tommy cooper.
Tommy Cooper at the BBC (BBC1, regions vary) It’s almost 40 years since the fez-wearing funnyman collapsed and died on live TV. Nevertheless, Tommy Cooper remains hugely popular, with new generations of viewers becoming fans after being introduced to his unique mix of magic and comedy via programmes such as this. He performed tricks from the age of eight after an aunt bought him a magic set, and developed an act while part of an entertainment party during the Second World War. After being demobbed, Cooper went professional and quickly learned that the audience was more amused by the failure of his tricks than by their success. He made his TV debut on BBC talent show New to You in 1948 and never looked back. He was more associated with ITV than the Beeb, but there are still plenty of laughs to be seen in this trip down memory lane.
Dina Asher-Smith equaled her 60m personal best of 7.08 seconds
Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Consider this as notice served by Dina Asher-Smith to the world’s leading sprinters. Three years after last competing indoors and 15 months since an international race of any sort, Asher-Smith delivered an emphatic warning of what might come in this Olympic year when narrowly missing the British 60 metres record in her comeback race on Friday night. Rustiness? What rustiness?
With victory at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meet in Karlsruhe expected, it was to the clock that eyes turned for an idea of what kind of shape Asher-Smith is in after an extended pandemic-enforced training stint that wrote off the entirety of 2020.
The head of UK Athletics has been the target of a bizarre attack from a social media account that belongs to a funded British athlete after announcing the cancellation of the national indoor
133 shares
A UKA statement said: The decision was taken in light of the ongoing pandemic to ensure the safety of all those due to participate; athletes, coaches, technical officials, volunteers, event and venue staff as well as protecting the Glasgow community. At the present time, the process of testing all those attending the Championships from across the UK, seen as an essential measure, would not sufficiently mitigate the risks. British Athletics recognises our wider social responsibility to reduce Covid-19 transmission and to not over-burden the NHS.
The event was to serve as trials for both the European and World Indoor Championships