The Great British Bake Off left fans in a state of panic as the show suffered technical issues which disrupted the viewing of fans across the UK who vented their fury on social media
Sam Thompson on Great British Bake Off but the episode was interrupted by technical issues(Image: Channel 4)
Viewers of The Great British Bake Off were left unimpressed during Sunday night’s episode for Stand Up To Cancer, as the show was interrupted by technical issues.
As fans of the Channel 4 show sat down to settle in to watching the baking show, they were met with flickering screens. The stars on this year’s show include Sam Thompson, Vicky Pattison and Molly Mae Hague.
And to make matters worse, the show was interrupted multiple time, leaving viewers taking to X to vent their frustration. One person said: “What’s going on? @Channel4 how can we watch #Bakeoff with it breaking up all the time.”
Another person asked: “Anyone else have signal issues while watching Bake Off this evening? We’ve had several shaky screeners tonight. #bakeoff.” Meanwhile, a third person questioned: “Anyone else getting a stuttering broadcast and the occasional pixel madness of an 80s top of the pops episode??”
In response to the tweets coming through, a fourth person agreed with the general sentiment: “Me on Sky. I’ve recorded it and only just started watching it.” They added: “I’ve stopped and started it again, thinking it might have been weather-related, so I’m glad it’s not just me ! #GBBO”.
And this sparked a flurry of people coming forward complaining of the same issue. The technical glitch appears to have affected viewers to the point where they had “given up” watching the show.
Other celebrities who took part in that episode also included Alex Brooker, Ambika Mod and Rose Ayling-Ellis, who were all competing against one another to be awarded the Star Baker apron.
They were given three challenges. One of which was to make mini rolls, another was to bake a syrup sponge pudding and a choux pastry.
And it was EastEnders star Rose who impressed the judges the most, and she was crowned winner of their round. Last week, Molly-Mae won her episode.
Judge Paul Hollywood was most impressed with Molly-Mae. One hearing that she had won her segment, she screamed with joy and said: “That has made my life, you don’t understand! Thank you so much!”
And after leaving the show, the mum of one, who is pregnant with her second child with fiancé Tommy Fury, took to her Instagram.
She wrote: “Still trying to process that this even happened! Taking part in Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer was honestly one of the most insane experiences of my life.”
She added: “Just so grateful to have been part of something so special for such an incredible cause… I’ll truly never get over it @su2cuk @britishbakeoff.”
For the remaining episodes, the stars taking part include JLS singer Aston Merrygold, Rag’N’Bone and Celebrity Traitors’ Joe Wilkinson.
Celebrity Bake Off judge Celebrity Bake Off judge Cherish Finden made her debut on the Channel 4 show. And when asked by Noel Fielding how she found her time on the show, she replied: ” ‘I’ve had a great time. He is a master-baker.”
This comes after it was announced that Prue Leith was stepping down from her judging role after nine series. Replacing her, will be TV chef Nigella Lawson.
WASHINGTON — A crew member was rescued after an American aircraft went down Friday in Iran, the Associated Press reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.
U.S. forces launched a rescue mission in southwestern Iran after at least one American crew member ejected from a fighter jet downed by Iranian defenses, according to a U.S. official and news outlets.
The downing of the jet, an F-15E, was confirmed to The Times by a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. That type of jet reportedly carries a standard crew of two, but it was not clear if more than one crew member ejected.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained for weeks that the U.S. has “complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace” after destroying the country’s air defenses.
“Iran has no air defenses, Iran has no air force,” he said at a March 13 Pentagon news conference. “Today, as we speak, we fly over the top of Iran and Tehran, fighters and bombers all day, picking targets as they choose, as our intelligence gets better and better and more refined.”
But the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a new type of Iranian air defense system deployed for the first time in recent days had shot down a warplane on Friday.
The statements stirred a flurry of conflicting instructions from Iranian state-affiliated broadcasters. One local television channel initially encouraged viewers to search for the downed pilot and “shoot them as soon as you see them.”
It then changed the instructions, according to the Associated Press, after local police issued a statement asking the public to capture and turn in American pilots alive to security agencies to “receive a precious prize.”
On social media, Iranian accounts posted videos purporting to show helicopters searching for downed pilots in Iran’s western and southern provinces, according to a report from Fars News.
Fars also reported officials in Iran’s southwest were offering a “valuable reward” to anyone “who captures the American pilot alive.”
Images of a tail section posted on social media had markings indicating it was from the 48th Fighter Wing, which is based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, according to Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia, in an interview with NBC News.
U.S. and Israel escalate attacks on infrastructure
The development came as U.S. and Israeli forces escalated attacks on civilian sites and key infrastructure across Iran Friday, including strikes on residential buildings, health centers and Iran’s largest bridge, with President Trump warning that the U.S. “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran.”
On his social media, the president posted dramatic images of the smoldering B1 bridge, a towering cable-suspended viaduct that was severed in U.S.-Israel strikes late Thursday.
“The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow!” Trump wrote.
Connecting Tehran to the city of Karaj, the $400-million bridge was Iran’s largest, and was often regarded as one of the most prominent, expensive and complex engineering endeavors in the Middle East.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei labeled the attack a “war crime in the style of ISIS terrorism.” Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called the act a sign of moral collapse by “an enemy in disarray,” stating that such actions will not compel Iranians to surrender.
“Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America’s standing.”
The attacks come after Trump announced what he described as a two- to three-day “off-ramp” from hostilities, while simultaneously warning he would bring Iran “back to the Stone Ages” if it didn’t cede to U.S. demands.
Reports from Iranian state media and international monitoring groups indicate strikes have also hit homes, religious centers, universities and municipal infrastructure across multiple provinces, raising concerns among humanitarian organizations about the widening scope of targets.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that the U.S. and Israel have carried out routine attacks on Iranian healthcare facilities since March 1.
“WHO has verified over 20 attacks on health care in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths, including that of an infectious diseases health worker and a member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” Tedros wrote on X.
Iran’s health ministry estimated about 2,076 people have been killed and 26,500 wounded by U.S.-Israeli attacks since fighting broke out Feb. 28. An estimated 1,300 have been killed in Lebanon, according to its health ministry, while more than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank.
Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and 19 Israeli service members have been reported dead in a five-week-old war that has triggered growing unease stateside.
A recent Pew Research Center survey conducted in late March found that most Americans opposed direct U.S. military involvement in a war with Iran. A separate Gallup poll reported declining approval for the administration’s handling of foreign policy.
Lawmakers in both parties have raised concerns about Israel’s influence in the Trump administration’s decision to enter a lengthy conflict, stoking debates over military aid and executive war powers.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that she plans to oppose future military aid to Israel, including for its Iron Dome defense systems. She argued that the Israeli government recently funded a $45-billion defense budget and is “well able” to bankroll its war without U.S. help.
“I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and U.S. law,” she said on X.
Iran hit desalination plant and oil refinery
Iran returned fire, again aiming at infrastructure targets operated by its Gulf neighbors. A series of airstrikes set Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on fire, the Associated Press reported, as Kuwaiti firefighters were working to knock down several blazes there.
Kuwait also reported that an Iranian attack significantly damaged a desalination plant, which supplies drinking water to the region.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Israel all scrambled to intercept incoming Iranian missiles Friday, according to reports, despite the Pentagon’s assurances that Iran’s military facilities and missile capacity have been largely wiped out.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire, the Associated Press reported.
The war has pushed Iran to tighten its grip over the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring 50%, upending stock markets, and stirring supply chain disruptions that threaten to destabilize global food markets.
Americans felt the oil rally again this week, after Trump’s Wednesday address dashed investors’ hopes of a swift end to the conflict, sending U.S. crude prices up 11% Thursday and another half point on Friday.
The ex-Made in Chelsea star is set to join Clare Balding and Ade Adepitan to host The CHANEL J12 Boat Race this Saturday (April 4).
Broadcasting live from the banks of the River Thames, they’ll be stationed in a fresh studio at the starting line in Putney.
Oxford University Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club will battle it out oar-to-oar in one of the globe’s oldest and most prestigious amateur sporting events.
Alex Jacques will helm lead commentary, with Olympic gold-medal winning rower Martin Cross and Olympic silver-medal winning rower Jess Eddie as co-commentators, while three-time Olympic gold medallist Pete Reed OBE will serve as pundit, reports OK!.
Broadcaster and mathematician Hannah Fry will also be present to delve into the science of rowing, as well as championing Cambridge Men and Women in her capacity as Professor of Public Understanding of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.
Coverage of The Boat Race will air from 13:30 to 16:30 on Channel 4 and Channel 4 Streaming, where Oxford and Cambridge Men and Women will tackle the iconic Championship Course, a 4.25-mile stretch of tidal Thames from Putney to Mortlake.
In addition to broadcasting the historic races between the two universities, Channel 4 will also spotlight the Youth Boat Race for the first time on British TV.
The Youth Boat Race, backed by the Oxford and Cambridge Rowing Foundation, is scheduled for Friday 3 April, with coverage included in Saturday’s broadcast.
Discussing his new role, Jamie confessed he “can’t wait”, stating: “The Boat Race is always such a brilliant day, it’s London’s party by the river. Joining Clare, Ade and the team to present coverage of such an iconic occasion is a pure thrill.”
The presenter and podcaster further added: “I can’t wait to meet the incredible athletes taking part and get in amongst the action with the fans on the banks of the Thames and at the finish line to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the crews.”
This news comes as Jamie and his wife Sophie Habboo prepare to offer their fans a sneak peek into their private life in a new reality show.
The couple, who got hitched in April 2023, are set to feature in a brand new series on Disney+, which is slated to premiere on Thursday (April 2).
The programme will track the reality star couple during Sophie’s pregnancy and the birth of their son Ziggy. Ahead of the three-part series’ release, fans have been given a preview of what they can anticipate from the show.
In a teaser clip, the pair are seen having a heated argument, with Sophie labelling her husband’s behaviour as “unacceptable”. Jaime is shown standing in the doorway as Sophie becomes tearful during the dispute.
He stated: “I’m stressed, I am tired.” Sophie could be heard retorting: “But you just go behind my back, that’s so unacceptable.”
Elsewhere the couple were dealt a “bad news” blow during a hospital visit. Jamie revealed: “Bad news is that the baby, his arm is through the cervix. She (Sophie) needs to have an emergency c-section.”
The smitten duo are seen tearfully supporting each other during the birth of their first child. Jamie tenderly kisses Sophie’s forehead, reassuring her with the words, “It’s alright you got this. You got this”
The CHANEL J12 Boat Race 2026 will air on Channel 4 on Saturday, April 4 from 1.30pm and Raising Chelsea is available to watch on Disney+ from Thursday, April 4
“Everyone is at least a dormant ballet nerd,” declares 22-year-old Eden Lim, while sitting for an interview in the suburban Dallas studio where she and her sister, Jordan, 24, film and edit their popular YouTube channel “Ballet Reign.”
Judging from the near-universal backlash to Timothée Chalamet’s recent bad-mouthing of ballet, Eden’s summation of the central tenet of their show may be true. With 67,000 subscribers in 166 countries and growing, the Lim sisters are mixing Gen Z humor and exuberance with astounding erudition to bring ballet to a new generation and fire up older, longtime fans.
With episode titles such as “Addictive Ballet Moments to Alter your Brain Chemistry” and promises like “This will increase your lifespan and double your morale,” they are on a mission to ensure that ballet not only survives but thrives.
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Mirthfulness is the Lim sisters’ medium, but their message is serious. During each show, they parse video clips of great performances, often by explaining the history of the piece and giving detailed behind-the-scenes stories. They dissect the most famous pas de deux with trenchant insight and introduce their audience to the greatest dancers, including Natalia Osipova and Roberto Bolle. With signature, irrepressible enthusiasm, the sisters help viewers see precisely what makes the shows and dancers so extraordinary.
Eden, left, and Jordan Lim of YouTube channel “Ballet Reign” trained as professional dancers before deciding to focus on their show full time.
(Larsen & Talbert / For The Times)
A video clip featured in the “Addictive Ballet” episode shows New York City Ballet principal dancer Ashley Bouder launching herself into a jeté so high she seems to leave Earth’s gravity. In midair she manages to turn herself 180 degrees before being caught by her partner, despite her momentum seeming to drift into his arms like a feather blown by a breeze.
While watching the singular feat, Eden exclaims, “Call the news channels! We found a person who can actually levitate!”
Jordan says the goal is to make viewers feel equipped to say, “I understand what’s going on, and I can appreciate it, and I can appreciate that this was done well.”
“Ballet Reign” launched three years ago with modest hopes. The sisters sought a mere toehold in the YouTube universe, aiming for a narrow niche audience of fellow ballet fanatics (“ballet nerds”) ages 16 to 25. To their initial astonishment, they have attracted a far wider viewership spanning all ages, even followers who hitherto had only scant interest in ballet. They have drawn in many young children and older adults, with those 65 and up now their third-largest subscriber group.
The show has rapidly won acclaim from within and outside of the ballet world — perhaps because the depth and breadth of their knowledge makes it hard to shake the suspicion that they secretly are Ivy League professors.
The Lim sisters speak with sophistication about classic ballets and dancers they love — delivering their message through a whimsical show that has attracted fans of all ages.
(Larsen & Talbert / For The Times)
They comment with equal sophistication on ballet steps, choreography, history, musicology and the minute details of costume design. Eclectic references pop out of nowhere — a metaphor from quantum physics, an aside that the flute is the instrument whose sound is closest to a sine wave, that a serinette is an 18th century music box used to teach caged canaries to sing.
Even actual professors laud the show.
Nicolas Krusek routinely shows “Ballet Reign” episodes in his classes for adults on ballet history at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Krusek says what makes the show compelling “is the spirit of the videos, just the sense of joyousness and benevolence that they communicate, and a real sense of reverence for the art and the artists.”
John Meehan, a Vassar College professor of ballet and former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, calls their episode on Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” ballet “amazing,” adding that it conveys at least as much information in much more palatable form than a “dry” university lecture.
Julie Cronshaw, director of the Highgate Ballet School in London, says even for learned, longtime balletomanes the show opens up a whole new realm of understanding and appreciation. For those weighed down by adult concerns, watching an episode leaves them feeling uplifted.
This is why Jordan believes “Ballet Reign” has attracted a significant older audience — and also because the sisters honor tradition.
“They’re looking at the content and saying, ‘These are pieces that I grew up watching. And these are the dancers that I adored when I was younger,’” Jordan says.
Eden says she hopes “it’s because our content, and the way we deliver it, is able to touch hearts.”
The Lim sisters keep a disciplined schedule, turning out polished, deftly produced episodes 52 weeks a year.
(Larsen & Talbert / For The Times)
The show also benefits from its high production values, with expertly edited clips from performances, clever blurbs of text and quirky cutaways to, say, a pole vaulter as an allusion to how high a dancer jumps.
Episodes generally begin the same way, with the sisters sitting behind a table with an old-fashioned radio-days microphone nicknamed “Mike-elangelo” between them. Eden kicks things off by announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Ballet Reign.”
A flash of superimposed text identifies them as “*Very certified*, extremely serious ballet experts.”
Jordan and Eden revel in each other’s company, finish each other’s sentences and play off each other with insightful or witty interjections.
“We grew up best friends from the beginning, and that’s never changed,” Jordan says.
They keep a disciplined, grueling schedule, turning out polished, deftly produced episodes 52 weeks a year.
Comments validating their efforts come in frequently. “You really helped me through a dark time,” reads one. Another notes, “I was going through a really difficult life transition and having your videos helped me get through.”
Jordan says, “That’s a sort of impact that I genuinely did not see coming.”
The sisters are openhearted and enjoy revealing ballet’s best-kept secrets, but they have kept a remarkably mysterious online profile. Until now, they have never even disclosed their last names, let alone anything about their background, education or experience.
There is also nearly nothing on the internet, and fans have long wondered about their credentials, including whether they are professional dancers themselves.
On the show the sisters certainly come across as if they were. Surprisingly, the answer is no — with an “almost” caveat.
The oldest of four siblings, Jordan and Eden spent nearly all of their childhood in Ottawa. From the time they were small the sisters beelined toward becoming professional ballet dancers. Jordan says when she was 4 she got up at the crack of dawn every day and put in a VHS tape of a ballet class that her mother, Mary Lim, had bought. With fierce determination, she performed tendus and relevés along with the older students on the tape.
Eden’s ballet fascination quickly followed. Mary says she soon realized she had no choice but to send them to ballet school.
“Obviously, if you look at a 4-year-old doing ballet at 7 a.m. every single day, you’re like, OK, let’s try lessons,” Jordan says.
Eden, left, and Jordan Lim of “Ballet Reign” are the oldest of four siblings and spent nearly all of their childhood in Ottawa before relocating to Texas to pursue their careers.
(Larsen & Talbert / For The Times)
By 2015, the girls needed a better ballet school than was available in Ottawa. Their parents packed up the family and moved to Dallas, where the pair enrolled in the Ballet Academy of Texas. Aside from ballet classes they were entirely homeschooled, but they had plenty of experience dancing in school performances, ballet competitions and with real companies.
Mary says the intent was “to give them an opportunity to move and carve their own path … We wanted them to find their passions.”
The moment the sisters had worked for all their lives arrived in 2020, when the time came to set off around the country — and the world — to audition for ballet companies. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit just as they got started, and almost everything in the ballet world shut down.
Jordan says the hiatus led them to reflect for the first time on whether their lifelong ambition was truly what they wanted. At the same time they groped for a way to put their passion for ballet to temporary use.
For years the sisters had fantasized, half-seriously, about having their own YouTube channel. Eden convinced an initially reluctant Jordan it was time to make the daydream real, and “Ballet Reign” premiered on Dec. 21, 2022.
The sisters say they convinced themselves they were using the show to take “a gap year” while waiting out the pandemic. As the first months passed, and their audience widened and sent glowing feedback, they began to realize they were having a big impact and touching lives. It dawned on them that this wasn’t just an interlude but their calling.
In an agonizing twist, just as the show had gotten underway, Jordan received word she had been accepted by a professional ballet company. She turned down the offer.
“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Jordan says, but in retrospect the right one.
CHANNEL Springwatch and immerse yourself in a nature reserve, says writer Mia Lyndon.
THE PAD
Each of the shepherd’s huts have their own pond and mini wetlandCredit: Mikal Ludlow PhotographyInside the huts are charmingly decoratedCredit: Mikal Ludlow Photography
You’ll be able to call kingfishers, cranes and thousands of other beautiful birds your neighbours here.
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Tucked inside Slimbridge Wetland Centre, just half an hour’s drive south of Gloucester, are five shepherd’s huts, each with their own pond and mini wetland, and sleeping between two and four people.
We spotted rabbits and foxes from our snug digs among the 100 acres of lush landscape, plus every hut is kitted out with a vintage-style oven, waterfall shower (with excellent water pressure, FYI) and spacious decking.
Owl-shaped curtain hooks and a cuddly mallard doorstop only add to the charm.
EXPLORE
Marvel at starling murmurationsCredit: James Lees / WWT
Make the most of your unlimited access to the wetland centre and feed wildfowl on Swan Lake, before bobbing along on an hour-long canoe tour, £10 per person, to get closer to diving ducks and water voles.
Or hunt down egrets, stalks and grass snakes with the help of friendly driver Chris on a Wildlife Safari – £5 per adult, £3.50 per child (wwt.org.uk).
Find yet more stunning views at Miserden Gardens and wander past elegant topiary, lush fruit trees and herds of roaming deer in this exquisite 17th-century walled garden. Entry costs £12 and under-16s are free (Miserden.org).
Meanwhile, thronging with vibrant indie stores, quaint Stroud is a short drive away.
Pop into the buzzy Malthouse Collective for two storeys of vintage clothes, hand-poured candles and fab local art (Themalthousecollective.co.uk), then hit Made In Stroud for pretty pottery and jewellery (Madeinstroud.co.uk).
Alongside a sweet miniature railway, Stroud’s Stratford Park is home to the Museum In The Park – check out local artefacts, oil paintings and even a Gloucestershire Stegosaur fossil. Entry is free (Museuminthepark.org.uk).
REFUEL
Swan about Stroudwater CanalCredit: Getty ImagesHave a bite to eat at Woodruff cafeCredit: Woodruff cafe/Instagram
Hunker down with a tasty (and very generous) Full Monty English brekkie, £13, at The Tudor Arms, which sits beside the Gloucester And Sharpness Canal and is just a 10-minute stroll from your bed (Thetudorarms.co.uk).
For a laid-back yet impressive dinner, hike over to The George Inn for dishes such as succulent venison steak with chocolate and red wine sauce, £25, followed by tangy home-made blackcurrant and orange cheesecake, £7 (Quality-inns.co.uk).
Or gaze across rolling valleys at The Bell Inn at Selsley, while tucking into fluffy smoked Hereford cheese croquette, £19, and warming cinnamon milk pie, £9.
Don’t miss the Romanian Calusari white, £6.50 a glass – it’s zippy, fresh and absolutely delicious (Thebellinnselsley.com).
Elsewhere, there are cosy cafes aplenty in Stroud, but the irresistible ginger and date crumble cake, £3.90, at buzzy Woodruffs helps it reign supreme (Woodruffsorganiccafe.co.uk).
Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards tells the story of the presenter’s fall from grace
Martin Clunes plays Huw Edwards in the drama(Image: PA)
Channel 5 viewers have called a new programme about former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards a “hard watch”.
Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards – starring Martin Clunes in the main role – chronicles the events leading to the presenter’s conviction for making indecent images of children. He was found guilty in 2024, and received a six-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years.
The drama aired on Channel 5 on Tuesday (March 24), centring on Edwards’ alleged interaction with a 17-year-old. The teen, given the fictional name ‘Ryan’, is portrayed by Welsh actor Osian Morgan.
Moments after it began, viewers started posting comments on social media stating that it made for “uncomfortable” viewing, reports Wales Online.
“5 minutes in and can already tell this will be a thoroughly uncomfortable watch,” one viewer posted on X. Another individual admitted they were “already creeped out”.
“Not even halfway and I feel nauseous,” another person shared on the platform, formerly known as Twitter.
“Already creeped out when he calls him ‘baby’,” commented another viewer, whilst someone else confessed they were “speechless” watching the story unfold.
“I’m normally quite hardened to these sorts of dramas but honestly this Huw Edwards programme on 5 is a heck of an uncomfortable watch,” another viewer expressed.
“It’s a hard watch,” concurred another, as one viewer admitted they were turning off.
“I tried watching Power but it’s so grim that I’ve switched over to a repeat of Simon Schama’s History of Britain,” they shared.
“That’s it I have had to turn off this Huw Edwards programme,” said someone else.
Another viewer described the programme as feeling “dark and ominous”.
Numerous viewers also commented on Martin’s depiction of the former newsreader, saying he “nailed it”.
“Clunes is playing a blinder as Huw Edwards,” one individual remarked, whilst another added: “Martin Clunes is giving a career-defining performance. A disturbing, but compelling, portrayal of Huw Edwards.”
“Clunes is really pulling this off,” observed another, with someone else stating that the Doc Martin star’s performance was an “absolute tour de force”.
“Martin Clunes is formidable in his portrayal of Huw Edwards,” praised another impressed viewer.
Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards airs on Channel 5.
The crime drama from Death in Paradise’s creator has returned to screens with its third season and viewers were delighted
The Marlow Murder Club returns for a third season this week(Image: UKTV)
The beloved mystery drama, The Marlow Murder Club, made its comeback to our TV screens with the eagerly awaited third series and viewers have declared the opening instalment “brilliant”.
Adapted from the novels by Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, the programme unfolds in the charming Buckinghamshire town of Marlow.
Where retired archaeologist and amateur detective Judith Potts (Samantha Bond) joins forces with dog walker Suzie Harris (Jo Martin) and vicar’s wife Becks Starling (Cara Horgan) to crack a series of captivating crimes.
Every series has featured an array of famous faces, with the likes of Peter Davison (The Gold, Gentleman Jack), Tony Gardner (The Larkins, Last Tango in Halifax) as well as the comedy icon Harry Enfield making a guest appearance in the newest series, reports Hello.
In season three, Judith, Suzie and Becks confront a new batch of baffling mysteries, assisted by Marlow Police’s senior detective, Tanika Malik (Natalie Dew).
The synopsis reads: “From the sudden death of the town’s beloved mayor – the nicest man in Marlow – to a celebrity chef found dead at the launch of his cookbook with half the town in attendance.
“The team will be working under the watchful eye of the Marlow community.
“They’ll also be called to action at a university reunion in an eerie manor house where, in a surprising twist, Becks finds herself amongst the suspects. Could this case threaten our amateur sleuths’ roles as civilian advisors?”
This gripping drama represents cosy crime at its finest. With absorbing mysteries, ingenious plot twists and abundant charm, it’s hardly surprising that The Marlow Murder Club has become such a firm favourite with audiences.
Sharing their reaction on social media, fans have praised the programme’s much-anticipated third run as “brilliant”.
One viewer posted on X: “Last night’s #MarlowMurderClub series 3 premiere was off to a great start, brilliant stuff from Samantha bond, Cara Horgan, Jo Martin, Natalie Dew.”
Whilst another commented: “So pleased this is back on. I love it.” A third audience member commended the show as a “brilliant crime drama,” whilst another applauded the “beautiful scenery and laugh out loud moments”.
Meanwhile, the programme has garnered favourable reviews from television critics, with The Times likening the drama to “the TV equivalent of a garden wallow listening to birdsong whilst enjoying a nice cup of tea,” in its three-star assessment.
Awarding four stars, the Daily Mail praised the show as “cosy crime at its snuggest and most comforting”.
All six episodes of The Marlow Murder Club Season 3 are now available to stream on U and Channel 4.
A presenter and explorer had to move fast to avoid a potentially dangerous animal encounter
Steve Backshall has made a show about hippos(Image: Channel 5 screengrab)
Steve Backshall had a “dangerously close encounter” as he filmed a series about hippos.
The naturalist and explorer got up close to the animals while making Hippo Watch with Steve Backshall, which can be viewed on Channel 5. But a clip shared on Instagram showed some of the hippos getting a bit too interested in the camera crew as they shot scenes in South Africa, with Steve exclaiming: “They’re coming our way!”
The clip, captioned “Dangerously close encounter with hippos”, showed Steve and his crew in the water, filming a group of hippos nearby.
“Even on waters where hippos are familiar with boats and people, beware of hippos who break away from their group,” the voiceover warned.
Looking over at the animals, Steve spotted some movement and told viewers: “Oh, he’s standing up and having a good close look at me. Look at that! Spy hopping right up out of the water.
“OK guys, keep a very close eye on him, yeah? Two of them are splintered off from the pod, and they’re looking right at me. Three. Three of them now. And definitely curious.”
As the hippos started to move through the water, he exclaimed: “I think those two are coming our way. No? Yeah, they are. Look, they’re coming our way!”
Someone in the film crew was then heard telling the team: “OK guys, they’re moving now, come on.”
Steve waded hastily back to the boat, admitting: “We’re getting very close.”
The voiceover noted that it was “definitely time to leave”, continuing: “You can never get complacent around these animals, and should always err on the side of caution.”
The Instagram caption said: “Wrong place. Wrong time. @backshall.steve finds himself dangerously close to a hippo that’s broken from the pack… One wrong move could be fatal.”
The series has gone down a storm with viewers, with one posting on Instagram: “Phenomenal documentary.” “Fantastic, thoroughly enjoyed this,” said someone else, as another said it was “incredible” viewing.
“Very interesting,” posted another impressed viewer. “Steve, you’re quite literally my childhood role model,” commented another fan, adding: “So awesome to see all of this content.”
For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website.
Adapted from the identically titled novel, A Woman of Substance follows housemaid Emma Harte as she challenges societal conventions to establish a worldwide business empire.
Spanning dual timelines, the eight-episode series chronicles Emma’s (portrayed by Jessica Reynolds) ascent from her formative hardships through to the present day, where she (Brenda Blethyn) confronts fresh, unforeseen challenges.
Where was A Woman of Substance filmed?
Captured during spring 2025, sequences depicting young Emma in the early 1900s were shot throughout Yorkshire, with the Grade I-listed Georgian residence Broughton Hall serving as Fairley Hall.
Broughton Hall previously featured as a filming venue in Channel 4’s original 1984 adaptation of A Woman of Substance.
Broughton Hall is the 16th Century manor house situated at the centre of the 3,000 acre Broughton Sanctuary estate.
Whilst the property remains unchanged, it’s now encompassed by the sanctuary, housing the Avalon Wellbeing Centre and offering holiday accommodation available for guest bookings.
Production teams were additionally observed at Ilkley Moor, Barnsley Town Hall and at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens in Doncaster.
Speaking about the use of Brodsworth Hall in the series, a representative from English Heritage said: “Last year we were pleased to welcome a production company, filming scenes for an adaption of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman of Substance.
“Filming took place within our Servants’ Wing, Laburnam Arch and Target House/Range and we are extremely excited and proud to see Brodsworth on the small screen!”.
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Reynolds, who portrays the younger version of Emma Harte, shared her experiences of filming in Yorkshire with Country and Town House.
She said: ‘I know the crew worry about wind and rain, but I just love being able to have nature around me and working off the elements.
“I feel much less self-conscious, and freer.
“Some of the locations were just breathtaking and those are the images that stick in my mind today when I think back to filming; Yorkshire is just stunning.
“Those are some of Emma’s happiest moments too, when she’s so connected to the land – it’s a beautiful thing.”
Meanwhile, the contemporary scenes featuring Vera legend Blethyn, which are supposed to be set in New York, were actually filmed in Liverpool.
This isn’t the first time Liverpool has served as a stand-in for New York in film production, with major films including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 2022’s The Batman also shot in the UK city.
A Woman of Substance premieres on Wednesday, March 11, at 9pm on Channel 4.
