Piers Morgan Live

Piers Morgan Live (formerly known as Piers Morgan Tonight) is an American television talk show that was hosted by Piers Morgan and broadcast on CNN.[1] The show premiered on January 17, 2011, and filled in the former Larry King Live timeslot.[2] It was announced as cancelled on February 23, 2014, after a continuous drop in ratings, and broadcast its last episode on March 28, 2014.[3]

The theme music was written by Anthony James, composer and CEO of British company Music Candy, and his writing partner Yiorgos Bellapaisiotis, Music Candy's Director.[4] Piers Morgan Live was broadcast primarily from CNN's studios at the Time Warner Center in New York City.
Throughout the show's run, Morgan interviewed many guests, including politicians, celebrities and members of the public. His first guest was Oprah Winfrey.[5][6] Soon after the show's debut, when the Egyptian revolution began, the show changed from a Larry King Live-like interview format to a breaking news-format program. Morgan had never anchored a live news show, but did have experience with breaking news as a newspaper journalist.[7] Because of major news events such as the Arab Spring and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the ratio of taped to live interviews was the opposite of his expectations.[6]

Ratings
After a respectable start on the debut show,[8] and tripling the viewing figures of King's program,[9] Piers Morgan Tonight had suffered from falling ratings.[10] On his first show 2.1 million U.S. viewers tuned in,[11] but by the second show the ratings dropped to 1.3 million.[12] The January 28, 2011, edition garnered just 498,000 viewers.[13] The show received its second largest audience on February 28, 2011, as 1.346 million people tuned in to see Morgan interview actor Charlie Sheen, whose recent abnormal behavior made headlines.[14] However, by the autumn of 2011, the program's ratings were trending downward. In October 2011, Piers Morgan Tonight had an average total audience of 589,000 each night, down from Larry King Live's average of 657,000 in the same month a year before. In November 2011, the program had an average of just 154,000 viewers ages 25 to 54. In contrast, Larry King Live had an average of 161,000 in November 2010. Piers Morgan Tonight also had fewer total viewers that month than Larry King Live did a year before, 620,000 versus 635,000.[15]

In June 2012, it was reported that Piers Morgan Tonight had the lowest ratings for a CNN primetime slot in 21 years.[16] During the week of July 30, 2012, to August 5, 2012, the program averaged 314,000 viewers overall, with a mere 81,000 in the 25 to 54 viewing demographic. That average was the lowest week Piers Morgan Tonight has had since its debut.[17]

Despite a fourth-quarter uptick around the 2012 U.S. presidential election, in January 2013 Mediabistro.com reported, "Compared to last year, Morgan’s program is down −19% in Total Viewers and −22% in the [age 25–54] demographic".[18] The February 28, 2013 broadcast of the show received only 87,000 viewers in the key 25 to 54 viewing demographic; a yearly low. That month, the show was also down 27% in total viewers and 38% in the demo from its January 17, 2011 debut.[19] In June 2013, Piers Morgan Live garnered an average 121,000 viewers in the targeted demographic, its lowest-rated month since premiering in January 2011.[20]

Consequently, on February 23, 2014, with headlines like "CNN’s ‘Piers Morgan Live’ Ratings Sink To Second Lowest Ever, CNN Ties Sixth Worst Primetime Result"[21] coming out in a steady trickle, it was announced that Piers Morgan Live would be cancelled.

"Banned" guests
A March 2012 report at MTV.com claimed that "Morgan has apparently felt slighted over the years by Madonna ... he claims he was lied to by the singer's publicist", and that "Morgan escalated the feud, sending a snippy message to Madonna ... Morgan wrote, 'Welcome to Twitter @MadonnaMDNAday – you're still banned from my show. Love Piers.'" Morgan additionally banned Madonna's publicist Guy Oseary due to what he called "guilt by association".[22]

In September 2012, it was reported that Morgan had additionally banned actor Kelsey Grammer after Morgan claimed Grammer "saw a photo of his ex-wife Camille in the open to our show and legged it."[23][24] On September 26, 2012, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that "many say [it] was an ambush by Piers".[25] The Huffington Post reported, "before the interview was scheduled, it was made clear that Grammer would answer all questions, including those about [his ex-wife]. His sole request was not to show any images of her."[26] Morgan had also banned Hugh Grant from the show, calling him "a tedious little man"

Piers Morgan

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (/pɪərs/; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He is currently a co-presenter of the ITV Breakfast programme Good Morning Britain from Monday to Wednesday each week.

Morgan began his career in Fleet Street as a writer and editor for several tabloid papers, including The Sun, News of the World, and the Daily Mirror. In 1994, aged 29, he was appointed editor of the News of the World by Rupert Murdoch, which made him the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in more than half a century.[1] On television, he hosted Piers Morgan Live on CNN from 2011 to 2014, replacing Larry King Live in the timeslot following King's retirement.[2][3] He was a judge on America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent.[4] In 2008, Morgan won the seventh season of the US Celebrity Apprentice.[5] In the UK, he has presented Piers Morgan's Life Stories since 2009, and Good Morning Britain since 2015.[6][7] Morgan has written eight books, including four volumes of memoirs.

While working at Daily Mirror, he was in charge during the period that the paper was implicated in the phone hacking scandal. In 2011, Morgan denied having ever hacked a phone or "to my knowledge published any story obtained from the hacking of a phone". In 2012, he was criticised in the findings of the Leveson Inquiry by chair Brian Leveson who stated that comments made in Morgan's testimony about phone hacking were "utterly unpersuasive" and "that he was aware that it was taking place in the press as a whole and that he was sufficiently unembarrassed by what was criminal behaviour that he was prepared to joke about it
Early life
Piers Morgan was born in 1965 in Surrey, England (although he moved to Newick, Sussex, England after a few months[9]) as Piers Stefan O'Meara, the son of Vincent Eamonn O'Meara, an Irish dentist originally from County Offaly,[9][10] and Gabrielle Georgina Sybille (née Oliver),[11] who raised her son as a Catholic.[11] With regard to his religious views, Morgan still identifies as a Catholic due to his mother's influence, and believes in an afterlife, but does not "go to Confession, probably because it would take me too long".[12] He has a brother, Jeremy, who is two years older.[13]

His father died when Morgan was 11 months old; his mother later married Glynne Pughe-Morgan,[14][15] a Welsh publican later in the meat distribution business, and he took his stepfather's surname.[1] He was at the independent Cumnor House prep school between the ages of seven and 13, then Chailey School, a comprehensive secondary school in Chailey, near Lewes, East Sussex. [13] After nine months at Lloyd's of London, Morgan studied journalism at Harlow College.[1] Morgan joined the Surrey and South London Newspaper Group in 1985,[16] working as a reporter on the South London News, and the Streatham and Tooting News.

Press career
At the Murdoch titles
Morgan began to work as a freelance at The Sun in 1988, at this point dropping his double-barrelled name. He told Hunter Davies in December 1994 that he was personally recruited by Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie to work on the newspaper's show business column "Bizarre", his first high-profile post.[1] Although he was not a fan of pop music, he was considered skilled at self-publicity and became the column's main writer. "I became the Friend of the Stars, a rampant egomaniac, pictured all the time with famous people – Madonna, Stallone, Bowie, Paul McCartney, hundreds of them. It was shameless, as they didn't know me from Adam", he told Davies.[1]

In January 1994, he became editor of the News of the World after being appointed to the job by Rupert Murdoch. Initially an acting editor, he was confirmed in the summer, becoming at 29 the youngest national newspaper editor in more than half a century.[1] He quickly gained notice for his prying, forthright style and lack of sympathy for celebrities' privacy, claiming that they could not manipulate the media to further their own ends without accepting the consequences of a two-way deal.

Morgan left this post in 1995 shortly after publishing photographs of Catherine Victoria Lockwood, then wife of Charles, Earl Spencer, leaving an addictive disorders clinic in Surrey.[17] This action ran against the editors' code of conduct,[18] a misdemeanour for which the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint against Morgan.[18] Murdoch was reported as having said that "the boy went too far"[19] and publicly distanced himself from the story.[20] Fearful of a privacy law action if he had not criticised one of his employees, Murdoch is said to have[peacock term] apologised to Morgan in private.[21][22]

The incident was reported to have contributed to Morgan's decision to leave for the Daily Mirror editorship.[23] Morgan's autobiography The Insider states that he left the News of the World for the Mirror of his own choice. It asserts he was an admirer of former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for most of her period of office, making the appointment surprising as the Mirror is a Labour-supporting title.[13]

Daily Mirror editor
As editor of the Daily Mirror, Morgan was forced to apologise on television for the headline (rendered in upper case) "Achtung Surrender! For You Fritz Ze Euro Championship Is Over" on 25 June 1996, a day before England met Germany in a semi-final of the Euro '96 football championships.[24][25][26][27]

A £16 million package of investment in the title was rolled out from January, including the dropping of "Daily" from the masthead in February,[28] which was later reversed. Roy Greenslade wrote in August 1999 that Morgan's editorship "has made a huge difference: his enormous enthusiasm, determination and focus is a major plus".[29]

Morgan was the subject of an investigation in 2000 after Suzy Jagger wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph revealing that he had bought £20,000 worth of shares in the computer company Viglen soon before the Mirror 's "City Slickers" column tipped Viglen as a good buy.[30] Morgan was found by the Press Complaints Commission to have breached the Code of Conduct on financial journalism, but kept his job. The "City Slickers" columnists, Anil Bhoyrul and James Hipwell, were both found to have committed further breaches of the Code and were sacked before the inquiry concluded.[31] Further enquiry by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2004 cleared Morgan of any charges.[32] On 7 December 2005, Bhoyrul and Hipwell were convicted of conspiracy to breach the Financial Services Act. During the trial it emerged that Morgan had bought £67,000 worth of Viglen shares, emptying his bank account and investing under his (first) wife's name, too.[33]

The Mirror attempted to move mid-market in 2002, eschewing the more trivial stories of show-business and gossip, but sales declined.[13][34] In the wake of the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, Morgan was fired as Editor of the Daily Mirror "with immediate effect" on 14 May 2004, after refusing to apologise to Sly Bailey, then head of Trinity Mirror, for authorising the newspaper's publication of photographs which had been shown to be false.[35] These were alleged to show Iraqi prisoners being abused by British Army soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.[36] When, within days the photographs were shown to be crude fakes, under the headline "SORRY..WE WERE HOAXED", the Mirror responded that it had fallen victim to a "calculated and malicious hoax" and apologised for the publication of the photographs.[37][38] However, Morgan has refused to admit that the photographs were faked, and has stated that the abuse shown in the photographs is similar to the sort of abuse which was happening in the British Army in Iraq at the time.[39]

Post-Mirror press career
In partnership with Matthew Freud, he gained ownership in May 2005, of Press Gazette, a media trade publication together with its "cash cow", the British Press Awards, in a deal worth £1 million.[40][41] This ownership was cited as one of the reasons many major newspapers boycotted the 2006 awards.[42] Press Gazette entered administrative receivership toward the end of 2006,[43] before being sold to a trade buyer.

First News was launched by Morgan on 4 May 2006. A weekly paper aimed at seven to 14-year-olds, he claimed at its launch that the paper was to be "Britain's first national newspaper for children".[44][45] Morgan was editorial director at First News, responsible for bringing in celebrity involvement. He referred to the role as "editorial overlord and frontman".[46]

Morgan was filmed falling off a Segway, breaking three ribs, in 2007. Simon Cowell and others made much of Morgan's previous comment in 2003, in a Mirror headline after former U.S. President George W. Bush fell off a Segway: "You'd have to be an idiot to fall off wouldn't you, Mr President".[47][48][49]

In 2012, following the revelation of Jimmy Savile's sexual abuse against children, Morgan claimed to have "never met" Savile in his lifetime; however, it was pointed out that in a 2009 piece by Morgan in The Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine claiming that "As I left, Jimmy Savile came up to me. 'Your TV shows are BRILLIANT!. he exclaimed. ... I've always loved Jimmy Savile."[50]

He became the editor-at-large of the Mail Online website's US operation in September 2014 and Morgan writes several columns a week.[51] He also writes a weekly diary for the Mail on Sunday Event magazine, having also written one for its predecessor Live.

Television career
Morgan's career expanded into television presenting before he left the Daily Mirror. He presented a three-part television documentary series for the BBC titled The Importance of Being Famous (2003), about fame and the manner in which celebrities are covered by modern media. At the annual Pride of Britain Awards broadcast on ITV, Morgan chaired a panel of prominent people who had chosen the recipients of the awards from 1999 to 2006.[52]

He co-hosted a current affairs interview show on Channel 4 with Amanda Platell, Morgan and Platell. Morgan and Platell were put together because of their opposing political viewpoints; Platell interrogated guests from the right wing, Morgan from the left wing.[53] The show was dropped after three series reputedly because of poor viewing figures, although the chairman of Channel 4 Luke Johnson was reported not to like the programme.[54]

Throughout 2006, Morgan appeared as a judge on the television show America's Got Talent alongside Brandy Norwood and David Hasselhoff on NBC. Morgan was chosen by Simon Cowell as a replacement for himself because of the conditions of his American Idol contract. Morgan appeared as a celebrity contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice in 2007, to raise money for the BBC charity telethon Comic Relief. After his team lost, Morgan was selected by Sir Alan Sugar as the contestant to be fired.[55]

Also in 2007, Morgan appeared as a judge for the second season of America's Got Talent and also appeared as a judge on Britain's Got Talent on ITV, alongside Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell. He also presented You Can't Fire Me, I'm Famous on BBC One. He fronted a three-part documentary about Sandbanks for ITV entitled Piers Morgan on Sandbanks in January 2008.[56]

In 2008, Morgan signed a two-year "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV in May, reportedly worth £2 million per year. As part of the deal, he would continue as a judge on Britain's Got Talent for at least two more series and front a new chat show. He also made some interview specials, plus three more documentaries from various countries. Morgan's golden handcuffs deal was the first signing by ITV's new director of television, Peter Fincham.[57] On 8 September, Morgan featured in The Dark Side of Fame with Piers Morgan, produced by BBC Scotland.

In February 2009, he began a three-part series, Piers Morgan On..., which saw him visit Dubai, Monte Carlo and Hollywood.[58] The programme returned for a second series in 2010 when Morgan visited Las Vegas in one episode.[59]

Also in 2009, his began hosting Piers Morgan's Life Stories on ITV, with Sharon Osbourne as the subject of the first episode.[60] Other guests on the programme included Cheryl[61] and the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.[62]

On 8 September 2010, CNN announced that Morgan would replace Larry King in the network's evening line-up with his show, Piers Morgan Live, beginning on 17 January 2011.[63][64] After poor ratings, CNN announced that the show was to be axed.[65] It was cancelled in February 2014 and ended its run in March 2014.[66] Commenting on the viewing figures, Morgan said that he was "a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it."[67]

From 13 April to 17 April 2015, Morgan guest-hosted five episodes of Good Morning Britain on ITV and became a permanent co-host in November 2015, appearing alongside Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins.[68] "You can't help but go into battle with him every morning", Reid has said of her colleague with whom she has clashed.[69]

From 2016 to 2017, Morgan interviewed female murderers on the TV series Killer Women with Piers Morgan.[70][71] He also presented Serial Killer with Piers Morgan, as part of the 2017 Crime & Punishment season on ITV. In October 2018, Morgan appeared as a cameo on Hollyoaks.[72]

Donald Trump
Morgan was the winner of the U.S. celebrity version of The Apprentice, in 2008. He was eventually the overall winner, being named Celebrity Apprentice by host Donald Trump on 27 March, ahead of fellow finalist, American country music star Trace Adkins,[73][74] and having raised substantially more cash than all the other contestants combined.[75] Morgan was called "ruthless, arrogant, evil and obnoxious" by Trump in the final.[76]

Morgan stated he personally would not vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election (though as a permanent resident of the United States, not a citizen, he is not qualified to vote).[77] He predicted Trump's election as President of the United States and has described himself as a close personal friend of Trump.[78] Morgan interviewed Donald Trump on Good Morning Britain in March 2016.[79]

Morgan appeared on ITV's Loose Women panel show in late January 2017, and was challenged to repudiate Donald Trump.[80] He refused to do so, despite stating that he disagreed with him on many issues relating to gun control, climate change, abortion, and the "Muslim travel ban", saying that he found the principle of the ban understandable, but disagreed with "the way [Trump] has gone about it".[80]

Nearly a fortnight later, on the American talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, Morgan said "There is no Muslim ban", as "85% of the world's Muslims are allowed in the country". Another participant in the discussion, Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, immediately told him to "fuck off", adding in part "Hitler didn't kill the Jews on the first day, he worked up to it".[81] After the novelist J. K. Rowling tweeted "Yes, watching Piers Morgan being told to fuck off on live TV is *exactly* as satisfying as I'd always imagined", the two began an exchange of words on the social media site.[82][83]

Morgan criticised Trump after Trump retweeted Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of the small right-wing party Britain First in late November 2017. He tweeted to Trump: "What the hell are you doing retweeting a bunch of unverified videos by Britain First, a bunch of disgustingly racist far-right extremists? Please STOP this madness & undo your retweets".[84]

In January 2018, Morgan presented President Trump – The Piers Morgan Interview for ITV,[85][86] which many thought of as "sycophantic" and a "love-in" for Trump.[87] Of respondents to a Radio Times Twitter poll, 88% viewed Morgan as being not "tough enough" on Trump.[87] Morgan interviewed Trump again in July 2018 during his official visit to the UK, this time on Air Force One during an internal flight, in a TV special entitled Piers, The President and Air Force One.[88]

In December 2018, Morgan wrote a letter to Trump formally applying to become White House Chief of Staff.[89]

During Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom in June 2019, Morgan once again interviewed Trump, this time at the Churchill War Rooms.[90] The TV special was entitled Piers and the President in the Churchill War Rooms.

Feuds
Ian Hislop
Morgan appeared as a guest on the BBC satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You in an episode transmitted on 24 May 1996.[91] In it, show regular Ian Hislop accused Morgan of having him followed and having his house watched. The conflict escalated and at one point the host, Angus Deayton, asked if they wished to go outside and have a fight. Later on, guest panellist Clive Anderson confronted Morgan commenting, "the last time I was rude to you, you sent photographers to my doorstep the next day", to which Piers Morgan retorted, "You won't see them this time." The audience responded loudly in favour of Hislop.[92] "We're about to start exposing the moon-faced midget", Morgan was quoted as saying in 2002, to which Hislop responded, "all he's been offering for information about my private life is a £50 reward. My friends think that's not nearly enough."[23]

In 2007, Hislop chose Morgan as one of his pet hates on Room 101.[93][94] In doing so, Hislop spoke of the history of animosity between himself and Morgan and revealed that after their exchange on Have I Got News For You (which was shown as a clip), Morgan's reporters were tasked with trying to get gossip on Hislop's private life (including phoning acquaintances of Hislop), and photographers were sent in case Hislop did anything untoward or embarrassing while in their presence. Neither the reporters nor the photographers succeeded. Hislop also revealed that Morgan had attempted to quell the feud in an article in The Mail on Sunday, saying, "The war is over. I'm officially calling an end to hostilities, at least from my end. I'm sure it won't stop him carrying on his 'Piers Moron' stuff"[95] (Private Eye, the fortnightly satirical magazine which Hislop edits, regularly calls Morgan 'Piers Moron')[96][97][98] Hislop, who was working on a World War I documentary at the time, responded by asking "Is that an armistice or an unconditional surrender?" Although Paul Merton – host of Room 101 at the time and regular team captain alongside Hislop at Have I Got News For You – agreed to put Morgan into Room 101, he then comically rejected Morgan as being "too toxic" for Room 101.[93][99][100]

Others
In October 2003, journalist and television personality Jeremy Clarkson reportedly emptied a glass of water over Morgan during the last flight of Concorde for some photographs published in the Mirror.[101] In March 2004, at the British Press Awards, Clarkson punched Morgan three times during another argument.[101] Morgan reported on a rapprochement with Clarkson in the epilogue of his book, Don't You Know Who I Am?

On 4 February 2014, transgender advocate Janet Mock appeared as a guest on Piers Morgan Live to discuss her memoir, Redefining Realness. After the interview aired, Mock sent a series of tweets criticising Morgan for describing Mock as being "formerly a man". Morgan responded that he had "never been treated in such a disgraceful manner" by a guest. On 5 February, Mock appeared as a guest again to debate the dispute.[102]

Morgan strongly objected to the Women's March on Washington on 21 January 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration, describing protesters as "rabid feminists" and the multiple protests as being "vacuous".[103] The actor Ewan McGregor disagreed with Morgan's statements on the women's march and pulled out of appearing on Good Morning Britain the following Tuesday after discovering Morgan would be interviewing him, along with Reid.[104] Morgan accused McGregor of being a "paedophile-loving hypocrite" for his past support of Roman Polanski.[105]

Banned guests
In May 2011, Morgan banned actor Hugh Grant from his shows on CNN and ITV after Grant spoke out against the need for the tabloid press. On Twitter he responded: "Hugh Grant is now banned, in perpetuity, from @PiersTonight and Life Stories and anything else I ever do. Tedious little man."[106]

On 28 March 2012, MTV referred to the bad relations between Piers Morgan and Madonna, reporting that "Morgan has apparently felt slighted over the years by Madonna...he claims he was lied to by the singer's publicist".[107]

In September 2012, it was reported that Morgan had also banned actor Kelsey Grammer. Morgan himself claimed, "Kelsey Grammer saw a photo of his ex-wife Camille in the open of our show and legged it."[108] TVGuide reported, "All plans were still a go for the segment until Grammer actually got in the hot seat and saw the footage the producers had planned to peg to the segment, including a picture of his ex-wife".[109] On 26 September 2012, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that "many say [it] was an ambush by Piers".[110] The Huffington Post reported that "before the interview was scheduled, it was made clear that Grammer would answer all questions, including those about [his ex-wife]. His sole request was not to show any images of her."[111]

Phone hacking allegations
During Morgan's tenure as editor, the Daily Mirror was advised by Steven Nott that voicemail interception was possible by means of a standard PIN code. Despite staff initially expressing enthusiasm for the story it did not appear in the paper, although it did subsequently feature in a South Wales Argus article and on BBC Radio 5 Live in October 1999. On 18 July 2011 Nott was visited by officers of Operation Weeting.[112]

He came under criticism for his "boasting" about phone hacking from Conservative MP Louise Mensch, who has since apologised for these accusations.[113]

In July 2011, in a sequence of articles, political blogger Paul Staines alleged that while editor of the Daily Mirror in 2002 Morgan published a story concerning the affair of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Ulrika Jonsson while knowing it to have been obtained by phone hacking.[114]

On 20 December 2011, Morgan was a witness by satellite link from the United States at the Leveson Inquiry.[115] While he said he had no reason to believe that phone hacking had occurred at the Mirror while he was in charge there, he admitted to hearing a recording of an answerphone message left by Paul McCartney for Heather Mills, but refused to "discuss where that tape was played or who made [it] – it would compromise a source."[115] Appearing as a witness at the same Inquiry on 9 February 2012, Mills was asked under oath if she had ever made a recording of Paul McCartney's phone call or had played it to Piers Morgan; she replied: "Never".[116][117] She said that she had never authorised Morgan, or anybody, to access or listen to her voicemails.[116] Mills told the inquiry that Morgan, "a man that has written nothing but awful things about me for years", would have relished telling the inquiry if she had played a personal voicemail message to him.[117]

On 23 May 2012, Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman was a witness at the Leveson Inquiry. He recalled a lunch with the Mirror editor in September 2002 at which Morgan outlined the means of hacking into a mobile phone.[118]

On 28 November 2012, the Channel 4 documentary Taking on the Tabloids, fronted by actor and phone hacking victim Hugh Grant, showed footage from a 2003 interview with Morgan by the singer and phone hacking victim Charlotte Church, during which he explained to her how to avoid answerphone messages being listened to by journalists. He said: "You can access ... voicemails by typing in a number. Now, are you really telling me that journalists aren’t going to do that?"[119][120]

On 29 November 2012, the official findings of the Leveson Inquiry were released, in which Lord Justice Leveson said that Morgan's testimony under oath on phone hacking was "utterly unpersuasive". He stated: "[The] evidence does not establish that [Morgan] authorised the hacking of voicemails or that journalists employed by TMG [Trinity Mirror Group] were indulging in this practice ... What it does, however, clearly prove is that he was aware that it was taking place in the press as a whole and that he was sufficiently unembarrassed by what was criminal behaviour that he was prepared to joke about it
On 6 December 2013, Morgan was interviewed, under caution, by police officers from Operation Weeting investigating phone hacking allegations at Mirror Group Newspapers during his tenure as editor.[122]

On 24 September 2014, the Trinity Mirror publishing group admitted for the first time that some of its journalists had been involved in phone hacking and agreed to pay compensation to four people who sued for the alleged hacking of voicemails.[123][124] Six other phone-hacking claims had already been settled. The BBC reported that it had seen legal papers showing that although the alleged hacking could have taken place as early as 1998, the bulk of the alleged wrongdoing took place in the early 2000s when Morgan was the Daily Mirror editor.[125] The admissions by Trinity Mirror came whilst the London Metropolitan Police investigation into the phone hacking allegations was ongoing. Morgan has always denied any involvement in the practice.[125]

Personal life
Morgan married Marion Shalloe, a hospital ward sister,[1] in 1991. The couple had three sons, Albert, Spencer, and Stanley, and divorced in 2008.[126][127] In June 2010, he married his second wife, journalist Celia Walden, daughter of the former Conservative MP George Walden.[128] Morgan announced in mid 2011 that the couple were expecting a child,[129] and on 25 November 2011, Walden gave birth to a daughter, Elise, her first child and Morgan's fourth.[130]

Morgan is a fan of Premier League football club Arsenal F.C.[131] He was a consistent critic of former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and called for his sacking on many occasions. Speaking in defence of Wenger in 2015, former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson labelled Morgan an "incredibly pompous individual".[132] When Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey met Morgan on 26 April 2015, Ramsey refused to shake his hand due to the criticism he received from Morgan during the 2012–13 season. Morgan has responded by calling Ramsey 'whatshisname'.[133]

Politically, Morgan identified as a supporter of the Conservative Party in a 1994 interview,[1] yet in 2019 Morgan said that he voted for the Conservatives "not out of any great love" in that year's election in a radio interview with former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson

Morbius, the Living Vampire

Morbius the Living Vampire, a.k.a. Dr. Michael Morbius, Ph.D.,[1] M.D.,[2] is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and originally designed by penciler Gil Kane, the character first appeared as an antagonist in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (Oct. 1971).

Despite his initial status as one of Spider-Man's horror-based rogues, he went on to become a brooding and gritty, albeit heroic and tragically flawed antihero in his own series and other titles. His true identity was former award-winning biochemist named Michael Morbius imbued with pseudo-vampiric superhuman abilities and physical traits stemming from a failed biochemical experiment which was intended to cure his rare blood disorder, as opposed to supernatural means. The rest of his appearances feature his struggles with his non-human vampiric persona, his insatiable lust for human blood and his subsequent efforts to cure his horrific condition, along with his eventual stint as a brutal and nightmarish vigilante.

The character has appeared in various animated shows and video games. Stephen Norrington portrays the character in an alternate ending to Blade (1998), while Jared Leto will portray the character in a live-action film adaptation set to be part of Sony's Marvel Universe.
Publication history
Morbius debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (cover-dated Oct. 1971) following the February 1971 updating of the comic-book industry's self-censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, that lifted a ban on vampires and certain other supernatural characters.[3] It was the first issue of Marvel Comics' flagship Spider-Man series written by someone other than character co-creator and editor-in-chief Stan Lee. Lee, busy writing a screenplay for an unproduced science fiction movie,[4] bequeathed the series to his right-hand editor, Roy Thomas. "We were talking about doing Dracula, but Stan wanted a costumed villain. Other than that, he didn't specify what we should do," Thomas said in 2009, adding that part of the character conception came from an unspecified science-fiction film of Thomas' youth, depicting a man turned into a vampire by radiation rather than magic.[4] Thomas said that the name "Morbius" was not deliberately taken from the antagonist Doctor Morbius in the movie Forbidden Planet.[4]

Thomas and penciler co-creator Gil Kane created the character as a man who is given pseudo-vampiric abilities and traits via scientific rather than supernatural means.[5] Kane based the character's look on that of actor Jack Palance.[6]

A tragic and sympathetic antagonist in his initial two-issue story arc, having acquired his vampiric addiction while researching a cure for his own rare, fatal blood disease, Morbius collided again with Spider-Man and others in Marvel Team-Up #3–4 (July and Sept. 1972) and the one-shot issue Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1 (June 1974). Morbius went on to star in Vampire Tales, a black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Marvel's sister company, Curtis Magazines, appearing in all but two of the mature-audience title's 11 issues (Aug. 1973–June 1975).[7] All but the first and last of these were written by Don McGregor, with penciling by Rich Buckler and by Tom Sutton, primarily.
After his first two Vampire Tales stories, Morbius concurrently became the star of his own feature in Marvel's bimonthly Adventure into Fear anthology series, beginning with issue #20 (Feb. 1974) and continuing through issue #31 (Dec. 1975), the last issue of that title. These were written, successively, by Mike Friedrich, Steve Gerber (who had written the first Morbius solo story in Vampire Tales #1), Doug Moench and Bill Mantlo, working with a wide variety of pencilers.

Following sporadic guest appearances throughout the next 16 years, Morbius was revived in the 1992 series Morbius the Living Vampire, launched as part of the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover story arc in Marvel's supernatural/horror comics. It ran for 32 issues (Sept. 1992–April 1995). These later stories add to his repertoire of powers the ability to hypnotize others and describe his ability to fly as psionic in nature. A one-shot special, tentatively titled Spider-Man/Venom/Morbius by Morbius writer Len Kaminski, was scheduled for 1993, but never saw print due to the writer's departure from the series out of disgust with Morbius penciler Ron Wagner. Wagner felt that Kaminski's stories were too character-driven and Kaminski claimed that Wagner complained about the stories to the editorial staff and left "snide margin notes in which he made his personal opinion of my plots clear" (Kaminski would see these notes because he and Wagner worked under the Marvel method), but ignored Kaminski's attempts to get in touch with him so that they could discuss how the comic should be done.[8] Series colorist Gregory Wright stepped in as writer with issue #9 and delivered the bloodshed-heavy stories that Wagner wanted.[8] Despite this, Wagner lasted just six issues longer than Kaminski on the series. Wright stayed with Morbius through issue #23.

Alongside the core series Morbius the Living Vampire, a reprint series, Morbius Revisited, was published from 1992 to 1993, and featured material originally published in Adventure into Fear #27-31. Solo stories starring Morbius also appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #144 (Late Dec. 1993), several issues of the Midnight Sons Unlimited series (1993–1995), the one-shot Strange Tales: Dark Corners #1 (May 1998), Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #17 (March 2006), and the one-shot Legion of Monsters: Morbius (Sept. 2007)

On October 17, 2012, Marvel announced that Morbius would appear in a new comic by writer Joe Keatinge and artist Richard Elson, beginning January 2013.[9]

Fictional character biography
Born and raised in Greece by his single mother, Michael Morbius experienced an isolated childhood due to his rare blood condition, which contributed to his ugly and unpleasant-looking appearance. But despite his looks, he was an intellectually-gifted young man who spent his time reading books and, in time, became a highly-respected and Nobel Prize-winning biologist who specialized in the field of human and animal biology. While in New York, after escaping from his home country due to his vampiric condition, he attempted to find a cure and to protect his fiancee Martine Bancroft, but he was attacked by the Lizard and defeated when Spider-Man and the Lizard fought against him to recover a sample of Morbius' blood in order to cure their own mutated physical conditions before he disappeared. The truth behind his horrific condition is that in order to cure his decaying blood condition, Morbius, using his past experience as an expert biochemist, had attempted to cure himself of his blood disease with an experimental treatment involving vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy. However, he instead became afflicted with a far worse condition, "pseudo-vampirism", that mimicked the powers and bloodthirst of legendary vampirism. Morbius now had to digest blood in order to survive and had a strong aversion to light. He gained the ability to fly, as well as superhuman strength, speed, and healing abilities. His appearance, already ugly, became hideous—his canine teeth extended into fangs, his nose flattened to appear more like a bat's and his skin became chalk-white. He also gained the ability to turn others into similar "living vampires" by biting them, infecting them with the disease of pseudo-vampirism.[10] Persons whom Morbius infected with the disease of pseudo-vampirism did not truly die as a result and they could be cured through an antidote to pseudo-vampirism that Morbius and Martine had created, though that antidote would not work on Morbius himself. They also did not acquire his healing abilities and any mortal wound would kill them.[11] He later sought a cure for his condition, but battled Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and the original X-Men.[12] He caused John Jameson to again become the Man-Wolf. Alongside the Man-Wolf, he battled Spider-Man again.[13]

Morbius later rescued Amanda Saint from the Demon-Fire cult and aided her in her quest for her missing parents.[14] He battled Reverend Daemond and encountered the Caretakers of Arcturus IV. He visited the Land Within, home of the Cat People, and the planet Arcturus IV. He also first encountered Blade the Vampire Slayer.[15] He then first encountered S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Simon Stroud and battled the extradimensional demon Helleyes.[16] He and Stroud then battled a large group of other pseudo-vampires that had been created by Morbius, destroying them all. One of them, however, turned Martine into a pseudo-vampire before being destroyed by Morbius, but Morbius and Stroud cured Martine by using the antidote, after which Morbius fled.[17] Alongside the Ghost Rider, the Man-Thing, and the Werewolf, he then encountered the Starseed.[18] Morbius then battled the Thing and the Living Eraser, and traveled to Dimension Z.[19] He later returned to Earth and battled Spider-Man again, this time briefly controlled both physically and mentally by an extra-dimensional humanoid android called the Empathoid, which fed on emotions to survive.[20]

He once again fought Spider-Man, but then he was hit by a lightning strike, which cured him of his pseudo-vampirism and made him human again (he still retained a thirst for blood, however).[21] While cured, he was charged with the crimes he had committed as a pseudo-vampire and was represented by Jennifer Walters, whose dual identity as the She-Hulk was not yet publicly known. Morbius selflessly saved Walters' life and stabilized her erratic transformations into the She-Hulk with a serum that he had created to cure the remnants of his own transformation.[22] He eventually resumed his pseudo-vampiric state and first met Doctor Strange.[23] Alongside Doctor Strange and Brother Voodoo, he battled Marie Laveau and witnessed the resurgence of true vampires.[24] Morbius later battled Spider-Man in the New York sewers.[25]

The Ghost Rider and John Blaze searched for Morbius to form the Nine and stop Lilith and the Lilin from taking over the world. When they found Morbius, the pseudo-vampire believed that they would kill him, but the Ghost Rider and Blaze successfully captured him. Doctor Langford, who tried to help Morbius' wounds, was trying to kill him and was working for Doctor Paine. He made an unknown mutagenic serum that would prove fatal to Morbius. Unknown to Doctor Langford, Fang, one of Lilith's children, was also trying to kill Morbius by adding his own demonic blood to the serum, which would also be fatal to Morbius. When Doctor Langford injected the serum to Morbius, it did not kill him, but instead it mutated him. Morbius' friend, Jacob, was trying to look inside of him and see what he could do about Morbius' condition. After Martine Bancroft, Morbius' ex-fiancée, found out that Langford was trying to kill him, Langford shot her and she bled to death. Morbius found this out and was enraged to find his ex-fiancée dead. He later avenged the death of Martine Bancroft by killing Langford and took the beaker which contained the serum.[26] The Ghost Rider and Blaze later found out about Morbius' destruction. The Ghost Rider confronted him and would not tolerate Morbius drinking any more innocent blood. Morbius then vowed he would only drink the blood of the guilty. The Ghost Rider accepted the vow, but warned him not to stray from it. Morbius soon became part of the Midnight Sons.

Later, a new faction of vampires tried to destroy Morbius because he had been genetically manipulated to be the perfect weapon. The chest in which he was to be delivered was intercepted by the Kingpin, Blade and Spider-Man, and he attacked all three. Whatever unknown party manipulated him failed; he collapsed after one battle, possibly dying. With his last breath, he warned Spider-Man to beware of his employer, Stuart Ward.[volume & issue needed]

It was later revealed that Morbius had signed the Superhuman Registration Act and was cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D. in an effort to capture Blade.[27] He had also presumably survived his genetic manipulation, as Blade was able to distinguish him as the same Morbius who 'took a bite out of [him]' in their previous encounter.

Morbius was next seen as a member of A.R.M.O.R., held captive by the zombie Morbius from the Marvel Zombies universe.[28] He survived the invasion, killing his zombified counterpart in the process.[29] Shortly after, he formed a new Midnight Sons with Jennifer Kale, Daimon Hellstrom, Jack Russell, and the Man-Thing to contain a zombie outbreak on an isolated island, briefly running afoul of the Hood in the process.[30]

Morbius later helped the Man-Thing re-assemble a decapitated Punisher into a Frankenstein-like monster called FrankenCastle.[31]

During The Gauntlet storyline, Morbius was behind the theft of a vial of Spider-Man's blood. Spider-Man, learning that Morbius is planning to use the blood samples to create a cure for Jack Russell, agreed to help Morbius by giving him more blood.[32]

During the Origin of the Species storyline, Morbius was among the supervillains recruited by Doctor Octopus to secure some items for him.[33]

During the events of Spider-Island, it was revealed to the reader that Morbius was the mysterious Number Six working at Horizon Labs. He assisted, in a hazmat suit to protect his identity, in preparing the cure to the spider-powers virus.[34] When Peter Parker tried to investigate the identity of "Number Six", he accidentally provoked Morbius—who had been using the cure to try to develop a basis for a cure for his own condition—into a frenzy, prompting the staff at Horizon to step up building security (making it harder for Peter to enter and exit the building as Spider-Man in the future) and also forcing Morbius to leave, where it was revealed that he had been working with the Lizard, presumably trying to find a cure for both of their conditions. It was also revealed that Morbius was a college friend of Max Modell.[35] Using DNA samples from the corpse of Billy Connors, Morbius was able to create a cure that would restore the Lizard to human form, but he failed to recognize that the Lizard had fully destroyed Curt Connors' human persona.[36] They left the Lizard alone in Morbius' lab, allowing the Lizard to release blood into the lab's air supply to provoke the injured Morbius into attacking the other Horizon scientists. This prompted Morbius to flee the lab, with Spider-Man in pursuit.[37] Morbius was captured by Spider-Man and locked up in a cell in the Raft.[38]

When Peter Parker (now in Doctor Octopus' dying body) needs some supervillains to help capture Doctor Octopus (now in Spider-Man's body), Morbius offers to help, but is rejected.[39] Morbius eventually escapes from the Raft[40] and flees to Brownsville.[41]

After some time, he tried to stop some vampires in Barcelona, but got captured by them and locked in a coffin. The vampires wanted to mix their blood with that of Morbius, until he got unintentionally saved by Domino, Diamondback and the Outlaw. After telling them about the vampires' plan, they agree to help him kill King Morbius (a vampire with Morbius' blood). Then after killing him, a vampire hunter tried to kill Morbius, but thanks to Domino, he flew away.[42]

Morbius was later rescued by Agent of Wakanda Wasp from Dracula's Disciples, with assistance from Agents Broo and Man-Wolf. He later informed Janet and Director Okoye on the Vampire Civil War.[43]

Powers and abilities
Michael Morbius experienced a transformation by electrical shock treatment and chemical ingestion into a pseudo-vampire. As a pseudo-vampire, Morbius does not possess all the powers of a supernatural vampire, nor is he subject to all the traditional limitations and weaknesses thereof. He possesses a variety of superhuman powers, some of which are similar to supernatural vampires within the Marvel Universe, such as superhuman strength and speed, as well as heightened senses including night vision and echolocation. Due to his vampire-like condition, Morbius is forced to ingest fresh blood on a regular basis to sustain his life and vitality. How much blood he requires and how often he has to feed has not been specified in the comics. However, Morbius does not possess any of the mystical vulnerabilities that supernatural vampires are subject to, such as garlic, holy water, crucifixes, or silver. Morbius has a strong aversion to sunlight, thanks to his photo-sensitive skin which prevents any protection from major sunburn, in contrast to "true" vampires that are incinerated by it, with the result that he can move in daylight, but his powers are diminished and he will stick to the shade if circumstances demand him to be active during the day. Morbius also lacks the shapeshifting and weather-control powers of supernatural vampires and the ability to control the minds of certain animals. Like "true" vampires, Morbius does possess the ability to hypnotize beings of lesser willpower and bring them under his control, which can only be resisted by those possessing an extremely strong will. While briefly infected by the demon Bloodthirst, Morbius gained the ability to liquidize his body, moving through small spaces and stretching his limbs as needed. He lost these abilities when he and Bloodthirst split.[44]

Morbius possesses an accelerated healing factor and can recover from mild to moderate injuries at a rate beyond that of ordinary humans. While not nearly as efficient as the healing powers possessed by Wolverine, Morbius has proven able to heal from multiple gunshot wounds in less than one hour. More severe injuries, such as broken bones or severe burns, might take several days to heal, but once it was shown to take minutes, even though it left him as a near-mindless creature who must feed to replenish the energy that was used to do so. He is unable to regenerate missing limbs or organs.

Most of Morbius' victims die or are severely injured by his bite. Unlike supernatural vampires, Morbius' victims do not necessarily become pseudo-vampires themselves. There have only been six instances where Morbius' bite has turned other individuals into pseudo-vampires: Jefferson Bolt (a young man first seen in Marvel Team-Up #3), Emilio (a young man first shown in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #7), Vic Slaughter (a bounty hunter who first appeared in Morbius the Living Vampire #7), Nate Grey (in X-Man #24), Roxy (a junkie dying of a drug overdose in Legion of Monsters: Morbius #1) and Blade the Vampire-Slayer (in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #8). The causes behind these transformations have never been clearly explained, even though, in Blade's case, Morbius' bite combined with his unique physiology to turn him into a part-vampire with all the strengths of a traditional vampire and none of the weaknesses.

The irradiated blood of Spider-Man causes Morbius's vampirism to go into remission. As a result, after drinking Spider-Man's blood, Morbius does not need to feed again for some time. Morbius once developed a serum based on Spider-Man's blood,[45] which would stave off his vampirism for short periods of time.

Morbius possesses the ability of transvection, navigating wind currents and gliding for various distances. In Morbius the Living Vampire #2, it was alluded to that this ability may be related to hyper-evolved portions of his brain, caused by a combination of his blood disease and pseudo-vampiric condition.

Even before he contracted the disease of pseudo-vampirism, Michael Morbius already possessed a gifted intellect. He is an expert biologist,[46] biochemist and neuroradiologist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry and a Nobel laureate. He also attended medical school,[47] where he specialized in hematology.[48]

Enemies and allies
Morbius was first introduced as a villain in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #101-102. He would return to battle Spider-Man over the years in Marvel Team-Up vol. 1 #3-4; Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1; Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #6-8 and #38; Morbius the Living Vampire #3-4 and #21-23; and Peter Parker, Spider-Man vol. 1 #77-80 and vol. 2 #8.

Spider-Man and Morbius formed an uneasy alliance during the Maximum Carnage crossover series.

Blade the Vampire-Slayer and Morbius have had an ongoing feud which began in Adventure into Fear #24. The two also clashed in Marvel Preview #8, Blade the Vampire Hunter #8, Blade vol. 1 #2–3, and Blade vol. 4 #5. Blade, while possessed by a demonic presence, killed Morbius in Morbius the Living Vampire #12, but Morbius was resurrected in Spirits of Vengeance #13.

Simon Stroud, a rogue CIA agent first introduced hunting the Man-Wolf in the pages of Creatures on the Loose, has been hunting Morbius since Adventure into Fear #27. Stroud and Morbius last clashed in Morbius the Living Vampire #23.

During the run of Morbius the Living Vampire, Morbius crossed paths with a handful of brand new foes. They included Vic Slaughter (introduced in issue #7),[49] the Basilisk (Wayne Gifford) (introduced in issue #5), Doctor Paine (introduced in issue #4)[50] and Bloodthirst (introduced in issue #20).[51] During this same period, Morbius also battled a new villain called Bloodbath in Midnight Sons Unlimited #2.[52]

Morbius has had a friendship with Jack Russell (the Werewolf by Night) since West Coast Avengers #5, where Morbius helped Russell deal with his werewolf curse. The Werewolf by Night was a frequent guest star in the pages of Morbius the Living Vampire. Together with the Man-Thing and the Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), they formed the short-lived Legion of Monsters in Marvel Premiere #28.

Morbius and Doctor Strange have teamed up on several occasions. Morbius appeared sporadically throughout the run of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme, beginning with issue #10. Doctor Strange recruited Morbius as one of "the Nine" a.k.a. the Midnight Sons, a team with only one purpose: Earth's last defense against the occult.

Other versions
House of M
In the House of M series, Michael Morbius appears in a flashback as one of the scientists (along with Jonas Harrow and Farley Stillwell) that gave Luke Cage his powers.[53]

Marvel MAX
Morbius appears in Dead of Night featuring Werewolf by Night as one of the anomalous beings contained and experimented on by the Babylon Group. When Jack Russell attempts to escape from the Babylon Group with his infant daughter, the facility tries to stop him by unleashing Morbius and Frankenstein's Monster. In the ensuing brawl, Morbius' heart is punched out by Frankenstein's Monster.[54]

Marvel Zombies 3
A zombified version of Morbius appears in the 2008–2009 Marvel Zombies 3 miniseries. The real Morbius of Earth-616 (the mainstream universe) is kidnapped and beaten by his zombie counterpart, who found a way from the Marvel Zombies universe into the Marvel universe. Zombie Morbius holds the real one captive while using a latex mask to look normal.[28] It is revealed that he plans to infect every member of the Fifty State Initiative with the zombie virus. His captivity is later inadvertently uncovered by an A.R.M.O.R. team member, whom Morbius tries to warn of an impending attack. The warning comes too late, as Morbius' zombie counterpart attacks the team member and infects her, thus creating a violent chain of events after she attacks another team member.[55] Towards the end of the crisis, the real Morbius appears out of nowhere and grabs a tree, which he uses as a stake and stabs the zombified version from behind and straight into the heart, killing him instantly.[56]

Ultimate Marvel
The Ultimate Marvel version of Morbius is a "true" vampire, the son of Dracul and brother of Vlad III Dracula himself.[57] He has all of the powers and abilities associated with the usual interpretation of Dracula. This version of Morbius, however, seems to be heroically struggling against his baser instincts and is in fact a vampire hunter. He meets Spider-Man in a typical misunderstanding, centering on a cabal of vampires attacking Ben Urich. He is really trying to stop Urich from becoming a vampire, which he succeeds in doing despite the conflict. When Spider-Man is bitten by a vampire, Morbius sniffs and determines that the young superhero is immune to vampirism.[58]

Spider-Geddon
During the "Spider-Geddon" storyline, there are different versions of Morbius:

In the universe of Peni Parker, M.O.R.B.I.U.S. is a techno-organic dragon-like kaiju with tentacles, which feeds on technology. During the battle between SP//dr and VEN#m, it attacks the latter and overloads it; sending the black mech into a rage.[59]
In the Web-Slinger's universe (which takes place in the Old West), Doc Morbius appears similar to the Earth-616 counterpart, but he works to cure himself by experimenting on people; including children. Before he could do so, Web-Slinger burst into the lab and battled Morbius. During the fight, several chemicals caught fire and Morbius realized what he was doing. He sacrifices himself to save Web-Slinger and the children from the exploding chemicals.[60]
Infinity Warps
In this new universe, Morbius is fused with Morpheus. He tries to steal some blood tanks, but is defeated by Arachknight.[61]

In other media
Television

Morbius

Morbius is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is intended to be the second film in Sony's Marvel Universe. The film is being directed by Daniel Espinosa from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, and stars Jared Leto in the title role alongside Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson.

After announcing plans for a new shared universe of films inspired by Spider-Man characters beginning with Venom (2018), Sony was revealed to be developing one based on Morbius. Sazama and Sharpless had written a script by November 2017, with Leto and Espinosa officially joining in June 2018. Work began in earnest at the end of the year with further casting, ahead of a production start in February 2019 in London. Filming was set to take 12 weeks, and was confirmed to have completed by June 2019.

Morbius is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 31, 2020.
Premise
One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.

— Sony Pictures Releasing [1]
Cast
Jared Leto as Michael Morbius: A scientist suffering from a rare blood disease who attempts to cure himself with DNA from vampire bats but instead becomes afflicted with a form of vampirism.[2]
Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft: Morbius's fiancée.[3]
Matt Smith as Loxias Crown / Hunger: Morbius's friend and colleague who suffers from the same rare blood disease.[4][5] Smith joined the film after previously turning down other superhero film roles, due to director Daniel Espinosa's involvement and encouragement from Karen Gillan, who portrays Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and previously worked with Smith on Doctor Who.[6]
Jared Harris as Morbius's mentor.[7][5]
Tyrese Gibson as Simon Stroud: An FBI agent hunting Morbius.[5][8] Gibson signed a three picture deal when he joined the film.[9]
Additionally, Al Madrigal portrays Stroud's FBI partner Alberto Rodriguez.[8] Michael Keaton has been cast in an undisclosed role.[10]

Production
Development
Artisan Entertainment announced a deal with Marvel Entertainment in May 2000 to co-produce, finance, and distribute several films based on Marvel Comics characters, including Morbius, the Living Vampire.[11] In May 2017, Sony officially announced plans for a new shared universe named "Sony's Marvel Universe", to feature Spider-Man-related properties beginning with Venom in October 2018.[12] That November, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless submitted a script to Sony for a potential Morbius film, after a "secret development process" at the studio for the character.[13] Jared Leto became "loosely attached" to the project to potentially star in the title role, but would not fully commit to the film until he was happy with the direction it was going; Leto asked to personally meet with several of the directors that Sony was looking at for the film.[14]

By the end of April 2018, Sony had approached Antoine Fuqua about potentially directing the film. He expressed interest in taking on the project, and said that if he was to make a film in the superhero genre he would want to make it "something that's closer to what I get excited about."[15] He ultimately chose not to take on the project.[14] Other directors that Sony approached about the film included F. Gary Gray, who considered directing the film but ultimately turned down the role,[16] and Daniel Espinosa, who previously directed the film Life (2017) for the studio.[14] In May, while on tour in Germany with his band Thirty Seconds to Mars, Leto met with Espinosa to talk about the film,[14] and the pair were both confirmed for the project at the end of June. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Lucas Foster were set to produce,[2] and Sony was expected to give the film a release date shortly after with filming set to begin by the end of 2018. The studio hoped the film would fit in with its already-set Marvel slate, including Venom and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).[14]

Pre-production
By the end of September, Sony was intending for production on the film to take place in Atlanta, Georgia—where Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Venom were previously produced—but had still not set a release date for the film.[17][18] Screen Rant's Cooper Hood opined that Sony was likely waiting to see the response to Venom in early October, with Arad confirming at that time that there was excitement at Sony to produce Morbius, especially due to the story of a "healer that becomes a killer, and how do you deal with [that?]"[18] Tolmach said the project was "very far along" at that stage and they were now planning to begin filming in early 2019,[19][20] with the intention that Morbius would be the second film released as part of Sony's shared universe after Venom.[19] He added that Leto was bringing the same "intensity" to the film that he had playing the Joker in Suicide Squad (2016).[21] By November, box office analysts believed that Venom had been successful enough for Sony to move ahead with other films like Morbius,[22] and at the end of that month the studio dated an untitled Marvel film that was believed to be Morbius for a July 10, 2020 release.[23] Adria Arjona entered negotiations to portray the film's female lead, Martine Bancroft, in December;[3] her involvement was confirmed a month later when Sony pushed the release date to July 31,[24] and Matt Smith also joined the cast.[25][4]

Filming
Principal photography began during the last week of February 2019 in London,[26][27] under the working title Plasma.[28] Oliver Wood served as cinematographer for the film.[29] With the start of filming, Jared Harris and Tyrese Gibson joined the cast as Morbius's mentor and an FBI agent hunting Morbius, respectively.[7][30][5] Smith was revealed to be portraying the villainous Loxias Crown.[5] In March, filming took place in Manchester's Northern Quarter, portraying New York City.[31] A month later, Gibson revealed that he was portraying Simon Stroud, and that Al Madrigal had been cast as his partner, Alberto Rodriguez.[8] At the end of the month, Justin Haythe was believed to have contributed to the film's script.[32] Filming was scheduled to take 12 weeks,[26][6] and Venom producer Amy Pascal said in June that production had "just wrapped" on the project.[33]

Music
By October 2019, Jon Ekstrand was set to compose the score for Morbius after doing the same for Espinosa's previous films

Flybe

Flybe (pronounced /ˈflaɪˌbiː/) styled as flybe, is a British airline based in Exeter, England. Until its sale to Connect Airways (January 2019), it was the largest independent regional airline in Europe. Flybe carries 8 million passengers a year between 81 airports across the UK and the rest of Europe, with over 210 routes across 15 countries. Its two hubs are Birmingham and Manchester airports but it also has a number of codeshares allowing connections to long-haul flights from airports such as London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Dublin and Amsterdam. The airline is a member of the European Regions Airline Association.[4]

The airline was launched in 1979 as Jersey European Airways following the merger of Intra Airways and Express Air Services. In 1983, the airline was sold to Walker Steel Group, which also owned Spacegrand Aviation, and the two airlines were merged under the Jersey European name during 1985. The airline experienced significant growth during the 1990s; it was in this period in which Jersey European Airways served as the launch customer for the Embraer E-195 regional airliner. The firm was renamed British European in 2000, and received the Flybe name in 2002. On 3 November 2006, it was announced that Flybe was in the process of purchasing BA Connect, which resulted in the airline becoming the largest regional airline in Europe. On 10 December 2010, the company was floated in an IPO on the London Stock Exchange.

In February 2019, the airline was sold to the Connect Airways consortium,[5] backed by Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Aviation.[6] Connect Airways intends Flybe and Stobart Air to subsequently rebrand as Virgin Connect,[7][8] though they will retain their own Air Operator Certificates.[9] However, in early January 2020 Flybe were seeking urgent funding to avoid collapse.
Flybe started operations on 1 November 1979 as Jersey European Airways as a result of a merger of the Jersey-based Intra Airways and the Bournemouth-based Express Air Services.[10][11] It was founded by John Habin, a resident of Jersey and the majority investor. After selling Aviation Beauport and other business interests, Habin invested in the firm so that it could establish several routes from Jersey Airport to major airports in the UK.[12] Initially equipped with an aging fleet of war-surplus Douglas DC-3 aircraft, Jersey European Airways gradually reequip with more modern commuter airliners.[13]

In November 1983, Habin sold his stake in Jersey European Airways to Jack Walker's Walker Steel Group, which already owned the Blackpool-based charter airline Spacegrand Aviation. Initially, these two airlines were then run separately despite partially shared management; Exeter Airport served as a critical hub, forming a meeting point between the two companies route networks.[13] In 1985, both airlines were amalgamated under the Jersey European name; the combined entity's headquarters was established at Exeter.[12][14] In 1985, Jersey European Airways carried 160,000 passengers and achieved an annual revenue of just under £9 million.[13]

During 1990, Jersey European Airways' passenger count rose to 460,000, being 40 percent greater than the previous year.[13] During 1991, the airline commenced its first route to London, flying between Guernsey and London Gatwick Airport.[14] In 1993, it received the first of its British Aerospace 146, a four-engined jet-powered regional aircraft.[13] That same year, the airline introduced a business class service aboard some aircraft.[14] Around this time, the Exeter hub was supplemented by connections at both London and Birmingham. By 1995, Jersey European Airways was again expanding after incurring minor losses during the prior year.[13]

In mid-1997, Jersey European Airways announced that it had achieved record results in its previous financial year amid a boom in Europe's regional airlines market; that year, the firm had secured a franchise arrangement with Air France covering routes from London Heathrow to Toulouse and Lyon, expanded its fleet to provide 32% more seat capacity, recorded a 27% increase in sales, while profits had risen by nearly a third to reach £3.4 million.[15][16] That same year, the airline, which operated a mixed fleet of 12 British Aerospace 146s, four Fokker F27s and two Short 360s, was in the process of leasing additional BAe 146s to cater for expansion; Jim French, Jersey European's deputy chief executive, announced that it was performing detailed studies with the aim of introducing larger airliners in the 150- to 170-seat class, such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families.[17][18]

2000-2010
In June 2000, the airline announced that it had rebranded itself British European;[19] according to a company spokesperson, this was due to the Jersey European Airways name no longer being an accurate reflection of the scope of the routes being covered.[20] This name was soon shortened to simply Flybe on 18 July 2002, after which the airline repositioning itself as a full-service, low-fare airline. Various pricing and product changes were made in line with this position, such as discounted one-way tickets, the abolition of overbooking practices, a customer charter of the airline's service standards, as well as compensation for delays.[21]

In June 2005, it was announced that Flybe would procure a fleet of 26 Embraer E-195 regional airliners; it would claim that it had opted for the 118-seat E-195 over rival 150-seat aircraft due to economics and performance benefits.[22] Flybe would serve as the launch customer for the E-195, receiving the first example of the type during the later half of 2006. Initially, the E-195 fleet were assigned to the airline's high-volume trunk routes, but the firm later planned to use it on new routes to expand their network.[23][24] Further E-195s would be ordered by the airline over the following decade, the type making up a major proportion of Flybe's fleet.[25]

On 3 November 2006, it was announced that Flybe would buy BA Connect, except for that airline's services out of London City Airport.[26] During March 2007, this takeover was completed; as a consequence of the BA Connect takeover, the ownership of Flybe was divided between Rosedale Aviation Holdings (69%), Flybe staff (16%) and the International Airlines Group (15%).[27] The acquisition increased Flybe's route network in both the UK and continental Europe, making Flybe Europe's largest regional airline.[28][29]

On 14 January 2008, it was announced that Flybe had signed a franchise agreement with Scottish airline Loganair, to commence on 26 October 2008 following the termination of Loganair's franchise agreement with British Airways on 25 October 2008. The agreement would see Loganair aircraft flying in Flybe colours on 55 routes from Scotland.[30]

In 2008, in order to avoid losing a £280,000 rebate from Norwich Airport, Flybe advertised for "actors", as well as offering free return flights to Dublin on its website.[31][32][33] As a result, the environmental group Friends of the Earth called on the government to launch an investigation into the aviation industry.[34]

Chief executive officer Jim French was recognised in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours List with a CBE for his services to the airline industry.[35]

On 10 December 2010, Flybe floated in an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, with trading in shares commencing on the same day. Full public release of shares followed on 15 December 2010. The share price was set at 295p, valuing the company at approximately £215 million, and raising £66 million for the company, half of which was to pay for fleet expansion.[36][37]

2011-2020
On 23 May 2013, it was reported that Flybe had sold its slots at Gatwick Airport to EasyJet for £20 million, and that the slots would be handed over to EasyJet on 29 March 2014.[38] CEO and chairman Jim French retired in August 2013, leaving the post of CEO to Saad Hammad, formerly of EasyJet, while Simon Laffin became chairman.[39] By November 2013, Hammad had shaken up the operation, requesting the resignations of three top managers within six weeks of his arrival. Out of 158 routes flown at the time, over 60 did not cover their direct operating expenses and the costs of crew and aircraft.[39]

On 23 April 2014, Flybe announced that it would launch domestic and international flights from London City Airport from 27 October 2014 after signing a five-year deal with the airport. The airline is expecting to carry around 500,000 passengers a year, with all five allocated aircraft being based around the Flybe network overnight.[40] In March 2014, it was announced that Flybe would undergo a major brand refresh. This new scheme included a new purple aircraft livery, new interior features and new uniforms.[41][42] During June 2014, British Airways sold most of its remaining stake in the airline; it had already been reduced to 5% by share issues.

In early 2016, it was announced that Flybe had negotiated a six-year agreement with SAS Scandinavian Airlines to fly 4 ATR 72–9 aircraft on their behalf, starting in October 2016.[43] On 4 March 2015, Flybe announced new routes from Cardiff Airport bringing the number of routes to eleven. Flybe also stated their intention to create a new base at Cardiff Airport and in Summer 2015,[44] initially based two Embraer 195 aircraft there, which has since increased to three. On 10 November 2015, Flybe announced that it would base two Embraer 195 aircraft at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, starting new routes to Amsterdam, Berlin Tegel, Paris CDG, Jersey, Alicante, Málaga, Faro and Newquay as of 27 March 2016.[45][46] This announcement came on the same day that Flybe announced that they would be pulling flights from Bournemouth Airport.[47] Dublin Airport was added in October 2016, taking over where Stobart Air pulled out.

On 26 October 2016, it was announced that Hammad would be standing down as CEO with immediate effect, and that consequently Flybe were beginning the process of finding a replacement. On 21 November 2016, Flybe announced it was to open its first European base at Düsseldorf Airport. In February 2017 this commenced with two aircraft alongside 60 pilots, cabin crew and engineers. On 22 December 2016, Flybe started selling flights for 12 further destinations from Southend Airport, in an extension to their existing franchise operation with Stobart Air.[48]

Flybe and Loganair separately announced that their franchise agreement would terminate in October 2017. Flybe then announced a partnership with Eastern Airways and would now operate routes in direct competition with Loganair – namely flights from the Scottish mainland to Stornoway, Kirkwall and Sumburgh. On 16 January 2017, former CityJet boss Christine Ourmieres-Widener, took over the role of CEO after Saad Hammad left in October 2016.[49] Later in the year, Flybe started flying from Heathrow to Aberdeen and Edinburgh taking over slots previously used by Virgin Atlantic Little Red.[50]

On 22 February 2018, franchise partner Stobart Air confirmed interest in a takeover bid of 100% of Flybe for an undisclosed fee.[51] However this bid was rejected by the carrier and Stobart scrapped its interest on 22 March 2018,[52] causing share prices in the airline, which had climbed by up to 25% following the bid, to drop back to their previous level.[53] In September 2018, a revised aircraft livery was launched, with purple and white being retained but lilac replacing the red and yellow. On 14 November 2018, after the airline's shares fell by 75%, Flybe announced that it was talking with various parties about a potential sale of the business, as part of a wide-ranging review of strategic options.[54][55] On 22 November, it emerged that Virgin Atlantic was one of the parties with which Flybe had been holding discussions; Flybe's slots at Heathrow were of particular interest to Virgin Atlantic, along with the potential to use Flybe to feed passengers into the Virgin Atlantic hubs at Manchester and London Heathrow.[56][57]

Connect Airways takeover
On 11 January 2019, a takeover bid worth £2.2 million by the Connect Airways consortium, which includes Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Aviation, was confirmed. The consortium would initially lend £20 million to enable Flybe to continue operations, and would also take over Stobart Air; after the acquisition is complete it will provide a further £80 million. This initial deal, which would have been conditional on shareholder and court approval,[6] was expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2019.[58] Flybe and Stobart Air would subsequently operate under the Virgin Atlantic brand[59] though they would retain their own Air Operator Certificates.[9] Optimisation of Flybe's routes is likely to result in a "limited reduction" in its fleet.[58]

On 15 January 2019, Connect Airways increased its offer by £600,000, and set out improved bridging loan conditions, with £10 million to be released immediately to support Flybe's business, and a further £10 million available. Subsequent funding of £80 million was also confirmed. In accepting the revised offer, Flybe's board stated that it provides the security that the business needs and preserves the interests of its stakeholders, customers, employees, partners and pension members.[60] The deal, which covers Flybe Group's operating subsidiaries, i.e. the airline and the website,[61] is to be completed by 22 February 2019.[62]

Flybe Group's shareholders had decided in December 2018 to transfer its shares to a standard listing,[63] meaning that shareholder approval for the sale of the assets is no longer required.[62] Notwithstanding this change, on 21 January 2019 one of the largest shareholders, Hosking Partners, threatened legal action to block the deal, which it believes undervalues the company.[64] On 4 February 2019, Flybe confirmed that it had received a valid request from Hosking Partners to convene a general meeting in order to appoint a new director, but noted that Flybe's articles of association do not give members the powers needed for the new director's proposed investigation of the sale.[65][66] It also confirmed that it had received, and rejected, a preliminary alternative bid from former Stobart CEO Andrew Tinkler.[67] On 7 February, Flybe Group warned its shareholders that, after the sale of the operating assets, the parent company would be wound up if they did not approve its sale.[61] On 20 February, Flybe said it had rejected an alternative "preliminary and highly conditional contingency proposal" from Mesa Air Group and supported by Andrew Tinkler, noting that it could not be executed quickly enough to enable the airline to continue trading.[68]

On 21 February 2019, Flybe announced that the sale of Flybe Limited and Flybe.com Limited to Connect Airways had been completed,[5] with Flybe flights continuing to operate as normal. The sale of the parent company, Flybe Group plc – now an empty shell – was confirmed by its shareholders at a meeting on 4 March[69] and became effective on 11 March.[70]

In October 2019, it was announced that Flybe was be rebranded as Virgin Connect, reflecting its incorporation into the Virgin Group, with effect from early 2020.[7][8] The Virgin Group launched a landing page www.virginconnect.com to avoid confusion with the existing Virgin Connect brand used in Russia for internet & mobile services.[71]

In January 2020, it emerged that Flybe was again in difficulties, incurring mounting losses despite the financing provided by Connect Airways. Emergency financing facilitated by the UK government was under discussion.[72]

Corporate affairs
Ownership and structure
The former owner, Flybe Group plc, was a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: FLYB).[73] Until November 2013, the main shareholder, with 48.1% of the shares, was Rosedale Aviation Holdings Limited,[74] the corporate representative of the trustee of the Jack Walker 1987 Settlement, which was established by the late Jack Walker, who was involved in Flybe's early development.

In the UK, Flybe's largest base is at Birmingham Airport;[75] the airline has other large bases at Belfast City, Manchester and Southampton airports, with a total of 14 crew and aircraft bases across the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The airline holds a Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[76] The Flybe Group included Flybe Aviation Services (engineering and maintenance), Flybe Training Academy (engineering and flight crew training), Flybe UK (airline operations) and Flybe Europe, the holding company for all European operations, which previously consisted of Flybe Nordic
Loganair was the first franchise partner for Flybe and operated a number of flights in Scotland and Ireland under a franchise agreement from 2008. Loganair aircraft wore the full Flybe livery during the time of the franchise. In 2016, it was announced that the agreement was to end on 31 August 2017 at which time Loganair would become an independent carrier.[citation needed]

In 2014, Flybe signed their second franchise agreement with Stobart Air,[84] and initially started operating European routes from Southend Airport. In 2015, Stobart Air began operating more flights on behalf of Flybe from Isle of Man Airport using two ATR 72.[85] In 2017, Flybe and Stobart Air began operating additional services from Southend Airport using Flybe Embraer 195 jet aircraft.[citation needed]

On 11 January 2016, Flybe announced its third franchise deal with the Guernsey based airline, Blue Islands. This would see all Blue Islands flights operated under the Flybe name, and the Blue Islands aircraft livery replaced with the current Flybe livery from May 2016.[86] This deal is however under investigation and could be potentially breaking local competition laws.[87]

From 1 September 2017, Eastern Airways became a new franchise partner for Flybe taking over routes previously operated by Loganair from Aberdeen Airport, Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport.[88] This now meant both Flybe and Loganair were now in direct competition with each other. In January 2018, services to Sumburgh were being withdrawn, owing to the competition with Loganair and the route being unable to sustain two carriers.[89] It was also announced that Loganair was withdrawing services from Glasgow to Manchester leaving Flybe as the sole operator on that route.

Flybe purchased Finncomm Airlines with Finnair in July 2011,[90] and on 30 October 2011 rebranded the airline as Flybe Nordic. The joint venture operated its own routes along with franchise routes under a codeshare agreement for Finnair, operating under Flybe's BE-code. Flybe agreed to sell its 60% stake in Flybe Nordic in November 2014 for €1, in an attempt to reduce group costs.[91] On 1 May 2015, Flybe Nordic began operating solely for Finnair as it is no longer a part of Flybe. Flybe Nordic is now known as Nordic Regional Airlines – Norra.[92]

Sponsorship
Flybe are the main sponsor of Exeter City Football Club and also sponsor Exeter Chiefs with their branding featuring on both teams shirts. Flybe has also sponsored the weather bulletins on ITV Meridian, STV, ITV West Country, Channel Television, UTV, ITV Wales with Cardiff Airport and the sport sections of the Manchester Evening News, the Express & Echo (Exeter), the South Wales Echo (Cardiff), the Isle of Man Courier and the Isle of Man Examiner.

In the past, Flybe sponsored Birmingham City (2003–2007), Norwich City (2006–2008), Southampton (2006–2010) and Inverness Caledonian Thistle (2007–2010).

Services
Frequent-flyer programmes
Flybe used the Avios frequent-flyer programme until 30 April 2019, when Flybe and Avios ended their partnership and all accounts were closed.[93] The programme is operated by the IAG subsidiary Avios Group.

Cabin and service
Flybe's cabin interiors are configured with a single-class all-economy layout. Flybe operates an allocated seating policy on all flights. Passengers have the option to choose a specific seat of their choice online in advance for a fee or have one allocated free of charge during online check-in or at the airport check-in. The airline operates a buy on board programme, called "Café Flybe", offering food and drinks for purchase. On most flights to and from the Channel Islands a selection of Duty Free spirits and tobacco items are available to purchase.

Passengers have the option of three ticket types. "Just Fly", "Get More" and "All In".

"Just Fly" is the most basic ticket type, with just the flight included and any extra options available to add for an additional fee.
"Get More" ticket holders get to reserve a seat and includes free 23 kg hold bag.[94]
"All In" ticket holders receive a complimentary drink and snack, access to Flybe Executive Lounges, free pre-booked seating, priority check-in and two free hold bags.[95]
Destinations
Main article: List of Flybe destinations
Flybe operates short haul services to destinations throughout the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and continental Europe.

Partnerships and codeshare agreements
Flybe codeshares with the following airlines under the 'One Stop to the World' programme:[96][97]

Aer Lingus
Air France
Air India
Alitalia
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Emirates
Fleet strategy and developments
Flybe is phasing out its Embraer 195s, which will be returned to lessors once retired. Flybe has stated the Q400 is to remain the backbone of its fleet going forward.[101]

Dash 8 Q400
Flybe became the world's largest operator of the Dash 8 Q400 after it added 24 leased from Republic Airways in 2014.[102] In May 2007, the airline signed a deal with Bombardier for a further 15 Q400 aircraft valued at US$394 million (£197 million), with options for a further 15, increasing its fleet of the type to 60.[103] In September 2014, Republic Airways agreed to lease 24 of their Q400 aircraft to Flybe with delivery over two years starting from March 2018.[104][102] In June 2017, Flybe announced that due to a loss of near to £20 million, it would retire six Q400 aircraft from 2017.[105]

Embraer 175
On 20 July 2010, Flybe placed an order for 35 Embraer 175 aircraft worth US$1.3 billion (£850 million), with options for 65 more (value $2.3 bn/£1.5 bn) and purchase rights for a further 40 (value $1.4 bn/£0.9 bn). The 88-seat aircraft was originally planned to be delivered between July 2011 and March 2017,[106] with the first two aircraft actually arriving in November 2011.[107] In September 2014, Flybe reached an agreement with Embraer to cancel 20 orders for the E-175 jets, and defer delivery of the other four until further notice.[citation needed]

Embraer 195
The airline placed an order for 14 Embraer 195 aircraft in June 2005, plus options on an additional 12 aircraft, making it the type's worldwide launch customer. This was followed in the same month by the conversion of four existing Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 options into firm orders, bringing its fleet of Q400s to 45 when delivered.[108] Flybe received its first 118-seat Embraer 195 in September 2006, and the aircraft began to replace its existing BAe 146s, completing the fleet rationalisation started in 2003. The E-195s were fitted with a Head-up Guidance System (HGS) and configured to offer single-class service.[citation needed]

In 2018 Flybe completed a review of its future fleet, the Bombardier Q400 would remain its core aircraft; all nine of its E195 aircraft would be withdrawn by 2020 but a number of E175s would be retained for busier routes.[109] On 3 April 2019, Flybe confirmed its intention to withdraw six of its E195s in 2019 and the remainder in 2020; its bases at Cardiff and Doncaster will be closed and these destinations served by Q400s from other bases.[101]

Historical fleet
Flybe has in the past operated a wide variety of aircraft, including:

Oscar nominations 2020

The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor the best films of 2019 and will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.[1] After more than a decade of holding the Academy Award ceremonies in at least late February, the 92nd Academy Awards will be held earlier – on February 9, 2020.[1][2] During the ceremony, AMPAS will present Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony will be televised in the United States by ABC, produced by Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain.[3] Citing the success of the format at the 91st presentation in 2019, the ceremony will again be conducted without a host.

قدرات

اختبار القدرات العامة هو اختبار القبول الموحد للكلية في الجامعات السعودية ويتقدم له الطلاب والطالبات السعوديون والوافدون في المرحلة الثانوية بجانب الاختبار التحصيلي للطلاب واختبار القبول للطالبات. وعدد اختباراته 5 ثلاث منها ورقي واثنان محوسب -او 4 ورقي وواحد محوسب- . وهو أاحد اختبارات المركز الوطني للقياس والتقويم، الاختبار يقيس قدرات الطلاب في الرياضيات واللغة العربية وهو إجباري للقبول في الجامعات والكليات وكل جامعة تشترط درجة محدده من القدرات. اختبار قدرات مملوك ومقدم ومنشور من قبل مجلس التعليم العالي وهي منظمة ربحية -رسوم دخول الاختبار الواحد 100 ريال و 150 للتسجيل المتأخر- في السعودية التي وضعت وطورت المركز الوطني للقياس والتقويم المشرفه على الأختبار. طالب مجلس التعليم العالي بالاختبار لانه يقيم قدرات الطلاب ومهاراتهم واتجاتهم الدراسية وقد صدر بتاريخ 19/6/1421 هـ الأمر السامي ذو الرقم 471/8 بالموافقة على قرار مجلس التعليم العالي، المؤيد بقرار مجلس الوزراء السعودي وقد قدم أول اختبار في عام 1424 هـ وكان حصري للأولاد فقط وقدم أول اختبار للفتيات في عام 1430 هـ.
أقسام الاختبار
- القسم الكمي :

يشتمل على أنواع الأسئلة الرياضية المناسبة لاختبار القدرات (وفقاً للتخصص في الثانوية العامة:علمي أو أدبي) ويركز على القياس والاستنتاج وحل المسائل، ويحتاج إلى معلومات أساسية بسيطة. ويتضمن هذا الجزء:

52 سؤالا موضوعياً للتخصصات العلمية وتتوزع الأسئلة وفقاً للحقول وفقاً للآتي، على وجه التقريب :::

40% سؤالاً حسابياً 24% سؤالاً هندسياً 23% سؤالاً جبرياً 13% سؤالاً تحليلياً وإحصائياً

أما اختبار التخصصات النظرية فيتضمن 30 سؤالاً تشمل الحساب والهندسة والتحليل.

القسم اللغوي :

ويشتمل على أنواع الأسئلة الآتية:

استيعاب المقروء : فهم نصوص القراءة وتحليلها، من خلال الإجابة عن أسئلة تتعلق بمضمون هذه النصوص.

إكمال الجمل : فهم صيغ النصوص القصيرة الناقصة، واستنباط ما تحتاج إليه من تتمات لتكوّن جملاً مفيدة.

التناظر اللفظي : إدراك العلاقة بين زوج من الكلمات في مطلع السؤال، وقياسها على نظائر تماثلها معطاة في الاختيارات.

الخطأ السياقي : تمييز الكلمة الشاذة في جملة ما (وقد أُضيف كبديل لمعاني المفردات عام 2013).

المفردة الشاذة: اختيار الكلمة الشاذة من بين أربع كلمات (تمت اضافته حديثا في الاختبار الورقي)

ويتضمن هذا الجزء:

68 سؤالاً للتخصصات العلمية 91 سؤالاً للتخصصات النظرية

معلومات عن الاختبار
1- يضم الاختبار بجزأيه (اللفظي والكمي) عدداً من الأسئلة التجريبية، لكنها لا تحسب ضمن الدرجة التي يحصل عليها الطالب.

2- يُقدم الاختبار على نوعين، الاختبار الورقي والاختبار المحوسب. يتم الاختبار الورقي على فترتين فقط في السنة وتكون ضمن لجان داخل مدارس مختارة ويختبر فيه الطالب باستخدام القلم وكتيِّب الأسئلة، ويتم الاختبار المحوسب في مراكز الاختبار المعتمدة لدى قياس، حيث يتاح الاختبار طيلة العام للتسجيل، ويختبر فيه الطالب باستخدام جهاز الحاسب الآلي ولوحة مسودة.

3- تُقدَّم الأسئلة بشكل متناوب بين الجزء اللفظي والجزء الكمي في خمسة أقسام (للاختبار الورقي) وأربعة أقسام (للاختبار المحوسب)، يخصص لكل منها 25 دقيقة.

4- عدد الأسئلة ثابت في كل الاختبارات على مدى السنوات، وكذلك تقسيماتها والوقت المخصص لكل قسم. هناك مستوى موحداً للصعوبة محافظاً عليه بين هذه الاختبارات. ويقوم المركز بموازنة نتائج كل اختبار مع نتائج الاختبارات السابقة قبل رصد النتائج؛ وذلك بهدف توحيد المعايير وثبات الاختبار.

5- تُرتَّب الأسئلة، بحسب صعوبتها، من الأسهل إلى الأصعب في كل قسم من أقسام الاختبار الخمسة (أو الأربعة). ويجب على الطالب أن يُجيب عن الأسئلة بسرعة تضمن له الإجابة عن جميع الأسئلة في الوقت المحدد لكل قسم (25 دقيقة).
طريقة الاستعداد للاختبار
بجانب كون الاختبار يقيس القدرات العامة لدى الطالب أو الطالبة، إلا أن هنالك بعض الطرق التي يمكن للطالب من خلالها أن يستعد للاختبار للحصول على درجة أعلى:

- فهم طبيعة الاختبار: عن طريق معرفة المعلومات الأساسية حول الاختبار ومنها المجالات التي يقيسها، وبيئة الاختبار وغيرها. ويمكن التعرف على ذلك من خلال مناقشة تجارب الآخرين معهم، وقراءة الصفحات الخاصة بالتعريف بالاختبار، كصفحة ويكيبيديا.

- البداية بالأساسيات: بعد فهم الطالب لطبيعة الاختبار، يبدأ بفهم أساسات وركائز الاختبار. بالنسبة للقسم الكمي فتلزم مراجعة الأفكار التي تدور حولها أسئلة قسم الكمي، ويمكن ذلك من خلال مراجعة الكتب التي ستقترح بالأسفل ومن خلال سلسلة شرح أساسيات القدرات للقسم الكمي للأستاذ فهد التميمي في اليوتيوب. وبالنسبة للقسم اللفظي فليس هناك ثمة أسس وأفكار يدور حولها، وإنما يمكن الاستعداد له بالتدرب على بضع أسئلة من كل قسم من أقسام القسم اللفظي، ويمكن ذلك بمراجعة الأسئلة السابقة للاختبار والتجميعات المنشورة له.

- التدرب والتمرس: ويكون بعد إدراك كافة الأسس التي بُني عليها الاختبار، ويمكن ذلك من خلال مجموعة من الكتب التي تحوي محتويات القدرات، ككتاب "المعاصر" للقسم الكمي، وكتاب "هدفك" للقسم اللفظي. كما يمكن التدرب من خلال التطبيقات والمواقع المصاحبة، كموقع نون (المعتمد من وزارة التعليم) وتطبيق "طموح" وغيرها.

- التثبيت: وتعد الخطوة المفصلية والمهمة في مرحلة التدريب، حيث يقوم فيها الطالب بالتدرب على تجميعات الأسئلة للسنين السابقة، وتفيد الطالب بشكل أعلى من الخطوات السابقة لأن الأسئلة المأخوذة من الاختبارات السابقة تكون ذات طابع مشابه للأسئلة في الاختبار الحقيقي، كما يمكن تكرار نفس الأسئلة الموجودة في تجميعات السنين السابقة في الاختبارات القادمة، وفيما يخص الاختبار المحوسب فإن الأسئلة فيه محصورة، بمعنى أن الأسئلة والنماذج السابقة محددة وتتكرر كما هي من ملف يسمى بـ"نماذج 65 للاختبار المحوسب". ويمكن الوصول لتجميعات القسم الورقي من خلال مجموعة "المميز والمتميز" وتجميعات القسم المحوسب من خلال موقع "تجميع المحوسب".