Remember that #FreeCuthbert fight that Aldi had with M&S last year?
Well the whole fight ended up in court.
Finally, M&S and Aldi have reached a settlement in a copyright dispute over the design of their caterpillar cakes.
Who can forget the whole Colin the Caterpillar fiasco that went down last year?
In case you do need your memory jogging, all the way back in April 2021, leading retailer Marks & Spencer decided to launch legal action against Aldi over the iconic Colin the Caterpillar cake, claiming that the budget supermarket’s own larvae dessert - Cuthbert the Caterpillar - was just too similar and infringes its trademark.
It was a case that blew up on social media, with plenty of other well-known supermarkets and retailers showing their support after Aldi launched its own #FreeCuthbert campaign.
After the rollercoaster case began to die down a bit, Aldi made the bold move to start selling its caterpillar cake once again in May after making some slight changes to its design, and now, both supermarket giants have confirmed earlier this week that a deal has been struck.
Deputy Master Timothy John Bowles has today signed off an agreement in a consent order filed at the High Court.
The order - which was first reported by The Telegraph - allowed the claim to be withdrawn and said the retailers had reached a "confidential agreement" in November.
In true comical Aldi style, the supermarket confirmed the settlement and teased Cuthbert the Caterpillar's imminent return on Twitter saying: "Getting out early on good behaviour, keep an eye out for Cuthy B this Spring."
Speaking more formally on the order this week, an M&S spokesman said: "The objective of the claim was to protect the intellectual property in our Colin the Caterpillar cake and we are very pleased with the outcome.", while an Aldi spokesperson added: "Cuthbert is free and looking forward to seeing all his fans again very soon."
M&S and Aldi have finally reached a settlement in a copyright dispute over the design of their caterpillar cakes / Credit: Aldi UK
Matters here may have drawn nicely to a close, but the tensions between the two retailers still remain high.
This is because, back in December 2021, it was revealed that M&S is once again launching legal action against Aldi and has accused the retailer copying the design of one of it’s most popular festive products - a Christmas gin liqueur with gold flakes.
The M&S spokesperson added on the case: "Like many other UK businesses, large and small, we know the true value and cost of innovation and the enormous time, passion, creativity, energy and attention to detail, that goes into designing, developing and bringing a product to market and building its brand over many years.
"So it is understandable that we want to defend our intellectual property and protect our suppliers - many of them small businesses that have worked with us for decades."
'Cunning' Yorkshire residents are wanted to take part in the world's biggest game of hide and seek, as a popular reality competition show returns.
The Hunt: Prey vs Predator is coming back to Channel 4, and producers have now put out a nationwide casting call for contestants to take part.
People from Yorkshire - particularly Leeds and Sheffield - are being urged to put an application in.
Described as being an 'exciting' reality series, The Hunt: Prey vs Predator is a psychological competitive adventure show where players are tasked with tracking down and hunting their rivals in the ultimate game of cat and mouse in the wild.
Produced by CPL Productions Ltd - the BAFTA award-winning production company behind Married At First Sight UK and Love is Blind UK - the show's creators are now calling on 'cunning' people with the charm and skill to compete to get in touch and apply for the upcoming series.
Channel 4 is looking for people from Yorkshire to play world's biggest game of hide and seek / Credit: Channel 4
A casting call on the Channel 4 website simply reads: "Do you want to play the world's biggest, most exciting game of hide and seek?
"If you have the cunning, charm, and skill to compete, we want to hear from you."
Think you've got what it takes? Applications for the next series of The Hunt: Prey vs Predator are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed.
Producers will only be accepting applicants who are aged 18 and over, and the closing date for applications is 1 September 2026.
Reverend and the Makers drop ‘fantastic’ new track featuring Robbie Williams
Danny Jones
Sheffield legend and all-round Yorkshire favourite, Jon McClure, debuted a new Reverend and the Makers song with none other than the one and only Robbie Williams.
What a collaboration.
Reverend and the Makers' new album, Is This How Happiness Feels?, is just around the corner, and we've already heard a couple of great singles from the latest record, but we'd be lying if we weren't left very excited when we saw Robbie's name on the tracklist.
It also looks to have served as yet another reminder that, just like Jon himself, he just seems like a sound bloke who loves making music.
Buzzin’ me tits off with this.
I met Rob in 2002 when he came into the health club I was working at. He asked me
The early reviews coming in have proved unsurprisingly positive, too, with one user writing on socials before it was even dropped: "Hold on.... WHAT?? This is ICONIC!!! I need to listen to this song..."
Others went on to describe the partnership as "Two wonderful and inimitable voices", with others describing it as an "absolute earworm" and "a total vibe", just to name a couple of examples.
The general consensus among fans seems to be that it's a "quality tune".
For anyone wondering how the two teaming up came about, besides the pop icon himself having recently released his new BRITPOP project, the 52-year-old also sat down with McClure on an episode of the Game's Gone podcast with his brother Chris, a.k.a. 'Steve Bracknall', last year.
The two have clearly stayed pally ever since, with another going on to add: "Wonderful song. Fingers crossed Robbie joins you to sing it at Leigh! That would be ace. Then you can sing You Again with Katie. I'm so excited."
Safe to say that loyal followers of the Steel City veterans and casuals alike will be hoping to hear this one live; as for whether or not Mr Williams will be joining them, we'll have to wait and see.
As mentioned, the eighth Reverend and the Makers studio LP is landing very soon, due for release on Friday, May 8; it also features the likes of actor and Day Fever collaborator Vicky McClure (no relation), in case you haven't heard it already.
The Hoot -
4th February 2022 
