Series

Benedict Hardie, Alex Dimitriades and Darren Gilshenan are joining Marta Dusseldorp for season two of Bay Of Fires

Bay Of Fires is returning to ITVX with series two. The Australian drama will see Marta Dusseldorp reprise her role as Stella alongside Toby Leonard Moore, Nicholas Bell, and Bob Franklin.

However, the new series, which will continue to showcase Tasmania’s rugged west coast will also introduce some new cast members, including Benedict Hardie, Alex Dimitriades and Darren Gilshenan.

The second season opens with Stella now the leader of the Mystery Bay residents while also juggling solo parenting and keeping her criminal bosses at bay. As synopsis for series two reads: “Mystery Bay is prospering under Stella’s guidance – albeit in a somewhat chaotic fiscal manner.

“But such joys are short-lived when she and her kids find themselves sandwiched between an unhinged apiarist drug lord, a maniacal millenarian doomsday cult, the resurrection of her nemesis, Russia, and a growing civil war in the town.

“Slowly it dawns on Stella that she may be the cause of much of this nightmare. Perhaps the only way out is to go back to the source and blow it sky high.” Here’s what you need to know about the cast list.

Bay Of Fires returning cast

Marta is reprising her role as Stella Heikkinen. Viewers will recognise Marta from A Place to Call Home, Jack Irish, Janet King and The Twelve.

Also reprising their roles are Toby Leonard Moore (Billions), Nicholas Bell (Scrublands), Bob Franklin (Please Like Me), Kim Ko (Utopia), Matt Nable (Plum), Roz Hammond (Irreverent), Pamela Rabe (Wentworth), Kerry Fox (The Dressmaker) Andre de Vanny (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Ilai Swindells (Retrograde).

As well as Imi Mbedla (Australia ’s Got Talent), Ava Caryofyllis (The Twelve), Emily Milledge (Fires), Elle Mandalis (The Twelve) and Ben Knight (White Fever).

Bay Of Fires new cast members

Benedict Hardie as Neil Roebuck

Benedict is known for his roles in Total Control, The Survivors, NCIS: Sydney, as well as films Upgrade and Hacksaw Ridge.

Alex Dimitriades as Allesandro

Alex has starred in Strife, The Tourist, Total Control, Amazing Grace and The End.

Darren Gilshenan as Joel

Darren Gilshenan is known for Dark City (1998), A Moody Christmas (2012) and No Activity (2015). He has also starred in Colin from Accounts, Harrow and No Activity.

The brand new second season will be available on ITVX from Sunday, November 30, with the first series available on the streaming site now.

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This week I spoke to James L. Brooks, whose legendary career includes “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News” and “The Simpsons,” about his new film “Ella McCay,” which opens in theaters Dec. 12.

The film stars Emma Mackey as a classic Brooksian heroine: a lieutenant governor of a small, unnamed state with a genuine desire to make other people’s lives better who unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the job of governor.

Albert Brooks and Emma Mackey in the movie “Ella McCay.”

(Claire Folger / 20th Century Studios)

Warm and affectionate toward its characters while also clear-eyed about their all-too-human imperfections, the film is the kind of made-for-adults dramedy that is currently out-of-favor with Hollywood.

“I don’t believe people don’t want comedy,” Brooks said. “Obviously, I hope that you have meat on the bone and that doesn’t mean you can’t do a real scene about real difficulty, especially with this picture.”

Matt Brennan spoke to Renate Reinsve, star of Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” while the two of them toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. Carlos Aguilar spent time with Amy Madigan, the veteran actor enjoying renewed career energy thanks to her role as Aunt Gladys in “Weapons.”

Among the movies’ new releases, Amy Nicholson reviewed Rian Johnson’s latest Benoit Blanc story, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” calling it the “darkest, funniest and best installment yet.”

Mila Kunis, Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor in the movie “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”

(Netflix)

Amy also reviewed Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) as they grapple with the death of their young son Hamnet, a grief that results in the play “Hamlet.”

If you are really looking to get away from family this week, consider Julia Loktev’s five-and-a-half-hour documentary “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow,” which chronicles the fall of one of the last independent news channels in Russia, largely run by women, during the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Loktev and one of the film’s subjects, Ksenia Mironova, will be at the Laemmle Royal for Q&As after certain shows on the 28th and 29th.

As Tim Grierson put it in his review, “During a year in which the worst-case scenarios of a second Trump presidency have come to fruition, ‘My Undesirable Friends’ contains plenty of echoes with our national news. The canceling of comedy shows, the baseless imprisonment of innocent people, the rampant transphobia: The Putin playbook is now this country’s day-to-day. Some may wish to avoid Loktev’s film because of those despairing parallels. But that’s only more reason to embrace ‘My Undesirable Friends.’ Loktev didn’t set out to be a witness to history, but what she’s emerged with is an indispensable record and a rallying cry.”

Also opening this week is another of the year’s most boldly unconventional films, Kahlil Joseph’s “BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions,” a dense, collage-like exploration of Black identity and history, playing at the Lumiere Music Hall. Anyone who saw the recent blockbuster exhibition of artworks by Joseph’s brother, the late Noah Davis, at the Hammer Museum will also find “BLKNWS” a worthwhile experience.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins on the future of the Coen brothers

Cinematographer Roger Deakins photographed at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Roger Deakins is among the most celebrated and best-known cinematographers of his era. A two-time Oscar winner, he has worked with filmmakers such as Joel and Ethan Coen, Sam Mandes, Denis Villeneuve and many more, on films including “No Country for Old Men,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Skyfall,” “Sicario,” “Blade Runner 2049” and “1917.”

Deakins, 76, who often works in collaboration with his wife James Ellis Deakins, has for the past few years been hosting a podcast, “Team Deakins,” interviewing filmmakers. He has recently published “Reflections: On Cinematography,” which is part memoir and part how-to, drawing from his personal archives to explore his work on so many contemporary classics.

On Sunday, the American Cinematheque will screen director Andrew Dominik’s 2007 “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” at the Aero Theatre with both Roger and James present for a Q&A and book signing.

They recently got on a video call from their home in Santa Monica to talk about the book, their relationship and whether to expect another movie from the Coen brothers.

Javier Bardem in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2007 movie “No Country for Old Men.”

(Miramax Films)

One of the things that’s so striking about the book is that it is very much a memoir, the story of your life, but it is told through these movies and an exploration of your artistic practice.

Roger Deakins: Well, that was the balance. We didn’t want it to be a technical manual and we didn’t want it to be a sort of tell-all or just recounting old stories.

James Deakins: When you work in the film business, it’s so intense. Your work is your life.

Roger Deakins: Especially when I started out, shooting in documentaries for a few years, that was the life experience that opened the world to me. I didn’t see the world other than my experiences shooting films, whether it was documentaries or later fiction films, like going together to Morocco to shoot “Kundun.” The life experience actually has always been as important to me as the actual work.

Can you tell me a little bit more about just the relationship between the two of you, traveling together, working on all these different movies? What has that meant to you?

Roger Deakins: It’s all very weird. That is so not me.

James Deakins: The reason why we work so well together is Roger’s very intent on what he is doing and doesn’t particularly want to talk to other people during that time period. And I do — I love to talk to people. I love to solve problems. I love to do all that. So together we kind of make this whole. But we also have a lot of people come up to us and ask us for relationship advice.

Roger Deakins: When we met, I think I was 41 or something. We were both fairly kind of, not lonely, but we were loners, both of us. And we connected on a film. We met on a film together. James was script supervisor on a film that I was shooting. And after that film, it just seemed obvious to me that we should be together. And it’s been wonderful. We’ve just shared these life experiences together. I couldn’t really understand other relationships, which seemed to work well, where one person goes away and works on a movie for like six months and then comes back home and tries to step back into a relationship like nothing had happened. I don’t see that. So we’ve always shared things together. Doing the podcast was very much James’ idea, but I’ve kind of warmed to it.

James Ellis Deakins, left, and Roger Deakins at the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in 2023.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

When people ask for relationship advice, what do they want to know?

James Deakins: They’re saying, “I’ve got to travel so much. How do I keep it together?” Or: How do we work together? Just, will this work? Is it possible? It’s very strange, because we’ve just done a very technical Q&A and my head’s there, and then someone comes up to me — and I can always kind of tell because they’re bearing down on me — and they go, “I just want to ask you…”

Roger, in the book you talk about how, when you were starting out and in film school, you thought of yourself as a director. As you started shooting more for other people, did that create a sense of a path not taken?

Roger Deakins: I would be lying if I was saying there wasn’t a little bit way down deep inside of me that was saying: What if I had tried to become a director instead? But on the other hand, I’ve been part of so many movies with so many really nice, intelligent people. And I really do have a confidence problem. We did try and get together a couple of projects a number of years ago and I just don’t have the confidence. I’m terrible going into a studio and pitching a project.

I’m just not that political person. I love nothing more than being on a set with a whole group of people. I love just working with the camera crew and electricians and the grips and the painters and everybody else. I love that collaboration. And often a director is in a much more lonely place.

Do you feel like you have a signature? What is it that you bring to a project?

Roger Deakins: I hope I don’t have a signature. I hope I just have a way of relating to a story and something in front of me. Maybe there’s some sort of personal perspective.

James Deakins: Well, I think you bring a commitment to the project. And you also are so committed to creating the director’s vision as opposed to you coming in and saying, “Well, let’s make it the way that I always do it.” And so I think you allow what the director has in his head to come out.

Roger Deakins: It’s also really important that you’re not just there to create pretty pictures. Oh, that’s a great sunset, but what the hell does it have to do with this story? Or: Let’s put up five cameras and get a lot of material and we’ll cut something out of it later. That’s the extreme version of something that’s anathema to me.

You say that people confuse pretty cinematography with good cinematography. How do you define good cinematography?

Roger Deakins: Cinematography that’s not noticed. Not noticed because people are too absorbed in the story. When you go to a premiere or any screening and you come out and somebody comes out and says, “Oh, I love that shot where such and such” — that was a mistake because not one shot should stand out. Somebody said, “Oh, wasn’t that a lovely sunset?” Then you’ve taken the audience out of the film. You’ve just drawn attention to the image.

Ryan Gosling in the movie “Blade Runner 2049.”

(Stephen Vaughan / Warner Bros. Pictures)

So even for all the astonishing images you’ve created, you still think that they shouldn’t be noticed?

Roger Deakins: In a way. I mean, obviously on some films you’ve got more license than others. Obviously I could have more fun on “Skyfall” in certain instances, or “Blade Runner,” more than I could on “No Country for Old Men.” “Blade Runner,” I could do these kind of lighting things in the Wallace building because that was part of the character, that was part of his creation, not mine. So it kind of felt integral to the character. But in another situation, I’m never going to do that kind of lighting.

You haven’t shot anything for a few years now. Are you hoping to find something?

Roger Deakins: Kind of. It depends which day you ask me, really.

James Deakins: Really depends on the project. And we haven’t seen anything, really.

A lot of people are very eager for Joel and Ethan Coen to work together again. Have you had any conversations with them?

Roger Deakins: Well, Joel’s just been directing a film in Scotland, his own film. I’ve talked to Joel on and off lately and, well, actually Ethan not that long ago, but I’m not sure what their plans are now. So that’s all talk. That’s like talking about my football team, Manchester United. What’s the next player they’re going to buy? Who knows?

Points of interest

‘Coming Home’

Jane Fonda and Jon Voight in the movie “Coming Home.”

(Herbert Dorfman / Corbis via Getty Images)

On Monday, the Frida Cinema will show Hal Ashby’s 1978 “Coming Home,” starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight and Bruce Dern. Fonda and Voight both won Academy Awards for their performances and the film was named best picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.

“Coming Home” is an exploration of the costs of war at home and also about learning to live with disability. Voight plays a Vietnam veteran who returns a paraplegic, struggling to adjust to his new life. Fonda is a woman whose husband (Dern) is deployed to Vietnam. When she begins to volunteer at the local VA hospital, she reconnects with Voight’s Luke, a friend from high school. As the two begin an affair, all three of their lives are upended.

Critic Kristen Lopez will be there to introduce the screening, as well as sign copies of her new book, “Popcorn Disabilities: The Highs and Lows of Disabled Representation in the Movies.”

Via email, Lopez explained her selection of “Coming Home,” saying “it’s one of the few movies that, I think, even though it’s not cast authentically, does illustrate the disabled experience in an authentic way. Director Hal Ashby, producer Jane Fonda and star Jon Voight did deep research into disabled veterans, specifically wheelchair users, and it’s the first movie I remember seeing that got the little bits of disabled business correct. It’s also a movie that, even today, is remarkably progressive in how it portrays disability. Luke Martin has a home and a car, he’s self-sufficient, and too often we don’t see how disabled people live.”

‘Putney Swope’

An image from “Putney Swope,” directed by Robert Downey Sr.

(Cinema 5 / Photofest)

Opening the series “Present Past 2025: A Celebration of Film Preservation” at the Academy Museum will be the world premiere of a new 35mm print of Robert Downey Sr.’s 1969 “Putney Swope.” A biting satire of how corporate culture handles race, the film stars Arnold Johnson as the title character, who is unexpectedly made president of a major advertising firm and proceeds to upend all of its messaging. Paul Thomas Anderson has often spoken of Downey as an influence — an influence that can be clearly seen in the anti-authoritarian “One Battle After Another.”

In his original January 1970 review, Charles Champlin wrote, “‘Putney Swope’ is not so much a movie as a cartoon with real people. … ‘Putney Swope’ is not for anyone who demands good taste in movies, or restraint, or a presumption of dignity in the human character. But in its youthful, irreverent and uninhibited but medicinal way, ‘Putney Swope’ is shocking good fun.”

Also playing as part of the Academy’s preservation series, which runs through Dec. 22, will be world premiere restorations of William Wyler’s 1934 “Glamour,” John M. Stahl’s 1933 “Only Yesterday,” Lloyd Corrigan’s 1931 “Daughter of the Dragon” and George Marshall’s 1945 “Incendiary Blonde.” Other titles in the series include North American restoration premieres of Konrad Wolf’s 1980 “Solo Sunny” and Mikio Naruse’s 1955 “Floating Clouds,” plus the U.S. restoration premieres of Howard Hughes’ 1930 “Hell’s Angels” and Pedro Almodóvar’s 1986 “Matador.”

‘While You Were Sleeping’

Peter Gallagher and Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy “While You Were Sleeping.”

(Michael P. Weinstein / Hollywood Pictures)

On Dec. 5, the New Beverly will screen a matinee of John Turteltaub’s 1995 “While You Were Sleeping.” (Take that extra long lunch or just knock off work early. It’s the holidays.) This winsome, utterly charming romantic comedy really helped cement Sandra Bullock’s screen persona and stardom, and deservedly so. A lonely woman (Bullock) who works in a ticket booth for the Chicago Transit Authority quietly pines for a handsome man (Peter Gallagher) she sees every day. After she helps save him from an accident, a misunderstanding at the hospital leads his family to believe she is his fiancée while he is in a coma. Then she meets his brother (Bill Pullman) and the complications really ensue.

In his original review of the film, Peter Rainer wrote, “Bullock is a genuinely engaging performer, which at least gives the treacle some minty freshness. Her scenes with Pullman are amiable approach-avoidance duets that really convince you something is going on between them. Like Marisa Tomei, Bullock has a sky-high likability factor with audiences. She can draw us into her spunky loneliness — you want to see her smile.”

Before the sci-fi series “Stranger Things” premiered on Netflix, several traditional studios had already passed on it. Its creators were first-time show runners, unknown young actors were cast in lead roles, and even though the show starred kids, it was not for children.

That was nine years ago.

The 1980s-set show about a monster that wreaks havoc on fictional Hawkins, Ind., hit a chord with Netflix’s global subscribers. “Stranger Things” has since become one of the streamer’s most culturally significant shows, with its fourth season garnering 140.7 million views in its first three months and ranking third among its top English-language series. It was instrumental in growing new branches of business for Netflix, including live events, a Broadway production and inspired brands eager to partner on licensed merchandise. It became a major franchise for the platform, a chance to build a universe around its central characters and create its own version of “Star Wars.”

Rayna Lynn Chacon, 26, from Los Angeles dresses as Eleven from “Stranger Things” during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

The show helped build Netflix’s reputation as a place that makes big bets on original ideas and, if it’s a hit, can build a large fandom for such programs with its worldwide subscriber base.

Netflix took a chance on show runner brothers Matt and Ross Duffer. The pair never imagined the series, which held its first premiere in Silver Lake at Mack Sennett Studios, would take off the way it did.

That wasn’t lost on Matt Duffer, who stood on stage at the final season premiere inside the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood earlier this month. It was the same place “Star Wars” premiered in 1977.

“For me, as a nerd, this is a dream come true,” Duffer told the audience.

In an interview, Bela Bajaria, the chief content officer at Netflix, lauded the success of the series: “You could take a bet on an original story, and grow it to a major franchise that has massive global appeal.”

Other Netflix shows, like “House of Cards,” have certainly captured the zeitgeist before, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he believes “Stranger Things” stands above some previous hits.

“This was a lot closer to a ‘Star Wars’ moment,” Sarandos said speaking on stage at the “Stranger Things” final season premiere in Hollywood earlier this month. “This is a show, and these are characters that move the culture, that spawned live events and consumer products and spinoffs and sequels … Everything from the first episode of the first season to ‘The First Shadow,’ the Broadway show, the origin story of the Upside Down, it has been and continues to be a remarkable addition to entertainment culture.”

The four past seasons of “Stranger Things” made it into Netflix’s Top 10 this past week, Netflix said. From 2020 to the second quarter of 2025, “Stranger Things” earned more than $1 billion in global streaming revenue for Netflix and was responsible for more than 2 million new subscriber acquisitions, according to estimates from Parrot Analytics, which tracks streaming data. Netflix declined to comment on Parrot’s estimates.

“Every single streaming service needs that anchor series that drives customer acquisition and helps define the original programming,” said Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at Greenlight Analytics, adding for Hulu it was “The Handmaid’s Tale” and for Disney+, “The Mandalorian.” “’Stranger Things’ has undoubtedly been that for Netflix. Every few years that it does air, Netflix knows there is a guaranteed high ceiling of acquisition, retention and viewership power,” Katz said.

Participants bike past a Demogorgon sleigh during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“Stranger Things” also helped Netflix expand into licensed goods, with brands eager to partner with the platform. There are themed Eggo breakfast foods, Lego sets and clothing.

The series “has been a catalyst for Netflix to explore all of the ways in which a single entertainment property can be turned into an entire global lifestyle,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

Its popularity has helped other creative collaborators as well.

Artists whose songs were featured on the show climbed the charts. Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” was featured in Season 4 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, 37 years after its original release, Netflix said. Metallica’s 1986 song “Master of Puppets” also broke the U.K. Top 30 for the first time after it played during the Season 4 finale, the streamer added.

The series has been recognized with more than 65 awards and 175 nominations. Netflix estimates “Stranger Things” has helped create 8,000 production-related jobs in the U.S. over its five seasons and, since 2015, contributed more than $1.4 billion to U.S. GDP. In California, Netflix estimates the series contributed more than $500 million of GDP.

Netflix is doing a large marketing push with fan events in 28 cities and 21 countries as the series draws to a close. On Sunday, the streamer hosted a bike ride on a stretch of Melrose Avenue in partnership with CicLAvia where 50,000 fans were encouraged to dress in ’80s attire, or as a “Stranger Things” character. On Thursday, a “Stranger Things” float appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The company began a phased release of the final season with four episodes that debuted Wednesday. Another three episodes will land on Christmas Day and a two-hour finale Dec. 31 on Netflix. The finale will also play in more than 350 movie theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

“Stranger Things” fans Kelly Audrain and Jason Serstock said they have been rewatching the show from the beginning to refresh their memories on the whole tale, and were still on Season 2 as of earlier this month. The couple attended the premiere of the last season in Hollywood.

“The whole costuming and everything was so perfect that you just feel like you’re taken back to the ’80s,” 29-year-old Audrain said, who was dressed as “Stranger Things” character Eleven in a pink dress and sporting a mock bloody nose.

Lilia Lupercio, 53, left, Audrey Haluska, 15, center, and Janet Lupercio, 45, right, from Downey pose for a photograph with a “Stranger Things” backdrop.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Netflix is expanding the show’s universe with the animated series “Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85” next year. In April, Netflix’s “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” stage play hit Broadway. The company has also opened “Stranger Things” pop-up stores, held live experiences and will feature immersive experiences at its Netflix House locations, including “Stranger Things: Escape the Dark” in Dallas. In Las Vegas, Netflix will offer themed foods like Surfer Boy Pizza at its Netflix Bites restaurant.

The Duffers recently told Deadline a spinoff is in the works at Netflix. Bajaria declined to share anything about that but said, “I think the world is really rich and there’s still a lot of story in there.”

But there are challenges ahead. Netflix, seen as the leader in subscription streaming, has had two major flagship series end this year — “Stranger Things” and Korean-language drama “Squid Game.” Analysts say the company will need to keep pumping out popular shows and movies to keep subscribers coming back.

Netflix has successfully expanded its “Squid Game” franchise to include reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge,” where more than 95% of watchers also tuned into the scripted series. Other popular franchises like Addams family series “Wednesday,” pirates tale “One Piece” and Regency-era romance “Bridgerton” are ongoing. Netflix’s hit animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters” will get a sequel.

Separately, Netflix placed a bid on parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, with interest in Warner’s Burbank studios and HBO, according to people familiar with the matter. If the acquisition is successful, it would greatly expand Netflix’s library of titles and intellectual property.

While the Duffer brothers still have projects with Netflix, they recently signed a four-year exclusive deal with Paramount for feature films, TV and streaming projects. Some industry observers viewed that as a loss for Netflix.

Omar Chavez, 42, left, and Jenna Chavez, 28, right, from West Hollywood walk past a poster during the Netflix x CicLAvia event.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“The Duffers are so young, and they’re just really beginning their journey,” said Tom Nunan, a former studio and network executive. “I have no doubt they’ll be pushing out more hits and more of a variety of successes in the future,” he said, adding that the brothers’ work at Paramount could compete with Netflix.

But Bajaria noted that the Duffers still have some projects in the works at Netflix, including sci-fi series “The Boroughs” and horror series “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.”

“They’re always gonna be part of the Netflix family and I’m excited we still have more things with them,” Bajaria said.

Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this article.

Former The Only Way Is Essex sisters Sam and Billie Faiers, who have made their fortune off of reality TV, have announced their joint reality show has been axed after just one series

Sam and Billie Faiers have faced a bitter career blow as their joint reality TV show has got the chop after just one series.

The reality TV sisters, who shot to fame on The Only Way Is Essex before taking on their own hugely-successful series The Mummy Diaries, joined forces yet again last year – four years after The Mummy Diaries came to an end.

Sisters Sam, 34, and Billie, 35, came back together in Sister Act, which was filmed last year and premiered in August this year. However, Sam has now revealed the programme will not continue, which she says is due to a heavy workload.

Sam, who has been with partner Paul Knightley since 2014, revealed the news during a Q&A session on her Instagram stories on Wednesday, after a fan asked: “Love watching you and Billie on Sister Act, will we see another series soon?”

Revealing the news, Sam replied: “Billie and I had the best time filming Sister Act last year. It was honestly such a special experience. We don’t have any plans for another series right now as work is pretty full on for both of us.”

Despite Sam’s claims that the decision was taken due to workload, it has been reported that unexpected low rating figures are a factor in Sister Act facing the chop. An insider told The Sun: “Sam hadn’t been on TV in a while and it doesn’t look like viewers missed her.

“Viewing figures weren’t what they hoped, and a lot of the show was based around the sisters selling products, which felt a bit like one long advert.” Sister Act came off the back of Sam and Billie’s ITV reality show, The Mummy Diaries, which documented their lives as parents.

Sam and her partner Paul Knightley – who share children Paul, nine, Rosie, seven, and three year old Edward together – quit the programme in 2021.

After Sam left, Billie and her husband Greg Shepherd – who are parents to Nelly, 11, Arthur, eight, and two year old Margot – continued with the show and renamed it The Family Diaries, which came to an end in 2024.

In one episode of Sister Act, some viewers slammed Sam for offering “dangerous” medical advice to Billie, ahead of Arthur getting his tonsils removed following “six” bouts of tonsillitis. Billie said: “Arthur is getting his tonsils out. He had tonsillitis, I’d say six times last year, and it made him so poorly.

“When the doctor looked at them, straight away he said to me, ‘Nah…’ he went ‘They are really, really unhealthy tonsils. But tonsils serve no purpose in your body.”

Sam feared that if Arthur had his tonsils removed, his body would not be able to tell him or other people that he is ill. Sam said: “Everything in your body serves a purpose.

“When you’re not well, and something inflames in your body, or your tonsils are raised, or your hair is falling out, or you’ve got a rash, it’s because your body is telling you something isn’t right.

“So it’s Arthur’s body’s way of telling him I’ve got an allergy, or you know, I’ve got a virus, and that’s his way. So when they’re out, how else is his body going to tell you that something is wrong?”

One viewer blasted Sam on social media, writing: “Don’t ever mess about waiting for tonsils out mine was left when I was you by 17 rushed into hospital because it made me soo ill had swollen all over from leaking I’ve had fibromyalgia for 15 years nothing can help and now serve arthritis all over from sport pus single parent disabled daughter I wish I could dream everything be OK with positivity or a cream or holistic but life not like that.”

And another penned: “She’s no doctor and shouldn’t be allowed to give advice that’s dangerous.”

KATIE Price has revealed that her son Harvey will be put on a NEW fat jab after a series of trials.

Despite fans thinking Katie had put Harvey, 23, on fat jabs – the glamour model did not, but will soon put him on weight loss injections.

The 46-year-old former glamour model appeared on her podcast, The Katie Price Show, this week and opened up about her eldest child’s weight loss goals.

Harvey has several complex medical conditions, including Prader-Willi Syndrome, which causes an excessive appetite and weight gain, and autism

“He’s not started fat jabs,” Katie revealed on her podcast today.

She went on to say: “There are talks of fat jabs – of Mounjaro – for him.

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“But when he was there, they’ve actually got a new weight loss drug coming out, and it’s new.

“They’ve clinically tested it on people and they’ve got a few people they’re putting it on first.”

Katie then said: “And if it works, then Harvey can go on it in the new year.

“But they want him to start the Mounjaro. Because if he goes on Mounjaro first and then goes onto this new one, it will work a lot quicker.

“The reason he hasn’t started Mounjaro yet is because they were trying to get him to lose weight through his diet, to try all avenues,” she explained.

Despite not being on fat jabs yet, Harvey has still lost a substantial amount of weight.

Back in October, Katie opened up about how much weight he had lost.

“Last I heard, he lost 22lbs, is he still going?” Katie’s sister asked on their podcast last month.

Katie then revealed: “He’s lost a stone and a half. I can notice it on his chest, but not the belly yet.”

She then revealed how Harvey had smashed three very expensive items.

“He’s smashed three iPads this week,” she confessed at the time.

Reiterating it was three devices he has broken, Katie kept on repeating the word three.

She added: “I’ve had an expensive week.

“Three iPad Pros,” she repeated again.

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Katie then gave an insight as to why Harvey had smashed up his devices, saying it’s “because he misses mummy“.

It is not known what kind of iPad Pro Harvey broke, but the new iPad Pro, which comes out later this month, will retail at £999.

They were going to win. They were going to lose. All in one breath, all in one month.

Win. Lose. Win. Lose. Win. Lose.

Win!!!

Weeks later the chest still pounds, the throat still thickens, the mind still has not completely grasped.

The Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series championship this fall in pure dramatic art.

A catch worthy of a statue. An out at home plate by history-making inches. A cheating outfielder steals a victory. A struggling first baseman steals a marathon. A sore-handed catcher steals a title.

The greatest postseason game by one player in baseball history. The greatest World Series by one pitcher in baseball history. The greatest moment by a Dodger benchwarmer in baseball history, a guy so embedded in the landscape of Los Angeles sports that he will be forever known simply by two abbreviated versions of his name…

Miggy Ro.

Enough said.

It’s perhaps appropriate today to give thanks for the drama, thanks for the art, thanks for the breathtaking uncertainty of the diamonds of October.

Thanks, baseball, for creating the tableau for the Dodgers’ 13 most memorable playoff moments, one for every win, one for every scream, one for every occasion when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier.

Then it did.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos is out at third after Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts gets the throw from Max Muncy and applies the tag in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

FOR almost a decade, Stranger Things has had adults and kids alike cowering behind the sofa as a bunch of youngsters battle the evil Demogorgon and Vecna.

I’ve been scared out of my wits a few times but as the fifth and final series begins today, I have some very good news for fans of the hit sci-fi show.

Several spin-off projects are already in the works, I can reveal.

We will see more of the story unfold as inhabitants of the ­fictional US town of ­Hawkins, Indiana, venture into the mysterious alternate dimension The Upside Down.

Speaking at the London premiere, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed: “The world of Hawkins, Indiana and the Upside Down, it’s not over.”

There is already a stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which has had rave reviews on London’s West End.

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And next year will see the launch of an animated series, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, featuring a new cast and taking place in the period between the second and third series of the main show.

But talks are under way about a series of other opportunities, including chances to explore individual characters.

A source said: “Stranger Things has been one of the ultimate success stories for Netflix — loads of people got subscriptions just to watch that.

“They know there is a massive appetite for more, so although now is the right time to end the main series, it won’t be the end of the story.

“There have been talks of a live-action spin-off as well as another animated project.

“But there is also a hope that individual characters could return to the screen in stand-alone shows.”

One person unlikely to take up that offer is Millie Bobby Brown. She played key character Eleven, who has supernatural powers.

Millie made it clear she is excited to snap up opportunities away from the show after so many years working on it.

The last series in 2022 ended on a cliffhanger with Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, left horrifically injured after being attacked by Vecna.

We find out what’s happened to her and after watching the first episode a few weeks ago, I can confirm it’s still just as terrifying.

The first four episodes of season five drop today, followed by more on Boxing Day and the grand finale on New Year’s Day.

David Harbour is back as police chief Jim Hopper, the adoptive father of Eleven — despite an allegation of bullying on-set and accusations from his ex-wife Lily Allen that he was unfaithful.

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But his character only has barely nine minutes of screen time in the episode which features a brilliant soundtrack including Diana Ross’s Upside Down, and ABBA’s Fernando during a particularly gruesome scene.

Watching bloody fights between monsters and mortals isn’t usually how I spend my Christmas, but this year, I’ll be glued to it.

Seasons change. Kids grow up. Monsters evolve. Beloved TV series end.

“Stranger Things’” fifth and final season kicks off Wednesday after a nearly three-and-a-half-year absence. It’s a welcome but bittersweet reunion for fans of the show who’ve spent the last decade watching a gaggle of misfit kids (now teens) weaponize their nerd skills against supernatural and mortal enemies in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind.

Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Max (Sadie Sink) and their superpowered friend Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are now poised for a final battle against their mind-bending nemesis, Vecna, when the season’s Volume 1 arrives with four new episodes; Volume 2 (three episodes) drops Christmas Day, and the finale arrives Dec 31.

I might complain about the staggering of episodes — all timed for a holiday, of course — but the strategy gives sentimental viewers (my hand is raised) a bit more time to emotionally uncouple with the show.

The end of Netflix’s oddball-to-blockbuster series marks the end of an era, and surely the last generational touchstone to come out of series television. Gen Z, which grew up in the dawn of YouTube and, later, the emergence of TikTok, has generally favored short-form content over lengthier productions; however, “Stranger Things” became the exception. Young fans stretched their attention spans, watching entire seasons of a show where episodes might range anywhere from an hour to two hours plus. The Upside Down, a dark, gooey parallel universe of Hawkins, and its predatory demogorgons became part of their middle school vernacular, in the same way that pre-streaming generations used “isms” from their favorite shows: (“Just MacGuyver it, dude”).

“Stranger Things” takes place in the Reagan era, so from its very beginnings parents of Gen Zers could watch the series with their kids while revisiting their own fond and/or torturous memories of growing up in 1980s. My son was in the sixth grade when the show premiered, meaning I was there to confirm that, yes, tragic hairdos, pleated jeans and unchecked bullying were a thing in the ‘80s. But unlike Eleven, we did not have the power to make said bullies pee their pants in public. If only …

The Day-Glo decade still plays a pivotal role when “Stranger Things” returns this week. Look forward to a Tiffany “I Think We’re Alone Now” moment, nods to great bands like the Fall, and a well-timed mention of a flux capacitor. But Hawkins is no MTV dance party. The sleepy town is under a militarized quarantine. It’s for their own protection, and because the government is up to no good, again. Nothing comes in or out of the place without the knowledge of authorities, unless it’s smuggled in by the perpetually scheming Murray (Brett Gelman).

Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) make their way to the Upside Down. (Netflix)

Max (Sadie Sink) remains comatose as Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) attempts to reach her. (Netflix)

Last we knew, antagonist Vecna (who takes on many forms) had finally opened the gates to the dandruffy Upside Down, merging it with the real world. It was a violent event, but most of the town folk believed all that shaking and noise was because of an earthquake. Poor souls.

Hawkins’ beloved band of nerds know better. They’ve been doing covert “crawls” with the goal of locating and destroying Vecna before he turns the town, then the world, into an oozy wasteland. Joining the fight are Mike’s older sis Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Will’s big brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), friends Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke), Will and Jonathan’s mom Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Elle’s adopted father, Jim Hopper (David Harbour). Max is comatose in the hospital. Her consciousness is trapped in Vecna’s mindscape, no matter how much Lucas plays Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” to wake her.

Following multiple attacks on their modest home by demodogs and U.S. agents, the Byers have been living in the basement of Mike’s home with his family, the Wheelers. The unfulfilled Mrs. Wheeler (Cara Buono) has been hitting the sauce and the usually flaccid Mr. Wheeler (Joe Chrest) is finally bothered by something — they’re eating his morning bacon! The youngest Wheeler, Holly (Nell Fisher), is now approaching the age that the core cast of kids were when the series premiered in 2016. And Erica (Priah Ferguson), Lucas’s don’t-mess-with-me little sister who still delivers all the show’s best zingers, is now in Mr. Clarke’s middle school science class.

Elevating the storylines of younger characters helps bridge the age gap created when the core cast of kid actors had the audacity to grow up over the show’s run. Brown was 12 when the show premiered. She’s now 21. Critics have complained that they should not be playing high schoolers. But accepting 22-year-old Wolfhard as a teenage Mike is not a stretch — especially given everything else “Stranger Things” fans have been willing to believe in (“talking” Christmas lights, psychokinetic battles, a nefarious Soviet lab under the mall food court).

There are spoiler embargoes aplenty so there’s a limit to what can be said about the first four new episodes out for review. Suffice to say there’s a mega battle on the horizon. Eleven has been training hard, honing her powers. Now she can fling armored vehicles, leap atop large buildings and bend the toughest of minds with a minimal nosebleed. Dustin is fighting angry, hardened by the death of his Hellfire Club buddy, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). Steve and Jonathan are still competing for Nancy’s attention while her focus is on perfecting her sharpshooting skills. Hopper has a distractingly long beard. And Mrs. Wheeler proves to be a formidable warrior when armed with a jagged, broken wine bottle.

Their original kids’ circumstances haven’t changed all that much, but their outlooks have, making for unpredictable twists in their powers, strengths and alliances.

In the final season of their little show that did, creators the Duffer Brothers (twin siblings Matt and Ross), lean heavily on the interpersonal feuds and friendships between all the aforementioned characters, pairing high-budget action with advancing storylines about folks that fans have come to love. It is, after all, the kids at the center of the story that kept us coming back for more. And it appears they’ll continue to do so, right up to the end.

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who needs zone-out time while spending the holiday with family.

Whether you’re planning to get lazy on the couch together to alleviate your food coma, need to escape the latest round of anxiety-inducing conversation at the dinner table, or just want a streaming companion while feasting on leftovers in the days that follow the holiday, this special Thanksgiving edition of The Times’ weekly guide to at-home viewing has you covered. Just be warned: You must provide your own stretchy waistbands.

Below, find 12ish films and TV shows released this year that our pop culture experts at The Times are looking forward to catching up on this weekend. Gobble, gobble.

“Being Eddie” (Netflix)

A still of Eddie Murphy with his brothers, Vernon Lynch Jr. and Charlie Murphy, in Netflix’s “Being Eddie.”

(Eddie Murphy / Netflix)

For anyone who came of age in the ’80s inhaling comedy, Netflix’s new Eddie Murphy documentary hits a very particular nostalgia vein. Murphy wasn’t just another comedian; he was part of the glue that held Gen X together, the soundtrack to sleepovers, school hallways, summer camps and every half-rewound tape in the house. You passed around VHS copies of “Delirious” and “Raw,” their very pre-PC bits the kind of thing you quoted under your breath in class. You watched “48 Hrs.,” “Trading Places,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Coming to America” on a loop, and you mimicked his “Saturday Night Live” creations — Gumby, Mr. Robinson, Buckwheat — on playgrounds, at bus stops, anywhere kids gathered long enough to goof off. Murphy’s magnetism, timing and swagger helped turn him into a new kind of Black Hollywood superstar, and even with the inevitable peaks (“Shrek,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Bowfinger,” “Dreamgirls”) and valleys (“The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” “Norbit”), he carried that stardom across decades. This is more of a victory-lap retrospective than a warts-and-all documentary, and now 64, the famously private Murphy has never been one to reveal much anyway. But when I spoke with him nearly a decade ago while he was promoting the drama “Mr. Church” — candid, funny and strikingly self-aware about fame and longevity — it was a reminder that when he does open the door a bit, he can be as compelling offstage as on. If even a bit of that Murphy turns up here, “Being Eddie” might give us something we rarely get: Eddie talking like Eddie. — Josh Rottenberg

“Eddington” (HBO Max)

Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in a scene from “Eddington.”

(A24)

Few films are as purpose-built to start arguments within a family as Ari Aster’s “Eddington.” (And even if you already saw the movie when it was released earlier in the year, it bears repeat viewing, especially in the context of the holidays.) Part contemporary Western, part social satire, the film will bring out PTSD vibes for its heightened, tense reenactment of the very specific mania of the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mayor (Pedro Pascal) and sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) of a small New Mexico town find themselves at odds over a variety of issues, as a tech company’s push to build a data center in the area looms over everything. If you think your weird relative has some strange ideas about the way the world works, fire up “Eddington” to really put them through their paces, as the film’s “everybody’s wrong” mindset is designed to expose the madness within us all. — Mark Olsen

“Nouvelle Vague” (Netflix), Directed by Jacques Rozier collection (The Criterion Channel)

Zoey Deutch as actress Jean Seberg in “Nouvelle Vague.”

(Photo from Netflix)

I’m not one for biopics, but as a person who owns “Slacker” on Blu-ray and has worn out a 1998 special issue of Cahiers du Cinéma focusing on the French New Wave, I was excited by the notion of Richard Linklater, the most European of American directors, re-creating the creation of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 breakthrough film “Breathless.” Appropriately presented in French, in period black-and-white and in the 4:3 aspect ratio, with look-alike stand-ins for Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) and stars Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch) and Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin), “Nouvelle Vague” looks like a cinephile’s dream. I’ll watch it as a curtain raiser for my continuing exploration of the Criterion Channel’s celebration of director Jacques Rozier, whose long-form fictional films feel like cinéma vérité and whose 1963 “Paparazzi” documents the making of Godard’s “Contempt” and the news photographers fighting to get a shot of Brigitte Bardot. — Robert Lloyd

“KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)

Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s hit movie “KPop Demon Hunters” has gained a massive following since it was released in June.

(Netflix)

Is this the weekend I finally watch? That would be smart. I’ve already been berated by several scowling tweens, not to mention a few Oscar prognosticators, serene in their conviction that Netflix’s massive viral hit will leave the ceremony golden. Four of the animated movie’s earworms have cracked the Billboard Top 10 at the same time, a feat that could make a Gibb brother green with envy. In preparation for voting in some critics’ organizations, I’ll stream the movie at home, though I’m already wishing I’d gone to one of the film’s many sing-along screenings, just to feel the phenomenon firsthand. If you no longer recognize me on the other side, call it an occupational hazard. I’m done hiding, now I’m shining, like I’m born to be. — Joshua Rothkopf

“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” (HBO Max)

Billy Joel in concert circa 1977 as seen in “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.”

(HBO)

I have caught a few bits and pieces of this documentary while flipping channels, and always quickly switch it off. I’ve been a huge Billy Joel fan since “The Stranger” album and have seen him in concert a few times, including the show when he ripped up the Los Angeles Times’ review by music critic Robert Hilburn. The documentary is two parts and nearly five hours long, so I was determined to give it my full attention. Billy Joel is one of pop music’s treasures, and the ups and downs of his personal life should make for fascinating viewing. The bonus will be diving into the 155-track (!!!) playlist on Spotify that is a companion to the documentary. (HBO Max) — Greg Braxton

“Pluribus” (Apple TV)

Rhea Seehorn in “Pluribus.”

(Apple TV+)

Rhea Seehorn as a cranky, cynical, misanthropic writer who remains mysteriously immune, and super-angry, when an alien-generated RNA virus turns the world into one huge seemingly calm and helpful collective consciousness? Sign me right up. As Robert Lloyd points out in his excellent review, the hive mind is the most terrifying of all the sci-fi premises. The universal niceness that results here also seems very much at odds with it being a melting pot of all human experience so I can’t wait to see what creator Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”) is going to do with that. But early glimpses of Seehorn’s Carol fighting for her, and humanity’s, right to be prickly and pissed off promises all kinds of insights into the difference between empathy and sedation, not to mention a fabulous chance to watch Seehorn shine as one of many women on TV today who are willing to state the obvious even when it appears no one is listening. — Mary McNamara

“Paradise” (Hulu, Disney +)

James Marsden and Sterling K. Brown in a scene from “Paradise.”

(Brian Roedel / Disney)

This Hulu drama caught my attention when it hit the streamer early this year, but at the time, I was already knee-deep in theories about Lumon as I dove into the second season of “Severance.” I couldn’t handle a political conspiracy thriller on top of that. Created by Dan Fogelman (“This Is Us,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love”), the series stars Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins, a secret service agent accused of killing the president, Cal Bradford (James Marsden). The murder and the search for the true killer unfold inside an underground community after a massive catastrophe threatens the extinction of the human race. So, that’s obviously a lot. But I’m never one to turn down a series that keeps you guessing — and my colleague Robert Lloyd confirmed in his review that this one does just that. I’ve also had enough people whose taste I trust recommend “Paradise” to me that I think it’s time to tune in. And it’s getting a second season that’s expected to arrive sometime in 2026. If anything, I’m just curious to see Fogelman’s take on this genre. Plus, I’ll watch anything Marsden or Brown are in. — Kaitlyn Huamani

“Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” (HBO Max)

A still from Season 2 of “Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.”

(HBO)

What’s Friendsgiving if not a time to reconnect with longtime pals who you might not get to see as often as you like? That’s why I’ll be spending my long weekend catching up on Season 2 of “Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.” This spinoff of the acclaimed Cartoon Network series features gender-swapped versions of beloved “Adventure Time” characters — Finn and Jake — who are endearing in their own right. The first season of the show involved Fionna, a young woman with an unfulfilling job living paycheck to paycheck along with her pet cat, Cake, discovering that her world was an unauthorized creation of a cosmic entity. The pair then set off on a magical, multiversal journey to save it. There’s admittedly quite a bit of “Adventure Time” lore involved, but yearning for a fantastic escape from the daily stresses of a fairly mundane life is pretty relatable even if you aren’t personally acquainted with recovering ice wizards. The show is charming and weird and all about friendship — a cozy comfort I am definitely looking forward to getting wrapped up in again. — Tracy Brown

“Companion” (HBO Max, Prime Video)

Sophie Thatcher in the sci-fi thriller “Companion.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

The poster for “Companion” put me off due to a personal jinx: I don’t trust horror movies where the heroine has perfect hair. Usually, I dodge some dreck. But all year long, people have elbowed me to catch up with Drew Hancock’s debut about a nervous beauty (“Yellowjackets’” Sophie Thatcher) stuck in a vacation house with her newish boyfriend (Jack Quaid) and his cruel and snobby best pals. Produced by Zach Cregger of “Barbarian” and “Weapons,” it’s apparently an energetic, empathetic thriller packed with twists. If you like watching movies blank (as I do), don’t Google it. Spoilers abound. But “Companion” is streaming, and has been on every in-flight entertainment system I’ve come across since May. Assuming it lives up to the buzz, I may have to rewire my own codes. — Amy Nicholson

“All Her Fault” (Peacock)

In the series, Dakota Fanning and Sarah Snook play working mothers Jenny and Marissa.

(Peacock)

Upper-class mess is my favorite genre of TV. So I’ve been desperate to dig into this series that people in my orbit promise is one of this year’s most addicting shows. Based on a novel by Andrea Mara, the psychological thriller stars Sarah Snook as a mom who goes to pick up her son from a play date, only to be greeted by a stranger who claims there is no one there by that name. Uh, what? Twists and turns ensue from there in this deep dive of what it’s like being a working mother. Spoiler alert: It apparently gives a striking portrayal of male ego and incompetence, and how that shapes the lives of women around them. Gee, wonder what that’s like. The series also stars Dakota Fanning, Jake Lacy and Jay Ellis. — Yvonne Villarreal

“The Chair Company” (HBO Max)

Tim Robinson stars in HBO’s “The Chair Company.”

(Sarah Shatz / HBO)

Have you ever been slighted at work? Did you ever think it was part of a conspiracy to take you down? If the answer is no, you might be a normal person and this show may not be for you. But if you’ve ever wondered if something small could be much bigger, and if you get some sick satisfaction from going down rabbit holes on the internet to find answers to your questions, then this show is for you. “The Chair Company” is the latest series to come from comedic writers Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson, who stars as Ron, a man who becomes obsessed with reaching the manufacturer of the office chair he unexpectedly broke, leading him down a bizarre path involving an empty warehouse, a giant red ball and Jeeps. With the finale airing Sunday, it’s the perfect time to catch up on the show (episodes are only a half hour each). It’s already been renewed for a second season, which makes me wonder if we’ll get to the bottom of Ron’s mystery or if the chair will be pulled out from under us. — Maira Garcia

The autumn internationals always have great drama and storylines but, with the Rugby World Cup draw following hot on the heels of this year’s fixtures, there was an added layer of intrigue in 2025 as the best of the northern and southern hemispheres collided.

Reigning world champions South Africa solidified their number one status with a 100% record so far, albeit with a trip to Cardiff still to come, although few would bet against them rounding out their year with another victory.

Meanwhile, England enjoyed the most profitable autumn of the Six Nations sides, winning all four of their matches to extend their winning run to 11 and rise to third in the world rankings.

They were almost pipped to the post in their final outing by a resurgent Argentina however, who came close to spoiling the party and ending their European tour with a perfect record.

For the rest of the Six Nations and Rugby Championship sides, the autumn was a mixed bag, ‘could do better’ being the key note on the report cards for the majority, particularly Australia – who went winless on their European tour for the first time in 67 years.

That hasn’t stopped the Rugby Championship sides taking the bragging rights though, winning eight of their 14 matches against Six Nations teams so far this month.

Throughout those games there were some incredible individual performances and, using the unique Opta Index – which objectively scores each player’s performances in each game, we can identify which players really shone this autumn, making their way into our XV as a result.

We go through each selection and back up their inclusion with some key statistics.

Back in 2024, Universal conjured a pink and green tornado that swept pop culture.

From themed drinks at Starbucks and dolls of Elphaba and Glinda, to joint appearances by stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at the Olympics and throughout a heavily-publicized press tour, “Wicked” was everywhere.

As the conclusion of the two-part film franchise heads to theaters at the end of the week, the marketing for “Wicked: For Good” has accelerated.

There are still themed Legos, but now also Gain laundry scent boosters, Swiffers and Pottery Barn bedding. There was a “Wicked” night on rival network ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and a “Wicked: One Wonderful Night” musical event broadcast on NBC.

The complete takeover of culture was all part of Universal’s plan to build one of its biggest and most important franchises, which has already brought in nearly $759 million in worldwide box office revenue for the first film, not to mention the haul from merchandise sales, theme park tie-ins and other categories.

Beyond the immediate revenue, “Wicked” also gives Universal a rare, female-focused franchise, an underserved audience, particularly as so many recent films have been geared toward men.

The success of the Broadway play, which has run for more than two decades, gave Universal the confidence in its potential for the big screen, said David O’Connor, president of franchise management and brand strategy at Universal Pictures. He’s also been a fan of the stage production almost from the beginning — he watched a table reading on the Universal lot, saw the musical additions to the script and finally, its run in San Francisco.

“For us, you had this potential to really take the fanship and really make ‘Wicked’ into a cultural imperative,” he said in a call from New York ahead of the film’s premiere. “When you think about the characters, the two leads, the themes of friendship, identity and empowerment, and how that resonates universally, and then, of course, the fantastical worlds of Oz and Shiz and Munchkinland, it just seemed like such a great opportunity for us.”

“Wicked” has proved to be a key boost to Universal’s lineup of blockbuster franchises.

Though the studio boasts series like “Jurassic Park,” “Despicable Me” and “Fast & Furious,” it has lacked the deep roster of intellectual property that rivals like Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. have, said Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at data firm Greenlight Analytics.

The series “has really emerged as a much-needed, fresh tentpole for Universal,” he said. “There’s such a waterfall of value that this two-part franchise creates that Universal will be banking out on this for years to come.”

The two films were shot back-to-back, with a combined production budget of $300 million, reportedly split evenly between the two.

So far, interest for the second film is high — as of Thursday, “Wicked: For Good” was the highest ticket pre-seller of the year, according to Fandango. It is also the highest PG-rated ticket pre-seller ever on the Fandango platform, passing 2017’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast,” 2019’s animated hit “Frozen 2” and the first “Wicked.”

The film is tracking to haul in $150 million to $160 million in its opening weekend, according to estimates from industry analysts.

And the film’s appeal to women is crucial, particularly in a year when there were few films geared toward female viewers. Despite the persistent debates about the dearth of female-focused films, there have been few big, recent hits, other than 2023’s “Barbie” and last year’s “Wicked.”

“Every three or four years, female audiences are rediscovered with some hit,” said Alisa Perren, professor in the department of radio-television-film at the University of Texas at Austin’s college of communication. “It’s kind of striking how little mainstream female [films] have been released.”

To court all audiences, including those who were familiar with the play as well as those new to the story, Universal leaned into its so-called Symphony program to leverage all arms of the company to promote a film.

The program has been used previously for films like “Despicable Me” and has become a critical part of the marketing campaign, O’Connor said.

One new strategy the company used for supporting this franchise was building a “Wicked” fair, which was held on set in 2023 in London and allowed more than 200 partners to get a feel for the story, see the filmmakers and actors and meet heads of departments, like costumes and props. The studio has done set visits in the past, but nothing like this.

That open house was pivotal in driving partnership agreements and started to fuel the franchise’s success, O’Connor said. One of those was Lego, which signed on with “Wicked” after the fair and has been a partner on both films with product lines and an episode of “Lego Masters.”

Because not all geographic markets had the same built-in awareness of the Broadway play, getting corporate brands on-board was key to increasing knowledge of “Wicked” around the globe, he said.

Though “Wicked: For Good” marks the conclusion to the two-film series, O’Connor was coy about what’s next for the franchise.

“Our focus remains on building experiences that will deepen that connection to ‘Wicked,’” he said. “And all I can say is, we are very committed to ‘Wicked,’ but it’s probably too early to share much more than that.”

LOUISE Thompson has revealed she will never be able to carry another child due to severe health issues following the birth of her son Leo.

The Made In Chelsea star, 35, came close to dying after going into labour with her son four years ago.

The harrowing ordeal led to a myriad of health issues, the most recent of which saw Louise bravely reveal she had a stoma.

Following Leo’s birth she suffered multiple injuries including a post-natal haemorrhage, developing Asherman’s Syndrome, in which scar tissue in the uterus becomes ‘glued’ together, worsening bowel problems and emergency surgery.

Her injuries mean that she cannot carry another child.

Louise also has post-traumatic stress as a result of the horrific complications she endured and now relies on a stoma bag.

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She believes women are being deterred having children due to a growing number of horror stories.

She told Daily Mail: “It’s something that a lot of people within my circle are talking about fairly regularly – the population problems we have.

“Thousands of women are crying out to me about this topic.

“Speaking on my own personal experience, I won’t be able to carry another child.

“So immediately that puts us in a position where we are part of that problem now.”

She is now an advocate for women’s health and maternity rights, and has spoken about her ordeal to the Birth Trauma All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

Louise teamed up with former Conservative MP Theo Clarke to set up the APPG and is now launching a petition urging the Government to appoint a commissioner dedicated to overseeing maternity care.

Their goal is to reach the 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a Parliamentary debate.

Louise has spoken about her distressing birth experience in the past.

The former reality star lost three-and-a-half litres of blood following the arrival of her son Leo by emergency C-section.

Things got even worse when Louise eventually returned home and suffered another haemorrhage, during which she lost five litres of blood and woke up in intensive care.

She previously spoke about the “uncertainty” around having another child.

She said last year on Lorraine: “It’s still fairly inconclusive. I will never mentally be strong enough to carry a child and, physically, I have something called asherman syndrome where my uterus is glued together with scar tissue.

“I suppose in one sense, it’s a bit of a miracle that I didn’t have to have a hysterectomy, so I do still have a womb.

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“I had a year with no periods, then I had a surgery to try and fix that and then that ended up in another haemorrhage so where I am left currently is that the hospital have sort of said ‘It would be too threatening.

“We wouldn’t want to do another surgery in that area. Let’s let you live’. Equally I am so grateful to have one beautiful, healthy child who has lots of friends and cousins. I do have ovaries and embryos so there is a chance I could freeze some eggs… when I am ready…”

PETER Andre has dropped a huge hint about doing a new TV series with wife Emily.

It comes just weeks after The Sun revealed the couple had pulled out of filming the second series of his daughter’s Princess’ reality show amid a feud with her mum Katie Price.

Peter, 52, has now teased that Emily, 36, and him have got a new TV project in the works.

The couple, who have been married since 2015, are well known faces on TV, and now it looks like they are set to get a new show.

Teasing this, Peter wrote in his Planet Peter column for this week’s New magazine: “Although I have some major solo projects launching in 2026, Emily and I are having exciting meetings about working together.

“We’ve got something very special lined up and we’ll let you know more soon.

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“The end of the year has come around very quickly – and there’s so much happening next year, I’m like, ‘Woah!’.

“But we’re going to have lots of fun, so watch this space.”

PULLING OUT OF FILMING

It comes after The Sun revealed how Peter and Emily wouldn’t be filming the second series of The Princess Diaries.

When the series catapulted onto TV screens over the summer, Princess‘ mum Katie – and Peter’s ex-wife – vented about the show.

The Sun revealed her secret heartache about being cut out of her TV series – and her vow to boycott it.

The former glamour model said she would not watch her daughter’s reality show after feeling left out of such an important thing in Princess’ life.

This then led to a huge public slanging match between Katie and her ex Peter, who did feature in the show.

In the latest turn of events, Peter and wife Emily have pulled out of starring in the second season of her show.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, a source revealed: “Basically Princess’s big moment was overshadowed by her rowing parents.

“It definitely took the shine off her.

“ITV wanted to see if they could come to an agreement where neither party would be involved.

“Pete was aggrieved but naturally said he would do what is best for Princess.”

The source continued: “She loves both her parents so much and never wants them to row.

“By just keeping her in the frame and neither of them on screen, it stops any unnecessary bickering in the public eye.

“Both Katie and Peter are continuing to support Princess in the background.”

FALL OUT

Back when the first series of Princess Andre’s reality show came out, Katie spoke about her ex-husband in her podcast.

“There’s no reason why both parents just can’t be there to support her. Now this isn’t about me. I have to clarify this,” Katie said in August.

“I don’t care that I’m not in Princess’ show.

“I don’t need to raise my profile by being on Princess’s show, I do enough stuff.

“All what I want to do, is just whatever my daughter does, and it’s the same with Junior, I don’t care if I’m in the background, but I want to watch her do her photo shoots, I wanna watch her do her signings, because that’s what I did.

“And my mom and you and Nan used to come along and support, and I’m proud of her.

“And I just wanna be there with her because I now I feel that I’ve missed out on so much.”

PETER HITS BACK

The Mysterious Girl singer then released a bombshell statement on the same day where he claimed that the two young adults were placed in his care when they were teens “for their safety”.

Taking to Instagram, Peter spoke out just hours after Katie said she had made contact with him after their fallout over daughter Princess amid her show.

In the statement shared on his social media page, Peter penned: “For sixteen years I have stayed silent in the face of repeated lies from my ex-wife and her family, out of respect for my children and loved ones.

“But staying silent has been incredibly frustrating. That ends today.”

He continued: “The latest comments about my children’s welfare and living arrangements compel me to set the record straight.

“For well-documented reasons, and for their safety, Junior and Princess came into my care in 2018 and remained with me until they reached adulthood.

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“In 2019, the family courts issued a legally binding order to enforce this arrangement.

“I have never made this public before out of respect for my children.”

Since “Stranger Things” last released new episodes in 2022, a lot has happened. The writers’ and actors’ guilds went on a historic strike, delaying production on the final season. The Duffer Brothers, as the show’s creators Matt and Ross are known, developed a stage play set in the “Stranger Things” world that premiered on London’s West End and transferred to Broadway earlier this year. The star, Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 when the show premiered, became a wife and mother.

The time between the fourth and fifth seasons is long enough that many fans — save the ones who have been faithfully rewatching and carefully taking notes in preparation — may not remember what happened last. And key context and developments from earlier seasons may be even fuzzier in our memories, like Eleven trying to recall what happened in the rainbow room.

The only guide you need for holiday entertainment.

Let’s refresh our memories together.

“Stranger Things,” set in fictional Hawkins, Ind., (primarily) in the 1980s, follows a ragtag bunch of kids and a handful of trusted adults as they battle evil and supernatural forces in their small town. High school students Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Max (Sadie Sink), along with older teens Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke), work alongside Eleven (Brown), a girl with special psychokinetic abilities, to protect the town from a parallel dimension called the Upside Down with monsters, electrical storms and a Lovecraftian, other-worldly force. Joining them in the fight is Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Will and Jonathan’s mom, police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and a handful of other instrumental characters.

Here’s a recap of the important storylines to remember, a refresher on where the series left off and everything else you need to know to prepare for the fifth and final season that will be released in three installments, beginning with Vol. 1 on Nov. 26, Vol. 2 on Christmas Day and the finale on New Year’s Eve.

Where we left off

The crew gathers as they see dark clouds move over Hawkins at the end of Season 4, indicating that the Upside Down is infiltrating the real world.

(Netflix)

Season 4 of “Stranger Things” concludes in a dark place, literally.

Vecna, the main antagonist from Season 4, had been seeking out four victims whose deaths would open four gates to the Upside Down. Although his final victim, Max, was only dead for a minute (more on that later), he succeeded. The gates converge at the center of Hawkins, culminating in a large boom at the Hawkins Public Library. Although it’s dismissed by officials as an earthquake, our gang knows better — the Upside Down is merging with the real world.

The final moments of the season show dark clouds billowing through the sky as the familiar, dandruff-like particles from the Upside Down float through the air. Earlier in the season, Vecna possessed Nancy, showing her a terrifying vision of mass death and destruction in Hawkins and the four gates to the Upside Down ripping through the town. These are just a few steps in his mission to destroy humanity.

At the end of the season, we also see the long-anticipated return of Hopper, who was trapped in a Russian prison until Joyce and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), their mutual friend and a private investigator, help break him out and bring him back home. Eleven and Hopper, who have a father-daughter-like bond, reunite in one of the bright spots of an otherwise dark season.

And although he achieved his goal, Vecna is weak. Nancy, Robin and Steve set his body on fire while he was attacking Max, who was in a trance. Fearless Nancy then shoots him repeatedly until he falls out of the second story of his lair. Although it seems at first that they have killed him, his body is gone by the time the crew rushes to the ground floor, and Will senses that he is still alive.

Characters who died in Season 4

Vecna’s attack briefly killed Max, but Eleven was able to revive her. She’s in a coma at the end of Season 4.

(Netflix)

Max Mayfield (sort of)

Vecna preyed on Max for much of Season 4, and in the final episode, playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on repeat from her Walkman is not enough to save her. Vecna kills Max, but Eleven is able to revive her by using her powers to restart her heart. The last shot we see of Max is of her hospitalized in a coma, with broken bones and her concerned friends by her side.

She’s alive, but her temporary death was enough for Vecna to accomplish his goal. Theories about whether Max’s consciousness is trapped in Vecna’s visions, or if she will recover with powers that enable her to spy on Vecna, have been circulating on social media since the release of Season 4, but fans of the character shouldn’t fret. Sink is listed in the credits for Season 5 and she is seen briefly in the Season 5 trailer, with Lucas carrying her body as a Demogorgon, one of the monsters in the show, runs toward them.

Although he died in the Season 3 finale, Billy Hargrove, Max’s stepbrother, is noteworthy since his death took a big emotional toll on Max, filling her with guilt and grief, which primed her to be one of Vecna’s targets.

Eddie Munson

This fan-favorite character played by Joseph Quinn died in the final episode of Season 4, but he went out with a blaze. Eddie and Dustin were in the Upside Down carrying out their part in the plan to attack Vecna, and Eddie shredded out Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” on his guitar in order to distract the Demobats protecting Vecna’s lair. Dustin says the musical ruse is the “most metal ever,” but it’s not enough to keep them safe from the terrifying creatures.

After Dustin makes it through the gate back into the real world, Eddie stays behind to drive the bats away and buy the group more time. He is eventually attacked by the creatures, and dies in Dustin’s arms after protecting his friends.

Eddie initially befriended Mike, Lucas and Dustin because of their shared love of Dungeons & Dragons, forming the Hellfire Club to play the game together. Eddie’s death is likely to reverberate with Dustin in the upcoming season, who is seen in the trailer wearing his Hellfire Club T-shirt.

Dr. Martin Brenner

Dr. Brenner, or Eleven’s “papa” as his test subjects called him, was killed by military gunfire when officers invaded his research facility in search of Eleven. They believed she was behind the strange happenings and murders taking place in Hawkins.

Brenner (Matthew Modine) played a significant role in the controversial MKUltra program, a real-life covert CIA mind-control and chemical interrogation research program. He took a young Henry Creel (who ultimately became 001/Vecna) into his custody after discovering he possessed psychokinetic abilities and tried to replicate those abilities in other children, including Eleven.

In his final moments, Brenner tells Eleven he is proud of her and that all he ever wanted was to help her and protect her, despite the psychological and physical abuse he inflicted on her.

Other important things to remember

Although Hopper and Joyce were able to rescue Will from the Upside Down, he is still closely tied to the dimension and its monsters.

(Netflix )

Will’s connection to the Upside Down

Since he was trapped in the Upside Down during Season 1, Will hasn’t been able to sever his tie to the dimension. In Season 2, he is possessed by the Mind Flayer and feels pain when the vines in the Upside Down are damaged or Demogorgons are hurt. He is tapped into the dimension’s “hive mind” and can sense Vecna’s presence, usually through a strange feeling on the back of his neck.

Eleven’s ‘sister’

Although all of the test subjects who were raised alongside Eleven were killed by Henry/001 in the massacre at Hawkins Labs (Season 4, Episode 7), one of her “siblings” managed to escape the lab before that fateful day. Kali, or 008, made a brief appearance in a Season 2 storyline — Eleven temporarily joined her gang of misfits to help in Kali’s mission of getting revenge on people who worked in the lab.

Kali did not appear in Seasons 3 or 4, but aside from Eleven and Henry/Vecna, she is the only other person known to have powerful psychokinetic abilities.

‘The First Shadow’

The stage play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is a prequel diving into Henry’s origins and how he eventually became 001, and Vecna. Although it is considered a standalone work, the Duffer Brothers collaborated with “Stranger Things” writer Kate Trefry to create the play’s story and they have confirmed it is canon in the “Stranger Things” universe.

Some fans who have compared the details from the play and the series say that the play suggests Vecna might not be in control of the Mind Flayer, as he has suggested. Rather, the Mind Flayer is in control of him, or that it had at least corrupted his human self.

Fans who have traced back through the series to see if this theory holds water point out that Dustin, whose theories about the Upside Down tend to be correct, suggested the same thing in Season 4. Speaking about the Mind Flayer, he says, “If the Demogorgon was just his foot soldier, Vecna’s his five-star general.”

What we know is coming next

In the first look at Season 5, Will and Vecna come face to face.

(Netflix)

Netflix released the first five minutes of the new season in early November, in which we see a flashback to Will’s time trapped in the Upside Down. A Demogorgon drags an unconscious Will to Vecna’s lair, and Vecna ominously says they can begin their work “at long last.” “You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together, William,” he continues.

It looks like we can expect a showdown between our heroes and Vecna, but it’s possible we might also get further explanation about why Will was specifically targeted from the beginning.

Is this the end of ‘Stranger Things’?

In a word, yes. But new stories taking place in the world of “Stranger Things” will be coming. Netflix recently unveiled the first look at an animated spinoff series, “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.” The series is set between the events of Seasons 2 and 3, and it will feature the main characters fans know and love. The Duffer Brothers collaborated with showrunner Eric Robles to create the series, which does not have a premiere date yet.

The Duffer Brothers are also developing a spinoff series with new characters and a “clean slate,” which they teased in a recent interview with Variety.

The dark comedy stars the former Doctor Who actor and it has viewers saying they’re ‘locked in’

Matt Smith is fronting a new dark comedy series adapted from a “compulsive read” which has proved a massive success since its debut episode.

The Death of Bunny Munro, shot on location throughout Sussex, is a dark comedy adaptation of Nick Cave’s novel sharing the same title.

The musician and author’s website describes the original book as “a compulsive read possessing all Nick Cave’s trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp”.

In The Death of Bunny Munro, the ex-Doctor Who actor portrays the titular role, a middle-aged salesman obsessed with sex who embarks on a journey across Sussex with his son following his wife’s death.

Whilst packed with black humour, the programme also delves into themes of bereavement and has drawn comparisons to programmes such as Netflix’s Adolescence.

Radio Times awarded it four out of five stars, stating: “Netflix’s Adolescence brought much-needed attention to the hateful attitudes emanating from a growing corner of the internet and taking root in the minds of today’s teenagers and young men.

“But the revelatory element of its story was less the misogyny itself and more so the method of transmission, with the web’s now-infamous ‘manosphere’ serving as a powerful amplifier for harmful ideas that had once appeared to be in decline.

“The Death of Bunny Munro almost serves as a prequel in that respect, exploring how the objectification, disrespect and outright abuse of women was taught to boys long before social media had the world in its death grip.”

The six-part series drops in its entirety, allowing viewers to watch all episodes back-to-back.

Social media users flocked to X, previously known as Twitter, to heap praise on Smith’s performance, with Lil Lulu writing: “#MattSmith you really have outdone yourself with Bunny Munro. Just superb. I love him and I hate him all at the same time. Give this man his flowers and give him ALL THE AWARDS!”

@drunkestgiraffe posted: “No in all honesty this is giving me emotional whiplash. It is gutting me and all I want is to help these poor souls but also WHY is he so HOT?

“I fully concur with Nick Cave he should NOT be this attractive. Put it away, Smith.”

Vid wrote: “Watched a half of episode one of Bunny Munro to see the vibe. Matt is so great as a despicable mf holy **** I can actually ******* kill him and the show’s kinda depressing and funny so far. Also truly heartbreaking son and wife, I’m locked in.”

Nana remarked: “I already love this mini-series.”

Rachel Louise declared: “Despite only having seen those first two episodes, I’m pretty confident in saying I think The Death of Bunny Munro is actually Matt Smith’s best role yet.”

The Death of Bunny Munro broadcasts on Sky Atlantic.

Coach Brendon McCullum believes his England team are ready for an Ashes series that could “define” them.

McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have revitalised the England Test team since taking charge in 2022.

The New Zealander said they have been “building to this moment”, with the first Test against Australia in Perth beginning on Friday (02:20 GMT).

In his only interview since arriving in Australia, McCullum told BBC Sport: “There’s nothing bigger than what we’re about to come into.”

Speaking to Test Match Special commentator and former England spinner Phil Tufnell, McCullum added: “This team has been together for a good couple of years and we have been building towards this moment.

“It is the biggest stage and it is the brightest lights. It is a series that could define teams, the people and players within it. That’s OK.

“You know you’re ready, you know you have the game to compete at this level. Stay together, play the style you have become accustomed to and we’ll see in a couple of months where we land.”

England are due to confirm their XI for the first Test on Thursday, with spinner Shoaib Bashir likely to miss out from the 12-man squad named on Wednesday.

That would mean the tourists will field a five-man pace attack, probably the fastest group of bowlers they have ever put together for a Test match.

“I’m super excited and probably a little bit more relaxed now than I was a few weeks ago,” said former New Zealand captain McCullum.

“We’ve got our team to the start line. I feel like our horse is going to run well. Whether we find another horse in the race that is better than us, who knows.”

England had won only one their previous 17 Tests, including a 4-0 defeat on their last Ashes tour, when McCullum and Stokes united in the summer of 2022.

They revolutionised England’s style of play, built a new team with a number of young players and earned impressive series wins at home against New Zealand and South Africa, then again against the Kiwis and Pakistan.

But England have not managed a victory in a marquee five-Test series against either Australia or India, including a 2-2 draw in the last home Ashes in 2023.

England have not won a single Test in Australia since their last series win in this country 14 years ago. Only five England teams have won Ashes series in Australia since World War II.

The “Harry Potter” wand has been passed.

Daniel Radcliffe, who portrayed the boy who lived in the Wizarding World’s original film series, said on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that he had reached out to new “Harry Potter” actor Dominic McLaughlin — no owls required.

“I know a few people working on the production, so I wrote to Dominic,” said Radcliffe, who appeared on the morning show to promote his return to Broadway in “Every Brilliant Thing.” “I sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back.”

The new “Harry Potter” series is currently filming in the U.K. McLaughlin stars as the eponymous orphan who learns about his magical heritage after he receives his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout will portray Harry’s best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively.

Radcliffe said he hopes the young actors are “having a great time” and that seeing their pictures made him “just want to hug them.”

“I don’t want to be a specter in the life of these children at all,” Radcliffe said. “I just wanted to write to him and say, ‘I hope you have the best time and an even better time than I did. I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better one.’”

Radcliffe starred in all eight films of the first film series, starting with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001) through “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (2011). His golden Gryffindor trio included Emma Watson as the muggle-born bookworm Hermione and Rupert Grint as the loyal but sometimes insensitive Ron.

Written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner, the new “Harry Potter” HBO series has been billed as “a faithful adaptation” of the popular seven-book series by author J.K. Rowling, who serves as an executive producer. Multiple episodes will be directed by executive producer Mark Mylod.

The cast of the new show includes returning “Harry Potter” actor Warwick Davis, who will be reprising his role as Professor Filius Flitwick. Joining him on the Hogwarts staff are John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore); Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid); Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape); Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall); Sirine Saba (Pomona Sprout); Richard Durden (Cuthbert Binns); Bríd Brennan (Poppy Pomfrey); Luke Thallon (Quirinus Quirrell); and Paul Whitehouse (Argus Filch).

In a cagey first quarter, both sides struggled to keep hold of the ball but the Roses edged a 14-11 lead.

The Silver Ferns quickly closed that gap in quarter two as England were punished for their sloppiness and errors began to accumulate.

Head coach Jess Thirlby shuffled the attack end to try to change the momentum, Helen Housby replacing Olivia Tchine at goal shooter as England lacked the potency under the post they had shown in game two.

But the hosts could not prevent New Zealand turning the tables and taking a two-goal lead into half-time.

England rallied after the break, much to the delight of an enthusiastic home crowd, as London Pulse defensive duo Halimat Adio and Funmi Fadoju worked hard to win the ball back and Housby and Lois Pearson combined well in the shooting circle.

But the Roses let things slip in the final couple of minutes of the third quarter, losing their way and allowing New Zealand to take a 42-38 lead going into the final period.

Fadoju claimed a loose Silver Ferns pass early in the final quarter as England tried to claw back the deficit. But defensive hard work was not always rewarded with goals at the other end as New Zealand further stretched their lead.

Shooter Grace Nweke, who has enjoyed a fruitful series, was consistent under the post while Maddy Gordon shone at centre.

Thirlby made changes in attack but no combination had the desired effect and the Roses could not close the gap.

They will face Jamaica in December before taking on South Africa in January as they continue to build up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe revealed he had written the note to 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin who is taking over the iconic role from the British actor

Daniel Radcliffe has admitted he sent a letter to the next Harry Potter, as filming for the new HBO series gets underway. He revealed that he even received a small note back from the actor, as the baton was passed from one star to the next.

Filming for the TV adaptation of the legendary book series has already started, with a host of famous faces taking on the roles of the iconic Harry Potter franchise. But with three fresh-faced stars about to walk into their biggest project yet, Daniel offered his counterpart some words of advice to get him through.

The show is not set to hit our screens until 2027, but production officially got underway back in July. Daniel reflected on how his own filming stint for the series went, and how history is repeating on set for the new cast.

As reported in People, Daniel, 36, told Good Morning America on Tuesday (November 18) that he had written a note to give to 11-year-old star Dominic McLaughlin, who is set to take over as the title character. He explained it was not a mandatory thing, but felt it was necessary as the first shoots began for the show.

“I wouldn’t say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to [reach out],” Radcliffe explained. “I know a few people who are working on the production so I wrote to Dominic and I sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back.”

Daniel was the face of Harry Potter for decades, growing up in front of audiences in the film adaptation of the book series by JK Rowling. When asked why he wanted to send the kids the letter, he admitted that he did “not want to be a spectre in the light” of their own portrayals of the characters.

He added: “I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time.’ And I do, I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them.”

Radcliffe revealed he was astounded when he saw the pictures of the up-and-coming actors who will play the trio of Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, admitting he thought they looked “so young”. However, he realised he faced similar concerns when he took on the role back in 2001, when he was aged just 12.

HBO has said that each book in the series will be adapted into its own separate season, and will gradually be released over the coming years. A slew of famous faces have also joined the cast to breathe life into iconic characters such as Dumbledore and Professor Snape.

On top of this, some actors who appeared in the original adaptation will reprise their roles for the HBO show. Warwick Davis has confirmed he will return to the franchise, once again taking on Filius Flitwick in a touching nod to the films.

In a statement announcing the commission of the series, HBO has said it is aiming to be as “authentic to the original books” as possible, whilst bringing new viewers into the world of Harry Potter. Radcliffe added that he would not be making a ceremonial cameo in the series.

Revealing all in an interview with E! in May 2024, Daniel said he was now “very excited to watch as an audience member”. When asked if he thought it was a good idea not to have the original trio back, he said: “I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”

Suranne Jones’ hit TV show Doctor Foster will reportedly be returning to screens after an almost decade-long break, according to TV insiders

Suranne Jones is set to bring back her best-ever TV character after an eight-year break.

The former Coronation Street star will reprise the lead role of Gemma Foster in the BBC One drama Doctor Foster. The award-winning series saw Suranne play a scorned GP who takes revenge on her cheating husband, played by Bertie Carvel.

According to a report, Suranne and the team feel there is “unfinished business” for the character. Filming is reportedly due to start next year, with a view to it potentially airing at the end of 2026 or early 2027.

A TV insider said: “There was always a sense of unfinished business with Doctor Foster as the storyline could easily roll on and on.”

“It went out on a massive high, too, with around eight million tuning in every week to watch the drama unfold between the three lead characters,” they added to The Sun.

More than 10 million people tuned in to see the finale of Doctor Foster’s first series in October 2015. It won multiple awards including the best actress Bafta for Suranne Jones.

The second series did similarly well and the finale was watched by an average of 7.2 million viewers, according to overnight figures. But the ending did split viewers as Gemma Foster and her ex-husband fought over their son Tom.

Speaking about the series in 2017, Suranne admitted it could be “uncomfortable” viewing at times but says the show has a ” weird, sexy edge to it. We all know what it feels like to be in a room with an ex-partner,” she goes on.

“Everybody has had a relationship, everyone has had exes, everybody has been in difficult circumstances. I’m sure myself and Bertie have had those thoughts and feelings; otherwise we wouldn’t be able to draw on them.

“But at the same time, with the style of writing and the style of the programme, you’re able to go further.

“It has a fantastical edge as well as being deep-rooted in naturalism. It also has an exaggerated way of showing how far you could go if you really wanted to.”

The Mirror approached the BBC about reports of a third series Doctor Foster but were told there would be no immediate comment.

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