Cambridge-filmed Ludwig series two finale airs this week

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BBC One’s acclaimed detective series Ludwig is drawing to a close after six episodes.

The second series of the beloved drama, starring comedian David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, launched in August and has proved a resounding hit with viewers.

Filmed on location in Cambridge, the show follows David’s character, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, alongside his sister-in-law Lucy, portrayed by Anna. The British mystery drama has been lauded as the “ultimate comfort food” in crime television, making its conclusion all the more bittersweet for devoted fans.

The second series has picked up where the first left off, with Ludwig serving as a Crime Scene Consultant, working alongside DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) to crack “impossible” cases for the Cambridge Police Authority, reports Wales Online.

The sixth and final episode of series two will broadcast on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday, September 24. The synopsis for the finale reads: “A shocking death that strikes close to home leaves John shaken when all avenues point to Joanne Kemper. The clock is ticking, but the Taylors are no closer to understanding how it all fits together.”

“With everything laid out on the table, John and Lucy must place their trust in those around them as the investigation comes to a head. Has Kemper finally made a wrong move? Will Ludwig ensure that justice is served before another life is lost?” With the drama now concluded, BBC bosses have confirmed what will replace Ludwig.

Starting next Thursday, 1 October, The Celebrity Traitors returns with Claudia Winkleman once again at the helm.

Series two will air from 8pm, featuring a fresh lineup of celebrities competing in the ultimate game of detection, trust, and betrayal, vying for a charity cash prize of up to £100,000. The main programme will be followed by The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked at 9:15pm.

Confirming the scheduling, the BBC announced: “The Celebrity Traitors series two begins on Thursday 1 October 2026 with an extra-long opening episode at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series airs two nights a week on Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm.”

The multi-award-winning series boasts a stellar cast this time round, including singer James Blunt, actor Bella Ramsey, comedian Joe Lycett, presenter Maya Jama, and Welsh actor Michael Sheen.

Explaining his decision to take part, Joe Lycett said: “Because – I’m going to say it – it’s the best show on TV. The first series was just such phenomenally good television, and I didn’t think that it could be bettered, and then the celeb series came along. The last episode was beautiful.”

Ludwig will air on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday, September 24.

Wales earned plaudits but Craig Bellamy wants more from his side, after admitting they were forced to suffer in their narrow 1-0 defeat in Portugal.

Joao Felix’s deflected strike proved enough to earn victory in Lisbon for the hosts, who also saw Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort ruled out by VAR.

It was a winning start to the Nations League title defence for Portugal and for new manager Jorge Jesus.

Despite being under pressure for long spells in Lisbon, Bellamy’s injury-hit side ended strongly as Brennan Johnson and Lewis Koumas both went close to snatching a draw.

“It was a difficult game for us. We had to suffer a lot,” said Bellamy.

“I think that’s the longest we’ve been in a game without the ball.

“We could have done more with the ball but I’m beyond proud as well.

“We have a lot of players who weren’t here. That’s OK, we can handle it.

“A lot of players who don’t play, week-in, week-out. So for them to use the energy they were able to, we’ve got to have a big heart to be able to do that. They’ve always shown that and they showed that again.”

The number of small-boat migrants who have reached Britain under Labour is larger than the entire British Army.

The deepening crisis in the Channel saw 781 migrants arrive on Wednesday – the highest daily tally this year. It pushed the total since the general election to 83,279 – passing the Army’s 83,000 soldiers, said Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.

‘Labour has let an entire army-sized population cross the Channel illegally,’ the Tory frontbencher said. ‘More people have arrived in small boats than we have soldiers defending Britain. That is completely bonkers.

‘Labour has lost control of our borders and seems utterly incapable of getting it back.’

He added: ‘The Conservative plan is to end hotels and benefits for illegal immigrants and instead deport them.’ 

Amid growing concerns over Labour’s response to the crisis, this week saw two dinghies reach UK shores without being intercepted by Border Force.

Cabinet minister Lucy Powell admitted the Government ‘can’t stop everything all of the time’ as she was grilled over a week of chaos.

Wednesday’s arrivals beat the previous high for this year of 752 on July 29, and mean 1,085 migrants reached Britain in the first three days of this week. There were further arrivals yesterday but numbers are yet to be officially confirmed.

The total number of small migrants to enter Britain since the general election is 83,279 – passing the Army’s 83,000 soldiers (Pictured: A group of people thought to be migrants brought in to the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent)

The surge in crossings may indicate that traffickers are no longer experiencing problems obtaining dinghies and other maritime equipment such as outboard motors after a law enforcement crackdown restricted supply routes.

The figures will be embarrassing for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who claimed on September 2: ‘We are boosting officer numbers to record highs to crack down on small-boat launches and the gangs behind them. This work is bearing fruit.’

This week’s two ‘uncontrolled landings’ included a dinghy with up to 30 migrants aboard which reached a Kent beach on Tuesday before police arrived. Officials confirmed 21 people were detained and taken to a Home Office facility, where they will be processed ahead of lodging asylum claims.

Ms Mahmood has ordered an urgent review of how the boats made it across the Channel unchallenged.

Education Secretary Ms Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘[You] can’t stop everything all of the time. Of course it’s a concern.

‘That’s why the Home Secretary has demanded and ordered this urgent review, because this is not what we want to see. This is not acceptable.’

A Border Force union – the ISU – warned that migrant boats were ‘definitely’ arriving undetected along the full length of the UK’s south coast.

The union’s Lucy Moreton said: ‘It’s absolutely, definitely happening. If no one sees them, no one sees them.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour has ‘lost control of our borders’ (Pictured: Migrants try to board a smuggler’s boat) 

‘But we know that we’ve had abandoned vessels, we’ve had reports of uncontrolled landings all the way down to Falmouth.’

Ms Moreton accused the Home Office of taking a position of: ‘If we don’t look for it, we don’t know it’s happening. We don’t know it’s happening, we don’t have to deal with it.’

A former senior Home Office civil servant said the whole of the south coast should be monitored for migrant crossings, not just the narrowest section of the Channel near Dover.

Ex-Border Force director general Tony Smith said: ‘We’ve got technology – radar and drones and surveillance – but clearly, it didn’t work on this particular occasion.’

Asked why migrants would choose to arrive on a beach rather than be rescued and processed, he said they may have wanted to ‘evade capture’ and avoid biometric checks which could flag a criminal record or that they had previously arrived illegally.

A Government spokesman said: ‘Our progress this year in tackling small boats is indisputable – with crossings down by 42 per cent and the lowest recorded over the summer months since 2020.

‘But this week’s events show that while the peaks we are seeing are far below those of previous years, we need to push further and harder in order to eradicate this vile trade.’

READ MORE: Anatomy of the Bayeux travesty: They set off from Normandy and landed here 36 hours later… inside the longest and most farcical crossing of the whole small-boat crisis – GUY ADAMS reveals what it tells us about our broken borders

It lasted more than 36 hours and involved six coastguard and Border Force vessels, one French Navy helicopter and three coaches which travelled in a blue-light convoy with seven police cars and vans.

Throw in a knife-wielding hard-Right YouTube personality in a speedboat, plus an angry mob of balaclava-clad supporters and the whole thing adds up to an extremely expensive Anglo-French farce.

The so-called Bayeux Travesty, which this week saw 60-odd migrants make what is undoubtedly the longest and most chaotic Channel crossing since the rubber dinghy crisis began, speaks volumes for the broken nature of our asylum system.

Here, hour by preposterous hour, is how it all unfolded…

9.30am, Monday September 21

Fifty migrants scamper onto a sandy beach a few miles west of Port-en-Bessin, a seaside town near Bayeux in Normandy.

It’s a clear, sunny day with temperatures already in the high teens, and with the tide going out, conditions appear to be perfect for jumping aboard a 40ft rubber dinghy bound for the UK.

Like most of the craft used for Channel crossings, the vessel was imported from the Far East by people-smugglers and transported to the French coast.

Despite charging desperate migrants around £2,000 each for their passage, the gang behind this particular crossing have spent a mere £750 on their outboard motor, a 25-horsepower device made by Hangkai, a Chinese firm which makes budget equivalents of Yamaha and other Japanese brands.

It will prove to be woefully ill-equipped for the task ahead.

10am

Weighed down by its human cargo, the dinghy sets sail in a northerly direction towards England. Gendarmes watching from the shoreline duly alert the French maritime authorities. Four lifeboats and a coastguard tugboat named the Abeille Liberte (Liberty Bee) are duly scrambled to the scene, along with a French Navy search-and-rescue helicopter.

‘The boat was in a very bad way, very low in the water, with just a single outboard motor to power it,’ a spokesman for the rescue services later recalled. ‘The sea was calm and weather conditions were good, but a decision was taken to escort the boat, without intervening.’

The distance to Britain from the launch site, which is close to Omaha Beach, where thousands of Allied troops landed on D-Day, is at least 85 nautical miles.

6pm

The underpowered boat proves no match for the currents and winds that buffet the French coast, so instead of heading out to sea, the dinghy is dragged roughly 35 miles east along the coast, before being cast ashore on a beach near the town of Cabourg.

Here, as watching Gendarmes twiddle their thumbs, another ten migrants jump on board, dragging it still lower in the water.

Describing the unusual journey, a Maritime Prefecture source later told the Daily Mail: ‘We know there was a stop on a beach near Cabourg [Also on the Calvados/ Normandy coast] and that they set off again towards England. By this time there were about 60 people on board.’

According to the spokesman, the focus of the small French flotilla was on ensuring public safety, rather than on preventing the vessel from reaching the UK.

9pm

Still unable to break free of coastal currents, the dinghy has now spent 11 hours at sea. The sun has set and its passengers are cold, wet and increasingly febrile. Two of them suddenly jump into the sea. When a lifeboat approaches, the crew is informed that the migrants are suffering from hypothermia. They are therefore taken to hospital in Caen.

Pictured: The mega-dinghy with at least 60 migrants on board began its 38-hour journey escorted by the French Navy

The remaining 60-odd passengers continue to sit tight, refusing to give up their attempt to reach the UK. Britain has agreed to pay France some £662million, over the next three years, ostensibly to prevent such charades from taking place. But the local authorities seem unwilling to stop this particular boat.

Explaining why the group is allowed to remain at sea, despite the growing risk to life and public safety, a spokesman says: ‘This operation is also carried out within the known and delicate context of the migrants’ refusal of assistance, as they are determined to take all risks to reach the United Kingdom.’

2am, Tuesday September 22

A falling tide, which bottoms out at 2.08am, has finally pushed the dinghy out to sea and, with the help of an almost full moon, it begins to make slow progress towards Britain.

Although the French Navy’s helicopters appear to have returned to base, it continues to be shadowed by the Abeille Liberte and two coastguard lifeboats.

The passengers, who are all young men, are by now exhausted. Those lucky enough to have lifejackets have been moved to the sides of the boat, where they spend the night sitting upright with feet dangling in the water. The migrants without orange safety devices are crammed into the bottom of the dinghy.

8.30am

A social media personality and far-Right activist named Daniel Thomas has been following the Abeille Liberte’s overnight progress via the AIS tracking system that all large ships carry.

The privately-educated 37-year-old former builder, who was jailed in 2016 for attempting to kidnap a man at knifepoint over an alleged drug debt, now runs Patriot Platform, a YouTube channel which live-streams footage of anti-migrant demonstrations. And today, he’s going to be creating some viral content.

Speaking to followers from an orange rubber dinghy, he explains that he’s travelling towards a French vessel which set sail the previous morning ‘from the beaches where our grandfathers fought’.

11am

When day broke, the migrants were still able to see the French coast. But some five hours later, they are closing in on the maritime border, roughly 45 nautical miles from Cabourg, which marks the start of British territorial waters.

Pictured: Before the French sailors handed over to the RNLI in the Channel

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The French authorities, which continue to shadow the vessel, call HM Coastguard to alert them of the incoming dinghy.

This triggers a well-worn emergency response procedure which involves the RNLI instructing two of its most experienced lifeboat crews, from Hastings and Eastbourne, to head out into the Channel to meet the migrant dinghy.

According to the RNLI’s tracker, Eastbourne RNLI was called out at 11.09am and Hastings, at 11.11am. They are to be supported by a UK Coastguard aeroplane.

12pm

Thomas, who is 18 miles off the south coast, catches sight of the Abeille Liberte. It takes another hour for his fishing dinghy to pull up alongside it.

The activist ignores a request from the French vessel to move away from them and instead spends the next two hours in an uneasy stand-off, entertaining viewers of his live-stream by shouting occasional insults in the general direction of the migrants and taunting the Gallic coastguards by calling them ‘French frogs’, as well as ‘sausages’.

Pointing towards the ‘absolutely rammed’ dinghy, he’s also seen shouting: ‘We want our money back. This is not what we paid for. We paid for you French frogs to take them back to France.’

3pm

Following the arrival of the RNLI, the migrants are transferred to two British lifeboats, leaving their dinghy empty.

Thomas, who is videoing the spectacle, describes the lifeboatmen as ‘a personal taxi service into our nation’, at one point shouting: ‘Lads, how do you sleep at night?’

4.30pm

Once the migrants have disembarked, Thomas records himself motoring up alongside the dinghy. After declaring ‘this is what needs to happen to every one of these boats’, he takes out a knife and begins slashing its inflatable sides.

A French coastguard has meanwhile boarded the now-punctured vessel and is attempting to secure it to his lifeboat so that it can be towed back to Normandy.

Thomas confronts him, shouting: ‘You are in English territory. This is England. This is not France any more, OK?

‘Get off the boat. You’ve got time to get off the boat!’

The boat was escorted by sturdier vessels throughout its passage to Britain

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Motoring away, he adds: ‘Now try and take that boat back to France! You traitors! Traitors!’

Explaining his decision to puncture it, he adds: ‘We wanted to make sure that boat is not taken back to France and used again. That’s one boat that will not be used again.’

5pm

Thomas catches up with the RNLI boats, which had turned off their location tracking devices in an unsuccessful attempt to stop him from following them, and are now a couple of miles from the scene of the original handover.

He films the migrants being decanted onto the Border Force’s ship HMC Vigilant and invites supporters to head to Fort Blockhouse, a Victorian sea fort in Gosport where sources have informed him that they are to be brought ashore.

‘Anyone in the Portsmouth, Gosport, Southampton area, come to the Fort’, he says. ‘This boat is now coming to Portsmouth. Portsmouth is now a clear destination, like Dover, for the invasion of our country.’

Thomas instructs supporters to avoid bringing alcohol to the scene of the protest. ‘Remain calm. Do this the right way. This is a fight for the future of our nation. It’s not just a day out, having a pop at the Old Bill.’

6pm

On the streets of Gosport, Thomas’ supporters have other ideas. Between 150 and 200 of them have now turned up, many wearing black balaclavas and wrapped in flags.

As crowds of masked protesters confront a line of riot police, to chants of ‘let them drown’ sung by a child over a megaphone, occasional scuffles break out. According to Hampshire police, two men from Salisbury, aged 19 and 36, are arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, while four people from Gosport – two men aged 33 and 67, and two women aged 31 and 32 – are held on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 67-year-old is also held on suspicion of careless driving.

Many locals are unimpressed. ‘I’ve got two autistic daughters aged eight and five and they’re absolutely terrified, too scared to come out of the house’, a 48-year-old resident who gave his name as James told the Daily Mail.

‘They’re a bunch of narrow-minded idiots thinking they’re here for King and country when really they’re just morons.’

7pm

Ugly scenes have convinced the authorities to abandon plans to disembark the illegal migrants in Gosport. Instead, they have decided to change plan and use the RNLI lifeboats and Border Security Command ship to transport the young men more than 100 miles east towards Dover.

Police officers inform demonstrators: ‘We’ve been told to let you know that there will be no landing here this evening,’ and encourage them to leave.

Several attempt to adjourn for a drink. But several local pubs, including the Fighting Cocks, a few hundred yards from Fort Blockhouse, have decided to close their doors to avert trouble.

9pm

Empty coaches that had been sent to Gosport to pick up the migrants are now no longer needed in the town. So they are given a blue-light escort onto the motorway, with videos showing them being accompanied by at least seven police cars and vans.

George Madgwick, a local Reform UK councillor who posted the footage on X, said: ‘Unbelievable scene. Coaches that were planned for migrants to get on in Gosport being escorted from Hampshire by a larger motorcade than what the Prime Minister or King would get. This has to be seen to be believed.’

10pm

More than 36 hours after setting sail from the beaches of northern France, roughly 60 migrants are brought ashore in Dover and taken to Manston processing centre, completing the longest, and almost certainly most farcical, dinghy crossing in the history of the ongoing crisis.

Thomas is refuelling his Audi at a BP service station when two police cars descend on the scene.

Footage uploaded to social media soon afterwards shows an officer telling him: ‘Step out of the car please, sir, OK? At this moment in time we have information to suggest that you were involved in criminal damage.’

Thomas replies: ‘Yep, yep, can I just… give me my phone. I want my phone to be on, please.’ An unknown woman adds: ‘The cameras are on, let go of the phone.’

The officer continues: ‘At this point in time, you are under arrest – you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence…’ Thomas replies: ‘I understand.’

The officer adds: ‘The information that I’ve been given is that you’ve been involved in criminal damage that has recklessly endangered someone’s life, OK?’

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman later releases a statement saying: ‘A man has been arrested after a boat that had an emergency responder on board was damaged in the English Channel.’

Last night Hampshire Police confirmed that Thomas had been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose the PIN to his phone after he was filmed slashing a boat in the English Channel with a rescue crew member on board.

Additional reporting: Peter Allen and James Fielding

David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin return for Ludwig series three and a special with a big change in location

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The second series of David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin’s popular detective drama is drawing to a close.

The acclaimed show returned in August with David’s character, master puzzle-setter John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, and his sister-in-law Lucy, portrayed by Anna, continuing from where the first series left off.

Shot in Cambridge, the second run has featured Ludwig working as a Crime Scene Consultant, partnering with DCI Russell Carter (Dipo Ola) on “impossible” crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority.

In the second series finale, a devastating death close to home left John rattled when all evidence pointed towards Joanne Kemper.

The concluding episode was broadcast on Thursday, September 24, at 9pm on BBC One, prompting many to question whether a third series of the British mystery drama, praised as the “ultimate comfort food” in crime television, would follow. Here’s what we know, according to Wales Online.

Will there be a series 3 of Ludwig?

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Yes, BBC executives confirmed a third series had been commissioned before the second had even been broadcast.

The third instalment, currently in production, will see David Mitchell reprise his role as ‘Ludwig’, with Anna Maxwell Martin returning as Lucy Betts-Taylor.

David Mitchell said at the time of the announcement: “I am delighted that Ludwig will be returning to solve more of Mark Brotherhood’s brilliant mysteries. I can’t wait to get started and have renewed the subscription on my denouement-learning app.”

Kenton Allen, Executive Producer and CEO Big Talk Studios, added: “Ludwig has become one of those rare shows that genuinely cuts through – critically, commercially and internationally. We’re hugely grateful to the BBC, ZDF and ITV Studios for the confidence they’ve shown in greenlighting a third season ahead of the launch of series two.

“What Mark Brotherhood has created is brilliantly original, hugely entertaining and deceptively distinctive in the way it blends smart comedy with a richly satisfying detective engine. At the heart of that success is the remarkable partnership between David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, brought to life by an exceptional creative team. In a crowded global market, for audiences to have embraced Ludwig on this scale feels incredibly special. There’s clearly nothing puzzling about that.”

Although a premiere date and full cast details are yet to be revealed, BBC bosses have confirmed that the third series will comprise six hour-long episodes.

What is the ‘extra’ Ludwig episode?

The BBC has confirmed that a Christmas special of Ludwig is in the works for this year, forming part of the Ludwig series 2 commission.

David and Anna will be joined by a stellar ensemble cast for the festive special, which includes Sir David Suchet, Jason Flemyng, Joe Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, Alexandra Roach, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

The 60-minute special will be set in Yorkshire rather than Cambridge, following John, Lucy, and Henry as they check into a secluded Christmas-themed hotel for what was intended to be a well-deserved break — until a sudden power cut transforms the festive retreat into a chilling locked-room murder mystery.

Stranded by a raging blizzard and completely cut off from the outside world, the guests find themselves forced to spend the night with a killer amongst them. With John reluctantly drawn into one of the most baffling cases of his career, the Taylor family must race against time to crack the crime before Christmas.

Ludwig seasons one and two are available on BBC iPlayer now.

By TARA RUSSELL

Published: 15:34 BST, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 23:30 BST, 24 September 2026

Presenter Zoe Hardman has issued a stark warning after discovering that her 11-year-old daughter had a secret TikTok account on which she posted videos of herself in a bikini.

The Heart FM DJ, 43, who also runs parenting podcast Made by Mammas, said she was ‘horrified’ to discover that daughter Luna has social media and admits she hadn’t been as strict as she should have been with parental controls.

She has now warned parents to closely monitor their children’s devices and be aware of what they’re accessing online.

Speaking on her podcast, she said: ‘When we were on holiday a couple of weeks ago I got a message from our nanny Taylor saying, ‘Were you aware that Luna has somehow managed to set herself up with a TikTok account?’

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‘I was horrified. ” I don’t understand what you’re talking about, she doesn’t have TikTok on her iPad and she doesn’t really ever use her iPad.”‘

Ms Hardman confronted her daughter who was ‘so full of shame’ about the account which led to her ‘crying under the covers’ and repeatedly saying ‘I’m so sorry mummy’.

Presenter Zoe Hardman has issued a stark warning after discovering that her 11-year-old daughter had a secret TikTok account on which she posted videos of herself in a bikini

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Instead of asking to see the TikTok account, Ms Hardman instructed her daughter to delete the profile without checking or removing the account from the platform herself.

Ms Hardman later discovered that her daughter had not deleted the account and was continuing to post videos.

‘When I went on to TikTok there were loads of videos of her doing dances in a bikini with a filter on her face, looking much older,’ she said.

She also found messages from people ‘who I had no idea who they were’ on her 11-year-old daughter’s social media.

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In last Friday’s Q&A podcast, Ms Hardman added: ‘I want to share this, not to shame her, but as a warning. 

‘If you’ve taken the app off their iPads, they can still download things, I obviously haven’t got the right parental controls set up. I’m such an idiot.

‘I’ve deleted the account but who knows who has got hold of any of the videos.’

Ms Hardman’s warning comes as changes are being made to the way British children can access and use social media.

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The Heart FM DJ, 43, who also runs parenting podcast Made by Mammas, said she was ‘horrified’ to discover that daughter Luna has social media

From Spring 2027, under-16s in the UK will no longer be able to use Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. 

YouTube will also be banned for under-16s but YouTube Kids will not be included.

The Government ban will also restrict livestreaming and strangers contacting children who are under-18.

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The ban comes following a Government consultation and claims to ‘go further’ than other countries such as Australia where a social media ban for under-16s came into force in November 2024.

Sarah Lucas’ SLAG, all stuffed tights and tragedy, makes for fine company here, and in fact the sculptures present threaten to steal the show: Isabelle Albuquerque Orgy For Ten People In One Body: 7 (2021) where a couple of teddy bears ravish a woman’s body made from black locust hardwood; Jeff Koons’ shiny stainless steel toy locomotive; Vija Celmins Pink Pearl Eraser (1966–67); Soshiro Matsubara’s Der Traum des Schmetterlings (2018–26), a tragic woman-faced bird flat on its back. There’s also Magritte’s very own hat and suitcase, which are intriguing in themselves, like Wes Anderson artifacts (another cinematic filcher). Also among the sweetshop of oddities is Yoko Ono’s Sky TV, featuring a live feed of the sky above the gallery, echoing Magritte’s famous cloud works, represented here with The Curse (1931). Again though, why is a perfectly nice bit of cloud and blue sky, a curse?

Kevin Costner received the VIP treatment as he jetted out of Santa Barbara on Thursday.

The Hollywood icon, 71, was spotted traveling out of the American Riviera in a private jet, ahead of a gig in Southern California with his band, Kevin Costner & Modern West. 

Clad in a white T-shirt and tan slacks, Costner was seen making his way across the tarmac before climbing into the sleek aircraft. 

The youthful-looking star looked swoon-worthy ahead of the flight, exuding cool with a pair of sunglasses shielding his eyes. 

Yet there was no sign of either of the two women he has been linked to recently.

Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor is back on the market following his grueling divorce from Christine Baumgartner and has been making headlines this past week over two women who have been seen in his orbit. 

The latest woman to have been connected to Costner is 39-year-old lifestyle influencer McKenna Wesley.

The pair was first seen at a Field of Dreams screening in Scottsdale, Arizona in October 2025 and last month the actor was seen enjoying lunch with a woman who bore a resemblance to Wesley in Santa Barbara.

Sources recently told Page Six Wesley met him in her hometown of Scottsdale last year and has been a guest of his at his properties.

‘She has been his guest on multiple occasions at his Santa Barbara and Aspen properties,’ a source told Page Six.

A second source told the outlet they both share a passion for golf.

‘They met in Scottsdale about a year ago. They both love to golf,’ the source said.

It’s unclear when they met exactly, but they were seen last year at a screening of Field of Dreams at the Scottsdale Stadium in October 2025, an event hosted by Costner.

Wesley’s representative told Page Six: ‘McKenna doesn’t wish to comment on her relationship with Mr. Costner.’

The Daily Mail previously contacted representatives for Costner and Wesley for further comment.

Over 400,000 fans follow Wesley’s glamorous life on her Instagram account, where she goes by ‘The Bubbly Blonde.’

Clad in a white T-shirt and tan slacks, Costner was seen making his way across the tarmac before climbing into the sleek aircraft

Costner has been linked to 39-year-old lifestyle influencer McKenna Wesley (pictured) 

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The actor was also seen in Santa Barbara with Jennifer Milburn, 40, a glamorous lifestyle coach 31 years his junior, earlier this month

The 5ft11in beauty hails from Scottsdale, Arizona and was modeling before she became a blogger.

‘This Arizona girl’s successful modeling career began when she was only 6 weeks old, which eventually led to living in Malibu, while modeling and happily traveling all over the USA,’ her profile on her website reads.

‘A long distance call from her mother changed everything when she casually suggested that McKenna explore becoming a blogger. This little suggestion was ignored for years, but when McKenna moved home to Arizona, her mother’s idea eventually became a reality and TheBubblyBlonde.Life officially began. 

‘When a 10 second fashion video of The Bubbly Blonde went viral with over a million views, McKenna knew she was on her way to something good.’

McKenna, also known as the ‘Bubbly Blonde’ online, has over 400,000 people following her glamorous adventures on Instagram 

Wesley is the latest woman Costner has been linked to since getting back on the market in 2024.

The news about Wesley comes just days after he was seen with Jennifer Milburn, 40, a glamorous lifestyle coach 31 years his junior.

The two were seen stocking up on steaks, vegetables, grapefruit juice, and cereal at Albertsons in Santa Barbara on September 7 – where onlookers described the pair as being ‘extremely affectionate.’

And Milburn herself did little to quell speculation about the nature of her relationship with Costner.

When contacted by the Daily Mail, she confirmed her identity, but abruptly hung up when asked whether she and the Oscar-winner were an item.

Costner has been linked to several women since ending his marriage to Baumgartner in 2024; pictured 2022

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Costner was ultimately ordered to pay Baumgartner, now remarried, $63,209 in monthly child support for their three children – Cayden, 19, Hayes, 17, and 16-year-old Grace – and $1.5 million to her personally

Costner’s links to Milburn come after the twice-divorced Yellowstone star was reported last year to have quietly found love again with filmmaker Kelly Noonan Gores, in what sources described at the time as a ‘private and casual’ romance.

His apparent relationship with Noonan Gores, ex-wife of billionaire Alex Gores, was first revealed in August 2025 after the two spent time together in Aspen.

It was reported they met through mutual friends, with US Weekly quoting a source saying: ‘After such a public and expensive divorce, he’s being cautious.’

They ‘see each other when schedules allow, often spending time at his Santa Barbara estate’ and ‘love dinners at home, walks on the beach and quiet nights in,’ the source said at the time.

Another claimed that Costner was ‘not looking for a serious relationship or marriage any time soon.’

Costner finalized his divorce from his 52-year-old second wife Baumgartner last year following an eye-popping battle over cash and assets.

The Yellowstone actor was ultimately ordered to pay Baumgartner, now remarried, $63,209 in monthly child support for their three children – Cayden, 19, Hayes, 17, and 16-year-old Grace – and $1.5 million to her personally.

A wanted man carrying a machete was caught in a police ambush after officers went undercover as a takeaway rider and street cleaner.

Roy Hallissey was known to regularly visit a market in Poplar, east London, but would avoid the area whenever he spotted police.

So officers from the Metropolitan Police took a different approach.

One disguised himself as a street cleaner while another posed as a delivery rider, approaching Hallissey from separate directions.

The police then arrested him and found a large machete hidden around his waist.

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Hallissey was wanted after being convicted of a stabbing and failing to attend court for sentencing. He was also wanted over an alleged assault on an emergency worker.

He had breached a criminal behaviour order banning him from Poplar.

Hallissey later pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article, breaching the order, driving offences, assaulting police and escaping lawful custody.

He is due to be sentenced on October 7.

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