reveal

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is finally back.

It’s been nearly five years since audiences last saw Tom Holland’s Peter Parker suit up as the webslinger in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and a lot has happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since. (10 movies’ worth, for those keeping track.) But Sony Pictures released the first trailer for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” on Wednesday, and it appears our hero has been dutifully continuing as a full-time masked crimefighter while remaining an anonymous entity to those he loves most.

“Sometimes Spider-Man has to do the hard thing, even if it breaks Peter Parker’s heart,” Peter says in a voiceover on the new footage. According to the film’s logline, it has been four years since the events of “No Way Home,” which saw Peter have to make everyone forget who he is to save the world. “Brand New Day” will see Spider-Man take on “one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.”

The trailer shows Peter cross paths with former besties MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), who still don’t know who he is. But like everyone else in New York, it does appear they are at least familiar with Spider-Man.

Among those Spidey crosses paths with in the teaser are Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), also known as the Punisher. It doesn’t seem like Spider-Man and the “Daredevil: Born Again” anti-hero are on very friendly terms, though. The trailer also features glimpses of Spider-Man battling Scorpion (Michael Mando), Boomerang (whose casting has yet to be announced) and the Hand — as well as a seemingly invisible foe.

Peter is also shown seeking out Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in his non-Hulk form to try to figure out what is going on with his own body. It appears Spider-Man’s DNA could be mutating, as he has gained the ability to produce organic webs, which could be alarming. The trailer concludes with a mysterious voiceover (which sounds like Keith David) teasing what it could mean.

“Spiders have three life cycles,” the unnamed voice says. “When between cycles, it can leave the spider vulnerable to threats. … And for those spiders who make it through, it amounts to a kind of rebirth.”

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opens in theaters July 31.

Spider-Man battling the Hand in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

(Sony Pictures)

WHEN Gaz Beadle and Emma McVey announced their split in 2023, their fans were shocked. 

Geordie Shore lothario Gaz had always described the model, who he had two children with, as his ‘rock’. But, just months after she underwent heart surgery, Gaz announced their eight-year relationship was over. Now, insiders tell us tension has been bubbling behind the scenes.

Things are said to have reached boiling point after Gaz announced he was expecting a baby with his new girlfriend, Maia, 13 years his junior.  

Our insider says: “Gaz and Emma have both moved on and are in happy, loving relationships with new people.

“But fans have noticed there is a level of competitiveness between them, and they seem to be trying to outdo each other.

“Emma got engaged, and then Gary announced he was having a baby. It was a huge shock and very eye-opening.

“She feels like she has a very small group of loyal friends, and exactly who they are has become very clear since her split from Gary.”

It’s certainly not the first time Emma has been blindsided by Gaz – she was shocked when he announced they had split during a Q&A with fans.

He casually revealed they had split three weeks prior and insisted there was no bad blood between the couple, who share kids Chester, eight, and Primrose, six.

Sources said Emma felt it was ‘unfair’ and was keen to announce it to her own followers herself.

She didn’t shy away from how hard the breakup was, in contrast to Gaz’s laissez-faire attitude.

In a heartbreaking post, she told her followers: “It’s been really hard for me and the kids to be separated. There’s been a lot of crying on FaceTime, which really breaks my heart.

“I’ve been numb and focusing on my children while still trying to work. I’ve honestly not known what to say. I’m hoping this will get easier in time.

“Sending so much love to anyone going through something similar, and thank you so much to everyone who has been checking in on me.”

If Gary took them to the park, the next week Emma took them to a theme park

Our insider

And when she moved on with a new man and a fan accused her of being unfaithful, she shot back with a jibe that appeared to be aimed at Gary: “I was unfaithful? What with someone I met 7 months after my separation? No darlin, you clearly have NO IDEA who was unfaithful.”

Our insider continued: “There was tension from the get-go but they masked it pretty well. They both doted on their kids whenever they had them, but fans noticed how they often posted competing snaps. If Gary took them to the park, the next week Emma took them to a theme park.”

Cheating allegations

Emma and Gaz first started dating in 2016, but just a year later, they called time on their relationship, with Emma accusing Gaz of cheating and dumping her by text.

She ranted: “When he’s been filming Geordie Shore, he decided to send me a TEXT ending things, telling me to move my stuff out of OUR home that I furnished and paid for without explanation.

“After begging me to go to Australia with him and making me leave my career, I still find out he still managed to cheat on me throughout our relationship and continually lie.”

But the pair reconciled, and in 2017, they announced they were having a baby. Their son Chester was born in January 2018, and their second child, a daughter named Primrose, was born in December 2019.

Gary popped the question while she was pregnant with baby number two – the whole thing was filmed.

They tied the knot in 2021 in front of 90 guests and their kids in Cheshire.

Bedding 1000 women

Gary appeared to be a very different man – his wild Geordie Shore days were well in the past.

He once boasted about sleeping with over 1000 women – his tumultuous relationship with Charlotte Crosby was well documented – but after quitting the show in 2017, he turned his life around. 

He told us previously: “My life couldn’t be more different.

“My DM’s have changed dramatically, I can tell you that. It’s gone from mum’s wanting to shag me to mums and dads talking about colic, acid reflux, nappies, and bath toys.

“I had ten-years of partying and doing whatever I wanted. I was so used to life being all about me then I had a baby and quickly realised life wasn’t about me anymore.”

It wasn’t an easy time for any of them, as Emma suffered a series of debilitating health issues 

The model, who once dated Towie’s Mario Falcone, had no idea she’d been born with three holes in her heart until a monitor was fitted following her second pregnancy.

She’d suffered years of seizures, exhaustion and fainting episodes – but while the diagnosis was illuminating, medics were cautious about operating because Emma is also battling ulcerative colitis.

The condition, which affects roughly one in 420 in the UK, causes ulcers and inflammation in the digestive tract.

The steroid treatment used to treat it can lead to bone loss and breakage, which doctors warned could stop Emma’s bones from fusing back together.

I thought, ‘I’m going to get put to sleep and I’m not coming back out’.

Emma, on her heart surgery

Around Christmas time of 2023, her tricuspid valve – the valve between the two right chambers of the heart – further deteriorated, and the decision was made to proceed with the op in spite of the risks.

She later said: “I knew in surgery I’d be connected to a heart machine that would be keeping me alive while my heart was stopped, and I kept thinking, ‘They’re not going to be able to start my heart again’. 

“I thought, ‘I’m going to get put to sleep, and I’m not coming back out’.”

It was a life-changing experience for all the family, and made their split even more surprising. 

It wasn’t long until they both moved on, though. Emma started dating electrician James Staszewsky, and he became a huge part of her life and that of the kids as they set up home. 

Gary had a brief romance with pro golf star Charley Hull, before falling for student Maia.

In what some felt was a dig at influencer Emma, Gary gushed about Maia:  “I like how she’s got a normal job. Like, she got in at 8 o’clock this morning after leaving at half past 7 last night… 13 hours. She’s doing it again tonight, it’s inspirational.

“It almost brings me down a peg and I think that’s why I’m getting more normal and normal.

“I just love to pop to the pub for a bit of food and a walk with the dog, cutting the grass, like, I’ve become quite a normal boring person.”

The romances both came under fire and in a very surprising move they joined forces once again in order to issue a lengthy statement in which they addressed their marriage ending and the attention their new romances had gained.

‘One team’

Gaz hit back to insist they are “really good friends” and that they are both “happy and happy for one another” despite being in “new relationships”.

He added: “Both of us are in new relationships and we all get along well, and we can say we are so proud of ourselves to be able to all stay as one team.”

We’re told it was a brief period of calm for all parties involved but it wasn’t long that changed.

Gaz’s baby news was said to be one of those moments that rocked the boat.

Only a couple of years ago, Gaz had told The Sun he wouldn’t be having more kids, he said: “Two is hard enough. I think if you asked us before we may have said three but that was before we realised how hard it is.

“If we had two boys or two girls, then maybe it would be different but we have one of each, which is perfect.”

A baby bombshell

In a post last week, Gary told fans that nursing graduate Maia, 24, was pregnant.

He told fans: He wrote: “We’ve been keeping a little secret…

“Baby Beadle, you are so loved already.”

He recently returned to Geordie Shore after eight years away, though in a far cry from his wild days on the show he did it all sober.

He insisted that Maia won’t be joining the show because she has her own career, but with a baby on the way that could all change.

Friends are hoping it might put a stop to the one-upman ship.

They tell the Sun: “Everyone knows having a baby changes everything.

“They both have their happy ever afters now and can concentrate on that, and of course, the kids they share.

“There is room for them both to enjoy the limelight, without having to compete.”

ANNA and Mandi Vakili admit they’re desperate to reveal their boyfriends’ identities after years of using nicknames to keep them secret.

The Sisters in the City podcast hosts’ other halves have been shielded from the public eye, with Anna referring to her man as ‘Cowslick’ while Mandi’s fella is known as ‘Gingerbeard’.

Neither had any say in the moniker they were given, and the girls admit they hate them.

But it might just be a matter of time before the pseudonyms are discarded.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Anna, 35, says: “I’m just so ready to put his face out there now.

“I just feel like this whole hiding his face has become such a long and annoying… like my poor editor has to keep blurring his face out in the YouTube vlogs and I want to take cute pictures with him and put it on my Instagram and I can’t do that, so I’m like maybe I’m past the stage of hiding his face.

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Mandi, 34, adds: “I feel like the nickname though is kind of a comedic side of it and it’s stuck now. I love my boyfriend having a nickname. It just makes all of the serious stuff a little less serious when I’m calling him Gingerbeard.”

Chiming back in, Anna says: “But the only problem I have is that my boyfriend hates his nickname Cowslick, he’s really like recently he’s trying to like protest against his nickname.”

Her sister playfully jokes: “He has no choice though, he’s got no legal rights.”

It was four years ago that the girls came up with the names as they launched their podcast, which has grown massively and now has 108,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Initially, it was the boyfriends who were desperate to avoid any mention on the pod, and that was before listening figures began to soar.

They settled on the names to highlight parts of their appearance that differed from one another.

There have been ups and downs in Anna’s on/off relationship during that time, which she admits has had “toxic” moments, though things are currently going smoothly.

Last week, she bravely shared her most personal story to date, revealing she suffered a miscarriage just days after discovering she was pregnant. It was met by widespread support and praise from listeners who were moved by the story, as was Mandi beside her sibling in the studio.

Meanwhile, Mandi’s relationship has been stable throughout, with the odd bicker coming on holiday or off the back of pranks and other media appearances.

Reflecting on the early days of the podcast and deciding how much personal information to share, Anna says: “At the beginning there was arguments,” says Anna.

Mandi continues: “When it was like we were becoming really popular and everyone was starting to know that we’re talking, their friends and their community, then they were causing a scene about ‘we don’t want to be talked about’, and now are they have given up. They accept it now.”

She continues: “I’ve been thinking about this reveal, but it needs to be major. You know what, I thought about a really good reveal would be like come to our next tour because we’re going to do a Gingerbeard and Cowslick reveal on stage and sell tickets at the same time.”

While their other halves’ faces might be under wraps for now, Mandi and Anna’s certainly aren’t.

The duo have teamed up with Adored.by to create their own brow and lip edit so fans can replicate their flawless aesthetic.

The new range follows a previous release with beauty influencer Lottie Tomlinson, which the girls were a big fan of.

Anna says: “We liked how they tailor the collection to the influencer so it’s not like we just put our name on the product. It’s inspired by us, our podcast, our personality, our makeup looks, so it’s just literally us in a makeup brand.”

Mandi says: “We knew it was going to be like really unique and it wasn’t going to be the same as other ranges they do because they want influencers to create an edit which reflects them and their brand so that’s what Adored by has done with us right now.

“All of the products, the shade, the names, all of them have been chosen and tailored by us, so it’s really exciting.”

She called the importance of good brows and lips “game-changing” an said it could take a 10 out of 10 looker down to a two if not styled correctly, and vice versa.

The girls were committed to putting out products that they personally use and this is reflected in their combo kits.

Mandi says: “We chose shades that we love, you know there are so many shades and everybody likes a different shade but we chose Anna’s lip kit, my lip kit, is our sort of go-to and we always get asked like what’s your lip combo?

She continues: “They say men always notice a woman’s lips so lips are very important.”

But perfection isn’t the goal for the girls, it’s rather about feeling comfortable in your appearance whatever the situation or style.

Anna says: “I feel because of our podcast we’re quite relaxed attitude, because like what’s perfect? I think like that’s so like old news now, people like to relate to people that are real.”

“We love glamming up, we love doing our makeup but we’re in tracksuits on podcast.”

Mandi says: “When you do a podcast you’re just sort of in like an environment, you’re in a kind of dynamic where we’re sitting on a sofa gossiping together, we’re not like catwalk supermodels.

“People want to see the real us, they don’t want to see perfect looking two girls, they just want to see like two real people, but I feel like there’s a balance between being content with how you look but also wanting to glam up and do your makeup, put your heels on and get going.

“At the moment we’re just adorned by Adored By, you know, so we’re really excited about the launch and showing everyone how we do our lips and brows with these products.”

Anna and Mandi have collaborated with Adored.by on the newest makeup edit now available to shop on www.adoredby.com 

EXCLUSIVE: Tilly and Antony were handcuffed together 24/7 as they competed for £100,000 on the Channel 4 reality show hosted by Jonathan Ross

Tilly and Antony have spilled the beans on what it was truly like being shackled together for Channel 4‘s outrageous new programme.

The Suffolk-based millionaire vintage car enthusaist, aged 60, and a 37-year-old barmaid from North London who balances three jobs, are among the nine pairs of Brits vying for the £100,000 prize.

Introduced by host Jonathan Ross, the 18 Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing contestants will have to endure being chained to each other round-the-clock, doing everything in unison.

If the pressure becomes unbearable, they can choose to uncuff at any moment, but doing so means they’re out of the running, with the last pair standing claiming the entire pot.

The competitors are a diverse mix from all walks of life and are strangers to each other, reports the Daily Star.

As the cuffs are secured, with the duos separated by a special screen, they’ll only find out who they’ve been chained to once the partition is removed.

Discussing the biggest hurdle they encountered, Antony revealed: “Being a man of 60 years of age, I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the loo so I was conscious of the fact that wouldn’t be something Tilly would be doing.

“I practised for weeks before we filmed with every contraption known to man on how to actually wee in the bed and I managed to get the right contraption so that was a really tough thing but I don’t think I ever woke her up when I was doing it.”

He continued: “She used to snuggle down sort of hip level and I got this contraption on the old man to pee and her head was six inches away from it and then, of course, once it’s finished, you’ve got to put the lid back on and put it by the side of the bed.

“So I had all that to deal with without waking her up and I was very proud of the fact that I mastered it. I carried this thing around with me everywhere but I found that difficult to begin with.”

Tilly, who has previously appeared on The Island with Bear Grylls, went on to share the biggest lessons she learned after taking part in the social experiment, saying: “I think to listen more, be patient and realise that everybody is different, everybody comes from a different background and that makes them who they are.

“Me and Antony had a chat quite early on, I think it was on the first day, and I said ‘listen, I’m not gonna quit’ and Antony was like ‘neither am I’. So we were like, okay, well, cool’.

“I wouldn’t have bothered entering the competition if I thought for a minute that I wouldn’t see it through on my part. I done it for the money.”

Fans will have to wait and see exactly how far Tilly and Antony progress in the competition, but the pair remain friends despite showering and using the toilet mere inches from one another.

Antony said: “I think I have changed a lot since the show and I’m not quite as private a person as I was. I was determined that the person I was gonna be handcuffed to I would get on with.

“When the screen went back, we had a connection and it’s as simple that. I thought to myself ‘thank God for that’. I consider she’ll always be a friend and there’s quite a lot planned for the future for us.”

Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing launches Monday, March 2 at 9pm. Watch or stream on Channel 4.

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WASHINGTON — New whistleblower documents detail substantial cuts by the Trump administration to the training requirements for new immigration officers.

Among the cuts are the elimination of practical exams, use of force and legal training courses, and an overall reduction in training time, contrary to an official’s testimony to Congress earlier this month.

The documents, provided to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) by whistleblowers from the Department of Homeland Security, were publicly revealed ahead of a forum Monday afternoon with congressional Democrats — the third in recent weeks probing what the members view as abusive and illegal tactics used by federal agents.

Lauren Bis, deputy assistant public affairs secretary at DHS, said no training hours have been cut.

“Our officers receive extensive firearm training, are taught de-escalation tactics, and receive 4th and 5th Amendment comprehensive instruction,” she said. “The training does not stop after graduation from the academy. Recruits are put on a rigorous on-the-job training program that is tracked and monitored.”

Blumenthal’s office also disclosed the identity of one whistleblower: Ryan Schwank, an attorney who most recently served as an instructor for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruits at the ICE Academy within the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. Schwank, who resigned Feb. 13, is scheduled to testify at the forum.

Schwank is one of two whistleblowers who made a confidential disclosure to Blumenthal’s office last month regarding an ICE policy allowing agents to enter people’s homes without a judicial warrant.

In excerpted quotes from Schwank’s prepared testimony shared with The Times, he calls the training program “deficient, defective and broken.”

“Deficient training can and will get people killed,” he wrote. “It can and will lead to unlawful arrests, violations of constitutional rights, and a fundamental loss of public trust in law enforcement. ICE is lying to Congress and the American people about the steps it is taking to ensure its 10,000 new officers faithfully uphold the Constitution and can perform their jobs.”

Blumenthal’s office did not confirm whether Schwank or the other, still anonymous whistleblower provided the documents released Monday in a 90-page memorandum from minority staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The documents show ICE has eliminated more than a dozen practical exams that ICE officers previously needed to graduate. In July 2021, a cadet needed to pass 25 practical exams to graduate. Now, nine are required.

Eliminated exams include “Judgment pistol shooting,” “Criminal encounters,” and “Determine removability.”

“All of these are now instead evaluated, if at all, mainly by open-book, multiple-choice written exams and without any graded practical examinations,” the memo states.

Comparisons between the program’s syllabus table of contents and general information sections from July 2025 — before the surge in hiring — and this month show that ICE appears to have cut whole courses, such as use of force simulation training, U.S. government structure, criminal vs. removal proceedings, and use of force.

Earlier this month, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons testified to Congress that while the agency had reduced the number of training days to 42 from 75, “We went from five days a week to six days a week. Five days a week was five eight-hour days. We’ve gone to six 12-hour days.”

But the documents appear to contradict Lyons’ testimony.

“The schedules reflected on these documents indicate that current ICE recruits receive nearly 250 fewer hours of training than previous cohorts of recruits,” the memo states.

The training reductions come as ICE plans to bring up more than 4,000 new Enforcement and Removal Operations officers this fiscal year, which ends in September. One of the documents notes that ICE had graduated 803 new officers in 2026 as of Jan. 29 and projected 3,204 more graduates by the end of the fiscal year.

In a written statement, Blumenthal encouraged more whistleblowers to come forward.

“We know about the Trump Administration’s decimation of training for immigration officers and its secret policy to shred your Constitutional rights because of the brave Americans who are speaking out today,” he wrote. “They are coming to Congress because we have the responsibility to not only bear witness to these crimes, but to do something to make sure they don’t happen again.”

The new series of Big Cats 24/7 is back in the Okavango Delta following the lives of lions and leopards

Having only been away from the Okavango Delta in Botswana for six months since filming the first series, the BBC ’s wildlife filmmakers might have worried there would not be enough new things happening amongst the big cats there. But if anything, the dramatic lives of Africa’s lions, cheetahs and leopards had more shocks and surprises than the first time around.

Following them across six vital months from June to November we see the cats – and humans – battle punishing seasonal change, from flood to extreme drought. The Xudum lion pride, now the largest in the world, grapples with the challenges of this newfound status. When we rejoin them, dominant males Big Toe and Madumo are missing so the pride females, deserted by their leaders, are forced to battle intruders alone and also find enough food to feed 40 lions. There is an influx of aggressive male leopards and a new female, Lediba. And cheetah Pobe surprises the team with two young cubs of her own – but her challenge now is to keep them safe.

Cinematographer and wildlife presenter Gordon Buchanan says: “I think my slight concern was that we’re going back to the same place. We’re going back to the same cats. Are we going to go back to the same stories? And no, absolutely not. I mean I was startled at how things that were quite common in the first year, we see all the time, you didn’t see you didn’t see again,

“This series is a drama. And I suppose our job is just to capture that. This second series is a bit like The White Lotus[TV Drama}. There’s some similar characters, and there’s similar themes, but the stories are completely different.”

For Gordon, returning to cover the Lion pride was the highlight and he adds: “Filming 24/7 means surrendering to their world, working on their terms. The hours are long, the terrain unforgiving – deep sand, floodwaters, freezing cold nights or searing midday heat. You chase fleeting glimpses across vast landscapes and are often driven by nothing more than instinct. It’s physically and mentally gruelling. But when you finally catch ‘the’ moment, it makes everything worth it.

“Many lions don’t even make it to their second birthday so to see a lion you met as a vulnerable cub stride successfully and confidently towards adulthood is the most wonderful thing of all. There’s is nothing more beautiful than a lion cub giving life its best shot.”

This extraordinary, exclusive access to the cats’ lives is supported by the use of cutting-edge filming equipment: state-of-the-art thermal cameras, and the latest in drone technology, meaning the team can film the cats from the ground, the air and, uniquely, through the night. By following the cats around the clock, the team reveals yet more brand-new insights into their lives.

But fellow filmmaker Anna Dimitriadis didn’t wait long to be reunited with her beloved cheetah pal Pobe. “It’s every wildlife cinematographer’s dream to be able to go back to the same place and see characters that you filmed with before. But seeing her on the first day, it was like she was coming back to welcome us. It really felt like Pobe knew we’d arrived, and it felt like she was showing off because she had her two lovely little cubs as well. It basically felt like just seeing an old friend that I got to know really well. I mean, I got to know her very well. She’s actually tattooed on my arm now so she’s with me forever.”

Anna and Gordon worked alongside a team that also included Brad Bestelink who grew up in the Delta and Botswana born Tristen Woodward in the heart of big cat territory. And by the end of series two, Anna feels even closer to the cat and her routines which we will witness.

“I just know so much about her, and I could really predict her behaviour by the end, like I knew the exact kind of hunting style she was going to do. And I could predict exactly what we were going to see. It was really cool, when you start having that connection with an animal.

“This time, we saw another side. She was playful, tender and at times extremely vulnerable. Our time with her this year was a powerful reminder of how hard life is for a solitary cat. At every stage – whether still learning or in her prime – survival is a constant battle and every success is hard won.”

Meet some of the stars of the Delta…

POBE A smart, experienced and streetwise female cheetah; charismatic Pobe, now seven-years-old has a new family! She has two young cubs to take care of and though she is an experienced mother and superb huntress – already seen one cub, Neelo, to independence – the odds are stacked against her. Navigating Xudum island – now home to the largest lion pride in the world, and leopards round every tree – is no easy task. She knows when to run and hide and avoid danger, but with two innocent cubs in tow, she’s more exposed than ever.

XUDUM A remarkably relaxed and an impressive leopard; Xudum can confidently catch a meal leaping through the air (jumping from trees) or stalking on the ground. She is the resident female leopard followed by the team in Series 1, is now six years old and should have started a family. Unfortunately, after her tragedy witnessed by the team in 2023, Xudum is still to rear a cub successfully. Surrounded by dangerous male leopards (who will kill any cubs that do not belong to them), in series two Xudum must find a new, safer territory in which to make her home and become a mother.

BIG TOE & MADUMO So named due to a prominent digit on his paw, Big Toe is now eleven years old, ruling the Xudum pride alongside his sibling, Madumo, for the last six years. He’s a formidable lion, slightly leaner and wirier than Madumo, but no less formidable. Though he’s undeniably the more handsome of the two, he’s no pretty-boy; usually the first to get into a scuffle with intruders, or younger males in the pride.

Madumo – meaning “to roar” – is the other dominant male lions of the Xudum pride. Though he is bigger and heavier set, Madumo is the brains of the operation, while his coalition partner Big Toe is the ‘grafter’. But when required, Madumo has the muscle to be a powerful and commanding leader. He and Big Toe remain extremely close; most likely brothers from the same cohort of cubs, they make a strong and formidable partnership and over the past 6-years he and Big Toe have successfully protected the Xudum pride.

But as we start season two, both are now absent, where they are is unclear; and without their combined strength and new male lions circling, the Xudum pride’s females are under more pressure to protect their family than ever before.

MATHATA Trouble by name, trouble by nature! Mathata is the oldest cub in the Xudum pride – 18 months in age – and the rest of the youngsters seem to look to Mathata for leadership. But as Mathata (Magogo’s son) grows, will he cause trouble for his siblings, or will he rally them to make trouble for their enemies, and prey?

He is now ready to join his mother and aunts as they hunt and feed their family, but he has a lot to learn before he will start being a useful addition – his inexperience could be a hindrance.

LEDIBA The queen of stealth! Lediba is a small and subtle female leopard. She shows more patience in her stalking and variety to her diet, than any other leopard the team has seen on Xudum island. Lediba (10 years old) is also an experienced mother; previously raising cubs to adulthood and has two young cubs to provide for in series two. She will have to work hard to keep them safe from scavenging lions and unpredictable male leopards. For the team, getting to know Lediba’s character will take as much patience as she shows during each hunt!

MAGOGO At more than eleven years old, Magogo is likely the oldest female in the Xudum pride. She is an experienced, wise and powerful lioness and has successfully reared multiple generations of cubs, showing her skill as a mother. His son, Mathata, is the eldest cub in the Xudum pride, and a future pride male. Despite being eighteen months old, Mathata still relies on Magogo for food and protection against any intruding male lions – so Magogo still has her work cut-out to support him.

* Series Two of Big Cats 24/7 starts on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer on Friday February 27 at 9pm.

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