This week’s top ten Showbiz stories are rounded up by ATV’s own drag queen, Penelope Teeth.
I hope you’ve had a happy jubilee weekend darls, and now to business…
10 Former Emmerdale regular Andy Devine – real name Peter – died in January after a fall a coroner has concluded. A statement released from Sefton Senior Coroner Julie Goulding noted: “He was unable to get up until his carers arrived to assist him which was about an hour later. Peter had a significant number of serious underlying clinical co-morbidities and notwithstanding all appropriate care and treatment, Peter’s condition deteriorated culminating in his death.”
Peter Devine, under his stage name Andy Devine, appeared in the ITV Yorkshire soap Emmerdale for over a decade as the filthy Shadrach Dingle.
9 Waris Hussein and Steven Moffat unveiled a blue plaque at Riverside Studios, London, where once the BBC produced the original sci-fi series Doctor Who. The marker is to honour pioneering producer Verity Lambert.
8 Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas revealed on social media they had welcomed their second child into the world, a baby girl. Awww. Hello Magazine noted, ‘sharing the news on Instagram, the proud parents confirmed the arrival of their daughter alongside a heartwarming picture.’
7 Everyone’s favourite granny, Dame Elton John, has said he’s not at death’s door. Elton told fans he is “in top health” following unflattering photographs of the Candle In The Wind singer sat in a wheelchair at Leipzig Airport in Germany. He’s currently on the road for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
“After another rousing 2.5 hour show, we arrived at Leipzig airport just before curfew, to find part of the airport had closed. It was an extremely long walk to get to the plane, so my team kindly laid on a wheelchair so I could rest my hip after doing the show. That’s all folks.” – Elton on social media
6 Name two things you hardly see – ScotRail trains and Martine McCutcheon on stage. But enough, the one time EastEnders regular has spoken about how she was addicted to coke. Now you might be thinking that’s a bold statement for the Perfect Moment howler to make, but Martine is talking about Diet Coke. She admitted to downing at least eight cans a day. Not exactly George Best style revelations is it…
5 Oh woe is me, oh woe. I’ve turned into Frankie Howerd as it’s time for a ‘poor me’ story. Yes, former EastEnders star Dean Gaffney has admitted drink-driving in court and put the blame for his dangerous road usage down to ‘being jobless during the pandemic and not able to find paying work.’ Dean was found to have 46mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35mcg. Well if you hadn’t got yourself sacked from the BBC dear…
4 Coronation Street legend Bill Roache appeared on Loose Women (Thursday 2nd June) to talk about his love for the royal family, and why, just like Her Royal Highness, he has no plans to slow down. Now aged 90, he talked about one of his eight encounters with Her Majesty over the years.
“The first time I was only 23, I was an officer in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Jamaica, and it was on her Caribbean tour that she did just after the Coronation. I carried the colours at her reception… and then we met her at the Governor’s house for lunch. I remember there were three of us talking to her, and chatting away about our regimental goat… She was very attractive. She was lovely.”
Bill talking about the Queen and not the goat.
3 Everyone’s favourite celebrity joke, the fake diva that is Gemma Collins hit the headlines once more for yet again falling on her arse. It seems to be the one thing she is really good at doing. Collins ‘dramatically hit the deck’ – as The Sun put it – during a Jubilee garden party.
2 BBC viewers, being very stupid, demanded the Beeb and Len Goodman apologise for a story he recalled of his nan in the 1950s, when times were very different. Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Len was talking to Kirsty Young on BBC One’s Jubilee coverage when he was asked about his own cooking. Noting he wasn’t very good and his wife usually cooks, he observed:
“My wife did Coronation chicken yesterday for our tea and I’ve never had it before. I’ve never had curry and curry powder, you know, my nan used to call it all “foreign muck” I was always worried about it, but I must say, it was ridiculous. It was really tasty.’
He notes in the comment his nan’s view was ‘ridiculous’ so really, what’s the problem? People talking about what views people used to have to be banned next? That’ll screw all those retrospective Channel 5 documentaries.
1 Queen’s Jubilee birthday honours saw names bestowed gongs in a special offering for the 70 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
“This historic Platinum Jubilee is not only a celebration of the monarch but of the qualities she possesses. The honours she confers this week reflect many of those qualities that have been invaluable from all different walks of life and to communities across the UK.
“I pay tribute to all of this year’s winners. Their stories of courage and compassion are an inspiration to us all. – Party lover, and sometimes PM, Boris Johnson
Joining The Queen with 70 years of public service are recipients Angela Redgrave, founder and Principal of the Bristol School of Dancing, who receives a BEM for services to Dance – and at 104 years old is the oldest person on the List – and 80 year old Patricia Anne Husselbee from Newport for her 64 years of service to the Royal British Legion.
There was also the usual range of celebrities including gongs for names such as Rio Ferdinand, Clare Balding and Helen Worth to name just a few.
