The Ask Me Anything team have been going through your questions – and several were about Match of the Day.
Should the pundits be neutral?
Pundits are supposed to be balanced and objective, but not necessarily neutral.
Everyone knows, for example, that Alan Shearer supports Newcastle and that passion is part of what makes him such a popular pundit.
This season he watched the Magpies win the Carabao Cup, but he’s also shown on countless occasions that he’s prepared to criticise his former club.
Similarly, at last summer’s Euros every English pundit wanted England to win – but didn’t hold back when they thought the team were under-performing in the group stage.
The BBC Editorial Guidelines call for a breadth and diversity of opinion in coverage, but within that framework there is scope for individual expression.
Balance can also come from the overall mix of voices and not necessarily the individual pundit.
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Goal of the Month – but why not Save of the Month?
‘Goal of the Season’ is a long-established Match of the Day feature stretching back more than 50 years to the 1970-71 season.
The award has evolved through various TV rights cycles, but is embedded in the history and tradition of MOTD.
‘Goal of the Month’ provides the contenders for the ‘Goal of the Season’ vote, and is an enduring and popular part of the programme.
The addition of the Premier League Golden Glove in 2004 has prompted an increased focused on goalkeepers, but there is a feeling ‘Save of the Month’ would not carry the same appeal as ‘Goal of the Month’.
There is also a practical issue of timings.
The ‘Goal of the Month’ feature typically runs to four minutes and there wouldn’t be time in the programme to devote another four minutes to ‘Save of the Month’.
Who decides which commentators go to which games?
There is a pecking order, but the programme makers try to mix it up over the season so they have different voices on different teams.
Are the cameras and kit left at the stadiums throughout the season?
All of the Premier League grounds are pre-cabled, so MOTD staff can simply turn up and plug in.
However, once the match is over they unplug all the kit and move on to the next venue.
What is Ask Me Anything?
Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.
We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.
The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Tirtir’s foundation has been a viral sensation that promises smooth, glowing skin – but could it live up to the hype? I put it to the test to see if it really was as good as TikTok says
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I tested the viral Tirtir cushion foundation (Image: Faith Richardson)
If you’ve stepped foot on the internet in the last few years, you’ll have noticed that Korean beauty products have rapidly become one of the most talked about things online. From complete makeup novices to seasoned skincare pros, everyone has been raving about various K-beauty products, with the latest being Tirtir’s Cushion Foundation.
Dubbed “the red egg” on TikTok thanks to its glossy oval-shaped compact design, the liquid-powder hybrid is said to create smooth, poreless and glowing skin with just a few swipes. Despite its viral popularity, us UK dwellers haven’t been able to see if it really is worth the hype – until now, because it’s finally landed in Boots and you better believe I rushed out to get my hands on it.
READ MORE: ‘I found the perfect summer perfume that smells like a tropical holiday and lasts all day’
READ MORE: Hailey Bieber bought 15 tubs of this £22 body lotion after discovering it while pregnant
The Tirtir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation is £21 and comes in an impressive 40 different shades – considerably better than the three it originally launched with in 2016 – with a reasonably good diversity across skin tones to help you find the best colour match. You get a super soft sponge applicator included in your compact, which helps to apply the foundation directly from the cushion-y pan, and it has a liquid-like formula.
Whilst I’ve heard plenty of great things about it from TikTok and fellow beauty writers, I always have two questions when a product suddenly goes viral; is it really worth the hype? And is it actually usable in day to day life, and not just behind a ring light online?
My skin before and after using the Tirtir foundation(Image: Faith Richardson)
My review of the Tirtir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation
Pros
Good shade range
Perfect balance between dewy and matte
Lightweight feel
No transfer or patchiness
Great for travel and on the go
Covered redness, dry patches and pigmentation
Need minimal product
Cons
Shade matching can be tricky
Sponge is a little fiddly to use
I’ve tried all kinds of foundation formulas in my time as a beauty writer, from powders and liquids to creams and sticks, but had yet to try out a true cushion foundation. I prepped my skin just like I always would, then got to work applying it.
You only need a small amount of product(Image: Faith Richardson)
My first thought was that the sponge is a little fiddly to use. As a die hard foundation brush user, it took a few passes to get the hang of applying it evenly with the sponge, but once I had that nailed it applied like a dream.
Its formula is the perfect balance of blendable liquid without being runny, and you really do need a very minimal amount of product. Two gentle taps into the cushion was enough to do my whole face and neck with an even coverage, and the point of the sponge was handy for areas like around my nose and eyes.
I have typically dry, sensitive skin with some redness, and the foundation covered it all seamlessly without looking too mask-like. It smoothed over pores and fine lines, and helped cover some texture without being too thick or cakey, leaving my skin looking glowy, smooth and airbrushed.
If you do prefer a lighter coverage, the Pixi Glow Tint Cushion, £18, is a great alternative. It has a sheer formula that gives a more natural result, and helps with brightening and colour correcting as well as leaving a subtle glow. The Armani Red Cushion R21 Foundation, £49, is also a good option, giving a more traditional foundation coverage with refillable options once you run out.
The foundation is the perfect blend of dewy and matte(Image: Faith Richardson)
The best part is it really felt like I was wearing nothing at all. There was no drying or cakey feeling as it wore down throughout the day, and it didn’t settle into any dry patches, creases or lines. It also didn’t smudge onto my clothes, and even survived a sweaty workout and long day at work without budging, which definitely gets it a gold star in my opinion.
My only real struggle with the Tirtir Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation was matching my shade to begin with; it took a few trials and errors to get the right shade for my skin tone. I also deduced that the best way to apply it is to tap some onto each area of your face before blending – don’t just start applying it to one place as you’ll end up with way too much product in one area leaving it looking uneven.
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However, I can happily say that the Tirtir Red Cushion Foundation has earned a spot in my regular beauty rotation, and it’s the perfect foundation for both daytime and evening, with just enough coverage for both (and it’s buildable if you want a little more). It withstood actual real daily life, not just a quick TikTok video or Instagram post, and my skin felt like the best version of itself – which, let’s face it, is exactly what a good foundation should do.
Isabel Hodgins is used to the pressure of public speaking after starring on Emmerdale for 20 years – but her new husband Adam Whitehead admits the wedding-day nerves got to him
Adam admits his nerves got the better of him
It wouldn’t be a wedding without the odd hiccup – and that was certainly the case at the stunning wedding of Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins and PE teacher Adam Whitehead. The couple, who got engaged in November 2023, said their “I Do’s” at Manchester’s cool Castlefield Rooms last month in front of 63 of their friends and family, including many of Isabel’s co-stars.
At 5ft 2in, Isabel opted for a classic dress to avoid “the dress wearing me, not me wearing the dress” and it made such an impact on groom Adam that he made something of a faux pas during their vow exchange. “I forgot my name during the vows,” he told OK! in an exclusive catch up after the ceremony.
READ MORE: Inside Emmerdale’s Isabel Hodgins’ wedding with co-star guests and baby bombshell
Isabel and Adam are now preparing for a California honeymoon after becoming husband and wife
“That was the worst part, the vows,” he continued. “I was so nervous. I’m not a big fan of public speaking. I’m a teacher and do it front of kids, but when it’s in front of people your age, it’s different. I was sweating.”
Isabel, who says she’d “never seen him like that before”, is understandably pro when it comes to public speaking under pressure, after playing Victoria Sugden on Emmerdale for a year shy of two decades. That said, being a bride is very different from playing a part, she reveals.
“I know I’m an actor but I don’t like being the centre of attention. A wedding’s quite stressful, so even before it I was over it,” she laughs. “Then the day came and I was like, ‘we’ll just go with the flow’. It was perfect. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it, how full my heart was. It was just brilliant.”
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Isabel has worked on Emmerdale since she was 12 years old(Image: ITV)
The actress also delivered one of the wedding speeches, much to the respect of her new husband. “I was proud she wanted to do her own speech,” he says. “Power to the women.”
Their big day was a star-studded affair, with Emmerdale co-star Eden Taylor Draper as one of her three bridesmaids, and Danny Miller, Mark Jordon, Laura Norton, Jeff Hordley and Zoë Henry there to enjoy the celebration.
“I’ve known them for so long, Laura’s like a sister to me. Eden was my bridesmaid,” Isabel says. “They’re just all such special, beautiful people. I said in my speech that me and Adam hadn’t been going out for very long and I was telling Zoë about him and she was like, ‘I’ve got a feeling you’re going to marry this man.’ She just knew.”
Isabel’s co-stars were thrilled to see her enjoy her ‘perfect’ wedding day with Adam
The couple, who both huge fans of the gym, enjoyed a two-night minimoon to Saltmoore wellness retreat, near Whitby, courtesy of Isabel’s castmates – and there’s a longer trip planned to California this summer.
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After that, Isabel says, they might start thinking about some next big steps – becoming parents.
“If that happens, amazing. If it doesn’t, I’ll say ‘that’s fine too’, but I won’t really mean it,” laughs Isabel. “My sister had two toddlers during lockdown. I moved in with them. I just loved it. I think I’m ready to have that myself now.”
READ MORE: ‘I own several pairs’ – why shoppers love Next’s £22 ballet flats in 10 colours
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Dan Roan
Sports editor
@danroan
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.
The case sparked a protest by women’s rights campaigners outside Wembley, and scrutiny of the FA’s gender eligibility policy.
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.
What is the background?
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.
‘Shocked’ about being reported
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.
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”.
Vaughan seeking FA apology
Vaughan says she is “happy” that the case has now been dropped, and welcomed the FA’s ban on transgender women from playing in women’s football, falling in line with several other sports.
“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.”
Police told the mum of Mark Blanco, 30, who died after falling from the balcony of a flat where Libertines star Pete Doherty was partying, that his death ‘will not be actively investigated further’
Actor Mark Blanco with his mother Sheila
Police have closed the case of a man who died after a row with musician Pete Doherty despite claims of new evidence that he was murdered, the Mirror can reveal.
Nobody has ever been charged over the death of actor Mark Blanco, 30, who fell from the balcony of an East London flat in 2006 where the Libertines star was partying. A 2023 documentary claimed to have uncovered expert evidence that Mark was killed. Mark’s mother Sheila, who has hired a lawyer who helped wronged subpostmasters win justice, filed a 30-page complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, claiming cops have shown little interest in the case and barely spoken to her in the last three years.
CCTV of Mark Blanco falling from a balcony outside a flat where Pete Doherty was partying
A senior officer has now told Sheila her son’s death “will not be actively investigated further”. Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Cochlin wrote: “I am sorry to inform you that the police investigation team has not identified any new lines of enquiry which would assist in providing conclusive answers to what happened to your son at the time of his death.
“Taking into account the substantial information gathered since 2006, there is insufficient evidence to prove that a homicide has occurred. Consequently, the death of Mr Blanco will not be actively investigated further.”
Sheila told the Mirror: “This letter from DCS Neil Cochlin does nothing to restore confidence or trust in the MPS dealings of Mark’s murder. Operation Deckertown, as it was named, has been ongoing for almost 19 years. I consider the tone of this letter to be distasteful, dismissive, inaccurate and in part, insulting.”
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Pete Doherty denies knowing what happened to Mark(Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
The letter reveals that officers reinterviewed the tenant of the flat, Paul Roundhill, but he provided “no new evidence or insight”. Doherty’s minder Johnny ‘Headlock’ Jeannevol told police he had pushed Mark off the balcony but later retracted this, stating he was high on cocaine at the time.
CCTV analyst and FBI instructor Grant Frederick claimed in 2023, based on fresh analysis of footage of the fall, that “there couldn’t be just one person on the balcony”. He told the Mirror: “What I would see is that Mark has come out and somebody has taken Mark and is putting him over the balcony.
“If the measurements and the distance are correct, then Mark was thrown over the balcony, Mark was murdered.” But the Met made contact with Mr Frederick and concluded “this material does not take the investigation further forward”.
Jonathan “Headlock” Jeannevol photographed in 2023(Image: The Daily Mirror)
DCS Cochin’s letter adds: “There was no change to the scientific or medical evidence and there was nothing to demonstrate conclusively whether Mr Blanco fell, was pushed or jumped. It was also assessed that it would be difficult to establish that Mr Jeannevol’s admissions were reliable … In summary, no further lines of enquiry have been identified against Mr Jeannevol during the police investigation or by the CPS.”
The Sunday Mirror spoke to Mr Jeannevol, 46, outside his East London home in March. When asked what happened to Mark, he said: “Go and ask Pete.” He later told us: “If I had done it I would be in prison, someone would be in prison if they had done it. We just saw that he [Mark] had fallen and Pete ran and I followed him because that was my job, to look after Pete.”
Actor Mark Blanco with his mother Sheila(Image: COLLECT BY IAN MCILGORM)
In October 2023, a month after the Channel Four documentary aired, Doherty said that he needed to get in touch with Sheila because “she believes that I killed her son” and the story is “just not going to go away”. He admitted there was “a bit of friction between us”, adding: “We all had an altercation with Marco Blanco. There was pushing and shoving. The next thing he’s on the floor and his skull’s cracked open.”
The documentary included CCTV footage showing Doherty stepping over Mark and fleeing the scene. But he insisted he didn’t see what happened and that he fled because he didn’t want the “inconvenience” of being caught with class A drugs.
Sheila says Doherty hasn’t been in touch, adding: “I have not been approached by Pete Doherty. Nor was I, or my lawyers, consulted ahead of the publication of his book in 2022. I would prefer if he spoke to the police and the police spoke to him, especially in the light of the new and important evidence from the C4 documentary.”
Sheila Blanco continues to fight for Mark 19 years after his death(Image: PA)
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Retired college lecturer Sheila has enlisted the help of expert lawyer Mike Schwarz, who represents some subpostmasters wrongly accused of stealing in the Horizon IT scandal. In her letter of complaint to the IOPC, she said that the “police have failed to investigate this offence promptly or seemingly at all” and haven’t treated it as “potential homicide”. Sheila wanted a “a fresh investigatory team, tasked with a full reinvestigation (so not a simple review) of Mark’s death”, the letter explained. The IOPC has passed this letter to Scotland Yard for its response.
Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Cochlin told the Mirror: “There have been numerous police investigations into Mark’s death since 2006. Last month we wrote to update Ms Blanco on the case and informed her we have concluded there is no evidence to suggest his death was suspicious.
CBBC’s Horrible Science features a guest appearance from the social media sensation
TikTok sensation Big Manny is showcasing his talents in the BBC’s new series, a creation from the team behind Horrible Histories.
Horrible Science made its debut on CBBC on May 9, with the entire series now available for streaming on iPlayer. Much like its predecessor, Horrible Histories, this new comedy show makes education fun for kids through quick-fire sketches centred around scientific themes.
Five out of the fifteen episodes even cover topics found in primary school curriculums, including outer space, motion, light and electricity.
The show features a recurring cast along with guest appearances from First Dates’ Fred Sirieix and social media scientist, Big Manny.
While audiences may be familiar with Fred, this could be their first encounter with Manny on television. Let’s take a closer look at the life of this viral star off-screen, reports the Daily Record.
Why is Big Manny famous?
Who is Big Manny? (Image: Getty Images)
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Big Manny, whose real name is Emanuel Wallace, uses his nickname across his social media platforms. The BBC star began sharing educational science videos on TikTok in 2021, during the COVID-19 lockdown when children were forced into home schooling.
Fresh from graduating with a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of East London, Manny started working as a science technician in a secondary school. It was this experience that inspired him to start posting videos online.
“I could see first-hand that students were struggling in science because of the lockdown,” the London native revealed to Chemistry World in 2023.
After four years since his debut post, the TikToker has now amassed a whopping two million followers on TikTok and another 1.6 million on Instagram. But that’s not all – Manny recently scooped up the Education Creator of the Year accolade at the first-ever TikTok Awards in December 2024.
Manny demonstrates scientific experiments in short videos (Image: TikTok/ @big.manny1)
Manny resonates with younger audiences by breaking down intricate scientific concepts using everyday London vernacular.
His ultimate mission? is to show young folks from all walks of life that they too have a place in the science world.
In a heart-to-heart with The Voice in 2024, he shared: “So what I am trying to do with my platform is show young people that there are scientists out there that look like you, talk like you, dress like you, come from the same background as you.
“So if they can become a scientist then there is no reason why you can’t as well.”
Prince William link
Manny recently collaborated with Prince William(Image: Instagram/@big.manny1)
Meanwhile, back in January, Manny caused quite the stir among his fans with an unexpected Royal cameo. While visiting Nature Metrics, an environmental DNA research group, none other than Prince William dropped in to collaborate with the scientist on an experiment.
Proclaiming himself as “Manny’s beautiful assistant,” for a tutorial on strawberry DNA extraction, the Duke’s cameo stunned viewers. The brief 48-second TikTok video racked up over six million views, and fans flooded the comments.
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One astonished viewer couldn’t help but express their shock, exclaiming: “PAUSE? ? IS THAT PRINCE WILLIAM? ?” Meanwhile, another was equally taken aback, jokingly remarking: ” I LITERALLY BLINKED TWICE TO CONFIRM WHAT I WAS SEEING.”
