Prue Leith Says Farewell to the Bake Off Tent

Image: Channel 4 Press

By Jon Donnis

After nine series and more than 400 judged challenges, Dame Prue Leith DBE has confirmed she is stepping down as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, bringing to a close nearly a decade as one of the show's defining figures.

Reflecting on her decision, Prue described Bake Off as a joyful and meaningful chapter in her life. She spoke warmly about her time alongside fellow judge Paul Hollywood, presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4. At 86, she explained that the moment feels right to step back, with plenty still she wants to do, including spending summers properly enjoying her garden. She added that whoever takes her place will love the experience just as much as she has, and said she feels very lucky to have been part of the programme.

Love Productions paid tribute to Prue as a brilliant judge and a deeply loved presence in the tent. They highlighted her genuine expertise, her encouragement of the bakers, and her knack for delivering innocent innuendos that regularly left both the tent and viewers at home in fits of laughter. They said she will always hold a special place in the heart of Bake Off.

Channel 4 Chief Content Officer Ian Katz echoed that sentiment, praising Prue for combining culinary authority with warmth, generosity and empathy. He thanked her for her passion, wit, distinctive style and the many summers she spent in the tent, noting the lasting mark she leaves on the show and its bakers. While she will be missed as a judge, he said Channel 4 looks forward to working with her on future projects.

The next series of The Great British Bake Off will air on Channel 4 later this year, with a new judge set to be announced in due course.

Silent Witness Returns with a Birmingham Reset in February 2026

 

Image BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

First look images have been released as Silent Witness prepares to return to the BBC in February 2026, marking a major new chapter for the long running crime drama. The upcoming series shifts its home base to Birmingham and brings with it a fresh setting, new energy, and an impressive line up of guest stars.

The doors of The Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence in Birmingham will officially open on Monday 2 February, as Silent Witness arrives on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. The move places the forensic team in a new city, with the series both set and filmed in Birmingham for the first time.

The show returns with five new stories told across ten episodes. Dr Nikki Alexander, played by Emilia Fox, is back alongside Jack, Harriet and Kit, portrayed by David Caves, Maggie Steed and Fran Mills. Together, they face what are described as some of their most challenging and demanding cases yet, testing both their professional skills and personal resilience.

This series also features a strong guest cast. Names joining the show include Lydia Wilson, Chris Reilly, Ben Batt, Vinette Robinson, Selin Hizli, Gerard Kearns, Adam Rayner, Phaldut Sharma, Dino Fetscher, Cat Simmons, Chris Coghill and Mollie Winnard, bringing a wide range of familiar faces from across British television.

Silent Witness will air on Mondays and Tuesdays, streaming on BBC iPlayer and broadcasting on BBC One from Monday 2 February. The series is produced by BBC Studios Drama for the BBC, with Suzi McIntosh serving as executive producer for BBC Studios, Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC, and Emilia Fox also acting as executive producer. Seán Gleeson is producer, with BBC Studios handling global sales.

With a new location, fresh cases and a broad guest cast, Silent Witness looks set to begin its Birmingham era with confidence when it returns early next year.

Mark Fowler Jr Returns to Walford

Image: BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

Mark Fowler Jr is set to make a full return to Walford later this month, reuniting with his older sister Vicki Fowler, played by Alice Haig, and reconnecting with the wider Mitchell family. His arrival brings another familiar name back into the heart of Albert Square.

The role of Mark has been taken on by Stephen Aaron Sipple, who joined the cast in October. Viewers have already caught a glimpse of him after his brief appearance in the recent New Year's Day flashforward episode, a moment that quietly placed him at the centre of the Branning family's developing storyline.

For now, details surrounding Mark's return remain deliberately unclear. What he has been doing during his time away and what has drawn him back to Walford has yet to be revealed. As events unfold, it becomes apparent that his homecoming is not as straightforward as it first appears.

Stephen Aaron-Sipple says: "Having grown up in East London, EastEnders has been in my life since childhood and I'm excited to be joining not one, but two iconic Albert Square families! I'm looking forward to viewers seeing why Mark is back, and what Walford has in store for him."

Executive Producer Ben Wadey says: "We are thrilled to welcome Stephen Aaron-Sipple to EastEnders and bring Mark back to Albert Square. Viewers had a glimpse of Mark in the New Years Day flashforward episode, with the circumstances around his upcoming involvement with the Brannings set to unfold throughout the year."

The Wrap: Sky News "Reinvents" Late Night

Image: Sky TV Press

By Jon Donnis

Sky News has announced The Wrap, a major reworking of its 10pm output that moves away from the familiar late night bulletin and towards something more reflective and discursive. Rather than simply recounting events, the programme is designed to debate, analyse and make sense of the day's news.

Launching on Monday 26 January, The Wrap will air every night from 10pm until midnight. The shift reflects how people now consume news in a permanently connected world. Breaking stories reach audiences instantly on phones and social platforms, which means fewer viewers are waiting for a fixed bulletin at the end of the day to catch up. In response, the new format places greater emphasis on analysis and inventive video storytelling instead of traditional packaged reports.

The change also taps into a growing appetite for news with personality and perspective. Audiences are increasingly drawn to conversation led formats, a trend clearly visible in the rise of news discussion shows on YouTube and across social video. The Wrap embraces this approach and will be hosted by Anna Botting from Monday to Thursday and Gillian Joseph from Friday to Sunday, bringing together two of Sky News' most established and trusted presenters.

Each night will feature a panel of high-profile voices, including experts, journalists and special guests, who remain for the full programme. This structure allows for a live, fast moving discussion that can respond to events as they unfold and adapt to a constantly changing news agenda.

A key element of the show will remain a look ahead at the next day's newspapers. This segment offers viewers insight into how the agenda is taking shape overnight and positions The Wrap as a link between the day that has passed and the one about to begin.

Broadcast from a newly rebranded Sky News studio at Millbank during the week, The Wrap transforms the channel's flagship 10pm slot into a late night hub for live reporting, expert insight and agenda setting conversation.

David Rhodes, Executive Chairman of Sky News, said: "The 10pm slot has been a cornerstone of Sky News for years. Anna and Gillian remain at the helm, now leading greater conversation, explanation and debate. More than the news at 10, The Wrap will have a new format that increasingly values context and live discussion alongside breaking news, ensuring audiences get "The Full Story, First".

Anna Botting, Chief Presenter at Sky News, said: "I started presenting Sky News at Ten twenty years ago and it's really exciting that we are now evolving the show. The Wrap moves away from being a traditional News at 10 bulletin and means we can be even more nimble at adapting to breaking news. Think of it as a hub for debate and analysis, with our brilliant guests, available wherever you choose to watch. Having seen the industry transform over my 35 years as a journalist, I'm thrilled to be part of this bold and dynamic new chapter."

Gillian Joseph, Chief Presenter at Sky News, said: "From my first day presenting News at Ten, I was full of pride to anchor the flagship programme. 21 years later, and I'm just as delighted to be presenting its successor - The Wrap. Audiences today don't just want to know what's happened, they want to understand why it matters. The Wrap gives us the space to unpack the stories shaping our world, and hear different perspectives. I'm genuinely excited to share this new show."

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and the Vanishing of Its Own Canon

By Jon Donnis

In the original Star Trek episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, the message is blunt and intentionally grim. Cheron is dead. Its civilisation has burned itself out through hatred, and what remains are two men, Lokai and Bele, locked in a feud that has outlived everything else. They are presented as the final survivors of their people, both male, both utterly incapable of change.

The episode goes out of its way to show there is nothing left to save. The planet is lifeless. The cities are silent. Kirk leaves them behind not out of cruelty, but because their conflict has already run its course. The ending lands because it refuses hope. Lokai and Bele are condemned to pursue one another until death on an empty world, a closed loop of hatred with no future.

At no point is there any hint of a surviving population elsewhere. There is no suggestion of a child, a legacy, or some biological loophole waiting to be exploited later. The story works precisely because it is final. Their species ends with them, not with a sequel hook.

That is why the sudden appearance of a member of that same race in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy feels so jarring. There is no groundwork laid for it in the original episode. No canon explanation is offered. It simply happens, as if the bleak conclusion of one of Star Trek's most pointed morality tales can be brushed aside without consequence.

This is not clever reinterpretation or hidden depth finally uncovered. It is a straight contradiction. A story that once meant something very specific is quietly hollowed out so a new series can have another familiar alien face on screen. In doing so, Star Trek undermines its own history and signals that even its most deliberate endings are now disposable.

Ted Season Two Heads Back to the Nineties on Sky

Image: Sky TV Press

By Jon Donnis

All episodes of the live action comedy prequel Ted return to Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK and Ireland on 6 March 2026, with the full second season dropping at once.

The series, which acts as a prequel to the Ted films, stays rooted firmly in the 1990s. Ted the bear, voiced by Seth MacFarlane, has already had his brush with fame and is now back where he started in Framingham, Massachusetts. He lives with his best friend, 17 year old John Bennett, played by Max Burkholder, alongside John's parents Matty and Susan, portrayed by Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach, and cousin Blaire, played by Giorgia Whigham.

Ted remains a terrible role model and an even worse house guest. Still, beneath the bad habits and loud opinions, he is fiercely loyal. When it comes to friendship, he is always willing to stick his neck out, even if it causes chaos for everyone else in the house.

Seth MacFarlane, who serves as executive producer, writer, director, co showrunner and the voice of Ted, shared a message alongside fellow executive producers, writers and co showrunners Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh. They describe the second season as the result of a huge collaborative effort, praising the writers, cast, crew and visual effects team who continue to bring Ted convincingly to life.

The team promises eight episodes that are deliberately filthy, hopefully funny and unexpectedly heartfelt. At its centre is the story of a young man, his talking teddy bear and a deeply dysfunctional family. They also jokingly suggest that, should the series not appeal, viewers could always leave all episodes playing to completion on multiple devices around the house.

Alongside MacFarlane, the series regular cast includes Max Burkholder, Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes and Giorgia Whigham. Executive producers also include Erica Huggins, Alana Kleiman, Jason Clark and Aimee Carlson under the Fuzzy Door banner.

Ted is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, alongside Fuzzy Door and MRC, and is distributed by NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution. The series was acquired for Sky by Katie Keenan and Lucy Criddle.

Ted season two returns to Sky and streaming service NOW on 6 March 2026.

Catch up on Ted Season One at https://amzn.to/4b2SVdk

Sky Brings FIFA Women’s Champions Cup to UK Screens

Image: Sky TV Press

By Jon Donnis

Sky and FIFA have confirmed a new exclusive partnership that will bring the Final Stage of the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup live to Sky Sports viewers in the UK and Ireland. Coverage will air across two matchdays on 28 January and 1 February.

The tournament brings together the six continental champions and is staged in seasons when the FIFA Women's Club World Cup is not held. After two opening round fixtures, four teams remain and will contest the final phase of the competition in London.

Sky Sports will exclusively broadcast every match from the Final Stage. Action begins on Wednesday 28 January at the Brentford Stadium, with Gotham FC facing SC Corinthians at 12.30, followed by Arsenal Women FC against ASFAR at 18.00. Both matches serve as the tournament's semi-finals.

Four days later, the competition moves to the Arsenal Stadium. The third place play-off will kick off at 14.45, before the final takes place at 18.00 to decide the first winners of the FIFA Women's Champions Cup.

Sky's on-air coverage will feature Izzy Christiansen, Caroline Barker, Natalie Gedra, Ellen Ellard and Courtney Sweetman-Kirk across the broadcasts.

The competing clubs represent all six continental confederations, with ASFAR from CAF, Arsenal Women FC from UEFA, Auckland United FC from OFC, Gotham FC from CONCACAF, SC Corinthians from CONMEBOL and Wuhan Jiangda WFC from the AFC.

Sky Sports continues to position itself as the UK's leading investor in women's sports rights. In 2025, the broadcaster aired more than 75 percent of all televised women's sport, delivering year-round coverage across football, golf, cricket, netball, tennis, motorsport and rugby league.