From the return of noughties fashion to reboots of TV shows and now, the return of one of YouTube’s biggest names.

Yep, in case you missed the viral photos on social media, David Dobrik is back.

But it’s less so his return to making videos that’s the big online chatter and more his somewhat extreme body transformation.

The 28-year-old first started his vlogs on the site back in 2015 and was of course the leader of the controversial The Vlog Squad.

Dobrik made a huge name for himself on YouTube. (Amy Sussman/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank)

Dobrik racked up millions of subscribers and became a huge name as a media personality, winning a number of awards and being named in Forbes 30 Under 30.

But he left YouTube in March 2022 with no real return until last Tuesday (7 January).

And while fans were buzzing to see him back on the platform, they were also shocked by his ripped physique.

When he’d last been seen making videos, he’d been spending time testing out pizza recipes for his business, Doughbrik’s.

But in December 2023, he admitted he realised he needed to ‘make some health changes’ as he called the way he looked ‘crazy’.

“I’ve never, ever taken my health seriously,” he said in a clip. “I’ve always told myself [I’ll get in shape], like, ‘The next month. The next year. When I’m done with this vlog. When I’m done with the vlog.’”

And now he says it’s been a ‘year in the making’ as he shared Instagram posts of his transformation.

Many are shocked by the transformation. (Instagram / daviddobrik)

With an impressive six-pack of abs, he wrote: “New year, new me, new vlog.”

Dobrik added: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the people around me that pushed me this year to be a better version of myself. I owe everything to all my friends and especially Ilya who has literally changed my life.

“I love ya dude. I don’t feel like pudding anymore !!!!”

And in his first YouTube video back, friends like Noah Beck and Charli D’Amelio were left impressed as he showed his fitness transformation, giving credit to trainer Ilya Fedorovich.

Some users did think the photos were ‘AI’ as others congratulated him on his journey.

“David Dobrik making his comeback by flexing is abs was not on my 2025 bingo card,” another wrote.

That’s something others share too, as people say his return was not ‘on their bingo card’.

Whether you’re a fan of them or not, the reality is more and more electric cars are hitting the roads and over time, and owning one is likely to see you spending less over a longer period.

The cost of running one depends entirely on the make and model, and one bloke broke down all of the costs he has had to take into consideration.

Electric Vehicle Man shared a video back in April 2024, explaining his Tesla Model 3 has done 60,000 miles over his four years of ownership.

Tesla Model 3 (Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images)

He began by explaining he had two MOTs and a service over the period, starting the ‘grand total’ at £221.50.

Then, at the time of filming, the bloke had a tax cost of just £0. Yep, zero. However, from 1 April 2025, the vehicle tax on vehicles like this will be going right up to £195.

Electric Vehicle Man then moved on to the costs associated with his tyres, as he explained he’s had replacements over the years and has factored in that he is planning on doing more replacements.

So, he’s essentially collating the cost of 12 tyres, racking up a cost of £1,980.

Now, moving on to ‘fuel’, something he’s ‘obviously had to some guestimations on based on the mileage’.

He says he’s ‘lucky enough’ to have done the ‘vast majority’ of charging from home, breaking it up 50,000 miles there and 10,000 from charging using the public charging network – well, ‘the Tesla supercharging network’.

He opts to charge at home most of the time (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Looking at the varying charging costs thanks to differing energy prices and changing prices outside of the home, he said: “I’ve deliberately biased this whole thing to make it more expensive than it realistically is just to be on the safe side.”

He ends up working out £1,000 on home charging and £750 elsewhere for 60,000 miles over the past four years. And that’s quite a save, as he reckons petrol in the same time period would have racked up to £7,855.

With some further calculations, he works out a ‘depreciation’ cost of £22,000.

Electric Vehicle Man didn’t particularly want to include insurance in his total as it’s ‘so variable’ but for him, it’s been around the £600-£650 mark for four years.

So, skipping that out as he wishes, he gets a grand total of £25,952, meaning his Tesla Model 3 has cost him £6,488 a year here in the UK.

Commenters were torn on his breakdown as some still aren’t sold on the depreciation, but others say it’s ‘really interesting’ and are grateful for getting the deets.

Ok, yeah, sure, there’s already plenty of ways to do that, from a quick flight to a serious level of road trip. But as it stands, there’s only one real option if you’re wanting to get over there by train.

Eurostar currently offers a number of services with routes to the likes of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from London. And Richard Branson is now working on having a slice of that himself with Virgin looking to launch a rival train.

Plans for the business magnate’s company to launch a transatlantic train route were first announced back in 2023. And now, The Telegraph reports the Virgin Group is preparing an order for a dozen high-speed trains to take out the journeys to Europe.

Project lead Phil Whittingham has said the company will be picking between two suppliers from a shortlist and is evaluating models from France’s Alstom, German Siemens, Japanese Hitachi and the Spanish operator Talgo.

This purchase of trains is expected to cost more than £500 million and the entire project itself could cost up to a whopping £1 billion.

We’ve still got a bit of a wait though, as Virgin is aiming to start these services through the Channel Tunnel in 2029. And it’s not the only one aiming to have trains running through from the UK to European cities, as start-up Evolyn also announced plans to go from London to Paris back in 2023.

So, essentially, the pair are in a race to secure routes for the route as there’s doubts over whether all three operators would be able to run alongside one another.

Eurostar is currently the only option (KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will need to rule on whether there is even enough maintenance capacity for more operations to be going through the tunnel.

It will be decided whether or not the Temple Mills maintenance depot can handle the required number of new high-speed trains these new services would bring – something Whittingham is confident will be decided. But only for one company.

“We don’t believe there is room for three operators on the route. We don’t think the economics would work for three operators competing,” he said.

Eurostar has already pushed back on Virgin and Evolyn applying to use Temple Mills as it argued it’s already working ‘flat out’ on its existing trains. But Virgin is sitting tight, hoping to be ready to buy the trains the moment the ORR delivers a verdict. It’s expected this assessment will be completed this month.

So, it could be pretty soon that we’re finding out there’s more trains set to be running.

A revised death toll from Los Angeles’ coroner’s office confirmed that 24 people have sadly lost their lives as a result of the fires, with eight of the deaths being attributed to Palisade fire, while the Eaton fire has been confirmed to have killed 16.

And climate scientist Edgar McGregor was warning Altadena residents about the LA blaze before it even happened.

McGregor, 24, took to the Facebook page, Altadena Weather and Climate, to tell locals not to go to sleep and to pack a bag and prepare for evacuation on 7 January.

He is now being credited with saving hundreds of lives, with him now revealing what warning sign he’d noticed that made him decide to warn everyone.

“I knew on 30 December that when this windstorm hit, the conditions would be carbon copies of the conditions that were on the ground in Lahaina, Hawaii, and in Paradise, which both were completely levelled and lost around a hundred people each,” the meteorologist explained to PEOPLE.

“I told people, if a wildfire breaks out, there’ll be a thousand homes burned down. This would be cataclysmic.

“I knew that that warning might’ve been a little bit excessive, but as it turns out, a thousand homes are not even a fraction of the loss, the ones that were lost.”

On what made him realise, McGregor added: “For years I’ve been telling people this canyon, it’s been decades since we last had a wildfire, and the fuels are abundant.

“I see dead trees that have accumulated everywhere. So I knew this was coming. I certainly didn’t think January was the month it would occur, but I hope that I did my job in warning everybody.”

McGregor has since been hailed a local hero – something he wasn’t prepared for.

McGregor has been credited with saving hundreds of lives (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

“I haven’t even been able to process that mentally,” he said. “I didn’t run into a burning building and get third-degree burns trying to save someone’s life.

“So people are sending me all these comments and I’m thinking to myself, I just did my job.”

With the death toll rising to 24 and thousands left without a home, McGregor continues to post regular updates on the Facebook page.

“I think for the most part the immediate threat is over,” he said. “The next couple of windstorms are not going to be all that impressive, especially not compared to what we saw on Tuesday.

“But it still hasn’t rained. So in the next couple of weeks, if we get another major windstorm, it could be Hollywood that faces disaster next. Santa Barbara.

“Any of these foothill towns. And then when it rains, we have the mudslides to get through.”

What we know so far about the LA wildfires:

2 January

The first warning

The US’ National Weather Service issued a warning of potential strong Santa Ana winds and extreme fire conditions five days before the first wildfire broke out.

In the following days, a Fire Weather Watch warning was issued, as well as state and local officials giving warnings to the Los Angeles area.

7 January

The first fire ignites

The Palisade’s Fire ignites, triggering an emergency call to be sent to LA residents advising people near the fire to get set for ‘a potential evacuation’.

The fires have destroyed large parts of LA (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Later that day, however, the City of Santa Monica issued an Evacuation Order for all areas of the city north of San Vicente: “Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW.”

Two more wildfires begin

Just hours after the first wildfire ignites, the second – named the Eaton Fire – breaks out in the Altadena area of LA.

And following this, the Hurst Fire ignites in LA’s Sylmar area as the National Weather Service report gusts of 99mph. A new evacuation order goes out to those in the affected areas as the blazes rapidly spread, scorching and destroying thousands of acres that contain homes and businesses.

9 January

Prison inmates deployed to help fight fires

Hundreds of incarcerated men and women were deployed to help fight the growing wildfires, with the number of inmates at the frontline standing at 939, the BBC reports.

This practice isn’t uncommon in California, as it is one of 14 US states that uses inmates to help fight fires. Inmates aren’t forced to take part and do so on their own accord, with it being reported they are being paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day.

However, inmates with certain convictions – such as arson and sexual offences – aren’t eligible to volunteer.

10 January

Man arrested for arson

Three days on from the first fire igniting, the LAPD make an arrest after local residents claim that a man on a bike carrying a large blow torch had been trying to set bins and old Christmas trees on fire.

Authorities believe the Kenneth Fire was started intentionally, with the man believed to be responsible being held in custody.

Many residents have been forced to evacuate their homes (David McNew/Getty Images)

Billion dollar energy company investigated over possible link to wildfires

Southern California Edison, a subsidiary of energy giant Edison International, admitted that its grid experienced a short circuit issue on 7th January, the evening the first fires broke out.

“On January 10, Southern California Edison (SCE) filed an Electric Safety Incident Report (ESIR) related to the Hurst Fire once SCE learned fire agencies are investigating whether SCE equipment was involved in the ignition, which is a triggering event for reporting,” Edison International said in a press release.

“SCE noted that the fire was reported at approximately 10:10pm on 7 January, and preliminary information reflects the Eagle Rock – Sylmar 220 kV circuit experienced a relay at 10:11pm. A downed powerline was discovered at a tower associated with the Eagle Rock – Sylmar 220 kV circuit. SCE does not know whether the damage observed occurred before or after the start of the fire.”

A-list celebrities forced out of their homes

A number of celebrities have been forced to evacuate their homes, many of which have been destroyed. This includes the likes of Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, Anna Faris, Billy Crystal and Eugene Levy.

13 January

40,000 acres of land destroyed

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, more than 40,000 acres have been burned in the Eaton, Palisades, Kenneth and Hurst fires.

Homes and businesses are among the more than 12,000 structures that have been destroyedla fir

The death toll rises

Almost a week on from the first fire starting, 24 people have been confirmed by the LA County medical examiner to have died as a result of the blazes.

A harrowing new documentary opens up the world of the ‘Eunuch Maker’ Marius Gustavson, a man who for several years ran a website where he would castrate men and livestream the procedure to a paying audience.

Over the course of several years, he is thought to have earned over £300,000 from his actions, with his website amassing over 22,000 users and creating a community where being castrated by Gustavson was a way of amassing status on there.

When police raided his home, they found ample evidence, including human body parts such as testicles kept in his freezer in takeaway tubs, while a court heard that there had been ‘clear evidence of cannibalism’ too.

Gustavson’s own amputated penis was found in a drawer in his home, with it having been cut off four years before police found it.

Documentary filmmaker Marcel Theroux, who presented The Eunuch Maker, spoke to LADbible about the grisly story and the world Gustavson created where he could find people who wanted him to castrate them along with a paying audience to watch.

While plenty of people could find his website he was able to go undetected by the authorities for years and The Eunuch Maker documentary also notes that there were a number of incidents where the emergency services had to be called but the alarm wasn’t raised further.

In conversation with LADbible, Theroux said: “How did it go under the radar? It’s bizarre, isn’t it?

“What about the fact that people were turning up in A&E with their penises cut off, and saying, ‘you know, I had some kind of accident’. And no one thought, ‘well, we should flag this’.

“It feels like the timing of a lot of this must have been around lockdown, that the hospitals must have been just chocka, A&E was swamped.

“If you ever had the misfortune to be in A&E people are going on and off shift, there’s no follow up. No one saw a pattern.”

One such incident covered in the documentary, where an ambulance is called after a castration has gone wrong, has Gustavson telling people that a kitchen knife had been dropped.

Documentary filmmaker Marcel Theroux said it was ‘bizarre’ that Gustavson was able to operate for so long. (Crime+Investigation)

When he was eventually arrested and appeared before a court, officials were played several recordings of 999 calls where the ‘Eunuch Maker’ lied to authorities and claimed that the men he’d mutilated had injured themselves.

While those he castrated suffered greatly at his hands, they had seemingly volunteered to go under Gustavson’s knife, with Theroux saying the website created a ‘self-reinforcing silo where people’s extreme belief kind of hardens and doesn’t get challenged’, resulting in people becoming part of a community that praised them for going through with it.

He added that in the course of putting together The Eunuch Maker he’d spoken to a number of ‘voluntary eunuchs’, people who had chosen to have their genitals removed, saying he found they were people who had ‘terrible dysphoria who experience parts of their body as not their own, and are willing to go through a very extreme procedure to get rid of it’.

Gustavson was jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years, while six others were also imprisoned.

A judge said that what the Norwegian had done was ‘little short of human butchery’, and that he was getting ‘a mix of sexual gratification as well as financial reward’ out of it.

According to the BBC at the time of his sentencing, court documents showed that Gustavson also sold human tissue that was taken from his amputations.

The Eunuch Maker is available to watch on Crime+Investigation and Crime+Investigation Play.

And one recent study published in the United States of America has flagged issues with using vaping products that you might not be aware of.

The problem highlighted here is all to do with vaping and, in particular, the kind of vape you’re using. We’re talking about the flavour.

First thing first, though. Vaping is ‘substantially less harmful than smoking’, so says the NHS. So if you’re doing it to quit the ciggies, well done you and keep it up. But it’s not perfect.

“Vaping exposes users to far fewer toxins and at lower levels than smoking cigarettes,” the health service says.

“Switching to vaping significantly reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, and diseases of the heart and circulation like heart attack and stroke. These diseases are not caused by nicotine, which is relatively harmless to health.”

It is not without harm, though; something even its staunchest supporters would not.

On this, new research into what harm vaping does do has been recently published showcasing how it might impact your body in a bad way, without you knowing.

Research explained and ‘cell paralysis’

Assistant Professor Ajitha Thanabalasuriar fro the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University teamed up with Erika Penz from the University of Saskatchewan to conduct the research.

In particular, their focus compared effects of flavoured e-cigarettes to those without, that are unflavoured.

While previous research has shown that all forms of vaping can be harmful, the duo said this study added to a growing body of evidence demonstrating harms of adding flavouring. Working together, Thanabalasuriar and Penz exposed mice to e-cigarette vapour over several days.

They used a live imaging technique to observe their lung immune cells in real time.

The study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed that specific chemicals in berry flavoured vapes ‘paralyse immune cells in the lungs responsible for clearing out harmful particles’, the study says.

The research team (L-R) of Ziyi Li; Ajitha Thanabalasuriar; Amelia Kulle; and Ashley Kwak (McGill University)

What does ‘cell paralysis’ do?

By impacting the immune cells that look after our lungs, the berry flavoured vape leaves your body more vulnerable to respiratory infections, their findings said. The unflavoured ones did not have that effect.

Thanabalasuriar said: “We need to be careful about the types of flavours that we’re including in these products. They can have detrimental effects.

“I think that’s really the take-home message, especially some of these vaping products that are marketed for kids — the way they’re sold, the type of containers they are sold in — it’s very colourful, it’s really attractive to children, and this can be a really bad thing for our future.”

Disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (Getty Stock Images)

Crackdown on flavours

In the UK, plans are afoot to restrict certain flavours that politicians say come across as appealing to children.

Packaging and displays will also be restricted significantly as they are with cigarettes.

Henry Gregg, Director of External Affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “It’s high time to put a stop to the vaping industry marketing their products towards children with cheap prices and appealing flavour options. It’s good to see increased powers to regulate vape branding, promotion and flavours in this bill and further powers of enforcement.”