On Monday, the jury of five women and seven men heard that Donaldson had been interviewed by police for four and a half hours following his arrest in the early hours of March 28 2024.
14:28, 08 Jun 2026
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Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told police he wasn’t doing “anything untoward” in an incident where an alleged victim claimed he used a light to stare at her.
The trial over historical sexual offences at Newry Crown Court is being played audio recordings of the former MP’s interviews with detectives following his arrest in 2024.
Donaldson, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences.
The charges include one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency, and span a time period between 1985 and 2008 involving two alleged victims.
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Complainant A and B have both previously given evidence at the sexual offences trial.
Eleanor Donaldson, 60, from Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending. She is facing a trial of the facts and is not participating in the proceedings.
On Monday, the jury of five women and seven men heard that Donaldson had been interviewed by police for four and a half hours following his arrest in the early hours of March 28 2024.
Three hours of the interviews will be played to the jury.
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Donaldson, wearing a blue suit, sat in the dock at the back of the court while the audio of the first interview was played.
The interview at Antrim PSNI station began with the former DUP leader confirming his name and date of birth.
Asked at the beginning if he wanted to say anything in relation to the alleged offences, he replied “No.”
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The court has previously heard about an allegation that Donaldson had “perched” over the top of Complainant A when she was a child, using a light to look at her “private parts”.
In his police interview, Donaldson raised the incident, telling detectives he believed he had “startled” the girl.
He said: “It obviously frightened her. She thought that I was shining a light at her.”
“You know, I didn’t have a light. You know, I wasn’t doing anything untoward.”
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He added: “She clearly still has a concern about that.”
He said “at no stage” had Complainant A ever claimed “I touched her or did anything inappropriate on that occasion”.
In the interview, Donaldson said there had been “good times and difficult times” in his marriage to Eleanor Donaldson.
He said his work as a politician had “put a strain on our marriage”.
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Donaldson said: “The role I hold is all-consuming, it takes up a lot of time.”
On World Ocean Day, a campaign linked to Glasgow 2026 is using sport’s global reach to stop one million pieces of plastic reaching rivers, seas and waterways
The ocean has its own international day today, but one campaign is trying to make sure the attention lasts longer than 24 hours.
Its target is practical and measurable: to stop one million pieces of plastic entering Commonwealth waters before the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, which take place from 23 July to 2 August.
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The campaign has already passed the halfway mark. According to Commonwealth Sport’s live tracker, more than 625,000 pieces of plastic have so far been collected by communities along the relay route.
World Ocean Day, marked each year on 8 June, was first proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and later formally recognised by the United Nations. Its purpose is to celebrate the ocean’s role in human life and focus attention on how it can be protected.
At West Kirby beach, Merseyside, in May, Team England’s leg of the campaign saw 25 people collect 21kg of rubbish, including 552 plastic items. Among them were 111 branded items from 56 different brands, a telling snapshot of how packaging waste travels from shops, streets and bins to the shoreline.
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More than 625,000 pieces of plastic have so far been collected by communities along the relay route
Ellie Simmonds, the five-time Paralympic gold medallist and former Commonwealth swimmer, joined volunteers on the sand as part of the clean-up.
“Sport is so powerful, it can facilitate change,” she told Positive News magazine. “I am very passionate about water, having spent many years swimming in a chlorinated pool, but since retiring I have been lucky to use my passion and be able to travel the world and work with lots of incredible ocean conservationists and gain lots of knowledge of why water and oceans are so important to preserve and look after.”
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The Commonwealth Games, held every four years, brings together athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations, spanning Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. The baton relay has long been one of its most recognisable traditions, carrying a message from the head of the Commonwealth to the opening ceremony.
This time, organisers are using that journey as a practical route map for environmental action. Clean-ups are taking place across Commonwealth nations and territories, with athletes, schools, conservation groups and local volunteers asked to take part.
Ellie Simmonds, the five-time Paralympic gold medallist and former Commonwealth swimmer, joined volunteers on the sand as part of the clean-up
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The Commonwealth accounts for around a third of the world’s ocean waters, while almost half of Commonwealth countries are Small Island Developing States, many of them acutely exposed to marine pollution, rising seas and the waste that washes in from far beyond their own shores.
For Simmonds, who won medals in the pool before becoming an advocate for ocean conservation, the connection between sport and water is personal.
“With the news that Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games is happening and Team England’s one of their initiatives is looking after the Commonwealth waterways, I thought it was important for me to go to West Kirby beach and help out, pick up plastic and meet lots of the community,” she told Positive News magazine.
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Sport is so powerful, it can facilitate change
“Sport is watched by many millions of people across the world and if sport can do that one thing to create change, then it can create that ripple effect, so it’s wonderful to be involved.”
That ripple effect is the real test of the campaign. Beach cleans alone will not solve plastic pollution, but they can remove waste before it breaks down into smaller fragments, create local evidence of the brands and materials most often found in the environment, and give communities a visible way to press for less plastic entering the system in the first place.
The campaign also gives Glasgow 2026 a broader legacy challenge. The Games will bring medals, crowds and television audiences, but this initiative asks whether a global sporting event can also leave behind measurable environmental repair.
Photography: Steve Samosa Photograhy
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Louise Thompson has taken fierce aim at Euphoria over a controversial moment that features a stoma bag, describing it as ‘upsetting’ and ‘pretty rank’.
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The final season of the drama – which came to an end last week – has made headlines throughout its eight-episode run, with viewers criticising its ‘disturbing’ and ‘vulgar’ scenes.
In the penultimate episode, crime kingpin Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is speaking to his employee Big Eddy (Kadeem Hardison), who has a stoma bag after surviving a gunshot to the abdomen.
A stoma bag is a medical device that’s used to collect bodily waste and is worn over the stoma, an opening that’s been made in the abdomen.
There are several reasons why a person might need to wear a stoma bag, such as if they’ve been diagnosed with colon cancer, if they’ve suffered an injury to the abdomen or if they have a severe case of inflammatory bowel disease.
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In the Euphoria scene, Big Eddy reveals that his stomach has been stapled closed and that he’s now wearing a stoma bag, with Alamo calling the device a ‘s**t bag’ and telling his associate: ‘Don’t be showing that to no motherf***er. Nasty.’
Louise Thompson showed her stoma bag to her followers in the video (Picture: Instagram)
At the time, she wrote: ‘Isn’t it bizarre that this little grey pouch is the price I pay for good health! I say good riddance to that nasty menacing colon!’
Two years later, she has spoken out against Euphoria’s depiction of a character mocking and insulting the use of a stoma bag, questioning if it’s a ‘tad irresponsible’.
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Speaking in an Instagram video, she explained that while she’s never watched the drama before, many people have sent her the clip of the scene between Alamo and Eddy.
‘I’m going to direct quote some of the lines in this series, because I’d love to get your thoughts on them. So, he says, “That there’s a s**t bag, huh? All these staples look like railroad tracks, cover that s**t up, that’s nasty. Don’t be showing that to no motherf***er,”’ she said.
‘Obviously, my acting is not very good, and these aren’t exactly words that roll off my tongue, but I’ve been thinking about how I feel about it, because I don’t think it’s that simple.’
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje joined the cast of Euphoria as Alamo Brown in season 3 (Picture: HBO)
The 36-year-old acknowledged that in her opinion, it’s ‘quite progressive’ for HBO to have featured a stoma bag on a major TV show.
‘I don’t know whether that would have kind of existed on TV 10 years ago. I think that it’s important for people to be exposed to these sorts of things that over 100,000 people in this country live with,’ she stated.
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However, Louise then continued: ‘I don’t think that the terminology that is used is very appropriate. The framing, the disgust, the “cover that s**t up”, instead of it feeling like representation and fair representation, instead it slightly feels like we’re using someone’s horrendous medical circumstances as a punchline, and I’m not sure how that sits with me, because I only have to think about my former self.’
Louise explained that she was ‘incredibly insecure’ when she was a teenager and ‘struggled with body confidence’, so if she’d had her surgery when she was younger and then seen this scene, it would have ‘made everything 10 times worse for me’.
‘And I also wonder whether it encourages certain people who don’t know better, who might watch that show, to kind of nod along and be like, “Yeah, that is really disgusting.” And then there’s maybe the risk that those people will go and actually feel that in public when faced with meeting somebody that does have a stoma bag,’ she continued.
‘Ultimately, I do think that it does more damage than silence does, because essentially you’re telling everyone that has a stoma bag or that has horrendous scars to cover them up, and that they shouldn’t wear them with pride. I think that’s pretty rank. I’d love to know what your thoughts are on this.’
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In the caption that accompanied her video, Louise stressed to her followers: ‘Just a reminder that your life-saving medical device is NOT nasty and does not need to be hidden away or fill you with shame!!!’
She added that the scene in question felt ‘quite jarring and a little upsetting to watch’ given how scarcely stoma bags are shown on TV, adding: ‘I wonder if it’s a tad irresponsible?!?!’
Louise was flooded with responses to her video, with some people agreeing with her and others saying Alamo is supposed to come across as cruel and insensitive.
‘Hear hear (as the proud owner of an ileostomy that saved my life 28 years ago) 👏👏👏,’ Dr Liesel commented on Instagram, while Helen wrote: ‘I have one too and completely agree 👏.’
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‘I think it’s about the character not having any grace or empathy. We aren’t meant to be thinking that’s the way to behave. 💜,’ Zoe shared
‘I agree but I think in this instance that was the point of that character, he shows no empathy or compassion to what the previous character has been through,’ Zahra commented.
Metro has contacted HBO for comment.
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All Creatures Great and Small fans have been treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the season season filming of the Channel 5 drama
15:03, 08 Jun 2026Updated 15:10, 08 Jun 2026
Samuel West has treated fans to behind-the-scenes glimpses from the seventh series of All Creatures Great and Small.
The beloved period drama has secured a double commission for series seven and eight, with each comprising six hour-long episodes and a Christmas Special. While a transmission date remains unconfirmed, production on the new instalments began in February.
The seventh series of All Creatures Great and Small, adapted from James Herriot’s books documenting his experiences as a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire countryside, is anticipated to continue from the 2025 festive special.
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Given that new series have arrived annually since 2020, with series five launching in September and series one in October, fresh episodes could potentially debut in autumn, reports the Mirror.
In one image posted on X, Callum Woodhouse, who plays Siegfried’s brother Tristan, is seen in full period attire, seemingly taking a break from filming.
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Callum beams warmly at the camera while seated in a plush armchair beneath a lamp, with one foot resting on a stool and a coat draped across his legs. Samuel captioned the post: “Callum, comfy.”
In another photograph, Rachel Shenton, who plays Helen Herriot, looked tired as she sat on a wooden chair, her head resting on one hand, eyes shut.
She cuts an elegant figure, dressed in a striking red blouse tucked into a lengthy navy blue skirt with brown shoes. Samuel playfully wrote beneath the post: “Tell me you’ve got a one-year-old without telling me you’ve got a one-year-old #1: Rach.”
Additional photographs featured scenes of the stunning Yorkshire landscape and members of the production crew. In another charming image, Samuel is seen cradling a tiny creature in both hands while beaming affectionately.
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He’s attired in Siegfried’s signature tweed three-piece ensemble, complemented by a crimson tie, with his hair swept backwards. A traditional timepiece adorns his wrist.
“And finally, the real star of the show. Plus some guy in a suit”, he wrote alongside the photograph, sparking enthusiasm amongst supporters for the forthcoming episodes.
In the comments section, admirers expressed their anticipation for the new instalments, with one individual posting: “Can’t wait for you guys to grace my screen. In a world of disarray, you and the cast of ACGAS are a breath of fresh air. Plus you are kinda sorta cute.”
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Another declared: “The rat and you aside, I adore the love for detail in your costume. The wrist watch is a piece of beauty.”
A third proclaimed: “We love you, Sam! Thank you for sharing these photos!”, while another contributed: “Thank you so much for all the amazing photos.”
“These photos are so wholesome, thank you for sharing. Bring on S7!”, remarked another supporter.
What will season 7 be about?
While Channel 5 remains tight-lipped about the storyline for All Creatures Great and Small’s seventh series, Greg Barnett, the broadcaster’s Commissioning Editor, has hinted at “many new stories still to tell and more unforgettable adventures ahead”.
Barnett commented: “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.”
All Creatures Great and Small is available to stream on channel5.com.
Gary Neville has responded to Manchester United fan criticism over his punditry
Gary Neville says he’d sit and watch Manchester United matches in the stands if Sky Sports instructed him to cease covering fixtures following accusations from supporters. Former United colleague Rio Ferdinand told Neville that certain fans he’d encountered felt the ex-right-back displayed diminished passion for United.
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Neville remains a polarising figure amongst football supporters, with some claiming he favours his former club, while United fans believe he’s occasionally overly critical of them. The 51-year-old acknowledges he may have misjudged the balance over the past decade.
On the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand said to Neville: “I spoke to a few United fans. Quite a few of them were saying ‘ask him why he shows less passion and positivity about us now as a pundit?’”
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Neville responded: “It’s a balance though Rio, isn’t it? It’s like, do I want City to win the league? I absolutely don’t want City anywhere near the league title.
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“I’ll say it on here now. I don’t want City or Liverpool to ever win a game of football again. I genuinely don’t. But do you know something, to be a professional and do the very best, sometimes I maybe don’t get the balance right with United.
“United are the hardest games I do. People might think that I’m more critical of United when they don’t play well. Sometimes, over the last maybe ten years, the balance, maybe I’ve not got it right.
“If they said ‘to me don’t cover United games for Sky, let me just sit in the stand and watch them.’ I’d say yeah, all day long but I still do the games. It’s difficult.”
Neville also addressed the future of Cole Palmer, who has been connected with a switch to Manchester United from Chelsea. He stated he would be delighted to see the forward arrive at Old Trafford but acknowledged the deal is improbable.
“I do like the signings of [Matheus] Cunha and [Bryan] Mbeumo last summer because they’ve had that grounding in the Premier League,” said Neville.
“They weren’t ‘gold’ but there was a removal of risk because they’d played in the Premier League and they were stepping up a level and they were young and hungry.
“‘Those type of signings are good. There’s talk of Cole Palmer and that looks like a signing that could be gold for Manchester United if he came to Old Trafford.
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“I don’t think it would happen though, I think Chelsea will hang onto him. But there’s very few signings like that available, it’s only every few years that these type of players become available.”
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’
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Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.
For those weighing up options such as university, college, employment or alternative routes, volunteering can provide a flexible and meaningful way to explore interests and build experience.
Young people across North Lanarkshire are being encouraged to consider volunteering as they plan their next steps after leaving school.
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For those weighing up options such as university, college, employment or alternative routes, volunteering can provide a flexible and meaningful way to explore interests and build experience.
And for those not yet sure what they want to do after leaving school, volunteering can allow you to meet new people, gain confidence and open your mind up to possible next steps. Volunteering is a positive post-school destination for all young people.
A wide range of opportunities are available locally, from helping at events and supporting younger children to getting involved in sport, community projects and environmental improvements.
Taking part can help young people develop important skills that employers value, including teamwork, communication and leadership, while also building confidence and gaining practical, real-life experience.
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Councillor Michael McBride, Convener of Education, said: “As our young people look to the future, it’s important they feel confident and supported in choosing the path that’s right for them.
“Volunteering offers a great opportunity to try new things, gain experience and develop the skills that will help them move forward, whether that’s into further education, training or employment. It also allows them to give something back to their communities, which is hugely valuable.”
Volunteering opportunities are designed to be flexible, making it easier for young people to take part alongside job searching, study or other commitments.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
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Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott stepped out for their red carpet debut at the Tonys (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Aubrey Plaza proudly cradled her baby bump as she and partner Christopher Abbott made their first official red carpet appearance as a couple last night.
Aubrey, who had quietly separated from Baena in September 2024 but remained in contact with him, already knew Christopher, having worked with him on Black Bear (2020) and the play Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.
Aubrey looked gorgeous in a black and white pinstriped dress with spaghetti straps, which hugged her growing belly.
The actress supported Christopher, who was nominated for his performance in Death of a Salesman (Picture: Adela Loconte/Variety via Getty Images)
Aubrey excitedly cradled her bump as she expects her first child (Picture: Dia Dipasupil/WireImage)
She styled her brunette locks in loose waves and complemented her red nails with a matching lip gloss shade, utterly glowing as she posed for photographers.
Christopher, who has starred in Poor Things (2023) and Apple TV series The Crowded Room, meanwhile, put in a dapper appearance, matching his other half in a black velvet suit and white shirt.
He attended the prestigious Broadway award ceremony as a nominee for best featured actor, having played Willy Loman’s son, Biff, in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The award ultimately went to Becky Shaw performer Alden Ehrenreich.
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The couple’s award show outing comes after Aubrey appeared to let slip the sex of her baby.
During a sweet red carpet moment with Susan Sarandon at the Tribeca Festival premiere of The Accompanist, the Happiest Season star lifted her top to show a giddy Susan her tummy.
As she did, Susan, 79, appeared to ask what she was having, with footage capturing Aubrey replying with, ‘It’s a girl.’
The White Lotus star looked radiant in a striped gown (Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
When her pregnancy was confirmed in spring, an insider told People that Aubrey and Christopher ‘feel very blessed’.
‘It was a beautiful surprise after an emotional year,’ they added.
Initially, she and the late director’s family released a brief joint statement reading: ‘This is an unimaginable tragedy.
‘We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.’
Aubrey then briefly appeared on Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special last February, paying a subtle tribute to Baena by wearing a tie-dye shirt, just like they did for their wedding.
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Eagle-eyed fans reckon she confirmed that her baby is a girl to Susan Sarandon recently (Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
In a 2021 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Aubrey had shared that she and Baena ‘got married on a whim’ in their backyard, explaining that Baena took on tie-dyeing as a hobby in the pandemic.
Last August, Aubrey opened up more, appearing on former co-star Amy Poehler’s award-winning Good Hang podcast, on which she shared: ‘Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you. Overall, I’m here, and I’m functioning.’
Aubrey added that she felt ‘OK’ and was ‘very grateful to be moving through the world’.
‘At all times, there’s a giant ocean of just awfulness that’s just right there, and I can see it,’ she then explained of her grief.
‘Sometimes I just want to dive into it and be in it. And sometimes I look at it, and sometimes I just try to get away from it, but it’s always there.’
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Aubrey and Christopher worked together on the 2023 film Black Bear and the play Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Picture: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images)
Her husband, director Jeff Baena, died by suicide last January (Picture: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Fans of the actress, who married Baena on their 10th anniversary in 2021, have been passionately defending her over recent months against criticism that she ‘moved on too quickly’ after Baena died.
A viral post bluntly concluded that ‘she didn’t even wait six months before getting a new partner,’ while trolls cruelly wrote that she mourned for ‘a week’.
Plenty of people had remarks of their own to fire back with, arguing that Aubrey cannot be ‘miserable for life’.
Fans also explained that ‘people have different ways of grieving’ and pointed out that she and Baena were, in fact, already separated.
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As reported in The Bolton News Roy Keane and Micah Richards filmed along Churchgate and Le Mans Crescent last month for the latest Sky advert, drumming up excitement ahead of the World Cup.
Now Sky Bet have released their new advert, giving the town and national showcase.
Bystanders queuing for their lunchtime pasty may have seen the football legends while they filmed the advertisement recently.
Once a dynamic box to box midfielder, Keane is now known for his quick wit and dry sense of humour on Sky Sport’s football coverage and the Overlap podcast along with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott and Ian Wright.
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The Sky Bet advert is packed with signature Keane reactions as well as nods to famous World Cup moments, all while showing off the best of Bolton’s iconic landmarks and architecture.
The Town Hall forms the backdrop for Keane to deliver his famous line, ‘That’s his job’, a comment made about a goalkeeper’s triple save that went viral and is now cemented as a Keane trademark.
Former Manchester City defender, Richards also appears in the advert.
Roy Keane and Micah Richards have filmed along Churchgate and Le Mans Crescent (Image: Still)
A big personality, also known for his appearances on Sky Sports, is seen imitating Roger Milla’s iconic goal celebration from the 1990 World Cup along Churchgate, outside The Old Man and Scythe.
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Bolton Town Centre has been a hive of filming activity in recent months, making the most of the town’s iconic architecture and film friendliness.
Roy Keane and Micah Richards have filmed along Churchgate and Le Mans Crescent (Image: Still)
Temporary changes to licensing rules will mean viewers can enjoy watching the Men’s Football World Cup – which takes place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico – at their local public house.
The temporary changes will have a huge impact on Bolton’s nighttime economy, particularly for popular venues along Churchgate, where the advert was filmed.
Roy Keane was spotted in front of the Wellsprings this week (Image: Public)
Filming for the advert also occurred at The Market Place, where they turned The Patio into a World Cup celebration, complete with bunting and a brass band.
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In conjunction with the World Cup, The Market Place will also be hosting family-friendly activities and football-related competitions.
Cllr Debbie Newall, Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “Bolton continues to flourish as a filming destination.
“Attracting big football personalities and having our local landmarks featured on national television is a great way to get Bolton immersed in World Cup fever!
“With a full summer of sport ahead, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the atmosphere with friends and loved ones.”
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The World Cup starts this Thursday, 11th June with Mexico kicking off against South Africa.
England begin their campaign on Wednesday 17th June at 9pm, against Croatia.
Henry Slade’s booming kick into the corner in the 2017 Premiership semi-final got plenty of airtime in the build-up to the latest instalment of Saracens and Exeter’s rivalry.
That monster touch-finder set up a final-minute match-winning try from Sam Simmonds.
Nearly a decade on, Slade’s influence on Saturday’s 32-12 victory, which clinched a play-off spot for the Chiefs at Sarries’ expense, was still key.
The 33-year-old purred around out wide, scored the try that started the hosts’ second-half blitz and lassoed Rotimi Segun with a crucial try-saving tackle before the break.
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Slade, who won the most recent of his 74 England caps against Argentina in November, last month told the For the Love of Rugby podcast he was “frustrated and disappointed” not to play a single minute in England’s floundering Six Nations campaign.
With Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh seemingly out of favour, Slade’s form is edging him back towards the Test spotlight.
Fraser Dingwall, Seb Atkinson and Benhard Janse van Rensburg were the other specialist centres called up to an England training camp last month. None are clearly ahead of the Exeter man.
“If I was picking an England team, I’d have Henry Slade in there,” said Exeter attack coach Dave Walder.
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“I see him every day and I know what he’s capable of. He’s doing everything you would expect of a player who’s not being picked by playing well week-in, week-out on both sides of the ball.”
“You don’t realise how much you miss something until you don’t have it,” Slade told BBC Radio 5 Live at Sandy Park.
“Maybe we took it for granted all those years ago, it is very special to have it back. I feel good, I’m in the shape of my life, still feeling fresh and good.”
Slade was talking about a play-off spot. He might have easily been talking about a starting Test shirt.
EXCLUSIVE: Missing British toddler Cheryl Grimmer disappeared in Sydney, Australia more than 50 years ago, and her heartbroken brother told the Mirror that they still want justice
Family of missing British 3-year-old girl who went missing from New South Wales in 1970 talk about the impact of her disappearance
The brother of tragic toddler Cheryl Grimmer – abducted in Australia more than 50 years ago – spoke to the Mirror during a visit to London and insisted: “We just want justice for my little sister.”
Paul Grimmer was speaking ahead of a new hearing which is starting in Australia on Wednesday. He was visiting family in the UK and described to the Mirror how they were looking forward to having their voices heard at the parliamentary inquiry into missing people, which is taking place in Sydney.
Paul, wife Linda and cousin Michael were angry that the man who admitted killing Cheryl was still walking free on a legal technicality. He can only be identified as “Mercury”. They spoke emotionally outside St Paul’s Cathedral about Cheryl’s disappearance from Fairy Meadow beach near Sydney in 1970.
Paul, who lives in Queensland, said: “We’ve had a hard journey but we are hoping we will get justice for Cheryl. We will be at the hearing and putting our recommendations forward. We will be reading our impact statements – and how it has affected us and why we believe there should be changes in the law.”
The inquiry will examine how Police and the authorities handle missing people cases and what can be done to improve investigations.
Linda spoke of the devastating impact three-year-old Cheryl’s disappearance in 1970 – just after the family had moved Down Under from Bristol – has had on the family. She said: “We just all want justice.” She said “it’s been challenging and hard for the family”
Michael added: “As a family we welcome the Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons cases that starts later this week. For years now, our concerns about how Cheryl’s case has been handled have not in our view been properly addressed by New South Wales authorities.
“This Inquiry gives us the opportunity to voice our concerns, for them to be properly considered and for changes to be implemented to ensure that no family has to go through what we have endured over the past 56 years.
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“Never again should a detailed and corroborated confession to child abduction and murder be sat hidden in police records for decades, with the victim’s family not told of its existence, with the author of that confession not even put in a line-up to see whether witnesses present on the day recognised him.
“To this day, more than 56 years after Cheryl went missing, there has been no court ruling on whether that confession is true or not. Cheryl deserves better than this and so does the community. There needs to be accountability and there needs to be change.”
Cheryl went missing after a day at the beach – her body was never found despite a lengthy search involving hundreds of police officers and volunteers.
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A 17-year-old – who was born in Manchester – confessed to killing her but because there was no lawyer, or adult, present during the interview a judge ruled he could not be charged.
He is still living in Australia and refusing to help police with their inquiries.
Firefighters were called out after the vehicle burst into flames on the B6279 Tornado Way at about 12.15am.
The car set alight on Tornado Way in the morning of June 6 (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
No one is said to have been injured and the fire is not being treated as suspicious.
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 12.14am on Saturday (June 6), we received a report of a vehicle fire on Tornado Way, Darlington.
“One crew from Darlington attended to put out the fire and left the scene at 12.40am.”
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A burnt out car is left on the side of Tornado Way in Darlington after it burst into flames in the early hours of Saturday morning (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
A burnt out car is left on the side of Tornado Way in Darlington after it burst into flames in the early hours of Saturday morning (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
The car set alight on Tornado Way in the morning of June 6 (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
A Durham Police spokesperson added: “We were called to reports of a vehicle fire on the B6279 just after midnight on June 6.
“The fire service put out the fire, which is not thought to be suspicious.”
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