A lamb bred by a family in Stockport – now claimed to be the most expensive sheep in the world – has just sold for a whopping £367,500 at auction.
The Pedigree Texel lamb – named Double Diamond – was sold at the Scottish National Texel Sale in Lanark on Thursday last week.
The lamb was bred by Charlie Boden and family from their Sportsmans flock at Mellor Hall Farm in Stockport.
The price for the lamb quickly escalated from an opening bid of £10,500, and ended up being bought by a three-way partnership between three farmers.
Texel sheep originate from the island of Texel – one of the north-western islands off Holland – and now dominate the UK sheep industry, with the Texel Sheep Society stating that the previous record was £231,000, which was paid for a Texel, Deveronvale Perfection in 2009.
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The world's most expensive sheep purchased for $490,000.
The sheep breed known as Texel is now officially the most expensive sheep in the world.
One of the successful buyers of Double Diamond, Jeff Aiken – Flock manager at Procters Farm – said: “The Texel for a start is the best breed in the UK and the pedigree side of it is getting bigger.
“If you want the best, you have to try and buy the best.
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“It’s an exceptional animal and the best Texel sheep I’ve ever seen… so correct on his legs, bright, with a great top. He’s got it all,”
He added: “Hopefully he’ll do a good job on all three flocks.”
A sheep called Double Diamond has become the world's most expensive sheep after selling at auction in Scotland for more than R8 million pic.twitter.com/rmfWLDQMMO
Mr Aiken was keen to add that the figure of this sale is a “one-off” and said that he did not want it to give the wrong impression of the UK farming industry at present.
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He continued: “There’s a small percentage of pedigree buyers that can club together and pay big money, but at the end of the day the commercial farmers are just as important if not more important,
“They are putting food on our tables.
“I’m in the fortunate position that I can spend that sort of money.”
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The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed, according to the results from a hilarious new survey.
Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also have its fair share of icks.
From tinsel on the tree, to cheesy Christmas jumpers, and everything in between, there are plenty of Christmas traditions that we simply love, and some we love to hate – and now, new research conducted by online retailer Haypp ahead of the festive season has revealed exactly what it is that Brits find the ickiest.
The research reveals that the number one ick is a controversial one – putting ketchup on a Christmas dinner, as nearly a third of respondents (32%) claim it makes them feel grim and that they’d judge someone for it.
Wearing Christmas jumpers is one of the UK’s biggest Christmas ‘icks’ Credit: Julia Larson (via Pexels)
It may cause controversy in a few households nationwide, the second biggest ‘ick’ is adults in matching festive pyjamas, with just under a third of Brits cringing, while some of the other similar traditions to this on the list being family photo Christmas cards, and wearing Christmas jumpers in public.
Elsewhere on the list, it was revealed that 27% of Brits find it unbearable to talk about politics over dinner, and lots of us don’t like it when others watch us open presents.
Around 18% also can’t stand it when people argue over festive games.
The UK’s top 10 Christmas ‘icks’
Having tomato ketchup on your Christmas dinner – 32%
Adults in matching pyjamas – 29.2%
Talking politics during dinner – 27.9%
Undoing your trousers at the dinner table – 24.4%
Leaving the dinner table to smoke – 23.2%
Everyone watching you open your presents – 20.4%
Being hungover on Christmas Day – 19.5%
Arguing over a game – 18.1%
Family photo Christmas cards – 15.2%
Wearing Christmas jumpers – 13.2%
Bad habits at the dinner table also feature heavily on the list, as a quarter of Brits hate it when people undo their trousers after the Christmas meal, and just over a fifth find it rude when someone leaves the table to go and smoke.
What’s your take then? How many of these ‘icks’ do you agree with? Are there any others you feel need adding to the list?
Featured Image – Karolina Grabowska (via Pexels)
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Five of the best things to watch on TV this Christmas 2024
Emily Sergeant
We all know Christmas is a hectic time.
For some of us, if the run-up to Christmas wasn’t already busy enough as it is, there’s often not a moment to breathe on the big day itself between presents being opened, travelling to see people, entertaining guests, slaving over a hot stove for hours, and eating plenty of food.
Sometimes though, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs with some time to spare, and that’s why the distraction of festive television is so brilliant.
For others, sitting around to watch the TV is an important part of Christmas itself.
No matter what your situation is, there’s some cracking things to watch on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year – with classic seasonal films, to festive specials of our favourite shows, and a few family-friendly additions all on the agenda.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2024 / Credit: BBC
We’ve all come to expect a Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special at this point, haven’t we? After the iconic ballroom dance competition programme has been bringing us smaller, festive editions of the show we all know and love since 2004, it’s back once again this Christmas Day.
Six celebrity contestants will be taking to the floor to impress judges the judges and battle it out for the Christmas glitter ball trophy.
You can catch Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One at 3:55pm on Christmas Day.
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Doctor Who Christmas Special
BBC One
Christmas Day – 5:10pm
Doctor Who Christmas Special / Credit: BBC Studios
What would Christmas be without a Doctor Who special?
The long-running sci-fi series is back where it belongs with another festive episode on Christmas Day this year, and we can’t wait.
The episode introduces Joy, played by Nicola Coughlan, who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs, and the Doctor… but a deadly plan is unfolding across Earth, just in time for Christmas.
You can catch the Doctor Who Christmas Special on BBC One at 5:10pm on Christmas Day.
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Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
BBC One
Christmas Day – 6:10pm
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl / Credit: BBC
Wallace & Gromit make their long-awaited return with a new feature-length adventure.
Wallace and his pre-programmed smart gnome, Norbot, are the main suspects after a recent crime wave of stolen garden goods across the region… but while Wallace proclaims his innocence, it’s up to Gromit once again to battle sinister forces, or Wallace will never invent again.
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Who could possibly be behind such evil actions? Rightfully behind bars after all this time, Feathers McGraw is back with vengeance.
Directed by Nick Park, Reece Shearsmith provides the voice of Norbot, and Peter Kay is Chief Inspector Macintosh, alongside other famous names such as Diane Morgan, Adjoa Andoh, and Lenny Henry.
You can watch Wallace & Gromit: Most Vengeance Fowl on BBC One at 6:10pm on Christmas Day.
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Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
BBC One
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Christmas Day – 9pm
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale / Credit: BBC
9pm. Christmas Day 2024. The end of an era is here.
It’s been five whole years since we left Nessa down on one knee declaring her love for Smithy and asking him to marry her… and a lot has happened in those five years.
This Christmas, fans of the long-running sitcome will be able to join on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time, and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip.
You can watch Gavin and Stacey: The Finale on Christmas Day on BBC One at 9pm.
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Outnumbered
BBC One
Boxing Day – 9:40pm
Outnumbered / Credit: BBC
Our final long-awaited Christmas Special comeback is here… are you ready to be Outnumbered once again?
In a moment of adversity, Sue and Pete gather all their children – who are now adults, and have their own hurdles to navigate in the real world – and one grandchild to try to celebrate a traditional family Christmas.
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Their new house is smaller, the children are bigger, and within the chaos, an uninvited house guest overstays their welcome.
You can watch Outnumbered on Boxing Day on BBC One at 9:40pm.
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Fancy something extra?
If you’ve got even more time on your hands to kill, and you’re looking to get stuck into even more festive TV action, not just being newly released this year, then we’ve rounded up what we think are 10 of the best Christmas Specials of all time.
Emily Sergeant -
1st September 2020 
