Robert Carradine, Lizzie Maguire star, dies aged 71

Robert Carradine, who starred in Revenge of the Nerds and the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire, has died at 71.

The American actor was best known for playing Lizzie’s dad, Sam, in the children’s show. He took his own life after struggling with bipolar disorder for 20 years.

In a statement, his family said: “It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon on light to everyone around him.

“We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder.”

They continued: “We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion.”

Carradine’s brother Keith spoke out about the actor’s mental health difficulties, saying that his family want people to know that “there is no shame in it”. He added: “It is an illness that got the best of him, and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it, and celebrate his beautiful soul.

“He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day. We will take solace in how funny he could be, how wise and utterly accepting and tolerant he was. That’s who my baby brother was.”

Carradine is survived by his three children, Ever, Marica Reed and Ian Alexander, as well as his grandchildren, brothers, nephews and nieces – including The Goonies star Martha Plimpton.

The actor, who was the son of House of Frankenstein’s John Carradine and came from a family of actors, made his film debut in 1972, taking on a role in The Cowboys, before landing a role in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets a year later. He later appeared in the Oscar-winning film Coming Home alongside Jane Fonda and Jon Voight.

Carradine acted opposite his brothers, David and Keith, in Walter Hill film The Long Riders before shooting to fame in 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds, in which he played geek Lewis Skolnick. However, the younger generation know him best for playing Lizzie’s reliable dad Sam in hit Disney series Lizzie McGuire from 2001 to 2004.

His co-star Hilary Duff paid tribute to her onscreen dad with an emotional Instagram post, writing: “This one hurts.”

She added: “It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend. There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my onscreen parents. I’ll be forever grateful for that. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him.”

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If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

Russell Brand pleads not guilty to further sex offence charges including rape

Russell Brand has appeared in court to deny two further sexual offences, including rape.

The comedian, 50, arrived at Southwark Crown Court in London wearing an animal print shirt, unbuttoned to his lower chest, a black jacket, a light-coloured fedora hat monogrammed ‘RB’ and sunglasses.

He stared intently at journalists as he walked into the courtroom, before he entered the dock carrying a Bible with pages marked with post it notes.

He took off his hat and jacket before he stood to confirm his name and enter not guilty pleas to one count of rape and one count of sexual assault against two women. The fresh charges, which both relate to alleged incidents in 2009, were announced in December.

Releasing him on bail, Judge Mr Justice Bennathan said: “Mr Brand, I am sure you have heard everything we have been talking about. I will renew your bail.”

Under his bail conditions, the star is required to notify the police of any change of address within 48 hours.

The judge said there would be a further case management hearing in March.

Mr Brand has previously denied two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women.

Mr Brand, who lives in Florida, in the US, but also has an address in Oxfordshire, is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room while she attended a Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, and grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and orally raping her after dragging her into a male toilet, the court heard in May.

He is also alleged to have grabbed a radio station worker’s face, pushing her against a wall and kissing her before groping her breasts and buttocks.

The actor is also accused of indecently assaulting another woman after grabbing her forearm and attempting to drag her into a male toilet.

A trial is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court later this year in relation to the five original charges.

He first appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last month over the fresh charges.

The former Big Brother’s Big Mouth presenter attended that hearing via video link from Florida, wearing a blue denim shirt unbuttoned to his lower chest. He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Chelsea legend in court over ban on using sun terrace at £3m home

Premier League-winning former Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is locked in a court fight after being banned from using a sun terrace outside his £3m London home.

Mr Cudicini, who made 216 appearances for Chelsea between 1999 and 2009, is being sued by Haya Property Ltd, the owners of the freehold on his multimillion-pound Kensington mews house, in a row that the 52-year-old says started when he complained about the company installing noisy air-con units near his bedroom window.

The house, which the Blues legend bought for £1.75m in 2006 while at the peak of his Premier League career, is located just yards from Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall and under two miles from Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge home, where he works as head of talent at the club’s “pathway programme”.

Milan-born Mr Cudicini, who was part of the Chelsea squad during the 2004-05 season when they won their first Premier League title, has been taken to court over claims he breached the lease terms for his home in Jay Mews, South Kensington, by converting a rear section of flat roof into a sun terrace.

The freeholder claims his use of the compact terrace space – which, according to planning records, is less than two metres long and wide – is “a trespass and/or breach of covenant”.

However, the former football star’s lawyers insist his adaptation of the terrace, which is accessed off the first-floor lounge, is in line with planning permission granted by the City of Westminster for works at the house before he moved in.

Mr Cudicini started his professional career at Serie A side AC Milan in 1992, but struggled to break into the first team and, after a stint at Lazio, moved to Chelsea in 1999. He became the club’s number one goalkeeper and was voted Chelsea’s player of the year for the 2001-02 season, before winning the Premier League as an understudy to Petr Cech under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006. Mr Cudicini later moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2009 and played his final professional games at Los Angeles Galaxy in 2013, before hanging up his boots.

Mr Cudicini first returned to Chelsea as a club ambassador and assistant to the new first-team boss Antonio Conte in 2016, and is now the club’s head of talent and pathway programme.

During a short pre-trial hearing last week, the former footballer’s barrister, Mark Warwick KC, said is client had embarked on a refurb project after buying the property, which is now valued online at over £3m, including opening up the terrace.

The court heard that Mr Cudicini purchased the property on 30 June 2006, “with the benefit of the terrace permission” for £1.75m. His barrister told Judge Olivia-Faith Dobbie, at Central London County Court, that in about 2007 to 2008, his client had work to the house “carried out in accordance with the terrace permission, creating a terrace”.

“The work was carried out openly and with the knowledge and/or consent of the previous landlords,” Mr Warwick KC, said, adding that thereafter, Mr Cudicini has “openly used the terrace as part of the house”.

According to council documents, Mr Cudicini also went on to secure planning permission to create a new basement beneath the mews, to include an en-suite guest room and TV/play room.

Mr Cudicini – whose 999-year lease on the house is held at a rate of “one red rose per annum if demanded” – now faces claims of trespass and breach of the lease relating to the terrace.

Haya Property is also seeking an injunction, barring the alleged misuse of the terrace, plus compensation of up to £25,000.

Mr Cudicini, while maintaining the claim against him has no legal basis, suggests it was triggered by his landlords’ overreaction to him complaining about them placing noisy air-con units near his bedroom.

His KC described the breach allegation as “unjustified” and argued: “Further and in any event, the allegation was their unjustified riposte to Mr Cudicini’s earlier complaint to the City of Westminster that Haya Property had wrongly placed three noisy air conditioning units next to his master bedroom.”

He told the judge that the 2006 permission granted to a previous owner allowed for the “the replacement of a rear first floor window with French doors – and use of flat roof and lightwell as a terrace”.

The former goalie further claims that the landlords in place before Haya Property took over the freehold in 2015 were given formal notice of the terrace planning application and also agreed to it.

In court, Mr Cudicini’s barrister said the former keeper has “personal knowledge” of the history of his house from the date of purchase in 2006 and has carried out further enquiries since the case was launched against him, which enabled him to put together a “complete defence”.

Mr Warwick KC said Haya Property acquired the freehold in November 2015 “by a transfer made between the previous freeholders and Haya Properties,” by which Haya was transferred part of the freehold title.

The case ended up in court before Judge Dobbie in a five-minute pre-trial hearing dealing with costs budgets for the forthcoming trial whose date has yet to be fixed.

Sewage crisis drama Dirty Business is enraging, powerful television

The bar for campaigning British TV is ridiculously high. Mr Bates vs The Post Office and Adolescence were stunningly acted and scripted programmes that sent shockwaves around the world. Like those series (and Ken Loach’s Cathy Come Home, the 1966 drama that arguably set the mould for such rabble-rousing gems), Dirty Business identifies something rotten in our society – in this case, the behaviour of privately owned water companies who for at least two decades have made a fortune while knowingly pumping untreated sewage into England’s rivers and seas. Faeces! Sanitary towels! Condoms! Can the rot be stopped? The filmmaker Joseph Bullman makes us part of the answer to that question. Over the course of three episodes that combine acutely distressing scenes with cosy banter and pitch-black satire, we’re basically offered an instruction manual on how to hold the powers-that-be to account and ensure that s*** hits the fan.

Jason Watkins and David Thewlis are warm and nuanced as Peter and Ash, two middle-aged neighbours in the Cotswolds who, from 2019 onwards, pool their knowledge, optimism and tenacity (Peter’s a biologist, Ash is an ex-copper) in hopes of solving the mystery of why the EA (Environment Agency), a supposedly regulatory body, isn’t doing its job when it comes to Thames Water and South West Water. Though these characters have big houses and lots of time on their hands, they are entirely plausible as everymen. Thewlis, in particular, does a fine job with his micro-expressions. He twitches, in a variety of different ways, as the witty, free-jazz-loathing Ash is forced to endure double-speak, pontification and general fobbing off from various execs.

Just as impressive are Posy Sterling and Tom McKay as Julie and Mark Preen, a Birmingham couple whose eight-year-old daughter, Heather, contracted e-coli in 1999, after being exposed to sewage on a blue-flag Devon beach. The actors are completely in sync with a script that always resists milking our tears. There’s no music in the scene where Julie and Mark hold their lifeless child in a hospital room. Later, the handling of Mark’s guilt-induced depression and suicide is even more pared-back. Mark quietly slips out of the story, but he and Heather haunt it.

There’s no denying that a ton of emails are sent and read in Dirty Business. Which may sound yawn-some. Luckily, for big chunks of the time we’re looking at polluted rivers and beaches, which, thanks to cinematographer John Pardue, thrum with Paradise Lost energy. All the murky, watery textures are magnetic (think Hieronymus Bosch meets Man from Atlantis and The Simpsons’ episode with Blinky the three-eyed fish).

Meanwhile, graphics help underline certain convoluted or tricky issues. The horrors of the toxic workplace unfold gently, as we grow to adore two working-class whistleblowers, one of them charged with taking care of dilapidated sewage plants (Asim Chaudhry), one of them based at the EA (Chanel Cresswell), who basically wake up every morning thinking, “I f****ing hate my life!” In the real world, both whistleblowers were men; in Dirty Business, one has been turned into a glamorous young woman, but that Erin Brockovich-esque touch feels justified.

The villains, here, are entertainingly ghastly, including Charlotte Ritchie’s well-spoken EA executive, Sophie, who greenwashes with the most sinisterly plucky of smiles. Britain’s class system, by the way, dominates this story. Alice Lowe is Susan Davy, the CEO of South West Water, who gets patronised by her posh aides. The latter decide Davy is the perfect person to go out and soothe the furious English public, because “you’re almost one of them”. There’s a beat as Davy tries to decide if this is a compliment or an insult. Time and again, in town hall-based sequences showing just how angry the average person is about this issue, we get to hear authentic, working-class accents. And what these ordinary people have to say couldn’t be more eloquent.

Who should we be most angry with? Dirty Business is audaciously keen to point fingers. Former EA bigwigs Sir James Bevan and Dr Toby Willison definitely seem deserving of punishment. And if the CEOs of corporations like the Macquarie Group aren’t named and shamed in the same way, the language used about them is explicit. Ash compares them to “crime bosses”.

Bullman made Channel 4’s Partygate, which skewered the hypocrisy of the Tory party during the Covid years. It’ll be interesting to see how politicians react to Dirty Business. If David Cameron, Liz Truss and Labour’s one-time environment minister, Steve Reed, have any shame (debatable), they will be left squirming by the real-life footage used here. It is not pretty viewing for Sir Keir Starmer, either.

From now on, I’ll always check the Surfers Against Sewage app before swimming in the sea, but Dirty Business is about so much more than what we do on our holidays. There’s a by-election coming up, with the Greens hammering home the message that how we treat our environment is the opposite of a middle-class issue. Should the Greens’ Hannah Spencer – aka Hannah the plumber – win Gorton and Denton, she may well have reason to send a thank-you note to Channel 4.

The church still treats gay people as second-class citizens – how?

Let me float a scenario so preposterous that you will want to stop reading. A well-known company is recruiting trainees, but there are certain hurdles to clear before a candidate can be offered a job. “First question: are you in a same-sex marriage? Because, if so, we won’t train you. Secondly, you should know that if you’re gay and hoping for a role in senior management, we’ll need your assurance that you won’t have sex. Finally, we like to warn women candidates that one or two of our top executives and funders are a bit funny about having females in positions of power. Don’t worry, we’ll still hire and promote you – we’ll just find a workaround so you don’t have to report to those guys. OK?”

As I say, preposterous. Could never happen. For one thing, it would be illegal. For another, the bosses would be named, shamed and generally held up to public odium and ridicule. Except this is how the UK’s established church behaves. Still.

Just recently, the bishops of the Church of England had the opportunity to move on from this bizarre pyramid of nonsense and hypocrisy, and they bottled it. The Church continues to treat gay people as second-class citizens. Which might matter less if this were a small sect or cult. But at the top of this weird pyramid of discrimination sits the King. He is, literally, the supreme governor. And the Church’s top 26 managers sit in the House of Lords, where they make laws for the rest of us.

So, yes, I think it matters.

This came to a head a couple of weeks ago at the General Synod, the CoE’s governing body. At stake was a proposal to allow priests to conduct standalone services of blessings for couples living in committed same-sex relationships. The issue has been under discussion since 2017 under the vague rubric of Living in Love and Faith (LLF).

This was, depending on your point of view, either a small step or a huge one. Gay couples can already have their relationship blessed with so-called “prayers of love and faith” in the course of a normal church service. But, for some conservatives within the church, a standalone ceremony smacked too much of gay marriage.

The Bishops voted 34-0 (with two abstentions) to close down the LLF discussions. Instead, they have decided to replace the now-abandoned LLF working group with two more working groups. Since the days of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury, as one theologian told me, the doctrine of the Church has been “Keep talking and never decide”. So, no change.

Meanwhile, the status quo in the CoE appears to be something like this: if you’re in a same-sex marriage, the Church will not accept you for training or ordination. If you’re already a priest and in a same-sex relationship, you have to promise (or pretend?) that you won’t have sex with your partner. And you can’t get married.

Thus, there are openly gay deans (Canterbury or Southwark, for instance) in committed relationships. The Church can just about stomach that, on the premise that they are celibate. It’s all a bit “don’t ask, don’t tell”. But, famously, when the Dean of St Albans, a man called Jeffrey John, was appointed Bishop of Reading in 2003, it was all too much, and he was forced to withdraw. Gay enough to run a cathedral: too gay to run a diocese.

There are gay bishops, of course. In 2015, Nicholas Chamberlain was consecrated as Bishop of Grantham, even though it was known – by the authorities, if not the public, that he was living with another man. Archbishop Welby said in 2016, when a newspaper was threatening to “out” Chamberlain: “He lives within the bishops’ guidelines and his sexuality is completely irrelevant to his office.”

And yet, 10 years later, his fellow bishops voted 34-0 to block gay couples from being blessed in standalone ceremonies, even if they can be blessed during church services. Despite the top man saying that sexuality is “completely irrelevant”.

If all this strikes you as absurd, that’s certainly how it looks to Scottish Christians. The Episcopal Church decided in 2017 that clergy could officiate at a gay marriage, while respecting the right of anyone who didn’t want to. The Church of Scotland arrived at the same position in 2022. When last checked, they use the same Bible as the Church of England.

I asked the (gay) provost of Glasgow’s St Mary’s Cathedral, Kelvin Holdsworth, how he explained the difference.

“I think in England you have this thing about who really gets to exercise the power in the Church of England to appoint bishops, who sit in the House of Lords and are part of the state structure,” he told me. “And this debate is, I think, less about gay people than it is about who gets to hold that power.”

He was one of three knowledgeable observers I spoke to who drew attention to the powerful evangelical wing in the CoE. “It’s in the ascendancy in the CoE, partly because it’s better funded. I mean, the Holy Trinity Brompton thing has been growing and it’s been a deliberate policy to gain that power.”

Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) is the well-funded powerhouse mothership of charismatic evangelicals and the Alpha movement, the leaders of which, along with the Church of Evangelical Council (CEEC), have opposed greater equality for gay people within the church.

Sir Paul Marshall, founder of GB News, has put huge sums into the creation of the HTB-based Church Revitalisation Trust, which says its aims are “The Evangelisation of the Nation, The Revitalisation of the Church, The Transformation of Society.” Sir Paul is said not to want to get drawn into this specific issue. He is said to support blessings of same-sex relationships, but will not say whether this should be allowed in a standalone service. It is also strongly denied that he has tried to influence the debate within the Church.

In order to force the CoE to abandon the Living in Love and Faith initiative, the CEEC proposed creating “a de facto parallel province”, even encouraging its associated parishes to contribute to a so-called Ephesian Fund – a “conscience fund” designed to stop dioceses from supporting parishes which support views they consider “non-Biblical”. In other words, a church within a Church.

“The tricky thing is that the Conservatives have got all the money,” Andrew Graystone, a theologian who has studied the Evangelical influence, told me. “And as ever, that’s what it comes down to in the end. So they’re always on the verge of taking the ball away and leaving the pitch, and are very good at threatening that.” Indeed, the CEEC can wield huge power through the Ephesian Fund by withholding it from “bad” churches and depriving the CoE broadly of parish funds.

The Rev Richard Coles, broadcaster and (gay) priest, told me he likened the conservative evangelicals to the Militant Tendency in Liverpool in the 1980s (in which Trotskyists infiltrated the Labour party). “They have got very organised and have come to get more of a grip and exert more power over the institutional bodies of the Church of England.” He asks why it was considered OK to reverse a ban on the remarriage of divorcees (explicitly forbidden in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke) but not to treat gay people as equals. “It’s hard not to think, ‘Well, the reason is, it’s about gays, and actually they think we have no place in the community of the saved.’”

The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, was England’s chief nursing officer before becoming ordained. If she’d treated gay people as second-class citizens in the health service, she wouldn’t have lasted five minutes. Now she has a choice. “Keep talking and never decide?” Or show some courage?

‘I swapped supplements for LaVita – here’s what I learned’

If you’ve ever experienced “pill fatigue”, you’re not alone. Every day we’re bombarded with ads for capsules, gummies and vitamin pills. But once we’ve bought them, it’s often unclear whether they’re safe to take alongside other supplements – or whether they even work effectively without being paired with something else.

The wellness industry frequently glorifies having a personalised supplement “stack”, or borrowing a fitness expert’s recommended routine. In reality, bottles of pills tend to clutter up our cabinets, and most of us don’t stick with influencer-approved protocols for long.

Experts consistently tell us that a whole-food diet is the best way to get vital nutrients into the body, rather than relying on pills. But no matter how well-intentioned you are, there are days when you simply can’t hit your nutrition goals. Many people struggle to eat 30 plants a week, and on a daily basis we’re often busy or eating on the go.

When our nutrient intake is inconsistent, it can affect how effectively we absorb essential vitamins and minerals. Certain minerals help enzymes function properly, while vitamins often work in tandem to regulate metabolic pathways – meaning we need balance, not excess, to feel our best.

According to the most recent national dietary data in the UK, only a third of adults eat the recommended five to seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The figures are even lower for children, who can be notoriously fussy eaters.

I decided to try a liquid concentrate that promises to eliminate the all-too-familiar problem of too many pills and not enough time – or willpower – to eat perfectly. LaVita is a product that aims to replace multiple supplements with a single, science-backed daily drink derived from whole foods. It sounds almost too good to be true – but could it really replace my carefully planned “stack”?

LaVita’s founder, former athlete Gerd Truntschka, explained that he stopped believing more pills equalled better health once he began considering how nutrients work in combination, and how staying close to the original food source can improve absorption. He set out to create an all-in-one liquid that mimics the natural matrix of whole foods.

The liquid contains more than 70 plant-based ingredients. It’s a living concentrate that includes enzymes, omega-3s and trace elements, designed for optimal bioavailability – something many pills struggle to offer.

The first thing I noticed about LaVita was the glass bottle. I try to avoid plastic packaging where possible, and in an increasingly toxic world – where everything seems to be served in plastic or bulked out with preservatives and fillers – it was refreshing. The ingredients list also looked promising.

I popped it in the fridge before my first taste test. Once chilled, I poured a tablespoon of the liquid into a glass of filtered water and stirred. It blended well, but even better with the small electric whisk I usually use for greens powders and electrolytes.

The taste was surprisingly pleasant. With so many ingredients, I expected something far more challenging, but there was nothing offensive about it – likely because it’s 70 per cent fruit juice, alongside 18 per cent vegetable juice and five per cent herbal extracts. The rest is made up of oils and trace minerals. Compared to swallowing 10 or more pills a day, it felt like a win.

Ingredients that don’t usually feature in everyday diets – such as rosehips, milk thistle, fennel and sea buckthorn – bring some of the more unusual, bitter flavours. While these can be an acquired taste, modern diets are severely lacking in bitter foods, so it was encouraging to see them included, especially given their benefits for digestion and gut health.

After a few days, the mental relief of simplifying a complex health routine into one daily drink was surprisingly rewarding. For the purposes of the trial, I stopped taking supplements containing iron, vitamins C, A, D, B6 and B12, folic acid, copper, selenium and zinc, as LaVita contains all of these in recommended doses. I normally take them in various combinations to support energy, immunity, brain health, and hair, skin and nails, alongside a healthy diet.

I also appreciated that LaVita is free from preservatives and additives. I’m selective about supplements because many contain bulking agents and preservatives that aren’t great for gut health over time.

Liquid supplements are often praised for better bioavailability, and there’s truth to this. Because they’re already dissolved, the body doesn’t need to break them down in the same way, meaning nutrients can enter the system more efficiently. They can also be gentler on the stomach. LaVita is also vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free.

I was curious about the inclusion of cold-pressed oils and learned that they help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as D, E and K more effectively. I also found that taking the drink with breakfast worked best for me. While you can have it on an empty stomach, I prefer not to take anything containing green tea or B vitamins without food.

Throughout the testing period, the drink was easy to incorporate and enjoyable to consume. I didn’t experience any dip in energy and, reassuringly, noticed no negative changes to my skin – something I’d been quietly concerned about after ditching my usual supplements.

Each bottle contains 50 servings, meaning it lasts almost two months when taken daily. While I still made an effort to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, it was comforting to know that on days when a healthy breakfast was replaced by pastries, or dinner turned into pizza, I was still getting a broad spectrum of plant-based nutrients.

I’ll admit, I initially thought this liquid superdrink might be too good to be true. But the pros far outweighed the cons, and I was impressed by the overall experience. Anyone accustomed to regular juice or squash might find the taste slightly bitter at first – largely due to the lack of added sugar – but the ingredient quality more than makes up for it.

I was pleased with my skin, my energy levels, and the fact that I managed to avoid the cold that was circulating the office while testing LaVita, which hopefully suggests my immune system approved too.

While it’s not a replacement for a healthy diet, as a supplement swap LaVita ticks a lot of boxes: thoughtful packaging, strong ingredient sourcing, and a genuinely easier way to support nutrition. I can see it being a particularly helpful option for busy parents, fussy teens, older adults, and anyone who struggles to eat 30 plants a week – or swallow tablets at all.

Ready to simplify your supplements? Make the switch to LaVita today

Bafta judge and filmmaker quits role over handling of racial slur at ceremony

Filmmaker Jonte Richardson has announced his resignation as a Bafta judge, citing the academy’s “utterly unforgivable” handling of a racial slur aired during its recent film awards ceremony.

The director and producer confirmed he would no longer serve on the emerging talent judging panel following an incident where Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson shouted a racial slur during a presentation by Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo. The 54-year-old’s outburst was heard as the Black Hollywood actors presented the award for special visual effects at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.

Mr Davidson has since stated he is “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Mr Richardson explained his decision: “After considerable soul-searching, I feel compelled to withdraw from the Bafta emerging talent judging panel. The organisation’s handling of the unfortunate Tourette’s N-word incident last night at the awards was utterly unforgivable.”

He continued, expressing his inability to contribute to an organisation that has “repeatedly failed to safeguard the dignity of its Black guests, members and the Black creative community”. Mr Richardson highlighted the irony, noting that this year’s cohort includes “some incredible Black talent,” including one of his favourite shows of 2025, Just Act Normal.

“However, when an organisation like Bafta, with its own long history of systemic racism, refuses to acknowledge the harm inflicted on both the Black and disabled communities and offer an appropriate apology, remaining involved would be tantamount to condoning its behaviour,” he added. Mr Richardson concluded by hoping Bafta leadership and the BBC “comprehend the damage they… have caused, and take the necessary steps to ensure their production staff are inclusive enough to prevent such an issue in the future”.

During the broadcast, awards ceremony presenter Alan Cumming apologised for any offensive language viewers may have heard. Bafta issued a statement on Monday night, apologising for the incident and taking “full responsibility” for placing its guests in a “difficult situation”. The academy also apologised “unreservedly” to Mr Jordan and Mr Lindo and “to all those impacted”, thanking them for their “incredible dignity and professionalism”.

Bafta’s statement affirmed: “We will learn from this and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”

The BBC also apologised for not editing the racial slur out of the broadcast. A spokesperson for the corporation said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

Responding to these apologies, Mr Richardson commented: “TBF the Bafta apology is considerably better than the BBC mumbled sidestepping. But the fact that it took 24 hours and intense backlash to get here suggests that despite its claims, Bafta remains inherently unsafe for Black and disabled people.” He expressed scepticism about future changes, predicting that “the same production company and the same execs will still be in charge of next year’s awards. So claiming to ‘learn from this’ will inevitably be as performative as their desire for inclusion.”

Richardson, who is a champion of diverse voices in the industry, is a director, writer, producer and editor who has worked in both the UK and the US on projects including Channel 4’s Bluefinch and award-winning productions for BET and HBO.

In a statement to the Press Association, Mr Davidson said he chose to leave the auditorium early as he was “aware of the distress my tics were causing”. According to the NHS, Tourette syndrome causes sudden, repetitive sounds or movements, which can, in rare instances, result in uncontrollable offensive language.

Mr Davidson, who developed the condition at 12, was made an MBE in 2019 for his work increasing understanding of Tourette syndrome. He was attending the Baftas representing the film I Swear, which chronicles his life with the condition.

It stars Robert Aramayo, who won best actor for his performance in the film, which also won best casting. Aramayo was also named EE Rising Star.

Trump to address nation amid tariffs crisis and dire polling numbers

President Donald Trump will address the nation Tuesday evening in the annual State of the Union speech, where he is expected to discuss his mass deportation agenda and his key economic policy, which was last week struck down by the Supreme Court.

Over a year into his second term, Trump has transformed the federal government, challenged the nation’s checks and balances, pushed the boundaries of executive authority and deployed federal officials who have detained – and in two cases killed – U.S. citizens.

On the world stage, Trump’s tariffs, his seizure of Venezuela’s dictator Nicolas Maduro, and threats to take over Greenland and force Canada to join the United States have frayed alliances.

Polling shows Americans are largely dissatisfied with Trump’s job performance. His approval rating stands at 39 percent, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. A recent CNN/SSRS poll found that 68 percent of people think he has the wrong priorities.

But Trump has dismissed all criticisms, choosing to highlight efforts to lower prescription drug costs and grocery prices, make housing affordable and reduce crime.

The State of the Union will begin at 9 p.m. ET on major networks, C-SPAN and the White House website.