Sir Keir Starmer has said that the outcome of talks between Ukraine's allies in Kyiv marks a "significant moment" in the push to secure a ceasefire in its conflict with Russia - but admitted it was not "the end of the process".
Speaking to the BBC in Kyiv following a virtual meeting of the "coalition of the willing", the prime minister said "we haven't seen unity like this pretty well throughout the conflict".
Around 30 global leaders reasserted their call for Russia to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire from Monday, threatening "massive" sanctions if it does not comply.
Noting other conflicts including India-Pakistan hostilities, Sir Keir said "we are living in a more uncertain world" that "requires leadership stepping up".
The UK prime minister joined French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for the meeting, which was hosted by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky.
Other members of the "coalition of the willing" participated remotely, including Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian PM Mark Carney, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of Nato.
In a phone call with Donald Trump following the meeting, the US president reportedly reaffirmed his support for the ceasefire, after Vladimir Putin rejected his initial proposal in March.
Sir Keir said Trump was "absolutely clear that this is a demand that must be met".
The leaders assembled in Kyiv warned that "new and massive" sanctions will be imposed on Russia's energy and banking sectors if Putin does not agree to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire "in the air, at sea and on land".
Sir Keir told the BBC that "material progress" had been made during the meeting.
"We've been able to collectively get to a much better position and a more unified position today that holds out a better prospect of a ceasefire," he said.
"You've got unity in the demand, but also unity in what the response will be if the demand is not met. We haven't seen that sort of unity during this conflict."
"I'm not going to pretend this is the end of the process but this is a significant moment we now need to push on and make sure this happens," he added.
Further coordinating sanctions on Russian oil, fossil fuels and other assets would make a "material difference", the prime minister said.
The Kremlin reacted to the proposal by accusing European leaders of making "contradictory" and "generally confrontational" remarks about Russia.
Press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine's allies must stop sending weapons to Ukraine before any ceasefire can happen - something European leaders have rejected - before later saying Russia would consider the proposal.
"We have to think about this. This is a new development," state-run Russian news agency Tass reported Peskov as saying.
The Kyiv meeting was a symbolic show of support for Ukraine a day after more than 20 world leaders joined Putin in Moscow for Russia's World War Two Victory Day parade.
The massive military parade was held in Moscow's Red Square to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 with leaders including China's Xi Jinping, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, an EU member, in attendance.
"It was a hugely important, symbolic day here in Kyiv because there was a propaganda exercise in Moscow yesterday," Sir Keir told the BBC.
"80 years on from VE Day it was really important that we were here today... to demonstrate that the values that underpinned what was being fought for 80 years ago are the same values now".
Asked whether he feels "scared about the state of the world" as others in Britain do - given conflicts in the Middle East and India-Pakistan tensions - Sir Keir said "we are living in a more uncertain world and we're in a different era of defence and security".
But he said it did not keep him up at night "because it's really important that I focus on what I can do - bringing people together, making significant steps today, making sure we're preparing with Ukraine for what might happen next".
The leaders of Poland, the UK, France and Germany joined Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky (centre) in Kyiv
European leaders have called US President Donald Trump to discuss proposals for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine from Monday while on a visit to Kyiv.
The call came after leaders of the so-called "coalition of the willing" held a meeting to discuss advancing peace talks.
The leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland were hosted in person by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, while others joined remotely.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the coalition backed a "full and unconditional" ceasefire - originally mooted by Trump - and that the EU was ready to "impose further biting sanctions" if it was broken.
In a joint statement ahead of the visit, they said they "will stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia's barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion".
The leaders added: "Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace."
A 30-hour ceasefire, unilaterally called by Putin to mark Russia's Victory Day, is due to end on Saturday. It has seen a decrease in fighting but both sides have accused the other of breaches.
The "coalition of the willing" was formed to reinforce any eventual peace agreement with security guarantees, including the possibility of placing troops in Ukraine.
Trump earlier reiterated the call for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire after a phone call with Zelensky.
"If the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions," he wrote on social media.
As the meeting was going on, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was already "used to sanctions" and knew how to minimise their impact, adding: "There is no point in trying to scare us with these sanctions."
Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and now deputy head of Russia's Security Council, told the European allies to "shove these peace plans".
Other leaders who joined the meeting remotely included Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian PM Mark Carney, von der Leyen, and Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of Nato.
Reports of Russian attacks across Ukraine continue, despite Russia's claims of a temporary ceasefire.
In northern Sumy region, an 85-year-old woman was killed, three others were injured, 19 residential homes and 10 other buildings were destroyed or damaged, Ukrainian police said.
In Kostyantynivka, eastern Donetsk region, one person was injured and two apartment blocks caught fire after Russian attacks, Ukrainian state emergency service DSNS said.
And in the southern city of Kherson, a 58-year-old local resident sought medical help after being attacked by a Russian drone carrying explosives, the regional administration said.
Symone, who used to be a WeightWatchers member, now uses weight loss jab Mounjaro
Symone has been using weight loss injections for nearly a year. She says they have done what the diet industry could never do for her - free her from a life controlled by food.
From a very young age, the 34-year-old could not switch off the constant noise in her head. When would her next meal come? What would it be? Would there be enough for her?
"The food noise was just so loud, it could be unbearable," she says. "I have tried every single diet going - I've done Atkins, eating clean, SlimFast, Slimming World, meal-replacement shakes - you name it - I've done it and none have them worked for me."
Several years ago, weighing 16st (102kg), she was one of the many millions who signed up to WeightWatchers, downloading the app and meticulously following its points plan, scanning in everything she ate and staying within her daily points budget.
WeightWatchers attributes points to food and drink, stating that it uses a "groundbreaking algorithm" to assess their nutritional makeup and then uses a point system to inform its members which food is better to eat.
But after a few weeks, Symone says she started to feel like she was being set up to fail.
"How could I lose weight long term if I had to follow this mad points system? Food is not measured in points - it's measured in calories, fat, macro nutrients.
"I felt trapped, and the more research I did, the more I educated myself, the more I thought this is not for me."
The only thing that has ever worked in her quest to lose weight, she says, is weight loss injection Mounjaro, which she started using nearly a year ago.
"I was at my heaviest, just over 21 stone, and the doctor told me I was pre-diabetic. I knew something had to change - I've got two children who depend on me too."
Symone felt disappointed with using point-based systems for food and drink
She was advised to start on the weight loss medication but with a two-year wait, she decided to buy it privately online and within just a few days, she was crying with relief.
"I couldn't believe that I had control over food. For the first time, I wasn't panicking about when I would next eat."
Weight loss jabs work by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which suppresses people's appetites and makes them feel full.
Symone has now lost 4st 7lb (26kg) and is losing weight gradually, documenting her experiences on social media.
"I don't want a quick fix," she says, "I'm using weight loss injections to give me the control I never had."
Lost a million members
For many, weight loss jabs can produce rapid results, but some experts are concerned about the meteoric rise in their popularity and how people will be affected by them long term - both physically and mentally.
At its peak, WeightWatchers was seen as being synonymous with safe and controlled weight loss. With 4.5million subscribers globally, its workshops were held in most towns, on most high streets, popping up in local church halls - they were everywhere.
Now, after dominating the diet industry for more than half a century, it has lost more than a million members and filed for bankruptcy, struggling to compete in a market transformed by social media influencers and weight loss injections.
The company has stressed that it is not going out of business and that filing for bankruptcy will help it resolve its debt of $1.25bn (£860m).
In a statement, the brand says its weight loss programme (which also includes its own brand of weight loss jabs) and weight loss workshops will continue.
The company says it has been the brand with the most scientific backing in the diet industry for over 60 years, and that there have been more than 180 published studies showing the effectiveness of its approach.
WeightWatchers says it uses an "holistic model of care" to support "the whole person" with "access to obesity-trained clinicians and registered dietitians".
It is also one of several companies GPs can use for weight loss referrals, with the NHS paying for patients to attend weekly meetings in the community.
"It's no longer about calorie control and diets," Deanne Jade, clinical director of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, told the BBC.
"There's a new movement out there and it's all about wellbeing.
"People like to move in tribes – it used to be the WeightWatchers tribe, counting points and calories, now millions follow different ways to lose weight or be healthy through social media influencers, through weight loss drugs, and they're forming new tribes."
She is not convinced that medication will be the answer that so many are looking for.
"None of these pharmaceutical interventions protect people from regaining the weight when they stop injecting."
She believes they are not a quick fix, and that the best way to effectively lose weight and keep it off is to understand the psychological reasons behind overeating.
Reuters
Some people are turning to weight loss injections like Mounjaro
More holistic approach
Dr Joanne Silver, lead psychologist at the London-based eating disorder clinic, Orri, agrees. She says the weight loss injections "completely silence what the body is asking for", which is counterintuitive to understanding what the body needs.
"People can binge eat because of psychological reasons – they can use food to manage their emotions, to soothe themselves.
"Eating disorders are not just about food."
Food and nutrition have become just one part of a more holistic approach so many are now adopting when it comes to their overall wellbeing.
Jennifer Pybis, a fitness coach based in Liverpool, works with clients both online and in person. She says achieving a healthy lifestyle is not just about hitting a target weight.
"I encourage the women I work with to consider lots of ways to measure their progress rather than just jumping on the scales.
"Thinking about how they feel, comparing photographs of themselves to see how their bodies have changed shape, how their sleep is, their resting heart rate, their improvements in the gym - all of that is so important."
The diet industry might be transforming but there are many who still prefer the more traditional model of sitting together and sharing their experiences, supporting others in their community to lose weight.
In a small church hall in Winsford, Cheshire, a group of women are waiting patiently to get on the scales.
Muttering and good-natured laughter can be heard as they share their latest weights with each other.
"I've put on a pound! I did have a little bit - well maybe a lot - of wine at the weekend."
"Why didn't you have gin?" another one asks, "it's only 55 calories a shot!"
They're here for their weekly check-in at the BeeWeighed slimming group. Some of the women have lost several pounds, others have a put on a pound or two, but overall, since joining the class, they have all lost weight.
They are learning about how to eat in moderation, how to exercise safely and how to feel good about themselves.
At first glance, it could be a WeightWatchers class – women meeting up to share their stories of weight loss and support each other – but there are crucial differences, says BeeWeighed owner and founder Lynda Leadbetter.
She was a group leader for WeightWatchers for 18 years but left to set up her own group in 2018.
Lynda Leadbetter believes WeightWatchers 'lost its way'
"I think WeightWatchers did provide something different and something hopeful for so many women but I think it has lost its way," she says.
"I teach nutrition, I educate, I don't sell anything extra. I feel WeightWatchers became about selling extra products, it was always about pushing those extra sales, and not about supporting people to lose weight properly."
She's sceptical about the effectiveness of weight loss medications, and some members who have turned to the likes of Ozempic and WeGovy have left her groups, but many have stayed – continuing to attend the meetings for support while using weight loss injections.
Members of BeeWeighed attend a weekly in-person check-in
Kathryn Brady, 38, has been a member of BeeWeighed since 2023, and in that time, she's lost over three stone. But with her wedding in a matter of weeks, the burlesque dancer has started to take Mounjaro to lose weight more rapidly.
It's not quite worked out as she had hoped.
"I've been on Mounjaro for over a month now, and while I lost 6lb in the first week or so, I've put half of that back on.
"Having absolutely no appetite for two weeks was really weird and I'm paying a lot of money to not lose that much weight."
She's going to keep on using it, but she's not completely sold yet.
"Even if I continue with the skinny jab, I'll still attend BeeWeighed, having others there supporting me keeps me going."
Police have been given more time to question four Iranian men over an alleged terror plot in the UK.
The men were arrested on 3 May on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, the Metropolitan Police said.
The suspects, detained under the Terrorism Act, can be held until 17 May after the force obtained warrants to further extend their detention.
A fifth Iranian man, who was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, has been released on bail with conditions.
The five men - two aged 29, a 40-year-old, a 24-year-old and another aged 46 - on 3 May - were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester.
The Met said officers were continuing search a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas.
Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's counter terrorism command, said it was a "significant and highly complex investigation".
He urged the public not to "speculate or share information" that has not been confirmed by police.
The Met has previously said it believes "a specific premises" was the target of the suspected plot.
The BBC understands the alleged target was the Israeli embassy in London, as first reported by the Times. Police have not yet confirmed the embassy was the suspected target, citing operational reasons.
Three other Iranian men - aged 39, 44 and 55 - were arrested on the same day in London in relation to a separate counter-terrorism investigation.
They were arrested under section 27 of the National Security Act, which covers offences deemed a threat to national security.
Cdr Murphy has said police are not linking the two investigations.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Home Office minister Dan Jarvis described the two separate investigations as "some of the largest counter-state threats and counter-terrorism actions that we have seen in recent times".
"A failed free market experiment" – that's how the home secretary will describe the approach that's seen vast numbers of people from around the world come to the UK to pour pints in pubs, to cut hair, to care for the most vulnerable, to pick fruit, or to fix our plumbing.
Yvette Cooper's getting ready to unveil the government's overhaul of the rules that determine who can come to the UK with permission, and for how long.
Her White Paper, which will be called "Restoring Control Over the Immigration System" and be 69 pages long, is a big moment for Labour to try to sort a messy system, under which the numbers of people moving here rose way over most people's imagination.
With Reform hard on Labour's heels, capitalising on public concern about immigration, the success or failure of Cooper is vital to the government.
So what has Labour come up with?
It will emerge in full on Monday, but we know a lot about what's on the table.
It's expected that work visas will be strictly time-limited for jobs that don't need graduate-level skills.
Foreign students who have studied for degrees here could lose the right to stay in the UK after they finish at university.
Overseas workers will be expected to have a better understanding of English, but reported suggestions of A-level equivalent are wide of the mark.
And companies who repeatedly can't show efforts to recruit UK-based staff, rather than hunt abroad, might lose their right to sponsor foreign workers to come here at all.
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
There are also likely to be proposals designed to change how judges apply what's known as Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. It is designed to protect everyone's right to a family life.
But how it's used sometimes by immigration lawyers to stop deportations has long been a concern of politicians – in 2011, I even remember Theresa May claiming an asylum seeker had been allowed to stay in the UK because of their cat.
More than a decade later, recent cases like this one raised at Prime Minister's Questions have led the government to review how the courts have been interpreting everyone's right to a family life. We'll hear more of the details from the home secretary in the studio tomorrow, and likely from the prime minister on Monday.
Some Conservatives and Reform argue the only way of making a material difference is to leave the European Convention on Human Rights altogether, rather than see ministers stick their nose into the courts. Whether the government's proposals here make a difference, we'll have to see.
But the big principle in Cooper's thinking is that the immigration system should be fundamentally linked to the labour market – helping British workers get the skills to fill vacancies, rather than overseas workers being brought in again and again, to plug the gaps.
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Whitehall wiring will be redirected to try to make that happen with a new approach under a 'quad' – where employers, the Department for Work and Pensions, the job centres, skills bodies, and the Migration Advisory Committee, that sets the specific rules, all work together.
The idea, to wean the economy off relying on staff from overseas, by pushing employers to work much harder to find staff from here at home.
That's the theory. Here are the politics: for years, conventional thinking in both main parties was the immigration was broadly good because it helped the economy. Politicians and members of the public who raised concern about the pace and scale of workers coming were sometimes dismissed.
One Cabinet minister says last time Labour was in power, when "people raised concerns, it was too easy to say it's a race question – there's a good understanding now that good, decent people worry about immigration – it's about fairness".
When it emerged that 900,000 people came to the UK in 2023 the prime minister held an emergency press conference accusing the Tories of a failed "open border experiment"'.
A senior government source says now the previous government wasn't "bringing in 100,000 scientists to live in central London, it was bringing in people to fix problems of the economy everywhere, often in poor communities".
Ministers accept there might always be a need for overseas staff with specific expertise to come to the UK. But Sir Keir Starmer's allies say he's been making the case for years, since a speech to the CBI in 2022, warning employers they wouldn't be able to rely on cheap foreign labour on his watch.
Since then, partly down to the Conservatives' tightening up of visa rules before they left office, the numbers of people coming to the UK legally has dropped a lot and is expected to fall further this year. But the political prominence of the issue overall has gone the other way.
By some polling measures in spring this year immigration and small boats passed the NHS as the biggest worry for voters in 2025.
If the numbers of workers coming is falling, why is the public more concerned?
Sources inside government acknowledge that for many of the public, the issues of legal and illegal migration are bundled together.
While legal migration has been falling, the numbers of those coming in ways considered illegal and trying to claim asylum has gone the other way, hitting the highest level since 1979.
And there are two highly visible signs of that – small boat crossings, and asylum seekers being housed in hotels around the country.
One member of the government told me, "it's the boats, and everything is amplified on social media, we know it's having an effect as it's fed back to us on the doorstep – as a party we just seem to be floundering".
The use of hotels isn't just costly – projected recently to be £15bn, triple the amount the Conservatives reckoned when they signed the contracts back in 2019 – they can also create unease and resentment in communities.
A Labour MP with an asylum hotel in their constituency tells me a big part of the problem is that constituents link spending on hotels with the government squeezing cash elsewhere.
"It is impossible to make the case we need to do some form of austerity while we are spending so much money on putting people up here – whether it's winter fuel and PIP (welfare payments) – you haven't got money for this, but you have money for that."
PA Media
There's even a belief in Downing Street that had there not been an asylum hotel in Runcorn, Labour would likely have held on to its seat in the by election last week.
The other blindingly obvious reason immigration has become so fraught politically is that for decades, successive governments have told the public one thing but done another. Under Tony Blair, people from countries joining the EU were allowed immediately to come and work in the UK.
The government had publicly estimated the numbers likely to move would be around 13,000, but hundreds of thousands of people from Eastern Europe made the UK their home in the following years. Papers released at the end of last year reveal that some of Blair's team worried precisely about that happening.
David Cameron then promised repeatedly that he'd get the number of extra people settling in the UK under 100,000. That vow was repeatedly broken. His government's lack of ability to control migration from Europe was at the core of the Brexit argument.
With deep irony, Boris Johnson won that argument in the referendum, then set up an immigration system that allowed even more people to move to the UK, peaking at 900,000 in 2023. Rishi Sunak then promised to "Stop the Boats" - but they still came.
A No 10 insider says the "public has been gaslit for years – taxpayers have been told it's happening, but nothing has been changing".
It's Cooper and Sir Keir who are now under huge pressure to get the numbers down and keep their vow to "smash the gangs".
The plans for managing legal migration better on Monday will be followed by a meeting in Albania later in the week, where the focus will be on cracking the illegal trade that smuggles people across Europe.
Ministers hope their plans will make a difference, although screeds of extra immigration law have not exactly improved the situation in recent years.
Making a complex system that doesn't work even more complicated will not necessarily be a success. But in government there's no doubt how vital it is– not just to fix a system that's been failing, but to demonstrate to voters that something is being done.
The plans we'll talk about in the next couple of days have been long in the making. But Reform's massive success at the ballot box shows why Labour has to get this right.
As one member of the government reckons, the public "got rid of the Tories by voting for us, there was no love for Labour, and they are prepared to do the same to us".
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Taylor Swift and Blake Lively, seen here in 2023, have been close friends for many years
Taylor Swift's representatives have told the BBC she is being brought into a legal row between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively to create "tabloid clickbait".
The 35-year-old singer was summoned to a US court after it was alleged she encouraged Baldoni to accept script re-writes by Lively for It Ends With Us, a film that both starred in and is the centre of a sexual harassment case.
Baldoni says he was invited to Lively's New York home in 2023 to discuss script changes, where Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Swift were there to serve as her "dragons".
Representatives for Swift said "she was not involved in any casting or creative decision" and "never saw an edit or made any notes on the film".
Lively, 37, sued Baldoni, 41, in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and a smear campaign. Baldoni is counter-suing Lively and her husband, the actor Ryan Reynolds, on claims of civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.
Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a dispute since the film, which is an adaption of a Colleen Hoover novel, was released last summer.
According to Baldoni, there were tensions over the 2023 re-write of the scene, at which he was surprised to find Reynolds and Swift present.
He alleges Lively wrote in a text to him: "If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you'll appreciate that I'm Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for."
Baldoni says he responded supportively, writing: "I really love what you did. It really does help a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor).
"You really are a talent across the board. Really excited and grateful to do this together."
It is also alleged that Swift was involved in the casting of Isabela Ferrer in the film, who played a younger version of Lively's character, Lily Bloom.
But Swift's representatives said the only involvement she had in the film was permitting the use of her song, My Tears Ricochet, noting that she was among 20 artists featured in the film.
Swift "never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, [and] she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film", they said.
They added that Swift did not see It Ends With Us until "weeks after its release" as she was "travelling around the globe" on tour at the time.
The popstar's spokespeople argued that the subpoena "designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case".
Being sealed off from the world in the conclave to choose the new Pope was "immensely peaceful", England and Wales's most senior Roman Catholic has told the BBC.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, was one of 133 cardinals who were shut into the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and later elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday.
He told BBC Breakfast on Saturday that nobody in the highly-secretive meeting was saying who to vote for or who to not vote for, adding that there was "no rancour" or "politicking" among the cardinals.
"It was a much calmer process than that and I found it actually a rather wonderful experience," he added.
Conclaves have take place in the Sistine Chapel since the 15th Century and cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected. The recent conclave came after the death of Pope Francis on 21 April.
The 79-year-old Cardinal Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, said that his mobile phone was taken off him, adding that he found he had "more time on my hands just to be prayerful, just to reflect, just to be still, rather than being constantly agitated... or prompted by what might be coming in" on his phone.
"For me, one of the experiences of these last few days was to learn a bit of patience, to just take this step by step," he said.
"There was a calmness, a bit of solemnity," he continued, adding that everyone he spoke to when in it was "peaceful and just wanting to do this well".
Cardinal Nichols spoke to BBC Breakfast on Saturday about the conclave
There is no timescale on how long it takes for a conclave to elect a new Pope, with previous ones in 2005 and 2013 lasting two days. The conclave that elected Pope Leo lasted for one day.
"I think it was a short conclave in part because Pope Francis left us with a good inheritance," the cardinal said.
"He left a college of cardinals who were dedicated, who had this desire for the church to be more missionary, and that led us forward actually very, very easily to the decision that we made."
Pope Leo will be formally inaugurated at a mass in St Peter's Square on 18 May, which delegations from countries around the world will attend.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, will attend on behalf of King Charles, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Saturday.
Speaking about the new Pope, Cardinal Nichols said Pope Leo is "very decisive" in a "quiet way", adding that he has seen him "make decisions which disappoint people but don't destroy them".
"A good thing about a pope is if he's able to say, 'No', to you when he thinks something is not right and then give you a hug so you don't go away offended, and I think he's got that ability to do both those things, which is very important."
Australia's Go-Jo is one of 37 artists hoping to lift the Eurovision trophy in Basel, Switzerland
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest pops its cork on Sunday, with a "turquoise carpet" parade featuring competitors from all 37 nations.
But the competition really begins on Tuesday, when the first semi-final will see five countries unceremoniously kicked out.
Another six will lose their place at the second semi-final on Thursday, before the Grand Final takes place in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday, 17 May.
This year's entrants include two returning contestants, one professional opera singer, a thinly veiled allusion to sexual emissions and a dance anthem about a dead space dog.
It's a lot to take in.
To help you prepare, here's a guide to all 37 songs in the contest, which I've sorted into rough musical categories, mainly for my own sanity (it didn't work).
Left-field pop bangers
Pavla Hartmanova / BBC / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: JJ, Remember Monday and KAJ
Win or lose, UK contestants Remember Monday have given headline writers a gift with the title of their entry: What The Hell Just Happened?
A souped-up, full throttle pop anthem, it cherry-picks the best bits of Queen, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Beatles, presumably to remind voters of Britain's rich musical heritage.
With eight tempo changes, it could prove tricky for voters to grasp, but the band's stellar harmonies and sparkling personalities should carry them through.
Crucially, the song avoids the Eurovision cliches of jackhammer dance anthems and windswept balladry – something Remember Monday have in common with this year's favourites.
Sweating it out at the top are Swedish representatives KAJ, whose song Bara Bada Bastu is an ode to the restorative powers of the sauna, complete with dancers in skimpy towels.
Where the original was about a "fashion doll" operated by songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Thorn's response is all about taking control.
"If you think a man like you can manipulate me, go back to your mum," she scolds. Yeouch.
Other countries sucking up to Italy
ERR / Sarah Louise Bennett
Tommy Cash and Gabry Ponte will represent Estonia and San Marino with tributes to Italian culture
Rome must be blushing. This year features not one, but two, songs about the vibrant culture of Il Bel Paese.
The first comes, not surprisingly, from San Marino – the independent microstate that nestles inside north-central Italy.
Titled Tutta L'Italia, it celebrates everything from the county's football team and its vineyards, to the Mona Lisa (under her Italian name Gioconda).
Written by Gabry Ponte – one of the brains behind Eiffel 65's Blue (Da Ba Dee) – it's a slight, but fun, mixture of dance beats, traditional accordion playing and the folk dances of Calabria.
The staging could be its downfall, though, with Gabry marooned behind his DJ decks while the singers, who for some reason wish to remain anonymous, obscure their faces with masks.
More memorable, but definitely more unhinged, is Estonia's Espresso Macchiato.
Performed by Tommy Cash (the only Eurovision contestant to have appeared on a Charli XCX record) it's an affectionate-ish caricature of Italian stereotypes, featuring the indelible lyric: "Life is like spaghetti, it's hard until you make it".
Smut!
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Go-Jo, Erika Vikman and Miriana Conte
I'm trying to give up sexual innuendo, but Eurovision is making it har... difficult.
A trio of artists are trying to sneak smut past the censors, led by Malta's Miriana Conte, with a throbbing club track called Serving.
In its original form, the song's chorus revolved around the phrase "serving kant" – the word kant being Maltese for "singing" and a homophone for an English term that definitely doesn't mean singing.
It's a reference to a well-known phrase in the drag / ballroom world; but several countries complained it broke broadcasting guidelines, prompting a hasty re-write.
If the stunt was meant to generate headlines it worked, but now that Miriana has our attention, she's not letting go.
Her performance, featuring a giant disco ball pursed between two red lips, is gloriously OTT, and she has an enviable set of pipes. Too bad the song is riddled with Europop cliche.
Another contestant doubling his entendres is Australia's Go-Jo, who wants us to "take a sip" of milkshake from his "special cup". Interpret that how you want but I'd be wary of hitching a lift in his ice cream van, if I were you.
With a smattering of Electric Six's saucy disco funk, Milkshake Man is tasty enough to get Australia back in the finals after only achieving a semi last year.
Finally, we have Finland's Erika Vikman, whose song Ich Komme is billed as a "joyous message of pleasure, ecstasy and a state of trance".
Structured to mimic the pneumatic realities of lovemaking, it recalls iconic gay anthems such as Kylie's Your Disco Needs You and Donna Summer's Hot Stuff – and ends with Erika shooting into the sky astride a massive gold microphone that's definitely not a stand-in for a phallus.
Three songs inspired by cancer
France Télévisions / Sarah Louise Bennett
From left to right: Louane, Klemen and Kyle Alessandro
Little in life is more devastating than the phrase "I'm afraid it's cancer".
The disease will affect one in two of us and, although survival rates have dramatically improved, the impact can be devastating.
This year, three separate Eurovision contestants have been touched by cancer, inspiring songs of unmatched heartbreak and reflection.
French singer Louane captures it best. Her song Maman, is an intimate conversation with her mother, who died when she was just 17 years old.
Over three verses, Louane describes the "emptiness" she was felt; and how she filled the void with bad behaviour and meaningless love affairs. But, as the song progresses, she tells her mum she's settled down and found purpose... by becoming a mother herself.
She sings it beautifully, with a mixture of regret and strength. And when her daughter's voice appears in the final moments of the song, it would take a steely heart not to shed a tear.
Over in Norway, 19-year-old Kyle Alessandro shared a similar story, when his mother was diagnosed with cancer in autumn 2023. Thankfully, she's now in remission, but something she said during her treatment inspired his Eurovision entry: "Never lose your light."
Kyle took that phrase and turned it into a thumping pop song about surviving adversity. "Nothing can burn me now," he sings. "I'm my own Lighter."
Klemen Slakonja, meanwhile, is a comedian best known in Slovenia for his impressions of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - but his ballad, How Much Time Do We Have Left was written after his wife, actress Mojca Fatur, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.
As he sings, Klemen's dancers raise him into the air and hold him upside down, to represent the disorientation the family felt.
"When she read her diagnosis, our world turned upside down and I felt that rush of blood in my head, the same one I feel whenever I am upside down in the performance," he told Eurovision World.
Defying the odds, Mojca survived, and joins him on stage at Eurovision. It's a deeply intimate and moving moment.
The bops
Sarah Louise Bennett / Valero Rioja / Alma Bengtsson
Left to right: Red Sebastian, Melody and Væb
Listening to this year's line-up, it's like the contestants all heard Cascada's Evacuate the Dancefloor and went, "Nah, we're good, thanks".
There are club bangers everywhere, with Belgium's Red Sebastian (named after the crab in The Little Mermaid, bless him) submitting an entire song about the loved-up liberation of an all-night rave.
"Where no words are needed to feel the connection / Where clocks never tick and where love is the ending."
A favourite with fans, the 90s rave elements of Strobe Lights feel a little dated to me, but his meticulously-choreographed performance is a treat.
Denmark's Sissal takes a similar sound, with a throwback Euro-bop called Hallucination that effortlessly evokes two-time Eurovision winner Loreen.
Sissal said her biggest goal was for the audience to feel they couldn't sit down during the song. Mission accomplished.
Germany, meanwhile, have been hoping to reverse their 15-year losing streak with Baller, a super-catchy trance anthem that wouldn't sound out of place at Berlin superclub Berghain.
Performed by Austrian siblings Abor & Tynna, it's languishing in the middle of the field, after Tynna developed laryngitis, robbing the duo of the chance to impress fans at Eurovision's various pre-parties. But now that she's recovered, the song could rise up the rankings.
That's less likely for Væb, aka the Icelandic Jedward. Their energetic dance-rap song, Roá, is all about rowing from Iceland to the Faroe Islands, "because no matter what happens in life you just keep on rowing through the waves".
Sadly, it's not as deep as it sounds.
Spanish star Melody fares better with Esa Diva, a pumping house track with a sprinkling of flamenco guitar, that documents her journey to fame.
And Azerbaijan's Mamagama go all Maroon 5 on Run With U, a smooth pop song elevated by a twinkling riff on the saz – a long-necked plucked instrument similar to the lute.
Post-immigrant pop
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Shkodra Elektronike, Claude and Klavdia
OK, so I've stolen that description from Shkodra Elektronike.
They're an Albanian duo living in Italy, who fuse the ethnic music of their hometown, Shkodër, to a progressive electronic sound.
Their song Zjerm (Fire) imagines a time when cross-cultural understanding would lead to peace and harmony – a world without a need for soldiers and ambulances, and where "oil would smell like lilac" (no, me neither).
Greece's entry, Asteromáta, is also rooted in history and memory, as Klavdia describes the unbreakable bond that refugees share with their homeland.
"Even if they cross the seas / They shall never forget the sacred earth they called home," she sings, in a haunting ballad that blends traditional Greek and Pontic elements with soaring strings.
Taking a more upbeat approach is Dutch singer Claude. A refugee from the bloody civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to the Netherlands at the age of nine and fell in love with Eurovision while waiting in the refugee centre.
His song, C'est La Vie, is a tribute to his mum, who taught him to see the positive in their situation.
Fizzing with freedom and joy, it combines elements of chanson and French-Caribbean zouk, and looks set for a top 10 placing.
Witchcraft, sorcery and moody goth boys
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Theo Evan, Justyna Steczkowska and Marko Bošnjak
The success of "goth gremlin witch" Bambie Thug at last year's Eurovision has conjured a veritable coven of imitators in 2025.
Polish singer Justyna Steczkowska, representing her country for the second time, even includes a Slavic magic spell in her song, Gaja – summoning the spirit of the mother Earth to "cleanse" her of a toxic relationship.
It's a suitably intense performance, with Justyna singing long sustained notes and playing a furious violin solo, before being hoiked into the rafters on a pair ropes.
What a time to be alive.
Marko Bošnjak, meanwhile, is cooking up a Poison Cake to feed to his tormentors - chiefly the people who bombarded him with homophobic hate messages after he was selected to represent Croatia.
The criticism was so intense that he lost his voice and couldn't leave the house for five days.
His song is suitably melodramatic, replete with guttural synths and creepy playground chants. It's a little overbaked, but should still sail through to the finals.
Taking a more ethereal approach are Latvian group Tautumeitas, whose song Bur Man Laimi translates as "a chant for happiness".
Reminiscent of Bjork and Enya, its overlapping folk harmonies are based on traditional Latvian wedding songs, making it one of this year's most captivating entries. I fear it may be too subtle to score well, though.
Further mystery is provided by, Theo Evan, Cyprus's answer to Nick Jonas. The lyrics to his song, Shh, are a riddle, written by former tennis player Elke Tiel, whose "hidden truth will only be revealed on the Eurovision stage in May".
He opens his performance perched between two pieces of scaffolding in a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man sketch – so there's a clue.
Shh is one of a number of gothic pop songs, sung by brooding young men with interesting hair.
Among the best is Kiss Kiss Goodbye, by Czechia's Adonxs, who divebombs from an angelic falsetto to an unsettling baritone as he confronts his absent father.
Lithuanian band Katarsis are an interesting experiment, with a deliberately downbeat rock song that declares "the foundations of everything have begun to rot".
Titled Tavo Akys (your eyes), it builds to a compelling climax, but it's hard to see it being a vote-winner, unless Eurovision suddenly attracts an audience of depressed emo teens.
Rounding out the field are Armenian singer Parg, with the Imagine Dragons-inspired Survivor and Serbia's Princ, whose overwrought ballad is called Mila.
Both performers give it their all, but the songs don't feel strong enough to survive the semi-finals.
70s rock throwbacks
Getty Images / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Lucio Corsi, Napa and Ziferblat
Four years after Måneskin's victory, Eurovision's rock revival continues apace.
Italy are back at it again, thanks to Lucio Corsi – think David Bowie as Pierrot – and his glam rock ballad Volevo Essere Un Duro (I wanted to be tough).
A delicate anthem for people who feel they don't fit in, it recalls how Lucio was bullied as a kid, and how he's grown to embrace his fragility. At one point, he sings: "Instead of a star, [I'm] just a sneeze."
It's a timeless bit of songwriting that pulls off that crucial Eurovision trick of sounding new and familiar all at once.
Portuguese indie band Napa also have a 70s vibe, channelling Paul McCartney's Wings on the soft rock tear-jerker Deslocado (out of place).
It's another song about migration, written after the band were forced to relocate from Madeira to the Portuguese mainland due to the economic crisis.
"Even though we've been here for a few years we always have that desire to go back, and that anguish of saying goodbye to family," said singer Guilherme Gomes.
Last but not least are Ukraine's Ziferblat, who continue the country's astonishing run of high-quality entries in the midst of a war with Russia.
Their song, Bird Of Pray, is an unexpected mix of 70s new wave band Cars, birdsong and the guitar riff from Rachel Stevens' Sweet Dreams My LA Ex – while the lyrics are full of hope for a peaceful reunion with their loved ones.
It's better than that makes it sound.
The ballads
Shai Franco / Sarah Louise Bennett / Maurice Haas
From left to right: Yuval Raphael, Nina Žižić and Zoë Më
Where would Eurovision be without a raven-haired woman bellowing into a wind machine set to "hurricane"?
Israel has strong form in this category, and sets the bar again with New Day Will Rise, a melancholy piano ballad sung in a mixture of English, French and Hebrew.
It's hard not to interpret her lyrics as a response to those events – "everyone cries, don't cry alone". As a result, her participation hasn't received the same level of criticism as Eden Golan, who represented Israel last year.
That can't be said for Georgia's contestant, Mariam Shengelia, who has been booed during pre-Eurovision appearances for her alleged support of the country's authoritarian, pro-Russian, anti-LGBT ruling party, Georgian Dream.
Shengelia has denied the accusations, pointing out that her song – a stirring, quasi-militaristic ballad called Freedom – is about "freedom of choice, freedom to love, freedom to live as you want to live".
Montenegro's Nina Žižić tackles domestic abuse in Dobrodošli, a brooding and refined orchestral ballad.
The singer, who previously entered Eurovision in 2015 with the cyborg pop oddity Igranka, delivers her lyrics with passion and sincerity, but somehow the song never quite takes off.
Last but not least, we have defending champions Switzerland, represented by 24-year-old Zoë Më, who describes herself as a "little fairy".
Appropriately enough, her self-penned song, Voyage is delicate as a fairy's wings, fluttering with a soft-spoken plea to treat each other with kindness.
Automatically qualifying for the final, it's a welcome oasis of calm amidst the steamy sauna sessions, moody goth haircuts and thrusting innuendo.
But that's Eurovision for you. All human life is here. See you in Basel!
Deborah Grushkin says she felt panicked when she heard about the end of "de minimis"
Earlier this year, Deborah Grushkin, an enthusiastic online shopper from New Jersey, "freaked out".
US President Donald Trump had signed an order to stop allowing packages from China worth less than $800 (£601) to enter the country free of import taxes and customs procedures.
It was a move, backed by traditional retailers, that had been discussed in Washington for years amid an explosion of packages slipping into the US under the limit.
Many countries, including the UK, are considering similar measures, spurred in part by the rapid ascent of Shein and Temu.
But in the US, Trump's decision to end the carve-out while ordering a blitz of new trade tariffs, including import taxes of at least 145% on goods from China, has delivered a one-two punch that has left businesses and shoppers reeling.
US-based e-commerce brands, which were set up around the system, are warning the changes could spark failures of smaller firms, while shoppers like Deborah brace for price hikes and shortages.
With the 2 May deadline bearing down, the 36-year-old last month rushed in some $400 worth of items from Shein - including stickers, T-shirts, sweatshirts, Mother's Days gifts and 20 tubes of liquid eyeliner.
"I felt like maybe it was my last sort of hurrah," she says.
Use of rules known as "de minimis", which allow low-value packages to avoid tariffs, customs inspections and other regulatory requirements, has surged over the last decade.
Take-up accelerated during Trump's first term in office, when he raised tariffs on many Chinese goods.
By 2023, such shipments represented more than 7% of consumer imports, up from less than 0.01% a decade earlier. Last year, nearly 1.4 billion packages entered the country using the exemption - more than 3.7 million a day.
Advocates of the carve-out, which include shipping firms, say the system has streamlined trade, leading to lower prices and more options for customers.
Those in favour of change, a group that includes lawmakers from both parties, say businesses are abusing rules intended to ease gifts between family and friends, and the rise has made it easier to slip products that are illegal, counterfeit or violate safety standards and other rules into the country.
Trump recently called de minimis a "scam", brushing off concerns about higher costs. "Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls," he said.
However, polls suggest concerns about his economic policies are rising as the changes start to hit home.
Krystal DuFrene
Krystal DuFrene believes it's the consumer who ends up paying the tariff
Krystal DuFrene, a retired 57-year-old from Mississippi who relies on disability payments for her income, says she has nervously been checking prices on Temu for weeks, recently cancelling an order for curtains after seeing the price more than triple.
Though she eventually found the same item for the original price in the platform's US warehouse network, she says the cost of her husband's fishing nets had more than doubled.
"I don't know who pays the tariff except the customer," she says. "Everywhere is selling cheap stuff from China so I actually prefer being able to order directly."
When the rules around de minimis changed last week, Temu said it would stop selling goods imported from China in the US directly to customers from its platform, and that all sales would now be handled by "locally based sellers", with orders fulfilled from within the US.
'End of an era'
Even without the latest tariffs, economists Pablo Fajgelbaum and Amit Khandelwal had estimated that ending de minimis would lead to at least $10.9bn in new costs, which they found would be disproportionately borne by lower income and minority households.
"It does kind of feel like the end of an era," says Gee Davis, a 40-year-old author from Missouri, who used Temu during a recent house move to buy small items such as an electric can opener and kitchen cabinet organisers.
Gee Davis
Gee Davis and her roommate used Temu to get new kitchen organisers as they moved house
She says it was a relief to be able to easily afford the extras and the new rules felt like a "money grab" by the government to benefit big, entrenched American retailers like Amazon and Walmart that sell similar products - but at a bigger mark-up.
"I don't think it's right or fair that little treats should be [restricted] to people who are richer.
"It just would be a real bummer if everyone who was under a certain household income threshold was just no longer able to afford anything for themselves."
As with other Trump policy changes, questions remain about the significance of the shift.
The president was already forced to suspend the policy once before, as packages began piling up at the border.
Lori Wallach, director at Rethink Trade, which supports ending de minimis for consumer safety reasons, says the end of the exemption is significant "on paper", but she fears the administration is taking steps that will weaken its implementation.
She points to a recent customs notice, which said products affected by many of the new tariffs could enter the country through the informal process, a move that eases some regulatory requirements.
"Practically, because all of this stuff can come though informal entry, it's going to be extremely hard to collect tariffs or to be able to inspect really very much more than before the change happened," she says.
'An insurmountable shift'
Customs and Border Protection deny the move will undermine enforcement, noting that firms are still required to supply more information than before.
Businesses have indicated they are taking the changes seriously.
Washington Post/Getty Images
Custom suit company Indochino has said changes to de minimis pose a "significant threat" to its viability
Both Shein and Temu last month warned customers that prices would rise, while Temu says it is rapidly expanding its network of US-based sellers and warehouses to protect its low prices.
Other business groups say many smaller, less high-profile American brands that manufacture abroad for US customers are struggling - and may not survive.
"If the tariffs weren't in place, it would be like taking a little bit of bitter medicine," says Alex Beller, board member of the Ecommerce Innovation Alliance, a business lobby group and a co-founder of Postscript, which works with thousands of smaller businesses on text messaging marketing.
"But paired with the other tariffs, especially for brands that manufacture in China, it just becomes an insurmountable shift."
In a letter to the government last month, men's clothing company Indochino, known for its custom suits made-to-order in China, warned that ending de minimis posed a "significant threat to the viability" of its business and other mid-size American firms like it.
Steven Borelli is the chief executive of the athleisure clothing firm CUTS, which manufactures outside the US, shipping products to a warehouse in Mexico, from where packages are mailed to customers in the US.
His firm has been pushing to reduce its reliance on China, halting orders in the country months ago. Still, he says he is now considering price increases and job cuts.
He says his business has room to manoeuvre, since it caters to higher income customers, but he expects "thousands" of other brands to die without changes to the situation.
"We want more time," he says. "The speed at which everything is happening is too fast for businesses to adjust."
Sir Tom built the company into the world's biggest independent tyre and automotive chain
The founder of the Kwik Fit garage chain, Sir Tom Farmer, has died at the age of 84.
The Edinburgh-born businessman died peacefully at his home in the city on Friday, his family said.
He built the company into the world's biggest independent tyre and automotive chain, selling it to Ford for £1bn in 1999.
Sir Tom owned a majority stake in Hibernian FC for more than 20 years, selling his interest in the club in 2019.
Sir Tom was born in Leith in 1940 and first opened a tyre business in 1964.
He started Kwik Fit in 1971, eventually operating in more than 2,000 locations in 18 countries.
He was knighted in 1997 for his services to the automotive industry, and he was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2009.
A statement from his family said: "Sir Tom's long and extensive career touched many aspects of Scottish and UK life.
"His business career is well documented, as was his commitment to philanthropy, his many public roles and his unwavering support and appreciation for the communities and people that he lived his life within."
PA Media
Sir Tom was awarded the Carnegie Medal for his charitable work
Sir Tom's philanthropic work saw him awarded the Carnegie Medal and he became a Knight Commander with Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, an honour bestowed by the Pope, in 1997.
"Sir Tom's Roman Catholic faith was present throughout all areas of his life. He attended mass weekly in Edinburgh and enjoyed the friendship and company of many people with the Catholic community both here in Scotland and further afield," his family said.
"Sir Tom will be remembered by many for his deep commitment to his family, his work and his faith and for being at all times a proud Scotsman," they added.
Being sealed off from the world in the conclave to choose the new Pope was "immensely peaceful", England and Wales's most senior Roman Catholic has told the BBC.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, was one of 133 cardinals who were shut into the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and later elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday.
He told BBC Breakfast on Saturday that nobody in the highly-secretive meeting was saying who to vote for or who to not vote for, adding that there was "no rancour" or "politicking" among the cardinals.
"It was a much calmer process than that and I found it actually a rather wonderful experience," he added.
Conclaves have take place in the Sistine Chapel since the 15th Century and cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected. The recent conclave came after the death of Pope Francis on 21 April.
The 79-year-old Cardinal Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, said that his mobile phone was taken off him, adding that he found he had "more time on my hands just to be prayerful, just to reflect, just to be still, rather than being constantly agitated... or prompted by what might be coming in" on his phone.
"For me, one of the experiences of these last few days was to learn a bit of patience, to just take this step by step," he said.
"There was a calmness, a bit of solemnity," he continued, adding that everyone he spoke to when in it was "peaceful and just wanting to do this well".
Cardinal Nichols spoke to BBC Breakfast on Saturday about the conclave
There is no timescale on how long it takes for a conclave to elect a new Pope, with previous ones in 2005 and 2013 lasting two days. The conclave that elected Pope Leo lasted for one day.
"I think it was a short conclave in part because Pope Francis left us with a good inheritance," the cardinal said.
"He left a college of cardinals who were dedicated, who had this desire for the church to be more missionary, and that led us forward actually very, very easily to the decision that we made."
Pope Leo will be formally inaugurated at a mass in St Peter's Square on 18 May, which delegations from countries around the world will attend.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, will attend on behalf of King Charles, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Saturday.
Speaking about the new Pope, Cardinal Nichols said Pope Leo is "very decisive" in a "quiet way", adding that he has seen him "make decisions which disappoint people but don't destroy them".
"A good thing about a pope is if he's able to say, 'No', to you when he thinks something is not right and then give you a hug so you don't go away offended, and I think he's got that ability to do both those things, which is very important."
Taylor Swift and Blake Lively, seen here in 2023, have been close friends for many years
Taylor Swift's representatives have told the BBC she is being brought into a legal row between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively to create "tabloid clickbait".
The 35-year-old singer was summoned to a US court after it was alleged she encouraged Baldoni to accept script re-writes by Lively for It Ends With Us, a film that both starred in and is the centre of a sexual harassment case.
Baldoni says he was invited to Lively's New York home in 2023 to discuss script changes, where Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Swift were there to serve as her "dragons".
Representatives for Swift said "she was not involved in any casting or creative decision" and "never saw an edit or made any notes on the film".
Lively, 37, sued Baldoni, 41, in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and a smear campaign. Baldoni is counter-suing Lively and her husband, the actor Ryan Reynolds, on claims of civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.
Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a dispute since the film, which is an adaption of a Colleen Hoover novel, was released last summer.
According to Baldoni, there were tensions over the 2023 re-write of the scene, at which he was surprised to find Reynolds and Swift present.
He alleges Lively wrote in a text to him: "If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you'll appreciate that I'm Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for."
Baldoni says he responded supportively, writing: "I really love what you did. It really does help a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor).
"You really are a talent across the board. Really excited and grateful to do this together."
It is also alleged that Swift was involved in the casting of Isabela Ferrer in the film, who played a younger version of Lively's character, Lily Bloom.
But Swift's representatives said the only involvement she had in the film was permitting the use of her song, My Tears Ricochet, noting that she was among 20 artists featured in the film.
Swift "never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, [and] she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film", they said.
They added that Swift did not see It Ends With Us until "weeks after its release" as she was "travelling around the globe" on tour at the time.
The popstar's spokespeople argued that the subpoena "designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case".
Georgia and Cameron saved for nearly three years for their deposit
The Bank of England has cut interest rates for the second time this year - welcome news for first-time buyers after years of rising mortgage costs and spiralling house prices.
We've spoken to people on a range of incomes who have managed to make it on to the ladder or are on the brink of buying.
They shared with us the tactics they used to buy.
'We used a Lifetime ISA'
Cameron Smith and Georgia Pickford, both 27, each opened a Lifetime ISA (LISA) in order to buy a three-bedroom flat in Hertfordshire together for £320,000 last year.
The scheme allows 18 to 39-year-olds to save up to £4,000 a year, with a 25% government bonus, as long as it's used to buy a home under £450,000.
Cameron earns £40,000 and Georgia £37,000 and they each set up a direct debit to their respective LISA accounts.
"Every month, £200 came out of my paycheque – no excuses, no distractions," says Cameron.
In just under three years, the couple saved £27,740, including the government bonus from their LISAs. To reach the full deposit amount, they topped this up with an extra £4,260 from their personal savings.
But Cameron says the scheme hasn't kept pace with rising prices.
"The £450,000 cap was set back in 2017 - it hasn't moved. If your property is even £1 over that, you lose the bonus and get hit with a 25% penalty."
Brian Byrnes, head of personal finance at Moneybox, a digital savings and investment platform, still thinks the scheme is a great option for first-time buyers.
"The Lifetime ISA works fantastically well for the vast majority of customers. Less than 1% are impacted by the £450,000 cap," he says.
Abas Rai, 26, used a type of joint mortgage known as an "income booster mortgage" to buy his first home - a £207,000 two-bedroom house in Suffolk.
It's a product offered by some lenders that lets a family member's income be added to yours, even if they're not living in the property, to increase how much you can borrow.
Even with a £30,000 deposit and a £33,000 salary, Abas struggled to get the loan he needed. To boost his affordability, he added his father, who earns £24,000, to the mortgage.
By combining their incomes, the bank was able to offer a bigger loan, though it meant his dad would also be liable if he defaults.
"The bank added our incomes together and then multiplied it by 4.5 - that's how they worked out the affordability."
But involving a parent comes with some challenges.
"Because the person added on to the mortgage is also added on to the property, one of the risks was my dad's age - he's 55 and coming to retirement soon, so I won't be able to rely on his salary if I default on a payment."
Abas plans to re-mortgage and remove his dad once his income increases, but says the scheme was worth it.
"If you're not earning above, say £45,000, and you've got someone in the family, I would recommend you go for it."
After years of renting in Oxfordshire, Alex Bonfield, 34, has relocated to Manchester to buy her first home.
"My wife is a teacher and she had to find an entirely new job up here. She really loved her old school, but this was more important," she says. "It wasn't an easy decision. We don't know anyone here."
The couple were priced out of buying near family and friends in Oxfordshire, where average house prices are £479,000, compared with £251,000 in Manchester.
They began saving five years ago, and are now house-hunting in the £300,000-325,000 range with a deposit of £50,000.
"We're not at the very top of our affordability, but we are quite high up."
Oliver Jones, 27, lives in London and used a shared ownership scheme to buy his first home - a two-bedroom flat worth £500,000. He bought a 25% share with a £40,000 deposit and sub-lets to a long-time friend whom he used to rent with.
"We were tired of doing that dance every year with the landlord trying to hike up rent by stupid amounts," Oliver says. "Now we're saving around £1,000 a month compared to our old flat."
Shared ownership schemes let buyers purchase a portion of a property and pay rent on the rest. They're often more accessible but come with complexities, like service charges and limited resale flexibility.
Oliver's total monthly costs come to around £1,550, including £500 for the mortgage, £800 in rent on the 75% share he doesn't own, and a £250 service charge. While he and his lodger informally split costs, Oliver covers all the housing payments.
"My mortgage rate is 5.4%, but the rent on the unowned portion is only about 2% of the property value.
"It's cheaper to just own part of the property and pay rent than to buy the whole thing with a big mortgage."
'The Help to Buy ISA worked for me'
Daniel Price, 27, bought a three-bedroom home in the South Wales Valleys earlier this year, not far from where he grew up.
He started saving four and a half years ago using a Help to Buy ISA - a government scheme that topped up savings by 25%, up to a £3,000 maximum bonus. It has since been replaced by the Lifetime ISA scheme.
"Originally, my mum told me about it, so I just put a pound in to open the account," he says.
"I paid in £200 a month and eventually saved £11,000, which got me a £2,500 government bonus."
Daniel bought his house for £95,000, below the asking price of £110,000, due to some minor renovations the property needed.
"A lot of houses were out of my price range as a single person, so I started looking further afield."
"My dad found the house on Rightmove and showed me it. Everything was a bit outdated, but still liveable. It just needs a bit of work to modernise it."
When he first applied for a mortgage in October 2024, Daniel was earning £18,000 a year while doing a software development apprenticeship. By the time the sale went through in January this year, his salary had risen to £24,000.
"I started saving when I was working in a factory as a warehouse manager. I then took up a tech apprenticeship and have just finished it. That helped with my affordability."
'I bought a fixer-upper'
Camilla De Cesare, 32, is a strategy consultant. She managed to buy her first home in London alone, but says it took seven years of living with her parents and being open to buying a property that needed some work.
"My family helped me with the deposit, and I had a stable job, so I was starting from a fortunate position," she says.
Camilla saved and invested a total of £80,000 into the S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 leading companies listed on the US stock market. By steadily contributing over time and benefiting from market growth, her investment pot eventually grew to £150,000.
"I was really lucky that the S&P 500, was growing really well over the years that I was investing in it, so it provided me with a really healthy cushion."
She spent £50,000 on her deposit, and the remaining £100,000 will go towards renovations on the property over the coming years, like a new kitchen and bathroom.
She says saving for a deposit felt more manageable knowing she could tackle renovations gradually, as and when she could afford them.
"I think when you first get the keys you just want to do it all at once. But there's something satisfying about looking around and knowing you did some of it yourself."
Tom Francis, head of digital advice at financial advisers Octopus Money, says most people would benefit more from "slow, steady saving".
He encourages prospective buyers to break their spending into three buckets: essentials, desirables and indulgences.
"Think of your dream home as the destination - you can't get there if you don't know where you're starting."
Sarah Tucker, CEO of the financial advice firm The Mortgage Mum, urges younger people not to wait until they've saved for a deposit before seeking financial advice from mortgage brokers.
"There's nothing better than speaking to a professional, even if you're years away from buying."
Footballer banned for trans comment wants FA apology
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'There was no reason for the FA to put me through all this' - Vaughan
Published
A teenage amateur footballer who was banned by the Football Association over remarks she made to a transgender woman opponent has demanded an apology from the governing body, claiming the case has "impacted" her life.
Last year, Cerys Vaughan, then aged 17, was sanctioned by an FA disciplinary commission for improper conduct after she asked the rival player if they were a man during a friendly match.
Having been told the player was transgender, Vaughan says she then raised the matter with the referee over concerns she had about fairness and safety.
Following a complaint, she was charged with a breach of FA rules, and after a hearing she was handed a six-match ban, four of which were suspended.
However, it can now be revealed that in February, an FA appeal board found that Vaughan had received an "unfair" hearing, quashed the original ruling, and ordered a new process to take place.
The case has since been dropped after the complainant withdrew from the process.
Vaughan, now 18, has chosen to reveal her identity and in her first broadcast interview told BBC Sport: "It was stressful. It's definitely impacted my normal life a lot.
"In the end it was pointless, and there was no reason for the FA to put me through all this.
"They said I wasn't guilty anymore and they dropped my charges and cleared my record."
In a statement, the FA said: "We can confirm that this disciplinary case has now been closed, as the complainant has chosen to withdraw from the process due to personal reasons.
"All relevant parties have been informed of this outcome and no further action will be taken.
"To protect the players involved, and to respect the confidential details included, we are not in a position to publish further details about this case."
The case began in July 2024 when Vaughan was playing a pre-season friendly for her local women's team in Lancashire.
She said: "Just before the game kicked off I saw that one of the players [was] what I thought was a man, so I went and I asked, 'Are you a man?"
She says her opponent clarified they were transgender and asked to speak about it at the end of the match, but Vaughan then asked the referee about it.
"I assumed it would be a women's game, and that's why I was confused because I thought they'd brought a mixed team with them," said Vaughan.
"I said, 'Is this player allowed to play in the match today?'
"The ref said, 'I'm not sure, but because it's a friendly I'm going to let it slide'.
"Their captain must have heard me ask, because she came up and she told me it wasn't an appropriate question, it wasn't a nice thing to say, and I needed to keep my transphobia off the pitch. I didn't understand why she was saying that."
Vaughan says she is currently being assessed for possible autism, and that this may explain why she "wasn't afraid to ask the question".
For several years, the FA has allowed transgender women to play in women's matches if they reduce their testosterone level, insisting they have a responsibility to make the game as accessible and inclusive as possible.
However, earlier this month the FA announced it was introducing a ban from 1 June in the wake of a UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
'Shocked' about being reported
Image caption,
The incident occurred during a pre-season friendly involving local women's teams in Lancashire
Vaughan said days after the match she was informed by her club that she needed to provide a statement because she had been reported by a member of the opposition club, via football anti-discrimination body Kick It Out, to her local county FA.
"I was confused because I didn't think I'd done anything wrong," she said.
"I was shocked that they would report me but at that point I wasn't worried because I thought the FA would have some common sense and not go through with [it]."
But Vaughan was then charged by Lancashire FA with "using abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting words or behaviour".
It was further alleged it was an aggravated breach of FA rules because it included a reference to gender reassignment. According to documents seen by the BBC, Vaughan was alleged to have said, "that's a man", "are you a man" and "don't come here again", or similar.
Vaughan denied the charges, insisting that she did not intend to be offensive to her opponent or to challenge their chosen identity, but wanted to understand if the rules were being followed.
However, after a hearing, the disciplinary commission upheld both charges, finding that by raising the issue with the referee, Vaughan had showed a "continual action which indicated more than a casual question of curiosity."
She was banned from all football for six matches, four of which were suspended for a period of one year, and was ordered to complete an online equality and diversity course.
"I was really upset," said Vaughan. "It got put on my record that I'd been accused of misconduct, and I didn't want that to stay there, and I knew I wasn't guilty so I appealed it."
In November, with her identity remaining a secret, the matter was raised in parliament by former FA chairman Lord Triesman. He criticised the governing body's handling of the case, saying Vaughan "seems to me to have been treated in a shabby way", and her appeal was supported by campaign group the Free Speech Union.
The controversy also led to a protest by women's rights campaigners outside Wembley before an England men's fixture.
"It was really nice to see other people weren't afraid to speak up," said Vaughan.
Appeal board found hearing 'unfair'
In February, an FA appeal board stated it was "concerned about fundamental aspects" of the case, noting that Vaughan became upset while being questioned during the original hearing.
It said that "maybe for the best of intentions, it led the Commission to truncate her evidence," adding: "That appears to have prevented her from completing her account."
It said that the commission should have considered measures to enable Vaughan "to her give best account in this important case. This appears not to have been done or offered. That was unfair to Cerys".
The appeal body also said it was "also concerned about core aspect of the commission's reasoning," disagreeing that Vaughan had admitted the aggravated breach, and concluding "there appears to have been no consideration of her explanation".
It added that this was "sufficient for us to allow the appeal and quash the commission's decision, which we do".
It said: "Since Cerys did not receive a fair hearing, the correct approach is to remit this case to a differently constituted commission… there should be a resolution of this important case on the merits after a fair hearing."
"They've basically admitted that I was right in what I did," she said. "If the new ruling was in place when I asked the original question I never would have been punished for anything.
"I'd like the FA to apologise for the way that they treated me… it was a very long, drawn-out case and there was no reason for it to be."
The FA's U-turn in policy pleased those concerned about transgender women retaining physiological advantages from male puberty and the risks to fairness and safety.
But it has also drawn criticism from those who fear it will exclude the 28 registered transgender women in English football from the sport, and marginalise the trans community. There are currently no transgender women playing in professional football.
Natalie Washington, campaign lead for Football v Transphobia, told BBC Sport that the FA rule change is because of "a lot of attention on a very small number of people who aren't causing a problem, and are just going about their lives. It is a de facto ban for transgender women from football more generally, realistically, particularly people who have been playing in women's football for decades."
When asked if she has sympathy for transgender women who may now not play, Vaughan said: "No... I also have a love for the game. I compete with other women. I love football, and if biological males get involved that makes the experience worse for everyone else because then it's not an even game… I don't think the women's game has to be inclusive. It should be women only."
Asked what she would say to those who believe transgender women should still be able to play in women's football if they reduce their testosterone, Vaughan said: "With the height advantage, the difference in bone density, that's there from the beginning, and I think it's unfair.
"I'm at a greater risk of injury, and if you've gone through male puberty you'll always have the biological advantage."
Last week, the FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the amendment of the FA's rules had been a "difficult decision" based on legal advice, and that it understands "how difficult this decision will be for people who want to play football in the gender by which they identify, and we are aware of the significant impact this will have on them".
Police were called to reports of a robbery on Goodchild Road
A man has been charged with murder and robbery after an 87-year-old died in north London.
Emergency services were called to Goodchild Road in Manor House at about 18:00 BST on Tuesday, where the elderly man was found and taken to hospital with fatal injuries.
Peter Augustine, 58, from Hornsey, was arrested on Thursday and remains in police custody.
He is due to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court later.
Australia's Go-Jo is one of 37 artists hoping to lift the Eurovision trophy in Basel, Switzerland
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest pops its cork on Sunday, with a "turquoise carpet" parade featuring competitors from all 37 nations.
But the competition really begins on Tuesday, when the first semi-final will see five countries unceremoniously kicked out.
Another six will lose their place at the second semi-final on Thursday, before the Grand Final takes place in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday, 17 May.
This year's entrants include two returning contestants, one professional opera singer, a thinly veiled allusion to sexual emissions and a dance anthem about a dead space dog.
It's a lot to take in.
To help you prepare, here's a guide to all 37 songs in the contest, which I've sorted into rough musical categories, mainly for my own sanity (it didn't work).
Left-field pop bangers
Pavla Hartmanova / BBC / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: JJ, Remember Monday and KAJ
Win or lose, UK contestants Remember Monday have given headline writers a gift with the title of their entry: What The Hell Just Happened?
A souped-up, full throttle pop anthem, it cherry-picks the best bits of Queen, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Beatles, presumably to remind voters of Britain's rich musical heritage.
With eight tempo changes, it could prove tricky for voters to grasp, but the band's stellar harmonies and sparkling personalities should carry them through.
Crucially, the song avoids the Eurovision cliches of jackhammer dance anthems and windswept balladry – something Remember Monday have in common with this year's favourites.
Sweating it out at the top are Swedish representatives KAJ, whose song Bara Bada Bastu is an ode to the restorative powers of the sauna, complete with dancers in skimpy towels.
Where the original was about a "fashion doll" operated by songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Thorn's response is all about taking control.
"If you think a man like you can manipulate me, go back to your mum," she scolds. Yeouch.
Other countries sucking up to Italy
ERR / Sarah Louise Bennett
Tommy Cash and Gabry Ponte will represent Estonia and San Marino with tributes to Italian culture
Rome must be blushing. This year features not one, but two, songs about the vibrant culture of Il Bel Paese.
The first comes, not surprisingly, from San Marino – the independent microstate that nestles inside north-central Italy.
Titled Tutta L'Italia, it celebrates everything from the county's football team and its vineyards, to the Mona Lisa (under her Italian name Gioconda).
Written by Gabry Ponte – one of the brains behind Eiffel 65's Blue (Da Ba Dee) – it's a slight, but fun, mixture of dance beats, traditional accordion playing and the folk dances of Calabria.
The staging could be its downfall, though, with Gabry marooned behind his DJ decks while the singers, who for some reason wish to remain anonymous, obscure their faces with masks.
More memorable, but definitely more unhinged, is Estonia's Espresso Macchiato.
Performed by Tommy Cash (the only Eurovision contestant to have appeared on a Charli XCX record) it's an affectionate-ish caricature of Italian stereotypes, featuring the indelible lyric: "Life is like spaghetti, it's hard until you make it".
Smut!
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Go-Jo, Erika Vikman and Miriana Conte
I'm trying to give up sexual innuendo, but Eurovision is making it har... difficult.
A trio of artists are trying to sneak smut past the censors, led by Malta's Miriana Conte, with a throbbing club track called Serving.
In its original form, the song's chorus revolved around the phrase "serving kant" – the word kant being Maltese for "singing" and a homophone for an English term that definitely doesn't mean singing.
It's a reference to a well-known phrase in the drag / ballroom world; but several countries complained it broke broadcasting guidelines, prompting a hasty re-write.
If the stunt was meant to generate headlines it worked, but now that Miriana has our attention, she's not letting go.
Her performance, featuring a giant disco ball pursed between two red lips, is gloriously OTT, and she has an enviable set of pipes. Too bad the song is riddled with Europop cliche.
Another contestant doubling his entendres is Australia's Go-Jo, who wants us to "take a sip" of milkshake from his "special cup". Interpret that how you want but I'd be wary of hitching a lift in his ice cream van, if I were you.
With a smattering of Electric Six's saucy disco funk, Milkshake Man is tasty enough to get Australia back in the finals after only achieving a semi last year.
Finally, we have Finland's Erika Vikman, whose song Ich Komme is billed as a "joyous message of pleasure, ecstasy and a state of trance".
Structured to mimic the pneumatic realities of lovemaking, it recalls iconic gay anthems such as Kylie's Your Disco Needs You and Donna Summer's Hot Stuff – and ends with Erika shooting into the sky astride a massive gold microphone that's definitely not a stand-in for a phallus.
Three songs inspired by cancer
France Télévisions / Sarah Louise Bennett
From left to right: Louane, Klemen and Kyle Alessandro
Little in life is more devastating than the phrase "I'm afraid it's cancer".
The disease will affect one in two of us and, although survival rates have dramatically improved, the impact can be devastating.
This year, three separate Eurovision contestants have been touched by cancer, inspiring songs of unmatched heartbreak and reflection.
French singer Louane captures it best. Her song Maman, is an intimate conversation with her mother, who died when she was just 17 years old.
Over three verses, Louane describes the "emptiness" she was felt; and how she filled the void with bad behaviour and meaningless love affairs. But, as the song progresses, she tells her mum she's settled down and found purpose... by becoming a mother herself.
She sings it beautifully, with a mixture of regret and strength. And when her daughter's voice appears in the final moments of the song, it would take a steely heart not to shed a tear.
Over in Norway, 19-year-old Kyle Alessandro shared a similar story, when his mother was diagnosed with cancer in autumn 2023. Thankfully, she's now in remission, but something she said during her treatment inspired his Eurovision entry: "Never lose your light."
Kyle took that phrase and turned it into a thumping pop song about surviving adversity. "Nothing can burn me now," he sings. "I'm my own Lighter."
Klemen Slakonja, meanwhile, is a comedian best known in Slovenia for his impressions of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - but his ballad, How Much Time Do We Have Left was written after his wife, actress Mojca Fatur, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.
As he sings, Klemen's dancers raise him into the air and hold him upside down, to represent the disorientation the family felt.
"When she read her diagnosis, our world turned upside down and I felt that rush of blood in my head, the same one I feel whenever I am upside down in the performance," he told Eurovision World.
Defying the odds, Mojca survived, and joins him on stage at Eurovision. It's a deeply intimate and moving moment.
The bops
Sarah Louise Bennett / Valero Rioja / Alma Bengtsson
Left to right: Red Sebastian, Melody and Væb
Listening to this year's line-up, it's like the contestants all heard Cascada's Evacuate the Dancefloor and went, "Nah, we're good, thanks".
There are club bangers everywhere, with Belgium's Red Sebastian (named after the crab in The Little Mermaid, bless him) submitting an entire song about the loved-up liberation of an all-night rave.
"Where no words are needed to feel the connection / Where clocks never tick and where love is the ending."
A favourite with fans, the 90s rave elements of Strobe Lights feel a little dated to me, but his meticulously-choreographed performance is a treat.
Denmark's Sissal takes a similar sound, with a throwback Euro-bop called Hallucination that effortlessly evokes two-time Eurovision winner Loreen.
Sissal said her biggest goal was for the audience to feel they couldn't sit down during the song. Mission accomplished.
Germany, meanwhile, have been hoping to reverse their 15-year losing streak with Baller, a super-catchy trance anthem that wouldn't sound out of place at Berlin superclub Berghain.
Performed by Austrian siblings Abor & Tynna, it's languishing in the middle of the field, after Tynna developed laryngitis, robbing the duo of the chance to impress fans at Eurovision's various pre-parties. But now that she's recovered, the song could rise up the rankings.
That's less likely for Væb, aka the Icelandic Jedward. Their energetic dance-rap song, Roá, is all about rowing from Iceland to the Faroe Islands, "because no matter what happens in life you just keep on rowing through the waves".
Sadly, it's not as deep as it sounds.
Spanish star Melody fares better with Esa Diva, a pumping house track with a sprinkling of flamenco guitar, that documents her journey to fame.
And Azerbaijan's Mamagama go all Maroon 5 on Run With U, a smooth pop song elevated by a twinkling riff on the saz – a long-necked plucked instrument similar to the lute.
Post-immigrant pop
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Shkodra Elektronike, Claude and Klavdia
OK, so I've stolen that description from Shkodra Elektronike.
They're an Albanian duo living in Italy, who fuse the ethnic music of their hometown, Shkodër, to a progressive electronic sound.
Their song Zjerm (Fire) imagines a time when cross-cultural understanding would lead to peace and harmony – a world without a need for soldiers and ambulances, and where "oil would smell like lilac" (no, me neither).
Greece's entry, Asteromáta, is also rooted in history and memory, as Klavdia describes the unbreakable bond that refugees share with their homeland.
"Even if they cross the seas / They shall never forget the sacred earth they called home," she sings, in a haunting ballad that blends traditional Greek and Pontic elements with soaring strings.
Taking a more upbeat approach is Dutch singer Claude. A refugee from the bloody civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to the Netherlands at the age of nine and fell in love with Eurovision while waiting in the refugee centre.
His song, C'est La Vie, is a tribute to his mum, who taught him to see the positive in their situation.
Fizzing with freedom and joy, it combines elements of chanson and French-Caribbean zouk, and looks set for a top 10 placing.
Witchcraft, sorcery and moody goth boys
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Theo Evan, Justyna Steczkowska and Marko Bošnjak
The success of "goth gremlin witch" Bambie Thug at last year's Eurovision has conjured a veritable coven of imitators in 2025.
Polish singer Justyna Steczkowska, representing her country for the second time, even includes a Slavic magic spell in her song, Gaja – summoning the spirit of the mother Earth to "cleanse" her of a toxic relationship.
It's a suitably intense performance, with Justyna singing long sustained notes and playing a furious violin solo, before being hoiked into the rafters on a pair ropes.
What a time to be alive.
Marko Bošnjak, meanwhile, is cooking up a Poison Cake to feed to his tormentors - chiefly the people who bombarded him with homophobic hate messages after he was selected to represent Croatia.
The criticism was so intense that he lost his voice and couldn't leave the house for five days.
His song is suitably melodramatic, replete with guttural synths and creepy playground chants. It's a little overbaked, but should still sail through to the finals.
Taking a more ethereal approach are Latvian group Tautumeitas, whose song Bur Man Laimi translates as "a chant for happiness".
Reminiscent of Bjork and Enya, its overlapping folk harmonies are based on traditional Latvian wedding songs, making it one of this year's most captivating entries. I fear it may be too subtle to score well, though.
Further mystery is provided by, Theo Evan, Cyprus's answer to Nick Jonas. The lyrics to his song, Shh, are a riddle, written by former tennis player Elke Tiel, whose "hidden truth will only be revealed on the Eurovision stage in May".
He opens his performance perched between two pieces of scaffolding in a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man sketch – so there's a clue.
Shh is one of a number of gothic pop songs, sung by brooding young men with interesting hair.
Among the best is Kiss Kiss Goodbye, by Czechia's Adonxs, who divebombs from an angelic falsetto to an unsettling baritone as he confronts his absent father.
Lithuanian band Katarsis are an interesting experiment, with a deliberately downbeat rock song that declares "the foundations of everything have begun to rot".
Titled Tavo Akys (your eyes), it builds to a compelling climax, but it's hard to see it being a vote-winner, unless Eurovision suddenly attracts an audience of depressed emo teens.
Rounding out the field are Armenian singer Parg, with the Imagine Dragons-inspired Survivor and Serbia's Princ, whose overwrought ballad is called Mila.
Both performers give it their all, but the songs don't feel strong enough to survive the semi-finals.
70s rock throwbacks
Getty Images / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Lucio Corsi, Napa and Ziferblat
Four years after Måneskin's victory, Eurovision's rock revival continues apace.
Italy are back at it again, thanks to Lucio Corsi – think David Bowie as Pierrot – and his glam rock ballad Volevo Essere Un Duro (I wanted to be tough).
A delicate anthem for people who feel they don't fit in, it recalls how Lucio was bullied as a kid, and how he's grown to embrace his fragility. At one point, he sings: "Instead of a star, [I'm] just a sneeze."
It's a timeless bit of songwriting that pulls off that crucial Eurovision trick of sounding new and familiar all at once.
Portuguese indie band Napa also have a 70s vibe, channelling Paul McCartney's Wings on the soft rock tear-jerker Deslocado (out of place).
It's another song about migration, written after the band were forced to relocate from Madeira to the Portuguese mainland due to the economic crisis.
"Even though we've been here for a few years we always have that desire to go back, and that anguish of saying goodbye to family," said singer Guilherme Gomes.
Last but not least are Ukraine's Ziferblat, who continue the country's astonishing run of high-quality entries in the midst of a war with Russia.
Their song, Bird Of Pray, is an unexpected mix of 70s new wave band Cars, birdsong and the guitar riff from Rachel Stevens' Sweet Dreams My LA Ex – while the lyrics are full of hope for a peaceful reunion with their loved ones.
It's better than that makes it sound.
The ballads
Shai Franco / Sarah Louise Bennett / Maurice Haas
From left to right: Yuval Raphael, Nina Žižić and Zoë Më
Where would Eurovision be without a raven-haired woman bellowing into a wind machine set to "hurricane"?
Israel has strong form in this category, and sets the bar again with New Day Will Rise, a melancholy piano ballad sung in a mixture of English, French and Hebrew.
It's hard not to interpret her lyrics as a response to those events – "everyone cries, don't cry alone". As a result, her participation hasn't received the same level of criticism as Eden Golan, who represented Israel last year.
That can't be said for Georgia's contestant, Mariam Shengelia, who has been booed during pre-Eurovision appearances for her alleged support of the country's authoritarian, pro-Russian, anti-LGBT ruling party, Georgian Dream.
Shengelia has denied the accusations, pointing out that her song – a stirring, quasi-militaristic ballad called Freedom – is about "freedom of choice, freedom to love, freedom to live as you want to live".
Montenegro's Nina Žižić tackles domestic abuse in Dobrodošli, a brooding and refined orchestral ballad.
The singer, who previously entered Eurovision in 2015 with the cyborg pop oddity Igranka, delivers her lyrics with passion and sincerity, but somehow the song never quite takes off.
Last but not least, we have defending champions Switzerland, represented by 24-year-old Zoë Më, who describes herself as a "little fairy".
Appropriately enough, her self-penned song, Voyage is delicate as a fairy's wings, fluttering with a soft-spoken plea to treat each other with kindness.
Automatically qualifying for the final, it's a welcome oasis of calm amidst the steamy sauna sessions, moody goth haircuts and thrusting innuendo.
But that's Eurovision for you. All human life is here. See you in Basel!
Kara Weipz learned from a news report her brother had died in the 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing
Richard Monetti was aged just 20 when he was flying home to New York from London for the Christmas holidays, after studying abroad as one of 35 students from Syracuse University.
But he and everyone else on the plane never made it home.
They lost their lives in the UK's worst terror atrocity, when a bomb in the hold of their flight, Pan Am 103, exploded above the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
It killed 270 people from 21 countries, including 11 people on the ground, and this devastating event has now been dramatised in an upcoming BBC drama series, The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
Kara Weipz still recalls how she and her family found out her brother Richard was among the dead - they heard it for the first time on a news report about the bombing.
As well as adding to their trauma, she says it also highlighted faults in the response system for victims' families.
"I think it was very important to make sure those lessons were learned - like families had to be notified before names could be released," she tells BBC News.
"We didn't have that luxury in 1988, when names were released before we were notified. So that's something that came out of it, and changed as a result."
As president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 group, a role she took on from her father Bob Monetti, she says it's crucial that relatives "know what rights they have", while stressing the group's role in "educating those who deal with victims".
Those lessons went on to improve how victims' families were treated in the aftermath of 9/11, when four planes flying over the eastern US were seized simultaneously by hijackers, killing 2,977 people.
Screenwriter Gillian Roger Park, who was born just a couple of days before the Lockerbie bombing and grew up not far from the Scottish town, is a co-writer on the series.
It dramatises the Scots-US investigation into the attack, the effect it had on victims' families and how it impacted Lockerbie's locals.
Reuters
Emergency service workers gathered next to the wreckage of Pan Am flight 103, in a farmer's field east of Lockerbie in 1988
Roger Park says the families "made history", by speaking out about flaws in the system.
"After their lobbying and campaigning, a lot of the protocols introduced in the aftermath of 9/11 were based on what they campaigned for," she says.
Airlines also benefited from their experiences.
"A lot of Pan Am 103 family members trained airlines on how to deal with victims," she adds.
Kathryn Turman, played in the series by Severance actress Merritt Wever, was head of the Office for Victims of Crime, for the US Department of Justice.
Turman arranged travel for family members plus secure closed-circuit viewing in the US, for the trial of two bombing suspects in the Netherlands, in 2000. The FBI notes this was unprecedented at the time.
Weipz adds: "We have victim services in the FBI, in the Department of Justice, in the US Attorney's office. Why? Well, because of Kathryn, but also because of the Pan Am 103 families."
Turman's character poignantly says in one of the episodes: "The families should have been protected and prioritised from the start... we can't make that mistake again."
BBC/World Productions
Characters like FBI agent Dick Marquise (Patrick J Adams) and Kathryn Turman (Merritt Wever), who helped victims' families, represent the work of many people
The drama also highlights that lobbying by UK and US-based family groups resulted in "key reforms, from strengthening travel warning systems and tighter baggage screening, to people-centred responses to major disasters".
For the series' lead writer Jonathan Lee, creating a factual drama 37 years later was also a way of exploring the human stories behind the horror.
A co-production with Netflix, the show shines a light on "the story of these small, but heroic acts of connective humanity, in the wake of this bomb that tried to blast things apart", he says.
For such a dark topic, it has some surprisingly uplifting moments.
We witness the strength of bonds forged between people, in the wake of the bombing.
"Collaboration between families, countries and law enforcement agencies gets us from the worst of humanity to the best of it", former lawyer Lee tells the BBC.
"We piece things together by working together."
BBC/World Productions
Peter Mullan [centre] plays Detective Chief Superintendent John Orr, who initially led the investigation
The series is something of a jigsaw - we see the police and FBI painstakingly process thousands of fragments of evidence, in the build-up to Abdulbaset Al Megrahi being convicted over the bombing in 2001.
The other pieces in the TV drama's puzzle focus on the lives of the people of Lockerbie and beyond, with volunteers stepping up to help traumatised families.
Weipz recalled one scene in the drama, where her father tries to reach a financial settlement for his son's death with the Pan Am insurance panel.
"That was one of the worst days of my life... hearing your brother really had no value because he was 20 years old, and was an assistant manager at a swim club and mowed lawns...
"Watching it, you see how horrifying it was."
BBC/World Productions
Moira Shearer (Phyllis Logan), constable Lauren Aitken (Molly Geddes) and Elma Pringle (Cora Bissett) helped with victims' belongings
We also see women from Lockerbie, who made endless cakes for the investigators, washed victims' clothes before they were returned to families and showed relatives the spot where their loved ones died.
"It was important to flesh out those emotional, human stories, to bring the Scottish stories to life," says Roger Park about the volunteers.
"They did such hard work and it wasn't their jobs, they were just locals who felt a moral obligation to help.
"Those women are just like my gran, I know those types of women, and I just think we rarely centre on those kinds of domestic stories.
"And what strong stuff you'd have to be made of to do what they did. I just love that they used the tools of their domestic lives to do such heroic work."
BBC/World Productions
Ella Ramsden, played by Estrid Barton, was one of the volunteers from Lockerbie who laundered victims' clothes
New York-based Michelle Lipkin, whose father Frank Ciulla was killed on the flight, speaks fondly about "the women who laundered the clothes", including Ella Ramsden and Moira Shearer.
"My mother was close to Ella and Moira, and we see Moira when we go to Scotland," she says.
"There's no words to describe the gratitude we have for them, because our loved ones were murdered.
"It's the most evil of evil, and so every piece of clothing they laundered, every meal they made for the searchers - that just brought back what is possible, and the human spirit and kindness."
Weipz also speaks about the "compassion" shown by the people of Lockerbie in the hours after the bombing.
"People slept outside with the bodies too. They didn't want them to be alone. It just overwhelms me at the times when I think about it," she says.
BBC/World Productions
The drama shows the investigation's impact on the family life of Det Sgt Ed McCusker (Connor Swindells) and June McCusker (Lauren Lyle)
Scottish actress Lauren Lyle plays June, the wife of Det Sgt Ed McCusker, one of the lead Scottish police officers.
She says although the investigation was a "male-heavy story because it was the 80s", she also thinks "the women just stepped right up", often behind the scenes.
Lyle spoke to the real-life Ed McCusker to research her role, and says: "About five years ago, June got cancer, and she knew she was going to die. And she said to Eddie, 'One thing I want you to do is make sure you tell this story'.
"She sounded like a really formidable woman who held the family together, and I think she represents the people of Lockerbie."
Weipz adds: "Maybe people watching this will take some of the compassion they see, and pay it forward - we need some more of that in the world these days."
Getty Images
A memorial stone in memory of victims of Pan-Am flight 103 stands in a garden of remembrance near Lockerbie
The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from 21.00 BST on Sunday 18 May, and will be on Netflix globally at a later date
Georgia and Cameron saved for nearly three years for their deposit
The Bank of England has cut interest rates for the second time this year - welcome news for first-time buyers after years of rising mortgage costs and spiralling house prices.
We've spoken to people on a range of incomes who have managed to make it on to the ladder or are on the brink of buying.
They shared with us the tactics they used to buy.
'We used a Lifetime ISA'
Cameron Smith and Georgia Pickford, both 27, each opened a Lifetime ISA (LISA) in order to buy a three-bedroom flat in Hertfordshire together for £320,000 last year.
The scheme allows 18 to 39-year-olds to save up to £4,000 a year, with a 25% government bonus, as long as it's used to buy a home under £450,000.
Cameron earns £40,000 and Georgia £37,000 and they each set up a direct debit to their respective LISA accounts.
"Every month, £200 came out of my paycheque – no excuses, no distractions," says Cameron.
In just under three years, the couple saved £27,740, including the government bonus from their LISAs. To reach the full deposit amount, they topped this up with an extra £4,260 from their personal savings.
But Cameron says the scheme hasn't kept pace with rising prices.
"The £450,000 cap was set back in 2017 - it hasn't moved. If your property is even £1 over that, you lose the bonus and get hit with a 25% penalty."
Brian Byrnes, head of personal finance at Moneybox, a digital savings and investment platform, still thinks the scheme is a great option for first-time buyers.
"The Lifetime ISA works fantastically well for the vast majority of customers. Less than 1% are impacted by the £450,000 cap," he says.
Abas Rai, 26, used a type of joint mortgage known as an "income booster mortgage" to buy his first home - a £207,000 two-bedroom house in Suffolk.
It's a product offered by some lenders that lets a family member's income be added to yours, even if they're not living in the property, to increase how much you can borrow.
Even with a £30,000 deposit and a £33,000 salary, Abas struggled to get the loan he needed. To boost his affordability, he added his father, who earns £24,000, to the mortgage.
By combining their incomes, the bank was able to offer a bigger loan, though it meant his dad would also be liable if he defaults.
"The bank added our incomes together and then multiplied it by 4.5 - that's how they worked out the affordability."
But involving a parent comes with some challenges.
"Because the person added on to the mortgage is also added on to the property, one of the risks was my dad's age - he's 55 and coming to retirement soon, so I won't be able to rely on his salary if I default on a payment."
Abas plans to re-mortgage and remove his dad once his income increases, but says the scheme was worth it.
"If you're not earning above, say £45,000, and you've got someone in the family, I would recommend you go for it."
After years of renting in Oxfordshire, Alex Bonfield, 34, has relocated to Manchester to buy her first home.
"My wife is a teacher and she had to find an entirely new job up here. She really loved her old school, but this was more important," she says. "It wasn't an easy decision. We don't know anyone here."
The couple were priced out of buying near family and friends in Oxfordshire, where average house prices are £479,000, compared with £251,000 in Manchester.
They began saving five years ago, and are now house-hunting in the £300,000-325,000 range with a deposit of £50,000.
"We're not at the very top of our affordability, but we are quite high up."
Oliver Jones, 27, lives in London and used a shared ownership scheme to buy his first home - a two-bedroom flat worth £500,000. He bought a 25% share with a £40,000 deposit and sub-lets to a long-time friend whom he used to rent with.
"We were tired of doing that dance every year with the landlord trying to hike up rent by stupid amounts," Oliver says. "Now we're saving around £1,000 a month compared to our old flat."
Shared ownership schemes let buyers purchase a portion of a property and pay rent on the rest. They're often more accessible but come with complexities, like service charges and limited resale flexibility.
Oliver's total monthly costs come to around £1,550, including £500 for the mortgage, £800 in rent on the 75% share he doesn't own, and a £250 service charge. While he and his lodger informally split costs, Oliver covers all the housing payments.
"My mortgage rate is 5.4%, but the rent on the unowned portion is only about 2% of the property value.
"It's cheaper to just own part of the property and pay rent than to buy the whole thing with a big mortgage."
'The Help to Buy ISA worked for me'
Daniel Price, 27, bought a three-bedroom home in the South Wales Valleys earlier this year, not far from where he grew up.
He started saving four and a half years ago using a Help to Buy ISA - a government scheme that topped up savings by 25%, up to a £3,000 maximum bonus. It has since been replaced by the Lifetime ISA scheme.
"Originally, my mum told me about it, so I just put a pound in to open the account," he says.
"I paid in £200 a month and eventually saved £11,000, which got me a £2,500 government bonus."
Daniel bought his house for £95,000, below the asking price of £110,000, due to some minor renovations the property needed.
"A lot of houses were out of my price range as a single person, so I started looking further afield."
"My dad found the house on Rightmove and showed me it. Everything was a bit outdated, but still liveable. It just needs a bit of work to modernise it."
When he first applied for a mortgage in October 2024, Daniel was earning £18,000 a year while doing a software development apprenticeship. By the time the sale went through in January this year, his salary had risen to £24,000.
"I started saving when I was working in a factory as a warehouse manager. I then took up a tech apprenticeship and have just finished it. That helped with my affordability."
'I bought a fixer-upper'
Camilla De Cesare, 32, is a strategy consultant. She managed to buy her first home in London alone, but says it took seven years of living with her parents and being open to buying a property that needed some work.
"My family helped me with the deposit, and I had a stable job, so I was starting from a fortunate position," she says.
Camilla saved and invested a total of £80,000 into the S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 leading companies listed on the US stock market. By steadily contributing over time and benefiting from market growth, her investment pot eventually grew to £150,000.
"I was really lucky that the S&P 500, was growing really well over the years that I was investing in it, so it provided me with a really healthy cushion."
She spent £50,000 on her deposit, and the remaining £100,000 will go towards renovations on the property over the coming years, like a new kitchen and bathroom.
She says saving for a deposit felt more manageable knowing she could tackle renovations gradually, as and when she could afford them.
"I think when you first get the keys you just want to do it all at once. But there's something satisfying about looking around and knowing you did some of it yourself."
Tom Francis, head of digital advice at financial advisers Octopus Money, says most people would benefit more from "slow, steady saving".
He encourages prospective buyers to break their spending into three buckets: essentials, desirables and indulgences.
"Think of your dream home as the destination - you can't get there if you don't know where you're starting."
Sarah Tucker, CEO of the financial advice firm The Mortgage Mum, urges younger people not to wait until they've saved for a deposit before seeking financial advice from mortgage brokers.
"There's nothing better than speaking to a professional, even if you're years away from buying."
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, starring Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, was partially filmed in Scotland
"Lights, camera… tariff?" - that's the question a scrambling movie industry has been asking this week after an unexpected intervention from US President Donald Trump.
His threat comes as studios increasingly shift productions abroad to places such as the UK.
The White House has since clarified that "no final decision" has been made and that they're "exploring all options" for revitalising the US film industry.
But Trump's suggestion alone has sent shockwaves through the industry - from Hollywood to Hertfordshire - so what might all of this mean in practice?
Getty Images
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, starring Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, was filmed at Pinewood Studios
In 2014, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot by Disney at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, and Hollywood has kept growing closer to the UK since.
Last year alone, the British Film Institute says 65% of UK production spend came from the five major US film studios and three US streaming giants - Netflix, Apple and Amazon. This amounted to £1.37bn ($1.71bn), a near 50% jump on 2023.
In Hollywood, by contrast, film and television production in Los Angeles has dropped by nearly 40% over the past decade.
The reason? Well largely,it's cheaper to make films in the UK. That's thanks to generous tax incentives such as the Film Tax Relief, which offers a 25% tax rebate - as well as lower labour costs and centralised national funding for film.
As British actor Brian Cox told Times Radio on Tuesday: "The reality is films go where they can afford."
For Universal's blockbuster Jurassic World: Dominion, these incentives delivered a reported £89.1m ($111.38m) in savings.
Getty Images
Universal made £89m in savings by shooting Jurassic World: Dominion in the UK (actress Laura Dern pictured at the film's premiere)
In the US, tax incentives operate on a state level - and Hollywood has relatively poor tax breaks - not only compared with the UK, which can offer 10% more, but other states such as New York and Georgia, too.
Fixing that is no easy task. Trump has appointed Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jon Voight, 86, as a special ambassador to Hollywood, and met with him a day before dropping his light-on-detail proposal.
But it's not exactly clear how tariffs would solve the internal tax problem in the US. A possible solution, raised by Voight, is a federal tax incentive to mirror the UK.
The Wrap's film reporter Jeremy Fuster tells the BBC it is "unlikely", in the current highly-charged climate, that Republicans would "support a federal tax incentive that can easily be portrayed as a handout to 'woke Hollywood'".
And what would the impact be on moviegoers if the levy goes ahead?
Fuster says costs, like any other tariffed good, would be passed onto audiences through ticket prices, premium on-demand increases or subscription rates.
How exactly this would take form is "something nobody knows".
It's not all about the money, because while a boost to US production could benefit parts of the industry, some projects will still need to shoot abroad. "Amazon isn't going to make the next James Bond entirely in America," Fuster notes.
Culture minister Sir Chris Bryant has said the UK government is in "active discussions with the top of the US administration" on the "very fluid" situation.
With all this in mind, do you know which films have been made in the UK in recent years? BBC News has looked at some below - and they might be closer to home than you think.
Barbie and Oz in Hertfordshire
Warner Bros
Barbie's pink paradise was a set built at Warner Bros studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire
Warner Bros Leavesden studio in Hertfordshire, best known for producing the Harry Potter films, has been used as the set for numerous Hollywood blockbusters including Barbie, Mickey 17, Venom: The Last Dance and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The nearby Sky Studios Elstree in Borehamwood was turned into the magical world of Oz in 2023 as it welcomed its first production, Wicked.
Thrillers in Glasgow
Getty Images
George Square in Glasgow was used to replicate Philadelphia in Brad Pitt's World War Z
Beyond Hertfordshire, cities such as Glasgow have long been used as a filming hub for Hollywood movies.
The opening scene of Brad Pitt's zombie thriller, World War Z, may look like Philadelphia, but the film was actually shot in George Square in the Scottish city.
In November, the city was transformed into a dystopian New York as Glen Powell was spotted filming for forthcoming thriller The Running Man.
Indiana Jones spans Glasgow and northern England
Lucasfilm
Glasgow city centre was transformed into 1960s New York for the latest Indiana Jones film
It's not just dystopian films that are shot in Glasgow - in 2021, star-spangled banners, bunting and vintage shop fronts decorated the streets of Glasgow city centre for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The latest Indiana Jones movie was also shot in Northern England with Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland being used in the opening scenes.
The castle doubled up for 1944 war-torn Nazi Germany.
Other scenes were shot along the North York Moors railway line in Grosmont, and the Leaderfoot Viaduct, over the River Tweed, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders.
The Batman in Liverpool
Getty Images
The Liver Building's clock tower doubled up as Gotham City Police Department
In 2022, The Batman used Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis and the Bridge of Sighs to create Gotham City, which is based on New York.
Speaking to the BBC in 2022 about the choice in filming location, director Matt Reeves said it was important to film in a location where there was "beautiful Gothic architecture".
"I wanted this to feel like a Gothic American city, but one that you'd never been to," he said. "So we went to Glasgow and honestly it was so beautiful."
The film's lead actor, Robert Pattinson, said: "It looks great as Gotham, who would've thought of all the cities in the world, Glasgow as Gotham?"
Central Saint Martins art school in London was also used as a building in Gotham City, as was some parts of Liverpool.
Keen-eyed fans will spot that Gotham City Police Department is actually the Liver Building's clock tower, although the giant Liver Bird was airbrushed out.
Liverpool's early 20th Century buildings has also made it a popular stand-in for New York's older skyscrapers. Liverpool was transformed into 1920s New York for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which sees Eddie Redmayne search the city for his escaped magical beasts.
Snow White in Wales
Netflix
Swansea University's bay campus became a busy city street where Forest Whitaker's character is waiting in gridlocked traffic
Disney's recent live-action Snow White movie was almost entirely filmed in the UK, with Pinewood Studios used for many indoor scenes and sets.
A quarry in the Lake District, a beach in Pembrokshire, Wales and a nature reserve in Burnham were all also used as shooting locations.
As well as Snow White, Netflix's new thriller Havoc, starring Tom Hardy and set in an unnamed US city, was filmed in Wales.
The film's Welsh director Gareth Evans, said it was "challenging" to recreate a US city in south Wales, but he wanted to bring more work to the area.
Swansea's Brangwyn Hall doubled up as the exterior of a fictional city police station while Cardiff's Bute Street was turned into a US boulevard with 30cm (12in) of fake snow for one of Havoc's night-time scenes.
Other blockbusters filmed in UK
Other recent Hollywood blockbusters that have seen the majority of their filming - known as principal photography - in the UK, include:
Former White House official Steve Bannon predicted friction between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump
Catholicism has rarely been more prominent in US politics as the Trump administration openly embraces advisers and officials who proudly say faith has shaped their politics.
But any jubilation on the American Make America Great Again right about the new Pope this week quickly dissipated as key voices from Donald Trump's Maga movement came to a disappointed conclusion: the first American Pope does not appear to be "America first".
Little is known about the political leanings of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago.
He has voiced concerns for the poor and immigrants, chosen a name that may reference more liberal church leadership, and he appears to have both supported the liberal-leaning Pope Francis and criticised the US president's policies on social media.
But the president so far has said only that Leo's election was a "great honour" for the US. Still, some of Trump's most prominent supporters were quick to attack Pope Leo, lambasting him as a possible challenge to Trump and on the perception that he will follow Pope Francis in areas like immigration.
"I mean it's kind of jaw-dropping," Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon told the BBC on Friday, speaking of Leo's election.
"It is shocking to me that a guy could be selected to be the Pope that had had the Twitter feed and the statements he's had against American senior politicians," said Bannon, a hard-right Trump loyalist, practising Catholic and former altar boy.
And he predicted that there's "definitely going to be friction" between Leo and Trump.
Watch: 'Exciting day to be a Chicago Catholic' - Chicagoans react to Pope Leo XIV
The Pope's brother, John Prevost, told The New York Times that he thinks his brother would voice his disagreements with the president.
"I know he's not happy with what's going on with immigration," he said. "I know that for a fact. How far he'll go with it is only one's guess, but he won't just sit back. I don't think he'll be the silent one."
Recent survey data shows that about 20% of Americans identify as Catholic, according to the non-partisan Pew Research Center.
About 53% identify with or lean towards the Republican Party, though there's plenty of nuance, too: America's two Catholic presidents, John F Kennedy and Joe Biden, were both Democrats. And nearly two-thirds of US Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances - a departure from the Church's current stance.
US Catholics also broadly supported Pope Francis: 78% of those surveyed in February viewed him favorably, including a majority of Catholic Republicans.
A number of Catholics in the new Pope's home city of Chicago on Thursday aired disappointment with President Trump and said they hoped Pope Leo XIV would follow the path of his predecessor.
"We hope he'll continue with Francis's agenda going forward," said Rick Stevens, a Catholic deacon from New Jersey who happened to be visiting Chicago when he heard the news.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which leads and coordinates US Catholic activities, celebrated Pope Leo's election and the message it sends.
"Certainly, we rejoice that a son of this nation has been chosen by the cardinals, but we recognise that he now belongs to all Catholics and to all people of good will," the conference said in a statement. "His words advocating peace, unity, and missionary activity already indicate a path forward."
Though Maga supporters represent a small subset of US Catholics, it's one with outsized access to conservative media and Trump's ear.
On Bannon's War Room podcast - known for its hard-right, pro-Trump bent - one guest after another heaped criticism on the new Pope.
"This guy has been massively embraced by the liberals and the progressives," said Ben Harnwell, a journalist who led Bannon's efforts to establish what he calls a "gladiator school" for the "Judeo-Christian West" outside of Rome.
"He is one of their own… he has [Pope] Francis's DNA in him," Harnwell said.
The new Pope's brother, Louis Prevost, says his sibling was always dedicated to the church
Jack Posobiec, another Maga commentator dialing in from Rome, was blunt: "This choice of the American cardinal was done as a response, as a message to President Trump."
The full picture of what led to Pope Leo's selection on Thursday is still emerging and church decisions don't map neatly onto US politics. Still, watchers around the world have pored over Pope Leo's social media profiles in search of clues about his leanings and beliefs.
An X account under his name, with tweets going as far back as 2015, shares links to criticism of Trump's approach to immigration and hints at other political views, such as stricter gun control.
In February, the account sharply rebuked the US vice-president by posting a link to an opinion piece titled "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others".
The account also posted a link to a letter from Pope Francis after he clashed with Vance over church doctrine and immigration. Vance – a Catholic convert – had given an interview in defence of the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Vance has routinely invoked his faith in defense of the administration, particularly immigration policies, which the White House has said put "America first".
"There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbour, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritise the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that," Vance told Fox News.
But US Democrats were not spared either on the account, which has more than a decade of posts. They appear to support Catholic employers who refuse to pay for contraceptives via employee health plans, and following the 2016 US presidential election, one post links to an article accusing Democrat Hillary Clinton of ignoring pro-life Catholic voters.
The BBC asked the Vatican to confirm the account was Leo's, but did not receive a response.
Vice-President Vance told conservative broadcaster Hugh Hewitt on Friday: "I try not to play the politicisation of the Pope game.
"I'm sure he's going to say a lot of things that I love. I'm sure he'll say some things that I disagree with, but I'll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all, and that'll be the way that I handle it."
The new Pope's LGBTQ views are also unclear, but some groups, including the conservative College of Cardinals, believe he may be less supportive than Pope Francis.
Matt Walsh, a commentator with the conservative Daily Wire, wrote: "There are some good signs and bad signs with this new Pope. I want to see what he actually does with his papacy before I pass any kind of judgment."
But some of the most dedicated Maga supporters already have made up their minds.
Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer who has Trump's ear, swaying the president on top personnel decisions, called the new Pope "anti-Trump, anti-Maga, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis".
Bannon, who had suggested Leo as a dark horse for the papacy, predicted tensions between the White House and Vatican - and said they could even tear apart American Catholics.
"Remember, President Trump was not shy about taking a shot at Pope Francis," he said.
"So if this Pope - which he will do - tries to come between President Trump and his implementation of the mass deportation programme, I would stand by."
Twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman are still being held in Gaza
Families of Israeli hostages taken to Gaza in the 7 October attacks have expressed their increasing concern about the fates of loved ones, as doubts grow about how many are still alive.
One family said the hostages were at risk "every day" they continued to be held captive by Hamas.
He was reacting to US President Donald Trump's statement on Tuesday that only 21 of those taken in the Hamas-led attacks were still alive.
The BBC spoke to two families - including the brother of a hostage released by Hamas this year - after Israel's security cabinet approved an expanded offensive in Gaza.
Netanyahu said ministers had decided on a "forceful operation" to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages, and that Gaza's 2.1 million population "will be moved, to protect it".
One family told the BBC they hoped the troops would only be used to help with the aim of freeing the hostages, not for any other reasons.
Liran Berman's twin brothers Gali and Ziv have been held by Hamas for 19 months after they were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October 2023.
About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas-led gunmen that day, while Gali and Ziv were among 251 others who were taken hostage.
More than 52,780 people have been killed in Gaza during the ensuing war, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel cut off all deliveries of aid and other supplies on 2 March and resumed its offensive two weeks later after it broke a two-month ceasefire that saw 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages released in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Following news of Israel's plan to expand its military operation in Gaza using thousands more troops unless Hamas agreed a new ceasefire and released the remaining hostages, Liran Berman told BBC News: "I hope that Israel is sending the forces to put pressure on Hamas to sit down.
"When Hamas was feeling threatened, they did the deals. I hope they are not sending the troops to conquer or for revenge."
Reuters
Liran Berman says he worries about his two brothers' mental condition
Mr Berman said his 27-year-old brothers were "at risk every single day".
"We know they are alive. The released hostages saw them."
He said he believed Gali and Ziv had been injured when they were seized but that he worried their mental condition was "not good" after so long in captivity.
With the release of emaciated and frail hostages in February, Mr Berman said he was worried about his brothers' conditions.
"We need to pressure Hamas and its enablers."
Reuters
Or Levy was painfully thin when he was released
For 491 days, Or Levy was held by Hamas not knowing whether his wife Einav had survived the 7 October attack on the Nova music festival where he was taken.
She didn't and for more than a year his three-year-old son Almog was without both his parents. In February, Or, weak and painfully thin, was released by Hamas.
His brother, Michael Levy, told BBC News he was worried about the impact on the hostages if Israel sent more troops into Gaza.
"I'm concerned it will affect the hostages, that the terrorists can decide to do something to them," he said. "I do believe the army knows what it's doing and they will make sure the hostages aren't affected, but it's always a concern."
But he said he wanted more pressure applied to get them released.
"There is a crime against humanity and everyone including President Trump needs to do more in order to bring them back."
He said his brother did not receive enough food while he was held hostage in Hamas's underground tunnels in Gaza and "didn't see sunlight". He said he showered "every two months or so".
"My brother worries about the fact the rest of the hostages will end up dying in captivity because that was his worst fear about himself and it's now his worst fear about those he left behind."
Of the 251 people taken hostage on 7 October - and the four other captives held by Hamas for around a decade before the attacks - 59 now remain in Gaza.
The Israeli government has publicly confirmed the deaths of 35, leaving 24 hostages. There is now uncertainty about the fate of three of them.
All 59 were kidnapped in the 7 October attack apart from one - the soldier Hadar Goldin who was killed in combat in Gaza during a previous war in 2014.
The living hostages are men in their 20s or 30s, apart from Omri Miran who turned 48 in April.
Of the 35 whose bodies Israel has confirmed are being held in Gaza, nearly all are men who were between 19 and 86 years old when they died. Three are women.
'One pita bread per day'
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Gunmen handed Tal Shoham to the Red Cross in February
Since the spate of releases earlier this year, former hostages have been speaking to the media and others about their time in captivity.
Tal Shoham, 49, released in February after 505 days, told a UN event last month: "There were many times that we received just one pita bread for an entire day… Traumatised by hunger, we collected crumb after crumb."
Reuters
Eliya Cohen was released in February after 505 days
Eliya Cohen, 28, who was also held for 505 days, told Israel's Channel 12 that once a week Hamas gunmen would make him and other hostages take off all their clothes and would tell them: "You you're not quite there, you're not thin enough... I'm thinking about cutting the food even more."
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Ilana Gritzewsky's partner Matan remains a hostage
Ilana Gritzewsky was released during another ceasefire in November 2023. Her partner Matan Zangauker is still a hostage.
The 31-year-old told the New York Times in March that as she was kidnapped from her home she was molested by one of the kidnappers.
The article says she believes she was also sexually assaulted in Gaza. "When she came to, she said, she found herself on the floor in a dilapidated building, clearly in Gaza, her shirt up baring her breasts and pants pulled down, with seven gunmen standing over her."
Ron Krivoi, a sound engineer, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival.
Last month, The Times of Israel quoted a Channel 12 interview in which he described the tunnels.
"We were inside a very, very small cage… and we had to lie down and rest in it – you couldn't stand. No height, no toilets, no food. We were five people."
Not long after greeting crowds from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square on Thursday evening, Pope Leo XIV returned to the Sant'Uffizio Palace, where he had been living for the last two months.
He was met by a jubilant group of staff and former colleagues, all eager to shake his hand and congratulate him.
A young girl handed him a Bible to bless and sign. "Of course, though I have to try out my new signature," Pope Leo said with a smile. "The old one is of no use anymore."
He had only stopped being Robert Francis Prevost a few hours before, when he was elected pope. As he took on the name Leo XIV, a new life began for the 69-year-old Chicago-born cardinal.
But details on how Pope Leo will be looking to run the Catholic Church are still scarce, and so over the next few days and weeks every small clue – from his attire to his choice of accommodation – will be examined.
Scrutiny began as soon as he stepped on to the balcony, giving the crowd a glimpse of the vestments he chose for his first appearance.
The gold cross around his neck that caught the evening light was seen as a first sign he was departing from the simplicity of his predecessor's simple silver pendant; the embroidered stole and red mozzetta cemented that impression.
From white smoke to a balcony speech, watch the moments that introduced Pope Leo XIV as the new pontiff
Then, the fact that the homily he delivered to cardinals in the Sistine Chapel on Friday morning was scripted – rather than improvised – also sent a signal that "Leo will be more closely aligned to tradition than Francis was," said Austen Ivereigh, a Catholic writer and commentator.
But several events over the next few days and weeks will give Pope Leo a further chance to sketch out the priorities of his pontificate.
On Monday he is due to hold an audience with the media and on 18 May he will celebrate a solemn inaugural mass in St Peter's Square.
As part of that mass he will deliver a homily in the presence of numerous heads of state and dignitaries.
In his 2013 inaugural homily, Pope Francis asked "all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life" to be "protectors of creation, of God's plan… of one another and of the environment".
So that moment might also provide clues about the matters dearest to Pope Leo's heart.
The new Pope's choice of accommodation too will be significant.
Francis made the choice of choosing to live in the simple Casa Santa Marta guesthouse, which was seen as revolutionary, but Leo may well decide to follow in the footsteps of virtually all his predecessors and reside in the grand Apostolic Palace.
"He was elected less than a day ago; let's give him time to decide," Vatican sources quoted by Italian media said.
"These are all important choices," Ivereigh added.
"Over the next few days we'll be learning more and more about it – the first week of the pontificate is a constant revelation."
Getty Images
Cardinal Prevost shares a quiet moment with Pope Francis (R) in February 2025
Meanwhile, in the absence of details about his future as Leo XIV, fragments of the Pope's old life as Robert Prevost are emerging from around the world.
In one photo, he is presented with a large handmade birthday card written in Spanish and surrounded by cakes and balloons.
A video recorded when he left Peru for Rome, in which he says he would miss the "joy" of Peru and staples of local cuisine like ceviche, has been met with triumph by South American social media users.
"The pope is Peruvian; God loves Peru," Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said.
American tourists ambling in St Peter's Square on the day after the election were more restrained, and a bit frazzled by the news that the new Pope is from the US.
"I'm still surprised they chose an American, to be honest," said Chicagoan Kerry, who is in Rome on her honeymoon.
She admitted she didn't yet know much about the new Pope but was pleased by rumours that he is a fan of the White Sox baseball team.
Asked how she thought Pope Leo felt today, she laughed: "He must be really overwhelmed; I bet he didn't sleep a wink!"
Her husband Joseph agreed: "When you're elected Pope you come here as a cardinal for the conclave but then things never go back to the way they were," he said.
But he felt like the new Pope seemed to be "a man of confidence, prayer and humility".
"I just pray that he shows the world what being a man of God can do."
The newly-weds posed for a picture with the day's newspapers, then wandered off into St Peter's Square, resplendent in the spring sunshine.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers had been best friends for several years
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were best mates when they illegally felled the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree together. How did they end up turning on each other?
It is hard to imagine they were once friends.
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers used to phone each other every day and met up several times a week but, as they stood in the dock at Newcastle Crown Court, waiting for the verdicts to be returned, they looked like complete strangers.
The prosecution called them "the odd couple" who did everything together.
They became friends about four years ago.
Carruthers was a mechanic and did Graham "a good turn" by fixing his dad's Land Rover, making a special job of it so it could be used for Graham's father's funeral.
Graham was a ground worker and he enlisted the man he called his "best pal" to help him on jobs, with tasks including the felling of trees for which they split the cash 50/50.
Northumbria Police
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers fell out spectacularly in the aftermath of the felling
Then one night, during Storm Agnes in 2023, the friends went to Sycamore Gap.
Under the cover of darkness, they trekked across marshland in winds of up to 60mph and used their experience to mark the trunk, cut a wedge out of it so they knew which direction it would fall and then cut it down with a chainsaw.
They filmed it and watched the sycamore crashing to the ground.
What they didn't realise is that the phone and vehicle they used would be tracked and the conversations they had would be discovered.
As the police questioning began, their stories unravelled and so did their friendship.
Graham's phone was used to film the felling.
Road and CCTV cameras captured his Range Rover going to and from Steel Rigg, the nearest public car park to the tree.
He told the court his car and phone were used by other people, including Adam Carruthers "who didn't need to ask".
Watch the moment Sycamore Gap was felled
Prosecutor Richard Wright was incredulous at his claims, telling jurors: "According to Graham he didn't go out all night and Carruthers took his car and phone while he slept in blissful ignorance, and his large dog let out not so much as a growl."
It wasn't the only story that was mocked in court.
Carruthers' phone had been traced to Northumberland the day the tree was felled.
It was suggested to him he was scoping the area out.
He told the court he was taking his partner out on a three-hour round trip for a meal at the Metrocentre in Gateshead after she'd recently given birth, but their baby started crying so they turned the car around at a spot that just happened to be near the tree.
Christopher Knox, Graham's barrister, said: "You're telling the jury in spite of the fact she wasn't well enough to lift a baby, you were going 65 miles with [your partner] and a new-born?"
Mr Wright asked Carruthers why they didn't just go for dinner in Carlisle, a short drive from their home.
Carruthers agreed there were restaurants in the Cumbrian city but they were "not the best".
He claimed he was at home all night, fixing the roof of his shed and washing some clothes.
PA Media
The tree had stood for more than 100 years
Since that night, the court heard the pair had fallen out spectacularly.
Carruthers' barrister Andrew Gurney said Graham named his former friend as the culprit because he needed a scapegoat.
"Having found himself in the dock, [Graham's] reached desperately for a lifeline," Mr Gurney said, adding: "He tried to throw Adam Carruthers under the bus to save his own skin."
Graham initially told police he knew who had cut down the tree but would not "grass" as the culprit had young children, a not so subtle nod towards his friend.
When he felt police were still paying too much attention to him and not enough to Carruthers, he showed officers a picture of his friend holding some owls while standing next to a box of chainsaws.
CPS
Graham hoped to incriminate Carruthers further by showing police pictures of him...
CPS
...standing next to a box of chainsaws
In August 2024, some 11 months after the felling, he made an anonymous call to police to name Carruthers outright.
Officers recognised Graham's voice immediately and he was forced to admit to jurors he had indeed made the call.
Both men said the friendship ended abruptly one night in the aftermath of the felling and their arrests.
Graham drove to Carruthers' home and said they each had to go their own way, and that was that.
Fiona Trott reported from Newcastle Crown Court throughout the trial
Mr Knox said his client had been accused of being "stroppy" while giving evidence in court, engaging in heated clashes with Mr Wright.
"Does that make him the Sycamore Gap tree murderer?" he asked the jury , or "does it mean exactly what he said in his police interviews - he's been dropped in this?"
Jurors clearly thought the former.
Emotions were running high right to the very end of the trial when the judge told them both to expect a significant period of time in custody.
As Graham was led away from the dock, he had an angry exchange with a member of the public.
We still don't know which of the pair cut down the tree and which filmed it.
The prosecution said it didn't matter, that they were "in it together, from first to last".
They might have fallen out but they were side by side again in court, united by the two things they will forever share - guilt at destroying a globally-beloved landmark and too much cowardice to admit it.
Lord Mandelson has hailed this week's UK-US trade deal a "platform for going further and opening up more trade opportunities", in his first interview taking up his role as the UK's ambassador to the US.
The deal has reduced or removed tariffs that were recently impposed by US President Donald Trump on some of his nation's imports from the UK, including cars, steel and aluminium.
Former New Labour cabinet member Lord Mandelson has played a crucial role in negotiations between the two nations since he started his job in February.
Speaking to BBC Two's Newsnight he said he was "looking forward" to further agreements to bring "down further tariffs".
On Donald Trump's self-declared Liberation Day in early April he announced that the UK would be subject to 10% tariffs on the all the goods it exports to the US. More stringent measures were later applied to cars, steel and aluminium.
But on Thursday, the US agreed to allow some steel and aluminium into the country tariff-free, and reduced the levies on a set number of British cars.
Since then, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmerhas said there are "ongoing discussions" with the US over the UK's own Digital Services Tax (DST) - a 2% levy that raises about £800m a year mainly from US tech companies.
Lord Mandelson said it was discussed during the latest round of negotiations between the two nations but he said "abolishing" the DST had not been part of the trade deal.
"If the Americans want to come back and discuss the digital services tax, it's up to them," he said.
"What they suggested wasn't acceptable to us, so it's not in the deal," he explained.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Thursday that President Trump's administration was still pressing the UK to lift the tax, referring to it as a "bad virus".
He told reporters at the White House: "We're still in negotiations...that's a very big deal to President Trump."
When asked by Newsnight's Matt Chorley about his observations on the relationship between Starmer and Trump, the ambassador said that while they were "not cut from the same cloth... they do both stand up for and defend their national interests".
He continued: "And where they see those interests converging or whether they've got to be made to work well, they set their minds to achieving that, and they do it very well.
"They do it by talking well to each other, very straightforwardly. They have trust in one another."
Lod Mandelson explained that this makes Starmer the a prime minister "who's going to stand up for Britain internationally, who's going properly to explain and defend our national interest... [and] maintain good relationships" with close allies.
He said that following the UK-US deal, he had received "a lot of messages from fellow ambassadors here in Washington saying, 'congratulations, wish we were in the same position, how did you do it?'"
He added: "So that's something, that's a feather in our caps and something you and others, if I might suggest, should celebrate."
On his own relationship with the US president, Lord Mandelson said when he first walked into the Oval Office, Trump said "God, you're a good looking fellow, aren't you?".
The ambassador described Trump as a "people person" who takes people at "face value", explaining that the president judged him on his merits.
Georgia and Cameron saved for nearly three years for their deposit
The Bank of England has cut interest rates for the second time this year - welcome news for first-time buyers after years of rising mortgage costs and spiralling house prices.
We've spoken to people on a range of incomes who have managed to make it on to the ladder or are on the brink of buying.
They shared with us the tactics they used to buy.
'We used a Lifetime ISA'
Cameron Smith and Georgia Pickford, both 27, each opened a Lifetime ISA (LISA) in order to buy a three-bedroom flat in Hertfordshire together for £320,000 last year.
The scheme allows 18 to 39-year-olds to save up to £4,000 a year, with a 25% government bonus, as long as it's used to buy a home under £450,000.
Cameron earns £40,000 and Georgia £37,000 and they each set up a direct debit to their respective LISA accounts.
"Every month, £200 came out of my paycheque – no excuses, no distractions," says Cameron.
In just under three years, the couple saved £27,740, including the government bonus from their LISAs. To reach the full deposit amount, they topped this up with an extra £4,260 from their personal savings.
But Cameron says the scheme hasn't kept pace with rising prices.
"The £450,000 cap was set back in 2017 - it hasn't moved. If your property is even £1 over that, you lose the bonus and get hit with a 25% penalty."
Brian Byrnes, head of personal finance at Moneybox, a digital savings and investment platform, still thinks the scheme is a great option for first-time buyers.
"The Lifetime ISA works fantastically well for the vast majority of customers. Less than 1% are impacted by the £450,000 cap," he says.
Abas Rai, 26, used a type of joint mortgage known as an "income booster mortgage" to buy his first home - a £207,000 two-bedroom house in Suffolk.
It's a product offered by some lenders that lets a family member's income be added to yours, even if they're not living in the property, to increase how much you can borrow.
Even with a £30,000 deposit and a £33,000 salary, Abas struggled to get the loan he needed. To boost his affordability, he added his father, who earns £24,000, to the mortgage.
By combining their incomes, the bank was able to offer a bigger loan, though it meant his dad would also be liable if he defaults.
"The bank added our incomes together and then multiplied it by 4.5 - that's how they worked out the affordability."
But involving a parent comes with some challenges.
"Because the person added on to the mortgage is also added on to the property, one of the risks was my dad's age - he's 55 and coming to retirement soon, so I won't be able to rely on his salary if I default on a payment."
Abas plans to re-mortgage and remove his dad once his income increases, but says the scheme was worth it.
"If you're not earning above, say £45,000, and you've got someone in the family, I would recommend you go for it."
After years of renting in Oxfordshire, Alex Bonfield, 34, has relocated to Manchester to buy her first home.
"My wife is a teacher and she had to find an entirely new job up here. She really loved her old school, but this was more important," she says. "It wasn't an easy decision. We don't know anyone here."
The couple were priced out of buying near family and friends in Oxfordshire, where average house prices are £479,000, compared with £251,000 in Manchester.
They began saving five years ago, and are now house-hunting in the £300,000-325,000 range with a deposit of £50,000.
"We're not at the very top of our affordability, but we are quite high up."
Oliver Jones, 27, lives in London and used a shared ownership scheme to buy his first home - a two-bedroom flat worth £500,000. He bought a 25% share with a £40,000 deposit and sub-lets to a long-time friend whom he used to rent with.
"We were tired of doing that dance every year with the landlord trying to hike up rent by stupid amounts," Oliver says. "Now we're saving around £1,000 a month compared to our old flat."
Shared ownership schemes let buyers purchase a portion of a property and pay rent on the rest. They're often more accessible but come with complexities, like service charges and limited resale flexibility.
Oliver's total monthly costs come to around £1,550, including £500 for the mortgage, £800 in rent on the 75% share he doesn't own, and a £250 service charge. While he and his lodger informally split costs, Oliver covers all the housing payments.
"My mortgage rate is 5.4%, but the rent on the unowned portion is only about 2% of the property value.
"It's cheaper to just own part of the property and pay rent than to buy the whole thing with a big mortgage."
'The Help to Buy ISA worked for me'
Daniel Price, 27, bought a three-bedroom home in the South Wales Valleys earlier this year, not far from where he grew up.
He started saving four and a half years ago using a Help to Buy ISA - a government scheme that topped up savings by 25%, up to a £3,000 maximum bonus. It has since been replaced by the Lifetime ISA scheme.
"Originally, my mum told me about it, so I just put a pound in to open the account," he says.
"I paid in £200 a month and eventually saved £11,000, which got me a £2,500 government bonus."
Daniel bought his house for £95,000, below the asking price of £110,000, due to some minor renovations the property needed.
"A lot of houses were out of my price range as a single person, so I started looking further afield."
"My dad found the house on Rightmove and showed me it. Everything was a bit outdated, but still liveable. It just needs a bit of work to modernise it."
When he first applied for a mortgage in October 2024, Daniel was earning £18,000 a year while doing a software development apprenticeship. By the time the sale went through in January this year, his salary had risen to £24,000.
"I started saving when I was working in a factory as a warehouse manager. I then took up a tech apprenticeship and have just finished it. That helped with my affordability."
'I bought a fixer-upper'
Camilla De Cesare, 32, is a strategy consultant. She managed to buy her first home in London alone, but says it took seven years of living with her parents and being open to buying a property that needed some work.
"My family helped me with the deposit, and I had a stable job, so I was starting from a fortunate position," she says.
Camilla saved and invested a total of £80,000 into the S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 leading companies listed on the US stock market. By steadily contributing over time and benefiting from market growth, her investment pot eventually grew to £150,000.
"I was really lucky that the S&P 500, was growing really well over the years that I was investing in it, so it provided me with a really healthy cushion."
She spent £50,000 on her deposit, and the remaining £100,000 will go towards renovations on the property over the coming years, like a new kitchen and bathroom.
She says saving for a deposit felt more manageable knowing she could tackle renovations gradually, as and when she could afford them.
"I think when you first get the keys you just want to do it all at once. But there's something satisfying about looking around and knowing you did some of it yourself."
Tom Francis, head of digital advice at financial advisers Octopus Money, says most people would benefit more from "slow, steady saving".
He encourages prospective buyers to break their spending into three buckets: essentials, desirables and indulgences.
"Think of your dream home as the destination - you can't get there if you don't know where you're starting."
Sarah Tucker, CEO of the financial advice firm The Mortgage Mum, urges younger people not to wait until they've saved for a deposit before seeking financial advice from mortgage brokers.
"There's nothing better than speaking to a professional, even if you're years away from buying."
Australia's Go-Jo is one of 37 artists hoping to lift the Eurovision trophy in Basel, Switzerland
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest pops its cork on Sunday, with a "turquoise carpet" parade featuring competitors from all 37 nations.
But the competition really begins on Tuesday, when the first semi-final will see five countries unceremoniously kicked out.
Another six will lose their place at the second semi-final on Thursday, before the Grand Final takes place in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday, 17 May.
This year's entrants include two returning contestants, one professional opera singer, a thinly veiled allusion to sexual emissions and a dance anthem about a dead space dog.
It's a lot to take in.
To help you prepare, here's a guide to all 37 songs in the contest, which I've sorted into rough musical categories, mainly for my own sanity (it didn't work).
Left-field pop bangers
Pavla Hartmanova / BBC / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: JJ, Remember Monday and KAJ
Win or lose, UK contestants Remember Monday have given headline writers a gift with the title of their entry: What The Hell Just Happened?
A souped-up, full throttle pop anthem, it cherry-picks the best bits of Queen, Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Beatles, presumably to remind voters of Britain's rich musical heritage.
With eight tempo changes, it could prove tricky for voters to grasp, but the band's stellar harmonies and sparkling personalities should carry them through.
Crucially, the song avoids the Eurovision cliches of jackhammer dance anthems and windswept balladry – something Remember Monday have in common with this year's favourites.
Sweating it out at the top are Swedish representatives KAJ, whose song Bara Bada Bastu is an ode to the restorative powers of the sauna, complete with dancers in skimpy towels.
Where the original was about a "fashion doll" operated by songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Thorn's response is all about taking control.
"If you think a man like you can manipulate me, go back to your mum," she scolds. Yeouch.
Other countries sucking up to Italy
ERR / Sarah Louise Bennett
Tommy Cash and Gabry Ponte will represent Estonia and San Marino with tributes to Italian culture
Rome must be blushing. This year features not one, but two, songs about the vibrant culture of Il Bel Paese.
The first comes, not surprisingly, from San Marino – the independent microstate that nestles inside north-central Italy.
Titled Tutta L'Italia, it celebrates everything from the county's football team and its vineyards, to the Mona Lisa (under her Italian name Gioconda).
Written by Gabry Ponte – one of the brains behind Eiffel 65's Blue (Da Ba Dee) – it's a slight, but fun, mixture of dance beats, traditional accordion playing and the folk dances of Calabria.
The staging could be its downfall, though, with Gabry marooned behind his DJ decks while the singers, who for some reason wish to remain anonymous, obscure their faces with masks.
More memorable, but definitely more unhinged, is Estonia's Espresso Macchiato.
Performed by Tommy Cash (the only Eurovision contestant to have appeared on a Charli XCX record) it's an affectionate-ish caricature of Italian stereotypes, featuring the indelible lyric: "Life is like spaghetti, it's hard until you make it".
Smut!
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Go-Jo, Erika Vikman and Miriana Conte
I'm trying to give up sexual innuendo, but Eurovision is making it har... difficult.
A trio of artists are trying to sneak smut past the censors, led by Malta's Miriana Conte, with a throbbing club track called Serving.
In its original form, the song's chorus revolved around the phrase "serving kant" – the word kant being Maltese for "singing" and a homophone for an English term that definitely doesn't mean singing.
It's a reference to a well-known phrase in the drag / ballroom world; but several countries complained it broke broadcasting guidelines, prompting a hasty re-write.
If the stunt was meant to generate headlines it worked, but now that Miriana has our attention, she's not letting go.
Her performance, featuring a giant disco ball pursed between two red lips, is gloriously OTT, and she has an enviable set of pipes. Too bad the song is riddled with Europop cliche.
Another contestant doubling his entendres is Australia's Go-Jo, who wants us to "take a sip" of milkshake from his "special cup". Interpret that how you want but I'd be wary of hitching a lift in his ice cream van, if I were you.
With a smattering of Electric Six's saucy disco funk, Milkshake Man is tasty enough to get Australia back in the finals after only achieving a semi last year.
Finally, we have Finland's Erika Vikman, whose song Ich Komme is billed as a "joyous message of pleasure, ecstasy and a state of trance".
Structured to mimic the pneumatic realities of lovemaking, it recalls iconic gay anthems such as Kylie's Your Disco Needs You and Donna Summer's Hot Stuff – and ends with Erika shooting into the sky astride a massive gold microphone that's definitely not a stand-in for a phallus.
Three songs inspired by cancer
France Télévisions / Sarah Louise Bennett
From left to right: Louane, Klemen and Kyle Alessandro
Little in life is more devastating than the phrase "I'm afraid it's cancer".
The disease will affect one in two of us and, although survival rates have dramatically improved, the impact can be devastating.
This year, three separate Eurovision contestants have been touched by cancer, inspiring songs of unmatched heartbreak and reflection.
French singer Louane captures it best. Her song Maman, is an intimate conversation with her mother, who died when she was just 17 years old.
Over three verses, Louane describes the "emptiness" she was felt; and how she filled the void with bad behaviour and meaningless love affairs. But, as the song progresses, she tells her mum she's settled down and found purpose... by becoming a mother herself.
She sings it beautifully, with a mixture of regret and strength. And when her daughter's voice appears in the final moments of the song, it would take a steely heart not to shed a tear.
Over in Norway, 19-year-old Kyle Alessandro shared a similar story, when his mother was diagnosed with cancer in autumn 2023. Thankfully, she's now in remission, but something she said during her treatment inspired his Eurovision entry: "Never lose your light."
Kyle took that phrase and turned it into a thumping pop song about surviving adversity. "Nothing can burn me now," he sings. "I'm my own Lighter."
Klemen Slakonja, meanwhile, is a comedian best known in Slovenia for his impressions of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - but his ballad, How Much Time Do We Have Left was written after his wife, actress Mojca Fatur, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.
As he sings, Klemen's dancers raise him into the air and hold him upside down, to represent the disorientation the family felt.
"When she read her diagnosis, our world turned upside down and I felt that rush of blood in my head, the same one I feel whenever I am upside down in the performance," he told Eurovision World.
Defying the odds, Mojca survived, and joins him on stage at Eurovision. It's a deeply intimate and moving moment.
The bops
Sarah Louise Bennett / Valero Rioja / Alma Bengtsson
Left to right: Red Sebastian, Melody and Væb
Listening to this year's line-up, it's like the contestants all heard Cascada's Evacuate the Dancefloor and went, "Nah, we're good, thanks".
There are club bangers everywhere, with Belgium's Red Sebastian (named after the crab in The Little Mermaid, bless him) submitting an entire song about the loved-up liberation of an all-night rave.
"Where no words are needed to feel the connection / Where clocks never tick and where love is the ending."
A favourite with fans, the 90s rave elements of Strobe Lights feel a little dated to me, but his meticulously-choreographed performance is a treat.
Denmark's Sissal takes a similar sound, with a throwback Euro-bop called Hallucination that effortlessly evokes two-time Eurovision winner Loreen.
Sissal said her biggest goal was for the audience to feel they couldn't sit down during the song. Mission accomplished.
Germany, meanwhile, have been hoping to reverse their 15-year losing streak with Baller, a super-catchy trance anthem that wouldn't sound out of place at Berlin superclub Berghain.
Performed by Austrian siblings Abor & Tynna, it's languishing in the middle of the field, after Tynna developed laryngitis, robbing the duo of the chance to impress fans at Eurovision's various pre-parties. But now that she's recovered, the song could rise up the rankings.
That's less likely for Væb, aka the Icelandic Jedward. Their energetic dance-rap song, Roá, is all about rowing from Iceland to the Faroe Islands, "because no matter what happens in life you just keep on rowing through the waves".
Sadly, it's not as deep as it sounds.
Spanish star Melody fares better with Esa Diva, a pumping house track with a sprinkling of flamenco guitar, that documents her journey to fame.
And Azerbaijan's Mamagama go all Maroon 5 on Run With U, a smooth pop song elevated by a twinkling riff on the saz – a long-necked plucked instrument similar to the lute.
Post-immigrant pop
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Shkodra Elektronike, Claude and Klavdia
OK, so I've stolen that description from Shkodra Elektronike.
They're an Albanian duo living in Italy, who fuse the ethnic music of their hometown, Shkodër, to a progressive electronic sound.
Their song Zjerm (Fire) imagines a time when cross-cultural understanding would lead to peace and harmony – a world without a need for soldiers and ambulances, and where "oil would smell like lilac" (no, me neither).
Greece's entry, Asteromáta, is also rooted in history and memory, as Klavdia describes the unbreakable bond that refugees share with their homeland.
"Even if they cross the seas / They shall never forget the sacred earth they called home," she sings, in a haunting ballad that blends traditional Greek and Pontic elements with soaring strings.
Taking a more upbeat approach is Dutch singer Claude. A refugee from the bloody civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to the Netherlands at the age of nine and fell in love with Eurovision while waiting in the refugee centre.
His song, C'est La Vie, is a tribute to his mum, who taught him to see the positive in their situation.
Fizzing with freedom and joy, it combines elements of chanson and French-Caribbean zouk, and looks set for a top 10 placing.
Witchcraft, sorcery and moody goth boys
Sarah Louise Bennett / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Theo Evan, Justyna Steczkowska and Marko Bošnjak
The success of "goth gremlin witch" Bambie Thug at last year's Eurovision has conjured a veritable coven of imitators in 2025.
Polish singer Justyna Steczkowska, representing her country for the second time, even includes a Slavic magic spell in her song, Gaja – summoning the spirit of the mother Earth to "cleanse" her of a toxic relationship.
It's a suitably intense performance, with Justyna singing long sustained notes and playing a furious violin solo, before being hoiked into the rafters on a pair ropes.
What a time to be alive.
Marko Bošnjak, meanwhile, is cooking up a Poison Cake to feed to his tormentors - chiefly the people who bombarded him with homophobic hate messages after he was selected to represent Croatia.
The criticism was so intense that he lost his voice and couldn't leave the house for five days.
His song is suitably melodramatic, replete with guttural synths and creepy playground chants. It's a little overbaked, but should still sail through to the finals.
Taking a more ethereal approach are Latvian group Tautumeitas, whose song Bur Man Laimi translates as "a chant for happiness".
Reminiscent of Bjork and Enya, its overlapping folk harmonies are based on traditional Latvian wedding songs, making it one of this year's most captivating entries. I fear it may be too subtle to score well, though.
Further mystery is provided by, Theo Evan, Cyprus's answer to Nick Jonas. The lyrics to his song, Shh, are a riddle, written by former tennis player Elke Tiel, whose "hidden truth will only be revealed on the Eurovision stage in May".
He opens his performance perched between two pieces of scaffolding in a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man sketch – so there's a clue.
Shh is one of a number of gothic pop songs, sung by brooding young men with interesting hair.
Among the best is Kiss Kiss Goodbye, by Czechia's Adonxs, who divebombs from an angelic falsetto to an unsettling baritone as he confronts his absent father.
Lithuanian band Katarsis are an interesting experiment, with a deliberately downbeat rock song that declares "the foundations of everything have begun to rot".
Titled Tavo Akys (your eyes), it builds to a compelling climax, but it's hard to see it being a vote-winner, unless Eurovision suddenly attracts an audience of depressed emo teens.
Rounding out the field are Armenian singer Parg, with the Imagine Dragons-inspired Survivor and Serbia's Princ, whose overwrought ballad is called Mila.
Both performers give it their all, but the songs don't feel strong enough to survive the semi-finals.
70s rock throwbacks
Getty Images / Alma Bengtsson
From left to right: Lucio Corsi, Napa and Ziferblat
Four years after Måneskin's victory, Eurovision's rock revival continues apace.
Italy are back at it again, thanks to Lucio Corsi – think David Bowie as Pierrot – and his glam rock ballad Volevo Essere Un Duro (I wanted to be tough).
A delicate anthem for people who feel they don't fit in, it recalls how Lucio was bullied as a kid, and how he's grown to embrace his fragility. At one point, he sings: "Instead of a star, [I'm] just a sneeze."
It's a timeless bit of songwriting that pulls off that crucial Eurovision trick of sounding new and familiar all at once.
Portuguese indie band Napa also have a 70s vibe, channelling Paul McCartney's Wings on the soft rock tear-jerker Deslocado (out of place).
It's another song about migration, written after the band were forced to relocate from Madeira to the Portuguese mainland due to the economic crisis.
"Even though we've been here for a few years we always have that desire to go back, and that anguish of saying goodbye to family," said singer Guilherme Gomes.
Last but not least are Ukraine's Ziferblat, who continue the country's astonishing run of high-quality entries in the midst of a war with Russia.
Their song, Bird Of Pray, is an unexpected mix of 70s new wave band Cars, birdsong and the guitar riff from Rachel Stevens' Sweet Dreams My LA Ex – while the lyrics are full of hope for a peaceful reunion with their loved ones.
It's better than that makes it sound.
The ballads
Shai Franco / Sarah Louise Bennett / Maurice Haas
From left to right: Yuval Raphael, Nina Žižić and Zoë Më
Where would Eurovision be without a raven-haired woman bellowing into a wind machine set to "hurricane"?
Israel has strong form in this category, and sets the bar again with New Day Will Rise, a melancholy piano ballad sung in a mixture of English, French and Hebrew.
It's hard not to interpret her lyrics as a response to those events – "everyone cries, don't cry alone". As a result, her participation hasn't received the same level of criticism as Eden Golan, who represented Israel last year.
That can't be said for Georgia's contestant, Mariam Shengelia, who has been booed during pre-Eurovision appearances for her alleged support of the country's authoritarian, pro-Russian, anti-LGBT ruling party, Georgian Dream.
Shengelia has denied the accusations, pointing out that her song – a stirring, quasi-militaristic ballad called Freedom – is about "freedom of choice, freedom to love, freedom to live as you want to live".
Montenegro's Nina Žižić tackles domestic abuse in Dobrodošli, a brooding and refined orchestral ballad.
The singer, who previously entered Eurovision in 2015 with the cyborg pop oddity Igranka, delivers her lyrics with passion and sincerity, but somehow the song never quite takes off.
Last but not least, we have defending champions Switzerland, represented by 24-year-old Zoë Më, who describes herself as a "little fairy".
Appropriately enough, her self-penned song, Voyage is delicate as a fairy's wings, fluttering with a soft-spoken plea to treat each other with kindness.
Automatically qualifying for the final, it's a welcome oasis of calm amidst the steamy sauna sessions, moody goth haircuts and thrusting innuendo.
But that's Eurovision for you. All human life is here. See you in Basel!
The head of the Royal Navy has been removed from his duties while under investigation over allegations of misconduct, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The MoD has not given any further details on the matter Adm Sir Ben Key is being investigated for, saying that it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.
This statement follows reports in the Sun that Adm Key was suspected of having an affair with a subordinate.
Earlier this week, the MoD issued a statement to say that the First Sea Lord had "stepped back due to private reasons".
Adm Key was due to retire from his position this summer, after serving as the head of the Royal Navy since 2021. This means the search for his successor was under way before an investigation into his conduct was started.
Senior officers can be removed from command and their duties if there is a reasonable suspicion that they are having a sexual relationship with someone more junior in their chain of command.
Such relationships are frowned upon and seen as a potential abuse of power and contrary to the military service code of conduct.
The MoD has not said long the investigation will take, with details of the allegations likely to remain private, or commented on whether he is likely to return to duty given his imminent retirement.
A defence source said the MoD would only comment further "if appropriate".
Until a new First Sea Lord is elected, the Second Sea Lord, Vice Adm Sir Martin Connell, has taken full command of the Royal Navy.
WATCH: Police officers Siggi Gilleburg and Jordan Daruvalla on patrol
WARNING: This article contains details of a sexual nature. If you have been affected by anything in this story, help can be found at the BBC Action line.
The commercial sex industry is highly complex, with debate on how to police the issue. In Bristol, dedicated teams are engaging with street sex workers whilst disrupting kerb crawlers. Their aim is to combat night-time exploitation and harm, focusing on criminalising the men, rather than the women.
Now BBC West Investigations has been given exclusive access to witness the impact of their work.
It's nine o'clock on a bitterly cold Monday evening and as temperatures dip below freezing, we are heading out with the Op Boss and Night Light police teams.
The streets are quieter than usual, but travelling in an unmarked police car we come across a number of women working on the streets.
We're with Op Boss officers Siggi Gilleburg and Jordan Daruvalla, who are constantly keeping an eye out for potential "exchanges".
Shortly after leaving, we're alerted to a man seen heading into the bushes with a known sex worker.
We're in a residential part of Bristol, with a children's play area right next to it. Not necessarily the sort of place you'd expect sex work to be happening.
The man is pretty shocked to see us, but quickly accepts he was in the wrong.
"Caught red handed I guess," he says.
Loitering with a street sex worker is considered anti-social behaviour and he is issued with a community protection warning that will stay in place for 12 months.
This restricts the areas where he can go and he could face criminal action if he continues to go into them.
Police found this man after he was seen heading into some bushes
It is legal in the UK for a person to buy sexual services or be a sex worker. But associated activities such as kerb crawling, having sex in public and a sex worker loitering in a street or public place are illegal.
While some police forces still target women for loitering, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) now recommends not criminalising the women - who are often vulnerable - and instead targeting the men.
This is the idea behind Op Boss, which has been running for 15 years in Bristol and was an early adopter of the NPCC's Nordic Model approach to policing sex work.
"We go out about 10 police officers in plain clothes under a directed surveillance authority," explains Rose Brown, an Avon and Somerset Police sex work liaison officer.
"We have someone who's monitoring what's going on in the red-light area from CCTV and we primarily take the Nordic approach - so we look to safeguard the women and disrupt the men who are coming into the area to purchase sex."
In an 18-month period, 145 offences have been dealt with by the Op Boss team.
More than 1,000 men have been sent on a course to prevent reoffending and to learn about the women's vulnerabilities since Op Boss started.
A number of men approach the sex workers on foot - or in this case by bike
Across an eight-month period we spent seven shifts with the Op Boss and Night Light teams and encountered men of all ages from all walks of life.
On another night with the team, we were alerted to a man on a bike spotted talking to a sex worker before heading towards some trees on the edge of a park.
In keeping with the project, the officers spoke to the woman who was then free to go – and they instead targeted the man.
It was clear he was pretty shaken by what happened and told me: "I wonder what I'd done wrong."
He was adamant he didn't realise the woman was a sex worker - although the woman told police that a sexual service had been agreed, before he changed his mind.
He was issued with a community protection warning for anti-social behaviour and said he wouldn't be returning to the area any time soon.
And it's not just men on their own out on the prowl.
On one of the shifts the team was alerted to a group of three men, seen talking to a sex worker who then got into their car.
By the time we arrived, the car was steaming up.
It turned out to be three university students – one had agreed to pay for sex, encouraged by his two friends.
Siggi explained it was not uncommon to come across students buying sex.
This tactic of disrupting and criminalising the men though is not how all police forces work.
"Avon and Somerset have been sort of the national lead in relation to taking a safeguarding approach to the women," Rose said.
"And our relationship has really come on leaps and bounds with the women."
Rose Brown and Jo Ritchie have spent time building the trust of the women working on the streets
Before every patrol, the Op Boss and Night Light teams have a briefing at the station. They also pack warm clothes, hot drinks and food.
These, as well as other supplies like condoms, rape alarms and other safety devices, will be given out to the sex workers the team talk to while on patrol.
The Night Light team is a collaboration between the police, children's charity Barnardo's and the city council.
Travelling around the city with Night Light's Rose and Jo Ritchie, a Barnardo's social worker, the trust between the team and the women is clear to see.
Not long into a shift we encounter a woman on a street corner.
She tells Rose and Jo about a man who has been talking about raping children in Thailand and they ask for his description.
It is these insights and intelligence that are helping the project's success.
The Night Light team is gathering vital intelligence from the street sex workers
Jo and Rose offer another woman a drink and ask her if she has seen any children on the street.
"If I've seen young ones, I will tell you because you know... When I was like about 13, 14, I was out here. I shouldn't have been. I was underage and it shouldn't have happened," she says.
The woman's experience is shared by many.
"Time and time again, we hear them say, 'I wish this had been running when I was a kid, because perhaps I wouldn't be out here now'," Jo tells us.
I ask Jo and Rose how they've worked on building trust over time, particularly when the relationship between street sex workers and the police has been difficult in the past.
"I think probably it's because it's consistent faces going out and they trust us," Rose explains.
"This project's really helped to break down those barriers."
The Op Boss team issue community protection warnings to any men caught engaging in sexual activity with sex workers
Dan Vajzovic, the NPCC lead for the policing of sex work, says Avon and Somerset's work is "exemplary".
"We're trying to develop an approach that recognises the vulnerability of many of the women who sell sex on the streets... and target serious criminals as well as improving the safety of sex workers.
"The success in Bristol speaks for itself and it would be great to see this replicated across all forces in England and Wales."
Representatives from a number of other police forces have been out with the teams in Bristol in the hope of setting up similar approaches to Op Boss and Night Light.
And at a time when there's been such a spotlight on violence against women and girls and how to tackle it, it couldn't be more timely.
Parents have been sent texts telling that them students' passwords have been reset as a precaution
Edinburgh Council says it has been the target of an attempted cyber attack.
Staff in the council's education department spotted a suspicious invitation to a meeting earlier on Friday and realised it was "spear phishing" - which impersonates a trusted source.
Parents have been sent texts telling that them students' passwords have been reset as a precaution - meaning pupils studying for exams do not currently have access to their school's learning resources.
It follows a suspected criminal ransomware cyberattack on schools in West Lothian earlier this week.
In a post on Edinburgh City Council's website - which the BBC has verified - staff said there was "unusual e-mail activity" on the schools and early years IT network.
They said: "As a precaution, we have had to make the difficult decision to immediately reset all passwords across this network, including those of our students/learners.
"This means that learners studying for exams this weekend do not currently have access to Teams or One Note resources."
Pupils have been told they can access their personal revision materials by going to their school on Saturday between 10:15 and midday.
A member of staff will issue them with a new password.
Students in Edinburgh use council-provided iPads, as part of the local authority's Empowered Learning programme.
The BBC has approached the council for further comment.
Second attack
West Lothian Council had to resort to contingency measures to keep schools open earlier this week after the local authority's education network was attacked.
A spokesperson for the council said there was no evidence any personal or sensitive data had been accessed in the attack.
Ransomware is a type of malware which prevents someone from accessing a device and the data stored on it, usually by encrypting files, according to the National Cyber Security Centre.
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