Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-12-03T17:17:48.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Horsing around on set
items: 10 Questions with Jeff Goldblum
items: Wicked star Jeff Goldblum dishes on working with "sex god" Jonathan Bailey and reacts to Netflix's Kaos cancellation
items: 'You know who the bad guy is all along'
items: 'It really pops with Jack'
items: 'I watched Psycho with my baby'
items: Jack Whitehall talks his dark new psychopath role and his plans for an all-new sitcom
items: Rest in peace?
items: Daisy May and Charlie Cooper rule out a This Country return – and reveal ghostly encounters
items: Aimee Lou Wood and Film Club cast unveil their favourite films of all time - here's why you have to watch them
items: ‘I didn't like people finding me funny’
items: Aimee Lou Wood reveals how debut writing project Film Club helped her embrace her neurodivergence
items: Ten Questions with Eve Myles
items: Torchwood favourite Eve Myles explains why her new role in The Guest was “absolutely terrifying”
items: Ten Questions with Brian Cox
items: Brian Cox reveals his pick for next James Bond: “He’s very real, he’s got no crap about him”
items: 'Unravelling the truth was very moving'
items: Ross Kemp: 'Unravelling the truth about my family history was very moving'
items: Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh says fans want "more" LGBTQ+ storylines
items: ‘Agatha Christie inspired The Traitors,' says James Pritchard, great-grandson of legendary author
items: Gladiators, ready!
items: Strike's Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger on future: 'It feels worthwhile playing it through to the end'
items: Striking a match
items: 'We're like two naughty kids!'
items: Strictly's Janette Manrara 'baffled' at being judged for returning to work after giving birth
items: Putting on the glitz!
items: 'Nobody tells me what I can and can't say'
items: 'I'd never want somebody to feel belittled'
items: ‘I watch it to check I’m not being idiotic’
items: Craig Revel Horwood on Strictly duty of care: "Things have to change"

Horsing around on set
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
encoded: Add A Thousand Blows to your watchlist. Series 2 will be available on Disney+ from 9 January 2026 A Thousand Blows, set in Victorian east London, is a lavish production involving dozens of supporting artists, not to mention horse-drawn carriages and tightly choreographed bare-knuckle boxing scenes. So you might expect executive producer Hannah Walters to have found the shoot for series two stressful. But she insists that being on set with her husband Stephen Graham, who plays boxer Sugar Goodson, and Erin Doherty, who plays Mary Carr, the head of a band of female thieves dubbed the 40 Elephants, was full of laughter. “Steve and I work together a lot and he says I do the grown-up stuff,” she says. “But when I’m on set, the grown-up stuff can wait. I want us all to skip into work.” Walters had the idea for A Thousand Blows after seeing a picture of the third lead character, Hezekiah Moscow, played by Malachi Kirby. “The picture was mesmerising,” she recalls, “so I delved into the history of this guy who’d come to England from Jamaica to be a lion tamer. Then we discovered the Goodson brothers and the Elephants, who also lived in that world. “I wanted Steven Knight to write it — my Steve had worked with him on Peaky Blinders and other things, so it was a match made in heaven,” says Walters, who also stars as a thief called Eliza Moody. A Thousand Blows is one of a string of successes for Matriarch, the production company Walters and Graham run together, which also made Adolescence and Boiling Point. “It’s been a nonstop rollercoaster, a glorious one that we’ve not wanted to get off. But Steve and I are very good at looking at each other and going, ‘We’ve done it, kid.’ It’s a happy marriage and a happy working marriage, and we’re very thankful for it all.”

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10 Questions with Jeff Goldblum
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The star of Wicked: For Good on tickling the ivories, sobbing in the cinema — and why he loves us Brits
encoded: Add Wicked: For Good to your watchlist Known for starring in blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, The Fly and Independence Day, Jeff Goldblum’s latest role sees him playing one of the most famous characters in film: the Wizard of Oz. He first appeared as the charlatan using smoke and mirrors to rule the Emerald City in last year’s Oscar-winning movie Wicked, an origin story based on the West End and Broadway musical. Now, Goldblum is reprising his role for the sequel Wicked: for Good. Were you a fan of the original 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, or the theatrical version of Wicked, before getting this role? That movie has slayed me since I was a kid. Those songs, and the way Judy Garland sings them: she was so gifted. It’s a foundational fairy tale, and there’s something about that phrase, “There’s no place like home” – which maybe means your subconscious life, or your dream life – it grabs the heck out of me. I saw the Broadway show 20 years ago and I was already mushy just seeing the pictures in the lobby. By the end, I was a mess. You have a fantastic set piece in the new film, singing and dancing with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda. Was that fun to do? So much fun. I’ve seen a lot of movies made of musicals, and you can really go wrong, but with that number the thrill of a stage show is mashed with cinematic, naturalistic acting and storytelling in a way that I’ve never seen before. The fans will go wild for it, but also I think it has a degree of difficulty – as they say in Olympic gymnastics – that may be underappreciated. Were you nervous about performing with two hugely successful professional singers? There’s a responsibility and some nerves. Everybody cares so much about this phenomenon of a show. It wasn’t the easiest thing to make into a movie, but they found something that hit the bullseye, and people love it so much, so I was very conscientious. I’m always bushy-tailed about acting, but on this one especially, you really don’t…

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Wicked star Jeff Goldblum dishes on working with "sex god" Jonathan Bailey and reacts to Netflix's Kaos cancellation
type: item
date: 2025-11-28T17:01:33.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Movies
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Known for starring in blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, The Fly and Independence Day, Jeff Goldblum’s latest role sees him playing one of the most famous characters in film: the Wizard of Oz. He first appeared as the charlatan using smoke and mirrors to rule the Emerald City in last year’s Oscar-winning movie Wicked, an origin story based on the West End and Broadway musical. Now, Goldblum is reprising his role for the sequel Wicked: For Good. Were you a fan of the original 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, or the theatrical version of Wicked, before getting this role? That movie has slayed me since I was a kid. Those songs, and the way Judy Garland sings them: she was so gifted. It’s a foundational fairy tale, and there’s something about that phrase, “There’s no place like home” – which maybe means your subconscious life, or your dream life – it grabs the heck out of me. I saw the Broadway show 20 years ago and I was already mushy just seeing the pictures in the lobby. By the end, I was a mess. You have a fantastic set piece in the new film, singing and dancing with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda. Was that fun to do? So much fun. I’ve seen a lot of movies made of musicals, and you can really go wrong, but with that number the thrill of a stage show is mashed with cinematic, naturalistic acting and storytelling in a way that I’ve never seen before. The fans will go wild for it, but also I think it has a degree of difficulty –as they say in Olympic gymnastics – that may be underappreciated. Were you nervous about performing with two hugely successful professional singers? There’s a responsibility and some nerves. Everybody cares so much about this phenomenon of a show. It wasn’t the easiest thing to make into a movie, but they found something that hit the bullseye, and people love it so much, so I was very conscientious. I’m always bushy-tailed about acting, but on this one especially, you…

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'You know who the bad guy is all along'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: David Duchovny plays a family man under threat in Malice. But it wasn’t just the script that drew him to the role…
encoded: Add Malice to your watchlist X-Files and Californication star David Duchovny might seem an odd on-screen pairing with UK comedian Jack Whitehall — but the Hollywood stalwart is a bit of an Anglophile, especially when it comes to TV and British jokes. “People don’t expect me to be as sarcastic as I am,” he says. “I’m more deadpan than most English people. I love British humour and television.” Beyond that, he would have originally said he was drawn to the part of Tanner patriarch Jamie for the usual actorly reasons — a great script, the concept, so on and so forth, darling. But now, he’s ready to come clean. “I’d be lying if I said coming to Greece wasn’t part of the reason, because I’ve never been here,” he admits. “Greece has figured prominently in my thinking my entire life. I loved Greek mythology as a kid; it’s the whole basis of Western civilization, thought, literature, poetry and music. But I also liked that the script was kind of a Ripley, where you know who the bad guy is all along, but the thrill is wondering when he’s going to get caught.” Interestingly, Duchovny was also drawing on his own experiences to play the part, having had a real-life male nanny — not a psychopath, he’s keen to emphasise — to care for his children. “Having a manny is a different dynamic,” he says. “Our manny was super macho, so it was like having a competitor in the house, and that’s what this is. “It’s fascinating. We invite these strangers into our lives in the most vulnerable sense by asking them to take care of our children. There have been horror movies about that, so it’s ripe for that interesting psychological treatment.”

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'It really pops with Jack'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: James Wood created Malice with his star in mind
encoded: Add Malice to your watchlist Malice writer James Wood is best known for creating Rev, the award-winning BBC comedy starring Tom Hollander as a vicar in a deprived parish in east London. On that project, he worked closely with Hollander to create the part of Adam Smallbone — similarly, he wrote Malice with Jack Whitehall very much in mind. “I loved writing Rev for Tom,” says Wood. “We’d go and meet priests together. If you’re with the right person and your sensibilities match, it’s a lovely way to work. “I’ve always enjoyed building a role with and for a particular actor and in Malice Jack was involved in some of the early script meetings. “After we had the idea of a psychopathic manny, we all thought Jack was perfect because he’s charming and funny and would entertain your kids. And wouldn’t it be entertaining to see Jack play a sociopath?” <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/11/Jack-Whitehall-Malice-0603219.jpg" width="1909" height="1273" alt="Two men stand facing each other in a tense confrontation inside a modern, softly lit room. One man, wearing a blue polo shirt, leans slightly against the wall while speaking; the other, in a light green collared shirt, listens intently. The setting features neutral décor, wicker furniture, and a large window in the background." title="Malice" /> Given that Whitehall is best known for stand-up, was Wood worried about whether audiences would buy him as a terrifying presence in a psychological drama? “There’s a rich tradition of comedy performers playing against type,” he says. “Robin Williams did it incredibly well, as did Peter Sellers. The trick is to make something that feels emotionally honest, but entertaining and fresh. “There’s a version of Malice that could have had an established drama star playing Adam, and it would have been good, but with Jack I think it really pops. Also, there’s something about our era that loves stories about liars, whether it be The Tinder Swindler, Baby Rei…

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'I watched Psycho with my baby'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Being a new dad is just one challenge for Jack Whitehall – in ,Malice, the comedian plays an unhinged “manny”
encoded: Add Malice to your watchlist For most parents, having a child involves a soundtrack of nursery rhymes, CBeebies and soothing music. But while comedian Jack Whitehall was bonding with newborn daughter Elsie, he was also preparing to play the psychopathic male nanny to a super-rich family in the thriller Malice. That’s not in the baby books. It led to an odd juxtaposition at home with his fiancée Roxy Horner, as he researched characters who are outwardly charming before revealing themselves to be dangerously insane. “The run-up to rehearsals was a strange time,” he explains. “I was in this blissful bubble with the baby but also trying to prepare for this part. “One day Roxy came down and I was watching Psycho with Elsie. She was probably a bit young to be watching Anthony Perkins doing his thing but she was tiny, so I got away with it! “About two weeks after Elsie was born, James [Wood, the show’s writer] brought me a book about a French serial killer, along with some flowers – ‘That’s a lovely baby, congratulations, here’s a story about a man who kills his entire family.’ That was my reading material during the first month of fatherhood.” And his preparation extended beyond reading and watching films. In Malice, the Tanner family, headed by Jamie and Nat (David Duchovny and Carice van Houten) fall for Adam’s charms when they meet him at their holiday home in Greece and, as such, Whitehall had to learn to cook, mix cocktails, dance and swim convincingly. “Adam’s very good at everything, and that’s been one of the major challenges!” Whitehall laughs. “I’m used to playing quite incapable characters, which is much easier.” As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that Adam isn’t what he first appears to be and, for reasons that don’t become clear until the final episode, he is determined to infiltrate and destroy the family. For Whitehall, 37, playing a charismatic villain was a dream role. Born to parents Michael, a theatre agent, and Hilary, an actor, and having Nigel H…

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Jack Whitehall talks his dark new psychopath role and his plans for an all-new sitcom
type: item
date: 2025-11-11T00:01:51.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Jack Whitehall swaps baby bottles for bloodcurdling thrills as he plays a charmingly unhinged nanny in Malice — a dark new twist on family life.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. For most parents, having a child involves a soundtrack of nursery rhymes, CBeebies and soothing music. But while comedian Jack Whitehall was bonding with newborn daughter Elsie, he was also preparing to play the psychopathic male nanny to a super-rich family in the thriller Malice. That’s not in the baby books. It led to an odd juxtaposition at home with his fiancée Roxy Horner, as he researched characters who are outwardly charming before revealing themselves to be dangerously insane. "The run-up to rehearsals was a strange time," he explains. "I was in this blissful bubble with the baby but also trying to prepare for this part. "One day Roxy came down and I was watching Psycho with Elsie. She was probably a bit young to be watching Anthony Perkins doing his thing but she was tiny, so I got away with it! "About two weeks after Elsie was born, James [Wood, the show’s writer] brought me a book about a French serial killer, along with some flowers – 'That’s a lovely baby, congratulations, here’s a story about a man who kills his entire family.' That was my reading material during the first month of fatherhood." And his preparation extended beyond reading and watching films. In Malice, the Tanner family, headed by Jamie and Nat (David Duchovny and Carice van Houten) fall for Adam’s charms when they meet him at their holiday home in Greece and, as such, Whitehall had to learn to cook, mix cocktails, dance and swim convincingly. "Adam’s very good at everything, and that’s been one of the major challenges!" Whitehall laughs. "I’m used to playing quite incapable characters, which is much easier." As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that Adam isn’t what he first appears to be and, for reasons that don’t become clear until the final episode, he is determined to infiltrate and destroy the family. For Whitehall, 37, playing a charismatic villain was a dream role. Born to parents Michael, a theatre agent, and Hilary, an a…

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Rest in peace?
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Daisy May and Charlie Cooper slept in the UK’s most haunted buildings looking for ghosts – and made a scary discovery…
encoded: Add Daisy May and Charlie Cooper's NightWatch to your watchlist Siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper shot to fame when they wrote and starred in the award-winning BBC Three sitcom, This Country, based on their childhood growing up in a slightly boring Gloucestershire village. Since then, Charlie has made a series called Myth Country, in which he explores folklore around the UK, while Daisy co-wrote and starred in award-winning sitcom Am I Being Unreasonable? as well as acting with Hollywood royalty like Tilda Swinton and Dev Patel in The Personal History of David Copperfield. Now, the Coopers have reunited for a six-part ghost-hunting series called NightWatch, where they stay at haunted locations in the hope of seeing something paranormal. RT caught up with them to talk about things that go bump in the night, sibling rivalry, and why there can never be another series of This Country. Why did you want to make this new show together? CHARLIE So much of This Country was just us trying to make each other laugh. It’s been five years since then, and we’ve got five kids between us now, so it’s been nice to reconnect. In Myth Country, Charlie, there’s a running joke about Daisy being flaky… DAISY MAY Is that what you say? CHARLIE Oh, come on, as if you’re not flaky! DAISY MAY Yeah, I know, but I didn’t know you mentioned that in the show. But how funny that I haven’t even watched it. I left BBC Three in 2018 and you’re still there! C You’re so arrogant and vile. Oops, I didn’t mean to start an argument. I just wanted to know if Charlie was the driving force behind the new show, and if you had to pin Daisy down to do it? D He was the driving force, but only because they wouldn’t have given him a series on his own. I’m doing stuff in the States now, but I said I’d come back to help him out. C What’s beautiful about this series is you don’t have to write a script. She’s the laziest person on planet Earth, so that was the only way to entice her – all she had to do was turn up,…

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Daisy May and Charlie Cooper rule out a This Country return – and reveal ghostly encounters
type: item
date: 2025-10-20T20:00:32.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Comedy
subject: TV
subject: Magazine
description: Daisy May and Charlie Cooper slept in the UK’s most haunted buildings looking for ghosts – and made a scary discovery…
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Siblings Daisy May and Charlie Cooper shot to fame when they wrote and starred in the award-winning BBC Three sitcom, This Country, based on their childhood growing up in a slightly boring Gloucestershire village. Since then, Charlie has made a series called Myth Country, in which he explores folklore around the UK, while Daisy co-wrote and starred in award-winning sitcom Am I Being Unreasonable? as well as acting with Hollywood royalty like Tilda Swinton and Dev Patel in The Personal History of David Copperfield. Now, the Coopers have reunited for a six-part ghost-hunting series called NightWatch, where they stay at haunted locations in the hope of seeing something paranormal. RT caught up with them to talk about things that go bump in the night, sibling rivalry, and why there can never be another series of This Country. Why did you want to make this new show together? CHARLIE So much of This Country was just us trying to make each other laugh. It’s been five years since then, and we’ve got five kids between us now, so it’s been nice to reconnect. In Myth Country, Charlie, there’s a running joke about Daisy being flaky… DAISY MAY Is that what you say? CHARLIE Oh, come on, as if you’re not flaky! DAISY MAY Yeah, I know, but I didn’t know you mentioned that in the show. But how funny that I haven’t even watched it. I left BBC Three in 2018 and you’re still there! C You’re so arrogant and vile. Oops, I didn’t mean to start an argument. I just wanted to know if Charlie was the driving force behind the new show, and if you had to pin Daisy down to do it? D He was the driving force, but only because they wouldn’t have given him a series on his own. I’m doing stuff in the States now, but I said I’d come back to help him out. C What’s beautiful about this series is you don’t have to write a script. She’s the laziest person on planet Earth, so that was the only way to entice her – all she had to do was turn up, and even t…

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Aimee Lou Wood and Film Club cast unveil their favourite films of all time - here's why you have to watch them
type: item
date: 2025-10-06T14:21:42.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Movies
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: From Broadcast News to Amélie...
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Film Club creators Aimee Lou Wood and Ralph Davies and their co-star Nabhaan Rizwan reveal their favourite flicks. Aimee Lou Wood Broadcast News When you’re a young woman, you think you have to dilute your intelligence – watching Holly Hunter being cleverer than the boys but with loads of humility, blew me away. I realised that as a woman, you can be opinionated, outspoken, a bit gnarly and still be a delight. Moonstruck I have a tattoo of a moon from this movie. The moon is a big symbol in my life. I just couldn’t believe how good Cher was in this film. The Color Purple My mum used to love putting on a classic movie at the weekend, and The Color Purple is one of the first I remember. Whoopi Goldberg blew me away. It’s one of the first movies where I remember properly sobbing: it broke my heart and reverberated in me for weeks. It’s a Wonderful Life I watch it every single Christmas and it never gets old. I love A Christmas Carol too: anything where someone sees the parallel lives they could have had. And although I’ve seen these films dozens of times, I have the same rules as Evie in Film Club – everyone has to put their phones away. If anyone gets their phone out, it truly upsets me. Bridesmaids I love comedy: a belly laugh is the best thing in the world. But I think you have to understand tragedy to know what comedy is because they’re closely linked. For example, I’m obsessed with Olivia Colman, who did a lot of comedy early on in her career, but I always saw some sadness in it. Then she did her first serious film, Tyrannosaur, and that was the most heart-wrenching film ever. Bridesmaids is the exception to my “no talking” rule, because me and my friends have seen it 62 times and it’s not heavy, so we can chat through that a bit if we want to. Ralph Davis Gladiator This is the earliest film I remember watching, aged five, and it was the most enthralling cinematic experience. It became family bonding time. I los…

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‘I didn't like people finding me funny’
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Described as quirky all her life, it’s taken a Bafta, an Emmy nomination and her own new BBC series for Aimee Lou Wood to embrace her wonderful weirdness
encoded: Add Film Club to your watchlist "This is like a rom-com!” squeals Aimee Lou Wood. “ We’ve spoken loads over the phone, and now we get to meet! It’s like a Meg Ryan movie.” I’m meeting Sex Education and The White Lotus star Wood in a London hotel, having only ever interviewed her remotely thanks to her back-to-back filming schedule. And it quickly becomes apparent that to the effervescent actress, everything is comparable to a romantic comedy – it’s how she has always lived, seeing herself through the lens of heroines ranging from the aforementioned Ryan, through to Cathy from Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Now Wood, 31, has poured her heart and soul into her debut writing project, the gorgeously original BBC sitcom Film Club, about a young woman called Evie who has a breakdown and refuses to leave her mum’s house, only venturing to the garage once a week to put on a themed film club where she and her best friend Noa dress up as the characters while trying to work out if their feelings for each other are romantic or platonic. Film Club isn’t wholly autobiographical, Wood says. But she definitely shares traits with Evie, and squeals again when I say it reminded me of 1998’s Little Voice, in which Jane Horrocks plays a shy woman who comes to life when impersonating Hollywood stars. “Oh my God, I’m so glad you said that!” says Wood. “Growing up, Little Voice was my dream part. I was always doing impressions. I was very shy, but in private I’d be talking to myself, and dressing up in wigs and creating my own little mini universe. It gave me calm. “I didn’t even know what my real voice was because I’d be constantly doing accents and different voices. I would sing my thoughts; I found it easier to express myself that way. All of a sudden I could talk to people and find friends. It’s how I learned to express myself.” Earlier this year, Wood revealed she has been diagnosed with ADHD and is undergoing further tests to see if she is autistic. She says now, “When I watched Fi…

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Aimee Lou Wood reveals how debut writing project Film Club helped her embrace her neurodivergence
type: item
date: 2025-09-29T20:00:02.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Comedy
subject: TV
subject: Magazine
description: Described as quirky all her life, it’s taken a Bafta, an Emmy nomination and her own new BBC series for Aimee Lou Wood to embrace her wonderful weirdness.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. “This is like a rom-com!” squeals Aimee Lou Wood. “We’ve spoken loads over the phone, and now we get to meet! It’s like a Meg Ryan movie.” I’m meeting Sex Education and The White Lotus star Wood in a London hotel, having only ever interviewed her remotely thanks to her back-to-back filming schedule. And it quickly becomes apparent that to the effervescent actress, everything is comparable to a romantic comedy – it’s how she has always lived, seeing herself through the lens of heroines ranging from the aforementioned Ryan, through to Cathy from Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Now Wood, 31, has poured her heart and soul into her debut writing project, the gorgeously original BBC sitcom Film Club, about a young woman called Evie who has a breakdown and refuses to leave her mum’s house, only venturing to the garage once a week to put on a themed film club where she and her best friend Noa dress up as the characters while trying to work out if their feelings for each other are romantic or platonic. Film Club isn’t wholly autobiographical, Wood says. But she definitely shares traits with Evie, and squeals again when I say it reminded me of 1998’s Little Voice, in which Jane Horrocks plays a shy woman who comes to life when impersonating Hollywood stars. “Oh my God, I’m so glad you said that!” says Wood. “Growing up, Little Voice was my dream part. I was always doing impressions. I was very shy, but in private I’d be talking to myself, and dressing up in wigs and creating my own little mini universe. It gave me calm. “I didn’t even know what my real voice was because I’d be constantly doing accents and different voices. I would sing my thoughts; I found it easier to express myself that way. All of a sudden I could talk to people and find friends. It’s how I learned to express myself.” Earlier this year, Wood revealed she has been diagnosed with ADHD and is undergoing further tests to see if she is autistic. She says now…

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Ten Questions with Eve Myles
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The Keeping Faith star had to grapple with fake nails and fabulous fashion to play posh in her new thriller
encoded: Add The Guest to your watchlist Born on a council estate in Powys, Wales, Eve Myles hit the big time as Gwen Cooper in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. Since then, she’s had roles in dramas like acclaimed crime series Keeping Faith, for which she learnt Welsh, and the thriller Hijack. Now she’s taking on what she says is her most daunting role yet in BBC thriller The Guest, where she plays a rich, mysterious woman called Fran, who takes a working-class cleaner called Ria (played by Gabrielle Creevy) under her wing. So Eve, how did you come to join The Guest? The scripts were sent to me 40 minutes before I was due to see the great Taylor Swift with my daughters. I looked like I’d face-planted a bowl of glitter, I had a pink “Taylor” T-shirt on, the girls were ready to go, then this script dropped and I thought, “I’m holding something special here.” Taylor put on the greatest show ever, but in my head all I could think about was going home to read the script. You play a very rich, posh woman — what was that like? Absolutely terrifying. The director sent me an image of Fran’s house and I went, “Are you kidding me?” It’s the most beautiful building I’ve ever walked into. It used to be a zoo, then a nunnery, and it’s never been used as a filming location before, so that was incredibly intimidating. Do you know anyone like Fran? No! I don’t know this world. I’m the person in the bushes with the binoculars going, “Ooh, look at that car. Oh, my God, what’s she eating tonight – she’s got a Marks & Spencer’s spread.” It was a whole new world, but I had to embrace it because I wanted people to believe I was Fran. She has a fabulous wardrobe… I know. When I turned up, I was like, “Oh, my God, how do you even wear this – have I got it on back to front or upside down?” It wasn’t dark colours, either; it was creams and golds and champagne colours, which felt so exposing. Then there’s the hair and the damn nails. The swearing that went on in this house because I couldn’t do up my…

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Torchwood favourite Eve Myles explains why her new role in The Guest was “absolutely terrifying”
type: item
date: 2025-08-25T23:01:31.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: BBC
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The Keeping Faith star had to grapple with fake nails and fabulous fashion to play posh in her new thriller.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Born on a council estate in Powys, Wales, Eve Myles hit the big time as Gwen Cooper in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. Since then, she’s had roles in dramas like acclaimed crime series Keeping Faith, for which she learnt Welsh, and the thriller Hijack. Now she’s taking on what she says is her most daunting role yet in BBC thriller The Guest, where she plays a rich, mysterious woman called Fran, who takes a working-class cleaner called Ria (played by Gabrielle Creevy) under her wing. So Eve, how did you come to join The Guest? The scripts were sent to me 40 minutes before I was due to see the great Taylor Swift with my daughters. I looked like I’d face-planted a bowl of glitter, I had a pink “Taylor” T-shirt on, the girls were ready to go, then this script dropped and I thought, “I’m holding something special here.” Taylor put on the greatest show ever, but in my head all I could think about was going home to read the script. You play a very rich, posh woman – what was that like? Absolutely terrifying. The director sent me an image of Fran’s house and I went, “Are you kidding me?” It’s the most beautiful building I’ve ever walked into. It used to be a zoo, then a nunnery, and it’s never been used as a filming location before, so that was incredibly intimidating. Do you know anyone like Fran? No! I don’t know this world. I’m the person in the bushes with the binoculars going, “Ooh, look at that car. Oh, my God, what’s she eating tonight – she’s got a Marks & Spencer’s spread.” It was a whole new world, but I had to embrace it because I wanted people to believe I was Fran. She has a fabulous wardrobe… I know. When I turned up, I was like, “Oh, my God, how do you even wear this – have I got it on back to front or upside down?” It wasn’t dark colours, either; it was creams and golds and champagne colours, which felt so exposing. Then there’s the hair and the damn nails. The swearing that went on in this house becaus…

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Ten Questions with Brian Cox
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: He’s back in the spotlight in his 007 spin-off series — but who would he like to see as the next Bond?
encoded: Add 007: Road to a Million to your watchlist Best known for his role as the sweary, bad-tempered billionaire Logan Roy in multi-award-winning drama Succession, Brian Cox, 79, is currently playing a James Bond-style villain for Amazon Prime’s 007-themed contest Road to a Million. But, he tells RT, he thinks his “baddies” are quite tame — and what he longs for is to play it for laughs. It’s been two years since Logan Roy died in the final series of Succession. Do you miss playing him? No, I never miss people I’ve played. The residue of him will always stay with me because of the swearing aspect, which people latch onto, but the great thing about acting is that it’s endlessly shifting. I’ve done many things since then. Will he always be your defining role, though? I don’t think so: Henry Moore wouldn’t say: “This sculpture defines me.” He would say, “This is all my work.” You’re back playing the Controller on the second series of 007: Road to a Million, in which contestants compete in James Bond-themed challenges to win cash. You always wanted to play a Bond villain — so did you do any prep to get into character? No, no, I just turn up and do the lines and try not to bump into the furniture! Are you a fan of reality shows like The Traitors and Race across the World, which are a similar format to Road to a Million? You have to be careful, because there could be a sadistic thing about watching people constantly fail – “They got it wrong, oh, good.” I don’t go in for that, and as the Controller, all I’m concerned about is that the right two people win. It’s about the human dilemma of choice: do I go this way or that way? That’s what provides the drama and entertainment. Do you enjoy playing a villain? I enjoy the job, but I never think of the characters I play as villains. I see them as humans who make mistakes or have avarice. On Succession, everybody said, “Logan’s such and such,” and I kept saying, “You’ve got him all wrong.” Logan’s a toughie but all he wants is one o…

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Brian Cox reveals his pick for next James Bond: “He’s very real, he’s got no crap about him”
type: item
date: 2025-08-11T20:00:08.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: He’s back in the spotlight in his 007 spin-off series — but who would he like to see as the next Bond?
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Best known for his role as the sweary, bad-tempered billionaire Logan Roy in multi-award-winning drama Succession, Brian Cox, 79, is currently playing a James Bond-style villain for Amazon Prime’s 007-themed contest Road to a Million. But, he tells RT, he thinks his “baddies” are quite tame — and what he longs for is to play it for laughs. It’s been two years since Logan Roy died in the final series of Succession. Do you miss playing him? No, I never miss people I’ve played. The residue of him will always stay with me because of the swearing aspect, which people latch onto, but the great thing about acting is that it’s endlessly shifting. I’ve done many things since then. Will he always be your defining role, though? I don’t think so: Henry Moore wouldn’t say: “This sculpture defines me.” He would say, “This is all my work.” You’re back playing the Controller on the second series of 007: Road to a Million, in which contestants compete in James Bond-themed challenges to win cash. You always wanted to play a Bond villain — so did you do any prep to get into character? No, no, I just turn up and do the lines and try not to bump into the furniture! Are you a fan of reality shows like Traitors and Race across the World, which are a similar format to Road to a Million? You have to be careful, because there could be a sadistic thing about watching people constantly fail – “They got it wrong, oh, good.” I don’t go in for that, and as the Controller, all I’m concerned about is that the right two people win. It’s about the human dilemma of choice: do I go this way or that way? That’s what provides the drama and entertainment. Do you enjoy playing a villain? I enjoy the job, but I never think of the characters I play as villains. I see them as humans who make mistakes or have avarice. On Succession, everybody said, “Logan’s such and such,” and I kept saying, “You’ve got him all wrong.” Logan’s a toughie but all he wants is o…

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'Unravelling the truth was very moving'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Delving into his family history for the new series of Who Do You Think You Are?, Ross Kemp was surprised and touched to discover his ancestors shared his wanderlust
encoded: Add Who Do You Think You Are to your watchlist As a child, EastEnders actor and award-winning documentary-maker Ross Kemp was fascinated by family stories of war, derring-do and even shipwrecks. So when the 60-year-old agreed to delve into his family history for the genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?, he expected to uncover a colourful history. What he hadn’t anticipated was to get quite so emotional: “Like any family, the stories change as they pass down generations, like Chinese whispers,” he says. “Unravelling the truth was very moving.” Kemp travelled to Morocco to learn more about his maternal great-grandfather Arthur Chalmers – or “Pop” as he was known, thanks to him being a sailor with muscly arms like the cartoon character Popeye. Kemp is also told about an ancestor he had known nothing about: his great-great-great-great grandfather on his father’s side, Jeremiah Whall, who became a Royal Marine drummer in 1803, aged just 13, beating vital semaphore messages to other Allied troops as they protected colonial trade interests at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1809 he was involved in fierce combat, helping to capture the island of Martinique from the French. “Both Pop and Jeremiah were men who didn’t like to sit still for too long, so maybe I get a bit of that from them,” says Kemp, talking over Zoom from his home in Berkshire, where he’s preparing to take his four children to Disneyland. As a child growing up with his younger brother Darren in Essex, Kemp was regaled with stories about Pop, who loved drinking and gambling and was said to have been shipwrecked at least twice. “Apparently, he walked as if he was still on the ship – one step forward and two steps sideways,” says Kemp. “He tried to pawn his watch to the milkman a day before he died to put money on a horse.” When Kemp tries to discover whether there is any truth to the tales of being shipwrecked, he is told that Pop’s troop carrier, Duchess of York, was bombed in July 1943, 300 miles of…

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Ross Kemp: 'Unravelling the truth about my family history was very moving'
type: item
date: 2025-04-14T23:01:59.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: BBC One
subject: Magazine
description: Ross Kemp delves into his family history for the new series of Who Do You Think You Are?.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Delving into his family history for the new series of Who Do You Think You Are?, Ross Kemp was surprised and touched to discover his ancestors shared his wanderlust As a child, EastEnders actor and award-winning documentary-maker Ross Kemp was fascinated by family stories of war, derring-do and even shipwrecks. So when the 60-year-old agreed to delve into his family history for the genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?, he expected to uncover a colourful history. What he hadn’t anticipated was to get quite so emotional: "Like any family, the stories change as they pass down generations, like Chinese whispers." he says. "Unravelling the truth was very moving." Kemp travelled to Morocco to learn more about his maternal great-grandfather Arthur Chalmers – or Pop as he was known, thanks to him being a sailor with muscly arms like the cartoon character Popeye. Kemp is also told about an ancestor he had known nothing about: his great-great-great-great grandfather on his father's side, Jeremiah Whall, who became a Royal Marine drummer in 1803, aged just 13, beating vital semaphore messages to other Allied troops as they protected colonial trade interests at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1809, he was involved in fierce combat, helping to capture the island of Martinique from the French. "Both Pop and Jeremiah were men who didn’t like to sit still for too long, so maybe I get a bit of that from them," says Kemp, talking over Zoom from his home in Berkshire, where he’s preparing to take his four children to Disneyland. As a child growing up with his younger brother Darren in Essex, Kemp was regaled with stories about Pop, who loved drinking and gambling and was said to have been shipwrecked at least twice. "Apparently, he walked as if he was still on the ship – one step forward and two steps sideways," says Kemp. "He tried to pawn his watch to the milkman a day before he died to put money on a horse." When Kemp t…

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Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh says fans want "more" LGBTQ+ storylines
type: item
date: 2025-04-04T07:00:23.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Channel 4
subject: Interview
description: Andoh talks fame in her 60s, laying bricks in Brixton, and why the arts must return to our schools.
encoded: As the charismatic and powerful Lady Danbury in period drama Bridgerton, actor Adjoa Andoh has won a legion of new fans. But Andoh – who is now also the voice of Channel 4’s Château DIY – had already built up an impressive career spanning soap, theatre and drama before landing the Netflix role. Born in the Cotswolds and married to writer Howard Cunnell, Andoh, 62, began her career while juggling life as a single mum in Brixton, south London. She talks to Radio Times about global fame, learning to lay bricks in a squat, the lack of arts funding in schools and the return of Bridgerton. How do you feel about the phenomenal success of Bridgerton? It’s a tremendous privilege. People tell me they love to watch a costume drama with women so central to the stories, and people of colour in a historical drama. I’ve had gay and lesbian people saying, "We've had little hints, when can we get a bit more of that sort of story?" There are lots of people who see themselves reflected in it. And what do you tell them? Nothing, or somebody would take me to a dark room! I’m filming the fourth season now and all I can say is it’ll be another dramatic, emotional, aesthetic feast. It was one of the earliest shows to feature colour-conscious casting, where actors of colour are deliberately cast. Why is that important? It has expanded the possibilities of what stories you can tell, how you tell them and who can be in them. It also means you've expanded your audience. When I stay with family in Ghana, people will charge across the street to me, excited about a costume drama set in Regency England. They identify with it in a different way. Has it changed your life? I was in EastEnders for a while, so I was very well known for that, and then I was in Casualty and Doctor Who, so it's not unfamiliar for me to be recognised. But Netflix is international, so that’s different. I can be recognised in Thailand or America or Shropshire. It means you’re doing your work well, and it's quite moving. Bein…

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‘Agatha Christie inspired The Traitors,' says James Pritchard, great-grandson of legendary author
type: item
date: 2025-02-25T00:01:37.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: BBC One
subject: Magazine
description: "I love that murder mystery is growing in popularity."
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – and judging by the number of TV programmes that have borrowed from Agatha Christie, the crime writer would have been very flattered indeed. Her great-grandson, TV and film producer James Prichard, who manages Christie's literary and media rights, is delighted by the trend for Christie-ish murder mysteries like the Knives Out film franchise and Only Murders in the Building, starring Daniel Craig and Steve Martin respectively. But most of all, he loves the BBC’s ratings-busting show The Traitors. He believes the show – hosted by Claudia Winkleman – is based on And Then There Were None, the famous Christie novel published in 1939, in which a group of people are stranded on an island and murdered, one by one. The Traitors also includes tropes associated with Christie, such as an ornate library and luxury train, often used as a plot device in Christie’s stories. "I think The Traitors is brilliant. It’s absolutely based on an Agatha Christie murder-mystery concept," Prichard says of the show, a game of trust and treachery that is credited with reviving reality TV. "At the beginning of the series, they're on the train. They’ve got the board with all the faces being picked off, one by one. They’ve got the library, it’s everything Agatha Christie. It’s And Then There Were None in lots of ways." He adds: "There's a recognition amongst a lot of the crime-writing fraternity that my great-grandmother is an inspiration. It’s great. I love that murder mystery is growing in popularity." Christie adaptations have always been hugely popular – but in the '70s and '80s there was often a twee element to the movies and TV shows, such as those starring Peter Ustinov and David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, and Joan Hickson as Miss Marple. When writer Sarah Phelps started adapting Christie's books for the BBC in 2015, including Ordeal by Innocence and The ABC Murders, she brought a darkne…

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Gladiators, ready!
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Legend, Fire and Nitro are back to throw down the gauntlet to members of the public on Saturday-night TV
encoded: Add Gladiators to your watchlist Legend is picking at a loose thread on his exceedingly tight lycra shorts. We are filming our interview, so the Gladiator is worried about looking scruffy on film. Er, I don’t think anybody will be looking at a loose thread, I say – they’ll be too busy staring at your thighs. Honestly, dear reader, they are huge! On BBC1’s Gladiators, swinging around a big arena, surrounded by other super-fit athletes, Legend looks pretty muscly. But here in an east London studio, dwarfing the plastic chair he’s sitting on, his legs appear extraordinary to this mere mortal. “I do have to go through doors sideways,” he admits. “I’ve been classified as an actual weapon. I’m so strong, I have to be careful – I broke someone’s arm yesterday just by shaking their hand.” It seems Legend – otherwise known as Matt Morsia, a former long- and triple-jumper, European Championship silver medal-winning powerlifter and successful YouTube creator (under the name MattDoesFitness) – is clearly very much staying in character for this interview, to promote the second series of the hit Saturday-night show. Maintaining his alter ego is fun, but I’m slightly confused about whether I’m interviewing Legend and his fellow Gladiators Fire and Nitro, or their real-life counterparts Morsia, Montell Douglas and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. Is there much of a difference? “We were always told just to amplify who we are,” says 36-year-old Aikines-Aryeetey, a former Commonwealth gold medal-winning sprinter who recently appeared as himself in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, as well as last year’s Celebrity MasterChef. “We go out in the arena as ourselves and we play and we entertain. When the super suit comes off, I’m just as energetic as Nitro, Montell burns just as brightly as Fire. I’ll let Legend answer for himself, though…” “It’s true that some of the others dial it up a bit,” says 38-year-old Legend/Morsia, “but I’ve had to rein it in. I actually stopped training a coup…

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Strike's Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger on future: 'It feels worthwhile playing it through to the end'
type: item
date: 2024-12-05T00:01:23.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Burke and Grainger spoke with Radio Times magazine about the show's sixth season, based on The Ink Black Heart.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. As private investigators Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott in the hit BBC series Strike, they have kept viewers on the edge of their seats with their will-they-won’t-they chemistry. But in real life, actors Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger have a much more straightforward relationship as co-stars and great friends. The pair have filmed six seasons since 2017, playing the one-legged war veteran Strike and his partner in crime Robin in the adaptations of the books by Robert Galbraith, otherwise known as JK Rowling. Both actors now slip seamlessly into their roles as soon as they are on set together, but admit the lines have recently become blurred between fiction and reality. "I did forget where Strike ended and Tom began," Grainger says. "In between takes I would often put my arm out to Tom to help him because I got sucked in by his acting, then I remembered he has two legs in real life and doesn’t need a hand." Burke adds with a laugh, "When I was watching Holly in her other drama The Capture, whenever she was on her phone sending a text, I instinctively reached for my phone." The actors say coming back to Strike after filming other projects is akin to that cosy familiarity of getting your pencil case out for school after the summer holidays. For Burke, all he needs to do now to get into character is slip on the famous coat and remember how to do Strike’s accent: London with a twang of Cornwall. He says he "used to have to underline words in the script and work quite hard on it, but now it comes back easily, which is a relief. "As for the coat, I don’t know where it is, but it should be in a velvet-lined box, shouldn’t it? People do say I should wear it in real life and it is a great coat but if you saw me walking around in it, you’d think I’ve gone mad." Grainger adds, "I have done that before. I kept one of Robin’s coats, and came out of a shop wearing it and someone did a double take. It was a mistake." The Ink…

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Striking a match
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
subject: App archive 100
description: JK Rowling’s detective drama Strike is back with a new case, but as things heat up between them on screen, has reality and fiction blurred for Holliday Grainger and Tom Burke?
encoded: This article was first published in Radio Times Magazine in December 2024. Add Strike: The Ink Black Heart to your watchlist As private investigators Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott in the hit BBC series Strike, they have kept viewers on the edge of their seats with their will-they-won’t-they chemistry. But in real life, actors Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger have a much more straightforward relationship as co-stars and great friends. The pair have filmed six series since 2017, playing the one-legged war veteran Strike and his partner in crime Robin in the adaptations of the books by Robert Galbraith, otherwise known as JK Rowling. Both actors now slip seamlessly into their roles as soon as they are on set together, but admit the lines have recently become blurred between fiction and reality. “I did forget where Strike ended and Tom began,” Grainger says. “In between takes I would often put my arm out to Tom to help him because I got sucked in by his acting, then I remembered he has two legs in real life and doesn’t need a hand.” Burke adds with a laugh, “When I was watching Holly in her other drama The Capture, whenever she was on her phone sending a text, I instinctively reached for my phone.” The actors say coming back to Strike after filming other projects is akin to that cosy familiarity of getting your pencil case out for school after the summer holidays. For Burke, all he needs to do now to get into character is slip on the famous coat and remember how to do Strike’s accent: London with a twang of Cornwall. He says he “used to have to underline words in the script and work quite hard on it, but now it comes back easily, which is a relief. “As for the coat, I don’t know where it is, but it should be in a velvet-lined box, shouldn’t it? People do say I should wear it in real life and it is a great coat but if you saw me walking around in it, you’d think I’ve gone mad.” Grainger adds, “I have done that before. I kept one of Robin’s coats, and came out of a sh…

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'We're like two naughty kids!'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two hosts Janette Manrara and Fleur East reflect on the latest series
encoded: Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist As Strictly Come Dancing 2024 enters its closing stages, ex-Strictly professional dancer Janette Manrara and former finalist Fleur East, hosts of the BBC2 spin-off show It Takes Two, reflect on the series and returning to the glitterball game as new parents. We’re into the final weeks of Strictly — how would you sum up this series? J This year everyone has let their hair down. The celebrities are so funny and that’s rubbing off on the judges. F Because it’s the 20th anniversary year, it feels like a big celebration. Is it hard not to have favourites — especially for you, Janette, now your husband Aljaž is back as a professional? J The celebrities are the ones competing, not the pros. I just want Aljaž to do a good job. I’m so happy to see him back. I’ve cried – he belongs on that floor. F You can’t have favourites because it’s so unpredictable. I could never say at the start who might win. Anyone can suddenly blow you away. Chris McCausland is the first blind celebrity on Strictly. Are there any limits to who can compete on the show? J Anyone can move to music. Chris is fascinating and Dianne’s doing such a brilliant job guiding him, it makes my heart sing. Strictly has a massive platform and it makes a lot of people at home feel heard and seen. F Yeah, we have an open door for anybody! You have co-hosted It Takes Two for two series now — is it a dream job? F We’re like the naughty kids who have to be separated because we giggle too much. It’s just as well we present different days. J We’re also both new mums. I’m struggling with Lyra’s sleep, and Fleur’s going through the same things. Lyra and [Fleur’s daughter] Nova met for the first time recently, which was cute! How challenging is it to go back to work with young babies? J When Lyra was three months old, I was doing It Takes Two and touring the UK with Aljaž, so Lyra was on trains and in hotels and she was absolutely fine. There’s a baby room on Strictly if we need it …

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Strictly's Janette Manrara 'baffled' at being judged for returning to work after giving birth
type: item
date: 2024-12-02T00:01:29.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: BBC One
subject: Magazine
description: Manrara hosts It Takes Two alongside Fleur East.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. As Strictly Come Dancing 2024 enters its closing stages, ex-Strictly professional dancer Janette Manrara and former finalist Fleur East, hosts of the BBC2 spin-off show It Takes Two, reflect on the series and returning to the glitterball game as new parents. We're into the final weeks of Strictly — how would you sum up this series? Janette: This year everyone has let their hair down. The celebrities are so funny and that’s rubbing off on the judges. Fleur: Because it’s the 20th anniversary year, it feels like a big celebration. Is it hard not to have favourites — especially for you, Janette, now your husband Aljaž is back as a professional? Janette: The celebrities are the ones competing, not the pros. I just want Aljaž to do a good job. I’m so happy to see him back. I’ve cried – he belongs on that floor. Fleur: You can’t have favourites because it’s so unpredictable. I could never say at the start who might win. Anyone can suddenly blow you away. Chris McCausland is the first blind celebrity on Strictly. Are there any limits to who can compete on the show? Janette: Anyone can move to music. Chris is fascinating and Dianne’s doing such a brilliant job guiding him, it makes my heart sing. Strictly has a massive platform and it makes a lot of people at home feel heard and seen. Fleur: Yeah, we have an open door for anybody! You have co-hosted It Takes Two for two series now — is it a dream job? Fleur: We’re like the naughty kids who have to be separated because we giggle too much. It’s just as well we present different days. Janette: We’re also both new mums. I’m struggling with Lyra’s sleep, and Fleur’s going through the same things. Lyra and [Fleur’s daughter] Nova met for the first time recently, which was cute! How challenging is it to go back to work with young babies? Janette: When Lyra was three months old, I was doing It Takes Two and touring the UK with Aljaž, so Lyra was on trains and in hotels and she was…

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Putting on the glitz!
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
subject: Collections
description: Is Craig Revel Horwood going soft? Are the pros too tough on the celebrities? Who should appear on the Christmas special? The Strictly judges have their say…
encoded: Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist As the pantomime villain of Strictly Come Dancing, Craig Revel Horwood has become accustomed to being booed and heckled by fans. But viewers may have detected a slight softening recently, with the judge’s famous “Fab-u-lous, darling” catchphrase getting more airtime these days than his “Dull, dull, dull!” Could it be that, after 20 years behind the judging desk, the 59-year-old has gone soft? “I have changed my style of judging,” he admits. “I was really harsh 20 years ago. When I look back, I think, ‘Ooh, that’s cutting.’ It would now be classed as bullying, and then I’d be cancelled.” But, he adds, his new, kinder persona has not come about because he’s afraid of causing a public outcry. “It’s not fear of being cancelled. It’s just, how can I reach out to them and help them to improve, rather than just saying, ‘This is wrong, that’s wrong.’ I’m thinking more like a teacher than a judge. “If the standard is low, I really haven’t got anything to say except what’s wrong with it. But this series there’s been an awful lot that’s right with everything. They’re much more talented now than they used to be. Back then, we had snooker players and politicians, and it was pretty tough on people who couldn’t dance. I was very direct. I do still say what’s wrong, but you can wrap the truth in a nice way.” In case you’re concerned that he has become too nice, Revel Horwood insists he still couldn’t care less if dancers are upset by his opinions. “I’m not there for their emotions. I don’t care how it affects them in that way, because they need to learn and respect my opinion.” Nor does he care about any backlash from fans. In fact, he plans to write a book about the social media trolling he has received. “It will be hilarious. Over the years I’ve been keeping all these comments and so-called death threats from people who have five followers and no dance knowledge, and I’m going to shame them. “I read these comments and think, ‘Wonderful,…

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'Nobody tells me what I can and can't say'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Shirley Ballas
encoded: Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist There has been a bit of criticism about the judges bickering this year. What’s the atmosphere really like between the four of you? We’re all friends. I’ve known Anton over 35 years, Motsi over 30 years, and Craig for the full eight that I’ve been on the show, and we have such a good banter between us. Do you have favourite celebrities from the start? When they first come down the stairs, sometimes I think, “That’s not a coordinated person.” But I thought that about Bill Bailey, who went on to win, so what do I know! What have been your favourite moments on the show? Kelvin Fletcher with his samba in week one. My eyeballs nearly dropped out. And Giovanni and Rose Ayling-Ellis when she switched off the music and took us into her world. Do your critiques vary depending on how robust a celebrity seems? I have several hats. have a technician hat, an empathy hat and a snuggle-bunny cuddle hat if I feel they need it. I can read the room, put it that way. I might think I’m going to say one thing, then I see that they have struggled or made mistakes. You want to give encouragement for the parts they did well, but recognise the mistakes, too. Do the producers ever tell you to go easy on somebody that’s having a hard week? I don’t have anybody telling me what I can and cannot say. We have no earpieces. Nobody’s told what to say. Do you ever give the contestants advice backstage? I come downstairs just before we’re about to air, and there’s so much hustle and bustle. There’s amazing camaraderie. I just say to them as I go past, “Do your best and enjoy every minute, because it’s going to be memories by tomorrow. Enjoy it and don’t be worrying if you make a mistake.” As head judge, do you feel the pressure of having the final vote on who goes home? I’m sitting there every weekend, thinking, “Dear Lord, my saviour, please let the other three make the decision so it doesn’t come down to me.” But somebody has to do this job and I try to se…

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'I'd never want somebody to feel belittled'
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Motsi Mabuse
encoded: Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist You started your TV career as a professional on the German version of Strictly. Which is harder, judging or being a pro? They’re hard in different ways. The professionals give absolutely everything; they are mums to the contestants, they are therapists, they create choreography. As a judge, there’s always decision-making, which is hard. You can’t make everyone happy. Is there a difference between judging celebrities and professional dancers? On a professional stage, you say it straight. I’d never be a person that’s harsh, but there’s space to say, “You can’t expect the results if you’re not working hard.” You wouldn’t say that on a TV show. People would have a heart attack! I would never want somebody to feel in any way shamed or belittled. There are some people you can laugh with, though. Paul Merson tried his best, but he was fine with making jokes. You need people like that or it would be boring. As a young ballroom dancer, did you find the training techniques difficult? One of my teachers made me feel so worthless. I felt unprotected and vulnerable. There are different ways to motivate kids and we do things differently today. A lot of my insecurities come from my childhood. I’ve forgotten so much, and that’s my brain protecting me. I’ve blocked out a lot of things. Do you ever give advice to contestants who might be finding it tough? I try not to engage much with them, because then I might feel guilty. On the German version of Strictly, where I’m also a judge, we used to have an after-party every week and you start exchanging conversations. Then you have to let them down in front of millions! Is it easier now that your sister Oti isn’t on the show? Oti and I had to at some point stop the conversation because you want to be professional. Now we dissect everything. We sit on Sunday and have our own results show. It’s nice to reflect with somebody that you trust so you can get great feedback. It’s the same for me when I w…

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‘I watch it to check I’m not being idiotic’
type: item
creator: Emma Cox
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Anton Du Beke
encoded: Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist You’ve been part of Strictly since the start. How has the show changed over the past 20 years? People say the standard has improved, but Jill Halfpenny did one of the best jives ever in series two. Darren Gough was fantastic in series three, as was Mark Ramprakash in series four. But it’s more spectacular now because we do lifts and dances that we never used to, like the American Smooth and the Charleston. Did you ever imagine that the show would run for 20 years? What’s the secret of its longevity? We never even considered it, but I thought it was a genius idea putting a celebrity with a professional. You can enjoy it for so many different reasons, whether it’s the live music, the judges, the dancing, the frocks. The nuts and bolts haven’t changed, but it’s become more impressive-looking every time. What would it take for you to leave? I’ll be there in a decade, don’t you worry. I think it can run and run. People are loving the show as much as ever, even with all the negative press over the past months. What the press don’t understand is that audiences don’t want to hear about that. They want you to leave it alone, thank you so much. We love this show. Do you watch it yourself? It’s a big thing in our house. My wife and children love it, so I watch from time to time and check that I’m not being a lunatic or idiotic. Do you ever change your mind on your scores when you watch it back? What we don’t see in the studio is what you see at home. You’ll see something from the front, where the cameras are, and we’re watching from the side. Sometimes I’ll go, “Oh, I didn’t see that, they went a bit out of time.” But I judge what I’m looking at and I’ve never been wrong yet. Has the judging changed over the years? It was harsher in the old days. Craig couldn’t get away with it now. He was absolutely brutal! I got the worst of it. If someone’s made a mistake and could do better, of course you point it out. But if my partners were nev…

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Craig Revel Horwood on Strictly duty of care: "Things have to change"
type: item
date: 2024-11-26T00:01:18.000Z
creator: Emma Cox
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: "I have changed my style of judging."
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. As the pantomime villain of Strictly Come Dancing, Craig Revel Horwood has become accustomed to being booed and heckled by fans. But viewers may have detected a slight softening recently, with the judge’s famous "Fab-u-lous, darling" catchphrase getting more airtime these days than his "Dull, dull, dull!". Could it be that, after 20 years behind the judging desk, the 59-year-old has gone soft? "I have changed my style of judging," he admits. "I was really harsh 20 years ago. When I look back, I think, 'Ooh, that’s cutting.' It would now be classed as bullying, and then I’d be cancelled." But, he adds, his new, kinder persona has not come about because he’s afraid of causing a public outcry. "It’s not fear of being cancelled. It’s just, how can I reach out to them and help them to improve, rather than just saying, 'This is wrong, that’s wrong.' I’m thinking more like a teacher than a judge. "If the standard is low, I really haven’t got anything to say except what’s wrong with it. But this series there’s been an awful lot that’s right with everything. "They’re much more talented now than they used to be. Back then, we had snooker players and politicians, and it was pretty tough on people who couldn’t dance. I was very direct. I do still say what’s wrong, but you can wrap the truth in a nice way." In case you’re concerned that he has become too nice, Revel Horwood insists he still couldn’t care less if dancers are upset by his opinions. "I’m not there for their emotions. I don’t care how it affects them in that way, because they need to learn and respect my opinion." Nor does he care about any backlash from fans. In fact, he plans to write a book about the social media trolling he has received. "It will be hilarious. Over the years I’ve been keeping all these comments and so-called death threats from people who have five followers and no dance knowledge, and I’m going to shame them. "I read these comments and think, …

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