BBC Introducing launches talent development scheme for spoken word artists

It was a culture shock for a 16-year-old Jovan Kirovski when he swapped the sunshine and the beaches of California for a bedroom in Swinton, but as one of America's brightest talents at the time, he knew Manchester was too good to turn down if he was to make it.

A family who quit the UK for Bulgaria after realising they would never be able to afford a home have bought a dream home with a barn and outbuildings for just £7,000.

Ashanti is a mega-famous vocalist, who even counted Michael Jackson as a fan.

Millie Radford showed off her blossoming baby bump earlier this week as she came closer to her due date.The beauty, 22, who is part of Britain's biggest family The Radfords, took to Instagram to post an adorable picture. In the snap, Harley, her partner, lovingly cradled her bare stomach. Millie, who is in her third trimester, put the photo on her story on the social media site, tagging the post 31 weeks.

It feels like an eternity ago when plans were first announced for a new bowling alley inside Trafford Palazzo.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Mum of 22, Sue Radford has just announced that she’s quitting social media. The 48 year old, whose family are the stars of hit channel 5 show 22 Kids and Counting, took to the Radford Family Instagram yesterday to bid their 515K followers a farewell for the summer. Posting a sweet snap of three of her young kids from the back, which saw two of her sons walking with their arms around each other, and their small daughter walking behind, Sue told their fans they were logging out to spend some quality time together.

A large-scale public art takeover project featuring murals from notable artists and members of the community has been unveiled in Eccles just in time for the summer holidays.

The Mary Wallopers have announced their new single ‘Wexford’, and told NME how they are looking to challenge perceptions of Irish folk music by making their music as accessible and thought-provoking as possible.Having gained notoriety from their lockdown livestreams, Dundalk band The Mary Wallopers have gone on to galvanise an unlikely fanbase from across the UK – and been hailed as making the traditional folk genre more accessible to a new generation.Following on from lead single ‘The Holy Ground’, the band have today (July 17) released the second track new album ‘Irish Rock ‘N’ Roll’ — a cover of Pecker Dunne’s ‘Wexford’.One of the album’s more emotive and introspective tracks, the cover sees The Mary Wallopers pay tribute to the late Irish folk icon and shed a light on the backlash faced by travellers, which often goes overlooked.“It is to show respect to the people that influence us,” guitarist Charles Hendy told NME. “The song itself is so raw and honest, it’s about him growing up in Wexford and he doesn’t sugarcoat anything in it.“It’s just an amazingly written song.

Watch video of the press conference here.They were referring to a wave of sudden exits of executives that kicked off June 20 when Disney’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president Latondra Newton, left, according to Disney to pursue “other endeavors.” Then on June 28 Netflix announced that Vernā Myers, head of inclusion strategy, will leave the role in September after five years in the job in order to focus attention on her consulting company, The Vernā Myers Company.The next day, Warner Bros. Discovery laid off SVP of diversity, equity and inclusion Karen Horne, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s EVP of Impact and Inclusion Jeanell English stepped down.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A group of state legislators representing the California Legislative Black Caucus are calling on film studios to meet with them regarding the sudden removal of Black female executives over the past few weeks. A mass exodus of Black women from senior leadership posts — Vernā Myers (Netflix), LaTondra Newton (Disney), Jeanell English (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) and Karen Horne and Terra Potts (Warner Bros. Discovery) — has raised questions about the depth of the film and television industry’s commitment to diversifying the top ranks of the entertainment industry. The CLBC held a press conference on Thursday, citing the executives’ resignations and removals after the State Legislature approved the $1.6 billion Film Tax Credit initiative to provide tax incentives for the film studios.

Last week, news broke in UK media outlets about a BBC broadcaster who allegedly paid £35,000 to a 17-year-old for sexually explicit photos. The scandal, which was first reported

Ice Spice brought her fellow collaborator PinkPantheress out during her Wireless set last Friday (July 7) to perform the track together for the first time.In her UK concert debut, Ice Spice performed a medley of her viral hits such as ‘Princess Diana’, ‘Munch’ and ‘Bikini Bottom’.During her 10-minute set, she also played ‘Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2’.

British rock star Ozzy Osbourne announced Monday that he will not be performing in the Power Trip music festival in October because of health issues that have prevented him from taking the stage at times in recent years. Osbourne said his initial plan was to begin performing again in the summer of 2024, and he "optimistically moved forward" when he received the offer for Power Trip, but his health will keep him from making a return.

Scots broadcaster Nicky Campbell has hit out at a twisted troll who claims the telly veteran is the BBC star accused of paying cash to a teenager in exchange for explicit photos.

Sue Radford has paid tribute to her son Alfie on what would have been his ninth birthday. The 22 Kids And Counting star, 48, is best known for giving fans an inside look into her large family with husband Noel Radford.

and now attending Wimbledon looking less like her California Gurl self and more like another Katherine: Princess Kate Middleton.The singer and American Idol judge attended the tournament on Wednesday, July 5 in a navy blue outfit and pearl earrings, her long dark hair styled straight. For a bit of flair, she added a summery scarf tied on the side: blue with white polka dots, a longtime Middleton fave pattern.Here's Middleton in a super similar print dress:Middleton at the 'D-Day: Interception, Intelligence, Invasion' exhibition at Bletchley Park in May 2019.And another…Middleton at a service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in March 2022.And a lighter color with bigger dots at—you guessed it—Wimbledon!Middleton at Wimbledon in 2022.As Perry's lookalike Zooey Deschanel once said, “I rock a lot of polka dots.”By Bella CacciatoreBy Carrie WittmerBy Carrie WittmerSo should we all…This content can also be viewed on the site it from.Perhaps the most damning evidence that Katy Perry is about to trade in her American citizenship for a British passport: she was there for the Fourth of July! What happened to “Firework” Katy? Is this country just a plastic bag to you? Where is your campaign-for-Hillary, salute-the-troops side? Why have you forsaken us? It's American Idol, Katy!!!!!!!!Perry attended the tennis match with Bloom, who also opted for simple blue patterns, mixing a gridded suit jacket with a striped shirt and a textured tie, plus colored sunglasses.

Prince William was left physically sick prior to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

went missing in January while on a hike in California. He was last seen on Friday, January 13 in the Baldy Bowl area in the San Gabriel mountains, north of Los Angeles.

Months before Julian Sands went missing on a solo hike in January, the English actor — whose death was recently confirmed after his remains were discovered — spoke about the dangers of hiking.

Naman Ramachandran Julian Sands, the British actor who was confirmed dead last week after going missing during a mountain hike, once spoke about “dangerous” mountain climbing in an interview. In his last U.K. interview with the Radio Time, conducted six months before he was discovered, Sands described climbing as “solace and a sort of existentialist self-negation, but equally a self-affirmation,” adding “if you can deal with dangerous mountains, you can certainly deal with life as an actor — the two are quite complementary.” The interview is published in the latest issue of the Radio Times. Sands was reported missing near Mt. Baldy in Southern California on Jan. 13. He was 65. The actor, who pivoted from the romantic lead in “A Room With a View” to playing sinister characters in films like “Warlock,” had gone hiking in the snow-covered Baldy Bowl area, about 45 miles east of Los Angeles. He was an experienced mountaineer, but conditions in the mountains had been treacherous, with the potential of avalanches.