Evie Templeton has made an immediate impression on fans in Wednesday season 2, joining the Tim Burton hit in a big way in the second episode after being seen briefly in the first episode.

Wednesday season 2 has just landed on Netflix, with the first four episodes now available to stream (part 2’s four episodes land on September 3).

Evie Templeton is a key member of the Wednesday season 2 cast alongside returning stars like Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers, joining in episode 1 as Agnes Demille, Wednesday's number one superfan.

But who is the actress, and where have you seen her before? We have answers to all the questions about Evie Templeton, including her age, birthday, and more about her character.

Evie Templeton’s age

Evie Templeton is 16. Her first acting credit was in a short called Red. She also appeared as Grace Holland in the 2023 horror movie Lord of Misrule, but she's never been in anything quite as big as Wednesday!

Talking to Teen Vogue about winning the part, she said: "I was a huge fan of season 1. I would say it was quite a lengthy process, but obviously worth it in the end. It started with a self-tape, as most things do nowadays. And then I had an in-person and then a couple of Zoom calls, and my final audition was a chemistry read with Emma and Jenna, which was incredible. It felt very surreal."

When is Evie Templeton's birthday?

January 3. She was born in Barbados.

Who does Evie Templeton play in Wednesday season 2? 

Evie plays new Nevermore student Agnes Demille and she first appears in episode 1 and then in a big way in episode 2. In episode 2, Agnes, makes her first important appearance, wishing Wednesday a happy prank day and introducing herself as Wednesday’s number one superfan.

She has played an elaborate prank on Wednesday involving Enid. Wednesday is told she has just 30 minutes to find Enid and can't involve anyone else. Enid wakes up chained to a chair, back-to-back with Bruno at the top of the Iago clock tower. Wednesday finds them in the tower, but the clock starts to move, and the mechanism moves some knives closer and closer to Enid and Bruno.

A typewriter is waiting for Wednesday with the words: "What don't you see? Type your answer to set your friends free.” Piles of books surround her, and she notes the authors and realizes she needs to find the missing book. She notes "The Invisible Man" by HG Wells is missing and types it in. The mechanism stops just in time and reverses.

Hands begin to clap, and a person appears, and yes, it’s Agnes! Quite the opening scene for her! Agnes explains she wanted Wednesday’s attention, and that’s why she came up with the game!

How tall is Evie Templeton?

5ft 3 inches.

What else has Evie Templeton been in?

Her other credits include Life After Life and Criminal Record. She will also be seen in Return to Silent Hill, the third in the psychological horror series.

Speaking to Spotlight, Evie said the makers made sure she wasn't involved in anything too scary: "Obviously, safeguarding-wise, most of my scenes in Return to Silent Hill didn't really include anything that was too scary that made me feel uncomfortable, but any scenes that were more frightening were done with the adult cast separately, so I was never exposed to any of those things.

"Everyone was just super friendly and there were members of the crew that were there to ensure my wellbeing when I was on set, which was always great and always made me feel comfortable."

Wednesday season 2 is on Netflix now. See our best shows on Netflix guide for more series to enjoy.

The movies about music icons continue, with the 2025 new movie Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere telling the story of “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen. Specifically, this movie will detail the making of Springsteen’s sixth album, Nebraska, while also detailing parts of Springsteen’s life that helped define him.

The music biopic genre has been a popular one this century, with the likes of Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown), Elvis Presley (Elvis), Aretha Franklin (Respect), Freddie Mercury (Bohemian Rhapsody) Elton John (Rocketman), Brian Wilson (Love & Mercy), Johnny Cash (Walk the Line) and Ray Charles (Ray) being chronicled. While Springsteen himself doesn’t have an official credit on the movie, reports indicate that he was involved in bringing his story to the screen.

Read on for more info on Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, from when it’s coming out to who is starring in the movie.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere release date

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere premieres exclusively in movie theaters on October 24.

That puts the movie right in the middle of awards season, where it hopes to be the latest music biopic to garner some Oscar attention, after recent efforts like A Complete Unknown, Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere cast

Jeremy Allen White heads from the kitchen to the recording studio, as the Emmy-winning star of The Bear takes on the role of Bruce Springsteen in Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. White is best known for his TV roles (which also include Shameless), but he also starred in the “Certified Fresh” movie The Iron Claw.

The Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere cast features quite the supporting cast, including Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) as Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau; Paul Walter Hauser (The Luckiest Man in America) as guitar tech Mike Batlan; Stephen Graham (Adolescence) as Springsteen’s father, Doug; Odessa Young (The Damned) as Springsteen’s love interest, Faye; Gaby Hoffman (Zero Day) as Springsteen’s mother, Adele; Marc Maron (Stick) as Chuck Plotkin; and David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) as Columbia executive Al Teller.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere plot

The movie is based on the Warren Zanes book, Deliver Me from Nowhere, which has been adapted for the big screen by Scott Cooper. Here is the official synopsis:

“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 Nebraska album when he was a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past. Recorded on a four-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works — a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching for a reason to believe.”

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere trailer

Watch the trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere right here:

Scott Cooper movies

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere director Scott Cooper’s breakout movie was about a fictional music star in Crazy Heart, so he has some experience in that department as he tackles a story about one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century.

Here’s a look at Cooper’s full list of feature directing credits to date:

• Crazy Heart (2009)
• Out of the Furnace (2013)
• Black Mass (2015)
• Hostiles (2017)
• Antlers (2021)
• The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere behind the scenes

20th Century Studios is behind Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, with Bluegrass Films and Gotham Group onboard as production companies.

Producers on the movie include Cooper, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson and Scott Stuber.

Meteoric success is more of a rarity than it seems. J K Simmons had already been a familiar face for almost three decades when he won his long-overdue Oscar for Whiplash, wryly observing he was "an overnight sensation at 60". Severance’s Adam Scott has trodden a similar path.

Now listed by Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, he’s been perfecting his craft for more than 30 years, and the last 10 have seen him become one of the most in-demand actors around. And Netflix is currently showing a movie that helped him get there.

A classic example of truth being stranger than fiction, The Most Hated Woman In America (2017) is the story of the rise and fall of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, a vocal anti-religious campaigner and founder of American Atheists.

The combination of her legal battle to remove prayer books from schools and the money she made through her organisation earned her the nickname that gives the film its title.

The movie, however, concentrates mainly on the strange events of 1995, when she, her son Jon and granddaughter Robin were kidnapped and held for ransom. With the police ignoring the demand for $1 million — Murray O’Hair had a history of publicity stunts — it was down to one of her colleagues to investigate, so he approached reporter Jack Ferguson (Scott), who, agreeing that things didn't add up, started running stories about her disappearance.

The bizarre kidnapping also allows us some insight into Murray O’Hair’s past and, with a cast that includes Melissa Leo as the potty-mouthed grandmother of the title, alongside Juno Temple, Peter Fonda and Rory Cochrane, there’s some engaging acting on show.

• Best movies on Netflix

Leo, who won an Oscar for The Fighter (2011), is on especially fine form, even if she’s not helped by some clumsy old-age make-up, and for Scott, coming off the back of Parks And Recreation, it was an opportunity to for him to stretch his dramatic talents after a run of comedy roles.

His journalist, who knows he’s on the verge of a big story and doggedly pursues it, despite an unenthusiastic editor, had just the right mix of dedication and cynicism to bring that all-important element of truth to an extraordinary story. Big Little Lies launched some months later.

His latest and biggest hit, Severance, arrived in 2022 and was a favourite with both critics and viewers from the start. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 96%, the efforts of the office workers at the intimidating Lumon Industries to get to the heart of its unique approach to the work/life balance captured a huge audience.

They tuned in for a second season, which drew to a close just weeks ago with the show having taken over from Ted Lasso as Apple TV Plus's most popular series ever. And a third season was announced just as the end credits rolled.

But mystery is what Severance is all about, so it’s no great surprise that only a limited amount has been revealed about its third outing. And, although followers had to wait three years for season two, it’s a fair assumption they won’t have their patience tested to the same extent by number three.

It does, however, have a reputation for attention to detail, so creator Dan Erickson and his team won’t be in a rush to start production. It’s a reassurance for the fans, as is the knowledge that answers are on the way to the many questions posed in season two’s final episode, "Cold Harbor". Aside from the lingering philosophical conundrums, Mark's (Scott) relationships with his real wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman) and his love interest, Helly R (Britt Lower), were left hanging precariously in the balance.

In a show where the characters are even more important than the mysterious machinations of a big corporate company, who will and will not be returning is the number one question on every fan’s list. The set-up at the end of season two means that many, if not all, of the main cast — Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Tramel Tillman and Patricia Arquette — are more than likely to be back.

The future for Christopher Walken’s Burt and John Tuturro’s Irving is less than clear, even though Tuturro has already indicated he’s hoping to be in the third season. But this is a workplace where loose ends are the norm, so we’ll have to join the Lumon Industries team in waiting to see what comes next.

The Most Hated Woman In America is on Netflix in the US and the UK.

Seasons one and two of Severance are on Apple TV Plus in the UK and the US.

British film fans are used to having to wait for months to see awards movies in cinemas compared to people in the US, and that's equally true for streaming... but a film which received many Oscar and BAFTA nods is finally available to stream in the UK.

On Wednesday, April 30, Disney Plus UK added to its library A Complete Unknown, which was a hot name in the Oscar race a few months ago. The film showed in cinemas in January (a month after it hit US theaters) but now you can watch it for £4.99 via a Disney Plus subscription.

(Live in the US? A Complete Unknown is available to watch on Hulu, where it's been streaming for over a month now).

A Complete Unknown is a biopic about legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, from the roots of his career until his divisive jump from acoustic instruments to electric ones.

The internet's boyfriend Timothée Chalamet plays the lead role in the movie with Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Boyd Holbrook and Monica Barbaro also performing. It was directed by James Mangold who's already won an Oscar for a musical biopic in the form of Walk the Line and also helmed Ford v Ferrari, Logal, 3:10 to Yuma, Girl, Interrupted and the latest Indiana Jones movie.

A Complete Unknown was nominated for eight Oscars in all: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Sound and Costume Design. It was also nominated for loads of other awards from the BAFTAs, SAG, Golden Globes and plenty more.

Before now, if you wanted to watch A Complete Unknown out of cinemas, you had to buy it digitally — it wasn't made available to rent on platforms like Sky Cinema and Apple TV, just buy outright at £20. For most people, that cost would be hard to swallow, so I imagine most people opted to wait for it to jump to streaming... which it now is.

Disney Plus starts at just £4.99, though that's for the ad-supported tier (and as someone who uses this plan, trust me, there are a lot of ad breaks!). An ad-free subscription costs £7.99 per month or £79.99 per year and we've got a guide talking you through Disney Plus deals here.

If you're planning to settle in for a movie night now that A Complete Unknown is streaming, be warned: it's a really long movie at 2 hours and 20 minutes. You can comfortably break it up into two or three chunks if you don't think you can sit still for that long.

Dwayne Johnson got his start in the world of entertainment inside the ring with his WWE persona The Rock. Well, his next movie, The Smashing Machine, is taking him back inside the ring, or accurately the octagon, as he portrays a famous UFC fighter, Mark Kerr.

Johnson has almost exclusively been starring in big-budget blockbusters and family movies in recent years (think the Fast and Furious franchise and Moana 2), but The Smashing Machine hails from A24, the fan-favorite distributor that releases more filmmaker-driven, character-based movies (some of their 2025 movies have included Parthenope and Warfare). So this marks a bit of a change-up for Johnson.

So what do you need to know about The Smashing Machine? Read on for all we have right now on when the movie is coming out, who else stars in it, the movie’s trailer and more.

The Smashing Machine release date

The Smashing Machine will premiere exclusively in movie theaters on October 3.

The Smashing Machine cast

Dwayne Johnson plays Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, while co-starring alongside Johnson in the movie as Kerr’s partner, Dawn Staples, is Emily Blunt. This will be the second movie that Johnson and Blunt have starred in together, with their previous collaboration being in 2021’s Jungle Cruise.

Helping to fill out The Smashing Machine cast are real-life former UFC fighters, including Bas Rutten, who has appeared in a handful of other movies before (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Here Comes the Boom), and Ryan Bader and Oleksandr Usyk, both of whom are making their big screen debuts with this movie.

The Smashing Machine plot

Benny Safdie wrote the script for The Smashing Machine. As of right now, this is the only plot description that has been made available from A24: “The story of legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr.”

For some additional background, Mark Kerr was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, active predominantly before the sport became the international sensation that it is today. He also competed in high-profile mixed martial arts tournaments, Vale Tudo and PRIDE FC.

A documentary about Kerr, also titled The Smashing Machine, was released by HBO in 2002. In addition to charting his career, the documentary also focused on Kerr’s struggles with substance abuse and his personal relationships with his then-girlfriend and fellow mixed martial artist Mark Coleman.

The Smashing Machine trailer

Watch The Smashing Machine trailer directly below:

The Smashing Machine director

In addition to writing the script, Benny Safdie directs The Smashing Machine.

Safdie is an actor, writer, director and producer that most viewers will probably know from his roles in Licorice Pizza, Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, Oppenheimer and The Curse. As a director though, he has co-directed a number of movies with his brother Josh Safdie, including the acclaimed Good Time and Uncut Gems, as well as some documentaries and smaller indie movies. However, The Smashing Machine is set to be Benny Safdie’s first solo-directed movie.

Here is a look at Safdie’s feature directing credits to date:

• Daddy Longlegs (2009)
• Buttons (2011)
• Lenny Cooke (2013)
• Heaven Knows What (2014)
• Good Time (2017)
• Uncut Gems (2019)

The Smashing Machine behind the scenes

Johnson and Safdie are both producers on The Smashing Machine, along with Eli Bush, Danny Garcia, Hiram Garcia and David Koplan.

The movie is an A24 production, along with Out for the Count and Seven Bucks Productions.

If you've just discovered Phillipa Soo from her role as Nurse Avery Morgan in Ryan Murphy's hit series Doctor Odyssey, you're only hit the tip of the iceberg. Soo is an award-winning actress, vocalist and author.

Known for originating the role of Eliza Hamilton in Lin-Manuel's original Broadway production of Hamilton, Soo recently talked with People about the production's 10th anniversary in 2025 and noted how the role was near and dear to her heart. "This character that we created is very much inspired by a younger version of myself,” Soo said. “I had terrible stage fright as a kid, yet it gave me so much joy to sing, and perform, and dance. And eventually, that led to acting."

When it comes to her theater roots, after her role in Hamilton Soo appeared in Amélie and The Parisian Woman, both in 2017, as well as playing the roles of Guenevere in the 2023 production of Camelot and Cinderella in 2022's Into the Woods.

In 2019, Soo appeared in 13 episodes of The Code, and some of her other television appearances include The Bite, Dopesick and Shining Girls. She also appeared in 2021's critically acclaimed tick, tick... BOOM!

Keep reading to learn more about Phillipa Soo.

1. Phillipa Soo has won two Grammy Awards

Phillipa Soo has won two Grammy Awards and she was nominated for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

After originating the role of Eliza Hamilton in the hit musical Hamilton on Broadway, Soo won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical that same year. She was also nominated for a 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Hamilton when it premiered on Disney Plus.

Soo earned her second Grammy Award in 2023 when Into the Woods took home the award for Best Musical Theater Album.

2. Phillipa Soo wrote a children's book

Not only is Phillipa Soo a talented actor and singer, she's also the author of a children's book called "Piper Chen Sings". Published in April 2024 and co-written with her sister-in-law, Maris Pasquale Doran, "Piper Chen Sings" is described as "an empowering story about a girl who turns her performance jitters into confidence when faced with singing a solo at her school concert."

Soo expressed gratitude to her followers when her book hit the New York Times Bestseller List shortly after publication.

3. You can find Phillipa Soo on social media

Phillipa Soo is active on social media. She has an Instagram account where she frequently posts pictures from her life. In February 2025 she shared pictures from her appearance at the MUAHS Awards. MUAHS stands for Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists, and Soo was there to present an award while also celebrating and supporting Sabrina Wilson, her make-up artist on Doctor Odyssey.

On Valentine's Day, Soo shared a sweet selfie with her husband, Steven Pasquale.

Phillipa Soo's fact file

Here are some frequently asked questions about Phillipa Soo.

How old is Phillipa Soo?

Phillipa Soo is 34 years old. She was born on May 31, 1990.

Is Phillipa Soo married?

Phillipa Soo is married to actor Steven Pasquale, known for his role in Rescue Me and Six Feet Under.

Does Phillipa Soo have any children?

Phillipa Soo does not have any children.

Where was Phillipa Soo born?

Phillipa Soo was born in Libertyville, Illinois.

How tall is Phillipa Soo?

Phillipa Soo is five foot eight.

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Claudia Jessie is one of the country's most exciting and versatile young actresses.

She's best known for playing Eloise, the sharp-witted sister in the regency romance series Bridgerton, which took the world by storm in 2020.

Claudia also stars in the true-life drama, Toxic Town on Netflix - a series set in 1990s Britain and tells the true story of a group of mothers who believed toxic waste caused babies to be born with deformities. Her co-stars include the brilliant Jodie Whittaker and Bond actor Rory Kinnear.

But aside from Claudia's acting credits, what else is there to know about her? Let us tell you...

Claudia Jessie had a challenging childhood

Claudia Jessie Peyton was born on October 30, 1989, in Moseley, a suburb of Birmingham.

She grew up in North London in a council flat with her single-parent mum Dawn and older brother. Money was tight and bailiffs would be frequently knocking at the door.

Remembering the challenges her mum faced, Claudia told Voice magazine: "We really struggled financially. My mum was a cleaner and I'm happy to show off about how hard she worked for us. She would clean houses in exchange for a dance class or a music lesson because she wanted me to have the best chance possible.

"I never went uni and I left secondary school with nothing. I'm really fortunate it's (her acting career) turned out this way because there is literally nothing else I can do."

She wanted to be a performing clown

As a child, Claudia could never have dreamt of becoming a successful television actress. She wanted to become a performer of another kind - a clown to be exact!

"A clown is all I ever wanted to be," she told The Big Issue. "All I wanted to do growing up was make people laugh. I actually considered going to clown in college in France for a long time."

She was discovered by a theatre director

Claudia's fortunes changed after she was noticed by Hannah Phillips, a local playwright and director.

At the time Claudia was pulling pints in a pub and taking acting classes on the side.

"She (Hannah) believed in me," Claudia told The Guardian. "She asked me to be part of some theatre companies she had in Birmingham. Without her, I wouldn't be an actor. I'm eternally grateful."

Claudia went on to train at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and Birmingham Library Theatre Company, before being signed by an agent in 2012.

She's been nominated for a Logie Award

Claudia has been steadily working for the past decade and her CV makes for impressive reading.

Her first professional role was in the short film Rosie, which was closely followed by parts in Doctors and Casualty.

In 2017, Claudia starred as DC Jodie Taylor in series four of the legendary BBC series Line of Duty. She also made a guest appearance in the Doctor Who episode Kerblam!

Her performance in Bali 2002, an Australian drama about the real-life 2002 Bali bombings earned her a nomination for the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress. Just to give you a heads up of how major that is, the Logies are like the equivalent of the Aussie Oscars!

She's also lent her voice to the audiobook The Rebound, which was voted as one of Audible's best books of 2023.

Claudia met her boyfriend through Bridgerton

That's right! Claudia's other half is casting director Cole Edwards, who auditioned her for the role of Eloise in Bridgerton.

Revealing how they first met in an interview with Glamour smitten Claudia shared: "I think it was the best audition I've ever had in my life. It was April 4, 2019. That's a lot to do with Cole Edwards, who I had auditioned with. It was so much fun, and I felt really comfortable. And then that was it."

The couple live together on a houseboat in Birmingham - how cool is that?!

She is a practicing Buddist

Claudia has been a Buddhist for nearly 18 years and was introduced to the religion by her aunt, who has been practicing for nearly four decades.

"Buddhism is the foundation of my life and the center of my life," she told Shondaland.

Claudia is also a vegan and ethically-minded when it comes to her clothes.

"I haven’t shopped on the high street for about six years, because I will not contribute to fast fashion," she explained to The Big Issue.

The actress is also passionate about the benefits of yoga and tries to get her daily practice in.

You won't find her on social media

Don't go looking for Claudia on social media platforms such as Instagram and X, because she doesn't do them.

Why, you might ask? The star explained her decision to keep away to Shondaland...

"With social media, I know I would be able to procrastinate. I would be able to compare myself to others. And you know what? Props to the people who don't and can be on social media. I think it's incredible. But I know that it's just not something I'm interested in. And I don't feel like I'm missing anything."

But just incase Claudia wants a taste of what's being said online, she can count on her friends.

"I've got loads of really lovely mates that are sending me screenshots of things that I have missed. Funny things, which is nice."

She broke a bone on the Bridgerton set

Filming Bridgerton season 3 proved a bit of a challenge for Claudia after she broke her wrist on set.

Recalling the painful incident during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert she said:

I’m such an idiot, it was my own fault. It was a Friday morning, about 8.30, and we hadn’t even started filming yet. To celebrate everyone’s good mood I did a high kick, but when I put my leg up I was restricted by my costume and fell backwards. I landed on my wrist.”

Claudia soon realized her wrist was broken after everyone’s voices went muffled in her head, which was a symptom of the shock. The good news is Claudia’s right wrist is healed, but the star joked saying, “She’ll never be the same again!”

Claudia Jessie's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star...

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

We all know the formula for a sports movie by now. A scrappy underdog with a chip on their shoulder overcomes incredible odds with the help of a dedicated coach to win the big title. That’s not a criticism, it’s a formula that works time and time again to leave audiences with a good feeling. But what makes The Fire Inside unique is that its story doesn’t stop with that winning moment, instead showing how winning is not necessarily a cure for all of life’s problems.

The Fire Inside is based on the life of Claressa Shields, who as a 17-year-old won the Olympic gold medal in boxing at the 2012 games. Shields did so overcoming poverty and a troubled childhood in Flint, Michigan. But even after her Olympic glory, she found she had to take up a new fight as life’s struggles — primarily the lack of financial opportunity for a female athlete in a male-centric sport — continued to land its punches.

Starring the excellent pair of Ryan Destiny as Shields and Brian Tyree Henry as her coach, Jason Crutchfield, the movie serves as the feature directorial debut for Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison and features a script written by Barry Jenkins. That creative team hits all of the right notes to give The Fire Inside a good bit more depth than its peers, resulting in a winning story, but the athletic moments are a bit muted, placing it in the good, just shy of great, tier.

The first half of the movie is all about Shields’ efforts to make the 2012 Olympics and take home the gold. There’s plenty in that for a full movie, and some filmmakers would have likely been content to just end the story as she stands on top of the podium victorious. But The Fire Inside’s greatest strength is that it follows up and sees Shields after the Olympics, when she hasn’t gotten any endorsements and struggles to pay the bills and achieve the better life she thought would be coming her way. Though female athletes today have become household names, even just 12 years ago Shields was emblematic of their struggles for fair compensation. Her fight to get what she’s believed she’s earned is even more inspirational to watch than her fights in the ring.

A lot of that has to do Ryan Destiny, who gives one of the breakout performances of the year. She is every bit believable as the Flint tough boxer, but she’s even better when she is fighting for her future outside of the ring. Destiny goes toe-to-toe with the Oscar-nominated Henry, who gives another strong performance as Shields’ coach. The pair carry the movie, with their interactions, and occasional verbal bouts, the most engaging thing to watch.

Part of that is because the boxing scenes aren’t anything to write home about. Morrison makes a fine debut as a director after years as a cinematographer, but considering her past work I was a bit surprised that the boxing scenes weren’t as engaging as I might have hoped. Now part of the problem is that Olympic boxing is a bit different than what we’re used to seeing on screen, and it’s not as fun trying to figure out how to root for points instead of a knockout.

But even if the boxing scenes were a bit of a let down, the script by Barry Jenkins more than makes up for it, providing a depth of story and characters. I’ve already talked about how the movie effectively manages to go beyond the easy ending of winning gold, but Jenkins also deserves credit for creating realistic characters in Shields’ parents. Shields’ mother Jackie (Olunike Adeliyi) struggles to provide for her family, occasionally neglectful, while her father Clarence (Adam Clark) has been in jail for much of her child. The movie acknowledges these facts, but it also doesn’t limit its depictions of Jackie and Clarence as merely obstacles or antagonists for Claressa to overcome, as some lazier scripts might do. Instead, they are real people who have had (and continue to have) their struggles, but who also do their best to support Claressa as they can.

All that being said, The Fire Inside feels like it’s teetering on the edge of greatness, but ultimately falls just a little short. But that’s alright, this is still a winning sports drama that you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy and ultimately be moved by. It’ll get you cheering for sure.

The Fire Inside releases exclusively in movie theaters on December 25 in the US; it premieres February 7 in the UK.

Ashley Jensen is an Emmy award-nominated actress best known for her roles in smash-hit series such as Extras, Ugly Betty and Agatha Raisin and BBC detective drama Shetland season 9.

In Shetland, Ashley plays DI Ruth Calder, a steely cop who swapped her life in London for cracking crimes in the Scottish isle. Working alongside DI Tosh McIntosh (played by Alison O'Donnell), the ladies have already shown they're a force to be reckoned with.

We can't wait to see what's next for Calder, but in the meantime let's get to know a little more about Ashley...

Ashley Jensen was inspired to act by a very quirky TV character

Ashley Jensen was born on August 11, 1969, and hails from Annan, a town in Dumfriesshire, south-west Scotland.

She was raised by her single-parent mum, who Ashley says she owes everything to.

Growing up, Ashley always wanted to be an actress, but briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a vet - "Until I realised you had to stick your hand up a cow's arse", she told The Guardian.

She was inspired to pursue a career in performing after watching Michael Crawford playing hapless Frank Spencer in the 1970s series Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. In an interview with BAFTA, Ashley said: "I think it (Michael's) was a performance of total genius, in every way."

She starred in a quirky play alongside David Tennant

After school, Ashley studied Drama at Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University.

One of her first acting gigs post drama school was with a Scottish theatre company, acting alongside a certain David Tennant.

In a chat with The Independent Ashley revealed: "It was a Brecht play called The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui."

"We did this vaudeville production and it was all white faces and mental make-up. I was playing an old man, so I had a fat suit, a bald wig, glasses, a walking stick, fake sideburns, rotten teeth and liver spots."

"I had been out of drama school a year so I was the old hand, and David was the green new boy. It was so funny."

The pair bonded and have been firm pals ever since.

Extras propelled her to international fame

Ashley's other early roles included playing criminal Jo-Jo Donnelly in the 1993 crime drama Down Among the Big Boys, as well as appearances in Dangerfield, The Bill, EastEnders and Casualty.

But fame came calling in 2005 when the creator of The Office, Ricky Gervais, cast her in his BBC/HBO sitcom, Extras.

Ashley played nice-but-dim Maggie Jones, best mate of wannabe actor Andy Millman (aka Gervais).

The show went on to become a huge hit, earning Ashley an array of awards, including four British Comedy Awards, as well as a BAFTA and Emmy Award nominations.

Ashley's character in Ugly Betty was meant to be American

After the success of Extras, Ashley did what very few Brit actors have been able to achieve - she cracked America.

In September 2006, she made her debut as seamstress Christina McKinney in the ABC series, Ugly Betty.

But here's a fun fact for you. Christina was initially written as being American. But after the show's producers met with Ashley and fell in love with her distinctive accent they decided to re-write the script and make Christina Scottish.

Ashley has admitted she never had a burning desire to work in Hollywood, and only went up for the job because she was holidaying in California at the time the audition came up.

Ashley stayed with the show for three series but decided to quit after filming moved to New York from Los Angeles.

She'd love to be invisible

Ashley has admitted if she could be given any super power then it would be the ability to turn invisible. Which seems an obvious choice given she's a famous face, and gets recognised wherever she goes.

The star told The Guardian: "I love listening to conversations, but people get grumpy at someone staring at them, or they go, "Oh, you're Maggie from Extras."

She's dealt with terrible tragedy in her personal life

Ashley's late husband was actor, Terence Beesley, who was best known for his roles in Victoria and playing General Bennigsen in BBC One's War and Peace.

They met in 1999 when they were both starring in a production of King Lear. After marrying in a low-key ceremony in Big Sur, the couple went on to welcome a son, Francis, who Ashley affectionately calls Frankie.

The family relocated from London to Bath, but tragedy struck in 2017 when Terence sadly passed away and an inquest later confirmed he'd taken his own life.

Ashley is married to a fellow actor

Ashley has found happiness again with Kenny Doughty, an actor who's best known for playing DS Aiden Healy on ITV's Vera.

The couple, who choose to keep their romance out of the public eye, got hitched at Priston Mill in August 2023 in an intimate ceremony for close family and friends.

According to reports, Ashley wore an off-white wedding dress with floral embroidery and coral-coloured platform heels. While Kenny looked dapper in a powder blue suit and suede loafers.

She gets very chilly while filming Shetland

Ashley loves everything about filming in the stunning setting of Shetland.

Well, almost everything.

The actress has admitted dealing with the biting cold can often be a challenge. "I've known cold when I've been filming, but this was something else," Ashley revealed to The Scotsman. "This is filming when it's so cold your fingers have stopped working."

So how did the crew help fix the problem? "We had heat pads in our pockets, our underwear and taped to our backs. We even had to put our hands in hot water in between takes to literally thaw them out."

Ashley Jensen's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star...

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Alison O'Donnell is a Scottish star of television, film and stage who's been in the industry for nearly 20 years.

She's best known for playing the role of Detective Inspector Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh in the popular crime drama Shetland season 9 alongside Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder. 

Alison is one of the show's original cast members and has taken her character all the way from rookie cop to Detective Inspector. This season, viewers will get to know more about Tosh after a big event occurs in her private life.

But what else is there to know about Alison? Let us fill you in on a few fun facts.

Alison O'Donnell hails from Motherwell

Alison O'Donnell was born in the early 1980s in the North Lanarkshire town of Motherwell, which is south east of Glasgow.

The youngest of three sisters, Alison wasn't bitten by the acting bug until she was in her teens.

After leaving school she went to study international law at university, but dropped out after three months when she realised her heart lay with performing.

Discussing that lightbulb moment with Glasgow Times Alison revealed:

"One day I standing outside the library listening to fellow students going on about how they'd always wanted to be lawyers, then one of them turned to me and asked, 'So Alison, have you always wanted to be a lawyer?'"

"And I said, no, I want to be an actor. It was that sudden."

She started out on the stage

Alison spent the early days of her career mainly working in theatre.

She starred in productions of Boys, The Hard Man, The Other Bridge Project, Eigengrau and Lorca's Yerma.

Her first television role was in police sitcom Feel the Force in 2006. She has also featured in an episode of the BBC medical drama Holby City.

She also starred in Radio 4 play, Synonymous, alongside Amelia Bullmore and Jamie Winstone.

Shetland was her big break

Alison's life changed in 2012 when she found out she had an audition for the character of Tosh in new BBC drama, Shetland.

Two weeks later she was called to say she'd got the part, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The series is based on the books by author Anne Cleeves, but Tosh actually doesn't feature in them.

Alison adores her character and admits while they're not exactly the same, she can see a few similarities.

"She's way more organised than me," Alison told The Scotsman. But Tosh is really tenacious, ambitious, and very career-focused. At first, I didn't have a lot of TV experience and she was a rookie, so I feel we've gone on a journey of confidence together."

Alison is about to embark on filming for the show's tenth series, but admits she never wants it to feel as if 'I've outstayed my welcome'.

Alison met her other half through work

Alison's partner is Scottish playwright Daniel Craig Jackson, who's also known as D.C Jackson.

They met 14 years ago when Alison was cast in the lead role of Jackson's play My Romantic History, which was shown at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.

The play also won the Fringe First Award at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Alison and Daniel later became a couple and are now parents to a young daughter and son. She credits Daniel for giving her the support to pursue her acting dreams.

In a chat with The Scotsman, Alison said: "I wouldn't have managed being back on it (Shetland) if it wasn't for my other half.

"He is looking after the kids all day then cramming his work into whatever gaps are left. He is having to fit his whole career around mine and I'm unbelievably grateful to him. He's the best."

Alison is open about the juggle of motherhood

Alison is a proud mum of two. Her daughter was born in 2017, and in October 2020, the actress welcomed a baby boy.

Her son was born in the middle of the Covid pandemic and Alison has spoken openly about how tricky those times were to navigate.

"I hadn't planned a pandemic into it when I got pregnant for the second time," she told Sunday Post.

"We were stuck indoors with a newborn and toddler. No one was sleeping and we were all on our knees."

She was inspired by former co-star Douglas Henshall

Shetland fans adored the partnership between Alison's character Tosh and her boss and mentor Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez, played by the brilliant Douglas Henshall.

Speaking on BBC4 programme, Alison O'Donnell Remembers... Shetland, the actress gushed about her former co-star, saying: "Douglas and I, we just had such a great relationship, and I'm so grateful to him. I really feel like I studied at the feet of a master.

"You know, I turned up, I knew nothing, and he was obviously really experienced. He completely took me under his wing. He's so smart and always sees the picture. I learned so much from watching him and got a clearer understanding of what was required from me."

She goes for nights out with her Shetland crew

During the filming for Shetland season nine, Alison and her family relocated to a little chalet house in Whiteness, near the set.

"It was lovely to be somewhere a bit quieter and more remote," she she told BBC4. "We were surrounded by sheep which were a source of endless fascination and amusement for my kids - and also for me."

She also revealed that the cast and crew love to hang out together in the evenings after filming.

"There are about 100 of us, so we tend to organise nights out, trips to the beach or the cliffs. We don't have a huge amount of downtime but do try to pack as much in as possible."

Alison O'Donnell's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star...

Twitter/X: @AtotheOD

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Sophie Willan is an award-winning actress, narrator, writer and comedian.

A proud Bolton lass, she rose to fame with the huge success of her quasi-autobiographical sitcom Alma's Not Normal. The BBC Two heartwarming and humorous series is Sophie's brainchild and has earned her not one, but two BAFTA awards.

Alma's Not Normal season 2 also proved a huge hit. Indeed our comedy writer Bruce Dessau has described her as a genius. Sadly, series 2 is the last Sophie has said although she is developing an Alma's Not Normal Christmas special to tie up the show. She is also working on a satire of the Pendle witches, one of Britain's most famous witch trials, with fellow star Maxine Peake.

Sophie also starred in the detective dramedy Ludwig, alongside David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin. Sophie played the part of mysterious Holly Pinder. She also appeared on Taskmaster, coming fourth.

With her career going from strength to strength, we thought you might like to know a little more about Sophie, whose life has been anything but ordinary. So here goes...

Sophie Willan had an unconventional upbringing

Sophie Willan was born on 21 October, 1987 in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester.

Growing up, her childhood was far from conventional. Sophie's mum was a heroin addict and she was raised by her grandmother, Denise. She also spent time in and out of the care system.

But instead of holding her back, Sophie's difficult start in life gave her even more determination to succeed. She's drawn on her past experiences, and created  characters in her shows based on people in her own life, including her mum.

"My mum was a drug addict. She's not a character you would expect to love on camera. But she is lovable and funny," Sophie told Manchester Evening News.

"That's what I know. It's my world."

She found her calling in Ibiza

When Sophie's grandmother, Denise got divorced, she took them both on a celebratory holiday to Ibiza. 

It was during her time on the White Island where a young Sophie first fell in love with performing.

Recalling the life-changing trip in her 2022 BAFTA acceptance speech, Sophie said: "My grandmother went to the Cafe de Mar, and I joined the hotel drama club. And that's where I got my first taste of it — I played the Crying Clown. My grandmother was at the back, watching me and smoking, and said, 'You're fantastic'. And after that she just supported me so much with this dream to be an actress."

Sadly Denise never got to see all of her granddaughter's success, as she passed away while Sophie was filming the first season of Alma's Not Normal.

Sophie worked as an escort before getting her big break

Sophie previously worked as an escort to fund her career, and has a bonkers tale from that time.

Appearing on an episode of Unforgiveable, Sophie told hosts Mel Giedroyc and Lou Sanders she was a "fabulous" escort.

"I had quite a lot of clients," she revealed. "But then I said to my madam, 'look, I'm knackered.' She didn't listen, she was just sending me one after the other. I was awful by the end."

After getting sacked, Sophie ended up robbing money meant for her madam (which had been stashed in a washing machine), disguised in a garden gnome costume, to fund a trip to Wales to perform the play she'd written called "The Gnome Bandit".

Yes, we told you it was bonkers!

She was the inaugural recipient of the Caroline Aherne bursary

Sophie grew up dreaming of following in the footsteps of Northern comediennes such as Caroline Aherne and Victoria Wood.

It was rather fitting then that she was the first winner of the BBC's Caroline Aherne bursary, which was set up in honour of the Royle Family and Mrs Merton star who died in 2016.

Sophie beat off hundreds of other comics to win the prize of £5,000, which she used to develop her work.

Speaking at the time of her 2018 win, Sophie said: "I'm honoured and absolutely over the moon."

“I look forward to continuing that legacy with my own updated take on the Northern, working-class experience as part of this bursary and hopefully inspire the next generation, just as Caroline inspired me.”

She launched her own platform to help others

Having spent time in care growing up, Sophie always has a focus on helping others.

In 2015, she founded Stories of Care, a nonprofit multi-platform literary project, which worked to give new writers, from diverse backgrounds, the chance to get their voices heard.

Sophie secured funding of over £100,000 to get the project off the ground. With that money, the organisation was able to help participants get their foot through the door.

“I do think it’s important to be changing the industry from the inside, isn’t it?” Sophie told The Independent. "There aren’t many opportunities for them to get in the industry; there isn’t the bank of mum and dad." 

She's given her BAFTA trophies their own names

Take a bow, Sophie — you're a double BAFTA winner!

She scooped a BAFTA Television Craft Award for Best Writer: Comedy for the pilot of Alma's Not Normal. Then at the 2022 British Academy Television Awards, Sophie won the Best Female Comedy Performance.

Hilariously, Sophie has named both of her golden face gongs.

Her writing BAFTA is Caroline - after Caroline Aherne, of course. And her other is called Julie, which is a nod to the one and only Julie Walters.

Sophie told BBC Woman's Hour the morning after winning she took Julie (the trophy) out for a liquid lunch with her boyfriend. Then Julie was safely returned to the hotel, and Sophie went on to G-A-Y where she partied until 4 am.

Now that's what you call celebrating in style!

Sophie's house is very pink

Sophie's success with Alma enabled her to get on the property ladder. And she's decorated her home in Salford in her favourite colour — pink!

"I do my own decorating," the star revealed in a chat with Radio Times. "My house is so pink it's like I'm living in a bowl of Gaviscon! But it's the best thing that's come out of Alma for me, is buying a house. I worked all my life for that."

Although scary to some, Sophie relishes the independence of living alone.

"I am a big fan of it," she says. "You've got your own set of rules." 

Plus she has full control of the teleremote — winning!

Sophie Willan's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the actress...

Instagram: @sophiewillan

Sophie Turner is a British actress who shot to global fame as Sansa Stark in the cult fantasy series Game of Thrones.

Sophie is currently wowing audiences with her performance in the ITV drama Joan. The six-part series is based on the true life of Joan Hannington, Britain's most notorious jewel thief, who was dubbed "the Godmother" of the diamond heist.

"It’s about resilience and ambition – this woman (Joan) is so infectious, you can’t help but love her," Sophie told Harper's Bazaar. "I couldn’t give her up to anyone else!”

So for all the Sophie fans out there, here are a few fascinating facts you may not know about her.

Sophie Turner had a twin that passed away

Sophie Belinda Turner was born on February 21, 1996, in Northampton.

She's the daughter of Sally, a nursery teacher, and Andrew who works for a pallet distribution company. Sophie has two older brothers, James and Will, who she describes as her 'best friends'. 

Very sadly, Sophie's twin died in utero, and it's a tragedy that's shaped her life. 

Speaking to You Magazine, she revealed: “My mum had a miscarriage - my twin died and I lived. That definitely affected me in terms of I always felt as though… something was missing.

"I have two older brothers who are close in age and I always felt as though I needed someone or should have had someone there. I guess there's a sense of loss there that I have used to conjure emotions onscreen."

She started performing as a little girl

When Sophie was two, her family moved to Chesterton in Warwickshire. Her childhood home was a large Edwardian property, complete with pigsties, barns and a paddock. 

Sophie started acting at three after her mum took her to drama class at the Playbox Theatre Company to try and bring her shy daughter out of her shell.

But there are acting genes in the family. Sophie's grandfather was an extra in film and television and involved in amateur dramatics. “He was my kindred spirit, my spirit animal,” Sophie told British Vogue.

Throughout her education at Warwick Prep School, then The King's High School for Girls, Sophie knew she wanted to be an actress. She even turned down a place at the Royal Ballet School when she was 11 in favour of pursuing drama.

Sophie got her big break on Game of Thrones at 14

Sophie was in Year 8 at school when her drama teacher suggested she try out for a role in a new HBO series. She went through five auditions before landing the part of noblewoman Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones.

Sophie started filming on the show when she was 14 and had to dye her naturally blonde hair red for the role. 

She appeared in all eight seasons of Game of Thrones - which was watched by 19.3 million viewers at its peak, and was nominated for an Emmy award for her portrayal of Sansa, 'the Queen of the North'.

Sophie's experience on the show is still incredibly special to her, so much so that she has a Game of Thrones tattoo on her inner arm. And in case you're wondering it's of a direwolf, the symbol of House Stark, her character’s family.

She achieved a B in her GSCE drama

Sophie was still at school when she got her job on Game of Thrones, and would spend half of the year filming and the other half in education.

Because she was under 16, Sophie's mum had to chaperone her while she was filming, but she went it alone after that.

"The producers, runners and actors (on GoT) raised me, alongside my parents," Sophie shared with Elle UK. "They taught me how to be an independent working woman. At 16, I felt like I was a fully-fledged adult."

Sophie also had a tutor on the set of the series. She went on to achieve a full set of GCSEs, with five A-grades and a B in Drama.

She adopted her dog from Game of Thrones

As a little girl, Sophie always had dreams of owning a dog.

Those dreams came true in 2012 when Sophie convinced her family to adopt the canine who played Sansa's ill-fated pet, Lady on Game of Thrones. In the show, poor Lady met a grisly end when Cersei ordered Ned Stark to kill her.

"We kind of fell in love with my character’s dire wolf, Lady, on set,” Sophie told the Coventry Telegraph in 2013. “We knew Lady died [on the show] and they wanted to re-home her."

So with that, the beautiful Northern Inuit, called Zunni, found her forever home when she went to live with the Turner family back in Warwickshire. 

She took her brother on her first date with Joe Jonas

True story! American singer Joe Jonas first slid into Sophie's DM's back in 2016 when he asked her out on a date.

They arranged to have a drink in a pub in Camden, but Sophie decided she didn't want to go alone...

“I brought my brother and all my guy friends because I didn’t know if I was maybe getting catfished,” she recalled to British Vogue.

After a whirlwind romance and engagement, Sophie and Joe eloped to Las Vegas and got hitched just hours after attending the Billboard Music Awards. The couple had a second ceremony in Provence that summer for their friends and family.

Sadly the fairytale didn't last, and in September 2023, Sophie and Joe announced they were divorcing.

In a joint statement, they said: "After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why, but truly, this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children."

She's a proud mum of two

Sophie is mum to two little girls, Willa and Delphine, who she describes as the 'absolute rays of sunshine in my life.'

Her eldest, Will, was a lockdown baby and born in the summer of 2020. Delphine arrived two years later as a much-wanted sibling for Willa, and Sophie has spoken of the pleasure she has knowing her daughters have one another.

Sophie says she drew on her own experience of being a single parent to portray her character in Joan, who was also a mother.

"Joan changed me quite a lot," she explained in an interview with The Sunday Times. "The series came around at a time in my life where I had to be ambitious and I had to have such strong will and fight against the forces. She gave me a lot of strength."

'If I hadn't been a mother, I don't know if I would have been able to bring the same energy that I did into it."

She's just gone Instagram official with her new man

Sophie is currently dating Peregrine Pearson, the eldest son of Michael Pearson, 4th Viscount Cowdray.

The actress shared a snap of her new beau - who's heir to his family's considerable fortune - on Instagram, 29 days after her divorce was finalised.

The couple were first seen together back in December last year, but this summer Sophie posted a series of photos on her social media, where Peregrine can be seen relaxing with her friends.

Sophie's fans went wild for the pictures, with many commenting on their delight at her finding happiness again. Aww.

Sophie Turner's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star...

Instagram: @sophiet

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Rossif Sutherland's roots in Hollywood run deep, as he is the son of the late, legendary actor Donald Sutherland and the half-brother of Emmy-winning 24 star Kiefer Sutherland. Now he is set to lead his first ever TV series, the new Fox crime drama Murder in a Small Town. 

The fall TV new show is based on L.R. Wright's Karl Alberg series of books, with Sutherland playing the main detective, who travels to a coastal town in an effort to get away from the stresses of the city only to become involved in various cases as bodies continue to appear. He stars in the series alongside Kristin Kreuk.

With this representing the most high-profile role of Rossif Sutherland's career to date, let's help you get to know the actor a little better with some things you may not have known about him.

Rossif Sutherland's mother is also a notable actress 

In addition to his father being a well-known actor, Rossif Sutherland's mother is Francine Racette, who starred in a number of notable movies in the 1970s. Born in Canada, Racette eventually made her mark in French cinema, starring in Aussi Loin Que L’Amour, Mr. Klein (which won three Cesar Awards, the French equivalent to the Oscars, including Best Film) and Au Revoir Les Enfants, which in addition to its success at the Cesar awards (Best Film and six other wins) was nominated for two Oscars (Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film). Au Revoir Les Enfants was Racette's final performance. 

He studied philosophy at an Ivy League school, but dropped out

Despite both of his parents being actors and his half-brother Kiefer Sutherland joining the profession, Rossif Sutherland did not want to be an actor at first. In a video with CBC Arts he says that early in his life he was interested in writing and singing, before going on to study philosophy at Princeton. He joked that going to the Ivy League school "should make me smart," but he ultimately decided to drop out. 

He got his start in acting because another actor didn't show up

In the same CBC Arts video, Sutherland describes how he became an actor. He was asked by a friend to direct a short film. On the day they were set to begin production, the lead actor didn't show up. With no other option, Sutherland decided he would take over the role. After finishing the short film, Sutherland showed it to his father. After watching the movie Sutherland said his father had tears in his eyes and said, "kid, that's what you're supposed to do," which Sutherland took as his father welcoming him into his second family — the acting profession.

His first major role was on an iconic medical drama

After fully committing himself to the acting profession, Sutherland made his screen debut with an 11-episode recurring role on the classic TV medical drama ER. Sutherland played Lester Kertzenstein, but that was not the part he originally auditioned for. Sharing the story on Canadian talk show The Hour, Sutherland said that despite feeling he gave a good audition, his manager told him he did not get the part, but then an ER executive producer reached out and said they were going to write a specific role for him so he could join the show. 

He met his wife while co-starring with her on a TV show

In addition to a career, Sutherland found love through acting, meeting his wife Celina Sinden when both were starring in the CW series Reign. They both starred in the historical fiction series from the very beginning, with Sutherland playing Nostradamus and Sinden playing Greer Castleroy. Sutherland appeared in three seasons of the show, with his final episode in 2015, while Sinden appeared in every episode of the series. They were married in 2016. 

Sutherland's Murder in a Small Town role has a connection to his father 

Murder in a Small Town is the first leading role for Rossif Sutherland, but in an interesting bit of fate, it was also a project his father, Donald Sutherland, had previously attempted to get made in Hollywood. As shared by Rossif Sutherland and reported by various outlets, when he told his dad about his new role it rang a bell. Explaining that it is based on the L.R. Wright series, Donald Sutherland revealed to his son that some 30 years prior he had attempted to make a movie of Wright's book The Suspect, with the elder Sutherland interested in playing the titular suspect, not the detective role Rossif Sutherland is playing in the TV show. There were reports that it was considered for Donald Sutherland to play the role in the series, but he was deemed not well enough for the shoot; instead, James Cromwell is playing the role. But all this makes Rossif Sutherland feel like Murder in a Small Town is a love letter to his father. 

Rossif Sutherland fact file

Frequently asked questions about the actor:

Cooper Koch is a hot new talent in the acting world and star of the Netflix crime series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

The second installment of the Monster biographical crime anthology series tells the real-life story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, American brothers who killed their parents back in August 1989.

Cooper, or Coop as he's known to his mates, plays the lead role of Erik, who alongside his sibling was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. His co-star Nicholas Chavez plays Lyle Menendez. 

The star has wowed audiences with his chilling portrayal of a killer, but what else is there to know about Cooper?

Here are some interesting facts for you...

Cooper Koch hails from a family of producers

Cooper Koch was born on July 16, 1996 in Woodland Hills, Calabasas, located in Los Angeles Country in California.

He has a twin brother called Payton Koch, who's an Emmy-award nominated picture editor, whose credits include the popular television series' American Horror Story and Ratched.

Payton isn't the only famous member of Cooper's family. His great-grandfather, Howard W. Koch, produced the 1980 film Airplane, and his grandfather Hawk Koch was the producer of the 1992 movie Wayne’s World.

Hawk is also the former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild. Impressive!

He's worked as a model

Before he got into acting, handsome Cooper worked as a model for a short while. And he's still a natural in front of the lens.

He made his first film at the age of 11 in the 2007 film, Fracture.

A break of almost a decade followed, and Cooper was next seen on screens in Mine, before going on to make his TV debut in the 2018 series, West 40s.

He's openly gay

Both Cooper and his twin brother Payton are openly gay, but there was a time when Cooper had doubts over being 'out'.

The actor discussed the initial fears he had around being a gay actor in the public eye, telling Edge Media Network: “I remember when I was in college, I really didn’t wanna come out. I was really afraid to be an actor and be gay just because I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously or I wouldn’t get cast, or I would be shunned or it just wouldn’t work.

“And I sort of learned through being in acting school that, you know, if I can’t be myself, then I’m not gonna be able to play anyone else regardless of what they identify in terms of their sexuality or their gender or whatever.”

Wise words, Cooper!

He's an advocate of Independent Films

Cooper has worked on a range of acting projects, but feels particularly drawn to independent films. 

Discussing their appeal in an interview Pop Culturalist, the actor said: "It's my favourite, I love working on a smaller scale just because you get to know the people around you well. I would much rather be sitting in the truck that we're filming in rather than going back to my trailer and being alone."

He added: "I also think collaboration is more accessible when you're on a smaller scale. It's just something about the intimacy of working with a rag-tag team of 20 filmmakers. It's more appealing to me, it's more fun."

He's loves a scary movie

Not only is Cooper is a fan of fright-fests, he's also starred in a couple.

In 2022, he made two slasher movies - They/Them and Swallowed. The former follows a group of LGBTQ people who go on a camping trip, which very quickly turns into a holiday from literal hell.

And Swallowed is a queer horror flick which tells the story of two friends who smuggle an illegal substance and the gruesome events that follow.

Cooper first fell in love with the genre when he watched American Horror Story: Asylum, which he says is his all-time favorite. 

He's a passionate LGBTQ+ campaigner

As an out and proud gay man, Cooper is committed to normalizing the rights of people from the LGBTQ+ community.

Speaking to Where is The Buzz on the red carpet of his movie They/Them (in which Cooper played a gay character) in 2022, he said: "It's incredibly important, it's vital. And it's dangerous not to (normalize it). There are states in our country (USA) where conversion therapy is still legal. And that brings tears to my eyes. It's so scary and dangerous to be telling people and forcing people not to be who they truly are."

He kept himself busy during the Covid pandemic

When the global Covid pandemic hit in 2020, Cooper was in New York, having just wrapped on the romcom, New York Christmas Wedding.

Cooper stayed on in the Big Apple, and like everyone else had to isolate. But he found a few ways to pass the time.

In a chat with iHollywood TV at the time he shared: "I am trying to stay as busy as I can. I am teaching yoga, I'm just working on my craft, taking acting classes and doing everything I can to not slip into a lazy hibernation."

Cooper Koch fact file

Frequently asked questions about the actor...

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Anna Madeley is an English actress, whose career in television, stage, film and radio spans an incredible four decades.

She's back on our screens for All Creatures Great and Small season 5 as Mrs Audrey Hall, the indispensable housekeeper of Skeldale House veterinary practice.

Anna has played the role of Mrs Hall since 2020 but has been acting since she was a little girl. She landed her first film role at the age of nine, and has enjoyed a successful career, starring in popular dramas including Cold Feet and Mr Selfridge.

Off-screen, mum-of-two Anna likes to keep her personal life out of the limelight. But here are a few interesting facts you may not know about her...

Anna Madeley is a former child star

Anna Madeley is a true Londoner. She was born in the capital on October 1, 1976, and grew up there.

As a youngster, Anna attended the North London Collegiate School, a private day school for girls. Her speech teacher at school spotted her acting potential and lined her up for auditions.

Anna's professional debut was playing the part of a little girl in the 1985 film, Claudia. 

She went on to hone her skills at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where one of her first roles was playing a skeleton in a production of the Shakespeare comedy, "The Merry Wives of Windsor".

She's not from an acting family

Unlike a lot of stars, performing didn't run in Anna's bloodline. Her mum was a biology teacher, while her father worked in IT. She has one sister, who's also not in the industry.

“I was around 16 or 17 when I started thinking of becoming an actor — I think my parents were quite nervous about it,” she told Virgin Island Daily News.

“We’re not from an acting family, and most of my family is in the sciences in their careers, so it was a completely unknown entity. But they were incredibly supportive, and came to see every production."

Anna worked a variety of jobs while waiting for her big break — including a pub barmaid, shop assistant, market researcher and a perfume girl in Harrods.

She's worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company

Anna is an accomplished stage actress and has completed two seasons with the acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company.

She performed with the company in its 2001-2002 season again in 2003-2004.

Anna has trodden the boards of London's West End, in productions such as "The Cosmonaut's Last Message" and "The Philanthropist" — the latter of which she reprised her role for the Broadway production in 2009. She also starred in Private Lives on Broadway alongside Kim Catrall back in 2011. 

She starred as both Aaron and Young Alexander Ashbrook in the original Royal National Theatre production of Coram Boy, and appeared opposite Sir Anthony Sher in The Roman Actor. 

Anna has starred in a long list of TV shows

Anna's acting CV makes for impressive reading, and it's no wonder the star says she's been fortunate enough not to go longer than six months without a job.

She's proved herself to be a versatile talent, starring in period dramas, fantasy films and dark, gripping thrillers.

Her long list of credits includes the TV adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, Code of a Killer and Deadwater Fell opposite former Doctor Who actor David Tennant.

Fans of The Crown may also remember Anna from her role as Clarissa Eden in 2016. And another one of her memorable performances was in The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, with Maxine Peake.

Her other half is also an actor

Anna is in a long-term relationship with London-born actor Geoffrey Streatfeild.

Geoffrey is probably best known for playing Calum Reed in the BBC spy drama, Spooks, and for his role as Fergus Williams in political satire The Thick of It.

Like Anna, Geoffrey has also appeared on the big screen, with performances in Kinky Boots, The Lady in the Van and The Other Boleyn Girl.

The couple, who have two young children together, are private and rarely make red-carpet appearances together.

She's won awards for her acting work

Anna's talents were recognised in 2008 when she won the Monte Carlo Nymphe d’Or Award for Best Performance by an Actress at the Monte Carlo Film Festival. 

She took the title for Affinity, a UK film adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel of the same name. In the film, Anna plays Margaret, a Victorian upper-class woman who develops an unhealthy attachment to a prison inmate.

Anna's performance also earned her another Best Actress award, this time at FilmOut San Diego in 2009.

She loves being part of the All Creatures Great and Small family

Anna has won the hearts of millions for her portrayal of Mrs Hall in All Creatures Great and Small. 

The charming series is an adaptation of the books by James Herriot and has already been commissioned for a sixth series. Anna relishes the chance to revisit Mrs Hall and thinks the show has the potential to run and run.

"She's (Mrs Hall) just such a lovely character to play," she says. "She has many facets, and the beauty of these stories is that there are still lots of them to tell."

The actress also feels fortunate for the friendships she's made on the show, saying: "We’re a lovely community. We’re really lucky that loads of the crew come back, so there’s quite a feeling of familiarity. It's rare in our job to work with the same people for five years, and that’s quite special too.

She was married to Benedict Cumberbatch (sort of)

Okay, so Anna and Benedict weren't real-life spouses, but she did once play his on-screen wife.

The pair starred together in the 2018 miniseries Patrick Melrose, in which Benedict played the titular character. Anna played Patrick's wife, Mary, and the pair shared several scenes together.

The series was received with critical acclaim, going on to scoop a string of prestigious awards, including a Best Actor BAFTA for Benedict.

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We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

We lost one of the greats on Monday, September 9, as James Earl Jones passed away at the age of 93. Jones lent his voice to some of the most iconic characters and moments in movie and TV history. But one thing that has always stuck with me about Jones was what he overcame in becoming an instantly recognizable voice that meant so much to so many.

James Earl Jones grew up with a stutter. I first remember hearing about this in a behind the scenes documentary about the making of Star Wars (I can't remember definitively, but maybe Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy), where he described himself as a kid from Mississippi with a speech impediment. Jones spoke more in detail about his stutter in an interview with PBS from 2014.

In the interview, PBS correspondent Jeffrey Brown details that Jones developed a stutter during his childhood, which would make it difficult to communicate. However, Jones said that there was a benefit to this as well. "Silence isn't bad," he told Brown. "It's good to listen, and I learned to listen."

A high school teacher helped Jones overcome his stutter by having him recite poetry in class, and that helped lead to his interest in acting. He eventually made his way to Broadway in the 1950s and would have his debut in a show called Sunrise at Campobello, where he had one line. However, Jones’ stutter re-emerged as he attempted to say the line — "Mrs. Roosevelt, supper is served," noting that "M" words can often be difficult for stutterers. Though he admitted that his stutter would remain in some capacity for the rest of his life, Jones said that was the last time it ever impacted his work as an actor.

We were all the benefit of that from his iconic deliveries of lines as Darth Vader (which he apparently recorded the dialogue for 1977's Star Wars in just two-and-a-half hours), as regal Mufasa in The Lion King (Jones is note slated to lend his voice to the upcoming movie Mufasa: The Lion King, as it's a prequel), narrating Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven in The Simpsons' first ever Treehouse of Horror episode or delivering the iconic monologue from Field of Dreams. In addition to these instantly recognizable roles, Jones also won an Emmy, two Tonys and a Grammy for performances throughout his career, as well as an honorary Oscar recognizing his overall work, making him an EGOT winner.

But among all those roles, he said in the PBS interview that he has a special place in his heart for characters that he has played that struggle with language like he has, those that some may call "inarticulate." For example, Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy, which he played on Broadway. "I like Hoke," Jones said. "Hoke invents a language of his own. He doesn't know how to use English like you or I do right now, but he has a way of talking that is quite poetic."

It's an incredible story for a man whose voice will forever echo in our ears. Rest in peace, James Earl Jones.

Tracy-Ann Oberman is an actress, playwright, narrator and author. 

She's best known for her role as infamous killer Chrissie Watts in EastEnders and is set to make a dramatic return to the BBC soap after almost two decades.

The character was last seen in Walford in December 2005 when she was sent to prison for the murder of her husband, 'Dirty Den' Watts. More than 14 million people watched Chrissie kill off her husband in EastEnders' 20th anniversary episode, and now she's ready to shake things up on the Square once again.

Tracy-Ann said: "When Chris Clenshaw asked me to come back and re-visit her (Chrissie), I jumped at the chance. The scripts are fantastic and I hope the viewers enjoy her as much as I am enjoying playing her again."

Chrissie's comeback will air on screen this autumn, but in the meantime, what else is there to know about Tracy-Ann?

Here are a few fascinating facts about the star...

Tracy-Ann Oberman comes from a line of strong women

Tracy-Ann Oberman was born on August 25, 1966, in Brent, a borough of north-west London.

She was raised in a Jewish family - her great-grandmother was a Belarusian refugee - an attended Heathfield School for Girls.

Tracy credits her female relatives for giving her a strong work ethic and the determination to succeed in life. In an interview with The Guardian she said: "I grew up around tough matriarchs – my mum, my grandmas and my great-aunt and great-grandma. They were my icons and role models. Through them, I learned to champion myself – to create opportunities. As a result, I was never out of work. I was always doing something – running a radio play alongside a TV comedy alongside voiceover work."

Her family didn't want her to become an actress

After school, Tracy-Ann went to read classics at Leeds University, however, she soon realised that acting was her true calling and within a year transferred to Manchester University and switched to a drama degree.

Tracy-Ann continued her studies at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, as well as training for a term at the Moscow Art Theatre School.

Her parents, who hoped she'd pursue a career in law or advertising, were concerned about how she'd make a decent living, but her joining the Royal Shakespeare Company finally won them over.

Sadly, Tracy-Ann's father - who was a huge fan of EastEnders - never got to witness her success on the soap as he tragically died when she was just 20 years old.

She has a famous relative

Tracy-Ann's cousin is none other than Claudia Winkleman - the popular presenter of prime-time shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors.

Revealing their family connection to The Guardian, Tracy-Ann explained: "They (my parents) didn’t know anyone in showbiz – Claudia Winkleman is my cousin, but her side of the family were the arty ones and we were the suburban ones."

Fun fact, Tracy-Ann and Claudia once appeared together on an episode of the BBC One quiz show, Would I Lie to You?

She's an accomplished theatre star

Tracy-Ann's acting career really started on the stage.

With the Royal Shakespeare Company, she performed in productions including The Beggar’s Opera, Macbeth, and A Christmas Carol.

In 1998 she made her West End debut in Joe Orton’s Loot, at the Vaudeville Theatre. Tracy-Ann's other theatre credits include Hello and Goodbye at Southwark Playhouse, Waiting for Lefty at the National Theatre, and being part of the 2007 production of Boeing-Boeing, which was nominated for two Olivier Awards.

Last year, Tracy-Ann broke the mould by being the first female actress to play Shylock in Brigid Larmour's production of The Merchant of Venice 1936, a role which she won rave reviews for.

Chatting to actor Rob Brydon on his podcast, Tracy-Ann described the retelling of the iconic Shakespeare play as 'a sexy bit of theatre.'

Her TV CV is rather impressive

EastEnders may be the one that made Tracy-Ann a household name, but the actress has starred in some other well known shows.

She got her TV break in 1997 with a bit part in medical drama Casualty and followed this up with parts in Kiss Me Kate (opposite Caroline Quentin and Amanda Holden), The Way It Is, and The Bill.

Tracy-Ann is also best known for her recurring role of chain-smoking “Auntie” Val Lewis on the smash-hit Jewish comedy Friday Night Dinner.

Her more recent television roles include Grantchester, Ridley Road, After Life, and Russell T Davies’  Aids drama It’s A Sin. 

Doctor Who was a dream come true for her

Tracy-Ann fulfilled a childhood ambition when she landed a role in cult series Doctor Who. 

The actress played the character of Yvonne Hartman, who was described as a 'sophisticated sort of baddie', in the two-part finale of the second series, which aired in July 2006.

As a self-confessed Whovian, Tracy-Ann was in her element. She told The Arts Desk: "I was a massive, geeky Doctor Who fan as a kid. I was the only girl in a street of boys who watched it. Russell T Davies heard I was coming out of EastEnders and I got sent the scripts. It was a two-parter, the first episodes that David Tennant filmed and it was absolute heaven: the sonic screwdriver, Cybermen AND a Dalek invasion!"

Tracy-Ann also also reprised her role as Yvonne Hartman for Big Finish’s audio Torchwood series, from 2015 onwards.

She's a published author and playwright

Talented Tracy-Ann has penned plays for radio and theatre, as well as working as a columnist for national publications including The Guardian and The Jewish Chronicle.

In 2010, she wrote and performed in her first BBC Radio 4 play, portraying the late actress Joan Crawford. 

This was quickly followed by a Radio 4 short story Girl on an Island, and a second play Rock and Doris and Elizabeth. Her other radio writing credits include News Review, Comedy Nation and Harringham Harker.

Tracy-Ann's theatrical writing debut occurred in 2008 with Three Sisters on Hope Street, an updated take on Chekhov’s Three Sisters. The show ran at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre and London’s Hampstead Theatre.

She's a proud mum of one

This year will see Tracy-Ann celebrate 20 years of marriage to husband, Rob Cowan.

The actress tied the knot with the music producer in a winter wedding, which was held in December 2004.

The couple welcomed their daughter, Anoushka in August 2006, and Tracy-Ann has spoken of the joy that motherhood has brought her.

In a chat with The Mirror, she said: "I used to worry that I wouldn’t be maternal, but the moment Anoushka came out, I instantly fell in love with her, and she’s enriched my life enormously."

The star has spoken of the negative reaction she's received from people over only having one child.

"Sometimes people will pull a strange, sad face when I say Anoushka is an only child, and it really annoys me. I feel blessed and lucky to have the family I have."

She's had a drink with James Bond

Yes, Tracy-Ann has shared a tipple with 007 himself.

The actress once sat next to the late great Roger Moore at a private dinner for the charity Unicef.

Recalling that night in a chat with Daily Mail she shared: "He (Roger) was regaling me with stories of going to Bette Davis’s house and meeting Joan Crawford. I write plays about the golden age of Hollywood, so I was completely captivated. We sat next to each other drinking all night, and he definitely got the joke about being James Bond. He was even drinking martinis."

Shaken, not stirred, we trust.

Tracy-Ann Oberman's fact file

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We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Blue Lights season 2 gets a hunky new member of the team when Constable Shane Bradley arrives at Blackthorn Police Station in the first episode of the new series.

He's soon partnered up with Constable Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) and the pair share some banter as they head off on patrol around Belfast. However, it soon becomes clear that Shane's more than just your usual bobby on the beat... 

"Frank's been drafted in by DS Murray Canning and he brings a different sort of energy to the group," says Frank Blake, who plays him. "He doesn't really play by the rules, he's very results driven and that can get some good results and some bad results.

“Shane has aspirations to go into intelligence policing with DS Canning and this posting is almost like a final exam. But he’s bringing a lot of experience, so he’s not like the new recruits last year!" 

We'll be finding out plenty more about Constable Shane Bradley as the series goes on and here's everything we know about the man playing him! 

Frank Blake is from County Clare

Blake was born in 1996 in County Clare, West Ireland, and grew up in the village of Tuamgraney. He's the grand-nephew of Irish novelist and playwright, Edna O’Brien, and his first acting role was in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar by East Clare Musical Society. 

He graduated from the prestigious Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art in 2016 at the age of 21. 

He starred with Sean Bean in his first TV show

In 2017 Blake worked with the Game of Thrones star in the second season of ITV's period drama The Frankenstein Chronicles, as Constable Pip Bircher. 

"It was one of my very first jobs when I finished college," he told us. "It was great fun and I learned a lot, but I had no clue what I was doing. I was 22 and it was pretty cool working with someone like Sean Bean. I grew up playing him on the GoldenEye video game!"

He played a villain in Normal People

Irish psychological drama Normal People became a runaway hit in 2020, with everyone in Britain and Ireland watching it while locked down during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones earned plenty of plaudits for playing the star-crossed couple at the centre of the tale, Connell and Marianne, yet who remembers Marianne's villainous brother Alan?

Frank played the leading lady's abusive sibling and viewers may remember how he mistreated her physically and verbally, at one stage even drenching her with water. 

"I used to worry on set, ‘I’ve just done another mean thing’,” he says. “There was a bit in Normal People where I throw water on Marianne. I just felt awful that day. You know, because I’ll throw water on her, and the director's not going to go, ‘Good man’. They called cut, I stand in the bold corner for a while, Daisy Edgar-Jones gets dried off for the next take, where the same thing happens again.”

He loves riding horses

His parents, Michael and Mary Blake, run East Clare Equestrian Training Centre and Frank often competed in events as a youngster. He also spent much of his spare time caring for horses before becoming an actor. "I walked from one sort of life into another," he says. 

He auditioned for Blue Lights season 1!

Frank told us he went for the role of Mo McIntyre — son of Republican crime boss James McIntyre (John Lynch) — but the part went to Michael Shea.

"They went in a different direction," Frank told us when we spoke to him last year. "I remember reading the scripts for the first series and thinking 'God, they're brilliant'. I watched it when it came out and that surprised me again."

"The show was so texturally different to so many police shows, which often put the plot before the characters, whereas this is the other way around and the characters come first. Each character has got an interesting story." 

Co-star Desmond Eastwood got him a part in Blue Lights season 2

Frank has known Desmond Eastwood — who plays DS Murray Canning in Blue Lights — ever since they worked together on Normal People and his mate got in touch with him when he heard about a new character who reports to DS Canning. 

"DS Canning brings Shane into the unit," says Frank. "Des text me last summer saying there's this part in Blue Lights and I think you'd be really good for it, you should follow it up!" 

He's been in Bridgerton

Frank is no stranger to Regency drama and had a small role as Harry in the first season of Netflix hit Bridgerton, before playing Captain Declan Fraser in the second series of ITV's Sanditon. 

Based on an unfinished book by Jane Austen, the show was set in the early 1800s, during a time of great social change and saw Captain Fraser finding love with Alison (Rosie Graham). 

"These kind of projects allow you to explore such different things than you'd get to with contemporary writing," he said. "I'd never been a part of romantic storylines before, so that was exciting for me!" 

He had a role in Game of Thrones

Frank Blake played a 'Northern Sentry' in the eighth season of hit HBO drama Game of Thrones. He appeared in the penultimate episode of the series The Bells and was burned alive by one of Daenerys' dragons. Ouch! 

Buck Braithwaite is currently making quite an impression in the Netflix docudrama, Alexander: The Making of a God as the titular historical figure, Alexander the Great. 

The Netflix series combines expert academic insight from historians and evidence from Dr. Calliope Limneos-Papakosta's ongoing excavations in Alexandria, Egypt with epic reenactment footage of history. The series charts Alexander's sudden rise to prominence: following the assassination of his father, King Philip II, Alexander became the King of Macedon at the age of 20. You can read all about this incident in our Alexander: The Making of a God episode 1 recap.

Alexander spent most of his reign locked in battle, having united his country and embarking on a lengthy campaign against the Persian Empire. Alexander eventually toppled the Persian ruler, Darius III, and his ambition and military acumen saw him laying claim to the largest Western empire in history, in just under six years. 

Buck Braithwaite cuts an impressive figure as Alexander in the show's reenactment footage, but where might you have seen him before? We have answers to some of the commonly asked questions about the star right now. 

What else has Buck Braithwaite starred in?

Playing Alexander the Great in Alexander: The Making of a God is arguably Buck's biggest role to date, but the star also appeared in Flowers in the Attic: The Origin as Mal Foxworth, in the Apple TV Plus drama Masters of the Air as Lt. Oscar C. Amison, and in the Netflix erotic thriller, Fair Play, where he played Luke's (Alden Ehrenreich) brother, Theo. 

He made his screen debut in Nefarious, an indie horror movie following a group who friends who are stalked by a predator after a botched robbery attempt. 

Braithwaite has also appeared on stage; he has appeared in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and was part of Arrows & Traps' Talking Gods project, a digital season of five reimagined Greek myths. He was part of the cast of Aphrodite, the fourth show in the series.

How tall is Buck Braithwaite? 

Buck is approximately 5 feet 10 inches (roughly 1.8 m) tall.

Where is Buck Braithwaite from?

Buck is from the United Kingdom. 

Is Buck Braithwaite on social media?

Yes! Braithwaite shares updates about his career across his multiple platforms, but he's primarily active on Instagram, where he has shared behind-the-scenes snaps from some of his most recent projects like Alexander and Master of the Air. 

His Instagram handle is @buckbraithwaite

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Carol Kirkwood has been presenting the weather on BBC Breakfast since joining the team back in 1998.

Excitingly, Carol has just announced that she's got married to her partner, policeman Steve Randall. Posting, "Thank you so much for all your lovely messages. We had the most perfect day. It was a tiny wedding but so romantic and intimate. A day we will never forget. We are bursting with happiness."

But while we might be used to seeing her on our screens as we drink our tea and eat our toast, what do we really know about the woman who helps us make our wardrobe choices each morning? 

Carol Kirkwood comes from a big family 

Carol Kirkwood, born Carol MacKellaig, was born in Invernesshire, where her parents ran a hotel. She is one of eight children and attended Lochaber High School in Fort William before going on to Napier University in Edinburgh, where she gained a BA in commerce. After leaving university she joined the BBC's secretarial reserve in London, which led to small roles on BBC Radio Scotland, Radio 2 and Radio 4.

She has been on holiday in the past with her BBC colleagues

While you might think that spending all day together at work might mean the BBC Breakfast presenting team would be sick of the sight of each other, the truth is actually very different. Carol once told express.co.uk: “I go on holiday with Sally Nugent and Steph McGovern each year. And now Dan Walker has joined us — he is such a honey!”

Carol became a weather presenter by accident

Although we couldn’t imagine waking up to anyone else presenting the weather each morning, Carol has revealed she fell into being a weather presenter by chance. After contacting the BBC about being a Blue Peter presenter when she was 12, she was told that she needed to come back to them when she had a degree. But after leaving uni Carol applied to be a BBC secretary instead. Fast forward a few years and she was asked to audition for a new presenting role by an old friend — and she got the job! 

She lives life in the fast lane...

Instead of putting her feet up on her days off, Carol enjoys singing, dancing, fishing, travelling, learning to ice skate for charity and driving fast cars! When she does put her feet up for five minutes, the meteorologist can be found snuggling up with a good book. In fact, she is not only an avid reader, she is now a published author with several books...

In 2021 Carol published her debut novel, "Under a Greek Moon", the story of an actress who returns to a Mediterranean island to escape a scandal and has to face the consequences of a deep secret. Her friend and ex-colleague Steph McGovern called it "an absolute cracking read". The novel became a bestseller and she has since penned "The Hotel on the Riveria" and "Secrets of the Villa Amore".

She wouldn't wear a miniskirt

Despite looking glam and polished every morning on TV, Carol has body hang-ups just like the rest of us. She told tv.bt.com: “I think you should wear what you like if it suits you. I wouldn't wear a miniskirt now because I don't like my legs. I'm also conscious of my arms when I do the weather because I spotted them wobbling as I flicked my hand up towards Scotland the other day, so now I move my arms very slowly and gently if I have to point northwards!”

She's no plans to leave BBC Breakfast

Carol has confessed she loves her BBC Breakfast job so much that would never consider leaving. She told mirror.co.uk: “I’d never give up the weather on Breakfast. If they showed me the door I would hang on by my fingernails! So, as long as Breakfast want me, I’ll be there because I love it.”

Carol gets saucy fanmail!

You might think that people like to get in touch with Carol to tell her how much they enjoy her presenting the weather, or to ask where she got a dress that she was wearing from, but the presenter also gets mail of a more saucy kind! She told tv.bt.com: “I never know what to say when people ask me about the pictures, but it is true. I don’t think I’m the only person. I think lots of people get them. It’s not just me. I find it a bit embarrassing. I find talking about it even more embarrassing!”

Carol doesn't dance any longer

Carol competed in the 2015 series of Strictly Come Dancing (making it to week seven with her pro partner Pasha Kovalev), but in 2020 she was hit by a car when out cycling in Berkshire — and the accident has left her permanently scarred.

She told The Independent: "I'm permanently scarred. I've also lost some of the feeling in my knee in places, and I have permanent damage to my thumb joint and scarring to my elbow..."

Carol was off work for three weeks after the accident.

Samuel West is an acclaimed actor, theatre director and narrator, best known for his role as veterinary surgeon Siegfried Farnon in the Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small.

The 57-year-old has won legions of fans for his portrayal of the cantankerous, but hilarious, owner of the Skeldale practice and Samuel feels privileged to be part of the charming show.

He told The Times: “I have to say, I’m happier than I’ve been professionally in any job, I think - and possibly not even professionally. I am just happy doing that job because I love the ensemble."

Fans of Samuel may also recognize him for playing the recurring character of Peter Judd in Apple TV Plus's Slow Horses.

But here are a few other interesting facts you may not know about the talented star...

He's the son of two acting legends

Samuel Alexander Joseph West was born on 19 June 1966 in Hammersmith, London.

The fourth generation of a thespian family, performing is in Samuel's blood. His father, Timothy West is regarded as one of the country's finest theatre actors and the son of the late Lockwood West. And his mother, Prunella Scales, is of course best known for playing the iconic Sybil Fawlty in beloved British sitcom, Fawlty Towers.

"As a baby, mum would take me to her dressing room at the Vaudeville Theatre,” Samuel revealed to The Financial Times. "I remember watching my father as King Lear when I was six. I got quite blasé about wandering around backstage as a boy — which must have been very annoying for the actors.”

But despite having a famous mum and dad, Samuel wanted to establish a career on his own merit.

"I tried not to mention my parents in the first 15 years of my career," he told The Independent. "I didn't want to work with people who only took me on because of who my parents are."

He went to university with Boris Johnson

Samuel was educated at Alleyn's School, an independent in Dulwich, West London.

He had dreams of becoming a chemistry professor, and undertook A-levels in chemistry, maths and physics, before deciding to study English Literature at Lady Margaret Hall College, in Oxford University.

It was during his time there that Samuel started to seriously consider acting as a career rather than a hobby, and became the president of the Experimental Theatre Club. 

He also rubbed shoulders — albeit once — with a certain Boris Johnson, who was studying at Oxbridge during the same time.

"I saw him propped up on the floor at a Jericho house party once. I think that is the only time we’ve been in the same room," Samuel recalled to The Guardian.

He has dreams of playing Doctor Who

After graduating, Samuel had to choose between accepting a place at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School or a role in Harold Pinter's play, "Reunion" — and he went for the latter.

But it was Samuel's role opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the 1992 Merchant Ivory film Howards End that turned him into a household name.

Following in father Tim's footsteps, Samuel has enjoyed a very successful stage career. He spent two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing the titular roles in "Richard II" and "Hamlet", which earned him the 2001 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean performance.

Samuel's film credits include Darkest Hour, Notting Hill, Iris and Van Helsing.

He's also starred in a whole host of popular TV shows, including Poirot, Cambridge Spies, Mr Selfridge and The Crown.

But there are a couple of roles still on Samuel's wish list.

"Anything in a Sondheim musical — the judge in Sweeney Todd, the narrator in Into the Woods," he told The Guardian. "And Doctor Who, of course."

He's narrated over 100 audiobooks

Samuel's credits as a narrator of documentaries and audiobooks now runs into three figures. 

His first voiceover project was a documentary about the Oklahoma land runs for his friend, the late Jonathan Gili. 

"At the end of it, he (Jonathan) said, “You’re going to do a lot of these. Just trust me, you are,” Samuel shared with Vulture.

The actor has recorded over hundred audiobooks alone, including many Shakespeare plays, the complete Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter and several compilations of poetry.

Samuel's dulcet tones can also be regularly heard on the radio as a reader or reciter, and he's even performed at the Last Night of the Proms in 2002.

He's a collector of stamps

Samuel has been purchasing rare and discontinued stamps since he was five-years-old, and has built up a rather impressive — and valuable — collection.

“It started with The How and Why Wonder Book of Stamps,” he told The Financial Times. “As a child, I enjoyed cataloging things, so stamps helped turn me into a bit of a geek. I regard stamp collecting as an art form."

Amongst his collection are over 200 Two Shilling Blues — a stamp first produced in 1867 — which were printed in many shades of blue, with Cobalt being the rarest. Samuel's prize stamp is one of just 70 Blues still in existence, which were printed off a third plate run.

He's a dad of two

Samuel has been with his partner, the playwright Laura Wade, since 2007. They met at the Olivier Awards during his time working as artistic director of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

“I was getting drunk and she (Laura) was already quite drunk. I complimented her on her shoes and she thought I was gay," Samuel told The Times. "Then we talked about the play and I said I wanted her to write a play about water, which I thought was going to be the next battlefront."

The couple have two daughters together, aged nine and six, and Samuel enjoyed teaching them both chess, alongside home schooling, during the Covid lockdown.

The actor was well into his forties when his first daughter was born, but is grateful for having become a father later in life.

“I just got to the point where I didn’t like being the most important person in my life as much as I had. And that’s a good place to start having children," he shared.

He's a proud RSPB ambassador

Samuel is a passionate ambassador for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and even staged a protest with TV wildlife presenter Chris Packham outside the government environment department building.

His interest in ornithology started over 18 years ago when Samuel started listening to a CD of birdsong in his car, then ventured out for thrice-weekly walks in the Peak District with his binoculars. 

“I get itchy if I don’t go birding for a while. It stops me thinking so much about myself," Samuel confessed to Country Living.

Samuel and partner Laura enjoy birding in their London garden — she's the eyes and he's the ears. And his favorite other twitching spots further afield are Swale in north Kent or the A149 in Norfolk.

Samuel West's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the actor...

X : @exitthelemming

Meg Bellamy is The Crown season 6's breakout star, playing Kate Middleton in the final season of the Netflix sensation.  

Having beaten off competition from hundreds of other young stars, Meg was cast alongside Ed McVey (Prince William) and Luther Ford (Prince Harry) to portray the next generation of royals.

"Stepping into Kate's shoes has made me really fond of her," the 21-year-old talent told The Times. "Growing up in a non-royal background, there's a nice simplicity to it. She's so approachable, self-assured, classy and emotionally intelligent. I really admire that about her."

Meg's rise to fame has been nothing short of staggering. In the blink of an eye she's gone from amateur stage productions to being watched by an audience of millions.

But what is there to know about Meg in real life? Let us fill you in...

Meg Bellamy grew up 10 minutes from Kate Middleton

Meg Bellamy was born on October 9, 2002, in Leeds, but her family relocated to the Royal County of Berkshire when she was five.

She's the first member of her family to be in the industry - Meg's mum works in pharmaceuticals and her dad is a businessman.

By her own admission, there are lots of men in Meg's clan. She's got a brother, a half-brother and two step-brothers, ranging in age between 30 and 9. Meg is super close to all her siblings and told Interview Magazine she loves "Playing Mario Kart with my younger brothers. I promise you I’m a beast at that game!"

As fate would have it, Meg grew up in the same county as Kate Middleton, a mere 10 minutes apart.

She attended St Crispin's Secondary in Wokingham, where she was head girl and excelled at team sports, her favourite being hockey.

She started acting as a little girl

Meg's mum, who's a huge fan of theatre and incidentally, the Royal family, realised her daughter had a talent for performing at a young age.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Meg revealed: "I was always singing and putting on little shows, so my mum decided that I needed an outlet and sent me to the Stagecoach Performing Arts school when I was three or four."

Meg did a lot of musical theatre in school - she played the lead role of Sandy in Grease, and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You.

"It was always a highlight of my year," she said. "I would wait for the bell at the end of the day, so we could do two hours of rehearsals after school."

She used to work at Legoland

Post A-levels, Meg opted not to go down the drama school route and got a job working at Legoland!

It was during this time The Crown's casting team put a shout on social channels that they were looking for a budding young star to play Kate Middleton. 

Despite having no formal credits to her name, Meg decided to take a chance and sent off a self-tape - which then led to an audition and screen test, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Meg got the life-changing call to say she'd won the part when she mid-shift at Legoland dressed as a snake, then had to go back to work and pretend like nothing had happened.

The Crown is her first professional acting role

It might be hard to believe, but The Crown is Meg's first rodeo in the professional acting world. 

Aside from her plays at school, Meg has featured in a couple of small-budget student films, and was also applying for indie projects when the opportunity of The Crown came up.

Meg is playing 18-year-old Kate in the sixth series of the drama, which is set in the early noughties, but the actress wasn't even born until late 2002. This meant Meg had to do her research into Kate's life prior to marrying the future King - something she really enjoyed.

In a chat with E! News, she shared: “It’s quite nice to remove the layer of the complexities that come with being a royal and just play her as a girl that’s going to university and falling in love."

Killing Eve's Villanelle is her style icon

Meg is a huge fan of high street shopping and comfort dressing. 

Prior to getting cast in The Crown, the actress admits her style was more grandad than glamorous and consisted of lots of high-waisted trousers and baggy knits.

But now she's the new darling of the fashion world, Meg has attended events hosted by Cartier and Vanity Fair, and enjoyed modelling outfits from high fashion brands, such as Gucci and Valentino.

And the star has two, rather different, style icons who she likes to take inspiration from.

"Villanelle from Killing Eve – she’s my go-to style icon," she told The Telegraph.

"I love her boldness and daring and the big colours and shapes. But then Audrey Hepburn, with her pearls, is up there as well."

She's never dyed her hair

True fact. Meg's long glossy brunette locks are 100 per cent natural. 

They bear a striking similarity to Kate Middleton's own chocolate-brown tresses, which meant Meg didn't have to undergo a dramatic hair transformation.

"They (The Crown's hair and make-up department) definitely told me not to change my hair," Meg explained to The Times.

"This is my natural colour, I've never dyed it and I don't wear a wig, so if I suddenly dyed my hair red or something then that would be annoying."

She has a distinctive feature

Meg has revealed she's got a distinguishing feature, that's not visible to most people.

In a chat with Interview Magazine she revealed: "I have a big birthmark on my right rib. I used to be so self-conscious of it for some reason, but now I love it!"

She likes to keep fit

Meg is looking forward to what 2024 has in store, work-wise, but she's also found a new pastime to keep her occupied - running!

"I’ve taken up running recently. If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said I’ll never run anywhere," she told The Telegraph.

"I find it’s such a sense of achievement to have a distance or race in mind, and then complete it. It keeps your mental health in check. I love it."

Might we see Meg running the London Marathon one day?

Meg Bellamy's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star...

Instagram: @megkbellamy

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Tuesday, November 7, is election night in America, but there's a strong chance if people were voting whether or not they loved Dolly Parton the results would come back 100% in the affirmative. That's why a special Dolly Parton interview taking place airing November 7 on ABC should have your attention.

One day before the 2023 CMA Awards on November 8, also airing on ABC, Dolly Parton is sitting down with Robin Roberts for an ABC News special, Dolly Parton — From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll, that airs at 10 pm ET/PT. 

The interview comes as Parton releases her brand new album, Rock Star, which sees the famous country singer and 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee devote an entire album to the rock & roll genre, which features collaborations with Pat Benatar, John Fogerty, Peter Frampton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr (the two former Beatles made recent news themselves with the debut of "Now and Then") and Steven Tyler.

Roberts is conducting the interview, which will cover Parton's album, her various looks throughout the years and some more revealing things about her, including what still scares her.

In addition to Roberts handling the questions, Luke Bryan is hosting the special (ahead of his CMA hosting gig with Peyton Manning) while a plethora of music figures are going to be featured to share their thoughts on Parton, including Luke Combs, Jordan Davis, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, Sting, Keith Urban and Lainey Wilson.

While her music credentials appear to be the focus of things, Parton is also a star of the screen. She famously starred in 9 to 5 (as well as wrote the iconic theme song), Steel Magnolias and, more recently, the TV Christmas special Dolly Parton's Magic Mountain Christmas.

If you want to watch Dolly Parton — From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll, a traditional cable subscription automatically includes the channel, while a TV antenna allows you to receive your local ABC station for free. If you’re looking for another way, the live TV streaming services Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV carry ABC to watch the special live. If you're OK watching it on-demand, then it should be available to watch November 8 on Hulu.

It’s hard not to contrast Priscilla, Sophia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley biopic, with 2022’s Elvis extravaganza from the king of showbiz, Baz Luhrmann. At every turn, they are striking counterpoints. 

Where Luhrmann's movie was glitzy, vibrant, dynamic and focused on Elvis the icon, Coppola’s movie is meditative and dreamy, its colors are muted and the pacing is slow (sometimes tediously so). And, of course, its focus isn’t on Elvis and showbiz, well not directly, but on the limited, suffocating, domestic space that Priscilla Beaulieu — eventually Presley — gets to inhabit. And then there’s the real-life contrast in that Luhrmann’s film came with the blessing of The Presley Foundation (set up by the late Lisa Marie Presley). Coppola’s production, which is based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me, was slammed by Lisa Marie Presley, according to reports in Variety, and was refused the right to use any Elvis songs.

But Priscilla is worth seeing in its own right, not just as a counterbalance to Elvis. It comes at the well-trodden story from the perspective of Priscilla, ostensibly the lead character but she's always on the fringes of her own story.  

In typical Coppola fashion, she builds this world meticulously: constantly creating a sense of time and place with subtle changes of clothes, furnishings, cars and music as the film moves from 1950s Germany, tracking through 1960s Gracelands, Vegas and Los Angeles, and finally, to Priscilla loosening the hold Elvis had over her and her eventual breakout in 1972. 

Priscilla starts with a close-up of feet padding through a thick carpet — she barely leaves a trace in her opulent, but cocooned life. Then we flash back to 1959, to an army base in Germany where the 14-year-old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) drinking a milkshake is spotted as a potential “friend” for Elvis and is invited to a party at his house. Despite (or maybe because of) her young age, Elvis (Jacob Elordi), who’s enlisted in the U.S. Army, is drawn to her and so begins the fateful relationship that would span almost two decades, enduring even after their eventual divorce.

Much has been made of the ten-year age difference between the two and Coppola deliberately foregrounds the fact: capturing Elordi’s imposing 6'5" frame towering over his ninth-grade love interest, or switching between Priscilla day-dreaming in class and Elvis drinking in smoke-filled rooms with a cast of middle-aged hangers-on. And although Coppola’s movie tone is always cool and ostensibly objective, she continually highlights how easily adults in Elvis’ orbit, from his friends and associates to her parents, give in to his wishes, when they should know better — first to her dating him, then to visiting him at Gracelands and finally when she’s still at high-school she’s allowed to move countries and move in with him.    

The film studies the way Elvis love-bombs the shy 14-year-old, then starts to mold her in his own image: her eye makeup evolves, her hair gets bigger (like Elvis), she’s made to dye it black (like Elvis), her girlish pastel dresses are swapped for sophisticated designs (he doesn’t like brown. Or printed fabric. Or loose-fitting smocks.) Once she’s primped to his satisfaction he tucks her away at Graceland, not allowed to have friends over, take up hobbies or a job or even sit in the garden for fear of prying eyes. While she sits in her gilded cage, he heads off to star in movies and indulges in high-profile affairs with his co-stars. 

If this sounds like a one-sided portrayal, it’s not. It’s a careful observation of how complex the man behind the icon can be and how hard it is to live in his orbit. 

Elvis, as played superbly by Elordi, is stunted by grief after the death of his mother, popping pills and drinking heavily, driven by ego, he’s charming, mercurial, competitive and easily bored. From the moment she meets him, Priscilla is focused only on how she can stay at his side — deliberately ignoring his affairs, his neglect and bouts of anger. It’s an almost impossible job that requires her to squeeze herself into whichever shape he wants her to be that day and leave any sense of self at the door. Coppola has a track record of films that feature dreamy, young women struggling to find their place in the world — from Virgin Suicides to Lost in Translation and (my favorite) Marie-Antoinette — but this also has parallels with the dreamlike Princess Diana movie, Spencer, from Pablo Larrain.

Priscilla is an uneven film. The first half is engrossing. The second part crawls along before there’s a rush to a rather abrupt ending. We seem to skip several stages of Priscilla’s emancipation, we get a montage of her changing (hair getting lighter and sleeker, clothes less doll-like, she suddenly has friends and hobbies) but no sense of why or how that came about. And that’s the frustrating gap in this film. You’d like to cheer on the great escape but there’s no build-up or trigger for it. Priscilla and her motivations start and remain completely unknowable to the end.

Priscilla is now playing in US movie theaters. It premieres in the UK on January 5, 2024.

Related articles

• Sofia Coppola: Priscilla isn't Baz Luhrmann's Elvis… here's why
• The Elvis movie: how to watch, awards and all we know

Oppenheimer was one of the biggest blockbuster movies of 2023 (right along side its Barbenheimer running mate, Barbie). Having made nearly $1 billion dollars at the worldwide box office, most of you have probably seen it, but have you watched Oppenehimer the way that director Christopher Nolan intended — on an IMAX screen?

If you haven't, you're going to get one more chance to do so, as Oppenheimer is heading back to IMAX screens for just one week, starting Friday, November 3. In fact, six movie theaters are going to have the IMAX 70mm print playing at their locations. They are: AMC CityWalk Stadium 19 in Hollywood, Calif.; AMC Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, Calif.; AMC Lincoln Square in New York City; AMC Metreon 16 in San Francisco; BFI London in the UK; and Melbourne Museum in Australia.

To find out if and where you can watch Oppenheimer in IMAX, either check out the Oppenheimer movie website or Fandango. 

The reason that the movie is only going to last a week on IMAX in this run is because The Marvels is going to take over most IMAX screens when it premieres worldwide on Friday, November 10.

In case you missed it somehow, Oppenheimer is Nolan's magnum opus about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man known as "the father of the atomic bomb." The movie chronicles his work on the Manhattan Project during World War II and what creating such a weapon meant for him and the rest of the world in the years after.

The movie stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, with Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Other actors in the Oppenheimer cast include Florence Pugh, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Olivia Thirlby and Matthew Modine.

Why we're emphasizing this as the last chance to watch Oppenheimer in its ideal format is because the movie is heading to digital in the very near future. Universal has announced that the movie will be available to rent or purchase via video-on-demand starting Tuesday, November 21 (just in time for some Thanksgiving viewing). November 21 is also when the Oppenheimer DVD is being released. Worth noting that we still don't know when Oppenheimer is going to land on the Peacock streaming service in the US, where it is expected to debut for streamers.

While these options will make Oppenheimer easier to see by a wider audience, unless you have an IMAX screen at your house, it may be hard to compare to what the movie is like to watch at a movie theater.

The Reckoning continued on BBC One on Monday night (October 16) and fans were all saying the same thing about Fenella Woolgar's performance.

Call the Midwife fans will recognize Fenella for her role as cheerful nun Sister Hilda, a role she played between seasons 8 and 11 of the popular BBC period drama. 

She took on a very different role in The Reckoning though, playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. She meets Jimmy Savile and the two eventually form a friendship that continues throughout her political career.

The episode dramatized Savile's first meeting with the Prime Minister at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where she praised his TV show Jim'll Fix It. We then saw the two meet again, as well as him visiting her over the Christmas period.

Fenella has followed in the footsteps of stars like Gillian Anderson in The Crown and Meryl Streep in the movie The Iron Lady, and she's definitely made an impression on viewers.

Fans were impressed by Fenella's portrayal of the Prime Minister, with many taking to Twitter to praise her voice, mannerisms, and appearance, with one even saying they considered her to be the best on-screen Thatcher yet.

Episode 3 focused on how Savile was able to continue manipulating those around him, including Margaret Thatcher, which eventually secured him a knighthood in 1990, allowing him to maintain his powerful position.

Elsewhere in the episode, we saw how Savile was able to use his Jim'll Fix It set to his advantage, with many parents and adults trusting him at the time. He continued to do a lot of charity work alongside his presenting career, as well as attending church services.

While he had managed to fool some people, there were still those around him who were distrustful of him, such as Beryl Hullighan (Siobhan Finneran), a woman who worked at Leeds General Infirmary where Savile would often volunteer.

The four-part series concludes this week, and the next episode sees Savile's fame waning in the early 2000s, and desperate attempts to protect his legacy and hide the truth.

The series concludes on Tuesday, October 17 with the fourth and final part airing on BBC One. Episodes are also available on iPlayer.

The Long Shadow, ITV1's true-crime drama about the victims and survivors of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, has had us gripped for the first five episodes but by the sixth episode, you finally meet the infamous Yorkshire Ripper serial killer on screen for the first time. 

In episode 4, a taxi driver called Terry Hackworth, played by Ian Lloyd Anderson, is arrested and accused of carrying out the Yorkshire Ripper murders. He's intensely questioned but he wasn't the right man. Episode 6 of The Long Shadow will show Sutcliffe for the first time.

Between 1975 and 1980, evil killer Sutcliffe terrorised Yorkshire, killing 13 women, including Emily Jackson played by Katherine Kelly in The Long Shadow, and leaving seven more lucky to be alive after they were subjected to his brutal attacks. 

But who is joining The Long Shadow cast and stepping into the notorious murderer’s shoes in episode 6? The answer is none other than Mark Stobbart, who you might recognize as DS Neil Twyler from the fourth series of Line of Duty, back in 2012. Neil was part of a team led by Thandie Newton’s DCI Roz Huntley but began to suspect his boss of wrongdoing. 

Luckily, Mark is no stranger to true crime as well as fictional police shows, having also played Neil ‘Robbo’ Robson in this year’s drama series The Hunt for Raoul Moat.  

The actor started his career in the 2002 reboot of the 1980s series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, in which he played drag queen Rod Osborne, the son of Jimmy Nail’s character Oz. 

He then went on to appear in shows such as Is Harry On the Boat?, Reps and The Last Detective before landing the role of PC Martin Clark in the BBC TV series 55 Degrees North. 

Mark also played Lee in the series The Silence, alongside Douglas Henshall and Dervla Kirwan, and in 2013 he starred in the series Utopia, which focused on a group of people who discovered a graphic novel that seems to predict future disasters. He’s guest starred in numerous hit TV shows, including Little Britain, Vera, Doctors and Moving On, and also has film credits to his name. 

In 2014 Mark played a character called Jarvis in the film Almost Married, which starred Emily Atack and Philip McGinley, and five years later, he appeared in the bodybuilding movie Muscle, which starred Craig Fairbrass as personal trainer Terry.  

Mark’s also been in the films Teen Spirit, The Devil Outside, Disobedience, Harrigan and The Tournament, which starred Robert Carlyle. 

After landing his big role in Line of Duty season 4, Mark went on to play Julian in the drama Clink. The series, set in a women’s prison, told of an unlikely sisterhood between some of the inmates and starred Alicya Eyo, Katherine Rose Morley, Christine Tremarco and Lu Corfield. 

Mark also starred in the comedy series No Offence with Joanna Scanlan, Will Mellor and Elaine Cassidy.  

Unsurprisingly, his career is currently showing no signs of slowing down and he is due to appear in the upcoming Ken Loach movie, The Chelsea Cowboy, which stars Warren Brown, Sadie Frost and Poppy Delevingne and tells the story of an underworld hardman turned actor. 

The Long Shadow airs on Mondays at 9pm on ITV1. The whole series is also available to watch on ITVX. 

The surprise movie event of the fall is here, as Swifties everywhere can watch Taylor Swift: The Era Tour on the big screen. This gives fans who weren't able to get tickets to a live show of the Eras Tour, the record-breaking concert series that she launched this past year, the chance to experience the show.

Reports have indicated that the concert movie has already sold more than $100 million in tickets worldwide, as fans are ready not only to watch the movie, but rock out like it is a full-on concert experience — wearing their friendship bracelets and dressed in costumes representing the different eras of Swift's career, just like people did who attended the concert live. This already makes it one of the biggest new movies of 2023.

How can you get in on the fun? Here is everything that you need to know about how to watch the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert movie.

Is Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour streaming?

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie is available to now watch at home through digital on-demand platforms. You can rent the concert movie for $19.89 (a recognizable number for Swifties) on Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu and Apple TV.  

The movie is going to be making its way to streaming soon, however. Disney announced that it will be the streaming home for the concert movie, with Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour premiering on the platform in March. You of course will need a Disney Plus subscription to watch.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in movie theaters

The Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is not longer playing in movie theaters. Across its run it made $261.6 million dollars at the global box office.

What else to know about Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was filmed over the course of three nights during Swift's performances at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. While Swift's performances during the live concerts have famously often exceeded three hours, The Eras Tour concert movie has a runtime of two hours and 45 minutes. Don't fret Swifties, there's a good chance the discrepancy in times could just be the movie cutting down on costume changes and breaks for Swift, not necessarily the number of songs she'll perform in the movie.

Speaking of songs, the Eras Tour famously sees Swift perform songs from her entire career, so expect to hear her perform tracks like "The Archer," "You Belong to Me," "Champagne Problems," "Look What You Made Me Do," "I Knew You Were Trouble," "Shake It Off," "Lavender Haze," "Anti-Hero" and more.

Watch the trailer for the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tours concert movie to get yourself excited for the theater-going experience.

With Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer raking in rave reviews and enjoying great success at the box office, viewers can also enjoy another take on the titular scientist as the BBC has just added a classic box set to BBC iPlayer that turns the camera on the father of the atomic bomb.

The seven-part series (also called Oppenheimer) sees Sam Waterson taking on the title role of the conflicted but brilliant physicist which charts his time working on The Manhattan Project. 

Waterson is known for playing Jack McCoy in Law & Order and for appearing in projects like  Jack Clayton's 1974 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, The Killing Fields, Grace and Frankie, and The Newsroom. 

All seven episodes of Oppenheimer are available to watch right now on BBC iPlayer, and the series will also be shown weekly on Saturday nights on BBC Four from August 12. And if you're looking to learn more about the true story behind both dramas, check out how to watch the Oppenheimer documentary The Day After Trinity right now.

The description for the Oppenheimer series reads: "The Bafta-winning seven-part series originally aired on the BBC in 1980. 

"Waterson plays the titular scientist as he leads the weapons laboratory of the Manhattan Project, all the while under constant surveillance by the FBI because of his left-wing politics and association with communists, It follows his role in developing the world’s first nuclear weapons, his rivalry with Edward Teller, through to being stripped of his security clearance by the US Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s."

The series was nominated for a total of seven BAFTA TV awards and won three (Best Drama Series or Serial, Best Film Editor for Tariq Anwar, and Best Original Television Music for Carl Davis). It also received two Emmy nominations and earned Sam Waterson a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.

If you're interested in digging further into the BBC's back catalog, the network also recently made the six-episode 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice available on the platform as a box set. Anyone who has seen Barbie, the other half of the Barbenheimer double feature, will know that the series starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle crops up in a hilarious fake ad promoting a brand new type of Barbie doll — though we won't spoil the scene any further here!

Paul Reubens, better known by his character Pee-wee Herman, has passed away at the age of 70 after privately fighting cancer. He passed away on Sunday, July 30, but the news was officially shared via his Instagram account, where he left one last message for his fans:

"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing for the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."

Reubens debuted the character of Pee-Wee Herman in 1980 in a stage production titled The Pee-wee Herman Show, which would eventually be turned into an HBO special. The character would grow through a handful of movies and a TV series that would define Reubens' on-screen, and in many ways, off-screen persona (he would often do interviews and public appearance as Pee-wee).

But Reubens did more throughout his career than just play Pee-wee. His list of credits, which total more than 120 per IMDb, include The Blues Brothers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Matilda, Mystery Men, The Blacklist and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

Many of Rebuens' peers have shared their thoughts on social media following comedian’s surprising passing:

The best way to honor Paul Reubens now is to watch and enjoy his work, so we've got the details on where you can watch his most memorable roles right here. 

The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981)

This stage production, filmed by HBO, is the first on-screen appearance of Pee-wee Herman that fans ever had. It offers a lot of the the things that fans would come to know and love from his later work, particularly Pee-wee's Playhouse.

How to watch The Pee-wee Herman Show: streaming on Max in the US; not available in the UK

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Pee-wee's Big Adventure was the true breakout moment for Reubens and his nearly indistinguishable character, as well as for the young director working on it, Tim Burton. The movie features the outlandish, chaotic and joyful humor that Pee-wee is known for. It has become a beloved classic for many.

How to watch Pee-wee's Big Adventure: available to rent via digital on-demand in the US and UK.

Pee-wee's Playhouse

Next, Pee-wee went from the big screen to the small screen, as Pee-wee's Playhouse would run as a popular kids TV show for five seasons and 45 episodes. It was iconic for the anthropomorphic characters like Chairry, side characters like Cowboy Curtis (a young Laurence Fishburne) and recurring bits like Pee-wee's secret word. Reubens would be nominated four times for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series at the Daytime Emmys, while the show would receive four nominations of its own for Outstanding Children's Series, but neither ever took the top prize.

How to watch Pee-wee's Playhouse: all seasons are available to rent via digital on-demand in the US; one season is available on Apple TV Plus in the UK.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Reubens reunited with Burton for the beloved animated holiday movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. Rebuens voices the character of Lock, one of the trio (along with Shock and Barrell) that works with Oogie Boogie.

How to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas: streaming on Disney Plus in the US and UK.

Mystery Men (1999)

Before superhero movies became the biggest game in town, Paul Reubens was part of an ensemble of wannabe heroes in Mystery Men, that includes Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo and Kel Mitchell, as they try and save the day. Reubens plays the character known as The Spleen, whose specific power is his "enhanced flatulence."

How to watch Mystery Men: streaming on Peacock in the US; available via digital on-demand in the UK.

Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016)

More than 30 years after Pee-wee's Big Adventure, movie fans were treated to another outing with Pee-wee in Pee-wee's Big Holiday (in between was Big Top Pee-wee as well, in case you thought we were missing something). While it's hard to top the highs of the first time on the road with Pee-wee, this movie brought the character back in a lovely way and with more laughs.

How to watch Pee-wee's Big Holiday: streaming on Netflix in the US and UK.

Though Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer can accurately be described as part character study of the father of the atomic bomb and part political thriller about the aftermath of such a weapon entering the global conversation, the big moment of the movie is undoubtedly the first moment the bomb is tested.

It feels pretty safe to say for anyone who has watched Oppenheimer, seeing the Trinity Test brought to life on screen was a jaw dropping moment. So much in fact that you may be wondering did Christopher Nolan recreate the atomic bomb for the movie?

Considering Nolan is famous for flipping semi-trucks (The Dark Knight) and choreographing a fight sequence in an actual spinning hallway (Inception) without the aid of computer-generated images (CGI), it should come as no surprise that Oppenheimer's Trinity Test was done entirely with practical effects.

Now Nolan has used CGI to create a nuclear explosion before, specifically at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. But as Nolan said in multiple interviews, while CGI is "extremely versatile" and "unparalleled" in some aspects, it was not what he needed for Oppenheimer.

Speaking at a special event on July 15 commemorating the anniversary of the Trinity Test, Nolan said about the explosion at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, "it's meant to feel like it's far away enough that it's not going to affect you… so you're actually mean to have a sense of 'OK, we got away with it.'"

"But coming to portray the Trinity Test," he continued, "it was like, 'OK, this has to feel dangerous. This has to feel beautiful and terrifying in equal measure,' and real world imagery, real world things I think have that bite."

So to try and achieve this beautiful and terrifying moment, Nolan relied on his visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson and special effects supervisor Scott Fisher. In an interview with What to Watch's sister publication Total Film, Fisher explained that they used forced perspective.

"We don't call them miniatures; we call them 'big-atures,'" he said. "We do them as big as we possibly can, but we do reduce the scale so it's manageable. It's getting it closer to the camera, and doing it as big as you can in the environment."

When it came to creating the actual explosion, Fisher said they used a combination of gasoline, propane, aluminum powder and magnesium to create both the blinding light of the blast and the tower of fire.

Talking with IGN, Nolan explained what he thinks doing this for real added to the movie:

"We were out there in the desert of New Mexico just like the scientists of the Manhattan Project. We built the bunkers, we built the tower, we were out there at night preparing for these very large scale explosive events that have to be conducted safely with great care. So there's a tension, there's an anticipation in what we're doing as filmmakers that I think helps the actors, helps everybody gain some small understanding of what it must have been like there that night, that early morning in the Trinity Test."

It truly is a sight to behold on the big screen.

Oppenheimer is now playing exclusively in movie theaters. Read our Oppenheimer review to find out why we think it is a must-see movie.

Who would have guessed that Barbie and J. Robert Oppenheimer would team up to become the duo of summer 2023, but that's what happened. Barbenheimer was truly a global phenomenon.

The July 21, 2023, release dates of Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer were an event that the internet dubbed Barbenheimer. Memes have been created, thousands of people planned double feature screenings of the summer blockbuster movies (we'd recommend Oppenheimer then Barbie, to end on a more positive note); there was even Barbenheimer merchandise.

It's truly a wonderfully strange thing that a movie based on the Mattel doll and a biopic about the father of the atomic bomb have become interlinked like this. While there was no need to pit these two movies against each other, they were always going to be compared to one another — their reviews, their box office results, cultural impact and how they fared with awards and end-of-year lists.

With that in mind, here's the by-the-numbers look at Barbenheimer, giving you easy access to see how the two movies are faring.

Reviews

Barbie reviews 

What to Watch review: 4/5 stars
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%, "Certified Fresh"

"The film is unapologetic and unafraid in its savvy observations about both women and men," reads What to Watch's Barbie review, making it clear that a movie based on the iconic plastic dolls is much deeper than anyone may have originally expected. And while we admit that not every facet of the movie hits, "its aim is usually true, sharp and frequently funny."

Many other critics are in awe of the balance Gerwig has been able to achieve between the glamour and more complicated real-world ideas, wonderfully described by The Wrap's Tomris Laffly, "a soulful film underneath all the persistent fuchsia."

Oppenheimer reviews

What to Watch review: 4.5/5 stars
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%, "Certified Fresh"

In What to Watch's Oppenheimer review, we call the movie an artistic triumph that seems destined to be considered among, if not the, masterpiece of Christopher Nolan's career, though it probably won't be the first one of his movies you want to watch again.

The general consensus has seen other critics call it "a film of magnitude, profundity and dazzling artistry" (Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post), among "the best films of the decade" (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times) and "the most important motion picture of 2023, and maybe far beyond" (Pete Hammond, Deadline). 

Box office

Editor's note: all these projections are for US box office numbers

Barbie box office

Barbie box office: $636.2 million in US; $809.4 million outside US; $1.44 billion total

Barbie was the top grossing movie of 2023, one of two movies to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office (The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the other).

Barbie's $162 million from its opening weekend means that the Greta Gerwig-directed movie earned the biggest opening weekend of a female-directed movie ever, besting Captain Marvel ($153 million), Frozen II ($130 million) and Wonder Woman ($103 million).

Oppenheimer box office

Oppenheimer box office: $329.8 million in US; $642.3 million outside US; $972.2 million total

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (along with Barbie) has proven you don't need to be a superhero to make big bucks at the box office. Oppenheimer was the third highest grossing movie at the global box office in 2023 and fifth in the US.

The combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer made the July 21-23 weekend at the US movie theaters the fourth-biggest weekend overall weekend in history.

Runtimes

Barbie runtime 

One hour, 54 minutes

Oppenheimer runtime

Three hours

Awards

Barbie awards

Barbie was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, but it only won one, for Best Original Song (Bille Eilish's "What Was I Made For"). Barbie's Oscar legacy certainly seems like it will be more about the awards it didn't get nominations for, with Greta Gerwig missing out on Best Director and Margot Robbie not making the cut in Best Actress, though Robbie was nominated as a producer and Gerwig was nominated for writing the script.

Among Barbie's other award highlights were a number of citations for Ryan Gosling for Best Supporting Actor, including an Oscar nom, and winning the first ever Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award at the Golden Globes.

Oppenheimer awards

Oppenheimer was the dominant force on the awards circuit for 2023 movies. After racking up wins with numerous critics groups, the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and SAG Awards, it went on to pick up seven Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.

One of the biggest blockbuster movies of 2023 is Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. But just how can you watch Oppenheimer?

Nolan's epic biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, has been getting amazing reviews, as the movie is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. WTW's Oppenheimer review joined in that acclaim, as we call the movie Nolan's "magnum opus." All of the critical acclaim has turned into awards acclaim, as the movie has earned a total of 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Bets Director (Nolan) and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy).

So, if you're a long-time fan of Nolan — or just incredible movie-making in general — Oppenheimer is not one you're going to want to miss. Here is everything you need to know on how to watch Oppenheimer right now.

How to watch Oppenheimer in movie theaters

Believe it or not, Oppenheimer is still playing in select movie theaters in the lead up to the Oscars.

To find out where and what format you can watch the movie, you can find showtimes and purchase tickets for Oppenheimer on the movie's website, by visiting the website of your local movie theater or on Fandango, where you can see everywhere the movie is playing in your wider area (including if some theaters farther away have different formats).

If you're interested in going to see more movies but the cost of tickets worries you, check out our guide on movie theater subscription and membership deals. These programs, offered by multiple US and UK movie theater chains, give movie lovers free, discounted and monthly allotment of tickets, as well as deals on concessions and more.

Is Oppenheimer streaming?

You can rent or buy a digital version of Oppenheimer on Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu and more. But the wait to stream Oppenheimer is almost over, as the movie is set to premiere on Peacock in the US on Friday, February 16.

Oppenheimer DVD

DVD versions of Oppenheimer are now available. It is offered in 4K, Blu-ray and DVD formats and has more than three hours of special features included.

Christopher Nolan personally recommends that you buy the DVD version of Oppenheimer so you don't risk a streaming service pulling the movie.

What else to know about Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) as J. Robert Oppenheimer. The movie follows his life, specifically his role in leading the Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb during World War II and the aftermath of that creation on him in the subsequent years.

In addition to Murphy, the movie has an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Rami Malek, David Krumholtz and more.

Watch the trailer for Oppenheimer right here.

The anticipation is high for Oppenheimer, the latest movie from Christopher Nolan and starring Cillain Murphy (Peaky Blinders). WTW ranked the movie as our second most-anticipated blockbuster movie of summer 2023, while our readers are also making their excitement known with in one of our polls, with the movie besting Barbie and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning among July movie titles.

Safe to say, people are really looking forward to watching Oppenheimer. But when the time comes, Murphy and Nolan both have recommendations on how and where to watch the movie.

In what should comes as no real surprise, Murphy said in an interview with Empire that viewers must see Oppenheimer at a movie theater, but for emphasis he added "on the biggest f***ing screen possible." He says there the movie has moments that are going to "blow people's lids off."

In a separate interview with the Associated Press, Christopher Nolan provided some specific details on not only the format that he would recommend people see Oppenheimer in, but what seat in a movie theater that he thinks is the best place to enjoy a movie.

First on the format, he says the best possible viewing experience for Oppenheimer is going to be IMAX 70mm screenings. Unfortunately, there are only going to be about 30 theaters in the world showing that format (find out if you're among the lucky few with access to those types of screenings on the IMAX website). The non-IMAX 70mm format of the movie is going to be available in more theaters. Even more will show the movie in IMAX digital showings, which Nolan is confident will still make the movie look great.

As far as where to sit for the movie, for Nolan it all depends on the format he is watching. In a Cinemascope ratio, which is the standard, non-IMAX screen, he says that he actually likes to be closer to the front, "middle of the third row." When he does watch something on IMAX though, "I actually like to be behind the center line right up the middle. So, a little further back," the director said.

Oppenheimer tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy), known as the father of the atomic bomb. The movie is going to detail the development of the weapon that would go on to change human history.

In addition to Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh and more.

Oppenheimer releases exclusively in movie theaters on July 21.

Vicky McClure grew up knowing hardly anything about the role her paternal grandfather, Ralph McClure, played in World War Two since, like many veterans, he never spoke of his experiences during the conflict.

"I’d seen pictures around the house where he’d got his uniform on, but I thought nothing of it as a kid," says Vicky star of hit thrillers Line of Duty and Trigger Point. 

Now, in the new one-off ITV1 documentary Vicky McClure: My Grandad’s War, cameras follow the BAFTA-winning actor as she traces 97-year-old Royal Navy hero Ralph’s extraordinary story, taking him on an emotional trip back to the Normandy beaches, where he was involved in the D-Day landings that turned the tide of the war in the Allies’ favour. 

Here’s what the devoted duo, who clearly love spending time together, unearthed on their cross-Channel trip down Ralph’s maritime memory lane…

Vicky McClure: My Grandad's War release date

Vicky McClure: My Grandad's War will be shown on ITV1 on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 9 pm. It will also be available on ITVX. 

What will Vicky McClure: My Grandad's War cover? 

The one-off documentary will see Vicky and Ralph embark on a trip together that neither of them will ever forget, covering all the most momentous moments of World War Two... "There’s nobody able to tell me exactly what happened better than somebody that was there," says Vicky, who also embarked on a deeply personal journey in BBC One’s documentary series Our Dementia Choir, inspired by how music helped her late maternal grandmother, Iris, during her battle with the disease. "And to hear it from my grandad, it means an awful lot to me."

Vicky McClure: My Grandad's War interview

Carving a career

Gifted footballer Ralph left school in Nottingham aged 14, and was offered a contract with Leeds United FC, but took his mother’s advice and went for the more secure career option of a job as a butcher with the Co-op. 

He never lost his love for the beautiful game and, as a lifelong fan of Notts County, one of the oldest clubs in the world, he still has a season ticket. "Grandad loves his football," smiles Vicky, who sits in the stands at County’s ground with Ralph as their journey begins. "The reason I’m a Notts County fan is because of him!"

Under attack

On 8 and 9 May 1941, Nottingham and its surrounding suburbs were bombed by the Germans, with over 150 people killed in the raid. Revisiting the site of his family home, which is no longer there, Ralph remembers experiencing a near-miss on that terrible night. "We were in the house, and went under the table when they dropped the bomb,’ he recalls. ‘It demolished three rows [of houses] and most people in them were killed. We got windows blown out, doors blown [off] and all that. That was the day that we left. We left and never came back."

Choppy waters

With D-Day planning well underway, Ralph was assigned to a landing craft that would ferry tanks across the Channel in the largest amphibious and airborne invasion in military history. To get a sense of life on board, Vicky visits the one surviving example at Portsmouth’s D-Day Story museum. 

"The flat bottom and lack of a keel meant they were constantly pitching and rolling," reveals historian Stephen Fisher, who meets Vicky in the D-Day Map Room and HQ at Southwick House, near Portsmouth. "Even their best sailors, who had spent years at sea, were still being violently sick."

On a mission

Ralph’s flotilla set off from Newhaven, East Sussex, on the eve of the most important day in the war, and took 22 hours to cross the Channel to German-occupied France, a journey he and Vicky retrace considerably faster on a ferry. He recalls the scene as they arrived at Sword Beach on 6 June 1944. 

"You’re being fired at as you went in," he explains to his granddaughter. "On the beach it was all mined, and they would do anything to damage the bottom of your boat. And up in the houses, that’s where the snipers were. But we just concentrated on getting the tanks in. It was like hell let loose!"

Visit from Churchill 

After the landings, Ralph worked at the Allies’ ingenious portable Mulberry harbour west of Sword Beach, and recalls a visit from Prime Minister Winston Churchill. "I was on the bridge with my binoculars," he says. "Churchill was driving along, and he threw the end of his cigar out of the car – 15 or 20 soldiers dived into the sand, trying to get hold of it as a souvenir!"

After six weeks at the artificial harbour, Ralph returned to England and, having left the Navy, went back to working as a butcher in Nottingham. There, he married his wife Jean (who sadly passed away in December 2022), with whom he would have three children, and five grandchildren, including Vicky.

Fallen comrades

The documentary concludes with a moving visit to the British Normandy Memorial where, proudly wearing his medals, Ralph looks for the name of a comrade among the 22,442 carved in stone there, and is greeted warmly and thanked for his service by other visitors. 

It’s a scene that reduces Vicky to tears, and brings home the significance of the whole journey. "He’s just always been my grandad, but if his name was on that wall, I wouldn’t be here," she says. "This has completely floored me, and I felt very lucky to be there with him."

Monica Barbaro stars opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Netflix action series FUBAR, and you might be wondering where else you've seen the actress.

In the explosive series, Monica plays the role of hard-hitting CIA agent Emma, who is the daughter of Arnold's CIA Operative Luke Brunner. But before taking on this role, she's had a very varied career.

In fact, according to an interview with Variety, Monica used to be a ballerina before getting into acting. But despite the two jobs sounding very different, she actually mentioned some things they have in common.

Monica explained: "I think there are actually more similarities than you would think. In ballet, there’s such attention to detail in literally every limb of your body and how it moves exactly. I think learning stunts and choreography and a character’s physicality requires that same attention to detail."

Here's everything you need to know about Monica Barbaro...

Who is Monica Barbaro? 

Monica Barbaro is an American actress who was born on June 18, 1990 in San Francisco. 

She started dancing at an early age and went on to study ballet, where she eventually got a degree in dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. However, she decided to get into acting and attended the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school, which led her to get roles in some great movies and TV shows.

What else has Monica Barbaro starred in? Was Monica Barbaro in Top Gun: Maverick?

Most recently, Monica starred in the blockbuster movie Top Gun: Maverick where she played the role of Natasha "Phoenix" Trace. In promotional material for the movie, her character was described as "loyal" and "the leader of the group", so she made quite the impression on fans!

Outside of this, she has also starred in popular crime shows such as Chicago P.D., Chicago Justice and Hawaii Five-0, so she's no stranger to action scenes. 

In 2023 she did voice acting work for the Square Enix video game
Forspoken, where she plays the role of helper and healer character Auden Keen, who also serves as one of the primary characters in the game.

She is also set to play activist and folk singer Joan Baez in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, starring opposite Timothee Chalamet.

FUBAR is available to stream on Netflix globally.

The Oppenheimer cast has shared their feelings about Christopher Nolan's upcoming film; with Emily Blunt branding it a "big event movie".

Based on Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin's book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, it revolves around the titular physicist and his role in The Manhattan Project, the seismic undertaking that led to the development of the first nuclear weapons.

In the latest issue of Total Film magazine, the stars shared their reactions about what makes Oppenheimer fit in with the rest of Christopher Nolan's filmography.

Emily Blunt — who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer's partner Kitty in the film — declared: "I just wouldn't call this movie a biopic. This is a pulse-racing thriller — a big event movie. It's an overwhelming experience. I felt like my bones would shatter watching it."

Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy added: "There are elements of thriller in it, and it has that epic quality. You can never, ever predict what way a Christopher Nolan film is going to go. And he does it again on this, but I think on such a huge canvas, and with these huge themes. 

"It's mind-blowing. Everyone in it is astonishing, and he's done something truly special."

Die Hart's Josh Hartnett (who plays Oppenheimer's colleague, Ernest Lawrence) also highlighted how different the film feels from other biographical dramas. He added: "It's obviously not going to be a straight biographical piece in the way that we've seen any other biographical movie being made".

Christopher Nolan has assembled a truly all-star cast for his latest feature. In addition to the above stars, you can expect to see Matt Damon (Air), Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame), Florence Pugh (Little Women), Kenneth Branagh (Death on the Nile), Alden Ehrenreich (Cocaine Bear), Casey Affleck (Interstellar), Dane DeHaan (The Staircase), Rami Malek (No Time To Die), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses) and many, many more.

Oppenheimer hits theaters on Friday, July 21, 2023, sharing the release day with Greta Gerwig's Barbie.

Popular reality show The Kardashians season 3 continues the series' tradition of introducing viewers to the Kardashian family's wide network of family, friends and collaborators, and this newest season has people asking "who is Ben Winston?"

While not a star of the show, Winston's name pops up a lot in The Kardashians, and that's because he's one of the show's executive producers — and one of the few members of the production who isn't actually a Kardashian.

Ben Winston is a British TV producer for the prolific production company Fulwell 73, which he co-founded. Lots of his credits include music videos and documentaries, having worked with JLS, One Direction, Bruno Mars, Robbie Williams and Harry Styles to name a few; he's also worked on sports documentaries, live events and comedy stand-up shows. In addition, he directed Friends: The Reunion.

Here are all your questions about Ben Winston answered.

The entertainment industry finds itself grieving as the legendary Tina Turner was pronounced dead at the age of 83. Often dubbed the Queen of Rock and Roll, as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Review, she belted out hits such as "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "River Deep – Mountain High," "Nutbush City Limits" and of course, "Proud Mary." 

Once the songstress parted ways with Ike both personally and professionally, Turner launched one of the best comebacks in music to date. She birthed chart-topping songs like "Private Dancer," "What's Love Got to Do with It," "We Don't Need Another Hero" and "The Best." 

During those times she ventured away from music, she created memorable performances in both movies and on television, most notably in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome starring alongside Mel Gibson. She went on to earn an NAACP Image award for her role. 

As the world mourns Turner's loss, she leaves behind a remarkable legacy that consists of millions of records sold, numerous sold-out concert tours, eight Grammys and a legion of supporters and fans. 

Turner is survived by her husband Erwin Bach, and her children Ike Turner Jr., Raymond Craig Turner and Michael Turner. Her other son Ronnie Turner preceded her in death in 2022. 

From The Color Purple star Ciara to rock great Mick Jagger, Hollywood has taken to Twitter to express their condolences:  

Here are just a few of our favorite TV and movie moments from Turner. 

Ike and Tina Turner perform "Proud Mary" on The Ed Sullivan Show (1970) 

Anytime Tina Turner performed the uptempo classic "Proud Mary," it was a crowd-pleasing occasion. We decided to settle on her The Ed Sullivan Show performance of the song as one of our favorites. 

Tina Turner as the Acid Queen in Tommy (1975)

Tommy is a rock opera from the band The Who, and follows the story of a mute, deaf and blind boy on his quest to become pinball wizard. It's a bit of an eclectic film, but Turner certainly played her role as the Acid Queen. Tommy can be rented on platforms like Apple TV Plus or Prime Video. 

Tina Turner as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 

Turner's performance in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is definitely her most iconic scripted role. In this sci-fi action movie, she plays Aunty Entity, the ruthless, yet glamorous, ruler of the people of Bartertown. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome can be rented on platforms like Apple TV Plus and Prime Video. 

Tina Turner performs "The Best" at Divas Live special on VH1 (1999)

In the late '90s, Divas Live was a must-see event on VH1 as it showcased the talent of several women in the music industry that reached legendary status. In 1999, Turner opened the show with a favorite of ours, "The Best" (often referred to as "Simply the Best"). 

Tina Turner performs "When the Heartache Is Over" on Ally McBeal (2000)

Although she appeared in the Ally McBeal episode titled "The Oddball Parade" as herself, that's all she needed to do to show that she was a force onscreen and still rattling off hits as a musician in 2000. You can currently watch this full episode and all episodes of Ally McBeal on Hulu. 

Tina Turner and Beyoncé perform "Proud Mary" at the 50th Grammy Awards (2008)

When you have two legends sharing one stage to perform one of the greatest rock/soul hits of all time, then you have nothing but pure magic. Beyoncé performing with Turner at the Grammys is one of those moments that will go down in history as one of the best of the music ceremony. 

Perhaps we throw the term "national treasure" around too often, but when it comes to Carol Burnett, she has certainly earned the title. A landmark comedian, Burnett has done just about everything in Hollywood — shes a six-time Emmy winner, a Grammy winner, a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors and is the first recipient and namesake of the Golden Globes TV lifetime achievement award, the Carol Burnett Award.

On April 26, Burnett hits another milestone — her 90th birthday. NBC has filmed a TV special to honor her, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, airing at 8 pm ET/PT.

What to Watch is taking this chance to recognize the indelible work of Burnett and her career which has spanned nearly 70 years and is still going. So, in honor of her 90th, here are the nine quintessential Carol Burnett performances.

Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall

The classical musical talents of Julie Andrews and the comedic chops of Carol Burnett may seem like an odd pair, but watch the opening clip of Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall and you realize that the two are a fantastic comedic duo. This TV special was one of Burnett's first truly big breaks on screen. Watching her chemistry with Andrews, who continues to be one of her dearest friends, is spectacular and proves that even 60 years later funny is funny, and Carol Burnett is funny.

• Where to watch: available to watch on YouTube

The Lucy Show

Before Carol Burnett became one of the most popular women on TV in the late '60s and '70s, another redhead held that position, Lucile Ball. The two comediennes were friends in real life and Burnett ended up guest starring on her show, The Lucy Show (not to be confused with her original hit, I Love Lucy), for multiple episodes. She appeared in four episodes over the show's six-season run, which felt almost like an unofficial passing of the torch. 

• Where to watch: multiple seasons are available on Pluto TV and Tubi

The Carol Burnett Show

The defining legacy of Carol Burnett is without a doubt her eponymously titled sketch series that she ran from 1967-1978. Burnett and her most frequent collaborators, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman and Tim Conway, came up with some all-time great sketches, including "The Dentist," "Went with the Wind" (a Gone with the Wind parody) and her soap opera parody "As the Stomach Turns," and hilarious recurring characters like Tudball and Wiggins. The show won 25 Emmys over its run and propelled Burnett to the national stage. Though perhaps one of the most lasting images of the show was how Burnett would sign off, tugging her ear as a signal to her grandmother. 

• Where to watch: all seasons streaming on The Roku Channel

Annie

For anyone born after 1982, the first Carol Burnett role they probably saw was her turn as Miss Hannigan in the movie musical version of Annie. She swapped out her usual comedic sensibilities to play the grouch in charge of the orphanage, though she of course gets a few zingers in there and her star power continues to shine in her musical numbers "Little Girls" and "Easy Street."

• Where to watch: available to rent via digital on demand 

Noises Off

Carol Burnett and an ensemble featuring Michael Caine, Julie Hagerty, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter and Nicollette Sheridan star in this comedy about a troupe of actors with more drama than the play that they are performing in. It's an absolute delight to see Burnett, who's perfectly in her wheelhouse with this role, interact with the cast, with their squabbles playing behind the scenes while the performance is continuing on stage as they are in character. 

• Where to watch: available to rent via digital on demand 

Mad About You

Mad About You had a plethora of guest stars during its run, from Mel Brooks to Sid Caesar to Lisa Kudrow appearing as Ursula Buffay, the twin sister to her Friends character Phoebe. But even among all of those guests, Carol Burnett's recurring guest role as Jamie's (Helen Hunt) mother was a treat every time for viewers. Burnett received multiple Emmy nominations for the portrayal, including winning her sixth and most recent trophy in 1997; she also appeared in the Mad About You revival in 2019. As you’ll read with these later picks, Burnett was a great asset as a guest star.  

• Where to watch: streaming on Prime Video

Law & Order: SVU

Bridgette "Birdie" Sulloway makes Miss Hannigan look like a kitty cat by comparison. Burnett's Emmy-nominated guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU saw the actress take on a very different kind of character — a woman who has had her hand in multiple murders over the years and is a sexual predator. SVU guest spots often help bring out the dark side of some of our favorite actors, getting the chance to play a monster led to a stunning performance from Burnett. 

• Where to watch: streaming on Peacock

Glee

Carol Burnett's guest spot on Glee as Sue Sylvester's mother would have been memorable enough, but add in the fact that she plays a former Nazi hunter who sings Doris Day's "Ohio" and Judy Garland's "The Trolley Song" is icing on the cake. The fact that Burnett didn't add to her number of Emmy nominations with at least one of her two guest appearances on the show is a mystery, but hey, you can't win them all. Though fans of Glee and Burnett were certainly winners in this case. 

• Where to watch: streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu

Better Call Saul

Burnett's role as Marion in Better Call Saul shows that she has not lost a step as a performer. Though she starts off as the ponzi in another Saul scheme, Marion is no dupe. She eventually figures out that Saul (who she knows as Gene) is up to something and when she figures it out, she is the one who turns the table on him and sets his eventual arrest in motion. It's a phenomenal turn that saw Burnett get to exercise her dramatic chops, which she will hopefully be rewarded with via another Emmy nomination in 2023. 

• Where to watch: streaming on Netflix and AMC Plus

Fionn Whitehead is one of the UK's hottest young talents, and at 25 already has achieved a career many could only dream of.

His breakthrough role came in 2016 when he cast in the ITV supernatural drama Him. This was swiftly followed by landing the lead role of soldier Tommy Jensen in Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed blockbuster Dunkirk, opposite pop superstar Harry Styles. He also won praise for his performance in the interactive episode of Black Mirror, Bandersnatch.

Now, Fionn is back on our screens in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, playing the part of protagonist Pip. He's starring alongside Academy award-winning actress Olivia Colman, but Fionn is no stranger to working with Hollywood royalty.

Here are a few things you may not know about the London-born actor...

Fionn Whitehead was named after a hero in Irish mythology

Fionn Whitehead was born on 18 July 1997, in Richmond, London. The youngest of four children, he was named after Irish folk legend Fionn mac Cumhaill, a mythical hero who was said to have a magic thumb that bestowed him with great wisdom.

Fionn comes from a family of creatives. His paternal grandfather was one of the writers of Dennis the Menace in The Beano. His dad, Tim is a jazz saxophonist and his mum Linda taught English at a local community college. 

He has two older sisters, Maisie, who works as a performance artist, and Hattie, whose a singer. He also has a big brother called Sonny.

Fionn credits his parents with giving him the drive to succeed in his chosen career. "My parents never owned a house,” he revealed in a chat with iNews. “They rented from a charity that subsidized the rent. From a young age, I recognized I’d have to work my arse off."

He wanted to be a breakdancer

Growing up, Fionn aspired to be a professional rugby player, guitarist (he can play the guitar and drums) or breakdancer, but it was acting that won out.

At 13, he began drama classes at the Orange Tree Theatre, while studying at Orleans Park School. Fionn then attended Richmond College, where he entered the National Youth Theatre's summer course.

After finishing sixth form, Fionn auditioned for a number of drama schools and got rejected by every single one. However, he insists the disheartening experience did him a favor.

He told The Guardian: "It’s part of being an actor, getting rejections. I think that the quicker you learn how to deal with them, the more able you’ll be to take them next time they come.”

His big break came very quickly

Fionn didn’t have to spend much time as a struggling actor, even though his early CV might suggest otherwise. After being rejected from drama school, he took on odd jobs as a barista, childminder and even a boat driver on the River Thames.

Then after starring in the supernatural miniseries Him, a then 20-year-old Fionn was signed up by an agent who got him an audition for Christopher Nolan’s war movie, Dunkirk. He beat thousands of young hopefuls for the lead role of Tommy, and embarked on an intensive five-month shoot.

“It was a series of very lucky events in a strangely small space of time,” he told Dujour. Fionn described the experience of filming with real spitfires and 1,300 extras dressed as soldiers as ‘really incredible’, and formed a close bond with his co-star, Harry Styles.

“We were the middle of nowhere so you kind of have to let people in, otherwise you’ll go insane,” he shared.

He's had some very famous co-stars

Fionn has acted alongside some of the biggest stars of stage and screen, including Dame Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Dame Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci and Sir Kenneth Branagh.

And his fortune in being able to learn from the best in the business is certainly not lost on humble Fionn.

During a red carpet interview for the premiere of Brit flick The Duke he expressed: "It's amazing. I never expected to be where I am. I'm just trying to enjoy it, really, because it is crazy."

Mirren and Broadbent played Fionn's parents in the 2020 movie, and he described them both as 'lovely', adding: "They're so nice to everyone and unbelievably talented. Just a joy to work with."

He shies away from social media

Despite being a famous film star, Fionn likes to remain low-key and you're unlikely to find him on social media any time soon.

Although he has official Instagram and Twitter accounts — to prevent someone else from impersonating him — they are currently inactive and pretty much empty.

"I think that my absence on [it] is just a reflection of my own slightly awkward shyness,” Fionn explained in a chat with Dujour magazine.

“I’ve always been kind of a private guy and it would be nice to keep it that way.”

He likes playing the villain

In 2020, Fionn starred in the American thriller film, Don't Tell A Soul, most of which was shot under tight restrictions during the Covid pandemic.

Fionn portrayed the character of Matt, a bullying older brother who makes the lives of his siblings and mother a misery. But the actor admitted he rather enjoyed the chance to be a baddie.

“Villains are always just so much fun to play because you get to make choices that you just wouldn’t be able to make with other characters and go so much further," he told Yahoo! Movies.

“It’s always interesting to strip a character down to his core and sort of build it up and totally give in to the sort of evil nature of it. I got hooked and ended up playing a couple of villains after that, which was good fun."

He keeps his personal life very private

Very little is known about Fionn's love life, and he prefers to keep it that way. 

The actor has stated in previous interviews that fame is something that's never interested him, and he's always remained guarded about his private life.

“I just enjoy my privacy," he explained to The Guardian. "I think it’s important to have a life of your own, outside of work.”

Fionn Whitehead's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the actor...

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

After rising to fame playing an American gangster in HBO's The Wire, Idris Elba has gone from strength to strength in his career. But it's not just acting he's good at, he has many strings to his bow as we've discovered...

Idris Elba trained at the National Youth Music Theatre

Idris’s full name is Idrissa Akuna Elba and was born in Hackney in London on 6 September 1972, His late father, Winston, was from Sierra Leone and his mum, Eve, is from Ghana. After leaving school at 16, Idris won a place in the National Youth Music Theatre, with a £1500 grant from The Prince’s Trust.

He's worked all sorts of jobs

While carving a career as an actor, he also worked in various jobs, such as tyre-fitting, bricklaying and also worked night shifts at Ford Dagenham, where his father also worked.

His breakout role isn't what you'd expect

His first acting role was appearing in Crimewatch reconstructions, then popped up in BBC children’s show The Boot Street Band, before landing a role in 1995 in Victorian medical drama Bramwell, playing a thief called Charlie Carter.

He had a steady rise to fame

After receiving praise playing American gangster Stringer Bell in HBO drama series The Wire from 2002 to 2004, Idris then signed a deal to star as the lead role of BBC cop drama Luther, which first aired in 2010, making him a household name.

He's not just an actor... 

As well as acting, Idris also turns his hand to DJing, using the name DJ Big Driis, DJing in nightclubs at age 19. He’s also a hip hop and soul musician with his own record label, and has worked with Jay-Z and Mumford and Sons, and was the opening act for Madonna in Berlin during her Rebel Heart Tour.

He likes a laugh!

Idris is a massive fan of BBC One sitcom Only Fools and Horses, and always wanted to star in the show but never got an audition. He recently said he’d love to play Del Boy, bringing back the show with a modern twist.

He's a dad as well as a TV and movie star

He’s been married twice, first to make-up artist Hanne Norgaard, then to lawyer Sonya Nicole Hamlin. He has two children, a daughter, Isan, with Hanne and a son with his ex-girlfriend Naiyana Garth. 

He's got an OBE

He was awarded an OBE for services to drama in the New Year’s Honours. He also had a MOBO Inspiration Award under his belt, which he won in 2014 and was voted male ‘Rear of the Year’ in 2017!

Idris the action man!

He has taken up many a challenge for the Discovery Channel, training for and entering a professional kickboxing fight for Idris Elba: Fighter as well as breaking the land speed record on a beach in Wales by driving at 180mph and flying in stunt plane in an aerobatics display in No Limits.

He's got royal connections 

Idris and his model wife Sabrina attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in May 2018, rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Clooney. ‘It remains one of the highlights of my life,’ he says. ‘Harry’s a friend of mine. It was a beautiful experience like all weddings are.’

Frequently asked questions about the star...

Instagram: @idriselba

Twitter: @idriselba

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Sally Bretton is best known for playing Lucy Adams in the long-running BBC sitcom, Not Going Out, and as Martha Lloyd in Death in Paradise spin-off Beyond Paradise.

She actually made her first TV appearance as a child star in 1987. Sally was back on our screens last year in Beyond Paradise season 2, which sees her play Martha, the fiancée of DI Humphrey Goodman (played by Kris Marshall). And she will soon be seen in Beyond Paradise season 3.

Taling about the vibe of Beyond Paradise, she says: "The comedy in this is much gentler than in Not Going Out. But Humphrey and Martha are quite playful with each other, and there's an appreciation of each other's foibles that brings humor into the show".

Sally also has a major new Channel 5 drama on the way. She stars alongside Sir David Suchet in the big new drama The Au Pair. David Suchet plays George, who moves next door to his daughter Zoe Dalton (Sally Bretton). Sally's character is a woman who appears to have everything: a handsome and successful husband, two adorable stepchildren, and a stunning home in a beautiful English town. But everything goes wrong for Zoe when she unwisely hires Sandrine (Lupin’s Ludmilla Makowski) as an au pair. The Au Pair will begin on Channel 5 on Monday, March 10, 2025, at 9 pm.

Despite her successful career, married mum-of-three Sally isn't a fan of the limelight and enjoys leading a quiet life with her young family away from the cameras. Here are a few things you may not know about her…

Sally Bretton isn’t her real name

Sally Bretton was born Sally Davis and grew up in Hertfordshire. After graduating from Central School of Speech and Drama in 1999, she joined Equity, the performing arts and entertainment union, but realised she’d have to change her surname as there was another Sally Davis on their books. 

Sally's new moniker came to her while she was working as a Saturday girl in the Barnet branch of Next. “A friend brought in a book all about the meanings of names, and I was in the staff room flicking through,” she told The Telegraph. 

Sally wasn’t far into the book when she fell on Bretton, and that was that. “I just thought, 'Yup, I quite like that.’ It’s totally random, but I thought it sounded quite nice.”

She experienced fame at a young age

Sally was bitten by the performing bug when she was at primary school and always knew she wanted to be an actress.

She attended a local drama club, which had an agency attached to it, and auditions led Sally to land roles in TV adverts as well as Warner Brothers mini-series Napoleon and Josephine. 

However, achieving a minor level of fame was something that didn’t always sit well with the young Sally.  “It was sometimes difficult to navigate. I didn’t get teased or bullied, but I was always aware that people knew that about me …” she told The Telegraph. Even today, Sally admits: “I would much rather go in (to auditions), faff around and pretend, and come home. That would be my ideal.”

She used to be a drama teacher

While she was studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Sally spent her weekends teaching budding young stars at Top Hat Stage and Screen School. 

Reflecting on her former job in an interview with The Glasgow Times, Sally said: “I loved it, but I just love kids. I got hooked on performing at primary school. I think that’s all you want for your own children, isn’t it? That chance to find a passion, something they will love doing.”

She starred in the first series of The Office

Fans of Ricky Gervais’s iconic sitcom The Office may remember Sally starred in the first series, which aired back in 2001. 

The actress played the part of intern Donna, whose parents were the friends of regional manager David Brent (Gervais), and with whom she was lodging.

Donna caused a stir amongst the staff at Wernham Hogg when she started an office romance with handsome temp Ricky. But the character’s most memorable moment came when she branded pedantic salesman Gareth Keenan a "weasel-faced arse" after his numerous creepy attempts to woo her!

She's played the same character for over a decade

Acting can be a fickle profession, but Sally is lucky enough to have a steady income thanks to her role in the long-running BBC One series Not Going Out, which has now reached 100 episodes. The actress has been with the show since its second series playing Lucy Adams, who was initially Lee's landlady and is now the wife of Lee Mack’s character.

13 series on Not Going Out still draws in an audience of millions, but Sally recalls having lots of auditions to win the part, telling us: "There were lots of rounds. I was called back lots and lots of times. That's what I remember about it. It was a lot of times. Six or something ridiculous."

She's enjoyed a varied career

Sally has rarely been out of work since graduating from drama school over two decades ago. 

Her acting CV includes parts in popular dramas such as The Bill, Casualty, Lewis and Hotel Babylon. Other notable roles include Death in Paradise, Green King and Outlaw. 

Sally has achieved success on the stage, starring in touring productions of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Shakespeare’s King Lear. And she’s also lent her voice to a number of Radio 4 plays, including Births, Deaths and Marriages.

She fiercely guards her private life

Not much is known about Sally’s personal life, and she prefers to keep it that way, choosing not to have a presence on social media. 

The low-key actress is married to husband Lee, who works as a photographer and the couple are parents to three daughters, including twins. 

The family live near the pretty market town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire and devoted mum Sally makes sure her work doesn't take her away from her girls for long periods of time. 

In 2020, she starred in a UK touring production of Dial M for Murder, but revealed she doesn’t take on many roles like that because “touring is not a good fit with family life.”

Sally Bretton's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star...

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Kris Marshall has been an actor for more than 20 years, having found fame as Nick Harper in TV comedy series, My Family., which also starred Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker.

He then featured in the hit 2003 Christmas movie Love Actually as the happy-go-lucky Colin Frissell, who moves to America to find romance. In his early days, he even had a role in The Bill!

Kris joined the popular crime drama series Death in Paradise back in 2013 as fan-favorite DI Humphrey Goodman (see where he ranks in our Death in Paradise best detectives list) for the show's third series before leaving the role in the sixth series. But he returned as Humphrey for spin-off Beyond Paradise and he will be back soon for Beyond Paradise season 3, where he co-stars with Sally Bretton. 

So as he reprises his role as the awkward detective, here are a few other things to know about him, including being fired from his supermarket job to almost becoming the 13th Doctor...

1. He once kept Jane Asher waiting 

Kris admitted to The Big Issue that he was an hour late for his first ever day filming, which all actors know is a cardinal sin. He was filming a few scenes for 1993 film Closing Numbers and his poor timekeeping left co-star Jane Asher waiting... "Time is money on a film set, so I never did that again," Kris joked.

2. He was the face of BT adverts 

Kris appeared in the BT adverts for a staggering seven years as the character, Adam. The British public followed Adam's life from 2005, watching the ups and downs in his relationship with former Spooks actress Esther Hall, who played his on/off partner, Jane. The couple's dramas included moving house, breaking up, getting pregnant and preparing for a wedding.

3. He once got fired from Iceland

Kris once revealed to The Big Issue that he had a number of jobs before becoming an actor. In the past he's worked at travelling fairs, in an Aquafresh toothpaste factory, in nightclubs and was even fired from his job at Iceland for wearing blue sunglasses on the till!

4. He used to have a Canadian accent 

Kris spent much of his childhood in Hong Kong and Canada because of his father's job in the Royal Air Force. The family moved around because of Kris's dad's postings with work, leaving Kris speaking with a Canadian accent until he was 10. This actually gives him a connection to another Death Paradise star, Josephine Jobert, who spent some of her childhood in Canada!.

5. He was once hit by a car

While out on a friend's stag night in Bristol City Centre back in 2008, Kris was run over by a car. The actor was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary where he was diagnosed with a collapsed lung, a damaged hip and a laceration to his head. He had extensive treatment for his injuries and managed to make a full recovery, even making it to his performances for a play called Fat Pig just three weeks later.

6. He almost became the 13th Doctor Who 

There were huge rumors that Kris was set to become the next Doctor after actor Peter Capaldi left the role of the Time Lord, however Kris was pipped to the post by Jodie Whittaker who eventually took on the role, making her the first ever female to play the iconic character.

Kris Marshall's Fact File 

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actor....

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Matilda De Angelis is at the center of The Law According to Lidia Poët where she plays the titular character, and she's definitely made an impression among fans!

In the six-part Netflix drama series, we follow a woman named Lidia Poët in 1800s Turin, where she's trying to pursue a career as a lawyer. However, due to her gender, she is ridiculed by those around her and is refused to be accepted to the Bar, making her life very difficult.

Nevertheless, she perseveres and teams up with her brother Enrico, who owns a law firm. There, she becomes determined to earn the respect she deserves and to practice law just like the men around her.  

The series is based on the real-life of Lidia Poët, who paved the way for women to work in the legal field. Actress Matilda De Angelis brings the role to life, and the majority of the screen time is dedicated to her.

So it's hardly surprising that fans everywhere want to know more about Matilda De Angelis and what else she's been in, so here's what you need to know about the Italian actress...

• The Law According to Lidia Poët cast
• The Law According to Lidia Poët review

Matilda De Angelis age

Matilda De Angelis is 27 years old. Her first acting credit was in the Italian TV series Tutto può succedere when she was 20 years old. She was part of the main cast and played the role of Ambra Scalvino until 2018.

Before she started acting, Matilda sang in the band Rumba de Bodas and can also play the guitar and violin, so she is a talented musician. While performing with Rumba de Bodas, they recorded an album named Karnaval Fou, which was released in 2014.

When is Matilda De Angelis' birthday?

Matilda was born on September 11, 1995. Her star sign is Virgo and she was born in Bologna, Italy.

How tall is Matilda De Angelis?

Matilda De Angelis is 5 feet 5¼ inches tall (1.66 m).

What else has Matilda De Angelis starred in?

Before her role as Lidia Poët, Matilda De Angelis played Elena Alves in the HBO/Sky Atlantic series The Undoing alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. The series was based on the novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

Matilda also starred in the Prime Video period drama series `Leonardo, where she played the role of Caterina da Cremona. The series was based on the life of Leonardo da Vinci, and saw Poldark star Aidan Turner in the leading role. 

She is also set to star in the Prime Video sci-fi series Citadel, created by the Russo brothers. However, nothing is known about her role just yet.

Sir David Jason is best known for playing Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in Only Fools and Horses and Granville in Open All Hours on BBC One.

During his legendary career, David has also starred in a huge number of other hits including The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost.

But how much do you know about David Jason himself? Most fans of the actor will know that:

• He trained as an electrician before becoming an actor.
• His first-ever TV role was in Crossroads in 1964.
• He's acted in radio comedies and voices children's TV characters.
• He was knighted in 2005 for services to acting and comedy.

But what else do we know about David Jason? Here are several things you probably don't know about the acting legend...

1. David Jason’s real name isn't David Jason!

David Jason was actually born David John White on February 2 1940 in Edmonton, Middlesex. And like many actors, he took a stage name. He once revealed during a television interview that he picked out the name David Jason due to his love of the classic 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts. David started out in amateur theatre in North London. “I just found, for some reason, that I identified with it, I was actually quite good at it, I enjoyed it” he once told us.

2. David Jason was convinced The Darling Buds of May was going to either be a huge hit or a big flop!

David famously starred as Sidney "Pop" Larkin alongside future Hollywood movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones in ITV’s The Darling Buds of May, which was based on the books by H.E. Bates.

David once told us: "When I first read the book when I was first offered the part I think it’s fair enough to say I said to my agent at the time, ‘Well this will either be a huge success or it will be a huge flop' and she said: 'Why?’ and I replied: 'Because there’s nothing in it'." It turns out David needn't have worried!

3. He is a qualified helicopter pilot

David is an experienced helicopter pilot. He once told the Daily Telegraph that he started flying when he was only 28. “I never thought I was academically gifted at school. But when I started flying I found you didn’t need an academic mind — you just needed determination and dedication.”

4. David Jason has one daughter

David became a dad for the first time aged 61 in 2001 when his partner, now wife, Gill Hinchcliffe gave birth to a baby girl.

Talking about why they called their daughter Sophie Mae, David revealed at the time: "We didn’t choose her name until after she was born. She’s not named after anyone in either of our families, but we just liked the name and it seemed to suit her perfectly."

5. David Jason kept some very special souvenirs from Only Fools and Horses

Who can forget the episode of Only Fools when Del Boy "discovered" Peckham Spring on his allotment and started selling tap water to the nation?! Well, David revealed that he kept some as a souvenir! "I’ve got a couple of bottles of Peckham Spring water," he once told The Mirror. "I’ll keep them for ever. I won't drink them. After all, it's BBC water and not only that, would you drink something Del Trotter had made?"

We can't mention Only Fools of course without mentioning the famous falling through-the-bar scene (below). A poll by TV channel Gold once named it as the funniest scene in British sitcom history.

6. David believes making Del and Rodney millionaires led to the show ending

David thinks that the episode "Time On Our Hands", the 1996 Christmas special, where Del and Rodney finally become millionaires ultimately led to the end of the beloved comedy. He believes it created an issue where the characters had nowhere to go and many fans aren't as fond of the last few episodes after "Time On Our Hands".

Speaking at a fan convention (quotes via The Mirror), David said: "There was nowhere to go after the Trotters became millionaires and it all worked out. It was the end of a journey and the journey was that struggle for survival the struggle for the family, the way that they behaved, that interaction and all of that stuff that made the Trotters ceased to exist once they had become millionaires, if you like."

7. David’s older brother is also an actor

David, whose twin brother sadly died during childbirth, has an older brother Arthur White, who’s also an actor. Must be in the blood! Arthur appeared alongside David in 27 episodes of A Touch of Frost as archivist Ernie Trigg and he worked alongside David again in the comedy fantasy The Colour of Magic. Arthur’s enjoyed numerous other parts in shows like Crossroads and The Professionals.

7. Don't panic! David almost played Lance-Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army!!

David was a whisker away from playing Lance-Corporal Jones in classic comedy Dad’s Army. Clive Dunn, who famously ended up playing Jones, had been approached but initially couldn’t take the role due to a filming clash.

David recalled on This Morning once: "I came up for the part in the morning and at 12 o’clock they said, 'You’ve got the part’. I was elated. This was going to be a big deal for me.” But later David discovered he’d been ditched for Clive, who’d found out he was free after all. “They dumped me,” David recalled. It didn’t work out badly for David or Clive though!

David Jason's Fact File 

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actor....

How old is he?

David Jason's age is 84. His date of birth is 2 February 1940.

Is he in a relationship?

David Jason has been married to wife Gill Hinchcliffe since 2005.

Does he have kids?

David Jason has a grown-up daughter called Sophie Mae.

Where was he born?

David Jason was born in Edmonton, Middlesex.

How tall is he?

David Jason's height is 1.68 metres tall.

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Brenda Blethyn is one of the UK's most esteemed actresses and boasts an impressive CV of stage and screen credits

She was catapulted to global fame with her lead role in the film, Secrets and Lies, which earned her BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards, and has starred in television productions like Anne Frank: The Whole Story and War and Peace.

But it's Brenda's role as DCI Vera Stanthorpe that has really won the nation's hearts.

With her trademark oversized rain mac and fisherman's hat, Vera solves baffling crimes in the backdrop of Northumberland. Fans have fallen in love with the work-obsessed detective, so much so that the series, an adaptation of Ann Cleeve's detective novels, has reached an amazing 12th season. 

Here are a few interesting facts you probably don't know about Brenda Blethyn...

Brenda Blethyn was one of nine children

Brenda Blethyn was born Brenda Bottle on February 20, 1946 in Ramsgate, Kent. The youngest of nine children, she was raised by her mother, Louisa, a housewife and cleaner, and her father, Charles, a former shepherd and mechanic for Vauxhall. 

Growing up, money was in very short supply, but Brenda has happy memories of her childhood. In a chat with The Guardian she revealed:  “There were tough times. But we got tons of affection. You might be reprimanded severely for something, but there was laughter, cuddles, pride and support in equal measure.”

Brenda credits her mum and dad for giving her the desire to act: “When we were kids we didn’t have a television. A lot of the time, we didn’t have a wireless either, because the bill hadn’t been paid. But they were terrific storytellers. Dad would get up and act out a story, while mum would make fun of him.” 

She originally wanted to join the Army

Brenda's love of film began at a young age when her parents used to take her and her siblings to the cinema.

But despite going on to achieve incredible success as an actress, it wasn't always part of Brenda's career plan.

She told us: "When I was younger I always wanted to join the Army, It's the idea of camaraderie and people working together. My family had a very strong work ethic and my brother Brian was in the army and ended up being a Major."

She didn't start her acting career until she was in her late 20s 

Brenda began her professional life as a stenographer and bookkeeper for a bank, before working as a secretary for British Rail.

At 18, she married her first husband, graphic designer Alan Blethyn (whose name she has kept to this day). The couple split in 1973 after nine years when Alan left Brenda for another woman. But instead of wallowing, Brenda's divorce prompted her to turn her hobby of amateur dramatics into a career.

She studied at the Guildford School of Acting, and in 1976, joined the Royal National Theatre.

During her seasons at the National, Brenda won praise for her stage roles, and in 1980 she scooped the London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in Steaming. 

That same year, she made her television debut in Grown-Ups, directed by Mike Leigh. The power pair joined forces again for the 1996 drama Secrets & Lies, which was Brenda's breakthrough role, and earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Since then Brenda has starred in several blockbusters, including Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and Clubland.

She buys Vera's on-screen outfits 

Filming Vera takes up a big chunk of Brenda's working year, and even in her down time, her iconic alter-ego is never far from her thoughts.

So much so, that Brenda keeps an eye out for additions to the DCI's wardrobe when shopping for her own clothes. Did you know she purchased Vera's infamous green bucket hat from a stall in Newcastle market?

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald she shared: “My husband says when I finish Vera, my body comes home a month before my head,” she says. “You never let it go. It must the same with you when you’re writing a piece. You don’t put your pen down at five o’clock and stop thinking about it, right? You might be cooking or eating your dinner, and it’s still going on."

She based Vera's accent on someone famous

When Kent-born Brenda took on the lead role in ITV's Vera, she knew she had to perfect a different dialect.

The thespian has confessed she used This Morning's late agony aunt, Denise Robertson, as inspiration for Vera's soft Geordie lilt after meeting her at an ITV party.

“It couldn’t be strong because if you miss anything, you’ll lose track of the plot," she explained to Radio Times. 

In fact, Brenda has got so good at doing Vera's accent, she's even managed to trick people into thinking she's a born and bred northerner.

“Any criticism that I get is generally from southerners who expect a broader accent. In fact, some locals think I’m a Geordie, which is a great compliment."

She's a dab hand at DIY

While you might not expect to see Brenda spending her weekends plumbing in toilets, that exactly what she is capable of. 

She told us: "I'm good at DIY . I've laid a floor, taken out a fire place, put in a while basin and toilet on my own, and plumbed it."

"I'm a bit like Vera in that respect... she would be capable too. I wouldn't do it now, though. I can afford to pay someone else to do it!"

She receives saucy fan mail

Despite Brenda's alter ego being far from glamorous in her rain mac and bucket hat, the actress still gets her fair share of rude fan mail. 

She once told us: "I get some saucy letters, some of it, believe it or not, for Vera! Even Vera gets the phwoar factor!"

She's got a surprising guilty pleasure

When Brenda's not busy filming, she likes to spend her spare time binge watching darts-themed game show Bullseye! 

She told us "I'm a massive fan, I watch it on Challenge. You have got all the gameshows on there, but I just love Bullseye. I also watch all the quizzes, Tipping Point, The Chase and Eggheads!"

She was engaged to her husband for 35 years

Brenda's mum and dad were engaged for 20 years before they decided to take the plunge and get hitched. 

Similarly, Brenda and her artist partner Michael Mayhew had a 35-year-long engagement before they made it official in 2010. 

Brenda can't say enough good things about her other half, describing Michael as a 'kind and honest' man. She told The Guardian: "He (Michael) is Taurus and I'm Pisces; my dad was Pisces and my mum was Taurus. So long relationships might be something to do with the stars..."

The couple didn't have any children, which is something Brenda ponders about. "But there's no point in having regrets, it's a waste of energy, " she insists.

Brenda is very close to her siblings' children and grandchildren and starred alongside her great-niece Kelly Scott in an episode of Vera.

Brenda Blethyn's fact file 

Most frequently asked questions about the star...

Twitter: @BrendaBlethyn

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Who doesn’t love the amazing Natasha Lyonne? Hilarious, charismatic, smart. The multi-talented Emmy nominee is back on TV with Poker Face season 2 from writer/director Rian Johnson (Glass Onion). Lyonne plays Charlie Cale, a sharp-witted do-gooder with the uncanny ability to detect when people are lying, who must go on the run when she gets into hot water some dangerous criminals. 

Lyonne is of course also known for her roles on popular shows like Russian Doll and Orange Is the New Black, as well as iconic teen movies American Pie and But I'm a Cheerleader. Though she's been working in Hollywood from a young age, here are seven things you may not have known about Natasha Lyonne.

Humor runs in Lyonne's family

Lyonne was born to a father who was a boxing promoter and race car driver, as well as a mother who was a former ballerina. So entertainment, to some degree, was always in her blood. But so was humor. Her father is a distant relative of cartoonist Al Jaffee, who worked for MAD magazine and created one of the magazine's trademark features, the MAD fold in. So as you can see, humor is in Lyonne's genes.

Lyonne got her acting start in Israel

Though Lyonne was born in New York City and lived there most of her life, she also spent time in Israel during her childhood. Her family lived there from 1986-1988. There she was selected to perform in an Israeli children's movie called April Fool, which ultimately drove her to a career in acting. 

Though her family moved back to New York shortly after, Lyonne had caught the acting bug. Following her debut in April Fool, she began to book more roles, such as brief appearances on shows like Pee Wee's Playhouse and films like Dennis the Menace (1993). Naturally her life would suddenly change in her teenage years with star making performances in Slums of Beverly Hills, Everyone Says I Love You, But I'm a Cheerleader and, of course, the American Pie series. 

Partnership with Amy Poehler

Many already know that Lyonne and former Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation superstar Amy Poehler struck gold when they teamed up with Leslye Headland to co-create Russian Doll in 2019. However this was not the first sitcom collaboration between Lyonne and Poehler. 

In 2014, Poehler, writers Josh Bycel and Jonathan Fener, as well as director David Wain, teamed up to create a comedy pilot for NBC called Old Soul. The pilot centered around a former wild child who creates a business caring for the elderly. Lyonne was meant to star in the main role of Nadia, alongside Hollywood legends Ellen Burstyn and Rita Moreno. Unfortunately the series was not picked up by the network. But the character name Nadia made its way into Poehler and Lyonne's second, successful, collaboration, Russian Doll.  

Lyonne's wild past 

Lyonne had a few rocky years during the mid 2000s. She had a history of DUIs, legal issues and issues with heroine and other substances. She was admitted to treatment centers throughout those few years. But eventually conquered her vices and pulled herself up to become a seasoned actor, director and writer, and multi-Emmy nominee. The only vice she still has today is smoking and comedy.  

Lyonne was evicted from an apartment owned by actor Michael Rappaport 

Lyonne was at one point evicted from her apartment; a complex that was once owned by character actor Michael Rapaport (Only Murders in the Building). Rappaport went on record with The New York Daily News to say that, at the time, "People were going in and out of the apartment, [one of the tenants] was telling me about the late-night parties, and random dudes sprawled out on her sofa at all times. [Another tenant] had a little dinner party. Natasha was screaming up at them throughout the party." Rappaport and Lyonne have since reconciled, with Rapport saying the following on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live After Show, "We're totally reconciled, we're good friends, and she's like a sister to me. So we're cool." 

Lyonne had life-saving heart surgery

Lyonne suffered from heart valve damage caused by endocarditis she experienced in 2005. In 2012, she underwent a serious open-heart surgery procedure, which ultimately saved her life. Speaking about the operation to The Guardian in 2019, Lyonne said, "In many ways, the reason I'm not dead is because there's a fighter in me that wants to survive."

Lyonne is a big fan of the Zelda video games

Though Charlie Cale may be the hero of Poker Face, Lyonne has been known to play regularly as a completely different type of hero: Link of Hyrule. Lyonne is a die-hard Zelda fan, often posting regular Tweets about her quests through Hyrule on social media. During an interview on Conan, when asked about three things that make her happy, she replied "Smoking, swimming and Zelda the video game. I play that about 12 hours a day, in place of sleep."

Natasha Lyonne's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the star:

How old/tall is Natasha Lyonne?

Lyonne is 46 years old, and 5-foot 3-inches tall.

What is Natasha Lyonne's natural hair color?

Lyonne is naturally blonde. She dyed her hair red for Russian Doll and some other roles.

Where is Natasha Lyonne from?

Lyonne was born in New York, but has lived in Israel and Miami during her life.

Does Natasha Lyonne have social media?

Lyonne is active on Instagram and Twitter. Her handle is @nlyonne on both.

Bradley Walsh is the one of the country's most in-demand TV stars and something of a national treasure.

An actor, comedian, singer and television presenter, Bradley is best known to millions as the hilarious host of the hit ITV show The Chase, which has been a teatime institution since 2009.

He's also gaining a younger fanbase as the frontman of BBC's sporting show Gladiators, which he co-hosts with son Barney Walsh. The pair are no strangers to working together, having starred in five seasons of their comedy travelogue Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad.

Bradley is famed for his roles on primetime shows such as Coronation Street, Law & Order: UK, Doctor Who and The Darling Buds of May spin-off The Larkins. 

But that's not all, he's also a popular theatre star and successful singer, having released two studio albums, one of which placed in the top 10 of the UK Album Charts.

Here are a few other things you may not know about Brad...

Bradley Walsh was tipped for stardom at a young age

Bradley John Walsh was born on June 4, 1960 in Watford, to a Scottish mother, Margaret and English father, Daniel. He grew up in the are of Leavesden, and has one sister called Kerri. 

Bradley was educated at Francis Combe School in Garston and was clearly tipped for a career in front of the cameras from a young age. In fact, he was voted most likely to become a TV host by his fellow pupils.

After leaving school at 16, Bradley's first job was working as an apprentice jet engineer for Rolls-Royce helicopter engines. He joined the company's football team, and after impressing them with his ball skills, was snapped up by a talent scout for Brentford F.C.

He used to be a professional footballer

Back in 1978, when Bradley was 18, he was signed to Brentford. He stayed with the club for two years, despite never making the first team squad due to injuries, he was regularly a member of the reserves. 

He played for Barnet on loan and also played for Tring Town, Borehamwood and Chalfont St Peter before an ankle fracture brought his footballing career to an end.

Bradley's love of the great game has continued. He's a keen supporter of Arsenal and even commentated on the FA Cup Final in 2002, where his team triumphed against Chelsea.

He's done his bit for charity too - competing in the All Stars team against Liverpool Legends for the Hillsborough Memorial Match in May 2009, and representing Team England in the 2006 and 2010 Soccer Aid matches.

His Coronation Street character was named after his real-life father

It may come as a surprise to some of Bradley's fans that he's starred in not one, but two different soaps. 

In 2002, he joined the cast of the short-lived ITV soap Night and Day as Eddie 'Woody' Dexter, starring in 52 episodes. 

Soapland beckoned again in 2004, when Coronation Street cast him to play factory boss Danny Baldwin. Bradley was initially reluctant to take the role, but his wife, Donna encouraged him to go for it.

His character was originally supposed to be called Vic, but Bradley asked for his alter-ego to be named Danny after his late father. 

Danny had an eye for the ladies from the word go, and his most explosive storyline saw him have an affair with his son's girlfriend, Leanne Battersby. 

After two years on the cobbles, Bradley decided it was time to go, and Danny left Weatherfield on New Year's Eve 2006 with a beautiful woman on his arm. Naturally.

He's an experienced game show host

Following the collapse of his football career, Bradley worked a variety of jobs, including being a bluecoat at Pontins and doing stand-up at his local social club. 

His big break into the entertainment industry came in 1997, when ITV hired him as the new face of their popular game show Wheel of Fortune. 

Bradley went on to host Spin Star, Keep It in the Family, Cash Trapped, and then in 2009 came the call to present The Chase. 15 series on he is the undisputed king of the quiz shows, and Bradley's friendly charm and quick-witted banter — both with the contestants and Chasers — draw in millions of viewers each day.

He has also hosted numerous poll countdown shows and several episodes of Tonight at the London Palladium.

He once appeared as a contestant on Gladiators

Bradley and son Barney have been entertaining audiences as the co-hosts of Gladiators since the iconic 90s Saturday night gameshow has been brought into the modern era and is attracting a whole new generation of fans.

But what many of them won't know is Brad actually took part in the celebrity version of Gladiators, back in 1997 - and his contestant name was Crumpet! But by his own admission, his performance was pretty poor.

"They (the Gladiators) were a lot fitter, faster, higher, stronger than I could ever be and consequently I was useless," he told The BBC.

Bradley's wife, Donna was also an associate producer of the original series and Barney would often spend time backstage at the show when he was a baby - making it a real family affair!

He based the character of Pop Larkin on one of his mates

Bradley's most recent acting role is playing Pa Larkin in ITV series The Larkins. The iconic character was originally made famous by Sir David Jason in The Darling Buds of May in the 1990s and based on the stories by HE Bates. 

Bradley grew out his sideburns for the nostalgic family show, and in chat with Radio Times he revealed the inspiration for the role came from quite close to home.

He said: "I love Pop Larkin and I love playing him. He is a combination of a couple of friends of mine. Funnily enough, I had a bit of dinner with one of my pals who Pop’s sort of based on and I told him and he was thrilled. As were his wife and kids. So that’s nice!

But there's one downside to playing Pop, as Bradley explained: "I keep a lot of my stuff about my person, and I’ve got pockets in my trousers, waistcoats and jackets. I’ve got about a dozen pockets, so if I put my glasses or pen away, I spend most of the day trying to find where everything is!"

He's a golf fanatic

Footy isn't the only sport that Bradley is passionate about — he's also crazy for golf!

The actor started playing when he was 20, and in 2007 he took part in Northern Rock’s All-Star Golf Tournament on ITV, with his team winning the trophy.

In his spare time, Bradley loves to get his clubs out and has played on golf courses around the world, with the likes of former Chelsea captain John Terry and Dragon's Den investor Peter Jones.

He's a proud dad and grandad

Bradley has been married to wife Donna Derby since 1997, and they've been together for over thirty years. 

Donna is a former dancer and renowned choreographer and rose to fame starring in Robert Palmer's 1980s hit record Simply Irresistible. 

Smitten Bradley told Saga magazine: "My wife is an amazing person. She provides love and stability in my life."

The couple are parents to a son, Barney. Bradley and Barney are currently co-hosting the BBC reboot of the iconic fitness show, Gladiators.

Bradley is also a dad to daughter Hayley from a previous relationship. The star became a grandad in 2021 when Hayley and her husband Tom welcomed a baby boy. 

Cheeky Bradley joked to The Mirror: "I'm going to be a brilliant grandfather because I've got this trick. When the baby grows into a toddler, make sure you spend plenty of time with them, feeding them ice cream and Coca-Cola, and then give them back at just the right time and say to your children, 'There you are, that's what you were like."

He's released an album of classic croons

Chatterbox Bradley always has plenty to say, and he's got a decent singing voice too!

In 2016, Bradley the crooner released his debut album, Chasing Dreams, which got to number 10 in the UK album charts. The album features jazz hits like That's Life and Mr Bojangles, but the title track was a song written by Bradley himself. Impressive!

His second easy listening album, which was released a year later, was When You're Smiling and reached number 11 in the album charts.

Bradley Walsh's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the TV star...

Instagram: @bradderswalsh

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Maya Jama is one of the hottest stars in the UK right now. The Bristol-born broadcaster, DJ and model made her presenting debut as a teenager on JumpOff.TV. She's now the owner of a very impressive CV, having hosted her own Radio 1 show and fronted huge shows such as Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer, Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star and Walk the Line.

Now, Maya is taking on her biggest role to date as the new host of Winter Love Island 2023. The addictive dating show is back for a ninth series, and its second winter season, which is set in South Africa. 

Maya, who is a self-confessed Love Island fangirl, is taking over from former host Laura Whitmore who stepped down after three seasons, and said accepting the gig was a 'no-brainer'.

But what else is there to know about Maya Jama? Here are a few things you might not be aware of…

Maya Jama had a tough time at school

Maya Indea Jama was born on 14 August in 1994 and named after the eminent US author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. She has one brother, called Omar. 

Brought up by her mum, Sadie, in Bristol, Maya is of Swedish and Somalian heritage. At primary school, Maya was bullied by her fellow pupils over her background, so when she moved to Cotham Secondary School, she decided to lie about her heritage — until her family found out.

“When mum and my aunties from the Somali side of the family asked me why, I was just like: ‘The boys were saying horrible things about it,’" she explained to inews.co.uk.

“But after having a proper chat with them I realized it’s something to be proud of. I went back to school all guns blazing like, ‘This is me and this is where I’m from.’”

She suffered huge tragedy as a teenager

In 2011, 16-year-old Maya was left shattered when her first boyfriend, Rico Gordon was tragically killed in a shooting.

Rico lived in London and was visiting Maya in Bristol when he was caught in the crossfire of a fight between two gangs. The terrible incident also injured several other bystanders.

Maya, was on the phone to Rico at the time the fatal shot was fired and appeared on BBC's Crimewatch, appealing to the public for help in finding his killers. Two men were convicted for the crime the following year.

Rico's untimely death had a profound effect on Maya. "It changed my life completely," she told The Guardian. "Losing somebody close to you as a teenager, particularly your first love, rocks your whole world and you are forced to see life differently. It also makes you snap up, like, no, I’m not wasting time anymore.”

She would love to be a Bond girl!

Following in the footsteps of her role models Davina McCall and June Sarpong, Maya moved to London in 2012 to pursue a career in television presenting. 

After landing a job as a runner, she started creating content for YouTube, and quickly attracted the attention of producers. 

But one of the star's early ambitions was to become an actress. As a child she had aspirations to star in BBC soap EastEnders, and she made it down to the final two for a lead role in the teen drama, Skins. 

The disappointment put her off acting at the time, but these days she’s ready for a second go. “One day I’d love to be a Bond girl,” she said on BBC One’s All Round to Mrs Browns. “I think that’s a dream most people have.”

Stormzy wrote a song about her

Maya began dating rapper Stormzy (real name Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr) back in 2015, and the pair soon became a showbiz supercouple. 

They parted ways after four years together, and their split, which Stormzy described as 'the biggest loss a man could have' inspired his song Lessons. 

Both Maya and Stormzy have admitted they felt pressure playing out their relationship and break-up in the public eye. 

“I used to read magazines when I was little and see all these Hollywood people break up and they didn’t feel like real people,” Maya told Capitol Xtra. “And then when you’re in that position you’re like ‘Actually, it’s very real.'"

Maya went on to date NBA player Ben Simmons. They became engaged at the end of 2021, but their long-distance romance took its toll and they ended up calling it quits. 

She has people after her blood!

In 2019, Maya gave blood for the first time as part of an NHS donation campaign video, and subsequently discovered she has a rare blood type.

Maya has the Ro Kell negative combination of types, which makes her one of the most in demand blood donors in the country. 

“I had no idea that I had an unusual blood type,” she told blood.co.uk. “It was great to know that my donation could prove life-changing for somebody. Donating was so much easier than I thought and I would strongly encourage others to do the same.”

She's a savvy businesswoman

TV presenting isn't the only string in multi-talented Maya's bow. Alongside a highly successful broadcasting career, which includes fronting several prime time shows, the star has amassed a fortune through her trademarked MIJ business.

In 2021, Maya launched her debut range of high-performance face masks and patches, which flew off the shelves and completely sold out in the first week. 

Maya is also an in-demand model and has featured in campaigns for major brands such as Maybelline, Adidas, and Levi’s. In 2018, she joined forces with fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing and released two sell-out collections with them. 

She loves a bit of Abba

Being part Swedish, it was in Maya's DNA to be a fan of their most famous export - pop supergroup Abba. In fact, the fab four's greatest hits was the first album Maya ever bought. 

Her Abba education began at an early age when Maya's Swedish nan used to play her their songs. Her favourite track is Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! “It’s a banger. I’d love to hear a revamped version,” the presenter told Vogue.

Interestingly, the first ever concert Maya ever went to see was Devlin at the O2 Islington, where a certain Ed Sheeran was the supporting act.

In a chat with NME, Maya revealed: "I didn’t know what to expect — Ed just came out with his little guitar, which is crazy because of how big he is now. We just stared adoringly into whoever was onstage’s eyes! Loved it though, sung every word. I play it cool in front of Ed now, but one day it’ll come out in conversation!”

Maya Jama's fact file

Frequently asked questions about the presenter...

Twitter: @MayaJama

Instagram: mayajama

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.