The recurring game sees Ant and Dec giving different celebrity guests an earpiece and feeding them silly lines and commands while they chat to unwitting members of the public.
This week, it was Strictly Come Dancing favourite Craig’s turn to embarrass himself, as he chatted to three prospective wedding planners about his upcoming nuptials.
However, at Ant and Dec’s request, he actually spent his time with them jumping out from behind a sofa, doing a dramatic reading of the Home & Away lyrics and smashing an “antique” vase (only to then blame it on one of the wedding planners).
Adding to the ridiculousness of the scene was the fact that Craig appeared to be having a bit of trouble understanding Ant and Dec in his earpiece, leading to him claiming to one of the wedding planners that his friend invented “fidget smithers” and another that his pet hamster “sneezed and turned himself into a rat”.
And the less said about his didgeridoo playing the better…
Despite Craig’s occasional faux pas, the scene went down a storm with Saturday Night Takeway viewers, who were left howling as the prank played out:
Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway continues (surprisingly enough) on Saturday night at 7pm on ITV.
As Trigger Point nears its climactic finale, the ITV drama served up more explosive action on Sunday night, as far-right terrorist group The Crusaders continued their series of co-ordinated attacks.
With another device planted at a London university, it was confirmed that EXPO John Hudson was indeed a a member of the terror cell.
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However, after he managed to evade capture, the capital faced its biggest threat of the series, as Lana and the team uncovered a plan to blow up a street of houses near the Progressive Alliance HQ.
Ahead of next week’s final episode, these are the questions we have been left asking…
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Is there more to Karl?
At the moment, Karl seems like a nice guy, with no reason to be suspicious of, which is now starting to make us suspicious of him.
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In a pre-series interview, actor Warren Brown said that “further down the line [Karl] might reveal what some of his demons are”, but we’re now at the finale and we’re yet to see any demons, suggesting they are about to come out in the final episode. Could he be part of The Crusaders? More on that in a bit…
How did the police not find anything on John?
While we had our doubts that Youngblood had actually shared Lana’s suspicions about John with any of his police colleagues, it appears he did, as during a debrief it was confirmed that the EXPO had been under investigation, but it had turned up no evidence.
Is this because evidence was covered up by someone? Youngblood perhaps?
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Where was the address in Brixton Billy visited before his death?
In the days before his death, police found out that Billy was living with his friend Tommy Marshall in Streatham, before he then spent an hour at an unknown address in Brixton before setting off to Farringdon, where the bomb plot was revealed.
Who was it he visited? Was it just Frank Walsh, or was it someone else?
Are Lana’s lies to the police going to come back to bite her?
During her interview about Billy’s death, Lana told two lies – that she was with Danny and Mark in the pool hall, when she was actually with Karl; and that Billy hadn’t displayed any far-right behaviour, despite his attack on a Halal butchers.
Youngblood has already confronted Lana after checking duty logs that confirmed Danny and Mark were not with her, so other officers could surely find this out for themselves.
If it does come out that she’d lied about actually being with Karl and he is a member of The Crusaders, it is not a good look – neither is lying about her brother’s racist attack.
Could she end up being implicated?
Who text John before he detonated the bomb?
Prior to setting off the bomb in the university, which was hosting a radio broadcast about an upcoming by-election where candidates for a Progressive Alliance were in attendance, John received a text message, seemingly instructing him to make the call to detonate.
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The person who sent it must have been someone who knew that Frank Walsh was unable to do so, having been shot by police, which suggests it was a police officer or fellow EXPO.
The possibility that John was receiving instructions also suggests he is perhaps not the overarching mastermind behind the attacks – so who is?
Just how many more people are involved?
The police originally thought they were just looking for a third man – the bomb maker – in The Crusaders, but this episode unmasked both John and Frank Walsh, indicating there are many more members of the cell the force haven’t considered. After all, John also must have had some help changing all the gas metres in the street for the far-right group’s latest attack.
Could one of them be someone Lana served with in Afghan?
While Sonia managed to get hold of the confidential file on HMX319 file from Porton Down, it had been wiped (which could be standard precise or suggest someone is trying to cover their tracks), but she was able to tell that the explosive was originally authorised for use in Afghanistan.
Given that we also knew that the explosive was older than 10 years old, it suggests that perhaps it was obtained by someone serving in Afghan around that time.
We know that Karl served in the military and knew Lana and Nut from a long time ago, suggesting he too might have done tours in Afghan. Just saying…
What is the significance of 1912?
Some parts of the device used in the university attack were recovered and revealed that the number 1912 was written inside – this is the same number that was written in the airing cupboard where the device was wired in Andy Phelan’s flat at the West Haven estate.
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It’s now clear the bombers are trying to send a message, but what is it?
If you were in any doubt about John’s guilt after what was found in his locker at the end of last week’s Trigger Point, the latest episode seemed to cement his involvement with The Crusaders.
Sunday’s instalment of the explosive ITV drama saw Lana discover John didn’t turn up for work on the day of the Five Oaks attack, before she then saw him seemingly eying up the far-right group’s next target. In a tragic turn of events for Lana, her brother Billy was then killed as he was used as an unwitting suicide bomber, as apparent revenge for a showdown she’d had with John at the police station.
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With The Crusaders still at large and suspicions about one particular police officer growing ever bigger, here’s the questions we’ve been left asking this week…
What’s the hold up on the checks into HMX319?
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Yep, we’re still waiting on the report from Porton Down on the chemical composition used by the bombers.
The current working theory is that some of the explosives made their way onto the dark web, with traces also suggesting they are about 10 years old.
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But we’re yet to get any sort of confirmation on that as Porton Down appear to be taking their sweet time on getting back to Youngblood. That is, of course, if he has even requested the information in the first place. After all, we’ve had our suspicions about him for a few weeks now…
Who was watching Lana at the crime scene?
When Lana attended the scene of the burnt-out car one of the terrorists had blown up, there was a camera shot that suggested Lana was being covertly watched. Who was it?
Why would the bombers chose to advertise so clearly that they had military training?
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Hamilton made a valid point about the way the bombs were wired so professionally. While Lana said it would have been just second nature to someone with military training and that the bombers wouldn’t expect EXPOs to check the wiring as the circuit would be damaged in any blasts, that is a big bet for them to take, especially if a device isn’t detonated.
Is John really under surveillance?
After Lana followed John out of their workplace, where she saw him appearing to eye up his next target, she was intercepted by Youngblood, who told her off for following someone who was already under police surveillance. He then refused to offer more details, saying he “couldn’t talk about an on-going investigation”.
Given our suspicions about Youngblood, we can’t help but think that this might be a lie and he hasn’t actually done anything with the information Lana gave him, because he is in on it.
Why isn’t Lana doing more to stop John?
She’s managed to unearth all this evidence against John, and while it might be inadmissible because of the way it was obtained, she’s only told one person (who is also of questionable character). Surely you would be telling anyone with any authority if there was a credible risk to life with further attacks?
Admittedly, she told Hamilton that John was the one they should be watching, but she really needs to give her the receipts so she can take what Lana is saying credibly.
How will John be caught?
With Billy now dead, will Lana share her suspicions about him with more people? And will he be caught before another attack?
Is Lana in danger?
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The terrorists have already killed her brother – could she face a similar fate because of what she knows?
We all remember the likes of Absolutely Fabulous, SM:TV Live, Blind Date, but there’s been a whole host of other shows from back in the 90s that have been consigned to the TV vaults.
As HuffPost continues its celebration of old-school televisual treats in our series Rewind To The 90s, we’re raiding the archives to uncover a host of programmed you’d likely forgotten all about… until now.
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1. Man O Man
Man O Man turned the concept of a beauty pageant on its head and featured a host of male contestants, with a female audience voting on the winner after they were put through various challenges. It memorably saw losing contestants pushed into a swimming pool behind them.
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Based on the German gameshow of the same name, Man O Man was hosted by Chris Tarrant and aired for two series between 1996 and 1999.
2. Don’t Try This At Home
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After learning her craft as a presenter with roles on MTV and a number of late night shows, Davina arrived on prime time with her own Saturday night series, Don’t Try This At Home, in 1998.
It saw members of the public facing tough and extreme challenges, such as bungee jumping, or facing their fears by being locked in a room full of spiders.
One episode saw Davina have to bungee jump from a helicopter into the Grand Canyon after one contestant pulled out of a challenge at the last minute.
3. Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
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Patrica Routledge is beloved for her role as snobby neighbourhood busybody Hyacinth Bucket in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. But after leaving the show in 1995 at the height of its popularity, Patricia said she wanted to pursue other more dramatic roles – the first of which came a year later when she began playing the titular character in detective series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
Airing for four series between 1996 and 1998, viewers followed Hetty – a retired woman from the North West of England – solving crimes that were often seen as too trivial for the police.
4. Ground Force
Coming off the success of home renovation series Changing Rooms was its horticultural counterpart Ground Force.
Each week a team of designers, builders and gardeners, headed up by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Jones would transform an unloved garden, sparking a national obsession with decking and pebble bubble fountains.
5. The Thin Blue Line
The 90s was a golden era for British comedy, with shows like Absolutely Fabulous, Keeping Up Appearances, Desmond’s, Dinnerladies, Men Behaving Badly and The Vicar Of Dibley among the most notable.
One that is often less well remembered is The Thin Blue line – a sitcom penned by Ben Elton set in a police station.
Starring Mr Bean himself Rowan Atkinson and Rudolph Walker (aka EastEnders’ Patrick Truman), it focused on the divide between the uniformed squad and CID and their conflicting approaches to policing.
Only 14 episodes were made across two series between 1995 and 1996.
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6. Sunburn
Sunburn was a BBC drama that followed the lives of a group of British holiday reps working in the Algarve, starring Michelle Collins, Sharon Small, Sean Maguire and Paul Nicholas.
The idea for the show, which ran for two series between 1999 and 2000 – came about after writer Mike Bullen (the man behind Cold Feet) watched the docu-soap Holiday Reps.
7. The Grimleys
This comedy drama followed the trials and tribulations of the everyday Grimley family, based in the Midlands in the 1970s.
Written by Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, it also starred Amanda Holden in one of her early dramatic roles, where she played school teacher, Miss Geraldine Titley.
After a pilot in 1997, it ran for three series between 1999 and 2001.
8. The Cruise
Following the success of the BBC’s fly-on-the-wall documentary series Airport, the broadcaster set its sight on the seas, and launched The Cruise, which followed the staff aboard the luxury liner Galaxy.
It was also the show that launched the TV career of Loose Women legend and cruiser extraordinaire Jane McDonald.
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Jane was working as a singer on board and captured the nation’s hearts with her down to earth sense of humour and blossoming relationship with partner Henrik, who she went on to marry on the show, which aired for 12 episodes in 1998.
One of the key shows in Channel 5’s early years was House Doctor – a home renovation series with a twist.
Each episode would see Californian real-estate stylist Ann Maurice come to the rescue of people struggling to sell their homes, helping them to declutter and redecorate on a budget in order to attract potential buyers.
Having originally aired between 1998 and 2003, there was a brief revival in 2016, where Ann was succeeded by new designer Tracy Metro.
10. Peak Practice
Peak Practice was an ITV drama that ran from 1993 to 2002 which was set in a fictional GP surgery in the Peak District.
Kevin Whately, Amanda Burton and Sarah Parish were among those who appeared during the course of its 12 series.
The show ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger when it was axed by ITV, with two characters going over the edge of a cliff, with their fate remaining unclear.
11. Talking Telephone Numbers
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This ITV game show gave viewers the chance to win cash based on their telephone number.
During the course of each episode, various variety acts would perform and play a short game that would generate a number. Once five digits were selected, viewers who had them in their phone number could call into one of the show’s 96 telephonists. A phone line would then be picked at random, and that person given the chance to win £25,000.
The show was presented by Phillip Schofield between 1994 and 1997, with Emma Forbes joining him for the first four series, and Claudia Winkleman co-hosting the final run with him.
12. The Frank Skinner Show
Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross make up the majority of hosts on the chat show circuit these days, but back in the 90s, they had company from the likes of Michael Parkinson, Mrs Merton, Des O’Connor and Frank Skinner.
You might have forgotten that Frank hosted an eponymous late-night show for the BBC between 1995 and 1999, before moving to ITV for its final six years.
As well as celebrity chat, the show also used to feature a stand-up routine, sketches and a comedy song.
Graham Norton’s quick wit got the better of Adele after she made a claim during her appearance on his chat show on Friday night.
Graham had been chatting to musical guest George Ezra, who struggled to tell the host when his live shows were coming up.
Reassuring him, Graham said: “No artist ever knows when anything’s happening.”
Adele chipped in, saying: “I always know when something’s happening,” before Graham quickly retorted: “You don’t know when Vegas is happening!”
The Easy On Me singer burst into laughter, admitting: “That was very good… that was very quick.”
Although she has yet to set a date, she insisted her string of residency shows will “100%” be happening before the year is out.
Asked about what happened in Vegas during an appearance she said: “I tried my hardest and really thought I would be able to pull something together in time.
“I regret that I kept going until that late in the day. It would have been a really half-arsed show and I can’t do that. People will see straight through me up on the stage and know I didn’t want to be doing it. I’ve never done anything like that in my life and I’m not going to start now.”
The Rachel Green actor celebrated her 53rd birthday on Friday, with a number of her famous pals sharing messages on social media.
Courteney, who played Monica Geller on Friends, was among them as she posted a picture of her and Jennifer she’d found placed on the set of their old apartment during the filming of the recent reunion special.
Sharing it on her Instagram Story, Courteney wrote: “Happy Birthday @jenniferaniston. I found this picture in our apartment on set.
“It was the first year we became friends. I loved you then and I love you even more now.”
Among the other stars wishing Jen a Happy Birthday online was her The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon, who praised her friend’s “love of life, humour and endless positivity”.
She wrote: “When I think of Jen and all the wonderful adventures we have had together, I just smile.
“Knowing that @JenniferAniston is in the world makes me happy!
“Her love of life, her humour, and her endless positivity are such a gift. Let’s all wish Jen Happy Birthday.”
US TV show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a compilation video of Jennifer on her show, writing: “Happy birthday to a true day one.”
We’re used to people using shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent to launch themselves into the spotlight – but what you might not realise is that plenty of household names made their TV debuts in a very different way.
Long before shows like Cutting It, Wild At Heart and Britain’s Got Talent came calling, Mandy made her TV debut when Cilla Black tried to find her a match on Blind Date.
During her 1991 appearance on the show, Amanda introduced herself as a drama student who loved singing the blues as well as classics like Knees Up Mother Brown (??), as well as confessing her ultimate celeb crush was Jack Nicholson.
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Sadly, though, it wasn’t to be, with the future BGT star going home without a date… which her potential suitor seemed more than a bit gutted about when he clapped eyes on her for the first time.
But Mandy isn’t the only member of the BGT panel with a surprising game show appearance near the top of her CV.
Simon Cowell’s very first TV appearance was as a contestant on Sale Of The Century, two years before his eventual co-star’s stint on Blind Date.
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He may be best known now for his business decisions, but his time on Sale Of The Century ended in him leaving with 20 quid’s worth of cooking utensils. We wonder when the last time he picked them up was…
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Olly Murs’ optimism came back to bite him somewhat when he was a contestant on Deal Or No Deal, during which he turned down an offer of £26,000 and ended up pocketing just a tenner.
The future chart-topper appeared on the Channel 4 game show two years before shooting to fame on The X Factor, and after becoming a household name, he was invited back to compete in a celebrity special.
Unfortunately, he fared even worse second time around, ending up with just 50p. To make it up to his chosen charity, Olly pledged to donate £5000 of his own money.
We know him best as a member of JLS, who became one of The X Factor’s most successful acts ever in 2007, but Aston has actually been singing on screen for a lot longer than that.
As a teenager, he appeared on Stars In Their Eyes Kids, telling host Matthew Kelly: “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Michael Jackson.”
He performed a cover of The Jackson 5’s Rockin’ Robin, ultimately finishing in second place.
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And speaking of celebs who appeared on TV classics as teenagers, let’s talk about Michael Underwood, who was a contestant on a kids’ special of The Crystal Maze when he was 15.
The presenter was the first of the young contestants to take on a challenge, but failed to win his team any crystals in either of the physical or skill-based tasks he took on.
Michael’s presenting career began almost a decade later, when he began hosting the dream-fulfilment show Whatever You Want.
Minus his trademark beard, Joe Wicks suffered a very stressful blunder when his buzzer appeared to not be working, leaving him rather vexed, as you can see in the video above.
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Just four years before The Office would achieve huge success, Stephen Merchant was a contestant on Blockbusters back in 1997.
Despite getting off to a good start, it wasn’t ultimately a strong showing for the comedy writer and actor, finishing with 15 points to his opponents’ 50.
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Another comedy star with a previous game show appearance in their past is Taskmaster favourite Alex Horne.
Alex did a great job on Countdown, winning three consecutive shows in 2008 during Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman’s tenure, before he was eventually bested.
Having gone on to become a popular comic, Alex has returned to Countdown several times, appearing as a guest in Dictionary Corner as well as a panellist on the show’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats specials.
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","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrD_6wApzIg","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Who Wants to be a Millionaire Mark Labbett (The Beast) 29th April 2006","author":"Ben Crowl | The Home Of Millionaire","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwcOkjonY5As8aEiL3uEZA","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"On this episode of WWTBAM, we see Mark Labbett AKA The Beast from ITV’s The Chase, return to take on the Millionaire computer and it’s cash for questions.\nHow will he get on…. you’ll have to watch to find out!\n\nIf you are enjoying my videos, please Like, Comment and Subscribe for more.\n\nSocial Media:\nFacebook: BenCrowlWWTBAM","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jrD_6wApzIg/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"18","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
Mark “The Beast” Labbett is one of the UK’s most famous quizzing experts, so it’s probably no great surprise that before finding fame on The Chase, he gave a few game shows a go, including Mastermind and Fifteen To One.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was perhaps his most successful attempt. Having failed to land in the hot seat when he played Fastest Finger First in 2005, Mark – who was then working as a supply teacher – returned a year later, leaving with an impressive £32,000.
Much later, he made an appearance on the rebooted version of the show in 2020, serving as Charlotte Church’s “phone a friend” during a celebrity special.
Her specialist subject was “The Life And Works Of Lorenz Hart”, the lyricist behind standards including Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, The Lady Is A Tramp and My Funny Valentine. Sadly, no clip exists of Anne in action, but enjoy this snap of her looking ever-so-80s in the Mastermind studio all the same.
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Then in his early 20s, comedian and actor Stephen Fry appeared as a contestant on University Challenge in 1980, representing Queen’s College, Cambridge.
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He’d later achieve huge success as a quiz show host, when he began presenting the hit panel show QI.
Miriam Margolyes – University Challenge
Another iconic Cambridge alum to compete on University Challenge was the always-outrageous Miriam Margolyes.
We say “always-outrageous” because Miriam has long claimed that this appearance on University Challenge was the first case of anyone saying the f-word on the BBC after struggling to contain her disappointment about a botched answer.
The moment itself was censored, though Miriam has insisted it was very much apparent what she was saying – though sadly a clip of the explicit outburst doesn’t appear to exist.
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Around the celebrations for Sir Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday, the BBC dug out this old clip of him competing on Blankety Blank, where he tried to match his answers to celebrity panellists like Freddie Starr, Ruth Madoc and Roy Kinnear.
He went out on the first round during a 1983 Christmas special – but at least he got to keep the iconic Blankety Blank cheque book and pen, eh?
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Deal Or No Deal worked a little differently in America, where contestants had briefcases opened by models, rather than boxes being unveiled by their fellow players.
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One such model was the future Duchess of Sussex, then an aspiring actor by the name of Meghan Markle. She would, of course, later achieve success as part of the cast of Suits, before her humanitarian work led her to meeting (and, indeed, marrying) Prince Harry.
Over the weekend, it emerged the Australian soap could be forced off air after 37 years, following Channel 5′s announcement it is to stop screening the show in the UK this summer.
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Unless another British network picks it up, Neighbours will finish filming in June, as the show is largely funded by its international broadcast partner.
Jackie and Alan – who have played Susan and Karl Kennedy since 1994 – revealed the cast are “very emotional” at the real possibility the soap could end this year, and said a “hero” is needed to save it from the axe.
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Cast and crew were called to a meeting at the show’s studios in Melbourne on Monday to discuss its future, where Jackie said everyone present was in tears.
They’ve been our Neighbours for 37 years, but we could soon be farewelling the residents of Ramsay Street after UK network Channel 5 announced it would no longer broadcast the show. Jackie Woodburne plays Susan Kennedy, and joins us.#TheProjectTVpic.twitter.com/vxihFqDGiZ
Appearing on The Project, she said: “It’s been a rollercoaster, absolutely, the last 24 hours or 36 hours, as you can imagine. Kind of a lot of information to try and process. I still feel a bit in shock, a bit overwhelmed.
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“We had a meeting today where our producers gave us some more information, really nothing more than what’s already been out there, but, look, I have to say, the feeling was one of… it was just, it was quite lovely.
“Everybody is sad. We’re all crying, we’re all very emotional about it all, but we’re all so determined to bring this show home as best we can.”
In a newsletter sent to fans, Alan said that the news had “come as a huge shock to a lot of people”.
“The show still has upwards of 1.5 million viewers in the UK on any given day and it seemed to be going strong,” he said, adding that “it seems that the axing of Neighbours is a financial decision”.
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He continued: “We need a hero and, maybe, one will come along. In the meantime we have at least seven months of fantastic Neighbours episodes to look forward to.”
If production does come to an end, Jackie said that “everyone wants to honour the show” and end it “with love and with pride and dignity”.
“Would you want to be a writer in that room trying to wind up a show after 38 years in a way that’s going to please everybody? I mean, no pressure at all!” she said.
Jackie added that it would be “awesome” if reports claiming Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan will return to the soap to see it off were true.
The pair found international fame as Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson in the 1980s, with their on-screen wedding drawing 20 million UK TV viewers in 1988.
Jason, whose daughter Jemma currently appears on the soap as Harlow Robinson, tweeted on Sunday: “Neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.
“Hoping that it will find a new home with another UK broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment.”
@neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.Hoping that it will find a new home with another U.K. broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment
Channel 5 has aired Neighbours in the UK since 2008, after poaching it from BBC One, where it had screened twice daily since 1986.
The network said the decision to drop Neighbours had been motivated by its “current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers”.
Neighbours has long been more popular in the UK than in Australia, where it airs to around 100,000 daily viewers on digital channel 10Peach, with Channel 5 heavily contributing to its production costs.
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Aussie network Ten said it is its “intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward”.
An email to staff from Fremantle Media executive producer Jason Herbison, seen by the Sydney Morning Herald, said that “discussions are ongoing, however there is no new broadcaster at the moment”.
He said that “production must end, effectively resting the show”, with filming set to wrap on 10 June, and the show remaining on air until August.
If you thought the clues on The Masked Singer had become harder over the last two series, there’s a reason for that.
Show bosses have revealed how they were forced to up their game on their cryptic pointers after too many people guessed Denise Van Outen’s identity in series one.
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The former Big Breakfast presenter performed as Fox back in 2020, but her identity was soon rumbled after a specific clue about Denise’s love of collecting teapots that returned plenty of Google results.
Speaking to Daily Star, Derek McLean, who works for production company Bandicoot, said coming up with the clues has been a “massive learning curve” since the show’s debut in the UK.
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“We thought it was a great clue and no one would pick up on it. Turns out if you Google ‘Denise Van Outen and teapots’ it’s there in loads of articles,” he said.
“It was a massive learning curve. Everything is findable. If you think you can Google the answer now, it’s not going to be there.
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“People might say our clues are tough but we love all the mad guessing.”
He added: “Everyone might want them to be like the quick crossword in The Times but what we are is the cryptic crossword in The Telegraph.”
Meanwhile, producer Dan Nettleton admitted that there are more identities of celebrities “out there” on social media than last year – but there’s also one that no-one seems to have yet cracked.
“People are miles away from guessing it,” he teased.
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Traffic Cone, Rockhopper, Robobunny, Panda, Mushroom, Firework and Doughnuts all remain in the competition, with the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Charlotte Church, Michelle Williams and Markus Feehily all rumoured to be behind those masks.
The Masked Singer continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV.
The indie rocker was revealed to be the performer behind Poodle on the surreal ITV show on Saturday night.
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Tom had found himself in the bottom two against fellow contestant Robobunny after performing Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
While Tom’s name had been circulating on social media over the last few weeks, none of the judging panel – made up of Davina McCall, Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan – were able to correctly guess his identity.
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Their guesses included singer Michael Bublé, footballer Peter Crouch and TV presenter Rylan Clark.
Tom described the panel’s guesses as “hopeless”, saying: “Amongst the guesses were Snoop Dogg, Grayson Perry and a vague suggestion that I simply must be a drag queen.
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“I was kind of flattered that they eventually got stuck on Mika, who’s a great singer and performer.
“I have to admit to being surprised that Jonathan didn’t have an inkling it was me, especially given that I must have been on his TV show several times over the years.”
After being unmasked, Tom revealed he had chosen to sing Unwritten because Keane had beaten Natasha to the 2005 Brit Award for best breakthrough act.
Tom rose to fame with Keane when they released their debut album Hopes And Fears in 2004, which reached number one.
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The band reached three further chart-topping albums, with their latest, Cause And Effect, reaching number two in 2019.
Their hits include Somewhere Only We Know, Bedshaped, Everybody’s Changing and Is It Any Wonder?
Tom said appearing on The Masked Singer had been “exhilarating, terrifying and confusing – it has been a total blast”.
He also explained his wife Natalie was the reason behind his choice of outfit.
“We love this show and she said that if you get offered this show, if you can be a Poodle, you have to do it. She loves Poodles more than human beings.”