On today’s programme (Saturday, 29th November), presenter Matt Tebbutt welcomed the beloved comedian and writer alongside celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Whilst fans of the BBC cookery programme were thrilled to see Bob return to the kitchen, his selection of food hell sparked controversy.
Opting for a traditional steak and kidney pie with double peas as his food heaven, his admission that he isn’t keen on Italian cuisine triggered some criticism in the studio.
Bob’s mate and Gone Fishing co-star joined the scolding in his video message, branding the comedy icon an “idiot” for his dislike of pasta and pizza, reports the Express.
Paul’s message kicked off with another dig at Bob’s food preferences, as he remembered the “preposterous and quite disgusting” kebab he created in the latest series of Gone Fishing.
He then dared Matt to prepare a “really nice one with lots of chilli sauce” to compensate for the culinary catastrophe by the lake.
The fellow comedy icon continued lambasting his co-star: “Also, Bob, you claim that Italian food is rubbish.
“I mean, you’re just an idiot. What are you going to do about that?”
Paul then delivered his trademark impersonation of the third member of the Gone Fishing team, Ted the Patterdale Terrier, whom he joked is “after” Bob. “I’m gonna get you Mortimer,” he declared, mimicking Ted’s charming underbite.
“Where’s my briefcase? It’s full of pasta!”
Back in the studio, Bob took the jest in stride, flashing a mischievous grin as Matt laughed.
“That looked like the ramblings of a madman!” the host quipped.
Bob concurred: “He packed a lot in there, didn’t he? He told me he enjoyed the kebab on the day, so…”
He then defended his contentious food preferences: “I’ve been set up with this Italian thing. I said I didn’t like pizza and somehow it’s become all Italians.
“That’s my fault,” Matt admitted. “But it’s funny, let’s run with it!”
Luckily, Bob got his wish and was served a scrumptious steak and kidney pie by guest chef Jamie after 67 percent of viewers voted for food heaven.
Saturday Kitchen airs from 10am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
This Thanksgiving holiday travel period is expected to be the busiest in 15 years, federal officials said, as Americans brush off the recent government shutdown that snarled air travel across the country.
All told, more than 360,000 flights will take to the skies this week through Dec. 1, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Traffic was expected to have peaked Tuesday, with more than 52,000 flights set to ferry flyers to their feasts.
The number of flights was expected to drop to only 25,611 on Thanksgiving Day before ticking back up for post-holiday travel. In a chart posted on X, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimated that 16.9 million people would fly throughout this holiday week.
Los Angeles International Airport officials estimated that 2.5 million travelers would come through the airport from Nov. 20 through Monday. Sunday is expected to be the single busiest travel day, with more than 230,000 people making their way through the terminals.
“Thanksgiving is one of LAX’s most important travel periods with so many of our guests connecting with loved ones or setting out on holiday trips,” said Courtney Moore, deputy executive director of strategy, innovation and experience at Los Angeles World Airports. “We’ve spent the year preparing to welcome our guests with smoother experiences throughout the airport.”
The uptick in travel comes just weeks after the federal government shutdown, which forced the FAA to cut air traffic across the country to relieve air traffic controllers.
While travelers might still feel on edge over possible delays, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a news conference on Monday that they should “travel with confidence.”
“Thanks to the dedication of our air traffic controllers and every FAA employee, we are ready for the holiday rush and take pride in helping travelers reach their friends and families during this important time of year,” Bedford said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to our entire FAA team. Even through a period of record-high traffic, their unwavering commitment keeps the system running safely.”
Travelers are encouraged to pack light to get through security and arrive early to the airport to avoid travel stress.
While California will largely be warm and sunny through the holiday, weather delays could still impact airports in certain parts of the country, including the New York area, JFK/LGA/EWR; Philadelphia, PHL; Houston, IAH/HOU; Memphis, Tenn., MEM; and Dallas, DFW/DAL.
There’s a reason crowds endure yearly price increases and jammed sidewalks at Disneyland each November through early January. It’s the merriest time of the year — and arguably when the resort is at its glistening, glowing best with seasonal food offerings, holiday ride makeovers and unique live entertainment options.
Disneyland, of course, is home to the long-running A Christmas Fantasy Parade, but I’d argue it’s not even the best processional happening this time of year. And this year, even Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, though not part of Disneyland’s holiday programming, is finding new ways to get festive.
Here’s a sample of some of my favorite things to do at the park this holiday season, which runs through Jan. 7. If you’re curious to check it out but looking to save a little on tickets, Disneyland has announced a new California ticket offer that goes on sale Dec. 3 and takes effect Jan. 1. The deal is for a three-day park-hopper ticket, which can be used on non-consecutive visits, and starts at $249 per person, which amounts to $83 per day.
If you go, don’t be shy, and say hi, as it’s the time of the year when I visit most often.
Don’t miss Disneyland’s best street party
The ¡Viva Navidad! street parade is one of Disney California Adventure’s most lively, diverse and dance-focused offerings.
(Disneyland Resort)
There’s one show at the Disneyland Resort that each year, without fail, brings me to tears — tears of joy, but also tears of surprise that something so lively, diverse and dance-focused exists at a Disney park. That show is California Adventure’s ¡Viva Navidad!
A boisterous celebration of Latin art and music from beginning to end, ¡Viva Navidad! uses the characters from Disney’s mid-1940s goodwill film “The Three Caballeros” as a jumping-off point to showcase folklórico dancers, mariachis and 12-foot-tall mojiganga puppets (large-scale, papier mâché sculptures that dizzyingly rocket up and down a small portion of California Adventure). The show, which came from the minds of Susana Tubert and her team at Disney Live Entertainment, feels a bit like a Mexican street parade and works because it extends a hand to guests of all walks of life. Though launching with Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” it ends with the always-festive “Feliz Navidad” from José Feliciano.
Running since 2014, ¡Viva Navidad! is a blast. It’s a treasure. The only quibble is the show primarily runs on weekends only.
Embrace a cultural tradition — with stories, candles and thoughtfulness
“A Musical Christmas With Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel” is an evening performance at Disneyland that centers on a mariachi band and is inspired by Las Posadas.
(Joshua Sudock / Disneyland Resort )
Introduced last year, California Adventure’s “A Musical Christmas With Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel” features the star of Disney/Pixar film “Coco” but, like ¡Viva Navidad!, is rooted in cultural traditions. Specifically Las Posadas. Think a festive procession that travels among the community, Las Posadas are traditionally staged in Mexico between Dec. 16 and 24. In their purest form, Las Posadas depict the biblical story of Joseph and Mary and the search for shelter at the time of Jesus’ birth.
The Disney performance, which typically runs on weekdays, deviates from the religious overtunes. But some of the key touchstones — a mix of music and stories, a centering of children with candles — are present. It begins with a trot to the center of California Adventure to the tune of “El Burrito de Belén” and throughout the course of the show it will touch on such staples as “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” albeit in bilingual renditions.
The show’s narrator and singer regales guests with tales of how different Latin countries present stories of Santa Claus, or, say, the joy of unwrapping a tamale. The climax instead of the street performance is a candlelit rendition of “Silent Night,” with audience participation. What a moment ago was festive theme park fare becomes something more reflective, all while slightly nodding to the holiday’s more spiritual underpinnings.
Participate in a fantastical holiday at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Life Day is a fictional holiday exclusive to the “Star Wars” universe.
(Disneyland Resort)
OK, so this is a bit of a curve ball. It should be noted that what happens in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is not part of Disneyland’s traditional holiday programming, as Life Day is not an actual holiday, unless, perhaps, your religion is “Star Wars.” It’s also lighthearted good fun. Life Day has its roots in the beloved but campy and culturally questionable “Star Wars Holiday Special” as an event that originated on the Wookie home planet of Kashyyyk.
When Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019, fans wondered if during the holiday season the land would get in on the Life Day action. Initially, fans started showing up on Nov. 17, the day the television special aired, for impromptu celebrations of their own. Credit Disneyland for embracing the guest-driven activity, so much so that the park started developing Life Day ornaments and shirts as well as offering limited time food specials.
This year, a red-robed Chewbacca holding a glowing orb — the official symbol of Life Day — will for the first time wander Galaxy’s Edge to meet with visitors. Disney hasn’t said for exactly how long this festive version of Chewbacca will be present in the land, but here’s hoping Life Day is celebrated at least until the end of Disneyland’s more conventional holiday proceedings.
After all, I enjoyed my morning paying respects to the fictional holiday, as I indulged in a limited-run anise-spiked sangria at Oga’s Cantina (the Joh Blastoh Sangria Gocola, $19.50) along with a large, fluffy slice of cinnamon toast topped with a richly sweet, cheesecake-inspired frosting and ornamental lychee pearls (Millaflower Toast, $13). The latter meant I essentially had dessert for breakfast, and while it was too sugary to finish — definitely share it — I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Disneyland has embraced one of the silliest aspects of the space fantasy the land is dedicated to.
You’ll love the gingerbread (and other tasty delights)
The Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure is serving up two types of mac and cheese this year. On the left is the al pastor mac and cheese and on the right is the savory kugel mac and cheese.
(David Nguyen / Disneyland Resort)
I stopped in the lobby of the Grand Californian on my way out of the park for some Mickey-shaped gingerbread cookies and balked at a line that some guests said they had spent 40 minutes standing in. But having had it in year’s past, as well as a Halloween version of the cookie just a couple weeks ago, I can vouch for the fact that it is quality, soft gingerbread. Worth the wait? Your mileage may vary, but know that the best gingerbread cookie in Disneyland is actually inside the park at the Harbor Galley, where the cookies are smaller and rounder but also spicier and chewier. And 13 of them cost just $13.79, making them one of the more budget-friendly snacks in the resort. They’re a must.
Yet there’s much to sample across Disneyland’s two parks, its shopping district and hotels, so much so that I spent much more time on Sunday eating than going on rides. The bulk of my afternoon was devoted to the food booths of Disney California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays, where most items run between $6 and $9 (or buy a passport to try six items for $49). The highlight was an al pastor mac and cheese where I slathered the cubes of pork in the finest theme park cheese slop. Don’t miss some returning favorites, such as the barbacoa tamal de res, in which the beef is pleasantly tender, or the braised pork belly adobo, one of the heartier dishes at the festival. Just know that throughout the day booths may periodically run out of items, so be prepared to pivot.
Elsewhere, I sampled the creamy, rum-forward horchata with whipped cream ($18) at Downtown Disney’s Centrico, a frosty, mid-afternoon cinnamon-focused dessert drink, and made a note to come back for the seasonal, mole tamales. It wouldn’t be the holidays without a little eggnog, so I made it over to the Disneyland Hotel’s Broken Spell Lounge for its $19 cognac and rum-spiked rendition. It’s heavily alcohol forward, so next time I may simply stick to the space’s spirit-less house-made eggnog at $9. While there, don’t miss the French dip, which, albeit pricey at $34, is an ample, filling sandwich that debuted during last year’s holidays and became so popular with guests it stuck around.
Still on my must-try list: a gingerbread-cranberry cheesecake trifle at Disneyland’s Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe and the gingerbread pancakes at River Belle Terrace.
And of course, don’t miss the holiday ride makeovers, including Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World
The Haunted Mansion is currently themed to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a charming, Christmas-focused makeover.
(Disneyland Resort / Christian Thompson)
In a way, Disneyland has been celebrating Christmas since August. That’s when its Haunted Mansion was remade into its “Nightmare Before Christmas” form and became a ride that largely cheers the Dec. 25 holiday.
While Disneyland’s original Haunted Mansion is the one after my heart, the overlay has its charms, namely the demented gingerbread house in the ballroom scene. This year’s rendition is filled with murderous red-eyed ravens up to no good, and in true Haunted Mansion fashion it has a pun for a name. The 13-foot gingerbread house is titled “A Murder So Fowl.” Pay close attention as you glide by, as not all these ravens and crows appear to survive a visit to the gingerbread mansion.
And while Disneyland’s early evening tree lighting tends to draw a crowd, you’ll want to make your way to Fantasyland at 5 p.m. for the nighttime illumination of the It’s a Small World facade. Here, tens of thousands of lights instantly flip on for arguably Southern California’s most memorable Christmas light display. It’s so bright, that nearby walkways will glow red and green and twinkle along with the playful piece of mid-’60s architecture.
The attraction itself remains a joy. The ride’s namesake song plays give and take with “Jingle Bells” and seasonal adornments adorably enliven the leisurely boat ride with even more cheer. The regular version is my favorite ride at Disneyland, and during the holidays it’s like riding through a giant, wintry music box.
The holidays may be one of the busier times to visit the Disneyland Resort, but it’s also a time when the theme parks are at their best.
For a historian who writes about war, Rick Atkinson is surprisingly optimistic. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former journalist — who recently released the second volume in a trilogy of books about the American Revolution — believes that the bedrock of American democracy is solid enough to withstand any assaults on its founding principles.
As the guest of honor at a Sunday night dinner sponsored by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles as part of its biennial Literary Feasts fundraiser, Atkinson was the most upbeat person at the event, which took place just before Election Day. Speaking to about 18 guests gathered around two circular tables carefully laid out on the back patio at the home of fellow writers and hosts Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed, Atkinson buoyed the flagging spirits of those certain that the country was currently dangling on the precipice of disaster at the hands of the Trump administration.
Book lovers attend a Literary Feast dinner featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson at the home of writers Meenakshi and Liaquat Ahamed.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened political heritage handed down to us from that founding generation, and it includes strictures on how to divide power and keep it from concentrating in the hands of authoritarians who think primarily of themselves,” Atkinson said with the cheery aplomb of a man who has spent the bulk of his time burrowing deep inside archives filled with harrowing stories of the darkest days the world has ever seen. “We can’t let that slip away. We can’t allow it to be taken away, and we can’t allow ourselves to forget the hundreds of thousands who’ve given their lives to affirm and sustain it over the past 250 years.”
The questions and conversation that followed Atkinson’s rousing speech about the history of the Revolution — including riveting details about key players like George Washington who Atkinson noted had “remarkably dead eyes” in order to not give away a scintilla of his inner life to curious onlookers — was what the evening’s book-loving guests had come for.
“We’re the beneficiaries of an enlightened political heritage handed down to us from that founding generation,” said Rick Atkinson.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
A total of 40 authors are hosted at salon-style events at 40 houses with more than 750 guests over the course of a single evening, raising more than $2 million for the Library Foundation, which is a separate entity from the public library. Founded in 1992 in the wake of the devastating 1986 fire at downtown’s Central Library, which destroyed more than 400,000 books, the foundation seeks to continue the community-driven mission of the library when funding runs short, including supporting adult education, early literacy programs for children, and services for immigrants and the unhoused.
“I often describe it as the dream-fueling work, the life-changing work,” said Stacy Lieberman, the Library Foundation’s president and chief executive. “Because it’s a lot of the one-on-one support that people will get.”
The Foundation typically raises about $7 million to $8 million a year, with an operating budget of nearly $11 million, so money raised through the Literary Feasts is a significant slice of the funding pie. The feasts began in 1997 and have continued apace every other year since then, featuring a who’s who of literary accomplishment across every genre. Writers past and present include Sue Grafton, Jane Fonda, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Abraham Verghese, Scott Turow and Michael Connelly.
Dinner hosts fund the events themselves — no small outlay considering the lavish offerings.
Guests were served steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The Ahameds delighted guests with a tangy grapefruit and greens salad, followed by tender steak with roasted carrots, turnips and potatoes; a dessert of hot apple tart à la mode drizzled with caramel sauce; and plenty of crisp red and white wine. Both hosts are literary luminaries in their own right: Liaquat, a former investment manager, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for history for his book “Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World” and Meenakshi recently published “Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America.”
The couple travels in bookish circles and enjoys hosting salons at their home, including one earlier this year in support of New Yorker political columnist Susan Glasser and her husband, New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker. As friends of Atkinson, the Ahameds did their part to introduce him, and later tried their best to entice him to stop taking questions and eat his dinner.
The guest of honor could not be persuaded. There was too much to say. “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody middle years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released in April, and Atkinson has spent the past eight months touring and speaking on panels with documentarian Ken Burns to promote Burns’ six-part documentary series “The American Revolution,” which premieres Nov. 16 on PBS.
Atkinson is a featured speaker in the series and has been involved with it for about four years.
The dinner featuring Rick Atkinson was one of 40 taking place across town that evening. The events raised $2 million for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The week before the Literary Feast, Atkinson and Burns spoke to members of Congress in Washington, D.C., and also screened a 40-minute clip at Mount Vernon where Atkinson discussed Washington’s unique talents as a general.
“I’ve seen the whole thing several times and it’s fantastic,” Atkinson said of the 12-hour film. “It’s as you would expect: beautifully filmed, wonderfully told, great narrative.”
The country is now more than four months into its semiquincentennial, which Atkinson joked “sounds like a medical procedure,” but is actually the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It’s well known that Trump is planning a splashy party, with festivities and commemorations intensifying over the next eight months, culminating in a grand celebration in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026.
Rick Atkinson’s book “The Fate of the Day,” which explores the bloody middle years of the Revolution from 1777 to 1780, was released in April.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“My hope is that as a country, we use the opportunity to reflect on those basic questions of who we are, where we came from, what our forebears believed and what they were willing to die for,” said Atkinson. “I’m optimistic because I’m a historian, because I know our history. No matter how grim things seem in 2025, we have faced grimmer times in the past, existential threats of the first order, starting with the Revolution.”
The politically deflated might also consider World War II — the subject of Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy — the second volume of which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for history. The writer knows his stuff. Guests — and readers — take heart.
Sunday Brunch hosts Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy were left in a flap when one of their guests dropped a swear word – before then asking, too late, if his language choice was acceptable
Nick Offerman swore on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch(Image: Channel 4)
Channel 4 stars Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy were left embarassed and scrambling to clear the air after one of their Sunday Brunch guests swore live on air. The warm natured weekend daytime show sees celebrities join the hosts to cook and discuss projects.
Among the stars joining the presenters on the Channel 4 show this weekend was 55-year-old American actor Nick Offerman who was on air promoting his Little Woodchucks book. But things took an unexpected turn when the Parks and Recreation star dropped some coarse language while fellow guests sat around clutching mugs of tea.
Nick was asked by the hosts to open up about one of his biggest fears in life – and he explained that he worried about letting down his parents.
He said: “My parents are the greatest citizens I’ve ever met. They lived these beautiful lives of service and they had incredible values. And so naturally, as their kid, I experimented with the other direction.”
He went on: “And eventually with maturation, I learned to try and be a decent person, but I’m always catching up. So when I wake up in a sweat at night, I just think, ‘Are my parents ashamed of me?'”
Asked if he ever apologised to his parents, Nick continued: “I have. When I got to college and I was out on my own for the first time and I had to have my own chequebook, I realised that they had given me all the tools I needed to just be a good person.”
He then sparked anxious laughter and blushes when he added: “I called my dad and said, ‘Dad, I’m sorry for the last four or five years’. And then, ‘I’ve been quite a real t**t.’ Can I say that?”
Tim then desperately jumped in to declare: “You can’t. I am going to apologise for that. But carry on.” Nick then completed his story while everyone in the studio laughed nervously. Sunday Brunch is no stranger to controversy – with guests going off script in the past and causing the hosts to issue an apology.
And earlier this year, there were even reports that comedian Katherine Ryan had breached Ofcom rules when she was a guest on the show. The Canadian stand up was left full of remorse after being told off for repeatedly mentioning Gousto recipe boxes on the show.
It was found that her repeated mentioning of the brand went beyond acceptable limits for what can be deemed “editorially justified”. Channel 4 reacted to the findings by promising to issue “further training” to the makers of the show – which was enough to satisfy the broadcast regulator.
Channel 4 said “the presenters were transparent about Ms Ryan’s commercial connection with Gousto” – however they added the “repeated references to Gousto were unsolicited, unscripted, spontaneous, outside the scope of the agreed contribution and clearly not part of the editorial intent”.
Channel 4 told Ofcom: “Ms Ryan was spoken to by a member of the editorial team. She expressed remorse at having strayed from the agreed script and gave her assurances that there would be no more mentions of Gousto in the programme.”
