Soap Weekly
TV Weekly: from Barbara Windsor to Brendan O’Carroll
The first TV Weekly of 2021, a new day, Sunday, but the same telly latest newswrapped into ten stories.
Babs was boss
Former EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins recently spoke about Barbara Windsor’s influence on the soap and her co-stars, even ticking them off at times. Treadwell-Collins described Babs as the ultimate professional.
Windsor, who joined the long-running soap in 1994 as matriarch Peggy Mitchell died in December aged 83. Speaking to the Radio Times, he revealed she ticked off June Brown – Dot Cotton/Branning – following the actress passing negative comments on the current storylines.
“Barbara was the best executive producer EastEnders never had… She was so sharp, she knew the audience and kept actors young and old in check. Once, June Brown shouted at us from her dressing-room window, ‘Your storylines are shit.’ Barbara grabbed her, brought her upstairs and told her to apologise.”
Interesting June Brown was always ahead of the trend on how the storylines were going however…
Icey partnership
The face of competitions on GMB, Andi Peters, recently admitted that when he appeared on Dancing on Ice fifteen years ago he failed to warm to professional partner Tamara Sharp. Standing in for Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show he noted how he and the pro-skater never got on during their time together for the skating contest.
“Me and my partner bizarrely all those years ago… we didn’t really get on. She used to refer to me to [Jayne] Torvill and [Christopher] Dean as ‘him’. We’d all be on the ice and she would say to Torvill and Dean, ‘Tell him he needs to…’ and I was like, ‘I am here!’ But I would be stood at the side eating a chocolate bar. My partner wasn’t great,”
Edd the Duck apparently says the same of Andi…
Trumpeted news
EastEnders regular Natalie Cassidy is reportedly taking a brief break from the BBC Elstree production.
Cassidy, who plays Sonia Fowler, is to have a short spell away from Albert Square according to a tabloid newspaper. Sonia has been seen in the East London based saga since 1993, although has taken breaks previously.
The Sun reports that Sonia will disappear from Walford in January with her return scheduled for spring.
On track
ITV Racing starts 2021 with brand new sponsors of their live racing coverage and their magazine programme, The Opening Show.
Paddy Power has taken the reins as title sponsors of all Live Racing fixtures across the ITV main channel and ITV4, while The Opening Show will be sponsored by stablemates Betfair as part of a two-year deal.
Earlier this year, ITV Sport announced that they would remain the exclusive free-to-air broadcaster of horse racing until 2023, broadcasting nearly 100 days of racing every year. The ITV Racing team, led by Ed Chamberlin, along with co-presenters Francesca Cumani and Oli Bell brings viewers comprehensive coverage across ITV channels and the ITV Hub, which can be accessed on all mobile devices.
More Dynasty, but no Alexis in anyone’s sight
In 2018 viewers were captivated by Dynasties, and the unbelievable daily struggles faced by David the chimpanzee, Charm the lioness, Blacktip the painted wolf and more. BBC One has confirmed with this season it will be bringing even more remarkable stories to life. The series will look at families and leaders; heroes and villains; triumph and tragedy.
Like the first series, each episode will delve deep into the lives of individual groups, filming in a single, iconic location, focusing on a protagonist leader and following them on their daunting quest to keep their family safe and establish their genetic line, or dynasty.
Sally’s gone for a fake
Coronation Street mainstay Sally Dynevor was surprised to be bestowed with an MBE as part of the Queen’s New Year honours list.
The ITV personality was named as one of many recipients of this year’s honours with everyday heroes from the NHS, as well as those who had fundraised during the coronavirus pandemic, taking priority in this years’ new year gong show.
“I am humbled, grateful and very proud to have received this honour. I am still in shock… I didn’t believe it was real when I first found out earlier this month that I was to be given an MBE. Keeping it a secret has been so difficult.” – Sally Dynevor
Charlie Lawson was criticised by social media followers for asking why his former co-star had been given the MBE. He, however, said he wasn’t pouring scorn on Sally, so he wasn’t, he was just curious to why she’d been given one. Charlie played Jim McDonald, so he did, from 1989 onwards with several stints over the years.
Others to pick up gongs in the January 2021 honours include Sheila Hancock, Craig David, Lewis Hamilton, Nina Wadia and Tommy Steele.
Buzzing Bailey
Strictly Come Dancing winner of 2020 Bill Bailey has said he’d love to return to old BBC Two music show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
The panel show ran from 1996 to 2015, with Bailey starring as a team captain for six years opposite fellow comic Phil Jupitus. And his return may just happen, there have been rumours that Sky is planning on reviving the show.
“I don’t think there is a show that’s similar now… I don’t think there is anything that’s replaced it. It’s not like they’ve given it a reboot and changed the format.”
Death of Deadliest star
Nick McGlashan, known to television viewers as one of the regulars on the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch passed away aged 33.
McGlashan, a seventh-generation Alaskan fisherman, appeared on the fishing programme for seven years RTÉ News reported.
A Pointless departure …of sorts
Richard Osman will leave production company Endemol after two decades as creative director. He, however, has reassured fans he will carry on with his role on BBC One’s Pointless game show.
The 50-year-old TV presenter wrote on social media ‘I’ve worked at Endemol since I was 29, but it’s time for me to move on.’
Mrs Brown forever…
Mrs Brown’s Boys creator Brendan O’Carroll has spoken about political correctness and how he thinks its unlikely to bring about the demise of the sitcom.
‘I would never go out of my way to be racist or homophobic so I’m not that worried myself because I only write what I think is funny, and you hope that enough of an audience agrees with you.’ – Brendan O’Carrol, speaking to The Sun
‘I don’t think Mrs Brown will be affected [by political correctness]’ he added. The comments follow the BBC removing shows such as Little Britain from its iPlayer offering.
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