46+ min ago (437+ words) Sir David Suchet has said that playing an oil company shareholder in a short film was "really terrific" and "so different from anything I've ever done". Best known for playing hero detective Hercule Poirot in a long-running ITV series, Sir David said his character in The Last Gasp was instead the "villain". It was inspired by the true story of an Iraqi villager who launched legal action against oil company BP following the loss of his son to leukemia. It won two awards at the Phoenix Rising International Film Festival in London earlier this month. Mr Cholmondeley said he was also inspired by BBC documentary Under Poisoned Skies, which revealed high levels of potentially cancer-causing chemicals in areas near oil fields. He said: "[The film] is trying to highlight a problem called [gas] flaring. When oil comes out of the…...

3+ hour, 28+ min ago (270+ words) More than 800 candles were displayed along a waterfront, each carrying a personal dedication in memory of lost loved ones. Poole Quay, in Dorset, was illuminated in a sea of light on Saturday for families and friends to remember their loved ones and to support Lewis-Manning hospice. The event, which was free, raised funds for Lewis-Manning's free hospice services via the public pre-ordering candles or by donating on the night. The hospice said money raised would help provide more than 400 hours of counselling and enable person-centred care at home and in local hubs, supporting about 1,200 people and families across the county. Children from Dorset-based schools decorated more than 300 lanterns which arrived at the quay on an illuminated boat at 19:00 GMT. Pupils from Canford Heath Infant School, Ad Astra Infant School, Heatherlands Primary School, and community groups from St James Church participated....

5+ hour, 21+ min ago (591+ words) A Welsh contestant who appeared on Blind Date in the early 1990s says appearing on it was "magical", as the show marks its 40th anniversary. Howard Griffiths recalled the strict secrecy on set, being told to write his own questions, and his unexpected encounter with Cilla Black in the wings where he confused her for a TV researcher. He said Black's parting piece of advice to him before walking on set was: "Don't say too much. Keep it spontaneous." Years later, he and his blind date match had an extraordinary reunion when they bumped into each on the London Underground, 25 years after their episode aired. Blind Date dominated Saturday night TV following its launch in 1985, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch one person pick a date from three suitors hidden behind a screen Mr Griffiths, from Cardiff, told BBC Radio…...

7+ hour, 44+ min ago (646+ words) Nwada Chiamaka Iwenofu Richards b" onye na-ese ihe a na-ah" anya ma na-emet" aka a kp'r' 'visual artist' na Bekee k'r' BBC Igbo na ' b" mmas" o nwere n'ise mere o jiri ya mere aka 'r". O kwuru na njem ya malitere na mgbe ' ka b" nwata, o kwuru na o so n'"m"aka na-esekaar" ihe n'"l'akw"kw' mgbe 'b"la. "A malitere m ise ihe mgbe m b" nwata, eso m n'"m"aka na-eme a na-ak"zi ihe n'"l'akw"kw' ha were mkp"s" d" iche iche na-esekas" ihe. "D"ka oge na-aga, ach'p"tara m na ise ihe na-amas" ime, na oge 'b"la m n' m na-ese ihe. "M wee kpebie na m g"chaa "l'akw"kw' sek'nd"r" na m ga-abanye mahadum ga-ag" maka ngalaba ise ihe (art and applied science). Etu…...

8+ hour, 5+ min ago (673+ words) Bydd cannoedd o arweinwyr busnes yn cwrdd yng Nghasnewydd ar gyfer uwchgynhaledd buddsoddi ryngwladol ddydd Llun Mae Llywodraeth Cymru "eisoes mewn lle da iawn", meddai Ysgrifennydd ar drothwy digwyddiad sydd "'r nod o ddenu "biliynau o bunnoedd o fuddsoddiad" a "miloedd o swyddi" i Gymru. Ddydd Llun, mi fydd cannoedd o arweinwyr busnes o bob cwr o'r byd yn cwrdd yng Nghasnewydd ar gyfer uwchgynhadledd buddsoddi ryngwladol. Pan gafodd y digwyddiad ei gyhoeddi yn y gwanwyn fe ddywedodd y Prif Weinidog, Eluned Morgan mai tyfu'r economi oedd ei "phrif flaenoriaeth". Wrth siarad ar raglen Politics Wales BBC Cymru fe ddywedodd yr Ysgrifennydd Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio, Rebecca Evans fod y llywodraeth "eisoes wedi denu "4.5 biliwn o fuddsoddiad i Gymru" ers cyhoeddi'r uwchgynhadledd a'i bod yn hyderus, "y gwelwn ni fuddsoddiad pellach yn dod i Gymru." Mae Rebecca Evans yn credu…...

11+ hour, 12+ min ago (468+ words) Thousands of people are to take part in Leeds Abbey Dash 10k on Sunday. It is the first year the event has been managed by Jane Tomlinson's Run For All, after charity Age UK hosted the race for nearly 40 years. Becky Major, head of marketing and communications at Jane Tomlinson's Run For All, said the only change was a partnership with England Athletics, which meant elite athletes would be taking part. She said: "We have some of the top tier athletes, both wheelchair and in the elite field as well. We're very excited to welcome them." About 12,000 runners and wheelchair racers are expected to set off from Wellington Street in Leeds city centre, racing to Kirkstall Abbey and back again. Ms Major said Age UK remained the lead partner charity for the event. "We'll always keep the fundamentals at the core…...

11+ hour, 12+ min ago (583+ words) A special screening of the film Hamnet will be co-hosted by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, to celebrate its UK release in January. The film, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, is a historical drama based on Maggie O'Farrell's award-winning novel, which is a fictional account of the lives of William Shakespeare's wife and son. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is joining forces with the Everyman Cinema for the event, which will include a screening of the film and a pre-screening Q&A with special guests. It will take place at the Stratford-upon-Avon Everyman cinema on 9 January, with further details about the event to be announced in the coming weeks. Hamnet explores love and loss in the lives of Anne Hathaway, who is referred to in the film and novel as Agnes, and Shakespeare. Directed by Oscar-winning Chlo" Zhao, the film delves into…...

11+ hour, 13+ min ago (541+ words) A teenager has hit the big screen after his hunt for a mythical creature was made into a new documentary. Daniel Lee Barnett, 15, from Stogursey, Somerset, travelled from the Quantock Hills to Washington in the US in search of the elusive Bigfoot with a team of experts. My Bigfoot Life starts with Daniel's discovery of a large footprint in woods near his home, which DNA tests showed contained traces of ancient ape. The film, which also charts Daniel's struggles with autism, has been released in cinemas and has now been picked up by streaming services in the UK and America. "I had the pleasure of filming with some of the amazing researchers in the Bigfoot world," Daniel said. "It was just a pleasure to learn from them and have them as my mentors." The documentary follows the hunt for Bigfoot,…...

11+ hour, 17+ min ago (554+ words) Now 80 years old, Brief Encounter is still widely regarded as one of the greatest romantic films ever made. The 1945 black-and-white tearjerker tells the story of housewife Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) and Alec (Trevor Howard) - two ordinary people whose chance meeting leads to an unforgettable and impossible romance after he helps remove a piece of grit from her eye. Because filming took place during World War Two, Carnforth station in Lancashire was chosen as a location for the film's fictional Milford Junction as it was remote and presumed safe from attack. "You'd be amazed at how many people say it's their favourite film," Robin Brogden, from Carnforth Station Heritage Centre, said. "They come into the heritage centre on a weekly basis and are so enthusiastic about the film," he said. Brief Encounter is a tale of restraint and decency, shame and…...

11+ hour, 22+ min ago (436+ words) "It's really sort of magical, almost a spiritual feel in there. It's a cylindrical space and there's sort of a catwalk that you walk across but then the sky is open." Elizabeth Kelly, professor of music composition at University of Nottingham, was involved in a project to play music in a cooling tower at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, the UK's last coal fired power station. Prof Kelly said herself and Dr Sarah Watts, director of performance at the University of Sheffield, were the "first to ever" play music in the power station. She added that she could hear every sound "bouncing around the space" about 10 times and described the acoustics inside the cooling tower as "incredible". The power station in Nottinghamshire was switched off on 30 September 2024 after generating electricity since 1968. Plans to knock down the cooling towers, the main power station…...