The director of the next James Bond film has been announced.

Denis Villeneuve – a four-time Academy Award nominee who earned critical acclaim for the Dune Franchise and Blade Runner 2049 – said the role is a “massive responsibility”.

The Canadian filmmaker described himself as a “diehard” fan since childhood, adding that it is a “huge honour” to come on board.

“Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery,” Villeneuve said.

Reassuring fans, the director continued: “To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.”

His appointment comes as the British spy franchise experiences a major overhaul, with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson handing over creative control to Amazon MGM Studios.

The Broccoli family have long been the force behind the Bond films, and now co-own the intellectual property.

Two recently appointed producers – Spider-Man’s Amy Pascal and Harry Potter’s David Heyman – said securing a director and developing a screenplay were top priorities before deciding who would succeed Daniel Craig in the role.

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The head of Amazon MGM Studios, Mike Hopkins, described Villeneuve as a “cinematic master whose filmography speaks for itself”.

He added: “Denis has delivered compelling worlds, dynamic visuals, complex characters, and – most importantly – the immersive storytelling that global audiences yearn to experience in theatres.

“James Bond is in the hands of one of today’s greatest filmmakers and we cannot wait to get started on 007’s next adventure.”

Richard E Grant has shared an emotional video of his trip to Barry – the town made famous by the hit TV show Gavin And Stacey.

He was joined by the show’s co-creator Ruth Jones, who is best known for playing Nessa.

They are both filming a new drama called The Other Bennet Sister, which delves into a character in Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice.

Grant excitedly said “oh my god” as he stood outside Stacey’s family home – and headed across the road to Uncle Bryn’s.

A trip to Barry Island soon followed to visit some of the sitcom’s most famous landmarks, including Marco’s Cafe and the beachfront.

And the actor’s visit wouldn’t have been complete without Jones putting on her best Nessa voice – and asking: “Oh, Rich, what’s occurin’?

“It’s really emotional being here,” Grant said.

“The last months of my wife’s life, we watched Gavin And Stacey on repeat – and it just cheered us up endlessly.”

In 2021, Grant announced that his wife Joan Washington had died – eight months after she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

At the time, he described his family’s loss as “incalculable”.

Prosecutors and defence lawyers have rested their cases in the sex-trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, bringing more than six weeks of testimony against the hip-hop mogul to a close.

The high-profile trial has heard from more than 30 witnesses, including the rapper’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, as well as former employees of his company Bad Boy Entertainment, male escorts, law enforcement officers and hotel staff.

But one person jurors won’t hear from is Combs himself.

Confirming this to Judge Arun Subramanian, the rapper said he had discussed the issue of testifying “thoroughly” with his team and made the decision not to give evidence. He also thanked the judge and told him he was doing an “excellent job”.

Diddy trial: As it happened

After the prosecution rested, the defence team moved for the judge to acquit the 55-year-old – a fairly standard move – saying attorneys for the government had not provided evidence to prove any of the charges filed.

They then presented a brief case themselves, submitting more text messages as evidence to show Combs and his girlfriends were in loving, consensual relationships, and making a few stipulations about testimony, but calling no witnesses. This lasted for less than an hour.

They have previously conceded Combs has been violent in the past, something he is “not proud” of, but said this did not make him a sex trafficker.

Combs has remained in jail without bail since he was arrested in New York in September last year.

Throughout the trial, defence lawyers have made their case for exoneration through their questioning of witnesses called by the prosecution, including several who gave evidence reluctantly or after they were granted immunity to testify.

Prosecutors argue Combs coerced and forced Cassie and another former girlfriend, who testified under the pseudonym Jane, into “freak off” sex sessions with male escorts, and used his business empire to facilitate these, as well as drug use, and cover up bad behaviour.

During the first week of the trial, Cassie, 38, spent four days giving evidence. Heavily pregnant at the time, she told jurors she felt pressured to take part in hundreds of “freak offs” with male sex workers as Combs watched.

She told the court they became so frequent during their relationship, which began in 2007 and ended in 2018, that they were “like a job”, and she had barely any time for her own career.

The singer and musician gave birth two weeks after her testimony, her friend and former stylist confirmed as he gave evidence himself in court.

Jane testified for six days about similar sexual performances, which Combs referred to as “hotel nights”, “wild king nights” or “debauchery” with her, the court heard. Like Cassie, she said she felt coerced into engaging in them because she loved the music star and wanted to please him.

Jane dated Combs on and off from early 2021 to his arrest in 2024.

Jurors have been shown several recordings of these sex sessions, lasting more than 40 minutes in total. The footage was shown on monitors and jurors used headphones, keeping it private from the media and members of the public in court.

In her opening statement, defence lawyer Teny Geragos called the videos “powerful evidence that the sexual conduct in this case was consensual and not based on coercion”.

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The trial also heard from Mia, another alleged victim who testified under a pseudonym. Mia was a former employee of Combs, who told the court he sexually assaulted her on several occasions in the years she worked for him.

She had never told anyone about the alleged abuse until the investigation into Combs, she said, telling the court she was ashamed. “I was going to die with this,” she said, becoming tearful on the stand. “I didn’t want anyone to know ever.”

The trial has been eventful, with one juror dismissed and replaced by an alternate after it emerged he had given conflicting evidence about where he lives. The judge said he had “serious concerns” that not being truthful about this could potentially mean he wanted to be on the jury for a particular reason.

And at one point, Combs was warned by the judge for nodding enthusiastically toward jurors during a section of cross-examination by his lawyers. The judge said he could be excluded from the trial if it happened again.

Court is not in session on Wednesday. The trial continues on Thursday, when closing statements from the legal teams will begin.