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Buffy and Ted Lasso stars lead tributes to Anthony Head
The actor, best known for his role as Rupert Giles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, has died from complications related to pneumonia.
His daughters, actresses Emily and Daisy Head, said in a statement: “His legacy will live on, in the shows he was a part of, and in the audiences that love them.”
Michelle Gellar, who played the title role in Buffy, led tributes on social media, posting a photo of herself with Head, his daughters, and their Buffy co-star Seth Green.
Gellar said: “Tell Giles I figured it out and I’m OK. Well, I don’t have it figured out and I’m not OK.
“But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you.
“Thank you to Daisy and Emily who not only shared their dad with me, but with the world.”
David Boreanaz (Angel) called Head a “kind and generous soul,” while James Marsters (Spike) said his death left a “hole in the world.”
Emma Caulfield (Anya) reflected on 27 years of friendship, describing him as “kind, wise and a guide in troubled times.”
Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase, recalled her surprise at meeting Head in person: “He had an earring, Converse high-tops and a pair of loose-fitting, boldly striped pants.
“There wasn’t a trace of Giles to be found, which was a testament to his gifts.”
Head’s career also spanned notable roles in Ted Lasso, where he played former Richmond FC owner Rupert Mannion.
Brett Goldstein, a co-star and writer on the show, said, “Anthony Head was a brilliant actor who played the worst person in the world, which was an incredible skill because he was the best person.
“He will be sorely missed.”
Head also appeared as the Prime Minister in Little Britain.
The show’s co-creator Matt Lucas wrote on X: “Anthony Head was unfailingly brilliant, and always so kind and warm.”
In addition to his screen roles, Mr Head played King Uther Pendragon in Merlin.
Screenwriter and producer Russell T Davies said, “He spoke always about his daughters with such love and joy, what a wonderful dad.
“Love and sympathy to Emily, Daisy, family and friends, he’ll be missed and remembered across the world.
“Good night, sir.”
Head first rose to prominence in the UK through the Nescafe Gold Blend television adverts of the late 1980s and early 1990s, starring alongside Sharon Maughan.
Beyond acting, he was also a singer and performer.
He played Dr Frank-N-Furter in the 1990 West End revival of The Rocky Horror Show and recorded music, including the album of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer musical episode.
His other credits included Motherland, Manchild, Silent Witness, Spooks, Doctor Who, and My Family.
In July 2018, he joined the cast of BBC Radio 4’s long-running drama The Archers.
Head’s long-time partner, animal welfare campaigner Sarah Fisher, died in December 2025 aged 61.
Fisher was a patron of Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary and an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
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He was also deeply involved in supporting animal charities.
Peter Laurie, chief executive of Battersea, said: “Anthony, alongside his late partner Sarah Fisher, gave so much to our charity, fostering dogs, raising awareness of our work, and supporting our events and fundraisers.
“A true champion for all rescue animals, he will be dearly missed by all of us.”
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
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The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
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Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
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“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
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Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
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“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
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