bridget jones

Celia Imrie is one of several famous faces appearing on the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors, and in the past, the beloved actress, who’s appeared in Bridget Jones, has shared glimpses of her life

Celia Imrie had no wishes to marry – or date, but after wanting a child took a slightly unconventional route to motherhood. The actress is one of the famous faces starring in BBC hit Celebrity Traitors.

She’s joined in the castle by the likes of Alan Carr, Charlotte Church, Kate Garraway, Lucy Beaumont, Jonathan Ross, Clare Balding, Cat Burns and Stephen Fry. Celia believes being an actor gives her “quite an advantage” to the game, but has shared a number of personal revelations in the series so far.

Celia has spoken of her special arrangement with the late actor, Benjamin Whitrow. Celia has made it no secret that she had no intentions of getting married, but had always wanted to be a mum. She and Benjamin welcomed son Angus, also an actor, who has appeared in Station Jim, The Crown and Flea Bag.

Now, 73, when she was in her 40s, Celia asked Whitrow for a child but revealed she didn’t expect him to contribute towards their son’s life. Instead, she made the decision that she would raise their child completley alone. Speaking about her deal with Whitrow, she told the Telegraph: “Angus was devoted to his father and, though I’ve never really said it properly, Ben and I did have a romance.

“I wanted to have his baby before it was too late, and he [Whitrow] was very, very honest with him [Angus], and he accepted that and was a wonderful father.” Whitrow, known for playing Mr Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, died in September 2017, aged 80.

She said it was “very tough” and that she had lost “a very darling friend”. Prior to his death, Celia had insisted that they were just friends. She and Whitrow, who was divorced with two adult children, met in the 1990s, and it was during a walk on the beach when she asked him to father her son.

Reflecting on this, she said in her memoir, Happy Hoofer: “We gradually got to know each other and grew very fond. He thought perhaps in time…but because Ben had a grown-up family I was very anxious not to upset them.

“Ben and I walked on the beach one day as I laid out my terms. As long as he understood I would not ask for anything, I wouldn’t want to live with him, or marry him, would never ask for money for the child and I would be responsible for choosing and paying for the child’s education, accommodation, clothing – everything.

“I was trying to be clear and true. Some people might say calculated, but I would say I was being honest. If Ben could take all that on board, I said, then his offer to fulfil my wish for a child would be wonderful. He has proved to be a marvellous father to Angus. And his whole family has been very welcoming.”

Celia has been very clear that she prefers friendship to sex and has no desire to marry. Speaking to the Telegraph in 2013, she said: “I have a horror of boring someone or, worse still, of someone boring me. I said to my mother when I was seven, ‘But, Mums, if it was only my husband and me in the house together, what would we talk about?’ I’ve never wanted to answer my own question, and doubt I’ll bother now.”

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The ‘jewel of the Cotswolds’, which featured in Bridget Jones’ Diary, is facing new rules that have divided locals

Some residents of the picturesque Cotswolds village, Snowshill, which famously featured in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, have voiced their concerns over new stringent planning regulations. These rules would require them to seek council permission for even minor alterations such as installing a patio.

Snowshill, often dubbed the ‘jewel of the Cotswolds’, was showcased in the 2001 film with its lush greenery and a local house serving as the home of Bridget Jones‘s parents. However, this week, the village falls under an Article 4 Direction by Tewkesbury Borough Council, strict rules designed to protect its heritage.

This means almost any work or modifications to buildings must be approved by the council, including installing patios or changing the colour of an exterior wall. Other changes requiring approval include replacing exterior windows and doors, constructing porches, installing roof lights or altering roofing materials, creating or replacing hard surfaces in gardens.

Residents will also need approval to erect gates, fences, or walls, paint the exterior of buildings a new colour or install or alter antennae or solar panels, reports Gloucestershire Live. Some locals have expressed their worries that the new rules are too costly and restrictive, while others believe they have been implemented too late.

Rose, a resident in her 40s who moved to Snowshill four years ago with her family, opposes the plans, describing them as “too controlling”. “I did write an objection but it has gone through anyway,” she expressed. ”It is very prohibitive in terms of what you can do to your home.” She explained that when they purchased the property, it was derelict so they had to refurbish it to make it “habitable”.

“It has been a very painfully process. If now we want to do a fence it feels like we have already climbed a hill.” For Rose, the larger issue is the influx of tourists who “cross the line”. She said: “Tourism is changing the character of the village, not the house changes” she stated. “Preserving the village for tourists is not the best logic.”

Kim, a resident of 40 years, had mixed feelings about the regulations. She questioned the effectiveness of the plans, asking: “How are they going to regulate it? Unless somebody complains.”

She added: “If you have got young children and if something happens to your fence why do you have to go through planning when all you want is to keep your child and the people around you safe. You can’t change your front door, but what if it is damaged? It costs you more to put planning in on Article 4 than planning application.

“I can see that people want to keep it a Cotswolds village but you’ve got to have a balance, but I think people will do whatever they want to their houses.” Sheila Wilks, 85, and her husband Peter, 84, believe the plans are a step in the right direction, but lament that their village has already been ‘ruined’ by holiday lets.

Mrs Wilks said: “They have come too late. They have ruined the village. I have been here all my life 80 years and I just think people abused it.

“I hate change and I think we should preserve what we’ve got. Because we are in such a beautiful place people should keep it like this.”

Their quaint cottage was once the old village shop where Sheila, her mum and siblings were born. In 1965, they purchased the house and have never left since.

However, home renovations aren’t the only issue the couple faces – following films such as Bridget Jones, the couple said the landscape “has changed” and so they want to “preserve” the village.

Mr Wilks stated: “Most of the houses here are Airbnbs. It is disgusting. There are at least 12 Airbnbs in the village. We get about four mini buses a day. They do tend to block the roads occasionally.

“It was all working class people but now it doesn’t seem to be that way at all. It does break up communities.”

Paul, 66, and Sue Brereton, 66, who have resided in their cottage for eight years, agreed with the implementation of the regulations. Mr Brereton said: “It is a very good idea and we wished it had come five years ago. A lot of metal windows have been changed to plastic windows.”

The pair living in a listed property claimed the fresh rules prove “more restrictive” than the listing requirements themselves. Paul explained: “I can’t repaint the windows charcoal grey which I was planning to because I will need planning regulation which is quite expensive.”

Terry, 71, and Pauline Rolls, 71, relocated to their home four years ago. They insisted what matters most is preserving the village’s character.

Mr Rolls explained: “We don’t want the village wrecked with plastic windows. What we want is a little damage as possible. There are a few that have been damaged. People doing what they want to their home is not necessarily a good thing. It is all about keeping the character of the village.”

Mr Rolls joked about how the rules could prevent residents from painting their windows and doors pink. He explained: “We could end up with Disneyland. It is not a NIMBY reaction but we need to keep some originality in this country.”

He stressed it’s crucial to maintain these properties ‘the way they are’ for future generations.

Councillor Sarah Hands, lead member for planning and place making at the borough council, explained: “Snowshill is one of the jewels of our borough, and these powers will help to protect its heritage, while still allowing thoughtful and appropriate development.

“We’re grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation and helped shape this decision.” From Wednesday (October 1), applications will undergo the standard planning process, which includes advertisement and consultation, with standard fees applicable.

The decision to implement the Article 4 Direction was made at a Full Council meeting on July 29, 2025, following a period of consultation.

The panel’s lack of enthusiasm for this category expresses itself in a drastic falloff after the first three contenders, as different from each other as TV movies can be. “Rebel Ridge,” the intense actioner with a should-be star-making performance by Aaron Pierre, is at No. 1. Tied for second are the fourth “Bridget Jones” movie, rom-com “Mad About the Boy,” and “Mountainhead,” which Lorraine Ali calls a “billionaire satire.”

“We all gripe about this category every year,” acknowledges Tracy Brown, “but I think the toughest thing … is the range of projects it encompasses, from the more blockbuster-skewing ‘Rebel Ridge’ to the more firmly indie ‘Am I OK?’. And we all need to be OK with that.”

Kristen Baldwin sums up the frustration on the part of some panelists: “Suggestion: Change the name of this category to Nontheatrical Movies. The concept of a ‘TV Movie,’ as we once knew it, is dead.”

Still, Matt Roush sees something to celebrate at the summit, saying “Mountainhead” “feels like a front-runner on pedigree alone,” citing its writing and direction by ‘Succession’s’ Jesse Armstrong, and its starry cast. “This darkest of farces is also frighteningly timely.”

1. “Rebel Ridge”
2. (tie) “Mountainhead”
2. (tie) “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
4. “Out of My Mind”
5. “The Gorge”
6. “G20”
7. “Am I OK?”

Los Angeles Times

Lorraine Ali

1. “Mountainhead”

2. “Rebel Ridge”

3. “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

4. (tie) “G20”

4. (tie) “The Gorge”

“Starring Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef, the billionaire satire ‘Mountainhead’ slid in just under the eligibility wire. Peacock’s ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ is the fourth film in the rom–com saga starring Renée Zellweger and packs the most name recognition.”

Entertainment Weekly

Kristen Baldwin

1. “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

2. “Mountainhead”

3. “Rebel Ridge”

4. “Out of My Mind”

5. “Am I OK?”

“Suggestion: Change the name of this category to Nontheatrical Movies. The concept of a ‘TV Movie,’ as we once knew it, is dead.”

Los Angeles Times

Tracy Brown

1. “Rebel Ridge”

2. “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

3. “Mountainhead”

4. “The Gorge”

5. “Am I OK?””

“We all gripe about this category every year, but I think the toughest thing about the TV movie race in the time of streaming is the range of projects it encompasses, from the more blockbuster-skewing ‘Rebel Ridge’ to the more firmly indie ‘Am I OK?’ And we all need to be OK with that.”

Shadow and Act

Trey Mangum

1. “Rebel Ridge”

2. “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

3. “Mountainhead”

4. “G20”

5. “The Gorge”

“‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ getting an Emmy nod would seem justified, since it didn’t get a theatrical run in the U.S. It appears to be a lock — just like ‘Mountainhead,’ which is battling ‘Rebel Ridge’ to be at the top.”

TV Guide

Matt Roush

1. “Mountainhead”

2. “Out of My Mind”

3. “Rebel Ridge”

4. “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

5. “Am I OK?”

“In a traditionally meh field, HBO’s late-May entry ‘Mountainhead’ feels like a front-runner on pedigree alone: written and directed by ‘Succession’s’ Jesse Armstrong, about a gathering of toxic tech titans including Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith. This darkest of farces is also frighteningly timely.”

Los Angeles Times

Glenn Whipp

1. “Rebel Ridge”

2. “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

3. “Out of My Mind”

4. “Mountainhead”

5. “The Gorge”

“For the first time in what feels like decades, you could make an argument that the TV movie contenders are at least as good as the limited series. I don’t know about you, but I’d rewatch the latest ‘Bridget Jones’ movie twice before ever dipping into ‘Disclaimer’ again.”