Who could replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing?
The nation was shocked this week by the announcement that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be stepping down from hosting duties on Strictly Come Dancing. The news came in a joint statement from the pair, who revealed that this year will be their last, admitting that it felt "like the right time". The statement read: "We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. "We will cry when we say the last 'keep dancing' but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza." Ahead of their departure, and with Winkleman's nod that the new presenters will be "magnificent", speculation has been rife as to who could don their sparkles and rise to the challenge. Read on for all the speculation around who could replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing. Who could replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on Strictly Come Dancing? Janette Manrara and Fleur East Janette Manrara and Fleur East seem likely replacements, as the pair both host companion series It Takes Two. Manrara joined It Takes Two in 2021 after she left the main show as a professional dancer, taking over from Zoe Ball. She was joined by Fleur East in 2023, months after the singer made it to the final of the main show alongside Vito Coppola. According to bet365, the pair have odds of 5/2 and 7/2, with East leading the charge. Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton Former Strictly Come Dancing champions Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton have odds of 8/1 to potentially be named the new presenters. The couple met on and won Strictly in 2018, and began dating the following year. The pair now have a child together, who they welcomed in 2023. Rylan Clark Rylan Clark has odds of 6/1 to be named the new presenter on Strictly. Similarly to other rumoured names, Clark has been part of the Strictly world before having co-presented It Takes Two from 2019 to 2023. Since 2018, he has served as a semi-final co-commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest over in the UK, often appearing on BBC Radio 2. Hannah Waddingham Hannah Waddingham is an actress and singer, best known for her role as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Most notably, Waddingham co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 alongside Alesha Dixon, when it was hosted in the United Kingdom, proving to have the live presenting skills needed for Strictly. She is also an acclaimed musical theatre performer, having starred in the likes of The Wizard of Oz, Spamalot and A Little Night Music. She also hosted the Olivier Awards back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Zoe Ball Broadcaster Zoe Ball replaced Claudia Winkleman as host of companion series It Takes Two until her exit in 2021. She is no stranger to the world of Strictly, having also hosted the live tour in 2011 and 2015, as well as appearing as a contestant in 2005. Roman Kemp Roman Kemp is a radio and TV presenter, and currently presents The One Show. Kemp is among the names whispered to potentially take over the Strictly presenting gig, with his odds currently sitting at 5/1. Alesha Dixon Alesha Dixon is a singer and TV personality who currently sits on the judging panel of Britain's Got Talent, but has experienced the Strictly sparkle in the past. In 2007, she appeared on and won the programme before starring as a judge on the show between 2009 and 2012. Her presenting work includes Children in Need, the BRIT Awards and, more recently, she co-presented the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 in Liverpool. Alan Carr Alan Carr has taken the nation by storm with his hilarious work on The Celebrity Traitors, with people calling for a return of his talk show Chatty Man. Though never immersed in the Strictly world, Carr has presented the likes of Channel 4's Comedy Gala, Stand Up to Cancer and Picture Slam. Emma Willis TV presenter extraordinaire Emma Willis has odds of 10/1 to be named the next presenter of Strictly Come Dancing, and she certainly has the CV to back it up. Willis presented Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother from 2013 to 2018, as well as companion series Bit on the Side. Alongside this, she began presenting The Voice UK in 2014 and continues to do so. Her other presenting gigs include The Circle and Love Is Blind: UK, which she fronts alongside her husband Matt Willis. And finally... Graham Norton Frances Taylor – TV Previews Editor, Radio Times Do you remember those BBC entertainment series of the noughties that searched for new West End stars? The ones that saw Jodie Prenger landing the role of Nancy when she won I’d Do Anything, or Lee Mead donning the technicolour dreamcoat in Any Dream Will Do? Graham Norton hosted these shows, and they had very similar formats to Strictly. He celebrated and commiserated with the contestants post-performance, but also sparred with the panel of judges. Who else could introduce Andrew Lloyd Webber as “his nibs” and get away with it? And unsurprisingly, given that he’s one of our best broadcasters, Norton presided with panache and pizazz; his natural charisma, sharp wit and seamless ad-libbing made presenting a shiny-floor show seem effortless. News of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s imminent departure from Strictly only amplifies recent whispers around whether the show has had its day. With two of its most sturdy anchors now setting sail, if the BBC wants to shore up the future of what is still one of its most prized and valuable assets, the corporation needs to draft in one of its most prized and valuable presenters. And that’s Norton. At what feels like a precarious juncture for the show, placing it in the hands of someone so experienced and beloved feels like the only hope. Besides, as the BBC loves a bit of cost-cutting, here’s an idea for them: given that he would be absolutely perfect in the ‘Tess’ and ‘Claud’ roles, why not do away with a second host and instead have him bound up and down the stairs to do both jobs? Problem solved... Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 25th October at 6:20pm. Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
All the Love Island couples still together – and those that have definitely split
We look at the couples who are still loved up – and those who have decided to call it quits – on Love Island.
A new season of Love Island is upon us, with a group of singles primed and ready for a summer of love as they prepare to head into the iconic villa. This summer run marks 10 years of Love Island, and the show plans to pull out all the stops to celebrate the landmark anniversary, with creative director Mike Spencer-Hayter teasing a huge twist to come. Last summer saw Mimii Ngulube and Josh Oyinsan take home the prize, following on from All Stars champs Molly Smith and Tom Clare, but there will be a new couple taking home the epic cash prize and title of winners in just a couple of months. Once more, viewers will see Islanders test their connections with one another in the hopes of finding their person and that things will materialise just as easily beyond the show. As this is Love Island, we all know that the ultimate test to their blossoming relationships is the reality of the outside world. Will heads continue to turn or will romance continue to blossom once the cameras have stopped rolling? It can really go either way. Most recently, season 10 stars Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki announced they had split up, which sent shockwaves across the Love Island community. So, where are all the Love Island couples right now? Here's what you need to know. Last updated: 9th June 2025 Love Island: All Stars 2025 Gabby Allen and Casey O'Gorman - SPLIT While Gabby and Casey may have won Love Island: All Stars, their romance didn't last very long, with the pair announcing their split three months after leaving the villa. The pair released a joint statement via MailOnline, which read: "After much thoughtful consideration, Gabby and Casey have decided to go their separate ways romantically. This decision was mutual, and they both remain on good terms as friends with a shared respect for each other." A representative for Gabby added: "Gabby is grateful for the memories they've created together and wishes Casey nothing but the best as they both move forward on their individual journeys. She's excited for what the future holds and appreciates." Grace Jackson and Luca Bish - Still together Grace and Luca continue the theory that those who come in second place always last longer and are still in a relationship since their time in the villa. While they left the villa not in a relationship, Luca asked Grace to be his girlfriend in a fancy proposal during a holiday in Dubai. Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Curtis Pritchard - SPLIT Three months after the All Stars final, Ekin-Su and Curtis announced they had split in what had been described as "a really tough decision". Ekin-Su said in a statement: "He's an incredible person and I'll always cherish the memories we made both in and out of the villa. Thank you all so much for the love and support over the past few months. "We're both focusing on navigating this transition and would really appreciate privacy during this time. Love always, Ekin-Su Xx" Catherine Agbaje and Omar Nyame - SPLIT View oEmbed on the source website Catherine and Omar seemed like a hopeful couple while in the villa, but the pair never made it to the "boyfriend-girlfriend" stage according to The Sun. Elma Pazar and Sammy Root - Still together Elma and Sammy first met while filming The Only Way Is Essex, with any idea of a relationship completely unheard of, but after reuniting in the villa, their romance blossomed. The pair are still together and seem to be going strong. Love Island: 2024 (summer) Josh Oyinsan and Mimii Ngulube – SPLIT Josh and Mimii made history as the first Black couple to win Love Island in the show's history but just two months after their win, they announced they had split. In a post on Instagram, Mimii said she and Josh were "trying to figure it out since leaving the villa but unfortunately things aren't going to work out between us right now". Josh didn't immediately comment on their split until weeks later and told The Sun: "Mimii is just as busy as I am. I'm sure she's doing well whatever she is doing. I wish her the best and I hope she continues to thrive." Jess Spencer and Ayo Odukoya – SPLIT When Jess and Ayo became a couple in the villa, things were slightly rocky as in turn it meant Mimii was left single. After leaving the villa, it didn't appear that the boyfriend and girlfriend question had been popped, and months later Jess confirmed that they had split up. While not releasing statements confirming they had gone their separate way, Jess responded to a comment regarding Ayo needing to ask her to be his girlfriend and wrote: "Girl says who?? The internet?? He doesn't need to ask me anything because we're not together. Let it go." Sean Stone and Matilda Draper – SPLIT Matilda and Sean broke up just three weeks after leaving the final, with their busy schedules being the reason for their split. The pair wrote on their Instagram Stories in August 2024 that they had gone their separate ways. Just wanted to come on here to tell you guys that Matilda and I have decided to part ways," Sean wrote. "We are good friends & I'm so grateful to have shared such an incredible experience with her. "We appreciate all of your support throughout our time together and all the love you have shown us both we both believe this is the best step for us moving forward. Love you all." Nicole Samuel and Ciaran Davies – SPLIT Nicole and Ciaran left the villa as boyfriend and girlfriend but just four months after their time in the villa came to an end, they split up. Fans originally speculated the pair went their separate ways after they seemed distant in a video posted on social media. Soon after, a representative for the pair confirmed to The Sun: "Over the last couple of days Nicole and Ciaran have made the mutual decision to part ways. They have left the relationship on amicable terms, and will remain good friends going forward." Love Island: All Stars 2024 Molly and Tom - Still together Molly Smith and Tom Clare were named the first ever winners of the Love Island: All Stars season. The couple took home a whopping £50,000 cash prize, which they split. The couple are still together and often share videos of them pranking one another on social media. Sophie and Josh - Still together Sophie Piper and Josh Ritchie had a few testing moments while in the villa together but they are still together! The pair continue to update fans with their relationship with lavish trips abroad and loved up pictures. Georgia S and Toby - SPLIT Georgia Steel and Toby had a rocky journey on All Stars earlier this year but seemed to be going strong after the final. However, just weeks after the show, they announced they had gone their separate ways. Georgia confirmed the news in a post to her Instagram story. "After seeing the reports regarding my relationship with Toby I feel it's only right for me to be transparent and truthful with you all," she said. "It is true Toby has called things off. It has taken me by complete surprise and I’m still trying to process it and come to terms with it all. They say some people are in your life for a lifetime and some just for a chapter." Georgia H and Anton - SPLIT Georgia Harrison and Anton Danyluk made it all the way All Stars final, but weeks after speculation of their romance, they split up. "Georgia and Anton have split. They really tried hard to make the relationship work but ultimately the distance proved to much to manage," a source told The Sun. However, Anton appears to have moved on after debuting his new relationship at the BAFTA TV Awards. Love Island: 2023 (summer) Tyrique and Ella T - SPLIT Probably the villa's most argumentative couple, Ella and Tyrique have weathered many a storm in their relationship, with the most recent being Ella B's flirtatious arrival and beeline for Ty. Despite all the bumps in the road, the couple were the first to tell each other they loved each other and are now officially boyfriend and girlfriend. However, six months after making it to the final, the pair went their separate ways. Whitney and Lochan - SPLIT This year's arguably favourite islander, Whitney, hit things off with Lochan later on in Casa Amor, and since then, the pair have become the easygoing couple of the villa. While things appeared to be going strong, Whitney and Lochan announced that they had split up in April 2025. Lochan wrote on Instagram: "Unfortunately Whitney and I's relationship has come to an end. Thank you for all the love and support that you've shown us through our journey, we're forever grateful." Jess and Sammy - SPLIT Despite their fair share of problems and recouplings, Sammy and Jess made it to this year's final more loved up than ever. Sammy was the first boy to ask a girl to be his girlfriend in the villa and the pair seemed to be plain-sailing, despite their past of fiery arguments. Unfortunately, the pair just couldn't make it work on the outside, and have since split up. Molly and Zachariah - TOGETHER Going into the final together, Zach and Molly were very much the couple where opposites do seem to attract. Despite being shockingly dumped from the villa earlier on in this season, Molly returned in Casa Amor week to claim Zach back. The pair resolved their differences, with Molly later gifting Zach a bracelet she got in the airport as a token of her affection. The pair have been realistic about the fact they live far apart – Molly lives in Doncaster and Zach lives in south London – but they seem intent on making things work, especially after the 'Meet the Parents' episode where their families seemed to approve. The couple are still together since appearing on the show. Ella B and Mitchel - SPLIT Not quite making it to the final, Mitchel and Ella B were the last couple to be voted out of the villa before the anticipated summer 2023 final. They had more than their fair share of drama with Abi and Mitchel continuing to argue over their previous relationship and Ella B awkwardly caught in the middle. But the awkwardness continued as Mitchel confided in the boys ahead of his final romantic date with Ella B that he thinks she's 'fake'. While the pair left the villa in a couple, they later announced they had split up, with Mitch writing on Instagram: "As you have most likely seen Ella's post sadly our relationship has come to an end. "We had no intentions of ending but with our busy lives at the moment and living the other side of the country it made it extremely hard for it to work. I wish Ella nothing but the best as she is a lovely girl and deserves the world." Leah and Montel - SPLIT Despite appearing very much loved up in the villa, Leah and Montel have split up just two weeks after being dumped from the villa. Although the pair had a few hiccups in the villa, Montel made a very public declaration about his feelings for Leah after kissing Tink in Casa Amor. Leah revealed to OK! that "coming out we went on one date but it's just one of those, it hasn't worked out". She said: "I don't think there was a standout point really, it was more just realising that I don't see this as a long-term thing between us both." Catherine and Elom - SPLIT In a surprise text, Catherine and Elom were voted out of the villa before Leah and Montel were also dumped. While the pair were going from strength to strength when they met in Casa Amor, Elom did admit that he would want to get to know a bombshell in the villa. Now in the outside world, Elom and Catherine have quickly revealed that they aren't dating or pursuing things, with Catherine stating that "early on we decided that we were going to be friends." Kady and Ouzy - SPLIT Having come into the villa as a returning bombshell, Kady wasted no time in getting to know the boys and hit things off with Zachariah, who was coupled up with Molly at the time. In a surprise recoupling, Kady was asked to couple up with a boy of her choosing and chose Zach, immediately leading to Molly's dumping from the villa. Casa Amor provided many a plot twist with Molly returning to the villa and Kady not seeing a future with any of the new boys. But returning to the villa by herself, Kady soon had eyes for Ouzy, who was previously coupled up with Ella. The pair hit it off and were dumped from the villa and split up soon after they returned to the outside world. Love Island: 2023 (winter) Kai and Sanam - Still together The winter Love Island champions (and the first winning couple in the series' history to come from Casa Amor) are still going strong. Last month, Kai shared a sweet message on Instagram to mark Sanam's 25th birthday, describing her as "the most amazing, beautiful girl I have ever met". "I feel so grateful to have you in my life," he added. "Can’t wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you." Aren't they sweet? As of 2024, the pair are now engaged! Posting a carousel of photos to Instagram, Kai captioned the post: "Introducing the next Mrs Fagan. Beautiful, caring, loving and smart are just some of the words that describe you. I love loving you, I love you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." Ron and Lana - SPLIT They coupled up on day one and made it all the way to the Love Island final. Ron and Lana's relationship seemed as strong as ever, and they managed to make things work long distance, with Ron based in Essex and Lana up in Manchester. But despite them being a solid couple outside the villa, the pair have now split. Although the pair recently just went away on holiday together, apparently the distance was too much for them according to a source, who retain that the couple are "still good friends". Tom and Samie - SPLIT Finalists Samie and Tom announced their split in April, just weeks after making things official. "Didn’t think I’d be writing this but me and Samie have gone our separate ways," Tom wrote on Instagram. "We are still on good terms and I have nothing but love and respect for her," he added. "I’m gutted it’s come to an end but I truly wish Samie the best." Tom and Samie have since moved on, with Samie in a new relationship and Tom having won the latest series of Love Island: All Stars. Shaq and Tanya - SPLIT Tanya and Shaq came in fourth place in the winter season of Love Island in 2023, but a year later, they announced they had split. Fans began to notice that photos of pair had disappeared from each other's Instagram pages before they unfollowed each other. Tanya spoke about their break up for the first time in December 2024 during a podcast with former Islander Kaz Kamwi. Tanya said: "I feel like from him, he needed to mature a little bit because guys mature very slowly. “And then I feel like he was having his epiphany of maturing in our relationship, but then it’s at the expense of my feelings that you’re maturing and it’s not good enough. We lived together. I've never wanted to live with a guy, like ever. "Before Shaq I was with someone for three years, he was literally like, 'Let’s get a house together'. He was ready to just do it but I said no." Will and Jessie - Still together While many Love Island couples find themselves dealing with the prospect of a long distance relationship when they leave the villa, none faced quite such a huge distance as Will and Jessie, who hails from Australia. Since they left the dating show, though, they seem to have managed to make things work, with Jessie staying with Will's family on their farm. Both Jessie and Will have been back to Australia, with the pair spending time there with Jessie's family and equal time in the UK with Will's. Casey and Rosie - SPLIT After just missing out on the final, Casey and Rosie couldn't make things work and ended up announcing their split just two weeks after leaving the villa. "Life outside the villa is just very different and we will remain friends moving forward," Casey told a fan on social media. Olivia and Maxwell - SPLIT Things didn't last long for Olivia and Maxwell after their time on Love Island finished, and the couple decided to call it quits at the start of April. “Things weren’t the same between Olivia and Maxwell after they left the villa," a representative for Olivia confirmed. "Life has been hectic and they both decided it was best to end things.Olivia is happy to focus on herself right now and has a lot of exciting work projects coming up, including a role in the next Fast & Furious movie. “It’s sad it didn’t work out but there’s no hard feelings between them.” Love Island: 2022 Gemma and Luca - SPLIT They had their ups and downs in the villa, but Gemma and Luca left the show very much on. They later made their relationship official, with Luca setting up a grand proposal for Gemma as he decorated her home and pool with red roses, candles and balloons. He even sealed the deal by gifting his girl a £7,000 Cartier bracelet. Unfortunately, the pair are no longer together after announcing their break-up on 16th November. In a statement announcing their split, Gemma wrote: "To all my followers, I wanted to let you know that Luca and I are no longer in a relationship. "It wasn't an easy decision but ultimately this is what is best for both of us right now. Many of you have been on this journey with us from the very beginning, and I wanted to thank you for your continued support as we start new chapters." Ekin-Su and Davide - SPLIT Love Island winners Ekin-Su and Davide may have had one of the rockiest romances the show has ever seen, which included the pair arguing across the villa as Davide shouted his now iconic line, "Liar actress, go the f**k out!" at her, but they eventually made it to the end of the show together - and bagged £50,000 during the process. Following the show, things only got better for these two, who lived together and filmed their own TV show, Ekin-Su & Davide: Homecomings, which saw them visiting their native countries together. After a brief break-up over the summer, Davide and Ekin couldn't stay away from each other. But eventually, the pair broke up again, with Ekin-Su appearing on the latest season of All Stars and Davide now in a new relationship. Paige and Adam - SPLIT In a Love Island first, season 8 saw season 4 star Adam Collard return to the villa as a bombshell. And he caught the attention of paramedic Paige Thorne. Paige had been coupled up with Jacques O'Neill at the time, but after he suddenly left the villa, she cracked on with Adam. The two just missed out on the final, but made things official outside of the villa. They've since split however, following claims that Adam had been flirting with other girls (which Adam said had been "blown out of proportion"). Paige confirmed their split by deleting all traces of him from her social media back in October. Indiyah and Dami - Still together Fan favourites Indiyah and Dami are still going strong after their villa stint. The pair had a few issues during their time on the show, as Dami decided to couple up with Summer Botwe after Casa Amor, despite having flirtations with Indiyah prior to the twist. Nevertheless, Indiyah moved on with Deji, and brought him back to the main villa, which caused a fiery exchange between her and Dami. The pair eventually got back together, and left the show in a relationship. They've since moved in together and regularly post cute couple videos and photos to their respective social media accounts. Tasha and Andrew - SPLIT It looked like things could be over for Tasha and Andrew after t*t-gate, but nevertheless the pair managed to make it to the final as a couple, after Tasha popped the question. It came as a massive shock when it was announced that Andrew and Tasha had split up, shortly after Tasha took part in Strictly Come Dancing. While neither made an official statement of their split, Andrew has moved out of their shared home and now lives in Dubai while rumours have circulated that Tasha has been dating someone new. Tasha later wrote on Instagram: "Break-ups happen in life, just because ours is in the public eye doesn’t make it any different. Spread kindness, also to Andrew because he’s also been getting messages." Danica and Jamie - SPLIT Danica and Jamie left the show together with the hopes of exploring things outside of the villa. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they managed to keep things going once filming stopped. They've both removed pictures of each other from their social media accounts, and Danica was pictured kissing The Only Way Is Essex star Roman Hackett in August. Love Island: 2021 Millie and Liam - BACK TOGETHER! Buckle up, this one's a real rollercoaster. Despite a massive wobble in the form of Casa Amor bombshell Lillie, Millie and Liam were crowned the winners of Love Island 2021. In November 2021, they announced that they had purchased their first home together. A year after their stint on the show, they announced that they had made the "tough decision" to break up. "Hi everyone, to avoid any speculation Liam and I wanted to share with you that we have separated," Millie wrote on Instagram at the time. "Nothing will ever take away from the amazing experience we shared in Love Island and the past year and I wish Liam all the best in everything he does. We're both ready for new chapters and I'm excited for what's next." The couple did reconcile and are now stronger than ever. Kaz and Tyler - SPLIT Kaz and Tyler made it "exclusive" before they left the villa, and shortly afterwards, he asked her to be his girlfriend during a romantic bowling date with their close friends. Unfortunately, the pair split in December 2021, just three months after leaving the villa. "We are extremely sad to announce that we have decided to end our romantic relationship.We have had a fantastic journey and we will always have a special bond between us," the couple wrote in a joint statement. They added: "We will continue to be very much in one another's lives and support each other in every way. We are so grateful that we have shared this Love Island experience with each other, and we will continue to support each other's careers. Life since the villa has been amazing, but it’s taking time to adjust to a new normal in the public eye. This part of the journey hasn’t been easy for us but we’re learning. Thank you to every single person who has supported us, we appreciate you more than you will ever know." Chloe and Toby - SPLIT Their relationship was pretty on/off in the villa, but these two managed to make things work on the outside until October 2022. Chloe recently revealed that it was Toby who called it quits, and described the split as "the saddest time of my whole life". After the break-up, she moved in with her co-star Millie. Faye Winter and Teddy Soares - SPLIT There was lots of drama when it came to Feddy, but the pair managed to leave the show in third place and as boyfriend and girlfriend. Shortly after leaving the show, they moved in together and adopted a dog. However, the pair called time on their relationship in 2023. On 15th February that year, Faye took to social media to confirm their break-up following speculation from fans. "I wanted to let you know that after lots of time and consideration, Teddy and I have decided to go our separate ways," she wrote. "Thank you all so much for supporting our relationship and sharing the journey with us. I'm forever grateful." Liberty and Jake - SPLIT These two split way before the show ended, with Liberty quitting the show just days before the final as she realised Jake wasn't the one for her. The former couple reunited during Love Island: All Stars and while romance was not an option for either of them, they did have a civil conversations and put any drama to bed. Love Island: 2020 (Winter) Paige and Finn - SPLIT They were the first couple to make their romance official in the villa, with Finn reading out some romantic messages from his phone. And they later dropped the L-bomb during their love proposals at the show's prom. So it's little wonder Paige and Finn breezed into the finals and were voted as the Love Island 2020 winter winners. But after three years together, which saw them move into their own flat together in Manchester, the couple reportedly split in April. "Paige and Finn had a really good run, but they are still super young and decided it wasn't forever in the end," a source told The Sun, adding: "Paige is spending some time back in Scotland while she works out what she wants to do next." The pair did reunite on Ex on the Beach, but romance was not on the cards for the former couple. Siannise and Luke T - SPLIT They might not have come first place on the show, but the duo certainly won themselves a fairy tale romance. After fighting their way out of a love triangle - thanks to Wallace and Rebecca - they were completely inseparable. Their love proved to be mutual as they both remained single after Casa Amor, and despite a tiny wobble after Luke T got a bit excited about Siannise getting "naked" in the hideaway, they managed to put it behind them. From Luke asking her to be his girlfriend in the most romantic way, to the duo being the first couple to exchange those three, little words, it looked like Siannise and Luke could have something very serious. Outside the villa, things only grew stronger, with the pair moving into their North London pad together. In November 2021, however, the couple fuelled split rumours as Siannise shared a cryptic Instagram story with a quote from singer Summer Walker. Titled "Still Over It", the post read: "You don't have to guess if something is love. Love is shown through actions. Stop making excuses for people who don't show up for you. Don't ignore the red flags. And don't think you have to stay somewhere 'cause you can't find better - you can and you will." The pair are both in separate relationships. Demi and Luke M - SPLIT When it came to finding love in the villa, both contestants were pretty unlucky in love. Luke M got pied by Jess Gale and Natalia Zoppa, while Demi got dumped by Nas Majeed. However, after being matched by their pals Siannise and Luke T, they finally found the love in each other. But sadly things just didn't work out between the pair after leaving the villa. Despite living five hours away from each other, the pair were determined to work, however, they grew apart during the lockdown period. "My energy wasn’t being reciprocated," Demi later explained. Luke moved onto series five start Lucie Donlan. Luke M and Lucie Donlan - Still together The duo began dating in June 2020 and made their relationship a month later. They confirmed their romance in a true 21st century style, sharing loved-up Instagram selfies. "My partner in crime," Luke captioned his pic, while Lucie commented: "Youuuu," and added a few heart-eye emojis. The pair appear to still be going very strong, often sharing love up snaps on social media. In May, the pair became dog parents together, as they revealed they'd got a rescue dog and they are now engaged! Jess and Ched - SPLIT After weeks of struggling to find her perfect guy, in walked Ched Uzor who whisked Jess off her feet. The finalists made their relationship "exclusive" on the show, however, despite a few dates outside the villa, things didn't last with Ched and Jess. A rep for Jess confirmed the news in a statement, which read: "After a whirlwind romance in the Love Island villa, unfortunately Jessica Gale and Ched Uzor have made the mutual decision to split. "They have unfortunately felt the effects of lock down separation but will continue as friends,’ it continued. ‘They wish nothing but the best for each other and full success in each others careers." Priscilla and Mike - SPLIT Mike had his fair share of love interests on the show, after almost finding a connection with four girls in the villa. But Priscilla proved to be the one for him, with Mike dubbing her "wifey material" from the moment he met her at Casa Amor. Despite his past, the couple stuck together, and Mike put a label on it as he asked her to be his girlfriend. Speaking on Love Island: What Happened Next? Mike said: “I’ve moved permanently to London now. It was only a couple weeks after leaving the villa that we actually popped the big one and started telling each other that we actually love each other.” Talk soon turned to the pair's future as Mike said: “We’re always planning ahead. Conversations about the future together. Children have been mentioned.” Priscilla then said: “I just need a ring on my finger!” However, the pair sadly parted ways in June 2021, as reported by the Daily Mail. A source told the paper they were still friends. Callum and Molly - SPLIT They didn't make it to the finals, after the other islanders chose to save Priscilla and Mike over them. But, Callum and Molly didn't let that stop them from cracking on outside the villa. Following their exit, Callum told press including RadioTimes.com they'd probably be "official" soon, and Molly revealed that they were meeting each other's families. However after a three year relationship, the couple reportedly broke up in September 2023. "It's really sad news as they were a sweet couple together, but it's over," an insider told The Sun. The pair did reunite on Love Island: All Stars, but romance was not on the cards for them and Molly went on to win the show with Tom Clare! Sophie and Connor - SPLIT It looked like things could have been over for Sophie Piper and Connor Durman, after she didn't leave with him when the islanders chose to save her and dumped him from the island. However, the pair rekindled their relationship after Sophie was voted out. Connor met Sophie's sisters Rochelle Humes and Lily Piper, and Sophie accidentally revealed they were "exclusive." It seemed these two could be onto something good, however, according to sources, the lockdown curse struck again and they've now called it quits. After a six-month romance, things are said to have "fizzled" out between them. "Things just fizzled out. They never even went official," an insider said. “It just didn’t have a chance to get started because of lockdown and they both agreed it was better to just stay friends.” Rebecca and Biggs Chris - SPLIT They didn't get to spend much time together in the villa as Biggs was dumped from the island after joining during the Casa Amor twist, but the pair certainly found love off the show. They got very close over the lockdown and made their romance official, with Rebecca and Biggs planning to move in together. Speaking in an interview, Biggs said: "We're still going between each other's houses, but we've started looking at places. Rebecca will be moving in soon - I'm really excited. She's so close to her mum, but said she would move up to Scotland with me." Sadly, the pair called it quits after 19 months together. “We broke up because we want different things," Biggs said in an interview with The Sun. “Rebecca’s more of a party girl, but I want a family and business and just to work work work. I want that ‘couple goals’ life where we both work hard together and build an amazing family." The pair ended up reuniting in Netflix's Cheat: Unfinished Business but failed to rekindle their romance. Love Island: 2019 Tommy and Molly-Mae – Back together Tommy and Molly-Mae are a couple for the Love Island history books, having moved in together, welcomed their first child and gotten engaged. However, in a shocking statement, Molly-Mae told her 7 million followers on Instagram that they had split up, asking those to respect their privacy in this difficult time. Opening the statement, Molly-Mae wrote: "After five years of being together, I never imagined our story would end, especially not in this way. I am extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy's relationship has come to an end. I will forever be grateful for the most important thing to me now and always, my beautiful daughter. "Without us there would be no her, she will always be my priority. I want to thank you all for the love you have shown us over the last five years. You have all been a part of our journey and I feel it's right to share this with you all. "Whilst I attempt to navigate the coming days and weeks please kindly respect my privacy over this difficult time, I'll be back when it feels right. Molly-Mae x." Tommy later shared a statement, in which he said he was "heartbroken" that he and Molly had "decided to end our relationship". He wrote: "The past five years have led to us having our beautiful baby girl, Bambi, and I will be forever thankful to Molly for making me a dad. Bambi is our priority. Please respect our privacy, and our families' privacy, as we navigate our way through this difficult time." But love clearly isn't dead, as Molly confirmed in her documentary Behind It All that she and Tommy had rekindled their romance. Curtis and Maura – SPLIT Dancing on Ice star Maura Higgins split with pro-dancer boyfriend Curtis Pritchard in March 2020. The fourth-place finalists danced their way into the final, but their path to love was far from smooth, after Curtis broke up with his half-girlfriend Amy and was later torn between Maura and new girl Francesca. The duo are no longer a thing, and Maura later moved onto fellow Love Islander Chris Taylor. She then enjoyed a relationship with Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, however, in October 2021, he confirmed that they'd gone their separate ways. Maura and Chris - SPLIT Following rumours the pair were dating, the duo decided to make their romance Insta official in November 2020. But, sadly the pair have now called it quits after six months together. Sharing a statement, Maura said: “There is no wrongdoing on either side… we still love, care and respect each other deeply. From the minute we met each other we’ve been very close friends and that will never change.” She continued, “There is no regret. Life is about taking chances. We wanted to make this work but we have realised we work better being friends. Whilst I appreciate people may speculate or creates false stories, this is the truth. I wish Chris nothing but the best and I will always be one of his biggest supporters x.” Chris shared a similar statement to his followers, adding: "We are both still on very good terms and this was a mutual decision where nobody had done anything wrong. We will remain friends, as we have been since day 1 and I will always be in Maura’s corner and have her back.” Lucie and Joe – SPLIT The surfer girl looked to have finally found her 'bev' as she and sandwich man Joe were spotted holding hands while strolling to a dinner date in Lucie’s hometown in Cornwall, weeks after reuniting on Aftersun and telling Caroline Flack: "We're just chilling as friends. We're taking it slow, there's no rush.” Speaking at the TV Choice Awards in September, Lucie said they kept their relationship a secret to get to know one another away from the spotlight. However, the pair have since confirmed their split – with Joe getting close to another former Islander. Lucie is now loved up with series six star Luke Mabbott. Greg and Amber — SPLIT Love is dead, as 2019 winners Amber and Greg split – reportedly by text, of all mediums – after a matter of weeks. After tabloid reports, Amber set the record straight on Loose Women, telling viewers the deed really was done over text. "The careers and the distance was always a factor," she said. "We always knew about it so I don’t know what’s changed. I wanted to make it work. I am disappointed that it’s over […] but I’ll be fine. Onwards and upwards from here." She continued: "From my point of view I still wanted to make it work and there was a call a few days prior just chatting but on that day it was a text. I think there was a bit of miscommunication." Ovie and India – SPLIT India arrived as one of the last bombshells later on in the series, transforming Ovie's luck. He'd previously emerged from Casa Amor with Anna — only for her to return to Jordan. The pair confirmed they were "exclusive" on Love Island: The Reunion, and said they were 'official' at the TV Choice Awards. But after being dogged with false "split rumours" after it was claimed by an Instagram account that India had "cheated" on Ovie while in Portugal — a claim strongly refuted by the couple — India announced their split at the Pride of Britain awards in October, saying it was "difficult". Anton and Belle - SPLIT It seemed to be going so well for Anton and Belle, despite the pair going through quite a tumultuous time while in the villa. They had their first date in Belle's brother's restaurant, with Belle's actor-father, Tamer Hassan, also joining them. However, it has since been reported that the pair have gone their separate ways, one month after leaving the villa - with Anton's love for Craig David bizarrely an alleged contributing factor for the rumoured split. Anton since told Scottish Sun Online: “We’re not together, it’s as simple as that. That’s it.” Danny and Jourdan – SPLIT Danny and Jourdan had seemed like one of the more solid couples, after they confirmed in September that they had now moved in together. But a source told The Sun in October: "Jourdan started to hear rumours he was speaking to other girls behind her back." Jourdan later confirmed the split on Instagram, saying that she cannot tolerate a "lack of respect, disloyalty [and] dishonesty" in a relationship and told fans "the love was as real as the hurt is now". Oh well... Anna and Jordan – SPLIT This duo came close to leaving the island after they found themselves in the bottom three, hours after Jordan asked Anna to be his "chick". The model told the boys he was planning to take Anna on a tour of the villa to relive their biggest moments from where they had their first kiss, to up on the terrace, where Anna realised she had made a mistake in coupling up with Ovie. They said they were looking forward to life on the outside... but a day after going official Jordan said his head had been turned by India. Anna accused him of game playing and using her to reach the final. Predictably they called it quits on leaving the villa. Chris and Harley – SPLIT Chris and Harley came together by default after India chose Ovie, despite Chris admitting his feelings for her, which left Harley to pick Chris. Despite the not-so-romantic start, the pair eventually shared their first kiss and saw romance rise on a bread-baking date. But, Chris found himself close to being dumped after he guessed that fans were convinced he should be together with India during the Headline Challenge. After a telling off from Harley and a big dose of grovelling the pair made up - only to be dumped from the villa. They became official during an appearance on Aftersun, which saw host Caroline Flack ask if they are "exclusive." But after just three weeks out of the villa, the pair decided they were better of as friends. Chris announced the news on Instagram, saying the split was "amicable" and that they were simply "too busy" to make "quality time" for one another. "I will be very proud of everything she has done and everything she’ll do," he wrote. "The future is bright crumpet go get em!" Love Island: 2018 Kaz and Josh - SPLIT Kaz and Josh, who placed third, were initially gushy about their newfound feelings on Instagram. But while we thought these two were going to be in it for the long haul, the pair seemingly announced their split on Instagram one week after fellow Love Island finalists Megan and Wes parted ways. Kaz went on to date series three star Theo Campbell. Josh is now in a relationship with model Ruby Wong, who he went Instagram official with in September 2020. Kaz and Theo - SPLIT A few months after her split from Josh in 2019, Kaz announced she'd moved onto series three Love Island star Theo Campbell. The pair looked to be going pretty well, however, at the start of 2020 they called it quits. Speaking of their break-up, Theo said: "I feel like with us, I kinda gave it my everything and it feels a bit under-appreciated. I don’t know what to call it. What’s the right way to say it? I got slinged! I don’t know what to call it." It's not clear whether either are currently dating, but Theo became a dad in 2021 to a baby boy named Aries, who he shares with Instagram influencer Sapphire Yhnell. Jack and Dani – SPLIT After a holiday in Thailand, Jack announced that the pair had broken up for good, telling fans on Instagram that they will “always have love for each other” but “sometimes things aren’t meant to be”. In January, 2020, Jack became a father to his daughter Blossom - who he coparents with her mother Casey Ranger. He is now dating The Only Way is Essex star Frankie Sims, who is sister to Chloe and Demi Sims. Jack and Frankie will appear on the new series of MTV's Ex and the City. In July 2020, Dani announced she was expecting her first baby with her boyfriend Sammy Kimmence, who she reunited with after her and Jack's split. The pair welcomed their son in January 2021. In July 2021, Kimmence pled guilty to five counts fraud in total against two men who were in their 70s and 80s. The pair are no longer together, and in December 2021, Dani went Instagram official with her new boyfriend, Premier League footballer Jarrod Bowen. On 22 May 2023, the pair welcomed their twin daughters and they are now married. Adam and Zara - SPLIT Let's be honest – Adam finding love on Love Island seemed unlikely. But that's exactly what happened after he 'recoupled' with Zara on 'the outside'. But it was short-lived, with Zara confirming their split on Instagram in the wake of reported rows following Adam's night out with fellow Love Island stars Jack Fincham and Sam Bird. Adam denied he had been unfaithful, but later sparked a backlash after posting an Instagram video of him firing a gun, with the initial caption "Thank u, next" – with many taking the Ariana Grande reference as a dig at Zara. He later edited the post and said he cares "a hell of a lot" for Zara. Zara went on to date Made in Chelsea's Sam Thompson. The pair split after Zara admitted to cheating on him and the break up was featured on the E4 series. The pair managed to put things behind them but it was reported at the beginning of 2025 that the couple had one their separate ways. Megan and Wes - SPLIT Fourth placed couple Megan and Wes were still together in the Christmas special... but split weeks later following tensions between Megan and Wes's Dancing on Ice partner, Vanessa Bauer. In a bizarre twist, she said despite "consciously uncoupling" they will continue to "co-parent" their hamster. Megan went on to date The Only Way Is Essex's Demi Sims, however, they split. She moved onto singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes, and they enjoyed a brief romance, but split rumours began to spark as they isolated separately during the coronavirus lockdown. In 2020, she appeared on an episode of the BBC's Eating With My Ex alongside Demi, and last year, she enjoyed a brief romance with TOWIE's James Locke. The appear don't appear to be dating at the moment. Wes went on to date series five star Arabella Chi after the show. Wes and Arabella - SPLIT Following his breakup from Megan, Wes, 23, got with model Arabella, 29. The duo enjoyed nine months together before going their separate ways. "There’s been no funny business, no cheating or anything like that, it’s just fizzled out between them," a representative said at the time. Laura and Paul - SPLIT Despite posting loved-up pictures on Instagram with the not-so-catchy nickname 'Paura' Laura and Paul never made it girlfriend/boyfriend official, and eventually called time on the relationship two months after finishing in second place. In an interview with OK! Magazine Laura revealed her regrets over the break-up, which occurred after Paul returned from Burning Man festival. "I was hoping that when he came back [from holiday] we'd spend more time together and build a proper relationship out of the villa. It didn't happen," she revealed. Paul told The Sun: "We weren’t compatible for each other. I knew I had to be 100 per cent sure about it because you know – the next person you’re with could potentially be your wife; you don’t want to be unsure about it. We aren’t friends now – we haven’t spoken, it is a sore subject. But I told her I would be there for her if she needed me." Laura shares a child with Hollyoaks actor Gary Lucy after the pair met during the filming of their series of Celebs Go Dating and hit it off. Jack and Laura - SPLIT There were signs of trouble in paradise early on for New Jack and New Laura who never really went official despite "exclusively dating". And the pair finally decided to call it off, with Laura sharing a statement which read: "Sadly Jack and I have both decided to go our separate ways due to such busy schedules right now and not having the time to spend together," Laura said. "[I] feel truly blessed to have got to share my Love Island experience with him and to have made a friend for life. We will carry on supporting each other on this journey and I can't wait to see where it takes us." Georgia and Sam - SPLIT These two had countless ups and downs during their time in the villa before eventually deciding to follow their hearts by refusing to recouple and instead leave the show together. Now that's loyalty for you. They made it official on Good Morning Britain (who said romance was dead?) and decided to move in together, sharing Instagram stories of their "new little pad". But they split months later, with it claimed Georgia had been unfaithful to Sam and stayed at her ex-boyfriend's house - which she denied. Charlie and Ellie - SPLIT Weeks after leaving the villa together, the pair enjoyed a trip to Monaco onboard a fancy boat. Alright for some, eh? But a Mail Online report later alleged that the pair had a "huge row" at the filming of Love Island: The Reunion, with Ellie later confirming she was angry at Charlie for drinking with Frankie Foster prior to the show. After a series of reported rows, they confirmed their split, with Charlie writing on his Instagram story: "Just to inform you all, Ellie and I have decided to part ways. I wish her the best!" Ellie dated season 5 star Michael Griffiths briefly, after hitting it off on Ex on the Beach in 2o19, however, things have turned sour between them as she admitted she "hated" him for moving on so quickly after their break-up. Samira and Frankie - SPLIT Although we didn't get to see much of their relationship on screen, Samira and Frankie were super loved up. So much so that she didn't want to continue her Love Island journey without him, and walked once he'd been voted out. The two made it boyfriend/girlfriend official – but sadly, in August, they called time on their relationship with a rep for Samira telling RadioTimes.com that she would be "taking some time out from her relationship with Frankie to focus on herself and future work opportunities". Love Island: 2017 Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies – SPLIT Aside from the odd recoupling drama, Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies seemed to be the perfect match. It was no surprise that the pair won the hearts of the nation and were voted Love Island winners, scooping (and then fairly splitting) the £50,000 prize money. But sadly in December the two announced they had parted ways. "With sadness, we’ve decided to separate," a statement read. "Our schedules made it difficult. We’ll remain good friends." Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt – Still together After a string of unsuccessful dates and a break up with Jonny Mitchell after that feminism row, it looked like Camilla was destined to be unlucky in love. And then a whole 31 days after she entered the villa, in came Jamie Jewitt. The pair quickly became a fan-favourite and ended up finishing the series as runners-up. We're pleased to say they are still as loved-up as ever and even went into business together. Jamilla really is for keeps – with the pair moving in together in February 2019 with their two adorable puppies, Audrey and Gus. In October, 2020 they became parents to their daughter Nell. A few months later in February, 2011 Jamie popped the question and proposed to Camilla with a bespoke ring. The couple tied the knot in September 2021, and welcomed their second child in 2022. IN 2024, the pair welcomed their third child, Brodie. This might just be our fave couple! Chris Hughes and Olivia Attwood – SPLIT These two were on and off more than a light switch during their time in the villa, and leaving didn't bring them closer. The pair starred in their own ITVBe spin-off, Chris and Olivia: Crackin' On, in which they rowed, rowed and rowed again – until they finally parted ways. Chris dated Little Mix star Jesy Nelson, but they split in April after 16 months together. Chris is now dating JoJo Siwa after the pair met on Celebrity Big Brother. Olivia is now married to her boyfriend Bradley Dack, following a romantic proposal in Dubai. Marcel Somerville and Gabby Allen – SPLIT After dating for nearly a year, the shock news came in May 2018 that Marcel and Gabby had broken up. And no, we couldn't believe it either. After rumours of cheating, a rep for Marcel said: "Sadly the rumours are true, Gabby and Marcel have split up. Marcel can't really defend his actions as he knows he did wrong and will regret it forever." Gabby moved on to Rak-Su's Myles Stephenson – however, they split after a year. She later joined the second instalment of Love Island: All Stars and had a very awkward reunion with Marcel but she eventually went on to win alongside Casey O'Gorman. Marcel was married to Rebecca Vieira, and they share a little boy named Roman together, but the pair later divorced. Montana Brown and Alex Beattie – SPLIT This one wasn't such a shock. About 3.7 seconds after leaving the villa, Montana Brown and Alex Beattie went their separate ways – and it seems that Montana was the one who instigated it. Speaking to The Sun soon after, Alex said: "She made me single, so now I am. I've got no pressure now and I can just focus on myself and do the best I can." In December 2022, Montana announced that she's expecting her first child with her boyfriend Mark O'Connor and has now welcomed her son, Jude. Jessica Shears and Dom Lever – Still together They might've been the first to be kicked out of the villa, but Jess and Dom haven't let that stop them. In fact, the pair created one of the naffest moments in TV history when they were 'married' (sort of) by Richard Arnold live on Good Morning Britain on Valentine's Day 2018 while wearing swimwear. Their GMB wedding wasn't legally binding (who knew?) so the pair officially tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Mykonos, with a select few guests and OK! magazine. The couple now have two children together. Their second was born in June 2022. Love Island season 12 starts on Monday 9th June at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. Add Love Island to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How to watch Fawlty Towers - is it on Netflix?
Find out where to watch and stream Fawlty Towers, as well as your guide to the cast and what the series is about.
Sitcom Fawlty Towers is being revived for television after more than 40 years since its last broadcast, and the new revival will reportedly once again star John Cleese. This time, the veteran comic is returning to write and appear in the show alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese. The classic show, written by Cleese and Connie Booth, ran on BBC Two for two seasons between 1975 and 1979 and is regarded as one of the best BBC sitcoms ever made, winning a 2019 Radio Times poll to determine the the greatest British sitcom of all time. The farcical comedy followed the exploits of hotelier Basil Fawlty (Cleese) and his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), as they endeavoured to keep their hotel and strained marriage afloat. The new show will follow Basil as he attempts to navigate the modern world and manage a boutique hotel with his daughter. The revival news is somewhat unexpected, especially given that in 2009 Cleese said there would never be another series with the original cast. "I think everyone would be excited if we did it," he said. "The problem is, when you do do something that is generally accepted as being very good, a horrible problem arises, which is: how do you top it? The expectation of what you will do is so high." Castle Rock Entertainment announced on Tuesday 7th February it had closed a deal with Cleese to revive the TV series, but it's not yet clear which channel or streaming service it could appear on, with a bidding war between streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon likely. While we wait for more information about the revival, fans may be wondering how to watch the original show. Read on to find out. Is Fawlty Towers on Netflix? No, Fawlty Towers is no longer available to stream on Netflix. How to watch Fawlty Towers Unfortunately, the comedy isn't often repeated on terrestrial TV, although BBC One did air the episode Communication Problems as a tribute to star Andrew Sachs when he passed away in December 2016. However, in certain regions, viewers can stream every episode on Netflix, YouTube, or Google Play. You can also buy episodes on Amazon Prime Video, or pick up the full Fawlty Towers DVD box set. View Green Video on the source website What is Fawlty Towers about? Connie Booth (Polly), Prunella Scales (Sybil) and Andrew Sachs (Manuel) were Cleese's co-stars in the sitcom about a hotel in Torquay that battled dodgy builders, a kipper and a corpse, hotel inspectors and a Waldorf salad. If you enjoy the series, you might also want to watch the documentary about the sitcom which aired on the digital channel Gold, called Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened. How many episodes and seasons of Fawlty Towers are there? The series has just two seasons – that's 12 episodes – in total. But despite this, it's managed to make a significant cultural imprint. Where was Fawlty Towers filmed? The series was filmed in south west of England. It was also filmed at the Wooburn Grange Country Club in Buckinghamshire for exterior shots of the hotel, and the T-junction between Mentmore Close and capstone Gardens in Harrow. The sitcom was set in Torquay, Devon. Who's in the cast of Fawlty Towers? The star of the show, John Cleese, plays Basil Fawlty. His previous work includes Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Meaning of Life and Life of Brian. His wife Sybil Fawlty - who never fails to scare the living daylights out of him - is played by Prunella Scales. Scales was nominated for a BAFTA award for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution. The waitress Polly Sherman is played by Connie Booth, whose other credits include The Hound of the Baskervilles and Leon the Pig Farmer. Manuel, the Spanish waiter, is played by the late Andrew Sachs, who went on to star as Ramsay Clegg on Coronation Street. Other cast members include Brian Hall as Terry Hughes, Ballard Berkeley as Major Gowen, Renee Roberts as Miss Gatsby, Gilly Flower as Miss Tibbs, and Mrs and Dr Abbot played by Elspet Gray and Basil Henson respectively. When did Fawlty Towers start? The series began on 19th September 1975, and aired over a period of four years. Why did Fawlty Towers get cancelled? Fawlty Towers ended because John Cleese ran out of stories to tell with the characters, and wanted to move on to other things. Consider yourself lucky - the series ended much later than it could have done as The Telegraph reports that BBC initially turned it down before it had even begun, which would have been a real loss for fans of the classic comedy. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.
14 questions you've always had about Taskmaster – answered
From how the show is cast to what the comedians do between tasks, we answer some pressing Taskmaster queries.
Following a spectacular News Year's special, Taskmaster is back for series 11. From actress Sarah Kendall to comedian Lee Mack, this year's Taskmaster cast will be competing for that all-important gold bust of Greg Davies' head. This will be the show's second full-length series at Channel 4 after, the popular gameshow moved over from Dave last year. Since the series kicked off in 2015, fans have fallen in love with its weird yet wonderful nature. But what exactly goes into making a show like Taskmaster? RadioTimes.com previously spoke to series director Andy Devonshire to uncover some behind-the-scenes secrets about just how our favourite show is made. As well as this, this year's contestant Charlotte Ritchie also opened up about how long it takes to film on the show, and it's a lot longer than we expected! Here's everything you need to know. This story was first published in May 2018. 1. The Taskmaster house The now-infamous house is in fact a former groundskeepers’ cottage inside a golf course in Chiswick, west London. It still belongs to the golf course and back in 2014, it was listed for rent – if you had a spare £4,000 a month. Sadly these days, it’s off the rental market. “We move in and live here for the period of filming,” said Andy. “After series one I think they had some people come in and stay over the summer, but we de-Taskmaster it when we go away so it is very different. “There’s a different theme inspired by a specific artist every series [this year it’s Escher] so there’s obviously things that stay the same but we redecorate within the boundaries of that. When we leave it’s quite minimalist.” He explained that from the outset, they wanted the house to be a character in the show as well. “I think it’s really important that it’s a characterful house and we were just the luckiest people in the world to stumble across this place because it’s very unusual and very unique.” You can read more about where Taskmaster is filmed, here. 2. The Taskmaster house almost never was Viewers might be surprised to hear the iconic house we've come to love on Taskmaster wasn't actually an original element of the show. Alex initially intended to go to the guests' houses to record their contributions. 3. Are the comedians allowed on the roof? Strange question – but one that has an answer. And no, they’re not. “Obviously it would be a bit inconvenient if we killed someone when we were making the show, whatever comedic value there is,” said Andy. “We have a duty of care to them and us and obviously we have to be sensible. Some things that people come up with straight away we aren’t allowed to let them do, but I think we’re just protecting them from themselves! “Aside from the very specific rules in each task, generally if it’s not excluded by those, it won’t kill anyone and it isn’t illegal, then we sort of try and facilitate people to do as much as their imagination wants.” 4. Are the comedians all at the Taskmaster house at the same time? For the individual tasks, they're not. And they’re often not at the house in the same month.“It’s very random, really,” he explained. “Obviously we have to work around their availability and our availability. We’ve had some people do it over the course of a few months. We have a handful of dates for each person and then it depends on their availability and our logistics. Vicky, our production manager, has this weird hotchpotch jigsaw of how people’s availability sits in with each other – and with us. “Mel Giedroyc actually did hers in pretty much a week but Bob Mortimer did a big batch at the house at November and then we did his exterior location tasks in May or April. Quite a few flowers came out in the meantime.” 5. Where do the comedians go – and what do they do – between tasks? “The process that they go through is they turn up at the house and they go to the green room,” explained Andy about the small side room in the house that comprises mainly of a table, desk and mirror. “It’s fundamentally rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a jar of sweets, they’ve got a fridge with water and soft drinks in, they have two sofas and sometimes they have make-up. “We obviously talk to them and bring them cups of tea, but they sit and wait. Then we bring them out, they do a task, they go back in, they do their own thing for a little while. Essentially they are literally in the Taskmaster universe and I think that’s part of the secret to it – they enter into this strange world.” 6. Taskmaster cast You might think that putting together exactly the right mix of five celebrities and comedians for each series of Taskmaster is a complicated alchemy requiring lots of thought and planning. “It’s just people throwing ideas and we sort of chuck them on the table and see how it works,” laughs Andy. “Quite a few people have said no and there are a few people who we’ve been trying to get in for a while. But filming the show is quite a commitment and it is quite tricky to get some people because it’s a lump of time at the beginning and then a lump of time in the studio. Although it’s certainly a lot easier now because people can see that we haven’t killed anyone. Yet.” Alex Horne credits comedian Frank Skinner for their casting success. He said: "Word of mouth has really helped us. I do quite often thank Frank Skinner because he agreed to do the very first series and that was a real stamp of approval. He had a nice time on it, which really helps, so that set the ball rolling. And the fact that Jo Brand did it has helped, of course." 7. Who tests out the tasks before the comedians are let loose on them? Often, nobody. Andy explained that “very few” of the challenges are tried out before the celebrities open that wax-sealed envelope.“We always test the studio tasks, but the location tasks are the kind of things you can’t test, really,” he says. “There’s always a shakedown and a ‘what are we going to get from this?’ because you can come up with tasks and the results can be so immeasurable that as long as it creates situations for the relationship with Greg Davies, Alex and the comedians then the task is worth a go. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. But mostly they work.” 8. The brains behind the tasks Although the small team that work behind the scenes on the show (only around 15-20 people in total) come up with “a few”, it’s Alex Horne who thinks up the majority of the weird, wonderful and hilarious tasks. “Alex is basically a superhero in terms of his humour and wit,” said Andy. “And it’s about trust and it’s about trusting in Alex. As you go on, you sort of think [coming up with tasks] is finite and then something else comes along and there’s a new idea and you can develop it – and hopefully we can keep doing that.” Although the team do sit down and discuss what's going to happen on each episode, Horne says the scripts tends to go "out the window!" Speaking in a recent interview with Greg Davies, he explained: "We do sit down and discuss what we’re going to do, but I think the vast majority of that goes out the window in the studio. I’d feel pretty confident in saying there’s very little faux-spontaneity. If a comment seems off the cuff, or a judgement seems to be made in the moment, then it was." 9. A typical filming day in the life of the Taskmaster crew “We put together a checklist of tasks we want to do over the course of a day,” said Andy. “We give them a soft entrance into the whole process and we try and give them a variety of creative vs. race challenges across the day. Taskmaster - Series 6 - Asim Chaudhry (UKTV/Avalon/Andy Devonshire)“We have our list of how many tasks we need to get through for the time that we have with them and then we hopscotch between indoors and outdoors – it’s a big, logistical thing but we also take into consideration how we want their minds to work so that they’re free enough to do the tasks the best they can, really. "We wouldn’t put really creative ones first thing in the morning and we wouldn't put really creative tasks back-to-back. Similarly, we wouldn’t have ones where they have to run around like crazy all day. The whole thing about the show is to give people as good a chance to do as well as possible. We make people look good, that’s our intent.” 10. Has anything ever gone wrong in filming the tasks? Asked what the most challenging day of filming had been, Andy joked that there were “too many – they’re all scars on my soul! “Although in series one when Romesh Ranganathan nearly choked on a watermelon,” Andy laughed. “It was our very first day filming and we thought we’d killed him. He wolfed it down with such ferocity that he nearly choked himself. He was throwing up and then eating the watermelon again. That stands out.” For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. 11. Alex never wanted to be a Taskmaster Despite coming up with the show, from the get-go Alex had no intention of being the Taskmaster. The comedian made this decision because he wanted to be there when the contestants complete them and so on, and being the Taskmaster would have involved a certain level of detachment. 12. There's a task that doesn't work There's one task they tried in Series one, two and three, however, it's never been filmed. The challenge involves bursting an entire roll of bubble wrap, which might sound easy, but unfortunately it just didn't make good TV so it was... deflated, should we say. 13. Taskmaster almost never made it to TV It's hugely popular now, but you might be surprised to hear that Taskmaster was actually quite a tough sell for TV. Alex approached many different channels to try and get the show commissioned, but it wasn't easy. Luckily he did, and now we're about to go into the 10th series. 14. Filming can take up to five days Ghosts star Charlotte Ritchie says she had "five days of solid filming" for series 11. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, she said: "You have like four or five days of solid filming. And they do like four or five tasks every day that you're there. Not all the days are consecutive, but you go in and do them." Before each task, contestants are put into rooms. Charlotte explained: "The day is basically full of lots of tasks and in between tasks, you're put into a tiny room, where you're not allowed to leave the room until they next invite you to do your next task, which is so exciting – actually just reliving it now is really cool." When it's time for contestants to try out their next task, they're then moved onto another location. "They come in and go, ‘OK Charlotte, we're ready for your next task,’ And you're just like, ‘Oh my God, what is it gonna be?’ And actually, it's so funny, because even though talking about it like ‘Oh, it was a bit difficult', I I literally walked into the room every time like I was walking into a sweet shop," she said. Taskmaster series 11 starts on Channel 4 on Thursday, March 18th. Check out our TV Guide, or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub for more news.Following a spectacular News Year's special, Taskmaster is back for series 11. From actress Sarah Kendall to comedian Lee Mack, this year's Taskmaster cast will be competing for that all-important gold bust of Greg Davies' head. This will be the show's second full-length series at Channel 4 after, the popular gameshow moved over from Dave last year. Since the series kicked off in 2015, fans have fallen in love with its weird yet wonderful nature. But what exactly goes into making a show like Taskmaster? RadioTimes.com previously spoke to series director Andy Devonshire to uncover some behind-the-scenes secrets about just how our favourite show is made. As well as this, this year's contestant Charlotte Ritchie also opened up about how long it takes to film on the show, and it's a lot longer than we expected! Here's everything you need to know. This story was first published in May 2018. 1. The Taskmaster house The now-infamous house is in fact a former groundskeepers’ cottage inside a golf course in Chiswick, west London. It still belongs to the golf course and back in 2014, it was listed for rent – if you had a spare £4,000 a month. Sadly these days, it’s off the rental market. “We move in and live here for the period of filming,” said Andy. “After series one I think they had some people come in and stay over the summer, but we de-Taskmaster it when we go away so it is very different. “There’s a different theme inspired by a specific artist every series [this year it’s Escher] so there’s obviously things that stay the same but we redecorate within the boundaries of that. When we leave it’s quite minimalist.” He explained that from the outset, they wanted the house to be a character in the show as well. “I think it’s really important that it’s a characterful house and we were just the luckiest people in the world to stumble across this place because it’s very unusual and very unique.” You can read more about where Taskmaster is filmed, here. 2. The Taskmaster house almost never was Viewers might be surprised to hear the iconic house we've come to love on Taskmaster wasn't actually an original element of the show. Alex initially intended to go to the guests' houses to record their contributions. 3. Are the comedians allowed on the roof? Strange question – but one that has an answer. And no, they’re not. “Obviously it would be a bit inconvenient if we killed someone when we were making the show, whatever comedic value there is,” said Andy. “We have a duty of care to them and us and obviously we have to be sensible. Some things that people come up with straight away we aren’t allowed to let them do, but I think we’re just protecting them from themselves! “Aside from the very specific rules in each task, generally if it’s not excluded by those, it won’t kill anyone and it isn’t illegal, then we sort of try and facilitate people to do as much as their imagination wants.” 4. Are the comedians all at the Taskmaster house at the same time? For the individual tasks, they're not. And they’re often not at the house in the same month.“It’s very random, really,” he explained. “Obviously we have to work around their availability and our availability. We’ve had some people do it over the course of a few months. We have a handful of dates for each person and then it depends on their availability and our logistics. Vicky, our production manager, has this weird hotchpotch jigsaw of how people’s availability sits in with each other – and with us. “Mel Giedroyc actually did hers in pretty much a week but Bob Mortimer did a big batch at the house at November and then we did his exterior location tasks in May or April. Quite a few flowers came out in the meantime.” 5. Where do the comedians go – and what do they do – between tasks? “The process that they go through is they turn up at the house and they go to the green room,” explained Andy about the small side room in the house that comprises mainly of a table, desk and mirror. “It’s fundamentally rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a jar of sweets, they’ve got a fridge with water and soft drinks in, they have two sofas and sometimes they have make-up. “We obviously talk to them and bring them cups of tea, but they sit and wait. Then we bring them out, they do a task, they go back in, they do their own thing for a little while. Essentially they are literally in the Taskmaster universe and I think that’s part of the secret to it – they enter into this strange world.” 6. Taskmaster cast You might think that putting together exactly the right mix of five celebrities and comedians for each series of Taskmaster is a complicated alchemy requiring lots of thought and planning. “It’s just people throwing ideas and we sort of chuck them on the table and see how it works,” laughs Andy. “Quite a few people have said no and there are a few people who we’ve been trying to get in for a while. But filming the show is quite a commitment and it is quite tricky to get some people because it’s a lump of time at the beginning and then a lump of time in the studio. Although it’s certainly a lot easier now because people can see that we haven’t killed anyone. Yet.” Alex Horne credits comedian Frank Skinner for their casting success. He said: "Word of mouth has really helped us. I do quite often thank Frank Skinner because he agreed to do the very first series and that was a real stamp of approval. He had a nice time on it, which really helps, so that set the ball rolling. And the fact that Jo Brand did it has helped, of course." 7. Who tests out the tasks before the comedians are let loose on them? Often, nobody. Andy explained that “very few” of the challenges are tried out before the celebrities open that wax-sealed envelope.“We always test the studio tasks, but the location tasks are the kind of things you can’t test, really,” he says. “There’s always a shakedown and a ‘what are we going to get from this?’ because you can come up with tasks and the results can be so immeasurable that as long as it creates situations for the relationship with Greg Davies, Alex and the comedians then the task is worth a go. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. But mostly they work.” 8. The brains behind the tasks Although the small team that work behind the scenes on the show (only around 15-20 people in total) come up with “a few”, it’s Alex Horne who thinks up the majority of the weird, wonderful and hilarious tasks. “Alex is basically a superhero in terms of his humour and wit,” said Andy. “And it’s about trust and it’s about trusting in Alex. As you go on, you sort of think [coming up with tasks] is finite and then something else comes along and there’s a new idea and you can develop it – and hopefully we can keep doing that.” Although the team do sit down and discuss what's going to happen on each episode, Horne says the scripts tends to go "out the window!" Speaking in a recent interview with Greg Davies, he explained: "We do sit down and discuss what we’re going to do, but I think the vast majority of that goes out the window in the studio. I’d feel pretty confident in saying there’s very little faux-spontaneity. If a comment seems off the cuff, or a judgement seems to be made in the moment, then it was." 9. A typical filming day in the life of the Taskmaster crew “We put together a checklist of tasks we want to do over the course of a day,” said Andy. “We give them a soft entrance into the whole process and we try and give them a variety of creative vs. race challenges across the day. Taskmaster - Series 6 - Asim Chaudhry (UKTV/Avalon/Andy Devonshire)“We have our list of how many tasks we need to get through for the time that we have with them and then we hopscotch between indoors and outdoors – it’s a big, logistical thing but we also take into consideration how we want their minds to work so that they’re free enough to do the tasks the best they can, really. "We wouldn’t put really creative ones first thing in the morning and we wouldn't put really creative tasks back-to-back. Similarly, we wouldn’t have ones where they have to run around like crazy all day. The whole thing about the show is to give people as good a chance to do as well as possible. We make people look good, that’s our intent.” 10. Has anything ever gone wrong in filming the tasks? Asked what the most challenging day of filming had been, Andy joked that there were “too many – they’re all scars on my soul! “Although in series one when Romesh Ranganathan nearly choked on a watermelon,” Andy laughed. “It was our very first day filming and we thought we’d killed him. He wolfed it down with such ferocity that he nearly choked himself. He was throwing up and then eating the watermelon again. That stands out.” For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. 11. Alex never wanted to be a Taskmaster Despite coming up with the show, from the get-go Alex had no intention of being the Taskmaster. The comedian made this decision because he wanted to be there when the contestants complete them and so on, and being the Taskmaster would have involved a certain level of detachment. 12. There's a task that doesn't work There's one task they tried in Series one, two and three, however, it's never been filmed. The challenge involves bursting an entire roll of bubble wrap, which might sound easy, but unfortunately it just didn't make good TV so it was... deflated, should we say. 13. Taskmaster almost never made it to TV It's hugely popular now, but you might be surprised to hear that Taskmaster was actually quite a tough sell for TV. Alex approached many different channels to try and get the show commissioned, but it wasn't easy. Luckily he did, and now we're about to go into the 10th series. 14. Filming can take up to five days Ghosts star Charlotte Ritchie says she had "five days of solid filming" for series 11. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, she said: "You have like four or five days of solid filming. And they do like four or five tasks every day that you're there. Not all the days are consecutive, but you go in and do them." Before each task, contestants are put into rooms. Charlotte explained: "The day is basically full of lots of tasks and in between tasks, you're put into a tiny room, where you're not allowed to leave the room until they next invite you to do your next task, which is so exciting – actually just reliving it now is really cool." When it's time for contestants to try out their next task, they're then moved onto another location. "They come in and go, ‘OK Charlotte, we're ready for your next task,’ And you're just like, ‘Oh my God, what is it gonna be?’ And actually, it's so funny, because even though talking about it like ‘Oh, it was a bit difficult', I I literally walked into the room every time like I was walking into a sweet shop," she said. Taskmaster series 11 starts on Channel 4 on Thursday, March 18th. Check out our TV Guide, or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub for more news.
Taskmaster's Greg Davies and Alex Horne on Channel 4 move, challenges going too far and how that nickname came about
Frances Taylor talks to Taskmaster's Greg Davies and Alex Horne as their beloved series arrives on Channel 4.
Greg Davies has always been big in comedy. He’s 6ft 8in. Yet on Taskmaster, the comedian seems bigger still, lording it over not only the contestants on the daft panel show cum parlour game, but also Alex Horne – the sidekick host who Davies offhandedly christened “Little Alex Horne” in an early series. The name stuck and has become a running gag at the top of each episode. It’s an ironic nickname (Horne is 6ft 2in) yet sums up why Taskmaster is one of TV’s most refreshing comedies. It’s nonsensical, silly and different from anything else on TV: comedians, such as Frank Skinner, Richard Osman, Sally Phillips, Mel Giedroyc and Bob Mortimer, flounder as they attempt to win odd tasks like “Collect the most tears in an eggcup”, “Cheer up a former traffic warden”, or “Do the most preposterous thing with a chickpea”, all in a bid to win points from the Taskmaster, Davies. It’s this distinctiveness that no doubt helped it beat The Graham Norton Show, The Last Leg and The Rangana-tion this year to win the BAFTA for best comedy entertainment programme. There’s really nothing else quite like it on TV. Davies, 52, will be familiar from his TV appearances in comedies like Cuckoo and Man Down, but the teacher turned stand-up comedian is best known as Mr Gilbert, the headmaster in The Inbetweeners. Horne, 42, is best known for his musical variety act, The Horne Section, and as well as being the focus of Davies’s ire on Taskmaster, he’s also the show’s creator. You could be forgiven for not having seen Taskmaster. Having aired on UKTV channel Dave for five years, it steadily built up a loyal fandom of more than a million viewers a week and became a cult hit with a dedicated following. Now it has the chance to reach a wider audience for its tenth series, moving to Channel 4 after a deal was signed for the broadcaster to make six series of the show across the next three years. It’s come a long way from the initial idea Horne had in 2009 when he set 20 comedians monthly tasks over the course of a year, culminating in the inaugural Taskmaster show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010. Production company Avalon and Horne subsequently pitched it to broadcasters (Channel 4 included), and while most didn’t have the confidence to commission it, Dave saw something in it. The name Taskmaster stuck, Davies was brought on board and there have since been more than 70 episodes, a book and even a board game. Here Davies and Horne tell Radio Times about their off-screen relationship, how The Great British Bake Off gave them the confidence to move channel, and if there’s life after Taskmaster… View oEmbed on the source website One of the things Taskmaster fans love most about the show is the irritable, cantankerous (yet very funny) dynamic between the two of you. How did that relationship develop? Greg We did a pilot – a non-broadcast pilot – and the brief was that I was just going to be an overlord who was horrible to everybody. How that’s distilled down is I’m now less horrible to everybody, but consistently awful to Alex. Alex Yeah, you probably started off being quite nice to me. That’s completely flipped. Greg The dynamic has somehow morphed into all of my rage being channelled Alex’s way. Alex And in the pilot you had a cane, which sort of seemed ridiculous immediately. Greg With a gold “T” on it, yeah. As soon as I sat down, I felt absolutely ridiculous. So that didn’t make it past the pilot. Alex Our relationship definitely felt easy straightaway. People always ask me how Greg came up with the “Little Alex Horne” nickname, and if it was part of a grand plan. But there was no memory of that. He just started saying it. Greg A lot of it happened in the moment, you know? You’re in front of an audience and your synapses are firing away! Do you remember the first time that you both met? Greg I certainly can’t remember where it was. Alex I’ve got one memory. My first memory of you, Greg, was… we did a gig at a university – the farmer’s university in Wales. Greg Oh, God. The agricultural college? Alex Yeah. And you did quite well. I think I might have been the compere, but we didn’t know each other very well until this show. Greg Not really at all. I mean, let’s get to the point: there was no relationship whatsoever. It’s all the more extraordinary that you’ve built such an enjoyable on-screen relationship, in that case… Greg Isn’t it? It’s strange. Because there was nothing to start with. Alex Less than nothing. Greg And now there’s a simmering contempt that people seem to enjoy! How do you feel being so entrenched in this “mean” persona, Greg? Greg I think that people who watch the show – and exactly the same happened when I was in The Inbetweeners – have formed the false impression that I have any genuine authority in life. It’s a pantomime authority; in real life I’m shambolic, so it’s preposterous. But people like to be told off and put in their place, and actively ask me to tell them off – online and in person. Do you just get a lot of sympathy, Alex? Alex No. I think people tend to be on Greg’s side and join in. A lot of people shout “Little Alex!” at me. And in real life, I’m actually quite authoritative and strict. Greg He is! I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him in action within the family. He’s an ogre. Alex [laughs] I get people using my admin skills to try to basically plan their wedding or stag night. They say, “Can you just come up with six tasks for us on our hen night?” Greg There’s no doubt that you get the worst deal when it comes to fans of the show. “Can you do an enormous logical task?” And all I get is: “Will you be horrible to me?” Have you become friends away from the show, too? Alex We lead quite different lives, because I’m in a house in the countryside, doing the school run – and Greg’s in a flat in London and has more of a single lifestyle. He’s been to mine and seen the kids and stuff, and I really love going to his flat. It’s nice not to have to talk about children all the time. Greg I’m just so full of bluster compared to Alex. He’s a real doer, yet I think I’m a bit of a foghorn by comparison. It’s an unlikely friendship. Do you think we would have found each other without Taskmaster, Alex? Alex No. Greg I don’t, either… Alex Greg keeps inviting me to go on holiday with him, and I keep saying no, but I think, soon, it’s going to happen. Greg I don’t know whether I keep inviting you [laughs]. I think there may have been one invitation. Alex I reckon it’s double that. Are contestants ever genuinely angry about not only the tasks but also Greg’s scoring? Alex Definitely on the judging. I think in the tasks, they know the deal. But in the studio… Greg in the most recent series we filmed, there was one contentious decision that had to be made, and for the first time ever, I handed it over to Alex because I wanted him to taste the pressure of what it’s like to have to make those decisions. He hated it. Alex I was also very weak and went for the easy option rather than the correct option. Greg Very rarely do people get genuinely angry, but there’s certainly been more than two occasions where people were genuinely cross with me. Alex Two things happen a lot, which is Greg writing down on his card and showing me, “I think I got that wrong” immediately after, or writing down on his card, “That person’s really cross with me”. Greg If people don’t invest in it, and if we didn’t invest in it, it wouldn’t work as well. I’m genuinely stressed if there’s a contentious decision, and I have to make the right call, or I feel that I’ve made the wrong call. While I’m in the studio, I really do beat myself up about I mean, as soon as I’m in the car home, obviously I put things in perspective [laughs]. Alex And most of the comedians snap out of it immediately and go, “Oh my God, I don’t know what’s just happened there.” Greg Most. Most. Greg, Josh Widdicombe had your name tattooed on his foot during a task in series one. Are you constantly surprised at how far the comedians will go? Greg Always. There’s always at least one occasion during a series where we can’t believe that someone’s done the thing they’ve done. In the most recent series we did, someone genuinely left me speechless. Alex Yeah – with a life-changing thing that’s happened. Greg Also, as comedians, the thing that they hold on to is that they’ve spent a long time finding their comic voice and are very in control of the persona that they offer up, yet they just can’t do that in Taskmaster. And the results are always delightful. The person I always cite is David Baddiel. You think of him as being quite a lofty academic, but he gets dropped into Taskmaster, and the man’s a buffoon. Alex It’s almost always the higher the degree, the worse they are. Katherine Parkinson has got a classics degree from Cambridge yet is an idiot – in the best possible way. Was it hard to leave the channel that had backed you from the start? Did it feel like a messy divorce? Alex Yeah. It was pretty horrible… But it’s fine. It was all very amicable. It was just a bit sad, like any sort of breakup, really. Especially a breakup where they can see the new partner, and the new partner is a bit bigger than them. It’s definitely awkward. But after the BAFTA win, we were on a Zoom call with Dave, and it was all lovely. That was a really nice way to mark what we had done together, I suppose. Greg There’s no animosity at all; genuinely, there isn’t. They were just wonderful about it. Alex They wished us well, and understand that it’d be an odd decision not to move to a bigger channel if it was offered. I’m hoping fans will be able to share it more with their mates, like my mum who can’t find UKTV. Just being on terrestrial should make it easier to find. View oEmbed on the source website Did Bake Off’s move to Channel 4 give you cause for concern – or confidence? Some Bake Off fans have never forgiven them… Alex Channel 4 were very reassuring. Lots of our crew work on Bake Off as well, and they said Channel 4 had been great and let them get on with it. Greg We weren’t as contentious a move, you know? There were some huge changes of personnel and all sorts of things in Bake Off, so I think it felt more dramatic. This, to us, just felt like quite a natural progression. Unlike previous series, this run was filmed without a studio audience, due to coronavirus restrictions. Did you consider postponing it? Alex We considered everything, really. For a while, it looked like it would all have to be over Zoom on screens, which would have been a real shame. We were all tested all the time, and we talked about if someone tested positive, would we have a stand-in? Would we have them on Zoom from home? We talked about having an audience outside, like Henman Hill [at Wimbledon], but we thought it wouldn’t work. Greg It was a different dynamic in the studio. Well, I’m sure Johnny [Vegas] wouldn’t mind me saying that he said he’s glad there isn’t an audience there, because he didn’t play up to them as much. I think that’s true of all of us. Now you’ve created an award-winning double act, have you considered doing other projects together? Is there life after Taskmaster? Alex We’re always nattering about it. Greg We’ve had ideas about it, but it feels that while Taskmaster is running, that’s as much of each other as we need. I hope we do go on to do something different, though. And we’d want whatever comes next to be sufficiently challenging, and not just to plonk our dynamic into something that’s familiar. But at the moment, we’re both just loving this. I think it was Dale Winton who said, “Don’t quit the hit.” Alex And I think we need Taskmaster to come to its natural end. Whenever that is… This interview originally appeared in the Radio Times magazine. For the biggest interviews and the best TV listings subscribe to Radio Times now and never miss a copy. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Taskmaster starts Thursday 15th October on Channel 4 at 9pm.Greg Davies has always been big in comedy. He’s 6ft 8in. Yet on Taskmaster, the comedian seems bigger still, lording it over not only the contestants on the daft panel show cum parlour game, but also Alex Horne – the sidekick host who Davies offhandedly christened “Little Alex Horne” in an early series. The name stuck and has become a running gag at the top of each episode. It’s an ironic nickname (Horne is 6ft 2in) yet sums up why Taskmaster is one of TV’s most refreshing comedies. It’s nonsensical, silly and different from anything else on TV: comedians, such as Frank Skinner, Richard Osman, Sally Phillips, Mel Giedroyc and Bob Mortimer, flounder as they attempt to win odd tasks like “Collect the most tears in an eggcup”, “Cheer up a former traffic warden”, or “Do the most preposterous thing with a chickpea”, all in a bid to win points from the Taskmaster, Davies. It’s this distinctiveness that no doubt helped it beat The Graham Norton Show, The Last Leg and The Rangana-tion this year to win the BAFTA for best comedy entertainment programme. There’s really nothing else quite like it on TV. Davies, 52, will be familiar from his TV appearances in comedies like Cuckoo and Man Down, but the teacher turned stand-up comedian is best known as Mr Gilbert, the headmaster in The Inbetweeners. Horne, 42, is best known for his musical variety act, The Horne Section, and as well as being the focus of Davies’s ire on Taskmaster, he’s also the show’s creator. You could be forgiven for not having seen Taskmaster. Having aired on UKTV channel Dave for five years, it steadily built up a loyal fandom of more than a million viewers a week and became a cult hit with a dedicated following. Now it has the chance to reach a wider audience for its tenth series, moving to Channel 4 after a deal was signed for the broadcaster to make six series of the show across the next three years. It’s come a long way from the initial idea Horne had in 2009 when he set 20 comedians monthly tasks over the course of a year, culminating in the inaugural Taskmaster show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010. Production company Avalon and Horne subsequently pitched it to broadcasters (Channel 4 included), and while most didn’t have the confidence to commission it, Dave saw something in it. The name Taskmaster stuck, Davies was brought on board and there have since been more than 70 episodes, a book and even a board game. Here Davies and Horne tell Radio Times about their off-screen relationship, how The Great British Bake Off gave them the confidence to move channel, and if there’s life after Taskmaster… View oEmbed on the source website One of the things Taskmaster fans love most about the show is the irritable, cantankerous (yet very funny) dynamic between the two of you. How did that relationship develop? Greg We did a pilot – a non-broadcast pilot – and the brief was that I was just going to be an overlord who was horrible to everybody. How that’s distilled down is I’m now less horrible to everybody, but consistently awful to Alex. Alex Yeah, you probably started off being quite nice to me. That’s completely flipped. Greg The dynamic has somehow morphed into all of my rage being channelled Alex’s way. Alex And in the pilot you had a cane, which sort of seemed ridiculous immediately. Greg With a gold “T” on it, yeah. As soon as I sat down, I felt absolutely ridiculous. So that didn’t make it past the pilot. Alex Our relationship definitely felt easy straightaway. People always ask me how Greg came up with the “Little Alex Horne” nickname, and if it was part of a grand plan. But there was no memory of that. He just started saying it. Greg A lot of it happened in the moment, you know? You’re in front of an audience and your synapses are firing away! Do you remember the first time that you both met? Greg I certainly can’t remember where it was. Alex I’ve got one memory. My first memory of you, Greg, was… we did a gig at a university – the farmer’s university in Wales. Greg Oh, God. The agricultural college? Alex Yeah. And you did quite well. I think I might have been the compere, but we didn’t know each other very well until this show. Greg Not really at all. I mean, let’s get to the point: there was no relationship whatsoever. It’s all the more extraordinary that you’ve built such an enjoyable on-screen relationship, in that case… Greg Isn’t it? It’s strange. Because there was nothing to start with. Alex Less than nothing. Greg And now there’s a simmering contempt that people seem to enjoy! How do you feel being so entrenched in this “mean” persona, Greg? Greg I think that people who watch the show – and exactly the same happened when I was in The Inbetweeners – have formed the false impression that I have any genuine authority in life. It’s a pantomime authority; in real life I’m shambolic, so it’s preposterous. But people like to be told off and put in their place, and actively ask me to tell them off – online and in person. Do you just get a lot of sympathy, Alex? Alex No. I think people tend to be on Greg’s side and join in. A lot of people shout “Little Alex!” at me. And in real life, I’m actually quite authoritative and strict. Greg He is! I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him in action within the family. He’s an ogre. Alex [laughs] I get people using my admin skills to try to basically plan their wedding or stag night. They say, “Can you just come up with six tasks for us on our hen night?” Greg There’s no doubt that you get the worst deal when it comes to fans of the show. “Can you do an enormous logical task?” And all I get is: “Will you be horrible to me?” Have you become friends away from the show, too? Alex We lead quite different lives, because I’m in a house in the countryside, doing the school run – and Greg’s in a flat in London and has more of a single lifestyle. He’s been to mine and seen the kids and stuff, and I really love going to his flat. It’s nice not to have to talk about children all the time. Greg I’m just so full of bluster compared to Alex. He’s a real doer, yet I think I’m a bit of a foghorn by comparison. It’s an unlikely friendship. Do you think we would have found each other without Taskmaster, Alex? Alex No. Greg I don’t, either… Alex Greg keeps inviting me to go on holiday with him, and I keep saying no, but I think, soon, it’s going to happen. Greg I don’t know whether I keep inviting you [laughs]. I think there may have been one invitation. Alex I reckon it’s double that. Are contestants ever genuinely angry about not only the tasks but also Greg’s scoring? Alex Definitely on the judging. I think in the tasks, they know the deal. But in the studio… Greg in the most recent series we filmed, there was one contentious decision that had to be made, and for the first time ever, I handed it over to Alex because I wanted him to taste the pressure of what it’s like to have to make those decisions. He hated it. Alex I was also very weak and went for the easy option rather than the correct option. Greg Very rarely do people get genuinely angry, but there’s certainly been more than two occasions where people were genuinely cross with me. Alex Two things happen a lot, which is Greg writing down on his card and showing me, “I think I got that wrong” immediately after, or writing down on his card, “That person’s really cross with me”. Greg If people don’t invest in it, and if we didn’t invest in it, it wouldn’t work as well. I’m genuinely stressed if there’s a contentious decision, and I have to make the right call, or I feel that I’ve made the wrong call. While I’m in the studio, I really do beat myself up about I mean, as soon as I’m in the car home, obviously I put things in perspective [laughs]. Alex And most of the comedians snap out of it immediately and go, “Oh my God, I don’t know what’s just happened there.” Greg Most. Most. Greg, Josh Widdicombe had your name tattooed on his foot during a task in series one. Are you constantly surprised at how far the comedians will go? Greg Always. There’s always at least one occasion during a series where we can’t believe that someone’s done the thing they’ve done. In the most recent series we did, someone genuinely left me speechless. Alex Yeah – with a life-changing thing that’s happened. Greg Also, as comedians, the thing that they hold on to is that they’ve spent a long time finding their comic voice and are very in control of the persona that they offer up, yet they just can’t do that in Taskmaster. And the results are always delightful. The person I always cite is David Baddiel. You think of him as being quite a lofty academic, but he gets dropped into Taskmaster, and the man’s a buffoon. Alex It’s almost always the higher the degree, the worse they are. Katherine Parkinson has got a classics degree from Cambridge yet is an idiot – in the best possible way. Was it hard to leave the channel that had backed you from the start? Did it feel like a messy divorce? Alex Yeah. It was pretty horrible… But it’s fine. It was all very amicable. It was just a bit sad, like any sort of breakup, really. Especially a breakup where they can see the new partner, and the new partner is a bit bigger than them. It’s definitely awkward. But after the BAFTA win, we were on a Zoom call with Dave, and it was all lovely. That was a really nice way to mark what we had done together, I suppose. Greg There’s no animosity at all; genuinely, there isn’t. They were just wonderful about it. Alex They wished us well, and understand that it’d be an odd decision not to move to a bigger channel if it was offered. I’m hoping fans will be able to share it more with their mates, like my mum who can’t find UKTV. Just being on terrestrial should make it easier to find. View oEmbed on the source website Did Bake Off’s move to Channel 4 give you cause for concern – or confidence? Some Bake Off fans have never forgiven them… Alex Channel 4 were very reassuring. Lots of our crew work on Bake Off as well, and they said Channel 4 had been great and let them get on with it. Greg We weren’t as contentious a move, you know? There were some huge changes of personnel and all sorts of things in Bake Off, so I think it felt more dramatic. This, to us, just felt like quite a natural progression. Unlike previous series, this run was filmed without a studio audience, due to coronavirus restrictions. Did you consider postponing it? Alex We considered everything, really. For a while, it looked like it would all have to be over Zoom on screens, which would have been a real shame. We were all tested all the time, and we talked about if someone tested positive, would we have a stand-in? Would we have them on Zoom from home? We talked about having an audience outside, like Henman Hill [at Wimbledon], but we thought it wouldn’t work. Greg It was a different dynamic in the studio. Well, I’m sure Johnny [Vegas] wouldn’t mind me saying that he said he’s glad there isn’t an audience there, because he didn’t play up to them as much. I think that’s true of all of us. Now you’ve created an award-winning double act, have you considered doing other projects together? Is there life after Taskmaster? Alex We’re always nattering about it. Greg We’ve had ideas about it, but it feels that while Taskmaster is running, that’s as much of each other as we need. I hope we do go on to do something different, though. And we’d want whatever comes next to be sufficiently challenging, and not just to plonk our dynamic into something that’s familiar. But at the moment, we’re both just loving this. I think it was Dale Winton who said, “Don’t quit the hit.” Alex And I think we need Taskmaster to come to its natural end. Whenever that is… This interview originally appeared in the Radio Times magazine. For the biggest interviews and the best TV listings subscribe to Radio Times now and never miss a copy. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Taskmaster starts Thursday 15th October on Channel 4 at 9pm.
Whatever happened to these Britain's Got Talent winners?
As Britain’s Got Talent goes live, past winners Paul Potts, Ashley Banjo, Jai McDowall and Lost Voice Guy share their experiences.
ITV's long-running talent show Britain's Got Talent returns on Saturday, with Ant and Dec touring the country in search of the UK's next big winner. Over the last 15 series, we've seen so many talented people emerge as BGT champions, from dancers Diversity and George Sampson to comedians like Lost Voice Guy and Jon Courtenay – but what are the winners up to now? RadioTimes.com spoke to four past winners to see what they've been up to since their time on Britain's Got Talent. Paul Potts, winner 2007 Paul Potts, 48, was working as a store manager at Carphone Warehouse when he performed Nessun dorma on Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. He went on to become the show’s first ever winner. "When a pop-up window appeared on my computer screen, I tried to cancel it and pressed the maximise button by mistake. It was the entry form for Britain’s Got Talent. It was the night before the entries were going to close, so I decided to let luck play a part. I took 10p out of my pocket, flipped the coin and said that if it landed on heads I’d apply, and if it landed on tails I’d cancel the whole thing and not think about it again. I can’t believe that was 12 years ago – it makes me feel old! I won £100,000, but it was taxable, so about 35-40 per cent of it went straight away. It’s because in winning Britain’s Got Talent you use a skill. If it was a quiz, it wouldn’t be taxable – that’s the taxman’s argument, anyway – but if you use a skill, then it’s employment. There are only two things certain in life: death and taxes! Some went to paying off debts, and the rest went towards setting up me and my wife for life. I’ve done about 1,100 shows in the past 12 years, but I’m still the shy person I was and being in the public eye can still be a little bit disconcerting. But you learn to deal with it. You can’t go into this industry thinking that you’ve got to have a persona, because when you try and keep something that’s not real going, that’s the route to mental health issues. You have to be you – if not, life finds you out in the end. You also have to manage your expectations. I always try to prepare myself for the worst and the best, because it’s easier coming up from the bottom than it is falling from the top. I’m so glad that coin landed on heads. You can never really know, but I’m fairly confident that if it had landed on tails I’d still be selling mobile phones. Life has a funny way of turning around in ways you don’t expect, and I’m very glad everything turned out the way it did. Ashley Banjo, winner 2009 Ashley Banjo, 30, was part of dance troupe Diversity who triumphed over Susan Boyle in Britain’s Got Talent in 2009. He is a Dancing on Ice judge and star of The Real Full Monty. There was so much attention on Susan Boyle in the week leading up to the final. It was SuBo mania and it felt like it was already written that she would win. But that really helped us prepare; I feel like our relaxed attitude is probably what won it for us. Winning the final was such a shock – maybe more than any other year because we were opposite somebody who was already famous worldwide. We never thought for a minute that the public would get behind us like they did. We shared out the prize money and I think it came to about £9,000 each. The first thing I bought was an Apple Mac so I could edit the music for the sets properly, and I remember at the time saying that we would try to do a tour. But first we had to convince a promoter to take a risk on a dance group. They were all saying “this probably won’t work” and then, 12 promoters in, we came across the fantastic one we’re still with now. There was no record label or creative team telling us what to do – it was only me. I had to create a show to fill big venues and I’d never done one in my life. But the first dates sold out in 12 hours and so we tripled the tour length. View oEmbed on the source website Back then we didn’t know anything about telly. We were so naive! I think we only really got through it with ourselves and our values intact because we had each other and always kept each other grounded. When you’re in a group, you have various people [in the industry] trying to cherry-pick members, but we stayed together and did what we loved – and ten years on, we’ve managed to do it all against the odds. The whole experience has made me and all of the boys the people we are. It’s been life-defining. Jai McDowall, winner 2011 Singer and former support worker Jai McDowall, 32, won the fifth series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2011 and shortly afterwards released his debut album, Believe. Before Britain’s Got Talent I performed at local pubs and clubs, and jumping from that to being on TV felt really strange. After the final on the Saturday, I was like, “Am I allowed to go outside?” so I sat in the hotel room all day Sunday and watched the show back. On the Monday I did press, on Tuesday I went home to do more interviews in Glasgow – and managed to get my washing done – and then the next day I flew back to London for the BGT tour. It was crazy. View oEmbed on the source website To go and win was such a high, but then it was taken away a wee bit with some of the headlines. There were some weird articles at the time [attributed to Jai] about Simon Cowell being anti-Scottish that were misconstrued, and it’s a shame because I have a lot of respect for him. But that’s the industry, and headlines aren’t going to be nice all the time. It did take me a good while to learn to deal with that. Work over the last eight years has been sporadic. There have been times when I’ve maybe made the wrong business choices, and there was a period when I had financial difficulties. But I’ve been lucky that I’ve got a very good core group of fans who have stuck by me and been very loyal over the past eight years. There have been ups and downs, but I’ve never had a boring time. I’m very grateful and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without the show. Lost Voice Guy, winner 2018 Lee Ridley, 38, aka Lost Voice Guy, has cerebral palsy and uses a communication aid for his stand-up routine. He is the first comedian to win Britain’s Got Talent. It’s always a risk when you put yourself in the limelight like this. I’m quite an edgy comedian and I had to tone down my material for Saturday-night television, so I wasn’t sure how well it would go down with the BGT audience. I’m really glad that I did BGT, though, and it ended up going better than I expected! In the week leading up to the final I was so busy doing filming and rehearsing that all of it just blended into one, but my main memory was of me falling and hitting my head after the semifinal. I was just getting ready to celebrate in the hotel bar when I tripped over thin air and landed on my face. For a few moments, Lost Voice Guy became Lost Balance Guy. Thankfully, I recovered in time to compete in the final. In the days after my win I did a lot of media interviews and got asked the same questions over and over again, but luckily I could just use copy and paste on my iPad for that. View oEmbed on the source website Winning has changed my life in so many ways. It’s enabled me to go on tour and write a book, but one of the best things to happen is that people are engaging with me a lot more. I’m always getting stopped for selfies and, for the first time, people seem comfortable talking to a disabled person. When I first started comedy seven years ago, it was only supposed to be a bit of a laugh. I never expected to be making a living out of it, and I certainly didn’t expect it to lead to all of this. Britain's Got Talent winners The full list of Britain's Got Talent winners is as follows: Paul Potts (2007) George Sampson (2008) Diversity (2009) Spelbound (2010) Jai McDowall (2011) Ashleigh and Pudsey (2012) Attraction (2013) Collabro (2014) Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse (2015) Richard Jones (2016) Tokio Myers (2017) Lost Voice Guy (2018) Colin Thackery (2019) Jon Courtenay (2020) The Britain’s Got Talent 2022 airs on Saturday 16th April at 8pm on ITV. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV guide.
Intelligence creator Nick Mohammed talks working with David Schwimmer on the new Sky comedy
We sat down with the man behind the series that's bringing the Friends star back to sitcoms
A new sitcom starring David Schwimmer is new on Sky, hailed by one Radio Times reviewer as a "funny, refreshing take on a workplace comedy". GCHQ-based Intelligence was created by Nick Mohammed, who also stars alongside Schwimmer, and tells the story of two mismatched workers at the intelligence and security organisation. Mohammed plays bumbling computer analyst Joseph, while Schwimmer takes on the role of a power-hungry NSA agent who has just arrived from the USA. The show follows the pair as they are forced to work together as part of a newly-formed team combating cybercrime. In the Q&A below, Mohammed speaks about his story inspiration, getting starstruck by Schwimmer, and acquiring permission from GCHQ... How did Intelligence come about? I’ve always liked the idea of writing a workplace sitcom that was set somewhere where the stakes were really huge and yet you would still have those normal, everyday office moments that everyone can associate with. And I’ve always been fascinated by GCHQ. It’s somewhere quite clandestine, obviously, in terms of what they do, so it’s always felt like quite a rich area for comedy. At the heart of it, there are a hell of a lot of quite eccentric and brilliant individuals who come together. How did David Schwimmer get involved both starring in the show as Jerry and also serving as executive producer? I had worked with David on a pilot that Julia Davis and I wrote called Morning Has Broken. It was for Channel 4 and we played rivalling TV presenters, but it never got broadcast. To be fair, is wasn’t too dissimilar from The Morning Show, which is on Apple TV now. Anyway, we had a pilot made, and David got wind of it, came over and did some workshops and improvising with us which was brilliant and really really fun. Sadly for various reasons the show didn’t get made – hopefully Julia and I will get to revisit it – but David and I stayed in touch off the back of that. I always wanted to do something with David, and likewise David with myself. Joseph is star-struck when he meets Jerry – did you have a similar experience when it came to meeting David? I do have a distinct memory of the first time I spoke to him, because I remember the producer of The Morning Show said, “Oh, by the way, David Schwimmer’s going to call you because he really likes the show. He wants to talk to you about it.” I think I was filming Fresh Meat at the time in Manchester and I was like, “Oh, golly.” I remember him calling, and he was just this very nice and normal person with no ego, despite everything he’s achieved, but I was starstruck. He made it very easy for me to just be quite pally with him, and I would joke around and, I guess, be a bit cheeky around him. Maybe that was a defence mechanism? I don’t know! But he was so sweet and we’ve hung out a lot since then so now I don’t bat an eyelid. I don’t give a shit [laughs]. View oEmbed on the source website Did you and David instantly click, comedy-wise? I guess we did, which is sort of crazy to say because obviously I’m by no means as prominent a figure in the comedy world as David is. But, you know, it would be an understatement to say that I thought he was fantastic, and I obviously grew up watching Friends. So it was a thrill, and quite daunting to get to meet him and work with him. But now, because we’ve worked together so solidly and consistently with Intelligence, we are just mates now, which is quite a strange thing. Did you have to ask permission from GCHQ to feature them in the show? Not really, but they did get in contact with us because they’d heard about the show when it was announced. And to be honest, they probably knew about it way before then – if they were doing their homework… So they did send a couple of people down to chat with us. We were hoping to do a visit, which we sadly couldn’t do for security reasons. But they were amazingly forthcoming, actually. I think once they knew that the show was effectively a silly comedy with a double act at the heart of it, and that we weren’t needlessly poking fun at them or their staff then they actually were able to give us an amazing insight into some of the minutiae of working there. Those were the things I was most concerned about – literally, what do they serve in the canteen on a Tuesday? Your character Joseph isn’t the best at his job. Did you draw on much personal experience for him? After I finished university, I was gigging as a comedian in London as well as temping for Morgan Stanley during the day. It wasn’t quite on the scale of GCHQ, but there were some systems that I was in charge of that were making some big trades and if I made a mistake, it would cause lots of problems. I wasn’t really qualified to do any of it, so it always made me laugh – the idea of trying to stumble my way through something which had quite big stakes. It was ripe for comedy. And a second series of Intelligence has now been confirmed… I’ve already started working on series two. After finding out where the strengths are through that first filming process, going into writing a second series feels like a bit of a gift because you know the rhythms of the show and who everyone is a little bit more. Plus you learn so much through the edit – what you get rid of, what you keep, what works and so on. But the show has been a real delight – I feel very lucky and I can’t wait for people to see it. All episodes of Intelligence will be available on Sky One and NOW TV from Friday 21st February
Strictly Come Dancing's Joe Sugg says show's 'curse' is 'a blessing'
YouTuber Joe Sugg coupled up with his professional partner Dianne Buswell after the show ended
We may have crowned our 2019 Strictly Come Dancing champion (congratulations Kelvin Fletcher!), but we still have an extra serving of Strictly sparkle in the form of the Christmas special to come. On Christmas day, six former Strictly stars will be returning to the ballroom in a bid to impress the judges and the audience one last time. It’s an extra special return to the dance floor for Joe and Dianne, after the twosome became a couple shortly after the final in 2018. But while the show’s regular dance floor romances have often lead to whispers of a Strictly ‘curse’, 28-year-old Sugg sees things in a far more positive light. “Strictly blessing, I say!” he told Radio Times magazine for their bumper Christmas double issue. “Dianne’s my first girlfriend and you can watch our relationship form – even the moment we met is on camera. Everything’s been so easy and nice – it’s just happened the perfect way for us.” Dancing a street commercial routine to The Ronnettes’ classic Sleigh Ride, both Joe and Dianne found themselves having to really commit to training, despite having previously reached the final. “Joe’s a natural performer and actor, but he’s definitely not a natural dancer,” Dianne explained. “Rehearsing again has made me realise how much effort we had to put in last year to get him to the standard he reached.” But while training may have been a struggle, Joe credits Strictly for giving him a boost. “I’m quiet and more of an introvert, but doing Strictly really helped my confidence,” he said. The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special airs Christmas Day at 4.40pm on BBC One. The Radio Times magazine Christmas issue is in stores now
Strictly Come Dancing’s Katya Jones opens up about split from Neil ahead of live shows
“Dancing stays the same. Nothing changes.”
Strictly Come Dancing is now as infamous for its antics off the dance floor as it is on it, with the show’s so-called ‘curse’ having reared its ugly head over a number of couples. The curse’s most recent ‘victims’ are professional dancers Neil and Katya Jones, who announced their split in August after six years of marriage. Their break-up comes almost 10 months after Katya was caught kissing her celebrity partner Seann Walsh on a night out. But if you’re thinking their split may cause tensions behind-the-scenes on the Strictly live shows, you’d be very much mistaken, as both Katya and Neil both confirmed to Radio Times magazine that they’re still happy to work together. “Always, she’s my dance partner,” said Neil, who this year is teamed with footballer Alex Scott – the first time he’s ever received a celebrity partner. “We’ve been together a long time. Katya added that she and Neil will be “absolutely” working together, with Katya now designing the costumes for her ex’s upcoming solo tour, Gingerland. “I’ve designed all the dresses and costumes for our shows,” she said. “He’s going to be busy with [his tour] but the rest of the time we will be doing shows as usual, gigs together and whatever we get offered. “Dancing stays the same. Nothing changes.” Katya has been paired with sports presenter Mike Bushell, who has since admitted he once put a former dance teacher of his in hospital with his not-so-smooth moves. But the dancer, who took the top prize in 2017 with Joe McFadden, is optimistic about her chances on the 2019 show. “I’m excited about teaching Mike how to dance – I mean, what a student!” she said. “We’re here to create some iconic moves.” Strictly Come Dancing launches Saturday at 7pm on BBC One. Read the full interview in Radio Times magazine, out now
Anneka Rice on Strictly costumes: ‘I asked to wear trousers but the dresses are getting shorter’
Self-confessed tomboy Anneka Rice is finding the costumes the most ‘challenging’ part of Strictly
While the glitz, glamour and glitter is part of the fun for some Strictly Come Dancing contestants, TV presenter-turned-artist Anneka Rice is struggling with being ‘Strictlyfied.’ The 60-year-old, who is paired with 2018 champion Kevin Clifton, revealed she had asked to wear trousers – a request, it appears, that went unheard. “The first time I turned up for a fitting, I asked to wear trousers, but this tiny dress appeared,” she told Radio Times magazine. “And it seems to have gotten shorter and shorter. “When I met the other contestants, Michelle Visage oozed New York glamour and I oozed Deep Heat and massive insecurity.” She continued: "It feels utterly weird and I'm definitely not 'Strictlyfied' yet. I have said I would like every week to be in some kind of trouser, but no one listened to me for the first week so who knows?" Rice, who has previously confessed to have never danced before and even admitted to being kicked out of her ballet class as a child for being “too wooden”, added that it was “50/50” to whether she would be able to even do Strictly, after injuring her shoulder in the run-up to the show. Fellow star Jamie Laing was forced to pull out earlier this year after injuring his leg, seeing him replaced by Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher. The severity of Rice's injury has already seen her bow out of the group dance on the launch show. “I injured my shoulder after falling on a slippery slope in my neighbours garden and ended up in A&E,” she said. “I had a cortisone injection and was called in to see the producers and was told it was 50/50 whether I could still do Strictly. Thankfully, it ended up fine. The show must go on.” Strictly Come Dancing launches Saturday 21st September at 7pm on BBC One. Read Anneka Rice and James Cracknell’s weekly column in Radio Times magazine, out every Tuesday
Strictly Come Dancing’s Mike Bushell put dance teacher in hospital with moves
Fingers crossed the BBC’s sports presenter has better luck with pro partner Katya Jones
He’s famously not too clever on his feet, having memorably fell into a pool of water mid-interview – and it seems Strictly Come Dancing star Mike Bushell won't have better luck on the dance floor. The 53-year-old has admitted that he once took down a dance teacher while practising his moves. “When I was younger I thought I’d like to do a degree in performing arts, so I went to a college for an interview and was asked to follow the teacher and do a series of moves,” he told Radio Times magazine. “I kicked my legs in the air and took her down – she had to go to A&E.” But Bushell said there was "no way" his troubled dance past would deter him from Strictly. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said. “I’m used to taking a lot of stick – so nothing worries me, really. “Although I don’t want to frighten the nation by getting my chest out. It’s a family show.” Professional dancer Katya Jones said she is thrilled to be partnered with “perfect” Bushell, and even teased a memorable dance to beat her salsa to Gangnam Style with Ed Balls. “I’m excited about teaching him how to dance – I mean, what a student!” she said. “We’re here to create some iconic moves.” Strictly Come Dancing launches Saturday at 7pm on BBC One. Read the full interview in Radio Times magazine, out now
Kelvin Fletcher “only had one hour to decide” whether he wanted to do Strictly Come Dancing
The Emmerdale star was enlisted to replace Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing
Kelvin Fletcher found himself having to hastily rearrange his end of year plans after he was given an hour to make a decision about signing up for Strictly Come Dancing. The 35-year-old wasn’t a “back up” celebrity waiting in the wings to step in after Jamie Laing was forced to pull out over a foot injury. “I didn’t anticipate this at all!” he told Radio Times magazine. “I suddenly received a call from my agent offering me the chance to do Strictly and I had to make the decision within an hour or two. “I was doing a different job towards the end of the year so I had to change my plans, but it was a no-brainer.” Luckily, Fletcher wasn’t going into the Strictly experience completely blind, having previously been tested for the show before. “I’d met the Strictly producers previously so they’d already had a taste of me and what I was about," he said. "But I was straight in at the deep end.” After agreeing to join Strictly, Fletcher found himself partnered with Oti Mabuse – who cried on finding out she would still be taking part despite Laing dropping out. What time is Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on TV? “I was devastated when Jamie hurt himself and I had a long, tearful conversation with him,” she said. “For a while I thought I had no partner and I was in bed all day thinking ‘I can’t do the show!’ In moments like that you realise how much you love something. “When they called and told me about Kelvin, I cried. And it turns out he’s incredible!” Fletcher has lost a few weeks training compared to his Strictly co-stars, but he's confident that it won't affect his performance. “I certainly don’t feel like I’m at any disadvantage coming in late and I’m used to being the underdog,” he said. “With everything I do, I seem to be the underdog!” Strictly Come Dancing launches Saturday at 7pm on BBC One. Read the full interview in Radio Times magazine, out now
Can you watch Love Island outside the UK?
Fantastic news: going away doesn't mean you have to miss a moment of villa drama
Love Island fans face a big dilemma this summer. If you're going abroad, what can you do about staying up to date with Love Island? Or will going on holiday for a week or two mean you have to miss all the villa drama? Well fear not, because there IS a way to make sure you never miss an episode. Everything you need to know about Love Island 2019 Which Love Island couples are still together? Who are the cast of Love Island 2019? Want more Love Island content? Click here Before jetting off, if you download ITV Hub+ you can still watch every episode of Love Island. This app is an extension of ITV's catch-up service, and it means that even if you're outside of the UK you can download and watch the ITV2 reality show on the go. Sadly you can't live stream Love Island, but the episodes are generally uploaded to the app the second it finishes in the UK at 10pm. Depending on where you are in the world, you'll have to do the maths when it comes to time zones for when the latest episode will be available each day... Subscription to ITV Hub+ costs £3.99 a month, however by signing up you do get 7 days for free which is just enough time to catch a week's holiday's worth of island action for gratis. Love Island airs daily at 9pm on ITV2
Britain's Got Talent 2019: Everything you need to know
We have all the answers to your burning BGT questions
Britain's Got Talent's 13th series was jam-packed with more talented (and not-so-talented) folk from across the UK (and beyond). Britain's Got Talent 2019 semi-finalists: who's through to the live shows? Yes, Britain's Got Talent features established performers... but who cares as long as they entertain us? Who are the Golden Buzzer acts in Britain's Got Talent 2019? The multiple award-winning series, which has brought international fame to hopefuls such as Diversity, Susan Boyle and Tokio Myers, is a sure-fire spring ratings smash for ITV, with last series' final scoring over 10 million viewers. The 13th series also marked Anthony McPartlin's return to our screens full-time alongside co-presenter Declan Donnelly, after taking 2018 off following a stint in rehab for alcohol issues. Here's everything you need to know about Britain's Got Talent as it reaches the grand final... When is the Britain's Got Talent final on TV? The live Britain's Got Talent final takes place on Sunday 2nd June from 7:30pm-10:05pm on ITV. Can I still get tickets for Britain's Got Talent 2019? Fans can still apply for tickets for the final (for free) through the Applause Store, though spots are limited. Who's through to the Britain's Got Talent final? You can see a full list of the finalists here. Where else would you get to watch a mind-reading dog go up against a social media magician or a comedy pianist take on some performing primary school kids? Who's going to win Britain's Got Talent? While we can't give you a definitive answer to that until after the final, we can tell you that in a RadioTimes.com poll of over almost 3,700 people, it was incredibly tight between two acts in particular... Britain's Got Talent 2019 final too close to call with top two acts neck-and-neck to win Who are the Britain's Got Talent 2019 Golden Buzzer acts? The Golden Buzzer acts, chosen by the judges and Ant and Dec, are as follows, but only two of them have made it through to the grand final – and no Golden Buzzer act has ever won the competition before. David Walliams: Flakefleet Primary School Alesha Dixon: Giorga Borg Simon Cowell: Kojo Anim Amanda Holden: Chapter 13 Ant and Dec: Akshat Singh Who are the Britain's Got Talent judges? All four judges are back for the thirteenth round - with Amanda Holden being as bold to say she will never, ever leave unless Simon sacks her. "I actually think we’ve gone past that stage of even having those conversations where they all think I make the decisions on who stays and goes,” Cowell joked about the line-up. “I just think we’re all kind of stuck with each other now!” Britain's Got More Talent host Stephen Mulhern agrees, believing the line-up will remain the same for several years to come. Speaking to Christine Lampard in for Lorraine last year, he explained, "The judges have been the same for seven years. I don't think they'll change for the next two, three, four years. "It just works, everyone gets on and everyone has a good time." However, David Walliams has hinted the next run of the show may very well be his last, as his contract is due to run out this year. "I have one more year, and then my contract is up. [After that?] We shall see," he told heat! magazine. Ant is back with Dec to present Britain's Got Talent 2019 After stepping back from his television hosting duties in April after he was convicted of drink-driving, Ant is returning to host Britain's Got Talent. He'll once again join Dec for the show's live auditions, which are filmed in January 2019. The pair were pictured together, looking all smiles ahead of filming on 18th January. Although Ant McPartlin was seen throughout all of the pre-recorded BGT auditions in last year's show, he was absent for the entire live week of shows. It meant that co-presenter Declan Donnelly hosted the live semi-finals and the grand final by himself (which he certainly kicked off in style). The judges are also pleased to have Ant and Dec reunited for the latest series. "This year has been so lovely," said Amanda Holden. "The live shows were not the same without Ant." "It’s been like getting the family back together, it just feels normal," agreed Alesha Dixon. "We’ve been working together for so long now that when we’re together it just feels right." David Walliams added, "It was lovely to see when they stepped back on the stage together in London how excited people were to see them together. It was really emotional and I was pleased for them. It was just how it always was. "Ant and Dec are really nice blokes and they are ‘what you see is what you get’ type of people. It’s not like they have a persona that's different to how they are on TV, that's why people love them so much, they're just so natural and themselves. It was nice being back together." What does the winner of Britain's Got Talent get? As well as getting a spot on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance, there's also a big cash prize for whoever wins... Who has previously won Britain's Got Talent? The full list of Britain's Got Talent winners is here – the most recent victor is comedian Lost Voice Guy. The stand-up became the first ever comedian of the talent show when he won in 2018. Britain's Got Talent past winners: where are they now? Where are Britain's Got Talent's live shows filmed? In 2018, BGT moved out of a TV studio for the first time and instead the live shows were held at Hammersmith Apollo in London, where they are expected to return to for 2019. Although the staging looked amazing, the broadcast didn't always go so smoothly. During bad weather in the first semi-final, the live show dropped off air for over 10 minutes. Oops. "It has to be in a theatre and I’ll tell you why," explained Simon ahead of BGT's 12th series in 2018. "We go into a studio and make it look like a theatre, it’s like buying a Mini and trying to make it look like a Rolls Royce! There’s something about the theatre element. "So whenever we do the live shows in a studio, something, that gloss, glow, whatever you want to call it, is missing for me. So I’m thrilled because this year I have got my own way...again." How do I audition for Britain's Got Talent? Applications are now closed for BGT 2019, but when they open for next year's series, you should be able to find all the information you need to enter here. View Riddle on the source website
Alexander Vlahos confirms Versailles will end after three series
The latest series of the raunchy BBC2 series will be its last
Versailles has been cancelled, the show's star Alexander Vlahos has confirmed. The raunchy BBC2 drama caused something of a stir when it debuted in 2016, and returned last year for a second series. Meet the cast of Versailles What time is Versailles series three on TV? What channel is it on, and is it the final season? Versailles: What is the true story of the Man in the Iron Mask? However, it now appears that the show about the reign of Louis XIV has been axed. Taking to Twitter, Vlahos who plays Philippe D'Orleans in the drama, said the third was going to be "the final season". View oEmbed on the source website A UK air date for the third series has yet to be announced. The show also stars George Blagden as Louis XIV, Tygh Runyan as Fabien Marchal and Stuart Bowman as Alexandre Bontemps. Former Merlin star Vlahos has previously stated how much of a Doctor Who fan he is, and that he would "love" even a guest role in the long-running sci-fi drama. This article was originally published in March 2018 View oEmbed on the source website
Who won Dancing on Ice? Winner revealed, with full list of eliminated celebrities
There can only be one champion, and here we keep track of all the celebrities who have been voted off Dancing on Ice 2019
Twelve celebrities started their Dancing on Ice journey, but one by one they'll be whittled down... Each week, the scores from judges Jason Gardiner, Ashley Banjo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will be combined with the viewers' votes and the two stars who rank at the bottom will compete in the skate-off, with one celebrity each Sunday heading home. Below, we'll be keeping track off who left the show and who's still in with a shot of the title... How to vote in Dancing on Ice 2019 Dancing on Ice scores: who came top of the leaderboard this week? Meet the Dancing on Ice 2019 professional skaters Who won Dancing on Ice? After a tense 10 weeks, the final three skaters returned to the ice to perform a new routine alongside their favourite dance of the series. After Saara Aalto was the first of the finalists to be eliminated, it was now between Wes and James, who each performed their own take of Torvill and Dean's legendary bolero. While Wes might have been hot favourite to take the Dancing on Ice trophy, it was James Jordan who pipped his rival to the post. Who was the ninth celebrity to leave Dancing on Ice? It was a hugely tense skate-off, with Saara Aalto and Brian McFadden both battling it out for a place in next week's finals. But it was the last dance for singer and presenter Brian, who was booted out the competition after he fell during his final performance. The judges unanimously decided to keep Saara in the competition, with Jason Gardiner saying things "may have been different" if Brian had not fallen over. Emotional at the news he had missed out on next week's final, Brian said, "It's been amazing. We had such a great time." Who was the eighth celebrity to leave Dancing on Ice? It was a close call in tonight's skate-off, with X Factor runner-up Saara Aalto up against Pussycat Doll star Melody Thornton in the tense final dance. But Melody's nine lives were up, with the judges unanimously voting to save Saara, seeing her skate through to the semi-finals. Speaking to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield upon her elimination, Melody explained, "It's been an absolutely amazing experience. I know my father would be proud of me." Who were the sixth and seventh celebrities to leave Dancing on Ice? It was a three-way skate-off this week, and a double elimination, with cricketer Ryan Sidebottom and Corrie star Jane Danson both being sent home after a unanimous decision from the judges to save former Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton. Who was the fifth person to leave Dancing on Ice? Gemma Collins finally found herself in the skate-off this week, after failing to impress the judges or the audience at home with her lacklustre routine. The judges unanimously chose to save Ryan Sidebottom once more, with Gemma agreeing that it was her time to leave. Seemingly predicting her fate before it was even decided, Collins said, "I just want to bow out gracefully now. I knew tonight was my night, so I just wanted to go out and have fun." When quizzed by Holly Willoughby about whether she was planning to keep ice skating, she honestly replied, "No, probably not." But the GC's fans were thrilled she stuck it out in the competition, with many predicting she'd quit before the show would even start. Boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent wrote on Twitter, "Congrats Gemma! You made Dancing on Ice 2019! You kept us entertained & GC fever swept the nation. "You dealt with so much pressure and stress, it was all eyes on you but you kept going and didn’t quit! You improved so much and worked so hard! You truly are the Reality Queen." Who was the fourth person to leave Dancing on Ice? After surviving the skate-off two weeks ago, this time around it was Loose Women presenter Saira Khan who was sent home. Saira was up against former cricketer Ryan Sidebottom in the head to head, with the first three judges choosing unanimously to save Ryan and his partner Brandee, and this week's head judge Jayne Torvill agreeing with the decision. Saira was magnanimous in defeat, saying she'd loved her time on the show and sharing her love for the Dancing on Ice team. Who was the third person to leave Dancing on Ice? Didi Conn was the third celebrity to go home. The Grease star found herself up against singer Saara Aalto in the skate-off this week. After their repeat performances, the first three judges opted to save Saara and her partner Hamish, with head judge Christopher Dean saying he would have made the same decision if his vote had been necessary. Who was the second person to leave Dancing on Ice? It was between Richard Blackwood and Saira Khan in tonight's skate-off, with the judges choosing to put through Saira to skate another day. It was a close call, with Richard getting the support of two of the judges - but head judge Jayne Torvill decided to back Saira due to her passion for skating. "I'm disappointed, but it's all good," Richard said, looking highly emotional as he took his lap of honour with his partner Carlotta Edwards. Who was the first person to leave Dancing on Ice? After he faced Ryan Sidebottom in the skate-off, we unfortunately had to wave goodbye to Neighbours actor Mark Little, who lasted just one week in the competition. However, the 59-year-old was undeterred, telling Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby that he'd be keeping up his new hobby. View oEmbed on the source website "I've got a new past-time now," he said, before taking to the ice for one final skate. Next week is Musical week, which sees the skaters perform the first of many Judges' Challenges. Here's who's still left in the competition for next Sunday – get your jazz hands ready... Who's still in Dancing on Ice? Didi Conn Saara Aalto Wes Nelson Gemma Collins Richard Blackwood James Jordan Brian McFadden Saira Khan Ryan Sidebottom Melody Thornton Jane Danson Dancing on Ice airs Sundays on ITV
Life after The Voice UK: past winners tell us what happened next
Stevie McCrorie, Jermain Jackman and Andrea Begley talk frankly about their experiences after they won the TV talent show
This article was first published in April 2017 There are a couple of so-called curses in the realm of reality TV. There's ‘the Strictly curse’, where celebrities have been known to waltz off with their professional dance partners on Strictly Come Dancing. And then there's The Voice UK’s ‘winner’s curse’ reflecting the fact that after five series and five successive champions, the show is yet to produce a hugely commercially successful music star. Not long after they each won The Voice UK, winners Leanne Mitchell, Andrea Begley, Jermain Jackman, Stevie McCrorie and Kevin Simm have all found themselves associated with words like “failure” and “flop”. And yet behind the headlines there are complicated, heartfelt stories from immensely talented singers who never set out to be global superstars in the first place. “It’s been a long up and down road since The Voice. It was difficult, but it feels better now,” admits 2015 winner Stevie McCrorie. “I’ve had time to digest it and looking back now I just see it as such an amazing achievement. I’m so proud of myself. I grew up on council estates with no money – sometimes I just take that second to think how I came from absolutely nothing to win a national TV show. That’s the way I think about it now.” Stevie was originally scouted for the show’s first series but “didn’t have the guts” to pursue competing on the show. Four years later, his colleagues at the fire station where he worked sent off his application for The Voice. “I went on the show to get maybe an extra few hundred quid at gigs with a bit of TV exposure, and it just snowballed then,” he says. “I got caught up in the whole thing and I ended up going on and winning it. It was such a surreal experience, even to think back now.” Surreal is a word that Andrea Begley, who competed on the second series of the show in 2013, also uses to describe her experience of winning the show. “I’d been writing my own songs and playing small gigs and my thinking was that any coverage at all would give me an opportunity to do more of it,” she explains. Jermain Jackman sees his win the following year as “one of the highlights” of his life. Not that he ever applied for the show with the intention of winning. Whilst Stevie and Andrea, who were already well into their 20s and appeared on the The Voice for more gigs and exposure, 18-year-old Jermain entered in order to gain a scholarship to a music college in Boston. “I thought it would add more weight to my name,” he tells me. “I went back to the university and I said ‘I’m at the live shows’ and they gave me the full scholarship. So I was like 'oh my goodness – there’s no need for me to be on the show. I can go to Boston and follow my dreams'. Jermain Jackman wins The Voice UK in 2014 “And then I ended up winning and then having to do a tour and an album and I couldn’t even get to go to the university. And I’m not saying that I’m ungrateful for winning – but things get thrown in and mess up your plans. So I was on the show for whole different intentions, a whole different mind set.” It didn’t take long before the papers were after him. On the day his debut album was released, a story ran in The Mirror claiming he had only sold 600 copies. “A lot of the press were really down my back to say 'he’s failed,'” reflects Jermain who says he felt shocked and found it “very hard” going through the experience of having so much fame so quickly – and then losing it almost as rapidly. “At first it was difficult because you had all these expectations,” he tells me. “I was not the bookies’ favourite, no-one expected me to win and a lot of people thought I would break ‘the curse’ of The Voice winners. And I really believed I could break that mould. Now it’s fine, but it was difficult to look back.” Although there is no one precise reason why winners of The Voice UK have failed to achieve huge success, much of the blame has been placed at the door of the BBC. As a publicly owned broadcaster, there are rules in place that prevent them from promoting their own products – red tape that means singing contestants are unable to plug their own music after winning. “They can’t be seen to be doing anything for commercial gain,” says Stevie. “So when I went back on the show a year later to sing, they weren’t going to let me mention my album that was out. It wasn’t The Voice being bad people, it was just policy and they couldn’t be seen to be doing it.” Leanne Mitchell won the first series of The Voice UK in 2012 With that in mind, he believes that ITV is “definitely a better place” for the programme following its move from BBC1 last year. “I don’t think it should’ve ever really been on the BBC because they can go on about creating this winner and potentially going on to be commercially successful – but the show was the opposite.” Jermain agrees and thinks there are simply “too many politics” at the BBC. “I feel like I need to write a book about all of this!” he laughs. “When you’re on a BBC show, you’re seen as a BBC product. I remember being told that: 'You’re a BBC product' and I was like 'Wow, that’s a crazy label'. There’s a whole bunch of experiences that I had working with the BBC that I struggle to understand.” According to Jermain, he was originally on the line-up for the first ever BBC Music Awards but was hastily removed.“The BBC couldn’t be seen to be promoting their own product. I was on the bill – but I was quickly taken off. I remember having meetings with my label – they were so sorry and didn’t understand the bull**it that was going on with the BBC. “I was still 19. At this time I had all of these things going through my head: 'am I good enough? Do they not like my voice? Do they not like my music? Was I the right person who won?' But you have to stay so strong and thick-skinned and know that you do deserve it." Andrea meanwhile found it “frustrating” when her debut album didn’t make the playlist for Radio 2. “I felt it was a bit unfair, given that it was a BBC programme and a BBC radio station,” she explains. “And I think that was more pivotal than anything in terms of how things carried on. I think if it had been playlisted, it would have made quite a difference.” Andrea Begley on The Voice UK in 2013 There are also marked differences between The Voice UK and The X Factor. Whereas The Voice searches for someone with impeccable vocal talent, The X Factor is a different beast. Its acts often have personalities as big as – or even bigger than – their voices. “The Voice is about the voice and The X Factor is about having that x factor,” surmises Jermain. “I didn’t have that x factor, but I had the voice.” Stevie also admits he was “was never going to be a pop star”. “I wanted to be a guy with his guitar, touring around dingy venues and working my way up,” he says. “I think maybe people were expecting me to be this bubbly guy and singing and dancing on TV shows, and it just wasn’t really me.” Another recurring problem they all cite was the uniformity of the management and the label, which was decided long before the winner was crowned. “You’re always watching your words because you don’t want to come across ungrateful, because I’m so grateful for the experience that I got on that show," says Stevie. “But there are 48 people that get through to the battles. The way the music industry works, it’s so hard to think that one management or label are going to suit everybody. As soon as I won I was with the wrong management and the wrong label. I just knew it was never going to work because it wasn’t natural. I think that’s why The Voice has never produced a ‘superstar’. Andrea agrees with his sentiment. “My music probably would have been more suited to a label like Decca, but because that year Capitol had been chosen as the label, that’s who I ended up with,” she explains. “I mean, we made the best of it in the circumstances, and it actually worked quite well. We worked together as much as we could, and it ended up quite successful. Last year's winner of The Voice UK, former Liberty X singer Kevin Simm “Looking back on it, I suppose I might have wanted to do things differently,” she continues. “I wanted to do an album that was more my music, and obviously the label weren’t keen on that.” Andrea was with Capitol for about a year and a half when she says “the trail just went quiet”. “There really wasn’t a huge amount of communication from them, but it didn’t seem that a second album was going to happen. It was kind of a mutual thing really, because I think I recognised as well that by that stage it was just the direction it was heading in. “It was a bit disappointing, but at the same time I got to walk away from the situation knowing I had a top 10 album, which is a heck of lot more than most people.” For Andrea, not finding huge success wasn’t a shock. “I think because I had fairly realistic expectations, and I had seen how things had gone in the first series, I had fairly… I wouldn’t say limited ambitions, but I think I had a fairly realistic view." Finding such sudden fame and then reverting back to a normal life had a greater impact on both Stevie and Jermain. “They pick you up every Saturday night, you’re live on BBC1 and you’re held on a pedestal,” says Jermain. "'Oh my goodness, you’re amazing'. And then after the show it’s just…nothing. And everyone’s like 'well, what now?' And you’re just dropped. There’s literally no contact, they don’t call you – for months there had always been someone calling you every single day. And then after the show you’re like 'what now?' Jermain Jackman “If it wasn’t down to my family, my friends and my faith I would’ve been one of those artists who were eaten up and spat back out. There was a singer on my year who I was told had a mental breakdown after the show, and that’s how much the machine just chews you up. If you don’t have that foundation you’re going to fall straight through.” Stevie found it “a shock to the system” because of all the hype. “'You’ve won The Voice, your single’s at number one – it was there for five days. I was going to Radio 1 and I was going to all these other places and then all of a sudden it kind of got taken away from me in the space of six months. “And there’s no aftercare – it wasn’t as if there was somebody saying ‘we’re going to get someone to develop your TV presence or develop this or develop that,'" he says. “You just win it – there’s your label, there’s your management. See you later.” Stevie laughs recalling the gulf he felt between himself and some X Factor contestants who had been on the show the same year he won The Voice. “I was doing songwriting sessions when I saw them. They seemed to have someone with them driving them around. I was cutting it about on the bus.” There were splashes in the tabloids last year when it was revealed that Stevie had returned to his former job as a fireman at Kirkcaldy station in Fife a year after winning the show. The word “flop” was back again – and the coverage was something Stevie found frustrating. “I think people saw it as a bad thing when I went back,” he explains. “But I always saw The Voice as a good platform. I never expected to be super famous and I actually got more fame than I expected. “Becoming a fireman was another amazing achievement for me because I can’t believe I managed to do that – I used to be a lazy musician drinking beer all the time,” he continues. “It’s a job to be proud of and I was just like ‘I’m not going to give up this career I worked so hard to get’. I’d only been in the job two years. “When I made the decision to go back to the fire service it was just hard to deal with because one minute you’re selling out big capacity venues and all these people are coming to see you. And then the next minute you’re a normal person. I think that’d be hard for anybody to deal with. I’ve been through low periods but, without sounding clichéd, it does make you a bit stronger.” Andrea says the last time she was in touch with her coach Danny O’Donoghue was a brief email conversation last year. “While we haven’t been in great contact recently, we always got on very well,” she notes. Stevie and Jermain still exchange texts with their respective coaches Ricky Wilson and will.i.am. “It’s good that he keeps in touch. He’s a nice guy,” says Stevie of Ricky, adding that he sees Kaiser Chiefs gigs when they come to Scotland. All three have advice for artists thinking of applying for future series of the programme. “I would just say to take it for total enjoyment,” Andrea says. “Every week you go out, like a massive advertisement board of what you can do and don’t get too caught up in all the fanfare, because I think there is a tendency to get a bit carried away. “Don’t expect to be the next Ed Sheeran because even if you do win you’ve got a hell of a lot of work to put in. You need good songs, you need good writers and you need an element of luck, too.” Jermain is keen to point out to tomorrow’s talented performers that TV competitions are perhaps not the best way to go about becoming a bona fide artist. “I would say you don’t have to do it,” he explains. “You can build an organic fan base, release music on Soundcloud and just graft and work on your craft until you’re ready. Or you can do it, but know what you’re there for and don’t get lost. “Know that you’re just a singer on a primetime television show and their main aim is to put out entertainment. Forget about the way you feel, forget about if you’re tired. This is what they’re there to do. "It’s a machine. If you’re not ready for that machine, they will eat you up and spit you back out. Because as soon as the show’s over, you’ll be Joe Bloggs who lives down the road.” It would be easy for any or all of them to feel embittered or resentful about the hand they were dealt after the confetti was swept away. And yet Stevie, Jermain and Andrea are all incredibly warm, genuine and kind-hearted people who are still passionate about music and who regularly perform live. Admittedly the venues aren’t arenas and the music they’re releasing isn’t storming the charts, but that isn’t what’s important to them. They’re enjoying their careers both in and out of music and above everything else are unanimous in their belief that they have come out of the “machine” unscathed because of their rich and varied lives outside of music. “I think this is what certain reality contestants need to start to think about,” says Jermain. “What’s their love and their passion? It’s just unfortunate for those singers and contestants who just purely do music. “I started studying politics at Leeds last year and I’m really enjoying it,” he adds. "I'm just trying to get through university one lecture at a time. I saw winning The Voice as the building blocks of the foundation of which my career was built on. “It’s allowed me to stand on a certain pedestal, to voice my opinions and to also voice the opinions of those who are unheard. And I’ve just set up my own commission in Islington called the Fairer Futures Commission. It’s almost an independent enquiry to see into the policies that Islington council implement and how they can really enable and ensure that young people and children achieve their full potential.” Most viewers of The Voice remember Jermain saying he was going to be the country’s first black Prime Minister – something he says it’s “great” that he’s remembered for. “I walk into Hackney and they'e saying 'We’re waiting on you!'" he smiles. Similarly to Jermain, Andrea – who had to postpone her masters degree when competing on The Voice – has also returned to academia and is currently doing a part-time PhD through Exeter University while working for the government in Stormont in Belfast. “I’m very lucky that I’ve got my finger in a lot of other pies and have other interests,” says Andrea, who is also an ambassador for RNIB Northern Ireland alongside performing at local gigs during the evenings and weekends and releasing her music independently. “I have the freedom to do what I enjoy doing, and that’s the main thing," she says. "Sure, in an ideal world it might have worked out differently, but it didn’t. It’s just one of those things. Besides, there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t have done without it. So how do you look at it? Is the glass half full or half empty? It hasn’t had a lasting impact in a negative sense for me, I’ve just taken the good out of it. Ultimately The Voice has definitely been a positive experience.” Alongside his job in the fire service, Stevie is still “pushing forward and writing songs”. He’s converted his garage into a studio and is looking towards doing another album. “110% The Voice benefited me,” he says. “But people don’t see that because I’m not on the TV and I’m not on the radio – but I’m still working. I’ve done T in the Park twice since I’ve won the show, I’m doing other festivals, I’ve sold out a lot of venues up in Scotland. “I’ve just been writing a lot and meeting people in the industry to really get a better understanding of how to approach it, and I feel like labels aren’t the be all and end all these days. There are other avenues you can go down and that’s what I’m exploring now – get a new album out, hopefully tour the UK and maybe some of Europe. “I’ve stuck to my music,” Stevie concludes. “And hopefully one day I won’t be judged as just someone who won The Voice.” Stevie McCrorie can be found tweeting @steviemccrorie and his latest music can be found here. Jermain Jackman (@JermainJackman) is the chair of Islington's Fair Futures Commission. Read more about the work he's doing here. Andrea Begley (@ABegleymusic)'s new single 'Never A Pal Like Mother' is out now on iTunes.
This is what every singer requests just before they audition for The Voice UK
We got the lowdown from woman who's the last to see the singers before they step out to face the bright lights of the Blind Audition
This article was first published in February 2018 Sara Marshall-Page is the very last person singers on The Voice UK see before they go out on stage to audition. She is the mysterious woman in the wings (on the left in the picture above), who as ITV's assistant floor manager is there to give acts a reassuring pat on the back and ensure everyone going out into the spotlight is ready to perform for the coaches. "The last moment before a potentially life changing performance is crucial," says Sara. "The acts need to be focused, composed and ready to give the best performance they have ever given. As a team, we work to make sure that nerves don’t override these elements. What time is The Voice UK on TV? Kylie Minogue returns to The Voice UK as guest mentor for Tom Jones Craig David and The Black Eyed Peas confirmed as The Voice UK 2018 guest mentors "The singers have to walk out on to that stage ready and raring to go, with their nerves totally under control." With only three or four minutes with the singers before they walk into the spotlight, Sara says that she "gets them at their most nervous". "Most look like they want to run away, but they never do. I hold on to them too tightly!" she says. "Some go silent, others chatter away, but almost everyone tells me right at the very last second, just as the director tells me to standby to cue them on, that they need a wee and a glass of water. These are classic signs of the ‘last second super nerves’ kicking in." Sara continues, "I remember one act was so nervous, that just as I told her to walk on to stage she said, 'Will you hug me?!'" So what advice does she give the singers in those crucial few minutes? View oEmbed on the source website "I almost always end up telling the singers to take nice deep, long breaths: 'In for four, hold for four, then out for eight'," explains Sara. "That always calms them down. I remind them that even though their mind has gone blank - they always tell me they can’t remember what their song is - everything will be amazing once the track starts. I also tell them to have fun just as they walk out." "Nerves are good though. I tell all of them that," she continues. "It’s how you manage those nerves that matters." And it seems like the pressure has a rather intriguing side effect on the singers... "I've had many secrets revealed to me in the wings," smiles Sara. "But secrets told in the wings, stay in the wings!" The Voice UK airs Saturdays on ITV
Lord Alan Sugar: 'Celebrities are always humbled in front of me...'
The Apprentice star speaks his mind on Baftas, Brexit — and why he and Celebrity Apprentice candidate Rachel Johnson just couldn't agree on her brother, Boris...
It pays to remember that Lord Sugar is the boss. Whether greeting a new consignment of wannabe entrepreneurs on The Apprentice or a batch of hapless celebrities for a charity special, one thing remains the same. “I’m in charge,” he asserts. “And you know, all of those celebrities get a bit humbled when they’re sitting in front of me.” Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief returns this week after a ten-year absence. Those gamely taking part are TV/radio presenter Rylan Clark Neal, talent-show judges Amanda Holden (Britain’s Got Talent) and Ayda Field (The X Factor), broadcasters-cum-journalists Rachel Johnson and Richard Arnold, football manager Sam Allardyce, EastEnders’ Tameka Empson, designer and former Dragons’ Den star Kelly Hoppen, and comedians Omid Djalili and Russell Kane. Everything you need to know about Comic Relief 2019 Meet the celebs in Celebrity Apprentice Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes / subscribe on Google Podcasts “At least four or five” of the stars who are taking part were his suggestions, Sugar explains – but not everyone he wanted on the show is taking part. “There’s a lot of people I asked to do it and they didn’t want to. You know, it takes three or four days of a person’s time to dedicate to making the programme. I think it would be unreasonable to mention people who couldn’t come on because of their time constraints,” he says, firmly. “That would reflect poorly on them, particularly with a charitable event.” Although he’s a little coy about how the teams fare in the task, which involves putting on a glamorous cabaret event, selling tickets to both the public and their celebrity contacts, and making the canapés, what he does disclose is that there’s “a big argument in the boardroom” (isn’t there always?). He’s clear, too, about how much he enjoys filming these specials: “It’s always fun, and for a very good cause.” View oEmbed on the source website Which invites the question of why it’s been a whole decade since the last celebrity special aired in 2009, with comedians Alan Carr and Jack Dee facing off against the likes of Ruby Wax and Carol Vorderman in the boardroom. Sugar, 71, says he didn’t actually approach the BBC himself during that decade to ask for them to do another one: “I never brought it up, actually.” So why the ten-year hiatus? “Well, it’s not my call, really, is it?” Isn’t it? “It’s the Comic Relief people. It’s the BBC. I’ve always been happy to do it. The thing is, you have to understand that the production company, the BBC, they’ve got budgets and all this type of stuff. It’s always really down to those things. It’s whether they can afford the time to do it – because it costs quite a bit to put on. “One can see that that BBC is under pressure on costs, and they have to be very careful what they do,” he continues. “I don’t think they’re throwing the money around. They’re continually being scrutinised by the BBC Trust to ensure that money is well spent and spread over. But obviously the BBC have to realise that they have to put on the entertainment, and so they fight for the funding to be able to do it. But over the last few years they’ve lost The Voice, they’ve lost Bake Off, simply because they couldn’t afford it, because they had to draw the line somewhere.” That line was previously drawn on one of Sugar’s shows, too. Young Apprentice was a junior version of the main show that began in 2010 and ran for three series. In typical Sugar style, he announced the news of the show’s demise himself in 2013 on Twitter. Replying to a fan who asked whether there was going to be another series, he tweeted back: “NO BBC HAVE DECIDED TO STOP IT.” Six years on, he still doesn’t sound happy. “Young Apprentice was my idea. We did it for three seasons, and then the BBC – they couldn’t afford to do two, really. It was Danny Cohen’s decision at the time when he was the controller. I think he was under a lot of pressure to cut costs. That was one of the programmes that got chopped. A lot of people liked the junior one. They loved it.” He adds that there aren’t any other Apprentice spin-offs he’s wanted to do over the years, before unexpectedly seguing to talk about Bafta. He takes umbrage over the fact that, despite The Apprentice winning several gongs, he isn’t in direct possession of a single award. “The Apprentice has won two Baftas. The first season, it won a Bafta, and the second time they won was for Celebrity Apprentice. I was the one that brought them the idea. I was the one that brought it to the BBC. And I’m the only one that never got the gong, that never got the mask. Unbelievable… I went up there and made the acceptance speech and all that stuff, right? And I was told, no, they’re not for me, that’s for the hard-working backroom people in [production company] Boundless – one of whom was an accountant, believe it or not. Meet the celebs in Celebrity Apprentice “So I think it’s about time that Bafta started to recognise the show as a major contributor to business on television – in a similar manner to Simon Cowell [he received Bafta’s Special Award in 2010]. I think Bafta should recognise me for my great contribution to business, and give me one of these awards.” He’s on a roll. “Honestly, it was really frustrating – more so for my wife than myself. She couldn’t understand it. She knew how hard I fought to get the junior [Apprentice] done. And then we go to the ceremony, it wins, and she goes, ‘Where’s your award?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t get one.’ Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” he states, with a mix of despondency and incredulity. View oEmbed on the source website So, I ask, after all these years, no one who’s in possession of one of these Bafta gongs has taken pity and handed one over to him? “No! Not at all. They keep it to themselves. In fact, on one occasion the BBC, after we won the Bafta in the first series, said they’d like to come and interview me, and asked, can I have the award with me? I said, ‘Hold on a minute, I haven’t got a bloody award. They’ve given it to all the production people.’ They said, ‘Can’t you borrow it?’ “So I borrowed it from one of these people that won it, and they had a motorbike sitting outside my house in case I stole it. They wanted me to give it straight back. It’s unbelievable. Unbelievable,” he says again for emphasis. He may not have ownership of one of the famous Bafta masks, but Sugar is in possession of an estimated £1.15 billion fortune, as stated in 2016 by the Sunday Times Rich List. His rise from a council house in Clapton, east London, to being one of the wealthiest people in the UK is well documented: leaving school in Hackney at 16, selling radio aerials from the back of a van and forming electronics company Amstrad, before becoming one of the most recognisable faces on TV with The Apprentice. Although the prize may have changed (candidates used to win a job in one of Sugar ’s business ventures, but winners now receive a £250,000 investment in their own company) and the number of contestants per series fluctuates, The Apprentice remains very similar to the programme that began on BBC2 in 2005. The final of last year’s series attracted nearly six million viewers, which by today’s standards is rather good. Although Sugar, ever the businessman, puts it slightly differently: “The Apprentice still pulls in a remarkable amount of viewers – bearing in mind the massive change in viewing habits like catch-up. I mean, when you add the catch-up figures and the live figures together, we’re holding up, you know. It’s more than when we first started.” What else is happening on Red Nose Day 2019? Although somewhat unusually for a businessman, he says he “doesn’t have much to do with the financial negotiations with the production company. Other than, of course, being a member of the public and a licence fee payer. “But I’ve often said that the day I don’t enjoy doing it is the day that I will say to the BBC: ‘Look, I’d like to give it up.’ But I’m happy to do it, because I enjoy it. I enjoy getting these young people in the main Apprentice to change their lives, you know? It’s a great thing for the public to see. And a lot of people aspire to it.” He doesn’t know when, or if, the current contract between the BBC and The Apprentice runs out. “I don’t think it ever runs out. I think they’ve got the rights to it in perpetuity. The rights owner is MGM now; it was originally Mark Burnett. We are the only country in the world that do it now.” The American version of the show also ran for 15 seasons. It morphed into a celebrity series before being axed in 2017. “They tried to do silly things with the format in America and people just got fed up with it,” is Sugar’s verdict. “And we’ve got to be careful what we say here, but Donald Trump was not asked to do it any more by NBC over some alleged remarks that he made about certain things. So they got what’s-hisname to do it… Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was absolutely diabolical. I think he was the final nail in the coffin that killed the thing off.” View oEmbed on the source website He’s equally despondent about the B word. With 29th March looming, it’s mandatory to ask such a prominent business mogul about his latest thoughts on Brexit. “Oh, it’s a total disaster, I’m afraid to say. I hope that the sensible people accept the deal that’s on the table that the Prime Minister has got, because there’s no alternative, I think, at the moment. “I’ve given up worrying about it, to be honest with you,” he adds. “Obviously, the big error was made when people voted to leave. We can’t turn that around. So I’ve given up worrying about it. The thing is, from my point of view, I think it’s going to take ten to 15 years post-Brexit for it to settle down and for us to see the real ramifications, and whether it was a good idea or a bad idea. But life will go on, and it will have to go on.” Formerly one of the Labour’s biggest donors, Sugar quit the party in 2015 – the same year Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader. He’s previously said that if Corbyn becomes the prime minister, he would leave the country, and likened him becoming PM to like “watching the motherin-law drive the Ferrari over a cliff”. Today, he says: “The only thing we have to make sure is that that idiot – what’s his name? – Corbyn doesn’t get into power. That’s all. The Trotskyite. Otherwise, we’ll have statues of pseudo-Lenin in Trafalgar Square.” Although no politicians are taking part in Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief this year, one candidate is Rachel Johnson, sister of Boris Johnson. Sugar has previously labelled her sibling “a clown”, so did the two of them come to blows over Boris? “Well, obviously, the sister is very protective of her dear brother. You know, we might have had a little heated discussion about him.” What did he say? What she did reply? Suddenly, Lord Sugar’s back to being coy. “Oh, you’ll have to wait and see.” Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief airs Thursday 7th and Friday 8th March at 9.00pm on BBC1
Why do the Voice UK coaches wear the same clothes in every episode? We have the answer…
Throughout the Blind Auditions, Olly Murs, Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson and will.i.am have each stuck to the same outfit - and there's a good reason for that...
In every single Blind Audition, coaches will.i.am, Olly Murs, Sir Tom Jones and Jennifer Hudson never seem to change their outfits. Over two months of auditions, not one top or trouser has been changed (although we’re hoping the same can’t be said for their underpants). The Voice UK 2019: everything you need to know about the new series of the ITV singing show Life after The Voice UK: past winners tell us what happened next View oEmbed on the source website But why? Well, the eight episodes of Blind Auditions are shot over the course of a week, but during filming the producers don’t know which singers are going to end up in which episodes after the editing process. This means that all of the coaches need to wear the same clothes day in day out for continuity reasons, so that they’re not chopping in and out of multiple looks over the course of one programme. View oEmbed on the source website They've always done this during the Blind Auditions on the show, even back when The Voice UK was on the BBC. Fortunately, the coaches WILL wear new outfits for Battle Rounds (starting 8pm, 23rd February 2019, ITV) View oEmbed on the source website The Voice UK is on 8pm Saturday, ITV Sign up for the free RadioTimes.com newsletter
What is The Greatest Dancer? Everything you need to know about the new BBC dancing talent show
Simon Cowell is behind this brand new dance show that will air in the New Year on BBC1
The Greatest Dancer is BBC1's brand new Saturday night dance and entertainment show – and ITV stalwart Simon Cowell's first series for the BBC. But what's it all about and who's involved? Below is everything you need to know about the format, challenges, presenters and judges, plus when it's on and how you can get tickets to see the show live. View oEmbed on the source website What is The Greatest Dancer? The Greatest Dancer is seeking to find, well, the greatest dancer, as a smorgasbord of nimble-footed hopefuls from all dance backgrounds compete as soloists, duos or even large dance troupes. Contestants head for the NEC in Birmingham to dance in a small studio in front of two producers. But behind the mirror in the studio sit Dance Captains Cheryl, Oti Mabuse and Matthew Morrison, not to mention the studio audience whose votes will decide what happens next... How does The Greatest Dancer work? Week 1-4: The auditions The first four weeks of the show cover the audition stages, with Simon Cowell's influence in evidence in many of his slick trademark touches – the mic'ed up audience, the overlay of moving music, the emotional backstories. As the contestants perform in front of a two-way mirror, the audience members on the other side decide whether to vote for them on their key pads. The dance captains have no say at this stage. If 75% of the audience vote for the act, the mirror opens to reveal the arena beyond and the contestants go through to the callback stages, which see the Dance Captains each selecting three acts to go through to the live shows. Week 5-7: The live challenge shows This stage sees each hopeful being set a challenge, together with their Dance Captain, to create a routine that the audience at home will love enough to keep them in the competition. Week 8: The live grand final The eighth week of the competition is the live final, with all acts performing again and the viewers at home voting to determine who gets the title The Greatest Dancer, scooping the cash prize and the coveted Strictly slot. Who are the judges on The Greatest Dancer? The judges are actually called 'Dance Captains', and they are former X Factor judge Cheryl, Glee star Matthew Morrison and Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse. Read more about what they had to say on joining the show here. Who are the presenters of The Greatest Dancer? Alesha Dixon is returning to the BBC alongside Jordan Banjo as hosts of The Greatest Dancer. Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha was the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2007, and went on to replace Arlene Phillips as a judge on the show before quitting to join the BGT panel. Jordan, meanwhile, is the Diversity star who was the backstage digital presenter of Dancing on Ice in 2018. Alesha said: "I can’t wait to be a part of The Greatest Dancer and work with Jordan. As a massive fan of dance I’m so excited about the prospect of finding amazing new dance talent." Is Simon Cowell going to be on The Greatest Dancer? He isn't going to be a judge, but he is linked to the show. The series is being made by Syco – Simon Cowell's production company behind both Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor. This will be the first time that Syco has produced a show for the BBC. When is The Greatest Dancer on TV and how many episodes are there? The eight-part series kicked off on BBC1 at 8pm on Saturday 5th January – controversially going directly up against ITV's Saturday night entertainment offering The Voice, which started on the same day and at exactly the same time. The Greatest Dancer continues on Saturday nights on BBC1. How can I audition? Unfortunately, applications for the show are now closed. Open auditions were held in London this July, with the filmed segment of the show being recorded in August. Can I get tickets to watch The Greatest Dancer? The auditions may be over but there'll be a chance to get audience tickets for the live finals. Check out ApplauseStore where application details will be posted once available. What do the winners of The Greatest Dancer get? The winners of the show will bag a cool £50,000. That might not be quite as impressive as the £250,000 prize for the winner of BGT, but we wouldn't say no. The Greatest Dancer is on BBC1 on Saturday nights
The Last Kingdom series 3 confirmed – historical drama to air exclusively on Netflix
A new series of the historical drama, which previously aired on BBC2 as well as Netflix, will now be released globally on Netflix later this year
For a while it looked like all hope was lost for The Last Kingdom. After two series of the historical drama aired on BBC2, it looked like that could be the end of King Alfred and Uhtred after news about series three went strangely quiet. The Last Kingdom season 3 trailer spells doom for King Alfred Meet the cast of The Last Kingdom series two Where is The Last Kingdom filmed? But it's now been announced that Netflix - who co-produced the second series alongside the BBC - has galloped in. A third series has been confirmed, which will air globally on the streaming platform later this year. UPDATE: The Last Kingdom season three will be released on Netflix on Monday 19 November 2018. Read more here Alongside a video of actor Alexander Dreymon who plays Uhtred, the official Last Kingdom Twitter account revealed that "season 3 is in production, and will be coming to Netflix worldwide later this year!" View oEmbed on the source website If that wasn't good enough news, they also revealed that series two of The Last Kingdom will be coming to Netflix on 18th April. Currently only series one is available on the streaming service. New on Netflix: the best movies and TV shows released every day Top Netflix TV series Top 50 Netflix movies Need something new to watch on Netflix? Click here <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2017/12/TheCrown_210_Unit_00197_R-a6b2b25.jpg" width="6000" height="4000" alt="The Crown - Matt Smith, Peter Morgan, Claire Foy - Writer/Creator Peter Morgan with Matt Smith (Prince Philip) and Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth II)" title="The Crown - Matt Smith, Peter Morgan, Claire Foy - Writer/Creator Peter Morgan with Matt Smith (Prince Philip) and Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth II)" /> The second series of the adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon stories saw Uhtred beginning his voyage north to avenge the death of Earl Ragnar and to recapture his ancestral lands at Bebbanburg, while King Alfred attempted to unite the kingdoms of England. Watch this space to see what's going to be in store for series three. This article was originally published in April 2018 View oEmbed on the source website
ITV's Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad is his least convincing role to date
The documentary shows the Doctor Who star in possibly his least-convincing role to date
The quote from Bradley Walsh, chosen by ITV to promote this new four-part series, reads as follows: “Ah guys. I’m not looking forward to this. I’m really not looking forward to this at all. I’ve got itchy bits now. That’s all I need.” In a, well, nutshell that’s the premise of Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad – that Bradders is a 58-year-old jumbo grump and curmudgeon who’s “stuck in his ways”– and it's fair to say it's his least-convincing role to date. Is Bradley Walsh getting his own ITV chat show? Bradley Walsh to face Bradley Walsh in Doctor Who/The Chase ratings battle Bradley Walsh wore a wig to film the new series of Doctor Who Bradley, we're told, just wants to be left in peace in front of the telly and not harassed by his 20-year-old son, Barney. But Barney has other ideas. He’s dragging his dad out of his armchair and flying him to America so the pair can embark on a 2,000-mile road trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans. View oEmbed on the source website Cue Bradley. “No, I’m not going on a road trip. I told you that.” But that wouldn't make much of a TV show, so here we are in Hollywood where the Walsh boys’ first stop is going to pick up their transport: a 36-foot RV. Bradley’s reaction? “You’re having a laugh in’t ya? This is mad.” Eventually he gets in. “Have I really got to drive this?” This continues for a solid 24 minutes, Walsh Sr and Jr winding their way between activities and States, Bradley looking gently exasperated the entire way. Other grumbles include: “I don’t want to get up, I’ve just sat down”, and eyeing up a light aircraft with a withering: “Look at the state of it, it’s like an Airfix kit.” You don’t have to be a member of the Bradley Walsh Fan Club to know that, actually, far from being an idle git who needs to be confronted with alligator kayaking (a thing, apparently), tank driving or being shoved into a space simulator to spur him into action, the presenter-actor-singer is arguably one of the hardest-working people in TV. Walsh juggles filming two of the biggest shows on the box, darting between London and Cardiff for The Chase and Doctor Who, while sustaining a successful sideline as a singer (his first album made him the UK's biggest-selling debut artist of 2016). The last thing he could be accused of is laziness. Unlike, say, this TV commission. The parent-offspring celebritytravelogue is a well-worn path that’s previously been trampled by the likes of Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan and Jack Whitehall. So what is the unique thing proffered by Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad? Well if you’re a fan of poorly-written comedy (and if you’re watching ITV at 8pm on a Wednesday, you almost certainly are), this is something of a treat. Somehow, despite the father and son dynamic, there’s a distinct feel of scripted banter that hangs in the air almost as long as Bradley’s 1,000-mile mock-irritated stares. Take, say, the line from Bradley to his son: “When have you jumped out of a plane? You can’t even jump out of bed.” There’s also a clear case that Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad is not only a travelogue, but quite possibly the most elaborate showreel ever made. We’re told, more than once, that Bradley’s son Barney is an actor. Barney also wastes no time demonstrating the versatility of his CV. He can do pull-ups! He can ride a horse! He can play the piano and the harmonica… at the same time. The climax of the opening episode sees both Bradley and Barney doing a skydive. Not only is this a handy audition tape if either of them ever want to do I’m a Celebrity, but it also provides what is perhaps the only full-throttled and genuine moment of the episode. After Bradley predictably says “I ain’t jumping out no plane”, he jumps out of a plane. Falling at 12,000 feet, he swears the whole way down, clutches his heart, and slurs about his son as if in an oxygen-starved stupor: “He’s so great. He’s so brilliant. I wish I was like him,” he half says, half dribbles. Touching down, for once Bradley’s lost for words. All he can muster is: “Christ, I need a drink”. After watching this, Bradley, so do I. Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad airs on ITV on Wednesday 2nd January 2019 at 8pm
Who is Lauren Steadman? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2018 contestant and Paralympic star
The 25-year-old said she was "excited to swap my triathlon kit for dancing shoes and sequins"
Paratriathlete Lauren Steadman is the 13th celebrity confirmed for this year's Strictly Come Dancing. The 25-year-old Paralympic silver medalist was revealed as joining the line-up during The One Show on Monday night. Who’s joining the Strictly celebrity line-up this year? Tess and Claudia share first behind-the-scenes pictures from Strictly 2018 and tease FULL line-up Lauren said: "I still don’t think it has properly sunk in that I’m actually going to be part of this year’s Strictly! I have loved the show since I was young, and it’s a huge thing to tick off my bucket list. "I’m more nervous about being on stage, performing live and in front of the judges than I am about the Elite Paratriathlon Grand Final next month! But I’m up for the challenge and excited to swap my triathlon kit for dancing shoes and sequins." View oEmbed on the source website Lauren, who was born missing her lower right arm, is a double World Champion Paratriathlete, Paralympic Silver medallist and six times European Champion. The 13th celebrity to be revealed, Lauren joins the likes of Lee Ryan, Stacey Dooley, Vick Hope, Graeme Swann, Dr Ranj Singh, Katie Piper, Faye Tozer and Danny John-Jules in the class of Strictly 2018. These are the other names who are also being linked to this series. Although there hasn't been an official announcement from the BBC, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and last year's new Head Judge Shirley Ballas all look set to reprise their seats on the panel this year. Who is Lauren Steadman's professional partner? She is paired up with AJ Pritchard. View oEmbed on the source website Weekly score Week One: 25 (6, 6, 6, 7) Week Two: 22 (5, 6, 5, 6) Week Three: 20 (4, 5, 5, 6) Week Four: 25 (6, 6, 6, 7) Week Five: 24 (4, 6, 7, 7) Week Six: 29 (6,7,8,8) Week Seven: 31 (7,8,8,8) Week Eight: 34 (8,8,9,9) Week Nine: 25 (5,6,7,7) Week Ten: 23 (5, 6, 6, 6) + 1 (Lindy Hop) = 24 Week Eleven: 35 (8,9,9,9) Lauren Steadman: key facts View oEmbed on the source website Age: 25 Job: World Champion Paratriathlete Twitter: @LaurenSteadman Instagram: @laurensteadmann
Who is Stacey Dooley? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2018 contestant and TV presenter
The TV presenter says she is "going to soak up the escapism and bathe in the sequins" as she hits the dancefloor
Stacey Dooley has been confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2018. The investigative journalist and TV presenter is best-known for hosting hard-hitting BBC documentaries including Stacey Dooley Investigates and Stacey Dooley on The Frontline: Gun Girls and ISIS. The news was revealed on Strictly's social media channels on Thursday afternoon. Strictly Come Dancing 2018 contestant rumours: who’s joining the celebrity line-up this year? Tess and Claudia share first behind-the-scenes pictures from Strictly 2018 and tease FULL line-up View oEmbed on the source website In a statement, Stacey said: "It’s happening! I'm taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this year and my mother is going to explode. "2018 has already been such an incredible year for me, I’ve done some amazing things and I’m excited to add ‘becoming a dancing GENIUS’ to the list! Typically, work for me is very serious and can be quite hard core so I'm going to soak up the escapism and bathe in the sequins. See you on the dance floor!" Could YOU be a RadioTimes.com reviewer? Here's how to have YOUR say on Strictly Come Dancing Earlier this year, Stacey was awarded an MBE for her services to broadcasting and won the One World Media Award for her face-to-face interview with an ISIS solider. Stacey becomes the eighth celebrity confirmed alongside previously-announced stars Katie Piper, Faye Tozer, Danny John-Jules, Joe Sugg, Vick Hope, Graeme Swann and Dr Ranj Singh. Meanwhile here are more of the names who are also being linked to this series. Although there hasn't been an official announcement from the BBC, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and last year's new Head Judge Shirley Ballas all look set to reprise their seats on the panel this year. Who is Stacey Dooley's professional partner? She is paired up with Kevin Clifton. View oEmbed on the source website Weekly score Week One: 24 (6,6,6,6) Week Two: 20 (4, 5, 5, 6) Week Three: 32 (8, 8, 8, 8) Week Four: 33 (8, 8, 8, 9) Week Five: 33 (8,7,9,9) Week Six: 35 (8,9,9,9) Week Seven: 36 (9,9,9,9) Week Eight: 32 (8,8,8,8) Week Nine: 33 (7,8,9,9) Week Ten: 39 (9, 10, 10, 10) + 4 (Lindy Hop) = 43 Week Eleven: 38 (9,9,10,10) Stacey Dooley: key facts View oEmbed on the source website Age: 31 Job: TV presenter and investigative journalist Twitter: @StaceyDooley Instagram: @sjdooley
When is Strictly Come Dancing 2018 on TV? Celebrities, judges and everything we know about series 16
From new professional dancers to key dates and live shows, here's everything you need to know about this year's Strictly
Strictly Come Dancing 2018 is airing this autumn with more sequins, sparkle and salsa than ever. With new professional dancers and a big list of celebrities ready to hit the ballroom, here's everything you need to know about series 16 of the biggest and most glitzy show on TV. Strictly Come Dancing’s first celebrities have signed up for the new series Strictly Come Dancing 2018 - all the celebrity rumours View oEmbed on the source website When is Strictly Come Dancing 2018 on TV? Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC1 on Saturday 24th November at 6.50pm Strictly Come Dancing 2018: ALL the celebrity rumours Full list of CONFIRMED professional dancers for Strictly Come Dancing 2018 Why Strictly Come Dancing needs Shirley Ballas Want more Strictly Come Dancing? Click here Could YOU be a RadioTimes.com reviewer? Here's how to have YOUR say on Strictly Come Dancing Who are the Strictly Come Dancing celebrities for 2018? Meet the cast of Strictly Come Dancing 2018 right here. And watch EXCLUSIVE interviews with off the couples here... View oEmbed on the source website Who are the judges on Strictly Come Dancing? Although there hasn't been an official announcement from the BBC, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and last year's new Head Judge Shirley Ballas all look set to reprise their seats on the panel this year. In a recent interview, Craig seemed to let slip that this year would be the "same judges...I think it is a great team and it was really good last year, I can't wait to get back into it." Read more about the Strictly Come Dancing judges here Who are the professional dancers on Strictly 2018? And which pros have left the show? View oEmbed on the source website The full list of Strictly pros for the upcoming series has been confirmed - and there are plenty of old, and some new, faces taking to the ballroom this year. The three brand new pros joining the BBC1 show are: Luba Mushtuk, Johannes Radebe and Graziano Di Prima. The pros have already been busy in rehearsals, and have even posted a big group photo of the lot of them in training: View oEmbed on the source website However, previous series pros Chloe Hewitt and Brendan Cole won't be back for 2018. Who are the couples on Strictly Come Dancing? Meet this year's pairs... View oEmbed on the source website When does Strictly Come Dancing end? There are usually 13 live weeks of Strictly per series, with the show finishing around a week or so before Christmas. So a bit of guesswork and maths lead us to believe that the Strictly 2018 final could well fall on the weekend of Saturday 15th December. Where is Strictly Come Dancing filmed? And how can I get tickets? Strictly is filmed at Elstree Studios, apart from one week of the year where the show decamps to Blackpool for a special episode at the Tower Ballroom. You can find out more about how to apply for Strictly tickets by clicking here. Who's presenting Strictly? Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be back in the ballroom this autumn to present the biggest show on TV. Is It Takes Two back too? Yes! Catch it Monday to Thursday on BBC2 from 6.30pm, with an extended episode from 6pm every Friday. Are there any new dance styles this series? In a move away from traditional ballroom, Strictly has introduced a brand new ‘Couple’s Choice’ category for series 16. This means couples will have their pick from three dances to show off their celebrity’s skill set: Contemporary, Street/Commercial and Theatre/Jazz.
The identity of Saturday Knight Takeaway's Overlord has been revealed
The Overlord in Saturday Knight Takeaway has finally been revealed... and it was Noel Edmonds all along! We should've guessed. Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway nominated for Bafta as Strictly Come Dancing is snubbed First pictures of Dec as he goes solo in Orlando for Saturday Night Takeaway finale The hilarious mini-series concluded during the series finale in Orlando, with the identity of the evil leader being confirmed as the former Deal or No Deal host. View oEmbed on the source website "I've been in this business 50 years. On Saturday nights I used to get 17 million viewers, and I've never been on the honours list," ranted Edmonds (in character) on the show as he squared up to Ant and Dec in a tense stand-off. "And then one day I come home, turn the telly on and see you two muppets getting OBE's - simply because you copied Noel's House Party." Noel then hilariously listed the similarities between the two shows - from how Grab a Grand is similar to Win the Ads and how Undercover is similar to The Gotchas. He also said he had to work with "an ugly, stupid, clumsy, pink blob for a sidekick." To which Ant faced Dec and retorted: "He's got a point." References to Deal or No Deal and Star Wars followed in the brilliant final episode. Stars including Joanna Lumley, Emilia Fox, Gareth Malone, Alan Shearer, Judy Murray and even Timmy Mallett starred in the skit. This article was originally published on 7 April 2018
New judge Ayda Field defends her place on The X Factor 2018: "I’m excited to be the underdog and show the boys how it’s done"
The actress and wife of Robbie Williams raised eyebrows after being named as an X Factor judge – but she says she can more than hold her own alongside Simon Cowell
Over the years there have been some rather left-field names linked to The X Factor. But 2018 might just see the biggest surprise of the lot, as Ayda Field – actress and wife of Robbie Williams – was confirmed as one of the four X Factor judges on the ITV show alongside Simon Cowell, former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson and, of course, her husband Robbie. Check out our X Factor Final live blog for the latest reactions, insights and analysis View oEmbed on the source website After yet another revamp, is Simon Cowell out of ideas for The X Factor? The X Factor brings back arena auditions for 2018 For a show all about singing and finding the next musical talent, why is Ayda – who has no music experience of note – in one of the seats? At a press conference announcing the judging line-up, RadioTimes.com asked how Ayda – who is referred to on the show as Ayda Williams, despite not officially having taken Robbie's name – would respond to people questioning why she's on the show, and here's what she had to say: "I think I’m OK with that. I’m here to find some great talent and make some great TV. So that’s really my focus. I want to help someone achieve their dreams, so whatever someone wants to say, that makes it more exciting because if it wasn’t a challenge it wouldn’t be much fun. "So I’m excited to be the underdog and show the boys how it’s done," she concluded. The Loose Women panelist also said she was "surprised" and "excited" to be joining the show, but felt as though her experience auditioning for roles would help her connect with the contestants. View oEmbed on the source website "On a professional level, I’ve auditioned for years," she explained. "I’ve been through the highs and lows and I know what it’s like to have the stakes high. I know what it’s like to get the job – and I also know what it’s like to lose the job. "I’ve been with Rob now for 12 years and I’ve been every step of the way with him. I have a huge amount of empathy for the process and I know what it takes, from creating the songs to putting them out there to promoting the live shows. "It’s a very emotional process and I feel like I’m excited to be that rock and that stability and that guidance for my group, and to help some people out and help them achieve their dreams. I’m really excited about that." Meanwhile Robbie added that his wife was "a member of the general public, too" and that the public "never get it wrong". "It’s a fallacy to think anybody knows a magic formula for what does or doesn’t make a popstar," the former Take That singer explained. View oEmbed on the source website "So if you got anybody from the street, their opinion would be as valid as ours would be too. The general public always get it right." Simon Cowell gushed that Ayda had a "a passion about people doing well, and an optimism. The whole idea this year was to make this an optimistic panel." The X Factor returns to ITV in the autumn
The X Factor 2018 judging line-up confirmed: Robbie Williams, Ayda Field and Louis Tomlinson join Simon Cowell on ITV
The three new judges join head judge Simon Cowell on ITV when it returns this autumn
The all-new X Factor 2018 judging line-up has been confirmed. After Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger exited The X Factor earlier this year, ITV has revealed who will be joining head judge Simon Cowell. Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field have both been named as X Factor judges alongside former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson. All three new judges were pictured at the X Factor press conference called to reveal the new judges. View oEmbed on the source website The trio were pictured entering Somerset House in London along with Cowell and Sinitta dressed as Simon Cowell. As you do... While Cowell will be joined by the all-new panel for the majority of the series, Sharon Osbourne will also be a judge during the live shows. Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger quit The X Factor – again After yet another revamp, is Simon Cowell out of ideas for The X Factor? Sign up for the free RadioTimes.com newsletter According to ITV, the new judges are set to begin shooting the audition rounds from Wednesday 18th July. View oEmbed on the source website Tomlinson, 26, was previously a guest mentor at Judges' Houses alongside Cowell in 2015, and the following year he was asked whether he would be interested in taking a seat on the show. View oEmbed on the source website The One Direction star replied: “We’ve had no official conversation yet. But yeah, I mean, why wouldn’t I?” View oEmbed on the source website Tomlinson was a contestant on The X Factor back in 2010, and recently posted this throwback picture of the day he auditioned on Instagram. View oEmbed on the source website Meanwhile, Williams and his wife Ayda had both been heavily rumoured as possible X Factor judges before this Tuesday's announcement. According to The Mirror, one source said Loose Women panelist and actress Ayda Field 'couldn't wait to get started' on the show, saying that she thought "doing the show with Robbie will be a lot of fun – particularly as she wants to beat her husband at his own game." While not confirming his involvement at the time, Robbie addressed the X Factor rumours when he made an appearance on This Morning back in June. View oEmbed on the source website The former Take That star said: "People are talking, nothing has been signed. But watch this space. I promise if it is a go ahead and I do it you will be the first people I come and speak to about it. Yeah, shake. It’s a yes from me." Applications for The X Factor 2018 are still open, with entries set to close on 27th July just before midnight. The X Factor returns to ITV this autumn
When is I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! back on TV?
All the latest news about this year's rumble in the jungle - who the celebs are, when the series starts and whether Ant McPartlin will be back to host
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is returning to ITV for 2018 with a new gang of famous faces ready to rough it in the Australian jungle. Boris Johnson should take a break from politics and do I’m a Celebrity, says dad Stanley Johnson I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! – Which stars are joining the jungle cast? ITV address reports that Ant and Dec will be replaced on I'm a Celebrity View oEmbed on the source website This is what you need to know about ITV's 18th series of I'm a Celeb – including all the latest celebrity rumours, when the show is back on TV and whether Ant McPartlin will reunite with Declan Donnelly to present... When is I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! 2018 on TV? The series kicks off on ITV at 9pm on Sunday 18th November. Who is presenting I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! 2018? After usual presenter Ant McPartlin extended his leave of absence into next year, ITV has confirmed that This Morning’s Holly Willoughby will co-host alongside Declan Donnelly. But looks like she only plans to present the show for one year –Willoughby said she was keeping Ant McPartlin's shoes warm "for a little bit". Will Ant McPartlin be back on I'm a Celebrity this year? Ant McPartlin will NOT be returning for I'm a Celebrity, it has been confirmed. In a joint statement posted on both Ant and Dec's website, the announcement was made that not only would Ant not return to I'm a Celebrity but that he wouldn't be back on screens for the rest of the year. View oEmbed on the source website Previously ITV’s chief executive had said that Ant was under no pressure to return to TV and the presenter will only come back when he is “well” and “ready”. In an interview with ITV News, Carolyn McCall was asked about Ant's future after the presenter stepped down from his television commitments earlier this year following his arrest on suspicion of drink driving in March – a charge he plead guilty to the following month. McPartlin missed several episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway in March and April, and was also absent from the entire live week of Britain’s Got Talent shows in May. Meanwhile, Simon Cowell recently said that he was “almost certain” the presenter would be back with Declan Donnelly on BGT for 2019. Who are the celebrities signing up for I'm a Celebrity 2018? There are plenty of rumours and names swirling as to who will be donning that infamous red and brown outfit – a hallmark of the I'm a Celeb line-up. Lucy Fallon, Christine McGuinness and – yes – Nigel Farage are just some of the celebs being bandied about. You can see all the latest rumoured names for this series of I'm a Celeb by clicking here. How long is I'm a Celebrity on TV for? I'm a Celebrity runs for exactly three weeks and the episodes air every single night, usually at 9pm on ITV. When is the I'm a Celebrity 2018 live final? A mixture of maths and guesswork leads us to believe the I'm a Celebrity final – in a which a new King or Queen of the Jungle is crowned live on air – will this year take place on Sunday 9th December. Is there a trailer for I'm a Celeb 2018? Not yet. But as soon as there is, we'll have it right here. Who won I'm a Celebrity last year? Made in Chelsea star Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo was crowned the jungle queen of 2017, followed by runners-up Jamie Lomas and Iain Lee. Where is I'm a Celebrity filmed? The series is based in Murwillumbah in New South Wales and is filmed inside Springbrook National Park. This has served as the setting for the show since its inception in 2002. And while on screen all you see is the camp itself plus a series of suspension bridges and the studio where Ant and Dec broadcast, there is plenty more going on behind the scenes. Find out more about the location of the camp in I'm a Celebrity here. What's happening with Kiosk Keith? According to reports Kiosk Keith won't be returning to I'm a Celebrity this year. Real name Raymond Grant, his job on the show was running The Outback Shack. However, earlier this year, a spokesperson reportedly told the Mail that he would no longer be appearing on screen: "Ray is no longer under contract on the show. There are no plans for him to return this year." Is ITV2 spin-off I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp returning, and who's presenting? Whereas some ITV2 spin-offs have bitten the dust over the years (we're looking at you, Xtra Factor), it doesn't seem as though the I'm a Celebrity spin-off Extra Camp has met the same fate. It looks like the show will again be returning this year, although the presenters have yet to be announced. Whereas Ant and Dec have been mainstays on the ITV show since the year dot, Extra Camp (formerly Get Me Out of Here NOW!) operates something of a revolving door policy when it comes to its hosts. View oEmbed on the source website Former presenters include Caroline Flack, Chris Ramsey, Vicky Pattison, Laura Whitmore and Rob Beckett. The most recent line-up included 2016 champion Scarlett Moffatt and runner-up Joel Dommett along with stalwart Joe Swash, who hosted the show last year. We'll announce the 2018 hosts of Extra Camp right here as soon as they're revealed. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! will return to ITV later this year