Chris McCausland’s journey from salesman to TV show winner
BBC Chris McCausland and dance partner Dianne Buswell’s routines won over viewers Comedian Chris McCausland has won the 22nd series of Strictly Come Dancing after beating 14 other celebrities to this year’s glitterball trophy. He has been praised throughout the series for defying expectations of what a blind person can achieve on the dancefloor. McCausland, […]
Christmas ad spend ‘to hit record high’
John Lewis The latest John Lewis campaign focuses on a little boy and his friendship with an imaginary monster Brands will be spending a record £6bn on Christmas advertising in 2017, according to an industry body forecast. The Advertising Association says it is being driven by intense market competition, especially within the retail sector, and […]
Revised Westbury incinerator plan gains planning approval
BBC Protesters gathered outside the County Hall ahead of the meeting Revised plans to build a controversial £200m waste-to-energy incinerator in Wiltshire have been given the go ahead. Councillors voted seven to four earlier to approve the Westbury development described by South Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison as “hated” and “detested”. The meeting was live-streamed for […]
Why a row over jets could raise the cost of whisky
Speyside Distillers Patricia Dillon is managing director of Speyside Distillers in Scotland Scotch whisky should, in theory, have little do with planes – except perhaps as a mid-flight tipple. Which is why independent distillery boss Patricia Dillon wants to know why the Scotch whisky industry has been “dragged into” a row about aeroplanes. The US […]
Malmesbury blind woman given bionic eye to help see again
BBC David Canton from Malmesbury Opticians said he hoped Ms Irving will be able to see again A blind woman is learning to see again thanks to a new ground breaking trial involving a microchip placed in her eye. Sheila Irvine, from Wiltshire, who has geographic atrophy, is one of five in the UK taking […]
Lockdown restrictions lift across NI
Pacemaker Shoppers in Belfast city centre on Friday Non-essential retail and some parts of the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland are now able to reopen. A two-week limited lockdown, which was imposed on 27 November, ended at 23:59 GMT on Thursday. Restaurants, cafes and other venues serving food can resume trading, however pubs that do […]
Fire on Tube prompts call for London transport ban
Smoke can be seen billowing from the rear of the train. Video from Marcin Rojek A ban on carrying e-scooters on London’s transport network should be enforced after a battery caught fire on the Tube, a union has said. Passengers had to abandon a service at Parsons Green station in west London on Monday after […]
Cars sought for Birmingham Commonwealth Games opening
Getty Images The organisers are looking for vehicles with links to the West Midlands, such as Longbridge-made Minis Cars with a link to the West Midlands are being sought to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The sporting event is set to be held at venues in the city […]
Nintendo warns chip shortage will hit Switch sales
Nintendo Nintendo has lowered forecasts for sales of its Switch handheld games console by 1.5 million units. The Kyoto-based game giant now says it expects to sell 24 million units this financial year – having previously forecast sales of 25.5 million units. The Animal Crossing maker said the new forecast was because of a change […]
The unstoppable Adele and other highlights
Reuters Adele went home with all the silverware Ka-blam! Like a massive pop bazooka, Adele has just blown away the competition at the Brit Awards. The star took home the three top prizes – artist, song and album of the year – giving her a career total of 12 trophies, just one shy of Robbie […]