The TV comeback a decade in the making is almost upon us.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that a third and final season of the domestic drama Doctor Foster was coming to our screens in 2027, with Suranne Jones returning as TV’s most chaotic GP.

More details about the new series have been revealed, including exactly what’s in store this time around.

The official synopsis had already teased: “Ten years ago, on discovering her husband Simon was having an affair, Gemma Foster enacted a masterful revenge. But the fallout was devastating when her 15-year-old son Tom disappeared.

“Now, in series three, Gemma is still a GP, still in the same house, but on the brink of a fresh start: she has met someone new and is getting married. But as the wedding day draws closer, and friends and family gather, shadows from the past begin to re-emerge threatening both her happiness and her reputation.”

“As Gemma fights to protect those she loves and expose whoever’s intent on hurting her, will she be able to put the past to bed, dispense justice, and claim the future she deserves, before it is too late?” the teaser concludes.

Gemma’s new man will be played by Slow Horses actor Dustin Demri-Burns, with Adam James, Thusitha Jayasundera and Anna Madeley also set to return after their appearances in the first two seasons, alongside series leads Tom Taylor and Bertie Carvel.

Meanwhile, Riot Women star Rosalie Craig will play a new character, joining the series alongside fellow new additions Gracie Oddie-James, Lois Baglin, Karima McAdams, Anjana Vasan, Michael Balogun, Christina Balmer, Justin Salinger and Ash Tandon.

Suranne previously claimed: “When I got the call to ask if I wanted to return as Gemma Foster, I knew the time was right. We needed space from the first two series, and we needed Tom – Gemma and Simon’s runaway son – to return as an adult with questions.

“For me, this time around it’s about accountability and questioning – ‘can we ever truly sever ties with our past and the damage or traumas that haunt us, so we can fully move forward?’. Gemma and Simon have so much to unpick!”

Doctor Foster became a huge hit when it debuted in 2015, with the cast also including Jodie Comer and Victoria Hamilton, whose character later appeared in her own spin-off, Life.

Suranne’s leading performance in the show earned her two NTAs, a Royal Television Society Award and a TV Bafta.

I’ve been learning more about the urinary habits of celebs recently than I ever thought I would. First, it turned out that loads of singers use a pee bucket backstage if they’ve gotta go mid-concert (yes, really).

And now, it seems some on-screen talent have their own secret code to ask to go to the loo ― at least, that’s according to makeup mogul, singer, motel owner, and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Trixie Mattel.

In a recent video, the drag star shared the behind-the-scenes secrets of reality TV. “I had to learn on my feet what exactly a TV set was,” the star said in the video ― and that included working out how to nip to the loo.

“Did you know on television when you have to pee… you say, ‘I have to ten-one’, ’I’m taking her to ten-one,’‘she’s going to ten-one,’” Trixie shared.

“It’s a more elegant way of saying ‘go pee,’” the drag star added. “And on a TV set when I was 24 years old, my instinct was to go, ‘will someone take me to pee?’ And they’d be like, ‘you mean ten one?’”

Studio Binder confirms that 10-1 is walkie-talkie lingo for needing to pee ― and it turns out that 10-2 refers to needing to, well, go number two, as well.

They add that if you find you need more time in the bathroom than you’d expected as a TV cast member ― maybe that dodgy food from last night caught up with you out of nowhere ― you can ask to “upgrade your 10-1″ on the walkie-talkie too.

This will buy you more precious alone time.

“I have no idea where that came from,” Trixie shared, referring to the initial 10-1 code. Well, we think we might have answers ― the ten does seem to apply to the ten code, which refers to abbreviated speech you can use across telecoms, and one is, well, going number one.

But why you couldn’t just ask to pee instead is frankly a little beyond me. Perhaps I’m just inelegant…

This is less specific to TV shows in general and more applicable to drag ― but Trixie brought up the topic of urine again towards the end of her tell-all video.

“This one I’m going to be vague about, but we’re in drag for long days, and drag is very taxing on the body, and sometimes people don’t get to pee,” she said. “And sometimes pee happens… that’s all I’m going to say,” she added.

“I’ve never peed myself on Drag Race,” she pointed out, “but I know it’s happened. Whether or not people have said it happened, I think people have peed their pants and it hasn’t shown on camera so no-one knew.”

Basically, I’m learning that if you haven’t faced a pretty Medieval peeing system at least once in your showbiz career, you haven’t made it big. I knew fame wasn’t for me…

I’m not an anxious flyer, but even I have to admit that the idea of a plane being struck by lightning mid-air terrifies me.

Perhaps it shouldn’t – after all, the National Weather Service of America said most commercial planes “are hit by lightning an average of one or two times a year.”

But why does it happen, and is it even dangerous for the passengers and crew inside?

Most lightning strikes to planes occur at altitudes between 5,000 and 15,000 feet, Simple Flying shared. That’s because takeoff and landing is when the vehicles pass through clouds, which are electrically charged.

Edward Rupke, senior engineer at Lightning Technologies, Inc. told Scientific American that planes actually trigger lightning strikes as they pass through non-striking, but electrically-charged, clouds.

“Actually, aircraft often initiate the strike because their presence enhances the ambient electric fields typical for thunderstorms and facilitates electrical breakdown through air,” the US National Weather Service explained.

The strike attaches itself to an extremity like the nose or tip of the plane first. Then, the electricity moves along the outer “skin” of the plane as it flies through the strike, eventually leaving the body of the plane when it leaves the polarity.

It used to be. 1967 was the last noted commercial plane crash due to a lightning strike – the contact caused the fuel tank to explode.

Nowadays, however, planes are made from seamless aluminium or even more advanced composite materials that conduct electricity well enough to keep them away from the sensitive parts of the plane.

Occasionally, pilots might notice flickering lights or very brief interference.

“When it is suspected that a plane was hit by lightning, there is a mandatory inspection for damage, which can delay flights and be quite expensive,” the US National Weather Service revealed.

So, for that reason, pilots try to steer clear of thunderstorms.

Children’s screen time has (rightly) received plenty of scrutiny of late.

We know that excessive use of screens can impact concentration levels and negatively impact academic outcomes. Studies have also linked it to poor language development, as well as problems with development, including obesity, sleep disturbances, depression, and anxiety.

But what about the impact on brain function? Well, a new study from Finland found kids who had higher amounts of screen time during childhood ended up with better cognitive processing in their teen years.

Cognitive processing refers to the mental functions which are linked to thinking, learning, memory and executive function.

Researchers said the findings suggest screen time can support children’s and adolescents’ cognitive processing. But they stressed a key consideration here is what kind of things children do during their screen time.

The findings are based on an eight-year follow-up of the PANIC study on children’s physical activity and nutrition. The study involved 124 girls and 136 boys, whose average age was 15.

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured by a device that combined heart rate and movement measurements and also by a survey questionnaire, while learning, attention and working memory were also assessed.

Doctoral researcher Petri Jalanko, from the University of Jyväskylä, said children should be encouraged to use screens in ways that promote active thinking, problem-solving, creativity and learning.

Parents shouldn’t just see screen time as harmful, he added, but should seek balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking.

The research tracks with previous research on brain function and screen time. A 2023 study of nearly 12,000 children in the United States found no evidence that screen time impacted brain function or wellbeing.

A study in older adults, meanwhile, found active screen use was generally associated with better cognitive outcomes, particularly in memory, executive function, and attention.

Passive screen use, on the other hand, was linked to poorer outcomes, including verbal memory and global cognition declines.

The latest findings come after a survey found almost one-quarter (24%) of parents of three‑ to five‑year‑olds find it hard to control their child’s screen time, and 98% of two‑year‑olds watch screens every day.

In the UK, the government has issued guidance on screen time for under-fives, suggesting under twos should avoid screen time other than for shared activities that encourage bonding, interaction and conversation (ie. FaceTiming family).

Meanwhile two- to five-year-olds should stick to no more than one hour of screen time a day, and screen time should be avoided at mealtimes and in the hour before bed, so as not to disrupt sleep.

Watching screens with an engaged adult where parents talk and ask questions has been linked to better cognitive development than solo use.

Slow-paced content is also considered far better for development than fast-paced social media-style videos.

Paediatrician Dr Joel Warsh, aka Dr Gator on social media, previously shared in his newsletter that he tells parents to ask four questions when it comes to the impact of screen time on their kids.

• Is my child sleeping well?
• Are they able to focus without screens?
• Do they play independently?
• And how do they behave when the screen is taken away?

If their sleep, focus and ability to play independently is on track, and they don’t have meltdowns or angry outbursts when screens are taken away, this is a positive sign.

The paediatrician noted that “sometimes it’s not about the number of hours” but rather the effect of screen time on our kids that we should pay attention to.

A top aide to Vladimir Putin has bizarrely declared he “feels sorry” for the UK after Britain was threatened by the Russian Embassy in London over its support for Ukraine.

Moscow’s representatives in the UK warned of the “consequences” following confirmation that British-made drones had been used in recent Ukrainian attacks in Russia.

The embassy claimed Britain was “deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis,” and said the “deeper its involvement in the conflict… the higher the price it will pay”.

UK prime minister Andy Burnham remained unperturbed by the threats on Tuesday, telling reporters that the UK was “providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict, by previous prime ministers – it remains the case with me”.

Asked about the spat with the UK on Wednesday, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov tried to deliver yet another threat as he again suggested Britain is directly involved in the war.

He told the media: “I feel sorry for the United Kingdom, if it is going to stand with Ukraine until the very end.

“As for the substance of our Embassy’s comment, it means only one thing: President Vladimir Putin has warned of our right to act in any area of the world’s oceans, should anyone encroach on our interests or our property.

“We have exactly the same right to regard the proudly announced direct involvement of British missile forces in strikes against the Russian Federation as participation in the war. With all the consequences that entails.”

His remarks come after a former deputy foreign minister of Russia told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that many in Moscow interpret the recent strikes from Ukraine as proof the UK is “part of the war”.

“The situation now is very dangerous, because the tension of conflict in Ukraine really is increasing,” Andrei Federov added. “The coming couple of months will face this tension, this escalation which can bring us to totally different situation unlike ever before.”

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Apparently, being a bisexual man means everyone has a theory about your life, except you. To some people, I’m secretly gay. To others, I’m basically straight. To a surprising number of people, I’m destined to cheat on whoever I’m dating.

Coming out didn’t free me from those assumptions – it just gave people permission to say them out loud.

Growing up, I didn’t know one could be two. I learned that gay and straight were monoliths – rigid archetypes dictating not just your sexual interests, but all of your behaviours. The way you spoke, the way you walked, even how you spread your legs could tell the whole world whose legs you were interested in spreading.

We didn’t need viral Andrew Tate TikToks telling us ‘the rules’; if you found yourself in violation of the Straight Code, one of your schoolmates would let you know posthaste.

Because I didn’t lisp or prance, I truly assumed I was straight. I liked girls, I watched sports, I was angry as hell without knowing why – the whole nine. I did google shirtless pictures of Orlando Bloom (love your work, bud!), but I chalked it up to a blip in my straightness, a gay cheat day, if you will. (Are they still cheat days if they happen five days a week?)

It didn’t help that I was raised religious. The preacher at my Baptist elementary school politely informed my second grade class that homosexuality was a “mortal sin”. (Thank God he did. Without that guidance, we would have turned Mrs Murrow’s classroom into an Athenian bathhouse.)

To add to my confusion, behind that preacher stood a statue of Jesus, splayed on the cross, like a scarecrow for queers. Crown of thorns, nails in wrists, and… shirtless? Looking, dare I say… chiselled? It felt like mixed messaging. If you’re going to build a scarecrow, one shouldn’t stuff it with delicious corn.

Even after I drifted away from religion, the internalised homophobia stuck around. Whenever I dated a woman, I spent the entire relationship worried she’d sniff me out. That I’d forget to close an incognito tab and everything would unravel. As it turns out, the emotional distance that anxiety bred wasn’t exactly a chick magnet, either.

The first person I came out to was a girlfriend. We’d been together six months, and she was openly bisexual, so I figured the time had come. When I told her, she said she was happy I told her, that she supported me, but her follow-up questions betrayed her seeming acceptance.

“Do you… prefer men?”

“No, I prefer women and actually, I’ve fancied one in particular of late – you.”

“Well… okay. But am I enough for you?”

“If anything, baby, you’re too much.”

She laughed at that, she kissed me, and we let it lie.

But the topic just kept coming up. Always, “I’m worried I’m not enough for you,” until one day she made it explicit: “I’m afraid you’ll cheat on me with a man.”

To me, this didn’t feel like a logical concern – if that was the plan, why would I have told you I was bi? If cheating was the intention, wouldn’t my best course of action be to withhold that information at all costs? That would be like if Sweeney Todd gave the police Mrs Lovett’s pie recipe – it’s going to arouse suspicion.

Those fears echoed one of the oldest stereotypes about bisexuality: that bisexuality itself isn’t real. Straight people assume you’re secretly gay. Some gay people assume you’re just not there yet. Everyone seems to think you’re eventually going to pick a side.

It seems she saw me not as someone who had desires for both, but as a closeted gay man sneaking a toe out of the closet. If my bisexuality is just a journey toward gayness, then I’m moving at a glacial pace, like the shifting of a tectonic plate.

A few months later, we broke up, and I found out through a friend that she had cheated on me with her male coworker. Maybe she wasn’t worried I would cheat on her with a man – she was worried I would cheat on her with that man. I may be bisexual, but I still prefer one at a time.

I had half a mind to mosey my way back into the closet at that point, but I knew that this pattern would repeat if I couldn’t be honest about it.

I thought that coming out would be a moment of epiphany, that the fetters of my sexual shame would morph into wings and I’d showboat above my withered chrysalis. The reality has been far less poetic.

Coming out began what will likely be a lifelong journey, a quest to identify who I really am under the vestiges of my concealment.

I’m happier now. I don’t worry about seeming gay anymore. The cat’s out of the bag. I don’t suffer through a Rusty Nail anymore; I order a piña colada and cross my legs as tightly as I please.

And when I do meet someone who says they don’t understand how someone could like both – or insists I must secretly prefer one – I tell them, “It’s okay. You’re just going through a phase.”

Maxx Eddy is a comedian blending stand-up and storytelling. He was named a New Face of Comedy at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival and recently made his American TV debut on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen. Maxx Eddy: Bi Meets World will be performed at 5pm at Gilded Balloon Patter House, Edinburgh, from 5-31 August.