In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

The match will kick-off from 8pm and be live on BBC One for all to enjoy, but if you want to feel every goal, tackle and near-miss alongside fellow fans, here are 10 of the best places across Teesside to soak up the World Cup atmosphere.

1. STACK, Middlesbrough

One of the biggest fan venues in Teesside, STACK Middlesbrough is hosting the semi-final with huge screens, live pre-match entertainment and plenty of food and drink vendors on site.

Tickets are £10 and are on sale now – entry is first-come, first-served, so get there early. Book via the STACK website.

2. PLAY, Middlesbrough

PLAY on Corporation Road is screening every second of England vs Argentina across all five of its screens.

One of Middlesbrough’s best-known entertainment venues, it promises big sound, a packed crowd and a proper big-match atmosphere. Check PLAY’s social media for ticket details.

3. The Southfield, Middlesbrough

Social Pub & Kitchen’s The Southfield on Linthorpe Road has been the go-to England pub in Middlesbrough throughout the tournament, with HD screens across the venue.

Bookings are recommended to guarantee a good spot for the semi-final.

4. The Bluebell Hotel, Middlesbrough

A firm fan favourite on Ormesby Road with screens throughout the pub, The Bluebell Hotel has been packing them in for every England game this summer.

It’s a proper community pub atmosphere. Booking ahead is advised.

5. The Empire, Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough’s biggest entertainment venue raised the flags early and has been running an England World Cup fan zone throughout the tournament, with 50% off tickets for England screenings.

Expect a lively crowd, big screens and plenty of football anthems before kick-off. Check The Empire’s website and social media for Wednesday’s details.

6. The Boathouse, Stockton-on-Tees

The Boathouse on the Stockton waterfront has been showing every England match with £7 tickets including a free drink on arrival.

It’s a buzzing riverside setting that’s attracted big crowds all tournament. Check their Instagram for semi-final ticket information.

7. Sun Inn, Stockton-on-Tees

A Craft Union pub in the heart of Stockton, the Sun Inn has been showing every England World Cup game live on its large HD screens with great-value drinks deals.

No frills, no fuss – just a proper pub packed with fans cheering on the Three Lions.

8. Eagle Inn, Eaglescliffe

A solid option for those local to Eaglescliffe and Yarm, The Eagle Inn has been a popular matchday destination throughout the World Cup.

It has big screens, matchday food and a fast bar service. Booking ahead is recommended.

You can book your spot via the Eagle Inn Pub website.

9. Hop & Grape, Redcar

For fans in Redcar, the Hop & Grape is the local Craft Union pub showing every World Cup match live, including the semi-final.

With live sport on screens every day, it’s a reliable and welcoming spot to watch the game with fellow England supporters.

10. Ship Inn, Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Greene King’s Ship Inn in Saltburn is showing all the World Cup knockout matches including the semi-finals. 

A great option for fans further along the coast who want to watch the match in a classic, characterful pub.

Andrew Castle is set to return to Wimbledon almost immediately after his final outing as BBC’s lead commentator

Andrew Castle is set to be at Wimbledon as a player this Wednesday following his last outing as BBC’s lead commentator. The men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev was his last in the BBC booth but he will be back this week with the All England Club back to being available to private members.

The 62-year-old was offered the chance to remain part of their Wimbledon coverage, though his leading role would be taken up by Andrew Cotter from 2027. He opted against remaining with the broadcaster when informed of their decision back in January and despite seemingly appearing for the final time in SW19, he will be back there this week.

“I’m back there on Wednesday playing anyway because it reverts to a private club, and it’s just an awesome place to be,” he revealed on GB News: “So not too sad, not too sad yet, just glad the last month’s over in the build up to saying bye bye.”

Having fronted the broadcaster’s coverage for 23 years, Castle was informed back in January of the BBC’s intention to replace him with Andrew Cotter as lead commentator.

During Sunday’s programme, he and John Lloyd were interviewed by Rishi Persad, with the latter offering his best wishes as their segment drew to a close — and Castle could not seemingly resist taking a parting shot at the BBC.

He said: “Yes, I am a bit sad about it of course. I have fabulous memories, even working with John. And John is finishing as well, we’re being put out to grass, I mean that’s it. Booted.

“My kids were eight and 10 when I did my first Wimbledon final and they’re now married. One has children and there’s one expecting on the way so don’t tell me there’s nothing to do. (Turns to John) We’ll play golf next week yes?”.

With his time in the role now officially coming to an end, Castle also reflected on why he believes he has been replaced. He said: “I’ve come to know the BBC audience as a general audience of our population, and I love them and I miss them and they write to me, and that’s what I was trying to do over all these years.

It’s perhaps a new direction Now there comes a time for everything, and I accept that. I still feel like there’s plenty to offer, and to be quite honest, that’s exactly what they said as well.

It was all very nice and very kind and very decently delivered, but the bottom line is I’m still sad, and this week is always a little bit funny for me anyway as I come down from the great show. But this year a little bit different because I won’t be back anyway.”

As Castle observed Sinner celebrating his second consecutive Wimbledon title, Tim Henman delivered an emotional tribute to his former colleague.

He said: “Andrew, I’ve got to head up to the studio now, but I want to take the opportunity to thank you so much for sharing the commentary box with you for so many years. You’ve been an absolute star, you’ve taught me so much, and I’ll miss you a lot, but what a great way to finish off.”

Castle responded by saying: “I knew you when you were an annoying 14-year-old, and I’ve known you that whole time. Thanks for your company, and you, Andre (Agassi).”

Mr Adrian Forshaw submitted plans to alter the property at 55-59 Dobb Brow road, erecting a side garage and changing the Tudor-style frontage into modern red brick.

Previous plans were submitted to demolish the building entirely, but the new plans merely seek to ‘refurbish’ it, alongside making a host of other landscaping changes.

The proposed frontage (Image: Bolton Council)

Town Councillor David Wilkinson said: “If anybody knows Dobb Brow they’ll know it’s Tudor style housing, and unfortunately they’re going to take all of that off.

“It’ll have basically have a brick skin, but they’re keeping the house.

“The previous application which was building new ones at the back and knocking this one down as well.

“So, it’s staying, but it will look different from what it looks like currently.”

Despite this, Cllr Wilkinson voted to approve the application, as did the other members of Westhoughton Town Council.

The plans will change the character of the property.

The Tudor frontage, with its white coat of paint and black painted contrast detailing, will be entirely removed.

Instead, the house front will consist of red brick.

The black-framed windows will also be removed and new windows will be installed.

The new design features a large, two-storey central glass window, flanked by two windows to the left and three windows to the right.

The proposed rear of the property (Image: Bolton Council)

Rather than black-painted window frames, the new windows will be topped with sandstone.

A garage will also be appended to the front-left side of the property, which does not exist currently, and electric vehicle charging points will be installed.

Stainless steel external lights will be installed on either side of the central window.

The roof will be formed of interlocking concrete tiles with a dark grey colouration.

Westhoughton Town Council approved the plans, but as an advisory body, they cannot grant to right to the developer to begin construction.

The plans will now have to be assessed by Bolton Council planning bosses before work can begin.

The 44-year-old, known for her roles in The Fall and Outlander, stars as Detective Monica Kennedy in The Dark, a new series based on Scottish crime writer G R Halliday’s novel From the Shadows.

Set in the Scottish wilderness, the series follows Kennedy as she investigates the staged killing of a young man.

As paranoia spreads, long-held secrets begin to surface and locals realise a serial killer may be hiding among them.

The six-part series also stars The Last Kingdom actor Mark Rowley and Friends actress Helen Baxendale.

Donnelly said she found it interesting that the series focused on missing men, as women are more commonly portrayed as victims in crime dramas.

“Obviously, it’s far more common for the victims to be women, not that it doesn’t happen to men, but it is much more common with women,” she said.

“What I really liked about this first storyline was that we weren’t getting that familiar dynamic. In particular, I appreciated that it wasn’t accompanied by gratuitous violence and gore.

“We’ve seen women being hunted and killed on our screens so often over the years, and while that is, of course, the reality in many cases, it can also feel very gratuitous.”

In the series, Detective Kennedy balances her demanding career with raising her daughter.

“I think what I really, really adored about this character, and about the first scripts I read, was how little being a mother impacts the way she does her job,” she said.

“It certainly affects her relationship with her child, there’s no question about that, but she doesn’t allow the fact that she’s a mum to affect the way she works.”

She added: “I love that motherhood doesn’t stop or hinder any aspect of what Monica does, whether she’s being reckless, putting her own life on the line, or throwing herself into a situation in a completely inadvisable way.

“She doesn’t even think twice about the long hours she has to work. She simply relies on the fact that her mum has things under control and will look after Lucy while she gets on with the job she believes she was put on this earth to do.

“I think Monica feels she was put on this earth to solve these kinds of crimes, not to be a mother. That really appealed to me about this character.”

Laura Donnelly leads the cast of The Dark on ITV, which is an adaptation of GR Halliday’s novel From the Shadows (Image: ITV)

Rowley, 36, who plays Detective Conor Crawford, revealed that he spoke to a Highlands-based detective while researching the role, using those insights to help create an authentic portrayal of detective work.

“I ended up speaking to a superintendent who had previously been in charge of the Highlands in Inverness. It was really interesting talking to him,” said the Scottish actor.

“It’s not something we’ve explored in great detail in our show because we’ve taken a different direction, but one thing he said they’re increasingly finding difficult is social media.

“When people post things online, there’s often an assumption that it’s evidence, when in reality it isn’t. The challenge is identifying the core evidence that can actually stand up in court and lead to a conviction. I found that fascinating.

“I suppose it all comes back to detectives hunting for the truth, and that can take you down many different paths.

“In the show, there are moments where we find one tiny piece of evidence, and that’s the key that unlocks everything.”

Episode 2 of The Dark is on ITV tonight at 9pm and ITVX.

Carol Vorderman has revealed she was recently rushed to hospital in an ambulance after suffering a horror fall which left her unconscious.

The TV personality, 65, took to Instagram to share a health update after she tripped over a tree root outside her home and ‘smashed onto the tarmac path’ injuring herself. 

The Countdown legend explained in a video: ‘I’ve got a bit of a story to tell you about my concussion, which might also explain why I was a bit offline in June.

‘So right at the very end of May, I was walking just outside my house on a public footpath, and I tripped over a tree root, which I didn’t see.

‘And I went smash here on the tarmac path, and I was unconscious.

‘I can’t remember what happened then, but I do know that an ambulance came, and I was taken to the BRI, Bristol Royal Infirmary.

‘By the way, I also know that they were playing the final countdown in the ambulance on the way. It’s another story, but it did make me laugh.’

Carol went into further detail, noting how she was ‘discharged the next day’ but experienced ‘massive vomiting… all the bad signs’.

She added: ‘Straight back into hospital, they were wonderful. The A&E did all the CT scans and everything. Out again. I had the biggest black eye or bruises all down my face for three or four weeks.

‘But what it did leave me with after about two or three weeks was dizziness. So I felt as though I was kind of walking on a moving ship, like sort of knocking into the wall a little bit.’

The I’m A Celebrity star explained that she was left feeling like the room was spinning and thanked the ‘Epley technique’ and a lady called Sophie who introduced her to it for helping tackle it. 

Carol urged: ‘I am not a doctor. I am not advising people about this, but I’m just telling you what’s happened to me.’

She went on to explain how it is BPPV, adding how ‘it’s all about the inner ear and this little sort of sack of crystals that gets dislodged, and she puts it back together again’.

After three sessions with physio Sophie doing the Epley technique, Carol says she has been discharged from the service and ‘couldn’t be happier’.

It comes after Carol revealed she is hoping to go under the knife and have a facelift ‘in the next couple of years’.

The presenter has previously hit back at criticism she’s faced for having Botox to maintain her ageless appearance, and she doubled down on her plans for more surgery in a new interview.

Hitting back at critics of her tweakments, Carol declared she’ll ‘spend her money on what she likes’ and has ‘no issue’ with having surgery in the future.

The TV personality, 65, took to Instagram to share a health update after she tripped over a tree root outside her home and ‘smashed onto the tarmac path’ injuring herself

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Speaking to Daily Mail’s Richard Eden, she said: ‘I don’t look as good as I did in my 40s, but I don’t think I look bad for my age.

‘I have Botox and all of those things, and I’m probably going to have a facelift in the next couple of years.’

‘It’s my money, I’ve earned it, so I’ll spend it on what I like. I am accepting of myself, but I also want to look good, and those two things can go together.’

Carol has previously said she has a ‘no f***s given’ approach to ageing as she recounted the abuse she often gets over her appearance. 

She told The Sunday Times Magazine in 2024: ‘Everyone on telly has Botox. I look the way I do because it makes me happy.

‘But you get to a point in life where it’s no f***s given. I love what David Bowie said about ageing: “You become the person you always should have been.”

‘My sixties is the age I always should have been. The abuse I get is off the scale but I don’t give a monkey’s. Actually it spurs me on.’

She also told how she has actually never had a boob job but that she went up three cup sizes when she went through menopause.

“Netherfield Park is let at last!” go the famous opening words from Mrs Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. To her delight, the estate has been taken on by the eligible newcomer Mr Bingley – a “single man in possession of a good fortune” – who brings new marital opportunities for her five unmarried daughters.

In the beloved 1995 BBC television adaptation of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Edgcote House in Northamptonshire was chosen as the location for Netherfield Park. Edgcote is a stunning Georgian manor, built in the mid-18th century, in an elegant landscaped park. In summer 2026, the estate is up for sale – ready and waiting for its next eligible owner (though they’ll need a bit more cash than Bingley’s four or five thousand a year).

But what about the stories beneath the glossy costume-drama world?

In the middle of the 18th century, a young labouring-class woman, Mary Leapor, worked as a servant at Edgcote House. She was also – despite her humble background and lack of formal education – a poet.

Her master at Edgcote House, Richard Chauncy, later recalled that “her fondness for writing verses… displayed itself by her sometimes taking up her pen while the jack [the spit] was standing still, and the meat scorching.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, Leapor was dismissed from Edgcote House in 1745.

Leapor’s poem Crumble-Hall is based on her time working at Edgcote House and was written just before she left. It takes us below stairs to see the hidden stories and secrets of the great English country house.

Leapor writes in the first person, in the guise of a servant called Mira, introducing us to a colourful cast of characters.

In the kitchen, the maid Ursula is doing the washing up, but crushing hard on the servant-boy Roger, who’s eaten too many leftovers and is snoring on the table.

In the poem’s typically comic style, Ursula declares her passionate (unrequited) love for Roger, dedicating all her mundane chores to him.

“Ah! Roger, Ah!” the mournful Maiden cries:
“Is wretched Urs’la then your Care no more,
That, while I sigh, thus you can sleep and snore?
Ingrateful Roger! wilt thou leave me know?
For you these Furrows mark my fading Brow:
For you my Pigs resign their Morning Due:
My hungry Chickens lose their Meat for you:
And, was it not, Ah! was it not for thee,
No goodly Pottage would be dress’d by me.
For thee these Hands wind up the whirling Jack,
Or place the Spit across the sloping Rack.
I baste the Mutton with a cheerful Heart,
Because I know my Roger will have Part.

Her frustrated romantic thoughts, however, are rudely interrupted.

But now her Dish-kettle began
To boil and blubber with the foaming Bran.

The kettle’s boiled, the water’s hot, and she has to get on with the dishes. The servant’s time is not her own. The above-stairs ladies of Jane Austen’s novels get to have their love affairs and romances – but servants can never be the main characters in their own stories.

Mary Leapor also takes us on a tour around the house. And, as the title Crumble-Hall suggests, this isn’t quite the glamorous world we might imagine. Instead, it’s disintergrating, dusty and decrepit. Leapor observes that “Safely the Mice through yon dark Passage run”. And, in the dimness, she says, “Along each Wall the Stranger blindly feels; / And (trembling) dreads a Spectre at his Heels.” Even the Library is full of “dusty volumes”, gathering cobwebs.

In fact, during Mary Leapor’s time there, Edgcote House probably really was crumbling. The new manor house, which we know from the BBC Pride and Prejudice, was built around 1747 to 1752.

Mary Leapor is looking ahead to this major remodelling of Edgcote House and its estate when she takes us briefly, at the end of the poem, out into the grounds. She laments that ancient trees will be torn down “[t]o clear the way for Slopes, and modern Whims”. For Mary, this is a moment of sadness and loss: she foresees a “ravag’d” and “barren” future park: green and elegant, but emptied of the nature and memories she knows.

What paid for this ambitious rebuilding of Edgcote House? Richard Chauncy, its owner, made his vast fortune through the East India Company. This was the joint-stock company formed in 1600 to trade in the Indian Ocean region, which by the mid-18th century was already exercising military power, assuming administrative functions, and effectively forming the basis for the British Empire in India.

Leapor’s poem points us towards the hidden labour below stairs which underpins the English country house – but also the hidden labour, halfway across the world, which pays for it.

Mary Leapor died of measles in 1746 at the age of just 24. Her poetry wasn’t known beyond her hometown of Brackley, Northamptonshire, in her lifetime. When I wrote about Leapor in my book A History of England in 25 Poems, I couldn’t help wondering: what might she have gone on to write? What sort of poet would she have become?

I like to think that this fearless, radical, witty young woman would have held her own in conversation with Jane Austen – or, even, in the Bingleys’ drawing room. She helps us listen beyond the familiar voices and to see the other, often invisible, stories, beneath the stately homes of England.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

It is alleged a man drove nearly 300 miles from his home to Ann Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor, Devon, where the veteran politician and reality TV star was found dead

The murder of former British politician Ann Widdecombe is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Police with a suspect re-arrested on a terrorism offence, police said today.

Authorities confirmed Counter Terrorism Police are leading the probe after the suspect, originally detained on suspicion of Miss Widdecombe’s murder, has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. This gives police the powers under the Terrorism Act to detain a suspect without charge for up to 14 days.

Devon and Cornwall Police had previously faced a race against the clock to bring charges after the initial arrest. The head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said: “Building on the progress made by our colleagues in Devon and Cornwall Police, we now have new information and evidence that means Counter Terrorism Policing is now leading the investigation.

“We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack. Our priority is progressing this investigation quickly, with all the capabilities we have available to us. If anyone has any information, please share it with the police.”

Who are Counter Terrorism police?

Counter Terrorism Police work with the UK intelligence community to help protect the public and our national security. Officers from forces across the UK collaborate to prevent, deter and investige terrorist activity.

The unit says “choices have to constantly be made about resources” but they lead investigations on cases deemed to pose a threat to national security. It is unclear what the “new information and evidence” is on the Miss Widdecombe case but this has led to CTP taking the lead on this one.

Investigations have taken place in Devon and South Yorkshire (the latter where the latest arrest was made) with CTP’s team covering the whole of the UK. They generally become involved where there is suspected terrorism or offences under UK terrorism legislation. Now, the suspect has been re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

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What happens next?

The re-arrest on alleged terrorism offences gives police the powers under the Terrorism Act to detain a suspect without charge for up to 14 days. Devon and Cornwall Police had initially said there was nothing to suggest the attack was terrorism-related, but investigations are ever evolving as new information comes to light.

But, like Devon and Cornwall Police said, Counter Terrorism Police has urged “anyone with any information” to share it with them online.

How significant is this?

Previously, the case was being led by Devon and Cornwall Police — because the offence happened in Devon. However, they received help from South Yorkshire Constabulary whose officers arrested the suspect on Saturday in Rotherham.

This meant the case had already used resources from at least two constabularies. Counter Terrorism Police uses such collaboration, with officers from forces across the UK.

Crucially, while Devon and Cornwall Police faced a shorter period in which to bring charges against the suspect, the latest development gives Counter Terrorism Police much more time. They have powers to detain the man, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, for up to 14 days while they continue to investigate.

Lamine Yamal has struggled for goals at the World Cup despite his stellar reputation but Rodri has come out to bat for the Spanish star ahead of their World Cup semi-final

Spanish great Rodri has told Lamine Yamal to “calm down” as he urged the teenage wonderkid to stop obsessing over the need to prove himself at the World Cup.

Spain arrived as European champions with Yamal their poster boy, but drew their opening game against Cape Verde. Whilst they have grown into the tournament, beating the likes of Portugal and Belgium, the Barcelona youngster has yet to hit top gear.

Yamal is seen as one of the next generation but has managed to score just one goal and has not recorded any assists in six matches. He remains a talismanic figure for Spain, who are eyeing their second World Cup following their 2010 triumph.

Rodri was named the best player at Euro 2024, leading to the Ballon d’Or, and he insists Yamal is still having an impact and it is the squad’s job to remind him of his quality and keep him level before games.

The Manchester City star said: “I think he needs to calm down a bit, that anxiety that sometimes he has to prove himself. He’s a very important player for us because of what he does with and without the ball, and he’s a very intelligent guy. It’s true that he’s 19 years old and that we have to calm him down at certain moments of the game.”

Yamal has hit back at his critics and maintains he’s more than having an impact on games, even if he’s not scoring, and his lack of goals won’t mean anything if Spain ultimately deliver the big prize.

“If we win the World Cup, I think nobody will remember how many goals I scored or how many I didn’t. If we win, we’ll all be happy, that’s all I want,” said the Barcelona man.

“I know that with my movement I draw a lot of opponents away; I can create space for a teammate. Anything I can do to help, even if I don’t touch the ball in a play, will be a positive. I think everyone’s obsessed with scoring goals,” says Lamine Yamal, via COPE.

At the Euros two years ago France met Spain in the semi-final, where Yamal scored a wonderstrike from distance to level the contest before the Spanish went on to claim victory. The teenager was electric in that tournament as his country went on to claim the trophy.

Last season he enjoyed his best year to date in front of goal as Barcelona retained their La Liga crown. Yamal scored 24 times – six more than the previous campaign.

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In an upcoming speech this Thursday, President Donald Trump will reportedly reveal plans by foreign nations to interfere in the 2020 election.

The claims will be based on declassified intelligence information, MS Now reports.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

On Monday, President Trump previewed the address with a brief message on Truth Social, describing it as a “Speech to the Nation” planned for 9 p.m. Eastern time.

The president has long claimed without evidence that he won the 2020 election.

Since Trump returned to office, federal officials have continued to investigate the election in Georgia.

Federal prosecutors have also described investigating a potential “grand conspiracy” against Trump dating back to 2016.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.