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The Krankies – Scottish comedy duo Ian and Janette Tough – were a huge hit on TV in the 1980s, but Janette’s health battle sadly forced Wee Jimmy Krankie to retire permanently

For a generation of TV viewers, few catchphrases trigger nostalgic memories of anarchic 1980s television quite like “Fan-dabi-dozi!” From the late 1970s through to the 1990s, Ian and Janette Tough – the real-life husband and wife duo behind iconic double act The Krankies, who coined the catchphrase – were titans of light entertainment.

Playing a long-suffering dad and his naughty son, Wee Jimmy Krankie, the pair – now both 79 years old – were staples of Saturday night prime shows and children’s TV.

After shooting to stardom on the Royal Variety Performance in 1978, they became household names on programmes like Crackerjack before landing their own series, from The Krankies Klub to The Krankies Elektronik Komik.

A TV resurgence followed in the 1990s when they featured on Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders‘ TV programmes and also starred in a number of pantomimes.

But after several decades at the top, the pair eventually stepped away from the spotlight, leaving a legion of fans wondering what came of the beloved Scottish duo.

Speaking to the Mirror seven years ago, the couple refuted claims from friend Christopher Biggins that political correctness had brought an end to their innuendo-laden panto performances.

Instead, they revealed that medical issues had sadly forced Wee Jimmy to hang up his school uniform for good.

“I was diagnosed with osteoporosis three years ago,” Janette disclosed, then aged 73. “My back’s not good and I can’t do as much as I used to. So, when Ian and I went off on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate our golden wedding last month we decided it’s time to put our feet up.”

The pair had accidentally courted controversy in 2017, during their run in Dick Whittington alongside close friend John Barrowman. “One woman called it smutty” Janette recalled. “We did a scene in bed with John. Wee Jimmy said ‘I can feel your Tinkie Winkie’ and pulled out a Teletubby. Then John said ‘No – this is MY Tinkie-Winkie’ and pulled out a big one.”

But they denied longstanding ‘swinging’ rumours in the Mirror’s interview, with Ian explaining: “It was never orgies or wife-swapping parties or swingers’ clubs. We just had a bit of a wild spell when we had lots of fun – our Dirty Thirties.”

Janette continued: “We were doing a revue act in 1981, which featured a magician who had a leopard called Scorpio in his act.

“He had a lion tamer called Rocky and an assistant called Angie – so I had a little ding-dong with Rocky and Ian did the same with Angie. Ian used to joke that I’d come home smelling of leopard while he’d get back with glitter on his bits. We had an anywhere, anytime attitude to sex but we each knew what the other was doing.”

Despite announcing their retirement in 2019 – with Janette also still feeling the lasting effects of a horrific pantomime fall in which she fractured her skull in the early noughties – the pair have continued to make occasional TV appearances.

And fans were delighted last year when the pair unexpectedly popped up in the remastered version of the classic 90s video game Tomb Raider.

A framed pictured of the pair was seen hanging on an office wall as Lara meet the editor of The Times before combing through the newspaper archives.

Reacting to the unexpected appearance, Janette joked to The Scottish Sun: “She did well to dig us up – we’ve been retired for years now.”

TWO years ago, Cat Deeley was in a very different place to where she is now.

The TV presenter, 49, who had replaced Holly Willoughby on This Morning in March, was grappling with a punishing work schedule, the pressure to save the ITV show from its tarnished reputation and a marriage faltering under the pressure of two “tricky” work schedules.

In the three month period she became tearful three times on screen, and appeared at times “visibly overwhelmed.”

And speaking five months after stepping into her new hosting role, she admitted the scrutiny she was under had “shocked her.”

However, the popular star has rebuilt her life after her divorce from Patrick Kielty, 55, with a second National Television Award under her belt with This Morning, a series of lucrative commercial deals and new man Charlie Coleman, who she hopes to spend Christmas with.

And friends of the star this week told how ex Patrick’s new relationship with businesswoman Michelle McManus – the pair were seen cosying up at a North London boozer – is the icing on the cake – saying she told them: “She seems nice, and she is doing me a favour, he’s a better person when he’s happy.”

One said: “Cat’s attitude is: ‘Good luck to them. At the end of the day, that’s the whole point of separating in the first place.’

“She is genuinely happy for him, and knows it’s good for them that he’s happy and positive.

“Cat herself is in a great place and that’s where she wants to stay.

“She and Charlie are getting on really well and are already talking about spending this Christmas together, though they will have to work out the practicalities as she and Paddy share the childcare arrangements 50/50.”

Former So You Think You Can Dance? host Cat – who swapped her $5 million family home in Beverly Hills for a £4.9 million five-bedroom house in Hampstead in 2020 – joined This Morning during a period of extreme turbulence.

Former host Phillip Schofield had quit ITV in May after an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger co-worker was revealed.

Holly, who appeared on This Morning for 14 years prior to her exit, stepped back from the spotlight in October, following stalker Gavin Plumb’s terrifying plot to kidnap, rape and murder the TV star being uncovered.

Plumb was jailed for life in July following an eight-day trial.

Against this challenging backdrop, Cat and Ben Shephard, 51, took the reins of the popular daytime show.

Sources told how the pair appealed to bosses as a “safe pair of hands” who could steer them out of a crisis.

But even her early interviews showed signs she feared wading in too deep, as she said: “If it gets too much for me, I’m going to quit. I don’t need to do it – I could be a mum for most of the year and go and do the shows in America.”

And in one interview she opened up about juggling work and motherhood: “I do the juggle – the juggle is real, the struggle is real. You know, we know, we’re all just trying to make everything work. It’s all a juggle.”

Cat shares two sons, Milo and James, with ex husband Patrick – who she was married to for almost 13 years before they announced their split in July 2025.

But sources say the fault lines had appeared in late 2023, when the pair were struggling to balance their schedules.

Patrick – the host of RTE‘s The Late Late Show in Ireland – commuted to film the show in Dublin, while Cat’s So You Think You Can Dance? schedule had also created issues, requiring her to jet back to the US for long stretches.

Her move back to UK television was supposed to lessen the pressure on the duo – one of TV’s power couples.

But fans noticed that the star appeared increasingly emotional on the This Morning set.

In March 2024, just days after she joined as host, Cat burst into tears backstage upon meeting Buddy, an autism assistant puppy introduced to the studio.

She explained to viewers that meeting Buddy triggered her grief over losing her family dog, Lilly, the previous summer.

Weeks later in April, while introducing guest Kerry Irving – whose late springer spaniel Max had helped him overcome depression – Cat broke down in tears and had to ask co-host Ben to take over reading her lines.

And two months later Cat fought back tears during an interview with the family of William Reckless, eight, who had to have both of his legs and nine fingers amputated due to a severe battle with sepsis and scarlet fever.

Her 48th birthday broadcast in October also caused the presenter to break down in tears, after she was surprised by a recorded message from British poet Pam Ayres – who she said had inspired her as a child.

But 2025 seemed to bring a more positive standpoint – and a bombshell, as Cat and Patrick announced their divorce in July.

Both were keen to insist that they remained amicable, and stressed that no third parties were involved in their decision to split.

They also made clear their intention to share the parenting of their children, Milo, 10, and James, eight.

A few months later, September brought an incredible boost for the star – when This Morning won the National TV Award for Daytime, after the repeated scandals engulfing the programme had seen it lose the title in 2023 and 2024.

After the cast and crew were seen going wild in the audience, Cat said on stage: “We are so lucky to get to do this show, we all love it.

“Every single person who comes on, we love this show and it’s like having a family.”

Sources told how the award was “a shot in the arm” for the entire team behind the show – appearing to signal they were back on track.

And in the months to follow, Cat was to build up a relationship with Amazon MGM exec Charlie Coleman – who she was spotted with at a Hyde Park Lewis Capaldi gig in July.

Two months later, she spoke out about how she was thriving as a single mum – saying it was about being “as organised as you can be.”

She also admitted she had an “amazing nanny” to keep their lives on track around her busy schedule.

And she added: “Everybody is doing their best.”

In the same month Paddy – who has signed a new deal with The Late Late Show which will see him host until 2028 – said he was “pretty good” adding that the divorce was “part of the tapestry of life.”

And now, with him also moved on with new love Michelle, it seems another piece of the tapestry is complete.

KATIE Price has made a spectacular return to London Fashion Week—over a decade since she last walked the runway.

The outspoken reality TV star, 48, wowed as she strutted her stuff at the Natasha Zinko X OnlyFans fashion show.

Showing off her newly enhanced chest, Katie wore a black waistcoat and black satin shorts with white ruffles on the back.

Speaking to the press before strutting her stuff, Katie told The Sun: “I’m so excited to be walking in the Natasha Zinko show.

“I’ve always been someone who believes in being unapologetically yourself, so this feels like a really natural fit for me.

“Fashion is about having fun, expressing yourself and feeling confident in your own skin, and I can’t wait to bring a bit of my personality to the catwalk.”

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Katie’s bold appearance came just days after she appeared on Good Morning Britain to confirm she is filing for divorce from conman Lee Andrews.

Katie wasn’t the only star to take to the runway.

Newly single Kelly Osbourne, 41, also took center stage.

The Sun revealed earlier this month how she had split with her OnlyFans model boyfriend, UglyNorth, whose real name is Brad.

Taking place at Collins Music Hall in Islington, North London, the show marks the first time OnlyFans has joined London Fashion Week.

Speaking about the collaboration, Keily Blair, CEO of OnlyFans, said: “This collaboration brings together two brands with a shared belief in individuality, creativity, and fierce self-expression.

“OnlyFans has always been a platform where people can define themselves on their own terms, and Natasha Zinko brings that same spirit to fashion.

“Our London Fashion Week debut, which features OnlyFans creators, is a celebration of the communities behind both brands, and of the confidence to express yourself unapologetically.”

Meanwhile, Natasha added: “This limited capsule collection felt like a natural fit from the very beginning.

“We both share the same values: love, freedom of identity, inclusivity and body positivity. It’s about celebrating people exactly as we are.”

AMANDA Seyfried and her husband, Thomas Sadoski, have split after nine years of marriage.

The couple revealed in a statement to People on Tuesday that they’re going their separate ways.

“We have been separated for a while, and it’s proven to be the right move for us and our family unit. We’ve got each other forever—and it’s GOOD,” their joint statement read.

Amanda, 40, and Thomas, 50, first connected in 2015 while starring in the off-Broadway production of The Way We Get By.

The actors reunited months later as love interests in The Last Word and began dating in March 2016.

Their love story quickly blossomed as they got engaged later that year and quietly eloped in March 2017.

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“We eloped. We just took off into the country with an officiant and just the two of us, and we did our thing,” Thomas revealed at the time about their secret wedding.

“It was beautiful. It was everything that it should be. It was just the two of us talking to each other.”

Their daughter Nina arrived just days after they said, “I do,” followed by their son, Thomas Jr., in September 2020.

The pair had kept their relationship relatively out of the public eye while living on a farm in upstate New York.

They’ve each made brief remarks about their romance in the past, with Thomas gushing in 2017 that Amanda was “the person that I love, admire, respect most in the world.”

Amanda also boasted about her husband, saying in 2023 that their relationship was like “yin and yang.”

They certainly shared a passion for the cameras, as both have had successful acting careers for decades.

Amanda most recently starred in The Housemaid alongside Sydney Sweeney and The Testament of Ann Lee.

She’s preparing for the release of her newest film, The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, next month.

Thomas is best known for playing Don Keefer in the HBO series The Newsroom.

His acting career began when he landed the role of Mark Ruffalo’s understudy in the Off-Broadway play This Is Our Youth.

The Connecticut native made his film debut in 2000, starring as Chris in Loser.

Known for being ‘The GC’ on screen and larger than life, viewers will see a different side to Gemma Collins in her new Sky documentary series.

Gemma Collins admits she has had “the worst year of her life” which corresponded with a time she had cameras following her every move.

The former TOWIE star, also known by her celebrity persona ‘GC’, and was due to get married to partner Rami and start a family during filming for Sky documentary series called ‘Gemma Collins: Everything. All At Once’. The series was originally called Four Weddings and a Baby, but as Gemma admits “things didn’t go to plan”.

Her relationship with Rami has had issues, the pair have also been sadly unable to conceive, and worst of all Gemma’s beloved mum Joan died at the end of July after several years of health issues. Admitting her life and TV series hasn’t been going to plan, 45-year-old Gemma said: “Mum’s been unwell for sixteen years and I’ve been dealing with that on the side, but her health started going downhill during filming and she passed away last month[actually July 2026].

“My fiancé Rami has also been struggling with his mental health and using alcohol to cope, and on top of that we had fertility issues. It was like drowning. It was the worst year of my life. I couldn’t keep hiding it.

“Being The GC was escapism. I could put the make-up on, get the hair big, and forget what was going on in the real world. But there’s been a real turn in media where people want to see the real me again. They’re sick of the bluff. I’m not afraid and I know I don’t need to deal with all this on my own.”

In the eight part series viewers will see Gemma embark on her fertility journey, and she questions whether she has left things too late, putting her career before having a family. On trying for a baby Gemma says: “Rami and I went to the Portland, and I started thinking maybe there could be a miracle. We could get an egg donor and make it work. But, as you’ll see on the show, it got increasingly difficult.

“I still have Tristan, and my nephews. I’ve known Tristan since he was three: I did his nappies, I gave him his bottles. I love that boy. With my mum gone, I’m going to be the mum of the family now, the matriarch, and I’m really happy and excited for that. If it’s meant to happen, my mum will send it to me, and a miracle will happen. If it doesn’t, I’m at peace with that.”

Gemma admitted she found filming on some days very hard but insisted she had to continue. The other deeply personal issue in the series is the loss of her mum Joan, and Gemma allows the cameras into moments like when she deals like this and when the bravado she usually uses on screen drops.

She said: “The camera crews are at your house and you’re thinking, ‘This is my life, it’s so s**t. How can I let people see it?’. But unless you go through hard times, I don’t think you grow as a person. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also the thing I’m most proud of.”

On her mum Gemma added: “My mum passed away peacefully, and we were all in the room. She’s come back to me in so many ways already, which gives me great comfort. She comes back to me in spiritual ways and sends me signs. There was this butterfly in the house towards the last few days of my mum living, and it wouldn’t go away. When she passed, Tristan went to me, ‘There’s Nanny’. He went, ‘Nanny, if that’s you, flap your wings ten times,’ and it did.”

* Gemma Collins: Everything. All At Once launches 15 September on Sky and streaming service NOW.

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They say 10 passengers were told they would not be allowed on the ‘overweight’ flight

A pensioner says a dream family holiday to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary ended in “anger and frustration” after she and her husband were denied boarding on an overbooked easyJet flight home. Eileen Snow, 72, and her husband Stephen, 74, had enjoyed a week in Croatia followed by a week in Montenegro with family when they arrived at Tivat Airport on Saturday expecting to fly back to London Gatwick.

But the couple say they were stopped at the gate and left stranded abroad. The situation was worrying for Stephen, who takes daily medication and says he only had enough to last until the following day. The delay also meant Eileen was unable to visit her late father’s grave on what would have been his birthday.

EasyJet later emailed Stephen apologising that he had been “denied boarding” on flight EZY8814 and referred to procedures used when flights are overbooked. According to Civil Aviation Authority guidelines, an airline expecting to have too many passengers should first ask for volunteers willing to surrender their reservations in exchange for agreed benefits.

But the couple, from Emsworth, Hampshire, insist they did not volunteer to give up their seats. “I was angry and frustrated – I couldn’t believe the level of incompetence,” said Stephen. “It did ruin what had been a perfect holiday with family. Regardless of what easyJet claims, we did not volunteer to stay off the flight.”

Eileen and Stephen had been booked on the 4:50pm easyJet service from Tivat to Gatwick. The flight was already delayed when they reached the gate. The couple says they and three other couples were prevented from boarding despite having reserved their seats well in advance.

Eileen said: “They let many people board after us. We were told the flight was full. Ten of us could not go.”

She says they were told the aircraft was over-fuelled. She claims a woman dealing with the stranded passengers promised to arrange taxis, accommodation, food and vouchers. But Eileen says the woman then left to seek help and never returned.

She said: “She promised all the requested items – taxis, accommodation, food, vouchers. She abandoned us.”

The couple says they repeatedly asked for an easyJet representative and a senior airport manager but were unable to get practical assistance. As the airport began closing, Eileen says the remaining passengers were told they had to leave.

She said an older man approached them before bringing over what she believed was a police, security or border officer. Eileen said: “Some of them had belts with what looked like a gun. We were intimidated.”

An airport worker eventually stepped in and drove the couple to a hotel in his own car, helping them with their luggage. Eileen and Stephen paid for the accommodation themselves.

By the following evening, Eileen was still trying to resolve the situation through easyJet’s WhatsApp customer service. The airline later provided links allowing the couple to seek reimbursement for hotel, food and transport costs and submit a denied-boarding compensation claim.

But Eileen says the experience had left her deeply disappointed. The couple had travelled from 16 to 29 August for the family holiday to mark their golden wedding anniversary. They eventually secured British Airways flights from Croatia to Gatwick and booked a £190 taxi across the border to Dubrovnik.

They then faced a further £177 journey from Gatwick back to their home. An easyJet spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that Mr and Mrs Snow were unable to travel on their flight from Tivat to London Gatwick due to the aircraft exceeding weight limits.

“Weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons and in the event that a flight exceeds this limit, we are required to carry fewer passengers. We did everything possible to minimise disruption for our customers including offering the next direct flight, however as this wasn’t suitable, they booked with an alternative carrier and will be reimbursed.

“We have since spoken to Mr and Mrs Snow, apologised for their experience and provided the compensation due. The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.”

Emmerdale star Olivia Bromley shed real tears when she filmed the tragic death of her character, Dawn Fletcher, tonight. Due to marry bad boy Joe Tate, their plans were scuppered when Jimmy King crashed into the wedding marquee, causing a big explosion, and pregnant Dawn was rushed to hospital.

Sent into premature labour, while Dawn gave birth safely to a baby boy with Joe at her side, she had a serious internal bleed. Suddenly, without warning, she crashed and, despite medics’ best efforts to resuscitate her, she died.

In her first interview since the explosive scenes, Olivia, 30, who was originally signed by Emmerdale for just 12 episodes in 2018, tells The Mirror: “It was the toughest storyline I’ve done during my time in the soap.

“I was surprised by how emotional I found it and it was way more emotional than I was expecting. I did cry. It is very strange to kill off your character as an actor and in front of your colleagues. But that said, what a gift to be given. Often people leave and just slip off.”

The actress was told earlier this year her character would be at the heart of a huge exit storyline during the soap’s biggest week of the year. Having reached a crossroads playing Dawn, she says it was almost a relief to have the decision over what to do with the role made for her.

She says: “This is a good time for me to go on a personal level. I had felt ready for the character to go. This character felt like she had done so much and I didn’t know what direction she could go in next. I had played her for a long time, and it felt like I needed to do other things. I am proud this was such a big finale to my time in the soap.”

But news that Dawn was being killed off came as a bolt from the blue and she confesses she would have liked to have left the door open to one day return.

Despite the initial shock, she says: “Psychologically, now I have had time to reflect, I know it’s good for me, because I can say bye to my Emmerdale chapter. It’s been brilliant. I was originally only signed up for 12 episodes and I’ve stayed eight years!”

And if viewers found her final scenes surprisingly realistic, she can now share the secret – that real life paramedics, rather than actors, were used to make the medical scenes convincing. She says: “They had real life paramedics and intensive care workers who came in to play those parts. Emmerdale is a fast-paced soap and we often don’t have time to train actors up, so they bring supporting people in with a lot of experience.”

Likening it to an “out of body” experience, she adds of her character’s death scenes: “They had rehearsed the crash response with Ned [who plays Joe Tate] and the supporting artists first and, right at the last minute, they put me in the scene. I had no idea what was going on.

“They went into the crash response, and it felt like an out of body experience lying there. They were all so professional and brilliant at what they did.”

But Olivia is sad that Dawn’s life ended so tragically. She says: “Even though she was able to cradle the baby with her children and Joe by her side, nobody had picked up on her bleeding internally. Finally, she had got what she wanted and so it was a sad end for her.”

Dawn originally arrived in the village as a drug addicted sex worker. Her big storylines included finding her long lost son and her on-off romance with her big love, ex-husband Billy. But she fell for Joe Tate in January 2025, after embarking on an affair behind Billy’s back.

They got engaged in December 2025 and by February 2026 discovered they were expecting a baby. But in recent months, Dawn, who had two other children and an adopted daughter, had been troubled by her lingering feelings for Billy.

And when he was attacked last month, she believed Joe was responsible and had planned to escape with Billy, rather than marrying the bad boy. However, in a massive plot twist, it became apparent Billy had actually been attacked by Kev – making Dawn want to marry Joe after all.

Olivia says: “Only a few weeks ago, she was talking about escaping with Billy, but in the end chose Joe. If Dawn hadn’t returned to Joe at the end, she would still be alive now. Billy is her true love but ultimately, she is an addict and she was drawn to Joe.”

She continues: “I’ve loved playing Dawn and I’ve enjoyed watching her develop and change. I’ve made many friends too and I am going to miss them a lot – especially everyone at Home Farm and Jay, who plays Billy. We are like brother and sister; we get on so well.”

Away from Emmerdale, Olivia lives happily in Leeds with her partner, who she keeps out of the public eye. She says: “My life has changed since joining the show. It has given me stability and, alongside the character, I’ve grown and changed. It’s made me ambitious in different ways and taken my life in a different way.”

After graduating from Oxford School of Drama, Olivia moved to London to work in theatre, before the call from Emmerdale came. She says: “This did change things for me and to be a working actor for eight years has been very special.”

And she would love to continue working in TV drama. She says: “I want to try some new things. It’s an exciting time and I would love to do a period drama or a gritty 9pm drama like Line of Duty.”

Now awaiting auditions, she has her leaving party to look forward to next weekend. She says: “It’s themed and I think we all deserve a drink after such a chaotic, complex end for Dawn. I’m also looking forward to just being me and not Dawn!”

As for Emmerdale without her? Olivia says: “The audience will go on a rollercoaster I am sure! I will always be so grateful to Emmerdale for giving me this role and to have been able to play Dawn fully until the end has been so much fun.”

*Emmerdale airs every weekday on ITV1 and STV1 at 8pm. Episodes can also be downloaded on ITVX.

Abigail Cruttenden played the unhappily married Kate Weedon on ITV’s Benidorm

Benidorm’s Kate Weedon actress has a rather famous ex in real life.

Abigail Cruttenden joined the ITV sitcom in its first series in 2007 as short-tempered and unhappily married Kate. Kate rocked up at the iconic all-inclusive Solana resort with husband Martin (Nicholas Burns) and she was not at all impressed.

It didn’t take long for Kate to become a firm favourite with Benidorm viewers before her exit in 2009. As well as Benidorm, actress Abigail has appeared in the likes of Jane Eyre, Fresh Meat, Casualty, Citizen Khan and Midsomer Murders.

She also played Anna in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out from 2014 to 2023. And it turns out Abigail was once married to a fellow famous face: actor Sean Bean.

Abigail and Sean – who has starred in the likes of The Lord of the Rings, Games of Thrones and the James Bond series – met when they worked together on ITV’s Sharpe in 1996. On the show, she played Jane Gibbons, the on-screen wife of Sean’s character Richard Sharpe.

Talking about Sean at the time, Abigail previously said: “When I told people I was going to be working with Sean, they said: ‘My God, you’re so lucky’.”

As Free Library reports, she added: “He has such a huge appeal to women. And I think he is lovely – a very attractive bloke. We are in bed together a few times – even before we get married. Disgraceful, I know. Because you wouldn’t expect that from Sharpe.”

Although the pair didn’t strike up a romance straight away, Abigail and Sean ended up dating and got married in 1997. A year later they welcomed a daughter, Evie.

“I was there when Evie was born. It was a very moving experience, stunning,” Sean previously shared. However, in 2000 Abigail and Sean got divorced.

In 2003, Abigail married Jonathan R. Fraser and they have a daughter. As for Sean, the award-winning actor went on to marry Georgina Sutcliffe from 2008 to 2010, and Ashley Moore, whom he’s been married to since 2017.

Meanwhile rumours of a Benidorm return have been swirling for several years now. Discussing a potential return, Sherrie Hewson – who played Joyce Temple-Savage – acknowledged that the series would need to “move on” if it came back to television.

“I think Derren Litten (writer and creator) would bring in other people, different acts in the Neptune’s bar, different singers, and different families. It would be the same kind of thing, but you have to move on, don’t you?” she said.

She added: “There are people who couldn’t be in it because we’ve lost people. You’d have to move on and bring in new characters, which is actually quite exciting. Joyce would actually have to vet them all – that would be brilliant.”

Watch Benidorm on ITVX.

Emmerdale star Nick Miles, who played Jimmy King on the ITV soap for more than two decades, has addressed final scenes which saw the beloved character killed off in a crash

Nick Miles has addressed his exit from Emmerdale – just hours after his character was killed off in explosive scenes. The actor, 63, has played Jimmy King on the long-running soap since 2004, but departed the Yorkshire-based serial in scenes that aired on Thursday evening.

Viewers will know that, in recent times, Jimmy and wife Nicola had been looking to the future, and had even planned to renew their wedding vows. Jimmy had not disclosed to Nicola about his financial troubles though, but tragedy struck when he crashed crashed into the wedding marquee where Joe Tate and Dawn Taylor were having a heart-to-heart.

No explanation has been offered yet as to what caused the fatal crash but actor Nick, who previously starred in The Bill, has spoken out about the sudden departure.

Asked by co-star Nicola Wheeler, who plays his on-screen wife, in a video that appeared on Emmerdale’s official Instagram why his character had to go, he simply reasoned: “Everybody I know who read that script, the first thing they said was that it made me cry.”

Nicola was with him in his final moments, telling Jimmy she loved him and holding his hand, as he imagined their vow renewal. With Jimmy gone, Nicola wept before fleeing the marquee just as it exploded.

Just moments before, everything played out as Nicola raced into the marquee to find her husband, was in a bad way and suggested he might not be making it out.

In heart-wrenching scenes, Jimmy shared his love for his wife, but sadly he succumbed to his injuries and died in the car. Moments later the marquee looked as though it was about to be engulfed in flames.

Fans were certainly not impressed with the shock death, with one writing: “He deserved better.” Another said: “I’m still in bits what an episode. Bravo to the cast,” as a third added: “I can’t get over the episode. I was in tears.”

Another fan commented: “I hate that they are getting rid of [name].” A further post read: “He deserved something more epic,” as a final fan said: “You’ve done [name] dirty!”

Other fans confessed they couldn’t believe the show was getting rid of the character. Another fan said they were “fuming” given the character had been a apart of the show for so long.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. *

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A decade-long fight to outlaw child marriage in California is nearly at an end.

A bi-partisan bill that makes it illegal to issue marriage licenses to anyone under 18 cleared the state Assembly on Wednesday, drawing cheers from supporters who said the measure was a long overdue fix to an “archaic” piece of California law.

“The issue has evolved now because we have better stories, we have better data. We have a growing national movement … marriage is really something that can be reserved for consenting adults,” said Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz).

The bill — whose chief authors include Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon and Democrats Caroline Menjivar and Cottie Petrie-Norris — glided through the state Senate and Assembly without major opposition. It now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Until the bill is signed into law, California remains one of three states in the U.S. without a minimum age to get married or enter into a domestic partnership. While the state has guardrails on the marriage process for minors, requiring them to gain judicial approval and the consent of at least one parent before receiving a license, advocates say children can still be easily pressured to wed by their parents or religious groups.

“All we’re doing with any judicial review process … is putting the onus on a terrified child,” said Fraidy Reiss, the founder and executive director of Unchained At Last, an advocacy group working on legislation to end child marriage across the U.S.

There were 88 marriage licenses issued in California where at least one party was a minor between 2019 and 2025, according to data collected by the state Department of Public Health. Some of those marriages involved weddings between girls as young as 15 and men in their 30s, according to a Senate analysis of the bill. In L.A. County, 51 licenses were issued to minors between 2014 and 2025, according to the county Registrar’s office.

“Even if the numbers are relatively small every child deserves protection,” Pellerin said. “And we don’t want to wait for a problem to become so widespread before we start protecting children.”

A 2020 study by the International Center for Research on Women shows underage marriages can have devastating long-term impacts on young girls.

“Marrying early has universally detrimental effects over a range of outcomes, including educational attainment; earnings; physical, reproductive, and mental health; experiences of violence; and likelihood of divorce, particularly for girls,” the study found.

Although consensual sex between a person over 18 and someone under that age is still considered statutory rape under California law, sex between those same two people becomes legal if they are married. Reiss said the state’s law allowing underage unions was essentially a shield for sexual abusers.

“It destroys almost any aspect of a girl’s life and it doesn’t deliver any benefit,” she said. “The only benefit it brings is to creepy guys who want to prey on teenage girls.”

The American Civil Liberties Union filed an opposition letter against the measure in June, warning the bill could have an unintended consequence of removing a minor’s autonomy over their own body.

“Just as minors have the right to decide to have an abortion or to carry a pregnancy to term (or to seek a restraining order) on their own, they should maintain the right to marry, with robust protections in place to prevent coercion and abuse,” the ACLU wrote.

But Pellerin, who previously served as Santa Cruz County Clerk, said it was the memory of a pregnant teen that helped push her to fight for the bill. She recalled issuing a marriage license to a 16-year-old girl and man in his late teens or early 20s, and felt that the girl’s parents were forcing them to wed.

Under California law at the time, Pellerin said, she had no evidence of coercion or force so she had no choice but to process the license. She hopes once Newsom signs the bill, no young girl will have to go through that again.

“I’m often haunted by that look on her face,” Pellerin said. “My kid is out at soccer practice and this girl is in here, pregnant, scared to death, signing up for a lifetime commitment.”

If signed into law by Newsom, the new minimum marriage age would take effect January 1, 2027.