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‘Gritty’ ITV drama set to return as Midsomer Murders star joins the cast

ITV crime drama Grace is filming a sixth season and with the news comes the announcement of a whole new cast

The popular detective crime series Grace has commenced filming its sixth series in Brighton, featuring an impressive array of stars in key roles.

John Simm, who plays the titular DS Roy Grace, will once again bring his beloved character to life, supported by a team of astute detectives assisting the East Sussex Police in solving various crimes.

Other returning cast members include Richie Campbell as DI Glenn Branson, Laura Elphinstone as DS Bella Moy, Zoë Tapper as Cleo Morey and Brad Morrison as DC Nick Nicholl.

This series sees John and the team joined by a plethora of fresh faces, including Grantchester star Rishi Nair, known for his role as Alphy Kotteram in the ITV detective drama.

Additional noteworthy cast members include Sara Powell, known for her roles in Midsomer Murders and The Killing kind, along with Ali Khan, Gurjeet Singh, Hannah McClean and Tamla Kari, reports Cambridgeshire Live.

John Simm, Richie Campbell and Laura Elphinstone
Filming has commenced for season six of ITV’s Grace.(Image: ITV)

As viewers have come to expect, the new season will be based on a novel by crime author Peter James.

While much remains unknown about the sequel series, a sneak peek into the new season shows John, Richie and Laura donned in white forensic suits, grinning broadly as they mark the start of filming with a classic clapper-board.

John Simm in Grace
John Simm to return as DC Roy Grace(Image: ITV)

Last week, John gushed: “This is the longest I’ve been involved in any show! But it’s such a joy to do, and to be surrounded by a team like this for large chunks of the year makes it impossible to turn down. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Roy’s journey goes in this series.”

Executive producer Phil Hunter couldn’t hide his excitement: “Grace is such a joy to make so we are thrilled at how well received series five was.”

Rishi Nair in Grantchester
From Kudos/Masterpiece

Grantchester: SR9: Ep1 on ITV1 and ITVX

Pictured: Reverend Alphy Kotteram [Rishi Nair].

This photograph is (C) Kudos/Masterpiece and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itv.com/presscentre/itvpictures/terms

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Phil also shared the future filming plans, noting: “It’s great to be back in Brighton with our brilliant and talented cast and crew to shoot another four episodes this summer.”

Rishi, on the other hand, seems to be the man of the hour, having previously charmed ITV audiences with his first appearance as Alphy Kotteram in Grantchester’s ninth season.

The Grantchester production team have confirmed the series will return for a tenth outing, bringing Rishi back into the fold alongside Robson Green’s DI Geordie Keating.

In a chat with Digital Spy, he expressed his delight: “I couldn’t be happier to recommission Grantchester for a 10th season.”

Susan also effused her own excitement about the series: “This is hands-down one of our most popular series, and I know the fans will be thrilled to see it continue with the outstanding Robson Green and Rishi Nair back for more crime-solving.”

Grace season 6 does not currently have a release window. Previous seasons can be streamed on ITVX in the UK, and BritBox in the US, Canada and Australia.

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Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii broken jaw: Australia star in race to be fit for Lions

Australia’s code-crossing star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is to have surgery to fix a fractured jaw, putting the 21-year-old under pressure to be fit for the British and Irish Lions tour.

Suaalii was concussed in a collision with Waratah’s team-mate Andrew Kellaway during their defeat by Queensland Reds on Friday.

It was then found that he had a “small, undisplaced fracture” which needed an operation.

Suaalii is likely to be sidelined for at least four weeks.

“This is unfortunate for us and especially for Joseph. We wish him all the best in his recovery and return to full health,” Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said.

“We will do all we can to facilitate his recovery in consultation with Rugby Australia to have him in the best shape possible for his availability for the Wallabies.”

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US reality TV star Kim Kardashian testifies about Paris robbery | Crime News

Reality TV star and business mogul Kim Kardashian has testified before a French courtroom about her experience getting robbed at gunpoint in a Paris hotel.

Taking the witness stand on Tuesday, Kardashian confronted the suspects accused of tying her up and taping her mouth shut on October 3, 2016, while they stole more than $6m in jewellery.

The case concerns a group of about a dozen suspects known in French media as “les papys braqueurs”: the grandpa robbers. The group, many in their 60s and 70s, are part of a crime ring, according to prosecutors. One has died since the robbery took place, while the charges against another have been dismissed due to health concerns.

But Kardashian recounted the terror she felt as members of the group burst into her hotel room after a night at the Paris Fashion Week.

“We were leaving the next morning, so I was just packing up,” Kardashian said. “It was around three in the morning. I heard stomping up the stairs when I was in bed.”

She explained that she figured it was her older sister, Kourtney Kardashian, returning to the hotel room. But instead, it was a group of armed men, dressed as police officers and wearing balaclavas.

Waving a gun at her, one of the men asked her to surrender her $4m engagement ring, a gift from her then-husband Kanye West, a rapper now known as Ye.

“Then I heard one of the gentlemen forcefully say ‘Ring! Ring!’ in English, with an accent, pointing,” she said.

At one point, she said the robbers threw her onto the hotel bed. She was wearing a bathrobe at the time.

“I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me,” Kardashian explained. “I absolutely did think I was going to die.”

Her mind flashed to the idea of her sister coming home to find her body, she added. “I thought about my sister, thought she would walk in and see me shot dead and have that memory in her forever.”

But the robbers proceeded to restrain her with zip ties and duct tape. They told her she would be safe so long as she remained quiet.

“I have babies,” Kardashian, a mother of four, remembered thinking. “I have to make it home. They can take everything. I just have to make it home.”

Eventually, she was locked in the hotel room’s marble bathroom while the robbers made their escape. During her testimony, she explained that the suspects did not beat her during the attack.

“I was grabbed and dragged into the other room and thrown onto the floor, but wasn’t hit, no,” she said.

Kim Kardashian departs a Paris courtroom with her mother Kris and security by her side.
Kim Kardashian, centre, leaves a Paris courtroom accompanied by her mother Kris Jenner on May 13 [Aurelien Morissard/AP Photo]

Eventually, Kardashian said she was able to use the bathroom sink to loosen the restraints on her hands. She hobbled downstairs, where she met with her stylist Simone Harouche, who had locked herself in a bathroom one floor below to call for help during the attack.

“She was beside herself. I’ve never seen her like that before,” Harouche said of Kardashian. “She just was screaming and kept saying, ‘We need to get out of here. We need help. What are we going to do if they come back?’”

The attack prompted the entertainment industry to adopt new procedures around security and social media posts, including through the delayed publication of certain images that might help robbers identify targets and locations.

Some critics, however, blamed Kardashian herself for her luxurious lifestyle and lack of on-hand security. The controversial fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, for instance, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as questioning Kardashian’s habit of posting photos of herself on social media.

“You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you,” the late designer said.

That kind of commentary has sparked its own backlash, with some denouncing it as victim-blaming. Still, Judge David De Pas in Paris asked those involved if they had not made themselves targets.

“Just because a woman wears jewellery, that doesn’t make her a target,” Harouche said. “That’s like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt that she deserves to be raped.”

Kardashian added that she had a bodyguard in a separate hotel. “We assumed that, if we were in a hotel, it was safe, it was secure,” she said.

She added that she now keeps five or six guards around her. She also blamed the Paris attack for prompting a copycat robbery at her Los Angeles house.

“I started to get this phobia of going out,” Kardashian said. “This experience really changed everything for us.”

Tuesday’s appearance is expected to be the only time Kardashian testifies in the criminal case, which includes 10 defendants: nine men and one woman.

Five of the men face armed robbery and kidnapping charges that could result in life imprisonment. Others face lesser charges of being accomplices or possessing unauthorised firearms.

Prosecutors say the ringleader in the group was a 69-year-old man named Aomar Ait Khedache, nicknamed “Omar the Old”. He wrote a letter of apology that was read aloud in the court.

“I do appreciate the letter, for sure. I forgive you,” Kardashian replied, looking at Khedache. “But it doesn’t change the feelings and the trauma and the fact that my life was forever changed, but I do appreciate the letter, thank you.”

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Jeremy Clarkson breaks silence on new Farm star as he confirms Kaleb’s future

Clarkson’s Farm returns for a new series on Prime Video later this month and Jeremy Clarkson has just addressed some speculation following the release of a trailer for it recently

Jeremy Clarkson has addressed the suggestion that he has “replaced” Kaleb Cooper on Diddly Squat Farm. It comes ahead of a new cast member of Clarkson’s Farm taking on his role on the farm in the upcoming season.

It comes following the release of a trailer for the fourth season of the Prime Video show last week. In the promotional video, Jeremy, 65, revealed that assistant Kaleb, 26, had left him “just a little bit in the lurch” by taking on another project. It was then teased that he had hired someone else to help him on the farm, located in Oxfordshire, whilst Kaleb was away.

Jeremy has revealed that he struggled without Kaleb, who was on a tour following the release of several books, on hand at the farm. The situation prompted attention, and it was suggested just days ago that Jeremy had ‘replaced’ Kaleb, who has worked with him for several years, with fellow farmer Harriet Cowan, 24.

Former Top Gear host Jeremy however has now addressed the suggestion in a video message. He shared it with his followers on Instagram yesterday and confirmed that Kaleb is still working with him on the farm after returning from his tour.

Jeremy Clarkson in a dark shirt stood against a car in a field on his farm.
Jeremy Clarkson has addressed the suggestion that he’s ‘replaced’ one of his colleagues at his farm(Image: Instagram/jeremyclarkson1)

Jeremy, who was filming the message in a field, told viewers: “Bad news, I’m afraid, from Diddly Squat. It’s this … this relentless drought. It means we’re so busy, moving animals mostly, that we don’t have the time to do all the planned press and PR activity to mark the launch of season four on May 23, I think.”

He went on to share that he found that “annoying” because he wanted to address something. Jeremy then dismissed any suggestion that Kaleb has been “replaced” and even appeared to show his companion at work again.

Jeremy Clarkson, Kaleb Cooper and Harriet Cowan on Clarkson's Farm.
He’s spoken out over the prospect of Kaleb Cooper (centre) being replaced by new Clarkson’s Farm cast member Harriet Cowan (right)(Image: Youtube/Amazon Prime Video UK & IE)

Speaking about not having time for PR activities, Jeremy said: “And that’s annoying because there was something I wanted to address. There have been loads of reports recently saying that Kaleb has been replaced. Well, he hasn’t, he’s over there now rolling the dribble of moisture we had yesterday into his mustard.”

He continued: “Now, what happened is this, okay? He went away on his speaking tour for a couple of months because he imagined that after four years, I’d be able to manage on my own.”

Jeremy said: “And I didn’t! I made a complete mess of everything and had to bring in a young farmer called Harriett, who was brilliant and looked after the fort until [Kaleb] got back. That’s it! That’s the story.”

Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper in a tractor on Clarkson's Farm.
Jeremy has told fans that Kaleb hasn’t been ‘replaced’ and still works on Diddly Squat Farm(Image: Youtube/Amazon Prime Video UK & IE)

The message comes after Prime Video announced last week that the fourth season of Clarkson’s Farm will launch later this month. It’s been suggested that the season will be split in three volumes, released separately, though.

It’s been announced that the season will launch on the streaming platform on May 23, with this understood to be the first four episodes. Prime Video added that the fifth and sixth episodes will be out on May 30, ahead of the seventh and eighth episodes becoming available on June 6.

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Match of the Day star speaks out on new life after vanishing from BBC TV career

Gavin Peacock was a regular on the BBC’s football coverage in the 2000s, but he decided to quit television after Euro 2008 to embark on an entirely new career

Gavin Peacock.
Gavin Peacock went from football to punditry to faith(Image: Danny Brannigan/Hulton Archive)

Former Match of the Day analyst Gavin Peacock has opened up on his drastic career change after leaving the world of television. The former footballer had a successful 17-year stint on the pitch, playing for clubs such as Chelsea, Newcastle and QPR before transitioning into broadcasting post-retirement.

He quickly became a familiar face on TV in the 2000s, regularly appearing on Football Focus, Final Score, and Match of the Day. Peacock also appeared on the BBC’s coverage of major tournaments like the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. However, when the latter concluded, he chose to retire his microphone permanently and pursue an entirely different career thousands of miles away.

The ex-attacking midfielder has been a devout Christian since he was 18 years old, having started attending church in his early teens. Despite being taunted by rivals who dubbed him a ‘Bible basher’ on the pitch, he has always openly expressed pride in his faith, even hosting an episode of Songs of Praise for the BBC.

Towards the twilight of his career, Peacock, who also had spells at Bournemouth, Charlton and Gillingham, began delivering sermons at his local church. However, following Euro 2008, he made a significant move and relocated to Canada with his family to undertake a three-year Masters course in divinity in Calgary, with the goal to become a minister.

In a subsequent interview, Peacock confessed that the shift had been “the hardest few years” of his life, reports Wales Online. However, he relished being recognised for his preaching rather than his footballing prowess in Canada.

“I became a Christian at 18 when I was at QPR,” he told MailOnline, reflecting on his spiritual journey. “I was living the dream as a footballer with some money in my pocket and a bit of adulation from fans. But, because football was my God, I questioned why I felt good if I played well and low if I’d done badly.

Gavin Peacock of Queens Park Rangers.
Peacock made a success of himself on and off the pitch(Image: Getty Images)

“We weren’t practising Christians at home but one night my Mum said she was going to the local church and I went to keep her company. Afterwards, I went to a youth meeting. I pulled up in my Ford XR3i and had the mullet to match.

“I walked in thinking I was part of the in-crowd, but these other young people had something I didn’t,” he added. “When they spoke about Jesus Christ and prayed, there was a joy and reality I didn’t have. I was saved then and everything fell into place.”

Peacock explained how he no longer felt the pressures of performing on the pitch because his main concern was his relationship with God. As a result, any fears or anxieties with regards to football fell away.

Since being ordained in 2012, he has served as associate pastor at Calvary Grace Church in Calgary. He lived there with his wife of over 35 years, Amanda, and their two children, Jake and Ava.

Lee Dixon, Adrian Chiles and Gavin Peacock on the set of BBC television series 'Match of the Day 2'.
Peacock was once a familiar face on TV(Image: Shutterstock)

However, earlier this year, he and Amanda made the move back to England, with Peacock taking on a one-year role as pastor of Bethersden Baptist Church in Kent. Their children are now adults and have chosen to remain in Canada, with Jake making a name for himself in the world of Muay Thai.

Describing his experience in Canada, Peacock said: “Calgary is a cowboy town. They call it the Texas of Canada. When I first met the senior pastor, he walked in with a Stetson and an equally big belt and boots. It’s also an oil town but one where I can see the Rocky Mountains from my window.

“The winters are brutally cold. Snow starts at the end of November and stays until March. Our first home was in a little mountain town called Canmore.

Gavin Peacock in his new life as a minister
Peacock has devoted his life to religion(Image: Getty Images)

“I’m a boy from suburbia who went from Match of the Day to driving into Calgary to study Hebrew and Greek, driving miles without seeing another car.”

Nowadays, Peacock speaks at conferences worldwide about his religion, and has hosted faith and football evenings across the country. While his days as a pundit may seem like a distant memory for some, the ex-TV star believes his career in broadcasting has been helpful in his new vocation.

“My producer on MOTD2, Mark Demuth, taught me to think about my first line and a line to come out of VT,” he added. “It’s a good way to construct a sermon, a good introduction and conclusion so people are left with the main point.”

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