The incident occurred in London’s West End
Four people have been taken to hospital after a car hit pedestrians in the early hours of Christmas Day morning.
According to a statement from the Metropolitan Police, officers were called at 00.45am on Wednesday (25 December) morning following reports of a car driving on the wrong side of the road in the busy West London area of Covent Garden. The incident is not ‘terror-related’.
The incident occurred on Shaftesbury Avenue in Covent Garden (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Officers added that four people were subsequently taken to hospital, with one remaining in a life-threatening condition. Meanwhile the driver, a 31-year-old man, has since been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police said they believed the suspect was ‘involved in an altercation at a nightclub prior to getting in his car and mounting the pavement’.
They added that it had ‘been confirmed as an isolated incident which is not terror-related’.
Speaking about the incident, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “Officers responded quickly to this report, working closely with City of London Police to arrest a man within minutes.
“Detectives are quickly progressing inquiries as part of this investigation.
“It’s believed that the suspect was involved in an altercation at a nightclub prior to getting in his car and mounting the pavement.
“Several scenes remain in place at the location today.
“This has been confirmed as an isolated incident which is not terror-related.”
Anyone with information is asked to call officers on 101 or post @MetCC ref CAD 233 of December 25.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Brenna Cooper
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Published 10:57 24 Dec 2024 GMT
Netflix viewers given £1,000 TV Licence warning for streaming on Christmas Day
Netflix continues to venture in to the world of live events, with a focus on sport
Those tuning in to Netflix on Christmas Day risk being fined £1,000 for not having a TV Licence.
For UK residents, knowing when you need to have a TV Licence can be confusing. Get it wrong and you can end up in court with a £1,000 fine coming your way.
When it comes to Netflix, it was an issue that was recently highlighted in the boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, with millions tuning in to the streaming giant to watch the bout.
And the same issue highlighted for Iron Mike’s long-awaited return to the ring is back again for Christmas Day.
Netflix and the TV Licence
In the UK, it is the law to need a TV Licence is you watch live content as it is streaming.
That is on any platform, whether on a traditional TV or online platforms such as ITVX, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
And yes, Netflix is also part of this.
While you absolutely do not need a TV Licence to watch Netflix’s back catalogue, you do for its live content. And on Christmas Day, it has another two live events for people to enjoy while tucking in to their turkey dinner.
It is one for sports fans, with two NFL games streaming live on Netflix on December 25.
Patrick Mahomes will play for the Chiefs on Christmas Day, broadcast live on Netflix (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Current Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1pm ET, which is 6pm GMT for UK viewers. And after that, at 4.30pm ET (9.30pm GMT), the Baltimore Ravens will take on the Houston Texans.
There will also be a half-time show during the Ravens – Texans game, with none other than Beyonce performing. And while details of her performance are currently under wraps, the superstar is expected to feature some special guests who are featured on the Cowboy Carter album.
Beyonce will perform live on Netflix during the half-time show of the Ravens – Texans game (Julian Dakdouk for Parkwood Entertainment / Netflix)
TV Licence warning
You can enjoy both of these NFL games as well as the Beyonce performance as part of your standard Netflix subscription package.
But if you do so without having a valid TV Licence, you’re opening yourself up to the risk of a £1,000 fine.
In the UK, prosecutions for not having a TV Licence is the second most common offence in the country. That’s behind driving offences. Currently, a TV Licence costs you £169.50 a year, with this increasing by £5 from April 2025.
The TV Licence is paid by millions every year (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
The BBC told LADbible earlier this year: “A TV Licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer. Further information is available on the TV Licensing website or via the customer services team, who can help with any queries.”
Whether this will remain a criminal offence for much longer is doubtful, with Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, both agreeing non-payment of a TV Licence should be de-criminalised.Featured Image Credit: Brandon Bell / Getty Images / Phil Barker / Future Publishing via Getty Images
Topics: Crime, Netflix, TV, UK News, NFL, Sport, Christmas, Beyonce, Boxing, Jake Paul, Mike Tyson
Tom Earnshaw
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Updated 09:39 25 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 12:35 23 Dec 2024 GMT
Netflix viewers planning to watch live Beyonce concert on Christmas Day given £1,000 warning
Beyonce is performing live on Netflix this Christmas Day
Netflix is set to broadcast a live Beyonce concert on Christmas Day. But those looking to tune in and watch it as it happens face a £1,000 fine.
Announcing the concert ahead of the big day, Netflix said it was ‘an early Christmas gift granted’ as part of the streaming giant’s offering on 25 December.
The Queen of Pop is set to perform live on Netflix during the service’s first-ever NFL Christmas Gameday.
Taking place during the half-time show of one of two NFL games also being broadcast live on Netflix, it will see her take to the stage half way through the second match between the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens.
The first game being broadcast live on Netflix is Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Performing at the NRG Stadium in Houston, it will be the first time Beyonce performs songs from her record-breaking Cowboy Carter album to a live audience, with millions of Netflix subscribers around the world set to tune in to watch the 11-time Grammy nominated artist do her thing.
But in broadcasting the concert to fans around the world, here in the UK there will be an issue when it comes to simply tuning in as Queen Bee sings the likes of ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and ‘Jolene’.
On the whole, watching Netflix in the UK comes with strings attached.
Beyonce will perform live on Netflix during the half-time show of the Ravens – Texans game (Julian Dakdouk for Parkwood Entertainment / Netflix)
You pay your monthly subs and you can go through the company’s vast library at your pleasure. The problem has come about in recent months due to Netflix’s expansion in to live events.
This has included the recent boxing match between YouTuber Jake Paul and former heavyweight world champion, Mike Tyson.
It was an event that saw more than 108 million people watched the event as it happened, with Paul comfortably beating Iron Mike in a result that surprised no one with even the vaguest interested in boxing.
The difference with these live events, which includes the NFL games going on around Beyonce’s performance, is that authorities require extra payment in the UK.
Beyonce is live on Netflix this Christmas (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
That is in the form of something called the TV Licence; an annual fee that funds the BBC, setting you back £169.50 for a year. And it’s going up by £5 a year from April 2025.
Tuning in without a TV Licence could leave you open to a £1,000 fine if caught by authorities.
“A TV Licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer,” a BBC spokesperson told LADbible earlier on this year.
Further information is available on the TV Licensing website or via the customer services team, who can help with any queries, the service added.
The live Beyonce Netflix concert is set to take to the stage at around 10.30pm GMT on Christmas Day (25 December).Featured Image Credit: Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic / Sheldon Cooper / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
Topics: Netflix, Beyonce, Celebrity, TV, UK News, US News, Entertainment, NFL
Tom Earnshaw
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Published 11:49 19 Dec 2024 GMT
BBC u-turns after ‘threat’ to send TV Licence enforcement officers to people’s homes on Christmas Day
An unexpected and unwelcome guest for Christmas dinner?
The BBC has u-turned after sending Brits letters ‘threatening’ to send TV Licence enforcement officers to people’s homes on Christmas Day for not paying for the annual fee.
Roughly 24 million properties have a TV Licence in the United Kingdom, with the £169.50 per year fee needed if you want to watch live television as it airs in the country.
It is not a universal legal requirement to have the licence with it only needed if you watch live TV, watch the BBC iPlayer in any capacity, or record live TV to watch at a later date.
Despite this, the BBC – which is funded by the TV Licence – has this Christmas been sending letters to households across the UK saying it could turn up to the homes of people who do not pay the licence fee.
In the letter, there is no accusation of any wrongdoing in regards to watching content in a way that would require a TV Licence.
Headlined ‘Will you be in on 25th December?’, it says: “As there’s no record of a TV Licence at your address, you should expect a visit from an enforcement officer.”
The TV Licence is paid by millions every year (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
It adds: “It may be on the 25th December or another day. You could be prosecuted if you are caught watching, recording or downloading TV programmes illegally. On live TV or BBC iPlayer.
“You may have to pay a fine of up to £1,000 plus any legal costs and / or compensation.”
It later says you can stop a visit by starting to pay for the TV Licence, before saying ‘you can expect a visit soon’ if you don’t.
LADbible spoke to one Brit who had this letter in the post. Describing it as a ‘threat’, they told us: “I think it’s an horrific tactic that’s used to scare older and more vulnerable people that don’t know any better.”
The letter sent to homes without a TV Licence (LADbible)
Responding to the outrage, a TV Licensing spokesperson told LADbible: “These letters were sent in error and we apologise to anyone who received one.
“There will be no visits on Christmas Day.”
Dennis Reed, director of senior citizens’ campaign group Silver Voices, said: “Such threatening behaviour is thuggish.
“It’s an underhanded, desperate attempt to try to pressure older and vulnerable people into paying.
“To specify Christmas Day of all days is astonishing… clearly, they won’t be calling on 25 December.”
You need a TV Licence to watch any content on the BBC iPlayer (Carl Court/Getty Images)
From April 2025, the TV Licence will increase by £5 per year.
As it stands, you can be fined £1,000 for not paying for a TV Licence when you need one. But going forward, this could change dramatically under the current Labour government.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images / LADbible
Topics: BBC, TV, UK News, Entertainment, Christmas, Originals
Tom Earnshaw
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Updated 18:22 20 Dec 2024 GMTPublished 17:38 20 Dec 2024 GMT
Official Christmas number one for 2024 has been announced
It’s another record-breaking year in music
The official Christmas number one for 2024 has been announced.
With festive tunes of past and present having filled pretty much every public space for the last month or so, we’ve all got our favourites.
And this year, it felt like there was some tough music competition in the UK for the top spot. Of course, there’s always Mariah Carey and Slade, but 2024 had some new faces in the mix with Tom Grennan’s ‘It Can’t Be Christmas’ and Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘A Nonsense Christmas’.
What song has been named the official Christmas number one?
But for the second year in a row, it’s ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! that’s taken the place of the UK Christmas Number 1 2024.
To many fans’ surprise, last year was actually the first time the bop claimed the title despite knocking about since 1984.
It’s a biggie for the George Michael creation too as Official Charts confirm ‘Last Christmas’ is the first song in chart history to ever clinch two consecutive Christmas Number 1 victories. Also, it marks its 40th anniversary as the most-streamed and physically purchased song of the week.
The track secured the spot through both digital and physical domination, with a whopping 12.6 million streams.
WHAM!’s reaction
Speaking to Official Charts, WHAM!’s Andrew Ridgeley says: “37 years to get to Number 1, 39 years to Christmas Number 1, and then like London buses they all come along at once!
Andrew Ridgeley of Wham! (Official Charts)
“I’m especially pleased for George, he would have been utterly delighted, his fabulous Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets.
“It’s testament to a really wonderful Christmas song that in a lot of people’s minds evokes and represents Christmas as we would all wish it to be. I’d like to thank everyone who has listened to, downloaded, bought, streamed Last Christmas and been a part of history. Thanks so much and Merry Christmas!”
Who else has Christmas number ones?
This second Christmas Number 1, puts Wham! in the rare group of acts to achieve it multiple times. Their peers now include: Queen (two), Spice Girls (three), The Beatles (four) and the current record-holders, LadBaby (five).
They’ve done it again (Wham!)
The second place in the UK Official Singles Chart for Christmas is taken by Gracie Abrams’ with ‘That’s So True’.
She’s followed by Mariah Carey’s now 30-year-old ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ with Tom Grennan landing in fourth.
ROSÉ and Bruno Mars round off the Christmas Top 5 with their track ‘APT’.
Not necessarily getting the number one single, Sabrina Carpenter does however take the title of Official Christmas Number 1 Album with Short n’ Sweet.
The UK Official Singles Chart Top 10 for 20-26 December 2024:
- ‘Last Christmas’, Wham!
- ‘That’s So True’, Gracie Abrams
- ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, Mariah Carey
- ‘It Can’t be Christmas’, Tom Grennan
- ‘APT’, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars
- ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’, Brenda Lee
- ‘Messy’, Lola Young
- ‘Jingle Bell Rock’, Bobby Helms
- ‘Santa Tell Me’, Ariana Grande
- ‘Fairytale of New York’, The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl