Jak Jones landed the first ranking title of his career at the Championship League and it came at the perfect time after a ‘disaster’ at the Crucible in April.

The Welshman beat Dave Gilbert in the final of the Championship League last month to lift the trophy and secure his first professional title.

The 33-year-old memorably reached the World Championship final in 2024, losing out to Kyren Wilson, but now has entered the winners’ enclosure for the first time since initially turning pro in 2010.

It is ideal timing for Jones, who ended last season with a morale-sapping 10-2 thrashing at the hands of Mark Selby in the first round at the Crucible.

Selby made just three half-centuries in a match which Jones admits went about as badly as it could have done, but he is thrilled to put that out of his mind quickly by winning the first ranking event of the new season.

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‘It couldn’t have gone any worse really. How I played, how I felt at the Crucible,’ Jones told Metro. ‘It was a bit of a disaster really.
It’s good to put that to the back of my mind.

‘I’ve experienced the good side of the Crucible and I’ve definitely experienced the worst now.

‘There’s so many different factors, I suppose. You’re playing a Crucible specialist, one of the best players ever. I didn’t feel too good in myself and then you miss a couple of balls and I think it all just got on top of me in the end. Which can happen to anyone, but it certainly got to me.

‘Then obviously it can knock your confidence quite a bit, when you have such a bad experience, a bad performance on the biggest stage. So to then win the first tournament of the new season I think was really big for me.’

It’s been a long journey to his first title for Jones, but it has only been since his amazing run to the Crucible final two years ago that he has been really itching to get his hands on some silverware.

‘When I was in the World final, I didn’t really think that much about winning a tournament. I wouldn’t say I was desperate to win a tournament,’ he said.

‘But after the last couple of years, you feel like you need to go to the next step in your career. You have to win one, otherwise you just feel like you’re stuck.

‘Since the World Championship last season I’ve thought of it a lot, that I need to win a tournament soon. If I’m going to progress in my career, I do feel like I need to win a tournament soon.

‘So to win the first tournament of the season and get it out of the way was good.’

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Jones has won tournaments before in his junior and amateur days, but thinks the 10-year gap since a European Championship success in 2016 saw him forget what to do after lifting a trophy.

‘I didn’t celebrate,’ he says. ‘Dylan Emery was also in my group and we just drove straight back home.

‘That was it really. No celebration. I think I’ve forgotten how to celebrate!’

Jones does have plenty to celebrate off the table, having moved into a new house in December and now expecting his second child with his wife later this year.

Back in his hometown of Cwmbran after a spell in Cardiff, Jones is pleased to be settled again, although his Russian wife Inna, from the huge city of Samara, is still getting used to it.

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‘Cardiff was a big change for me, but my wife loved it there, we were in the city centre, virtually,’ he said. ‘It was a bit too much for me. She likes Cwmbran, it’s just a lot quieter than what her home city would have been. I think she’s getting used to it, very slowly.’

Next up for Jones, he says: ‘I’m just trying to win another tournament. Now I’ve got one out of the way.

‘It’s so hard now but maybe when I get to the business end of tournaments in future I can be a bit more relaxed than I have been in the past.

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‘I think that psychologically, it’s massive. No matter what tournament it is I’ve won, it’s massive to get it out of the way.

‘I’ve been in the final of the biggest tournament and arguably the smallest one. But the thing that I had in my head before was feeling better in longer formats. I guess that’s out of the window now because it doesn’t get much more shorter format than the Championship League.

‘So to win that one, that’s another psychological obstacle out of the way.’

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David Mitchell’s hit BBC crime drama set in Cambridge is returning for a second series this month

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A much-loved BBC crime comedy-drama is set to return to screens, with viewers soon able to revisit the mystery-filled world of Ludwig.

The series that brought Cambridge to life as the backdrop for its quirky detective stories, has been a huge hit as it was the BBC’s most successful comedy debut in six years when it first premiered almost two years ago.

Starring David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, the second series of Ludwig will arrive on BBC One on 20 August, with all six episodes available to watch on BBC iPlayer from the same day.

The new series once again sees Mitchell take on the dual roles of John “Ludwig” Taylor, a reclusive puzzle creator who writes puzzle books under the name Ludwig

And his identical twin brother James Taylor, a respected detective chief inspector with the Cambridge police force.

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The first series introduced viewers to Cambridge as John stepped into his missing brother’s identity, using his puzzle-solving skills to help investigate crimes while secretly searching for answers about James’ disappearance.

In the second series, John is now an official member of the police station — but his search for the truth becomes more complicated. He is banned from using police resources to investigate his brother’s disappearance or discover what James had been working on before he vanished.

With Cambridge’s historic streets, architecture and atmosphere providing the setting, the series continues to showcase the city as an important part of the story, creating a distinctive backdrop for the fictional police investigations.

David previously opened up about filming in Cambridge, which is where he studied as an undergraduate and met his comedy partner, Robert Webb.

At the time, he said: “I’ve been back a few times but it was nice to be there filming something because when I was [a student] there I desperately wanted to get into acting and comedy as a job, so I thought, ‘Look at me, this is my job!’. So that’s a nice return.

He continued: “But obviously, I think anyone who moves away from where they went to as a young person or as a student will know that when you go back.

“It’s filled with an unbearable poignancy which is part of the message that life conveys relentlessly that you’re going to die one day.”

The star added: “So you look around the place and remember where you had fun, the various rooms where friends of yours lived and they’re not there now.

“And it’s all about the terribly sad passing of time which is one of the things we try and use television to distract people from.”

Ludwig season two will air on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday 20 August, and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from the same date.

The OC fans could finally have their dreams come true after lead star Mischa Barton teased a potential reunion is on the cards.

The 00s icon played beloved character Marissa Cooper on the show for three seasons, with the original series running for a total of four between 2003 and 2007.

The American drama helped launch the careers of several big stars today, including Mischa herself as well as Adam Brody, and supporting stars like Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Shailene Woodley and Amber Heard all before mainstream fame.

Of course, Marissa’s character arc also remains one of the most shocking TV moments in history after she died in a fiery car crash at the end of season three (I would say spoiler warning, but it has been 20 years).

Still, the cast holds a special place in the hearts of the OC fans, especially 40-year-old star Mischa.

Now, she’s renewed hope that the whole gang could be getting back together, as she said in a new interview with RTL when asked about a potential reunion.

The interviewer pointed out that there have been mini-reunions already happening, including Nobody Wants This star Adam joining co-star Ben McKenzie to moderate a Q&A for Ben’s new film, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money.

Mischa herself also added that she joined friends Melinda Clarke and Rachel Bilson on The OC recap podcast, although this was further back in 2023.

The million-dollar question, however, is: will all of the cast come back together to reflect on the iconic legacy of the show any time soon?

‘There might be a reunion coming up; we’ll see,’ she cryptically said. And when pressed as to whether anything was planned, just repeated: ‘We’ll see’.

But the eyes don’t lie, and there was definitely a glint in them that fans could expect more soon. The timing of the revelation is even more apt as the 23rd anniversary of the first season happened just this week.

Naturally, the high likelihood has put loyal viewers into a tailspin.

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‘There so is a reunion you can see by her eyes,’ TikTok user Lils shared.

‘This would literally heal me,’ another fan commented.

‘Wow this is EVERYTHING,’ Brizel declared.

‘PLEASEEEEE I NEED TO SEE KIRSTEN AND RYAN TOGETHER AGAIN,’ letsgoflyairs said on X.

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Although a reunion isn’t a reboot, Mischa has addressed whether she would return to the show before, although some spooky happenings would have to take place to bring her character back from the dead.

In 2023, when promoting her stint on the short-lived Neighbours reboot, she was asked whether she would return in some shape or form.

‘Oh maybe, I mean how that would ever happen like you said. I always think it’s more likely that some weird offshoot could happen… I know it’s been talked about that she might have faked her death, but it’s unlikely,’ she told Access Hollywood.

In 2021, her TV mom, played by Melinda, and co-star Rachel reflected on how shocking Marissa’s death was at the time.

‘It was like a member of our family dying. We’ve talked about all the scenes we had after the fact, and how emotional it really was, because it was pretty surreal,’ Rachel said.

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Melinda added to InStyle: ‘And you have to give it to Mischa. I mean being killed off on a show, it’s hard not to take that personally …

‘That girl acted, she did such an amazing job at her performance in that last episode. I remember acting with her in some of her final scenes, and just really being blown away about how brave and present she was.’

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When you think of advanced futuristic clothing, what comes to mind?

Perhaps shirts that can detect and alert users to low blood glucose levels or socks that can track your running form, step count and speed? What about pyjamas that observe subtle bodily changes while you sleep leading to early detection of cancer or warn carers of imminent seizures? Imagine if all these were items that required no external power source, just the energy generated by your own body.

Although these products are not in the shops yet that day is not far off.

Researchers are already designing advanced textiles that look exactly like regular clothes or fabrics but come with with embedded electronic functions. These are referred to as electronics textiles, e-textiles or smart fabrics.

E-textiles integrate sensing, computation and power into fabrics so that the threads themselves become the sensors and the stitches become the circuits. These textiles can monitor health, temperature, motion and air quality. They can communicate wirelessly and harvest various forms of energy.

University and industry prototypes are currently progressing through clinical trials and are being tested outside labs. The global market for e-textiles is projected to reach over US$15 billion (£11.14 billion) by 2028.

Developments in e-textiles will revolutionise the way humanity views clothing; but at what cost?

A new type of waste

Electronic waste is the fastest growing EU waste stream with a record 62 million tonnes discarded in 2022.

Another 92 million tonnes of waste is generated globally from textiles; a figure expected to reach 134 million by 2030. Textiles alone account for 6.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions with the average European discarding a staggering 11kg of textiles per year.

Electronic textiles will bring a new kind of hybrid waste. E‑textiles commonly use mixed polymers, metal nanoparticle inks, and include components that create fire hazards within conventional textile recycling.

They can release toxic residues if incinerated or landfilled. This results in hazardous and precious materials becoming trapped within garments, leading not only to environmental and health problems, but to a loss of vital resources such as graphene and rare-earth elements. Silver, for instance, is used in conductive yarns, antimicrobial coatings, sensors and electrodes. We need to work out how to recover it because it is valuable as well as toxic to aquatic life in some forms.

So, it’s currently very difficult to recover the valuable materials used in smart clothing, after the shirt or socks are discarded.

At the current rate of e-textile growth, current disposal methods will need to change to cope with these new materials; particularly in the areas of reusability and recyclability.

The EU’s sustainable and circular textiles strategy is part of the EU’s plan to become the first climate-neutral continent. Regulators are now demanding clearer rules on recyclability, chemical safety and product lifespans, and starting to ask how e‑textiles will meet these requirements.

Industry practice is catching up more widely, and placing more responsibility on clothing producers. Digital product passports (these carry information about the materials and their environmental impact) and new recycling technologies are scaling up. These shifts mean manufacturers could face legal and commercial risk if they don’t consider the long-term impact of these products.

Preventing more waste

The good news is that sustainable e‑textiles are an engineering problem with practical solutions. Key measures that industry and funders could adopt now include:

1. design for disassembly. Removable electronic parts help separate electronics from textiles for recycling

2. material passports and transparency. Digital records of various components (such as polymers, inks and batteries) that enable safe sorting and recovery

3. biodegradable and recyclable conductors. Prioritising conductors free from precious metals and using alternatives such as screen printable carbon paste and recyclable conductive inks and yarns

4. energy-first design. Integrating textile energy harvesting (for instance, solar, thermoelectric, piezo/triboelectric nanogenerators) to reduce or eliminate batteries. Some garments embed antennas and wireless power receivers to avoid bulky batteries

5. standards for washability, durability and end-of-life testing. To ensure products survive real-world use and can be repaired rather than discarded.

None of these are optional extras: they determine whether e‑textiles become a public good or a new environmental liability. University research groups and industry consortia are starting to demonstrate printable, stretchable components and trial wireless power that reduce battery dependence, for instance. Printable, stretchable components are flexible electronic parts printed onto fabric that keep working as the textile bends and stretches. They make smart clothing comfortable, lightweight, washable and able to move naturally with the body.

Unless policymakers and industry players adopt sustainable design now, e-textiles could add a dangerous new layer to our global electronic waste mountain.

Governments need to set clear rules on recyclability and chemical safety for e‑textiles. University researchers must find methods to make e-textiles functional, affordable, sustainable and safe. Brands must publish material details and repair guides and ensure sustainable practices are being adhered to throughout their supply chain.

Investors should not fund throwaway novelty. Standards bodies must define test methods for washing, wear and end‑of‑life recovery.

These steps will steer the market toward durable, repairable and recyclable products that could change lives for the better.

Corrie’s Peter Barlow actor has been seen reuniting with some of his former co-stars from the ITV soap

Coronation Street legend Chris Gascoyne has been seen reuniting with some of his former co-stars, which comes days after he unveiled his TV return.

The actor is famed for playing Peter Barlow in the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford, on and off, for 23 years, before he bowed out of the role in December 2023.

His final scenes saw his character, Peter, leave Weatherfield following his involvement in the death of serial killer Stephen Reid, leading to a break-up with his on-screen partner, Carla Connor.

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Chris confirmed his departure in July 2023 to pursue other projects and spend more time with his family, though the soap has suggested the door is open for his potential return.

And while he’s since been seen on the small screen in the likes of All Creatures Great and Small for its sixth series last year, Chris has taken to social media to tease that he is preparing to return to TV in another new role.

Following the news, Chris has been seen reuniting with his former co-stars, Simon Gregson and Angela Lonsdale, with the latter sharing a string of photos from their time together on Instagram.

Corrie fans will recall that Angela found fame as cobbles policewoman, and Curly Watts’ second wife, Emma Taylor, who met Curly when she arrived to investigate crimes in the area, from 2000 to 2003.

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They married on Christmas Eve 2000, and Emma gave birth to their son Ben on Boxing Day 2001. In 2003, the couple put number 7 Coronation Street on the market and moved to Newcastle. But when Curly made a comeback for the 2010 spin-off DVD movie A Knight’s Tale, he revealed that his marriage to Emma had since ended.

Meanwhile, Simon is famed for playing Steve McDonald in Corrie, with his first appearance in Weatherfield siring on December 6, 1989, when he was just 15-years-old.

Sharing pictures of the trio’s outing, which included a dog walk and a visit to a country pub, Angela wrote on Instagram: “Just three old bezzies in pursuit of Big Foot [crying laughing emojis] and belly laughs @fat_dracula @chrisgascoyneofficial! The latter we achieved in abundance… as for Big Foot to be continued!! Special guest appearance by Oscar.”

Corrie’s Tracy Barlow actress, Kate Ford, was among those responding to the post, writing: “Awww love this,” while another former Weatherfield favourite, Ryan Thomas, replied: “Beautiful scenes [heart emojis].”

The timing of the series feels right: part-Euphoria in its sex and drugs teen milieu (though weirdly chaste, in Murphy’s usual fashion), part-Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, with Manson references, and part-Heated Rivalry with its bland magazine eroticism. In fact, Murphy, forever style over content, is perfectly suited to this material: this is a watchable, dreamily shallow series about watchable, dreamily shallow kids, made by a watchable, dreamily shallow creator, which occasionally delivers on the horror. Suspense though? Sadly not, and that’s the real measure of excellence.

The first reviews for One Night Only, a bizarre new romcom starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, are out – and the film has already proved fiercely divisive.

Directed by Easy A filmmaker Will Gluck, the film is set in a world in which the US has outlawed premarital sex for 364 days a year – leaving singletons just 12 hours annually to hook up.

It has been widely compared to the horror franchise The Purge, in which violent crimes are legalised for one day per year. Turner comes to the role amid talk that he’s leading the pack to become the next James Bond; Barbaro is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Joan Baez in the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Reviews, however, have been polarised, with some critics describing the message of the film as being “strangely conservative” and even “fascist”.

Awarding the film zero stars in a review for RogerEbert.com, Marya E Gates describes One Night Only as a “putrid, regressive film that thinks justifying embracing fascism is okay if it’s in the name of love”.

“If this is what it takes to get a romcom greenlit these days, maybe we should just let them die. Death with dignity is surely a better fate for the genre than fascist capitulation,” they add.

In The Guardian, critic Benjamin Lee wrote that the film’s premise ought to be “the set-up for a grim Handmaid’s Tale-adjacent horror of a totalitarian state insisting extreme control over the body, but instead it’s used as the backdrop for a sunny meet-cute, screams of protest drowned out by a zippy Top 40 soundtrack”.

“If it sounds like far too much for a breezy summer romp to take on, then that’s because it most definitely is, an overstuffed yet undercooked soufflé that can’t quite, ahem, rise to the occasion…”

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Elsewhere, others have been kinder to the film, with several outlets singling out the chemistry between the two leads for particular praise.

“In Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, [the film’s] got two attractive, pleasingly grown-up leads whom you wouldn’t mind seeing get together; it’s set in New York City at its most invitingly balmy; it even has the odd one-liner that nets an actual laugh,” writes Variety’s Guy Lodge.

However, he adds, “it’s also saddled with a high concept so high as to neutralise all those considerable pluses, for once it’s introduced, not for a moment can you think about anything else.”

The dark and implausible fantasy at the heart of One Night Only’s premise has proved a major talking point (and source of mockery) ahead of the film’s release. The logistical challenges of enforcing a near-total “casual sex ban” have prompted rafts of questions from people who haven’t yet seen the film – and some who have.

In an interview that was widely shared on social media, Polygon’s Jake Kleinman sat down with Gluck to ask him detailed questions on the practicalities of the in-universe sex ban.

Explaining that the law was imposed following an act of congress (legislative, not sexual), the director speculates that the vote was “extremely close… I think it was about 50.01 to 49.9.”

Asked why people don’t just get married on a short-term whim in order to have sex, Gluck states that there is “signage” in the movie clarifying that newlyweds must wait one year and a day before getting divorced.

When it comes to the punishment US citizens face should they break the law, Gluck said: “My guess is, if you do it many times, there’s probably fines involved, and then if you ultimately continue to do it, there’s probably some sort of jail sentence, I guess.

“We didn’t wanna get that far into it.”

Gluck’s previous film was 2023’s Anyone But You, a more traditional romcom starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. Despite tepid reviews, that film became a huge box office success, making $220m from a budget of just $25m.

Publicity for One Night Only has been goosed by Turner’s prominence in the 007 rumour mill – but whether it can replicate Anyone But You’s success remains to be seen.

One Night Only is out in cinemas from 28 August.

Former Corrie costars Rob Mallard and Katie McGlynn have been reunited away from the ITV soap

A beloved Coronation Street couple have been seen reuniting in real life, seven years after they were involved in some of the Salford-filmed show’s most heartbreaking scenes.

Rob Mallard, from Oldham, and Rochald-born Katie McGlynn won high praise for their roles as newlyweds and new parents Daniel and Sinead Osbourne, who were torn apart by Sinead’s cervical cancer diagnosis, which she only discovered once falling pregnant with the couple’s son, Bertie.

Bertie was born on-screen back in January 2019, as he was induced at six months in order to allow Sinead to be treated with radiotherapy as soon as possible.

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Later, Sinead discovered her cancer had returned and set about hosting an early first birthday party for Bertie so that she could be around for the milestone. However, the event was ruined when Sinead received news that her cancer hadn’t responded to chemotherapy and she only had weeks left to live.

Fans of the ITV soap will then recall that in heartbreaking scenes, just weeks after they said ‘I do,’ Sinead died at the home they shared with their baby boy Bertie in October 2019.

Almost seven years after their on-screen relationship was devastatingly pulled apart, Katie and Rob, who have remained friends beyond the cobbles, have been seen reuniting.

Taking to Instagram, Katie shared a few selfies of the pair. In one, the soap stars could be seen beaming for the camera, while in another, Rob could be seen planting a kiss on Katie’s head. “Sinead and Daniel reunited… I’ve missed my onscreen hubby,” Katie gushed in the caption of the post.

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She added: “So good to finally catch up @rob.mallard #reunion #corrie #backtogether #twopeasinapod.” And fans were quick to respond.

@katiesgalaxyxox said: “Ayyyy I’ve missed this duo.” @lauraaa_diva commented: “Omg I ADORE this!!!” @john_daniel_jewellery replied: “Aww lovely pic! Miss you two in Corrie.” @simy_jc posted: “The reunion we never thought we needed.”

@amber.louise.moran shared: “Omg this is so cute I love it. Sinead and Daniel forever!” @norwichnerd wrote: “Oh my gosh, it’s wonderful to see you both together again.” @marsymur typed: “Aaaaww love this.” @cormachanleyking added: “Forever my fav corrie couple of all time.”

Ryan Dinnage, 32, was sentenced to eight years and six months after phone evidence placed him at the scene of the attack

A man who crept into a caravan and raped a sleeping woman has been locked up. Ryan Dinnage, 32, from Caithness Walk in Croydon, received an eight-year and six-month prison sentence at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (July 30).

Dinnage, who carried out the assault after the Royal Windsor Horse Show, was convicted of one count of rape following a unanimous jury decision on June 8 at the same court. He was cleared of one count of sexual assault and one count of causing a female to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

In the early morning of May 16, 2022, while the victim slept in her caravan, Dinnage gained entry and raped her. Police were notified of the crime later that same day, and Dinnage was taken into custody on May 17, 2022.

When questioned by officers, Dinnage at first rejected any suggestion of sexual contact with the victim. Yet forensic findings connected him to the crime, prompting him to alter his version of events by insisting any sexual encounter had been consensual.

Detectives also discovered digital material from Dinnage’s mobile device, which undermined his statement and confirmed his presence near the victim’s caravan when the offence occurred. Dinnage was formally charged via postal requisition on March 6, 2025.

Detective Constable Arshid Ali, the investigating officer, commented: “I am pleased with the sentence handed down, which reflects the seriousness of this offence. Thames Valley Police takes all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, and we remain committed to investigating these offences thoroughly and bringing those responsible to justice.

“This has been a long and difficult process for the victim, spanning more than four years. I hope that the sentence handed down provides her with a sense of closure and allows her to begin moving forward with her life.

“I would like to thank her for the courage and strength she has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings.”

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