Veg shortage to hit Britain after deluge
BRITAIN faces a vegetable shortage next year after a “horror autumn” of heavy rains, farmers have warned.
Floods and storms that have hit north and east England in particular have ruined plans to plant crops such as carrots and potatoes to be harvested in the new year.
Many of the worst affected areas are key regions for homegrown veg such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
The north of England saw a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours last week, said trade journal The Grocer..
Alex Godfrey, of the National Farmers’ Union potato forum, said: “Some people in heavier soil areas plan to leave land fallow for 12 months. In other areas, if the rain drains off there shouldn’t be too much long-term damage after Christmas.”
Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, said: “People are resigned to the fact it’s going to be a horror autumn.”
IT was a question of lookalikes for Michael Sheen yesterday as he gave a first glimpse of his latest role as quizmaster Chris Tarrant.
The actor, 50, plays the veteran TV host in Quiz, a dramatisation of the infamous Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheating scandal.
The show is about former army major Charles Ingram, who won £1million hit programme.
Dubbed the “coughing major”, Ingram was found guilty along with his wife Diana and their accomplice Tecwen Whittock of cheating their way to the top prize on the show in 2001.
Ingram, who will be played on the by Matthew Macfadyen, was accused of listening out for coughs from college lecturer Whittock, who was sitting in the studio audience, to signal to him which answers were correct.
Whittock will be played by Michael Jibson and Diana will be played by Fleabag actress Sian Clifford.
The photograph shows Sheen as Tarrant, arriving to give evidence at London’s Southwark Crown Court in the 2003 trial of Ingram.
It mirrors the original picture of the TV star, taken during the trial.
In the high-profile case, the trio maintained their innocence but were convicted.The Ingrams were sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended for two years.
The dramatisation of the story will be a three-part series directed by Stephen Frears, whose other credits include The Queen and A Very English Scandal.
● Quiz is due to air on ITV in 2020.