The Prime Minister’s authority has been rocked in recent weeks by the controversies surrounding the appointments of Lord Mandelson and Lord Matthew Doyle despite their association with sex offenders, three departures from Downing Street, and a call from the Scottish Labour leader for him to resign.

This evening (February 14), Moth, Toastie and Conkers battled it out to be crowned the 2026 champion of the popular ITV show.

They all performed in front of judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama (as well as guest judge Samantha Barks) for one last time.

Conkers sang Keep on Movin by 5ive as one of their songs, while Toastie performed their own version of Jocelyn Brown’s A Star is Born.

Shortly before the identity of Moth was revealed at the end of the final, fans found out Conkers was in fact Ben Shephard, while Toastie was none other than Mica Richards.

Who won The Masked Singer UK 2026? Moth’s identity revealed

After each character was given the chance to duet with the likes of Lionfish, Snail and Pufferfish from previous series, Moth beat both Toastie and Conkers to victory.

During Saturday’s episode, Moth sang I Wanna Know What Love Is by Mariah Carey before duetting with Lionfish (Will Young) to perform Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

Commenting on their first performance, Davina said: “Since the beginning, you have absolutely blown our mind every week with your incredible performances.”

Just some of the guesses from the judges throughout the night included Fleur East, Jamelia, and Ashley Roberts – but were they right?

Moth was finally unmasked as the one and only Keisha Buchanan from the Sugarbabes, much to Maya’s delight after week’s of guessing the singer.

The new winner of The Masked Singer UK said: “Honestly I’ve had the best time, I’m more of an introvert than an extrovert, and without the girls by my side it’s really brought me out my shell.”

Who was Can of Worms and Sloth on The Masked Singer UK 2026?

Radio host and former JLS singer Marvin Humes was unmasked as Can of Worms on The Masked Singer last week during the semi-final – he was one of two unmaskings.

The 40-year-old was eliminated from the ITV singing competition and joined English broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle, 52, who was unmasked earlier on in the episode as Sloth.

Prior to his elimination, Marvin performed two songs – a rendition of the Cha Cha Slide by DJ Casper, before a version of Ordinary People by John Legend.

Mo was the only member of the panel to guess his identity correctly.

Following his unmasking, he said: “Been the best show I’ve been a part of.

“Thank you so much to everyone.

“It’s been amazing.”

He later added: “What’s really strange for me is I haven’t sung by myself in a long time. I’m used to being with three other guys on stage and that’s quite a comfort. A bit of security.

“Although I’m completely masked, it’s still been quite strange being out on my own singing. Which I’ve enjoyed, and even when the mask came off, I fully enjoyed it.

“It was nice doing something by myself where singing was concerned. When the band (JLS) finished, I didn’t really do any solo music that way, so yeah, it’s been really cool.”

After he was unmasked, Marvin also waved to the camera to his youngest kids, Valentina and Blake, who did not know he was performing.

Meanwhile, Ben, who sang an enthusiastic rendition of We All Stand Together by Sir Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus, was eliminated just before Marvin.

Among the guesses the judges put forward were Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews, Gossip Girl actor Penn Badgley and financial journalist Martin Lewis.

Recommended reading:

Ben described the experience was “so joyous” and “so fun” after he was unmasked.

He said: “I am so happy to have got this far.

“I’m not a natural-born singer, but it’s been so joyous.

“I think one of the reasons I really wanted to do this is that we so often stereotype people, and we make assumptions about who they are, what they can do, stick in your lane, but I think you reach a point in life when you can’t take yourself too seriously.”

ITV’s beloved gameshow returned for its seventh series in 2026, and there was plenty of guessing to be done before Moth was crowned the winner.

Presented by Joel Dommett, viewers across the nation tuned in over the last month or so to see if they could figure out who was behind the latest batch of masked characters.

From Can of Worms to Red Panda, there were 12 characters taking part in this series, with all now revealed.

Along with judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama, the studio audience and those at home have been guessing who was behind the masks for weeks.

Here is everyone who has been revealed in the latest series of The Masked Singer, including the new champion – did you guess any correctly?

Who has been unmasked on The Masked Singer 2026? Full list

Warning: If you haven’t seen the most recent episodes, including tonight’s (February 14) final, spoilers are ahead.

During the series, as well as the famous faces taking part, there have also been some separate unmaskings for celebrity guest panellists.

To avoid confusion, here are the celebrities behind the main 12 characters that have been unmasked on The Masked Singer 2026:

• Disc Jockey – Alex Jones – TV presenter on BBC’s The One Show (episode 1)
• Teabag – Professor Green – Rapper, singer and songwriter (episode 2)
• Yak – John Lydon – Sex Pistols frontman (episode 3)
• Gargoyle – Marcella Detroit – singer from Shakespears Sister (episode 4)
• Monkey Business – Kate Nash – singer and actor (episode 5)
• Artic Fox – Anton Du Beke – Strictly Come Dancing judge (episode 5)
• Red Panda – Harry Hill – comedian (episode 6)
• Sloth – Ben Fogle – TV host (semi-finals)
• Can of Worms – Marvin Humes – Radio host and singer (semi-finals)
• Toastie – Mica Paris – singer and presenter (final)
• Conkers – Ben Shephard – This Morning host (final)

Who won The Masked Singer UK 2026?

In the end, it was Moth who claimed victory against Conkers and Toastie, after performing I Wanna Know What Love Is by Mariah Carey and duetting with Lionfish (Will Young) to Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

Recommended reading:

Moth was unmasked as the one and only Keisha Buchanan from the Sugarbabes, much to Maya’s delight after week’s of guessing the singer correctly.

The new winner of The Masked Singer UK said: “Honestly I’ve had the best time, I’m more of an introvert than an extrovert, and without the girls by my side it’s really brought me out my shell.”

Who was your favourite on The Masked Singer this year? Let us know in the comments below.

Large parts of the UK are experiencing relentless rainfall, with some places seeing rain for 41 consecutive days and counting. In Reading, in the south east of England, our university’s official rain gauge has recorded precipitation on 31 consecutive days – unprecedented in records stretching all the way back to 1908.

The pattern has not just made 2026 a bit dreary. It also reveals one way in which climate change is making the already naturally variable (some would say gloriously variable) British weather increasingly extreme.

In those 31 days, Reading has received 141mm of rain, compared to the 30-year average over that period of just 58mm – well over twice what we would expect at the time of year.

Higher than average rainfall totals are expected, well, half of the time. This is just how mean averages work. But it’s the nature of this current weather pattern that is so unusual, and is in keeping with the type of wetter winter situation for UK weather that climate scientists have been warning us to expect – even if we are still only just learning why exactly this is happening on a regional level.

Over the full breadth of a British year, the bigger picture is even more revealing. Last year, the UK was grappling with one of the hottest and driest summers on record. A succession of hot spells, combined with long periods that saw less than average rainfall, meant water supplies dwindled and widespread hosepipe bans were put in place.

As a whole, 2025 from spring onwards was exceptionally dry. Fast forward to the new year, and we’re facing the opposite – weeks of rainfall and flooding. These extremes are what we expect to see in this part of the world, as heat builds up in the global atmosphere and oceans. For British people, this is what climate change right now feels like.

More rain, more intense rain

What is causing this link between a warmer planet and wetter British winters? One fundamental link is in basic physics of the atmosphere as temperatures rise. Warmer air can hold more moisture – about 7% more for every one degree celsius of warming. This means that when it rains, on average it rains harder. Bigger, heavier downpours become more common.

Climate change is also disrupting the patterns of currents and cycles within the atmosphere and oceans that bring the UK much of its weather. As an island archipelago on the edge of three competing climate masses – the wet, mild Atlantic, the cold, dry Arctic, and the wildly variable temperatures of the Eurasian landmass – it is used to variability.

But one constant feature plays an oversized role in the type of weather we get: the jet stream – a ribbon of fast-flowing air high in the atmosphere. The position of the jet stream makes a big difference. Sometimes it flows to the north of Scotland, sometimes it is hundreds of miles further south towards Spain. This location matters, because the jet stream helps to blow whole weather systems – think of a big “bubble” of air carrying its own weather with it – from the Atlantic towards the UK.

Currently, the jet stream is positioned further south than typical for the time of year, steering consecutive wet and often windy weather systems directly towards the UK. At the same time, a high pressure system is sitting over parts of northern Europe, blocking the wet weather from moving further east.

The impact of climate change on the jet stream is complex, because this river of air circling the north pole from west to east is influenced by a lot of different factors. One thing we do know: the Arctic, at surface level, is warming faster than other parts of the planet. This means that the temperature difference between the poles and the equator, for air at lower levels at least, is not as big as it used to be. This may be influencing the jet stream to weaken and meander.

With less energy to push them along, these weather patterns can get stuck in one location, meaning that the systems of low air pressure associated with rainfall and storms can slow down or get stuck. When a system bringing rain parks itself over the UK for days on end, only to be followed by another system, and another, the result is relentless rainfall.

To complicate things further, high up in the atmosphere where the jet stream blows, climate change is actually making the temperature difference between equator and poles increase. This may be strengthening the speed and turbulence within the jet stream itself, and just adds to a complex picture of varying influence on UK rainfall.

The challenge of managing extremes

These rapid swings between drought and deluge pose serious practical challenges for everyone in the UK. Water companies must plan for both droughts and floods, even within the same year. Farmers face uncertain growing conditions, with crops rotting in the wet soil one month, and drying out in droughts a few months later. Infrastructure designed for the climate of the past may not cope with the extremes of the future.

Understanding these changes isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s essential for helping communities, businesses and governments prepare for what’s coming. As Britain experiences these climate extremes at first-hand, it is crucial to build resilience into plans for hotter and drier summers, and warmer wetter winters.

Has there ever been a better advert for the video assistant referee?

Newcastle’s 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win at Aston Villa was full of controversy with the video assistant referee (VAR) once again the big talking point – even though it wasn’t even in use.

For this season and the previous FA Cup campaign, it has not been used until the fifth round, with many fans looking forward to a return to football without interruptions from technology.

But referee Chris Kavanagh will have been wishing he had VAR to fall back on at Villa Park after an offside opener for the hosts, a blatant penalty for the visitors not awarded, plus at least three other controversial decisions that could have affected the outcome.

Ultimately, Newcastle – who were on the wrong end of the majority of the calls – progressed into the last 16, but manager Eddie Howe couldn’t hide his disappointment with the officials.

Tammy Abraham’s opener for Villa was offside, Lucas Digne’s second-half handball should have been given as a penalty rather than a free-kick outside the box, while the French full-back was also fortunate to escape a red card for a reckless challenge on Jacob Murphy.

Howe said: “I’m so torn because the game is better without VAR in terms of excitement and the spectacle for the supporters and us when we’re living a moment live.

“But it does give accurate results. It does make the game more precise in terms of decision-making. You have to respect those moments. They’re worth their weight in gold.

“When VAR is there, there is a tendency to think, ‘oh well I won’t give that because VAR is there to check it’. Then your decision-making isn’t as sharp as it would normally have to be. Maybe there is a difference there.

“I’m always torn on VAR because I love the raw emotion when a goal goes in and you don’t see a flag or hear a whistle and you know the goal is going to stand and nobody can take it away from you. But, on the other side of that, I was wishing there was VAR for the goal they scored against us – and probably throughout the entire game.”

Villa, themselves, will be reflecting on a straight red card for goalkeeper Marco Bizot in first-half added time when they were leading 1-0, and could argue Dan Burn was offside for the visitors’ equaliser through Sandro Tonali.

Boss Unai Emery, added: “Today it makes sense understanding that VAR is necessary. It’s necessary to help the referees.”

After a season so far, which has seen VAR the talking point on a weekly basis, has a weekend without it shown the potential problems?

Ex-England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: “For five or six months, they have been relying on VAR and they come into this situation and it all changes.

“In their defence, which is hard for me, they have VAR for five to six months, then come into a huge game without it, so it is difficult for them.

“I would like the officials to do their job properly. It is not too much to ask, is it.

“If you ever needed any evidence of the damage that VAR has done to referees, I think today is a great example of that. These guys look petrified to make a decision today because they didn’t have a comfort blanket.”

Epibatidine, the highly potent toxin Britain has linked to the death of Alexei Navalny, is reportedly 100 times more powerful than morphine.

This extremely toxic, nicotine-like compound originates from the Epipedobates genus of poison dart frogs, found exclusively in northern South America. Crucially, these amphibians are not indigenous to Russia.

Species such as the brightly coloured Anthony’s poison arrow frog and the Phantasmal poison frog secrete this substance onto their skin. Researchers theorise that the frogs acquire the toxin through their diet, as captive-bred animals lack it, and wild populations exhibit varying levels depending on their habitat.

Epibatidine has been investigated as a pain killer and for relief from painful inflammatory conditions of the lung such as asthma and pulmonary fibrosis.

However, it is about a hundred times more potent than morphine and because of its toxicity is not used clinically.

Professor Alastair Hay said Epibatidine acts to inhibit nerve action by blocking nicotinic receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The Professor (Emeritus) of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds added: “The effect of blocking these receptors is muscle paralysis and paralysis of the respiratory system.

“So, breathing is blocked, and any person poisoned dies from suffocation.”

Professor Hay said the presence of the toxin in a person’s blood “suggests deliberate administration”.

He added: “Epibatidine toxicity can even be increased by co-administration of certain other drugs and these combinations have been researched.

“If epibatidine, a toxin, was indeed used to poison Alexei Navalny, this is in violation of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

“The Soviet Union was a co-sponsor of the BTWC. Russia is a signatory of both the BTWC and CWC.

“If Russia used Epibatidine to poison Mr Navalny it has violated two treaties it has sworn to uphold.”

Epibatidine can be detected using a combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Gas chromatography helps separate out compounds of interest and mass spectrometry breaks up chemicals into particular fragments to create a unique fingerprint of the substance which can then be identified.

England saw Henry Arundell sin-binned for not releasing after a tackle during a tumultuous opening period, with the Bath winger receiving a second yellow card and 20-minute red for taking out Kyle Steyn in the air before the break, having got England off the mark with his fourth try in two matches after returning from a first caution.

Adebola Adeshina says the restaurant provides guests with a “calmness” that is “away from everything”

If you are looking for a beautiful restaurant to enjoy an evening meal or to escape from daily life at lunchtime, you might want to take a trip to the Chubby Castor. Found in the quaint village of Castor, the restaurant is inside a Grade II list building and is run by Adebola Adeshina, who has worked under many famous chefs.

Mr Adeshina decided to open the Chubby Castor at the Fitzwilliam Arms after falling in love with the historic building. He said: “I’ve always been looking for the right place to come up. Then my agent called me up and said there’s a new site in Peterborough. I thought I’m not interested in Peterborough but they convinced me to have a look.

“I met the landlords and they really wanted somebody in there and I just kind of fell for it. The building is beautiful and had so much potential. The landlords gave us their backing and have been supporting us all of the way.”

Mr Adeshina started his career by training at Westminster Kingsway College and went on to work under a range of top chefs including the Galvin Brothers and Gordon Ramsey in Michelin Star restaurants. At a young age, Mr Adeshina opened his own restaurant with a business partner based in Tottenham that closed after five years because they were “ahead of their time”.

Advertisement

After learning more about running a business while working at the Petersham Hotel in Richmond, Mr Adeshina decided he wanted to try opening his own spot again and ended up with the Chubby Castor. The restaurant has a seasonal menu that has recently switched from being a set menu to individually priced dishes.

Mr Adeshina said: “We realise not everybody wants a three course meal so we thought, let’s just take everything back to basics. If somebody just wants to come for a main course or even just a dessert, we let them. That has been going really well.”

The restaurant serves a range of dishes from lobster and scallops to monkfish and coq au vin. When asked about his favourite dishes from the Chubby Castor, Mr Adeshina had a couple of recommendations for first-time visitors.

He said: “I think one of my favourites is the tomato tart with the yogurt sorbet. We grow our own tomatoes at the back and that’s what we use. For things coming onto the menu, we’ve got the salmon mosaic served with horseradish sauce. That has been one of my favourites that has been on since we’ve opened.

“The beef fillet is always on there but changes depending on the season. Sometimes we serve it with foie gras in the winter. At the moment, it comes with braised ox cheek, bone marrow, and truffle. That’s one of the dishes that people love when they come in. On top of that we do the tasting menu, which includes starters, mains, and desserts.”

Mr Adeshina believes the ambience, service, and food helps the Chubby Castor to stand out. The restaurant’s location means guests are “away from everything” and can enjoy the “calmness” of the area.

The Chubby Castor gets “a lot of support” from regular customers. The restaurant works hard to “cater to them” and will often offer “something special” if they are looking for something different to try.

Mr Adeshina added: “I think for our customers, the most important thing is to keep them engaged, keep them excited, and just give them the service they want. We don’t want to be in their face too much but also give them excellent service.”

In the restaurant’s garden, you can also find the Yard, which is a seasonal food spot and described as being “more relaxed and less expensive”. The Yard provides visitors with a “real countryside environment” where they can birdwatch and see squirrels while enjoying a wood fired pizza.

The Chubby Castor can be found in the Fitzwilliam Arms at 34 Peterborough Road. The restaurant is open for lunch from 12.30pm to 2.30pm and for dinner from 5.30pm to 9.30pm from Wednesday to Saturday and from 12pm to 3pm on Sundays.

BBC Sport pundits Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer believe referees are “petrified” of making decisions without the “safety net of VAR”, after the officials award a free-kick instead of a penalty despite Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne handling the ball in the box.

READ MORE: ‘The officials looked petrified’ – was Villa Park chaos advert for VAR?

Available to UK users only.