Tom

NFL legend Tom Brady has ended his association with top-of-the-table Championship side Birmingham City.

The record seven-time Super Bowl champion became a minority owner in the St Andrew’s club in August 2023 when he “entered a partnership” with club owners Knighthead Capital Management LLC.

Part of Brady’s role involved him being chairman of an advisory board at Birmingham, with the club saying he would be “both investing [as well as] committing his time and extensive expertise” following his arrival.

However, the Blues announced his exit, external with a statement headlined ‘Tom Brady departure’.

They added: “Birmingham City Football Club expresses its sincere gratitude to Tom Brady for his involvement with and unwavering support for the club over the last three years.

“It was truly amazing to have someone with Tom’s experience and passion associated with the club, and the club looks forward to continuing to build on that foundation from the training ground to the Birmingham community.”

Former quarterback Brady, a three-time NFL most valuable player, retired in February 2023 after 23 seasons in the NFL, having won six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Following the end of his playing career, he acquired a stake in the Las Vegas Raiders while also becoming part of the ownership group of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

On top of that, Brady’s commitments include him being a lead NFL analyst for Fox Sports.

He leaves with Birmingham top of the Championship on goal difference with 29 points after 15 games.

IN the summer of 1970, Tom Petty met one of his future Heartbreakers – and made a friend for life. 

He was 19 when he invited guitarist Mike Campbell, then 20, to join his band Mudcrutch, named after the rundown Florida farm where they practised. 

“Tom was instantly unforgettable,” says Campbell today. “Of course, he had the long blond hair but he also had a swagger. 

“He had this vibe around him of knowing where he was going — and he was smarter than anybody else in the room.”

The pair hit it off from the get-go, resulting in Campbell being by Petty’s side throughout his career — playing lead guitar in The Heartbreakers, joining Tom on his solo albums and taking part in the Mudcrutch revival in 2007. 

“We immediately connected as musicians,” continues Campbell. “We had a similar dream — not to be rock stars, just to be professional and successful. 

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“The whole rock star thing came later. Tom lived at home [with his parents Earl and Kitty] and was a hippie dude like me.” 

The first incarnation of Mudcrutch “paid their dues” in Petty’s hometown of Gainesville, Florida, known for its vast university campus. 

Campbell recalls: “I’d come down from Jacksonville and was pretty much homeless. I was sleeping on couches and giving guitar lessons. It was a meagre existence.” 

Things began to fall into place when he hooked up with two Toms — Tom Petty and Tom Leadon (brother of Eagles’ guitarist Bernie) — and drummer Randall Marsh to form Mudcrutch. 

He says: “Gainesville was a great place to be. There was a thriving artistic community around the university, lots of parks for us to play for free and little bars to play in around town.  

“We even got a gig in a topless bar for a while but it kept us in money for a few months. 

“We mostly played covers but Tom was beginning to write and I was dabbling around with ideas.” 

I ask Campbell what kind of music and which artists were his and Petty’s chief inspirations.  

“Florida was a hotbed for all kinds of music, from blues and country to rock ’n’ roll,” he replies. 

“But the strongest influence on both of us was the whole British Invasion — The Beatles, the Stones, The Kinks, The Animals.  

“We would draw on them our whole lives.” 

I’m speaking to Campbell, 76, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band that Mudcrutch eventually morphed into, all-American icons Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. 

Campbell is in Memphis, Tennessee, for the last stop on his tour with his post-Heartbreakers band, The Dirty Knobs.  

He notes that he is in the music-loving Southern city where Elvis Presley started out at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records. 

“The tour is coming to a close and everybody has picked up the flu,” he sighs when we’re connected via video call from his hotel room.  

“Sorry if I sound a little under the weather but I’ll be OK.” 

The main hook for our chat is a new boxset documenting the earliest recorded forays of Mudcrutch, Petty’s solo excursions as he searched for his direct yet melodic sound, his first two albums with The Heartbreakers, an incendiary 1977 Heartbreakers gig and footage from BBC Two’s cult late-night show, The Old Grey Whistle Test. 

It is nine years since Petty’s death, aged 66, from an accidental overdose of prescription meds a week after his final show with The Heartbreakers, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.  

Campbell is still coming to terms with his loss. Before returning to memories of their early years together, he reflects on the man he was proud to call his “best friend”. 

“It was like losing your right arm,” he affirms. “Very hard — and a surprise — and I’m still grieving. 

“Tom and I were close, not necessarily to hang out all the time, but our musical and spiritual connection was about as strong as anybody can have.” 

When touring with The Dirty Knobs, Campbell makes sure to include Heartbreakers songs in the set, featuring some of his co-writes with Petty such as Runnin’ Down The Dream and You Got Lucky. 

“I can’t believe it’s nine years,” he says. “But, as time goes on, I’ve dealt with the grief better. 

“I like to perform Heartbreakers songs to keep them alive, to remember and revisit my time with Tom.  

“It is bittersweet but there are moments when I feel his spirit. He’s right behind me, saying, ‘Go man, go!’ ” 

Campbell concludes: “You might never get over the loss of your brother or your father or your mother or your best friend but you learn to cope. That’s what grief is. 

“Memories seem to have a life of their own and I have very good memories. I treasure them.” 

This is a cue for more of Campbell’s precious recollections of the Seventies, beginning with Mudcrutch’s first attempts at recording.  

On the first disc of the new boxset, No Sleep Till LA, there is an unpolished but promising song from 1971 called Up In Mississippi Tonight — a self-financed single — and later efforts including Depot Street and Wild Eyes. 

So what does Campbell make of those initial studio forays all these years later? 

“I hear immaturity and I don’t hear any big hit singles,” he decides. “But I do hear dedicated dudes trying to learn their craft. 

“We drove down to Miami to cut a couple of demos and were intimidated because we only knew how to play live. 

“We were ducks out of water so it was quite an education. 

“The looseness of it all is shocking to me now but you sense the germ of something special is about to show itself.” 

Their chastening early studio endeavours meant that Petty, Campbell and the rest of Mudcrutch decided they needed “to get smarter and get out of Gainesville”. 

By this time, another future Heartbreaker, keyboardist Benmont Tench, had joined the fold, bringing an extra level of sophistication to the group’s music. 

Campbell says: “We had done everything we could do as a local band. We had played everywhere, we had a following, but there was nowhere else to go.  

“So we thought either New York or LA was our best shot at getting into the rat race.” 

He adds that they chose the West Coast because “we already had a friend in Bernie Leadon, who came back to Florida and said, ‘It’s all going on in LA — record companies and musicians everywhere’. 

“He encouraged us to get our asses out there, take our hard knocks, and get into it.” 

Mudcrutch arrived in LA in 1974 but things didn’t go well. Although famed musician Leon Russell signed them to Shelter Records, their first single, Depot Street, flopped and they were dropped soon afterwards. 

Petty, however, still had a solo deal with Shelter and his next efforts are represented on the No Sleep Till LA disc by a gorgeous acoustic demo, Unheard Kind Of Hero. 

Campbell remembers the period like this: “After a couple of years of Mudcrutch struggle and the band falling apart, then Tom trying to go solo, The Heartbreakers showed up like magic one night — and boom!” 

He explains: “Benmont had put together a demo session [in 1976] to work on songs and he called us all down. 

“It was as if a light went on — this is who we are, this is what we do. 

“Tom immediately said he was fed up with trying to make a solo record. He wanted to be in a band and said, ‘I’ve still got a deal and this is my band!’ ” It consisted of Petty, Campbell, Tench and new recruits Stan Lynch on drums and Ron Blair on bass.  

“And we started that first Heartbreakers record almost overnight,” continues Campbell. 

As for calling themselves Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, he says: “I never had any issues with that. Tom was a great leader and frontman.” 

Producer Denny Cordell gave them “unlimited studio time and nice equipment” and soon songs flowed thick and fast. 

“They just started exploding out of Tom like they were waiting for an outlet,” says Campbell. “He’d come in and say, ‘Oh, I’ve got a song, it’s called Breakdown. And here’s another called I Need To Know’.” 

The self-titled debut album kicks off in thrilling fashion with Petty/Campbell’s Rockin’ Around (With You). 

“I wasn’t even trying to write a song,” says the guitarist. “I was sitting in the studio playing the riff and Tom walked by and goes, ‘What’s that?’  

“He took it home and came back the next day with Rockin’ Around (With You). But the real lightbulb moment was on the 4th of July, 1976, when we recorded American Girl.” 

Campbell watched Petty demo the first Heartbreakers stone-cold classic on acoustic guitar and decided it would benefit from a 12-string.  

“But we couldn’t afford a 12-string so I tried to emulate it with my six-string by playing octaves,” he says. 

“When we finished that song, we realised something had happened. We had found our sound — and nobody else sounded like that.  

“From then on, it was smooth sailing. Tom was finding his persona and his voice. He was getting confident and he was proud of the band.” 

The self-titled debut album, released on November 9, 1976, failed to make an impact in the States but, as Campbell points out: “The British press loved us. They thought we were a punk band.” 

A brief UK tour in May and June, 1977, brings back fond memories for Campbell. 

He says: “Our first show was in Cardiff supporting Nils Lofgren. We drove there in a little bread truck, facing each other on wooden benches. 

“For the last song, Tom and I were running around in circles and got our guitar cords tangled up. We were literally hog-tied to each other and everyone was laughing. 

“After that it was Heartbreaker mania for a while. We played places like Stoke-on-Trent, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds.” 

On returning to the States, the Heartbreakers set about trying to break through. 

“But we couldn’t get arrested,” laughs Campbell. “The first album came and went so it was back to the grind. The second [1978’s You’re Gonna Get It!] picked up a little traction with songs Listen To Her Heart and I Need To Know but the response was still pretty meagre.  

“We were opening for Bob Seger if we were lucky or the J. Geils Band, going from city to city in a minivan.”  

Everything changed with the fabulous third album, Damn The Torpedoes (1979), which reached No2 on the Billboard charts despite what Campbell calls “a difficult birth”. 

It opened with two of his co-writes, Refugee and Here Comes My Girl, but the story behind that album is for another time. 

Before I let him go, I ask Campbell about playing not just with Petty but many great artists during his career. 

“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world,” he says. “My path has landed me in the presence of my heroes — and they always tripped me out.  

“I’d think, ‘Wow, I’m just this little kid from Florida and there’s George Harrison or Bob Dylan or Roy Orbison or Johnny Cash. How did I get here?’  

“People like that can overwhelm you. You get a gush of confusion but it soon settles down.” 

As for Petty, it was never like that. He just wanted to be one of the boys. 

Campbell says: “Tom could have gone solo and could have been like Rod Stewart or whoever but he grew up in a band and he wanted to keep it that way. 

“It’s why we stayed together for so long. I always liked that about him.” 

On a personal note, he adds: “If Tom was working on a record, he could always look at me and say, ‘Should I go this way or that?’ 

“He trusted me and we loved each other.” 

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS 

Origins 1971- 1978 

★★★★★

More than 350 sportspeople – including Olympians Dina Asher-Smith and Tom Daley – have signed a letter to the prime minister calling on him to meet former sprinter Beth Dobbin and commit to increased funding towards ME research.

Dobbin, 32, recently revealed in an interview with BBC Sport she had been diagnosed with “life-decimating” ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and as a result spends more than 22 hours a day in bed.

ME is a chronic, fluctuating disease, causing symptoms such as sleep problems, issues with thinking and memory, pain, and severe persistent fatigue that does not improve with rest, and more. It has no known cure or specific treatment.

More than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have ME, though the true figure could exceed one million, with severity ranging from people able to work or study to those requiring round-the-clock care and tube feeding.

On 21 October, Dobbin wrote to the prime minister but did not receive a response – and she has now been backed by athletes across sport.

“For many of my team-mates, I dropped off the face of the earth four years ago when I developed severe ME,” she said.

“I’ve been taken aback and extremely touched by how many of them – and so many others in the sports world – have jumped at the chance to help by signing this letter. It means so much to me.

“I hope that, with all of them behind me, Andy Burnham is listening and will commit to doing what’s needed to deliver real change for a community that has been neglected for so long.”

Among the 360 sporting figures to have signed the letter are Everton manager David Moyes, his United States women’s counterpart Emma Hayes, and former Chelsea and England centre-back Millie Bright. Athletes Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan and Adam Gemili are among 114 Olympians and Paralympians to have added their support.

The letter calls on Burnham to “level the playing field” for funding into ME research with that for other illnesses “to give hope to the many affected that something is being done about this life-destroying, much-ignored illness and its spiralling impact”.

It says: “The disease has received extremely low levels of research funding compared to other conditions. Between 2019 to 2024, UK government research funders committed just £6.6m in funding for research into ME, compared to £79.1m for Parkinson’s and £496.4m for dementia.

“Prior to this, biomedical research funding was almost non-existent. As a result of the lack of research funding, there are no approved treatments.”

Tom Jones has postponed two California concerts after coming down with a “bad case of the flu.”

Hours before he was expected to take the stage on Monday at the Greek Theatre, the Welsh crooner announced on Instagram that he was rescheduling his L.A. and San Diego concerts on doctor’s orders.

“I’ve had a great time these last few weeks, completing 20 shows and singing for wonderful audiences across the USA, but unexpectedly I’ve been hit with a bad case of the flu,” Jones wrote. “Following doctor’s advice, I unfortunately have to reschedule tonight’s show in Los Angeles and tomorrow’s show in San Diego.”

Monday’s Greek Theatre show will now happen on Nov. 4. His show at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park has been postponed until Nov. 3.

According to the Instagram statement, all tickets for the original shows will be honored for the new dates. Those who are unable to attend the rescheduled concerts are advised to request a refund through the original point of purchase.

The 86-year-old “It’s Not Unusual” singer is on the tail end of his “Come Gather Round Tour.” His San Francisco show on Nov. 1 was expected to be the finale, but the tour will now wrap in L.A. Jones is scheduled to perform next at Yaamava’ Theater on Thursday.

“I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience caused,” Jones said. “I look forward to seeing you all soon.”

ALEXA Chung has confirmed her engagement to actor Tom Sturridge – who popped the question with a ‘haunted’ Tudor ring.

Model and TV personality Alexa, 42, began dating The Sandman star Tom, 40, in 2022.

The Sun first revealed the pair’s engagement in 2024, with Alexa said to be “over the moon.”

However, she has now opened up about her iconic ring following growing speculation of the couple preparing to wed.

Alexa told More Or Less magazine: “My engagement ring is a Tudor…

“Tom knows how much I adore vintage and antiques, and he got me a beautiful Tudor ring. It’s like a table-cut diamond.”

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Alexa added: “When I went to the National Portrait Gallery and looked at images of Anne Boleyn and all the other people who perished at the hands of Henry VIII, a lot of them had these rings on.”

Meanwhile, the star also revealed her hairstylist, Alexandri, was startled by the jewellery and said:”‘Oh my god, I think your ring is haunted.”

Alexa explained: “He took it off my finger and started making wishes around it and blowing on it.

“So I hope that my ring isn’t haunted. Or do I? Because that’s iconic.”

A source previously told The Sun of the engagement: “Alexa has confirmed to her friends that she is indeed engaged to Tom and she is over the moon.

“She is in a great place and seems completely head over heels for him. They’re a great match.

“They have been hard at work planning a wedding with all of their close pals there.

“It won’t be a massive over-the-top affair but a smaller, classier and cooler bash.”

Before Tom, Alexa previously dated Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner from 2007 to 2011, as well as fashion photographer from 2003 to 2006.

Tom was formerly in a relationship with Sienna Miller for four years, with the pair welcoming a daughter in 2012.

US actor Tom Skerritt, who starred in the TV series Picket Fences, and the films Alien and Top Gun, has died aged 93, his family says.

Skerritt died on Wednesday of natural causes, his family said: “While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity, and the love he brought into our lives.”

In a six-decade career, he took on film and television roles, appearing in the film Mash, A River Runs Through It and Ted. He also co-founded TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support next-generation filmmakers and storytellers.

His family said he will be remembered “for his belief that stories can help people heal, find purpose, and create change.”

The mustachioed star of several 20th century hit films was born on 25 August 1933 in Detroit, Michigan, and served in the US Air Force before pursuing an acting career that boasted several military roles.

He made his film debut in 1962 alongside a young Robert Redford ​in War Hunt and years later re-teamed with Redford in the 1992 period drama A River Runs Through It, which starred Brad Pitt.

Skerritt’s breakthrough role came when he played US army surgeon Duke Forrest in the 1970 Korean War comedy Mash, which also starred Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Sally Kellerman.

The hit film, which was released amid unrest over the Vietnam War, was nominated for five Academy Awards and was adapted for television two years later.

He also starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the 1979 sci-fi film Alien, which earned two Oscar nominations, and led to three sequels and several crossover projects.

“It is spontaneity and impulse ​that make the difference, and that is ⁠what I felt we had with ‘Alien,'” Skerritt said in a 2019 interview, according to Reuters news agency.

“Every one of us had that immediate rapport with each other.”

Skerritt said that one of the things he liked most when he first read the script was that “the woman becomes a hero”, referring to Weaver’s character, Ripley.

During his career, he starred opposite several strong female leads.

He appeared with Shirley MacLaine in the 1977 film Turning Point and played Sally Field’s husband in 1989’s Steel Magnolias.

As Commander Mike “Viper” Metcalf in the 1986 classic Top Gun, the versatile actor appeared alongside a young Tom Cruise in the blockbuster.

On television, he won an Emmy Award in 1993 for his role as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in David E Kelley’s drama Picket Fences.

The procedural’s ensemble cast was nominated for SAG Awards in 1995 and 1996, and he received a nod for male actor in a drama series in 1995.

Skerritt also had guest roles on the small screen in The West Wing, Madam Secretary, Law & Order: SVU and Huff. He reteamed with Field as the family patriarch, William Walker, in the drama Brothers & Sisters from 2007-09.

He had a six-episode stint on Cheers playing Rebecca Howe’s crush-worthy boss Evan Drake.

In a statement, Skerritt’s family said that he leaves behind a “legacy that reaches far beyond the screen”

A deep believer in the power of storytelling, Skerritt helped found the TheFilmSchool in Seattle and co-founded the Red Badge Project, which helps veterans work through PTSD, anxiety and depression by writing and sharing their experiences.

Inspired in part by his experience filming A River Runs Through It, he also believed in protecting the natural world.

He created the documentary series Reflections of the River about America’s rivers and supported river conservation.

HOLLYWOOD legend Tom Skerritt has died at the age of 93 after a six-decade career.

Tom is best known for his roles in Top Gun, Alien, and Picket Fences.

The veteran actor died on Wednesday from natural causes, his family confirmed to TMZ.

“We are heartbroken by his loss,” Tom’s family told the outlet.

The Detroit native’s acting credits span six decades, starting with his breakout role in the 1970 war series, M*A*S*H.

He later played Captain Dallas in the 1979 sci-fi Alien, before landing the part of Tom Cruise’s instructor, Viper, in the 1986 film Top Gun.

Tom is also remembered as Sheriff Jimmy Brock in Picket Fences, which earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1993.

Some of his other notable credits include A River Runs Through It (1992), Steel Magnolias (1989), and a six-episode stint on Cheers (1987-1988).

Tom’s final on-screen role was playing Cliff in the 2025 contemporary Western drama Broke, with Dennis Quad and Wyatt Russell.

Years before his Hollywood fame took off, Tom served in the U.S. Air Force.

He later became an advocate for veterans as co-founder of The Red Badge Project.

Tom maintained close friendships with many of the people he met in the industry over the years.

He shared photos from a reunion with Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges in one of his final Instagram posts in April.

The TV star shared his support for Jeff, who is opening an art gallery in Santa Barbara, as the pair hugged and linked arms.

“Got to see my talented friend Jeff Bridges’ photography while in Santa Barbara. Truly inspiring work, and even better catching up with the best people,” Tom wrote in his caption.

Tom also posted a heartfelt tribute last September to his “dear friend” Robert Redford following the actor’s passing.

“We grew up in this industry together – his art and friendship over these many years has profoundly changed my life. The world simply won’t be the same without him,” his post read.

The duo worked together as co-stars of the Korean War drama, War Hunt in 1962, and when Robert directed Tom in A River Runs Through It.

Christmas has come early for me because two of my favourite artists, Aitch and Tom Grennan, have teamed up for a telly collab.

I can exclusively reveal that the good pals secretly recorded scenes together for next year’s series of The Voice.

New judge Aitch, who has been shooting the 2027 show in Salford in recent weeks, invited Tom down to ITV studios to film the Battle stages of the popular competition.

And Tom’s guest role went down so well with producers, they are now eyeing him up as a full-time coach in the future.

My source said: “They have been friends for years, so it was a no-brainer for Aitch to give Tom a call and invite him to be a guest judge.

“While he has never appeared on reality TV, Tom has worked his way up from the bottom, so knows how contestants are feeling.

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“Sometimes, guests are quite wooden, but Tom really impressed bosses with his time on the show. They are now talking about him possibly becoming a regular coach.”

Earlier this month, fans watched as will.i.am brought Cheryl out of her self-imposed retirement to help him pick his final three.

Meanwhile, in pre-recorded scenes which aired last weekend, fellow coach Kelly Rowland drafted in Delta Goodrem.

In 2023, Aitch revealed on Instagram that he had recorded a “banger” with Tom, although the song is yet to be released.

But, back in February, Aitch gave fans a taste of the track, called Home, after streaming it live on social media.

A source added: “Tom and Aitch actually have a couple of songs together.

“But they are still working out when best to release one.”

Tom was due to return last night with the release of his comeback single, Wrapped In Gold, from his upcoming fifth album, which is due out next year.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that one of their collaborations ends up on there.

Doha, Qatar — The United States is moving away from its traditional security-for-oil relationship with the Middle East and no longer seeks to dominate the region, senior US diplomat Tom Barrack has said.

However, it was not abandoning the Middle East, he added, speaking at the Global Security Forum in Doha on Tuesday — but rather reassessing its role, after years of attempts to reshape governments across the region.

“The US no longer wants to own,” said Barrack, who serves as US Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy for Syria. “The bargain is not to control, but to not leave. We’re not leaving.”

Barrack acknowledged that regional countries were increasingly recognising the limits of US involvement.

“Everybody is saying: OK, I can’t rely on America to solve all my problems,” he said.

Barrack questioned the effectiveness of previous interventions, saying that the US had been involved in 23 regime changes across the wider Middle East.

“Every time we try and intervene, change the person or the regime, it seems to have been a mistake,” he said.

His comments come as Washington and Tehran try to negotiate an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran that has destabilised the region and disrupted global energy supplies.

Political analyst Luciano Zaccara described Barrack as probably “the most realistic of Trump’s allies” in his assessment of US involvement in the Middle East.

He told Al Jazeera that Barrack had effectively acknowledged that regime change, one of Trump’s stated objectives in the war on Iran, was unlikely to succeed.

Zaccara said Barrack’s reference to regime changes in the Middle East was an acknowledgement “that what the US has been doing in the region has not been working, regardless of which administration it was”.

According to Zaccara, Barrack had stopped just short of suggesting that Trump needed to retreat from “the maximalist demands” he had made of Iran.

US-Iran negotiations ongoing

Qatar says negotiations between Tehran and Washington are continuing despite growing fears of renewed fighting.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari, speaking separately at the Global Security Forum, said mediators were continuing to exchange messages between the warring parties, with regional partners involved in efforts to reach a deal.

“We are working between the parties, continuing our job as mediator with our partners and others in the region,” he said.

Al-Ansari said the lack of public information about the negotiations should not be interpreted as a lack of progress.

“The fact that we’re not hearing about it is a good sign that we’re doing our job properly,” he said.

The diplomatic efforts come as Iran’s seven-day proposal to end the war remains on the table, with the US yet to give its response.

The plan envisages reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations in exchange for US concessions, including lifting the naval blockade on Iranian ports and easing economic sanctions on Tehran.

Analyst Negar Mortazavi said the diplomatic door remained open, but negotiations were stalled over the terms and sequencing of an agreement.

“Tehran wants to end the war, but it is not prepared to surrender under military or economic pressure,” she told Al Jazeera on the sidelines of the forum in Doha.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a major flashpoint, with attacks on commercial shipping raising concerns over global energy supplies. Before the US-Israeli war on Iran, one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies transited through the strait.

Mortazavi said the escalation was part of Tehran’s strategy to maintain leverage against Washington despite its military disadvantages.

“Iran’s leverage has diminished but has not disappeared,” she said. “Moving tankers is not the same as restoring safe, predictable and normal maritime traffic.”

According to Mortazavi, Tehran wants to increase the economic and political costs of the war for Trump, while signalling to future US administrations that military action against Iran carries consequences.

But she warned that continued escalation posed serious risks to Iran and the wider region.

“Ultimately, neither military escalation nor economic pressure is likely to produce Iranian capitulation,” she said.

Fighting in Yemen

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson also reaffirmed Doha’s support for Riyadh in the fighting against Yemen’s Houthi armed group, saying it backed Saudi Arabia in “defending their sovereignty against this attack”.

Fighting intensified in September after the Houthis seized areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the port city of Mocha. In response, forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government launched an offensive, dubbed “Dawn of Yemen”, on October 4, backed by Saudi air strikes.

The Houthis have retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and military installations. Strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid international airport earlier this month killed at least 14 people and wounded hundreds.

GRANTCHESTER hunk Tom Brittney has split from his fiancée and moved on with tattooed model Clo Gascoigne.

It comes two years after Tom’s engagement to his long-term girlfriend, whose name he never revealed.

The new couple have now gone Instagram-official as Clo shared a loved-up snap of them on the red carpet at Prime Video’s Carrie launch last week.

Tom, who recently starred in thriller movie Fall 2: Deadpoint, featured in Clo’s TikTok (which she has now deleted) where she filmed him watching himself on telly with the caption: “POV your boyfriend is an actor.”
Congrats.

HOLLY AND FELTZ CLICK

HOLLY WILLOUGHBY has been exchanging tips with Vanessa Feltz on kickstarting their YouTube careers.

The presenters, who worked together regularly on This Morning, shared a snap on Instagram on Friday after watching a performance at the English National Opera in central London.

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Speaking earlier in the week at Best magazine’s Heroes Awards, Vanessa said: “I’ve had a really great voicenote from Holly.

“She is incredibly encouraging and she says she’s thoroughly enjoying it and she can see that I am.

“We’re having dinner this week. We really like each other and support each other and I think she’s doing an absolute bang-up job. I think that women supporting women is always attractive and great.”

The former chat show host started her own YouTube series, At Home With Vanessa, earlier this year.

She added: “It’s quite a big deal to do it. Terrestrial TV seems to feel narrower, smaller, and fewer and fewer opportunities.

“On terrestrial TV, they all seem to be reining themselves in, there seem to be lots of cuts being made, and closures, things are shorter and smaller and less often and all this kind of thing.

“So I think the idea of just waiting for an opportunity there might be a very long wait.

“It’s a question of feeling like you want to try to see if you can make an opportunity for yourself.”

MARK HAMILL is reprising his role as Luke Skywalker . . . in an Old Spice ad.

The actor filmed a top-secret campaign for the vintage aftershave favoured by dads, in which he appeared as his legendary Star Wars character.

The shoot took place in the UK last week.

A mole tells me: “Mark was paid big bucks for the ad – after all, he’s a huge Hollywood star.

“Bosses think he’ll appeal to the Old Spice market as Star Wars is so popular with dads.”

Mark also has a cameo in Amazon Prime’s new series Carrie, where he plays a fraudulent fortune teller.

NICOLE SPOTTED IN CATSUIT

NICOLE SCHERZINGER had a wild night stepping out in a skintight leopard-print catsuit.

The singer was joined by her Pussycat Dolls bandmates Ashley Roberts and Kimberley Wyatt at Nammos Greek restaurant in London’s Mayfair on Friday night, to celebrate their successful reunion tour.

The trio dined on signature dishes and enjoyed cocktails.

An onlooker said: “They were in high spirits. They had an amazing tour and got rave reviews, they deserve to let their hair down.”

TYLA’S HOT FLUFF

TYLA showed her softer side as she donned a fluffy lingerie set for a show on Friday night.

Excited to be performing in the capital, the South African singer painted “London” across her thigh for the O2 Brixton Academy leg of her A*Pop World Tour.

The Water hitmaker, full name Tyla Laura Seethal, revealed that she loves the UK but still sees Johannesburg as her home.

The Grammy Award-winning singer said: “We don’t have paparazzi and you see our superstars at the mall, like every weekend. It’s kind of chill.

“It feels like a movie [in the UK] – the fact that people care about every little thing I do and say.”

Tyla continues her tour tonight in Glasgow then Manchester tomorrow.

ZARA’S GOT SOMETHING ‘SPECIAL’

ZARA LARSSON has confirmed a new album is coming next year and has already recorded the first track.

The star said the “special” song came by accident while she was working on this year’s remix album Girls Trips and she knows it’s going to be a hit.

She explained on Popcast: “I think it’s going to be a really fun journey to write the next album.

“I already have new lyrics, actually I have one song we did just because we couldn’t help ourselves when we weremaking Girls Trips and it sort of gave me the same feeling to when I did (previous album) Midnight Sun.

“When I left that session you just know when something is special and that’s one, and also what it was; for the four of us being fully present.”

EMMERDALE OLIVIA IS NED OVER HEELS

THEY had a sizzling love affair on Emmerdale – but I can reveal that Olivia Bromley and Ned Porteous are a couple off-screen as well.

The ITV soap pair have been secretly dating for months.

Gorgeous Olivia and hunky Ned grew close after their characters, Dawn Taylor and Joe Tate, were involved in one of the show’s biggest-ever love triangles.

But the couple initially kept their romance quiet.

An Emmerdale source said: “Olivia and Ned were a couple off-screen while acting out those sex scenes.

“It was easy for them to get away with it because they were working so closely together.

“A few people clocked what was going on and they both admitted that they were seeing where things go. But it’s been a good few months now and they couldn’t be happier.”

Olivia left the soap over the summer, but now she has a great excuse to keep visiting the set.

EXCLUSIVE: Richard Marx, a friend of Sir Tom Jones, has said the decision to axe the music icon from The Voice UK coaching panel was ‘handled badly’ amidst the public backlash

Sir Tom Jones’ friend has said the backlash surrounding ITV axing him from The Voice UK is “pretty significant”. The music icon, 86, was sensationally dropped by the ITV talent show after 13 years as part of a major shake-up.

Bosses had hoped to offer Sir Tom a role on the show, but in a “different capacity”. Although he’s currently appearing on series 14, next year will be very different. Long-standing coach will.i.am will be joined by returning coach, Kelly Rowland, as well as newbies Cheryl Tweedy and rapper Aitch.

Sources have since said that Sir Tom has ruled out returning to the show next year. He previously said that while he didn’t want to leave the show, ITV had made the decision “a while ago.”

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Speaking to the Mirror, Sir Tom’s pal and The Voice Australia coach, Richard Marx, said: “The way that went down, and I don’t know the behind-the-scenes details, but I know Tom a little bit, and he’s such a class act, and I think however they handled it, they handled it badly, it seems.

“And the backlash, the public backlash, has been pretty significant.” Richard went on to add: “I haven’t seen him in a while, but I actually spent some time in the studio with him years ago, and I grew up idolising him. When I was a little kid, it was Tom and Elvis; they were my guys.

“Years later, his son, who manages him, reached out to me, and we went into the studio together, Tom and I, and nothing ever really came of what we did in the studio, but he and I hit it off and got to spend some time together. He’s just such a lovely guy. I absolutely love Tom.”

Richard went on to say that despite Sir Tom’s health struggles, his pal is “remarkable”. He said: “I just saw a clip on TikTok yesterday from a gig like a week ago, and he came out, and you could tell he was like, ‘Ugh, my hips hurt!’ or whatever, you know, like, but then he sits down, and his voice is the same! It’s unbelievable, he’s 86. Holy s*8t!

“That’s goals for me, man! I want to be that. Tony Bennett was able to do that, and I look at Tom; there are so few people whose voices don’t just ultimately leave them in some way, shape, or form. And I think it’s a testament to Tom, and Tony Bennett also, if you just never stop singing, you just got to go—you just got to stay—sing all the time, and that’s what they do..”

After a career spanning decades and 14 albums, Richard also disclosed that trying to pick a setlist for his recent shows at the London Palladium had been “tricky”. “Especially in America,” he laughed, adding: “But in such an incredibly wonderful way. Which is why sometimes, I don’t play all the singles. I’ve done a few gigs here, where I didn’t do anything but hits.

“But when I was putting that setlist together, I thought ‘Man, I am the luckiest guy in the world to be able to have a setlist like that.’ I know that first of all, I cater to the people who’ve supported me all these years, and I know that they want to hear the hits. I get it, because I’m the same way when I go see um when I go see a band play, if they don’t do most of the material that I know and love, I’m going to be a little bummed out.”

His shows, he says, are a journey for fans to kick back and relax, listening to their favourite hits live, while also being introduced to new material. He’s also a fan of Niall Horan, explaining: “I’ve never seen Niall, but I’m a fan of his. If you’re the kind of performer I am, who talks to the audience a lot, once you build a rapport with that particular audience, they’re in.

“It’s almost like you saying to your friends at a dinner party, ‘Hey, listen, can we pause the Sade station here for a few minutes, because I want to play you a couple of songs I’m really into?’ Of course, your friends are going to go, ‘Yeah, show me! What do you got?’ It’s kind of like the same thing. I tell everybody, ‘If you come to see me live, I’m very proud of the music that we play.”

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Sir Tom Jones has reportedly turned down an offer from ITV to appear as a “super guest judge” on The Voice UK after he was dropped as a coach for the next series.

Sir Tom Jones has reportedly snubbed an offer from ITV to take on a “super guest judge role”.

The legendary Welsh singer recently claimed that ITV had “fired” him from The Voice UK. It’s now been reported that he turned down a “super guest judge” position in the forthcoming series, which will feature Cheryl and Aitch on the panel.

Following news of his absence from the panel in the upcoming series, Sir Tom revealed he had been offered a scaled-back role, but was “not thrilled” about the proposition.

A source told The Sun: “It all got pretty messy and Tom and his team were furious about how things played out. ITV had hoped he would return in some capacity, but it isn’t happening.”

Following Kelly Rowland’s debut as a coach on this year’s show, the insider also revealed she is keen to bring bandmate Michelle Williams over for a mini Destiny’s Child reunion, reports Wales Online.

The insider added: “They are now hoping the big pull, along with the return of Cheryl, will be a mini reunion for Destiny’s Child.”

The Mirror has approached ITV and Sir Tom’s representative for comment.

Sir Tom previously posted on social media: “To be clear, I did not want to leave The Voice as I love the show and really appreciate the audience. ITV made this decision – obviously a while ago, and I was told just recently.

“The reason given is because of a financial difficulty with insurance. They now say in the press they wanted to ‘refresh’ the show, and with a new coaching line-up there wouldn’t be a chair for me.

“They are offering a much-reduced role where I would make an appearance but without being actually involved from the start, and I’m not thrilled about that. So the only thing I know right now is that there’s never a good time to fire an 86-year-old who’s still pretty good at his job.”

An ITV spokesperson had previously stated: “We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK. While he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15, we continue to talk to Sir Tom and his team about his involvement in the next series.”

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Sir Tom has long expressed his passion for The Voice UK, telling The One Show in 2024 that it was “the perfect job”. The music legend went on to say: “I like listening to new voices and hopefully I can give some advice.”

He added: “So it’s the perfect job for me- well it’s not really a job- it’s something that I love to do. I still feel the same way now because this is the 13th series, so I still feel the same way now as I did when we started because you get new voices all the time, new people coming on.”

Sir Tom made his return to The Voice UK having been axed from its fifth series and replaced by Boy George. The programme originally launched on the BBC in 2012 before switching to ITV from its sixth series, coinciding with Sir Tom’s comeback.

Sir Tom subsequently commented: “I wasn’t really upset with the BBC. But whoever was responsible made a mistake.” He went on: “There’s a knockback right there, at my time of life – to prove to these young singers coming on the show that even I got a knockback, after all that time. Then you’ve got to think – it’s their loss. I knew what the public felt because of the feedback I had.”

The Voice UK continues Saturday, October 17 at 8.35pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Actor Tom Arnold unleashed on Chuck Lorre on X in response to the former “Roseanne” writer-producer’s claims in his new memoir, “Sitcom.”

“He thinks he’s brilliant & beloved like Norman Lear but Chuck ‘Chuckles’ Lorre’s a terrible human, an angry dry drunk who lies every time he opens his mouth,” Arnold wrote Tuesday.

Arnold and the ’90s sitcom’s co-creator and titular star, Roseanne Barr, were married Jan. 20, 1990, four months after he first appeared on the show as a poker pal of Barr’s TV husband and four days after Barr’s real-life divorce from her husband of 14 years, William Pentland, was finalized.

Barr and Arnold were hostile to their writing and producing colleagues on the show and the network, Lorre told the Los Angeles Times’ culture critic Mary McNamara in an interview published Tuesday, the day of the book’s release.

“We were punished, the writers,” Lorre told The Times. “The word ‘cruelty’ comes to mind. And I still don’t know why, why so much cruelty. It wasn’t like we didn’t want to make a great show. We were proud to be on that show.”

Hired in 1990 after Barr fired all of the show’s writers, Lorre recalls in the book that he had a rude awakening when he took the job.

“I was now the co–executive producer on the number one show on television. I swaggered into the office assigned to me and met Danny Jacobson (a world-class comedy writer who would go on to cocreate ‘Mad About You’ with, sorry, Paul — ‘My Two Dads’ — Reiser),” Lorre writes in “Sitcom.”

Chuck Lorre, pictured in 2024, related several anecdotes in his book “Sitcom” that didn’t sit well with Tom Arnold.

(Willy Sanjuan / Invision / Associated Press)

“Danny, having been fired by Roseanne for being talented, was packing up his stuff when I walked in. He showed me a sloppy, hand-scribbled couple of pages and explained this was a ‘script’ by the show’s new executive producer, Tom Arnold. It had been part of Danny’s job to write real scripts and put Tom’s name on the front page — as if Tom had written them,” Lorre continues. “Bob, myself, and several other staff writers would be ordered to do this on many occasions…. Was it a portent of bad things to come? You tell me.”

For her part, Barr admitted after the 1990 firings, “Yeah, I probably was difficult to work with, now looking back.”

“I don’t think I was as especially clear as I could have been,” Barr told former Times television writer Rick Du Brow in a November 1990 article. “It’s like being a woman and an administrator — I never had any background like that. I didn’t know how, like I do now, to go in and say, ‘This is what I want you to do.’ I think that’s common with women in business. I would go in there and try to get them to agree with me rather than tell them what I want to do.”

Arnold’s social media screed doesn’t directly address any of Lorre’s claims in the book but resorts to name-calling and his own claims against the producer, who went on to create or co-create sitcom hits including “Cybill,” “Dharma & Greg,” the Charlie Sheen-starring “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory” and its offshoots.

“He trashes Trump but he is Trump & he’s a bitter hack who actually believes his lame vanity cards at the end of his lame shows are Paddy Chayefsky worthy,” Arnold wrote, invoking the three-time Oscar-winning writer of “Network.” “Chuckle’s made $800,000,000 off the backs of very talented women & a naive cracked up Charlie Sheen (clean & sober since he’s not under Lorre’s strange, abusive tutelage) then trashes them all to make him feel cool but don’t worry, Chuck hates himself more than we ever could.”

Lorre’s accounts of Arnold in “Sitcom” included several other anecdotes, including one seemingly questioning the “True Lies” and “The Stupids” star’s trustworthiness.

“Executive Producer Tom was angrily explaining to Bob [Myer] and me that some bastard had stolen Roseanne’s love letters to him and sold them to the National Enquirer. His plan was to hire a private detective and get to the bottom of this treachery. And he did. It took one day. The detective found a cashed check for twenty-five grand from the National Enquirer made out to Tom Arnold. Mystery solved.”

Lorre was famously fired after two years on the show, which Arnold recalled in concluding his X post: “I wish everyone could’ve seen his arrogant, sad clown face the day Roseanne made me fire him.”

Barr later fired Arnold from “Roseanne” in 1994 amid their divorce. In 2018, after posting a racist tweet, Barr was fired from the “Roseanne” reboot, which was resurrected as spinoff “The Conners.”

Tom Cruise’s latest film Digger is expected to lose around $245m (£185m), Hollywood analysts have said, after the film’s continuing poor performance in cinemas.

Ticket sales for the satirical black comedy, which stars Cruise as oil magnate Digger Rockwell, dropped by around 60% in the movie’s second weekend.

It brings Digger’s total box office takings to around $35m (£26m) globally so far. The film is estimated to have cost its studio Warner Bros around $280m (£211m) to make and market.

But Cruise said last week, external that he “never thought of movies when I’m making them [in terms of] opening weekend,” adding he was instead focused on making films that “hopefully will translate, last and evolve”.

The film’s takings relative to its budget mean it could become one of the biggest film flops in Hollywood history.

Digger’s performance is in sharp contrast to the success of IP-driven hits starring Cruise in recent years, such as new instalments of the Top Gun and Mission: Impossible franchises.

Digger is directed by Alejandro G Iñárritu, best known for films such as Birdman, Babel and The Revenant.

Hollywood trade publication Variety said Digger was expected to end its box office run with around $50m (£38m) worldwide.

The film would need around $350m (£264m) to break even, due to its budget, marketing costs, the portion of ticket sales that go to theatres and the likely spend on an awards season campaign.

However, a Warner Bros spokesman pushed back slightly on the figure, telling Variety the film’s break even point was $300m (£227m).

Digger was the last standalone release for the studio before its recent takeover by Paramount.