The Sheridan Smith BBC drama is expected to be one of the biggest UK TV shows of the year

The BBC’s new drama The Cage is finally here, with parts of the series filmed in Greater Manchester.

Looking to become the BBC’s next big crime drama, in a similar vein to the likes of Happy Valley and Line of Duty, The Cage premieres on Sunday night (April 26). Leading the cast is none other than Sheridan Smith.

Written and created by BAFTA award-nominated Tony Schumacher, best known for his work on Martin Freeman series The Responder, the five-part drama promises to be one of the biggest series of the year.

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Boasting ‘high-stakes and high energy’, its synopsis reads: “When Leanne and Matty discover they are both robbing from the safe at the inner-city casino they work in, their lives are set on a collision course; with each other, the local gangster they’re stealing from, and the police.”

Teasing why she wanted to work on the show, I Fought the Law’s Sheridan said: “Tony Schumacher and I met about three years ago and he told me about this idea. He’d written The Responder and I knew he was an amazing writer. I was like, ‘oh my God, what a gift to work with him’.

“He told me about The Cage, and I thought that sounded incredible. I thought he’d forget about it because he’s so in demand, then he did another series of The Responder because it was such a success.

“So, I thought maybe The Cage won’t be made. Then he came to see me in a show, and he said, ‘Hey girl, it’s been greenlit’. I have to pinch myself that I’m doing it now. He’s an amazing scriptwriter, he’s done it all and he’s been an actor as well, so he gets all the layers of people.”

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Also starring in The Cage are his Is England’s Michael Socha, House of the Dragons’ Barry Sloane, Anne with an E’s Geraldine James, Brookside’s Sue Jenkins and Hollyoaks Sophie Mensah.

Despite the majority of the series being shot in and around Liverpool and Merseyside, the show’s production team did head to Greater Manchester for some portions of filming. At one stage, the cameras took to Le Mans Crescent.

For those unaware of the historic Bolton building, Le Mans Crescent is the go to location for many producers of hit television dramas. It was previously seen in the acclaimed BBC series Peaky Blinders.

On top of this, some scenes of The Cage were also filmed as the picturesque village of Tockholes in Lancashire. Tockholes forms part of the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority.

When filming was underway in Tockholes last year, the public had to deal with some road closures. The Tockholes Road shut between the Royal Arms and Belmont Road during evening and overnight shoots.

Staying in the area for two days, the show’s production crew are said to have used a pub car park for equipment. Additionally, locals were warned to be weary of potential disruptions while the cameras were rolling.

The Cage starts on Sunday, April 26, from 6am on BBC iPlayer and 9pm on BBC One

Former One Direction star Zayn Malik has faced fame, fallouts and very public health struggles — here’s an in-depth look at the man behind the music as he prepares for a global comeback tour…

For former One Direction star Zayn Malik, the story has never been as simple as chart success, screaming fans and a life lived in the spotlight.

Preparing to embark on a worldwide tour, set to begin in Manchester next month, is a major step in what appears to be yet another attempt to reintroduce himself on his own terms. But beneath the promise of a global comeback lies a far more complicated reality; one shaped by anxiety, anger, fractured friendships and a constant push-and-pull between public expectation and private survival.

A recent hospitalisation has forced him to cancel scheduled appearances, just as he was attempting to relaunch himself musically with the release of his fifth album KONNAKOL .

READ MORE: Disney+ £3.99 deal returns as rare flash sale rivals Netflix and HBO Max

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Sharing a photo from his hospital bed, Malik told fans he was “recovering,” thanking his cardiologist and medical team while apologising for pulling out of commitments, including a planned TV appearance. It is not the first time his health has interrupted his career.

Malik has long been open about his struggles with anxiety, which at its height forced him to cancel live performances during his time in One Direction. He has also spoken candidly about an eating disorder he developed during those years, revealing in his autobiography that he would sometimes go days without eating amid the intense pressure and lack of control over his schedule.

And it is not just his shock hospitalisation, but lingering tensions with former bandmate Louis Tomlinson who he reportedly came to blows with while filming a Netflix travel series, that are also deeply worrying.

Indeed it is a relationship that has come to symbolise just how fractured life after One Direction has become. More recently, he has reflected on anger and emotional growth. “I’ve abandoned my brash arrogance,” he said during an appearance on The Zach Sang Show. “You don’t always have to be right. That inner voice… it chills out as you get older.”

It is a striking shift for someone once characterised as the band’s most enigmatic and volatile member. Long before the fame, Malik was simply a teenager growing up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, raised in a tight-knit British-Pakistani family.

Born Zain Javadd Malik on January 12, 1993, he later adopted the stylised spelling “Zayn” as his professional name. His upbringing — shaped by culture, faith and a close relationship with his mother, Trisha — remains central to his identity. Creativity was always part of his life. Before music took over, Malik had a strong interest in art and even considered pursuing it as a career.

That influence has never fully left him; he has contributed to the visual direction of his albums and built a large, deeply personal tattoo collection, which he has described as a kind of visual diary reflecting milestones, family and his journey through music.

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Everything changed in 2010 when he auditioned for The X Factor. Although he did not progress as a solo artist, judge Simon Cowell saw potential and placed him into a group alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne. That group – One Direction – became a global phenomenon almost overnight.

Cowell would later describe Malik as “an exceptional talent,” a sentiment echoed by fans who were drawn to his distinctive voice and brooding presence. Yet even at the height of their success, cracks were beginning to show. Choreographer Katie Wazel, who worked closely with the band in their early days, hinted at those struggles, recalling:

“Zayn found some of the routines tough… he’d get frustrated and sometimes just walk off to take a breather.”

She added that he “put a lot of pressure on himself to get things right,” suggesting that even at the height of their early success, the strain was already building.

Those who worked with the band recall the pressure he placed on himself, with moments of frustration bubbling to the surface during rehearsals. By 2015, that pressure reached breaking point. In a move that stunned fans, Malik left One Direction mid-tour. At the time, the explanation centred on stress, but he later admitted there was more to it.

“I knew something was happening, so I just got ahead of the curve,” he admitted. “We’d got sick of each other, if I’m being completely honest… we had run our course.”

He also acknowledged his own ambition played a role: “I was a bit selfish wanting to be the first to go solo. The departure marked one of the most dramatic moments in modern pop history. Fans were devastated, and relations within the band became strained. While time has softened some of those tensions, the emotional fallout has never fully disappeared.

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Malik’s solo career allowed him to step away from the boyband mould and redefine himself. His first solo album, Mind of Mine, made him the first UK male artist to debut at No. 1 in both the UK and US charts with a debut album, showcasing a more mature, R&B-influenced sound, led by the hit “Pillowtalk.” But success didn’t erase his struggles. If anything, it exposed them further.

“I’m developing, growing, and learning from life experiences,” he said in a later interview — a line that reflects a recurring theme in his life: constant self-reinvention in the face of internal battles.

His more recent music has leaned heavily into identity and heritage, particularly on his album Nobody Is Listening, where he began exploring a more introspective, stripped-back sound rooted in his personal experiences. “This album is a development of that understanding,” he explained of his newer material, “knowing more now than ever who I am and where I come from.”

His on-off relationship with Gigi Hadid became one of the most closely followed in celebrity culture. The pair first got together in 2015, shortly after his split from Perrie Edwards, and had an on-off relationship welcoming their daughter, Khai, in 2020 — a moment Malik has described as transformative.

“When I’m with Khai, I don’t work at all,” he said. “We paint, go to the park… I’ve rekindled my own childhood through her.” Fatherhood, by his own account, brought a sense of grounding he had long been searching for.

However, the relationship ended in 2021 following a widely reported dispute involving Hadid’s mother, Yolanda. Malik denied allegations that he struck her but pleaded no contest to harassment charges, later emphasising his desire to protect his daughter and keep family matters private. Despite the split from Gigi, he has remained clear about his priorities: “I will always love and respect her as the mother of my child.”

Malik’s relationship with Louis Tomlinson has also been one of the most scrutinised. Once bandmates, their dynamic has shifted over the years, marked by periods of silence and reported tension.

The pair had reunited for a planned Netflix travel series, which was ultimately scrapped following an alleged on-set row when Zayn reportedly made a cruel comment about Louis mother Johanna Deakin, who died from leukemia in 2016.

Reports claimed the disagreement escalated into a physical altercation, with Zayn punching Louis, shocking crew members and bringing filming to an abrupt halt. In the aftermath, fans noticed that Louis and his sisters had unfollowed Malik on social media — a move widely seen as confirmation of a renewed rift. While details remain disputed and neither party has publicly confirmed the full extent of what happened, the incident reinforced a broader truth: the wounds left by their shared past have not entirely healed.

For fans who once saw the group as inseparable, it was a sobering reminder of how fame can fracture even the closest bonds. In recent years, Malik has largely stepped away from the chaos of celebrity life, choosing instead to live quietly in Pennsylvania. “I enjoy being away from the chaos of fame,” he has said — a simple statement that speaks volumes.

There, his focus has shifted to family, music and personal wellbeing. The move reflects a conscious decision to create distance from an industry that both made and overwhelmed him. Those close to him often describe a more introspective figure — someone deeply connected to his roots, his faith and his role as a father.

His recent hospitalisation has once again raised concerns among fans. While details remain limited, Malik himself acknowledged the situation, thanking medical staff and apologising for cancelled appearances. The timing – coinciding with new music – has only intensified speculation about the pressures he continues to face.

A source suggested he is “still working through his health issues,” underscoring that, despite years in the public eye, his battles are ongoing. For those who have known him since the beginning, Malik’s journey is not surprising — even if it is often misunderstood.

Simon Cowell once described him as “a real star with depth and soul” — someone who has faced significant personal battles.

Now at 33, Zayn Malik is no longer the teenager who nervously auditioned on The X Factor. He is a father, an artist and a man still navigating the complexities of fame, identity and mental health. “I’m not always right… but I’m learning,” he has said — a line that perhaps sums him up better than any headline ever could.

Because behind the controversies, the cancellations and the comebacks, this is ultimately a story about someone trying — often publicly, often painfully — to find balance in a life that has rarely allowed it.

And as he steps back once more to recover, the hope among fans and those who know him best is simple: that the next chapter in Zayn Malik’s world is a steadier, healthier one.

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Two 18-year-old men were arrested following the alleged assault on a 17-year-old male and are expected to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Monday.

Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged assault near Irvine Beach. Police were alerted to the incident at Irvine Beach Park at around 5.45pm on Saturday, April 25.

The pair, both aged 18, were arrested following the alleged assault on a 17-year-old male. Both are expected to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Monday, April 27.

Glasgow Live reports no serious injuries were sustained in the incident. Police Scotland has also said it is cracking down on “antisocial behaviour” in the Irvine area.

Sergeant Will Thomson, from the Irvine Locality Policing Team, said: “Thankfully there were no serious injuries, and two men were arrested following swift action by our officers patrolling nearby at the time. As our beach park in Irvine develops over the coming months, we will continue to deploy proactive patrols to target any antisocial behaviour and to stop the small number of people intent on causing misery to those who want to enjoy the area.”

The crackdown comes nearly a year after 16-year-old Kayden Moy died in hospital after a large disturbance at Irvine beach on May 17, 2025. Three teenagers appeared in court in December accused of stabbing Kayden to death.

They were accused of repeatedly stabbing the schoolboy, who was from East Kilbride. It is alleged they then attempted to pervert the course of justice in several ways, including fleeing the scene, hiding weapons and asking another person to burn blood stained clothes.

Prosecutors claim they were brandishing knives and a baton or similar instruments on the beach and were challenging people to fights. Jay Stewart, 18, is accused of carrying a knife and baton while two youths aged 17 and 15, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are charged with allegedly carrying knives.

Prosecutors also allege they put members of the public in danger of injury after throwing rocks at them. The teenagers are alleged to have murdered Kayden by pursuing him, causing him to fall to the ground and then repeatedly stabbing him on the body with a knife, inflicting injuries which led to his death.

It is claimed they tried to wipe blood from a knife, hiding in bushes and then fleeing the beach. They are accused of repeatedly concealing their faces to hide their identities from cameras and travelling to East Kilbride, Lanarkshire.

They also face claims they hid knives in a bed frame and a freezer and asked someone to burn their blood-stained clothes. Jay Stewart is alleged to have committed the offences while on bail.

The case is scheduled to go to trial at the High Court in Glasgow next month.

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Gary Haveron led the club to a third Gibson Cup success in four years

Leroy Millar insists Larne boss Gary Haveron should have a “statue built for him” after the Inver Park boss led his hometown club to the league title.

The newly-crowned champions began the season surrounded by uncertainty, with Kenny Bruce selling his majority stake, Shaun Want returning to Scotland, captain Cian Bolger ruled out for the campaign and manager Nathan Rooney gone after just one Premiership game.

But Haveron stepped into the breach and turned chaos into a coronation, and midfield star Millar was only too happy to heap the praise on the 45-year-old.

“He has been absolutely unbelievable. He has been here a very long time and is a Larne man through and through,” he said.

“I am buzzing more for him than anyone else. Even during his pre-match talk he was nearly in tears as it means so much to him.

“Get the statue built for him!”

Humble Haveron (left) felt the club’s third Gibson Cup success in four years was built on collective grit and determination.

“We dug in, it was a far from straightforward season,” he said.

“We were written off by so many people, and that maybe worked in our favour as we were able to get on with our work.

“The boys got everything they deserve. This was a hard title to win, there is no doubt about it.”

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Roman Abramovich’s “hire ’em, fire ’em” strategy inflicted instability on Chelsea, but was also the catalyst for great glory.

In the Abramovich era, which stretched from July 2003 to May 2022, Chelsea won 18 major honours and two Community Shields, contesting 30 finals under 15 managers, including caretakers and interims.

The classic case came in 2012, when caretaker manager Roberto di Matteo won the Champions League and FA Cup after succeeding the sacked Andre Villas-Boas.

Under BlueCo’s leadership, Chelsea have won two major honours – the Conference League and Club World Cup – and have now reached three finals under eight managers, including caretakers and interims.

Now, from the wreckage of a chaotic campaign, Chelsea could perform the feat again – providing the players who have gone missing so often this season show up against Manchester City and play to their capabilities.

It was clear from Rosenior’s latter days that he had lost the faith of the dressing room. A dismal 3-0 loss at Brighton was the final straw for an ownership who desperately wanted the 41-year-old – brought in from another of their clubs, Strasbourg – to succeed as a symbol of their multi-club model.

It is not exactly a glowing reference for Chelsea‘s players that the sight of interim head coach Calum McFarlane on the touchline – or indeed anyone who was not Rosenior – prompted an instant uplift in performance and attitude.

McFarlane told BBC Radio 5 Live after the game that the team’s character had been “questioned a lot and rightly so at times” – but not by him.

“I wouldn’t queston their character,” he added. “It’s been questioned because of the results. We’re playing against top teams, you get in a rut. People are reactive to the results.

“That group has massive character.”

Indeed, this was a better day for Chelsea‘s much-criticised hierarchy, with co-owner Behdad Eghbali in close proximity at Wembley to England head coach Thomas Tuchel, the first manager to be shown the door under his rule when he was dismissed on the new regime’s 100th day in September 2022.

For an FA Cup semi-final that didn’t offer much to talk about beyond Enzo Fernández scoring the winner, Chelsea’s 1-0 win could provoke a lot of other discussion. Some of it served to quieten even this raucous Leeds United crowd by the end.

By that point, you wouldn’t have thought an FA Cup final appearance was at stake, given how quickly Wembley emptied. Another debate could, of course, be had about staging semi-finals here. Still, there’s something rather sorry about even the Leeds players saluting scores of empty seats.

Maybe that just shows how professional Chelsea’s performance had been. Outside a few spikes of activity like Brenden Aaronson’s early shot and a piledriver from Anton Stach, Calum McFarlane’s side just shut Leeds out. None of the energy that we’d recently witnessed from Daniel Farke’s side was evident. Or, at least, none of it was allowed to be evident. There wasn’t even really a late Leeds flurry.

You could say they didn’t rise to the club’s biggest occasion in years, but that doesn’t feel fair, or true. Witness the desperate defending when Joao Pedro almost turned in a chance just after half-time. Leeds were clearly desperate for this. It’s just not that easy, certainly not in the modern game. Look at the difference in expenditure.

Chelsea have generally had a miserable season where the fans have frequently protested about the ownership, and yet here they are again in an FA Cup final and 90 minutes from potentially winning a third trophy in a year. This obviously isn’t to defend the ownership. It’s more of a comment on how the modern game works.

The financial differences weren’t the only gap, though. There was also the chasm between the discipline Chelsea displayed here and the rabble at Brighton on Tuesday. How do you explain that? McFarlane naturally didn’t go into too much detail, other than to say that his side needed to “break the momentum” of the past few games and that there was a “focus”.

So, the obvious question: where was that focus for Liam Rosenior? The transformation in performance should really be remarkable, but is, of course, fairly routine in football. It happens a lot with a change of managers. It isn’t all that simple, either. If players “aren’t having” a manager, to use the vernacular, there can be all sorts of conscious and subconscious effects. They just don’t feel as motivated, as focused, to use some of McFarlane’s words.

The fact that Fernandez got the winner nevertheless brings a greater symbolism, given that he is a Chelsea dressing-room leader who was the subject of a two-game ban. He was also there shrugging his shoulders at the fans.

Well, he knew exactly what to do here. Fernandez was brilliant. It could be argued that one of the main differences between what went before and this was the Argentine performing to his level, but there was, of course, more to it.

Chelsea were just better structured, with everything just looking like it made sense. Leeds could barely get near their goal. On the one occasion they did, Aaronson may regret not taking the ball on further. Robert Sanchez did save well.

Really, there were improvements in Chelsea’s performances all over the pitch. Joao Pedro, in particular, restored a verve to attack. Although it was only 1-0, the game felt close to settled as a contest once Fernandez plundered that header. Long stretches of it were, in truth, boring. Chelsea didn’t allow Leeds to do anything exciting. This was admittedly aided along by some conspicuous time-wasting, which is an issue authorities surely have to start looking at more seriously.

And, after all that, there is then the symbolism of what this 2026 FA Cup final will showcase. There’s no Crystal Palace this time. Their uplifting victory naturally seems like an inevitable aberration. Southampton-Leeds United came close to offering similar, and there’s little doubt there would have been more meaning to such a final. Manchester City and Chelsea have, after all, been in 16 finals between them over the past 20 years.

They’re well used to trips to Wembley, and generally have grander ambitions. That’s all because they’re just able to spend more.

A wider context to this is also unavoidable, especially with so much current football discussion. Only this season, Chelsea were punished for breaching Premier League rules in a case that brings significant doubt over their title wins of 2015 and 2017. They are still the subject of a related investigation from the very organisers of this competition: the Football Association. Manchester City are, meanwhile, still the subject of an even further-reaching case that goes back to early 2019 and had its hearing concluded as long ago as December 2024. The club insists on its innocence.

Regardless of the outcome, though, it is an absurdity that the case is still ongoing, and there is no resolution. And this is what surrounds English football’s great traditional occasion. Before this semi-final, Chelsea fans were enduring an utterly miserable season, and yet they now have a day Leeds can only dream about.

That purpose?

Performing live on stage at the main night of Consett Comedy Festival, in front of hundreds of people. It will be my first ever gig.

The road to get to where we are has been littered with scraps of paper etched with terrible jokes, each floating down in a depressing swoosh towards rock bottom.

But then, rock bottom showed me that the only way was up, and with the help of North East comedy legend Steffen Peddie, I have crafted at least one joke that is sure to get one audience member to at least exhale audibly from their nose.

Steffen Peddie. (Image: STEFFEN PEDDIE)

His best piece of advice was to not take myself too seriously and to “get in front of a mirror and be comfortable talking to yourself.”

I also sent speculative messages to an array of comedians to see if any had any advice for me. Stand-up and YouTuber Max Fosh said: “Being as prepared as possible is the best way forward!”

I have also learned a lot about myself in the process, about the best ways I can memorise a large chunk of text.

Many performers have many different ways of learning to speak on stage. I have two.

I practiced on stage for the first time on Saturday. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

It turns out standing on a rock on the edge of a hill and forcing myself to hurl very much work-in-progress comedy at a housing estate is a good way to get my brain to remember something. So if you see me wandering the streets shouting about ready meals, I’ve probably gone to get some shopping and forgotten the list.

Memorising my set by performing it to a housing estate wasn’t on my bingo card. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

The second? Wandering around the house with the iron or hair straighteners as stand-in mics.

The iron became my stand-in microphone. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

More prep

My latest hurdle came in the form of getting on a stage in front of a handful of comedians in Blyth to perform my set, which felt like I was a finger painter presenting a handprint to Banksy.

Struggling to the microphone, I tripped over my words and stammered through my opening.

“Again.”

So we did it again.

I messed it up again.

It’s a brilliant resilience builder, being forced to make a fool of yourself underneath very bright lights and with a sound system echoing your mistakes to an entire room.

@joshua.nichol Day 24 of learning stand up comedy before my first ever gig at Consett Comedy Festival. PREP PREP PREP argghhh #comedy #standup #consett (and a lovely thanks to @Max Fosh ♬ original sound – Joshua Nichol

But I powered through. I learned how to use my restlessness on stage to my advantage, moving around to try and engage the audience (which, yes, were empty seats at this stage, but theory before practical). I also learned how to try and calm my nerves, although whether I remember this on the night will be another thing.

Stand up comedy is not journalism. I cannot go back and rewrite something to make it sound better when I am on stage.

But it is exhilarating and fun and I am going to put my all into next week.

There will be laughter. Whether it is with me, or at me is another question.

Consett Comedy Festival’s main night is on Saturday, May 2, and the line-up includes Alun Cochrane, Matt Reed, Will Burns, Hannah Margaret… and me.

Get your tickets here: www.universe.com/events/consett-comedy-festival-2026-tickets-RKCMN4.

The King’s US state visit will go ahead as planned in the wake of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of Government, we can confirm the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned.

“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was thrown into chaos on Saturday night after an attempted attack, which saw shots fired, prompting the US President to be swiftly evacuated by Secret Service agents along with other senior members of his administration.

King Charles’ security was reviewed following the attack ahead of his four-day visit with Camilla on Monday.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said after the attack that discussions will be taking place throughout the day with US colleagues to review “what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit”.

The historic visit, the King’s first visit to the US as monarch, will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and herald the start of celebrations across the US.

The royal couple, who will begin their visit with a private tea hosted by the president and first lady, will also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that brought down New York’s Twin Towers.

More follows…

The crash happened around 11.40am on Saturday (April 25) on the B6255 between Ingleton and Hawes.

It involved two motorbikes travelling northbound from Chapel‑le‑Dale towards Hawes.

The rider of a BMW motorbike, a man in his 60s from Lancashire, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

The rider and passenger of a Honda motorbike were both taken to hospital with serious injuries.

North Yorkshire Police said it is keen to hear from anyone who was driving in the area at the time and may have witnessed the crash or has dash‑cam footage that could assist its investigation.

North Yorkshire Police said: “If you have any information that may assist our investigation, please email mcit@northyorkshire.police.uk or contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting 12260074374.”

The road was closed for some time to allow emergency services and the Major Collision Investigation Team to carry out work at the scene and was reopened at 9.30pm.