VPN 2025 review: A message from the editor

With the festive spirit hi hi in full swing and the courtroom gavel finally resting for the holidays, I find myself reflecting on what has been a truly whirlwind year for Video Production News.

So It is the perfect moment to step away from the press gallery and raise a glass to you—our loyal readers and followers—who have been the heartbeat of our success throughout 2025.

What a year it has been for VP News. Back in March, we took a leap of faith and relaunched our digital home. While the technical wizards call it a ‘Mern Stack’ site, to us, it was simply about building a faster, sharper vessel for our reporting. The growth we’ve seen since then has been nothing short of staggering, proving there is still a voracious appetite for clear, concise, and professional court reporting.

But the real "explosion" happened on X. When we launched @UKCourtsLive, we knew there was a gap for real-time transparency in the dock, but we didn’t expect the community to grow quite so rapidly. From the public gallery to your smartphone screens, we’ve strived to be your eyes and ears where it matters most.

As court correspondents, our job is to navigate the complexities of the legal system and bring you the facts, unvarnished and immediate. This year, we’ve sat through some of the most challenging and high-profile proceedings in recent memory:

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• The harrowing sentencing of Axel Rudakubana following the Southport tragedy.

• The viral and highly charged case of the Manchester Airport police attackers.

• The legal nuances of the Lucy Connelly appeal and the Ricky Jones trial.

• The free speech debates surrounding the Graham Linehan proceedings.

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