British actor Stephen Tompkinson has told a court that punching a man would have been “career suicide”, while admitting there was “a bit of angriness” when he found two drunks outside his home.
The 57-year-old DCI Banks star is accused of punching a man to the ground who was drunkenly making “strange noises” outside his home in the early hours of 30 May 2021.
He denies inflicting grievous bodily harm.
On Tuesday, Tompkinson told Newcastle Crown Court he did not punch Karl Poole and was “not responsible” for the double skull fracture he sustained when his head hit the pavement.
The court has heard Tompkinson came out of his house at around 5.30am, wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown, to challenge Mr Poole and his friend Andrew Hall, who were both “heavily intoxicated”.
Tompkinson said when he spotted the men it was a “horrible sight” and he had been worried about glass breaking in an area where his partner’s child plays.
Giving evidence in his defence, the Ballykissangel star said he put his hand out to stop Mr Poole coming towards him and made contact with his face but that it “wasn’t enough to knock a sober man off his feet”.
Asked by his barrister Nicholas Lumley if he had anything to gain by assaulting Mr Poole, Tompkinson said: “Absolutely not. Any member of the public is potentially a member of your audience and you have to treat them with respect at all times.
“It would be career suicide to do something as outrageous as assault someone.”
Advertisement
Tompkinson said he had had acting work “taken away” since being charged with grievous bodily harm, and that while the legal proceedings are hanging over him, “any association with me is put on hold”.
He told the court: “I’m not trying to compare my situation with the injury Karl suffered – they don’t compare.”
On the opening day of the trial, jurors were told Mr Poole suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of the incident.
Actor ‘guided’ man to ground in ‘frightening’ situation
Tompkinson said at the time of the alleged assault he was living in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, with his partner and her seven-year-old son.
Jurors heard he had woken up early that morning, heard “strange noises” and saw two “heavily intoxicated” men drinking at the bottom of his driveway.
Tompkinson said he watched the pair repeatedly fall while drinking from a bottle of Jagermeister, adding: “It seemed to me they were the very definition of drunk and disorderly”.
He told the court he called 999 and was waiting to be connected to the police when he said to the men: “Come on lads, look at the state of you, look at the time, there’s people asleep in the house, you can’t be doing this.”
Asked if he was angry, Tompkinson said: “I think there was a bit of angriness in there, it was a horrible sight and I certainly didn’t want the rest of the household to be greeted by them when they woke up.”
Tompkinson said he told the men he had called the police and the situation became “frightening”, adding that the men got to their feet and started to move towards him.
He told the court he put his hands on Mr Hall and “guided” him to the ground, then saw Mr Poole coming towards him.
“I didn’t want to hurt him, I wanted to stop him to change his mind about coming towards me and further onto my property.”
Tompkinson said as he went to make a ‘stop’ motion, his hand connected with the left side of Mr Poole’s face and that he went to the floor because of his “unsteadiness”.
Asked if it would have been possible for him to have made a fist, he said: “Not without breaking my fingers or risking some solid metal going into Karl’s face.”
Jaguar has left people scratching their heads with a new glossy advert which fails to show any cars.
The British luxury vehicle maker has released a commercial featuring a series of models, in brightly-coloured clothing, emerging from a lift into an austere landscape.
They are then seen in various poses as different slogans appear on screen, including “live vivid”, “delete ordinary” and “copy nothing”.
But it has created a series of reactions online from ridicule to confusion, because there is no hint of any cars.
Tesla boss Elon Musk tweeted a response to Jaguar’s advert posted on X by asking: “Do you sell cars?”
It prompted the reply: “Yes. We’d love to show you” followed by an invite to a promotional event. But others on X continued to question the advert and what it represented.
“Umm where are the cars in this ad?” one user posted, while a second wrote: “I thought you guys made cars?”
There was also confusion from another person who asked: “What are you trying to sell me?”
Jaguar teased that: “All will be revealed… Think of this [advert] as a declaration of intent. We’re shifting gears, not our purpose. Stay tuned.”
Advertisement
X
This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable X cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to X cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow X cookies for this session only.
In a news release to accompany the advert, the carmaker described it as part of a “completely transformed Jaguar brand” and “a new era” which makes “it relevant for a contemporary audience”.
“This is a complete reset,” said managing director Rawdon Glover. “To bring back such a globally renowned brand we had to be fearless.”
In the lead-up to the campaign, Jaguar announced it was discontinuing five models with “close to zero profitability”.
It has developed three new ultra-luxury electric vehicles, one of which is set to be unveiled at Miami’s Art Basel event next month.
Irish actor Paul Mescal says meeting King Charles was not on his “list of priorities”.
The 28-year-old star was introduced to the reigning monarch at the Gladiator II world premiere on Wednesday.
The historical epic picks up 20 years after the Oscar-winning original, and marks Mescal‘s first big studio movie after success in TV and independent film, playing Roman warrior Lucius Verus.
Talking about his brush with royalty on the red carpet of the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Monday, Mescal told US outlet Variety he did not see it coming.
He said: “How wild is it? It’s definitely not something that I thought was in the bingo cards.
“I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities”.
He then swiftly turned the answer to the film’s 86-year-old director, Ridley Scott, saying: “It’s an amazing thing for Ridley because I know how important that is for him.
More on Paul Mescal
Related Topics:
“So, to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.”
Ahead of the premiere, both Mescal and Scott had enjoyed a champagne reception at Buckingham Palace, and so were already in a celebratory mood on their arrival.
Advertisement
Due to the large number of people at the event, Mescal admitted it was also hard to hear what was being said during his exchange with the King, so he was “nodding along and smiling”.
The world premiere was held in aid of the Film and TV Charity, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and marked the first premiere Charles attended as King.
The King also met with Mescal’s co-stars including Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and Narcos actor Pedro Pascal.
Other celebrities to attend included actor Joseph Fiennes and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman.
Reviews of the film have been mixed thanks to its more-is-more attitude to CGI and OTT storylines, but there is broad agreement that audiences will leave the cinema somewhat entertained.
Sir Ridley – who cast Mescal in the role after a brief Zoom chat with the actor – told Sky News his reason for choosing him was that he saw aspects of “a young Albert Finney” in him.
The original Gladiator starred Russell Crowe as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. The Australian actordoes not return for the sequel.
Joaquin Phoenix also had a starring role in the first film, which Scott later admitted he nearly walked out of.
Both Mescal and Scott have teased that they would both be up for a third film.
She said she was leaving to focus on family, but will remain part of the Radio 2 team and will give further details next year.
Announcing the news on her Tuesday show, she said: “After six years of fun times alongside you all on the breakfast show, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter.
“You know I think the world of you all, listeners, and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you, to go through life’s little ups and downs, we got through the lockdown together, didn’t we?
“We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats.”
Scott Mills will replace Ball on the breakfast show following her departure next month.
More on Bbc
Related Topics:
“Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1,” he said.
“She’s done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.”
Advertisement
Hugging outside the BBC building on the day of the announcement, Ball said she was “really chuffed for my mate and really excited about it”.
Ball was the first female host of both the BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows, starting at the Radio 1 breakfast show in 1998, and taking over her current Radio 2 role from Chris Evans in 2020 after he left the show.
She took a break from hosting her show over the summer, returning in September.
Ahead of her stint in radio, Ball – who is the daughter of children’s presenter Johnny Ball – co-hosted the BBC’s Saturday morning children’s magazine show Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for three years from 1996.
She has two children, Woody and Nelly, with her ex-husband, DJ and musician Norman Cook, known professionally as Fatboy Slim.
Instagram
This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Instagram cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Instagram cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Instagram cookies for this session only.
Ball said in her announcement her last show towards the end of December will be “just in time for Christmas with plenty of fun and shenanigans”.
“While I’m stepping away from the Breakfast Show, I’m not disappearing entirely – I’ll still be a part of the Radio 2 family, with more news in the New Year,” she added.
“I’m excited to embrace my next chapter, including being a mum in the mornings, and I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!”
Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019, and I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first. I’m thrilled that she’ll remain an important part of the Radio 2 family.”
Mills, 51, got his first presenting role aged just 16 for a local station in Hampshire, and went on to present in Bristol and Manchester, before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1998.
He’s previously worked as a cover presenter on Radio 2, but this is his first permanent role on the station.