moment

LeBron James was exhausted. Marcus Smart was drained. Luke Kennard was invisible.

The Lakers were cooked, the playoff magic finally drained from a team without its two leading scorers, a team in the process of making every conceivable mistake, reality bouncing off their feet and ricocheting off their hips and falling out of their hands.

On a jarring Friday night at Houston’s Toyota Center, the Rockets led by six with 30 seconds remaining and had possession of the ball. They just needed to get it upcourt. They just needed to play catch.

The Lakers were done.

And if you believe that, then you don’t believe what they believe.

They believed Smart would steal a terrible backcourt pass, absorb a terrible shooting foul and make three free throws.

They believed James would knock away a dribble on the next possession, run to beyond the three-point line, take a pass from Kennard and sink a game-tying trey.

They believed in the miracle of forcing this game into overtime, then believed in the destiny of a 112-108 victory to take an historically insurmountable three-games-to-none lead in a first-round playoff series they should have lost.

How frantic was that finish? In the postseason over the last 29 years, NBA teams that led by six or more points in the last 30 seconds are now 1,713-2.

“It was just a gutty win for us,” James said.

Gutty, gritty, growling, great, great win.

“Everything that we needed to do, even when it wasn’t pretty, we just kind of found a way to do it,” said coach JJ Redick. “And … we’re playing hard. I mean, that’s what you have to do to put yourself in a position to win.”

Lakers center Deandre Ayton, right, and guard Marcus Smart slap hands as they celebrate in overtime during their win Friday.

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

They are true believers, this bunch, as much as any Laker team has believed since the 2020 championship run, perhaps more than any other Lakers team in history.

They believe in their legendary leader, LeBron. They believe in the playoff-tough Smart. They believe in their connectivity, in their desperation, in their destiny.

They believe this is a special team. Once they get their two injured scorers back — and Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic are apparently returning faster than anyone imagined — they believe this could be a championship-contending team.

They will find out in the next round, when their opponent will be either the defending champions from Oklahoma City or the the Phoenix Suns.

Even if they finish off the Rockets in a sweep — and this series is already over considering NBA teams are 159-0 with a 3-0 lead — they will be considerable underdogs moving forward.

Surely they were lucky that star Kevin Durant didn’t play in two of these three games, including missing Friday’s Game 3 with a sprained ankle.

Surely they can’t keep winning games with 21 turnovers and half as many offensive rebounds and blown 15-point leads.

Surely that even if Reaves and Doncic return, they will revert to being the same team that lost to Oklahoma City by 43 points and lost to San Antonio by 16 in their most recent meetings while at full strength.

Surely they’re not this deep and committed and inspired as they’ve shown in these first three games.

Right? Wrong. Were you watching?

The Rockets used numerous Lakers mistakes and defensive mistakes to take the lead in the final five minutes and seemingly hold it for a series-changing victory. The dagger appeared to be a fastbreak dunk by Alperen Sengun to give the Rockets a 101-95 lead and eventually the ball with the crowd roaring and barely 30 seconds left.

Little did they know the Lakers had them right where they wanted them.

“We’ve talked … about elevating everything,” said Redick, later adding, “You have to elevate your poise, you have to elevate your composure, recognizing that there’s going to be moments where the crowd’s going crazy or you get down, they make a run, whatever it may be. We weathered a lot tonight. … And then, in that moment, just to have the poise to just keep playing.”

The Lakers had that poise. The Rockets lost their cool.

In that moment… what was Jabari Smith Jr. doing throwing a looping backcourt pass to apparently nobody? And after Smart grabbed it and threw up a desperate three… what was Jae’Sean Tate doing fouling him?

“I see Tate running really fast and I’m like, ‘OK, he probably not going to be able to stop in time,’” explained Smart. “So, I just pulled up right away and he ran right under me, exactly what happened. So, it was a smart play. That’s part of my vet, being a vet and my vet savvy. Been in the league for 12 years. I picked up some tricks from some guys.”

Even after the vet’s three free throws, the Rockets still could have easily won this, but… what was Reed Sheppard doing casually dribbling the ball upcourt without noticing James behind him? James knocked the ball away for the steal, eventually got it back, and drained a trey with 13 seconds remaining for the eventual overtime-sending gut punch.

“We don’t have the luxury of being passive or being complacent,” James said. “Our whole mindset is we have to do everything it takes in that particular game and that particular moment in that particular possession in order for us to win basketball games, because we don’t have a long leash of error. We don’t have a lot [of room] for error.”

Once they reached the extra period, well, it was over the moment an angrily stunned Sengun threw a towel to the floor in front of the Rockets’ bench moments after the end of regulation.

The Rockets were unnerved and eventually undone.

Smart started the extra period by hitting a three, then kept the Lakers’ mojo going with a flying save of a rebound that became a Rui Hachimura layup.

Soon thereafter James went to the floor fighting for a ball, then missed a shot that Smart came out of nowhere to grab the offensive rebound, leading to two free throws that eventually put the game out of reach.

Even on a night when James scored 29 points, had 13 rebounds, and threw an ally-oop pass to son Bronny for a reverse layup — so cool! — the hero here was Smart.

He was signed by the Lakers last summer for his postseason toughness and savvy, and he showed every bit of it Friday, with 21 points, 10 assists and five steals. Not to mention, eight points in overtime.

“You got to leave it all on the court, because you never know,” Smart said. ”Because you never know. It can be taken away at any moment, right? And with two of our best players down, we got to play desperate. We got to be the most desperate team and that’s how we have been playing and that’s how we are winning, right? The chemistry has been built because of that.”

It’s a chemistry that works. It’s a chemistry that has built a faith even amid Friday night’s immeasurably high hurdle, a faith that should persist beyond the framework of this finished first-round series.

Down six. Thirty seconds left. Steal the game. Steal the series.

Believe.

A group of hikers were forced to flee as Guatemala’s Santiaguito Volcano erupted, throwing rocks into the air around them. Santiaguito is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, featuring frequent, often daily, explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows.

Defender Callum Doyle has been a key member of the Wrexham team bidding for the Championship play-offs.

The 22-year-old has played in 36 games in all competitions this season, including 26 successive matches.

His performances have been recognised with a spot in the Championship team of the season, one he describes as a “massive honour”.

But Doyle acknowledges that life at the Stok Cae Ras did not get off to the best of starts.

Back in October the 22-year-old former Manchester City youngster was featuring in only his eighth game for his new club following a late summer move.

In the second half at home to Oxford – a game Wrexham won 1-0 – he was shown a straight red card during the second half of the match.

“It’s one of those moments that it’s a bad moment,” Doyle said.

“But, in the grand scheme of things it’s not so bad of how I’ve changed my attitude towards training.

“And it’s been good for me since that point.”

The sending off proved to be a blessing and a turning point for Doyle’s season.

Doyle’s enforced absence was an opportunity that manager Phil Parkinson and his coaching team used to work with the Manchester-born defender.

“He came in and missed a lot of pre-season, so it took us a while to get him up to speed,” said Parkinson.

“When he got sent off, it was a chance for us to pull him away and do work with him and almost give him a mini pre-season and get him to where he needed to be.

“But I think everybody can see what a class player Callum is.

“He’s got a lot of experience for someone so young and the aim is for him now to finish his season strongly.”

For disputed reasons, April 20, abbreviated to 420, has become a day to celebrate marijuana; even if this is nothing you mark on your calendar, the collective culture is bound to remind you.

Weed is not what it used to be, which is to say illegal everywhere. (State laws may differ, but the federal government still disapproves.) Stoners are no longer useful as a comedy device, while pot’s countercultural meaning has dissipated as it’s been absorbed into the mainstream. According to the CDC, some 60 million American reported using it in 2022. Snoop Dogg is a beloved media figure (and, somehow, an Olympics commentator). Seth Rogen co-owns a cannabis company, Houseplant, that also sells coffee, furniture and incense. The paper you are reading has published weed-themed gift guides.

Now, Hulu, wholly owned by the Walt Disney Company, is marking the day (Monday) with “4×20: Quick Hits,” a frisky anthology comprising four 20-minute documentaries on pot-related subjects, with family-friendly figure Jimmy Kimmel as an executive producer. It’s less about the drug itself than the arts, crafts and enterprises it has inspired. Given where we are now, it’s not surprising that there’s a historical bent to the films, a look back to earlier times — certainly worse for some of the people profiled, who were targeted by and battled with the law in pursuit of their businesses and dreams — but one they regard with a kind of amused nostalgia.

All the films are affectionate, most are light-hearted and often comical. One, Todd Kapostasy’s “Bong Voyage,” about the rise and fall and rise of artisanal glassblower Jason Harris, is narrated by one of his creations and includes such dumb puns as “fine piece of glass.” Directed by Brent Hodge, “Highly Unlikely” is an entertaining, straightforward reminiscence of the making of “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” though it is less about the stoner themes than how the film broke stereotypes in making two little-known Asian actors, John Cho and Kal Penn, the film’s stars. The adorable “The Legend of Ganjasaurus Rex,” directed by Alex Ross Perry, and nearly the premise for a Christopher Guest movie, recounts an act of community filmmaking in the late ‘80s in pot-growing Humboldt County, wherein locals created a monster movie in a proxy war with the authorities, and its inspirational afterlife.

More serious in tone is Kyle Thrash‘s “High Times,” which looks at the history of the pot-centric magazine, its drug smuggling founder Tom Forçade and his suicide. More compelling perhaps is his friend, Yippie co-founder and lifelong cannabis activist Dana Beal, who frames the film; we see him in the nearly present day on trial for drug trafficking, having been stopped in Idaho with 56 pounds of raw marijuana, and also on the streets of New York leafleting passersby with his daughter to “help us legalize weed worldwide.”

Whether or not cannabis itself interests you, each of these mini-docs is capable of holding your attention for 20 minutes — assuming you’re capable from your end — and, being as brief as they are, may well send you to learn more. (I don’t imagine they will send you to smoke pot if you don’t — they didn’t work on me, anyway — and, who knows, might even make one less inclined.) You might finally watch “Harold & Kumar,” or find Garberville on a map, or look to see how things are going for Beal, or discover whether the same John Holmstrom who once edited High Times is the same person who founded Punk magazine and drew covers for the Ramones’ “Rocket to Russia” and “Road to Ruin” albums. (He is.) “Ganjasaurus Rex,” in its 90-minute full length, is itself online to see, and, for those who celebrate, I don’t suppose there’s a better day to watch it.

JUSTIN Bieber superfan Billie Eilish dramatically dropped to the floor on at Coachella when he brought her out on stage.

At weekend 2 of the desert festival, Billie could be seen crawling up the stage before sitting on a chair in front of her idol, Justin, who she has long been a fan of.

Justin then sang the song One Less Lonely Girl to her midway through his Coachella set.

Billie, who has long been a fan of the Baby singer, looked so emotional as she was serenaded by the star.

On X, fans have reacted to the moment.

One person penned: “THE FACT that it wasn’t planned, literally it was Hailey Bieber herself who pushed Billie Eilish to get on stage and be the OLLG.”

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A second wrote: “No way that Billie Eilish became one less lonely girl in 2026.”

“This is so cute I love how Billie still stays in her fangirl zone around Justin,” said a third.

“Will go down as one of the most iconic Coachella performances ever,” added a fourth.

“She’s such a fan lmao,” penned a fifth.

While a sixth said: “Justin pulling Billie on stage for ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ and holding her like that?? Coachella 2026 just healed my 2015 heart. This is the collab we NEVER knew we needed.”

Billie has long credited Justin as an inspiration, and even grew up as a Belieber.

“He’s amazing. He’s so sweet and, like, I feel – just, honestly, I feel for him, man. He’s been through a lot, dude,” Billie told Ellen DeGeneres previously.

The pair met at Coachella in 2019 and went on to collaborate on the remix to her song Bad Guy.

When the remix came out, Billie shared a photo of her as a teen in her bedroom which had posters of Justin plastered all of the walls.

Alongside the snap, she penned: “BAD GUY FEAT. JUSTIN BIEBER OUT NOWWW OMGFFFFGGG ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE MAN.”

This weekend’s set from Justin marked his second weekend headlining at Coachella this year.

Following his headline set last weekend, the star hosted a blowout bash with wife Hailey and A-list friends.

A source told The U.S. Sun that the party was ultra-exclusive and hosted by Justin’s new fashion brand, Skylrk, which also had a pop-up at the festival.

“Many people were turned down who had previously been invited,” they claimed.

“Promoters also had a lot of girls on their guest lists and I heard Hailey was turning them away.”

Influencer Zach Clayton echoed this by sharing a video on his TikTok showing a guy complaining, “They cut all my guest list off.”

He explained he invited 20 girls and they were all denied, joking that Hailey is a “boss,” and she was likely the reason they were not given access to the private event.

Corrie star Craig Charles took on the Retching Ball challenge with fellow campmate David Haye in a bid to earn food for camp in the latest bushtucker trial

The latest bushtucker trial left I’m A Celeb star Craig Charles throwing up a mouthful of maggots.

The 61-year-old Corrie star took on the Retching Ball challenge with fellow campmate David Haye in a bid to earn food for camp. The duo were strapped into a revolving ball while having to answer questions directed at them by Ant and Dec.

But of course in true I’m A Celeb style they were not alone in the ball cage, as creepy crawlies were dumped on them to add to their distress. Following a dumping of maggots on the duo, David Haye cried out ‘I’ve got maggots in my mouth’ and it wasn’t long before co-star Craig began throwing up.

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David and Craig carried on for another round but the momentum seemed to catch up with Craig. As he threw up Ant quipped “Oh I think we’ve had a vomit. Now Craig you’ve just worked out why it’s called the wretching ball,” he added.

Despite his sickness, he kept going but he ended up being sick again in the final round where they were asked to name Adele songs. Craig looked delighted when time was up and he and David were removed from the retching ball to learn they had secured seven out of a possible 11 stars in total.

In a sneak peek at tomorrow evening’s episode Gemma Collins appears to quit again. She told the cameras: “I’m A Celebrity get me out of here. I am done.”

She looked to be in tears again as a stunned Scarlett watched on. It left fans pondering if she had actually walked again, or if it was another low moment for the reality TV star.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, one user said: “Hope Gemma doesn’t go from that clip! I need misery guts David gone before anyone else in camp!”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

The iconic Kew Gardens offers a range of activities – many of them out of hours – including sunset and sunrise yoga in the stunning Temperate House

Kew Gardens – the world famous botanic garden in London – attracts millions of visitors every year, with many thronging to the iconic site during the summer months.

However, as a regular to this oasis of calm on the edge of the capital I have to say spring is by far my favourite time to visit the lush landscape.

Yes, in summer the blooms are at their most showy, the trees are all in full leaf. Autumn brings golden leaves, scrunching underfoot, and a raft of bronze colour on the plants and winter is arguably blissfully quiet during the day only to explode in a riot of colour when the incredible Kew at Christmas lights burst into being.

However, there’s something about spring in this stunning place. Crisp days with some sunshine and the first shoots appearing on the trees, letting us all know the cold, dark months of winter are finally over. And that’s before we even get started on the explosion of daffodils, tulips and other spring flowering bulbs bursting into life in immense carpets all over the stunning Kew Gardens.

However, the highlight for me has to be the cherry blossoms. Gracefully coming back to life in pinks and whites, bringing with them a new season, only to shower the lucky visitor with their petals in the breeze.

Nestled close to Kew Gardens’ Temperate House, a gigantic glass house which underwent a huge renovation six years ago and containing more than 3,000 varieties of plants, many of them critically endangered, there is stunning cherry blossom walkway.

An avenue of glorious cherry trees in full bloom, watching over a carpet of proud tulips was the perfect stroll before trying Kew Gardens sunset yoga in the Temperate House. I already felt serene walking into the incredible building but nothing could have prepared me for how I would feel after the season was over and I left.

Inspired by the cherry blossoms just outside, and also the many others around Kew, this yoga experience was centred on lightness and renewal – just like the season itself.

Led by Kew’s resident yoga instructor, Anil Jangi, this sessions are said to “cultivate mindfulness, enhance flexibility and invite a sense of deep calm for both body and mind”.

Held inside one of the most iconic buildings at Kew Gardens – and let’s be honest there’s no shortage to pick from – the sessions are suitable for every level. And believe me when I say if there was a level below beginner, that’s where I’d be, but Anil made sure every ability was catered for as she guided us through the practice.

Accompanied by live sound bath music, enhanced by gongs, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, we began lying on the floor of the Temperate House. Before closing my eyes to start breath work I was struck by a sense of awe in what was described as a “cathedral of plants”.

The soft green of the fronds – some giant, many at risk of extinction – floating above us, the gentle singing of birds and a sense of being somewhere truly special couldn’t help but wash over everyone taking part in this yoga session.

This was a gentle practice, full of stretching, strength poses, balance, restoration and relaxation. I could feel any stress melting into the floor of the Temperate House.

As the sun gradually set, the warm spring light was replaced with gentle candlelight, deepening the sense of calm and closeness to the incredible plants we were surrounded by.

It ended with a blissful sound bath before a warming mug of herbal tea.

As I walked out of the Temperate House almost two hours later, I was filled with such a sense of peace and calm – something we’re all finding increasingly hard to come by in these troubled times.

Kew Gardens is holding both sunset and sunset yoga, all accompanied by live acoustic music, on a variety of dates between now and September.

For more information, visit the website.

Guests from Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Weekend discussed behind-the-scenes antics on the ITV show and shared their honest opinions on the host

Two guests from Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh have lifted the lid on what truly happens behind the scenes on the popular ITV programme. Shot in a barn nestled in the rural Hampshire countryside, the show sees the beloved gardener celebrate British country living with a roster of weekly guests, including Strictly Come Dancing star Sarah Hadland and comedian Tom Allen.

Recounting their individual experiences on the programme, both stars disclosed that they were offered generous amounts of alcohol away from the cameras.

Speaking together on Pottering with Tom Allen, Sarah said: “I quite like Alan Titchmarsh,” prompting Tom to ask whether she had appeared on his ITV show.

Confirming she had featured twice, she added: “I love it.”

“You go to this barn near Guilford and get p****d,” Tom went on to reveal. Reflecting on her own experience, Sarah recalled drinking “a lot of rum” during her appearance on the show.

“Yeah, they get you really smashed,” Tom added. Sharing her thoughts on the much-loved host, the Strictly star described Alan as “lovely [and] very personable”.

“Very personable,” Tom agreed. “And the people who own the barn [were] very nice.”

Discussing a moment that appeared to take her by surprise, Sarah recalled getting ready in the owner’s daughter’s bedroom, to which the comedian confessed he had done exactly the same.

“I think she moved out a long time ago,” he added. “I was there like, ‘Her eyeliner is magnificent’, she laughed. “The whole feel of it is very chilled.”

Alan remains a firm favourite on ITV, with his show Love Your Garden also proving a massive hit among viewers.

During a recently aired repeated episode, some viewers claimed he and his team “ruined” a garden belonging to couple Rob and Margaret Isdale.

Explaining the 2019 renovation during the episode, the gardener disclosed that he had converted their shed into a mock Tudor-inspired structure, while incorporating several crumbling brick “columns”.

Although many took to X to applaud the transformation, one viewer felt it featured too many “bricks and concrete”, while another described it as “too crowded”.

However, Rob was full of admiration for the team’s hard work, insisting they did “a brilliant job”.

He told us exclusively: “Alan Titchmarsh was great. He came and interviewed us part way through while we were out in the caravan site [as the transformation took place]. Yeah, no complaints at all.”

Rob went on to reveal that while they still cherish their garden, he has made a handful of small changes over the years.

“The shed, that’s now my art studio, I took up painting so I sit in there and do my painting,” he added. “It is the same, the only thing we took down was a tree that was in front of our kitchen window that was blocking out the view a bit and the light.”

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs today at 9.30am on ITV and ITVX

Jesse Kardon has come a long way from his days as a teenager messing around with Ableton in his bedroom. The 33-year-old DJ and producer better known as Subtronics is now an established EDM star. Over the last 15 years, he has built a career that has taken him from playing small clubs in his hometown of Philadelphia to a fall headlining set at the Sphere in Las Vegas and then a landmark run of six sold-out shows at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium in December.

Back in 2022, he performed a surprise set at Coachella’s intimate electronic-focused Do Lab stage, but this year marks his proper Indio, Calif., debut where he is the highest-billed dubstep-rooted artist, playing the massive Sahara Tent on Sunday and April 19. He will also perform two Southland shows between his Coachella sets at the Fox Theater in Pomona on Tuesday and at the GV Surf Club in Palm Springs on April 18.

While EDM has emerged over the years as a dominant force, comprising nearly 45% of this year’s lineup, artists from the sometimes polarizing dubstep/riddim scene are rarely given such a prominent platform.

Subtronics’ sound has expanded in recent years. His remix of John Summit’s “Crystallized feat. Inéz” has garnered praise, while “Fibonacci Pt. 2,” his latest in a set of math-inspired releases, interweaves the melodic with the heavy. “Infinity,” featuring fellow EDM DJ Grabbitz, and “Contour,” featuring vocalist Lyrah, stand out.

Although his work has evolved to include more melodic soundscapes, Subtronics remains committed to bringing more people to a better understanding of the genre that first brought his life into focus. He will never forget how playing drums for years as a kid taught him the foundations of rhythm, and he carries the gritty sounds of Philadelphia hip-hop and trap that shaped that sound into his work today.

Dubstep has affected his life in deeply personal ways. As a kid, a shared love of the scene brought him closer to his sister. Later on, he met Sonya Broner, the dubstep artist known as Level Up. Broner is now his wife, and they often collaborate.

In a remote conversation from his new home in Laurel Canyon, Subtronics talks about his milestone Coachella run and shares thoughts on everything from what to expect from his set to his legacy in dubstep and beyond.

This interview is lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

I’m really hopeful to introduce bass music to a lot of new people, because I believe the rising tide raises all ships,” Subtronics said.

(Jason Fenmore)

What is your mindset? How are you feeling going into this weekend?

“I’ve been really super hyper focused on Coachella for about, pretty much the moment we finished the tour, which was about two, three weeks ago. It’s been really all hands on deck, nonstop working on that.”

Take me back to when you first got the news that you booked Coachella. Was that something you and your team had been working specifically toward?

“It was honestly, an almost several year plan where that really was the goal, and we were kind of thinking of the different opportunities we’ve had over the years, and the things we were going to have going forward, and how could we strategize in a way where we can work our way towards Coachella, and that’s kind of what the Shrine was. The hope was like, if we can sell out three [nights at Shrine], we’ve got a pretty good chance of getting a booking, and then we sold out a ton of them. It’s such a good time slot on such a great stage…both me and my inner child are completely freaking out.”

Did you take a moment to celebrate?

“Absolutely, yes. And you know what? It always comes in the form of, like, little moments. Because I do get so… I do have these “pause” moments where it’s like, ‘Stop and appreciate how far you’ve come.’ ‘Stop and realize the gravity of this. You’re really doing these things; all of this hard work has manifested and paid off. This Coachella slot, and even just playing at all, is ammunition to fight back against the imposter syndrome. It’s beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. I never expected any of this to get this far, and I was just trying to learn how to make cool sounds.”

Do you think about historical context, where you fit in in the history of electronic music and in Coachella’s history?

“Oh, man, I love that question so much, because it’s my No. 1 thing. When I first started, aside from wanting to learn and get good at it… my goal was to contribute to the culture and leave a mark that’s remembered, because I’m really passionate about the history of both dubstep and dance music. So many historic moments happened at Coachella. And it really is such an honor, because I just think of ‘Oh my God, dude.’ Like, Daft Punk, you know? I can’t even wrap my head around it, but it is the thing that matters most to me: being remembered years from now and doing things that really feel like they contributed to the culture.

I’m really hopeful to introduce bass music to a lot of new people, because I believe the rising tide raises all ships. There’s a lot of us dubstep and bass music makers. And I think anytime one of us gets an opportunity, it really kind of raises the ceiling for the whole scene, and we are all in it together… there’s so many talented producers that deserve to be able to make a living off of it. And the bigger the scene gets, the more people can fit under the umbrella, and pay their rent and live a successful life doing what they love.”

The highest-billed dubstep-rooted artist on this year’s festival lineup, Subtronics views his performances as a chance to introduce bass music to mainstream audiences.

(Jason Fenmore)

Have you been feeling any pressure? And if so, how have you been handling it?

“Yeah, definitely, because I think I feel pressure from multiple angles. I’ll feel pressure from the very core fan base to stick to a certain style. And then I’ll feel pressure as both a DJ and a music producer. And whenever I get these opportunities, they’re so far outside of, you know, the core of dubstep, I feel the opposite end of pressure where it’s like, you should read the room, be a DJ, you know, like, figure out what their energy is. So it’s kind of pulling me in two different directions, and my answer to that has been to have faith in my own taste — to ignore both of them, to just completely ignore everybody, and to trust what I like and have faith that my taste is what got me here in the first place.”

What is your overarching goal for these shows?

“I make a bunch of stuff, but I do mostly identify as a dubstep and bass music artist. So, to be able to represent that on such a gigantic platform to a whole ton of people who might not necessarily be 100% EDM festival attendees… to play for them is really exciting. And then the livestream as well, it’s like there’s a crazy amount of viewers who might be completely new to bass music or new to dubstep, you know, tuning in. I take it as a responsibility to introduce people to bass music and contextualize it in the best way I can. And also expressing myself as honestly and authentically as I can — having that moment of individuality and uniqueness.

What do you think mainstream audiences might not understand about dubstep?

“Something that I do think is interesting is the original wave of dubstep, the original U.K., 2004 through 2008, it was on the radio. It was melodic, it was musical. It wasn’t nearly as polarizing. Obviously, it got more aggressive and became more of a huge, showy, crazy, overstimulating thing as it, as it moved its way over to the States. But I seek to strike a middle ground. Something I experienced a lot when I first started touring was being in a sub-genre incorrectly labeled [as riddim].

The issue is that riddim is already a genre: dancehall. It already exists…I think that’s not a very well-known thing. It should have been called swamp or something like that…trench. A few names were being thrown around. I called it “wonky step” at the time because it was just really wonky and repetitive. I guess riddim is what stuck for whatever reason. I was playing for a group that was much more melodic, much more theatrical, and everyone who came up to me after the shows told me, ‘I don’t like riddim. I’ve never liked riddim before, but hearing it in your set…it makes sense to me now. So I hope to be almost like a translator. My goal is to express myself authentically and honestly, playing all original music in a way that makes sense to both groups of people [mainstream and insiders].”

Do you remember your very first performance as Subtronics? And is there something from that time you carry with you going into this weekend?

The first time I was ever actually on stage, like at a dance music venue with my name on the screen, like playing my own songs. I was opening at SoundGarden Hall, which is now known as the Ave. One of the things that early on that blew my mind the most, I was playing an after party in one of the worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia, one of the most dangerous places I’ve ever been to, maybe in my whole life, and I was standing by the front door where they’re dealing drugs and selling nitrous and some a stranger walks in the door, someone who I didn’t know, and I heard them say, ‘I heard Subtronics is playing tonight. Is that true?’ And it exploded my brain. It was the first time I had a fan that I didn’t know personally, and I will never forget that. I will never, ever, ever, ever forget as long as I live.”

A British woman who left the UK for the USA has spoken about how one incident forced her to re-evaluate her whole life in the country

A woman who moved from Yorkshire to the United States at the age of 22 has spoken about how one moment in her new home country caused her to re-evaluate everything.

Kari Wells, who built a career on the American cable channel Bravo, moved to Aspen, Colorado where she met her now husband Duncan with whom she has two children.

Later, the pair moved to Atlanta, Georgia, which is where things took a turn when she was robbed in October 2019 by two gunmen.

In the ensuing robbery, Wells was knocked out when she was hit on the back of her head by one of the gunmen. Despite surviving, the robbery would have a major impact on her with Kari telling the Telegraph she later received treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that in turn led to her writing her book ‘From Attitude to Gratitude’.

Speaking to the publication, she said that the incident was a “literal way” of being forced to “re-evaluate” her life. She explained: “It’s like I was juggling it all, and I was so busy that I wasn’t really living my life. I was on this treadmill, missing out on a lot of great things.

“The aftermath was more traumatising than the event because you go into this state… something that I cannot even explain.”

During her recovery, Wells convinced her husband to make several changes to their home including parking their car across their gate that they secured with cable ties.

Furthermore, the pair also moved back to where they’d first met in Aspen, Colorado. The incident also brought into even sharper relief for Wells the “insanity” of gun violence in the USA.

Although Kari is one of many people who has moved from the UK and Europe to the USA, in recent years there has been a growing trend in the opposite direction with Americans now moving to the UK and Europe.

According to data from the Brookings Institution reported in The Wall Street Journal, the USA saw negative net migration for the first time in nearly a century in 2025 with more people leaving than arriving last year for the first time since 1935 and the peak of the Great Depression.

Although this massive moment has happened during US President Donald Trump’s second term, in a phenomenon some have dubbed ‘The Donald Dash’, others say the situation is more complex than one person becoming leader.

Other examples include economic changes and the rise of remote working meaning more people can work from anywhere on the planet and don’t have to be tethered to their job by geography.

Gun violence is also a factor with Berlin-based employee of a Texas real estate investment firm Chris Ford using an example of active shooter drills, reports the Independent.

This, he said, was one major difference between life in the USA and life in European nations such as Spain and the Netherlands: “You don’t face the prospect of your five-year-old going into a kindergarten and doing an active shooter drill. The wages are higher in the U.S. but the quality of life is higher in Europe.”

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have safely splashed down on Earth, completing a landmark mission that carried humans around the Moon and back for the first time in more than 50 years.

A 13-year-old girl on Snapchat captured the moment Israel began its assault on Beirut. In the video posted on her mother’s social media, she is seen running with her father to hide from the blast. On the first day of the US-Iran ceasefire, Israel said it bombed Lebanon 100 times in just 10 minutes, killing hundreds.

Early in “The Drama,” things are still good between Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson). The young happy couple, about a week away from getting married, have enjoyed a whirlwind romance. As this dark comedy’s opening credits roll, they’re blissfully practicing their first dance, laughing and stumbling as they try to get their twirls and steps right.

But the scene’s highlight is the song that plays in the background, airy, gentle and simple. Spare guitar chords give way to a female voice that sounds unpolished but beautiful: “I want to lay with you/ In an open field/ Where yellow flowers are suns of Earth.”

For many viewers, this will be the first time they’ve ever heard “I Want to Lay With You,” one of the most gorgeous love songs of the 1970s. It’s also likely they’ll have no idea who the singer is. Her name is Shira Small, and in 1974, she recorded an incredible album, “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now,” when she was 17. She never recorded another — at least, not yet. Now nearly 70, Small may finally be getting her moment in the spotlight.

“I’m cracking up,” says Small over Zoom from her Cooperstown, N.Y., home, “because I had no idea whatsoever that that movie was coming out until my dear sister informed me via you.” Flashing a relaxed smile and sporting long gray hair, Small knows little about the controversial “The Drama,” an A24 film with a heavily guarded twist.

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in the movie “The Drama.”

(A24)

But it’s becoming a delightfully frequent occurrence that Small learns after the fact that her music is featured prominently in a movie or television show. “The record company does what they do and then they send me royalties and I get it in a statement,” she explains. “I had a song that HBO bought for ‘Pause With Sam Jay.’ They sent me an email that was not even to me — it was this interdepartmental thing. At the bottom, it said, ‘Oh, by the way, it airs tonight.’”

Jemma Burns, music supervisor for “The Drama,” had been a fan of Small’s album, thinking “I Want to Lay With You” would be perfect for this idyllic scene, right before Emma and Charlie’s relationship implodes over a disturbing revelation that turns their dream wedding into a nightmare.

“He was trying to set up the rom-com tone,” says Burns of the movie’s writer-director Kristoffer Borgli, “one that would contrast with the modernity of the setting and where the film goes. He wanted something that was from a bygone era, but also something that felt disarmingly charming. The two lead characters are very switched-on, fashionable, arty. So it felt like something they would’ve had in their record collection.”

The youngest of five siblings, Small always loved singing. But even as an adolescent growing up in Harlem, she felt like an old soul, her thoughts running deeper than the average kid’s.

“My focus was on not understanding war and hatred and bigotry,” she says. “I was seriously into trying to make love happen everywhere.”

Against the backdrop of the war in Vietnam and the Black Power movement, Small was well on her way to becoming a hippie, a transformation amplified by her enrollment in a private Quaker boarding academy, George School, in Newtown, Penn., on a full scholarship. When she arrived at George School, Small recalls, laughing, it was “very rich and very white. But I’ve always been a flotation device. I can walk around like I don’t have a clue about things.”

Shira Small, photographed in 1971 at George School in Newtown, Penn.

(Courtesy of Shira Small)

At George School, Small sported an Afro and smoked weed. She was drawn to theater and music, impressing music teacher and classical pianist Lars Clutterham, who saw she had talent. They worked on songs together, with Small coming up with the lyrics and vocal melodies. Every student had to complete a senior project, so Small proposed that hers be an album. Not long after, she and Clutterham drove to a Philadelphia studio for a one-day session.

The 10 songs on “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” — each recorded in only one take — mix folk, soul and jazz, radiating innocence. The arrangements, awash in old-school analog warmth, are straightforward: guitar or piano supplemented with drums, leaving plenty of space for Small’s lilting voice, which contains both idealism and, even as a teen, traces of real-life sorrow.

Her mother died while she was at George School, inspiring “My Life’s All Right,” a ballad about surviving tough times, which later appeared on the Sam Jay show. “Eternal Life” sprang out of her in one burst, celebrating the power of love to transcend life’s harsh realities. As for the movie’s “I Want to Lay With You,” it was about a boy Small liked. She just can’t remember who anymore.

“It was somebody who was just as much a friend as a person that I had a crush on,” she recalls. “I honestly felt that we could have a life together.”

Small laughs at her adolescent self. “Like I knew what it would be like to have a freaking life together! To be able to wake up with somebody and have a beautiful day and always make them smile.”

According to Small, George School’s parents and students raised money to pay for the album and 300 copies were produced. “It was a joyous time,” she recalls. “I was on my way — to somewhere!” After graduation, though, she struggled to find her footing, eventually graduating summa cum laude from the City University of New York with a theater degree. But then she chose pre-med, becoming a physician assistant.

“When I became pre-med, it was so hard for me that I was just tunnel-visioned,” explains Small about why she said goodbye to music. “I had to devote my whole self to it. It was so all-encompassing that I could think of nothing else.”

But there was another reason she walked away from music. From an early age, Small suffered debilitating stage fright. “It was so bad that it would twist my stomach into a knot,” she recalls. She gutted it out to do plays at George School and, later, record her album. After a while, though, “It just got to be too much.”

Still, didn’t she miss singing? “Constantly,” replies Small, who retired about five years ago from the medical profession. “I sang unconsciously a lot. My patients always picked up on it — they’d be like, ‘Every time you come in, you’re singing.’”

But although Small abandoned music, “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” never went away. In 2006, the Numero Group, an archival record label, put together a compilation, “Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies From the Canyon,” devoted to under-the-radar female singers from the 1970s. Numero Group co-founder Ken Shipley made sure “Eternal Life” was included.

“I was the first person to ever reach out to Shira,” he says proudly in a separate phone interview. Shipley heard “Eternal Life” on a burned CD of femme-folk artists that was making the industry rounds at the turn of the millennium while he was putting together his “Wayfaring Strangers” lineup. “Shira was a top want for me.”

The Numero Group put “Eternal Life” on Spotify in 2013. But when the label released the full album digitally in 2022, “I don’t know that anybody really cared,” Shipley says. Undeterred, he reissued it on vinyl the following year. Maybe listeners just needed time.

“Music finds a way,” Shipley says. “Music’s like water. It’s going to get down the creek into the river into the ocean. It’s going to find its audience.”

Sure enough, strange serendipitous moments started happening for Small. A future bandmate’s ex had one of her songs on a playlist, having no idea it was Small. She recently started working part-time at a local opera house and one of the opera singers adored “Eternal Life,” unaware that Small was an employee.

And now, royalty checks arrive for the usage of her songs in films like “The Drama.” It still feels unreal to Small that her album generates revenue. “It was never for commercial purposes,” she says. “I can’t believe that I am collecting any royalties on that music and that it just keeps going and going.”

Small’s husband died in 2019 after 34 years of marriage. It sent her spiraling, but then something remarkable happened. “The day I came out of it, the music was gushing out of me so fast that I couldn’t keep up with it,” she says. “I had to walk around with a voice memo. I hadn’t spoken to Lars in more than a decade. I sent him all of these voice memos and he sent me a note: ‘Shira, you still got it.’”

In 2024, she released her first song in 50 years, “Why,” which lays out her fears for the world. Her voice is different, deeper, possessing a lifetime of experience that her teenage self couldn’t have possibly imagined. Small is now plotting out an album and has some shows lined up. Even better, she’s worked through her stage fright.

Eventually, she’ll perform her old songs, but she’s figuring out how to hit that higher register from her youth. “I’ve gone through decades of hormones and cigarettes and all the other things that I did that I’m happy I lived through,” she says, wryly.

“I still have a thing about yellow flowers in open fields,” she admits. “We have these huge sunflower fields here. The whole idea of being in such a beautiful place with yellow flowers that light up a great day is what popped into my head when I wrote that lyric.”

I ask her what she makes of that young woman she hears on “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” today.

“I know her so well,” replies Small. “You know why? Because she’s still here. I am, at this point, everybody I’ve ever been ever, leading up to this moment.

“I still feel the same way about many things,” she continues. “I’m probably angrier now than I was when I was a child, but I still have this underlying thing about looking at a bigger picture to help me keep my lid on. When I think back on ‘Eternal Life’ and ‘My Life’s All Right,’ that music was born from my core. And my core does not have an age.”

The world famous botanical gardens at Kew offer so much more than plants – we tried a sound bath in the iconic Nash Conservatory

Kew Gardens – the world-famous botanical gardens with the largest collection in the globe.

Internationally renowned and vitally important to our understanding of plant life, not to mention the millions of specimens also held in this stunning corner of West London, Kew also boasts being a World Heritage Site.

This oasis of calm, serenity and beauty is also one of the capital’s most visited tourist attractions – and my ultimate happy place.

Be in the depths of winter, the first blooms of spring, the sun-kissed height of summer or the golden autumn days, Kew always has something to entrance and amaze.

It doesn’t matter how many thousands of people might flood through the gates each day, this vast site always has an air of peace and calm.

So, when it came to my first ever sound bath experience – have no fear there is no water involved – what better place to try it than surrounded by nature at Kew.

And what exactly is a sound bath? In short it’s a meditation experience using gongs, Tibetan bowls and crystal bowls, along with chimes to create a dream-like state somewhere between sleep and waking.

Said to help ease stress and anxiety – and with the state of, well, everything, at the moment – who doesn’t need a bit of that?

On Kew’s website, it states: “Therapeutic sound has been proven to offer a wide range of health benefits, helping to boost your immune system by making you feel more grounded, balanced, and connected.

“No previous experience is needed for this expert-led session, making it the perfect opportunity to try a new way of reaching deep meditation and relaxation.”

It’s also recommended to have a stroll around the incredible gardens before you step into the Nash Conservatory for the hour long session.

Gently strolling through the vast expanse of Kew, surrounded by blossom trees and areas filled with sunshine-coloured daffodils, I could already feel my stress melting away even before the session began.

Held in the glorious Nash Conservatory, close to Kew Palace with the Elizabeth Gate the closest entrance, this sunshine-filled spaced already felt welcoming and calm the moment you stepped in.

You’re advised to bring a blanket, cushion and eye mask so you can be comfortable and fully immersed in the experience, which is led by Jez Smith FRSA, a historical musician and qualified sound therapist, who has been practising for 35 years.

Lying in the space, eyes closed, eye mask on and cosy in my blanket, the session began. Gentle noise filled the room, within minutes I could feel my shoulders relaxing.

As the sound slowly builds – it never feels overwhelmingly loud but does fill the entire space – I could feel every muscle in my body slowly sinking into the floor.

Still awake but only vaguely aware of my surroundings, there was a moment where I felt my entire face and jaw relax – I had no clue I was holding so much tension there.

Advised by Jez to focus on the noise and try to push away thoughts as they popped into your head – something which became increasingly easy to do as the session progressed – I became totally unaware of time and before I knew it, our hour was up.

Brought back to full consciousness by the gentle sound of chimes, as we all slowly returned to sitting I was stunned to feel I not only felt relaxed but more care-free than I had for months.

Another slow stroll through Kew before heading home and I can firmly say sound baths are not only good for easing stress, they’re also good for the soul.

Sound baths at Kew Gardens

Kew is holding regular sound baths on selected dates between now and October.

For more information, visit the website.

After a major national debacle on live TV when she was only 20 years old, Ashlee Simpson Ross finally found a way to win back a small-screen audience’s love: She put a galaxy mask over her head and let the vocals rip.

Forget that 2004 incident where she got caught singing over a backing track in an appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Sure, she did a weird little dance, then fled the set. Sure, her dad made excuses. But that’s in the past.

The winner of “The Masked Singer,” who is married to Evan Ross, Diana Ross’ singer-actor son, was bubbly as she celebrated her victory in a post-finale interview published Wednesday night. On the season finale, she had sung Olivia Rodrigo’s tune “Good 4 U.”

“I feel like I became Galaxy Girl and I had the best team ever,” Simpson told People. “So I mean, it felt great to do it. It felt great to perform, not being able to see where I’m going. You can hardly see where you’re going. I think just becoming that character of Galaxy Girl and people not knowing who I was, it was just a different way of performing that. I enjoyed that. It was definitely a moment of discovery.”

Back in fall 2004, Simpson, who’s now 41, was about to do her second song as the musical guest on “SNL.” Following in her famous sister’s footsteps as Jessica Simpson’s newlyweds reality show with then-husband Nick Lachey was hitting its stride, she had just released what would become the year’s top-selling album by a female singer.

Then the band started up — and the wrong lyrics started playing out of the ether. Simpson was not singing them. So she did an uncomfortable sort of jig before walking off the set and leaving the band stranded. Cut to commercial.

Lorne Michaels would confirm later that it had been a first for the sketch show.

“What can I say? Live TV,” host Jude Law told the audience during the show’s goodbye sequence that night. Simpson, standing at his side, jumped in with a rapid-fire explanation of what had just happened, throwing her band under the bus and not making much sense at all.

“I feel so bad. My band started playing the wrong song and I didn’t know what to do, so I thought I’d do a hoedown. I’m sorry!” she said.

This was a year after her sister had asked, with cameras rolling, whether a can of Chicken of the Sea contained tuna or chicken, and whether Buffalo wings were made out of buffalo. So what stuck in people’s minds were those lyrics playing out of the ether. Ashlee Simpson, it was clear, intended to lip sync, which sort of implied to casual observers that she couldn’t sing. She became, to many, a laughingstock.

Her dad said afterward that acid reflux had made her vocal cords swell, necessitating the last-minute switch from live to Memorex. He called it a learning experience and said she would prove herself in future shows.

“Unfortunately, that happened to us on Saturday, so just like every other artist in America she has backing tracks … so you don’t have to hear her croaking through a song on national television,” Joe Simpson told Ryan Seacrest in a radio interview.

“She never used them before,” he said of the vocal tracks, but “you have to do what you have to do.”

A few months later, she was booed on national TV when she did the halftime show at the 2005 Orange Bowl. Folks joked that it was worse than what happened on “SNL.”

So, yes, her career continued, but it hasn’t been 100% smooth. After a couple more albums, she took a role in a Broadway musical and eventually she returned to acting. She said over and over that she was going to get back into music, but life kept getting in the way.

Then in 2025, after celebrating the 20-year anniversary of her breakout album release with a short gig at a WeHo nightclub the year prior, she announced a residency at the Venetian in Las Vegas. The gig proved popular enough that it was extended into 2026.

And over the course of “The Masked Singer” season, Simpson finally proved to those casual observers that she has a voice and knows how to use it. She even bested her husband, who competed this season as Stingray and was cast out in Episode 10.

“Performing is my happy place, and to be doing that again just feels so nice,” she told People. “I’m inspired to keep playing shows and creating new music. And moments like ‘Masked Singer’ and Vegas, and I’m looking forward to Pride and Stagecoach — those moments just make me realize, ‘Oh, this is what I love to do.’

“I’m happy to be doing it again.”

Good for you, Galaxy Girl.

The UCLA women’s gymnastics team enters the NCAA regionals on Friday in Corvallis, Ore., focused on three principles — calm, confidence and commitment to one another. The Bruins started leaning on the mantra to help them stay dialed in as they took home the Big Ten tournament title, Mika Webster-Longin said.

Now, they will use it as they to push to reach the NCAA championship.

“The Big Ten win really feels good and helps our confidence going [into NCAA regionals],” she said. “It felt great to put everything together because I feel like we really built off of one another and showed what we can do to not only the Big Ten competition, but to everyone.”

“It gives us just the right amount of confidence going into regionals and then seeing where it takes us,” Tiana Sumanasekera said.

UCLA gymnasts Nola Matthews, left, and Tiana Sumanasekera, right, cheer as Jordan Chiles lands a jump during her floor exercise routine at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 17.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

During the NCAA Corvallis Regional, San José State and Washington will face off for spots in the main pool. No. 4 seed UCLA then competes in one of two sessions on Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 13 seed Minnesota, Iowa and the winner of the Spartans versus Huskies early matchup.

If the Bruins place in the top two, they advance to the regional final on Sunday to face the top two teams in the other regional pool that includes No. 5 seed Alabama, No. 12 seed Utah, Denver and host Oregon State.

The top two teams in the regional final along with the top individual all-around performer and top event finishers not on a qualifying team advance to the NCAA championship.

Last year, UCLA finished in first place during its opening regional matchup and second during the finals, advancing to the championship meet.

The Bruins’ biggest takeaway from last season’s competition has been to be intentional, attack their gymnastics and be aggressive with their routines, UCLA coach Janelle McDonald said.

“The best teams that have the most success at these competitions are the ones that really leave no doubt out there,” she said.

At this point in the season, performing a familiar routine isn’t hard for UCLA. The Bruins’ main focus is on nailing details and to be present during every moment of their routines to score every possible point. With a two-day competition waiting for them in Corvallis, the Bruins also need to make sure they commit to recovery treatment so that they’re as sharp as possible for the second day of competition, McDonald said.

“That’s really been our mentality, be really efficient, very confident, very present and intentional about what we’re doing,” she said.

The stakes are higher, but the conference champions say they will treat this as business as usual. The Bruins want to lock in and highlight the areas that have helped them demonstrate competitive greatness throughout the season.

“Each and every weekend we’re building that mentality,” McDonald said. “We have so many experiences under our belt that we’ve learned from.”

Sumanasekera said hard work all season has helped prepare the team for the test it faces this weekend.

“We’re really excited, we have incredible depth on this team, so I think that really helped us in the long run,” she said.

UCLA teammates cheer as gymnast Jordan Chiles completes her floor routine during the Big Four competition at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 27.

(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)

Webster-Longin experienced the postseason last year as a freshman. This year, she had a late start due to an illness that kept her out for three meets.

Since returning on Feb. 27, she has competed in all-around events during the last three meets and has improved her scores each week.

That was the moment Webster-Longin remembered just how competitively great she is, McDonald said.

“I’ve seen the details become more consistent, and I’ve just seen her just be excited to go out and help the team in any way they need,” McDonald said, “And boy, has she done just that.”

Webster-Longin was asked to fill in as an emergency injury replacement during her first meet of the season and has figured out how to be successful whenever she’s placed in the lineup.

“At least for me, trusting the work I put in this year and even the experience I’ve had last year helped me be able to step up for those pressure situations and important moments,” she said.

Alipio has turned the page

UCLA gymnast Ciena Alipio celebrates after competing on the uneven bars during the Big Four meet at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 27.

(Katharine Lotze / Getty Images)

During the Big Ten championship, Ciena Alipio fell during her balance beam routine. It was a moment when she was looking forward to doing her best, McDonald said, but Alipio didn’t have the result she wanted. Instead, it was a great lesson for her to learn — mistakes happen.

“She’s just really been able to turn the page and get back into training,” she added. “She’s had a great week of training. She looked phenomenal and just really dialed in and it kind of put those kinds of mistakes behind you.”

BBC Ambulance viewers were left feeling emotional during the latest instalment of the popular series

Ambulance viewers were left in tears as they watched the “heart-wrenching” moment the parademics helped an elderly man on end of life care.

During Wednesday’s (April 1) instalment of the BBC hit series, which follows ambulance crews in Yorkshire, viewers saw an emergency team receive a call to attend to a 91-year-old man Terry, who was struggling to breathe.

Halifax crew 1671 Siobhan and Ellie rushed to the scene and found Terry lying in a hospital bed in his living room.

It was clear that Terry was uncomfortable as he struggled to breathe and was getting choked up when coughing. To help with the pain, he was given medication.

In a heartbreaking moment, Terry admitted that he didn’t want to go to hospital so Siobhan made a few calls to confirm he was able to do so.

Visibly moved, Siobhan said: “The most valuable job that I go to is an end of life job. They require a level of care and calm and cup of tea making. A hospital is not the place for everybody.

“Sometimes when we go to a patient who is dying, you have to be that patient’s advocate, following somebody’s wishes and keeping them comfortable and happy. No matter how difficult that is.”

Terry was able to stay in the comfort of his own home as Siobhan admitted that “there is nothing more we could do”.

While sitting in the ambulance, She turned to Ellie and said: “I’ve met Terry before and Terry that we went into was so different but I don’t think there is nothing more we could do.”

Ellie replied: “I think we have done the right thing there. He didn’t want to go to hospital and when someone is on palliative care is it the right thing to do – take them out of their nice warm home. Bless him.”

At the end of the show, it was revealed that Terry had spent three days in hospital before returning home, where he died in line with his wishes.

Viewers were left feeling emotional over the heartbreaking scene as they rushed to social media to share their reaction.

One fan wrote: “#ambulance Aw Terry. Heart wrenching.” Another said: “Terry is breaking my heart #Ambulance.” Someone else commented: “The hardest thing is watching people you love gradually fade away. #Ambulance.”

A fourth fan admitted: “It’s a tough watch tonight #Ambulance. One emotional viewer said: “Sobbing watching this #Ambulance.”

Meanwhile a fifth person added: “Tonight’s episode is just…. tough to see the elderly people nearing the end of their lives and all the paramedics being so caring & dignified in treating them.”

Ambulance airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesdays at 9pm

Judy Reyes is making every moment count.

Earlier this year, the Bronx-born Dominican actor reprised her breakthrough TV role as Carla Espinosa on the reboot of the beloved ABC medical sitcom, “Scrubs.” For just four episodes, she returned to Sacred Heart Hospital as head nurse and an exhausted mother of four daughters, whom she parents alongside her onscreen hubby, chief of surgery Dr. Christopher Turk (played by Donald Faison).

While fans only caught a quick glimpse of Carla — who is said to be picking up extra shifts elsewhere — her name lingers in the script.

“I’m like the Lord,” said Reyes on a recent video call with The Times. “Just when you think you’re getting away with something, there’s Carla!”

In reality, Reyes has been splitting her time on set with another ABC workplace drama. Now in its second season, “High Potential” sees Reyes leading a top-notch team of crime solvers as Lieutenant Selena Soto, opposite Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata. “I don’t know any other way to be!” she said of the role. “Latinos are lieutenants and nurses and doctors, et cetera!”

When The Times connected with Reyes, she was crouched down backstage at the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College in the Bronx. We spoke merely hours before the debut of “Freestyle: A Love Story,” a stage production that follows two lovers who meet at a freestyle show — then reconnect at a concert 20 years later.

Created and directed by George Valencia, with Reyes as one of the executive producers, the story interlaces the history of freestyle music: a Latin hip-hop and pop hybrid genre popularized in the 1980s by acts like Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, George Lamond and Judy Torres.

“Our very existence is political no matter what. Our joy is a problem for a lot of people,” said Reyes. “It’s really important for us to tell our stories.”

Between the passion project and two highly-rated Hulu shows, which continue to stream on the platform despite eventual plans to merge into the Disney+ app, Reyes is not taking her spotlight for granted — especially amid a sinking Hollywood industry model that’s made it difficult for some to find work — “I’m milking it for all it’s about,” she said.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How were you able to film both the “Scrubs” reboot and Season 2 of “High Potential”?
ABC was willing to make it work. “Scrubs” had been in the works for a long time. From Zach Braff and Donald Faison doing their podcast [during the pandemic], to the T-Mobile commercials … A whole new generation became interested in and got hitched to “Scrubs.”] It just so happened at the same time that “High Potential” was happening. My manager was wonderful about making sure [filming] was accommodating.

“I’m so honored and so thrilled to be part of what I consider a television history,” said Judy Reyes of her role as Carla Espinosa on the ABC medical sitcom “Scrubs.”

(Jeff Weddell / Disney)

 Did it feel natural to return as your character Carla on “Scrubs”?
 It did. They did right by making all these characters older. We were all older with each other. We’re all friends that don’t necessarily talk to each other every day [except] Zach and Donald — they’re pretty much married — but it was like we never left.

 What has changed in Carla — and what hasn’t changed?
What’s changed in Carla is that she’s got four kids and she’s tired and she’s older. The consuming passion of her work is not what it used to be because it’s physical. Life is catching up. Her kids are older, so everything changes and she’s not able to work her ass off the way she used to and she has to confront that.

In season 2 of “High Potential,” your character Lieutenant Soto faces a moment of defeat when she’s not chosen to be captain. What thoughts popped into your head as you rehearsed the scene?
It’s extremely well-written. Defeat is very relatable as a woman — [and] as a woman of color, as a woman of a certain age and as a woman of a certain position. I think we can all, as actors, relate to not getting something you are sure you deserved. But there’s also the surrendering. It’s opening up to all the [possibilities] because if you don’t do that, then you get paralyzed. It stops you in your tracks. “Well, what if I feel this defeat again?” You might, you know, but what’s your alternative?  You gotta eat s— to move ahead.

Judy Reyes portrays Lieutenant Selena Soto in “High Potential,” leading a top-notch team of crime solvers opposite Kaitlin Olson and Daniel Sunjata.

(Jessica Perez / Disney)

There are some moments in “High Potential” when your character is holding up a mug with the Dominican Republic flag. How do you find other ways to incorporate your Latinidad in the story?
When we did the “High Potential” pilot, the props department said I got a mug in the scene and if I wanted anything on it. I was like, “Hmm, no one ever asked me before. Can you do a Dominican flag?” That was in Vancouver and I’ve had it since. The Dominicans lose their f— minds on social media and I love it. It fills my heart.

The other stuff is just being me, which is the purpose of being an artist. I don’t know how much sense it makes to throw in the Spanish word, unless you have other Latino people with you.

Latinos haven’t historically been represented as leaders in Hollywood. Has it evolved?
Things progressed before DEI collapsed. There was an active attempt and pursuit of putting people of color in leadership roles. I’m grateful it’s happened. I’m sad it’s retreated a little bit, but I think it has to start behind the camera. We need to champion writers, directors, producers and the stories or get risky and daring with casting.

 What has changed in Hollywood and what has not changed in your perspective?
Many things have changed from the way we view television. Everything is streamed. Now everything is a limited series. There’s such a political impact in what gets seen and what doesn’t. It’s very hard for people right now and I feel challenged to say how it is better, because I’m working. I see how hard it is. The best thing I can do is seize the platform and connect with other creatives who want to go ahead and take a chance and make investments in stories.

Now with the growing monopolies in the entertainment industry, I’m sure that’ll likely change Hollywood too.
It continues to affect the workforce. The workforce is gonna be severely impacted. The more you merge, the more people you fire and the more machines you put in their place. It’s a frightening moment.

I’m grateful I saw Noah Wyle represent against the [Paramount-Warner Bros.] merger. I’m motivated, because I think we ultimately have to protect each other and protect the art for as long as we can.

What grounds you and your art in an era that is often trying to strip you away from your creative liberties?
My company GoodTalk Films, myself and my partner and husband George Valencia are working with the Watford F.C. Women’s League to launch a Latina Women’s Football Club here in L.A.. We [want to] train Latinas to be coaches. That’s another way to reach out to the community and help people see themselves. That keeps you grounded in the creative process.

I see a lot of theater. I make a lot of trips to New York. I just saw [the Broadway adaptation of] “Dog Day Afternoon,” produced by Stephen Adly Guirgis. My kid is in the arts and I hang out a lot with him and help him sing and perform.  The process is what brings joy in working with other people interested in the same thing.

Viewers of the BBC documentary were left in tears after watching paramedics battle to save a 67-year-old man

Viewers were left emotional after a man tragically died during TV show Ambulance on Wednesday’s episode.

The most recent instalment of the BBC series, which follows ambulance crews in Yorkshire, saw an emergency team respond after receiving a call reporting that 67-year-old Steve had stopped breathing.

Critical care paramedic John was amongst those who raced to the location. As the team began CPR, John informed Steve’s partner Penny: “At the moment, the heart rhythm, Steve’s heart, there’s no electrical activity at all. It’s really not good I’m afraid.”

“I think you need to prepare yourself,” he continued. Penny mentioned that Steve was “quite stubborn”, with John responding: “So maybe, maybe he’ll prove me wrong. We’re not there yet.”

However, following 32 minutes of CPR, the decision was taken to stop and John had to deliver the devastating news to Penny, reports Yorkshire Live.

“Penny we’ve stopped,” he informed her. “I am really sorry.”

As they discussed what had happened, John reassured her: “Don’t second guess it. It wouldn’t have changed anything. Nothing you could have done, would have stopped that from happening.”

Penny recalled that there had been an “incredible sunset” that week, saying: “At least he saw that.”

Audiences were left devastated by the scenes, with one sharing on social media: “Sobbing for Steve and Penny. So glad he saw the beautiful sunset. With love.”

“I can’t deal with cardiac arrests,” one viewer wrote on X, including a crying emoji.

“This is brutal,” another individual commented on the platform. “This programme never fails to have me in tears,” admitted one viewer. “So much respect for the call handlers and paramedics.

“Awww wee Penny xxx, bless that paramedic man for his words of comfort,” wrote another, as a fellow viewer remarked: “Oh my goodness this programme Ambulance is so hard to watch.”

“Poor Penny,” said another moved viewer, while one more observed: “Such a dignified response from this lady to her partner just dying. Bless her heart.”

Ambulance airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesdays at 9pm.

MOLLY-Mae Hague was left speechless after boyfriend Tommy Fury called her a “piece of a***” in front of their daughter Bambi.

The Love Island icon, 26, is currently pregnant with their second baby after the couple got back together last year.

The couple are getting ready to welcome baby number two, after their daughter Bambi, three, was born in 2023.

Molly-Mae and Tommy often keep fans up-to-date with their family life at home, since reuniting after their split.

Today they shared a hilarious moment in the boxer’s latest YouTube vlog called: “Spend a weekend with me.”

In the video the couple were seen in the car with Bambi in the backseat.

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The conversation then turned to Molly saying that she “never looked worse”.

Tommy then quickly said that he “disagreed”.

“I think you look very beautiful. All of your luscious long blonde locks.” the boxer told Molly.

“And it’s very nice to have a piece as good as you in the front seat of the car.”

Molly then quickly asked; “A piece? What do you mean a piece?

To which Tommy replied with a grin: “One piece of a**!”

Molly then chuckled: “Babe, I’m your pregnant missus!”

She then added: “Terrible!”

It comes as Molly-Mae and Tommy quietly broke their baby news to family and close pals months ago, but shared a surprise video with fans in February.

The mum posted a sweet black and white clip on Instagram filmed on January 23, captioning it: “Soon to be four.”

It included Bambi who was wearing a “big sister” jumper.

Molly had previously expressed her desire to expand her family with Tommy in scenes aired on her Amazon Prime documentary in January.

Opening up about the future, she revealed: “All I want in this life is to be with him, and to have another baby with him, and to grow old as a family.

“And to live in a nice house together and have a nice life together. That’s all I want.”

Molly also dropped various clues about her pregnancy before announcing her joyous news, which is said to have strengthened her relationship with boxer Tommy.

A source told The Sun: “Finding out Molly is pregnant has really helped bring them close together again.

“Tommy is determined to do things right this time he has cancelled all of his summer trips with his friends, as he wants to stand by Molly every step of the way.

“Their new home is in a better place for both of them and has more than enough space for two children.”

The couple co-parented Bambi following their messy split in August 2024 – following reports Tommy cheated on her during a lads’ holiday.

Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury’s relationship timeline

From Love Island to a diamond ring and baby – we look at how Molly and Tommy have got to where they are today.

Rescuers have pulled a man alive from the rubble after US-Israeli strikes hit a residential area on the outskirts of Tehran, the Iranian Red Crescent said. The US and Israel have continued to strike Iran, despite President Trump’s claims of diplomatic progress.

CCTV footage shows an Israeli soldier throwing a stun grenade into a shop during a night raid near Ramallah.