samantha beart is nominated for their performance as barbarian karlach in baldur�*s gate 3. that's my reward for everything i suffered. this industry makes more money than film, tv and music combined, and yet it's still seen as quite an underground thing and, yeah, having the academy itself, which is such a global brand represent that, it's really something, it's really special. the games baftas, now in its 20th year, offers the industry a chance to celebrate its many creative successes. marc cieslak, bbc news. now the weather prospects, with chris fawkes. this is a rather red looking map, temperatures are way above average for the time of year. how much above average? over the

next day or two we'll see temperatures reach as high as 21 degrees or so around greater london, aberdeen, 18 degrees over the next day or two compared with the average in april ofjust 11 degrees, 7 degrees above normal. it's down to the jet stream pattern which is moving up mild and humid airfrom nearthe moving up mild and humid airfrom near the azores and slopping it across the uk. it's not necessarily sunny. here in south wales there is a lot of cloud, mist around, the best of the sunshine has been across parts of the midlands, northern england and into scotland as well. through the rest of this afternoon, for southern counties of england, southern and western parts of wales, it probably will stay pretty cloudy with occasional patches of drizzle particularly towards coastal areas. the cloud will thicken for northern ireland, outbreaks of rain towards the end of the day. we'll keep the sunshine for scotland, northern england, parts of the midlands and east anglia. in the best of the sunshine, temperatures high teens to low 20s. overnight tonight, a bit of

rain moves from northern ireland into scotland at the far north of england, we keep the mile blower south—westerly winds going, temperatures 10—12 c. some mist and fog patch is likely tomorrow morning, quite a great start to the day. a few more patches of rain moving in across northern ireland, scotland and the far north of england but it won't be raining all the time. further south, the better chance of the cloud breaking and thinning to give more sunshine. another very mild day, 18 again for aberdeen, highs reaching around 20 or 21 in the warmest spots of eastern england. saturday marks something of a transition day. we keep the warm weather across fairly large parts of england and wales, but for scotland and northern ireland we see a band of rain moving off the atlantic. the rain could be heavy for a time and you will notice the temperature is really dropping away here, highs of around 13—14 but potentially into the low 20s

across the warmest parts of eastern england. through sunday in the next week we get a ridge pattern building in thejet stream, week we get a ridge pattern building in the jet stream, to the west of the uk, and that is going to be sending in cold air across the uk through sunday and into next week so we will see temperatures dropping back down to average for the time of year. a mixture of sunshine and showers, some of the showers will be heavy with some hail mixed in as well. mild for the next couple of days, hello and welcome to sportsday this thursday lunchtime with me, chetan pathak. coming up on the programme. bad weather delays the start of the masters golf. will rory mcilroy and tiger woods still be smiling come sunday? rocking the copper box arena, london lions make history becoming britain's first

basketball european champions. it's been amazing. i mean, this is so big for british basketball, and to even see the copper box packed out for this game is incredible. and dreaming of becoming european champions. can aston villa edge closer to the semifinals of the conference league? welcome along, thank you forjoining us. play should have been under way at augusta national, thunderstorms have put paid to that. adverse weather means the start of golf�*s first major of the year is delayed. it won't start before 3.30pm we've been told. the biggest names from the pga tour and liv series will be competing against one another with the title being defended byjohn rahm whojust moved from one tour to the other whilst rory mcilroy�*s

chasing that thus far elusive first green jacket. joe lynskey reports. april at augusta, golf�*s greatest spectacle, one man's greatest hope. for 15 years, rory mcilroy has tried. this is the one major he is still yet to win. last time out, he missed the cut. a year on from being runner—up. it is almost a decade since his last major title but the best in this sport still think it will come. no question he will do it. at some point. rory is too talented, too good and he is going to be playing this event for a very long time. he will get it done, it is just a matter of when and it could be this week, you never know. it is flattering, it is nice to know, in my opinion the best player to play the game say that but does that mean it is going

to happen? no. he has been around the game long enough to know at least i have the potential to do it. i know i have the potential to do it, to. mcilroy is one ofjust six uk players here. the six uk players here. lowest figure this century is partly the lowest figure this century is partly down to the sport put back modern split. on the saudi—backed liv tour, it is hard to qualify for the masters. lee westwood and ian poulter two who won't be here this week. liv and the pga are still in talks on a merger. until then, last year's champion is still one of the rebels. john rahm won the masters then moved to liv last december in a deal worth more than £400 million. but no prize fund can buy what they win at augusta. having the jacket, i kept it in my closet in a spot where i would walk past it every single day and inevitably, every once in awhile, you put it on. it is the biggest tournament in the world, no offence to anything

else, but this is probably the most followed one by people who don't even play golf. your notoriety goes up quite a bit. is there still any tension or is everyone happy to see each other? you guys like to make it sound like we get in the locker room and we are fighting each other, it is nothing like that. which tour they play on, there is no easy navigation. augusta is set up to test out the mind, it can be consuming. rory mcilroy�*s first rounds will be with scottie scheffler. he is the world number one. it is quite the start to golf�*s standout show. joe lynskey, bbc news. and you can follow the masters on the bbc sport website and app. there's live text coverage from augusta and mark chapman is leading the five live team out there providing commentary. hull fc have parted company with their head coach tony smith after a poor start to the super league season. he took over in september 2022 after a spell at city rivals hull kr, but they won ten of their 27

games last season, finishing tenth, and have lost six of their seven league games so far this year. they're the first british basketball team to win a european title. london lions have made history after beating besiktas 81—70 in the second leg of their eurocup final in london. it very nearly didn't happen with a dramatic fightback needed. nesta mcgregor was watching. against the odds, conquerors of the continent. london lions, eurocup women's champions! no british team had made the final of a european tournament and, trailing besiktas by seven points after the first leg, the lions had it all to do. a fast start helped, temi fagbenle with the first baskets of the game. in a nail—biting a0 minutes, the lions were mostly in front but, as the end neared, emotions boiled over — the besiktas coach sent to the locker room for disagreeing with the referee. it's the coach — he is gone.

at the final whistle, london lions 81, their turkish visitors 70. the london lions dominated domestically but now a step further, the champions of europe! an achievement which many think could change the fortunes of british basketball. we have so many young children here watching us play, boys and girls, and they are going to have those players to look up to that we didn't necessarily have when we were younger. so i think that in itself is incredible. yet, despite these celebrations, as it stands, the team won't be able to defend their trophy. american investment company 777, who own the franchise, say they are adopting a new strategy and this decision is the first part of it. it is a big shame but it is what it is, we don't make the decisions. i think we did ourjob in the best way we could. for the all—conquering lions, after the party stops, focus will be on retaining their domestic double.

nesta mcgregor, bbc news, east london. another london side with recent european success is west ham — they have a tough trip to the bundesliga leaders leverkusen tonight in the first leg of their europa league quarterfinal. meanwhile liverpool are hoping to send jurgen klopp off with european glory at the end of his final season in charge. the europa league is the one major trophy he's yet to win there, with atalanta the visitors to anfield tonight. it didn't look like that it would be involved in international football at all. from the moment on where we saw the chance to get into the european league, we were really desperate to do so and you only do that when you are liverpool because you want to win the competition. only great teams are left in the competition, it's really outstanding. and we know what

atalanta is all about, and it's difficult to play against italian teams, it always was. they are tactically super disciplined, and super dangerous in a lot of areas so we have to be at our best. just one british side left in the europa conference league, and that is aston villa who are at home to lille in the first leg of their quarter final this evening. they're trying to win their first major trophy in nearly 30 years, as ben croucher reports. for most of this season, aston villa have been putting on a show. fill in the premier league, beating manchester city and arsenal along the way and into the last eight of the way and into the last eight of the europa conference league. but for this stellar season, it has not always been this way. you have to go back to the 90s in the last time aston villa won a major trophy, the 80s for the last time they tasted european success and the fans would love so dearly to end that run this season. it

love so dearly to end that run this season. ., , ., , ,., , season. it would be absolutely massive- _ season. it would be absolutely massive. for— season. it would be absolutely massive. for me, _ season. it would be absolutely massive. for me, on - season. it would be absolutely massive. for me, on a - season. it would be absolutely massive. for me, on a fan - season. it would be absolutely l massive. for me, on a fan level, season. it would be absolutely . massive. for me, on a fan level, i haven't really seen anything like it. it's exciting, it would be a starting block of hopefully a perfect prolonged period of success. to win in europe is special and this is the _ to win in europe is special and this is the third — to win in europe is special and this is the third of the three competitions you can compete in, but for us _ competitions you can compete in, but for us it's— competitions you can compete in, but for us it's the — competitions you can compete in, but for us it's the first on we have had a chance _ for us it's the first on we have had a chance to — for us it's the first on we have had a chance to compete in the. find for us it's the first on we have had a chance to compete in the. and if ou a chance to compete in the. and if you want to _ a chance to compete in the. and if you want to know _ a chance to compete in the. and if you want to know how _ a chance to compete in the. and if you want to know how special - a chance to compete in the. and if you want to know how special it i a chance to compete in the. and if| you want to know how special it is, see west ham last year. if villa go all the way, what effect would it really have? i all the way, what effect would it really have?— all the way, what effect would it reall have? ~' , , , really have? i think it puts us back on the map- _ really have? i think it puts us back on the map- we — really have? i think it puts us back on the map. we have _ really have? i think it puts us back on the map. we have got - really have? i think it puts us back on the map. we have got people | on the map. we have got people talking about us again. with regards to the premier league and where we are in the premier league. people talk about the conference league and it's not a major trophy but it is a trophy, that's what you play football for, you want to play win trophies. if you can do that it is a stepping stone to somewhere else. they have seen of bigger teams in the group stage and stunned the

dutch giants in the last 16, ajax. they have had lower —— bad form recently, and is the early—season form, that is what they want to rediscover against lille. we have saces, rediscover against lille. we have spaces. its _ rediscover against lille. we have spaces, its most _ rediscover against lille. we have spaces, its most important - rediscover against lille. we have spaces, its most important to . rediscover against lille. we have spaces, its most important to bej spaces, its most important to be competitive and successful. but we are excited, we wanted. the competitive and successful. but we are excited, we wanted.— are excited, we wanted. the boss knows all too _ are excited, we wanted. the boss knows all too well _ are excited, we wanted. the boss knows all too well what _ are excited, we wanted. the boss knows all too well what it - are excited, we wanted. the boss knows all too well what it takes . are excited, we wanted. the boss| knows all too well what it takes to win in europe. four times eight europa league champion with villarreal and serbia, another —— and sevilla, another one would be up there. and the runners and riders have just been confirmed for saturday's grand national. we're just a couple of minutes away from the first race of the three day aintree meeting. there's coverage on five live and the bbc sport website.

thanks to chetan and the sports team in salford. you're watching bbc news. i'm nicky schiller. there's been a huge rise in the number of romance scammers taking advantage of innocent people looking for love. the bbc estimates this type of fraud has cost victims more than £320 million over the last five years. our reporter dan o'donoghue has been speaking to lyn, who joined a dating site after losing her husband. i was in touch with this widow and widower site on facebook, and this guy started chatting and it started from there. lyn, a retired mum from cheshire, felt she had made a genuine connection when a fellow widower, derek, got in touch. we had loads of banter on the phone, you know, and with it being on a widow and widower site, i thought this shouldn't be an issue.

but there was no derek. the person behind his account was, in fact, a scammer preying on the vulnerable to get cash. it was all going well, but he was flying out to dubai on business, cos he had his own business drilling minerals etc, so he says, "i'll come and see you when i come back." there was an accident, so then he started asking for money. when you kind of totted it all up, how much money had you transferred across? so it was over 50,000, which was my retirement money. cheshire police contacted lyn in october 2021 to alert her that she was being scammed. it was a shock. iwasjust, like, numb. the thought, oh, my god, how am i going to manage now, how am i going to do stuff around the house when that money was to do those big jobs? lyn eventually got her money back with the help of her bank. but she's not alone. romance scams have been on the rise in recent years,