Blog

Allies of Tim Davie fear a mounting list of problems could affect his leadership of the BBC for weeks to come, as Labour continues to press the corporation over its livestreaming of Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance.

Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is understood to have presented BBC executives with a list of questions about the handling of the event at a meeting on Tuesday. It comes after Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, one of the punk-rap duo, led chants of “Death, death to the IDF”, referring to the Israel Defense Forces, on Saturday.

Ministers want to know how the BBC deems an event suitable for a live stream, as well as who has the final say on cutting a feed. Similar questions were also submitted to the broadcaster by the Commons culture select committee.

Davie has come under increased pressure since it emerged he was at the festival on Saturday evening and was informed about the events that unfolded on stage. He decided the performance should not feature in any further BBC coverage, but it remained on the iPlayer service for several hours.

It is understood that there were technical obstacles to removing the content from the platform once it had been broadcast, with no instant way of removing it.

However, those sympathetic to Davie now fear a series of other problems could further destabilise the corporation. Nandy has already turned her fire on the BBC director general, stating that one editorial error was “something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership”.

On Wednesday, Channel 4 will broadcast a documentary about the plight of medics in Gaza that was dropped by the BBC, which said showing the film “risked creating a perception of partiality”. The film has significant support among BBC staff.

Meanwhile, a report on the making of another Gaza documentary is expected within weeks. The BBC pulled the programme How to Survive a Warzone in February after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

It is also awaiting the outcome of an inquiry into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace. While the investigation has been ordered by Banijay UK, MasterChef’s production company, it could have implications for the BBC.

Wallace’s lawyers have said it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.

Sources said the BBC board would also be alarmed at the events at Glastonbury and the backlash since. “The danger is not the optics of this single issue, but the three or four things coming down the road,” said a source. “It’s just whether these things get seen through a leadership prism.”

The viewing numbers of the Bob Vylan performance on the live stream were understood to have been low, with the West Holts stage they appeared on experiencing the lowest demand of all five live streams – though the corporation has not given an exact figure. Nevertheless, clips of the performance were soon widely shared on social media.

There has been significant fallout for the band. Avon and Somerset police are investigating their performance, as well as that of Irish rap group Kneecap, who appeared directly after Bob Vylan and led chants of “Free Palestine”. Kneecap’s set was not livestreamed.

Bob Vylan have had their US visas withdrawn ahead of a planned tour. The band said they had been “targeted for speaking up” over Gaza, adding: “Silence is not an option.”

“Today, a good many people would have you believe a punk band is the number one threat to world peace,” they said in a statement online. “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people.

“[We] are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction. The government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?”

Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the UK’s chief rabbi, said the event was a “national shame”. He wrote on X: “The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury and the BBC’s belated and mishandled response, brings confidence in our national broadcaster’s ability to treat antisemitism seriously to a new low.

“It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it. Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society.”

The first season of Pokémon Horizons: The Series featured the debut of the Paldea region in the Pokémon animated TV series. Many beloved settings originally introduced in the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games, like Cabo Poco and Artazon Gym, shone brightly as a backdrop of the Rising Volt Tacklers’ adventures.

In Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua, the journey continues with the animation debut of the stunning land of Kitakami. Fans of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will recognize several key Paldea and Kitakami locations from the games, while fans of the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver games will be delighted for a glimpse of jaunty Johto. Here are six locations visited by Liko, Roy, and Dot over the course of Season 2 that you can also find in the video games!

We got a brief glimpse of Naranja Academy in Season 1 after the Brave Olivine first arrived in Paldea. But with Liko, Roy, and Dot enrolling in Tera Training at Naranja Academy, we finally get a deeper dive into the school that plays such a major role in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Unlike the video games, where the player is enrolled as a full-time student, Liko, Roy, and Dot are temporary additions to the student population. But there’s still plenty of fun to be had at Naranja Academy, especially in the schoolyard, where the real action (battling) happens.

It’s always exciting to catch a glimpse of Pokémon Gym Leaders and their Gyms in the animation after seeing them in the video games, and seeing Cortondo Gym Leader Katy is no exception. Of course, Liko, Roy, and Dot are also drawn to Patisserie Soapberry, the bakery that sells the sweet treats made by Katy. Between the thrill of battling a Gym Leader and the mouthwatering appeal of snacking on expertly made desserts, Cortondo is an undeniably appealing location in the animation and the video games.

Roy suggests visiting Paldea’s Highest Peak as a method of cheering up Liko, who has suffered a crushing defeat in a Pokémon battle. And to Roy’s credit, Liko is eventually enthralled by the incredible views of the Paldea region…even if the Trainers did have to hike to the summit of Glaseado Mountain to get there. But if you happen to be playing Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet, you can visit Paldea’s Highest Peak via Flying Taxi. In fact, you can reach each of the Ten Sights of Paldea via Flying Taxi, from the sunny Secluded Beach to the intense Fury Falls, as long as you’ve visited them at least once before.

The Rising Volt Tacklers finally arrive in Kitakami, where they find themselves enjoying the magic of a harvest festival at Kitakami Hall. Decked out in festive attire, the Rising Volt Tacklers gleefully embrace everything the festival has to offer, from delicious food stalls to challenging games. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet players might recognize the colorful celebration, although it happens to be called the Festival of Masks in the video games. Whatever you prefer to call it, Kitakami Hall is a happening destination in both the animation and video games.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet boast 23 unique biomes with different types of Pokémon appearing in each. The bamboo forest biome occurs in both Paldea and Kitakami, filled with lush vegetation. In the animation, Liko, Roy, and Dot have an intense showdown with Kleavor, who lures the trio into a bamboo thicket to gain the advantage in its battle against them. Kleavor cleverly uses the sound generated within the unique environment to avoid attacks from opposing Pokémon, proving that there’s more to the bamboo biomes than pretty scenery.

After adventuring across Kitakami, the Rising Volt Tacklers find themselves in Olivine City in Johto, which happens to be Ludlow’s hometown. The Brave Olivine is docked beside the iconic Olivine Lighthouse. The striking structure doesn’t play a major role in this episode of the animation, but if you happened to play Pokémon Gold or Pokémon Silver, you might recall that this was where the player first met Jasmine, the Olivine Gym Leader. Jasmine was at the lighthouse caring for an Ampharos named Amphy, who served as the lighthouse’s beacon.

Jennifer Aniston will star in the series adaptation of Jennette McCurdy’s bestselling memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”

The book, published in 2022, details McCurdy’s time as a child actor on Nickelodeon and her fraught relationship with her mother, who died in 2013. The 10-episode Apple TV+ dramedy “will center on the codependent relationship between an 18-year-old actress in a hit kid’s show and her narcissistic mother who relishes in her identity as ‘a starlet’s mother,’” per the logline. Aniston will play the mother.

McCurdy, who starred in Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat,” is writing, executive producing and showrunning the Apple TV+ series with Ari Katcher, best known for “Ramy.” Aniston, who currently stars in the Apple TV+ series “The Morning Show” alongside Reese Witherspoon, is also an executive producer.

“I’m Glad My Mom Died” spent more than 80 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list and sold 3 million-plus copies.

In addition to chronicling her troubled relationship with her mom, McCurdy describes her experience with a man she calls “the Creator.” She alleges that he pressured her to drink while underage and gave her massages, and that Nickelodeon offered her hush money to not talk about her experiences. Notably, McCurdy did not return for the “iCarly” reboot in 2021.

The 2024 docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” detailed the alleged abuse and discrimination behind some of Nickelodeon’s most beloved shows, such as “All That,” “The Amanda Show” and “iCarly,” including at the hands of prolific TV creator Dan Schneider.

Aniston will return for Season 4 of “The Morning Show” on Sept. 17. She was nominated for an Emmy last year for her role as Alex Levy in the show.

BTS is back.

Having each completed their country’s mandatory military service, the members of the hugely popular Korean boy band said Tuesday that they were starting work on a new album and would tour next year.

The announcement came in a livestream on the Weverse platform in which the group’s seven members — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — appeared together for the first time since 2022. According to a representative, the livestream was viewed by more than 7.3 million people.

“We’ll be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year,” the group said in a statement. “Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music. Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas. We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.” The members added that they were planning a “massive world tour” to accompany the new album.

BTS’s most recent LP, “Proof,” came out in June 2022; the band last performed in October of that year in Busan, South Korea. Each member has released solo material since then, including Jung Kook’s song “Seven,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, and RM’s “Right Place, Wrong Person,” which reached No. 5 on Billboard’s album chart last year.