THREE Featuring a teenage Simone Kessell and a young Karl Urban, as well as a Dave Dobbyn theme tune, TV3 hoped that Homeward Bound might run for years. It lasted 22 weeks. Had a New Zealand On Air decision gone the other way, we could this year be celebrating three decades of the lives and loves of the Johnstone family, rather than the staff, families and patients of Ferndale’s Shortland Street Hospital . Created by the man who helped give Kiwi viewers such iconic shows as Close to Home and The Mad Dog Gang (and would later be the driving force behind both Melody Rules and Police Ten7 ), Ross Jennings, TV3 had high hopes that Homeward Bound would secure the prized special “soap opera” funding NZ OnAir was offering for a weekday show aimed at 14-25 year olds in 1991. Unfortunately, despite TVNZ executives’ own misgivings about the risks involved in such a commitment, the medical drama won the day, leaving the residents of Riverside (a fictional rural community … [Read more...] about Homeward Bound: The 30-year-old soap that could have erased Shortland Street
14 year old boy
Actor Kevin Spacey charged with four counts of sexual assault in UK
British prosecutors said Thursday they have charged actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men. The Crown Prosecution Service said Spacey “has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” The alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s. Rosemary Ainslie, head of the service’s Special Crime Division, said the charges follow a review of evidence gathered by London’s Metropolitan Police. READ MORE: Kevin Spacey ordered to pay $44m to House of Cards production company Mena Suvari describes 'weird and unusual' experience with Kevin Spacey while filming American Beauty Kevin Spacey accuser not permitted to proceed anonymously in $56m sexual assault lawsuit Kevin Spacey sued for alleged sexual assault of two 14-year-old boys in the 1980s Spacey, a 62-year-old double … [Read more...] about Actor Kevin Spacey charged with four counts of sexual assault in UK
‘My father died of Covid while Boris Johnson’s staff held a Christmas party’
Families who lost loved ones to coronavirus have spoken of their fury and devastation at the new revelations of partying by the Prime Minister and staff at No 10 Downing Street in the Sue Gray Report . While those who set the Covid rules were carousing until 4am, singing karaoke and drinking until they were sick, the families were unable to spend those last precious moments with their dying relatives. The 37-page document includes damning details of the revelry that took place at the heart of Government, in flagrant disregard for the rules. Lobby Akinnola, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: “When they were texting colleagues about getting away with it, we were having to text our families telling them they couldn’t come to their loved ones’ funerals.” Sue Gray's report has been published ( Image: PA) Here some of the families talk of their pain: Colin Jones Tiffany Jones’ father Colin died of Covid late on December 18, 2020, the … [Read more...] about ‘My father died of Covid while Boris Johnson’s staff held a Christmas party’
Tom Curry backed to fill Owen Farrell’s shoes in Eddie Jones’ least experienced Six Nations side
Tom Curry has been backed to become England’s youngest Test captain since Will Carling, with Eddie Jones poised to announce his most inexperienced Six Nations team on Thursday. Curry, the Sale Sharks flanker, is widely expected to be unveiled as England’s captain for the Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland on Saturday in the absence of the injured Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes, who is recovering from concussion . At 23, Curry would be England’s youngest captain since 22-year-old Carling was appointed captain in 1988 and would lead a side missing many of their senior campaigners heading to Murrayfield. According to Alex Sanderson, the Sale director of rugby, Curry’s leadership qualities bear a striking resemblance to Farrell . He also believes they are ideally suited to the international environment because Curry’s intensity levels can burn out his team-mates at club level. “The depths of his energy are fathomless,” Sanderson said. “That is his biggest … [Read more...] about Tom Curry backed to fill Owen Farrell’s shoes in Eddie Jones’ least experienced Six Nations side
My daughter, 5, was left in a coma after she fell through the window – I had begged the housing association to help
A FIVE-year-old girl fell out of a window and was left in a coma - three years after her mum begged the housing association to add more locks. The mum demanded extra locks on her windows after she discovered her young kids were able to open the existing ones, posing a safety risk. But, despite social services getting involved, the work was not carried out by housing association Notting Hill Genesis. Three years later her five-year-old daughter toppled from an open window. The tot - who has not been named - shattered her skull in the horrific accident in Havering, East London . A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson said an inspection found "everything in working order" after the accident. Read more UK news JUSTICE SERVED Boy, 14, sobs as he's found guilty of murdering girl, 12, & boasting to cops HIGH ALERT 'Critical incident' as IT failure hits 4 hospitals & patients warned stay away The mum, who … [Read more...] about My daughter, 5, was left in a coma after she fell through the window – I had begged the housing association to help