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MORE than half of Brits who used to watch Doctor Who say they turned off because it had become “woke, boring rubbish”.

That is the result of an ­independent survey conducted as star Ncuti Gatwa exited the Tardis with a paltry 2.3 million viewers on Saturday.

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In a shock twist, he appeared to regenerate into the Doctor’s former companion Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper — but many are not convinced she is the Time Lord’s 16th incarnation.

The Sun exclusively revealed last month that Ncuti, 32, would be leaving the role after two series — the shortest tenure of any actor in the role since Christopher Eccleston, who left the rebooted BBC show after one series in 2005.

The survey quizzed 2,135 adults and found 42 per cent of current and former viewers said it had got worse since its relaunch two decades ago, with ­stories increasingly preachy and worthy.

Even one in three current viewers think it has got worse.

Plotlines over the past three years have featured trans heroines, non-binary baddies and drag-queen villains — and the Doctor coming out as gay, and crying in most episodes.

James Johnson of pollsters JL Partners said: “This is the first ever major poll done on attitudes to Doctor Who and the results are bleak.

“The public believe a once-great show has lost its way — and their biggest complaint is it puts pursuit of wokeness above entertainment value.

“The main words associated with it are rubbish, boring, and woke.

“If the BBC want to grow the show’s audience once more, they will need a total revamp.

“And to get back to telling entertaining stories rather than preaching lessons that simply do not have an audience among the British public.”

The poll found 46 per cent of current viewers think it puts social justice and woke issues above quality, compared with 37 per cent who believe the show puts quality first.

Those who have stopped watching say it puts social justice and woke issues first by a ratio of three to one.

The average age of current viewers is 42, compared with 51 for ex-fans.

They are also heavily Labour voters compared to a more politically diverse former audience.

The wokery ratcheted up after Doctor Who was taken over for a second time by showrunner Russell T Davies in 2023.

He was the man who rebooted the show in 2005 with Eccleston, followed by David Tennant.

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Who has starred in Doctor Who?

Which actors have portrayed the famous Time Lord over the years?

• First Doctor: William Hartnell (1963 – 1966)
• Second Doctor: Patrick Troughton (1966 – 1969)
• Third Doctor: Jon Pertwee (1970 – 1974)
• Fourth Doctor: Tom Baker (1974 – 1981)
• Fifth Doctor: Peter Davidson (1982 – 1984)
• Sixth Doctor: Colin Baker (1984 – 1986)
• Seventh Doctor: Sylvester McCoy (1987 – 1989)
• Eighth Doctor: Paul McGann (1996)
• Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston (2005)
• Tenth Doctor: David Tennant (2005 – 2010)
• 11th Doctor: Matt Smith (2010 – 2013)
• 12th Doctor: Peter Capaldi (2014 – 2017)
• 13th Doctor: Jodie Whittaker (2018 – 2022)
• 14th Doctor: David Tennant (2023)
• 15th Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa (2023 – present)

A respectable 5.1 million tuned in to see his “comeback episode” with David returning to play the Doctor for a second time in 2023.

The actor then handed over to Ncuti who had his first full series as the Fifteenth Doctor last year.

One Whovian writing on X/Twitter, said: “Thanks to RTD (Russell T Davies) Ncuti is tainted and ‘15’ will be remembered as the worst Doctor with the worst era in the history of Doctor Who.”

The Sun revealed BBC bosses were considering a hiatus for the show, though execs maintained they would not make a decision until the second series had aired.

Russell T Davies teased a return on Saturday, saying: “After 62 years, the Doctor’s adventures are only just beginning!”

But that seems optimistic given their current multimillion-pound deal partnership with Disney+ is facing an uncertain future — and the viewing figures for one episode of the last series fell as low as 1.6 million.

A spokeswoman for Doctor Who said: “Doctor Who remains one of the biggest dramas on the BBC and is the most watched drama for under-35s, as well as being one of the most popular brands on BBC iPlayer.

“As we have previously stated, a decision on any future deal between the BBC and Disney+ regarding Doctor Who is yet to be made and any other claims are pure speculation.”

THE BRITISH cities with the worst availability and speed of electric vehicle charging have been revealed in new research.

More and more people are making the switch to EVs each passing year, but access to charging infrastructure continues to be a key concern for motorists.

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Cost, speed and access to EV chargers can vary vastly from region to region across the country.

But new data from Available Car has shed light on exactly which cities are the best and worst to drive an electric vehicle.

Researchers looked at the number of charging points per 10,000 people within a five mile radius of city centres.

They also noted the average cost and time it takes to charge half an EV battery.

The data examines 53 major cities across the UK, excluding London.

Liverpool was found to be the city with the lowest number of chargers, with just two chargers per 100,000 people within a five mile radius of the city centre.

Newcastle barely did better at 2.4 chargers per 100,000, while Bradford and Leeds followed up with 2.6 each.

Smaller cities boasted far better numbers in the EV charging accessibility ranking.

Ripon was the city with the highest number of chargers per 100,000 at 63.1 – far ahead of second placed Salisbury at 43.7.

But simply finding a charger isn’t the only issue EV owners face.

Available Car’s data also highlighted a major regional disparity in the time it takes to charge half a battery.

Leicester is the city found to have the slowest EV charging times – taking an average of 8.25 hours to get to half charge.

Available Car’s report reads: “The city’s slower charging infrastructure highlights the need for investment in faster chargers to support the growing demand for electric vehicles.

“Without quicker charging options, Leicester may face challenges in encouraging more drivers to switch to electric.”

But Leicester EV drivers have some solace – as the survey also found it to cheapest city to charge your car, where a half full battery would cost an average of £12.60.

Brighton & Hove and Portsmouth followed Leicester as the next slowest for charging, 6.24 and 5.67 hours respectively.

Wakefield recorded the speediest charge of the cities surveyed, taking an average of just 0.8 hours.

The researchers used a Tesla Model Y as the benchmark vehicle when gathering the data.

Their report adds: “Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) should be an exciting step towards greener, more sustainable driving.

“However, one of the biggest barriers preventing drivers from switching from petrol or diesel to electric vehicles is having to rely on their local charging infrastructure, particularly the time it takes to charge and the cost involved.

“Unlike petrol and diesel drivers, EV owners must navigate the UK’s charging network, where charging speeds and costs vary significantly based on location and charger type.”

Major League Baseball has been trying for years to increase the number of Black players participating in the sport, creating such programs as the Compton Youth Academy and the DREAM Series. There were 59 Black players on opening day MLB rosters, a slight increase from the previous year but far from the numbers in the 1980s.

St. John Bosco’s baseball team, which plays for a Southern Section Division 1 championship on Friday against Santa Margarita at Cal State Fullerton, offers hope for the future with five Black players in the starting lineup.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” center fielder Miles Clark said.

The sports of football and basketball have been taking away Black athletes, but St. John Bosco’s group of Clark, his twin brother James, Noah Everly, Jaden Jackson and Macade Maxwell have embraced baseball and put themselves in position to pursue college baseball and beyond.

Each player offers speed and athleticism. Maxwell had an RBI single in the semifinals against Seth Hernandez of Corona. James Clark and Everly lead the team in hitting at .394 and .347, respectively. St. John Bosco won its first Trinity League title since 2017 and is 24-5. …

Santa Margarita is much improved after getting players back from injuries, so ignore the fact it has 12 losses. Carter Enoch came back to add hitting to the Eagles’ lineup and Brennan Bauer has been the winning pitcher in all four playoff games. Seventeen seniors are graduating at 10 a.m. at the Honda Center.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace has delivered some sharp criticism of President Trump since she became a host on the progressive-leaning cable news network in 2017.

So it’s surprising that her new podcast shares its name with one of Trump’s regular boasts about his team: “The Best People.”

“I thought he had abandoned it,” Wallace, 53, told The Times. “But I actually think ‘the best people’ was one of his best messages in 2016.”

“He abandoned it officially when he picked Matt Gaetz,” she added, referring to Trump’s first choice for attorney general.

Each week on “The Best People,” starting Monday, Wallace will have lengthy conversations with actors, musicians, thought leaders and other figures outside of politics. The guest on the first episode is actor and fellow podcaster Jason Bateman, followed by Sarah Jessica Parker, music producer Jimmy Jam, folk singer Joan Baez and Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers in coming weeks.

The jump into podcasting comes as the network looks for more ways to reach the growing number of consumers who are no longer watching cable TV.

The network says its existing audio podcasts, which include series from hosts Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes and Jen Psaki, will top 10 million downloads in May.

“Our goal is to meet our audience where they are and to bring the talent of our hosts and anchors to them in those spaces,” said Madeleine Haeringer, MSNBC’s senior vice president of digital, audio and longform. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all formula — but instead, tailoring each project to both the host and the platform.”

Wallace said she was ready to expand her role at MSNBC before the corporate changes. Podcasting appealed to her because, as a working mom, she knows many women aren’t available to watch her daily program in the afternoon.

Her branching out into less overtly political territory is somewhat unexpected.

The former Bush White House communications director’s tenure on the ABC talk show “The View” was brief, partly due to her lack of pop culture expertise.

That’s not a concern this time around, she said. The guests she solicited for “The Best People” are coming to the table to discuss their own advocacy issues apart from the kind of instant political analysis presented on her MSNBC program “Deadline: White House.”

Wallace connected with Jimmy Jam when they discussed creating a “We Are the World” type of musical production to aid Ukraine. She knew Rivers through his social justice activism (as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, he had to guide the players through the scandal over former owner Donald Sterling’s racist comments) and Parker for her devotion to literacy programs.

The podcast format allows them to open up in a way that doesn’t always happen on live TV.

“For some reason, people sitting in front of their computer screens on the Zoom are even more candid and forthcoming about how they feel,” Wallace said.

Wallace is wading into digital media at a time when MSNBC is in transition. The channel, along with other NBCUniversal cable outlets, is being spun off from current owner Comcast into a new company called Versant.

Comcast is getting out of the cable channel business, with the exception of its potent reality brand Bravo, out of concern about the steady decline of the pay TV audience. Over the last 10 years, cord-cutting has reduced the number of cable homes MSNBC reaches by 33%.

MSNBC also saw a mass exodus of viewers just after the presidential election, as its loyal left-leaning audience tuned out after Trump’s victory.

The ratings have gradually climbed back up, with MSNBC maintaining its second place position behind perennial cable leader Fox News but well ahead of third place CNN. In May, the network was up 24% from the lows it hit in November and December, but is still down 35% compared to the presidential campaign-elevated levels of a year ago, according to Nielsen.

But leadership at Versant has it made clear that MSNBC will continue to cater to a politically progressive audience.

Wallace believes the commitment to the network’s point of view has only deepened under new management. “It’s a culture that really rewards deep wonky coverage of politics,” she said. “[MSNBC President] Rebecca Kutler has come in and tripled down on all of that.”

The spinoff requires separating MSNBC from NBC News, where some journalists were uneasy with the intensity of partisan commentary on the cable network. Versant is hiring its own newsgathering team — as many as 100 journalists — including justice and intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian, who is moving over from NBC.

“To work for someone who is hiring reporters at a time when we’re looking at an administration that seems a little meh about the Constitution is pretty forward leaning,” Wallace said.

She was inspired to try something new by the extracurricular activities of her husband, the New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael S. Schmidt, who co-created the Netflix thriller series “Zero Day” with former NBC News President Noah Oppenheim.

“Michael enjoyed it so much it gave me the idea to add something that is a little outside my comfort zone,” Wallace said.

Wallace met Schmidt, 41, at MSNBC, where he is a contributor. They married in 2022 and a year later had their first child via surrogate. Wallace also has a 13-year-old son, Liam, from her first marriage.

While Wallace and Schmidt have a business-like dynamic when they appear together on the program, family matters creep in off-camera.

“When we are both on set, my son is texting us about dinner,” Wallace said. “During the breaks, we’re never talking about the rule of law. We’re talking about logistics.”

With Prime Video’s “Fallout,” HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” and now Season 3 of “The White Lotus” (also HBO), Walton Goggins’ fame has exploded. With his buzzy portrayal of Rick, a man obsessed with avenging his father’s death, in “Lotus,” an Emmy might finally be in the cards for the actor, a veteran of many critically beloved shows.

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“Lotus” is the sixth Goggins show, after “The Shield,” “Justified,” “Gemstones,” “The Unicorn” and “Fallout,” to receive an …

85%

… or better aggregate Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score. Yet Goggins has never won an Emmy and has received only …

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… nominations: supporting drama actor (2011) for his charismatic criminal Boyd in “Justified” and drama lead (2024) for bounty hunter the Ghoul on “Fallout.” It could be …

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… his material that’s the issue. Goggins’ gritty and/or Southern-fried shows are not the kind that inspire Emmy voters’ rapture. Despite its secure place in the TV pantheon, “The Shield” drew three fewer nominations over seven seasons than …

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… the more awards-friendly “Fallout” — a stylish, thoughtful video game adaptation often helmed by Jonathan Nolan — did in its first season. But love for “Fallout” …

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… is a trickle compared with the tsunami of nominations for “Lotus” over its first two seasons. The show already has won …

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… Emmys. Although …

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… all that attention means Goggins might share this year’s drama supporting category with co-stars Jason Isaacs, Sam Nivola and Sam Rockwell. But …

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… that does not necessarily mean splitting “Lotus” votes. Murray Bartlett won a limited series supporting Emmy for Season 1 against fellow “Lotus” actors, and Jennifer Coolidge prevailed twice in supporting categories crowded with co-stars. Indeed …

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… of nominated “Lotus” performers whose characters, much like Rick, faced extreme challenges have won.

May 24 (UPI) — A record number of Americans applied to become British citizens during the first three months of this year after Donald Trump re-took office as president, according to official data.

The last time American applications for British citizenship spiked was in 2020 during Trump’s first presidential term early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes as the British government is toughening requirements for legal migrants and extending the wait for newcomers to claim citizenship.

Britain’s Home Office on Thursday reported 6,618 U.S. citizens applied for British citizenship over the past 12 months through March, the highest annual figure since records began in 2004. That includes 1,931 applications between January and March — the highest number for any quarter on record.

There also is a record number of Americans seeking to live and work indefinitely in the country as a necessary precursor to citizenship. Of the 5,521 settlement applications granted last year, most were for people eligible because of their spouses, parents and other family links. And a substantial portion had originally arrived in Britain on temporary visas for “skilled workers” and want to remain.

For the year through March, there were 238,690 applications worldwide, an increase of 238,690 for the same period last year.

Some people might qualify “more swiftly” for permanent settlement in Britain depending on the “contribution” they made, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said in Parliament on May 12.

Since Trump was elected president again, immigration lawyers told The New York Times they had received an increased number of inquiries from people in the United States about possibly relocating to Britain.

“People who were already here may have been thinking, ‘I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don’t want to go back to the U.S,'” Muhunthan Paramesvaran, a senior immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, said.

There also have been increased applications from non-U.S. citizens living there seeking to go to Britain.

“We’ve seen increases in inquiries and applications not just for U.S. nationals, but for U.S. residents of other nationalities who are currently in the U.S. but looking at plans to settle in the U.K.,” Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, a law firm that specializes in American migration to Britain, said. “The queries we’re seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it’s more about seeking to relocate.”

This comes as British authorities under a Labor government are trying to reduce immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain has to take “back control of our borders” and warned uncontrolled immigration could result in “becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”

British figures show net migration dropped by almost half in 2024 to 431,000 compared with 2023.

The British government had extended the qualification period from five years to 10 before they could apply for settlement.

Also, the government wants to raise English language requirements across every immigration route. In 2021, nine out of 10 migrants reported speaking English well, according to analysis by the Oxford University Migration Observatory.

On May 5, European Union nations announced they would spend $566 million from 2025 to 2027 to attract foreign researchers after the Trump administration cut funding to universities in the United States. Britain left EU in 2020.

Under Trump’s direction, there will be a “gold card” at a cost of $5 million, as an extension of the EB-5 program that extends green cards to foreign investors and their families.

“We’re going to be selling a gold card,” Trump told reporters on Feb. 5 in the Oval Office, which is adorned by items in gold.

The current program grants green cards to immigrants who make a minimum investment of at least $1.050 million or $800,000 in economically distressed areas.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday: “I expect there will be a website up called ‘Trump card dot gov’ in about a week. The details of that will come soon after, but people can start to register.”

THERE was heartbreak for King Charles as his star filly was among a huge number of horses removed from the Epsom Oaks.

Top trainer William Haggas scratched Charles and Camilla’s Purple Rainbow from the year’s biggest race.

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Bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II, Purple Rainbow had one win from three runs in the famous Royal silks.

But it looks like she is destined for handicaps rather than the elite level after finishing fourth on her return at Ascot last month.

Haggas pulled the plug on her Oaks chances during Tuesday morning’s scratching stage.

The decision came days after King Charles’ first runner with Willie Mullins was denied a dream win in a dramatic photo finish.

A mass of runners – 34 in all – were axed from the June 6 Group 1 over 1m4f, worth just shy of £120,000 to the winner.

Aidan O’Brien, who has won three of the past five Oaks, was among the big names removing a number of his entries.

Among the more notable of his was 14-1 chance Ballet Slippers.

The daughter of Dubawi, who finished third to current Oaks favourite Desert Flower when last seen in October, is yet to run this season.

Group 3 winner Exactly, who had been as short as 20-1, was another pulled, along with fellow 20-1 chance Dreamy.

O’Brien had previously said after her Group 3 win over a mile at the Curragh last August that he hoped she was an Oaks filly.

While Smoken, who was sent off 5-2 favourite for the Musidora at York last week before finishing a tailed-off last, was axed by Ralph Beckett.

The winner of that race, Whirl, kept her place in O’Brien’s squad.

His Cheshire Oaks winner Minnie Hauk looks the best chance of victory being as short as 7-2.

While O’Brien’s other big Coolmore chance Giselle is into 5s.

Charlie Appleby’s 1000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower kept her place in the race, with bookies cutting her to as short as 2-1 favourite.

While Owen Burrows’ Listed Newmarket winner Falakeyah – one of just 14 left in the race – was cut to 5s.

Epsom Oaks runners

Desert Flower
Falakeyah
Giselle
Go Go Boots
Island Hopping
Janey Mackers
January
Lake Victoria
Minnie Hauk
Qilin Queen
Revoir
Trad Jazz
Wemightakedlongway
Whirl

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A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to cut the number of employees targeted for layoff by Mayor Karen Bass by more than half, bringing the total down to an estimated 650.

The council’s budget committee took steps to save more than 1,000 jobs by pursuing an array of cost-cutting measures, such as hiring fewer police officers and scaling back funding for Bass’ Inside Safe program, which moves homeless people into temporary or permanent housing.

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the committee, said those and many other moves would help the city protect core services, including tree trimming, street resurfacing, street light repair and sanitation teams that address illegal dumping.

“We looked for ways to save positions — not for the sake of job counts only, but to make sure the departments can still do the work our constituents need them to do for their quality of life,” said Yaroslavsky, who represents part of the Westside.

The committee’s recommendations for the proposed 2025-26 budget now head to the full council, which is scheduled to take them up on Thursday.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who sits on the committee, expressed some optimism after the vote.

“We were in very rough waters, and a very different landscape, when we started this process,” said Hernandez, who represents part of the Eastside. “And now there seems to be some light between the clouds.”

As part of Friday’s deliberations, the budget committee voted to recommend a slowdown in sworn hiring at the LAPD, which would leave the agency with 8,400 officers by June 30, 2026. That represents a reduction of about 300 from the current fiscal year and 1,600 compared with 2020.

The budget committee also agreed to eliminate 42 emergency incident technicians at the fire department, a move opposed by interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva, while also canceling Bass’ plan for a new homelessness unit within that agency.

In addition, the five-member panel recommended a hike in parking meter fees, which is expected to generate $14 million in the upcoming fiscal year.

Yaroslavsky said the changes endorsed by the budget committee on Friday would save about 150 civilian workers in the police department.

Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, who advises the council, said she believes that city officials will keep finding ways to reduce the number of layoffs, by transferring workers to vacant city positions or to agencies that are unaffected by the budget crisis, such as Los Angeles World Airports and the Port of Los Angeles.

“I think we’re going to be able to truly get that number down to less than 500,” she told the committee.

Bass, faced with a nearly $1-billion shortfall, released a proposed budget last month that called for the layoff of about 1,600 employees, a fourth of them civilian workers at the LAPD. Some of the largest reductions were planned at agencies that handle sanitation, street repairs and maintenance of city facilities.

Friday’s deliberations set the stage for many positions to remain intact, particularly at the Department of City Planning, which had been facing 115 layoffs. Kevin Keller, executive officer with that agency, said the committee found the funding to restore more than 100 of those positions.

“I know there’s a lot of city workers that are breathing a big sigh of relief tonight,” said Roy Samaan, president of the Engineers and Architects Assn., whose union represents planning department employees.

L.A.’s budget crisis has been attributed to a number of factors, including rapidly rising legal payouts, lower-than-expected tax revenue and a package of raises for the city workforce that is expected to add $250 million to the upcoming budget, which goes into effect on July 1.

Bass and the council have been hoping to persuade city labor unions to provide financial concessions that would help avoid more cuts. So far, no deals have been struck.

On Friday, before the committee began its deliberations, Bass said she is optimistic about avoiding layoffs entirely. At the same time, she spoke against a budget strategy that pits the hiring of police officers against the preservation of other jobs, calling it “a Sophie’s Choice.”

If the LAPD slows down hiring, it will have fewer officers in the run-up to next year’s hosting of the World Cup, she said.

“I’m not going accept that as my choice,” she said.

During the final minutes of Friday’s five-hour meeting, council members made some last-minute restorations, identifying additional funds for youth programs, tree trimming and fire department mechanics. Hernandez pushed for the committee to restore $1 million for Represent LA, which provides legal defense of immigrants facing deportation or other enforcement actions, and $500,000 for graffiti paint-out crews.

Hernandez said the city needs to stand by immigrants amid a harsh federal crackdown. And she described graffiti removal as crucial for public safety in her district.

“Getting graffiti down quickly prevents a lot more people from getting shot, prevents them from getting killed,” she said.

A MOTORIST has shared how he made “hundreds of thousands” by buying and selling car number plates.

Neal Bircher, 60, has collected hundreds of plates worth gargantuan sums and currently has around 350 in the garage at his home in Uxbridge, London, and owns the rights to 220 more.

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The DVLA is auctioning 2,000 car number plates in its latest sale – and an expert has revealed the best buys.

The latest auctions of personalised registrations starts on Wednesday at 10am.

Plates expert Neal has identified which plates to keep your eye on.

He says that dateless plates – those with a number at the start or the end – dateless plates with a single letter and shorter plates with common initials are where the money is.

For example, Neal believes 910 AM – which has a starting price of £2200 – will attract more interest thanks to the popularity of ‘AM’ as a set of initials, wheresas 232 XW – also with a starting price of £2200 – won’t have as many buyers.

In terms of plates less likely to grow, Northern Irish style plates, containing the letters’ ‘I’ and ‘Z’ are at the lower end of the market.

Neal, an IT management consultant and part-time plate dealer, said: “As a general rule, the shorter the better, and also the popularity of initials is a very common factor.

“‘Dateless plates are always popular and can be good investments.

“‘1’ plates have proved very good investments, whatever the letters, and so plates such as 1 XDX will be expensive even though ‘XDX’ is unlikely to be many people’s initials.

“1 YOB starting at £2400 is an interesting one – reminiscent of ‘YOB 1’ which famously adorned Slade guitarist Dave Hill’s Rolls-Royce in the 1970s!

“In recent years dateless plates that contain only a single letter have become more sought after – for example 125 B starting at £2500, or 8118 D starting at £2500 in this auction.

“And those where the letter is ‘O’, and hence the plate can look as if it only contain numbers, have really grown in popularity of late.

“Hence 54 O starting at £2500 might well fetch the top price in this action. ‘540’ is also a model of BMW.”

According to Neal, a common misconception is just because a plate might look like it spells a word, it doesn’t mean it’s valuable.

He said: “People sometimes assume that if a plate looks as if it spells a word then it will prove valuable.

“That may well be the case if the word is relevant to a business or profession, but if it’s just a random word then not necessarily so.

“Registration numbers generally tend to grow in value, but the ones less likely to do so are those at the lower end of the market, especially some of the Northern Irish style plates, containing the letters’ ‘I’ and ‘Z’.

“But there can be exceptions with those as well.”

Having bought and sold for much of his life, Neal has urged people to be cautious before entering the number plate game.

He added: “People who are trying to make money have to be very careful.

“It requires a lot of homework if you’re looking to invest or make money.

“Two very similar-looking plates might have very different values.

“AJB would be worth far more than XUY for example because of how common the first set is for initials.

“Not everyone is, but some are interested in the backstory behind plates.

“There are a lot of people who are in clubs and associations who ask me a lot of questions every day about value and the history of plates.

“People are very interested in when it was issued, to know what vehicles it was in, who owned it etc.”

The DVLA number plate auction

The DVLA is auctioning some highly coveted number plates on May 14

The plates range from £300 to over £2000, as drivers clamour to get a unique number for their motor.

Bids can only be placed at the auction or through the DVLA website.

The plates on sale on May 14 include:

• CIG 300 Lot 324 Starting price £300
• AB16 BUM Lot 18 Starting price £250
• MOU 555E Lot 119 Starting price £250
• PO25 CHE Lot 1390 Starting price £250
• F44 YYE Lot 639 Starting price £200
• A96 COX Lot 31 Starting price £200
• A600 DAY Lot 35 Starting price £200
• CR16 PTO Lot 372 Starting price £250
• SAV 146E Lot 1586 Starting price £250
• EA69 GLE Lot 509 Starting price £250
• OOH 11H Lot 1336 Starting price £300
• FAM 1T Lot 583 Starting price £500
• 145 SAM Lot 1578 Starting price £800
• 77 JET Lot 840 Starting pricd £1200
• 36 ANT Lot 116 Starting price £1200
• DMZ 1 Lot 457 Starting price £2000
• 910 AM Lot 92 Starting price £2200
• 1 YOB Lot 1991 Starting price £2400
• 1 LTR Lot 1075 Starting price £2400
• 54 O Lot 1309 Starting price £2500
• 2025 M Lot 1096 Starting price £2500