RT's Laura Rutkowski visits the set of Graham Norton's new ITV reality series
Add The Neighbourhood to your watchlist “Welcome to The Neighbourhood!” says Graham Norton, the host of ITV’s new reality series, as he meets RT on the set in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It’s cosy, with six quaint houses painted pink, yellow, green, blue, orange and purple, a café called Room with a Brew, the local pub The Uppin Arms, a notice board of events, and stunning flowers lining the streets. But the seemingly picturesque community is located on the rather sinisterly named Keepyourenemies Close. There’s a CCTV sign that reads, “Warning: this area is under constant judgment.” And those due to move into these homes — six real households (each with three to five members), including university students, multigenerational and blended families — are going to be filmed 24 hours a day, in every room, by over 200 cameras. They will also go up against each other in challenges across 12 episodes in the hopes of walking away with £250,000. “This isn’t just about keeping up with the Joneses, it’s about beating them as well,” Norton explains. Development executive Ed Daggett says the idea for the tasks is “taking things that are typical of neighbourhood life and super-sizing them into big games”. These involve a seven-metre-high washing line; a take on curtain twitching, where everyone must memorise what happens outside their window at night; and a gnome invasion game that I got the chance to play, where you have to find a specific gnome after being given a clue (there will be 2,500 gnomes of varying sizes). If you pick a “nasty” gnome, it has implications for your neighbours. If households do well during the games, they’re safe in the neighbourhood. If they don’t, they’re at risk of being voted out — with their neighbours planting a “For Sale” sign in front of their home during “the removals”. There are also difficult real-life decisions to make, like whose party to go to when two are being hosted at the same time. “We want people watching the show to say, ‘They’re just like us, they’re just like the people who live over the road,’” says Daggett. The Neighbourhood is coming soon to ITV1
'I knew we were catching lightning in a bottle'
The comedians are back to police potential giggles from the control room – but which one is the good cop?
Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist I knew straight away on the day we were recording that it was like catching lightning in a bottle. It was obviously good stuff,” says Roisin Conaty. “It was a great antidote to watching the news,” adds her co-host Jimmy Carr. “It’s impossible to be sad or angry while laughing. Right show at the right time.” For this second series Carr and Conaty are back to preside over the shenanigans, watching from the comfort of their “control room”, where they have the added benefit of being able to laugh whenever they please. They’re on the lookout for even an inkling of a chuckle from the 10 contestants, with about 40 cameras documenting every angle. If they’re caught, the stars are given a yellow-card warning. A second infraction means a red card and elimination, at which point they join Carr and Conaty in the control room. “People came in having watched series one, and no one wanted to go out straight away, so everyone was locked and loaded to win. It’s like watching someone hold their breath – they’re going to have to breathe at some point,” says Conaty. “I’m pretty on it,” she adds. “At one point, I stopped them, because they were swaying too much. Jimmy is more ‘good cop.’ He’s like, ‘They’re allowed to live…’” There are many techniques the comedians use to hide their laughter – looking in cupboards, needing to use the toilet suddenly, bending down for too long – but some slip-ups are pretty obvious. “We had a couple where we thought, ‘You could hear that down the street.’ I thought perhaps we needed an exorcist for one laugh – it was like a guttural utterance,” says Carr. But not laughing is only half the game – you also have to trip up your competitors. Carr says the best tactic for the “joker”, where the comedians perform a pre-prepared act, is to play against type. “Be the opposite of what people are expecting from you. For me, if I did some real, proper slapstick, people would go, ‘What?’” Carr thinks his late friend Sean Lock would have been great on the show. “He was incredibly surreal and had amazing flights of fancy, and also was very competitive. Someone put together a really nice montage of me crying with laughter at Sean on the shows we did together.” For her part, Conaty lists Jennifer Saunders, Tim Key, Lolly Adefope and Mo Gilligan as dream contestants. The format of the show came from a Japanese series called Documental and there have been multiple versions, including in Ireland, Spain, Australia and Canada. “But I think the UK one is the best,” says Conaty. “It just doesn’t feel overproduced. It doesn’t make you cringe. It’s not try-hard. In the UK, we’ve got an ecosystem of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and of TV panel shows, so everyone’s aware of what the other person is capable of.” As it turns out, they’re capable of turning six hours of jokes falling flat into one of the funniest things on television.
Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist You’re known for being deadpan. Is that an advantage in Last One Laughing? My default is to not smile. If anything, I have to consciously show a bit more enthusiasm for stuff when it’s appropriate. I think it puts you at a slight disadvantage, because you become a target. Mel [Giedroyc] laughs at everything so it’s arguably trickier for her, but she was a hell of a competitor. Have you ever had a gig where you’ve not made anyone laugh? Loads of times, but that’s part of the process. The more you experiment, the better your show will be. Saying something out loud, pausing for the laugh, and then having that laugh not come – it’s like having your flies undone. My rule is always: if I have three gigs in a row that go badly, I’ll quit. I’ve been on two quite a few times. Where’s the most inappropriate place you’ve laughed? At my father’s funeral. I was very sad, but then when it’s really inappropriate, it makes you want to laugh, doesn’t it? Who makes you laugh more than anyone else? My mum and brother make me laugh a lot. I’ve got three boys and their love language is just rinsing each other all the time. They’ll say stuff like, “Imagine going out with your hair like that” or “Imagine going out with breath smelling like that.” That, to me, is funny. It’s disruptive for them, and they’ll need therapy, but in the short term, it’s very entertaining.
Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist Who was your favourite comedian growing up? Dawn French. She’s the reason I got into comedy. I watched French and Saunders and we’d watch The Vicar of Dibley as a family, and we’d all be laughing. She is my hero. She came to watch my show and came to my dressing room. It was the most starstruck and honoured I’ve ever been. How did you get your start in comedy? I was too scared to do stand-up, but then I started dating a boy when I was at university who was an open-mic comedian. I’d go to all his gigs, and he was terrible. That’s what gave me the confidence to try it. I was living in Leeds and booked myself into a competition in Manchester and didn’t tell anyone I was going to do it. I got right through to the final, and that was about 13 years ago. Have you had any memorable heckles on stage? When I was new, I was really scared of them. Once, someone in the front row said something and because I was wound like a coil waiting for someone to attack, I went, “What did you say? Say it so that everyone can hear!” And he’d just said, “She’s great. I’m having a good time.” I was like, “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” I realised in that moment that I’m not the sort of comedian that can be cutting or mean to someone in the audience. If I do get heckles, because I’m such a people pleaser, I try to win them round.
Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist What’s the hardest you’ve ever laughed? On this. The laugh that came out of my mouth was actually quite scary, maybe because I was stifling it. I’ve accessed a new laugh, and I have many – an angry laugh, a flirty laugh, a “when something is funny” laugh, and now a demonic laugh to add to it. What do you find funny? I love a good, simple, elegant fart joke. It’s the simple things, like people falling over, and adding something silly into solemnity is always going to get me. I laugh a lot, and that tends to make people laugh a lot, but I still haven’t figured out if it’s with me or at me. Did you always want to get into comedy? No, I was always going to be a very serious actor doing very serious Shakespeare at the RSC. Then I auditioned to be in Dane Baptiste’s sitcom Sunny D. I’d never done a sitcom before and it was the most fun I’d ever had. I got a lot of people saying, surprised, “You’re really funny.” Off the back of that, I met Akemnji Ndifornyen, who was the creator of an amazing sketch show called Famalam, which basically changed my life. I now have two Baftas for comedy [Best Short Form Programme for Brain in Gear and Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme for Black Ops]! It’s wild to me that that’s where my career has gone.
Add LOL: Last One Laughing UK to your watchlist Where’s the most inappropriate place you’ve laughed? In The Vatican. I was with a friend at an Easter service when I was about 19, and we were holding candles. We were chatting and her candle went into the lady’s hair in front. We were throwing ourselves on her to put it out. There’s a very specific smell, isn’t there, of burning hair? But luckily she was fine. We were howling. Did you have a tactic to stop yourself from laughing in the show? I used the power of my gurn. I idolised Les Dawson as a child, and no one has ever gurned like Les. It involves a lower jaw often coming up above the upper jaw. I had to employ every muscle and every sinew of my face and body, and use the muscles on the side of my neck. I’ve given myself a very cheap jowl lift. I won’t be going to see the botox lady, unlike Jimmy Carr. You and Sue Perkins would have made a good double act in Last One Laughing… She would win. She would absolutely slaughter me. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed with anyone else the way I’ve laughed with her. It’s tears springing forth, usually at shared memories of things, or it’s just a word and we know exactly what it is and the story. I’m glad she was nowhere near the room. I did wonder, though, because they like to play those little pranks, “What if I open the shower and she’s in there?”
Why Frankenstein does not deserve to be left out in the cold in the Oscars 2026 best picture race
In a particularly standout year for horror, this would be a historic win for the film, which adapts and improves upon Mary Shelley’s original material.
It took director Guillermo del Toro 30 years to finally say “It’s alive!” to his Frankenstein film, with every studio passing on it until Netflix approached him. He also set high standards for himself, wanting to create “the greatest Frankenstein ever”. This passion project was ignited when he saw the 1931 film as a boy, and although Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel has been adapted hundreds of times, the master of monsters has something fresh to bring to the table… the Evelyn table. In this version, Oscar Isaac (with a very good English accent) plays Victor Frankenstein, with Jacob Elordi as the doomed Creature he creates. There are a few notable changes from the book, which some people have welcomed, while others have criticised. There’s the introduction of the new character Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), a wealthy arms dealer who funds Frankenstein’s experiments. Lady Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth, who also plays Frankenstein’s mother Claire) is Henrich’s niece, and Victor’s brother’s fiancée. In the book, she’s called Elizabeth Lavenza, an orphan raised by the Frankenstein family as Victor’s cousin and eventual fiancée. But the biggest difference of all is that the violent Creature in the novel is replaced by a much more sympathetic character who only lashes out in self-defence, not in fits of rage, while Frankenstein is more overtly violent and downright cruel. As Shelley always intended, the man is the monster, and the Creature is the moral one – del Toro just connects those dots even more. View Green Video on the source website The film also includes the scene where the Creature learns how to speak and read from a blind man who is unaware of what he looks like, which has often been left out of other adaptations, but is pivotal to understanding the Creature. When Elordi made his first movie, The Kissing Booth, he was reading posts online about himself, and one said: “This plank of wood is so boring he could play nothing but Frankenstein’s Creature.” The seed was planted that he was determined to take on the role, and he plays it with so much humanity and childlike wonder. Del Toro cast him specifically because of his eyes, which exude innocence and purity. Much has been made of how attractive Elordi is, with one BBC article even going so far as to compare his casting to “having a vegetarian Dracula” – an unfair, objectifying point to make. Yes, the Creature is meant to be hideous, but giving audiences the same bolted-neck image we’re used to seeing wouldn’t make this new or interesting. Del Toro told Entertainment Weekly that what he “didn't want was the feeling that you were seeing an accident victim that has been patched [together]. Victor is as much an artist as he is a surgeon, and if he's been dreaming about this creature for all his life, he's going to nail it. It looks like a newborn, alabaster creature. The scars are beautiful and almost aerodynamic". Elordi breaks your heart as the statuesque Creature seeking Frankenstein’s approval. He does the same in Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff, and that’s down to his acting – and indeed, those warm, emotive eyes. Oscar Isaac is also magnetic (and very stylish) leading Frankenstein’s descent into madness. Although leading man Doug Jones wasn’t nominated in del Toro’s Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water for his role as Amphibian Man, Elordi is nominated for best supporting actor, which is a significant leap in recognising creature performances. They’re typically snubbed at awards shows, as is the horror genre in general. Frankenstein has already been praised and awarded for hair and makeup (Elordi sat in the makeup chair for 10 hours having his prosthetics applied), costume design and production design, plus Elordi won at the Critics’ Choice Awards, but it would be historic to have this gothic horror awarded best picture. This is a particularly standout year for horror with Weapons, best-picture contender Sinners, which has the most Oscar nominations ever with 16 – and The Ugly Stepsister (for best make-up and hairstyling) all in the running. It’s a huge shame that Frankenstein had a limited three-week theatrical run before its Netflix release as this film was always meant to be seen on the big screen – it’s visually stunning, with beautiful practical effects and costumes, and the Creature’s rumble of “Victorrrr” is something that deserves to be heard in surround sound. The ending of the film is a beautiful departure from the original tale, with the Creature choosing to seek out the dying Frankenstein and forgive him. Frankenstein finally takes responsibility for being the “father” and apologises to the Creature for abandoning him, his own “son". It’s an incredibly powerful and emotional scene, and as the Creature strides across the Arctic ice, he turns his face to the sun, like Frankenstein taught him to do, and cries – leaving us on a note of hope, rather than despair. Although the book is a masterpiece, del Toro’s ending is really touching and, dare I say, better. After its success on the circuit so far, One Battle after Another is probably the film to beat, but Sinners’ vampires are also coming for Frankenstein’s Creature. This monster hit deserves to not be left out in the cold, but to bask in the warmth of the dazzling Oscars spotlight. Check out more of our Film 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.
Jimmy Carr reveals why late friend Sean Lock would have been perfect for Last One Laughing – as Roisin Conaty talks dream cast members
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. "I knew straight away on the day we were recording that it was like catching lightning in a bottle. It was obviously good stuff,” says Roisin Conaty. “It was a great antidote to watching the news,” adds her co-host Jimmy Carr. “It’s impossible to be sad or angry while laughing. Right show at the right time.” For this second series of LOL: Last One Laughing UK Carr and Conaty are back to preside over the shenanigans, watching from the comfort of their “control room”, where they have the added benefit of being able to laugh whenever they please. They’re on the lookout for even an inkling of a chuckle from the 10 contestants, with about 40 cameras documenting every angle. If they’re caught, the stars are given a yellow-card warning. A second infraction means a red card and elimination, at which point they join Carr and Conaty in the control room. “People came in having watched series one, and no one wanted to go out straight away, so everyone was locked and loaded to win. It’s like watching someone hold their breath – they’re going to have to breathe at some point,” says Conaty. “I’m pretty on it,” she adds. “At one point, I stopped them, because they were swaying too much. Jimmy is more ‘good cop.’ He’s like, ‘They’re allowed to live...’” There are many techniques the comedians use to hide their laughter – looking in cupboards, needing to use the toilet suddenly, bending down for too long – but some slip-ups are pretty obvious. “We had a couple where we thought, ‘You could hear that down the street.’ I thought perhaps we needed an exorcist for one laugh – it was like a guttural utterance,” says Carr. But not laughing is only half the game – you also have to trip up your competitors. Carr says the best tactic for the “joker”, where the comedians perform a pre-prepared act, is to play against type. “Be the opposite of what people are expecting from you. For me, if I did some real, proper slapstick, people would go, ‘What?’” Carr thinks his late friend Sean Lock would have been great on the show. “He was incredibly surreal and had amazing flights of fancy, and also was very competitive. Someone put together a really nice montage of me crying with laughter at Sean on the shows we did together.” For her part, Conaty lists Jennifer Saunders, Tim Key, Lolly Adefope and Mo Gilligan as dream contestants. The format of the show came from a Japanese series called Documental and there have been multiple versions, including in Ireland, Spain, Australia and Canada. “But I think the UK one is the best,” says Conaty. “It just doesn’t feel overproduced. It doesn’t make you cringe. It’s not try-hard. In the UK, we’ve got an ecosystem of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and of TV panel shows, so everyone’s aware of what the other person is capable of.” As it turns out, they’re capable of turning six hours of jokes falling flat into one of the funniest things on television. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. LOL: Last One Laughing UK season 2 begins Thursday 19 March on Prime Video – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. 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.
"If I did know, I wouldn't tell you!" Doug Cockle talks Geralt's return in The Witcher 4
The iconic actor looks back on his career.
In November 2025, the Radio Times Gaming team popped along to Target3D’s motion-capture studio in East London for an in-depth tour of how actors bring characters to life in games, with industry heavyweights Jennifer English, Samantha Béart, Luisa Guerreira and Doug Cockle to show us the ropes. We already have an overview of the event and a group interview in full to watch on the Radio Times Gaming YouTube channel, so be sure to check those out too! Not only that, but we got to sit down for a one-on-one chat with each of them, too, with Doug Cockle, voice of Geralt in The Witcher games, being the first to come out. Check out the full video above or on YouTube. With such a storied career, we were curious to know where and how it all began, and it turns out, it was almost by complete accident. "When I was growing up, video games didn't have voices in them," Cockle tells us, reminiscing that it was just "Donkey Kong and Pac-Man and things like that". He adds that the thought that a game could be "so narratively focused that they have fully fledged, three-dimensional characters was just not something I ever thought about when I was training as an actor". But in short order, Cockle tells us the "whole video game world just opened up in front of me". Every actor has to get their start somewhere, and for Cockle, it was Cal, the lead in Infogrames' 2001 Space game, Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos. "When I was starting out, they didn't have performance capture classes or motion capture workshops or things like that," Cockle recalls, adding that everything he learned was "on the job". "Nowadays, you can take workshops and, you know, do a weekend and learn how to do a T-pose or an A-pose or whatever," Cockle explains, for any would-be actors getting into the biz. Cockle has a career outside of games too, having been involved in film, television and theatre projects, but when it comes to performance capture, Cockle reveals that "what I find wonderful about it is it's like being in a play", adding that "when you're on screen, in front of a camera, it feels different because, at least to a certain extent, you have to limit how much you move. You have specific marks you need to hit for the focus pullers and for the narrative and for everything else." View oEmbed on the source website Whilst some of these same rules apply to performance capture, Cockle reckons that "it feels different, it feels more like theatre", explaining that "there's a bit more freedom because the cameras are everywhere and they're all watching. You don’t have to worry about where your eyeline is... you can just get on with the job of doing what you're doing." Though Cockle learned performance-capture on set, he didn’t go in completely blind, as his background in theatre afforded him the skills necessary. "I've done movement and voice and all those things, classical acting, all of that, which is actually really, really good preparation for doing this kind of work, for doing motion capture and performance capture. It's all the same kind of skills." Still, there are some things that Cockle’s training didn’t prepare him for. When asked what the weirdest thing he’s ever done was, Cockle tells us that he had a 3D scan of his mouth and teeth done for Nightingale in Alan Wake 2. "I went to this dentist's office somewhere near Liverpool Street, and went in, and they sat me in this chair, and they had these things they put in my mouth, and they did a full three-dimensional digital scan of my teeth and my mouth, my lips and my everything," Cockle regales us. As for why? "No idea." On the topic of Remedy Entertainment’s 2023 survival horror game, Cockle explains that he hasn’t played it yet, but that he is "meaning to get around to it", adding that "part of the issue for me is time" – the unstoppable force that plagues gamers worldwide. Still, Cockle squeezes in what he can. "I've been playing Little Kitty Big City on my Steam Deck, and I could only ever manage to gather about half an hour of time." Doug assures us that he’s "played The Witcher 3 all the way through", but concedes that he is "still working on the DLCs", as he tells us that "it took me six months to get through it all, for all the reasons we talked about... So I abandoned my children for Saturday afternoons for six months so that I can play The Witcher 3. "I've put in about 180 hours, but I'm a really careful player. I look in every nook and cranny for every little bit of treasure. I go through things really carefully. I worry about dying. I'm not one of those players who just crashes through everything and, you know, manages to survive somehow," Cockle explains. But, how is it to listen to yourself in a game for hundreds of hours? "It's cool. It's really cool. And I often get asked the question, you know, is it weird to hear your voice coming out of the character on screen? And it is, at first, quite often, but then you get used to it," Cockle explains, adding that the ‘weirdest thing, especially with Witcher 3… is that sometimes you're playing the game… you forget that it's your voice, because you're interested in the character and what they're doing." "But occasionally," Cockle says, "I remember Geralt would say something, and just a little piece of me would go, 'Oh, I could have done that better. That didn't sound quite right,' but that's me judging my own work." And whilst it is cool for Cockle, one could be forgiven for thinking that it may be an odd experience for friends and family, but not so, as Cockle explains: "My dad, bless him. My dad, every once in a while... wanders into a Gamestop, picks up a copy of The Witcher 3 and takes it up to the desk. "He says, “Hey, would you like to meet Geralt's father?' And they're like, 'Oh, who Vesemir?' He goes, 'No, Geralt's real father...' And he says, 'Yeah, my son is Geralt of Rivia.'" Cockle reckons his dad does it when he wants a "little extra attention". The Witcher has grown beyond the original books and games, however, with four seasons from Netflix now added to the roster. Cockle too is a fan, telling us: "What I love about the TV series is that I've met so many people who came to the games through the TV series." But, as for what the future holds for Geralt in The Witcher 4, Cockle is steadfast, saying "You know, the honest answer is, I don't know. And if I did know, I wouldn't tell you." Cockle can read between the lines though, saying that "we do know [that] Geralt is coming back in The Witcher 4, but we don't know in what capacity," but notes that if protagonist Ciri is older, then so too is Geralt, adding that "I can only make pure guesses, and I'm not going to do that". With The Witcher having played such a large part of his life, Cockle finds that when it comes to being Geralt, he says he "just falls into it, so much so that I actually walk around the house, and I sometimes find myself saying things like, 'Damn, I gotta do those dishes. Where are those socks? I swear I had those socks a minute ago.'" All said, Doug Cockle feels as if "Geralt is just kind of a part of me now". Check out more of our Gaming 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.
Sharon D Clarke reveals the roles that have enabled her to unleash her true self
Add Ellis to your watchlist Sharon D Clarke has made history with the roles she’s played. As Grace O’Brien, she was one of three very diverse women to step into the Doctor Who universe in 2018, alongside Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and Mandip Gill’s companion Yaz. “What, young boys can’t look up to a woman?” she says now of the claims a female Doctor deprived young boys of a positive male role model. She then starred in a story that hadn’t been told on screen before with 2024’s Mr Loverman, based on Bernardine Evaristo’s novel. She played the wife of a secretly gay man (Lennie James) who’s in love with his best friend. It was only in 2022 that homosexuality was decriminalised in Antigua and Barbuda, where part of Mr Loverman was set. “It’s really, really important these stories are told.” She also reflects proudly on her sex scenes in the series. “Seeing a big woman on television making love – or being loved – is still something you don’t often see. I’m there with all my flesh and my red sequinned thing with my t*ts out!” she remembers. Now Clarke returns as the first black female lead detective in a British TV series for series two of Ellis. In one scene, a character who’s part of an investigation expects DCI Ellis to be a man, and when she shows up, tries to belittle her. “It’s dealing with that kind of behaviour, which sometimes is overt in life, but usually it’s subtle. I’m glad we don’t beat anybody over the head with it. When you show them what the small microaggressions are, they have to think again and look deeper.” In the moment, have all these parts felt significant? “Every last one,” says the 59-year-old from Enfield, north London. “It’s never lost on me that, at this stage, I’m able to do work that really holds up a mirror to society.” The three-time Olivier Award winner admits she’s “happiest on stage”, and has spoken about how she stopped auditioning for TV roles because she was only being cast as nurses, but that changed when she was offered the role of consultant Lola Griffin in Holby City in 2008. “Lola was a young version of my mum – this strong black woman who didn’t apologise for who she was, for her size, for any of it. I went, ‘That’s what your mother’s been trying to teach you. Get on board.’ This part of my mum [who passed away in 2016] that I’d run away from just became a part of me. Lola gave me that.” Clarke’s wife, writer and director Susie McKenna (the couple married in 2008), said it was hard when Clarke was playing Lola. “She saw this strength coming through,” the actor recalls, “like, ‘She’s gone a bit too far, she needs to come back to the middle.’” But when she was young, Clarke backed away from confrontation. “I’d think, ‘OK, let me not say that. I don’t want to upset so-and-so.’ Now, I’m not afraid to say what I think. That’s part of being [nearly] 60 and coming into your own, and it’s so liberating. Characters along the way have shown me those parts of myself that I’m able to unleash.” Unlike when men speak their mind and are called confident, when women say what they feel with conviction… “You’re intimidating,” Clarke chimes in. “Like what, really? Just because you’re strong! This is me being gorgeous, baby! You get a lot of that, especially as a black woman. It’s: ‘angry black woman’. It’s like, now you’re making me angry. I was cool before, but now you’re getting my hackles up.” Even in her smaller roles, Clarke makes a big impact. She voiced Dulcibear, Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) caring childhood nanny, in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, a part that doesn’t exist in the stage musical. “I didn’t really tell anybody about it. I was a very subsidiary character. My niece sent me a text going, ‘OMG, Auntie Sharon, are you in Wicked? You didn’t tell me you were in Wicked!’” People have credited Dulcibear’s inclusion as key to understanding Elphaba’s backstory. “It’s incredible that this little character has gotten into people’s hearts,” Clarke says. “It makes me really proud to be part of that Wicked legacy. It has fulfilled one of my ambitions of voicing a character. I’d love to do a big animated movie.” She’s proud of each and every role. “I’m loving the work I’m doing at the moment. Rather than going, ‘Oh my God, we need to pay the mortgage, let’s get some money in this house now,’ I’m doing stuff because I want to do it and be part of telling that story.”
RT's Laura Rutkowski pays a visit to London's Mundo Pixar Experience
Ever wanted to play with Andy’s toys from Toy Story, join Mike and Sulley on the Monsters, Inc Scare Floor, or pose with Lightning McQueen from Cars? Now you can, at London’s Mundo Pixar Experience, an exhibition that has already been to Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Belgium, and features more than 25 character sculptures from Pixar’s enchanting worlds, spread across 14 sets re-created from its movies. This year sees the animation studio celebrate its 40th anniversary. “No one knew how iconic Pixar would be,” says creative director of franchise Jay Ward, who has seen people become emotional in the immersive environment. Swinging my feet from a giant chair, I feel like a kid again. It’s pure Pixar magic. Sunnyside up The Sunnyside Daycare room from Toy Story 3 was specially built for the London show. “Some of the drawings on the wall have been done by the kids of people working on the exhibition,” explains Jay Ward, Pixar’s creative director of franchise. A real Buzz “You can say Buzz Lightyear or Woody the Sheriff anywhere around the world and people know them,” says Jay Ward. “Visiting them in Andy’s room, as Laura is doing here, is one of people’s favourites. It’s that delight of feeling like a child again — and you’re the scale of a toy. You can’t reach the doorknob.” Scary monsters and super creeps Monsters, Inc was the first film Jay Ward worked on, as a production assistant in the art department. “I love Mike and Sulley,” says Ward, whose name was given to one of the scarers — Pete “Claws” Ward. “Initially, it was [human girl] Boo in front of her door, but now you can actually open her door, and another one, and look inside.” All revved up “Little kids get freaked out about Lightning McQueen. I love that people lose it in a good way,” says Ward, who was creative director of the Cars franchise. “We also have Mater [a tow truck]. He’s so big that he had to come in first and have the room built around him.” The magic of Mexico In some rooms, smells are used to evoke emotions. For Coco, it’s a floral scent, which is “calming and relaxing when you go to the Land of the Dead,” says Ward. “In Mexico City, we didn’t have a Coco room; that film is a love letter to Mexico, so we added two rooms with lots of detail, like the beautiful ofrenda [home altar].” Up, up and away! “We start the exhibition with Up — you’re off on an adventure,” explains Ward. “You go inside the house, meet Carl [above] and fly away; outside the windows the clouds are moving. Everything in the room is in the film, even the jar of coins Carl and his wife Ellie saved for their trip. You can sit in their chairs.” Mundo Pixar Experience is now open in London’s Wembley Park. Tickets are available at MundoPixar.com
The case for Frankenstein to win Best Picture
Add Frankenstein to your watchlist Warning: The following contains spoilers for the film Frankenstein. It took director Guillermo del Toro 30 years to finally say “It’s alive!” to his Frankenstein film, with every studio passing on it until Netflix approached him. He also set high standards for himself, wanting to create “the greatest Frankenstein ever”. This passion project was ignited when he saw the 1931 film as a boy, and although Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel has been adapted hundreds of times, the master of monsters has something fresh to bring to the table… the Evelyn table. In this version, Oscar Isaac (with a very good English accent) plays Victor Frankenstein, with Jacob Elordi as the doomed Creature he creates. There are a few notable changes from the book, which some people have welcomed, while others have criticised. There’s the introduction of the new character Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), a wealthy arms dealer who funds Frankenstein’s experiments. Lady Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth, who also plays Frankenstein’s mother Claire) is Henrich’s niece, and Victor’s brother’s fiancée. In the book, she’s called Elizabeth Lavenza, an orphan raised by the Frankenstein family as Victor’s cousin and eventual fiancée. View Green Video on the source website But the biggest difference of all is that the violent Creature in the novel is replaced by a much more sympathetic character who only lashes out in self-defence, not in fits of rage, while Frankenstein is more overtly violent and downright cruel. As Shelley always intended, the man is the monster, and the Creature is the moral one – del Toro just connects those dots even more. The film also includes the scene where the Creature learns how to speak and read from a blind man who is unaware of what he looks like, which has often been left out of other adaptations, but is pivotal to understanding the Creature. When Elordi made his first movie, The Kissing Booth, he was reading posts online about himself, and one said: “This plank of wood is so boring he could play nothing but Frankenstein’s Creature.” The seed was planted that he was determined to take on the role, and he plays it with so much humanity and childlike wonder. Del Toro cast him specifically because of his eyes, which exude innocence and purity. Much has been made of how attractive Elordi is, with one BBC article even going so far as to compare his casting to “having a vegetarian Dracula” – an unfair, objectifying point to make. Yes, the Creature is meant to be hideous, but giving audiences the same bolted-neck image we’re used to seeing wouldn’t make this new or interesting. Del Toro told Entertainment Weekly that what he “didn't want was the feeling that you were seeing an accident victim that has been patched [together]. Victor is as much an artist as he is a surgeon, and if he's been dreaming about this creature for all his life, he's going to nail it. It looks like a newborn, alabaster creature. The scars are beautiful and almost aerodynamic.” Elordi breaks your heart as the statuesque Creature seeking Frankenstein’s approval. He does the same in Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff, and that’s down to his acting – and indeed, those warm, emotive eyes. Oscar Isaac is also magnetic (and very stylish) leading Frankenstein’s descent into madness. Although leading man Doug Jones wasn’t nominated in del Toro’s Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water for his role as Amphibian Man, Elordi is nominated for best supporting actor, which is a significant leap in recognising creature performances. They’re typically snubbed at awards shows, as is the horror genre in general. Frankenstein has already been praised and awarded for hair and makeup (Elordi sat in the makeup chair for 10 hours having his prosthetics applied), costume design and production design, plus Elordi won at the Critics’ Choice Awards, but it would be historic to have this gothic horror awarded best picture. This is a particularly standout year for horror with Weapons, best-picture contender Sinners, which has the most Oscar nominations ever with 16 – and The Ugly Stepsister (for best make-up and hairstyling) all in the running. View Green Video on the source website It’s a huge shame that Frankenstein had a limited three-week theatrical run before its Netflix release as this film was always meant to be seen on the big screen – it’s visually stunning, with beautiful practical effects and costumes, and the Creature’s rumble of “Victorrrr” is something that deserves to be heard in surround sound. The ending of the film is a beautiful departure from the original tale, with the Creature choosing to seek out the dying Frankenstein and forgive him. Frankenstein finally takes responsibility for being the “father” and apologises to the Creature for abandoning him, his own “son.” It’s an incredibly powerful and emotional scene, and as the Creature strides across the Arctic ice, he turns his face to the sun, like Frankenstein taught him to do, and cries – leaving us on a note of hope, rather than despair. Although the book is a masterpiece, del Toro’s ending is really touching and, dare I say, better. After its success on the circuit so far, One Battle after Another is probably the film to beat, but Sinners’ vampires are also coming for Frankenstein’s Creature. This monster hit deserves to not be left out in the cold, but to bask in the warmth of the dazzling Oscars spotlight.
Ellis star Sharon D Clarke: "Seeing a big woman on television making love… is still something you don’t often see"
Sharon D Clarke reveals the roles that have enabled her to unleash her true self.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Sharon D Clarke has made history with the roles she’s played. As Grace O’Brien, she was one of three very diverse women to step into the Doctor Who universe in 2018, alongside Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and Mandip Gill’s companion Yaz. “What, young boys can’t look up to a woman?” she says now of the claims a female Doctor deprived young boys of a positive male role model. She then starred in a story that hadn’t been told on screen before with 2024’s Mr Loverman, based on Bernardine Evaristo’s novel. She played the wife of a secretly gay man (Lennie James) who’s in love with his best friend. It was only in 2022 that homosexuality was decriminalised in Antigua and Barbuda, where part of Mr Loverman was set. “It’s really, really important these stories are told.” She also reflects proudly on her sex scenes in the series. “Seeing a big woman on television making love – or being loved – is still something you don’t often see. I’m there with all my flesh and my red sequinned thing with my t*ts out!” she remembers. Now Clarke returns as the first Black female lead detective in a British TV series for season 2 of Ellis. In one scene, a character who’s part of an investigation expects DCI Ellis to be a man, and when she shows up, tries to belittle her. “It’s dealing with that kind of behaviour, which sometimes is overt in life, but usually it’s subtle. I’m glad we don’t beat anybody over the head with it. When you show them what the small microaggressions are, they have to think again and look deeper.” In the moment, have all these parts felt significant? “Every last one,” says the 59-year-old from Enfield, north London. “It’s never lost on me that, at this stage, I’m able to do work that really holds up a mirror to society.” The three-time Olivier Award winner admits she’s “happiest on stage”, and has spoken about how she stopped auditioning for TV roles because she was only being cast as nurses, but that changed when she was offered the role of consultant Lola Griffin in Holby City in 2008. “Lola was a young version of my mum – this strong Black woman who didn’t apologise for who she was, for her size, for any of it. I went, ‘That’s what your mother’s been trying to teach you. Get on board.’ This part of my mum [who passed away in 2016] that I’d run away from just became a part of me. Lola gave me that.” Clarke’s wife, writer and director Susie McKenna (the couple married in 2008), said it was hard when Clarke was playing Lola. “She saw this strength coming through,” the actor recalls, “like, ‘She’s gone a bit too far, she needs to come back to the middle.’” But when she was young, Clarke backed away from confrontation. “I’d think, ‘OK, let me not say that. I don’t want to upset so-and-so.’ Now, I’m not afraid to say what I think. That’s part of being [nearly] 60 and coming into your own, and it’s so liberating. Characters along the way have shown me those parts of myself that I’m able to unleash.” Unlike when men speak their mind and are called confident, when women say what they feel with conviction… “You’re intimidating,” Clarke chimes in. “Like what, really? Just because you’re strong! This is me being gorgeous, baby! You get a lot of that, especially as a Black woman. It’s: ‘angry Black woman’. It’s like, now you’re making me angry. I was cool before, but now you’re getting my hackles up.” Even in her smaller roles, Clarke makes a big impact. She voiced Dulcibear, Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) caring childhood nanny, in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, a part that doesn’t exist in the stage musical. “I didn’t really tell anybody about it. I was a very subsidiary character. My niece sent me a text going, ‘OMG, Auntie Sharon, are you in Wicked? You didn’t tell me you were in Wicked!’” People have credited Dulcibear’s inclusion as key to understanding Elphaba’s backstory. “It’s incredible that this little character has gotten into people’s hearts,” Clarke says. “It makes me really proud to be part of that Wicked legacy. It has fulfilled one of my ambitions of voicing a character. I’d love to do a big animated movie.” She’s proud of each and every role. “I’m loving the work I’m doing at the moment. Rather than going, ‘Oh my God, we need to pay the mortgage, let’s get some money in this house now,’ I’m doing stuff because I want to do it and be part of telling that story.” Ellis season 2 will air on Tuesday 10 March and Wednesday 11 March at 9pm on 5. Add Ellis 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 Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Best horror films and TV series of all time - from Sinners to Twin Peaks
Five-star frights on the big and small screen.
With Sinners earning the most Oscar nominations of any film, horror is no longer knocking at the mainstream door. Here's RT's all-time top 20 chill-inducing films and TV series – plus where you can currently watch them in the UK. And there's plenty more to come, as we've also highlighted five upcoming chillers for 2026 guaranteed to scare up a storm. Best horror films of all time Nosferatu (1922; 5*, PG) — available on Amazon Prime Video & BFI Player Dead and loving it: the original vampire classic still feels fresh over a century later. German silent master FW Murnau films the Dracula story with the eeriest atmosphere and turns the blood-sucking count into an iconic, rat-like demon. Calum Baker Eyes without a Face (1959; 5*, 15) — available on BFI Player The plastic surgery footage in this French classic from 1959 is still good and horrible, but what’s most memorable is its haunting story: that of a doctor who obsesses over crafting a “fix” for his disfigured, mask-wearing daughter. CB Psycho (1960; 5*, 15) — available on Now Cinema With just one three-minute sequence and an unforgettable set of shrieking violins, Alfred Hitchcock changed cinema forever as star Janet Leigh steps into a shower at the Bates Motel and discovers she’s not alone. CB Night of the Living Dead (1968; 5*, 15) — Available on Amazon Prime Video George A Romero’s debut defined zombie lore and established horror as a genre capable of slyly dealing with social issues, while the chilling ending is a reminder that often it’s not the dead you need to worry about. Ben Bailey Don’t Look Now (1973; 5*, 15) — Available on StudioCanal Presents Death, sex and clairvoyance all collide for grieving parents Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie when they travel to Venice in Nicolas Roeg’s unnervingly splintered 1973 drama, which features one of cinema’s great shock endings. CB The Exorcist (1973; 5*, 15) — Available on Now Cinema William Friedkin’s controversial Catholic horror turned heads on release and enjoyed 10 Oscar nominations – unprecedented for the genre. Ellen Burstyn leads a committed cast as the mother whose young girl is possessed by a terrible demon. CB The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974; 5*, 15) — Available on Shudder Long banned by the British Board of Film Classification as a “video nasty”, but one of horror’s undeniable artistic high points, Tobe Hooper’s gritty and grisly cannibal story boasts a truly disturbing level of realism. CB Jaws (1975; 5*, 12) — Available on Now Cinema Steven Spielberg’s iconic shark hunt turned a pulp premise into a masterclass in suspense, created the very concept of the summer blockbuster and scared generations of children off ever going near the sea. BB Halloween (1978; 5*, 15) — Available on BBC iPlayer Stalk, kill, repeat: John Carpenter’s tale of a masked killer in suburbia set the template for a whole sub-genre, but remains unmatched for eerie atmosphere (and its cool synth score). CB Alien (1979; 5*, 15) — Available on Disney+ Stuffed with iconic sci-fi designs, Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic classic sees Sigourney Weaver facing off against a very nasty stowaway smuggled aboard her spaceship via John Hurt’s ill-fated digestive system. CB The Shining (1980; 5*, 15) — Available on Now Cinema Creepy twins and corridors of blood are just the tip of the terror iceberg in Stanley Kubrick’s innovative adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, in which an author (Jack Nicholson) slowly develops a violent case of cabin fever. CB A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984; 4*, 15) — Available to buy/rent The ultimate “boogeyman”, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger, torments teenagers inside their dreams in Wes Craven’s fright classic, one of the great smash-hit horrors of the 1980s. CB Evil Dead II (1987; 5*, 15) — Available on StudioCanal Presents Bruce Campbell loses a hand but gains a chainsaw in director Sam Raimi’s Three Stooges-inspired romp in the woods, which blends gristle and slapstick into gleeful and lovingly hand-crafted low-budget perfection. CB Candyman (1992; 4*, 15) — Available to buy/rent This unnerving chiller combines modern social issues and the legend of a slave’s murdered son, as Virginia Madsen’s student project turns an urban myth into terrifying reality. Tony Todd’s hook-handed ghost will linger long in your memory. Tom Folley Scream (1996; 5*, 18) — Available on BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video “What’s your favourite scary movie?” For many, this genre-savvy 1996 slasher, where a masked killer terrorises a community with horror movie trivia questions (and a very sharp knife) has to be up there. CB Ring (1997; 4*, 15) — Available on Amazon Prime Video This influential Japanese film about a VHS tape that curses its viewer to an imminent grisly death is one of the great movies that suggests terrible things might be floating through the seams of modern digital technologies. CB Let the Right One In (2008; 4*, 15) — Available on BFI Player Lyrical and bloody romantic fable from Sweden. A bullied youngster develops a friendship with a girl who happens to be an insatiable vampire – and wants to help him get back at his tormentors. CB The Babadook (2013; 4*, 15) — Available on ITVX and Amazon Prime Video A young widow finds that the sinister top-hatted creature in her son’s pop-up book might not be fictional in this bold and intense tale from Australia. Essie Davis gives a monumental performance as the anguished mother. CB View Green Video on the source website Get Out (2017; 5*, 15) — Available on BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Now Cinema The idea of putting yourself in someone else’s skin is taken to a startling extreme in this consistently inventive hit from 2017 that instigated the idea of “elevated horror” with its pointed politics, neat plotting and satirical humour. BB Sinners (2025; 4*, 15) — Available on Now Cinema Now the most Oscar-nominated movie of all time, Ryan Coogler’s expertly crafted blockbuster blend of bluesy period drama and merciless vampire action shows just how far horror’s come over the last century-plus. CB 5 horror movies coming up in 2026 The Bride! (March) Maggie Gyllenhaal directs an inventive take on the oft-filmed Frankenstein legend, with Christian Bale as the Creature, who, in 1930s Chicago, wishes to build a wife (Jessie Buckley). Expect horror, comedy and, apparently, “big dance numbers”. CB Ready or Not: Here I Come (March) Grace (Samara Weaving) survived one hide-and-seek bloodbath; now she and her sister (Kathryn Newton) are roped into an even bigger “game” for a sequel that promises to be as sharp and madcap as its 2019 predecessor. CB Evil Dead Burn (July) The last entry in the resurrected franchise, 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, was a corker. Mastermind Sam Raimi returns as producer for this latest gorefest, with a plot that’s being kept tightly under wraps. CB Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (October) Aardman have form with their horror spoofs, as Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit fans will attest. The Claymation studio’s latest comedy has Shaun and pals involved in an experiment that goes a little bit wrong. CB Werwulf (December) The latest meticulously designed period horror from Robert Eggers (The Witch, 2024’s Nosferatu remake) takes us to 13th-century England, where a small village is being stalked by something rather nasty... CB Best horror TV shows of all time Kolchak: The Night Stalker, 1974 (Buy on Amazon Prime Video) It may be the most cult of cult shows, but this monster-of-the-week thriller, in which reporter Carl Kolchak discovers all manner of beasts in the urban sprawl of 1970s LA has proven to be a major TV influence, essentially serving as the prototype for The X-Files. It burned bright for a short time, but that brevity has arguably helped secure its legend. David Brown Tales From the Crypt, 1989 (YouTube) The iconic, cackling, pun-cracking Crypt Keeper (voiced by John Kassir) introduces each episode of this campy anthology series from 1989-1996, with darkly humorous stories based on the comics. It also became a horror hotbed for celeb cameos, including Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Tim Curry, and even Daniel Craig. Laura Rutkowski Twin Peaks, 1990 (Paramount+) For David Lynch, evil resides not in haunted houses but suburban homes, his monsters woven into what resembles a postcard version of small-town America. But don’t be seduced by the coffee and cherry pie. Because surface-level quirks prove deeply sinister, as the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer takes us to the darkest of places. DB Ghostwatch, 1992 (Buy on Amazon Prime Video) Prime-time drama masquerading as a live broadcast – a conceit that resulted in this Screen One chiller duping the nation into believing Michael Parkinson had been possessed and Sarah Greene killed by a poltergeist. Following its 1992 Halloween airing, switchboards were jammed and the BBC has never dared repeat it. DB Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997 (ITVX/Paramount+/Disney+) As US teen dramas are forever telling us – hell is high school. But for Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), the vanquisher of all things vampiric, youthful turmoil comes with fangs attached. This quippy ‘90s pop-culture phenomenon remains irresistible gateway horror, its scares a potent allegory for adolescent angst. DB Dead Set, 2008 (TUBI) A forerunner to Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker's satirical horror unleashes a zombie apocalypse on the isolated housemates of Big Brother. Genuinely scary at times (and rather daft at others), Dead Set was an early gig for star Riz Ahmed and an unusual day at the office for Davina McCall (as herself). David Craig The Walking Dead, 2010 (Disney+/NOW/Prime Video) The first series revolutionised both the zombie and the horror genre, making it not a niche watch, but pure watercooler fare. The “walkers” might be a constant background threat in this post-apocalyptic hellscape, but it’s the well-developed characters (Andrew Lincoln’s everyman Rick Grimes, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s evil Negan) and their journey of survival that make the scares all worth it. LR View Green Video on the source website American Horror Story, 2011 (Disney+) Ryan Murphy’s ever-changing, ever-bold, and ever-camp horror anthology series has made names for multiple stars, including Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters. From the stylish Hotel to the classic Murder House, there’s a season for any horror fan. Lewis Knight Hannibal, 2013 (Amazon Prime Video) Before cannibalistic serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter’s capture, what if he was unsuspecting FBI criminal profiler Will Graham’s (Hugh Dancy) therapist? This highly stylised series provides this twisted take on Thomas Harris’s novels, with plenty of gastronomic delights and gruesome kills. “Fannibals,” as they are known, hold out hope for a long-awaited fourth season, with everyone keen to return. LR Penny Dreadful, 2014 (Buy on Amazon Prime) Beloved characters from Victorian literature, including Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and Count Dracula, are all referenced, but the real draw has to be the magnetic and show-stopping turn from Eva Green. She plays original heroine Vanessa Ives, a clairvoyant sought by multiple dark forces for evil ends. LK <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/11/StrangerThingsS50099R-5de334a-e1764497938532.jpg" width="2700" height="1800" alt="Three young men standing outdoors. One in suede jacket, another in torn Hellfire Club T-shirt, a hat and cotton wool in his nose, and another in a blue denim jacket." title="Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things season 5" /> Stranger Things, 2016 (Netflix) Inspired by the world of Dungeons & Dragons, the Duffer Brothers’ sci-fi horror captured the world’s attention with the disappearance of Will Byers and the introduction of the haunting Upside Down. Almost 10 years later, it’s made superstars of its young cast, and secured its place as a defining TV series of our generation. Louise Griffin Channel Zero, 2016 (Prime Video) Monsters made of human teeth, haunted houses and killers in raincoats: Channel Zero revels in surreal imagery, twisted characters and classic horror tropes. This inventive anthology feasts on childhood fears and internet-born legends, spinning spooky TV shows, creepy puppets and sinister basements into smart, deeply unsettling stories that linger. Alex Berry The Haunting of Hill House, 2018 (Netflix) Horror on TV was given a new lease of life when Mike Flanagan released his first masterfully crafted Netflix hit, loosely based on the Shirley Jackson novel. Five adult siblings face the ghosts of their past when they return to the mansion they fled as children. LG The Terror, 2018 (ITVX) Prepare to be haunted by history in this anthology drama, the first series of which finds British naval officers punished for their imperial hubris during a 19th-century Arctic expedition, while the second explores Japanese folklore in relation to WWII internment camps. Two separate stories, but both using horror as a grisly point of reckoning. DB Marianne, 2019 (Netflix) Stephen King has endorsed Marianne, saying his fellow “sickos” will enjoy being scared by this French series that definitely has a King-esque premise to it. A famous horror writer returns to her hometown, only for the witch from her books and nightmares to begin terrorising her in the real world. LR View Green Video on the source website Evil, 2020 (NOW) An unlikely trio made up of a forensic psychologist, a Catholic priest-in-training and a tech expert investigate whether paranormal events, “miracles” and demonic possessions have a logical explanation, or can’t be explained at all – all while paying homage to the monster-of-the-week genre. Jamie Windust From, 2022 (NOW) Lost star Harold Perrineau finds himself trapped in a nightmarish town where no one who arrives can ever leave in this sleeper hit. With monsters around every corner, and no one you can trust, From is a hidden gem that will grab you and never, ever let you go. LG Interview with the Vampire, 2022 (BBC iPlayer/Netflix) Based on Anne Rice's novels, this sumptuous gothic horror finds century-old vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) recalling the blood-soaked early years of his undead life – including a turbulent romance with his maker, Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). The third series will switch perspective with a new name: The Vampire Lestat. DC Alien: Earth, 2025 (Disney+) Set two years before Alien, this stunning prequel honours the original while providing a fresh take on the franchise. We follow the moving story of Sydney Chandler’s Wendy and her fellow hybrids as they come face-to-face with Earth’s biggest threat in a series that will make your heart beat out of your chest. LG It: Welcome to Derry, 2025 (NOW) Developed by brother-and-sister Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who are behind 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two, and Jason Fuchs, this prequel series is set prior to those films in Derry, Maine in the early 60s. Bill Skarsgård is terrifying reprising his role of Pennywise in this original and nightmarish take on Stephen King’s classic novel, with an outstanding young cast. LR 5 horror TV series coming up in 2026 Crystal Lake (Later this year, Sky/NOW) Carrying on the recent trend for TV adaptations of classic horror franchises, Crystal Lake is a prequel based on Friday the 13th, featuring a young Jason. Linda Cardellini plays the hockey-masked psycho killer to-be’s mother Pamela Voorhees. Filming took place at the same site as the 1980 movie – Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Blairstown, New Jersey. LR Carrie (Coming soon, Prime Video) Stephen King’s work is always ripe for TV and film adaptations, and horror-loving filmmaker Mike Flanagan has worked on several: Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck. He said working on Carrie was “one of my favourite projects ever” for a faithful retelling about the tortured telekinetic teen. LR Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (26 March, Netflix) Make sure to save the date for this twisty tale, which is executive produced by Stranger Things scribes the Duffer Brothers and will explore the dreaded fear of marrying the wrong person by taking us down the aisle of a doomed wedding. LG Stranger Things: Tales From '85 (23 April, Netflix) Our adventures in the Upside Down will continue in the form of an animated spin-off inspired by ‘80s Sunday morning cartoons. Set between series 2 and 3 of Stranger Things, our heroes will battle new monsters and get to the bottom of a puzzling paranormal mystery haunting Hawkins. LG Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale (Coming soon, Hulu) Much like the antagonists from Sunnydale’s Hellmouth, horror has an uncanny ability to return with new twists – hence this continuation of the Buffyverse with Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising the role that propelled her to fame, though here it’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong (star of 2022’s Firestarter) who’ll play the new central character Nova. DB The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Sci-fi 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.
Adam Richman's ultimate Italy food guide: From 'tag bol' to chocolate fountains
Swapping New York for Italy, Adam Richman embarks on a city-hopping adventure in search of the country’s best-loved dishes.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. If you weren’t hungry before listening to Adam Richman describe food, you certainly will be after. The presenter of Man v Food, Adam Richman Eats Britain and Adam Richman Eats Football has worked in New York kitchens since he was 13, so the Brooklyn native knows his stuff. For his new series, though, he’s munching his way across 10 Italian cities – and letting RT in on his very best bites from the trip… ROME - Porchetta sandwiches at Er Buchetto “Er Buchetto opened its doors in 1890. The name literally means ‘little hole’, and it’s an itty-bitty restaurant that’s known for serving porchetta sandwiches. Porchetta is pork, and here it’s a deboned suckling pig stuffed with rosemary, spices and olive oil, cooked for three to four hours. It has crispy skin and it’s super juicy inside and they serve it cold on traditional Roman bread, though some people get it with cheese or other condiments. “The owner, Alessandro Fioravanti, is the fifth generation of the family running it; his son is now representing the sixth generation. Get there early though: there’s normally a line out the door and they can sell out by the afternoon.” Browse our holidays to Italy here FLORENCE - Bistecca alla Fiorentina and Brunello at FrancescoVini “I really try to do my homework, but that does not mean I can’t be wrong – there have been times when a chef has corrected me, like at FrancescoVini. The wine cellar there is in the remnants of the fifth largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, and I was talking to the owner, Fabio La Brusco, about Super Tuscans [red wines from Tuscany]. He said, ‘That’s what we make for Americans. If you’re having Bistecca alla Fiorentina [a steak dish], you’re having a Brunello.’ View oEmbed on the source website “Afterwards he apologised to me and said, ‘I know you just spoke about this whole thing, we can cut it,’ and I said, ‘We are not cutting it.’ The showrunner of Man v Food taught me that the worst thing any host can do is play cool, like, ‘I got this, I know this.’ How can I know Florence better than a Florentine?” Request a brochure and get inspiration for your next holiday BOLOGNA - Tortellini en brodo at Ristorante Biagi “There’s no spag bol in Bologna – the real thing is technically tag bol, because it’s tagliatelle bolognese. But in Bologna, you have to have tortellini en brodo. It’s tortellini with, usually, pork, mortadella, prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano and some spices – salt, pepper, nutmeg – in a clear broth. At Ristorante Biagi, it’s one nonna [Italian for grandma] who comes in and makes around 5,000 tortellini a day, all by hand. There’s no machine. “I thought I was going to be eating big, bold, bright tomato sauces and mozzarella on everything, but that’s just what you get in America. Dishes in Italy look deceptively simple. Some of them, like the one in front of me, are beige, yet eating it felt like getting a back rub or a hug from your grandma. It is truly delightful.” VENICE - Bigoli in salsa at Osteria al Cicheto “Bigoli in salsa has hardly any ingredients: rough pasta – which itself is just two ingredients – with Chioggia onions, olive oil, a clove of garlic, salted anchovies, maybe some wine. It’s a peasant pasta: it’s called cucina povera, the cuisine of the poor. It has produced mine, the crew’s and the world’s favourite recipes. The rationale was that peasants in Venice only had an onion, a bag of flour and some salted fish and that’s it. It’s unbelievably moreish.” FLORENCE - Lampredotto at Da Nerbone “Lampredotto is the fourth stomach of a cow. It’s where the rennet enzymes come from to curdle milk into cheese. It’s a very traditional Tuscan dish, and Da Nerbone is a stand that opened in 1872. It’s now run by Fabio Giolli, who made me the lampredotto sandwich. And it was spectacular, with the flavours of his two sauces, salsa verde and a chilli/pepper one, with the bread soaked in the cooking broth. “All morning, I was making these eye-rolling jokes, like, ‘Wow, I have to start my day with a stomach sandwich.’ I was grossed out by it without trying it. And yes, I am acutely aware of just how disrespectful I was being. Poor people ate it out of necessity, but it’s endured because it’s so good. It was one of the best bites of the whole show.” Sign up to our mailing list to receive more content like this from Radio Times Travel, Shop and Money - click here AND FOR DESSERT… ROME - Ice cream at Gelateria Come il Latte “They have these chocolate fountains that are always running, and their cones are made fresh. They fill the cone with chocolate first, then put your gelato in. After, they hit it again with the chocolate and threw this little cookie in. It was such a joy and I regressed to being a little boy again.” Adam Richman Eats Italy airs Monday at 9pm and 9:30pm on Food Network. Check out more of our Travel 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.
The Traitors star Faraaz reveals he was left in tears after billionaire's touching gift
Faraaz Noor may not have won The Traitors prize money to take his family on a pilgrimage to Hajj, but the opportunity to do so may come sooner than he thinks. Faraaz was a fan favourite on this year's series, often for his quiet and sometimes incorrect contributions to the roundtable. He made it to the final episode but was ultimately banished by Traitors Stephen and Rachel. Ahead of the final, Faraaz said if he were to win the prize he would "love to be able to spend it on me and my family to make a religious pilgrimage". "To go to Umrah, to go to Hajj, would be really nice. For me to do that for my family would be great. If there's a bit of left over, I wouldn't mind putting a bit away for a new car but treating my family is my main goal." Following the whirlwind of The Traitors, Umar Kamani, the CEO of PrettyLittleThing, shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), that he "would love to send Faraaz from Traitors and his family to Hajj". View oEmbed on the source website Reacting to the news at the Radio Times Covers Party 2026, Faraaz shared that he was "in tears" after seeing the post. "I came back and I was talking to my mum and I was like, I just can't... to Umar, I'm so grateful, Alhamdulillah, I was literally crying my eyes out honestly. I couldn't believe it." View Green Video on the source website While details on whether Faraaz and Umar are in touch are not known, the breakout Traitors star is keen to still make the pilgrimage. He told BBC News: "The love and support I've been getting is unbelievable... Inshallah, one day I'll be able to hopefully take them to Hajj or even complete Umrah. I'm looking forward to that." The Traitors season 1-4 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now. 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.
Mary Berry delivers her verdict on Nigella Lawson joining GBBO in judging role
Former judge Prue Leith has stepped down from the role after nearly a decade on the show.
Former Great British Bake Off judge Dame Mary Berry has shared her verdict on Nigella Lawson joining the cast of the Channel 4 show. Berry served as a judge on the beloved baking competition, alongside baker Paul Hollywood, from the show's inception on the BBC in 2010 until 2016. When it made the switch to Channel 4 in 2017, Berry announced her departure alongside the show's presenters, comedy duo Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig were then brought in as new co-hosts, while South African-British restaurateur Dame Prue Leith stepped up as the second judge to fill Berry's position. Toksvig later departed and was replaced by Matt Lucas, who Alison Hammond subsequently replaced. Now it has been announced that iconic TV chef Nigella Lawson will be taking over from Leith as she departs the show after nearly a decade. Speaking at the Radio Times Covers Party 2026, Berry shared her verdict on Lawson becoming a judge on the cosy cooking show, declaring that she was "delighted" by the news. "I’ve also recently heard Nigella Lawson is the new Bake Off judge, and I’m absolutely delighted," she said. "It will give Bake Off a wonderful new flavour, and Paul and her will get on like a house on fire." When asked what a great Bake Off judge needs, Berry answered: "The skill to be the judge and to be fair, be kind and encourage everyone to enjoy baking." Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google. Leith announced earlier this month that she would be leaving The Great British Bake Off after nine years, saying of the role: "There cannot be a better job in the world." Of Lawson taking up her former position, Leith herself told The Spectator: "[Nigella is] also really nice, mighty glam and seriously bright, sexy and sassy. I’m just glad she wasn’t in the running nine years ago." The Great British Bake Off returns later this year. Add The Great British Bake Off 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.
Claudia Winkleman's stylist on the star's impeccable Traitors style and the brands she's faithful to
Plus, Sinead McKeefry uncloaks her top looks from every series.
Add The Traitors to your watchlist The original brief given to Claudia Winkleman’s stylist, Sinead McKeefry, for the first series of The Traitors was providing 12 outfits for 12 episodes, with just four weeks to pull everything together. “We didn’t really know what we were doing,” she recalls. “Everyone was working out what the format was. There was talk of Claud wearing a parrot on her shoulder. She’s up for anything, but I was like, ‘I don't think we should make it pantomime.’ I believe there are enough beautiful things out there.” The celebrity stylist, who is based in London, was introduced to Winkleman by Fearne Cotton, who McKeefry was working with at the time, during a photoshoot. They’ve now worked together for almost 20 years. “Strictly was the most glamorous we’d ever go, but it still had a masculine edge to it and we kept it quite chic and pared back. The Piano is where you'll see the real Claudia. That's how Claudia would naturally dress, just a little more polished. She loves a Uniqlo jumper, and that's what she gets,” McKeefry explains. “With The Traitors, we can be a lot more editorial, edgy and creative.” For series 1, she focused on textures and patterns and, far from parrots and pantomime, she turned to high-quality heritage brands including Barbour, Brora, Dubarry of Ireland, and Johnstons of Elgin for countryside chic, keeping it “quite neat and obvious” to suit the backdrop of Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where you could “wear anything and look amazing”. It’s there that 22 contestants compete for up to £120,000, with the Faithful attempting to banish the Traitors. With the show now in its fourth series, Winkleman requires 36 outfits, three per episode, with breakfast, the mission and the round table all being treated differently. They take three months to prepare, with loads of back-up options and wet weather gear for any eventuality. “We lock everything down in London,” McKeefry says. “It's almost like prepping for a catwalk show and moving everything from one location to another.” McKeefry, 51, who graduated from Central Saint Martins with an MA in Fashion, specialising – fittingly – in knitwear, doesn’t travel up to Scotland. It’s Catherine Moran and her team who look after the wardrobe in Scotland. All the looks are photographed on Winkleman and lying flat with descriptions of how they should be put together. Then they’re shipped off in a transit van. “It’s so far that the driver has to stop overnight, so I said, ‘You’re sleeping in the van, aren’t you? You’re not leaving those clothes on their own?’” She’s joking of course, but Winkleman’s tweeds, capes, fingerless gloves, boots, chunky knits, kilts, leggings and oversized coats have become iconic and are a big draw as to why people tune in. The first episode of series 4 was the show’s most-watched to date, peaking at 6.9 million viewers. It opened with some familiar imagery – Winkleman in her black “murder cape” and a close-up of her red leather fingerless “murder gloves”. “Claudia's always worn wrist warmers. One year, at the end of Strictly Come Dancing, she bought the hair and make-up girls and me some Johnstons of Elgin wrist warmers,” McKeefry says. “It was really easy to incorporate fingerless gloves as part of The Traitors looks, but production really wanted red murder gloves and I was really resistant in the beginning. That is not something you're ever going to see on a mood board of mine. It’s not working with my sludgy colours. Red against black is so cringe. I went on Amazon, got a couple of options, and the least offensive were these thinner fingerless ones.” Winkleman now always wears this outfit when the Traitors are going to murder a contestant. “I've learned to love the red gloves. I actually think it was a genius move. It was never the intention that the cape would also always be used for a murder, it was just part of one of the looks and then it became a standout piece.” What you will see on McKeefry’s mood board are “a lot of pictures of Amanda Harlech; Chanel references; editorial that I've loved over the years with things shot outside by Juergen Teller or Corinne Day; exhibitions I’ve been inspired by; and there’s a catalogue in my head of imagery I’ve used since I was studying, like Alexander McQueen’s shows that I attended.” When The Traitors returns, so do the online articles and searches related to how to dress like Winkleman. According to search agency Deviation, from data gathered in November 2025, there’s been a 900 per cent rise in searches for “Claudia Winkleman clothes style” compared with the same time the previous year and a 50 per cent increase for “Claudia Winkleman Traitors outfits”. Searches for Winkleman on Google increased to their highest yet over the past five years. And based on the most popular search terms, people are particularly interested in adding these items to their wardrobe: tartan trousers, knee high boots, lace shirts, tartan skirts, and kilts. Plenty of the pieces Winkleman wears sell out as people attempt to nail the Highland goth, castle-core aesthetic. After the show airs, some of the items are kept and archived, others are loaned, but most are auctioned off for different charities. “I really try to support new and independent brands,” McKeefry adds. “It's been great over the past few years to see those brands be able to go to the next level and have that exposure from even one of their things being on The Traitors.” An example is Devon-based Lauren Aston Designs. Winkleman wore one of her forest green knit jumpers in series 3 and it had a phenomenal impact on her business, resulting in hundreds of orders, and Aston dubbing it the “Claudia effect”. If you look at any clothing brand, this “Claudia effect” is now unavoidable, including to McKeefry. “I see it so obviously. I'm walking through somewhere like Zara and I'm like: ‘Traitors, Traitors, Traitors.’” Clearly, this is fashion we’re remaining 100 per cent faithful to. Here, McKeefry uncloaks her favourite outfits of Winkleman's from every series... Series 1 “This was one of the first fittings we did. The blazer and fine merino men's knit are from Johnstons of Elgin, and the shirt is from Reiss,” says McKeefry. “Everything had to be so quick, so I went on Amazon and typed in jodhpurs to see what came up. I think it was a breakfast look that went into a mission look. “Production phoned me to say that the breakfast looks wouldn't work for the round table. I was like, ‘What's the round table?’ and they explained it was a much darker, more evening, luxe thing. Luckily, you only really see the top half of Claudia in the round table, so that was on our side a little bit.” Series 2 “Rose & Wül is run by Nadine Rose in Nottingham who does these big hand-knitted blankets. Claudia had bought some and introduced me to her. I then contacted her on Instagram and commissioned her to do a couple of scarves. The jumper is Mr Mittens, a Belgian-Australian brand – their knits are so cool. I just love the sleeve on that,” says McKeefry. “When independent companies contact me, or I stumble across something, I'm so happy when it’s a brand that really aligns with what we do. Knitwear is such a craft. It can't be rushed; that's why it’s so expensive, especially when you're looking at using cashmeres. Hours go into these things.” Series 3 This Fair Isle lambswool jumper from luxury Scottish brand Brora sold out after Winkleman wore it on the show (and so did all the other colourways). Has McKeefry come to expect that? “It definitely is getting that way now.” The kilt is from Le Kilt, a staple on her mood board. “Sam [McCoach, the founder] works really hard and she does all of the shoots that they use to promote the brand. I love the imagery they create, so I pull a lot of their stuff off Instagram. Her partner will drop stuff to the office, so they haven't got tons and tons of people working for them.” Series 4 “Le Kilt is a go-to brand for me and I have long been a fan of their beautiful kilts. They have a wonderful eye for quality fabrics and I love that they do everything with a slight grungy/punky edge. It seemed perfect to partner the kilt with this hand-knitted vest from an independent company called Hambro & Miller, which I discovered last year. I love to support independent brands and both of these showcase stunning craftsmanship," says McKeefry. Series 1 – The Celebrity Traitors “I thought the celebrities would be leaning towards plaids, tartan, tweed and knits. I wanted Claudia to have more of a gothic edge with a romantic element, just so it wasn’t merging into everyone looking the same," says McKeefry. “We were on a shopping day when we saw those Givenchy boots, and they were bought in five seconds. Claud's a size six, and I was like, ‘We'll take anything between a four and an eight, whatever you've got.’ Boots like that really inspire with their structure, proportion and weightiness. They sum up my mood board. “The ‘murder cape’, or poncho, which is a great shape, is by a company called Luxury Family Affair. The brilliant Tilla Lindig makes them and does the personalisation on them for us [the word “Celebrities” on the back].” The Traitors series 4 continues nightly Wed–Fri.
RT's Laura Rutkowski heads behind the scenes of Lost and Found in the Lakes
Add Lost and Found in the Lakes to your watchlist While looking out at the glistening, expansive waters of the Lake District, you might think that anything dropped in there would be gone forever, alongside anything misplaced on the picturesque fells in the background. But Lost and Found in the Lakes, which returns for a second series this week, proves otherwise. In the programme, a team of dedicated scuba divers, freedivers and detectorists (on land) attempt to reunite people with their treasured possessions, whether it’s a ring, a drone, a phone (only the ones in waterproof cases, mind you) or a sentimental heirloom. RT visited Ullswater to watch one search take place, and later witnessed a reunion from a previous successful one, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. When something can’t be located, the owners are instead gifted with a piece made by a local craftsperson out of objects found by the divers in the lakes — turning trash into treasure. The team also clean up the lakes as they go, disposing of bottles, fishing tackle, scrap metal and disposable vapes. Helen Skelton, from Carlisle, who now lives near Penrith, is the perfect host for the show. “I love being in the lake, I love being on mountains, but I also like what people would call tat,” she says. “My house is full of stuff where other people are like, ‘What is that?’ “When I was growing up, being outdoorsy and in nature wasn’t cool. My parents farmed, and the farming kids were not the cool kids. Now, people appreciate and understand the benefits of having your feet in the soil, and sustainability. It’s a privilege to have grown up with this as my backdrop.” Mysteries of the deep Helen debriefs with the divers after their search in Ullswater. Renée Goulet, a Canadian who now lives in the Lake District, has been freediving since 2021. The most common thing people lose are phones, but “they’re replaceable”, she says. “The most meaningful finds are the things people never think they’re going to get back. We would do this even if there wasn’t a television show. I’ve already got a list of things that I want to go back and look for again in my free time. If we don’t find something, we don’t forget that — we want to reunite people.” But there are also items the owners probably don’t want to be reunited with. The team have found drugs, bullets, a machete and hard drives wrapped in plastic, weighed down with rocks. What lies beneath The divers’ kit includes a metal detector to search, a mask, a knife to cut through fishing line, and an optional snorkel. But the biggest challenge they come up against is visibility. Scuba diver of 20 years Darren Fine, from Ulverston, says, “If it’s nice and rocky on the bottom and shallow, we have a very good chance of finding something, but most of the time it’s very cold and very dark with a lot of algae and silt.” Angus Hosking, a self-taught freediver of six years from Coniston, agrees. “Sometimes you’re just searching by touch, trying to find a familiar shape. It’s hard to know when to stop searching. When you come across the item you’re actually searching for, it’s almost disbelief.” The treasure chest This is the set where Helen Skelton reunites people with their treasured possessions, or lets them down gently when their item hasn’t been found. The divers’ success rate is about 50/50 on the series. “People always feel so embarrassed about getting upset about a piece of jewellery [for example], because they don’t want to seem materialistic,” Skelton says, “but what’s really heartwarming about this show is that it’s a reminder that things aren’t just things — they always represent something. It really taps into the value of sentiment, which is an old-fashioned thing in this day and age.”
Harlan Coben picks his top 10 thrillers of all time
The king of the TV thriller selects his top 10 exclusively for Radio Times.
New Jersey native Harlan Coben is the internationally bestselling author of more than 25 books, known for their twists and turns. His work has been made into multiple TV adaptations. The latest one, Run Away, is the 12th for Netflix. Clearly, he knows a thing or two about thrillers. So we asked Coben to give us his top 10 from TV and film, and some of them feature actors he’s then gone on to feature in his own series. “I want to be surprised. I want to be entertained. I want to be moved. I want something that's going to stir my heart,” he says of his criteria. “I don't think a twist that surprises you is enough. The twist has to generate something inside of you and move you.” 1) Strangers on a Train “I love Alfred Hitchcock, obviously. He's been a major influence on me – the ordinary man and the extraordinary circumstance, or woman, and in this case, Strangers on a Train happens to be my favourite. "It's just a chance meeting between two people and some of the great, iconic scenes of all time, and we intentionally paid homage to it in (Netflix adaptation) Stay Close – the tennis scene when all the heads are moving back and forth, and one head is looking straight ahead. I used that one to represent my Hitchcock love. "If you asked me tomorrow, I could have picked Vertigo, I could have picked Rear Window, Psycho, a bunch of them.” 2) The Secret in Their Eyes “This is the original Argentinian one, do not watch the American remake! It's gripping, it's moving, it's a love story. I was so in love with this movie that we decided to make a Netflix South America show. We made one in Argentina where this is filmed, and the lead in Caught on Netflix is the lead in The Secret in Their Eyes, but it's dark, it's surprising. "It's got a wonderful twist at the end and a true, true heart. And there's one great film sequence when they scoop you into a stadium. Even with today's AI and things like that, I'm not sure you can duplicate it or make it as compelling as it is in that movie.” 3) The Lives of Others “Another great foreign film from Germany. Both The Secret in Their Eyes and The Lives of Others have won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. "It's a little bit of a spy story [about] a Stasi agent, but where you think it's going to go in one direction, it goes in a completely different one. And again, besides the twists, I love the heart of the story.” 4) Prisoners “A lot of you probably remember this one with Hugh Jackman. You feel for this father who is doing anything and everything, going too far to find his child. Once again, a nice dark ending with a nice dark twist at the end. Well-acted, gripping from beginning to end.” 5) The Invisible Guest “A Spanish movie made by the incredible Oriol Paulo. A man and a woman driving accidentally kill somebody and try to hide it, and everything spins out of control. I love the small event that spirals. He made The Innocent, on Netflix with me. I found him from this movie, and I wanted to work with him. It just keeps twisting. If there's anybody who likes to twist more than me, and maybe, like me, over twists, it's Oriol Paulo. "We are simpáticos. We have the same vision. We had so much fun making The Innocent. Every episode starts with a different viewpoint. He did something a little bit similar here. Mario Casas and José Coronado are both in The innocent and The Invisible Guest. "I'm really proud of what we made together and when people ask me what movie they should watch of his, I always tell them, check out The Invisible Guest first, then go to The Body and everything else, because he's a wonderful director.” 6) Veronica Mars “Veronica Mars is a wonderful TV show. When I first was going to watch it, I thought it was a young adult show. There's a lot of people who later became quite big from the show and it was really realistic and gripping and dark and took on very adult themes. It was also funny as heck. "The father-daughter relationship in that is magic. The father's a local cop. Veronica is a high school student who's a PI, and it sounds silly, but it's really, really good. It's one of my favourite TV shows of all time.” 7) Columbo “I grew up on Columbo. It's probably the single greatest detective series in the history of television. I'm not sure what would be second – Cracker would be up there. The way Colombo works is he's not in it for the first hour, half hour. "We see it all from the criminal's viewpoint, the killer's viewpoint, and you just realise there's no way this guy's going to get caught, and then Columbo comes into the picture and kind of bungles his way to finding out the answer and surprising us. Some of them have wonderful twists. The villain was always a great actor who was just chewing the scenery and having a blast. If you haven't watched Columbo, go back and watch the original ones. They're so good, even now.” 8) Line of Duty “I just love Line of Duty. Jed Mercurio's so good. It's a giant mess of perfection. It's all over the place, and you don't know where it's going, and it’s so unrealistic, and things could never happen, and I love every moment of it. The cast is great. The crew is great. All of the little buzz phrases are great. "They take a lot of the rules and just toss them out the window. You can't have an interrogation scene last that long – I'm sorry, you cannot – and he does it every time and you're gripped from the first moment. I can't wait for the new season.” 9) Spiral “It reminds me of when Hill Street Blues first came out in America. It's a great cop show. It's got a ton of characters, a big ensemble cast. I first saw the actress Audrey Fleurot, who we ended up using in Safe when we needed a French actress, in that. "Each episode follows new different people, the entire police precinct that they have, the lawyers. It's a big cast, and always gripping. I work with people I'm fans of. If I see this person and I love them, I'm like, ‘I'd love to work with that person.’” 10) Fargo (TV series) “The TV series is really great. Noah Hawley's done a great job of making a quirky show with extreme violence, outrageousness, interesting twists and turns. "I wouldn't say quite as much heart in that one, but you never know what's going to happen next, and your eyes are glued to the screen every moment. It's a really well done show. I think the second season was my favourite.” Check out more of our Drama 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.
Harlan Coben’s Run Away cast and author tease "emotionally devastating ending" and talk "insidiousness" of addiction
From a panicked parental "what if?" to Netflix’s next big thriller, Harlan Coben and James Nesbitt dig into addiction, obsession and the terrifying lengths a father will go to when his child disappears.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. All of Harlan Coben’s book ideas begin with a "What if…?" – Run Away's is, "What if my daughter was taking drugs?" – The New Jersey author explains his thinking: "When my daughter Charlotte was young, I found some cannabis paraphernalia in her room, and my mind spiralled and went out of control. "One day I was sitting in New York’s Central Park on Strawberry Fields, which is where the John Lennon Memorial is, thinking, 'How do I open up this book? How do I get into the story?' One of the buskers was playing a John Lennon tune and I thought to myself, 'What would I do if the person playing that tune was my missing daughter?'" Luckily for Coben, Charlotte is far from missing and is actually the associate producer on Run Away. She also worked on the series as a writer, and has contributed to previous adaptations of her father’s books, Shelter, Stay Close and Fool Me Once. Coben is very involved in the casting of his series – this is his 12th for Netflix – watching audition tapes and approving everybody. "I would rather change the character to fit the actor than change the actor to fit the character," he says. At the front and centre of Run Away, written for the screen by frequent collaborator Danny Brocklehurst, is James Nesbitt, no stranger to the Coben-verse, having also appeared in Stay Close and Missing You. "He gives off good 'distressed dad' vibes," says Coben. In Run Away, Nesbitt plays wealth manager Simon Greene, who shares two daughters and a son with his wife, paediatrician Ingrid (Minnie Driver). When daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) goes missing, Ingrid thinks she’ll come home when she’s ready, but Simon won’t stop looking, blaming her drug-dealer boyfriend for getting her hooked on drugs. Then one day he sees her in a park, singing and strumming away on a guitar… RT visited the Run Away set in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, where between takes Nesbitt said, "I’m the worst on-screen parent and the worst on-screen cop ever. Of all the cops I’ve played, usually someone dies, and in three of the parent roles, my children have gone missing. I just wouldn’t cast me!" Meanwhile, Coben promises that "Run Away is not just my most surprising ending, but my most emotionally devastating ending." For someone who has made his mark as the king of suspenseful stories, that’s saying something… James Nesbitt plays Simon Greene "It’s very easy to tap into the reality of the situation that Simon finds himself in — the utter drive and determination to bring his daughter back, the despair and the guilt he feels that he drove her away. He can also be explosively violent at times. As a parent, it makes that easier, because you can obviously locate your feelings about your own children and if something similar was happening to them. It makes you appreciate your own life. "As time has passed in my career, it’s been automatic that I would be offered parts as a parent, but in terms of the darkness and why they go for me, I don’t know. I had an idyllic childhood, I can’t understand why they see this potential in me! "I started in comedy and I was lucky that I had an instinct for it. I loved doing Jekyll, because although it was very dark, Steven Moffat’s writing was so funny — the comedy was irreverent and shocking, and that’s the sort of thing I miss doing. I think it’s harder to find good comedy roles and probably harder to write comedy than serious drama. I wouldn’t mind doing a romcom, but at 60, I’m not sure anyone wants that. "I’d also quite like to play a baddie for Harlan — perhaps in a thriller set in Ireland. The landscape would suit it — it can be very beautiful in the north, but it can also be quite foreboding." Minnie Driver plays Ingrid Greene "The insidiousness of addiction is that it doesn’t matter what kind of a home you come from. Paige’s family have offered the most they could, yet still this beautiful kid is lost down the tunnel of this disease. I’ve come across so many friends who have dealt with addiction themselves, or their family members have. I’ve had boyfriends who suffered from addiction. "I’ve gone to so many Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with friends. I wanted to understand what they were going through, and those meetings are full of love, hope and support. You really realise how necessary that programme is for so many people. "There are so many things we don’t talk about, because we’re frightened of acknowledging that dark things exist in our world, and particularly with social media, where everything is about the presentation of a perfect life. As parents, we would go to any extreme for our kids, and that is a theme of the show." Ruth Jones plays private investigator Elena Ravenscroft "So many people are Harlan Coben fans, like my auntie Lynne, who’s 84, and so excited I’m in this. I love a thriller, but I find violence hard to watch. So I have to say to myself, 'That is all staged.' I find emotional violence even more difficult to watch, like psychological bullying. "Elena doesn’t look like you’d perhaps expect a private investigator to look. The glasses were my choice — I wanted to make sure she was different from characters I’d played before. In the past Elena was a firearms officer, and when I was doing the flashback scene, inwardly I was thinking, 'It’s so ridiculous that Ruth Jones is playing the part of a firearms officer.' But I have to be 100 per cent committed to what I’m doing, otherwise there’s that tendency to make a little joke. There were opportunities for Elena to be lighter in the scenes with Simon [James Nesbitt], and I loved those moments. With both comedy and drama, it just has to be believable. If you get comedy wrong, you can tell when it hasn’t landed. "Harlan is the master of complex secrets. I couldn’t do what he does, but there are secrets in my novels, because they’re interesting to read about. "I don’t write my books thinking of them as TV adaptations. There is a possibility for one of them, but it’s very early days." Alfred Enoch plays detective Isaac Fagbenle "Maybe I’m judging him too harshly, but I’m not sure Isaac is a great detective. He has a hunch and a single-mindedness; he’s too zoomed in. The other characters imply that Isaac’s very attractive — I’m just going to have to trust that the audience will be willing to go with that! "I was thinking, 'That’s sort of pressure.' I showed up to the read-through all unkempt and unshaved, like I’d been in the woods for two months. But I did find it gratifying that it was a male character [as opposed to a female character] getting objectified. "My dad [William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton, one of Doctor Who’s very first companions] was my teacher. I would watch films he’d been in, and as a kid go and see him on stage. I was like, 'This is what I want to do,' and he nurtured that. Fans usually approach me for How to Get Away with Murder — a twisty-turny thriller in the same vein as Run Away — and Harry Potter. I didn’t have much to do in Potter, but there’s such a fandom around it and people associate me with a character they’ve read, because so much was cut in the films." Read more: Harlan Coben reveals which British acting legend he wants to work with again on a Netflix adaptation Harlan Coben's new Netflix thriller starring Gavin & Stacey icon releases chilling first look trailer Run Away will premiere on 1st January 2026 on Netflix – sign up from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media. Add Run Away 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 Drama 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.
Run Away is the latest twisty Harlan Coben mystery to be adapted for the screen – and James Nesbitt has come along for the ride
Add Run Away to your watchlist All of Harlan Coben’s book ideas begin with a “What if…?” Run Away’s is, “What if my daughter was taking drugs?” The New Jersey author explains his thinking: “When my daughter Charlotte was young, I found some cannabis paraphernalia in her room, and my mind spiralled and went out of control. “One day I was sitting in New York’s Central Park on Strawberry Fields, which is where the John Lennon Memorial is, thinking, ‘How do I open up this book? How do I get into the story?’ One of the buskers was playing a John Lennon tune and I thought to myself, ‘What would I do if the person playing that tune was my missing daughter?’” Luckily for Coben, Charlotte is far from missing and is actually the associate producer on Run Away. She also worked on the series as a writer, and has contributed to previous adaptations of her father’s books, Shelter, Stay Close and Fool Me Once. Coben is very involved in the casting of his series – this is his 12th for Netflix – watching audition tapes and approving everybody. “I would rather change the character to fit the actor than change the actor to fit the character,” he says. At the front and centre of Run Away, written for the screen by frequent collaborator Danny Brocklehurst, is James Nesbitt, no stranger to the Coben-verse, having also appeared in Stay Close and Missing You. “He gives off good ‘distressed dad’ vibes,” says Coben. In Run Away, Nesbitt plays wealth manager Simon Greene, who shares two daughters and a son with his wife, paediatrician Ingrid (Minnie Driver). When daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) goes missing, Ingrid thinks she’ll come home when she’s ready, but Simon won’t stop looking, blaming her drug-dealer boyfriend for getting her hooked on drugs. Then one day he sees her in a park, singing and strumming away on a guitar… RT visited the Run Away set in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, where between takes Nesbitt said, “I’m the worst on-screen parent and the worst on-screen cop ever. Of all the cops I’ve played, usually someone dies, and in three of the parent roles, my children have gone missing. I just wouldn’t cast me!” Meanwhile, Coben promises that “Run Away is not just my most surprising ending, but my most emotionally devastating ending.” For someone who has made his mark as the king of suspenseful stories, that’s saying something… 'As a parent, you can locate those feelings about your own children' James Nesbitt plays Simon Greene “It’s very easy to tap into the reality of the situation that Simon finds himself in — the utter drive and determination to bring his daughter back, the despair and the guilt he feels that he drove her away. He can also be explosively violent at times. As a parent, it makes that easier, because you can obviously locate your feelings about your own children and if something similar was happening to them. It makes you appreciate your own life. “As time has passed in my career, it’s been automatic that I would be offered parts as a parent, but in terms of the darkness and why they go for me, I don’t know. I had an idyllic childhood, I can’t understand why they see this potential in me! “I started in comedy and I was lucky that I had an instinct for it. I loved doing Jekyll, because although it was very dark, Steven Moffat’s writing was so funny — the comedy was irreverent and shocking, and that’s the sort of thing I miss doing. I think it’s harder to find good comedy roles and probably harder to write comedy than serious drama. I wouldn’t mind doing a romcom, but at 60, I’m not sure anyone wants that. “I’d also quite like to play a baddie for Harlan — perhaps in a thriller set in Ireland. The landscape would suit it — it can be very beautiful in the north, but it can also be quite foreboding.” 'I find violence hard to watch' Ruth Jones plays private investigator Elena Ravenscroft “So many people are Harlan Coben fans, like my auntie Lynne, who’s 84, and so excited I’m in this. I love a thriller, but I find violence hard to watch. So I have to say to myself, ‘That is all staged.’ I find emotional violence even more difficult to watch, like psychological bullying. “Elena doesn’t look like you’d perhaps expect a private investigator to look. The glasses were my choice — I wanted to make sure she was different from characters I’d played before. In the past Elena was a firearms officer, and when I was doing the flashback scene, inwardly I was thinking, ‘It’s so ridiculous that Ruth Jones is playing the part of a firearms officer.’ But I have to be 100 per cent committed to what I’m doing, otherwise there’s that tendency to make a little joke. There were opportunities for Elena to be lighter in the scenes with Simon [James Nesbitt], and I loved those moments. With both comedy and drama, it just has to be believable. If you get comedy wrong, you can tell when it hasn’t landed. “Harlan is the master of complex secrets. I couldn’t do what he does, but there are secrets in my novels, because they’re interesting to read about. “I don’t write my books thinking of them as TV adaptations. There is a possibility for one of them, but it’s very early days.” 'So many friends have dealt with addiction' Minnie Driver plays Ingrid Greene “The insidiousness of addiction is that it doesn’t matter what kind of a home you come from. Paige’s family have offered the most they could, yet still this beautiful kid is lost down the tunnel of this disease. I’ve come across so many friends who have dealt with addiction themselves, or their family members have. I’ve had boyfriends who suffered from addiction. I’ve gone to so many Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with friends. I wanted to understand what they were going through, and those meetings are full of love, hope and support. You really realise how necessary that programme is for so many people. “There are so many things we don’t talk about, because we’re frightened of acknowledging that dark things exist in our world, and particularly with social media, where everything is about the presentation of a perfect life. As parents, we would go to any extreme for our kids, and that is a theme of the show.” 'I'm not sure Isaac is a great detective' Alfred Enoch plays detective Isaac Fagbenie “Maybe I’m judging him too harshly, but I’m not sure Isaac is a great detective. He has a hunch and a single-mindedness; he’s too zoomed in. The other characters imply that Isaac’s very attractive — I’m just going to have to trust that the audience will be willing to go with that! I was thinking, ‘That’s sort of pressure.’ I showed up to the read-through all unkempt and unshaved, like I’d been in the woods for two months. But I did find it gratifying that it was a male character [as opposed to a female character] getting objectified. “My dad [William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton, one of Doctor Who’s very first companions] was my teacher. I would watch films he’d been in, and as a kid go and see him on stage. I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’ and he nurtured that. Fans usually approach me for How to Get Away with Murder — a twisty-turny thriller in the same vein as Run Away — and Harry Potter. I didn’t have much to do in Potter, but there’s such a fandom around it and people associate me with a character they’ve read, because so much was cut in the films.”
A Guide to Netflix's Harlan Coben Collection
With Harlan Coben, it’s clear that all of his ideas for his books start with a “What if…” “There’s always something that happens in my regular life that I turn around in some way,” he says. There’s currently 12 book adaptations you can watch on Netflix, with the latest one being Run Away, starring James Nesbitt as a dad searching for his daughter who’s addicted to drugs and has run away from home. The king of the thriller genre says, “I want the ‘WTF’ when you watch my shows, I want the jaw to drop. That's fun.” There’s no better person to walk you through his collection than Coben himself, so we asked him to explain all of his “What ifs…”
A new festive animation brings Pudsey to life with Tom Fletcher
Pudsey and the Thread of Hope, book available now and on BBC One on Christmas Eve at 10.20am. Add it to your collection Tom Fletcher has been having a bear-y busy year. “I must have been manifesting bears!” says the McFly singer and bestselling children’s author, who has not only written the music for Paddington the Musical, but has also brought another very special bear to life, Children in Need’s mascot, Pudsey. “Both of them stand for wonderful things: Pudsey for hope and Paddington for kindness. My version of Pudsey is a bit clumsy and is driven by a desire to help children.” The animation and book Pudsey and the Thread of Hope is based on Fletcher’s story about a boy called Jai who has lost his dad. He meets other kids who have been supported by Pudsey, with the thread of hope tying them together. Fletcher has three sons, aged 11, nine and seven, with his wife Giovanna. “They are my main source of inspiration. My middle child, Buddy, is home-schooled and he practically lives at the skatepark. It’s been this amazing journey with him, and so much of that I was able to put into Jai.” Fletcher’s eldest son Buzz sings Thread of Hope on the animation’s soundtrack with his father. “It felt like a lovely way to heighten the emotion of that moment and a special thing for me to be able to share with my son.”
How 2025's Radio Times Christmas issue cover – featuring Aardman favourites – came to life
Two iconic animated pals reunite on the Radio Times Christmas cover, as Nick Park brings festive clay magic to life.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. This year, RT's Christmas cover stars are two award-winning film and TV favourites. But unusually in the cut-throat world of showbiz, they are also old pals going back 30 years. In fact, the cover, conceived and designed by Nick Park, celebrates Shaun’s screen debut in A Close Shave. Back then, Shaun walked into Wallace and Gromit’s home and ate everything in sight. Now he has a taste for Radio Times… hopefully, without swallowing any crucial TV listings! It’s a busy time for Aardman Animations. There’s a Christmas Day episode of Shaun the Sheep on BBC One called Fleece Navidad, and in 2026, to mark the studio’s 50th anniversary, a big Aardman exhibition at London’s Young V&A, plus a film outing for Shaun, The Beast of Mossy Bottom. So, what better time for a reunion? While the beloved pair say "cheese" for their cover shoot – remaining characteristically silent, yet with a mischievous glint in their eye – RT sits down with Park at Aardman’s Bristol HQ to discuss making Christmas out of clay... A grand cover It’s a pleasure to be asked to design another cover. We’ve had a few: my downstairs bathroom is full of framed ones. I leapt at the opportunity and it was a privilege to get involved. Radio Times has been an iconic magazine since way before I was born, and you can’t have Christmas without it, so I just couldn’t resist having my characters on the cover. My aim was to make it as Christmassy as possible and evoke feelings of warmth. View oEmbed on the source website Cracking ideas I think through sketching – more so than through writing. I like to draw on paper, but I have an iPad Pro, which I love. I probably spend three days to a week doodling different ideas. That’s where a lot of film ideas come from. Wallace and Gromit are my favourite characters to sketch. I draw them in my sleep. They’re just very natural now – I’ve been doing them for so many years. Season's bleatings I played around with this idea of Gromit opening a mystery gift, and then out pops Shaun the Sheep, like "I’m back," doing something silly and surprising Gromit, like playing the trumpet or maracas. Another idea, which I thought was very warm and quaint, had Shaun and Gromit sitting on the sofa drinking hot chocolate with their slippers in the foreground. Then I sketched out Shaun chewing the edge of the Radio Times. I didn’t think that would be liked, because it was destroying the cover, but that was the favourite. Inventing new jokes Little gags and Easter eggs appear in all the films, and it’s no different with Radio Times. We want them to come through, so when the magazine is lying on the coffee table, there’s always things in there to look at and notice. There’s a portrait of Wallace on the wall, but the frame is obviously one he’s made, because he’s compensated for his ears so the frame goes around them. I thought that was a nice little touch. Part of the festive furniture I start to riff on things, like what’s on the mantelpiece; what’s on the tree; what would look good on Gromit and Shaun’s mugs. We thought it’d be good to see Feathers McGraw as a ballerina in a tutu on the top of the tree, but there wasn’t room to put that in. We also had him as a ballerina in the snow globe. Then, him as a snowman in a snow globe, with a carrot for a nose. They write themselves How would Gromit react to Shaun reappearing? Well, they’re good mates, it’s a reunion. I think there would be a bit of reticence on Gromit’s behalf, a Gromit eyeroll, like, "Oh no, he’s back" – that agent of chaos in the house. He’s got enough with Wallace. All Gromit wants is a quiet life, but he loves Shaun really. There’s a little bit of antagonism between them, but it’s friendly. It’s great to have characters that kind of write themselves. You can put them in any situation, and they’ll find their own comedy. Retro versus modern Gromit and Shaun started off together, but since Shaun got his own series, we’ve sort of separated the worlds, because they’re slightly different, with different rules. With Wallace and Gromit, everything’s a bit retro. They rarely have a TV on, until Vengeance Most Fowl. They don’t have mobile phones and they don’t really have computers, but if they do, they’re like antiques. Shaun the Sheep is more flexible in terms of the modern world. There’s social media and you can dial for pizza! I don’t think we’d merge the two worlds in a story, but we had the Farmer from Shaun the Sheep in Vengeance Most Fowl. In the first Shaun the Sheep Movie, we talked about whether Wallace and Gromit should go through the background at one point on the motorbike. I think we’d only ever do it if it’s unexpected and a joke guest appearance. Styling the stars It would be quite expensive to make the puppets from scratch, so this Gromit on the cover has been in Vengeance Most Fowl in this same dressing gown, and this Shaun has been in the series. A sitting-down Gromit is differentto a standing or walking-on-all-fours Gromit. The model-makers made Shaun a brand-new jumper similar to his original one, but with a Christmassy pattern, so he looks super cute. Animated animals It takes the best part of three weeks to get everything together – the set, the decorations, the props, with about a dozen people working on the Christmas cover. I find it harder to pull together a photo than an animation, because a photo has one moment that has to say everything. We’re doing about 10 seconds of animation to go with the cover. On a feature film, the animators usually get through about two to three seconds a day. Wallace and Gromit are my children, so I’m very fussy about who animates them. For this, I particularly wanted one of my favourite animators and long-term colleagues, Jay Grace. He’s one of the best, very sensitive and really knows what he’s doing. It’s not just about moving your puppet. It’s about making the audience believe that it’s a living, breathing character. Feat of clay When Toy Story came out [in 1995], we thought, "How long have we got?" But we’ve managed to survive CGI. In fact, there’s been a resurgence of interest over the years in our stop motion animation. We use CGI as well, but AI is a whole new thing. Obviously a lot of people will be fearing for their jobs. We want to embrace the technology and find in what ways it’s going to be useful to us, maybe to do animation a bit quicker, but we’re going to be very cautious not to lose our values. The clay is our USP and we pride ourselves in that. Authenticity is the most important thing. It’s where the charm is. The Christmas double issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Shaun the Sheep: Fleece Navidad airs on Christmas Day at 4:35pm on BBC One. Add Shaun the Sheep: Fleece Navidad 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 Film 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.
Meet the miniaturists shrinking Christmas for RT this year
Crafting a fantastic snowy landscape for RT's 2025 Christmas features was a real labour of love for Hannah Lemon and Abi Trotman
The Marvellous Miniature Workshop is on iPlayer. Add it to your watchlist Making miniatures is no small task. Hannah Lemon and Abi Trotman, who star in The Marvellous Miniature Workshop spent a combined 200 hours creating the Christmas snowscape for our Christmas interviews with stars of Death in Paradise, Call the Midwife, Strictly, The Archers and Amandaland. Trotman, from south Wales, specialises in 1/12th scale miniatures for doll’s houses and dioramas and started making miniatures with her gran for her doll’s house when she was 11. Lemon, who’s from Japan and now based in the UK, started making tiny houseplants in lockdown on a break from work. Both have now made it their full-time career. View Green Video on the source website Using toolkits containing tweezers, brushes, paints and glues — not to mention a steady hand — Lemon explains that RT’s snowy scene (all compiled and photographed by her in her living room) is Styrofoam, so it’s light and easy to stick items into and to carve with a blade. Then she used frost and snow effect spray and placed fake snow powder on top. The tree is made out of tinsel wrapped together to create different-sized branches. The snowmen and their miniature carrot noses are made from clay, with black glass “caviar beads” for eyes — but what about their knitted hats? “I used my old socks, but I promise I washed them!” Lemon laughs. Lemon’s biggest challenge was the reindeer — “I wanted to make something realistic, so I needed to study their anatomy.” She started with wire to create a skeleton, then wrapped masking tape around it to mimic tissue, and applied modelling paste to create the body shape. Once that was dry, she coated it with acrylic paint and applied fake fur. “Working on the face is always challenging in miniature. I wanted him to look straight at the camera, happy and proud, like he owns the place.” Trotman’s gingerbread house, meanwhile, proved to be a real construction project. “Measurements and getting the angles of the roof right took a lot of time,” she says. “You want things to look in proportion, so it’s important to scale everything down properly.” She was inspired by a gingerbread house in an old American cooking magazine from the 70s. “It was really kitsch and I fell in love with it. I used a laser cutter to cut precise, sharp lines from a material called PolyBak, then dry-fitted those pieces. I then coated the PolyBak I used for the walls with a stone clay to make it look like a gingerbread texture.” Polyfilla mixed with acrylic paint made the “perfect” icing and all the polymer clay sweets and candy canes were handmade, baked and then glazed. “There’s a lot of yourself that you put into it,” Trotman says. “Seeing someone’s heart and love in a piece will always resonate more with people.”
How the team behind Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age brought animals like dwarf elephants and predatory marsupials to life
Add Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age to your watchlist Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age features animals that have never been seen on screen before — marsupial lions (essentially carnivorous koalas), kangaroos so huge they can’t hop and dwarf elephants only three feet tall. Narrated by Tom Hiddleston and executive produced by Hollywood film-maker Jon Favreau alongside creative director of the BBC’s Natural History Unit and long-term David Attenborough collaborator Mike Gunton, the Apple TV series was a (woolly) mammoth effort. The production took three years, was filmed in 15 countries, and for the first time used technical reference puppets — Gunton was convinced after seeing the puppet of the baby stegodon. These could be filmed on location, thereby providing essential references for visual effects company Framestore to create the CGI (computer-generated imagery) animals. Crucially, everything seen is backed by science — as well as gut feeling. “If you’ve spent your life watching animals, when you see one of these creatures brought to life on screen, there’s this final filter where it looks weirdly right… or rightly weird,” Gunton tells RT. That’s what lead scientific consultant Dr Darren Naish, who has been the show’s palaeontologist since the first series in 2022, was in charge of. Here, he explains how he helped bring the unusual animals of the Ice Age to vivid life. THE MAN FOR THE JOB I’m an expert on the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period, which we featured in seasons one and two of Prehistoric Planet, but I’ve also published enough on Ice Age animals to be considered an expert for season three. I also provide detailed, specific information to the people at Framestore building the digital animal models. SKETCH TO SCREEN We consulted with more than 50 Ice Age specialists, using their expertise to compile asset packs on the animals, containing up to 30 pages of diagrams, drawings and information. I draw tons of stuff, and we work with various concept artists and paleo artists [who depict prehistoric life]. FACTS FROM THE FOSSILS Everything we do is grounded in science. How do we know how these animals moved and what they would have done? Well, we go to what we understand from the fossil record. We’ve got frozen bodies in permafrost. We can use fossil footprints to work out animals’ speed and gait. Since humans were Ice Age creatures, too, we drew these animals, so we can also look at rock art. SCIENTIFIC STORYLINES Science establishes facts. But also, a woolly mammoth is a kind of elephant, so everything that’s true for African and Asian elephants, woolly mammoths would have done as well. Animals get themselves into all kinds of extraordinary situations. What happens if a woolly mammoth is trapped in a snowstorm and about to give birth? It must have happened, so it’s justifiable for us to come up with that storyline. A LION THAT’S NOT A LION Thylacoleo, the so-called marsupial lion, is a leopard-sized, predatory marsupial related to koalas and wombats, but fundamentally unlike anything alive today. It had a big opposable thumb with a giant claw, and fang-like teeth, but they weren’t canines, they were giant incisors. It had this ridiculously broad, muscled head. It took many, many iterations to make it feel like a real animal — it looked like a weird teddy bear at one point. There is Indigenous Australian rock art depicting it, so we’ve got some idea of what its pigmentation was like. PREHISTORIC PEEVES Some animals in this series are not CG, they’re real animals, like the vole. We’re pretty confident people won’t be able to tell them apart. I have a massive list of pet peeves in CG animals. If you watch all the Jurassic World films, the dinosaurs roar and do this head wobble where their cheeks flutter as they’re blasting air out… nothing does that. Someone made that up in a film with a dragon or something, and it’s been copied. Some like to over-animate everything, but Framestore is the real deal. ANSWERING THE UNKNOWN Some of the animals were an absolute challenge, and they might never have been reconstructed well before, because nobody’s understood them. We have to come up with answers to questions that people haven’t really considered. For example, the next time someone asks how an extinct snow sloth [Megalonyx jeffersonii] walks, we’ll be the only ones that have ever done it right. None of the work we do on the show, and that the VFX team does, ends up published in technical papers, but it should. It is actual science.
7 reasons to watch Tom Hiddleston's new documentary series Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age features animals that have never been seen on screen before – marsupial lions (essentially carnivorous koalas), kangaroos so huge they can’t hop and dwarf elephants only three feet tall. Narrated by Tom Hiddleston and executive produced by Hollywood film-maker Jon Favreau alongside creative director of the BBC’s Natural History Unit and long-term David Attenborough collaborator Mike Gunton, the Apple TV series was a (woolly) mammoth effort. The production took three years, was filmed in 15 countries, and for the first time used technical reference puppets – Gunton was convinced after seeing the puppet of the baby stegodon. These could be filmed on location, thereby providing essential references for visual effects company Framestore to create the CGI (computer-generated imagery) animals. Crucially, everything seen is backed by science – as well as gut feeling. “If you’ve spent your life watching animals, when you see one of these creatures brought to life on screen, there’s this final filter where it looks weirdly right… or rightly weird,” Gunton tells RT. That’s what lead scientific consultant Dr Darren Naish, who has been the show’s palaeontologist since the first series in 2022, was in charge of. Here, he explains how he helped bring the unusual animals of the Ice Age to vivid life. View oEmbed on the source website The man for the job "I’m an expert on the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period, which we featured in seasons one and two of Prehistoric Planet, but I’ve also published enough on Ice Age animals to be considered an expert for season three. I also provide detailed, specific information to the people at Framestore building the digital animal models." Sketch to screen "We consulted with more than 50 Ice Age specialists, using their expertise to compile asset packs on the animals, containing up to 30 pages of diagrams, drawings and information. I draw tons of stuff, and we work with various concept artists and paleo artists [who depict prehistoric life]." Facts from the fossil "Everything we do is grounded in science. How do we know how these animals moved and what they would have done? Well, we go to what we understand from the fossil record. We’ve got frozen bodies in permafrost. We can use fossil footprints to work out animals’ speed and gait. Since humans were Ice Age creatures, too, we drew these animals, so we can also look at rock art." Scientific storylines "Science establishes facts. But also, a woolly mammoth is a kind of elephant, so everything that’s true for African and Asian elephants, woolly mammoths would have done as well. Animals get themselves into all kinds of extraordinary situations. What happens if a woolly mammoth is trapped in a snowstorm and about to give birth? It must have happened, so it’s justifiable for us to come up with that storyline." A lion that's not a lion "Thylacoleo, the so-called marsupial lion, is a leopard-sized, predatory marsupial related to koalas and wombats, but fundamentally unlike anything alive today. It had a big opposable thumb with a giant claw, and fang-like teeth, but they weren’t canines, they were giant incisors. It had this ridiculously broad, muscled head. It took many, many iterations to make it feel like a real animal — it looked like a weird teddy bear at one point. There is Indigenous Australian rock art depicting it, so we’ve got some idea of what its pigmentation was like." Prehistoric peeves "Some animals in this series are not CG, they’re real animals, like the vole. We’re pretty confident people won’t be able to tell them apart. I have a massive list of pet peeves in CG animals. If you watch all the Jurassic World films, the dinosaurs roar and do this head wobble where their cheeks flutter as they’re blasting air out… nothing does that. Someone made that up in a film with a dragon or something, and it’s been copied. Some like to over-animate everything, but Framestore is the real deal." Answering the unknown "Some of the animals were an absolute challenge, and they might never have been reconstructed well before, because nobody’s understood them. We have to come up with answers to questions that people haven’t really considered. For example, the next time someone asks how an extinct snow sloth [Megalonyx jeffersonii] walks, we’ll be the only ones that have ever done it right. None of the work we do on the show, and that the VFX team does, ends up published in technical papers, but it should. It is actual science." The latest issue of Radio Times is out on Saturday – subscribe here. All seasons of Prehistoric Planet are available to watch on Apple TV. Find out how to sign up for Apple TV here. Add Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Documentaries 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.
We played Squid Game: The Challenge – and learned how brutal it really is
As season 2 comes to a dramatic end, a pair of intrepid Radio Times reporters recount their gruelling experiences on the set of Squid Game: The Challenge.
Many people have watched a reality competition on the telly and thought to themselves, 'I could do that.' Radio Times writers David Craig and Laura Rutkowski are not among that group. Nevertheless, they were sent to Reading's Shinfield Studios to see the real sets of Squid Game: The Challenge and take part in two devious game demos, which were nothing if not humbling. Dragging their aching bodies home at the end of a long day, it was clear that the tournament is physically draining – and that's to say nothing of the psychological stress added by that eye-popping $4.56 million jackpot. As immersive as it was, David and Laura didn't have any cash on the line during their grand day out, but the risk of humiliation in front of one's peers did loom large – and quickly became a reality. This is their story. Welcome to Squid Game Laura Rutkowski: Nothing really could have prepared me for walking into the dorm, and my mouth falls open in shock. It’s as massive as you would imagine to accommodate 456 beds for 456 players. I quickly claim a bottom bunk, thinking it’s easier to hop out of in a hurry! I'm player 255, kitted out with my tracksuit (which was in fact made in Korea – I checked) and thermals on underneath; white slip-ons; a water bottle and a black bag (with a toothbrush and toothpaste labelled 255 inside). There's a gigantic red 'X' and blue 'O' on the ground, which was used in the drama for players to indicate whether they wanted to stop or continue the games. Very quickly, I can see cliques forming into little groups dotted around the dorm, alliances already developing from the offset. Before our games begin, I'm served curry and rice by the intimidating guards in pink. I thank them, in case politeness is rewarded. Naturally, they don't respond, and it makes me question my relationship to authority figures. My inclination is very much to obey them and stay on their good side, but it probably won't make a difference in Squid Game. Just keep a low profile, I think! It's surreal walking up and down the pastel-coloured staircases that are meant to lead to the games, but these ones lead... nowhere, but that is, of course, where the TV magic comes in. David Craig: Entering the Squid Game dorm as my all-time favourite player Thanos (Choi Seung-hyun), my initial plan is to embody the loveably deranged rapper for the duration of our visit. But after an hour of spouting egomaniacal nonsense to anyone that would listen, I realise that – for better or worse – the unpredictable 'alpha' qualities of the pill-popping performer don't exactly come naturally to me. Overwhelmed by the scale of my surroundings – not to mention, a flood of influencers and reality stars eagerly (read: loudly) putting on a show for the cameras – I realise that spray-on hair dye is not a substitute for a personality. It strikes me that, were we competing in the deadly version, these would be the true Thanos-style figures, and I would probably be one of their grovelling followers. Oh well. Game 1: Six-Legged Pentathlon Laura: If I ever thought that reality TV series were easy to compete in, I don't think that anymore after this game. For the six-legged pentathlon, taken from Squid Game season 2, five players have their legs tied together and must complete five different minigames within five minutes, competing against another team of five. These include: Ball in a Cup, Flying Stone, Gonggi, House of Cards, and Jegi, and we receive a demonstration of each one. My team are very supportive, but I choose one of the harder games, Gonggi (Korean jacks). Full disclosure – I have never played this before, nor had I practised beforehand, but I can imagine that the players in The Challenge would have smartly thought to try it out before competing in the reality series. I'm sweating and feeling the pressure – especially with my team relying on me and cameras in my face. In the end, all that matters is beating the other team, which we manage to do, crossing that rainbow finish line for VICTORY! David: "Purple hair, do care (a lot, actually)." This is my ethos going into our first game, Six Legs, where I am determined to wow my fellow players with a never-before-realised aptitude for Korean playground games. True to the drama series, I am chained by the ankles to four random participants (a lovely way to get to know someone, FYI), and we nervously prepare to march to our fate. Of the five stations, each with a different challenge assigned to a single player, I leap at the chance to play Gonggi; an intricate game of throwing and catching that looks mesmerising on screen. Very quickly, I realise I've made a huge mistake. Seven excruciating minutes later, the producer tells me to stop and move on. I am shaking and feel as if I have been playing for hours. Set visit: Mingle Laura: Mingle is a seriously impressive set that looks identical to the one in the drama. It's a joyous, warm, colourful, bow-ridden space with a giant carousel platform in the middle. It lurches into action, spinning us all around. In Squid Game season 2, when the carousel stops, a number is called out and the players must form groups of that number and enter the surrounding rooms, then close the door. As soon as the catchy Korean children's song, 'Round and Round', starts playing, it's impossible not to think of the 'Mingle dance,' made famous by the character Thanos (played by K-pop star T.O.P aka Choi Seung-hyun). David is obviously a great stand-in for him, so there's only one thing left to do, and that's link arms and twirl around, exactly as Thanos (RIP) would have wanted! David: From the pentathlon chamber, we are thrust immediately onto the Mingle set – not to play the game (a health and safety nightmare, I assume), but to observe. This is why I studied journalism. Truthfully, I feel unable to muster the same enthusiasm as the real Thanos once did, not because it doesn't look the part – it certainly does – but because I am, to use the clinical term, f**king knackered. My brave RT comrade Laura initiates the customary arm-in-arm dance – made iconic by Thanos and his (even more) disturbed accomplice Nam-gyu (Roh Jae-won) – but my heart isn't in it. I want to sit down, or better yet, curl up in the foetal position. May the real players of Squid Game: The Challenge be blessed with stronger stamina than I. Game 2: Slides and Ladders Laura: While Slides and Ladders is new for The Challenge, it's still an innocent game with a sinister twist – which is what makes it inherently Squid Game. Players are put in pairs and roll a die to progress on the board. If they land on a ladder, they go up, and if they land on the dual slide, one transports them further down the board, while the other eliminates them. There are also 'twist' cards to choose from that reveal either an advantage or a disadvantage, with only six teams able to progress. I'm on the purple team with my teammate Ayo and we start strong. David and his teammate pick a card where they can bring up one team to where they are, which is almost at the finish line at the top, and they choose us! We're feeling incredibly smug... for a brief moment. Ayo and I then have to choose a card and it says to move forward one space where we're faced with the double slide. Ayo takes one for the team and chooses one at random after I win a game of rock, paper, scissors (in an ode to Squid Game), but it shoots him out of the game! I go down the other giant metal slide, which is surprisingly high and fast, and let out a warbled scream as I come out much further down the board back to where I started. Oh, it's a cruel game… David: Still lamenting my failure to seize glory in Six Legs, we begin our final game of this Squid Game: The Challenge set visit – an extravagant new spin on snakes and ladders. Change is in the air. You see, it soon becomes clear that what I indisputably lack in skill, I can make up for here in random luck (the great equaliser!). Stepping onto an industrial-sized expansion of the quintessential children's board game, my partner (People's Gabrielle Rockson) and I have no choice but to leave our destinies to dice rolls and card draws. Fate smiles kindly upon us. In a slightly anticlimactic fashion, we speed to the top in a matter of minutes, finishing first and basking in… well, not much, as we aren't playing for money. But still, it's glorious to end the day on a positive note, after some considerable ego bruising at the start. (Quietly, I am disappointed to be deprived of a go on one of the slides.) Death Comes for Us All Laura: Nothing prepares me for when the 'squib', as it's called, actually goes off. There's a quick spurt and then a pooling of black ink on my chest, which has a very distinct and sickly sweet smell. I fall immediately to the floor, milking this moment as much as I can. Despite my fake death, which is all part of the experience, I manage to make it out alive, exhilarated, but utterly convinced I would not last long on The Challenge. I have actually seen a few of my fellow players since, and we're now forever bonded (trauma bonded?) as Squid Game survivors. David: I witness my teammates experience 'death' one-by-one. That is, the triggering of an inky explosion from the squibs strapped across their chests. I count my blessings that I am last in line for eruption, feeling this is my chance to launch the acting career that, deep down, I always thought of as my true calling. I anxiously brace for my moment, and when it comes, I emit a shrieking wail that seems fittingly dramatic for the moment. "Yes! Surely I will not regret this when the footage is shared with me nine months from now," I think to myself. Moments later, the rancid scent of the fake blood hits my nostrils, and brings me firmly back to reality. The Academy Award slips from my fingers. Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream on Netflix. Add Squid Game: The Challenge to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">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.