EastEnders viewers are suspicious that Reiss Colwell, played by Jonny Freeman, is a fraudster following his recent money swindling antics.
The character, who made his debut on Albert Square in 2022 as a distant relative of the late Dot Cotton (June Brown), quickly sparked a romance with Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy). However, he was harbouring a massive secret - he was already married and his wife Debbie was in a coma after suffering a stroke.
As his relationship with Sonia developed, Reiss began pilfering money from Debbie to pay for their IVF treatment, eventually emptying her bank accounts.
This week saw Reiss' financial troubles escalate when Debbie's care home threatened to evict her unless they received payment. On the same day, Sonia discovered she was pregnant, adding to their monetary stress.
EastEnders aired more dramatic scenes for Reiss Colwell (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
In a desperate bid to secure some fast cash, Reiss informed Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) that her business owed a tax bill exceeding £13k, reports the Daily Star.
Sharon, oblivious to Reiss' deception, arranged to transfer the funds. However, on Tuesday (July 23), Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) became suspicious of the accountant's shady behaviour and challenged Reiss' financial demands.
Following Reiss' theft from both Debbie and Sharon, some EastEnders fans are convinced he's not who he claims to be - suspecting him to be a con artist.
Reiss Colwell has been acting very shady (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders fans have been busy speculating on Reddit about Reiss' true identity, with one viewer suggesting: "Another theory they where discussing on the podcast is that Reiss has another secret family on the side to be revealed on Christmas Day."
Another fan pondered: "Would be interesting if when Debbie woke up she says yes she is married to Reiss, but it's not the Reiss we know he has stolen his identify."
A third fan speculated: "What if they aren't even married and Debbie was actually one of his clients he'd been stealing from? ".
And yet another added their thoughts: "He's actually a ruthless, fearless and charismatic gangster whose putting on a fake personality to appear less intimidating and he's playing the long game as he prepares to take down Phil".
Escape to the Country was back on our screens on Monday (July 22), with host Briony May Williams on a mission to find a new home for one couple in a different country. Kevan and Lizzie, hailing from Holywood in County Down, were on the hunt for their dream tranquil abode in Herefordshire, to be closer to their family.
Despite residing just a stone's throw away from Belfast, the pair had their hearts set on relocating from Northern Ireland to the English countryside following their retirement. However, one property left them utterly gobsmacked.
Briony took Kevan and Lizzie on a tour of a picturesque house up for sale in Withington Marsh. The 18th-century stone cottage, which has been extended to create a generously-sized dwelling, still boasts original features such as a rustic fireplace and stone walls.
The kitchen and dining area opened out onto a stunning garden, complete with mature shrubs, a well-maintained green lawn, and fruit trees.
One couple was left impressed by the Herefordshire countryside (Image: BBC)
Additional features included a driveway with space for multiple cars, a sheltered outdoor dining area, and outbuildings comprising a garage and a workshop, reports Wales Online.
The property, a former post office, also comes with two reception rooms and 0.33 acres of land, and is conveniently located close to village amenities. When Briony asked the couple to estimate the value of the house, they both overestimated, leaving them surprised.
"This is a house that keeps its secrets inside. It's like an apple, you don't really know what's inside it, until you get into it", Kevan shared with the BBC show's presenter.
Briony May Williams impressed her guests (Image: BBC)
Briony chimed in with a prompt: "Let's talk about price", leading Kevan to take a punt: "I'm going to do a wild stab in the dark here, and suggest £550,000." Lizzie chimed in: "I'm going to go for £530,000." Briony then revealed the actual figure, saying: "Well, you're both wrong. It's actually on the market for £500,000."
The revelation of the property's asking price had Lizzie audibly shocked while Kevan queried: "Really? ". Lizzie couldn't hide her surprise as she exclaimed: "Oh wow". By the episode's conclusion, it was clear that the former post office had completely won over Lizzie and Kevan.
They were enamoured by the ample space and character of the property, and the asking price was just the cherry on top. They were keen to discuss with the sellers about the possibility of moving swiftly.
Yet, Briony had an update for those at home, explaining that since Lizzie and Kevan hadn't secured a buyer for their own place back in Northern Ireland, they weren't in a position to make an offer on the charming, spacious former post office.
A 15-year-old boy has been shot and killed in a West London park this evening, Sunday July 21. The London Ambulance Service were called to reports of the shooting in Hornimans Park, also known as Teletubbies Park, in Ladbroke Grove, Kensington, at around 7.19pm.
The LAS dispatched the Air Ambulance as well as paramedic crews, but a man died at the scene, they confirmed. According to reports on social media, there was a family event taking place in the park.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the boy, believed to be aged 15, was shot and died at the scene. Six men have now been arrested on suspicion of murder.
On X, one person said: "Nothing gets ur heart racing more than being out at an event wid ur kids and shots start beating… da fear dat brings is unreal…having a convo about it coz ur child is talking bout it also isn't comfortable neither."
Replaying tosomeone who asked for more information, he added: "Bro kmt it was some kids/family event in a park I think Dey do it every year…was out there wid da kids and Yh someone got shot dead in deh."
On Facebook, others have said: "Ran for my life. I was there and heard three gunshots. Didn't wait to see who, I ran for my life. This is so sad. The park was full of families having fun."
Another person claimed to have seen the gunman emerge from bushes and start firing.
A crime scene remains in place at the location. Anyone with information at this early stage is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD6343/21Jul. You can also report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A Georgian pub perched on a hillside in the centre of a charming Cotswolds village has been lauded as "almost certainly the best pub in England" by a top food writer. The Horse and Groom is the watering hole of Bourton-on-the-Hill in Gloucestershire, named by Savills last year as one of the country's "most desirable" villages.
New owners Nathan Eades and Liam Goff, who previously ran a critically acclaimed gastropub in Cheltenham, are said to have breathed new life into the pub. So much so, that restaurant reviewer Giles Coren of The Times, who previously gave a mixed review about the same pub in 2016, has awarded it 10 out 10 across all fields of cooking, service and location - despite the village being a hub of fewer than 400 people.
Dining out with his family, Coren said they enjoyed an 'immense' meal with starters of Atlantic prawn cocktail, monkfish scampi and Scotch egg. He hailed the double cheeseburger main course as a 'hip and sticky masterpiece of its kind' and a ham hock as akin to 'Jesus rising again on the third day', Wales Online reports.
New owners Nathan Eades and Liam Goff, who previously ran a critically acclaimed gastropub in Cheltenham, are said to have breathed new life into the pub (Image: The Horse and Groom)
In 2016, The Horse and Groom was given a nod in the Good Pub Guide, but in his own review of the same year, Coren said he found the food to be 'pretty average'. Now, with Eades and Goff in charge, Coren said: "With their immense cooking bolted on to the rambling old space and fantastic gardens, [it is] almost certainly the best pub in England.
"It has not changed much inside, nor should it. It is lived-in and lovely, but on a rare warm summer's day we busted through into the two-tiered garden, with its mature trees and shrubs and shaggy lawns, and... we climbed to the high lawn and a not too guano-spattered picnic table under a tree.
Giles Coren hailed the double cheeseburger main course (pictured) as a "hip and sticky masterpiece of its kind" and a ham hock as akin to "Jesus rising again on the third day" (Image: The Horse and Groom)
"Eating outside I can take or leave. But eating under a tree - the dappled shade, the birdsong, the faint insect hum, the view over yellow stone buildings, old slate roofs, bent chimneys, cobalt skies, fields slowly browning to the harvest, all framed by a good, sharp privet hedge - that is truly living. The English rural pub is the greatest of all things on earth and the Horse and Groom is perhaps its apogee."
Coren is the son of famed journalist Alan Coren and brother of television presenter Victoria Coren-Mitchell. A widely respected restaurant critic, his scores have radically improved since his 2016 review, when he gave the establishment a score of seven out of 10 for cooking, six out of 10 for table service, and a mere five out of 10 for atmosphere.
Speaking to Cotswold Journal, new owner Nathan Eades said: "We haven't made any seismic changes, all we've really done is add a new lick of paint. We have also tried to tidy it up and dump as much love into the pub as we can. Not much needed changing, to be honest.
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"We have good wine and a good environment and we have been highly encouraged by what we have seen so far. It's been a good first few days and hopefully it's only going to get better."
What's on the menu at The Horse and Groom?
Here are a few examples of a sample menu at the Horse and Groom
Starters
Atlantic prawn cocktail, buttermilk soda bread and butter, Bloody Mary sauce £11.50
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There's nothing we Brits love more than a good pub to sit down and enjoy. Now a new family-friendly pub in South London has just opened with a delicious new menu and many exciting features.
The new pub in Tooting used to be known as the Manor Bar Tooting but after investment into the pub it was renovated to become the Tooting Tavern. Opening on July 18, the pub has created 15 new jobs for the local area and hopes to be a new big feature for locals.
The Tooting Tavern's renovation is perfect for all to enjoy especially this summer. There is a new pizza oven in the garden that will see a delicious addition to the menu, along with many other fun food-themed nights like burger night, steak night, seasonal specials and Sunday roasts every week.
The Tooting Tavern used to be known as Manor Bar Tooting (Image: The Tooting Tavern)
The back garden is also covered - helpful with the amount of rain we have had - and has a new decked seating area and TV outside showing all the sports. The drinks offerings now include an ever-changing craft beer range, rotating cask ales, new cocktails, and weekly drink deals on cocktails, shots, and fizz.
There will be a weekly quiz held every Thursday along with weekly live music events. The pub is aimed to be family and dog-friendly meaning that everyone can enjoy it.
To celebrate becoming The Tooting Tavern, the pub will be hosting a free entry family fun day on Saturday, July 27, from 12-3 pm, featuring free food and drinks, outdoor games with prizes, face painting, a balloon maker, a DJ, make-your-own pizza sessions, and pop-ups from other local businesses.
You can find the Tooting Tavern at Tooting High St, Greater, London SW17 0SF
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Police are investigating after a gun was fired at a Brixton estate, with a group of boys reportedly the targets. Met Police officers raced to Adelaide Close on the Moorlands Estate at 9.25pm yesterday (Wednesday, July 17) to reports of gunfire.
Police found a bullet shell on the floor when they arrived in Brixton. Witnesses reported a man opened fire on a group of boys with a handgun. There were no injuries or arrests made so far.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “An investigation is under way after a firearm was discharged in a residential street in Lambeth. Police were called at 9.24pm on Wednesday, July 17, to reports of a firearm being discharged in Adelaide Close.
“Officers attended and found one bullet shell at the site. Witnesses say that a male with a handgun in a vehicle shot at a group of boys who were on the street.
“There were no injuries. No arrests have been made at this time. Enquiries into the circumstances continue.”
Detective Inspector Raymond Sekalongo from Trident said: “We would like to reassure the public that our investigation is moving forwards as we look to identify those responsible for this firearm discharge. We take gun crime very seriously and will use every resource to keep the public safe.”
The Met Police tweeted earlier today (July 18) that a Section 60 is in place covering much of Lambeth and Southwark from 3pm today until 2.59pm tomorrow (July 19).
Anyone with information should call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD8233/17JUL. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Sewage alerts are in place at dozens of beaches across the South East ahead of a 32C mini-heatwave. The mercury is expected to soar for the remainder of the week after a rather disappointing start to the summer.
But Londoners who are heading to the seaside to make the most of this weather might want to look away now. Current reports from Surfers Against Sewage show sewage alerts are in place for 31 beaches across Essex, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.
This means storm sewage from a sewer overflow has been discharged into the sea at each of these locations during the past 48 hours. Charity Surfers Against Sewage posted the alerts on their website following a period of stormy weather across the UK.
Southend, Whitstable and Hove are among the beaches affected, while alerts are also in place for Worthing, Bognor Regis and Chichester. Sussex in particular appears to be badly impacted by sewage releases, with the area accounting for 15 alerts in place.
31 sewage alerts are in place across the South East (Image: Surfers Against Sewage)
The alert in place for Hove reads: "Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours. Hove Lawn, Brighton is part of the large seaside resort stretch of Brighton and Hove, it is a steeply sloping, pebble beach that flattens out to sand at low tide.
"A promenade with resort facilities backs the beach. The bathing water may be affected by a sewer overflow that discharges at nearby Brighton Pier."
The heatwave is expected to reach its height on Frida, July 19 as the mercury climbs to 32C in London. This is followed by highs of 28C in Saturday and 24C on Sunday.
Temperatures then somewhat return to normal next week with highs of about 23C expected at the start of the week. The Met Office outlook for Friday to Sunday reads: "Settled weather with plenty of hazy sunshine over the coming days, staying dry aside from Saturday where there's a risk of showers, perhaps thundery. Warm or very warm, locally hot."
