News

Wildlife presenter Chris Packham has shared a furious tweet railing against Shell’s record profits as households around the country struggle to pay energy bills.

Shell has recorded the highest profit in its 115-year history, after benefiting from soaring oil prices driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Responding to the news on Thursday (2 February), Packham, whose show Autumnwatch has just been cancelled by the BBC in a bid to cut costs, posted an article about the energy company’s profits on Twitter.

“We are being cooked, choked and taken to the cleaners,” he wrote. “If we ever become anyone’s ancestors they will ask, ‘What the hell were those mugs doing? They stood by and let them burn the world.’”

Shell’s profits increased by 53 per cent to £68.1bn in 2022, while earnings adjusted for taxes doubled to £32.2bn.

The numbers have sparked outrage, as well as calls for Rishi Sunak...

Simon King has shared an update weeks after the announcement of ”sad” Hairy Bikers news.

Fans of Simon “Si” King and Dave Myers were left disappointed when the pair revealed that their most recent series, Hairy Bikers Go Local, was over.

A week after the conclusion, when viewers questioned why the show wasn’t on BBC schedules, they wrote on social media: “Sadly, the series has come to an end.”

They said of the series, which saw them travel across the country to help out local eateries: “We hope you enjoyed the journey we went through with each episode, we look forward to seeing you on your telly sometimes soon.”

While the pair’s next TV outing is yet to be announced, chef King has revealed he will return for a solo venture at Tom Kerridge’s festival Pub in the Park later this year.

“Exciting News,” King wrote on...

The BBC has announced that Autumnwatch has been cancelled amid “challenging times financially”.

The news comes only a week after presenter Chris Packham announced he was taking a short break from TV work.

“These are challenging times financially,” a statement from the broadcaster reads. “We need to make difficult decisions and focus our resources on content that has the highest impact.”

“Sadly, this means that Autumnwatch will not be continuing. Instead, we are investing more money into Springwatch and Winterwatch, as they are most popular with audiences.

Hosted by the likes of Michaela Strachan, Gillian Burke and Packham, Autumnwatch arrived on the BBC in 2005. It’s part of the seasonal wildlife programming aired by the broadcaster, which encompasses Winterwatch and Springwatch.

Last week, Springwatch presenter Packham announced that he is taking a career hiatus.

Packham, who is an eco-activist that also has commitments to various charities, said he is in...

Michaela Strachan has said that The Great British Bake Off makes her sick and called its celebration of sweet things "obsessive and obscene".

The cake competition may be a massive hit with viewers, but that hasn't stopped the TV host from sticking the boot in.

"I don't understand why this is so popular," Strachan told Metro.

"I tried to watch it to see what the fuss was about, but I just really didn't care how the cakes turned out.

"I can understand the creativity that goes into it, but I don't understand how this can go on for weeks on end."

The 49-year-old presenter added: "We're at a time when you can't open a paper without being told about the dangers of sugar, and yet here they are making Black Forest gateaux that are a foot high.

"Do people really want to eat that stuff? It made me feel sick.

Kendra Wilkinson, Gemma Collins, Michael Buerk and Mel Sykes are the latest famous faces to land in Australia ahead of the I'm a Celebrity launch.

The stars were spotted at Brisbane Airport before the jungle reality show starts later this week (November 16).

The Only Way Is Essex's Collins and TV presenter Sykes were already rumoured to be involved in the show, while reality star Wilkinson and former newsreader Buerk are new to the list - although none have been officially confirmed.

Coronation Street's Craig Charles, model Nadia Forde, rapper Tinchy Stryder, actress Vicki Michelle, racing legend Carl Fogarty and ex-Fulham footballer Jimmy Bullard have already been seen at the airport earlier this week.

Elsewhere, Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham has urged Ant & Dec to end the "barbaric" Bushtucker Trials during the reality show.

I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! series 14 kicks off on Sunday at 9pm on ITV.

Chris Packham has slammed the use of animals during I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Bushtucker Trials.

The Autumnwatch presenter called the trials "barbaric" and "silly" in an open letter to I'm a Celebrity presenters Ant & Dec, in which he urges the pair to "reconsider the use/abuse of animals".

"It spoils the show because it's simply out of date, some would say barbaric," the 53-year-old said in the letter published by Radio Times.

"And actually it's often pretty silly too, because many viewers recognise that the species used are not dangerous, or significantly toxic or venomous in the first place.

"Or that they've been 'doctored', their fangs sealed, their jaws bound, so even under the stress they're exposed to they couldn't possibly harm any of your guests. But then, let's face it, as we all know, you couldn't let that happen anyway. It's a sham."

Packham accused...

Mark Gatiss and his horror obsession has the edge over me on weirdness

A very little schlock and gore goes a very long way for me. I find the world a scary enough place as it is, and the idea of paying good money to be terrified by ghosts, vampires and zombies for an evening's light entertainment is too counter-intuitive even for someone as prone to self-destruction as myself. But actor Mark Gatiss can't get enough Dracula-lesbian-slasher-fests. A couple of years ago, he presented a fascinating documentary on British Hammer Horror and now he has widened his remit in Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss (BBC4) to take in the European traditions of the horror genre.

He started in Belgium. Or Ostend, to be precise, which was the setting for the apparently iconic 1971 erotic lesbian-vampire flick Daughters of Darkness, a movie in which one victim dies by being smothered by a...

The Culture Show | Rostropovich – The Genius Of The Cello | Autumnwatch 2011 | Criminal Minds | A League Of Their Own | Chris Addison: My Funniest Year

The Culture Show

7pm, BBC2

Another week, another eclectic collection of reports from the arts show, which this week visits Glasgow. Top of the bill is host Andrew Graham-Dixon interviewing Grayson Perry, who's lately curated an installation of new works mixed up with objects drawn from the British Museum collection. Mark Kermode discusses We Need To Talk About Kevin with its director Lynne Ramsay, Simon Armitage celebrates National Poetry Day, and critic Michael Collins considers representations of working-class characters in the theatre. Plus, choreographer Akram Khan and the work of artist Gerhard Richter. Jonathan Wright

Rostropovich – The Genius Of The Cello

7.30pm, BBC4

The cello is the closest orchestral instrument to the human voice in its range of expression. It has achieved a pre-eminence in the classical repertoire,...

Springwatch host Chris Packham has joked that he will have to stop "panda-bashing" in order to avoid upsetting BBC bosses. The wildlife expert was criticised last September for suggesting that pandas had "gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac" and should be left to die out. In a new interview with The Sun, Packham confirmed that he recently signed a deal to continue fronting Springwatch and Autumnwatch on the BBC for another two years. He added: "That's if I don't do anything to blow it. So I think I'll lay off panda-bashing for a while." Reflecting on (more)...

Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham has complained about the way animals are treated on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!. Speaking to The Sun, the wildlife expert accused producers of plugging up spiders' fangs before placing them in a tank with Katie Price on the current series. He commented: "I've seen spiders with plugs on their fangs. It's not going to do them any good. And who wants to be in a tank full of water with Jordan writhing around on you? If Jordan goes back in the tank they should take the ties off their mouths.

"I like the premise of the programme and I'm not anti-fun, I just wish they would (more)...

Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games will present the new series of Springwatch and Autumnwatch, the BBC has announced. They will join existing presenters Simon King, Kate Humble and Gordon Buchanan when Springwatch returns to BBC Two in late May. Hughes-Games, who previously produced the show, said of the move: "It will be a real challenge swapping life behind the camera to life (more)...