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BELOVED Brit soap actor Tony Adams who starred in Crossroads has died aged 84 with tributes pouring in.

The legend died at Sussex County Hospital in Brighton on Saturday, with his wife Christine by his side.

Anthony Sawley Adams was born in Anglesey, Wales, in 1940 and later trained as an actor at the Italia Conti theatre school.

Following performances on the stage, he made his name as Dr Neville Bywaters in the 1970s soap General Hospital and appeared in the Dr Who series The Green Death.

In 1978, he took on the role of accountant Adam Chance in soap Crossroads – the role for which he became best known.

The series ended in 1988 after more than 4,500 episodes, with Adams staying until the end.

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He was one of the original cast members, including Jane Rossington and Kathy Staff, who returned when the soap was revived in 2001.

Adams then appeared in the stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium Theatre, where he played Grandpa Potts, in 2004.

In 2023, he had a cameo role in Nolly – a three-part drama created by Russell T Davies which tells the story of Crossroads actress Noele Gordon.

Actor Augustus Prew, who played Adams in the drama, described him as a “magical man” during interviews at the time.

Michael Rose, of The Michael Rose Organisation Ltd, paid tribute to Adams as an “absolute joy” and a talented actor, dancer and singer.

“He was one of the warmest gentlemen you could wish to work with,” Mr Rose said.

“He was an absolute joy. He was a dancer originally but there was nothing Tony couldn’t do.

“He was a very accomplished actor, he was a really good dancer and singer.

“He played Grandpa Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and was a joy to have in the company, as he was in every company.

“We shall miss him.”

SET in the grounds of the Chatsworth Estate is a new hotel with cosy rooms and restaurant.

Not only is there the hotel to explore there’s also the Chatsworth stately home, garden, farmyard and woodland play area – plus, rooms are under £100 per night.

Chatsworth Escapes has opened a new hotel in the Peak District called The Hide.

It’s on the very edge of the Chatsworth Estate and is described as a place to “relax, reconnect and take advantage of the Peak District”.

The 25 rooms range from Cosy, to Comfortable, Spacious, Bunk and Accessible Rooms – and the rates start from £99 per night.

The cosy rooms come with a double or king size bed, power shower and free Wi-Fi, meanwhile the spacious or bunk rooms are more suited towards families.

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As for eating, The Hide serves up food throughout the day at The Hide Grill and Pizzeria from buffet breakfast to a Full English in the morning.

There’s also mains from fish and chips to beef and ale pie, burgers and steak which comes with skin-on fries and house pickles.

On Sundays, you can enjoy a roast at £18pp from Chatsworth Farm beef to rotisserie chicken, lamb and butternut squash wellington – each comes with roast potatoes, veggies and Yorkshire puddings.

In the summer months, the hotel opens up its outdoor pizza oven, BBQ and even has a fire pit for making s’mores.

Guests can enjoy direct access to the estate’s park moorland as well as entry to Chatsworth House, garden, farmyard and adventure playground.

As part of their stay, those staying at The Hide can add exclusive perks including multi-entry tickets to Chatsworth and private tours of the house when it is closed to the public.

The hotel is set on the grounds of Chatsworth House, it was built in the 1600s and is well-known for featuring as Pemberley in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

It’s also appeared on the screen in The Duchess, The Wolfman, Peaky Blinders and Death Comes to Pemberley.

Also on the grounds is Chatsworth’s farmyard where families can meet the animals from pigs to horses, goats and guinea pigs.

There’s also the woodland adventure playground which has ladders, a climbing wall, tower and turrets.

It has a huge woodpecker model for playing on too with a zip wire, swings, and a giant sand play area.

The Hide is managed by Chatsworth Escapes who also run award-winning The Cavendish Hotel.

Earlier this year, The Cavendish Hotel bagged the number one spot for ‘Hotel of the Year’ from The Times.

And it won “best and brightest in British hospitality” in the AA Hospitality Awards.

In comparison to The Hide, The Cavendish Hotel has 28 rooms, two restaurants and incredible views of the Peak District.

Room rates start at £195 for a cosy double, to add on breakfast and dining experiences comes at an extra cost.

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For more stately home stays, here’s one with its own campsite right by the beach – and even Prince William and Kate Middleton are fans.

And check out the inside little-known historic property starring in huge Netflix movie with code-breaking playground and turtle skulls.

Kelli Hollis, who played Yvonne Karib in the Channel 4 show, has opened up about her time on the iconic comedy drama and how she recently re-watched it for the first time in years

Two decades have passed since gritty comedy drama Shameless first graced our television screens – and one of the programme’s stars has recently revisited it for the first time in years.

The Channel 4 series ran for nearly ten years and was based on the fictional Chatsworth council estate in Manchester, where Frank Gallagher and his enormous family caused chaos at every turn.

Kelli Hollis, who also appeared in Emmerdale, memorably portrayed Yvonne Karib, a character who operated the neighbourhood shop and gave work to Frank’s son Ian, who subsequently began an affair with her spouse.

Speaking with the Manchester Evening News, Kelli, 49, revealed that she recently turned to Shameless for some evening viewing – and wasn’t let down.

“Shameless,” she remarked with affection. “I actually watched the first episode fully for the first time in years the other day. Everyone always asks me about Shameless and I watched the first episode which was interesting. You forget how good it is!”

Commending the programme created by Paul Abbott, she added: “When you say Shameless you think nudity, bad language, drugs and Frank Gallagher (played by David Threlfall) is the iconic character.

“But I think rewatching it, it is so beautiful when I think of some of the scenes. It is so well put together and it is actually a lot deeper than what people think. When you go back and watch it, you think, oh God yeah, it is actually really human in that respect.

“It is not just telling scandalous stories from a council estate. There is so much more to it so I really enjoyed watching it the other day.”

Shameless, now available on Netflix, aired its final episode in 2013 after an impressive run of 11 seasons and 139 episodes. Its popularity even sparked a US version – a successful series that ran from 2011 until 2021.

Despite the years, many fans still approach Kelli, a native of Beeston, Leeds, with questions about the show, and many recite memorable lines from Frank Gallagher, affectionately known as “Frankisms”.

One of his legendary quotes was: “People say the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way. But after you’ve had eight of your own, you realise that’s a load of ********. Darwin had the right idea; just leave the ****** to fend for themselves.”

Another gem included: “Son when you have them, little babies, you love them. Even if they’re real mingers. I mean when Ian was born he looked like David Gest.”

Kelli returned to the UK in November after spending over two years in Thailand. She reflected on Shameless following a powerful interview about her father, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Terence Stamp, the English actor who played the arch-villain General Zod in Superman films, has died at the age of 87.

In a career that spanned six decades, the Oscar-nominated actor starred in films including The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Far From the Madding Crowd and Valkyrie.

Stamp died on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement to Reuters news agency.

“He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and a writer that will continue to touch people for years to come,” they said.

Born in Stepney, east London, to working-class parents on 22 July 1938, Stamp attended grammar school before pursuing a career in advertising.

After securing a scholarship to go to drama school, he shot to fame in the 1960s, making his debut playing the titular role in Billy Budd, a 1962 film about a naive young seaman in the 18th century.

His performance earnt him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor and a Golden Globe for best newcomer.

He soon made a name for himself as a villain, with stand-out performances in Superman and Superman II as General Zod and Sergeant Troy in the 1967 Far From the Madding Crowd.