A child-friendly replica MRI machine is now in use at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The device is helping to ease anxiety and reduce the need for sedation in young patients by allowing them to familiarise themselves with the scanning process in advance.

The miniature MRI machine is designed to make the experience less intimidating by using play-based learning.

Children can place character toys inside the scanner and watch a cartoon video that explains what will happen during their real scan.

Sonia Dugmore, senior play specialist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Making hospitals feel less intimidating for our youngest patients is something we take really seriously, so we are thrilled with this new kitten scanner.

“It gets such an amazing reaction when children first see it – their fear turns to fun.

“But through the play specialist role and the use of tools like the new kitten scanner, we are able to coach and encourage many children in advance of their scan using empowering play.

“This enables more of them to have the scan fully awake, which is a fantastic result.”

Traditionally, general anaesthetic was often required for children who found it too difficult to stay still during the loud and confined MRI procedure.

With the kitten scanner, more children can now undergo scans while fully awake, avoiding fasting and injections, and spending less time in hospital.

The project has been funded by Oxford Hospitals Charity, who praised the concept and impact of the new approach.

Ella Cooper from Oxford Hospitals Charity said: “This project really caught our imagination and watching the expression on children’s faces transform when they see the scanner and start playing with it is just wonderful.

“It’s a fantastic example of a brilliant idea coming from the clinical teams that Oxford Hospitals Charity has been delighted to support.”

The device is already making a difference in the hospital’s imaging department.

Cyrene Saga, advanced clinical specialist MRI radiographer, said: “This mini replica of an MRI scanner is not just a toy, it’s a clinical, education and emotional support tool.

“We perform MRI scans on about 30 to 50 children every month and this new approach is helping us perform more of these scans without the need for sedation.”

Ms Saga said removing the need for anaesthetic means children can return home sooner and often results in better quality imaging.

Rick’s Diner, in Cowley Road in Cowley, was given a one star rating by Oxford City Council environmental health officers following a routine health visit in March.

Stating that ‘major improvement’ was necessary, inspectors handed the eatery a one-out-of-five food hygiene rating.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire driving may ‘worsen’ with 20mph and 30mph limits

One key issue identified in the latest inspection was the management of food safety, meaning the systems in place to ensure food served is safe to eat, which were deemed to require ‘major improvement’.

But inspectors also stated that the cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, as well as the food handling was ‘generally satisfactory’.

The restaurant serves breakfast as well as a wide variety of American style burgers, chicken wins, chicken tenders and fried chicken.

In 2022 the store planned to extend to 90 High Street, with a planning application submitted to take over the shop from Patisserie Valerie.

Monarch of the Glen is a comedy drama that ran for seven series between 2000 and 2005.

The majority of the Scottish show told the story of young restaurateur Archie MacDonald trying to restore his childhood home in the Scottish Highlands.

Now, the show is rumoured that it is being rebooted on Channel 5, but with a big change.

BBC drama Monarch of the Glen being rebooted on Channel 5

The fresh take on the classic show will see Archie replaced with a female lead character, the Sun reports.

Alastair McKenzie played the lead on the original BBC version, starring in 43 episodes.

The series is loosely based on Sir Compton Mackenzie’s Highland Novels, set in the same location but in the 1930s and 1940s.

The BBC show pulled in more than 8 million at the peak in the first series, with millions watching each one after.

Channel 5 has yet to announce who will star in the revival, but sources told the publisher that it will be an entirely new cast.

The new story is reportedly about London lawyer Isla Campbell, back at her family’s crumbling Highland estate for her estranged father’s funeral.

Expecting to be gone in days, she discovers she has inherited a million-pound debt, a bank closing in, and a brother who refuses to let go of their ancestral home. 

Under the same roof for the first time in years, brother and sister will have to find a way to save the struggling estate before time runs out and they lose it for good.

Writer Jeremy Brock has created the reboot, and told the publisher: “When I was offered the chance to re-imagine Monarch of the Glen, I leapt at it.

“I’m hugely excited by the opportunity to tell a story of family life and finding your place in our hectic world – one that celebrates the warmth, humour and eccentricities of a special community, with both optimism and authenticity.

“Hope and joy are a currency in short supply right now, and the Highlands – one of the most magical places on Earth – felt like exactly the right home for them.”

Channel 5 has been contacted for comment.

Other classic UK TV shows that are being brought back

Monarch of the Glen is not the only show that has been reimagined, with fellow Scottish show Balamory having already returned this year.

Also set in Scotland, it first aired 2002, but was cancelled three years later.

The story centres on a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, dealing with community residents and their issues.

The NEW Balamory opening theme! pic.twitter.com/Aw1wSZDtKZ

— wallabywhys (@wallabywhys1) April 20, 2026

The two new series, which will include some of the original characters, will consist of 10 episodes each.

Crime drama series Dalziel and Pascoe, which aired on the BBC from 1996 to 2007, is also being recommissioned for a reboot.

The series starred Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan as Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe, but was axed in 2008 after 12 series, mainly due to a fall in viewing figures.

ITV announced that the series is now being rebooted in a collaboration with Britbox.

Other classic shows, however, are winding down, with the Up series, which began back in 1964 with 7 Up, coming to an end.

It followed the lives of ten boys and four girls in England when they were seven years old, and has followed up with them every seven years.

Recommended reading:

The beloved ITV documentary series is set to conclude in 2026, 62 years after it first started airing.

ITV said that 70 Up will air later this year, but has not given a broadcast date just yet.

What classic TV series would you like to see brought back and rebooted? Let us know in the comments.