bigger

THE south of England has some incredibly popular beaches, and one is getting even bigger in time for next summer.

From next month, work is starting on the beach in Brighton and Hove to protect it from erosion and that’s great news for holidaymakers – because let’s face it… size matters.

Brighton and Hove is a one of the busiest spots in the UK with 11 million people visiting every year.

Worries about flooding and erosion across the busy Brighton and Hove seafront have led to new plans involving adding new groynes and extending the shingle beach.

Starting in late November or early December, a new groyne field will be built on the beach between the King Alfred Leisure Centre and Second Avenue in Hove.

The new timber groynes will be supported by filling the bays between each one with thousands of tonnes of shingle – which has been dredged from a site in the English Channel.

YULE DO

Travel expert reveals cheap UK holiday parks with Xmas breaks from £9pp a night

CHRIMBO WIN

Enter these travel comps before Xmas to win £2k holidays, ski trips & spa stays

Effectively, this will slow the movement of shingle along the coastline, helping to protect the area from flooding and erosion.

It will also reduce the amount of shingle which washes up onto the promenade during storms and high tides.

What’s probably more interesting for tourists is that the plans will see the beach extended by approximately 25 metres out to sea.

Not only does this mean the beach will be better protected, but it will create more room for tourists during busy seasons.

There’s a public engagement event taking place today (23 October) so locals can learn more about this phase of the scheme.

The work is scheduled to finish next year so by summer.

Following that, the next phase of the plan is the rebuilding of sea defences on Southwick beach which is set to be complete in 2027.

Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport and public realm, said: “This scheme is vital for the city, to safeguard homes and businesses from coastal flooding and protect our local economy for decades to come. By taking action now, we will help make our city more climate resilient and able to adapt to increasing storms, extreme rainfall and rising sea levels.

“We are committed to value for money to deliver the best for our city. £4.5 million is a substantial sum but our local visitor economy alone is worth £5 billion.”

That’s not the only work that has been taking place in Hove – the Kingsway to the Sea project, also known as Hove Beach Park has been underway since around 2023.

The project has seen the construction of a skate and pump track, padel tennis courts, and a new tennis pavilion which opened last year.

The project has focused on creating landscaped gardens and making new pathways at a cost of £13.7million.

There will be an official opening in spring 2025 when the majority of the project will be complete.

Brighton and Hove isn;t just about the beach though.

It’s also famous for shopping in The Lanes, Brighton Palace Pier, beachfront, and the Royal Pavilion.

There’s lots of nightlife, and plenty of pubs – in fact, Brighton & Hove has the most pubs in the UK per person.

Sun Travel‘s favourites include The Station Inn, The Tempest Inn and Hove Place , which has a beautiful Italian-inspired garden.

Brighton is also home to Volk’s Electric Railway, which is the world’s oldest operating electric railway – and it’s right on the front of Brighton Beach.

It’s been operating since 1883 which makes it over 140 years old and is still going today.

CASH BOOST

Major bank offers free £100 Amazon vouchers ahead of Christmas

DRIFTING APART

How Anastasia Kingsnorth’s new boyfriend sparked feud with Saffron Barker

One Sun Writer recommends a visit to this beach club in Hove whatever the weather…

HOVE is the vibey neighbour of the popular Brighton – and my top choice for a weekend break.

It’s more relaxed, still with a pretty pebble coastline and blue waters, but much quieter. On Friday afternoon, just under two hours from my home in Hertfordshire, I hit Brighton.

The seaside town that everyone knows and loves for its sea lanes, pop-up market stalls, quirky creatives and music scene.

It was immediately quieter with a notable absence of Brighton’s squawking seagulls. Hove still retains its beach charm, and in fact, it’s recently been named one of the best seaside towns to live in.

Almost as soon as I hit Hove, I discovered a gem of a beach club called Rockwater.

Rustic-looking on the outside, Rockwater completely blends in with its surroundings with wooden slatted exterior, huge glass windows, and the inside is spectacular.

It has plush chairs, a beautiful bar and a holiday-like atmosphere – imagine the sun shining through open windows, the clinking of glasses and happy tourist chatter.

You might think beach bars are just for summer, but this one has lots of activities all year round from relaxing yoga to book socials, sip and paint – and of course, plenty of Christmas fun.

In Brighton you’ll find one of the UK’s most popular seaside towns has California-like beach bar named one of the best in the country.

Plus, one of the UK’s most popular seaside towns is set to get new train station revamp in huge ‘spruce up’.

ONE European island with dreamy beaches and a crowd-free city has been named as a top destination for 2026 holidays.

Whilst it is part of Italy, Sardinia is actually located closer to Africa than mainland Italy and as a result, it boasts warm temperatures and exotic fauna and flora.

And now it has been named as a Destination of the Year by Expedia Group’s Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel report, which gathered data from millions of visitors and revealed that searches for Sardinia holidays have risen by 63 per cent.

Having recently visited, I know exactly why – Sardinia is a Mediterranean gem unlike any other.

Most travellers head to Olbia in the north of the island, but Cagliari in the south – the capital of the island – is also a great destination to explore.

The south of the island and around Cagliari is full of quaint villages, rocky hills and breathtaking beaches.

Read more on travel inspo

TAKE THE FALL

50 half term days out and Halloween specials which are FREE or under £5

SHOW BOAT 

I tried new Omaze-style draw for superyacht holidays & lived like a billionaire

I stayed in a small village called Chia, which is home to two Hilton hotels.

The resort has a number of pools to enjoy and there are two hidden beaches resort guests can access, both with crystal-clear warm waters and hardly any people.

Rooms at one of the hotels – the Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia – start from £257 per night, for two people including breakfast.

You can also do a number of activities from the resort, including a two-hour horse ride up into the island’s hills.

It was such an amazing way to see the island and experience a bit of local life.

And from the resort, it took me less than an hour to reach Cagliari.

The city is small, but even on a sunny Saturday at the end of August, its streets were quiet from hordes of tourists.

As well as sitting on the coast with panoramic views of the sea, the city has a great blend of culture and history.

One of my favourite spots in the city is Bastione di Saint Remy – a neoclassical fortress made from white and yellow limestone.

While you do have to climb tens of steps, once at the top of the monument you are treated to spectacular views of not only the city, but the islands stretching coastline.

For a while I just sat enjoying the blazing sunshine and the views, with boats whizzing in and out of the port accompanied by the sounds of bustling cafes on the city’s streets below me.

Around Bastione di Saint Remy, there are many winding streets with quaint shops and cafes to explore, which form the city’s historic quarter.

Prices in the shops and cafes are cheap too, with coffees setting you back around 87p to £1.74.

Food didn’t set me back much either, with a salmon and avocado brunch setting me back less than a tenner at Ex Tipografia.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria, Cagliari’s main cathedral is also worth exploring.

It features a mix of different architectural styles and has a stunning crypt inside – just remember if you are visiting to cover up as this is a place of worship.

Make sure to not miss The Underground Cagliari Tour – this unique activity takes you to three different underground sites across the city.

Stops include the Salesian Institute Tunnel-Shelter, which was used by a school as a shelter during heavy WWII bombings.

The entire tunnel is also lit by candles when you visit.

The second stop is at the Crypt of Santa Restituta – it is a natural cave that has been expanded over centuries and has also served as a place of worship.

Finally, you head to the Archaeological Area of Sant’Eulalia, which sits beneath the Church of Sant’Eulalia in the Marina district and reveals the remains of a Roman road.

The tour costs from £26.61 per person.

If you want to enjoy the Mediterranean weather, make sure to explore Orto Botanico.

It is a huge garden with lots of different varieties of plants and Roman archaeological remains and it costs less than £4 to visit.

Return flights to Cagliari cost as little as £38 in November from London with Ryanair.

OMAZE-ING

I went from council flat to winning £4m house… But this is why I’m selling up

BOTTOMS UP

Wetherspoons reveals opening dates of 5 new pubs starting next week

If you are looking for more inspiration for an Italian getaway, then check out this tiny Italian island set to be ‘turned into an oasis’ to escape hordes of tourists.

Plus, the brilliant five-star Italian campsite with beautiful beaches, affordable restaurants and activities for the whole family.

After starring in The Night Manager, Tom Hollander plays another villainous character with shady motives in The Iris Affair, sharing the spotlight with a Malpractice star.

Niamh Algar is no stranger to shaking things up. After gripping viewers as Dr Lucinda Edwards in Malpractice, she’s stepping into even higher-octane territory as Iris Nixon in Sky Atlantic’s new thriller, The Iris Affair.

“I’ve loved playing Iris – she’s so many characters in one,” Niamh Algar says. “Then there’s the adrenaline side: gunfights, jumping off boats, leaping from buildings, blowing up things. Racing a Ferrari at high speed was the absolute highlight.”

Created by Neil Cross and filmed in Italy, the eight-part series sees Iris as a brilliant codebreaker, living life on the run with a bounty on her head.

“She is obsessive, manipulative and unpredictable,” Niamh says. “She’s not motivated by romance or defined by trauma, but shaped by her intelligence and curiosity.”

She’s recruited by Cameron Beck (Tom Hollander), a charismatic tech billionaire who believes he needs her to relaunch a quantum computer nicknamed Charlie Big Potatoes. Cameron believes the machine could change – even save – the world, but Iris is convinced it could destroy it.

READ MORE: ‘I tested this £28 foundation – it’s a dream and made my face glow all day’

The quantum computer was originally launched by Jensen Lind, a Norwegian scientist played by Game Of Thrones alumni Kristofer Hivju. Jensen and Cameron once worked together on the project, until Jensen stopped it.

“Something makes Jensen try to destroy 10-15 years of working in this compound making the biggest revolutionary device in history,” Kristofer says. “That’s the mystery – why?”

Kristofer admits the science was a challenge, saying, “My Chat GPT has overheated. I have had to go into Hindu cosmology and quantum physics just to understand my lines.”

Meanwhile, Tom Hollander insists his character isn’t the villain audiences might expect. “He’s not a bad guy. He wants good outcomes,” Tom says. “He thinks it’s capable of curing climate change.

What’s really motivating Cameron is he’s in fear for his own life. He’s a rich man who has over-borrowed, so effectively he actually doesn’t have anything.”

Cameron faces a shadowy organisation called The Money, with Harry Lloyd joining the cast as the cryptic Hugo Pym. “He is this guy who is somewhat psychotic and deranged,” Harry says.

“The Money are this ‘Intra Group Committee’ and Hugo is someone who has recently been made head of it.” Caught up in the middle is Joy Baxter, played by Meréana Tomlinson, with whom Iris forms a connection.

“Iris sees something of herself in Joy,” Niamh says. “Joy is essentially a token child in a wealthy household that doesn’t really notice her, and Iris has always felt like she didn’t belong in any system or structure.”

When Cameron kidnaps Joy to pressure Iris into working for him, the stakes become terrifyingly personal. “It becomes a real test for her,” Niamh says. “It also highlights how much she cares for Joy.”

Joy is loyal to Iris but this is tested when she meets Cameron. “Cameron is more alike with her in terms of her emotional wellbeing and her emotional state,” says Meréana. “She latches on to him for survival and then that turns into companionship.”

Meréana bonded quickly with the team, saying, “I have a quote book in my Notes app. It’s just funny things that people have said.” And Neil Cross’s reaction to the book was priceless, she adds. “He sat there giggling at it for five minutes.”

The Iris Affair airs on Thursday, October 16th on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Lorraine Kelly strips off as part of ground-breaking Change + Check campaign raising awareness of breast cancer

TV star Lorraine Kelly has stripped off Calendar Girls-style for the first time – with only a pair of strategically-placed buns covering her modesty. Speaking to the Mirror about her first topless shoot, she joked how she worried her team would be “traumatised” by the sight of her bare flesh.

The shoot was all in aid of the show’s National Check Your Boobs Day initiative within its Lorraine’s Change + Check campaign. Lorraine admits: “I just loved this idea. It’s cheeky and funny and is a nod to the wonderful Calendar Girls.

“It also gave me the chance to say the iconic line “we’re going to need considerably bigger buns”.

READ MORE: Vicious backlash before massive change to Strictly Come Dancing voting rule

Opening up about stripping off, Lorraine adds: “I didn’t feel in any way vulnerable or uncomfortable as I was with my team who are my friends, and our amazing photographer had also gone through breast cancer herself. My editor Victoria asked if I was comfortable being filmed and I told her I was fine, but to check with the crew in case they would be traumatised!!

“It was all very light-hearted, and after all it’s all about getting the Change + Check message across.” The photograph was taken by photographer Sally Mais, a survivor of breast cancer.

The new day will take place today which show bosses hope will serve as a crucial reminder for everyone to make self-checking a regular monthly habit. Lorraine is even after an official endorsement from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to establish the day on the national calendar. It comes as the The Change + Check campaign is now officially endorsed by the NHS.

Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton said: “It’s so incredibly important to check for the signs of breast cancer because we know early diagnosis leads to better outcomes. The Change + Check campaign is a brilliant way for people out and about shopping on their local high street to quickly check themselves as they get changed, knowing the advice is accurate and officially supporting the NHS.”

Asda will also be selling specially created Change + Check ‘iced busty buns’ in their stores throughout the month of October, and the Change + Check sticker will now be visible in Boots pharmacies across the country. Lorraine says the campaign is one of the things she is most proud of in her 40 year career. She said: “Every year the campaign just gets bigger and bigger, and I am so proud of the work we’ve done and the lives we’ve helped to save.

“Launching Britain’s first ever ‘National Check Your Boobs Day’ is a huge step forward and will hopefully be a crucial reminder for everyone to prioritise their breast health. This is something that truly matters to me, and I’m so grateful for all the support we receive from the public and our partners to get this vital message out there.”

Founded by Lorraine producer Helen Addis MBE and host Lorraine Kelly CBE in 2019, the campaign aims to destigmatise conversations around breast cancer. Over the past seven years, more than 100 women and one man have contacted the show to report that they have received a breast cancer diagnosis as a result of seeing the campaign.

Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.

On a play-action pass, Chargers running back Najee Harris crumpled to the turf before the fake handoff could fully develop, immediately grabbing his left ankle and tossing aside his helmet in pain.

Needing assistance, trainers helped Harris to the sideline, as he was unable to put any weight on his leg, before he was carted to the locker room in the second quarter of a 23-20 win over the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

Harris, who spent the lead-up to his first season in L.A. recovering from an offseason eye injury in a fireworks accident, was expected to be a key piece of a one-two punch with rookie Omarion Hampton.

Now, he appears to be sidelined for the season with an Achilles injury, according to head coach Jim Harbaugh, who called the diagnosis “preliminary” as Harris underwent postgame imaging.

“Not good,” Harbaugh said of his emotions as the play unfolded. “[I was] just hoping for the best — maybe a high ankle, something else that wouldn’t be long-term.”

Speaking at the podium with a somber tone, Harbaugh said he met with Harris at halftime and described the running back’s demeanor as “cold-blooded,” adding that he told him: “You’ll be back, kid.”

The injury appeared clear on film, according to Dr. Dan Ginader, physical therapist and author of “The Pain-Free Body,” who reviewed video of the play.

“When looking at the calf of the back plant leg, you can see the muscle sort of ‘jump’ which is indicative of a complete tear of the Achilles,” Ginader said. “Players who have suffered this injury often describe it as being hit in the heel with a shovel. … When you see the muscle jump and see the player crumble to the floor, you can be pretty sure it’s a complete tear.”

Before going down, Harris had been featured early Sunday, carrying six times for 28 yards. Durable throughout his career, he had appeared in all 71 games across five NFL seasons before the injury.

If it’s a complete tear, the earliest Harris could return is about eight months, Ginader said, though most players don’t feel fully themselves “until at least 12 months” post-surgery. For a skill player, he added, “it takes longer to be able to come back at full force.”

With Harris out, Hampton is expected to shoulder a bigger role moving forward. Hampton, who calls Harris a mentor, admitted the loss stings.

“It definitely hurts,” Hampton said.

A decade ago, “Weird Al” Yankovic launched his 12th concert tour, which covered 200 shows over two years. Somewhere along the line, the pop world’s foremost parodist was backstage putting on a fat suit “for literally the 1,000th time” when he was suddenly struck by the desire to “go out on stage and do a show like a regular musician.”

Soon after, he launched his “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour,” playing small venues with no video screens, no costume changes, no props or choreography, and none of the song parodies that made him famous. The songs were still comedic — “Everything I write winds up a little warped,” he says — but were original tunes that were pastiches of, say, Frank Zappa or They Might Be Giants’ style. He enjoyed it so much he revived the concept a couple of years ago.

Yankovic, 65, has also not released a parody song for more than a decade, in part, he says, because there’s no longer a “monoculture where it’s more obvious what the hits are,” but also because he enjoys the challenges of those original pastiches, some of which take months for him to develop.

“I wanted to prove that I’m more than just the parody guy,” says Yankovic, who also co-wrote the 2022 TV film “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” The loopy biopic satire starred Daniel Radcliffe and earned Yankovic an Emmy nomination for his writing. (Recently, he also had self-parodying cameo in “Naked Gun.”)

“The smaller tours cleansed the palate for me and were fun for my band and the hardcore fans,” he says. “But now we’re back playing the big tent. We’ve ramping up the silliness.”

(Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times)

Now, having proved he was more than the parody guy, Yankovic has re-embraced the whole full-throated “Weird Al” parody thing — his “Bigger & Weirder” tour, which comes to the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Saturday, features plenty of video screens, lots of costume changes and props, and twice as many band members.

And, of course, it features parodies covering decades of pop music: The Knack (“My Bologna”), Michael Jackson (“Eat It”), Madonna (“Like a Surgeon”), Coolio (“Amish Paradise”), Nirvana (“Smells Like Nirvana”) and Robin Thicke (“Word Crimes”).

“The smaller tours cleansed the palate for me and were fun for my band and the hardcore fans,” he says. “But now we’re back playing the big tent. We’re ramping up the silliness.”

That includes reviving not just old songs but also old bits. “Some fans feel comfort in repetition, which is OK,” he says. While he’ll change up individual jokes, “we’re trying not to change too much what people came to see — if we don’t fulfill their expectations, they’re liable to walk away disappointed.”

(His fans are committed enough that some even parody his songs with their own rewrites. Yankovic is particularly impressed by Steve Goodie, who parodied his “Hardware Store” with “Dumbledore” and even has a one-man show called “AL! The Weird Tribute (and How Daniel Radcliffe Got Mixed Up in This Nonsense).” “It’s fun and gratifying and a little ‘Inception’-like,” Yankovic says, although he has yet to parody Goodie’s parody.)

And so band newcomer Probyn Gregory, a musician who worked with Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Eric Clapton, spends “Smells Like Nirvana” dressed like a janitor and mopping the stage as part of the performance. “He’s an amazing artist, but you can’t have a sense of shame and be part of this entourage,” Yankovic says.

For the most part, of course, Yankovic is putting Gregory and the other multi-instrumentalists he hired to more practical uses — three of them are women because he wanted three-part female harmonies, but between them they also can add percussion, guitar, saxophones and more. “I needed somebody that could play the trumpet and then someone to play clarinet for the polkas,” he says. “In the arenas, I hear our sound and think, ‘Wow, this is much, much bigger than it’s ever been.’”

It’s also more layered, with all those instruments enabling him to “stretch and do songs that were out of our reach as a five-piece.”

To show off his band, Yankovic drops the funny stuff at one point in each show, covering a classic song and playing it straight. In recent weeks, the group has played Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al,” George Harrison’s “What Is Life,” the Box Top’s “The Letter,” the Doobie Brothers’ “China Grove,” and even Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman.”

“It’s a rotating slot and almost every night is something different,” he says. The fans get into it, he says, although when he talks to them about it, he sometimes finds their reactions “baffling.”

“People sometimes say, ‘Oh, you guys can really play. You can really do real music,’” he says. “What do you think we’ve been doing? Just because the words are funny, it’s not real music?”

Yankovic is a “pop culture sponge” and has always listened to various music genres, first for pleasure and then for work. “I just like to soak it in and regurgitate it in my own demented way,” he says. But he was also raised on Dr. Demento, and was heavily influenced by Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman, and Monty Python. Those comedians taught him that craftsmanship matters even, or especially, when you’re being silly.

“I think that the craftsmanship is one of the reasons that the humor works so well and I think the best parody is material that emulates the original source as closely as possible,” he says. “It helps the joke if you’re sucked into thinking you’re listening to a particular pop song and then think, ‘Wait a minute, these aren’t the lyrics I’m used to.’”

For that to work, the craftsmanship in his writing and arranging must be matched by the musicianship in his band; he hopes his audience appreciates both sides of that coin.

He adds that he thinks he personally has improved over time. “I think I’m a better singer now than I was in the ’80s and I’m a better musician and a better arranger,” he says.

Even with the four newcomers, Yankovic relies heavily on his original band. “I’ve got one of the best bands in the world and they do every genre flawlessly, and that’s what helps make the whole act work,” he says. “The core band has been together for over 40 years and we’re kind of telepathic in the way we communicate now, so we’re a lot better than we were back in the day.”

SHOPPERS are rushing to snap up a £13 Sainsbury’s summer dress, that is super flattering on all body types.

With just a few weeks left of the school summer holidays, many Brits are likely hoping to make the most of the hot weather, with days out at the beach and last-minute trips abroad.

2

2

And what better way to get yourself excited for summer plans, than to treat yourself to a brand new frock.

Sainsbury’s Tu is one of the best-loved brands on the high street, and is constantly wowing us with its stylish but affordable fashion.

From cute dresses to on-trend work attire, the supermarket fast-fashion range always hits the mark, and its summer collection is no exception.

Elegant summer dress

One dress in particular that has caught the eye of fashion fans is the Yellow Square Neck Poplin Midaxi Dress which has been slashed from £26 to £13, a saving of 50%.

The stunning frock is perfect for those with bigger busts, as it has chunky straps, meaning you can wear a supportive bra underneath.

It is made with a lightweight fabric, which will keep you cool on hot summer days, and even has pockets, so you don’t even have to take a bag out with you.

Pair the bright-coloured gown with chunky wedge sandals and eye-catching accessories for a statement holiday look.

The dress is available in a wide range of sizes, from size six to size 24.

However, it has proved so popular with fashion fans that it is sold out in some sizes, so you better be quick to snap up the deal.

Shoppers have been raving about the summer frock on the Sainsbury’s website.

One customer said: “I really like the cut and colour of this dress and it has thick shoulder straps so you can wear your regular bra.”

A second said: “I loved this dress from the moment I spotted it in store and thus I purchased it the second I was able to!

“Fabric wise this dress is very much a summer wear, though I suspect if you layer just right you could well push it into winter.”

A third shopper wrote: “This is a lovely dress. Lovely material.

“I’m a size 12 and it fitted perfectly.”

A fourth remarked: “This lovely dress is made out of quality material, in a triumphant colour and cut beautifully.