","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Netflix","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWOA1ZGywLbqmigxE4Qlvuw","cache_age":86400,"description":"For decades, we’ve relegated alien encounters to the realm of conspiracy, dismissing those who’ve seen the unexplainable. Now congressional hearings on UFOs bringing revelations from whistleblowers about clandestine Pentagon programs and major journalistic institutions confirm that…we are not alone.\n\nENCOUNTERS, executive produced by Amblin Television, Emmy-winning Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios, and directed by Yon Motskin (Generation Hustle), is a landmark four-part series that travels the globe to explore four extraordinary true stories of encounters with otherworldly phenomena. 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Released on Netflix at the end of last month, Encounters has quickly climbed its way up the streaming giant’s most watched list, becoming the latest non-fiction show viewers can’t stop talking about.
The docuseries details extraterrestrial – what’s the word – encounters over the last 50 years, and uses eyewitness accounts, interviews with experts and new evidence to uncover the world of what happens when life beyond the stars comes to live in your backyard.
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And be warned; not all of them come in peace.
Here’s what you need to know…
What is Encounters actually about?
A non-fiction docuseries, Encounters takes a case-per-episode approach to claims and reports of extraterrestrial occurrences, here on Earth.
The incidents in the series range from reports of submersible spacecraft off the coast of a small Welsh fishing village, to an encounter in rural Zimbabwe witnessed by an entire class of children and their teacher in 1994.
Another episode moves to the States to focus on a strange set of lights in the Texan sky in 2008, and the final instalment follows a similar claim in Fukushima, 2011.
Each episode interviews eye-witness accounts and experts to try and get to the bottom of what happened from these ‘true’ stories.
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Encounters is streaming on Netflix now
Courtesy of Netflix
Who appears in Encounters?
Because the series is a documentary, the cast doesn’t boast any of your favourite A-Listers. What it does boast, however, is a host of experts and fanatics dedicated to the incidents reported on.
Via Netflix’s TUDUM, here are the notable cast members:
Dr. Kevin Knuth, astrophysicist and former NASA research scientist
David Clarke, journalist
Tony Cowan, former RAF officer
Eric MacLeish, attorney
Matthew Roberts, naval intelligence cryptologist
Sara Vanden Berge, managing editor, Stephenville Empire-Tribune
Lee Roy Gaitan, a constable in Erath County, Texas
Robert Powell, nanotechnology engineer and co-founder of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies
Who made Encounters?
Encounters was directed by Yon Motksin, who has had a severe shakeup in the way he thinks about aliens since helming the doc.
“UFOs, UAPs, nonhuman intelligence, whatever we might call it… I didn’t before, but now I think it exists,” he told Netflix.
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“It’s out there. People are just now starting to accept it as something that’s acceptable to talk about.”
The four-episode series was executive produced by the Steven Spielberg-owned Amblin Television, Emmy-winning Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios.
Where can I watch Encounters?
The four part series Encounters is out now on Netflix.
What are viewers saying about Encounters?
While critics and viewers seem fairly split on the docuseries, the documentary has generated a lot of chatter.
Decider wrote that the series is “a relatively dull docuseries that won’t persuade you to change your mind about the source of the unexplained phenomena featured in the series, no matter what you believe about them.”
Little did we know when Love Is Blind first landed on our screens back in February 2020, that its concept of finding romance while in isolation would foreshadow the virtual dating trend that came about during lockdown.
Fast-forward three years, and the Netflix reality show is now one of the most popular dating formats on TV, with its fifth season having just launched on the streaming platform.
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As we celebrate its return – and look forward the forthcoming UK version that is currently in the works – here are 11 well-kept secrets that might come as a surprise to even the biggest Love Is Blind fans…
Who pays for those engagement rings?
Chris Coelen – who created and produced Love Is Blind – told Variety that when it comes to rings, male contestants are given a choice of “10 or 12 different styles and colours”.
When Jackie from season four decided to keep her ring, despite breaking off her engagement with Marshall, she wrote on her Instagram: “As for the ring, Marshall did not pay for the ring, Love Is Blind paid for all the rings.”
However, other contestants brought rings to the pods with them that were passed down from their families, such as season two’s Kyle, who gave Shaina his mother’s engagement ring.
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Season four’s Brett poses with his engagement ring
SCOTT GREEN/NETFLIX
How far in advance is the show filmed?
There is a lengthy period between when the show is filmed and when it airs.
For example, speaking on his YouTube channel about the show, Cameron from season one said viewers regularly came up to his parents asking “Are you worried that Lauren is going to say no [to his proposal]?”
He added: “But they were already at the wedding a year and a half ago when it was filmed.”
Do all the couples make it on TV?
No, they do not.
During season one, the production team was shocked by the amount of engagements that occurred, and had to scale back due to budget and time restraints. Unfortunately, this meant two couples who got engaged in the pods didn’t make it on TV (although it’s worth pointing out that neither of them are together now).
The same thing happened when the second season saw two couples getting together, only for their stories not to make it onto the screen. In this case, both couples split before making it to the altar.
How are people cast for Love Is Blind?
Lexie from season one told Cosmopolitan: “I was contacted on Instagram about this new Netflix show, and it came at a time when I was just really fed up of dating.”
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Meanwhile, Cameron from the same season, said: “Lauren and I did not apply for casting. Casting from Kinetic [Content] reached out to us for the show. For me, I got text messages.”
The stars of Love Is Blind season one
Is the show scripted?
Producer Chris Coelen has insisted the show is not scripted. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said: “As a producer, I was kind of nervous, like, is anybody actually gonna get engaged? Is anyone going to make it to the altar?”
Adding to this, season one’s Cameron said most of the conversations held on the show were spontaneous and organic, and that there were no scripts involved.
The only artificial thing he saw was when a producer held an iPad in the background urging him to ask a fellow contestant how his date went.
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“I don’t see that as a big deal, that’s a question I would have asked anyways,” Cameron added.
The boys debrief during season one of Love Is Blind
Are contestants banned from posting their relationship status online until the show is completely aired?
While the contestants are on the show, they are not allowed phone or computer access. After filming is wrapped, they all seem to keep their relationship status private online until the show is completely aired.
Chris told the LA Times that there isn’t a mandate in place prohibiting them from posting their relationship update or singleton status. However, they are suggested to hold off from sharing clues.
“People are going to do what they’re going to do. But I think generally people buy into the idea that this is something that they do not want to spoil for the audience,” he said.
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Are the pods soundproof?
In order to have private and romantic conversations, the pods are soundproof, and only the contestants on the dates can hear what is being said.
“Even if you’re yelling in one pod, you can’t hear it in another,” Chris told Netflix Tudum. He added, “They’re also each fitted with a glass roof and are tall enough — about 40 feet high — that contestants can look up and daydream.”
The Love Is Blind pods are completely soundproof, and fitted with glass ceilings
Are the weddings legally binding?
The weddings on Love is Blind are real so if they break up they would have to get a divorce. Chris told Bustle, “If they choose to get married, yes, it’s a legally binding marriage.”
Bliss and Zach on their Love Is Blind wedding day
SCOTT GREEN/NETFLIX
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How long are the contestants actually in the pods for?
The contestants only have 10 days to find their future partner in the pods. Usually, these dates last around 15 minutes at a time.
However, when sparks do start flying, they can range from around three to four hours, like they did for Cameron and Lauren. Typically the contestants go around 20 dates during their time in the pods.
Speaking with Netflix Tudum, Chris describes the period as “10 days of 24/7 intensive therapy”.
“They’re trying to identify every single thing that might be important to talk about before they choose to marry someone,” he added.
The pods are the most iconic part of any season of Love Is Blind
How long does it typically take them to get engaged?
Season one’s Cameron said he proposed to future wife Lauren in just nine days. However, he noted that Netflix made it seem like only four days.
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After couples are engaged, they then have 28 days to decide whether they want to tie the knot. Within this period, the lovebirds will go on a couples retreat, after which they are returned to the real world to see how they fit into each other’s lives.
Cameron pops the question during season one of Love Is Blind
Which couples are still together?
From season one, Lauren and Cameron are still going strong, as are Amber and Barnett. When it comes to season two, all couples parted ways in the end.
From season three, Alexa and Brennon are still coupled up, and so are Colleen and Matt. From season four, the most recent season, three couples are still married – Bliss and Zac, Kwame and Chelsea and Brett and Tiffany.
The first four episodes of Love Is Blind season five are available to watch on Netflix now.
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But the final season also welcomes a host of new characters to Moordale and beyond, including Dan Levy of Schitt’s Creek, Lisa McGrillis from Last Night In Soho and Doctor Who actor Thaddea Graham.
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The new season is set to follow Otis and Eric’s start at Cavendish Sixth Form College, which takes a “student-led approach” where kids are “popular for being… kind”, according to Netflix, after the closure of Moordale Secondary.
Stars that will not be returning, however, include Simone Ashley, who played Olivia, Patricia Allison and Tanya Reynolds who starred as couple Ola and Lily, and Rakhee Thakrar, who played teacher Emily Sands.
Explore the new cast and where you might know them from below…
Dan Levy
Dan Levy in Sex Education
Thomas Wood/Netflix
Season four sees Maeve (Emma Mackey) hop across the pond to study at an Ivy League college in the US. It’s there, at the prestigious Wallace University, that she’s tutored by cult author Laurie Nunn, played by Schitt’s Creek actor Dan Levy.
The British actor plays Jean Mulburn’s (Gillian Anderson) sister Joanna in season four of Sex Education. Her previous acting credits include Last Night In Soho, and TV shows Best Interests, Maternal, Somewhere Boy and Avoidance.
It’s likely her storyline will weave into Jean’s journey of being a mum again, after a paternity test revealed her boyfriend Jakob wasn’t actually the father of her newborn daughter.
Thaddea Graham
Thaddea Graham
Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
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The Northern Irish actress joins Sex Education as O, a rival sex therapist to Jean.
She played Bel in several episodes of Doctor Who, and has other credits in the TV mini series Redemption, The Irregulars, Us and Letter For The King.
Jodie Turner-Smith
Jodie Turner-Smith
Amy Sussman via Getty Images
Queen & Slim and Anne Boleyn actor Jodie Turner-Smith was personally invited to join the show by Ncuti Gatwa.
“First of all all my scenes were with Ncuti Gatwa who – I DIE for him – and he’s my favourite character on the show,” she said on the red carpet at the BAFTA Film Awards earlier this year (published in Variety).
“So when he called me and asked me to do it I was like, I don’t care how much they’re paying I’m doing.”
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We won’t spoil who Jodie’s character is, but she has a connection to Ncuti’s much-loved character, Eric.
Eshaan Akbar
Eshaan makes his on-screen TV debut in Sex Eduction as Principle Lakhani, having previously served as a voice actor on Spitting Image and featured in the 2021 short Sometime Else.
Marie Reuther
Marie Reuther
Andreas Rentz via Getty Images
Arriving in the role of Ellen for the new season of Sex Education, Danish actor Marie Reuther has previously starred in Dansegarderoben, The Kingdom and Kamikaze.
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They posted to Instagram during filming that it had been a “pinch me moment” for them to be joining the hit show.
Felix Mufti, Anthony Lexa, Alexandra James, Reda Elazouar, Bella Maclean and Imani Yahshua
A trio of three newcomers will also join the Sex Education universe – Felix Mufti, Anthony Lexa and Alexandra James – who will play members of Eric’snew clique named The Coven, made up of fellow LGBTQ+ students.
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Other new additions to the student cast include Reda Elazouar, Bella Maclean and Imani Yahshua.
You can recap on how season three ended and check out what to expect from the final season here.
Sex Education season four is streaming on Netflix now.
The actor is leaving his role as Tom “Rocky” Cotton after two years on the BBC soap, it was revealed this week.
However, in The Sun’s original article about Brian quitting the show, the tabloid reported that his decision came after a “row” with show bosses, who they claimed were now left having to change plans for storylines involving Rocky and a number of other characters.
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In a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday evening, Brian insisted this was not the case.
Setting the record straight, he explained: “You may have heard reports that I’m leaving EastEnders. It was a tough decision but it is true, I am going and I made it for many reasons, that decision.
“It is tough because they’re such a wonderful crowd, in front of the cameras and behind the cameras and I’ve loved my three years there. So that’s the truth in the reports.”
He continued: “There’s other parts of reports saying that I clashed with TV bosses and the crew. I didn’t clash with anyone. I didn’t have a rant. But they’ll probably report on this now that I’m ranting about ranting! But I’m not ranting!”
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He added: “I have gone with their blessings at the Beeb and I’m excited about the future and where it’s going to go. And I’m also excited about Rocky’s exit because I know it’s good. So I’m sending you much love – all EastEnders fans.”
An EastEnders spokesperson added: “We can confirm that Brian Conley will be leaving EastEnders.
“There is absolutely no truth in any claims of a feud with bosses and the show fully supports Brian in his decision to leave which was made some time ago. We wish him the best of luck for the future as we continue to work towards his exit storyline which has been in the works for some time.”
Brian with his on-screen wife Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
It was previously unclear as to what Brian’s exit could mean for the Christmas “whodunnit?”.
The 25 December episode was teased in a flash-forward episode earlier this year and saw an as-yet-unidentified male killed on in the Queen Vic on Christmas Day, with one of six female Albert Square residents seemingly responsible for his murder.
The BBC had previously said of Brian’s exit: “There are many rumours and theories circulating about whose body is under the Christmas tree but, to not spoil the drama for the audience, we will not be commenting on any speculation.”
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EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
It was a case of new term, new trim, as the presenter fronted the ITV breakfast show for the first time since July.
She was seen with a much shorter hairstyle after having several inches chopped off ahead of her return to the show.
Susanna’s co-host Ed Balls was quick to comment on her transformation as the show got underway on Monday, telling her he “loved her hair”.
“Thank you very much indeed,” she replied. “Yes, I’ve had a few inches chopped off. I feel a little lighter. Not quite sure what I’m doing after being off all summer.”
On Sunday night, Susanna previewed her new ’do on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Susanna is not the only ITV daytime presenter who returned to work after the summer break on Monday.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV1.
For a host of celebrities, the idea of learning a new skill, boosting your public profile and stepping out of your comfort zone is a huge draw when Strictly Come Dancing come calling.
However, not everyone finds the idea of the Strictly ballroom so irresistible.
Indeed, every year big names from the worlds of music, TV, sport and politics turn the BBC down flat. Here are 21 of those stars who gave Strictly the thumbs down, and their reasons for saying no…
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Gyles Brandreth
David Levenson via Getty Images
The Celebrity Gogglebox star and Countdown regular has spoken candidly about turning down Strictly down on multiple occasions, revealing there’s one major thing holding him back from saying yes.
The daytime favourite told HuffPost UK in 2022 that she’d been approached about signing up for Strictly Come Dancing several times, but had never been able to make it work with her schedule.
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“I love the show and so many of my mates have been on it and they’ve all loved it,” the Steph’s Packed Lunch host said. “If I do it, I want to totally commit to it and as things stand, it would be near on impossible. I would worry about my little girl and not seeing her for so long.
“It’s interesting because the very first time I was asked to do it was probably when I should have done it, but then I had a baby. I’ll always say never say never but I’d just want to give it my all if I ever do it.”
Piers Morgan
Dominic Lipinski via PA Wire/PA Images
The former Good Morning Britain host told The Sun in 2018 that he has no desire to “humiliate” himself on Strictly, despite the apparent vast amounts of money he claimed producers were willing to offer him.
“Dancing is not for me,” Piers explained. “They’ve offered me vast sums of money to go and humiliate myself on national TV.
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“But I prefer to do it with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in the privacy of my own home.”
Melanie C
JOCE/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images
However, Sporty Spice has a rather different experience of being offered a spot on the Strictly dance floor to Piers.
She claimed in 2016 that a major factor for her turning down Strictly “every year” was the fact that the money they offer is, in her words, “shit”.
“I have had a meeting with them – they ask me every year to do it,” she told the Daily Star. “The problem is if you do Strictly it’s so high profile and you’ll find yourself in the [Daily Mail’s] sidebar of shame every day. And the money’s shit!”
“It’s a wonderful show, it’s delightful. I wanted to [do it] at the beginning,” he explained, before cryptically adding: “And then the tone, it changed somewhat, and I thought…. yeah, I’ll pass.”
Dawn French
David M. Benett via Getty Images
On their podcast Titting Around, the Vicar Of Dibley star told comedy partner Jennifer Saunders she’d only be up for taking part on Strictly on one condition.
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“If I did it, I’d want to properly dance. I’d want to be taken seriously and you can’t. At this age, you’re not taken seriously,” she claimed.
“I want the nicest dresses, the most elegant other dancer and to take it seriously, and nobody would want that.”
Jennifer agreed: “We’re up for making people laugh. We’re not up to be laughed at, that’s the big difference.”
Dawn reiterated this point in 2022, telling Graham Norton on his talk show: “I might have been asked to do Strictly, but I fear I would be regarded as the funny one and made to do silly things.
“I take dancing seriously and I would like to do proper dancing.”
Alan Carr
Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
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Meanwhile, fellow comic Alan Carr had a rather x-rated concern that led to him saying no to Strictly.
He revealed on his podcast Life’s A Beach: “I get asked about what I think about same-sex dancing and I say no… I say no because I’d get a lob on if I dance with Aljaž [Škorjanec] or Gorka [Marquez].
“If I get on a bus, the vibrations make me hard. So doing the Argentine tango, forget it – that’s a sexy dance.”
He did agree with Dawn in a previous interview with Radio Times, though, insisting: “They always ask me to do Strictly and I say no because I want to be sexy doing the Argentine tango; I don’t want to be a joke.”
Nadiya Hussain
MelMedia via Getty Images
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Unlike fellow Bake Off winner John Whaite, Nadiya declined Strictly’s offer to learn to dance, as she simply loves the show too much.
“I got asked to do Strictly, but I said no,” she told The Guardian. “I love the idea, but have no rhythm and I enjoy watching it too much; once you see how a programme works from the inside, it changes how you see it. That’s why I can’t watch Bake Off like I used to.”
Mary Berry
Jeff Spicer via Getty Images
Nadiya’s pal, former Bake Off judge Mary, has also turned down multiple offers from Strictly.
“My husband and children would kill me!” she told Radio Times in 2016. “I have two left feet and would make a terrible fool of myself.”
Alan Titchmarsh
Samir Hussein via Getty Images
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Gardening expert Alan said he prefers a cosy night in front of the box to being on it these days.
“I’ve been asked to go on both Strictly and I’m A Celebrity and you won’t see me on either,” he insisted in 2021.
“I’m very flattered to have been asked, but all things considered, I’d rather sit down and watch Doc Martin, which my children call ‘old fogey television’. I’m happy to be an old fogey.”
Maya Jama
David M. Benett via Getty Images
Back in 2018, the Love Island host revealed she declined the opportunity to appear on Strictly as she felt she’d be one of the lesser-known contestants.
“I don’t think now is the right time, maybe later in life,” she told Good Morning Britain.
During 2020’s “pandemic” series, several celebs who’d previously turned Strictly down because they were too busy found themselves with a freer schedule, and therefore signed up.
Unlike many of the stars on this list, the Springwatch host got pretty far through the process of trying out for Strictly, only to change her mind when things started getting a little bit too real.
“My agent phoned me up to tell me Strictly wanted me to do the show,” she told The Mirror in 2017. “I hooted with laughter at the thought and then went back in to tell the Springwatch team what I had been asked to do. They looked at me and said ‘you have to do Strictly’. It started to make me wonder if I was being really stupid as it is such a great show.”
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Kate continued: “When we got to the meeting, the more talk there was of sequins, make-up and It Takes Two, the more I could feel myself pouring with sweat… I was literally about to have a panic attack at the thought of wearing make-up and dresses! My agent realised and gently put her hand on my knee as if to say ‘it’s OK, don’t worry’.”
Matt Willis
Mike Lewis Photography via Getty Images
The Busted star told OK! magazine in 2021 that he’d rebuffed Strictly every time they came knocking due to the “pressure” of being on live TV.
“The idea of Strictly terrifies me,” he admitted. “I’ve been asked a few times and always said no. Can you imagine standing there and suddenly you hear: ‘Tonight, dancing the cha-cha-cha, it’s Matt Willis!’
“You know something like 12 million people are watching – no thanks.”
However, it doesn’t sound like Matt had much choice in the matter.
His wife Emma Willis claimed in 2016: “He’s an amazing dancer… but I don’t want him grinding against hot women. I do get jealous, but I think that’s normal.”
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Noel Edmonds
Clive Mason via Getty Images
Meanwhile, it seems Noel also couldn’t shake the infamous Strictly “curse” from his mind when the BBC came knocking.
He previously claimed: “I have been asked to do Strictly. [Noel’s wife] is a fully-trained singer and dancer and a couple of years ago she said, ‘Why don’t we cheat? Why don’t we say you’re a novice and I’ll teach you before’.
“Then I think there was one of those curse moments and I said to her, ‘Are you comfortable with me spending five or six days a week with a half-naked woman draped all over me?’ And it’s funny how the conversation just changed.”
He added: “I would be a cross between Ann Widdecombe and John Sergeant. But in my head I’m Fred Astaire. I don’t know why, nothing works — it’s hopeless, so I’d never do it.”
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Diane Abbott
SOPA Images via Getty Images
When fellow MP Jacqui Smith signed up for the show in 2020, Diane Abbott admitted she’d also been approached in the past, but wasn’t interested.
“You’ll be surprised to know I’m not someone with natural rhythm and I didn’t want it exposed to millions of television viewers,” the Labour MP commented at the time.
Louis Walsh
Anthony Devlin via Getty Images
Back in the days when X Factor and Strictly were still considered TV rivals, long-serving judge Louis admitted that there was a time he came close to jumping ship, during one of his and Simon Cowell’s numerous spats.
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He told Heat magazine in 2007: “The funny thing was, the day before the call from The X Factor [asking him to return], I got a call to be a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing! I thought: ‘I’d love to do it, just to annoy Simon!’.”
Michelle Keegan
Neil Mockford via Getty Images
Undoubtedly one of the most-rumoured celebs in Strictly history, Michelle is named in the press as a potential contestant pretty much every single year, but has never actually made it into the ballroom yet.
“I have [been asked] a few times,” she told Jonathan Ross in 2021. “But for me, it’s the live audience… it’s a skill. It takes a lot of dedication and skill.
“[Mark Wright, Michelle’s husband] did it, like, five years ago. It’s the music before it happens and the audience is really quiet and the lights come on. My heart was in my mouth for him. I couldn’t be on the dance floor, I’d be too scared, too nervous.”
“I would love to do it, though,” he admitted. “Secretly, I’d love to do it. I’ve always wanted to dance.”
Noel Gallagher
Jim Dyson via Getty Images
This is a tough one to imagine, but the former Oasis star was contacted about taking part during what he described as his period of “not doing anything”.
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“It was just when Oasis split up and I didn’t do anything for like a couple of years,” he recalled to BBC Radio 6. “There’s obviously someone there going ‘You know what. He’ll be up for it now. He’ll be desperate now’.
“My manager called me up, saying I don’t really want to, legally, I have to inform you of this. Are you aware of Strictly Come Dancing?’. ‘Eeeeeeee, the phone goes’.”
Meghan Markle
Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty Images
OK, we’d probably take this one with a pinch of salt, but it was too good not to include anyway.
Unfortunately, she was still acting in Suits at the time, and her schedule – which required her to be in the US for nine months out of the year – meant she had to “reluctantly” decline.
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Strictly Come Dancing returns for its landmark 20th series in September.
Thanks to Deadpool, Free Guy and his ongoing stint as an unexpected (yet hugely successful) football club owner, Ryan Reynolds is something of a household name in the UK.
The Hollywood star’s career skyrocketed following his first outing as everyone’s favourite Marvel anti-hero in 2016, but the actor had 20 years’ worth of credits before donning Deadpool’s iconic red and black suit.
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From tiny TV appearances to under-rated comedies and movies that didn’t do quite so well (sorry, Ryan), here are nine of the star’s roles you’ve forgotten about…
Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Ryan Reynolds and Melissa Joan Hart in Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Heartthrob Harvey (played by Nate Richert) was the ultimate ’90s crush – but in a TV movie of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Mellisa Joan Hart’s character had two love interests to choose from.
Bosses made the 1996 film before deciding to commission a full series and it saw Harvey played by another actor (Tobias Mehler) while Ryan – complete with curly, ’90s curtains – starred as his love rival, Seth.
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Sabrina ultimately decided to dump him, leaving Harvey as the sole recipient of her affections in the series but it was a different story backstage, as Melissa has since admitted she had a huge crush on her co-star.
“[Ryan] was very sweet,” she said during an Australian TV interview in 2017. ”I had a boyfriend at the time, but we were smitten and cute, and he was adorable.
“He was a really, really nice guy. Probably would have been a great boyfriend, and I didn’t end up with the other guy, so maybe I should have taken a chance.”
The Sabrina TV movie is currently unavailable to stream, rent or buy online in the UK.
Family Guy
Ryan Reynolds in Family Guy
Fox Broadcasting Company
After being name-checked multiple times in Seth MacFarlane’s cartoon comedy series, Ryan finally made a cameo in the 2011 episode Stewie Goes for a Drive. The ep saw Ryan move in next door to the Griffins and develop a crush on dad Peter.
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Ryan also lent his voice to a 2011 episode Jesus, Mary And Joseph!, in which he played “overweight guy”, according to IMDb, before making another brief appearance as himself in 2017.
The actor is good pals with Family Guy creator Seth and also popped up in his 2012 movie Ted.
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Deadpool is far from Ryan’s first comic book adaptation and back in 2004, he joined the cast of the third instalment in the Blade franchise to play rogue vampire hunter, Hannibal King.
Blade: Trinity saw Wesley Snipes’ human-vampire hybrid join forces with Hannibal and his fellow hunters in a bid to defeat rival Danica Talos (Parker Posey) once and for all.
While the first movie in the series proved hugely popular and the second was seen as a fitting follow-up, the third didn’t match their success and has a dismal 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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You can stream Blade: Trinity with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Amityville Horror remake
Ryan Reynolds as George Lutz
Straight after wrapping on Blade, Ryan jetted to Wisconsin to start filming a remake of the 1979 horror flick.
Ryan and Mulholland Drive star Melissa George played George and Kathy Lutz, a couple who move into their dream home only to learn a mass murder took place there just a year before.
The couple and their children are soon plagued by paranormal activity and a number of eerie events during production spooked Ryan and his castmates.
Just days into filming, a body washed up on the lake where the set had been built and the real-life Kathy Lutz also died during production.
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Ryan also admitted he found the set – which was a real 1800s house that had been given a slight makeover – “terrifying and upsetting”, while noting another strange coincidence.
He told MovieWeb: “A lot of the crew were waking up at 3:15 in the morning which was when all these atrocities in the house took place each time. I think it was a subconscious thing. You read the script and suddenly pop awake at 3:15 in the morning.”
Unfortunately, Amityville Horror didn’t prove to be a hit either – and Ryan hasn’t taken a starring role in a horror film since.
You can rent or buy Amityville Horror via Amazon Prime.
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Ryan popped up in one 2003 episode of the hit medical comedy as Spence, an old friend of J.D (Zach Braff) and Christopher Turk (Donald Raison), who encouraged them to head out drinking instead of prioritising their work at Sacred Heart.
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At the time of filming, Ryan had a number of impressive TV credits under his belt but was yet to get his big breakthrough in the film world.
You can stream Scrubs as part of a Disney+ subscription or rent individual episodes via Amazon, Apple TV and YouTube.
Green Lantern
Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern
Warner Bros.
Another of Ryan’s previous forays into the superhero genre saw him star as Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is given powers and a place in the Green Lantern Corps intergalactic space force – but the movie wasn’t quite the hit that Deadpool is.
Unfortunately, it was universally panned upon its release in 2011 and poor box office takings soon saw plans for a sequel shelved by Warner Bros.
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In a very Ryan Reynolds move, the actor frequently makes self-deprecating quips about the movie and in Deadpool, his character begged for a superhero costume that wasn’t green.
Ryan once wasted no time in offering advice to a fan who was thinking about renting the movie:
Green Lantern is available to rent for $0.99 on Apple TV, it’s been 9 years… should I do it @VancityReynolds ?
There is one upside though: he met future wife Blake Lively on the movie’s set.
You can go against Ryan’s advice by streaming Green Lantern on Amazon Prime or renting it via Apple TV.
Hillside/Fifteen
Ryan Reynolds in Fifteen
Nickelodeon
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Yup, Ryan was a Nickelodeon kid.
Hillside (or Fifteen, as it was titled on its worldwide release) was Canada’s only teen soap opera in the 1990s.
Ryan starred as Billy Simpson – who became a bully as a way to mask his emotions following family problems and romantic rejections – in an impressive 18 episodes.
The role gave Ryan his first ever on-screen credit but he later revealed he “hated” the job.
“I hated it, I really did,” he said during a US talk show appearance. “I just did it to get out of the house.”
Ryan later worked in a warehouse and a restaurant before being persuaded to give acting another go.
Fifteen is currently unable to stream, rent or buy online in the UK.
Adventureland
Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart in Adventureland
Miramax Films
Despite its A-list cast, this coming-of-age comedy essentially flew under the radar upon its release in 2009.
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Set in the mid-80s, Adventureland sees The Social Network’s Jesse Einsenberg’s character fall in love with coworker Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart) during a stint working in a theme park but a love triangle develops between them and Mike Connell, played by Ryan.
Older than his co-workers, Mike is a married Adventureland employee who has been having an affair with teenager Em, and Ryan previously admitted feeling painfully aware of the age gap (he was 32 and Kristen was 18) during filming.
He told Collider: “I’ve never felt so old, yeah. Daily. God. It was a routine of humility. It was kind of cool. I like that aspect, too.
“Obviously, this guy is having a pretty inappropriate relationship with this very, very young girl but the spirit on the set really felt like where I was eight or nine years ago. It’s a pretty cool place to be now.”
Adventureland is currently available to stream on ITVX.
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The 1995 comedy sees two not-so-savvy teenagers (Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams) become inexplicably embroiled in the Watergate scandal. Yes, it’s as bizarre as it sounds.
In a brief appearance, Ryan plays Chip, the son of White House Chief of Staff H.R. Halderman, and writing in 2019, Screen Rant noted how Dick is an early indication of Ryan’s scene-stealing abilities.
“Reynolds doesn’t have a lot of screentime in Dick, but his nervous energy and fumbling for words make Chip both delightfully awkward and a little endearing,” they wrote.
But if you’re wondering what it took to bring the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age drama – which recently returned for its second series – to our screens, we’ve done some digging to find out the secrets from behind the scenes…
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1. Creator Alice Oseman said casting the show was a “really stressful process”
The cast of Heartstopper
Because she wanted to ensure the show was cast authentically to celebrate “all kinds of different queer experiences”, getting the right people to play Charlie, Nick and the other characters took its time.
“We wanted a trans actor to play Elle, we wanted the actors to be around the right age and obviously, there needs to be talented actors as well,” she told the PA news agency.
“So there were a lot of different factors, which made it a really stressful process, particularly trying to find authentic actors.
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“If we didn’t find the people we knew the show just wouldn’t work. But we were determined to do it anyway. And we were lucky. We found the perfect people.”
2. Joe Locke had never acted professionally before Heartstopper
Joe Locke as Charlie in Heartstopper
Netflix/Rob Youngson
Joe was cast as Charlie in the show after responding to an open casting call, to which 10,000 auditioned.
“You didn’t need an agent, you just sent in a self-tape,” he told This Morning. “I ended up getting the part and it was just all my dreams come true.”
3. However, he had no-one to celebrate his huge career news with due to Covid
He explained: “I was on my own in my house on the Isle of Man and it was during Covid last year. So I had to fly to London for an audition and then fly home and isolate on my own for two weeks in my house.
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“So I was on my own and my agent phoned me and told me I’d got the job and it was just me and my dog in the house. I screamed very loudly.”
4. Kit Connor originally tried out for the role of Charlie
Kit Connor as Nick in Heartstopper
Netflix/Rob Youngson
While Kit said he knew he didn’t fit Charlie’s physical description, he wanted to go for the role because he loved it so much.
He told Radio Times: “The audition tape they sent through was one of Charlie’s speeches where he’s really just at his most genuine, most stripped back point and it’s really beautifully written, and I thought, ‘I really want to do this.’
“I thought, ‘There’s no chance I’m going to get it,’ because physically there’s nothing about me that could fit this character. But then luckily there was Nick that I could sort of slot into quite well.”
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5. Kit’s casting as Nick initially caused some confusion among the make-up team
Speaking to Still Watching Netflix, Kit explained: “I’ve always had a baby face, a really bad baby face. When we got cast, they had my picture from when I was about 14/15 in the make-up room. Apparently, the whole make-up team was like, ‘I don’t think you cast the right person? He’s really young.’”
6. Stonewall were brought on board to support cast and crew
Netflix brought LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall on board to help advise and educate everyone involved in the project on topics such as queer history and pronouns, Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle, told Elle magazine.
“I already knew Heartstopper would be queer positive and celebrate chosen family, but I was so grateful of Stonewall’s involvement,” she added.
Yasmin Finney as Elle in Heartstopper
Jeffrey Ingold, the show’s LGBTQ+ consultant, said in a behind-the-scenes video interview for Netflix: “We can help give a more authentic view of the context in which the show is happening, so it doesn’t feel like a drama that is happening over here, it is based in the reality of what kids are going through.
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“We did a lot of conversation and training around what is happening in schools these days, so particularly for the cast, they could take that into the roles, and for the crew, they could also understand why this show matters and what it’s going to mean to the audience who watch it.”
Executive producer Patrick Walters added that Stonewall helped read through scripts and trained everyone on appropriate language and how to cultivate a safe space.
7. The director wanted as many people behind the cameras to be from the LGBTQ+ community too
In a behind-the-scenes video interview for Netflix, director Euros Lyn said: “You tell a story as a director, you are not by yourself, you’re really on a huge team of designers, photographers, make-up, hair – loads of people. And I wanted as many of those people as possible to be from the LGBTQ+ communities, so they could bring their experiences and identify the bits of the story that can only be from an LGBTQ perspective.”
8. The show is “a little bit different” to the comic
“I like to think of it in that the TV show is an expanded version of the comic,” Alice Oseman told Netflix in a video interview.
“The core story of the comic is very much in the show, we haven’t changed what is in the comic, we’ve just made the story bigger and we’ve made the world wider. Beyond Nick and Charlie’s story, we learn a lot more about Tao and Elle, Tara and Darcey and there are also new characters as well.”
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Alice Oseman (centre) with the Heartstopper cast
She continued: “The thing I’ve learned about adaptations is that something that works for one thing like a comic might not work for a TV show. So when developing Heartstopper as a TV show, we had to look at it from a TV perspective and how do we take this story and make it work on screen.”
9. Alice only tried to get Olivia Colman on a punt and was “shocked” when she said yes
Talking about casting the Oscar-winner as Nick’s mum, she told the PA news agency: “I was shocked. When we were discussing trying to get a big name to be Nick’s mum, I was literally like, there’s no way this is going to happen.
“This is the silliest idea ever and there’s literally not any point doing this. But we tried anyway and Olivia wanted to do it, and I just couldn’t believe it.
“There’s really no other way to say it, I was just shocked but so, so happy, because she’s such an incredible actress, she brings so much to that character, and all the scenes with Nick’s mum just feel so special and subtle and just really beautiful performance.”
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10. Olivia shot all her scenes in series one in just two days
Olivia Colman played Nick’s mum
Netflix/Rob Youngson
“She seemed to really enjoy it,” Alice told PA. “She was only on set for two days and to be honest, I didn’t really get to talk to her very much because we’re on set and it’s very intense.
“But I feel like she really loved the story and she really connected with Kit, who plays Nick, and just really enjoyed working with him.”
11. Olivia cried for real during filming of the show’s most emotional scene
Nick came out to his mum as bisexual in the final episode
While reading through the touching moment in which Nick comes out to his mother as bisexual, Olivia became tearful for real, which initially proved to be a bit of a worry for Kit.
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He told This Morning: “Normally before every scene we read it through about 50%, you don’t go 100% of the way. We were reading it through and suddenly Olivia just started crying.
“At first, I was thinking, ’God, she’s just really good, I need to step up my game massively here,′ so I was really worried at that point. I think then other people told me afterwards that it was because it’s such a beautifully written scene and a crucial part in so many people’s lives. I think it really touched her.
“I was just scared to be honest,” he joked, describing her as “the most absolutely lovely person in the world”.
12. Joe missed out on seeing Les Miserables so he could meet Olivia
As Joe did not share any scenes with Olivia on the show, he was keen to meet the star, and gave up tickets to the West End production of Les Miserables so he could travel back to set on his day off and meet her.
Kit explained to Still Watching Netflix: “I had two days filming with Olivia. It was originally meant to be Olivia and I filming for two days, and on the second day, I think Joe was like, ‘I would like to meet her, obviously’, so they ended up scheduling some time…”
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“That’s not what happened!” Joe contested. “I wasn’t supposed to meet her and then I got a call on the second day saying that we might have to do some pick-ups and reshoots of just before the rain scene in the hallway, so you’ll get to meet Olivia.’ So I was like, if that gets to happen, amazing. And then they called me at like 3pm, asking if I could come in.’
13. She is not the only A-lister in the show, however
Stephen Fry also has an unexpected role in the show – not that you will have seen him.
Stephen Fry
David M. Benett via Getty Images
The actor lends his voice to the character of Headmaster Barnes, who runs Truham Grammar School where Nick and Charlie go, and can be heard commentating over the tannoy on the school sports day.
14. Joe had an embarrassing moment filming Charlie’s running scenes
He told Attitude magazine: “I had to ask the extras to slow down because I was supposed to be this incredible runner and every take, they were just slowly getting closer to me. I was like, ‘Can you guys just like slow down a bit?’, which was very embarrassing.”
15. Joe’s coffee breath was a known thing on set
Kit revealed he would often make light of Joe’s love of coffee after filming a kissing scene.
“He had this joke that my breath always smelt of coffee,” Joe told Still Watching Netflix.
“Joe loves coffee and there was this one time where we had to do a practice kiss for a scene and Joe had just had a full cup of coffee and I was just like, this is not nice,” Kit recalled.
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“I felt that I was a victim in that situation,” he joked.
16. Kit had a rugby coach to help him perfect Nick’s sporting prowess
Nick was on the rugby team
Kit had only played rugby as a young child before being cast as star rugby player Nick.
Speaking to Still Watching Netflix, Kit explained that he worked on his game with a coach before and during filming to help him improve.
17. Joe was less keen on training, however
Joe did go along with Kit for one rugby training session, but “not any more after that”.
“I think he quickly decided that wasn’t for him,” Kit said.
“I didn’t own any sports clothes, so I arrived in loose jeans… It wasn’t rugby,” Joe said.
“I made the executive decision that Charlie wasn’t supposed to be good at rugby, therefore I was allowed to be bad.”
18. Harry’s birthday party had to be shot during the day
Darcey and Tara at Harry’s party
Netflix/ROB YOUNGSON
In the season one episode where school bully Harry throws a birthday party, scenes were shot at Hampton Court House, a school in East Molesey.
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However, while the party was set at night, it had to be filmed during the day, which the crew had to work around.
Cinematographer Diana Olifirova told IBC: “I loved the windows and had planned to shoot a moonlight effect through them. But we didn’t have access to the location at night. That meant we had to black out the windows, but we lit it to appear as if there were some light outside.
“The biggest challenge in a room full of people was having the camera pick out our main characters. This involved a little planning about where the camera would be so that the actors would hit a mark and we’d have a pre-set light trained on them.”
19. The animations honour Alice Oseman’s original graphic novels
Animations were a frequent device used on the show
Netflix/Rob Youngson
If you didn’t know that Heartstopper was based on graphic novels of the same name, you probably would have wondered where all the animated moments in the show came from.
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All the leaves, lightening bolts and other little animated details all honour Alice Oseman’s original text, which executive producer Patrick Walters told Pink News became known as “Heartstopper moments” to the crew.
“Hopefully it gives you goosebumps and makes you lean in when those moments happen,” he said.
20. Alice has a cameo in series one
The writer and creator made a blink-and-you’ll miss it appearance in episode eight of season one, seen as a passenger on the train that Charlie and Nick travel to the seaside on.
She revealed on Twitter that she was even drawing the comic versions of the characters from her graphic novels during the scene.
21. She had never been on a TV set prior to filming Heartstopper
Alice said she “honestly didn’t know anything about TV making before” adapting Heartstopper. “I have never been on a TV set before,” she said in a Netflix video interview.
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However, she said she was on set “every day” during the shoot, overseeing everything that was happening.
“I have learned so much about what everyone on set does, all the different roles that there are, and it really is a team effort,” she added.
22. There’s a reason why the show doesn’t touch on more adult themes
Executive producer Patrick Walters told Pink News: “We decided we wanted the show to speak to as many different ages as possible, so we were deliberate about not having too many swear words, too many overtly adult situations, because that stuff didn’t fit the tone of the show anyway. But also in not having that, we were opening up the show for more people to see it.
“I really hope the younger generation, 11, 12, 13, will watch the show and get something out of it.”
23. Season two contains a Marvel Easter Egg you probably didn’t spot
There’s an Easter Egg in season two’s second episode that makes reference to Joe Locke’s casting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ahead of his appearance in Disney+ series Agatha: Coven of Chaos.
After nodding off on Nick’s chest, Charlie says: “Did I fall asleep?”
Nick then replies: “Are you tired or is this movie just really boring?”
“I did warn you I’m not a fan of Marvel movies,” Charlie says.
24. Joe has a dream cameo so great that we need it to happen immediately
Jennifer Coolidge
RB/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images
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In an interview with Variety, Joe previously shared his casting hopes for one particularly inspired guest star.
“Jennifer Coolidge should play my grandmother,” he said. “That would be so cool. I love her. She’s amazing.”
Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix now.
From her early days on the West End stage to her Emmy-winning stint as Ted Lasso’s Rebecca to a show-stopping turn as the co-host of this year’s Eurovision ceremony, Hannah Waddingham just keeps going from strength to strength.
With a CV that includes everything from hit musicals to a brief but unforgettable role in HBO’s Game Of Thrones and even a season of ITV’s Benidorm, the multi-talented (and multilingual) Hannah surely has one of the most fascinating CVs in entertainment right now.
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We’ve taken a look back at her career – and her life off-screen – to bring you some unexpected facts about the star…
1. She got her start in dinner theatre
One of Hannah’s first roles came at the dinner show Joni And Gina’s Wedding, where audience members are invited to interact with the cast.
Before the audition (for a role described as an “overgrown Barbie doll”), she had been toying with the idea of quitting performing, she later told Esquire. “I was like, ‘if I don’t get this, I think I should just give up,’” she said. She decided to enter the tryout doing an American accent “from the minute I walked in the door” – and was offered the job “on the spot”.
The role was a gamechanger for Hannah, who ended up landing West End roles in shows like Spamalot and Kiss Me Kate afterwards.
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2. Hannah kept the Game Of Thrones ‘shame bell’ as a goodbye gift
When Hannah played nun Septa Unella in HBO’s fantasy series, one of her most memorable scenes saw her accompanying a naked Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey) through the streets of King’s Landing, clanging a bell and shouting “shame”.
When her time on the show was over, the Game of Thrones team gave her that prop as a keepsake.
“It’s common knowledge that if a show gives you a hero prop, it means your character is truly, really dead,” she told InStyle.”So when [producers] David Benioff and Dan Weiss made a ceremony, and handed it to me on my final scene, I was a little disappointed!”
3. Ted Lasso isn’t Hannah’s first football-related role
Long before Ted Lasso, Hannah had a brief role in Footballers’ Wives, the legendary ITV drama which chronicled the wild exploits at the fictional football club Earls Park, back in 2005. Appearing in just one episode, she played a tennis pro called Jools, the latest love interest for club boss Hazel Bailey.
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“I’m going to go out there and say that [Ted Lasso] is 150,000% better,” Hannah said in an interview with AV Club – but we reckon that it’s possible to embrace the merits of both shows. After all, did Ted Lasso have a scene where a WAG’s fake boobs caught fire? Or a Sleeping Beauty-themed wedding, with noted Christmas song Walking In The Air as a musical accompaniment? Thought not.
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At the start of the millennium, Hannah starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s West End musical The Beautiful Game, which is set during the Troubles in Belfast in the late 60s, and centres around a group of teenagers in a local football team. She played Christine, the girlfriend of the team’s only Protestant member, Del, and performed the track Our Kind Of Love, which she later released as a single (under the mononym ‘Hannah’).
It eventually reached number 41 in the UK charts – and Lloyd Webber would later recycle the same tune for the song Love Never Dies in the sequel to Phantom Of The Opera.
5. She has a four octave vocal range
Though she has never had formal singing lessons, Hannah’s vocal range is staggering (for comparison, the standard woman’s range spans between two and three octaves).
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6. She credits her musical theatre work ethic as the secret to her success
Hannah as Lilli in a production of Kiss Me Kate performed at The Old Vic Theatre in 2012
Alastair Muir/Shutterstock
Although her screen roles may have caused her profile to skyrocket, Hannah maintains that “musical theatre has changed my life the most”, thanks to the sheer discipline required to sing, dance and act to a packed auditorium every night.
“The physical dedication I’ve had to build doing musicals – I couldn’t do Ted Lasso or Hocus Pocus [2] without it,” she told InStyle. “Mentally and physically, the stamina and agility you need to keep up with [Jason] Sudeikis and his SNL style of, you know, giving you things in 12 seconds while there’s a camera in your face?… I’ve had to keep my mind and body really strong, and in ‘musical theatre shape’, because it’s so much a tool of my craft.”
7. She’s played the Devil… in a Rod Stewart jukebox musical
Hannah with Rod Stewart on the opening night of Tonight’s The Night in 2003
G Di Crollalanza/Shutterstock
Hannah’s CV is nothing but varied. In 2003, she played Satan in the stage musical Tonight’s The Night, belting out various Rod Stewart hits while wearing a black PVC catsuit and a belt embellished with the word ‘Wicked’.
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The bizarre plot saw a shy young man make a pact with the devil, giving him the courage to ask out his crush… in exchange for eternal damnation.
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Hannah and Michael became “very good, just instant friends” back in 2006, when the crooner went to watch Spamalot in the West End and headed backstage to meet her after the performance, he recalled to Entertainment Tonight.
They’ve “remained firm friends ever since”, Hannah told The Zoe Report last year – and when she won her Emmy for Ted Lasso, Michael got a bit emotional.
“He basically FaceTimed me, crying, going ’I always knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” she revealed. Soon after, he invited her to perform on a duet of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) his Christmas In The City TV special, introducing her as “the kingest, most talented, beautiful, wonderful human being in the whole wide world”.
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9. She keeps her Emmy trophy in her daughter’s bedroom
Hannah with her Emmy award
CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images
Some celebs keep their awards trophies in their bathroom; some conveniently display them so that they can easily be seen every time they do a Zoom interview from home. Hannah, though, has opted to store her Emmy in her daughter’s bedroom and the rationale behind her decision is very sweet: she wants to remind her child that “mummy will only ever be away when it’s for a really, blooming good reason”.
10. She used to struggle with her height as an actor
Hannah is 5 foot 11 inches tall, and has frequently spoken about how this has impacted her entertainment career. Even at a young age, when she was learning ballet, her height was commented upon. “The teacher was like, ‘Mr and Mrs Waddingham I hate to say this but your daughter is a giant’,” she told Rose & Ivy.
Then when she wanted to move into the world of TV and film, she found herself hearing the same excuses from producers and casting agents over and over again. “It was a constant thing of ’Oh no, we’d love to use her, but we’ve already cast the man. He’s 5’8, but we’ve already cast,” she told Glamour, adding: “I could never work out whether it was a height thing or whether it was just that I wasn’t established enough.”
Her role in Ted Lasso was an anomaly, she admitted on an appearance on The View, because co-star Jason Sudeikis wasn’t bothered about her height at all. “[He] was like, ’I don’t care if she wears four-inch heels. Let’s do it,” she revealed, describing his response as “a completely unique situation to find yourself in where the man is so generous that they want to raise you up”.
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11. She comes from a family of singers
Hannah hails from a long lineage of musical talents. Her mother Melodie Kelly was part of the English National Opera for 27 years, and her grandparents on the maternal side were both opera singers, too.
“Singing was in the blood,” she told The Mirror back in 2014. “Mum went back to work in the chorus of English National Opera when I was eight and was there for 27 years. I’d sit in the stalls at the Royal Coliseum, listening and soaking everything up like a sponge”.
In fact, as a youngster, she remembers being surprised to learn that “some people’s parents worked in offices”, telling The Zoe Report: “I was like, ‘What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone sing and dance for a living?’”
12. She made an appearance in the film adaptation of Les Misérables
During Tom Hooper’s movie version of the classic stage musical, you’ll see Hannah appear in the factory scene during the musical number At The End Of The Day, playing one of the factory women who gossip about Anne Hathaway’s Fantine. Surely a bigger role in a big-screen musical beckons – and she’s certainly prepared for it.
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“I want to do musical film,” she told Rose & Ivy. “I am so ready I am literally like a greyhound waiting to get out on that track.”
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Hannah got a chance to show off her language skills when she hosted Eurovision earlier this year, speaking fluent French during the various ceremonies (“Honestly Hannah, I could listen to you do that all night,” her co-host Alesha Dixon admitted during the semi-final).
She can also speak Italian (she was previously in a long-term relationship with Italian hotelier Gianluca Cugnetto) and has said that if she wasn’t an actor, she’d “probably be an interpreter”.
Yes, it’s technically summertime, but the weather has been feeling distinctly autumnal of late, meaning that our thoughts have started turning towards the next season’s TV schedule.
This time around, there’s been a slight shake up in the Bake Off tent, with a brand new presenter on board following Matt Lucas’ departure at the end of last year.
Here’s what we know so far about season 14 of the Bake Off…
Who will be hosting the new season?
After a stint in the Bake Off tent during the third season of the show’s celebrity spin-off for Stand Up To Cancer, Alison Hammond will be joining Noel Fielding as a GBBO host.
She’ll be taking over from Matt Lucas, who announced he’d be leaving the show back in December in order to focus on other ventures, including writing a new project with his Little Britain co-creator David Walliams.
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Alison’s new gig was confirmed earlier this year, when she shared a short video on Instagram, showing her and her new colleagues in cake form. “It’s official!!” she wrote in the caption, adding: “Let’s have it – the cake that is.”
“Alison is much loved, effortlessly funny and the owner of the best laugh in Britain,” Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said when the news was announced. “She was a huge hit when she appeared on Celebrity Bake Off and we’re thrilled to have her back in the tent.”
Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will be back on the show, providing their expert opinion on the contestants’ bakes and making tough decisions about which amateur baker to eliminate from the competition each week.
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It’s Prue’s seventh season on the show, after replacing Mary Berry when the Bake Off jumped ships from the BBC to Channel 4; Paul, meanwhile, has appeared in every season to date.
When will The Great British Bake Off 2023 be on TV?
Channel 4 are yet to confirm an exact start date for the show, but we can certainly make an educated guess based on previous years.
The Bake Off tends to be filmed over the summer, and each 10 episode season usually begins in the middle of September, typically airing on a Tuesday evening. The final then takes place towards the end of November.
As well as watching on the night on Channel 4 (to avoid spoilers, of course) you’ll also be able to catch up on the broadcaster’s streaming site; plus, each series usually airs on Netflix in the US (where it’s known as The Great British Baking Show).
Who will be taking part?
Details of this year’s contestants are under wraps for now, but each season typically features a line-up of 12 skilled bakers of all ages, with different specialisms in the kitchen. Channel 4 tends to release information about new GBBO hopefuls at the start of September, a couple of weeks before the first episode, so keep your eyes peeled.
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Is there a trailer for The Great British Bake Off 2023?
Not yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as soon as the first teaser clip drops.
