The moment that Ted Lasso fans have been waiting more than three years for is finally here: the hit sports comedy returns to Apple TV+ with the first episode of season four on Wednesday morning.

And whether or not the new season has been worth the wait depends on which critic you ask.

Jason Sudeikis and his co-stars are mostly all present and correct in Ted Lasso’s fourth outing, which sees the titular coach returning to Richmond to oversee the club’s resident women’s team.

Overall, reviews for Ted Lasso’s new run of episodes have been decidedly mixed, with some criticising the fact that so much emphasis is placed on existing characters – some of whom feel shoehorned in – rather than the newer additions (although Tanya Reynolds’ work as assistant coach Alice has already received widespread praise).

Meanwhile, others were more impressed with the new episodes, claiming that they’ve been able to capture what made Ted Lasso such a success in its early years.

Plenty have also encouraged fans to persevere with the season, despite a somewhat underwhelming opening episode.

Here’s a quick guide to what critics are saying about Ted Lasso season four so far…

“Americans don’t truly understand football, sure, but they do understand narrative storytelling. Ted Lasso is an all-American sporting hero in the mould of Rocky Balboa or Air Bud. The show was about bringing some of that touchy-feely shmaltz and exposing it to the rough winds of Premier League football. Can you be an eternal optimist on a cold, rainy night in Stoke? Having answered that question, the show has nowhere to go but limp on like an ageing striker whose powers are fading before their eyes.”

“For all its irritatingly ersatz qualities, the appeal of Ted Lasso is as clear as ever: the signposted comic beats, the predictable gestures towards kindness and reconciliation, the bright colours, the clean lines. A sense of quality entertainment still hangs about the whole well-oiled endeavour. Think of it as the TV equivalent of Taylor Swift: ruthlessly efficient, reassuringly dorky, blatantly basic and as monocultural as any Apple TV offering is going to get […] Ted Lasso is still saccharine business as usual and, no doubt, still a lot of people’s cup of tea.”

“Tanya Reynolds of Sex Education is a welcome addition as Alice Chilton, a coach whose constant scowl and clipped severity make her a well-suited foil for Ted’s sunny optimism until she inevitably warms to it. But, at least in the five episodes provided to critics out of an eventual 10, she’s pretty much the only new character who feels fully established, because Ted Lasso refuses to make room in the ensemble by sidelining (or is it touchlining?) old ones.”

“It’s one thing to label a thing important. It’s another to make it interesting. Ted Lasso succeeds at the former, but falters at the latter. In keeping the players and fans at arm’s length, at least for now, the show misses a shot to make the stakes feel personal […] Mostly, the series’ focus remains on its core cast. But rather than use the in-universe three-year gap to flip to a new chapter in the characters’ lives, it simply returns them to a familiar status quo.”

“Season four takes co-creator Jason Sudeikis’ Ted, who became a nurturing father figure to the surrogate family that was AFC Richmond, back across the Atlantic to shepherd the club’s new women’s team. It doesn’t quite work […] Although there are plenty of women writing and directing in season four, Alice – the highlight of the series’ second act so far – is the only substantial character who doesn’t feel filtered through the male gaze.”

“Given the mediocrity of series four, it’s a wonder that Jason Sudeikis’s football coach made it to the World Cup half-time show […] Previously, Sudeikis confirmed that there would be no season four, the implication being that three servings of Lasso were enough both for him and the audience. He was probably right. But then with television, as with football, comes the whistle for extra time.”

“Season four stumbles out of the gate with a tepid season premiere. When it finds its footing, it’s the best “Ted Lasso” has been since season one […] Season four is Ted Lasso at its best, offering team-building, sincerity, an emphasis on everyone trying their best, all undercut with enough dry British humour to keep the whole thing from feeling too cloyingly sweet.”

“I loved the show, but its absence has not been a painful one. Anyway, it’s back, beginning Wednesday on Apple TV, and I am glad enough. […] By the end of [episode four], there will have been enough sweet, celebratory moments to have rewarded your investment. (I gauge this scientifically by how often I choke up.) Where the story is going in any substantial way, other than, you know, win games, maybe get Roy and Keeley back together, do something interesting with Henry and/or Michelle, it’s too soon to tell. I assume it’s going somewhere, but we’ll find that out together.”

“With a runtime of roughly 45 minutes, there are stretches where the premiere feels like unnecessary table-setting […] Episode 2 is considerably stronger, recapturing the feel-good vibes that defined Season 1 […] As it stands, “Ted Lasso” Season 4 is already a marked improvement over Season 3. And if it continues to recapture even some of the magic of the show’s first two seasons? Well, that’d just be barbecue sauce.”

“It’s nice to see Alice’s dynamic with Ted turn into one of Season 4’s strongest additions, the first four episodes suggest the series’ greatest achievement won’t come from recapturing the magic of what came before. Instead, Ted Lasso successfully builds something new — and manages to move forward without losing what made it special.”

“The first half of season four confirmed the show has plenty more wisdom, warmth, and laughs to share. But [like the Lady Greyhounds], Ted Lasso also has a lot to prove in those final five episodes. Only time will tell if Season 4 is victorious. Until then, you’d better BELIEVE I’ll be rooting for it.”

“As the show pulls focus away from Ted and onto the Lady Greyhounds, Alice is primed to be a great new co-lead. That shift is proof of Ted Lasso‘s welcome evolution in Season 4, which so far seems to be avoiding Season 3’s biggest pitfalls. As someone who was skeptical of the show’s return in the first place, its embrace of women’s sports, like Ted coaxing Rebecca with his divine shortbread, has won me over.”

The first episode of Ted Lasso season four is now streaming on Apple TV+, with new instalments coming every Wednesday.

During one of this year’s earlier heatwaves (and there have been many), the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) issued an “urgent plea” for us to provide water for thirsty wildlife.

They noted that this is especially key given a 2022 report that found rural hedgehog populations have shrunk by somewhere between 30% and 75% since 2000.

Recently, a hedgehog rescue centre told the BBC they’d been “inundated” with baby hedgehogs following very dry and hot conditions in the south-east of the UK.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Fay Vass, chief executive for BHPS, noted: “As our climate continues to change and become more extreme, it poses new dangers and challenges to our native wildlife.

“Scarcity of water sources is a common problem for wildlife and long spells of drought only serve to make this worse. Small mammals can easily become dehydrated and having access to fresh, clean water can mean the difference between life and death for hedgehogs.”

So what should we actually do to make their summers more bearable?

During very hot weather, hydration is key for hedgehogs and other wildlife.

“Placing shallow dishes of clean, fresh water around the garden is a simple, easy step we can all take that will provide a lifeline for hedgehogs and other wildlife during hot, dry spells,” Vass said.

You might have taken part in “no-mow May”, a scheme which sees gardens grow wild across the UK.

This has been linked to greater biodiversity. And according to the Vass, the practice can help animals long past May too.

“Allowing sections of the garden to be wild and overgrown is important… as this can offer much-needed shade, shelter and a natural food source,” she said.

Additionally, “leaving log piles and leaf piles in quieter corners also offers valuable shelter and places to forage for grubs, worms and other natural food” year-round.

It’s not just about water. “Hedgehogs can struggle to find enough food when the ground is hot and dry,” said the expert.

“Putting out some high-quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or dry cat biscuits to supplement their natural diet can provide a vital lifeline for hungry hedgehogs during the hot summer months,” she added, stressing it’s important to make sure their feeding dishes and areas are kept clean.

Though its benefits might be felt especially keenly in summer, Vass said this is one of the best ways to support animals no matter the weather.

“Creating a wildlife-friendly garden with features such as a gently sloping pond provides a reliable year-round water source and encourages insect prey,” she advised.

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how to make your own with an old washing-up bowl.

Again, this is just as important in summer as it is in winter. “It’s vital to make sure hedgehogs can access your garden<” said the expert.

Check with your neighbours if you share a fence, and if it’s OK with everyone concerned, consider creating “13x13cm gaps in fences or walls to allow them to move freely between gardens and green spaces”.

Christopher Nolan’s much-hyped latest film The Odyssey famously features a sprawling cast of A-list performers, but there’s one actor in particular whose performance has been singled out for praise.

During the epic adaptation, Samantha Morton makes a brief, but memorable, appearance as the sorceress Circe, and has already found herself at the centre of awards buzz for her performance in the movie.

Interestingly, though, the Oscar nominee has claimed that she’s not had any other film work come her way in the year since shooting The Odyssey, citing Hollywood ageism as her explanation.

Speaking on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, she told host Josh Horowitz: “I haven’t worked for a year since making The Odyssey, you know. And I’ve got really good agents and a manager, but at the end of the day, I’m 49.

“While I do believe I’m a good actor, there are other good actors out there. Do you know what I mean? So, the politics of the industry has changed massively.”

Last month, Samantha admitted that she’d found the reaction to her performance in The Odyssey “validating” after what she described as a career of “ups and downs” where “you work for a bit and then you’re not working for a bit”.

She also said that “even meeting” Christopher Nolan about working on the film “was enough”, let alone being cast in it.

“It validates the fact that I’m good at what I do and I care. I’m very grateful and I take it very seriously,” she enthused.

Samantha reiterated this during her Happy, Sad, Confused interview, claiming: “I feel confident, with the ups and the downs, that I will keep working, till I’m in my 80s or whatever, touch wood.

“But it’s more that, for me, I got to work with Christopher Nolan in my lifetime. That’s it. I’m happy now. I mean, I was happy before, I’ve worked with some brilliant people, but as an actor, you’re always at the mercy of who your employer is and what they expect of you and what they believe in you to do for them.

“And without sounding corny, I genuinely cried when I got the call from my team saying ‘Christopher Nolan would like to meet you’. Even being in a room with him, to talk to him, to listen to him, I’m obsessed with cinema, I have been since I was very, very little, it’s my saviour, it’s my life, if I wasn’t an actress I’d do anything on a film set just to watch the magic and watch it happen. And it’s The Odyssey!

“So, being part of something that’s bigger than any individual is really important in this day and age, because we’re living in the age of the I, the me, the Instagram, the selfie, the ego, and The Odyssey is the opposite of that. It’s a deeply human, spiritual experience for me personally, when I saw the film for the first time. So, to be part of that is incredible. Obviously, it’s awesome.”

The Odyssey is in cinemas now.

Joe Marler has confirmed that he’s joining the cast of Gladiators in its upcoming season.

The former rugby pro and Celebrity Traitors finalist is set to become the show’s first ever Celebrity Gladiator, competing against Contenders in a series of gruelling challenges under his new alter-ego Mauler.

Filming on the new run of episodes is already underway in Sheffield, ahead of Gladiators’ return to our screen in 2027.

Joe also celebrated the announcement on Wednesday morning, appearing in a new social media post sporting a bright red mohawk hairstyle for the occasion as he took his place alongside the rest of the Gladiators backstage.

A BBC press release teased: “Known for his uncompromising style of play and larger-than-life sense of humour, Joe has built a reputation as one of the UK’s most entertaining sporting personalities.

“Now, he’s taking on an entirely new challenge as he joins the ranks of the Gladiators, bringing his trademark physicality and competitive spirit to one of television’s toughest arenas.”

It was recently reported that cast members Cyclone and Bionic had been dropped from the Gladiators line-up ahead of season four, with Giant previously claiming he had been “sacked” due to his relationship with OnlyFans performer Taylor Ryan.

He told The Sun earlier this year that he’d been made to “choose between dating Taylor and keeping my job”, claiming he’d been left “shocked and very saddened” by producers’ “choice to sack me”.

A BBC spokesperson previously said: “After three formidable series, Giant is leaving Gladiators. We’d like to thank him for everything he has contributed to the show and wish him well for the future.”

Meanwhile, a third celebrity special is also in the works, which will feature Big Brother host AJ Odudu, social media personality George Clarke and comedian Sara Pascoe among its famous contenders.

Stand-up comic Chris Ramsey was previously announced to be taking part, but following the news that he’d been forced to withdraw due to sustaining an injury, it’s been reported that he’s been replaced on the line-up by Harry Clark, who rose to fame on the second season of The Traitors UK, which he later went on to win.

The first three seasons of Gladiators are now streaming on BBC iPlayer.

About a month ago, it began. When I walked into my kitchen for my morning coffee, I noticed tiny invaders: little black flies crowded around my (empty! bleached!) sink.

Panicked, I started looking around for the usual suspects: old food, an opened packet, a grubby bin.

But I found nothing. Though they’re not overwhelming, the little visitors have survived deep clean after frantic deep clean.

Across the UK, house flies are swarming. So, what does it mean – and does their appearance always signify a dirty home? Professor Adam Hart, a professor and entomologist at the University of Gloucestershire, shared his expertise.

“House flies aren’t a reliable indicator that your home is dirty. They’re attracted by opportunities rather than making judgements about housekeeping,” Prof Hart explained.

The issue might not be in your home, but near it, he added.

“Open doors and windows, warm weather, and nearby breeding sites such as compost heaps, bins, animal waste or even neighbouring properties can all increase the number of flies that find their way indoors.”

That’s not to say they’re not tempted by the smells and items in your house, though: “Once inside, they’re drawn to food smells, sugary drinks, fruit, pet food and other organic material.”

Sometimes, Prof Hart said, a sudden influx of flies can signal an unaddressed issue. “If you’re suddenly seeing large numbers of flies, it’s worth checking for a specific source,” he said.

“An unnoticed food spill, overflowing bin, dead rodent in a wall cavity, or even a forgotten potato or onion at the back of a cupboard can provide an ideal breeding site.”

“They don’t breed indoors but often enter buildings in late summer and autumn to overwinter, sometimes appearing in surprisingly large numbers.”

Cluster flies can enter your home through tiny cracks in your walls or near your windowsills.

The best way to reduce flies, the entomologist said, is to remove what attracts them.

That involves the usual steps. “Keep food covered, empty bins regularly, clean up spills promptly and don’t leave pet food out longer than necessary. Good fly screens and keeping doors closed where possible will also reduce the number entering,” he advised.

But if you’re sure your house is clean, and flies seem to be sticking around regardless, “it may be worth looking outside the home for the source or considering whether there’s a hidden breeding site that needs attention”.

Those spots can include compost heaps and even your neighbour’s home or garden.

“Most flies are more of a nuisance than a health risk in the home, but because they can move between waste and food, they can carry bacteria mechanically on their feet and bodies,” Prof Hart ended.

“That’s another good reason to keep food preparation areas clean and deal with any persistent fly problem promptly.”

This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of House Of The Dragon.

House Of The Dragon, like Game Of Thrones before it, has become renowned for pushing the boundaries when it comes to its graphic content – but the latest instalment took things to another level.

There’s been something iffy brewing between Ewan Mitchell’s Aemond and Olivia Cooke’s Alicent for some time now, and in the most recent episode, viewers saw the mother and son pair engaged in an incestuous sex scene.

Eventually, it emerged that the sequence was actually all in Aemond’s head, and in reality, he was in bed with his new lover Alys, played by Gayle Rankin, while picturing his mother.

Since the episode aired, Gayle has opened up about filming the complicated sequence, describing the shoot as “very intimate and very odd but very professional”.

“We tried to like make jokes, just to keep it lighthearted because those scenes are not easy and they’re complicated and very technical,” she told Variety.

“So, it was also just like it was another day at the office for being like a very odd, fucked-up scene.”

In a separate interview with Decider, she also admitted she was happy to finally be able to talk about the scene – which proved shocking for many viewers.

She claimed: “It was the thing that we couldn’t talk about in the junket, you know? Because I think people were like, ‘What was the craziest scene you had to shoot?’. I think that was a pretty crazy fucking scene, you know, for all of us.”

“Those scenes can sometimes be really intense, but they’re also like ultimately stunt scenes in some ways,” she noted.

“So I think we all just like try to be really respectful and professional and also like quite keep it pretty lighthearted, you know? Because it was a very absurd scene.”

Gayle added that, in her view, viewers were seeing Aemond and Alys consummating their relationship for the first time.

“We’re seeing it happen in front of our eyes, which is… thank you HBO for, like, allowing us the privilege,” she quipped. “Yeah, but it’s early days of that endeavour, so it’s like vulnerable still, I think for them.”

Earlier in the season, Olivia admitted that shooting a lingering kiss between herself and her on-screen son – who is, in fact, only three years her junior – made for an “odd” experience.

“It’s kind of shocking,” Ewan agreed. “But then also, I just recognised a tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light.”

“It’s quite a difficult pill to swallow, isn’t it? Kissing your mum on the lips, especially in that way,” he continued. “I mean, Aemond, growing up, he never felt like he was loved enough by his mum and his family around him, and a kid needs that unconditional love to develop a balanced view of themselves.

“And Aemond, because he never had that, he’s got a very skewed perception and a very strange way of showing love.”

House Of The Dragon continues on Mondays on HBO Max, Sky and Now in the UK.