Crime & Safety
Bicester remembers fallen firefighters one year on from fire
The Bicester Motion fire broke out at Hangar 79 on the Bicester Airfield at around on May 15, 2025.
It claimed the lives of firefighters Jennie Logan, 30, and Martyn Sadler, 38, both serving with Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS), who were both members of Bicester rugby Union Football Club, and business owner David Chester, 57.
Post‑mortem examinations later found all three victims died from multiple traumatic injuries, believed to have been caused when parts of the building collapsed
Two other firefighters suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital. They have both since been discharged.
An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “As we reach the first anniversary of Bicester Motion our thoughts are with the families of Martyn Sadler, Jennie Logan, and Dave Chester.
“Investigations have not yet concluded. We continue to work with other agencies such as Thames Valley Police and the HSE. We remain in close and regular contact with the families of the bereaved.”
The fire broke out at around 6.39pm after smoke was seen billowing from aviation and motoring site in Oxfordshire, formerly the RAF Bicester.
The incident was initially attended by 10 fire and rescue crews to the site off Buckingham Road.
Tributes were paid across Bicester and beyond with flowers and messages left at the entrance to Bicester Motion with OFRS firefighters forming a guard of honour to remember their colleagues.
The days following the fire, authorities reacted, including the National Fire Chiefs Council and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who described the news as devastating, adding that “the bravery of our firefighters is astounding”.
Bicester Motion also released statements sharing its condolences with the families, expressing gratitude for community support.
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It said: “[…] There are no words at times like this, but our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones […].”
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue chief fire officer, Rob MacDougall, appeared “emotional” as he paid tribute to the “unwavering bravery”, on May 16, 2025.
A week on from the fire, a minute’s silence was observed at Bicester Motion and other stations, simultaneously, including in Henley, Bampton and Carterton.
The process to demolish Hangar 79 sensitively began in august 2025 following discussions with Historic England, Cherwell District Council and other health and safety and environmental experts.
Oxfordshire County Council confirmed in January that it had spent £90,000 on the investigation and survey work so far, with the whole investigation estimated to cost the county council £500,000. However, this may increase further due to the complexity of the case.
The investigation into the fire by Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive is still ongoing with the cause remaining unknown.
Throughout the year tribute fundraisers took place throughout the county and beyond, for the Fire Fighters Charity. This included Chris Brummell running this year’s London Marathon in memory of Martyn, his brother-in-law.
Thames Valley Police, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue and Bicester Motion have yet to release official statements on the anniversary.
The long-running ITV talent show returned for a 19th series in February, once again welcoming a wide array of performers.
Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI all returned for another season, along with hosts Ant and Dec.
This year’s auditions once again unearthed some of the UK’s top talent, with a host of acts selected to continue through to the semi-finals.
After the first three semi-finals, six acts have made it through to the final so far, but who will be joining them?
Who are the 8 acts performing on Britain’s Got Talent tonight?
The eight acts performing in tonight’s fourth live BGT semi-final are:
- Epic Sax Guy – musician
- Glantaf Boys Choir – a choir group from Wales
- Kristel Herrera – singer
- Rafferty Coope – magician and KSI’s golden buzzer during the audition stages
- Ren DMC – singer
- Sonny Green – poet
- Wei Yamin – music/pyrotechnics act
- Welsch Master Team – gymnastics team
In each semi-final episode, there is one golden buzzer available, which can be pressed only by the chosen judge or guest judge that week.
The golden buzzer sends one act straight through to the final.
The only other way to make it through is to top the public vote at the end of the night.
When is Britain’s Got Talent on tonight?
Tonight’s semi-final will air at 6pm on ITV1 and ITVX, which is slightly earlier compared to the start time from the previous semi-final.
This is happening to avoid clashing with Eurovision, which begins airing at 8pm on BBC One.
Recommended reading:
What does the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2026 get?
There have been 18 winners of BGT since its first series in 2007, with magician Harry Moulding winning last year.
The winner of BGT will take home a prize of £250,000 and will also be given the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the royal family.
In the ITV show’s first three years, winners won a prize of £100,000, while the biggest winners were Ashleigh and Pudsey with a prize pot of £500,000 in 2012.
Which act are you hoping makes it through to the BGT final? Let us know in the comments.
The Sun is reporting that Top Gear will make a return once three new presenters are found to replace Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris.
The show was most famously presented alongside Oxfordshire farmer Jeremy Clarkson, who presented the show in the 1990s and with Richard Hammond and James May between 2002 and 2015.
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Top Gear was shelved in 2022 following the serious crash of Freddie Flintoff, which saw him suffer serious injuries.
An insider told the Sun: “BBC bosses are keen to revive Top Gear because they have never filled the space it left behind and so many viewers hanker after a motoring show.
“And it’s not just in Britain that the programme is much loved, it is a brand in its own right and watched by millions around the globe.
“Which is why it wasn’t just important to satisfy the needs of petrolheads, but also, specifically, fans of Top Gear. They’ll be thrilled to hear it is returning.”
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Top Gear started in 1977 as a regional motoring show before it grew, under the leadership of Mr Clarkson, into the most watched factually entertainment show in the world.
Mr Clarkson, Mr Hammond and Mr May left the show in 2015 and were quickly signed up by Amazon Prime.
From that, The Grand Tour was created and lasted for six series before the duo ended their adventures with ‘One for the Road’ in 2024.
The search is already under way for new Top Gear presenters, according to The Sun.
The retired footballer lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his wife, the Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
They share their £12m mansion in Great Tew, opposite the exclusive Soho Farmhouse club.
Today, it was announced that Sir David has made history and has become Britain’s first billionaire sportsman in the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List.
The collective wealth of Beckham and his wife Victoria passed the billion-pound mark this year, according to the compilers of the list, reaching £1.185bn.
That placed them second in the Sunday Times’ list of wealthiest sportspeople, behind the family of ex-Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, whose wealth was placed at £2bn.
Former England captain Beckham is a co-owner of Inter Miami, estimated to be Major League Soccer’s most valuable club at 1.45bn US dollars (£1.07bn).
He has also made huge sums as a brand ambassador for companies like Adidas and Hugo Boss.
Victoria Beckham’s wealth has primarily been generated from the fashion label she set up in her name, having originally found fame and fortune as a member of the Spice Girls.
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While the Beckhams saw their wealth grow over the last 12 months, Ratcliffe, the co-owner of Beckham’s former club, has dropped down the overall Rich List from seventh to ninth.
His fortune shrank by £1.85bn, according to the list compilers, to £15.194bn.
The list compilers lowered the value of his petrochemicals company Ineos to £17bn owing to “rising debt, falling revenues and a loss of £515.7million”.
That was less of a drop compared to the year before, when the list compilers said his wealth plummeted by over £6bn.
Joining Beckham on the richest sportspeople list are promoters Barry and Eddie Hearn, whose combined wealth was estimated at £1.035bn.
Barry Hearn is the founder and president of Matchroom Sport, one of the leading promoters across boxing, darts and snooker.
His son Eddie is the chairman of Matchroom and is best known as the public face of its boxing division.
Eddie Hearn is the promoter of British heavyweight Anthony Joshua, who is eighth on the list with a fortune of £240m.
That places him above another heavyweight, Tyson Fury, who is ninth on £162m.
Hearn announced last month that Joshua had signed a deal to fight Fury, with no confirmed date or venue as yet.
Seven-time F1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton is fifth on the list (£435m), while back-to-back Masters golf champion Rory McIlroy is seventh with £325m.
England football captain Harry Kane and two-time Wimbledon tennis champion Sir Andy Murray are joint 10th on £110m each.
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