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Wales Online
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Former The One Show star on loosing 'everything' after marriage split and BBC axe
Former The One Show star on loosing 'everything' after marriage split and BBC axe Former England footballer Jermaine Jenas was sacked by the BBC with immediate effect last year after he sent explicit messages to colleagues. Jermaine Jenas, known for co-hosting The One Show with Alex Jones, found himself in the spotlight last year following his sudden dismissal due to inappropriate conduct. The ex-England footballer, aged 42, revisited the controversy that also saw him ousted from his role on Match of The Day, a situation which precipitated the end of his 14-year marriage to Ellie, with the couple announcing their separation in March. Following allegations about sending explicit messages to colleagues, Jermaine faced additional career repercussions including being dropped by his representation agency. He has since reflected on the scandal and admits that he initially mishandled the fallout. Former The One Show star on loosing 'everything' after marriage split and BBC axe (Image: BBC ) In a frank discussion on the Let Me Tell You Something podcast, hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan and professional boxer Derek Chisora, he confessed: "I broke a vow. Article continues below "I feel my level of punishment was up there. I had to take it and have some broad shoulders and handle it, and I feel like I did that." Jermaine drew parallels between the texts he sent and the erotically charged narratives akin to those of Jamie Dornan's Fifty Shades film series, reports the Express. Jermaine Jenas spoke candidly about being sacked by the BBC last year (Image: YOUTUBE ) He described his sexting scenario as follows: "It was Christian Grey in text messages, put it that way. It was sexting, as simple as that, but it was initiated to me, and then I responded." The 42-year-old clarified the context of the exchanges, asserting: "It wasn't just me going out of my way, and it definitely 100% wasn't, 'If you do this, I will help you in your work.'There was no power element to it going on." Jermaine candidly discussed his marriage struggles with Ellie Penfold, acknowledging they faced issues even before the sexting scandal emerged. Jermaine Jenas and his wife Ellie Penfold announced their separation (Image: GETTY ) "There's a lot of stuff with me and Ellie where we weren't in the best place ourselves," he admitted. He also spoke on their challenges, adding: "And things were just spiralling a little bit. In no way is that blame. I'm fully accepting responsibility." Article continues below Reflecting on the consequences, the former BBC star expressed: "I dealt with it wrong and got heavily punished for it by losing pretty much everything that I had at that time." Having bounced back, Jenas is now with talkSPORT and shared at the start of the year his aspirations to better himself, stating, he would be a "better person".
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Grantham father jailed for hitting children with wood and whip
A man who used a piece of wood and a whip to hit his own children has been jailed for seven years and five a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court, the defendant, who is from Grantham but cannot be named to protect the identities of his victims, admitted child cruelty against three children between 2015 and court was told two boys were subjected to repeated assaults, which became more frequent as they got older.A restraining order was also imposed preventing the defendant having any contact with his children for 10 years. Jon Dee, prosecuting, told the court the repeated incidents of violence were committed either in temper or as a of the boys was struck with a piece of wood to his arm and a girl was hit with a whip, the court was defendant admitted three charges of child cruelty, two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm and one offence of criminal mitigation, Eddison Flint told the court: "The defendant's position has always been that this was not sadism, it was him acting as a disciplinarian."There is a degree of remorse from the defendant about what happened."Passing sentence, Judge James House KC told the court the cruelty only came to an end when the girl reported the incident with the whip to a friend."She described begging him to stop," Judge House said, adding that the "true impact" on the children may only be know when they reach maturity. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here, to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here, to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Science
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on the public's dinomania: passion for palaeontology endures through the ages
On-screen discussions of DNA and off-screen scientific consultants notwithstanding, no one goes to see a Jurassic Park movie for its realism. Yet one of the less convincing moments in Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest in the franchise, is unrelated to oversized velociraptors. It's the palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis complaining of shrinking public interest in his field. This spring, the BBC revived its 1999 hit series Walking With Dinosaurs. Not a week goes by without headlines announcing the discovery of a new species or new theories on how they behaved. Publishers produce an endless stream of dino-related fact and fiction, particularly for children. Palaeontology – at least when focused on the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic, or our hominin forebears – has long exerted an extraordinary hold on the public imagination. Yet it's a marginal field in terms of academic prestige and scientific funding, as Dr Chris Manias, a historian of science, points out in the essay collection Palaeontology in Public, published last year. (Dinosaurs are themselves a small part of the discipline; the vast mass of fossils are invertebrates, micro-organisms or plants. Good luck getting a movie made about stromatolites). The spectacular scale and fearsome nature of creatures such as Spinosaurus, the magic of conjuring extraordinary life from a handful of rocks tens of millions years old, and the mirroring of myths about dragons and other ancient beasts may all play a part in its appeal. Entertainment has always helped: the Crystal Palace dinosaurs were created in the 1850s to encourage interest in recent discoveries (Richard Owen, who coined the term dinosaur, provided advice.) Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World portrayed a South American plateau where prehistoric creatures still roamed. Some of today's palaeontologists were drawn to the field by watching the first Jurassic Park movie as children. But the science itself has been central too. In the 19th century, the US palaeontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope vied to outshine each other in the bitter 'Bone Wars', with academic rigour and ethics taking second place to headline-grabbing glory. In the 'dinosaur renaissance' of the 1960s, experts showed the creatures to be more sophisticated, active and interesting than previously imagined. The feathered dinosaurs found in Liaoning, China, in the 1990s have revolutionised our understanding – even if the Jurassic franchise makers, and many dinosaur fans, still draw the line at a downy Tyrannosaurus rex. In recent years, experts have identified a new dinosaur every week or so. New technology is unlocking details of their appearance and behaviour. The original Jurassic Park was a tourist resort inhabited by dinosaurs brought back from extinction. In the latest film, the plot is driven by big pharma's hunt for prehistoric DNA that could drive a medical breakthrough. That parallels the tension Dr Manias notes around palaeontology itself: is it primarily a 'luxury', which entertains more than it enlightens, or 'useful'? Jaw-dropping giants like Patagotitan still captivate adults and, especially, children. But there are lessons here too. In the past, the field appeared to offer a narrative of progress, as lumbering creatures gave way to mammals and ultimately – tada! – the triumph of humans. Now it is an instructive tale of uncertainty, offering powerful insights into time, nature and how life has fared at times of huge and rapid changes in climactic conditions. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
BBC head of music steps down amid Glastonbury controversy
The BBC's Director of Music, Lorna Clarke, has stepped down from her responsibilities over the controversial broadcast of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury set, as reported by The Times . This follows a performance by UK punk duo Bob Vylan at Glastonbury Festival, where the group led the crowd in a chant of death, death to the IDF, with regard to Israeli Defence Forces. In a statement issued on Thursday, July 3, the BBC revealed that 'Bob Vylan was deemed high risk following a risk assessment process' but ultimately was deemed suitable to broadcast. This prior assessment was applied to all Glastonbury acts, with six other performances falling under the 'high-risk' category regarding live streaming. Calling the decision to broadcast Bob Vylan's performance 'an error,' the BBC said: 'We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community.' Furthermore, the BBC emphasised 'that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC.' Now, Clarke has allegedly stepped down from her duties while an investigation takes place. Her role includes supervising six national popular and classical music networks, as well as Music Live Events, Music Television commissioning and the Visualisation team. According to reports, a small number of senior BBC employees have also withdrawn from their positions overseeing live events and music. As per their statement, the BBC said they will not be broadcasting 'any music performances deemed high risk' going forward. They have previously made the decision not to broadcast Kneecap's set at Glastonbury. Following the controversy, Bob Vylan was pulled from the lineup of Manchester's Radar Festival. The duo are currently under investigation by Avon and Somerset Police over their Saturday Glastonbury performance.
Metro
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Singer Akon's plans for $6,000,000,000 futuristic 'Wakanda' city ditched
Singer Akon's plans for a $6 billion city in Senegal have been abandoned in favour of something more 'realistic'. Dubbed Akon City, the city would be a high-tech, eco-friendly 'home back home' for African-Americans and other black communities around the world and have its own crypto currency called Akoin. Early designs showed futuristic buildings, including curvaceous skyscrapers, with several people comparing the city to the fictional Wakanda in Marvel's Black Panther films and comics. The Locked up singer, who had a string of hits in the noughties, announced the plans in 2018 and in 2020 said he'd secured funding and had officially bought the land. However, Serigne Mamadou Mboup, the head of Senegal's tourism development body, Sapco, has now told the BBC: 'The Akon City project no longer exists.' He added: 'Fortunately, an agreement has been reached between Sapco and the entrepreneur Alioune Badara Thiam [aka Akon]. What he's preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support.' In 2020 Akon said construction had started, but all that has been built on the 800-hectare site is a reception building, which is only half finished. There are no roads, housing or a power grid. Plans for phase one – that were due to be completed by the end of 2023 – included a hospital, shopping mall, school, police station, a waste centre and a solar plant. The city, 60 miles south of Senegal's capital, Dakar was to be powered solely by renewable energy. Officials reportedly blamed funding, legal and construction issues for the the project's demise. More Trending The value of Akon's cryptocurrency, Akoin, designed to power the economy of the city, also plummeted in value. The singer has previously conceded that it 'wasn't being managed properly', adding 'I take full responsibility for that'. As the country prepares for the arrival of next year's Youth Olympic Games, there are now plans for a more modest development on the Akon City site, which sits along the West African country's coastline. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: A surprising UK building has just been named one of the world's most beautiful MORE: The dystopian megacity bigger than Scotland where 2,600,000 cameras are always watching
