Jameela Jamil has spoken about how she was told she was ‘too old, too fat and too ethnic’ to start an acting career.
The outspoken star of The Good Place, 33, addressed a panel at Coachella this week where she discussed the negative comments she received when she moved to LA to break into acting.
‘I was told I was too old, too fat, and too ethnic for Hollywood, but I’m here today,’ she said at the Create & Cultivate Desert Pop Up at the music festival.
‘Don’t listen to people who project their fears on you. If you’re going to be an activist or feminist, you have to be willing to take an L and know that we don’t know everything.’
She added: ‘We have to be willing to shut up, listen, and learn, and not be too proud about it.’
Jameela at Coachella (Picture: Jameela Jamil/Twitter)
Jameela is well known in the UK for being a presenter having fronted T4 and Freshly Squeezed but has gained international prominence since landing the role of Tahani in the acclaimed sitcom The Good Place alongside Kristen Bell.
However, she revealed in an interview with BBC Radio 5 that she was discouraged from pursuing a new career Stateside.
‘I was literally starting again and I was actively discouraged by everyone in England.
‘Everyone said I was being mad, throwing away an eight-year career, and that I was too old – I was only 29 – too ethnic, and too fat to come over to Los Angeles.’
Jameela in The Good Place (Picture: NBC)
The Londoner has since used her elevated platform to publicly call out celebrities for promoting weight loss supplements.
The Good Place seasons 1 – 3 are available on Netflix.
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Fearne Cotton is a force of nature across world of television, radio, podcasting and fashion, having recently left Celebrity Juice and taken on brand new BBC Two and Netflix show Project Interiors.
The 37-year-old presenter, who’s behind chart-topping podcast Happy Place, juggles all her projects while looking after her four kids – including two step-children from husband Jesse Wood’s previous marriage.
‘I just think it’s really important to have chapters in your life and not be scared of making big changes, even when they don’t necessarily need to happen.
‘There are several reasons [why I left Celebrity Juice], one of them is that I really like to do things when people are least expecting it and keep things fresh and new and exciting.
‘I’d done 10 years so it felt like a really good, natural time, and also, I’m not very good when I’m working too much.
‘I’ve been working solidly for 22 years and I’ve really hit a wall where I’ve got to be more focused on how I divide my time between my kids and my work and ways of doing that.
‘My main focus is Happy Place as a brand and all the things we want to do with it, so there had to be a little bit of room made and that felt like not such a devastating one to move on from because I’d been there so long, and because I’ve got solid friendships from that Celebrity Juice family that will continue on from the show.
‘It didn’t feel like I was breaking away from anything, it was just a healthy change.’
Fearne Cotton stepped down from Celebrity Juice after 10 years (Picture: ITV)
Will we see you again on the show as a panelist in the future?
‘I think it’s really important to make a clean break and to move away and do things properly and for me, once you’ve left, you’re out.
‘You can’t just break up with someone and then every now and again pop around for tea. You’ve got to make a clean break, so for me it’s a proper goodbye.’
Now you’ve left Celebrity Juice what other television projects are you working on?
‘I just filmed a massive new BBC Two Netflix series called Project Interiors which comes out later this year. It’s a big interior design competition and I’ve finished filming it. It was amazing fun.
‘I love doing TV, I just hadn’t felt passionate about any shows offered to me and again because I want Happy Place to be my priority, I’d been a bit more cheesy.
‘But this one came along and I loved the sound of it so I jumped on board. I don’t want to do any TV just because it’s telly, I want to do things I give a s*** about and this one’s really good so that’s out later on in the year.’
Michelle Ogundehin and Fearne are on BBC Two and Netflix’s new show Project Interiors (Picture: BBC)
Will there be a second series of Project Interiors?
‘They can never really tell until it’s out, hopefully it will get recommissioned. It’s really good.’
How do you juggle your projects with motherhood?
‘I’m a massive nerd. I’m not the person who can’t wait to go out and get pissed at the weekend, that does not interest me at all.
‘And also, very rarely do I sit and watch TV. There might be a show that I love, like I’ve watched Fleabag this time around, but I’m not someone that has to sit and eat dinner in front of the TV every night until 11pm.
‘I put the kids to bed, eat and then crack on with whatever projects I’m working on. I like my job, that really helps and it enables me to use my time really productively; it’s not a chore
‘I definitely try to not bring work home when I’m with the kids, but when they’re in bed I’ll absolutely crack on. I work hard because I enjoy it.’
The presenter often posts about her life as a mum-of-four (Picture: Instagram)
You often post on your Instagram about the realities of motherhood and the difficulties of spinning plates. How important is it to share authentic pictures and to not glamourise parenting?
‘I think it’s so bizarre. There is no other side of it for me, there is no glamorous side to parenting, it’s f****** hard work. It’s amazing and I love it, but it’s not easy and it’s not glamorous.
‘I don’t know why anyone would pretend otherwise. I kind of hate it when people make out that it’s amazing, and easy and brilliant.
‘Of course there are beautiful moments, like anything that takes hard work in life, and I cherish it and thank my lucky stars everyday, but it’s not easy.
‘So of course, I’m going to post things that are happening and for me that’s a devastating lack of sleep quite often, possibly crazy days of trying to juggle four kids and my career and speaking to my husband every now and again which helps, and keeping my house from not looking like a ****hole.
‘It’s crazy, it’s absolute chaos. I don’t know any exception to that and I have a lot of friends who have kids, not one parent would say, “It’s really easy and really glamorous and my kids are angels. That’s b*****ks.
‘The fact that people would look at that and believe so, I find devastating because then you start comparing yourself and start panicking and worrying.
‘We’re all in the same boat, we’re all going through the same old s***. We all have the same problems. Doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, kids are kids and there’s no exception to that.’
Fearne purposefully keeps her kids anonymous on social media (Picture: Instagram)
You’ve kept your kids anonymous on Instagram. Why is that and will this change when they become teenagers?
‘My reasoning is that it’s not up to me, it’s up to them. If they decide that when they’re young teenagers that they want to lead very peaceful lives without being associated to me or our family of other wild people then good.
‘Let them go and be a marine biologist and have a quiet life, I don’t want to predict or inform how their life is lead. That’s not up to me.
‘If they get to their teen years and are like, “I really want to be on social media,” or, “I want my own page on Instagram,” then great, go and do it. But it’s not up to me.
‘I don’t want to put their faces out their and do it for them, including my step-kids. I just think for me, it doesn’t necessarily feel right.’
Why do you think celebrities parade their kids on social media?
‘Some people really enjoy being famous and enjoy being in the limelight and that’s not something I’ve ever paid attention to.
‘I’ve never paid particular attention to it or enjoyed courting it. Again, that has to be a realisation for my kids to work out and not for me to decipher.
‘In my daily life it doesn’t hinder me in any way, I go and do exactly what I want. I never think, “Oh God, can I go to the supermarket?’ It doesn’t cross my mind.
‘I crack on with my life like everyone else and maybe once every two days someone might go, “Is that Fearne?,” and I go, “Yes,” and that’s where it ends. There’s nothing more too it.
‘There’s no bombardment in the Sainsburys aisle, that’s b******s it doesn’t happen.’
How’s Happy Place going? How long do you anticipate making it?
‘We’ve had way over six million listeners now which is amazing. We’re about to release series three and get that on the road.
‘It’s going very well indeed. [I plan on making Happy Place] forever. It’s something I don’t want to stop. As long as people are listening to podcasts, I’ll be making them. For a long time.’
Fearne has just launched her Spring/Summer collection for Boots Mini Club which is inspired by her love of the sea and the environment.
How did your Boots Mini Club collection come about?
‘I’ve got kids and I do a lot of design work and collaborative projects these days and these things are starting to make a lot of sense.
‘There’s a lot of octopus action on the badges and stingrays feature quite a bit. The colours are quite beachy and seasidey.
Fearne’s launched her new Boots Mini Club clothing line (Picture: Boots)
‘It’s probably the strongest theme we’ve run with and it works across the boys and girls clothing and some of the items that aren’t particularly aligning to one gender.
‘As I moved on in other areas in my career, the main relasiation that I’ve had is I want everything I do to have a purpose or a double layer, it could be a project I’m working on or a podcast, but it has to have a reason why rather than just doing it for the sake of it.
‘I’m trying to consciously weave that into all the projects I’m working on.
‘It’s easy with stuff with kids because they’re exploitative and imaginative and you can really give them something they can grab hold of and run with.’
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The Vikings cast have suggested a crossover with Game of Thrones (Picture: Rex/HBO)
The Vikings cast have no idea how the upcoming sixth and final season will end but have requested a Game of Thrones crossover and we’re here for it.
Jack McEvoy and Elijah Rowen, who play Helgi the Lean and Asbjorn in the History Channel series, confessed that details for the show’s last chapter have remained firmly under wraps.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk as part of the launch for Empress Mimi Lingerie’s new Spring campaign, which is donating 10% of proceeds made during the entire month starting to RSPCA, Jack began: ‘To be honest, I really, really do not know [how Vikings ends].
‘I don’t have any idea,’ he continued. ‘We’ve seen the show take so many curve balls and interesting turns that you just don’t know what they’re going to come up with next.’
Jack McEvoy wants his Vikings character to rise from the dead and fight Jon Snow (Picture: Empress Mimi)
Eli, who’s character Helgi was beheaded in the last series, joked: ‘I know exactly what’s going to happen and I’ll tell you now.’
Getting serious, Eli explained that he’d rather be kept in the dark, adding: I’m very happy to not have a clue and not attempt to predict.
‘I know there will be a lot of funky things that we never would have guessed as good writing always entails.’
Elijah likes being kept in the dark about how the Vikings saga will end (Picture: Empress Mimi)
Jack suggested that showrunner Michael Hirst should bring Game of Thrones into the mix too and honestly, that’s not such a bad shout.
‘Why don’t we have Jon Snow try and rule the kingdom and have this cross platform worlds where these two great shows collide and all the vikings – good, bad or indifferent – must stand together against the villainous Game of Thrones?’ he said.
‘They did it with Batman versus Superman and I’d like to see Asbjorn in the thick of it, shirtless.’
Asbjorn being dead might be a *little* bit of a flaw in the theory though.
‘I’d say it’s the conjuring up of an artistic concept and it intrigued me,’ Eli said about working on Empress Mimi’s collection which involved a risqué photoshoot with a gorgeous puppy to raise money for the animal charity.
‘We experimented, we played around,’ he added.
Vikings is rumoured to return to the History Channel later this year.
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It’s hard work being a Stark (Picture: HBO)Game Of Thrones’ Arya Stark may have had a rough time of it, but things weren’t too easy for actress Maisie Williams either.
The star has revealed the lengths she had to go to for the role, including strapping down her boobs – which sounds less than ideal.
The 22-year-old recalled: ‘I mean, there was a few seasons in the middle where I had to wear, like … like, a strap just to reverse puberty for the first few years while Arya was pretending to be a boy.’
When Maisie outgrew the horrible torture strap, she was given a ‘chubby belly’ to even out her frame and, understandably, she wasn’t a fan.
‘I was about 15, right, and [they] gave me, like, this little, chubby belly,’ she explained to 60 Minutes. ‘So it would, like, even out the playing field quite. And then … yeah, I was about 15 years old. Like, I kinda just want a boyfriend, honestly. I don’t wanna wear this. This doesn’t feel good.’
Maisie began playing the character when she was just 14 (Picture: HBO Enterprises)
Thankfully, with the character having ‘evolved’, she’s been able to leave the interesting costume additions behind.
‘I remember, I guess, like, season season six is when Arya gets her new costume, I think,’ she pointed out. ‘And I remember I walked into my trailer one morning and there was a little bra and it was very exciting. I was like, I don’t have to wear the strap anymore.’
One billion people tuned into the season 8 premiere (Picture: HBO)
Big decisions.
Speaking to Christine Lampard on Lorraine, Maisie revealed: ‘I desperately wanted to go on a school trip instead – good job I didn’t! I wouldn’t be here now.’
Admitting she had no idea how much of an impact the show was going to make on her life, the star said: ‘It’s really strange, now in this final season, I’ve done the most reflecting and looking back to the first [season].
‘It really has been everything I can really remember. I can’t really remember anything before this show.’
We’ve got everything crossed for Arya but seriously, anything could happen.
Game Of Thrones continues Sunday on HBO and Sky Atlantic, and is available to watch on NOW TV.
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The Mountain is unshakable in the world of Westeros (Picture: HBO)
Game of Thrones’s The Mountain, aka actor and pro strongman Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, has confessed to previously using steroids to enhance his performance – and fears they could’ve stopped him being with his family.
The 30-year-old star, whose muscle-built frame made him perfect for the threatening Mountain warrior in the Sky Atlantic series, told ESPN that at points in his career he used the controversial drugs to make him more competitive.
‘When you want to be the best, you do whatever it takes,’ he recounted in the 2017 interview.
Refusing to discuss the matter further, Bjornsson changed the subject – and didn’t discuss when or how often he used the enhancers.
Frequently participating in World’s Strongest Man, Bjornsson has only once failed to make the top three, and the competition has rules that forbid the use of drugs to improve performance.
Bjornsson has never failed a drug test during these bouts.
Bjornsson refused to discuss the confession past the initial admission (Picture: Rex)
The admission comes with its own worries for Bjornsson, who admits that now married with a daughter, that the potentially lethal effects could cost him his life.
‘It would be very hard to know that I left my family too soon. I want to be there for my family. I want to be there for my daughter,’ he explained. But this is my life. This is what I enjoy to do.’
In order to maintain his domineering physique, the star added that he eats eight meals a day in order to build up his muscle.
The star is officially the world’s strongest man (Picture: Rex)
Now, on top of being World’s Strongest Man, he is also the protector of Cersei Lannister in Game Of Thrones, and one iconic fight scene gouged out the eyes of his opponent.
Measuring in at a massive 6ft 9in, the star truly cuts a threatening figure when at war for his Queem.
But the actor said that while he ‘likes being tall’, it comes with its downfalls, and speaking to Metro.co.uk, he explained: ‘‘The only thing that has annoyed me being this tall and heavy is that you can’t really fit anywhere.
‘You have to custom-make the bed [and] you can’t travel with your bed. It’s very annoying,’
‘Trying to fit into a cab or Uber is challenging as well. I have to fly business class because I just don’t fit into economy. Otherwise, I’m proud to be tall.’
Game Of Thrones continues Sundays on HBO and Sky Atlantic.
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Bandersnatch is freaking viewers out as they’re forced to make actual life or death decisions (Picture: Netflix)
Charlie Brooker has revealed the grisly idea that didn’t make it into Bandersnatch.
The Netflix hit was a ‘choose your own adventure’ version of his TV series Black Mirror, and followed a young man (Fionn Whitehead) whose life spirals out of control when he becomes obsessed with adapting a fantasy novel into a video game.
Viewers had to control the main character’s actions throughout, starting with a seemingly simple choice of whether to eat Sugar Puffs or Frosties for breakfast.
Brooker has revealed that choice would come back to haunt the viewer in a violent scene later on when Stefan murders his dad.
Speaking at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, he explained: ‘The pay-off for choosing the cereal later on, when you hit Dad with the ash tray and kill him, was going to be cutting to a shot of Frosties or Sugar Puffs being splattered with blood, depending on what you’d chosen.
‘But it turns out Kellogg’s aren’t keen on having their product associated with patricide.’
Another idea was inserting an entire 90-minute film that would play when you chose which tape Stefan watched.
Your choice of cereal would come back to haunt you (Picture: Netflix)
Brooker said: ‘ I wanted to make it so you had an option to put two tapes in, and one of them has got a film on it so you can watch the whole film.
‘I wanted to license a 90-minute film so you could watch the whole thing or back out at any time. We’d have shot Fionn sitting there watching the whole film – I really liked the idea of that.’
There was also the idea of making Bandersnatch more of a video game by letting viewers complete side missions to unlock special features. However his co-showrunner Annabel Jones wasn’t feeling the idea.
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Gendry and Arya could have the best love story in all of the seven kingdoms (Picture: HBO)
Warning: Contains spoilers for Game Of Thrones season eight.
The opening episode of Game of Thrones Season eight had many important reunions, but there was one in particular that I really I couldn’t wait to see.
While Arya (played by Maisie Williams) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) share a touching scene that brought a few tears to my eyes, it was the moment she finally saw Gendry (Joe Dempsie) again that had me grinning from ear-to-ear.
After four whole seasons, Ned Stark’s daughter and Robert Baratheon’s son were standing face-to-face and it was freaking glorious.
For once, the show’s creators appear to be giving the fans want we want and they totally hint that #Garya are going to be a thing. Praise the old gods and the new!
How else do you explain how a simple conversation about making a special weapon made out of Valryian steel managed to be so damn flirtatious?
Garya were flirting like there’s no tomorrow in the season 8 premiere (Picture: HBO)
The first thing they say is how the other ‘looks good’ before talking about something they both love. Weapons.
Then Gendry teasingly calls her Lady Stark to which she replies, ‘Don’t call me Lady Stark’.
‘As you wish, milady,’ he counters with a smile that totally melted some of the ice around her cold, vengeance-seeking heart.
— don't slap it until you attempt it (@Deliah_wilson) April 15, 2019
When the conversation ends and Arya turns around to bless him with one final smile, it’s clear as day that we need to ship these guys harder than anyone else.
Gendry is a man who can make her weapons, likes her sassy comebacks and would totally be cool with the fact she’s a faceless assassin now.
Surely if there was anyone worthy of being Mr Arya Stark, it would be the man who has supported her through some of her hardest times!
GENDRY AND ARYA THOUGH. HOTTEST COUPLE IN ALL OF WESTEROS. SHE WAS FLIRTATIOUS AF, I WAS SWEATING WHEN THAT HAPPENED. THE ICE IS MELTING IN THE NORTH. #GameofThronespic.twitter.com/SE13eF6UiP
And doesn’t Arya deserve some sort of happy ending after all she’s been through? Getting married and being a lady has never been her thing, but I’m sure she wouldn’t say no to getting all up on Gendry’s muscly bod.
Game of Thrones already has some epic love stories going on but there’s one simple reason why Garya would be so wonderfully perfect.
The union would literally make the dream that their fathers had come true.
As the late King Rob said to Ned in the very first episode of the entire show, their two families were meant to be officially bound together.
‘If your sister had lived, we would have been bound by blood… well, it’s not too late…I have a son, you have a daughter, we’ll join our houses,’ he told his best pal.
So romance would basically fulfill the prophecy of the late King, finally uniting their houses just like everyone’s always wanted.
Could there be any happier ending than that?
Game of Thrones season 8 airs tonight on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 9pm.
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The female leads will reprise their roles, including Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman (Picture: HBO)
The star-studded Big Little Lies will return for a second season this year.
Drama is the name of the game on this HBO show. The first season saw murder and intrigue as character Perry Wright, played by Alexander Skarsgard, was pushed down the stairs during trivia night by Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz).
Witnesses agreed to lie to the police and tell them it was an accident – but of course, trouble followed.
Season two will see the arrival of a new character, determined to find out what happened that night.
Who is in the Big Little Lies 2 cast?
Women are at the heart of the HBO show, with strong female leads drawing in the viewers, and there’s legend to join them in season two – namely, Meryl Streep.
The actress, who has been nominated for 21 Oscar awards and won three, has a vast array of respected films under her belt.
A few of her biggest roles to date include playing Emmeline Pankhurst in Suffragette, Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, Donna in Mamma Mia! and of course, the incomparable Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada (a character said to be based on Vogue editor, Anna Wintour).
Meryl Streep is on a mission to find out what happened to her on-screen son (Picture: HBO)
Other new faces will include Oscar-winning Mary Louise Wright, who has landed the role of Celeste’s mother-in-law, as well as Crystal Fox and Martin Donovan, who will feature as Bonnie’s parents.
Actors reprising their roles include the aforementioned Reese Witherspoon and her fellow female leads Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz, in addition to Adam Scott, James Tupper, Jeffrey Nordling and Iain Armitage.
Who does Meryl Streep play in Big Little Lies?
Streep will play Perry’s mother, and can be seen in the trailer talking to Madeline Martha Mackenzie (Reese Witherspoon) about her son’s death.
‘My son is dead,’ she said.
‘I want to know what happened that night. I’m very tempted to ask you but, I don’t think I’d get the truth, would I?’
You can practically hear the ominous music.
It’s not yet known whether Alexander Skarsgard, best known for his sexy vampire role in True Blood, will return as her on-screen son for flashback scenes – but fans remain hopeful.
When does Big Little Lies season 2 start in the UK?
Big Little Lies season two will air on HBO on Sunday 9 June, returning to the UK on Monday 10 June.
Game Of Thrones season eight is back – here’s everything you need to know about watching the first episode (Picture: HBO)
If you’ve managed to make it through the day without reading any Game Of Thrones spoilers, give yourself a pat on the back.
The eighth and *sob* final season kicked off in the US on Sunday night, live-streaming in the UK at 2am this morning.
However, for those of us with work, sleep or other commitments to see to, we’re counting down the minutes until it airs tonight on Sky Atlantic at a normal, earthly hour.
As we wait to see what shocks, deaths and tears are in store in the new season of GOT, here’s all you need to know about the first episode…
What time is Game Of Thrones on Sky Atlantic tonight and how long is the first episode?
Get home, cook dinner and pour yourself a big glass of something tasty because you’re going to want to be sat on your sofa by 9pm.
Game Of Thrones’ first episode of season eight will be airing on Sky Atlantic from 9pm to 10.05pm, meaning you get five minutes more than the series’ usual hour episodes.
Daenerys is back (Picture: HBO)
How can you watch Game Of Thrones for free?
If you don’t have Sky Atlantic, there is one sneaky way of watching GOT for free.
You can snap up a 7-day free trial of the NOW TV entertainment package, which means you could watch the first two episodes without paying anything.
After that, you can pay £7.99 to have access to the service for another month to cover the length of the rest of the series.
You’ll have to wait for the series to finish if you want to watch the whole thing for free – you can then binge-watch it all using the 7-day free trial. Although, dodging those spoilers for six whole weeks might be tricky.
However the episodes are longer than previous ones, meaning you still get to watch 432 minutes of GOT action. Some of the episodes will be longer than others in the eight season.
The Northerners’ reactions to seeing black people for the first time has Game of Thrones fans rolling (Picture: HBO)
WARNING: Contains spoilers for Game Of Thrones season eight.
After a long wait, Game Of Thrones returned to the world and it was filled with laughter, deaths, reunions … and a bunch of sheltered Northerners meeting black people for the very first time.
The first episode, Winterfell, saw characters from throughout the Seven Kingdoms meet after years of separation, or for the first time ever.
Some meetings were highly emotional, while others left viewers in hysterics.
As Jon Snow walked back into his home town Winterfell with Queen Daenerys and her Unsullied soldiers and Dothraki army, the good people of the North looked very confused at the sight of non-white people – and even more terrified as dragons Drogon and Rhaegal glided through the cold winter air.
The scene involved a little dialogue but became one of the main talking points with viewers online.
At the very start of the premiere Daenery’s most trusted advisers, Greyworm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) exchanged a knowing glance at each other as the Northerners gawped at their mere presence.
The pair rode through Winterfell as the locals stared at them (Picture: HBO)
The exchanged looks were called ‘relatable’ and ‘hilarious’ on Twitter, just seconds after the opening scene aired in the early hours of Monday.
Of course, with any big television event, the creative memes are inevitable. These are some of our favourite online reactions:
Twitter had a field day over the Game of Thrones moment as Missendei and Greyworm arrived in Winterfell (Picture: Twitter)
Twitter had a field day over the Game of Thrones moment as Missendei and Greyworm arrived in Winterfell (Picture: Twitter)
Twitter had a field day over the Game of Thrones moment as Missendei and Greyworm arrived in Winterfell (Picture: Twitter)
Twitter had a field day over the Game of Thrones moment as Missendei and Greyworm arrived in Winterfell (Picture: Twitter)
Black characters are originally from the Summer Isles – as depicted in GRR Martin’s novels – however, the series has so far opted out from visiting the location and restricting itself to briefly mentioning the place.
The Summer Isles is not even on HBO’s official map for Got, but readers know that it’s towards the southeast of Westeros and its citizens are described as ‘nut brown, teak, ebony, and jet black’.
Greyworm once said he was abducted from there when he was a baby, while Xaro Xaro Xhoan Daxos, portrayed by British-Nigerian actor Nonso Anozie in 2012, said he grew up in the Summer Isles before moving to Qarth.
With only a few mentions since the show first aired in 2011, it is no surprise that the people of Winterfell looked on the way that they did.
Episode one, Winterfell, aired at 2am GMT last night on Sky Atlantic (9pm ET on HBO) but will be airing again tonight at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
With another five episodes to go, fans can look forward to a lot more side-splitting content.
Game of Thrones season 8 airs tonight on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 9pm.
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Shhhh….spoilers are ahead so be careful! (Picture: BBC)
Killing Eve dealt one hell of a killer blow on Sunday night, with the shock and sudden return with a character long-presumed dead.
The comeback will definitely have some fallout – not least for Villanelle.
***Warning: Spoilers ahead so be wary***
Konstantin was charged with minding the unpredictable Oskana/Villanelle (Picture: BBC)
So…turns out that Konstantin Vasiliev, who we last saw bleeding out from a gunshot wound to the stomach, is actually very much alive, and dropped by to the shock of everyone in the final seconds of episode two.
The Russian Spy – who was in charge of minding the eternally unpredictable Oksana (code name: Villanelle) – reappeared at the request of MI5 agent Carolyn (Fiona Shaw), who confirmed to us last season that he didn’t survive his shootout.
Turns out, they’re in some kind of cahoots, and after a less-than-subtle warning against Eve’s life, Carolyn decided to come clean in order to get Eve (Sandra Oh) the protection she needs.
With an ominous return to Carolyn’s house, they were greeted by a man on the sofa reading a book – Konstantin.
Konstantin was presumed dead after being shot in the stomach by Villanelle (Picture: BBC)
How he managed to evade death (and exactly how close he is to Carolyn) we are yet to find out. But it doesn’t bode well for Villanelle, who is currently at the mercy of some seriously creepy weirdos as her stab wound gets more and more gnarly looking.
One person who is seriously happy about the star’s return is Villanelle herself, actress Jodie Comer, who praised the actor and the relationship his character has with hers.
‘There’s something about the relationship between Konstantin and Villanelle that enables the audience to see her a certain way,’ she told Entertainment Weekly. ‘Without that relationship, you wouldn’t.’
Sandra Oh agreed and added: ‘It’s just too rich of a character… He helps humanize her, as much as she can be. He sees her with understanding and empathy in a way that helps the audience see her that way.’
Killing Eve continues Sunday on BBC America in the US.
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The Game of Thrones opening credits have become an iconic part of the show thanks to its memorable music and the intricate map that shows the layout of Westeros.
It is something that has changed over time to reflect the constant new directions in the story with different castles crumbling down, while other areas are upgraded or abandoned.
Designer Angus Wall revealed that the title sequence could have looked very different as the original plan was to insert maps between scenes instead of showing the world of Westeros as part of the opening sequence.
With most of the characters now all together in one place the first episode of season 8 saw perhaps more changes than ever before, with more details and a different style that took viewers inside some of the buildings.
This included going inside King’s Landing and seeing the Iron Throne up close.
(Picture: HBO)
How have the Game of Thrones opening credits changed?
Winterfell, King’s Landing and The Wall are the only three locations that have remained present in the credits throughout all eight seasons, although they have seen various changes during the series.
Throughout seasons three and four Winterfell was covered in smoke after it was overtaken and destroyed by Theon, and it was then covered in the Bolton sigil in season five.
It wasn’t until the end of season six that the Stark sigil returned after it was reclaimed by Jon Snow and Sansa Stark.
There have been 22 different locations featured at various points in the opening credits, with the most appearing during season six when 11 different points of interest were featured on the map.
The locations have been the main thing that has changed each season and they usually provide an idea of where will be featured in the upcoming season and in the episodes.
Fans can also spot changes to structures and locations that fit along with the narrative of the story like the destruction of Winterfell and The Wall.
What do the changes to the opening credits mean?
King’s Landing has been featured in a very new way in the credits for the final season, showing the cellars and stairways as well as the dragon skull, and ending on the iron throne.
The Wall experienced its biggest change in the opening of season eight, now that part of it has been destroyed by the Night King and Viserys.
There is now a huge hole in The Wall that represents the gap in Eastwatch that will enable the Wight Walkers and their army to pass.
(Picture: HBO)
The damaged wall obviously represents where it has been destroyed by the Night King, but viewers also saw the tiles representing the snow floor flip over showing the oncoming White Walker army as it heads towards Winterfell.
Viewers also saw the crypts underneath Winterfell, which have been featured in various teasers and trailer, hinting that they could play an important role in the final season.
It is also worth noting that Kit Harrington’s sigil in the opening sequence is of the direwolf that belongs to House Stark, rather than the dragon of House Targaryen, although this could change in episode two now that he knows his real identity.
The new opening sequence also points towards Last Hearth, the original home of House Umber, a location that has been featured for the first time in the credits and shows the path of the White Walker army.
It’s possible that fans could see the armies journey progress fruther on the map during the opening credits for episode two.
Joe Dempsie originally wanted to be the King Of The North himself (Picture: Rex)
Game Of Thrones’s Kit Harington has made the character of Jon Snow his own over the years – but at one point Joe Dempsie was willing to give it a good try himself.
The actor, who later became Gendry on the show, admitted at this weekend’s BFI & Radio Times TV Fest that he had his eyes on the prize for the Stark bastard initially.
Speaking at a Q&A celebrating the show, he admitted: ‘I auditioned for Jon Snow initially, pretty much every actor of a certain age went for it. 18 months after that I auditioned for Pip and another of Jon’s mates at the wall.
‘My audition for Gendry is the worst I’d ever done, after every scene there was silence and they said they were worried nobody would understand me.’
Somehow though, it seems that’s the one that paid off, and now 10 years down the line he is firmly in the firing line for the final war for the Iron Throne.
He might have disappeared for three seasons in the process, but at least he made it back in one piece (which is more than can be said for Ed Sheeran’s poor role).
Gendry has returned to Game Of Thrones (Picture: HBO)
‘In some ways I think Twitter got me my job back,’ Joe added, after confirming that his return was always part of the plan.
He explained: ‘They wanted fans to forget about Gendry but they underestimated them.
‘The longer a loose end is left untied the more conspicuous it gets rather than just fading from memory.’
Meanwhile Jon Snow has just had his mind blown about his family heritage (Picture: HBO)
Speaking to Men’s Health Magazine, Joe admitted his curiousity over Gendry’s heritage, and said: ‘He says he doesn’t remember much about her at all, other than the fact that she had yellow hair and she would sing to him.’
‘It’s one of those things where you go, “Do they usually write lines that don’t mean anything, or lines that seem to have significance that [are] never addressed again?”,’ he added.
‘I was kind of intrigued to see what that might mean, and what impact that might have on Gendry’s clout politically.’
Guess we’ll find out in five weeks or less.
Game Of Thrones continues Sundays on HBO and Sky Atlantic.
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Kit has been in TV shows, big name movies and done voice-over work (Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/HBO)
You know him as the bastard Jon Snow, the King of the North and love interest to Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, (who also happens to be his aunt).
But Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington, 32, has been busy with other projects while filming the final season of the popular HBO show, and has held roles in TV shows and big box office movies alike.
Speaking of Game Of Thrones, now that the eighth and final series has finally launched last night, you’re probably busy thinking of theories on who will die, who will kill whom, and what will happen in next week’s episode.
However, if you need a Kit fix and can’t wait until next Sunday, have a binge watch of some of his other career highlights.
What else has Jon Snow actor Kit Harington been in?
Acton-born Kit Harington – full name Christopher Catesby Harington – grew up in west London and is the son of playwright Deborah Jane Catesby and businessman David Richard Harington.
Later, his family moved to Worcestershire where Kit spent his teen years. His interest in acting began after watching a production of Waiting for Godot, after which he decided to study Drama and Theatre at Worcester Sixth Form College.
He returned to London when he was 18 years old and graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama in 2008.
A mere three years later, he nabbed the coveted role of Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones and appeared in the first episode in 2011.
Not only did this provide new career opportunities, but Kit also met his wife Rose Leslie on set (she played Ygritte).
Kit Harrington with his wife Rose Leslie, who he met on set (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty)
He followed up with movie roles as Vincent in Silent Hill: Revelation in 2012, then played the role of the gladiator Milo in Pompeii.
A mix of roles came after that, such as Robert Catesby in Gunpowder – based on a true story of Kit’s ancestor – and Charles Poole in the TV movie Seven Days in Hell, as well as voice-over work for video games including Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series.
Kit also lent his voice to TV movie Zog last year, as Sir Gadabout, and Eret in How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which is in cinemas now.
Other appearances include the starring role in The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, Will Holloway in MI-5 and Samuel in Brimstone, as well as an on-stage performance in True West in 2018.
As for what’s next, it’s anyone’s guess – but one thing we do know is that Kit is keen to lose the Jon Snow look. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor said he’d like to chop off his luscious locks and make himself ‘less recognisable as a character’.
While he might change his appearance, he’ll probably always be Jon Snow to hardcore GOT fans though.
Considering the amount that has happened since the start of season one of Game of Thrones, it is easy to assume that a fair amount of time has passed since we were first introduced to Ned Stark and his family.
Westeros and Essos both take a lot of time for characters to travel across whether it’s by foot, boat or on horseback, which makes it likely that a fair amount of time has gone by since the first season.
Younger characters like Sansa and Arya Stark have also grown older and wiser since they were introduced in the first episode, but many fans are wondering how much older they really are.
Here is everything that we know about the time-frame between season one and season 7 of Game of Thrones.
John Bradley plays Samwell Tarly in the series (Picture: HBO)
How much time has passed in Game of Thrones?
It can be difficult to calculate exactly how much time there has been since the first episode and the end of season 7, mainly because dates and time frames aren’t given very often in the show.
Viewers will also find it hard to know how many of the events are happening simultaneously, and which characters are experiencing things before or after other plots.
Many people estimate that the first seven seasons last between 4 and 5 years.
The first season is believed to have covered a year, as it includes King Robert travelling to the North to visit Ned, and then them travelling south back to King’s Landing.
Daenerys also meets her husband Khal Drogo and reaches a fairly advanced stage of pregnancy by the end of season one, which means that a significant period of time has passed.
The amount of travel that many characters such as Daenerys, Arya Stark, Jaime Lannister, Robb Stark and Jon Snow face suggests that significant amounts of time pass at various points across the series.
Dany’s dragons have also grown a large amount since first appearing at the end of season one, but it is unclear how long they normally take to grow, so it is hard to use this as an estimate of the time period.
In season 6 Edmure Tully tells Jaime Lannister that he has been a prisoner of the Freys ‘for years’, suggesting that season four and five spanned across at least a couple of years.
Only a few days or a week separate most of the final episodes and first episodes of new seasons, with the exception of season 6 and 7 where there is believed to have been a at least a few weeks between the two of them.
Jon Snow discovered his true heritage in the first episode of season eight, finally ending the mystery around who his parents were.
At the start of season one Ned Stark was claiming to be Jon’s father, and the belief was that he was conceived while Ned was away fighting during Robert’s Rebellion.
Being born outside of marriage made Jon Snow a bastard and an illegitimate child with no claims to the Stark title or castle.
Before heading south to serve as Hand of the King, Ned told Jon that he would tell him the truth about his mother when he returned to Winterfell, but that never happened.
The truth was finally revealed last season and it put an end to two decades of speculation surrounding the books and then the TV series.
Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark (Picture: HBO)
Who are Jon Snow’s parents?
Jon Snow’s real parents were first revealed in the final episode of season seven when Bran Stark used his greensight ability to see into the past.
He watched events unfold as Ned discovers his sister Lyanna after she has given birth to Jon, and she confirms to him that Rhaegar Targaryen is the father.
Bran then tells Samwell Tarly that Lyanna and Rhaegar had married each other in secret, which legitimised Jon Snow, making him the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
The revelation also means that he is the nephew of Daenerys Targaryen.
What is Jon Snow’s real name?
Bran Stark discovered Jon Snow’s real name during season 7 when he looked back in time and saw Lyanna Stark reveal the baby to her brother Ned.
After revealing the father, she asked Ned to protect the baby and told him that his name is Aegon Targaryen.
Apparently you need elephants to remain on the Iron Throne (Picture: HBO)
Warning: Game of Thrones season 8 spoilers below
Last night’s Game Of Thrones premiere offered us something we rarely get to see – a shaken Cersei Lannister. What was she upset about? Elephants. Yes, apparently there are elephants in the world of GOT, but not in Westeros.
In a bid to boost her army Cersei had ordered The Golden Company to ship over mercenary reinforcements so she could protect her reign of the Iron Throne from the incoming flood of White Walkers.
Euron Greyjoy managed to bring over 20,000 men and 2,000 horses, but absolutely zero elephants – much to Cersei’s disgust. ‘That’s disappointing,’ she said when she heard the bad news.
Obviously, the reason no elephants made it over to King’s Landing is because the animals don’t do too well on long journeys across the sea on wooden boats.
Visibly angry by the revelation that elephants won’t feature in her bolstered army, Cersei won’t let the elephant situation drop. ‘I wanted those elephants,’ she tells Euron again, after they’ve had a bit of fun.
The season 8 premiere featured two dragons but absolutely zero elephants (Picture: HBO)
But there’s actually a reason Cersei bangs on about her lack of elephants. As pointed out by Vulture, The Golden Company were actually famous for their elephants – all 24 of them – so it’s no wonder the current queen feels a little downtrodden on her deal.
(Now feels the right time to let you know that one of the elephants was named Little Pussy.)
As we know, the books and the series have now narratively parted ways – after all, there’s only so much you can fit into an hour of TV – and to add insult to injury, in the alternate literary universe Cersei did get her elephants. Well, of them.
In George R. R. Martin’s fifth GOT novel, A Dance With Dragons, we learn of The Golden Company through a rather long-winded side story that has thankfully been cut from the HBO show lest it get even more complicated.
Someone in the writer’s room clearly wasn’t happy with this decision, and so decided to throw in an elephant-sized easter egg for viewers who have also read the series so far.
In a way, we’re glad we didn’t get the elephants in the show. They’d only end up being murdered by dragons anyway.
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Daenerys Targaryen has been very protective of her dragons ever since they appeared in the finale of season one.
She has nurtured them and treated them as her children throughout her journey across Yunkai, Meereen and Westeros.
In season seven she saw one of them Viserys be killed by the Night King when he threw an ice spear, but the dragon has no been reanimated as a Wight and was used to destroy part of The Wall.
The Mother of Dragons has had to try and recover from the loss of one of her children and she has since given permission to Jon Snow to ride one of the two that remain.
Their names have a significant meaning to Daenerys and connect back to her family and they even have a link to Jon Snow.
(Picture: HBO)
What are the names of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons?
Daenarys’ dragons were born following the death of her husband Khal Drogo, as well as her brother Viserys and her unborn child.
These events and her family history had a big influence over her decisions of what to name each of them.
The three dragons are called Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion.
Drogon is the largest one and has most black scales and he is often the one that Daenerys has mounted and he has helped protect her on numerous occasions.
He was named after Daenerys’ husband Khal Drogo.
Rhaegal has a slightly greener colour and he is named after Daenerys’ brother Rhaegar Targaryen, who was killed during Robert’s Rebellion.
He is also the dragon that Jon Snow was given permission to mount.
The third dragon is Viscerion, who was named after her other brother Viserys, who was killed by Khal Drogo in season one after molten gold was poured on his head.
Viserion has slightly lighter scales, more white and blue, and was killed by the Night King in season 7 before being reanimated as a Wight.
Cersei Lannister is the current Queen of Westeros (Picture: HBO)
Cersei Lannister has been the longest lasting villains in Game of Thrones, with power being one of the driving forces of her character.
Tyrion once described her love for her children as her’ one redeeming quality’ and now that they are gone she has become even more unpredictable.
She carried out one of the biggest mass murders in the series when she blew up the Great Sept of Baelor in season 6 which killed numerous characters including Queen Margaery, the High Sparrow and Kevan Lannister.
Her fate isn’t yet known but she is one of the favourite’s to die at some point in season eight, with many characters keen to see her finally put to an end.
Many fans have been left wondering whether the prophecies shown in season five and referenced in the books link to her potential downfall.
(Picture: HBO)
What were Cersei Lannister’s prophecies?
Viewers saw a flashback during first episode of season five which showed a young Cersei Lannister visit a fortune teller called Maggy, near her childhood home of Casterly Rock.
Maggy allowed her to ask three questions about her future, but teased her by saying that she wouldn’t like the answer.
Would she marry Prince Rhaegar
Cersei’s first question was whether she would be marry Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, who was the current heir to the Iron Throne.
Maggy revealed that she wouldn’t end up marrying a prince, but would instead marry a king, which we know would later be her marriage to King Robert Baratheon.
Would she ever be Queen
Cersei was unsure whether the answer she got to the first question confirmed that she would become a Queen, so she asked it directly as her second question.
Maggie said that she would become a Queen but would later be brought down by a ‘younger and more beautiful Queen’, which creates the fear and anger that Cersei feels towards Margaery who she thinks is a threat to her.
Would she ever have children
Maggy claimed that the king would have 20 children, which came true with Robert fathering several children outside of marriage, including his son Gendry.
Following his death Joffrey had all of Robert’s known babies killed to prevent any challengers to his throne.
Maggy then said that Cersei would only have three children, which became Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen, although it suggests that her current pregnancy claims could be false.
She also revealed that the three children would wear crowns, but also implied that she would live longer than all of them.
Caption: Game of Thrones family tree House Lannister Picture: metro.co.uk/ Myles Goode
Are there any prophecies that aren’t in the series?
When Cersei’s visit to Maggy is referred to in the Song of Ice and Fire books, she is given another prophecy that isn’t included in the show but may still affect her in the final season.
Maggy tells Cersei ‘The valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale throat and choke the life from you’, with valonqar being High Valyrian for ‘little brother’.
Many fans have suspected that this points to either Tyrion Lannister or Jaime Lannister eventually becoming the person that kills her, although some people now suspect that this could instead be Euron Greyjoy, who is also a younger brother.
Rylan Clark-Neal has revealed he won’t be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing On Ice, fearing that he’d break ‘every bone’ in his body.
We feel you, Ry.
The former X Factor star explained that his decision is also partly down to time.
‘I would love nothing more than to become a professional ice skater but I would rather do it privately. Do some private lessons then do it!’ he said.
The 30-year-old added that he’s also ruling out other reality shows, reasoning to Digital Spy: ‘It’s how I started and I’ve been so lucky to have the career that I’ve had in reality TV and I will never forget where I came from, and that’s why I’m a massive supporter of reality TV.
‘But I enjoy hosting too much, or it would take a lot of money.’
The presenter is Big Brother’s number one fan (Picture: Rex Features)
Rylan, who hosted Big Brother’s Bit On The Side said: ‘I’m adamant Big Brother will return, when and where I don’t know but I won’t rest until it does.
‘I think Celebrity Big Brother is one of the most important shows on TV because we get to see people for who they really, really are.
‘You’ve only got too look at the events over the last seven years, and how it has changed the perception of people who are genuinely really nice and people who actually aren’t.’
The This Morning host was left mortified when his feature piece of an Ibiza cove that grants wishes (an island he claims he has been to) was coated in chocolate and left looking more like a dog had broken onto set and left something grim behind.
It didn’t take an idiot to notice it, and Rylan blushed bright red as Sandi Toksvig told him: ‘Wow, you’re going to find that dog and punish it.’
At least he’s got a shining personality if not the baking skills, right?
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