The Courier Edition 300

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Edition 300

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TAXING TIMES

ugary soft drinks are to be taxed for the first time in Spain as the Government looks to claw in eight billion extra euro next year to help balance the budget and to respond to European Commission demands to cut the country’s public defecit.

Taxes on tobacco will rise to what the Government described as “conforming to European standards”, and there will also be a hike on alcohol taxes.

Finance minister Cristóbal Montoro announced the budget plan to Parliament on Wednesday, which will overall bridge a gap of some 15 million euro, with a combination of increased economic growth, with the rest

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Friday 2nd December 2016

coming in from increased taxation. Montoro said that two billion euro would come from a combination of cigarette and alcohol tax levels going up plus the introduction of the sugar drink tax, though the exact effect on prices has not been declared. All fuel and energy taxation levels will stay at the current levels.

One billion euro is expected to be raised in a new move to stop fraud in the declaration of IVA, whilst five billion will be put into the government coffers via an increase in corporation tax.

Despite the minority Partido Popular government not having enough votes to carry measures through in

BY ALEX TRELINSKI Congress, the budget plan has got the approval of the biggest opposition party, the socialist PSOE, despite threats in recent weeks that

they would vote down the budget.

The PP are also being backed by the centre Ciudadanos party.

VICIOUS GANG HELD

nine-strong Algerian robbery gang has been arrested in Alicante Province and Barcelona after allegedly running an extensive operation which saw homes robbed across the Southern Costa Blanca, plus Bilbao and Barcelona, with some of the items then shipped by

ferry from Alicante to Oran in Algeria.

Eight people were detained in the Alicante area with the other arrested in Barcelona, and according to the National Police they are aged between 20 and 56, with two of them being female. They are accused of

30 crimes, of which 21 are robberies, as well the kidnapping of an Algerian man in Alicante, who was held for a ransom demand of 40,000 euro from his family.

One of the gang members was also allegedly involved in a violent street assault in Alicante last summer as well as slashing the face of another man in another incident, before hiding locally in the hope of trying to escape to France.

The National Police said that the gang had, up to their latest spate of burglaries, accumulated a total of over 200 arrest warrants, but that had not put them off from their criminal activities.

They went for money and jewellery, with the items then pawned off to second-hand shops or gold centres, or

even taken by ferry to Algeria.

Police searches of three homes in the Alicante area, after the arrest of the gang, turned up four stolen cars that were taken from four different addresses, as well as tools and electronic devices used to break into houses, plus a large selection of stolen watches and jewels.

Many of the gang members used fake French nationality papers to ease their movement around Spain and further afield, with countless arrest warrants issued against them.

No additional information has been released as to the court appearances of the accused, and whether some or all of them have been granted bail or remanded in custody.

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News

Friday 2nd December 2016

Father’s Grief

Busy Times

Your Bigger, Bolder, Brighter Courier Telephone 966 921 003

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Editor-In-Chief Barry Newlove

Editor Alex Trelinski

An 18-year-old Crevillente woman died in a car accident on the AP-7 in the Elche area last Friday evening. She was travelling, a van towards Alicante with two relatives when the vehicle hit the central reservation.

She got out of car, but was then run over by a vehicle as

she walked into the carriageway.

Minutes later, her father was driving home to Crevillente and recognised the vehicle on the opposite carriageway.

When he stopped to investigate, he discovered that his daughter had been killed.

Mortgage Boost

The Guardia Civil intercepts shipments of counterfeit goods being flown into Alicante-Elche airport at an average rate of one every two days, based on the figures recorded so far

this year.

The Guardia have initiated 150 proceedings in 2016 and three major operations have seen fake items to the value of three million euro being seized

by officers.

Clothing, computers, medicines, cigarettes and mobile phones have been amongst the major lines of counterfeits intercepted at the airport.

Rutilo Removed

Production Editors Nicola Cross & Mark Nolan

Head of Layout Nicola Cross

Advertising Sales 966 921 003 sales@tko.media

Myra Torrevieja & North Tel. 618 583 765

The number of home mortgages granted in the Valencia region rose by two point six percent in the year between September 2015 and September 2016, according to figures just

released by the National Statistics Institute.

Meanwhile, the average price of houses in the Valencian region has gone up by almost two percent in the third quarter of 2016.

Jean Orihuela Costa Tel. 618 898 034

Julie English/Spanish Tel. 616 332 178

Patrick Tel. 671 337 669

Writers Alex Trelinski Mark Nolan Dave Silver Tony Mayes John McGregor Nicola Cross Julie Day

Weeded Out The banks of the River Segura in the Guardamar area have been given a good weeding out by members of the Asociación de Naturalistas del Sur de España (Anse) in a similar operation to what the volunteers carried out back in October at Torrevieja's La Mata lake. Invasive species have been removed and replaced by new plants.

Two cases of possible botulism in Alicante Province linked to a brand of dried salted fish produced in The Netherlands has led to it being withdrawn from sale in various parts of Spain.

Salted roach branded as rutilo has been removed from shelves after two cus-

tomers have been affected by a bug caused by the fish.

Both people showed 'very similar symptoms', although it has yet to be confirmed whether they caught botulism from eating the dried roach.

All supermarkets and delicatessens across Alicante

Province have stopped selling rutilo, with the Consumer, Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AECOSAN), saying that it has received a European alert after a case of botulism in Germany thought to have been caused by the same product

Publication Published by TKO Media & Entertainment S.L. Printed by Localprint S.L Depósito legal A - 188 - 2014 The Courier, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for any readers letters or claims by advertisers nor can it be held responsible for any errors in advertisements which are reproduced from poor artwork, low quality electronic data or inadequate instructions for text or other layout features. Further no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error, inaccuracy or nonappearance of any advertisement, although all advertisements produced are checked prior to insertion. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE incorrect insertion and that no re-publication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. E&OE. NO PART OF THIS NEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS.

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Just Keep Calm

A positive take on what will happen to healthcare for British residents on the Costa Blanca after Brexit was the main feature of a forum discussing health provision for foreign residents held at Torrevieja’s Quirónsalud hospital. The forum featured health professionals, lawyers, and experts as well as exTorrevieja mayor, Eduardo Dolón, in his role as a member of the Alicante Provincial Council responsible for tourism, and Michelle Masson from Help Vega Baja.

The forum called for British residents to keep calm, with Alfonso Ortega from Elche University saying that hysteria had broken out in the light of the Brexit vote, with British expats over-reacting to

what might happen over health cover, fuelled by reading ill-informed UK newspapers who had their own agenda.

The strong view from the forum, including international law expert, Pedro Heredia, was that medical provision for the British population in Spain would continue as now, as part of a reciprocal health agreement that Spain and the UK would almost certainly agree to, which would also cover tourists between both countries.

Alfonso Ortega said that Spain at the moment paid some four million euro for its residents in the UK to gain NHS access, whilst with the far greater British residential population in Spain, the reverse figure came to over 280 million

euro last year.

Michelle Masson echoed the views about a lack of information for British residents, and she also blamed the UK media for generating uncertainty amongst the expat community.

Just recently, as reported in The Courier, the British Embassy in Madrid made it clear that residents should only take information from official channels as “the truth”, and not be taken in by misrepresentations and speculation in some parts of the media.

The forum concluded that it was very important that better and accurate information in both the UK and Spain should be provided over healthcare provision now, and in the future.

See You In Court

The Murcia regional government is to sue the previous operator of the stillunopend Corvera airport for what has been described as “damages to the interests of the region”. No sum has been mentioned in the forthcoming law-suit against Aeromur, which was announced by the Murcia President, Pedro Antonio Sánchez López, last week.

Sánchez said that he had a duty to the citizens of

Murcia to make the move against Aeromur, after they failed to get the facility at Corvera up and running when it was ready to accept flights four years ago, therefore doing damage to the local economy.

Sánchez had no further news to declare over the bidding process for the tender to replace Aeromur, which he said a few weeks ago would be advertised before Christmas.

A Lot To Do

Not Pitch Perfect Over 300 parents of children who use Guardamar's Las Rabosas sports stadium have signed a petition opposing the siting of cat shelter that would be just 20 metres away from the football pitch.

The location of the cat centre has been a cause of controversy with a previous location at El Campo being scrapped due to local opposition. A spokesman for the parents said they had no issue with a building for stray cats, but they were

worried about one housing "animals with diseases" being so close to a sports field.

The opposition Partido

Popular on the authority have said that they are against the shelter being opened at the Las Rabosas site.

Walk This Way Access to the beaches in three areas of Torrevieja are set to be improved, according to councillor Fanny Serrano.

Speaking on behalf of the council's government team, Serrano said that 21,000 euro

was being earmarked for concrete walkways to be installed at Los Locos, El Cura and Los Náufragos beaches which will create a path to the toilet and shower facilities, making them easier to reach.

Violent Concern

Torrevieja’s health authority, Torrevieja Salud, has logged 130 cases of gender-based violence so far this year going through to the end of October.

The cases have been identified by health professionals with instances of either physical or psychological assault in addition to sexual abuse.

The Torrevieja Salud area covers not just Torrevieja, but at total of 160,000 residents in the city plus Guardamar, Pilar de la Horadada, the Orihuela Costa, Formentera, Rojales, San Miguel de Salinas, Los Montesinos, Torremendo and Benijófar.

Report Call

Access for disabled people around Torrevieja city came under the spotlight once again on Saturday in the annual "Walk Through The Jungle" organised by the local APANEE charity the association of parents with special needs children.

Wheelchairs and buggies were used in the hour-long

walk from the town hall to highlight some of the problems in the area where there are no easy slopes that can be used to get onto or leave pavements.

The walkers also pointed out numerous examples of selfish parking by motorists that restricted access to wheelchair users.

A protected yellow-coloured plant, the caput-felis Helianthemum, better known as the jarilla cat head plant has thrown a spanner into the works over any future building work in the Torre del Moro area of Torevieja.

The 17,000 square metre area next to Avenida de Alfred Nobel in Torrevieja had been earmarked for development since 2012, but a senior member of Torrevieja’s coalition government team, Fanny Serrano, said that they have put a hold on any possible future building. They are going to ask the Valencian Government to produce an environmental impact report in regard to the area.

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Supporting Women

Torrevieja council held a minute's silence last Friday in the city's Plaza de la Constitución, as part of the commemorations of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Council members headed

by Mayor José Manuel Dolón and social welfare councillor África Celdrán led the ceremony, which included a symbolic release of balloons.

Uncivil Claims Over a hundred Guardia Civil officers are being investigated for allegedly claiming fake travel expenses when they were commuting to Madrid. The city's Public Prosecutor got involved after the Guardia's own finance department said that 137 officers had been putting in hotel bills on their expenses, when they had actually stayed in the Guardia's hostel in Madrid.

The total sum of the alleged fraud between 2011 and 2014 is not financially massive, being said to be over 14,000 euro.

Friday 2nd December 2016

Phantom Driver

Mystery surrounds who was behind the wheel of Orihuela council’s official car which was clocked speeding at 14 kilometres over the 120 kilometre an hour limit back in October.

Opposition socialist PSOE councillor Victor Ruiz last week asked the PP Mayor Emilio Bascuñana to identify the

speeding driver, but the Mayor said he did not know, as the municipality does not have a chauffeur, and the vehicle is used by government team councillors and their advisers.

Bascuñana said that a speeding fine had been handed out, adding that the raising of the issue by the PSOE was “petty”.

Democratic Row The sole Partido Popular representative on the PSOErun Los Montesinos council, Pascual Simón (pictured), stormed out of the last plenary meeting of the authority in a protest over democracy, after he accused the Mayor of refusing to discuss a variety of motions that he had put forward.

Simón submitted eight items for discussion on subjects like better fencing at children's playgrounds through to emergency planning, as well

as a call for greater transparency by the council. The PP councillor claims that the socialist mayor, José Manuel Butrón, refused to discuss his motions, with Simón saying that Butrón was acting "undemocratically", and that "transparency and consensus" had been wiped out by the PSOE administration.

Butrón has been mayor of Los Montesinos since it became a separate municipality splitting from Almoradi back in 1991.

Would Have Been Nice The billionaire founder of the Corona beer empire has not bequeathed millions to his hometown Spanish village, despite media organisations getting into a lather last week with unsubstantiated claims that everybody person was going to get close to three million euro each.

Antonino Fernánde died aged 98 in August, and it was reported that he had left over 200 million euro to the 80 residents of the village of Cerezales del Condado, in the north-west of the country. Villagers say that the story about the legacy is false.

"It seems someone got the wrong end of the stick and the story has just grown and grown," Lucia Alaejos from a local cultural centre said. "It’s got com-

pletely out of hand.”

However, Mr Fernandez was a widely revered philanthropist throughout his lifetime - awarded the prestigious Order of Isabella the Catholic for his charity work - and the village did benefit from his generosity during his life.

“Thanks to his generosity, the town is much better off than many in the

region,” Ms Aleojos said.

“He paid for the restoration of the church, he brought running water to every home in the town and ,thanks to him, we have an amazing cultural centre that brings visitors to the region.” He reportedly left a significant amount of his will to the descendants of his siblings, who visit the village each summer.

On The Run

A 25-year-old British man facing three life sentences for crimes of robberies with violence and intimidation is believed to be hiding out in Spain, according to the National Police.

Gareth Bryan Edwards, 25, from Aylesbury, is wanted by the British authorities under a European arrest warrant, and has been included on a list of Spain's top ten most wanted criminals, which also includes

international drug dealers and people with connections to the Italian mafia.

A National Police spokesman described Edwards as "a very dangerous person, possibly armed and in possession of drugs".

The police say anyone with information can email fugitivos@policia.es or phone (0034) 915 824 136.

Other names on Spain’s most wanted include that of a woman, 32-year-old Hayet

Boughanmi Ep Abbas, also known as Hayet Kaubisch, from Tunisia - who, along with a Moroccan male friend, stabbed a German man 53 times leaving him for dead.

News

Friday 2nd December 2016

Line Of Questions

The opposition Partido Popular group on Rojales council has attacked the Mayor, Antonio Pérez, for allowing a former adviser to the PSOE government team to continue having a mobile phone that's paid for out of public funds.

Pérez says that the adviser is doing unpaid public relations work on behalf of the authority including the writing of press releases, adding that he needs a phone to communicate with him and with other councillors. The Mayor added that even when he was an official adviser, he never charged for his services.

In an interesting move during the Rojales plenary

Trending Down

Air pollution was responsible for 29,980 premature deaths in Spain in 2013, according to the latest report by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The good news is that the EEA says that the 2013 figures are better than those for 2012, which showed that over 33,000 premature deaths were caused by air pollution.

The Air Quality in Europe Report, which examines data from over 400 cities, links air pollution to 467,000 deaths in 41 European countries with nine out of ten Europeans who live in cities breathing air that damages their health.

The report says that levels of nitrogen oxides from cars and vehicles have not fallen sufficiently, which has led to Madrid council introducing a series of measures aimed at limiting the use of cars in the city centre.

meeting, a PP councillor actually rang the number, which was answered by the adviser who was watching

the proceedings in the public gallery. The adviser was actually asked who the bill payer was.

Expensive Heels

A 29-year-old Dutch woman has been arrested after the National Police found that she had crammed 180,000 euro in her highheeled shoes as she was planning to board a flight from Madrid to Columbia.

She had flown in from Brussels and was due to catch a connecting flight to Medellín, Colombia, from Madrid, but was pulled over when she appeared to be 'acting suspiciously'. Her high-heeled shoes had been

'labouriously manipulated' to create a double layer inside the heel part, and two small packages had been hidden in each.

The packets all contained 45,000 each in 500 euro notes, all folded up. Sums in cash of 10,000 thousand euros or over carried in hand luggage or checked baggage have to be declared in customs, with proof of its origin as part of international money-laundering laws.

Pigeon Protection

Morning Call

The Guardia Civil arrested four people on Monday who are accused of being involved in a migrant network with links to the Islamic State. Two of the detentions were in the Almeria area, with the other two in the north in Coruña, Galicia.The four are also under investigation for links to two people detained in Austria last year with suspected connections to the Paris attackers.

Barcelona council are to take novel steps to reduce the city's pigeon population by using contraception.

The city has an estimated 80,000-plus pigeons, and the new initiative will replace old methods of rounding up and killing them, after their mess has denigrated the city's open spaces, as well

as listed buildings and monuments.

Putting the birds on the pill could slash the pigeon population by up to 80 percent within four years, but the first stage of the process is to actually conduct a census of how many pigeon that there are over the next two months.

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Tony Mayes - About Life

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Making Plans For Nigel The more America progresses in the making of a new president, the more interesting it gets. Making a complete nonsense of political convention, Donald Trump is turning everything on its head. And the real coup was to have Nigel Farage to visit him before Prime Minister Teresa May and then to suggest he should become the UK ambassador to the US. Not surprisingly, the response

was that there was no vacancy - Britain already had an ambassador to the US. Farage joined in the fun by accusing Downing Street of putting its dislike of him ahead of the national interest. But the exchange got me thinking.

Why do politicians have to be so pompous? Britain is facing all manner of problems because of Brexit, and the more brains that are put to the job of getting the UK

out with the minimum of damage (and better still the UK coming out smelling of roses), the better. If Nigel Farage (now with time on his hands as UKIP have a new leader that looks like staying around!) can pull off a trade deal with the US which benefits the British economy by whispering in Trump's ear, then why not let him have a stab at it?

Why does a political party think they have all the

Turkish Delight I have no doubt that quite a few people who voted for Brexit were worried about Turkey joining the EU, resulting in millions of Muslims being able to enter Europe legally and many more immigrants trying to get into Britain.

Nigel Farage was vocal in warning about negotiations, albeit at an early stage, between the EU and Turkey about possible membership.

And now we see the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, effectively putting a gun at Europe's head. Reacting to a nonbinding vote by the

European Parliament to freeze talks on EU membership for Turkey, he said he will let hundreds of thousands of migrants travel on to Europe if pushed by the EU. So there you have it Turkey wants membership and will stop at nothing to get it and heaven help Europe if it happens. Migrant numbers reaching the Greek islands have dropped since an EUTurkey deal in March to curb the influx. As part of the March deal, Turkey was promised aid, visa-free travel for its nationals and accelerated membership talks.

When he heard of the

European Parliament vote, the President responded: "Listen to me: these border gates will be opened if you go any further." Isn't that that wonderful? Turkey effectively is throwing down the gauntlet.

The problem is that it is in Europe and the world's interests for Turkey to be a stable country, being close to two of the worst Islamic State-troubled countries.

If Turkey falls out with Europe big time, there's Russia's Putin waiting in the wings only too willing to be big buddy. It's a horrible, horrible world.

answers and all the rest have none? There are Brexit supporters in most parties, so a government of national unity for a while may be of real benefit to Britain.

Still on Brexit, I was interested in an idea from MEPs that individual Brits could pay to retain the benefits of European Union citizenship after Brexit.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator, said he backed

the proposal to allow UK citizens to "opt in" individually to EU membership. Under the scheme Brits would pay a fee to give them free movement within Europe, the right to reside in any EU country and to vote in elections.

And something I really liked was a comment from Charles Goerens, an MEP from Luxembourg that the scheme could even be free for Britons - provided that it

was a voluntary request made by each Brit. Here's an example of people coming together to reach a conclusion to benefit all.

Most important is that when the best possible deal is on the table, the British people should be able to have another referendum to decide whether they wanted to accept it or to keep the status quo which is to remain in the European Union.

Papers Please Is it so terrible that patients have to take their passport, driving licence or other form of identification with them when they visit an NHS hospital in Britain?

Judging from the response from many Brits to the proposal, anyone would have thought they were being asked to part with their family fortunes. The idea of proving identity is so that patients can show they are eligible for free NHS treatment, thus cutting down on health tourism.

In 2015 the Government paid out £674m to other European countries for the

treatment of Britons abroad, but received only £49m in return for the NHS treatment of European citizens. The target is to increase the amount the Government claws back from European countries from the current £49m to £200m. There is also a need to crack down on maternity tourism, especially from non-EU countries. The problem is that the cost of running the NHS is soaring, with Trusts getting into ever deeper debt, yet it provides care to people who have never contributed a penny towards it.

It's amazing how British

expats here in Spain accept without question applying for a SIP card to get medical treatment and show it every time they go to the doctor or hospital, yet those still in the UK bitch about doing something similar. It's about time eligible Brits are issued with health cards, and better still have to apply for identity cards and those ineligible shipped out of the country.

Liberal do-gooders in Britain need to shape up and realise the country cannot be the hospital, the housing authority, the education system or the food and cash bank for the world.

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Poppy Donation

Generous staff and customers at Iceland’s San Fulgencio branch recently donated over eighteen-hundred euro to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, which was handed over to Robin Hargrave, the chairman of the RBL’s Gran

Alacant and La Marina branch.

Robin, along with the branch Poppy Appeal organiser, Helen Goodman, thanked two of the Iceland team, Tracey Cox and Rachel Culloty, and presented them with a commemo-

Santa’s Beauty

Panto Success

rative certificate.

The RBL branch meets on the first Monday of every month at 6.00 pm in Amigos Bar, located on Avenida Escandinavia, Gran Alacant, and more details are available by calling Robin on 966 695 423.

It may only be curtain-up in January for the latest Rojales Pantomime Group show, but the Sleeping Beauty made an early appearance at the San Luis Lakeside Centre in Torrevieja last weekend to promote their panto, as well as meeting up with Father Christmas at the Christmas Shop.

The Sleeping Beauty will be performed at the Escuela de Música y Cultura in Los Montesinos on Thursday January 12th through till Saturday January 14th, with the evening shows starting at 7.30 pm, plus a Saturday matinee at 2.30 pm. Tickets are priced at seven euro for adults, and two euro for children.

Lodge Gives The Philip Scott Lodge of the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes (RAOB), who meet regularly in Bar Catorce in Benijofar, have donated 750 euro to their main charity of the year, which is the Torrevieja Stroke Support Group. Other donations from the Lodge have seen 250 euro given to the needy of Benijofar to buy food parcels for Christmas, and another 75 euro to the RBL’s Poppy Appeal.

Three sell-out nights at San Fulgencio’s Cardenal Belluga theatre for the recent Stagestruck pantomime, Aladdin, saw the

appreciative audiences get into some early festive spirit.

Proceeds from the production will go to local char-

ities including the Alzheimer’s Association, with the next Stagestruck show pencilled in for next spring.

Claus Walk It’s that time of the year again when the local cancer charity fundraisers Maria and The Pink Ladies will be staging their annual Santa Fun Walk this Sunday (December 4th). The fivekilometre event, which starts and finishes at the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre, gets going at midday.

Entries cost just five euro per person, and there will be a special collection of food items for the Torrevieja-

based homeless charity, Reach Out, as well as toi-

letries for the Children’s Home.

Elche

Melodramatic Fun Audiences were treated to two fun evenings last weekend at the latest production from the GASP (Gran Alacant and Santa Pola) Theatre Group put on at the Santara Life Resort in Gran Alacant. All the ticket proceeds from the two performances will go to Cruz Roja in Santa Pola, which GASP regularly supports. It was a night of two halves, as the first part consisted of three Victorian melodramas, all happily over-acted and packed with corny jokes and bad puns. The second half

was a light-hearted satirical poke at Brexit, including a chance to eavesdrop on the

Minister for Administrative Affairs briefing her private secretary.

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Friday 2nd December 2016

It’s Good IHT from Me and It’s Not so Good IHT from Him

By Richard Samuels, IFA, Blacktower Financial Management

As retirement approaches, many of us start to think about what will happen to the money and assets we have accrued during our lifetime when we eventually shuffle off our mortal coil. One of the biggest considerations for many is inheritance tax(IHT), which, if not carefully planned for, will take a sizeable chunk out of an estate, leaving any beneficiaries severely out of pocket.

act as tax wrappers ensuring no Capital Gains Tax on investments, they can also avoid the dreaded Modelo 720 declaration, and minimise tax paid on withdrawals. By nominating beneficiaries, this avoids the need for probate, ensuring a quick payment. Interestingly, assets held in a bond are also outside of the scope for means testing for UK care homes.

Currently, in the UK, an estate of more than £325,000 is taxed at a rate of 40%. Cumulated assets that are worth less than £325,000 can be bequeathed tax free under the ‘nil band rate’. Married couples and civil partners - who are not subject to inheritance tax - are entitled to double their nil band rate allowance, meaning that, combined, they can own assets worth up to £650,000 before inheritance tax kicks in.

Careful estate planning is important whether you are resident in Spain or not. If you would like more information on avoiding the common Inheritance Tax pitfalls or advice on any of the issues raised, you can contact me at richard.samuels@blacktowerfm.com.

Whereas assets left to your surviving spouse or civil partner are free from inheritance tax, under the intestacy rules - when someone dies without making a will - not all of the estate will necessarily pass to the surviving spouse or partner. In the UK, the husband, wife or civil partner keeps all assets up to £250,000 and 50% of the remainder, with the other 50% divided equally between any surviving children.

The case of the late Rik Mayall highlights the pitfalls of not making a will. When Mayall died suddenly in June 2014, there were no probate instructions relating to his £1.2m estate, meaning that a substantial portion of his assets went straight to his children, bypassing his spouse, which triggered a substantial tax liability. Had he made a will, his estate would have gone to his spouse, with no inheritance tax liabilities.

Of course, one way of limiting an inheritance tax liability is to reduce the capital, although there are strict rules under UK law that limit this. The ‘7 year rule’ provides that gifts

made 3 to 7 years before a person’s death are taxed on a sliding scale known as ‘taper relief’. If a gift is made less than 3 years prior to death, inheritance tax is applied at the full 40% rate. However, if it is made 3-4 years before death, the rate drops to 36%. Continuing this, 4-5 years incurs 32%, 4-5 years 24%, 5-6 years 16%, 6-7 years 8% and if the gift is made 7 or more years beforehand, the inheritance tax liability is 0%.

Ronnie Corbett is an example of someone who identified the inheritance tax trap and planned in advance. When Corbett died in March this year, it transpired that he had sold the family home in 2003 for £1.27m and downsized to a property worth around one fifth as much as his previous residence. The aim of this was to free up capital for his children and help them sidestep a hefty inheritance tax bill.

As the sale occurred more than seven years prior to his death, his kids’ inheritance tax bill on the £1.27m he gave them was zero.

Residents of Spain may also find that Spanish Succession Tax is liable on some of their assets. I will discuss this in more detail in the next article.

However, a Spanish resident can make use of a Spanish Compliant Portfolio bond to help mitigate some of the effects of UK IHT and Spanish Succession Tax. Portfolio Bonds can

I can also help you track lost pensions, including personal pensions or occupational pensions and schemes used to “contract out”. If you have lost touch with a pension scheme since moving to Spain, we can contact them on your behalf to find out what your pension entitlement may be.

For further information contact: Richard Samuels, International Financial Adviser, Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd M: 692 352 156 or E: richard.samuels@blacktowerfm.com The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity.

Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV in Spain.

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OEM PARTS EXCLUSIVELY USED IN NATIONAL REPAIR NETWORK OEM PARTS

OEM parts are Original Equipment Manufactured parts as made by your car’s manufacturer. They are brand new, usually more expensive and sometimes take longer to order. But they are a no brainer. Body shops love them because they fit perfectly and install easy.

LÍNEA DIRECTA ONLY USES OEM PARTS Línea Directa is the only insurance company that guarantees the use of OEM parts in their repairer network. Thanks to an exclusive purchasing and distribution agreement with the major manufacturers, when you repair your vehicle through its exclusive network of body shops and repairers, they guarantee the use of OEM parts. After vehicle repairs

are complete, they send a list of the OEM parts used for you to keep in your log book. It’s one less thing to worry about.

DO ALL INSURANCE COMPANIES USE OEM PARTS? At the time of publishing this article, no other insurance company in Spain guarantees the exclusive use of OEM parts in their repairer network.

Some insurance companies rely on after market parts and used parts to keep the repair costs to a minimum, only paying for OEM parts if no other parts are available.

After-market parts are parts made by a company other than your vehicle’s manufacturer. They are new and the spec should be very close to the original specs.

However, some minor fitting adjustments maybe required by the body shop.

Used parts come from the scrap yard. Cars involved in accidents, engine trouble or age, mean that scrapped cars will have some working parts, which can be resold.

The used parts are usually OEM parts.

NATIONAL NETWORK OF BODY SHOP REPAIRERS Using the Línea Directa network to repair your car means more than just OEM parts. The whole repair service is handled from start to finish. Your vehicle is collected at the agreed time and place. The repairs are carried out swiftly, efficiently and according to original manufacturer specs. You can request a replacement vehicle for the duration of the repair. They will keep you updated on progress and after completion; your vehicle will be delivered at the agreed time and place.

FOCUS ON...

Established for nearly 3 years, Quesada Color SL is a new paint supply shop based in Calle Los Arcos in Quesada opposite Quesada Fish n Chips Restaurant and is managed by James, who has been in the Painting and Decorating business for over 30 years.

The idea for a one stop, quality paint supply shop arose when James found himself frustrated at not being able to find quality products. After long negotiations with the world’s largest paint supplier ‘AkzoNobel’ he was granted permission as the first supplier in Spain to make Dulux Paint on his premises using their mixing machine and shaker all with Dulux codes. With unlimited colours to choose from, never again can you say that you cannot find the perfect colour of paint. Besides Paint, Quesada Color also stock a full range of supplies from brushes and rollers to buckets, floor covers and cleaning supplies.

Open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm and Saturday 9.30am to 2pm or for more information phone James on 603 378 732.

London-trained hair stylists David and Karen run Cut & Co and have established themselves in their premises in Calle Los Arcos in Quesada, which they moved to nearly three years ago. Both have over 20 years' experience in the hairdressing business and provide precision haircuts and hair colouring in a relaxed atmosphere, with care and attention given to every client.

The rest of the Cut & Co team includes Annette, their beauty therapist, who provides luxury manicures and pedicures, shellac nails and rejuvenating facials. Lizzy Maxton is available for permanent make-up, advanced Micro-Blading and non-surgical face lifts using an advanced form of micro-dermabrasion.

An advanced Skin Care Clinic is also available by appointment only Cut & Co are now offering wedding packages that include hair, nails and full make-up. You can find the salon on Facebook at Cut an Co Karen and David as well as Wedding makeup artist & nails Costa Blanca.

To book a hair or any other beauty appointment, phone Karen on 648 879 654 or David on 699 409 433.

A family run business, the Gold Shop Quesada which is based in Calle Los Arcos 17 in Quesada has been established over 10 years.

A thriving business, they specialise in the buying and selling of all types of quality jewellery including watches, rings, bracelets and necklaces. They can also design and make a piece of jewellery to your own personal specifications.

Quesada Gold Shop can also reset stones, repair and make alterations to all types of jewellery pieces and also provide a Pawn service. You can view an extensive range of retail jewellery now in store and discuss any individual requirements including repairs and crafting in a pleasant and private environment.

The Gold Shop Quesada can turn your unwanted jewellery into cash and with Christmas just around the corner, the Gold Shop Quesada has something for everyone and is well worth a visit for that special gift!

Open Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm or Tel. 603 224 373

QUESADA

12

Pets

Friday 2nd December 2016

Dealing With Ferals

Animal welfare charity Cruz Azul is continuing its work to maintain control over cat colonies in the Murcia region. Following successful campaigns in Sucina and El Valle Golf, they are working with animal love, Lorraine Ora, in the San Pedro del Pinatar campo.

Recently, Lorraine discovered a large cat colony near her home and paid to have three of them neutered. She did not have funds to sterilise all thirteen cats but knew Cruz Azul supports Trap-NeuterReturn (TNR) campaigns and asked for their help.

Cruz Azul has initially pledged 300 euro to sterilise as many as can be caught and will continue to support Lorraine until the whole colony has been neutered.

“TNR is the most humane way of dealing with cat colonies,” said charity vicepresident, Sue Thomason.

“Cruz Azul are committed to helping people who want to do this rather than cats suffering horrible deaths from being poisoned. That is just barbaric and as TNR is proven the world over, we are happy to promote and support it.”

Trap-Neuter-Return means the cats are humanely trapped in their colony, taken to a local vet to be sterilised, ear-clipped and vaccinated under anaesthetic, then returned to their colony site. Earclipping is to indicate the cat has been sterilised.

The feral cats are normally returned to their colony on the same day with good antibiotic protection.

A Question Of Sex

So, you have decided you want a dog, but what to get, male or female? The answer to this question may differ depending on the person that is being asked. Some people actually believe that one sex is better than the other sex.

The battle of the sexes is not limited to humans after all.

Some believe that the male dog is more affectionate and easier to train, while the female dog is more aggressive and protective of its owners and puppies. Well, the truth is that when it comes to dogs and puppies there is no superior sex. The qualities cited above are just the anecdotal observations of many dog owners. There is no study that has proved any general truism that a dog will behave a certain way because it is male or female.

The behaviour of a dog will depend on how it is raised and trained as a puppy. Some dogs are more affectionate or aggressive than others because of the environment in which they were raised.

The decision of whether to get a male or a female puppy is entirely dependent on the preference of the owner-tobe.

Now, the behaviour of a dog

may depend on its training, but the sex of a dog can dictate its ability to learn from that training. It is a fact that a female dog is smaller in size and tends to reach maturity faster than the male dog. Its early maturity gives it an advantage when it comes to training. This does not mean that the female dog is more intelligent than the male dog.

It only means that the female dog will be easier to train than a male dog of the same age because it is more mature.

The female dog comes into estrus two times a year. Also known as the “heat” cycle, this season will last about two weeks or as long as three weeks. During this period, the female dog produces a bloody vaginal secretion that acts as a lure for male dogs.

If you do not want your female dog to breed during her heat cycle then you must keep her locked inside or isolated from any male dogs. It is also best to keep her locked in an area where the floors are not carpeted to so that her bloody discharge will not stain the carpets.

If you have no plans to breed your female dog then it is best to consider the option of having her spayed. Keep in mind

that spayed dogs are ineligible for entry into dog shows, so if you have no plans of competing with your dog then it is best to have her spayed while she is still young. Many experts agree that the best time to have a female dog spayed is when she is about six to eight months old.

Spaying has been shown to lower the risk of ovarian or uterine diseases in most female dogs. It is also believed that spaying has positive effects on the behaviour of a female dog. It has been observed by many that female dogs have a better temperament after they have been spayed, often displaying much less aggression and becoming mellower.

Needless to say, spaying also prevents accidental or unwanted pregnancies, so it is important to make sure you take care of it as early as possible if you do not want to breed your dog.

The non-neutered male dog, on the other hand, tends to be more dominant and high-spirited. He has an innate urge to dominate other dogs that are smaller, and will sometimes try to dominate his owner as well. A weak owner can easily be dominated by a large male

dog. Male dogs are also more independent than female dogs, so it is very important to start obedience training as soon as he is ready to be trained.

The owner should be firm during training so that the male dog knows who is in command - i.e. the “top-dog” from the start. A male dog that has not been neutered also tends to be more aggressive and will always try to find ways out of the patio to roam.

This kind of behaviour can easily be prevented if the owner shows a firm hand in the training and discipline of the dog.

As with female dogs, if you do not intend to breed your male dog, it is best to neuter it while it is young to improve its behaviour and make training easier. A neutered dog is generally less aggressive, calmer and less likely to roam.

Pets Corner: Can You Take In A Homeless Dog Or Cat?

CARRIE

LEO

LOUIE

SALLY

SID

Carrie is aged around three years, and was rescued a day or two after having just given birth to puppies. Carrie had very little love or socialisation with people, but now, several months later, she is a happy girl with lots of love to give, who gets on well with other dogs and loves to play. For more on Carrie, please call PEPA on 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmail.com

Six-and-a-half-year-old Leo has been looked after by APAH since he was two months old. He is a lovely dog, but sadly Leo has never been offered a home. He has a longterm medical condition which is not contagious and is maintained by medication. APAH is looking for a long-term foster home where he can spend the rest of his life in a loving environment and his medical costs will be met by the charity. To meet Leo, please call 630 422 563.

Louie is a mastiff that’s a real loveable gentle giant, who likes a good belly rub! He is good with people, and was found wandering the streets.

He appears to have been well looked after, but with no microchip on him, his owners cannot be traced. He is well house trained, is very good on a lead and can be left to roam freely within boundaries. For more on Louie, please call K9 on 600 845 420.

Sally is just eight months old and had been discarded by the people she thought would protect her. She was being bullied on the streets by feral cats and when the Pets in Spain team approached her with a cat box, she immediately walked straight into it. She loves to curl up on a lap and will make a wonderful companion. Sally is vaccinated and sterilised, and to find out more, call 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com

Sid is a super-cute crossbreed small-medium-sized dog, who is now about six months old and is not expected to grow much more. He and his siblings and mum were rescued from a Perrera.

Currently in a foster home with lots of other dogs, he is used to living in a home. For more details on this lovely sweet boy, please call PEPA on 650 304 746 or Email: p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmail.com

ZORO Zoro is a great little dog who is a 10-month-old small crossbreed. He is full of life and still needs a little training on the lead, but apart from that, he is a super little boy, who deserves a forever home. He is fully vaccinated, micro chipped and neutered.

If you think Zoro might be the perfect addition to your family, then please contact the SAT kennels on 966 710 047 or email info@satanimalrescue.com

Local

13

Friday 2nd December 2016

An Early Present The Samaritans in Spain had their pre-Xmas coffers boosted to the tune of 965 euro thanks to last month’s fund raising night at Guardamar’s El Alto La Dolores restaurant.

Entertainment was provided

by Woody, with the top raffle prize of a cruise donated by the restaurant owners, being won by Alan Chew from the El Raso urbanisation.

Meanwhile, the Samaritans are staging a Disney Christmas celebration at their drop-in centre at Punta Marina at Punta Prima on Saturday December 10th between 10.00 am and 2.00

pm, with a wide variety of items on sale, as well as plenty of festive novelties and

mince pies to eat.

Entertainment will be provided by the TAABS singers.

Choirs Combine Two of the area’s leading choirs are joining forces for a special concert in Torrevieja in aid of Age Concern, Costa Blanca South. The Spangles Ladies Barbershop Chorus, based in Los Alcazares, will be linking up with the Torrevieja-based Crescendo International Choir (pictured) on Saturday December 10th for the event that will be staged at the Torrevieja Christian Fellowship building on Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas, starting at 5.00 pm.

Since starting out in 2004 with only five ladies,

Carols And Fashion

There were stalls aplenty and music from the Torrevieja Barbershop Harmonisers all bringing a bit of seasonal spirit to last weekend’s Paul Cunningham Nurses Christmas Fair, at Casa Ventura, San Luis, Torrevieja.

Carols and songs were mixed in with a special fashion show that brought a touch of the Milan catwalks to the Costa Blanca!

Happy Exchange

A group of Scottish students have been getting a taste of Spanish life as part of an exchange with the IES Mar Menor at Santiago de la Ribera. The 16 youngsters, who are studying the Spanish language and are 14 to 16, come from Helensburgh’s Hermitage Academy, and they spent a week in the area taking in the sites.

Keep On Smiling The Smile Charity Group that raise money for local charities through putting on shows in the area have been handing out a total of fifteenhundred euro to local beneficiaries.

Cheques of 500 euro each were presented at Benijófar’s Plaza de la Constitución to the Benijófar Crisis Appeal, Torrevieja Stroke Support, and the Elche Children’s Home.

The photo shows (left to right): Annette English (Elche Children’s Home); Ted Kitchingham (Smile Charity Group); Luis Rodriguez (Mayor of Benijófar); Pilar Yagues (Benijófar Social Services Director); Dolly Ford (Smile Charity Group); and Lilybeth Stevens (Torrevieja

Seasonal First

Spangles has now grown to 35 members and are the three times gold-medal-winning Barbershop Chorus Champions of Spain.

Crescendo also started 12 years ago, and at present number have over 60 male and female singers compris-

ing of many nationalities.

Tickets costing just five euro each, with every cent going to Age Concern, are available from Crescendo (Mary Mitchell) on 965 725 641; Spangles (Lynn) on 693 017 617, and from Age Concern on 966 786 887.

Families Helped

The Torrevieja-based Cantabile Choir will be performing a concert of Christmas carols on Thursday December 8th, at La Siesta church in Torrevieja, starting at 6.30 pm. It will be the first performance in charge for recently appointed musical director, Valerie Beange, who took over from Jennifer Morton earlier this year.

Admission is free of charge, with a collection being taken in aid of church funds.

Almoradi Switch Sue Gibson and her Suzi4fitz fitness and dance group team recently handed over a stunning three thousand euro to Los Montesinos Mayor Jose Manuel Butrón, which was raised in their sell-out spring shows held at the town’s

music auditorium.

The money will be used as food vouchers distributed by the Montesinos social services department, which local needy families can use at five local shops to buy essential items to get them through the winter months.

Legion Changes There’s a new man at the helm of the Orihuela Costa branch of the Royal British Legion with Kevin Reardon taking over for a second stint as chairman, replacing his long-serving predecessor, Keith Carter. Along with committee changes, the announcement was made at the branch’s AGM last week, which was attended by the RBL District North chairman, Nigel Hails (pictured from left to right, Nigel Hails, Kevin Reardon, and Keith Carter).

The branch is currently finalising the amount raised this year for the Poppy Appeal on the back of over 35,000 euro that was given in 2015,

with Appeal co-ordinator Eddie Coleman saying that it had been another bumper year.

New members are always welcome, and the next meeting will be at the Olympia Restaurant, Mil Palmeras on Thursday December 15th, starting at 7.00 pm, featuring an informal carol sing-along.

The Almoradi Monday Club have a new venue this coming Monday as they now get together on the first and third Monday of each month starting at 4.00 pm at the Centro Social Rooms, The Plaza, Calle Antimo Illescas off Calle Comunidad Valenciana in the town.

The club welcomes people who speak English and live in Almoradi and the surrounding area to meet on an informal basis to enjoy local life, with social events, dining out, and guest speakers at regular meetings. For more details you can email davedanie@gmail.com

Stroke Support).

Smile is dedicated to supporting local charities, and have raised over 14,000 euro for local charities over the last three years. Sadly, Smile’s latest touring production scheduled for this month, and, as previewed in The Courier in November, has had

to be postponed due to the death one of the cast members.

The Group hope to restage the show in the New Year.

More details on getting involved with Smile are available via their e-mail, smilecharitygroup@gmail.co m.

Festive Cheer

The sound of Christmas will be ringing around La Zenia on Sunday December 11th, with the annual seasonal concert performed by the In Harmony chamber choir conducted by Nigel Hopkins. Soloists Verity Hall and Mary Beer will also be taking part in an evening of

traditional Christmas music at the Iglesia Santa Maria del Mar, just off La Zenia island, starting at 7.30 pm.

Tickets are available only at La Ponderosa Gift Shop at La Zenia C.C. and are limited, and so if you are interested in going along, get them quick!

Christmas Spirit The New Cardenal Belluga Theatre Group are to stage three carol concerts around the La Marina Urbanisation area later this month. The first event will be at the La Marina Social Centre on Wednesday December 14th at 7.00 pm, followed by the Market Place on Thursday December 15th at noon, and finishing off on Friday December 16th at Ramons Restaurant on Calle Londres, starting at 7.30 pm.

14

Friday 2nd December 2016

BY DAVE SILVER

A House Full Of Kids‌.Ain’t That Grand!

I thought that once my two children grew up and left home I would get back my abode again.

I could then feel free to live in my living room, lounge about in my lounge and sleep peacefully in my bedroom without the continuous bass thump of popular music reverberating through the walls and into my fatiguecrazed lugholes.

'Don't get me wrong,' I assured Mrs S, 'I love the fruit of my loins very, very much.'

'What's the difference between "very" and "very, very"?' asked a puzzled Mrs S. 'Not very, very much,' I conceded.

Mrs S sighed. 'Methinks you are trying to mask your relief at getting back full occupancy of your home by exaggerating your feelings

for our beloved offspring.'

'Nonsense!' I cried. 'I worship my daughter and . . . er . . . the other one.'

'You've just proved my point,' said Mrs S, pointing her finger at me to emphasise her point. (Three points to her for that last paragraph.)

'How was I to know that our son was our child?' I asked. 'When he was at home, I was out. And vice versa. Don't forget, too, that people do change in their looks as they get older. How was I to recognise him?'

Mrs S shook her head. 'For three years you thought our son was merely a lodger.

That is unforgivable in my book.'

I mulled over Mrs S's allegations. All I could come up with in reply was: 'You never told me you'd written a book.'

Anyway, to get back to my

story. I honestly thought that when my grown children left home I would be able to sprawl out in my empty nest and do my own thing.

How wrong my reasoning turned out to be. For, as is generally known, after one's children come and go, there appear on the scene those lovable but strange creatures, the grandkids.

One minute my three grandchildren were cute tiny things who I fussed over every time they visited.

And then suddenly (well, it seemed like suddenly but it was more likely gradually) the babies had metamorphosed into wee beasties.

And they had established territorial rights in my living room.

My eldest grandchild built his US Cavalry fort around my favourite armchair and I was ordered to go nowhere

near it.

And for the periods when the land-grab boy was not in residence in my house, he had sub-let his military smallholding to his cousin, my youngest grandchild, who used the space to build a British police station.

Likewise, I was told to avoid the area.

Actually, the arrangement worked out surprisingly well for the two lads. It didn't matter whether the play space contained figures such as General Custer or Dixon of Dock Green -- as long as Grandpa stayed well away!

Meanwhile, my middle grandchild, the younger sister of the cavalryman and the older cousin of the cop, had pushed the other armchair up close to the sofa and draped a throw over the gap.

This was her den. But there wasn't a toy in sight,

just pencils and notebooks for the adventure stories which constantly and consistently poured from her creative mind.

Also in her den she kept bottles of water and snacks to ensure her survival while she penned her literary pieces.

'Point of order!' Mrs S has just shouted while looking over my shoulder at what I'm typing.

I immediately ceased my work because if there is one thing in life that I value it is the judgement of Mrs S when it comes to my written remembrances.

But for some reason, my intended question 'What doth thou desirest, my darling?' came out as 'What the hell do you want, wifey?'

'It's something you said about our granddaughter penning her stories,' said Mrs

S. 'I'm just wondering whether anything can be penned using only a pencil.'

'Don't be so pedantic,' I said.

'Well, just how pedantic do you want me to be?' she said.

Anyway, I reckon my granddaughter is destined in adulthood to become a creative writer in the somewhat romantic setting of an unfurnished attic.

There she will find fame and success -- just like her grandfather . . . er . . . didn't.

To bring this article to a welcome conclusion, I would just point out that I never had any wee beastie problems when I owned dogs.

'That's because you behave like a dog,' responded Mrs S. 'Rubbish,' I growled, panting heavily and wagging my finger at her.

ma

g

TV

Friday 2nd December 2016

In Plain Sight

2

Friday 2nd December 2016

TRELI ON THE TELLY WITH ALEX TRELINSKI

After a superb edition of Have I Got News For You last Friday on BBC 1, I decided to check out a new sketch show called Walliams and Friend, which was commissioned on the back of a Christmas special last year which teamed up David Walliams and Joanna Lumley. The series opener had Walliams joined by an almost unrecognisible Jack Whitehall (minus his beard and looking ten years younger) and I'm surprised to say that I really enjoyed it and it made me laugh. I must have been in a minority as critics savaged it, but comedy is always subjective. Remember that the critics hate Mrs. Brown's Boys. Now that he's concentrating on being one of the UK's top children's writers and doing his annual turn as a judge on Britain's Got Talent, it's easy to forget what a good comedy actor Walliams is, taking us back to his days working with Matt Lucas in Little Britain.

Sketch shows are always scattergun efforts as some routines work and others don't, and that was also the case in Tracey Ullman's tri-

A WALLIAMS WINNER

umphant return to UK screens earlier this year.

Walliams and Friend was a good knockabout that nodded a head in the direction of The Two Ronnies for some inspiration, and there's nothing wrong in that. I enjoyed the Big Brother-style send-up called Celebrity Slammer hosted

by Vernon Kaye, which strangely I would watch if it was an actual series, and the Sherlock spoof was great. Jack Whitehall was very good as he continues to move away from the stand-up/panel show arena, and with Harry Enfield to come as the friend tonight, there is a lot of merit in this show, which incidentally has got Sheridan Smith as another guest in addition to Hugh Bonneville lined up for the Christmas episode. By the way some detractors have knocked Walliams for losing his touch since "splitting" with Matt Lucas, but I don't think that Walliams will lose too much sleep over that. As a Lucas fan as well, I would point out that he produced a grade one stinker in the totally unfunny silent comedy for BBC 2, Pompidou, which the sched-

ulers got rid of last year in an early Sunday evening slot hoping that nobody would see it. Unfortunately I did.

Back to Walliams for a moment, and he has been announced as the first "guest host" for ITV's new nightly entertainment/chat show that launches initially for eight weeks in 2017, which is a get-out clause to pull it if it bombs. If it works, there's not a shred of doubt that ITV will let it run, and they've spent a million or two quid on just doing the pilots last month, which suggests they want this to be a big hit. ITV have decided to bump News at Ten to 10.30 and I wish them well, but they must get two elements

right, namely getting good hosts who are given a good format to work with.

Things are getting serious for the big weekend shows, as Ed Balls bade farewell to Strictly last Sunday (and hopefully with a new image, will return to politics to rescue the Labour Party). Later that evening, the awful apology for entertainment that is Honey G with her "one-trick" pony act got the boot from The X Factor, and barring a novelty record somewhere down the line, we will mercifully never hear of her again. Brit viewers always enjoy an underdog (no matter how useless) but they also have the sense to bring down the curtain on them before the real serious busi-

ness gets going.

Twenty-two years ago, the first UK National Lottery draw almost brought the nation to a standstill on a Saturday night. Fast forward to the present, and come this January, BBC 1 will stop screening the balls doing their thing, with the draw only being screened live via the BBC iPlayer. The BBC spin-machine says the move "reflects the changing behaviour" of viewers, which is a code for saying that nobody is that bothered in watching it. That must also be confirmed by what lottery operator Camelot found because they must have tried hawking the draw around to other broadcasters only to find relative disinterest. By the way, the first draw show attracted 25 million viewers. Last Saturday, it was tucked away at 10.00 pm (UK time) and couldn't even muster three million people to tune in. Don't times change?

Currently being repeated on More 4 is the surprise drama hit of the year, Deutschland 83, which got me hooked with its mixture of Cold War skulduggery mixed in with the occasional

touch of comedy. Who says Germans don't have a sense of humour? Get it on download and enjoy a show which a few days ago walked away with the Best International Drama Emmy award, and then start counting down to the sequel set three years later. Channel Four have again got the rights to it, but it will only start shooting next year with a 2018 transmission date.

Aaaagh......

I love the way that the new Coronation Street boss Kate Oates has brought the show back to what it should be all about, and that's great characters and relationships. Old favourites are back, or set to return, and I like the newly-expanded Barlow clan. Other touches include more imagination in the way things are directed, and having run Emmerdale, it’s clear that Oates likes to get those cameras rolling around outdoors as much as possible. One plea though….and I suspect that Oates inherited this plot from her predecessor: please get rid of the silly Maria “accused of murder” storyline a.s.a.p. It’s plain daft and boring,

3

Friday 2nd December 2016

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4 BRITs Icon: Robbie Williams

The Coming War On China

Lawful Killing: Mark Duggan

Tuesday - ITV

Monday - ITV The BRITs Icon is the highest accolade given by the BRIT Awards and is only presented to artists whose writing, recording and performances have made a lasting impact on British culture.

The previous winners are Sir Elton John and David Bowie.

Robbie Williams will be the 3rd artist to receive this award and will be celebrating in style, with a special, one-off show from the Troxy in London. He will also tell the story of his career in a series of VTs which will also feature key individuals from his career such as Take That, Nicole Kidman and Kylie.

Extraordinary Weddings Thursday - ITV Extraordinary Weddings follows the inspirational stories of six couples who, against all the odds and having faced some of life’s toughest challenges, are finally going to be tying the knot and saying ‘I do’.

Each episode follows the incredible journey of two couples, from the events that made them unite in the face of adversity, through to the moment their big day arrives and they get to marry their beloved.

In this first episode are two couples in their 20s, who both met as carefree students with their lives ahead of them, when their worlds were turned upside down.

“The aim of this film is to break a silence: the United States and China may be on the road to war, and nuclear war is no longer unthinkable” – John Pilger in The Coming War on China.

This new feature-length documentary by award-winning journalist and filmmaker John Pilger is his 60th film for television. Coming straight after the election of President Trump, the film is one of John Pilger’s most timely and urgent investigations. It is both a warning and an inspiring story of people’s resistance.

Filmed over two years in the Marshall Islands, Japan, Korea, China and the United States, The Coming War on China reveals what Pilger suggests is a build-up to war on the doorstep of China. More than 400 US military bases now encircle China in what one strategist calls ‘a perfect noose’.

Bringing together rare archive and interviews with witnesses, Pilger reports on America’s secret history in the region – the destruction of much of life in the Marshall Islands, once a paradise, by the explosion of the equivalent of one Hiroshima every day for 12 years, and the top secret ‘Project 4.1’ that made nuclear guinea pigs of the population.

Pilger and his crew chartered a plane to the irradiated island of Bikini where the 1954 Hydrogen Bomb poisoned the environment forever. He reports: “As my aircraft banked low over Bikini atoll, the emerald lagoon beneath me suddenly disappeared into a vast black hole, a deathly void.

When I stepped out of the plane, my shoes registered ‘unsafe’ on a Geiger counter. Almost everything was irradiated. Palm trees stood in unworldly formations, unbending in the breeze. There were no birds. It was a vision of what the world can expect if two nuclear powers go to war.”

Monday - BBC One Lawful Killing is a 90-minute documentary with dramatic reconstructions of the police shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham in August 2011.

The incident triggered the worst riots in living memory, with the impact extending far beyond the Duggan family and the community of Tottenham. Significant elements of what actually happened that day in August 2011 remain unclear, despite a Coroner’s Inquest and a lengthy IPCC Investigation.

This documentary recounts in forensic detail the events surrounding the death of Mark Duggan, with exclusive testimony from a number of key participants. It uses a combination of personal testimony, evidential footage, dramatised reconstruction based on verbatim Inquest transcripts, and witness and expert interviews.

Many of the events of the day remain in dispute, and the film accurately portrays the differing points of view of the family and friends of Duggan; the police officers involved in the operation and those tasked with investigating it subsequently.

By setting out to present a 360-degree version of all of the main accounts of what happened on that day, this film asks the audience to make up their own minds about an event which continues to resonate more than five years after it occurred.

Pictured: Actor Louis 'Dubz' Downie plays Mark Duggan

5

Friday 2nd December 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Big Food Rescue 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Secret Life of the Hospital Bed 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Coroner 16:00 Think Tank 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show

07:00 The World’s Most Photographed 07:30 The Big Food Rescue 08:15 The Secret Life of the Hospital Bed 09:00 Great British Menu 09:30 The Welsh Italians 10:00 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live: UK Championship S n o o k e r 19:00 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two

20:30 Still Open All Hours Granville organises a cutprice sale - but only as a means to get rid of old stock - while Nurse Gladys is reunited with a former patient. Romance is in the air in the neighbourhood, as Mrs Featherstone has her eye on a new arrival while Mavis tries to reignite Granville's passion

20:00 Mastermind John Humphrys gives four more contestants a chance to take a seat in the infamous black chair. Specialist subjects are musician Eric Clapton, Emperor Hadrian, cartoon character Tintin, and the life and Broadway stories of writer Damon Runyon

21:00 EastEnders Linda 20:30 Live: Match of the holds a ladies’ night at The Day Macclesfield Town v Oxford United (Kick-off Vic 20:55). Dan Walker pres21:30 Citizen Khan Mr ents coverage of the secKhan gets to know Alia’s ond-round match, which and takes place at Moss Rose.

Scab boyfriend becomes convinced a fami- Both of these sides know ly wedding is on the cards that they are just 90 minutes away from a place in the 22:00 Have I Got News for third round, which has the You Actor Tom Hollander potential to provide them hosts the satirical current with a memorable match against a Premier League affairs quiz side, not to mention a wel22:30 Walliams & Friend come financial boost David Walliams has invited comedian Harry Enfield to 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight 00:05 Close to the Enemy be his “Friend” this week 01:05 UK Championship 23:00 News 23:35 The Snooker 01:55 Sold! Inside Graham Norton Show the World’s Biggest Auction 00:25 Would I Lie to You? House 02:55 Question Time 00:55 The Apprentice 01:55 03:55 Rick Stein’s Long Weather For The Week Weekends 04:55 This Is Ahead 02:00 News BBC Two

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Judy 16:00 Tenable 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Nicola gets revenge 20:30 Coronation Street Kate holds the key to Maria’s freedom 21:00 Countrywise Liz Bonnin enjoys one of Britain’s National Trails as she walks part of the Thames Path through Oxfordshire - meeting some of the people and animals who call the banks of this impressive river home. Ben Fogle is in Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast to follow one of the nation’s favourite dishes - fish and chips from sea to plate. The programme also catches up with Dales shepherdess Amanda Owen as her family celebrates dad Clive’s birthday 21:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! The competition is ramping up and jungle life is not getting any easier, but it remains to be seen which famous face is most intent on capturing the jungle crown. Ant and Dec present the celebrity survival challenge, as the celebs continue their ordeal, struggling to complete the tough daily tasks 23:00 News 23:45 Film Evan Almighty 01:25 Jackpot247 04:00 ITV Nightscreen

07:00 Countdown 07:45 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Jamie’s Super Food 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 13:00 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Deal or No Deal 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Coast vs Country 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 21:00 Alan Carr’s Happy Hour Alan Carr throws open the doors to a brand new series filmed at a social club in front of a specially invited audience.

Rebel Wilson, Jack Whitehall, Rob Beckett, Bastille and James Arthur join the host for a lively mix of sketches, topical chat and music 22:00 Gogglebox The nation’s favourite armchair critics share their opinions on what they have been watching during the week.

The programme captures their instant reactions and lively - sometimes emotional - discussions from the comfort of their own homes 23:00 The Last Leg 00:05 8 Out of 10 Cats 00:55 Drifters 01:25 Film Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (18) 03:00 The Windsors 03:30 Liberty of London 04:25 Tricks of the Restaurant Trade 04:50 Location, Location, Location

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:30 Film Wishin’ and Hopin’ (12) 14:10 News 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Film - The Spirit of Christmas 18:00 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 News 20:00 The Gadget Show Ortis and Amy road test the best ice cream and lollyrelated gadgets. Then in Portugal, Ortis lets loose the latest drones, which boast long-awaited followme technology. Back in the UK, Jon tries to answer the perennial question of whether to upgrade one’s phone 21:00 Secrets of Great British Castles Lancaster Castle has witnessed scenes of historical, cultural and political significance throughout the centuries, including incidents of religious persecution, the trials of the Lancashire Witches and 200 public executions.

Owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, it was a state prison until 2011 and is still a working crown court. Dan Jones explores its turbulent history 22:00 Building the World’s Most Luxurious Ship With the deadline looming, can the engineers deliver a £360m superliner in time for the first cruise?

23:00 The Best of Bad TV 01:45 SuperCasino 04:10 Gangland 05:00 MPs: Behind Closed Doors 05:45 Housebusters

DON´T MISS BUILDING THE WORLDS MOST LUXURIOUS CRUISE SHIP

Channel 5 22:00

SOAPS

In Emmerdale with Nicola refusing to talk to Jimmy, Laurel decides to take drastic action by locking her in the pirate ship until she agrees to hear him out.

As Nicola threatens to call the police, Jimmy wonders

The first of a two-part documentary following engineers and designers as they construct the liner Seven Seas Explorer. The aim of cruise boss Frank Del Rio is to make it the most luxurious ship of its type, designed to convey 750 passengers when others of its size would hold 5,000.

Building the £360million vessel is a race against time for Italian shipbuilders Fincantieri, as tickets for the maiden voyage go on sale long before it is finished.

whether this really was their smartest move.

Meanwhile, Jermaine tells Belle that he’s landed a job in America but he won’t go to Boston without her.

Torn as this would affect her plans for college, Belle makes a major decision about her future.

Elsewhere, Pete gets angry when he finds out that Emma has found where Kasim is for Finn.

In Coronation Street, when Kate spots a transaction for a camera on a

credit card statement, she realises Caz’s game.

Aware that Caz is listening in via the hidden camera, Kate tells Aidan that she still loves Caz and wishes she could see her again.

Aidan reckons she has taken leave of her senses.

07:00 Dinner Date 07:50 Ellen DeGeneres 08:35 Emmerdale 09:35 You’ve Been Framed! 10:00 Psych 10:55 Catchphrase 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 13:15 Emmerdale 14:15 You’ve Been Framed!

14:45 Ellen DeGeneres 15:35 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed!

21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Family Guy 23:00 I’m a Celebrity Extra Camp 00:00 Family Guy 00:30 American Dad! 02:00 Two and a Half Men 02:30 Bordertown 02:55 The Planet’s Funniest Animals ITV3 07:00 Doctor in the House 07:25 George and Mildred 07:50 Heartbeat 08:50 Where the Heart Is 09:55 Wild at Heart 10:55 Judge Judy 12:05 Murder, She Wrote 13:05 Wycliffe14:10 Heartbeat 15:15 Wild at Heart 16:15 Where the Heart Is 17:25 Doctor in the House 17:55 You’re Only Young Twice 18:25 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Doc Martin 22:00 Foyle’s War 00:05 Blue Murder 02:05 Wycliffe ITV4 07:00 The Professionals 07:50 The Chase 08:45 Quincy, ME 09:45 Ironside 10:50 The Professionals 11:55 The Chase 12:55 Cash Cowboys 13:55 Pawn Stars 14:55 Storage Wars 15:50 Quincy, ME 16:55 Ironside 18:00 Storage Wars 19:00 Cash Cowboys 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 Ray Mears’ Close Encounters 22:00 Film - Jaws 2(PG) 00:25 Film - Lock Up (18) 02:35 The Big Fish Off

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Trev Massey, 14:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Gordon Lack

Later, Caz lets herself into Maria’s flat. Finding Kate alone, she admits that she’s been eavesdropping via a hidden camera.

Believing that Kate still loves her, Caz implores her to run away with her, suggesting they could start a new life. Kate maintains her act whilst secretly phoning Aidan.

However, when Caz tries to kiss her, Kate recoils and Caz realises with horror that she’s been tricked.

Will Caz make her getaway before Aidan arrives with the police, or is the

game up for Caz?

Meanwhile, Erica accompanies Mary to the doctors. Having examined her, the doctor confirms she has nothing to worry about, but Mary is unconvinced and insists she has a scan. What could be playing on Mary’s mind?

In Eastenders, It’s the day of the darts match and the charity ladies’ night at the Queen Vic and an apprehensive Jane prepares for the evening ahead with support from Stacey.

Later, it seems that Linda’s plan has worked when Jane receives compliments at the pub, finally boosting her confidence.

Meanwhile, Kathy is touched when Ian surprises her and it’s not long before she returns the favour with a surprise of her own.

Saturday 3rd December

6 07:00 Film - Mighty Joe Young (12) 08:30 Film Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan 10:00 Natural World 11:00 Secret Britain 12:00 Homes Under the Hammer 13:00 The Best Dishes Ever 13:30 Hairy Bikers’ Best of British 14:30 Rebecca (PG) 16:35 Flog UK Live: 17:30 It! Snooker Championship 20:00 Strictly Come 19:00 International Rugby Dancing The five remain- Union ing couples bring a taste of Broadway to the studio, as 20:00 UK Live: Musicals Week arrives in Championship Snooker the ballroom. The lyrical Coverage of the second extravaganza gets under semi-final on the 11th day way as the presenters and Centre in judges join the contestants at the Barbican on the dance-floor for a big York, as the prestigious ranking tournament continopening number ues. At this stage of last Neil event, 21:00 Michael McIntyre’s year’s an produced Robertson Big Show The lively entertainment revue continues, outstanding performance to as he invites Sarah Millican whitewash Mark Selby, as to take to the stage, and he progressed to the showsinger-songwriter Tom piece match with a 6-0 victory. Presented by Hazel Odell also performs Irvine, with a commentary 22:00 Casualty Ethan team that includes Steve Doherty, Ken struggles with his feelings Davis, as things heat up between Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, Dennis Taylor, and Cal and Alicia John Virgo. Subsequent 22:50 The National Lottery programmes are subject to Live 23:00 News 23:20 change Match of the Day 00:45 The NFL Show 01:15 Film - 23:00 Mock the Week Dragonfly (PG) 02:55 23:30 Film - The Dresser Weather for the Week 01:15 Film - Ill Manors (18) 03:10 This Is BBC Two Ahead 03:00 News 07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 James Martin: Home Comforts at Christmas 13:00 Football Focus 14:00 News 14:15 Live: UK Championship Snooker 17:30 Final Score 18:25 Celebrity Mastermind 18:55 News 19:10 Pointless Celebrities

07:00 CITV 10:25 News 10:30 Film - Carry on Girls (PG) 12:10 All Star Family Fortunes 12:55 News 13:05 Judge Rinder 14:05 Cash Trapped 15:05 Film St Trinian’s (12) 17:00 Thunderbirds Are Go 17:20 The Chase 18:25 News 19:00 Tipping Point: Lucky Stars

07:10 Gillette World Sport 07:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:30 Frasier 10:00 The Morning Line 11:00 The Big Bang Theory 11:55 The Simpsons 13:30 Deal or No Deal 14:25 Racing: Sandown Park and Aintree 17:00 Jamie’s Super Food 17:30 Location, Location, Location 18:35 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 19:30 20:00 Meet the Parents News Holly Willoughby puts the love lives of more single- 20:00 China: Between tons in the hands of the Clouds and Dreams In people that know them central China, reporter Xu best. Will the parents big up leads a band of volunteers their kids, or merely embar- in a desperate struggle against `electro-fishing’, rass them? which involves the mass 21:00 The X Factor killing of fish using electriciDermot O’Leary hosts the ty singing competition’s semifinal. As the judges take 21:00 Britain at Low Tide their seats, which three In Essex, Tori and Alex the acts will make the grade earthwork remains of a fort back to the days of and who will fall short of a dating Henry VIII and the place in the final?

Reformation 22:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! The remaining celebs all have their eyes on the prize, but who will fall at the final hurdle? Ant and Dec reveal who will be leaving camp tonight ahead of tomorrow’s final

22:00 Film - Now You See Me An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money (PG)

00:15 Film - GI Joe: 23:35 News 23:50 Film - Retaliation (14) 02:20 10,000 BC (PG) 01:45 Hollyoaks Omnibus 04:25 Location, Jackpot247 04:00 ITV Location, Location Nightscreen

07:00 Milkshake 10:50 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:25 The Gadget Show 12:25 Film - This Christmas (PG) 14:35 Film A Fairytale Christmas 16:20 Film - A Belle for Christmas (PG) 18:10 Film - Mrs Miracle 20:05 NCIS The grisly deaths of two people appear to be linked, until evidence unearthed by Ducky suggests the second murder may have been carried out by a copycat killer 21:00 NCIS: New Orleans The NCIS team discovers a mole in the ranks while helping the Department of Homeland Security locate 900 pounds of missing explosives that are a threat to New Orleans 21:55 News 22:00 Football Highlights from the weekend’s games in the Championship, including Leeds United v Aston Villa at Elland Road, Birmingham City v Barnsley from St Andrew’s, and Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United at The City Ground on Friday night 23:20 The Frozen Ground (15) 01:15 SuperCasino 04:10 Medical Mysteries

14:30 You’ve Been Framed! 15:00 You’ve Been Framed! 16:05 Film Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure (U) 17:55 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 19:25 Film - The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG) 21:30 Scorpion 22:30 The Xtra Factor 23:00 Family Guy 23:35 I’m a Celebrity Extra Camp 00:35 Family Guy ITV3 12:40 Foyle’s War 18:50 A Touch of Frost 21:00 Doc Martin 22:00 The Booze Cruise 00:10 Lewis 02:15 Wycliffe ITV4 12:10 Pawn Stars 15:00 Film - All Quiet on the Western Front (PG) 18:05 Fishing Impossible 19:10 Storage Wars 20:10 Film Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (12) 22:00 Film - 16 Blocks (14) 00:05 Film - Universal Soldier: Regeneration (18)

09:00 Alex Trelinski in the Morning 12:00 Paul Norman 15:00 The Retro Chart

Sunday 4th December 07:00 The A to Z of TV Big 07:45 Gardening Dreams Small Spaces 08:45 Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 09:15 Carol Klein’s Plant Odysseys 09:45 Countryfile 10:45 Saturday Kitchen 12:15 Bites Best International Rugby Union 13:15 MOTD2 Extra 14:00 Live: UK Championship 20:20 Strictly Come Snooker 19:00 Match of the Dancing Tess Daly and Day Claudia Winkleman present the results of last night’s 20:00 UK Live: show Championship Snooker Coverage of the second 21:00 Planet Earth II The session of the final from the programme features Barbican Centre in York, as footage of Brazil’s giant the tournament widely anteaters and Asian saiga regarded as the secondantelope, as well as lions most prestigious on the calengaging in ferocious batconcludes. tles with buffalo in the flood- endar ed Okavango, bee-eaters Australia’s Neil Robertson taking advantage of ele- emerged triumphant in the phants to help them catch showpiece match at last year’s event, as he capiinsects talised on a 5-3 lead from 22:00 My Mother and the opening session by Other Strangers The whirl- going on to lift the trophy wind arrival of Rose’s sister with a 10-5 victory over Vera means joy for Francis China’s Liang Wenbo. and Emma and brings Rose Presented by Hazel Irvine and Dreyfuss closer than 00:00 QI XL 00:45 Jazzie ever B’s 1980s: From Dole To 23:00 News 23:30 Match of Soul 01:45 Film - Three 03:20 (PG) the Day 2 00:35 Sunny D Fugitives 00:55 Citizen Khan 01:25 Countryfile 04:15 Holby City 05:15 This Is BBC Two Weather 01:30 News 07:00 Breakfast 08:30 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Fern Britton Meets12:00 Sunday Politics 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:15 Escape to the Country 14:45 Final Score 17:20 Planet Earth II 18:20 Songs of Praise 18:55 News 19:20 Countryfile

07:00 CITV 10:25 News 10:30 Bear Grylls Survival Story 11:00 Peston on Sunday 12:00 Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury 12:30 Let’s Do Christmas with Gino & Mel 13:30 News 13:35 The Chase 14:35 The X Factor 16:05 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Tipping Point 19:00 News 19:30 Off Their Rockers 20:00 The Next Great Magician The cast of TOWIE get a shock in the Sugar Hut, while The Wanted’s Tom Parker has some comedy magic fun

07:10 The King of Queens 08:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 Jamie’s Cracking Christmas 14:30 The Big Bang Theory 15:20 The Simpsons 16:20 Film - The School of Rock (PG) 18:35 Film - Miracle on 34th Street 20:35 News 21:00 Escape to the Chateau After successfully hosting a three-day wedding at their French chateau, Dick and Angel are now keen to expand their business ideas. Could the two-acre moat provide a lucrative fishing spot?

21:00 The X Factor Dermot O’Leary hosts as 22:00 Humans Athena the results of the latest pub- challenges Milo about his lic vote are announced unethical plans, and is shocked to discover the 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get true extent of the tycoon’s Me Out of Here! The ambitions. Max decides to moment of truth is finally start a new community of here. Which of the finalists synths, and takes matters will be crowned this year’s into his own hands when King or Queen of the he learns how far Leo is Jungle? Ant and Dec reveal prepared to go in pursuit of the results of the public his goals vote 23:00 Gogglebox 00:05 8 23:35 News 23:50 Peston Out of 10 Cats Does on Sunday 00:50 Aviva Countdown 01:05 The Last Premiership Rugby 01:40 Leg 02:00 60 Days in Jail Jackpot247 04:00 02:50 Film - A Pigeon Sat Motorsport UK 04:50 ITV on a Branch Reflecting on Nightscreen Existence (PG)

07:00 Milkshake 10:55 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:30 Football 12:50 Funniest Falls, Fails & Flops 13:20 Film - 12 Gifts of Christmas 15:05 Film - Call Me Claus (PG) 16:50 Film - Deck the Halls (PG) 18:45 News 18:50 Film - Bulletproof Monk Based on the very underground comic book, a Tibetan monk becomes a mentor to a young street kid whom he can teach to protect a scroll (PG) 20:40 Film - Hellboy II: The Golden Army When an evil elf declares war on humanity, he will stop at nothing to awaken the Golden Army - a deadly group of fighting machines that can destroy the human race. Hellboy and his crew must defeat the evil elf, and prevent the Golden Army from starting their mission, in order to save humanity (14) 23:00 Film - Green Lantern (PG) 01:15 Film Zoolander (14) 02:50 SuperCasino 04:10 Tour De Celeb 05:00 Tattoo Disasters UK 05:50 House Doctor

14:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 15:00 Film - Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure (U) 16:50 Film The Polar Express 18:50 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 19:50 Film - The Incredible Hulk (PG) 22:00 The Xtra Factor 23:00 Family Guy 23:35 I’m a Celebrity Extra Camp ITV3 13:45 Columbo 15:50 Film - The Nun’s Story (U) 18:50 Foyle’s War 21:00 Lewis 23:00 Alexander Armstrong in the Land of the Midnight Sun 00:00 A Touch of Frost ITV4 13:55 Film - All Quiet on the Western Front (PG) 17:00 Film - Tobruk (PG) 19:10 Film - Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (12) 21:00 Aviva Premiership Rugby 22:00 Film - Jaws 3

09:00 The Sunday Morning Love Zone with Mark Nolan 12:00 Trev Massey´s Bit in the Middle 15:00 Classic Country with Tim Rogers

7 Titanic’s Tragic Twin: The Britannic Disaster

Monday - BBC Two The sinking of Titanic in 1912 sent shockwaves around the world. Global dismay prompted new safety legislation and seafaring travellers were assured that such an incident would never happen again. But incredibly, Titanic had a sister ship, Britannic, who suffered a near-identical fate only a few years later.

In the wake of the Titanic disaster, Britannic was re-engineered and strengthened. And yet, on 21 November 1916, she sank in just 55 minutes - three times faster than Titanic.

This is one of Britain’s greatest untold maritime disasters. And now, on the 100th anniversary, presenters Kate Humble and Andy Torbet piece together exactly what happened in those 55 minutes. Using rarely-seen, unpublished diaries and letters from the captain and crew, Titanic’s Tragic Twin re-creates the Britannic’s survivors fight for their lives, and investigates how and why her victims died horribly - and avoidably.

While Andy makes a dangerous dive to the Britannic wreck, Kate speaks to descendants of survivors, many of whom have been tracked down for the very first time on television. The characters she uncovers include Violet ‘Miss Unsinkable’ Jessops, who survived both Titanic and Britannic, Captain ‘Iceberg Charlie’ Bartlett and Archie Jewell, who was working on Britannic’s deck when disaster struck.

Pictured: Kate Humble with descendants of survivors of the Britannic disaster: Richard Ellis (grandnephew of Cpt Charles Bartlett), Margaret Meehan (niece of Violet Jessop), Jonathan Mitchell (grandson of Sheila MacBeth) and Tamsyn Jewell (great great niece of Archie Jewell)

In Plain Sight

Wednesday - ITV

In Plain Sight is a new three-part mini-series based on the true story of Lanarkshire detective William Muncie’s quest to bring to justice notorious Scottish killer Peter Manuel.

Douglas Henshall (Collision, Shetland) takes the role of William Muncie whilst Peter Manuel is played by Martin Compston (Line of Duty).

Muncie first arrested Manuel in 1946 for housebreaking, but also successfully convicted him for a string of sexual assaults. Manuel vowed revenge.

Released from prison in 1955, Manuel embarked on a two-year killing spree, claiming eight lives in the close-knit communities of South Lanarkshire.

Manuel evaded capture for so long because he was unlike anything the local police had ever encountered: A murderer without any discernible motive whose victims were chosen at random. Muncie was the one man who

had Manuel’s measure and doggedly refused to give up until Manuel was brought to justice.

In episode 1, detective William Muncie is celebrating his 40th birthday at home with his friends and family when a birthday card is hand delivered. The card is signed Peter Thomas Manuel and takes Muncie back to 1946 when he saw Manuel arrested and imprisoned for the sexual assault of three women.

Nine years later Manuel is out of prison and back on Muncie’s patch with revenge on his mind. He attacks a young woman, Mary McLauchlan, and keeps her with him in an open field for most of the night before returning to his home.

Mary reports the attack and says she thinks she knows who did it. Manuel is brought to the station where she identifies him in a line up. Under questioning by Muncie, Manuel does not deny being in the field, but says he was not with Mary, he was poaching. Muncie warns his team that Manuel is a real threat to the woman of the community and they must do all they can to make sure they obtain a conviction. He is concerned about the length of time Mary was held in the field unsure what Manuel was up to.

Then he hears that he is going to mount his own defence.

Manuel manages to secure a not proven verdict on the attack, saying he had been romantically involved with Mary and had been trying to tactfully end their affair that night which was why they had been together so long.

Muncie promises a distraught Mary that he will not rest until Manuel is behind bars.

It is Christmas time and Muncie arrives home to another personal delivery, a Christmas card from Manuel. He confides to Agnes, his wife, that he is afraid that Manuel won’t leave a witness next time.

On January 4th the brutally beaten body of a young woman, Anne Kneilands, is found on a local golf course.

Who Do You Think You Are - Liz Bonnin Thursday - BBC One Wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin describes herself as “a mongrel”: the result of her parents’ lineages on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Martinique.

In Trinidad, she goes in search of the first of her maternal ancestors to arrive on the island from India.

After that, Liz then heads to Martinique where her paternal ancestors are said to have owned plantations and, in a considerable shock to Liz, slaves.

What she discovers is more complicated than she could have ever imagined.

Monday 5th December

8 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Oxford Street Revealed 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Sister Rita to the Rescue 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Think Tank 16:55 Escape to the Country 17:40 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fake Britain The film “Frozen” has won the hearts of children across the world, but the fake merchandise has left one little girl scarred for life. The fake high-tech coats that could have chilling consequences, and the fraudsters trying to steal millions 21:00 EastEnders Roxy opens up about her worries to Ronnie 21:30 Lawful Killing: Mark Duggan Documentary with dramatic reconstructions of the police shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham in August 2011. The incident triggered the worst riots in living memory, with the impact extending far beyond the Duggan family and the community of Tottenham. Significant elements of what actually happened that day in August 2011 remain unclear 23:00 News 23:45 Walliams & Friend 00:15 Have I Got a Bit More News for You 01:00 The Graham Norton Show 01:45 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:50 News

07:00 The World’s Most Photographed 07:30 The Big Food Rescue 08:15 The Secret Life of the Hospital Bed 09:00 Extreme Wales with Richard Parks 09:30 Great British Menu 10:00 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Masters Wheelchair Tennis 15:00 Just Good Friends 15:30 Open All Hours 16:00 Natural World 16:45 A Place to Call Home 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Match of the Day Live coverage of the draw for the third round of the FA Cup 20:30 Antiques Road Trip Experts James Braxton and Mark Stacey set off from Diss in search of adventure and antiques they can sell for a profit 21:00 University Challenge Quiz 21:30 Only Connect The Fire-Eaters take on the Clareites 22:00 Titanic’s Tragic Twin: The Britannic Disaster Piecing together the events when Titanic’s sister ship sank in just 55 minutes 23:00 Two Doors Down 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 Black and British 01:15 Inside the World’s Biggest Auction House 02:15 The Choir 03:15 This Is BBC Two

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Tenable 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Belle finds an unexpected ally 20:30 Coronation Street Maria is dealt a double whammy 21:00 The Martin Lewis Money Show Martin Lewis and Saira Khan present the financial advice show, making sure viewers are making the most of their money and offering some helpful tips 21:30 Coronation Street Will Aidan be able to contain his jealousy?

22:00 BRITs Icon: Robbie Williams To mark becoming only the third artist after David Bowie and Elton John to be awarded the Brits Icon award, Robbie Williams plays a special show at the Troxy in east London. The performance features many of the singer’s hits, along with collaborations, highlights from his new album The Heavy Entertainment Show and many surprises, and Williams tells the story of his career in a series of film clips 23:25 News 00:10 Fierce 01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 Jeremy Kyle 04:55 ITV Nightscreen

07:00 Countdown 07:45 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Jamie’s Super Food 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 13:00 News 13:05 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 14:10 Deal or No Deal 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Coast vs Country 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 21:00 Supershoppers Andi and Anna investigate winter fashion, testing high street and designer puffer down jackets 21:30 Tricks of the Restaurant Trade Kate Quilton takes some hungry taxi drivers out for a steak dinner but when they’re given the portion sizes we ate a generation ago they aren’t best pleased 22:00 Our Guy in China Guy Martin concludes his Chinese adventure by taking on his toughest-ever physical challenge as he sets to break the record for the fastest crossing of the Taklamakan Desert on a bicycle 23:00 First Dates 00:05 The Lie Detective 00:55 Bodyshockers: Nips, Tucks and Tattoos 01:50 Flying to the Ends of the Earth 02:45 Kids on the Edge 03:40 Shipping Wars UK 04:20 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:40 News 12:45 Film - The Christmas Switch 14:25 Film - Mrs Miracle (L) 16:15 Film - Hats Off to Christmas! 18:00 News 18:30 Police Interceptors 19:30 News 20:00 Tour De Celeb With just six weeks of training left, Olympian Ed Clancy is brought in to teach the celebs how to ride as a mini peloton, before some of the more advanced riders head to the Pyrenees while the others tackle the Surrey Hills Sportive 21:00 Traffic Cops It is estimated that more than a million vehicles in Britain are fitted with cloned number plates as criminals who switch them to pass by police cameras undetected. On the outskirts of Bradford, a suspected stolen car using cloned plates crashes after running a red light, leaving the occupants of another car with serious injuries, leaving officers to deal with the aftermath 22:00 The Secret Life of Puppies Dalmatian-cross Suki has developed an independent streak and has caught the eye of an English Mastiff, while Big Ron the English Bulldog, who is piling on the pounds, is given a new exercise regime 23:00 Greatest Christmas TV Moments 01:50 Lip Sync Battle UK 02:15 SuperCasino 04:10 The Yorkshire Vet

DON´T MISS LAWFUL KILLING: MARK DUGGAN

BBC One 21:30

SOAPS

In Emmerdale, Belle’s family are all against her decision to move away to Boston with Jermaine, but it’s Cain who takes matters into his own hands by stopping the car on a country lane and ordering Belle to get in.

Later, Lisa returns to the village and is shocked when she hears about Belle’s plans to go to

Docudrama about the police shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham in August 2011, an incident that triggered the worst riots in modern British history, telling the story from the sometimes contradictory perspectives of many of those involved.

Dramatised reconstructions of the 24 hours leading up to the shooting are combined with Interviews with Duggan’s family and friends, journalists and experts, and testimony reenacted from the transcripts of evidence given at the coroner’s Inquest by witnesses and police officers.

America.

Meanwhile, Nicola shocks everyone by contacting a solicitor to discuss divorcing Jimmy, but Kerry gives her some home truths by pointing out that she started all the trouble by kissing Dan. Jimmy decides to go away for a month to give them both some space, but Nicola is secretly heartbroken by how things have turned out.

In Coronation Street, Aidan calls at Maria’s flat and when she admits that she can’t stop thinking about him, he kisses her passionately. Aidan invites her to spend the night with

him at a hotel and she’s thrilled, until Aidan makes it clear that he has no intention of finishing with Eva. Hurt, Maria orders him to leave.

Later, as Maria sets off to court with Kirk and Eva in tow, she tears a strip off Kate and blames her for the whole Caz debacle.

This double blow leaves Maria feeling weak.

Having changed her mind about Aidan’s offer, she phones for a cab to take her to the hotel, but will Aidan be pleased to see her?

Elsewhere, when Adam casts admiring glances at Maria, Tracy warns him

07:00 Dinner Date 07:50 Ellen DeGeneres 08:35 Emmerdale 09:05 Coronation Street 09:35 You’ve Been Framed!

10:05 Psych 10:55 Catchphrase 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 13:15 Emmerdale 13:45 Coronation Street 14:15 You’ve Been Framed!

14:45 Ellen DeGeneres 15:35 Jeremy Kyle 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed!

21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Family Guy 22:30 American Dad! 23:30 Family Guy 00:30 The Cleveland Show 01:30 Bordertown 02:25 The Vampire Diaries ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 Doctor in the House 07:35 Heartbeat 08:35 Where the Heart Is 09:40 Wild at Heart 10:40 Judge Judy 11:55 Murder, She Wrote 13:00 Wycliffe 14:05 Heartbeat 15:10 Wild at Heart 16:10 Where the Heart Is 17:20 Doctor in the House 17:50 You’re Only Young Twice 18:25 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 19:55 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Midsomer Murders 23:00 Mr Selfridge 00:30 Blue Murder 01:30 Bouquet of Barbed Wire 02:25 Heartbeat ITV4 07:00 The Professionals 07:50 The Chase 08:40 Quincy, ME 09:45 Ironside 10:50 The Professionals 11:55 The Chase 12:55 Cash Cowboys 13:55 Pawn Stars 14:50 Storage Wars 15:50 Quincy, ME 16:55 Ironside 18:00 Counting Cars 19:00 Cash Cowboys 20:05 Pawn Stars 21:00 Storage Wars 22:00 Film - Renegades (15) 00:10 Bundesliga Football Highlights 01:10 Aviva Premiership Rugby 02:10 Motorsport UK 03:10 The Professionals

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Trev Massey, 14:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Gordon Lack that she’s a bunny boiler and he’d be best to steer clear.

In the second episode, as Maria arrives in the hotel bar, she’s put out to find Aidan drinking champagne with Eva. Quickly covering, Maria makes out that she’s meeting a friend. Oblivious to their discomfort, Eva insists that Maria joins them for a drink.

With Eva out of earshot, Maria tears a strip off Aidan and after pointing out that he clearly doesn’t care about either of them, she slaps him round the face and storms out. Is Eva about to discover Aidan has another woman in Maria? As Maria heads home in a filthy mood, Adam approaches and insists on taking her for a drink.

In Eastenders, when Roxy doesn’t show any enthusiasm over a potential new school for Amy, her attitude sparks tensions with Jack. Roxy is forced to admit to Ronnie that she doesn’t really want Amy to move away,

but she won’t stand in the way of the couple’s plans for the future.

Later, things look up for the Mitchell sisters when Ronnie comes up with a surprising solution and they receive a strong offer for Number 27. However, Roxy throws a new spanner in the works when she tells Ronnie that something may be going on between Jack and Honey.

Tuesday 6th December 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Oxford Street Revealed 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Sister Rita to the Rescue 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC Local, National and International News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Think Tank 16:55 Escape to the Country 17:40 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC Local, National and International News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders Ronnie confronts Jack about what is going on 21:00 Holby City Jac puts her patient before her own health concerns with serious consequences. Also, Raf is taken aback when Parker is admitted and is concerned about the boy’s welfare, and Fletch bonds with a lonely and vulnerable patient

07:05 The World’s Most Photographed 07:35 Sister Rita to the Rescue 08:25 Flog It! 09:00 Coast: The Great Guide 10:00 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Cash in the Attic 15:00 Just Good Friends 15:30 Open All Hours 16:00 Talking Comedy 16:30 Snow Wolf Family and Me 17:30 A Place to Call Home 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 E g g h e a d s 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Husband and wife David and Carrie Grant are swapping singing in harmony for battling it out with antiques 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals With just two hours and 15 minutes to deliver that make or break dish, the nerves are running high and the competition is fierce

22:00 Rillington Place When newly-weds Tim and Beryl move into 10 Rillington Place they are befriended by their older neighbours the Christies.

As time passes and their relationship hits a rough patch, Christie’s interest and influence over the couple takes a much more sinister turn

22:00 The Choir: Gareth’s Best in Britain It’s the grand final of Gareth Malone’s contest to find Britain’s most entertaining, undiscovered, amateur choir. From the hundreds who applied, and the many groups Gareth auditioned across the country, just three are left standing.

23:00 BBC Local, National and International News 23:45 Imagine 01:00 Film Mystery Road (15) 02:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 03:00 BBC News

23:00 Live at the Apollo 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 NFL This Week 01:05 Back in Time for Brixton 02:05 The Apprentice 03:05 Who Do You Think You Are? 04:05 This Is BBC Two

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Local, National and International News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Tenable 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The ChaseG 19:00 ITV Local, National and International News 20:00 Emmerdale The Dingles put a plan into action 20:30 River Monsters The fossil record shows that the arapaima fish has roamed the waters of the Amazon River since the Jurassic age, and uses its bony tongue to crush prey against the roof of its mouth before swallowing.

Biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade encountered the species once before and came out second best, so this time he is taking no chances as he investigates every aspect of this huge creature 21:00 Our Queen at 90 To celebrate her 90th birthday, this documentary follows the Queen and members of the Royal Family during the year in which she became the country’s longest-reigning monarch 23:00 ITV Local, National and International News 23:40 The Coming War on China 01:40 Jackpot247 04:00 Loose Women 04:50 ITV Nightscreen

9 07:00 Countdown 07:45 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Jamie’s Super Food 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 13:00 News 13:05 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 14:10 Deal or No Deal 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Coast vs Country 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 21:00 The Secret Life of Competition is something adults often want to shield children from, but it’s an integral part of every fiveyear-old’s life. How will they cope with winning and losing when they’re challenged to compete against each other? Cameras follow sensitive new boy Nat as he vies for the attention of fellow new girl Calla, and football ace Jet shows her true colours as she offers words of wisdom to her teammates 22:00 This Is Us Drama following the lives of a variety of individuals who share the same birthday.

Despite her being pregnant with triplets, Jack insists that his wife Rebecca upholds a birthday tradition, but something interrupts them 23:00 The Undateables 00:05 Gogglebox 01:05 Skeg Vegas 02:05 European Tour Poker 03:00 Life on the Edge 03:55 KOTV Boxing Weekly

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:40 News 12:45 Film - A Belle for Christmas (PG) 14:30 Film - Mr Miracle 16:15 The Nine Lives of Christmas 18:00 News 18:30 Police Interceptors 19:30 News 20:00 Traffic Cops It is estimated that more than a million vehicles in Britain are fitted with cloned number plates as criminals who switch them to pass by police cameras undetected. On the outskirts of Bradford, a suspected stolen car using cloned plates crashes after running a red light, leaving the occupants of another car with serious injuries 21:00 The Yorkshire Vet Julian is woken by an emergency call in the middle of the night, Moobaloo the heifer has been struggling in labour but there is no sign of the calf. And tiny Teeny, a seven-day-old Shetland foal, is rushed in to see vet Helen 22:00 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Ben travels to a secret location in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, where forest dweller Tod Kershaw lives in a primitive skills community who have chosen not to live as members of modern society, but as opportunistic outsiders 23:00 Slum Britain: 50 Years On 00:30 The Secret Life of Puppies 01:30 Lip Sync Battle UK 01:55 SuperCasino 04:10 GPs: Behind Closed Doors

DON´T MISS THIS IS US Jack and his wife - who is very pregnant with triplets — have just moved into their new home in Pittsburgh. Successful and handsome television actor Kevin is growing increasingly bored with his bachelor lifestyle. Randall — who was abandoned at a fire station by his father as an infant — is a stylish New Yorkbased businessman working to raise two daughters with his wife, Beth. These people are among a group — several of whom share a birthday — of seemingly random individuals whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.

Channel 4 22:00 Meanwhile, Kasim arrives SOAPS in the village in search of

the man who saved his life. When Kasim and Finn finally meet properly, things couldn’t go any better between them.

In Emmerdale, when Jermaine learns that his job starts earlier than expected, it means that the date of his departure with Belle will have to be brought forward.

Later, the Dingles’ latest attempt to interfere sees them throw a surprise party for Belle, hoping that it will convince her to stay.

Will the family’s efforts pay off?

Also today, Rhona is missing being intimate with Pierce and plans a trip away for them.

In Eastenders, Ronnie refuses to believe that Jack is cheating on her with Honey, despite Roxy’s suspicions.

However, when Ronnie starts to become paranoid over the situation, she plucks up the courage to confront Jack and ask him what’s going on. Will Jack be honest with Ronnie?

Elsewhere, Laurel learns that Gabby has been skipping school, but where has she been spending her time?

Meanwhile, Kim decides to be Denise’s birth partner, but Denise isn’t so sure it’s a good idea after speaking

07:00 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 07:20 Dinner Date 08:10 Ellen DeGeneres 08:55 Emmerdale 09:25 Coronation Street 10:25 Psych 11:20 You’ve Been Framed! 12:15 Dinner Date 13:15 Emmerdale 13:45 Coronation Street 14:45 Ellen DeGeneres 15:35 Jeremy Kyle 18:50 Take Me Out 20:00 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Film American Pie (18) 23:55 Family Guy 00:55 The Vampire Diaries 01:55 American Dad! 02:25 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 02:55 The Planet’s Funniest Animals ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 Doctor in the House 07:35 Heartbeat 08:40 Where the Heart Is 09:40 Wild at Heart 10:40 Judge Judy 12:00 Murder, She Wrote 13:05 Wycliffe 14:05 Heartbeat 15:10 Wild at Heart 16:10 Where the Heart Is 17:20 Doctor in the House 17:55 You’re Only Young Twice 18:25 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Midsomer Murders 23:00 Mr Selfridge 00:00 Blue Murder 01:00 Bouquet of Barbed Wire 02:05 Secrets from the Asylum ITV4 07:00 Sporting Funnies 07:10 The Professionals 08:00 The Chase 08:50 Quincy, ME 09:55 Ironside 11:00 The Professionals 12:00 The Chase 13:00 Cash Cowboys 14:00 Pawn Stars 14:55 Counting Cars 15:50 Quincy, ME 16:55 Ironside 18:00 Counting CarsPG 18:30 Counting Cars 19:00 Cash Cowboys 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 The Chase 22:00 Benidorm 23:00 Film - Jaws 2 (PG) 01:25 River Monsters 02:30 Fishing Impossible 03:25 Tommy Cooper

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Trev Massey, 14:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Gordon Lack to the midwife.

Elsewhere, Phil is a strong source of support for Dennis on the day of Eddie’s funeral, but this only leaves Ben feeling worse.

Also today, Ian and Jane go for a day out, but Stacey, Kathy and Lauren later receive a worrying call which reveals there’s been an accident.

Finally, Bex and Shakil makes plans to sleep together later this week, while Martin and Stacey are next to sign up for the Christmas show.

In Holby City, when test results confirm that Jac has a cyst on one of her ovaries, Mr T is concerned.

Jac doesn’t want to engage with her own health issues and focuses her attention on her patient, who happens to be Jonny Maconie’s brother Alistair.

Meanwhile, Raf is surprised when Kim’s son

Parker is admitted, having vomited up blood. He realises that Parker’s mum’s medical condition has hit the boy hard and that he needs some time out from her.

Elsewhere, Fletch feels concerned when a cheeky yet vulnerable patient with a gambling habit is admitted. Fletch soon realises that all is not what it seems.

10

CODE CRACKER Code Cracker is a crossword puzzle with no clues; instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number. In this week's puzzle, 3 represents Y and 26 represents H, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

DOUBLE CROSS-WORD Solve the Double Cross-Word puzzle using either the standard or cryptic clues, the answers are exactly the same.

CRYTPIC CLUES Across 1 Driver’s compartment is the scene of a fight (7) 5 Search for public relations award (5) 8 Annie is peculiar looking and not very smart (7) 9 Tenant has no right to come in (5) 10 Tropical fruit among corruption (5) 11 So often destroyed decoration (7) 12 Is saga about a tennis star? (6) 14 Pet socialist leader following worries (6) 17 Chance I find the obstacle (7) 19 Corner for fish (5) 22 A novice joins a doctor at a famous mission (5) 23 A gate Len rebuilt is very pleasing to the eye (7) 24 Creep off with a thin pancake (5) 25 Actor’s assistant’s bureau (7) STANDARD CLUES

Across 1 Scars (5) 4 Optic (5) 7 Purse (5) 8 A rope (5) 9 Discretion (10) 11 Idle phrase (10) 15 Wings (5) 16 Ideas (5) 17 Roans (5) 18 Dents (5)

Down 1 Aces (4) 2 Optical pain (11) 3 Sever (5) 4 Tutor (5) 5 Pie portions (11) 6 A score (6) 10 Scalps (6) 12 Agree (5) 13 Tarts (5) 14 Gels (4)

Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Must, 3 Crash, 6 Class, 8 Smart, 10 Regardless, 12 Apparently, 16 Extra, 17 Enter, 18 Chief, 19 Grip.

Down: 1 Much, 2 Spare, 4 Residence, 5 Share, 7 Staircase, 9 Task, 11 , 13 Patch, 14 Later, 15 Trip.

Scribble Pad

Across 1 Pilot’s compartment (7) 5 Investigate (5) 8 Foolish (7) 9 Go into (5) 10 Fruit (5) 11 Adorn (7) 12 Tennis player (6) 14 Stroke (6) 17 Movable barrier (7) 19 Point of view (5) 22 Scene of famous siege (5) 23 Stylish (7) 24 Fabric (5) 25 Chest of drawers (7)

Down 1 Allegation about mail dispute (5) 2 Dog in car is in a bad way (5) 3 Weigh in avoirdupois on scales and you will find toxins (7) 4 Chew toffee when you start to drive (3,3) 5 Looks intently at aristocrats (5) 6 Beaten due to no make-up (7) 7 Foreign currency in queen’s trips (7) 12 Rickety chair included in bill is very old (7) 13 Rock, it’s set in stone (7) 15 Expert made waves in the world of scholarship (7) 16 Be top of the class or I’ll cut you off! (6) 18 Be passionate about promotion or direction (5) 20 Flies the men only back north in (5) 21 Compound discovered in yesterday’s experiments (5) Down 1 Maintain (5) 2 Type of terrier (5) 3 Venoms (7) 4 Commence (3,3) 5 Upper class (5) 6 Defeated (7) 7 Everyday jobs (7) 12 Old (7) 13 Stir up (7) 15 University circles (7) 16 Decapitate (6) 18 Worship (5) 20 Insects (5) 21 Organic compound (5)

Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Seance, 4 Rhesus, 9 Against, 10 Drama, 11 Obese, 12 Onetime, 13 Belligerent, 18 Open-air, 20 Motet, 22 Cease, 23 Early on, 24 Ritual, 25 Repeal.

Down: 1 Shadow, 2 Amaze, 3 Congeal, 5 Hedge, 6 Station, 7 Stamen, 8 Strong armed, 14 Elegant, 15 Remorse, 16 Concur, 17 Atonal, 19 Arena, 21 Thyme.

FILL IT IN Fit the words into the boxes.

2 letter words Is So 3 letter words Age And Ate Doc Fed Had Ley Oar Psi Ran Sob

Ute 4 letter words Acid Coop Daft Dyed Eats Erse Oboe Odds Real Serf 5 letter words Agora Coral

Dandy Debit Eaves Haste Inane Scree 6 letter words Aboard Averse Corona Eatery Footed Reused Tepees Triple

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

Improve your Spanish - clues in Spanish, answers in English or vice versa.

Across 1 Vestidos (de mujeres) (7) 5 Caminos (5) 8 Planchas (utensilios) (5) 9 With you (7) 10 Ingenieros (9) 12 Azada (3) 13 To finish (doing something) (6) 14 Limones (6) 17 Grape (3) 18 Waiters (9) 20 Lottery (7) 21 Imagen (5) 23 Floor (of room) (5) 24 Motores (7)

Down 1 Conducir (5) 2 That (3) 3 Sixty (7) 4 Secreto (6) 5 Monday (5) 6 Vecino (9) 7 Duchas (7) 11 Garantía (9) 13 Eagles (7) 15 Pendiente (joya) (7) 16 Draw (equal score) (6) 18 Pork (5) 19 Tallos (de flores) (5) 22 Still (even) (3)

Quiz Word Across 7 What name was given to ‘an open-roofed entrance hall or central court in an ancient Roman house’? (6) 8 What name is given to ‘a musical composition of three or four movements of contrasting forms’? (6) 10 According to Irish legend what name is given to ‘a female spirit whose loud cry is believed to be heard when someone is going to die’? (7) 11 Which word is an archaic name for a puppy? (5) 12 Which river rises in Cumbria and flows 80 miles (128 km) south-eastwards to the North Sea at Middlesbrough?

(4) 13 What name is given to ‘a loose overall worn to protect one’s clothes’ often worn by artists? (5) 17 See 18 18/17 Which comedy performer starred with Tim BrookeTaylor and Graeme Garden in the television series The Goodies? (4,5) 22 Which resort town on the south coast of England near Bournemouth, has a speedway team nicknamed the Pirates? (5) 23 Which duo topped the British singles chart in 1992 with the Abba-Esque EP? (7) 24 Tiziano Vecelli was the real name of which 15th/16th century Italian artist? (6) 25 According to Greek mythology, the name of the goddess of the moon who fell in love with Endymion? (6)

Down 1 Which Scottish king came to the throne after killing his cousin Duncan I in battle? (7) 2 What was the surname of the actor who won an Oscar

for his role as the Siamese monarch in the 1956 film musical The King and I? (7) 3 Which Japanese dish consists of small balls of vinegarflavoured cold rice served with a garnish of vegetables, egg, or raw seafood? (5) 4 Which city is the county town of Norfolk? (7) 5 What was the surname of the 19th century American outlaw brothers Jesse and Frank? (5) 6 In Greek mythology which vicious winged monster was often depicted as a bird with the head of a woman? (5) 9 Which city is the state capital of Iowa? (3,6) 14 What name is given to either of a pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney? (7) 15 Which black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons is used for road surfacing and roofing? (7) 16 Which word can mean both ‘a spy or saboteur or terrorist planted in an enemy country who lives there as a lawabiding citizen until activated by a prearranged signal’ and ‘one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track’? (7) 19 What is the surname of the American swimmer who won seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games?

(5) 20 What was the name of Harry Corbett’s most famous glove puppet bear? (5) 21 What was the surname of the 20th century French composer best known for his orchestral work Bolero? (5)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

SUDOKU

Each week we cover a different topic to help you enlarge your Spanish vocabulary.

1. What is the correct name for a female Badger?

2. What is 2000 in Roman Numerals?

3. What comes in varieties called Duncan, Burgundy and Marsh?

4. Which Piece of science history was created at the Roslin Institute in Scotland on 5th July 1996?

5. What does an alopecia sufferer lack?

6. How Many Teeth Should A Normal Adult Have?

7. In what country does the cow tree, whose sap looks and tastes like milk, grow ?

8. What Was Sellafields Former Name?

1. Sow 2. MM 3. Grapefruit 4. Dolly The Sheep Was Created 5. Hair 6. 32 7. Venezuela 8. Windscale

ANSWERS

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Wordsolution Across:7 Avalon, 8 Zurich, 10 Manatee, 11 Shire, 12 Toad, 13 Titan, 17 Baggy, 18 Page, 22 Alamo, 23 Apricot, 24 Obrien, 25 Sickle.

Down: 1 Mammoth, 2 Gainsay, 3 Booth, 4 Russian, 5 Tibia, 6 Sheep, 9 Leningrad, 14 Samoyed, 15 Pancake, 16 Bentley, 19 Hanoi, 20 Hairy, 21 Mr Big.

AJEDREZ

DIANA

BALÓN

DOMINÓS

BARAJA

FILATELIA

BICICLETA

FLOTADOR

CASCO

LIBROS

CDS

ORDENADOR

COLORES

OSITO

CUBO

PALA

ADO

PATINES

DAMAS

PUZZLE

Empareja estas palabras - Match the Spanish and English words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1. AJEDREZ, 2. BALÓN, 3. BARAJA, 4. BICICLETA, 5. CASCO, 6. CDS. 7. COLORES, 8. CUBO, 9. DADO, 10. DAMAS, 11. DIANA, 12. DOMINÓS, 13. FILATELIA, 14. FLOTADOR,

Soduko

15. LIBROS, 16. ORDENADOR, 17. OSITO, 18. PALA, 19. PATINES, 20. PUZZLE. a. jigsaw, b. helmet, c. bucket, d.s pade, e. teddy, f.c hess, g. skates, h. draughts, i. ball, j. bicycle, k. dartboard, l. cards,

Span - Eng

m. stamp-collecting, n. CDs, o. dice, p. colours, q. dominoes, r. rubber-ring, s. books, t. computer.

Quizword

Answers: 1f, 2i, 3l, 4j, 5b, 6n, 7p, 8c, 9o, 10h, 11k, 12q, 13m, 14r, 15s, 16t, 17e, 18d, 19g, 20a.

science QUIZ

S WH WF Z U T Y N C A Z B C I ÓZ NGI A Z RNT E E A D X X NV J B L HP E RNRL S F B T I OCCA L OV K DÓB K I B S MX C C T S D L E N A K S I B J O I F WE B H J G N UT QK L CDL P K L B A A A OP L OI S A OJ UOI J L I G D R B E WO T Q D Z A A V D S E NI T A P A A V RZ QP M S L I B ROS DCA S QL HL P A L A OQMOB U L A D E S L MR GS I J R T QB QML Q R P U K F L U WS Q O O T A S ORDE NA DOROCS A CD

Fill It In

12

Wednesday 7th December

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Oxford Street Revealed 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Sister Rita to the Rescue 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Think Tank 16:55 Escape to the Country 17:40 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Watchdog An investigation into the internet dating sites that might be posting people’s pictures and profile on other sites, and how to get the best value for money out of a tank of petrol 22:00 Six Wives with Lucy Worsley In an ambitious and groundbreaking approach to drama and history, historian Lucy Worsley time travels back to the Tudor Court to witness some of the most dramatic moments in the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives.

Combining drama, written

by Chloe Moss, with Lucy’s own contemporary historical comment, Lucy will move seamlessly from the present to the past, appearing as a range of silent servants: a maid, a midwife, a nursemaid 23:00 News 23:45 A Question of Sport 00:15 Film 2016 00:45 Who Do You Think You Are? 01:45 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:50 News

07:10 The World’s Most Photographed 07:40 Sister Rita to the Rescue 08:25 Flog It! 09:00 See Hear 09:30 Great British Menu 10:00 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 Cash in the Attic 14:30 CoastPG 15:00 Just Good Friends 15:30 Open All Hours 16:00 Talking Comedy 16:30 Snow Wolf Family and Me 17:30 A Place to Call Home 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Casualty actresses Susan Cookson and Suzanne Packer are assisted by experts James Braxton and David Harper on a tour of the north west of England 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals The chefs must create an exceptional dinner at the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine 22:00 The Big Life Fix with Simon Reeve A team of inventors try to help people in need, creating solutions to everyday problems, beginning with a terminally ill photographer who can no longer use his hands to operate a camera 23:00 Premier League Show 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 The Choir: Gareth’s Best in Britain 02:15 See Hear 02:45 Planet Earth II 03:40 The Last Miners 04:40 This Is BBC Two

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Tenable 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Finn prepares to come clean 20:30 Coronation Street Peter cannot do right for doing wrong 21:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

Following the celebrities from the moment they step off the bridge to the emotional reunions with family and friends 22:00 In Plain Sight Detective William Muncie is celebrating his 40th birthday at home with his friends and family when a birthday card is hand delivered. The card is signed Peter Thomas Manuel and takes Muncie back to 1946 when he saw Manuel arrested and imprisoned for the sexual assault of three women.

Nine years later Manuel is out of prison and back on Muncie’s patch with revenge on his mind. He attacks a young woman, Mary McLauchlan, and keeps her with him in an open field for most of the night before returning to his home 23:00 News 23:40 UEFA Champions League Football 01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 ITV Nightscreen

07:00 Countdown 07:45 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Jamie’s Comfort Food 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 13:00 News 13:05 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 14:10 Deal or No Deal 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Coast vs Country 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:40 News 12:45 Film - A Christmas Promise 14:25 Film - Noel (PG) 16:15 Film Defending Santa 18:00 News 18:30 Police Interceptors 19:30 News

20:00 Building The Ice Hotel Documentary following the progress of artistic director Ake Larson and architect Arne Bergh as they embark on a six-week project to build Icehotel, a sophisticated structure constructed in the Swedish 21:00 Kirstie’s Handmade village of Jukkasjarvi than 120 miles inside Christmas Kirstie Allsopp more the Arctic Circle heads to the Highlands to visit Blair Castle’s GPs: Behind Christmas Fair, and 21:00 explores the wonderful Closed Doors Dr Ward a victim of a savage world of festive Scottish treats attack by a gang. Other craft, from handmade jew- patients include a lady with ellery and fashions to pot- an infected bee sting on tery. Kirstie then learns her eye, a young man with some new, creative skills, chronic chest pains, a including how to make your woman with a history of own handmade Christmas blood clots and a gout sufdecorations, unique pres- ferer who has eaten his fill ents and a selection of fes- of cherries tive foods.

22:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll 22:00 24 Hours in A&E Take it Away! Agents Paul John, who’s 84, is rushed and Steve make a dangerto St George’s after losing ous discovery leading to control of his car and them calling the police. crashing into a road sign. Elsewhere, Stewart and When his blood pressure Elmore face a moral dilemdrops dangerously low ma, and Paul and Steve doctors declare a Code hear a story that stops Red, giving him an emer- them in their tracks. gency blood transfusion 23:00 Undercover Criminal 23:00 Finding My Twin 00:05 The Nightmare Stranger 00:05 First Dates Neighbour Next Door 01:05 Music on 4 02:00 01:05 Tattoo Disasters UK: The Secret Life of 02:55 What Were You Inking?

Film - Fast Girls (12) 04:25 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 George Clarke’s Amazing The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Spaces

DON´T MISS IN PLAIN SIGHT

ITV 22:00

SOAPS

In Emmerdale, as Finn continues to spend time with Kasim, Pete warns him that he should be honest with his new love interest. Finn promises to tell Kasim that he regularly visited him in the hospital, but when he tries to do so, Kasim pulls him in for a spontaneous kiss.

Later, when Emma meets

Drama series set in 1955 based on the true story of Lanarkshire detective William Muncie’s quest to bring to justice notorious Scottish killer Peter Manuel. With Manuel having being released from prison after a nine-year sentence for housebreaking and sexual assaults, he attacks a young woman and keeps her with him in an open field for most of the night before returning to his home, and Muncie is convinced further crimes are certain to be committed.

Kasim, Finn is terrified that she’ll spill the beans. Will Finn manage to tell Kasim the truth, or will somebody else do it for him?

advises her to let go and be happy.

Also today, Pierce and Chas both receive unexpected gifts.

In Coronation Street, Peter suggests they keep Denise’s disappearance a secret from Ken as it would only distress him, but he puts pressure on Daniel to report it to the police. With Peter’s support, Daniel reports Denise as missing.

Meanwhile, as Lisa and Zak promise to support Belle, she makes a decision about her future.

Elsewhere, Gabby turns to alcohol when Laurel

At the same time Leanne, Nick and Simon ready to leave for Simon’s counselling session, but there’s no sign of Peter. Later, an irate Leanne catches up

07:00 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 07:20 Dinner Date 08:10 Ellen DeGeneres 09:00 Emmerdale 09:30 You’ve Been Framed and Famous!

10:30 Psych 11:20 Scorpion 12:15 Dinner Date 13:15 Emmerdale 13:45 You’ve Been Framed!

14:45 Ellen DeGeneres 15:35 Jeremy Kyle 18:50 Take Me Out 20:00 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Film - Love Actually (14) 00:45 Family Guy 01:45 American Dad! ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 Doctor in the House 07:35 Heartbeat 08:35 Where the Heart Is 09:35 Wild at Heart 10:35 Judge Judy 11:55 Murder, She Wrote 12:50 Wycliffe 13:55 Heartbeat 15:00 Wild at Heart 16:00 Where the Heart Is 17:10 Doctor in the House 17:45 You’re Only Young Twice 18:15 George and Mildred 18:50 Heartbeat 19:55 Murder, She Wrote 20:55 Wycliffe 22:00 Christmas Epic Fails 23:00 Mr Selfridge 00:05 The Ice Cream Girls 01:05 Bouquet of Barbed Wire 02:05 Secrets from the Asylum ITV4 07:00 Snooker and Racing 07:05 The Professionals 08:00 The Chase 08:45 Quincy, ME 09:50 Ironside 10:55 The Professionals 12:00 The Chase 13:00 Cash Cowboys 14:00 Pawn Stars 14:55 Counting Cars 15:55 Quincy, ME 16:55 Ironside 18:00 Counting Cars 19:00 Cash Cowboys 20:00 Pawn Stars 20:55 River Monsters 22:00 Car Crash Global 23:00 Film - The Last Boy Scout (18) 01:10 Film Death Wish V: The Face of Death (15) 03:15 Tommy Cooper

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Trev Massey, 14:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Gordon Lack with Peter and demands to know why he failed to show up. Peter apologises while a jealous Nick watches their exchange intently, with his mind whirling.

Meanwhile, Aidan seethes as he spots Maria seeing Adam out of her flat, realising she spent the night

with him. Friends encourage Maria to go out with Adam again and offer to babysit, but Aidan has a plan to scupper Maria’s evening with her new love interest. How will Maria react?

Elsewhere, Nessa is startled to find Roy sitting on her bed, while Cathy is concerned to realise he’s been sleepwalking. Later.

Yasmeen urges Cathy to confront Nessa over Alex’s parentage, but Cathy refuses to rock the boat as she’s worried it could cause Roy even more stress. But reality hits Roy as his anxieties begin to spiral out of con-

trol…

Also today, Erica confides in Norris how worried she is about Mary. Finding Mary in the flower shop, Norris comforts that he only wants to help, but he’s left speechless when Mary reveals a huge bombshell.

13

Thursday 8th December 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Oxford Street Revealed 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Sister Rita to the Rescue 12:45 Rip Off Britain: Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Think Tank 16:55 Escape to the Country 17:40 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders Things go from bad to worse for Roxy 21:00 Who Do You Think You Are? Wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin goes to Trinidad in search of the first of her maternal ancestors to arrive on the island from India. Liz then heads to Martinique where her paternal ancestors are said to have owned plantations and slaves. What she discovers is more complicated than she could have ever imagined 22:00 The Apprentice The remaining candidates are summoned to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Here, Lord Sugar sets them the task of creating and producing the spirit of the moment - gin.

With the final in sight, the candidates are all desperate to impress 23:00 News 23:45 Question Time 00:45 This Week 01:30 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:35 News

07:10 The World’s Most Photographed 07:40 Sister Rita to the Rescue 08:25 Flog It! 09:00 Great Continental Railway Journeys 10:00 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Coast 14:45 Just Good Friends 15:15 Live: Varsity Match Rugby Union 17:30 A Place to Call Home 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Gourmet gastronomes Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala are joined

by David Harper and Natasha Raskin 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals The second group of five chefs face two tough tests. First they work together to cook a threecourse fine dining menu at the French Ambassador’s Residence then return to the MasterChef kitchen to produce a showstopper dish in just 90 minutes 22:00 Close to the Enemy While Dieter is seemingly helping the British to achieve their Jet engine goals, Victor comes to Callum with proof that Dieter isn’t innocent of war crimes 23:00 The Apprentice: You’re Fired 23:30 Newsnight 00:15 The Big Life Fix with Simon Reeve 01:15 Imagine 02:55 Black is the New Black 03:25 Imagine 04:20 This Is BBC Two

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Tenable 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 News 20:00 Emmerdale Gabby bites off more than she can chew 20:30 Tonight Jonathan Maitland discovers why the Great British pub could be making a comeback.

With communities rallying to save their local, is the pub industry having a renaissance?

21:00 Emmerdale Laurel struggles with Ashley’s actions 21:30 Coronation Street Has Roy found the answer to his prayers?

22:00 Extraordinary Weddings Extraordinary Weddings follows the inspirational stories of six couples who, against all the odds and having faced some of life’s toughest challenges, are finally going to be tying the knot and saying ‘I do.’ Each episode follows the incredible journey of two couples, from the events that made them unite in the face of adversity, through to the moment their big day arrives and they get to marry their beloved 23:00 News 23:40 Football 00:55 The Chase 01:45 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 ITV Nightscreen

07:00 Countdown 07:45 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Jamie’s Comfort Food 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Summer Sun 13:00 News 13:05 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 14:10 Deal or No Deal 15:10 Countdown 16:00 Coast vs Country 17:00 A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 News 21:00 The Secret Life of the Zoo Sumatran tiger mum Kirana faces losing her two sons, Topan and Jaya, who are fully grown and being moved to other zoos. Keepers are unsure how Kirana, and her remaining cub will react to the departure of the boys 22:00 Grand Designs Kevin McCloud explores five more cutting-edge homes in the running for the RIBA House of the Year Award. They are a stylish one-bedroom living and work space with an experimental garden roof, a dark mews transformed into into a light and airy home, a house that blends beach living and high architecture, a clever extension and a narrow beachfront garage that has been made over into an impressive home 23:00 The World’s Most Expensive Christmas 00:05 60 Days in Jail 01:05 Random Acts 01:35 Finding My Twin Stranger 02:30 Film - Queen (14)

07:00 Milkshake 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:40 News 12:45 Film - Call Me Claus (PG) 14:30 Film - A Snow Globe Christmas 16:15 Film ‘Tis the Season for Love 18:00 News 18:30 Police Interceptors 19:30 News 20:00 Ultimate Strongman Masters World Championship Action from the veteran strongman competition as Mark Felix looks to regain the title. Standing in his way are one of the best log lifters in the world Vidas Blekaitis, the giant Pole Robert Kalinowski and the flamboyant American Van Hatfield 21:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away! The agents grapple with emotional evictions and moral dilemmas as a young family are made homeless, an acrimonious divorce comes to a head, and an off-licence battles to stay open just as everything shuts down for the holidays 22:00 The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door A six-year dispute over a shared drive leads to a fight that leaves one man in hospital and another in court and a woman's complaints about noise levels coming from next door are met with threats that force her to call in the police 23:00 Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 00:05 At Christmas 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Secrets of Great British Castles

DON´T MISS

EXTRAORDINARY WEDDINGS

ITV 22:00

SOAPS

Documentary telling the stories of couples who are determined to get hitched despite life placing tough obstacles in their way. Nick and Sophie from Cambridgeshire were looking for their first home together when Nick was struck down by a rare form of cancer. He now has the all-clear but it has left him blind.

How does he feel that he won’t see his bride as she walk down the aisle? Meanwhile, Carly and Nelly from Newquay were also planning on setting up home together when a freak accident left Carly paralysed from the neck down. In spite of this, they are now planning her dream wedding.

after too much booze.

Meanwhile, a guilty Pete encourages Finn to find Kasim and explain himself.

Emma also takes matters into her own hands by confronting Kasim herself.

In Emmerdale, Gabby and Liv get drunk together at the cricket pavilion. Liv has a dare for Gabby but mischievously videos the evidence and posts it online.

Later, Laurel can’t believe her eyes when Tracy shows her the video, but things only get worse when Gabby collapses and is rushed to hospital

the mood turns sour when a confused Ashley accidentally hits Laurel after arguing with her. Ashley is devastated when he realises what he’s done.

Elsewhere, Rhona sets Paddy and Chas up on a date in the hope that she can get them talking.

Also, Lisa is surprised when she finds out that Zak and Joanie are moving to Leeds.

In the second episode, there’s good news at the hospital when it’s revealed that Gabby will be fine, but

In Eastenders, as Roxy’s week continues to get worse, she confides in Phil and starts to reflect on her actions.

The atmosphere between Ronnie and Jack also gets worse after recent events.

07:00 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 07:20 Dinner Date 08:10 Ellen DeGeneres 09:00 Emmerdale 09:30 Coronation Street 10:00 You’ve Been Framed!

10:30 Psych 11:20 Scorpion 12:15 Dinner Date 13:15 Emmerdale 13:45 Coronation Street 14:15 You’ve Been Framed!

14:45 Ellen DeGeneres 15:35 Jeremy Kyle 18:50 Take Me Out 20:20 The Hot Desk 20:30 You’ve Been Framed!

21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Through the Christmas Keyhole 23:00 Celebrity Juice 00:00 Family Guy 01:30 American Dad! 02:00 Two and a Half Men ITV3 07:00 Movies Now 07:10 Doctor in the House 07:35 Heartbeat 08:40 Where the Heart Is 09:40 Wild at Heart 10:40 Judge Judy 12:00 Murder, She Wrote 13:00 Wycliffe 14:05 Heartbeat 15:05 Wild at Heart 16:10 Where the Heart Is 17:20 Doctor in the House 17:50 You’re Only Young Twice 18:25 George and Mildred 18:55 Heartbeat 20:00 Murder, She Wrote 21:00 Agatha Christie’s Marple 23:00 Mr Selfridge 00:00 The Ice Cream Girls 01:00 Film Carry on Camping (PG) ITV4 07:00 The Professionals 07:50 The Chase 08:40 Quincy, ME 09:45 Ironside 10:50 The Professionals 11:55 The Chase 12:55 Cash Cowboys 13:55 Pawn Stars 14:50 Counting Cars 15:50 Quincy, ME 16:55 Ironside 18:00 Counting Cars 19:00 Cash Cowboys 20:00 Pawn Stars 20:30 Pawn Stars 21:00 The Hand of God: 30 Years On 22:00 Film Assassins (15) 00:40 Car Crash Global 01:40 The Motorbike Show

08:00 Peter Hurst, 11:00 Trev Massey, 14:00 Alex Trelinski, 16:00 Gordon Lack Meanwhile, things are going well for Denise as the Walford Christmas Show looks set to be a big success. However, back home the atmosphere turns sour when Denise drops a bombshell on Patrick.

guilty for taking his son away at Christmas, Leanne offers to take Peter shopping for Simon’s present. Nick is alarmed to learn that both Leanne and Peter are out Christmas shopping and fears they are together.

Elsewhere, Shakil prepares for his big moment with Bex by making sure that Carmel won’t be home tomorrow.

In Coronation Street, when Leanne tells Nick that Toyah has invited them to Liverpool for Christmas, Nick happily agrees, knowing Peter will be disappointed. Feeling

With their shopping complete, Leanne and Peter find the car has been clamped in the car park.

As they await release, they chat easily and listen to the radio, with Leanne

admitting a childhood obsession with Bros.

As talk turns to their own history, Peter and Leanne have clearly put the bad times behind them, but could it be there is something more there than just nostalgia?

Meanwhile, Yasmeen is irritated by Nessa’s brazenness and berates Nessa for her affair with Cathy’s husband. As the women square up and Roy gets agitated, Cathy calls a halt to the row. Hearing Nessa bragging about being a magnet for men, Cathy finally unleashes her fury at her sister.

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Food & Drink

top

Food & Drink

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Dessert

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Spicy beans on toast

Bananas in Caramel Sauce

The Med Bistro and Bar in El Raso

Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1 cup superfine sugar 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 4 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise Method Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar is melted and light brown. Slowly stir in the cream (mixture will bubble up).

Let mixture boil 1 minute, then reduce heat to low.

Place the bananas in the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Serve hot.

Ingredients For the toast 2 diagonal slices ciabatta or baguette 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove For the spicy beans and spinach 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp dried chilli flakes Ÿ onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 100g/3½oz spinach 55g/2oz kidney beans from a tin, rinsed and drained

1 tsp chopped parsley, to garnish, optional salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Rub the bread with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan until smoking and chargrill the bread for 1 minute on each side until crisp and golden-brown. Rub the clove of garlic on both sides of each toasted ciabatta slice and set aside in a warm place.

For the spicy beans and

spinach, heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat.

Add the chilli flakes, onion and garlic and fry until softened.

Add the spinach and beans and cook until the spinach has wilted and the beans are warmed through.

Drain out any excess moisture and season with salt and pepper.

Put the toast on a plate, spoon over the beans and spinach mixture, then sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

The Med Bistro and Bar in El Raso was opened in September 2012 by Andrew and Steven providing the locals and tourists with a taste of the Mediterranean.

With a selection of tapas, a touch of Italian meat and fish dishes, mixed together with authentic music and a selection of wines and champagne, along with decadent styling, this all created that Mediterranean ambience where you can enjoy a chill-out drink or be wined and dined.

In November 2014, Andrew sadly passed away

and Steven continued to run the Med Bar with the help of his staff. In November 2016, the Med Bar moved to bigger premises located in the old El Raso Resturant, which allows catering for larger groups.

Completely refurbished the Med Bistro and Bar has a chill-out lounge and a bigger wine and spirit selection. Guinness and Kilkenny are also available on draft.

Old and new customers are always welcome at the Med Bistro & Bar.

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Food & Drink

Friday 2nd December 2016

Saag aloo with roasted gobi curry

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

This take on an Indian potato and cauliflower curry is a brilliant meal to make on the cheap.

Ingredients Ingredients For the roasted cauliflower ½ head white cauliflower ½ head romanesco cauliflower 2 tbsp olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper For the vegetable curry 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, grated 1 tsp black mustard seeds

5 fresh or dried curry leaves ½ tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp ground fenugreek 2 green chillies ½ tsp chilli powder 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm/1in cubes 450g/1lb baby spinach leaves, washed 250g/8oz tomatoes, chopped ½ tsp salt ½ tsp sugar squeeze lemon juice To serve steamed basmati rice Method Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

For the cauliflower, break

the two cauliflowers into bite-sized florets and place into a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixing until well combined. Roast for 20 minutes, or until goldenbrown and tender.

For the vegetable curry, heat the ghee, or oil, in a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent.

Add the ginger, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, fenugreek, whole green chillies and chilli powder.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the

Squash & ricotta ravioli

Ingredients 1 small butternut squash , (900g) 250 g ricotta cheese ½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g) 3 large free-range eggs 300 g Tipo 00 or plain flour , plus extra for dusting 600 ml 7-veg tomato sauce 70 g rocket 10 g Parmesan cheese extra virgin olive oil Method Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. In a tray, roast the squash whole for 1 hour. Add the ricotta and roast for another 30 minutes, or until the squash is cooked through. Halve it in the tray, discarding the skin and seeds. Pick, finely chop and add the basil leaves, then mash it all with the ricotta, scraping

up any sticky bits from the tray. Taste, season to perfection, and cool.

To make the pasta dough, put the eggs and flour into a food processor and whiz into a ball of dough. Knead on a flourdusted surface until smooth. Cut in half, wrap in clingfilm and rest for 30 minutes.

Flatten one piece of dough by hand. Run it through the thickest setting on a pasta machine, then take the rollers down two settings and run it through again to make it thinner.

Now, fold it in half and run it back through the thickest setting again, repeating this a few times for super-smooth dough.

Start rolling the sheet down through each setting, lightly dusting with flour as you go. Turn the

crank with one hand while the other maintains just a little tension to avoid any kinks or folds. Take it right down to 1mm, then lay the sheet flat and stamp out circles with a 12cm cutter.

Working quickly, spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of filling into the middle of each, lightly brush the exposed pasta with water, fold into half-moon shapes over the filling, gently pressing to squeeze out any air, and seal. Repeat with the second ball of dough.

Warm the sauce in a pan over a medium heat, and in batches cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for just 2 minutes.

Toss the pasta with the sauce and rocket and serve with finely grated Parmesan, finished with a few drips of extra virgin olive oil.

mustard seeds pop and become aromatic. Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the spices. Add the tomatoes, spinach leaves, sugar and 55ml/2fl oz water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the roasted cauliflower florets into the curry and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

To serve, remove and discard the whole green chillies. Serve the curry alongside steamed basmati rice.

2 cups white sugar 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup boiling water Method Preheat oven to 350

degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine-inch round pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Food & Drink

Friday 2nd December 2016

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Friday 2nd December 2016

Events Friday 2 to Sunday 4 December International Fishing Competition in Torrevieja All fish caught in the event is being donated to those in need to food

Record Of The Week!

Artist – Vaults Title – One Day I´ll Fly Away Chosen by drive presenter Gordon Lack this week.

Don´t forget to catch Gordon on TKO weekdays from 4pm. Gordon says...

With Christmas just around the corner, the song has that magical feel which enhances the time of year.

The song was originally recorded by Randy Crawford back in 1980 and was a number 2 hit in the UK. Vaults are an electronica band founded in 2013 and hail from south London with 3 members, Blythe Pepino, Barney Freeman and Ben Vella. The trio have yet to release a album, but the band's first EP 'Cry no More' was released in 2015 to warm reviews and so far their videos on YouTube have amassed over 20 million hits. The song now used in John Lewis’ Christmas advert featuring Buster the dog, but the storyline is about a little girl called Bridget who loves to bounce... When her mum and dad buy her a trampoline for Christmas, they soon discover that she isn't the only one with a passion for jumping.

If you would like to choose your own Record of the Week, perhaps you have a song that brings back happy memories or says thank you to someone special or is just a great tune that you love to hear, send us the details to studio@tko.fm and include the name of the track and artist, and what it means to you and next week it could be your special song played every day on TKO 91.9 & 90.8fm. The Costa Blanca’s biggest and best radio station.

Love Life... Love Music...

Love... TKO!

Friday 2 to Sunday 4 December Medieval Market Almoradí Friday 2 to Sunday 4 December Christmas Market Located on Plaza de Abastos, Rojales Sunday 4 December Santa Walk Zenia Boulevard

We’re just a couple of days into December and Christmas is only a few weeks away, but in Torrevieja, the celebrations are about to get underway with the start of the town’s patron saint fiestas.

to the Plaza de la Constitución This is the first time ever that this type of event is being held in Torrevieja. A total of 12 entrants will participate in the town’s first Wacky Races.

The calendar of activities for this period is packed full of events for the whole family at all times of the day, including the popular paella-making competition, which this year will be held in Avenida Delfina Viudes at the Parque Antonio Soria concert ground.

Tuesday 6 December: 12:00h XXVI Paella-Making Competition – Parque Antonio Soria (by Aquapolis)

Bad weather meant that a number of events had to be postponed, but the fiestas start in earnest today (Friday 2 December) at 17:45h with the first outing of the ‘Giants and Big Heads’, and they conclude on Saturday 10 December with the IX Nocturnal Cross Run and a children’s parade the next morning.

Standout events include: Saturday 3 December: 16:30h Main Square – Plaza de la Constitución Entrance of the town’s musical bands, followed by the flower offering at the main church and the inauguration of the ‘belén’ (Nativity scene).

Sunday 4 December: 11:00h Wacky Races – Calle Bazán from Diego Ramírez Pastor

15:00h Los 80 Principales (The Top 80) Two and a half hours of the best national and international musical hits, including a bouncy castle and mechanical bull for the children.

Thursday 8 December: 18:30h Plaza de la Constitución (main square) Solemn Celebration of the Eucharist followed by the Solemn and Great Procession with the image of the Immaculate Conception.

Sunday 11 December: 17:00h Starting place: Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre Children’s parade, with the theme of ‘Superheroes’ (postponed following a wet weekend this week).

These are just some of the activities taking place, but for the full programme, you can visit the tourist information offices in Torrevieja.

Where Do YOU Read The Courier?

We are interested to know where you read The Courier newspaper each week. Snap a picture or a #selfie and send it to julie@tko.media and the best will appear here and on our Facebook page.

1 Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (3D) 2 Allied 3 Trolls (3D) 4 Bad Santa 2 5 Arrival 6 United Kingdom, A Doctor Strange (3D) 8 EVENT CINEMA: Andre Rieu's Christmas Concert 2016 9 Dear Zindagi 10 Paterson

Tuesday 6 December Strings and percussion classical concert by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Torrevieja, International Auditorium Torrevieja Tuesday 6 December Walk for Caritas Terra Mitica, Benidorm Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 December Medieval Market Caravaca de la Cruz Friday 9 December Orihuela Belén The official opening of the nativity scene in Orihuela city.

Saturday 10 December Christmas Fayre Christmas event in the popular San Luis Square, Torrevieja.

Saturday 17 December Zombies in Elche The undead takes to the streets of Elche.

Friday 6 and Saturday 7 January 2017 Three Kings classical concert by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Torrevieja, International Auditorium Torrevieja

UK BOX OFFICE

TOP 10

Monday 5 December Christmas tree lights switch on Playa Flamenca town hall.

Joy at Timeless Fashions takes TIME out!

John reads his in the kitchen with biscuits

Dates Dec 6 Constitution Day Dec 7 Torrevieja Fiesta Dec 8 Immaculate Conception Dec 21 Solstice

December

Dec 24 Christmas Eve Dec 25 Christmas Day

Steve at Bucks E Cigs catches up at work

Sue at Big Mens Casuals reads in the shop

Dec 26 St Stephen's Day Dec 31New Year's Eve

Friday 2nd December 2016

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Spanish construction rebuilds after market collapse Property developer Olivier Crambade founded Therus Invest in Madrid in 2004 to build offices and retail space. For five years business went quite well, and Therus developed and sold more than €300m of properties. Then Spain’s economy imploded, taking property with it, and Mr Crambade spent six years tending to Dhamma Energy, a solar energy business.

Now, however, the pendulum has begun to swing back. Therus has just broken ground on what Mr Crambade describes as Spain’s first large-scale speculative office project since the crisis, a 34,000 sq m complex near Madrid’s Barajas airport. Hispania, a socimi, or Spanish Reit (real estate investment trust), which counts George Soros among its investors, is forward funding the €106m project, which it will rent out.

“Now that they see that the Spanish economy is growing, that at least we have a government, businesses that had been waiting are looking for more space for growth, says Mr Crambade.

After one of the most brutal property busts in history — housing prices fell 45.2 per cent from 2007-2015, according to property site

Fotocasa — the market seems to have turned a corner.

During the third quarter of 2016, average office rents rose 9 per cent in Madrid and 14 per cent in Barcelona year-on-year, says BNP Paribas Real Estate. Home sales are up 10 per cent and home foreclosures down 30 per cent annually, according to Spain’s national statistics agency, INE. Asking prices for homes in downtown Madrid and Barcelona are up 7 per cent and 9 per cent respectively since 2015, says Beatriz Toribio, Fotocasa’s head of research.

“From 2010 to 2012, international investors didn’t want to touch the Spanish market with a stick,” says Fernando Encinar, cofounder of property website Idealista. “We’ve passed from a brutal lack of trust in the Spanish economy, to now when you speak with investors [they say] ‘Give me yield.’ ” The nascent recovery in Spain’s real-estate market has come in stages, starting with opportunistic investors who bought high-risk assets in search of big returns. The first wave arrived in 2013, when large international funds from Goldman Sachs,

Cerberus Capital Management and Blackstone bought bad loans and apartment portfolios.

The following year, the first socimis listed on Spain’s stock exchange and raised funds for more valueadded investing. These Reits, along with funds such as GreenOak Real Estate, bought into the shopping centre market. They also began to bet on Spain’s economy — GDP is expected to grow 3.2 per cent in 2016, one of the fastest rates in the EU — by financing prime office renovations.

One of the earliest arrivals after the distressed asset investors was Lar España, the first socimi to list its shares publicly, in March 2014. Its primary bet has been on retail, as a way to ride increasing consumer spending. Today it has 26 properties worth some €1.2bn, 75 per cent of which is in shopping centres.

“There’s been a clear recovery of consumption in Spain, as well as a drop in unemployment,” says Miguel Pereda, chief executive of Grupo Lar. Sales at its shopping centres rose 9.2 per cent in the first nine months of 2016, he adds.

Investment in commercial real estate boomed in 2015,

rising 25 per cent to €13bn, according to CBRE Spain; 43 per cent of that went into offices. This year’s figure is expected to be about €9.5bn, slowed in part by global uncertainty and the lack of a proper government in Madrid for 10 months, until October.

The residential market has also returned, led by foreign nationals who bought in Madrid and Barcelona and on the Mediterranean coast. There are still 500,000 unsold housing units in Spain, but new residential housing has begun to sprout. Last year, US investment firm Lone Star Funds bought a local residential real-estate development firm, Neinor Homes, for €930m, with plans to build 1,000 units in the first year.

“We’ve gone from ‘invest and wait’ to ‘produce and

generate’,” says Adolfo Ramirez-Escudero, chief executive of CBRE Spain.

“Now there’s more development and construction, more cranes, more economic activity leading to better sale prices and rents.”

Referring to a Neinor Homes sign in the CBRE’s Madrid offices, Mr RamirezEscudero says that the firm returned to promoting new residential units only last year. Now, he says, it has 1,500 and demand has returned.

Now there are more cranes, more economic activity, better sale prices Adolfo Ramirez-Escudero Weak spots remain.

Outside prime locations in Madrid and Barcelona and on the coast, many markets still have a “major hangover”, with no recovery in sight, Mr Pereda says.

In the office market,

investor competition has pushed up prices and squeezed profitability. In downtown Madrid, prime office yield has fallen from 6.2 per cent at its peak to 4 per cent today, says Ramiro Rodríguez, European analyst at BNP Paribas Real Estate.

Madrid and Barcelona have voted in city leaders who are less friendly with property developers than their predecessors, stalling the massive Castellana Norte development in Madrid and also hotel projects in Barcelona.

For developers like Mr Crambade, however, it is good to be back. “After six years of being a taboo topic in economic circles, realestate developers are being invited back into the official cocktails,” he says. “The stars, and the drinks, are lining up again.”

36

Health

Friday 2nd December 2016

Thousands 'miss out on stroke treatment' About 9,000 stroke patients a year are missing out on a treatment that can prevent disability following a stroke, say UK experts.

Clot retrieval can restore blood flow to the brain, preventing some lasting damage, but currently only 600 patients a year get this therapy, they estimate.

A national stroke audit reveals part of the problem is a lack of skilled staff to do the procedure.

NHS England says stroke patients are receiving high quality care.

During a stroke, the blood supplying vital parts of the brain is interrupted.

The most common reason is a clot blocking a major blood vessel in the head, although some strokes are caused by a bleed.

The longer a part of the brain is starved of blood, the more likely lasting damage such as paralysis and speech problems - will occur.

Expanding mesh While many people with a stroke caused by a clot currently get drugs to help dissolve the blockage, this does not always work completely.

Thrombectomy - or clot retrieval - is another method, which aims to remove the clot mechanically.

It is a highly skilled operation, and stroke services need to be set up to be able to deliver the treatment.

A thin metal wire housing a mesh is inserted into a major artery in the leg and, under X-ray guidance, it is directed to the site of the problem in the brain.

The mesh is then expanded, like a miniature fishing net, to trap and remove the clot.

Alice Felix-Donyai used to be a catwalk model. She had a stroke aged 38.

She remembers putting her baby daughter to sleep and chatting to her hus-

band.

He noticed her face was dropping and her speech was slurred. And then she couldn't walk and collapsed.

She says: "He [my husband] placed me on top of the bed and that's the first time I realised that there must be something really wrong with me, because he's so stressed out."

Alice had a thrombectomy at Charing Cross Hospital just hours after her stroke.

She was part of a trial of the procedure.

She now has trouble moving her left arm and leg, but says it could have been much worse.

"Once the clot was out, the damage stopped," she says.

"There are a lot of limitations. I can't run, I can't clap my hands. If I want to pick my daughter up, I have to tell her to put her arms around my neck and then I grab her with my right side.

"It is very sad not to be able to pick up my daughter.

"I do as best as I can."

Researchers from Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Oxford Academic Health Science Network and the National Institute for Health Research looked at thrombectomy data and stroke statistics in the UK to work out how many patients might benefit from the procedure.

In a presentation given to the UK Stroke Forum national conference, they estimated one in 10 people admitted to a hospital with a stroke could be eligible for thrombectomy.

Investigator Dr Martin James, at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, said: "Delivering the procedure to the 9,000 people who need it will require major changes to the configuration and skill sets of existing acute stroke services.

"We must work quickly to establish what needs to be

done so that more people in the UK can benefit from a treatment which can dramatically reduce disability after a stroke as well as cutting associated costs to the NHS and social care."

Thrombectomy has already been deemed safe and effective by the health watchdog the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

NICE says the treatment should be carried out only in places that have trained specialists and the necessary support staff and equipment.

Consultant shortages The Royal College of Physicians said: "There is a major shortage of appropriately trained staff to undertake thrombectomy, particularly outside of London, and it will take time to train up enough doctors to undertake this skilled procedure."

The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland says staffing levels across stroke

care in general are a "concern".

"Current nurse staffing levels are insufficient to provide good care for everyone who needs it, and as we implement guidelines, more skilled nurses will be required rather than less," it said in a statement.

There were also problems with recruiting consultants, with 40% of stroke services having an unfilled stroke consultant post - up from 26% in 2014.

Prof Tony Rudd, national clinical director for stroke at NHS England, said: "NHS stroke care and stroke sur-

vival are now at record levels.

"We recognise the potential effectiveness mechanical thrombectomy could have for about 5% of stroke patients and are currently drawing up a policy for its possible use across the NHS."

MedB Health Dr M. Mannu

37

Friday 2nd December 2016

Anaemia is a common cause of dizziness

The commonest cause of dizziness is a lack of oxygen supply to the brain due to low levels of haemoglobin, the pigment that gives blood its red colour. Anaemia also results in poor oxygen supply to other parts of the body such as the muscles, however, when the brain is affected, it results in dizziness.

Haemoglobin must be above normal levels to provide adequate amounts of oxygen to the body.

Anaemia is said to occur when haemoglobin falls below acceptable levels of 14 – 17 g/dl for men and below 12-15 g/dl for women.

Nevertheless, these levels reflect the average, and many people outside these values may still have normal

haemoglobin levels.

Moreover, even when haemoglobin levels are within normal values, anaemia can still occur as there are other factors that determine oxygen supply to the cells such as the volume, size and shape of red blood cells.

The commonest cause of anaemia is the improper absorption of nutrients that help the body produce haemoglobin like iron, vitamin B12, zinc, copper and manganese. The deficiency of either one of these can lead to anaemia. Diseases of the stomach and gut will affect nutrient absorption. People with long-standing diseases of the digestive system such as Crohn´s, coeliacs or chronic constipation will have

problems digesting or absorbing nutrients.

Many medications will hinder the absorption of nutrients including acid suppressants such as omeprazole, as well as antibiotics and painkillers. Antibiotics also destroy beneficial bacteria, probiotics that help with food

digestion and absorption and the production of vitamins.

Some antibiotics like nitrofurantoin and anti-inflammatory drugs cause anaemia by directly destroying the haemoglobin.

Anaemia puts a strain on the entire body, especially the cardiovascular system - the

heart and blood vessels. Low haemoglobin means the concentration of oxygen in the blood is lower than normal, and the heart has to work twice as hard to supply oxygen to the rest of the body.

The effect is an increased heart rate and blood pressure. With the heart struggling to meet up with demand, the rest of the organs will also be under strain. A consequence of the increased workload of the heart is tiredness. Extreme anaemia will cause breathing problems as the lungs also work harder to inhale air.

Inner ear disorders is a rare cause of dizziness, but many patients with anaemia are wrongfully diagnosed with this condition and treated with

the prescription drug SERC, which has no effect on their condition.

The best treatment for anaemia is a comprehensive multivitamin and mineral formula. Iron and vitamin B12 are the most well-known nutrients for increasing haemoglobin levels, but other minerals are also important, including zinc, copper and manganese. It is important to remember that taking supplements is not a substitute for a healthy diet of daily fresh vegetables and fruits.

For A Full Body Scan Call MedB Clinic: 965071745, 966189074, visit – www.medb.es

Just a small cut in saturated fats 'reduces heart disease risk' "Swapping butter and meat for olive oil and fish does cut the risk of heart disease," The Times reports.

The headline is prompted by the findings from a US study involving data from over 100,000 men and women, followed for more than 20 years. The results showed that consumption of different types of saturated

fats was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

The researchers also found that replacing just 1% of energy consumed in the form of saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, wholegrain carbohydrates or plant proteins, led to a 5-8% decreased risk of coronary

heart disease.

The debate regarding the risks of "sat fats" continues.

A report we discussed in May this year argued that the current UK guidelines on saturated fats were flawed as there was no proven link between saturated fat consumption and heart disease.

But critics attacked the report for lacking independent peer

review. The British Heart Foundation said it did not offer enough evidence to "take it seriously".

Current guidelines recommend that men eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day and women no more than 20g of saturated fat, and this latest research appears to support current guidelines.

38

Friday 2nd December 2016

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA NAMED ‘SAFEST NEW CAR’ AT CARBUYER ‘BEST CARS’ AWARDS

The new Alfa Romeo Giulia has been named ‘Safest New Car’ in the Carbuyer ‘Best Cars’ Awards, adding to the large collection of international prizes already won by the new sports car.

Presented by Carbuyer editor Stuart Milne at an awards event today (30 November) in London, the ‘Safest New Car’ title came following deliberation from

Carbuyer’s team of motoring experts, after safety was found to be one of the website’s readers’ most popular searches.

“The Alfa Romeo Giulia is the long-awaited replacement for the 159 saloon, and with good looks, impressive engines and plenty of interior space, it’s certainly been worth the wait,” says Stuart Milne. “It also scored top marks this year in the Euro

NCAP crash tests. It achieved a remarkable 98 per cent score for adult occupant protection, beating cars like the Mercedes EClass and Volkswagen Tiguan.

“Testers praised the Giulia’s structural integrity and the ability of the Autonomous Emergency Braking system to work at higher speeds. With that hugely impressive adult

occupant protection score, we've named it our Safest New Car.” Created by the Alfa Romeo Style Centre, the exciting Giulia is a new expression of the best Italian tradition that combines harmonic proportions, linearity of style, high quality materials and sophisticated aluminium, wood and leather accents.

All these are embellished

with iconic elements originating in the brand's over 100-year history, the most significant of which is the trefoil, arguably the most famous emblem of Alfa Romeo design.

“Safety is of paramount importance to us at Alfa Romeo, just as it is to our customers, so I am particularly delighted that the experts at Carbuyer have voted the Giulia as their

safest car,” says Damien Dally, head of brand, Alfa Romeo UK. “It’s just one more excellent feature of a car that people already love for its looks, style and awesome performance.”

The range (OTR) Petrol

Alfa Romeo Giulia starts at £29,180 for the 2.0 Turbo 200hp.

BOXING LEGEND HENRY COOPER’S FERRARI TO GO UNDER THE ’AMMER AT COYS AUCTION IN LONDON International auctioneers Coys are putting under the hammer a Ferrari owned by British boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper OBE along with over 40 classic and sports cars at their yearly True Greats auction on 5th December at the Royal Horticultural Society in London.

The 1973 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 was owned in the early 1980s by Henry Cooper, famous for the power of his left hook, “Enry’s ‘Ammer“, and his knockdown of a young Muhammad Ali on 18th June 1963.

Coys took the car to the Fellowship Inn on the Bellingham Estate in South London, where local boy Cooper lived and trained before the fight with Ali, and caught the attention of locals who turned out to see it, take pictures and share stories about the boxer.

Enry later became friends with The Greatest, who admitted he was hit so hard that fight that “his ancestors in Africa felt it.” Following his retirement from the sport, he continued his career as a television and radio personality and to date remains the

only boxer to be awarded a knighthood.

Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys, said: “He loved his cars, was a great motorsport enthusiast and at one point even did some club racing alongside his great friend Graham Hill. Known as Enry’s Ferrari by various marque specialists, the provenance of this car makes it a sound investment and could be the ideal Christmas treat for discerning collectors.”

The Fellowship Inn, now in semi-derelict condition, is set for a £4m restoration with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring it back to its former glory. The grant was secured by Phoenix Community Housing.

Councillor for Lewisham Alan Hall said: “The project will secure the future of the community pub while creating more than 70 jobs and lots of training and volunteering opportunities. Henry Cooper is a Bellingham local legend, it was great to see the car back in the area where he grew up and the interest it created amongst locals - hope it’s a knock out

sale!”

The Councillor brought a model of a statue of Sir Henry Cooper that the Members of the London ExBoxers Association are planning to erect in Bellingham in 2017 in recognition not only for what he achieved in boxing but for the great contribution he made to many charities and more important as an example to young people. Coys will auction the model statue to raise funds for the London Ex-Boxers Association. The reserve is £1,000 - dig deep, it’s for charity!

The car is one of only 55 right-hand drive examples produced. Under the bonnet, Ferrari squeezed in their 4.4 litreV12 unit producing 400 bhp at 7,000rpm, making it, at the time, the world’s most potent full fourseater.

Despite its 1,450kilos, the car sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds and was capable of a top speed of 165 mph. The V5 shows Henry Cooper as the keeper, listing his home address in Hendon, North London. It is estimated at £55,000 to £70,000.

The auction also features

a number of highly soughtafter Ferraris including a 1979 512 Berlinetta Boxer (estimated at £200,000 to £250,000), a 1968 330GTC Berlinetta (£550,000£600,000), a 1972 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder (£500,000-£600,000), an original right-hand drive 1974 246 GT – E series (£270,000-£300,000), a 2005 430 (£65,000£75,000) and a 2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello ex- Maranello press car at no reserve.

Also on offer is a rare 1969 Porsche 911 S/T raced

by Kent Frohde in the Swedish racing series in the

early 1970s. The car was manufactured as a normal S by the factory and duly sent to the Werks Porsche Competition Department who converted it into S/T Specification straight from the production line. It was sold to Frohde on 22th September 1971 and the engine - an original 2 Litre– was tuned to 242bhp.

According to Frohde, this was the strongest 2-litre engine that Porsche had tuned at the time. This is one of the most sought after 911s in the world and surely worthy of a place in any Porsche museum or at any

significant worldwide motoring event. It is estimated at £700,000 to £900,000.

Other heavyweights being auctioned include one of only eight right-hand drive 1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Manual (£240,000£280,000), a 1976 Alpine 1600 SC– Original Dieppe Built Model (£75,000£90,000), a 1926 Bentley 3 litre Short Chassis Sports Tourer (£360,000£390,000), a fully restored 1951 Land Rover Series 1 80” (£30,000-£40,000) and a 2016 Jaguar C-Type Evocation (£45,000£55,000).

Friday 2nd December 2016

39

Business Directory ACCOUNTING SERVICES

DRAINAGE

966 921 003 thecourier.es

LOCKSMITHS

AIR CONDITIONING

ALARMS

ALCOHOLICS

AUTO ELECTRICIAN

ELECTRICIAN

FASHION

PAINTER

AUTOS

HAIRDRESSERS

CATERING

HOME & GARDEN

PLUMBERS

QUIZ MASTER Experienced quiz-master /question setter with personality. If you would like a quiz master that is entertaining, and is available to host quiz nights in local bars. Tel: 664 838 581.

CHURCH SERVICES Torrevieja Christian Fellowship at Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, Torrevieja 03183, all welcome to their friendly and lively 10.30 am. Service each Sunday morning.

Tele: 966700391 or visit our website on www.tcfspain.org.

International Christian Assembly, Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja.

Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday services 11am. Children's church 11am.. For more information lease Telephone today: 966 799 273 or 660 127 276.

REMOVALS

SECOND HAND SERVICES

966 921 003 Business Directory thecourier.es SWIMMING POOL SERVICES

TELEVISION

TUITION Guitar lessons for beginners, as well as improvers. From Only 10â‚Ź per hour. Tele 966789612 or Mobile number 629975378.

VETS

WINDOWS

SNOOKER

Business Directory

JOBS

Solar Power - Sunlife Solar Solutions have vacancies for both a Solar Installation Engineer and a Solar Thermal Engineer (or plumber with pool heating experience). Call 965 271 717 or send your CV to info@sunlifesolarsolutions.com.

Insurance Sales - The EasyCover Group have a full time vacancy available in their Torrevieja / La Zenia offices.

You must have previous sales experience and have lived locally for at least 5 years. A full time contract is offered to the right candidate. Send your CV and enquiries by email to martin@easyoption.com Media Sales - TKO Media are recruiting field sales executives for our flagship products, The Courier Newspaper and TKO Radio.

Email admin@tko.media or call 966 921 003.

Hair Stylist - Flexible hours to suit, Villamartin area, please telephone 966765834.

Radio Presenters - If you are a radio presenter looking for a change, or if you are just interested in having the opportunity, contact TKO Radio in confidence by email, admin@tko.media.

Radio Sales - RADIO COSTA MEDIA needs self-employed salesperson for Torrevieja & surrounding areas. Call 685 901 265 or please email info@radiocosta.eu Got a vacancy? Advertise it here, on TKO Radio, Facebook and the internet for just 20â‚Ź, call 966 921 003.

42

Friday 2nd December 2016

RICHARD CAVENDER

BlueMoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services company on the Costa Blanca.

BlueMoon Solutions comes to you at home or at work. Their personal service covers from Alicante to Pilar de la Horadada.

Richard moved to Spain ten years ago having left his management background behind in the UK and decided to use his IT skills to help home users and small businesses with their PC problems. Now a relaxed 'computer man' he is out and about in the Spanish sun every day, making house and shop calls and using his vast experience and qualifications to sort out the problem there and then.

Computers are his hobby as well as his work so don’t be surprised to get an answer to your email in the early hours!

ADVICE: Kathy has issues with Windows 7 update

ADVICE: Mark was having issues updating Windows 8.1

Q A

Hi Richard, I purchased a new Acer laptop. On different advice from people I had Windows 7 put on. Big problems with updates (Microsoft’s fault.) Ss there anything you know that I can do? Would it be better to get it changed to Windows 10? Would I then lose the few programs I have managed to put on? Help? Kathy.

Hi Kathy, did the laptop come with Windows 10 to start with (i.e. do you have a Windows 10 licence?), if it didn’t, then I'm afraid you can't update the Windows 10 as the offer for a free upgrade has ended - of course you can pay to upgrade, but its probably not worth it.

In terms of issues with updates, if you mean they are very slow to find and download then that is a known fault (something that Michael asked about in The Courier.) Here is what I recommended to him.

1.

Download and install the April 2015 servicing stack update from the below… https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3020369 2.

Download and install KB3020369, either 32 or 64 bit, depending on your operating system…

32 bit - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=46827 64 bit - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53332 3.

Then restart the computer and try searching for your updates again. ....Of course, if you would prefer to book an appointment to arrange for me to come and sort it out for you, then just let me know and I will organise something for next week.

Q

Hello Richard, I have a problem with Windows updates - I will explain best I can.

I have a laptop running Windows 8.1 Pro and over a month ago it started searching for and failing to find any updates. It is an endless search and is using 100% of CPU all the time, I have ran the computer for up to 6 hours at a time with the CPU not dropping below 100%. I can turn off the update from the services and all is well for a short time, but it restarts searching for updates (always at 100%). I have carried out numerous clean installs, reinstalls with system images and using both the refresh and reinstall everything options. Last clean install I carried out involved a clean install of Windows 8 Pro (no problem with updates) and then installed 8.1 Pro from the store, but the problem I have still exists. I have run full scans with Windows defender, Malwarebytes anti-malware, scanned for rootkits and run a anti-exploit, none of these found problems. I have also ran the 'scan now ' and 'chkdsk' from command prompt, but again no problems were found. If I ran the Windows Update Diagnostic, it will find and supposedly fix the problems that are causing the update search but the computer will work okay for a while but restarts the endless search. Obviously, I cannot keep using the computer that is always running at 100% because it is just too slow and almost unusable. I would appreciate any advice or maybe even a working solution to this that you may have. Regards Mark

A

A. Hi Mark, I have had a number of questions relating to this recently, here is the best solution that I have come across…

1.

Download and install the April 2015 servicing stack update from the below… https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3020369 2.

Download and install KB3020369, either 32 or 64 bit, depending on your operating system…

32 bit - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=46827 64 bit - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53332 3.

Then restart the computer and try searching for your updates again.

Website:www.bluemoonsolutions.es Email: office@bluemoonsolutions.es Mobile: 655 044 970 NEW: Tel: 965 987 032 Don’t forget, you can follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluemoonsolutionsspain/ Alternatively, why don’t you sign up for my newsletter. You can do this by going to:www.bluemoonsolutions.es/newsletter .

43

Friday 2nd December 2016

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!

The Courier newspaper celebrates edition 300 today, as we’ve being going strong for nearly six years, thanks to you, our loyal readers and advertisers. We have always prided ourselves on a being a free newspaper that actually does cover local and national news, sport, and events, as well as bringing you columnists like Tony Mayes and Dave Silver that always get a reaction. Our feedback shows that you enjoy reading the fruits of our labours, and we plan to continue in that vein! Here’s to the next 300!

The TKO Media Group, owners of The Courier, are pleased to announce that they have taken over Express News, which in its short life, has already made a big impact in its main target area of the Costa Calida. A warm welcome is extended to the new advertisers that have joined The Courier from Express News, and we look forward to a long and fruitful association with them, as we look forward to the future with some exciting plans to make The Courier even bigger and brighter. Watch this space!

The TKO Media Group has also launched a new companion internet radio station to TKO FM, that very much “does the trick” in the shape of TKO Magic. It’s available online right now at tkomagic.com and brings you non-stop hits across the decades for you to enjoy at anytime of the day or night. Give it a try and tell us what you think.

SEND US YOUR PARTY PICTURES Help us celebrate our 300th edition by sending your jolly party pictures reading The Courier and we will include all of the best ones on our Facebook page, and some in next week´s Courier.

Get your party hat on and email your pictures to julie@tko.media and we might even dig out a prize for our favourites.

Lisa from Quesada Mini Golf

Raf from Raf's Café

Gean, Gabriella, Margaret and Trish

Colin and Graham from Unblock-a-Rod

44

Golf

Friday 2nd December 2016

TIGER ROARS AGAIN As you read this, the great Tiger Woods should have made his return to the world golfing stage last night in the Bahamas in the first round of the Hero World Challenge at the Albany resort, and you have to say that his return has been well thought out. It's not a USPGA event, and has a field of just 18, and there's no halfway cut. That field though has some of the world's best players and so many people feel that a good weekend for Tiger might be if he does better than a couple of them. It

has been 16 months since Tiger Woods played a round of competitive golf.

The last tournament Woods played in was the 2015 Wyndham Championship, where he finished tied for 10th, four shots behind winner Davis Love III. Tiger only completed four rounds at seven tournaments during the 2015 season and missed the cut at three of the four majors. He finished 17th at the Masters.

Following his August round at the Wyndham, he had surgery on his back

and had planned to return in early 2016.

Setbacks in recovery put his return to the course on hold indefinitely, until he announced he hoped to play at the Safeway Open, the 201617 PGA Tour season opener. Further setbacks in his preparation also caused him to withdraw from that event, until November 1st, when he announced he would return this week for the Hero World Challenge.

"I'm not dead. I'm ready to go," he said at the start of the week "I'm nervous

for every tournament I play in, whether it's after a lay-off, or six in a row, or a major".

"I care. If I care, I'm nervous and it's good to be that way. To have that nervous energy and channel it into aggression, into focus, concentration that's good stuff.

If I wasn't nervous, that would mean I didn't care. I don't want to be out there flat."

Woods, who has been absent since August 2015 after two back operations, has slumped to 879th in the world and his come-

DANISH DUO DELIVER

Soren Kjeldsen and Thorbjorn Olesen shot a sixunder 66 in the fourballs to give Denmark a first World Cup of Golf victory by four strokes in Australia on Sunday. The Danes started the final day in Melbourne with a four-shot cushion, and seven birdies, combined with a single bogey, gave them the win on 20 under. France, China and the USA tied for second on 16 under.

"It's difficult to describe my feelings," said Kjeldsen, before lifting the Hopkins Trophy. "We both came into this week in good form and we just gelled so well," added Kjeldsen, who holed a 20-yard putt on the last. "A friendship has been built as

well, and I think that's the whole point of the World Cup of Golf."

Victory for Kjeldsen came at the sixth time of asking, while Olesen was playing in his third World Cup as Denmark beat their previous best finish of second in 2001.

Kjeldsen and Olesen took turns to nail critical birdie putts every time the lead was whittled back.

"Our mental strength is keeping calm and playing our own game. I wasn't too worried, I thought the birdies would come on the back nine and they did," Olesen said.

French duo Victor Dubuisson and Romain Langasque led the chasing pack with a nine-birdie 63 to

share second place with China's Wu Anshun and Li Haotong (65) as well as American pairing Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker (66). Ireland's Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell finished 11 under, level with defending champions Australia, who were represented by Adam Scott and Marc Leishman.

England's Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan closed with a 65, their best round of the tournament, to finish on nine under. Russell Knox and Duncan Stewart of Scotland ended on six under while Wales' Bradley Dredge and Stuart Manley hit a finalround 63, moving them to five under.

back has had the added complication of having to find new clubs. In Nassau he will continue to use his Nike irons but will play with Taylor Made woods and a Bridgestone ball.

"The most important thing is the ball," he said.

"Once you find a ball, then you can work around everything else.

Critics would argue his mindset may be of more significance, with rumours persisting of chipping 'yips' having returned to his game. The 18-man field including 11 of his teammates who

were involved in the United States' Ryder Cup victory two months ago.

Among the other playing are Open champion Henrik Stenson and Britain's Olympic gold medallist Justin Rose, and Woods is under no illusions about the quality of golf he will have to reach. "I'm out here playing and competing," he said. "That part is really neat.

"Then there is that part of me that is the competitor who wants to beat these guys. I want to compete."

Weekend Rugby In last weekend’s Murcia FERRMUR league rugby, the ITV Orihuela Vega Baja senior team (pictured in black and yellow), lost a close encounter away to Murcia by 21 points to 13. The combined San Javier Squalos and Totana side went down to Cartagena A at Totana by 24 points to 18.

In the four FERRMUR schools rugby event organised by Totana RC, a combined Totana and Murcia CURM side beat a joint Orihuela-Torrevieja Tigers team by 41 points to 26.

This weekend’s attractions feature a double-header at Totana, with the combined San Javier/Totana men taking on Cartagena at 6.00 pm, preceded at the same ground by a clash of the San Javier Squalos ladies and Lorca, starting at 4.30 pm.

The Courier Sport

So Near For Torry An Almazora penalty six minutes from time stopped Torrevieja from getting victory at a ground which has seen the home side only lose once in this season.

Up to that point it had looked pretty good for the visitors to get three points in their battle against relegation.

Back from injury, Hugo Salamanca led the Torry line at the north Castellon venue showing quality, and when he got Torry´s second goal from the penalty spot, just before half-time, the odds looked good on a priceless win.

When Salamanca limped off injured, Torry lost their ability to hold the ball up front and ended up having to settle for a draw.

Torry were without captain Lewis Allen who was suspended for picking up a fifth yellow card the previous weekend, and they also missed Dani Salazar, who was injured in training just the day before the match.

Martin returned from injury to partner Calzado at the heart of the Torry defence with Carrasco pushed forward into his more accustomed midfield role. Sadly this was his first under par performance for Torry, his challenges being weak and his passes going badly

astray.

Torry looked good upfront with Damian probing for weaknesses and Pastor using his pace to unnerve the home defence. Despite a few self-imposed scares when Martin and Carrasco elected to play football deep in their own territory instead of blasting the ball clear, Torry dominated the half and it was against the run of play on 34 minutes when Nico tapped home from close range after Buba spilled a rasping low drive from inside the box. Nico looked decidedly offside, but no flag was evident.

Five minutes later, Damian forced his way into the box with sheer persistence and hit a left-foot daisy cutter into the righthand corner of the net for the Torry equaliser. Less than five minutes later Pastor made a mazy run into the box where the only option was to fell him. Hugo had to wait for ages with the ball on the spot before the referee finished writing in his notebook, and then slowly take up his position forty yards from his note taking as he eventually blew his whistle for the kick to be taken. Hugo was not fazed as he smashed the ball into the net, uncaring as if it went through keeper

Alejandro en route.

Torry deserved their halftime lead and should have added to it in the second period. After good work down the left flank, the ball was crossed in for Pastor, who took in a tight spot. He kept control as he evaded his markers and got it on his favoured right foot on the edge of the box. He must have then taken his eye off the ball to check the goal as he fired his shot well off target, when he normally would have buried it.

Almazora had the crowd screaming at the referee for every Torry challenge, their main striker keen to fling himself to the ground whenever Martin got close to him.

Referee Antonio Rodríguez Rodrigo did well to resist their urgings, until he relented in the 84th minute.

Vicente was under pressure with his opponent try-

CD ALMORADI 0 ONTINYENT CF 2 Cassano doubled Ontinyent's lead with a long-range strike in the 37th minute. Just before the interval, the busy Josete pulled off another great save when Domenech looked a good bet to score.

Almoradi showed more of their mettle in the second half, and in the final quarter Saul and Manu had chances to get the home side back into the match but it wasn't to be, as once again Josete showed his class to stop Francesc and Domenech sewing up the match for certain. Almoradi face the long journey to Castellon this weekend,

knowing that unless they win at the fifth-placed side, they could end up in the third division drop zone. Elsewhere, Crevillente did both Almoradi and Torrevieja a favour by beating strugglers Muro onenil, and they go away now to the team just above them in the table, Alzira. Elche Ilicitano go to fellow mid-table side Torre Levante, after they lost two-one at home to Silla, whilst after a blank weekend, and a couple of disappointing results, Orihuela have the kind of match that they don't want, which is a visit to thirdplaced Novelda.

Monte Return

Sixth-placed CD Montesinos return to Valencia Segunda division group 16 action this Sunday, after a blank weekend, with a fixture away to CFP Orihuela, who are just one point ahead of them in the table.

The match kicks-off at 4.00 pm at the Polideportivo Municipal "El Palmeral".

Thader In Touch

CD ALMAZORA 2 CD TORREVIEJA 2

Almoradi's Slide Continues Two first-half goals from promotion chasing Ontinyent were enough for the visitors to pick up the points at Almoradi on Sunday, who were grateful to keeper Josete keeping the margin of defeat down to just two.

Almoradi's barren run without a win has now seen them slowly slide down the third division regional table, now are now perched precariously just above the relegation area, with one of the key problems for coach Fran Rodriquez being a lack of goals.

Ontinyent did take a controversial lead in the 17th minute when referee Miras Lopez adjudged, much to the chagrin and disgust of the home fans, that Almoradi's Del Cueto had fouled Iván Cassano when they were going both going for the ball, and Abengozar converted the spot kick. Shortly afterwards, Josete saved an almost certain second goal from Abengozar, before Iván

45

Friday 2nd December 2016

ing to squeeze past him on the byline. Vicente got a foot to the ball but the player went down under the challenge and the spot kick was awarded.

Buba guessed right and got agonisingly close to the low drive from Rober, but just failed to stop it.

The final five minutes were mostly Almazora, but it took a last-minute fingertip save from Alejandro to ensure they kept a share of the spoils. Though it was a good point for Torry, it still felt like two had been dropped having led for so long.

The good news for Torry is that they are now just two points off climbing out of the relegation area, and this Sunday entertain Recambios Colon at the Nelson Mandela stadium, who are only four points in front of them. The match kicks-off at 5.00 pm.

SANT JOAN 0 CD THADER 1

Rojales side Thader had Ruben to thank for a secondhalf goal that gave them a victory which sees them just one point behind the Preferente group four pack in fifth place. Sant Joan were the dominant force in the first half, but their pressure didn't produce a goal, much to the relief of Thader at the interval.

Thader played better in the second half as they got more of the possession, ahead of Ruben getting the decisive goal in the 74th minute, though the home side nearly pinched a point towards the

end when the ball hit the Thader post.

Thader have plenty to build on, especially as they've had to switch recent home matches because of reseeding work being done at their municipal ground at Rojales, which means they will have a useful advantage come the business end of the season.

They now have another "switched" home match which sees them travelling to second-bottom CD Cox this Sunday with a 12.15 kick-off, with Cox hitting form in getting a three-nil local win at the weekend over Redovan.

46

Ronaldo On Fire

REAL MADRID 2 SPORTING GIJON 1 Zinedine Zidane praised Real Madrid match-winner Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the forward can score "at any moment". Real Madrid kept ahead of the chasing La Liga pack, with their win over Sporting Gijon last Saturday, with Ronaldo bagging both goals after his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid the previous week.

Real coach Zidane heaped praise on the Portuguese striker, who has come under criticism this season for his form, and says he is fully fit and raring to go.

"That's what Cristiano is like, he can score goals at any moment," said Zidane.

"When he doesn't score goals everyone thinks he is not playing well. Today he scored twice and worked hard, down the wings and in the middle. He is fully recovered."

Former Real striker and current director Emilio Butragueno added: "His second goal was magisterial.

"It was like a hammer, it was a sensational header. He was decisive yet again, but even forgetting that, it's a privilege to be able to count on a player like him."

The win stretched Real's unbeaten run to 31 games, equalling a mark set by former manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Regarding the game, Zidane added: "It was a game to forget for us because nothing went how we wanted it to. We lacked a bit of everything but we're happy with the three points, which is the most important thing.

"We can't be happy with our display but sometimes this happens. Above all I'm annoyed because we had the game in our hands and their goal changed the game, they came out more motivated in the second half.

"The game got complicated but we can be happy by the fact we're still top and unbeaten."

Next for Real in La Liga is the small matter of the El Clasico clash at Barcelona tomorrow afternoon with a 4.15 pm kick-off time.

Friday 2nd December 2016

Enrique Fumes

The Courier Sport

Much Better Elche

REAL SOCIEDAD 1 BARCELONA 1 Barcelona failed to close the gap on leaders Real Madrid at the top of La Liga after being held to a draw by Real Sociedad at the Anoeta on Sunday evening, in a performance that Barca coach Luis Enrique described as the worst the team have given in his time in charge.

Willian Jose headed the home team ahead eight minutes into the second half, only for Lionel Messi to draw Barca level just six minutes later with his 19th goal of the season.

However, there was late controversy in San Sebastian when Juanmi saw his 76th-minute effort ruled out for offside.

As a result, the champions are six points behind Real Madrid ahead of this weekend's 'El Clasico' at the Nou Camp.

"This is the first time I've seen a team walk all over us since I became coach," said Enrique, boss since 2014.

"If we look at the result, it is the best of the season. The opponents were far superior."

"Most teams try to get the better of us by defending but they played a good game, trying to play with the ball, and they deserved the three points," added Enrique.

Gerard Pique told Movistar Plus that Barca could not hope to defend the title if they repeat such a display, but Luis Enrique felt the defender's comments simply came in the heat of the moment.

"I understand that interviews at the end of a game are dangerous. You haven't adjusted to the reality of the situation," he said.

"To give up on La Liga on matchday 13 would seem an exaggeration to me. There is still a long way to go. "We have to start improving. We've produced the worst game of our era and we'll certainly see a different Barca in the Clasico," Enrique added.

Messi Talks

That’s My Boy

ELCHE 1 MALLORCA 0 A fine second-half goal from Guillermo Fernández (pictured marked by a Mallorca player) got Elche's season back on track after a stinker of a performance at Almeria, as the Ilicitanos ended Mallorca's five-match unbeaten run. Sunday's game was also notable for Edu Albácar missing his first ever penalty in a professional match and Mallorca ending the encounter with only nine players, after two of them were sent off after both were double yellow-carded.

Elche suffered a blow though after 14 minutes, when summer signing Javier Matilla suffered a cruciate ligament injury, which doctors have diagnosed will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. Matilla, who has netted twice in this current campaign, becomes the second Elche player ruled out of action for the remaining fixtures, after Mandi suffered a knee injury back in August, Hervías was the pick of the Elche players in the first half, whilst a Brandon header came close to giving Mallorca a lead at the interval. The Ilicitanos were by far the best side in the second half, with Pedro and Guillermo both coming close to opening Elche's account.

It seemed a good bet that Elche would take the lead after Raillo fouled Dorca in the penalty area, and got sent off into the bargain for getting his second yellow card of the game. Up stepped Edu Albácar with a 100 percent penalty record, but he saw his clean sheet disappear in that regard, as his shot crashed into the crossbar, with Mallorca gratefully clearing the rebound.

No harm done though, as five minutes later a Pedro pass found Guillermo in the penalty area, who exquisitely put the ball into the back of net, much to the joy of the local fans. Elche pushed forward, but the one-goal advantage meant that anything could happen at the other end, and it nearly did in the dying minutes, as substitute Lekic unleashed a shot that hit the post. It was Mallorca's best period of the game, but Pleguezuelo then got his marching orders in added time, and the points belonged to Elche.

Every time this season that Elche have moved into a position to make progress (they are now eighth in the Segunda division, a point off the promotion zone), they seem to go a step back.

Supporters hope that this will not be the case this Saturday evening as they travel to the bottom club, Mirandés.

Hopeful Gareth

REAL MADRID 6 CULTURAL LEONESA 1 Zinedine Zidane's son Enzo scored 18 minutes into his Real Madrid debut - with his first shot for the club.

The 21-year-old midfielder was brought on by his father, the Madrid coach, at half-time in their Wednesday night Copa del Rey victory over Cultural Leonesa at the Bernabeu.

Madrid won the tie 6-1, beating their third-tier opponents 13-2 on aggregate to reach the competition's last 16.

Norwegian teenager Martin Odegaard, who signed as a 16-year-old in January 2015, also made his full debut.

Enzo, the eldest of Zidane's four sons, made almost 50 appearances for Madrid's reserve team before being given his senior debut.

Barcelona will begin contract extension talks with Lionel Messi after the club's El Clasico showdown with Real Madrid tomorrow according to Spanish media reports.

The Sport newspaper based in Catalunya says that Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is speaking to Messi's father Jorge and that the Argentina international could be offered a contract for life after the El Clasico clash this weekend.

Both Manchester City and Manchester United have been linked with moves for the 29-year-old, whose current contract with Barcelona expires in 2018 Barca boss Luis Enrique said it was up to the club and Messi himself to speak about his future.

"I'm sure Messi and the club will give you the information when they have some and at the right time, but I have nothing to add to what I've said," he was quoted as saying by the Sport newspaper.

"We all know how much media there is surrounding Messi, what he means for Catalunya and for Barca."

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale says he will do his utmost to return to action as soon as possible after an operation last Tuesday. The Wales international went under the knife at the King Edward VII Hospitalin London after damaging the peroneal tendons in his right ankle during Real's Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon last week.

Real said that the operation went well, but have not said how long they expect Bale to be sidelined for, with reports suggesting that he could be out for up to three months. Bale hopes he will be back sooner rather than later, writing on Twitter: "Thanks for all the messages! Ankle is feeling OK. I'll be doing everything I can to get back on the pitch ASAP."

The Courier Sport With John McGregor

ROONEY’S RETURN

THE PREM’S POLARISING

47 FIXTURES Friday 2nd December 2016 THE EMIRATES FA CUP - SECOND ROUND 20:55 Macclesfield Town v Oxford United SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP 20:45 Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United LADBROKES SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP 20:45 Dundee United v Hibernian Saturday 3rd December 2016

AWFUL QUARTERS

Yawn… on Tuesday Liverpool reserves beat Championship contenders Leeds, and after extra time Hull beat the Championship leaders Newcastle 3 – 1 in the EFL cup. In the first of the other two legs on Wednesday, a full-ish Man United side, sin-sinner Mourinho in the stadium, beat a half-strengthnot-really-interested West Ham 3 – 1.

The only real laugh – sorry, I mean excitement – was Arsenal doing, once again what they’re best at: driving their loyal supporters to distraction as the Gunners blew it, once more at the Emirates by losing 2 – 0 to Southampton. Can anybody take this pathetic competition seriously?

Just in case you do, the semi-finals will see Manchester United play Hull, while Liverpool will take on Southampton. The two-legged semi-final ties will be played in the weeks commencing the 9th and 23rd of January 2017.

ISCO SWOOP?

Copa Del Shock

HERCULES 1 BARCELONA 1 Barcelona are said to be considering an audacious move for Real Madrid's Isco, according to a report in the Mundo Deportivo newspaper.

The Malaga native's deal expires in 2018, and Isco is apparently admired at the Nou Camp for his skills, as well as possible marketing opportunities.

The state of Isco's possible contract renewal with Real is unclear and it is alleged that he would be paid a signing-on bonus if he arrived at Barca on a free transfer.

Holders Barcelona were held to a draw at third-tier side Hercules of Alicante in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-32 tie on Wednesday. David Mainz slotted in from close range in the second half to give the Segunda Division B side a shock lead.

But teenager Carles Alena drilled in from outside the box to level for Barca, who were without a lot of their star player like Lionel Messi ahead of tomorrow’s El Clasico. The second leg against Hercules takes place at the Nou Camp in three weeks' time on Wednesday, 21 December.

Sunday 4th December 2016 PREMIER LEAGUE 14:30 Bournemouth v Liverpool 17:00 Everton v Manchester United THE EMIRATES FA CUP - SECOND ROUND 13:00 Curzon Ashton v AFC Wimbledon 15:00 Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United 15:00 Bristol Rovers v Barrow 15:00 Cambridge United v Coventry City 15:00 Eastleigh v FC Halifax Town 15:00 Millwall v Braintree Town 15:00 Notts County v Peterborough United 15:00 Stourbridge v Northampton Town 15:00 Woking v Accrington Stanley 16:00 Port Vale v Hartlepool United Monday 5th December 2016 PREMIER LEAGUE 21:00 Middlesbrough v Hull City THE EMIRATES FA CUP - SECOND ROUND 20:45 Lincoln City v Oldham Athletic Tuesday 6th December 2016 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP A 20:45 FC Basel v Arsenal 20:45 Paris Saint Germain v Ludogorets Razgrad UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP B 20:45 Benfica v Napoli 20:45 Dynamo Kiev v Besiktas UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP C 20:45 Barcelona v Borussia Mönchengladbach 20:45 Manchester City v Celtic UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP D 20:45 Bayern Munich v Atlético Madrid 20:45 PSV Eindhoven v FC Rostov LADBROKES SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP 20:45 Aberdeen v Kilmarnock SKY BET LEAGUE TWO 20:45 Newport County v Stevenage LADBROKES SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP 20:45 Queen of the South v St Mirren LADBROKES SCOTTISH LEAGUE ONE 20:45 Brechin City v Albion Rovers LADBROKES SCOTTISH LEAGUE TWO 20:45 Berwick Rangers v Stirling Albion Wednesday 7th December 2016 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP E 20:45 Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Monaco 20:45 Tottenham Hotspur v CSKA Moscow UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP F 20:45 Legia Warsaw v Sporting Lisbon 20:45 Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP G 20:45 Club Brugge v FC Copenhagen 20:45 FC Porto v Leicester City UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP H 20:45 Juventus v Dinamo Zagreb 20:45 Lyon v Sevilla

Information correct at time of publication but subject to change at short notice.

Surely unsentimental, unsmiling, Jose Mourinho will give Wayne Rooney a returning run-out as Man United visit the Liverpudlian’s spiritual home at Everton come Sunday afternoon? As the clubs are currently sixth and seventh with just one point between them, there’s a lot at stake, and with the Blues losing and the Reds drawing last weekend, neither are doing wonderfully well.

Make no mistake, miserable Mourinho is under more pressure at Old Trafford than Ronald Koeman is at Goodison Park.

Another FA fine and wigging predictably came this week over Jose’s latest faux-pas, strictly booting a water-bottle - and all ‘cos £89m man Paul Pogba was (rightly) booked for pretending he was fouled.

Jose’s howlers have not done the prickly Portuguese’s reputation much good at the Theatre of Dreams where better behaviour is expected of a Manchester United manager - especially when the results are not good.

With a third of the season gone, matters are becoming clearer at either end of the Premier League. At the Northern Pole, i.e the top, a fascinating three-horse race is being run between Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, only one point separating them. The usual Capital suspects, Arsenal and their detested nasty neighbours Spurs are hounding the big three, but it’s hard to realistically imagine either challenging for the title.

T’others? Forget it…

Deep down south in the Dreaded Drop Department it’s not for the faint-hearted. Swansea dramatically leapfrogged Sunderland with the Swans’ farcical seen-it-allnow 5 -4 win over serial losers Crystal Palace, perhaps perspiring Pardew possibly pushed any minute? Or will dodgy Dave Moyes be getting his P45 soon, as surely Jermaine Defoe can’t save another of the Black Cat’s nine lives? If you fancy those two to go down, who’s the third?

Only five points separate Stoke in 11th and hapless Hull, 18th who are top of the bottom three (on equal points with pulverised Palace). That’s nine teams on knife-edge neuroses, including such surprises as last year’s champs Leicester and West Ham who came tenth last year. One bad run and the trouble will really start. The key game at the bottom involving both worriers looks like Sunderland v Leicester this Saturday.

The middle zone is headed by the mundane mediocrity that is Mourinho’s Manchester United – who just must do better at an institution where failure is not an option. One place and a point behind the Red Devils sit Everton, a position we’ve come to expect from the Toffees lately: and the two meet on Sunday. Three places and two points below, sit ‘how-do they-do-that Southampton’, who just keep on flying the south coast flag and confounding the Saints’ doubters – like me.

The Saints’ latest coup was the 2 – 0 EFL win at Arsenal.

Between Everton and Southampton in eighth and ninth – deservedly and surprisingly are West Brom and Watford, teams most of us would have expected to be battling it out around the DDD. So: one third gone, two thirds of the season to go.

Who’s your money on to win – and go down?

PREMIER LEAGUE 13:30 Manchester City v Chelsea 16:00 Crystal Palace v Southampton 16:00 Stoke City v Burnley 16:00 Sunderland v Leicester City 16:00 Tottenham Hotspur v Swansea City 16:00 West Bromwich Albion v Watford 18:30 West Ham United v Arsenal THE EMIRATES FA CUP - SECOND ROUND 16:00 Blackpool v Brackley Town 16:00 Carlisle United v Rochdale 16:00 Charlton Athletic v Milton Keynes Dons 16:00 Chesterfield v Wycombe Wanderers 16:00 Luton Town v Solihull Moors 16:00 Plymouth Argyle v Newport County 16:00 Shrewsbury Town v Fleetwood Town 16:00 Sutton United v Cheltenham Town SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP 16:00 Birmingham City v Barnsley 16:00 Blackburn Rovers v Huddersfield Town 16:00 Bristol City v Ipswich Town 16:00 Burton Albion v Rotherham United 16:00 Cardiff City v Brighton & Hove Albion 16:00 Fulham v Reading 16:00 Norwich City v Brentford 16:00 Sheffield Wednesday v Preston North End 16:00 Wigan Athletic v Derby County 18:30 Leeds United v Aston Villa LADBROKES SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP 13:15 Motherwell v Celtic 16:00 Hamilton Academical v Partick Thistle 16:00 Kilmarnock v Dundee 16:00 Rangers v Aberdeen 16:00 Ross County v Heart of Midlothian 16:00 St Johnstone v Inverness Caledonian Thistle SKY BET LEAGUE TWO 16:00 Stevenage v Doncaster Rovers 16:00 Yeovil Town v Crawley Town

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THIS WEEK’S FOOTBALL FIXTURES INSIDE...

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AUTUMN FINALE

Nathan Hughes (pictured) and Marland Yarde will start for England against Australia at Twickenham this Saturday, in two forced changes to Eddie Jones' side.

Wasps' Hughes replaces the injured Billy Vunipola at number eight, while Harlequins' Marland Yarde will start on the wing in place of the suspended Elliot Daly.

A win over Australia in tomorrow’s final autumn international would equal England’s longest winning run, set across 2002 and 2003.

OPEN DOOR

Sir Bradley Wiggins has been named in British Cycling's podium programme squad for next year, having been expected to retire. British Cycling said they were giving Wiggins the "flexibility" to "consider the direction of his future".

BATTLE OF THE BLUES To get this ‘Polarising Prem’ weekend (see over on page 47) off to a barnstorming beginning, it’s the big showdown this Saturday lunchtime, writes JOHN MCGREGOR. League leaders Chelsea go to mighty Manchester to take on third-placed City - with just one point in it. Both clubs have spent zillions of sheckles and roubles on their teams, with the Londoners being the form side with seven storming wins now on the spin. Previously briefly Bridge boys like Victor Moses and Pedro are now back in the first team, and both scored last week in the thrilling 2 – 1 win over Spurs.

This will be a huge test for Conte’s kids to stay top, because over in the Blue corner of Manchester today there is a huge wealth of expensive talent. Top manager Pep Guardiola is steadily knitting together a formidable side, and significantly even wayward Yaya Toure is now back in the family fold (though most pundits feel he won’t be involved this weekend). Arguably the most reliable striker in the world, certainly in the UK, Sergio Aguero grabbed both goals in the 2 – 1 win at Burnley last week and is looking as sharp as ever. City could leap-frog Chelsea back to the top if the northern Blues win, but rest assured, they’ll be no hiding place at the Etihad tomorrow.

Second-placed Liverpool, fresh from finally battering down the Sunderland walls 2 – 0 at Anfield again visit the south coast this weekend, but this time to Bournemouth. Two weeks ago the Reds couldn’t score against Southampton, although on Tuesday their youth team beat Leeds 2 – 0 in the EFL cup quarter finals.

THE COURIER No.1 for SPORT! All the action p 43-47