show biz

Casualty fans were left both surprised and baffled on Saturday’s episode to see a returning face

Casualty aired explosive scenes involving Dylan Keogh on Saturday night.

Viewers will recall that only recently, recovering alcoholic Dylan, played by William Beck, relapsed after struggling with the news that his colleague, Stevie Nash, had been having an affair with his son Dr Matty Linlaker.

Since relapsing, Dylan has pushed his loved ones away, including son Matty, and he has caused concern in recent scenes after he was seen driving erratically with a bottle by his side.

At the start of Saturday’s episode, Dylan headed to a care home to visit his father, Brian Carroll. However, alcoholic Brian didn’t recognise his son due to his years of drinking and things soon got unpleasant when Brian said some horrible things about his son, claiming he never loved Dylan.

Taking to Twitter, now X, viewers were quick to do a double take over Brian as they quickly spotted that he had been recast with a different actor. Brian made his first debut in 2015 and he was last seen on the BBC medical series in 2018.

In the earlier episodes, Brian was played by actor Matthew Marsh but on Saturday’s episode, the character of Brian was being played by actor David Beames.

Viewers were quick to share their reaction to Brian’s return after eight years, especially as it was a new actor playing the character. One person said: “Woah that is a different Brian? What happened to Dylan’s little sister with Hazel? #Casualty”

Another person wrote: “Dylan’s father is back?! #Casualty”, a different viewer put: “they’ve recast dylan’s dad! oh! #casualty” while another fan added: “Hang on… That’s not Matthew Marsh… Dylan has a new dad? #Casualty.”

Later in the episode, upset by his father’s cruel words, Dylan rushed out of the care home and started drinking from the clear bottle as he drove off, leaving his son Matty a voicemail saying: “Things are going to change”, adding that he’s not like his own father and that he cares about Matty.

Upon listening to the message, Matty and Stevie were concerned to hear a crash at the end, where it looked as though Dylan had been involved in a serious car crash.

However, thankfully, Matty discovered his dad uninjured and upon confronting his father for drink driving, Dylan insisted he hadn’t drunk since his initial relapse. A breathalyser later confirmed that he was telling the truth.

The emotional episode ended with Dylan vowing to make things right again and start AA meetings, as well as therapy to tackle his addiction.

Casualty continues on BBC One.

SINCE stepping out of the stand-up spotlight, Johnny Vegas has embraced a calmer life running an antiques business – and now his long-term partner is getting involved.

In a new interview, the Benidorm star has opened up about Vikki Jones in a rare glimpse int his love life.

Johnny, 55, has been dating Vikki for three years and says the pair love working together.

He told The Times: “They say never work with your partner, but it’s great. She and Bev make fun of me most of the time.”

Bev is Johnny’s self-described “long-suffering” childhood friend and assistant, who appears alongside him in his Quest series Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop Of Antiques.

Explaining why he rarely speaks about Vikki publicly, Johnny said: “I wasn’t keeping it under cover, but I don’t share much about it on social media.”

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His antiques venture, Vintage Vegas, began as a pop-up shop at Dagfields Craft and Antique Centre near Nantwich, Cheshire.

It featured in his eight-part TV series, which followed Johnny and Bev as they hunted for unusual treasures to sell.

Johnny describe his business venture as “collectable things of all sorts, really.

“I have a very dangerous bit of knowledge on lots of things. I couldn’t tell you about 18th-century furniture or anything, but I have to think I like it and hopefully I have an eye for this stuff.”

The Benidorm star admitted he was initially unsure whether customers would visit just to get a selfie.

He said: “It’ll be an interesting experiment to see if people come in not just to see me.

“We’ll find out if it’s viable down the line when the circus has left town, so to speak. We’re learning as we go. I never thought I’d see myself as a shopkeeper.”

Johnny has also opened up about stepping away from stand-up comedy after years of struggling with nerves.

He said: “Stand-up was great, but it was manic. The nerves took their toll. Never say never, but I just see that as a project that needs to rest.”

Johnny was previously married to Kitty Donnelly from 2002 until 2008, and they share an adult son, Michael.

He wed his second wife, Irish broadcaster Maia Dunphy, in 2011.

The former couple, who share 11-year-old son Tom, announced their separation in 2018 and later briefly reconciled before splitting again.

SINGER Lily Allen legs it backstage during her recent concert tour in a range of eye-popping lingerie.

The 41-year-old Smile hit-maker showed off a pale blue body suit and matching fur trimmed neglige by Italian label Intimissimi.

The mother-of-two is a brand ambassador and wore the outfit during her recent West End Girl tour described as a highly personal piece of musical theatre.

The stage show was inspired by her acrimonious split with American actor husband David Harbour in 2025 also documented in her hit album of the same name.

The bodysuit inspired by Intimissimi’s Pretty Flowers Collection, the Italian’s brand core fashion lingerie offering.

Lily finished the UK run earlier this month with sell out shows at London’s O2 arena.

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She was later snapped riding an electric hire bike in London depsite owning a £120,000 Porsche.

Lily hasn’t been seen driving the German sports car since she said a a truck ran it off the road back in January.

A winess said: “She probably thinks pedal power is the way to go around London’s crowded roads.”

Lily has defended herself against complaints that the setlist of her West End Girl Tour is “too short”.

The singer released the album in October of last year and it features 14 songs.

The album in its entirety is only 45 minutes, which has led some to question if the £86 ticket fee is value for money.

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, whose social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny has made them among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities, were arrested Saturday in Miami as British authorities sought their extradition on rape and sex trafficking charges.

The brothers were taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service on a sealed warrant, agency spokesperson Brady McCarron told the Associated Press, placing the United States at the center of an international legal saga that has stretched from Romania to Britain.

British prosecutors announced Saturday that they were seeking the brothers’ extradition on charges alleging they raped and trafficked women between 2010 and 2017.

The dual U.S. and British citizens moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and the Romanian case hasn’t gone forward because of legal and procedural problems.

Last year, they were allowed to leave Romania and flew to Florida on a private jet.

The brothers are expected to appear in Miami’s federal court early next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement operations.

The pending charges in the United Kingdom accused the brothers of abusing women in an area north of London, where they grew up. Their lawyers had said they denied the allegations.

Joseph McBride, an attorney representing the Tate brothers, said in a phone interview Saturday evening that he has not been able to speak with his clients but called the new charges in the U.K. “filth and slander” intended to derail defamation lawsuits filed by the brothers in the U.S.

“They’re pulling out all the stops to make sure these guys never get their day in court,” McBride said.

“We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain’s political dirty work.”

Andrew Tate, 39, first reached a mainstream audience as a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was removed from the show when a video surfaced that appeared to show Tate assaulting a woman. He and his brother Tristan, 38, are vocal supporters of President Trump.

Andrew Tate has amassed more than 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines. His most widely condemned rhetoric includes comments that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for their attacks, graphic descriptions of how he might attack women and criticisms of people who seek treatment for mental illness.

The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.

In a statement Saturday, the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Services said that in addition to the charges announced against the brothers in 2025, involving alleged crimes against three women, it was bringing a total of 38 new charges related to “four further victims.”

Both brothers are accused of rape and human trafficking. Andrew Tate faces an additional charge of profiting from prostitution, and 19 charges “for offenses relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography,” according to U.K. authorities.

“There is no place for male violence against women and girls, and we will continue to work tirelessly to support victims and investigate all reports made to us,” said Karena Thomas, an assistant chief constable of the Bedfordshire Police, which investigated the case.

Durkin Richer writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Savannah Peters in Santa Fe, N.M., contributed to this report.

Hardly anyone walking up Peppertree Lane notices the Hollywood Bowl Museum on the way to the amphitheater entrance. The overlooked museum, however, has been refreshed with an enchanting new exhibition. Well-timed, it provides an excellent primer on changing L.A. mores seen through the history of the Bowl over the past century.

Change is again upon us. As Angelenos have evolved, so have our ideas about the Bowl. A concert was a concert and audiences of yore dressed for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, indoors or out. Men wore coats, ties and fedoras. I have a photo of my mother at the Bowl on a chilly 1940s evening sporting, like other ladies around her in the inexpensive bleachers, her mink stole.

The Bowl was said to boast, before the construction of the Hollywood Freeway, a natural acoustical, well, bowl. Even so, sonic adventurers, beginning with Leopold Stokowski in the 1930s, experimented with amplification in an obsessive, seemingly quixotic effort to locate a mythical sonic grail on the Cahuenga Pass. Boys with their toys, thought The Times’ feisty critic Isabelle Morse Jones.

We now have it with a spectacular new sound system along with the old caveat: Beware of what you wish for.

The Bowl, of course, remains the Bowl. Last week when the Los Angeles Philharmonic opened its summer season in the venue it built and has managed for over a century, there were all the familiar alfresco and musical pleasures: convivial picnicking, fine weather, inimitable atmosphere, a white-jacketed orchestra on an iconic stage. The museum’s panorama of ageless ambience is this summer enhanced by increased yet snappy security and a handsome “John Williams Stage” plaque honoring L.A.’s beloved composer.

The newly designed white French loudspeakers suspended over the Bowl stage along with ground-level white cubes of super-effective subwoofers have clean, unobtrusive lines that well fit the shell. Their unobtrusive placement complements their immersive musicality, hitherto only possible outdoors with high-end earphones or headphones connected to sophisticated digital acoustic conversion equipment costing a bundle. For the first time, a dollar seat (there are still a few for the L.A. Phil) strives for such sonic bliss.

It feels miraculous. You are in an excellent concert hall-like acoustical environment while in the great outdoors. Our earbuds have already trained us to think of music as a private escape from reality. Even so, to be in that environmentally exclusive sonic world while sharing music with thousands of others in a special setting, ironically begins to feel more artificially escapist than a crummy sound system that reminds you of where you are.

Will we — should we — learn to love it and find anything less artificial? Car audio systems creating concert hall conditions suggest we will. Audiophiles well know that you get used to new equipment, no matter how revelatory it first sounds, very quickly.

A few years ago, when I heard a demonstration of a souped-up, hi-res recording in surround Dolby Atmos of excerpts from Wagner’s “Die Walküre” on a 32-speaker Burmester audio system crammed into a fancy Mercedes SUV, I was scared out of my wits. “Apocalypse Now” on the 405 is not for the faint of heart.

Yet I’ve spared no expense on what I find a more refined sound system in my Volvo, which I now use more and more for audio books than music. The richer, more human quality of a recorded voice is like having a virtual companion reading to you. I’m less in a hurry. It’s nice to have a pal at rush hour.

It is far too soon to say what ways the fabulous new Bowl sound system, which happens to be AI-endowed, might become friend and/or foe. In the first two L.A. Phil classical concerts, the white speakers brought out wonders and caused problems. But the minimal Bowl rehearsal time allows little opportunity to fine-tune.

One big change in Bowl priorities has been the rise of pop as king. Not that long ago, the L.A. Phil’s opening night was the Bowl opening night, suitable for conspicuous socialite picnicking. Not only has the Bowl opener been turned over to star pop performers (who bring in bigger bucks), this year there wasn’t even a first L.A. Phil Tuesday. That date became yet another money-maker with private event — a screening of “Moana” with live orchestra, luckily before the disappointing reviews and box office performance. The first L.A. Phil concert of the season was moved to Wednesday and poorly attended.

The back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday night programs featured music composed and performed by Americans. Each included a short new work commissioned by the L.A. Phil. On Wednesday, moonlighting Hollywood Bowl Orchestra music director Thomas Wilkins led the premiere of Shaina Taub’s “Suffs” Song Cycle — orchestrations of four songs from her recent musical about women’s suffrage that played just down the road at the Pantages last year. The next evening, Tito Muñoz made a strong L.A. Phil debut in a program that included the premiere of “The Art of the Goal,” celebrating Los Angeles Football Club, and that was credited jointly to filmmaker Josh Kahn and composer Adam Schoenberg.

Both premieres were reminders that the sound system will have many purposes. In “Suffs,” stalwart amplification emphasized the predictability of forthright lyrics and score. AI is supposed to make voices stand out, but it is not helpful to singers’ limitations. On the other hand, is brought out the sumptuous quality Alex Newell’s voice potently making the adamant “Keep Marching” keep marching.

Muñoz’s program was titled “The Classical World Cup,” with music by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas and U.S. composers Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland along with Schoenberg. As it turned out, Mexico and the U.S. were already out of World Cup competition, and “Art of the Goal” came across as an eight-minute advertisement for the L.A. footballers. They’re in the dressing room revving up and, on the field, revved up, sped up, cut up with music that excites and far too many shots of a soccer field lined with advertisements, just the kind of branding we hope to escape at the Bowl.

Then again, even though “Goal” was shown only on video monitors, the Bowl with its new sound system worked brilliantly as the grandest cinema on the planet. Hollywood may be hurting, but let the Bowl now save the day by inspiring Hollywood to reinvent, in its backyard, film with live music.

As for regular orchestral music, the sound system was hit and miss. On Wilkins’ program, Valerie Coleman’s dark “Fanfare for Uncommon Times” brought a listener inside brass and percussion. Leonard Bernstein’s lavish orchestrations of his “Three Dances from ‘On the Town’” and Ellington’s “Harlem” benefited from Wilkins’ low-key conducting, offering ease and freedom to the players.

Muñoz’s program was bookended by dance scores — Ginastera’s “Four Dances from ‘Estancia’” and Copland’s ballet “Billy the Kid” — that evoke the prairie and the people in it in both viscerally and spiritually. The new sound system and eager performances made the prairie feel close. In between, violinist Randall Goosby brought richness to Barber’s Violin Concerto and the L.A. went in for gripping weirdness in “Sensemayá.”

But who did what? Were balances the conductors’, the sound engineers’, AI’s? While the amplified soundstage is now as huge as the Bowl, attention was increasingly drawn to individuals, heightened by video closeups. A horn flub (and horns flub) stands out. The sound is not just big and bold, but scrubbed clean by AI with the goal of maddening perfection. Will such scrutiny, in the end, make players uptight or liberate them? It’s well to remember that in the early days of synthesizing instruments, violins with perfect vibrato sounded especially fake, until tiny errors generated by chance were added to the sine waves.

The Hollywood Bowl has created a beast. If humanized, the Bowl could serve as antidote to a worrisome AI future. But the question remains whether we can change AI or the newly potent sound waves only make matters worse.

The 2002 drama stars late Jurassic Park legend Sam Neill, Keira Knightley and Hugh Bonneville

A ‘gripping’ long-forgotten Sam Neill drama is now streaming on ITV.

It was announced earlier this week that Jurassic Park legend Sam Neill had died at the age of 78. Sam sadly died after contracting pneumonia, his management has confirmed.

The Northern Ireland born and New Zealand actor, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, died on Monday, just months after he was deemed “cancer-free” following a battle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Sam was best known for his legendary Jurassic Park role but the actor also once appeared in a ‘masterpiece’ 2002 drama series alongside Keira Knightley.

Doctor Zhivago was released in 2002. It is based on the 1957 novel of the same title by Boris Pasternak, which was also turned into a film in 1965.

The 2002 series is available to watch on ITV and ITVX, who have described it as: “Keira Knightley stars in this gripping drama set in the tumultuous era of WW1 and the Russian Revolution. Dr Zhivago finds himself tormented by his his love for two women.”

Meanwhile, a synopsis adds: “Having witnessed his father’s suicide, Yury is sent to live in Moscow with his uncle, aunt and cousin. Whilst there, he becomes captivated by a stunning young girl called Lara.”

The character of Yuri Zhivago is played by Hans Matheson, Keira plays Lara Guishar Antipova and Sam plays Victor Komarovsky. Other cast members include Kris Marshall as Pasha Antipov/Strelnikov, Celia Imrie as Anna Gromeko and Hugh Bonneville as Andrey Zhivago – to name just a few.

The series, directed by Giacomo Campiotti, has an impressive 78% Rotten Tomatoes score with many viewers calling it a ‘masterpiece’. One person said: “A masterpiece by Giacomo Campiotti”, adding: “It deserves an Oscar.”

Another fan put: “Wow – this was fantastic! It really all came together with the last installment and truly broke my heart. I don’t see how anyone could not fall madly in love with Hans Matheson as Yury, and Kiera Knightley brought such maturity and worldliness to such a difficult role (amazing at such a young age).

“Both actors should be commended. And as for Sam Neill! He was amazing. The screen practically frosted up when he appeared!”

A different viewer commented: “I haven’t seen the 1st version of Dr Zhivago or read the book but this film is absolutely amazing. I suppose i can’t really judge because of not really knowing the story before this, but as far as I can tell Its a wonderful love story although it is shocking in bits of it.”

Meanwhile, another person added: “I have never seen the original Doctor Zhivago film, so I can’t take any prejudged bias. This mini-series is possibly the best UK mini-series I have ever seen and is a sign that perhaps the UK networks are serious about creating some top quality drama television that HBO have been producing for ages!

“The acting is top quality, however, Sam Neill on top form steals every scene he’s in, and that’s saying something with the quality around him on screen.”

Doctor Zhivago is available to watch on ITV and ITVX

One year ago, when tickets first went on sale for “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm, nearly every screening sold out instantly.

The unprecedented ticket mayhem built hype — not just for the film, but for the format. By the time a second round of tickets were made available last month, buyers swarmed with such frenzy that they crashed the AMC Theatres app.

In Los Angeles, home base for cinephiles of every stripe, scoring one of these coveted opening weekend tickets was particularly challenging. Much of the excitement revolved around the fact that “The Odyssey” was the first feature shot entirely on Imax 70mm film, a technical achievement that involved the invention of a new camera.

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Want to see The Odyssey in 70mm but couldn’t get tickets? Glendale’s historic The Alex Theatre has you covered.

For 28-year-old Van Nuys resident Chase Stanley, who tried and failed to secure a ticket, that milestone was top of mind.

“Ultimately, I’m just jealous that I’m not included,” he said. “Since it’s the first movie to capture the whole thing in 70mm Imax, it’s my due diligence to see it like that.”

Despite the enthusiasm from moviegoers, film projection has been considered a dying art since most movie theaters worldwide switched to digital projection in the early 2010s.

More than a marketing tactic, the scarcity of tickets for Imax 70mm screenings underscored both the dearth of theaters capable of projecting films in the premium large format — only 41 — and projectionists with the requisite skills.

A number of renowned directors, including “The Odyssey’s” Christopher Nolan, prefer to shoot on film and strongly encourage analog viewing. But because few theaters own the necessary equipment or employ full-time projectionists, coordinating a release as massive as “The Odyssey” is its own arduous journey.

Jimmy Gonzales is Cepheus, left, Matt Damon is Odysseus and Himesh Patel is Eurylochus in “The Odyssey.”

(Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures)

Venues new and old

There are 25 theaters in the United States showing “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm, eight of which are located in California. One of L.A.’s favorites is the Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood, where veteran Imax projectionist Taylor Umphenour has worked for the last three years.

On his Instagram page, Umphenour shares “projectionist POV” photos and videos with more than 22,000 followers, giving them a unique glimpse into the projection booth for movies like “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another” and “Project Hail Mary.” His company, Film Leader Co., supervises film restorations and runs technical operations for a smattering of cinema houses across the country.

In addition to his work at CityWalk, Umphenour has been busy for weeks overhauling the projection setup at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale.

Releases such as “The Odyssey” have renewed interest in film projectionists and specialty theaters, including the historic Alex Theatre.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The 100-year-old venue opened in 1925 as a vaudeville and silent movie house where Walt Disney previewed his animated shorts, but it changed identities many times over the course of its history. Now, Umphenour and his team are working with Miles Williams, the theater’s artistic director, to transform it into a “premier cinema house” in time for “The Odyssey’s” release. It marks the first time the theater has been used for a first-run film release since “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” in 1991.

“What better opportunity to relaunch this venue than to open with Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’? That’s why this project is on such a tight turn,” Umphenour said.

His team built an entirely new, massive booth in just three weeks to house sound equipment and projectors capable of running both 35mm and 70mm film. To secure the Alex a last-minute 70mm print of “The Odyssey” — which costs tens of thousands of dollars to manufacture, ship and distribute and runs about four miles long — Umphenour relied on his relationship with distribution executives at Universal.

The Alex will screen the movie in 70mm, which uses the same film stock as Imax 70mm but runs vertically instead of horizontally, making each physical frame roughly three times smaller than its Imax counterpart. Audiences seeking the larger-than-life Imax experience will have to look elsewhere — like CityWalk — but Umphenour believes that analog screenings will still draw a crowd.

“What’s special about these — about running on film, about running 70mm, about handling premium large formats — is that it does remind people how much they love going to the movies,” he said.

“What it’s all about is expanding that sense of scope and horizon, the analog color, that sense of immersion.”

Not a job for ‘popcorn projectionists’

In advance of “The Odyssey’s” release, Imax contracted 130 experienced projectionists and required each to attend an intensive, weeklong training program.

“I’ve said for years that the projectionist is the last performer in a long chain of people that started with an idea,” Umphenour said. “They are the final person to deliver the vision of the filmmakers to the audience, and therefore, one of the most crucial.” Far from simply pressing a button, film projectionists must actively guide a screening, threading and splicing reels and closely monitoring for mechanical issues.

But thanks in large part to the dwindling number of theaters projecting analog film since 2013, finding capable, actively working projectionists for releases like “The Odyssey” can be a struggle.

Sean McKinnon, director of specialty presentations and AV integration at Boston Light and Sound, is in charge of hiring these projectionists for about 60 venues across the country screening “The Odyssey” in 70mm. He did the same for “Oppenheimer” in 2023, which had the longest theatrical window of the year.

“It was pretty challenging finding people for ‘Oppenheimer,’ especially because the film was so amazing, it was in theaters for so long,” he said of the 122-day release. Staffing projectionists for “The Odyssey” has been “definitely easier,” he said, as the “word has gotten out.”

The talent pool McKinnon pulls from includes theater managers, retired projectionists, trainees from specialized college programs and even workers in other professions who take PTO for the occasion.

“We get people from really all walks of life,” he said. “It’s a special event and people want to be a part of it.”

Taylor Umphenour checks the projector’s focus at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Outside of big cities, the lack of local projectionists also means McKinnon’s company has to fly people to Morrow, Ga., or Valley View, Ohio, for instance, to run the booth for the duration of a film’s run.

Leah Saint Marie, a filmmaker and former projectionist at the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, attributed the staffing struggle to the experience and knowledge divide between hobbyists and experts.

“Training is pretty easy if you want to be what they call a ‘popcorn projectionist,’” she said. They “can thread the movie and push start, but if there are any mechanical issues, they can’t fix it.”

“I don’t think anybody who’s going to run a 70mm Imax are popcorn projectionists, because it’s very technical,” she added. Each Imax film print of “The Odyssey” is 11 miles long and weighs roughly 600 pounds.

The most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that in 2023, there were 2,610 motion picture projectionists employed in the U.S. — an increase from 1,900 in 2022. In 2012, the BLS estimated roughly 8,000 projectionists and predicted the number would decline by 26.5% in the next 10 years — but it ultimately decreased by 76%.

“If you want to maintain expertise in the field, what you want are enough [movie] theaters out there running film that somebody can try their hand at it and get better,” Umphenour said.

Why film matters

Could the overwhelming audience demand for Imax 70mm screenings translate into a resurgence of fully equipped theaters? According to Imax Chief Executive Richard Gelfond, it’s more complicated than that.

“The problem is they haven’t made new Imax film projectors in about 50 years,” Gelfond told Variety on Wednesday. “We build new projectors every day, but film projectors, using this film, it’s not practical. So we’ve got to find them and retrofit them and rebuild them, which is what we did for ‘Odyssey.’ But can all 2,000 of our theaters be film projectors? No. There’s just not that many around.”

That said, Cinemark reportedly installed Imax 70mm projectors at three of its theaters ahead of “The Odyssey’s” release, and there are 11 more theaters projecting “The Odyssey” in Imax 70mm than there were for “Oppenheimer.”

Cinema engineer Justin Dennis is working with projectionist and production manager Taylor Umphenour to build a new projection booth capable of running both 35mm and 70mm film at the Alex Theatre.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Saint Marie recalled working as a projectionist in Pennsylvania during the period when most theaters transitioned from film to digital. While training at a new theater, she was surprised to find an old film projector still stored in the booth, and even more surprised to learn it was for Nolan’s sake.

“When he releases a [movie] on film, we have to have the projector. A lot of places around the United States kept their projectors specifically for Nolan,” she said.

Nolan isn’t the only director with an affinity for large format film and analog media. Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler (whose 2025 hit “Sinners” made quite a splash in Imax 70mm) are others associated with what Umphenour dubbed “the 70mm renaissance.”

According to Saint Marie, theaters worldwide transitioned from film to digital projection mainly because the cost of shipping a Digital Cinema Package is much cheaper than shipping a film release print. But the community of skilled laborers and enthusiastic audiences who champion analog projection say it’s worth it.

“I think there’s something to be said about what film gives you as an artistic community, versus what digital gives you is just consuming as a capitalistic society,” Saint Marie said. To McKinnon, it comes down to the “tradition of humans telling a story by flickering light” harking back to prehistoric times.

For Umphenour, the story of “The Odyssey’s” release and all of the 70mm fanfare is one of preservationists triumphing over countless obstacles.

“There are 70mm theaters running this film throughout the world that, frankly, have been kept alive through the deep devotion of people who care about this format,” Umphenour said. “They really do deserve to be celebrated because, like so many things in life, if you don’t have people that care about it, you don’t end up with a thing.”

“The results of all this work are not images projected on screen,” he continued. “It’s a community brought together to hear a story well told, which allows them to create a life memory they get to carry forward for years and years.”

Film projection takes center stage at the Alex Theatre.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

ALAN Carr’s ex-husband has told his side of their story in an explosive new memoir — lifting the lid on boozy nights with Adele and his own battles with drink and drugs.

Paul Drayton describes life inside a high-profile relationship and devotes an entire chapter to superstar singer Adele, who lived near the former couple.

Paul, 54, and Alan, 50, met in 2008 and tied the knot ten years later in a lavish Los Angeles ceremony officiated by Adele.

Recalling their nights together, Paul writes: “Most evenings we’d just get a Thai takeaway. Adele would turn up with a cheap bottle of wine, which we sank in a second, and moved on to our supplies.”

Paul also claims he helped introduce Adele to her first husband Simon Konecki, the father of her son Angelo, 13.

He writes: “She was always very honest and open with me and Alan because she knew she could trust us.”

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Paul also reveals Adele played them her chart-topping album 30 before its release.

And he fondly recalls “the time I took her to TK Maxx for the first time”, adding: “She couldn’t believe it as we combed through the rails hunting for bargains.”

Elsewhere in the memoir, Paul speaks candidly about his struggles with alcohol and drugs.

He writes: “Alcohol and drugs became my crutch. They slowed my brain down, quietened the constant noise in my head, and evened me out so I felt like I was on the same level as everyone else.”

Paul also lays bare how his relationship with Alan began, and how it developed.

He recalls: “Sexy? Sure. Marriage material? Possibly. Did I know at that moment I’d marry him one day? Of course not. But something clicked. He was unlike anyone I’d ever met.”

The pair later ended up in a nightclub — leaving Paul to wake the following morning thinking: “Oh my God, I’d been snogging Alan Carr.”

Paul went on: “There were moments when I genuinely thought we could’ve been the next Morecambe and Wise.”

But he says life with Alan soon “took over”, adding: “My dream of acting — well, it would have to wait.”

Opening up about living in the comedian’s shadow, Paul writes: “From the outside, it looked like I had it all. Alan in the spotlight, me in the wings. The ‘plus one’. The ‘kept man’… in designer sunglasses, holding the dogs and carrying the bags.

“But I wasn’t just standing there. I was driving the car, clearing the path, fixing the messes. Planning our exits like we were royalty.

“I’d like to think I was his ride or die — as he was mine, or at least, I bloody tried.

“I’ve been the clown, the cleaner, the carer and the chaos. I’ve fallen apart, pulled myself back together, and ended up in a police cell drinking toilet water out of a kid’s party cup.”

Paul was handed a 14-week prison sentence in January 2022 after admitting drink-driving.

He spent two nights in custody before successfully appealing the sentence, which was replaced with a 12-week term suspended for two years.

Alan and Paul announced their separation that month after 13 years together. The couple have remained friends following their split.

Speaking previously, Alan has said: “We’re still always going to be friends because we’ve been through so much together.”

Ride Or Die Trying by Paul Drayton is out now.

A few weeks after lifestyle influencer Nara Smith revealed her daughter’s private cancer battle, the mom of four is sharing that Whimsy is in remission.

The content creator, well known for making elaborate meals from scratch while wearing glamorous ensembles, told her following of 12.6 million on TikTok and 4.9 million on Instagram on Friday that she and her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, have spent the last eight months processing their 2-year-old daughter’s health battle.

The parents debated whether they should share such a private part of their lives and decided to wait until Whimsy had finished her treatments and doctors had a better grasp on the likely outcome.

“Now that she’s finally in remission, it felt like I could find the words to share,” Nara Smith said. “The whole point of me sharing our experience was to shed light on what so many families go through and battle privately. Going through chemo treatments opened my eyes to how expensive medical care is, and what a toll it takes on families specifically.”

“Lucky and I have been trying to return to everyday life and taking it day by day,” she continued. “I don’t know whether life will ever feel normal again, but we’re trying to navigate this next chapter the best that we can.”

Smith, 24, said in an Instagram video earlier this month that Whimsy was diagnosed with cancer late last year.

“When we saw something suspicious on her, we took her to the ER, and they didn’t quite know what to make of it,” she said in the video. “So when we took her into our pediatrician, I just remember him going really quiet and calm and my heart dropped in that moment. I don’t know whether it was my gut telling me something or just a mom’s intuition, but the first thing that I felt was she has cancer.”

The content creator said her daughter underwent numerous X-rays, ultrasounds and a biopsy before the hospital team confirmed the cancer diagnosis. Smith did not specify the type of cancer but said that the illness had spread and that Whimsy needed chemotherapy.

In recent weeks, Smith has shared heartwrenching glimpses into the family’s battle, including photos of Whimsy’s curls being shaved and her bald head bedazzled with gems.

“Cancer has a way of taking things you never realized you’d grieve,” she wrote alongside a video of the parents shaving Whimsy’s head. “The day I ran my fingers through her hair, strands coating them, I realized I wouldn’t be brushing Whimsy’s hair much longer. It’s such a small thing, until it isn’t.

“It wasn’t just hair. It was the little curls I tucked behind her ears, the wispy strands that caught the sunlight, and all the ordinary moments I never imagined I’d miss.

“If sharing these pieces of our story helps even one family feel less alone, or encourages one person to learn more about childhood cancer, then this vulnerable part of our lives is worth opening,” Smith wrote. “Today her curls are returning.”

In Friday’s video, Smith said that she’s been researching charities and foundations to support and included links to GoFundMe pages for children who are battling cancer.

Nara and Lucky Blue Smith, 28, married in 2020 and share four children: Whimsy Lou, eldest daughter Rumble Honey, son Slim Easy, and infant Fawnie Golden. Lucky Blue also shares a daughter with his ex-girlfriend, social media star Stormi Bree.

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.

Coronation Street’s Betsy Swain has taken centre stage this week as the ITV soap tackles the silent dangers of non-fatal strangulation in a powerful stroke awareness storyline

Coronation Street’s Betsy Swain is currently part of a hard-hitting storyline.

The hit ITV soap is tackling the silent dangers of non-fatal strangulation in a powerful stroke awareness storyline. Only recently, Ryan Connor discovered an unconscious Betsy, where she was rushed to hospital.

Doctors confirmed that she had suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot which was the result of neck artery damage from a temporary loss of circulation.

Once stabilised having suffered a second stroke, an embarrassed and vulnerable Betsy eventually managed to reveal that her boyfriend Dylan Wilson strangled her during consensual sex, despite both believing the pressure applied was minimal.

In the coming months, viewers will witness Betsy’s challenging recovery journeys as she transitions from hospital to home, navigating significant life changes. With Betsy taking centre stage, soap watchers are keen to learn more about actress Sydney Martin’s life from her real age to her normal job before Corrie fame…

Real age

Sydney shot to fame when she joined the ITV soap as Betsy, daughter of fan favourite DS Lisa Swain, played by Vicky Myers.

In the soap, Betsy’s age is 18 with the character having been born in September 2007, meaning she will turn 19 later this year. However, in real life, actress Sydney is in fact 24.

Back in October, Sydney celebrated her birthday, sharing a post on her Instagram revealing she was 24. Reacting to Sydney’s real age, soap fans were left floored at the time.

On a Coronation Street Facebook fan page, one person said: “Happy 24th birthday to Sydney Martin who plays Betsy Swain!“

Someone else declared: “Never knew she was 24!” A third chimed in and quipped: “I need a moment! She’s 24 What?!” Echoing their thoughts, another person penned: “Def looks younger doesn’t she.”

Normal job before Corrie fame

Before landing her Coronation Street role, Sydney was working at supermarket Tesco and immediately handed her notice in after getting the life-changing call.

Previously talking to The Sun, Sydney recalled how she was watching the film Pitch Perfect 3 with flatmates in Manchester when she got the call to say she had won the role of Betsy.

The actress told the publication: “I just ran to the corner of the flat to answer the phone. I said, ‘It’s going to be a no, so keep watching the film’, and then my agent said, ‘Go hand in your notice’.

“I was doing six days at Tesco, so it’s quite the career change. My flatmate picked me up and we just cried. We didn’t finish Pitch Perfect. I could not have asked for a ­better first opportunity.

“My parents are my biggest fans. They are over the moon. I had my first picture in a magazine recently and they bought ten copies.”

Sydney admitted that she had previously auditioned for two smaller roles before landing Betsy and it was a two-month process before getting the job.

Coronation Street continues on weekdays at 8:30pm on ITV and ITVX.

CHARLI XCX is never one to shy away from being filmed or photographed.

But this time, the Brat hitmaker was mostly behind the lens as she played a director in her music video for new track Camera.

It is from her upcoming seventh album Music, Fashion, Film, which is set for release on Friday.

Dressed in a plunging blue shirt, Charli sat in the director’s chair as she instructed French actor Vincent Cassel in what appeared to be a desert.

The action-packed scene, filmed in a Kent quarry, showed ­Vincent’s character with a gunshot wound to his chest.

In scenes that could rival a Hollywood blockbuster, Charli stood in front of an overturned grey car that had ploughed into a sand dune, and was also seen crawling on all fours.

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The singer took over London’s Scala nightclub on Tuesday for an intimate performance of tracks from her forthcoming album, including Camera.

In the lyrics, she sings: “It makes me question what I’m doing.

“Do I wanna make music? Am I being f*****g stupid. If I try to be a girl on the screen when I’m turning thirty-four?”

She also appears to reference the gunshot in the line: “’Cause that look, it’s a bullet.”

The film set then transformed into a photoshoot for Charli as she put one a white shirt and black knickers while proudly holding up the new album.

Charli also turned up the heat as she posed, lying on her back in the sand — though notably missing one of her black shoes.

Her 11-track album cover features three legends from the music, fashion and film industry as a nod to the themes in the record.

American filmmaker Martin Scorsese, fashion designer Marc Jacobs and Welsh musician John Cale grace the black-and-white sleeve.

The artwork was set in a kitchen and shot by Scottish photographer Aidan Zamiri.

It comes after Charli worked with John on the track House, which formed the soundtrack of Emerald Fennell’s film Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

Of Charli, John previously told British Vogue: “I think we both have an unfaltering commitment to being true to oneself, no matter the cost, no matter who’s buzzing in your ear.

“Charli is fearless, stands her ground, takes no prisoners and is a real sweetheart.

“Her mind is made up, her tenacity ferocious.”

She declared the end of Brat Summer “forever” in September following the global phenomenon, named after her sixth album, which promoted a messy and party-loving aesthetic.

Now Charli is back in the driving seat and I am here for this new, chaotic ride.

ACTRESS Scarlett Thomas has revealed she is a December 10 fan.

The teenage daughter of former Corrie actors Ryan Thomas and Tina O’Brien, was spotted at the band’s sold-out O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire show in west London on Friday night.

It came as their debut EP On Your Side entered the UK Official Albums Chart at number five.

The band, comprising Cruz, Hendrik, Sean, Danny, Josh, John and Nicolas, was put together last year by music mogul Simon Cowell.

Netflix reality series The Next Act charted their emergence.

Sharing their top 10 award on Instagram, they wrote: “We’re just seven young lads with a dream and seven months ago we couldn’t have imagined this.”

BOSS AXED IN SAM REVAMP

SAM SMITH has split from their management as the Too Good At Goodbyes ­hitmaker undergoes a huge rebrand.

Sam has parted ways from Jack Street, who founded Method Music.

A source said: “Sam is looking to overhaul their brand and is hoping new management will bring a new direction.”

The singer has also trademarked Sam Served following the success of their foodie Instagram page, which has garnered 309,000 followers.

It comes as Sam has announced ten UK headline shows this autumn in ­Manchester and London.

The gigs will support the release of the singer’s fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes, which is set to drop on August 21.

Sounds like Sam has quite a busy few months ahead.

MODEL Jodie Kidd has hinted she could get behind the wheel again for the new Top Gear series.

She set a lap time of 1 minute, 48 seconds in the “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment in 2003.

The BBC show is set to return, four years after Freddie Flintoff’s horror crash halted filming.

Asked if Top Gear bosses had approached her, Jodie told Biz on Sunday’s Emily at a fashion event at Silverstone: “I am not saying a word. That was big news.”

She said of former hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond: “Their chemistry was extraordinary.”

Jodie is an ambassador for M&S which has partnered with Silverstone Circuit for the Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix.

A mother who faked a pregnancy after suffering several miscarriages is the subject of a harrowing Netflix documentary.

Netflix’s latest docu-drama unravels an elaborate lie that saw a woman to cross an irreversible line.

Streaming giant Netflix has just unveiled an emotional trailer for a tragic docu-drama perfect for Maternal Instinct fans, that tells the story of a Mexican woman named Alejandra.

Based on real events that shook all of Mexico in 2009, the film, which features both dramatisations and real home footage, tells of how Alejandra had always wanted to be a mother. However, after suffering multiple miscarriage and noticing the distain from her family, she decided to fake a pregnancy.

The trailer features the voice of Alejandra, who says: “I felt so special. From the moment that the people close to you start treating you lovingly, expectantly, with that joy.

“The way they come up and touch your belly…Many times I wanted to say ‘This isn’t happening, I’m not pregnant’.”

Alejandra explained the tragic reasoning behind her actions, sharing: “When I got married, I felt pressured to please his family.”

Being only 25 at the time, she felt burdened by family and societal expectations and despite her efforts to conceive, she struggled numerous times.

Alejandra then recalled how she met a young woman named Mayra, who she claimed was pregnant but did not want to have the baby. Fixated on the knowledge she knew somebody who did not want to keep their baby, Alejandra began orchestrating her elaborate plan to abduct a child.

She is heard saying: “When I started gaining weight, everything started to change. I wanted someone to burst that balloon of lies.”

In June 2009, she went to the Hospital General de México, where she was employed, and left with a newborn girl, tucking the baby into a bag. Contributors offering their testimony in the film are heard saying: “This was very hard to believe. Yet, it happened.”

Reflecting on her actions, Alejandra said: “What did I do wrong? Breaking the law. Deceiving. Hurting. I think my desire to be a mum was to please others.”

Her story was told in a book by Randall Fuquay called A Child to Call My Own: A True Story of Desperate Love, a Stolen Child, and the Nine Months that Changed Everything. Now, the story has been adapted for the small screen by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi.

A Child of My Own comes to Netflix on August 13

STACEY Solomon has been left “heartbroken” after daughter Rose, four, said goodbye to her nursery.

The mum-of-five got very emotional as Rose marked the end of an era, ahead of the next stage of her education journey in September.

Stacey shared a picture of a scrapbook filled with notes and photos from Rose’s time at nursery.

She wrote: “The end of an era [crying emojis]. Looking through Rose’s last 3 years at nursery is actually heartbreaking.”

On another post of an orange sunset, she wrote: “What a day. Watched Rose’s graduation to Primary. Saw my niece finish primary ready for secondary. Said goodbye to some very special teachers.

“Just a little message to say… cuddles to all the parents & carers entering into new beginnings. And just a huge thank you and I can’t even begin to describe the appreciation & admiration I have for learning staff.”

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She continued: “You’re raising my babies with me. Honestly I love our teachers & caregivers so so much. The effort, love, kindness and care every single day.

“Helping us shape our humans ready for the world. Hope you get a rest over the summer. To the moon and back.”

Stacey’s brood are a variety of ages. Her eldest boys — Zachary and Leighton — are from past relationships and are 18 and 14, respectively.

Her youngest three — Rex, seven, Rose, four, and Belle, three — are from her marriage to Joe Swash. She is also stepmum to Joe’s son Harry, 19.

The family live at Pickle Cottage, a picturesque home in rural Essex.

Stacey has amassed a £10m fortune since shooting to fame on The X Factor in 2009.

She’s now best known for her time on Loose Women, her DIY hacks on social media and her decluttering show Sort Your Life Out on the BBC.

Music sensation – and I’m A Celeb star – Aitch will feature in a huge new Netflix documentary later this month. The show follows the star as he undertakes a monumental challenge for charity.

Rap sensation Aitch will star in a new Netflix documentary, chronicling his gruelling quest to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The 26-year-old rapper – real name Harrison James Armstrong – took on the challenge last year with the special doc streaming later this month.

Aitch rose to fame in 2018 with his hit track Straight Rhymez – and went on to unleash his number 2 album Close to Home in 2022. While reality TV fans will recognise the rapper from Manchester thanks to his star turn in the 2025 season of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! – where he finished in fourth place.

Fans will soon have a chance to see Aitch endure a trial more challenging than anything he faced in the jungle – by climbing the biggest mountain in Africa. The task was not just for fun, however; he also raised a substantial amount of money for charity in the process.

The musician took on Mount Kilimanjaro alongside his closest friends, family members, and team, and the climb was recorded on film as they undertook the monumental task. The resulting footage has been edited into a brand-new Netflix documentary titled Aitch: Don’t Be Afraid.

Directed by Aaron Fitzmaurice and Harry Tatem, the BRIT Award-winning star is shown taking on the unforgiving conditions as he makes his way up the huge mountain, which stands 19,341 feet above sea level. The Taste (Make It Shake) rapper raised over £160,000 following his challenge, with the funds going to the Down’s Syndrome Association, for which he is an ambassador.

The documentary promises emotional scenes as cameras captured every moment of the challenge. Fans will see “the physical and emotional realities of the journey”, a press release about the special stats.

“As the altitude rises and the conditions become increasingly unforgiving, viewers witness the determination, vulnerability and camaraderie that carry the group towards the summit,” it continues.

“Through candid moments on and off the mountain, the documentary explores the motivation behind the challenge, highlighting the strength of family, resilience, and the importance of raising greater awareness and creating opportunities for people with Down syndrome. More than a story of endurance, Aitch: Don’t Be Afraid, which was shot last year, shines a light on a cause deeply personal to Aitch, celebrating his younger sister Gracie’s impact on his life while encouraging audiences to support the Down’s Syndrome Association and the work it does for individuals with Down’s syndrome and their families across the UK.”

Aitch’s 16-year-old sister, Gracie, frequently features in his social media output – and his 2022 song, My G, featuring Ed Sheeran, is dedicated to her. The star has opened up about his special relationship with his younger sibling – and has previously stated he makes music to support both Gracie and her twin sister Hattie.

Opening up about their relationship at the Pride of Britain Awards last year, he said: “Gracie is my hero because she’s just an absolute soldier. Just what she’s been through and all that. She just lights up every room she walks in.”

And heaping praise on Hattie, whom he branded “the superstar in my family”, he added: “Them two are my heroes, even though they do my head in sometimes.”

Fans were touched to hear the singer open up about his sisters while in the I’m A Celeb camp last year. He gushed to fellow contestants – including Shona McGarty and Jack Osbourne: “My baby girls, my two sisters, everything I do is for them two… Bottom line, I’m on this show for them two. I make music for them two. I try to make a living for them two. Yeah, they’re my girls.”

And during a previous appearance on Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing’s podcast, Aitch explained how Gracie had helped shape his life. He said: “I wouldn’t even be half the person I am if [Gracie] wasn’t here.

“She actually teaches you lessons that you don’t realise till after. It’s taught me, and this sounds bad, but it taught me more to treat everyone the same. And to understand that everyone is a human.”

Aitch: Don’t Be Afraid will be available to stream via Netflix from Sunday, 26 July.

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OLIVIA Atwood and Pete Wicks are all loved-up on date night just days after going Instagram official.

The couple spent the evening together through to the early hours and sealed the deal with a steamy snog.

Love Island Alum Olivia and TV star Pete were spotted celebrating her new range with Tatti Lash launch in London this week. 

The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other and looked as loved up as ever as they embraced each other. 

They even shared a steamy snog outside Pete’s favourite hotspot Stringfellows enjoying the night together. 

Olivia stunned in a pink number, which was emblazoned with sequins and featured a mesh shirt design which came into a fitted skirt, matching a pink bra seen through the garment.

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She pulled her blonde tresses into a tight ponytail and matched pink heels with the look.

Pete opted for an all black outfit pairing a shirt with trousers and carried a designer bag with him. 

It certainly seems the pair’s relationship is here to stay, with the couple trying to keep their relationship under wraps for months, but have still been pictured kissing, cuddling and on romantic dates. 

Just days ago Olivia and Pete made things Instagram official after jetting off to Ibiza together.

Pete flew out to visit Olivia in Ibiza as she filmed a new series of her show, Bad Boyfriends, and now he has shared snaps of them together for the first time.

In a perfect hard launch, he captioned the snaps: “I guess someone has to go first…IBIZA” followed by a black heart emoji.

The first black and white snap saw them lying together on a yacht while sailing across the water, and another showed Olivia lying in Pete’s lap as he kissed the top of her head.

His Staying Relevant co-star Sam Thompson was quick to comment: “Never thought I’d see the day YOU hard launch!! couldn’t be happier for you brother.”

Pete’s post came just hours after Olivia returned to her Olivia’s House podcast and said: “Just in the way that I don’t send the first good morning text, I’m not f***ing hard launching anyone first.”

Pete had commented on the post with the wide-eyed emoji, so clearly knew what he had to do.

The pair – who host a KISS FM radio show together – began dating back in February, following Olivia’s split from husband Bradley Dack.

IT WAS must-see viewing for Britain’s teenagers slumped on the sofa on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The cool young cast of T4 delivered zany segments and upbeat links between popular programmes including Hollyoaks and Shipwrecked.

And now as a former teen telly icon is given a peer by Keir Starmer we reveal where some of the other popular TV presenters are now.

June Sarpong (2000-2007)

SHE was a working class immigrant kid who grew up on a council estate but now TV star June Sarpong is taking a seat in the House of Lords. 

The proud honour marks a meteoric rise for June, 49, who first appeared on our screens as a host of MTV before joining the iconic Noughties show T4 way back in 2000.

She was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and has made a name for herself as a high profile equality campaigner.

As she celebrated the political honour yesterday, June said: “Words cannot even begin to describe how truly honoured and humbled I feel to have been appointed to the House of Lords by Keir Starmer on his final Honours list.

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“As a working class immigrant kid from a council estate in East London it is not lost on me what this means.

“As I embark on this next chapter, I look forward to being able to use this role to further champion the causes and issues that are dear to my heart.”

But June is not the only former member of the T4 gang who has gone on to bigger and better things. 

It was a hugely successful launchpad for many of the most familiar faces on TV today.

Dermot O’Leary (1998-2001)

A baby faced skinhead, Dermot was part of the original presenting line up when T4 first launched.

Before that he had been a DJ on Radio Essex but Dermot, now 53, proved  such a success with the viewers that Channel 4 swiftly selected him to front spin off show Big Brother’s Little Brother until 2008.

He has since landed a string of high profile presenting gigs including The X-Factor which he hosted for 11 years.

Now Dermot has a Radio 2 show and fronts This Morning on Fridays, as well as publishing a string of hugely successful children’s books about Toto The Ninja Cat. 

Margherita Taylor (1999-2001) 

She was a DJ at Birmingham based radio station BRMB when she took part in a radio contest and moved to Capital Radio. 

From there Margherita landed a spot on T4’s starting line-up alongside Dermot and Vernon Kay and never looked back.

Margherita, 53, went on to present BBC One’s Escape to the Country between 2016 and 2022.

Now she is a familiar guest presenter on  Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, Countryfile and This Morning, but her first love was always radio and she still hosts shows on Smooth Radio and Classic FM.

Ben Shephard (1999-2000)

Ben, 51, was a regular host of Channel 4’s spin-off morning show The Bigger Breakfast when bosses decided to put him on T4.

Just two years later he joined ITV’s GMTV as an entertainment host, then as a main presenter in 2005.

He quit the show in 2010, weeks before it was axed anyway, but returned to ITV in 2014 to front the newly-launched Good Morning Britain, where he remains as one of the country’s most recognisable presenters.

Now the much loved millionaire dad of two is rarely off the box, having swapped his seat at the Good Morning Britain newsdesk for the sofa at This Morning alongside Cat Deeley.

Ben has also hosted hit gameshows including The Summit, Tipping Point and Ninja Warrior UK.

Vernon Kay (2000-2005)

Hunky Bolton lad Vern was working as a model when he was scouted by TV bosses to front T4 and soared to stardom.

After quitting the show All Star Family Fortunes made him a household name.

His 23 year marriage to Strictly’s Tess Daly has crumbled but this week he was named as one of the BBC’s best paid presenters, raking in a staggering £450,000 a year for his Radio 2 mid-morning show, Alternative Dance Sounds of the 90s and other appearances.

Steve Jones (2003-2010)

Welsh lad Steve, 49, – who stripped off several times on the show, was one of T4’s best loved presenters when Simon Cowell chose him to present the American version of The X Factor.

But the show bombed and Steve was axed after just one series.

The former model went on to present a property show called Perfect House, Secret Location and appeared on This Morning before landing a full time gig in 2016 to lead the presenting team for Channel 4’s F1 coverage. 

Miquita Oliver (2006-2010)

While most of the original T4 crew were newbies, Miquita already had five years of telly experience under her belt having fronted Popworld with Simon Amstell. 

But she was suspended from T4 in 2010 after being overheard insulting singer Kesha.

She has also claimed she lost a job on Radio 1 for “saying silly things”.

Since then fashion favourite Miquita, 42, has been on a string of TV programmes, including Celebrity Gogglebox alongside her mum Andi, and has a hit podcast with her pal Lily Allen.

Rick Edwards (2007-2011)

Rick, 47, was performing stand-up comedy at Cambridge University when he was spotted by T4 producers who gave him his first TV job. 

Since then he went on to land a string of presenting gigs including Tool Academy, Made in Chelsea, Freshly Squeezed, E4 Music, and much of Channel 4‘s 2012 Paralympics coverage.

Rick has also hosted a BBC One quiz show called !mpossible and now he can be heard on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Breakfast Show every morning, as well as Fighting Talk on Saturdays and their Premier League review on Sundays.

Alexa Chung (2008-2009)

Fashion icon Alexa, 42, began working as a model after she was scouted at the Reading Festival at the age of 16. She joined Popworld alongside Alex Zane in 2006 before joining T4 two years later. 

She famously inspired the Alexa handbag by British designer Mulberry, and has dated big names like Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner and actor Alexander Skarsgard.

She pivoted back to style and lifestyle content on TV for shows like Gok’s Fashion Fix, Next In Fashion and now runs her own lucrative fashion label.

Jameela Jamil (2009-2012)

London born Actress and activist Jameela, 40, was working as a school teacher when she was scouted by a TV producer in a bar.

She followed Alexa on to music show Freshly Squeezed alongside Nick Grimshaw and became a DJ on Radio 1 and the event circuit – with her first show being at Elton John’s birthday party.

In 2016 she moved to LA to become a screenwriter but ended up landing a role in American hit comedy The Good Place as Tahani Al-Jamil.

She’s also become an outspoken campaigner for equality and is dating pop star James Blake.

Nick Grimshaw (2010-2012)

Grimmy started out in student radio before landing a job on Radio 1’s Switch youth programme in 2007.

His career really kicked off the following year when he landed the station’s weekend breakfast show, before moving to a late-night presenting slot.

In 2010, Nick, 41, added T4 to his roster, fronting it until he was promoted to the Beeb’s breakfast show, replacing Chris Moyles.

On TV he’s been a judge on The X Factor, filmed cameos for soaps including EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale and has also starred on Celebrity Gogglebox.

Now he hosts BBC Radio 6 Music’s flagship breakfast show, Sidetracked with Annie Mac and foodie podcast Dish.

The ‘outstanding’ historical drama, adapted from a best-selling book series, has been dubbed ‘highly addictive’ by fans who are calling it ‘a treat to watch’ — streaming free on Channel 4

An under-the-radar period drama currently streaming free on Channel 4 is being hailed as a masterpiece adaptation of a best-selling book series — and viewers are ‘obsessed’.

The series, originally developed for the BBC, delves into Britain’s history and is based on real events that took place in the 1400s in the tumultuous battle for the throne of England. With the War of the Roses as the backdrop of the historical drama, the series takes a closer look at real-life incidents and the drama surrounding court politics at the time.

The period drama is based on author Philippa Gregory’s Cousins’ War book series and has been adapted from three best-selling novels — The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter.

The costume drama is an amalgamation of stories, characters, and instances from all three books and follows the story of three women — Yorkist Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV and played by Rebecca Ferguson; Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, mother of the Tudor King Henry VII of England and portrayed by Amanda Hale; and Yorkist Anne Neville, wife of the Duke of Gloucester, King Richard III, portrayed by Faye Marsay.

Elizabeth Woodville is the protagonist of the 2009 novel The White Queen, while Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville are the focus of The Red Queen (2010) and The Kingmaker’s Daughter (2012) respectively. These three women appear in the three novels which constitute the screenplay of this underrated television drama which first hit UK airwaves in June 2013.

The series has been on the receiving end of glowing reviews from both critics and audiences.

One critic says of the show: “As a love story set in an impossibly chivalrous past, this was deliciously enjoyable. The conflict between the houses of Lancaster and York ceased to matter — the crucial conflict was between Innocence and Experience.”

While another reviewer writes: “Part soap opera, part war film, and part melodrama, this series is an intoxicating jaunt through a snippet of British history fraught with contentious loyalties and lethal power struggles.”

A third critic said: “It’s a great tale and beautifully told with beautiful actors…Don’t miss it.”

One viewer posted to IMDB: “Fantastic!! The BBC, like most of their period piece dramas, got this series right. It is highly addictive and very watchable. The White Queen has everything an avid audience for this type of show craves; It is romantic; It is violent; It is full of vengefulness, cruelty and karma. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more.”

While another fan of the show added: “Excellent period drama! BBC does it again! I came across this title by accident and I ended up watching the first four episodes! I love the love story, the drama, the betrayal. Truly a treat to watch! I really enjoyed it, I found the actors to be truly convincing, the decor lovely and the storyline engaging!”

Another IMDB user review reads: “I’ve read the 3 books, The White Queen, The Red Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter, and this series is one of the most faithful adaptations I have ever watched.

“The portrayal of the Tudor and Lancastrian England, the life and politics of the feudal society, how Kings and Queens and Great Royal Houses were made or unmade with in fire and blood, and the brilliance and fortunes of Edward’s court, with some artistic license from Philippa Gregory, make for a very compelling watch.”

While one audience review of the show on Rotten Tomatoes states: “I absolutely loved this mini-series. Gorgeous costumes, realistic scenery, intrigue, treachery, lies, unexpected twists and a torrid love story. Seriously, what more could you ask for?”

The White Queen is available to stream for free on Channel 4.

Tennessee propositioned Paramount Skydance, hoping to tempt it to become the next company to leave California.

As California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta gathered a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to try to block Paramount’s $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Tennessee slid into Paramount’s DMs, suggesting it would be better treated in the southern state.

Corporate flight from the Golden State has increased in recent years, with many California-based companies fleeing for lower taxes and more lax business regulations. For the first time this year, California was not the state with the most Fortune 500 companies, after Texas dethroned it in June.

California companies packing up their people and headquarters to move to Texas has been a well-traveled road for those looking for options. Now Tennessee wants to be in the running as a prime destination as well.

Here is what you need to know about its efforts:

What happened with Paramount?

In a July 2 letter to Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison, Tennessee Deputy Gov. Stuart McWhorter pitched a relocation of the studio’s Hollywood headquarters to the Volunteer State. In the middle of a brutal legal battle with California regarding the proposed Warner Bros. merger, Tennessee may appear more appealing to Ellison. Paramount relocated its headquarters from New York to Los Angeles in August of last year.

“As Paramount Skydance writes its next chapter, Tennessee offers a compelling proposition: a state where creativity and technology converge, where talent is developed intentionally, and where innovation is embraced,” said McWhorter in the letter viewed by The Times. “We would welcome the opportunity to share our vision for how Tennessee could help shape the future of Paramount Skydance and its talented team.”

Though many in Hollywood have giggled at the idea of a major studio moving to the South, it isn’t totally ridiculous.

Ellison has backing from his father, tech billionaire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Oracle, once a California-based company, is now moving its headquarters to Nashville.

In December of 2020, the software tech company left California, where it was founded in 1977, to relocate to Texas. In April 2024, it chose Nashville as the home for Oracle’s “world headquarters,” which began construction in February.

Have other companies moved to Tennessee?

Oracle isn’t the first company to set up in Tennessee. Nissan, which had operated its U.S. headquarters out of Gardena since 1960, left the state in 2005 for Franklin. Nissan chose Tennessee for its drastically lower operational costs.

Mitsubishi Motors also moved its headquarters to Franklin from Cypress in 2019. Mitsubishi moved for lower operational costs and to be in a state with less-strict business regulations than California‘s.

Two beloved California burger chains moved to Tennessee.

In 2018, CKE, the parent company of Los Angeles-founded Carl’s Jr., also left California for Tennessee. CKE consolidated Carl’s Jr. and its St. Louis chain, Hardee’s, under its headquarters in Franklin.

In-N-Out — arguably California’s most iconic burger spot known for its animal fries and double doubles— began a transition out of California in 2023. It established a corporate office in Franklin, and last summer, owner and Chief Executive Lynsi Snyder announced her own move to Tennessee.

Last year, Snyder said pandemic-era restrictions and California policy motivated her decision to leave, but she has no plans for In-N-Out to expand farther East. The majority of In-N-Out locations are still in California.

“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,” Snyder said.

What is so special about Tennessee?

The southern state’s highly business-friendly tax incentives make it an extremely desirable location. Businesses and billionaires are drawn to Tennessee by its lack of state income and property taxes. Instead, the state relies on a 7% sales tax as its main source of tax revenue. Tennessee also offers a number of tax credits and grants for businesses, including many designed to support newly relocated businesses, cover costs of training new employees, and construction.

Tennessee’s central location and well-connected infrastructure support supply chain logistics. Seven interstate highways run through Tennessee, and six of the United States’ class 1 rail lines operate there, allowing companies to cut transportation costs dramatically. Memphis is also home to the busiest cargo airport in the country.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development says the state has one of the best business incentive programs in the country and has been ranked the third best state for doing business by Chief Executive magazine.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee attributes the success to the state’s competitive tax policy, workforce, and quality of life.

“Companies choose Tennessee because they recognize the strength of our workforce, our strategic location and our ability to support long-term growth,” Lee said in an emailed statement. “Tennessee’s success comes from our commitment to helping businesses thrive.”

Beloved presenter Fern Britton is best known for hosting ITV daytime programme This Morning

Fern Britton has a very famous father and fans will be floored at who he is.

The former This Morning presenter is currently appearing on screens in Fern Britton: Inside the Vet’s. The ITV documentary series follows Fern as she goes behind the scenes at a Bristol surgery.

The programme has recently returned for a second season at The Grove Vets, with the latest instalment set to feature a 10-month-old cat with an injury sustained in a fight. That’s not all, as Dr James Greenwood also provides emergency care to a whippet with a nasty throat injury, and delivers a masterclass on doggy dental hygiene with special help from his own pet.

As Fern continues to delight audiences on ITV1, some viewers may be surprised to learn that she comes from a very famous family, reports the Express.

Who is Fern Britton’s famous dad?

Fern’s dad was the actor Tony Britton. Tony was best known for starring in BBC sitcom Don’t Wait Up alongside Nigel Havers in the 1980s, as well as many British films including The Day of the Jackal.

He also appeared in Robin’s Nest alongside Richard O’Sullivan and Tess Wyatt, and films Operation Amsterdam, as well as Sunday Bloody Sunday. In 1975, he won the Broadcasting Press Guild’s best actor award for his role in The Nearly Man.

Fern announced her father’s death in 2019, just one year after the passing of her mother, Ruth. The deaths of her parents were followed by more heartbreak, as her marriage to TV chef Phil Vickery soon “fell apart”.

The couple announced their split after two decades together in 2020. Fern and Phil haven’t spoken in several years, with Fern claiming that her ex “stopped talking to me” after her mum died.

“My mum died in 2018 and my dad died in 2019, and then my marriage died,” Fern previously told The Telegraph.

Fern Britton’s body transformation

The 68-year-old star recently revealed her weight loss to fans on social media, after losing five stone.

Fern has since spoken about the massive change she made to her diet and how it has influenced her weight loss journey.

Speaking on the Postcards From Midlife podcast, she said: “I realised the sugar intake. I’m addicted to sugar and, funnily enough, if you’re not eating doughnuts, biscuits, cake, jam, you know… it makes you feel a lot better. So, now if I’m eating sugar, it’s too sweet for me because I used to be able to tolerate an awful lot.”

She added: “And like cigarettes as well, I used to be able to tolerate anybody smoking anything in my face, but now it’s like, ‘Stop it’. Apart from that, it was very much kind of sensible.”

Fern Britton: Inside the Vet’s is available to stream on ITVX

KATIE Price’s good friend and podcaster pal Lewis Nicholls shares sweet moment with her son Harvey on social media.

It follows husband Lee’s latest lock up in Dubai, whom Katie, 48, married in January just days after meeting him.

Lewis took to his Instagram to post a heartwarming video of him and Harvey, 24, in his apartment.

Harvey is filmed giving Lewis a flower as a gift as the two share a sweet moment.

As Lewis filmed the gesture, he said: “Best gift ever. Harvey, what did you give me? 

Harvey replied: “A flower.”

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“You got me a flower. It says to Lewis, you look handsome Lewis. Love from Harvey Daniel Price. Thank you so much,” he added.

The video then ends with Harvey sweetly kissing Lewis and saying “Love you”.

He captioned the post: “Harvey just melts my heart. Came back to the apartment and had this gift waiting for me (heart emoji)”

Lewis is close with the family and most recently went on holiday with Katie to Cornwall.

The pair snapped themselves whilst away, dressed in matching harnesses and helmets with Go Pro cameras attached to them. 

“What have we just done,” Lewis captioned the photo of them with an eye emoji.

Katie reshared the image on her Instagram Story and wrote: “Such a fun day with friends in Cornwall.”

She also hung out with Lewis’ parents at a pub, with Lewis sharing photos of them having dinner and cocktails. 

The pair grew close when Lewis hosted Katie and Kerry Katona’s tour around the UK, An Evening With Katie Price & Kerry Katona.

“Katie – well, what can I say, the most random, funniest and loyal person I have met and we have had lots of laughs from our daily shopping trips, sunbeds and car singalongs,” Lewis wrote alongside photos of them on tour in November.

Speaking of his relationship with Harvey, Lewis said: “Also spending a week with Harvey was the best and to see how much of an amazing mum she is and their bond is just the best, he loved my voice-over.” 

It comes several days after Lee was put into prison once again in Dubai.

The controversial businessman was arrested for unpaid debts.

Many of Lee’s victims have told The Sun he took thousands of pounds from them in supposed investment schemes only to be left high and dry.

Lee has already boasted he’s raised the cash to get out of Al-Awir prison and is expected to be a free man by the end of the week, The Sun exclusively revealed.

In another fresh blow it was then revealed, that Conman Lee Andrews’ father joined him in prison earlier this week, after being reported to officials by a third party. 

Father and son are understood to have seen one another inside the jail, with both believed to be facing allegations of fraud.

Lee is currently trying to raise funds to pay off his debts and be released, from where he faces extradition. He hopes to return to the UK, to be with his wife.

Sources say a patient Katie has finally snapped – and is now “at the end of her tether” with friends urging her to leave Lee once and for all.

RICHARD Gere is spotted getting close with his 28-year-old co-star on the set of controversial romance movie.

The esteemed actor, 76, is currently in New York City and was seen filming scenes with the actress in a park.

The actor is back doing what he does best, and is gearing up for his new flick Asymmetry, which is adapted from Lisa Halliday’s same named novel. 

The film centres around an intense love affair between author Ezra (Gere) who is in his seventies and an aspiring writer called Alice.

The book itself had sparked massive controversy due to the character’s shocking more than four decade age-gap.

As filming began in New York City, Gere and actress Diana Silvers were snapped getting cosy on set.

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The Hollywood star embraced and held hands with his much younger co-star, with the two keeping things strictly professional off-screen.

The pair shot scenes on a bench in Central Park, which is a crucial scene where the two characters meet, before beginning a steamy romance.

The actor can be seen in a white shirt and jeans as he sits alongside Diana who’s styled in a floral mid length dress. 

Both stars were also seen walking around the park laughing and smiling together.

Oscar-winning producer Edward Zwick is directing and writing the film.

He said to People: “It’s about two people who discover that what the world calls asymmetry can in fact have another name: love.”

Pretty woman actor Gere, is happily married within his own age-gap marriage to his 43-year-old wife Alejandra Silva.

The couple have two children together, welcoming their latest baby on April 23, 2020.

He was previously married to Carey Lowell with whom he has a son, Homer – the pair split in 2013 after 11 years of marriage. 

From 1991-1995 he was also married to supermodel Cindy Crawford.

The star has starred in many blockbuster hits, but when he was 41 he was cast in Pretty Woman.

The film, which came out in 1990, saw him star alongside Julia Roberts – and told the story of a romance between a wealthy businessman and a Sunset Boulevard prostitute.

At the time he was already a famous face in Hollywood after the huge success of An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982.

In 2002 he appeared in the film version of the musical Chicago which won six Academy Awards including Best Picture in 2003.

Irish actor Brenda Fricker, who won an Oscar for her role in “My Left Foot” and whose Pigeon Lady befriended Macaulay Culkin‘s Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” has died. She was 81.

Her talent agent Phil Belfield confirmed Fricker’s death in a statement shared with The Times on Friday. The actor died peacefully Thursday evening in Dublin after a “period of ill health,” he said.

“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her,” Belfield said in the statement. “I was honored to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”

Fricker, who was born Feb. 17, 1945, in Dublin, appeared in nearly 100 TV, film and short projects since the mid-1960s. She reached international acclaim for her work in Jim Sheridan’s 1989 comedy-drama “My Left Foot,” based on the life of Dublin-born painter Christy Brown, who only had control over the titular limb due to cerebral palsy. Daniel Day-Lewis starred as Brown and Fricker played his supportive mother. She earned the Academy Award for supporting actress, becoming the first Irish female actor to win an Oscar, and Day-Lewis took home the prize for lead actor.

“My Left Foot” was also nominated for best picture, director and adapted screenplay.

In her review of the film for The Times in 1990, film critic Sheila Benson praised a “magnificent” Fricker for her portrayal of motherly love. “She plays [Mrs. Brown] like the rock she must have been, without a jot of martyrdom or a flicker of complaint and without an actressy moment,” Benson wrote.

The ‘90s brought Fricker additional roles in productions including “The Field,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” “Angels in the Outfield,” “A Time to Kill” and “Veronica Guerin.” She counted Cate Blanchett, Joe Pesci, Tim Curry, James McAvoy, Fiona Shaw, Sean Bean, Richard Harris, Christopher Lloyd and Tony Danza as co-stars, to name a few.

For generations of movie audiences, however, Fricker will most likely be remembered as the Pigeon Lady from “Home Alone 2.”

A sequel to the hit “Home Alone,” Fricker’s Pigeon Lady was a source of unexpected tenderness for Culkin’s Kevin, now stranded during the holidays in New York. He first encounters Fricker’s odd character in Central Park, dressed in oversized, dirty clothing with city birds resting on her head and shoulders. Though a terrifying sight at first, the film later reveals Fricker’s character has a heartbreaking past.

“The man I loved fell out of love with me,” she tells Kevin one evening, adding, “whenever the chance to be loved came along again, I ran away from it. I stopped trusting people.”

Kevin later gifts his new friend a turtledove ornament after learning the animal represents friendship and love.

Fricker continued acting through 2015 — with roles in numerous TV movies, miniseries, more than 70 episodes of the show “Casualty” and films such as “Conspiracy of Silence” and “Rory O’Shea Was Here” — but her career tapered off. She was last credited for the 2024 film “The Shallow.”

Fricker attended Catholic school but drifted away from religion in her late teens. She suffered injuries from a car crash at age 14, prompting her parents to spend their life savings on plastic surgery as part of her recovery. She also suffered other health issues during childhood and spent two years in a sanatorium.

“The positive side is, it taught me about self-sufficiency,” she told The Times in 1993.

She was a journalist for the Irish Times, where her father had also worked, before she started acting. She graced the stage at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, and never looked back.

Amid her mounting fame in the 1990s and early aughts, Fricker did not heed the call to move Stateside and lived in the U.K. before ultimately returning to Dublin. “I didn’t like Los Angeles,” she recalled in 1993. “I don’t like the heat and I found it uninteresting. I wasn’t comfortable there.”

Before her death, Fricker penned a memoir, “She Died Young: A Life in Fragments,” about her upbringing and experiences with sexual violence and mental illness. In February, Fricker was awarded Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron honored Fricker in a statement shared Friday.

“She was a proud Dub with a sharp wit and warmth that exuded to all who knew her and experienced her work,” Barron said. “She will be sorely missed.”