worst

FA Cup holders and Premier League club Crystal Palace are beaten 2-1 by team six leagues lower, Macclesfield Town.

Minnow Macclesfield Town beat title holder Crystal Palace 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history to reach the fourth round.

Macclesfield is a team playing in the sixth tier of English football, five levels below its Premier League opponent, and took the lead on Saturday when captain Paul Dawson headed in a cross from Luke Duffy in the 43rd minute.

Isaac Buckley-Ricketts made it 2-0 in the 60th, prompting wild celebrations.

Following a scramble in the penalty area the ball pinged to Buckley-Ricketts, who came through the Manchester City academy, and he deftly clipped the ball with the outside of his right foot past goalkeeper Walter Benítez.

Macclesfield is coached by John Rooney, who started and ended his playing career as a midfielder with the club and is in only his first season coaching. He is the younger brother of former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

Yeremy Pino curled in a last-minute free kick over the wall to leave Macclesfield facing a nervous six minutes of stoppage time as home fans broke out into chants of “Silkmen! Silkmen!” — the club’s nickname.

Macclesfield held on against a Palace side whose dismal afternoon was summed up when United States central defender Chris Richards did a foul throw in the final minute of stoppage time, giving possession back to Macclesfield.

The fans sprinted onto the field at Moss Rose – a modest 5,900-capacity stadium in northwest England – in celebration at the final whistle while Dawson and Duffy were carried aloft.

The FA Cup has long been regarded as the greatest cup competition in the world, with a long history of giant killings.

Macclesfield, toppling the holders, sits towards the top of those achievements and may well come to be regarded as the most famous yet with Palace having enjoying a successful campaign in the English top flight this season where they at one stage were challenging for the Champions League qualification positions.

Macclesfield are currently 14th, 11 points above the relegation zone, in National League North – two leagues below professional level in English football.

The show has been ranked as the second most disappointing show in London in a Private Tours England study of TripAdvisor data. For me, it more than lived down to the hype

In the months after the first Avatar film hit the silver screen in 2009 and smashed its way to the title of the highest-grossing film ever, it’d be fair to assume that the future of cinema was 3D.

Indeed, the film’s director James Cameron has repeatedly argued as much, declaring in 2014: “I believe all movies should be made in 3D, forever”, praising 3D films as “stunning visual experiences which ‘turbocharge’ the viewing of the biggest, must-see movies.”

A decade on, it’s clear that the movie industry at large disagrees. Since the record year of 2011, when more than 100 3D movies were shown in theaters, new 3D releases have steadily declined to a quarter of that number.

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I side with film critic Roger Ebert, who argued that “3D is a waste of a perfectly good dimension” that is “unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness” and causes “nausea and headaches.”

In exactly the same way, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience (recently named the second most disappointing attraction in London in a Private Tours England study of TripAdvisor data) manages to turn the work of one of the greatest painters into a farcical, queasy spectacle.

The show is the work of Fever Up and first welcomed visitors in 2021. It did so a year after Emily of Emily in Paris fame visited a similar exhibition in the French capital, leading several companies to set up similar shows in Europe and the US.

Perhaps I was unlucky and chose the wrong one. Or maybe they’re all as disappointing as one another.

The warning signs began when I walked right down Shoreditch’s Commercial Street and past the exhibition entrance, which was very easy to miss. Once safely through the inauspicious door, I found myself in a strangely dark, cramped hallway where a woman sat in a chair checked my ticket. It was a Monday evening, but the low-effort entrance felt curiously at odds with the £25-a-person entrance fee.

It would’ve been entirely forgotten had Fever Up invested the savings into the exhibition itself. In reality, what lay beyond the hallway was a complete mess of a show that not only added nothing to the work of the Dutch painter but made it much worse.

The exhibition features two main rooms. The first is fairly similar to a typical gallery, featuring printouts of Van Gogh’s paintings on the walls and a brief overview of the artist’s life. This was my favourite bit, despite the fact I could’ve just read the Van Gogh Wikipedia page and learned considerably more. Or gone to see one of the many Van Goghs that are permanently displayed for free in London, such as the National Gallery’s Sunflowers and The Courtauld’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, rather than the texture-free printouts.

The second room, and the supposed main event, was even more disappointing. The large space was devoid of physical objects beyond a couple of deckchairs and a bench. Projected onto the wall were computer-altered versions of Van Gogh’s paintings in which the swirls swirl and the petals flutter about a little. Maybe I had expected too much, but I was not immersed.

Others have suffered worse fates. One colleague told me they’d been sick after gazing up at the lightly undulated walls for too long.

I left the exhibition just 30 minutes after walking in, feeling not only short-changed but also quite sad.

One of the Wikipedia-style blurbs had detailed Van Gogh’s final years, when he cut off his ear before suffering through several months of hallucinations, paranoid spells and a period in Saint-Paul asylum. Shortly after, he walked into a wheat field and shot himself in the chest with a revolver.

From afar, it seems that an unbearable sadness hung over Van Gogh throughout his life, made worse by his self-perceived failure as an artist and great concern that he was a burden on his brother. That he never lived to see how revered and beloved his work is today is a great shame. The only scrap of solace is that he never lived long enough to endure an evening at Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.

The exhibition closed in London last autumn and subsequently moved to Belfast, Bristol, York and Leicester.

Fever Up has been contacted for comment.

Have you been to Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments below or by emailing webtravel@reachplc.com

Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury’s relationship is once again under the spotlight in the new episodes of her Prime Video documentary after the couple decided to give their romance another go

The new Molly-Mae Hague documentary series will focus on her moving back in with Tommy Fury as she tells fans: “My life’s gonna change, everything’s gonna be different.”

The trailer for the final part of the second series of Molly-Mae: Behind It All dropped online tonight ahead of the launch on Prime Video on January 16. It initially shows how Molly’s sister Zoe has moved in with her to help her with childcare and growing her business Maebe.

But also in the 80 second clip, Molly is shown trying to gain self confidence ahead of moving back in with Tommy. She tells the cameras: “I am very proud of me and Tommy for working through things. It’s just gonna bring us even closer as a family.”

As the trailer shows a removal van she adds: “I’m closing the door and leaving behind such an incredible chapter of my life. It’s very bittersweet. It’s also just that fear of not knowing what to round the corner. So just a few things going on.”

Molly-Mae is engaged to Tommy after the couple met on Love Island in 2019. They became the most famous and celebrated romance from the ITV series. But after they got engaged and had their daughter Bambi together, they split in August 2024 amidst rumours Tommy had cheated, something he has always denied.

In the first series of the Prime Video documentary released a year ago, things had been very different and Molly-Mae and Tommy were not together and living apart. Tommy only featured on the phone and not in scenes on screen.

At that time on screen she said: “The last couple of months have been like the worst couple of months of my life. The feeling of a break up, it’s like a physical pain, like your heart actually hurts. For everyone else, it’s news, a bit of gossip. But for us, it’s real life. Your whole world just feels like it’s over.

“You don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m dealing with the falling apart of our relationship.” But in a look toward what ended up happening in the future she also told the cameras her love for Tommy “didn’t disappear overnight” after they were spotted kissing at a party on New Year’s Eve to see in the year 2025.

Some of the problems at the time had been blamed on alcohol. Molly said back then: “There were exterior issues going on for him that were causing our relationship to have problems. It was drinking isn’t it?

“I never, ever wanted to be with someone that drank, because my mum had a period of time in her life where she struggled because her marriage of 25 years had just ended, and she turned to drink, probably more than she should have.

“I was only about 14,15 when that happened, and I saw my mum in some like states, going through a really, like vulnerable time. So I have never, ever, ever been around it in a positive light.

“Tommy wanted to have a family life, but then also have the life of a 25-year-old boy with no responsibilities. And the two don’t go hand in hand. He’s never had an alcohol problem. It’s just that alcohol caused problems for us. It got to a point where I wasn’t really looking forward to anything, because alcohol affected it so much.”

In the new trailer Tommy is shown with Bambi in a clear sign they are back together as a family. They have recently all been to the Maldives and posted photos showing them all together on social media.

Molly-Mae: Behind It All Series 2 Part 2 (Episodes 4-6) will launch on 16th January 2026.

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An often overlooked city in the UK has been tainted with titles such as being the ‘worst’ place to stay, yet a travel writer has uncovered its allure and urges everyone to visit

A travel expert has defended the UK city that has been tainted by negative views, hailing it as one of the best and highlighting its thriving independent businesses and welcoming allure.

Earlier this year, Newport was named as the “worst” place to stay in the UK following research from Go Compare, which evaluated 55 destinations across the country for their family-friendly accommodation and visitor attractions. Elsewhere, a report by the Centre for Cities this year found that Newport has one of the highest numbers of empty shops of anyone in the UK.

Such damning reports mean that the Welsh city is often overlooked by travellers looking for a place to explore. Yet, an award-winning travel writer, who dedicates much of his time to discovering hidden gems across the UK, has labelled it as one of the best cities.

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Amy Jones

Ben Aitken, 39, loves to visit and explore British locations that are frequently dismissed by tourists, uncovering their often underappreciated charm. And Newport is one of them. “It’s punching massively below its weight in the sense that it’s got a lot going for it and people aren’t recognising that and are not taking advantage of that,” Ben exclusively told the Mirror.

“It’s peppered with these really excellent independent businesses. There are a lot of diamonds in this unfashionable place. And I can’t claim to have met all of the people that live in Newport, but I met a fair few, and each of them was friendly and welcoming.”

Having first visited in April last year, Ben said: “The first thing that struck me about Newport was its architecture. It was a boom town in the 1800s, and the legacy of its importance and significance, both industrial and civic, is still evident.

“The architecture is quite quirky; it’s not straightforwardly classic or Gothic. The high street curves and slopes in a nice way. It wasn’t buzzing, but that’s true for many towns and cities across the UK, if not the world, these days. It’s just a reality that the behaviour or habits of consumerism have changed so much.

“We no longer use high streets in the same way anymore, and when there’s no tourism in a place, that reality can appear a little unappealing, creating a quiet atmosphere. However, there are a few independent businesses that really impressed me in Newport after I wandered around for an hour.”

Ben revealed: “I had a great Italian meal at a place called Vittorio’s on the top of Stow Hill, opposite the cathedral. That’s been run by a family of third-generation Italian immigrants for about 30-40 years, as miners from Tuscany came to Newport in the 19th or early 20th century. That was a fantastic meal.

“There was also a great pub called Le Pub, which is short for Le Public space, and they do gigs and other events. It’s really relaxed, and has an inviting and quirky vibe. I chatted with the locals there and had a Trevor Nelson. It’s the local cocktail, but no one seems to know what it’s made of.

“Across the street, you’ve got a pub called Ye Olde Murenger House, and that’s about 4,000 years old. It’s the oldest and cosiest pub in Newport.” Ben added that the cafe, Rogue Fox, and fine dining restaurant at Gem 42 were other standout independent establishments in Newport.

He continued: “I also went to the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales, and there’s a brilliant velodrome just across the River Usk. Anybody can have a go. For about £20, they provided me with a bike, a helmet, and some instructions, and I whizzed around the velodrome for about an hour. It was the first time I’ve ever done that.

“Then I went to watch a rugby match at Rodney Parade. The pies were delicious. I didn’t really know what was going on, but it was atmospheric and meaningful.”

During his time in Newport, Ben stayed at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort, one of the country’s most renowned hotels. “It was really nice, it does what it does very well. I just wish it supported Newport city centre a little bit more by directing its guests there for dinner rather than to Cardiff or Bristol.

“I think I was the first visitor to have walked to the hotel from the train station, but I just wanted to demonstrate that you can do it.”

Ben added: “I’m not asking people to up sticks and move to Newport. I’m just asking them to consider visiting, staying over for the night, and I promise you can fill a weekend there. It has food, history, fun, and accommodation. It just goes to show that anywhere can be interesting and enjoyable if you just give it half a chance.”

You can read more about Ben’s UK travels and treasured finds in his book, Sh**y Breaks: A Celebration of Unsung Cities, which was released earlier this year. Alternatively, you can visit his Instagram page.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

It was the last story I wrote before everything changed.

It was Jan. 5, 2025, and I was marveling at the Rams gumption in their short-handed loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“It was weird,” I wrote. “It was wild.”

I was so witty. I was so wrong.

Two days later, I was fleeing for my life, steering my car down narrow Altadena streets with a fireball at my back and a nightmarish future sprawled across the smoke-filled streets ahead.

Now that was weird and wild.

The year 2025 was more tumultuous than any silly football game and its accompanying overwrought metaphors. It was a year that knocked me flat, tearing me apart from so many things that once anchored me, setting me afloat in a sea of guilt and despair and ultimate uncertainty.

Today, I have a home but no home. My days are filled with the beeps and growls of bulldozers. My nights are draped in the silence of emptiness. What was once one of the coolest secrets in Los Angeles has become a veritable ghost town, the vast empty spaces populated by howling coyotes and scrounging bears.

And I’m one of the lucky ones.

A lot has changed in the 12 months since the Eaton Fire spared my house but destroyed my Altadena neighborhood. I say a daily prayer of thanks that I did not endure the horror of the 19 people who lost their lives and thousands more who lost their homes. I am beyond fortunate to live in what was left behind.

But virtually nothing was left behind. Venerable manicured homes have been replaced by weed-choked vacant lots. Familiar local businesses are now empty parking lots. There is the occasional sighting of new construction, but far more prevalent is “For Sale” signs that have seemingly been there for months.

After living in the limbo of hotels and Airbnbs for two months while my home was remediated, I was blessed to return to four walls and running water, but beset with the guilt of having a front-row seat to the pain of so many who lost everything. I was spared, but nobody in Los Angeles was spared, and it wasn’t until halfway through the year that I noticed a consistent light from the strangest source.

Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani points as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during Game 3 of the World Series.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Every night, I would watch the Dodgers. At least once every couple of weeks, I would attend a Sparks game with my daughter, MC. Soon, there would be Saturdays with one of our college football teams, then Sundays with the NFL then, the baseball playoffs, leading to the insane Game 7 and morphing into the annual Lakers winter drama.

By the final weeks of December, I realized that one thing has consistently kept my spirits strong, perhaps the same thing that has helped keep our city upright through trials much tougher than mine.

Sports.

The highs, the lows, the dramatics, the desperation, it was all there when nothing was there, it was the feeling that even with everything gone, you still belonged to something.

UCLA women’s basketball players celebrate as confetti falls after they beat USC to win the Big Ten tournament title.

(Michael Conroy/AP)

From Dodgers exhilaration to Laker despair, from USC football frustration to UCLA women’s basketball greatness, sports has been the bright wallpaper on a year of Southland darkness.

It is sports that kept me grounded, kept me steady and somehow kept me believing.

In the worst year of my life, it was sports that saved me.

The path back to normalcy began two weeks after the Eaton fire, when I left my temporary hotel room to attend a press conference for the Dodgers’ latest Japanese import, Roki Sasaki.

“Invincible,” I wrote about the team’s rebuilt roster, a word that was so comforting during such a time when everything in life felt tenuous.

I came back to the hotel after the press conference, wrote my story then, like thousands of others in my situation, packed up and moved to another hotel.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic claps hands with forward LeBron James during a game against the Clippers on March 2.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Soon thereafter I was awakened late one night with the news of the Lakers stunning acquisition of Luka Doncic. I wrote this column from a rental house while preparing to move to yet another new place. My clothes were in a plastic grocery bag. My house was still in shambles. In Doncic, as least, there was hope.

Several days later I attended the Doncic press conference, asked a question, and Doncic asked me to repeat it. Turns out, it wasn’t a language barrier, it was a sound barrier. I was speaking too softly. It was then I noticed that the trauma from the fire had exacerbated my Parkinson’s Disease, which affected my voice, one of the many symptoms which later led me to acknowledging my condition in a difficult mid-summer column.

Yeah, it was a helluva year.

Good news returned in early March when it was announced that the Dodgers had made Dave Roberts the richest manager in baseball, giving him a new four-year, $32.4 million contract. In a bit of dumb luck that hasn’t stopped me from bragging about it since, 10 years ago I was the first one to publicly push for Roberts’ hiring. In such unstable times in our city, Roberts had become the new Tommy Lasorda, and his presence became a needed jolt of smile.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts salutes fans during the team’s World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 3.

(Carlin Stiehl/For The Times)

In early April, I wrote a column I never thought I’d write — that Bronny James had been transformed from circus to contributor. I also wrote a column that I maybe wish I hadn’t written so soon, that JJ Redick was a Laker success.

By then, writing stories about Laker conflicts was a refreshing respite from dealing with fire hassles. We were back in the house, but were we safe? Did we test enough for toxins? And how can we look our next-door neighbor in the eye when she comes to examine the giant empty scar where her house once stood?

In late May I sadly said goodbye to my second family when I wrote about the end of my 22-year run on ESPN’s popular “Around the Horn” game show. It wasn’t the first time in 2025 that a column brought me to tears, witness the video immediately after the fire. Agreed, I spent the year showing so much emotion for someone who had gotten so lucky. But I’m guessing I wasn’t alone.

Two weeks later I wrote about my new family, the group of boxers I have joined in my fight against Parkinson’s. That was the toughest column I have ever written, as I was acknowledging something I refused to admit for five years. But the fire had seemingly set the disease ablaze, and I could hide it no longer.

The year continued with columns about the soon-to-be-retiring Clayton Kershaw, the greatest Dodger pitcher with the greatest entrance song. Hearing “We Are Young” when he took the mound consistently gave me hope that, through the treacheries of a summer that marked the escalation of those insane ICE raids, we can continue to strive for rebirth.

That’s what sports consistently provided in 2025, the hope that from beneath the rubble, we could all fly again.

I voiced this hope in a Rams preview column that predicted they would go to the Super Bowl. I later wrote a Rams column predicting they would actually win the Super Bowl. I stand by my stories.

All of which led to a series of Dodger playoff columns that hopefully reflected the building energy of a town enthralled. After their Game 7 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, I was so spent that I hyperventilated for what felt like an hour.

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto holds up the MVP trophy after beating the Blue Jays and winning the World Series.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“In the end, they not only ran it back, they sprinted it back, they slugged it back, and then, finally, they literally Will-ed it back,” I wrote.

In hindsight those words could have been written not only about a team, but a city, fighting back, staying strong, the results of its struggle mirroring the Dodgers’ consecutive championships, punching through desperation, from struggle to strength.

In 2025, sports showed me that life can get better, life will be better, that if we hang in there long enough we can all hit that Miggy Ro homer, make that Andy Pages catch, stay forever young.

And thus I offer a heartiest and hopeful welcome to 2026.

Bring it on.

I stayed at a hotel that’s been branded one of the worst in the UK and for some reason decided that it would be a good idea to use a UV light in my windowless room

There aren’t that many hotels that charge £10 for windows or are seemingly completely empty the week before Christmas. And there’s only one hotel chain that has been named the worst in the UK for 12 consecutive years. To experience such delights, you’ve got to check yourself into a Britannia.

The chain is the stuff of legend. Fifty years after its first property, the Country House Hotel in Didsbury, Manchester, was opened, it has added around 60 more and grown to stretch across the UK before taking over Pontins.

However, its story is not an entirely positive one. Britannia has been much maligned over the years for (according to some of its unhappy customers at least) turning once grand properties into grimy, unpleasant, and uncomfortable hotels that don’t offer good value, even for their budget price tags.

My first experience in a Britannia came back in 2022, in the heady post-lockdown days when I took the train down to Bournemouth to stay in a hotel that has since been repurposed to house asylum seekers. The stuck fast windows and thick smell of paint ensured it was a hot and sticky night, while the drained outdoor pool, discarded knickers in the courtyard and a scattering of NOS canisters added to the general sense of neglect.

Have you had a memorable hotel stay? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

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OPINION

Milo Boyd

With such images in my head, it was with trepidation that I headed to my local Britannia to find out whether anything had changed at the UK’s worst hotel chain.

It hadn’t.

Britannia Hampstead is bleak, albeit in different ways to its sister venue down on the south coast. Here’s a breakdown of its key elements, compared to a recent visit to The Manor in Blakeney, North Norfolk. The Manor is part of the Coaching Inn Group, which was named the UK’s best large hotel chain of 2025 by Which? readers, while Britannia came dead last. Here is what separates the wheat from the chaff.

Vibe

On my Bournemouth trip, things were a lot livelier. There was life in the hotel. I knew because I could hear arguing couples and other people’s TV choices through my room walls. What I would’ve done for even the most muffled background characters this time around. The six-storey London hotel, which is big enough to house a 350-person business suite, was completely dead. The fairy lights flickered, but no one was home.

Contrastingly, the Manor was vibey. It may be a good hour’s cycle from the nearest train station, but even in the dead of November, it was busy, friendly, and warm. The staff were happy to chat, as were the guests lined up at the bar, enjoying special weekends away or a quick drink in what served as their local.

Rooms

It’s certainly not going to win any prizes, but my room in the Hampstead Britannia was much nicer than the Bournemouth one. In Bournemouth, a singular dead fly lay on the windowsill next to a deeply stained armchair. A screw stuck out from a picture frame. For several hours, I was unable to illuminate the room as all but the bathroom lights were out of action, leaving us with the deafeningly loud extractor fan until a cheery man on reception explained that the central electricity switch was hidden beneath the kettle.

In North London, the room was just… a bit bland. It was so clean that my UV torch found absolutely nothing. I can only assume that the strong stench of cleaning fluids had something to do with that. The furnishings were old and mostly brown, but inoffensive. At points during the night, the lack of windows did make me wonder if I was in prison. But I slept, woke and then jailbroke to tell the tale.

Over in Norfolk, it’s a different story. The Manor has 36 rooms, the cheapest of which can be booked for £99 next week. It is classic budget hotel fare, albeit of the quality end of the spectrum. A comfortable double bed, a medium-sized TV, and a well-decorated bathroom. Everything is solid, clean and cheerful.

Staff

As my only fellow humans in the Britannia hotel that night, I have no real complaints about the staff. They seemed nice enough, if not a little distracted when I chatted to them. The receptionist didn’t seem completely sure why the restaurant and bar were closed. Otherwise, my interactions with the staff were limited to them looking at me curiously as I read my book in the empty lobby.

Contrastingly, at the Manor, it’s all about staff. Many of them have been there for well over ten years. About half of them seem to be members of the Hill clan, including Tore, Karen, Sophie and Wayne. They were all on hand at various points during my stay to ensure everything was in its right place and to offer insights into the local area. For me, and the chatty returning customers who knew staff by name, such warmth is a major plus. It transforms the hotel from a place to stay and eat for the night, to somewhere homely that you want to be.

Location

This should be one of Britannia’s strong suits. In my mind, its customers tolerate a low-quality stay because of the convenience of staggering home to a city centre joint after a work away day or stag do. The Hampstead hotel offers none of that. It’s neither near enough the Heath nor Camden to be properly in either, and it’s a long old schlep from the centre of town. I can only imagine the disappointment of tourists who didn’t do enough research before booking.

Blakeney, on the other hand, is a lovely place. Just metres from the hotel’s front is the River Glaven, which winds its way through the National Nature Reserve. Nearby Blakeney Point is renowned for its seal colonies, with Beans Boat offering guided tours throughout the year. Most Coaching Inn Group hotels are in similarly scenic and remote rural locations.

Price

Windowless rooms at the London Britannia cost from £55, according to its website. But mine was closer to £90 with breakfast. If I’d opted for the sought-after window option, that would’ve hit the £100 mark.

The average cost of a room at the Manor is £128. While that isn’t very cheap, in the Which? survey, the hotel was one of only two to score four out of five stars for value for money. The other was Wetherspoons. I visited the Spoons Hotel in Canterbury in November, where a room for the night can be yours for just £55 and the average price is £70.

Spoons easily takes the prize for best value in my book, with Coaching Inn Group not far behind. Britannia, however, offers very little for what is a sizeable price tag. The average home price across all its hotels is £84, according to Which?. Even in 2025, that’s poor.

READ MORE: I went to beautiful UK seaside village where rent is £480-a-month for beachfront cottages

OPINION

Milo Boyd

The verdict

Nothing about my stay at the Britannia convinced me that it’s on the up or going to shed its unwanted ‘worst in class’ title anytime soon. I’m sure it’ll bag the bottom spot for a thirteenth time next year.

Britannia’s model seems to be to buy up grand old properties and flog the rooms for cut-price rates. Such is the size of the buildings, renovating to a modern standard would be a costly and risky venture. Far better, I imagine its executives have assumed, to keep costs low, even if profits remain the same. As a result, it’s a franchise with dozens of worn-out buildings that consistently fail to delight.

Contrastingly, Coaching Inn Group is a company that has done things right. For virtually the same price, customers can stay in one of its charming hotels in a warm, comfortable room with staff that seem genuinely invested in their work. Really, there is no competition.

Britannia has been contacted for comment.

FORGET the Oscars, these are the gongs that matter: The Biz on Sunday Awards for 2025.

It’s been another epic year in showbiz, and today we look back at the best, and worst, of it.

From Katy Perry’s space voyage to Alan Carr winning The Celebrity Traitors, here is our round-up . . .

REUNION OF THE YEAR

WHEN Noel and Liam Gallagher walked out on stage together for the first time in 16 years, Oasis fans around the world breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The brothers finally put their long-running feud behind them and took us back to the Nineties with their Live ’25 Tour.

After 41 dates, spanning 13 countries on five continents, it is safe to say that their reunion will be talked about for years to come.

MR AND MRS

Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay wed with his sister as bridesmaid amid feud

CHRISTMAS CRACKER

Rhian Sugden looks incredible in knickers and ‘naughty but nice’ crop top

Here’s hoping that 2026 holds even more for Oasis.

MOMENT OF THE YEAR

POP star Katy Perry proved she was out of this world when she soared 62 miles above Earth in April.

The American singer went into space on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket with an all-female crew, and promised that a song inspired by the trip was on its way.

But critics branded her part in the mission “tone deaf” in light of the world’s economic struggles.

FALL OF THE YEAR

McFLY singer Danny Jones and Love Island beauty Maura Higgins certainly had a rocky start to 2025.

After both appeared in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024, they were spotted together at a Brit Awards after-party in March – and married guitarist Danny was filmed kissing single Maura.

Luckily for Danny, his loyal wife, model Georgia, later forgave him.

Hopefully he will be on his very best behaviour next year.

SPLIT OF THE YEAR

LILY ALLEN proved that revenge is a dish best served cold – following her split from Stranger Things star David Harbour.

The British pop star laid bare her marriage breakdown through 14 tracks on her album West End Girl, which was released in October.

Lily’s tell-all lyrics came after months of hints about her toxic split with American David last December, amid rumours she caught him cheating.

If the album is anything to go by, her West End Girl tour will be one to remember.

TV TWIST OF THE YEAR

THE Celebrity Traitors was the year’s biggest TV show – with 12million viewers tuning in to watch Alan Carr win.

The comedian became the standout star of the series after “murdering” his best mate Paloma Faith – and having the worst poker face at the round tables.

Alan will be forever remembered as the best and worst Traitor in BBC history.

COUPLE OF THE YEAR

TAYLOR SWIFT and Travis Kelce broke the internet in August when the announcement of their engagement scored 37million likes on Instagram.

In a joint post, US hitmaker Taylor was pictured surrounded by flowers, with her American football star boyfriend on one knee, and a cryptic caption quipped: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

The couple, below, first sparked rumour of a romance when Taylor was spotted watching a Kansas City Chiefs game in 2023.

If the engagement is anything to go by, this is going to be the wedding of the century.

UNLIKELY NEW ROMANCE

HE is Britain’s most eligible pop star – so when Harry Styles stepped out with Catwoman Zoe Kravitz in Rome in August, fans went wild.

The As It Was singer was seen walking arm-in-arm with US actress Zoe through the streets of the Italian capital.

Could we see a diamond ring in the new year?

ARIANA GETS A GRANDE HOTEL

ARIANA GRANDE seems to be planning a Wicked time during her rumoured West End stint — including a £1million hotel stay.

I hear the US singer and actress, who is tipped to star in a revival of hit musical Sunday In The Park With George, has included accommodation at the 5H Mandarin Oriental among conditions for her potentially taking the role.

Penthouses at the Hyde Park hotel start from £40,000 a night.

The three-bedroom suite is almost 5,000sq ft, with a walk-in wardrobe and grandstand private terrace.

If the play runs for six weeks, Ariana’s hotel bill would run to more than £1million.

Fans believe she is set to star in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1984 musical Sunday In The Park With George at London’s Barbican Centre in 2027.

If so, she would line up alongside Jonathan Bailey, who played her Wicked character Glinda’s love interest.

A source said: “Ariana wants to stay at the Mandarin when she stars in the play.

“She really appreciates her downtime when she is working on productions and is a huge fan of the hotel.

“Ariana loves London and believes that the Mandarin Oriental has the city’s best views.”

Meanwhile she is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Wicked: For Good at the Golden Globes in January.

She will then start her The Eternal Sunshine Tour in June, in Oakland, California, to support her album of the same name.

Sounds like she deserves some five-star R&R.

GET READY FOR A HARRY NEW YEAR

HARRY STYLES has given his most telling clue yet that he is preparing for a comeback.

He put on his YouTube channel a clip from his final Love On Tour gig, in 2023 in Italy – and the post was cryptically titled, “Forever, forever”, with text declaring: “We belong together.” He is at the piano, sparkling in gold.

It comes amid rumours of a fourth solo album – and a stage return.

The former One Direction star released his last album, Harry’s House, in 2022.

Looks like 2026 will be his year.

Mike Crosby, who was served the panini lunch on a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Luton Airport following a work trip, has shared his anger on social media to raise awareness

A Ryanair passenger has slammed what he has described as “the worst plane food ever” — an “inedible” £11 panini lunch.

Mike Crosby, aged 60, claims “even cabin crew agreed” the sandwich “was terrible” after he complained on the flight from Dublin to Luton Airport on December 10. Mike said the meal, which also included a coffee and a Snickers bar, cost £10.98 (Euro 12.50), looked “nothing like the photo”.

The father of two, who had spent three days working in Dublin, said: “I don’t like to complain and I’m the first to say how remarkable it is when you get a good meal served 35,000 feet in the air. But, I was disappointed with this one.

“It was supposed to be cheese and ham but that doesn’t look like ham of any sort I recognise and it doesn’t look like the picture showing more of it than was in there. The cheese wasn’t cheese but more of a paste. It was a cheesy spread.”

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A photograph shows the opened panini with two thin slices of ham inside and “unrecognisable cheese paste” slathered on a small section of the bread. Mike, who is from St Albans, Hertfordshire, asked for a refund but staff allegedly told him they were unable to offer this “in the air”. The dad claimed Ryanair has also rejected his appeal since then too.

Mike is now speaking out about his Ryanair sandwich experience as a warning to others. He said before buying one next time he wants to inspect the contents of the bread first — and will continue doing so until he finds one he likes the look of.

Mike, from St Albans in Hertfordshire, said: “The coffee, Snickers and sandwich was part of a meal deal and I paid 12 euros and 50 cents – and for plane food [the price] wasn’t that bad.

“It was all very horrible. I had a couple of bites and thought I’m not eating this and threw it away. It’s the worst plane food I have ever received on a plane and it’s up there with the worst sandwich too.

“It looked nothing like the photo. I don’t actually know what that meat was. I didn’t even get to taste the cheese. I said to the people on the plane that [the panini] is terrible and the cabin crew agreed and gave me a miniature pot of Pringles instead.

“I think the most disappointing thing is not actually what they served, but the way they refused to take any responsibility for serving up rubbish.

“Next time, I’m going to say can you bring me one [a sandwich] before you cook it and before I pay. I’m then going to open the packet up and say that’s no good and keep doing that until I find one I like the look of. I don’t think it’ll ever look like the picture.”

Puka Nacua thinks NFL referees are “the worst.”

He feels they fabricate calls just so their friends can see them on TV.

But, to be honest, the Rams star receiver doesn’t seem too upset about the situation.

During a livestream Tuesday with YouTubers N3on and Adin Ross, Nacua was asked if he thought referees might bend the truth at times when making their calls.

“Oh, a hundred percent,” Nacua answered matter-of-factly. “Yes, the refs are the worst.”

The third-year player continued in the same casual manner, saying that NFL officials are generally part-time employees who probably get a thrill when they appear on screen during national broadcasts — even if it’s while making a call.

“These guys are lawyers, and like really they want to be on TV, too, bro,” Nacua said. “You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on “Sunday Night Football.” Like, that wasn’t [pass interference], but I called it.’”

He added: “I mean, these guys are normal human beings, too.”

The NFL’s competition committee states on the league’s football operations website that “criticism of officiating has always been considered conduct detrimental to the League.” Such conduct is often met with a fine. Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs coach Andy Reid have all been fined for public criticism of officiating in recent years.

The NFL did not immediately respond to questions from The Times on a possible fine for Nacua.

During another portion of the livestream, Nacua agrees to do a celebration dance of Ross and N3on’s choice after his next touchdown. With Nacua out of earshot, the two YouTubers discuss whether the 2023 Pro Bowl player would get in trouble if they have him perform a move that references an offensive stereotype about Jewish people. Ross is Jewish, but he often performs the move and teaches others how to do it in his livestreams.

He ends up teaching the move to Nacua, who practices it with Ross and promises to do it during a game. Ross does not explain the meaning of the move to Nacua, and the star receiver gives no indication he knows its background.

The Times reached out to the Rams and Nacua’s agent and did not receive an immediate response.

AMY Schumer and her onetime best friend, fellow comic Nikki Glaser, are embroiled in a secret feud, The U.S. Sun can report.

Sources have said Golden Globes host Nikki, 41, has quietly distanced herself from Amy, 44, and the two are now no longer speaking.

The feud comes at the worst possible time for Amy, as she battles the fall-out from her marriage ending.

A source close to the stars exclusively told The U.S. Sun that Nikki – who is set to host the Globes again in January – has quietly parted ways with the onetime superstar.

“Amy and Nikki used to be attached at the hip, but you don’t really see them together anymore,” the source claimed.

The insider said that Nikki – who used to give glowing interviews about her friendship with the I Feel Pretty star – is sick of walking on eggshells around Amy.

‘DIFFICULT DECISION’

Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer split after 7 years of marriage

“All of a sudden, Amy became very woke in the sense that you can’t say anything in front of her without her getting offended,” the insider explained, adding that the women no longer respect each other’s style of comedy.

“They just don’t like each other’s stuff anymore.”

A separate source summed up: “They stopped being close because Amy got weird.”

The second source also claimed Amy’s other former dear friend, Rachel Feinstein, has also quietly cut out Amy from her life.

The U.S. Sun reached out to Amy, Nikki and Rachel for comment, but did not hear back.

BEST FRIENDS

Nikki, who was featured on Amy’s former Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer, gave several interviews about their friendship over the years.

In one interview with US Weekly in 2015, Nikki said: “She’s like the type of person that you’d be like, ‘Oh my god, I want to be best friends with her,’ so it’s like a miracle to me when I hang out with her…I’m like, ‘Do you know I’d be stalking you [if we weren’t friends]?””

In a post the following year, Amy called Nikki her “main chick,” while plugging her show that was about to be released, Not Safe With Nikki Glaser. 

HEARTBREAKING DIVORCE

The friendship fall-out comes at a tough time in Amy’s personal life, as she announced last week she is splitting from her husband of seven years, celebrity chef Chris Fischer, 45.

“Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years,” she said on Friday, December 12.

“We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son,” Amy wrote, referring to their six-year-old son, Gene David Fischer.

The comedian then added that their separation was not caused by her recent weight loss, despite rumors that have been circulating in recent weeks.

“We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time. [It’s] not because I dropped some lbs and thought I could bag [a] basket [sic] and not because he’s a hot [James] Beard award-winning chef who can still pull some hot tail.

“Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever,” Amy concluded her post.

The U.S. Sun also recently reported in November that the star was having difficulty selling the $12.75 million Brooklyn townhouse the couple share, even after significantly reducing the asking price.