News

As we continue to wait with bated breath for the fourth season of Netflix's Regency-era romance series, Bridgerton, a new update has arrived to assure us things are still on track for a potential 2026 premiere. The latest progress report comes from Lady Whistledown herself, Nicola Coughlan, with Luke Newton, who plays her on-screen crush-turned husband, Colin Bridgerton, confirming the same in separate interviews. Bridgerton Season 4 is set to adapt An Offer From a Gentleman, the third book in Julia Quinn's series of Bridgerton novels, which turns the spotlight on the second-oldest Bridgerton brother, Benedict (Luke Thompson), and his forbidden romance with a commoner, Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), whose presence is sure to ignite scandal and stir drama within the ton.

Both Coughlan and Newton recently graced the red carpet for the just-concluded BAFTA Awards ceremony, which they attended as nominees for Most Memorable Moment. Their steamy Season 3 carriage scene,...

Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC’s biggest TV entertainment show, has gone out in style in its 20th anniversary year, crowning blind comedian Chris McCausland this year’s champion after an emotional final.

The dance show – the BBC’s original show that paved the way for dozens of international versions (including the US’s Dancing with the Stars) – had had a chequered few months, weathering a string of controversies, with two professional dancers accused of abusive behaviour in rehearsals (both denied) and a group of new guidelines introduced to protect celebrities’ welfare.

What the show desperately needed were some positive headlines to sideline these bad stories, and that’s what it has enjoyed – with this series combining unprecedented standards of dancing, and an inspiring champion in blind comedian Chris McCausland.

For the first few weeks of this series, McCausland remained at the bottom of the leaderboard, saved regularly by the public’s vote.

ITV Heads For ‘The Summit’

UK network ITV has ordered a local version of Banijay’s adventure reality series The Summit and will launch. a local version in 2025. Shine TV, part of Banijay UK, will produce the show, in which 14 strangers from all walks of life attempt to clip the rugged Alps of New Zealand’s South Island. The winner gets a prize of £200,000. Another Banijay label, Endemol Shine Australia, created the original version for Nine Network. Ben Shepherd will host the British version, which comes after commissions in Europe and the U.S., where a CBS version launched in late September. Paul Mortimer, ITV Director of Reality Commissioning and Acquisitions, and Amanda Stavri, ITV Commissioning Editor, Reality, ordered the show, which Matt Bennett and Mandy Morris will executive-produce. Mortimer said: “Not only is this a huge and complex endurance test for the contestants, overseen by the wonderful Ben Shephard,...

Chris McCausland made an inspiring debut on Strictly Come Dancing, performing the Cha Cha with his professional partner, Dianne Buswell, to Twist and Shout by The Beatles. McCausland, who is blind, not only completed the routine with confidence but also pulled off impressive lifts and moves, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. Lead judge […]

Chris McCausland Stuns in Debut Cha Cha on Strictly Come Dancing...

Get ready for a week of brain-teasing fun as “Richard Osman’s House of Games” returns with Season 7 Episode 56, titled “Week 12.” Set to air at 6:30 Pm on Monday, January 1, 2024, on BBC Two, this episode promises a delightful showdown featuring celebrity contestants Dianne Buswell, Jenny Eclair, Adam Gemili, and Owain Wyn Evans.

In this special week, viewers can expect a daily dose of quiz excitement as the contestants engage in a series of challenging quiz rounds handpicked by the charismatic host himself, Richard Osman. With Dianne, Jenny, Adam, and Owain in the hot seat, it’s sure to be a week filled with laughter, competition, and unexpected twists. As quiz aficionados and newcomers alike gather around their screens, they’ll be treated to a unique blend of wit, strategy, and camaraderie, making “Week 12” a must-watch for fans of trivia and entertainment alike. So, mark your calendars and join the fun...

Kym Marsh will not compete in the next episode of Strictly Come Dancing after testing positive for Covid.

In a statement released by the BBC on Tuesday (22 November), the broadcaster announced that the former Coronation Street actor and her professional partner Graziano Di Prima will be absent from Saturday’s (26 November) show.

“Kym Marsh has tested positive for Covid-19,” the message begins. “As a result, Kym and Graziano will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend.

“Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, they will return the following week.”

A spokesperson confirmed to The Independent that the programme is set to continue as usual, meaning that one couple will still leave the competition after a public vote.

Including Marsh and Di Prima, there are seven couples remaining in the current season.

The most recent celebrity to leave the competition was Tyler West and his professional partner,...

Tyler West has become the eighth contestant to leave Strictly Come Dancing.

Saturday (19 November) night’s show saw the final eight couples compete on the Tower Ballroom stage as the dance competition returned to Blackpool for the first time in three years.

Fleur East topped the leaderboard with a perfect score of 40, but it was close at the top and in the middle, with three couples all receiving 35 points. You can see the full leaderboard here.

During Sunday (20 November) night’s results show, Tyler West and his partner Dianne Buswell and Molly Rainford and her partner Carlos Gu found themselves in the dance-off, having both scored 35.

After dancing again, the judges agreed that both couples had danced better in their second performances.

Craig Revel Horwood said: “Wow, both couples danced so much better, they really did. Tyler, incredible hips, this time round, amazing. Molly, lighter, brighter, much more precise. I...

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 is in full flow, with this year’s celebrity contestants continuing to battle it out to win the Glitter Ball trophy.

Saturday (19 November) night’s episode saw the competition really heating up as Strictly returned to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom for the first time since 2019.

With the eight remaining couples facing new challenges as they performed on the huge, sprung stage and were joined by backing dancers for their routines – much to the frustration of the viewers – the scores were high too.

Fleur East convinced Craig Revel Horwood to finally get his 10 paddle out as she scored the first perfect 40 of the series with her Couple’s Choice routine.

She was closely followed by Helen Skelton and Hamza Yassin, while Ellie Taylor is at the bottom of the leaderboard.

See all the scores below...

Week eight leaderboardFleur East and Vito Coppola (10+10+10+10) = 39Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez (9+10+10+10) = 39Hamza...

Tony Adams has addressed his exit from Strictly Come Dancing.

The former Arsenal football player and his professional partner Katya Jones became the seventh couple to leave the BBC reality competition after he made the decision to withdraw due to a hamstring injury.

The pair performed a jive on Saturday night (12 November), which landed them in the bottom two.

They were set to face Tyler West and Diane Buswell, but the Dance Off did not go ahead with presenter Tess Daley explaining that Adams had decided to withdraw “due to an injury sustained on Saturday night”.

Speaking alongside Jones on the Strictly spin off show It Takes Two, Adams said: "It’s been getting tough the past couple of weeks.

“I had a bit of a hammy last week, went out and danced, then on Thursday pointing my toe down, bit of retraction, that’s not done in football, you know,...

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 is in full flow, with this year’s celebrity contestants continuing to battle it out to win the Glitter Ball trophy.

The latest episode was broadcast on Saturday (12 November), and saw the competition really heating up.

During the episode, Tony Adams did some quite astonishing roly-polies, while Will Mellor danced for his late father and Fleur East made Motsi Mabuse cry with her Samba.

East topped the leaderboard this week with Adams sitting at the bottom.

See all the scores below...

Week eight leaderboardFleur East and Vito Coppola (9+10+10+10) = 39Will Mellor and Nancy Xu (9+10+10+9) = 38Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal (8+10+10+10) = 38Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu (9+9+10+9) = 37Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez (8+8+8+8) = 32Ellie Taylor and Johannes Radebe (7+8+8+8) = 31Tyler West and Dianne Buswell (6+8+8+9) = 31Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima (8+7+8+8) = 31Tony Adams and Katya Jones (4+6+7+7) = 24 Read More

Aaron Carter recalls bedroom incident with Michael Jackson in posthumous memoir

Emma Thompson says she was...

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 is in full flow, with this year’s celebrity contestants continuing to battle it out to win the Glitter Ball trophy.

The latest episode was broadcast on Saturday (5 November), and saw some favourites stumble for the first time.

During the episode, Ellie Taylor apologised to her professional partner Johannes Radebe after receiving “cruel” judges’ comments for their performance.

This week, Hamza Yassin, Kym Marsh and Helen Skelton impressed the judges, while Ellie Taylor and Tyler West were forced to deal with some harsh feedback.

See all the scores below...

Week six leaderboard

1. Hamza Yassin and Jowita PrzystaÅ.

2. Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima

3. Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez

4. Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu

5. Fleur East and Vito Coppola

6. Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin

7. Will Mellor and Nancy Xu

8. Tyler West and Dianne Buswell

9. Ellie Taylor and Johannes Radebe

10. Tony Adams and Katya Jones

Read More

Ian Hislop...

Strictly Come Dancing 2022 is in full flow, with this year’s celebrity contestants continuing to battle it out to win the Glitter Ball trophy.

The latest episode was broadcast on Saturday (5 November), and saw some favourites stumble for the first time.

During the episode, Ellie Taylor apologised to her professional partner Johannes Radebe after receiving “cruel” judges’ comments for their performance.

This week, Hamza Yassin, Kym Marsh and Helen Skelton impressed the judges, while Ellie Taylor and Tyler West were forced to deal with some harsh feedback.

See all the scores below...

Week six leaderboard

1. Hamza Yassin and Jowita PrzystaÅ.

2. Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima

3. Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez

4. Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu

5. Fleur East and Vito Coppola

6. Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin

7. Will Mellor and Nancy Xu

8. Tyler West and Dianne Buswell

9. Ellie Taylor and Johannes Radebe

10. Tony Adams and Katya Jones

Read More

Ian Hislop...

Strictly Come Dancing is set to pay tribute to the BBC’s 100 years this weekend.

The main show on Saturday (22 October) will see each couple dance to a theme tune to a BBC show, or a song heavily featured on the broadcast network.

This will mark the first time that Strictly has based its entire week’s theme on the corporation.

The episode will begin with a group number that will show the Strictly professionals and judges gate crash some of the BBC’s best-known shows.

With several of this year’s celebrity contenders being stars of BBC shows, this week’s theme will feature some of them dancing to the songs that have been a large part of their careers.

James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler in EastEnders, will dance the foxtrot with Amy Dowden to the soap’s theme tune.

Wildlife presenter and cameraman Hamza Yassin, who achieved...

Every year, Strictly Come Dancing returns to glitz up our Saturday nights... and every year, fans are treated to another movie special.

First introduced in 2014, Strictly’s Movie Week sees the contestants perform a selection of dances inspired by the biggest Hollywood blockbusters, with comedy, action and kids films all being given the Strictly treatment over the years.

But what makes for a really good Movie Week performance? Looking the part is obviously key, and you can always expect this theme to bring out some of the best hair, make-up and costumes that Strictly has to offer.

Ultimately, however, it’s the dancing being marked, with the best performances managing to show off the celebrity’s skill – something they often haven’t quite found yet, with Movie Week usually coming around the third week in the competition – while also featuring choreography that captures the essence of the films they’re paying tribute to.

Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens, with a new batch of contestants learning the art of ballroom dancing for the first time.

The BBC competition series returned on Saturday (24 September), with 15 celebrities hitting the dance floor with their pro partners for the first time.

It was a night of varying dance abilities, with Will Mellor and Hamza Yassin sharing the top spot on the leaderboard with an impressive 34 out of 40 marks each.

Tony Adams, meanwhile, is currently at the bottom end with just 15 poionts for his Arsenal-themed tango.

However, everything could still change during Saturday (1 October) night’s show, as the scores from last week will be added to the marks gained by the contestants for their second dances.

The new leaderboard will then be combined with the public votes, with the bottom two couples facing the dreaded dance off and the first couple leaving the competition.

Shirley Ballas found herself in “a bit of a muddle” during the first Strictly Come Dancing live show.

The new series kicked off on Saturday (24 September) as all 15 couples danced together for the first time.

You can find out about all the couples competing on Strictly 2022 here.

Second to dance were Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and his professional partner Dianne Buswell, who performed the American Smooth to “Falling” by Harry Styles.

The couple received a mixed reception from the judges, but were praised by head judge Ballas, who said that West “just put [Buswell] in the most beautiful space” and gave them a standing ovation.

She also said that the couple created a “beautiful” atmosphere.

When it came to the scoring, however, Ballas could be seen reaching around under her table for her paddle.

“I’m putting up a seven,” she said, despite the score on the screen read as a six.

Shirley Ballas found herself in “a bit of a muddle” during the first Strictly Come Dancing live show.

The new series kicked off on Saturday (24 September) as all 15 couples danced together for the first time.

You can find out about all the couples competing on Strictly 2022 here.

Second to dance were Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and his professional partner Dianne Buswell, who performed the American Smooth to “Falling” by Harry Styles.

The couple received a mixed reception from the judges, but were praised by head judge Ballas, who said that West “just put [Buswell] in the most beautiful space” and gave them a standing ovation.

She also said that the couple created a “beautiful” atmosphere.

When it came to the scoring, however, Ballas could be seen reaching around under her table for her paddle.

“I’m putting up a seven,” she said, despite the score on the screen read as a six.

The partnerships for Strictly Come Dancing 2022 have been revealed.

The reality competition series returned to our screens on Friday (23 September) night, with a launch show in which the celebrity contestants learnt which professional dancers they would be coupled up with.

The celebrities also performed together in a group number.

The first Strictly live show will take place on Saturday (24 September), with all 15 couples hitting the dance floor for their first routines.

Meet your Strictly Come Dancing couples below...

Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin

Paralympic medallist Ellie Simmonds will be dancing with Nikita Kuzmin. You can find out more about her here.

Kuzman made his Strictly debut in 2021, when he was partnered with Tilly Ramsay.

Asked by Tess Daley what it meant to represent people with dwarfism on Strictly, Simmonds said: “It means everything, to represent not just dwarfism but disability in general, for me to go out of my comfort...

The launch date for the 2022 season of Strictly Come Dancing has been postponed as part of the special programme schedule in place marking the royal mourning period.

Since the death of the Queen at the age of 96 on Thursday (8 September), the BBC has adhered to an altered broadcasting schedule.

On Tuesday (13 September), it was announced that the launch of the flagship dance competition would not go ahead on Saturday 17 September, as originally planned.

Now, the launch show (in which the celebrities are partnered with the professional dancers) will air on Friday 23 September. The first live show will air on Saturday 24 September.

“Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, special programming and news coverage continues,” reads an official message on the corporation’s website.

Other programmes affected include the final of Celebrity Masterchef, which will air on Thursday 22 September, and the launch of the Keeley Hawes-led drama, Crossfire,...

Strictly Come Dancing fans have been left buzzing with excitement after the official trailer for the new series was released.

The TV dance competition returns later this month, with 15 new celebrities learning how to dance with their professional partners and competing for the famed glitterball trophy.

You can meet the full class of Strictly 2022 here.

On Tuesday (6 September) evening, the first promotional trailer for the new series debuted on TV on BBC One.

It shows the professional dancers, including Dianne Buswell, Giovanni Pernice and Nancy Xu, dancing through quiet streets while a cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” plays.

The dancers are then shown performing an elaborate routine live in the studio.

The clip left fans delighted, with one Twitter user writing: “The trailer omg!! Strictly 2022 I’m so ready.”

“Stunning! The new #Strictly trailer is out,” another commented.

The trailer omg!! Strictly 2022 I’m so ready pic.twitter.

Every year, Strictly Come Dancing returns to glitz up our Saturday nights... and every year, fans are treated to another movie special.

First introduced in 2014, Strictly’s Movie Week sees the contestants perform a selection of dances inspired by the biggest Hollywood blockbusters, with comedy, action and kids films all being given the Strictly treatment over the years.

But what makes for a really good Movie Week performance? Looking the part is obviously key, and you can always expect this theme to bring out some of the best hair, make-up and costumes that Strictly has to offer.

Ultimately, however, it’s the dancing being marked, with the best performances managing to show off the celebrity’s skill – something they often haven’t quite found yet, with Movie Week usually coming around the third week in the competition – while also featuring choreography that captures the essence of the films they’re paying tribute to.

Spin-off

BBC Three series “Munya and Filly Get Chilly,” a spin-off from BBC One‘s “Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof” produced by Hungry Bear Media, is set to offer a light-hearted take on the challenges of the main show, which will follow a group of celebrities facing a test of mental strength under the guidance of extreme athlete Wim Hof. In the spin-off, presenters, comedy stars Munya and Filly, will immerse themselves in sub-zero temperatures and take on Hof’s challenges, from breathing exercises to ice baths and beyond. It will be filmed within the tented village that the celebrities are inhabiting, alongside the filming of the BBC One series, with behind-the-scenes content and exclusive access to the celebrities and hosts.

“Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof” will be fronted by Holly Willoughby and Lee Mack and celebrities participating include musical theater practitioner Alfie Boe, songwriter and soccer player Chelcee Grimes,...

Margravine Management, the digital talent management company formed by Og YouTubers Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee, has named Joshua Brandon its U.K. managing director. 

Brandon previously founded the music management consultancy Management 16, Deadline reports, and prior to that served as president of talent management firm Insanity Group North America and COO of marketing agency We Generate. 

Margravine is a joint venture between Sugg and Lee and global management company Img, and is named for the street in London where the two creators used to live together and collaborate on videos. The firm harnesses Sugg and Lee's experience to identify and develop emerging talent, including actor Byron Langley, model Chloe Hayward, pro dancer and YouTuber Dianne Buswell, TikTok comedian Kyron Hamilton, 15-year-old TikTok phenom Lola Clark, lifestyle vlogger Mark Ferris, and actor and presenter Rhys Stephenson.

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UK management firm Margravine Management, which focuses on digital and social media talent, has bolstered its senior team with the hire of Joshua Brandon as UK Managing Director.

Brandon was most recently founder of management consultancy company Management 16. He previously served as President of Insanity Group North America and COO of We Generate and specialises in business development and talent acquisitions.

Margravine is a joint venture between Img and digital talent vets Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee. The company reps clients including Byron Langley, Chloe Hayward, Dianne Buswell, Kyron Hamilton, Lola Clark, Mark Ferris and Rhys Stephenson.

Brandon said: “I have been watching Margravine from the side-lines for the past two years and I have been very impressed by their ambition and strategy. I am excited to now be part of that team and help with its growth, both in the UK and internationally”.

Lee added: “We are delighted that...

Joe Sugg, 26, is one of the stars taking part on the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing, but unlike many of the other stars — many older viewers will never have heard from him! Sugg, who has been paired with Australian dancer Dianne Buswell on the show, is a social media star, who has millions of followers on YouTube. He has dancing in his blood — revealing on Strictly Come Dancing that his grandmother was also a dancer, and used to take to the floor at Blackpool Tower. If you aren’t familiar with him, here’s five fast facts about Joe Sugg. […]

The post Joe Sugg: 5 fast facts about Strictly Come Dancing contestant appeared first on Monsters and Critics.