Hill took on the role of Sarah Sugden on Emmerdale back in 2017.

But the 23-year-old actress became concerned after learning that Sarah would accidentally kill Dr Caitlin Todd in a recent storyline.

The dramatic scenes unfolded after Sarah discovered that Dr Todd had been sexually assaulting her grandmother, Charity Dingle.

Hill said: “I was a bit speechless at first.

“And then I kind of thought, ‘Do I go to prison?’

“(Producer Sophie Roper) immediately said, ‘Don’t worry, you don’t go to prison.’

“I was like, ‘okay, and breathe – I’ve still got a job’.”

Once she was reassured she was not being written out, Hill was thrilled to be part of such a juicy plot.

She said: “I was just honoured to be trusted with the storyline.

“This is the biggest storyline I’ve had.”

Following the accidental death, Hill spoke about the emotional impact the storyline would have on her character.

She said: “You know, it changes everything, it completely rocks her world.

“But obviously, it was by accident.

“We all know Sarah as a character, she doesn’t have that in her.

“So, it comes as a massive shock.”

“I think when it first happens, she just doesn’t even know how to process it.

“She can’t comprehend that this has happened.

“It’s sort of transitioning Sarah from being this innocent, happy young mum…to then this massive moment in her life that will change her forever.”

Katie Hill’s character (Sarah Sugden) has been the centre of several dramatic Emmerdale storylines in 2026. (Image: Ian West/PA Wire)

Katie Hill the centre of several dramatic Emmerdale storylines in 2026

Sarah (Hill) has been the centre of several dramatic Emmerdale storylines this year.

This included the arrival of her daughter Leyla, who was carried by her grandmother, Charity, as a surrogate.

However, Sarah is unaware that Leyla is not biologically hers and is instead the result of a fling between Charity and Ross Barton.

Hill admitted she struggled to get her head around the family connection.

She said: “Honestly, I didn’t even think about that for a long time.

“Then someone said to me, ‘Sarah’s breastfeeding her auntie’, and then I couldn’t get it out of my head.

“I was like, ‘this is really, really weird’.”

The actress believes Sarah would still see Leyla as her child, even if the truth came out.

She said: “It’s a massive thing, because, obviously, she’s raised this baby since she was born.

“That love can’t just go away like that.

“The biological side of things has changed, but you don’t just stop loving a child that you’ve raised.”

Hill said the revelation would likely strain Sarah’s relationship with Charity.

She added: “Charity’s given her the best gift she ever could have asked for.

“So, for that to be taken away from her, it’ll definitely cause issues with their relationship.”

You can watch Emmerdale weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and STV or from 7am on ITVX, STV Player and YouTube.

What has been your favourite Sarah Sugden storyline on Emmerdale in 2026? Let us know in the comments below.

By JACQUES PETERSON, US ASSISTANT SHOWBIZ EDITOR

Published: 23:24 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 04:00 BST, 25 August 2026

A retired actor who has starred in some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises was recently spotted out and about in Los Angeles. 

The 86-year-old burst onto the scene in the ’60s and remained a fixture on television up until the late ’90s, before retiring to run a bookstore. 

He appeared in small screen classics like The Love Boat, Wonder Woman, Seinfeld, Knight Rider, Family Ties, Dynasty, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

On the film side, most people will remember him as the hunter from 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

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He’s married to English actress Pamela Franklin, now 76, who is best known for being a 1970s scream queen thanks to her roles in horror hits like Necromancy and The Legend of Hell House.

Can you guess who he is?

A retired actor who has starred in some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises was recently spotted out and about in Los Angeles

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The 86-year-old burst onto the scene in the ’60s and remained a fixture on television up until the late ’90s, when he retired to run a bookstore

It’s retired English actor Harvey Jason, who was recently spotted outside of his boutique bookstore Mystery Pier Books in West Hollywood.

The former thespian donned a floral shirt and khaki pants as he moved a traffic cone from the front of his shop on Thursday. 

The Sunset Boulevard bookstore is known for carrying collectible literature in its first print.

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It’s a favorite of A-listers like author James Ellroy, actors Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, and director Guillermo del Toro.

He runs the store with his son Louis, which has been called ‘one of the most revered first edition book shops in America’.

One of the most expensive items in the store is a first print of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind, worth $35,000. 

The biggest sale in the history of Mystery Pier Books was the original sheet music to God Bless America, signed by contralto Kate Smith. It was sold for $150,000.

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Speaking to Spectrum News, Jason admitted that he enjoyed the spotlight during his time as an actor, but ultimately decided to leave the business because of the ‘egos’ and ‘superficial people’ in Hollywood.

It’s retired English actor Harvey Jason, who has starred in The Love Boat, Wonder Woman, Seinfeld and Star Trek: The Next Generation (pictured)

Most people will remember him as the hunter from 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park

The retired actor now runs the boutique bookstore Mystery Pier Books in West Hollywood

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‘I’ve never been happier professionally,’ he said of his second career as a bookstore owner. 

‘I’ve come to the point of my life where I realize what’s important and what’s superficial and what I want to do with the remaining time that God allots me here.’

Jason wed actress Pamela Franklin in 1970 after they met on the set of Necromancy, which they filmed that same year. 

Franklin was successful in her own right, winning Best Supporting Actress at the National Board of Review Awards in 1970 for her role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

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She retired from the business in the early ’80s to focus on raising her two sons, while Jason continued acting until the ’90s, with his final on-screen role being one of his biggest, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

For Monday-to-Friday workers who get bank holidays on top of their annual leave allowance, the 2027 calendar offers several opportunities to turn a handful of holiday days into much longer breaks.

And with colleagues likely to be eyeing up the same dates, workers may want to start planning their 2027 annual leave now.

Why would you want to maximise your days off?

While you get the same number of days however you arrange them, some workers say the planning and handover required to take time off means they can’t make the most of odd days dotted through the year, and they’d rather have longer blocks of leave.

For others, who may have caravans, second homes or family at a distance, a longer break can mean they can get away, which more evenly spread days wouldn’t allow.

For those workers, the biggest opportunities include turning four days of annual leave into 10 days off over Easter, while another four days could create a nine-day break around the May bank holiday.

There is also a particularly useful Christmas trick, with just three days of annual leave potentially creating 10 consecutive days away from work.

The 2027 annual leave dates to know

The key is to place annual leave directly next to weekends and bank holidays, rather than simply booking individual weeks.

Easter: four days of leave for 10 days off

Book off: Monday, March 22, to Thursday, March 25
Annual leave used: Four days
Total time off: 10 days

Good Friday falls on March 26, followed by Easter Monday on March 29.

Booking the four working days beforehand could mean finishing work on Friday, March 19, and not returning until Tuesday, March 30.

May bank holiday: four days for nine days off

Book off: Tuesday, May 4, to Friday, May 7
Annual leave used: Four days
Total time off: Nine days

The Early May Bank Holiday falls on Monday, May 3.

Taking the following four days off could give workers a nine-day break from Saturday, May 1, to Sunday, May 9.

Spring bank holiday: another nine-day break

Book off: Tuesday, June 1, to Friday, June 4
Annual leave used: Four days
Total time off: Nine days

The Spring Bank Holiday falls on Monday, May 31.

Taking the four days afterwards could give workers nine consecutive days off, from Saturday, May 29, through to Sunday, June 6.

August bank holiday: four days for nine days off

Book off: Tuesday, August 31, to Friday, September 3
Annual leave used: Four days
Total time off: Nine days

The Summer Bank Holiday in England and Wales falls on Monday, August 30.

Booking the following Tuesday to Friday could create another nine-day break, running from Saturday, August 28, to Sunday, September 5.

Christmas: three days for 10 days off

This could be the biggest annual leave trick of 2027.

Book off: Wednesday, December 29, to Friday, December 31
Annual leave used: Three days
Total time off: 10 days

Christmas Day falls on a Saturday in 2027 and Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, meaning substitute bank holidays fall on Monday, December 27, and Tuesday, December 28.

New Year’s Day 2028 then falls on a Saturday, with Monday January 3 becoming the substitute bank holiday.

That means booking just December 29, 30 and 31 could potentially give workers 10 consecutive days away from work.

The advice comes from Josh Felber, entrepreneur, performance coach and founder of FLBR Motorsport, who has outlined the dates workers should consider booking.

The ‘Tuesday Return Rule’

But there is another piece of advice for workers planning their holidays: don’t necessarily make every break as long as possible.

Felber suggests considering the so-called ‘Tuesday Return Rule’ – using Monday as a buffer after a holiday and returning to work on Tuesday instead.

Returning late on Sunday before being expected at work first thing Monday can leave workers exhausted.

Instead, keeping a day free could give you time to unpack, catch up on sleep, restock the fridge and mentally prepare for getting back to work.

Recommended reading:

Five ways to make your annual leave go further

Book popular dates early: Bank holiday periods can fill up quickly, so request sought-after dates as soon as possible.

Plan the whole year: Look at the 2027 calendar before using your allowance piecemeal.

Keep days in reserve: Don’t use every day immediately. Keeping two or three back gives you flexibility later in the year.

Try the Tuesday Return Rule: If you can spare the extra day, consider returning to work on Tuesday rather than Monday.

Use weekends strategically: Booking a Friday and Monday can create a four-day break while using just two days of annual leave.

For workers who get bank holidays in addition to their annual leave, 19 carefully chosen days could therefore unlock 47 days away from work across five separate breaks.

The catch? Your colleagues may have exactly the same idea, so those coveted dates could disappear quickly.

The judge’s order did not specify the nature of newly discovered evidence

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A federal judge has postponed the trial of a man charged over the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.

US District Judge Dabney Friedrich’s cited the discovery of new evidence that defence lawyers want to examine as the reason for postponing the trail on Monday, August 24.

Jury selection was scheduled to begin on Wednesday for the of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi in Washington, DC. His trial is the first in the US for the December 21, 1988 bombing.

Judge Friedrich’s order did not specify the nature of the newly discovered evidence.

Al-Marimi’s lawyers say prosecutors disclosed the new evidence to them on Saturday and that their “constitutional and ethical obligations require the defence to investigate this development”.

The judge scheduled a September 1 hearing in Washington to discuss the status of the case.

Al-Marimi is charged in the US with making the bomb that a plane 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway.

The flight was en route to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York when a bomb in the plane’s forward cargo area exploded 38 minutes after take-off from London Heathrow Airport.

The blast killed all 259 passengers and crew members and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie.

Citizens of 21 countries were killed, including 190 Americans and 43 from the UK.

Prosecutors allege Al-Marimi and others carried out the bombing at the direction of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was ousted and killed during a 2011 civil war.

Al-Marimi, now in his mid-70s, is charged with two counts of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

• Megan Tangye, 31, died in December
• She was found with multiple unexplained injuries
• Her former partner has been charged with murder 
• See more Daily Mail on Google – save us as a Preferred Source

By MAISY RAE – NEWS REPORTER

Published: 02:06 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 03:20 BST, 25 August 2026

A man has been charged with murder eight months after a woman died in mysterious circumstances on the NSW mid-north coast.

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Megan Tangye, 31, was found with multiple unexplained injuries at a waterfront unit on Gore Street in Port Macquarie at 11.40am on December 27.

She was rushed to hospital and died later that day.

Detectives revealed a 47-year-old man, understood to be Ms Tangye’s former partner, was arrested on a boat moored in the Hastings River on Monday. 

Police boarded the man’s house boat and led him out in handcuffs, before transporting him to Port Macquarie Police Station where he was charged with murder (DV), and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV). 

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A dog aboard the vessel was also seized by Port Macquarie Hastings Council rangers. 

Detective Inspector Mark Rogers said police had only just received a final findings from an autopsy, which led to the man’s arrest.

‘Whilst there were some preliminary findings for the post-mortem, we only very recently received the actual final findings and that information has been reviewed and we’ve acted on that,’ Det. Insp Rogers said.

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The former partner of 31-year-old Megan Tangye, who died under mysterious circumstances in December, has been charged with her murder

A 47-year-old man was arrested on a boat moored in the Hastings River on Monday morning

‘The cause of death in the findings was as a result of blunt-force trauma which is believed to be as a result of an assault.’ 

Det. Insp Rogers said the arrest came as a result of ‘extensive investigation’ and information from Ms Tangye’s family and the wider community.

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The man is due to front bail court on Tuesday.

It comes months after Ms Tangye’s family vowed they would see her suspected killer brought to justice.

‘This has hit very close to home; we’re not coping so well… But we’re not going to let this defeat us,’ her sister-in-law Erin Russell told the ABC at the time.

‘Megan was always so kind and caring. She would always be the first person to check in on others.’

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The British actor and comedian, 46, has reprised his role as Roy Kent, the former player-turned-assistant coach, in the fourth series of the hit Apple TV series about a Midwestern American football coach, Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, who is hired to manage the fictional football club AFC Richmond despite having no experience in the sport.

The research building, if approved, would be built next to a train station

A massive technology and research building could be built in a village where only around 800 people live. GCR Camprop Fifteen Ltd (Camprop) is seeking to construct a building for “mid tech” use at 2 Barrington Road in Shepreth.

The building is proposed to be around 21,500 sqft and “provide flexibly commercially lettable space for ‘mid tech’ use”. The plans say it will be used for research and development, industrial processes, and warehouse and distribution.

The applicant said South Cambridgeshire District Council has identified a “significant need” for employment space in the area. The applicant said: “There is a clear need for the space proposed, and the application proposals will help to address this shortfall.”

The applicant added that the key objectives with the plans were to: maximise developable area within site constraints; integrate the project within its edge of village context; and encourage travel to and from the site by sustainable means.

The proposed site is located around five minutes from Shepreth railway station. The documents added that the development would be considered to be in a “suitable location”, being so close to a train station.

During a pre-consultation for the plans, the developers considered four options for the plans and option A1 was chosen. The applicant said: “This option explores the potential of locating a single, flexible building form on the southern half of the site, characterised by extensive areas of hard standing and the existing buildings of the coachworks.

“The primary frontages of the building face north to the entrance of the units and to the west, facing Barrington Road. The remainder of the site provides the necessary service access with car parking located in a landscaped area to the north. A dedicated turning head for service and emergency vehicles is provided to the east.”

The building’s design, if approved, is proposed to have a “shed or barn concept”. The applicant said this aims to “create a strong identity for the building within the wider village context while breaking down the overall mass”.

Parking is also proposed within the plans. These include 30 standard car park spaces and four accessible spaces. Forty cycle spaces across the site are also proposed. The applicants hope to have a space for street food vans in front of the building in the future.

Viral videos caught First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump engaged in an ‘intense’ conversation at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in DC on Sunday, as close aide Natalie Harp seemingly lurked just behind them. 

The clips, capturing a seemingly tense VIP suite exchange between Trump and his wife, have set the internet ablaze, with lip reader Nicola Hickling and body language expert Judi James revealing what appeared to be a dramatic, sudden shift in mood during their appearance at the patriotic car race.

Harp’s presence at the Grand Prix – where she was also spotted conversing with Eric Trump – comes at a time when she and Melania are rarely seen at the same venue.

The shared appearance follows political friction last week after Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff made inappropriate suggestions regarding Trump’s working relationship with his aide at a Georgia rally.

Ossoff said that the President wants to ‘build his ballroom and travel with Natalie,’ hinting that the two were romantically intertwined, which the White House has slammed as ‘absolute trash.’

Initial footage from the event showed the presidential couple in full ‘canoodling mode’ – flirting, smiling and touching hands for the camera. 

However, James notes that Melania’s social smile suddenly vanished, replaced by a closed, downturned mouth.

Hickling decoded the silent dialogue as ‘intense,’ revealing that Melania leaned inward and appeared to issue a firm warning: ‘That is private and valuable text.’ 

The appearance follows political friction last week after Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff made inappropriate suggestions regarding Trump’s working relationship with his aide at a Georgia rally

Harp’s presence at the Grand Prix – where she was also spotted conversing with Eric Trump – comes at a time when she and Melania are rarely seen at the same venue

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When her husband inquired, ‘Was it enough?’ Melania then replied, ‘I don’t know.’

‘Then I need to see it,’ he insisted, according to Hickling’s analysis.

Attempting to step away, Melania appeared to whisper: ‘Donald, listen, I’m gonna go,’ only for the President to cut in: ‘Listen, she asked you not to close the door.’

After Melania asked, ‘why?’ Trump cautioned with a solemn expression, according to Hickling, ‘It’s bad news, but it’s bad timing, Melania.’

Calling the situation ‘crazy,’ Melania executed a sharp swish of her hair – what James characterizes as an alert signal reflecting impatience or a firmly made point.

Hickling caught the tail end of her whispered instruction, which she translated to: ‘Obviously, I’ll see her and talk to her in the morning.’

Despite the assertive atmosphere, body language expert Judi James points out that Melania’s intense face-gazing was aimed at securing agreement rather than causing conflict, supported by Trump’s affirming nods and mouth-shrug.

Any potential strain was immediately dispelled when Melania stood up to leave.

Ahead of the race, the presidential motorcade completed honorary laps around the capital track before Trump officially inaugurated the contest by waving the green flag

The 35-year-old former One America News anchor has built a reputation for complete devotion to the President

James highlighted a reassuring ‘farewell tie-sign’ – Melania graciously touched her husband’s knee with a warm smile as she rose, leaving him to remain seated as he remarked, ‘I’ll stay here, I’m talking,’ while an unidentified male guest added, ‘If you need to go, I can wait, I’ll stay here.’

Melania’s exit prompted an instant shift into ‘work mode’ as Trump aide Natalie Harp, 35, moved into frame.

James observed Harp using a smartphone screen like a ‘dog whistle’ to snap Trump’s focus, crouching in the posture of an intensely eager personal assistant.

Spotting the phone, he made a swift gesture to take the device, demanding, ‘gimme that,’ according to Hickling’s analysis.

Showing the screen to the male guest, Trump appeared to ask, ‘See what I mean?’ receiving a nod and a ‘yeah.’

Following a brief exchange of nods and shrugs, the guest offered, ‘I’ll get the list of [them] all,’ according to Hickling.

‘Look at [them], I want to get to the bottom of it,’ Trump appeared to instruct, to which the guest affirmed, ‘yeah, I can do that.’

Hickling says Trump then instructed Harp to send over the file, asking, ‘Can you send him the information?’ prompting her quick reply: ‘Sure, President.’ 

From left, IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi, Melania and driver Scott Dixon at the White House on Thursday

Melania departs the White House en route to the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix on Sunday

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He then appeared to praise his aide: ‘I tell her immediately she gets it done, we need her, she is good for us.’

The highly visible outing marked Melania’s second public appearance of the week as she joined her husband for the IndyCar event celebrating the nation’s semi-quincentennial birthday. 

Ahead of the race, the presidential motorcade completed honorary laps around the capital track before Trump officially inaugurated the contest by waving the green flag.

Sunday’s appearance followed a swift return to public life after a month-long absence from joint events with her husband, following their July 19 outing at the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey.

Opening a White House Rose Garden gathering earlier in the week, Melania greeted the crowd with a playful eight-word opening: ‘I heard you missed me. Here I am.’

Harp’s presence at the Grand Prix – where she was also spotted conversing with Eric Trump – comes at a time when she and Melania are rarely seen at the same venue.

The 35-year-old former One America News anchor has built a reputation for complete devotion to the President.

Her commitment has led to unusual measures – including once riding in the trunk of a motorcade SUV to maintain proximity when no passenger seat was available and running after his golf cart in newly released photos. 

Nicknamed the ‘human printer’ for carrying a portable device to deliver physical copies of favorable news coverage to Trump, she once summed up her dedication in a handwritten note stating: ‘You are all that matters to me.’

The Daily Mail reached out to the White House for comment.

By SONIA HORON, US ASSISTANT SHOWBIZ EDITOR

Published: 02:23 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 02:50 BST, 25 August 2026

Perez Hilton suffered multiple broken bones after falling on the night of his self-harm livestream earlier this month. 

The celebrity blogger, 48, is still recovering from his wounds in the hospital after he cut himself with a knife during an August 4 livestream.

And on Monday, his brother-in-law Tom revealed that his injuries are far more severe than initially thought during a new episode of The Perez Hilton Podcast with Chris Booker.

Tom – who is married to Hilton’s sister, Barbara – revealed that Hilton fell several times during the night of his livestream, resulting in broken bones. 

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The Hollywood columnist was treated for an overdose, ‘significant’ blood loss and undisclosed injuries after the incident.

His sister Barbara, 42, discovered Hilton naked and covered in blood in the bathroom of the Miami home he shares with his mother Teresita Lavandeira, 72, and his three children.

Perez Hilton, 48, suffered multiple broken bones after falling on the night of his self-harm livestream earlier this month

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She ushered the children into her car and drove away as Hilton chased them into the street and banged on the windows, according to a police report.

The gossip then locked himself inside the house and cut himself with a knife before first responders were able to coax him out and treat him for lacerations and an overdose.

Last week, The Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Hilton will need ‘psychiatric clearance’ before he can see his three children again.

His mom Teresita filed for temporary legal custody of Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight, after the incident.

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A Miami court agreed this week that Teresita should have sweeping authority over their schooling, healthcare and ‘all things necessary for the care of the children.’

Hilton was hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for the temporary involuntary detention of individuals in mental health crisis.

The act’s provisions will kick in when he’s medically discharged from the hospital, giving doctors a 72-hour window to transfer him to a psychiatric facility and evaluate him.

Hilton could walk free when the clock runs down if they decide he’s not a risk to himself or others.

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But that’s a ‘long shot’ according to Mark Astor, a veteran Florida attorney specializing in Baker Act cases.

The celebrity blogger is still recovering from his wounds in the hospital after he cut himself with a knife during an August 4 livestream; pictured in hospital earlier this year

On Monday, his brother-in-law Tom revealed that Hilton fell several times during the night of his livestream, resulting in broken bones; Hilton seen in 2025

‘You don’t just get to walk out of there after 72 hours,’ Astor previously told the Daily Mail. There are three possibilities, according to Astor, a former prosecutor, defense attorney and partner at Astor Simovitch Law.

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‘Number one, they could release him. Number two, they get him to agree to stay on a voluntary basis.’

‘Or number three, they could file what’s known as a petition for involuntary placement,’ Astor explained.

The latter would involve a Miami-Dade judge holding a hearing within five days to decide whether Hilton should remain locked up. The case would be confidential – with media barred from attending or hearing any of the details.

Activision is on the backfoot heading into Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and there’s only so much they can change in just a year.

Call Of Duty is in a weird place in 2026. Last year’s instalment, Black Ops 7, represented a low for the franchise in several ways – between its weak sales against Battlefield 6, the terrible campaign, and the fact that its failures prompted a semi-apology from Activision. The series is still a juggernaut, but it’s now at a point where there’s more enthusiasm around ports of old games from over a decade ago, rather than the latest entry, Modern Warfare 4. 

With all that context, the decision to include, for the first time, a campaign mission in a Call Of Duty beta doesn’t feel like an act of confidence – but an attention-grabbing plea to get fans back onside. In the upcoming open beta, which starts from Friday, August 28, it’s also throwing in access to Warzone’s new map called Zodiac, so there’s a sense it’s trying to hit every shade of Call Of Duty player in one swoop. 

However, for all its touted changes to gunplay, and its new Korean setting, there’s little in this beta to distinguish Modern Warfare 4 from what’s come before. There are some neat additions, but if you’re hoping for some kind of meaningful evolution, this beta presents an unconvincing case for why you should invest in the next entry. 

Bizarrely, considering it was a headline attraction, the included campaign mission is vigorously unimpressive. The mission, entitled Entrenched, is set in South Korea and sees you control Park Hyun Jun, who, alongside his South Korean squadmates and a cluster of US marines, is trying to stop a nuclear power station from falling into North Korean hands. 

It kicks off with claustrophobic trench warfare, segues into a clumsy vehicle section where you blast enemy clusters with rockets, before you lead a push to take out a tank by lambasting it with thermite grenades. It’s tired, by-the-numbers Call Of Duty, which climaxes with an escape from the burning station to show off Modern Warfare 4’s new, smoother traversal system.

When placed next to the best missions from Black Ops 6, like the casino breakout High Rollers, it’s incredibly forgettable. The biggest crime is, despite being set in South Korea, the location feels interchangeable from any other battlefield. In fact, if it wasn’t for the names of the South Korean squadmates (who all speak English here, to accommodate the US soldiers presumably), we’d forget it was set in Korea at all. 

The reworked traversal mechanics are better showcased in the Mobility Course. There have been training courses in past Call Of Duty games, but here it’s been fleshed out with a more elaborate design across three different difficulties. For newbies trying to keep up with the best online, it’s a neat tool to learn the movement’s subtleties, as you vault, slide, and dive between lasers – while shooting targets – to rack up the fastest time. 

While omnimovement has been removed, as a way to distinguish Black Ops from Modern Warfare titles, developer Infinity Ward has made traversal transitions more fluid, so hopping between ladders, ledges and combat slides feels satisfying to execute. However, some of the new abilities, like shooting while hanging off ledges, feel somewhat pointless when you’re rarely ever in a situation to take advantage of them. 

If anything, based on the five 6v6 maps available in the beta, Modern Warfare 4 feels like a throwback to tighter, more condensed design. Sometimes it yields great results like the standout Rooftops, which feels like a classic in the making – with plenty of routes through doorways, windows, and elevated walkways to gain the upper hand. 

Others, however, like Transit 213, set in an Indian bus depot, are too chaotic and simplistic to generate any tactical advantages. Some of the best Call Of Duty maps are designed to be hectic, like Nuketown from Black Ops, but even they have some flexibility to how you can approach situations – something which is missing in some of the smaller maps here, including the Korean shopping district Silkworm. 

It’s a mixed bag across the other two maps too. Lotus, set in Korea, is another highlight because it’s larger and has some breathing space, with opportunities to execute surprise attacks through its verticality. The other, Cachette, is a suffocating mess and – like other maps here without much cover – its problems are only exacerbated when you have killstreak gunships and drones flying overhead.

The most promising map addition is Kill Block, a modular arena which changes its layout across three interchangeable slabs every two rounds. In the beta, you can play on this map in 3v3 or 10v10 Gunfights, where every player is handed the same randomised loadout in each round. 

Gunfight is as tense as ever, with no respawns in each round, but the shape-shifting map adds an extra layer of spontaneity so matches rarely ever repeat in quite the same way. The intricacies of each slab might be figured out pretty quickly by hardcore players, even as they shift around, but it’s an interesting shake-up regardless. 

A couple of promising maps and a neat assault course, however, aren’t strong reasons to stay invested in Modern Warfare 4’s promise. This beta might be an ill-judged first glimpse, but if this represents the best of what’s on offer in the next entry, Call Of Duty’s wobbly era won’t be ending anytime soon. 

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