Showbiz 5: More Sugar for the BBC

Penelope Teeth brings the final ‘Showbiz 5’ newswrap to ATV Today as she casts her views over recent entertainment news…

Ketamine killed The Vivienne

Sad news this week as it was confirmed what caused the death of drag superstar The Vivienne. James Lee Williams, better known by his drag persona, died from a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine a family statement revealed.

BBC News report ‘The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner was found dead at their home in Cheshire in January, with celebrities and fans around the world paying tribute.’ they add, ‘Williams, who grew up in Colwyn Bay in north Wales before moving to Liverpool, won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 and went on to have a varied career in TV and theatre.’

“Ketamine is an extremely dangerous drug that is becoming more and more prevalent in the UK. If we can help raise awareness of the dangers of this drug and help people who may be dealing with ketamine addiction, then something positive will come from this complete tragedy.” – Family statement

Ender Walford’s drag character

When life is stranger than fiction

A former Casualty and Holby City actress crashed her car into a nurse while under the influence of cocaine shortly after 10 a.m., a court heard. Amanda Mealing, known for playing surgeon Connie Beauchamp in the TV dramas, veered across the A1175 near Stamford, Lincolnshire, in January last year.

Her Mini Cooper collided with the vehicle of Mark Le Sage, a nurse and district councillor who was on his way to work, Boston Magistrates’ Court was told on Friday. Mr. Le Sage sustained serious injuries in the crash, while Mealing suffered a head wound, a broken wrist, and a fractured collarbone. Appearing in court under her married name, Amanda Sainsbury, she admitted to driving without due care and attention while under the influence of cocaine.

She was banned from driving for 22 months and fined £485. The court heard that Mealing had nearly five times the legal limit of benzoylecgonine, a substance produced when the body metabolizes cocaine, in her system—240 micrograms per litre of blood, compared to the legal limit of 50 micrograms.

She also had 18 micrograms of cocaine in her blood, nearly double the legal limit of 10 micrograms. Experts concluded that there was no medical evidence she was unconscious at the time of the accident and the court noted that there was no need for a compensation order as this was a matter for insurance companies.

Sugar stays sweet with the Beeb

Lord Alan Sugar has signed a three-year deal with the BBC to stay on The Apprentice. The news came from an interview with the Beeb’s Amol Rajan BBC News note ‘The billionaire was already contracted to do the 20th series of the show next year, but says he has signed to do three more series, taking him into his 80s.’

Speaking to Rajan, Sugar notes: “Listen, when I took the job on of The Apprentice, I was already a multi-millionaire. I didn’t do it for the money.”

BBC News report, ‘Known for his cantankerous, no-nonsense business dealings and his “you’re fired/hired” catchphrase, Lord Sugar insists his on-screen persona is how he is in real life. “That is me mate, I’m promising you,” he tells Rajan in the BBC Two interview.’

Street life

Former Dinnerladies and Coronation Street performer Shobna Gulati has shared that they identify as non-binary. Now I’m not entirely sure what it means, but let’s face it as long as Shobna is happy that is all that matters.

Speaking on a podcast the non-binary Gulati revealed that they only recently discovered a term that accurately describes feelings they have had throughout their life. Speaking with Kaye Adams on the How to be 60 podcast, Shobna, 58, explained: “I’ve become more comfortable describing myself as a person. What do people call it now? Non-binary. So, I suppose that’s who I am.”

The television and theatre regular, continued: ‘I’ve never had a word for it, but I’ve learnt from our younger generation what that might look like in terms of a word, because I know what it feels like in terms of being me.’ 

‘All the way through my life I’ve never had the words for that and I’ve never managed to explain that and I suppose my immediate family have not really thought about it. 

‘They’ve just thought: ‘Shobna is either extremely feminine or extremely masculine.’ Because I was just accepted as a person who fell out of the tree and equally the person who put on all this make up and did a dance.’

And before we go we must pay our respects to Eddie Jordan, the flamboyant former Formula 1 team owner and television pundit, who died aged 76.

Also passing away aged 76 was American Boxing heavyweight legend George Foreman who no doubt the ‘yoof’ of today know more for his kitchen appliances.

Andy Peebles, the radio presenter who was the last person to interview Beatle John Lennon before he was shot in 1980, also died aged 76. As well as BBC Radio 1 Andy also worked for stations such as Smooth Radio and BBC North where he fronted a late-night programme over several local Beeb stations.

It’s farewell Showbiz 5 as from next week we’ll be doing exactly the same just as Showbiz Today – so we can sometimes squeeze in a little more than the five lowlights from the week gone by.

The views expressed are of Penelope Teeth and not ATV Today. Penelope Teeth, Judi Dentures and Joanna Gumley are ATV’s exclusive showbiz drag queens with bite.