OHMYGOSSIP — The BBC has promised something “life-affirming” for the ‘Casualty’ Christmas special.
The world’s longest running medical drama’s festive episode – titled ‘All I Want for Christmas’ – will see the doctors and nurses be under even more pressure as the hospital is faced with an emergency blood shortage, with Stevie (Elinor Lawless, 42) fighting to save lives and Iain (Michael Stevenson, 44) putting his own at risk to ensure there is enough supply.
Roxanne Harvey, Executive Producer for BBC Studios Drama Production, said: “We’re so proud of this life-affirming episode. Beautifully told, with ambitious production values and outstanding performances, this is entertaining, thought-provoking drama at its very best.”
A string of showbiz names, including ‘The Crown’ actor Tristan Sturrock, 56, and Valerie Antwi from ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, will be joining the regular cast.
However, audiences will hear real-life stories from those who have been impacted by the UK blood donation service, as well as conversations with key worker’s that are a part of the country’s blood service.
Rebecca Ferguson, Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama, said: “We’re so excited for viewers to see this incredible Christmas special, which genuinely made me gasp.
It’s tense, thrilling and super-charged with emotion.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that there were fears that ‘Casualty’ could be axed in two years after its 40th season.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “Never mind on life support, it feels like ‘Casualty’ has now received its death warrant.
“The official messaging is that all is well because the show was recently recommissioned for two more years.
“But when that new round of contracts were signed, the feedback was ‘two years, then we’re done’.
“To be honest, no one was very surprised. The writing has been on the wall for a while now.”
Back in September, it was revealed that ‘Casualty’ was to have its number of episodes cut because of the cost of living crisis.
A BBC spokesperson said at the time: “This is not the first time the show has taken a break due to the busy autumn schedule.
“Our priority is always delivering quality over hours and due to super inflation in drama production we’ve taken the decision to slightly reduce the number of episodes per year in order to maintain the quality.
“We’ve received no complaints from cast and crew, and it will be back on air later this year.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Jason Manford will be the host of ‘Have I Got Sport For You’.
The 43-year-old comedian will be at the helm of the BBC’s upcoming ‘Have I Got News For You’ spin-off panel show, with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and Paralympian Kadeena Cox also set to appear.
The programme will launch as a festive special reflecting on 2024 in sport, including the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, Euro 2024 and Wimbledon.
In a statement, Jason said: “It’s such a privilege to be hosting this show — a sports version of ‘Have I Got News For You’.
“It’s an idea that’s so good, it only took them 34 years to come up with it.”
As reported by The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column, the special was recently filmed in Hammersmith, London with an air date expected towards the end of 2024.
It’s said there are hopes for a full series in the future if the initial special is a hit.
A source said: “This spin-off will follow a similar format to the current affairs show, in that it will take a lighter look at the world of sport.
“Obviously it will draw some comparisons with the now defunct ‘A Question Of Sport’, but that was much more of a straight quiz, whereas the quiz element with ‘HIGNFY’ plays second fiddle to the banter.”
Other panelists are yet to be confirmed, and the BBC is keeping plans under wraps.
A spokesman added: “As with all starting line-ups, any players would be confirmed just before kick-off.”
Late last year, ‘A Question of Sport’ was cut by the Beeb after more than 50 years on air, with the broadcaster blaming the decision on inflation and poor ratings.
A BBC spokesperson did insist it was “not the final whistle” for the show, explaining that the programme was “not being cancelled – it is just not in production at the moment”.
The situation has been compared to ‘The Weakest Link’ – the long-running TV game show – which has had gaps in production.
The spokesperson added: “‘Question of Sport’ is not going to appear on any other channels. It is the BBC’s intellectual property.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — The BBC will embrace “the importance and value of new content”.
The broadcaster has issued a response after the National Audit Office’s report into BBC Studios, which is the corporations’s main commercial arm and “has a mandate to deliver long-term, sustainable returns to the BBC.
In its report, the ADO advised: “BBC Studios should review the risks associated with not meeting its targets for generating new BBC Studios’ owned IP.”
In response, the BBC said: “We thank the NAO for the recommendation.
“We recognise the importance and value of new content and will ensure that we track new IP and our mix of income sources across our portfolio via monthly and quarterly performance packs and report to the Studios Executive Board on a regular basis.”
There are two lines of business for BBC Studios, with Media and Streaming home to “a portfolio of channels, digital and streaming services” in the UK and globally, while Content Studio “makes and takes programmes to UK and international broadcasters and platforms”.
Tom Fussell, BBC Studios’ CEO, said: “We welcome the NAO’s positive assessment of our business and its recognition that we have adapted our strategy and diversified our business in response to changing market conditions and audience behaviours.
“We’re a trusted supplier of platform-defining shows to both the BBC and global streamers; we bring international audiences impartial, trusted news and the best of British streaming through the world’s biggest English language news website and our Britbox service; and we’re home to some of the world’s most loved entertainment brands, from generational children’s hit ‘Bluey’ to established favourites like ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’/’Dancing with the Stars’ that touch the hearts of audiences around the world.
“This success gives us a strong foundation for our future growth ambitions and we are grateful to the NAO for their recognition and recommendations.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Cliff Parisi thinks ‘Call The Midwife’ bosses could have killed off his character in a “fantastic” way.
The 64-year-old actor – who has played Fred Buckle for 12 years on the beloved BBC period drama – admitted while he would have been “sad to say goodbye”, his alter ego’s tetanus battle would have been a fitting ending to his story.
He told Saga magazine: “It would have been a fantastic exit because it was really moving. I was getting text messages because viewers weren’t sure if he had died.
“But I would’ve been sad to say goodbye because Fred and I are mates now. He’s a big, rotund, gentle giant, isn’t he?
“He’s always got a dream to make a load of money – a get-rich-quick scam. And they always fail. I’ve always been like that too.”
Cliff also offered some insight into how Fred will be celebrating over the festive period.
He pondereed: “He’ll be dressing up as Father Christmas for the 14th time. It was the same when I played Minty in ‘EastEnders’ for eight years.
“Before that, I dressed up as Santa for my kids’ school. I’ve obviously got a Santa face!”
Meanwhile, Cliff – who has appearaed on the likes of ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ and ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ over the years – has weighed in on the chances of him waltzing onto ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ one day.
He teased: “When I was very young, I danced in a disco in Spain on roller skates. Can you imagine that?
“I can fling my limbs about, but I’m getting on a bit, so I’d probably put my back out.”
However, he refused to rule out the possibility, after previously being approached by the BBC for the Christmas special.
He added: “I was asked to do the Christmas one once, but I had other commitments. Maybe I’ll do it one day.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Kelly Brook’s husband gets “mobbed” more than her after their appearance on ‘Celebrity Race Across the World’.
The 44-year-old model and her partner Jeremy Parisi – who tied the knot in 2022 after sparking their romance in 2014 – finished in fourth on the hit BBC show that saw them take on a mammoth 12,500 km race from Belém, Northern Brazil, to Andes, Frutillar in Southern Chile, but since the series ended, it’s him that has received all the attention.
Kelly told Closer magazine: “It’s been extraordinary, we go to the shopping centre, and he gets mobbed by women.
“They elbow me out the way. They’re like: ‘Jeremy!’ It’s so funny.”
Asked if she feels jealous by that, she added: “I love it! It’s so funny to me because I know that he’s shy, so it’s not like he hates it, but he’s so shy to have that much attention.”
On the show – which also featured winners Scott Mills, 51, and his now husband Sam, ‘Ted Lasso’ actor Kola Bokinni, 32, and his cousin Mary Ellen Moriarty, and TV presenter Jeff Brazier, 45, and his son Freddy, 20 – their relationship was “tested” at times.
In the early stages of the mammoth challenge, mistakes caused the former ‘Celebrity Juice’ panellist to lash out at her beau, such as when they were left walking for hours in Recife after being unable to get Brazilian Reals, the local currency, and missing multiple buses to continue their race.
However, looking back, Jeremy said they came back “happy, closer, with no regrets”, and hailed it an “amazing experience”.
Kelly chimed in: “And we’re really different people. I’m more tactical, Jeremy’s more competitive and explosive.
“I’m like: ‘Slow down a bit. Let’s think about this.’ I’m always trying to figure out how to do less work and still get the job done.”
Jeremy added: “She was amazing.
“Sometimes I need to take the time to think where to go, but she’s amazing for the tactics.”
The experience has made the happy couple want to run the 26.2 mile London Marathon next year as Radox ambassadors, and they are currently on “different pages” with the training – with Jeremy wanting to start “full-on” now with the “seven-month regime”, and Kelly hoping to meet “somewhere in the middle”.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Brendan Cole branded Pete Wicks’ ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Blackpool performance as “one of his worst dances”.
The former ‘TOWIE’ star sent the audience’s pulses racing on Saturday night (16.11.24) as he donned tight pink trousers and an open light pink sparkly top when he and his professional dance partner Jowita Przystał, 30, Cha Cha Cha’d their way around the iconic Tower Ballroom to Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’ – but it did not wow the former pro.
Speaking to Sky Vegas, the 48-year-old former pro said: “Saturday night was probably one of his worst dances – if he was going to go, last night would have been the night for it to happen.”
Despite being at the bottom of the leaderboard with 27 points, the audience were behind the pair and put them through to the next round.
Hinting that the heartthrob could produce “something quite special” soon, Brendan added: “Obviously, the audience were on board, because he’s making it through.
“Potentially, in the next few weeks, he could really do something quite special. ”
It was the GoCompare advert opera singer Wynne Evans, 52, and his dance partner Katya Jones, 35, that were sent packing.
Their Charleston to ‘Les Toreadors’ by George Bizet failed to impress the judges after they found themselves in the dance-off with ‘Gladiators’ star Montell Douglas, 38, and her pro dancer Johannes Radebe, 37, who did a salsa to The Communards hit to ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’.
When asked by host Tess Daly, 55, about his time on the show, Wynne said: “It’s been wonderful, I’ve got to say. I feel like it’s what ‘Strictly’ is all about. If I can come and do ‘Strictly’ and last until week nine, then anybody can get out there and dance and have a brilliant time.
“‘Strictly’ is such a brilliant family, such a precious family, that I want everybody here in this room and at home to look after it for the generations to come because it is a wonderful, wonderful thing.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Rebekah Vardy has mocked Coleen Rooney as “the gift that keeps on giving” during her ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ stint.
The 42-year-old media personality and the 38-year-old TV personality have history after Rebekah sued Coleen for libel after the latter accused Becky of leaking details of her private life to the press, in a feud that was dubbed “Wagatha Christie” by the media.
Rebekah – who lost the libel trial – has now poked fun at her rival, after Coleen and Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough’s boat sank twice during I’m A Celebrity’s series opener on Sunday (17.11.24).
She wrote in The Sun newspaper: “I almost forgot to mention, Coleen sank in the river twice.
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
Rebekah also admitted watching Dean left her “exhausted”.
She wrote: “Oh my God. Dean exhausted me. He was like this little kid on Christmas Day. I think he may find himself up for a lot of the challenges and trials, but who knows?
“IBS might be the least of his worries if he’s up for a lot of the trials, so yeah, we’ll have to watch and see.”
And she took a pop at show co-hosts Ant and Dec for their “lame jokes”.
She added: “So apart from lame jokes from Ant and Dec, who’ve also had their share of scandals in the past – easy tigers – who writes their scripts anyway? It’s been a fantastic episode.
“P.S. Did I mention Coleen sank her boat twice? Oh, dear.”
Last week, Rebekah urged ‘I’m A Celebrity’ bosses to allow her back into the jungle – after she took part in 2017 – as a “special guest” to confront Coleen.
She said: “If people really want us to meet up before that, then ITV should get me in that jungle as a special guest. What are they scared of? Confrontation? But isn’t that what the show’s all about? It’s about viewing figures.
“Coleen’s legal team were very dismissive about my reality TV past. They mocked it. So for her to be doing the jungle now, it’s hypocrisy at its finest, isn’t it?
“I think there was always a plan for reinvention. She stayed out of the public eye for so long.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Tulisa Contostavlos is to tell all about her ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ experience in a new book.
The 36-year-old singer is said to have signed a six-figure deal to pen a second autobiography, a follow up to her 2012 tome ‘Honest’.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Tulisa’s first autobiography was heartbreaking at times, and it’s impossible to imagine what she’s gone through since.
“She has enough content for multiple instalments.
“But one thing is for sure, she will tell her story with the typical honesty of the first instalment and it will include all the raw emotions she has gone through.
“He recent health battles have really inspired her to lay her heart bare.
“She just hopes there is a brilliantly positive chapter to be written about her time in the jungle.
“It won’t be a happy ending – it will be a fresh start.”
Tulisa – who was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a temporary weakness or lack of movement that usually affects one side of the face, in 2019 – is said to have put pen to paper on a deal with the literary agent branch of YMU.
The N-Dubz star is planning to release new music next summer, but she is also keen to become a property developer in the near future and rent out “themed” properties.
Speaking about her ‘Lord of the Rings’-inspired idea, she told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “I want it to all be very like a nature reserve, cabins in a forest, Hobbit houses.”
And ahead of her jungle stint, Tulisa likened her appearance on the show to ‘Lord of the Rings’ character Frodo Baggins going on an “unexpected journey”.
She said: “I am like Frodo Baggins on an unexpected journey.
“I feel really adventurous this year and the place I am now in, I want to do things that take me out of my comfort zone.
“I have always said I wouldn’t do this show in the past, as there are things that have terrified me.
“But the person I am now, I want to throw caution to the wind.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — The sequel to thriller ‘Hijack’ is set to take inspiration from the ‘Speed’ movies.
Idris Elba’s hit Apple TV+ drama, which sees him try to save passengers as his flight from Dubai to London is taken over by armed thugs, became an instant phenomenon and the second season is expected to ditch airplanes in favour of high-speed train travel through Europe.
A TV insider told The Sun newspaper: “Producers have clearly adopted the approach of the creative team who gave us the movie ‘Speed’, which dropped 30 years ago and featured a terrorist threat on a bus full of passengers.
“Then when the sequel, ‘Speed: Cruise Control’, came along a year later in 1997, it was essentially the same story but lifted lock, stock and barrel on to a ship.”
While a release date has not been announced for the second season of the eight-parter – which Idris also executive produced – it is expected to be available at some point next year.
The publication also reports Archie Panjabi, 52, Max Beesley, 53, and Ben Miles, 58, will be returning.
Last year, Idris, 52, told TV Insider: “Look, I’m going to be honest here. I’d like to see Sam come back, but I just don’t want to see another Hijack.
“It’s got to be clever, and we can see him make decisions that are impossible to make.
“And I think that’s going to be fun for the audience, but it has to be the right setup. So who knows?
“If the audience really wants it, it’s going to happen.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Jon Richardson is “so happy” to be single.
The ‘8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’ star announced his divorce from his ‘Meet the Richardsons’ co-star Lucy Beaumont after nine years of marriage in April, but he has now given an insight into his life since he became a singleton.
On Sunday night (17.11.24), the 42-year-old comedian was joined by other comedy stars, including ‘Loose Women’ panellist Judi Love, at the London Palladium for an Absolute Radio special gig in support of The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity, and Judi’s act of discussing dating in your 40s and the challenges it brings resonated with Jon.
After she came off and he returned to the stage, Jon said: “It makes me think I’m so happy being single.”
Later on, he jokingly expressed his relief about not having to leave the tap running while he is on the hotel room toilet.
In April, it was announced Jon and Lucy – who started dating in 2013, married in 2015 and went on to welcome their daughter Elsie, seven, into the world – would be going their separate ways.
Lucy, 41, told OK! magazine in September: “People might think I should talk about it because we were so public and everyone knew us as a couple, but I won’t, and not because there’s any animosity.
“We both agreed that while it might be weird for other people not hearing anything about it, we wouldn’t talk about anything to do with the marriage or each other.
“I don’t feel any different really, just a bit angrier and not willing to take any s*** from anyone.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Kaleb Cooper narrowly avoided death when a “poisonous fur-flinging” tarantula escaped in his own home.
The ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ star had a nightmare about one of the terrifying nocturnal predators moving around his house.
But it turned out to be a real-life experience – because his mum’s pet Chilean rose tarantula, which can blind a person by throwing fur into their eyes, had gone missing.
In his new book, ‘It’s A Farming Thing’, Kaleb writes that he once said to his mother: “I had a funny dream last night, that you told me the tarantula had escaped,” and she said: “No, Kaleb, it has; I can’t find it anywhere.”
Kaleb bolted into the living room and hid on the sofa upon hearing about the escaped tarantula, but that wasn’t an ideal place to take cover.
His mother’s spider was eventually found underneath the settee.
He wrote: “I’ve already survived a poisonous fur-flinging tarantula and a man-eating reptile with coils or death…”
It’s not farmhand Kaleb’s only dangerous animal encounter, as he was once whacked in the private parts by a mischievous goose.
He wrote: “I’ve never forgiven the goose that attacked my, um, delicate parts and almost ended my family line.”
Kaleb is taking on another rival this week.
He has accompanied boss Jeremy Clarkson to Westminster, along with thousands of farmers, to protest the government’s upcoming changes to how agricultural property is taxed.
Celebrities including legendary composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch are also in attendance.
Jeremy has demanded the Labour Party “back down” for fear of the so-called “tractor tax” – a proposed 20 per cent tax increase on inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1 million – being “the end” for farmers.
He told Sky News: “Please, back down.”
Quizzed on how bad the policy could be for farmers, he said: “It’s the end.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online