A quick quiz question. What were the first original hits for streaming giants Netflix and Amazon? On Netflix, it was the Kevin Spacey-starring political drama House of Cards in 2013. On Amazon, it was police procedural Bosch, which premiered the following year.

That’s a measure of how far on-demand TV has come in such a short time. It took our traditional terrestrial broadcasters half a century to reach critical mass and become production powerhouses. The streamers have managed it in little more than a decade.

Never before has so much ­small screen entertainment been so easily available. But in a crowded and confusing market, how do you find the right streaming service, or services, for you? To help you decide, we’ve provided a guide to all the platforms available in the UK, comparing their cost, content and more, so you can confidently decide which is worth your money. Let the streaming wars begin…

The best TV streaming services: At a glance

• Best Buy TV streaming service: Netflix
• Best Value TV streaming service: Amazon Prime Video
• Best TV streaming service for families: Disney+
• Best TV streaming service for quality over quantity: Apple TV
• Best TV streaming service for sports: Now

Note: All prices listed below are the starting costs and were accurate at the time of publication.

How to choose the best TV streaming service

Naturally, the most important factor for choosing a TV streaming service is the quality of the content. There’s an element of subjectivity here, depending on your personal tastes and the age ranges you’re catering to, but the big hitters tend to have a broader range of programming to appeal to more viewers.

If one show is especially important to you, it’s worth doing your research before subscribing. Visit the Just Watch website, type in the show you want to watch, and you’ll see a summary of where it can be streamed.

Beyond that, price is also important. While streaming platforms tend to be competitive, subscribing to multiple providers can quickly see costs spiral. Typically, subscription costs range from £3.99 per month all the way up to £34.99 per month if you care about live sports, but cheaper tiers sometimes compromise on image quality and other features, or may be ad-supported.

Finally, consider how easy each platform is to actually watch. Big players like Amazon, Netflix and Disney+ don’t just have smartphone apps, but easy-to-use software for smart TVs and games consoles. Smaller rivals may force you to use a web browser for a bumpier experience.

How we test TV streaming services

It was agreed that Westhoughton would be added to Bolton’s security system on March 4, following a three year struggle during which Westhoughton’s security system was deemed ‘outdated’.

But with the collapse of NCP, Westhoughton’s project has now been severely jeopardised.

Bolton Council operates a number of CCTV systems for the purposes of preventing and detecting crime, controlling traffic and to keep people safe . The CCTV network covering the town centre is operated by NCP

NCP went into liquidation in March (Image: Newsquest)

Westhoughton Mayor Cllr Gillian Wroe said: “I almost cried when I found out – this has been nearly three years of my life.

“NCP going into liquidation has a massive impact on us and our CCTV.

“I’ve attempted to contact NCP about it, but nothing has been forthcoming – as we never fully signed the contract with them, we might not have the same right to information.”

Cllr Wroe contacted Bolton Council to ask what they were doing with their systems following the collapse of NCP.

Market Street, Westhoughton (Image: Dan Dougherty)

She said that Bolton Council officers responded that things were still in the air, and that until things were more settled, they could not give Westhoughton an update on potential next steps.

Although it was agreed that Westhoughton would be added to Bolton’s NCP contract, Westhoughton did not manage to finalise the deal before NCP collapsed.

This means that, although they do not have the CCTV cameras they wanted, they have not lost any money.

The six cameras would have monitored Westhoughton’s Market Street, Library Street car park, and Ditchfield Gardens car park.

Ditchfield Gardens Car Park, Westhoughton (Image: Google Maps)

NCP would have reviewed the footage from their office in Bolton town centre.

Cllr David Wilkinson said: “This is a major problem, not just for us to get a new system in place, but as a security issue.

“It also affects Bolton, so I imagine it will be resolved fairly quickly.”

The council will now hold off on making a decision until Bolton Council have made theirs.

The back of Library Street Car Park, Westhoughton (Image: Google Maps)

This is because they do not want to go back to monitoring their own CCTV after several years of work, and they anticipate Bolton will not take long in reaching a conclusion.

Councillors expressed concern that waiting too long may result in them getting a worse price for the service.

The contract they were about to sign with NCP was for a fixed price – waiting for a period before signing a contract with someone else is likely to result in a higher cost than they originally prepared to pay.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “We are aware of the situation regarding NCP and the appointment of an administrator.

“Currently all NCP car parks in Bolton are open and CCTV provision is operating as normal.

“We are in close discussion with NCP, and the public will be informed if there is any change to NCP car parks in Bolton.”

A hearing was held on March 26, 2026

A former Cambridgeshire Police officer who sent “misogynistic, predatory, sexually degrading and discriminatory” messages would have been struck off had he not already resigned. PC Kyle Carter-Lawrence was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour at a misconduct hearing held on March 26, 2026.

Mr Carter-Lawrence faced a total of seven allegations made against him including sending messages that implicated him in class A drug use, making inaccurate declarations on his vetting form, failing to challenge another officer’s conduct and language and use of cocaine and other drugs.

One allegation related to the former officer being a member of a WhatsApp group. The messages he sent to the group were “misogynistic, predatory, sexually degrading, discriminatory, and implicated him in class A drug use”.

The hearing heard that he used language which failed to treat people with respect and courtesy and discredited the police service. According to the public outcome of the hearing, this was found to have been “proven on the balance of probabilities”.

In another allegation, he made references to drug taking, use of cocaine and other drugs. The hearing found that this allegation amounted to “gross misconduct”.

The panel heard that Mr Carter-Lawrence engaged in similar messages in a 1-2-1 chat group with another officer. Those messages were found to be of a “derogatory in nature, referenced sexual predatory behaviour and drug taking”. The hearing found this allegation to be proven and amounted to gross misconduct.

The former officer failed to challenge another fellow officer’s conduct and language within the WhatsApp group. He also made inaccurate declarations on his vetting form which amounted to gross misconduct.

In two other claims made against him, he was accused of associating with those involved in criminal behaviour and concerns of sharing police data. The outcome of the allegation on concerns for sharing police data did not meet the threshold of balance of probabilities and therefore it was not proven.

The outcome found that the former officer would have been dismissed if he had not already resigned.

Sam Lewis Eccles, from Westhoughton has been described as a ‘music-loving, kind-hearted man’.

Friends said the metal bassist that he was at the centre of their group for more than a decade.

Sam tragically died in March, with the cause of the death not known.

His friends are determined to keep him in their hearts and his memory alive, this includes wearing metal music inspired outfits to his funeral.

Friend Deron Lee said: “It took us by surprise and I was completely shocked. I had to take a week or two off work, it rocked all of our reality and still does.

“It is the small and simple stuff that you miss. I used to live with Sam and we had no money, and we used to get pasta and doctor peppers, sit on the couch and watch TV.”

Tribute to Sam Eccles, second from right with his band members. Credit Brandon Ward

People close to Sam mention whenever he was mentioned music was too as he was a bassist for metal band With the Wolves.

Friends remember Sam at Bolton’s skatepark and at gigs the most and had previously worked in several places.

His friends say that Sam was one of the “funniest people we’ve ever met”, adding: “the kind of person who could make you laugh no matter what was going on. He loved his music loud, proper metalcore, the heavier and dirtier the drop, the better, and he lived his life the same way: real, unapologetic, and completely himself.

Tribute to Sam Eccles, in the white top with his band members. Credit Brandon Ward

“He never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He stood by his values, no matter what. And even through the hardships he faced, he showed a strength that so many of us admired more than we ever said out loud.”

Deron added: “It is great that all of us have come together and are making something positive out of it and the negativity.”

Deron and friend Keira Ashton have decided to take a step further and make the situation more positive while bringing the group back together.

They have organised the “very unfit, very non-athletic” group to come together for Manchester’s Tough Mudder 5k, which is an obstacle course that gets a bit too muddy.

The 5k is to take place in October, which has raised £723 for his funeral on a GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-sam-eccles-tough-mudder-5k

Keira said: “None of us have been very fit. One thing he spoke to the friendship group about being fit and going to the gym when he was less busy, so we’ll do it for him I suppose.

“We started being friends in 2016 or 2017, he was one of a kind honestly, and there’s no one that could ever compare to his personality.

“He would not believe us.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has hit back at US President Donald Trump after he mocked Macron’s marriage and wife Brigitte at a private lunch in Washington

Emmanuel Macron has rebuked Donald Trump following the US president’s mockery of his French counterpart, which included mimicking a French accent and making jibes about his marriage.

Macron described Trump’s comments regarding his relationship as “neither elegant nor up to standard”. “So I am not going to respond to them – they do not merit a response,” he informed journalists on Thursday while visiting South Korea.

The remarks were delivered by Trump on Wednesday at a private Washington lunch, where faith leaders and government officials were present. His statements – which featured condemnation of NATO partners for declining to support the US-Israeli military action against Iran – appeared momentarily in footage on the White House YouTube channel before being taken down.

Adopting a French accent, Trump claimed Macron’s wife, Brigitte, “treats him extremely badly”. Discussing his request for French assistance regarding Iran, Trump stated: “We didn’t need them, but I asked anyway.”

He continued: “I call up France, Macron – whose wife treats him extremely badly. Still recovering from the right to the jaw.”, reports the Mirror.

Trump was alluding to footage captured in May 2025 which seemingly depicted the French first lady striking her husband across the face as they readied themselves to disembark from an aircraft during an official Vietnamese visit.

In the recording, filmed by an Associated Press photographer, Brigitte’s hand can be seen making contact with Macron, forcing him backwards momentarily before he regained composure and waved. The French president dismissed suggestions of any “domestic dispute” with his spouse, explaining at the time that they were “joking as we often do”.

During the lunch, Trump went on: “And I said, Emmanuel, we’d love to have some help in the Gulf even though we’re setting records on knocking out bad people and knocking out ballistic missiles. We’d love to have some help. If you could, could you please send ships immediately.”

Trump then seemingly adopted a French accent while recounting Macron’s purported response: “‘No, no, no, we cannot do that, Donald. We can do that after the war is won,’” he said. “I said, no no, I don’t need after the war is won, Emmanuel,” Trump added.

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French politicians reacted with fury to Trump’s remarks, with Yaël Braun-Pivet, the centrist president of France’s lower house of parliament, declaring: “Honestly, it’s not up to par”.

“We are currently discussing the future of the world. Right now in Iran, this is having consequences for the lives of millions of people, people are dying on the battlefield, and we have a president who is laughing, who is mocking others,” she told public broadcaster France Info.

Manuel Bompard, the national coordinator of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, leapt to Macron’s defence, stating: “You are aware of the extent of my disagreements with the president, but for Donald Trump to speak to him like that and to speak of his wife in such a manner – I find that absolutely unacceptable,” he told broadcaster BFMTV.

The conservative French daily newspaper Le Figaro, meanwhile, observed: “Another controversial outburst from Donald Trump.”

Race Across the World is back with five teams racing from Sicily to Mongolia for a £20,000 prize.

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The BBC’s beloved travel competition Race Across the World is set to return for its sixth series tonight.

The forthcoming season has been billed as “the toughest journey yet” as five teams cover more than 12,000km across Europe and Asia.

Stripped of smartphones and bank cards, and armed only with the cash equivalent of an economy flight along the route, the competition will challenge five teams both physically and emotionally, pushing each to their absolute limits. Just one team will cross the finish line and take home the £20,000 prize.

The teams will set off from Palermo on the island of Sicily, heading all the way to the remote village of Hatgal on the shores of Lake Hövsgöl in northern Mongolia.

The route will pass through eight countries: Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

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The 2025 series of Race Across the World concluded with mother and son duo Caroline and Tom becoming the first pair to reach the final checkpoint in Kanniyakumari and scoop the £20,000 prize. This series, a fresh set of contestants will be hoping to emulate their achievement.

In what promises to be the most gruelling race to date, conditions could swing from scorching 30-degree Mediterranean heat to subarctic lows of –20°C.

Each pair will be allocated a budget of under £26 per person per day. Details of the contestants and the show’s broadcast time can be found below.

How to watch Race Across the World 2026 and what time is it on?

Race Across the World returns with series 6 on Thursday April 2, 2026, at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Following the opening episode, the nine-episode series will continue every Thursday through to the finale, which airs on Thursday May 28, 2026. Episodes are also available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Meet the Race Across the World 2026 cast

Jo and Kush

Jo and Kush are lifelong best mates from Liverpool. Jo is a 19 year old college student while Kush is a 19 year old gap-year student.

They are the youngest participants in the forthcoming series. Both are still residing at home with their families and chose to take part because they were “at a sort of standstill in deciding what to do” with their futures.

Kush told BBC: “So, when the opportunity came up, we thought it would be a fantastic experience and something we could look back on and learn from.”

Jo added: “We had just finished sixth form, got our A-Levels and the opportunity to travel with the race before we go to university, made it even more exciting for us.”

Katie and Harrison

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Katie is a 21 year old account manager while her older brother Harrison is a 23 year old finance assistant from Manchester.

Discussing the motivation for participating in the programme, Harrison said: “It was an opportunity to travel that I wouldn’t have given myself the opportunity to do.

“I would have just gone down the standard life path of work, university, carrying on working and buying a house. I would never have given myself an opportunity to go out there and travel and take that time off from being responsible.”

Molly and Andrew

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Junior doctor Molly, 23, and her father Andrew, a 54 year old geography teacher, are eagerly anticipating the forthcoming series.

Molly explained: “We keep calling it a joke gone too far. We were sitting watching it on TV one night, and the option to apply came up and every time we watch it, we always say that we would love to do it.

“The next day, the ad popped up on daddy’s Facebook, and so we put an application in thinking nothing of it, and it’s kind of just been a whirlwind since then.”

Andrew informed the BBC he is “living the dream” and it’s something he’s always aspired to do.

Puja and Roshni

Doctor Puja, 31, and her cousin Roshni, 32, a software engineer, both hail from London. Having dedicated their twenties to establishing thriving careers, they’ve now chosen to take a gamble.

Puja revealed: “I’ve been a massive fan of the show for years, since the first season came out. During the time I applied, I had hit a career block, and I decided that if I was hitting a career block, I would do something that I wanted to do for a very long time and so decided to apply for the race.

“That was the predominant reason why I just wanted to do something that was for myself, for my personal life, and something that will give me memories to last the rest of my life.”

Mark and Margo

Mark, a 66 year old retired architect from London, and Margo, a 59 year old hypnotherapist from Liverpool, have navigated a typically turbulent in-law dynamic over the past 40 years.

However, having recently set aside their differences while uniting to care for a loved one, the pair have discovered a newfound appreciation for one another’s company.

Reflecting on the programme, Margo said: “Someone told me about the series, and I watched it and went, ‘that’s got me written all over it’. I just love impulsive, crazy things and adventure. I said, ‘I’m going to do that’ and the first person who came to mind was Mark.’

“It seemed like a good time in our lives. We’ve been through this experience with losing my big sister and him losing his wife.

“It seemed like a celebratory thing that we could do together. This was a new journey that could be exciting and like a renewal.”

Race Across the World 2026 premieres on Thursday, April 2, at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

A personal trainer has revealed a simple hack to reduce blood pressure that can be done anytime and anywhere.

High blood pressure is often called the silent killer, quietly affecting millions until serious health problems emerge. If left unchecked, it can significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Yet, its impact is not always obvious.

Day-to-day health can suffer in less noticeable ways, from circulation issues to erectile problems and reduced overall wellbeing. While medications and professional treatments remain the primary approach, experts are highlighting a simple item that costs just 77p.

Personal trainer Toby King, speaking to adult website SoloFun, explains that regularly squeezing a tennis ball over a few weeks may contribute to lowering blood pressure. “When you get diagnosed with high blood pressure, you are often told to exercise, and while exercising will help, it can be confusing to know what to do,” Toby says.

“Squeezing a tennis ball or a stress ball if you have one is known as an isometric handgrip exercise that anyone can do, whether they are commuting on the train or sitting at their desk in the office.”

The exercise works through isometric handgrip training, which involves contracting muscles without movement. This contraction increases blood flow and encourages the expansion of blood vessels, which can help reduce blood pressure.

Research has shown that performing these exercises several times a week can lower readings by more than five millimetres of mercury.

Toby adds: “When you squeeze and hold the tennis ball, your muscles will stay under tension without performing a whole exercise. This control puts pressure through your muscles and blood vessels for a short period and helps the blood vessels to become more efficient.”

The method is straightforward.

Grab a tennis ball in one hand and squeeze it at roughly 50 percent of your maximum grip strength.

Hold this grip for two minutes, rest briefly, then repeat the process three times in total.

Toby emphasises: “The best way to think about this is to take a firm grip rather than trying to crush the ball. If you use too much force, then you won’t be able to grip for the full two minutes.”

While the exercise is not a substitute for medical treatment, it offers a practical, natural way to support cardiovascular health.

Studies suggest that consistent use of handgrip exercises can reduce blood pressure by between five and twenty millimetres of mercury, depending on the individual.

“You won’t see overnight results with this, but this small habit that takes a few minutes to perform will make a difference over time,” Toby says.

Lowering blood pressure can have a number of health benefits, but it can also improve sexual health, which is often overlooked.

In men, high blood pressure can contribute to erectile dysfunction. In women, it may reduce arousal, cause vaginal dryness, and make orgasms more difficult to achieve.

Toby highlights the broader benefits: “When you improve your blood pressure, you improve your overall health, which can affect your energy, confidence and your overall quality of life.”

Neil Mackinnon spent almost 24 hours in the saddle for the cycle challenge over four days to raise money for the charity set up in the name of former Scotland rugby international Doddie Weir.

A Stagecoach worker has completed an extraordinary endurance cycling challenge across the UK and Ireland to raise funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, supporting research into Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Neil Mackinnon, insight lead based at Stagecoach’s Perth head office in Dunkeld Road, spent almost 24 hours in the saddle over four days, covering more than 500km and climbing 4911 metres as part of Doddie’s Triple Crown 2026.

The challenge, led by former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright, saw teams travel approximately 800 miles from Melrose to Dublin between March 10 and 13, passing through Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland.

And the event builds on the success of previous fundraising rides, which have collectively raised over £1 million for MND research.

Neil, who lives in Guildtown, cycled alongside record-breaking long-distance cyclist Mark Beaumont during his epic voyage.

Despite facing severe weather conditions, including high winds and torrential rain, participants continued their journey, stopping at rugby clubs along the route to raise awareness and support for the cause.

Neil’s personal contribution saw him complete nine demanding cycling segments, demonstrating significant endurance and commitment to the charity’s mission.

Neil said: “It was certainly a challenge; we were a small team of five cyclists so everyone was going to be pedalling over 100 miles a day.

“Within an hour-and-a-half the sunshine was replaced by rain and strong headwinds, so resilience, teamwork and adjusting plans to suit conditions came to the fore.

“For a small team I’m proud of how we pulled together; days of discomfort for us will hopefully contribute to hope for those with Motor Neurone Disease.”

The group’s efforts have raised over £8,500 for charity.

The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was established by former Scotland international Doddie Weir and is committed to funding research to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MND.