Showbiz Newswrap
Emmerdale farewells, Stop Strictly spoilers and Double Platt
…and lots more too…
GONE WITH THE WIND or GOIN’ IN THE WIND
The two ‘victims’ of the recent Emmerdale storm have spoken about their surprise exits.
Harriet, played by Katherine Dow Blyton, was squashed by a wind blown quad bike and Liv, played by Isobel Steele, was done in by a flying caravan.
Katherine Dow Blyton on her final scenes noted:
‘I got very emotional reading it. On the actual day I was covered in blood and I had various bits of woodland hanging out of my hair. We had these industrial wind machines which were literally blowing sand and debris into your eyes. So when it came to it, it wasn’t as emotional because the technicality of what you have to do takes away from the emotion so I managed to get through the day without sobbing. ‘
Speaking of how the episode was filmed, Katherine noted that her big exit wasn’t actually her final day at the ITV Yorkshire production in Leeds, however on her very last recording session at the studios she was given a big farwell.
‘On my last day I received flowers and lovely gifts and messages. I don’t think it will hit me that I’m not going back for a couple of weeks because it feels like I’m on a break but it will slowly hit me. I will very much miss playing her although I won’t miss wearing the police uniform… …I loved playing the vicar [originally] and the fact that she was flawed and she was a bit off the wall. She had a sense of humour and I loved the character.’
Isobel Steele spoke about her departure as Liv noting that she had first told the producers she wanted to leave in September 2021, making the decision not to be a long-running performer in a daily soap. She went on to note that she knew this last 12 months would be her last ever on Emmerdale.
Isobel Steele, speaking to The Mirror:
“I joined when I was 15. I knew I didn’t want to stay forever and at some point you must make that call. Last September it felt the right time to move on and I wanted to give the producers a year to come up with a great exit for Liv. As an actress, you take a risk deciding to go. And so, when they phoned me in April to tell me Liv was going to be killed in a storm, I had mixed feelings. I was excited because it meant I got to be in the 50th celebrations with a huge storyline, but equally I knew it meant I would never be coming back.”
NOT NICE TO LEAK IT, TO LEAK IT NOT NICE
Sir Bruce Forsyth’s apparent love-child Anton Du Beke, same chin, same chin my dear, has spoken out about the weekly leaks of the Strictly Come Dancing departures.
The Sunday results show originally aired live on Saturday nights meaning no one would know the latest celeb to leave the TV ballroom, however since the show became pre-recorded on a Saturday then screened on Sunday, the spoiler has been unleashed ever since. The only programme to mange to pre-record and not have any leaks thus far is ITV’s The Masked Singer/Dancer as the audience and potental gobshites are removed before the final reveals. Maybe the last two for the dance off should be filmed in a Strictly Confidential special elimination zone.. Anton may agree…
Speaking on ITV’s Loose Women, he noted:
“They call you a spoiler for a reason – because you’re a spoiler. Don’t do it… Try to stop spoiling it please because people don’t want to know.”
Spoilers have become a lucrative business with the world of the internet, long gone are the days of the TV Times or Radio Times where just a little hint of a soap plot was provided in the listings. And I can safely say my SoapWorld colleagues here at ATV Today curse those spoiler-leakers, as they’ve made the work of a soap writer twice as difficult with the TV companies being tighter with plot and picture information and embargo dates brought nearer transmission to attempt to stem leaks.
TALL ORDER
Richard Osman is a bit peeved over people mentioning how bloody tall he is. Yahoo! News reported that ‘The 6 foot 7″ TV presenter appeared on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast and revealed he doesn’t like comments about his frame.’
Ok… we won’t mention it then… next…
RIP
Actress, director and writer Josephine Melville died on October 20th backstage at The Nottingham Playhouse after performing in the production Nine Night at the theatre.
In a statement released by The Nottingham Playhouse it noted that Josephine died on Thursday after appearing on stage at the venue. They confirmed that the performer had been treated by paramedics and a medically qualified audience member but died at the scene.
In the 1980s she appeared in several episodes of BBC One soap EastEnders and went on to have other parts in shows such as Thames Television’s The Bill for ITV and BBC One’s medical saga Casualty along with several theatre roles.
Earlier this year appeared in the video for Ella Henderson’s single Brave.
SNEAKERS GIANT
Disruptive global online limited sneaker platform, The Edit LDN has today signed its first ever brand ambassador securing New York Giants Captain and free safety superstar, Xavier McKinney.
Launched in 2020, The Edit LDN is the brainchild of founder Moses Rashid who pursued his passion and obsession of sneakers to building a brand for like-minded, sneakerheads. Over the past 24 months, sales have grown 525% Year-on-Year during which The Edit LDN has since launched in Harrods, London. With the appointment of Xavier McKinney, the company is raising the bar even further as it expands in to the US.
Xavier Mckinney is, in his own right, a true disruptor and has become the ‘culture changer’ for the New York Giants organisation. Now in his 3rd season, 21 tackles in for the year alone, he is proving to be a force that can’t be stopped and will go on to achieve great things on and off the field. The Edit LDN and brand ambassador Xavier Mckinney share the same vision of fashion & creativity; ensuring one is able to showcase their true personality and ability to express themselves through fashion.
DOUBLE PLATTED
Coronation Street actor Jack P Shepherd this week was seeing double with the arrival of a David Platt waxwork introduced to the Coronation Street section of Madame Tussauds in Blackpool.
The Corrie part of the attraction has iconic characters dotted around a partial recreation of ‘the street’ and a fully operational Rovers Return Inn. Fans can have snaps taken with legends of the cobbles such as Bet Lynch, Jack and Vera Duckworth, Hilda Ogden and Ken and Diedre Barlow.
Jack P Shepherd has played the troubled David Platt – son of Gail and Martin – since 2000. Speaking to his social media following after the reveal of his doppelgänger he said, “I’m honoured to announce I’ve been made into a waxwork at Madame Tussauds! How mad is that!”
IN A RUSH
For many viewers the real star of Ron Howard’s 2013 film ‘Rush’ was the McLaren M23 and Silverstone Auctions is delighted to have one of the two M23 replicas built for the film on its own red carpet at the NEC Motor Show on November 12th for an estimate of £50,000 – £80,000.
For those who haven’t seen it, the 2013 film ‘Rush’ it was the story of the dramatic ups and down of the 1976 Formula One Championship. Peter Morgan, the film’s writer comments; “Set against the sexy, glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing in the 1970s, the film is based on the true story of a great sporting rivalry between handsome English playboy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Austrian driver Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl).
The story follows their distinctly-different personal styles on and off the track, their loves, and the astonishing 1976 season in which both drivers were willing to risk everything to become World Champion in a sport with no margin for error: Writer Peter Morgan comments: “If you make a mistake, you die”.
Two 1976 McLaren M23s were built as replicas to ensure the production team had drivable availability of a McLaren M23 on set and pro-drivers on standby. These were very clever replicas produced down to the finest detail and indistinguishable from the real car in the film scenes. Obviously not suitable for racing but, with a myriad of possibilities for promotion or just a fascinating addition to any collection one of those cars is now going up for sale.
A Spokesperson for the sale told ATV Today,
“Interested parties will be able to view the in car person from 10am on Friday the 11th November at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC, Birmingham (B40 1NT) . Silverstone Auctions will be providing two days of exciting live auctions at this event, with cars going under the hammer on Saturday 12th and Motorcycles and Automobilia on Sunday 13th.”
