
TV presenter Jay Blades to appear in court charged with rape
West Mercia Police previously said the 55-year-old, who fronted primetime BBC show The Repair Shop, will face a first hearing at Telford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
(Image: PA)
TV presenter Jay Blades is due to appear in court charged with rape.
West Mercia Police previously said the 55-year-old, who fronted primetime BBC show The Repair Shop, will face a first hearing at Telford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
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.
Article continues below
Blades also appeared on Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off and Comic Relief, as well as presenting the BBC's Money For Nothing until 2020.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
9 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Huge BBC drama to return for TWO more series after replacing Holby City
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HUGE BBC drama is returning for two more series after it replaced Holby City, the corporation has announced. School drama Waterloo Road returned to screens two years ago after the BBC cancelled medical drama Holby City in order to move TV investment away from London. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Waterloo Road is returning for at least another two series Credit: BBC 2 Lindsey Coulson plays Dame Stella Drake in the drama Credit: BBC Now the series has been recommissioned for at least two more runs. The BBC says the Manchester-set programme's return, which began in 2006 and ran until 2015 before it was brought back to screens in 2023, will allow it to continue with its investment in creative talent in the north of England. Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: "I'm delighted that Waterloo Road will be opening its corridors once again, with two more series of the hit drama about to start filming. "The show continues to entertain the audience who love to follow both the staff and pupils and, with a new series heading to BBC iPlayer and BBC One next month, they don't have long to wait." The next series will see Jon Richardson make his debut as the school's new media studies teacher next month, and the show has already seen Lindsey Coulson replace comedian Jason Manford, who played Steven Savage, as new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake. During its time on TV, Waterloo Road has explored storylines such as the cost-of-living crisis, coercive control, neurodivergence, work-place politics, family drama, grief, and young love. The show has provided a launch pad for the careers of stars such as Lucien Laviscount, Rege-Jean Page and Chelsee Healey, as well as Phoebe Dynevor, whose sister Hattie Dynevor joined the series in 2024, and Adam Thomas, who returned when the series was rebooted in 2023 and remains on the show. Cameron Roach, Waterloo Road executive producer, said: 'When the BBC commissioned the reboot of Waterloo Road, we had hoped it might run for a few seasons. "But to be commissioned for further series, bringing the total episodes since relaunch to 70 hours, is a huge achievement and a reflection of the incredible creative teams in front of and behind the camera. "As well as continuing to celebrate emerging talent, the show is fast gaining a reputation for working with the best comedy talent, as Jon Richardson joins the cast this season. Kym Marsh quits HUGE TV job after overhauling her personal life "As a team we're incredibly proud that a very British show can be such an enduring success for the BBC and continue to bring in new generations of viewers." Filming for the two new series will begin in Greater Manchester later this year, with the first of the pair to launch next year.


Glasgow Times
9 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Council's bid to block hotel housing asylum seekers to be heard on Friday
Epping Forest District Council said on Tuesday that it had filed documents at the High Court requesting an interim injunction stopping migrants from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. It follows a series of protests in recent weeks outside the hotel, after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. PA news agency understands the injunction bid is due to be heard on Friday by Mr Justice Eyre at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, with the case involving the council and Somani Hotels Ltd. The council said in a statement on Tuesday that it had seen 'unprecedented levels of protest and disruption' in connection with asylum seeker accommodation. It continued that it had issued the injunction bid because of the 'clear risk of further escalating community tensions and urgency of the need for the present situation to be brought under control'. Councillors had voted unanimously last month to call on the Home Office to close the hotel, the council added. Chris Whitbread, leader of the council, said the situation 'cannot go on' but the Government 'is not listening'. He said: 'The use by the Home Office of the premises for asylum seekers poses a clear risk of further escalating community tensions already at a high, and the risk of irreparable harm to the local community. 'This will only increase with the start of the new school year. 'In our view, placing asylum seekers in the Bell Hotel is a clear breach of planning permission. It is not in use as a hotel, and it doesn't function as a hotel. Protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping (Yui Mok/PA) 'The establishment of a centre to accommodate asylum seekers in this particular location, in close proximity to five schools, a residential care home, and the shops and amenities of the market town of Epping, is not appropriate in planning terms.' The protests outside the hotel came after a man who was staying at the hotel, Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault. Kebatu, who is accused of attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl, denies the charges and will stand trial this month. A second man who resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, 32, has separately been charged with seven offences. At a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, he denied a count of sexual assault after being alleged to have kissed a man on the neck. He indicated guilty pleas to a further two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating, with all of the offences said to have taken place at the hotel between July 25 and August 12. He was remanded in custody until a trial at the same court next month. Six men charged in relation to disorder outside the hotel will also appear in court next week.


Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Strictly champion Ore Oduba reveals secret struggle while on BBC show - 'It was hard'
The 39-year-old TV presenter - who started losing his locks in 2009 and resorted to using hair loss spray, then tablets to try and reverse the balding Ore Oduba says hiding his hair loss when he did Strictly Come Dancing was "hard but absolutely necessary". The 39-year-old TV presenter - who started losing his locks in 2009 and resorted to using hair loss spray, then tablets to try and reverse the balding - took desperate measures to hide his bald patches when he took part in the hit BBC Latin and ballroom dance show in 2016. Taking to Instagram to share a timeline of his hair loss journey in a picture carousel on Tuesday, Ore wrote next to his Strictly publicity shot: "Hiding my hair loss during Strictly was hard but absolutely necessary. "I'd visit my trusted barber every Friday night so my hair and hairline was tight and tidy, my fibres did the rest." The star and his professional dance partner, Joanne Clifton, 41, won Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. And Ore could not have his head in his hands to react to the shock of winning as the star feared he would have messed up his hair. Captioning a photo of him reacting to winning Strictly Come Dancing in the same photo carousel, Ore wrote: "My mind fully emptied from the shock... but I still had the wherewithal to know not to touch my hair when I had my head in my hands for fear it would look messy or out of place on camera." Elsewhere in the photo carousel, Ore admitted he feared losing his TV career if he had shaved or gone bald in 2019. Captioning a red carpet photo of him, the star explained: "It'd been nearly 10 years of hair insecurity and I was desperate to just shave it off. "But here's the really sad thing ... I didn't know any bald presenters on TV (that hadn't been actors or pop stars before, I see you Marvin Humes and Ross Kemp!) and I was SURE I'd never get a job again if I went shaved or bald." And Ore also revealed in the photo carousel that he would ask picture editors to "colour in my hair" so people would not notice his bald patches. Captioning a publicity shot of him taken in 2015, Ore revealed: "My TV profile was starting to rise, and by now I'm pretty adept in my hair 'system' routine. "I was even confident enough to ask photographers/editors to 'colour' in my hair so you couldn't notice even when you zoomed in pictures."