Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2026-04-02T11:57:33.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Get cracking!
items: Joel Dommett and Armando Iannucci take on exclusive Taskmaster task – here's Alex Horne's verdict
items: Taskmaster legend Alex Horne reveals the "jolt" he got from seeing show's A-list Hollywood signing
items: View from My Sofa: Dara Ó Briain
items: Mock the Week legend Dara Ó Briain: "It's very worrying that the BBC has less money to do things"
items: A guide to every English-language LOL: Last One Laughing
items: Maisie Adam
items: Sam Campbell
items: David Mitchell
items: Diane Morgan
items: Bob Mortimer
items: Alan Carr
items: Last One Laughing UK defending champion Bob Mortimer talks season 2 return: "It's an entirely different dynamic"
items: Montell Douglas on switching from the Olympic Summer to Winter Games – and hopes for Brad Hall in the four-man bob
items: The tall and short of it
items: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner: "Season 1 was definitely written for George RR Martin"
items: Kids ask the Gladiators all the questions grown-ups never would
items: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner confirms show's fate after adapting published Dunk and Egg novellas
items: Best medicine
items: Return of the Mock
items: Myths and legends
items: Last One Laughing UK season 2 cast members tease new episodes as Bob Mortimer talks return
items: 10 best entertainment shows to watch in 2026 - from Gladiators to The Claudia Winkleman Show
items: Dara Ó Briain teases new Mock the Week revival format – and why they'll be tackling the current Labour government
items: Gladiators season 3 stars shatter the myths behind being a cast member - and answer child fan questions
items: View from my sofa: Mark Lewis Jones
items: 'I always teach like a marriage!'
items: Loved Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery? 6 locked-room mysteries to enjoy next
items: Doctor Who favourite Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe spill on Strictly journey and finale return
items: Meet the Warrior of the Deep

Get cracking!
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Taskmaster’s Alex Horne hints at what’s in store for the new series – and sets two of the contestants an eggs-tra special Easter task
encoded: Add Taskmaster to your watchlist It’s almost April, and “Little” Alex Horne has turned up at the Radio Times office with a wax-sealed task, four gold envelopes and a “special” six-pack of eggs. Happy Easter! To celebrate Taskmaster’s 21st series, which begins on Channel 4 on Thursday, just a few days after the Easter weekend, Horne has agreed to create an exclusive seasonal task for RT. To make it even more authentic, we’ve invited two of this year’s contestants – satirist/director Armando Iannucci and comedian and presenter Joel Dommett – to try it out. We’ve even managed to bring in an official trophy of Taskmaster Greg Davies wearing bunny ears for the winner. An “Easter Greg”, if you will. “This is an Easter task, which I had to come up with very quickly,” Horne tells RT. “I do have to come up with tasks all the time – I get asked quite often by hen nights and stag dos and schoolteachers. I have a little list of things that might work for different occasions.” Essentially, it’s second nature at this point. On-screen, 47-year-old Horne and the Taskmaster team have created hundreds upon hundreds of tasks for more than 100 comedians across 21 series (not including specials), with challenges ranging from painting the best picture of a horse while riding a horse, to successfully running a fictional hotel, all judged by co-host Davies. “I think of it like writing jokes,” Horne explains. “You always panic that you’re going to run out, but they keep on coming to you. You’re just hoping inspiration will strike in a completely different direction. “They’re also not complete until the comedians do them,” he adds. “Often the ones that end up being the most memorable were the least good on paper.” That’s certainly true of today’s task for Iannucci and Dommett. The unlikely duo are asked to find and smash a single boiled egg from a group of three; two are raw. Each egg has descriptions written on it, and the golden envelopes contain extra clues, but may also include red herri…

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Joel Dommett and Armando Iannucci take on exclusive Taskmaster task – here's Alex Horne's verdict
type: item
date: 2026-04-01T07:00:20.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Channel 4
subject: Magazine
description: Break the boiled egg. You may only break one egg. Two of the eggs are labelled correctly. Fastest wins. Your time starts now!
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. It’s almost April, and “Little” Alex Horne has turned up at the Radio Times office with a wax-sealed task, four gold envelopes and a “special” six-pack of eggs. Happy Easter! To celebrate Taskmaster’s 21st series, which begins on Channel 4 on Thursday 9 April, just a few days after the Easter weekend, Horne has agreed to create an exclusive seasonal task for RT. To make it even more authentic, we’ve invited two of this year’s contestants – satirist/director Armando Iannucci and comedian and presenter Joel Dommett – to try it out. We’ve even managed to bring in an official trophy of Taskmaster Greg Davies wearing bunny ears for the winner. An “Easter Greg”, if you will. How did they do? Read on to find out. Armando Iannucci Within seconds of starting, Armando had accidentally dropped an egg, technically ending the whole task – but he decided to plough on anyway. Despite using one hint, he still failed to locate the boiled egg and broke the second raw egg. Double failure. “Thank you very much... it’s great to be back,” he laughs. This feels a bit like a post-match interview... How do you rate your task performance today? Well, I think I played really well. My fitness is good. My form is good. I just think the big point – you know, choosing the egg – I need to be better than that. I’ve fired my coach… and I’ve hired the coach I’ve fired because he’s still on contract. I still have to pay him. You’re not known for being “yourself” on TV shows, so why do Taskmaster? People have me down as a sort of political, satirical, sweary writer. And, yeah, I do a bit of that, but I also do stupid stuff and silly stuff. I mean, Alan Partridge is stupid, and I did a show on Channel 4, The Armando Iannucci Shows, which was mostly stupid. I seem to do comedy about people who look normal or even respectable acting like idiots. And I thought it was probably about time I fell into that category. Were you a fan before? Oh, it’s a favouri…

Taskmaster legend Alex Horne reveals the "jolt" he got from seeing show's A-list Hollywood signing
type: item
date: 2026-03-30T16:00:43.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Channel 4
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The show creator hints at what's in store for the new episodes – and sets two of the contestants an eggs-tra special task.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. It’s almost April, and "Little" Alex Horne has turned up at the Radio Times office with a wax-sealed task, four gold envelopes and a "special" six-pack of eggs. Happy Easter! To celebrate Taskmaster’s 21st series, which begins on Channel 4 on Thursday 9 April, just a few days after the Easter weekend, Horne has agreed to create an exclusive seasonal task for RT. To make it even more authentic, we’ve invited two of this year’s contestants – satirist/director Armando Iannucci and comedian and presenter Joel Dommett – to try it out. We’ve even managed to bring in an official trophy of Taskmaster Greg Davies wearing bunny ears for the winner. An "Easter Greg", if you will. “This is an Easter task, which I had to come up with very quickly,” Horne tells RT. “I do have to come up with tasks all the time – I get asked quite often by hen nights and stag dos and schoolteachers. I have a little list of things that might work for different occasions.” Essentially, it’s second nature at this point. On-screen, 47-year-old Horne and the Taskmaster team have created hundreds upon hundreds of tasks for more than 100 comedians across 21 series (not including specials), with challenges ranging from painting the best picture of a horse while riding a horse, to successfully running a fictional hotel, all judged by co-host Davies. “I think of it like writing jokes,” Horne explains. “You always panic that you’re going to run out, but they keep on coming to you. You’re just hoping inspiration will strike in a completely different direction. “They’re also not complete until the comedians do them,” he adds. “Often the ones that end up being the most memorable were the least good on paper.” That’s certainly true of today’s task for Iannucci and Dommett. The unlikely duo are asked to find and smash a single boiled egg from a group of three; two are raw. Each egg has descriptions written on it, and the golden envelopes contain extra clues, bu…

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height: 2000

View from My Sofa: Dara Ó Briain
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The comedian doesn’t do reality TV — but he’d make an exception for The Traitors
encoded: Add Mock the Week to your watchlist What’s the view from your sofa? In the room where we all sit around and watch The Traitors or whatever, there are two fairly comfy couches, but side on. It gives the illusion that they’re there for conversation, but actually we just sit like emperors and watch the television off the two sides. We’re nominally facing each other, but very much looking to the side, and going, “Shush, Claudia’s talking.” You’re clearly a fan — would you do The Celebrity Traitors? Yeah! And I don’t do shows like that, as a rule. It’s kind of known that I’m not planning on going into the jungle, or dancing. It’s just not my thing. But for The Traitors, I would probably make an exception because my family would be furious if I didn’t. Because of my persona – the science shows – there’s a perception that I would somehow be very good at it, but I’d be awful! Still, it didn’t stop Alan Carr… After four years away from Mock the Week, did you have any doubts about returning as host? No. It would have been a weird stance of “Surely it’s time for another generation” – screw that. There’s no element of me going, “Do you know what? Maybe it’s time for the baton to be passed.” No. You’ll have to take the buzzer out of my cold, dead hands. Has making the show for TLC, rather than the impartial BBC, given you more freedom? I mean, obviously that stuff was kind of overstated a bit. I sometimes made a joke at the time imagining how the BBC would bring me into a room and sit us down, and go, “OK, Dara, Fiona Bruce, and Mr Turnbull – this is our stance on things this week.” Which obviously, they never did. The people you talk about changes, because a different government is in charge – like Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves. But that isn’t because we’re not on the BBC. It’s because they’re the ones in power now. Do you think the initial cancellation of the show was premature? On TLC, it’s already been renewed for a second series… Yes. Rather than presume that there was some s…

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Mock the Week legend Dara Ó Briain: "It's very worrying that the BBC has less money to do things"
type: item
date: 2026-03-23T17:00:22.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The comedian doesn’t do reality TV – but he’d make an exception for The Traitors.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What’s the view from your sofa? In the room where we all sit around and watch The Traitors or whatever, there are two fairly comfy couches, but side on. It gives the illusion that they’re there for conversation, but actually we just sit like emperors and watch the television off the two sides. We’re nominally facing each other, but very much looking to the side, and going, “Shush, Claudia’s talking.” You’re clearly a fan – would you do The Celebrity Traitors? Yeah! And I don’t do shows like that, as a rule. It’s kind of known that I’m not planning on going into the jungle, or dancing. It’s just not my thing. But for The Traitors, I would probably make an exception because my family would be furious if I didn’t. Because of my persona – the science shows – there’s a perception that I would somehow be very good at it, but I’d be awful! Still, it didn’t stop Alan Carr… After four years away from Mock the Week, did you have any doubts about returning as host? No. It would have been a weird stance of “Surely it’s time for another generation” – screw that. There’s no element of me going, “Do you know what? Maybe it’s time for the baton to be passed.” No. You’ll have to take the buzzer out of my cold, dead hands. Has making the show for TLC, rather than the impartial BBC, given you more freedom? I mean, obviously that stuff was kind of overstated a bit. I sometimes made a joke at the time imagining how the BBC would bring me into a room and sit us down, and go, “OK, Dara, Fiona Bruce, and Mr Turnbull – this is our stance on things this week.” Which obviously, they never did. The people you talk about changes, because a different government is in charge – like Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves. But that isn’t because we’re not on the BBC. It’s because they’re the ones in power now. Do you think the initial cancellation of the show was premature? On TLC, it’s already been renewed for a second series… Yes. Rather than presume that…

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A guide to every English-language LOL: Last One Laughing
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features

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height: 4002

Maisie Adam
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
encoded: Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist What made you want to take part in Last One Laughing? I spend 90 per cent of my life in the giggles. If I’m on stage, if I hear a funny sound from the audience, and everybody else has clocked it, I can be derailed for a good five minutes. So the idea of getting to do the challenge in person was far too tempting. What’s the sort of stuff that usually sets you off? An awkward silence. An awkward silence that’s then interrupted by something. A squeaky chair in a funeral. That will get me going. Any noise that isn’t meant to be there. If it’s an older lady on the bus belching, it’ll get me going 100 per cent. Who was your comedy inspiration? The holy trinity for me are Dawn French, Victoria Wood and Lee Evans. Dawn French being so giddy and young at heart; Victoria Wood being able to just hold a room with such a command as well as the quick-wittedness of her; and Lee Evans, because of how physically comical he was. He would be funny before he got to the mic. What’s the first joke that you remember telling? Oh, we used to tell this really naff one all the time: What goes “Ha, Ha, Ha, thud”? A man laughing his head off. Come on, it’s terrible, but it kind of works.

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Sam Campbell
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
encoded: Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist What made you want to try Last One Laughing? My manager went bankrupt last year. I lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s not purely financial but, hey, it helps. This is a show where people try not to laugh. Why do you think that appeals to viewers? I don’t know. Maybe everyone secretly wishes they were a guard at Guantanamo, you know? They want to see people suffer, and they’ve figured out a framework for a bit of suffering to happen. As a comedian, is it nightmarish doing jokes to an audience of your peers who can’t laugh? Not so much. I don’t trust comedians. These guys have got big heads and big egos, and they’re throwing them around. They’re selfish people, and I try not to be selfish. I don’t want to be seen as having tickets on myself. Tickets? That’s a famous phrase, no? It means they think they’re all that, and more. Have you ever had a gig where no one laughed? Absolutely, I’ve had bombs. I think people often think it’s my first time, and I’ve been doing it for over a decade. I just don’t exude confidence. I’m not someone who really should have a lot of people looking at him, probably. But then hopefully people find that funny. They’re like, “I don’t even think I should be looking at this guy….” That’s my sweet spot.

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David Mitchell
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
encoded: Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist You’re not a stand-up, so was it hard facing off with comedians on this series? I suppose in a way it might have made it easier for me, because I’ve done more comedy in situations where no one laughs. You know, a show like Peep Show – no one’s laughing. And that’s no reflection on the script. Did you have any tactics? I did consider trying to contract diarrhoea, because I thought desperately trying not to s**t yourself is quite a good way of not being amused by anything. Who are your comedy heroes? I was obsessed with Monty Python. I loved Blackadder. I used to have tapes of The Goon Show. I loved Peter Cook. I also did love Reeves and Mortimer, so it’s amazing to have worked with Bob so much, when I watched him as a teenager growing up. That’s not to make him feel old – he beat me in an arm wrestle yesterday. And I’ve got to have a think about that. Is there anything you just don’t find funny? I’m very ignorant of pop music and music in general. Quite often there are bits on Would I Lie to You? when Rob [Brydon] and Lee [Mack] start doing, in some circumstances, an apposite lyric. And I never quite know when it’s over, because they might say an apparently quite normal phrase, and then the audience will inexplicably laugh, and I go, “That’s another f***ing lyric.”

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Diane Morgan
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
encoded: Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist You’ve always kept a straight face as the deadpan Philomena Cunk. Did you draw on that experience? Yeah, I thought, “Look, I’ve had loads of training here.” It’s not just when you’re talking to the experts where you have to keep a straight face, it’s for the whole shoot, whatever happens. So I went in there thinking, “This is going to be easy.” But it wasn’t! What makes you laugh the most in real life? People falling over and hurting themselves. There’s nothing funnier than that. Have you ever done a gig where no one laughed? I did stand-up for nearly 10 years and you have to get used to being on stage and having people just staring at you. It really helps on this show if you’ve had a stand-up background, and you’ve been forced to stand in front of people in silence. I quite like an awkward silence now. I sort of revel in it. What’s the most you’ve ever laughed? I once wet myself on stage when I was doing a play. It was Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward – I was playing the maid, and when I brought in the breakfast someone had put a little face on the fried egg. I saw the other actor do a double take, and I had to leave the stage. I was threatened with the sack, but that made me want to laugh even more. Every night, even though the face wasn’t on the egg, I still wanted to laugh, because it’s like Pavlov’s dog…

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Bob Mortimer
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Amid the new crop of comedians on season two of LOL: Last One Laughing UK – can returning champion Bob Mortimer still have the last laugh?
encoded: Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist All comedians have a war story of their worst ever gig, where their jokes fell flat, absolutely no one laughed and the biggest cheer came when they left the stage. All except Bob Mortimer. “Do you know what? I haven’t had that,” the 66-year-old muses as he gently arranges several sachets of sugar for his cup of tea (he recently revealed that he’s cut down from his high of 16; 17 was “too sweet”). “I’m almost slightly jealous of comics talking about their terrible gigs and so on. Me and Vic [Reeves] had a very unusual journey in that the first shows we did were to friends, and friends of friends through word of mouth who were very happy to be there. And then we went on the telly. And TV audiences are easy.” Or perhaps, Bob Mortimer is just that funny. The Middlesbrough native was already a legend in the comedy community for his double act with Vic Reeves (aka Jim Moir), before bagging a new generation of fans for his scene-stealing stints on the panel show Would I Lie to You? and his thoughtful, mischievous contributions to Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. And then last year there was LOL: Last One Laughing UK, which cemented Mortimer’s reputation as the funniest man on TV. In the series, returning this week with Mortimer back to defend his title, a gaggle of comedians are locked in a room and told not to laugh at each other’s jokes. Mortimer, finally, has learnt what it’s like to play to a silent audience. “It’s frightening,” he says now. “One, knowing that they’re not going to laugh, and two, because it’s your peers. It’s not any audience, it’s Romesh and David [Ranganathan and Mitchell respectively, who join this year’s line-up].” Still, the fear didn’t hold him back last year. After a fierce final duel with runner-up Richard Ayoade, Mortimer won. “I wondered about having an advantage, having done it before, but the moment I walked in, I thought, ‘No, it’s an entirely different dynamic,’” he says. “I think the …

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Alan Carr
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
encoded: You couldn’t stop giggling on The Celebrity Traitors. How did you hold it in for this show? People did different things – Mel had a massive goblet that she would take a drink out of. I often hung around the recycling bin. I started recycling just so that no one could see my face. And, in the worst moments, I thought about my dogs being put down, which is really grim! But, hey, it got me through some difficult moments. So thank you, Bev and Joyce, looking down from doggie heaven. I owe you one. What makes you laugh? People falling over. Dogs with worms. People trying to get out of beanbags. It’s just stuff like that. I did go through a phase of watching videos of people walking into patio doors, but then I saw a really horrific one, so I went, “Yeah, you need to stop doing this now.” People’s misfortune makes me laugh. How has comedy changed in your lifetime? There are a lot more comedians, and it’s strange because you’re competing with TikTokers who don’t even have to be on the telly to sell out arenas. There’s a million ways you can become a comedian now. But in terms of the thing where people say, “You can’t say anything these days” – you can say whatever you want these days. People just don’t like to be told, “Actually, what you said makes you look a bit of a d**k!”

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Last One Laughing UK defending champion Bob Mortimer talks season 2 return: "It's an entirely different dynamic"
type: item
date: 2026-03-09T09:45:28.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: Reality TV
subject: TV
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Amid a new crop of comedians all determined to tickle their rivals while keeping a straight face – can returning champion Bob Mortimer still have the last laugh?
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. All comedians have a war story of their worst ever gig, where their jokes fell flat, absolutely no one laughed and the biggest cheer came when they left the stage. All except Bob Mortimer. “Do you know what? I haven’t had that,” the 66-year-old muses as he gently arranges several sachets of sugar for his cup of tea (he recently revealed that he’s cut down from his high of 16; 17 was “too sweet”). “I’m almost slightly jealous of comics talking about their terrible gigs and so on. Me and Vic [Reeves] had a very unusual journey in that the first shows we did were to friends, and friends of friends through word of mouth who were very happy to be there. And then we went on the telly. And TV audiences are easy.” Or perhaps, Bob Mortimer is just that funny. The Middlesbrough native was already a legend in the comedy community for his double act with Vic Reeves (aka Jim Moir), before bagging a new generation of fans for his scene-stealing stints on the panel show Would I Lie to You? and his thoughtful, mischievous contributions to Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. And then last year there was LOL: Last One Laughing UK, which cemented Mortimer’s reputation as the funniest man on TV. In the series, returning next week with Mortimer back to defend his title, a gaggle of comedians are locked in a room and told not to laugh at each other’s jokes. Mortimer, finally, has learnt what it’s like to play to a silent audience. “It’s frightening,” he says now. “One, knowing that they’re not going to laugh, and two, because it’s your peers. It’s not any audience, it’s Romesh and David [Ranganathan and Mitchell respectively, who join this year’s line-up].” Still, the fear didn’t hold him back last year. After a fierce final duel with runner-up Richard Ayoade, Mortimer won. “I wondered about having an advantage, having done it before, but the moment I walked in, I thought, ‘No, it’s an entirely different dynamic,’” he says. “I think…

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Montell Douglas on switching from the Olympic Summer to Winter Games – and hopes for Brad Hall in the four-man bob
type: item
date: 2026-02-17T17:29:17.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Sport
subject: TV
subject: Winter Olympics
description: Fancy a change of career? How about chucking yourself down an ice slide at 80mph in a rocket ship?
encoded: A career change is always a daunting prospect. No matter how strong those transferable skills may be, you still need to make leap of faith from world to another. Montell Douglas knows the feeling. Her CV is varied, to say the least. The Lewisham-born star boasts strong experience in sprinting and went the distance, representing Team GB at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but her legacy is one of adaptability. Douglas shifted from the athletics track to the bobsleigh track, adding the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, also in Beijing, to her sizzle reel, and becoming the first British woman in history to compete at a Summer and Winter Games. Download our free Winter Olympics viewing guide with a day-by-day TV planner to help you follow every winning moment If that’s not enough, Douglas re-honed her skill once more upon retirement to feature as ‘Fire’ on the hit BBC reboot of Gladiators and competed on the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing, during which she finished in sixth place. Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Douglas explained her pride at transitioning from the track to ice and her hopes for Team GB at the Winter Olympics 2026. She said: "It’s really difficult to be the first at something because you don’t even know if it’s going to fly. For me, I look back with such fond memories. It was the toughest journey ever – with injury, with illness. It was a really tough time in the world – like, going through that stuff going in 2021 and 2022 – it was really tough. "Honestly, it’s the one thing that I’m super-proud of myself because it was the clearest process of: 'There’s this goal that is very far away from where I am right now. It’s something that no-one has ever achieved before. And I don’t know if I can do it.' If it doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not doing it right – as they say. Read more: Winter Olympics on today | Winter Olympics on BBC | Winter Olympics radio coverage | Full list of Winter Olympics sports | Winter Olympics presenters "So I was like, 'I…

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The tall and short of it
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The new Game of Thrones spin-off is a “buddy comedy” – smaller in scale but bigger in heart, says showrunner Ira Parker
encoded: Add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to your watchlist On a grassy hillside, a young hero with a sword on his hip stares out to his destiny. Fame, glory, honour – and gold. Familiar music, the award-winning Game of Thrones theme, swells majestically as young Duncan takes a step towards history… Cut to the same man, terrified, emptying his bowels behind a tree. Because A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – which began last week on Sky Atlantic – isn’t quite the grand epic we have come to expect from the world of Game of Thrones, even if it is set in the same fictional land of Westeros. “I joke sometimes that we’re just Game of Thrones without all the stuff,” laughs showrunner Ira Parker. “My goal is to make this stand on its own so that, even if none of the other shows had happened, you could still watch episode one and you could follow that journey.” Airing from 2011 to 2019, Game of Thrones – adapted from George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels – was fantasy drama on an epic scale and one of the biggest TV successes this century. When the inevitable spin-off, House of the Dragon, came in 2022, it was in the form of a prequel set centuries earlier, when an even grander conflict was brewing between the noble houses of Westeros. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a humbler prospect. It’s set about 90 years after House of the Dragon and 90 years before Game of Thrones and eschews its predecessors’ huge casts and continent-spanning action. Instead, it follows penniless knight Ser Duncan the Tall (aka Dunk, played by Peter Claffey) and his bald-headed squire Egg (played by Dexter Sol Ansell), who turn up at a tournament hoping to win money. “It’s a buddy comedy,” suggests Parker. “It’s a ‘lone wolf and cub’ story. It’s an adventure series.” Not that there aren’t still sky-high expectations. This first series is adapted from The Hedge Knight, a novella written by Martin in 1998, and over the years (and two literary sequels), dynamic duo Dunk and Egg have attracted an aff…

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner: "Season 1 was definitely written for George RR Martin"
type: item
date: 2026-01-19T17:00:41.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Fantasy
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
subject: NOW
subject: Sky
description: The new Game of Thrones spin-off is a “buddy comedy” – smaller in scale but bigger in heart, says showrunner Ira Parker.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. On a grassy hillside, a young hero with a sword on his hip stares out to his destiny. Fame, glory, honour – and gold. Familiar music, the award-winning Game of Thrones theme, swells majestically as young Duncan takes a step towards history… Cut to the same man, terrified, emptying his bowels behind a tree. Because A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – which begins this week on Sky Atlantic – isn’t quite the grand epic we have come to expect from the world of Game of Thrones, even if it is set in the same fictional land of Westeros. “I joke sometimes that we’re just Game of Thrones without all the stuff,” laughs showrunner Ira Parker. “My goal is to make this stand on its own so that, even if none of the other shows had happened, you could still watch episode one and you could follow that journey.” Airing from 2011 to 2019, Game of Thrones – adapted from George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels – was fantasy drama on an epic scale and one of the biggest TV successes this century. When the inevitable spin-off, House of the Dragon, came in 2022, it was in the form of a prequel set centuries earlier, when an even grander conflict was brewing between the noble houses of Westeros. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a humbler prospect. It’s set about 90 years after House of the Dragon and 90 years before Game of Thrones and eschews its predecessors’ huge casts and continent-spanning action. Instead, it follows penniless knight Ser Duncan the Tall (aka Dunk, played by Peter Claffey) and his bald-headed squire Egg (played by Dexter Sol Ansell), who turn up at a tournament hoping to win money. “It’s a buddy comedy,” suggests Parker. “It’s a ‘lone wolf and cub’ story. It’s an adventure series.” View Green Video on the source website Not that there aren’t still sky-high expectations. This first series is adapted from The Hedge Knight, a novella written by Martin in 1998, and over the years (and two literary sequels), dynami…

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Kids ask the Gladiators all the questions grown-ups never would
type: item
date: 2026-01-16T07:00:07.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: Interview
description: We gave kids the chance to quiz the stars of Gladiators the way only they can – and the results were brilliant.
encoded: These days, kids don’t watch TV – but they do watch Gladiators. Somehow, the lycra-clad '90s throwbacks of BBC1’s shiny-floor revival have managed to compete with all videogames, TikTok and general brainrot to enchant children across the UK and beyond. “My brother lives in Dubai, and his kids, my niece and nephew and all of their friends, do watch parties at my brother’s house to watch Gladiators,” Gladiator Sabre, AKA Sheli McCoy, tells Radio Times. “Series one had 90 million global downloads.” “We are like real-life superheroes to them,” adds Zack George, AKA Steel. “When they come to see us in any sort of capacity, there’s just the joy, and the biggest smiles that you have and that you see on all the kids’ faces, is absolutely amazing.” So when quizzing six of the Gladiators on their stories, what else could we do but hand the reins over to the real experts, some of the TV show’s youngest fans who had their own… unique… queries for the musclebound stars. Starting with… Fire, AKA Montell Douglas Charlotte, aged 8, asks: What makes you so quick? What makes me so quick? Well, like we mentioned, the hair, because this is my superpower. When you go fast, it looks like flames. But I genuinely think that’s a part of it. However, I am well-versed, and ran for a very long time, and trained really, really hard for a very long time. Though part of that is because it’s my superpower to be super, super fast, which also adds to my strength. So lots and lots of training. Lots of sprinting. It’s why I’m so fast. Isaac, aged 5, has asked: Who are better, the old Gladiators or the new Gladiators? Oh, that is controversial! We have to defend our throne, Isaac. Who are better? So I have, like I said, empathy. I’ve got massive respect… You know what? Those that laid the path before us are why we’re here. And I pay homage to the original Gs – I call them the OGs – because without them, we cannot be here. And I feel like we are a thread and a legacy of what it is that they created. Tha…

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner confirms show's fate after adapting published Dunk and Egg novellas
type: item
date: 2026-01-15T14:24:27.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Fantasy
subject: TV
subject: Exclusive
subject: News
subject: NOW
subject: On demand
subject: Sky Atlantic
description: “George has laid out… He has a document of everything that happens, basically, for 13, 14, 15 of these novellas.”
encoded: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker has revealed that George RR Martin has outlined ideas for many more unwritten novellas that could form the basis of future seasons. The fantasy author has only published three Dunk and Egg Novellas so far, with 1998’s The Hedge Knight serving as inspiration for the upcoming first season, 2003’s The Sworn Sword set to form the basis of season 2, which is currently in production, and 2010’s The Mystery Knight expected to inspire a potential third season. Asked whether there’s a possibility of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms going beyond the three novellas, as Game of Thrones did with Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Parker told Radio Times magazine: “I would love – and I’ve pitched to HBO a couple of times to sort of well-intentioned half-smiles or eye rolls." He continued: "I want to do three or four now with Egg, the boy, and come back in like five or 10 years and do three or four more with Egg, the young man. And then come back in five or 10 years, and do three or four more with Egg, the – well, the spoiler. “I don’t think that’s necessarily how TV gets made unless you’re… Lisa Kudrow gets to do that. You know, The Comeback comes back every 10 years, and that’s OK. Or Linklater. "But this is… There’s so many interesting things that happen throughout their lives. But I don’t want to focus the whole thing right at the beginning. It’s telling that whole journey that is very exciting to me." He continued: "George has laid out… He has a document of everything that happens, basically, for 13, 14, 15 of these novellas. He just has to get to writing these. "The nice thing is, we know what the ending is. We know the journeys that they go no. We would never be left making anything up. We would just have a looser road map than what we have right now. "Look, we’ll see. There’s a really decent chance that we’ll hopefully do three of those, and that’s it, and people can enjoy it. And that’ll be the experience that they h…

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Best medicine
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Bob Mortimer is back to defend his title but this time, he says, it’s a very different game…
encoded: Add Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist An entertainment hit on a streaming platform is something of a rarity. Stranger still when it’s a show stuffed with comedians where a mark of success is not laughing. But that’s what you get with Amazon Prime Video’s Last One Laughing UK, which sees some of the country’s best stand-ups locked in a room together, trying to “break” each other into fits of guffaws without cracking a smile themselves. Now, after the huge success of the first run in 2025, the show’s back this spring. “It’s exactly the same as series one, except for every single moment,” host Jimmy Carr tells RT. “It’s different comedians. A different level of competition. It’s basically comedy if it was a sport.” One of the new crop of contestants is former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc. “I think there are pros and cons of doing a second series of something like this, because the first series was so brilliant and joyous and free,” she says. “Whereas when you’ve seen the first series, you go in with different levels of pressure, and expectation.” “It was more competitive this time,” agrees Carr. “They had gameplay in place. They had game faces. They knew what they were doing this time.” “Which isn’t to say that we didn’t also have a brilliant time!” Giedroyc adds. “We had an amazing gang. I mean, stellar.” Said gang features a mix of well-known and up-and-coming comics, including David Mitchell, Romesh Ranganathan, Amy Gledhill, Diane Morgan, Maisie Adam, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Sam Campbell and recent Celebrity Traitors champ Alan Carr, hoping he can keep the giggles under control this time. Plus, one more familiar face – Would I Lie to You? favourite and series one winner Bob Mortimer is back to defend his crown. “I didn’t expect to come back, but was delighted to be asked, because it’s an experience that you can never re-create,” says Mortimer. “It’s interesting – the moment I walked in, I thought, ‘No, this is just different. It’s an entirely different dynamic.’ So I…

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Return of the Mock
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Dara O Briain’s resurrected satirical panel show is coming back bigger – but will it be better?
encoded: Add Mock the Week to your watchlist Just over three years after it was cancelled by the BBC, topical panel show Mock the Week is returning soon to free-to-air channel TLC — with a familiar face at the helm. “It was only a couple of months ago that I first heard rumblings,” says comedian and longtime host Dara O Briain. “God, it might have been November… I mean, I’m not going, ‘I remember the moment the big red phone in my office rang. It’s the Mock phone, finally…’ But it’s all moved pretty quickly, as befits the show. “Honestly, you can be too precious,” he adds. “I didn’t sit for a long time going, ‘Will this in any way damage the legacy of the show that we’ve left behind?’ It’s just seven people in a room telling jokes.” Alongside O Briain, rotating guests will include Ahir Shah, Angela Barnes, Ed Byrne, Ellie Taylor, Hugh Dennis, Katherine Ryan, Lou Sanders, Rhys James, Russell Howard and Sara Pascoe — though expect more new names alongside the familiar ones. The biggest change comes from the length of episodes, now extended to an hour. “There’s no musical sequence now; there’s no nudity suddenly. I don’t think there’s anything particularly jarring. I just think there’ll be slightly more of it,” O Briain says. “But there was always more of it. We did two-and-a-half hours that came down to a BBC half-hour, which was 28 minutes. There will apparently be new rounds. But I don’t think there’s anything that will scare the horses, that will be too drastic a change from us talking. ‘Us talking’ is the mission statement, to be honest.” And what will they be talking about? “The world has got more pantomimic and ludicrous as time has gone by,” he muses. “The biggest change for us is that it’s no longer a Conservative government. People used to say, ‘You always talk about the Tories.’ Yes, because they were the ones doing stuff! Now, it’ll be about Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. Not because we’re not on the BBC any more — but because they’re the ones in power.”

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Myths and legends
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The BBC’s revamped Gladiators has become a colossus of Saturday-night TV – but are its perfectly formed stars gods, monsters or something in between? With a little help from some young fans, RT poses some very important questions
encoded: Add Gladiators to your watchlist NITRO aka Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37 What’s the biggest myth about being a Gladiator? The biggest myth about being a Gladiator is that you don’t want the contender to do well, because you actually do. Obviously, we’re the strength and the speed and the power. But ultimately they’re the soul of the show, right? What’s your Achilles’ heel? It’s probably The Edge, which is played at a very great height. I’m a very grounded person. If there was one event that I could choose not to do, it would be that one. Kids look up to all of you like gods. How do you handle that? I lean into it. When kids ask me how old I am, I often say, “I’m 1,000 years old, and I’m a demigod. The gifts and skills and talents that I have were bestowed upon me by the gods.” In Grecian times the idea was that, if you went to someone’s temple, that gave the gods strength, right? So, I often tell them, the more noise they make, the stronger I become. They’re my power cells. They fuel me. Do you feel a responsibility to your fans — ie the power cells? I was once a young star who wanted to be a Gladiator. I opted for the Olympics instead – and now I’ve become a Gladiator! I know there are many young fans out there who could now go on to become great athletes or great Gladiators themselves. When I go climbing, people say, “We can’t believe you’re here... we told our daughter or our son, ‘Try and climb the wall like Nitro’ to get them here.” I’m not a speed-climber. I won’t get an Olympic medal in that, but it’s made kids go and climb. We might have the next speed-climbing champion because of Gladiators, which is amazing. The biggest mistake I ever make is trying to take my daughter to soft play. If I try and take her to a trampoline park, I can’t look after her, because I’m in front of our target audience, doing the most gladiatorial stuff. I’m inundated! When your Gladiators legend is written, how do you hope to be remembered? Hercules was the first person I played in a …

Last One Laughing UK season 2 cast members tease new episodes as Bob Mortimer talks return
type: item
date: 2026-01-14T08:00:00.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: Contains Trailer
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: "The moment I walked in, I thought, 'No, this is just different.'"
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. An entertainment hit on a streaming platform is something of a rarity. Stranger still when it’s a show stuffed with comedians where a mark of success is not laughing. But that’s what you get with Amazon Prime Video’s Last One Laughing UK, which sees some of the country’s best stand-ups locked in a room together, trying to “break” each other into fits of guffaws without cracking a smile themselves. Now, after the huge success of the first run in 2025, the show’s back this spring. “It’s exactly the same as series one, except for every single moment,” host Jimmy Carr tells RT. “It’s different comedians. A different level of competition. It’s basically comedy if it was a sport.” One of the new crop of contestants is former Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc. “I think there are pros and cons of doing a second series of something like this, because the first series was so brilliant and joyous and free,” she says. “Whereas when you’ve seen the first series, you go in with different levels of pressure, and expectation.” “It was more competitive this time,” agrees Carr. “They had gameplay in place. They had game faces. They knew what they were doing this time.” “Which isn’t to say that we didn’t also have a brilliant time!” Giedroyc adds. “We had an amazing gang. I mean, stellar.” Said gang features a mix of well-known and up-and-coming comics, including David Mitchell, Romesh Ranganathan, Amy Gledhill, Diane Morgan, Maisie Adam, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Sam Campbell and recent Celebrity Traitors champ Alan Carr, hoping he can keep the giggles under control this time. Plus, one more familiar face – Would I Lie to You? favourite and series one winner Bob Mortimer is back to defend his crown. “I didn’t expect to come back, but was delighted to be asked, because it’s an experience that you can never re-create,” says Mortimer. “It’s interesting – the moment I walked in, I thought, ‘No, this is just different. It’s an entirely different dyna…

10 best entertainment shows to watch in 2026 - from Gladiators to The Claudia Winkleman Show
type: item
date: 2026-01-13T12:00:36.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Magazine
description: Time to set a few reminders...
encoded: Who says shiny-floor TV is dead? Looking at the schedules for 2026, the entertainment genre is in rude health, kicking off strong this month with Claudia et al in the Traitors’ castle, before handing off to a host of other shows throughout the year. Whether you’re interested in a Gladiatorial contest, a laughter lesson, a bit of celeb chat, nosy neighbours or ‘summit’ completely different (with thanks to Ben Shephard), there’s really something for everyone in the UK’s unscripted TV offering this year. Here are 10 of our top picks for the reality and entertainment shows heading to the small screen this year – and remember, this is just the beginning. Time to set a few reminders... 10 best entertainment shows to watch in 2026 - from Gladiators to The Claudia Winkleman Show 1. Gladiators – coming to BBC One from Saturday 17th January Do you feel the power... of the Gladiator? The BBC’s hugely successful reboot has pugil stick-battered its way to this third series, which looks set to be as popular with families as the first two. All your favourite musclebound lads and lasses are back – including the injured ‘glads’ benched last series – alongside some new games, including one revived from the original series. Bradley and Barney Walsh are back on hosting duties. 2. Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – coming to BBC One from Saturday 17th January McIntyre’s back, taking the Michael with his revolving set of formats, from Send to All and the Unexpected Star of the show to The Midnight Gameshow, which this series includes Jonathan Ross and Joe Marler – one of whom will get a Traitors-inspired twist to their nighttime quizzing. Plus, expect more pranks and surprises for the theatre audience, including a new segment simply titled ‘Big Surprise’… 3. Mock the Week – coming to TLC from 1st February Return of the Mock! Just over three years after it was canned by the BBC, digital channel TLC has risen the topical panel show from beyond the grave. While longtime host Dara O Briain is bac…

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Dara Ó Briain teases new Mock the Week revival format – and why they'll be tackling the current Labour government
type: item
date: 2026-01-12T17:00:52.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The comedian and longtime host discusses who and what to expect from the returning panel show.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Just over three years after it was cancelled by the BBC, topical panel show Mock the Week is returning soon to free-to-air channel TLC — with a familiar face at the helm. “It was only a couple of months ago that I first heard rumblings,” says comedian and longtime host Dara Ó Briain. “God, it might have been November... I mean, I’m not going, ‘I remember the moment the big red phone in my office rang. It’s the Mock phone, finally…’ But it’s all moved pretty quickly, as befits the show. “Honestly, you can be too precious,” he adds. “I didn’t sit for a long time going, ‘Will this in any way damage the legacy of the show that we’ve left behind?’ It’s just seven people in a room telling jokes.” Alongside Ó Briain, rotating guests will include Ahir Shah, Angela Barnes, Ed Byrne, Ellie Taylor, Hugh Dennis, Katherine Ryan, Lou Sanders, Rhys James, Russell Howard and Sara Pascoe — though expect more new names alongside the familiar ones. The biggest change comes from the length of episodes, now extended to an hour. “There’s no musical sequence now; there’s no nudity suddenly. I don’t think there’s anything particularly jarring. I just think there’ll be slightly more of it,” Ó Briain says. “But there was always more of it. We did two-and-a-half hours that came down to a BBC half-hour, which was 28 minutes. There will apparently be new rounds. But I don’t think there’s anything that will scare the horses, that will be too drastic a change from us talking. ‘Us talking’ is the mission statement, to be honest.” And what will they be talking about? “The world has got more pantomimic and ludicrous as time has gone by,” he muses. “The biggest change for us is that it’s no longer a Conservative government. People used to say, ‘You always talk about the Tories.’ Yes, because they were the ones doing stuff! Now, it’ll be about Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. Not because we’re not on the BBC any more – but because they’re the ones in…

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Gladiators season 3 stars shatter the myths behind being a cast member - and answer child fan questions
type: item
date: 2026-01-12T17:00:34.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: BBC
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Nitro, Sabre, Legend, Fire, Steel and Fury preview the brand new episodes – and answer questions from young fans.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. The BBC’s revamped Gladiators has become a colossus of Saturday-night TV – but are its perfectly formed stars gods, monsters or something in between? With a little help from some young fans, RT poses some very important questions... Nitro aka Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37 What’s the biggest myth about being a Gladiator? The biggest myth about being a Gladiator is that you don’t want the contender to do well, because you actually do. Obviously, we’re the strength and the speed and the power. But ultimately they’re the soul of the show, right? What’s your Achilles’ heel? It’s probably The Edge, which is played at a very great height. I’m a very grounded person. If there was one event that I could choose not to do, it would be that one. Kids look up to all of you like gods. How do you handle that? I lean into it. When kids ask me how old I am, I often say, “I’m 1,000 years old, and I’m a demigod. The gifts and skills and talents that I have were bestowed upon me by the gods.” In Grecian times the idea was that, if you went to someone’s temple, that gave the gods strength, right? So, I often tell them, the more noise they make, the stronger I become. They’re my power cells. They fuel me. Do you feel a responsibility to your fans – ie the power cells? I was once a young star who wanted to be a Gladiator. I opted for the Olympics instead – and now I’ve become a Gladiator! I know there are many young fans out there who could now go on to become great athletes or great Gladiators themselves. When I go climbing, people say, “We can’t believe you’re here... we told our daughter or our son, ‘Try and climb the wall like Nitro’ to get them here.” I’m not a speed-climber. I won’t get an Olympic medal in that, but it’s made kids go and climb. We might have the next speed-climbing champion because of Gladiators, which is amazing. The biggest mistake I ever make is trying to take my daughter to soft play. If I try and take her to a t…

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View from my sofa: Mark Lewis Jones
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The actor is proud to promote the Welsh language — even in lands far, far away
encoded: Add Dal y Mellt to your watchlist What’s the view from your sofa? Well, the TV is on a table. It’s not gigantic-silly, but it’s quite a decent size. We have a large sofa, so my wife will sit there and I’ve got four sons, so if any of them are with us with their girlfriends, they will also sit on this incredibly long sofa. And I sit on the chair. Who controls the remote at home? Me – if somebody else has it, it makes me a little bit twitchy. What have you enjoyed watching recently? We watch a lot of “murder things”: Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, Mindhunter, American Nightmare. And Adolescence – the single-shot thing was extraordinary, but I kind of forgot about that, because I was so taken in by the acting. You’re one of the busiest actors around — especially in Welsh TV. How do you choose your roles? It’s what feels right in the moment. I’m not in the position of being able to pick and choose much. If it’s not a lead part, I’m happy to do a well-crafted cameo in one episode only. It’s stuff like Baby Reindeer and The Crown where you get an opportunity to make an impact. Star Wars [Jones played Captain Canady in The Last Jedi] was exactly that. You also had the first Welsh accent in Star Wars… I wasn’t told to do any other accent, so I thought, “Well, there’s no point me putting on an accent. What for?” You’re now back for the second series of Dal y Mellt, the Welsh-language crime drama. What can we expect? It’s a group of people who work out a plan to do a heist, and then over the next six hours, we get the backstory of the heist, and why they’re doing it. The response was fantastic to the first series. I do a lot of “back-to-back” series in both Welsh and English, but it feels special that this is just in Welsh. After the S4C and BBC airing it, it went onto Netflix titled Rough Cut – the first Welsh-language-speaking series on there. Was that a big deal? It’s fantastic. A lot of the big Oscar films from South Korea and all the Nordic noir stuff means that peopl…

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'I always teach like a marriage!'
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe on their friendship, age gaps and Christmas plans
encoded: The final of Strictly Come Dancing is on Saturday 20 Dec at 7.00pm on BBC One. Add it to your watchlist At 62, actor Alex Kingston is only three years younger than the mother of her Strictly Come Dancing partner, 38-year-old professional Johannes Radebe. But in this partnership, she was the one learning from him. Over the past few months, they went from tentative first steps to earning standing ovations. And now, despite their Strictly journey ending, they vow they’ll stay on the dance floor one way or another… Alex, what was it like learning from someone younger? Alex Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine anyone else being my dance partner. The problem is, now my Strictly journey has come to an end, I will have to carry on dancing and I don’t know who will ever come close to Johannes. Johannes Oh my goodness, we’ll have to book some lessons. I’ve always said that partnerships are special because they grow, and that I always teach like a marriage – even though I have never been married. Alex And I’ve been married three times! Did you have a mentor or someone you looked up to earlier in your careers? Johannes As a boy, there was an Australian dancer I watched from a distance from my township in South Africa. His name is Jason Gilkison. I modelled my career on his, and now I am in the same room as him – he’s the creative director of Strictly Come Dancing. It’s an honour to work with him. Nowadays, I go back home to South Africa and run workshops teaching kids to dance. That’s my way of giving back. Alex My English teacher saw that I wasn’t academic in the sciences, but she made sure I had an opportunity to begin acting, devising plays where I was the lead. Her name was Margaret Kirk. She’s no longer with us, but I’m forever thankful to her. Are you looking forward to the final, where every Strictly couple returns for a reunion? Alex Oh yes, one hundred per cent. Looking at the opening credits of Strictly, seeing all the contestants, you realise how few are left. The first week …

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Loved Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery? 6 locked-room mysteries to enjoy next
type: item
date: 2025-12-12T08:00:16.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Movies
subject: Magazine
subject: Netflix
description: A list of the essential locked-room mysteries every crime fan should know.
encoded: With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery now streaming on Netflix, here's a list of some of the seminal locked-room mysteries from literature. Some of the titles may even be familiar to viewers of the new movie, with a certain reading list playing a key part in Benoit Blanc's investigations... 1. The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr A key influence on Wake Up Dead Man came from this 1935 novel by American author John Dickson Carr. Today, it’s renowned for both the ingenuity of its central locked-room mystery – whereby a murderous visitor seemingly disappears into thin air – and a fourth-wall-stretching speech by sleuth Dr Gideon Fell, who lays out the various methods often used by writers to explain such “impossible crimes”. Can I watch it? Unlike others on the list below, there are no major adaptations of this work outside of a few radio dramas – perhaps re-creating Carr’s solution is an impossible task in and of itself. 2. The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle Holmes and Watson tackle a fiendish criminal in this eerie 1892 short story, about a young woman who dies alone in her locked room a few days after hearing a low whistle. Soon, her surviving sister hears the same noise and understandably believes her time is up. But what could a house full of animals, an unconnected bell cord and a saucer of milk have to do with either murder attempt? Can I watch it? The Speckled Band features as an episode of the classic adaptation Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, and is available to stream on ITVX. View Green Video on the source website 3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie The Queen of Crime didn’t often go in for “classic” locked-room murder mysteries of the sort laid out by Dickson Carr. Still, this influential 1926 novel does provide what could be considered the Christie take on the idea, when the titular wealthy landowner apparently perishes just moments after being left alone in his study. Can I watch it? The obligato…

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Doctor Who favourite Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe spill on Strictly journey and finale return
type: item
date: 2025-12-09T17:01:54.000Z
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: BBC One
subject: Christmas
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: From first steps to standing ovations: Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe reflect on dancing, friendship, and their post-Strictly Christmas plans.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. At 62, actor Alex Kingston is only three years younger than the mother of her Strictly Come Dancing partner, 38-year-old professional Johannes Radebe. But in this partnership, she was the one learning from him. Over the past few months, they went from tentative first steps to earning standing ovations. And now, despite their Strictly journey ending, they vow they’ll stay on the dance floor one way or another… Alex, what was it like learning from someone younger? ALEX: Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine anyone else being my dance partner. The problem is, now my Strictly journey has come to an end, I will have to carry on dancing and I don’t know who will ever come close to Johannes. JOHANNES: Oh my goodness, we’ll have to book some lessons. I’ve always said that partnerships are special because they grow, and that I always teach like a marriage – even though I have never been married. ALEX: And I’ve been married three times! Did you have a mentor or someone you looked up to earlier in your careers? JOHANNES: As a boy, there was an Australian dancer I watched from a distance from my township in South Africa. His name is Jason Gilkison. I modelled my career on his, and now I am in the same room as him – he’s the creative director of Strictly Come Dancing. It’s an honour to work with him. Nowadays, I go back home to South Africa and run workshops teaching kids to dance. That’s my way of giving back. ALEX: My English teacher saw that I wasn’t academic in the sciences, but she made sure I had an opportunity to begin acting, devising plays where I was the lead. Her name was Margaret Kirk. She’s no longer with us, but I’m forever thankful to her. Are you looking forward to the final, where every Strictly couple returns for a reunion? ALEX: Oh yes, one hundred per cent. Looking at the opening credits of Strictly, seeing all the contestants, you realise how few are left. The first week does seem a long time ago now. It will be rea…

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Meet the Warrior of the Deep
type: item
creator: Huw Fullerton
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Gugu Mbatha-Raw felt liberated by her transformation
encoded: Add The War Between the Land and Sea to your watchlist The Sea Devils have been around in Doctor Who since the 1970s. Were you aware of them? I have to confess, I wasn’t around in the 70s! And I didn’t do a deep-dive into the Sea Devils’ mythology. For me, it was exciting to start where we are, in the world that Russell T Davies has created with the show. For fans of Doctor Who, there are so many nuances and layers that they will pick up on. But you don’t have to know all of that background to really invest in the story, which I think is one of its strengths. You’ve been in the Doctor Who world before in 2007. You played Tish Jones, the sister of companion Martha; now you’re fish-woman Salt. What brought you back? I have such fond memories of working on Doctor Who. It was one of my first TV jobs and there was so much buzz around the show. I’ve seen Russell T Davies socially and in passing over the years. When he reached out about this project, I was really, really excited. But I was also kind of curious and a bit trepidatious, knowing that the character is an amphibian, and it’s something very, very different. Yes, as Salt you’re pretty unrecognisable… I’ve never done such a large-scale creature-character. I thought it would be a really interesting acting challenge, physically. Without spoiling too much of the magic, I spent three hours in hair and make-up every morning with Georgia Brown and Samantha Di Giuseppe. It’s quite a surreal experience as an actor, I think, to look in a mirror and almost not recognise yourself. You’re liberated from all the usual tools you have. Suddenly you don’t have curly hair and brown skin. You’re free to create something completely different. You have what you bring: your face, your physicality. Three hours! Wasn’t that exhausting? It was an arduous process, I’m not going to lie. It’s three hours just to do the face, and there’s the layers of glue and paint. Not to mention when you get into the body, the body armour, the scales and t…

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