Blossom is coming to the UK – in a big way. The National Trust has announced it’ll be planting more blossoming tree circles in towns and cities across the country “to help signal reflection and hope” following the pandemic.
The conservation charity hopes to spark an annual marking of the season akin to Japan’s hanami – the ancient tradition of viewing and celebrating cherry blossom as the first sign of spring.
The hope is to extend our newfound appreciation of nature that got so many people through the first lockdown in spring 2020, and to give tourism a bit of a boost once it’s able to resume.
The first new blossom circle will be at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London and will include 33 UK-grown trees, including cherry, plum, hawthorn and crab apple, to represent the 33 London boroughs.
It’ll be joined by more blossom-friendly green spaces in and around urban areas over the next five years, to connect more people to nature.
Can’t wait until then? Here’s some amazing blossom photos from around the world to get you in the mood for spring.
Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan has shared some extremely exciting news about the hit Channel 4 sitcom’s forthcoming return.
A third series of Derry Girls was confirmed to be in the works as far back as April 2019, but due to various factors – yes, we are mainly talking about that global pandemic we’re all still living through – production has been put on hold on several occasions.
When one fan tweeted Nicola saying he hoped Derry Girls would be back on our screens soon, the actor responded saying: “Can confirm Series 3 of Derry Girls is filming this year and I cannae bloody wait.”
She added: “Covid has pushed back filming several times which has been so shite, but honestly the storylines in this series are the best we’ve ever done so I can’t tell you how worth it the wait will have been.”
Covid has pushed back filming several times which has been so shite, but honestly the storylines in this series are the best we’ve ever done so I can’t tell you how worth it the wait will have been
Derry Girls first debuted on Channel 4 in 2019, and later gained international appeal when it began streaming on Netflix in other territories.
As well as winning huge critical acclaim, Derry Girls has pulled in massive viewing figures, becoming the most-watched TV series in North Ireland since modern records began in 2002.
Ant and Dec have explained how the new series of Saturday Night Takeaway will work without one of the show’s key components – a studio audience.
In the past, audience members have been required for recurring Saturday Night Takeaway features like the Win The Ads quiz, while the dup have also pulled certain people out of their seats on multiple occasions for different surprise segments.
For obvious reasons, this year’s series will launch without an audience for the first time without a studio audience, which presenter Declan Donnelly has said will make for a “very different” viewing experience.
However, they will have a virtual audience appear on screens behind them, and while shows like The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent have tried this in the last year with mixed results, Ant and Dec have said they’re determined to take things to the next level on Saturday Night Takeaway.
ITV/ShutterstockAnt and Dec are back in the Saturday Night Takeaway studio – but they won’t be joined by an audience.
Dec told Digital Spy: “A lot of this show is about the audience. So we have researched ways, and are coming up with ways, to do a much more interactive virtual wall – more than any other show has done.
“Our studio audience, for want of a better phrase – our audience on the night, on the virtual wall – will be an interactive part of the show. This year’s series will have a very different feel to it because it’s normally a big kind of party vibe with the audience.
“This year, it’s going to be very different. We’ll still have our star guest announcer. But it’s a much more interactive virtual wall.”
ITV/ShutterstockHarry and Jamie Redknapp will be appearing in the first episode of Saturday Night Takeaway’s new series.
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway returns on Saturday night with guests including Take That singer Gary Barlow.
While certain segments won’t be taking place due to Covid restrictions, the pair have pre-recorded new pranks for their I’m A Celebrity, Get Out Me Ear game – featuring Davina McCall and Harry Redknapp, among other stars – and a new show-within-a-show called Double Trouble.
Find out how things play out in this week’s Saturday Night Takeaway airing at 7pm on ITV.
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