Universal Studios’ UK theme park was given the green light this week, a decision creating buzz for families up and down the country who might one day want to go.

After months of discussions, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed gave planning permission for the park to be constructed in Kempston Hardwick, close to Bedford.

This is not just another attraction; it’s the US entertainment giant’s attempt to build one of the world’s biggest theme parks.

Universal mentioned in planning documents that a country like the UK should have at least two global theme parks, and this project was described as a “generational opportunity”.

But can Universal pull off something of quite this scale, going up against the likes of Disneyland Paris? Locals, as reported by BBC News, suggest that the project may pose a significant challenge, and not everyone is satisfied.

“They haven’t bought enough land; what they should be buying is 2,000 acres somewhere and putting their theme park in the middle,” says Claudia Pixley, 46, who lives in a bungalow on the road where the theme park entrance will be built.

“But as it happens, some of these roads around here are tiny village roads.

“If anything goes wrong on the M1 or the A421, this whole area is at a standstill… and then you want to put Universal Studios in the middle of that.”

She describes the project as “absolute madness” and says representatives of Universal have approached her about buying her home, where she’s lived for the last decade, but she wants to stay put in her “little slice of Eden”.

She may well be one of few people in the area unhappy about the new park. According to Universal, in the Bedford area 92% of those who responded to its survey of 6,000 people were supportive of the development.

But it raises an interesting point about what might and might not be achievable in the grand vision for Universal UK to rival some of the biggest and best current theme parks.

Slated to open by 2031, the park is expected to draw 8.5 million annual visitors and could feature the tallest rides seen in Europe. The total size of the resort would be 268 hectares (662 acres), with the theme park being 96.7 hectares (238 acres).

By comparison, Disneyland Paris is, by several estimates, just under 52 hectares (130 acres), though some of Disney’s other parks worldwide are far larger.

Universal said its UK visitor numbers were expected to rise to 12 million by 2051, which could make it the most-visited park in Europe by today’s standards. According to Forbes, Disneyland Paris held that title last year with 10.2 million visitors.

However, even at opening, 8.5 million is more than three times the attendance of the UK’s biggest parks today:

• Legoland Windsor Resort, Berkshire: 61 hectares (150 acres), 2.42 million annual visitors (2023)
• Alton Towers, Staffordshire: 222 hectares (550 acres), 2.35 million annual visitors (2023)
• Thorpe Park, Surrey: 200 hectares (490 acres), 1.62 million annual visitors (2023)
• Chessington World of Adventures Resort: 52 hectares (128 acres), 1.5 million annual visitors (2022)

For content creator Theme Park Kate, who specialises in theme parks and attractions on TikTok, Universal’s future attraction could be “a huge game changer within Europe” and the ambition with its size and rides is realistic.

“It will potentially be a theme park that can compete with the popularity of Disneyland Paris, which has dominated the European theme park market for many years now,” she tells BBC News.

The theme park fan speculated that the park would benefit from using intellectual property (IP) that has not been used at other locations around the world.

She adds, “Harry Potter has been featured at various Universal parks, but a new intellectual property, such as the rumoured James Bond or Lord of the Rings, would be unique to this park and attract a large number of fans eager to experience these brand-new attractions for the first time.”

Last year, a source told the BBC that the new park could include James Bond, The Lord of the Rings, Paddington and Jurassic World-themed rides – although a Universal spokesperson said it was too early to confirm this.

Theme Park Kate is hopeful this could have a ripple effect of boosting the country’s existing parks and forcing them to “step up their game” to match Universal.

YouTuber Jack Silkstone, who visits theme parks around the world, agrees with the sentiment. He lives “next door” to Thorpe Park – and his message to any unhappy Bedford residents like Claudia is that living on the doorstep of a theme park is “honestly a dream.”.

“Everyone has some form of connection to the park – whether they work there themselves, they know someone that works there, they love to visit, or they aspire to work at the park when they’re older,” he says.

“It creates a real sense of community that then spills out into the wider surrounding towns.”

Jack sees the projected scale of the Universal UK park as a huge opportunity for the UK’s economy and seems confident that the company can pull off its aims for scale.

“We’re very lucky; we’ve got some amazing, classic theme parks already in this country. But Universal are global leaders in the theme park industry; they do it differently.”

Universal said it expected to directly create 8,050 jobs when it opens, with many staff coming from the surrounding areas.

Wixams, a town which will border the new theme park, will also get an upgraded four-platform railway station as part of the proposals.

Despite the concern expressed by some, like Claudia, that the area may not be able to cope with an influx of visitors, Bedford borough councillor Marc Frost says councillors have been assured that traffic surveys are complete and road infrastructure will be in place.

Universal’s engagement with local officials suggested they “genuinely want to work and get on with their neighbours”, he adds.

Another consideration for those in the local area is property prices – and some could fare better than others here, too.

Nick Kier, a partner at Lane & Holmes estate agents, says he already knows of some people who have already bought property close to the Universal site, which they plan to rent out to visitors in the future.

He explains, “There are definite winners and losers in this scenario,” and “You cannot expect, with that amount of investment coming in… that the prices won’t go up.”

“The people who are living here for a completely other reason will find it more expensive… That’s the losing side.”

At the same time, he acknowledges that local hotels for miles would be likely to benefit.

What’s clear is that the Universal park could dwarf much of its competition if all goes to plan, and while the impacts can be a double-edged sword, many are keen to see what its opening brings.

This article reveals the results of the Strictly Come Dancing 2025 final.

Former Lioness Karen Carney has been crowned this year’s Strictly Come Dancing winner, becoming the first footballer to lift the Glitterball trophy.

She defeated Love Islander Amber Davies and social media star George Clarke after winning the public vote in Saturday’s live final on BBC One.

Carney, who is paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu, said, “I can’t believe it; this is the biggest privilege and honour” before adding that she was “lost for words.”

It was an emotional night in the ballroom, as Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly hosted the final for the last time – with Queen Camilla among those paying tribute to the long-running hosts.

In a message read out by Judge Craig Revel Horwood, the Queen said that Daly and Winkleman’s “warmth, compassion and sheer joy” were central to the show’s success, adding, “I think I speak for everyone when I say you’re absolutely brilliant.”

As usual, the grand finale featured a dance chosen by the judges, one of which was their favourite from the series, and the other was a show dance.

The public made the final decision, with the judges providing advisory marks.

Carney and Gu performed routines including a show dance to Inner Smile by Texas and an Argentine tango to Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

She also performed a football-themed jive to ‘One Way or Another’ by Blondie, which earned her a standing ovation – and her second-best score of the night.

But the winning pair had to face tough competition from the remaining pairs.

Amber Davis and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, were the first to take to the dance floor.

The pair performed routines including a show dance to Rain on Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, a paso doble to Dream On by Aerosmith, and a jive to Proud Mary.

Meanwhile, George Clark and his partner Alexis War repeated their Paso Doble by Ruel at Game of Survival.

She also performed her show dance to Human by The Killers and a Viennese waltz to Somebody to Love by Queen.

But after weeks of tangos, salsas, and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu’s night, and they topped the public vote.

“I just want to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who supported our journey and supported us,” Carney said.

Gu told Carney, “You changed my life,” and added, “For the girls and boys watching at home, dream big, be proud, and never give up.”

Other highlights of the night included boyband Five performing their hit songs during the grand final.

Most of the cast of 2025 also returned for another routine.

However, social media personality Thomas Skinner did not attend. Speaking on social media earlier today, he claimed that the BBC rigged the vote, due to which he had to leave the show.

A BBC spokesperson rejected the allegation, stating that the public vote for Strictly was “independently monitored and verified to ensure complete accuracy.”

In October, Daly and Winkelman make the shocking announcement that he will step down at the end of this year’s series.

Daly has presented since the first series 21 years ago. Winkleman joined in 2014 and has been hosting Strictly’s sister show It Takes Two since 2004.

It was their last time presenting a Strictly final, and both were overwhelmed with emotion as they stepped down from hosting the show.

During the live broadcast, there were tributes from the Queen as well as messages from TV cook Mary Berry, members of the crew and fans of the show.

The Queen’s message read, “I’ve often thought that Strictly is not a show as much about dancing as it is about friendship—the bonds forged, the struggles overcome, and the joy shared in a joint endeavour.”

“If that’s true, yours might be the greatest strict partnership ever.

“The warmth, compassion, and sheer joy that you have with and for each other are at the heart of the show’s success.”

Daly and Winkleman’s last appearance on the show will be the Christmas special, airing on December 25.

The release of thousands of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has left some who were anxiously awaiting the files disappointed.

The documents’ release was prompted by an act of Congress that directed the US Justice Department (DOJ) to make materials related to Epstein’s crimes public. But some documents have numerous redactions, and others have not been shared publicly at all.

The lawmakers who pushed for these documents to see the light of day have said the release is incomplete and described the Justice Department’s efforts as insincere.

Some legal experts also warned that the breadth of redaction may only fuel ongoing conspiracy theories.

But Deputy US Attorney Todd Blanche said on Friday – the day the materials were released – that the department identified more than 1,200 Epstein victims or their relatives and withheld material that could identify them.

Among the latest released information is a photo of Epstein confidante Ghislane Maxwell outside Downing Street, a document that claims Epstein introduced a 14-year-old girl to US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and multiple images of former President Bill Clinton.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has not been accused of any crimes by Epstein’s victims. Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing by survivors of Epstein’s abuse and has denied knowledge of his sex offending.

Other photos released show the interiors of Epstein’s homes and his overseas travels, as well as celebrities, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Peter Mandelson.

Being named or pictured in the files is not an indication of wrongdoing. Many of those identified in the files or in previous releases related to Epstein have denied any wrongdoing.

But many of the documents are also heavily redacted.

The Justice Department said it would comply with the congressional request to release documents, with some stipulations.

It redacted personally identifiable information about Epstein’s victims, materials depicting child sexual abuse, materials depicting physical abuse, any records that “would jeopardise an active federal investigation” or any classified documents that must stay secret to protect “national defence or foreign policy”.

In a post on X, the DOJ said it was “not redacting the names of any politicians” and added a quote they attributed to Blanche, saying, “The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law – full stop.”

“Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim.”

John Day, a criminal defence attorney, told the BBC he was surprised by the amount of information that was redacted.

“This is just going to feed the fire if you are a conspiracy theorist,” he said. “I don’t think anyone anticipated there would be this many redactions. It certainly raises questions about how faithfully the DOJ is following the law.”

Mr Day also noted that the Justice Department is required to provide a log of what was being redacted to Congress within 15 days of the files’ release.

“Until you know what’s being redacted, you don’t know what’s being withheld,” he said.

In a letter to the judges overseeing the Epstein and Maxwell cases, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said, “Victim privacy interests counsel in favour of redacting the faces of women in photographs with Epstein even where not all the women are known to be victims because it is not practicable for the department to identify every person in a photo.”

Clayton added that “this approach to photographs could be viewed by some as an over-redaction” – but that “the department believes it should, in the compressed time frame, err on the side of redacting to protect victims.”

Survivors of Epstein’s abuses are among those most frustrated by the release.

Marina Lacerda, who was 14 when she was abused by Epstein, told the BBC she and other survivors have long waited for the files to be released.

“We are a little disappointed that they’re now still lingering on and distracting us with other things,” she said.

“Some of the survivors are still nervous and sceptical about how they are going to release the rest of the files. We are very worried that it will still be redacted in the same way that it was today.”

Epstein survivor Liz Stein told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she thinks the Justice Department is “really brazenly going against the Epstein Files Transparency Act”, which is the law that requires all the documents to be released.

Survivors are really worried about the possibility of a “slow roll-out of incomplete information without any context,” she noted.

“We just want all of the evidence of these crimes out there.”

Baroness Helena Kennedy, a human rights lawyer and Labour peer in the House of Lords in the UK, said she was told the redactions in the documents were there to protect the victims.

“Authorities always have a worry” about “exposing people to yet further denigration in the public mind,” she told the BBC’s Today programme.

Many Epstein survivors seem “very keen” to have the material exposed, she said, but added that they “might not be so keen if they knew exactly what was in there”.

Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna, who led the charge along with Republican Congressman Thomas Massie to release the files, said the release was “incomplete” and added that he is looking at options like impeachment, contempt or referral to prosecution.

“Our law requires them to explain redactions,” Khanna said. “There is not a single explanation.”

Massie seconded Khanna’s statement and posted on social media that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Justice Department officials could be prosecuted by future justice departments for not complying with the document requirements.

He said the document release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law” of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

After the release, the White House called the Trump Administration the most “transparent in history”, adding that it has “done more for the victims than Democrats ever have”.

Blanche was asked in an interview with ABC News whether all documents mentioning Trump in the so-called Epstein files will be released in the coming weeks.

“Assuming it’s consistent with the law, yes,” Blanche said. “So there’s no effort to hold anything back because there’s the name Donald J. Trump or anybody else’s name, Bill Clinton’s name, or Reid Hoffman’s name.

“There’s no effort to hold back or not hold back because of that.”

“We’re not redacting the names of famous men and women that are associated with Epstein,” he added.