Exclusive: Admission from James Orr to undercover reporter came three months before party was given £72m

A senior Reform UK official raised questions about whether major donations from billionaire backers Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo would be legal under the proposed new foreign donors cap three months before they gave £72m to the party.

James Orr, who was then Reform UK’s head of policy and a Cambridge professor, discussed potential difficulties around future donations from Harborne and Delo in undercover footage captured by the investigative reporting group Verbatim.

The potter and presenter on a tricky childhood, his religious calling for clay, and cross-dressing as Adele

Born in London in 1965, Keith Brymer Jones is a potter, ceramic designer and TV judge. After a stint as lead singer of the punk band the Wigs, he became an apprentice at Harefield Pottery in London. He went on to set up his own company, and created pots and homewares for retailers including Conran, Habitat and Laura Ashley, before developing his signature Word range. He has been a judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down since it started in 2015. His new book, Firing Earth: An Unexpected History of Pots and Potters, is published on 22 October.

This photo was taken in our family home in Finchley. Socks, shorts and a T-shirt was my usual outfit for scabbing around in the garden aged 11. I was a complete and utter square.

Jobs and programme budgets in firing line at BBC, Channel 4 and ITV as they are outgunned by YouTube and Netflix

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the BBC or Channel 4 disappeared,” says one of the thousands of TV staff at risk of redundancy, as British broadcasters face what has rapidly become a fight for survival against US digital rivals.

“My generation grew up with Netflix and YouTube … Honestly, I feel like it is a losing battle.”

Reform UK has suspended two senior officials after they were filmed in an undercover operation appearing to attempt to get around electoral laws on foreign donations. The sting, by Channel 4 News and the investigative group Verbatim, was published on the eve of Nigel Farage’s party conference speech in Birmingham. Reform says it has launched an investigation into the actions of James Orr, the party’s head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a senior aide to Farage. Lucy Hough speaks to senior political correspondent Peter Walker – watch on YouTube

Revelations are further blow to Nigel Farage before conference speech, with Labour reporting party to police

Reform UK has suspended two senior officials after they were filmed in an undercover investigation appearing to plot to get around electoral laws on foreign donations.

In a blow to Nigel Farage hours before his conference speech, the party said it had launched an investigation into the actions of James Orr, the party’s head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a senior aide to Farage, after the broadcast by Channel 4 News.

From a man with triple lives to fake family deaths, the lies told by seemingly devoted partners in this series are shocking. But this is more than true crime entertainment – it is an enraged warning for other victims

A model turned DJ, Liv Nervo had forged an enviable career travelling the world with her sister and musical collaborator, Mim. Old cliches about being a strong, independent woman and not needing a man aside, it’s clear that Liv already had a fantastic life before she met her former partner, Matthew. A successful businessman, their paths first crossed when she played a private party on Richard Branson’s Necker Island. “I thought I had found the best guy in the world,” she says. “But it was all a lie.”

So begins the second series of Love Cheats, a stark and shocking true-crime show about people who think they’ve found the love of their life but are instead being pulled into audacious romance scams. Series one featured a fraudster impersonating a member of the nobility while leaving their victims to foot the bill for their lavish life, and another faking terminal cancer. Series two keeps the bar for grim deception high, beginning with Liv’s whirlwind romance with Matthew, who was desperate to have a family with her. Mim was equally taken in by her sister’s devoted new partner, who had made his fortune selling honey but wasn’t a fusty corporate type. “[Liv] used to date men with a briefcase,” she clarifies. “I would never date a man with a briefcase!”

The Mexican-American comedian had just split from her boyfriend when she filmed Break Clause, about an ex-couple living together in London. She talks trading telenovelas for Edinburgh and embracing your feelings

• The 50 best TV shows of autumn 2026

In Break Clause, recent graduates Lil and Ben move from Leeds to London after the former lands a job at an architecture firm. Yet as soon as the couple start settling into their new flat, everything goes horribly wrong. Ben (Samuel Bottomley) reveals he slept with someone else at their leaving drinks the night before, so Lil (Lara Ricote) immediately ends the relationship – but quickly discovers their rental contract is far harder to get out of. Cue an agonising six months of cohabitation and a novel will-they-won’t-they (get back together) setup for a winningly bittersweet new sitcom.

You may recognise Ricote from recent appearances in two other Channel 4 comedies: Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping and Sam Campbell’s crackers Make That Movie (although probably not from the “funny and crazy” telenovela she briefly worked on as a teen). But Break Clause is the Mexican-American comedian’s first leading role. It also happened to be the “best case scenario” for Ricote’s debut: let’s just say getting into character wasn’t a problem.

Channel 4’s programme wastes a chance to ask important questions about how ADHD is diagnosed and treated, instead indulging in unscientific methods and conspiracy theories

• Prof Gina Rippon is emeritus professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University

When Channel 4 announced that it would air a documentary titled The Great ADHD Myth?, an outpouring of fury followed. Despite this, I set out to approach it as a scientist – not just as a scientist whose own work has dealt with developmental disorders, but as someone who has enormous respect for the scientific process and for the importance of evidence-led debate.

Channel 4’s press release claimed the documentary sought to determine whether attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was a “genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct”. At one level this is a brave enterprise. ADHD is recognised worldwide as a disorder, by the World Health Organization and our own NHS among others. Estimates suggest ADHD affects roughly 8% of children and adolescents and about 3% of adults worldwide. To overturn this consensus would require robust, reproducible findings capable of explaining away decades of genetic, developmental and clinical research. The press release described the documentary as “science-led”, which hinted at just such an enterprise. Was it really science-led?

Prof Gina Rippon is emeritus professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University, and the author of The Gendered Brain

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Prof Katya Rubia withdraws support for The Great ADHD Myth? as other leading figures voice criticisms

A contributor to a controversial Channel 4 documentary on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has withdrawn her support for the programme, saying it was biased and could lead to an increased suicide risk by encouraging parents to take their children off medication.

Katya Rubia, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, also said The Great ADHD Myth? misrepresented her views.

Psychiatrists in Channel 4 documentary argue it is more a ‘social construct’ than a medical condition

People are increasingly seeking to an obtain an ADHD diagnosis without pursuing treatment, according to experts who have called for more research to understand why.

Some people now regard ADHD as “an identity, rather than a disorder”, with the result that many obtain assessments from poor quality private providers, which lead them to “believe they have a condition needing treatment”, said the psychiatrist Dr Marios Adamou, the founder of the UK Adult ADHD Network.

Merger stokes fears over job cuts, US influence and possible BBC and Channel 4 tie-up to take on Netflix and YouTube

Only five years ago a bullish ITV was riding high, trumpeting the biggest annual advertising haul in its history, as the broadcaster pledged to become a national champion in the battle against the US streamers.

Now its chief executive, Carolyn McCall, has raised the white flag, arguing that a cut-price sale of its TV and streaming business to Sky is the only route to survival as deep-pocketed companies such as Netflix and YouTube hoover up audiences and commercial revenues.

Move for greater prominence on social media comes as ministers warn online misinformation risk becoming ‘existential for our democracy’

Plans to hand established broadcasters and media companies greater prominence on digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have been unveiled, as ministers warned online misinformation risked becoming “existential for our democracy”.

In proposals that set up a new clash with global tech companies, content from the likes of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 would have to be awarded more promotion by their algorithms – with special rules considered for times of social unrest or crisis.

Many contestants have a positive experience on the reality show, but others say the format is unsafe

It was about 1am. After a day of relentless filming in which he had met and “married” a stranger, the Married at First Sight UK cameras stopped rolling and Adrian Sanderson was left alone with his new TV partner.

“Honestly, I’ll never ever forget that feeling – it was so difficult,” he says. “When those producers leave you and you’re, like: ‘I’m alone – I don’t get this. How is this about to happen?’ It would be daunting for anyone. You’re exhausted by this time.

Priya Dogra says she believes channel acted appropriately, but that she is ‘deeply sorry’ for distress of participants

Channel 4’s chief executive has stood by the broadcaster’s treatment of concerns raised by contestants on Married at First Sight, as she said she was “deeply sorry” for the distress of female participants making allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.

Priya Dogra said she believed the channel had acted appropriately at the time of the allegations, but that she had commissioned an external review to ensure the show was safe for those taking part.

Alex Mahon backs investigations into MAFS UK as Channel 4 removes all seasons of show from streaming platform

Rape allegations made by women who appeared on Married at First Sight (MAFS) UK are “very serious and concerning”, a former Channel 4 chief executive has said.

Alex Mahon said launching an investigation was “the right thing” to do and the seriousness of the allegations meant current protocols around ensuring reality TV programmes met their duty of care to participants would need to be reviewed to ensure “enough is being done”.

Former contestants claim there was not enough protection for cast during making of Channel 4 show

Two women have alleged they were raped during the filming of Married at First Sight UK, one of Channel 4’s biggest shows, and a third alleged she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act.

The show did not do enough to protect them, the women told an edition of the BBC’s Panorama outlining their allegations.

Transplanted from YouTube, this nostalgic, low-budget revival offers some welcome musical performances – but the chat is superficial

The biggest chatshow news of 2026 so far has been Claudia Winkleman’s foray into celebrity chin-wagging, not least because there was something slightly hubristic about the beloved Traitors host taking on the genre. Not because of any shortcomings on Winkleman’s part, but because chatshows seem almost impossible to get right (especially for female hosts; the UK TV landscape is littered with single-series attempts by Nigella, Davina and Lily Allen).

As the country was watching Winkleman, however, another veteran broadcaster was debuting their own new(ish) chatshow to far less fanfare – and far less pressure. In February, Chris Evans began putting out episodes of TFI: Unplugged on YouTube. Produced by Virgin Radio – where Evans has hosted the breakfast show for the past seven years – this was a lo-fi endeavour that saw the presenter joined by a handful of guests in a poky studio lined by dressed-down staff members professionally obliged to laugh and whoop. Still, the guests were good (Danny Dyer, Chris Hemsworth, Bono, Noah Wyle) and the show quickly built a decent audience – so much so that Channel 4 considered it worth its while to acquire a run of six episodes that have just begun airing at 11pm on Fridays. Will this revival of the 1990s juggernaut turn out to be the real chatshow story of the year?

Animal charities call for ‘extreme’ breeds to no longer be eligible for prizes and full vetting of competitors

Animal charities have complained to Channel 4 after the winner of Crufts best in show was found to have been convicted of animal cruelty, and said the winning dog is an “extreme” breed that has had a “lifetime of suffering”.

After Lee Cox and his four-year-old Clumber spaniel Bruin won best in show at the prestigious dog competition, it emerged that Cox had a previous conviction for animal cruelty.

The raunchy 80s adaptation of smash hit novel A Woman of Substance drew the highest ratings Channel 4 has ever seen. As the broadcaster goes there again, the cast and creators talk feminism, revenge – and sex caves

Somewhere on the West Yorkshire moors is what the team behind A Woman of Substance nicknamed “the sex cave”. It is here that the heroine, Emma Harte, loses her virginity in the lavish new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s bonkbuster. “It’s hidden away and beautiful,” says the showrunner, Katherine Jakeways. “The lighting in there almost looks like AI, but it’s real. Weirdly, it’s about a mile from my mother-in-law’s house. I haven’t told her yet that it’s a sex cave!”

This is just one of many unusual sites for sex scenes featured in the show. “Oh my God, I know,” laughs Jessica Reynolds, who plays the young Emma. “Not just the cave, but there’s a little love shack, too. The cave is the most stunning location, with sunlight coming through these arching rocks. I wonder if they used it in Wuthering Heights, too? If they didn’t, they should have.”

American actor best known for his role in the television drama Dawson’s Creek

For a worldwide generation of young television viewers in the 1990s, James Van Der Beek, who has died aged 48 after suffering from cancer, provided the role model of a sensitive male teenager. As the fresh-faced Dawson Leery in the American drama Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003) – shown in the UK on Channel 4 and then on Channel 5 – he starred in a series portraying friendship, first love and the trials and tribulations of adolescence in the fictional coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts.

The nerdy Dawson’s idealism and habit of over-analysing often give him unrealistic expectations and a tendency to make long emotional speeches. “It’s not about the kiss – it’s about the journey and creating a sustaining magic,” he reflects in an early episode.