A crew from Planet Earth III spent five weeks in Indonesia attempting to capture video of the exotic fish species known as the archerfish.
A crew from Planet Earth III, a BBC nature documentary series, spent five weeks in the Raja Ampat mangrove habitat of Indonesia attempting to capture video of the exotic fish species known as the archerfish.
The archerfish has a unique hunting style in which it shoots down prey sitting on limbs hanging over the water, and its accuracy is quite incredible with its built-in “water pistol.”
Simply put, it spits at its targets.
“They can spit water very, very accurately and knock down insects, crabs, snails—anything they can see on the mangroves,” cameraman Mitch Buckley stated in the BBC Earth video that shows proof. “They see something that looks a bit different like a bracelet or a red thing on a camera or the whites of your eye and they have a go.”
It was Buckley who got struck right in the eye.
One commenter on YouTube called the video “cute and funny.” And it is, especially this bit of commentary stated in the video: “He’s made a crucial mistake while in the presence of archerfish. He’s forgotten to look down.”
The BBC offered an apology to the pundit after a weekend of chaos
After a chaotic weekend that saw its programming reduced or outright cancelled, the BBC backed down from its fight with Gary Lineker, reinstating the pundit and even offering an apology.
On Friday, the BBC suspended Lineker from its flagship “Match of the Day” program after a tweet in which the pundit compared the U.K.’s new asylum policy to Germany in the 1930s.
That decision set off a chain reaction of Lineker’s colleagues walking off the job in solidarity, with a host of BBC programs cancelled and “Match of the Day” presented in a limited fashion.
On Monday, the BBC announced Lineker had been reinstated and that the publicly-funded network would conduct an independent review into its social media usage guidelines.
“Everyone recognizes this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences,” BBC director general Tim Davie said in a statement. “I apologize for this.”
Sky Sports News reported that the BBC also offered Lineker a private apology.
Davie added: “Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend.”
Lineker released a statement of his own on his Twitter account, thanking fans and his colleagues for their outpouring of support.
After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming. 1/4
“I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost three decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world,” he said.
“A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you.”
Lineker was rebuked by the U.K. government for comments on its new asylum policy
The BBC has suspended Gary Lineker from its flagship Premier League show “Match of the Day” for his comments criticizing the government’s new asylum policy.
In response to a policy seeking to ban people entering the U.K. illegally from ever claiming asylum, Lineker said on Twitter it was an “immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”
That comparison drew rebukes from the U.K. government, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman saying it “diminishes the unspeakable tragedy” of the Holocaust.
Amid a growing firestorm, the BBC has said that Lineker’s activity on social media violated its rules and that the presenter would “step back” from his duties.
“The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines,” a BBC statement read.
“The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media. When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.
“We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
Though the BBC has attempted to frame the decision as mutual, Sky News reported that was very much not the case.
“A source close to the presenter has told Sky News that the corporation has taken him off air, as he is unwilling to apologize for his comments this week on social media and admit he should not have done it,” the report said.
Lineker’s co-hosts express solidarity
After the BBC’s decision, Lineker’s other MOTD presenters went on social media to express solidarity with the ex-England international, saying they would not be taking their usual positions on the program.
Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.
Been on air with the one show. I wasn’t down to be doing match of the day tomorrow, but if I was I would of said no and stood with my fellow pundits and @GaryLineker
Amid the exodus of its on-air talent, the BBC released a statement saying that “Match of the Day” would continue this weekend “without studio presentation or punditry.”
Doctor Who is a staple of English culture. It’s undoubtedly right on level with an avid following of the Premier League or fish and chips. I mean, just look at this: How many individual TV role announcements get this much press? We’re talking about the part of a lifetime!
The BBC series about the Time Lord or “Doctor” — an almost omniscient being who appears as a regular person — has been airing in some fashion in England for nearly five decades. With the show developing a long-standing following outside of the United Kingdom, the person who plays the titular Doctor knows they take the role with great pride and care.
The next person to take the mantel will be actor Ncuti Gatwa — the 14th Doctor with the incredible power of the TARDIS at their universal disposal.
The future is here! Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor. ❤️❤️➕🟦 #DoctorWho
Gatwa steps in for Jodie Whitaker, who revealed that she would be turning in her sonic screwdriver after a few 2022 extended specials last summer. Presumably — as is per series tradition — Gatwa will take over from Whitaker in her final episode in the usual “regeneration” of the Doctor’s physical form. He’ll then take over full-time, screwdriver and all, in 2023.
Before becoming the new Doctor, the 29-year-old Gatwa made a name for himself on Netflix’s coming-of-age series, Sex Education. Gatwa plays Eric Effiong, one of the leads and the gay best friend of the main character. He’s earned three British Academy Television nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance for his portrayal.
Gatwa will become the first person of color to headline Doctor Who in its run. The importance of the role and how much the Doctor means to England and greater science fiction fans was assuredly meaningful to the actor:
“It feels really amazing, Gatwa said. “It’s a true honour. This role is an institution and it’s so iconic.”
“Speaking on the red carpet before Sunday’s Bafta TV Awards, where he was nominated for Sex Education, Gatwa said the role of the Doctor ‘means a lot to so many people, including myself.'”
“He added: ‘I feel very grateful to have had the baton handed over and I’m going to try to do my best.'”
That said, while the Doctor is an essential fixture in British culture, it doesn’t mean every performer doesn’t bring their own flair to the role. Gatwa — never lacking a powerful on-screen presence — is certainly thrilled to bring his unique take into the spotlight.
“Gatwa said he was ‘definitely going to do my own thing’ with the role rather than modelling himself on any previous Doctor.
In a statement, he added that the prospect of working with Davies was ‘a dream come true.’
He said: His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent and fizzing with danger – an actor’s metaphorical playground. The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show.'”
Only time will tell what adventures lie ahead for Gatwa as the Doctor. Fans of the hit series were over the moon to learn that he’d soon be at the forefront of some of their favorite stories.
World Golf Hall of Fame member Peter Alliss has died at age 89, but not before becoming an unforgettable figure in the game of golf.
The last time that England’s Peter Alliss made the trip across the pond was in May 2019 to accept a journalism award presented at the Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.
“I’m afraid there’s been some terrible mistake made today,” he said. “A journalistic award to me, someone who has no idea how to do short hand, can’t type and is bloody awful at spelling, but I’m here.”
He looked frail and required a cane but friends looked after him, pushing him in a wheelchair.
“They almost bathed me and fed me and tucked me into bed at night,” he said. “I can do it myself but I quite enjoy it.”
There it was, the droll, understated style of the man known as “The Voice of Golf,” who spent more than 50 years in the broadcast booth for BBC in his inimitable style that he once described as being “the cheeky chap who went where angels feared to tread.”
Renton Laidlaw, President of the AGW, and Roddy Williams, European Tour Press Officer, present Peter Alliss the Michael Williams Outstanding Services to Golf Award at the 137th Open Championship on July 15, 2008 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England. Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Alliss, who died at age 89, regaled those in attendance at the outdoor ceremony with stories of a life well lived in the game, following in the footsteps of his father, Percy, a three-time Ryder Cupper, including the tale of how he quit school and turned pro at the tender age of 15 to work for his old man at Ferndown Golf Club.
“I played my first big golfing event in 1946. I was 15 years of age and played in the Boys’ championship on the west side of Edinburgh. My father was one of the best players of his day and he took me up on the train from the south coast of England all the way to Edinburgh and I made it to the semifinals and was installed as the favorite,” he recalled. “I was up against a young lad named Donald Dunsdone. He was about 5 foot 3 and had very oily, greasy hair and a face covered in pimples. You don’t see many people with pimples these days, I suppose. It’s because they bathe more than once a month now. If I do say so myself, although I was only 15, I was dashingly beautiful. Handsome, six feet tall, not an ounce of spare flesh. This poor lad was just cannon fodder, really.
“We started out and I was 2 up after 4 and the crowds were running – there must have been about a dozen of them – and we got to 16 and we shook hands and he beat me 3 and 2. On the way back on the train my father let me know where I had gone wrong and what I could’ve and should’ve done. He said, I guess there isn’t any need for you to do any further education; you’re not going to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, but you do have a little talent at golf and if you practice and use your brains there is a chance you’ll do something in the world of golf. Who knows, you might make a Ryder Cup team and that would afford you the opportunity to put your name forth for a bigger club job. You’ll be OK. You’ll be able to make a living. That’s what we thought about in those days. You can be my assistant and we’ll take it from there. I did. I started working for him. I had no idea that those few words you can be my assistant and enter the world of golf would have such a tremendous impact on my life.”
Peter Alliss in action during the 1973 Open Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Photo by Allsport UK
For the next 70 years, Alliss traveled the globe, circumnavigated it a half-dozen times by his own estimation “always at somebody else’s expense, I hasten to add,” he noted, meeting all sorts of people – businessmen, actors, politicians – playing golf at the most wonderful courses and against the best players in the world.
While Alliss downplayed his abilities as a golfer, he continued the family tradition, winning 23 tournaments worldwide during a professional career that lasted until 1974.
He represented England 10 times in World Cup competitions and played on eight Great Britain & Ireland Ryder Cup teams between 1953 and 1969.
Everyone at Ryder Cup Europe is saddened to hear of the passing of eight-time Ryder Cup player Peter Alliss. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
“And then after a period entering the world of television, first in Britain and then in South Africa, Asia, Japan, Australia, Canada, and eventually the U.S., where I spent 30 wondrous years working with some delightful people. Some of them are even here,” Alliss said. “Some I haven’t seen in 25 years or more. I suddenly had the most horrid thought, what if I still owe them money? That’s why they turned up. Get the old bugger before he dies. But anyway, it has been a wonderful journey.”
Indeed, it was. In an introductory video, Clive Clark, his fellow Englishman and commentator, shared a bit of classic Alliss dry humor, which seems a most fitting way to end this tribute:
“I remember someone asking Peter, ‘What’s the finest shot you’ve ever seen?’ He immediately replied, ‘I was playing in the Ryder Cup at Eldorado in Indian Wells in 1959 and I was 1 down playing the 18th hole in a singles match against Jay Hebert. The last hole is a par 5 with a frightening amount of water down the right side and guarding the green. I blistered a 3 wood to within six yards of the pin.’ An observer asked Peter, ‘So, is that the finest golf shot you’ve ever seen?’ To which Peter replied, ‘No, Jay was a few yards ahead of me and proceeded to hit a fat 2-iron into the lake. That was the finest golf shot I’ve ever seen!'”
Peter Alliss, the BBC’s beloved golf broadcaster and commentator, has died at age 89.
While golf fans in the United States have been spoiled over the years by having three of the game’s major championships played in America, lovers of the game in the United Kingdom have had something else to brag about: Peter Alliss’ insightful, humorous and beautifully intoned commentary on the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC).
Alliss, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012, has died at age 89, according to a statement from his family on Sunday.
“Peter was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and his family ask for privacy at this difficult time,” the family wrote, according to the BBC.
Alliss was born in 1930 in Berlin, Germany, where his father, Percy, was a golf professional. At birth, he weighed 14 lbs 11 oz., making him reportedly the largest baby born in Europe. Allis and his family moved to England in 1932.
Before he became a commentator, Allis was an accomplished player, becoming a professional in 1947. He won 31 times and played on eight Ryder Cup teams between 1953 and 1969, when the competition was between the best players from United States and Great Britain, compiling a record of 10-15-5. While he never played in the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship, he played in two Masters Tournaments and 24 British Opens, finishing in the top 10 five times (1953, 1954, 1961, 1962 and 1969).
Alliss worked as a commentator for the first time in 1961, but started working full time with the BBC after retiring from professional golf in 1978.
Watching Jean Van de Velde prepare to play his third shot on the 72nd hole of the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie, Alliss said, “His golfing brain stopped about 10 minutes ago, I think.” The Frenchman’s ball famously went into the burn in front of the green and when he started taking his shoes off to attempt to play the shot, Alliss, bewildered said, “Oh no, what on Earth are you doing? No, Jean, please. Will somebody kindly go and stop him?”
When he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, Alliss gave a funny and moving acceptance speech that you can see below.
Josh Taylor was arrested and fined for making racial comments to an Asian doorman after he was tossed out of a nightclub in Edinburgh.
Junior welterweight titleholder Josh Taylor was arrested and fined £350 ($457) for making racial comments to an Asian doorman after he was tossed out of a nightclub in Edinburgh, Scotland, according to the BBC.
Taylor pleaded guilty to charges of behaving in a “threatening and abusive manner,” the BBC reported.
The boxer, who a prosecutor said was drunk at the time, was remorseful after his day in court. He wrote on his Twitter account that he was “ashamed.”
“I can only apologise,” he wrote, “not only to those whom I offended, but to my family and friends for the upset I’ve caused. There’s no excuse for the comments and the disturbance. I’m going to take some time off over Christmas to reflect on my actions and ensure it never happens again.”
Taylor was at the Shanghai Club when, at about 3 a.m. Sunday, he was asked to leave because of what the BBC reported was a “disturbance.” He then exchanged words with door staff – including the racial comments – and police were called.
Taylor’s lawyer defended him by saying he was a first-time offender who had “achieved exceptional heights” in his boxing career.”
The BBC also reported that Taylor was charged with cocaine possession at a police station. However, a judge accepted his not guilty plea and the charges were dropped.
“I’m regularly tested by all the relevant authorities … and could be at any time regardless of when I’m fighting,” Taylor said. “I would never risk my career and reputation with drugs.”
Taylor is coming off the biggest victory of his career, a majority decision victory over Regis Prograis that unified two 140-pound titles on Oct. 26 in London.
