Martin Freeman has something to get off his chest about his time appearing in The Office.

The Love Actually star played Tim in the original British sitcom, which ran for two seasons in the early 2000s, ending with a two-part Christmas special.

It’s now been 25 years since The Office premiered on the BBC, and to mark the occasion, Martin and his co-star Mackenzie Crook recently took part in a one-off BBC special reflecting on their time on set.

During the conversation, the Sherlock actor recalled how creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were always quick to dismiss the suggestion there was any improvisation in the game-changing mockumentary, which Martin has a different view on.

“When it became the monster that it did, and people would say it sounded improvised, then understandably, Ricky and Stephen went, ‘No, none of it’s improvised’, which is not true,” he said.

Martin continued: “What slightly annoyed me at the time – but only slightly, at the time – is when the scripts were published, they weren’t the scripts. They were the transcriptions of what had been on television.

“So, that annoyed me a little bit, because… well… anyone who knows any of us knows that that line came from you in that moment, that line came from me…”

The Marvel cast member praised Ricky and Stephen’s “brilliant” writing, but pointed out that the original scripts were “loose”, which allowed the cast to play with the material somewhat.

“I can understand why there was a little bit of protection about that, because otherwise people would’ve gone, ‘Hey, you just rock up and you just make it all up’, which clearly was not the case,” he added.

“The writing on it that they did was brilliant. But you only need to know us a little bit or know the process of it. We’re also in there, you know? It doesn’t mean it’s a co-credit. Doesn’t mean [the whole show was] improvised, but it’s nicely loose.”

HuffPost UK has contacted Ricky Gervais’ team for comment.

Ricky previously told The Independent that he was invited to take part in the BBC’s special, but turned it down as he was “not available” at the time.

A video in which Ricky shares his own memories of working on The Office has since been uploaded to the comedian’s YouTube page.

During a new interview with Empire about the show, the After Life creator also claimed: “It was so important [for the cast] to be naturalistic. Some people thought The Office was ad-libbed. And that’s a testament to the actors, making it look like they came up with it off the top of their heads.”

With summers getting hotter and rates of skin cancer rising, it might come as a surprise to hear some UK schools have policies in place that do not allow children to bring in their own sunscreen for reapplication throughout the day.

At some UK primary schools, for instance, parents are encouraged to apply sunscreen to their children before school – and that’s it.

Yet even sun creams claiming to be long-lasting wouldn’t last the entire school day, nor would it outlast after-school clubs.

Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, said if kids are in direct sunlight (which they typically will be at break and over lunch) “sunscreen should be reapplied every three hours”.

Government guidance says that in early years childcare settings (typically under-4s), sunscreen should be applied generously and reapplied every two hours. The NHS advises the same.

But for children in primary school, there is no blanket guidance.

Marie Tudor, CEO of national skin cancer prevention charity SKCIN, told HuffPost UK that applying sunscreen before school, while important, “is highly unlikely to provide adequate protection throughout an entire school day, especially during the summer months when UV levels are highest”.

There are a few factors to consider: one is the application of sunscreen. For those teaching younger children in particular, they simply wouldn’t have time to apply sun cream to 30+ students.

There’s also a safeguarding consideration. The National Education Union (NEU), for example, advises teachers not to apply sunscreen to pupils, “mainly because of the potential for allegations of abuse but also because allergies”.

NEU guidance is that if schools do opt to let teachers apply sun cream, parental consent should be obtained – and staff should only apply sunscreen to the face, neck and arms of pupils.

One way to navigate this is that children could apply it themselves – and some schools do allow this, but not all. Roll-on sun creams and applicators like Solar Buddies can be useful for teaching younger kids in particular how to apply it themselves.

Allergies are also a cause for concern – although allergic reactions to sunscreens are pretty uncommon.

Anne Biggs, deputy head of clinical services at Allergy UK, said that while some sunscreens can cause an itchy reaction, “it is more likely to be that the skin is sensitive and irritated by that product rather than an allergy”. For children with eczema and sensitive skin, this may be more likely.

The charity SKCIN launched a Sun Safe Schools programme in 2012 and, since then, has focused on embedding preventative sun safety education into UK primary schools.

Tudor, the CEO, said most reactions are linked to specific ingredients rather than sunscreen itself, and these can often be avoided through careful product selection.

“Parents can support schools by providing clearly labelled sunscreen suitable for their child, informing schools of any known allergies and carrying out patch testing where there are concerns,” she explained.

“Schools can minimise risk by having clear sun protection policies, obtaining parental consent where appropriate and encouraging children to use their own named products rather than sharing sunscreen.”

She added: “In our experience, the risks associated with inadequate sun protection and sunburn far outweigh the relatively low risk of adverse reactions when sensible precautions are in place.”

Melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer, is now the UK’s fifth most common cancer and deaths from melanoma skin cancer have risen by 150% since the 1970s, according to Cancer Research UK.

A person’s risk of developing melanoma doubles with a history of five or more sunburns.

SKCIN is calling for UK schools to adopt practical sun protection measures that reflect current public health guidance – especially as data shows UK summers are getting hotter, and around 90% of melanoma cases are linked to UV exposure.

Data shared by the Children’s Burns Trust shows severe child sunburn injuries increased sharply in 2025, when 252 sunburn cases in children were admitted to a Specialist Burns Unit – a 46.5% rise from 172 cases in 2024. Ken Dunn, vice chair at the charity, said sunburn is “painful, distressing and entirely preventable”.

“Schools have a duty of care to safeguard children’s health and wellbeing, and sun protection should be viewed no differently from other measures taken to protect pupils from avoidable harm,” said Tudor.

“While schools routinely manage medicines, allergies and a wide range of health and safety considerations, sunburn remains one of the few entirely preventable health harms that many children still experience during the school day.

“Given the well-established link between childhood sunburn and future skin cancer risk, this is an issue that deserves greater attention.”

The charity is calling for school policies to be amended so that children can bring sunscreen to school for self-application, where age-appropriate, or with support from staff where required.

“This should sit alongside other important sun safety measures such as providing shade, encouraging the use of hats and protective clothing, and avoiding prolonged exposure during peak UV hours,” Tudor added.

“Ultimately, the goal is to prevent sunburn and establish lifelong sun-safe habits that can significantly reduce future skin cancer risk.

“By normalising sun protection in schools, we have an opportunity not only to protect children today, but to reduce the burden of skin cancer for future generations.”

Callers to a radio phone-in savaged Robert Jenrick as he defended Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election in Clacton.

Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman was standing in for regular presenter James O’Brien on LBC.

Farage unexpectedly quit as an MP on Tuesday amid controversy over the £5 million gift he received from a crypto billionaire, which is being investigated by parliament’s commissioner for standards.

The Reform leader said he was triggering a “people versus the establishment” by-election, but so far his only confirmed opponent is Count Binface after Labour, the Tories, the Lib Dems and Greens all refused to take part.

Jenrick said Farage had shown “balls” by putting his political career on the line, despite the fact that he won his Clacton seat with a majority of 8,400 just two years ago.

He also said the other parties were “cowards” for not putting up their own candidates.

But the vast majority of people who rang in during the hour-long debate took a different view.

Al in Glasgow said: “I think Farage is throwing toys out of his pram.

“He cannot deal with challenge, and so he has to have some kind of primadonna reaction. It’s nothing to do with democracy.

“His democratic vote has already been taken, the other parties shouldn’t rise to the bait, he’s just being a child.”

John in Sheffield said: “I think that Nigel Farage isn’t a sensible candidate, even when compared to Count Binface.”

But Jenrick hit back: “I do think Count Binface is an interesting character. Nigel has been in the House of Commons now for two years, so he’s used to people who’ve got robotic voices and a head full of rubbish, so I’m sure he’ll be able to take on Binface.”

Another caller, Ben from Leigh-on-Sea, said Farage was “insulting the voters of Clacton by not waiting for the commission to produce their report and their findings, and then there potentially being a by-election when they’ve got all the facts in front of them”.

“Do you not think he’s being cowardly by trying to get out in front before we know the full facts and evidence against him,” he said.

Even Reform member Nicola from Horsham did not agree with Farage’s move.

She said: “What’s happening now is leaving me in despair. I don’t like this by-election sideshow nonsense.

“Nigel is giving the media exactly what they want. No matter what channel you turn to – TV, radio, they’re loving it. All slagging off Nigel, when really all this is going on and Andy Burnham is sliding straight into No.10 unchallenged.

“I just feel if Nigel wasn’t doing this, perhaps people would be on Andy’s case.”

Lisa in Brentwood said Farage was “a vile, repulsive individual”.

“Everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie,” she told Jenrick, who defected from the Tories to Reform earlier this year.

“The fact that you’re sticking up for him just shows what a person you are because you didn’t have a by-election, you were quite happy to just walk across the floor without giving the people of Runcorn a chance to decide whether they wanted Reform.”

Another caller, Tom from Bury St Edmonds, said the by-election “does nothing for the people of Clacton”.

“At the end of the day these are constituents who have genuine concerns and genuine issue and they need help and support from their member of parliament, and they’ll be lacking that if there’s by-election after by-election,” he said.

“That to me makes this feel like a political stunt.”

Bea in Northampton said Farage and Jenrick were trying to “muddy the waters” by deflecting attention away from the standards probe.

Simon in Taunton told Jenrick: “How do I follow those earlier callers who absolutely wiped the floor with you?

“As you sit there as Nigel’s foot soldier trying to gaslight Reform supporters and the poor unsuspecting electorate of Clacton-on-Sea, have you got your fingers crossed behind your back? Do you actually believe anything you’re saying?

“You know and I know that this by-election is completely unnecessary. It is a complete circus show that Nigel Farage is putting on as part of his usual theatrics to garner the spotlight.”

Reform MP Lee Anderson this morning kick-started the by-election process by “moving the writ” in parliament.

It confirms that Farage is no longer Clacton’s MP, and that a date for a by-election will now need to be set.

Reform want it to take place on August 6, but it may end up being on August 13.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Andy Burnham is just days away from becoming the next prime minister.

Nominations have opened in the Labour leadership contest, but the former mayor of Greater Manchester’s victory is already a foregone conclusion.

His only possible opponent, former armed forces minister Al Carns, confirmed on Wednesday that he would not be putting his name forward.

That means that he will replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader on July 17, and become prime minister three days later.

The country’s most popular Labour politician, Burnham has been charged with turning his party’s fortunes around and give them a chance of winning the next election.

His charisma and firm promise to implement real change – along with his history as a successful metropolitan mayor – looks like the perfect recipe to be a successful PM, according to many Labour MPs.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it has eerie similarities to the circumstances in which Boris Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt to become Tory leader in 2019.

Like Burnham, he too was a charismatic former MP-turned-mayor-turned MP again who took charge of his party shortly after a devastating election performance.

In Johnson’s case, it came after the Conservatives had come fifth in the 2019 European elections.

Burnham will take the Labour helm just two months after the May 7 elections, which saw the party hammered in England, Scotland and Wales.

Lest we forget, Johnson was only prime minister for three years before he was brought down by his own lockdown-breaking gatherings in partygate and the sexual assault scandal around Tory whip Chris Pincher.

Though obviously at different ends of the political spectrum, it’s hard to deny that he and Burnham have similar appeal to voters – and their parallel journeys to Downing Street.

Both men first became MPs in 2001 – Johnson in the Tory safe seat of Henley, Burnham in the Labour stronghold of Leigh.

Johnson left parliament to become the London mayor for two terms; Burnham left parliament to become the Greater Manchester mayor for two and a half.

Johnson considered running as Conservative leader in 2016 before taking the helm in 2019; Burnham ran unsuccessfully to be Labour leader in 2010 and 2015 before his (expected) success this year.

Both returned to the Commons when they saw there may be an opportunity to take over as party leader, and then got the job mid-term without facing an immediate general election.

The two men, very popular in their respective mayoralties, championed changes to city travel while in their regional posts, too.

Both rose to prominence during times of national change; Johnson was one of the key faces of the Leave campaign in favour of Brexit while Burnham became known as the “King of the North” for pushing back against a lack of furlough funding for Manchester during the Covid pandemic.

The politicians recognised that promising to address regional inequality is a vote-winner. Johnson vowed to introduce “Levelling Up” and Burnham’s most prominent policy so far is his bid to strengthen devolution.

Johnson and Burnham can also be described as populists, who like to be liked – though both have faced criticism for ducking difficult decisions and dodging media scrutiny.

Johnson famously hid in a fridge during a Good Morning Britain interview in 2019 to avoid reporters.

Burnham has not held a single press conference since he announced his plan to replace Starmer and has only used Reddit as his main forum to speak to voters.

And – much like Starmer – Burnham and Johnson have outlined plans for a decade in power.

Johnson did succeed in the short-term, even winning a snap general election in December 2019.

But he went on to endure a humiliating fall from grace due to his struggles with the Covid pandemic and his own misconduct in office.

Burnham certainly has a less chequered past than Johnson, and allies say he is more of a heavyweight when it comes to ideas and their execution.

But, unlike Johnson, does he really have what it takes to survive in No.10?

In this week’s Commons People, we unpick the similarities between the two politicians – and if Burnham will be able to learn from Johnson’s mistakes.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Donald Trump’s renewed tensions with Iran stem from a misunderstanding over their earlier deal, a former UK ambassador to Tehran has claimed.

The warring countries reached a fragile ceasefire along with an interim agreement in June after months of conflict.

But hostilities returned this week after Iran attacked commercial ships travelling through the major shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz.

The US retaliated by launching two nights of strikes on Iran while Tehran hit back by attacking US bases in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

There’s been further confusion after Iran accused the US of a “flagrant breach” of their truce.

Trump initially claimed talks are a “waste of time” but on Thursday morning suggested Iran wanted to “make a deal”.

But former UK ambassador to Iran, Nicholas Hopton, told Sky News it does not look like this will turn into a “full blown conflict again”.

He said: “Essentially, this arises from a misunderstanding about the Strait of Hormuz which was addressed in the Memorandum of Understanding.”

The memorandum paved the way for the two countries to reach a final agreement over the following 60 days.

Trump agreed to a deal with plenty of concessions amid international pressure to get Iran to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and boost the oil industry again.

But Hopton said article five of that deal was always “ambiguous”.

He noted that the Iranians interpreted it as meaning they should be consulted and have control over any ship passing through the Strait.

Meanwhile, the US interpreted it as the Iranians should facilitate and make sure all journeys through the waterway are peaceful.

He said: “The Iranian side was tested when ships passed through without consulting earlier this week. They hit these ships, they probably felt they had to to assert their de facto control ongoing over shipping through the Strait.

“Obviously, that led to US retaliation and the tit-for-tat strikes.”

He predicted these frictions will “carry on in a messy way” until the two sides return to negotiations.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

More goes into the design of a takeaway coffee cup than most of us realise.

For instance, you might not have known that placing the cover’s drinking spout opposite the paper cup’s “seam” can help prevent leaks.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll have no idea why there’s often a tiny hole (separate from the main drinking point) in the lid either.

Turns out it’s actually a pretty smart safety feature ― and makes sipping from the container easier too.

According to the Aussie version of the food and drink site Delicious, it’s partly down to steam.

The minute vent helps steam to escape, they say ― though this doesn’t cool it down much.

Instead, it prevents steam from building up in the container, causing pressure to build and potentially leading to burst cups.

Additionally, the presence of another hole than the drinking spout allows coffee to run smoothly when you’re sipping from it ― otherwise, there’d be no airflow in the cup.

According to Atlas Obscura, who interviewed the authors of Coffee Lids: Peel, Pinch, Pucker, Puncture, the vent can be used to boost the coffee-drinking experience too.

They write that the Viora lid’s “deep well and centred hole are designed to concentrate the coffee’s aroma.”

It works for the same reason the hold creates a better sip; if there’s a lack of steady airflow, the liquid will move in jumpy, unpredictable ways.

Designer Louise Harpman and architect Scott Specht, who worked together on Coffee Lids: Peel, Pinch, Pucker, Puncture, say that trends, tech, and even legal cases have shaped the design of the mundane invention over the years.

For example, coffee lids became more dome-shaped as foamy, bubbly drinks rose in popularity; after the famous McDonald’s coffee court case, they told Atlas Obscura, brands started including more visible warnings on their lids.

“Coffee lids are modest modern marvels, but we rarely slow down and take the time to consider, admire, or even wonder about these humble masterpieces,” Louise told the publication.

Well, that’s changed for me, at least…