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The Mission: Impossible franchise is a series of action thriller films starring (and produced by) Tom Cruise, who plays special agent Ethan Hunt of the Impossible Missions Force. Focusing on the crime-busting activities of an organisation of secret government agents, the spy thrillers were based on a TV series of the same name.

The original series was made for US television and aired between 1966 and 1973, spawning the modern-day series of films which began in 1996. Hunt becomes the IMF's chief team leader and the plot revolves around him - unlike the television series, which had an ensemble cast.

The series of five films has become the highest-grossing franchise of all time at the box office, earning $2 billion worldwide to date. A sixth film is in the making, which is set for release in 2018.

In the first film, Agent Hunt was framed after other IMF agents were murdered during a disastrous mission to the Prague Embassy - he must clear his name. He was also framed for selling government secrets to a criminal and fights to expose the true villains.

The storyline was changed countless times, right up to filming, as the cream of Hollywood scriptwriters and film makers - including Sydney Pollack, David Koepp, Robert Towne and Steven Zaillian - were doing re-writes as filming began. Mission Impossible became the third highest-grossing film of 1996 and was well received by the public and critics alike.

With Cruise starring alongside Thandie Newton, Mission: Impossible 2 was released in 2000. Newton played international thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall, who was enlisted by Hunt to work for the IMF to stop a rogue IMF agent, Sean Ambrose (played by Dougray Scott) from stealing a deadly virus. Nordoff-Hall's former lover Ambrose intended starting a pandemic and holding the world to ransom by offering to sell an antidote to the highest bidder.

Released in 2003, Mission: Impossible 3 saw Ethan assembling a team to take on an elusive arms and information dealer Owen Davian (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) after he threatens to sell a dangerous and mysterious artefact called "The Rabbit's Foot", therefore putting it into the wrong hands.

Released in 2011, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol began with Ethan and the rest of the IMF team being wrongly accused of bombing the Kremlin, while chasing a criminal known as Cobalt, (played by Michael Nyqvis). Ethan and three fellow agents battle to prevent him from starting global nuclear war.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation saw the IMF threatened by an evil syndicate made up of rogue operatives and assassins who will kill to order. Released in 2015, the most recent film saw Ethan facing the prospect of the IMF being disbanded. He assembles his team for the dangerous mission to prove the mythical syndicate actually exists and to destroy them by any means possible.

The timeless tale of a girl's love for her stunning horse, Black Beauty was written back in 1877 by English author Anna Sewell. This heart-warming story has stood the test of time and today, 140 years later, it's still loved by families everywhere.

The story is an autobiography related by the horse, starting from when he was a happy and carefree colt on a farm. He is then sold to Squire Gordon of Birtwick Park as a carriage horse to serve the family. On a wet and stormy night, Black Beauty is pulling the carriage home when a flooded bridge collapses - luckily, nobody falls to their doom!

However, when Beauty gets back to the stable, Joe Green (the inexperienced stable lad) doesn't dry the horse or give him a warm rug and he makes the mistake of giving him icy cold water to drink. This leads to Beauty falling very ill and Joe is distraught but over the next few days, the squire and Joe treat the horse and he recovers well. Beauty is later sold to a London cab driver to pull the carriage and he leads a hard life until he's sold on… again and again.

Eventually, Black Beauty has a happy retirement with Joe, who sees him at a horse auction. He doesn't recognise him at first because he's in such poor shape, but when Beauty whinnies to his old friend, Joe recognises him, and they are finally reunited.

Black Beauty meets with cruelty and hardship, with each chapter describing a period in his life that teaches a moral lesson. In a beautifully narrated story that includes extensive descriptions of equine behaviour, the plot relates to having sympathy and understanding for horses and treating them with kindness and respect.

The cult '80s TV series Knight Rider is still celebrated today by devotees who have their own website and even a convention. Created by Glen A. Larson, Knight Rider spanned three television series and expanded into a franchise including TV films, video games and novels. There’s even a Knight Rider Festival that celebrates the famous show and its talking car, KITT.

The first series on American network NBC ran from 1982 to 1986. It followed the adventures of crime-fighter Michael Knight and his high-tech, artificially intelligent supercar - which was virtually indestructible. The show returned with Team Knight Rider from 1997 to 1998 and Knight Rider from 2008 to 2009.

The story began with millionaire Wilton Knight rescuing an undercover cop, Michael Long, who had been seriously injured when he was shot in the face. Knight arranged for plastic surgery for Long and got him a new face to go with his new identity. He became known as Michael Knight and his dedicated mission in life was to fight for law and order and justice.

He had a distinct advantage over the criminals in the shape of his sports car, Knight Industries Two Thousand, known as KITT. The customised black Pontiac Trans-Am had a cruising speed of 300mph, it could fly 50 feet through the air and had an arsenal of weapons including flame-throwers, smoke bombs and infrared sensor devices.

Thanks to its highly advanced artificial intelligence, the car could talk, and it even had its own personality. It protected its owner from all kinds of trouble – Michael Knight could summon KITT and it would come zooming in to get him, even crashing through walls. When Wilton Knight died, he left his fortune to pay for the crime-fighting duo's ongoing battle against wrong-doers.

Michael Knight was played by David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff in the first series and he has confirmed a new series of the '80s cult classic could be returning to our TV screens in the near future. He also confirmed he would be r

Yorkshire-born Dr Svendsen devoted her life to improving the lives of donkeys and mules (donkey and horse hybrids). She worked hard to help them live a life free from suffering, and in a world where their value to society was recognised.

Born in 1930, she became fascinated with donkeys when she was eight. During a family day out to St Annes, in Lancashire, her dad drove past a field of donkeys and she immediately adored them. From there on in, every time she went out in the car with her dad, he had to take a detour so she could see the donkeys again.

In the late 1960s and now a successful businesswoman, Dr Svendsen decided to open a donkey sanctuary - she chose the Salston Hotel at Ottery St Mary as an ideal location. Although the large country house had eight acres of land, it was run down, but she managed to renovate it into the sanctuary which opened in 1969. She rescued neglected, abused and abandoned donkeys from everywhere and nursed them back to health.

Over the years, the sanctuary has rescued more than 15,500 donkeys and mules from across the UK, Ireland and from Europe – it has given them a lifelong home and the love and attention they deserve.

In 1980, Dr Svendsen became a Member of the Order of the British Empire and in 2001, she was given the prestigious Lord Erskine Award by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for her invaluable work. Although she died in 2011 at the age of 81, her legacy lives on in the shape of the sanctuary.