With Michael Carrick returning to Manchester United as caretaker manager for the second time, BBC Sport takes a look back at some of his best moments for the club as a player in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Carrick confirmed as Man Utd caretaker head coach
With Michael Carrick returning to Manchester United as caretaker manager for the second time, BBC Sport takes a look back at some of his best moments for the club as a player in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Carrick confirmed as Man Utd caretaker head coach
A This Morning icon is said to be top of the BBC’s list for Celebrity Traitors. In November last year, Alison Hammond revealed she would be a Faithful if she were ever on the show.
And it appears that this could soon come into play. Reports claim that the telly star, who also fronts The Great British Bake Off, could be set to find herself in the Scottish Highlands for the second series of the BBC programme.
The first series, won by Alan Carr, instantly became a hit with viewers following on from the success of the regular show, which is continuing to take in millions of viewers every episode. So far, the regular series, which is currently airing, has seen eight million viewers tuning in live, the highest figure for the non-celebrity series.
“Alison is on the BBC’s hit list for Celebrity Traitors and she’s keen,” a source said. They went on to add: “The Beeb think she could be comedy gold, just like Alan Carr. Alison is naturally very funny and they think she could end up being hugely successful.”
Speaking to The Sun, the source continued: “The pot of talent wanting to take part is overflowing, so they have a lot to weigh up. The first series of The Celebrity Traitors was dynamite, so the second series needs to have the same weight.
“Contracts won’t be signed until closer to the start of production, but the BBC are already keen to get Alison on board.” In November, Alison took part in a skit on This Morning, inspired by The Traitors.
An image, generated by artificial intelligence, saw Alison in a cloak being shown on screens. When asked if she would prefer to be a Traitor or a Faithful, she replied: “I think I would be a good Faithful.”
The publication claims that the BBC have also approached former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer, as well as Gavin & Stacey legend, Ruth Jones. Traitor’s bosses had originally wanted hardman Dyer for the first series of the celebrity edition, but he decided to turn the offer down.
But having watched chat show host Jonathan Ross on the programme, he’s now changed his mind. Speaking on the Live and Let Dyers podcast, Danny said: “I’m into it. They did sniff round me about it. It was a no from me because, for one, I hadn’t seen it, but now I’m into it.
“If you’re going to do it, if you’re famous, it needs to be an indulgence project — you have to love the game. It’s quite a simple game. I thought it was too complicated, but it’s actually just about people manipulating each other and a lot of lying.
“If you’re a Faithful, it’s hard, you’re trying to over-act that you’re a Faithful and it backfires on you, but yeah, it’s a good line-up, and I’m enjoying it.”
Meanwhile, viewers of the regular series think they’ve worked out another family link. The castle has already unveiled three confirmed connections, with Judy and Roxy as mother and daughter, Ross and Ellie in a romantic relationship, and Ross previously linked to Netty despite years apart. Speculation is mounting amongst viewers that additional undisclosed relationships may exist, particularly following the appearance of a family tree in the castle corridor.
One viewer posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Jessie knows James because he’s her brother,” whilst another remarked: “Not me thinking Jessie was about to reveal that James was her boyfriend or brother.” A third observer noted: “Jessie talking sense about James – glad she defended him because it was all a bit awkward,” with another similarly commenting: “Jessie defending James is giving related.”
Gaza City – Peace, in both the physical and mental sense, feels far away in Gaza.
A ceasefire may have officially been in place since October 10, but Israel continues to conduct occasional attacks, with more than 450 Palestinians killed in the three months since.
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It is not just the attacks – daily life in Gaza is also shaped by siege and displacement, and a sense that living conditions will not improve any time soon.
Amid this exhaustion came the announcement on Wednesday by the United States of the beginning of the ceasefire’s “second phase”. This phase is about “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction”, said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in a social media post.
The new phase includes a new Palestinian technocratic administration, overseen by an international “Board of Peace”, chaired by US President Donald Trump.
But while everything may sound workable on paper, the reaction from Palestinians in Gaza – one that mixes cautious hope and deep scepticism – is shaped by their lived experience since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
“A lot of political decisions are distant from the reality faced in Gaza… our daily life that is filled with blockades, fear, loss, tents, and a terrible humanitarian situation,” said Arwa Ashour, a freelance journalist and writer based in Gaza City. “Even when decisions are made to ease the suffering, they are obstructed by the Israeli occupation authorities.”
“People want everything back like it was before the war: schools, hospitals, travel,” Ashour said. “If the Board of Peace is going to resolve all these crises, then we welcome it. But if it’s unable to do so, then what is its benefit?”
Ashour explained that after two years of war and more than 18 years of governance in the Palestinian enclave by Hamas, there is a desire for change in Gaza.
“People want to be part of the process of creating the future, not only to accept the implementation of decisions that have already been made,” she said.
The governance model envisaged in the second phase of the ceasefire plan does have a Palestinian component.
Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister, will head the Palestinian technocratic committee that will manage daily life. But that committee will be overseen by the Board of Peace, to be led by Bulgaria’s former foreign and defence minister, Nickolay Mladenov.
Mladenov – who has worked as a United Nations diplomat in the Middle East – is seen as an administrator, but one who may not be capable of pushing back against Israel and representing Palestinians in Gaza.
“Decisions made without the meaningful participation of those most affected reproduce the same power structures that enabled this occupation and genocide,” Maha Hussaini, head of media and public engagement at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, told Al Jazeera. “Excluding Palestinians in Gaza from shaping their future strips them of agency and turns reconstruction and governance into tools of control rather than recovery.”
For Hussaini, justice after a war in which Israel has killed at least 71,400 Palestinians and destroyed vast swathes of the territory cannot be ignored.
“Peace does not mean silence after bombardment, nor a pause between wars,” she said. “For Gaza, peace means safety, dignity, and freedom from collective punishment. It also means justice: recognising the harm suffered, restoring the rights of victims, and holding perpetrators accountable. Without justice, what is called ‘peace’ becomes only a temporary arrangement that leaves the genocide intact.”
Palestinian political analyst Ahmed Fayyad said that ultimately, Palestinians have little choice but to go along with Mladenov and the Board of Peace model, even if there is a sense that they are handing over the administration of Gaza to foreigners.
“Palestinians don’t have the luxury of choice to accept or refuse Mladenov,” Fayyad said. “No one – the Palestinian Authority and the Arab [countries] – wants to disrupt the agreement.”
But Fayyad described several potential stumbling blocks, including internal Palestinian divisions between the Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, and its longtime rival Hamas.
The analyst also believes that the demilitarisation of Hamas – which the US and Israel insist upon, but which Hamas says is an internal Palestinian matter – will also likely cause problems.
“Israel might attach the demilitarisation to the reconstruction or the opening of [border] crossings, and investments in the education and health sectors,” Fayyad said.
“It is complicated, and it is all subject to Israeli security conditions,” he continued, adding that the formation of a new Palestinian security force that met Israel’s onerous requirements would take a long time because the process was not spelled out in Trump’s ceasefire plan.
“This will reflect negatively on the civilians who yearn for an improvement to their daily harsh reality and suffering in tents, amid outbreaks of disease and the collapse of all economic and social life,” Fayyad said.
The announcement of the second phase of the ceasefire – a move that should have been seen as a sign of positive improvement – seems disconnected to the reality on the ground for Palestinians in Gaza.
“There is more fear than hope,” said Hussaini, from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. “Not because people in Gaza lack resilience or imagination, but because experience has taught them that moments labelled as ‘turning points’ rarely translate into real protection or accountability. Hope exists, but it is fragile and constantly undermined by the absence of justice and by decisions imposed from outside.”
And the most influential outside force is Israel – the power that has bombarded Gaza not just in the last two years but in several previous wars, and controls access to Gaza, and the air and sea that surrounds it.
“I think Israel tries its best to distance Gaza from any political solutions, which would end with Palestine’s right to self-determination,” said the analyst Fayyad. “Israel wants Gaza to be a disarmed zone; its people’s biggest concerns are the daily struggles of life, without caring about any political solutions.”
“Israel doesn’t want any future political solutions for Gaza. These are the concerns of the Authority and the Palestinians. Israel doesn’t want independence in decision-making in Palestine,” he concluded.
The daily struggle of life is all Sami Balousha, a 30-year-old computer programmer from Gaza City, can think about.
Balousha described peace not as a political agreement, conducted in far-off meeting rooms, but as physical safety and a routine.
“It is simply to sleep at night assured that I wake up the next morning, not dead, or I won’t get up in the middle of the night because of the sound of bombing,” Balousha said. “It is getting up the next morning and going to work, and being sure that I will be able to get home safely, not suspiciously turning around all the time, afraid of a strike.”
Balousha said that he had been displaced with his family 17 times – moving from place to place to escape Israeli attacks. The mental turmoil of the past two years means he no longer looks to the future, and instead focuses on the here and now.
“Tomorrow is far away, and I have no control over it,” Balousha said. “We can’t imagine the near future and plan it. We’ve been stuck in this loop for two years. The reality has always been strangely hard and unexpected.”
Like many others, Balousha feels disconnected from international decision-making.
“They don’t have a deep understanding of the Palestinians’ needs in Gaza. I don’t think that we are being listened to seriously,” he said.
It is why he ultimately does not have much faith in any solutions being cooked up for Gaza, and is instead fearful that his current horror will become a permanent reality.
The “most unusual” NFL season in years is set for a fitting finale.
After a record-breaking number of comebacks on Wildcard Weekend, six teams progressed to the Divisional Round.
They have been joined by the top seeds from each conference, with the Denver Broncos (AFC) and Seattle Seahawks (NFC) having received byes for the first round.
Yet the race for the Super Bowl remains wide open and this weekend’s four games are even tougher to call than last week.
“It’s win or go home and at this point of the season, every team has the ability to hurt you,” said Seattle’s British defensive coordinator Aden Durde.
“Every team has earned the right [to be here]. There’s no-one you can take lightly or put above someone else.”
Durde’s Seahawks are the marginal favourites to win Super Bowl 60 ahead of the Los Angeles Rams.
Kansas City knocked the Buffalo Bills out of the play-offs in four of the past five years and with the Chiefs missing out – along with fellow AFC rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati – is this Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s best chance yet to reach the Super Bowl?
The NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player led the Bills to a comeback win at Jacksonville last week – but they must now visit the AFC’s top seed Denver.
“Defence still wins championships,” said USA Today reporter Tyler Dragon. “Denver are a well-balanced team and kind of like the Seahawks, it starts with that defence.”
The Broncos have won 13 of their past 14 games and led the league with 68 sacks – 11 more than any other team.
“That allows head coach Sean Payton to… be aggressive because you know your defence is going to get you the ball back,” said former NFL coach Phil McGeoghan.
Houston and New England’s defensive units dominated in their wins last week, and now Patriots quarterback Drake Maye faces a stern test of his MVP credentials against the Texans, who led the league for fewest yards allowed (183.5 per game).
“I love that Houston defence and that front, in particular Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson,” said McGeoghan.
NFL play-offs: 2025 season
The Rams and San Francisco 49ers both won last week to join NFC West rivals Seattle in the Divisional Round, making it three teams from that division in the last eight.
The Chicago Bears made a record six fourth-quarter comebacks during the regular season and pulled off another last week to progress, but if the Rams win in Chicago it will ensure a divisional match-up for the Conference Championships.
“The Bears’ slow starts are going to come back to bite them, especially against the upper echelon teams – and the Rams are certainly one of those, ” said Dragon.
“Matt Stafford is the MVP favourite, they have arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the outside, and their defence is pretty good as well.”
Injury-hit San Francisco lost another key player last week – tight end George Kittle – and this week they visit Seattle, whose quarterback Sam Darnold has only played one play-off game.
Should they win, the Seahawks would also host the Conference Championship at Lumen Field, where their raucous fans are known as ‘the 12s’ because they are like having a 12th man.
“It’s probably the loudest venue I’ve been to,” said Dragon. “Those fans can get after it and it really helps when the opposing offence has the ball.
“Seattle are a well-rounded team. They aren’t dependent on Darnold and last time they played the 49ers their defence held them to only three points.”
Conference seed in brackets, all kick-off times GMT
Saturday, 17 January
Sunday, 18 January
The “most unusual” NFL season in years is set for a fitting finale.
After a record-breaking number of comebacks on Wildcard Weekend, six teams progressed to the Divisional Round.
They have been joined by the top seeds from each conference, with the Denver Broncos (AFC) and Seattle Seahawks (NFC) having received byes for the first round.
Yet the race for the Super Bowl remains wide open and this weekend’s four games are even tougher to call than last week.
“It’s win or go home and at this point of the season, every team has the ability to hurt you,” said Seattle’s British defensive coordinator Aden Durde.
“Every team has earned the right [to be here]. There’s no-one you can take lightly or put above someone else.”
Durde’s Seahawks are the marginal favourites to win Super Bowl 60 ahead of the Los Angeles Rams.
Kansas City knocked the Buffalo Bills out of the play-offs in four of the past five years and with the Chiefs missing out – along with fellow AFC rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati – is this Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s best chance yet to reach the Super Bowl?
The NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player led the Bills to a comeback win at Jacksonville last week – but they must now visit the AFC’s top seed Denver.
“Defence still wins championships,” said USA Today reporter Tyler Dragon. “Denver are a well-balanced team and kind of like the Seahawks, it starts with that defence.”
The Broncos have won 13 of their past 14 games and led the league with 68 sacks – 11 more than any other team.
“That allows head coach Sean Payton to… be aggressive because you know your defence is going to get you the ball back,” said former NFL coach Phil McGeoghan.
Houston and New England’s defensive units dominated in their wins last week, and now Patriots quarterback Drake Maye faces a stern test of his MVP credentials against the Texans, who led the league for fewest yards allowed (183.5 per game).
“I love that Houston defence and that front, in particular Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson,” said McGeoghan.
NFL play-offs: 2025 season
The Rams and San Francisco 49ers both won last week to join NFC West rivals Seattle in the Divisional Round, making it three teams from that division in the last eight.
The Chicago Bears made a record six fourth-quarter comebacks during the regular season and pulled off another last week to progress, but if the Rams win in Chicago it will ensure a divisional match-up for the Conference Championships.
“The Bears’ slow starts are going to come back to bite them, especially against the upper echelon teams – and the Rams are certainly one of those, ” said Dragon.
“Matt Stafford is the MVP favourite, they have arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the outside, and their defence is pretty good as well.”
Injury-hit San Francisco lost another key player last week – tight end George Kittle – and this week they visit Seattle, whose quarterback Sam Darnold has only played one play-off game.
Should they win, the Seahawks would also host the Conference Championship at Lumen Field, where their raucous fans are known as ‘the 12s’ because they are like having a 12th man.
“It’s probably the loudest venue I’ve been to,” said Dragon. “Those fans can get after it and it really helps when the opposing offence has the ball.
“Seattle are a well-rounded team. They aren’t dependent on Darnold and last time they played the 49ers their defence held them to only three points.”
Conference seed in brackets, all kick-off times GMT
Saturday, 17 January
Sunday, 18 January