role

A nepo baby with two very famous actor parents has bagged herself a role in the new Peaky Blinders movie – can you guess who her mum and dad are?

Ruby, 27, has followed in her parents footsteps as an actor and according to IMDB, she’s set to star as Agnes Shelby in the upcoming film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.

The highly-anticipated project is a direct continuation of the BBC One television series and has an epic cast.

Cillian Murphy is back in the role of Thomas Shelby alongside Stephen Graham, Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee and Ian Peck.

Ruby joins other actors who are new to the Peaky Blinders world, including Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Jay Lycurgo and Barry Keoghan.

Her actor and filmmaker father is best known for his motion capture roles working with animation and voice work for computer generated characters.

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He’s starred in massive Hollywood films including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong and the Planet of the Apes reboot series.

His work has garnered him several BAFTA awards, a Daytime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe nomination.

Meanwhile, his wife also has an impressive resume, having appeared in massive shows including The Crown, Bridgerton and Grantchester.

And she most recently entertained fans in the BBC drama Riot Women, written by Happy Valley’s Sally Wainwright.

Have you guessed who Ruby’s famous parents are?

That’s right, it’s none other than Gollum actor Andy Serkis and his wife Lorraine Ashbourne.

As well as the projects previously mentioned, Andy has starred in other big projects including Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Batman and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

The couple got married back in 2002 and live in London with their three children, Ruby, Sonny and Louis.

Ruby Ashbourne Serkis has already starred in some big productions, having bagged small roles in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies thanks to her dad.

She’s since carved out her own career with projects such as drama comedy film La Cha Cha and most recently, Netflix film Steve, alongside Cillian.

Ruby is also set to appear on stage at The Hampstead Theatre in Indian Ink, alongside Felicity Kendal and Gavi Singh Chera.

A synopsis for the play reads: “Satirising the self-importance of both academia and the ruling class, Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink is an evocative meditation on art and love, exploring how creativity can bridge even the most profound cultural barriers.”

Both of Ruby’s brothers, Sonny and Louis, have also bagged the nepo tag and ran with it, and are also acting.

Sonny has appeared in mini series Masters of the Air, The Witcher, The War Below and Young Wallander.

While Louis is best-known for his role as Alex in the 2019 fantasy adventure film The Kid Who Would Be King.

Back in 2017, Andy directed the film Breathe, which is a true story about the love between Robin and Diana Cavendish.

Many fans thought the film was inspired by Andy and Lorraine’s own love story, having been married for 23 years.

However, Andy has clarified the project was inspired by the Cavendish’s story and the power of their love to overcome adversity.

Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen speaks to Talk to Al Jazeera about the prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, whether Trump can bring Putin and Zelenskyy to the negotiating table, and why Europe insists on clear red lines. From frozen Russian assets to NATO deterrence and Finland’s unique position as a NATO member sharing a long border with Russia, Valtonen explains what a realistic settlement would require, and why she believes Moscow is still not interested in genuine peace.

Nov. 24 (UPI) — Khol’s on Monday announced interim CEO Michael Bender will be officially named the company’s cheif executive.

Bender will be the Wisconsin-headquartered company’s third CEO in a three-year period in a unanimous move effective Sunday.

“As previously shared, the board engaged an external firm and conducted a comprehensive search,” according to Kohl’s board Chairman John Schlifske.

Schlifske said at the conclusion of its search effort, the board had “enthusiastically” appointed Bender in its unanimous vote to retain Bender.

Declining sales, meanwhile, have been met with leadership issues.

Bender stepped into the CEO role on a temporary basis in May and was appointed after the then-CEO Ashley Buchanan was fired over conflict of interest issues.

“While we’re pleased by our recent progress, we’re deeply motivated to accelerate our transformation — together with our partners, vendors and incredible Kohl’s associates all across the country,” he said in a statement.

It arrived as Kohl’s seeks to spur growth in sales at its more than 1,160 store locations.

Bender, who joined Kohl’s after years in management at other retailers such as Walmart and Victoria’s Secret, has been on the Kohl’s company board since June 2019.

He became board chair last year in May.

Monday’s announcement arrived the day before the company was expected to report its third-quarter fiscal earnings Tuesday.

ZOOTROPOLIS 2 star Ginnifer Goodwin says her kids would mock her for saying she voiced the main character, rabbit Judy Hopps, and refused to believe it was really her.

The actress, who attended the London premiere of the Disney animated adventure yesterday, previously spoke to Bizarre’s Jack at Walt Disney World in Florida, while she was at the launch of the park’s new Zootopia attraction – the film’s name in the US.

Ginnifer, who is married to Josh Dallas, her co- star in TV fantasy series Once Upon A Time, said: “My kids still don’t feel comfortable with watching me on screen.

“Even though they are obsessed with Disney, they have never seen more than the pilot of Once Upon A Time, which they did love but they said it was weird for them – even though Mummy and Daddy are together in the show.

“A few years after, I showed them Zootropolis.

“Someone said to them, ‘That’s your mum’, and they were like, ‘That is a rabbit and it’s not our mum’.

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“My eldest replied, ‘I know Mum thinks she sounds like that rabbit but she doesn’t’.”

And Ginnifer said of the sequel to the 2016 original, which opens in cinemas on Friday: “I was ecstatic to grow with the character and it may be a bit weird to say about your own product, but I do think it’s outrage-ously good.”

Directed by Japan’s monomonikered Hikari, “Rental Family” — a beautifully moving and affably humorous story of human connection — kicks off with one funeral and culminates with another, demonstrating the evolution that our protagonist, Philip (Brendan Fraser), goes through during his personal journey between these two events.

The first funeral is a shock. Philip is a struggling actor in Tokyo, with one massively successful commercial as a toothpaste superhero mascot under his belt. His agent has booked him a gig as “Sad American,” a role he can easily play with his looming height, doleful eyes and a heart he wears on his sleeve. Late as usual, he dashes to check in for work and is shocked to stumble into a somber funeral. He’s even more shocked when the formally dressed corpse starts emotionally reacting to the tearful eulogies.

The scene is a marvel of revelation and reaction from Fraser and, in fact, much of the genius of his performance in “Rental Family” comes from his reactions, especially as he discovers the weird and wonderful new job he’s landed.

In the screenplay by Hikari and Stephen Blahut, Philip finds himself working for Tada (Takehiro Hira), who runs a company called Rental Family that’s hired by clients to provide staff to role-play in various real-world scenarios — the fake funeral, for example, or as a mistress apologizing to a spurned wife or just for friendship. Philip’s first role is quite complex: He plays a Canadian man getting married to a young Japanese woman in a show wedding for her conservative parents. She’s queer and needs an out in order to be with her real partner. Philip, who is earnest and honest to a fault, chafes at the lie but soon realizes that he’s helping someone to live their authentic life, so he throws himself into it.

Rental Family’s service is all about maintaining Japanese values of propriety and politeness through performance, and the little (or big) white lies are manipulations to get what the clients want: an apology, companionship, love, admiration, closure. Philip’s most challenging high-wire act proves to be posing as the long-lost American father of a shrewd and emotionally intelligent young girl, Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), in order to secure her school admission. Both Philip and Mia’s mom (Shino Shinozaki), the client, soon realize that it’s much more complicated than just pretending to be a nuclear family for a school interview.

While playing daddy, Philip also juggles a role as a curious journalist profiling an aging, iconic (but largely forgotten) screen actor, Kikuo (Akira Emoto), from whom he learns surprising lessons about life, memory and legacy. He finds himself deeply connecting with these people, young and old, and learning from them, while becoming tangled in their lives.

Empathy pours off Fraser in waves, which is what made his Oscar-winning performance in “The Whale” work. Hikari channels that quality to good use in “Rental Family” but never oversteps. The film is sweet and affecting, never treacly or overly sentimental. She knows how to balance humor and poignancy, to allow Philip to be a grown man with his own needs and peccadilloes and mistakes, though we never question his motivations because of the inherent goodness that radiates off Fraser.

Hikari’s naturalistic style perfectly suits this story. The Tokyo that she showcases is one of quotidian everyday life, not the futuristic neon city that an outsider might capture. Hers is one of small, cramped apartments, karaoke bars, public transit, hotels, temples and schools. It’s a world occupied by normal people who sometimes need a little help, a little push to get the things they want in life. Philip is there to provide that service even though he’s also in need of his own connection to others.

But it’s the mishaps along the way that actually help Philip to grow. By the time we get to the second funeral, we see how much he has bloomed. Fraser has an openness to his expression that’s like a flower unfolding, beaming in the sunlight of recognition and personal fulfillment. As an actor, Fraser’s second act has been a sight to behold. He’s the emotional anchor of this life-affirming and quietly resonant film about the importance of being together — a movie that announces Hikari as a major talent.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Last week, 42 migrants were presumed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea after their dinghy set sail off the Libyan coast.

At least 29 of them were Sudanese refugees who fled the catastrophic civil war in their country between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army known as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Since erupting in April 2023, the Sudan war has caused the largest displacement crisis in the world.

Nearly 13 million people have been uprooted from their homes and more than four million have fled to neighbouring countries, such as Chad, Egypt and Libya.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 86,000 Sudanese nationals are registered as asylum seekers or refugees in Libya – a 60,000 uptick compared with before the war.

As more Sudanese attempt to reach Europe from Libya, this is everything you need to know about their plight.

How many Sudanese asylum seekers have reached Europe since the war started?

From April 2023 to January 2024, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) registered nearly 10,000 asylum applications from Sudanese nationals across the European Union – nearly twice as high as the previous year.

While figures for 2025 have not yet been published, the growing number of Sudanese nationals arriving in Libya suggests that more people are aiming to reach Europe as their final destination.

“I hope to soon take the journey across the sea to Europe,” Hamid, a Sudanese refugee from Khartoum, told Al Jazeera from Libya, where he arrived earlier this year.

“Hopefully, God will make the journey safe,” he added with resignation.

How are Sudanese asylum seekers treated in Europe?

Only a minority of the 10,000 Sudanese asylum seekers have been granted protection so far, with the rest either rejected or waiting for a ruling.

In general, life has not been easy for many young Sudanese men after reaching Europe.

Some EU states are using anti-smuggling laws to criminalise young men for steering the small and overcrowded boats that smugglers put them in.

In Greece, more than 200 Sudanese minors and young men between the ages of 15 and 21 are facing smuggling charges.

Some have already been convicted and sentenced to decades or life in prison, pushing their lawyers to appeal.

Migration experts have long explained that vulnerable youth often agree to “steer” boats in exchange for a discounted price from smugglers, who often charge thousands of dollars from destitute asylum seekers looking for safety.

Does Europe share responsibility for the crisis in Sudan?

The RSF, which has committed countless atrocities throughout the war, emerged from the nomadic “Arab” government-linked Popular Defence Forces, known as the Janjaweed militias, that spearheaded a brutal campaign in the far western region of Darfur at the turn of the millennium.

Those militias were later accused of carrying out countless war crimes and crimes against humanity against mainly sedentary “non-Arab” communities.

Many legal scholars and human rights groups believe the atrocities may have amounted to genocide.

Yet in 2013, Sudan’s then-President Omar al-Bashir repackaged many of the Popular Defence Forces militias into the RSF.

The RSF, looking to acquire international legitimacy, quickly portrayed itself as a possible partner in the EU’s mission to “manage migration” in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

In 2014, the EU announced that it was launching the “Khartoum Process”, an initiative that strengthened cooperation between the EU and East African nations to counter irregular migration.

About $200m was pumped into Sudan over the next five years for this purpose.

According to research carried out by Sudan expert Suliman Baldo in 2017, a portion of this money went to strengthening the judiciary and law enforcement and may have possibly been diverted towards the RSF.

The EU has long denied that it financed the RSF in any capacity.

When Sudan’s security forces – including the RSF – killed more than 120 pro-democracy protesters in the capital Khartoum on June 3, 2019, the EU suspended all migration cooperation.

At the time, Sudan expert Alex de Waal said the EU’s reaction was “basically an admission of guilt” that the RSF had benefitted politically and financially from the Khartoum Process.

Vicky Pattison is bouncing back after being booted off the BBC dance show, with the star already lining up a new on-screen project that will take her in a very different direction

Vicky Pattison is reportedly preparing for a brand-new TV role after her shock exit from Strictly Come Dancing. The former Geordie Shore favourite, who recently turned 38, was dropped from the BBC competition over the weekend despite impressing viewers with her routines alongside professional partner Kai Widdrington, 30.

The pair were sent home after the judges chose to save Balvinder Sopal, 49, and her partner Julian Caillon, 30. Now, Vicky is said to be heading straight back onto screens – this time alongside her husband Ercan Ramadan, whom she married in 2024 – in a new E4 series.

A TV insider told The Sun: “Vicky is already hugely popular with E4 audiences, thanks to her documentary about her dad’s alcoholism, her wedding specials and her show The Honesty Box, and this is the perfect post Strictly vehicle for her.”

According to the report, the show will explore a range of fertility topics, including IVF, egg freezing and the emotional realities behind the process. Vicky will also share her own journey while speaking to experts and women who have undergone similar experiences.

The star has been open about taking control of her fertility, choosing to freeze her eggs before tying the knot with Ercan last summer. She has frequently discussed the subject on social media and previously fronted the BBC documentary Egg Freezing And Me, which examined the rising demand for fertility treatments in the UK.

Growing up in Newcastle, Vicky felt the pressure many young women face surrounding marriage and motherhood. The 38-year-old has said that in her hometown, “it was ‘expected that you’d get married and have kids by 30, and if you didn’t you’d have failed.”

But despite once believing she had missed the mark, Vicky says her thirties turned out to be the most fulfilling years of her life so far. She told the Daily Mail: “I’d just come out of a relationship. I’d been conditioned to think everything was going to go downhill – looks, fertility, career. But my 30s have actually been the best years of my life. I met my husband, I bought a house, I adopted my dog, I found a career I’m proud of. I was a girl until I was 30 – now I’m a woman, and I like her. Society scares women into thinking life ends at 30. It’s rubbish.”

Vicky has also spoken openly about her diagnosis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), after doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as nothing more than Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).

Reflecting on her fertility treatment, she has been honest about the emotional and physical toll, saying: “It’s emotionally difficult, and you’re all over the shop, but I found it to be quite uncomfortable and painful as well. And I don’t think enough people talk about that… we’re not allowed to whinge about it and say it was a bit hard, and it was a bit uncomfortable.”

She added an important reminder that women can feel both grateful and overwhelmed at the same time: “But actually, you can be grateful, and you can be really excited for the end product, but you can also struggle to get there, and I found it painful.”

The Mirror has reached out to Vicky Pattison’s representatives for comment.

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IN her blue gingham dress, brown pigtails and trusty dog Toto by her side, Dorothy Gale is one of the most famous characters in Hollywood history.

But 86 years after original actress Judy Garland skipped down the yellow brick road, the school girl from Kansas is back on the big screen – being played by a Pilates instructor who lives in Surrey.

Bethany Weaver, 30, has been unveiled as the woman portraying Dorothy in the big budget movie Wicked: For Good, which hits cinemas this Friday.

However, The Sun can reveal she only appears on screen for 69 seconds and says a total of six words — and Bethany’s friends may not even recognise her, as her face is never shown on screen.

It follows on from last year’s first film, simply titled Wicked, and completes the tale of the witches of Oz, Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, 38, and Ariana Grande, 32, as Glinda.

But while the first musical extravaganza was a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, the second instalment’s plot runs parallel to that of the 1939 film, telling the tale from an entirely different perspective.

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That means viewers will once again see Dorothy with the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion.

Explaining the decision not to show her face, director Jon M. Chu, 46, said: “I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with.

“[The sequel] is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.”

Cynthia added: “I think that’s such a wonderful thing to do because then everyone gets to keep the Dorothy that they know.”

The film studio went to major lengths to keep her identity a secret, stopping her from attending the major premieres.

The cast and crew were banned from following or interacting with her on social media and on Instagram, she only had 1,041 followers before being formally announced.

She has had a string of theatre jobs in Oklahoma and Broken Wings after training at The Urdang Academy, and recently helped to choreograph a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

But away from the stage, she has a less showbiz career as a Pilates instructor in Surrey.

Her casting ends a year of speculation, as fans had been convinced that Irish actress Alisha Weir, 16, who played the lead in 2022’s Matilda the Musical, would take the role.

She attended the London premiere of the first Wicked film last year wearing silver shoes, which was thought to be a reference to the original colour of the character’s ruby red heels in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

And even superstar Taylor Swift, 35, was at one point linked to the role.

Fans thought the video for her song Karma, which saw her skipping down a yellow brick road, was a clue, and an image of the singer dressed as Dorothy went viral before later being debunked as AI.

But with an all-star cast in Wicked: For Good, also featuring People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey, 37, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, 63, and Jurassic Park’s Jeff Goldblum, 73, there is plenty of star power to propel it to success.

Wicked, released last November, became the highest-grossing film of the year at the UK box office, raking in £61million in a matter of weeks.

Now the blockbuster sequel is being forecast to repeat its success, with expectations it will surpass the £56million made by A Minecraft Movie and the £46million raked in by Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy earlier this year.

Bosses at Universal Pictures are also hoping the movie will prove fruitful in awards season too, after the first flick landed ten Oscar nominations but only won in the Best Costume Design and Best Production Design categories.

The film is based on the second half of the Broadway musical, although two new songs were penned especially for the big-screen version, which will be available when the official soundtrack is released on Friday.

Ariana has a solo moment with The Girl in the Bubble while Cynthia gets a song on her own with No Place Like Home.

The tracks mean they could go head-to-head for the Best Original Song gong at the Oscars.

The movies were filmed back to back from December 2022 to January 2024 at studios in Elstree and Leavesden, Herts, although Ariana and Cynthia returned to the UK in May this year for last-minute reshoots.

An estimated $150m was spent on the film with millions more on marketing it – with the massive investment paying off for the first flick.

That one set a box office record for a stage-to-screen adaptation, making $756m globally.

And they are going all-out to market this film too.

Today, it was revealed that Brick Lane in East London has been transformed into Yellow Brick Lane, with the famous path from the Wizard of Oz now running down the road, along with several Wicked murals.

There have also been a raft of big brand tie-ins, with a slew of Wicked-themed products including a collection of Le Creuset cookware, Crocs, rugs, trainers, perfume, and even drinks and bakes at high street chain Greggs.

Wicked Barbie dolls are also expected to be one of the most in-demand toys this Christmas.

And its legacy is likely to be even more musicals making it to the big screen.

Following the success of the first film, Sabrina Carpenter, 26, has had a musical about Alice in Wonderland greenlit by the same movie studio.

Mamma Mia 3 is also expected to go ahead, with talk of Nicole Scherzinger, 47 – who had been linked to the role of Elphaba back in 2017 – starring in a film adaptation of Sunset Boulevard.

As for Cynthia and Ariana, they have spent the last two weeks on a promotional tour including premieres in Sao Paulo, Paris, London, Singapore and on Monday evening, New York.

However, it has taken its toll.

Cynthia, who wore a black gown featuring leather and feathers on the red carpet in the Big Apple, was unable to do interviews there after losing her voice entirely in the lead-up to the film’s release.

Meanwhile, talk during the promo run has turned to Ariana, who wore a pink tulle skirt and a black corseted bodice, and her relationship with her co-star Ethan Slater, 33.

Romance blossomed during filming, just after her marriage to estate agent Dalton Gomez crumbled, and following his split from his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his son, psychologist Lilly Jay.

But despite steering clear from each other on red carpets and declining to talk about each other, the couple are quietly still going strong after two and a half years as an item.

And while she isn’t saying goodbye to him, she is moving away from the role of Glinda, which she had dreamed about playing since she was ten years old.

She has dyed her peroxide blonde hair back to brown and has moved onto her next project, recently completing work on the latest film in the Meet the Parents franchise.

Reflecting on the release of the second – and final – film, Ariana was emotional.

She explained: “It’s been such an incredible ride and an incredible experience to create with people we love so much and respect so much creatively, but also who just have such great hearts.”

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Speaking about the characters, who she and Cynthia auditioned for in 2021, she said: “It’s almost five years that we’ve spent with them. So, for them to finally be getting the full picture and to know the secrets we’ve known all along is very exciting.”

Ariana added: “This project will always be part of our lives.”

Chadwick’s team-mates from her 2025 season for IDEC were France’s Mathys Jaubert and Spain’s Daniel Juncadella, and both have been selected to race in next year’s hypercar alongside two more experienced drivers, Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani.

Next year Genesis are set to compete with several car manufacturers attracted back to sports cars for its flexible design rules and as a cheaper alternative to Formula 1.

Ferrari won this year’s championship at the Bahrain 8 Hours this month, in the number 51 car which includes Britain’s Le Mans winner from 2023 James Calado.

Poland’s former Formula 1 ace Robert Kubica won this year’s Le Mans in June in the number 83 Ferrari 499P.

Although there are two further seats yet to be filled for the two-car WEC entry for 2026 it appears Chadwick was considered too inexperienced, despite being an FIA ‘silver-rated’ driver – the same as Jaubert.

However, Genesis are said to highly rate Chadwick and are pleased with her progress as part of the Genesis driver stable.

Chadwick, who tested a Jaguar Formula E car last month, has taken on several development driver roles at teams such as Williams in Formula 1 in recent years – positions often limited to driving older cars for marketing purposes and driving simulation work.

But a reserve role is one of the biggest signals yet that a major manufacturer is backing female racing talent on merit.

Very few female drivers have competed in the top level of motorsport’s most popular disciplines in recent years – most recently Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro competed in 10 Formula E races in 2016.

Various female drivers have taken on races in America’s IndyCar series on an ad hoc basis, with little success.

Britain’s Amanda Stretton was the last female competitor in the top level to compete at Le Mans, in a one-off uncompetitive LMP1 entry in 2008.

The highest-placed finish for a female driver at Le Mans is fourth, for France’s Odette Siko in 1932.

The last woman to compete in a Formula 1 race was Lella Lombardi at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.

The internet personality and comedian has landed his TV debut in Robin Hood.

Henry Rowley of TikTok fame has landed his first major TV role in MGM+’s Robin Hood, which also stars Sean Bean.

He plays the character Will Gamewell, and took to Instagram to say he was “so excited” for the “amazing project”.

Originally from Leicester but now living in London, the star is the youngest of three brothers, who studied English literature at the University of Bristol.

He uploaded his first TikTok video in October 2021 and some of his sketches have received millions of views.

One of his most famous videos includes an uncanny impersonation of Keira Knightley. The star is seen re-enacting some of the Hollywood actress’s scenes from the film Love Actually. On Instagram, the video has more than 180,000 likes.

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Speaking to Square Mile, he admitting there was nothing showbiz about his childhood.

“Mum’s a counsellor, dad’s a doctor,” he shared, and as for his brothers: “Nick works in PR and Alex is an accountant.”

Never did he dream he would appear in an epic adventure drama with A-list stars like Sean Bean.

On landing his Robin Hood role, he said: ” It was the best experience of my life, far and away.

“For me that’s been a lifelong dream, to get a professional acting role and to be on a proper set with the cast and full crew and everything.

“Being there was better than the expectation. On my first day on set, I was giddy. I couldn’t stop smiling and saying to everyone, this is the most fun I’ve ever had.

“It’s just play with more stakes.” After sending over an audition tape, he landed the role and was told he would fly out to Serbia for filming three days later.

“Cancelled my trip to Mexico, went to Serbia, and had the best time ever,” he said.

He quit his job in marketing to pursue comedy and acting full-time and has since performed at a number of Edinburgh Fringe shows.

Henry admitted he did not know what TikTok was when he first started using it, thinking it was just “kids dancing”.

It was his friends who encouraged him to post his impressions on the platform and they “lost their minds” when the videos started garnering 30,000 views a day, in particular Minty, the posh girl at the afters.

Robin Hood airs weekly on MGM+

Theater veteran Elizabeth Franz, who won a Tony Award for her bold reinvention as the wife of the everyman title character in the 1999 Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” has died. She was 84.

The actor died Nov. 4 at her home in Woodbury, Conn., after a battle with cancer, her husband, screenwriter Christopher Pelham, told the New York Times. Pelham also said Franz’s cause of death was cancer and a severe reaction to the medication being used to treat her.

The Ohio-born actor’s take on Linda Loman, the wife of Brian Dennehy’s Willy Loman, in the 50th anniversary production of “Death of a Salesman,” was a departure from the character’s usual defeated energy that took even playwright Miller by surprise: “She has discovered in the role the basic underlying powerful protectiveness, which comes out as fury, and that in the past, in every performance I know of, was simply washed out,” Miller said in a 1999 interview with the New York Times. The production, which originated at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre before Broadway, eventually made its way to L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre.

Alongside Dennehy, Franz later reprised the role of Linda in Showtime’s TV adaptation of the play in 2000, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination.

She previously received a Tony nom in 1983 for her turn as Matthew Broderick’s onstage mother in Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs.” And later earned another nod in 2002 for “Morning’s at Seven,” in which she played the youngest of four Midwest sisters. Her other stage credits include “The Cherry Orchard,” “The Cemetery Club” and — in her final role on Broadway in 2010 — “The Miracle Worker.”

Franz’s TV credits included “Judging Amy,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Roseanne” and “Homeland.” A generation, though, came to know her as Mia Bass, the owner of the Independence Inn in Stars Hallow, in a Season 2 episode of “Gilmore Girls.” The minor, but essential-to-the-lore character was later recast in Season 7. She also appeared in the films “Sabrina,” “School Ties,” “A Fish in the Bathtub” and “Christmas With the Kranks.”

In addition to Pelham, Franz is survived by a brother, Joe.

James Bye is joining forces with Hollyoaks actor Gary Lucy in the West End show 2:22 A Ghost Story – and fans are excited to see the two soap stars on the stage together

Actor James Bye has landed his first major role since his EastEnders character, Martin Fowler, was killed off in the soap. The 41-year-old star is joining forces with Hollyoaks actor Gary Lucy, whose character Luke Morgan was also killed off, for a new theatre acting job in the West End. The two actors will play Sam and Ben in 2:22 A Ghost Story in next year’s shows.

The announcement was made by the official profile of the play on Instagram, with a poster showing the actors in their roles. It read: ” INTRODUCING OUR 2026 SAM AND BEN. @jimmybye and Gary Lucy will be taking #222AGhostStory across the UK through 2026!

“Joined by @shvornemarks returning as Jenny and @natalielauracasey as Lauren.” Fans were excited to see that James and Gary will be working together on the production – and many said they can’t wait to go to the theatre to watch the show.

READ MORE: James Bye refused ‘weird’ EastEnders request after Martin Fowler’s shocking exit

“Amazing such a brilliant cast,” a person said. “Can’t wait. See you in Cardiff,” a fan added. A third wrote: “This is a great duo! I’m gonna come watch!”

“Ooooooooo brilliant, great casting,” someone else said. The West End show, a thriller play by Danny Robins, premiered in 2021 and received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play the following year.

James played Martin in EastEnders from 2014 until he was killed off for the soap’s 40th anniversary episode this year. The character died after being trapped by a falling steel beam during an explosion at the Queen Vic pub. The episode aired on February 20 and saw Martin have a final moment with Stacey before he was crushed and died from his injuries.

After leaving the soap, James landed a job as Jane Austen hero Mr Darcy in the theatrical world premiere of Death Comes To Pemberley. Following his sudden departure from EastEnders, James said: “Saying goodbye is not easy, but after 10 years at EastEnders and on the night of the shows epic 40th anniversary – the time felt right. It’s an honour to leave on a story of this magnitude.

“A huge thank you to all the fans of the show – EastEnders wouldn’t be what it is without you – and to the BBC and EastEnders team for trusting me with this role for so many years. This fruit and veg man will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s time to look forward, and I’m incredibly excited for what the future holds. RIP Martin Fowler.”

Gary’s Hollyoaks character was killed off in July 2022 after suffering a fatal fall in Mallorca. Viewers were left heartbroken following Luke’s tragic death. “Wow I just finished Hollyoaks, I was not expecting Luke to go like that”, one fan wrote on X, then called Twitter.

“So sad watching Luke fall to his death on his stag. What a way to kill him off,” another echoed. “Can’t believe that’s the last of Luke Morgan,” someone else complained.

Meanwhile, a fourth said: “Hollyoaks playing that montage of Luke after he fell to his death has ruined my day. I loved him.”

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Tiffany Calver has quit her role on BBC Radio 1 after seven years on air and has been inundated with messages from her celebrity friends over her decision to step down

A broadcaster has quit her role on BBC Radio 1 with an emotional message. Tiffany Calver, 31, first joined the station in 2019 as a replacement for fellow DJ Charlie Sloth but announced on Friday evening that she had made the decision to ‘move on’ after so many years on air.

She took to social media to post a lengthy statement in which she admitted it had been ‘sheer magic’ to have had that job but that it was time to move on. She wrote: “Hey friends. I’d like to share that I’ve made the decision to move on from 1Xtra.

“It’s quite hard to put into words just what it means to be given the opportunity to live your dream for as many years as I have had the pleasure of doing. I will never be able to quite explain the sheer magic that happens when you press play on that first song, or greet your listeners for the first time on air every week, and I will miss it dearly.”

READ MORE: Sara Cox breaks down after raising huge sum in Children In Need marathonREAD MORE: BBC Death in Paradise spin-off pulled off air and fans are gutted

During her time at the radio station, Tiffany became known for curating playlists and made history as the first female to host Radio 1’s Rap Show before moving on to her current position.

She added: “I am so grateful for the memories made and for the opportunity to grow as a broadcaster during my time in one of the best places for radio in the world. I feel like now is the right time for me to continue to grow, but from outside of the station.

“Most importantly, I want to thank those of you who have tuned in and spent some time with me and my never-ending quest to keep finding and sharing the music I love with you all every week. That part will never change, as big as this might feel.

Tiffany was inundated with messages from celebrity pals, including Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall, who wrote: “We [love] you! Excited for your next chapter,” whilst Love Island host Maya Jama wrote: “gwan!” and emblazoned her comment with a series of clapping hand emojis.

BBC’s RadioXtra account wrote: “You’re going to be SO missed! Thanks for 7 incredible years of passion and for championing the artists who matter!”

When Tiffany landed her own show in 2023, Kenny Allstar took over from her on Rap Show. At the time, he said: “From the age of 11, I remember taking my mother’s cassette tapes to record The Rap Show on Saturdays.

“This was more than a radio show it was my entire social life. I always wanted to one day be the host of this powerful slot on these powerful networks.

“I hope to uphold the legacy that Tiffany left in place and continue to showcase the hottest in Hip Hop music on a global scale”.

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Jude Bellingham was named on the bench for England’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Thursday, with Morgan Rogers in the number 10 role.

Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly, 20, will make his senior international debut at left-back while Marcus Rashford plays in attack.

Bellingham, 22, has missed the past four internationals – partly due to a shoulder injury – but was recalled to the squad for this week’s games against Serbia and Albania, with England having already qualified for next summer’s tournament.

England manager Thomas Tuchel told the BBC on Wednesday that Aston Villa midfielder Rogers was carrying a slight hamstring issue and would require a late fitness check.

Rogers has excelled in deputising for Real Madrid’s Bellingham and Tuchel faces a clear selection dilemma before the World Cup next year.

O’Reilly makes his full England debut following an impressive start to the season with City.

Reece James, Ezri Konsa and John Stones join O’Reilly in defence.

Barcelona forward Rashford replaces the injured Anthony Gordon in attack.

Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson continue in midfield alongside Rogers while Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane get the nod in attack.

Jordan Pickford retains his place in goal.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Lawyers for two of President Trump’s foes who have been charged by the Justice Department asked a judge on Thursday to dismiss the cases against them, saying the prosecutor who secured the indictments was illegally installed in the role.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie didn’t immediately rule from the bench but said she expects to decide by Thanksgiving on challenges to Lindsey Halligan’s appointment as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The requests are part of multiprong efforts by former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James to get their cases dismissed before trial.

At issue during Thursday’s arguments are the complex constitutional and statutory rules governing the appointment of the nation’s U.S. attorneys, who function as top federal prosecutors in Justice Department offices across the country.

The role is typically filled by lawyers who have been nominated by a president and confirmed by the Senate. Attorneys general do have the authority to get around that process by naming an interim U.S. attorney who can serve for 120 days, but lawyers for Comey and James note that once that period expires, the law gives federal judges of that district exclusive say over who can fill the vacancy.

But that’s not what happened in this instance.

After then-interim U.S. attorney Erik Siebert resigned in September while facing Trump administration pressure to bring charges against Comey and James, Attorney General Pam Bondi, at Trump’s public urging, installed Halligan to the role.

Siebert had been appointed by Bondi in January to serve as interim U.S. attorney. Trump in May announced his intention to nominate him and judges in the Eastern District unanimously agreed after his 120-day period expired that he should be retained in the role. But after the Trump administration effectively pushed him out in September, the Justice Department again opted to make an interim appointment in place of the courts, something defense lawyers say it was not empowered under the law to do.

Prosecutors in the cases say that the law does not explicitly prevent successive appointments of interim U.S. attorneys by the Justice Department and that, even if Halligan’s appointment is deemed invalid, the proper fix is not the dismissal of the indictment.

Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstructing Congress, and James has pleaded not guilty to mortgage fraud allegations. Their lawyers have separately argued that the prosecutions are improperly vindictive and motivated by the president’s personal animus toward their clients, and should therefore be dismissed.

Tucker writes for the Associated Press.

Sarah Jessica Parker is adding one more trophy to her collection.

The six-time Golden Globe-winning actor will receive the 2026 Carol Burnett Award for excellence in television. Parker will be presented with the prize, named for its inaugural winner, during the first-ever “Golden Eve” special, airing Jan. 8 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

The Golden Globes previously announced that Helen Mirren will be honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the January ceremony, part of a celebratory “Golden Week” kicking off the awards season.

“Sarah Jessica Parker’s career embodies the very spirit of the Carol Burnett Award,” Golden Globes President Helen Hoehne said in a press release Thursday. “Her trailblazing impact on television and her dedication to storytelling across stage and screen have left an indelible mark on popular culture. We are honored to celebrate her extraordinary contributions to entertainment.”

Past winners of the Carol Burnett Award include Ted Danson (2024), Ryan Murphy (2023) and Norman Lear (2021).

Best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in the epoch-defining “Sex and the City” — she reprised the character for the divisive HBO sequel “And Just Like That” — Parker has also received Golden Globe nominations for her performances in the beloved 2005 Christmas comedy-drama “The Family Stone” and the HBO drama series “Divorce.”

Parker is also the co-founder of Pretty Matches Productions, alongside producer Alison Benson. With the production company, Parker and Benson have made a concerted effort to hire more women for on- and off-camera roles, exceeding standard mandates with “Divorce.”

Parker is also the founder of SJP Lit, an imprint from independent publisher Zando that has ushered in acclaimed titles including Mai Sennaar’s “They Dream in Gold” and Alina Grabowski’s “Women and Children First.”

Recently, Parker served on the judging panel for the 2025 Booker Prize.

Comedian Nikki Glaser will return as host for the 83rd annual Golden Globes ceremony, which airs Jan. 11 on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

Don’t expect to see Oscar Isaac reprise his role as hot-shot pilot Poe Dameron in the “Star Wars” franchise any time soon.

The “Frankenstein” star admitted in a GQ interview released Monday that he’s not interested in working for the media company given its acquiescence to the Trump administration.

“I’d be open to [returning to ‘Star Wars’], although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney,” Isaac said. “But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great.”

The interview, while released this week, was conducted in the days immediately following the shooting death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and Walt Disney Co.-owned broadcaster ABC saying it was pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely following sharp backlash over the host’s remarks about Kirk’s death. Kimmel’s program ultimately returned to ABC on Sept. 23, after nearly a full week off air.

“But if that happens, then yeah, I’d be open to having a conversation about a galaxy far away. Or any number of other things,” Isaac continued.

The 46-year-old actor was also the lead in the 2022 Disney+ original series “Moon Knight,” based on the Marvel superhero of the same name who first appeared in print in 1975.

In a 2020 interview with Deadline, Isaac voiced hesitation about returning to the “Star Wars” franchise following 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”

“I enjoyed the challenge of those films and working with a very large group of incredible artists and actors, prop makers, set designers and all that was really fun,” he said five years ago. “It’s not really what I set out to do. What I set out to do was to make handmade movies, and to work with people that inspire me.”

When asked point blank if he would accept a “Star Wars” role again, Isaac blankly answered in 2020, “Probably, but who knows. If I need another house or something.”

Responding to the flippant nature of his previous response, Isaac noted how seemingly obnoxious that quote sounded.

“Yeah. That was a real likable quote. Jesus Christ,” the “Dune” actor said in the recent GQ interview. “Y’know, people ask you things, you say stuff, you don’t really think about it that much. I said a slightly d— thing.”

Allison Mack is addressing “the bad things she’s done” as a high-profile member of the “sex cult” NXIVM in a new podcast.

Released Monday, “Allison After NXIVM” is a seven-episode series that features the former “Smallville” star detailing her time as a young actor and how she became involved in the purported self-improvement group, as well as her role in manipulating women into becoming sex slaves for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere and the eventual criminal fallout.

“I don’t see myself as innocent,” Mack says in an early episode as she acknowledges using her success as an actor as “a power tool … to get people to do what I wanted” and that she was “very effective in moving Keith’s vision forward.”

In a later episode, she accepts claims that she was a “harsh monster” during her time at NXIVM.

“I was not kind and I was aggressive and I was abusive,” Mack says. “I was harsh and I was callous and I was aggressive and forceful in ways that were painful for people. [I] did make people feel like they had no choice and was incredibly abusive to people, traumatic for people.”

In 2019, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to her role in NXIVM and its subgroup DOS, a so-called “secret society” of women who were branded with Raniere’s initials and forced to have sex with him. Mack was among one of the “masters” in the group, a lieutenant tasked by Raniere with recruiting and coercing other women. She was sentenced to three years in federal prison in 2021 and was released in 2023. (Raniere is currently serving a 120-year sentence after being convicted of sex-trafficking and other charges.)

But while she acknowledges that “100% all those allegations are true,” she also contends that she is “someone who cares deeply and wanted very much to grow and wanted very much for everybody that I was involved with to grow. … [B]oth of those things are true about me.

“I definitely recognize and admit that I was abusing my power,” Mack says. “But I also can’t negate the fact that there was a part of me that was altruistic and was desperate to help people. [I] wanted to be better, and I was willing to do anything to be better in myself and to help other people be better.”

The podcast series also touches on what Mack has been up to since being released from prison. She is pursuing a master’s in social work and looking into PhD programs in expressive arts therapy. She is also working at a nonprofit to help bring creative arts such as music, theater and poetry to prisons.

Over the summer, Mack got married to Frank Meeink, a prominent former neo-Nazi who now speaks out in support of racial diversity and acceptance. The couple met in a dog park not long after Mack’s release from prison in 2023. According to the podcast’s host, Natalie Robehmed, Mack now goes by Allison Meeink.

Robehmed also mentions that “Allison After NXIVM,” which is the latest installment of the true crime podcast “Uncover,” came to be after Mack reached out to journalist Vanessa Grigoriadis following her release from prison, hoping to tell her own story for the first time. Grigoriadis, who serves as an executive producer on the series, had interviewed Mack before her arrest.

NXIVM also has been the subject of the 2020 documentary series “The Vow” and “Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult.”

“I’m born alone and I’m going to die alone, so go on your own journey.”

That statement from British light-middleweight Ishmael Davis might appear blunt at face value, but his harsh view on life was developed through some difficult formative years.

By the age of 14, Davis had been kicked out of school, kicked out of his childhood home and was adapting to the responsibility of caring for newborn twin sons.

“I had a bit of a rough upbringing,” Davis tells BBC Sport.

“I was living with my first baby’s mum at 14, went into a hostel until I was 15 and then I got my own flat.

“Because I wasn’t making money it was hard. I was only getting around £100 every two weeks. It was a hard time in my life but these are the things I’ve had to come through.”

Davis, now 30, first stepped into a boxing gym aged 12 and took part in an unlicensed amateur fight the following year, but any dreams of pursuing the sport further were shelved as he tried to provide for his children.

Despite still being a child himself, Davis turned to the streets of Chapeltown in Leeds to make ends meet.

“I was year nine when I had my first kids. After that I wanted to be out on the streets all the time and I got into gangs,” Davis says.

“Because I had kids young, I started selling drugs.”

Davis would land himself in prison not long after and was on the path some of his closest friends and family were walking.

On 15 November he faces Sam Gilley for the British and Commonwealth light-middleweight titles on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he looks to get his career back in track after three losses in his past four fights.

Davis discusses how differently his life could have been if not for boxing and his personal drive.

British actor Pauline Collins, who earned an Oscar nomination for her turn as the stuck-in-a-rut housewife of “Shirley Valentine,” has died. She was 85.

Collins’ family said in a statement Thursday that the actor died peacefully this week at her care home in north London after living with Parkinson’s disease for several years. In the statement, her family said Collins “was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life.”

“A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen,” the family described the versatile actor, whose career began in the 1960s.

Collins was well into her 40s when she starred in “Shirley Valentine,” a witty but disgruntled homemaker who accepts a girlfriend’s offer to travel to Greece to bring much-needed spice back to her life. “Sex for breakfast, sex for dinner, sex for tea and sex for supper,” Shirley proudly declares in the 1989 film, directed by Lewis Gilbert.

For Collins, “Shirley Valentine” was more than just an ode to womanhood, self-love and self-discovery. It was also a chance to challenge the conventions of aging in entertainment, including by shooting a nude scene for the film.

“My only sorrow was that I wasn’t younger and thinner,” a 49-year-old Collins told The Times in 1989. “But if I were Jamie Lee Curtis, I wouldn’t have been right for the part.”

“Shirley Valentine,” which also starred Tom Conti as her on-screen Greek lover and Alison Steadman as her friend, led Collins to receive her sole Academy Award nomination, a nod in the leading actress category. The film also received an original song Oscar nomination for Patti Austin’s “The Girl Who Used to Be Me,” written by Marvin Hamlisch and husband-wife lyricist duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

Two years before the film’s premiere, Collins originated the role of Shirley Valentine in London for Willy Russell’s one-woman play of the same name. That led to her Broadway debut in 1989 and a Tony Award for best actress in a play the same year. She also won accolades for the play at the Laurence Olivier Awards and a BAFTA for her work in the film adaptation.

Beyond “Shirley Valentine,” Collins was also known for appearing in dozens of TV series including “Upstairs, Downstairs,” “Forever Green,” “The Ambassador,” “Mount Pleasant” and “Dickensian.” She also appeared in films including “City of Joy,” “Paradise Road” and “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” counting Patrick Swayze, Glenn Close, Frances McDormand, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins among her co-stars.

Throughout her decades-long screen career, Collins also continued her work in theater, including productions of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Woman in Mind” and “Cinderella.”

Collins, born in 1940, was raised near Liverpool by a schoolteacher mother and a headmaster father. She told The Times in 1989 that her dad “was one of the early feminists.”

“He had three daughters and always offered us everything that a boy would have — education and stuff,” she said. “[My parents] had a completely shared domestic situation, they both worked, cooked, did the washing. He even washed nappies [diapers] by hand.”

Her marriage to “Upstairs, Downstairs” co-star John Alderton — they married in 1969 — was not too different. “He just spent five months holding down the fort at home while I was on Broadway,” she recalled.

Alderton, 84, said Thursday that Collins’ “greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children.”

While Collins was known for her scenic and romantic on-screen vacation to the Greek coast, she preferred a different kind of destination off-screen: St. Petersburg, Fla.

“It’s amazing, people think when you’re on your own you’re going off to have wonderful sexual adventures. Here I am, on my own, going off to Disney World,” she told The Times. “What does that say about me?”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.