
TV presenter Jay Blades to appear in court charged with rape
Blades faces two allegations of rape but will not be expected to enter pleas during his first appearance.
The defendant, of Claverley in Shropshire, found fame on restoration programme The Repair Shop, which he started presenting in 2017.
He stepped back from presenting the show last year.
Blades also appeared on Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off and Comic Relief, as well as presenting the BBC's Money For Nothing until 2020.
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Wales Online
27 minutes ago
- Wales Online
BBC security manager fired after claims he spent 12 hours trawling CCTV for kitchen mess culprit
BBC security manager fired after claims he spent 12 hours trawling CCTV for kitchen mess culprit The sacked security manager has won an employment tribunal against BBC contractor Mitie BBC Wales HQ in Central Square, Cardiff (Image: Richard Williams/WalesOnline) A security manager at BBC Wales' headquarters was sacked following an allegation he spent 12 hours poring through CCTV to find out who made a mess in the kitchen. Mohammad Rakib was fired by the broadcaster's security contractor Mitie after an investigation found he did not have a licence to review CCTV — but he has now won a £31,637 payout after a judge ruled he was unfairly dismissed. Mr Rakib was a duty security manager for Mitie from April 2022 until his dismissal in September 2023. He managed a team of around five security officers at the BBC's Central Square building in Cardiff city centre. The employment tribunal centred on the events of May 8, 2023, when he was alleged to have breached data protection rules by looking through CCTV footage in the control room without a suitable SIA (Security Industry Authority) licence. According to Mitie's investigator Martyn Barrass, Mr Rakib gave multiple explanations — at one point saying he reviewed the CCTV because another member of staff had misplaced a bag, and at another point saying he could not remember the reason. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter . Mr Rakib said during an investigation meeting: "I don't know why. I don't really do CCTV reviews that often, but there was a reason why I was doing it." Another security officer claimed to have had a conversation in which Mr Rakib admitted going through the footage for 12 hours "to catch who had made a mess in the kitchen". Questioned on this allegation, Mr Rakib said he thought the "kitchen incident" happened on a different day. He denied spending 12 hours trying to find the culprit. Article continues below When Mr Barrass informed the BBC of the matter, the broadcaster's corporate security manager Joel Adlington described the alleged data protection breach as "unacceptable", adding: "I must put on record that it is a significant breach of trust between the staff member and the organisation, and you have my full support in your assessment of gross misconduct." Mitie held a disciplinary hearing over the alleged CCTV misuse as well as a claim that Mr Rakib had bullied a security officer. The bullying allegation was found "not proven on the evidence" but the firm did conclude Mr Rakib had reviewed footage without the correct licence — and that his explanations for doing so would not have been appropriate even if he did have a licence. Mitie's regional operations manager Marc Pearson took into account Mr Rakib's decade of service and that he had relocated from London to Cardiff for the job. But he said the damage to trust with the BBC was "so serious" he had to be sacked. He appealed but the decision was upheld by the deputy account director for the BBC contract, Lee Hill, who acknowledged Mr Rakib had a door supervisor licence entitling him to view live feeds but not to "review footage for any form of investigation without prior approval from the data controller". At the Cardiff employment tribunal, Judge Rachel Harfield found Mr Hill failed to check whether there was a pattern of other duty security managers reviewing CCTV. "Instead, all Lee Hill did in his appeal outcome letter was fudge the issue by saying if there was evidence of other duty security managers undertaking such activity then appropriate action would be taken to address it," she said. The judge noted Mr Pearson had failed to properly investigate Mr Rakib's claim that a former colleague had told him a licence was not needed for internal reviewing. Mr Pearson did not attempt to contact that ex-colleague and instead "presupposed" what he would say, the judge said. The judge also found Mitie had not given Mr Rakib any standard operating procedures on CCTV use. She concluded he had been unfairly and wrongfully dismissed. Judge Harfield said Mr Rakib was now only earning the minimum wage as a security officer at SGD Guarding. She added: "It took the claimant eight years and a move to Cardiff to get promoted. The claimant says he is now at back of the queue at SGD Guarding in terms of promotion opportunities. He says he thinks it will take another five years." Following Judge Harfield's ruling against Mitie, the parties agreed to a payout for Mr Rakib totalling £31,637. Article continues below


Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
BBC Strictly fans fume about underwhelming line-up - 'They're scraping the barrel!'
One of Britain's favourite TV shows is back again, and as fans eagerly anticipated the grand reveal of this year's celebrity contestants, they couldn't help but feel disappointed in the lineup Strictly Come Dancing will return to our screens this autumn for the 23rd series, but fans have already been left feeling 'underwhelmed' over this year's line-up. As the biggest show on the BBC, there are high expectations for the celebrities we see take part in each series, and it's assumed that there should be a big budget to spend. Although, with this year's announcements, fans seem to think the BBC may be being a little bit tight with their celeb spending. To crank up the excitement, the show's social media team has been dropping an announcement for each contestant. Among the names we can expect to see on the show including Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Love Island's Dani Dyer and Doctor Who star Alex Kingston. READ MORE: Final Strictly Come Dancing star announced as fans fume over 'underwhelming' line-up While some excitement was garnered for the likes of Vicky Pattinson and YouTube star George Clarke, plenty of people were left wanting more. As BBC bosses revealed Lioness and broadcaster Karen Carney and Hollywood correspondent for Lorraine, Ross King, viewers spoke up. Strictly fans were quick to flood the comments of the post with their opinions – and many of them didn't hold back. One user wrote: "Not really into the lineup this year. It feels a little underwhelming for me; however, I can't wait to see them all dance and all be partnered." Another person shared: "How many more reveals are there? Hoping there's going to be someone exciting still." Adding to the feelings of disappointment, someone wrote: "Is it me, or are they really scraping the barrel for these 'celebrities'? It feels like the Z-list reboot." "You're having a laugh now; this lineup is tragic," a disappointed viewer wrote. "Oop, scraping the barrel so hard it's breaking," another chimed in. Others were quick to defend the show and seemed excited about the mixture of faces, both familiar and new to them. They wrote: "Honestly, I don't know how people can moan about the line-up; we haven't seen them dance yet or seen their willingness to learn! Don't like it? Watch something else!" In a similar tone, one user said: "People are so moody this year. It's the same every year. ' This line-up is bad, waaa waaa waaa,' yet every year we always enjoy it lmao. Stop expecting Brad Pitt and Celine Dion and face reality." The full lineup for the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing has now been revealed, with all famous faces splashed across their social media accounts. Viewers can expect to see the following on this year's show: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Nitro) Dani Dyer Stefan Dennis George Clarke Vicky Pattison La Voix Balvinder Sopal Ellie Goldstein Chris Robshaw Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Alex Kingston Tom Skinner Ross King Karen Carney Kristian Nairn


Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Naga Munchetty looks chic leaving BBC Breakfast studios in figure-hugging blue dress as she shrugs off 'creepy and inappropriate' comments from David Jason on show
Naga Munchetty looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out of the BBC studios in a figure-hugging dress on Friday - the day after 'creepy' comments from Sir David Jason on the show. The Breakfast host wore a striking royal blue ensemble with delicate button fastenings, paired with purple-lens sunglasses. On Thursday, Naga and co-host Charlie Stayt spoke to Only Fools And Horses legend sir David Jason. But the 'outrageous' interview set tongues wagging for all the wrong reasons - as fans accused the acting great of being 'creepy' and making a 'sickening' remark to Naga. Sir David, 85, appeared in the studio to look back on his illustrious decades-long career. But things soured when viewers suspected he was 'flirting' with Naga after making comments fans said were 'uncomfortable.' The Breakfast host wore a striking royal blue ensemble with delicate button fastenings, paired with purple-lens sunglasses While in the middle of a story, the Open All Hours star trailed off. Host Charlie jumped in, saying: 'Come back to the anecdote, what was it you were going to say? A little story?' But Sir David appeared to remain fixated on Naga, telling Charlie: 'Yes I was but…you…it's Naga. I can't resist. [I can't] take my eyes off her.' Ever the professional, Naga looked unfazed and laughed the comment off, while Charlie hurriedly changed the subject. 'Em people are in, obviously, for an absolute treat,' Charlie continued, discussing an upcoming project of Sir David's. 'That's really true,' David responded. 'So, I'm not going to give anything away because I've been told not to.' Naga chimed in: 'Do you always do what you're told?' to which David, batting his eyelashes at her, said: 'Naga, please! Yes, I will - for certain people. Not you, Charlie.' As David's segment drew to a close, he put on a seemingly flirty voice when he said: 'Thank you Naga, I'll see you later.' While some saw the exchange as a harmless joke, others were left feeling uncomfortable, and took to social media to swap notes. While some saw the exchange as a harmless joke, others were left feeling uncomfortable, and took to social media to swap notes One wrote: 'Did I just see Jason being misogynistic regarding Naga and she just laughed it off? He kept on digging until the end. I felt a disgusted physical reaction.' Another added: 'David Jason verging on inappropriate and forgetting himself occasionally on BBC Breakfast . Some wonderful anecdotes though but quite sad to see.' 'It was nothing short of creepy,' said a third, while a fourth chimed in: 'He's a bit sleazy with Naga.' Some watchers said they had to turn to another channel, unable to stand David's conduct. 'I enjoy David Jason's work but I had to switch off the interview as it was so embarrassing,' commented one. 'Well done to Naga for being dignified while I was watching.' 'His whole behaviour was red flag central,' said one commenter, while another agreed: 'David Jason creepy AF towards Naga.' 'He was extremely misogynistic towards and up to the end of this interview,' one person wrote. 'Sickening. Naga should have called him out.'