Showbiz 5: Farewell Doreen Mantle, ta-ra Lucy Allan

This week we said a fond farewell to the fabulous actress Doreen Mantle, best known for her role in the BBC comedy series One Foot In The Grave, who has died aged 97. Doreen’s agent said she passed away “peacefully at home”.

Mantle starred as Jean Warboys alongside Richard Wilson and Annette Crosby in the Beeb classic comedy, where she was prone to disasters. Doreen also appeared in shows such as ATV’s Emergency Ward 10, Father Brown (BBC) and Coronation Street (Granada).

We also said goodbye to Anita Carey, who played Joyce Smedley in Coronation Street for two years in the 90s. The actress died last month after suffering with breast cancer, which she was first diagnosed with in 2010. Anita also played Vivien March in Doctors between 2007 and 2009.

Credit: The Sun

ITV’s evidence during a parliamentary inquiry into the Phillip Schofield scandal has been branded “inconsistent” and “contradictory,” reported Varity, amid tabloid reports that since investigations into a toxic environment at This Morning began staff have been further bullied for speaking out.

Earlier this summer ITV boss Carolyn McCall, head of media Kevin Lygo and the network’s general counsel Kyla Mullins appeared before the committee for Culture, Media and Sport to provide their insight into the working of This Morning and ITV policy. An investigation followed Schofield quitting ITV for misleading colleagues and bosses over an affair with a younger man on the show.

One discrepancy I noticed myself was ITV said the runner had made a showreel in 2018 – however it was on the set that was discontinued in 2016.

McCall had claimed, during the inquiry, she was only aware of two complaints about “This Morning” in the last five years, the committee said they had been contacted by current and former staff on the show who were “personally aware of multiple cases,” contradicting her evidence.

Former ATV Today telly news reporter and Tiswas host Chris Tarrant has become involved in a planning situation near his home in central London.

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire stalwart is unhappy with proposals for construction work at a property in Marleybone mews. Yahoo! report, “Earlier this year, Westminster Council received an excavation request for a basement and underground cinema alongside a brand-new internal layout and mansard roof-level extension”

Speaking to The Sunday Express Chris said:

“I’d like to be sure that Westminster Council will say no to it, it’s not really relevant to the kind of area we live in or why we want to live there. It’s nothing like any other house in our area and I can’t believe they even put the plans in to be honest. It’s ridiculous.

“It would be about a year of disruption to all the local businesses. Things like dustmen couldn’t get through, fire engines and ambulances couldn’t get through, you can’t just suddenly do that. We’ve made a big appeal and if necessary, we will appeal again.”

David Tennant has said that ‘ludicrous’ theatre prices threaten future of British TV and film. The current Doctor Who performer spoke with host Kelly-Anne Taylor on the RadioTimes podcast said:

“Live theatre is expensive and it’s increasingly expensive to run and therefore the ticket prices are increasingly expensive and that’s a difficult thing to rationalise. …I would like to imagine that that’s something that everyone should be allowed to enjoy and yet when I’m in a show in the West End I’m aware that there are tickets selling for ludicrous amounts of money.”

“But they get sold, at which point you think, ‘Well, what’s the theatre management supposed to do?’ — if it’s a commercial enterprise, should they be expected to give tickets away? The danger is you’re strangling the next generation of an audience coming through,”

The Sun reported that Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks “has been plunged into crisis with three top bosses axed amid record low ratings and chaos on set.” Executive Producer Lucy Allan – the daughter of former telly boss Andy Allan who did for Crossroads what the Atlantic did for the Titanic – has been ditched for a second time from the teen-aimed serial the tabloid reports.

Also out are series producer Philip Dodds, and script and storyline executive Josie Day as bosses try to boost flagging viewing figures.

The problem with Hollyoaks and Channel 4 is the show actually – unlike Allan’s first tenure of it – is actually is pretty good shape and is enjoyable, which suggests that the soap is pulling in its best figures even if they’re not good enough, I don’t think anything can boost it if its as good as it can already be. Clearly the network, time of airing and over saturation by far too many episodes of Corrie and Emmerdale have taken its toll on viewing.

An insider told The Sun the three execs were sacked following low ratings, bad storylines and a toxic atmosphere on set. Sounds the perfect place for Martin Frizzell to take over.