OHMYGOSSIP — Romesh Ranganathan’s ‘Avoidance’ has been axed by the BBC.
The sitcom first aired in 2022 and ran for two series before Romesh, 46, confirmed it had been cancelled by the network.
Romesh said on Tom Davis’ Podcast: “Thankfully the commissioners have taken care of that for me.
“‘How come you didn’t do a third series of that sitcom?’ ‘Oh cause we just thought the story was told.
“We’re following ‘The Office’ model – just like two and done’.”
‘The Office’ memorably aired for two six-episode series, and some Christmas specials.
‘Avoidance’ starred Romesh as hapless lead character Jonathan with Jessica Knappett as his ex-wife Claire
‘Harry Potter’ actor Matthew Lewis, Irish comic and actress Aisling Bea, Louise Ford, Olivia Tennant, Alex Ranganathan, Paula Wilcox and Michael Spicer rounded out the cast.
Meanwhile, Romesh previously revealed he was “very angry” with himself over the scripts for ‘Avoidance’ and his decision to make his character get “really into cycling”.
He said: “I thought it would be funny to have him in lycra for large parts of the series, but when you’re writing it you forget that you’ve actually got to put that stuff on.
“Actor Romesh found himself very angry with writer Romesh in terms of what he’d made him do…”
Romesh admitted he and Jonathan are both “conflict avoidant and a bit of a beta-male”, and they definitely have a lot in common.
He explained: “The similarities between myself and my character are that he is somebody who is a bit of a people pleaser, he’s worried about upsetting anybody and so inadvertently upsets everybody by not being decisive enough.
“I definitely do share that, there are lots of occasions where I haven’t cancelled something and I need to be somewhere else – so two places in one night.
“My wife refers to them as ‘Romesh situations’ and I feel like Romesh situations and Jonathan situations have a lot in common.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Shona McGarty has got engaged.
The former ‘EastEnders’ actress is set to marry David Bracken after the musician popped the question in London’s Holland Park, but his proposal plans almost went awry after police arrived just as he was about to whip out the emerald and diamond ring he’d bought.
David told OK! magazine: “I went over to the police, who said, ‘Sorry we are just closing up the park’. I said, ‘Would you mind giving me five minutes as I am about to propose to my partner?’ He looked at his watch and said, ‘Of course, and best of luck.’
“So, I told Shona to go stand at the waterfall in the park. I then put on our favourite song and had a dance with her before getting down on one knee.”
Shona admitted she was oblivious as to what was going to happen when they went for their picnic in the Kyoto Garden area of the park.
She said: “David went over to speak to [the police] and I had no idea what he said because I was just eating cheese and crackers.
“I love Japanese culture and the spirituality of it. He brought a picnic which was really sweet. It was lovely, I was in my element but I didn’t think he was going to propose at all.”
The couple have already begun thinking about their wedding and want to have their big day over the festive season in a celebration that would pay homage to their Irish heritage.
Shona said: “We are hoping to get married in the next year or two.
“We want to have an engagement party and are thinking of a Christmas wedding. David loves Christmas and I love winter and the cold and the lights.
“We also want to get married in Ireland because I have so much family there, and so does David. Maybe West Cork, it’s just so beautiful and picturesque.
“David and I are both Catholic, so we would want to get married in a Catholic church and a lot of the churches there are amazing.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Graziano Di Prima has been axed by ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The 30-year-old dancer – who joined the show in 2018 – has confirmed he is leaving the show amid reports of alleged misconduct relating to how he treated his 2023 partner Zara McDermott, though she is not believed to have been behind a complaint about his rumoured behaviour.
Graziano wrote on Instagram: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from ‘Strictly’. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
“Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.
“While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
“I wish the ‘Strictly’ family and the BBC nothing but success in the future. I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.”
The BBC didn’t discuss the allegations against Graziano but said they were aware of their duty of care.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
“While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well-known that the BBC has established robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.”
The news follows the confirmation fellow professional dancer Giovanni Pernice will also not be returning to the programme amid allegations about his treatment of his celebrity dance partners.
Giovanni has previously rejected “any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour” and said he was surprised by the allegations made against him.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘EastEnders’ was the big winner at the first ever RadioTimes.com Soap Awards, taking home seven prizes.
The BBC soap dominated its rivals at the event, which was hosted by its former star Brian Conley at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on Saturday (13.07.24), picking up most of the night’s prizes, including the coveted Best Soap.
Best Actor went to Angela Wynter, who plays Yolande Trueman in the show, while Navin Chowdhry’s performance as Nish Panesar earned him the Best Villain accolade.
The death of Keanu Taylor led to Danny Walters taking home the Best Exit prize as well as the ‘Sixmas’ mystery over his stabbing being named Soap Moment of the Year.
The soap also won Inspiring Storyline of the Year, for Suki’s coming out saga, and Best Episode was George confronts Eddie.
Rival ‘Coronation Street’ managed two prizes, with Charlie Wrenshall taking Best Young Performer for his portrayal of Liam Connor, and Paul’s MND diagnosis named Best Storyline.
‘Hollyoaks’ also had two wins, with Iz Hesketh named Best Newcomer for playing Kitty Draper, and the revelation Mercedes McQueen’s twins had two different dads was given the Best Twist prize.
‘Emmerdale’ star Lisa Riley bagged the Best Comedy Performance Award, and the soap’s Chris Chittell – who plays Eric Pollard – received a Special Recognition honour.
Helen Daly, Associate Editor, Radio Times, said: “All soaps have excelled over the past 12 months and it’s an honour to be able to award them for their efforts.”
Morgan Jeffery, Digital Editor, Radio Times, added: “Congratulations to all the soaps on their award wins – and especially to EastEnders for an amazing night.
“I’m thrilled for all our nominees and of course our winners – these accolades reflect what has been a terrific year for British soap, delivering all the twists, turns and unbeatable drama that have kept UK audiences hooked for over six decades.”

RadioTimes.com Soap Awards list of winners:

Best Young Performer:
Charlie Wrenshall (Liam Connor), ‘Coronation Street’
Best Exit:
Danny Walters (Keanu Taylor), ‘EastEnders’

Best Newcomer:
Iz Hesketh (Kitty Draper), ‘Hollyoaks’

Best Comedy Performance:
Lisa Riley (Mandy Dingle), ‘Emmerdale’

Best Twist:
Mercedes’s twins have different dads, ‘Hollyoaks’

Inspiring Storyline of the Year, sponsored by Inspired Villages:
Suki comes out to her family, ‘EastEnders’

Best Episode:
George confronts Eddie, ‘EastEnders’

Best Villain:
Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar), ‘EastEnders’

Soap Moment of the Year:
Sixmas, ‘EastEnders’

Best Storyline:
Paul’s motor neurone disease diagnosis, ‘Coronation Street’

Best Actor:
Angela Wynter (Yolande Trueman), ‘EastEnders’

Special Recognition
Chris Chittell, ‘Emmerdale’

Best Soap:
‘EastEnders’

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are to throw open the doors of Pickle cottage with a fly-on-the-wall documentary about life with six children.
The former ‘X Factor’ star, 34, and the ex ‘EastEnders’ star, 42, are said to have landed a big pay cheque to take viewers inside their sprawling £1.2 million Essex home to show the “highs and lowers of family life with a large brood.
An insider told The Sun: “Stacey and Joe are such homebodies and love nothing more than spending time with their children.
“The series is set to be a huge hit, given the chaos that comes with a big family.
“Stacey and Joe will also not hold back when it comes to showing the highs and lows of family life.
“Fans can expect to see an unfiltered version of a busy household.”
Recently, the candid couple revealed they no longer share a bed.
The couple have son Rex, five, and daughters Rose, two, and 16-month-old Belle together, while Stacey has Leighton, 12, and Zachary, 16, and Joe has Harry, 16, from previous relationships, and they admitted having “three kids in four years” has changed their sleeping arrangements.
Speaking on ‘Celebrity Gogglebox’, after watching a clip from ‘The Nevermets’, Joe said: “We used to have pillow talk, didn’t we?”
Stacey replied: “We used to sleep in bed together, do you remember that? Before we had three kids in four years!”
Joe then mimicked Stacey as he said: ”I’ll go in Rex’s bed with the baby, all right?” and Stacey answered: “It’s what happens, innit babe?’
Meanwhile, Stacey recently admitted she might one day decide to become a stay-at-home mum.
Speaking on the ‘Glad We Had This Chat’ podcast, she told host Caroline Hirons: “I’m a phenomenal mum. I’m done with mum guilt. If you’re the mum who loves to be out at work, and I’m the mum who’s like, oh, I love playing at home. They’re both good mums. I don’t understand why one is better than the other in my opinion.
“Whatever phase of life I’m at, I might be this mum right now. But in two years’ time, if, let’s say, I’ve decided to stay at home and never work again, I might be like, I want to go back to work. Does that make me a bad mum? No, no, it makes me a human that my children can see that I am still a human being. Not just mum.
“I’m not a mythical creature with no feelings and no ambitions.”
The ‘Loose Women’ panellist was then asked if she has ever thought about having more children and failed to give a definitive answer but explained that Belle was a complete surprise anyway.
She said: “Oh, no. I have. I have and I haven’t [thought about more kids.] But even we were shocked at Belle because we weren’t planning to have another baby. We were definitely planning a break.
“Rex and Rose were only a couple of years apart and Rose was like six months old. But yeah, well, apparently you only need to have sex once and you’ll get pregnant.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — The British Soap Awards will return in 2025.
The ceremony normally honours the best across UK television staples like ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Emmerdale’, ‘Hollyoaks’ and ‘EastEnders’ and ran continuously from 1999 until 2023, but an insider has explained that an event for next year is already in the “early stages” of planning.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column: “Bosses know we’re a nation of soap lovers and The British Soap Awards is the biggest and best award ceremony for soap fans. It’s been sorely missed this year, so everyone’s pleased it’s coming back for 2025.
“It’s still very early stages, so there’s been no conversations about a host or location as yet, but execs and viewers were impressed with Jane as the host last year.”
In 2023, Danielle Harold won the award for Best Performer following her portrayal of the tragic Lola Pearce – who was diagnosed with and eventually succumbed to a brain tumour – on ‘EastEnders’, with the long-running soap also taking the title of Best British Soap that year.
Following the cancellation of the BBC daytime medical drama ‘Doctors’ in 2023, the ceremony will also mark the first time that just four soap operas will be going up against each other.
‘EastEnders’ holds the record for the most wins when it comes to Best British Soap, with the London-based serial being named 12 times over the years, while its Manchester-based rival ‘Coronation Street’ has received the gong a total of six times.
Some of the other awards include Best Acor, Best Actress, Best Storyline and British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement, which has been handed to a number of soap legends over the years such as Pam St Clement, the late June Brown, and Helen Worth.
For the majority of its run, former ‘This Morning’ host Phillip Schofield was at the helm of the ceremony, but following his sudden departure from ITV last year, ‘Loose Women’ legend Jane McDonald was drafted in as his replacement.
At the time, she wrote on Instagram: “I’m so excited to be this year’s host for The British Soap Awards!! Everyone knows how much I LOVE my soaps, this year I’ve been honoured to be mentioned in Corrie, EastEnders and Emmerdale so this is just a dream come true.”
“I can’t wait to see all our wonderful soap nominees and celebrate all their hard work with them – roll on the awards, I can’t wait

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Louis Theroux finds it easier to make documentaries in America because he is not so famous there.
The 54-year-old broadcaster and author has worked on a number of documentaries in the US, including ‘Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends’ – where he investigated some of the fringe groups in the country, including alien enthusiasts, evangelists, and swingers – but he doesn’t think he could do the same in the UK anymore because he is too well known.
Speaking on the This Past Weekend podcast, he said: “I’m not that well known in America. If I did a documentary in the UK, I’d be pretty well known.
“And it’s fine, you could still do it. In some ways, it generates more goodwill because they’re like, ‘Oh, we like Louis, we’ll let him in.’
“Off camera, you’re maybe doing selfies and whatnot, which is fine, although it kind of eats into your time a bit.
“And you think, ‘I’m supposed to be a serious journalist, slightly flying under the radar, and here I am doing selfies at a riot.’ Do you know what I mean?
“I’m like, ‘I really need to be filming this right now. So sorry, someone’s being arrested over there.’ ‘Oh, just a quick selfie, come on, mate.’
“In America, however, I’m just going around Miami jail. No one’s going to ask me for a selfie there. Do you know what I mean? And I love that part.”
Louis’ latest project for Netflix, ‘Tell Them You Love Me’, tells the controversial story of a New Jersey professor convicted of sexually abusing a nonverbal man with cerebral palsy.
Theroux has executive produced the film, which documents the true story of Anna Stubblefield and Derrick Johnson.
Louis previously told Tudum: “I came to this story originally via a New York Times article, maybe 10 years ago, and I was riveted by it. It sat on the fault lines of so many big social questions — around race, sexuality, and, yes, disability.” 

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Emma Atkins wants to compete in ‘Race Across The World’.
The 49-year-old actress has entertained viewers as Charity Dingle on ITV’s ‘Emmerdale’ since 2000 and Emma revealed she would be open to branching out and taking part in the BBC reality show, which sees teams of two race across the world without smartphones, internet access or credit cards.
She told ‘My Weekly’: “I lead a pretty private life, and it works perfectly fine for me. But I would never say never. It depends on the nature of the show.
“I love ‘Race Across The World’. I think I’d be really good at that and I’d love the experience.”
And, while Emma’s mother is keen for her daughter to follow in the footsteps of ‘Emmerdale’ co-star Lisa Riley by competing for the glitterball trophy on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, Emma doesn’t think she could cope with the pressure of the BBC One dance show.
She told ‘My Weekly’: “My mum always says, ‘Why don’t you do [‘Strictly]? You’d be great!’ I love ‘Strictly’ too, but the pressure the contestants must be under for that is phenomenal. I don’t know if I would want to do something that would test my mental health that way.”
Emma previously took a break from playing Charity Dingle in 2004 and worked on other shows such as ‘Doctors’, ‘Dalziel and Pascoe’, ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Casualty’.
She returned to the soap in 2008 and has been on the show ever since, apart from when she took maternity leave in 2015.
However, Emma isn’t ruling out another break in the future.
She said: “I might take a year out at some point in the future – do some traveling, do other jobs – but at the moment, I’m here to stay.
“As long as they are writing brilliant stuff or my character and I love playing her, I don’t feel the need to go off and do something else.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Graziano Di Prima was sacked just 12 hours after ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bosses saw footage of his training sessions with Zara McDermott.
Executives on the BBC One Latin and ballroom competition ruled it “game over” for the 30-year-old pro after watching videos of him teaching the 27-year-old reality TV star – who has now spoken to the Metropolitan Police about her experience – as their “stomachs dropped” witnessing how he treated her, which included allegations of hitting and kicking.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “As soon as it was viewed, it was game over for Graziano. His ‘Strictly’ career was dead and buried and there was never any way back. Everyone’s stomachs just dropped when the footage became available, and our hearts went out to Zara who clearly had been suffering in silence.”
Insiders at the show – which Graziano and Zara placed fifth last season – added that they had no idea that this was how Graziano behaved behind the scenes and that action was made quickly after he issued an apology following his dismissal.
Graziano – who joined the programme in 2018 – said on Saturday (13.07.23): “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.”
The dancer added that there were elements to the saga “involving external influences” that he was unable to talk about, saying: “When the time is right, I will share my story.”
Graziano’s departure from ‘Strictly’ – which is marking 20 years on the air later this year – comes after it was confirmed that Giovanni Pernice is not returning as a professional dancer as he is currently under investigation for his teaching methods following complaints from ex-partners like Amanda Abbingdon, 50, Laura Whitmore, 39, and one other anonymous person.
The 33-year-old dancer strenuously denies the allegations, saying: “I have always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour.”
The show – which boasts a judging panel of Shirley Ballas, 63, Anton Du Beke, 57, Motsi Mabuse, 43, and 59-year-old Craig Revel-Horwood – is getting a whole host of familiar faces back after they confirmed the return of professionals Alijaz Skorjanec, 34, after two years away and Amy Dowden, 33, after she battled against breast cancer.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Fay Ripley has revealed an old holiday romance was actually a foil for a jewellery thief.
The ‘Cold Feet’ star had a whirlwind fling with a Greek waterski instructor called Thanos who she met while sunning herself with her dad Ben during an ’80s break to Greece.
Fay, 58, thought Thanos was in love with her, but now understands he was using her as a decoy to ship stolen goods from Corfu. Fay became suspicious she was under surveillance from Interpol after she spotted a van near her home in North West London when she returned.
The 58-year-old actress told Alan Carr on his ‘Life’s A Beach’ podcast: “I think I was followed by Interpol. I was living above a Boots on Golders Green high street.
“I swear I heard a very rare Barbra Streisand track that was playing in my flat coming out of a fan. I think they were bugging me.
Fay explained that she was “down on her luck” during this period of her life in her 20s and ended up going on vacation with her father to Greece, where she met and fell in love with Thanos.
She told the 48-year-old comedian: “I think I had a holiday romance with the same person that everyone else had a holiday romance with.
“I was down on my luck, in my mid-twenties and my dad said, ‘Come on holiday with us, I’ll pay.’ It was like a shot.
“The romance was three or four days. Thanos said he loved me, and was going to come to England with me. I said I also love you, Thanos. But it seemed odd that he was coming to the airport and saying goodbye. We were all crying, he waved me goodbye, hugging.”
But the ‘Reggie Perrin’ star’s dad got a telephone call from Interpol two weeks later informing him that Thanos had stolen £75,000 worth of jewellery from female guests at the hotel.
Fay – who has been married to Daniel Lapaine since 2001 and shares two children, Parker,17, and Sonny, 21, with him – added: “I thought he loved me. I think I was just a decoy – it’s sad. I was really taken for a ride. That was a shame.”
Interpol officers believed Thanos had passed jewellery to Fay at the airport, but she had not received anything from him.

Source: VacationHunter.Online