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Clarkson forced to close Diddly Squat farm restaurant
Jeremy Clarkson has reportedly closed a restaurant at his Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds following a planning row. The restaurant, which opened last July, prompted protests from people living in the village of Chadlington. Many locals claimed the restaurant led to disruption and heavy traffic, disturbing the peaceful rural area. The venue was closed after an enforcement order from Cotswold council officials in August. He argued that
the venue did not break any planning rules. According to the Sunday Mirror, Clarkson wrote a letter to West Oxfordshire District Council, saying he had been “thwarted” by the enforcement notice. “I no longer wish to open a restaurant,” he reportedly wrote. “Contrary to some of the claims being made, I do not want to turn Diddly Squat Farm into Disneyland. It is, after all, where I live.” The enforcement notice from the council said that various aspects of the restaurant were “visually intrusive and harmful” to the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Gender-neutral Oscars are inevitable, says Sam Mendes
Director Sam Mendes has said he thinks it’s inevitable that the Oscars will become gender-neutral. During a new interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the Empire of Light director was asked about Crown actor Emma Corrin’s plea to eliminate gender from awards shows. “I have total sympathy with it and I think it might well be inevitable in the end,” he said. “I think that’s the way it’s moving and I think that it’s perfectly reasonable.” He added: “For me, people forget with awards, I think this happens all the time, they use it as a bellwether for the industry but the truth is awards are a TV show. You know, awards are there to promote films. If that film wins an award, I’m more likely to go and see it and that’s what you’re doing there. It’s not about yourself, it’s not about the art or craft of the industry, especially. It’s about selling films.”
Man jailed for brutal axe attack on woman at hairdressers
A man has been jailed after an “unprovoked” axe attack at a hairdresser in Coventry left a woman fighting for her life. Bogdan Serban entered the salon in the Ball Hill area armed with a knife and an axe on 3 June last year. Police said he unleashed a “violent and unprovoked” attack on a 30-year-old woman, leaving her in critical condition. The victim later recovered but was left with life-changing injuries to her face and both arms. She also suffered a fractured eye socket. Serban, who
was arrested the day after the attack, was found guilty of attempted murder at Coventry Crown Court. During a police interview, officers tried to show Serban the extent of the injuries the victim suffered, but he refused to look and said he could not remember hitting her with the axe. He had previously pleaded guilty to wounding and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to 31 years in prison at the same court on Friday.
Love Island star suffers allergic reaction to nuts on flight
Former Love Island contestant Jack Fowler has revealed he had an extreme allergic reaction after being served ice cream containing nuts on a flight. He said his throat closed and he felt his tongue begin to swell “within seconds” of being served the food, despite repeated reminders to staff that he had a lifethreatening allergy. The 27-year-old, who appeared on the ITV2 show in 2018, said he felt “extremely lucky” to have immediately noticed something was wrong with the ice cream, which he spat out before discovering it had crushed pistachio nuts in it. The former reality TV contestant, who said he was left struggling to breathe, said it was the second time during his flight with Qatar Airways that he had been served nuts, having been offered pastries with nuts after boarding the plane. “I cannot begin to tell you how scary that was. I told you five times I’m allergic. You gave me nuts twice. I could’ve died. The next person might not be so lucky. Absolute shambles,” he wrote on Instagram.
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