Shakira Khan opened up about her experience on Love Island during a chat on Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast. She spoke about feeling like an outcast and the divide in the villa.
The divide has had the world speaking – but where did it stem from?(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Love Island star, Shakira Khan, 22 has opened up about what life inside the Love Island villa was really like, claiming the show’s “outcasts” all had one thing in common.
Shakira took to Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast to delve into how she and other women of colour were pushed to the margins in the villa saying a troubling “outcast” pattern quickly emerged.
She revealed that she, along with fellow Islanders Toni Laites and Yasmine Pettet called themselves “the outcasts” after feeling pushed out by the main group but soon noticed it wasn’t just them.
“People couldn’t sit there and say there was no divide, there was a divide and that’s okay,” she explained. “As much as people want to sh*t on that, that was my lived experience and my friends will say the same.”
“Me, Toni and Yas call ourselves the outcasts but you could collectively add Billykiss to that, Malisha, Andrada, Emma and there’s a pattern here which I don’t think anyone wants to talk about,” she said. “Women of colour.”
It was clear during the season there was a divide in the show, many viewers took to social media to share their opinions and what side of the fence they were sitting on. Shakira said viewers weren’t wrong to sense a divide on the show, but insisted it ran far deeper than what made it to air.
The divide started on one of the very first days, when Shakira found herself single in the villa, therefore putting her at risk of being sent home. After she pulled islanders for chat’s with each conversation being reciprocated which led to girls began to talk and the quickly there was a shift – the divide began.
According to Shakira, anyone seen as a “threat” to the main group was quickly isolated. “We banded together, the outcasts,” she said.
She drew a direct link between her villa experience and wider society, saying it reminded her of segregation growing up. “It boils down to childhood, people were banned from the community, even in my hometown,” she said.
“We talk about the segregation of white communities, Asian communities people find community in their own and people they have shared experiences with.”
Shakira revealed that these moments in the villa soon had an impact on her. “If you get told 100 times a day ‘you’re wrong, you’re irrelevant’, that’s what you start to internalise. You believe that’s the opinion on the outside because you’ve got nothing else to go off,” she said.
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Who is Shakira Khan?
Shakira Khan, 23, from Burnley is an former contestant from season 12 of Love Island She was one of the main villa girls, starting from day one. Throughout the season, we watched Shakira face many challenges from a chaotic love triangle to villa rivalries, however she made it all the way to the Love Island final despite feeling her being mixed heritage, Pakistan and White may hinder her experience.
“I went to a predominantly white high school, I was not the beauty standard, so I was thinking, ‘What have I signed up for?’ she told I-D Magazine. “Everyone’s gonna love the blonde hair, blue-eyed girls, we see year in year out on Love Island. I thought, based on initial attraction, it wasn’t going to go well for me, but I was pleasantly surprised.”
Where can I listen to the We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson podcast?
No, Shakira did not win Love Island 2025, however she came second place with her partner Harry Cooksley. Toni Laites and Cash Mercer won the show and the £50K prize.
Are Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley still together?
Yes the pair are still dating and going strong since the Villa, Shakira explained on the podcast he treats her well. “He’s witty, he’s charming, he’s intelligent – all those things that I said I look for in a partner.”
“We’re dating each other, can’t put a label on it.” she said, “I’m not dating anyone else, he’s not dating anyone else so you can say we’re exclusively dating each other.” she added
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For the uninitiated, the Ryder Cup is not something from which you drink coffee in your rental truck. As a matter of fact, 15 years ago, this golfing classic was proclaimed by the locals to be the biggest sporting event ever in the country of Wales.
The newest edition of the Ryder Cup will find your TV screen Friday through Monday. It will be contested on Long Island on a torture-chamber called Bethpage Black. They played the U.S. Open there in 2009 and it rained so hard and so often that there were rumors Noah was getting another Ark ready. Lucas Glover didn’t win that one. He survived it.
To be clear, this will not be the biggest sporting event in the New York area. Thursday afternoon Mets’ games create more stomach aches and fist pumps.
But it should not be dismissed or greeted by yawns.
U.S. Ryder Cup golf team captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Team Europe captain Luke Donald, right, will face off this week.
(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)
This every-other-year, alternating-home-course event that matches the best golfers in the United States against the best in Europe, creates as much emotion as you can find in a sport that preaches controlling that.
Recently, British golfer Matt Wallace shed tears on camera after falling just short of qualifying. “I will never give up on the Ryder Cup,” he sobbed.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, one of the best players ever in the sport, made the mistake years ago of calling the Ryder Cup “mostly an exhibition.” He has been apologizing for that ever since.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia, a former Masters champion and an emotional leader of many past European teams, pulled out of a European tournament immediately after he learned he would not be on this year’s Ryder Cup team. He said he needed to get away for a while.
Keegan Bradley was on U.S. teams that lost both the 2012 and 2014 Cups, and he has spoken of the still-unpacked and logoed Ryder Cup backpack that he brought back after 2012. He has vowed to never unpack it until he is part of a winning Ryder Cup team.
If you think that golf and its top players are the living definition of a sports metronome (tick-tock boring), it is not so with the Ryder Cup.
The event keeps sneaking up on people. McIlroy was right, just not up to date. By 2010, the U.S. had started to lose Ryder Cup matches, and that suddenly made them important. U.S. sports fans like a little agony and drama before celebrating winning moments. Losing is not acceptable. From 1959 through 1983, the U.S. had won every Ryder Cup. Then, in 1985, Europe won and held the cup for eight of the next 11 meetings.
Now, it was game on.
Europe’s Rory McIlroy celebrates after winning his singles match against American Sam Burns at the Ryder Cup played at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Guidonia Montecelio, Italy, on Oct. 1, 2023.
(Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press)
The U.S. won in 2008, but this time, for 2010, the Europeans were ready. They even had a special course built, clearly with one thing in mind. It was in Newport, Wales, the club was named Celtic Manor and the course was called the Twenty Ten.
They held a huge pre-celebration dinner and by the time it started, they had sold out the six-day package (three practice rounds and three competition rounds) to 45,000 people at $660 each. That $29.7 million paid nicely for the big party.
Big profits haven’t seemed to be the driving force yet in the Ryder Cup, but like everything else in sports, that is likely to change. This year’s Ryder Cup will be its most extensively televised one to date in the U.S.
Bradley, the guy with a 13-year-old unpacked suitcase, will be the U.S. captain. He has played on two Ryder Cup teams, both defeats, and lost the deciding match to Jamie Donaldson in 2014 in Scotland. The suitcase remains unpacked.
He is still one of the top players in golf, good enough to be a player on this year’s team, but chose not to choose himself and will be a traditional non-playing captain. He was also high enough in the rankings to be considered for a spot on the ’23 U.S. team that lost in Rome. He later said that, when ’23 U.S. captain Zack Johnson passed him over, “It broke my heart.”
Luke Donald of England, who played his golf at Northwestern, was good enough to be No. 1 on the PGA Tour for 56 weeks and was the first golfer to top season money-winning lists on the PGA and European tours in the same year, will be the European captain. He has played on four Ryder Cup teams, all European victories. He was also the captain in Rome.
Donald was a member of that 2010 team in Wales. The U.S. lost by a point and Donald won three of the Europeans 14½.
Celtic Manor was more than just a European win. It was a rub-your-face-in-it win, a remember-who-invented-this-game moment. It was more than winner-take-all. It was winner-celebrate-all-night and-be-smug-about-it-all-next-year.
The setting helps to understand all this.
American Phil Mickelson plays a shot from the rough during the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort on Oct. 1, 2010, in Newport, Wales.
(Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)
The Twenty Ten course was surprisingly not a classic European links course. Much was made of that in the run-up. Why give the Americans a golf course type that they were used to — soft, grassy fairways and smooth-rolling greens — when the links courses usually drove them nuts. Then it started to rain and seemed as if it would never stop. Twenty Ten became Twenty Thousand Puddles. It was so bad that the final day of concluding singles match-play was contested on a Monday, a first for a Ryder Cup. The U.S. team was ready, with nicely logoed rain suits. Except they leaked.
Amid one particularly drenching downpour, U.S. star Phil Mickelson spotted a reporter he knew walking the sidelines. He sauntered over, soaked and dripping, eyed the reporter’s rain gear and said, “Wanna trade?”
The next day, the U.S. team got replacement rain gear from the same gift shop that the reporter had purchased his.
Such nuances are the responsibility of team captains. The Europeans, whose rain suits stayed sealed, were led by longtime tour pro Colin Montgomerie, a great player who never won a major and who many feel was the model for the Pillsbury Dough Boy. The U.S. captain was Corey Pavin, who not only won a U.S. Open in 1995 with his famous four-wood to the green on No. 18, but also was a Gutty Little Bruin, a pride of UCLA golf.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin holds a flag stick during a practice round prior in 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.
(Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
The match, eventually won by Europe, came down to the final singles pairing on Monday. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who had won that year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, was matched by Montgomerie against Pavin’s Hunter Mahan, a Texan who had been the No. 2 Ryder Cup qualifier behind Mickelson.
McDowell took a two-up lead on No. 16, making a sliding, curling 15-foot downhill putt for birdie that left him two up with two holes to play. Then, on the par three 17th — Mahan had to win this hole and the next to keep the U.S. hopes alive — Mahan chunked his second shot, a chip, short of the green. The Euro fans went wild. Mahan walked to McDowell, whose ball rested in easy two-putt, par territory, and shook his hand in concession.
Europe had won, 14½-13½, and the champagne began to flow.
The Celtic Manor clubhouse was on a hill, with a long balcony overlooking the 18th green. Within minutes, the European players were up there, shaking huge bottles of champagne and spraying them all over each other and the thousands of fans below. It went on and on. It was a post-Super Bowl-in- Philadelphia celebration, minus the bent traffic lights; a post-Lakers-win-the-NBA-title-at Staples celebration, minus the burning police cars. It produced photos that dominated every major European newspaper and TV broadcast for the next several days.
Eventually, the U.S. team shuffled into an interview room. There was not a smile to be found. All were there, a unit to the end, sitting at a long table. Quickly, a question went to Mahan about his gagged chip shot. He looked like a man who had just watched his dog get hit by a car. Before he could conjure up much of an answer, two of the three main veterans on the team ran interference. Both Mickelson and Jim Furyk jumped in to answer, saying basically, that none of the people asking the questions could have any idea of the pressure involved in a Ryder Cup situation like that. Of course, none of the people asking the questions had ever aspired to that pressure.
Tiger Woods remained silent.
American Tiger Woods attends a tense news conference after Europe’s 14.5 to 13.5 victory over the U.S. at the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales.
(Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)
At a press gathering before the event, he had fielded a question from a member of the British press. If there was a moment that set a tone of animosity for the event, it was right there.
Reporter: “You don’t win majors any more, you don’t win regular tournaments. Where is the Ryder Cup on your agenda, now that you are an ordinary golfer?”
Woods, the ordinary golfer: “I hope you are having a good week.”
The captains’ comparisons are fun, but probably not meaningful. Bradley has won a major, the 2011 PGA, and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world. His Ryder Cup playing record is 4-3-0. Donald never won a major, but was World No. 1. His Ryder Cup record is 10-4-1. He was Ryder Cup captain in 2023 in Paris. He has never been on a losing Ryder Cup team, as a player or captain. Bradley’s Ryder team record is 0-2.
The only playing returnee from 2010 at Celtic Manor — Donald was also on the team — is McIlroy, who once called this whole thing an “exhibition.” That was before he stood on a balcony in Wales, 15 years ago, and looked below to a mass of idolizing golf fans, begging to be sprayed with champagne.
In that moment, the Ryder Cup became a huge deal for McIlroy. The rest of the sports world now follows.
Paramount+’s hit Sylvester Stallone drama Tulsa King is finally back for season three and a new addition to the cast has everyone excited
Tulsa King fans are ecstatic as another action movie legend has joined the cast as a powerful new enemy for crime boss Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi (played by Sylvester Stallone).
Season three premiered last Sunday night (21st September), taking fans back to the night Dwight was kidnapped by Special Agent Musso (Kevin Pollak).
Thankfully, he’s soon released, albeit as Musso’s new informant on an unknown target, and reunites with Margaret (Dana Delany), apologising for her ranch being ransacked by gunmen the night before.
After a quick visit to his family in Little Italy, Dwight discovers Cleo Montague’s (Bella Heathcote) family distillery is due to be sold to the powerful Dunmire family after her father Theodore (Brett Rice) made a handshake deal.
However, Dwight sees the distillery as a valuable asset to his own empire and promises a better deal for the Montagues.
Fans are saying season three is already an improvement over the previous outing(Image: PARAMOUNT)
Cue the introduction of Tulsa King season three’s terrifying new villain, Jeremiah Dunmire, portrayed by none other than Hollywood star Robert Patrick.
Patrick is best known for portraying the unstoppable T-1000 in James Cameron’s hit action movie sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day and has more recently landed roles in Yellowstone prequel 1923 and HBO’s Peacemaker.
Jeremiah is naturally furious to discover Theo has reneged on their deal, and sets a group of thugs on his mansion who beat him to a pulp and burn his home to the ground.
Viewers were on the edge of their seats during this nail-biting premiere, which raises the stakes for Dwight and his crew to a whole new level. Fans were also already impressed with Patrick’s performance as this season’s sadistic antagonist.
Dwight’s newest rival Jeremiah Dunmire isn’t playing games(Image: PARAMOUNT)
One ecstatic viewer took to X to reply to Patrick’s recent post in which he warned Dwight not to “cross” him.
Using plenty of fire emojis they exclaimed in the comments: “Yoooo, I just watched the new episode and O M G… and this is just the 1st episode and yall WENT TF OFFF… WOW!! ..
“You ARE GONNA BE A PROBLEMA FOR Dwight. Your character already starting off EVIL AF. Dude, I WAS YELLING AT THE TV AT THE END LIKE NOOO WAY! 10/10 show!!
“I can’t wait for next week.. man oh man.. GANGSTA A*** S***!! Awesome job yall!!!”
Someone else replied: “you’re awesome dude, great career, enjoy your success!!”
Robert Patrick is best known for playing the deadly T-1000 in Terminator 2(Image: TRI-STAR PICTURES)
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Discussion continued over on Reddit, where one user wrote: “Good to see Robert Patrick get consistent acting work.” To which another viewer replied: “He killed it and he was only on screen for a few mins.”
Another said: “Robert Patrick Is [a] great bad guy character.”
While other fans praised the episode in general for starting off the new season strong, with one sharing: “It’s already looking great, way better than season 2’s premiere for sure.”
And a final fan predicted: “Sly’s gonna rip Terminator’s nuts off for killing that old guy!”
Are you excited to see Stallone going head-to-head with one of Hollywood’s greatest villains?
Tulsa King season 3 continues Sundays on Paramount+.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
Robert Redford died this week at age 89 at his home outside Provo, Utah. The actor, producer and director had been a star for more than 60 years, going back to the 1963 comedy “Barefoot in the Park” and covering an enormously long list of performances in films such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Hot Rock,” “Downhill Racer,” “The Way We Were,” “The Candidate,” “The Sting,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “All the President’s Men,” “The Electric Horseman,” “The Natural” and many more.
Redford was also an accomplished director, winning an Oscar for his debut “Ordinary People” and going on to make films such as “A River Runs Through It,” “Quiz Show,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “The Conspirator” and others.
In a survey of his career, Amy Nicholson wrote, “To appreciate Redford fully, we have to applaud not only the work he did but the simple, feel-good roles he rejected. He could have become a celebrity without breaking a sweat as the war hero, the jock, the husband, the cowboy, the American ideal made incarnate. Yet, he had the rare ability to sidestep what audiences thought we wanted from him to instead give us something we didn’t know we needed: selfish victors (‘Downhill Racer’), self-destructive veterans (‘The Great Waldo Pepper’) and tragic men who did everything right and still failed (2013’s ‘All Is Lost’).”
Robert Redford at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York in 2015.
(Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
Nicholson added, “Lately, the Redford roles I’ve been thinking about are the ones where his all-American appeal makes us examine all of America, good and bad. The two that instantly jump to mind are his pair of political thrillers: ‘Three Days of the Condor,’ in which he plays a CIA agent on the run from his own co-workers, and ‘All the President’s Men,’ in which he doggedly uncovers the Watergate scandal. Both films believe in the power of getting the truth out to the press; neither is so naive as to think the truth alone will save the day.”
And then there is a whole other side to Redford: his extensive work as an activist on behalf of environmental causes and his founding of the Sundance Institute, which lead to the creation of the Sundance Film Festival.
I took a look at Redford’s work with Sundance and how he did nothing less than transform Hollywood, carving out a space for independent artists and opening doors for those who had been previously shut out by the industry.
“Mr. Redford was a shining example of how to leverage success into community building, discovery and empowerment,” filmmaker Ryan Coogler said in a statement. Coogler’s own career was launched via Sundance.
“In these trying times it hurts to lose an elder like Mr. Redford, someone who through their words, their actions and their commitment left their industry in a better place than they found it.”
Robert Redford and Lauren Hutton in 1970’s “Little Fauss and Big Halsy.”
(Steve Schapiro / Fahey / Klein Gallery)
I personally met Redford only once, when I moderated a Q&A in 2013 for “The Company You Keep,” in which he starred as a former ’60s radical. It would be the last feature film he directed. I was introduced to him shortly before we were to go in front of an audience together and he wanted to sit and talk for a moment. He immediately asked me about myself, where I was from and how long I had been a journalist.
It was thoroughly disarming to have someone so famous engage with me in a way that felt so genuine. Suddenly he was not a movie star, though he did indeed possess an otherworldly grace, charm and rugged beauty, but rather something even larger, someone who engaged with the world from a place of true curiosity. He leaves a lasting legacy, having touched countless lives.
There will surely be many more tributes and events to come, but Vidiots has already announced a screening of Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 “All the President’s Men,” starring Redford and Dustin Hoffman, on 35mm for Friday, Oct. 3.
‘Mysterious Skin’ in 4K
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, left, and Brady Corbet in the movie “Mysterious Skin.”
(Tartan Films)
Seeing the ongoing revival of Gregg Araki’s filmography in restored versions as fans wait for his upcoming film, “I Want Your Sex,” has been very gratifying. Tonight, the Academy Museum will present Araki’s 2004 “Mysterious Skin” in a new 4K restoration followed by a conversation with Araki, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and novelist Scott Heim, moderated by “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker.
“Mysterious Skin” is a delicately told, crushingly disturbing tale of two young men (played by Gordon-Levitt and future “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet) who each process an incident of sexual abuse from their childhood in different ways. The cast also includes Elisabeth Shue, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Michelle Trachtenberg, who died earlier this year.
Reviewing the film at the time, Kevin Thomas wrote, “The most mature work by the idiosyncratic and gifted Araki, ‘Mysterious Skin,’ based on the book by Scott Heim, highlights the director’s talent for inspiring the most demanding of portrayals from actors and for richly evoking the world his characters inhabit. The film has a mesmerizing floating quality, heightened by Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie’s deceptively serene score, and it has considerable offbeat, deadpan humor to offset its dark undertow. … it’s hard to imagine a more serious or persuasive indictment of the horrors inflicted on children by sexual abuse than ‘Mysterious Skin.’”
“I like that it was a real departure for me and that people didn’t expect it,” said Araki. “I really appreciate that aspect of it, that I’ve never done a serious drama before. I do think that the film totally makes sense with all my other movies. There is a thematic similarity and the sensibilities of Scott [Heim] and myself are really attuned to each other. It’s not as if I’ve directed ‘Chicago.’”
J. Hoberman’s avant-garde NYC
An image from Ken Jacobs’ 1961 “The Whirled (aka Four Shorts of Jack Smith).”
(The Film-makers’ Coop)
On Thursday at 2220 Arts + Archives, Acropolis will present an evening in celebration of J. Hoberman’s inspiring and vivid recent book, “Everything Is Now: The 1960s New York Avant-Garde — Primal Happenings, Underground Movies, Radical Pop.”
Hoberman, formerly the longtime film critic for the Village Voice and an insightful cultural chronicler, will be present for a signing and Q&A along with a program of short films from the era surveyed by the book, when New York was a bubbling cauldron of creativity and restless energy. Titles screening will include Ken Jacobs’ 1961 “The Whirled (aka Four Shorts of Jack Smith),” Ron Rice’s 1962 “Senseless,” Michael Snow’s 1964 “New York Eye and Ear Control” and Jud Yalkut’s 1966 “D.M.T.”
In the introduction to his book, Hoberman explains his thesis of creating a snapshot of a time and place — he pays incredible attention to actual addresses, mapping out what was happening where — by saying, “Cultural innovation comes from the margins and is essentially collective. … New York City in the 1960s was one such cradle of artistic innovation. Boundaries were transgressed, new forms created. A collective drama played out in coffeehouses and bars, at openings and readings, in lofts and storefront theaters and ultimately in the streets.”
Points of interest
Joe Dante’s ‘Pirahna’
A scene from the 1978 movie “Piranha.”
(New World Pictures)
It is always heartening to see longtime local hero Joe Dante celebrated. He will be appearing at Vidiots on Friday, this time with his 1978 film, “Piranha.” Made for producer Roger Corman, the movie was obviously one in a series of films intended to capture the excitement and scares generated by “Jaws,” and it certainly accomplishes that, but it is also so much more.
From a screenplay written by John Sayles, who would go on to an illustrious career as a director himself, and with sharp, smart direction by Dante, “Piranha” is about a mutant strain of killer fish engineered by the military and accidentally released into a small community’s waterways.
Writing about the film in 1978, Charles Champlin said, “‘Piranha’ is what it is: a swift, efficient program picture which squeezes the most out of its dollars to squeeze delicious chills from the audience. But it also plays to the attitudes as well as the emotional needs of its young customers. The bad guys are scientists, the military, the police, the politicians (what were we doing in Vietnam?), authority in almost any uniform.”
Writing about the film in 2012, Dennis Lim added, “This was Dante’s first solo directorial outing after several years at Corman’s New World Pictures, where he got his start editing trailers, and it establishes a distinctive tone that he has sustained throughout his career, right on the line between homage and parody. The actors — several, including [Dick] Miller and [Kevin] McCarthy, who would go on to become frequent Dante collaborators — give performances that are once committed and tongue-in-cheek and the effects, in contrast to the sophisticated animatronics of ‘Jaws,’ are charmingly rough and ready.”
Aaliyah x2
Jet Li and Aaliyah star in “Romeo Must Die.”
(Kharen Hill / Warner Bros. Pictures)
As part of an ongoing Y2K Fridays series, the Gardena Cinema is showing a double-bill of movies starring the late singer and actor Aaliyah, with Andrzej Bartkowiak’s 2000 “Romeo Must Die” and Michael Rymer’s 2002 “Queen of the Damned.”
Riffing on “Romeo and Juliet,” the story of “Romeo Must Die” revolves around Jet Li and Aaliyah as members of warring crime families in Oakland who fall for each other.
Kevin Thomas wrote, “Body counts run high in this genre, but ‘Romeo Must Die,’ which marks Li’s first English-language starring role, tries for some depth and sophistication. … The film is a new step for both Li, who hopes to break out with it, and for recording star Aaliyah, in an accomplished film debut.”
Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah in “Queen of the Damned.”
(Jim Sheldon / Warner Bros. Pictures)
Based on one of the novels from Anne Rice’s popular “Vampire Chronicles,” “Queen of the Damned” stars Stuart Townsend as the vampire Lestat, here taking on the guise of a rock star, and Aaliyah as Akasha, the first vampire.
In his review at the time, Kenneth Turan wrote, “As directed by Michael Rymer and with the late rock star Aaliyah in the title role, ‘Queen of the Damned’ turns out to be a muddled limp biscuit of a movie, a vampire soap opera that doesn’t make much sense even on its own terms. Though the previous film based on Anne Rice’s popular novels, the Tom Cruise-starring ‘Interview With the Vampire,’ was far from a success, this brain-dead venture makes it look like a masterwork by comparison.”
The film saga has many fans, who’ve previously lauded the series on IMDb.
One person titled their 10/10 review: “One of the all time great seafaring adventures!”
The user added: “It ranks up there with the original Mutiny on the Bounty,The Sea Hawk and Master And Commander as one of the greatest of its kind.”
Another person said in their 10/10 review: “This is one of the most realistic historical dramas out there.
“Everything in Hornblower is played to perfection, from the sets (fantastic, towering ships) to the costumes to the cast. The actors are all so believable in their roles that it’s hard to pull yourself out of that world. I had only flicked onto it by accident on TV, but I couldn’t pull myself away.”
Robert Lindsay starred in the historical films (Image: ITV)
A third described the drama as a “True Swashbuckling Adventure” and added: “A great cast and the sight of the beautiful sailing vessels in full rigging — I’d forgotten how much I love them.”
Someone else commented: “Storytelling at its best!” and elaborated: “The first in the Horatio Hornblower series, this installment is absolutely stunning. After watching this, you will find yourself longing for more. There is enough action, drama, and humor to satisfy just about anyone [sic].”
Yet another person hailed the show as “top notch entertainment” and said: “I viewed this show with some trepidation, as the name Hornblower to me (as with many others) is synonymous with Gregory Peck.
“But this is a different Hornblower and the magic is very much the same – fancy uniforms, good guys and bad guys, lots of sailing ships and lot of blood and thunder. What more can one ask for?”
The film series focuses on the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars(Image: ITV)
Hornblower was a series of historical films led by Hollywood star Ioan Gruffudd and was based on the three of the 10 novels written by C. S. Forester.
The drama followed the fictional title character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Naval officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
The films ran on ITV from 1998 to 2003, and there were eight in total.
Other cast members included Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann, Paul Copley, Sean Gilder, and Jamie Bamber.
The historical TV films have been praised by audiences (Image: ITV)
There were also some other big names who made appearances, including Denis Lawson, Ian McNeice, Samuel West, Cherie Lunghi, and Greg Wise.
Prior to the ITV films, there were other adaptations of Forester’s novels, with Hollywood star Gregory Peck taking on the character in the 1951 movie Captain Horatio Hornblower.
While David Buck starred in an American TV series as the character in 1963 and Michael Redgrave appeared in a radio adaptation in the 1950s
Scotland fans with even average memories take nothing for granted on the road, their mind’s eye still capable of conjuring up disturbing images of losing qualifying matches to Georgia in Tbilisi in 2007 and Kazakhstan in Astana a dozen years later.
Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary doesn’t get to join the hall of infamy, not after Scotland won a fairly joyless, but wholly professional, behind closed doors contest against Belarus. Get in and get out with three points was the mission and the mission was accomplished. Quality was optional on this occasion.
There wasn’t much of it, but for now it doesn’t matter. There was an encouraging performance from Ben Gannon-Doak, operating on the left wing with Andy Robertson as his minder. There was a solid outing from Che Adams who scored the first and was involved in the second. There was another clean sheet and the feeling of a job done adequately.
The drama on the night didn’t come in Hungary, it came in Greece where Denmark hauled themselves off the floor after dropping a home point against Scotland.
In taking the previously thrusting Greeks to the cleaners – 3-0 going on two or three more – they shook up the group. After being thoroughly outclassed by Denmark, a team that Scotland kept goalless a few days ago, Steve Clarke has a right to think that Greece are maybe not as good as they were made to look at Hampden in March.
The closely watched Murdoch succession drama has ended with a $3.3-billion settlement that gives Lachlan Murdoch control of the family’s influential media assets, including Fox News, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal.
Fox Corp. on Monday announced the “mutual resolution” of the legal wrangling that had clouded the future direction of the television company and the Murdoch-controlled publishing firm News Corp. The dollar figure was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.
The succession dispute flared into public view last year after three of Murdoch’s children attempted to block proposed changes that patriarch Rupert Murdoch wanted to make to his trust to cement his oldest son Lachlan’s grip on power. In December, a Nevada probate commissioner rejected Rupert Murdoch’s request to amend his trust amid the opposition by his three adult children.
The 94-year-old mogul wanted to ensure the conservative leanings of his media empire would carry on and felt that Lachlan Murdoch, who serves as chairman and chief executive of Fox, was the most ideologically compatible with his own point of view.
Until now, Rupert’s four oldest children — Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch and James Murdoch — were set to jointly inherit control of the businesses. But, as part of the settlement, Prudence, Elisabeth and James agreed to relinquish their shares in the family trust and give up any roles going forward.
Two new trusts will be established. One will benefit Lachlan Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch’s two youngest daughters, Chloe and Grace Murdoch, who were born during his union with ex-wife Wendi Deng.
The second trust will benefit Prudence, Elisabeth, James and their descendants. Fox Corp. separately announced a public offering of 16.9 million shares of Fox Corp. stock, currently held by the Murdoch Family Trust.
Those proceeds, along with the sale of 14.2 million shares of publishing company News Corp.’s Class B common stock, will fund the new trust.
Fox said Monday that voting control of the Fox and News Corp. shares held by this trust “will rest solely with Lachlan Murdoch through his appointed managing director” through 2050.
“Fox’s board of directors welcomes these developments and believes that the leadership, vision and management by the Company’s CEO and Executive Chair, Lachlan Murdoch, will continue to be important to guiding the Company’s strategy and success,” the board said in a statement.
Fox said it is not selling any of its stock.
The family will sell nonvoting Class B shares and hold on to its voting shares — and control. Rupert Murdoch will remain the company’s chairman emeritus.
During a six-month period following the stock sales, James, Prudence and Elisabeth will be expected to “sell their de minimis personal holdings in FOX and News Corp.” to severe all ties with the companies.
In “Task,” premiering Sunday on HBO, Brad Ingelsby, creator of the 2021 miniseries “Mare of Easttown,” which introduced the wider world to Wawa and the Delco accent, returns with another tale of crime and family in the rural-suburban wilds west of Philadelphia. Where women were at the center of “Mare,” men are the subject here — a cop and a criminal, symmetrically arranged — messed-up middle-aged single fathers who care about their kids.
Both have been loaded with tragedy. Robbie (Tom Pelphrey), whose wife took off a year before, has a much-missed dead brother in whose house he’s living with his two kids and young adult niece (Emilia Jones as Maeve, a secret hero); he’s a garbage collector with a sideline in robbing drug houses, which he identifies through their trash. This routine has been successful enough that he and his partner, fellow trashman Cliff (Raúl Castillo), have drawn the attention of the authorities.
FBI agent Tom (Mark Ruffalo) has a dead wife (Mireille Enos, seen briefly in flashback), a son in jail he can’t bring himself to visit and a semi-estranged adult daughter (Phoebe Fox); on leave from field work, he’s been manning the agency table at job fairs. That changes when his boss (Martha Plimpton), much to his displeasure, calls him back as a substitute to lead a task force into the drug house robberies, already assembled by his predecessor from other branches of law enforcement. There’s Lizzie (Alison Oliver), young and distractable; Aleah (Thuso Mbedu), terse and focused; and Anthony (Fabien Frankel), loose and Italian.
It’s clear from the guns that both sides pack, and the fact that Robbie has been stealing from criminals — notably a drug-dealing motorcycle gang, the Dark Hearts, which has its own explosive internal business — that something is going to go fatally wrong sooner or later. (If that’s a spoiler, you are blessed with a special brand of naivete.) The bikers, who are not at all nice, though painted with some recognizably human qualities — represented primarily by Jamie McShane as Perry and Sam Keeley as Jayson — are the usual screen collection of exclusively good-looking men and women, though to be fair, this is true of Tom’s team too — Tom perhaps excepted. (Ruffalo put on weight for the role, and wants you to notice.)
In “Task,” Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) is a single father who steals from other criminals.
(Peter Kramer / HBO)
Indeed, the predominant experience of watching “Task” is waiting for the next terrible thing to happen, which may be called suspense or dramatic tension, but in the event makes for an often depressing watch, especially since the safety (physical, psychological) of young children is involved. (That can feel a little cheap, dramaturgically, like endangering a kitten, but it works.) One is grateful for anything relatively ordinary — Lizzie and Anthony dancing in a bar, Tom’s younger daughter, Emily (Silvia Dionicio) connecting with a co-worker at the custard ice stand. (Another item for the regional reference bucket.)
In the compare-and-contrast structure of the series, we learn that Robbie, though he is a fount of bad decisions, is the more optimistic, proactive of the two characters — he has a dream, in the form of a brochure, regarding a Canadian island, where he would like to spirit his family away. (He’s doing the crime to afford it.) He’s interested enough in finding “a life companion” to open a dating app. Tom, who had been a priest for eight years before losing the spirit and joining the FBI, still in mourning for his wife, drinks too much, is packing a paunch and can’t connect with Emily, the only family member left in the house.
Both have connections to nature. Tom, who grows vegetables, is a birdwatcher; Robbie keeps chickens. Both are essentially tenderhearted, which is perhaps not the most practical quality for their professions, but necessary for the story — we need to like them. They’re like one and a half sides of the same coin.
In among the criminal antics and police work is a lot of talk about life and death and God, guilt and forgiveness. Ingelsby thinks big. The title to one episode, “Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing There Is a River,” paraphrases the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, and water is a motif — diving into it, swimming in it, hanging around by it. Birds, too, which show up in random shots and, like the lakes and rivers, function as a sort of psychic relief for the viewer and metaphors for the story. When Tom, speaking to Robbie, identifies a certain bird as a “vagrant … a bird that strayed outside its normal range, strayed so far that it’s forgotten how to find its way home,” that is not really about birds. The writing can be a little on the nose, but better a violent story with ideas than one with none.
For all my reservations when it comes to this sort of drama, it’s very well made and very well acted, and, where many crime stories settle for sensational nihilism, “Task” does want to leave you feeling … pretty good. Not horrible. Hopeful. I trust that hasn’t spoiled it for you.
The series has been showered with praise from viewers on IMDB. One viewer gave it a perfect 10/10 review, saying: “Each episode builds on the one before it. It is stunning. I’m not going to give any spoilers away, but this is the most visually astounding thing I’ve ever seen come out of UK, and that includes Downton Abbey.
“The acting is amazing, there are so many strong performances that it’s impossible to pick out just one; the storyline riveting, the costumes are pitch-perfect, and there’s more than a little sex, drinking, and romance.”
Another 10/10 reviewer chimed in: “Some months ago, I binge watched all of S1 over a weekend. Real life was effectively cancelled until the closing credits of the final episode. It was a glorious, immersive experience. This is a genuine ‘Jewel’ of a show.”
A third fan gushed: “Fabulous show. The acting is superb, the characters and the writing top notch, the attention to detail and historical accuracy amazing.”
Henry Lloyd-Hughes starred in the period drama filled with political intrigue(Image: CHANNEL 4)
Another viewer added: “The setting is beautiful and the audio and visuals and costumes really bring you into the series. I can almost smell the air of the mountains.
“There are several themes running through the series and you can see things starting to come together into a more coherent whole by the 3rd episode. I would rate this series as one of the best i’ve seen – along the lines of Downton Abbey or The Wire.”
Another viewer gushed: “It’s a really lovely show. I had tried to watch it when it was first broadcast on PBS, but somehow it was not compelling enough and I somehow got the sense that the story would be insubstantial. I’m so happy I went back to the show and starting watching again.
“I didn’t give the show enough of a try or sometimes it just happens this way. I remember my first attempt at seeing “The Wire” didn’t work, but then a year later I went back to see what the rest of the American viewers and critics were raving about.”
Julie Walters led the period drama(Image: CHANNEL 4)
Indian Summers debuted in 2015 boasting a brilliant cast featuring Dame Julie Walters, Nikesh Patel and Henry Lloyd-Hughes, with the Channel 4 series hailed as the successor to Downton Abbey.
Taking place in 1932, the programme chronicled the final chapter of British Colonial Rule in India during escalating political upheaval as the country fought for freedom from its imperial overlords.
The programme brimmed with political scheming and cunning characters, leaving numerous individuals in dangerous circumstances.
The star-studded cast also includes Madeleine Mathers, Game of Thrones actor Patrick Malahide, Jemima West, Gandhi star Roshan Seth, Fiona Glascott, Lillete Dubey, Line of Duty’s Craig Parkinson, Amber Rose Revah from Netflix’s The Punisher, Art Malik, and Rachel Griffiths, among others.
A Netflix period drama has been hailed a “masterpiece” by fans who have described it as a “hidden treasure”
The show was a modern reimagining of a literary classic(Image: NETFLIX)
Netflix boasts an enormous catalogue of television programmes and films, yet period drama enthusiasts might have missed one brilliant little gem on the streaming service, reports Surrey Live. This emerges whilst others have been captivated by a doomed romance and a Jane Austen classic.
The programme draws inspiration from a beloved collection of novels that continue to enchant readers today.
Countless viewers have praised the show on IMDb, with the series garnering numerous perfect 10/10 ratings.
One glowing review declared: “What a beautiful, beautiful show… And not just in terms of cinematography (which makes you want to pack your bags and head to Prince Edward Island right this second), but also in terms of the the heart and soul that has been put into the show which is clearly evident.”
Another user kept their review title simple: “Love it.”
They elaborated in their perfect 10/10 assessment: “This is one of my favourite shows.
“I loved the old version and this one is a beautifully updated version of that story. I see a lot of hate written from purist with no scope of imagination, who dislike this. However, it is about time that we accept the fact that rural 1900’s Canada was not all flowers, red roads and poetry.”
A third viewer gushed about the programme: “This is one of the most beautiful shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
“I have read the books and though it differs from the books it truly is the closest to perfect television we have gotten in the past 10 years or so. It tackles modern day issues that have been alive throughout time and does so in a thought provoking fascinating way.”
Another viewer branded it a “masterpiece” and shared: “One of the best shows I have ever watched I highly recommend it to everyone doesn’t matter what age you are.
Geraldine James starred in the heartwarming period drama(Image: NETFLIX)
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“Everyone will find something interesting in it. Amazing acting, scenography, costumes, music and of course storylines.”
Yet another fan called it “a hidden treasure” and added: “There aren’t enough words to describe how much this show means to me. Watching this show has brought me so much hope and happiness.”
Another glowing review hailed the series as “absolutely brilliant” and went on: “Anne with an E is exactly the show that we need in our world today. It deals with all kinds of important topics such as residential schools, women’s rights, black history, and the LGBTQ community. It does so in an heart warming, educational, and kid friendly manner.”
Anne with an E first arrived on screens in 2017 and offered a contemporary take on the beloved Anne of Green Gables books by Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote under the pen name L. M. Montgomery.
Amybeth McNulty led the sweet adaptation of the classic novels(Image: NETFLIX)
The programme was reimagined by Breaking Bad writer Moira Walley-Beckett for CBC and Netflix. Echoing the 1908 classic Anne of Green Gables, the series centred around spirited orphan Anne Shirley (portrayed by Amybeth McNulty), beginning with her adoption by elderly siblings Matthew (R.H. Thomson) and Marilla Cuthbert (Geraldine James).
Despite facing numerous challenges, our heroine Anne remained positive as the show addressed hard-hitting issues such as child abandonment, racism, gender inequality and even psychological trauma.
The cast also included Dalila Bela as Diana Barry, Lucas Jade Zumann as Gilbert Blythe, and Aymeric Jett Montaz as Jerry Baynard.
Viewers have been left divided after watching The Guest, with some praising the new BBC drama highly whilst others issuing similar complaints about the whole thing
The new thriller which stars Gabrielle Creevy as a cleaner who develops a toxic relationship with her strange employer, played by Eve Myles(Image: BBC/Quay Street Productions/Simon Ridgeway)
Viewers have been left divided after watching The Guest. The new BBC drama aired on Monday and is the latest offering of writer Matthew Barry and director Ashley Way, both of whom were behind the 2023 hit Men Up, which boasted Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page amongst its cast.
The new thriller stars Gabrielle Creevy as a cleaner who develops a toxic relationship with her strange employer, played by Eve Myles. It comprises four episodes in total and has come througn Quay Street Productions, the same production company behind Michelle Keegan’sNetflix hit Fool Me Once and The Blame, which will also feature the former Coronation Street star in the leading role.
But as the drama hit screens at the start of the new week, fans weren’t entirely sure what to make of it all, but one fan was full of praise after sitting down to tune in. TV critic Scott Bryan said: “The Guest on BBC One is the most unhinged show this side of Christmas. Completely loved it. Great characters and funny one-liners.”
Viewers weren’t entirely sure what to make of the new four-part series(Image: BBC/Quay Street Productions/Simon Ridgeway)
Another wrote: “Oh. My. GOD! #TheGuest is fun, twisty, flirty, thrilling! Eve Myles & Gabrielle Creevy are perfect in this. So well written and beautifully directed. And filmed in Wales! Loved, loved it, loved it,” and another said: “Just watched ” The Guest ” on BBC I player starring Eve Myles . A good thriller. Worth watching.”
One fan was left ‘terrified’ by the whole thing as they admitted: “Omg there is a drama on bbc1 this eve at 9 called #TheGuest it’s rather gripping but terrifying all at the same time and I wan to continue watching it but it’s a bit too dramatic, oh and halfway through there was a spider crawling up my wall.” Another concurred as they said: “So many jump scares on #TheGuest – I’m a nervous wreck”
Another viewer was completely shocked by the way the first episode had wrapped up as they took to social media to exclaim: “Bloody hell, that ending to the first episode of The Guest was NOT how I expected it to go!”
Some viewers were less than enthusiastic with their reviews, as one said: “What utter tosh passes for drama on the bbc! Wasted an hour on The Guest -am dram at best,” and another said: “what a mess of a storyline. Utter garbage ending. Can’t believe I wasted 4 hours of my life watching that!”
One viewer even admitted they were ‘terrified’ by it all (Image: BBC/Quay Street Productions/Simon Ridgeway)
Prior to the series launch, Reach Plc chatted to Eve and Gabrielle about their roles in the programme and why they think audiences are drawn to intense female bonds.
Eve, 47, remarked: “Because it’s complex, it’s not easy, it’s not actually an easy thing to talk about or to try and describe or explain, it’s about something very, very intoxicating. It’s about two women sharing something very important.
“Like myself and Gabby, Fran and Ria are also incredibly vulnerable, never mind the strengths you see from both of them, they both have great strengths, but they both have great weaknesses.”
Eve detailed the unlikely bond between Fran and Ria, explaining that their contrasting backgrounds add a layer of intrigue and mystery for some.
She further elaborated: “It’s not about a boss and a cleaner it’s about two women who share this part of their lives together, they share secrets together, they go through something very traumatic together then they’ve got to fix that, or not and what that does to them.”
Matthew Barry, the writer of The Guest, expressed his excitement about the project: “I’m beyond excited to be re-teaming with Nicola, Davina and the whole team at Quay Street Productions and the BBC to bring The Guest to life.
“As well as being an exciting thriller, at its core this is an examination of class, social mobility and the growing disparity between those at the top and bottom of our society.”
Netflix has released first-look images at its brand new historical drama House of Guinness, which is written by the creator of the BBC hit series Peaky Blinders
Netflix has released first-look images at its brand new historical drama House of Guinness, which will premiere in the coming weeks(Image: Netflix)
Netflix has released first-look images at its brand new historical drama House of Guinness.
The upcoming programme, which will launch on the streamer in the coming weeks, delves into the story of the family behind the famous brewery following the death of patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness. A trailer for the programme dropped on Monday and teased a host of dramatic twists and turns that will play out over the course of eight episode.
In the teaser, it is revealed that the business owner bequeaths his empire to just two of his children and doesn’t want to ‘burden’ the others with such a responsibility. It is made clear that trouble will come to the forefront of the series as conflicts around money, power and family look set to rattle throughout.
The series stars a host of famous aces from the world of television(Image: Netflix)
Throughout the preview from the upcoming drama, it’s teased that ‘rich men attract clever women’ after the line: “The man’s name is Guinness, of course there’ll be f****** trouble!” is bellowed amid a scene of what looks like a battle that is ready to break out.
A synopsis from the streaming provider reads: “House of Guinness explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties – the Guinness Family.
“Set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, the story begins immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery, and the far-reaching impact of his will on the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the phenomenon that is Guinness.”
The brand new trailer promises a series of twists and turns (Image: Netflix)
The cast is made up of a host of esteemed names from the acting world, including Masters of the Air star Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, who starred alongside Millie Bobby Brown in Enola Holmes, Emily Fairn, Normal People’s Fionn O’Shea, and James Norton, who has appeared in a string of television hits like War & Peace and Happy Valley but is currently on screen in the drama King & Conqueror.
Dervla Kirwan will also feature alongside Game of Thrones stars Michael McElhatton and Jack Gleeson, with Niamh McCormack, Danielle Galligan, Ann Skelly, Seamus O’Hara, Michael McElhatton, David Wilmot, Michael Colgan, Jessica Reynolds, Hilda Fay, and Elizabeth Daulau all rounding out the cast.
The series has eight episodes in total and will launch on Netflix later in September (Image: Netflix)
The series has peen penned by Steven Knight, who is best known for having created the BBC’s runaway hit Peaky Blinders. With Peaky Blinders running for six series and even launching an upcoming film, there’s a strong possibility House of Guinness will spark yet another successful franchise for Netflix.
The series is directed by Tom Shankland and Mounia Akl and penned by Knight.
The acclaimed showrunner is releasing House of Guinness ahead of two major film projects, including his Peaky Blinders follow-up film, The Immortal Man, arriving on Netflix in 2026.
He is also set to write the next James Bond movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve with the role of Agent 007 still to be cast.
House of Guinness will premiere on Netflix on September 25th 2025
A hit BBC One drama is returning to our screens in just a few days on Netflix 15 years on from its TV debut, with Sheridan Smith, Olivia Coleman, Stephen Graham and others starring
Sheridan Smith stars in series two of Accused with Robert Sheehan
With summer officially over, it’s time to curl up in front of the sofa with a series to binge – and now thanks to Netflix, a hit BBC drama will be back on our screens after over a decade. Netflix subscribers can expect a number of new shows and movies to arrive on the streamer this month, from Charlie Sheen’s new documentary to period drama House of Guinness.
However, as well as brand new shows, viewers will get another chance to watch BBC One anthology drama Accused 15 years after it made its TV debut. Created by Time writer Jimmy McGovern, the legal drama follows a different character on trial in each episode and how they came to be accused.
The first series stars the likes of Christopher Eccleston, Mackenzie Crook, Tina O’Brien, Peter Capaldi and Naomi Harris across six hard-hitting episodes. It was followed up by a second series two years later in 2012, with Sean Bean, Stephen Graham, Olivia Colman, Sheridan Smith and Anna Maxwell Martin among the stars joining the cast.
Accused went on to be nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 2011, with Juliet Stevenson receiving nod for her performance in episode three. While she didn’t win, the show picked up Best Drama Series and Best Actor for Christopher Eccleston at the International Emmy Awards in 2011.
Two years later, Olivia Colman won Best Supporting Actress for her role in series two at the BAFTA TV Awards and the Royal Television Society Programme Awards, while Sean Bean won Best Actor at the International Emmys. The series is set to land on Netflix on 10 September in the UK.
Series one tells six different stories – the first starring Christopher Eccleston as a lapsed Catholic plumber who takes a gamble after coming under financial pressure, while the second follows British army soldier (played by Benjamin Smith) who is pushed to his limits after witnessing the death of a colleague.
The third episode sees a primary school teacher (Juliet Stevenson) stand trial for committing a terrible crime after the loss of her son. The next episode stars Andy Serkis as a taxi driver with a gambling problem who commits a crime of passion, while episode five sees Marc Warren play a loving dad who was involved in a violent crime.
Accused’s final episode stars Naomi Harris as a working mum who goes up against her estranged husband (Warren Brown) in court.
Viewers took to social media to praise the drama back when it first aired in 2010, with one writing; “That was a great piece of drama #Accused #BBC.” Another said: “Loving ‘accused’ on the bbc. ecclestone is incredible.”
Jack James Ryan has opened up about his role in the upcoming ITV drama I Fought The Law, which sees him starring alongside Sheridan Smith in the four-part series
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
19:00, 31 Aug 2025
Sheridan Smith’s I Fought The Law co-star Jack James Ryan was blown away by her performance(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street and Passenger star Jack James Ryan was left starstruck after working alongside Sheridan Smith on the ITV series, I Fought The Law. The 29-year-old actor, who has become a familiar face in British households, landed a role in the drama, which tells the real-life story of Ann Ming’s fight to change the Double Jeopardy Law and bring her daughter Julie Hogg’s murderer to justice.
Despite spending four months on set, Manchester-born Jack still found himself “geeking out” over his co-star Sheridan, 44. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, he said: “People say ‘Oh I’ve always loved this actor’ but when I knew that I was going to be playing alongside Sheridan, I couldn’t believe it.”
He continued: “It was just amazing, I have followed her career as a young actor and been totally inspired by the work that she’s done, so getting to spend the last four months watching her work and stealing everything was the best, so much better than drama school.”
Jack, who starred as William ‘Billy’ Dunlop, said it was ‘amazing’ working alongside Sheridan Smith(Image: ITV)
Jack also revealed that Sheridan has an incredible ability to instantly “switch on” and get into character at a moment’s notice following a break in filming.
“She is absolutely breathtaking,” he enthused. “To be surrounded by these actors, it has an absolutely great supporting cast throughout the series, so to be surrounded by them felt like I’d won the lottery – this is the type of work that I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
Discussing the show, Jack revealed: “I’ve never been in anything that was based on a true case, or any of the characters have been real, it’s always been fictional stuff. Straight away you feel the pressure to do it justice. Sheridan plays the trailblazer, Ann Ming, who has done so much for raising awareness in the work that she’s done.
Sheridan took on the lead role as trailblazer Ann Ming(Image: ITV)
“I know that we all felt the pressure, Sheridan and everyone, to do this story justice and deliver it in a sensitive way that was going to be impactful and honouring the people that we’ve lost. And also the people that are still fighting for justice, it wasn’t easy but it was also incredibly exciting to be a part of something which felt like it has the opportunity to really help and change people and have a real impact for the better.
“I’m really, really excited for this to come out, and I think it’s going to be, it’s going to be a really different side to me that people haven’t seen before,” he stated, adding there was a “quite a visual transformation.”
I Fought The Law will explore how Ann and Julie’s relatives coped with her baffling vanishing in Cleveland back in November 1989 after completing her shift at a neighbourhood pizza restaurant. Julie had maintained an extremely strong bond with her parents, Ann and Charlie. She was just 22 when she was killed.
Julie Hogg was just 22 when she was murdered(Image: PA)
Julie’s remains were found by her mother 80 days after they were concealed behind the panel of her bath by her killer. Nevertheless, her terraced property had been meticulously examined by forensics teams in the days following her disappearance.
The series, adapted from Ann’s memoir, For The Love of Julie, also features Daniel York Lou as Charlie Ming and Enzo Cilenti as DS Mark Brathwaite.
Additionally, Marlowe Chan-Reeves, Olivia Ng, Jake Davies, Victoria Wyant, Kent Riley and Rufus Jones all feature in the programme. Previously, Jack joined forces as a Movember ambassador – championing awareness of men’s mental health and urging blokes to open up.
Looking back on his involvement with the Movember campaign, he explained: “I was already well aware of the amazing work that Movember has done and does for raising awareness and funds for male mental health, just to be a small part of history moving forward is very exciting. It’s such an exciting project and a really meaningful project to get behind, male mental health is so under-reported and so unspoken about.”
I Fought The Law airs tonoght at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Sheridan Smith stars in ITV’s new four-part series, I Fought The Law, as Ann Ming, whose daughter, Julie Hogg, was tragically strangled to death by Billy Dunlop
Billy Dunlop murdered Julie Hogg in 1989(Image: No credit)
Ann Ming’s relentless fight for justice for daughter is nothing short of remarkable. On 16 November 1989, Billy Dunlop, 25, strangled 22-year-old mum-of-one, Julie Hogg, to death – and hid her corpse behind a bath panel in her home in County Durham.
Julie was tragically found decomposing by her mother, Ann, 80 days later and, despite evidence against Dunlop, juries twice failed to find him guilty of the crime.
However, while serving a prison sentence for unrelated violent offences, Dunlop confessed to Julie’s death. But there was a twist: under the centuries-old double jeopardy rule, he couldn’t be tried again for the same crime.
Jack James Ryan stars as Billy Dunlop in ITV’s I Fought the Law(Image: ITV)
However, for Ann, played by Sheridan Smith in ITV’s new adaptation of the tragedy, I Fought the Law, giving up wasn’t an option. She petitioned politicians for more than a decade, lobbied the media and refused to let Julie’s case go unheard, with unwavering support from her husband Charlie, played by Daniel York Loh, in the crime drama.
So, as we wait to watch the four-part series, which starts on ITV at 9pm tonight, here’s the chilling discoveries that lead to Dunlop’s arrest and eventual life imprisonment…
Ann Ming finds her daughter’s body
When Julie disappeared from her home in November 1989, leaving behind her toddler son Kevin. Her mother, Ann, immediately sensed something awful had happened.
Three months later, her maternal instincts were tragically vindicated. She discovered Julie’s body, hidden under the bath at her home.
Julie Hogg’s body was tragically found by her mother, Ann Ming(Image: No credit)
Ann agreed that her daughter’s husband, who Julie had been in the process of separating from when she was killed, could move back into her daughter’s house with their three-year-old son, Kevin.
However, when her son-in-law went inside the home, he complained a strange smell was coming from the bathroom. Ann noticed the bath panel was loose and pulled it away, uncovering her daughter’s body, wrapped in a blanket: “That was the start of a living nightmare,” she said.
Chilling evidence heard at trial
Dunlop, who knew Julie from their local area and visited her at home after a day’s drinking before killing the mum-of-one, went on trial at Newcastle Crown Court on 7 May 1991, where a jury heard that there was finger print evidence on Julie’s keys.
Dunlop’s sperm was also on the blanket he’d wrapped her in, and there were fibres from the jumper he’d been wearing.
The prosecution team felt it was strong enough evidence to satisfy a jury – but, sadly, they were mistaken. The jury failed to reach a verdict and the judge ordered a retrial for 3 October 1991.
Dunlop’s defence team tried to then convince the jury that Julie had died of natural causes following a consensual act between her and Dunlop. However, they failed to reach a verdict for a second time and Dunlop was acquitted and could never be trialled again due to the double jeopardy law and walked away a free man.
Sheridan Smith as Ann Ming(Image: ITV)
Dunlop confesses
While serving a prison sentence for unrelated violent offences after the trial, Dunlop confessed to Julie’s killing. But there was a twist: under the centuries-old double jeopardy rule, he couldn’t be tried again for the same crime.
The police wanted to arrest him for perjury, but needed more evidence than just an admission.
As a result, a female prison officer wore a wire and obtained 90 hours of material about what happened on the night of Hogg’s death. He was arrested, pleaded guilty to the murder, and jailed for six years to be served consecutively to his existing sentence.
Ann’s battle for justice – ‘For once in my life, I’m speechless’
Driven by grief and determination, Ann launched a 15-year campaign to overturn the centuries-old double jeopardy law – which once prevented a person from being tried twice for the same crime.
Of course, Ann wasn’t satisfied with Dunlop’s perjury sentence and asked her MP, Frank Cook, to help her meet Home Secretary Jack Straw to scrap the double jeopardy law. He recommended she speak to the Law Commission and, in 2002, her 13 years of campaigning finally came to fruition.
Ann Ming’s relentless fight for justice for daughter is nothing short of remarkable(Image: PA)
A white paper advising changes be made to the legislation, to affect both future and retrospective cases, was presented in parliament by David Blunkett, and in April 2005, the 800-year-old law was binned for good. Ann told reporters at the time: “I just can’t believe it. For once in my life I’m speechless.”
In September 2006, Dunlop went on trial at the Old Bailey and was found guilty and sentenced to life behind bars. All his requests for parole and to be moved to an open prison have been denied.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
The Venice Film Festival is already underway and next week I will be part of The Times’ team heading to Toronto. The Telluride Film Festival starts today and our own Joshua Rothkopf, Josh Rottenberg and Glenn Whipp are there covering the action.
Many of the season’s most anticipated films will be playing over the next few days. Among world premieres at Telluride are Scott Cooper’s “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” starring Jeremy Allen White as the acclaimed singer-songwriter; Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s popular novel; and Edward Berger’s “Ballad of a Small Player,” with Colin Farrell as a down-on-his-luck international gambler.
Laura Dern, George Clooney and Adam Sandler in the movie “Jay Kelly.”
(Peter Mountain / Netflix)
Among the titles making their North American premieres after premiering at European festivals will be Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” Richard Linklater’s two films “Blue Moon” and “Nouvelle Vague,” Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” Rebecca Zlotowski’s “A Private Life,” Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.” Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” premiered earlier this year at Sundance.
This week, Rottenberg spoke to Telluride’s festival director, Julie Huntsinger, who said, “The devotion people have to this weekend makes me think there’s hope. They’re not coming here for anything but film-loving. To hear people say, ‘I would not miss this for the world’ makes me really proud and hopeful. After everything we’ve all been through, I think we still have reason to keep doing this crazy little picnic.”
Even with so much happening elsewhere, there are still plenty of great events happening closer to home right here in L.A. On Wednesday, the Armenian Film Festival begins in Glendale, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Armenian Film Society with the Los Angeles premiere of Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade’s “Monsieur Aznavour,” starring Tahar Rahim as legendary French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour.
The highlight of the festival will likely come on Sept. 7 with a conversation between “Sinners” producer Sev Ohanian and writer-director Ryan Coogler about their ongoing creative collaboration. That night will also see an awards gala honoring Ohanian along with actors Madeline Sharafian (“Elio”) and Karren Karagulian, best known for his work in Sean Baker’s films, including “Anora.”
James Brolin on ‘Night of the Juggler’
James Brolin, left, and Mandy Patinkin in the movie “Night of the Juggler.”
(Kino Lorber)
“Night of the Juggler,” directed by Robert Butler and adapted from a novel by William P. McGivern, has been little seen for years, only released on VHS and rarely seen in theaters or on TV. Shot on the streets of late-1970s New York City and released in 1980, the movie captures the grime and sweat of the city, making for a vividly authentic action thriller.
That should all change shortly, as a new 4K restoration distributed by Kino Lorber is playing at the Aero on Sept. 4 with star James Brolin in person for a Q&A. Then the film will get a limited run at the Los Feliz 3 on Sept. 18, 20 and 22.
In the film, Brolin plays Sean Boyd, a former NYC cop now working as truck driver. His adolescent daughter, Cathy, is abducted by the psychotic Gus Soltic (Cliff Gorman), who mistakes her for the daughter of a wealthy real-estate developer. This sets Boyd of on a frantic chase across the city to save Cathy before it is too late.
One dazzling early sequence begins as a chase on foot, finds both Soltic and Boyd stealing vehicles to make it a car chase and ends up with them hopping between cars on a moving subway train. There is a relentlessness to Brolin’s performance that is countered by the creepy, disturbing undertones of Gorman.
Brolin, 85, was on a Zoom call recently from the home in Point Dume he shares with his wife, Barbra Streisand. Turning his computer around to share a distinctly spectacular view of the ocean, Brolin said with a laugh, “I’m a lucky boy.”
Brolin began his career as a contract player at Fox and then Universal, winning an Emmy in 1970 for the first season of the hit TV show “Marcus Welby, M.D.” Among his film credits was 1976’s “Gable and Lombard,” which saw him playing Clark Gable opposite Jill Clayburgh as Carole Lombard for director Sidney J. Furie.
Furie was the original director on “Juggler.” A few weeks into shooting, Brolin broke his foot doing one of the chase scenes. In the time it took to heal, Furie left the project to be replaced by Butler.
James Brolin in the movie “Night of the Juggler.”
(Kino Lorber)
Besides his flowing hair, healthy beard and generously unbuttoned shirt, Brolin acknowledged “Juggler” was a different kind of role and a different kind of movie for him — a grittier project removed from the stalwart fare he was often known for.
“I felt released,” he said. “I felt this is what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Remembering a scene in which he bitterly argues with his ex-wife in the film (played by Linda Miller), Brolin added, “I’ve been married 30 years now, but it’s my third one. The first two were maybe kind of like that. So I was able to unleash on film some of my old nasty feelings.”
Besides Gorman, a Tony winner for his performance in “Lenny,” the cast also featured a young Dan Hedaya as a crooked cop holding a grudge against Brolin’s Boyd and a then little-known Mandy Patinkin as a Puerto Rican cab driver who has no reservations about racing through traffic and provides a running commentary along the way.
“He was like a puppy in those days: ‘Where are you guys going to eat? Can I go with you?’” recalls Brolin of Patinkin. “But for him to get in that car — so fun. He made whatever might have been repetitious about that sequence just full of fire. And right up until the cab crash, which was full-on.”
In his original May 1980 review of the film, Times critic Charles Champlin wrote, “Of its kind, the police-action thriller ‘Night of the Juggler’ is a superior piece of work. The action is non-stop, the dialogue is tough and authentic, the characters major and minor are vivid and credible as the form allows. The people and the New York world in which they movie and work are as real as muggings and racial tension.”
Brolin is happy to see the movie revived. “I’m so proud,” he told me. “It was such a wonderful experience.”
And in case anyone was wondering, yes, Barbra Streisand has seen “Night of the Juggler.”
“She saw it two weeks ago and she said ‘I’m in love all over again,’” said Brolin. “Which made me feel quite good. She thinks it’s a wonderful movie and she loved what I did in it. Because I’m a bore at home.”
Owen Kline on ‘Who Killed Teddy Bear’
Sal Mineo in the movie “Who Killed Teddy Bear.”
(Cinématographe)
Owen Kline was 7 years old when his grandfather, Joseph Cates, died. Though he knew of his grandfather’s career in show business, working on Broadway and in television, it was not until Kline became a teenage film fan, scouring movie guides and video stores in his native New York City that he discovered Cates had also directed a notorious cult film, “Who Killed Teddy Bear.”
“I’ve collected the receipts on this movie and tried to piece its history together since I was 14,” said Kline, whose parents are the actors Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline, during a recent phone call from New York. “Because there’s not much out there.”
A newly struck 35mm print of the film — in a director’s cut including some five minutes of footage removed from the film’s initial 1965 release — is playing at the Los Feliz 3 on Sept. 2, 6 and 7. The film was restored and scanned by the boutique video label Cinématographe, who have released a 4K disc set loaded with extras.
“Teddy Bear’s” cult reputation has grown over the years as a startlingly lurid artifact taking place in some of the seedier corners of New York City. Sal Mineo plays a young man of ambiguous sexuality who becomes increasingly obsessed with a female bartender (played by Juliet Prowse) at the nightclub where he is a busboy. Elaine Stritch plays the club’s boss.
Elaine Stritch, center, in the movie “Who Killed Teddy Bear.”
(Cinématographe)
“Every video store in New York, in the cult section, would have a bootleg copy of this movie because for years, until recently, the copyright was just murky,” said Kline. “So that did a great service to its unseemly reputation, as if it was one of the dirty paperbacks you’d smuggle out of one of these adult bookstores in the film.”
As those video stores around New York City began closing, Kline, now 33, would buy up their copies, taking note of the different covers and cuts of the film that were circulating.
Kline noted that within the additional footage in the director’s cut is a moment where Mineo thumbs through a paperback called “Beach Stud” in an adult bookstore, adding to the ambiguity of his character’s sexuality. (And also perhaps a nod to Mineo’s own bisexuality, rumored at the time but not yet public.) There’s also a moment in the new scenes in which a killer kisses the cheek of his dead victim.
“On a film with a laundry list of taboos, suggested necrophilia is a new one,” says Kline. “It does really feel like a throwback film to the pre-Code era. It’s almost like they compiled a gigantic list of these taboos. There’s some really shocking stuff.”
The original Dec. 1965 review in The Times by Margaret Harford called the film “a grim commentary,” while also noting, “No doubt about it, there are a lot of sick people walking around.” The review concludes with the line, “The trend now is never knowing when to stop.”
In a 1996 interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, Cates downplayed the film’s more shocking elements, while admitting, “Ours was a slightly sleazy film.”
“We didn’t set out about and say to ourselves, ‘Gee, let’s connive to do these things that are tasteless in the movie,’” said Cates. “There was a story and we had to figure out a way to do it.”
Kline’s own feature film, 2022’s “Funny Pages,” will be playing on a double bill with Andrew DeYoung’s recent “Friendship” at the New Beverly on Sept. 16 and 17.
Points of interest
‘52 Pick-Up’ in 35mm
Roy Scheider, left, and John Glover in the movie “52 Pick-Up.”
(American Cinematheque)
As if to prove that NYC does not corner the market on scuzzy depictions of an urban underbelly, Cinematic Void will be screening John Frankenheimer’s L.A.-set “52 Pick-Up” in 35mm on Monday.
A 1986 portrait of the sleazy glory of our city and an adaptation of a novel by Elmore Leonard, the film follows a successful businessman (Roy Scheider) who is caught up in a blackmail scheme when he is videotaped with his mistress. Desperate to keep things quiet so as not to damage the local political aspirations of his wife (Ann-Margret), he finds things escalate quickly and he sets out for revenge. The cast also includes a terrifying Clarence Williams III, Vanity, Kelly Preston and actual members of the adult film demimonde.
Actor John Glover, who plays the deranged lead blackmailer in the film, will be at Monday’s screening for a Q&A. In his original review of the film, Patrick Goldstein noted, “‘52 Pick-Up’ features a couple of stylish performances, especially by John Glover, who brings a flaky intensity to his role as extortionist leader.”
‘Barry Lyndon’ in 4K
Ryan O’Neal, right, and James Magee in the movie “Barry Lyndon.”
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
On Saturday, the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre will host the Los Angeles premiere of a new 4K restoration of Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 “Barry Lyndon.” The film will also be shown in 35mm at the New Beverly on Sept. 5, 6 and 7.
An adaptation of the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, the film brings the world of the late 1700s to astonishingly vivid life in telling the story of the wayward adventures of Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal), who eventually marries Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson).
The film won four Academy Awards and has over time seen its esteem only rise; now many consider it to be Kubrick’s greatest achievement. Yet, upon release, it confounded viewers, who found its pacing and picturesque imagery to be impenetrable.
Reviewing the film in Dec. 1975, The Times’ Charles Champlin said, “It is ravishingly beautiful and incredibly tedious in about equal doses.” He added, “Kubrick is at once the most zealous and monastic of present film-makers, living in reclusive independence from the larger world of movies, setting himself each time a quite different kind of challenge and then meticulously solving it.”
A January 1974 Times story by Thomas Wood as the film was in production was filled with thwarted attempts to get around the protective veil of secrecy Kubrick designed around it. One frustrated member of the Warner Bros. press team was exasperated by the lack of details about the movie that the studio had, noting, “What can you do with a man who is both a critic’s darling and a box-office winner? You let him pick his own game and make up his own rules.”
‘Sign O’ the Times’ in Imax
Prince performs his “Sign O’ the Times” concert in Paris in 1987.
(FG / Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images)
Starting Friday, Prince’s 1987 concert film “Sign O’ the Times” is getting a one-week run in Imax theaters. Directed by Prince himself, the film is a document of the stage show he created to tour the album of the same name, combining concerts filmed in Europe with footage created on his own Paisley Park soundstages in Minnesota. Seeing Prince’s mastery of performance at Imax scale may actually be too much for a brain to handle.
In Michael Wilmington’s original review he wrote, “‘Sign ‘O’ the Times’ shows him seemingly as much influenced by Martin Scorsese and ‘The Last Waltz’ — with its smokey, absolute lyricism — as was by Fellini and Dick Lester in ‘Under the Cherry Moon.’ And since the movie is predominately concert footage of his stage show, he’s in greater control here; singer-composer Prince is at the peak of his form. … So as a concert film, judge from the music, ‘Sign ‘O’ the Times is near the top. As a movie – carrying inside it the embryo of other movies – it’s not fully satisfying. But you sense it could be; however he stumbles, Prince gives you the impression he’ll always, catlike, leap back.”
The enduring programme aired from 1993 to 2008 and drew inspiration from a collection of bestselling novels.
Numerous fans have previously lauded the show on IMDb, with one viewer penning a 10/10 review declaring the series as “outstanding”.
Another person awarded a 10/10 review and commented: “Amazing Work (almost 30 years later).”
A third viewer remarked: “An excellent war-drama series. Based on the novels by Bernard Cornwell and starring Sean Bean as Sharpe, this is as a series of rollicking adventures, often set against the background of actual historic battles in the Peninsular War.”
The period drama was set during the Napoleonic Wars(Image: ITV)
Sharpe drew from historical writer Cornwell’s book collection, chronicling the titular fictional soldier Richard Sharpe (portrayed by Bean) throughout his exploits during the Napoleonic Wars.
Sharpe also featured Daragh O’Malley as Sharpe’s loyal comrade Patrick Harper.
The programme began with Sharpe serving as a sergeant in the 95th Rifles in Portugal during the Peninsular War in 1809.
Following his heroic rescue of a general’s life, he earned promotion to lieutenant.
The ITV series was praised for its perfect casting(Image: ITV)
The programme has produced 16 films altogether spanning a decade and was shot across numerous global locations, including Turkey, England, Portugal, India and Spain. Sean Bean’s portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the historical drama series has been widely praised, with one fan gushing: “Something awesome to follow the leader of a small battalion of men during Napoleonic war, Sharpie charismatic and physical lead representation by Sean Bean with a perfectly cast support that grow as each episode progress.”
Another viewer chimed in: “The Sharpe series is a very enjoyable piece of historical fiction. Sean Bean is excellent as Sharpe. He is one of the finest actors of modern times.
“Everything he is in is great. His great strength is portraying flawed (and very human) characters either heroic or evil. The other actors in the show are also very good- with some going on to greater fame.”
Sean Bean has been praised for his performance as Richard Sharpe(Image: ITV)
A third admirer declared: “Sean Bean at His Best” and elaborated: “Long before Alec Trevelyan, Boromir or Ned Stark it was the role of Richard Sharpe that made Sean Bean famous.
“In recent years Bean’s portrayal of Sharpe has unfortunately been largely forgotten and overshadowed by his later roles which is unfortunate because it is arguably one of the greatest roles of his career.”
Yet another fan added: “Sean Bean IS Richard Sharpe, the British rifleman whose career mirrors that of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington through the British campaigns in Europe against the French forces under Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
“Even though Bernard Cornell originally had his most famous character sporting black hair, I personally can’t read Sharpe and not think of Sean Bean. That’s how well he owned the role.”
A 10/10 review remarked: “[I] can highly recommend this production which I found as good as any I have seen from the BBC and an enjoyable insight to early modern England and the evolution of gender relations. Worth paying my licence fee for.”
A third viewer observed: “What I liked about the film was the ending, which I won’t give away although many who studied history may already know, but the court scenes showing the jury’s decision was priceless.
“In all a good watchable film that deserves more credit than many seem to have given it.”
Another viewer applauded the historical authenticity and headed their review: “Feels very authentic, delightful to see.”
The user added: “So refreshing a period movie that doesn’t try to mordernise [sic] itself. The music, the costumes, the make-up, the wigs, everything feels very authentic to the period.”
Shaun Evans starred in the BBC period drama(Image: BBC)
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“Faithful to the true history behind it, as far as I can tell. I’d love if it was longer, if it explored Lady W’s life in France, for example.”
The Scandalous Lady W emerged in 2015, based on American-born British historian and author Hallie Rubenhold’s 2008 book Lady Worsley’s Whim.
The BBC drama unfolded in 1781 and followed the courtroom battle involving affluent heiress Seymour, Lady Worsley (portrayed by Natalie Dormer) and her MP spouse Sir Richard Worsley (Shaun Evans), who was pursuing her lover Captain George Bisset (Aneurin Barnard) for damages after the forbidden duo eloped.
The costume piece was set in 18th century England(Image: BBC)
Sir Richard dragged Captain Bisset before the courts and sought £20,000 for essentially harming his wife, who was regarded merely as possessions during this period.
When proceedings commenced, Sir Richard fabricated details about the couple’s union to portray an image of domestic harmony.
Captain Bisset faced financial ruin and imprisonment over the matter, prompting Lady Worsley to devise a scheme to rescue them both.
Yet, it would require exposing the shameful reality of her marriage and threatened to destroy her standing.
The proceedings would evolve into one of the most notorious sexual controversies of the 18th century.
Alongside the main cast, The Scandalous Lady W also featured Baby Reindeer actress Jessica Gunning, The Secrets She Keeps star Robert Morgan, His Dark Materials star Will Keen, Oliver Chris of Motherland fame, and Line of Duty’s Craig Parkinson, amongst others.
The Scandalous Lady W is streaming on Prime Video for a fee
Upcoming spin-off Y: Marshals has added three stars from the original drama to the cast
Yellowstone’s forthcoming spin-off, focusing on Kayce Dutton (played by Luke Grimes), is set to feature at least three more big names from the original series.
Y: Marshals will follow the son of ranch owner John Dutton (Kevin Costner) in the aftermath of his father’s death as he leaves the ranch to combat crime across Montana.
Deadline has now revealed that Yellowstone veterans Gil Birmingham, Brecken Merrill and Mo Brings Plenty will be reprising their roles from the main show.
Birmingham played Chief Thomas Rainwater, who had a feud with the Duttons over disputed land, while Brings Plenty played Rainwater’s driver and right-hand man, Mo.
Meanwhile, Merrill played Kayce’s son Tate alongside Kelsey Asbille as wife and mother Monica Dutton.
Thomas Rainwater and his right-hand man Mo will both return(Image: PARAMOUNT)
It’s not yet known if Asbille will be returning, though Deadline suggests her absence may be explained within the series.
In addition to these three Yellowstone favourites, Y: Marshals has confirmed four more cast members joining Grimes and the previously announced Logan Marshall-Green.
Arielle Kebbel (Rescue: HI-Surf), Ash Santos (Pulse) and Tatanka Means (Reservation Dogs) are on board as series regulars.
They’ll be playing members of the US Marshals Belle, Andrea and Miles, respectively. Finally, The West Wing and Lost star Brett Cullen will take on a recurring role as Montana’s head of US Marshals, Harry Gifford, reports the Express.
The exact storyline for the upcoming Yellowstone spin-off is being kept under wraps, but a series synopsis has given fans a taste of what’s to come.
Brecken Merrill is back as Tate – but Kelsey Asbille’s Monica may not return(Image: PARAMOUNT)
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According to Deadline, it states: “In Y: Marshals, with the Yellowstone Ranch behind him, Kayce Dutton (Grimes) joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana, where he and his teammates must balance family, duty and the high psychological cost that comes with serving as the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence.”
In other news, Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening has been confirmed to join another Yellowstone spin-off.
She’ll be taking on the role of Beulah Jackson, the boss of a competing ranch, in the tentatively named The Dutton Ranch, which will carry on the tale of Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).
Y: Marshals will premiere in late 2025 – early 2026 on CBS. Yellowstone is available to stream on Paramount+.
I Fought The Law is a new ITV drama based on the true story of Ann Ming’s long campaign to overturn the 800-year-old British double jeopardy law following the murder of her daughter
Sheridan Smith in ITV’s I Fought the Law(Image: ITV)
The upcoming ITV drama, I Fought The Law, tells the gripping story of Ann Ming’s relentless 17-year campaign to overturn Britain’s ancient double jeopardy law after her daughter’s murder.
Ann and her husband Charlie tirelessly fought to change the law that prohibited individuals from being tried twice for the same crime, following the tragic death of their daughter Julie in 1989.
Julie’s mutilated body was discovered by Ann hidden beneath the bath in her Billingham home, sparking her unwavering determination to bring the murderer to justice.
In 2006, Billy Dunlop was finally sentenced to life imprisonment for Julie’s murder. He had previously faced trial twice in 1991, but due to two juries failing to reach verdicts, he had been set free.
Here’s everything you need to know about the series, including its release date, cast, and number of episodes.
The four-part drama airs at the end of August(Image: ITV/Hera Pictures)
When does I Fought The Law premiere?
I Fought The Law is set to air on ITV on Sunday, 31 August at 9pm.
Each episode will run for an hour, ending at 10pm, and will also be available for viewing on ITVX.
The episodes will be broadcast on Sundays and Mondays.
How many episodes does I Fought The Law have?
The series consists of four episodes, which will air on the following dates:.
Episode 1 – 31 August.
Episode 2 – 1 September.
Episode 3 – 7 September.
Episode 4 – 8 September.
The first episode’s synopsis reads: “In 1989, Ann Ming is distraught when her 22-year-old daughter Julie Hogg goes missing, but the police shrug off her concerns, suggesting that she must have fled to London to reunite with her estranged husband.
“Knowing in her heart that Julie would never leave her brother Kevin behind, Ann uncovers a mother’s worst nightmare.”
Sheridan Smith as Ann Ming, Daniel York Loh as Charlie Ming & Buddy Wingnall-Ho as Kevin Hogg(Image: ITV)
Who is in the cast of I Fought The Law?
Sheridan Smith stars as Ann Ming, and she is a 44 year old English actress and singer known for her roles in The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
Daniel York Loh plays Charlie Ming, with the actor having previously starred in Jade Dragon and Strangers.
Victoria Wyant stars as Julie Hogg, and the up-and-coming actress has previously starred in Foundation.
Enzo Cilenti plays DS Mark Braithwaite and he is known for his roles in The Last Tycoon, Domina and The Serpent Queen.
Other stars include Marlowe Chan-Reeves, Olivia Ng, Jake Davies, Kent Riley, Jack James Ryan, Andrew Lancel, Rufus Jones, Aimée Kelly, Bryony Corrigan and Buddy Wignall-Ho.
