live

A HUGE new land is opening at a European theme park you may have never heard of.

Efteling in the Netherlands is one of the oldest theme parks in the world, and often compared to Disneyland for its fairytale themes.

And now has revealed that it will reopen its Raveleijn land on December 1 after a €20million (£17.2million) upgrade.

The star of the show will be the new €5million (£4.3million) Ravenring attraction.

The new ride features 18 winged vehicles seating up to 36 people, inspired by the Raveleijn ravens and takes them on a flight-like ride.

The new city at the park will also have a new show launching at the same time called Battle for the City.

Read more on travel inspo

SO FLY

Our fave beach hols under 5 hours from UK with Caribbean dupes & £2 bottles of wine

TRAVEL TIP

The £2.99 SIM hack that can save Brits HUNDREDS abroad

The €10million (£8.6million) show will be packed with stunts and follows a dark force awakening on two characters’ wedding day where a battle then breaks out.

A total of €5million (£4.3million) has also been spent on upgrading the surrounding area including the De Verslaeghen Draek Inn which has a menu inspired by recipes travellers have collected from around the world.

There’s a new souvenir shop too – In den Ravenkorf – where visitors can pick up costumes, toys and other Raveleijn products.

Raveleijn originally opened back in 2011 and has been closed for nearly a year for upgrades to take place.

The area is themed around the story of five children who pass through a secret gate and transform into “brave riders”, according to the park.

They must then defend the city against evil.

Director of Product, Marketing & Image Koen Sanders: “The sets have been extensively revamped and Raveleijn is getting a brand-new show packed with spectacular stunts, created in collaboration with the French theme park Puy du Fou.

“At the heart of the story: when evil arises, the heroes of Raveleijn join forces.”

Iranian media has reported the sound of an explosion near Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, though the cause remains unclear.

BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent was left baffled as her co-star disappeared live on air while presenting

BBC Breakfast suffered a live on-air blunder during Monday’s show.

The latest installment saw hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay on the red sofa, where they delivered the latest news, including the death of show regular and Normandy veteran Ken Hay, who survived capture just weeks after D-Day and spent years educating children about the war. He died aged 101.

As usual with BBC Breakfast, the hosts heard from weather presenter, Matt Taylor, who gave a forecast update to viewers at home.

However, on Monday’s broadcast, Matt’s feed suddenly cut out, as he disappeared live on air and it left a blank screen on air, reading: “Weather presenter editing playlist…”

Host, Sally, 55, said: “Oh, where’s he gone? Just in time. We kept a hold of him there” to which Jon, 56, added: “He’s gone, finished for shift!”

Poking fun at the technical blunder, Sally quipped: “Need another 50p in the metre!” while Jon added: “Let’s get the news, travel and weather where you are. Hopefully they’re there!”

It comes as veteran weather presenter, Carol Kirkwood, left the BBC show earlier this year after more than 25 years presenting. The BBC favourite announced her decision to step down earlier this year on the programme, revealing she wishes to dedicate more time to her husband Steve.

When Carol announced her departure at the time, she became emotional whilst discussing the difficult choice with Jon and Sally. At the time, she expressed: “It’s really hard for me to say this because I love my job.

“I love all of you guys, my weather colleagues, every department I’ve worked with, and of course, all the viewers I’ve been so engaged with for many years.

“But it’s great! I don’t want to be coming in on my zimmer frame, going, ‘I can’t reach the Northern Isles anymore!'”.

Discussing her future plans post-departure, Carol disclosed she’ll be dedicating more time to her husband Steve.

She continued: “We only got married a couple of years ago and we’re like ships that pass in the night, so I’m so looking forward to doing that.

“I’ve still got my books, I’ve got a few other bits and pieces. I want to travel as well.”

BBC Breakfast continues at 6am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Tehran says it has learned the US may be planning a new round of strikes, warns of retaliation ‘without limitations’.

Iran’s top security official says Tehran has sent its conditions for ending war to the US via Qatari mediators.

Thousands take to the streets in support of Houthis in Sanaa, Trump extends sanctions on Iran.

Report says ‘reasonable grounds’ US was behind the deadly strike against a school in Minab in February.

Follow our live build-up, predictions, score, match photos and text commentary stream of the men’s final in New York.

Follow our live build-up, team news, predictions, scores, photos and text commentary stream from the final in Dubai.

THE daughter of late actress Dame Diana Rigg has admitted to an unusual tribute of eating her ashes prior to live shows.

Rachael Stirling, 49, followed in her acclaimed mother’s footsteps by becoming an actress.

Viewers may have seen Rachael pop up in shows including The Bletchley Circle, Detectorists and an episode of Doctor Who alongside Diana.

In her new book, All About My Mother, Rachael opened up about a surprising pre-show ritual.

She wrote, as quoted by Daily Mail: “I would love to have a nightly glass of champagne before going on stage, but these days it would equate to a drinking problem.”

Rachael’s alternative on a new play’s opening night, however, is “a grain or two of my mother’s ashes“.

‘GONE ON TOO LONG’

Diana Rigg’s dying plea has chilling echoes of Esther Rantzen’s fight

STIRLING PERFORMANCE

Who is Rachael Stirling? Dame Diana Rigg’s daughter and actress

She added: “Although it shocks people when I tell them, it feels absolutely natural to me.”

Her mother Diana died in September 2020, at the age of 82 and it was later confirmed she had lung cancer.

The former Bond Girl famously played secret agent Emma Peel in 51 episodes of the Avengers in the 1960s.

She was also the only Bond girl to marry 007 – getting hitched to George Lazenby in Her Majesty’s Secret Service – only to be killed moments after.

In her later career, Diana appeared in shows such as Game of Thrones and ITV‘s Victoria.

She also played Mrs Pumphrey in series one of Channel 5‘s All Creatures Great and Small.

Miranda star Patricia Hodge would later take over the role after Diana’s death.

SHE described the year her father Ozzy Osbourne died and her subsequent split from fiance Sid Wilson as the “hardest” and “worst” of her life.

But things are looking up for Kelly Osbourne, as we can reveal she has been secretly dating a tattooed OnlyFans model, 13 years her junior.

The Sun can reveal mum-of-one Kelly, 41, has been spending time with hunky Brad, 28, for months after connecting online.

Brad, who goes by the name Uglynorth on the over-18 platform, charges fans £10 to view his racy content, telling them: “If you like a man who’s loyal, eager, and easy to please… I’m right here. Just say hi, or slip something into my tip jar.”

Other posts are much more explicit and he offers followers the chance to collaborate with him and film sexual acts together. 

His big-money earner, however, is selling his used underwear to his fans. In January, he sold off 12 pairs.

Alongside another saucy snap, the model, who is also a tattoo artist, added: “If you want exclusive attention… show me you’re serious. I treat daddies very well.”

He has been described as “insanely hung” online.

His Instagram account is however much tamer, mostly showing off his tattoo work. Kelly has been showing her appreciation by liking his recent posts. 

Kelly – who split from former Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson in March – was seen linking arms with Brad in a hotel lobby.

The pair looked smitten at a restaurant launch party at Manchester’s Treehouse Hotel on Wednesday night.

They then joined the boozy bash upstairs, spending time together in a private area where she placed her hands under Brad’s T-shirt and up his back.

One onlooker said: “There were hundreds of people around them but that didn’t seem to bother Kelly.

“They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Kelly is clearly really happy with him.

Just months after splitting from Sid, Kelly is said to be unconcerned about Brad’s racy side hustle.

The onlooker added: “Some people might be snooty about dating someone who does adult work, but Kelly isn’t worried. 

“It has raised a few eyebrows amongst her close friends, but she doesn’t care. 

“She’s been through so much with Ozzy dying and her split from Sid, so it’s lovely to see her smiling again.”

TV star and singer Kelly spent around three hours at the party before being driven home to Buckinghamshire.

And it seems Kelly could be gearing up to hard launch her new man as last week, Kelly shared a snap online of them together watching Bon Jovi at Wembley.

Sources say Kelly started chatting to Brad, from Doncaster, South Yorks, online following her split from Sid, 49, and things became flirty between them. 

Kelly and Sid began dating in 2022, having been friends for more than 20 years before that.

She gave birth to their son Sidney in November of that year.

In July 2025, Sid proposed to Kelly backstage at the last concert for her dad Ozzy’s band Black Sabbath at Villa Park in Birmingham.

During the proposal, Ozzy jokingly told Sid: “F**k off, you’re not marrying my daughter!”

Ozzy, who had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for years, died of a heart attack 17 days later aged 76.

Kelly and Sid split earlier this year, with insiders claiming he “has a lot he needs to work through on his own”.

They also said that Kelly “doesn’t want the drama in her life right now”, and that her priority is being there for her mum Sharon, 73.

After the split, Kelly was romantically linked to non-binary LA-based hairdresser Kiinicki, 37.

But in July of this year, the star swore off men and dating, declaring: “Dating is the last thing on my mind. I love being single.”

“I’ve got my baby. I’m ambivalent. All men are the same. It’s rough.”

She spent the summer concentrating on herself and her well-being. 

It came at the right time –  Kelly had sparked concern with her increasingly tiny frame since her father Ozzy’s death last year.

It seemed overnight the once bubbly star had drastically shrunk in size, which led to her receiving thousands of cruel comments about her appearance online. 

She admitted earlier this month that she was gobsmacked when she saw a picture of herself from the Brits.

“I looked like the f****** Crypt Keeper. I said, ‘This is scary. I didn’t know I looked like this.’ My spine – you could see every single bone,” Kelly admitted.

She added: “I couldn’t see what other people saw because I was in so much pain. I just saw a broken person.”  

But since then Kelly has gained weight again and is starting to look happy and healthy once more, proving there is light after the deepest grief.

She might have declared herself off men, but after a tragic twelve months, no one can blame her for her romantic U-turn, or for enjoying every second of it.” 

A representative for Kelly said: “Kelly and Brad are not dating.

“They share a close friendship and their relationship is entirely platonic.”

A MUCH-LOVED family experience that’s one of the world’s largest truck shows will be returning to the UK in just months.

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live is returning to the UK in early 2027 – and this time with a new feature.

The show will tour four cities across the UK – Glasgow, London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Yes, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live won the Pollstar Family Show of the Year award this year, in the prestigious awards by Pollstar magazine —which reports on global live entertainment and concert industry

Fans can expect “huge trucks, jaw-dropping stunts and an arena transformed by explosions of colour”, according to Family Entertainment Live and Mattel.

The show, called Colour Bash, will have paint splattered trucks that perform different stunts including wheelies, jumps, donuts and even crashes.

Read more on travel inspo

GO ON

All the little-known websites for cheap or FREE tickets to gigs, theatre & festivals

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

The show begins with one of the trucks, Skelesaurus, taking all the colour away from Monster Truck Island.

Then Rhinomite, Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, Bone Shaker and Bigfoot have to fight to win back the island and all its colour.

The big twist this year though is that they will be joined by a new truck ally, who will be revealed this autumn.

There will be FMX bikes flying across the arena and a fire-breathing robot as well.

The UK tour dates are as follows:

• The O2, London – January 9 & 10
• OVO Hydro, Glasgow – January 23 & 24
• Utilita Arena, Birmingham – April 10 & 11
• AO Arena, Manchester – April 17 & 18

The shows will have both matinee and evening performances and fans can also book VIP packages and pre-show party packages that allow you to get up close to the trucks.

Tickets go on sale on September 18 at 10am, with prices starting from £25 per person.

And there is a discount available for kids under the age of 13.

Ken Hudgens, CEO, Family Entertainment Live said: “Colour Bash is the most vibrant Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live experience we’ve ever created.

“We took everything fans love about the show — the massive trucks, the jaw-dropping stunts, the can’t-look-away energy — and supercharged it with colour.

“It’s a brand-new way to experience the action live, and we can’t wait to bring it to families in the UK in 2027.”

ITV is set to broadcast a 24-hour live stream from the Big Brother house ahead of the new series

Big Brother fans have been begging ITV to resurrect the show’s beloved round-the-clock live stream.

It appears show bosses have finally listened, but there’s a brutal catch that has left viewers fuming. Rather than giving fans unfiltered access to watch the Housemates in their new home, ITV is handing the keys over to content creator crew The Bov Boys.

The social media influencers will occupy the property for a full 24 hours before this year’s contestants walk through the door. The broadcaster confirmed the twist on Thursday (September 10), revealing that the Manchester lads will move in on Saturday (September 12) as producers apply the finishing touches ahead of Sunday’s official series launch.

The stream will run continuously on Twitch and YouTube, giving viewers a preview of the brand-new house. The official synopsis promises plenty of entertainment, teasing: “Viewers can watch the takeover unfold live for the full 24 hours, with the action streaming continuously across Twitch and YouTube.

“From the moment they arrive until they’re finally sent packing, viewers will have an exclusive, around-the-clock look at all the drama, antics and action inside the House.”

ITV viewers will no doubt recognise The Bov Boys member Angry Ginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, following his triumphant appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! just last year. The rest of the crew consists of Tays, Jakey Davies, Heinz Baines and Chazza.

However, Heinz Baines will not be taking part in the stream due to a “family commitment,” reports OK! The popular social media group won’t be the only influencers getting a sneak peek at the iconic house, they have also extended invitations to fellow creators Adeola Patronne, Mariam Musa, Shauna Games, Scouse Mali and Pieface.

The announcement has been greeted with some excitement, with one Instagram fan gushing: “This feels like Christmas came early,” and a second agreeing: “THIS IS INCREDIBLE! “Let’s go lads this is huge”

Someone else raved: “OMG my 2 favourites together can’t wait BIG BROTHER BOV HOUSE.” However, other viewers have labelled the twist a “slap in the face”, given that fans have been pleading with producers to bring back the show’s much-loved 24-hour live stream feeds of the actual Housemates.

A furious fan posted: “Load of c**p. You can’t give us live feed for the main series but will stream the dry run,” with a second adding: “Sorry but are you actually trying to annoy your fans @bbuk?! You’ll do a 24/7 live stream for a bunch of randoms testing the house, but won’t do any live stream at all for the actual show?!”

Yet another viewer critiqued: “I find it really wild that the Big Brother producers promote a pre-series live stream with content creators going in, but can’t invest in a consistent series long live stream. It’s really sad. #BBUK.”

Big Brother x Bov Boys 24-Hour Takeover will be a live co-stream on The Bov Boys’ individual Twitch accounts, plus a live stream on BBUK and ITV YouTube accounts from Saturday 12th September at 12pm.

The series launches on Sunday (September 13) at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

JEDDAH: While the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people around the world to move their lives online, one young Saudi technology entrepreneur was watching more closely.

He was not just looking at how people were adapting to a new digital reality, he was watching what was happening elsewhere — particularly in China, where livestream shopping was rapidly becoming a mainstream way to buy.

For Taher Alblowe, the idea was simple but powerful — and he decided to build a live Saudi social shopping and auction marketplace.

“It is called Rwaj; we built it so a seller can go live, sell at a fixed price or by auction, get paid and ship without leaving the app, and a buyer can purchase or bid knowing their money is protected until the item is in their hands,” he explained to Arab News. “This lets us reach many more sellers and buyers in the region and beyond.”

Before founding Rwaj, Alblowe founded and served as CEO of Geeks Valley, an education and digital fabrication company that grew to more than SAR23 million in cumulative revenue and worked with government entities, leading universities, and international companies.

“Live selling in our region did not need to be invented. It needed to be made safe, and made native,” he said.

He sees Rwaj as being more than another shopping application; it is an attempt to anticipate how commerce could evolve and to build that future.

“When I saw the same model start to take hold in the US and then in Europe, I was convinced the timing was right to build it for the Middle East, from the ground up and in Arabic,” he said.

Today, through Rwaj, Alblowe is focused on building a new generation of commerce for Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council, combining livestream shopping, real-time auctions, entertainment, and direct interaction between buyers and sellers into a more engaging and trusted shopping experience.

A technologist at heart, he and his team had to build not only the technology that allows sellers to broadcast live, but also the systems behind every transaction — from seller verification and payments to escrow and logistics.

On Rwaj, sellers must go through a verification process before they can sell, while payments are held in escrow and released only after the buyer receives an item and confirms it is as described. For Alblowe, building that layer of trust from the beginning was part of the promise he wanted to make to users.

Asked what makes Rwaj different from existing e-commerce and social-commerce platforms, he replied: “Three things. First, trust and safety are built into the product, not bolted on — every seller is verified and every purchase, fixed price or auction, runs through escrow. Second, the format itself — a seller can sell instantly at a fixed price and run timed live auctions in the same stream, so buyers get both convenience and the excitement of bidding. Third, it is built for this region — Arabic-first and fully bilingual.”

The journey has gone through many challenges, but he kept going. “Every startup faces challenges, especially in the early days,” he said, pointing to logistics and the complexity of building a reliable trust system before reaching significant scale.

Yet none of those issues changed his conviction that live commerce has a future in Saudi Arabia and the wider region.

Alblowe, who has been recognized by Forbes Middle East, believes Saudi Arabia has many of the ingredients needed for that future — a young and digitally connected population, widespread use of smartphones and social media, fast mobile networks and increasingly sophisticated digital payments.

But perhaps his biggest ambition is to make live selling accessible beyond major brands and influencers.

Rwaj, founded in 2025, recently closed a $1.2 million (SR4.5 million) pre-seed funding round, which the company plans to use to accelerate growth and product development across the region.

For the founder, however, the funding appears to be less an end point and more another step in a much longer journey. He already sees Rwaj beyond Saudi Arabia and the Gulf: “I want Rwaj to be serving the world,” he said.

The ambition may sound big for a company still in its early stages, but it reflects the same mindset that led him to start the business in the first place: looking at where people’s behavior is heading and trying to build for tomorrow rather than today.

His vision is of a future in which livestream selling becomes as normal as walking into a store, where every shopping district could have people whose job is to sell live to customers who may never physically enter.

“Rwaj is building the infrastructure for that: the streaming, the payments, the trust layer, and the logistics,” he said.

EVER fancied having a massive party on a plane and feeling like you’re on a private jet?

This September and in February next year you can head to an event on a Concorde plane.

Lost Track Of Time runs different nighttime events with DJ sets, across the UK.

The events in September and February will feature a DJ between the jet’s two engines, with stages under the wings of the aircraft.

The hangar will have immersive lighting and projections as well as dancers, 360 staging and house and disco music.

The Concorde was the world’s fastest passenger plane, capable of reaching speeds twice the speed of sound.

Read more on travel inspo

SEA IT

All 25 of the English Riviera beaches ranked from best to worst – by a Devon local

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

It also cruised at an altitude of 60,000ft, where passengers were even able to see the curvature of Earth.

Tickets to the event are currently sold out, but you can sign up to get notified of when the second phase of tickets will be dropped.

If you are looking for other cool events though, the same company is hosting a Halloween event at Wake The Tiger in Bristol.

There will be 53 rooms of interactive actors and cool sets to explore, created by the people behind Boomtown festival.

Aerospace Bristol is home to a number of different aircraft including the Concorde.

Called Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, it sits in its own hangar and is the last of the passenger jets to be built as well as the last to fly.

Visitors can catch three short films in the hangar which reveal the history of the aircraft.

And of course – for the main event – you can step onboard the jet.

There’s also an exhibition gallery with memorabilia including a pilot’s uniform.

Tickets cost £20 per adult and £13.50 per child.

US says its forces ‘successfully’ completed a wave of strikes against Iranian targets, accusing the IRGC of attempted attacks on shipping and US service members.

DJ Spoony was sent in some joke names on BBC Radio 2 but read them out loud without realising.

The Radio 1 and 2 legend was sitting in for his mate, Trevor Nelson, when he ran a competition asking people to guess a song after playing only one second of it.

After reading out some of the guesses from listeners, he followed up with their names and where they’re from, as per radio tradition.

The next guess was Joe Dolce’s hit Shaddap You Face, with Spoony saying, “Someone always guesses Joe Dolce.”

He then added that the guess was from, “Ben Down and Phil McAvity.”

Thankfully, Spoony mispronounced the two surnames and saved himself the embarrassment of having read two very rude prank names.

BBC TRAGEDY

BBC star Dame Jenni Murray died smashing into two cars when ‘dazzled by lights’

BRIDE ERA

BBC Radio star announces engagement and shows off huge ring

The Radio 2 star has been filling in for Trevor Nelson over the past two months after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour,

Trevor suddenly stepped away from his weekday radio show in June and returned to social media to update fans on why he was absent.

The dad-of-two said he felt he wanted to share more details due to the outpouring of love he had received.

He said: “I was minding my own business and then it was discovered I had a brain tumour.

“As you can imagine, I was shocked. In fact, my world was turned upside down.

“Quite literally, my head was all over the place. I knew I had to stop work because I couldn’t be that guy on the radio knowing I had that going on.”

After confirming his surgery was a success, Trevor said he’d been at home “recuperating and resting” and having post-op treatment.

He went on: “I can only tell you the truth, and the truth is I feel great right now.”

Trevor added he was back playing golf and in the gym and living his old life, except for the radio and gigs.

The veteran DJ hosts the afternoon show on Radio 2 between 2 and 4pm.

Sunday Brunch suffered an unexpected live TV mishap when a phone began causing a stir behind the scenes

The hit show Sunday Brunch suffered a major blunder.

The Channel 4 hit cooking chat show was thrown into chaos after a phone began causing a commotion behind the scenes during the live broadcast.

The awkward moment happened just before stand-in presenter Yinka Bokinni and Simon Rimmer were due to chat with Anita-Joy Uwajeh.

Yinka, who was filling in for regular host Tim Lovejoy, appeared to notice the noise coming from somewhere off-camera and could be heard receiving text alerts.

She turned to Anita and asked, “Before we get into speaking to you, what was happening? Because I could hear texts. What is going on?”

Anita then explained that there had been a technical issue while jokingly refusing to reveal exactly who was responsible.

“I don’t want to grass anybody, I don’t want to give anyone up, but we had a bit of a technical situation,” she said. Yinka then appeared to work out what was behind the disruption, asking: “Su, was on her phone?”

A clip then showed some of the celebrities laughing as Anita continued to explain what had happened. She said Grace, better known as GK Barry, was “really enjoying it” before revealing that Su Pollard had been trying to work out how to operate the device.

Anita joked: “It was Su trying to figure out this sort of… It’s more like a portable machine, that phone. It’s not really like a modern-day technology thing.”

The exchange left the studio in fits of laughter before Yinka turned her attention to the production team to find out whether the problem had finally been resolved.

“Can we just check in? Have we managed to silence the device?” she asked. After appearing to get confirmation that the noise had stopped, Yinka simply shrugged off the interruption. “Yeah? It’s the beauty of being live,” she said. Anita agreed, replying: “Exactly.”

The incident provided one of the more unexpected moments from Sunday’s edition of the Channel 4 favourite, with the presenters forced to deal with the problem in real time before getting on with the interview.

Yinka was standing in for Tim Lovejoy on the programme, joining Simon Rimmer at the helm for a packed edition featuring a host of familiar faces.

Among the guests was legendary singer Paul Heaton, while Su Pollard appeared to discuss her memoir. GK Barry was also on the show to talk about her new book, while Everlast, Gary Wilmot and Anita-Joy Uwajeh were also part of the line-up. Casualty star Elinor Lawless also joined the programme to discuss the soap’s 40th anniversary special.

Despite the unexpected phone drama, the show quickly returned to its usual mix of celebrity interviews, entertainment, music and conversation.

And with the programme being broadcast live, Yinka was able to turn an unplanned technical problem into another memorable Sunday Brunch moment before carrying on with the show.

Sunday Brunch airs every Sunday from 10am on Channel 4.