Andy Wilman says that Amazon chose the new hosting trio ‘on merit’ and, while women also tried out, ‘there were no boxes to tick’

The Grand Tour boss Andy Wilman says the “likeable” all-male trio of two You-Tubers and a train nerd are the perfect people to front the second era of the show.

The executive producer said that Amazon Prime did try out some female presenters during the casting process – but in the end went with established petrolhead influencers Thomas Holland, James Engelsman and Francis Bourgeois.

The three, who will be seen on the new series from tomorrow, are like younger versions of the former Top Gear stars who fronted the show for six series; Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

“It’s fresh but familiar, comfort food, isn’t it?” Wilman said. “When you try and reinvent, you go, ‘Right, well, isn’t it time to get a woman in that three lineup?’ But there’s something about three blokes with their interplay that they are off the leash with each other.

“I think there’s a sort of simplistic-ness about blokes – they then provide the entertainment. I think blokes have like emptier brains. I think a bloke’s brain is like the O2 when everyone’s gone home, and the lights are off, and there’s just like a little ball bouncing in the corner. If we swapped brains for a day, you’d go, ‘Is this all you do? Is this all you think about?’

“And if I swapped your brain, it’d be like an episode of Game of Thrones in my head. It’d be insane what’s going on. I’m generalising, but I’m standing by it.”

The TV executive, who went to school with Clarkson and relaunched Top Gear with him from 2002 to 2015, said Amazon had tried out some women for the roles but decided to stick with the tried-and-tested three-bloke formula.

“They did try some girls in the casting, but it came down to merit in the end. What there wasn’t from Amazon was, ‘We expect a girl in the lineup by the end of this process.’ There was ‘try some’, but go with merit. So that happened.”

“It wasn’t like ‘we’re better’ – but would you put a guy in with Trinny and Susannah doing What Not to Wear? No, you wouldn’t. They owned that turf. Girls speaking to girls.

“What there wasn’t, from Amazon, was, ‘We expect a girl in the lineup by the end of this process.’ There was ‘try some’, but go with merit – there were no boxes to tick.”

He said he hoped The Grand Tour‘s female audience liked the new hosts. “I hope they find that these guys are really watchable. They don’t have to fancy them, but they will like their intelligence.”

Wilman agrees the trio fit the same moulds as their predecessors – with Francis doubling for nerdy James, Thomas the 2.0 Clarkson and James just like Hammond. “These guys are noticeably younger,” Wilman said. “They probably can drive better – Francis is like a demon. They know their stuff, and they know what to say. So my instinct is people will like them.”

He said the contribution he and Clarkson made was to push for unknowns. “We didn’t want them to just hire famous people. Which can be a tendency with a streamer—get a big name.”

No, he has high hopes the new hosts will be a big hit. “One, they say their own words—nobody writes sh*t for ’em. Two, their passion about cars is exactly the same as Jeremy, James, and Richard’s. They get as much thrill out of a £100 car that’s breaking down as the supercars. They’re the same.”

With Thomas and James already having worked together on YouTube for years, the problem was finding the third person – but Francis, known for his love of trains, quickly won them over.

“He knows more about cars than he does about trains, so he’s authentic,” Wilman says. “He doesn’t disturb their dynamic, but like a school of fish, they all go the right way automatically.”

With the BBC last week announcing the return of Top Gear after four years off air, he hopes the new version of The Grand Tour is well-timed. “These guys have effectively got in first, and they’ll have got their feet under the table. This time they [Top Gear] are on the back foot because they haven’t got any presenters at the moment.”

The Grand Tour is available to stream on Amazon Prime from Friday 4 September

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

He continued to abuse the victim after their relationship ended, including breaking into her home

A man who kicked his pregnant partner and continued to abuse her after their relationship ended has been jailed. Karl Evans was arrested in October 2024 after years of abuse.

For almost a decade, Evans would constantly phone and text the victim, demand access to her devices and monitored her movements by installing a tracker on her phone and cameras inside the home. The 34-year-old regularly assaulted her and, on one occasion, kicked her while she was pregnant.

After he was arrested, the victim broke up with him and moved to a new home. Evans, of Webb Gardens, Wimblington, near March, was released on bail. He was also served with a non-molestation order, which meant he was not allowed to contact or approach the victim.

However, at about 5.35am on November 15, 2024, Evans turned up drunk at her new home. He banged on her door several times while shouting and swearing, leaving her terrified. In December of the same year, he called her 22 times from a withheld number before verbally abusing her on one occasion when she answered the phone.

On January 25 this year, Evans appeared at the victim’s home again. She told him through an open window to leave, but he forced the window open and climbed inside. He then followed the victim upstairs. She called police, who arrested him at the scene.

Evans was sentenced to two years and two months in prison on Tuesday (August 25), at Huntingdon Law Courts. He had admitted controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship. He was also handed a restraining order.

DC Jake Boreham-Dennis, who investigated, said: “Karl Evans subjected the victim to years of controlling, intimidating and violent behaviour, leaving her living in fear.

“Despite being arrested and made subject to a court order designed to protect the victim, he repeatedly ignored those restrictions and continued his campaign of harassment and abuse.

“I would like to commend the victim for her courage throughout this investigation, and I hope this sentence provides her with some reassurance as she moves forward with her life.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with lying to investigators about the events leading up to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown earlier this year, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The person said Christian Castro, the officer who authorities say shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in January, has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators.

The federal charges follow Castro’s release from jail last week after Texas’ governor refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant to hand him over to Minnesota authorities, who have charged him separately with assault and false reporting of a crime related to the same shooting.

Federal authorities had initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel during the confrontation. But federal prosecutors dropped charges against the men after video evidence showed the officers may have lied about the encounter, and officials opened an investigation.

Earlier this week, a federal prosecutor working on the case told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims that Justice Department officials blocked the prosecutor’s push to bring a more serious civil rights charge against the officer for the shooting, ProPublica reported.

But the person familiar with the investigation disputed the prosecutor’s characterization, saying the probe is continuing and no final decision has been made about whether additional charges will be brought. The prosecutor was fired on Thursday and is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe, the person said.

An automatic email response from the prosecutor’s Justice Department said he was on leave. Other attempts to reach the prosecutor were not immediately successful.

The funeral of Jakub Matusiak – one of the five people in the Volkswagen Passat who died in the crash on August 22 – is set to take place in South Bank tomorrow (September 4). 

The incident, which involved a marked Cleveland Police vehicle and the Passat, which was travelling the wrong direction, also took the lives of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. 

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38 (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

Several schools, as well as Normanby Medical Centre on Normanby Road, have announced that they will be closing early due to the disruption expected by the funeral, which is taking place at St John the Evangelist Church on Normanby Road. 

And now, concerns are growing about how schools felt they had no option but to shut due to fears about road disruption or potentially dangerous behaviour.

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said children should not be kept out of classrooms and called on Education Secretary Lucy Powell to “ensure that this does not impact on the honest and decent pupils, parents and teachers”. 

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council leader Alec Brown said it is “awful” that children’s education is being disrupted and said any dangerous riding, reckless driving, or antisocial behaviour is “not acceptable”.

Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council (Image: Alec Brown/Facebook.)

A spokesperson for the council said the decision to close schools early followed discussions between local headteachers and the authority over anticipated traffic and transport disruption.

They said the decision was made after “careful consideration of the potential impact on home-to-school transport and the departure of pupils, staff and families at the end of the school day”.

They said: “Schools have worked with the local authority and transport providers to consider arrangements for pupils, including those who travel to and from specialist educational settings.

“We recognise that early closure may cause inconvenience for some parents and carers, and we thank them for their understanding and co-operation.”

Cllr Brown said he “fully understands that funerals are deeply personal occasions, and I respect the right of families to grieve” but is “deeply concerned over the school closures. 

“Our children should be able to attend school safely and without their education being affected by events happening elsewhere,” he said.

“Parents should not be put in the position of having to make alternative arrangements for their children because schools are worried about road disruption or potentially dangerous behaviour.

Two police officers are among seven people who have died following a devastating crash on the A66 in Teesside (Image: North News & Pictures Ltd)

“And potentially losing income for work.

“I think it is awful that our children’s education is being disrupted because of concerns about what might happen on our roads.

“If anyone intends to use tomorrow as an excuse for dangerous riding, reckless driving, road blockages or antisocial behaviour, my message is clear: that is not acceptable.

“Our children, teachers and families should not have to bear the consequences.

“As leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, I am seeking assurances that everything possible is being done to keep our communities safe and minimise disruption.

“We can show compassion for grieving families while still being absolutely firm about protecting our children, our roads and our communities.”

Ms Trott added: “I have been informed that numerous schools in the area will close early – citing ‘transport disruption’ – due to commemorations for those who were not serving in the line of duty on 22 August. 

MP Laura Trott (Image: DAVID WOOLFALL)

“I do not think we should support this.” 

Planned school closures tomorrow include:

• Archway Academy Teesville: 11.45am
• St Peter’s: 12pm
• South Bank Primary School: 12pm
• Outwood Academy Normanby: 12pm
• St Margaret Clitherow’s Catholic Primary School: 12.15pm
• Mackenzie Thorpe School will be closed all day.
• Nunthorpe is due to remain open as usual.

At South Bank Primary, pupils using local authority transport will be collected from school at 11.30am.

Jakub Matusiak, 23. (Image: SOCIAL MEDIA)

Parents and carers have been advised to collect children from their usual collection points when their school closes.

Children who usually walk home alone can leave at an earlier time to normal.

A previous memorial for Matusiak near the crash site, featuring orange balloons, fireworks and masked bikers, sparked mixed reactions within the local community over the tone of the event.

Police investigations into the circumstances of the collision are continuing.

Earlier this week, a fundraiser launched for the families of the two Cleveland Police officers reached its target, surpassing £1.2 million.

A four-year-old boy who died in a Newark off-road bike crash has been described by his family as a ‘precious boy’

Family members of Robert Steele Junior paid tribute to him online after the young boy died in the Churchill Drive collision on Sunday in Nottinghamshire.

His loved ones said Robert, who was loved by many, was taken ‘far too soon’.

Nottinghamshire Police previously confirmed that emergency services were called to the scene of the crash where Robert, who was a passenger on the bike, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The off-road bike was involved in a collision with a car, and police said the off-road bike had been seen travelling in convoy with a second bike, whose rider reportedly left the scene before officers arrived.

A second suspect was arrested on Tuesday, September 1. A 24-year-old man, who was riding on the same bike as Robert, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

The man suffered serious injuries and remains in hospital, Nottinghamshire Police said in an update issued on Wednesday, September 2.

A second suspect was arrested on Tuesday, September 1.

Brian Cameron, of Chatsworth Road, Newark, has now been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and causing death by driving while uninsured and unlicensed.

Detective Inspector Jamie Moore, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, previously said: ‘The boy’s loved ones continue to be supported by specialist officers and have been informed about this important update in our investigation.

‘I would ask that their privacy is respected as they try to come to terms with what has happened. This is a deeply distressing incident for all those involved and I’d also urge people not to speculate online about the circumstances.’

MORE: I’m a teacher – pupils in exclusion breaks my heart

MORE: Internet introjection is the worrying phenomenon every parent should know about

MORE: Hidden health risk to children from the hottest summer on record

There’s a famous line in The Big Short when a baffled Mark Baum, after hearing some finance bros casually admit to issuing fraudulent, high-risk loans to unqualified borrowers, asks his colleagues: “I don’t get it. Why are they confessing?”

“They’re not confessing. They’re bragging,” comes the response.

Naturally, people thought of this when ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean made his latest attempt to shove himself into the spotlight. On Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast, he “admitted” to playing secret mini-games while officiating top-flight matches.

He claimed: “We used to say, ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a whistle.’ Done that a few times in the Premier [League], before VAR obviously. Went 20-25 minutes without blowing a whistle a few times. Let it go, let it go, let it go.” He also said he would try and stay within the confines of the centre circle for as long as possible, once reaching the 15-minute mark on that particular side-quest.

It was for “a laugh”, he said. Harmless fun, apparently. Except of course it’s not; if these claims were true, it would indicate a very real breach of integrity at the top level and add fuel to the already-existing fire of fan distrust of referees and their practices. The virality of the clip in question means the latter has already happened.

There are accusations of match-fixing floating around on social media from those who are taking Dean’s word as fact. But let’s just remember who’s speaking for a second.

Refereeing body Pro Ref, formerly known as PGMOL, is understood to be baffled by Dean’s comments. Sources inside the organisation have no idea in which games he would have performed these claims, other than his suggestion that they took place in a pre-VAR era (so before 2019), which would have been under previous leadership. Furthermore, they have no evidence that his mystifying side-quests ever happened. His infamous and self-admitted “arrogance” means there’s a feeling he over-embellished at the very least, or even made it up completely.

Pro Ref also seems powerless to the situation given that Dean has not been a referee since retiring in 2023; he hasn’t been under the body’s employment for three years.

Any official complaint would go through the FA.

Fact or fiction, Dean’s insatiable appetite for attention has hurt his colleagues. He was notorious for his unique manner of refereeing football matches, forging a legacy that will be preserved by the compilation that does the rounds every year of him being wacky. Remember when he hid the match ball from Sergio Aguero? (Insert laughing emoji…)

But as one of his more esteemed colleagues – and his former PGMOL boss – would attest to, the best referees don’t draw attention to themselves. “As a referee, you want to go unnoticed, that things go smoothly,” said Howard Webb. That was ironically said in disappointment after the 2010 World Cup final, when he issued 14 yellow cards and a red to John Heitinga – not Nigel de Jong, somehow.

The point still stands. You don’t want a highlight reel; that’s not your job.

Dean has been the subject of actual refereeing controversies before, other than just being a character. He failed to intervene while on VAR duty when Tottenham’s Cristian Romero pulled the hair of Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella late in their 2-2 draw in August 2022 because he didn’t want to give his “mate” Anthony Taylor any grief.

He candidly admitted this was “pathetic” on his part. It still didn’t help the perception that referees’ loyalty to one another can impact games and even lead to a prevention of justice.

Upon his own retirement this summer, Taylor opted against taking a role in the media, telling BBC Sport in an interview that he felt his attributes were better suited elsewhere. Part of this was down to his dismay at referees-turned-pundits criticising their former colleagues, which adds to scrutiny that is already “off the scale”. He instead became the director of elite refereeing with the Turkish Football Federation, looking to help the Turkish game through its ever-developing referee betting scandal.

Dean, meanwhile, leads the way for referees in broadcasting. His role on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday explicitly scrutinises officials. There is a demand for this job and he is far from the only one to do it, so this is by no means a criticism of him.

But the spotlight can be addictive. To stay in it, you need to stand out – he now has to do this with his words rather than his on-pitch mannerisms. On this occasion, a funny anecdote has proved a damaging admission, true or not, both for him and all referees.

Times like this take me back to that famous Garth Crooks clip on BBC One’s Final Score, the rival to the show Dean is now a regular on, from 11 years ago.

“I think Mike Dean is a good referee, but he’s got one fault: he wants to be the star too often. It’s really getting on my nerves because he’s spoiling great games. It’s not about you, Mike, it’s about the games – people come here and pay good money to see football, not for you to get over-officious like a petulant school teacher.”

It’s aged pretty well.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Thursday.

Plush Ayrshire home badly damaged in suspected firebomb attack

Cops are probing a suspected firebomb attack after a plush detached home in Irvine was deliberately set alight in the early hours of Thursday, September 3. Firefighters battled the blaze for almost seven hours, leaving the scene at around 11.15am.

Images show the soot-covered property badly damaged, with the garage roof close to collapse and the front door destroyed. Burnt-out items, including a mattress and Rangers flag, were left among the debris.

No-one is understood to have been injured. Police remain at the property while officers carry out door-to-door enquiries in the surrounding estate.

Police Scotland is treating the blaze as wilful and has launched an investigation. A spokesperson said: “Enquiries are ongoing and the fire is being treated as wilful.” Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said two appliances attended and there were no reported casualties.

READ MORE: House firebombed in plush Ayrshire estate as police probe early morning attack

Former lecturer admits killing couple in drink-drive crash

Former college lecturer Sophie Hynd has admitted causing the deaths of a husband and wife in a head-on crash after a boozy Christmas lunch. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of Jatinder Kaur, 48, and her husband Satwant Singh, 64, on the B981 in Cluny, Fife, last December.

The couple’s 10-year-old son was seriously injured in the collision. The court heard Hynd had been drinking cider, spritz, Prosecco and possibly a Guinness shot before deciding to drive home, with one colleague describing her as “pretty merry” and another as “pretty drunk”.

Other motorists had called 999 after seeing her Nissan Qashqai driving erratically and swerving onto the opposite carriageway before it smashed head-on into the couple’s Volkswagen Polo.

Jatinder was pronounced dead at the scene, while Satwant died in hospital two days later after doctors determined his injuries were not survivable.

READ MORE: Ex-college lecturer killed ‘loving’ parents in horror crash after boozy Christmas lunch

Helicopter search after two men seen ‘acting suspiciously’ at Low Moss

Two men sparked a police helicopter search after being spotted “acting suspiciously” near HMP Low Moss in East Dunbartonshire. Officers were called to the prison in Bishopbriggs around 1.55pm on Tuesday, September 1, after reports of the pair in the area.

The men fled as police arrived, prompting an extensive search involving a helicopter and officers on the ground. Despite the efforts, they could not be traced and police confirmed neither man was a prisoner.

Low Moss, on Crosshill Road, houses male prisoners including those on remand, short and long-term inmates and life prisoners. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspicious activity.

READ MORE: Police helicopter search for two men ‘acting suspiciously’ near Low Moss prison

Armed cops swoop on Fife flats after firearm report

Armed officers swooped on a Fife home after reports of a man brandishing what was believed to be a firearm. Police were called to Caithness Place in Kirkcaldy shortly before 6pm on Wednesday, September 2.

Photos from the scene showed officers in tactical gear outside a block of flats, with several marked police vehicles parked nearby. The operation followed a report of a man in possession of a suspected firearm.

A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

READ MORE: Armed cops swoop on Fife flats after ‘man seen with gun’

Woman threw ammonia over friend in row over ‘scabby fiver’

A woman threw liquid ammonia over her friend during a row over a “scabby fiver” while the pair were shopping in Glasgow city centre. Gwen Dempster, 52, doused next-door neighbour Lee McCluskey after they became embroiled in a heated argument on Buchanan Street last November.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard McCluskey asked Dempster to go away after becoming upset by her comments. Prosecutor Lauren Aitchison said Dempster told her: “I don’t want a scabby fiver, I want £20 off you now.” McCluskey swung her shopping bag before a struggle broke out.

During the grapple, Dempster pulled a bottle of ammonia from her bag and threw it at McCluskey, hitting her head and body. The victim screamed that her skin was burning and was later found removing her clothes on the floor outside Sainsbury’s, with red marks on her face.

READ MORE: Woman threw liquid ammonia over friend after dispute over ‘scabby fiver’ on Glasgow shopping trip

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Lisbon inaugurated a memorial Thursday to the 16 people killed in a funicular derailment a year ago, as questions persist about the safety of the city’s iconic hillside streetcars, which remain at a standstill.

Near the crash site, a 150-year-old olive tree stood at the center of a ring of limestone blocks laid into the ground featuring the names of the victims. Foreign ambassadors laid wreaths and the Patriarch of Lisbon, a senior Catholic church official, offered a blessing.

The accident was one of the Portuguese capital’s worst tragedies in recent memory and cast a shadow over the city’s ongoing tourism boom.

The picturesque yellow streetcar, called a funicular because it travels up and down a steep hill in tandem with a second car, is a popular tourist attraction. Authorities said that 11 of those killed were foreigners, likely tourists who stand in long lines to board it.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Lisbon attracted about 10 million tourists last year, and they are one of the city’s economic mainstays. Portugal receives around 30 million visitors each year.

Service on the Gloria funicular remains halted while the official investigation proceeds. Two other city funiculars also remain out of service during inspections. The regular streetcars that rumble through the city’s streets are running as usual.

The anniversary brought renewed attention to delays in identifying the causes of the crash, which also injured 24 people, and attributing any blame.

Advertisement

Carris, the Portuguese company that runs the city’s road transport, said Wednesday it plans to open an international tender in the first quarter of next year for the affected funicular to be modernized, with the goal of it returning to service by 2029.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Portugal’s public prosecutor’s office said it hoped to publish a final report by March regarding the accident’s causes and whether there is any criminal liability.

Families of the victims complained in a letter obtained by public broadcaster RTP about “a year of silence” from authorities. They had been kept in the dark about the investigation, receiving no contact from officials, they said, according to RTP.

A preliminary report into the accident published last year said that the failure of a steel safety cable and maintenance flaws contributed to the crash. The streetcar hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing into a building, leaving the wooden cabin a crumpled wreck.

NEW YORK (AP) — Don Christian had never held a regular job when he left prison. A conviction at age 19 for selling drugs kept him confined through young adulthood and into his early 40s.

When he got out after serving 23 years and started looking for work, “I had to start from the bottom. The very, very bottom,” Christian said. “I was willing to work anywhere. I just wanted to change my life.”

Having a criminal record, as an estimated 1 in 3 American adults do, creates hurdles for people seeking employment, especially in fields that require licenses, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit that aims to end mass incarceration. Meeting with parole officers, a need to secure stable housing and other conditions of release, along with discrimination, compound the typical challenges of job hunting.

“Even when they come home with skills and credentials, they see fewer job opportunities and they earn less money than people who don’t have convictions,” Ruth Delaney, who directs a higher education initiative at the Vera Institute, said.

After Christian’s release, his parole officer suggested applying for a job at Toyotetsu, an auto parts manufacturer. The company hires former inmates through a second-chance program. Christian, now 53, got a welding job there and began rebuilding his life.

“I had to learn on the go, on the fly,” he said nine years later. “I already had my mind set — I wasn’t going to fail.”

Here are strategies shared by former inmates and reentry specialists for finding work after incarceration.

Develop skills before and after entering the workforce

People incarcerated in prisons with educational programs can build job skills by taking college-level courses or pursuing a professional certification.

Inmates interested in seeking a degree from an eligible college or university can apply for a federal Pell Grant to help cover the cost. The grants were unavailable to incarcerated students for decades, but the Vera Institute and other groups persuaded Congress to restore access.

Incarcerated people who pursue college programs have 48% lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not, according to Vera Institute research. “People who go home and are able to get living-wage jobs do better during reentry,” Delaney said. “They’re able to get jobs that can support themselves and their families.”

Ryan Cuellar, who went to jail at age 18, received federal financial aid after his release to learn paralegal skills, which he then used to get his record sealed. He eventually earned a master’s degree and now works as a sales consultant for a tutoring company.

“I can’t drive home enough how much determination you need to have for yourself,” Cuellar said.

Prison work experience is another way to gain skills that are worth including on a resume. You don’t have to spell out that your employer was a correctional institution, according to Laura Rivero, an instructor at Leap for Ladies, a nonprofit that teaches employment, entrepreneurship and life skills to women in prison.

A number of U.S. companies, including large employers like JP Morgan Chase and Virgin Atlantic, work intentionally to hire people with criminal records. The Business Roundtable, a nonprofit association of American CEOs, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have promoted “ second-chance hiring” as a policy that can help address labor shortages as baby boomers retire in large numbers.

Some types of businesses, such as restaurants and warehouses, have established track records for hiring former inmates. Manufacturing jobs and technical positions in health care are growing opportunities as well, Delaney said.

Before a release date, think about who might be able to help you find a job — cousins, former coworkers, teachers or a former boss, Rivero said.

“Some of my students have a lot of shame about their conviction, and they say, ‘I don’t want to reach out to someone because I’m ashamed of where I am,’” she said. “Maybe they don’t respond. Maybe they do. And you don’t know until you try.”

Be prepared to talk about your past

After Joe Anderson left prison and completed house arrest, a friend who worked at a welding plant said the plant needed a dock manager to handle deliveries.

Anderson went there, asked to speak to a manager, and said, “I got out of prison, I really need a job, and I will show up for work because I need this job to stay out of jail.”

The manager appreciated his honesty; Anderson got the job and held it for four years.

“I’ve never really tried to hide anything from anybody because there’s no real point in it with technology these days,” he said. “Anybody can find out anything about you.”

Parole officers showed up at the plant three or four times, Anderson said.

“It’s embarrassing, but at the same time, it got done and they’d show up, just see that I was working and then just wander off,” he said.

Anderson, 34, now earns a salary as a commercial plumber, a job that provides insurance, a pension and a 401(k). “None of that would have been possible if I wasn’t honest about what happened and if I just didn’t get up and try,” he said.

Rivero advises her Leap for Ladies students to disclose a prior conviction during job interviews. She suggested starting with a brief description of your strengths and skills, mentioning that a rough time in your life landed you in prison, and pivoting back to all your positive qualities.

“I tell them, ‘Look, you’re not your conviction, you’re not the worst day of your life,’” Rivero said. “You can frame the narrative if you bring it up.”

Prepare for success by making lifestyle changes

Getting a job is an important step. Keeping it and succeeding require their own strategies.

Christian said his first job required 12-hour shifts five or six days per week, with a schedule that alternated between day and night shifts.

“It won’t just be 8-hour jobs,” he said. “You’ve got to learn how to shift your sleep patterns. … You’ve got to get proper rest.”

After Cuellar started working, he noticed habits he had acquired while incarcerated and needed to break. “I developed a slang that I had to unlearn,” he recalled. “I didn’t realize it was a survival mechanism.”

The change was a big adjustment for Anderson, who before prison was out drinking at parties and raves every night. These days he wakes up around 4 a.m. to get to work on time.

“It is 100% harder to get up every single day to go to work, bust your body, but it’s lot more rewarding at the end of the day,” Anderson said. “My children are very proud of me. My family’s proud of me again.”

___

Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at [email protected]. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR and DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 11:30 BST, 3 September 2026 | Updated: 17:18 BST, 3 September 2026

Anglo-French work to stop migrant boats from crossing the Channel is ‘clearly working’ Andy Burnham told Emmanuel Macron today as they held talks in London.

The Prime Minister said that ‘headway’ was being made on cutting both the number of people making the perilous journey and the number of overall crossings as he met the president in No10.

While the combined total number of crossings over the summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, smugglers appear to have started loading more people on to fewer, larger vessels.

The two leaders announced plans for a new ‘surge team’ of French police, funded by Britain, to tackle the growing use of ‘mega-dinghies’, carrying up to 230 migrants. 

Advertisement

But government sources have admitted that it will involve just 45 extra officers and the Conservatives branded the plans a ‘joke’, arguing that rough weather was the main reason for the reduction.

Mr Burnham also used the meeting to press Labour’s case for a Brexit ‘reset’ that would draw the UK closer to EU rules and regulations than at any time since it left the bloc.

During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham reiterated that Britain’s decade of low growth ‘has been partly a result of Brexit’.

‘I do want a closer relationship – I will build on the work of my predecessor,’ he told MPs, ahead of a UK-EU summit later in the year.

Advertisement

Andy Burnham and his wife Marie-France (left) embraced Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte (right) outside the famous black door

The red carpet had been rolled out for the visit of the president, matching Mrs Macron’s striking outfit

The Prime Minister said that ‘headway’ was being made on cutting both the number of people making the perilous journey (file pic)

Advertisement

The PM and his wife Marie-France embraced Mr Macron and wife Brigitte outside the famous black door this morning.

The red carpet had been rolled out for the visit of the president, matching Mrs Macron’s striking outfit.

Mr Burnham hailed his fellow leader as a ‘strong friend of Britain’, after they spent yesterday evening viewing the Bayeux Tapestry together with the King.

A No10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister began by thanking President Macron for France’s loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, which he said symbolised common bonds between the UK and France, and was a statement of unity in an increasingly divided world.

Advertisement

‘Turning to small boats, the Prime Minister said the cooperation between both countries was clearly working and operational teams were making headway on driving down numbers and reducing crossings.

‘It was now vital to ensure that success was scaled up across Europe to deter illegal migration, the leaders agreed.

‘The leaders also discussed the UK’s drive to get closer to Europe, and the Prime Minister set out how the Made in Europe agenda could pose significant challenges for UK industry. 

‘The leaders agreed it was vital to work together to find a way forward to protect shared interests.’

Advertisement