Richard Brown

Expert Sam Caporn highlights common mistakes Britons make when choosing and serving rosé, noting misconceptions about colour, temperature and ice. Research commissioned by Aldi shows strong consumer biases, with many rejecting rosé based on shade despite rising sales of several popular bottles. Aldi introduces a pocket colour guide, the Rosé Sip Swatch, to help shoppers choose confidently. Caporn’s tips emphasise serving rosé chilled, drinking it young and avoiding assumptions about colour and quality.

A first-person report explores the British Grand Prix experience beyond the television broadcast, including access to McLaren's garage, pit-lane activity, team preparations and the luxurious Paddock Club at Silverstone. The hospitality package, supported by Allwyn, featured premium food and drink, entertainment and fan activities. The weekend combined celebrity appearances with dramatic on-track action, including Kimi Antonelli's car trouble and Max Verstappen's crash while chasing Lewis Hamilton. Allwyn also promoted the Allwyn League competition, which offers fans the chance to predict race results and win Paddock Club access.

A Hyatt survey of 2,000 couples ranked Italy as the honeymoon destination with the highest share of respondents reporting that they remain happily married, followed by Thailand and Indonesia. The study found that the ideal honeymoon lasts 13 days and costs about £9,610, while weather, value for money, beaches and all-inclusive accommodation are major considerations. Although the UK is the most popular choice among Britons, only 76% of those honeymooning there reported a happy marriage, compared with about 87.5% for Italy. Couples featured in the article credited Italy’s culture, cuisine, scenery and romantic atmosphere, while the study also identified growing interest in buddy moons, early moons and shorter or multi-destination trips.

England rugby captain Maro Itoje has backed Vitality’s Give2Move campaign, which encourages people in the UK to donate unused trainers so they can be provided to those who lack suitable footwear for exercise. Research commissioned by Vitality found that approximately 114 million pairs are unused in UK households, while more than 80% of respondents would consider donating if they knew the shoes would help others become active. The campaign, launched with Shoe Aid and JogOn, aims to collect one million pairs over five years through collection points at Vitality partners.

A Premierline-commissioned survey of 2,000 Britons found that Wonka Industries was the fictional business people most wanted to run, followed by Central Perk, Fawlty Towers and Stark Industries. Soap-opera pubs were especially popular, with EastEnders’ Queen Vic, Emmerdale’s Woolpack and Coronation Street’s Rovers Return ranking highly. Many respondents cited fun, drama and confidence in their own management skills as motivations, while 74% said they would leave their current job immediately to run a fictional business. The findings also indicated strong interest in entrepreneurship, although Premierline stressed the real-world risks and insurance needs involved in operating a business.

A survey of 2,000 Britons found that 49% consider themselves superstitious. Avoiding walking under ladders was the most common belief, followed by avoiding broken mirrors and not opening umbrellas indoors. Other popular rituals include touching wood, crossing fingers, avoiding Friday 13th, carrying lucky charms and relying on lucky numbers, with seven the most popular. The findings coincide with the National Bingo Game’s launch of a £250,000 jackpot, which the National Bingo Game Association links to Britons’ enduring belief in luck.

A survey of 2,000 Britons found Queen to be the most desired musical comeback, narrowly ahead of The Beatles, while Oasis’s reunion has generated strong enthusiasm. The research also highlights the enduring popularity of 1990s music, widespread interest in live performances, and plans by many respondents to attend more gigs. Marella Cruises is responding with its fifth Electric Sunsets 90s vs 00s themed cruise in the Mediterranean, featuring Kimberly Wyatt, B*Witched and Booty Luv.

Mdina, Malta’s historic “silent city,” is highlighted as a filming location for Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Troy and Popeye. The three-day trip also covers Valletta’s Grandmaster’s Palace, Gozo’s Ggantija Temples and Malta’s food, history and coastline. The piece presents Malta as a versatile, tourism-friendly destination and recommends the new Best View Fortina Luxury Suites in Sliema, despite minor teething problems during its opening.

A First Choice survey of 2,000 UK adults found that many Gen Z and Millennial travelers overspend on holidays to keep up with wealthier friends and maintain a social-media lifestyle. Fifty-eight percent said they had spent money they did not have on trips, while Gen Z respondents exceeded their holiday budgets by an average of £2,200. Many used credit cards, savings, student loans or other borrowing to finance travel, and large numbers felt embarrassed or excluded when they could not join friends' trips. First Choice's managing director said affordable group travel could help people enjoy holidays without compromising their finances, and the company promoted all-inclusive packages as a solution.

Amanda Gallagher, 37, died after accidentally backing into a spinning airplane propeller while taking photographs at Cook Airfield in Derby, Kansas, on October 26, 2024. Emergency services took her to hospital, but she later died. Authorities are investigating the circumstances, while friends led by Abbey Charboneau launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral costs. Cook Airfield offered condolences to Gallagher’s family and friends.

Liz Rich recounts seven years living with her husband and children at Heol Fanog, an isolated farmhouse in south Wales reputed to be one of Britain's most exorcised homes. She describes alleged energy surges, dead animals, apparitions, possession and encounters with a faceless hooded figure, despite repeated church exorcisms. Rich says the experiences severely affected her family, claiming her husband Bill became withdrawn, depressed and alcoholic before their separation and his death. The story was later documented in Mark Chadbourn's book Testimony and the BBC podcast The Witch Farm.

A man in his 50s died at the scene after a light aircraft crashed in countryside near Belchamp Walter on the Essex-Suffolk border. Essex Police, fire and rescue services, ambulances and an air ambulance attended the incident, which was declared a serious incident and coordinated from the local village hall. Police said the man’s next of kin had been informed, while eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke and fumes.

Ali Mills, a Bring Me The Horizon fan from Cheshunt, died at the scene after becoming unwell during the band's concert at Alexandra Palace in London. The band and venue issued statements expressing sympathy, while the London Ambulance Service described the emergency response. The cause of death had not been confirmed, and fans paid tribute on social media.

A body found near Clacton Pier was provisionally identified as 15-year-old Ben Quartermaine, who had gone missing after getting into difficulty while swimming on July 26. Essex Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious, although the cause remained unknown, and search operations were ended. Ben’s friend was rescued by pier staff and Clacton RNLI.

Chelmsford police station in Essex was evacuated at 9:50 a.m. on December 5, 2017, after a suspicious package was discovered. A Ministry of Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal team examined the package while Essex Police established a cordon and said there was no cause for public concern. The report also notes a separate suspicious-package incident near St Paul’s Cathedral in London, where the item was later deemed non-suspicious and the cordon was lifted.

Eighteen-year-old Megan Harding-Jones died at about 3:30 a.m. after her Volkswagen Polo left the A414 near North Weald in Essex and came to rest in a field. Friends and former schoolmates paid tribute to her as a happy, kind and talented horse rider who worked at an equestrian training centre. Essex Police closed the road for nearly six hours while investigating the single-vehicle collision and appealed for witnesses.

Former Halstead Youth Council representative Connor Allen-Howe admitted 31 sexual offences involving 22 victims whom he contacted through Skype while posing as a teenage girl. Prosecutors said he groomed boys into sending sexual images and performing abusive acts, while secretly recording the material. The offences were uncovered after a victim in Colorado reported the communications, leading to an investigation that traced multiple accounts to Allen-Howe in Essex. Chelmsford Crown Court adjourned sentencing for psychiatric and pre-sentence reports, warning that immediate imprisonment was likely.

Kieran Milledge was sentenced to 21 weeks in prison after admitting to violently abusing a Staffordshire bull terrier on a train between Braintree and Witham in Essex. He swung the dog into a carriage wall, stamped on its head and beat it for around 20 minutes; the animal is believed to have died several days later. Milledge also admitted possessing a bladed weapon, while the court heard he had been drinking heavily and was already subject to a suspended sentence.