Brit Awards announces big change to iconic awards show
The Brit Awards will be held in Manchester for the first time in the ceremony's history in 2026.
For the past four decades, the UK music industry's biggest night has been held in London.
The 2026 ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 28, and will be broadcast on ITV1, ITVX, STV, and STV Player.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, hailed the move as a 'massive coup' for the city, emphasising its rich music heritage.
Jason Iley, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music UK & Ireland, believes the move to Manchester will invigorate the show and build on its legacy.
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BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
'They've become extinct, and are we next?': How Jurassic Park made dinosaurs into film stars
In June 1993, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel brought prehistoric monsters to life. Crichton spoke to the BBC about why dinosaurs continue to fascinate us. One of the most celebrated moments in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park has two scientists, played by Sam Neill and Laura Dern, staring agasp at a Brachiosaurus towering above them – it's the first time these characters and the audience have glimpsed the colossus in all its onscreen glory. As John Williams's iconic overture swells, a wave of childlike wonder washes over their faces. And ever since the film premiered 32 years ago, on 9 June 1993, audiences have felt a similar awe. The franchise now includes animated television series, comics, video games, and seven major films, including the latest instalment, Jurassic World Rebirth, which is released in July. But it all started with Michael Crichton's bestselling novel, published in 1990. While writing the novel, Crichton visited a museum in the UK which featured a video exhibit on dinosaurs. "Little boys and girls of three [years old] would scream 'Stegosaurus!' and 'Tyrannosaurus!' when they would appear," Crichton told the BBC's The Late Show in 1993. "You wouldn't think they'd know how to pronounce these words, but they do." Since the discovery of the first dinosaur fossils two centuries ago, and the first official scientific naming of a dinosaur – the Megalosaurus – in 1824, our fascination with these titans of the natural world has never really waned. But it has evolved. "We have in every period some [new] aspect of interest, not so much in our own reinterpretation of the dinosaurs from a scientific standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint," said Crichton. In 1854, a number of supposedly life-sized model dinosaurs, sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and cast in cement, were displayed in Crystal Palace Park in south London. At this point, Crichton believed, "the underlying issue soon became whether these were evidence that ought to be employed for or against Darwinian evolution, so after the initial interest in dinosaurs as simply large extinct animals, they came to be viewed from the standpoint of their religious significance." By the time Crichton wrote Jurassic Park, however, our view of dinosaurs had moved on, both scientifically and philosophically. The podgy beasts sculpted by Hawkins had been replaced in the imagination by fast, agile, birdlike creatures – and the issue of the dinosaurs' extinction was considered of greater philosophical interest than their creation. "The question that we have when we look at dinosaurs is, 'They've become extinct, and are we next,'" Crichton said. In between these two periods, dinosaurs stomped through cinema history. The first onscreen dinosaur starred in an animated film, Gertie the Dinosaur, in 1914. A classic silent film, The Lost World (1925), boasted stop-motion dinosaurs created by Willis O'Brien, who went on to animate the prehistoric monsters who fought King Kong in 1933. The dinosaurs in King Kong then inspired legendary animator Ray Harryhausen to create his own unique dinosaur hybrid for the film 20,000 Fathoms (1953), a Tyrannosaurus-Brontosaurus mix that rampaged through the streets of New York City. Harryhausen would go on to direct his own prehistoric monster film, One Million Years B.C. (1966), in which Raquel Welch and other fur-clad cave-people came face-to-face with dinosaurs. "We were criticised many times that human beings, particularly cavemen… never lived anywhere near the time of the dinosaur," Harryhausen said on The Late Show. "But that's a licence one has to take for the cinema because you have no drama unless you have people in with the dinosaurs." Breaking box-office records The film of Jurassic Park, with a screenplay co-written by Crichton, brought together people and dinosaurs more believably than ever before. Spielberg used a groundbreaking and earth-shaking combination of computer-generated imagery and practical animatronics for his cautionary tale of a corporation miraculously resurrecting long-extinct species. The corporation's CEO, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), intends to use the creatures to populate a wildlife amusement park on an island off the coast of Costa Rica. But when the dinosaurs escape their enclosures, a group of scientists learn the hard way that Hammond's plan may have its drawbacks. The film was a blockbuster hit in the summer of 1993, grossing $357 million domestically and $914 million worldwide in its original theatrical run. It shattered box office records, becoming the highest grossing film ever at the time of its release. Jurassic Park "delivers where it counts, in excitement, suspense and the stupendous realization of giant prehistoric reptiles", said Variety's 1993 review. In 2018, it was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". More like this:• How a child star saved a Hollywood star from bankruptcy• The film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a superstar• Hitchcock reveals the secret to his masterpieces None of the sequels or spin-offs has been quite so significant, but all of the films have been Brachiosaurus-sized hits. Spielberg directed The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and then Joe Johnston took the reins for Jurassic Park III (2001). That film appeared to be the end of the big-screen series, but eventually Jurassic World (2015) roared into cinemas, beginning another trilogy: at the time, it was the third highest-grossing film ever released. Dinosaurs still instil childlike wonder, it seems, and as long as they do, the Jurassic Park franchise won't remain extinct for long. -- For more stories and never-before-published radio scripts to your inbox, sign up to the In History newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights twice a week. For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
You'd never know I live in a council house thanks to how good it looks – I shopped in IKEA & an Amazon tip saved me cash
A MOTHER has revealed that she lives in a council house but nobody can tell because of how stylish it looks. So if you're eager to give your pad an upgrade but don't know where to start, you've come to the right place and will need to take inspiration from this savvy DIY enthusiast. 5 5 5 Crystal Jewell, a 32-year-old mum-of-two from the UK, was able to transform her council house whilst staying on a budget. Not only did she shop in The Range sale and nab bargain buys from IKEA, but she was also able to save cash thanks to a handy Amazon hack. Posting on social media, Crystal gave her followers a before, during and after look at her living room overhaul, leaving many totally stunned. Alongside the short clip, the brunette beauty beamed: 'POV: You live in a council house but you can't tell.' At the start of the video, viewers saw the content creator rip off the dark wallpaper from the walls. Just seconds later, the mother got to work on painting the walls, in an attempt to lighten the space. Crystal confirmed that she used the Dulux paint in the shade Egyptian Cotton, which you can nab from B&Q, Screwfix and Wickes, from £23. What was once quite a dark and dated space is now incredibly trendy and chic. Crystal furnished the room with gorgeous cream sofas and added flowers and trendy black photo frames, which she got from B&M. In the corner of the room is also a dining table and chairs, which thanks to Crystal's savvy idea, looks jaw-dropping. Eager to reveal more on her purse-friendly project, Crystal told Fabulous: 'The table was £50 from IKEA - the dining chairs I already had but were old and worn out so I updated them with some chair covers from Amazon.' As well as this, Crystal also revealed to us: 'All of the table decor was from The Range which I got in the sale, including the sofa cushions and wallpaper. 'Curtains were from Dunelm, £40 per pair, I bought two pairs. The nets are from IKEA and also the curtain pole. 'Everything had to be budget friendly. I absolutely love DIY and doing stuff on a budget and making my home cosy for me and my two children.' DIY enthusiasts beam The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 23,300 views, 501 likes and 23 comments. DIY fans were left gushing over Crystal's gorgeous home and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. living room looks STUNNING!' Another added: 'Looks amazing.' A third commented: 'Beautiful, nicely done.'
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
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Treasure hunter finds huge silver coin hoard two months after being inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up hobby
A treasure hunter who was inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up the hobby found a £50,000 silver coin hoard just two months later. Steve Hickman, 59, bought a second hand metal detector from eBay after watching the hit TV show starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones. He secured a 'permission' to search farmland near his home in Buckinghamshire, even though he was told nothing of significance had been found there for over a century. On a wet day in February 2023 he got a strong signal on his device and dug down to unearth a pottery vessel filled with silver coins. In total, there were 1,064 coins spanning the reigns of Elizabeth I in the 1560s to Charles I in the 1640s. The latest coins had been minted a few months before the Battle of Aylesbury during the English Civil War in November 1642. The battle, at Holman's Bridge, saw the heavily outnumbered Parliamentarian forces defeat Prince Rupert's Royalists. The vessel may have been a wage pot to pay soldiers who fought in the battle, or the life savings of a wealthy individual who had planned to flee. Mr Hickman, a joiner from Princes Risborough, Bucks, carefully recovered them all and took them home to lay out on his dining room table before contacting the Finds Liaison Officer to report his historic find. He is now selling the hoard, which includes 409 Charles I silver shillings and rare Aberystwyth mint issues, at Essex Coin Auctions. He said he wanted to personally thank Mackenzie Crook, who created Detectorists, for helping him discover the pastime. The father-of-two said: 'It was complete beginner's luck and I had only been detecting for two and a half months. 'I must credit MacKenzie Crook as it was his series Detectorists that got me interested in the first place. 'Without it, I would not have started. 'It inspired me to go to my local detecting club and the people I met were just like the characters on the show, with the same banter. 'It was brilliant and I decided to buy a second-hand metal detector on eBay. 'I was searching the farm land and the landowner said his family had owned it since 1920 and nothing significant had ever been found! 'I suddenly got a really strong signal and dug down 9ins but there was nothing there, so I covered the hole up. 'I thought perhaps the para-cables were messing with the detector. 'But after 20 minutes I decided to have another try and dug the hole again, and at a foot down I saw silver and reached down to pick up a fistful of silver coins. 'One of them had Elizabeth I's face on it and I got more and more excited. 'It took 15 handfuls to fill the bag with coins which weighed 8kg. 'I took the coins home and laid them all out on my dining room table. 'For me, the monetary value is immaterial, as it is all about having that personal connection with the English Civil War. 'I crouched down at exactly the same spot as the person who buried that wage pot nearly 400 years ago.' Auctioneer Adam Staples said: 'This exciting Civil War hoard was uncovered near Aylesbury and consists of 1,064 silver coins hidden within a now broken pottery vessel. 'The earliest coins in the hoard date to the reign of Elizabeth I, and James I is represented by his English, Irish and Scottish issues. 'The latest coins were minted in the autumn of 1642, the beginning of the English Civil War and just prior to the Battle of Aylesbury, which took place a few miles away at Holman's Bridge. 'Amongst the coinage of Charles I are 409 silver shillings, including rare coins struck locally at Oxford, on which King Charles declared to uphold the Protestant Religion, the Laws of England, and the Liberty of Parliament. 'There are also very rare issues from the Aberystwyth mint. 'It is a wonderful discovery.' The sale takes place on June 12.
