The inmate’s story is explored in viral documentary The Crash, which takes viewers through the tragedy that put Mackenzie behind bars.
Mackenzie was just 17 years old when she crashed her car into a brick wall at 100mph. Passengers Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, sadly died at the scene. The driver survived, but she was left seriously injured.
What originally seemed like a devastating accident, though, soon turned into a murder investigation.
The teenager was later found guilty on all counts and received two 15-to-life sentences with the possibility parole.
While the documentary offers an in-depth look at the case and trial, fans have been left wondering when exactly the crime took place.
When did the Mackenzie Shirilla crash happen?
Mackenzie crashed her vehicle into a brick wall in the early hours of July 31, 2022.
Her bench trial, which means a trial ruled by a judge instead of a jury, took place a year later. She was found guilty on all counts on August 14, 2023 and later handed two consecutive 15-year sentences. She will not be eligible for parole until 2037.
The documentary explores Mackenzie’s relationship with the victims, as well as her wider friendship circle. Viewers also hear from her loved ones as they try to paint a picture of the days leading up to the tragedy.
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Netflix’s synospsis states: “A car carrying three young adults slams into a brick building at 100 miles per hour in Strongsville, Ohio, leaving two lives lost and one sole survivor. The driver, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla, was driving her boyfriend, Dom, and his friend, Davion, home from a party when the unthinkable happened.
“But as detectives comb through the wreckage, what first appears to be a tragic accident begins to look like a calculated crime scene. The Crash takes a deep dive into the volatile relationship at the centre, examining the shifting narratives of that fateful night to explore where a fatal mistake ends and cold-blooded murder begins.”
Rachel Nickell’s horrific death sent shockwaves across the UK, but it took the police more than 15 years to solve her murder. As the case is explored in a new Netflix documentary, we speak to the expert who found a breakthrough clue after years of investigation failures
The Murder of Rachel Nickell teased in Netflix trailer
Rachel Nickell had her whole life ahead of her when it was cruelly stolen in a sickening attack – leaving her toddler son as the sole witness.
In July 1992, the 23-year-old mum was strolling through Wimbledon Common with her two-year-old son Alex Hanscombe, and their dog Molly. In a quiet, wooded area, she was ambushed, sexually assaulted and stabbed dozens of times.
Alex was later found by a passerby, desperately clinging to his mother’s body. In a heartbreaking attempt to help, the toddler had placed a piece of paper on her forehead as a makeshift bandage after pleading with her to wake up. Even at that tender age, Alex later revealed, he knew instantly that his mother was never coming back.
The brutal murder shattered the life of Alex and his father André Hanscombe. Yet, it would be 16 years for anyone to face justice. The haunting case is now the subject of a new three-part series for Netflix dramatisation, The Witness, alongside an accompanying documentary featuring never before seen archive footage, and deeply personal accounts from those who lived through the tragedy.
Among those interviewed is legendary forensic scientist Angela Gallop, whose work has helped solve many of the UK’s most high-profile murders, including the killings of Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor.
Her team was handed the case in 2002, a decade after the murder, when the investigation had gone completely cold. They had agonisingly little to work with: a microscopic trace of male DNA recovered from the crime scene. To make matters even more difficult, forensic technology at the time was ill-equipped to handle such a minute sample. In order to find the killer, they had to pioneer an entirely new methodology to examine the sample.
Reinvestigating the decade-old DNA required immense precision. Describing the pressure and the patience required to manipulate the tiny shred of evidence, Angela said: “The technique that had been used at the time was a very new, sensitive method, but we had never particularly liked it in my laboratory.
“For Rachel’s case, we got hints of male DNA using our standard test, but we wanted to see if we could squeeze out some more information. By concentrating and purifying the DNA, we managed to achieve it, but it took two years to develop the technique properly.”
After a painstaking process, the team eventually got a strong enough DNA profile to add to their database – and it matched with a man named Robert Napper, a paranoid schizophrenic and serial rapist.
To ensure the case was ironclad, they raced back to the crime scene and analysed all the sample items that had been collected. Angela and her colleagues then went on to uncover footwear marks and forensic paint evidence linking Napper directly to Wimbledon Common.
His footwear was matched directly to the mud profiles taken from the area, and microscopic paint flakes matching Napper’s toolbox were discovered trapped in the hair of two-year-old Alex. The box, found in Napper’s flat, contained knives and other weapons.
The new DNA breakthrough was enough to convict Napper and exonerate Colin Stagg, the innocent man wrongfully targeted by a flawed police honey-trap operation. A new Netflix documentary will examine the botched investigation, which led to Stagg – a local resident who walked his dog on the common – spending 13 months behind bars in custody, and facing rampant speculation that he killed Rachel.
He was freed by an Old Bailey judge in 1994, who criticised officers for using a ‘honeytrap’ undercover policewoman to try to make him confess to the murder, branding the entrapment evidence as “reprehensible”
Mr Justice Ognall, who halted the trial, described officers actions as “deceptive conduct of the grossest kind” after undercover officer “Lizzie James” tried to seduce Stagg, promising a relationship in the hope of getting a confession. Stagg later received £700,000 compensation from the Home Office.
In 2008, Napper admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was detained indefinitely at Broadmoor. He was already incarcerated at the psychiatric unit, having been convicted in 1995 for the equally depraved double killing of single mother Samantha Bisset, 27, and her four-year-old daughter Jazmine.
Discovering the match provided a profound sense of justice for Angela’s team, particularly regarding the human toll of the investigation. “We had a DNA result that hit a match on the National DNA database, so the police have got something to investigate,” she said.
“There was an added level of satisfaction because Colin Stagg had been professing his innocence for all those years. We were able to show that he was telling the truth,” she said.
The new documentary about the 1992 murder features Alex describing the moment that he knew his mother had died after being stabbed 49 times.
A home video video captures him describing the moment his mother was killed on Wimbledon Common to his dad André, who gently discusses what his son saw on the day.
Now 36, Alex describes seeing Napper, telling his dad: “I saw him first,” he says, telling Andre that the man was carrying a bag which he opened. Asked what he took out, he replies simply: “A knife.”
He then tells his dad that the man “knocked me over” and that he witnessed his mum being stabbed. “There’s his knife,” the little boy tells his dad, indicating the picture he is drawing of his mother. “I saw the knife. I saw it, Yeah, I saw it all.”
Speaking in the trailer for the film, André explains: “My son saw his mother’s murder but nobody could have possibly known how long it was gonna take to find the person who did this.”
Ahead of the Netflix show, Angela is keen to emphasise that DNA evidence is rarely a simple “magic bullet.” Television would make people think that experts can simply swab a crime scene and receive a clear-cut result just 30 minutes later, Angela said, adding: “If it was going to be really straightforward, the original scientists would have discovered the truth a long time ago.
“You have to be much more clever. Sometimes you have to look for one type of evidence to find another. In the Stephen Lawrence and the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path murders, it was analysing textile fibres that led us to finding blood traces and therefore DNA.”
As well as the archive footage, the documentary will explore how Angela’s work led to justice for Stagg after her breakthrough solved the case.
The three part drama, The Witness, will follow Alex and André as they deal with the devastating impact of losing Rachel. Jordan Bolger plays André, while Max Fincham is the teenage Alex. Both men acted as consultants on the series.
The story aims to show how a father and son “moved through the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy, from darkness into light.”
The other cast include Kevin Eldon as DCI Mick Wickerson, Neil Maskell as DI Keith Pedder, Mark Stanley as DS Ivan Agnew, Jon Pointing as DC Nick Sparshatt, James Dryden as DC Paul Miller, Kerry Godliman as André’s mother June, James Bradshaw as DCI Tony Nash and Claire Rushbrook as Dr. Jean Harris-Hendriks.
In a joint statement released last month, André and Alex Hanscombe said: “Our life has been a battle. We can never express how indebted we are to everyone that’s been a part of this, for the kindness and generosity they’ve extended to us, for the chance they took with us in bringing our story to the screen, and for the care they have taken.
“Our journey has all been by the grace of God and a promise to go on together, and we feel incredibly blessed to be able to share our story in this way.
“We hope that audiences will be left with a testament to the tough battle of life we all face and to the power of faith, hope, love – and never giving up.”
Documentary The Murder of Rachel Nickell has been made to accompany the new drama about what happened that day, called The Witness. Both will be released on Netflix on June 4.
Vinnie Jones is best known for playing villains on screen, but the actor and former footballer has shown a touching side.
Vinnie Jones bought the land in 2022(Image: DISCOVERY+)
Fans of Vinnie Jones are not used to seeing this side of him in his documentary series.
Celebrated actor and footballer Vinnie Jones is primarily recognised for portraying violent offenders and hardmen, but he has subsequently revealed a gentler nature.
In the third series of the programme, which broadcasts on Discovery+, he discussed acquiring the estate from its former owner and the commitments he made to her.
He was filmed clearing the barn at the property’s perimeter when he discovered some vintage photographs which had been abandoned by the woman. He explained how the former owner acknowledged it was a “struggle” to maintain it, noting: “She was terrified of losing her legacy.
“She didn’t want people coming in and splitting it up,” he stated. Numerous individuals had expressed interest in the property, but the owner was determined to sell to Jones.
He purchased the property while she remained alive and promised she could reside there until her death.
Handyman Paul Worby remarked on his friend’s compassionate character, observing: “That is a side of Vincent that not a lot of people see. He has got a very kind side.
“You know, he was very good to me when I was down. He kind of resonates with people who are at a bad stage in their life and tries to give them a bit of a pat on the back.”
Jones revealed one of the touching gestures he made honouring the former owner, explaining: “Part of the deal was, there is a little field down there called Mum’s Field. Her mum is buried down there. I put the ashes down there with her mum.”
While Worby and Jones examined the woman’s belongings, Worby remarked: “It’s someone’s life isn’t it, it’s someone’s memories.
“That’s why I get emotional about it all,” Jones responded. The actor purchased the property in Petworth, West Sussex, in 2022, several years following the death of his wife, Tanya.
She passed away after a battle with cancer and Jones has previously spoken about how relocating to the countryside “saved him”.
Vinnie Jones in the Country is available to stream on Discovery+
Jamie Vardy had left Cremonese after one season with them relegated from Serie A and his time in Italy a struggle for the family in terms of finding schools and home comfort foods.
The Vardys Italian adventure did not go as planned.(Image: ITV)
Pensive Rebekah Vardy admits the future for her family is up in the air after their return from Italy – as her husband weighs up where to play football next.
The Mirror told yesterday how Jamie Vardy had left Cremonese after one season with them relegated from Serie A and his time in Italy a struggle for the family in terms of finding schools and home comfort foods.
On their future she joked: “Is there ever a f**king plan?” Before she went on to say she did not see Jamie returning to Leicester City. Other reports suggest he could join Sheffield Wednesday or go to play in the Netherlands or even return to the Premier League.
In an interview with the Times to promote their new ITV reality series about their time in Italy, Rebekah spoke of her public persona after losing the Agatha Christie trial against Coleen Rooney.
She said: “I accept that I am very Marmite. I’ve been portrayed as a villain since I met Jamie — they called me a gold-digger and said I’d leave when his football career ended — and to an extent I’ve played up to being that villain.
“I don’t do emotions; that’s genuine. Someone once said I have a ‘resting bitch face’ and I ran with it. It gets me into trouble because my face doesn’t portray the feelings I have inside. I am not a bitch. I find it hard to show vulnerability because of my childhood [Vardy’s family were Jehovah’s Witnesses], and the church forces you to suppress how you feel.
“That cycle is hard to break. So yes, I do come across as cold, but when you look at the bigger picture there’s a reason. At the same time, I am not a victim. I will not play the victim card.”
She also says abuse from trolls and losing the court case against Coleen, leaving her with legal bills of millions of pounds, have taken their toll in the past.
Rebekah added: “There were times when I questioned the point of existing. I didn’t want to be here any more. It was a horrendous time. What got me through was the life we have together and our children. Always the kids. They are our world.”
ITV will next week profile the family’s time in Italy in three-part series The Vardys. The new ITV documentary was supposed to celebrate a great new chapter in their life.
But instead the cameras show Rebecca struggling to find accommodation and schools for their children; Olivia, six, Finley, nine, Sofia 12, Taylor 16.
It was not the Italian dream they hoped for and lasted less time than expected. Once positive is Rebekah will get Jamie at home this Summer as at 39 he is too old to make it into the England squad.
And she insists she won’t miss not being at the World Cup. She said: “It’s actually quite lonely. You go to support your husband or boyfriend but you don’t get to be near them very much. And Russia was terrifying. It was not an easy place to be.”
* The Vardys airs at 9pm on Tuesday June 2nd on ITV1 & ITVX. All three episodes will be immediately available to stream as a boxset online.
However, the bizarre case takes an unexpected turn, and the series about his extraordinary life has left viewers stunned.
The synopsis on Netflix reads: “Henry Lee Lucas rose to infamy when he confessed to hundreds of unsolved murders. =
“This documentary series examines the truth – and horrific consequences.”
Titled The Confession Killer, the Netflix series was a hit when it first came out, earning a rare 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audiences took to the review section to share their thoughts on the mini-series, with many praising its detail and calling it a “must watch”.
“Superb, my mind was blown as the story unfolded,” one person wrote, as another agreed: “This is amazing. One of the best, if not the best, true crime doc series of late.”
“Very well described in terms of details and information. Very little bias,” another praised, as a fourth person said: “Henry Lee Lucas is a tragic story where everyone involved was surprised in the end. It’s heartbreaking. You must watch it.”
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Another person reflected: “As someone as complicated as Henry Lee Lucas, this is probably the best and most well put together documentary about him that has ever been made.”
One more viewer observed: “This was fascinating and SO well done. The old footage was terrific as were the interviews with people who are still alive to tell their versions of the story. I was hooked.
“I thought I was just watching a good profile of a serial killer and then everything took a completely different turn. Anyone interested in true crime will find this a compelling documentary. Highly recommended.”
Critics also applauded the documentary, with Mashable noting: For true crime devotees, watching the five-part series will do more than hit the spot.”
The Confession Killer is available to stream now on Netflix.
The celebrated singer, 57, has just opened up about her rise to global stardom in new Netflix documentary show Kylie. Tracking her career from soap star to chart-topper, the series features interviews with those closest to the Australian celebrity.
However, her brother Brendan only makes a brief appearance in the show. In Episode 1, Kylie’s brother is shown during a scene where the Minogues gather around for a bonfire. Fans will also spot her sister Dannii, mum Carol, dad Ronald in the segment.
So who exactly is the mysterious Minogue sibling?
Who is Kylie Minogue’s little-known brother?
Kylie’s younger brother is 55-year-old camera operator Brendan Minogue.
He prefers to stay out of the spotlight but has been spotted in his sister’s other projects, including the 2001 special An Audience with Kylie Minogue.
While little is known about the Minogue brother, it seems the three siblings shared a positive childhood.
In her Netflix show, Kylie reflects on their upbringing fondly. “I was raised without any putdowns, without ever hearing ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that,'” she explains. “We were just encouraged to do what we loved.”
The singer has also cited Brendan as part of her solid support system. In an interview with the BBC, she confessed: “When it’s not going well, that’s who I turn to – Mum, Dad, my brother and my sister.”
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She revealed in the same interview that Brendan taught her a stress-relief technique that was crucial during the start of her career.
It’s called the foofer valve, she said, adding: “When the emotion has got to come out, or you’ve got to have a big cry or a moan, you let out a noise, tsssssh, like a kettle letting off steam, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I feel so much better’.”
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This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.
As well as a glimpse into her family life, the three-part Netflix doc offers insight into the pop icon’s decorated career.
A synopsis teases: “Featuring footage from home movies, personal photographs, and new interviews with Kylie herself, the documentary shows the woman behind the hits. It examines how she’s faced public scrutiny, personal loss, and illness with grit and grace, earning respect far beyond her own fandom.”
A former MAFS UK bride has alleged she was left traumatised after her on-screen husband performed a lewd act and controlled her behaviour as she criticises welfare team
10:40, 23 May 2026Updated 10:42, 23 May 2026
A bride (not pictured) has revealed the moment her on-screen husband allegedly committed a ‘lewd’ act
A former Married At First Sight UK bride says she was traumatised for years after appearing on the show and alleges her co-star restricted her movements, leaving her isolated.
Speaking to the Mirror following Panorama: The Dark Side of Married At First Sight, which aired on BBC One on Monday night, the bride alleged: “He performed a lewd act and then touched my face without consent. He banned me from drinking or speaking to production staff without him.”
She claims to have reported it to welfare staff and that production staff were aware of incidents but she was encouraged to continue with the show. She alleged: “They [production] would say, ‘It’s going to be OK’. Staff bought me a drink to help smooth things over after I complained.”
Describing the welfare team, she alleged: “They present as your best friend. I thought they were somebody you could talk to about anything. But if I look back on it now, I would say it’s more like grooming.”
The bride alleged she felt pressured into intimacy by her partner and does not believe enough safeguarding existed once couples returned to their apartments off camera.
She said: “I had sex with my partner and whilst I wasn’t forced, I felt pressured.” She added: “The couch ceremonies are supposed to be a safe space where you can speak honestly. But you go back to your apartment afterwards and there are no cameras there and nobody to protect you.”
She told how much of the alleged behaviour took place away from cameras and claimed she repeatedly raised concerns with welfare and production teams throughout filming.
She had months of psychological assessments, interviews and background checks, which she believed were designed to protect participants.
But she said: “I told them everything about myself – that I’d been in controlling relationships before, that I struggled speaking up for myself and that I fall in love very quickly. But now I feel like I gave them the blueprint on how to expose me and use me.
“They knew I had a history of abusive, controlling relationships and paired me with someone who controlled my every move.”
She believes the intense filming conditions heightened emotions. She said: “I’ve never cried more in my life. “You aren’t sleeping enough, you’re filming 14, 15, sometimes 20-hour days and when you’re not filming, you’re isolated in an apartment.
“At the dinner parties you’d be picked up at 8am in full hair and make-up then left sitting in a shipping container for six or seven hours before filming. The worse your situation was with your partner, the longer they seemed to leave you in the room.”
She questioned how much information relationship experts Paul C. Brunson, Charlene Douglas and the late Mel Schilling had received. The contestant said: “The experts had zero idea what was going on. They gave good advice based on the information they had.”
After watching the Panorama episode, the bride believes the worst is yet to come. She added: “They need to properly safeguard people instead of just creating drama. This Panorama story is only the beginning of hearing the nightmares people have had.”
The bombshell claims come as Channel 4 removed all ten series from its platforms and scrapped the series due to air in September following a BBC Panorama investigation that revealed two women claim they were raped by their on-screen “husbands” during filming, while another made allegations of sexual assault against her partner.
The Metropolitan Police has now urged potential victims to come forward, stating they will be “making approaches to the relevant production teams” to ensure anyone affected knows how to report criminal allegations.
The scandal has blown open the production practices used in dating reality shows which have been growing in popularity over recent years.
Monday’s documentary sparked a political row, with Channel 4 CEO Priya Dogra telling MPs the broadcaster was “not an adjudicator” on the serious allegations. But it is feared this is just the tip of the iceberg for dating reality shows and these new claims put pressure on producers and broadcasters to clean up their act.
Channel 4 has commissioned an external review while insisting their welfare protocols are “some of the most comprehensive and robust in the industry”. Industry sources say the show is unlikely to ever air in the UK again.
The Mirror put these allegations to CPL and to Channel 4 who directed us to their statement in full. Part of this includes: “MAFS UK is produced under some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry. These include the most thorough background checks available, a Code of Conduct which clearly sets out behavioural standards, daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team and access to additional support before, during and after filming. The physical and psychological wellbeing of all contributors is of paramount importance throughout the process. All duty of care processes are regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, strengthened.”
Another section of the statement reads: “Channel 4 believes that when concerns related to contributor welfare were raised through existing welfare and production protocols, prompt and appropriate action was taken, based on the information available at the time. Channel 4 strongly refutes any claim to the contrary.”
Vinnie Jones says one career moment is way above all others
Vinnie Jones looks back on career in new Netflix doc(Image: Courtesy of Netflix)
Vinnie Jones believes winning the FA Cup will be written on his gravestone. Footballer and actor Jones, 61, was part of the Wimbledon team that stunned Liverpool in 1987 with their victory at Wembley. A new Netflix documentary looks at his extraordinary career working as a hod carrier and playing semi-pro football to becoming a Premier League star and then a Hollywood actor.
Looking back, Vinnie said: “I think the biggest achievement is the FA Cup. The odds, you know? Leeds was magnificent, but we built a good team and that was “shit or bust”—we had to get up that season. But Jack and the Beanstalk was a great story of mine as a kid, and that’s what we did at Wimbledon when we beat Liverpool.
“I remember the first round being 1-0 down against Mansfield away. Fast forward a few months, and you’ve beaten one of the greatest teams in the last 50 years. 1-0 in front of a hundred thousand people. It was some achievement. It will probably be on my gravestone, I should think.”
Vinnie is still making movies and also now has his own reality TV show In The Country, detailing his life after taking on 2,000 acres of West Sussex countryside, but it hasn’t all been plain sailing. His wife Tanya died in 2019 with cancer, having beaten the disease several times in the past.
Asked if his attitude in life was all about proving people wrong, he said: “Not prove people wrong, but to keep trying to get to the summit. When you get to the ledge, there’s another ledge and another ledge. I don’t really know where the summit is, to be honest. So I’ll go to the next ledge and the next ledge. Hopefully one day I’ll get there and go, “There’s no more ledges.
“We’re happy in life right now. I’ve got a couple of great movies and TV shows. It’s been a long road; the last six years has been a long road for me. You can’t stay on the same ledge. You’ve got to look up.”
Vinnie admits in the doc he has a “big ego” but also that he had periods in his life when he struggled due to trouble he got into but also heavy drinking, with no one to talk to about his problems. He recalls how he considered suicide when he took a shotgun into the woods near his home and was struggling with his mental health.
He says in the film: “I was on the bed and I was just curled up like the baby position and I was like, enough. I can’t keep doing this to people, can’t do it to the family. So far, I thought I could go for a walk up the wood…. I took the gun, walked up the wood, and then all stupid things go through your head. And the easiest thing to do was just to stop it right there and then, that would be it.
“And then I sort of came round, like being knocked out I suppose like in boxing, when you come around and miss all the scream and the shouting and everything is slow motion and you’re kind of back, you go right f*** this.”
Later in the film he adds: “I’ve taken as many knocks as I’ve given, but I’ve grabbed every opportunity that’s come my way. Be someone, make your mark. I’ve made my mark.”
Asked what people should take away from his story in the documentary, Vinnie says: “I can remember back when I was cutting the grass at the Masonic School in Bushey, just looking up and thinking: give me one chance, one chance, wherever it is, third division, fourth division, please, I want to be a professional footballer. You’re saying that every day. And then all of a sudden, a bolt of lightning or a flash or a spark gives you that chance.
“Talk to the universe and be straight with the universe. Ask for what you want and don’t let it down when it gives you that chance. That’s what it is. There’s a reason why the chance to win the lottery is a billion to one. To build on your dreams is up to us. I think we’re the bricklayers and the carpenters of our own dreams.”
Asked about mistakes in his life, he said: “The biggest regret is not giving up drinking probably 20 years beforehand. I tried it but never stuck at it. I think I’d have achieved a lot more without the booze. When I first went to Wimbledon on that trial, I never had a drink for a year. I wanted to be the fittest I could be. And then I fell into the culture.”
He added: “I wasn’t a drinker or a smoker growing up; it was just football. It was all part of being part of the Crazy Gang. I think I’d have been a lot better player if I hadn’t drunk through my career. But when you’re a young lad from a building site and the next minute you’re playing in front of 50,000 people, you never think it’s going to end.
“Older people say, ‘I hope you’re putting money away because this won’t last forever,’ but they’re talking to a brick wall. You think it’s going to last forever.” Thankfully for Vinnie he found a new career and big paydays in films including Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
* Untold UK: Vinnie Jones is on Netflix from Tuesday May 26.
The award winning series will air another intense episode tonight that is not to be missed
999: Critical Condition is an award winning Channel 5 series(Image: Channel 5)
A fly on the wall medical series that is not for the faint of heart returns with another brutal episode.
Titled 999: Critical Condition, the medical series has returned for its sixth run, this time filmed in the Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Airing on Channel 5, the show follows patients and staff at a major trauma hospital as cameras are given unprecedent access to film what most people do not see.
Viewers witness an intense and unfiltered look at what doctors and nurses do to save lives. Having returned to screens last week, tonight (May 19), Channel 5 will air yet another brutal instalment at 9pm.
Tonight’s episode (Tuesday, May 19) will take viewers into another high stakes environment as one farmer is airlifted to hospital after crashing head first into a tree. Elsewhere, one woman is rushed to hospital with life threatening stab wounds as medical teams fight to save lives.
A Channel 5 synopsis reads: “A farmer faces potentially life-changing injuries after an accident shatters his skull.”
999: Critical Condition was previously filmed in Stoke for the first five instalments as it has become a firm favourite for those who enjoy medical TV programmes, especially 24 Hours in Police Custody.
The Channel 5 show does not shy away from the realities faced by staff in the hospital and the life saving work they do for patients.
Spanning across one hour, new episodes will be released weekly, with instalments then being made available to stream online.
Previously, one viewer praised: “Watching 999: Critical Condition. Very fascinating.” Another said: “#999CriticalCondition about to start on C5, this is a brilliant TV show.”
A third added: “Watching last night’s #999CriticalCondition, not for the squeemish (sic) but the operation to rebuild the guys head & face after his quad bike crash is fascinating, proper ‘face off’ shit to reveal his damaged skull. The 3d printed skull showing the extent of his fractures was amazing.”
A fourth echoed: “Watching #999CriticalCondition and this guy has landed on his face and his eyeball is hanging out of the socket. HIS ENTIRE EYEBALL. I’ve never been squeamish with programs like this, but I actually felt sick.”
In a previous article, the Guardian confirmed it was a “hardcore” documentary series in which every case “will stick with you”.
999: Critical Condition airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
Claire, from Canada, was 24 years old when she was killed on 11 February 2024.
She was found with a number of serious injuries in a hot tub at a property in the Sandness area, and though emergency services arrived at the scene, she was pronounced dead a short while later.
A new documentary is now revealing the murder trial that followed, as well as sharing the perspective of her grieving family.
The Channel 5 synopsis teases: “Inside the courtroom as a grieving family and an accused partner collide in a murder trial.”
Sharing a clip on social media, Channel 5 warned viewers: “Warning: Some viewers may find the following video distressing.”
They added: “Claire Leveque’s final months reveal a harrowing story of control and abuse. Now, her family cross continents in search of answers, and justice.”
The trailer heard clippings from the trial, with Claire’s family and friends in tears in court.
It also sees testimonies from experts brought in to prove the case, as a person warns: “This is a horror story from the beginning.”
“This was horrific,” one viewer commented to the clip.
Another said: “Horrendous case – can’t imagine how her family & friends coped with that trial.”
Someone else called it “very chilling”, and said “it wasn’t an easy watch”.
“A hard watch,” another agreed, while someone else said: “#MurderinShetland is remarkable television. Do watch it if you can, although it is quite harrowing.”
Ahead of the documentary airing, Gary Davies, consultant editor for commissioning at 5, said: “This thoughtful series gives a deeply human account of an unimaginable tragedy. It shines a light on the justice process and honours the courage of Claire’s family as they seek truth and remembrance.”
Mark Procter, executive producer for Big Little Fish, echoed the sentiment, saying: “We are profoundly grateful to the Judicial Office for Scotland and to everyone who enabled our access to the trial.
“Above all, we are honoured that the Leveque family have entrusted us to document what happened to Claire. We hope this series serves as a respectful tribute – giving her the voice that was so cruelly taken from her.”
Murder in Shetland: Trial by Jury is available to watch on Channel 5.
Broadcasters boycotting the Eurovision final due to Israel’s participation plan to show alternatives like reruns of “Father Ted,” an alternative music show with Spanish artist Raphael, or documentaries about Gaza. This year’s contest has faced criticism due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, leading broadcasters from Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland to withdraw, citing the killing of Palestinian civilians and journalists. During the semi-final, Israel’s contestant Noam Bettan faced protests.
Participating broadcasters typically pay fees and choose contestants, with Eurovision celebrating pop music and cultural diversity. Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE opted to air an episode of “Father Ted,” which satirizes the Eurovision contest. This decision faced backlash, with co-creator Graham Linehan criticizing RTE for allegedly using the episode in an antisemitic context; RTE chose not to comment on his remarks. However, many in Ireland still have access to watch the contest via BBC.
In Spain, viewers will see a program featuring local musicians in honor of the U. N.’s International Day of Living Together in Peace. Slovenia’s RTV will show documentaries titled “Voices of Palestine,” focusing on the Gaza conflict. Despite boycotting, the Netherlands and Iceland will broadcast the show with their own commentary, asserting the importance of making significant events accessible. Protests continue in participating countries; for instance, in Belgium, an alternative festival is promoting watching parties instead of the Eurovision event. Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union emphasizes the contest should remain non-political.
A BAFTA winner broke the fourth wall during the awards’ ceremony to ask BBC bosses if they would cut footage of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack winning the prize for best film about current affairs
22:35, 10 May 2026Updated 22:35, 10 May 2026
The executive producer of a BAFTA-winning documentary took aim at the BBC during the awards ceremony(Image: Getty Images for BAFTA)
A BAFTA winner took aim at the BBC during the ceremony after a documentary about Gaza triumphed at the prestigious television awards ceremony.
The current affairs film Gaza: Doctors Under Attack picked up a major prize at the BAFTA Television Awards tonight (Sunday, 10 May). But the moment quickly turned political when executive producer Ben De Pear used his acceptance speech to question the broadcaster that originally commissioned the programme.
The one-off documentary, which features testimonies from Palestinian healthcare workers and documents attacks on medical facilities in Gaza, was initially commissioned by the BBC before being shelved over impartiality concerns. It was later broadcast by Channel 4 instead.
When he took to the stage after the film won in the current affairs category, Ben thanked the journalists involved in making the documentary before addressing the BBC directly.
He fired his parting shot, asking: “Finally, just a question for the BBC: given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?”
BBC One was responsible for the TV coverage of the BAFTA Awards night, but did not air the ceremony live. The reception of each award was broadcast to the public around two hours after the actual events took place.
Ben was joined on stage by journalist Ramita Navia, who delivered a powerful speech about the findings of the investigation featured in the film.
He shared: ” Israel has killed over 47,000 children and women in Gaza. So far, Israel has bombed and targeted every single one of Gaza’s hospitals.
“It’s killed over 1,700 Palestinian doctors and health care workers. It has imprisoned over 400 in what the UN now calls the medicide. These are the findings of our investigation that the BBC paid for but refused to show.
“But we refuse to be silenced and censored. We thank Channel 4 for showing this film. Right now, there are over 80 Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers being held in detention centres that Israeli human rights groups describe as torture camps. We dedicate this award to them.”
The documentary was originally commissioned over a year ago by the BBC via their independent production company Basement Films.
However, the broadcaster delayed its release while an internal review into a separate Gaza-related programme was carried out. After that review process, the corporation ultimately decided not to air the film.
At the time, the BBC said it had concerns the programme could create “a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect”.
The corporation also confirmed that production on the documentary had been paused while the review was was being conducted. Despite dropping the programme, the BBC said it remained committed to reporting on the conflict.
In a statement previously issued by the BBC, the broadcaster said it was “committed to covering the conflict in Gaza and has produced powerful coverage”.
As he reaches 100, broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough has spoken of the changes he has seen in his lifetime – and the horrifying consequences of climate change in the years to come
Sir David has issued a dire warning about humanity’s future(Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Legendary broadcaster Sir David Attenborough made a worrying prediction for 2030 – and predicted the state of the planet is likely to get worse after that. The iconic naturalist celebrates his 100th birthday on Friday (May 8) and he has long been heralded as the natural world’s biggest champion.
He has also been vocal about the threats facing the Earth. In 2020, as the world was in lockdown as a precaution against Covid-19, Sir David made what he called a “personal witness statement” about the threat of climate change. Many of the dire predictions he made about the world are beginning to come true.
Back in 2020 he warned that 10 years from that date, with much of the Amazon rainforest becoming a dry desert and the polar icecaps shrinking, the effects of climate change will become truly irreversible – and threaten the extinction of humanity.
As he released his Netflix documentary, A Life on Our Planet, Sir David made a personal appeal to world leaders. He said: “There are short-term problems and long-term problems. Politicians are tempted to deal with short-term problems all the time and neglect long-term problems.
“{Climate change] is not only a long-term problem, it is the biggest problem humanity has ever faced. Please examine it, and please respond.”
The prognosis for the rest of the century looks pretty bleak if Sir David’s predictions are to be believed. He said that if he had been born in 2020, instead of 1926, he would be witness to the full range of climate collapse: “In the 2030s, The Amazon Rainforest, cut down until it can no longer produce enough moisture, degrades into a dry savannah, bringing catastrophic species loss… and altering the global water cycle.
“At the same time, the Arctic becomes ice-free in the summer. Without the white ice cap, less of the sun’s energy is reflected back out to space. And the speed of global warming increases.”
By the 2040s, just 14 years from today, Sir David predicts: “Throughout the north, frozen soils thaw, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide, accelerating the rate of climate change dramatically.”
Through the 2050s, as today’s schoolchildren reach middle age, the world’s seas will become a sterile desert: “As the ocean continues to heat and becomes more acidic, coral reefs around the world die. Fish populations crash.”
Into the 2080s, mankind truly becomes an endangered species: “Global food production enters a crisis as soils become exhausted by overuse. Pollinating insects disappear… and the weather is more and more unpredictable.”
The stable climate that has endured longer than human civilisation will be lost forever by 2100, Sir David says.
“Our planet becomes four degrees Celsius warmer,” he adds, “Large parts of the earth are uninhabitable. Millions of people rendered homeless. A sixth mass extinction event… is well underway.”
He describes these various tipping-points as “a series of one-way doors,” with each bringing irreversible change.”
As he muses on his long life, Sir David warren that someone born today who lives as long as he has will see almost unimaginable change: “Within the span of the next lifetime, the security and stability of the Holocene, our Garden of Eden… will be lost.”
Average global temperatures have risen by more than 1C since the 1850s. Since 2015, every successive year has brought record high temperatures – causing heatwaves, floods, droughts, and fires as well as irrevocable habitat loss for many species.
Sir David thinks that humanity is the species most under threat. He said: “I used to think this was about saving the planet, and now I realise it’s not …nature will always look after itself. It’s about saving us.”
He was one of the first to sound the alarm about humanity’s impact on the environment. In 1937, the total human population was around 2.3billion. Carbon in the atmosphere was measured at 280 parts per million, and 66% of the planet remained unspoiled wilderness: “Everywhere you’d go, there was wilderness. Sparkling coastal seas. Vast forests. Immense grasslands. You could fly for hours over the untouched wilderness,” Sir David said.
Sir David was one of the first to sound the alarm about humanity’s impact on the environment. In 1937, the total human population was around 2.3billion. Carbon in the atmosphere was measured at 280 parts per million, and 66% of the planet remained unspoiled wilderness: “Everywhere you’d go, there was wilderness. Sparkling coastal seas. Vast forests. Immense grasslands. You could fly for hours over the untouched wilderness,” Sir David said.
By 1960, less than 30 years later, the change was already measurable. The global population was now three billion, atmospheric carbon was measured at 315 parts per million, and the remaining wilderness had shrunk to 62%.
Fast forward to 1997, the population had more than doubled to almost six billion, carbon in the atmosphere had increased to 360 parts per million, and much more wilderness had been lost – now down to 46%.
“The global air temperature had been relatively stable till the ’90s,” Sir David said. “But it now appeared this was only because the ocean was absorbing much of the excess heat, masking our impact. It was the first indication to me that the earth was beginning to lose its balance.”
Unsustainable logging, overfishing, and above all the reckless use of fossil fuels was pushing the planet to a tipping point, he warned: “The average global temperature today is one degree Celsius warmer than it was when I was born,” he said in A Life on Our Planet,” speed of change that exceeds any in the last 10,000 years. Summer sea ice in the Arctic has reduced by 40% in 40 years.”
The wildlife that has been Sir David’s lifelong interest has been pushed to the margins: “Half of the fertile land on earth is now farmland. 70% of the mass of birds on this planet are domestic birds. The vast majority, chickens.
“We account for over one-third of the weight of mammals on earth. A further 60% are the animals we raise to eat. The rest, from mice to whales, make up just 4%.”
Despite the bleak outlook, Sir David says all hope is not lost. One is to stabilise population growth and another is to switch to renewable energy.
The trailer for Kylie Minogue’s new Netflix documentary has finally launched, leaving fans emotional over the singer’s journey
Kylie official trailer for inspiring documentary
Fans have reacted with delight to a trailer for the new Netflix series about Kylie Minogue, in which she shares her own home movies and personal photographs for the first time. She is also seen close to tears talking about her cancer battle saying: “I was so scared of what was ahead of me.”
The actress and singer, 57, who allowed the cameras to follow her for a three-part documentary, teases at the start of the trailer: “They’re convincing me to let you in.”
One fan gushed: “She is everything that is right with the world, an inspiration, an icon.” While another agreed: “I’ve been a fan since she was in Neighbours and followed her ever since. This will be an emotional journey for all her true fans, can’t wait!”
The “intimate” films, released on May 20, will show how she has successfully reinvented herself many times, selling 80 million records along the way. There are clips of the Aussie soap star turned pop princess winning a Grammy and being chased down the street by fans shouting, “I love you Kylie.”
Talking about being photographed and filmed, she says: “I love the feeling around the shot. That feeling of freedom. I hate being boxed in.” And of her long and recording career, she declares: “Life makes sense to me on stage.” Hinting that she is a long way from hanging up her microphone, she adds: “I don’t know where we’re going. There’s certainly no end.”
In other clips she is seen laughing in black and white snaps with her former lover Michael Hutchence and also hanging out with Jason Donovan, her co-star in Neighbours.
In one clip from British TV, former daytime favourite Anne Diamond is seen asking her, in a slightly snippy tone: “When you started out, did you mean to be an actor or a singer?”
She admits to feeling “frustrated” by headlines labelling her the “singing budgie” and calling her “awful”, “mechanistic”, “talentless” and “terrible”. One scene shows her with her head in her hands on the edge of the stage as someone enquires” “How are you feeling? But in other moment, looking very happy, she declares: “I can’t actually speak just yet.”
Of her battle with breast cancer 21 years ago in 2005, when she was 36, Kylie admits: “I was so scared of what was ahead of me… f***!” Younger sister Dannii battles tears as she says: “We didn’t know if she was ever going to be well again. But I just wanted to be with my sister. Music kept us going.” One shocked fan reacted: “Almost 40 years in and the first time I’ve heard her swear! She is pure perfection.”
The pals that share their thoughts include Donovan, singer Nick Cave and hit-maker Pete Waterman, who put her on the path to superstardom all those years ago. Cave, her close friend with whom she recorded Where the Wild Roses Grow in 1995, explains: “Kylie is this force. It’s all outward. Giving.”
The films, from BAFTA Award-winner Michael Harte, will attempt to show viewers the woman behind the hits, focusing on “how she has faced public scrutiny, personal loss and illness with grit and grace”.
Miriam Margolyes opened up about the health problems she lives with and issued a warning to others on how one of them could be prevented
Miriam Margolyes opened up about her health issue (Image: YOUTUBE/THEROMESHRANGANATHANSHOW)
Miriam Margolyes has shared an update on a health problem she has lived with for more than 40 years. The 84-year-old revealed she suffers from a long-term shoulder injury that means she is unable to put on a bra by herself.
Reflecting on being filmed in her bra for her latest documentary Miriam Margolyes Made Me Me, she said on The Romesh Ranganathan Show: “I did have that new bra on and it did me the world of good.
I need several people to put it on for me and I’m on my own at the moment.
“The problem is, I’ve got a bad shoulder, I’ve had it for a long time actually because I didn’t know how to fall and I had to fall in a play for six months about 40 years and the rotator cuff doesn’t quite cuff or rotate, whatever it should do.
“So, I can’t put my hands behind my back. I can manage with an apron because it’s lower down, but with a bra it’s a little bit [more difficult] and you have to sort of arrange your t**s into it.
“And I need help basically, so my lodgers do bra duty, but I haven’t got them with me today so I had to do it myself,” the actress shared.
In the same podcast, the Harry Potter star opened up about what she considers the “worst bit” of being in her eighties.
Asked for advice by Romesh’s mother, she said: “The worst bit about being 80 is my weak pelvic floor. I p**s myself all the time and everywhere I go I always take spare knickers because you never know.
“And that’s honestly the truth and I don’t like it and I don’t say it to be funny, I say it because it’s true and it’s a bl***y nuisance,” Miriam added.
“But if I done pelvic floor exercises maybe I wouldn’t be so p***y. So do your pelvic floor exercises,” she warned.
On a more positive note, the actress said the “best thing” about turning 80 is the confidence she now feels when meeting new people.
“The best thing about being 80 and I’m going to be 85 [soon], is not being afraid to meet people, not being afraid to go into a room and just be.
“Sometimes, that’s because people know who I am and they’re sort of starstruck because they think I’m a star, but it gives me confidence.
“I feel more empowered to be and go into a room and talk to people,” she added.
Miriam has faced a number of other health challenges over the years, including undergoing an aortic valve replacement in 2023. She also lives with Spinal stenosis, which has affected her mobility.
She previously told Closer Magazine: “I can’t walk very well, and I’m registered disabled. I use all kinds of assistance. I’ve got two sticks and a walker and they’re such a bore, but I’ve just got a mobility scooter, which is a lot of fun.”
Three Identical Strangers was one of the top suggestions offered after a Redditor asked for “blow your socks off” documentaries to watch that were not widely known about.
The BAFTA-nominated film, which has a run time of just over an hour and a half, tells the story of triplets – Bobby Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman – who were separated at birth. They were not told that they were triplets and so knew nothing about each other.
In an incredible twist of fate, the trio find themselves crossing paths with each other as young adults in the eighties, purely coincidentally. The amazing story catapults them to celebrity status and they live together, make movie cameos and start their own business, but as they dig deeper into their past, they discover a horrifying truth that changes their lives forever.
“I’m looking for documentaries and I love all types except for murder mystery because they’re typically all the same,” the original Reddit post began. “Could you guys suggest a few documentaries that completely caught you by surprise and you always recommend it to people because of that?”
Under the suggestion of Three Identical Strangers, one person remarked: “I remember this documentary. It made me so angry. But, producers did a great job telling the story.”
“Yess this is one I would typically scroll past but wow it was definitely one of the best,” admitted one viewer who gave it a shot. A third fan added that the story told in the film “felt impossible.”
While it is no longer available on Netflix, the film – described by many as ‘dark’ – can currently be viewed on YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video for a small fee. Boasting a 96 per cent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 88 per cent from audiences, the viewer consensus seems to be that it is a worthwhile watch for any documentary fan.
“Starting as a fascinating curiosity, the movie takes a dramatic and breath-taking turn to expose a much more unsettling story. Really great documentary,” another viewer said, rating it five stars.
“Classic case of reality being far stranger than fiction. Watch this and you’ll be rewarded (if that’s the proper way of putting it) with a story so wild you’d think it’s made up. Yet this is a documentary,” said yet another bowled over viewer.
Three Identical Strangers is currently available to watch on YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video for an additional fee.
True crime series on teen’s viral lockdown hoax and where to watch it – The Mirror
Need to know
A new true crime documentary will revisit the case of Ellie Williams, a UK teenager whose post went viral during the COVID-19 lockdown
Ellie Williams’ case is being revisited in a three-part documentary(Image: PA)
Everything to know about new documentary exploring teen’s lockdown lie
A shocking new documentary will revisit the extraordinary case of teenager Ellie Williams who falsely claimed she was trafficked by a grooming gang. The three-part series ‘The Lie That Exposed the Truth’ revisits her viral Facebook post during the 2020 lockdown that sparked a flurry of hate-related crimes against Barrow’s Asian community.
She was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in January 2023 for perverting the course of justice after a jury found she had lied and inflicted injuries on herself to frame five men.
The documentary will feature interviews with Ellie’s family and survivor testimony, seeking to explore whether there was any “truth beneath the lies.” It also examines whether the focus on proving Ellie had lied led to denial of a wider grooming problem in the town.
Executive producer Henry Singer said: “We’d previously made a film on the Rochdale grooming scandal so when the Ellie Williams story broke, something didn’t sit right with us with how the press was telling it. The abuse of young girls has been ignored and dismissed for far too long.”
The series will also uncover accounts from other women in Barrow whose allegations of abuse were dismissed or ignored. It explores how far-right groups have weaponised such cases to fuel outrage while agencies have avoided confronting perpetrators’ ethnicity.
The documentary arrives on Sky and NOW later this year. A release date is yet to be announced.
Netflix’s Unchosen has topped the streaming charts, but if you found this cult fantasy series underwhelming, there are four gripping alternatives
Netflix’s Unchosen has topped the streaming charts, but if you found this cult fantasy series underwhelming, these four gripping alternatives(Image: Justin Downing/Netflix)
Unchosen landed on Netflix just over a week ago, with hordes of telly enthusiasts placing it at the top of their lists. Yet, I can’t claim I was particularly impressed by this dull, average cult fantasy.
I hoped to feel unsettled, I hoped to be mystified, but truthfully, this cult drama disappointed. This isn’t a criticism of Asa Butterfield, Molly Windsor and Fra Fre’s acting abilities, but when the script isn’t there to support you, there’s a limit to what can be achieved.
And all of this supposedly unfolding on my doorstep? Blimey, it wouldn’t shock me. I’ll need to keep my eyes peeled next time I head back to Surrey.
Like numerous Netflix smash hits, I’ve noticed the trailer contains more intrigue than the actual programme. Not that Unchosen was dreadful, it simply didn’t quite keep me gripped throughout, reports the Express.
To repeat the text displayed during Unchosen’s opening sequence: “Over 2,000 cults exist in the United Kingdom. Some are closed communities. But many, like this fictional one, live in plain sight.”
While these recommendations may not all centre on genuine cults, they definitely possess a cult-like atmosphere. They’re all wrapped in secrecy, seclusion, and propelled by a mission we ordinary folk won’t entirely grasp.
Here are some of the finest TV programmes, movies and documentaries centred on cults that might capture your attention… and lead you down a deep dive.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)
This four-part documentary series delves into the harsh realities of growing up, living and escaping the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism. Multiple members – and survivors – of the FLDS recount their experiences under the leadership of president Rulon Jeffs, who created the phrase that would become the series’ title, and his son Warren Jeffs.
At present, the younger Jeffs succeeded his father as the church’s leader. However, if this gives any indication about the practices exposed in the series, Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence for child sex offences.
Ex-members reveal the realities of existing under the church’s extreme regulations, and how the Jeffs’ wielded their authority over their congregation. We witness siblings, nieces and nephews forced into marriages with family members, with male church members having numerous wives and children.
Yet that’s not the most disturbing aspect of this documentary. It’s the forced marriage of actual teenagers and children to grown men. A medieval custom that belongs firmly in the past, not in contemporary society.
The series almost appears too far-fetched to be true, but then you recall it’s a documentary. The accusations and examination of child sex offences, human trafficking, child marriage, welfare fraud, and mistreatment of members and ex-members has shaped the outside world‘s perception of the church in recent times.
In a world riddled with double standards, this documentary exposes the shocking levels of moral corruption in people masquerading as followers of God’s teachings.
The Village (2004)
Haunted by mysterious, nameless beings, a tiny, isolated settlement in 19th century Pennsylvania exists in perpetual terror. Following a young resident’s death from sickness, Joaquin Phoenix’s Lucius Hunt seeks the elders’ approval to journey through the nearby forest for medical provisions.
When his plea is rejected, the reasoning given is to prevent further catastrophes. Romance develops between Lucius and the visually-impaired daughter of one of the village’s elders (Ivy, Bryce Dallas Howard), before Lucius sustains severe injuries.
I can’t delve too deeply into the storyline without revealing the conclusion, but Ivy sets out seeking assistance. Yet, appearances prove deceiving.
After all, M. Night Shyamalan is directing. There’s a revelation… there’s always a twist.
This thriller feeds on manipulation and falsehoods, essential tools for strengthening members’ conviction in their version of events. And bear in mind, it’s their version of reality, not ours.
The Wicker Man (1973 & 2006)
While the reimagining of The Wicker Man might not represent Nicolas Cage’s greatest performance, its initial commercial failure transformed into a devoted following over subsequent years. The narrative focuses on a police officer’s journey to a fictional remote island while investigating a disappeared girl.
The island’s residents have turned their backs on Christianity and now follow a type of Celtic paganism, but something far more sinister – naturally – is at play.
Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie (2015)
Scientology is one of those movements that’s lurked in the shadows of Hollywood for decades. One of your favourite actors or musicians has probably been linked with the organisation.
There’s nobody better equipped to attempt confronting the Church of Scientology than Louis Theroux, particularly after the church declines to participate in the documentary. In typical Louis Theroux fashion, nothing follows the usual script.
Rather, the documentary seeks to recreate testimonies from ex-members regarding incidents involving the church’s top brass, with assistance from former church official Mark Rathbun. Arguably one of the most striking moments from the documentary occurs when Louis and his team find themselves under surveillance and challenged outside the church’s mysterious Gold Base compound in California.
Intimidation seems to be a recurring pattern that extends beyond the documentary itself. Ex-members of the organisation have, over the years, described their encounters with being confronted while carrying out their daily routines – and voicing criticism of Scientology.
It makes for a deeply strange and maddening viewing experience, as we never truly grasp the extent to which the church is allegedly pulling strings behind the scenes. This film brought Scientology to widespread public attention, and even in an age where information is readily available, there remains so much mystery surrounding L. Ron Hubbard’s doctrines and David Miscavige’s tenure as the church’s second leader.
It has been reported that EastEnders legend Ross Kemp has ‘signed up’ for Celebrity Traitors season 2, following the huge success of last years show.
21:36, 01 May 2026Updated 22:05, 01 May 2026
(Image: BBC)
Ross Kemp has reportedly signed for The Celebrity Traitors and is set to join Claudia Winkleman in Ardross Castle in Scotland for filming this weekend.
The actor and documentary-maker, 61, is best known for playing Grant Mitchell in the East London soap and now has decided to set his sights on a new challenge.
This comes as a surprise move from the star who has refused other reality TV show competitions, but reports suggest he was intrigued by the “psychological” nature of The Traitors.
An insider told The Sun: “He loves Traitors and thinks it’s a programme on another level, which is why he really wanted to take part.
“Ross loved the mix of psychological intrigue paired with some of the very physical trials that the group have to complete – both suit him perfectly.
The source added that he wanted to take part as he’s at a “point in his life” where he “wants to try new things and continue to challenge himself.”
They also suggested that this could be an opportunity for the star to appeal to the younger generation, after a decades-long career and an older fanbase.
“Plus he knows The Celebrity Traitors won’t just be watched by people who are familiar with his work, but by younger viewers who may be less familiar with Ross, and this opens him up to a whole new audience. He’s also a very BBC name and this is another big BBC show.”
Last year, the first ever celebrity version of The Traitors was an enormous success and captivated the country. The show had huge UK names including; Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr, Celia Imrie, Cat Burns, Tom Daley, Charlotte Church, and comedian Nick Mohammed.
The BBC has remained tight-lipped about which celebrities are set to appear in the second season of the show, with a spokesperson for the broadcaster telling The Sun: “We are not commenting on speculation, and details for The Celebrity Traitors series 2 will be announced in due course.”
However, it has been reported that this years cast includes; actors Richard E Grant, Michael Sheen, comedians James Acaster and Joanne McNally, academic Hannah Fry, and University Challenge presenter Amol Rajan.
Filming is set to begin very soon and take place in the next two to three weeks. The show will likely broadcast later this year.
Another episode of the popular show is set to air tonight (April 27)
The BBC programme has been dubbed the “best”(Image: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
The BBC’s “best” programme that grips viewers will return to television screens, and it’s coming sooner than you think.
Scam Interceptors is a crime documentary series that first aired on BBC One in 2022, spanning across five series. Hosted by Rav Wilding, each instalment follows experts as they monitor and often intervene in real life fraud to prevent victims losing money.
Viewers will also be able to get their Scam Interceptors fix tonight (April 27) as a chilling episode will be airing at 8.30pm on BBC One. Despite being a repeat episode, the instalment, titled ‘I’ve been scammed 11 times’ will feature a “high octane chase” as well as calls against scammers that are “plaguing lives”.
An official synopsis reads: “Rav Wilding and Nick Stapleton are back, working with ethical hacker Jim Browning to call out the scammers plaguing our lives and prevent people from losing their money.
“In this episode, the team are in a high-octane chase to intercept scammers claiming to be from Sky broadband. They have full access to a woman’s mobile and are only seconds away from transferring her cash. But the scammers are on to us and want answers.”
With a focus on preventing members of the public from falling victim to scams and losing money, the series also aims to expose, intercept and stop scams in real time.
Over the years, the series has become a huge success with viewers as one IMDb user described it as being “Superb, Gripping Public Service Television.” Another said: “You cant beat this show”, adding: “The best show on tv hands down. Suspense and action.”
Over on Instagram, one viewer said: “I think this program is fab but it scares the bejesus out of me to watch it!” Another wrote: “Oh wow. Just got this on my IG page. I didn’t know there was a show doing this. I definitely am going to watch full episodes.”
A third commented: “Absolutely gripping television at its best. The very best by the BBC”, as a fourth added: “This was a great programme!”
Viewers on X also praised the programme as one person wrote: “This show stresses me out #scaminterceptors.” Another said: “Another heart-stopping episode. #ScamInterceptors.”
Every episode of the hit BBC documentary series is also available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Scam Interceptors will air tonight at 8.30pm on BBC One. All episodes are also available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
BBC Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox, who has just landed the biggest job on the station, has been married to husband Ben Cyzer, with whom she shares two children, since 2013
17:42, 23 Apr 2026Updated 17:45, 23 Apr 2026
Sara is loved up with second husband Ben Cyzer, who she married in 2013(Image: Getty Images)
Newly announced BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show presenter Sara Cox has always been open about her home life, previously sharing a “depressing” revelation about her marriage to husband Ben Cyzer.
The BBC Radio 2 host tied the knot with Ben in 2013, and together they’re parents to daughter Renee and son Isaac. She’s also mum to Lola from her earlier marriage to DJ Jon Carter.
Yet Sara, aged 51, has disclosed a nightly struggle she endures with Ben. Speaking on her Teen Commandments podcast, which she co-hosts with Clare Hamilton, Sara revealed that Ben’s snoring regularly drives her to escape to another bedroom.
She explained: “This is my issue that I’ve got with Ben in the night if I wake up, just him breathing is annoying. Not during the day, I just mean any slight noises.”
“You know on a wildlife documentary when they have a shot of an animal that’s on high alert for a predator? I feel like I’ve got that heaving in the middle of the night, I can just hear the tiniest [noise]…it’s just so magnified in the middle of the night.
“I think there’s a bit of anxiety in there. I remember in my twenties if I woke up at like half one, I probably wouldn’t have been in bed at half one, but if I woke up in the middle of the night and it was like 3am, in my twenties I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got loads of time to sleep, amazing’. Now I’m 50 I go, ‘F**k, it’s three, I’m not going to sleep, I’m never going to get back to sleep again’.
“So I need to tap into that twenties energy of thinking, ‘I’ve got loads of time to sleep’.”
When questioned about managing her partner Ben’s nocturnal disturbances, Sara Cox revealed: “I nudge him, he’s really patient, he’s great about it, and then we just keep sleeping in separate rooms, which is a bit depressing.”
Sara has just revealed how “ecstatic” she feels to take the reins of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, after its former host, Scott Mills, was axed from the role last month.
“There are not enough adjectives to really sum up how I’m feeling about being trusted with such an iconic show but let’s start with ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed,” she shared.
The star, who currently hosts Radio 2’s weekday Teatime show and will begin fronting the Breakfast Show in the summer, added: “It’s been a dream to host the Breakfast Show since I joined Radio 2 and it feels like a bit of a full circle for me.
“I’ve had the most glorious seven years of my career on teatime so thank you to my brilliant Teatime listeners who hopefully will join me at Breakfast for excellent music and all my usual nonsense plus some superstar guests. I honestly can’t wait to wake the nation up with the biggest most fun breakfast show ever.”
