‘No, thank you for talking to me,’ says a beaming Phil Ellis. 

It’s impossible not to match Phil’s bounce in our interview, with his contagious grins and chortles. This energy – not to mention his natural funny bones – is what’s sailed him through 20 years of being the ultimate comedian’s comedian. 

He’s won the awards, critical acclaim, and a stellar reputation as one of the nicest guys in comedy. It was only last year, backstage at a particularly laborious gig, that he got a call which changed his career forever. 

Phil, 44, was gigging at a festival, where the audience was just a 10th of a 2000-person space. Ouch. Backstage, a fellow comedian asked him why he’s never been on Taskmaster. 

‘I said, “Well there’s so many comedians, it’s a big queue isn’t it? They’re not going to get me on, no one knows who I am,”’ he remembers. 

‘I went out to the tent, and there were 12 audience members. I was hosting it, so I was trying to get an atmosphere going. I asked the audience if they wanted to move forward, because they were all at the back. They went, “No, we’re alright,”’ Phil laughs. ‘There was a gap of like a mile.’ 

In his break from hosting, Phil pondered that after 20 years, he thought he might have moved past these experiences by now. Then his agent rang.

‘It was an invitation for Taskmaster,’ he says. ‘I couldn’t believe it, and you couldn’t tell anyone, so I just had to go back out and carry on. I couldn’t even tell the person who asked earlier why I wasn’t on it.’ 

Phil’s work and life changed in a few salient ways after his appearance in series 20 in September last year alongside SNL’s Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam, Reece Shearsmith, and Sanjeev Bhaskar. 

‘Firstly, the gigs I get now, I’m not worried about what I’m turning up to. They are so well run and wonderful. It opened the door to those. But the main thing is I’ve always loved my shows, and been really proud of them, and I’ve just always wanted to show them to more people.’ 

Pre-Taskmaster, Phil would take a show to the Edinburgh Fringe, and successfully so: he’d always have bums on seats unless it was a bad show. (I’m told not to look into 2017). 

But his shows’ lives would begin and end in Edinburgh. ‘I couldn’t tour it because I didn’t have an audience to tour it to,’ Phil says. 

Fast forward 12 years from when Phil’s Fun and Gamez won the Edinburgh Comedy Awards’ Panel Prize in 2014, his current show Bath Mat is the subject of his first full national stand-up tour. Many dates in his run are already sold out. 

‘I can actually go out and perform to like 500 people a night in some venues, which I’d never have dreamed of before, and they’re all for you, which I find insane,’ Phil says, having become used to rocking up in random towns to perform poorly paid gigs.  

He continues: ‘It’s nice to be the comedians’ comedian. But you do also need to live.’ 

Being recognised is a lovely adjustment, too, which Phil keeps on forgetting is his reality. He’s had a few memorable moments with fans over the last few months. 

One time, Phil was going to the toilet on a train when a young girl asked, “Are you Phil Ellis?” He said, “Yes, I am”. 

‘Then the lady came out of the toilet after me and just went, “He won’t flush that one,”’ the comedian says, laughing at the memory. 

But it’s not all just funny. Phil finds the newfound fan interactions touching, too. 

‘Once you pay for your tickets and your travel, maybe babysitters and a meal, I just want to make sure [my audiences] have the best night possible,’ Phil says. ‘Then they want to spend an hour afterwards doing autographs and things. It’s just amazing. I never thought it’d be like this. It’s moving.’  

Another Taskmaster plus was that Phil was gifted a hair transplant in January after talking in a podcast about seeing a bird’s-eye-view of his not-so-luscious locks on the Channel 4 show.  

‘I’d never been that insecure about my hair, to be honest,’ Phil laughs. ‘It’s been thinning for so long, it was so gradual. I was quite lucky really, it suited me, a receding hairline. But it took 20 years, and then I went, “Right, I’m definitely going now mate.”’ 

Phil had to choose where he wanted his hairline to start. Naturally, he brought in a photo of Jude Law, and said he liked his hairline receding, akin to the Hollywood heartthrob. It became apparent that such a hairline might not have the same effect on Phil, so he compromised with the kindly doctor. 

‘This is a very different man,’ Phil laughs. He gestures to his head. ‘It’s so weird because if I showed you a picture of my hair six months ago, this is insane, like so much thicker.’ 

While there’s still ‘a lot of work’ to do on Phil’s mop, the change has given him ‘a bit more confidence’. 

‘I’d made peace with it, but even now I look at it and go, “This is so much nicer,”’ he says. ‘I never want to encourage anyone to feel the need to do it, because I like people to feel comfortable how they are anyway. But equally, you should never be discouraged to do something that might make you feel better.’ 

He’s done Taskmaster. He’s had a hair transplant. What’s next for Phil Ellis? Will he strive for further TV appearances, or take a step back, as Phil puts it, like Homer Simpson into a bush? 

‘I only got into stand-up because I wanted to write a sitcom, so I’d like to do that,’ Phil says. 

Fans will be glad to hear he shall not be backing into the bush any time soon. 

‘It’s nice to say you’re the guy on the edge of a comedy,’ he says. ‘But it’s also quite nice to be in the tent with everyone else, and not looking in going, “Hey, what’s it like in here, guys? You got free drinks?”’ 

Phil Ellis: Bath Mat is showing throughout August at the Edinburgh Fringe at the Monkey Barrel venue at 1.55pm, and in Pleasance Courtyard on selected dates at 9.30pm. Get tickets here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/phil-ellis-bath-mat 

He is touring the show throughout the rest of 2026 into 2027. Get tickets here: https://www.philelliscomedy.com/ 

The opening statements have begun in the trial of Duane Davis, who is accused of being instrumental in the murder of Tupac Shakur.

The rapper was killed in a drive-by shooting in a now-infamous moment in rap history but no arrests were made until 2023.

On September 7, 1996, Tupac and Marion ‘Suge’ Knight were shot while waiting at a red light; driver Knight survived but Tupac died after a bullet entered his lung.

Davis, 63, is on trial in Las Vegas for murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has denied the allegations.

In the opening statements, prosecutor Binu Palal claimed the alleged former gang boss had been the ‘on-site commander’ and handed the gun to his nephew Orlando Anderson to shoot Tupac.

Palal then claimed that in a secret interview with federal agents, Davis ‘admits to his role in the shooting’, after denying it to the FBI.

He explained that a federal taskforce had been set up to investigate the murder of Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious B.I.G, six months after Tupac’s death.

According to the prosecution, Davis claimed to have no information on Biggie but said he could ‘tell you about Tupac’.

‘He tells a federal taskforce about his involvement which you’ve heard is orchestration of the murder of Tupac Shakur,’ Palal stated.

Jurors were shown diagrams of alleged gang links, CCTV footage of the MGM Grand fight — in which Tupac and his entourage attacked Davis’s nephew— and a sketch of the white Cadillac and its four occupants.

The court heard how in 2017, Davis ‘went public’, showing a recording of an interview in which he claims the former gang boss admits to being in the white Cadillac and being part of the murder.

Davis published a book, Compton Street Legend, in 2019, in which the prosecution says he was ‘angry’ about the beating of his nephew.

Defence attorney Michael Sanft argued that police work on the case had been ‘biased, sloppy and incomplete’.

MORE: ‘Astonishing’ Hayden Panettiere remembered by co-stars after her death aged 36

MORE: Hayden Panettiere was a millennial hero with so much promise

MORE: Hayden Panettiere autopsy confirms ‘no signs of trauma’ after suspected cardiac arrest

Narcan was found in the apartment where Hayden Panettiere died, it was reported, after the Heroes actress suffered an apparent overdose at the age of just 36.

The nasal spray, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in a loft apartment Panettiere was staying in when she died Sunday, TMZ reported.

It is still unclear if that Narcan had been used to try and revive Panettiere, although 911 audio obtained earlier on Monday revealed that the actress had gone into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose. 

On Monday, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that Panettiere’s autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body. 

Further investigations will now take place to establish her cause of death, with Chief Deputy Coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory. 

Meanwhile, a neighbor has spoken of the chaos that unfolded at the scene Sunday after Panettiere was found unresponsive and efforts to revive her proved unsuccessful.  

Micah Lee, who lives in the Judson Mill Lofts complex where Panettiere died, claimed there was a ‘bunch of commotion in the hallway’ after the star allegedly ‘collapsed’ in a unit in the building.

‘The halls are pretty hollow, so noise echoes throughout. And I had just heard about someone collapsing,’ Lee told WYFF. ‘And then afterwards there was talk about cardiac arrest. I can’t confirm any of that. That’s just what I’ve heard.’ 

In an audio of a 911 call made at 1.51pm Sunday, a female dispatcher described the actress as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’

A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home.

The actress – who was due to turn 37 this Friday – was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.32pm, just over 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has completed the star’s autopsy, with the coroner telling the Daily Mail that ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.’

The cause and exact manner of her death remain under investigation. 

The actress was found dead at the Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday

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Panettiere died at Judson Mill Lofts, an apartment block in Greenville, South Carolina

Police and the medical examiner are investigating her death, but say the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Panettiere was found ‘unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying,’ the coroner said in a statement.

Investigators will carry out additional studies as they continue to work the case, the coroner’s statement said.

Micah Lee, who reportedly lives in the complex, claimed there was a ‘bunch of commotion in the hallway’ after the star allegedly ‘collapsed’ in a unit in the building

Panettiere and her on-off real estate agent boyfriend Brian Hickerson were said to have flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina one day before she died. 

Hickerson is originally from Greenville, public records show. It is unclear if the couple were in town to visit his family.

Panettiere’s Nashville co-star Charles Esten also performed at The Foundry, a music venue inside the complex, on Friday night as part of his Carolina Tour. 

Judson Mill Lofts is a former textile mill dating back to 1912, which was recently converted into apartments. These include studios and three-bedroom homes that can be rented from $1,295 to $3,485 a month. 

Earlier, a representative for Panettiere confirmed her death, saying her family would remember her as an ‘incredible light’ who brought ‘immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her’.

A statement from her father, Skip, read: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.’

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they ‘take time to process this unimaginable loss’.

Panettiere with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson in Los Angeles in 2018. The couple had reportedly travelled to Greenville, where Hickerson is from, together

The actress had a history of suffering from drug addiction, beginning when she was just 15 years old. At the time, she claimed she started taking ‘happy pills’ in an effort to make her seem more ‘peppy’ during interviews.

Her addiction worsened while she was battling postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014. 

But Panettiere has been sober in recent years, she said in a 2022 interview, noting that ‘it’s an everyday battle.’

‘It’s an everyday choice, and I’m checking in with myself all the time,’ Panettiere told People at the time. ‘But I’m just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.’

Panettiere has also told how she nearly died during childbirth, and later gave full custody of Kaya to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

Kaya, now 11, lives in Europe with her father. 

Speaking of the decision, Panettiere said she ‘desperately’ needed help at the time and insisted that Kaya does not feel ‘abandoned’ while appearing in a recent episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.

‘The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking. Couldn’t be further from the truth,’ the actress said.

‘I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and postpartum and having to act my way through it, and just feeling like I completely lost myself,’ she added. 

Panettiere leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter with ex, Wladimir Klitschko

Hayden Panettiere has tragically died at the age of 36. Her cause of death was not immediately clear. The Hollywood star is pictured here at the Emmy Awards in 2012

The actress shared how she struggled with the decision to give Klitschko full custody.

‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make,’ she said.

‘I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be.’

After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, Panettiere recalled hemorrhaging before she underwent seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair vessels that had begun to fail.

She said, ‘I closed my eyes and just prayed for my daughter to be OK. I truly was ready to go if it was my time. Kaya being safe and healthy was all that mattered.’

However, days later, she recalled feeling ‘nothing’ when looking at her daughter and developed postnatal depression. The actress then turned to drinking.

She said. ‘I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day.’

Although she underwent treatment, Panettiere felt the ‘root cause’ of her drinking, the depression, was not addressed.

‘I wish more people had known what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long to get help,’ she said. 

Panettiere is remembered for her role as Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes

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She played Juliette Barnes on the ABC show Nashville, releasing a number of her own songs

Six years on from giving up custody, Panettiere spoke about her current relationship with her daughter. 

She said: ‘I love my daughter, and I’m so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She’s like a mini-me.’

The actress went on to say she had ‘been able to put her first no matter how I’ve felt or what I’ve experienced’ and that she hoped that one day Kaya would ‘understand my story and why I wasn’t able to be with her all the time’.

She then called herself ‘resilient’ and a ‘work in progress’, but that she was ‘doing the work…and doing my best’.

In May, Panettiere released her memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she also detailed being separated from her only child.

‘Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion – including sadness, resentment, and anger – I’ve felt because of it,’ she wrote.

‘I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom.

‘She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me.’

Cannibalism is one of the biggest taboos throughout history. The idea of eating one of your own species tends to fill people with disgust and horror.

Yet, cannibalism has happened for many reasons, including warfare and religious rituals. Reports of cannibalism are particularly prevalent in times of scarcity, such as Jamestown in Virginia in the 17th century, where remains of at least one person who may have been butchered have been identified.

Looking at stories about cannibalism during famines can tell us about how people retell stories over the centuries and what people thought their fellow man was capable of.

The most famous Scottish cannibal was Sawney Bean, purportedly a 16th-century man who, with his wife and children, killed travellers and ate them on the Ayrshire coast. It was only after one traveller escaped and raised the alarm that the king sent an army to arrest and execute them.

The only problem with this story is that Sawney Bean is first mentioned in English stories from the 18th century. Despite the purported thousands who were eaten over many decades, no source mentions an epidemic of missing persons. The word “Sawney” was a derogatory term for a Scot at that time and the whole tale may have been an invention.

The tale of Christie Cleek

Centuries earlier, Scottish chroniclers speak of another cannibal from Scotland – Christie Cleek from Perth. In 1339, Cleek was said to have set up traps to capture women and children, whom he subsequently killed and ate.

We know very little about Cleek. No reference to him survives from the years he was supposedly active. The name “Cleek” comes from an old Scots word for a metal hook which some stories suggest he used to drag his victims off of their horses.

The first reference we have to Cleek is decades later by the early 15th-century chronicler Andrew of Wyntoun. In this tale, Cleek was a low-born rustic who captured “children and women” and “ate them up”. We know of at least one chronicle that existed around the time of Cleek’s actions which is now lost and may well have recorded the original tale.

As time went on, further details were added to the legend. A few decades later, another chronicler, Walter Bower, spoke about how Cleek was joined in his actions by his “fierce woman”, though there is no hint if they were married. It was also said that Cleek and his partner were eventually arrested, given over to the local justices and “put to an ignominious death”.

Over the centuries, more details were added to the legend. Cleek gained an occupation: he was apparently a butcher rather than a low-level rustic. There is some logic to this since he may have had the relevant knives to carve up his victims. Yet, the earliest sources make no mention of an occupation, so any reference to him as a butcher is an educated guess. His elevation up the social scale is seen in a 19th-century tale which said he was a married and prosperous merchant from Dumfries and that for a century merely mentioning his name “was sufficient to silence noisy children”.

In the 19th century, Cleek’s story was sanitised. Wilson’s Book of Border Tales speaks about how Cleek had become the leader of a group of hunters who, during a famine, had either killed all of the nearby animals or had caused them to flee. They resorted to cannibalism after being driven to eat one woman who starved to death, and then another woman after drawing lots. After that they started to hunt humans. This led to their eventual arrest when a government force was sent to arrest them, which is reminiscent of the arrest of the legendary figure Sawney Bean. The tale is one of people driven to desperation.

Cleek’s tale has been embellished and changed over the centuries. This is pretty normal since stories are always tweaked or reinterpreted by new generations. But did he actually exist? In truth, it is impossible to say – there is very little evidence of the man or his actions that can be verified.

An interesting point about the story is that Cleek apparently started this during a time of famine in the later 1330s. The medieval chroniclers say that many Scots were driven to eating unnatural things like dogs and grass. Such tales, including those of cannibalism, were common across medieval Europe, though with all of them it is difficult to assess whether or not they were true. Times were no doubt hard and the possibility of people being driven to cannibalism is possible.

Tales of cannibalism have always grabbed people’s attention. The famine conditions in Scotland in the later 1330s no doubt trigger survival instincts that drove people to eat things they would normally find repulsive.

We can never know if Cleek was real or not. What we do know is that people believed hunger and famine could drive people to committing one of the ultimate taboos.

QUSRA, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian American whose home in the occupied West Bank has been besieged by Israeli settlers for over a week traveled to his property on Monday to join other family members who have been defending it.

The standoff, in the village of Qusra, has seen groups of settlers surround several Palestinian houses and prevent residents from leaving. The United States has condemned the siege and the Israeli military has deployed troops it says are there to maintain order.

The siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers comes as violence in the West Bank has soared in recent months. The settlers, emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, have ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, harassing residents and setting homes, mosques and fields ablaze.

As Loui Ridi, an Ohio-based owner of one of the houses, landed in Israel, settlers were still roaming near Qusra, according to video footage taken by his brother. It showed them driving ATVs and speaking to soldiers.

“I’m terrified for my brother and his son and their safety,” Ridi told reporters at Israel’s main international airport. “And now I’m going to have to fear for my own safety.”

Ridi arrived in Qusra late Monday night.

As he waited for Israel’s military to escort him to his home on the village’s outskirts, Ridi said little had changed since early last week, when the siege began. His brother’s footage still showed the soldiers interacting amicably with settlers in Qusra rather than arresting them.

When Ridi finally reached his home, he was greeted by his brother and teenage nephew, who have stayed inside to protect the property from the settlers. He exited his car carrying an American flag while settlers were still visible from the home’s security cameras.

The village is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Nablus. Israel declared the neighborhood where Ridi’s home is located a closed military zone last week.

According to Palestinian health officials, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 87 Palestinians so far this year. Palestinians have killed three Israelis, including two who were killed in the West Bank village of Tell last month.

__ Metz reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Continuous glucose monitors have transformed life for many people with type 1 diabetes. Instead of relying on finger-prick blood tests throughout the day, users can track their blood sugar levels almost continuously. This allows them to receive alerts via a smartphone when levels become too high or too low and spot patterns that help them better manage their condition.

But the latest research from my colleagues and I has uncovered a little-known blind spot. During the most extreme high and low blood sugar episodes, these devices cannot tell users exactly how severe those events are. While this limitation doesn’t affect the standard measures doctors use to assess diabetes management, it does mean that some important information is lost when blood sugar moves beyond the monitor’s measurement range.

Continuous glucose monitors are small sensors, usually worn on the upper arm, that measure glucose levels every few minutes and send the results to a smartphone app. They have revolutionised diabetes care over the past decade by giving people a much clearer picture of how their blood sugar responds to meals, exercise, sleep and insulin.

Like every scientific instrument, however, they have limits. They can only measure blood sugar within a fixed range. If blood sugar rises or falls beyond that range, the sensor can tell you that levels are extremely high or extremely low, but it can no longer say exactly how high or how low they are.

A useful comparison is a kitchen thermometer that only measures up to 100°C. Once the temperature exceeds that point, the thermometer can tell you it is at least 100°C, but not whether it is 120°C or 180°C. Continuous glucose monitors work in much the same way when glucose moves beyond their measurement range.

What we found

To find out how often this actually happens, we analysed nearly 47 million publicly available continuous glucose monitor readings from 948 people with type 1 diabetes across four large international clinical trials.

Between 93.5% and 100% of participants across the four studies experienced at least one reading that reached the upper or lower measurement limit. In other words, this is something that affects almost everyone with type 1 diabetes who uses these devices over a period of time.

The pattern was particularly striking for high glucose levels. In three of the four studies, more than one-third of these episodes remained at the upper measurement limit for at least an hour. The longest episode for a typical participant lasted between two and three hours. Throughout these periods, the monitor could confirm that blood sugar was extremely high, but it couldn’t distinguish between levels just above its limit and those that were substantially higher.

The pattern wasn’t evenly distributed either. Younger people experienced upper-limit readings more frequently than older adults. This reflects what we already know about the challenges of managing blood sugar during adolescence.

We also found that people with higher HbA1c levels (a blood test that reflects average blood sugar over the previous two to three months) were much more likely to reach the monitor’s measurement limits. In simple terms, those who already struggle most to manage their diabetes are also the people most likely to encounter this hidden limitation.

À lire aussi :
How mouth health affects diabetes – and vice versa

Reassuringly, this limitation doesn’t appear to undermine the figures that doctors rely on in everyday diabetes care. We compared continuous glucose monitor readings with simultaneous finger-prick blood glucose measurements.

We found that even when sensors regularly reached their measurement limits, the standard summary measures used in clinical practice remained remarkably robust. Metrics such as average glucose levels, glucose variability and time in range (the proportion of the day spent within the target glucose range) were largely unaffected.

That is probably because, even among participants with relatively frequent glucose readings that meet or exceed measurement limits, most readings still fell comfortably within the sensor’s measurable range. So, the main consequence is not inaccurate summary statistics, but a loss of detail during the most extreme glucose events. We know glucose is very high or very low, but we cannot tell exactly how high or how low.

What should change?

Current smartphone apps and web-based software summarise glucose data in many different ways. But they never explicitly state that a sensor has reached its measurement limits, how often this happened or how long it lasted.

Adding that information would need only a relatively small change to existing software. But that could help doctors and researchers identify the people for whom this blind spot is most relevant and interpret glucose data with greater confidence.

Continuous glucose monitors remain one of the most important advances in diabetes care. Our findings shouldn’t discourage anyone from using them. Every scientific instrument has a measurement range. Understanding those limits helps us make better use of the information it provides. Recognising when a glucose sensor has reached the edge of what it can reliably measure is another step towards making an already transformative technology even more useful.

Lanchester Show was last held in 2019 before being cancelled during the pandemic and remaining on hiatus.

Organisers Durham Promotion NE, who took over the event, said the day “went very well.”

Ken Besford, owner and founder of Durham Promotion, said: “We basically put the show back together in 12 weeks, so we’ve had a very short period of time to work on things.

“We’re really looking forward to doing it next year, especially now we have a full calendar year to plan the event.

“A lot of people were really positive and encouraging.

“We had a lot of good feedback from sellers as well.”

Check out the pictures below:

(Image: CHRIS BOOTH)

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Lanchester Show takes place on the outskirts of the village. (Image: CHRIS BOOTH)

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Line dancing at the Lanchester show. (Image: CHRIS BOOTH)

Features of the show included cattle, sheep, horse trials, fur and feather, a food hall and farmers’ market.

There was also vintage cars, tractors and motorbikes and live music.

The 2026 edition took place on Saturday and Sunday (August 15 and 16), at the Lanchester Show Ground.

Nigel Farage’s number two, Richard Tice, was blasted after claiming Brits should celebrate soaring temperatures as they make sparkling wine better – despite hundreds of people dying and homes being burned in wildfires

Nigel Farage’s number two has been blasted after dismissing the misery caused by the heatwave – which claimed hundreds of lives – and said Brits should enjoy sparkling wine instead.

Richard Tice’s remarks were branded an insult to those affected after he hit out at the “doom and gloom” around climate change and urged people to celebrate soaring temperatures instead. Huge wildfires have raged in recent days, with people forced from their homes in worst-affected areas including Stourbridge.

And the Met Office estimates 2,700 people died from heat-related causes in the May and June heatwaves alone – with 42% of these fatalities a result of “human-induced warming”.

Reform UK deputy leader Mr Tice sparked anger after telling a press conference in Westminster: “Climate change has always happened, it always will. Maybe the smarter thing to do is to adapt to it, (rather) than think arrogantly you can stop it.

“I’m old enough to remember 1976 – this feels a bit the same. That was 50 years ago. I think when it’s a bit warm, let’s enjoy it. And if it means that English wine and sparkling wine gets better and better, fantastic.

“That means we can take on the French, fantastic. Let’s celebrate some of these things rather than just be sort of doom and gloom about it.”

The comments provoked a furious response from environmental groups. Danny Gross, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “If Richard Tice wants to live in a world of make believe, that’s his call. But telling people to enjoy the heat after the scenes we’ve seen in the last week… how out of touch do you need to be?

“Homes burnt to a cinder and the military drafted in after wildfires raged uncontrollably. Farmers at their wits end because weeks without rain have made for yet another brutal harvest.

“And the more than 1,000 lives needlessly lost during this summer’s heatwaves thanks to global heating. It’s an insult – particularly to their loved ones – to suggest the weather extremes we’re seeing are cause for celebration.”

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He pointed to Friends of the Earth polling which found 87% of people think the UK is unprepared for extreme weather events like heat and drought. This includes 81% of Reform UK supporters.

Mr Gross added: “Failing to acknowledge the real-world consequences of our changing climate may not be as easily forgiven as he thinks.”

Amy Cameron, a programme director for Greenpeace UK, said: “Tice’s words show that a party bankrolled by fossil fuel interests will keep denying the climate crisis for its funders’ benefit even when its impacts are undeniable.

“Reform should try telling nurses fainting on shifts, farmers losing their crops and people running from burning homes to enjoy the hot weather and see what reaction they’ll get.

“There’s only one way to stop this extreme weather: cutting emissions from fossil fuels. Things will only get from bad to worse if we listen to the politicians being paid to deny it’s even happening.”

And Alasdair Johnstone, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “Far from being an enjoyable experience, for many this summer will have brought hardship, with 2,877 deaths during the May and June heatwaves, over 1,100 of which are directly attributable to the extra heat added by climate change.

“Firefighters have been called to over 1,000 wildfires, which have devastated the landscape, displaced people, and destroyed home. The only way these climate change impacts can be prevented from becoming more common and severe is to tackle the cause, which means reaching net zero emissions by 2050.”

Mr Tice is a long-term critic of the government’s Net Zero drive, which aims to cut atmosphere-warming emissions to effectively zero by 2050.

The heatwaves have taken a huge toll on the UK economy, analysis suggests. Thinktank Verdant estimated that so far the country has taken a £4.4billion hit this year alone due to the weather’s impact on business output.

On a visit to Stourbridge on Monday, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner voiced her horror at the devastation. She told The Mirror: “It was like going through a movie. I’ve never seen that level of devastation and the indiscriminate way in which you can see the fire had moved so swiftly.”

Months before her death at the age of 36, Hayden Panettiere relied on crutches and the assistance of others for help walking as she struggled with a painful back injury.

The Nashville actress died on Sunday afternoon but details surrounding her passing remain unknown. She was found dead in Greenville, South Carolina, with the dispatcher from the 911 call describing her as suffering from a ‘cardiac arrest.’

Another dispatcher was then heard saying Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose.

For the past year, Panettiere had been suffering from a mysterious back injury that left her unable to walk on her own and her physical troubles were made apparent in the months leading up to her passing. 

In March, just five months before her shock death, Panettiere was seen hobbling on crutches at LAX while accompanied by ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson.

When asked about the crutches, Panettiere explained that she was suffering from ‘some pinched nerves in my lower back,’ in footage obtained by the Daily Mail. 

Panettiere was pictured in May walking with a limp as she continued to suffer side effects from pinched nerves in her lower back

However, she added that she was ‘on the mend,’ offering a smile and a thumbs-up before climbing into a black SUV outside the airport. 

Video taken in May appears to show the impact the injury had on Panettiere as she struggled to walk while out in New York with her right leg visibly causing her some trouble.

Yet Panettiere attempted to mask the issues, putting on a happy face as she strode into the building. 

While arriving at CBS Studios to promote her memoir that same day, Panettiere also relied on an assistant for support as she emerged from her car.

She held the woman’s hand tightly as she walked inside the studio, a smile on her face again deflecting attention from her physical troubles. 

It is an injury that Panettiere struggled to find answers for and one that left her fearing she would be ‘paralyzed’ for the rest of her life. 

Panettiere opened up about the issue during an interview in May with Women’s Health, revealing it all began when she woke up and felt ‘nothing but pins and needles’ from the waist down.

‘I’ve been dealing with an injury for the past year,’ she told the outlet during a barre workout. ‘Some nerve damage in my lower back.’

‘I quite literally woke up and felt nothing but pins and needles from my waist down,’ she said. 

When asked about the crutches, Panettiere explained that she was suffering from ‘some pinched nerves in my lower back,’ in footage obtained by the Daily Mail

Panettiere held an assistant’s hand as she made her way into CBS Studios in May

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‘I wasn’t able to bend my toes or lift my foot at all. No one was able to give me a solid answer.

‘It was like that for so long, that I was sitting there going, “Oh my gosh, am I gonna be paralyzed for the rest of my… life?”

‘It’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me physically, for sure.’

The former child star, who was known for her roles on the hit NBC series Heroes and musical drama Nashville, leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter.

Representatives for Panettiere announced on Sunday: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.’

Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded to the apartment block in Greenville yesterday afternoon after they received a 911 call from an ‘acquaintance’ of Panettiere, describing her as ‘unresponsive’.

In the dispatch audio of the call made at 1.51pm, a female dispatcher described Panettiere as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’ A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home in Greenville.

Officers and paramedics carried out chest compressions while trying to save Panettiere’s life.

The actress – who was due to turn 37 this Friday – was pronounced dead at the scene just over 40 minutes later at 2.32pm.

The Hollywood icon played cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes

Panettiere made a slew of public appearances promoting her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, earlier this year

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Police and the local coroner’s office are probing the death, but said the ‘preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.’

Panettiere had daughter Kaya following a life-threatening birth, but later gave full custody to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

The star first appeared in soap operas, then gained wider recognition for her role in the 2000 sports drama Remember The Titans with Denzel Washington, and as the voice of Dot in Pixar’s 1998 film A Bug’s Life.

Panettiere later found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes before starring as country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville.

She earned two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress on the show, while her singing produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

Panettiere’s film credits include 2006’s Bring It On: All Or Nothing, the comedy-drama film Raising Helen, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.

The star began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before being catapulted further into fame

On Monday, a spokesman for the City of Greenville Police told the Daily Mail: ‘On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1.51pm, officers from the Greenville Police Department, accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female at Judson Mill Lofts, located at 701 Easley Bridge Road.

‘Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

‘The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. 

‘The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms Panettiere placed the 911 call. At this time, no further details are available for release.’

Judson Mill Lofts is a former textile mill dating back to 1912, which was recently converted into apartments. These include studios and three-bedroom homes that can be rented from $1,295 to $3,485 a month.

No cause of death has been announced.

Panettiere leaves behind a daughter whom she had with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko 

Scream co-star Melissa Barrera paid tribute to the actress in an Instagram story, writing, ‘Rest in peace sweet Hayden,’ alongside a broken heart emoji.

Commenting under Panettiere’s latest social media post after news of her death broke, actress Selma Blair said: ‘I love you. Don’t be gone. Don’t be gone. Please. Please.’

Singer JoJo wrote on her Instagram stories: ‘This is such devastating news. I am so sorry to hear of her passing. Oh My God’, and Rosie O’Donnell shared a picture of Panettiere with the caption: ‘Oh my god – heartbroken.’

Following her rapid rise to fame, the pressure of the industry began to weigh on Panettiere – with the actress previously revealing that she had struggled with addiction throughout her 20s.

In a memoir published earlier this year, Panettiere opened up about her struggles with mental health, the loss of her younger brother Jansen and her decision to give full custody of Kaya to her former partner Klitschko in 2018.

‘The idea that anyone would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking and couldn’t be further from the truth,’ she told podcaster Jay Shetty after the release of her memoir in May.

Panettiere said her daughter had lived with her father full-time from a young age amid the actress’s struggles with addiction and mental health.

Panettiere pictured with her daughter Kaya in 2017

She said, ‘I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and the postpartum and having to act my way through it and just feeling like I completely lost myself.’

Panettiere also spoke about giving up custody of her daughter while struggling with addiction in one of her final interviews before her death.

In an interview with parenting outlet Mome for its July cover, she discussed the life-threatening birth of her daughter Kaya and the eventual decision to give up custody to Klitschko.

While battling substance addiction issues, in 2018 the actress made the decision to sign over custody of her daughter to Klitschko, who was not living in the same country as Panettiere at the time.

She said, ‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make.

‘I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be.’

After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, Panettiere recalled hemorrhaging before she underwent seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair vessels that had begun to fail.

Panettiere played country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville

She said, ‘I closed my eyes and just prayed for my daughter to be OK. I truly was ready to go if it was my time. Kaya being safe and healthy was all that mattered.’

However, days later, she recalled feeling ‘nothing’ when looking at her daughter and developed postnatal depression. The actress then turned to drinking.

She said. ‘I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day.’

Although she underwent treatment, Panettiere felt the ‘root cause’ of her drinking, the depression, was not addressed.

‘I wish more people had known what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long to get help,’ she said.

Six years on from giving up custody, Panettiere spoke about her current relationship with her daughter.

She said, ‘I love my daughter, and I’m so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She’s like a mini-me.’

The actress went on to say she had ‘been able to put her first no matter how I’ve felt or what I’ve experienced’ and that she hoped that one day Kaya would ‘understand my story and why I wasn’t able to be with her all the time’.

She then called herself ‘resilient’ and a ‘work in progress’, but that she was ‘doing the work…and doing my best.’