Peaky Blinders return, Yorkshire half term, The Duke in cinemas and Parliament back in action - the Week Ahead

Half Term

Already feel like you need to get everyone out the house? Fear not, for events will be hosted around the region to occupy pupils who are off school during half term.

While dates vary around the country, youngsters in a number of Yorkshire’s local authority areas will not be back at school until next Monday.

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway will be among the organisations hosting events as it puts on its Half Term Happiness programme.

A mixture of steam engines and heritage diesels will be running all week at the dog-friendly attraction.

Elsewhere, York’s JORVIK Viking Centre is putting on what it describes as the world’s largest online Viking Festival, with interactive fun, livestreams and video on demand.

In South Yorkshire, the Love Barnsley festival continues this week, offering a wide range of family-friendly entertainment.

It will also be the last chance for people to catch the Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield, where the display finishes on Sunday. It has presented an in-depth view of the Wakefield-born artist’s life, interests, work and legacy.

For more ideas about what to do in Yorkshire during half term, visit yorkshire.com

Playing a Blinder

One-off Television events are not such a draw in a world where we can watch what we want, when we want. However, the return of the sixth and final series of the BBC’s Peaky Blinders next Sunday will be one for viewers to crowd around in cosy anticipation.

Originally financed by Leeds-based Screen Yorkshire and shot at various locations around the region since its first series, including at landmarks such as Bradford City Hall, the show’s focus on the ruthless Shelby crime family in Birmingham between the World Wars has become a huge small screen hit over the last decade.

Series creator Steven Knight last week said: “It’s been an amazing journey.

“The thing has snowballed and even now more and more people are discovering it, which is the great thing about streaming – it doesn’t have its day and disappear.

“People are still finding out about it.”

Knight has spoken previously about continuing the Shelbys’ story on the big screen with a film in the works – and plans to shoot the movie in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, the region will be projected on to cinema screens around the country as The Duke is released on Friday.

Oscar winner Jim Broadbent plays a taxi driver who committed the only theft from London’s National Gallery in its history.

Locations in Leeds and Bradford were used to shoot parts of the film.

Parliament returns

The embattled Government will be back in focus as Parliament returns after a week of recess.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under intense pressure before the break following weeks of scandal amid accusations about ‘partygate’, which is the subject of a police investigation.

Some of the more routine business, however, includes representations by MPs from Yorkshire during oral questions for the Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss - who remains in the role alongside her job Foreign Secretary – on Wednesday.

Conservative Miriam Cates, for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has already tabled the question ‘What steps the Government is taking to help ensure that service providers comply with the Equality Act 2010?’.

Meanwhile her party colleague Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley, wants to know what steps the Government is taking to improve social mobility.

Afterwards, Mr Johnson is also due to face questions.