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Nia Archives, Blossoms and Yungblud win big at Northern Music Awards

In a glittery Northern Music Awards ceremony held in Liverpool on Thursday night alongside Blossoms and The Zutons, musician Nia Archives has been named the year’s artist of the year.

Nia Archives won Artist of the Year at the Northern Music Awards(Image: Getty Images)

Nia Archives has been named artist of the year at the Northern Music Awards held in Liverpool. The 25-year-old Bradford-born singer, producer and DJ received her gong from YouTube star Charity Shop Sue, after releasing her debut album Silence Is Loud in April 2024.

The jungle artist said, “It’s amazing to make music in your bed or in your house and then witness young people and old people resonating with the music, singing, and dancing.”

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Following a year in which she released her first single Matador and supported The Last Dinner Party on tour, rising singer Luvcat made a name with a number of gigs at Brixton’s The Windmill pub and won the breakthrough award from The Verve’s Simon Jones.

She said, “Being born by the water of Liverpool, I believe something magic is in the blood.” She then explained what it means to be a Liverpudlian performer.

Abi Harding and Dave McCabe of The Zutons were on hand to accept their award
Abi Harding and Dave McCabe of The Zutons were on hand to accept their award(Image: Getty Images)

READ MORE: ‘I’m a bride-to-be and Aligne’s bridal edit is a dream for 2025 wedding events’

The Zutons, a band formed in 2001 and are both from Liverpool, won band of the year after releasing the album The Big Decider in 2024. They are best known for their cover of Valerie, which gained popularity when Amy Winehouse covered it.

The campaign that led to the release of their fifth album, Gary, which topped the UK albums chart, won the Manchester pop band Blossoms music moment of the year.

The Blossoms won music moment of the year
The Blossoms won music moment of the year(Image: Getty Images)

For their Mercury Prize-winning album, Indie band English Teacher, Yungblud, real name Dominic Harrison, won the innovator of the year award, while Yungblud, real name Dominic Harrison, won the same award.

For having “exceptional influence on the worlds of music, poetry, and beyond,” New Order bassist Peter Hook presented him with the Northern Music Award 2025. I Wanna Be Yours, I Wanna Be Yours, and I’ve Fallen In Love With My Wife were the songs he performed to start the show.

Ian Broudie, the guitarist for Echo And The Bunnymen and Ian Broudie, won the special recognition award in a previously announced award for having had a significant global impact with his music.

Doncaster born Yungblud also took a trophy home
Doncaster born Yungblud also took a trophy home(Image: Redferns)

Hip-hop artist Chiedu Oraka won the award for “newcomer of the year,” Sarah Story won the award for “discovery,” and Liverpool Philharmonic won the music and culture for wellbeing award.

Hebden Bridge’s Trades Club won the award for a venue with a capacity of more than 2, 000, and The Piece Hall in Halifax won the same award for a venue with a capacity of more than 2, 000.

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Sally Bryant, the A&R and artist manager, received the Nordoff And Robbins industry rising star award, and late live music promoter Chris York was honored by the audience and honored with an industry icon posthumously.

Littler wins again to stretch Premier League lead

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With victory at night eight in Newcastle, Luke Littler strengthened his position at the top of the table.

Stephen Bunting, Rob Cross, and Luke Humphries defeated the 18-year-old world champion for a fourth time in the 2025 competition.

Littler is eight points clear of Humphries’ second-placed opponent, who is currently halfway through the league season, which would have been sufficient to secure a top-four finish and a playoff spot last year.

On the way to a 6-3 semi-final victory over Bunting, he defeated Bunting 6-0 in his quarter-final matchup before going 3-0 up against Cross in the first nine legs he played at Utilita Arena.

The teenager fought back to take the title with a 4-0 lead before securing a consolation 6-1 victory against world number one Humphries.

According to Littler, “it’s another week, more points on the board, and another nightly win.”

Humphries defeated home favorite Chris Dobey in his quarter-final match before defeating Nathan Aspinall in the decisive phase of a high-quality semi-final to end a three-game Premier League losing streak.

Cross and Aspinall, who finished fifth and sixth overall, both placed fifth and sixth, improved their chances of making the play-offs on May 29.

Newcastle United players watch dartsMedia PA

Results for Premier League Darts Night Eight

Final

Luke Littler defeated Luke Humphries 6-1

Semi-finals

Rob Cross 6-3 Luke Littler

Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Luke Humphries

Quarter-finals

Stephen Bunting 6-0 Luke Littler

Rob Cross 2-6 Gerwyn Price

Chris Dobey 6-3 Luke Humphries

Premier League Darts table

Premier League Darts table

Format and points system for Premier League Darts

Premier League Darts is played in 16 league starts, with quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals on each night.

In the quarter-finals in weeks one through seven and nine through fifteen, with the eight and sixteen fixtures being eliminated from the table, each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven. On the final league-stage night, Sheffield will play host to fourth-and-fifth place teams, with potential playoff spots also in the cards.

Players are awarded two points for each quarter-final victory, five for each semi-final victory, and five for each night’s victory.

In a best-of-19-leg competition, the top four players will advance to the play-off night on May 23 at London’s O2 Arena, with first facing first and second facing third. The best leg of the 21 legs is the final.

Premier League Darts Night nine-player order of play

Berlin on Thursday, April 3rd.

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Emily Atack replaces very famous comedian as she becomes face of iconic British brand

Emily Atack will take over from Johnny Vegas as the face of a well-known British tea company.

In place of Johnny Vegas, comedian, Emily Atack has been named face of a well-known British tea brand.

Emily Atack has secured a huge new gig as the fresh face of iconic tea brand PG Tips, taking over from comedian Johnny Vegas. Famous for its legendary ad campaigns featuring the beloved plush monkey, PG Tips is adding a touch of glamour with Emily at the helm.

Over the years, comic Vegas appeared on screens alongside Monkey, a stuffed cuddly toy for the iconic adverts. Monkey first appeared on screens in 2001. However, just last year, the beloved character was retired from the PG Tips adverts before making a brief cameo in the Comic Relief telethon in the same year.

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In 2001, Johnny starred alongside Monkey in an AI-assisted commercial. The pair’s role for PG tips was reprised in 2007 with the title “The Return” in the first advertisement.

“The PG Tips campaigns are the stuff of TV legends, and execs wanted a bit of glamour for this one,” a source told The Sun. “Emily is a household name and straddles all demographics — plus she genuinely loves a nice cuppa — so they felt she’d be perfect.”

Later this year, the entertaining commercial is scheduled to appear on television, giving viewers a fresh take on the brand’s timeless charm. The source stated that the advertisement will be released later this year and is “really good fun.”

Emily Atack has been announced as the new face of PG Tips
Emily Atack has been announced as the new face of PG Tips(Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Ima)

Emily, 35, is an actress, comedian, and TV personality, best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners. She has appeared on popular shows like I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, where she finished as a runner-up, and later launched The Emily Atack Show, a mix of stand-up and sketches.

She has also taken on roles in films and other TV projects, building a career in both comedy and acting. While Emily is a familiar face to many across the UK, it looks as though the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree as she has a famous mum.

Emily is the daughter of actress Kate Robbins, who starred in Death In Paradise. Kate. 66, first rose to fame after appearing on singing show Eurovision Song Contest in which she came third place in 1980, as part of the group Prima Donna.

Emily will be replacing comedian Johnny Vegas
Emily will be replacing comedian Johnny Vegas(Image: Unknown)

After a humiliating meeting where executives made crude demands about her weight, Emily revealed that her hopes of entering Hollywood were shattered last year.

The actress, who has a number of UK roles under her belt, expressed her desire to establish herself in America, but she also acknowledged that it was a “brutal” process. She claimed that those around her believed she could cross the border, and that British caper movies like Get Luck and Outside Bet were meant to be her big break.

Emily is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners
Emily is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners(Image: John Wright )

Before going into detail about a terrible meeting where someone rejected her because of her size, she said, “This is going to be the movie that will change your life forever, that will send you to Hollywood.” She said, “We’re not even going to think about seeing you again until you’re a size two [the UK equivalent of a size six,” she said at one meeting.

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Emily continued, “I was so thin, and I was so hungry, and it wasn’t good enough.” I then decided, “I need to go home and have a cheeseburger.”

Thankfully, she recovered after appearing on I’m A Celeb in 2018 and receiving public support for her career. After Harry Redknapp became King of the Jungle, the actor came in second.

Djokovic into last four with ‘great’ win over Korda

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In their rescheduled match, Novak Djokovic defeated American Sebastian Korda to reach the Miami Open semi-finals.

The fifth-ranked player won the second set by coming back from a break to record a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory.

The 37-year-old is aiming for a seventh title in Miami as the oldest player to have completed the final four of an ATP Masters 1, 000 match.

After Emma Raducanu’s quarter-final match didn’t finish until after 23:00, past the ATP’s cut-off point, the match was scheduled to start on Wednesday but was moved to Thursday at short notice.

Djokovic told Sky Sports, “You wait an entire day and if it’s for the rain, I guess you accept it.” However, this was planned, and then the matches and everything just kept getting longer, Djokovic said.

“It was okay to get some sleep because the match was postponed for today and it wasn’t too early.” I didn’t go to bed until 2.30 a.m., which disrupts your body’s rhythm, so I’m happy to stay awake.

With a host of top-10 seeds already out, the draw has opened up for the Serbian to add another Miami title to his record as it makes his first semi-final appearance at this tournament since 2016 .

In the eighth game, Djokovic effectively broke his opponent’s serve to take the opening set on Thursday.

However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had to dig deep in the second, when some impressive serving forced a tie-break and earned him the victory.

“Best serving performance for me so far,” Djokovic declared. You never know what comes from Korda, says the actress, “because he is so aggressive and talented.”

Instead of dictating from the back of the court, I was on my back foot, waiting for his error. I got a first serve when I needed it, but it was a tense match and a fantastic performance.

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Barcelona beat Osasuna to move three points clear in LaLiga

Barcelona moved three points clear of Real Madrid in LaLiga with a 3-0 victory away at Osasuna.

After a retake, the Catalan club jumped out to a two-goal lead despite resting key players Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

In the 77th minute, Lewandowski scored the third goal to seal Barca’s sixth-straight victory.

The home team’s 19 games-unbeaten run has extended to 19 games, which is far beyond what it could and should have been.

Every match is a final from now on, and today’s match wasn’t different. The key is that we quickly and effectively resolved it. Torres, the first-goal scorer, told the reporters, “Three points, and move on.”

[Clive Brunskill/Getty Images] Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scores the team’s opening goal

In a fantastic team goal, Torres opened the scoring for the home side in the eleventh minute with a first-time finish from inside the six-yard box as he met Alejandro Balde’s cross.

After being fouled while rounding the Osasuna keeper, Olmo took the lead 10 minutes later from the penalty spot.

Olmo’s first kick was saved, but it had to be retaken after an Osasuna player had encroached in the area. It took two attempts to locate the goal.

Barcelona is in charge of the Osasuna stats.

Osasuna conceded 78 percent of the possession at the same time, but he failed to put an effort on goal in the opening period.

Lewandowski scored his 23rd goal of the season just seven minutes after starting with a close header to seal the victory.

Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v Osasuna - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - March 27, 2025 FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski scores their third goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
Robert Lewandowski scores the third goal for Barcelona [Albert Gea/Reuters]

The only top-five league team in Europe with no losses in 2025 has been unbeaten since late December.

With Real Madrid in second place with 60 points, and Atletico in third, they have 63 points out of their 28 games. In the standings, Osasuna are 14th.

Due to player absences caused by injuries and player fitness, Barca manager Hansi Flick selected a much-changed team in a match that was originally postponed on March 8 due to the death of the Catalan club’s doctor Carles Minarro Garcia.

Given that many of his team’s players had only recently returned from their exploits with their countries, Flick, along with the club, requested that the game be rescheduled for a later time.

The Copa del Rey, Champions League, and LaLiga games will be played in Barca’s first 20 days of regular season matches.

Hull FC claim deserved win at struggling Castleford

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Betfred Super League

Castleford (6) 14

Hoy, Simm, Milnes, and Milnes, respectively, try.

Hull FC (18) 24

With a victory over struggling Castleford, Hull FC continued their impressive Super League season-opening run.

Rowan Milnes leveled the scores before Herman Ese’ese barged over the line to give the away side the lead.

The Black and Whites were 18-6 up at the break when Aidan Sezer crossed the posts and dotted down Tom Briscoe in the corner.

Lewis Martin went over on the resultant play after Innes Senior was sin-binned for the Tigers for a high tackle on Cade Cust, who was unable to play on.

Before Josh Simm touched down for the Tigers to finish the scoring, Sezer kicked a penalty to extend the hosts’ advantage before former Hull FC player Tex Hoy scored a strong individual goal.

In addition to being unbeaten across-city rivals Hull KR, Hull FC are now winners of four of their six Super League games.

Cas, on the other hand, have lost five of their first ten league games.

Before the break, Briscoe’s try was immediately turned on.

When replays suggested there was no foul play, home skipper Sam Wood chose not to use his captain’s challenge at the play-the-ball, which was immediately followed by an infringement by Daniel Okoro at the Hull FC try-line. Moments later, the away side increased their lead from six to twelve points.

Despite three Cas defenders’ best efforts to put John Cartwright’s men in front, Ese ‘ese completed his new three-year contract with a strong finish just before kick-off.

The home side, who have only defeated beleaguered Salford once this year, had a strong start to the game, but Milnes equaled when the ball was quickly moved through hands.

Sezer scored his first try of the season on Briscoe’s line-break before the veteran capitalized on Cust’s cut-out pass moments just after Okoro’s perceived error.

After Senior tackled Cust, the Australian will now have to miss next week’s Challenge Cup quarter-final with rivals Hull KR. Cust’s evening was over shortly after the break due to a head injury.

Sezer kicked a penalty to give them a commanding lead before hooker Amir Burough was sent to the sin-bin for a risky tackle, and Martin’s 11th try extended their lead overall.

The home side’s fans were given a reason to cheer up by late scores from Hoy and Simm, but the game was already out of reach with Hull FC’s focus turning to the big derby the following week.

Tigers are “not prepared to do the tough stuff.”

Danny McGuire, the head coach of the Castleford Tigers, told BBC Radio Leeds:

“I didn’t think it was a great game, and I thought we were generally poor.” When you feel motivated in the seventh minute, I believe it to be a bit of a cop out.

We are currently unable to perform the necessary tasks.

“We need to do some things that we can’t stop.” Some harsh words must be used by us. Week after week, some players continue to make the same errors. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait until the end of the year.

We begin well, but as soon as we tire and put on pressure, we give in. We lack strength. The players are concerned and exerting their best efforts, but we struggle when under pressure.

John Cartwright, the head coach of Hull FC, told BBC Radio Humberside:

With injuries from the most recent game and an enormous game coming up next weekend, I was a little worried before the start of the game. I believed we managed to arrive here, get a job, and then worry about the following week, which we did, in some ways.

“Toward the end, it turned into a bit of a slogfest, but we came here to get a win on the board, and we did that.”

The final two tries disappointed me, they said.

“The toll is starting to increase injury-wise. We’d like to do a run so that we can start the game and finish it on time.

(On Ese’ese’s extension of his contract) “I think he’s the Super League’s current top front-rower. He’s a good companion for the team, attends training regularly, and plays a lot of games.

Hoy, Simm, Cini, Wood, Senior, Milnes, Lawler, Rimbu, Singleton, Hodson, Mellor, Westerman, and other names for Castleford.

Robb, Mustapha, Okoro, and Griffin swap.

Rapana, Briscoe, Litten, Chamberlain, Martin, Cust, Sezer, Ese ‘ese, Bourouh, Knight, Fash, Lane, Asiata, and others.

Ashworth, Eseh, Kirby, and Moy swaps.

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  • Hull FC
  • Castleford Tigers
  • Rugby League