Latest news with #GaryLineker
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Doing mushrooms on the Reeves estate
Rachel Reeves has enough on her plate without having to worry about gardening. But the alarm bells have been sounded at the Chancellor's grace-and-favour country pile Dorneywood, which has been gripped by an outbreak of honey fungus. The species of invasive mushrooms have already killed off one birch tree on Reeves's estate; and two nearby beeches could be next. Dorneywood's trustees have now requested permission from the local council to fell them before they cause any more problems. Will this approach to dead wood guide Reeves as she slashes wasteful Whitehall spending in her spending review in 11 days' time? Gary Lineker or crispy duck? Advertising man Malcolm Green is to blame for why former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker became the face of Walkers crisps. Asked to come up with an ad campaign to revive Leicester-based crisps brand Walkers in the mid-1990s, Green asked Lineker – 'one of Leicester's most famous sons' – to front a 'no more Mr Nice Guy' campaign. However his idea was rejected in favour of a CGI crispy duck. 'When that campaign flopped, we were asked to dust off the Lineker idea and shoot it as a one-off' while another campaign was thought up. 'That 'one-off' went on to become the longest-running ad campaign in Europe,' Green told The Jewish Chronicle. 'Maybe I should have persuaded Walkers to have more faith in that crispy duck? She certainly wouldn't have been as controversial.' Howzat, prayerfully How do cathedral choirs get through the countless sermons they must endure? They play 'sermon cricket', according to new book Evensong – Notes from the Choir by Tim Popple, an alto lay clerk at Bristol cathedral. Under its scoring system a preacher is awarded one run for mentioning God, four runs for Jesus and six for Satan or the Devil. But if the preacher uses the words I or me, a wicket falls. Popple explains: 'The better the score, the more the preacher spoke about faith and less about themselves.' When 10 wickets fall, choristers may feel they are no longer under any obligation to listen. Jenkyns's plunger A live interview with elected Reform UK Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Dame Andrea Jenkyns to defend her party against charges of 'fantasy economics' was interrupted on GB News this week when her eight-year-old son Clifford burst into her home office to announce that the family lavatory was blocked. The interview with presenter Martin Daubney ended swiftly. Concerned, I got in touch with the ex-Tory MP. 'Was the issue dealt with?' I asked her. 'Yes, I used the plunger,' replied Jenkyns. Room service for Fern! TV presenter Fern Britton is mystified by the current fad for hi-tech hotel rooms. 'They baffle me: All dark lighting, no mirrors – and no three-pin plug sockets anymore. It's all USB ports,' she says. 'I spent a night in a hotel in Manchester. I didn't know how to turn the television down or off, and I couldn't turn the lights out – so I went to bed, wrapped up in a scarf.' We've all been there Fern. Downton and out The third Downton Abbey film – out in September – looks like it will be the last one. 'The clue is in the title: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,' Hugh Bonneville, who plays the 7th Earl of Grantham, told an audience at the Goodwoof dog festival at Goodwood House, West Sussex. 'We're all done and dusted. We've had an amazing 15 years.' Perhaps Bonneville can reprise his role as Mr Brown in Paddington The Musical when it opens in the West End in November? 'I won't be singing,' he says, disappointingly. What a shame. Miles better Sports news! After the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow decided to replace the 1,500 metres with the mile, the British Weights and Measures Association – I am an honorary member – wants it to become permanent. Its director John Gardner has written to the organisers pointing out it is the first race over a mile at the Games since 1966, and is 'a tribute to the race in Vancouver in 1954 between Roger Bannister and Australia's John Landy, the only two sub-four-minute runners in the world at the time'. I rather agree.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
England football legend Paul Gascoigne, 58, issues positive health update after years of battling alcohol addiction and mental health problems
England legend Paul Gascoigne has issued a positive update regarding his health. Gascoigne, 58, has endured years of struggles with alcohol addiction and mental health problems. However, he now appears to have taken a major step in the right direction. Gascoigne is releasing a new book which is entitled Eight in reference to the shirt number he is best known for wearing. The former England star, who is regarded as one of the nation's best players of all time, added that Eight also referred to the amount of emotions he has often endured. Last week Gascoigne appeared as part of a tribute to departing Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. Gascoigne has now given an update on his health and says that he feels better than he has in years. Gascoigne told The Mirror: 'I feel better now than I have in years. I hope I am at a point that I can look back over everything I've gone through with a different, more positive, perspective. 'After so many years in the spotlight, I feel like it's time people got to know the real me.' Gascoigne's marriage to Sheryl, which ended in divorce in 1998, was marred by domestic violence claims. His spell as manager of Kettering Town in 2005 lasted just 39 days, with Gascoigne's alcohol problems a key factor. In 2008 Gascoigne faced a bankruptcy petition regarding a tax bill of £200,000 as he hadn't filed any tax returns for over two years. However, in 2011 he avoided being declared bankrupt despite the fact that he still owed £32,000. Gascoigne has frequently struggled with alcohol addiction and first attended therapy sessions in 1998. In 2010 he was charged with drink driving and was sent to rehab, while he was given an eight-week suspended sentence. Also that year he appeared on the scene during the stand-off between police and fugitive Raoul Moat. In 2015 Gascoigne received a restraining order for harassing an ex-girlfriend and assaulting a photographer. Gascoigne was capped 57 times by England between 1988 and 1998. He played for clubs including Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Dua Lipa and Gary Lineker join stars calling PM to halt all arms sales to Israel
Stars including Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker and Benedict Cumberbatch have urged Sir Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel as the conflict in Gaza continues. More than 300 actors, musicians, activists and others used an open letter to call on the Prime Minister to 'take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors of Gaza'. As well as suspending UK arms sales to Israel, the group urged Sir Keir to 'use all available means' to ensure humanitarian aid gets into the territory and 'make a commitment to the children of Gaza' that he would broker an 'immediate and permanent ceasefire'. The signatories included Lineker, who left his role presenting Match Of The Day earlier this month following a controversy over one of his social media posts about the conflict in Gaza. He was joined by actors including Cumberbatch and Brian Cox, along with Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin, singers Paloma Faith and Annie Lennox, and Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos. Josie Naughton, founder of the charity Choose Love – which organised the letter, said: 'Words won't save the lives of Palestinian children as they are being killed, words won't fill their empty stomachs. 'We need action from Keir Starmer now. That means stopping arms sales, making sure that legitimate humanitarian organisations can reach people in Gaza. It means doing everything possible to make these horrors end.' The letter follows Tel Aviv's decision to renew its military offensive in Gaza last week as it presses for what Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called 'total victory' over Hamas. UK ministers have condemned the decision, suspending trade talks with Israel, sanctioning West Bank settlers and summoning the country's ambassador, while Sir Keir himself called for Mr Netanyahu to end the offensive. The Prime Minister also described the situation in Gaza as 'intolerable' and warned of 'the prospect of starvation' due to a lack of humanitarian aid. Ministers have already suspended licences for some arms sales to Israel, but activists have demanded that the Government goes further, imposing a total ban including on parts for the F-35 jet. But the Government has said halting the export of spare F-35 parts is not possible as the UK is part of a global supply network and cannot control where those parts end up. A Government spokesperson said: 'We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. 'The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. 'Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. 'We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Weekly quiz: How did this ship end up in a Norwegian garden?
This week saw Elon Musk part ways with the White House, Gary Lineker present his final Match of the Day, and the world of television pay tribute to former BBC presenter and executive Alan Yentob. But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world? Quiz collated by Ben Fell. Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Weekly quiz: How did this ship end up in a Norwegian garden?
This week saw Elon Musk part ways with the White House, Gary Lineker present his final Match of the Day, and the world of television pay tribute to former BBC presenter and executive Alan how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world?Quiz collated by Ben Fell. Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.
