Month: March 2025

To think that one episode sits above everything else is miraculous especially when you consider just how much iconic and great TV is coming out nowadays.

Netflix have just today dropped Adolescence and, though many are calling it a ‘masterpiece’ and it debuted to 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest episode at the moment is well shy – sitting at an 8.6.

Looking to Apple TV+, Severance has been receiving similar acclaim. Despite this, the highest rated episode of the new season sits at ‘just’ a 9.4.

Whether it be, Band of Brothers, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Peaky Blinders, or Fleabag, none of these iconic shows have managed to achieve a single episode with a perfect 10/10 score.

The one that’s left? Of course, Breaking Bad.

What may say to you that this is a deserved nod is that, when you’re told that there is one episode of Breaking Bad with a perfect 10/10 – you probably know exactly which one it is.

The show’s final season is a masterpiece in writing as things ran down towards the end, with the last four episodes all rated a 9.7 or higher on IMDb.

The undoubted best, however, is episode 14 – Ozymandias.

One popular ten star review on IMDb titled ‘You will not breath for an hour’ said: “Ozymandias unquestionably made sure that this will stand as one of the best TV Shows of all time.

“This was without a doubt the best hour of television I have ever seen.

“This episode is a drug, you will be experiencing; nausea, fear, sickness, disbelief, an overwhelming sorrow blooming inside the very core of your being.

“These symptoms will leave you paralyzed and unable to comprehend this hour of apocalyptic proportions.

“Still shaking and pumped with adrenaline, I solemnly vow that I for one won’t forget and will be remembering the name several years to come.”

The episode was inspired in part by the Percey Shelley poem of the same name which focuses on the crumbling empire of an old king.

Directed by Rian Johnson, the series’ creator Vince Gilligan said the episode was ‘the best episode we ever had or ever will have’.

It seems like, based on IMDb, this review has stood the test of time.

At times episodes will release, such as today’s season three finale of Invincible, and get a 10.0 – but they do not stand the test of time.

Other episodes that came close are the highest rated episodes of Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, Bojack Horseman, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Better Call Saul, all of which got a 9.9.

With a 10 though, Ozymandias stands alone for now.

Waterbury Police Department and Fire Department officers responded to an active fire at a residence in Connecticut, US, on 17 February.

Property owner Kimberly Sullivan, 56, was evacuated safely, while a 32-year-old man, who appeared to be emaciated, needed help out of the house.

The man who weighed just 68 pounds admitted to setting the home on fire from his upstairs room because he ‘wanted freedom’.

He then alleged that he had been held captive under hellish conditions since the age of 11.

Following an investigation by the Waterbury Police Department Major Crimes Unit, it was ‘determined that the victim had been held in captivity for over 20 years, enduring prolonged abuse, starvation, severe neglect, and inhumane treatment’, allegedly at the hands of Sullivan.

Court documents state that the individual spent 22 hours of the day locked away in a 8-by-9-foot ‘back storage space’ on the second floor.

The door was bolted shut from the outside, so he couldn’t escape.

He also claimed to only receive two cups of water a day and would often drink out of the toilet bowl when feeling thirsty, the New York Post reports.

“When asked if he was hungry every day, he stated, ‘All day, everyday, my entire life,’” the court papers state.

“[The victim] described how after he urinated into a bottle, he would have to then funnel it into a tube he created with a series of straws and then guide those straws through a hole in the window to empty it.”

The stepson was allegedly forced to defecate on old newspaper, ‘he would then roll the paper up, tie it with string he unraveled from old T-shirts and eventually bring it to the kitchen garbage when he was let out’.

Sullivan, the prime suspect, was taken into custody on 12 March and was charged with the following:

• Assault in the First Degree

• Kidnapping in the Second Degree

• Unlawful Restraint in the First Degree

• Cruelty to Persons

• Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree

Her bail is set at $300,000 and she’s been placed in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections.

Waterbury Police Chief, Fernando Spagnolo, said: “The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable. This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Their unwavering commitment ensured that justice is served, and the perpetrator is held fully accountable for these horrific crimes.”

Earlier today (13 March), Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed the idea of a 30-day ceasefire.

This comes after the US came to an agreement with Ukraine to pause proceedings on 11 March.

“We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, we strive for this, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our well-known concerns,” Ushakov told the Russia-1 TV channel.

“It seems to me that no one needs any steps that imitate peaceful actions in this situation.”

However, just moments ago in a press conference, Putin has claimed that he is in ‘favour of a 30-day ceasefire, but there are nuances’.

“First of all, what are we going to do about this incursion in Kursk?” he began.

“If we ceased hostilities for 30 days, would it mean that everybody there would leave? Should we release them after they committed serious crimes against civilians there?

“How will other aspects be dealt with along with 2,000-kilometre contact line? As you know, the Russian troops are advancing practically in every sector of the contact line, and all the conditions are there for us to besiege fairly large [Ukrainian] units.

“So what would happen during those 30 days?

“The idea is good and we absolutely support it, but there are issues we need to discuss, and I think we need to negotiate with our American colleagues.”

Putin also thanked Trump for ‘paying so much attention to regulating the conflict in Ukraine’.

As reported by The Times, one of Russia’s conditions includes no Nato membership for Kyiv, along with an agreement not to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine.

The outlet reports that Kyiv are not on board with these terms.

But it seems Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn’t quite buying it after accusing Russia of ‘seeking to prolong the war’.

“Regrettably, for more than a day already, the world has yet to hear a meaningful response from Russia to the proposals made,” Zelenskyy said on X.

“This once again demonstrates that Russia seeks to prolong the war and postpone peace for as long as possible.

“We hope that U.S. pressure will be sufficient to compel Russia to end the war.”

This follows on from the Saudi Arabia meeting between the US and Ukraine just days ago.

In a joint statement, they said that the US would resume providing intelligence and ‘security assistance’ to Ukraine.

“Representatives of both nations praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people in defence of their nation and agreed that now is the time to begin a process toward lasting peace,” it read.

“The Ukrainian delegation reiterated the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the U.S. Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace.

“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation. The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.”

Adolescence, which landed on the streaming service today (13 March), sees Stephen Graham act out every parent’s worst nightmare when his teenage son is arrested on suspicion of murdering a classmate.

To make the series even more impressive, each episode was remarkably shot in one go – just like Boiling Point, which Graham also starred in.

Praise has already been flooding in for young 15-year-old actor Owen Cooper, who was handed the star role in what represents his first-ever acting job.

Given the serious nature of the show, which serves as a social critique on the alarming growth of toxic masculinity in the social media age, particularly fuelled by the likes of Andrew Tate, it is easy to see why some viewers might be disturbed by what they see in the new series.

And Graham, who was left heartbroken by recent stabbings in the UK amongst young teens, has issued a warning to parents about some of the themes explored in the drama, and how they can protect their children from outside negative influences.

The This Is England star told The Independent: “I read an article about a young boy stabbing a young girl. And then maybe a couple of months later, on the news there was [another] young boy who’d stabbed a young girl, and if I’m really honest with you, they hurt my heart.

“It’s just being mindful of the fact that not only we parent our children, and not only the school educates our children.

“But also there’s influences that we have no idea of that are having profound effects on our young culture, profound effects, positive and extremely negative. So it’s having a look at that and seeing that we’re all accountable.”

The 51-year-old actor also talks about how parents need to adapt to kids having ‘the world at their fingertips’ even if they’re sent to their room, which, if you’re as old as I am, simply wasn’t the reality when lots of parents were growing up.

He added: “When we were kids, if you got sent to your room or if Kenny Everett was on the telly, and it got a bit racy, you’d be sent to your room and then you couldn’t watch it.

“But today even within the context of that home, when lads and girls go to their bedrooms, they have the world at their fingertips.”

Sarah Hall has insisted that her partner of 27 years, Simon Vickers, would ‘never harm’ their tragic daughter Scarlett intentionally, despite him being found guilty of her murder.

The 50-year-old was sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars after a ‘play fight’ between him and the teenager turned sinister.

Scarlett suffered a 11cm-deep wound after a knife was plunged into her chest in the kitchen of her family home in Darlington and died from ‘catastrophic bleeding’.

Vickers maintained his innocence throughout his trial, insisting he did not mean to kill his daughter and that he thought he’d grabbed kitchen tongs rather than a blade.

The dad – who had been drinking wine, watching the Euros football and had smoked cannabis earlier in the day – and his daughter were initially throwing grapes at each other for fun.

Speaking to the BBC, Hall recounted the details of what went down on that fateful day, and how a ‘fun fight’ had ended in devastation.

The mother, who was the only other person present, said she thought it was ‘absurd’ that Vickers had been found guilty of the crime, which all stemmed from the family ‘mucking about by the back door’.

She explained that although he could have pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and received a lesser sentence, the dad was determined to ‘stand up in court and tell them that he would never, ever harm’ Scarlett.

Hall said she ‘thought she’d misheard’ the verdict when it was read out, saying that her partner of almost three decades ‘never had a flash of anger’ and was ‘understanding, comforting and very supportive’.

“I was there that night,” the mum continued. “There were no arguments. There was no temper, no shouting.

“It’s just been a never-ending nightmare. How can I blame him for an accident when I know he’s in as much pain as I am?

“If I thought he’d done it deliberately then no, I wouldn’t have been here [doing this interview]. I would have protected her with my life, as would he.”

Vickers’ sentence will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal after Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC said she believed it was ‘unduly lenient’.

“It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence,” a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said previously.

Hall had told Teesside Crown Court how Scarlett had then snipped at her father with the kitchen tongs and called him ‘wimpy’ when he said it hurt.

The mum claimed she then turned away to continue preparing food, before she then heard Scarlett yelp out in pain, only to turn around and see her bleeding profusely.

The parents insisted the 14-year-old’s death was a result of a ‘freak accident’, but a pathologist said that it was ‘practically impossible’ for the fatal injury to have been caused in the way Vickers claimed.

He was found guilty of murder, with the jury passing up the lesser charge of manslaughter, although the dad maintains that he accidentally swiped the knife across Scarlett’s chest without ill intent.

Hall – who was also initially charged with murder, before the case against her was later dropped – has continued to support her other half and back up the version of events he provided to police.

Scarlett’s grandfather also said Vickers would ‘never in a million years have hurt her deliberately’ after he was sentenced last month.

Her relatives have also attempted to reconstruct the crime scene in the hopes of working out how the young girl ended up being stabbed.

Hall remains adamant that her partner did not intend to take Scarlett’s life and how she will continue to stand by Vickers throughout his life sentence.

The PM made the revolutionary move this morning (13 March) in an announcement live on television with an audience surrounding him in Hull.

Sir Keir, who arrived in Downing Street last summer after beating Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives in the 2024 general election, said the move was partly due to previous governments and their approach to NHS England and how it should be run.

But it also came down to money and how the taxpayer’s cash was being sent on public services, with almost half of patients not seeing a doctor within 48 hours of asking for an appointment, according to data from the Nuffield Trust.

The latest NHS A&E waiting times also show things are slowly getting worse, with 12 hour waiting times in winter impacting 500,000 patients.

Why has Keir Starmer abolished NHS England?

First and foremost, NHS England is not the NHS. The prime minister is not axing the health care system used by millions every single day that is free at the point of use.

NHS England is the public body responsible with making sure the NHS runs smoothly in England, with a focus on training staff, keeping waiting times down, and improving the health of people living in the country.

But Sir Keir has said the body is now ‘overstretched, unfocused, trying to do too much, doing it badly’.

He said that previous Tory governments had made the wrong decision in moving NHS England away from central government.

What does NHS England do?

NHS England has a variety of functions, including ‘overseeing the delivery of safe and effective NHS services’ which involves making sure staff are trained and driving best practice forward.

It also decides how £134 billion of funding is distributed among the NHS, from hospitals to GP surgeries and outreach clinics, with a focus on ‘best value for the taxpayer’.

It also monitors and supports the performance of nearly 7,000 NHS organisations, holding them to account for service delivery, quality and safety.

NHS England is regularly involved in the country’s vaccination programme; a system it says helps save 10,000 lives a year. Innovative cancer treatment is also available to more than 100,000 patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

What will the future of the NHS in England look like?

Sir Keir said he wants to make sure money is meant spent in the areas that need it the most.

NHS England will be abolished, with management of the NHS in England brought back under government control.

He said there will be less bureaucracy with the money saved from that spent on ‘nurses, doctors, operations, and GP appointments’.

Questions are now being asked as to what the NHS in England will look like under government control, which will no doubt see Sir Keir be judged on whether he can make the NHS better for patients – and overstretched staff – under this radical move.

Will there be job losses?

Yes, thousands of jobs are being cut.

Sir Keir said that there was ‘duplication’ across NHS England in roles that staff carry out on a daily basis. He said that money saved from redundancies would be reinvested in the frontline of the NHS, not absorbed as a saving.

“Among the reasons we are abolishing it is because of the duplication,” he said. “So, if you can believe it, we’ve got a communications team in NHS England, we’ve got a communications team in the health department of government; we’ve got a strategy team in NHS England, a strategy team in the government department. We are duplicating things that could be done once.

“If we strip that out, which is what we are doing today, that then allows us to free up that money to put it where it needs to be, which is the front line.”

It comes after the Government confirmed earlier this week that the NHS England workforce will be cut in half, with its 13,000 workers reduced to 6,500. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the abolition of the public body will ‘fix our broken NHS’.

The US came to an agreement with Ukraine on 11 March, as the two countries were on board with a 30-day ceasefire with Russia.

America also said they would be resuming military aid and intelligence with Ukraine.

However, Vladimir Putin’s appears to have ruled out what they are referring to as a short term fix.

“We believe that our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement, we strive for this, a peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country, our well-known concerns,” Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian President, told the Russia-1 TV channel.

“It seems to me that no one needs any steps that imitate peaceful actions in this situation.”

Trump previously said there could be a ‘very bad’ punishment for Putin if he didn’t accept the ceasefire with Ukraine.

He warned that the US could take actions ‘that wouldn’t be pleasant in a financial sense’ for Russia.

“We could do things very bad for Russia. Would be devastating for Russia. But I don’t want to do that because I want to see peace,” the 78-year-old explained.

“They never took anything from me. They took them from Obama and Bush, and they took from sleepy Joe Biden.

“With Biden, they wanted to take the whole country, but I think I’ve stopped that, but we’ll see.”

Sir Keir Starmer – who has just announced the abolishment of NHS England – called the agreement between the US and Ukraine a ‘remarkable breakthrough’.

Prior to Russia’s dismissal, the Prime Minister said: “I warmly welcome the agreement today in Jeddah and congratulate President Trump and President Zelensky for this remarkable breakthrough.

“This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible.”

He added: “As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.”

Trump has also said he would welcome Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy back into the Oval Office following their public spat last month (28 February).

The pair were sat in front of the cameras discussing the ongoing war in Russia, and a minerals agreement.

Although, it didn’t take long for things to boil over.

Vice President JD Vance told Zelenskyy that he should express gratitude for US’s military support to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy attempted to respond while highlighting the ongoing challenges his country still faces.

This is when Trump went on to criticise him, warning that Ukraine was ‘gambling with world war three’ without US support.

A man who suffered with stomach pains for months was told by GPs that it was just a case of gallstones or constipation.

After Kev Coles’ symptoms were dismissed by doctors last July, the 46-year-old was left stunned when he was eventually diagnosed with bowel cancer in September.

What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer, also known as colon cancer, is one of the most common types of the disease in the UK and can be found anywhere in the large bowel.

Cancer Research UK has also reported that bowel cancer rates are increasing amongst adults between 20 and 50, averaging to be up 7.3 per cent each year for in 30 to 39 year olds.

Father-of-seven Kev – from Stoke-on-Trent – was diagnosed with stage four cancer following a number of visits to the GP.

Wife Kayleigh Coles said Kev was prescribed laxatives and repeatedly sent home. However, in August last year, he started sweating ‘like he was under a shower’ and his skin turned yellow.

“He started to sweat like someone was tipping water over him and when he looked at me I noticed that he had gone completely yellow. Then he just vomited,” the 36-year-old said.

A scan later revealed that the cancer had spread to his liver, which was causing his skin to change colour.

Despite beginning chemotherapy in October, Kev has now suffered liver failure he has been told that he only has ‘weeks to a few months to live’.

Bowel cancer symptoms

According to the NHS, symptoms of bowel cancer may include:

• Changes in your pooing habits

• Blood in your poo (may look red or black)

• Bleeding from your bottom

• Feeling like you need to poo even if you’ve just been to the toilet

• Tummy pain

• A lump in your tummy

• Bloating

• Losing weight without trying

• Feeling very tired for no reason

Kayleigh added: “He didn’t have any of the other symptoms. The bowel cancer itself was symptomless, we only noticed once it spread to his liver. He never got blood in his stool like in the TV adverts.

“It has just been a shock to everybody. Even now it feels like a story. It doesn’t feel real most of the time. How can you get your head around something that happens this quickly.

“Just five months ago we were on holiday splashing each other in the sea, now he can’t stand up unaided. Life has been extremely hard. I am just making sure that I have as many seconds with him as I can.”

The non-departmental public body will be dismantled so that the NHS can be put back in its rightful place ‘at the heart of government, where it belongs’, the Labour leader said.

Starmer announced the bold new plans earlier today (13 March) while delivering a speech during a visit to Hull.

He promised that getting rid of NHS England will allow the health service to ‘focus on patients’, battle less bureaucracy and free up ‘more money for nurses’.

For those who don’t know, NHS England is the organisation which leads and manages the NHS in England to ‘ensure the provision of high-quality healthcare services’.

The repetition of those two words probably wasn’t the best choice for a name, as it’s quite likely that loads of Brits will wrongly presume that our publicly-funded healthcare system is going kaput.

But in the words of Starmer, NHS England really was something of an unnecessary ‘duplication’ of our beloved NHS – and the excess funds freed up from it’s demise can now be funnelled into frontline services instead.

According to the UK government website, NHS England works in tandem with NHS organisations to ‘deliver better outcomes for our patients and communities and provide value for taxpayers’.

This includes overseeing the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operations of the NHS, as well as directly commissioning general practitioners, dentists, optometrists and some specialist services.

But this description will likely be changed in the coming days, if it doesn’t completely vanish altogether, following Downing Street’s announcement about ditching NHS England.

And according to Sir Keir, the move could mark a huge turning point for our cash-strapped national health service.

Discussing his motivations, the PM explained: “I can’t in all honesty explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy.

“That money could and should be spent on nurses, doctors, operations, GP appointments. So today, I can announce we’re going to cut bureaucracy, focus government on the priorities of working people, shift money to the frontline.

“So I’m bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control by abolishing the arms-length body, NHS England.”

Starmer said that decisions about billions of pounds of taxpayers money should not be taken by an ‘arms-length’ body.

He explained one of the biggest motivations for abolishing NHS England was the ‘duplication’ of services he mentioned.

Detailing just how similar both bodies were, Starmer said: “If you can believe it, we’ve got a communications team in NHS England, we’ve got a communications team in the health department of government.

“We’ve got a strategy team in NHS England, a strategy team in the government department. We’re duplicating things that could be done once.

“If we strip that out, which is what we’re doing today, that then allows us to free up that money, to put it where it needs to be, which is the front line.”

NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care instead – which is news that was welcomed by health secretary Wes Streeting.

“This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction, and most expensive NHS in history,” he said of the plans.

“When money is so tight, we can’t justify such a complex bureaucracy with two organisations doing the same jobs.

“We need more doers, and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.”

It comes just a month after NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard, who served as Chief Executive since 2021, resigned from her post.

Natalie ‘Nadya’ Suleman – commonly referred to as ‘Octomom’ – was already a mother of six when she had 12 embryo IVF treatments that allowed her to give birth to eight more children on 26 January, 2009 – bringing her brood to a total of 14.

Despite carrying eight babies at once, she shockingly claimed that the pregnancy had ‘zero complications’ – even though her swollen stomach was that big, it broke her ribs before she went into labour.

New docuseries I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story documents events from the mother-of-14’s own perspective. Take a look at a sneak peak below:

Following immense backlash when she went public with her controversial journey to motherhood, the California resident went back to her ‘old profession as a therapist working 40 hours a week’ in 2013.

Ahead of the docuseries on Lifetime, the 49-year-old told PEOPLE that taking her family out of the spotlight helped her deal ‘with her social anxiety’.

“Nobody knows – they look and they look away,” she said.

“It doesn’t draw any attention because people don’t want to look and stare.”

Natalie also would go out head-to-toe in protective clothing to not only shield herself from harmful UV rays, but people.

Natalie added: “The reality is I didn’t take time to sit and feel and process emotion because that’s when healing begins, when we sit in the pain and we sit in that uncomfortable feelings we don’t want to feel, that’s when we can start healing and growing and changing.

“My family and I are taking our life back. That was really stolen from the tabloid media in particular.

“They tried to destroy me, but they didn’t know. No one really knew anything about who we were as a family, who I am as a mother.”

A film about Natalie’s life, titled I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story, came out on 8 March, and saw Kristen Lee Gutoskie star as the controversial mother.

Then two days later, six-part documentary Confessions of Octomom released.

“It’s really sharing new experiences and new perspectives, and it gives new insights into the history and our present day life,” she explained. “We are a loving family and we’re there for each other. All of my kids are just very humble, grounded, kind people with good hearts

“I wasn’t happy as an only child, and clearly I projected my dream onto my kids and wanting a big, well, not this big of a family, but I did want seven kids.

“But it’s not enough to say I wanted a big family because I was lonely. There is an amalgamation of factors. I wanted kids to create maybe a safe and predictable little world that I lacked growing up. So then of course, I projected onto my future family.”