Category Entertainment News

Singer Chris Brown has been pictured for the first time following his short stint inside an English prison, after he was held on remand. Following a court hearing earlier today, the Kiss Kiss hitmaker, 36, has been released on bail by a London court after being charged over an alleged “unprovoked attack” that is said to have taken place in 2023.

Brown was seen being driven away from HMP Forrest Bank in Salford in a silver Mercedes Benz Vito this afternoon. The vehicle, carrying the newly-released singer and his security detail, drove past a crowd snapping photographs.

Ahead of his departure from HMP Forrest Bank, Brown’s team could be seen arriving ready to great the musician – with one crew member carrying a JD bag and a pair of white trainers, presumably for Brown.

The 36-year-old musician – who has not been asked to enter a plea yet in the case – has been ordered to pay a £5 million security fee to Southwark Crown Court after Wednesday’s (21.05.25) bail hearing, which he was not present for.

Judge Tony Baumgartner confirmed the singer will be allowed to continue his world tour, with dates in the UK in June and July. The security fee – with £4 million paid immediately, and £1 million due in seven days – is a financial guarantee to ensure he returns to court next month.

If Brown breaches bail conditions, he could be asked to forfeit the money. The Next To You singer is scheduled to appear in court on June 20, which falls between gigs at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, and London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As laid out by the judge, the conditions of his bail means he must surrender his passport when he’s not travelling on tour. He must also live at a specific address provided to the court, and not apply for travel documents, contact the alleged victim, or visit the Tape nightclub.

Brown was arrested in the early hours of May 15 at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel, after flying in for his Breezy Bowl XX tour. He was initially refused bail the following day, and was held in custody.

He has been accused of causing grievous bodily harm to music producer Abraham Diaw by allegedly attacking him with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. He and his co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu – who performs as HoodyBaby – are set to appear in court next month.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard last week that Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and was then pursued to a separate area of the nightclub where he was punched and kicked repeatedly.

District Judge Joanne Hirst told Brown the alleged offence was a matter “too serious” to be dealt with at her court as she sent the case to London’s Southwark Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on June 13.

Brown, wearing a black T-shirt and black Nike jogging bottoms, was flanked by two security guards in the dock. He confirmed his name was Christopher Maurice Brown, provided his date of birth and gave the Lowry Hotel as his address. Brown watched on intently as brief details of the case against him were outlined by prosecutor Hannah Nicholls.

The singer’s tour starts on June 8 in Amsterdam, followed by 10 UK dates including Manchester’s Co-op Live arena on June 15, plus gigs in Birminigham and Glasgow. A case management hearing has been set for October 24.

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We’ve compiled the biggest stories of the day in this Wednesday’s Mirror Daily Digest, from the most heartfelt new details about Jay Slater’s tragic passing to Keir Starmer’s PMQ’s winter fuel U-turn and the eagerly awaited Europa League final.

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we pull together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Wednesday, we’re featuring everything from the inquest into Jay Slater’s death to everything we know ahead of the Europa League final and Starmer’s huge winter fuel PMQs bombshell.

This morning, Jay Slater’s inquest began to establish the events in the build up to the apprentice bricklayer’s shock death which grabbed headlines across the UK. Elsewhere, manchester-united-fc>Manchester United are set to take on Tottenham Hotspur this evening in an all-English Europa League final and Keir Starmer has made a shock winter fuel payments U-turn.

As she pleads for missing pals to come forward, Jay Slater’s mother bursts into tears.

Jay Slater’s disappearance in Ibiza last summer drew national attention, with many questioning what might have transpired before his tragic death was tragically announced. As our news team live blogged Jay Slater’s death, which was being investigated by the police, his name came back to prominence on Wednesday.

Jay Slater’s mum broke down in tears at the inquest into her son’s death. She told the court: I know you have tried to locate them but how can we ever get any understanding we know he died and he had an accident but from him leaving that holiday resort to going up to there we have read their statements and we want these people to be here sat in front of us, we want to ask them questions”

Jay’s friends Lucy Law and Brad Hargreaves were not able to be tracked down to give evidence. The pair flew to the Spanish island in June last year with Jay, 19, to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas. Following the event, Jay travelled with two men to the remote Rural de Teno national park area in the early hours of June 17.

Read the entire story here.

Spurs and Man Utd square off in the Europa League final against “Leaked lineups.”

In a hotly awaited all-English Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs on Tuesday night, our sports team will be live blogging one of the biggest matches of the season. The two teams are aiming to win silverware in the Europa League while putting their miserable years behind them.

While the final represents a huge chance to lift a trophy, it also offers each a chance to return to the Champions League. Each side have seen their hopes of playing in the competition evaporate due to their league positions amid woeful league form. But both sides can put that right in the Basque country.

Both Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou are each chasing a first trophy in English football. Both spoke in their pre-match press conferences on Tuesday, and while Amorim and the United camp were in relaxed mood, the Spurs boss was anything but – in spiky mood as he hinted at this being his penultimate Spurs match.

Read the entire story here.

Keir Starmer makes a huge winter fuel U-turn when he drops bombshell during PMQs.

During PMQs this Wednesday, our politics team broke the news that Keir Starmer said he wanted more pensioners to get winter fuel payments in a huge U-turn on the controversial cut. The Prime Minister said with the economy showing signs of improvement he wants to ensure “more pensioners are eligible for winter fuel payments”.

The surprise announcement at PMQs – a fortnight after No10 ruled out a change in policy – came amid mounting pressure to roll-back the decision to strip the £300 payment from all but the very poorest pensioners. Labour has argued the unpopular decision – announced just weeks after the party’s election victory last year – was necessary to fix the Tory mess they inherited.

However, Labour MPs have blamed the policy for the party’s disastrous results earlier this month in a crucial by-election defeat and defeat to Reform UK. We all know that the Tories left the economy in utter chaos, Mr. Starmer said during PMQs. We had to make difficult but wise economic decisions to stabilize the economy. It is starting to improve as a result of those choices.

Read the entire story here.

In sweet snaps, Eamonn Holmes, 65, and Katie Holmes, 43, finally declare their engagement to Instagram.

With their hawkish eye on celebs’ Instagrams, our showbiz team spotted GB news presenter Eamonn Holmes and his girlfriend, Katie Alexander, go social media official after months of low-key holidays and date nights. Katie, 43, who is a marriage counsellor, took to her Instagram page to share a reel of her recent day out with the 65-year-old former ITV presenter.

With The Levellers’ song What a Beautiful Day playing over it, Katie, captioned selection of photos: “Lovely weather…. Lovely company,” along with the sun emoji. In one photo, Katie rested her chin on Eamonn’s shoulders as they posed for the camera. Both rocked sunglasses as they soaked up the sunshine.

Another showed the blonde beauty rocking a polka dot dress as she posed in the sunshine with her pooch, Dottie, and Eamonn, who was in a wheelchair. The new snaps came not long after it was claimed their relationship could already be in trouble.

Read the entire story here.

In the midst of heavy rain, the Met Office issues a tornado and funnel cloud warning for the UK.

As southern England is stricken by heavy rain following the driest spring in decades, Brits are being warned to prepare for a tornado that may strike some areas of the nation today.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said it was “not out of the question that we could see a funnel cloud, maybe even a brief tornado across parts of the South East” of England on Wednesday. Southern areas are also facing thunder, lightning, and hail.

Burkill added that the weather “separated somewhat from the north-south throughout today.” While the North has enjoyed some pleasant, sunny weather, the South has experienced rain, he said, “and there will be more showery bursts coming as we go through the remainder of today.”

Read the entire story here.

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With a wealth of well-known credits from her career, Dame Patricia Hodge details her most recent TV adobe role in BBC1’s most recent drama Death Valley.

Murder is no laughing matter for Patricia Hodge, who will be playing the role of Helena in the new BBC1 Saturday night drama Death Valley, starring Timothy Spall.

She says of Death Valley, which is “sort of that new genre of humorous murder mysteries,” because she doesn’t believe there is anything funny about murder. She is a veteran of long-running shows like Poirot, Miss Marple, Waking the Dead, Inspector Morse, and Inspector Morse. However, it is a relatively new phenomenon.

Working with Tim Spall, a darling, was wonderful. Anyway, I’m curious to see how it turns out. However, I’m not the new Vera.

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For the show, Patricia, 78, follows eccentric retired actor John Chapel (Spall) and detective sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) through their unlikely, but frequently humorous, partnership to solve crimes in and around the Welsh valleys.

Patricia is one of a number of guest stars, and she is undoubtedly one of the many who are keeping her name in mind as to add more mystery to the plot.

Despite being close to 80, the star of A Very English Scandal is also busy working on another BBC murder mystery series, The Marble Hall Murders, based on the Anthony Horowitz books.

Patricia clearly enjoys working, with credits like Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Elephant Man. She asserts that “working is what we are.” I enjoy being challenged. I don’t want to be left behind. I want to approach head-first.

“I am filming this new Anthony Horowitz thing at the moment, The Marble Hall Murders, and I have been filming in Dublin and Greece, and I have never been to Greece, so that has been lovely. I am very lucky to work. Work engages me.”

She is also adjusting to living without her late husband, music publisher Peter Owen, who passed away from dementia at the age of 85. Patricia, a star of Downton Abbey, continued to care for him until his passing, raising awareness of dementia.

Patricia has previously spoke heartfelt about her guilt over allowing her husband’s memory loss, which ultimately led to him being unable to recognize her. She is not interested in finding anyone else.

She recalls her loss, saying, “It’s always a significant adjustment, isn’t it? ” Without Peter, we spent more than 40 years together, and it is now approaching nine. I’m not looking for new people. It is not at all on my radar. Really, I’m not sure what I feel. My friends are wonderful. I’m very fortunate to work.

Besides acting, Patricia has been committed to supporting Historic Royal Palaces – the charity which oversees the restoration of ageing ancient palaces, held in trust for the nation by King Charles and the Royal Collection. She enjoys seeing new life being breathed into these impressive sites, for the nation to enjoy.

Patricia, who resides in Barnes, South West London, continues, “When the Historic Royal Palaces emerged from the public purse and was designated a charity, I was on the development board.” All of these palaces were suddenly given back to the people. Additionally, they acquired their private ownership.

“I’m not working on it anymore, but it was amazing to be a part of it, and I want to do it once more.” I believe a day is only short of hours. We oversaw the opening of Kew Palace during my time, which was incredible because no one had ever seen it before, and the work they did was absolutely stunning. I’m close to Barnes because I’m from there.

Patricia, a devoted follower of history, was also eager to honor VE Day’s 80th anniversary. She claims that she watched the bombers come over Hammersmith Bridge during the VE Day flypast. I had no idea what our parents went through, so I was devastated. How they endured and how they were treated.

Patricia is eager to pay tribute to the man who created her meticulously well-groomed appearance in more ambiguous situations. She asserts, “I have very long-lasting relationships. Since 1981, I have had the same hairdresser for all of my friendships because they all go back a long. Hugh Green is the name of the man.

Patricia has an incredibly ageless image despite being extremely fashionable. She continues, “I have never, never lied about my age.” There is no purpose, in my opinion, because it is so simple to discover.

It’s better to rejoice in who you are than to try to stifle it, in my opinion. What else are you lying about if people discover your lying and believe it to be true? You realize that accepting the truth is far better than living it.

Despite being widely regarded as acting royalty, Patricia prefers to be known simply as “Hodge.” She says: “The diminutives in Patricia are a nightmare. I was called Patricia for my first ten years of life.

Then, without any hesitation, the teacher introduced me as Pat at a school where I attended from day one. That meant you could call someone Patricia if you knew they were Pat.

“And then I started to tire, not because Pat Hodge and I are a great team.” I was called Trish or Trisha when I attended drama school.

There are many people who simply refer to me as Hodge, and I believe there are only two, if not three of us (Hodges) in the entire equity. So I now say “Hodge” when I answer the phone. “

When Hodge, Pat, Trisha, or Trish inquired whether Dame Patricia Hodge had a certain ring to her, it becomes obvious that this grand dame of British acting will take it seriously if she receives another call from the Palace.

She replies, “I don’t think about it.” We shouldn’t be awarded for just doing a job. I hold an OBE. What do you know? It occurs if it occurs.

• On Sunday, at 8:15 p.m., BBC1 will air the new series Death Valley.

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Monty Don, who has become a firm favourite on our screens as a presenter on BBC’s Gardeners ‘ World, admitted he realises how “lucky” he was to have had a garden at a young age

Monty Don has opened up about feeling “lucky” to have his own garden, acknowledging that his own children “can’t afford” one.

The 69-year-old BBC Gardeners’ World presenter started honing his green-fingered skills as a teenager in Hampshire, where he and his brothers were often found mowing the lawn or picking strawberries from their family’s garden.

Before making his mark in the UK, Monty ventured to France, immersing himself in the art of gardening in Aix-en-Provence, only to return for further studies at the University of Cambridge. It was there that he crossed paths with his future wife Sarah and the pair eventually made their home in London.

In the capital, Monty and Sarah nurtured an impressive garden, something that Monty now describes as “very unusual” for the time.

His remarkable garden didn’t go unnoticed and attracted the attention of a photographer, leading to magazine features and Monty’s initial steps into the limelight. Reflecting on those days, the Gardeners’ World presenter feels fortunate to have been part of a generation where owning a garden as a young person was within reach, reports Yorkshire Live.

Back in the 1970s, the average house price in London started at about £4, 480, the equivalent to roughly £60, 500 in today’s money, and rose to around £19, 925 by 1979, approximately £96, 600 now.

Fast forward to 2025, and the average London home stands at a staggering £556, 000, with semi-detached properties hitting the £714, 000 mark.

Speaking on the V&amp, A Dundee podcast, Monty shared that his adult children – Adam, Tom, and Freya – are unable to afford the same privileges he had in his youth.

Monty said: “I don’t really feel that I suddenly got inspiration, in so much that I realised, as I got older, between the age of 17 and 27, that increasingly other things than being in the garden, were in the way of being in the garden, and I needed it. I don’t want to sound precious about it but I really needed it.

” It wasn’t a question of feeling inspired to go be creative, it was a question of going to the garden to save my mind. I was really lucky because I am of a generation where we could afford, in our twenties, to buy a house or rent a house and live on our own and have a garden. My children can’t afford to do that.

“I had a garden of my own at the age of 25 and so I think that now, we must find out what it is, if you love plants then grow plants. Although I enjoy constructing and planting spaces, the overall effect is less interesting to me.

Monty moved from London to Longmeadow in Herefordshire in 1991, which has since become a beloved setting for Gardeners’ World. Monty describes the two-acre garden’s cultivation process there with viewers.

Monty Don, who has become a firm favourite on our screens as a presenter on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, admitted he realises how “lucky” he was to have had a garden at a young age

Monty Don has opened up about feeling “lucky” to have his own garden, acknowledging that his own children “can’t afford” one.

The 69-year-old BBC Gardeners’ World presenter started honing his green-fingered skills as a teenager in Hampshire, where he and his brothers were often found mowing the lawn or picking strawberries from their family’s garden.

Before making his mark in the UK, Monty ventured to France, immersing himself in the art of gardening in Aix-en-Provence, only to return for further studies at the University of Cambridge. It was there that he crossed paths with his future wife Sarah and the pair eventually made their home in London.

In the capital, Monty and Sarah nurtured an impressive garden, something that Monty now describes as “very unusual” for the time.

His remarkable garden didn’t go unnoticed and attracted the attention of a photographer, leading to magazine features and Monty’s initial steps into the limelight. Reflecting on those days, the Gardeners’ World presenter feels fortunate to have been part of a generation where owning a garden as a young person was within reach, reports Yorkshire Live.

Back in the 1970s, the average house price in London started at about £4,480, the equivalent to roughly £60,500 in today’s money, and rose to around £19,925 by 1979, approximately £96,600 now.

Fast forward to 2025, and the average London home stands at a staggering £556,000, with semi-detached properties hitting the £714,000 mark.

Speaking on the V&A Dundee podcast, Monty shared that his adult children – Adam, Tom, and Freya – are unable to afford the same privileges he had in his youth.

Monty said: “I don’t really feel that I suddenly got inspiration, in so much that I realised, as I got older, between the age of 17 and 27, that increasingly other things than being in the garden, were in the way of being in the garden, and I needed it. I don’t want to sound precious about it but I really needed it.

“It wasn’t a question of feeling inspired to go be creative, it was a question of going to the garden to save my mind. I was really lucky because I am of a generation where we could afford, in our twenties, to buy a house or rent a house and live on our own and have a garden. My children can’t afford to do that.

“I had a garden of my own at the age of 25 and so I think that now, we must find out what it is, if you love plants then grow plants. I personally love planting and making spaces, and what plants I use are less interesting than the overall effect.”

After relocating from London, Monty settled at Longmeadow in Herefordshire in 1991, which despite its initial neglect has become the beloved backdrop for Gardeners’ World. There, Monty shares with viewers how he has cultivated the two-acre garden.