Actor and director Justin Baldoni has sued The New York Times newspaper for libel after it published allegations that he had sexually harassed and tried to smear the reputation of his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.

The lawsuit, which seeks at least $250m (£199m) in damages, was the latest in a legal battle that has engulfed the two stars. Lively has filed a separate federal lawsuit against Baldoni and others alleging harassment.

The Baldoni lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday by the director, 40, and by other defendants named in the Lively lawsuit.

It accuses The New York Times of accepting a “self-serving narrative” by the actress, 37, who claimed Baldoni, production company Wayfarer Studios and others attempted to damage her reputation after she and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, addressed “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour” by the actor and a producer on the set of the film.

According to Lively’s complaint, the plan included a proposal to plant theories on online message boards, engineer a social media campaign and place news stories that are critical of her.

But Baldoni’s libel lawsuit claims The Times article, which was called ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine, “disregard[s] an abundance of evidence” that contradicts Lively’s accusations.

The Times has defended its reporting and said it plans to “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit.

In a statement, it said: “The role of an independent news organisation is to follow the facts where they lead.

“Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”

Baldoni was dropped by his agency, WME, immediately after Lively filed her complaint and The Times published its story. The agency represents both Lively and Reynolds.

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer who represents Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives, previously called the accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media”.

He said on Wednesday that The Times had “aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalise Lively’s self-induced floundering public image and counter the organic groundswell of criticism amongst the online public”.

Lively is not a defendant in the libel lawsuit against the paper.

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In a statement, lawyers representing the actress said: “Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today.”

It Ends With Us, which is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel, was shrouded by speculation over discord between the lead pair at the time of its release in August.

Baldoni took a backseat in promoting the film while Lively took centre stage along with Reynolds, who was on the press circuit for Deadpool & Wolverine at the same time.

Neil Young has announced he will not be performing at this year’s Glastonbury, saying he believes the BBC’s involvement in the popular festival means it is “now under corporate control”.

The 79-year-old musician wrote on his website that both he and his band, The Chrome Hearts, were pulling out because it was a “corporate turn-off”.

Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in summer, has worked closely with the BBC since 1997.

The BBC is the festival’s exclusive broadcast partner.

Canadian-born Young had yet to be announced as an act at this year’s event.

Posting on Neil Young Archives, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer wrote: “The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs.

“We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.

“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”

Young, who headlined the famous Pyramid Stage in 2009, thanked fans for supporting both him and his band the last time they were at the festival.

He added: “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.

“Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”

Young, who is married to US actress Daryl Hannah, was booked to play Glastonbury in 1997 but pulled out after cutting his left index finger while making a ham sandwich.

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Following his headline performance in 2009, viewers were left disappointed when only a portion of his set was broadcast on the BBC.

In a statement at the time, the corporation said it had “spent the last couple of months” negotiating with Young’s management over what it could show on TV, radio and online.

The broadcaster added: “Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms.

“Last night Neil’s management agreed to let TV and radio broadcast five songs as they watched and listened to his performance.

“They believe in the live event and retaining its mystery and that of their artist.

“They have decided to make one song available online over the weekend to give a flavour of his set. That’s Rockin’ In The Free World and that’s their decision.”

Glastonbury is one of the UK’s largest music festivals.

It is set to take place between 25 and 29 June, with Sir Rod Stewart booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot.

The BBC and Glastonbury Festival were contacted for comment.

Ross Kemp is returning to Albert Square in celebration of EastEnders’ 40th anniversary.

The 60-year-old first made his debut as Grant Mitchell in 1990 and has returned to the soap a number of times over the past 35 years.

He last appeared in the show in 2016 but will reprise his role this year in what the BBC has described as an “explosive” storyline.

Kemp said: “I’m delighted to be returning to EastEnders as the show heads towards its 40th anniversary.

“EastEnders has always meant so much to me, so to return as the show is about to celebrate such a special anniversary is an absolute honour.

“Grant has never been far from the action and, let’s just say, this time is no different as he certainly comes back with a bang.”

EastEnders first aired on 19 February 1985.

The character of Grant will return to the show as his brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) struggles with loneliness.

The pair’s childhood best friend Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) has also recently returned to the square after almost three decades away.

The return comes as Grant’s ex-wife Sharon (Letitia Dean), who had an affair with his brother Phil in the early 1990s and went on to marry him, is now dating his long-lost cousin Teddy Mitchell.

Nicknamed “Sharongate”, the storyline is one of the most memorable in the Walford soap’s history.

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Over the years, Grant has been involved in some of the soap’s classic storylines, including his fraught marriage to Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon).

In 2016, the character returned for a heartbreaking family reunion to say goodbye to his mother Peggy Mitchell (Dame Barbara Windsor) as part of the late star’s exit storyline.

Kemp initially appeared in the soap for nine years from 1990 to 1999, also returning between 2005 and 2006.

Grant initially departed in 1999 after Phil fired a gun at a car he was driving causing it to slide into the River Thames when he found out that his brother vengefully had sex with his then-wife Kathy Mitchell (Gillian Taylforth), but the character was not killed and instead left the square with his daughter Courtney for a new life in Brazil.

His 2000s return saw him involved in the unveiling of the killer of Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), have an affair with Jane Collins (Laurie Brett), the girlfriend of Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), and a series of episodes which saw the Mitchell brothers embroiled in a vendetta against gangland boss Johnny Allen (Billy Murray).

During his time away from the soap, Kemp presented the Bafta award-winning documentary series Ross Kemp On Gangs between 2004 and 2009, which spawned a number of similar series such as Ross Kemp In Afghanistan and Ross Kemp In Search of Pirates.

Chris Clenshaw, EastEnders executive producer, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Ross Kemp back to EastEnders as he reprises the legendary role of Grant Mitchell.

“Whilst I’m not currently revealing exactly what brings Grant back to Walford, I can say that his return will play a significant part in the show’s 40th anniversary and will make up many moments of truly unmissable TV.”