Colin Firth

Forget MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace and John Torode, Jessica Boulton’s ruthless rundown of the showbiz week reveals the EIGHT stories you should be talking about instead….. including the only cancelled BBC star who actually deserves our tears

Jessica Boulton works on the Mirror’s features desk, specialising in celebrity features and interviews. She also writes a weekly observational comedy column Jess Saying, which runs each Saturday. In addition, she oversees the entertainment pages, helps co-ordinate the Pride of Britain coverage and newsletter and guest edits The Diary. Jessica joined The Mirror’s sister paper The People in 2006, and has since worked on the Sunday Mirror and Now magazine. Most likely to be found raving about The Oscars, BAFTAs, Netflix, Friends or Star Wars.

Daily Mirror Columnist Jessica Boulton brings you Jess Saying, her wry, witty and slightly whimsical take on the heroes and villains, winners and losers and the outright outrageous showbiz shenanigans keeping us amused this week. So….where better to start than….

JUSTICE FOR BBC ICON MONDAY

I’ve always considered myself to be woke. I’m left-wing, open-minded and look good in red (in the UK, definitely not in the US). I’d fully support trigger warnings on Bambi and The Lion King. And I’d argue there should be one on Titanic (for “scenes of disturbing door hoggery”). But this week I’m afraid to say, even I think the woke world has gone too far. For a true BBC icon has ­outrageously and undeservedly been cancelled. It’s a sad, sad state of affairs after 30 years of excellence. But it’s a sign of the times: one day everyone loves you and the next…you’re persona non grata, written off as a bad fit for the Gen Zs of today (who don’t watch TV anyway, so why are we pandering?). So which iconic BBC veteran has been tragically stripped of work this week? Clue: they first appeared in 1995 – and won millions of fans overnight. Yes, you’ve guessed it. There’s only one BBC star I’m weeping for: Mr Darcy. Well, his Wet White Shirt, to be precise.

For three decades, the sterling performance of Colin Firth’s infamous Pride and Prejudice shirt has never been equalled. But its outstanding contribution to entertainment has now been called into question – over fears it’s been objectifying men. Yup. It’s true. Some buttoned-up bores at Netflix are currently debating what’ll make the cut and what won’t in their upcoming P&P remake.

READ MORE: MasterChef bosses decide BBC show fate for coming years after show scandal

Considering Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden is the new Darcy (alongside The Crown’s Emma Corrin as Lizzie Bennet), I was FERVENTLY in support of the decision to completely remove the Wet White Shirt, at first.

But then I realised I’d got the wrong end of the stick…I’m only teasing of course. But I do have two little points I’d like to flag to people’s attention:

POINT 1. What else would Netflix need to change to fit a more ‘2025-friendly’ adaptation? Jane’s famous first line definitely loses a certain something after my woke rewrite:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged – but not necessarily accepted as we each have our ‘own truth’ – that a single man, sorry, dependent-free gender-neutral individual, in possession of a ‘good fortune’ (aka, a disproportionate amount of wealth thanks to genetic privilege and the unjust dominance of patriarchy), must be – although is under no obligation to be and will face no ­judgment if they are not – in want of a wife…..or a loving relationship that equally fulfils the needs of both you and your consenting partner/partners, but does not necessarily adhere to any ­societal expectations.”

And POINT 2: ……Season 2, Episode 5 of NETFLIX’S Bridgerton. Look familiar, guys?

NAKED AMBITION TUESDAY

The Primetime Emmy nominations are finally in! Adolescence was the UK’s biggest contender this year – with nods including Best Actor for Stephen Graham and Best Supporting for 15-year-old Owen Cooper (I’d argue it should be reversed).

Meanwhile, leading the way with a mindblowing 27 noms was Apple’s truly genius Severance – a drama in which people clock off at 5pm and all memory of work from that day is completely wiped. (You can decide for yourselves if that’s a good thing or not.)

The most delightful Emmy news of all? Nobody Wants This, with my all-time celeb faves Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, landed nods for best comedy series, actor and actress. It was an achievement ­Kristen’s hubby Dax Shepard immediately celebrated with this pic – of Kristen’s naked yoga workout.

I’m not married, so maybe I’m wrong… But should Dax really have gone so very public with his congratulations? A great big bear bare hug may have been the better choice.

END OF TORODE WEDNESDAY

Talking of draaaaaama and cancellations… it was all going off the boil at MasterChef this week. Just days after Gregg Wallace was given the heave-ho after vowing to fight the dozens of allegations against him, his co-star John Torode was ALSO left with egg on his face. Torode was accused of making a racial slur – said to be “the worst word possible” – in a social setting some years ago. Torode denied it. But it left Auntie with a sour taste, so he was sent packing with a P45 as well.

The poor BBC now has an entire as-yet-unreleased pre-recorded series of MasterChef with not one but TWO disgraced hosts. That’s got to be tough to swallow. It also explains the reasoning behind one of its latest new hires. For even wholesome Blue Peter has had its share of scandalous stars…

So when faced with finding its latest prestigious presenter, the Beeb hired someone who’s been nothing but a safe pair of hands their whole career. Some might even go as far to say he’s the perfect ­corporate puppet.….(see below).

FISHING FOR INSULTS? THURSDAY

Gregg and John might be in for a grilling over their alleged behaviour, but another under-fire celeb, Sacha Baron Cohen, was probably feeling a little, um, roasted this week. Yes, his actress ex-wife Isla Fisher has not had the most amicable of splits with Da Ali G and Borat actor. So some social media users took her quip on Instagram to be a tiny dig at his expense (literally). The Confessions Of A Shopaholic star wrote: “For all the men who say ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’, here’s an update for you. “Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why?

“Because women realise it’s not worth buying an entire pig… just to get a little sausage.” No porkies there! I’d rather bring home the bacon alone than be stuck with a man who’s the literal wurst. So, bravo, Isla! That took proper chops.

FACING FACTS FRIDAY

You can’t make this one up. And to be fair, whatever you say about Katie Price, at least she can take the mickey out of herself. Which is why she’s made a startling admission this week. Apparently Katie was ­travelling and got pulled over by ­security at passport control – because she’s had so many trips under the knife, the scanners couldn’t recognise her passport photo. Yes, Katie might have been accused of being two-faced in the past, but, as she’ll admit herself, she’s been through at least 10 of them now. On the upside, it’s something to add to her CV next time she’s bankrupt. After all, everyone wants their staff to multi-faceted nowadays.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

She’s always been a woman with Klass. So it’s good to see Myleene hasn’t let her newly-award MBE go to her head. Ahem.

Yes, Myleene was presented the honour this week after her tireless charity work, including raising the awareness of the emotional toll of miscarriage. But it looks like the Hear’Say singer might be taking the honour a little too literally.

For the morning after receiving the medal – alongside fellow honouree Leona Lewis OBE – Myleene posted this bathtime snap.

Umm….It looks like you’ve got a little something in your hair, Myleene. To be fair, it could have been worse. She could have posted a snap of her in her tiara….sitting on the throne.

JESS A QUICKIE:

Myleene’s not the only one having some bathroom fun. Charlotte Crosby decided to promote her new fiction tome by sitting in a bath of books. It makes sense: she’s always swimming with novel ideas.* *Sorry I couldn’t help myself

What do you think? Let me know in the comments or via IG/X @JessicaBoulton

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The film was a success when it was released in 1995

A quintessential adaptation of a timeless Jane Austen novel is now available to watch, reports the Daily Express.

Initially released in 1995, the film garnered widespread critical acclaim, with numerous critics hailing it as one of the finest Austen adaptations ever made.

One IMDb reviewer titled their post: “A classic for all time.”

They continued: “Whoever says they just don’t make the quality of pictures today that they used to hasn’t seen or is ignoring this film.”

A second reviewer described the film as “a subtle masterpiece”, stating: “I saw this movie in a cinema back in 1996 and since that June I have seen it about a dozen times.”

“It is true, that being an ardent lover of the so-called Romantic (as if the 13th century couldn’t be Romantic or 17th, but these things are academic nonsense) period I can enjoy even minor pieces of period cinema, however this is most probably the best film set in the early 19th century.”

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A third review, titled “Faithful, beautiful, enjoyable, one of the best film adaptations of period novels.”, read: “Normally period adaptations need at least a few hours to do proper justice. And so it is usually the television versions that are better for those who like things faithful to text. Film versions usually truncate and romanticise/Hollywoodise which can be frustrating.

“However, films have bigger budgets and better production values so are easier on the eye. However, this is a shining example of 2.5 hour film which packed so much detail in for a real complete sense of the novel, but also with great faithful performances, at the same time as being great to watch with all the production values and cinematography or a big budget movie. One of the better film adaptations of period pieces ever.”

Released amid a flurry of Jane Austen adaptations, the Hollywood hit Sense and Sensibility shared its release year with the BBC’s heralded Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, as well as Persuasion featuring Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds – not to mention the contemporary spin on Emma, Clueless, which became an instant hit.

Based on the classic 1811 novel by Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (played by Emma Thompson) and Marianne (Kate Winslet), who manifest two opposing approaches to love after facing sudden financial ruin.

With their fortune gone, the Dashwood sisters are forced to navigate society in search of suitable husbands to secure their futures, encountering numerous unexpected developments along the way.

The film boasted an impressive ensemble cast including the likes of Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Greg Wise, Gemma Jones, Dame Harriet Walter, James Fleet, Hugh Laurie, and Imelda Staunton.

The esteemed British actress, Thompson, not only starred in the film but also penned the screenplay, earning her an Oscar for Best Writing.

Both Thompson and Winslet bagged BAFTA Film Awards for their stellar performances in Sense and Sensibility.

Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee was brought on board to direct the movie, marking his international breakthrough. He later won Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and The Life of Pi.

Despite subsequent adaptations of Sense and Sensibility, including the BBC’s 2008 miniseries, this version is widely regarded as the pinnacle among Austen adaptations.

Sense and Sensibility 1995 is streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video for a fee

Following the death of legendary BBC executive Alan Yentob, the Mirror’s Jessica Boulton looks back on the life and career of a daring outsider remembered as a ‘cultural visionary’

It was 1968 when a 21-year-old Alan Yentob first joined the BBC – the only non-Oxbridge graduate on the trainee scheme that year.

His application had been borderline cocksure, tinged with sarcasm.

Asked about his experience, he had famously replied: “My dramatic debut at the age of nine in The Merry Wives of Windsor was greeted with a gratifying critique: ‘You ought to be a film star, cos you’ve got smashing legs’.”

It was a daring and leftfield response for the then-notoriously-straight-laced Auntie. But it was one that worked.

East Londoner Alan, a Leeds graduate and son of Iraqi Jewish immigrants, turned his back on the family textile business, broke through the cliques of his Oxbridge colleagues and began his mission: to shake up the BBC.

READ MORE: Alan Yentob dead: BBC presenter and executive dies after 40 year career at broadcaster

It was one he would continue for six decades, as he became the man responsible for introducing some of television’s most iconic and groundbreaking shows—from Absolutely Fabulous, Have I Got News For You, Ballykissangel, and the documentary series Imagine to Colin Firth’s Pride and Prejudice and Wallace and Gromit.

He launched the dedicated CBBC and CBeebies channels and (rightly or wrongly) championed a then-unknown Jeremy Clarkson for a little show called…Top Gear.

Now, after his death on Saturday at the age of 78, one word is dominating the tributes: “Visionary.”

His actress wife, Phillipa Walker, mother of his children, Jacob and Isabella, said: “Every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected. Our life was exciting, he was exciting.

“He was curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”

BBC director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond. He had a rare gift for identifying talent and lifting others up.”

Among those he elevated was the duo French and Saunders, as Dawn French recognised last night. “We’ve lost a top chap. He was our advocate from the start,” she said on social media.

David Baddiel, who starred in Alan’s series The Art Of Stand-Up, posted a picture of them together. “Here he is backstage after one of my shows, being incredibly supportive, as he always was,” said David. “A lovely man, and a king of TV.”

The Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were the subject of one of Alan’s Imagine documentaries, which aired last year.

“Alan was a legend in British TV, responsible for some of the BBC’s finest programmes,” the duo said in a joint statement. “He was a stimulating person to spend time with.”

He certainly had some stories to tell.

Alan and his twin brother Robert were born in Stepney, east London, in 1947. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Iraq, who had built up a profitable textile company in the UK. The family spent a few years in Manchester before settling in a flat in London’s prestigious Park Lane. His parents gave the boys the best start possible, sending them to private school.

Alan would go on to graduate from Leeds University with a 2:2 in law but armed with a new passion – for drama. So while his brother went into the family business, Alan joined the BBC and worked his way from the ground up.

It was in 1975 that his talent for interviews and documentaries really emerged. In his now legendary Omnibus episode, Cracked Actor, Alan chronicled the vulnerability of the cocaine-addicted David Bowie in a way that had never been seen.

“He was fragile and exhausted, but also prepared to open up and talk in a way he had never really done before,” Alan once recalled. “Our encounters tended to take place in hotel rooms in the early hours of the morning.”

His work was recognised on both sides of the pond, with US music magazine Rolling Stone calling it the “greatest rockumentary ever”.

After that, Alan’s eye soon caught management’s attention: He became the youngest ever controller of BBC 2 in 1988, followed by BBC One controller in 1993 and then, via other roles, BBC Creative Director in 2004.

His path allowed him a chance to champion many of the standout shows of the past 35 years, including Middlemarch, the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, and Ballykissangel. Perhaps most welcome of all, he was also the man who decided to axe the much-hated soap Eldorado.

Alan was not just in management. He also continued in front of the camera, mainly in his mission to make the arts accessible for all, with his documentaries for Arena and Imagine and The Late Show, a chat show devoted to art and literature. His interviewees included everyone from Billy Connolly and Mel Brooks to Maya Angelou.

Such was his appeal that sometimes it wasn’t clear who should be most grateful for the interview – Alan or his subjects.

Richard Osman once shared this telling anecdote: “Alan Yentob once walked into a TV green room I was in, looked around, then said ‘if you see Jay-Z, tell him Alan was looking for him’.”

It sums up Alan’s status to a tee.

But Alan’s was not a life without scandal. In 2007, Imagine was accused of inserting clips of him nodding into interviews where he hadn’t been present. An investigation later ruled that none of these made it to air.

Alan also faced pressure after buying a £3,381 London to New York business class while filming.

But his biggest controversy, by far, involved the 2015 collapse of Kids Company, the charity of which he was chairman. He was questioned over a £3m government loan that had been issued shortly before it folded and criticised for not properly overseeing its finances.

Alan was then accused of trying to influence the BBC’s coverage of the scandal, claims he strongly denied. But he eventually resigned from his post as Creative Director six months later, only, he said, because the story was becoming “a serious distraction” from the BBC’s other work.

By last year, it was a distant memory as Alan was appointed a CBE in the 2024 New Year Honours List for services to arts and media, before conducting what would be one of his last major interviews – the exclusive with his old friend and Godfather to his children, Sir Salman Rushdie, about his 2022 assasination attempt.

The pair had once arm-wrestled in the BBC satirical comedy W1A.

Rushdie had yet to find the words for what will surely be a very difficult tribute last night.

Yet BBC Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan gave an unusually candid insight that Alan himself would no doubt have approved of.

Amol said: “He had his foibles and failures, but Alan Yentob was one of the most generous, influential, singular, passionate, supportive, creative and loved men of his generation.

“His shows were always brilliant, often masterpieces, sometimes seminal. That was public Alan. In private, he was magnetic, zealous, and very funny, with a mesmerising voice and mischievous chuckle. He oozed fortitude until the very last.”

Perhaps – at a time when terrestrial TV faces a fight for its survival – there’s one last legacy which Alan leaves the corporation – the drive to keep shaking things up.

Tim Davie added: “To work with Alan was to be inspired and encouraged to think bigger.”

It’s true: the trainee who began with little to boast of but his “smashing legs” could never be accused of thinking small.

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The BBC will be dropping the acclaimed movie soon

The BBC is set to deliver a Regency drama that’s certain to leave viewers weak at the knees, reports Surrey Live.

Audiences have lavished praise on the period piece, with one eager fan sharing their Rotten Tomatoes review: “Seen this in a movie theater elevates it to another level.

“The top of the top in the romance/drama/comedy genre, and one of the best movies of all times [sic].”

Another elated watcher wrote a glowing second review: “I would have to say, personally, this is the greatest movie I have ever watched.

“The story was so compelling, the characters like no other.”

Further praise came from a third delighted viewer who admitted: “I love every single minute of this movie.”

Joe Wright’s cinematically gorgeous 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice is slated for arrival on BBC iPlayer this month, just in time for its 20th anniversary celebrations and synchronising with what would have been Jane Austen’s 250th birthday.

This cinematic rendition sparked debate among die-hard Pride and Prejudice aficionados, especially as it followed a decade after the BBC’s much-cherished 1995 series featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle as the definitive Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

Firth’s embodiment of Mr Darcy transcended the pages when he later mirrored the iconic role in Bridget Jones’s Diary, amassing an even wider fanbase and solidifying his portrayal as the ultimate Mr Darcy for many.

However, Matthew Macfadyen stepping into the prestigious shoes of Austen’s beloved hero for the 2005 film did stir some dissent among admirers, especially as the actor was known then for his work on Spooks.

However, his performance alongside Pirates of the Caribbean and Bend It Like Beckham star Keira Knightley, who played Elizabeth Bennet, managed to win over even the most doubtful critics.

Wright’s Hollywood rendition boasted stunning cinematography, featuring expansive shots of the English countryside, including a memorable scene of Lizzy perched on a cliff in the Peak District.

Complementing the striking visuals was the enchanting score by Italian composer Dario Marianelli.

For those unfamiliar with Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice follows the spirited Lizzy and her sisters as they navigate societal expectations to secure their futures through marriage.

Despite their mother Mrs Bennet’s, portrayed by Brenda Blethyn of Vera fame, frantic attempts at matchmaking, several of the Bennet sisters do find a match.

Amidst all this, Lizzy defies convention by seeking a marriage based on love rather than wealth.

Her initial awkward interaction with Mr Darcy sets them both on a transformative journey that challenges their preconceived notions and changes them irrevocably.

Pride and Prejudice boasted an impressive cast including Rosamund Pike, the late Donald Sutherland, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Jena Malone, Tom Hollander and Rupert Friend.

The film is certainly worth revisiting before Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which will feature Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy and Olivia Colman as Mrs Bennet.

Netflix has assured that the upcoming series will be a true-to-source, classic adaptation of the novel, with Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About Love, handling the scriptwriting.

Filming for Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice is set to take place in the UK this year.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) will be streaming on the BBC iPlayer from May 26