Latest news with #BritishRoyal
Telegraph
23-04-2025
- Telegraph
Why you should follow Kate and William to the Scottish island of Mull
It's no surprise that the Prince and Princess of Wales chose to spend their 14th wedding anniversary in Scotland. They met at university in St Andrews – the town named after the county's patron saint – and their burning love of Scotland is clear; a passion that runs deep in British Royal blood. So deep that in Scotland we've even bestowed William and Catherine their own distinct title: the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay. But why Mull? Again the heritage surges strong as the Royal Family spent many a happy summer cruising the mesmerising Hebrides on the Royal Yacht Britannia. When Britannia was retired in 1997 the late Queen Elizabeth chartered Scotland's finest luxury heritage cruise ship, the Hebridean Princess, to continue the Hebridean adventures in 2006 and again in 2010. Scotland's fourth largest island is a less showy – and less campervan-infested – Skye, a large Inner Hebridean isle more than double the size of the Isle of Wight, but with just a fraction of the population. There are only 3,000 human inhabitants. Much of this deeply dramatic island remains gloriously wild. Here on the edge of the Atlantic vastness, man plays demonstrably second fiddle to nature, but enjoys her bounty with fine produce and epic wildlife viewing. I've travelled all over Mull over three decades and it's an isle – if you choose to follow in the Royal footsteps – where you will encounter infinite richness, whether you hike Scotland's toughest island route across its roughest terrain, or tackle the only island Munro outside Skye, head out in search of encounters with our marine mammal cousins, or just enjoy the artisan shops of Tobermory. And then there's the famous whisky, Caribbean-esque beaches that dazzle in the sun and spirit-soaring sunsets to melt a monarch's heart. Here are five reasons that you too should choose Mull: 1. Scenery fit for a Hollywood movie Mull is the Scotland of Hollywood movies: hulking Highland massifs soar like leviathans from the Atlantic, nature only pausing her ruggedness to sprinkle white sands along stretches of the coast that Skye can only dream of. There are rich and vibrant ancient woodlands too, which made it into a Royal itinerary strong on appreciation both of the natural world and our place alongside it. Whether it's your first or 50th time on Mull, count on losing whole tracts of time just standing around staring in awe. If you do just want to take stock and drink in the views, stay at the Isle of Mull Hotel & Spa and enjoy the grandeur from an outdoor hot tub. 2. World-class wildlife Home to four of Scotland's Big Five (Arran remains the only isle with the lot, as it has red squirrels too), Mull is a David Attenborough documentary playing in high definition all around you. I've even seen otters as I arrived on the ferry and too many eagles – both golden eagles and sea eagles – to count; the same goes for red deer on an island where they easily outnumber people. Nature Scotland runs excellent guided wildlife tours. Mull is also Scotland's cetacean fulcrum. Sea Life Mull pioneered whale watching in the UK as far back as 1982. On your boat trip you can encounter everything from porpoises and all manner of dolphin, through to minke and humpback whales; even orcas patrol these nutrient-rich waters. 3. A treasure trove of bountiful produce Skye boasts fancy Michelin restaurants; Mull is content to offer up great value, immaculately sourced local produce served with no fuss. Seafood that makes Brittany seem second rate is the star. One of my favourite foodie memories anywhere is cooking up a massive £6 sack of mussels fresh from Loch Spelve at Tobermory Youth Hostel for a dozen good pals. At the aforementioned Isle of Mull Hotel, tuck into boat-fresh king scallops followed by equally fresh white fish. Restaurants like Café Fish are on first-name terms with their suppliers – you won't forget gorging on a seafood platter as the gulls swoop above and the Atlantic salt fills the air. Just along the road Mishdish at the Mishnish dishes up superb seafood too, with the eponymous pub a shock if you've never heard two bands play simultaneously in the same venue. Legendary, deservedly so. As is Tobermory Distillery, which conjures up delicious sweet and peaty single malt whiskies; excellent gin too. 4. Outdoor adventure Mull offers myriad adventures. The well-equipped and experienced can tackle mighty Ben More, at 3,852ft (1,174m) the only island Munro outside Skye. My favourite hill is Dun da Ghaoithe, which towers 2,513ft (766m) over the ferry port of Craignure and is still a fair old challenge you must be prepared for. You can see swathes of isles and Ben Nevis from here on a decent day. I once spent a week tackling the Mull section of the seriously rough Stevenson Way wilderness hike, if you crave a serious challenge. In the water there is surfing, windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding and sea kayaking. Superb wild swimming spots abound too, though on straight-talking Mull they just call it swimming. 5. The bonniest village in the Hebrides Tobermory trumps Skye again – and arguably any other of Scotland's nigh 100 inhabited islands – for the honour of the prettiest island village. Tobermory is a pastel-hued beauty that strides from postcards looking like it has been touched up by AI. This was the memorable setting for children's BBC television series Balamory, which is currently slated for a reboot. Ease along the waterfront nosing into the wee shops and cafes. If you get hungry, a trailer by the pier serves king scallop suppers. It's worth getting up for sunrise and planning to linger here for sunset too; this is when you'll get the best photos of the sun glinting off Tobermory's shortbread tin-pretty main street.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Black Mirror star sues Sports Direct gym after her mother dies from overheating in sauna
A TV comedy actress is suing a gym chain owned by fitness giants Sports Direct for up to £100,000 after her model mum overheated in a sauna and died. Milanka Brooks, who starred in TV sitcoms 'Benidorm', 'The Windsors' and 'My Family,' as well as satire 'Black Mirror', is seeking damages over the death of her 75-year-old mum Mileva Brooks, a former model who died from heatstroke after using the sauna at an Everlast gym in Cheltenham in August 2022. A coroner's inquest in September 2023 found that the pensioner died three days after being rushed to hospital when other gym users alerted staff that she had collapsed in the sauna and was experiencing breathing difficulties. Now the actress is suing the owner of the Everlast gym chain, Fitness Ltd, at London's High Court, seeking up to £100,000 in compensation over her mum's death. Actress Milanka Brooks, 41, found fame starring in a number of TV sitcoms after being cast in multi award-winning BBC1 sitcom My Family in 2000 after graduating from drama school. She had a regular role in ITV's 'Benidorm', playing Johnny Vegas' fiancée, Ionela, played Princess Svetlana in Channel 4's British Royal family parody 'The Windsors,' and Nigel Planer's wife Elena, in 2014 BBC2 comedy, 'Boomers'. She then found success in a high-profile role as a blue-faced alien crew member, Elena Tulaska, in the multi-Emmy Award winning Black Mirror episode, USS Callister, in 2017. But tragedy struck after her mum Mileva, to whom the actress was very close, calling her her "best friend in the world," collapsed and died after using the sauna at the Everlast gym, in Henrietta Street, Cheltenham, on August 26, 2022. Mileva Brooks, who lived at Lypiatt Terrace, Cheltenham, had joined the gym six months earlier. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Milanka Brooks (@milankabrooks) Roland Wooderson, assistant coroner for Gloucestershire, recorded a narrative verdict after an inquest in 2023, saying that the former model had "died from the effects of heatstroke' after being "found unresponsive in the sauna of the gym". He had earlier heard medical evidence that Mileva's body temperature was 39.2 degrees centigrade when it was measured by paramedics who attended the scene. According to legal documents filed at London's High Court, Ms Brooks is now suing the gym's owners, claiming "damages in excess of £50,000, but limited to £100,000" in her role as administratix of her mum's estate for "personal injury and consequential losses" and under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Milanka Brooks (@milankabrooks) In online posts, the actress has spoken repeatedly of her and her mum's close relationship calling her "the light and inspiration of my life," her "partner in crime" and "best friend in the world". In 2020, Frasers Group, the Sports Direct parent company, bought a number of DW Sports Fitness locations out of administration and started the Everlast Gyms chain. By late 2023, they had nearly 60 branches located across all four countries of the United Kingdom. The defence of Fitness Ltd was not available from the court at the time of writing.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Black Mirror star sues Sports Direct gym after her mother dies from overheating in sauna
A TV comedy actress is suing a gym chain owned by fitness giants Sports Direct for up to £100,000 after her model mum overheated in a sauna and died. Milanka Brooks, who starred in TV sitcoms ' Benidorm ', ' The Windsors ' and 'My Family,' as well as satire ' Black Mirror ', is seeking damages over the death of her 75-year-old mum Mileva Brooks, a former model who died from heatstroke after using the sauna at an Everlast gym in Cheltenham in August 2022. A coroner's inquest in September 2023 found that the pensioner died three days after being rushed to hospital when other gym users alerted staff that she had collapsed in the sauna and was experiencing breathing difficulties. Now the actress is suing the owner of the Everlast gym chain, Fitness Ltd, at London's High Court, seeking up to £100,000 in compensation over her mum's death. Actress Milanka Brooks, 41, found fame starring in a number of TV sitcoms after being cast in multi award-winning BBC1 sitcom My Family in 2000 after graduating from drama school. She had a regular role in ITV 's 'Benidorm', playing Johnny Vegas ' fiancée, Ionela, played Princess Svetlana in Channel 4 's British Royal family parody 'The Windsors,' and Nigel Planer's wife Elena, in 2014 BBC2 comedy, 'Boomers'. She then found success in a high-profile role as a blue-faced alien crew member, Elena Tulaska, in the multi-Emmy Award winning Black Mirror episode, USS Callister, in 2017. But tragedy struck after her mum Mileva, to whom the actress was very close, calling her her "best friend in the world," collapsed and died after using the sauna at the Everlast gym, in Henrietta Street, Cheltenham, on August 26, 2022. Mileva Brooks, who lived at Lypiatt Terrace, Cheltenham, had joined the gym six months earlier. Roland Wooderson, assistant coroner for Gloucestershire, recorded a narrative verdict after an inquest in 2023, saying that the former model had "died from the effects of heatstroke' after being "found unresponsive in the sauna of the gym". He had earlier heard medical evidence that Mileva's body temperature was 39.2 degrees centigrade when it was measured by paramedics who attended the scene. According to legal documents filed at London's High Court, Ms Brooks is now suing the gym's owners, claiming "damages in excess of £50,000, but limited to £100,000" in her role as administratix of her mum's estate for "personal injury and consequential losses" and under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. In online posts, the actress has spoken repeatedly of her and her mum's close relationship calling her "the light and inspiration of my life," her "partner in crime" and "best friend in the world". In 2020, Frasers Group, the Sports Direct parent company, bought a number of DW Sports Fitness locations out of administration and started the Everlast Gyms chain. By late 2023, they had nearly 60 branches located across all four countries of the United Kingdom.
The Independent
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Simon Cowell on the success of Britain's Got Talent as it returns for 18th series
Television show Britain's Got Talent is reaching a milestone birthday this year - 18. And to mark the occasion, television personality, entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell has spoken about the show's on-going success and what keeps audiences coming back to the format after all these years. Cowell, 65, said while the quality of the acts was imperitive, the audience – also sometimes known as the 'fifth judge' – was a big influence in the show. He said: 'You always hope and pray that the casting and the people who come on the show are going to be more interesting, different and make you feel emotional. 'And hats off to the team, who find these people from all over the world. When I'm watching it back, you see how much it means to them. It's a real blast. 'And that's why we decided to stay up in Blackpool, because the audience was like… we use this expression, they're like the fifth judge. 'I mean, it was at times out of control. It was pretty much deafening, everyone wanted a golden buzzer [which sends acts to the live rounds]. 'Sometimes, even when there was good news and the contestant got four yeses, they'd just be silent. That's why we kind of got a bit out of control with the amount of golden buzzes we did over the season.' Every year, contestants of all ages audition for Britain's Got Talent – which draws in figures of around six to 10 million viewers – where they can showcase whichever talent they wish to demonstrate. The aim is to impress the panel of celebrity judges to secure a place in the live rounds of the competition. Since the show's inception, winners have been everything from musicians and singers to variety acts, magicians, dancers, and comedians. When the live rounds begin, participants will not only need to impress the judges but also the general public to secure their votes and ultimately reach the final, where one lucky winner will receive a cash prize of £250,000 and a place in the Royal Variety Performance, where they will get to perform before members of the British Royal Family. The judges consist of Cowell, British media personality and actress Amanda Holden, 54, British singer and rapper Alesha Dixon, 46, British-Italian TV personality and choreographer Bruno Tonioli, 69, and for three audition days only, 31-year-old guest judge KSI, who is a music artist, YouTuber and boxer, who is filling in for Tonioli due to scheduling conflicts. The show will be hosted by Ant & Dec. 'I did try to fill in Bruno Tonioli's shoes,' says KSI. 'It was so fun. I just wanted to get as involved as possible and really immerse myself into the space and just enjoy it. And I thoroughly did, the auditions were incredible. There were some incredible singers… who just blew everyone away in front of that audience, it's just incredible. KSI was young when Britain's Got Talent started, 'I watched the likes of Susan Boyle and Diversity, so for me, being a guest judge was mind-blowing. And then what really hit me was when I saw my name at the top and just the big X. I was like, oh my god. I'm actually here. What the hell? Like this is ridiculous,' he adds. 'So the whole situation, the whole moment, was fantastic, and my parents were buzzing. They can't wait to watch. Even my friends are actually going to watch Britain's Got Talent. There's a lot of sick moments. There's one moment which I know is going to come out and it's going to go viral, and I'm going to hate it, but it's very good.' Dixon agrees and adds: 'The hardest auditions to watch end up being the most entertaining to watch back.' 'There are some crazy auditions,' says Tonioli. 'I haven't done it as long as these guys, but for me, in every show, I'm totally surprised and involved emotionally with these people. It's not fake. They really are incredible. What they bring us and what they give us is extraordinary. 'Every day we go in, after every audition, we come out saying 'Oh, my god. Did you see that? How did they do that?' [You can see] how much they gave us, how much it meant to them. And I found that very, very special.' But going back to the audience, Cowell explains how much of a support system they also are for contestants who come onto the show. 'When you've got an audience that's involved, it adds an extra level to what they do. You can see, particularly some of those singers, they're a bit shaky at the beginning, and then you see the audience, and they are rooting for them, and it gives them that boost. And when that moment happens, and it works, it's amazing. Still to this day, I love it,' says Cowell. Even though it still doesn't feel like much has changed over the last 18 years, Holden says Cowell has changed. 'I had a child who was one years old when I started, and now they are at university. So that's when I see an embodiment of what that looks like. But we were talking about how you've [Cowell] changed and avoided that question like a proper politician,' says Holden. 'He did go soft for a bit, but I feel like he's coming back. He's just up for it now. He's changed so much and I think that is because he's got Eric to throw things at him and jump on him. And the orange sunglasses are a great addition too.'
