Matt Hancock’s time on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins has both annoyed and amused countless Brits ever since it first aired, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a single viewer who didn’t enjoy seeing the disgraced MP being called a “weasel-faced c***” by one of their interrogators.
The former Health Secretary and adviser to ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the nightmare year that was 2020 (remember that) already caused a stir by taking part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! — for which received a healthy amount of grilling — but that was just the start of his reality career.
After the news broke that his appearance on the latest season of Channel 4’s hit military boot camp show was actually filmed before his I’m a Celeb series late last year, millions were collectively rubbing their hands waiting to see what kind of physical and mental toll he was put through.
That being said, even with the clips that had already come out, there can’t have been many who were expecting this. Without further ado, please enjoy a shirtless Matt Hancock being called a “weasel-faced c***” and a barrage of other expletive insults on the celebrity version of SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Matt Hancock being called a ‘weasel-faced c***’ has to be up there with one of the best TV moments of the past decade.
Tell us how you really feel — to be fair, we have a feeling there are more than a few who agree with you…
ADVERTISEMENT
The woman calling him virtually every name under the sun is a series regular simply known as Debs: an interrogator who has previously appeared on the show’s celebrity spin-off show and is almost certain to pop up even more frequently after this.
In fact, she’s been hailed as somewhat of a hero online, with people remarking everything from, “Thank you, madam, you speak for a nation” and “couldn’t have put it better myself, to comments like: “Give Debs a damehood, what an absolute queen”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Unsurprisingly, the reaction to the latest episode which aired on Sunday night, 29 October has been one of both shock and unapologetic amusement all over social media, as it’s safe to say Hancock is still a deeply disliked figure across the UK for his time in office and multiple scandals during lockdown.
It wasn’t the first time the Tory MP was interrogated by members of the cast and ex-army members, having also been grilled over his handling of the pandemic. However, Deb’s extensive abuse didn’t stop there, not even close — the so-called ‘Liz Truss lookalike’ dished out plenty of other memorable lines.
For example: “You’re a man that likes to put it about a bit [referencing his affair with Gina Coladangelo]”, “You’re not a good-looking man, are you? Pubes on your chest, moobs…”; “You sarcastic f***er… Mr f***ing know-it-all” and “Why do you just keep raising your eyebrows at me, k***head?”, to quote just a few.
ADVERTISEMENT
With one more episode of this current series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins still to come, we dare say there’ll be quite an increase in viewing figures after this viral and unforgettable moment in British TV history. You can catch up on all the previous episodes HERE.
You can watch Matt Hancock’s interrogation scene in full down below:
The now legendary clip is taken from season five, episode six of Celebrity: SAS Who Dares Wins. And the BAFTA goes too…
No trams to run on major Greater Manchester line for two weeks as part of £150m improvement works
Emily Sergeant
Major disruption is on the horizon, as no trams are set to run on a major Greater Manchester line for two weeks this month.
As the next phase of the ongoing £150m investment into Greater Manchester’s tram network gets under way this month, essential track replacement work is set to be be carried out in a bid to make the network ‘safer’ and ‘more resilient and reliable’ for years to come.
Due to improvement works on the Oldham-Rochdale line – which is being carried out between Monsall and Newton Heath & Moston – there will be no trams between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale town centre for two weeks, starting from this Saturday 16 May right through to Friday 29 May.
The work being carried out will involve replacing sections of track and improving drainage along the route.
The track foundation will also be replaced where needed, as well as work to correct the alignment and level of the track.
No trams will be running on a major Greater Manchester line for two weeks from this weekend / Credit: TfGM
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has conceded that this is a ‘big and complex job’ – with 290 new concrete sleepers and 2,000 tonnes of pea gravel being used, and more than 5,000 tonnes of ballast set to be replaced.
But, when the work is done, it’s aiming to make journeys ‘smoother and more reliable’ for passengers, while improving the condition of the track for the long-term.
While the work is being carried out and the line is closed, bus replacement services will be in place between Victoria and Rochdale Town Centre, and more frequent Bee Network bus services will also call at the bus stops near each tram stop too, however tram tickets will only be accepted on the replacement bus, not on numbered bus services.
Elsewhere, work at Derker will also take place at the same to ‘minimise disruption’.
The track was made safe following a landslip in summer 2024, but now, a longer-term solution will see teams drive steel sheets into the ground to hold it in place and prevent further movement, before further work will be needed later in the year to complete the job.
And to top it off, from Monday 25 to Friday 29 May, improvement work to update equipment that has been in place since the line opened in 1992 will also take place at Piccadilly Gardens, and that means no trams will run between St Peter’s Square/Market Street and Piccadilly during this time.
Customers may need to change trams, take a short walk, or hop on the free bus to continue their journey.
Tram services will resume as normal from the start of service on Saturday 30 May, and passengers travelling during this period are urged to ‘plan ahead’.
Everything you need to know about the planned works is on the TfGM website here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
News
Rules around booking driving tests in UK change from today to make system ‘fairer’
Emily Sergeant
The rules around booking driving tests in the UK are officially set to change from today in a bid to make the system ‘fairer’.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now introduced new rules for car driving test bookings, putting learners ‘firmly in control’ of their own booking, as it is now against the law for third parties – including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors – to make bookings for someone else.
It will also be a breach of DVSA’s terms and conditions for the booking service for third parties to change, swap, or cancel a driving test for someone else.
Learners should only ever pay the official DVSA fee – which is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
The Government says the new rules aim to make booking driving tests ‘fairer’ for learner drivers.
While driving instructors will no longer be able to book tests on behalf of of learners, they will still be able to advise learners on when they are ready to take a test, as well as set their available times to prevent learners from booking tests at times that do not work for them.
Following on from changes to test alterations which were introduced at the end of March, from 9 June 2026, further restrictions will come into force limiting learners to moving their test only to one of the three nearest driving test centres.
The DVSA has also pledged to continue increasing driving examiner capacity to help provide more tests for learners to book.
“Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test, and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices,” commented Beverley Warmington, who is the DVSA Chief Executive.
“These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others.
Danny Jones -
31st October 2023 
