lineup

CAPITAL’S Jingle Bell Ball returns for yet another year, after first taking place in 2008.

Here’s all you need to know about who will be performing and how you can secure your place at this year’s event.

The Jingle Bell Ball 2026 will take place between December 5-6 2026 at The O2 Arena in London.

The event will see a huge line-up of amazing acts performing at what Capital describe as “the UK’s biggest Christmas party.”

This year’s line-up includes British rap icon Tinie Tempah, as well as BRIT Award winners Lewis Capaldi, Aitch, Becky Hill and Jorja Smith.

Simon Cowell’s boyband December 10 will also be performing at The O2 during the ball.

Fans can also look forward to a special surprise performance on the night from a yet to be announced performer.

Jingle Bell Ball 2026 line-up

How to get tickets to the Jingle Bell Ball?

This year, Capital have changed the way in which people can get their hands on tickets.

Subscribers will be able to enter a ticket pre-sale through Capital Plus.

Capital Plus subscribers will have early access to Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball tickets when the pre-sale opens at 9am on Thursday, November 5.

You can sign up for the Capital Plus subscription service by heading to Global Player.

Once subscribed, you will receive an email with your code and link which will help secure your tickets.

If you are already a subscriber you will receive an email from Capital before the pre-sale opens, containing the link and code.

Barclaycard and Barclays Premier Debit Cardholders will have access to a separate pre-sale at 9am on November 5, which gives you 10% off pre-sale tickets.

New subscribers can try Capital Plus for free through the Global Player mobile app.

General sale tickets for people who haven’t subscribed are available on Friday, November 6 at 9am on Global Player.

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is soon back on our screens and many fans of the ITV show all had the same remark after claims that the ‘full 2026 line-up has been revealed’

Fans of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will be delighted to learn the show returns to ITV on Monday, 16 November 2026, with Ant & Dec reprising their roles as presenters. The I’m A Celebrity line-up is typically kept tightly under wraps until launch, but according to The Sun, this year’s cast has now been disclosed.

The publication claims the 12 celebrities taking part this year are Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu, former footballer and pundit Wayne Rooney, model Leomie Anderson, actress Claire Sweeney, comedian Leigh Francis, Love Island star Chloe Burrows, Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, Gavin and Stacey’s Joanna Page, TV presenter Ade Adepitan, YouTuber Sharky, journalist Mariella Frostrop and comedian Jack Skipper.

Despite The Sun’s claims, show bosses say the line-up is “just speculation” and that the official announcement about this year’s I’m A Celebrity campmates will come closer to the show’s launch.

As the line-up claims circulated on X, numerous fans of the show has the same remark – suggesting that producers had ‘blown the budget’ on Rooney, 41, as they were unfamiliar with many of the other celebrities.

One wrote: “Just say it, they blew the budget on Rooney.”

While another added: “So in other words they’ve spent the full budget on Wayne Rooney and had to skimp out on the rest.”

A third chimed in: “Couldn’t name a single person other than Rooney.”

While another added: “Wayne Rooney and a bunch of Z-listers.”

Despite such remarks, AJ Odudu, Claire Sweeney, Leigh Francis, Ricky Wilson and Joanna Page are all familiar faces who have worked in the entertainment sector for years and have featured on some of Britain’s leading TV programmes.

Many fans said that they were backing Rooney to claim victory following his wife Coleen’s near-miss in 2024, when the 40-year-old finished as runner-up to McFly’s Danny Jones.

This year, Ade Adepitan will make history as the first campmate to use a wheelchair. Producers have adapted the jungle layout and camp walkways to ensure accessibility while maintaining the core rustic environment.

After gaming YouTuber Angry Ginge’s triumph in 2025, producers have recruited Beta Squad creator Sharky and stand-up comedian Jack Skipper to maintain appeal with digitally-native viewers.

The initial 12-strong lineup leaves space for the show’s traditional mid-series surprise arrivals. Speculation has already linked names including retired cricketer Ben Stokes and Mis-Teeq singer Su-Elise Nash.

Who has won I’m A Celebrity in the past?

• Series 1 (2002) – Tony Blackburn
• Series 2 (2003) – Phil Tufnell
• Series 3 (2004 – early) – Kerry Katona
• Series 4 (2004 – late) – Joe Pasquale
• Series 5 (2005) – Carol Thatcher
• Series 6 (2006) – Matt Willis
• Series 7 (2007) – Christopher Biggins
• Series 8 (2008) – Joe Swash
• Series 9 (2009) – Gino D’Acampo
• Series 10 (2010) – Stacey Solomon
• Series 11 (2011) – Dougie Poynter
• Series 12 (2012) – Charlie Brooks
• Series 13 (2013) – Kian Egan
• Series 14 (2014) – Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty
• Series 15 (2015) – Vicky Pattison
• Series 16 (2016) – Scarlett Moffatt
• Series 17 (2017) – Georgia ‘Toff’ Toffolo
• Series 18 (2018) – Harry Redknapp
• Series 19 (2019) – Jacqueline Jossa
• Series 20 (2020) – Giovanna Fletcher
• Series 21 (2021) – Danny Miller
• Series 22 (2022) – Jill Scott MBE
• Series 23 (2023) – Sam Thompson
• Series 24 (2024) – Danny Jones
• Series 25 (2025) – Angry Ginge (Morgan Burtwistle)

I’m A Celebrity will begin on Monday 16th November at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid punished Milwaukee with a triple-double one night and wanted to go right at Detroit and try for another on the next one. So the amiable big man with a career list of injuries that would fit on a scroll or two made a good-natured plea with the media to try to convince the 76ers to let him play in back-to-back games.

“Can you guys put pressure on them?” Embiid said with a laugh. “I want to play tomorrow, so start writing articles and put pressure on them so they’ll let me play.”

Not even the power of the pen can aid Embiid in playing consecutive games.

The 76ers smartly rested their All-Star center — no one game in October in the NBA is worth the potential of long-term harm — and then they went out and got smoked Sunday night by the Detroit Pistons.

LeBron James is in Philadelphia, and that’s a good thing. Jaylen Brown has an NBA Finals MVP on his resume and is serving up one-liners about lamb and gravy in his rivalry with a former Boston teammate.

No matter the star power added to the roster, the natural growth of homegrown talent such as Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the 76ers have always since his 2016 debut — and will always — win as much and go as far in the postseason as Embiid will take them.

The 76ers were outrebounded 54-37 and trailed by 21 points in their first loss of the season to the Pistons. The Pistons pounded the inside and scored 24 second-chance points. They got the kind of looks that only get tougher to attempt when Embiid is in the lineup.

So yes, with the 76ers already thin in frontcourt depth, it was up to James to man a bulk of the minutes at center. The 41-year-old James won the opening tip for the 76ers.

The Pistons won everything else.

“We’re going to have those moments where we have different lineups out there throughout the course of the season,” James said. “I think the more minutes we get, the more games that we get under our belt, the more time we get, we’ll know what works well for us.”

James scored 18 points, grabbed two rebounds and was a minus-22 going up against Paul Reed, and the 76ers were left to hope his presence at center was nothing more than a cameo.

The 76ers were a whopping plus-49 with Embiid on the court over the first three games and minus-25 with him off it.

“I mean [heck], we’ve got an MVP over there,” James said as he looked in the direction of Embiid’s locker.

“I’m not here to have a sustainable role at the five. We’ve got Joel Embiid at the five. I don’t see it being a sustainable role but it’s a role that we know we can tap into if we needed. But sustainable playing the five? If I was to say I was signing here to have a sustainable role at the five, I don’t think none of us would actually want that.”

The 76ers also played without big men Dominck Barlow (back), Jabari Walker (knee) and 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. Fall has yet to play this season with a left quadriceps strain.

“We’ve got a 7-7 guy over there who hasn’t played. That would help,” James quipped.

Even with Embiid and his 11 boards in the lineup against the Bucks, the 76ers were still outrebounded 62-39.

Maxey, a first-time All-Star starter last season, had a suggestion to fix the rebounding woes.

“Some of our tall guys could come back,” Maxey said with a smile. “That would be great. We’ve just got to hit, box out, try to fight. We’ve got to figure it out.”

James took inspiration from Detroit’s bench, where Taurean Prince sat and watched the game. Prince didn’t play but he is responsible for one of the great viral interview moments in NCAA tournament history when he deadpanned the definition of a rebound after his Baylor team was outrebound by Yale.

“In the great words of Taurean Prince, who I saw tonight on the bench,” James said, “a good friend of mine, so, the ball goes up into the air. You go grab the ball. That’s what we’ve got to do, man. They got more of those than we did.”

So the 76ers do what they do so many times when Embiid doesn’t play and took the loss.

Let him sit. One game won’t hurt. It’s when those absences start stacking up that always doom the 76ers.

Even if one of the greats can take his place.

Gelston writes for the Associated Press.

Dodger Stadium was eerily quiet on Wednesday, as a light rain fell over the already-yellowing grass. A crow perched on an empty seat. Scattered lights flickered in mostly-dark hallways.

Before the World Series had begun, the stadium was closed down for the season, hosting just one last event before officially wrapping up the 2026 slate.

In the interview room, tucked away at the entrance to the clubhouse, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes took their seats at the podium for their end-of-season press conference.

There was the usual end-of-season checklist. Are you expecting any changes to the coaching staff or front office? “I expect status quo,” Friedman said. Is Shohei Ohtani going to undergo offseason surgery? “That’s not on the table,” Friedman said.

But from that emerged a persistent throughline.

The Dodgers had fallen short of their goal of a three-peat. But considering the age of the position-player core, the scrutiny owner Mark Walter is under, and MLB owners’ insistence on a salary cap in their early CBA proposals, was the Dodgers’ dynasty over?

“I welcome it,” Friedman said of such claims. “For us, and we’ve talked about this a lot, even after successes and we winning a World Series and then winning back to back, everything we do is for our fans. And there’s a lot of noise around us in general. We don’t really pay much attention to it. It’s a partnership we feel with our fans, and so people saying that we’re done and we’re on the downside of this run — it’s just more noise to us because everything for us is about the motivation we have to have a parade in the streets of Los Angeles next November.”

Friedman also didn’t seem to anticipate any trickle down from Walter’s outside ventures — Walter’s insurance companies are under federal investigation and face several lawsuits — affecting the Dodgers’ offseason budget.

“It’s been business as usual for us,” Friedman said. “We talked to Mark after we lost, and he was obviously really disappointed. But so much of his focus was on, ‘OK, what can we do? What are our plans? What are our thoughts for the off season?’ And our brains weren’t quite there yet, but so much of his focus was how do we put ourselves in the best position to win in ‘27?”

How will the Dodgers go about picking themselves up from their NLCS exit?

The Dodgers’ 2026 season wasn’t exactly a failure. They won 100 games in the regular season and lost in the playoffs to the only team that won more than that — the Brewers. But the Dodgers, with their star power and payroll, aren’t in the business of accepting moral victories.

Though plenty went wrong in the postseason, from Ohtani’s struggles following hisinjured list stint, to stalwart Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s surprising short start in Game 2 of the NLCS, the overarching theme in the Dodgers’ four straight losses to the Brewers was a lack of offensive execution, especially with runners in scoring position.

“Obviously throughout the latter part of the year, it was stuff we were talking about and trying to put our finger on,” Friedman said of the offense. “And in a lot of ways, it’s a little bit of a game of whack-a-mole, where it can be one thing for some period of time, and then it’s something else, and then it’s something else. Sometimes it’s noise, and sometimes it’s real. And what’s important for us is to be able to sift out the noise and isolate what’s real and what things we can improve upon. We’ll spend a lot of time really focusing on that in the off season.”

Asked if the age of the lineup could be a contributing factor, Friedman pointed to the strong finishes of some of the more veteran players on the roster.

“I don’t think it’s as easy as to paint it with that broad of a stroke,” he said.

Friedman, in an effort to continue to extend the Dodgers’ run of success, has kept in mind the cliff that successful veteran teams can fall off of, if the roster isn’t properly backfilled.

“This isn’t something that we just woke up and were like, ‘Oh wow, the age of our position player group,’” Friedman said. “We knew what things were going to look like in ‘26, ‘27, but also how talented these guys are, the way they prepare. And so much of our long-term contract bats are betting on the human — betting on the person, betting on the work ethic, betting on them doing everything they can to keep themselves in the best position to have success. But when you couple the core talent that we have at the major league level with the position-player strengths that we have in our farm system, that’s what makes us excited, is the art of how to onboard some of these young, talented minor league players.”

The Dodgers had the No. 1 ranked farm system as of mid-August, according to MLB Pipeline. But many of those prospects, including the three outfielders who the Dodgers’ Top 3 (Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero and Mike Sirota), are blocked by veteran players.

“For us, it’s just about having as many many talented players as we can, and things tend to sort themselves out,” Friedman said.

This offseason, the Dodgers will also have to figure out what to do about their soon-to-be free agents, a group headlined by left-hander Tarik Skubal. The two-time Cy Young winner was not only the best pitcher available on the trade market when the Dodgers acquired him from the Tigers at the trade deadline, but he’s in line to be the best pitcher available this offseason as well.

“It’s not easy for a guy to get traded in the middle of a season to come to a new city, new clubhouse,” Friedman said. “You have set routines, and you have to make those adjustments. It’s not easy. The way he was able to seamlessly transition, not just in terms of on the field, but in the clubhouse, I can’t say enough good things about the impact that he made in such a short period of time.

“We have a tremendous amount of respect for him on and off the field. … He’s put himself in this position to go out and be a free agent. And for us, it’s, continue to talk to [his agent, Scott Boras]. But he and his family have to make a choice over where they want to spend the next X number of years, and obviously we wish him nothing but the best.”

When asked about negotiations, however, Friedman spoke generally, saying the Dodgers were still “wrapping [their] arms around” their offseason strategy.

The impending lockout, which is expected to go into effect on Dec. 1 as soon as the current CBA expires, and uncertainty over changes in the next CBA, will certainly affect the free agent and trade markets this offseason. And though MLB navigated a lockout just five years ago, the owners’ push for a salary cap has many around the industry bracing for a longer work stoppage and murkier landscape on the other side.

“I never have any feel for how a market’s going to play out,” Friedman said. “We’ve kidded ourselves in the past that, like, ‘Hey, we think this is going to happen,’ and it just takes on its own life form. So for us, it’s just about being as prepared as we possibly can be, and pouncing on opportunities.”

The Voice UK semi-final will see the ITV contestants fighting for a spot in the coveted final

The Voice UK has finally whittled down its semi finals line up.

ITV viewers were glued to their screens as the singing competition returned on Saturday night (October 17) for another week of The Battle Rounds. This time it was the turn of Kelly Rowland along with Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones to pick their semi-finalists.

The coaches pitted their contestants against each other and selected their three favourite performers with help from guest mentors. Kelly was joined by singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem, while Tom and Danny invited their McFly bandmates Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd to help them through the tough decision.

Who made it through to The Voice UK semi finals?

In the end, just three contestants from each team made it through to next Saturday’s (October 24) show. Read on for the full list of contestants set to face off in the semi-finals.

Team Tom and Danny

• Frank Raven
• Jack Algar
• Ciiara Nyx

Fans at home were thrilled with the coaches’ selections, as one commented on social media: “Absolutely amazing lineup!!,” with a second adding: “Good choices! Hard decision as they were all really good xx.”

Team Kelly

• Lascel Wood
• Monique Nicholson-Porter
• Aaren James

Team Kelly also received praise from viewers, with some fans predicting they will be difficult to beat. “THE TEAM TO BEAT!!,” commented an Instagram user. Someone else agreed, posting: “Excellent choices for team Kelly.”

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Last week’s episode saw Sir Tom Jones and will.i.am choose their own semi-finalists, with help from Paloma Faith and Cheryl, respectively.

Team Sir Tom

• Molly J
• Cate McHugh
• Amãlia Estradas

Team Will

• Naná Aldrin-Quaye
• Sonna Rele
• Diogo Ferreira

ITV viewers can tune into The Voice UK semi-finals next Saturday at 8.35pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Only one artist from each team will be chosen to progress to the final. Whoever wins the show walks away with a recording contract with Universal Music Group and a huge £50,000 cash prize.

The latest episode of The Voice UK is available to watch on ITVX.

Streaming giant Netflix has unveiled its list of brand new Christmas films that will be released on their platform one per week beginning on November 4

TV schedules are always a major talking point when Christmas approaches – and it appears Netflix are embracing the festive spirit early by unveiling their Yuletide films for 2026, much to their subscribers’ excitement.

Even though we tend to go for the classics of Home Alone, Elf and The Grinch, it can be nice to try a new film, even if it does end up with you not being able to get back two hours of your life. It can be a chance to laugh, cringe, or even debate with family while spending that all-important time together.

Annually, the streaming platform adds four seasonal offerings to its already vast catalogue of movies. And now this year’s titles have been unveiled, as television critic Kate Ellen discussed.

“Every year Netflix announces four films in the run-up to Christmas, and we’ve had some real bangers,” she began in a TikTok video, highlighting Hot Frosty and The Merry Gentlemen as past examples. “Last year wasn’t so strong, but this year I think it is their [Netflix] best line-up yet.”

Kate proceeded to list each title, the first of which is available on Netflix early next month, with the others following every Wednesday.

A Dog’s Perfect Christmas – November 4

Ellen revealed that the first to arrive is A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, which lands on Netflix as early as November 4. She said: “It stars Dennis Quaid and Jess from Gilmore Girls [Milo Ventimiglia] as a Basset Hound who apparently can talk.

“Apparently Dennis is like a grumpy grandad who lost his wife a few years ago, and this year it’s up to him, the Basset Hound and his teenage granddaughter to pull the family together and save Christmas.”

Netflix adds in a brief synopsis: “From the bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose, a tale of a family in crisis where a teenager, her grandfather and his trusty basset hound struggle to keep the household together at Christmas.”

The Gospel of Christmas – November 11

Seven days later, Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas arrives on Netflix.

“This one is set in New York and follows a pastor [played by actor and singer, Tank] who has inherited his family’s church,” Ellen went on.

“Apparently he’s going to be battling temptation and doubt – and needing to rediscover his faith before Christmas.”

Netflix’s synopsis adds: “Hark! The herald angels sing – and that’s not all they’re getting up to. A brand-new Tyler Perry movie is being gift-wrapped and tied up with a ribbon, right on time for the holiday season, and it features a series of vocal performances that are not to be missed.”

Guarding Stars – November 18

A week later is when “things get really exciting”, according to Ellen.

“This [Guarding Stars] stars Blair from Gossip Girl [Leighton Meester] and Dean from Gilmore Girls [Jared Padalecki],” she reported. “Jared plays an action movie star and Leighton is his no-nonsense bodyguard who is there to protect him over Christmas.”

Ellen also pointed out that Meester has already proven she is “good in Christmas romances”, having starred in the 2023 rom-com EXMas.

Netflix describes the film with this synopsis: “An upcoming holiday romantic comedy movie about a no-nonsense bodyguard assigned to protect a charming action star over the holidays. Of course, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and Christmas gets a lot more complicated!”

In a Holidaze – December 2

Rounding off Ellen’s list as December approaches is In a Holidaze, starring former Dance Moms favourite Maddie Ziegler.

She said: “She’s [Ziegler] playing a directionless 20-something who, after a romantic mistake of epic proportions, gets stuck inside a time loop, living the same Christmas at her family’s cabin again and again. And apparently she keeps going until she finds out what makes her happy.”

IMDb further explains: “Maelyn Jones’ holiday takes an unexpected turn when her wish for happiness at her family’s snowy Utah cabin results in a time-loop, forcing her to relive Christmas repeatedly.”

Writing in response to Kate’s clip, one TikTok user exclaimed: “I’m so excited for In A Holidaze! Based on a book I hope it’s good.”

A second person shared: “Oh I’m excited!” While a third pointed out: “You forgot to mention the leading lady for ‘the Gospel of Christmas’ is Fantasia who is a American Idol winner and Grammy Award winner and Golden Globe nominated.”

So, as you can see, this year’s festive schedule is absolutely jam-packed!