On today’s programme (Saturday, 29th November), presenter Matt Tebbutt welcomed the beloved comedian and writer alongside celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Whilst fans of the BBC cookery programme were thrilled to see Bob return to the kitchen, his selection of food hell sparked controversy.
Opting for a traditional steak and kidney pie with double peas as his food heaven, his admission that he isn’t keen on Italian cuisine triggered some criticism in the studio.
Bob’s mate and Gone Fishing co-star joined the scolding in his video message, branding the comedy icon an “idiot” for his dislike of pasta and pizza, reports the Express.
Paul’s message kicked off with another dig at Bob’s food preferences, as he remembered the “preposterous and quite disgusting” kebab he created in the latest series of Gone Fishing.
He then dared Matt to prepare a “really nice one with lots of chilli sauce” to compensate for the culinary catastrophe by the lake.
The fellow comedy icon continued lambasting his co-star: “Also, Bob, you claim that Italian food is rubbish.
“I mean, you’re just an idiot. What are you going to do about that?”
Paul then delivered his trademark impersonation of the third member of the Gone Fishing team, Ted the Patterdale Terrier, whom he joked is “after” Bob. “I’m gonna get you Mortimer,” he declared, mimicking Ted’s charming underbite.
“Where’s my briefcase? It’s full of pasta!”
Back in the studio, Bob took the jest in stride, flashing a mischievous grin as Matt laughed.
“That looked like the ramblings of a madman!” the host quipped.
Bob concurred: “He packed a lot in there, didn’t he? He told me he enjoyed the kebab on the day, so…”
He then defended his contentious food preferences: “I’ve been set up with this Italian thing. I said I didn’t like pizza and somehow it’s become all Italians.
“That’s my fault,” Matt admitted. “But it’s funny, let’s run with it!”
Luckily, Bob got his wish and was served a scrumptious steak and kidney pie by guest chef Jamie after 67 percent of viewers voted for food heaven.
Saturday Kitchen airs from 10am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
A MAJOR airport hub that sees around 60million passengers per year has revealed its massive new masterplan.
It will spend £8.7billion over the next 10 years to expand adding a new terminal, piers, as well as gates for larger aircraft.
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Plans reveal the layout for Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam that is set to be running by 2050Credit: SchipolAmsterdam Schiphol will open a brand new terminalCredit: Alamy
Amsterdam Schiphol is the largest airport in the Netherlands and a major European hub.
Currently, the airport only has one terminal, but the new masterplan reveals a south terminal is set to be built.
However Amsterdam Schiphol said that the airport will ‘retain its unique design and one-terminal concept’ with ‘everything under one roof’ and ‘within walking distance’.
It was also added that additional gates will be needed for the largest aircraft.
Inside, there will be more space for additional shops, restaurants, seating areas and lounges.
Nearby, the roads around the airport will be upgraded along with public transport to the terminal.
Other plans include a new metro line between Amsterdam, Schiphol and the nearby town of Hoofddorp.
Work to upgrade the airport first started last year with the initial project upgrading Pier A as well Piers B, C, D and H/M.
Airport piers are also known as “arms” and are long, narrow buildings where planes can park.
Schiphol’s CEO Pieter van Oord commented on the proposed transformation: “For more than a century, Schiphol has been a home for world travellers, a hub for goods and a cornerstone of our economy.”
Last year the airport saw over 60 million passengers pass throughCredit: Alamy
He continued: “With our plans for the future, we want to maintain and strengthen that position and contribute to the progress of the Netherlands. Our future can be summed up in two words: quality and balance.”
He added, “This is how we keep the Netherlands moving and make a small country great. With a high-quality airport that serves the Netherlands.”
It’s currently the fourth busiest airport in Europe; in 2024, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport handled 66.8 million passengers.
It was named the third best airport in Western Europe at this year’s Skytrax World Airport Awards.
King Salman International Airport will be the world’s biggest airport once construction is finishedCredit: Foster + Partners
One airport being built in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia will be the world’s biggest once built.
King Salman International Airport is set to surpass all otherairportsin size, including the current biggest airport in the world which is also in the country.
The 22sqm airport will feature six runways – up from two – parallel to each other and will be built around the existing King Khalid International Airport.
It will approximately be the same size as Manhattan in New York – or twice the size of the city of Bath in the UK.
The airport has moved into its construction phase and will be designed by Foster + Partners, a UK firm which is behind London‘s Gherkin.
Inside, travellers will be able to explore 4.6sqm of shops. A lot of features in the airport are set to include high tech, such as climate-controlled lighted.
An extra live public vote on the night will hand fans more power – putting the audience at the heart of the biggest night in British sport
Gabby will again front SPOTY from Salford alongside Clare Balding and Alex Scott next month(Image: Matt McNulty, Getty Images)
Gabby Logan has worked in live sports broadcasting for nearly 30 years and is riding high, having recently bagged a permanent presenting role on Match of the Day.
Now she’s gearing up for her 13th stint as host of Sports Personality of the Year next month alongside Clare Balding and Alex Scott, the annual two-hour TV extravaganza in which the sporting triumphs of the previous 12 months are celebrated.
Gabby, married to former rugby player Kenny Logan, says that despite having absolutely loved watching her BBC pal Clare on Celebrity Traitors, she’ll have to rule herself out of any cloak-themed action herself – for now, at least. “We had Tom Daley, Clare and Joe Marler representing sport, so it felt like we had a three-pronged attack,” she says, admitting that she’d been glued to every episode.
Having seen Clare make a big mistake in the Trojan Horse mission at the very start, Gabby said she didn’t have the heart to message her initially, knowing that she’d have felt “devastated” over the blunder. But when she did send a text, it was to point out that it didn’t really matter. “The one thing I did say to her was, look, you normally get everything right in life. I don’t think there’s any harm in showing people you’re human.”
So would Gabby, 52, fancy her chances in the castle? “I don’t think so,” she admits. “Not because it doesn’t appeal, I just know the time of year they film it would mean an enormous amount of time for me away from sport.
“And I feel like I’m just bedding in to Match of the Day and I still do the Six Nations, so that would take me away for a few weeks, which wouldn’t necessarily be a very good move in terms of my day job.”
Perhaps she might consider it a few years down the line? “At the age when you can go on and just fart willy-nilly, you mean?” she laughs, referring to Celia Imrie’s famous cabin parp. “That was one of the great moments.”
Gabby took over on Match of the Day from departing host of 26 years, Gary Lineker, in August, alongside Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates, and says that no backlash has ever arrived. “I’m sure there are people who had their grumbles, but the other day I had someone who said to me, ‘I hope you don’t mind me saying, I was a bit concerned that there were gonna be two women on Match of the Day. But actually it’s great. I really like it.’”
Laughing, she adds: “And then he went ‘I’m sorry, that sounds like a backhanded compliment’. But he was obviously a fan of the show and that kind of feedback actually means a lot really, because the fact this guy felt confident enough to express it, was good.”
A former gymnast, Gabby says she achieves balance in her life by never compromising on her exercise regime, by sleeping and eating well and by not going crazy with the booze.
Having fronted a podcast about midlife, The Mid-Point, for the past five years, there is not much she doesn’t know about the issues affecting both men and women in their fifties. “I have absolute commitment to my training sessions and have really ramped up doing weights, which is so good for bones,” she says. “And obviously, muscle density is so important; being strong is such a predictor of longevity. It’s so important.”
She says that even when on the road for work, she will locate a place for a workout, which is how she ended up in a £9-a-session cage-fighter gym in Manchester’s Moss Side earlier this month. “It was a kind of spit and sawdust type gym, and there were no showers,” she laughs. “But it had all the equipment I needed, it was great. I did it in 50 minutes, and I walked back to my hotel afterwards.”
She runs her diary with a rod of iron to ensure that she finds time for three weekly weights sessions, plus two pilates classes for flexibility, and then a run or a walk. “I have one rest day,” she says.
Gabby, whose 20-year-old twins, Lois and Reuben, with husband Kenny Logan, have now left home, keeps her sleep pattern regular and eats a healthy, balanced diet. “You do your own elimination of things and work out how you react to foods which make you feel a bit bloated or a bit sleepy or are driving your insulin up,” she explains. “That’s definitely something that I’ve noticed – sugars are the enemy.”
With booze, she says that it’s rare for her to have more than one drink. “Lee Mack is teetotal and he came on the podcast and said that after the first drink, you’re just chasing that feeling of the first drink,” she says. “I love having a gin and tonic on Friday when I’m cooking. But actually, what I’ve noticed is, he’s right. The first one does the trick, I don’t need the second one.”
She said that having seen her father, former footballer Terry Yorath, fight his own battle with booze, she was inclined to be careful. “I’ve got a dad who’s had a problem with alcohol and so I’ve seen the damage that it can do,” she says, admitting that there was “a bit of vanity” involved in the decision to be a moderate drinker too. “There’s a lot of sugar in alcohol and it generally doesn’t do much for your your looks to drink too much of it. So I think that kind of keeps me definitely on the right side of a healthy relationship.”
Looking ahead to SPOTY, Gabby says that despite her long service to the big night of live TV, it’s still her most nerve-wracking gig of the year. “You just wanna get that first intro section nailed, you know? And then you feel like you’re up and running. I remember Gary once saying, he was quoting Des Lynam, that SPOTY was the best laxative known to man. Thanks Gary! So even with all Gary’s experience, with all Des Lynam’s experience and for anybody else who’s hosted it down the years, it does send the nerves to a different level and the butterflies go a little bit harder.”
This time around she is thrilled that Rory McIlroy has already confirmed his attendance, with the golfer being a dead cert for the shortlist when it comes out this week. One change for this year’s event is that the Team of the Year Award will be voted for by the public, just like the main award, rather than being decided by a panel of experts – in a move designed to entice younger viewers to engage.
She’s hoping to remember this year’s show for the right reasons rather than for any gaffes. “I’ve had a few moments where I nearly took a tumble down the stairs,” she recalls. “And then when Mo Farrah won, the line went down – it really does test your live telly chops when things like that happen. She said that Mo’s reaction was priceless. “He was obviously just thrilled to be held in that esteem by the population, that people had picked up their phones and tapped in the numbers to vote. It’s that proactiveness which we really encourage because we want the audience to feel they are part of the directional travel of that award.”
Her most emotional moment came when a close family friend, Doddie Weir, was honoured, amid his ongoing battle with motor neurone disease. “That was very emotional because Doddie was a fantastic friend of our family, he and Kenny had been mates for 30 years.” They had both helped him to fundraise for more research into MND. “To see him honoured on stage for the work he’d done, which saw him selflessly giving up, pretty much, the last five years of his life – that was really emotional. His family, his beautiful sons were in the room. And I look back on that as a moment that definitely sticks out.”
She says that the job, while stressful, is also one of her favourite. “It’s the joy that you remember the most, and seeing people celebrated. It’s the feeling that you’ve reached out and touched people and made a difference to their lives. And that’s what sport does.”
– Sports Personality of the Year, Thursday 18 December, 7–9pm on BBC One and iPlayer
A TRAIN journey across the UK can be a magical experience depending on the views – but a new train is launching that doesn’t actually go anywhere.
The Unseen Experience is set to open in Londonnext month and unlike a normal train journey where you purchase a ticket, get on board and travel from A to B, this service stays in the same spot.
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A new experience is opening in London that is set onboard a train… but you don’t go anywhereCredit: Feverup.com
Visitors will ‘board’ in complete darkness, being blindfolded throughout their ‘journey’.
Then, each ‘passenger’ will be “transported through time aboard a mysterious train as 3D audio surrounds you from every direction”, according to the event’s creators, Fever.
The experience involves two stories on one train and is said to be “perfect for fans of mystery, crime and psychological thrillers” – so perhaps not one for people who are expecting the Orient Express.
The site for the experience explains: “You’re pulled into two worlds separated by time, where danger, tension, and unexpected turns reveal themselves only through sound.
“Whispers move behind you, footsteps close in from different angles, and voices emerge so close they feel real, all powered by cutting-edge 3D audio that lets your imagination build every scene.
“In this intimate, fully dark space, reality blurs and every sound becomes a clue, a sensation, a moment you can’t predict.”
According to Secret London, in the first world, you are a deserter on the run in 1980, during the Cold War.
Then, in the second world, you are a survivor on the same train, but this time it is around 100 years later in a post-apocalyptic world.
Your fate is decided by the fellow passengers.
The journey lasts for 35 minutes in total and each passenger must be over the age of 14 years old.
The experience is currently selling tickets for sessions between December 11 to December 21.
And currently, there is a Black Friday offer on tickets.
Instead of £14, some time slots are £11.20 per person as part of the deal.
This isn’t the first blindfolded experience to come to the capital – there is also a restaurant experience called ‘Dans le Noir?’.
‘Passengers’ are blindfolded throughout the experience and instead rely on 3D audio which makes them feel as if they are on a trainCredit: Feverup.com
The one-of-a-kind restaurant is completely in the dark, meaning that each diner does not know what they are eating.
The restaurant, which opened back in 2006, instead of focusing on sight and the presentation of dishes, uses high-quality ingredients to take diners on a taste journey, whereby flavours, textures and smells become stronger as your vision is taken away.
In fact, the capital is home to a plethora of different experiences, such as the first-ever Traitors live experience – it was a heart-pounding world of lies and best friend-betrayal.
Or perhaps for something a little more kid friendly, there is the Paddington immersive experience with ‘train rides’ and street parties.
The experience is currently selling tickets for sessions between December 11 to December 21Credit: Feverup.com
A BRAND new indoor water park is set to come to the UK – complete with a sauna, slides and a splash zone.
The venue will replace the Waterfront Leisure Centre in Woolwich which has been a pillar of the community since it was erected in 1988.
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A beloved leisure centre in southeast London is set to be demolishedCredit: Google mapsWoolwich’s Waterfront Leisure Centre has shut after nearly 30 yearsCredit: Google maps
The latter has seen better days, with some locals alleging black mould has been seen while some water slides have been closed to the public indefinitely.
However, residents will be happy to hear that a fresh alternative will soon be available to visit.
Woolwich Waves, situated opposite General Gordon Square, will boast two pools, slides, a two-floor gym, sports halls, squash courts, soft play and a sauna and will wave in punters next month.
The leisure centre has costed a whopping £115million to build.
As for the future of the crumbling Waterfront Leisure Centre, a decision is expected to be made on November 19 during a penned council meeting.
Berkeley Homes, which already built flats on water park’s old car park, has been earmarked to inhabit the space after the centre has been razed to the ground.
Greenwich Councillor Majid Rahman, Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development, said: “The regeneration of Woolwich remains a key priority for the council and Woolwich Waves sits at the heart of that.
Cllr Rahman added: “The closure of the existing Waterfront Leisure Centre has always been part of the long-term plan of the delivery of Woolwich Waves.
“Subject to approval by Cabinet, it is recommended that the old Waterfront Leisure Centre building is demolished, when it becomes vacant, to avoid anti-social behaviour and associated security costs – challenges that come with a building sitting vacant.
“Then steps would be taken to repurpose the site for future sale that would be subject to a transparent and competitive process, ensuring best value for the borough.
“The repurposing of the Waterfront site would pave the way for more much-needed housing and contribute to the council’s and the Mayor of London’s affordable housing targets.”
Earlier this year, two popular public leisure centres in the UK suddenly closed down.
The City of Lincolnshire Council confirmed that their Yarborough and Birchwood leisure centres would close effective immediately on Wednesday night.
The Yarborough Leisure Centre provided a gym, swimming pool, running track and studios for classes, while the Birchwood facility included a gym, spin studio and 3G pitches.
Active Nation’s statement referenced “the ongoing utility crisis and challenges it has created” as the reason for the sudden closures.
It claims to have tried to find another company to take over the services whilst working with the council, but to no success.
A Yarborough Leisure Centre instructor, Carla, told the BBC: “We didn’t know anything about it, the place was buzzing and it was busy but then we got the news”, after just having taught a class in the morning.
A number of staff expressed their concerns employment, and cited the tough trading conditions they worked through to try keep the venues running.
Customers of the leisure centres, Mauva Jessel, Nina Hill and Elise Rothwell, have also shared with the BBC they are worried about the fees already paid to be made members.
Golf hasn’t really featured on the long list of successes yet – but that could be about to change thanks to a new venue in the city centre.
Pitch, an indoor golf venue and sports bar, is the chain’s first venue in the north of England and the fifth in the UK.
Fresh from Europe’s latest Ryder Cup victory in New York against America, I teed up a couple of mates and we spent an enjoyable afternoon whacking a ball around a virtual golf course.
Our performance over the next two hours suggested we are unlikely to make the Europe team for 2027.
But we had a great time, and it’s a lot more enjoyable tucking into food and drinks while the computer locates our ball instead of walking around the rough for hours.
Each of the bays start at £30 per hour during off-peak times, can seat up to ten guests and features cutting-edge Trackman technology, which allows golf fans to play pretty much any course in the world.
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Each bay has a set of clubs to allow anyone to pitch up and play.
The vibe of the place is relaxing, with a quality Asian-inspired menu along with a good selection of drinks.
Anyone bored of golf can play shuffleboard or watch sports on the big screens.
The body did begin to ache from all the swinging, so afterwards we headed ten minutes down the road to the Good Sauna just off Manchester’s Deansgate, which boasts two cold plunge baths (£15 for a 50-minute session).
I successfully tackled the 8C bath for about 30 seconds before fleeing into the wood sauna to warm up.
But weirdly, I fancied another go – and apparently that is the best way to do it.
So back and forth I went four times, reaching a dizzy one minute and 12 seconds in the 8C bath.
Stripped off
I was proud of myself, until another guy casually wandered in, stripped off and submerged himself up to his ears in the the 4C bath for a couple of minutes.
Despite being freezing, we felt energised and quickly warmed up in Freight Island – a food and drink venue close to our Marriott hotel, a stone’s throw from Manchester’s Piccadilly station.
We headed into its sports bar to watch a Premier League game and enjoyed a couple of pints.
It was either the effects of the cold plunge or the cold pints, but my bed was calling by 10pm and I had a brilliant night’s sleep after a full day of sporting experiences.
As the sun begins to set over the San Gabriel Mountains, a group of people runs across a vibrant turf soccer field, passing a ball through the air. They’re surrounded by the glow of the downtown Glendale cityscape — in view are tree-lined streets, handsome civic architecture and an Eiffel Tower-esque structure.
It’s easy to forget you’re atop a parking structure at a mall.
Skyline Pitch is a 25,000-square-foot open-air sports facility that’s taken over the top level of the Americana at Brand, turning what was once a block of concrete into a playground for soccer lovers of all ages and skill levels.
Pickup games start at $15 at the open-air venue.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Created by Chicago-based marketing agency Elemento L2, the complex opened its L.A. location this fall with two rooftop soccer fields, a panna cage (basically a small enclosed area for 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 speed-focused games), a fut tennis court (a small rectangular court with a net dividing it), a soccer golf section and other interactive play zones — offering players 15 ways to engage with the sport. The venue also boasts sleek lounge areas where patrons can hang out, order food, sip on mocktails, watch games on flat-screen TVs and dance to music spun by live DJs on special nights.
Skyline Pitch follows a trend of athletic clubs moving into shopping centers as retail leaders try to tap into customers’ desire for communal experiences and new activities. In the past couple years, indoor pickleball venue Pickle Pop debuted in Santa Monica, in part to try to revive the ailing Third Street Promenade, and Padel Up (dedicated to the sport of padel) entered Westfield Century City. Also this past summer, a social club for racquet sports announced that it would be taking over the defunct Macy’s building at The Bloc in Downtown L.A.
In the world of recreational soccer, converting a portion of a parking structure to create Skyline Pitch is a welcomed move, helping alleviate one of the constant barriers for players in L.A.: a shortage of fields.
A view from the soccer field to downtown L.A.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“Finding somewhere to play is the hardest thing,” says Matthew Bambrick, founder of SoCal Youth Sports, one of the local organizations that’s partnered with Skyline Pitch to host youth training camps and other programming. “So finding underutilized spaces or space that can be revitalized in different ways is really, really clever. This should be the blueprint.”
For Ivan Lopez, co-founder of elemento L2, it made sense to open the second Skyline Pitch location in L.A. — the first was in Chicago — not only because it’s home to three professional teams and will host the FIFA World Cup next summer but also because of the city’s rich soccer culture.
People enjoy an evening playing soccer.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“The stadiums are jam-packed whether it’s [the] Gold Cup, World Cup, [UEFA] Nations League, and we celebrate the game in so many ways,” says Lopez, who’s been traveling to L.A. for years to build soccer activations for brands like Target and Coca Cola. “This is where the game is alive and well.”
Anyone wanting to play at Skyline Pitch can sign up for pickup games starting at $15, rent an entire field starting at $150 or buy a $20 activity pass, which grants you access for two hours. The venue is also available for private events and birthday parties. Along with SoCal Youth Sports, other local partners include Cal South Soccer and Soccer Stars Los Angeles.
Jimmy Conrad, who played for the national soccer team for five years and 12 years for Major League Soccer, became a brand ambassador for Skyline Pitch and says he would’ve loved to have a space like Skyline Pitch when he was growing up in L.A., a place where people are “encouraged to play soccer.”
“It just didn’t exist in my generation,” he says. Although the street and local parks [offer] more than enough room to play, he says, having a dedicated venue with the proper goals and lines “just raises the cool factor.”
Handwritten notes. Free product samples. Email responses to questions. And in some cases (shout-out to Surfing Cowboys in Malibu), an old-school phone call to discuss a gift item.
This is the kind of service that sets local businesses apart, offering personalized experiences you won’t find on Amazon.
From independent artists working at home to brands manufacturing in downtown Los Angeles, these businesses offer a diverse range of products and services that reflect the unique character of our city, which has been affected by wildfires, ICE raids and a struggling economy.
The gifts I’ve included here are all from Los Angeles-based businesses. They carry a personal touch — a connection to the people and the city. Some are handmade while others are manufactured, but all of them are a part of our city’s unique fabric.
Let’s keep it going and support small businesses in Los Angeles this holiday season. Our connection to one another is our strength.
If you make a purchase using some of our links, the L.A. Times may be compensated. Prices and availability of items and experiences in the Gift Guide and on latimes.com are subject to change.
