remarks “were repeated on multiple news stations in Israel”.

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There has been a rise in hate speech in Israeli public discourse generally since the 7 October Hamas attack, and it has featured on other news outlets. Neuman was also quoted as calling for the “extermination” of Palestinians in Gaza on Channel 13 for example. Channel 12 broadcast a report from Lebanon on the weekend, in which Danny Kushmaro, the lead reporter, was allowed by the army to press a button blowing up a building in a south Lebanese village.

The groups behind the complaint to the attorney general claim that such rhetoric is far more concentrated on Channel 14.

Panievsky argued: “There is no equivalent at all between what’s happening on Channels 12 or 13, the mainstream media in Israel, and what you see on Channel 14. This is a totally different universe.”

Channel 14’s lawyers disagreed, saying the complainants “are small NGOs closely affiliated with the Israeli far-left who are anxious to defame and disparage Channel 14 and its reporting.” They said questions should be raised about the motivations of the groups, who were “abusing the Israeli legal system in the hopes of garnering negative media for Channel 14”.

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Israel’s state attorney, Amit Aisman, said in August that his office examined calls to investigate public figures such as Eyal Golan, a singer, for incitement but decided not to proceed. Aisman did not say why that decision had been taken.

Netanyahu has long been an enthusiastic backer of Channel 14, claiming to have “fought like a lion” for it, and granted it the only interview he has given to local broadcast media in recent years.

The channel is owned by a 40-year-old Russian-born oligarch, Yitzchak Mirilashvili, who co-founded the Russian social networking platform, VKontakte. Mirilashvili’s television venture started out as Channel 20, a niche station covering “heritage” issues, but with Netanyahu’s backing, the Knesset passed an amendment in February 2018 allowing the outlet to broadcast as Channel 14 and to identify itself as a news broadcaster.

It was subsequently granted millions of shekels in state benefits but was officially defined as a “microchannel”, which excused it from many of the rules and restrictions applied to its mainstream competition, Channels 12 and 13.

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“They get a lot of regulatory benefits without having any regulation,” Zehava Galon, of Zulat, said.

“The channel has high ratings in the army. Many officers, many soldiers, are exposed to [its rhetoric] .”

Proving incitement to genocide in international courts had to pass a high bar, said Anna Vyshnyakova, a Ukrainian consultant on international humanitarian law who is involved in developing a genocide incitement case at the international criminal court against Russian propaganda channels.

“You need to justify that there is incitement to destroy Palestinians as such, and as such means not because of territorial claims, but because they are Palestinians,” Vyshnyakova said. “Without that, it could be persecution, it could be propaganda for war, but it is not incitement to genocide.”

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Channel 14’s lawyers also said the channel, as well as all other Israeli news organisations, was overseen by the Second Television and Radio Authority of Israel which, the company explains, “monitors all daily broadcasts and takes action when any reporting potentially violates Israeli law. If the authority identifies a potential violation of the law, it requests a response from the channel and, if necessary, takes appropriate action. None of the statements contained in the complaint have been questioned by the authority.”

Panievsky said the authority had ceased to be an effective regulator since it had been “packed with people that are comfortable with the government”.



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Kaleb Cooper delivers crushing verdict on Jeremy Clarkson’s farming skills – as series 5 of Clarkson’s Farm is confirmed

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Kaleb Cooper delivers crushing verdict on Jeremy Clarkson's farming skills - as series 5 of Clarkson's Farm is confirmed


KALEB Cooper has lifted the lid on Jeremy Clarkson’s farming skills in a crushing new blow to the star.

The buddies, who work together on Diddly Squat Farm, have built a great friendship thanks to their escapades on Clarkson’s Farm but when it comes to the nitty gritty side of work, Caleb has confessed that Jezza is often not up to scratch.

Kaleb Cooper has delivered his honest verdict on Jeremy Clarkson

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Kaleb Cooper has delivered his honest verdict on Jeremy ClarksonCredit: PA
He admitted that his farming skills are way off the mark

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He admitted that his farming skills are way off the markCredit: PA

Kaleb has admitted that despite being younger, he has been “the teacher” when it comes to telling Jeremy what to do and how to be a successful farmer.

Delivering the brutal verdict on his agricultural skills, Kaleb appeared to hint that Jeremy could even be in the wrong industry altogether amid his struggles to grasp the farming side of his work.

Kaleb said of the star: “Part of me is saying he’s still a trainee. He’s getting there, though.

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“We’re five years in the game now and if you haven’t picked up on certain things from five years in an industry, you’re probably in the wrong industry.”

Despite Kaleb’s scathing review of Jeremy’s farming abilities, he confessed that the former The Grand Tour host has been a huge support to him in his media career and even had “a tear in his eye” during an emotionally-charged moment backstage at one of Kaleb’s recent one-man shows, The World According to Caleb.

He said: “He gave me a great big hug and he went, ‘Well done, my boy, I’m so proud of you’. I’m sure he had a tear in his eye at one point.”

Despite clearly needing some help in the farming region, it seems as though Caleb won’t be slowing down on his advice anytime soon.

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The pair will be seen on-screens together for a while to come with Prime Video having handed Clarkson’s Farm a fifth series – before the fourth has even aired.

When the third series was released on the streaming giant in May, it harvested 10.7 million views.

The fourth series is due to be screened next year and work has already started on a fifth, following life at Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.

Clarkson’s Farm fate revealed as Prime Video make big announcement about Jeremy’s show future

The announcement came during a bonfire party at Jeremy’s pub near Burford.

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A huge ‘5’ firework lit up the sky as Jeremy revealed the news to fans.

He said: “Over the years bright lights in the sky have been used to make many important announcements.

“The birth of baby Jesus for example, but tonight they’re being used to make an announcement that’s even bigger than that.

“Season 5 of Clarkson’s Farm is coming,” Jeremy finished off by saying, before pointing towards the gold 5.

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He penned as the caption: “It’s the 5th november… this just felt right Clarkson’s Farm S5 is officially in production.”

Clarkson’s Farm series guide

By Conor O’Brien, TV Reporter

Clarkson’s Farm airs on Prime Video and follows TV personality Jeremy Clarkson as he manages his Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds.

Three series have been released to date and here is an overview of what has happened so far.

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Series 1

  • Jeremy takes over the day-to-day running of the newly renamed Diddly Squat Farm.
  • Lisa Hogan, Kaleb Cooper, “Cheerful Charlie” Ireland and Gerald Cooper are also introduced.
  • Jeremy starts to assemble what he needs for his farm – as well as laying the groundwork for things to come later.
  • He buys key equipment including a tractor and cultivator, as well as taking on sheep and opening a farm shop.
  • Jeremy takes over the day-to-day running of the newly renamed Diddly Squat Farm.

Series 2

  • This series sees Jeremy look for ways to increase the farm’s revenue.
  • One such example is bringing in a herd of cows although this isn’t without its issues.
  • Jeremy also had the idea to convert the abandoned lambing barn into a restaurant where he could sell his meat from the farm.
  • For this plan to move forward, he had to get planning permission from the local council.
  • Viewers also meet Pepper, a heifer among the herd who ultimately becomes the star’s favourite.

Series 3

  • The third series contained some of the show’s most emotional moments to date.
  • In heartbreaking scenes, dozens of newborn piglets died as a result of overlaying – their mother rolling on to them.
  • Jeremy said goodbye to his favourite pig – the Baroness – after she developed cancer and needed to be put down. 
  • Dry stonewall expert and “head of security” Gerald Cooper was diagnosed with cancer.
  • Jeremy and Kaleb began a competition between themselves – with Kaleb looking after the arable side and Jeremy taking the non-arable elements.
  • Fellow farmers – and famous faces – Andy Cato and George Lamb appear in this series
The pair will be back on screens together soon for a new series of Clarkson's Farm

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The pair will be back on screens together soon for a new series of Clarkson’s FarmCredit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun



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Jeremy Clarkson shares ‘exciting’ update about future of Clarkson’s Farm

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Jeremy Clarkson shares ‘exciting’ update about future of Clarkson’s Farm


Jeremy Clarkson has provided an update on the future of Clarkson’s Farm, comparing the announcement to the birth of the baby Jesus.

The documentary series first aired on Prime Video in 2021, and follows the former Top Gear host as he attempts to run his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat farm near Chipping Norton.

The 61-year-old bought the land in 2008 and, after the villager who ran the farm retired in 2019, decided to see if he could run it himself. A long-awaited third series was released to success in May.

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In addition to his work on the farm, the TV personality, who recently cut ties with his Grand Tour co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May, also purchased an Oxfordshire pub, The Farmer’s Dog, which opened to the public in August.

In an Instagram video on Tuesday (5 November), Clarkson is seen in a jacket and black beanie hat as he appears to celebrate Bonfire Night.

“Over the years bright lights in the sky have been used to make many important announcements, the birth of the baby Jesus for example,” he said as lights arranged themselves behind him.

“But tonight they’re being used to make an announcement that’s even bigger than that.

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“Season 5 of Clarkson’s Farm is coming.”

The lights are then arranged into a massive number five.

Clarkson said the news was bigger than the birth of the baby Jesus
Clarkson said the news was bigger than the birth of the baby Jesus (Instagram/JeremyClarkson/PrimeVideo)

Fans were delighted at the news but were left confused about one thing – season four has not yet been released.

“We got season 5 announcement before we got season 4,” wrote one person.

“That’s the kind of reassurance we need. I’m already looking forward to it.”

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Another added, “Announcing season 5 before season 4 even comes out is wild.”

However, Clarkson cleared up confusion in the comments as he replied to say, “We’ve just finished filming four. That’s out next year.”

The news comes after speculation that the series could be cancelled after Clarkson wrote a highly-criticised column on the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.

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One person commented, “Sod the US election result. This announcement is the one!”

The news comes after the TV presenter revealed that he had undergone an emergency heart procedure after feeling unwell while on holiday.

Clarkson first started struggling while swimming from a boat to the beach while on holiday on a small island, explaining that: “It wasn’t far, maybe the length of two swimming pools. But when I finally reached the beach, there was more water in my lungs than there is in Lake Superior, and I was mostly dead.”





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Watch the shock moment MAFS bride storms off after blazing row about groom’s sexual partners

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Watch the shock moment MAFS bride storms off after blazing row about groom's sexual partners


MARRIED At First Sight’s Amy Kenyon storms out of a date with husband Luke Debono tonight as they clash over his sexual past.

With the experiment nearing its end, the couple’s future looks to be hanging by a thread.

Mafs' Amy is left fuming by Luke's past hook-ups

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Mafs’ Amy is left fuming by Luke’s past hook-upsCredit: Channel 4
The smooth reality star gets his numbers mixed up

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The smooth reality star gets his numbers mixed upCredit: Channel 4

In a teaser trailer at the end of last night’s episode, the pair’s cookery class quickly took a very sour turn.

Luke couldn’t resist showering Amy with the sort of compliments that have consistently given her the ick.

He told her: “That’s actually really sexy. I’m not going to lie.”

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Continuing her food prep work, she replied: “Behave.”

The suave butler in the buff then seductively licked chocolate from a wooden spoon.

Amy said: “This is a cooking class, not a porno.”

She fumed to camera: “I’ve given Luke chance after chance.”

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Sitting down for a heart to heart, attention turned to Luke’s past.

Amy asked: “Can you tell me how many relationships you’ve had?”

Luke responded: “Even that number’s probably inaccurate.”

Watch the shock moment MAFS bride tells ‘humiliated and disrespected’ groom to ‘grow the f— up’

An upset Amy fumed: “What the f**k? Absolute b*****ks.”

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She then stormed out of the room, leaving Luke alone at the countertop.

The dramatic moment followed a difficult homestays week for the pair in which they didn’t see eye to eye.

Amy was grossed out by Luke letting her dog lick him, and she also accused him of ‘lying’ after seeing a photo on his fridge.

Luke cut the picture to remove a girl from it, but lied to Amy about the gender of the person he’d got rid of.

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Then, things went from bad to worse as Luke told Amy she looked ‘bloated’ in a throwback photo of her, and then pointed out mould on the ceiling of her mum’s house.

He seductively licked a spoon during a cookery class

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He seductively licked a spoon during a cookery classCredit: Channel 4
Amy storms off during a heated discussion

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Amy storms off during a heated discussionCredit: Channel 4



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US election 2024 result viewers praise Emily Maitlis for eviscerating Boris Johnson

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US election 2024 result viewers praise Emily Maitlis for eviscerating Boris Johnson


Emily Maitlis eviscerated Boris Johnson during a heated back-and-forth during Channel 4’s coverage of the US election.

As the votes for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were counted, Maitlis and Krishnan Guru-Murthy welcomed a rotating series of guests, including the former UK prime minister alongside Stormy Daniels and Succession actor Brian Cox, to debate the current state of politics in the US.

Johnson was present as a Trump supporter and, at one stage, Maitlis, who became a UK election night favourite after shutting down Nadine Dorries back in July, asked him about the “Trump-like behaviour” he “started importing” while he was prime minister.

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Follow along with all the live updates from the US election here.

“You essentially started importing some of that Trump-like behaviour in Britian when you were prime minister,” she said, adding: “His disregard for institutions, his disregard for the rule of law, his denialism, which I think, I guess, was mirrored in your response to the privileges committee, your response to the parliament standards committee, your proroguing of parliament. This is all Trump-like behaviour.”

Johsnon said, through laughter, that he “disagreed profoundly” and proceeded to promote his book in what would be the first of seven times in eight minutes.

Unimpressed, Maitlis told him: “I don’t know why it’s funny,” to which Johnson said he didn’t “accept” the analogy “at all” as he feels it is “very dangerous” to compare UK and US politics. He then steered the conversation to Brexit, but Maitlis shut this down.

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“I don’t know why you’re talking about Brexit, you know precisely what we’re talking about,” the presenter said, before reeling off the fact that he rejected the Owen Paterson affair, where the former Conservative MP was found to have broken standards law, and quoted people as saying it’s a kangaroo court – a phrase describing an informal, unlawful, and often unfair court that doesn’t follow legal standards or justice.

Johnson acknowledged that he was wrong to have done so, and the steered the conversation to what he said was a successful response to Covid, but Maitlis was having none of it: “It’s nothing to do with that, you know it’s not to do with that – it’s about how you respond to institutions and people calling out your lies.”

Boris Johnson and Emily Maitlis on Channel 4’s US election night coverage

Boris Johnson and Emily Maitlis on Channel 4’s US election night coverage (Channel 4)

Johnson then questioned Channel 4’s election coverage, calling it “a massively eschewed approach to a US election”, to which Maitlis said: “I’m asking you to account for your actions.”

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Maitlis was then interested to know whether Johnson would be inspired by a Trump victory to launch his own political comeback, and Johnson told her that the answer “is obviously contained” in his new book.

Here, Maitlis hit back with what has been branded the “line of the night” as she replied: “We’re not all gonna read your book so just tell us: do you want to have a political comeback?”

Deflecting, Johnson wondered why he was being asked, with Guru-Murthy defending Maitlis’s choice of question. Maitlis also pointed out: “You haven’t answered a single question – it’s extraordinary.”

Jonson stated: “The answer is you shouldn’t do it unless you think you can be useful and, by the way, Emily, I’ve answered all your questions all night.”

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Channel 4’S US election coverage got heated as Emily Maitlis questioned Boris Johnson

Channel 4’S US election coverage got heated as Emily Maitlis questioned Boris Johnson (Channel 4)

Viewers heaped praise upon Maitlis for keeping at Johnson despite his attempts to steer the conversation in other directions.

“I found this cathartic. Great grilling by Emily. And I love it that repeatedly nobody laughs at his stupid joking around,” one person wrote, with another adding: “This is what I love about Emily Maitlis. It doesn’t matter how important you think you are, she will get right to heart of the issue and ask the direct questions.”

One viewer called the clip “eight minutes of someone destroying Johnson live on air”.

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Watch the moment MAFS’ Sacha and Ross ‘reach crisis point’ and break down in tears during final commitment ceremony

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Watch the moment MAFS’ Sacha and Ross ‘reach crisis point’ and break down in tears during final commitment ceremony


MARRIED At First Sight couple Sacha and Ross ‘reached crisis point’ and broke down in floods of tears during tonight’s final commitment ceremony.

The pair tied the knot just seconds after meeting each other down the aisle as part of the E4 show.

Sacha breaks down in tears

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Sacha breaks down in tears
Ross and Sacha have blown heads in recent weeks

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Ross and Sacha have blown heads in recent weeks
Ross and Kristina during happier times on their wedding day

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Ross and Kristina during happier times on their wedding dayCredit: Channel 4

It appeared that the experts made a perfect match at the start of the experiment, but in recent weeks, the two have clashed a number of times.

During home stay week it was apparent that neither of them want to move away from their friends and family.

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Sacha is based in Birmingham, while Ross lives in Manchester.

This evening’s episode of Married At First Sight saw the remaining couples sit in front of the experts one last time for the last ceremony.

And it was definitely an emotional one between Sacha and Ross.

Mel pointed out that the two didn’t look happy – and Ross told her that the moving situation has been affecting them both.

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During their emotional chat, Sacha broke down in tears as she spoke about how much she valued their relationship.

She said while sobbing: “One of the questions you [Ross] asked me was ‘do you fall in love easy?’

“I said ‘absolutely not!’

“But when I met you, you were everything that I wanted.

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MAFS diary: Luke’s lies and sexual innuendos are making Amy feel uncomfortable – he needs to stop

“So I thought the universe had blessed me and I really wanted to so everything I could to make you happy.

“You do make me happy.”

Sacha continued to sob as she said: “

“I do feel like I’ve bent over backwards in this process to do everything that I can for you.

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“And I’ve never done that for anyone like I am with you.

“I’ve never been that way.”

At the end of the chat, Ross wrote stay, while Sacha decided to pick leave.

The two agreed that they will work on their relationship.

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Mafs couples that have stood the test of time

Loved-up Tayah Victoria and Adam Aveling of series six fame had the first Mafs baby.

The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other on the programme and quickly found their feet in the outside world, moving into Adam’s Doncaster home.

Just 18 months after meeting, the couple welcomed their daughter Beau.

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Season five couple Michelle Walder and Owen Jenkins also managed to make their marriage work away from the cameras and had their first child in December.

Teacher Michelle, 29, has no regrets about taking part in the experiment. She told us: “I just feel very lucky and thankful that it has worked out – and excited for everything to come.”

Michelle and Owen were both sick of dating apps when they applied in 2019.

Owen recalled: “I had been out for some drinks with a friend after work.

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“While he was out for a cigarette I was scrolling on Instagram waiting for him to come back in.

“The MAFS advert was the last thing I saw, and I joked, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I signed up?’

“A few beers later when I was back at home I sent in the application, and the rest is history.”

Another couple to make Mafs UK history is Zoe Clifton and Jenna Robinson.

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Despite a slight rocky start, where they clashed over Jenna’s vegan lifestyle, the show’s first same sex pairing are still going strong.

They even have a successful podcast together called Life With a Pod.

Jenna shed light on being involved in the show earlier this year when she told us: “We’re not legally married, and I never felt like we were. I definitely feel the process makes you take the relationship a lot more seriously and having the help of the experts… if you can survive that process it sets a firm foundation for a long-lasting relationship.”



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Squid Game creator teases ‘crazy’ second season ahead of release

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Squid Game creator teases ‘crazy’ second season ahead of release


Ahead of the release of season two of highly-anticipated Korean drama series Squid Game, show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk opened up about what the audience can expect to see in season two of the hit dystopian thriller.

In a new interview, Hwang described how he approached the second season and the motivation behind Player 456 Gi-hun’s return to the game that nearly took his life.

South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae played Gi-hun in the first season and will reprise his role in the forthcoming seasons.

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“Honestly when I was creating season one I didn’t plan in any detail that there would be a second season,” Hwang told The Hollywood Reporter at a For Your Consideration awards event in Los Angeles on Sunday.

“However, I did have something in mind that if there were to ever be a second season, I had this idea of what story I would tell; I thought it would be the story of Gi-hun turning away from where he was at the end of season one and going back into the games in order to put a stop to the game,”

He added that “throughout seasons two and three, it’s going to be about that very journey by Gi-hun that you’re going to be following, both physically and emotionally.”

Squid Game follows a group of cash-strapped contestants fighting to the death for a life-changing sum of money.

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Lee Jung-jae in Squid Game

Lee Jung-jae in Squid Game (JuHan Noh for Netflix)

The official description for season two states: “Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organisation proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.”

The sequel series will arrive nearly three years after its 2021 nine-episode debut, which broke records for Netflix. It currently ranks as the most-watched season of television in the company’s history.

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At a panel conversation held after a screening of the new season’s first episode, Hwang said: “Gi-hun has experienced too many things, witnessed too many deaths, for him to return to the way it was before, no matter how hard he tries. The way you see Gi-hun in season one and the state that you see him in in season two are very different.”

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To describe season two in a nutshell, Hwang simply said: “Season two is crazy.”

It became the first non-English language drama series to receive nominations in several major categories at the Emmy Awards, including Best Drama. Lead star Lee Jung-jae became the first Korean to win the Best Actor award.

Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk with their awards at the 4th Primetime Emmys in 2022

Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Dong-hyuk with their awards at the 4th Primetime Emmys in 2022 (Getty Images)

Hwang also became the first Asian director to win in the Outstanding Drama Series category and the first ever director to win for a non-English language series.

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Season two will be followed by a third and final season arriving sometime in 2025.

In late October, it was also revealed that David Fincher was reportedly in talks with Netflix to develop an English-language adaptation of the show.

Season 2 of Squid Game will be released on Netflix on 26 December.



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