show biz

Sunday Brunch suffered an unexpected live TV mishap when a phone began causing a stir behind the scenes

The hit show Sunday Brunch suffered a major blunder.

The Channel 4 hit cooking chat show was thrown into chaos after a phone began causing a commotion behind the scenes during the live broadcast.

The awkward moment happened just before stand-in presenter Yinka Bokinni and Simon Rimmer were due to chat with Anita-Joy Uwajeh.

Yinka, who was filling in for regular host Tim Lovejoy, appeared to notice the noise coming from somewhere off-camera and could be heard receiving text alerts.

She turned to Anita and asked, “Before we get into speaking to you, what was happening? Because I could hear texts. What is going on?”

Anita then explained that there had been a technical issue while jokingly refusing to reveal exactly who was responsible.

“I don’t want to grass anybody, I don’t want to give anyone up, but we had a bit of a technical situation,” she said. Yinka then appeared to work out what was behind the disruption, asking: “Su, was on her phone?”

A clip then showed some of the celebrities laughing as Anita continued to explain what had happened. She said Grace, better known as GK Barry, was “really enjoying it” before revealing that Su Pollard had been trying to work out how to operate the device.

Anita joked: “It was Su trying to figure out this sort of… It’s more like a portable machine, that phone. It’s not really like a modern-day technology thing.”

The exchange left the studio in fits of laughter before Yinka turned her attention to the production team to find out whether the problem had finally been resolved.

“Can we just check in? Have we managed to silence the device?” she asked. After appearing to get confirmation that the noise had stopped, Yinka simply shrugged off the interruption. “Yeah? It’s the beauty of being live,” she said. Anita agreed, replying: “Exactly.”

The incident provided one of the more unexpected moments from Sunday’s edition of the Channel 4 favourite, with the presenters forced to deal with the problem in real time before getting on with the interview.

Yinka was standing in for Tim Lovejoy on the programme, joining Simon Rimmer at the helm for a packed edition featuring a host of familiar faces.

Among the guests was legendary singer Paul Heaton, while Su Pollard appeared to discuss her memoir. GK Barry was also on the show to talk about her new book, while Everlast, Gary Wilmot and Anita-Joy Uwajeh were also part of the line-up. Casualty star Elinor Lawless also joined the programme to discuss the soap’s 40th anniversary special.

Despite the unexpected phone drama, the show quickly returned to its usual mix of celebrity interviews, entertainment, music and conversation.

And with the programme being broadcast live, Yinka was able to turn an unplanned technical problem into another memorable Sunday Brunch moment before carrying on with the show.

Sunday Brunch airs every Sunday from 10am on Channel 4.

Lulu performed her own James Bond song, The Man with the Golden Gun, at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall

Lulu appeared to be moved to tears following her showstopping performance at the BBC Proms.

Host Nick Mohammed set the tone from the very start of the evening, joking that his appearance at the concert was doubling up as an audition for the next James Bond.

“I will say, while a decision hasn’t yet been made about who’s going to be the next James Bond, I am kind of seeing this as my audition,” he told the audience.

“I know it’s a bit unconventional. I’d usually just do a self-tape on my phone, but I thought, why not hire out the Royal Albert Hall with the full support of an orchestra?”

Introducing conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Mohammed joked: “Tonight, we provided the illustrious leader of our special operation with a short wooden stick, but when aimed in a particular direction, is able to do this. May I present the man with the golden baton.”

The Royal Albert Hall played host to the beloved and instantly recognisable theme tunes from the Bond franchise, alongside memorable soundtracks from other spy films, with Mohammed describing their mission as a celebration of “more than 60 years of 007 soundtracks and songs, arguably some of the most iconic film music ever created.”

The BBC Concert Orchestra, led by Bartholomew-Poyser, delivered the music alongside a lineup of special guest vocalists.

Yet it was Lulu who truly stole the show. The legendary Scottish singer took centre stage to perform her very own James Bond number, The Man with the Golden Gun.

Fans flocked to X to share their reactions, with one writing, “Ahhh! The eternally delicious LuLu x x x,” reports the Daily Record.

Another praised, “I was so looking forward to this…best thing? Lulu.” Lulu looks and sounds fabulous,” a third chimed in, while another gushed, “Lulu looks and sounds phenomenal.”

One fan noted that Lulu “Seemed emotional at the end there,” while another enthused, “Best singer so far…go on Lulu!”

The audience erupted in cheers and applause for Lulu, who stood on stage, visibly tearful, following her breathtaking set.

The BBC Proms is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

OLIVIA Attwood has sent fans into a spin after she shared a sweet snap of Pete Wicks wearing an “I love my girlfriend” t-shirt.

The documentary stars have finally been giving followers the relationship content they want to see after months of keeping their romance under wraps.

In a round-up of her week, Olivia posted a picture of her beau Pete donning the top while they played a game of pool.

The candid snap saw Pete, 37, chalking up his cue stick with quite the serious look on his face.

Olivia has been giving fans more of glimpse into their dynamic after hard-launching him on Instagram earlier this week and opening up during her Cosmopolitan interview.

“Love this round up and Pete’s t-shirt,” wrote one fan.

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Another fan penned: “The T-SHIRT, absolutely no notes.”

A third person said: “Love the t-shirt Pete xxx”

Meanwhile, a fourth fan added: “Can’t wait to hear Sam Thompson’s take on the t-shirt.”

Reality TV personality Pete made his intentions clear as he took matters into his own hands and hard-launched his romance with Olivia a whole month before she did.

Olivia recently revealed it was Pete who made the first move and since then their relationship has moved very quickly.

Last week, Olivia dropped a huge hint that things are getting serious with Pete as she leaked a telling WhatsApp message.

Olivia carefully omitted who sent the text which read: “You are the love of my life.”

She then finally went social media official with Pete, sharing a slew of steamy snaps of the pair looking loved-up in Ibiza.

The couple were seen heading out on a date night to the Broadwick hotel in Soho just days ago – the same venue where they were first spotted locking lips.

Loose Women panelist Olivia has reached new career heights this year and she’s certainly been busy as she shared some exciting moments alongside the picture of Pete.

The 35-year-old could be seen at multiple different shoots, her Savano cocktail party, at the gym and she of course showed fans the huge poster she had made for her magazine cover.

HARRY Styles has made a cheeky joke about his ex Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce.

The One Direction star, 32, was performing at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night when he decided to give a subtle shout-out to his ex.

He expressed: “We’re at Madison Square Garden, home of the world champion New York Knicks.”

The singer added: “And they also do weddings.”

It was a nod to the fact that Taylor and Travis, 36, tied the knot at the iconic venue back in July.

It was transformed into an indoor-outdoor garden setting as the couple said their vows in front of 1,000 guests in a private ceremony.

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Harry was reportedly invited to the wedding on July 3 but allegedly declined the invitation.

He was unable to attend because he was performing in London that night for his Together, Together world tour.

However, his fiancee Zoë Kravitz was in attendance as she and Taylor are long-time friends.

The couple chose Hollywood icon Adam Sandler to officiate the wedding which was attended by guests including Ed Sheeran, Karlie Kloss, Graham Norton and Bradley Cooper.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom threw a fairytale-esque party on the lower level of MSG with the theme reportedly mixing Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz.

Soon after the couple exchanged vows, Dior revealed that the bride and groom’s looks were created by Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of Dior Women’s, Men’s and Haute Couture Collections in close collaboration with the pair.

This was the designer’s first couture wedding dress for a world-renowned celebrity.

The newlyweds had custom shoes made by Christian Louboutin, and Taylor wore Cartier jewelry.

Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos, who was the first guest to speak out after the ceremony, revealed that the couple’s vows were “everything you would hope for – real, vulnerable, serious, silly.”

After two years of dating, Taylor and Travis announced their engagement in August last year.

The Love Story singer was romantically linked to Harry back in November 2012 to January 2013.

Despite only being together briefly, the two appear to be on good terms today.

Harry reportedly got engaged to actress Zoë in April this year after eight months of dating.

Both stars are yet to publicly confirm their engagement but she was spotted wearing an engagement ring in New York City.

Love Is Blind UK star Ryan has faced viewer criticism since the Netflix show aired, and he has now addressed speculation about his reasons for joining and whether he wanted to ‘boost his profile’

Everyone’s currently talking about about the latest series of Love Is Blind following its Netflix debut on August 19. Presented by celebrity duo Matt and Emma Willis, the social experiment sees British singletons dating in “pods” before getting engaged without ever laying eyes on one another.

While series 3 has now concluded its main instalments, fans can still look forward to the reunion episode, which drops on the streaming service today (August 30). From the 30 singletons who stepped into the pods, we followed six couples who emerged engaged. However, two of these pairs called it quits during the cohabitation stage.

These were Jordan and Yasmin, along with Ryan and Cuba.

The latter duo encountered difficulties after settling into a London flat together, as Ryan’s regular absences owing to work commitments and a family bereavement led to the relationship breaking down.

Cuba sensed his heart wasn’t entirely committed, and Ryan confessed his body was “resisting” the commitment. They formally ended things during episode 9, roughly a week ahead of their scheduled nuptials.

Ryan, 33, has encountered substantial online criticism since the episodes went live. Audiences have strongly condemned how the public speaker behaved towards Cuba after exiting the pods, particularly when he promptly flew off for work and subsequently claimed he required “independent alone time” to unwind away from her.

The criticism reached its height following their split scene in episode 9. After informing Cuba his “body was resisting” the commitment, Ryan bizarrely asked Cuba if she fancied any mango (she declined) before the cameras switched to Ryan aggressively and wordlessly devouring the mango.

Viewers deemed the moment peculiar and detached, sparking viral memes. Ryan has subsequently shared a TikTok (while consuming another mango) justifying his behaviour, clarifying that an entire day’s worth of intense discussions was compressed by producers into “a short, sharp focus on fruit.”

In a separate video, Ryan has now revealed why he genuinely participated in the programme, following questions about how genuine his motivations were.

Posting a reel on his Instagram account, he informed his 15,000 followers that people continuously questioned him ‘why he bothered to apply’ for the programme.

He clarified that he didn’t apply, and was instead contacted by producers, which he maintained ‘was the same for most of the guys’.

Ryan stated: “When I initially had the call, I didn’t know what Love Is Blind was, I’d never heard of it before.”

Following a producer’s explanation of the concept to him, he considered it sounded “crazy” and acknowledges he still believes it is, though he notes it ‘clearly has a track record of working’ in certain instances.

He mentioned that as he progressed through the experience, he was “very vocal about his apprehensions”, yet his “curiosity was peaking”. Ryan also revealed that when weighing up whether to appear on the show, he found himself reflecting on the role of appearance in today’s world.

“Yes, they’re important,” well to me they are anyway and I think to most people,” he said in the clip.

“We live in a very image-focused world, where most people put most of their pride and joy in how they physically appear, instead of what’s inside.”

With that in mind, he said he ‘genuinely thinks the experiment is a really interesting concept to see if you can connect and communicate with someone deeply without ever seeing him. ‘.

“That’s what really got me in,” he admitted.

Ryan described himself as “open” to getting married, because he was single. “I was so scared, but open to it,” he said.

The public speaker also hit back at suggestions he had simply signed up to the show to “boost his profile”. He retorted: “I think that most people know that when you go on a reality show, you are seen and there’s massive drawbacks and some benefits to that.

“I don’t need or want some plastic clothing contract off the back off this, that’s not what I’m about.”

Which Love Island Blind UK series 3 couples got married?

In the finale of Love Is Blind UK season 3, a record-breaking four couples successfully walked down the aisle and got married. These were Sophie and Taylor, Ciara and Ajay, Faye and Jack and Francesca and Joseph.

Nearly everyone in the pods got engaged during Season 3 of Love Is Blind: UK. Out of the 30 singles who entered the experiment, a staggering 14 couples got engaged.

This shattered a global record for the entire Netflix franchise. Because there were far too many engagements for the production team to physically follow, they had to make difficult editorial choices. As a result, viewers only saw six couples on screen.

The Love Is Blind UK Season 3 Reunion will air on Sunday, August 30 2026 on Netflix

It’s back-to-school time for the Broad.

The Broad museum is launching a new educational initiative, it announced on Saturday. “Our Block, Our Stories” will pair students with contemporary artists to explore how those artists have been inspired by their local neighborhoods, communities and personal experiences.

The program, open to grades 3 through 12, includes off-site activities and field trips to the museum. The Broad is paying for students’ transport to the museum.

The inaugural project will focus on South Los Angeles students and spotlight L.A. artist Lauren Halsey. Students will visit Halsey’s South L.A. sculpture garden, “sister dreamer, lauren halsey’s architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles,” to explore themes of neighborhood, memory and belonging. Halsey’s work, which debuted in March, was presented by Los Angeles Nomadic Division and curated by LAND co-founder Christine Y. Kim.

Students will then, on the same day, travel to the Broad for guided tours, discussions and writing prompts. They’ll be encouraged to connect their personal experiences to works in the museum’s collection while also considering how they might creatively express their own life stories, from their individual communities, through art. April De Leon, Broad interim school program manager, is overseeing the program.

“It’s so we can bring hundreds of young people [to the museum] so they can be inspired to be creative — and in a way that helps their community, gives back to their community, transforms their community and their city,” said Ed Patuto, Broad director for audience engagement. “We’ll look at how other artists, too — like Mark Bradford, John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres — deal with their neighborhoods and opportunities in their neighborhoods for inspiration.”

The museum will provide educators with on-site worksheets and background materials on the artists, along with other pre-visit and post-visit resources in English and Spanish.

Field trips to the museum begin Sept. 18, though the Broad is still enrolling schools in the program. It’s giving priority to schools and youth organizations in and around South L.A. The Halsey program runs through Dec. 11.

Lauren Halsey’s South L.A. sculpture garden, “sister dreamer.”

(Allen Chen @_h_studio)

Patuto said that Halsey was the perfect artist to launch the program. Not only is her work represented in the Broad’s collection, but “she’s an artist who’s influenced by her community and, like a Mark Bradford, is actually building something in her community, for her community,” he said. “And that needs to be supported by arts institutions around the city.”

The idea behind the sculpture park, when Halsey first conceived it about 16 years ago, she said in an interview, was a space that represents and pays homage to the neighborhood, both aesthetically and conceptually.

“The heroes, the poetics, the material culture, the everyday,” she said. “But also, that it’s a sculpture park that serves — and for free — the neighborhood and L.A. at large.”

The Broad says it will continue to develop “learning modules” over the next several years.

The next one will launch in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition, “Has the myth been shattered,” opening in November. The show of Broad collection works spanning six decades, as curated by Jen Vanegas Rocha, addresses myths “and the way social media, mass media, can kind of mythologize things that happened to us,” Patuto said.

Free, youth-oriented cultural programming such as “Our Block, Our Stories” is a game-changer, Halsey said, adding that field trips she took to LACMA in middle school helped give her confidence to create and solidify her identity as an artist.

She hopes the Broad’s new educational initiative does the same for other young artists.

“It builds pride in one’s own neighborhood and validates experiences and expands on the possibility of what you can be as a young child and sparks your imagination,” she said. “I didn’t have that growing up in South Central, this access to art. So it’s really cool that the Broad came in and is partnering with me to bring this amazing, free programming to the neighborhood.”

The Godfather, widely considered the greatest gangster film ever made, is being shown on BBC2 tonight at 10pm – starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino

The Godfather, based on the much-loved gangland crime book of the same name, is widely accepted as “the best of all time” is on BBC tonight.

The 1969 novel by Mario Puzo was adapted for screen and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film was a smash hit and swept up during awards season with the performances revered as the best in cinema history.

With a stacked cast including Marlon Brando and Al Pacino to the film remains the gold standard for the crime genre today. One IMDb user said it is “One of the best of all time”, giving the film a solid 10/10 score.

Another wrote: “A flawless movie. This movie translates from the book perfectly!This movie made me want to be a director and create film. Everyone’s acting was perfect. To think that Puza wrote this specifically to make a hit is at first crazy.”

More than five decades since its release, The Godfather continues to command a devoted following, and tonight you can watch it on BBC Two, completely free of charge.

The story follows the shady underground world of the Corleone crime family. It scooped up three Oscars for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, with Brando also claiming Best Actor.

An IMDb review said: “A masterclass in film making, is The Godfather a contender for the best film of all time? I’d argue the case that it is, this is the ultimate gangster movie.

“Before you panic at the thought of a film being almost three hours long, you needn’t, you won’t even notice the time, it flies by. Production values are incredible, it looks sublime the whole way through, it’s so well produced, at roughly fifty years old it puts many new films to shame.

“Brandon, Pacino and Castellano, just a few of the Incredible performances, I could add a whole lot more. If you’re considering buying a hard copy, I would recommend it on blu ray, it is sharper than the dvd, there is a difference. This film has had a huge influence down the years, it is still, and will forever be, one of the greatest, 10/10. “

Another wrote: “This movie is strong, good script, great casting, excellent acting, and over the top directing. It is hard to fine a movie done this well, it is 29 years old and has aged well.

“Even if the viewer does not like mafia type of movies, he or she will watch the entire film, the audiences is glued to what will happen next as the film progresses. Its about, family, loyalty, greed, relationships, and real life. This is a great mix, and the artistic style make the film memorable.”

The Godfather will be on BBC2 at 10pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch Benidorm on ITVX.

Casualty is set to air a gripping double-bill as the BBC medical drama celebrates its 40th anniversary with an explosive incident.

Casualty fans are in for a treat during the landmark anniversary.

Over the years, BBC fans have seen the team at Holby Hospital face a range of intense situations, from helicopter crashes, horrific stabbings and bomb explosions.

However, it looks as though the upcoming double-bill episodes could top them all as one star from the medical drama has spoken about the gripping scenes ahead.

As Casualty is set to mark its 40th anniversary in September, the programme has given viewers a glimpse at what’s to come with a trailer earlier this month.

It features a huge explosion, a multitude of injuries, tears, police and two favourites in an ambulance crash, reports the Daily Star.

Actress Melanie Hill, who takes on the role of Siobhan McKenzie in the BBC drama, spoke to the Screen Time team at Reachplc about the upcoming episodes.

While saying the scenes are ‘always chaotic’, the actress confessed she thinks the instalments are the ‘most ambitious’ that have been seen in the history of Casualty.

Melanie explained that not only is there an influx of people who are injured and needing to be seen to, but there are personal stories surrounding the doctors and nurses who work at the hospital.

A synopsis for the upcoming episodes teases that ‘impossible life-or-death’ decisions are forced onto the beloved characters as their courage, resilience and leadership will be tested.

While Dylan (William Beck) is set to face a personal tragedy of his own, Stevie (Elinor Lawless) and Flynn (Olly Rix) find themselves fighting for survival in a race against time.”

With the trailer dropping earlier this month, devoted fans were quick to share their reactions to the tantalising preview, with many fearing the worst was yet to come.

One person said, “I wonder which paramedic is driving the ambulance; it looks like Indie.” Another added: “This is going to be one intense watch, peak TV incoming.”

While someone else commented: “Sounds awful, but as long as Dylan is ok, I will be SO upset if they kill him off, he’s been my fav for SO long!!” As another added: “If anyone dies, I will be crying unapologetically.”

Casualty’s special double-bill will air on Saturday, 5 September 2026, on BBC iPlayer and BBC One

Fans of reality singing contests will be thrilled to learn that plans are reportedly in motion to revive The X Factor in the UK – after the show last aired on ITV back in 2019

The X Factor is set to make a return to the UK, it was claimed tonight. A report has suggested that the iconic talent show could be revived by ITV as soon as next year – after being off the air for nearly seven years.

The long-running singing competition originally aired from 2004 until 2019 and threw a number of unknown acts into the international spotlight – as well as boosting the profiles of the roster of judges. At it’s peak, The X Factor pulled in huge audiences just shy of 20 million viewers.

And TV stars were made out of music producer Sharon Osbourne, boy band fanatic Louis Walsh, Girls Aloud star Cheryl Tweedy, and music mogul Simon Cowell. The show made stars out of Leona Lewis, One Direction and Little Mix – and was a cash cow for ITV.

However, by 2019, interest in the series had waned and the show was axed following a celebrity version of the series that struggled to attract more than 3 million viewers.

Now broadcast bosses are reportedly mulling bringing back the previous hit show – and in a shock move, it appears that 66-year-old Cowell might not be heavily involved and the panel of judges will consist of younger music experts.

It is reported that the network is keen to have a hit after sinking millions into fresh TV formats, including Graham Norton’s The Neighbhourhood and Stephen ­Mangan’s The Fortune Hotel, which underperformed.

A source told The Sun: “Rather than creating more flop formats they have the opportunity to give The X Factor, a sure-fire hit, a modern makeover.

“They can explore a younger, fresher panel, with new faces and have Cowell behind the scenes. The plan is for the show’s return to take on a new life and be updated to envelop social media generation.

“ITV has shown with programmes like Love Island and I’m A Celebrity . . . that social media is where they can inject massive viewing figures. The X Factor was one of the most iconic shows in TV history and created dozens of stars and household names who are still riding high today.”

The source went on to claim that Talkback Thames, which produced the series, was in talks with ITV bosses about bringing the show back – and that those involved as keen for the series to be a success again. The Mirror has contacted representatives at ITV and Talkback Thames for comment.

Simon Cowell has previously expressed enthusiasm over the concept of the X Factor being exhumed by TV bosses in the UK. The show currently exists in a number of European countries – including Malta and Hungary.

He told the Tales from the Celebrity Trenches podcast: “Yeah, we talk about it a lot. Do you bring it back as X Factor or do you bring it back as the Z Factor?

“There’s still no question, the power of TV in terms of getting people to know an artist. It’s so important if you’re not writing your own material. The truth is there’s something about being on a big screen. You hear about these artists who break online, but so rarely.

“Truth is, I guess, thank God, people like being on TV.”

ITV has enjoyed some success in reviving former TV shows after they were off the air for a relatively short time. The channel brought back Big Brother in 2023 – just five years after it had been axed by Channel 5. The show pulled in it’s highest ratings in a decade when revived – attracting over 2.5 million viewers when it aired on ITV2.

However, ratings had dropped to less than one million by the time the 2025 season aired. The show is set to return next month for the fourth season in the ITV run – which will be the 23rd season of the show since it first aired back in the year 2000.

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An aspiring Los Angeles-area rapper was arrested on Wednesday and charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar check-cashing scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ada William Obayuwana of Quartz Hill, who goes by “ColdheartedAC” and “AC,” and two others were charged in a 25-count federal grand jury indictment alleging that they illegally possessed more than 50 stolen U.S. Treasury checks and hundreds of other checks belonging to individuals and businesses worth more than $8.1 million, then cashed or attempted to cash them at lenders throughout Southern California.

Albert Tai Vu, of Westminster, and Cassandra Marie Murrillo, of San Diego, are the other two defendants charged in the case.

According to the indictment, between April 2022 and December 2023, the trio obtained the stolen checks, some containing tax refunds and veterans’ and Social Security Administration benefits, then forged endorsements or modified names and addresses to steal the money.

The trio is accused of opening bank accounts to receive the money. They also used business documents to impersonate the identities of the victims connected to the stolen checks and deposited the money into bank and credit union accounts across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, the indictment says.

During this period, Obayuwana allegedly tried to cash at least three Treasury tax refund checks worth $382,109 and was successful in cashing one, withdrawing $229,109, federal authorities allege.

In December 2023, Obayuwana “possessed in his car in Oceanside more than 100 stolen or fraudulent checks, cumulatively worth more than $6.1 million,” states the indictment. Among the checks were 48 stolen Treasury checks worth some $2,555,417 in tax refunds, veterans’ benefits,and Social Security benefits.

Obayuwana was able to cash eight of them worth about $1.7 million, according to federal investigators.

Vu tried to cash at least six Treasury checks totaling $2.15 million and successfully cashed two tax fund refunds worth $772,159, the indictment says. He also allegedly cashed a pair of cashier’s checks, each valued at $250,000, at an Anaheim bank and used money from one to buy a Range Rover and the second to pay Murillo.

Murillo is accused of trying to cash at least two checks worth $60,193, successfully cashing one for $31,405.

Following his arrest, Obayuwana remains in federal custody. He is charged with nine counts of bank fraud and faces three counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Vu, who was arrested Thursday, is charged with five counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, four counts of money laundering and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Murillo, who is expected to surrender to federal authorities in Los Angeles on Monday, is charged with an additional count of delivering stolen Treasury checks.

ABBY Lee Miller showed off her incredible figure in a black swimsuit as she enjoyed a trip away this week.

The Dance Moms star, 60, was soaking up the sun in Long Island, New York, and took to Instagram to share snaps from the trip with her fans.

Staying at the four-star Hotel Indigo, Abby beamed for the camera as she took a dip in the pool in a black one-piece swimsuit.

She matched the swimwear with statement gold jewellery and had her brunette tresses styled into a bouncy blowdry.

Sipping on a mocktail, Abby posed for several poolside shots.

She later added a butter yellow beach coverup over her bathing suit while relaxing by the pool.

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Abby captioned her post: “Couldn’t have asked for a better spot to stay while I was on Long Island this summer! 🌊☀️

“@indigoeastend was not only beautiful, but the perfect place to relax and enjoy all the amenities, from the pool to their fabulous restaurant, @bistro72, with a gorgeous sunset view! Top of the pyramid👏🏼👏🏼“.

Abby has been using a wheelchair since 2018, when she underwent spinal surgery and battled Burkitt lymphoma – a rare form of cancer.

Before her health woes, the TV star and dance instructor dropped from a size 24 to a size 16 and has been looking incredible over recent years since becoming cancer-free in 2019.

Abby rose to fame in 2011 when Dance Moms hit screens as the strict dance coach and leading personality of the show.

The series, which launched the careers of stars such as JoJo Siwa, was centred around the young girls who were members of the Abby Lee Dance Company and their mothers, who were also in competition with each other.

MICHAEL Jackson’s daughter Paris has released a moving song tribute on his 68th birthday with the icon’s voice on track.

The singer’s personal new song entitled The Breeze appears to include a private recording featuring the voice of her father.

In the emotional audio, Michael can be heard telling his daughter: “Love you, Paris. I love you, Paris!” 

A young Paris is then heard sweetly replying: “I love you.”

Released as a double single on Michael’s birthday, Paris, 28, wrote and recorded two songs which displayed her relationship with him.

She explained on her social account that she is so proud of both tracks and said “It’s not a tribute. It’s not a commemoration.

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“It’s not a demonstration of any kind. It is a letter. It is a poem of the sonic variety.

“It is my honest experience – with love, loss, and para-social relationships vs a personal one.”

Fans flocked to comment and one wrote: “I love both tracks. Beautiful work.

Another added: “Daddy’s little girl.”

“Oh no, I’m not going to be able to listen,” said another fan.

A fourth wrote: “My eyes are red from crying so much I can’t this is so beautifullll.”

A fifth added: “I’m crying too!”

Paris is the only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe.

Her legendary father died in June 2009 of cardiac arrest after a doctor prescribed him various medications to help him sleep.

Paris has been open about missing her father and shared a never-before-seen clip of him – 11 years after his tragic death.

Recently, Paris was spotted on an outing with Hayden Karchmer in Los Angeles, which sparked rumours she has officially moved on from her ex-fiancé.

Imagine a Saturday night “spectacular,” under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing as fireworks explode in the night sky — for $10?

Not a pipe dream.

The L.A. Phil has taken a major step in expanding its accessibility. The organization announced this week that it will offer Los Angeles County residents with active Medi-Cal or EBT cards $10 tickets to L.A. Phil performances at the Hollywood Bowl starting with the 2027 season.

It will offer at least 100 of these tickets at each of the orchestra’s Hollywood Bowl concerts. Tickets will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The L.A. Phil didn’t say exactly how eligible residents could secure such tickets. It plans to announce that process in Spring 2027 before the season starts.

L.A. Phil Vice President of Community and Government Engagement, Cynthia Fuentes, said in an interview that the organization has been “prioritizing accessibility for a very long time.”

“When you create accessibility programs, they have to be very intentional,” Fuentes said. “Folks are really struggling to make ends meet right now, and for us, it’s so important not only that we create great music on our stages, but that people can afford to see it. Your income levels shouldn’t dictate whether you have access to the arts or not.”

The $10 ticket announcement is the latest move towards making L.A. Phil events more accessible at a time when tickets to see the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl are, on average, about $48, Fuentes said.

The L.A. Phil has been offering discounted tickets since the 1970s. It now offers more than 50,000 $1 Hollywood Bowl tickets annually — some seats open to the general public and others given out by the L.A. Phil in partnership with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and L.A. County Parks, to low-income students, senior centers and others in need.

Last year the L.A. Phil boosted the numbers of its $1 tickets from 36,000 to 55,000. It also distributes tens of thousands of free tickets to non-profit organizations through a program called Community Concert Connections.

The L.A. Phil debuted its new accessibility program at the Ford during the venue’s 2026 season. The program is still active at the Ford.

“That was our pilot program for the L.A. Phil, with the intention of implementing it at the Hollywood Bowl,” Fuentes said. “When we started looking into EBT cardholder tickets, [we realized] it happens in a lot of museums but not a lot at performance arts organizations. Partly because it’s a ticketed structure with assigned seats and it’s a more controlled environment. We wanted to build the infrastructure of how you execute it on the back end. The Ford was an incredible way to start the process — do it on a smaller scale, look at what works and then be able to scale up to the bowl.”

The L.A. Phil is in a period of transition. Daniel Harding will step in as the L.A. Phil’s new Music Director, replacing Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, starting with the 2027–2028 season. He’ll oversee orchestral programming at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Newly appointed Creative Director Esa-Pekka Salonen begins his tenure at the start of the 2026/27 concert season in early October. He’ll conduct and curate subscription concerts and multidisciplinary projects. Anna Handler will serve as conductor in residence for the next three years starting with the 2026/27 season.

“But Gustavo will be back every summer to do a suite of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and also in December of this year at Walt Disney Concert Hall,” Fuentes said. “He’ll continue to have a presence with the L.A. Phil.”

Operating the Hollywood Bowl is a partnership between the L.A. Phil and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the Hollywood Bowl, said in a statement that the L.A. Phil has been “a trailblazer in the arts” for more than a century. Their new accessibility initiative, she said, is “that same spirit of innovation and partnership.”

“The Hollywood Bowl is one of Los Angeles County’s most cherished public assets,” Barger said, “and every resident should have the opportunity to experience the joy, inspiration, and sense of community that it offers.”

Several other L.A. area cultural institutions offer EBT card holders free or deeply discounted admission, including: the Huntington, in San Marino, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the Autry Museum of the American West and LACMA.

“But there’s no other L.A. County facility, for performing arts, that we found in our research that had an EBT Program,” Fuentes added. “Part of our goal is to take our findings to the field to share so that other performing arts non-profits follow, especially L.A. County-based [ones], so we can ensure we’re creating accessibility for everyone in the county.”

Fuentes pointed to her own upbringing to illustrate the importance of accessibility programs in the arts.

“I grew up in South Central with working-class parents that had three kids,” she said. “When you don’t have disposable income, you don’t have opportunities [to see arts performances]. Everyone should have the opportunity to go to a show and share a communal experience around music without the fear of not having enough to make your rent or mortgage.”

Vigil is back on the BBC after a three-year hiatus with another complex case to crack.

BBC’s Vigil season three airs tonight but it’s going to look very different from the first two series.

Since BBC fans last saw DCI Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie), they have built a life together, welcoming their young son but it doesn’t take long before a new case lands on their laps.

The second series saw Amy travel to the Middle East following a drone attack but this time around, it’s Kirsten who is investigating a case in far colder temperatures.

After a British officer on an undercover special forces mission is fatally shot abroad, it’s up to Kirsten, as well as Amy back home, to find out what really happened.

As the countdown begins until its debut, here’s all there is to know about the filming locations for Vigil season three.

BBC Vigil season 3 filming locations

BBC Vigil season three is primarily set in Svalbard in the Arctic Circle which is where the series was also filmed.

Svalbard is part of Norway and a remote Arctic archipelago situated between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

Its largest island Spitsbergen is the home of its largest settlement Longyearbyen which has a population of around 2,600.

Describing the experience to the BBC, actress Suranne Jones shared: “Rose [Leslie] and I felt like we were just on top of the world because we went to places that tourists don’t normally visit since we were filming in such remote locations.

“There were reindeer outside the breakfast room every morning, we got to drive the snow buggies, and we really had to layer up.”

While most of the action takes place in Svalbard, this wasn’t BBC Vigil season three’s only filming location.

When Amy and Kirsten aren’t abroad investigating murder cases, they are at home in Scotland where Vigil is also shot.

The cast and crew were also seen filming extensively in and around Glasgow in areas including the West End and West Princes Street.

Vigil season three premieres on Sunday, August 30, at 9pm, on BBC One.

Tom Cruise is set to film a sequel to his 1990 NASCAR hit “Days of Thunder’ with Anne Hathaway, both actors announced in a video posted Saturday on social media.

The Paramount Pictures movie with Cruise reprising his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle and Hathaway playing a team owner and engineer will be filmed in IMAX and is expected to be released in the summer of 2028.

Jonathan Levine, whose credits include “Warm Bodies” and “Long Shot,” is directing, and Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper are producing along with Cruise.

The original film, which earned $157.9 million worldwide at the box office, was directed by the late Tony Scott and starred Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, John C. Reilly and Nicole Kidman, who met Cruise during filming in 1989. The couple married in 1990 and divorced in 2001.

The sequel movie will see Cruise and Bruckheimer join forces again on another legacy sequel after their work on 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, which came out 36 years after the original blockbuster and grossed $1.5 billion.

Hathaway, who won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2013 for her role in “Les Misérables,” currently stars in the epic drama “The Odyssey,” one of a string of big films including “The Devil Wears Prada 2” the actress starred in this year.

CHANTELLE Houghton says she still has a friendship with her ex Preston, two decades after their Big Brother romance.

The reality star was sent into Celebrity Big Brother in 2006 to trick her famous housemates into thinking she too was a star, and ended up falling in love with singer Preston.

They married later that year, but were divorced after ten months.

Now, Chantelle says that despite their failed union, she and Preston – real name Samuel Dylan Murray Preston – keep in touch to this day.

“We still message every now and then. I think he’s engaged to someone now,” said the star.

She continued to Betway: “We’re still friendly, there’s no bad blood. We didn’t have an awful falling out. Obviously, there were problems and a bit of animosity at the time, but no, I genuinely wish him well.

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“We’ve been through so much together that no one else will really understand. That friendship still matters.

“It’s good memories, and it’s something we did once in our lives. It was just a great experience.”

Whilst her relationship with Preston was very public, Chantelle has gone the opposite direction when it comes to her current relationship.

The star revealed she was in a relationship earlier this year, but didn’t divulge on who with.

Last month, it was revealed her man was local garden center owner Westley O’Bryan.

But she says the relationship will be kept private for now.

“Right now, I’m not sure whether I want to go public with my new man or keep it just for me. I’m living in the moment. I want to tell the world how amazing he is, of course I do, but for now, I’m keeping it to myself,” explained Chantelle.

Fred Sirieix was left in tears after a luxury hotel surprised him with a touching gesture featuring his beloved children

A touching gesture left Fred Sirieix in tears.

The First Dates star was given an unexpected Father’s Day surprise during filming for his new travel series. He became emotional when staff at a luxury hotel in Singapore arranged a personal gesture for him while he was filming Fred’s Ultimate Hotels, which is set to air on Monday (August 31st).

Fred was staying at the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore, one of the city’s most famous landmarks, when the hotel team decided to mark Father’s Day in a very special way.

Speaking about the moment, Fred admitted he was completely caught off guard when he returned to his room and discovered a surprise waiting for him.

“I arrived there on Father’s Day on the 21st of June,” he explained. “My concierge picked some pictures off the internet of my kids. They used AI to mock up a card to say happy Father’s Day. ‘We love you’, blah, blah, blah, and he put it in my room.”

The thoughtful gesture proved too much for Fred, who admitted he immediately became emotional. “Wow. Oh my God, I knew my kids are everything for me and I just saw that card there,” he said. “It was just on Father’s Day. I cried.”

Fred has two children with his former partner Alessandra Spendolini – daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, a professional Team GB diver who won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2020, and son Lucien, who stays away from the spotlight.

The emotional moment came during Fred’s stay at Raffles, which is one of Singapore’s best-known hotels and has become synonymous with the city since opening its doors in the 19th century.

The hotel is famed for its colonial architecture, luxurious suites and its connection to the Singapore Sling cocktail, which was created at its Long Bar.

It has 115 suites spread across nine categories, with no standard hotel rooms, while its Presidential Suite costs around £12,000 per night.

During his time in Singapore, Fred also took part in a number of experiences as part of the new series. His adventures included a sidecar tour, a visit to the city’s Botanic Gardens and a trip to a hawker centre, where he explored Singapore’s famous food culture.

He also learned Tai Chi from a master at Raffles before heading out on a yacht experience around Sentosa. The Botanic Gardens provided another glimpse into Singapore’s unique landscape, with the city being one of the few places in the world where primary rainforest can be found within its city limits.

The trip forms part of Fred’s Ultimate Hotels, in which the television personality explores some of the world’s most remarkable hotels while getting to know the destinations and cultures surrounding them.

But despite the luxury and extraordinary experiences on offer, it was the simple Father’s Day gesture that left the biggest impression on Fred.

Fred’s Ultimate Hotels airs on Monday, August 31 at 8pm on Channel 4.

Sammy and Jonathan were one of a number of couples whose romantic journeys were never shown on the Netflix show

Love Is Blind UK’s third season saw a record number of engagements – but only a handful were shown.

The Netflix reality dating show sees 30 singles sent on a string of blind dates in the show’s pods which are designed to prevent the contestants from ever seeing each other. The only way they can meet a potential partner face to face is if they accept a marriage proposal from them.

An unprecedented number of contestants became engaged during the latest season – 14 to be precise – though just six of those love stories were shown to viewers at home.

The show’s executive producer, Nazleen Karim, previously addressed why they cut some couples on the programme but kept following others. She explained: “When there are more engagements than we can physically follow, we have to make difficult editorial choices. We’re looking for a range of different relationship journeys and stories that together capture the full experience of the experiment.

“Not being selected isn’t a reflection of the strength of a relationship – many couples continue exploring their connection once they leave the pods.”

Now, one couple who were cut from the show revealed what happened to them afterwards, and the remarkable journey they have been on since.

Tech recruiter Jonathan, 32, and wellbeing coach and entrepreneur Sammy, 31, found a connection in the pods and became engaged, but their dates, nor that all-important proposal, were ever shown.

In a tell-all Instagram post, Sammy recounted that she asked a producer to give Jonathan her number after they were told they would not be continuing on the programme, and the pair continued to date in the real world.

Since leaving the show in August last year, they have jetted off on holiday together, met each other’s families, got a dog together named Poddy in homage to the show, and remain engaged to this day. Sammy also revealed the devastating news that the pair had suffered a silent miscarriage in June.

“We lost our baby to a silent miscarriage and honestly, we really struggled,” she shared. “Grieving whilst still living on opposite sides of the country was one of the hardest things we’ve had to face together.”

While she admitted the pair were still navigating the loss, Sammy revealed their love story still endured. She added: “We didn’t get picked to continue on Love Is Blind. At the time, that felt like the end of our story. Turns out, it was the beginning of the best bit.

“No cameras. No experiment. No guarantees. We just kept choosing each other, and now you’re finally in on the secret.”

Love Is Blind UK series three is now streaming on Netflix. A reunion special will air tomorrow night (August 30) at 9pm.

HOLLY Hagan has voiced some fears after her sister’s drug death as she warned Reading and Leeds festival-goers to “please be careful.”

The Geordie Shore star’s sibling tragically passed away last October just before her 20th birthday.

Taking to Instagram, Holly shared: “I haven’t stopped thinking about the fact that someone might not make it back from the festivals.

“When I see people’s videos walking into the camp grounds so happy for the weekend’s of their lives.

“I just think I hope to God you all make it home.

“On average 5 people a year die during UK festivals and the vast majority of those deaths are MDMA related.

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“Nobody thinks it’ll happen to them until it does.

“I know my sister’s death won’t be the last of this nature and it’s such a gut wrenching thought that other families will have to go through what we have.

“Please be careful. Look after your friends and don’t show off. It’s not worth the risk.”

Holly previously revealed that her world stopped spinning when she woke up one day to a whole load of missed calls and discovered Darci had collapsed on a night out and been rushed to hospital.

At just 19, she’d taken an accidental drug overdose and suffered two cardiac arrests.

Two days later, Darci died of organ failure with her family all around her.

In an emotional statement, Holly wrote: “It is with immeasurable grief and sadness that our baby girl, my baby sister Darci Rose passed away peacefully holding my hand surrounded by family and her best friends.

“She was never in any pain. The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through.

“We are traumatised in every sense of the word.”

It came after The Sun revealed that Holly’s famous friends were doing everything they could to help after Darcy’s passing.

Earlier this year, Holly revealed that she talks to Darci through a medium, and that she’ll tell son about her sister’s tragic drug death.

Apple TV, the streaming service known for series such as “Ted Lasso” and “Severance,” is raising its prices, effective immediately.

A monthly subscription will cost $14.99, up $2. The annual plan climbs by $20 to $119.99. This marks the tech giant’s fourth price bump in the last four years.

Other Apple bundle plans are seeing price increases as well. Apple One’s individual plan, which includes access to Apple Music, Apple Arcade, cloud storage and other features, is going up $2 to $21.95 per month.

The Cupertino-based tech giant does not offer an ad-tier, unlike some of its competitors that use ad-supported subscriptions as a lower-cost option for consumers.

Apple TV is the latest streamer to increase prices. The industry has sought to bolster bottom lines against the rising cost of programming.

Earlier this month, Peacock bumped its pricing, ahead of the new NBA and NFL season. The NBCUniversal-owned streaming service’s ad-tier will now cost $12.99 monthly, up from $10.99, while its most expansive plan will be $19.99 per month, up $3.

ESPN is also raising its streaming prices in September. The Disney-owned sports giant’s unlimited plan will rise from $29.99 to $31.99 a month. The annual cost is also rising — from $299.99 to $319.99.

Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube Premium also hiked prices earlier this year.

Apple TV+ launched in 2019 at $4.99 a month and was a low-cost perk for Apple users. The tech company still offers a free three-month trial to customers who purchase a new Apple device.

Over the last several years, Apple TV has sought to distinguish itself from competitors by offering premium, original series. It’s home to over 300 original movies and TV shows, including “Ted Lasso,” which returned for its fourth season earlier this month. Many of its shows have also attracted award show attention. Last year, Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” took home 13 Emmys. This year, the streamer’s shows “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus” are up for 19 and 18 awards, respectively.

Apple TV also recently secured the rights to Formula One races in the U.S, and offers Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games.