Jessica Gunning Recalls Hilarious Encounter That Left 1 Baby Reindeer Fan ‘Terrified’

Posted on 11/06/2024 by Boris Clair

Jessica Gunning has revealed she recently gave one Baby Reindeer viewer an inadvertent scare.

The British actor received widespread praise for her performance as a stalker in the Netflix show, which became a word-of-mouth global hit after it began streaming earlier in the year.

She and her co-stars Richard Gadd and Nava Mau recently sat down with Netflix to reflect on the show’s success, which its creator and leading actor revealed has surpassed his expectations.

“I really believed in it, I thought it was good, I thought it was different, I thought it would provoke conversation, but I thought it would probably be like a critical cult success,” he admitted. “[I thought] it would sort of sit on the platform as a bit of a sort of artistic gem.

“It’s just crazy that it has resonated with so many people.”

Jessica in character as Martha in Baby Reindeer

Proving Richard’s point, Jessica disclosed that she recently had an encounter with one Baby Reindeer fan that wound up giving them quite the fright.

“The other day I actually got out of my car, and I hadn’t had any makeup on and my hair was probably a little bit Martha-esque,” she explained. “And a lady just screamed when she saw me.

“I was like, ‘I’m so sorry’, and she went, ‘no I’m sorry – I just finished episode seven’.”

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For those who’ve already forgotten, episode seven served as the Baby Reindeer finale, and sees Martha tracking down Donny’s family before finally being convicted with stalking.

After that, Donny then becomes obsessed with listening back to voicemail messages that she left him, and re-reading her old emails.

Jessica added: “She’d finished episode seven, turned the TV off, walked outside and then I was like, ‘hello!’ Imagine! No wonder she was terrified!”

During the same interview, Richard also spoke about some of the show’s celebrity fans – including one he’s still struggling to get his head around for personal reasons.

Soap Veteran Helen Worth Announces She’s Leaving Coronation Street After 50 Years

Posted on 05/06/2024 by Boris Clair

Helen is best known for her portrayal of Weatherfield resident Gail Platt in the long-running soap, a character she first began playing in 1974.

After five decades on the cobbles, the award-winning actor announced on Wednesday that she would be stepping away from the show later this year, and will be filming her final scenes as Gail next month in what’s being described as a “major storyline for the Platt family”.

“This year felt like the perfect time to leave the show after celebrating 50 years in the most wonderful job on the most wonderful street in the world,” she said.

“I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding. I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors, directors and a brilliant crew.”

The 73-year-old admitted: “The past 50 years have flown by and I don’t think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”

Over the last 50 years, Corrie fans have seen Gail at the centre of numerous huge plotlines, most notably her daughter Sarah-Louise’s teenage pregnancy, an attempted murder attempt by her ex-husband Richard Platt and her Tudor-esque six marriages.

In 2014, to coincide with her 40th anniversary playing Gail, Helen was honoured with an Outstanding Contribution prize at the National Television Awards.

She was also recognised with an MBE last year for her services to drama.

Allison Williams Explains Why She Thinks Gen Z Relates To Her Cringey Girls Character

Posted on 31/05/2024 by Boris Clair

Love for Marnie Michaels is getting stronger — and Allison Williams has “a theory” as to why.

Vanity Fair recently set up a reunion between Williams and The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach to reminisce about their time working together on the critically acclaimed but polarising HBO comedy Girls.

“The whole show got a lot of flak when it was airing for everyone being too selfish and self-centred,” Williams lamented to Moss-Bachrach nearly seven minutes into their chat.

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But Williams and Moss-Bachrach did indeed play two seemingly insufferable characters in the comedy that starred Lena Dunham, who was also its creator.

The “M3gan” star portrayed the entitled and delusional Marnie for five years on the show, which aired from 2012 to 2017. Moss-Bachrach played the recurring character Desi, Marnie’s bandmate and boyfriend-turned-husband-turned-ex who exudes the image of a sensitive artist but lacks any real depth.

In the show, Marnie and Desi start a mediocre folk duo called Marnie & Desi and croon songs packed with cringey lyrics and don pretentious and bizarre titles, like Oaxaca Blues.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Allison Williams on the set of "Girls" on June 7, 2016, in New York City. — Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Allison Williams on the set of “Girls” on June 7, 2016, in New York City.

Despite the two playing characters that were meant to be satirical takes on white, upper-middle-class millennials, that intent flew over many viewers’ heads at the time the series was airing.

But both Williams and Moss-Bachrach agreed that viewers’ initial opinion of Girls seems to be changing — and a lot of that has to do with people “in their early 20s” discovering the show and watching it for the first time.

Williams noted there’s been a distinctive shift in the way Gen Z views Marine on social media platforms such as TikTok — and she feels it’s because her character was “before her time.”

“My theory is what was coded as selfishness among millennials is now coded as self-care,” Williams said. “Just being aware of what you need and advocating for your needs and standing up for yourself, and so Gen Z, is like, ‘No, we get her. She makes sense to us.’”

Allison Williams with her “Girls” co-stars, from left, Lena Dunham, Zosia Mamet and Jemima Kirke, in 2017.

Williams added that the show’s new audience doesn’t necessarily see the show’s core female characters as annoying but rather as “a bunch of girls trying to create the best environment for each of them to survive and thrive and being wrong, but still trying and caring.”

“I think that’s a pursuit that is resonant in a new way, whereas before it just looked like [our characters] didn’t know that other countries existed or that anyone had lives that were less fortunate than ours, but that was sort of the point. It just got missed a little bit.”

Williams may be on to something — at least after a little perusal of the name Marnie Michaels on TikTok.

The search calls up videos in which social media users seem to relate to Marnie’s behavior, show appreciation for her more cringeworthy moments and even debate over what Marnie’s astrological signs could be.

Basically, folks on TikTok seem to be fascinated by Marnie, regardless of whether they like or hate her.

During Williams’ conversation with Moss-Bachrach for Vanity Fair, the Get Out alum also weighed in on what she thinks Marnie would be up to today.

“I think Marnie’s still trying to have a singing career, in addition to other jobs,” she said. “I picture her with another marriage under her belt, I think probably on the verge of deciding to have a baby on her own.”

This Is The 1 Presenter Richard Osman Believes Is The Hardest-Working In TV

Posted on 22/05/2024 by Boris Clair

Host of House Of Games, regular star on panel shows and author of the Thursday Murder Club series of books, Richard Osman is an incredibly booked and busy talent in the world of entertainment.

However, who does he think is the most hard-working person on TV?

We’re spoilt for choice with television at the moment, and there are plenty of contenders that could take the title, but on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment with Marina Hyde, Richard revealed exactly who he thinks has been putting a real graft in.

Answering a question about the “hardest-working person in television”, Richard named Romesh Ranganathan as “top of the pile”.

“He does so much so brilliantly,” the former Pointless star enthused. “I love Romesh, I’ve never seen him do a show badly.”

Romesh Ranganathan at the TV Baftas earlier this month

Richard went on to say that Romesh is somebody that “everybody wants to work with”.

He also gave a nod to Romesh’s “huge” work ethic and said: “I could live without working. I like staying at home. I do shows that I love doing and because I do four or five a day and they’re on every day, it feels like [people like me] are working more than they are.

“With someone like Romesh, he’s doing lots of stuff abroad, he’s doing The Weakest Link, doing the [Radio 2] radio show now and does all this Sky stuff… he’s working his socks off.”

However, Richard believes that the “real” hardest working people in telly are actually behind the scenes.

Richard explained that in his own TV show, on the day of filming he may be the hardest working in the room, but, “for the four months before and four months after the show, everyone else is working incredibly long hours to make me and make the show look good”.

He said he believes that associate or assistant producers are likely the hardest working as they work between the researchers and producers, while helping both of them with their roles.

Bridgerton Season 3 Gives Us The Complexity We’ve Been Waiting For

Posted on 18/05/2024 by Boris Clair

The carriage wheels are spinning as they return the fashionable set to their London homes, delivery boys are selling the latest copy of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, and a new set of young ladies prepares to enter society. In other words, after two long years, Bridgerton has returned with the first four episodes of its much-anticipated third season (helmed by new showrunner Jess Brownell).

Since the trailer premiered in April, the chemistry between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has set the internet ablaze as fans prepared themselves for the friends-to-lovers trope with a side of a She’s All That-esque makeover. And this season does not disappoint. It may even exceed fans’ already-high expectations.

While I loved the fake dating storyline of Daphne and Simon in season one and Anthony and Kate’s evolution from enemies to lovers in season two, the rom-com tropes in Season 3 are even better.

This season follows the tradition of the first two and opens with a Bridgerton — the sparkling Francesca (Hannah Dodd) — making her debut. However, despite its similar construct, this season is heightened in almost every way.

From the period-inspired but mostly fantastical costumes (lots of ombre, embellishments and layered fabrics) to the whimsical, floral-filled sets to the complicated interpersonal drama, everything fans love about Bridgerton has been exaggerated to create a fuller, more colourful, bejewelled world. A world that is clearly not meant to be a rendition of the past or a mirror of our present moment, but a place to live in some imaginary in-between space.

In this place, the events of last season have changed everyone. The most obvious transformation is Colin, who has returned from another adventure abroad looking muscular and tan, and, as his brother Benedict (Luke Thompson) describes him, “sturdy”. Colin has a new confidence and hair that rivals that of Shondaland favorite Dr. McDreamy. His new social ease helps him glide into rooms and flirt with countless groups of debutantes.

But this new façade will not help him with Penelope, his oldest friend, who is still enraged after overhearing him tell a group of men at the end of last season that he would never court her. The new armour he has donned to re-enter society will also make it even harder for Colin to process the possibility that he may have feelings for Penelope that go beyond friendship.

The second big transformation occurs on screen after Penelope has decided she must marry to escape her mother’s household. To achieve any hope of accomplishing this, Penelope realises she must step out of the shadows and safety of the walls of ballrooms she has hidden alongside. She replaces her citrus wardrobe with stunning gowns in blue and green, gowns that flatter her figure, showcase her fair complexion and highlight her stunning eyes.

In a Laney Boggs-esque moment – which has been teased in the trailer – Penelope descends the staircase at Lady Danbury’s ball, the momentous first ball of the season (fans of Queen Charlotte know exactly what it entailed for Lady Danbury to achieve this honour), to reveal her new aesthetic. However, Penelope’s social anxiety and awkwardness quickly make it clear that, to secure a husband, changing her appearance is not enough. She will have to embody the confidence and strength of her alter ego, Lady Whistledown.

Cue a gentleman – it should surprise no one that the duty-driven man is Colin – with an offer to help Penelope do so. The next three episodes explore the complications that are bound to ensue after his help works and she captures the interest of the eccentric but very eligible Lord Debling (Sam Phillips).

What makes this season so special is that it’s not only Colin and Penelope who are grappling with their identities. Every character is wrestling with change, with the growing pains that come from both necessary and self-imposed evolution and the internal conflict that is often the byproduct of denying a part of oneself.

Violet Bridgerton is navigating a new world in which Kate (Simone Ashley) has returned (much to fans’ delight) and is now the viscountess. Kate is supposed to step into Violet’s role, and Violet is expected to move away from her children and into the dowager house. With two daughters out at the same time, Violet is also trying to avoid the maternal overstepping that she believes contributed to Anthony almost marrying the wrong person last year and Eloise’s dangerous friendship (and possibly more) with Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch), the boy from the printshop.

However, Violet will learn that stepping back may not always be the right thing, because children, even grown ones, sometimes need their mothers’ guidance. Also, as fans of Queen Charlotte know, Violet’s garden is “in bloom”, and she may be ready to open herself up to a new suitor, especially if that man has impeccable timing when picking up a dropped glove and has a gift for conversation.

Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in the first episode of Season 3 of "Bridgerton." — Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in the first episode of Season 3 of “Bridgerton.”

Other Bridgertons are also going through a time of great change. Benedict is trying to figure out who he is after giving up art, Francesca is hoping to find a husband and move into her own, quieter household, and Eloise is still recovering from the relationship that put her family at risk and the shock of discovering Penelope’s lies.

Even though Eloise is trying to conform to society’s expectations – she wears more ornate dresses and ties bows in her hair – and befriends the unlikeliest of people – Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) º she still must grapple with her belief system and the truth that her former best friend is Lady Whistledown.

Though some change is reactionary, others are necessary because of the rules that regulate the ton. Portia Featherington (Polly Walker), Alice (Emma Naomi) and Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) must face the pressures of the crown and the implications of the rules imposed to ensure that “the lines of succession run smoothly”.

All this interpersonal conflict is also taking place within a paradoxical system that simultaneously “feeds on the nouveau” and rejects social change. This tension sets up season three to have a level of complexity that the first two lacked.

Last May, I wrote about the beautiful depth of Queen Charlotte, the Bridgerton spin-off that explores the realities and consequences of marriage and the ways women (Queen Charlotte, Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgerton) fight for agency within the constraints that society has imposed upon them. There was a complexity in Queen Charlotte that — as much as I have enjoyed watching Bridgerton — was missing from the first two seasons of the show. But its absence will be felt no longer.

In Julia Quinn’s book series upon which the show is based, the novels themselves are very insular. Each focuses primarily on the experiences of the Bridgerton sibling and the person they will eventually marry. Since the beginning, the show has been building out the world Quinn created, adding secondary characters and giving them larger, ongoing storylines with their own arcs. Now, after two seasons and a spin-off, Bridgerton is using the foundation it has laid to its advantage, adding layers of meaning to every scene and lines of dialogue that allow it to explore the same rich themes as Queen Charlotte.

This effect is felt most acutely with Brimsley (Hugh Sachs), Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), whose backstories elicit sympathy and give all their interactions — even the queen’s seemingly silly game with Whistledown — greater meaning.

And, unlike Queen Charlotte, which was beautifully done but also had moments that were torturous to endure, Bridgerton accomplishes this feat with a fun, fanciful romance.

It also helps that, unlike seasons one and two, which relied on flashbacks to create emotional depth (the abuse Simon’s father inflicted because of his stutter and the traumatic death of Anthony’s father), Bridgerton is relying on fans’ pre-existing investment in Colin and Penelope. We’ve watched Penelope pine for Colin from her window. We’ve listened to Lady Crane (Ruby Barker) tell Colin that he is taking Penelope for granted. Our hearts broke with Penelope’s when she overheard Colin’s mean comment at the end of the last season after they had finally danced together. All of these moments have been building toward this season, and we are ready for it.

In the opening sequence, Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews) says: “Whoever it is that makes the finest match this year, let us hope that their pairing brings some titillation.” I can attest that these first four episodes lay the groundwork to do exactly that, especially for those who read the book and are hoping for a steamy scene (perhaps in a carriage).

Also, in true Shonda Rhimes fashion, viewers can be certain the fourth episode will end in such a way that you will be screaming at the TV, wondering why Netflix is forcing you to endure an entire month to finish a season that you’ve already spent two years waiting for.

I don’t know Netflix’s reason, dear viewer, but I can attest that these four episodes are an immersive delight because, yes, the chemistry between Colin and Penelope is electric, but the larger world their romance takes place in is becoming even better.

Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1, is streaming on Netflix. Part 2 begins on June 13.

Watch The Moment Maya Jama Asks King Charles About His Love Island Knowledge

Posted on 16/05/2024 by Boris Clair

If there are two things we never imagined uttering in the same breath, they’re probably King Charles and Love Island.

The monarch and his wife Queen Camilla hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday (15 May) to celebrate the creative industries, where they took some time to meet their celebrity guests.

One particularly notable meeting took place when the King introduced himself to Love Island host Maya Jama, who jumped at the opportunity to tell the royal about the popular reality dating show.

As the presenter introduced herself, she said: “I host Love Island. I don’t know if you’ve watched that, though? It’s a reality dating show.”

The King, looking amused, replied: “There’s one born every minute.”

The King and Queen hosted a special Garden Party at Buckingham Palace this afternoon to celebrate the Creative Industries. @MayaJama met the King and said: “I host Love Island. I don’t know if you watch that though?”

(🎥 @DuncanCStone) pic.twitter.com/7cTKazRBja

— Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) May 15, 2024

Maya then revealed that she was “just about to go to Spain to film some young people snog”.

During her short interaction with Charles, Maya even admitted to once previously breaking protocol by touching the royal when she wasn’t supposed to, which got a laugh out of the King.

Other guests at the afternoon garden party included model Kate Moss, documentarian Louis Theroux, director Sir Ridley Scott and artist Tracey Emin.

As for Love Island’s return this summer, there’s still some speculation about the exact date it will be back on screen, but previous years suggest it might be the first week of June.

The new series will welcome a whole new crop of islanders to the villa in Mallorca this summer, where young singletons will search (and graft) for love.

Earlier this year marked the first time a host of former contestants returned to the villa for Love Island All Stars.

It was series six’s Molly Smith and season nine’s Tom Clare who were crowned the public’s favourite pairing at the final, though it turned out the voting figures were actually pretty close.

‘Seriously Steamy’ Or ‘Stale’? Critics Can’t Agree On Bridgerton Season 3

Posted on 16/05/2024 by Boris Clair

After the first two seasons became record-breaking TV smashes, hopes have certainly been high for the long-awaited next chapter in the high-society world of Bridgerton.

Part one of season three is now streaming on Netflix, with viewers finally able to swoon over the much-hyped romance between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).

This next instalment certainly marks the biggest romantic build-up the regency drama has teased so far – but was the wait worth it?

While some critics have praised the Netflix show’s reliable format and sweet chemistry between its stars, others fear the show might be losing its spark.

Here’s the consensus on the first half of season three so far…

“Nicola Coughlan is sensational as Penelope Featherington, whose long-simmering romance with Colin Bridgerton reaches boiling point – and the bonking is scarce but seriously steamy… As we dive into season three, the show’s delights are still blindingly obvious, its flaws possible to overlook. Just like the besotted couples it follows, Bridgerton’s honeymoon phase is far from over.”

“There is something about seeing the bond between Colin and Penelope transform from comfortably platonic to yearning and passionate that elevates this journey. Coughlan and Newton have always had a beautiful rapport, but watching Colin realise he desires Penelope sexually […], creates a sparkling tension throughout Part 1 that threatens to burst off the screen.”

“Still sweet and seductive but the taste is growing stale…If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, this still won’t be the show for you. But if you’re craving an early-summer pick-me-up, you’ll devour these warm and watchable episodes in one scrummy sitting.”

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan in Bridgerton

“In Season 3 of Netflix favourite, the spell starts to wear off…despite the friends-to-lovers premise, we are given little sense of what Colin and Penelope are like as buddies before they’re thrust into the awkwardness of attraction. Combined with the fact that Colin is written to have little of the rich inner life that Penelope enjoys […] the relationship that should be this volume’s breathless centrepiece feels uneven.”

IGN (6/10)

“Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 has the bones of something great. Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton excel as the couple at centre stage, beautifully portraying the knife’s edge balance on which Penelope and Colin’s relationship sits…Time will tell if the rest of Bridgerton’s third season can balance its overabundance of plot threads, but Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton’s chemistry as Penelope and Colin is shaping up to be worth the wait for Part 2.”

“One of the best things about Bridgerton is its ability to tell a different kind of love story each season. Yes, there is a rotating cast of characters who each get their own storylines, but the central romance – and its dynamics and tropes – stand apart, giving us an opportunity to enjoy and experience something fresh each time.”

“Even though this is very much Penelope and Colin’s time in the spotlight, the third season (of which the first six episodes were provided for review) also begins to sow the seeds of other love stories that, quite frankly, need plenty of time to grow. These teased threads don’t just prove that the future of Bridgerton is already being taken into consideration, but that the series itself is still as good as ever.”

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“Nicola Coughlan is superb – but the Netflix show is losing its bite… The writing in this third chapter is particularly flimsy, while the production design looks increasingly like the hyper-saturated, uncanny results produced by an AI tool.”

“Regency romp has gone stale – even the sex scenes are dull…What was once fresh and fun now seems stuck in a rut, as the hit period drama begins to show signs of wear.”

The first half of Bridgerton season three is available to watch now on Netflix, with the next four episodes set to drop on Thursday 13 June.