A spectacular Southern Lights display has been captured on camera from space.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir filmed the timelapse from onboard the SpaceX Dragon shuttle.
The Southern Lights are just as common as the Northern Lights, and regularly take place over Antarctica, but relatively few people live in latitudes close to the South Pole, so they are not as well-known as their northern counterpart.
These lights occur near the poles because Earth’s magnetic field channels charged particles from the Sun toward those regions, where they collide with the atmosphere and create shimmering waves of colour.
The 44th US president has visited Belfast and Ireland before
Former US president Barack Obama is to tour the UK in a series of on-stage interviews.
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The 64-year-old, who became the first black president of the United States in 2009, will take An Evening With President Barack Obama to Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester, following shows at The O2 in London and the 3Arena in Dublin last year.
The 44th US president will appear at The O2 in Belfast on October 13, Glasgow’s Ovo Hydro on October 14 and Manchester’s Co-op Live on October 15, with guest moderators to be announced.
Organisers said Mr Obama will speak about “what comes next for America, and for all of us” in the live interview format.
Robin Sherry, founder and chief executive of organiser Seat Unique, said: “Following the phenomenal response to last year’s events, we are delighted to bring three new opportunities for fans to experience An Evening With President Barack Obama.”
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Mr Obama was interviewed by British TV historian David Olusoga at The O2 in London in September.
After his two-term presidency ended in 2017, Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, signed a deal with Netflix to produce documentaries, series and features for the streaming platform under their Higher Ground Productions company.
In 2022, Mr Obama won the Emmy for best narrator for his work on Netflix documentary series Our Great National Parks, and he has won Grammy Awards for his audiobook readings of two of his memoirs: The Audacity Of Hope and Dreams From My Father.
The Hawaii-born former president has also hosted a 2021 podcast called Renegades: Born In The USA, alongside rock singer Bruce Springsteen, which also resulted in a book.
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Tickets for the UK shows will go on sale on Friday July 31 at 10am from Myticket.co.uk and SeatUnique.com, with 100 tickets set aside for charitable organisations.
The UK’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, laid out a radical agenda in his short speech upon taking office. He called for a long-term strategy to reverse 40 years of Thatcherism, and the privatisation and centralisation that resulted. Wisely, he put a ten-year horizon on these objectives and it is now up to his new chancellor, John Healey, to realise his ambitions.
Sensibly, Burnham has also announced less costly but limited measures to deal with the cost of living and the housing crisis – intended to convince the public that he understands their concerns. So far these include a pledge to cap single bus fares in England at £2, cut VAT on electricity bills from October, and end rough sleeping (with no time frame specified).
The government said that the cut in energy bills is fully funded by scrapping plans for digital IDs. But spending watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has pointed out that the funding for this was set to be covered by further, albeit modest, cuts to other government departments.
By appointing Healey, Burnham has reassured the bond markets, which feared the more leftwing Ed Miliband would become chancellor. Healey resigned as defence secretary in June, which played a major role in Keir Starmer’s resignation. His exit was caused by the Treasury refusing to find the funds to allow the UK to reach Nato’s defence spending target of 3% of GDP. Now it will be Healey’s job to find this money.
Other long-term goals will be just as expensive. Building council housing, fixing social care and acquiring privatised companies will all make a considerable dent in the government’s finances. These have already been weakened by the effects of the Iran war, with growth this year projected to be just 1%.
Like all chancellors, Healey’s central aim must be to boost long-term growth and productivity. This is the only way to ensure prosperity for voters and enough funds to improve public services without increasing government debt.
Although Burnham has pledged to abide by the fiscal rules and Labour’s promise not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance, the chancellor will be able to find a number of tweaks that give him room for manoeuvre – just as chancellor, Rachel Reeves revised the fiscal rules in a way that eased restrictions on borrowing money in order to invest.
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Many new policies, from building council housing to funding social care and training for young people, have long-term benefits to the economy. There could be an argument for reclassifying these as investment spending. In the case of council housing, it is actually providing the government with a valuable physical asset.
Time for a wealth tax?
Meanwhile, there are also many ways to increase revenue without breaking Labour’s taxes pledge. Burnham’s main focus is likely to be further taxation of wealth, which might aim to equalise rates with taxation on earned income. Tax relief on private pensions, which mainly benefit the better-off, could also be a target. And changes to the top rate of income tax, if it was balanced by an increase in the personal allowance to ensure people on the basic state pension do not pay income tax, could be popular.
The most contentious issue will be the taxation of property. Broadly, the reform of council tax – the system introduced by the Thatcher government and still based on property valuations made more than 30 years ago – would sharply increase costs in rich areas like London and the south east, while easing burdens further north. But that would have to be accompanied by a redistribution of funds to northern councils, which would otherwise see their revenues fall sharply.
This points to the broader question facing the Treasury – and the government – on how to carry out a meaningful devolution to the regions. It is likely to mean giving some of central government’s revenues – such as income tax – to regional authorities. They could also be given powers, like in Scotland, to raise income tax in their region.
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There are also some fixes that could reduce the government’s deficit – the difference between what it brings in and what it spends. Firstly, key policies such as social care could be funded by a special tax on housing, as Burnham himself proposed in 2010 when he was health secretary. And some of the huge increase in defence spending might be funded jointly by a number of Nato countries issuing a common defence bond, which might lower borrowing costs and may not be counted as part of UK government debt. Finally, the government could gain effective control of failing private utilities, such as Thames Water, without fully nationalising them.
Rates relief for small businesses, including pubs, could be popular. EPA/ANDY RAIN
Like all chancellors, Healey will have to balance the need for more spending with voters’ desire for lower taxes. It will take a clever politician to square this circle, given the weakness of the UK economy and that of its key trading partners.
One route to achieving these objectives without upsetting the markets is to put forward measures that show it is on the side of the people, while announcing revenue-raising measures aimed at more unpopular targets. For example, a cut in rates for small businesses (especially pubs) in northern cities could be popular, and might be funded by higher taxation of warehouses owned by retail giants.
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Devolution could also help by pushing responsibility to the local level. Voters would then be able to see the benefits in their own communities. And giving councils a bigger role in welfare reform may pay off if investment in training and mental health support led to a national reduction in the welfare bill. This will be one of Healey’s key objectives, as well as being a major concern for the markets and the OBR.
So far the markets have adopted a “wait and see” approach to the Burnham government. The autumn budget could be crucial in determining whether the new administration has a credible long-term economic strategy that can win both public support and market acceptance.
Bosses at Britain’s second busiest airport issued the update late on Sunday, after most passengers had a disrupted start to their holidays when restaurants, cafes, and toilets closed
Gatwick Airport has issued an update to passengers over its Monday opening plans following major water supply issues.
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Britain’s second-busiest airport lost its water supply for much of Sunday (July 26), prompting restaurants, cafes, and even toilets to close in both terminals. Passengers were given complimentary bottles of water by staff.
Roger Wood, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, was one. He arrived at Gatwick South Terminal at around 11am on Sunday to fly to New York.
He told PA: “There was no communication. We arrived at 11ish and it had only started recently.
“We met friends at the bar but they couldn’t serve us as they were unable to wash their hands.
“I’ve never seen Wetherspoons empty. No idea when it’ll be resolved, the toilets also lacked water to wash hands.”
The issue plagued the airport for most of Sunday, but shortly before 10pm yesterday evening, management said water supply has been restored for ‘most’ of its buildings. They hope to reopen the terminals as normal on Monday.
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“Following an issue at the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works which impacted the local area today, we are pleased to report that the water supply has now returned to the vast majority of the London Gatwick campus,” the statement said.
“Most toilet facilities are now open and we expect all toilets – as well as food and beverage outlets – to be open for tomorrow’s first flights.
“Since becoming aware of the issue, we have been working closely with SES Water and our airport partners to help minimise the impact, and ensure all today’s flights departed as scheduled. Additional staff remain on hand across both terminals to support passengers and maintain operations as we return to normal operations.
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“We recognise the inconvenience caused by today’s water shortage and thank passengers for their patience and understanding. We’d also like to thank airport staff and our partners, who have gone above and beyond to support passengers and keep disruption to a minimum.”
The first flights out of Gatwick leave at 5:20am on Monday. The North terminal’s first departure is easyJet’s service to Athens, while the south terminal’s first take-off will be Wizz Air’s jet to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.
On top of this, life satisfaction among young people is on the decline. New analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found the number of young people who are satisfied with their lives has fallen from 62% in 2010 to 44% today among 16- to 24-year-olds living in England.
Yet research has demonstrated a strong link between mental health and confidence levels. High levels of symptoms such as anxiety and depression have been associated with low confidence, for example.
So, how can parents best help encourage confidence in children and teens? I reached out to Dr Patapia Tzotzoli, clinical psychologist and founder of My Triage Network, to discuss the best techniques.
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1. Praise effort, strategy and persistence
The psychologist said when parents comment on the effort and approach their children make, rather than fixed traits, it helps them develop a growth mindset. They then believe their abilities can improve with practice.
Instead of saying “You’re so clever”, Dr Tzotzoli advises parents to say, “You worked really hard on that,” or “I noticed you tried a different strategy.”
Dr Lucie Hemmen, a clinical psychologist and author of multiple books on parenting teens, previously noted that compliments “do not create true confidence for teens”.
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Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images
2. Let children do age-appropriate things for themselves
“Confidence grows from lived experience, therefore it is very important that children need chances to try, struggle, make mistakes and recover,” said Dr Tzotzoli.
“Parents can build this by giving manageable responsibilities, such as ordering their own food, packing their school bag, choosing clothes, or solving a problem before they step in. The aim is to support your child, without stepping in too quickly.”
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As they grow older, Dr Hemmen suggested in a TikTok video that teens need the “opportunity to interact with challenges that are a little outside their comfort zone”.
She added that summer is “a great time to work with your teen to find developmentally appropriate stretches that give them the opportunity to build true confidence”.
This could look like volunteering, learning an instrument or even setting up their own side hustle (the kids in my street have been doing everything from car and bin-washing to babysitting over the holidays – they even made fliers!).
3. Use specific encouragement
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Dr Tzotzoli said another helpful strategy is to describe what you observe when your child does something difficult. For example, you could say: “You were nervous, but you still walked into the room,” or “You asked for help instead of giving up.”
“This helps children see themselves as capable, brave and resourceful,” she said, adding that general reassurance such as “You’ll be fine” is “often less helpful than highlighting what the child has already managed”.
4. Give children limited choices to build autonomy
For younger children, offering two or three realistic choices helps them feel some control over a situation without becoming overwhelmed, noted the psychologist.
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“For example, you can ask ‘Would you like to try homework before or after snack?’ or ‘Do you want to practise for five minutes or 10?’,” said the expert.
“ Giving children age-appropriate choices helps them feel capable and involved, rather than simply being told what to do.”
5. Model confidence by showing healthy self-talk after mistakes
Your children can also learn a lot from how you handle setbacks. If you did something incorrectly, you could highlight that and say: “I got that wrong, but I can try again.”
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This can teach more than a lecture about resilience, said Dr Tzotzoli. “It normalises mistakes as part of learning and helps children see failure as part of the process, not the end of the story.”
In her own home, when she gets something wrong, she’ll celebrate it in front of her children and show genuine excitement, “because I tell them I am now one step closer to getting it right”.
She ended: “There are also some lovely children’s books that reinforce this message, such as The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, which shows how frustration, mistakes and persistence are all part of the creative process.”
The Papua New Guinea swimming team were spotted at Glasgow’s Barras Market for Irn-Bru themed activities.
The Commonwealth Games’ Papua New Guinea swimming team have joined thousands at Glasgow’s iconic Barras Market for the official IRN-BRU games.
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The aquatic sports stars visited the popular east end market just hours after competing in the qualifying heats at Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Sunday, July 26. They competed in a host of urban challenges set up by Irn-Bru despite falling short of booking a spot in any of this evening’s medal competitions.
The challenges included a 10 metre Bus Sprint along an orange running track, aiming to beat the number 61 service in less than 1.7 seconds and Bin Ball, where visitors scored empty cans of IRN-BRU into an orange and blue bin through a 3-metre high hoop. The other test was the 20kg bar bell Bag Lifting challenge, weighted entirely by cans of IRN-BRU.
Over 2,000 people of all ages turned up over the weekend to show off their girders as part of the celebrations of the sporting prowess that’s taken over the city.
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The challenge caught the attention of keen competitors and famous faces alike, with Scots singer Josef and ex-England rugby international and sports pundit David Flatman also turning up.
To celebrate their wins, each competitor walked away with an ice-cold can of BRU, with some even lucky enough to win an iconic ‘Made in Scotland From Girders’ t-shirt.
Kenny Nicholson, Director of Brand at IRN-BRU, said: “Glasgow is welcoming some of the best sporting talent in the world this summer, but we wanted to champion athletes closer to home too; those people who show up with feats of endurance, strength and a whole lot of girders in the everyday.”
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Tomb Raider is not as popular as it used to be (Amazon Game Studios)
The Monday letters page discusses the often impenetrable decision making of video game publishers, as one reader is disappointed by the Switch 2’s second year.
Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Nostalgic raid I see the new Tomb Raider: Catalyst game (not the remake) has been delayed until 2028, which is a bit of an upset. However, I also notice that less people than I thought seem to care and there’s generally not much discussion of the two games online, even though I thought the trailers for both were pretty good.
It’s eight years since Shadow Of The Tomb Raider and not everyone like that one, or that whole trilogy in general. It wasn’t that big a hit either, or Square Enix wouldn’t have sold it off. I think the games were generally good, but not that much like Tomb Raider, if that makes sense. So I feel the series has probably lost a lot of fans over the years, and there’s probably a lot of people that don’t feel there’s been a proper Tomb Raider for a long time now.
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Nostalgia is a hell of a drug but is it going to be enough for the remake to put the series back in the top-hitters again? I hope it does, but I have my doubts as to whether the original gameplay of Tomb Raider has much appeal nowadays. That’s why the reboot trilogy turned it into a generic action adventure and why it’s lost its popularity. It’s a difficult situation. Gantz
Toilet break To be honest, the idea of ad-based streaming games sounds like it’d be a great deal for us and a terrible one for advertisers. As far as I understand, all you have to do is go put the kettle on for the five minutes the ads are playing at the beginning and they never come back until you turn the game off. That sounds almost too good to be true to me.
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Maybe they’ll try and run them while pressing the pause button, but who wants to be playing The Witcher, or some other medieval game, and suddenly you get an advert for Daz come up. Sounds awful but I guess if you’re getting a £60 game for free in return it might be worth it. Menson
Third time lucy I don’t think even Nintendo would be mad enough to pass up the opportunity to have a special edition Switch 2 for Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and/or the 40th anniversary general. Still, it’s going to be very odd seeing Nintendo’s big Christmas game being a 28-year-old game that most of their younger fans have no idea about.
There’s still a chance of an unannounced game lurking in the shadows but I don’t think there’s any chance of it being anything big. Maybe The Duskbloods will come out around the same time – sometime around Halloween seems a good idea – but it still seems an odd line-up to me.
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It’s not been a great second year for the Switch 2, after the first one was already a bit suspect. There’s still a hope that there’ll be something good in the first half of next year, but when are they going to announce that? Coolsbane
Yearly fee 140 quid for FIFA, sorry, EA Sports FC 27 Ultimate Plus edition is just mind boggling. Obviously, people can spend their money on exactly what they want to, and If someone is big into FUT then it probably is worth it in the long run. But, blimey, that is a big chunk of money to shell out in one go for a video game, especially if you’re on a budget, like me.
The recent games haven’t been particularly well received, either. Used to be a big thing each year when the two footy games were due for release. Since PES morphed into eFootball, and with the most recent EA iterations receiving generally mixed reviews, I’ve kinda lost interest.
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My personal faves of recent times (Xbox One/PlayStation 4 era) are PES 2016, PES 2019, and FIFA 17. I still play these games fairly regularly. They’re cheap as chips on physical nowadays. One of the many reasons to have a machine with a disc drive. Paul C.
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Repeat play I’ve started playing through the The Witcher 3 again, as I like a long open world game to play over weekends. I forgot how dark this game can be with the Bloody Baron and the Crones. As with all of these types of games, the side quests can be a bit boring but overall, I’m loving it all over again and Gwent is still the best thing ever.
The Ciri sections are absolutely awful though and I remember hating them when I first played through the game, but they seem even worse now. I know it will be different for The Witcher 4 but hopefully they can iron out the kinks and it will be another great game. Simon
Different worlds That list of the best-selling remakes was interesting because it yet again shows why companies make decisions that hardcore gamers think are wrong. The Last Of Us Part 1 might have seemed pointless to us but it actually sold really well, so it was easy money for Sony and something that a lot of people were prepared to pay for.
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The most surprising thing to me was Dead Space. EA specifically said it was a flop and dropped the entire franchise over it and yet it sold over 4 million copies?! Were they expecting it to outsell GTA or something? What could they have possibly been expecting from a remake of a game that originally only sold 1 million copies?
So I guess the lesson is that sometimes companies make sensible business decisions and sometimes they make crazy stupid ones. Either way, what ordinary gamers want, or think is a good idea, has nothing to do with it. A lot of the time it seems what we want, and how we think things should be handled, is the opposite to what actually happens.
I guess that’s just business though. We want good games and they want maximum profits; those two goals don’t easily go together. Focus
Say nothing So I see Sony handled that PSN outage in their usual style: by saying absolutely nothing and leaving everyone wondering what’s going on. It’s really hard not to get the impression that Sony hates its customers and will do anything to avoid talking to them.
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They act like some Victorian era toff that won’t speak to the lower orders. It really is a shame Xbox is so useless because there’s such an open goal there for someone else to come in there and offer a real alternative to PlayStation. Kimble
Indie July Just checked out a couple of new indie games on Steam, with Rubinite being a very promising demo of a very decent looking action adventure game with similarities to Zelda: A Link To The Past. The premise is a dark fairy tale type setting, taking control of a princess type character trying to reclaim a fallen kingdom using a top-down perspective.
It looks to me that the exploration is there, but with more preference given to high-focused action, like a Soulsborne variation of some sorts, which to me is the perfect blend of gaming art and mechanics for this day and age. Which leads me on to another interesting style of gameplay for a title called Dive Or Die: Children Of Rain.
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I have always been a fan of Lovecraftian style games and they have come in a variety of forms with varying success. The setting is an apocalyptic rain-flooded world with just mountain top islands left and an eldritch deity to appease. The game requires you dive into something called an abyssalpPool for a variety of survival reasons.
It could be like a cross between Subnautica or Dave The Diver and Cult Of The Lamb. But it’s the mysterious deep which fascinates me in this game, where your management of oxygen, sanity level, and health is needed as you explore the depths, avoiding creepy sea creatures. On top of this you must rise onto the land and upgrade your surroundings for survival, but at a cost of making some dark decisions involving crew sacrifices to the dark deity.
These two games are exactly why indie gaming is the place to be for all the unusual, surreal, and terrifying scenarios, without the need to have the experience dampened by a lack of money and the need to have mass sales to survive. Just a good imagination and the skills and capabilities to develop these into a successful game, without too much pressure. Of course, you also need the important word of mouth to get your title out there into the world and have the income to create more titles later. Alucard
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Inbox also-rans Does anyone think Microsoft might end up cancelling Forza Horizon 6 for PlayStation 5? They haven’t mentioned it once since they went back to having exclusives, and the summer State of Play was the obvious time. If they haven’t cancelled it, this is the worst marketing campaign ever. Korbie
So what do we think is going to be the next remake of Assassin’s Creed, now that we know Black Flag has been a big hit? I really hope it’s Assassin’s Creed 2. Toad
GC: The only rumour has been for the first game, but who knows how the success of Black Flag might influence Ubisoft’s plans.
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Postmen have come out in support of a Royal Mail worker who kicked a blind Shih Tzu ‘like a football’ – before it later died from organ failure.
An unidentified delivery man was seen booting the dog, Ethel, outside a family home in Buckinghamshire earlier this month.
The 11–year–old pet was partially blind and had only one tooth, so posed no threat, her owner said.
But fellow postal workers have now defended the driver for his actions – with some saying they have kicked dogs themselves and ‘would do it again’.
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One postman told the Telegraph: ‘Kicked a terrier that bit my leg to get it off me, and I would do it again.
‘I would say about 10 of us in my office have been bitten. It’s very common, and it’s always the dogs that have ‘never done that before’.’
Another said: ‘I felt for that dog and the owner but I also felt for the postie.’
A third postman, based in the South East, said he was ‘on his side’, adding: ‘If you know the area you can do your best to keep safe – if you don’t then you’re supposed to not take any risks.’
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A postman wearing an England shirt was caught on camera kicking a blind shih tzu ‘like a football’
The man allegedly denied attacking Ethel, but Ring doorbell footage showed that he had, just seconds after he handed over a parcel
Ms Lewis made the difficult decision to put Ethel down after the vet said she had suffered irreversible brain damage
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Last year, around 2,019 dog attacks were reported on postal workers, according to Royal Mail.
Of these, 61 had caused significant injuries to employees.
Eve Lewis, 40, said the man denied attacking her dog Ethel, but Ring doorbell footage showed he had – just seconds after he handed over a parcel.
She said: ‘The driver was walking away and still made the effort to turn around and kick her.
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‘He didn’t just kick her, he toe punted her like she was a football. She flew up in the air and hit the ground and rolled three times.’
The NHS worker, who lives with her five-year-old son and their other dog, Stanley, a French bulldog, also described her panic after the attack.
She took Ethel from their home in Aylesbury to the vets, but was told she could not be saved.
‘Her blood pressure dropped and they put tubes up her nose. Then they said there’s internal bleeding.
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‘At this point, I’m thinking, “This literally can’t be happening.” From then on, it was just a complete blur.
‘I went home overnight, but when I came back to the vets in the morning, she was pretty much already out of it,’ Ms Lewis added.
Ms Lewis made the difficult decision to put Ethel down after the vet said she had suffered irreversible brain damage.
Royal Mail said: ‘We are deeply sorry for this distressing incident, and we know how upsetting it is for the family.
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‘We are treating this matter very seriously. We have seen the footage and launched a full investigation to establish the circumstances. We have also confirmed to the family that we will cover the veterinary costs.
‘We take animal welfare and the safety of our people very seriously. Dog–related incidents can present a serious risk to postal workers, and we will take any appropriate action once our investigation is complete.’
Thames Valley Police previously said no arrests had been made but that there were ‘ongoing enquiries regarding animal welfare and criminal damage incidents’.
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Posties DEFEND Royal Mail worker who kicked a blind Shih Tzu ‘like a football’ before she died
At the last census, almost half the adults in England and Wales said they regarded themselves as Christian.
How damning it is, then, that the BBC — our state broadcaster, supposedly reflecting and representing our nation — seems to view Christianity as a bastion of anti-science nutjobs and fundamentalists.
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Sam Hazeldine plays a smarmy, creepy, US-style evangelist in The Rapture, who amasses followers by encouraging them to pray to a ‘higher power’ and ‘come together in hope’.
His name is Leonard Krall and we know he’s a villain because he talks about ‘the so-called climate crisis’ and says, ‘They want to keep us in a doom loop. We can’t just enjoy the sunshine. Apparently, we have to fear it.’
There’s no greater sin in the BBC’s eyes. Krall has a teenage daughter, Bethany (India Ria Amarteifio), in a psychiatric hospital after apparently murdering her mother with a screwdriver.
Bethany is protesting her innocence, but not making life any easier for herself by behaving like a caricature of an obnoxious, arrogant teenager. She also has visions of the future, many of them with an emphasis on Biblical armageddon and the End of Days.
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One she draws repeatedly is of Christ with half his face torn away. And lo, it comes to pass, after a freak storm wrecks the 90ft statue of Jesus overlooking Lisbon, the Santuario de Cristo Rei.
Would the Beeb make a similar drama about a Muslim imam, whose mentally ill daughter drew nightmarish images inspired by the Koran? Would it use CGI to imagine the destruction of an Islamic holy monument?
Pictured: Iwan Rheon as Dick Carwyn and Ruth Madeley as Gabriele Fox in the BBC’s The Rapture
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Rhetorical questions, of course. There’d be mobs on the streets.
In any case, no agent would ever ask an actor to appear in such a TV show. Can you imagine the phone call? ‘Darling, I think I’ve found a lovely role for you in this new telly thing about Islam. Umm . . . how do you feel about spending the rest of your life in hiding?’
Fortunately for the cast of The Rapture, it isn’t blasphemy to make shoddy, unconvincing conspiracy dramas, though this five-part series won’t add lustre to anyone’s CVs.
Ruth Madeley plays Dr Gabrielle Fox, a clinical psychologist returning to work after a car crash that killed her husband and left her a paraplegic. Bethany is one of her patients, and naturally the good doctor takes it upon herself to seek out new evidence.
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I’m not sure why she’s bothering — security at the hospital is so lax that Bethany is able to assault Gabrielle, steal a weapon and, later, escape into the grounds while the staff are distracted by their mobile phones.
The continuity between shots is equally wayward. Iwan Rheon plays a drunken journalist who, in three consecutive shots, is seen clutching a glass of red, then a notebook, then a glass of white. I blame global warming.
Bad luck of the weekend:
Two cheetahs braved a flooded river, in the climate change documentary Force Of Nature (ITV1), and made it across alive despite marauding crocs. Then one of them ran slap into a fatal lion ambush. Some days, things just won’t go right.
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CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Would the BBC make a one-star conspiracy drama The Rapture if it was about Islam not Christianity? No need to answer that
There was joy in Cheshire as the lucky winning postcodes landed cash prizes, with every ticket in the winning postcode areas receiving £1,000.
The winners were CH4 7DQ, covering Roman Crescent in Chester; CW6 0EQ covering High Street in Tarporley; and CW7 2FJ covering Elderfield Drive in Winsford.
The North West postcodes were among 20 winning postcodes announced in the lottery’s daily draw.
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Players living in the winning areas who held a valid ticket for their postcode received £1,000 for each ticket they owned.
Subscriptions to the Postcode Lottery support a range of charities across the UK, with a minimum of 33 per cent of ticket sales going to good causes.
Every day, 20 postcodes across the country are selected to win £1,000 for every ticket in the postcode.
The Postcode Lottery also manages society lotteries on behalf of a number of charities and says it supports a wide range of charitable organisations and community projects in Britain and around the world.
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To date, players have helped raise more than £1.7 billion for thousands of charities and good causes.
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