Latest email suggests more than maintenance or maybe bugged upgrade!

Quote:

It's just brilliant e-mail sent out encouraging people to log in and check their p60 details, pension increases etc only to find on the very same day a scheduled maintainance is taking place.Yeah right...that website crashed and no mistake. You couldn't make it up!

It's now closed ...for scheduled maintenance

Yes same here I recon that's exactly the reason. Website overload!

I am in exactly the same situation. I think that you are correct.

I have had an email telling me my P60 etc are available on the My Pension Online website but I just can't get the site to open. Has it crashed because they sent out so many emails and everyone is trying to print off their P60s?

The journalist Stephen Jessel died on 7 March 2025.

Born in Burnham, Buckinghamshire on 9 August 1943, Stephen was the son of Robert Jessel, defence correspondent of The Times, and Penelope (nee Blackwell) of the renowned Oxford publisher-bookshop family, a lecturer in social administration at Plater College, Oxford, and active in national Liberal party politics.

Stephen attended the Dragon school in Oxford, then on to Shrewsbury school and Balliol College, Oxford (1961-65), where he studied classics.
He joined The Times where he started as a general news reporter, later becoming education correspondent. It was there that he met Jane Marshall, whom he married in 1970. He moved to the BBC in 1972, first as a radio reporter and later as presenter of 'Newsdesk' and "The World Tonight".
He was the BBC's education correspondent during Margaret Thatcher’s 1970-74 spell as education minister.

Stephen’s first foreign posting in 1977 was to Paris, which was where he made his home from then on, apart from his professional excursions to Beijing (1981-84), to Brussels for three years and then, after a brief spell in Washington back to Paris in 1997. Although Paris was his home, Stephen was no besotted Francophile - his love and knowledge of the French language was profound. He viewed France and the French with affectionate suspicion.

Stephen was one of the finest exponents of 'From Our Own Correspondent', the weekly showcase of five-minute overseas essays on Radio 4 and the World Service, in which the correspondent has a chance to breathe, freed from the shackles of attempted impartiality, live broadcasting and the “Who, what, where, when, why?”. Indeed, FOOC best traces his story, from Paris to Beijing to Brussels and back to Paris in the last quarter of the 20th century.

Stephen and Jane loved to travel, especially to east Asia. He was involved in a traffic accident in Turkey in 2013, after which his health deteriorated.

He is survived by Jane and Miranda, by his two grandchildren, Eleanor and Franklin, and by his brother David.

An update for those wishing to attend the  Colin Pemberton funeral on Friday 28th of March. Dress code bright colours and for those unable to attend a live stream and catchup link.
2pm. Vale Crematorium, Pershore.

Message from Peter Wilson

Sadly some heart breaking news to share, Colin Pemberton passed away on Thursday night peacefully at his home beside his wife Lynne. He simply closed his eyes and never woke up, apparently he suffered a heart attack.
It's come as a huge shock for their family and I've been asked to let everyone know. No easy task as all who worked or met Colin loved and respected him.
Pembers was an old school journalist learning his craft on the Hinckley Times and Leicester Mercury, the tools of his trade always a pencil and notebook.
He later joined BBC Radio Leicester becoming news editor at BBC WM before starting a life in television at Midlands Today in 1989.
He taught many of us the importance of journalism getting the facts right as well as the colour of any story.
He was always an enthusiast, passionate about people and issues shown with his coverage of many long running stories, such as the demise of the Midlands coal industry and his fearless reporting of Birmingham's gangland shootings.
Camera crews were introduced to his favourite watering holes in Staffordshire and Stoke and especially the Oatcake Corral.
He was a twinkly eyed charmer but no less steely, a stickler for doing things right and standing up for others as befitting a "Union Man".
In retirement his passion was barbershop singing and village life. He often wrote up the causes and cares of his community for the Worcestershire papers, who published them unedited.
He first met Lynne while reporting on the Beaujolais Nouveau wine run from France to Leicester. They've shared a life full of music, wine and laughter...children and grand children, while living in one of the most beautiful places in England nestling in sight of the Malvern Hills.

Paul Burton reports that ...
Peter Purves has posted to say that the director Alan Russell has passed away.
He mentioned that Alan created "Record Breakers" with Roy Castle, as well as directing "All Star Record Breakers".

John Lloyd also adds ..  "that former BBC Children’s Programmes Producer Alan Russell died on 28th February, aged 87.  
Alan was a studio cameraman and vision mixer in the 1950s and 60s before moving into production, initially on Blue Peter.  
In 1972 he created "Record Breakers" - a very popular series which ran for twenty-nine years.  
Alan left the BBC in 1986 and became Editor of Guinness Book of Records.
He directed one of the most memorable events ever to take place in the iconic BBC Television Centre, where Roy Castle tap danced with 500 others to break the record for largest tap dance.
You can imagine how difficult it must have been getting permission to make this happen - he even managed to get the fountain switched on!  He was a brilliant Director and a really good guy.  R.I.P.