I Kissed A Boy season 2 means Dannii Minogue is back for a second series of her gay dating show where 10 single men are matched and meet for the first time with a kiss!

In case you missed it the first time around in I Kissed A Boy season 1, the unique dating show sees a group of single men matched into pairs, and before they exchange any small talk, they must share a kiss with their proposed mate. They then move into an Italian villa, the "Masseria," where they get to know their partner and get to decide if they stick or twist!

Series 2 of I Kissed a Boy is set to give more singletons the chance to find their dream man. You can guarantee that the path to love will never run smoothly, and Bad Education and Strictly star Layton Williams is back to provide commentary on all the action.

"I'm so excited that I’ll be back in Italy to play Cupid," explains host Dannii Minogue. "I can’t wait to meet the next cast when the Masseria doors open... There are so many diverse and important stories yet to tell. And be sure that I’ll have the party started for a wonderful summer of love."

Here’s everything you need to know about series 2 of I Kissed A Boy…

I Kissed A Boy season 2

I Kissed A Boy season 2 is a 10-part series that starts on BBC3 and BBCiplayer on Sunday 11 May 2025, with two episodes to air each week from Sunday 11 May and Monday 12 May, each on BBC Three, but both episodes will be available on iPlayer from each Sunday.

Is there a trailer? 

Yes the BBC has released a trailer for I Kissed A Boy season 2 so we can see the lads who'll be getting down to the kissing, under Danni's guidance of course, Take a look below...

How I Kissed A Boy season 2 works 

10 single men are matched up according to their dating wish-lists and before they can speak, they must share a kiss. Then, they spend time in the Masseria, getting to know their partner and giving their relationship a chance. However, they must then face "kiss-offs" where they can choose to stay with their current partner or recouple with someone else.

What happens and contestants in I Kissed a Boy season 2

Here's a brief guide to the first two episodes in I Kissed A Boy season 2 with mention of a few of the contestants looking for love...

Episode 1: Sunday, May 11
The boys who like boys are back and pop icon Dannii Minogue is playing Cupid once again to 10 single boys who’ve been matched up to meet for the first time…with a kiss that could be the start of something incredible! But the path to love is never straight and in the swanky new masseria, everyone’s a possibility. As the boys get to know each other at their "Big Gay Gala", one boy has the opportunity to unlock the gate to the ‘Secret Garden’ and explore a connection outside of their match. Waiting in the wings is one more gorgeous boy hoping to find love, but who will be bold enough to grab the key?

Episode 2: Monday May 12
As the boys settle into their big, gay, summer of love the sparks are already flying around the masseria. New boy Callum has made quite the entrance, grabbing the attention of Jack S, who took the bold move to leave his match Jordan B behind to meet him in the secret garden.

With the door of opportunity now open for Jordan B to explore one of his other "options", love interest Rory has some explaining to do with his match Jordon R! In the shadow of their first kiss, Adam is still nervous to explore things with his match Ruben, but knows he will need to grab the bull by the horns if he’s going to step any closer to love. But with Ruben growing closer to Callum, has Adam left it too late to make his feelings clear? Just when Jack S thinks he can relax into wingman-ing his masseria bestie Jordon R, he realises Callum’s eyes might be wandering elsewhere and he should focus on matters of his own heart. With matchmaker Dannii Minogue announcing the first Kiss Off, the pressure is on for the boys to figure out where their hearts truly lie, as they brace themselves for the big decisions ahead.

All about host Dannii Minogue 

Dannii Minogue is the younger sister of Kylie and played Emma Jackson in the Aussie soap Home and Away from 1989 to 1990. She then had a pop career before appearing as a judge on The X Factor UK, Australia’s Got Talent, Britain and Ireland’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer Australia. She’s also hosted Dance Boss, It’s Not Just Saturday and I Kissed A Girl.

Teenage siblings Tiana and Tionne and their nine-year-old sister Tanika – are determined to stay together, but can they stop the authorities from sticking their nibs in and splitting them up?

Just Act Normal is a six-part comedy drama which has been created and written by Janice Okoh and is based on her award-winning 2011 play Three Birds.

"I wanted to explore how kids would live without a parental figure at home, and how they would survive," says Okoh.

"That was the inspiration for the play, which was funny, but dark and much bleaker. Just Act Normal is still dark, but more madcap-funny. I think it’s very uplifting, joyous and happy."

Although the play was set in South London, the series is based in and around Birmingham and features a host of new characters while some aspects of the story have been fleshed-out and new storylines have been added.

"Episode one is basically the play", adds Janice. "So, I had to come up with the rest of the series, which meant going back to the play and mining what was there to make it into the story, but there was just so much story that I wanted to put in. It was difficult to keep it all to six episodes."

Newcomers Chenée Taylor, Akins Subair and Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie make impressive debuts as the kids in a cast that also includes Vigil’s Romola Garai, Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe, singer and actor Jamelia and The Hardacres’ Adam Little.

Just Act Normal release date

The first two episodes of the six-part series air on BBC3 on Wednesday, April 16 at 9pm.

It will also be available as a box-set on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 16 April.

Just Act Normal plot

Tianna and her brother Tionne are teenagers who appear to have been left to fend for themselves, along with their nine-year-old sister Tanika, by their mum Jackie.

But as the story unfolds, we discover that they are hiding a dark and terrible secret…

Determined to stay together as a family, the kids resolve to hide the truth from the authorities and anyone else who tries to stick their beak in.

With Jackie seeming to have gone AWOL, her absence soon causes all sorts of problems for the kids.

With their estranged dad Leo is keen for Jackie to sign their divorce papers, and Tanika’s concerned teacher Miss Jenkins also eager to speak to the kids’ mum, will they be able to stop the truth from coming out?

Luckily, they get some unexpected help from Jackie’s drug dealer Dr Feelgood, and together they enlist the services of ‘Fake Jackie’, who poses as the kids’ mum to appease the concerns of Miss Jenkins.

Just Act Normal - cast

Tiana, Tionne and Tanika are played by newcomers Chenée Taylor, Akins Subair and Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie.

Playing the siblings’ dad Leo is Ivanno Jeremiah, who’s appeared in C4’s AI robot drama Humans, the Netflix supernatural thriller Lockwood & Co and A Discovery of Witches on Sky Max.

Meanwhile, Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe, who’s best known for playing Mercedes McQueen in the C4 soap, plays Leo’s fiancée Candy.

Dr Feelgood is played by Sam Buchanan, whose previous credits include romantic drama My Fault: London on Prime Video and C4 crime thriller Get Millie Black.

Miss Jenkins is played by Romola Garai, the BAFTA-winning actress who’s known for her roles in 1950s newsroom drama The Hour on BBC2 and C4’s historical drama Becoming Elizabeth. She also played Eliza Russell in the second series of BBC1 thriller Vigil.

Also starring are Adam Little, who played Joe Hardacre in Channel 5’s hit saga The Hardacres, as Tiana’s love interest Jamie, while the role of ‘Fake Jackie’ is played by singer and former Hollyoaks star Jamelia, who played Sharon Bailey in the C4 soap.

Just Act Normal – Interview with Jennifer Metcalfe

How would you sum up Just Act Normal?

"It's about three siblings who in a desperate attempt to all stay together, fight through blood, sweat and tears. It's funny, dramatic, heartbreaking and beautiful. When I was sent the scripts, I couldn't wait to read the next episode. I think I read all six in an hour. I was just addicted. It's amazing."

Tell us about your character, Candy…

"She’s the fiancée of Leo (Ivanno Jeremiah), who’s the estranged father of the three children. She's cold, hard-faced and a little bit of a witch! The kids hate her, so she’s the wicked stepmother. They are just an inconvenience to her and she finds them annoying. She'd really rather not have them around because she wants Leo to herself."

In Hollyoaks, Mercedes has quite a bold in-your-face fashion sense. What is Candy’s look like?

"She looks high class, sassy and sexy. It’s the sort of look that says you care about yourself way too much and more than you're ever going to care about anyone else."

How have you found the filming? Is it very different to working on Hollyoaks?

"On Hollyoaks, we’re churning out scenes and moving at a really fast pace. I love that and I think I've adapted really well to learning the scripts so quickly and doing so many scenes. On Just Act Normal, it’s more laidback and there’s more time to digest the scripts and get to know the character, and I enjoy that too. It’s just a very different ball game."

The series has a mostly young cast led by newcomers Chenée Taylor (Tiana), Akins Subair (Tionne) and Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie (Tanika). What was it like working with them?

"For some of them, it’s their first TV job or their first big job, and I'm like, ‘Are you for real?’ Their acting is on a different level. They were amazing and it was an honour to work alongside them. They’re brilliant."

BBC teen drama Crongton follows the lives of a group of youngsters growing up on a thriving, multicultural housing estate.

The show is based on the series of books by the same name, written by author Alex Wheatle, who says: "I can’t wait for everyone to see the show. It was wonderful to meet the Crongton cast, especially the young actors. They brought to vivid life characters right in front of me that I had carried in my head for years.”

The script has been written by writer and comedian Archie Maddocks and boasts an exciting cast of young talent who were put together after an open casting call on social media for underrepresented actors.

The story follows much-loved characters Lemar ‘Liccle Bit’ Jackson (Samson Agboola), Venetia King (Nielle Springer) and co. as they navigate the trials and tribulations of growing up.

“I’m so excited for people to see the quirky, mad world of Crongton that we've created,” says Archie Maddocks. “Every single cast member is fire, but then again, I’m also in the cast and definitely drag the team down, but I’m sort of proud of that?"

Here’s everything we know about Crongton…

Crongton release date

The 10-part young adult drama series will air on BBC Three from Monday, March 24 at 7pm.

All 10 episodes will also be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer from the same date.

Crongton plot

The series follows a group of teens who live on a housing estate as they cope with the complexities of social politics, peer pressure and identity. They must all try to find a place for themselves in a world teeming with possibilities but fraught with danger.

Crongton cast

Newcomer Samson Agboola leads the cast as Liccle Bit. Nielle Springer also stars as Venetia King, Noah Cox as Mckay Tambo, Seyi Andes-Pelumi as Jonah ‘Rapid’ Hani, Safia Hamad as Saira Alzuhur, Sophie Spatariu as Juniper Petrescu and Bobby North as ‘Boy from the Hills’.

The series also features Seraphina Beh as Elaine, Bunmi Osadolor as Manjaro and Savannah Steyn as Mo. Kelle Bryan, Sutara Gayle, Toussaint Meghie, Eddie Kadi, Michelle de Swarte and Munya Chawawa round out the cast.

Speaking of playing Liccle Bit, Samson said he hopes viewers will learn something from the show: "The first thing I hope they take away is not to deal with gangsters! Another thing that is really important is friendship and always trust that no matter what you’re going through, your friends will always help you, along with your parents who will also be there for support."

Noah Cox who pays Mckay Tambo adds: "People should watch Crongton because even though it's a fun and enjoyable TV show for young people, it's also a lesson. It’s all about making decisions and choices, with themes that both kids and adults can relate to.

"Whether that’s a family member passing away, body image, having friends from different backgrounds, talking to different people. There’s something in there for everyone and it’s going to be amazing."

Is there a trailer for Crongton?

Yes, you can watch all the drama packed into this new series below...

What It Feels Like For A Girl is a BBC Three drama series that follows trans teenager Byron on a voyage of discovery.

Set in the early 2000s and bringing to life the memoir by writer and journalist Paris Lees, it follows Byron who is stuck in a small working-class town but escapes and finds her tribe in the "Fallen Divas", a chaotic group of troublemakers enjoying the hedonism of Nottingham’s club scene. But when Byron is seduced by bad boy Liam, life changes forever.

"I'm excited, hysterical, thrown and overblown with bliss, but most of all I'm just having so much fun bringing this universe to life in a visual medium," says author Paris Lees.

“It’s a primal scream — from the depths of a council estate — against a world that would prefer people who don’t fit the norm didn’t exist. But we do and we’re not going away, we’re not apologising and we’re not shutting up. This is a deeply personal project and I’m thrilled to be working with the BBC and the team at Hera who have been so supportive of both me and my creative vision. The fact Chris Sweeney is directing, well, I feel like I’m top of the pops. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’re cooking up."

Paris Lees said: "This is a proudly working-class story, and it needed a cast who could bring it to life authentically. We've struck gold with these highly talented actors, some of whom are already familiar faces — and some who are about to be. The biggest challenge was always the lead role — we're following someone who’s going from, in the eyes of the outside world, a schoolboy, right up to a trans woman starting university, and all that's in between. The moment I saw Ellis, I recognised something in him — a cheekiness, a delicateness, a complexity — and knew he was the one. And he rose to the challenge, again and again. The chemistry between El, Hannah, Laquarn and the rest of the Fallen Divas is something you can only dream of in drama."

Here’s everything you need to know about the series What It Feels Like For A Girl…

What It Feels Like For A Girl release date 

What It Feels Like For A Girl is an eight-part series that will air on BBC Three and BBCiPlayer on Tuesday 3 June 2025. When a US air date and channel is announced, we’ll update you on here.

Is there a trailer?

Yes a trailer for What It Feels Like For A Girl is now available from the BBC, so do take a look below...

What It Feels Like For A Girl plot 

What It Feels Like For A Girl is set at the start of the new millennium, against a soundtrack of Missy Elliott, Moloko and Basement Jaxx.

It follows teenager Byron who is stuck in a former mining town. Sick of being beaten up and with a mum and dad who don’t understand, Byron escapes to Nottingham, embraces her true self, and gets swept up in the underground club scene.

After meeting The Fallen Divas, a group of queer people who take her under their wing, Bryon embarks on a journey of love, danger, self-discovery and self-destruction but a shocking encounter with a bad boy turns life upside down.

Everything changes when Byron embarks on a passionate relationship with Max (Calam Lynch), but when Max disappears without explanation, Byron goes searching for him on the queer club scene in Nottingham – and finds a new spiritual home instead.

After meeting charismatic podium dancer Lady Die (Laquarn Lewis), Byron is adopted into Die’s found family of misfits, the Fallen Divas, which also includes acid-tongued trans sex worker Sasha (Hannah Jones).

What It Feels Like For A Girl cast

Ellis Howard stars as teenager Byron. "We first meet Byron at 15 years of age," says Ellis. "I think they're sick of Hucknall, sick of being beaten up, sick of being in a town that doesn't understand them, but also not fully understanding themself yet because they haven't found their tribe. When they do find the Divas, they go on this odyssey which is immoral, sometimes illegal, but always fun — a journey into self-discovery."

Other key characters are Lady Die (played by Laquarn Lewis), Sticky Nikki (Alex Thomas-Smith), Dirty Damian (Adam Ali), and Sasha (Hannah Jones).

"At the start of the series, Sasha is 18 and going out clubbing," says Hannah. "She's a young sex worker and she's trans, and I think she feels so liberated through her sexuality and her sex work that she beats through any problems she does have through being a working-class trans girl. She's always just like 'I'm going to make more money, and then I'm going to do this, and that.' I think we meet her at a bit of a troubled time — I don't think she understands herself, and I think maybe seeing Byron discover themself maybe helps her, in a big sister sort of role, potentially find herself also."

"Die is in her element at the start of the series," adds Laquarn. "She's always just wanted to have fun, or chase men, or steal from a shop — she's just a reckless human being, which is why we love her. She's got her tight-knit friendship group, who she can go on adventures with, and then we meet Byron and let them in, and have a little taster of what the Divas are all about — and why we are the Fallen Divas, because we truly fall!"

The cast also includes Emma Shipp (Rivals), Sekou Diaby (Boarders), Laura Checkley (Screw), Oliver Huntingdon (Sherwood), Lorn Macdonald (Bridgerton), and Rhys Connah (Happy Valley), with guest appearances from Fay Ripley (Cold Feet) and Selina Mosinski (aka Charity Shop Sue).

Behind the scenes and more on What It Feels Like For A Girl

What It Feels Like For A Girl filming took place in 2024. The series is created and written by Paris Lees while Chris Sweeney is lead director.

Executive producers are Liza Marshall and Ron O’Berst for Hera Pictures, with Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC. Paris Lees and Chris Sweeney will also serve as executive producers.

Lead director and executive producer Chris Sweeney says: "What a team to be making this with. Paris is a unique talent, Hera Pictures are an extraordinary bunch, and the team at the BBC has been so supportive of what is a truly special story. I’m very excited about this show."

Liza Marshall, executive producer for Hera Pictures says: “Paris is a truly exciting talent. She has created a daringly distinctive world, richly drawn characters that viewers will fall in love with, and a compelling story that will challenge perceptions.

"With Paris, the BBC and Chris Sweeney, we have found the dream team of creative partners and we could not be more thrilled to be working with them to bring this ground-breaking series to life in a way that is just as funny, gobby, joyful, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking as her original memoir.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: "We're delighted to join forces with Paris Lees, Chris Sweeney and all at Hera Pictures to bring Paris' fantastic debut book to BBC Three and iPlayer.

"Anyone who's read What It Feels Like For A Girl will know what a hugely distinctive, surprising and moving work it is, and its journey to the BBC - adapted by Paris herself - sees the arrival of an exciting new voice in UK television."

 All about author Paris Lees 

Author, journalist and campaigner Paris was the first trans columnist on Vogue and published her book What It Feels Like For A Girl in 2021. Her childhood was traumatic, she was badly bullied and ended up in prison after committing a robbery where she turned her life around. On her release, Paris transitioned, went to university and had a successful career as a journalist. She has appeared on Boy Meets Girl, Hollyoaks, Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls and Question Time.

We Built a Zoo — exclusive interview with Kyle Thomas

At the age of twelve Kyle Thomas started making online videos for fun, amassed a legion of followers, and went on to become the UK’s highest-earning teenage TikToker. Yet when he started posting about his menagerie of exotic pets - including a Capybara called Queen Elizabeth, who tragically passed away in 2022 - he faced public backlash.

We Built a Zoo follows Kyle as he teams up with no-nonsense Northern Ireland builder and petting zoo owner Phil Hughes to create a world-class wildlife park in County Tyrone.

During the hour-long film, he mucks in with all elements of animal care and helps build new enclosures. He also travels to South Africa and Costa Rica for hands-on experience in running a wildlife park. And, after a lot of hard graft, inspectors grant ‘The Mylo Project’ a zoo licence.

Speaking exclusively to What to Watch, Kyle Thomas, whose focus today is on animal conversation, told us why he wanted to make the BBC3 film. 

Here Kyle, 20, guides us through his one-off special We Built a Zoo…

We Built a Zoo release date

We Built a Zoo is available to watch on BBC3 on Wednesday, October 2 at 9pm. It will also be released on BBC iPlayer.

We Built a Zoo trailer 

The trailer for We Built a Zoo sees Kyle give a very honest account for how his show came about and the ups and downs he has had along the way. You can watch below... 

Kyle on why he wanted to make We Built a Zoo and addressing the controversy that brought him to this point in his life

“I was 15 years old when I had the majority of the exotic pets. I love animals and the idea of being around them and living with them seemed amazing,” explains Kyle, who has 35 million TikTok followers, is a part-time model, and an animal conservationist.

“As that went on, I realised that there's a really dark side to the trading of exotic pets, and it wasn't something that aligned with who I was.”

Kyle on his journey of learning

“I think the biggest thing for me is learning to be an animal lover and an animal advocate for the best interest of the animals, and not for myself. I think it's so easy for everyone to say, ‘I'm an animal lover,’ but you love those animals because of the way they make you feel. I'm now on a journey of learning to be an animal lover who’s an advocate for their best interests."

Kyle on sharing what he’s learned

“No matter how hard you try, a house is never going to be a natural environment. Even in the wildlife park, you still have to go through extremes to make it work for the animals. I am learning myself and viewers can witness that change and learn with me. I'm not an expert. I'm not trying to be an expert. I'm learning as I go. And the great thing is, I can deliver all of that information back to the viewer, they can learn with me, and we're on this journey together.”

On the merits of a TV documentary over social media

“I wanted to make the show because it's actually much more authentic than social media, just because social media is so short. When you post 15 seconds of anything you're doing, especially with animals, you're posting the best 15 seconds and it’s the stuff that people want to see. With TV we were able to get every emotion in, every crisis, which means that when people watch it they see all of the sides of looking after animals, rather than just the pretty, cutesy side.”

Kyle on mucking in with all elements of animal care, from poo cleaning duties to building new enclosures and working with vets. 

“I have learned so much about all of the practical side of things, from construction and tractors to farming and caring for goats hooves. I've also learned I’m probably not going to be doing any more bricklaying [something he attempts in the film] - it’s way too heavy! I thought that they were breeze blocks, which aren’t so heavy. I went to pick one up with confidence, but I couldn’t. It was mortifying!”

“In Costa Rica I was learning about how to take bloods from sloths and about how, when it comes to moving some animals, the injections that you've got to give them beforehand to make sure that they don't suffer stress myopathy. 

“I'm learning all of this technical and really boring stuff to some people, but I love it. I would never close off the idea of me going and studying something like that. This really is where my interest is and what I love doing.”

On working with Phil Hughes

“Phil couldn’t be more different to me and I couldn’t be more different to him, but our love for animals has connected us. It’s definitely been an unforeseen friendship. He doesn’t care about social media, Milan Fashion Week or anything like that. I’m just a guy who loves animals and doesn't mind picking up poo! I’ve learned so much from him.”

More on travelling to Costa Rica and South Africa for hands-on experience in running a wildlife park

“I went to a wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary in Costa Rica, which you can see in the show, and it was great. I learned so much. I was in the clinic while they were doing veterinary work, going out to wildlife rescues, releasing animals. It was really amazing. And again, a very eye-opening thing for me, because nothing beats seeing animals in the wild and knowing that that's what I always want to advocate for.

“Alma, who I met in South Africa, is incredible. Literally, just before this interview, I got told that she rescued a leopard last weekend. One of the goals that we have is, if we have meerkats, for example, let those meerkats be ambassadors for their native cousins. Let's raise awareness about projects which are abroad and help those animals.”

Kyle on the main components of a healthy, thriving zoo or sanctuary

“When it comes to animal care it's keeping things as natural as possible. That's why I went to Africa for the meerkats, and why I'll be going to other places. We’re not the wild, we're not Africa, we're not Costa Rica, we're not the Amazon rainforest, but how can we try and best replicate that? How can we make sure the diets are spot on? It’s also respecting the fact we're not the wild, that the animals don’t have hundreds of acres of space, so what are we going to do then? How do we come up with other ways for enrichment, such as hiding their food, and keeping things stimulating and different for them, so that they aren't sitting in enclosures bored.”

On the animals currently living at the sanctuary

“We have meerkats, marmosets, a ton of reptiles, frilled neck lizards, bearded dragons, iguanas, a Chinese water dragon, some bunnies, ferrets. We have deer, foxes, pigs and goats. Wallabies, a macaw, a gala parrot. We have tenrics - they are small animals from Madagascar that look like hedgehogs but are not related to hedgehogs. We also have African pygmy hedgehogs, stick insects, snakes… it goes on!”

Now inspectors have granted ‘The Mylo Project’ a licence, what’s next?

“A lot of people ask us, ‘What animals are next?’ But it is less about what animals are next and thinking how do we make these animals' lives better. How do we make sure they've got more and more space? Are we utilising all of the things that we've got? We have just started building a new enclosure for the marmosets, for example. 

“When it comes to animals next, it's about which animals really need our help and can benefit most from what we're doing. If somebody came tomorrow and said, ‘I've got four meerkats, I'm giving them up, will you take them?’ We want to have the space for that. We don't want to fill the place up with animals that actually don’t need our help. We want to have the space for rescue animals, because it would be awful to turn away animals that really, really need help." 

On the message for visitors to The Mylo Project

“Come and meet the animals, and have that human connection. But while you do that, let our keepers talk to you about the fact that they really need your help, or why you shouldn't have them as pets and all of these different things. There are so many exotics in the UK and Northern Ireland, and a lot of those animals are being given up. Phil and I have the same mission: to help animals and raise awareness. We want to be a facility that can take them in and ambassadors to stop it happening again."

The Mylo Project

Daddy Issues starring Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey is set to return for a second series on BBC Three and iPlayer. 

The news that the hilarious comedy series has been renewed by the BBC was announced today, Monday, September 16, following the huge success of Daddy Issues season 1, which has become the biggest show for BBC Three since 2022. 

From dating disasters and failed romances to toxic friendships and messy family dynamics, this big-hearted story about a father and daughter has captured the hearts of the nation, and now a second season means we will get to see what happens next in Gemma and Malcolm's world of parenting. 

Set in Stockport, the first series saw Gemma (Aimee Lou Wood) discover she’s pregnant after a random hook-up, but with her sister Catherine (Sharon Rooney) in prison and her mum Davina (Susan Lynch) travelling around the world to find herself, Gemma had no choice but to turn to her hapless father Malcolm (David Morrissey) for support. 

The end of the series saw Gemma going into labour at Rita's (Sarah Hadland) salon, then giving birth to baby Sadie with friends Cherry (Taj Atwal) and Xander (Arian Nik) by her side. Meanwhile, Malcolm rushed to make it to the hospital in time, with toxic friend Derek (David Fynn) in tow. But a face from the past could change everything for them. 

Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy says of the new series: “We’re delighted to play midwife to a second series of Daddy Issues. Danielle Ward’s razor-sharp scripts and the dream pairing of Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey have struck a chord with viewers and we can’t wait to see Gemma and Malcolm take the first steps on their parenting/grand-parenting journey.”

Cast members Aimee Lou Wood and David Morrissey are also thrilled at the prospect of finding out what happens next for Gemma and Malcolm now that baby Sadie is in the world. 

Aimee said of the news: “Daddy Issues is the most fun I’ve ever had on a job and I can’t wait to do it again! I’m so excited to see what Danielle has cooking for Malcolm, Gemma, Sadie and the gang. I just know it’s going to be hilarious and heart-melting.”

David added: “I’m delighted to be doing another series of Daddy Issues. Working with Aimee was a dream, and Danielle’s writing is so funny and heartwarming! Can’t wait!" 

You can stream Daddy Issues season 1 on BBC iPlayer now.

Funboys is a BBC comedy series about three emotionally immature young men trying to cope with life’s highs and lows. It stars Ryan Dylan, Rian Lennon and Lee R. James as friends Callum, Jordan and Lorcan who must deal with everything from first girlfriends to dead pet pigs.

Funboys was previously a short film released by the BBC in 2023 which is still available on IPlayer. Now there's a full series on its way. Writers and stars of the series, Rian Lennon and Ryan Dylan say: "We are so happy to be making a series about the important things in our lives: innocent wholesome fun, growing up, dying, screaming mental health issues, videogames and the ultimate power of friendship."

Here’s everything you need to know about Funboys…

Funboys release date

Funboys is a four-part comedy series that launches on BBC3 on Friday February 14 2025 at 10pm. All six episodes will also be box set on BBCiPlayer from that date. The series will arrive on BBC1 soon and we will update on the BBC1 launch date soon.

Funboys plot 

Funboys follows three friends Callum, Jordan and Lorcan, who struggle to take anything seriously. Life is never easy for them though, and they are put through the psychological ringer. But will their love of mucking about land them in trouble?

In the opening episode the dysfunctional trio’s love of innocent fun - namely, playing video games, eating chicken dippers and consuming copious amounts of fizzy drinks - is threatened when interloper Gemma (Ele McKenzie) sets her sights on sheltered shop worker Callum before shifting her attentions to philosophical butcher Lorcan. Cue ructions, rivalry, madcap reactions and a cringeworthy sexual encounter on a swan pedalo!

Funboys main cast — Rian Lennon, Ryan Dylan and Lee R. James on starring in the comedy

In Funboys, Rian Lennon plays Jordan while Ryan Dylan plays Callum and Lee R. James stars as Lorcan.

Rian Lennon says: “We were very lucky to have such a uniquely funny assortment of actors who understood the show’s specific tone. Each person brought their own colour and verve and the result is a lovely collaborative finger painting of silly wholesome comedy that we're very excited to stick up on the nation’s fridges."

The main trio are great friends in real life too. "Myself and Rian have known each other for about a decade and I went to school with Lee, so that’s added to our characters and performances for sure," says Ryan.

Rian adds: "This series grew from sketches we made together on our YouTube channel SuperLemon. We had one called Funboys where the concept was these three guys had a literal club dedicated to having fun. The short took that idea and asked what happened if you added things like death and the complications of life," 

Who else is starring?

Other Funboys cast includes Jamie Demetriou who plays David (see pictured above), plus Ele McKenzie, Brian Devlin, Owen Colgan, Paul Bazely (Benidorm), Richard Croxford, Emer O’Connor, Amanda Hurwitz, James Martin, Vanessa Ifediora, Walter Chigui and Brendan Quinn.

Jamie Demetriou says: “The Funboys pilot blew me away. Their dedication to making something genuinely funny and specific is deeply exciting and very rare. Getting to see it in person on set was a career highlight for me.”

Is there a trailer? 

Yes, the Funboys season 1 trailer is available to watch here. You can watch the 14 minute-short of Funboys here.

Behind the scenes, locations and more on Funboys

Funboys is made by Mayhay Studios and is filmed and set in Northern Ireland, with support from Northern Ireland Screen. Rian Lennon, who is from Belfast, co-wrote Funboys with Ryan Dylan and also serves as a director.

Executive producer and story writer, Simon Mayhew-Archer of Mayhay Studios says: "Rian, Ryan and Lee are three of the funniest, most inventive people I've worked with and I really hope this show brings as much happiness to others as it has to me."

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning says: “Rian, Ryan and Lee have a completely original and hilarious comic vision, so we’re delighted to see their debut series arrive on screen and to have exciting new Northern Irish voices on the BBC.”

Eddie Doyle, Head of Commissioning for BBC Northern Ireland, says: “It’s been fantastic to see this project develop from a BBC iPlayer short we co-commissioned with BBC Comedy, into a four part network series. Rian, Ryan and Lee are uniquely brilliant in their comedy and Funboys is quite unlike anything else out there.”

Funboy filming locations

Set in the fictional town of Ballymacnoose, the series was filmed on location in Northern Ireland with BAFTA-winning This Country producer, Simon Mayhew-Archer.

"It was important to us that we filmed in Northern Ireland," says Ryan, who was an assistant director on Game of Thrones. "There’s a lot of things here that haven't been seen on a wider scale. In the same way Simon did with This Country, the characters you encounter in those smaller villages and towns are a well of untapped potential."

"Simon's big input was trying to retain the lo-fi nature of the sketches." adds Rian. "We filmed in Tandraghee, Armagh and Belfast, but the best location was Lorcan’s farm. It’s like a zoo with ostriches, tortoises, goats and llamas, it was amazing."

Funboys — season 1 episode guide

Episode 1

Much ado about nuttin'

Life’s good for the funboys until Callum gets his first ever girlfriend and the change in dynamic threatens both their friendship and Jordan’s life.

Episode 2

Once Upon a Time in Ballymacnoose

After a gas leak at his flat, Callum moves in with Lorcan and his dad, Sammy, aka the biggest git in Ballymacnoose. Under Sammy’s tutelage, Callum discovers the power of being a total and utter git.

Episode 3

Pigs in Sleeping Bags

Gemma brings home a new pet and unwittingly unlocks some painful memories for Lorcan. Callum moves in with Jordan and his two dads and learns about a thing called 'feelings'.

"Working with the pig was an experience, to say the least," says Lee, who plays Lorcan. "The handler told me that I had a nice bond and most people wouldn't be able to get that close, but working with a pig on a leash was weird!"

Episode 4

Friends Forever

Gemma and Lorcan throw a party at the farm but Gemma struggles to keep hold of her identity in the tight-knit community of Ballymacnoose. Meanwhile, Callum makes a new friend but there’s a catch and his worst fears are realised...

Jamie Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats) guest stars in the series finale as Gemma’s unhinged brother David, who persuades Callum to do something out of character while on a drug binge!

"Jamie was amazing, he liked the script and he took it so seriously," says Ryan of Callum and David's risqué scenes. "I pretend to be annoyed but I’ve no regrets. If we get another series, I know I can get my revenge on Rian and Lee in future scripts!"

Daddy Issues sees David Morrissey and Aimee Lou Wood team up to play a struggling father and daughter who are forced to share a flat.

In the six-part comedy, airing in the UK on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer from Thursday 15 August, Sherwood and The Long Shadow star Morrissey portrays well-meaning but inept dad Malcolm, who is living in a grotty bedsit after his divorce. 

But when his daughter Gemma, played by Sex Education’s Wood, suddenly finds out she is pregnant after an encounter with a stranger on a plane, she reluctantly asks Malcolm to move in with her for a bit of moral and financial support. As Gemma tries to prepare for motherhood, however, she also finds herself having to teach her dad the ways of the modern world.

Here, David Morrissey reveals all about Daddy Issues…

Daddy Issues is very different for you, as we're used to seeing you in dramatic roles. How have you found it?

“I’ve loved it. You're always trying to look at different things. I've done comedy like Blackpool and Inside No. 9. And this is comedy, but there's something at the heart of it that’s truthful. And we were laughing our socks off on set all the time!” 

What is your take on Malcolm?

“I adore him! He's a man-child and downtrodden and has lost his way and has to play catch-up. But he doesn't have the manual that everybody else has to operate in the world. He is behind the curve. And he blames other people, particularly his ex- wife [Davina played by The Change's Susan Lynch] for where he is. I don't think he's got a mean bone in his body though. He’s just frightened of the world, pathologically shy and needs someone to hold his hand.”

How do you see his relationship with Gemma?

“When she comes back into his life, it’s perfect for both of them, but also a car crash! She's like the adult. It’s always hard when the child has to parent their parent! He needs to learn from his daughter. And she guides him through things like dating apps – with varied success! But she picks up from him a new way of affection and love. He’s doing his best to be there and constantly surprising her – there's always a chance he'll do something endearing.” 

Did you and Aimee enjoy working together?

“Yes, we had a great time. Aimee and I really got on. She’s inventive and wants to play inside the scenes. But it's about those quiet moments as well and just seeing this internal journey that Aimee radiates out to you, is so beautiful.”

Was there anything in the show that reminded you of your own family?

“No! It’s very different from my setup. But I recognise things in Malcolm from the place I grew up in [in Liverpool]. It was chaotic and a sink or swim environment. We were four kids and I lost my father when I was young. If you fall over, no one's going pick you up. I tapped into that – Malcolm’s got a survivor thing going on.” 

And would making a second season of Daddy Issues appeal to you?

“There's a lot of story left. I don't think it’s giving too much away to say that somebody else arrives at the end of the season… It’d be interesting to see what Malcolm would be like as a grandfather!” 

Daddy Issues airs on BBC Three from Thursday, August 15 at 9pm, and the whole season will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. 

Here is everything that happened in episode 6 and how the series ends... 

Who is the girl in Elliot's loft? 

The final episode opens with Pip still in Elliot's loft with the mystery girl he has been keeping captive in there.

She explains that she was sleeping rough when Elliot found her five years ago, and at first, he thought she was Andie, but when she wasn't who he was looking for her he offered her a place to stay that night. But that evening he got drunk and confessed to killing someone... Sal! 

The news is a huge shock to Pip as everyone believed that Sal had taken his own life, which is something Elliot had planned. In a flashback we see Elliot talking to Isla (the woman in the loft), confessing to drugging Sal and smothering him, and talking about how he feels bad about killing him but that he had to. 

Isla is sickened but pretends to be fine as she is terrified of Elliot now and asks him for a drink. As he leaves the room she tries to run out of the front door, but Elliot stops her and that's how she came to be kept captive in his loft. 

Soon the police arrive and arrest Elliot and save Isla, who is taken away in an ambulance. Pip is also freed and her dad runs towards her and hugs her tight. 

The next morning Pip is at home and she tears down all the evidence on her wall and rubs off all the writing... believing she now has the case cracked. But has she? 

Pip and Ravi talk about how things have changed now that everyone knows Sal didn't take his own life or kill Andie. Ravi says his parents are happy one minute and sad the next. Pip tries to talk to Ravi, struggling to tell him how she feels about him, but he cuts her off and tells her he is leaving the village, finally free now they know what really happened to his brother. 

Pip is heartbroken that he is going, but things look slightly better when she sees Cara at school and they share a hug. The fact Pip uncovered Cara's dad as a killer hangs between them, but it looks like there is hope for their friendship still. 

Later at home, Pip cries about ruining Cara's life and her mum comforts her, telling her she is amazing and that she's proud of everything she has done. It's only when her mum says she is annoyed that Elliot doesn't have the decency to own up to killing Andie that Pip is given food for thought... what if Elliot didn't kill Andie? 

Back in her room, Pip digs out some of the evidence she threw away and makes a new timeline, which proves that Elliot couldn't have been the one to kill Barney... meaning there is another killer still out there.

Pip goes to speak to Elliot at the police station and confronts him about kidnapping Isla, killing Sal and having a relationship with a student - all of which he doesn't deny. But two things Elliot didn't do is kill Barney or Andie. So who did? 

Pip realises that the person sending her threatening texts is different from Elliot's paper threats and that there is someone else who is hiding a secret. 

Elliot tells her that Andie wanted money because she was scared of her dad, Jason, and that his alibi for the night she died was being at a dinner party. But Elliot says he knows that Jason left the dinner party for a time because he saw him in his blue van while Elliot was out looking for Andie. But it is Jason's word against Elliot's. 

Why did Elliot blackmail his own daughter?

Elliot tells Pip that he knew when Andie was found that all evidence would lead to him, so he needed to act fast. He remembered Naomi acting differently not long before and so he read her diary and found out about the hit-and-run. 

He claims a dark thought, a way of covering his back, then planted itself in his mind, and that was to kill Sal and put the blame for Andie's disappearance on him. He says he was doing it to protect his girls, so he used the hit and run as a way to make Naomi and Max lie to the police and make his story about Sal killing Andie work. 

With her time with Elliot over, Pip goes to see Ravi and tells him that they still have a killer to find. But he has packed and is ready to leave, and doesn't want to hear anything about Elliot, the man who killed his brother. Pip tries to persuade him to stay, that they are a team, but he tells her it is over and she leaves, upset. 

Did Jason kill his own daughter?

Pip heads to a recycling plant where she finds the blue van hidden under some tarpaulin. She is convinced that she has found the van that Jason killed Andie in, but it turns out to be a false alarm. 

Jessie, the girl from the party who saved her from the drug dealers comes to her rescue once again, saving her from being caught snooping around the plant. But she tells Pip that Jason didn't leave the dinner party to kill Andie, but that the alarm went off at the recycling plant and he was heading out to switch it off, and she knows because she works there. 

Jessie says Becca was her best friend and that she and Andie were wild, which is why their dad was so strict with them. She tells Pip about a night when Becca went to a calamity party and ended up having her drink spiked. She then woke up somewhere else having been raped by a mystery man.

Back at home, Pip looks at her evidence board again and works out that the man who raped Becca must have been Max Hastings because he was the mystery customer called TT who had a soft spot for Rohypnol... the drug that Andie used to sell to him. She calls Max and he admits that he slept with Becca, but it was consensual, something that Pip points out isn't possible when Becca was unconscious after being drugged. 

Who really killed Andie Bell?

We finally find out who killed Andie when Pip works out that the last time she was seen was by her sister, Becca. In a series of flashbacks, we see Andie walking home with her bloodied head, which we now know was from her argument with Elliot. 

In the present day, Pip goes to confront Becca at home and she talks about Max raping her and says she asked her sister to come to the police station to report it. But Andie refused to help because she was the one who supplied the Rohpnol to Max, meaning she would be in trouble. 

Becca tells Pip that Andie was planning to run away with Sal the next day and was selling drugs to save money for her escape. Becca says she was annoyed with Andie because it was always them against their dad, and now she was leaving her alone, so she shoved her and she hit her head against the door and collapsed, where Becca watched her choke and die.

Pip points out that Andie was already injured by Elliot, so Becca isn't fully responsible for killing her. Becca says it doesn't matter now and asks if Pip wants to see where she put the body. Pip says yes, but Becca tells her to finish her tea before they leave. Soon Becca takes Pip back to the caves where the calamity party was held. 

As they get deeper into the dark caves, Ravi has a change of heart and gets off the bus, coming home to see Pip he finds her car outside Jason's house. He is worried that Jason has done something to Pip because the last time they talked she told him she thought he had killed Andie. 

He goes to Cara's house and asks for her help, which is hard for him seeing as her dad killed his brother. She can track Pip on her phone and they see she is in the woods, and they head off to save her. 

Where is Andie Bell's body?

Becca takes Pip into the depths of the caves where she uncovers a well and tells her that's where she dumped her sister's body. She tells Pip that she is going to have to put her in the well now, too, seeing as she knows the truth, and Pip realises that she has been drugged. 

Lashing out at Becca, she manages to escape but collapses in the cave as the Rohypnol takes effect. Becca catches up with her and starts to drag her lifeless body towards the well just as Ravi and Cara turn up and save her. They have called the police and Becca is caught before she can escape. 

In another flashback we see young Pip in the school corridor again and when Sal asks her which way Andie went. We discover it wasn't him she was trying to hide from it was her dad, and she tells Sal that her dad knows everything and they need to leave the next day. They agree to run away together and tell each other they love one another, not realising that they are both about to be killed. 

Who killed Barney the dog?

After Pip discovered that Becca was the one who dealt the final blow that killed Andie, it soon became clear that she was the one who had been sending her the text messages, watched her through the window from her dark garden, and was also the one who killed her dog, Barney. 

What happens to Max Hastings?

Back at Pip's house, we discover that she has finished her EPQ and that she has done it about Andie's case after all. Her mum tells her that it is written brilliantly but Pip says that she isn't sure if she wants to go to Cambridge University anymore, or if she only wants to go there because it is where her late father went. Her mum tells her to follow her heart and she will support her in whatever she decides to do. 

Pip then goes to see Max, and he is flirty with her until she tells him that he is the root of all the evil in the case and that she isn't going to stop until every single person he has ever wronged gets justice. He is left lost for words for once as she walks off, triumphant. 

Do Pip and Ravi end up together?

Yes! At the end of the epsiode Pip goes to see Ravi at their secret place at the lake, where they finally share a kiss. The camera then pans away, and the last shot is of the black ribbon tied to the trees that we have seen throughout the series. 

All episodes of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are now available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US the series will be released as a box set on Netflix on Thursday, August 1.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. 

Here is everything that happened in episode 5... 

The fifth and penultimate episode of the series opens with a flashback to New Year's Eve five years ago. Naomi is explaining to Pip how she ended up being forced to lie to the police after someone saw her, Max and Jake caught up in a hit-and-run as Max drove them all home drunk. 

While in the present time, Naomi tells Pip that she was terrified and didn't know what to do, in the flashback we see Max taking charge after the crash, making a call to a mystery person as he surveys the other car, which is in a bad way and upside down on the other side of the road. Naomi wants to call an ambulance but Max tells her they have to leave and drives off, leaving the other driver to die. 

The hit and run made it into the paper a few days later, but there was no mention of Max and his friends, meaning whoever Max called made their connection to the crime go away. However, someone did see them, because just days after Andie's disappearance they got a note with instructions about how they needed to lie to the police about what time Sal left their party and telling them to delete any photos they might have of that night after 10.30 pm. 

In the present day, Naomi tells Pip that she has had to live with the guilt that her best friend killed himself because of what she did, and as she is confessing everything Max walks in and is fuming that she has told Pip their dark secret. He tries to keep his anger in check and says they made a pact not to tell anyone before smashing Naomi's phone. But Pip has proof, the photo on social media that Sal took of his friends... the one remaining photo that Max forgot to delete that proves Sal was at their party beyond 10.30 pm. 

Cara arrives at the reunion and finds out what has been going on. As Naomi dances alone on the dancefloor, Pip and Cara talk about the fact whoever killed Andie has been blackmailing Naomi ever since and she has had to live with it. Pip points out that she could go to jail for what she has done and Cara admits she couldn't lose another person in her life after her mum's death. Pip promises her best friend that she will try and find a way to prove Sal is innocent without exposing Naomi's part in it all. 

Later that night Pip is getting a drink before bed and Barney starts barking at the back door at something outside in the dark garden. Pip tries to ignore it but gets a text saying 'nice pjs' meaning whoever is outside is watching her. She goes out into the garden and confronts the unseen person, but no one comes out of hiding so she goes back inside and makes a video telling the world that she is going to announce the results of her investigations into Andie's disappearance tomorrow. 

Her phone pings and it is Ravi, who has seen her video online and is outside to see her. He comes into the house and tells her he thinks she is playing a dangerous game, but Pip says she is using the video as a way to lure the killer out of hiding and she finally shows him the threats she has been getting on her phone and in the notes that keep appearing. 

The pair make a pact to stay up all night and keep watch and they chat about their past and hopes for the future, getting closer as the hours go by. 

The next morning is Pip's brother Josh's 10th birthday and they have a party. But during the celebrations, Pip gets a text saying 'You'll regret this, drop the case if you want to see him again'. Pip panics that the killer has got Josh, but eventually, he is found and it turns out it is her pet dog, Barney who is missing. 

The family hunts for him in the woods but with no luck. It is only when they get home they find his lifeless body on the side of the road. Her parents think he has been hit by a car, but Pip knows this wasn't an accident and is heartbroken as they bury him in the garden. 

With her grief fueling her need to solve the case, Pip looks at her evidence board and realises that Dan Da Silva must have been the person that Max called the night of the hit and run. She goes to confront him at work, but while he admits he was the one who helped Max, he didn't kill Andie. He was in a relationship with Andie years before when she was just 15 - which Pip points out is statutory rape. Max found out and used it against Dan, blackmailing him whenever he needed police help. 

Still no closer to finding out who the killer is, Pip turns her attention to her English exam at school and Cara's dad, Elliot Ward, who is also head of English at Pip's school, drives them all home after the exam so they can watch movies. 

But as Pip gets in the car with Elliot and her friends, she gets a call from 'Secret Older Guy' which is the number she put in her phone after finding it in the hotel visitor book. 

She answers, terrified about who might be on the other end of the line and is baffled when it is just Naomi ringing to say she was sorry to hear about Barney dying. Pip asks how she has this number and she says that after Max smashed her phone she found this ancient phone in her dad's drawer. The truth that Elliot must be 'secret older guy' and probably killed Andie hits Pip like a tonne of bricks. 

Pip struggles with the enormity of what she has just found out as everyone chats in the car. Elliot drops them at Cara's house but says he has tutoring to do. Cara points out he is always tutoring but they still never have any money, but he jokes he has a lot of mouths to feed. As they get out of the car, Pip puts her phone under the car seat so she can track it and see where Elliot is really going. 

As everyone else watches the film, Pip tracks her phone on her laptop and she sees Elliot is at 24 Berners Street, which is Cara's old house the family sold years ago. Pip messages Ravi on her computer and tells him the address and that she thinks Elliot is keeping Andie prisoner there and to call the police. 

He tells her not to go to the house, but she ignores this and drives there. Elliot comes out of the house and she confronts him, telling her best friend's dad that she knows he killed Andie. He tells her she has it all wrong and if she comes into the house he will explain... with her phone still in his car she is forced to go inside without it.

Elliot says he was tutoring Andie not long after his wife, Isabelle, died and that they started a relationship. Elliot claims that Andie ended it when she met Sal, but Pip points out that they met at the Ivy House Hotel a few nights before Andie died. Elliot admits they met and says he thought it was becasue she'd had a change of heart, but she blackmailed him and asked for money. He refused but a few nights later she came to his house and asked for £5000. Elliot tells Pip he refused to be blackmailed but Andie lashed out and fell, hitting her head on the way down. Elliot goes on to say there was blood everywhere but he went to get his phone to call an ambulance, only to come back and find she had gone.

Pip is starting to believe Elliot's version of events, but as he begs her to believe that he didn't kill Andie, there is a tapping coming from the pipes in the house and Pip realises they aren't alone. 

She races upstairs, following the noise and finds someone locked in the loft. She thinks it is Andie, but as she gets closer she realises it is someone entirely different... but who is it?

All episodes of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are now available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US the series will be released as a box set on Netflix on Thursday, August 1.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. 

Here is everything that happened in episode 4... 

The fourth episode sees Pip start to question whether her investigation into Andie Bell's disappearance has been for nothing, but just when she thinks she's been wasting her time, a huge secret is revealed that changes everything. 

The episode opens with Ravi and Pip opening Andie's toy bunny after parking up in a field and it's stuffed full of drugs. They also find a customer list in Andie's handwriting, which is on a scrap piece of paper and appears to be in code. Pip dashes to school, having already skipped three classes, which she has never done before, and she is almost late for her practise Cambridge entrance interview. The interview goes well but her mind is still on the case and not trying to impress the woman interviewing her. 

Later, while helping her friends set up a reunion for the class of 2019, Pip doodles on the piece of paper she found in Andie's bunny and realises it has the name of a local hotel embossed on the top. She calls Ravi and goes against her mum's wishes and meets up with him to go to the hotel and see if Andie ever stayed there. 

The hotel is posh and the man on reception is rude. So Ravi sets off the fire alarm while no one is looking and with all the guests and staff evacuated, Pip goes behind the reception to steal an old visitor book. 

The pair hide out in a hotel room while the chaos continues and they realise it has the same mosaic-tiled bathroom floor that is in the background of the photo of Andie in her underwear that Max has in his bedroom, confirming that Andie has been at that hotel. 

Later they look through the visitor book and realise that Andie and her 'secret older guy' had been checking into the hotel under fake names, but Pip is left rattled when she sees her dad, Victor's name is also in the visitor book. 

The next morning Pip quizzes her mum about the time her dad went to Nigeria to see their granny and asks why they didn't all go. Her mum says they thought the flight was too long for two small kids at the time, but Pip knows she is lying. 

As Pip walks to school, Dan Da Silva corners her and tries to get her to get into his police car. She refuses until he reveals he knows she broke into the Bell house and she has no choice but to go with him. 

He takes her back to the Bell house and they sit watching the dad, Jason Bell, washing his car. Dan talks about how he and his sister, Nat, raised one another and had a tricky childhood, but Jason was like a mentor to Dan and encouraged him to get a job with the police. He makes Pip feel bad about looking into Andie's case by saying her parents are good people and are still grieving. He then shows her a video of Sal being questioned by the police and getting angry when no one will listen to his answers... he throws a chair across the interview room and Pip is shocked to see this new side to Sal. 

Back at home, Pip quizzes her mum about Victor going to Nigeria again and says she knows he didn't go because his name was in the hotel visitor book. Her mum admits that he moved out for a bit because they went through a rough patch and she thought he had been cheating, which he hadn't. Pip makes a speech about how you can't trust anyone (because she is now convinced Sal is guilty after watching the angry video) and storms off. 

Pip meets Ravi at their lake and she tells him about the video and also about her flashbacks to when she told Sal where Andie was hiding at school. He is cross that he trusted her but now even she thinks Sal is guilty and he walks off, their friendship over. 

Upset over Ravi and also confused about everything that has happened in her investigation, Pip drives home too fast and almost crashes. In the end, she pulls over into a field and cries. Once she has got herself together she goes to Cara's, where her friend offers advice and they distract her by helping Naomi get ready for the school reunion. 

As Cara goes off to get some straighteners, Naomi asks about the case and Pip says that she thinks Sal could be guilty now. A cloud passes over Naomi's face and she tells her to look at her laptop, gives her the password, and tells her to look at a secret Instagram account. Pip does this in secret in Naomi's room and is shocked to find a photo on the account of Max, Naomi, and their friend taken the night Sal was meant to have killed Andie... the photo is taken at 12.06, and someone must have taken the picture... meaning Sal didn't leave the party at 10.30 like all his friends told the police. 

Pip races to the reunion to confront Naomi, but Max and Andie's sister Becca see them head off to a classroom to talk. Once inside Naomi struggles to admit what really happened, but confirms that Pip's suspicions that they all lied to the police about when Sal left the party are right. When Pip asks why she lied, she tells her "We had to lie because they found out what we did..." But what did Naomi and her friends do? And how is it linked to Andie's disappearance? 

All episodes of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are now available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US the series will be released as a box set on Netflix on Thursday, August 1.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a new teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. 

Here is everything that happened in episode 3... 

Pip's determination to find answers about Andie Bell's disappearance continues in the third epsiode as she tells her friends that she wants to go to a calamity party. Pip's friends are shocked as she's not the partying type and at first, they're not sure about trying to get into one of the infamous secret teen parties. But, as they try and crack clues and codes to work out where the next party is being held, little do they know that Pip is only going for one thing... to track down the drug dealer Andie was working for before she vanished. 

Pip tells Ravi about Andie selling drugs and the secret older guy that she was apparently seeing behind Sal's back. He is worried about her going to the party but is adamant he can't go as people haven't been nice to him or his family since Sal's 'confession' to Andie's murder. 

Pip's parents ask about the party as she and Cara get ready, and they are surprised that she is going to a party and joke about her taking drugs, knowing that she is too well-behaved for that sort of thing. At the party, Cara, Pip and Lauren nervously go into the underground caves in some woods where the party is being held, and they are shocked by what happens at these parties as they see everyone drinking and taking drugs. 

Although they are like fish out of water, the trio get a drink and try to blend in. Cara is thrilled when her crush, Ruby, drags her off for a dance, while Lauren and Pip play spin the bottle. You can tell Pip isn't keen, but she has seen one of the boys in the circle handing out drugs and is convinced that he can lead her to the man who supplied drugs to Andie. 

When the bottle lands on Pip and the drugs guy, who turns out to be called Dylan, she goes off with him into a dark corner. But instead of kissing him she pretends she is too sober and asks if he has any drugs. He tells him that he needs to go and see Howie, who turns out to be an older guy in another part of the underground cave, who is surrounded by friends who are all taking drugs. 

Pip is terrified but holds her nerve, telling Howie that she will give him £60 that Dylan owes him in return for him answering three questions. Howie agrees and Pip asks what sort of drugs Andie used to sell for him. He tells her the list of various drugs, confirming that he knew Andie and that she used to work for him. He also reveals that she was the perfect person to sell for him because she looked innocent and hid the drugs in a soft toy bunny. He also lets slip that Andie had a burner phone that was never found. 

Things take a turn when Pip asks Howie where he was the night Andie went missing and he takes offence and turns nasty. Pip runs away and bumps into Dylan. But Dylan turns out to be just as vile as Howie and tries to force himself on Pip until someone comes to her rescue and scares Dylan away. 

Pip is shaken at what has just happened and runs out of the party without finding Cara or Lauren and goes home. Wanting comfort, she gets into bed next to her little brother just as her phone rings. It's Ravi, who is calling to say sorry again he didn't come to the party, and they agree to meet the next day so she can tell him what she found out. 

As Pip hangs up, her phone pings again, and she thinks it is Ravi again and smiles. However, her face drops when she sees a threatening text from an unknown number telling her to leave her case alone while she still can. 

The next morning, a shaken Pip goes out to clear her head, but while she is by Andie's memorial in the village Andie's sister Becca comes to see her and asks her why she is opening up old wounds by looking into Andie's disappearance and Pip doesn't know how to answer her. 

Feeling down after her run-in with Becca, Pip cancels on Ravi, who is at work in a pub and has made Pip a special non-alcoholic cocktail which he has named after her. He pretends to be okay with the fact she has cancelled, but is upset. Instead, Pip meets Cara in a tea room and they talk about how confused Pip is about everything. 

At home, Pip's mum tells her she has heard she's hanging around with Ravi and she isn't happy, having told her to leave him and his family in peace. She tells Pip that she wants her to stop looking into Andie's case and Pip reluctantly agrees, but we get a sense she has no intention to do what her mum says because once she's gone she goes back to her evidence board and starts adding all the information that Howie gave her the night before. 

With a new fire in her belly, Pip arranges to meet Ravi the next day and tells him she will skip school to meet him, which is unlike her. They meet outside Andie and Becca's house and Pip tells Ravi that she plans to sneak into their house when everyone is out and see if she can find the burner phone or the soft toy rabbit in Andie's room. 

While Ravi keeps a look out she finds a key in a plant pot in the back garden and lets herself into the back door and heads to Andie's room. While she is looking for the rabbit Becca comes home and although Ravi tries to warn her by texting their code word 'marshmallow' Pip doesn't hear her phone and he is forced to come into the house himself and warn her. They are almost caught by Becca so hide in Andie's wardrobe, but Becca is distracted by the doorbell before she can open the wardrobe door.

Becca answers the front door and it is the police, who tell her that a neighbour reported someone hanging around the house. As Becca chats with the police Ravi and Pip make their escape, but as they are speeding away in Pip's car, a police officer comes out of the house and sees them - and it is none other than Nat Da Silva's brother, Dan. 

Has he caught them out? 

All episodes of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are now available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US the series will be released as a box set on Netflix on Thursday, August 1.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a new teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. Here is everything that happened in episode 2... 

The second episode opens with Pip going to see one of Andie's best friends, Emma Hutton. But despite Emma being happy to talk about Emma while she works, Pip suggests that the things she is saying don't add up, and Emma takes offense and storms off, ending the interview before it has started. 

Pip and Ravi then meet to talk about the case and he jokes that she should have told him about interviewing Emma as they are trying to crack the mystery together. 

Later, Pip promises her best friend Cara that she will keep Cara's older sister, Naomi, out of her questioning (after upsetting her in epsiode 1) but Naomi overhears them and talks about Andie and Emma's best friend, Nat, revealing they were always hanging around as a three and that Nat wasn't very nice. 

Naomi says she doesn't see Nat anymore, but Cara reveals she is playing her in a tennis match in a few days, so they agree to go and watch the game. 

At the tennis courts, Cara is playing really well and Nat storms off when she loses. Pip follows her into the changing room and she doesn't know where to look when she comes out of the shower naked. Nat tells her it isn't like people haven't seen her naked before, referring to some nude pictures that were sent around school around the same time that Andie was killed. 

Pip says she hasn't seen the pictures and Nat softens towards her, asking what she wants to know about Andie. She tells Pip that she was a great friend, but things take a turn when Nat lets slip that Andie was sleeping with someone, and it wasn't her boyfriend, Sal. As soon as she realizes she has said more than she should, Nat makes a speedy exit warning Pip that she doesn't know what she is getting herself in to. 

Pip tells Ravi that Andie had another man on the go that wasn't Sal, and he is shocked that his brother was being cheated on. To do more digging they decide to message Emma from Ravi's phone, pretending to be Nat. They get her talking and they talk about 'Secret Older Guy' suggesting this is the person Andie was sleeping with before she died. 

Pip and her friends head off camping for the night for Cara's birthday, and they're having a great time drinking and swimming in a lake. But when night comes they decide to do an ouija board and they scare themselves by apparently communicating with Andie who 'tells' them that she is buried in the woods they're in. 

When Cara needs a wee in the middle of the night, the girls all go together as it is safety in numbers. However, they see a torch in the distance and when they go towards it, the person runs off without them seeing who it is. 

Back at the tent, they are totally freaked out, but soon calm down and somehow get back to sleep, but when Pip gets in her sleeping bag she finds someone has put a note in there that reads 'Stop digging Pippa'. Pip is terrified, but who put it there? 

The next morning Pip is quiet as they pack away their tent and head home, Cara asks her what is wrong and she pretends that she doesn't want their summer to end or anything to change as it won't be long before they are all having to go off to collage. 

As Pip drops Cara home she sees Max Hastings in the distance, arguing with Naomi in the car. 

When Pip gets home she finds a note on the table in her empty kitchen which has been folded exactly like the one she found in her sleeping bag. She is terrified, but luckily it just turns out to be a note from her mum saying she has gone shopping. 

In her room, Pip looks at her evidence board and notices that one of the policemen in a photo from the media conference that they held with Andie's parents when she vanished is familiar. She does some research and finds out it is Stan Da Silva, Nat's older brother. Wondering if he could be helping her to hide something, she adds Nat to her list of suspects. 

Showing her evidence board to Ravi he is bemused to see that social media photos that she has printed out of Andie, Nat and Emma aren't in chronological order. Once she rearranges them you can see that the pictures are just of Andie and Emma, and Nat has vanished from the friendship group. But why? 

The pair use Ravi's phone again to lure Nat to the train station pretending to be Emma again. Once there Nat is annoyed that she has been tricked and they tell her that they think Andie was the one who sent her nude photos around. Nat is adamant it wouldn't be Andie but admits that Andie changed in the weeks leading up to her death, saying that she was seeing a nasty guy - who turns out to be none other than Max Hastings. 

Despite the fact Max told Pip that he had never spoken to Andie before, it is clear that someone is lying so Pip goes to his house that night to ask him more. Once there, his dad lets her in and she goes straight up to his room, but Max is in the shower. She uses this opportunity to search his room quickly while his back is turned and she finds a photo of Andie in her underwear pinned to the back of a group photo of Max with friends.

As she is trying to take a picture of the photo, Max catches Pip and demands to know what she is doing in his room. But we sense that he quite likes the fact she is uncomfortable, especially as he is wearing only a towel after getting out of the shower.

Pip asks who he has a photo of his dead best friend's missing girlfriend in his room and he denies sleeping with Andie and says he just appreciates her female form - ew. Pip shows him the messages from Sal's phone that show Sal and Andie were fighting before she died and Max says it was because she was dealing drugs and Sal didn't like it.

Max reveals she was working for someone at the Calamity Club in town, and suggests they will have to go there if they want to find out more. Who is the mystery man at Calamity?

All episodes of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are now available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US the series will be released as a box set on Netflix on Thursday, August 1.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a new teen drama series based on the hugely successful mystery thrillers by Holly Jackson. The series follows Pip Fitz-Amobi who becomes determined to solve the murder of a local schoolgirl after growing convinced that the police had pinned the case on the wrong person. Here is everything that happened in episode 1... 

The first episode opens with a teenage girl walking down a quiet street in the middle of the night. At first, she seems just to be making her way home, but it is only after a few minutes that we see her from behind and she has a gaping wound on the back of her head that is bleeding badly. We later find out this is Andie Bell, the teenager whose murder takes center stage in this mystery thriller. 

In the present day, we see Pip walking home from school with her friends, they try their luck buying alcohol from the local shop, but as they live in a sleepy English village, everyone seems to know everybody and they soon get caught for trying to buy beer underage. 

As the teenagers run away from the shop before the owner can catch them, Pip gets separated from her friends and walks past the memorial for Andie, the murdered schoolgirl who died five years before. 

Pip chats with her brother and parents at home and agrees to take the family dog, Barney, for a walk. As she walks past another house in the village she sees some kids knocking on the door before running away. As she gets closer, she sees someone has spray painted 'scum family' on their wall. We then discover that Andie was killed but the police never found her body... however, the case was closed because her boyfriend at the time, Sal Singh, took his own life after confessing to the killing - and this was his house. 

Despite having left school for the summer, Pip decides that she wants to do an extended project and comes up with the idea to do it about Andie's murder. She asks Ravi, Sal's brother (who also lives in the house with the graffiti on it) about what he remembers from that night, but despite Pip making him muffins as a peace offering, he doesn't take kindly to her digging up the past and slams the door in her face. 

Later, Pip walks in the woods and all the trees are covered in black ribbons, presumably in memory of Andie. Then she finds an abandoned shed and inside is a mattress and some graffiti that looks like it was done by teenagers. But as Pip is looking around the hut, a runner goes past and her dog, Barney, chases after her. When Pip finally catches up with Barney she is spooked because the runner looks like Andie, and we discover she must be Andie's sister. 

While Pip is hanging around with her friends who are all talking about boys and parties, she is still distracted by Andie's case. Her best friend Cara asks Pip not to grill her older sister, Naomi, about the night Andie was killed because although she was there, she doesn't like the past being dragged up. 

However, when Pip goes to get snacks at Cara's house, she bumps into Naomi in the kitchen and she talks about the night Andie went missing, but they are interrupted when Cara and Naomi's dad comes home. 

At home, Pip is making an evidence board in her bedroom, putting together all the clues she has about the night Andie was killed. After stalking Andie, Sal and Cara's sister Naomi on social media, she finds out they were also hanging out with a boy called Max Hastings on the night of the murder and Pip decides she needs to question him. 

Pip offers to waitress at a party, knowing that it is being held at Max's house, but she also ropes in Cara, who isn't impressed because as part of the job they have to dress up as stars. 

After watching Max all evening, Pip finally tracks him down in the cellar where she quizzes him about what happened the night Andie died and he admits that Sal left his house at around 10pm and that he has no idea where he went after that. 

Pip is surprised when Max admits Sal asked them all to lie to the police and give him an alibi as that is the same time that Andie was killed. 

Despite being a little worse for wear because Max would only answer her questions if she downed shots, Pip knows that Max and Naomi's version of events don't quite match up and when Cara finds out that she has been questioning her sister after she specifically asked her not to, they argue. 

Later that day, Pip goes back to Ravi's house to apologize for asking about Sal, and he is bemused to see she is still dressed as a star. He accepts her apology and takes her to Sal's room where they find his mobile phone and they go through his messages. 

As Ravi explains that his brother was really clever but used text slang in his messages, he points out the one at the end, which is a message from Sal to his dad apparently confessing to killing Andie, and has perfect grammar and punctuation so couldn't have been from Sal. 

But if the message wasn't from him, who sent it? 

Throughout the episode, we also see flashbacks from Pip's time at school five years previously where she sees Andie and Sal in the school corridor...  Andie is alone and trying to run from something, but when she sees Pip she puts her finger to her lips in a silence gesture, hinting to a very young Pip that she doesn't want to be found.

However, when Sal arrives looking for her, Pip cracks and tells him that Andie went into a different classroom. It seems that because she keeps going back to this same scene numerous times in the epsiode it is playing on her mind. But why? 

At the end of the episode, Pip is looking through Sal's phone and is happy that Ravi has said that he will help her prove that his brother is innocent. 

But, as she looks through Sal's photos, we see a flashback to Sal and Andie arguing in a car in the woods. They seem to be disagreeing about something big, but when Sal gets out of the car Andie follows him and they kiss and make up. But what were they arguing about? 

All episodes of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder are now available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US the series will be released as a box set on Netflix on Thursday, August 1.

Smoggie Queens is a BBC Three, BBCiPlayer and BBC1 comedy that follows a group of like-minded friends in the small northeastern town of Middlesbrough where the locals are known as 'smoggies'. This six-part comedy created by Phil Dunning, shows their pride in the town, which feels neglected in its own little corner of the UK, and their own underdog stories as they explore their identities in their own tiny pocket of the LGBTQ+ community. 

"I'm absolutely buzzing that the BBC took Smoggie Queens to series and I'm so grateful to them for allowing me to write such stupid and weird characters," says Phil. "It’s been a beautiful dream working with Hat Trick, and the incredible cast already feel like my new chosen family. I can’t wait to introduce the sights, sounds and smells of Middlesbrough to the world." 

Here’s everything you need to know about Smoggie Queens…

Smoggie Queens release date

Smoggie Queens is a six-part series starting with a double bill on BBC3 from Thursday November 28 2024 at 10.10pm and 10.40pm. The comedy series will also be available as a box set on BBCIplayer.

* Smoggie Queens will also run weekly on BBC1 from 11.30pm every Friday from November 29 after The Graham Norton Show..

Smoggie Queens plot

Smoggie Queens follows a quirky bunch of LGBTQ+ friends who are also drag queens as they embrace their identities within their community. It focuses on the volatile Dickie (played by Phil Dunning), drag queen Mam (Mark Benton), self-styled 'hun' Lucinda (Alexandra Mardell), awkward Sal (Patsy Lowe) and  young and naive Stewart (Elijah Young). We’re told you can "expect a few passionate scraps that may send your wig flying".

Smoggie Queens cast  — Phil Dunning as Dickie

As well as creating the series, Phil Dunning stars as Dickie. He played Andrew in the BBC drama series Boat Story and has also had roles in Am I Being Unreasonable?, Ellie and Natasia, The Other One, Lazy Susan and The Emily Atack Show. 

Smoggie Queens cast — Mark Benton as Mam

Mark also stars as detective Frank Hathaway in the drama Shakespeare and Hathaway but has a career spanning more than 30 years. He's also starred in Waterloo Road, Early Doors, Murphy's Law and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

Smoggie Queens cast — Alexandra Mardell as Lucinda

Alexandra is best known for playing ditzy Emma Brooker in Coronation Street from 2018 to 2022. She previously had a role in Vera and since leaving Weatherfield she has provided the voice of Fireman Sam's Ellie Phillips and starred in the comedy The Family Pile. 

Smoggie Queens cast — Patsy Lowe as Sal

Patsy appeared in Vera and Inspector George Gently before landing the role of Sal in Smoggie Queens.

Smoggie Queens cast — Elijah Young as Stewart

Elijah appears in his first TV role as Stewart in Smoggie Queens. 

Who else is starring?

There are guest turns from other Middlesbrough-born stars Bill Fellows, who played Stu in Coronation Street and TV presenter Steph McGovern, as well as American TV star Michelle Visage, best known for appearing in various iterations of Ru Paul’s Drag Race around the world.  

Is there a trailer? 

Yes, there is! Here's a taster of what's to come from the Smoggie Queens!

Behind the scenes and more

Smoggie Queens is written by Phil Dunning and is a Hat Trick production (Derry Girls, Outnumbered, Have I Got News For You and Episodes) for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, and funding support by North East Screen Industries Partnership delivered by North East Screen with worldwide distribution by Hat Trick International. The series was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy. The producer is Chris Jones (Kate & Koji, Whistle Through The Shamrocks) and the director is Andrew Chaplin (Alma’s Not Normal, The Full Monty). The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp.

Chris Jones, Producer at Hat Trick Productions says: “Phil Dunning has a brilliantly funny, energetic and well-observed style to his writing. It’s been extremely special to develop this fiercely proud chosen family sitcom with him along with exceptional support from BBC Comedy. We’re so excited to bring these characters to life through our very talented cast and crew.”

Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy says: “Smoggie Queens is a show bursting with jokes and heart. Phil Dunning has concocted a brilliant ensemble piece that we know will refuse to go unnoticed!.”

Jimmy Mulville, Managing Director of Hat Trick Productions, says: “Smoggie Queens is a joy. Phil has created and stars in a show which is introducing us to our new best friends. They‘re the kind of people who look adversity in the eye and laugh!  It’s just the tonic we need right now.”

Smoggie Queens – exclusive interview with Mark Benton, who plays Mam

We caught up with Smoggie Queens star Mark Benton to talk about Mam, Middlesbrough and more! 

What did you think when you were approached for the role of Mam?

Mark Benton says: "When I first read the scripts, I laughed out loud. I just loved it straightaway. When I was asked if I was interested, I immediately said yes. I didn’t have to be talked into it."

How would you describe Smoggie Queens? 

"It’s a show with heart. It focuses on the LGBTQ+ community but I think it’s about everyone. It’s about a chosen family and it’s about friendship and love. It’s irreverent, funny and doesn’t try to be preachy in any way. Some of the things we get up to are hilarious and daft. It’s just happy and fun with real moments of pathos. I think it’s a wonderful, uplifting comedy. Very touching sometimes. Very wicked at times. It’s got a bit of everything."

What can you tell us about Mam and her relationship with the others?

"Mam’s sort of the centre of the group because her house is where they all meet. She’s got a heart of gold and looks after everyone. They love each other and look out for each other so they sort of go on a journey with each other’s problems."

You look absolutely fantastic as Mam and have some fabulous outfits. Was this the first time you have worn drag? Did you enjoy it?

"I did it as Edna Turnblad in a tour of [the musical] Hairspray for a year [in 2013]. That was the only time I’d been in full drag before. I liked it a bit too much to be honest! It was brilliant. When you put the costume on, the character just comes to you."

Was there anything you didn’t like about wearing drag?

"Physically, it was quite difficult because I was wearing this massive costume with make-up and wigs. The shoes were a nightmare! I don’t know how anyone does it. When I was dancing in them, I was in agony! I would wear my slippers whenever I could."

Michelle Visage has a guest role in two episodes of the series. What was she like to work with?

"She plays a woman in an office and she looks really dowdy! She was brilliant, game for anything and great fun to be with."

We’ve seen you in lots of different shows over the years, from comedy Early Doors to drama Waterloo Road, and most recently as ex-cop Frank Hathaway in Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators. Do you enjoy the variety of taking on different roles?

"I’ve always tried to do different stuff. This year I have worked on serious police drama Patience for C4. Then I did Smoggie Queens. I count my blessings that I’ve been able to do different characters on TV. I’m working on the fifth series of Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators [due to air on Alibi and then BBC1] at the moment. It’s fun and funny and working with Jo Joyner [who plays hairdresser-turned-sleuth Luella Shakespeare] is always a dream. It’s just been a great year with lovely people!"

It’s time for the girls to have a chance at love in this all-female version of the UK’s first gay dating show I Kissed A Boy, which aired on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer last year.

Once again Dannii Minogue plays Cupid as ten single women gather at a luxury converted farmhouse - or masseria -  in Italy hoping to meet Miss Right.

"Although it’s the same format, it feels brand new," says Dannii. "The girls bring a different energy and they are so much fun. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and don’t hold back with their affections or opinions. Every episode is electric!"

They have all been paired up beforehand but when they meet their match for the first time, they must share a kiss to see if there’s any spark between them. Will kissing someone they have never met before lead to lasting romance?

Some couples think they have hit the jackpot, but not everyone is a perfect fit so there are a few plot twists as eyes wander and more girls are thrown into the mix! 

But it’s the Kiss Off where things get really spicy as the girls must decide if they want to stick with their match or make a play for someone else…

"The last few minutes of every episode leave you wondering what’s going to happen next," says Dannii. "It’s like trying to predict what will happen in a game of Snakes and Ladders. Impossible!"

I Kissed A Girl release date

The ten-part series started on Sunday, May 5 on BBC Three at 9 pm and the final episode will air on Sunday, June 2 at 9 pm. 

There will also be a reunion show airing on Sunday, June 2 at 9.50 pm on BBC Three. In I Kissed a Girl: The Reunion Dannii Minogue will get the women back together eight months on from the end of the show to unpick the drama and find out all the gossip since their summer in Italy. Whose love has lasted the distance? And has anyone made any shocking U-turns?

Episodes are also available on BBC iPlayer.

I Kissed A Girl – how it works

In I Kissed A Girl, 10 single women head to a luxury converted farmhouse – or masseria – in Italy, where it all starts with a kiss… 

The girls have been paired up beforehand and when they arrive at the masseria, they meet their match for the first time, but before any small talk they must share a kiss to see if there’s any spark between them.

Will it be a polite peck? Or a passionate snog? Will anyone go in for seconds? And ultimately, will kissing someone they have never met before lead to love? 

After all the pairs have kissed, the girls get to know each other but while some think they have found their perfect match, other girls sets their sights on other people, so there are few twists and lots of drama along the way!

Then comes the Kiss Off where the matched-up pairs must decide if they want to stick with each other. 

Each couple is asked to stand with their backs to each other, and if they want to stick with their match they must turn around and seal the deal with a kiss. If they don’t turn, that means they are saving their kiss for someone else.

If anyone is unkissed at the end of the Kiss Off, they will have to leave the masseria…

Between each Kiss Off, the show follows all the goings-on in the villa as the girls share their coming out stories, experiences of dating, relationship histories and other gay-related issues, while having lots of fun by the pool, enjoying parties and intimate one-on-one dates.

And then there are the Chemistry Tests which sees Dannii quizzing the girls to find out what makes them tick and if the Chemistry Tests in I Kissed a Boy are anything to go by, they could lead to drama and tension in the masseria! 

I Kissed A Girl - interview with host Dannii Minogue

I Kissed a Boy was the first gay dating show in the UK, and now it’s back for the girls who like girls! How does that feel? 

"We are so excited to be back and to share the stories of these girls. They are open and honest in their search for love, funny and surprising. Get ready for a whole rollercoaster of emotions. I genuinely laughed and cried watching all the antics in the masseria."

How does this series compare to I Kissed a Boy? 

"Although this is the same format, it feels brand new. The girls bring such a different energy and I feel that stories of girls who like girls have been sadly missing from so much of what we see on TV. While the girls open up to possible love, I think so many viewers will be both educated and entertained. As each day developed, it sparked a lot of heartfelt conversation on and off the set. With lots of queer females on the crew, it created an incredible environment that supported the cast and it was a joy to be a part of it."

Tell us about the girls…

"They are so much fun! They wore their hearts on their sleeves and they did not hold back with their affections or their opinions. They are so diverse in their personalities and in what they are looking for in a partner. The girls move fast, and every episode is electric with the last minutes of each episode leaving me wanting to know what was going to happen next!"

What did you learn working with the girls? 

"I was on a learning curve with the boys, but with the girls, I actually needed a glossary of lesbian lingo to decode some of the conversations. In the best possible way, their language cuts to the chase and I was happily catching up. You will know what I mean when you hear fun descriptions like ‘golden retriever’ and ‘black cat’."

You drop in at the masseria for the Chemistry Tests. Tell us about the first one about ‘red flags’...

"It leans into a saying that comes up in conversation regularly with the girls. We wanted to use this to find out what would turn each girl off or give her the ‘ick’. It was a great way for the group to get to know each other in the early stages of their summer of love. This challenge absolutely turned the Masseria upside down and there were long moments of navigating a level of awkwardness I had never experienced before."

What makes this show so special? 

"The girls and their genuine search for love, with inhibitions left at home, we watch it all unfold in the sun-soaked romantic Italian landscape. In my role as Cupid I always hope that an attraction sparks with such intensity that it leads to a lasting relationship - but my lips are sealed as to whether that happens this series… One thing I can tell you is that it was the ultimate lesbian summer holiday that the girls loved so much. I got the feeling they didn’t want it to end! I am so proud of these girls and can't wait for viewers to discover this groundbreaking and hugely entertaining series!"

I Kissed A Girl – Meet the girls!

Abbie, 24, from Brighton

Make-up artist and hairstylist Abbie owns her own salon and lives at home with her parents and older sister. With her long blonde hair and feminine clothes, Abbie says people don’t usually realise she’s a lesbian and she finds herself constantly having to ‘come out’ to people. Describing her dating history as ‘disastrous’, Abbie loves sporty, masculine-presenting girls and wants to find someone who will treat her like a princess. 

“What I loved most about the show was how comfortable I instantly felt around all the girls, in a judgement free environment,” says Abbie.  

Amy, 24, from Surrey

A social media manager, Amy is a self-confessed posh girl. She was aware of her sexuality from as early as 13 but she didn’t find the confidence to come out to her family until she was 21.Amy says she has a femme energy and is attracted to other femme girls. She has been single for three years and wants to find a ‘princess’ in the Masseria that she can take home and live happily ever after with. 

“We made Herstory!” says Amy “I can only imagine the sense of validation and belonging that me and my sisters would have felt had we had this kind of representation on our telly growing up. From me, you can expect boots, boobs and a boatload of banter.” 

Cara, 25, from Ballycastle, Northern Ireland

The support worker is known for her sense of humour and sense of adventure and her friends joke that life is never dull when she’s around! Cara identifies as bisexual, and admits that she can have her walls up when it comes to relationships, but she’s hoping that her experience in the Masseria will help her let her guard down. When it comes to flirting, Cara says that if she likes someone, she’ll usually struggle to hold eye-contact. 

She says: “Coming from a small town in Northern Ireland, the rare chance to be in an environment exclusively full of queer women was an opportunity of a lifetime.” 

Demi, 23, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

Publishing executive Demi has had a few experiences with girls but has never been in a relationship. She’s still working out where she fits into the mad queer dating scene, and iis open minded about what her ‘type’ may be. She’s excited to meet a girl with a first kiss but expects she’s going to fluff it up somehow… 

“I’ll probably trip up or touch a boob,” says Demi. “Watch this space!’ 

Fiorenza, 22, from Glasgow

A chef by day and a drummer by night, rock chick Fiorenza says her usual type is a femme girl with an edgy fashion sense and bags of personality. She loves an assertive girl who is hard to get - known to the dating scene as a ‘Black Cat’. As the only single member of her band, Fiorenza is hoping that she can find her perfect cat in the Masseria. 

“I’m very proud to be a part of the show, especially the first season for the girls!” says Fiorenza. “It should have existed years ago. We need more representation for lesbian relationships and what the dating life of a lesbian entails as it’s such a unique and special thing that should be shown everywhere!” 

Georgia, 28, from Hunmanby, North Yorkshire

A professional footballer, Georgia’s career has taken her to Florida and South Carolina and back to the UK, where she now plays for Rugby Borough Women’s Football Club. Her whole life has been about football and dating has had to take a backseat. She normally gravitates towards femme girls with a bit of an edge.

“It's amazing that there's finally a show like this out there,” says Georgia. “It's incredible representation and I'm just so glad I got to be a part of it.”

Lisha, 22, from Bangor, Wales

Psychology student Lisha has always been a tomboy at heart. When she was younger, Lisha would be dressed in football kits, getting dirty and jumping off walls. Lisha has had relationships with girls in the past, but she says it’s been tricky to find the right dynamic. She connects with femme girls and tends to take a more dominant role in a relationship, but it can be frustrating when partners only want to see her in the ‘masc’ box and don’t let her express her feminine side too.  

“The show is a step forward for the LGBTQ+ community,” says Lisha. “Hopefully it will help others to  have the courage to come out and be true to themselves.” 

Meg, 24, from Goole, West Yorkshire

This girl is on fire! Sort of… she’s a dancer and fire-breather, who gets the chance to show off her special talent at the girls’ first party in the massaria! Meg hates labels, but if she had to label herself she would say she’s ‘bisexual with more of a preference towards women’. She is looking for someone who can match her energy, someone who has a good heart and someone who would never make her feel second best.

“I loved the opportunity to meet so many beautiful queer girlies and being able to explore my type,” says Meg. “I will definitely be bringing some heat to the show… in many ways.” 

Naee, 25, from London

Naee works as an engineer, maintaining the rides at iconic London attractions. She is close to her family and is grateful for them being so accepting and says that in Jamaican culture it can sometimes be a different story. Naee is a masc girl and says she only dates femmes. Naee loves to take the lead in a relationship and treat her girlfriend like a princess. 

“I am proud to represent masculine-presenting women of colour who are gay,” says Naee. “You do not see a lot of us on TV so I'm proud to be an addition to that little presented category. Viewers can expect their heads to be glued to the TV honestly. It is THAT good.” 

Priya, 23, Newport, South Wales

Customer service worker Priya is a self-confessed ‘daddy’s girl’, known for being full of energy and always speaking her mind. Her family nickname is ‘Priyoncé’ because she’s known for being a diva! Priya says she finds it hard to meet other queer women in her local area, and admits she has a habit of falling fast for girls, but she’s trying to learn to take things at a slower pace. 

“This show embodies love, diversity and being unapologetically queer,” says Priya. “Being a Punjabi woman, I am so proud to represent my heritage and those who are a part of the South Asian community.” 

I Kissed A Girl – Meet the new joiners to the party!

Since the 10 original girls entered the masseria, more girls have been thrown into the mix to cause a stir… The first girl to arrive after the girls were matched up was Eva. 

Eva, 22, Belfast

The fashion graduate is the first new addition of the series. 

Known for her tall figure, long hair and great sense of humour, Eva is a natural flirt and says her style is a mix of masculine and feminine energy. She has had relationships, but doesn’t think she’s ever been in love. Her favourite traits in women are confidence, ambition, and independence… 

At the end of episode three of I Kissed a Girl, three more girls arrived in the masseria. Meet Lailah, Beth and Em…

Lailah, 25, Cardiff

Lailah is a professional footballer and student, who is studying for a Forensic Psychology degree. Being the only person of colour in her friendship group, Lailah always felt a bit different, with that feeling growing stronger when she realised she liked girls as well as boys. Now in her mid twenties, she is proud to be a bisexual woman of colour.

“It was amazing being in a fully queer environment!” says Lailah, reflecting on her time in the masseria. “Growing up feeling like a minority, for me it was a nice change to know we were all girls that liked girls.”

Beth, 25, Bath

Paralegal Beth describes herself as a 'staunch lefty'. She’s also a vegetarian, horror film enthusiast and likes to volunteer in her spare time. She loves girls with masc energy and says butch women are her weakness and that sexual chemistry is the most important aspect of a partnership because it separates a relationship from a friendship. 

“We are just an ordinary group of twenty-somethings trying to find love in the world,” says Beth. “This show plays a huge part in normalising queerness - we are just like everyone else!'

Em, 25, Surrey

Cancer research scientist Em loves an adventure and has big plans to hit the road and explore Europe. She has converted a van into a mobile home and has planned a route through Europe to ski and surf. She was in a five-year-long relationship with a man who she thought she would marry, but after talking to him about her sexuality, they ended their relationship and have remained good friends. After cutting her hair short and embracing more masculine clothing, she says seeing her true self in the mirror was a cathartic experience.

“I hope I've shown that staying true to yourself is always the best way to be, whether that is making tough decisions about your sexuality and relationships or being honest about who you actually fancy,” says Em. “Honesty is always the best policy!”

In the upcoming fifth episode of I Kissed a Girl on Sunday 19 May on BBC Three at 9.00pm, a party is interrupted by two more girls, namely Thea and Hannah.

Thea, 23, London

Singer and musician Thea lives with her mum and twin sister, who also identifies as queer. Her family are of West African and Lebanese heritage and she is passionate about better representation for women-of-colour in the music scene, especially for darker skin toned girls like herself.

Thea has an open heart and loves to love. She wouldn’t have it any other way but acknowledges that it can expose her to heartbreak, especially on the queer dating scene which she says can be “brutal”.

Not afraid to stand out from the crowd, Thea loves to express her personality and is very confident in her own skin. She’s looking for a special connection with someone who she can to share her life with.  

“It’s important to me to highlight beautiful things like love and friendship,” says Thea. “I’m glad this show does that and I’m super-proud I’m able to be part of it.”

Hannah, 23, Glasgow

Student Hannah is at university in London where she splits her time between her studies, working part-time in a tanning shop, posing on Tik Tok and enjoying the dating scene. 

Hannah is close to her family.  Her brother Adam was born with a rare and serious condition called Edwards Syndrome. He was expected to live for two weeks but passed away shortly before his 16th birthday. He was a huge part of Hannah’s life and the whole family cherish the years they have had with him in their lives. 

When she was 16, Hannah was coming out when she started to post on social media and has built up a following just short of 600K with content that ranges from make-up tutorials to lifestyle videos.

Hannah describes herself as a dominant femme and says when it comes to girls, she says she won’t be messed around. If she spots one red flag, she’ll nip a romance in the bud, pronto. 

Says Hannah: “You can expect happy tears, sad tears and a whole lot of love!” 

Is there a trailer for I Kissed A Girl? 

Yes, the trailer is here and even this short round-up of the show proves this is a series that is going to be packed full of drama! 

I Kissed A Girl – Interview with the show's narrator Charley Marlowe

Bad Education star and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Layton Williams narrated I Kissed A Boy, but I Kissed A Girl is being narrated by Liverpudlian LGBTQ+ presenter, comedian and TikTok star Charley Marlowe, who’s known for her hilarious, down-to-earth personality and comedic presenting style.

Charley, tell us about your role as a voiceover artist on the show? 

"So, funnily enough, the BBC had only one rule about IKAG, and that was to find the sexiest northern lesbian they could get to voiceover the show! Bingo, they found Marlowe and hit the jackpot. So my job as voiceover is to provide another layer of queerness to the series, so you’re not only watching lesbians, but you’re listening to them as well. Being a voiceover artist does make you feel very omniscient."

Did you have a great time voicing the series? 

"I had the most incredible time. This has been a dream job for me. Not only getting to voiceover a show which is something I’ve NEVER done before, but the show being the queerest thing I’ve ever seen… double whammy!!! We would record a couple of episodes at a time so I was drip fed the drama and each week I was absolutely gasping for the next one, the cliffhangers are brilliant. If I’m honest it still hasn’t sunken in that so many people are going to hear my voice… even though it’s nothing different to what I already do really!"

How does it feel to be part of this groundbreaking show? 

"It’s huge! I have had to sit myself down so many times during the recording process to say to myself, you are recording the voiceover for the queerest show ever! It just doesn’t feel real. I’m such a lucky little lesbian and am so grateful to have this opportunity. It’s also unreal to have my loud northern voice blaring throughout the series."

Without giving anything away, what can we expect from the girls? 

"Snogging! They all barely get a word in between all the smooching! You can expect to see normal queer girls! Not queer girls who are sexualised, fetishised or romanticised! Queer girls who don’t know what they want, who want a relationship, who want a fling. Young queer girls who are exploring their sexuality and themselves in a safe environment. Of course, there’s loads of drama and it’s such an unreal watch! But it’s fantastic to see queer girls being themselves without constraints - that’s what you can expect." 

A little birdie told us you're a MEGA Minogue fan. How is Dannii with the girls? 

"I am the biggest Minogue fan! Dannii and Kylie have created such a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone adores them for it. They are both absolute icons and Miss Minogue put her everything into her looks this series. The girls were obsessed, and so was I! I’m glad my reactions weren’t recorded every time Dannii came on screen, I think you’d have the longest 'WOW' compilation you’ve ever heard." 

Can audiences look forward to a bit of drama, or is it all smooth sailing for the girls this season? 

"Of course there’s gonna be drama! As much as we love it when everyone gets along, an argument is always going to hook us in. Which is exactly what this series does. Shock revelations, mass amounts of snogging and lesbians being lesbians. It’s got it all!"

What makes I Kissed a Girl so special? 

"I Kissed A Girl really is the first of its kind. It gives so many people a safe space where they can see themselves and their community represented on screen. The good, the bad - the cowboy boots - everything! I know I’ve never seen a show with so many queer girlies in and it makes me so so proud that I’ve had a part to play in the whole thing."

Film Club features Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood and SAS Rogue Heroes actor Ralph Davis who have teamed up to make an endearing new romcom drama series for the BBC about a woman who expresses her love through movie nights. 

Friends in real life and co-writers of the show, Aimee and Ralph play Evie and Dom, who meet up each week to watch a film together. Look out too for Suranne Jones playing Evie's mother.

“When Ralph and I met a decade ago we knew pretty much instantly that we wanted to create something together and this feels deeply organic and idiosyncratic and right,” says Aimee. “Three of the most essential things to me have always been writing stories, watching films and acting so the fact I get to write a story about watching films AND act in it is beyond joyful."

Here's everything you need to know about the BBC3 and BBCiPlayer series Film Club…

Film Club release date

Film Club is a six-part comedy series that will launch on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer in 2025. When a release date is announced, we’ll let you know here. 

Film Club plot 

Friday night. 7pm is Film Club Week 198. Evie (Aimee Lou Wood) hasn’t left the house in six months after a ‘wobble’, and Film Club is her escape. A weekly chance to create a world of wonder, deck the garage out in whatever the movie calls for and spend a few uninterrupted hours with Noa (Nabhaan Rizwan)— her best friend and one of the few mates who still shows up. But tonight, things are different. Noa’s got big news. A dream job is taking him across the other side of the country, which means that all of this is ending. That reality is hitting. That they’re going to be forced to consider for the first time they might be more than just friends. Neither of them are the best when it comes to emotions but this time those emotions might be impossible to ignore.

As if life weren’t challenging enough already, Evie has to navigate eccentricity of her family home life — living with her fiercely loving single mum Suz, sister Izzie, and handsome boyfriend/sometime man of the house Josh.

Film Club cast —Aimee Lou Wood as Evie

Aimee Lou Wood plays movie-lover Evie. Aimee won our hearts as Aimee Gibbs in the Netflix series Sex Education but has also had roles in Alice & Jack, Seize Them, Living, On The Edge and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. Aimee will also starring in the third series of the hit show The White Lotus as well as the upcoming comedies Daddy Issues and Toxic Town. 

Nabhaan Rizwan as Noa

Nabhaan Rizwan plays Noa. He's previously starred in Kaos and In Camera. Nabhaan says: “I'm excited, I feel relaxed and I'm ready... to parrrtaaayyy with the best of them!”

Ralph Davis as Dominic

The newest member of Film Club, Dominic, is played by co-writer Ralph Davis. He says: "I couldn't be more excited about this, Aimee and I have been speaking about making something together since we met at drama school. To be doing this together is a dream." 

* Ralph Davis  previously Alexander Norton in the BBC1 war series SAS Rogue Heroes and has also had roles in Life After Life, Father Brown, Anatomy of a Scandal, Small Axe, House of the Dragon 2, Big Boys S3, Othello

Who else is starring in Film Club?

In Film Club, Suranne Jones (Vigil, Doctor Foster, Gentleman Jack) will play Suz, Evie’s eccentric and unconventional mother. Also joining the cast are Adam Long (Happy Valley, Masters of the Air) as Evie’s boyfriend Josh and Liv Hill (Three Girls, The Serpent Queen) as her sister, Izzie. Co-creator Ralph Davis will play Dominic, Film Club’s newest member.

Suranne Jones says: “I’ve loved Aimee for a while now and think she is a beautifully real, honest and brilliantly funny talent, so it was no surprise the script she and Ralph Davis have created was the same. It’s smart, sweet and punchy. I can’t wait to be her tiger mum... and I get to film in my home town too.”

Is there a trailer?

Not yet but when the BBC releases one, we’ll add it to this page. 

Behind the scenes. locations and more on Film Club

Film Club started filming in Manchester, England, at the end of 2024. The six-part series was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, and Fiona Campbell, Controller Youth Audience for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. It is made by Gaumont for the BBC and created and written by Aimee Lou Wood and Ralph Davis. Executive producers are Alison Jackson and Jamie Jackson for Gaumont and Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC. International distribution will be handled by Fremantle.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Our hearts melt every time we read a new script for Film Club. It’s a pleasure to be working with Aimee, Ralph and the Film Club team to take BBC Three viewers on a tender and funny journey across the silver screen, via Evie’s lovingly decorated garage.”

Alison Jackson, President of Gaumont UK and executive producer on Film Club, says: “When we first started talking to Aimee and Ralph about Film Club, we quickly realised this would be a truly special show, full of wit, warmth, escapism and above all – love. We are absolutely delighted to be working on this beautiful, funny drama with the team at BBC.”

Ashley Storrie has a great deal in common with her character in new sitcom Dinosaur. The six-part series — landing on BBC3 and BBC iPlayer on April 14 2024 — sees the Scottish stand-up comedian playing Nina, a hilariously funny, 30-something with autism, whose uncomplicated world is turned upside down by a major family event. It’s a role Ashley says helped her navigate her own autism diagnosis.

"When I joined the cast, I was scared about not being able to 'mask' my condition in social situations like I often do, so I was really surprised when producers said: 'Don’t do that, just be your authentic self'," says the show’s co-creator and star Ashley, 37. "Neurodiverse people spend a lot of time trying to fit in, in order to not make other people feel uncomfortable, so playing an unmasked autistic woman like Nina has been liberating. Dinosaur is about embracing difference and not being ashamed of it."

Dinosaur: Cast, plot, first look and everything we know

In Dinosaur, Ashley's character Nina is happy with her lot in life - working as a dinosaur expert for Glasgow’s (fictional) Natural History Museum and living with her sister, Evie (Kat Ronney). Everything’s going well for Nina, until Evie returns from a weekend away and drops a bombshell…

"Evie's known her boyfriend Ranesh for just six weeks and, out of the blue, she tells Nina they’re getting married, which is deeply disturbing for Nina due to her autism," explains Ashley. "This development signifies a big shift for Nina, who has to learn to accept change."

Later, however, there's an even bigger shock in store for Nina - when Evie asks her to be Maid of Honour! 

"Nina wishes she could be the perfect Maid of Honour but organising her sister’s wedding and hen party is a very daunting prospect," says Ashley. "So it's a double-edged sword for Nina - she doesn't want to do it but she's a perfectionist so, if she's gonna have to do it, she must do it the best she can."

Ashley believes humour is the most effective way of exploring important issues.

"I'm a Glaswegian, raised in a working class family, and our only way of expressing anything is through humour," jokes the comedian, who enjoyed filming Dinosaur in her native city and on the Isle of Bute.

"I never feel like I see 'my' Glasgow on screen; it’s either shown as Outlander or Trainspotting with nothing in between. Glasgow is interesting, historically rich and beautiful - and I wanted it to be as much of a character in Dinosaur as Nina and her family. This show is a big, soppy love letter to my city."

Dinosaur launches with weekly double bills on BBC3 at 9pm and 9.25pm from Sunday April 14 2024. All six episodes will also become available on BBC iPlayer.

Wreck season 2 is the follow-up to BBC Three and Hulu's hit horror comedy, in which Jamie Walsh (Breeders star Oscar Kennedy) got a job on the cruise ship Sacramentum in order to find out what really happened to his big sister Pippa (Jodie Tyack). 

Pippa disappeared while working on board and was reported to have taken her own life — only for Jamie to discover that Velorum, the company that owned the ship, were allowing rich guests to hunt crew members for sport.

Following the success of Wreck season 1 the show has been commissioned for a second six-part run in which Jamie and his fellow survivors strike back against Velorum, and find themselves fighting for their lives once again.

Here's everything we know about Wreck season 2...

Wreck season 2 launch date

Wreck season 2 launches on BBC3 on Tuesday, March 26 at 10 pm, with the second episode airing on Wednesday, March 27 at 10pm. All six episodes are available now on BBC iPlayer.

Wreck season 2 is due to launch on Hulu in the US later this year.

• How to watch Wreck season 2 online and on TV

Wreck season 2 plot

After surviving their nightmare on board the Sacramentum, Jamie and Vivian (Sex Education's Thaddea Graham) have been trying to take down the ship's parent company, Velorum. But with most of their fellow crew members having taken hush money and nobody else willing to believe their story, the pair find themselves hitting dead end after dead end.

When Jamie and Vivian discover that Velorum are pivoting into the wellness industry with their new holistic festival in Slovenia, they decide to go undercover as employees once again in the hope of destroying the evil corporation once and for all. But there are many shocking secrets waiting for them — including the fact that Pippa is still alive...

Wreck season 2 cast

Lots of your favourite cast members from season one are returning (those whose characters didn't meet a grisly end at the hands of Quacky, anyway): Oscar Kennedy as Jamie, Thaddea Graham as Vivian, Jodie Tyack as Pippa, Anthony Rickman as Olly, Amber Grappy as Lauren, Peter Claffey as Cormac, Miya Ocego as Rosie, Warren James Dunning as Officer Beaker, Alice Nokes as Sophia, James Phoon as Hamish, Ali Hardiman as Bethany-May, Rory O'Neil as Gloria, and Harriet Webb as Officer Karen.

There are also some new faces joining the cast including Neighbours and Dynasty star Alan Dale, Heartstopper and Celebrity Big Brother's Bradley Riches, Smother star Niamh Walsh, EastEnders and Casualty's Shaheen Jafargholi, Sam Buttery, Orlando Norman and more.

Wreck season 2 episode guide

Episode 1 — 'Gay Miles Per Hour': Jamie and Vivian are fighting hard to expose Velorum, but the walls are closing in and they're forced to take desperate measures. In a deadly gamble, they set their sights on Velorum's newest venture — an exclusive 'wellness' festival in Slovenia.

Episode 2 — 'Did You Miss Me?': A bombshell reunion separates Jamie from his friends and puts him in grave danger, while the rest of the gang get to grips with the eccentric festival. Soon, everyone finds themselves drawn into an unwanted encounter with an old foe.

Episode 3 — 'Hold The Line': As the past comes back to haunt him, Jamie goes rogue and makes a terrifying, inhuman discovery. Meanwhile, an old adversary makes their presence known.

Episode 4 — 'Disposable': After the group decide to go their separate ways, Jamie and Vivian must delve deeper to find the missing festival staff, forging new alliances along the way. Meanwhile, the gang on the road become lost and find themselves caught up in a terrifying siege.

Episode 5 — 'Gaylords Of The Galaxy': As devastating news reaches Jamie and Vivian, their morals are put to the test as they face what it will take to win the battle against Velorum.

Episode 6 — 'You Can Let Go Now': As the full horror of the festival becomes clear, there may be no going back for Jamie when he's faced with a final, nightmarish choice. 

Is there a trailer for Wreck season 2?

There is, and you can check it out in all its gory glory below. 

It shows Vivian, Lauren, Rosie and the gang arriving at the festival where Tristan (Buck Braithwaite) promises "three days of transcendental escapism" in an "event all about rebirth", while Jamie is reunited with Pippa who warns him that he has no idea what he's just walked into. 

The gang are pursued by a killer in a Quacky mask once again, while Cormac warns that "they are coming for us". Various characters including Jamie and Olly, Vivian and an unknown girl, and Lauren and Ben (Orlando Norman) are shown kissing. 

Vivian proposes showing their enemies the same mercy they showed the gang, Officer Beaker is shown screaming, and Lauren leaves the room for a nervous wee. Business as usual, in other words.

Alan Dale interview for Wreck season 2

Dinosaur is a comedy on BBC3 and BBCIplayer starring Ashley Storrie as an autistic woman whose life is thrown into turmoil. Ashley, who is autistic herself and co-created the series with writer Matilda Curtis, plays Nina who loves living with her sister and best friend Evie, played by Kat Ronney. But then Evie has a whirlwind romance and gets engaged, making Nina her maid of honour. Nina’s life is thrown into a tailspin as she grapples with her sister’s impulsive decision and what that means for her own life, not least that she needs to find a date for the wedding.

“Playing Nina was probably the most liberating thing that’s ever happened in my entire life,” says Ashley. “A big part of my autism is ‘masking’ but Nina just kind of wears it out there. That’s what I loved about her. When you’ve got autism, you spend so much time trying to hide it, which just takes up so much energy. So, being Nina has made me realise that I should just be me and spend less time trying to make everybody feel more comfortable around my weirdness. She’s not diagnosed so she doesn’t know that it’s something she has to be hiding – it’s something about her that just ‘is’. It was a very liberating, wonderful experience.” 

Here’s everything you need to know about the BBC3 series Dinosaur…

Dinosaur release date

Dinosaur is a six-part series that launches in the UK from Sunday April 14 2024, with weekly double bills on BBC3 at 9pm and 9.25pm. All six episodes will also become available on BBCiPlayer from April 14.

The show will also launch in the US on Hulu in 2024. When the US release date is confirmed, we’ll update this page.

Dinosaur plot 

Dinosaur is set in Glasgow and follows Nina is an autistic woman in her 30s who is obsessed with dinosaurs and enjoys living with her sister. But then her sister Evie gets engaged, after a six-week romance, leaving Nina struggling to cope with this new development. Nina grapples with what this means for her future and embarks on a surprising journey of self-discovery when she realises she needs to bring a date to the wedding. 

Nina’s relationship with her sister isn’t the only change that she’s navigating, as she explores new possibilities in her palaeontology career and a potential new relationship in her own life with the introduction of kind-hearted Lee, who helps Nina to see these new challenges in a more positive light. As their relationship blossoms, we see that Nina helps Lee just as much as he helps her.

Dinosaur cast — Ashley Storrie interview on playing Nina

Comedian and actress Ashley Storrie who has ASD herself, plays autistic Nina. This is her first major role but she’s also appeared on Breaking the News, The Blame Game, The Comedy Underground and Mission: Accessible.

Ashley says: "Nina is a palaeontologist who loves her family. She loves her sister Evie; she loves her city. She’s straight forward, she’s direct and I think she’s sometimes more direct than me. I often feel a little bit envious of that because Nina lives out loud fully who she is and I sometimes still put on my mask to try and be something else, so I do find myself a little bit envious of her at times.

"Nina and Evie are best friends, sisters, bonded through some sort of magical soul bond and they’re a bit co-dependent and overly reliant upon each other and maybe they’re trying to find out who they are without the other. I think that can be true of sisters or best friends, the women you grow up with and latch on to shape you so much and when those friends move on, get married and have babies, sometimes you can often find yourself kind of freewheeling and left behind. I’m so lucky that Kat, who plays Evie, we met, we fell in love, and we get along really well, and I feel so lucky that that happened because this could have been a completely different experience if that wasn’t the case. 

"Nina’s parents are tremendous, Ade and Diane. They love her, she loves them and her brother Bo, who’s slightly more contentious. There’s a little bit of push back there from her brother but I think that’s a typical brotherly thing. I don’t know, I don’t have any but I’m basing it on reality television that I’ve watched, so I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. I’ve seen the Kardashians; I know how families operate. I call Bo ‘bawbag’ a lot and I feel like that’s an underrepresented word in British entertainment. I feel like we’ve had a hurricane bawbag, I’ve met a cat called bawbag and I feel like it needs to spread far and wide. Not just across Britain, but across the world."

Ashley Storrie on her new comedy: 'Dinosaur is about embracing difference, not being ashamed of it'

Who else is starring in Dinosaur?

Other cast in Dinosaur include Kat Ronney plays Nina’s sister Evie. Greg Hemphill (Still Game) is Ade, Sabrina Sandhu (Dodger, The Syndicate) plays Amber, Ben Rufus Green (The Cockfields) is Shane, Jim Kitson (Land of Women) is Declan, Sally Howitt (River City) is Diane, Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones, Inside Man) is Cecily and Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game) is Sachin. David Carlyle (It’s A Sin) plays Bo, Lorn Macdonald (BEATS, The Lazarus Project, Bridgerton) is playing Lee and Danny Ashok (Roadkill, Capital) plays Ranesh.

Kat Ronney says: "Dinosaur follows the story of two sisters, Evie and Nina who's played by my lovely friend Ashley Storrie. It's kind of a love story about these two sisters who have grown up as best friends, just glued to each others sides. They're pretty much chalk and cheese, they are not the same person, but they just click, and they just get each other so well. Evie then meets someone, Ranesh, and completely falls in love, and is ready to make that commitment. It's about how that change is going to affect Evie's life, but also Nina's life, and this life that they have together. I love their relationship so much and it has been genuinely just such a joy to do this with Ashley. I just think the world of her and we have had so much fun and genuinely, the thought of not seeing her every day actually breaks my heart a little bit which I think is absolutely what Evie and Nina are both feeling. It's definitely going to be a huge change for them. They live together, they have a very very set routine that they're both super comfortable in."

Is there a trailer? 

Yes! The Dinosaur trailer gives us a brief snapshot of the warm relationship between Nina and her sister. Do check it out below...

Behind the scenes, locations and more on Dinosaur

Dinosaur was filmed in Glasgow and created by Matilda Curtis and Ashley Storrie. It's a Two Brothers Pictures (Fleabag, The Tourist) production for Hulu (US) and BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three (UK) in partnership with All3Media International. Dinosaur was commissioned by Jon Petrie, Director of BBC Comedy and Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland. It is based on an original idea by Matilda Curtis. The Executive Producers are Sarah Hammond, Katie Churchill, Harry Williams, Jack Williams. Catriona Renton is Co-Executive Producer. The Director is Niamh McKeown and the Producer is Brian Coffey. The BBC Commissioning Editors are Emma Lawson and Gavin Smith.

Coming-of-age comedy drama Boarders on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer sees five underprivileged, inner-London black kids step into a world they only thought possible in Harry Potter when they move to a posh boarding school. 

As they are forced out of their comfort zone – London’s zone 3 – the students must navigate this new, alien world, forge friendships and discover who they really are. And, what’s more, they’re determined to do it their way, even if that means ruffling a few feathers. 

Boarders is written by Timewasters’ creator Daniel Lawrence Taylor who says: “As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow momentum, and the world is becoming more aware of black struggles in white institutions, a show like Boarders has never been more relevant or ripe for comedy. Working with Studio Lambert and the BBC has been an absolute joy, and I’ve also bagged myself some of the most exciting black British voices to help me bring this show to the screen.” Here’s everything we know about the exciting new series so far…

Boarders release date

Boarders is a six-part series that lanched on BBCiPlayer on Tuesday, February 20 2024. 

Episodes also run weekly from Tuesday, February 20 at 9pm on BBC3. 

We're expecting Boraders to be shown on BBC1 a little while after but we'll confirm this when we hear. We'll also confirm any international air dates and channels.

Is there a trailer for Boarders? 

Yes, the new trailer is here and it gives you an insight into just how brilliant this comedy is going to be... 

Boarders plot

Boarders will follow five back students from inner-city London — Jaheim, Toby, Femi, Omar and Leah — who win scholarships to an elite boarding school, St Gilbert’s. This is an attempt to rehabilitate the image of one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious schools. 

Stepping out of the urban metropolis is a huge culture shock and boarding school feels like another world to them. As they start to realise how the other half live, the kids must learn to be independent, cope with fierce rivalries and handle extreme pressure as well as making friends, relationships and a large sprinkling of enemies. However, these youngsters might be outsiders but they are determined to prove themselves, and shake things up along the way. 

Boarders cast 

Boarders will star Josh Tedeku (Supacell, A Town Called Malice) as Jaheim, Jodie Campbell (Bulletproof, No Return) as Leah, Myles Kamwendo (The School for Good and Evil) as Omar alongside Sekou Diaby and Aruna Jalloh, both making their screen debuts, who play Toby and Femi. Boarders creator and writer Daniel Lawrence Taylor will also appear on screen to play Gus, a mentor figure to St Gilbert’s five newest students. 

Derek Riddell (Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack) will play headmaster Bernard, and Niky Wardley (Queen of Oz, The Catherine Tate Show) will play Carol Watlington-Geese, Chair of the Board.

Other cast in the series include Harry Gilby (Tolkien), Tallulah Greive (Our Ladies, Cinderella), Rosie Graham (The School for Good and Evil, Sanditon), Georgina Sadler (The A List) and Assa Kanoute, making her screen debut. Additional cast include Harry Gilby (Tolkien), Tallulah Greive (Our Ladies, Cinderella), Rosie Graham (The School for Good and Evil, Sanditon), Georgina Sadler (The A List) and Assa Kanoutè and Archie Fisher, making their screen debuts.

Interview with Josh Tedeku who plays Jaheim

What can you tell us about Jaheim?

"Jaheim comes from London and he’s grown up around a rougher vibe, which you’ll see in the first scene. He’s a very prideful young man who can get violent at times because he doesn’t know any other way to deal with his pain, but he can also be a bit of a charmer when he wants to be. 

"The other four in the group (Femi, Omar, Toby and Leah) are friends of his but his real friends are back home. Throughout the series you see his growth and evolution so by the end of the final episode he’s changed quite a bit compared to when we first met him as he’s had to adapt to the situation and the environment he is in."

What attracted you to the role?

"I went to a majority white school outside of London and it was a weird experience for me. I know some people have good experiences and others have bad experiences. I saw myself in Jaheim a little bit and thought it would be a fun character to play and a fun story to tell. The first script we got was really good and I think that’s what attracted all of us to the job."

Behind the scenes and more about Boarders

Boarders was commissioned by Ben Irving, Acting Director of Drama, and Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three. It's Executive Produced by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, Susan Hogg and Maddie Sinclair for Studio Lambert, and Ayela Butt and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. The series is script edited by Missy Howard.

Joining Daniel Lawrence Taylor in the Boarders writers room are Emma Dennis-Edwards, Yemi Oyefuwa and Ryan Calais Cameron.

Creator, lead writer, actor and executive producer Daniel Lawrence Taylor says: “It's really exciting to see Boarders finally come to life. I’ve been gifted with the most incredible cast and creative team who are injecting so much joy and energy into the show. I hope the audience loves it as much as we're loving making it.”

Susan Hogg, Studio Lambert says: “Daniel is a superb writer and actor. He has the courage and insight to tackle a tough premise through the lens of comedy. Blessed with a hugely talented cast, Boarders is a bold and original comedy drama, both heartfelt and hilarious. The series hits the sweet spot between laughter and tears that the audience will love.” 

 Fiona Campbell, Controller of Youth Audience, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three says: “We’re so pleased to welcome such a talented cast of rising and established UK talent to Daniel Lawrence Taylor’s Boarders. The series takes us on a journey through the eyes of five young adults in a way that’s refreshing, informative, and hilariously funny – we can’t wait for BBC Three viewers to join in on the fun.”

Maartje Horchner, EVP Content at All3Media International says: “We are very pleased to be a partner in this wonderful, hilarious project that gives a voice to some brilliant new talent. Daniel Lawrence Taylor, with Studio Lambert and the BBC, has created a revealing and immensely engaging and entertaining world at St Gilbert’s – a contemporary comedy of manners with a lot of heart that we are delighted to represent globally.”

Things You Should Have Done is a hilarious dysfunctional family sitcom coming to BBC3, written by and starring comedian Lucia Keskin. She plays Chi, a lazy woman who has sat on her parents’ sofa doing very little for the past 20-years. But when they die unexpectedly, Chi learns that she will only inherit their house if she completes the list of ‘things you should have done’ they left behind for her. 

Each episode of Things You Should Have Done sees Chi tackle another item on her to-do list, but her auntie Karen, played by Selin Hizli, is waiting in the wings for her to fail, so she can get her own hands on the property. “I cannot believe it's actually happening, very excited and just so grateful to fulfil a dream with such a great team of people,” says creator and star Lucia Keskin. “But above all it’s just nice to get out of the house.”

Here’s everything you need to know about BBC3 sitcom Things You Should Have Done…

Things You Should Have Done release date

Things You Should Have Done is a six-part series that will start on BBC3 on Thursday February 29 2024 and air as a box set on BBCiPlayer.

Is there a trailer for Things You Should Have Done? 

Yes a trailer for Things You Should Have Done has been released by the BBC which you can take a look at below...

Things You Should Have Done plot 

For the past 20 years Chi has lived with her parents in Ramsgate, England, eating crisps, making vlogs, watching sitcoms and doing very little else. But then her parents die unexpectedly, and she’s suddenly forced to fend for herself. Worse still, she hears that she will only inherit the house on condition she completes a list of 'Things You Should Have Done’ left by her parents. And this includes everything from petting a dog to getting a job. Meanwhile Chi’s highly strung Auntie Karen (Selin Hizli) wants nothing to do with her dependent pest of a niece, but very much wants the house she feels is rightfully hers.

Things You Should Have Done cast — Lucia Keskin on playing Chi 

Comedian Lucia Keskin plays the bone-idle Chi, who depends on her parents for her survival. "It’s a show about a girl who has to try to cope with life now her parents are dead and can’t do everything for her," says Keskin. "She desperately leans on the family she has left and forces her way into people’s lives."

* Lucia Keskin previously had roles in Big Boys, Live at the Moth Club and Sneakerhead.

Selin Hizli on playing Auntie Karen

Selin Hizli plays Chi’s scheming Auntie Karen. "In many ways Karen very much does live up to her name,’ says Hizli. ‘She feels stuck in a rut and has a bad habit of blaming other people for that – mainly Chi."

* Selin Hizli played Margaret Ward in Grantchester and has also appeared in Land Girls, Mum, Am I Being Unreasonable?, Six Four, Deadwater Fell and Luther, 

Who else is starring in Things You Should Have Done? 

Things You Should Have Done also stars Daniel Fearn, Jamie Bisping, Martha Cope, Darren Strange, Sinead Matthews, Sachin K. Sharma and Steve Brody. 

Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey is a BBC3 series that will follow two British heroes of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This style of fighting is the fastest growing sport in the world and this eight-part fly-on-the-wall docuseries gives viewers a peek into the lives and loves of two of the sport’s biggest stars, Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett and Molly ‘Meatball’ McCann. 

Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey follows this pair of fighters, who are close friends and both live in Merseyside in the UK, as they prepare for the biggest fights of their lives in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. We also meet their families and discover how they balance their demanding careers with hectic home lives. 

“We can’t wait for you all to see what a day in the life for us both entails,” say Paddy and Molly. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and a lot goes into what we do. You won’t believe it until you see it so get watching!” 

Here’s everything you need to know about Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer…

Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey release date

Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey is an eight-part fly-on-the-wall series that launches on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer from Monday July 1 2024.

Is there a trailer for Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey?

Yes BBC3 has released a trailer for the Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey via Tik Tok. Take a look below...

What happens in Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey?

Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey follows MMA fighters Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann as they both face bouts that will determine their ultimate fighting legacy. We get an insight into their friendship and see first-hand how they always help one another out, both professionally and personally. Paddy is a Liverpool FC fan while Molly is Everton (see in their colours above). We'll meet Paddy’s wife Laura, who is pregnant with twins, and Molly’s fiancée Ellis, and learn how the fighters sometimes struggle to balance their careers with family life. They also show us around their hometowns in Merseyside as we follow their day-to-day lives, from the sandy and windswept beaches of Crosby where Molly and Paddy both walk their dogs to the vibrant and bustling Baltic Market which is the home to Molly’s restaurant.

In episode one we'll see Paddy in Las Vegas as he prepares to fight against Tony Ferguson in The Octagon.

All about Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett

Known as Paddy The Baddy to MMA fans around the world, featherweight (and sometime Lightweight) star Patrick Pimbett from Liverpool was born in 1995 and has been a professional MMA fighter since he was 17 in 2012. In 2016 he won the Cage Warriors featherweight championship, a title he defended once. To date Paddy has won 21 fights and lost three. Watch a round-up of Paddy’s fights below

All about Molly McCann

Molly McCann earned the nickname 'Meatball' because she supported herself by working at the sandwich shop Subway. She was born in 1990 and  has won the vacant Shock N’Awe Championship and defended it once and she won the vacant Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Women’s Flyweight Championship in 2018. She has won 13 fights and lost six. Watch Molly in the cage taking on Julija Stoliarenko below...…

Behind the scenes on Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey

Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey is made by Hello Mary for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. Executive Producers for Hello Mary are Steve Regan and Sharyn Mills. It was commissioned by Nasfim Haque, Head of Content for BBC Three and Catherine Catton, Head of Popular Factual and Factual Entertainment. The BBC Commissioning Editor is Ricky Cooper.

Nasfim Haque, Head of Content, BBC Three says: “BBC Three has established a track record in lifting the lid on some extraordinary, unexpected yet highly relevant talent to young audiences in the UK, so when we got the opportunity to work with these two brilliant, technicolour sportspeople we simply couldn’t refuse. Prepare yourselves… we cannot wait!”

Steve Regan, Executive Producer for Hello Mary says: “New series are always exciting to create but with characters as brilliant and entertaining as Paddy and Molly and a world that still feels unexplored to many people, this series has made myself and Hello Mary even more excited than usual!”

Domino Day is a supernatural drama and it is now available on Netflix.

The series features Adult Material star Siena Kelly playing a witch with the power to destroy everything, particularly bad men. She stars as the titular Domino Day, a young woman with extraordinary powers, and is joined by an exciting cast, including Poppy Lee Friar, Sam Howard-Sneyd, Babirye Bukilwa and Alisha Bailey. 

The series, which is set in Manchester in the UK, has been created by Gangs of London’s Lauren Sequeira, so you can expect lots of power struggles and gritty drama. 

So here's everything you need to know about the Buffy-like six-part series Domino Day…

Domino Day release date

Domino Day is a six-part series that landed on Netflix on Tuesday, March 25. March.

Previously, the series has aired in the UK on the BBC and is available on BBC iPlayer, while in the US, it was shown on Sundance Now and AMC+.

Is there a trailer for Domino Day?

Yes there's a trailer for Domino Day. Take a look at Domino on the hunt for Manchester's single men below..

Domino Day plot

The six-part series is set in modern day Manchester, England, and follows Domino Day (Siena Kelly) who spends her time on dating apps. But she isn’t looking for love, she’s swiping to hunt. Her strategy is to target the city’s unsavoury bachelors and fiercely suck the energy out of them.

Aware of her impressive but terrifying powers, Domino is desperate to find a community that can help her understand who she truly is. But what she doesn’t know is there’s a coven of witches hot on her heels, watching her every move and determined to stop her before she destroys everyone and everything around her. 

Coven leader Kat (Alisha Bailey), aura-seeing empath Sammie (Babirye Bukilwa), telekinetic witch Geri (Poppy Lee Friar) and party-loving sorceress Jules (Molly Harris) are covertly tracking Domino, attempting to understand her powers. But just as the young witch finds solace with kind barman Leon (Percelle Ascott), her ex-boyfriend and fellow witch, Silas (Sam Howard-Sneyd), reappears, sending her spiralling. 

What does this mean for them all and will there be a final showdown?

Domino Day cast — Siena Kelly on playing Domino 

Siena Kelly plays witch Domino Day who feels compelled to feed off the energy of others. 

"Domino is an extremely powerful witch who’s new to Manchester," says BAFTA nominee Siena Kelly, 28. "She has to feed, it’s not a choice. If she doesn’t, she will be drained of all energy and will eventually die. She knows what she’s doing is bad, so she justifies it by tactically picking men whom she thinks might be dangerous. 

"She doesn’t know what her full powers are, though, nor where her witchcraft comes from. She’s deeply isolated and searching for a community, but doesn’t realise she’s also being hunted. The biggest influence on Domino is Silas, but it’s a tricky, nuanced and toxic relationship in which he encourages her worst traits to grow.

"I really empathised with Domino in being desperate to change your situation but having absolutely no resources to change it. I also found the idea of being so powerful and not having realised it or not really understanding just how powerful she is really interesting and something that I wanted to explore. 

"The biggest influence on Domino is her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Silas, which isn’t a great relationship. He’s another witch and it’s a really tricky, nuanced and toxic relationship where he encourages her worst traits to grow. He’s also the first witch that she’s ever met so he’s her sole way into the witching world. He gets to be the person who influences her on witch politics, telling her what’s allowed and what’s not, what laws to follow, etc, which is a lot of power to have over somebody. They do love each other but it’s not a good or healthy relationship. 

"The next biggest relationship is the one she develops with Sammie, who’s another witch that’s a lot kinder than Silas. Sammie recognises that Domino is far more powerful than the other witches she knows and really wants her to grow and learn to control her powers and love herself. She wants Domino to recognise that she’s not an inherently bad person, which takes a while for Domino to realise, but she only realises it because of Sammie. Sammie is a brilliant, positive influence on Domino’s life. 

"And then there's the relationships she has with a few humans in her life, which are also very difficult relationships to navigate, because the humans don't know that she's a witch, so she has a lot of secrets with them. There's Leon, who is a man that she meets in a bar that she develops a really beautiful romantic connection and friendship with. There’s also Vedita, her boss in the café. They have a lot of chemistry together and they really enjoy each other’s company. But she knows she can’t really be her true self around both of them as they’re humans and she’s a witch. So there’s always a level that she can’t quite get to with them." 

* Siena Kelly previously starred in Adult Material and Hit & Run and played Michelle in the 2019 Sky series Temple. She also starred in the ITV1 miniseries Vanity Fair.  

Who else is starring in Domino Day?

Domino Day also stars Poppy Lee Friar (Life and Death In the Warehouse, Ackley Bridge, In My Skin) as Geir who is part of the witches Coven alongside Babirye Bukilwa (We Hunt Together) as Sammie, Alisha Bailey (Call the Midwife, Strike) and Molly Harris (Industry as Kat, Monsoon). 

Percelle Ascott (I Came By, The Innocents) is Leon, Sam Howard-Sneyd (Clarity and Chaos, The Children) is Silas, while Christopher Jeffers (Rocketman, Coronation Street), Jonah Rzeskiewicz (Death on the Nile, The Dig) Maimuna Memon (Sherwood, Lazarus) Lucy Cohu and Kris Hitchen round out the cast.

Percelle Ascott says: "We meet Leon right at the start in episode one. He's not magical like the rest of the characters are but he has a good connection with Domino from the beginning. However, as their love begins to blossom there are people out there who aren’t a fan of their romance so as they’re trying to figure things out between them, and Leon gets caught up in the mess with Domino. 

"I think it was the first conversation I had with the director, Eva Sigurdardottir. As there are so many supernatural elements, she wanted to find a way to ground the show through my relationship with Domino. At the end of the day, it’s just a relationship and it was fun to explore how we can find the comedy within our relationship and take it away from all the other scenes that are so supernatural. I feel like the scenes you see with Leon are more stripped back, grounded and wholesome."

Sam Howard-Sneyd on playing Silas in Domino Day

Can you give us an overview of Domino Day? 
Sam Howard-Sneyd says: "I’d describe it as the world of witchcraft meets the 21st century in the world of dating. So it's the problems that people can relate to maybe not in a magical sense, but in a metaphorical sense, and navigating that world of magic with the tricky task of navigating the 21st century as well. 

What kind of show is Domino Day and what makes it unique? 
Sam says: "What I love about the show is that it's led by these relationships and by the drama between the different people. It definitely has magic in it but I think it’s less for the sake of magic but more to show the relationships and to provide some tension and some drama to give you a window into people's true character and the way they have to change throughout the show and the way their relationships changed."

What are the show’s key themes? 
Sam says: "I think identity is a really big part of it. Power and our relationship with power. As well as what we choose as the important things in life. Also this idea of change. Whether we should be going with change or fighting against it. I believe change is the only constant that we have and some characters choose to fight against that and try keep things as is, whereas other characters try and move with it, and I think that's very interesting.."

Behind the scenes and more on Domino Day

Filming began on Domino Day on location in Manchester in March 2023. Domino Day is executive produced by Lucy Richer and Ayela Butt for the BBC, Laurence Bowen and Chris Carey for Dancing Ledge Productions and writer/creator Lauren Sequeira. Some episodes have been written by Charlene James and Haleema Mirza. 

Writer/creator Lauren Sequeira describes the show as ‘dark, sexy and deep’, and hopes young people will love it: "I’m a fan of the supernatural genre, and the Americans have done it so well with the likes of True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, etc. But I thought we needed our own show in the UK. I wanted to bring something vampiric to a witch show, and then place that witch in a dating app setting, where it's so transient and you’re constantly swiping onto the next. But I wanted the audience to be really afraid of Domino, then flip it. The supernatural elements of the show empower her. When guys think they can do terrible things to Domino, terrible things are done to them." 
 

Daddy Issues on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer is an odd-couple comedy series about a pregnant young woman with no one to rely on but her useless father. 

Made by the team behind White Gold and The Inbetweeners and written by Brassic’s Danielle Ward, the six-parter stars Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood as Gemma, a woman who falls pregnant after a meaningless hook-up and has nobody to turn to except her father Malcolm (Sherwood’s David Morrissey), a kindly man with zero life skills. 

"It had been a very long time since a script had made me laugh out loud. Danielle’s did exactly that,” says Aimee Lou Wood. “Then when I heard David was involved, I was even more excited. He’s someone I have admired throughout my life. Watching shows like Blackpool and Red Riding when I was younger fuelled my interest in acting and so it feels surreal and amazing to be working with someone I class as a legend and inspiration." 

David Morrissey adds: "I’m delighted to have worked with Aimee Lou Wood as she's someone I've admired for a while now. She’s a truly unique and gifted talent. Danielle has crafted such a funny and heartfelt piece and I’m so excited to be part of it,” 

Here’s everything you need to know about Daddy Issues on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer...

Daddy Issues release date

Daddy Issues airs on BBC Three from Thursday, August 15 at 9pm, and the whole season will be available to stream on BBCiPlayer.

How to watch Daddy Issues online: stream comedy from anywhere

Daddy Issues plot 

In Daddy Issues, Gemma (Aimee Lou Wood) is a carefree, party-lover from Stockport, near Manchester, who becomes pregnant after joining the mile-high club with a random hook-up on her flight home from Portugal. 

The news couldn’t have come at a worse time and Gemma has no one to turn to other than her dad Malcolm (David Morrissey), a man who can’t even boil an egg or load a washing machine. Malcolm moves in with Gemma at a time when they are both in desperate need of support but, along the way, they face dating disasters, failed romances, a psychotic antenatal teacher, family politics and toxic friendships. 

Daddy Issues cast — Aimee Lou Wood as Gemma

Pregnant Gemma is played by Aimee Lou Wood. For Aimee, one of the key draws of starring as pregnant Gemma in Daddy Issues was having David Morrissey play her dad, Malcolm.

"I’ve loved David since I was a kid in everything he’s done," enthuses the Bafta-winning 29-year-old. "This part is so silly and he went beyond anything I could have ever expected. We had great chats and I hope he’s in my life forever."

And Aimee was equally captivated by the sweet bond that develops between Gemma and Malcolm as the series progresses.

"Gemma’s independent and finds it hard to let people in and to accept help" she shares. "But she learns how to be vulnerable and open up. At the beginning, she and Malcolm feel like strangers but they start to see each other as humans and love each other through it all."

Aimee Lou Wood is best known for her role as lovable Aimee Gibbs in the smash hit Netflix series Sex Education. She’s also starred in Living, Alice and Jack, On The Edge and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. 

David Morrissey on playing Malcolm

Gemma's father Malcolm is played by David Morrissey who says. “I adore him! He's a man-child and downtrodden and has lost his way and has to play catch-up. But he doesn't have the manual that everybody else has to operate in the world. He is behind the curve. And he blames other people, particularly his ex- wife Davina (played by Susan Lynch), for where he is. I don't think he's got a mean bone in his body though."

Daddy Issues star David Morrissey on whether there will be a second season of the comedy

* David Morrissey had a long and hugely successful career, with roles in hit dramas such as Sherwood, The Long Shadow, Britannia, The Singapore Grip and The Walking Dead. He’s also starred in Doctor Who, Robin Hood, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Basic Instinct 2, Poirot, South Riding and The Missing. 

Who else is starring in Daddy Issues? 

The remaining cast of Daddy Issues includes Susan Lynch (Sex Education) as Malcolm's ex-wife Davina, plus Tom Stourton (Stath Lets Flats), Susannah Fielding (This Time with Alan Partridge), Lauren O'Rourke (Henpocalypse), Cyril Nri (The Bill), Cora Kirk (Your Christmas Or Mine, Grantchester), Perry Fitzgerald (Line of Duty), Claire Keelan (The Trip), Damien Molony (Brassic), Sherrie Hewson (Corrie, Benidorm), Humphrey Ker (Welcome to Wrexham) and David Reed (Ghosts).

Is there a trailer for Daddy Issues? 

Yes! In the trailer you can see Gemma trying to come to terms with becoming a mum, while Malcom turns out to be no use whatsoever! Take a look below.

Behind the scenes and more on Daddy Issues

Daddy Issues is a six-part series written by Danielle Ward (Brassic, In The Long Run) and is a Fudge Park production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. It was commissioned by the BBC's Jon Petrie (see below).

The directors of Daddy Issues are Catherine Morshead (The Full Monty, No Offence) and Damon Beesley (White Gold, The Inbetweeners 2). The Producer is Lynn Roberts (Man Like Mobeen, I Hate You) and executive produced by Phil Gilbert (Count Abdulla, White Gold) for Fudge Park Productions, alongside Aimee Lou Wood, David Morrissey, Danielle Ward and Damon Beesley. The commissioner for the BBC is Seb Barwell. Fremantle is handling global sales.

Jon Petrie, who is Director of Comedy Commissioning at the BBC, says: “In Daddy Issues, Danielle has created a genuinely laugh-out-loud sitcom. We’re delighted to be working with her, and the Fudge Park team, on the show. Having Aimee and David cast as the co-leads was the cherry on the cake.”

Young MasterChef is returning for a second series on BBC3. The next generation of foodies will be put through their paces as nine of Britain’s best young cooks, aged between 18 and 25, head to the famous MasterChef kitchen. For 10 weeks they will battle through the rounds to compete for the ultimate crown. 

Host Poppy O’Toole is back at the helm and this time she’s joined by new judge — chef, author and You Tube sensation Big Has — who made a big impression when he appeared as a guest in the last series. 

“It’s a major honour to be involved in a show as prestigious as MasterChef,” says Big Has. “Seeing the contestants’ eagerness to learn and show off their backgrounds through food is something that I’m all about. I really enjoyed being a guest on the last series. Like food, you’ve got to leave people with a good taste of who you are and luckily the producers bought what I was ‘cooking’.” 

Here’s everything you need to know about Young MasterChef series 2…

Young MasterChef series 2 release date 

Young MasterChef series 2 starts on BBC3  on Monday January 8 2024 at 8pm. Episodes will also become available on BBCiPlayer.

 Is there a trailer for Young MasterChef season 2? 

Yes there's a trailer for Young MasterChef season 2 which has been released by the BBC via Twitter. Take a look below...

Young MasterChef season 2 — how it works and what happens

Nine of the hottest upcoming talents at the heart of Britain’s food revolution will take on a host of tough cooking challenges over 10 weeks. Each week only the best contestants will make it through to the next round and be in with a shot at winning the coveted trophy. 

Interview with new MasterChef judge Big Has

Big Has became famous thanks to his cooking tutorials on YouTube. He’s also released a cookbook called Big Has HOME and appeared as a guest judge on the first season of Young MasterChef. 

Here, Big Has gives us the lowdown on being a judge for Young Masterchef season 2...

What is it like filming Young MasterChef season 2? 
Big Has says: "I was super nervous on day one. Big up to Poppy though. She was super warm and welcoming and the entire team looked after me. It’s a bit like the first day of school - having to suss people out and see the way the show works from behind the scenes. There’s such a good vibe in the studio. The team is like a family and I can see why they’ve worked on it together for so long. They really are the unsung heroes of the show and they’re all such great people." 

What can viewers expect from this sedond series?
"They can expect laughs, a couple of shockers, good food (or scran depending where you’re from), big energy from our contestants, a couple of famous faces and an amazing final." 

What has it been like to work alongside Poppy O'Toole as a co-judge? 
"Poppy is honestly one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. We got on really well from the beginning by sharing war stories of kitchens we’ve worked in and having a little gossip. I couldn’t have asked for a better co-host. She took me under her wing, showed me the ropes and we just got it cracking. Poppy is the real deal." 

Are you the strict or easy-going judge? 
"I was aiming to be the fun uncle. I didn’t want to tear anyone apart or be the reason why one of the contestants stopped cooking. At the end of the day, it’s a competition and someone has got to take home the trophy."

Did you resonate with the contestants as someone who also got into cooking at a young age? 
A lot of the contestants are actually younger than I was when I started cooking. So, it’s good to see the new generation of cooks understand and appreciate ingredients, tell their stories through food and share cherished family moments with us on TV. I actually learnt a lot of new things from the contestants. 

How important do you believe competitions like Young MasterChef and training programmes within the culinary industry are to young people? 
"I hope shows like Young MasterChef push the younger generation into actually giving cooking a go. It’s a tough industry and I wish sometimes that I found cooking earlier in life so I had a little more time travelling and working in other kitchens. That being said, I do feel like “food technology” in secondary schools could be something to revisit. It would be great to give kids the tools they need in terms of real-life skills. We should be teaching kids at that age the fundamentals and the things that will come in handy when no-one is home to cook or when they spread their wings later in life."

What advice would you give young chefs who may want to get into the industry? 
"If you’re willing to sacrifice, anything is possible. I gave up my twenties to learn my skills. It was a laugh at the time but I’d say if really want it, expect to put food and work first over everything. Also, go to college, look for apprenticeships and do work experience in restaurants you aspire to work in. You can’t just rely on a viral video to carry you. It’s all about the fundamentals. You can’t build a house without a roof first."

What qualities do you look for in a Young MasterChef winner? 
"For me, it’s about finding that person with drive, ambition and an ability to bounce back. I also feel that being able to understand your mistakes being able to rectify them without feeling like the world is against you is very important too."

Interview with Poppy O’Toole on hosting Young MasterChef season 2

Poppy O'Toole rose to fame on TikTok in 2020, thanks to her engaging recipe videos. She’s a Michelin-trained chef, famous for her potato recipes. As well as presenting Young MasterChef, Poppy has appeared on Big Zuu’s Big Eats, Saturday Kitchen, Celeb Cooking School and The Weakest Link. She’s also the author of Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook and Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need.  

Here, Poppy O'Toole gives us the lowdown on hosting Young MasterChef series 2...

How does it feel to be back for Young MasterChef season 2? 
Poppy O’Toole says: "My answer is wow! I can’t believe they’ve let me back in the MasterChef kitchen to actually judge and host again. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so excited to be back and working with Big Has on this series. I’ve been looking for an excuse to get back in the kitchen with him. I also love to see all the young talent come through and I can’t wait for everyone to see it."

What can viewers expect from series 2 of Young MaserChef?
"You can expect some right laughs, some delicious food, some strange food (in a good way) and just a whole lot of wholesome energy. I can’t wait for everyone to see this series because it’s really fun! The contestants are so deserving to be there and I think they’ve had about as wild a ride as me." 

How important do you think it is for budding chefs to have a presence on social media? 
"I think there is a place for everyone to have a social media presence. I mean it’s not a necessity but it’s a really good way to keep up to date with trends, showcase your skills and build up your confidence in cooking. You also get exposed to cuisines from around the world so it can be quite an inspirational tool. For me it’s not just a hobby anymore, it’s a whole career. So, if you are considering a social media presence, just do it!"

How has it been to have Big Has join you as co-judge this series? 
"It has been amazing to have Big Has join the team as he’s genuinely hilarious and super easy to get along with. He inspires all the contestants so everyone really values his opinion and takes it all on board. It also helps that he’s an incredible chef, so I’ve been taught a few new things too!" 

What’s it been like filming this series following last year? 
"It’s just been wild! We’ve had a few different challenges this year, although I don’t want to give away too much. Let’s just say that you’ll see us work in different habitats outside the MasterChef kitchen, which is really exciting." 

How important do you believe it is to highlight the upcoming talent in the food industry through competitions like Young MasterChef? 
"It’s so important in the hospitality industry to keep on bringing new people in. We need spaces for people to come in and show us their talent and their passion. Young MasterChef is a great platform to get that exposure and discover what they want in a future career. It might be that they want to do social media, or that they want to be a chef in a professional kitchen or even release food products such as sauces and spices, which is exactly what we saw happen from the previous year. I also think it’s so necessary that we do these competitions to showcase talent to other people who are already in the industry. It gets their name out there and hopefully pushes them toward a very long and successful career." 

What qualities do you look for in a winner? 
"I look for someone who can develop and grow throughout the competition. I think growth is a massive one, as you need to be constantly learning and changing and adapting, whilst maintaining that passion. Obviously, I also want great tasting food too! I need to see someone who can be brave with different cuisines and food pairings. Confidence is also essential as it’s tough going, so I love to see contestants really believe in themselves." 

Are you the strict or easy-going judge? 
"We’re both pretty easy going to be honest, but we know what we’re looking for and what we’re talking about. The last thing we want to do is knock someone's confidence, so we’re there to build people up. Even when it comes down to the horrible stuff like sending someone home, which always gets me! If it was up to me, no-one would leave but hopefully anyone that left felt like they received constructive feedback that will only enhance their game."

What advice would you give young chefs who want to get into the industry? 
"It’s gotta be to go for it! Realistically, you need to be prepared for long, unsociable hours and a high-pressure environment but if you love it, it can be so rewarding. I’m a people pleaser so I absolutely loved seeing a happy customer, knowing that I’d delivered a meal that made their day or added a little bit of sparkle to their week. That’s what you’ve got to remember and enjoy, because you’re there for the people, not just the food."

Bad Education: A Christmas Carol is heading to BBC3 and BBC iPlayer, featuring all of our Abbey Grove favourites — including the return of a familiar face!

The one-off festive special, which comes ahead of a fifth season that will transmit in 2024, follows the teachers and pupils of Abbey Grove as they prepare for the Christmas break, but it looks like one of them may be leaving for good unless there's a last-minute change of heart.

Here's everything you need to know about Bad Education: A Christmas Carol...

Bad Education: A Christmas Carol release date

Bad Education: A Christmas Carol will be shown on Wednesday, December 13 on BBC Three at 9 pm, and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

Bad Education: A Christmas Carol cast

You can expect all your favourite teachers and school staff to return for the Christmas special including Strictly Come Dancing 2023 star Layton Williams as drama teacher Stephen Carmichael, Charlie Wernham as PE teacher Mitchell Harper, Vicki Pepperdine as headteacher Bernadette Hoburn, Mathew Horne as former headteacher turned kitchen supervisor Shaquille Fraser — and a guest appearance from Jack Whitehall as Alfie Wickers, following his departure in last year's reunion special.

Class K will all be present too, with Anthony J Abraham (Inchez), Francesca Amewudah-Rivers (Blessing), Ali Hadji-Heshmati (Warren), Asha Hassan (Usma), Bobby Johnson (Harrison) and Laura Marcus (Jinx) also return.

Bad Education: A Christmas Carol plot

The special opens at Stephen's funeral — which he is staging, because he's leaving Abbey Grove and wants to see how sad everyone will be without him. He's had an offer to star in a pantomime at a theatre just a stone's throw away from the West End (technically in Swindon) and has decided that his teaching days are over.

However, as Stephen skips the school Christmas lunch in favour of a disco nap prior to meeting his new castmates, he's visited by the ghost of his former teacher Alfie Wickers, who warns him that he needs to learn the error of his ways — and that he will be visited by three more spirits before the night is out, in the medium that he'll understand best: a musical featuring original songs...

Interview with Layton Williams and Charlie Wernham for Bad Education: A Christmas Carol

EastEnders: The Six - Revealed is an interview special focusing on the huge Christmas Day storyline that was teased in a flashforward episode in February.

The 30-minute special will be hosted by former EastEnders star Joe Swash as he delves into the lives of six much-loved Walford matriarchs known as 'The Six', including Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), who have all been at the centre of the storyline.

As they re-watch their soap alter egos, the stars will share an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight into their characters' most gripping storyline moments of the year and discuss which man might meet a grisly end in the Vic at Christmas, as well as possible theories on how each of their characters could be driven to murder.

The BBC3 special will also offer an exclusive look at storylines still to come as we lead up to the highly-anticipated Christmas Day whodunnit reveal. 

Nasfim Haque, Head of Content, BBC Three said: “The EastEnders whodunnit storyline has gripped fans since February, and we’re pleased to offer viewers on BBC Three this exclusive insight with those actresses at the heart of this gripping storyline.” 

Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer of EastEnders added: “Since we announced our Christmas storyline back in February, there has been an overwhelming amount of speculation around the body in question and which one of our six Walford matriarchs might be responsible; with much of that speculation coming from the cast.  This show not only gives the audience the chance to hear from the actresses involved as they discuss their own theories but also gives some exclusive news about what’s to come this Christmas.” 

EastEnders: The Six - Revealed release date

EastEnders: The Six - Revealed will air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on Monday, December 11 at 8 pm.

EastEnders: The Six - Revealed cast

The cast taking part in EastEnders: The Six - Revealed are Diane Parish, Gillian Taylforth, Kellie Bright, Letitia Dean, Lacey Turner and Balvinder Sopal, who will be offering up their thoughts on the Christmas Day murder.

The EastEnders favourites will also be joined by host Joe Swash.

EastEnders: The Six - Revealed host

Ex EastEnders star Joe Swash, who played Mickey Miller for five years, will be presenting the special.

Speaking on his involvement, presenter Joe Swash, said: “I absolutely loved being back in my old stomping ground, Albert Square. EastEnders holds such great memories for me, and it felt so great to be back. I loved reconnecting with Tish, Lacey and Di who I love dearly and worked with on my last stint in the show, and it was great to meet Kellie, Gillian and Bal as we looked back at some of their amazing storylines from the year.”

Is there a trailer?

No there is no trailer for EastEnders: The Six - Revealed out yet, but we will update the guide as soon as one has been released.

Roman Kemp: The Fight For Young Lives follows broadcaster and DJ, Roman as he investigates the help currently available to young people in the UK struggling with their mental health. 

Two years ago following the tragic suicide of his best friend and colleague, Joe Lyons, Roman made the critically acclaimed documentary Our Silent Emergency.

The hour-long film explored why increasing numbers of young men were suffering in silence with their mental health and taking their own lives. 

"It was essentially a call out to people to talk more openly about their struggles and be friends and heroes to one another", explains Roman. "But further down the line, I wanted to find out what happens next after they’ve started talking. How do people access support? Where do they go? I’ve heard so many people say, 'We just can’t get the help we need.'"

This new documentary sees Roman talking to young people who have been impacted by poor mental health and hears about the often devastating consequences as they are unable to access help. 

Roman Kemp: The Fight for Young Lives — release date

The hour-long documentary will be released on Wednesday, November 1 at 9pm on BBC Three and will also be available on BBC iPlayer. 

Roman Kemp: The Fight For Young Lives — who does Roman meet? 

Roman meets head teachers, charity organisations and CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) where he shines a light on why we are struggling to meet the huge demand for support in the UK. 

He starts by meeting parents, Esther and Andy whose 16-year-old daughter Poppy took her own life after failing to get ongoing professional support for her mental health due to overstretched resources. 

Roman says, "Since the pandemic, the number of young people referred to CAMHs in the UK has gone up by over 75 percent. Without enough resources, teenagers either can’t access it or are having to wait far too long and by then they are already often at an absolute crisis point."

What institutions and organisations does Roman Kemp visit? 

Among the places Roman visits is The Grace Academy in Coventry where there is a dedicated support centre for pupils suffering with their mental health.

Later on, he meets the staff and the people involved in Young Minds, a youth mental health charity who are seen attending a meeting at Parliament to lobby politicians and urge them to invest more funding into support services. 

What did Roman learn from his investigations? 

Roman says, "What I concluded was that the biggest help would be for every school in the UK to have a dedicated mental health support team so children can access help early on.

"We need more funding for prevention rather than intervention. At the moment 36 percent of schools have mental health support teams but it needs to be 100 percent. The people in power need to say, 'Ok we recognise the problem and here’s the action that can help us.' There needs to be systematic change."

Interview with Roman Kemp

Is there a trailer?

Yes, take a look below...

Boot Dreams: Now or Never on BBC Three and BBCiPlayer follows 16 young footballers who have had been rejected by Britain’s top clubs, as they try to achieve their dreams of becoming the next Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka once more. And it’s literally make or break!

Over four weeks they’ll go under intense training a unique academy with support from professionals like Millie Bright and Bruno Fernandes, before playing in front of top scouts with the hope of one last shot at glory. Meanwhile, presenter, radio host and die-hard Arsenal fan Roman Kemp follows all the blood, sweat and tears as they fight their way back to top-flight football.

So here’s everything you need to know about Boot Dreams: Now or Never on BBC Three…

Boot Dreams: Now or Never release date

Boot Dreams: Now or Never is a six-part series that runs weekly on BBC3 from Sunday August 20, and all six available from then as a box-set on BBCiPlayer.

Is there a trailer for Boot Dreams: Now or Never?

Yes there's a trailer for Boot Dreams: Now or Never which shows all the footballers in action and desperately trying to impress to make it into the big time. Take a look below...

What happens in Boot Dreams: Now or Never?

Boot Dreams: Now or Never follows 16 18 to 26-year-olds who have all had their dreams of making it big in football shattered, having been released from top clubs, including Tottenham, Birmingham, Bolton Wanderers, QPR, Leeds and Southampton.

Now they’re taking part in a unique academy, set up by former Watford and Stoke player Gifton Noel-Williams. The idea is that he and his team of coaches will get the boys ready for the ultimate test — playing in front of scouts with a chance to win pro contracts again.

There are sports psychologists and top players on hand to help them, too, including England star Millie Bright and Manchester United and Portugal legend Bruno Fernandes. But it’s literally all to play for – and who makes it and who doesn’t comes down to a mixture of grit, determination, attitude and skills on the pitch!

Interview: Roman Kemp guides us through Boot Dreams: Now or Never

What can you tell us about Boot Dreams: Now or Never?
"These lads have spent their whole lives trying to achieve their dream and, for one reason or another, it's been taken away from them. It can be as simple as an injury or not having the right mentality. But one lad we meet was defrauded by fake agents and another was let go by his professional club because he was caught stealing from a local corner shop. We want to give them a second knock at that door." 

Were there any stories that really struck you?
"Yeah, the first couple of episodes we see ex-Tunisia international Zak. There’s a lot of pressure on lads like him because the money in football is life-changing. Zak’s middle name is Zidane and when Zak was born, the first thing his dad did was bless his feet. So it was about understanding whether a professional career was something Zak really wanted or if he was pursuing it because of his family. There’s also a former Birmingham goalkeeper called Abidan and the annoying thing with him was that it was just school kid behaviour that had seen him lose his dreams. Hopefully I provide an ear for these lads to let their stories be told."

Do you think football has a responsibility to these players?
"Yeah, I want football in general to watch something like this series and see how they’re treating players who leave the system. There has to be something in place where clubs say, you know what? We took you on and we’ll make sure you have the care needed when you leave."

You also dreamed about being a professional footballer as a kid, so can you relate to these lads?
"As a kid it was devastating when I didn’t get picked for trials, but my dad was very honest. I actually remember him saying, football’s not your thing, Ro, it’s just a hobby! But I still believe that one day Mikel Arteta is going to pick me out of the crowd and say, come on, Roman, you got your boots?"

Boot Dreams: Now or Never — the 16 players

Here's our brief guide to all 16 footballers that can be seen in Boot Dreams: Now or Never...

Jordan Mbakop Fankwe, 19, Nottingham 
Originally from Cameroon, defensive midfielder Jordan moved to UK at aged 14 to live with his father. Jordan was playing football on the street with his mates when he was spotted by a Nottingham Forest Scout and offered a trial. He was offered a 2-year scholarship with them but was let go at the end of the first season. 

Theo Hudson, 21, Leeds 
Scouted by Leeds United aged 7, Midfielder Theo went on to play for their youth team from 9, and looked destined for success when he got an opportunity to turn out for England U16’s. But at the age of 19 he was dropped by Leeds and still doesn’t understand why. 

Jake Flannigan, 25, Southampton 
Defender Jake signed a 4 year scholarship with Southampton aged 12 and went to secure a 3 year professional contract with them. After making it to his first team Premier League game aged 18, he ruptured his ACL the next day at a reserves game. Since then Jake has battled with a succession of injuries and has had a number of major knee operations. 

Alex Sami, 23, Manchester 
Striker Alex moved to Manchester from Iran at the age of 15. He quickly moved up the teams at Curzon Ashton FC and within a few months was playing for the first team. He was scouted by Manchester City and put into the Academy team. He subsequently went to Bolton Wanderers where he seemed destined for success, until he was arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence. Though he was subsequently cleared, his career has never recovered. 

Zak Guerfi, 23, Hertfordshire 
Central Midfielder Zak was part of Stevenage Academy from 11 through to 18 when he was released. He then went on to play for Tunisia’s International team, playing in matches against Iraq and Croatia. Zak was sold for a 4-year professional contract with a Tunisian team in the top division, Us Monastir. But he was dropped after just three months when he injured his hamstring. 

Alfie Young, 25, Watford 
At the age of 11 Alfie was scouted by Watford and signed to their Academy where he played through to 19. Defender Alfie was given a 2 year professional contract but wasn’t ever given a 1st team appearance with Watford and ended up being released at the end of his 1st year. 

Scott Wara, 22, Staffordshire 
Defender Scott is originally from Fiji but after moving to Stoke aged 10 he was subsequently scouted at 13 by Stoke City FC. Scott stayed with Stoke City for 8 years and looked set to make his first team debut at 18 before a change of manager stalled his career. Scott has also played for the Fijian national team. 

George Scott, 19, Nottingham 
Midfielder George briefly joined Notts County at 14, and after another brief stint at Mansfield, he went to Rotherham United on a scholarship aged 18. 

Abidan Edwards, 23, Birmingham 
Goalkeeper Abidan was playing for a local Sunday league when he was spotted by West Brom at aged 16, he went on to trial at Birmingham City and played with them for half a year before being let go following issues with his behaviour. 

Hamza Abuzour, 20, Manchester 
Midfielder Hamza is from Hungary where his grandfather was a professional footballer. He moved to England at the age of 8, eventually spending time training with Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers. Hamza has a unique path to the camp as he was spotted during a training match where he impressed Gifton and Roman with his ability. 

Harrison Foulstone, 20, Sheffield 
Leftback Harrison achieved every kid’s dream when he was scouted to join the development squad of his home team, Sheffield United, at the age of 7. He stayed for 12 years before being released at the age of 19. Now doing well-paid work on an oil rig, he still wants to return to the pro game. 

Tonye Joseph, 24, London 
Midfielder Tonye grew up playing cage football before joining QPR aged 12. From 15, he had a succession of trials, but gave up to go to university. He decided to give the game one more chance and secured a new trial, before COVID disrupted his plans. 

Qasim Khan, 20, London 
Qasim signed with Cambridge United as an U15 but got released after a year without a scholarship. Striker Qasim’s life changed at 16 when he was diagnosed with b cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. After 6 months of chemotherapy and a year later the all-clear, Qasim went straight back to training and Wembley FC who signed him after his first game. 

Charley McMillian, 27, Kent 
Originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil, Charley came to Britain at the age of 5 and went on to join Tottenham Academy. He’s subsequently played abroad in Albania and 

Myles Bowman, 22, Farnborough 
Myles says his career began at 4, when his Dad, himself a footballer, told him he would grow up to be a goalkeeper. At 15 he went to QPR and spent three years there before he was released. He’s now playing non-league football. 

Exaucé Mabanza-Ditu, 21, Surrey 
Exaucé’s family left The Congo when he was 6 years old due to Civil unrest. He played for local teams until the age of 11 when he was scouted by Crystal Palace. At 16, he was offered a Scholarship but a few months later they withdrew. Since then, Exaucé has had trials at Brentford and Barnet which were unsuccessful , so moved into non-League, firstly with Welling United and then Staines Town FC. 

Edson Da Silva Doliveira, 23, London 
Edson moved to London aged 7. He joined a school programme with Fulham FC aged around 14-15, and joined the 2nd team. The Fulham Academy decided not to take Edson on so he went to Thamesmead where he was their top scorer for the season. He was signed by a club in Andorra, but released during the pandemic. 

Tevhan Tyrell, 25, Manchester 
Striker Tevhan began his career in Bermuda, playing for the national team from 14. He moved to the UK aged 18, but his career has been disrupted by clubs closing and injury and most recently, COVID. 

Bryan Ly, 19, Manchester 
Bryan grew up in Ireland playing football for Cherry Orchard but his parents moved their family to Manchester after realising his talents. He moved straight into the Manchester City Development squad where he played for five years, but he didn’t end up getting signed. He signed for the U16s academy at Morecambe after playing a match with their development squad and was offered a two year Scholarship. 

Harvey Cullinan, 19, County Clare, Ireland 
Centre Back Harvey joined Sheffield United at 16, after growing up playing in Sunday League in Ireland. After two years he was offered a pro contract but spent a large part of the season injured, before being let go. 

Latham Edwards, 22, Manchester 
Latham played for a grass roots club up to aged 9, until Manchester United came to watch and he was subsequently taken into their elite development squad. Whilst at the Academy, his asthma became an increasing problem and stalled his career. 

Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones is a spooky documentary investigation by Radio One DJ Sian Eleri. She heads for Penyffordd Farm in Wales, which in the late 1990s was said to be plagued by paranormal activity. 

Sian, who grew up close to the farmhouse in Trueddyn, clearly remembers the spooky stories about the house, which soon became the centre of a media storm. But are they true or were they an elaborate ruse cooked up by the Gower family who moved into the farmhouse in 1997? 

Sian learns that more than 300 incidents were documented in video footage, audio interviews, photos and multiple eyewitness accounts but the case files have remained locked until now. So, in the four-parter Sian examines the evidence, meets those close to the story, and talks to eyewitnesses who experienced some of the alleged paranormal events, which included strange carvings in the walls, ghostly presences and objects moving around the house. She also speaks to psychologist Dr Daniels, who has debunked numerous similar cases but was unable to disprove the Gowers’ claims. 

Spookily, Sian also investigates whether the alleged hauntings were provoked by the Gowers moving the centuries-old gravestone of a 15-year-old girl called Jane Jones. "It’s a story that’s always fascinated me," says Sian. "This farmhouse is meant to be the most haunted house in Britain. It’s ironic because I don’t know if I believe in this stuff or not. But what the hell was going on in that house?" 

Here’s everything you need to know about the ghostly BBC Three documentary Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones…

Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones release date

The four-part series Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones launches on BBC Three on Tuesday, August 15, when it's also available as a box set on BBCIplayer.  It then starts on BBC1 from Wednesday, August 16 at 10.40 pm.

Is there a trailer for Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones? 

Yes, and it begins with a woman screaming: "There's something going on in our bedroom!" Take a look at what to expect in Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones in the trailer below...

What happens in Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones

Paranormal: The Girl, The Ghost and The Gravestones will show in the late 1990s Penyffordd Farm in Trueddyn, north Wales found itself a media phenomenon when the Gower family who lived there claimed that countless paranormal events were taking place under their roof. There were noticing strange carvings springing up and disappearing on their walls, feeling otherworldly presences and watching objects move around their rooms. They documented hundreds of incidents and, what’s more, they weren’t alone. Their stories were backed up by multiple eyewitnesses and even cynics have yet to disprove their accounts. Throughout the series, Sian Eleri unpicks the threads of the investigation into the house, meets experts, neighbours and independent eyewitnesses and tries to resolve what really happened at there. 

All about presenter Sian Eleri

Sian Eleri is a journalist and radio DJ, working for Radio One. She has her own radio show The Powerdown Playlist and also presents a slot on Sunday nights. She also presented on last year’s BBC Proms.

Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? is a four-part BBC documentary delving into the mystery of what happened to Annie Börjesson.

Annie was a Swedish woman who'd been living in Edinburgh whose body was discovered on Prestwick Beach in Scotland on December 4, 2005. 

At the time, the authorities ruled that the most likely cause of death was that Annie had died by suicide or in an accident, though those close to her doubted that she'd taken her own life and had instead been murdered. (further info about the case can be found on the BBC News website).

Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? reinvestigates Annie Börjesson's death, piecing together the series of events leading up to her death in an attempt to try and answer some questions after the team behind the series spent a year looking into what happened to her.

Here's what you need to know about Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? 

Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? release date

Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie is airing on BBC Three in the UK. The first two episodes air in a double bill at 9 pm on Wednesday, July 5, with the remaining two episodes following at 9 and 9.30 pm on Wednesday, July 12.

If you'd like to explore the whole story in one go, you can stream all four episodes of Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? on BBC iPlayer now. 

Who presents Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie?

Scottish journalist Hazel Martin is investigating the mystery in Body on the Beach. "I was only 13 when Annie died but the story of her death has always stayed with me", she said. "Many people, her friends and family included, believe that Annie was actually murdered. The question is — could they be right?"

Asked why she wanted to make the series, she said: "My dad is from near to where Annie’s body was found. I know the area well and spent much of my childhood there. As an investigative journalist, I love a story that takes time to get to the crux of, and I love giving people a platform to have their voices heard. For me, Annie’s story does exactly that."

Is there a Body on the Beach trailer?

There's a brief introduction to the case in the Body on the Beach trailer. You hear from a variety of the participants in the show, teasing the many perspectives on her case. 

Check it out below:

BBC Scotland has also released a video explaining the circumstances of Annie's death and where she was found. 

Plus, we hear from several of the contributors who discuss the case and the timeline leading up to the discovery of the body and what procedures were carried out once she'd been found, and Hazel presents some evidence from tests that had been carried out on Annie's body tissue.

Nadia Parkes will lead the cast of Kidnapped, a factual drama based on Chloe Ayling's 2017 abduction. 

Chloe Ayling is a model from South London who was abducted in Italy in 2017 after she traveled there for a photo shoot, and Parkes is set to portray Ayling herself. 

Parkes said: "This is a timely and important story about how we perceive trauma in the media. I feel honored to be playing Chloe and to be part of this adaptation for the BBC."

Parkes has previously appeared in Doctor Who, The Spanish Princess, Starstruck Domina, This is Christmas and starred in the Netflix fantasy series, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself.

"We are delighted that the incredibly talented Nadia Parkes will portray Chloe Ayling in our drama", said Michael Parke, Executive Producer for BBC Studios. "She has immersed herself in research and is passionate about bringing the truth about Chloe's story to the screen."

Joining Nadia Parkes on the series are Adrian Edmonson, Nigel Lindsay (The Capture), Olive Gray (Halo), Eleanor Romandini (The White Lotus), Julian Swiezewski (The Passing Bells), and Christine Tremarco (The Responder). Further casting will be revealed at a later date. 

Kidnapped (a working title) has been written by Killing Eve and Skins writer, Georgia Lester and is based on detailed research, interviews, documented legal proceedings, and Chloe Ayling's own book of the same name. 

As the BBC explains, the six-part drama will "tell Chloe's personal story in full for the first time, going behind the headlines to shine a light on the emotional truth".

A full synopsis for Kidnapped reads: "The series follows her terrifying kidnap, her bravery and resilience in captivity, and the subsequent court case that put her kidnappers in jail. Yet despite their convictions, Chloe faced headlines accusing her of faking her own kidnapping, and found herself at the centre of a media storm.

"The series asks why Chloe was blamed for her kidnappers’ crimes. How do we relate to survivors of crime who make the front pages? And how does it feel to be an ordinary person, caught up in events so extraordinary that you aren’t believed?"

A release date for the series has not been confirmed at the time of writing, but Kidnapped will air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer as and when it arrives. 

The Traitors Australia is the latest instalment in the hugely popular reality series, and it's heading to BBC Three and iPlayer in the summer.

Following on from the success of The Traitors UK and `The Traitors US, the latest version of the deceptive competition series will be set down under, giving Australians the chance to win a seriously impressive prize fund.

A synopsis for the upcoming series reveals: "A group of contestants arrive at a historic luxury hotel in the Southern Highlands as Faithful contestants – hoping to share a prize fund worth up to A$250,000.  

"Amongst them are the Traitors – a group of four contestants selected by host Rodger Corser on the first day, whose goal is to eliminate the Faithfuls and claim the prize for themselves."

Australian actor and TV personality Rodger Corser is hosting this edition of the series. He is known for his role as Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Owen in the crime mini-series Underbelly and Dr. Hugh Knight in Doctor Doctor.

Announcing the news, Nasfim Haque, Head of Content for BBC Three said: "The Traitors is an addictively fiendish format and I am so pleased that viewers can get their summer fix of treachery and suspicion as we head down under for the Australian version of the show on BBC Three and iPlayer."

We don't have long to wait either, as The Traitors Australia will land as a 12-episode boxset on BBC iPlayer at 6 am on Sunday, July 9, and will also be broadcast on BBC Three.

Meanwhile, there's plenty for Traitors fans to look forward to as the second season of The Traitors UK is underway and they have received a record number of applications. 

People are keen to take part in the game show, which will once again be hosted by Claudia Winkleman, with applications still open for the second season. Those interested can go to BBC Shows, Tours & Take Part but there's some tough competition!

We don't yet have a confirmed release date for The Traitors UK season 2, but the Australian edition should keep us entertained while we eagerly await the news.

Both the UK and US editions of The Traitors are available to watch on BBC iPlayer, with The Traitors Australia following soon.

Hosted by Dannii Minogue, I Kissed A Boy on BBC3 and BBCiPlayer is the UK's first ever gay dating  show! It follows 10 single men as they head to Europe to find Mr Right. But the twist is that as soon as the couples are paired up, according to their strongest match, they have to share a kiss. As the programme makers say, ‘there’s no small-talk, no ‘flanter’, just one rom-com worthy moment that might just take their breath away. 

On playing Cupid for I Kissed A Boy, Dannii Minogue says: “There are millions of people in the UK looking for love. And I believe love is for everyone. So I am so thrilled for a gay dating show to be entering the sea of other dating shows that have existed on TV for years. I have been a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community for as long as I can remember. My close friends know that my dream job title would be ‘Cupid’ — so this gives me that flutter-of-love feeling inside too, just to be a part of it. Let’s hope there is love, sealed with a kiss!” 

Here's everything you need to know about I Kissed A Boy…

I Kissed A Boy release date

The eight-part reality show I Kissed A Boy launches on BBCiPlayer on Saturday May 13 at 6am. It will then be shown weekly on BBC3 from Sunday May 14 at 9pm through the summer of 2023.

I Kissed A Boy: The Reunion which catches up with all the lads in the series is a one-off special showing on June 11 2023 on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

Is there a trailer for I Kissed A Boy?

Yes there's a trailer now for I Kissed A Boy with Dannii Minogue introducing herself with a big 'Bonjourno Boys!" and a smile on her face because a whole lot of smooching is about to take place under her nose.

I Kissed A Boy — how it works and more

In I Kissed A Boy, 10 single men head to Europe, where romance will start with a kiss. Before they arrive, they will be paired up with the man best suited to them and as soon as they meet, they have to share a kiss to see if sparks fly. No small talk. No messages. Just one kiss to test out their chemistry straight away. Will it be a polite peck? Or a passionate snog? And ultimately, will that first kiss lead to love? Of course, along the way there will be dramatic decisions, wandering eyes and preconceptions to be challenged. But will any of them find their true love? 

With Dannii Minogue playing Cupid, I Kissed a Boy is packed with explosive drama, gripping cliffhangers and powerful untold stories — from coming out in a strict religious family, to the pressures of body image in the gay dating scene, to navigating self-acceptance, sex and first same-sex relationships.  

There's also a sparkling soundtrack full of 'gay anthems' in this groundbreaking show that will celebrate the queer community and invites all viewers to join the party.

Interview: Dannii Minogue on hosting I Kissed A Boy

Tell us what I Kissed A Boy is all about? 
Dannii Minogue told us: "“So, this is a dating show for the gay community. It’s got boys looking for love and it starts off with them kissing. Ten gay guys on a holiday of a lifetime, in their search for that perfect date. It is sexy and romantic and these connections could lead them to their perfect partner." 

What makes this show different from other dating shows? 
Dannii says: "It is the first ever gay dating series in the UK! The guys are paired up with help from the IKAB Matching team. The first time they meet, they will kiss. Then it is time to get to know the person they kissed and why they were teamed up together. If you have ever been clubbing, spotted someone you were attracted to like a magnet, kissed, and then got to know them - this is it, but with a little help from me and the I Kissed A Boy love matching team." 

Why did you want to be the host of this show? 
Dannii says: "I have had the privilege of being involved with the LGBTQ+ community for many years. I am a staunch ally, and in return I have always been welcomed with support that always feels like a huge hug. It is an honour to host this show and flex my muscles as fairy godmother/cupid in helping these gorgeous humans in their search for love. When dating fatigue sets in and you are tired of swiping right, or you have not had the opportunity to meet enough potential dates - Mama Minogue is here to help." 

Who is your LGBTQ+ icon and why? 
Dannii says: "I love so many LGBTQ+ icons that Iive loud and proud, and I have huge respect for those that offer a helping hand to the next generation. Ru Paul has created a massive landscape to uplift (and normalise) drag - and I think the world is a better place for that. Layton Williams who I first knew in BBC’s Beautiful People - I recorded a song for the soundtrack for Beautiful People with my sister - and have followed his career since. And my very own bestie, Ian Masterson, who I have worked with musically for many years, and he has given not only my life a soundtrack, but many others - I am so proud of the song he wrote and produced for the theme tune for I Kissed A Boy! Courtney Act - I actually missed her entry to Aussie TV in Australian Idol, as I was living in London, but she has carved a huge career internationally and her book Caught In The Act is a must read. Deni Todorovic, who is a non-binary activist has taught me so much in the space of gender freedom." 

What would be your top dating tips? 
Dannii says: "Number one is eye contact - try to jump into that person by looking deep into their eyes. Body language - be open to meeting someone new. Connect with great chat - try and make the other person feel comfortable and at ease, try to get to know them, and let them in on something about you that they may not know - conversation is vital."

Without any major spoilers, did you have any highlights from filming you can recall? 
Dannii says: "Where do I start! The incredible setting of Italy, our romantic Masseria, the bubbling nerves of the boys meeting, the connections they made with each other, and having a perfect couture outfit to pop on for every moment. I will never forget dancing with the boys poolside!"

Meet the boys ready to be kissed...

The 10 gay lads ready for snogging and dating in I Kissed A Boy are...

Ollie, 27, from Brighton
Ollie is a road worker / tarmacer from Brighton and describes himself as a “gay man in a straight world.” Ollie is big into his car racing but also loves to hit the local gay bars for a night out singing along to Whitney. 
Ollie says: “I’m very proud to be part of the show, being my honest self and showing the viewers that stereotypes are a thing of the past. You can definitely expect a fun cheeky chappy lad with a sensitive side.” 

Ben, 28, from Edinburgh
He studied engineering at university but didn’t meet many gay people on his course and because of that he says he didn’t get much of a chance to explore gay culture during his university years. Since moving to London Ben is much happier as he’s been able to make more gay friends and enjoy nights out on the scene.
Ben says: “Being surrounded by such different types of gay guys, all so confident, really highlighted to me that the only person stopping you from being who you want to be, is you!” 

Gareth, 28, from Kilkeel, Northern Ireland
Gareth grew up in Northern Ireland but lives in East London working as a stylist so adores all things fashion. He loves to get creative and plan extravagant party outfits.
“I just hope that some queer kid, who’s scared to be who they are, sees this and it makes them feel strong, glorious and powerful enough for them to accept and display their true authentic selves to the world. Something I wish I would have done a lot sooner in my life.”  

Bobski, 23, from Essex
Bobski is short for Robert as he was born in Poland, moving to the UK with his mum when he was 7. Settling into school in Essex was hard at first and with knowing little English, Bobski had to learn to fit in quickly. 
Bobski says: “I won’t spoil the show for you but you can definitely expect lots of kissing, a cheeky twerk here and there and a little bit of Bobski magic."

Joseph, 23, from London
Joseph is one of 10 siblings who lives in South London and is currently studying performing arts. His long-term dream is to become an actor and travel the world. He loves to express himself through his clothes, especially the finishing touches - nails and jewellery. 
Joseph says: “What an experience. I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I felt so safe in those walls. Everyone’s amazing - we all had this amazing brotherhood.” 

Jake, 27, from Swansea
He works as a regional trainer within the hospitality industry for a pub group and considers himself a real grafter and is looking for someone who is equally hardworking and ambitious. Jake’s early years were spent growing up in Spain, then his family moved to Wales when he was seven. 
Jake says: “I love the fact that every day was something different, with people from all different backgrounds. It’s been life changing and I hope it helps other people to find love and kindness in the world.” 

Kailum, 25, from Swansea
Kailum is very close with his mum and his two sisters. His family moved to Brighton from Yorkshire when he was 11 and he says that Brighton was the best place to be growing up gay. He came out when he was 14 by posting a video on YouTube using written messages on cards. He’s really grateful that he received amazing support from school and from family at the time. 
Kailum says: “You can expect plenty of snogging, real connections, drama, sassiness but most importantly some real, hard hitting stories.”

Ross, 25, from Manchester
Ross lives in Manchester and works as a support worker for adults with learning difficulties. Ross wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to voice his opinion. When it comes to friendship he’s hugely loyal. He says he tries to keep a positive energy and he looks for that same outlook when dating guys and making new friends. Ross is really excited and backs himself when it comes to the first kiss saying, ‘I’m a great kisser!’ He also says: “I am so proud to have been a part of I Kissed a Boy. Yes, I went into this to find my dream man but whilst doing this I didn’t expect to leave with the friendships I’ve got.” 

Subomi, 29, London
Living in West London with his siblings. Subomi enjoys music, going out clubbing and looking after his many houseplants. When Subomi was 6ix, he moved to Nigeria and lived there with family until he was 16 when he returned to the UK. 
Subomi says: “Dannii really gave Cupid a run for their money. She’s such a beautiful soul and you could feel the love oozing off her which was so nice to be around.” 

New joiners to the I Kissed A Boy party

Mikey, 28, from Liverpool
I Kissed A Boy soon welcomed a new lad to the show. Mikey, 28 from Liverpool.
Mikey lives with his mum and his younger brother in Liverpool. He is really family orientated and he admits to being a complete mummy’s boy and enjoys bingo with his nan. He loves football and a few years back, Mikey was playing semi-professional and now he referees. Mikey has not been matched up but says he’s ready to get stuck in and reckons: "I’m here to kiss a boy. And nobody’s gonna stop me."

Vitor, 27, from Portugal
Born in Portugal, Vitor moved to the UK when he was 18. He lives in London and works as an air steward. “You can expect a naughty Portuguese boy,' he says. "There was a lot of laughter and I might have been part of some drama too…”

Dan, 27 from East London
Dan is originally from Glasgow but now lives in East London and works in PR. He says “It was a giant gay holiday bursting with love, laughter, tears and drama like only us gays can deliver.”

Ceejay, 26
Ceejay works in retail plus part time as a Special Needs Teaching Assistant. He reveals: “The thing I loved most was being able to share lived experiences with other gay guys in a safe space. I’ve never really had a lot of gay friends and now I have a great bunch of guys I can rely on to speak to.”

Interview: Layton Williams on his narrator role in I Kissed A Boy

Bad Education star Layton Williams, who's also been a judge on Queens For The Night, narrates I Kissed A Boy. Here he reveals more about the show and his role...

Tell us what I Kissed A Boy is all about? 
Layton Williams says: "I Kissed A Boy is a brand new dating show and it is the first of its kind here in the UK, which features only boys. It is hosted by the iconic Dannii Minogue and I narrate the show. It’s camp, it's fabulous and it’s got a really good heart to it. There's a lot of drama too, which we love!"

What makes this show different from other dating shows? 
Layton says: "It's gay! It’s unapologetically gay and the first one of its kind in the UK so I'm really honoured and proud to be a part of it." 

What was it like to be the voiceover artist of the show? 
Layton says: "It was super fun. I would watch the episode a day or so before I came into the record so I could be really be clued up. I would come in and be chatting to the producers and I'd be like, “Oh my god, like what about this? I can't believe that happened! He was so this! He was so that!” I mean, I had my opinions but I can’t tell you those! "

Who is your LGBTQ+ icon and why? 
Layton says: "It does fluctuate but it has to be Lady Gaga." 

What would be your top dating tips? 
Layton says: "Be yourself. Be unapologetically yourself and hopefully ‘the one’ will come along that you love and they will love you for all of your ‘isms’ and bits and bobs. But, don't ask me - I'm single!"

Why is this show so important for the LGBTQ+ community? 
Layton says: "It’s important for visibility. It’s important for us to be seen and it’s important to show that our love is just like everybody else's. It’s pure and raw and we deserve love. In the early days of our lives, we can feel like we don't deserve love and we hide ourselves. We're closeted and we're told by the society that we grow up in that we should be kissing girls and then you have to find a way to get out the closet. This show is so beautiful because it really shined the light on all of these different boys and their experiences of how they came out. They are all so different when it comes to upbringing, race and religion but at the end of the day, they are just like everybody else. We're all just human and we deserve to be loved. As soon as you accept that, as you'll see from the show, it's just such a beautiful thing. I've definitely had a couple of teary moments watching it. I've gotta say it's pretty beautiful!" 

What can viewers expect when they tune in? 
Layton says: "A whole lot of fun, fabulousness, fearlessness and a little bit of drama. These boys are gorgeous inside and out."

All about I Kissed A Boy host Dannii Minogue 

Dannii Minogue is the sister of pop princess Kylie Minogue and played Emma Jackson in the Australian soap Home and Away. She went on to have a pop career herself, just like her sister Kylie. She was a judge on The X Factor and has since been a judge on Australia’s Got Talent and Let it Shine. She presented Britain and Ireland’s Top Model and has been a panellist on the Masked Singer Australia. 

Dannii Minogue plays Cupid in BBC Three’s new dating show I Kissed A Boy which follows 10 single gay guys looking for love on the holiday of a lifetime in Italy. 

The boys have all been matched into pairs and when they first meet, there’s no small talk or flirting because they go straight in for a kiss to test their chemistry. 

Will it be a passionate snog that will lead to love? Or will it be a quick kiss on the lips that will end in disappointment?

After all the pairs have kissed, it’s time to get to know each other and there are a few twists and turns along the way, especially when more guys are thrown into the mix!

Here, the Aussie pop legend, gay icon and former X Factor judge Dannii Minogue reveals more…

Hi Dannii! Can you tell us in your own words what happens in I Kissed A Boy?

“So, this is a dating show for the gay community. It’s got boys looking for love and it starts off with them kissing. They have been matched with someone that we think they're really going to get on with. They first see each other when they walk around the side of a building, and then they kiss, and then they talk after that. 

"It’s interesting to see if there’s any zing that they want to explore more of. Some people take a long time to get to know each other, while other guys are like, ‘I want to be right by your side!’ There are some very different personalities in the cast."

How do the boys get to know each other?

“The thing that the guys loved about the show was that there were no phones. There was no reading a text and thinking, ‘What did he mean by that?’ They have someone in front of them and they are communicating through their body language. 

"For me, the show is about the conversations between these boys. They learn a lot from each other. They’re all from very different backgrounds and have very different experiences in terms of maybe how long they've been out or how they came out. They share different stories with each other and learn the kind of things that make you attracted to somebody.”

I Kissed a Boy is the UK’s first gay dating show. Why do you think it’s never been done before?

“As I say in the trailer, it's about time there was a show like this! I think a lot of people have wanted a gay dating show for years and it's confusing to me no one has done it before when so many people have been asking for it. 

"Recently, someone asked me if I had been asked to do a lot of other shows like this and if I Kissed A Boy was the first one I said yes to. I said, ‘No, this is the first time it’s ever come up.’ So obviously Two Four Productions and BBC Three have been the first ones to say, ‘Yes, we're going to do it!’

Why do you think it’s important to have a gay dating show?

“I hope that it opens a space where there can be more representation on TV. I have friends who love shows like Married at First Sight and Love Island, so why shouldn’t there be a gay version of that? 

"Hopefully, it will open the door for all sorts of possibilities for the LGBTQ+ community. Representation is vital to not only how people see themselves, but how they’re seen by others. I think it's probably going to be shocking for a lot of people to see two boys kiss on TV, unfortunately, but hopefully, we will get to a point where it's not like that anymore.”

In the show, the boys share their experiences of coming out, dating, body image and other aspects of their lives as gay men. Tell us about that…

“We don't get to hear all of their stories, but I wish there was an accompanying podcast where you could hear more from each guy. They have all got amazing stories. They’re all very, very different. It’s really nice for them to be able to share some of those stories together.”

Tell us about where the show is filmed…

“There's a stunning ‘masseria’ [a converted farmhouse] in Italy and the boys have got a pool, an outdoor spa and an outdoor gym area, and they all sleep in a communal area. 

"The ‘masseria’ is a big venue for weddings and it’s beautiful. I’m sure people will go looking for this place now. Once you see how beautiful it is on the show, you’ll want to go there and check it out.”

Were you a fan of dating shows before I Kissed a Boy? And if so, do you have a favourite?

“One of my favourites is Love On the Spectrum [which follows people on the autism spectrum as they explore the dating world]. I really love that because everybody wants it to happen. And this show has that same energy where everybody wants it to work out. It’s up to those two people, whether it does or not, but the intention of wanting it to work separates us from a majority of dating shows.”

What’s it like to be playing Cupid for these boys?

“I do like the idea of being Cupid. My friends will tell you how I love connecting people. I get the biggest buzz from putting people together. It’s not always a romantic thing. It could be a friendship or a business thing. Nothing brings me more joy, so hosting I Kissed a Boy is an absolute dream come true.”

I Kissed A Boy launches on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Saturday, May 13, with two new episodes available to stream every week.

The series airs on BBC3 on Sunday, May 14 and Monday, May 15 at 9pm, and continues every Sunday and Monday. 

Red Rose will terrify all smartphone users as the new horror drama arrives on Netflix. 

With Chernobyl’s Adam Nagaitis and Gentleman Jack actress Natalie Gavin among its stars this is a thriller series that exposes the dangers that lurk online as it follows a group of teenagers, including Wren (Amelia Clarkson) and Rochelle (Isis Hainsworth), who are enjoying a long summer after their GCSEs. But their friendships are infiltrated by a phone app called 'Red Rose', which threatens dangerous consequences if they don’t meet its demands. 

Created by Eleven, the production company behind Sex Education and The Enfield Haunting, the series explores the intoxicating relationship between teenagers and their online lives. 

So here's everything you need to know about the eight-part horror drama Red Rose…

Red Rose Netflix release date

Red Rose is now available globally on Netflix having previously been shown on the BBC in 2022. You can still watch it on BBC iPlayer in the UK as well.

Is there a trailer for Red Rose? 

Yes there's trailer for Red Rose/ 'It's not just your battery that could die!' it tells us, setting the tone for the horror to come!  Just as we were expecting it's edge-of-your-seat stuff. See below, plus a teaser trailer in the tweet below...

Red Rose plot 

Red Rose is set in Bolton, in north west England, during the long, hot summer after the GCSE exams are over and follows a group of childhood friends. Wren (Amelia Clarkson) and Rochelle (Isis Hainsworth) are on the cusp of a summer of fun with their tight-knit gang – including Wren’s crush Noah (Harry Redding) – after finishing their GCSEs. But when Rochelle downloads a mysterious phone app called Red Rose, it kickstarts a terrifying campaign of dangerous demands, which exposes the friends to a seemingly supernatural force. Who or what is Red Rose?

"Wren and her friends are excited for no school and no rules. It’s set to be a summer with everything ahead of them," says Amelia Clarkson, 24, who’s starred in Poldark and The Last Kingdom. "But Wren’s romantic interest in Noah causes Rochelle to feel jealous, and the collapse of their friendship is awful timing considering what Rochelle goes through with Red Rose,’ she adds. ‘Rochelle becomes isolated, and the phone itself becomes this kind of phantom amongst the group, which is truly terrifying."

Red Rose cast

The Red Rose cast is a mix of experienced actors, rising stars and newcomers. It features Chernobyl and The Terror actor Adam Nagaitis, Natalie Gavin (Gentleman Jack) as Rochelle's estranged parents, plus Samuel Anderson (Doctor Who, Landscapers). It’s rising stars include Amelie Clarkson (Poldark), Isis Hainsworth (Metal Lords), Ali Khan (The School for Good and Evil), Ellis Howard (Catherine the Great) and Ashna Rabheru (Sex Education) while newcomers Harry Redding and Natalie Blair round out the cast (see main picture above). 

Red Rose behind the scenes

Red Rose is written by Bolton-born twins Michael and Paul Clarkson, who penned The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix.

"The show has an individual writing style that I hope will set it apart from anything else," says Amelia Clarkson."The fact that the characters take what’s on their phones as absolute gospel speaks volumes for our generation, too."

Wreck on BBC3 will give you chills, thrills. and make you laugh as as the mystery murderer is disguised a fluffy duck costume! In the middle of the ocean, nobody can hear you scream and that’s certainly the case for the victims of the gruesome murders on board The Sacramentum cruise ship. 

Formerly called Wrecked, recently changed to Wreck, the show has been described as a comedy with a slice of slasher movie, we see Ladhood star Oscar Kennedy play 20-year-old Jamie, a man determined to find out what happened to his missing sister on board the boat. 

He must infiltrate the 3000-strong crew who appear to be completely oblivious to the brutal murders taking place under their noses. With an up-and-coming cast, Wrecked sees Jamie turn detective to uncover the sinister truth. 

It's a six-part series filmed in Northern Ireland so check out these first-look images from on board The Sacramentum above and below. Judging by the amount of blood in some of them, there’s not much holiday spirit on this cruise!

So here's everything you need to know about Wreck on BBC3...

Wreck release date

The six-part series Wreck will be shown weekly on BBC3 from Sunday October 9 2022 as part of the BBC's Autumn TV schedule. All six episodes will also be released as a box set on BBCiPlayer from that October 9 air date. Watch this space and we’ll keep you posted when we discover the US channel and release date for Wreck worldwide.

Is there a trailer for Wreck?

Yes BBC3 has now released a Wreck trailer. It looks terrific Take a peek at all the gruesome fun below..

Wreck plot

In Wreck, you'll take a trip on the cruise ship from hell where a mystery murderer in a fluffy duck costume is running riot. Wreck follows 19 -year-old Jamie Walsh (Oscar Kennedy), who is desperate to find his missing sister Pippa (Jodie Tyack). When Pippa vanishes while working as part of the entertainment crew on cruise ship The Sacramentum, teenager Jamie is convinced something is amiss. Determined to discover what really happened, he secretly gets a job on the same ship six months later so he can investigate…

As Jamie becomes embedded into life aboard The Sacramentum, he's initiated into the mysterious ways of cruising crews and gets a crash course on the tribes within the staff. It soon becomes clear that there are certain tribes within the staff, including the theatre kids, the mafias and the low-paid workers but what they all have in common is they are overworked and underpaid. 

Jamie’s prime suspect for his sister's mystery disappearance is Pippa’s ex-boyfriend Danny (Jack Rowan), but as Jamie digs for dirt on Danny, a killer disguised as the ship’s mascot ‘Quacky the Duck’ is terrorising the ship and murdering his crewmates. So Jamie is forced to turn sleuth in an attempt to discover who is responsible...

Wreck cast — Oscar Kennedy on playing Jamie 

Oscar Kennedy told us: "Jamie is a young lad from Sheffield who’s had a pretty tough time during his early adolescence. The one person who looked out for him was his sister - then she goes missing. The official story is that she killed herself, but Jamie doesn’t believe she’d leave him in that way." 

"This show constantly keeps people in this weird cycle of being freaked out, then having a slight relief of comedy. Whenever you feel there’s any amount of safety, you’re brought straight back to the edge of your seat!"

Rising star Oscar Kennedy started out playing the young Nigel Slater in the series Toast in 2010. He’s since gone on to play Edward Turner in the series Hunted and Henry Tudor in The White Queen. Oscar has also had roles in The Politician’s Husband, Outlander, Home from Home and Ladhood. Last year he starred in the post apocalyptic school-based movie School’s Out Forever. 

Thaddea Graham on playing Vivian

Thaddea Graham, plays Vivian in Wreck, says: "A lot of the time, scripts start strongly then the momentum dips. Wreck comes in at 10, then goes to 12, down to 11, up to 14… I couldn’t put it down. My friend was auditioning before I knew about it and asked me to help with the Irish accent, so we read the first episode and it was amazing! He told me it was shooting in Northern Ireland and they were looking for a Chinese Mancunian, but I had faith in my agent and after a couple of days she sent me the breakdown just as I was sending a message to her about it. What I love about this show is that you come as you are. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what walk of life or whether you’ve been on a cruise before, the characters take you at face value because none of that other stuff matters in the middle of the ocean – I’d never really seen that before. Plus, I’d never seen a killer duck."

"Vivian and Jamie are called 'bloobs' because they’re newbies who wear blue T-shirts. We do all the boring jobs, we’re confined to tiny cabins and would ideally never see the light of day, whereas the entertainment crew are more glamorous – they have showers or baths in their rooms. The main hub of activity is a big corridor called the I-95, which is also one of the busiest highways in America. Fortunately, although we should be cleaning in the kitchen and toilets, we manage to find something more exciting to do.

Thaddea is best known for playing Kat in the BBC1 drama series Us which starred Tom Hollander and Saskia Reeves. She played Bel in Doctor Who and starred in the TV series The Irregulars. She was also in The Letter for the King. 

Jack Rowan on playing Danny

Playing Danny in Wreck is Jack Rowan who says: "Danny seems to think a lot of himself, but he’s definitely misunderstood. There’s a picture painted of him from the outside but, much like a lot of people, there’s a deeper thing going on inside. He might appear to be one way, but he has a lot more heart than you might think.

"Danny and Jamie's sister Pippa had been in a relationship and, at the beginning of the show, they’re going through some difficulties. Danny very much loved Pippa and really misses her. There’s a bit where he brings a girl back to his room, then it flashes forward to the post-coital moments and he says, “you can stay if you want”. He’s trying to be cool and blasé, but I read into it that he really could do with the company. 

"I have quite a big moment with Quacky. The last thing I did with our director Chris Baugh was a film called Boys from County Hell, when I was up against an ancient Irish vampire called Abhartach. We were both thinking: what are you doing? Where's the normal stuff? So the first thing I did when I saw it was look at our director Chris Baugh, and burst out laughing… "

Jack Rowan made a name for himself as Callum MacGregor in the hit BBC1 drama Noughts + Crosses. He also played boxer boy Bonnie in Peaky Blinders and starred in Channel 4 drama Born To Kill, plus Adulting and Boys from County Hell. 

Who else is starring?

Wreck has a great ensemble cast of young actors. I May Destroy You’s Harriet Webb is playing Karen while former EastEnders and Game of Thrones star Alice Nokes plays Sophia. Jack Rowan's Noughts + Crosses co-star Jodie Tyack stars as Pippa, joining newcomers Louis Boyer, Anthony Rickman and Diego Andres. Amber Grappy, who stars in Sky Atlantic series The Baby, is also appearing as is Miya Ocego playing Rosie. 

Among the adult crew are Warren James Dunning as Beaker, Harriet Webb as Karen and Louis Boyer as Sam.

Wreck episode guide (with spoilers)

Episode 1 
Jamie Walsh boards The Sacramentum. He’s paid Cormac (a Velorum crew member) to take his position onboard so he can investigate what really happened to his missing sister, who vanished from the same ship three months earlier. During his induction he meets the ship’s autocratic Officers and fellow new recruits - all eager to taste the freedom of being away from home for the first time. As Jamie quickly establishes a bond with fellow newbie Vivian, he bumps into young, charming, Filipino waiter Olly, and there’s an instant attraction. Whilst the new recruits attend a wild induction party, a crew member is brutally attacked.  

Episode 2
Jamie wakes up with the hangover from hell but is determined to get his investigation back on track. Trusting fellow newbie Vivian enough to let her in on his real reason for being on the ship, they begin forming a plan, which is immediately derailed when they receive grim news about a fellow crew member. However, Jamie and Vivian catch a break, finding a clue that leads them to asking dreamboat Olly for a big favour, one that will bring them down to the ship’s engine room and face to face with The Baby, a fearsome figure in the ship’s Filipino ‘mafia’ – one of the many tribes onboard. 

Episode 3
It’s a big day on the ship – The Captain’s Ball, attended by the VIP guests. Jamie shares an intimate moment with Olly whilst Vivian cosies up to Lily, one of the guests, risking big repercussions if she’s caught. Jamie and Vivian gather enough evidence to go to the authorities about Pippa’s disappearance, they just need the Entertainment Crew to back them up. However, these guys are running their own illegal enterprise and want nowhere near the police, unless Jamie does them a dangerous favour first. As the Captain’s Ball draws to a close, a crew member close to home is put in grave danger. 

Episode 4 
Jamie gains an unexpected ally on board, who promises to investigate Velorum from the inside and get the answers he’s desperate for. Meanwhile, as Vivian and Lily grow closer, an unpleasant encounter will force Vivian to face lingering internal doubts. Armed with new information, Jamie and Vivian visit a new area of the ship and make a surprising discovery there, one that deepens the mystery of what happened to Pippa further. However, Jamie’s new ally puts paid to his theory that there’s a slasher on board the ship, the truth is much, much darker than that….

Episode 5 
Whilst Vivian and Lily’s relationship reaches new heights, Jamie finds himself in a terrifying situation and must use all his courage and strength to escape. Once reunited, Jamie tells Vivian and the rest of his gang what he’s discovered. Together, they form a plan to collect evidence and tell the world what they’ve uncovered. With each of Jamie’s trusted inner circle given a task, the group split up, allowing Jamie and Olly to finally have a moment together. But as our gang go about their business, Jamie uncovers that the truth of what happened to Pippa is just the tip of the iceberg. The Sacramentum is home to a chilling secret bigger than any of them imagined.

Episode 6
Jamie finds himself in a lethal dead end with seemingly no way out. But after a surprise intervention brings some momentary respite, he learns that others are in peril, and it will be a race against the clock to save them. Jamie tells the shocked crew about the true horrors happening on board and desperately tries to enlist them in his battle against the powers that be. Having come such a long way since the start of his journey, Jamie must find the inner courage to become the leader he knows deep down he is. He came onboard with a mission and he’s determined to see it through to the end. 

Behind the scenes on Wreck

Wreck (originally called Wrecked) was commissioned for BBC3 by Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama and Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three and is produced by Euston Films, part of Fremantle with support from Northern Ireland Screen. It is executive produced by Noemi Spanos for Euston Films and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC. Chris Baugh (Boys from County Hell) has directed and executive produced all six episodes. 

* Here are more guides to top BBC3 shows below...

* Red Rose
* RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World

Red Rose is a gripping new horror series following a sinister mobile app, and intrigued viewers have been comparing it to Charlie Brooker’s hit dystopian series Black Mirror due to its focus on the dark side of technology.

The series follows a group of Bolton teenagers who have finished their GCSEs and are looking forward to a summer of fun and freedom, but things soon take a sinister turn after Rochelle (Isis Hainsworth) downloads a new app, which had seemingly been passed on from a popular girl at school.

Intrigued and keen to fit in, Rochelle downloads the app and starts to engage with it more, where it starts asking her how she feels and claiming it can “help her”, an offer that’s impossible to refuse given the fact she’s struggling at home trying to look after her twin siblings while her dad struggles to make ends meet.

The Red Rose app seems too good to be true, after topping up her electricity meter after it runs out and gifting her a fancy dress to wear to a house party, but the app starts asking for darker things and begins to sabotage Rochelle’s relationships.

In episode one, Rochelle’s friend Wren (Amelia Clarkson) starts dating Noah, who she also likes. This causes some complications and the app latches onto their tensions, beginning to drive the two friends apart especially when it demands Rochelle to kiss Noah otherwise it will expose the fact she relies on a food bank and is struggling with money.

What’s more, it looks like there’s a supernatural twist as Rochelle keeps seeing her mum in the app, and the pilot episode ends on a cliffhanger when the app shows her the twins standing next to a creepy figure, home alone after Rochelle left them to go to a party. With the twins in potential danger, can Rochelle save them?

With the Red Rose app tormenting users and exposing their vulnerabilities, fans have compared the new BBC series to Black Mirror, due to the fact it focuses on the dark side of technology and how it can ruin lives. Plenty of people are finding the series creepy too, and we can only imagine it’s going to get even darker as it goes on!

So far it only seems like we've caught a glimpse of what the creepy Red Rose app can do, but how far will it actually go? And will everyone make it out alive? We'll have to tune in to find out how the story ends.

Red Rose continues on BBC3 on Monday, August 22 at 10pm with all episodes now available on BBC iPlayer.

Red Rose is a new BBC3 horror series and Poldark star Amelia Clarkson is among those appearing in the creepy new story.

Poldark fans will recognise Amelia as Rosina Hoblyn, a role she played since 2016. Rosina was the daughter of Cornish miner Jacka Hoblyn and Polly Hoblyn in the much-loved BBC period drama.

But now she's joining a very different series as Wren, a teenager who is part of a group that uncovers an app called Red Rose, an urban legend that blooms on the smartphones of teenagers, encouraging them to undertake a series of challenges increasingly dangerous in its demands.

Wren's friend Rochelle Jackson (Isis Hainsworth) downloads the mysterious app, naively inviting darkness into her life, and all of her friends, unfortunately, also end up caught up in this dangerous new world.

Amelia and Isis are joined by Ali Khan (Halo), Ellis Howard (Catherine the Great), Ashna Rabheru (Sex Education), Adam Nagaitis (Chernobyl), Natalie Gavin (Gentleman Jack), and Samuel Anderson (Landscapers) for the new series.

Speaking about the casting, series creators Michael and Paul Clarkson, said: "We are thrilled with the talented cast that we’ve assembled in Red Rose.

"They have so brilliantly captured the spirit of the North with their nuanced, devastating and hilarious performances. We can’t wait for the rest of the world to fall in love with them, just as we have. They’re doing Bolton — and us — proud."

According to the official synopsis for BBC's Red Rose, the new series "explores the intoxicating relationship between teenagers and their online life".

It adds: "Set in the long hot summer following GCSEs, friendships are infiltrated by the Red Rose app, which blooms on their smartphones, threatening them with dangerous consequences if they don’t meet its demands. 

"The app exposes the group to a seemingly supernatural entity and the seductive, terrifying power of the dark web. Red Rose is ultimately a story of friendship, told through the prism of a classic horror-thriller."

Red Rose will air on BBC3 and BBC iPlayer in the UK and Netflix for the rest of the world. Worldwide distribution is managed by eOne. So far, we don't have a confirmed release date.

Conversations with Friends is one of the most anticipated dramas of the year and it’s finally here.

The drama is based on the novel by Sally Rooney, whose award-winning book Normal People became a TV phenomenon in 2020. 

Conversations with Friends centers on Irish student Frances, played by newcomer Alison Oliver, who is studying at Dublin’s Trinity College and also performs poetry with her best friend and former lover Bobbi (Sasha Lane). When sophisticated author Melissa (Jemima Kirke) takes the girls under her wing, sparks fly between Melissa and Bobbi, but matters become more complicated when Melissa introduces them to her actor husband Nick (Joe Alwyn) and Nick and Frances embark on a passionate affair.

All 12 episodes air on Hulu in the US and BBC3/BBC iPlayer in the UK from Sunday, May 15.

What to Watch caught up with Alison Oliver and Joe Alwyn to find out more about Conversations with Friends…

Love In The Flesh is a new BBC dating show out to win your heart.

This new series will be putting five couples who have never met in person to the test and see whether the chemistry they have online translates to the real world. 

Together, all five couples will be jetting off to a luxury Greek beach house to escape their daily grind and finally spend some quality time together. 

Here's everything you need to know about Love In the Flesh...

Love In The Flesh release date

Love In The Flesh premieres on BBC Three on Wednesday, March 23 and Thursday, March 24 at 10 pm on BBC Three. The first two episodes will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer on the Wednesday night. 

The series is eight episodes long, and two episodes will air each week.

What is the premise of Love In The Flesh?

As we've mentioned, the twist for the five Love In The Flesh couples is that they've only been chatting online through DMs and apps but have never met up in real life. One of the couples has been talking for as long as five years!

Love In The Flesh will see these couples escaping the pressures of daily life so they can put their relationships to the test for a week in a Greek beach house. There, they'll decide whether they want to take their relationships back to the real world. As with all relationships, some of them will work out, but some won't.

If the couples do decide to split up, there will be opportunities to form new relationships in the beach house. Throughout the series, the couples will be learning from one another and exploring their relationships by taking part in the challenges along the way.

Throughout the series, the show will also be unpicking wider themes relating to dating, such as the benefits and pitfalls of making connections online and in person.

Who's hosting Love In The Flesh?

Former Love Island contestant Zara McDermott is on hand as the presenter for Love In The Flesh. She'll be acting as a guide and a confidante to the ten contestants as they explore their relationships in the flesh.

Who are the Love In The Flesh couples?

Christos and Niki

Christos is a 19-year-old restaurant manager from Worcester; Niki is a 22-year-old carer from Brighton. They first connected online three months ago, and both share Greek roots and similar family values; Christos has even Facetimed Niki's nan!

Christos normally goes for older women, but Niki often seeks out older men - will their relationship work out?

Millie and Shelby

Millie, a 23-year-old influencer from London first connected with Shelby, a 24-year-old NHS worker from Leicester, ten months ago, and they're both hoping they've found the one.

The duo had previously tried to meet up in person, but Millie had an accident with a horse which required five surgeries, putting a stop to any of their potential plans.

Jess and Kwame

Jess is a 24-year-old carer from Hertfordshire. She's been talking to Kwame, a 28-year-old entrepreneur from London for five years now, but she's worried Kwame might be a catfish because Kwame wouldn't agree to appear on-screen whenever they Facetimed. 

Will she be disappointed or surprised when they finally lock eyes at the beach house?

Brandon and Hannah

Brandon is a 23-year-old student from Sheffield. He's been chatting to Hannah, a 24-year-old legal assistant from Huddersfield, for six months now, ever since they connected on a dating app.

Although their relationship has been steamy so far, both of them appear nervous ahead of their first meeting. Will they bring the heat when they are united for the very first time?

Chibz and Shazelle

Chibz, a 23-year-old personal trainer from London, fell head over heels in love with Shazelle, a 21-year-old receptionist from London when he connected with her on Instagram two years ago.

Their relationship has been challenging, especially as Shazelle has stood Chibz up on the two dates they've arranged. Will the lure of a week in a beautiful Greek beach house be enough to bring them together for the first time?

Love In The Flesh trailer

The BBC released a teaser trailer for Love In The Flesh in Mid-March. In the trailer, we get a brief glimpse at the stunning villa the couples will be staying at and see that sparks do seem to be flying between some of them. Check it out below:

Gavin and Stacey fans were given quite the bombshell ending during the 2019 Christmas special, where Nessa (Ruth Jones) proposed to Smithy (James Corden), and the credits rolled before he had a chance to answer.

Since that shocking moment, we haven't seen any more from the Shipmans and the Wests, with fans no doubt eager to see more. But there's good news, because according to star Larry Lamb, who plays Mick Shipman, there's a chance Gavin and Stacey could make a comeback.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, the actor spoke to Dan Walker and Sally Nugent about BBC3's return to television, and also had the opportunity to discuss the much loved BBC sitcom.

Sally began by saying: "Larry, I know everybody watching will want me to ask about the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special..."

"It ended on a little bit of a cliffhanger, didn’t it? Tell us what’s going to happen - what are we going to see, what can we expect?"

Larry replied by saying: "I’m probably one of the worst people in the world to ask. It’s super hush hush, like trying to find out what happened in Number 10! I don’t know. Sooner or later, something will happen, I reckon. That’s about it."

So while we don't have official confirmation about the future of Gavin and Stacey, Larry does seem confident that we haven't seen the last of the dysfunctional families, and hopefully, we'll get some answers about what's going on between Nessa and Smithy!

Going on to talk about the success of the program, Larry added: "17 million people - probably who knows how many million! 17 million watched - but god knows how many watched subsequently.

"But I remember talking to James Corden after we’d done it, and I said, 'You know, I’ve spent the last 10 years telling people I didn’t know if there was going to be any more Gavin and Stacey - now it looks like I'm gonna start all over again!"