TV crews have moved into the beautiful Yorkshire Dales to shoot the new series of All Creatures Great and Small.

The timeless village of Grassington

👀7️⃣🎥 https://t.co/vI1uE0l0nL

— All Creatures Great and Small (@AllCreaturesTV) February 23, 2026

is the real life setting for the fictional Darrowby, where the series is set.

A spokesman said: “Look who’s back in Darrowby…

“Filming has officially started on series 7 of All Creatures Great And Small in beautiful Yorkshire.

“We can’t wait to return with all of you soon.”

The series is based on James Herriot’s cherished books and All Creatures Great and Small remains 5’s most successful drama series to date, having reached over 14 million individuals across the first five series, and it continues to be the top programme across the channel year after year.

This month it won the Best Drama Series at the TV Choice Magazine Awards.

In a statement, the team and cast behind the heart-warming series said: “What an honour to be named Best Drama Series at the awards.

“Thank you to every single person who voted and supported series six. Your support truly means the world to us.

“Massive congratulations to Channel 5 on winning favourite channel/streaming service.”

Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor, 5 said “ All Creatures Great and Small is a jewel in 5’s drama crown and continues to delight viewers year after year. Its warmth, humour and heart, set against the beauty of Yorkshire, have made it a firm audience favourite. We’re thrilled to extend its future with two more series, with many new stories still to tell and more unforgettable adventures ahead for our Skeldale family.”

Melissa Gallant and Sharon Moran, joint Executive Producers for Playground commented: “We frequently receive letters from viewers about how the show has brought joy, comfort and relief in challenging times. Making television that has that effect and is beloved around the world year after year is the greatest privilege, and we’re thrilled to be continuing the All Creatures journey with 5, Masterpiece on PBS and All3Media International into series 7 and 8. It’s a show which people love to watch and love to make and we can’t wait for more adventures in beautiful Yorkshire with our wonderful cast and crew.”

The series is inspired by Herriot’s timeless books, which have sold over 60 million copies globally and remain a cherished part of literary and television heritage.

Series 1 – 6 are currently available to stream on 5.

Sarah and Cain are a troublesome duo in upcoming episodes

Emmerdale star Katie Hill has detailed the “pressure” that Sarah Sugden finds herself under as she helps Cain Dingle hide his diagnosis and steal cars. Actress Katie Hill joined the ITV soap in 2017 as the next star to be cast as Sarah Sugden in order for the character to tackle some more mature storylines.

One of these storylines was being diagnosed with Fanconi Anaemia which has shortened her lifespan and puts her at an increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer.

Sarah decided that she wanted to become a young mum but due to her condition, it was unlikely that she’d be able to fall pregnant, even with IVF. Instead, Charity Dingle offered to become her surrogate.

Since then, Sarah and Jacob became engaged, then married, as they celebrated the news of Charity’s pregnancy. Unfortunately, viewers know the truth isn’t so simple as Charity had a one-night stand with Ross Barton, which led to her falling pregnant.

Of course, the truth is yet to be exposed and while Charity’s due date nears, Sarah has other family concerns on her mind. In recent episodes, Cain Dingle opened up to her that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but refused to tell anyone else.

The pair stole Joe Tate’s car for revenge, but next week Cain’s made it clear to Sarah that he won’t be involving her in any more car thefts. But knowing that the potential TB outbreak might lose them the farm, Sarah can’t help herself when she spies a sports car parked outside the village hall. She’s about to speed off when Jacob appears furious to have caught his wife stealing his boss’ flash motor knowing it could easily spell the end of his medical career.

Soon he’s hurt by Sarah’s inability to tell him the truth about what’s really going on. Sarah is stymied from admitting the truth about Cain, as Cain still insists on keeping his cancer a secret from everyone. Cain’s ready to explode when Jacob turns up shouting about getting Sarah stealing cars. Soon Charity’s livid too, giving Cain both barrels over what would cause him to jeopardise his granddaughter’s freedom, Cain stalks off to avoid the questions.

Cain’s left brooding after Liam gently advises stealing cars with his granddaughter is perhaps an indication his strategy of keeping his cancer diagnosis a secret isn’t working and he is missing out on the support and guidance of his family at a crucial time. Jacob is frustrated as yet again Sarah rushes to make sure her granddad is OK. But once she is there Sarah explains she is fed up with being the only one in the family who knows and calls Cain a coward for being unable to front up to his nearest and dearest.

With his cancer, Moira being incarcerated and Joe’s continuing pressure to get the farm, even Graham is advising that selling up is the best course of action. But will Cain agree?

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News and other press, Katie shared: “I think it’s definitely hard the pressure being on her, and she’s the only one that knows. She appreciates the fact that Cain has confided in her, it’s a massive thing that he’s chosen to tell her about it.”

Touching on the pair of them working together to steal cars, Katie added: “She’s the only one that knows right now, so she probably does feel a lot of pressure that she’s the one that can help him through this, and they do have such a close bond, and she knows that he would always do the same for her.

“She just cares about him a lot and wants him to get through it. Obviously, with his situation right now, he’s so on his own and I think she kind of feels like she doesn’t have a choice, but also because of their relationship she would want to be there and do that for him anyway.”

The actress continued: “After the first one Sarah has a taste for what it’s like, the adrenaline, and how she really enjoys doing that with him. She wants to help him out with money and also a distraction from his diagnosis.

“She knows that it’s not healthy to just sit at home and be sad about it. She’s also a Dingle at the end of the day, so she’s definitely getting some enjoyment from it as well as trying to help him.”

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.

Lord Mandelson has been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police says, hours after his arrest on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The Metropolitan Police said a 72-year-old-man was released pending further investigation.

Lord Mandelson arrived back at his London home at around 02:00 GMT.

North Yorkshire Police has issued an update to say that one man has been charged with obstructing police, assaulting police and possessing a knife after a stabbing which took place in Trinity Lane, Micklegate, last Thursday (February 18) afternoon.

A total of five men and three women, aged between 28 and 58, have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said.

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One of the men has been released without charge and the remaining six people have been bailed, with conditions in place, while enquiries continue, police added.

As reported by The Press on Friday (February 19), the county’s police force said officers were called to an address in Micklegate at around 3.20pm on Thursday after a violent incident had taken place.

They said that a man in his 40s had received wounds consistent with a stabbing and was taken to hospital, where he was said to be in a critical condition on Friday afternoon.

Anyone who has information that they have yet to share can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101. Please quote reference NYP-19022026-0285.

Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally suspended by UEFA for Benfica’s Champions League game against Real Madrid on Wednesday following allegations he racially abused Vinicius Junior.

The 20-year-old was banned for one match, while an investigation into alleged racism directed at the Real Madrid forward continues, which could lead to further punishment, UEFA said.

Prestianni denied making a racist slur, claiming Vinicius “misinterpreted what he thought he heard” at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.

Benfica, who last week said they stood by their player, said in a statement on Monday they “regret being deprived ‌of the player while the case is still under investigation and will appeal UEFA’s decision”.

Last week’s Champions League knockout round play-off first leg was stopped for 11 minutes early in the second half, after the Brazilian forward told the referee he suffered racial abuse.

TV footage showed Prestianni covering his mouth with his shirt repeatedly before making comments that ⁠Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial slur.

Cameras picked up the 25-year-old telling French referee Francois Letexier he had been targeted in a comment made to him by the Argentine winger.

Anti-racism protocol used

UEFA’s anti-racism protocol was activated but no further action was taken during the match as there was no evidence against Prestianni.

The match was halted shortly after the away side went ahead thanks to a Vinicius goal, which he celebrated by the Benfica corner flag, upsetting local fans and players.

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‘Another match that has shamed football’

The forward was shown a yellow card after his celebration.

Both coaches, Benfica’s Jose Mourinho and Madrid’s Alvaro Arbeloa, talked to Vinicius at one point.

Real’s players threatened ⁠to leave the pitch ​as tensions rose, but the referee ​eventually allowed the match to resume. It finished 1-0 to Real.

Mourinho accused of ‘gaslighting’

Mourinho, who was roundly criticised for his comments about the incident after the game, will not be at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the second leg in Madrid on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach appeared to suggest Vinicius had brought any abuse upon himself with his celebration, and said that “a stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens, always”.

Read more on Sky News:
Vinicius ‘deserves empathy’
Fans jailed for Vinicius racist abuse

Anti-discriminatory organisation Kick It Out responded by accusing Mourinho of “gaslighting”.

Benfica’s assistant coach Joao Tralhao will undertake media duties at the Bernabeu, the club said, without saying why Mourinho would be absent.

Mourinho will not be on the bench for the ‌second leg after receiving a red card for ​complaining in the first game.

Changes are coming in to help people increase their income

The DWP has issued a statement about sweeping changes affecting people in a certain age group. DWP minister Diana Johnson spoke about changes coming in that could affect people’s income.

The update came after Reform UK MP Lee Anderson asked a written question in Parliament about what action is being taken “to help improve employment opportunities for older people”. Ms Johnson provided a response from the Government. She said: “Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement, and we recognise the wealth of skills and experience that older workers bring both to the workplace and the economy.

“We are committed to supporting workers over the age of 50 through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes age-inclusive employment practices, flexible working, and progression and career development.” She went on to explain what help is available for this group, which would include anyone born before 1976.

Ms Johnson said: “We have a dedicated offer for older workers within jobcentres, including our 50PLUS Champions who provide a critical layer of support to ensure the needs of older jobseekers are met. We also offer a Midlife MOT, which helps people to review their health, finances and skills and signpost to suitable support.”

The Midlife MOT is a Government service available to people aged 45 to 65. It provides resources to help you think about your career, health and finances. On the money side, the service can help you budget for your retirement and look at what benefits you may be able to claim, such as Universal Credit or the state pension.

Increasing earnings

Ms Johnson spoke about the other support on offer: “Our Employer and Partnership Teams in jobcentres work with a range of employers and partners to enhance the skills and employment support available locally for customers.” Looking ahead, the minister also spoke about what further help is being rolled out for older workers.

She said: “As part of our plans to Get Britain Working and create a new Jobs and Careers Service, we are committed to reforming employment support to ensure it is inclusive and meets the needs of our customers. We are considering the support we offer to those aged 50 and over so that they can access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings.”

You may want to check what benefits you can claim using an online benefits calculator. You could try using the one on the Turn2us website. When planning for your later life, you may want to factor in how much you will get with the state pension.

The age you can access your private pensions is currently 55, although this is increasing to 57 from April 2028. Britons face a longer wait to claim their state pension, which you can apply for when you reach the age of 66.

The access age is soon increasing, moving up gradually from April 2026, to reach 67 by April 2028. The full new state pension currently pays £230.25 a week, and you typically need 35 years of National Insurance contributions to get this amount.

Payments go up each April in line with the triple lock, which will boost payments by 4.8 percent this April. You can check how much state pension you are on track to receive using the state pension forecast tool on the Government website.

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The incident took place at the former Marks and Spencer on Deansgate this afternoon, February 23.

Paramedics and police officers were seen on the street at around 4.20pm, with them being seen stood in a gap in the white boarding around the entrance to the former store.

Paramedics (Image: Newsquest)

Firefighters were also called to the scene momentarily, before heading off again.

Now, GMP has confirmed that officers were called to a “concern for welfare” at around 3.50pm, but upon investigation found that there was no one to be concerned for.

A spokesperson for NWAS added that they were called to the concern for welfare at just after 4pm, but that no one was at the location they were called to.

A police car parked around the corner on Market Street (Image: Newsquest)

The Bolton News reported earlier this month that “squatters” had been reported at the former Marks and Spencer.

The historic store on Deansgate closed in April 2023 to widespread disappointment and has been empty ever since.

But after council staff checked inside the building and found no sign of people accessing the inside, it is understood that film crews may have hired and made use of the site.

The Welsh Government will join a bid already being discussed by regional mayors in England to bid for the sporting event in 2040

Wales will join a bid for the Olympics to be held in England and Wales, a Welsh Government minister has said.

Ken Skates, the transport and north Wales minister, said the Welsh Government will join a proposal already being discussed by regional mayors in England to bid for the sporting event in 2040.

Earlier this month it emerged northern leaders have written to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, urging the government to back a multi-city games which would be “anchored in the north of England as the primary host location”.

That sentiment has been echoed by Mr Skates, who says Wales will join that bid and too will contact the UK culture secretary. Speaking to WalesOnline he said he would be keen for venues in north Wales to be used, citing Holyhead as an option for sailing as well as Wrexham’s Stok Racecourse stadium, but he also wanted to extend the offer to the whole of Wales. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

“When I talk about the north I actually believe that it’s everything that’s kind of to the north and to the west of the M25,” he said.

That would allow the Principality Stadium to be used, he said.

The original letter was signed by Kim McGuinness (north east mayor), David Skaith (York and North Yorkshire), Tracy Babin (West Yorkshire), Luke Campbell (Hull and East Yorkshire), Oliver Coppard (South Yorkshire), Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester), Steve Rotheram (Liverpool City Region), Ben Houchen (Tees Valley), and Stephen Atkinson (Lancashire).

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he wants London to bid for what would be its fourth event.

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said it “wouldn’t be fair or right” for London to host for a fourth time and that a northern bid was “what Britain needs right now” while Steve Rotheram, the mayor of the Liverpool city region, said a northern games would mark a “once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring the Olympics closer to ordinary communities that have too often felt like they’ve been left out of the national story”.

Mr Skates says he has spoken to the other regional leaders to suggest Welsh involvement and will now write to Ms Nandy himself.

He said it would be a good “target point” for Wales to aim for with improved transport links which were announced last week.

“A large part of the progress that we’ve made on rail enhancements and getting commitment from the UK Government hasn’t just involved ministers and departments in UK Government, it’s also come off the back of very close cooperation with key metro mayors and authorities in England – for example Northern Powerhouse rail.

“Off the back of discussions with regional leaders in England we’ve been able to further discuss the benefits that real investment could provide – for example our intention to join a bid for the Olympic Games bid in 2040 or 2044.

“We could attract as a result of the investment that Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Welsh Rail route is secured – we could be looking at major, major opportunities on the economic front.

“The Olympic Games, I think, would be fantastic stretching from Holyhead to Hull, utilising some of our fabulous castles,” he said.

“As part of the discussions that have taken place I’ve also spoken with people who are experts in delivering Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, particularly in relation to transport and transport infrastructure.

“If you look at the Gold Coast, for example, the metro system that was built there was vitally important in ensuring that the Commonwealth Games could run smoothly and as a result of that they’re now going to be hosting the Olympics in 2032.

“So my guess is that off the back of LA in 2028, Australia 2032, in all likelihood the Middle East or India in 2036, the Games in 2040 will return to Europe.

“I know that London expressed a desire to bid again – I just think it would be very challenging to justify a fourth Olympic Games in London when the Games haven’t been hosted anywhere else in the UK and I think a Great Northern Games would be a powerful method of rebalancing the UK’s economy.

“We’ve got such expertise in hosting major events I think it would make for a compelling case, but it would also by sharing the Olympic Games right across from Holyhead to Hull, enable an Olympic board, to utilise some of the expertise, some of experience that we have.

“We’ve got the Euros coming, the Tour de France, we’ve had the Ryder Cup, we got a lot of people who are experienced in this area.

“People have often talked about us hosting the Commonwealth Games.

“The problem with the Commonwealth Games is that they come at extraordinary cost. So far [hosts have] not been able to share it across different regions and nations so all the cost would fall on Wales. It would be incredibly expensive as we discovered when we were looking at bidding for what became the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

“Whereas with the Olympic Games I think the London Mayor’s Office contributed about 5% of the costs back in 2012. If you were to spread that over seven administrations it makes it far more affordable than a Commonwealth Games,” he said, adding the potential returns were considerably bigger.

“The IOC (International Olympic Committee) is super-keen on ensuring that Olympic Games are more sustainable so they’re very keen that we use existing infrastructure, that we used existing venues where possible, and that we’ve used the natural environment as much as possible. We’ve got some fabulous venues that could host a unique Olympic Games.”

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The Tuesday letters page thinks trying to sell Call Of Duty: Zombies separately is a bad idea, as one reader is not upset to see the back of Phil Spencer.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

No way back
My first reaction to the new Xbox boss hinting at a return to exclusives is that she didn’t understand the issue and/or was knowingly hinting at something she knew wasn’t going to happen, just to try and win over fans. That seems straight out of the usual Microsoft playbook, with their desperation for people to like them, and it’s absolutely not something you’d see from Sony or Nintendo.

But in reality I don’t see how they can. If you made something like Fable an Xbox exclusive how many people are actually going to buy it, given it’s on Game Pass day one? Microsoft needs to make money off their games and they can’t do that when Xbox Series X/S sales are so bad. They also can’t wait till the next gen because the RAM shortages mean that’s not going to happen soon enough.

There is no sensible way to bring back exclusives on Xbox and the only unsensible way is to sell the games at a loss, which is the sort of money wasting I’m pretty sure Microsoft has had enough of by this point.
Lemmy

Robo CEO
I initially misread your headline yesterday, ‘Phil Spencer replaced by AI expert as Xbox changes entire management line-up’ due to not noticing for a moment that the headline continued on the next line after the phrase ‘AI’.

For that brief instant it bizarrely didn’t seem that implausible.
ameisa (PSN ID)

GC: Somehow it’s never the execs who are in danger of being replaced with AI, despite the fact that would probably make more sense.

Exaggerated position
Well, Mr Phil Spencer has been given his cards at Xbox, just like the ones he sacked. I wonder if he was pushed or he jumped and as for who is taking over, don’t think anyone would be too worried at Sony or Nintendo.

The only problem with sacking Phil is it’s about 10 years too late. He spent $69 billion on Activision Blizzard and the first full Call Of Duty game under Xbox was a flop. They bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion just so Starfield wasn’t on Sony’s console and that was a flop and is meant to be coming to PlayStation after all.

The only game I have played from Xbox is Indiana Jones And The Great Circle. I know I said I’d never buy an Xbox game but it was a present from the missus and it was so bad it was good, if you know what I mean.
David

GC: No, we don’t. And underperforming doesn’t mean a game is a flop.

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Making cuts
I don’t get that report about Call Of Duty. I can easily believe that Activision will try and sell Zombies as a separate game (and that no one will buy it – it’d have to be free-to-play or nothing) but what was the stuff about Microsoft wanting faster development?

They get a new game every single year, which almost no other game but sports sims do. I know there’s a question about how much the new Xbox boss knows about games, but she’s not started yet. So who are all these dumbos that think you can just press a button and make games quicker? The Call Of Duty games always seem to be made in less than five years, when it really should be more, so what are you going to get if you rush it out even quicker?

No Zombies mode I guess is the answer, but somehow I don’t think that’s going to go down too well with players that are already fed up with the way the series is being run.
Bantor

MovieCentral
I know you guys are pretty busy just keeping up with games, but would you ever consider starting a TV show and film review section for games that have been adapted? I think a review coming from people that actually played the game would give a clearer review than some film student that never made it in the industry.

GameCentral is the only site I read for game reviews and 9 out of 10 times we are in agreement on scores, early God Of Wars being the exemption.
Bobwallett

GC: Thanks, we do usually do some kind of article on the big name ones but Metro already has its own dedicated film and TV reviews. And to be honest we haven’t been particularly interested by any live action video game adaptations.

You win some, you lose some
I’ve got to say thank you for your article on the Virtual Boy games that have popped up on the Nintendo Switch subscription.

I remember it being released almost out of nowhere back in the mid ‘90s.

I also remember the eye-watering cost of the device even after it was discontinued. Having said that, I always had a passing curiosity for the console. I’ve not yet committed to the Switch 2 and your article mentioned that I could still use my Nintendo Labo VR headset on my Switch 1 to play it. So, I got it out of my games room (yes, I have a man cave of stuff nobody wants).

I was not in the mood to wait weeks for the postman to drop it off to my house but as your article stated it would work fine with my Labo VR.

So I took the plunge, as it was a lot cheaper than buying the actual console itself.

Anyway, thank you, VR has always been the next best thing for gaming and that still rings true to this day.

Those games are over 30 years old and if truth be told, the 3D effect was pretty impressive, it’s just a shame it didn’t take off. In a gaming world where production companies will only back safe bets, I have to say kudos to Nintendo for trying to push the envelope.

Not every game is a hit but it’s definitely worth the try if you have the means.
freeway 77

Altering the deal
When I went on the Xbox app last week, to check my reward points towards a £10 Xbox gift card, it went down from 56% or 57% one day to the next day 53%. I thought there was a problem with my phone or Xy xbox account but then the penny dropped a few seconds later and I realised that the
amount of points you need to get £10 has gone up again.

I never saw an announcement for that on Twitter or anything.
Andrew J.

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Single format
Firstly, my heart goes out to Bluepoint Games and the developers losing their jobs, a sad end to a proven great studio.

I’ve always found the discourse around Sony and PlayStation sort of fascinating, as summed up in the recent Reader’s Feature’s hot take. I recently upgraded to PlayStation 5, thanks to the pre-Christmas price cuts and I have to say the lack of first party, triple-A single-player games, and Sony’s ability to churn them out, isn’t something I think about when I’m playing Cyberpunk 2077 or Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

I don’t think the tens of millions on Roblox or Fortnite spend time wondering what Naughty Dog are doing either. I’m not sure why people feel great games only count if they’re exclusive? It seems a very old-fashioned idea given the current state of the industry where mega budget games need to be made as widely available as possible.

A lot of the discourse around consoles right now, between hardcore gamers, seems to assume everyone has a default PC to play games on, that sits in the corner like a washing machine or microwave, and these dedicated machines from Sony or Nintendo are added extras (the reader at the weekend owned a PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and PC – as if that is normal) when the reality for most people couldn’t be further from the truth.

The console is the only way they game, so any game ‘is exclusive’ since they only have one way of playing it and that’s the machine hooked up to the living room TV.

I think it would help everyone if us hyper-engaged gamer types realised the rest of the market isn’t like us, and most people only have one platform that plugs into the TV, and they don’t think about it until they turn it on to pour a few hours a week into whatever.
Marc

GC: The idea that games need to be made as widely available as possible to make a profit is primarily a narrative pushed by Microsoft. It’s certainly never been the case for Nintendo and Sony’s commitment to the PC is limited at best.

Inbox also-rans
Can I be the nerd and point out that Kitana was not in the first Mortal Kombat movie, which was based solely on the first game, so I’m not sure that music really fits (great performance, I loved it!).
Lumpy

I’m going to admit I have never seen or heard of Sarah Bond until this day. I don’t know what she used to do at Xbox but given the state of things at the moment I can only assume she wasn’t very good at it.
Busch

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Phil Spencer going good news for Xbox?

MORE: Select Games Inbox: Why did Sony shut down Bluepoint Games?Games Inbox: Why did Sony shut down Bluepoint Games?

MORE: Games Inbox: Could memory shortages destroy the console industry?

Many people don’t realise they can pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to boost their future payments under the Department for Work and Pensions system.

And with key deadlines often falling in April at the end of the tax year, checking now could make a big difference.

The UK government’s official forecast tool shows:

• How much State Pension you could receive
• Your State Pension age
• Whether you can boost your payments

You can use the service via the HM Revenue and Customs app or online through Gov.uk.

How to check your State Pension Age

1. Sign in (or create a Government Gateway account)
2. Prove your identity — usually with a passport or driving licence
3. View your forecast instantly

You cannot use the service if you’re already receiving your State Pension or have deferred it.

Can you increase your State Pension?

Many people can.

If you have gaps in your National Insurance record, you may be able to make voluntary contributions to increase your weekly payments.

Even small top-ups can add hundreds of pounds a year to your retirement income – especially if you’re several years away from pension age.

What do you need to know when planning when to retire?

State Pension age is reviewed regularly and may change.

Your forecast only covers your government pension — not workplace or personal pensions.

Applying online is the quickest way to get a forecast. If you’ll reach your State Pension age in more than 30 days you can also:

• fill in the BR19 application form and send it by post
• call the Future Pension Centre who will post the forecast to you

Checking your forecast early gives you time to fix gaps and plan ahead.

A five-minute check today could mean more money in retirement.

Recommended reading:

Personal and workplace pensions

When you can take money from your pension pot will depend on your pension scheme’s rules, but it’s usually after you’re 55.

You may be able to take money out before this age if either:

• you’re retiring early because of ill health
• you had the right under the scheme you joined before 6 April 2006 to take your pension before you’re 55 – ask your pension provider if you’re not sure

Some companies offer to help you get money out of your pension before you’re 55. This could be an unauthorised payment. If it’s unauthorised, you pay up to 55% tax on it.