OHMYGOSSIP — Bill Bailey’s ‘Bring the Drama’ is not returning for another series.
The 59-year-old actor and comedian – who was a fan-favourite on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ – will not be returning to host the BBC Two series that saw him host the show mentoring aspiring actors from all walks of life in TV drama.
A BBC spokesperson told The Sun Online: “There are no current plans for another series of Bring the Drama on the BBC.”
Eight budding actors were mentored by top casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry over six weeks.
‘EastEnders’ star Natalie Cassidy – who has played Sonia Fowler on the soap since 1993 – and Rochenda Sandall from ‘Line of Duty’ were among the celebrity guests brought in to help.
Delasi, who made it into the final three, ended up bagging a cameo on ‘EastEnders’ as DC Porter when Denise Fox was taken to a mental facility. Another star of the s how, Jordan, was offered a role on BBC drama ‘Waterloo Road’.
Bill notably won the 2020 series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, and revealed he had agreed to take part in the show in order to “challenge” himself.
He previously reflected: “I took ‘Strictly’ on as a huge challenge, and what I realised very quickly – is that while you need to have a lot of physical rigour to practise the choreography so many times and get it into your body – what’s surprised me was the amount of concentration and mental strength you need to be able to pull the routine off on a Saturday night in front of a big TV crowd.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Olympian Tom Dean has signed up for ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The 24-year-old swimmer – who won gold at the Paris Olympics as part of the British relay team which won the 4x 200m men’s freestyle on Tuesday (30.07.24) – will reportedly fly home from France to start training for the BBC Latin and ballroom show, which is due to return to screens in September.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s TV Biz column: “It’s quite a coup for the producers to bag an Olympian fresh from winning gold in Paris, and swimmers have been shown to be great contestants.
“They tend to be a sensation as a result of their fitness, competitiveness and sheer determination to win — and Tom will still be pumped from his victory in France.
“He doesn’t quite have the same profile as other top-level swimmers yet but that’s likely to drastically change after his time on ‘Strictly’.”
Tom previously triumphed at the 2020 Tokyo Games in both the 200m freestyle and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, making him the first British male swimmer to scoop two gold medals at the same Olympics in 113 years.
He won’t be the first pool star to sign up for ‘Strictly’, as Mark Foster took part in 2008, Adam Peaty – who scooped a silver medal in Paris earlier this week – danced in 2021, and Paralympian Ellie Simmonds competed in 2022.
Meanwhile, other names expected to take part in the upcoming series include former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson, ‘Love Island’ beauty Tasha Ghouri, ‘EastEnders’ actor Jamie Borthwick, former ‘TOWIE’ star Pete Wicks, blind comedian Chris McCausland, and ‘DIY SOS’ presenter Nick Knowles.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Julia Bradbury’s heart “really did go out” to Catherine, Princess of Wales after the royal revealed she was undergoing preventative cancer treatment.
The former ‘Countryfile’ presenter, 54, had a mastectomy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, with mother-of-three Catherine, 42, revealing her fight with the disease in March.
Julia told the new issue of Good Housekeeping about empathising with the princess and her decision to go public with her health battle: “My heart really did go out to her. I wanted to go public with my cancer diagnosis because I didn’t think I’d be able to keep it a secret.
“Also, I’ve been an ambassador for multiple cancer charities for 20 years. My mum had bowel cancer. My dad had prostate cancer.
“So I’ve always put myself out there because cancer is something that, unfortunately, affects all of our families.
“I felt that it was the right thing to do to go public, and then to talk about how I was managing and handling it.
“I didn’t do it for a sympathy vote. I did it to show that I was as scared and vulnerable as anybody else.”
Julia, who like Catherine also has three children, also told how she has overhauled her life following her breast cancer fight.
She said: “Going through a health shock made me think about everything differently.
“I had to reframe work after my breast cancer diagnosis and build in daily habits that were going to become lifetime ones that would impact how I work.
“I saw that, actually, you’re not selfish if you implement self-care and you’re not being lazy if you rest, because it’s incredibly important.
“How that all fits into the work jigsaw is that I don’t work seven days a week any more. I still need to earn a living, but I’ve found a way.”
Read Julia’s full interview in Good Housekeeping’s September issue on sale from Thursday (01.08.24.)

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Jonathan Ross has gone to the loo outside to train his dogs to follow his lead.
The animal-loving chat show host, 63, owns a pair of Brussels Griffons called Pumpkin and Spooky and his daughter said the presenter goes to the loo outside to make them feel more “comfortable” about doing the same.
Jonathan told the ‘Walking the Dog’ podcast, hosted by Emily Dean when asked if he’d ever relieved himself outdoors: “Do you mean when I weed in the garden or when I pooed in the garden?
“It’s actually desirable because you have to mark your territory.”
His daughter Honey, 27, who appeared with him on the show, chipped in: “He claimed he was doing it to make the dogs feel more comfortable.”
She also joked: “But honestly, he was doing it on his own time for himself.”
Jonathan added: “If you’re going to poo in the garden, leaves are nowhere near as absorbent as you might hope when it comes to wiping up – that’s all I’m going to say.”
He also admitted on the podcast staff on his chat show were “scared” of him as opened up about his changing relationship with colleagues.
The ITV presenter added he found it a “difficult learning curve” to change the way he speaks to staff as he used to think he could “say almost anything” without consequences.
Jonathan said: “I’ve grown markedly more aware of the impact words can have whereas when I was younger, I used to think you could say almost anything because they’re just words.
“I also felt like, if I didn’t intend something but you say something as a joke, you kind of thought everyone knew the intention.
“It was a fairly hard one, a difficult learning curve.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Alison Hammond is set to release her debut novel later this year.
The ‘This Morning’ presenter has taken to social media to reveal that the romantic comedy novel ‘Bombshell’ will hit bookshelves on November 7.
In a video posted on her Instagram Story, Alison said: “Hi everyone, I’ve got some fantastic news for you.
“I’ve got a new book coming out. Yes! It’s coming out this November, in the autumn. It’s absolutely brilliant.”
The 49-year-old star continued: “My character is called Madison and she’s married to a TV heartthrob husband who is absolutely gorgeous.
“Anyway, he lands this massive bombshell onto Madison that kind of flips her life upside down.
“She’s given so much up for her kids, her career, it’s time to reclaim her own worth. I’m not going to tell you anymore but it’s brilliant.”
Alison’s ‘This Morning’ co-host Dermot O’Leary congratulated her on the new venture, commenting: “About time!”
Meanwhile, it was revealed last month that the BBC wanted the former ‘Big Brother’ star to host a new travel show.
Alison – who worked as a holiday rep before finding TV fame – is said to have been offered the chance to host ‘Florida Unpacked’, a programme that would see her exploring the Sunshine State.
A TV insider told The Sun newspaper: “This is a continuing nightmare for ITV as Alison is seen by them as one of their biggest stars – but she’s increasingly working for their rivals.”
It’s thought BBC bosses could even air the programme in the same slot as ITV brunchtime staple ‘This Morning’.
The insider added: “The travel show is the latest tempting offer she’s taken up with BBC execs revelling in the fact they can put it head-to-head with ‘This Morning’.
“It could lead to the situation where Alison can be seen hosting the daytime magazine show on ITV while simultaneously being seen over on BBC One.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Joey Essex has suggested that he is finished with reality TV following his appearance on ‘Love Island’.
The 34-year-old star became the first celebrity contestant on the ITV2 show this summer but has claimed that he is unlikely to do any more reality programmes after being criticised for his behaviour during the series.
Joey – who was dumped from the villa with his partner Jessy Potts just hours before the final earlier this week – told The Sun newspaper: “I must, genuinely, say that ‘Love Island’ was probably my last ever reality show.
“To carry the show on and keep it going, I was needed in a lot of situations to help the storyline progress.
“I mean, I need a medic right now because my back is killing me because I carried that show so hard.”
The ‘Only Way is Essex’ star faced accusations of bullying during his time on the show but he argues that producers were reliant on him to create drama during the series because of his experience in the TV industry.
Joey said: “Am I a bully? No.
“Don’t get me wrong, whatever you say or do, it is what you’ve said and done. We’re surrounded by about 85 cameras with a storyline, with a show to make. That is the reality.
“We’re all there to find love, but there needs to be a journey, there needs to be drama – so, you know, I had to be that guy.
“I’ve got feelings, I’ve got heart, it hurt a lot.”
He added: “I’d switch it on. I’d do my scene. If I was involved in someone else’s stuff, it’s because I’ve been pulled in and dragged into that situation.
“I’ve done what I’ve done because I’m filming a television show.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Jeremy Clarkson is planning to upgrade his renovated Cotswolds pub to include an upstairs bar and extended licence to sell alcohol outside.
The 64-year-old owner of Diddly Squat Farm in Chipping Norton – which has become a huge hit thanks to his Prime TV show ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ – recently purchased The Windmill, which boasts five acres of land and was a picturesque wedding venue, near Burford, Oxfordshire, for “less than £1 million”.
And West Oxfordshire District Council has confirmed the former ‘Top Gear’ co-host has massive plans that he is seeking permission for.
The document states: “To update the floor plans to include a bar on the first floor, extend the licensable area outside the premises and include a temporary tent in a fixed location.”
Clarkson wants to offer an old-school pub atmosphere with games and local food and drink, including his very own Hawkstone lager.
A spokesperson for West Oxfordshire District Council commented: “We have received an application to vary the Premise Licence at the Windmill Restaurant. It will follow the legal process for an application for this type which starts with a 28-day public consultation before the council determines the request in line with national guidelines, taking into account any feedback received.”
Buying the pub has been a wild ride so far – Clarkson was left shocked when he found some underwear in the grounds on a former dogging site.
Taking to Instagram, Clarkson shared a video where of himself holding up a pair of black knickers with a stick before saying: “Tell me you bought a pub on a dogging site without telling me you bought a pub on a dogging site.”
The ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ star previously admitted he was unaware of The Windmill’s unsavoury history before he bought it.
In his column for The Sunday Times newspaper, he wrote: “So I did a deal and then discovered that there was a famous dogging site in the area.
“Photographs from inside the nearby lavatories showed holes in the cubicle walls, strong pornography on the floor and evidence of enthusiastic consumption of the drugs made at the first pub I’d considered.
“So I went to see West Oxfordshire district council, expecting no help at all, and, blow me down, it was very happy to close the dogging site. So I was in business. My dream would become a reality.”
As well as this grizzly discovery, he was less than thrilled to find his new boozer was plagued with plenty of other issues, including a loft “full of dead rats”.
‘The Grand Tour’ host penned: “The cellar is too small, the gable end is falling down, the outside decking area is dangerous, the water is unfit for human consumption, the loft is full of dead rats and the lavatories are illegal.”
In a post to Instagram updating fans on the venture, he said: “New pub coming along. Only the water, gas, lavatories, staff and electrics to sort and we’ll be ready to go.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Tom Dean has seemingly confirmed that he is to take part in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The 24-year-old Olympic swimmer had been rumoured to have signed up for the BBC Latin and ballroom competition in recent weeks and while those taking part do not normally comment on it until the official lineup is revealed, Tom admitted that he will be taking some advice from fellow Olympian Adam Peaty following his own stint on the show in 2021.
He is quoted by The Sun as saying: “Naturally you want to take a break after you’ve had a full Olympic cycle and the opportunity arose. I thought it would be really exciting to try something a bit different.
“I’ll be doing that and straight back into training after it. It’s something to look forward to. I’ve not seen (Adam) yet. He did brilliantly on it so I’ll be getting a few tips from him, for sure.”
However, Tom joked that he “doesn’t do too well” with sports that take place out of water and has decided to just “throw himself” into it all and is excited to work hard on the dancefloor.
He said: “I don’t do too well out of water in gravity sports.
“I’m throwing myself into it and I know what a hard day’s training is like so I’m looking forward to it. I guess we’ll find out.
“It’s something to look forward to and once I finish this, back home, relax a bit with the family and then we crack on end of August time. It’s exciting.”
Just days ago, an insider claimed that it was “quite the coup” for the BBC to have signed up an Olympian, especially on the back of his success winning Gold at Paris 2024.
The source said: “It’s quite a coup for the producers to bag an Olympian fresh from winning gold in Paris, and swimmers have been shown to be great contestants.
“They tend to be a sensation as a result of their fitness, competitiveness and sheer determination to win — and Tom will still be pumped from his victory in France.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Gillian Anderson is returning to Northern Ireland to make another gritty drama after shooting serial killer drama ‘The Fall’ in the province.
‘The X-Files’ actress, 55, starred alongside Jamie Dornan, 42, in the BBC’s grisly Belfast-based murder show – which aired between 2013 and 2016 – and is now going back to the city to film a dramatisation of ‘Trespasses’.
It’s an adaptation of Northern Irish writer Louise Kennedy’s book, which Channel 4 bought to make into a four-part series.
Gillan – who will also be credited as an executive producer on the project – said she was delighted to be asked to play Gina, the mother of character Cushla – a young woman whose hopes and dreams have been ground down by the realities of daily existence.
She said: “I fell in love with Louise’s stunning book when I read it in proof. I was immediately drawn to the tragi-comic creation that is Gina and couldn’t resist when Louise asked me to play her.
“Reading (screenwriter) Ailbhe (Keoghan)’s brilliant scripts confirmed how vividly this story could translate to screen and with (director) Dawn (Shadforth) at the helm and (actors) Lola (Petticrew) and Tom (Cullen) alongside, I’m delighted to be part of the ‘Trespasses’ family.”
The drama is being made in conjunction with BAFTA award-winning and double Oscar-nominated Wildgaze Films, which was behind ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘An Education’.
Writer Louise’s debut novel was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and Lola, 28, will play Cushla, while Gillian’s co-star Tom, 39, is portraying barrister Michael.
Set in 1975 as the Troubles were still raging in Northern Ireland, ‘Trespasses’ is based in a town just outside Belfast and features Catholic schoolteacher Cushla’s difficult relationship with Protestant lawyer Michael – who often defends IRA suspects.
Louise said: “From Ailbhe Keogan’s ear perfect, sexy script to director
Dawn Shadforth’s gorgeously melancholic aesthetic vision, exceptional care has been taken to bring an authentic and beautiful version of my book to the small screen. I honestly could not have asked for more.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Ncuti Gatwa’s fortune has doubled to nearly £2 million after he took the role of Doctor Who.
The former ‘Sex Education’ actor, 31, was announced as the Fifteenth Time Lord in 2022, and his latest Companies House accounts show his cash has soared from around £954,000 to almost £1.9 million across 2023, when his first episodes playing the TARDIS-dwelling alien aired.
His accounts also showed he paid himself a wage of nearly £700,000 from his Gemini Moon limited company.
Ncuti’s fortune has swelled despite overnight ratings for his first run in the BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’ falling.
A source told The Sun about his new riches amid the falling viewer figures: “Landing one of the most sought-after roles on TV was always going to help Ncuti’s career and earning power.
“That much is clear from his latest accounts. But some might be wondering if his financial success has been matched by his success as the Time Lord.
“The number of people tuning in for a show that revelled in being a shared experience for all the family is somewhat underwhelming, to say the least.”
The first two episodes of the fourteenth series of ‘Doctor Who’ premiered on iPlayer before being broadcast on BBC One on Saturday 11 May – and were watched by 2.7 million and 3.2 million fans.
Viewing figures for the third episode of the season plunged to 2.3million a week later.
There was an uptick in ratings to 3 million – but they fell to about 2.3million for the rest of the season.
A BBC spokeswoman said: “Overnight ratings no longer provide an accurate picture of all those who watch drama in an on-demand world.
“This season of ‘Doctor Who’ premiered on iPlayer nearly 24 hours before broadcast, and episode one has already been viewed by over 6million viewers and continues to grow.”
Ncuti was the first black and openly queer actor to assume the Doctor Who role.
He is now shooting his second season as the intergalactic time traveller, in a co-production between the BBC and Disney.
The fourteenth ‘Doctor Who’ series wrapped up on 22 June, with marketing for it referring to it as ‘Season One’ in the wake of production changes and the acquisition of the show’s international broadcasting rights by Disney+.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Adil Ray has paid tribute to Kate Garraway for being “so supportive” when his mother died.
The 50-year-old ‘Good Morning Britain’ presenter – who now co-hosts the breakfast show with Kate, 57, after first joining the flagship ITV series in 2019 – added they “share a lot” of experiences with grief as he told how she was a shoulder to cry on when his mum Nargis was killed by pancreatic cancer a few months before her late husband was stricken with the Covid that eventually led to his death.
He told the Daily Mirror: “When my mum died, I was working with Kate at the time. She was so supportive.
“(But) one of the benefits of doing more shows together is you get to know more because you see her on a regular basis. You realise how much she’s got going on. It’s just incredible.
“She’s a mother and a father at the moment. It’s not easy. And she’s grieving – we share a lot in that.”
Kate was left devastated after she lost 56-year-old husband Derek Draper in January, after his years-long battle with Covid.
She is now battling to pay off the crippling costs of the former political strategist’s round-the-clock medical care while looking after their children Darcey, 17, and 14-year-old William.
And for the past two weeks she has been off air “putting family first” as her father Gordon, 89, was rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke and heart attack.
Adil lost his mum in early 2020 after her cancer symptoms were spotted late as she also suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and she died aged 73.
He added: “She had other symptoms and doctors were not sure what was going on.
“They thought it was part of her Parkinson’s and, quite rightly so, as Parkinson’s can affect so many parts of the body.
“But, actually, after some further tests, it turned out she had stage four pancreatic cancer. It was devastating.
“She was given six months and she lasted three. I think pancreatic cancer is terrible – because the symptoms can go undiagnosed for such a long time.”
Kate has issued an update on her father’s condition, saying: “It was very scary but am so pleased that he is now stable and even recovering a bit.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Frank Skinner has admitted he wouldn’t perform his old jokes as he finds them a “bit offensive”.
The 67-year-old comedian was renowned for his close-to-the-knuckle routines in the 1990s and admitted it was the “norm” back then to make “brutal” jokes about sensitive subjects, but he’s now said he thinks he has now been “educated” by cancel culture to steer away from controversial topics during shows.
He told ‘The Today’ podcast: “Sometimes even on videos of me from the ’90s, I see myself do a joke and I think, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t do that now’, because it might be a joke I now find a bit offensive.
“It’s interesting this because the most asked question is, ‘Can you do stand-up comedy in the age of woke politics?’, and all that stuff. But my comedy is very autobiographical, I don’t make anything up, it’s just things that have happened in my life which I process through my comedy head.”
Former ‘Room 101’ host Frank – who has son Buzz Cody, 12, with his 55-year-old partner Cath Mason – added parenthood had been a factor in toning down in stand-up routines, and emphasised the offensive material in his performances existed simply because there was “no alternate voice” at the time.
He added: “All this recent woke politics of the last 10 years has had an effect on me, I’ve become a parent during that period.
“When I was growing up in the West Midlands, I got to be brutal: racist language, sexist language, homophobia – it was absolutely the norm. It wasn’t that I wasn’t listening to the alternate voice, there was no alternate voice. I didn’t even question it.
“But I do question it now, and I have questioned it a lot. I think most of us have in recent years, I don’t feel forced or bullied by woke politics – I feel educated by it.”
Frank also said it was “healthy” to move on from his older material because he didn’t want to live his life “in stasis”.
He went on: “So, I see stuff now and I think I wouldn’t do that now. But at the same time, it’s healthy to think that, because I don’t want to think of my life in stasis.”
He concluded: “I think the idea that we can improve, the idea that you can re-think your attitudes, there’s no point in woke politics if that doesn’t work.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online