Dean Ormond

SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026) Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love. We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway. America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire. His farewell performance in 'Avengers: Doomsday' is yet to be seen. Ian McKellen 29 October 2026 Photo: University of Huddersfield

Do you agree with Peter Davison that Doctor Who should go back to basics?

They're forcing EVERYONE to consume folic acid in flour (and flour-based foods) to reduce birth defects by about 200/year. Glaring issues include : (1) the NHS warns millions against folic acid. (2) They claim the levels in flour are safe but there are no long term, large scale studies so they aren't sure. (3) there's a significant risk of exceeding the Recommended Daily Allowance with cereal/toast for breakfast; sandwich for lunch; and pasty/pie for supper. (4) Public health is littered with examples of finding out later that something thought tolerably safe initially proved later to be harmful. For example the MHRA takes an average of 11 years to withdraw medicines on safety grounds (ie they approved it as safe but evidence later emerged that harms outweighed benefits). So why take the risk here? Why not simply target pregnant and soon-to-be pregnant women. If you share concerns sign the petition to expose the issues in a public debate : petition.parliament.uk/petit…

I know people are worried about fuel prices. And I get it. You get to the pump, watch the numbers climb, and wonder why it's costing so much more than it used to.   The reality is that global events are pushing up costs, and families here at home are feeling the impact.   But I won't accept that there's nothing I can do to help.   That's why from today, you'll be able to see petrol and diesel prices on Google Maps, compare nearby stations and find the cheapest option before you fill up.   It's a small change, but if there's a practical way to help people keep more money in their pocket, I'll do it.

Restore Britain opposes the mandatory fortification of flour with synthetic folic acid. Food should be left as natural as possible. This petition is about to hit 100k, and that will allow me to speak in Parliament opposing it. Please sign/share. petition.parliament.uk/petit…

One more week of #Neighbours

Fair play to this STV journalist who doesn’t put up with Keir Starmer’s bullshit.

The year is 1988. Maggie Thatcher is Prime Minister 👍 A pint of lager is 98p 👍 20 cigarettes cost £1.48 👍 Average house price is £65,000 👍 Cliff Richard had the biggest selling single of the year with 'Mistletoe & Wine' 👎 And Britain was bloody brilliant 👍🇬🇧👍🇬🇧👍