Showbiz Newswrap
This Morning ratings drop, King of the Repair Shop and G’day Hollyoaks
Also farewell Robbie Coltrane, retirement for Judith Keppel and George Alagiah takes TV break…
KING CHARLES III GETS REPAIRED
Well, sort of. Jay Blades and the expert team of The Repair Shop craftspeople met up with HRH The Prince of Wales (before his accession to the Throne) back in Autumn 2021 to explore their shared passion of preserving heritage craft skills.
Jay Blades and ceramics expert, Kirsten Ramsay; horologist Steve Fletcher; and furniture restorer, Will Kirk were invited to Dumfries House in Scotland to meet The Prince and learn about The Prince’s Foundation’s work to train the next generation of craftspeople.
Preserving heritage craft skills and ensuring the training of a new generation is a passion both The Prince and Jay share as they discuss in the special which transmits on Wednesday, 26th October at 8pm on BBC One. The programme was filmed between Autumn 2021 and March 2022 before His Majesty became King Charles III.
THERE’S A NEW NEIGHBOUR DOWN HOLLYOAKS WAY
Former Neighbours regular Jemma Donovan, daughter of fellow Ramsay Street icon Jason, will be taking on the role of Rayne, an outgoing party girl, who turns heads wherever she goes due to her celebrity status as a social media sensation.
Rayne, who is in her early 20s, will be moving to the village with her childhood best friend, as the pair are set to cause mischief with the younger residents of Hollyoaks Village. The duo will soon befriend the likes of Romeo (Owen Warner), Prince (Malique Thompson-Dwyer), and Yazz (Haiesha Mistry), amongst others.
Jemma is best known for her role as ‘Harlow Robinson’ on Neighbours, which she played for three years. Jemma is also known for her role as ‘Maddy Bastière’ on the TV Series, Spotless (2015).
“I am thrilled to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks! I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be able to bring something unique and fun to a new role and I can’t wait to be a part of the Hollyoaks family.”
DOWN AND OUT
Ever since the This Morning row over Phil and Holly jumping the queue to see The Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, ahead of 1000s of plebs (in their eyes), the show has clearly lost ratings – but no reporting on this? Maybe after ITV had a hissy fit over Dominos Pizza taking the mick, the press are being careful to note that it no longer features in its top twenty shows, something it always previously did. How sad, never mind, what a shame..
It did of course win an NTA, but many of those votes were cast before they waddled past 100s of others to get a media fast track to RIP central. And I think we can safely say more signed the petition than voted for these self-obsessed, out-of-touch, entitled daytime muppets.
ADDICTION IN FOCUS WITH POP MATT
Matt Willis: Addiction and Me is described by the Beeb as ‘a raw and honest account of Matt’s battle with addiction in this one-off documentary for BBC One.’
Matt Willis:
“Whilst I live an amazing life and I am hugely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, when it comes to my mental health I still find myself battling with the ripple effects of my old addictions. I know I’m not alone and I’m determined to discover how others, like myself, can learn to live with this.”
Musician, singer, songwriter, actor and dad of three, Matt Willis may be part of a hugely successful pop band – but behind the success there is one thing that often dominates his thoughts: his addictions.
In this raw and honest documentary, Matt opens up about his past and takes an extensive look into his battle with drugs and alcohol, how it has pushed him to the edge, and his daily struggle to keep himself clean.
The film will look back at some of Matt’s darkest days as he begins to explore what could be behind his addiction. Through meeting and talking with others including families, leading experts, counsellors and support groups, Matt tries to understand why some become dependent on drugs and alcohol, what help is available and the latest developments in treatment. The film also captures the unwavering support Matt has from his friends, family and his wife Emma. An air date is yet to be announced.
EGGS DONE
Judith Keppel has announced she is to retire from Channel 5 quiz show Eggheads after 19 years. The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? winner joined the show in 2003 when it aired on BBC Two.
The 80-year-old said of her departure, ‘I love doing it but I have done it for 19 years and my memory is definitely not what it was,’. The show aired on the BBC for seventeen years before switching to Channel 5.
GEORGE TAKES TIME
George Alagiah has taken another break from hosting BBC News programmes after discovering his cancer has spread further. His agent and Beeb confirmed the mainstay news anchor would be stepping back from television broadcasting for the foreseeable due to his health issues. George was first diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2014 and has taken several extended breaks from the corporation during the past eight years.
The 66-year-old returned to the BBC’s News at Six in April after a period away from screens. Alagiah underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy to treat his advanced bowel cancer in 2014.
EAT THIS
ITV and Veg Power’s campaign to encourage children to eat vegetables, Eat Them to Defeat Them, developed by adam&eveDDB, has been awarded gold at the prestigious IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) Effectiveness Award.
Held every two years, the IPA Effectiveness Awards are the most rigorous awards in the industry, judged by an expert panel to recognise campaigns that have proven their communications activity has had a measurable impact. In addition to the gold, Eat Them To Defeat Them was also recognised with the President’s Award for Behaviour Change.
Evaluation of Eat Them to Defeat Them found 19 per cent of kids were more likely to agree that eating veg was fun and 54 per cent were more likely to ask parents for veg as a result of the campaign. Econometric analysis for the period 2019-2021 found that the campaign resulted in vegetable sales nationwide of £92 million which is equivalent to nearly 1 billion children-sized portions of veg.
MODERN FAMILY RELOCATES TO E4
Stateside comedy Modern Family will be available on Channel 4’s free-to-air channel for the very first time, premiering on E4 on Monday 24th October. It will launch with series 1 double bills Monday – Friday from 8pm, with catch up episodes available to stream on All 4.
The series sees three families from California trying to deal with family life, kids, quirky spouses and jobs in their own unique ways, often falling into hilarious situations.
Nick Lee, Head of Acquisitions at Channel 4:
“Modern Family is that rare thing; a universally loved sitcom, alongside being acclaimed, decorated and having run for 11 seasons, it is a show perfectly aligned with E4’s personality. We are so excited to bring this absolute treat of a series to E4 and All 4 audiences for the first time.”
HE’S BEEN A CRACKER
Actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane died this week aged 72. Depending on your age you’ll either remember him for early comedy work, Granada Television crime drama Cracker or as Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies.
His agent of 40 years, Belinda Wright, said Coltrane died on Friday and thanked the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Falkirk in Scotland for their “care and diplomacy”.
“Robbie was a unique talent, sharing the Guinness Book of Records’ Award for winning three consecutive Best Actor Baftas for his portrayal of Fitz in Granada TV’s series Cracker in 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Sir Michael Gambon. He will probably be best remembered for decades to come as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.
“A role which brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years. James Bond fans write too to applaud his role in GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough.
“For me personally, I shall remember him as an abidingly loyal client as well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him.”
Born as Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, in 1950, the son of teacher and pianist Jean Ross and general practitioner Ian Baxter McMillan, Robbie stepped into showbiz in his 20s.
He was made an OBE in the 2006 New Year’s honours list for his services to drama and he was awarded the BAFTA Scotland Award for outstanding contribution to movies in 2011.
