All Creatures Great and Small is back on Channel 5 and will see the return of all the fan-favourites including Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot and Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon
The first episode, dubbed Gathering the Flock, showcases James and Tristan (portrayed by Callum Woodhouse) taking drastic measures after witnessing Siegfried’s wild and disorderly conduct, with some touching behind-the-scenes moments.
Anna Madeley reprises her role as Mrs Hall, alongside Rachel Shenton as James’s wife Helen. Tony Pitts and Imogen Clawson also make a comeback as Helen’s father and sister, Richard and Jenny.
The sixth series will also welcome back Patricia Hodge as Mrs Pumphrey and Mollie Winnard as Maggie.
Here’s everything you need to know about the guest stars for the first episode of the sixth series.
All Creatures Great and Small series 6 episode 1 cast
Archie Tredwell – Wayne Foskett
Wayne Foskett joins the cast for the opening episode. The 61 year old English actor is renowned for his roles in Merlin, Silent Witness and Midsomer Murders.
He’s also an avid artist and has showcased his works at the Jardiniere art exhibition.
Fans might also recognise him as Richard Stark from Game of Thrones or as Tom in Lightfields.
Jimmy Herriot – Thomas Riches
James’s son Jimmy is portrayed by Thomas Riches, but little is known about the young star at this point.
Susan – Lucy-Jo Hudson
Susan, an acquaintance of Siegfried’s, is played by Lucy-Jo Hudson, a 42 year old actress hailing from Leeds.
She’s the sister of rugby league player Ryan Hudson and was previously married to Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall, who portrays Tyrone Dobbs, until 2018.
The mum-of-two is recognised for her roles as Katy Harris in Coronation Street, Rosie Trevanion in Wild at Heart and Donna-Marie Quinn in Hollyoaks.
Rosie Herriot – Arlie and Autumn Doyle
Arlie and Autumn Doyle join the cast as James and Helen’s daughter Rosie, but little is known about these young twins.
Mary – Siena Marsden
Siena Marsden joins the cast as Mary, Edward’s daughter, although not much is known about this young actress yet.
Edward Hall – Conor Deane
Conor Deane returns as Mrs Hall’s son Edward, and he is also known for his roles as Fred Holdsworth in The Hardacres and Kyre Branson in Sherwood.
His other credits include Ridley, Happy Valley and What It Feels Like for a Girl.
All Creatures Great and Small airs on Channel 5 on September 25 at 9pm
But Judge Anton insisted it was not a problem as viewers always grow to love the line ups of long running BBC series
20:56, 16 Sep 2025Updated 20:56, 16 Sep 2025
Anton with Strictly hosts Tess and Claudia that he knows very well – unlike some of the celebs this year(Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA’s)
TV judge Anton Du Beke has admitted that he does not recognise many of the stars picked for Strictly Come Dancing these days. Echoing public criticism that the BBC dance show’s line-up can sometimes lack a little lustre or the big names of previous years, he admitted the first time he would see some of them could be on the ballroom.
Anton said: “When I first started, we sort of knew them, but now as you get older… there are a number of people on the show that I am not familiar with.” Speaking of last year’s model contestant Tasha Ghouri, he added: “I mean last year, Tasha? I did not know Tasha. No, I don’t know a number of people on the show.”
But he has got used to being a bit baffled, as more online personalities are introduced onto the show, explaining: “You don’t know who they are, but that is normal.”
Anton admits he had no idea who Tasha Ghouri was (Image: PA)
He said of the 25-year-old YouTuber taking to the dancefloor for 2025: “There is that lovely boy George Clarke doing it this year. I thought it was the buildings fella, George Clarke the architect.”
And although he has now watched performances by the contestants who will be strutting their stuff on telly from this Saturday, he hasn’t seen enough to pick a winner.
Anton, 59, recalled how he was asked for an early opinion at the recording of the launch show and said: “They made it down the stairs unaided. I don’t know what you want me to say. Ask me next week when they have danced a bit.”
This year’s 15 celebrities include four reality TV stars: Vicky Pattison, 37, Thomas Skinner, 34, Dani Dyer, 29, and La Voix, 45. There are four sports stars too: sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37, footballers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, and Karen Carney, 38, and rugby union’s Chris Robshaw, 39.
A new crowd of celebrity faces will take to the dancefloor in a matter of weeks(Image: PA)
It is actors who make up the biggest group, with five: Stefan Dennis, 66, Alex Kingston, 62, Balvinder Sopal, 46, Ellie Goldstein, 23, and Lewis Cope, 30. There is also presenter Ross King, 63, and YouTuber George.
Speaking at an event to launch his new novel, Monte Carlo by Moonlight, Anton said he will soon be reading the celebrities’ body language. He said of judging: “As I sit ther,e I know exactly what has been going on. I can see by this routine what sort of a week you have had and I laugh.
“If they start at the top of the stairs and walk down, they have had a very difficult week, like they are wasting as much time as they can until they get on the floor and have to take hold. The waltz is always lovely to judge. You can always see how good and bad their week has been by how long they stay ‘in hold’.”
After years of grumbles that contestants with dance experience – such as Lewis Cope – have a head start, Anton conceded it is tru,e but that the advantage is only slight. “It will help them a bit. I have not seen many of those who have actually won.”
And he had some tips for the professionals, too. “Learn that it is not about you. I was always aware of that. It is not my name they say first. It is the celebrity’s name.” Anton, who has eight-year-old twins with wife Hannah, also urged BBC bosses to tweak the rules on voting.
This year voting via premium phone lines has been axed and instead viewers have a brief opportunity on Saturday nights to vote online. But Anton thinks voting should go on all week, as many Strictly Come Dancing fans catch up on iPlayer.
He said: “I remember when we started the show, you could vote all week. Now you have a little window, and that is a shame because some people can’t watch it on a Saturday night.
“They might be working or may go out. I would like people to be able to vote during the week as everyone is invested even if they watch it on catch-up, so give them the opportunity to vote.”
And as for the show’s enduring popularity as it enters its 23rd series, he said: “The show works because we re-cast it every year and now we have a couple of new pros. There is an extraordinary amount of enthusiasm for it. The room is always enthused and I think that transfers to people watching it.
“You can like it for different reasons. You can like it for the frocks, the group dances, the couples or want to see how people are getting on. You can like the judges – or not like the judges!”
* The launch show of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing is on at 6.40pm on Saturday on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
Zach Neto hit a two-run homer, Mike Trout drove in two runs and the Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Wednesday.
Trout’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning brought home Bryce Teodosio to give the Angels a 4-3 lead. Teodosio tripled off the top of the center-field wall, over the head of James Outman.
Trout also hit an RBI single in the third and scored on Neto’s homer off starter Taj Bradley to put the Angels ahead 3-1. It was Neto’s 26th home run of the year.
Byron Buxton tied it with a two-run shot in the sixth, his 31st homer this season.
Outman also homered, doubled and made a pair of leaping catches for the Twins. But they fell to 64-82 and were assured their first losing record since 2022.
Robert Stephenson (2-0), the fifth Angels reliever, got one out for the win. Kenley Jansen struck out two in a perfect ninth to earn his 27th save.
Cole Sands (3-4) took the loss.
Bradley gave up three runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out five.
Key moment
Teodosio’s leadoff triple in the eighth was hit over the head of Outman, who made leaping catches in the fifth and sixth. Outman hit a double in the top of the eighth that Teodosio could not see in center field.
Key stat
Minnesota stranded 11 baserunners and went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
Up next
Angels right-hander José Soriano (10-10, 4.07) is scheduled to start Thursday night in Seattle.
Kyle Hendricks threw seven shutout innings, Chris Taylor and Yoán Moncada hit three-run homers, and the Angels scored all of their runs with two out in a 12-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Hendricks (7-9) gave up four hits, struck out six and walked one in his best start of the season, throwing 58 of 80 pitches for strikes. Right-hander Zabby Matthews (4-5) took the loss, giving up five runs and seven hits in 4 ⅔ innings.
The Angels had 17 hits and went eight for 17 with runners in scoring position. Leadoff man Mike Trout and Moncada each scored three runs. Luis Rengifo delivered two clutch hits, a two-out, two-run single in the first inning and a two-out RBI single in the fifth, as the Angels built a 5-0 lead.
The Angels blew open the game with four runs in the sixth and three in the seventh. Taylor followed Taylor Ward’s RBI single with a three-run homer to center in the sixth and Moncada followed singles by Sebastian Rivero and Bryce Teodosio with a three-run shot, his 12th of the season, to right.
Twins infielder Ryan Fitzgerald, who threw a scoreless eighth inning, broke up the shutout with a two-run homer in the ninth.
Angels right fielder Jo Adell, who is fourth in the American League with 35 homers and seventh with 94 RBIs, was scratched from the lineup because of vertigo for the second straight game.
Key moment
The Twins threatened in the sixth by putting two on with one out, but Hendricks stopped any hopes of a comeback by getting Trevor Larnach to pop out to third and Luke Keaschall to fly to left, preserving a 5-0 lead.
Key stat
Trout has gone a career-high 119 plate appearances and 27 games without a homer since hitting his 398th on Aug. 6. His previous long drought was 117 plate appearances in 2015.
Up next
Twins right-hander Taj Bradley (6-7, 4.92 ERA) will oppose Angels right-hander Jose Soriano (10-10, 4.07 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale.
Royce Lewis homered twice and drove in four runs as the Minnesota Twins beat the sloppy Angels 12-3 on Monday night.
James Outman also went deep as the Twins moved to 4-0 against the Angels this season, outscoring them 33-7.
Los Angeles committed four errors, including two by third baseman Yoan Moncada.
Lewis’ first homer grazed off the tip of Bryce Teodosio’s glove at the center field wall in the second.
Simeon Woods Richardson (6-4) allowed three runs and struck out six in five innings. Travis Adams struck out four in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Luke Keaschall had an RBI single, Matt Wallner had a two-run double, and Austin Martin doubled and scored three runs. The Twins were still 4 for 18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.
Angels starter Caden Dana (0-1) struck out a career-high nine, walked five and allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Sebastián Rivero had an RBI double in his first major league game in almost three years.
Key moment: Lewis’ second home run made it 5-3 in the fifth and gave the Twins the lead for good as the Orange County native put on a show in his homecoming.
Key stat: It was Lewis’ third career multi-homer game. He did it on July 20 at Colorado and in Game 1 of a 2023 American League wild card playoff series against Toronto.
Up next: RHP Zebby Matthews (4-4, 4.73 ERA) starts for the Twins and RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.81) takes the mound for the Angels as the series continues on Tuesday night.
That’s the best way to describe identical twins Liam and Luke Meeker, football players at Mira Costa High.
Liam is the quarterback and Luke the receiver. They’ve been teaming up their whole life.
“Twin telepathy,” they joke.
Their father, George, who was a member of Edison’s surf team during his high school days, taught them to surf when they were 9. Luke claims to be the best, but it’s football where they are making their presence felt.
Both are 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds. Liam can throw and run. Luke can be physical and protective of his brother. They’re loyal and best friends.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Luke said.
“I know where he is on the field,” Liam said.
With Mira Costa returning eight starters on defense and key skill position players such as the Meekers and standout running back AJ McBean, the Mustangs have a chance to be competitive in a tough Bay League that also has Palos Verdes, Inglewood, Leuzinger, Culver City and Lawndale.
Coach Don Morrow, in his 33rd season, likes the togetherness of his players. There’s good leaders, like linebacker/long snapper Jackson Reach, who’s been a standout since his sophomore season.
On Wednesday afternoon, it was a pleasant 77 degrees, with drums, flutes and cymbals being heard around the Manhattan Beach campus as band members practiced. Cheerleaders also worked on their routines. Then football players took the field to continue preparation for an Aug. 29 opener against St. Francis.
Afterward, anyone could take a walk to the beach and surf. The Meekers have been spending summers in Australia, where their mother was born and raised on a farm. They’ve gotten stronger with all the chores they do each summer.
When it comes to surfing, they know the lingo and the fun.
A zoo has announced the birth of red panda twins after introducing the parents in 2024.
The cubs were delivered at Amazon World, Isle of Wight, on 17 June.
Their mother Xiao, 10, was paired with 10-month-old male Flint after he was imported from Belfast Zoo with a view to breeding “in the next couple of years”, the zoo previously said.
The species, which lives in the eastern Himalayas and China, is endangered and on the decline, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In a Facebook post, the zoo, near Arreton, said it was “over the moon” at its success.
It added: “The cubs are still young and there is always a risk but Xiao has done such a fantastic job so far.
“The cubs will remain hidden in the nest boxes until at least three months old.
“Senior staff have been and will continue to monitor the enclosure, nest boxes and cubs via CCTV installed to make sure all is well.”
Red pandas are poached for fur, get caught in hunters’ wild pig and deer traps and are also under threat from forest clearance, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
For 2 ½ hours of a sun-splashed Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers were playing up to — or perhaps down to — recent expectations.
Their offense consisted mainly of a Shohei Ohtani home run while the starting pitching kept them in the game, but then everything appeared to go off the rails when manager Dave Roberts went to his bullpen.
This time there was a surprise ending though, with Freddie Freeman lining a two-strike, two-out, two-run single to left field to give the Dodgers a walk-off 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The win was just the second in six games since the All-Star break. But with the team beginning a nine-game, three-city road trip, its longest of the second half, Friday in Boston, Roberts believes the comeback could provide the spark the Dodgers have been missing.
“I hope so,” he said. “How we got here today, showing the fight, willing ourselves to get Freddie at bat. Freddie [taking] probably his best swing in a month. And to win a game like that, that’s momentum building.“
Maybe. Yet there was little reason to think the Dodgers were headed in the right direction entering the ninth inning.
Ohtani had given them the lead with a solo home run in the first inning. It was his fifth straight game with a home run, a career high that equaled the franchise record, giving him 37 for the season. Royce Lewis got that run back for the Twins in the third, leading off with his fifth home run of the season just inside the left-field foul pole. The score stayed that way until the seventh, when Tommy Edman looped a single over a drawn-in infield, putting the Dodgers back in front.
Which is when the game took a turn.
Tyler Glasnow, pitching for the third time since returning from the injury list, was brilliant again, holding the Twins to a run on three hits while striking out 12 batters over seven innings. But he was out of bullets after throwing 106 pitches, so Roberts went to the bullpen — and five batters later the Dodgers trailed, with the Twins scoring twice without ever getting the ball out of the infield.
Kirby Yates was first to the mound and he walked the bases loaded, missing the plate on 12 of his 18 pitches. Alex Vesia came in next to get Willi Castro to hit into a double play, but that allowed the tying run to score.
Pinch-hitter Harrison Bader then promptly untied it with a poorly hit ball that got over the leaping Vesia before dying on the infield grass as Brooks Lee raced home from third.
It was a script the Dodgers had seen before: Over the last four weeks, the team’s bullpen ERA has ballooned to 4.43. Only six teams in the majors entered Wednesday with a higher mark.
The rotation is largely to blame because, after losing three of his projected five starters in the season’s first two months, Roberts has had to use everything short of masking tape and bailing wire to keep a starting staff together. As a result, the Dodgers have used 16 starters this season and 37 pitchers overall.
Shohei Ohtani flips the bat after hitting a 441-foot home run to left-center in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
That rotation is getting healthier now that Glasnow, who has missed most of the season because of an inflamed shoulder, could soon be rejoined in the rotation by two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, The left-hander, out since April 2 with shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to make his final minor-league rehab start Saturday.
Until now the bullpen has had to shoulder much of the load of those injuries: Dodger starters have thrown a big-league low 467 3/2 innings this season, averaging less than five innings a start, while their exhausted relievers have pitched a major-league-leading 452 2/3 innings.
So perhaps it’s no coincidence that in the last two days the team has lost two relievers, with Tanner Scott going on the injured list because of elbow inflammation and Ben Casparius limping off the mound with a right calf cramp, joining 11 pitchers already on the sidelines.
Casparius underwent an MRI exam, which was negative, and is expected to be available on the road trip. He admitted Wednesday that the bullpen’s recent struggles led him to try to pitch through the soreness, likely making the injury worse.
“Going through the back of my mind [was] kind of gutting it out,” he said. “I think you can look at it a bunch of different ways, but I’m not necessarily sure I put the team in the best spot.”
If Casparius failed to pick the team up, however, Freeman didn’t miss his shot.
After leaving the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings, the Dodgers were down to their last strike when the slumping Mookie Betts beat out a weakly hit ball to third. The ball didn’t travel 90 feet but it went far enough for Betts to beat the throw by a whisker for his third hit in his last 29 at-bats.
The Twins then walked Ohtani intentionally before Esteury Ruiz worked a walk of his own to bring Freeman to the plate. And after taking two strikes, he fouled off a tough 1-2 pitch, then sliced a liner to left that fell in front of diving Bader to win the game.
“We needed that one,” said Freeman, who was hitting .210 in July before collecting two hits Wednesday.
The Dodgers celebrated by heading to the airport to board their charter to Boston, where they might be without Betts for at least a game.
Roberts said “everything is OK” with his shortstop but added that “there’s some things going on personally for him. We’ll see if he’s going to be there for the Friday game.”
As for the rest of the team, there’s hope the 6,300-mile trip, which includes stops in Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, will be long enough to get the Dodgers around the corner.
“Momentum is everything,” said Casparius, echoing his manager. “Maybe getting on the road and being uncomfortable might help us out a little bit in a weird way too. It’s a tough part of the year. Everybody around the league is going through this type of stuff.
“I think we’re going to turn a corner.”
Notes: Reliever Blake Treinen was scheduled to make back-to-back appearances for triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Thursday, and if things go well, he could re-join the Dodgers on the road trip. Treinen went on the injured list April 19 with forearm tightness. … Third baseman Max Muncy is scheduled to face live pitching at the Dodgers’ Arizona complex Thursday and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, far sooner than expect. Muncy was the Dodgers’ hottest hitter when he sustained a bone bruise in his left knee three weeks ago. It was anticipated he would miss a month and half.
It was quality over quantity for the Dodgers on Monday night. A bunch of empty at-bats, salvaged by a few emphatic drives that left the ballpark.
In six innings against struggling Minnesota Twins starter David Festa, the Dodgers’ slumping offense managed only four hits — doing little to quell the offensive concerns that have mounted during a puzzling month of poor all-around production.
Three of the knocks, however, went over the fence, with a two-run blast from Shohei Ohtani in the first inning and a pair of solo homers from Will Smith in the fourth and sixth lifting the team to a 5-2 win at Dodger Stadium.
A course correction, this was not for the Dodgers’ supposed powerhouse offense.
Entering the night, the team had the third-lowest team batting average in the majors this month. As even president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged during pregame batting practice, “we’ve had more than half of our lineup really scuffle” for the last six weeks running.
“The offense scuffling the way it has,” Friedman added, “was something that I didn’t expect over this kind of protracted period of time.”
On Monday, though, the Dodgers did rectify at least one issue plaguing their recent offensive struggles. After hitting only 19 total home runs in their first 15 games in July, they went deep four times against the Twins (48-52), with Andy Pages adding an insurance shot in the seventh inning against reliever Cole Sands. It marked only the fifth time this season they hit at least four homers in a single contest.
Ohtani provided the night’s first big swing, immediately erasing the leadoff blast he gave up to Byron Buxton in the top of the first while making his sixth pitching start of the season.
In his second game occupying the second spot in the batting order, the two-way star wasn’t forced to rush between the mound and the plate (something manager Dave Roberts hoped would be a side benefit of replacing him with Mookie Betts as the team’s leadoff hitter). He was able to go through his normal routine of on-deck swings while watching Betts draw a five-pitch walk.
Then, for the first time in his six games as a pitcher this season, Ohtani not only got a hit, but clobbered a hanging changeup in a 2-and-1 count, launching his 35th home run of the season 441 feet to straightaway center.
From there, the Dodgers (59-42) kept playing long ball.
Festa, a second-year right-hander who entered the night with a 5.25 earned-run average, retired the next nine batters he faced before Smith came up to lead off the fourth.
Festa got ahead 1-and-2 in the count, before throwing a changeup that Smith fought off and missing wide with a slider. Festa’s next pitch was a fastball left over middle. Smith, the one Dodgers hitter who has been swinging a hot bat of late, didn’t miss it, going the other way to make the score 3-1.
Festa was still in the game when Smith came back up in the sixth. Once again, the pitcher made a mistake, hanging a slider over the heart of the plate. Once again, Smith was all over it, sending a souvenir into the left-field pavilion for his 14th home run, and first multi-homer game since last July.
1
2
3
1.Shohei Ohtani rounds first after hitting a two-run homer Monday against the Twins.2.Dodgers catcher Will Smith, right, celebrates with Freddie Freeman after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning.3.Dodgers center fielder James Outman ends the game with a jumping catch at the wall in straightaway center field.(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
With the two blasts, Smith raised his National League-leading batting average to .327. Since the start of July, he is 15 for 40 with a 1.163 OPS.
By the time Pages added to the lead in the seventh, whacking his 18th of the season deep to left, the game was already in hand.
Despite giving up plenty of hard contact and lacking the pinpoint command he’d flashed in his previous starts, Ohtani kept the Twins off the board over the rest of his three-inning outing, collecting three strikeouts over a season-high 46 pitches to finish the night with a 1.50 ERA.
After that, converted starter Dustin May followed with a productive bulk outing from the bullpen, scattering five hits over 4 ⅔ scoreless innings.
Dodgers closer Tanner Scott walks off the field with trainer Greg Barajas, left, after sustaining an injury during the ninth inning Monday.
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers did not get out of Monday unscathed. In the top of the ninth, closer Tanner Scott left the game alongside a trainer after walking one batter, hitting another and then spiking a slider that left him grimacing.
As he left the field, he appeared to be flexing his left throwing arm — a potentially troubling sign for a Dodgers team that was already in need of bullpen reinforcements ahead of next week’s trade deadline.
Roberts said Scott felt a “sting” in his forearm and is “emotionally not well.” He will undergo an MRI exam Tuesday.
But on Monday, at least, the team survived, with James Outman denying Carlos Correa a potential tying three-run homer off Scott’s replacement, Kirby Yates, with a leaping catch at the center-field wall for the night’s final out.
The Travel Twins have visited many European cities and have named six of their favourites that are not as popular as others – but are still well worth visiting
Two travellers have unveiled their top picks for Europe’s best kept secrets(Image: Getty)
Many Brits are no strangers to a European jaunt, whether they’re chasing the sun or immersing themselves in rich history, stunning architecture and diverse cultures. While Paris, Madrid and Barcelona are often on the itinerary, there are plenty of lesser-known treasures waiting to be discovered.
Two globetrotting TikTokers have unveiled their top picks for Europe’s best kept secrets, having explored 70 cities across the continent. After immersing themselves in plenty of different locations, they listed six gems they’d recommend to others.
These destinations may not draw the same crowds as their more famous counterparts, but they promise an equally enriching experience without the tourist throngs.
In a video, which has amassed nearly half a million views, they said that Stavanger in Norway was their ultimate recommendation.
The duo recommended Seville in Spain as an underrated city breaks(Image: Getty)
Situated on the southwestern coast of Norway, a roughly seven-hour drive from the capital, Oslo, is the city of Stavanger.
This gem may not be familiar to many Brits, but it boasts an array of attractions including its picturesque old town and stunning hiking trails that offer breathtaking views of the Norwegian landscape.
Historical sites abound in the city, with highlights including Stavanger Cathedral, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, and numerous Bronze Age Rock Carvings.
The TikTok users also spotlight Hameln, Germany as an under-appreciated European destination. Nestled near the larger city of Hanover, Hameln is famed as the mythical home of the Pied Piper.
The duo’s recommendations continue with Bern, Switzerland’s capital. This destination is ideal as a city break for history buffs and architecture enthusiasts, boasting landmarks such as the Cathedral of Bern, Marktgasse, and Barenplatz.
The TikTokers also recommended Riga in Latvia(Image: Getty)
Alternatively, they recommend Riga in Latvia or Poznan in Poland. Both are great for anyone with a passion for history and culture.
Seville in Spain was the final location to make the list. It offers a wealth of cultural experiences and is also a fantastic choice for a sun-soaked getaway.
While it may not be beachside, the city is dotted with hotels and resorts featuring pools, alongside a plethora of restaurants serving up traditional local cuisine.
Igbo-Ora in Nigeria has been dubbed the ‘Twin Capital of the World’, with an unusually high number of twins born there – and locals believe they’ve found the reason why
The town hosts an annual World Twins Festival(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A tiny Nigerian town is known for its high rate of twins, leaving scientists scratching their heads for years. In Yoruba culture, prevalent in the area where the town of Igbo-Ora is situated, twins are seen as a gift from the supreme deity Olodumare and are thought to be protected by spirits – they are even thought to have supernatural abilities.
One local resident hinted at a “secret” that could explain the remarkable twin phenomenon.
Globetrotting YouTube star Drew Binsky made his way to the so-called ‘Twin Capital of the World’ to chat with locals about their town’s extraordinary claim to fame. Despite Nigeria being officially an English-speaking nation, Drew discovered that finding people speaking his native language was challenging.
There’s an extraordinarily high proportion of twins born in the town(Image: YouTube/DrewBinsky)
He said: “Even though Nigeria is an English speaking country, it’s actually very difficult to find English speakers. Usually the ones that go to school that are educated can speak. But here in the villages, they usually speak native language, which is Yoruba.”
Drew eventually teamed up with a local woman named Grace, who became his guide and offered one intriguing theory for the abundance of twins.
She revealed: “There’s actually a secret behind that. There is a soup in our land here that people eat that will make them to give birth to twins and multiple [births].”
Grace, herself a twin, helped Drew chat to Yoruba-speaking locals(Image: YouTube/DrewBinsky)
Grace attributes the town’s unique demographic pattern to a local dish made with okra leaves, although researchers have yet to establish any concrete evidence linking the local diet to the twin mystery.
The town of Igbo-Ora, renowned for its high proportion of multiple births, may have found a clue in the peel of locally-grown yams, with a University of Lagos Teaching Hospital study suggesting a chemical link to the phenomenon.
Local resident Grace expressed her pride in living in Igbo-Ora, noting the scientific interest in the town’s twin phenomenon.
She continued: “Everybody’s a twin here. There is no single house in this town that does not have a twins. Every house, no matter how small or how big the house is, they will surely have a set of twins.”
It’s almost unusual not to be a twin in Igbo-Ora(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
While the global average for twin births stands at about 12 per 1,000, Igbo-Ora boasts an astonishing rate of at least 50 per 1,000.
Drew sampled the okra-leaf soup known as Ilasa, jokingly hinting it might increase his chances of having twins.
The soup, a local delicacy, features okra leaf, “locust beans,” and marugbo herb.
Igbo-Ora celebrates its unique status with a twins festival, where twins, triplets, and even quadruplets don matching attire and take part in photo sessions.
Despite its fame for multiple births, Igbo-Ora faces severe economic challenges, with one inhabitant describing the town as “financially handicapped” and calling for assistance from international aid organisations.
The twins who played Ross and Rachel’s baby on Friends have shared where they are now 22 years after the iconic show ended – and they’ve gone down very different career paths
Twins who played Rachel and Ross’ baby in Friends share surprising career change(Image: Warner Bros. Studios)
The unforgettable episodes of Friends that took us on an emotional journey with Ross and Rachel, played by David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston. The couple who were famously ‘on a break’ and each other’s ‘lobsters’, also brought us the joy of baby Emma Geller-Green.
Twin sisters Athena Conley and Alexandra Conley were just six months old when they took on the role of the beloved baby from the end of season 8 through season 9. So what actually happened to the actresses who played the tiny tot?
Fast forward to today, and the twins are now 23 years old and thriving. And they look part on their sitcom experience very fondly.
Hailing from Long Beach, California, the sisters landed the part after their mother learned of the audition through a friend in a twins club.
In an interview with People, Athena revealed: “So she told my mom about it and she was like, ‘You should just take your daughters to L.A. just for one day.’ And it wasn’t far from us at all, so she did.”
After having their photos taken at the audition, the twins and their mother were on their way out when they received the news that they had been cast.
They went on to appear in 10 episodes, before being replaced as the show required an older actress to portray Emma as she grew.
Alexandra opened up to People, revealing: “It’s actually crazy because growing up, I always just knew I was on Friends, but I didn’t really know what that meant.
“It didn’t hit me, I think until like maybe like middle school or even like early high school, how big that was.”
The twins have since become “obsessed” with the iconic sitcom and are regular viewers.
Despite their early brush with fame, they’ve stepped back from acting to focus on their new careers as recent university graduates.
Alexandra has made Los Angeles her home, where she’s carving out a career in social media and marketing for a cosmetics company. Her Instagram is a vibrant collage of travel snapshots and snippets of social gatherings with mates.
She’s also quite the dancer, often teaming up with her sister for dance videos. Alexandra’s influence extends to a collaboration with Kim Kardashian’s Skims, which she promotes on her TikTok account.
Athena, on the other hand, has settled in Denver and seems to be thriving in her busy life.
Her professional path has led her to a role as an investment control reconciler at a financial firm. Impressively, she’s also a cheerleader for the NFL’s Denver Broncos.
Alexandra doesn’t hold back in expressing her admiration for Athena, proudly supporting her from the stands and declaring herself her sister’s number one fan.
A WOMAN who has faced comparisons to Kris Jenner has been told the likeness is even more “insane” following the Kardashian matriarch’s rumoured facelift.
Julia has long been compared to the 69-year-old reality TV star – with people pointing out that her cropped raven hairstyle is incredibly similar to Kris’ look.
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Julia often faces comparisons to Keeping Up With the Kardashians matriarch Kris JennerCredit: tiktok/@scottishjulia
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Loads of people said that Julia looks even more like Kris following the star’s rumoured faceliftCredit: The Mega Agency
However, since Kris has been showcasing her new look in recent weeks – causing surgery rumours to swirl – Julia’s followers have insisted she looks even more like her.
“Before you spoke, I thought you were her!” another commented.
“Girllll! Thought it was you Kris! You look just like her now! Twins!” someone else wrote.
“Genuinely thought this was her,” another admitted.
The comments were left on one of Julia’s videos, in which she joked she was “absolutely devastated” by Kris’ rumoured procedure.
Kris Jenner celebrates 69th birthday with 4 cakes and helicopter message – but fans ‘cringe’ over ‘self-obsessed’ detail
“I’m absolutely devastated about Kris Jenner’s new ‘facelift’,” she sighed.
“Because now she’s not got the same hairstyle as me.”
Julia added that while she thinks people are still quite likely to make the comparison between her and Kris, she’s a bit put out that the reality star has also changed her hair.
“She’s kind of grown it out into this little flicky, chic, French bob,” she said.
“Yeah, a wee bit devastated about that.
“Happy for her. Obviously, her face is looking about 35 and I think she’s pushing 70.
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“So love that for her but yeah, I’m not growing my hair!”
Kris has yet to comment on the facelift rumours, but, according to People.com, she visited Dr. Steven Levine in New York for the transformation.
The outlet said that the surgeon “specialises in natural-looking enhancements of the face, breasts, and body”, according to his website.
Kris hasn’t made a secret of her love of anti-ageing treatments in the past, telling People previously that she’s not ashamed of getting wrinkle-freezing injections Botox.
“For me, it’s been really great,” she said.
If you’re responsible, and you talk to your doctor, I think it works. It’s something that I’ve been using for a long time.“
She also underwent a facelift on an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians back in 2011.
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Kris is seen here in January 2024Credit: 2024 Marc Piasecki
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But in recent weeks, she’s been showing off her flawless facade amid rumours she’s undergone surgeryCredit: instagram/@krisjenner
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She’s also grown out her hair into a chic French styleCredit: Instagram
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But Julia insisted she won’t be following in Kris’ footsteps by growing out her hairCredit: tiktok/@scottishjulia
