Jenny Coleman

A blue plaque has been unveiled at William Wood's former home in Bowdon to honor his campaign against the use of child chimney sweeps. After witnessing a boy's fatal chimney accident in 1826, the wool merchant promoted mechanical cleaning, publicized the dangers faced by climbing boys and funded prosecutions of sweeps who violated child-labor laws. His efforts helped lay the groundwork for the Chimney Sweepers Act of 1875, although he died in 1868 before the practice was legally banned.

BBC drama This City Is Ours will return for a second series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in autumn 2026. The Liverpool-set organised-crime story brings back James Nelson-Joyce and Hannah Onslow, alongside much of the original cast, while Shaun Evans and Álvaro Morte join as new cast members. Filming took place across Liverpool, the Wirral and Spain. The first series averaged 6.1 million viewers, received BAFTA nominations for Best Drama and Leading Actor, and earned Nelson-Joyce a breakthrough talent award.