The Mandy Dingle actress shared her link to the singer in an old series

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley took to her social media as she shared an old TV link to a member of One Direction.

Actress Lisa Riley made her Emmerdale debut as the iconic and charismatic Mandy Dingle back in 1995, and although she made a brief departure she returned full-time in 2019.

However, Lisa hasn’t only starred in Emmerdale, as she played the role of Rebecca Patterson in hit ITV series Fat Friends from 2002. Written by Kay Mellor, the series followed the lives and weight-loss struggles of a group of people at a “Super Slimmers” club in Leeds.

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Lisa worked alongside James Cordon who played Jamie Rymer on the series, as well as the rest of the star-studded cast which included Sheridan Smith, Ruth Jones and Gaynor Faye.

However, taking to her Instagram, Lisa revealed that there was another unexpected star who appeared on the TV show alongside her – One Direction member Louis Tomlinson.

Next to a picture of her during an episode, she wrote: “‘WAY BACK WHEN WEDNESDAY’ last night someone sent me this absolute BELTER!!!

“This is a scene from @itv ‘Fat Friends’ where Me @lisajaneriley and James @j_corden our characters, best mates, Rebecca and Jamie are in hospital-as my character Rebecca is about to go into labour -look closely to see who the young lad in the waiting room is???? It’s gorgeousness himself @louist91 soooo cute!!! Good memories before he became part of the global sensation @onedirection”.

Fans in the comments couldn’t believe it was him, as @jessluciile replied: “MINI LOUIS OMG” and @harrietplusbabies added: “Omg I’ve watched these so many times and I’ve never noticed @louist91 Love Fat Friends!”

Louis Tomlinson shot to fame after his audition on the X Factor back in 2010. He auditioned singing “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s and receiving three “yeses” from the judges.

However, he failed to progress as a solo artist but was later brought back to form One Direction along with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne.

Fat Friends wasn’t his only acting move, as he also had roles in the BBC drama Waterloo Road and the ITV drama If I Had You, as well as starring as himself in iCarly and Family Guy.

ITV have revealed that the last series of 7 Up will air this year

ITV have confirmed that their long-running series, 7 Up will end with its final chapter, 70 Up after 62 years of them following the lives of 14 people.

It’s often been described as the “greatest documentary series of all time”, as they’ve followed 14 people since the age of seven years old through being teenagers, and making their mark as adults.

In 1964, World in Action screened the very first film – 7 Up. Every seven years since, cameras have returned to capture a journey from childhood to teenagers, to adulthood, through careers, marriage, divorce, parenting, bereavement and more.

Now, the participants are pensioners and retirees looking back on their lives in a way that not many other people will have the chance to do the same.

70 Up will be the end of this remarkable television journey. Viewers will join them for the last time as they reflect on their triumphs, their trials and tribulations, and what happened to their hopes and dreams.

Viewers can tune in to see the “emotionally-charged” finale, with Tony the “cheeky chap” who wanted to be a jockey before becoming a London cabbie. He appears alongside Neil, who dreamed of being an astronaut and experienced homelessness. Plus Bruce, the public schoolboy who wanted to be a missionary, Symon who has fostered more than 120 children and has 12 (and counting) grandchildren, shy Paul who is now a grandparent and Jackie who left Scotland with a new partner.

Sue will talk about marrying Glenn and decades working at Queen Mary University of London, while Peter has more music news. KC John who wanted a powerful career and lawyer Andrew, the prep school boy who famously read the FT, return. Alongside them is Suzy, the young ballerina who hated her private school.

The series will remember fondly the late Lynn, part of the trio of friends. Meanwhile, we hear from Charles who left the programme at 21. And the series will also include a poignant and moving interview with the late Nick, the farmer’s son who fulfilled his dream to become a nuclear physicist.

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The series is due to air later in 2026, and Asif Kapadia, Director, 70 Up said: “In 2014 I named the Up Series as my favourite documentary of all time. Who knew that two decades later I would have the incredible honour and privilege to be asked to direct 70 Up, the legendary documentary series. I love the show!

“I have watched it all my life, first as a child with my parents and siblings, growing up in East London and then as an adult. I was lucky to meet Michael Apted a few times. I first came in contact with Apted when he interviewed me after he saw SENNA and he liked the fact I directed drama and documentaries, like him.

“Directing 70 Up has been a dream project for me, the ultimate portrait of human life, working with my amazing editors Andrew Hulme and Patrick Saxer, we had the challenge of cutting hours of archive material shot over decades, while also looking at the nature of documentary filmmaking itself. I hope the audience feel my team and I have done the epic series justice with the closing chapter.”

Producer Claire Lewis added: “After over 40 years of working with the participants of 7 Up it seems extraordinary that we have come to the end of this unique series. It’s been an incredible lifetime’s work and has given me a second family. I’m sad and content at the same time that it’s ending.

“Working with Asif, as well as Michael, has been an honour. But the highest accolade goes to the fortitude of our trusted contributors. We miss Michael, Nick and Lynn terribly; the jigsaw is not complete without them.

“Thank you to them and thank you to the team. Each episode captures an era for our society and one for each individual. It’s pure magic. Thank you to the pioneers of ITV who made it happen. It’s film history.”

The temporary truce will begin at 5pm EST (10pm BST), Donald Trump said, adding that he had excellent conversations with the leaders of both countries

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Donald Trump has announced that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, claiming the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will be the tenth war he has helped bring to a resolution.

The temporary truce is set to commence at 5pm EST (10pm BST), the US president stated in a Truth Social post, adding that he had “excellent conversations” with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. He claimed both nations agreed to the truce following a meeting in Washington, D.C. — their first such encounter in 34 years — alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump stated that he has directed Rubio, Vice-President JD Vance and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine to collaborate with Israel and Lebanon to “achieve a Lasting PEACE”. He asserted that he has previously resolved “nine wars across the world”, with this representing his tenth peace deal.

Trump and his administration have claimed to have helped resolve or de-escalate the following conflicts:

It remains unclear which ninth war Trump is referring to. He may be alluding to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, which he initiated with strikes on 28 February, reports the Mirror.

However, the reality appears to contradict the Trump administration’s assertions regarding the other eight conflicts. Violence persists in nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. India has flatly denied that Trump played any part in brokering a ceasefire with Pakistan, while Serbia has stated it had no intentions of pursuing a war with Kosovo.

In a subsequent post, Trump said he would invite Aoun and Netanyahu to the White House for the “first meaningful talks” between Israel and Lebanon since 1983.

The first story trailer and gameplay footage from the sequel to Metro Exodus reveals a game literally forged in war, by Ukrainian developer 4A Games.

The tragedy of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is so serious that we always feel nervous about discussing it in the context of video games. But the fact is that Ukraine has a very active development community – one of the most significant in Eastern Europe – and since the invasion began we’ve spoken to both indie developers and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. creator GSC Game World, who have all carried on working during the war.

As such, it’s sadly obvious why there’s been a seven year gap since Metro Exodus. But developer 4A Games is back and have unveiled Metro 2039 today, via an Xbox event that we were allowed to see in advance.

Based on a series of novels by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, who assists with the games but has been exiled from Russia for speaking out against the war, they’re set in a post-apocalyptic Moscow and portray the world in a way that, to paraphrase co-creative director Pavel Ulmer, makes Fallout seem like a ‘theme park ride.’

We strongly encourage you to watch the video below, which is 15 minutes long and split between the pre-rendered reveal trailer (which is also the video above), commentary from the developers, and a minute or so of in-game footage.

Introducing itself as ‘proudly made in Ukraine’ the reveal trailer portrays a series of nightmare visions of what is presumably the main character – known only as The Stranger but fully voiced in the game.

He seems to be searching for his daughter, with post-apocalyptic scenes reminiscent of the bomb dropping in Terminator 2 and then images of him being literally held back by chains as a Nazi-like figure, who has apparently united all the different human factions, indoctrinating children and issuing propaganda.

It’s all very disturbing and while it’s not exactly subtle in its message, the world as a whole seems to have moved past subtlety a long time ago.

According to creative director Andriy ‘mLs’ Shevchenko, the Metro series has always been anti-war but, as he says, ‘Now war is our reality and our message has shifted to be about the consequences.’

He ruminates on ‘The cost of silence, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom,’ in what is clearly going to be a very heavy game. In fact, it’s specifically said that it will be much darker in tone than the previous games, which weren’t exactly Barbie Horse Adventures themselves.

As the impossibly gravelly-voiced Pavel Ulmer (co-creative director and lead audio designer) says, they’re not ‘romanticising the post-apocalypse’ and are instead taking a more tragic view of humanity than most similar games.

4A Games admits that their plans for the new Metro completely changed after the Russia invasion, so this game is heavily influenced by the ramifications of that, as you can already tell from the trailer and the promise of a ‘uniquely Ukrainian perspective.’

In terms of the gameplay, only a little was shown but the graphics looked fantastic (enabled by 4A Games’ own propriety game engine) and showed off a typically terrifying fight with a mutated monster.

The Metro games are part first person shooter and part survival horror, but the series’ storytelling is also very important to the experience, with engaging characters and a lack of moralising.

Metro 2039 will be out ‘this winter’ on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Interestingly, the PlayStation 5 version was mentioned, despite this technically being a Microsoft showcase.

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For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

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The Apprentice series finale airs tonight with Karishma Vijay and Pascha Myhill competing in an all-female final for the £250,000 investment

Lord Alan Sugar hadn’t envisaged a future for The Apprentice, he’s confessed.

The BBC contest launched back in 2005, and this year features an all-female finale, with Karishma Vijay competing against Pascha Myhill.

Prior to the final being broadcast, Lord Sugar spoke with presenter Angela Scanlon to look back on the programme’s achievements.

When questioned whether he anticipated reaching this milestone on the series, marking twenty years on television, Lord Sugar responded: “Honestly speaking, no. Was it 2005 or something like that? 2004, when we recorded the first one, and I thought, ‘it’s been great, exciting, interesting’, but never, ever thought it would run on for this long.”

READ MORE: Apprentice star Karishma defiantly vows ‘I’m making money without Lord Sugar’READ MORE: ‘I’m making history on The Apprentice final and I can do it by myself’

Reflecting on a photograph of himself from that inaugural series, the business tycoon joked that he was “a handsome fella” and revealed the secret behind his appearance at 79, reports the Mirror.

“I do a lot of exercise, I suppose, and running the businesses,” he stated.

Initially, Lord Sugar had been seeking to offer winners opportunities to work for him, whereas he now provides investment in their own ventures.

“The original format was that people would come to work for me, and I would give them a six-figure job, and back in 2005, a six-figure job was quite a lot of money, so you can imagine the resentment and possible disruption it caused within my company,” he outlined.

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“So I changed it after about series six to this 50/50 business deal, which is great, that’s what’s really kept me at it.

“The calibre of the winners are different because they’re entrepreneurs, they’re my partners, and as I say to them, ‘You’re the expert, you’re the one that knows what you’re supposed to be doing in this business, I’m just there to tell you what not to do’.”

He went on to say: “I’m looking for someone whose got that entrepreneurial spirit, some spark of brilliance.”

This follows Lord Sugar addressing the future of The Apprentice, disclosing that the programme will continue for at least several more years.

Speaking to Amol Rajan last year, Lord Sugar stated he was “absolutely” proud of the show’s legacy, and that, at the time, he had committed to three further series.

He said: “Listen, when I took the job on of The Apprentice, I was already a multi-millionaire. I didn’t do it for the money.”

Earlier this year, he quipped that he received an “electronic Zimmer frame” from the BBC upon agreeing to carry the series into his 80s.

He told The Mirror: “Part of the contract is the BBC has got to provide me with an electronic Zimmer frame! I mean, three years takes me to about 82 I suppose, the time I’m finished, but I’ll carry on as long as the BBC want me to and I will know personally when it’s time for me to kind of hang up my finger, if you know what I mean.

“As the footballers say, they hang up their boots, hang up my finger or something. I’m happy about it. I’m a very fit person.”

The finale of The Apprentice airs tonight at 21:00 on BBC One and iPlayer with The Apprentice: Unfinished Business airing straight after on BBC Two and iPlayer.

Police issued a statement on Thursday confirming a man has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm

A man has been charged with assault following an incident which occurred during a Welsh football match earlier this year.

The incident happened during a match between Trearddur Bay FC and CPD Porthmadog in January and was captured on video with a clip of an alleged assault widely shared on social media at the time.

On Thursday police confirmed that Thomas Taylor, 36, from Llanddona has now been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm.

He will appear in court in Caernarfon on May 11.

In a statement pn Thursday North Wales Police said: “Following submission of a case file to the Crown Prosecution Service, officers received authorisation to charge a man in relation to an incident that occurred during a football match between Porthmadog FC and Trearddur Bay on Saturday, January 17.

“Thirty-six-year-old Thomas Taylor of Llanddona was yesterday charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and will appear before Court in Caernarfon on Monday, May 11.”

West Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a fatal collision on the A1(M) northbound at Darrington and an earlier collision that took place nearby earlier this morning (April 16).

The A1(M) is still closed as reported by The Press this morning and there is no estimate available for a re-opening time.

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The force says that it received reports at 7.36am of a man walking on the hard shoulder on the A1(M) and whilst emergency services were on route to the scene, the same man was said to have been in a crash with an HGV just before the Ferrybridge junction.

He died at the scene.

A spokesperson said: “Enquiries have confirmed that the same man was involved in an earlier collision on Valley Road, Darrington.

“It was reported at 7.16am that a collision has taken place involving a white Renault Captur and a white Toyota Proace City van and that the van driver had left the area on foot. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to hospital to be checked over.”

The man has not been formally identified yet, but he is understood to be a 60-year-old man from Leeds.

More to follow.

The County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust confirmed it is planning to cut about 600 full-time equivalent roles from its workforce over the next two years amid “significant” financial challenges. 

Health bosses at the trust have said it will be taking a “measured approach” to the cuts, including offering a voluntary severance scheme, without disrupting healthcare services. 

Staff will continue to be recruited in the patient safety and service delivery departments. 

The trust is in charge of University Hospital North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital, as well as other community hospital sites around the region. 

A spokesperson said: “Like many NHS trusts nationally, we are facing significant financial pressures and have a responsibility to use public resources efficiently while providing safe, high-quality care.

“As part of this, the Trust is planning to reduce its workforce by around 600 whole-time equivalent roles over the next two years.

“We are taking a measured approach, including a voluntary severance scheme and exception-based recruitment. Recruitment will continue for some roles essential to patient safety and service delivery.

“We are committed to managing these changes fairly and transparently, working closely with staff, trade unions and partners to minimise impact and ensure continuity of care for our communities.”

News of the potential cuts comes amid a challenging time for trust. 

A report into its breast services last year found that unnecessary surgeries were carried out, cancers were missed and poor standards of care were delivered at hospitals in Durham and Darlington. 

NHS officials have since apologised for the failings and said they are investigating hundreds of cases. 

Earlier this year, hundreds of NHS workers at the trust secured a £5,500 back payment after a long-running dispute was finally settled. Unison, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, previously warned that up to 900 workers had been left in “immense financial distress”. 

And now the union has warned that up to 21,000 roles could be cut nationally by 2028.

The neighbouring University Hospitals Tees trust, which covers North Tees, Hartlepool and South Tees, also said it is planning to cut 600 roles. 

Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, said he is “extremely concerned” by the potential cuts. 

Helga Pile, Unison’s head of health, said staff morale has been hampered by the proposed cuts at trusts around the country. 

She added: “Cutting thousands of NHS jobs is the wrong answer when staff are already stretched to breaking point.

“Years of underfunding have left many trusts out of pocket and ministers’ financial reset is creating deep uncertainty about services and staff.

“The NHS is being asked to transform how care is delivered, with more community services and technology, but none of this is possible without the staff to make it happen.”

As part of the cuts, Unison said trusts are planning to reduce nurses and other clinical staff, as well as support post reductions through vacancy freezes, restructuring and reduced use of agency workers.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Thanks to the extra £26 billion we have invested, the NHS has an extra 12,000 doctors, 16,000 nurses, and 8,000 mental health workers compared to July 2024.

“We make no apology for reducing spend on agency staff, for which the NHS was previously paying huge sums to rip-off recruitment agencies.

“It is only because of that focus on getting better value for money that we have been able to invest in more frontline staff, give staff above forecast inflation pay rises for two years in a row, and improve services for patients.”

What do you think about the trust’s statement? Let us know in the comments below.

Justin Evans, 24, from New Zealand, was reported missing over the weekend and has not been seen since late on Saturday night.

Coastal searches are being carried out across Orkney for a missing monk feared dead by his local diocese. Justin Evans was reported missing from the private island of Papa Stronsay on Sunday, April 12.

The 24-year-old from New Zealand was last seen within Golgotha Monastery shortly before midnight the previous night. Police have been carrying out searches on Papa Stronsay and the nearby island of Stronsay in an attempt to find him.

Hugh Gilbert, Bishop of Aberdeen, previously said he had learned with “deep sadness” that Justin, also known as Brother Ignatius, was “presumed dead”. He also suggested both police and the coastguard had “called off” searches for him.

However, Police Scotland has now confirmed searches will continue and will focus on costal areas of other nearby islands. The force added there was “nothing to suggest any suspicious circumstances or criminality”.

Inspector David Hall said: “Our thoughts are very much with Justin’s family at what is a very difficult time. Extensive and detailed searches using local police resources and partner agencies have been carried out on the islands of Papa Stronsay and Stronsay, including along the shorelines.

“Coastal areas on other nearby islands will continue to be searched by local and specialist police resources and partners. Any further relevant information reported to police about Justin and the circumstances leading up to him going missing will be acted upon.

“At this time there is nothing to suggest any suspicious circumstances or criminality.” Reports from New Zealand say Justin was from Christchurch and he had lived at the Golgotha Monastery for around two years.

Papa Stronsay, one of the smallest islands in Orkney, is a private island owned by the Catholic order Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer and is only accessed by a boat run by the monastery. In the 2022 census, Papa Stronsay had a population of just nine.

Founded in 1988, the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer are headquartered at the Golgotha Monastery on Papa Stronsay – an island they purchased in 1999. They were also based in New Zealand until July 2024 when the Bishop of Christchurch disallowed the order from ministering in the diocese following allegations of unlicensed exorcisms.

In his previous statement, Bishop Gilbert said: “The Diocese has learned with deep sadness of the disappearance and presumed death of Justin Evans, also known as Brother Ignatius, aged 24, a member of the Redemptorist Community on the island of Papa Stronsay. It is believed that he came to harm in conditions involving the sea.

“The local police and coastguard services have now called off their searches. Brother Ignatius was known for his humility and charity, and our prayers are with his community and family at this difficult time.“

Justin is described as around 6ft tall, with short hair and a dark beard. When last seen, he was wearing a white robe.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Enquiries to trace Justin Evans, reported missing from Papa Stronsay, Orkney, remain ongoing. The 24-year-old was last seen within Golgotha Monastery on the island shortly before midnight on Saturday, April 11.

“Searches of the island and nearby islands have been carried out and will continue into next week. Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident 1573 of Sunday, April 12.“

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Lauren Hawker-Jones from travel tips firm Jack’s Flight Club has gone viral on TikTok for showing how customers can swerve the dreaded middle seats during free online check-in.

Footage viewed more than 200,000 times shows the 29-year-old getting ready to check in 24 hours before her flight’s due to take off, identifying the available seats you don’t want.

In a separate tab she loads up Ryanair again and opens up a new booking for the flight.

Travel guru claims Ryanair hack can help you guarantee aisle or window seat for free (Image: Kennedy News/Jack’s Flight Club)

The savvy travel worker can then be seen adding three new passengers to allocate them the unwanted middle spaces.

She claims Ryanair then reserves them as the system thinks they’re being bought, leaving only seats you’re happy with being available for ‘random allocation’.

Lauren, who lives in Barcelona, Spain, has hailed her hack as a ‘small-but-satisfying win for the average budget-conscious traveller’.

Lauren, from Birmingham, said: “As a budget traveller I’m always looking out for small ways to make the journey more comfortable in a cost-effective way.

“Since testing this out a few months ago I’ve tried it on every flight since and I’ve always landed a window or aisle seat.

“I think with all the increasing luggage restrictions and tighter seating becoming the norm, it feels like a small-but-satisfying win for the average budget-conscious traveller.

“I doubt it’s going to sink Ryanair anytime soon so if it helps even a few people avoid the dreaded middle seat without forking out even more cash I think it’s worth sharing.”

Katy Maclure, Head of Community and Content at Jack’s Flight Club, says the hack is a way to ‘get back at Ryanair who have no shame in charging extra for more breathing room’.

Katy said: “Lauren discovered it when she was travelling back to the UK to visit family and she’s managed to replicate it since.

“Our mission is to make sure people can travel without spending over the odds and if we can find ways without having to pay these inflated fees then we want to share them.

“It’s normal there’s going to be a hold on that seat so presuming there are enough seats left to buy there’s an opportunity to jump in on a bargain.

“It only works closer to the end of the check-in time when most of the seats are allocated so you have to have the time and the willpower but it works.

“Hating the middle seat is about personal space because if you’re not willing to spend that bit extra you’re jumped in between people you don’t know.

“It’s like a punishment and it doesn’t feel fair so this is a good way to claim that personal space and get one back over the airline who have no shame in charging extra for more breathing room.”

The post, captioned ‘desperate to avoid the middle seat?’, has been liked more than 2,400 times and has more than 75 comments.

One commented: “Love it, travel alone and hate the lottery of the seat picking.”

A second said: “Lol love it for real. The tech guys will hate it.”

A third added: “I’ve done it with up to 20 seats.”

However, one said: “Not a hack. It’s a cheapskate trying to dodge seat costs.”

Another agreed and said: “Just pay the premium.”

Ryanair have been contacted for comment.