The first UK deliveries of the new RS 5 are scheduled for the summer.

In this instalment of Drive Time, John takes a look at Audi’s sensational new RS 5 models, which offer stunning performance at a price well below supercar money., and finds out the popular Grenadier range has introduced a new flagship model.

Audi Sport has updated its superfast RS line up with the brand’s latest electrified powertrain technologies in the new RS 5 saloon and Avant – its first ever plug-in hybrid RS models.

Available to order in the UK now and priced from £89,400 and £91,300 respectively, the new top-tier models combine a 2.9-litre, 510ps twin-turbo V6 and a 130kW electric motor for breathtaking performance and the potential for an electric-only driving range of up to 52 miles.

The first UK deliveries of the new RS 5 are scheduled for the summer.

With their characteristic flared wheel arches, striking detailing and sizeable wheels the latest RS 5 models make no secret of their tremendous performance potential.

At the front, the hallmark RS honeycomb Singleframe grille is linked by a dark mask to pronounced Air Curtains that streamline air flow, while vents in the wings add drama to the profile in conjunction with blisters in the shoulder line that pay homage to the iconic Audi Ur quattro.

Below the tailgate with its integrated spoiler, the trademark big-bore RS oval tailpipes are centrally positioned within a diffuser featuring aerodynamically optimised vertical fins and a motorsport-inspired red reflector.

In the UK, the RS 5 Saloon and Avant models will be available with a choice of three specification options: RS 5, RS 5 Carbon Black and RS 5 performance Vorsprung.

At the entry point to the range, the RS 5 models ride on 20-inch six-twin-spoke alloy wheels finished in dark Galvano silver and feature a black styling package taking in elements including the spoiler, window trim, door mirror surrounds, door handle inserts, RS badges and Audi rings.

READ MORE: JOHN MURDOCH’S DRIVE TIME: We try out the new Mazda CX-5 and examine Design version of Skoda Karoq

As part of the upgrade to Carbon Black specification, the RS 5 gains larger 21-inch alloy wheels in the twin-spoke design in Neodymium grey matte, along with a high gloss carbon finish for the rear spoiler, mirror housings, front air intake blades and side skirts.

In the RS 5 Saloon Carbon Black the lipped rear diffuser surround is also trimmed in high gloss carbon.

At the very top of the range, the RS 5 performance Vorsprung models have exclusive RS performance bumpers incorporating further enlarged air intakes at the front and an even more distinctively styled rear diffuser, which houses matte black tailpipes.

These not only differ visually from the dark chrome-plated pipes fitted elsewhere in the range but also produce an even more evocative RS sound as part of the top model’s RS sport exhaust system upgrade.

The RS 5 performance Vorsprung models are unique in the range in featuring an upgrade from LED to second-generation Digital OLED taillights offering selectable digital light signatures, including a chequered flag signature that is unique to the RS 5.

They also incorporate an innovative communication light that can display integrated warning symbols to alert other road users to hazards.

Inside, the RS 5’s cabin’s sporting focal points are the exceptionally supportive sport seats plus with their massage and ventilation functions and honeycomb quilting, and the heated RS sport steering wheel with its flat top and bottom, motorsport-inspired 12 o’clock marker and integrated RS drive mode satellite controls. Interior accents with a Vanadium-effect finish and inlays in a black-painted aluminium design.

Whether on road or track, the power and torque output of 639ps and 825Nm delivered jointly by the 2.9-litre V6 TFSI and 130kW motor enables the RS 5 Saloon and Avant models to accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds.

The driver can activate a boost function to enjoy maximum acceleration in ten-second phases, optimising overtaking capability.

Where conditions allow, a top speed of 155mph is achievable in RS 5 and RS 5 Carbon Black versions, while RS 5 performance Vorsprung models – priced from £107,485 – feature an elevated 177mph top speed.

READ MORE: JOHN MURDOCH’S DRIVE TIME: We get behind the wheel of the BMW Electric SUV and find out how Mazda is using biofuel on new CX-5 launch

During braking and coasting, intelligent recuperation technology harvests energy for the upgraded battery, and when plugged in, the RS 5 can charge at up to 11kW, meaning the battery can be restored from 0 to 100 per cent in 2.5 hours.

Meanwhile, Ineos Automotive has launched a new elite specification for the Grenadier in the Trialmaster X – aimed at those who demand the best straight out of the box.

The new flagship unites the most rugged Trialmaster specification with the added convenience, style and more refined interior appointments of the Fieldmaster.

It’s the most capable and well-equipped model in the Grenadier line-up and is available on both Station Wagon and Quartermaster pick-up.

Dominating the Grenadier line-up, the adventure-ready Trialmaster X is priced at £75,195 for a Station Wagon and £75,010 for a Quartermaster.

Key features that make Trialmaster X peerless off-road include front and rear locking differentials, BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres fitted to its 17-inch alloy wheels, high load electrical preparation and a raised air intake.

Safari windows, privacy glass, and a spare wheel lockable storage box add convenience and security.

Inside, premium comfort and refinement steps up for those touring or adding adventure to the everyday, with black or two-tone grey/black leather upholstery, heated front seats, a premium sound system and carpet floor mats. An incredible feature list for the price.

The Grenadier’s load-hauling versatility is assured, with a standard-fit tow ball backed by a seven tonne gross train weight.

Additional equipment includes an extensive range of expedition-proof accessories, the 5.5-tonne capacity integrated front winch, and contrast roof in either Inky Black or Scottish White.

The petrol fuel filter and diesel water separator remain available for regions with poor fuel quality.

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First the good news: drag queen and trans Broadway star Jinkx Monsoon has an astonishing voice, a huge presence and has got Judy Garland’s vocal and physical mannerisms down pat, in this revival of Peter Quilter’s play about the star’s infamous last London appearance, months before her death in June 1969. The bad news: her performance is over the top and indulgent, bordering on caricature. This Judy is a honking, bleary pastiche, from which triumphant renditions of Get Happy and Over the Rainbow emerge.

The lottery runs every day, giving players the chance to win £1,000 if their postcode is drawn, with prizes increasing based on the number of tickets.

North East winners from this week’s daily draws include one postcode in Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Hardwick, Middlesbrough and Redcar.

Three Northumberland postcodes further afield in Bedlington, Cramlington and Blyth also made the list.

The People’s Postcode Lottery is a subscription lottery which aims to raise money for charities while also bringing cash prizes to homes across the UK.

Players enter using their postcode as a ticket and pay £12.50 a month to take part in each draw.

It unveils daily prizes for postcodes across the UK, including £30,000 jackpots for every winning ticket in a postcode on weekends, and £1,000 prizes for 20 different postcodes every day.

The lottery not only gives cash prizes but also helps raise funds for charities in the UK and beyond.

To date, players have raised more than £1.7 billion for thousands of charities and community projects, with winners changing every day.

Featured in the list of supported charities are Maggie’s, Dogs Trust and the NSPCC, who have all benefited from funding.

The Postcode Lottery winners and prize amounts this week are:

• DL3 0AF – Darlington – £1,000
• DL5 6GP – Newton Aycliffe – £1,000
• TS19 8LD – Hardwick, Stockton – £1,000
• TS6 7EZ – Middlesbrough – £1,000
• TS10 2QU – Redcar – £1,000
• NE22 5QD – Bedlington, Northumberland – £1,000
• NE23 8FG – Cramlington, Northumberland – £1,000
• NE24 4PS – Blyth, Northumberland – £1,000

Samay Mahata, from Cambridge, died aged 20 in May 2025

The parents of an “optimistic” 20-year-old student who died in 2025 want to raise awareness about the “stigma” that surrounds mental health. Samay Mahata, from Cambridge, was studying for his A-levels at Hills Road Sixth Form, and had applied to study at Durham University before his death on May 6, 2025.

His parents Bidesh and Jhuma Mahata, described their son as “optimistic” and a “positive” 20-year-old. In tribute to him, they added: “Our beloved son and brother, Samay, was just like any other boy you know – curious, brilliant, funny, kind. A mathematician who saw beauty in numbers. A voracious reader who carried books everywhere. A quiet poet who wrote about home, love and safety.

“A loving elder brother who would do anything for his sister Emma. He dreamed of becoming one of the finest mathematicians. He was on his way. But life was unfairly, unbearably cruel. Samay never saw his 21st birthday. His most profound journey wasn’t solving equations—it was trying to understand the invisible illness that stole his future, shattered our family, and broke our hearts.”

Following his death, his parents are now calling for the stigma around mental health to “improve”. The couple feel awareness and research into mental health is “neglected”. Jhuma said there is a “big stigma” around mental health, and believes people with mental health illnesses are “discriminated against”.

She added: “Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it should be treated that way by all of us.”

Bidesh said: “In primary education and higher education the message is missing. Mental health is a priority and we need to raise general awareness about it.”

Bidesh and Jhuma believe doctors and nurses are not doing enough research into treating people with mental health illnesses. They believe it needs to be treated the same way a person with a cardiac problem would be treated.

Bidesh added: “Many people give them [people with mental health issues] the stigma. But they are real people, fighting a very real illness, one that simply has no visible physical form.

“They deserve dignity, they deserve life, and above all, they deserve genuine empathy from the community around them. I don’t want to say the system is broken. But it is under-resourced, and we need more research.”

Bidesh and Jhuma continue to raise money to support further mental health research via a Just Giving page. A pre-inquest into Samay’s death is due to be held next Thursday (May 28).

Some of the most powerful interventions to slow or improve frailty are also the most ordinary: regular movement, adequate nutrition and meaningful social connection.

It almost sounds too simple for a condition now recognised as one of the strongest predictors of hospitalisation, disability, poor recovery from illness or surgery, nursing home admission and death in later life.

Older adults living with frailty have less physiological reserve: the body’s spare capacity to cope with illness, injury or stress. A relatively small event, such as a chest infection, a medication change or even a few days in bed, can trigger a sudden loss of independence. Meanwhile, a more robust older adult may recover quickly from a more serious illness.

How we age can vary greatly, even between people of the same age. One 82-year-old may stay active and independent, while another struggles to rise from a chair and becomes increasingly dependent after a short hospital stay.

The growing recognition that frailty, rather than age alone, shapes how people age is changing the way clinicians and researchers think about later life. While living longer is one of society’s greatest achievements, frailty and its evidence-based management have become increasingly important public health and clinical concerns.

Checking for frailty is now routine in many healthcare settings for adults aged over 65. Assessment increasingly focuses on how robust or frail a person is physically, cognitively and socially.

Frailty assessment

There are two main ways frailty is assessed. The first sees frailty as a physical syndrome marked by weakness, exhaustion, slow walking speed, unintentional weight loss and low physical activity. People with one or two of these features may be considered “pre-frail”, while those with several are considered frail.

The second approach views frailty as the accumulation of health problems over time. In this model, chronic illnesses, mobility problems, memory difficulties, hearing or vision loss, poor nutrition and social isolation all contribute to a reduced ability to cope with a stressful event for the body, such as a fall, infection or hospital stay.

Frailty is often spoken about as though it is permanent, something a person simply becomes. You are either robust or frail, independent or dependent, strong or declining. But research suggests the reality is far more fluid.

Frailty exists on a spectrum from robustness to pre-frailty, mild frailty, moderate frailty and severe frailty, and people may move in either direction over time. Although frailty often progresses, it can sometimes be delayed or improved, depending on the underlying cause and the support available.

Frailty isn’t always permanent

A large review involving more than 42,000 older adults found that, over an average follow-up period of almost four years, around 14% of people improved their frailty status, nearly 30% became more frail, and just over half remained stable. The findings suggest frailty is dynamic and, for some people, potentially reversible.

Rather than simply asking whether someone is frail or not, clinicians are increasingly looking at where a person sits on the frailty spectrum and what supports might help build resilience. Early signs such as slowing down, fatigue or unintentional weight loss are now recognised as an important opportunity for intervention through relatively simple lifestyle changes.

Regular physical activity that includes resistance-based exercise, such as using weights, elastic bands or body weight to build strength at least twice per week, can help improve frailty or slow its progression. The benefits can be even greater when exercise is combined with nutrition or cognitive interventions, such as memory, attention and problem-solving activities.

An Irish trial of a home-based frailty programme delivered through primary care targeted older adults living with mild frailty or less. The programme combined strengthening exercises, regular walking and dietary protein guidance. Frailty rates in the intervention group fell from 17.7% to 6.3% after three months, while they slightly increased in those receiving usual care.

Recovery also appears to depend on more than physical health alone. In a study of more than 5,000 adults aged 75 and older, nearly one-third of those who were frail at the start of the study recovered to a less frail state within two years. Recovery was more likely among those who took part in exercise-based social activities, rated their own health more positively, trusted their community and regularly interacted with neighbours.

Activities that challenge memory, attention and problem-solving can support cognitive health and may help reverse frailty. Psychological resilience, the ability to adapt to stress or difficult life events and recover from them over time, has also been linked to better frailty outcomes.

Frailty is now recognised as more than an inevitable part of ageing. While it remains a powerful predictor of hospitalisation, disability and death in later life, growing evidence shows it can often be prevented, slowed or improved. Everyday choices, including how much we move, who we spend time with and the activities that give us purpose and connection, can help support healthier ageing.

Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.   

Carli Bellmer, 27, was left horrified after she accidentally swallowed her AirPod instead of ibuprofen – and it began playing a voice note from inside her stomach Woman accidentally swallows AirPod instead of ibuprofen in viral TikTok

A 27-year-old woman was horrified to discover she had gulped down an AirPod rather than the ibuprofen she intended to take.

After she had swallowed the Apple earphone she was horrified when it played a voice message to her friend from her stomach.

Carli Bellmer, shared on TikTok she had made the dreadful blunder, before the AirPod travelled completely through her digestive tract.

Despite some claiming the footage was merely an attention-seeking stunt, an X-ray appeared to validate her claims.

Known on TikTok as @IamCarliiib, the woman told her followers that, disturbingly, the earpiece kept playing a voice memo she dispatched to her friend while lodged in her stomach, reports the Mirror US.

She told her 3,200 followers: “So like, I ate my f***ing left AirPod. I was crawling into bed and I had an ibuprofen 800 in one hand and my f***ing AirPod – my left earbud – in the other.”

The Boston-based podcaster revealed that she swallowed what she thought was the tablet with water.

She explained: “I then realised that it wasn’t the ibuprofen,” she said. “I tired puking it and it won’t come out, and I’m f***ing losing my mind.”

The footage amassed more than 2.4 million views on TikTok.

Carli said she felt compelled to share her peculiar tale as she wasn’t the first person this has occurred to.

“So for educational purposes, I wanted to share my journey of how this is all going,” she said. Numerous people sent Carli their best wishes for a speedy recovery, though others made their scepticism abundantly clear. One commented: “How do you mix up ibuprofen and an AirPod?”

Another dismissed her account as attention-seeking, declaring “Sound like c*** to me.” However, some rushed to her defence, with one person pointing out: “In her defence, Ibuprofen 800 are huge so they do sorta resemble an AirPod if you’re distracted.”

In subsequent posts, Carli revealed she could actually hear the AirPod playing her voice message while it remained connected to her iPhone. “It’s comical now, but very scary at the time,” she admitted.

The TikToker confirmed that an X-ray had shown the AirPod had travelled through her digestive system. She explained: “An X-ray showed that I passed it. I had a feeling that I passed it. I did not retrieve it, but I know that it’s passed. I know that it was in my stomach and no longer is.”

Worryingly, Carli isn’t the first person to accidentally consume an AirPod. Back in 2021, a Massachusetts bloke woke up struggling to breathe after swallowing his AirPod while asleep.

Medics carried out an emergency endoscopy, employing a lengthy, slender tube to remove it from his gullet. Brad Gauthier made a complete recovery – though the AirPod didn’t fare so well, according to the Independent.

Last January, a seven year old lad from Georgia was rushed to A&E after swallowing an AirPod he’d been holding in his mouth, and had to wait for it to pass naturally once it reached his tummy. In 2019, a bloke in Taiwan went through a comparable ordeal, though his AirPod astonishingly continued functioning after travelling through his system.

As reported by our sister title the Bury Times, Greater Manchester Police said that at 3pm today (Friday, May 22) police attempted to stop a vehicle on Bury New Road, Whitefield, near J17 for the M60.

The car did not stop and “drove directly” at police as it tried to get away.

A firearms officer then fired a shot at the car and the driver was taken to hospital for an injury to his arm, which has been described as neither life-threatening nor life changing.

No police officers were injured in the incident and investigations are currently ongoing.

A 20-year-old white British man has been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop from our Serious Crime Division said: “We know people in the area will be concerned by what has happened and the visible increase in police officers in the local area as our investigations continue.

“Thankfully no members of the wider public, or officers were harmed in the incident this afternoon and we thank people for their patience while we remain at the scene.

“Should anyone have any concerns, please speak with our officers who are out in the local area, they are there to listen and assist where possible.”

If your relationship with your dad is a tricky one, you’re not alone, new research has revealed.

One in five Brits have admitted they would swap their father given the chance, while one in three pretend they have a better relationship with their parent than they really do.

Many also confessed that they buy Father’s Day cards out of obligation rather than love, according to the survey by online greetings card marketplace thortful.

The research busts the common myth of the perfect dad or hero father, which can leave people agonising over which greetings card to buy.

It also found that one in four would rather celebrate their mum than their dad on Father’s Day.

Thortful has launched a new campaign called “Dad’s not perfect… but” challenging the idea of the “best dad ever” stereotype ahead of the event on June 21.  

The company is offering 50 specially designed cards providing an option for those who do not have the perfect relationship. 

They also reflect that Father’s Day can be shaped by loss, absence, distance or a relationship that simply isn’t straightforward. 

Andy Pearce, founder and CEO of thortful said: ‘Father’s Day can bring up a real mix of emotions. 

‘My own experience of losing my father was one of the catalysts for this campaign, because I know first-hand that the day does not look or feel the same for everyone. 

‘Our research shows that plenty of Brits are navigating relationships with their dads that are more complex than traditional cards tend to allow for, and we wanted to create a range that makes space for that. 

‘These cards are about honesty, humour and genuine relationships, giving people a way to mark Father’s Day in a way that reflects their actual relationship, not the one they feel they are supposed to have.’

Pip Heywood, MD at thortful, added: ‘Our research shows that Father’s Day messaging needs a reality check and at thortful we are championing a new kind of Father’s Day – one that reflects real life, not just clichés. 

‘Ultimately, we want to help people mark Father’s Day in a way that is true to them, without the pressure to pretend their relationship is something it is not.’

Thortful’s alternative Father’s Day card range is available here.  

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