The actor died after suffering from a short illness

Alan Rothwell, best-known for playing David Barlow in the original cast of ITV soap Coronation Street, has died aged 89, his family told the Press Association.

The statement said: “The family of the actor Alan Rothwell wish to share the sad news of his death at the age of 89 on Thursday May 14.

“Alan was a professional radio, television, film and stage actor and director whose career spanned more than 70 years. He was one of the original cast members of Coronation Street, playing David Barlow in the very first episode broadcast in December 1960.

“He also appeared in Brookside as Nicholas Black and was a familiar face to generations of viewers as the presenter of the long-running children’s television programmes Picture Box and Hickory House.

“Alan died peacefully in hospital following a short illness. Beyond his professional achievements, he was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle.

“He will be fondly remembered and deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues and the many people whose lives he touched through his work.”

He left the cobbles of Weatherfield behind in 1968, and had other major roles such as playing Nicholas Black in Brookside (1985–1986). He also hosted children’s television programmes including Picture Box and Hickory House.

Alan also played multiple roles in Emmerdale, including a judge in 1993 and the more regular part of John Kenyon between 1997 and 1998.

He also appeared in Casualty, playing various parts over the years, as well as Heartbeat, where he played Reverend Jackson.

Issuing a statement, Coronation Street shared: “We’re very sorry to hear of Alan Rothwell’s passing and extend our sincerest condolences to his family at this very sad time.

“He created an iconic and memorable character in David Barlow and will forever be remembered as one of the original cast members of Coronation Street.”

Actress Samia Longchambon added: “So sad to hear this. Alan was a also drama teacher at our drama school and I have such fond memories of being taught by him.. he was a wonderful man”.

Striker Sam Kerr – Chelsea’s all-time top scorer in the Women’s Super League – will leave the club when her contract expires this summer.

Kerr, 32, has scored 115 times in 177 appearances for the Blues and her final game will be at home against Manchester United on Saturday.

The Australian, who joined Chelsea in November 2019, has helped the club win five Women’s Super League titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and the Community Shield.

“When I reflect on my Chelsea career and doing it for the last time [against Manchester United this Saturday], I just feel happy,” said Kerr. “Happy that it happened, and I feel so grateful to have played for this club for six years and won as many trophies as we could.”

The captain has shared his version of events – alleging that Danny Rohl had blocked his opportunity to lead the team out of the tunnel alongside his family

Departing Rangers captain James Tavernier has admitted his “emotions took over” as he claimed Danny Rohl performed a U-turn on his starting spot against Hibs.

The German boss stated that the skipper declined to be named as a substitute for his final home match, which ended in a 2-1 loss to Hibs.

Rohl maintains he had intended to name Tavernier on the bench following a fitness concern this week, and insists he had planned to give the full-back playing time before receiving recognition from supporters at the conclusion of his 11-year tenure at the club.

The 34-year-old was convinced to make a pre-match appearance on the pitch for a presentation by Rangers legend John Greig.

Now the captain has shared his version of events – alleging that Rohl had blocked his opportunity to lead the team out of the tunnel alongside his family, despite previously having “agreed” to that arrangement with Tavernier, reports the Daily Record.

Writing on his personal social media, Tavernier wrote: “Dear Fellow Rangers fans, Rangers will be in my heart for the rest of my life. I want every supporter to know how much this club means to me. It is important to me that Rangers fans know that throughout my career, I have given everything I have for our beloved club.

“The last 24 hours have been the most difficult and emotional of my career for both myself and my family.

“I am sure you will all understand that I cannot allow any confusion around my departure or the events surrounding last night’s game.

“I picked up a knock on my ankle after the Hearts game. Following discussions with the medical staff, we agreed that an injection was the only option, which was initially scheduled for Thursday.

“After Sunday’s game, and with emotions running high, I made the decision to bring the injection forward to Tuesday. That decision would have ruled me out of both Wednesday and Saturday’s matches.

“After speaking throughout Monday with my family and the medical department, l came to the decision to delay the injection until Thursday so I could play one final game at Ibrox on Wednesday night.

“I personally informed the manager of this decision and explained how important it was to me and my family that I had the opportunity to say goodbye properly to the Ibrox faithful.

“I said I wanted to lead the lads out at Ibrox one last time and have my children walk out with me as mascots. I was told this was the right decision and that I deserved a proper send off.

“The manager agreed and said he wanted me to have a great send off. He knew exactly how important that moment was to me and my family.

“Tuesday then went ahead as a normal training day and nothing was said. I arrived home to my son telling me how excited he was to walk out at Ibrox with his dad one last time and be a ball boy for the game.

“What hurts deeply as a father is that my son had also sacrificed going away with the Rangers Academy to his first overseas tournament in Holland because being at Ibrox for my final home game meant that much to him. Even though my wife and I encouraged him to go and enjoy that experience with his teammates, all he wanted was to be beside his dad for one last walk out at Ibrox.

“After messaging the manager on Tuesday to ask whether I would be starting the game, and explaining that my children were asking if they would still be walking out as mascots, I was then informed that I would be starting the match as a substitute. In that moment, my emotions understandably took over.

“Many people may feel I could have handled the situation better, and I accept that, but after dedicating over a decade of my life to this club, with my family beside me throughout it all, I felt deeply hurt and let down.

“What disappointed me most was the version of events that was later presented publicly, as it did not reflect the conversations that had taken place privately beforehand.

“I firmly believe the situation could and should have been handled much better from all sides. A lack of communication allowed matters to escalate unnecessarily in the build up to such an emotional occasion for myself and my family.

“Anyone who saw my reaction on the pitch last night will understand how emotional I was feeling, not only about leaving Rangers, but about everything that had happened in the lead up to the game.

“Lastly, I want to make clear that no individual is ever bigger than this great football club. Rangers must always come first. I hope the fans continue to stand united behind the team and the club moving forward.

“Thank you for everything. WATP. Tav.”

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Timetable of what happens now and the date a by-election could be held in Makerfield

Andy Burnham has confirmed he intends to stand in the Makerfield by-election after it was announced the seat would become available.

Labour MP Josh Simons said on Thursday night that he would intend to step aside to allow Mr Burnham a potential route back to Parliament – and possibly to lead a leadership challenge against the Prime Minister.

It means there will now be a by-election where voters in the constituency will be asked to choose a new MP – just two years on from the last general election.

In order for the election to take place a process must first be followed in the House of Commons. By convention, the Labour Chief Whip will start the process by formally asking Parliament to start the election process – this is called moving the writ.

Once the writ is moved, the by-election must take place between 21 and 27 working days later – with by-elections usually held on a Thursday.

This means that if a writ is issued in the coming days, we could potentially see an election as early as Thursday, June 18, or June 25.

A by-election was held in in Gorton and Denton earlier this year after Labour Andrew Gwynne announced he was standing down. He made the announcement on January 22 with the by-election held 35 laters on Thursday, February 26.

Mr Burnham was previously blocked by the National Executive Committee from standing as Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, which was won by the Green Party.

Makerfield has been held by Labour continuously since the constituency was created in 1983 and Mr Simons won it with a majority of around 5,000 in 2024.

But Reform UK could pose a threat, as analysis of the local election results from May 7 this year show that of the 10 wards contested on Wigan Council that fall within the parliamentary constituency of Makerfield, either wholly or partially, Reform candidates won every single one of them.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform, said: “We look forward to the contest and we will throw absolutely everything at it.”

The hail turned parts of the ground completely white

Videos have captured the moment a “crazy” unseasonal hailstorm hit Cardiff in the middle of spring. The hail was so heavy in parts of the city that car alarms were being set off and the ground turned completely white.

It comes as temperatures have been below average despite summer supposedly being weeks away.

Many parts of south Wales were hit by the “insane” hail on Thursday afternoon which was also accompanied by thunder in some places.

If the hail hadn’t confused people enough, some areas were then treated to a remarkable change in conditions with bright blue skies following shortly after. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here

The Met Office forecasted “plenty of showers” lingering on Thursday evening and highlighted the possibility that these could turn heavy at times.

The weather agency added: “Becoming mostly dry through the early hours of the morning with some clear spells developing. Lighter winds but a cool breeze remains around Welsh coasts. Minimum temperature 5 °C.”

Friday looks set to be a bit nicer. The forecast says: “The odd early shower is possible, otherwise a dry day ahead with light winds and plenty of sunshine by the afternoon. Feeling less chilly in lighter winds. Maximum temperature 13 °C.”

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“When I reflect on my Chelsea career and doing it for the last time [against Manchester United this Saturday], I just feel happy,” Kerr told the club’s website upon announcing her move. “Happy that it happened, and I feel so grateful to have played for this club for six years and won as many trophies as we could.”

Carl Robinson, Great North Road, Chester-le-Street, admitted repeated breaches of a restraining order imposed by Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court.

The court was told that between May 5 and May 10, he entered Co-op Food and J Sainsbury in Ferryhill without reasonable excuse, despite being banned from both shops.

Robinson also admitted several shop thefts during the same period, stealing items totalling more than £483, including meat, cheese, coffee, fish, and energy drinks from Co-op Food and J Sainsbury.

On May 12, Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court sentenced Robinson to 12 weeks’ imprisonment for each harassment offence, to run concurrently.

He must also pay compensation totalling £484.25 to the affected stores.

The court said the “flagrant disregard for people and their property” justified a custodial sentence”.

Rory McIlroy has been grouped with Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm for the PGA Championship.

The relationship between Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm has been questioned with the trio grouped up for the PGA Championship. All three players teed off at Aronimik Golf Club at 1.40pm as the tournament got underway.

It’s been revealed that McIlroy and Spieth didn’t train together in the build-up to the tournament, with little ‘clicks’ forming between players.

Speaking on Sky Sports, commentator Nick Dougherty said: “Interesting dynamic here, there’s never necessarily been a lot of love lost between Spieth and McIlroy. Respect but certainly not best friends out there on tour. They didn’t spend a lot of time playing practice rounds together.”

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Fellow commentator Rich Beem then said: “No, I wouldn’t think so. I think there are still little pods out here of guys that you do like to see play practice rounds. The guys from Ireland were having a nice little game of it yesterday afternoon and Spieth will be out there with some of his buddies from college that he played with and or against. Yeah, there are still smaller clicks I guess like in high school.”

Dougherty added: “And there’s the alliance as well obviously the Ryder Cup tying Jon (Rahm) with Rory, but Rory did think Jon should pay his fines and just get on with it as well, which you know, probably wasn’t how Jon felt at the time.”

Beem then responded with: “Ooo, I like it, let’s just get out the blender and start stirring it up, buddy.”

Rahm faced the possibility of not being allowed to compete for Europe in the 2027 Ryder Cup after being fined by DP World Tour for his participation in LIV Golf events. Those fines have now been paid, with them totalling around £2.21 million.

Speaking about the situation, McIlroy told the Golf Channel last week: “I think it’s good that we have it all behind us.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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“I think as a European Ryder Cup player, we all know that having Jon on the team is better than not having him on the team.

“I’m glad that they came to an agreement. It took him a little longer to get there than some of the other guys, but he got there in the end, thankfully.

“It’s good that we can put that behind us and move forward.”

The two new Bengal tigers are brother and sister

A popular Cambridgeshire zoo has welcomed another breed of big cat to its family. Johnsons of Old Hurst is already home to a number of big cats, including lions and pumas.

It has now welcomed two Bengal tigers to the zoo, marking the first time tigers have lived at the zoo. The new additions are brother and sister Raja and Madras.

In a social media post, a spokesperson said: “We are beyond thrilled to announce the arrival of our beautiful Bengal tigers, brother and sister duo Raja and Madras! These two magnificent cats have joined the Johnsons family to enjoy their retirement, and we feel incredibly privileged to welcome them to their forever home.

“They are truly spectacular animals and an absolute must-see in person – their beauty and presence are something you’ll never forget! Come and meet Raja & Madras on your next visit!”

As well as a zoo, Johnsons also has a farm shop, tea room, and steak house. It is home to over 100 animals. It costs £6.50 for adults to visit and £5.50 for children.

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