Jamie won’t be appearing on Strictly this year because he suffered an injury.
He hurt his foot while practising for the group dance routine, and was afterwards seen on crutches.
On the subject of his departure, the 30-year-old said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated that I’m unable to continue in the competition, I was so excited to hit the dance floor!
‘I would like to wish the lovely couples all the very best and hope they enjoy their time on the show to the fullest.’
Meanwhile Strictly producer Sarah James said: ‘We are so sad that Jamie won’t be able to take part in the series, he had already lit up the ballroom during the launch show with his boundless energy and enthusiasm.
‘We all wish him a full and speedy recovery.’
Speaking to Heart Radio, new contestant Kelvin said: ‘You know I was absolutely delighted I was ecstatic, my family were really really excited but it’s on the back of someone else’s misfortune.
‘So it was a really strange feeling because I almost felt guilty about being excited and being really chuffed to do it because you know some poor guy there was absolutely gutted that we was injured and couldn’t do it.’
Strictly Come Dancing kicks off tonight, on BBC One, at 7pm.
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Darcey previously said: ‘It has been a complete privilege for me to be part of Strictly, working with such a talented team.
‘I have enjoyed every minute of my time and will miss everyone from my fellow judges, the presenters, the dancers, the musicians, the entire backstage team, and especially the viewers of the show, who have been so supportive.
‘I am not leaving because of any upset or disagreement at all, I am just stepping away to give more focus to my many other commitments in dance, after seven truly wonderful years that I can’t imagine having gone any better.
‘I know I will miss being part of this unique show and the fact that it celebrates dance is something I am so passionate about. I hope that I may be very lucky to be asked back again one day.’
Darcey’s replacement is Motsi Mabuse – sister of Strictly professional Oti Mabuse.
Darcey herself joined the Strictly judging panel back in 2010, as a replacement for singer Alesha Dixon – who in turn had replaced Arlene Phillips.
Strictly Come Dancing kicks off tonight, on BBC One, at 7pm.
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Motsi Mabuse was announced as the new judge, but viewers were quick to wonder if she’s related to one of the professional dancers…
Is new Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse related to Oti Mabuse?
Judge Motsi Mabuse and dancer Oti Mabuse are sisters.
There won’t be any favouritism among the Strictly siblings though.
Motsi was recently on The One Show where she revealed she’s not there to judge sister Oti, or any of the professional dancers.
She said: ‘Literally, I’m not judging them. I’m judging a celebrity that’s going to learn to dance and how he deals with it and I’m going to try to be fair.’
Are Motsi Mabuse and Oti both dancers?
Motsi is no stranger to Strictly.
She has previously been a professional dancer and a judge on the German version of the show.
From being judged to doing the judging, Motsi has previously danced on German Strictly Come Dancing (Picture: PA)
Her experience more than makes her qualified – which is likely why she wasn’t afraid to clap back at Louie Spence recently for claiming she was hired because of the colour of her skin.
Watch Strictly Come Dancing tonight, 7pm, on BBC One.
The show, back for a third season, may be set around a fictitious housing estate in Hackney, but the areas they film the show are real.
Here are some of the locations used for shooting the Netflix reboot.
Drake played a big part in getting the show back for a third season (Picture: PA)
Where was Top Boy filmed?
A lot of Netflix’s Top Boy season 3 was filmed in Thanet, a town not far from Canterbury.
Cast and crew members were also spotted filming the show around Cliftonville, Margate and Ramsgate.
Other scenes were shot on location around Hackney, Dalston and Haggerston, including an intense armed robbery scene.
Seasons one and two were shot mostly around East London, in areas including Millennium Mills, Walworth Academy, a Stoke Newington snooker club.
Other locations used included Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone and several locations in Elephant & Castle. Some scenes were filmed around West London too, including at The Valmont Club on Fulham Road and a Queensway bowling alley.
Where is Summerhouse in Top Boy?
Most of the action in Top Boy centres on Summerhouse Estate – with different dealers facing off to be the top boy of the area.
Summerhouse is a Hackney housing estate made-up for the show, but it’s a loose fictionalisation of the De Beauvoir estate.
Ashley Walters said the essence of the show is ‘about London’ (Picture: Netflix)
Season 3 of Top Boy landed on Netflix on Friday 13th September.
Motsi Mabuse has made her Strictly Come Dancing debut serving some absolutely fiery looks as she came dressed as an actual Glitter Ball.
How on-brand.
The German dancer wore a sparkly jumpsuit with huge bat wings, and as she salsa’d her way to the middle of the dancefloor with the other judges, the viewers couldn’t help but gush over just how great she looked.
Motsi Mabuse looked incredible (Picture: BBC)
‘Motsi is serving looks bro,’ shared one shook viewer while another asked what we all wanted to know: ‘Do you think Motsi Mabuse will let me at her wardrobe?!’
‘MOTSI LOOKS UNREAL IM CHOKING,’ shouted one very impressed viewer.
She has previously been a professional dancer and a judge on the German version of the show.
Her experience more than makes her qualified – which is likely why she wasn’t afraid to clap back at Louie Spence recently for claiming she was hired because of the colour of her skin.
Reminding everyone that there is already a woman of colour on the show – her sister Oti – Motsi admitted that it was ‘funny’ to be attacked by someone whom she had never met.
Louie, best known for appearing in the reality show Pineapple Dance Studios in 2010, called the former dance champion a ‘nobody’ and suggested that current dancer Anton Du Beke would have been better for the job
But Motsi replied: ‘It would be really sad if someone chose me for my colour only.
‘I think a person of colour in any situation should be qualified to do the job. Not just because of the colour of their skin.’
Being one of the show’s biggest successes, many fans were asking ‘will Diversity be on BGT: The Champions?’ once the show was announced.
Disappointingly for fans of Ashley Banjo and his acrobatic, athletic dance troupe, they won’t be.
Why aren’t Diversity on BGT: The Champions?
Simon Cowell might be a victim of his own success, as the dance crew have been too busy to come back for the show.
They are preparing for another national tour.
When asked about the chances of Diversity doing BGT: The Champions, Ashley Banjo said: ‘Who would have thought ten years ago when we won BGT we would be preparing for our biggest tour yet, Born Ready.
‘While we are unable to take part, we wish all the acts the best of luck.’
The boys aren’t all work and no play… (Picture: Rex Features)
What have Diversity been up to after Britain’s Got Talent?
When Diversity first competed on Britain’s Got Talent, they were considered the surprise winners against Susan Boyle.
Since winning, though, they’ve proven to be worthy champions, spawning huge success as a group and as individuals.
Ashley Banjo was a judge on the dance talent show Got to Dance, and he also joined Dancing on Ice as a judge in 2018.
Perri Kiely won the second series of Tom Daley’s Splash! As well as appearing in Celebs Go Dating and winning Star Baker on the Great Stand up to Cancer Bake Off.
From reality TV royalty to real royalty (Picture: Getty Images)
Who’s on BGT: The Champions tonight?
Diversity might not be dancing up a storm, but there’s plenty of entertaining acts ready to battle it out.
Jamie hurt his foot while practising for the group dance routine, and was afterwards seen on crutches.
On the subject of his departure, the 30-year-old said: ‘I’m absolutely devastated that I’m unable to continue in the competition, I was so excited to hit the dance floor!’
But he was in the audience to support his new pals, and he took to Instagram before the show began to share his words of motivation.
‘We’re off to support the guys and girls, we can’t wait for it and we are supporting you all,’ he said.
‘You are going to kill it, I will be sitting in the audience and I can’t wait.’
‘I am so nervous for them all,’ he added (Picture: BBC)
He later spoke to Tess Daly and said he was very upset as the whole show is ‘amazing’.
‘I am so nervous for them all,’ he added.
Jamie was the eleventh celebrity to join this year’s Strictly Come Dancing lineup but in early September was forced to pull out.
He later shared an emotional video, with the Made In Chelsea star saying he was ‘incredibly devastated’ not to be taking part, and wished the rest of the celebrity contestants the best of luck.
Jamie was the eleventh celebrity to join this year’s Strictly Come Dancing lineup (Picture: Getty)
Jamie said: ‘I just wanted to give a quick update because it’s been released now that because of my injury I won’t be competing on Strictly this year, which is incredibly devastating and really upsetting.
‘But these things happen in life and when these things happen, you just have to be positive and push on and move forward.
‘I also wanted to say that I wish the best of luck to all of the other guys who are in Strictly this year. They are the best bunch of people ever and the show is gonna be amazing.
‘2019 is gonna be incredible.
‘I’ll be supporting from the sidelines and I’ll be there in spirit 100%, just I won’t be dancing this year.
The father part of the father-son duo will be seen saying to the crowd: ‘I can’t tell you how much you going mad for us makes us feel.
‘But I want to say, this show is amazing. We’ve been all over the world, we’ve done things and been places we never thought we’d be, and it’s because of you guys.’
Grinning, he adds: ‘I’ve got to thank my dentist in Pathos! He’s amazing! I have the same teeth as Simon now, look!’
A bold move indeed, but thankfully Simon took zero offence.
As we wait to see if Stavros Flatley make it to the next round, here’s what you need to know about their last appearance on BGT and what they’ve been doing since their stint on the show.
When were Stavros Flatley on Britain’s Got Talent?
The pair, made up of Demi and his son Lagi, appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in series three back in 2009.
At the time, they were 40 and 12 respectively.
Stavros Flatley eventually made it all the way to the final, coming fourth behind Julian Smith, Susan Boyle and Diversity, the winners of that season.
He spoke of their achievements since being on the show, saying: ‘We’ve danced all over the world, China, Monaco, Germany, Greece, Italy… We’ve been everywhere.
‘We didn’t want to ruin what we’d already done, it was a difficult decision.
‘Obviously Lagi has grown up now, he’s never going to be six foot… He’s got a little beard and tattoos…
‘We had to really think about it, but we’re so happy we did it,’ he continued. ‘After what’s happened and the performance we did, I don’t think we made a mistake. I know we didn’t.’
Since their first time on Britain’s Got Talent, Stavros Flatley have performed at more than 300 events across the country, including the likes of Glastonbury and for the England national cricket team.
They also released a book in 2019 called How To Be A Little Bit Greek.
Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions continues tonight at 8.30pm on ITV.
Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher has received the highest first-week score in five years for Strictly Come Dancing.
Kelvin and his professional partner Oti Mabuse performed a samba and received glowing scores and critique from the judges.
All four judges gave the pair a score of eight, with Bruno Tonioli, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse given the actor a standing ovation.
That gave the two a score of 32, which host Claudia Winkleman later confirmed was the ‘highest ever score for the first show in five years’.
‘I am talking about that spine, that hip rotation, that ooziness in your body,’ said Motsi.
‘I enjoyed it I loved it, oh my God,’ she added before Shirley called it ‘electrifying’ and admitted she was lost for words and praised him for being in touch with his feminine side and ability to work with his body.
Kelvin Fletcher has received the highest first-week score in five years (Picture: BBC)
Understandably the pair were over the moon, and it got better when Bruno accused him of starting a chain reaction of hot flushes.
Craig tried to critique him on several points before giving up and concluding: ‘God works in mysterious ways… it was amazing.’
Understandably the pair were over the moon (Picture: BBC)
Kelvin had previously admitted he thought the call for Strictly Come Dancing was an Ant and Dec prank.
Kelvin stepped in for the BBC One show after Jamie Laing was forced to pull out over an injury but he has now revealed that he wasn’t expecting the call because as far as he was aware, he wasn’t ‘on any list’.
‘I wasn’t expecting it at all. I wasn’t on a replacement list, I wasn’t on any list so I was completely, completely out of the blue,’ he told Mark Wright on Heart FM on Friday.
‘Even when we started on the Thursday I got rushed down there, met the producers, had a medical, and I kept saying to them “I feel like Ant and Dec are gonna jump out with a film crew”.’
Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh have been confirmed as X Factor judges alongside Simon Cowell for the new series of The X Factor: Celebrity.
Yep the ITV show is back but things are a little different as the regular X Factor and its search for a new singing star isn’t happening.
Instead, famous faces are getting the chance to show off their singing skills for us in a celebrity edition of the show which promises to be just as exciting as the main series.
The new trailer confirms there will be 15 celebrities from several reality stars including Love Island hopefuls, social media stars, actors, footballers and a famous a journalist.
Previously rumoured names include former EastEnders star Jonny Labey, a duo consisting of former Strictly star Brendan Cole and actor Jeremy Edwards, Love Actually’s Olivia Olson, former footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones and a Love Island supergroup featuring Eyal Booker, Zara McDermott, Wes Nelson and Samira Mighty.
Scherzy is back! (Picture: ITV)
The series is likely to be followed by a second X Factor series, X Factor All Stars – in which some of the most familiar faces from the previous X Factors return to battle it out.
‘The time feels right, and it will be a huge change,’ Simon Cowell previously told The Sun.
‘We haven’t exactly confirmed the dates or the order of the shows, but essentially there are going to be two versions of X Factor running this year.
‘I think it’s going to be huge, it’s the best I’ve felt about this show in ages.’
Stavrol Flatley earned Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer (Picture: Getty; Rex)
Simon Cowell gave Stavros Flatley his golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions tonight.
The dancing duo – made up of Demi Demetriou and son Lagi – first appeared on the show back in 2009, and quickly became firm fan favourites.
And Si proved himself to be the biggest fan of their Greek dancing skills, handing the duo a pass straight to the finals.
Speaking after their energetic performance, judge David Walliams told them: ‘This for me is what the show is all about. Ordinary people getting up and having a go.’
While Alesha Dixon branded them the most iconic act in Talent history.
Simon agreed, with the 60-year-old telling the pair: ‘I will never forget that moment when you guys came out and I was thinking, “What the bloody hell is this?”
Simon Cowell is a huge Stavros Flatley fan (Picture: FilmMagic)
‘Like tonight, the same thing happened. The crowd went crazy.
I’ve wanted to say this to you for years. I’ve really wanted to thank both of you for everything you’ve done, and there’s one way I can do this…’
Getting up from his seat, he smacked down the golden buzzer, sending the crowd – and everyone watching on at home – into total meltdown.
Overcome with emotion, Demi told him: ‘Whenever you need us forever, we’ll be there! If I have to get on this stage in a mobility scooter!’
Stavros Flatley auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 (Picture: ITV)
During an appearance on This Morning, ahead of their BGT return, Demi told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: ‘We’ve danced all over the world, China, Monaco, Germany, Greece, Italy… We’ve been everywhere.
The pair weren’t sure they would return to the show (Picture: Rex)
‘We didn’t want to ruin what we’d already done, it was a difficult decision.
‘Obviously Lagi has grown up now, he’s never going to be six foot… He’s got a little beard and tattoos…’
‘We had to really think about it, but we’re so happy we did it,’ he continued.
‘After what’s happened and the performance we did, I don’t think we made a mistake. I know we didn’t.’
He’s not wrong about that one…
Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions returns next Saturday on ITV.
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Colin sang Ed Sheeran’s Supermarket Flowers (Picture: ITV)
Reigning Britain’s Got Talent winner Colin Thackeray left The Champions audience feeling all the feels on Saturday, as he performed Ed Sheeran’s Supermarket Flowers.
Dedicated to his late wife Joan, the performance saw his grandchildren in tears and Amanda Holden taking deep breaths to hold herself together.
‘That is one of the most emotive performances we’ve ever had on this show,’ said David Walliams while Amanda added: ‘You represent a generation of people who have shown this country how to behave and be strong, and great dignity, that was an amazing performance.’
Viewers at home were also left in bits by his performance.
— Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango. (@wokestofscrolls) September 21, 2019
Colin is a Chelsea Pensioner and adfter winning the public vote during the 2019 semi-final he went on to win the show.
The 89-year-old moved both judges and audience with his rendition of wartime classic We’ll Meet Again – which he had also dedicated to his late wife Joan.
Ant and Dec were moved (Picture: ITV)
Colin was born on 9 March 1930 and joined the Army when he was 15, saying on the show: ‘I was running a bit wild, so the Army was really my saviour.’
He served in the Army for 25 years, in the 45th regiment of the Royal Artillery, and is a veteran of the Korean war – while the Army was also where he met his beloved wife Joan, falling for her at the weekly camp dance.
Colin’s grandchildren were in tears (Picture: ITV)
The couple went on to have two children and four grandchildren – as well as singing together during their marriage, moving to Norwich after Colin’s retirement.
Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions continues on Saturdays at 8.30pm on ITV.
George Sampson misses out on The Champions final to Preacher Lawson (Picture: ITV)
Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson has failed to make it through to the Champions final, losing out to Preacher Lawson.
The 26-year-old dancer who won the show in 2008 at the age of 14 made an emotional return to the show tonight, after being told he would never dance again.
But with Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer going to Stavros Flatley, George had to rely on the audience vote – and failed to even make it to the top three, with Colin Thackeray, Lawson and American skate act Billy & Emily England all named by Ant and Dec.
Preacher, however, was left speechless by his win, telling Ant and Dec: ‘I don’t know what to say, I love you, that’s what I want to say.
‘Thank you to the judges for the kind words, I am just so happy. I can’t believe I am here right now.’
George had performed an energetic routine that saw him pay tribute to his journey to the stage but it wasn’t to be.
Ahead of his comeback, he had vowed there was no way he’s turning his back on his passion.
BGT 2008 winner George Sampson (Picture: Rex)
‘Around a year after winning Britain’s Got Talent I sustained a really bad back injury, and doctors told me I might not ever be able to dance again,’ he told the camera.
‘To be told bluntly, “No”, was devastating.
‘I’m stubborn. There was no chance I was going to stop dancing. It’s been a long road to recovery but I’ve worked hard and I’m back.’
Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon were full of praise after George’s return, with David branding the dancer the ‘real life Billy Elliot’, while Simon revealed he’s one of his favourite acts to ever take part.
Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions continues on Saturdays at 8.30pm on ITV.
Darcey chose to leave the hit BBC show after eight years, and German dancer Motis Mabuse has come on board as her replacement.
But now Bruno has shared that behind the scenes, her departure came out of the blue to the others.
‘I was in total shock,’ he said.
‘When she texted me I didn’t put two and two together. I wasn’t expecting her to leave. She told me she just needed to get out.’
Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli (Picture: WireImage)
However, the dancing judge, who was back on TV screens on Saturday for the 2019 season, teased that you never know what may happen and that she could potentially be back in the future: ‘I say the door is always open.’
Motsi Mabuse was hired to replace Darcey, and the German dancer made her Strictly Come Dancing debut serving some absolutely fiery looks as she came dressed as an actual Glitter Ball.
How on-brand.
Motsi Mabuse has joined the judging panel (Picture: BBC)
Motsi wore a sparkly jumpsuit with huge bat wings, and as she salsa’d her way to the middle of the dancefloor with the other judges, the viewers couldn’t help but gush over just how great she looked.
‘Motsi is serving looks bro,’ shared one shook viewer while another asked what we all wanted to know: ‘Do you think Motsi Mabuse will let me at her wardrobe?!’
‘MOTSI LOOKS UNREAL IM CHOKING,’ shouted one very impressed viewer.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One.
Perpetual loser Anton du Beke, meanwhile, may finally be in with a real shot of the final.
Dev Griffin and Dianne Buswell, and Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice, both received 30 from the judges, while Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden scored 31.
But it was Kelvin and Oti’s samba which had the audience and the judges on their feet.
Claudia Winkleman later confirmed was the ‘highest ever score for the first show in five years’.
Motsi joins the Strictly judges (Picture: BBC)
‘I am talking about that spine, that hip rotation, that ooziness in your body,’ said Motsi in response to their performance.
‘I enjoyed it I loved it, oh my God,’ she added before Shirley called it ‘electrifying’ and admitted she was lost for words and praised him for being in touch with his feminine side and ability to work with his body.
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden scored 31 (Picture: BBC)
The show kicked off with a huge group number before the judges were introduced.
Motsi has replaced Darcey Bussell for the show’s 17th season and viewers fell in love with her no-nonsense critique and playful side; she also came dressed in a glittery number putting her right at home on the show.
Luba Mushtuk and James Cracknell were on the bottom of the scoreboard (Picture: BBC)
At the other end of the scoreboard, James Cracknell and his partner Luba Mushtuk received only 11 points, with the judges critical of his performance, asking him to enjoy the dancing and open himself to the audience.
Chris Ramsay and his partner Karen Hauer received 13 points while Kevin Clifton and his celeb partner Anneka Rice were awarded 14.
Kevin Clifton and Anneka Rice scored 14 (Picture: BBC)
Long-time professional Anton du Beke will be hoping he makes it farther than ever before as he has been partnered with EastEnders actress Emma Barton.
The pair were awarded an impressive 23 points for week one, with the judges praising Emma for her showmanship and offering constructive criticism that could see them go far.
Jamie, who was forced to pull out of the show after a foot injury, was in the audience to support his new pals, and he took to Instagram before the show began to share his words of motivation.
‘We’re off to support the guys and girls, we can’t wait for it and we are supporting you all,’ he said.
‘You are going to kill it, I will be sitting in the audience and I can’t wait.’
No couples will go home in this first week for the show, but the judges scores will be tallied together with next week’s score when the public can begin voting.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One.
Strictly Come Dancing bosses reportedly amped up security for Saturday night’s first live show (Picture: PA)
Strictly Come Dancing bosses reportedly amped up security for Saturday night’s first live show.
According to The Sun on Sunday, bosses ensured protective measures were put in place ahead of Strictly airing, as some stars had been subjected to ‘sinister’ death threats.
It’s reported bosses hired ex-military security guards to be on hand when the celebrities arrived at Elstree Studios ahead of filming and this year’s celebs have been given code names and told not to post photos of them in training in order to keep their location under wraps.
Sources have claimed: ‘Each year celebs get letter but this year there have been a few stand-out, deeply sinister ones which were flagged to the in-house team.
‘Security were alerted and a concerted effort made to bump up protection.’
Metro.co.uk have reached out to a spokesperson for Strictly.
Strictly returned on Saturday night and Kelvin Fletcher impressed the judges (Picture: PA)
Strictly returned with its new series on Saturday night, where new judge Motsi Mabuse made her debut, after replacing Darcey Bussell on the panel.
The pair won themselves a standing ovation and an incredible score of 33 points – the highest ever score given in the first show in five years.
Former Emmerdale star Kelvin was drafted in to replace Jamie Laing (who watched on from the studio audience) after he sustained a foot injury and was forced to pull out of the competition.
Shirley Ballas called Kelvin’s performance ‘electrifying’ and admitted she was lost for words, while praising his ability to work with his body and being in touch with his feminine side.
No couples will go home in this first week, but the judges scores will be tallied together with next week’s score when the public can begin voting.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7pm on BBC One.
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Today officially marks 25 years since Friends entered our lives and changed it forever – for the better.
For a whole decade Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry brought us infinite comfort and joy as Monica and Ross Geller, Rachel Green, Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing.
In celebration of the mammoth milestone, Metro.co.uk exclusively caught up with Friends costume designer Debra McGuire, set designer Greg Grande and producer and director Kevin S Bright to uncover 25 secrets from the hit sitcom that will make you fall in love with it even more.
Could we *be* any more excited to share them with you?
1) Jack Geller was almost killed off
Thank god this didn’t fly Picture: NBC)
Kevin pitched the idea of killing Jack Geller (Elliott Gould) off. You know, because Monica and Ross hadn’t already been through enough.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, he revealed that he would have granted the dad’s wishes and had him buried at sea.
‘I think at times I was hoping the show could touch on… it was so good at touching on serious subjects and being funny about it,’ Kevin said.
‘For example, I was going through in my life at the time of the role-reversal that you go through with parents – the realisation that you’re the baby and they take care of you and then you rebirth and you start taking care of them, and the realisation your parents aren’t immortal, but nobody wanted to kill off Elliott Gould.’
We’re glad this never happened.
2) Sting dropped out of his cameo at the last minute
Trudie Styler appeared in season eight episode The One With Monica’s Boots (Picture: Netflix)
Believe it or not, Trudie Styler was a last-minute stand when her husband Sting canceled.
‘We had Trudy Stilo because Sting was supposed to show up,’ Greg spilled.
3) Marcel was an ‘obnoxious idiot’
So it turns out Marcel was a tool (Picture: NBC)
There was a reason Marcel only lasted eight episodes – and that’s because he was a nightmare.
‘Marcel was a pain in the a**e to everybody,’ Debra scorned. ‘Marcel was just a pain in the a**e. It’s hard to love an animal when it’s such an idiot. He was an obnoxious monkey, just not very likable.’
Sounds like a right hoot.
4) Marcel’s scenes were adlib
Marcel ruled the roost (Picture: Getty)
We’ve already gathered that Marcel was a complete jerk, and as it turns out he had complete dominance when the cameras started rolling.
‘The beautiful thing about Marcel is that the director let the cameras roll and the actors were good about playing to whatever the monkey decided to do, which was some of the best footage that was not rehearsed,’ Greg revealed.
‘We always ended up with the unexpected take that would work, it was just magic.’
5) Matt LeBlanc suffered a brutal injury on set
Matt dislocated his shoulder in Monica’s apartment (Picture: Getty)
We’re told there was only one on-set accident during the whole 10 years of Friends, and that was Matt dislocating his shoulder.
‘It was in Monica’s apartment and we were shooting an early show in season five,’ Greg said. ‘There was a scene where they were running over, I think it was Joey and Chandler, and they were fighting about sitting in a chair – as they often did.
‘Matt ended up tripping and falling, he tripped over a carpet and then fell into the side of the club chair in her apartment and ended up dislocating his shoulder.’
Gregg added: ‘He did a couple of scenes after that but they had to call the show off because it was so bad.
‘It was based on a stunt they were both doing themselves. It was unfortunate.’
Ouch.
6) Monica’s fat suit had to be ventilated
Monica’s fat suit was pretty hot (Picture: Getty)
Monica’s fat suit was a complete nightmare and Courteney was a champ for putting up with it, tbh.
‘In those early years, we did not have that fat suit together,’ Debra recalled. ‘We had a big learning curve on how to keep her cool. That was difficult.
‘Courteney was quite a champ to be able to wear that, act in that and be funny. That was really challenging I think.
‘It was a foam body that she climbed into. We had to pipe in air through the back to keep her ventilated. Eventually, we had to do something because it was quite uncomfortable.’
7) This is the story behind The Geller Cup
The Geller Cup appears in The One With The Football (Picture: Netflix)
The troll doll superglued onto a little wooden block aka The Geller Cup is a trophy like no other.
‘The prop girl on the show ended up showing the writers the troll idea and they took to it and then they developed the trophy with the doll,’ Greg told us.
Remarkable.
8) Lisa Kudrow’s real-life sister played Ursula
Lisa Kudrow’s sister played Ursula’s body double (Picture: Netflix)
Lisa’s sister Marla would film as Ursula’s back whenever she was in a scene with Phoebe.
Explaining how it went down, Debra let loose: ‘When we saw the back of Phoebe speaking to Phoebe, the back was a body double.
‘This was Lisa Kudrow’s real-life sister for many seasons.’
Mind, blown.
9) The crew hid a doll around set as their own personal Easter egg
The Friends crew had a funny little doll that they used to hide in and around some of the sets.
Greg recalled they hid the toy in the freezer of Monica’s refrigerator and in little nooks and crannies in Chandler and Joey’s apartment.
‘It was just this little ragdoll and we just did it as a little Easter egg for us,’ he said.
10) Central Perk had a refurb every three to four episodes
The artwork in Central Perk changed regularly (Picture: Getty)
Artists from all over the world would have their work displayed (Picture: Getty)
If you paid close attention, you’d notice that the wall art in Central Perk changes just as much as Rachel’s feelings for Ross.
‘Every three or four episodes I changed the artwork on the back wall of Central Perk,’ Greg told us. ‘I was diligent about meeting artists all around the world that were interested in putting their art on the show.
‘We made a few people’s careers out of it, that was interesting to watch!’
11) Ever wondered why the gang always managed to bag that sofa in Central Perk?
The table was always reserved for the gang (Picture: Netflix)
How on earth did the Friends manage to get the same spot in Central Perk every time they visited?
‘We just put a little reserved sign on the coffee table and it was reserved for them,’ Greg said.
It’s really just as simple as that.
12) The iconic frame on the door of Monica’s apartment was actually a mistake
The gold frame is iconic (Picture: Netflix)
Remember the classic gold frame on the back of Monica’s purple door? Yeah, that was an accident.
Greg revealed: ‘The glass on the back of the frame had broken and while I was dressing up the set for the pilot I asked one of my guys to put it on the back of the door and open the peephole.
‘I kinda liked the way it looked and that’s how it ended up. It’s like a wonderful mistake that’s kinda famous I guess. That’s exactly what happened.’
13) Each storyline revolved around a wardrobe problem
The scripts were always wardrobe centric (Picture: NBCU
From Ross’ leather pants to Monica’s boots, Friends always involved clothes and accessories in some shape or form in every episode.
‘The storyline revolved around some sort of wardrobe issue,’ Debra told us. ‘Yes, in every script, especially in the first three years.’
She continued: ‘It was funny because the writers were killing us as there were nine and 10-day scripts and they were completely wardrobe centric.
‘One day I said to the writers and they were like, “Well we love you guys so much we just wanted to make sure we had storylines that included you.” They kind of went over-the-top.’
14) Carol and Susan’s wedding had subtle suffrage references
Did you notice the subtle clues with Carol and Susan’s wedding? (Picture: Getty)
Carol and Susan’s wedding was not only a monumental moment for the show but was one of the first same-sex weddings to ever air on mainstream television.
The episode was packed with subtle nods to the suffragettes, but unless you were paying close attention you would never have realised.
‘There were loads of references to the women’s suffrage movement and progress that we’d made in feminism that I tried to express in the wardrobe in The One With The Lesbian Wedding,’ Debra revealed.
‘That’s why I went with this equestrian vibe because I thought it would reflect the turn of the century feeling and people would be reminded of that time when women were speaking out to get rights to vote.
‘It was interesting that the public were as savvy to some of these really subliminal references.’
15) Jennifer Aniston has one of the Central Perk neon signs
What we’d give for one of those neon signs! (Picture: Getty)
Jennifer managed to swipe one of the classic signed lights from Central Perk after Friends had wrapped.
‘Jennifer has a neon from Central Perk and Marta Kauffman [showrunner] has a few collectibles,’ Greg said. ‘But for the most part Warner Brothers assets has every set so they ended up with the dog, the sofas, Monica’s apartment, the Central Perk set and more.’
16) Gladys is an actual artwork by an actual artist which wasn’t intentionally a joke before Friends
Gladys was a real artwork – seriously (Picture: Netflix)
Yep, you read that right.
Phoebe’s three-dimensional woman artwork aka Gladys was created by an artist and not for the show.
‘That was a piece that I found and thought it would be really funny being on a wall art in her apartment,’ Greg laughed.
‘That ended up becoming a story point in the show. The Smelly Cat painting was another piece I had created based on the script. So all those pieces were to her character or to their character.’
17) The set director played a removal man in the last episode
Set designer Greg Grande (middle) removed the last piece of furniture (Picture: Netflix)
Greg was actually one of the removal men in the final episode of Friends.
‘I’m the guy moving the dog out of the apartment in the final episode,’ he revealed. ‘Monica tips the moving guy and that’s kinda ironic that I’m that guy moving out the last piece of furniture.’
Recalling the scenes, he chuckled: ‘It was great, I just wish I got paid for it right. I’d still be making residual money.’
‘Marta and Kevin [Bright] were like, You deserve to be in this scene”,’ Greg continued. ‘That was nice, it was me and a couple of my guys.
‘They offered it up and we took it. It was an emotional night. That night was an emotional night for everybody.’
18) Monica and Ross nailed the dance routine first time, obviously
An iconic moment (Picture: NBC)
The One With The Routine is an iconic episode and Monica and Ross’s dance moves will never be forgotten.
‘They rehearsed it for a day or two and they were pretty darn good,’ Greg said. ‘They knew what they were doing.
‘That was the fun part of the show.’
19) Chrissie Hynde performed a full set for the Friends cast
Chrissie Hynde is a legend, basically (Picture: Netflix)
The Pretenders founder Chrissie Hynde performed for on-set before shooting her season two scenes in The One With The Baby On The Bus.
‘She ended up giving us a 30-minute private concert on stage before show night in the dress rehearsal,’ Greg told us. ‘For me, that was phenomenal. In front of two dozen people.’
20) The Friends cast would request outfits but they’d always get shut down
The Friends cast didn’t get the final say (Picture: Getty)
As Friends got more and more popular, the cast wanted more influence on what their character wore.
‘Everything was so meticulously orchestrated from my perspective,’ Debra told us. ‘I charted everything and did everything by colour and they weren’t really aware of what my system was.
‘There were times when someone would say, “I don’t feel like wearing this, can I wear this?”, And I’d be like, “No, because it would throw us off the pallette.”‘
21) Each Friend only had 15 minutes in wardrobe each week
Costume fittings were *very* fast (Picture: Warner Bros)
Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Rachel all had their signature style and a plethora of iconic looks over the years.
Somehow, costume designer Debra managed to pull their fabulous looks off each week having only spent a quarter of an hour with each cast member.
‘We never had more than 15 minutes with a character,’ Debra told us. ‘They would run in on Wednesdays for a fitting and we had very little time before they needed to be back out.
‘Some of them didn’t come in until Thursday and we had pre-shoot on Thursday and would film on Friday.
‘We were right up to the edge every single week.’
22) You should have looked closer at the Etch A Sketch in Joey’s apartment
We love this touch (Picture: Netflix)
Remember how the doodle-board in Joey and Chandler’s apartment would always change?
‘The Etch A Sketch on the back of the door was always a tribute to what was going on in the week,’ Greg said.
‘That was something for us as well as set dressing.’
23) Ross and Rachel were never meant to go on a break
They were initially going to stay together (Picture: Channel 4)
The most on-off couple in the history of television were never meant to go on a break at all.
‘I would say initially when [Ross and Rachel] was planned it wasn’t planned that way, that came a little bit later,’ Kevin told us about the pair going their separate ways.
‘It allowed us to have fun with the show and give people something to root for.’
He added: ‘We were well aware the audience wanted to keep them together but everything that was keeping them apart – we realised when we got them together when the first kiss happened we go, “Wow, the air has kind of gone out of the balloon.”
‘There wasn’t that sexual tension anymore.’
24. Friends director wasn’t a fan of Sean Penn’s cameo
Friends director thinks Sean Penn’s cameo was the least successful, which sucks for Sean Penn (Picture: NBC)
Two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn came crashing into Phoebe’s life as Ursula’s fiancé Eric, dressed as the solar system for Monica and Rachel’s Halloween party.
Sadly though, producer and director Kevin didn’t think the actor’s cameo was out of this world.
‘I think the least successful one was Sean Penn on the show,’ Kevin admitted.
‘Just the style of the production wasn’t what he was used to, doing a show like that, so there was a little deer in the headlight effect.’
25) Fans actually loved the pink bridesmaid dresses
Fans wrote in to praise the gowns (Picture: Netflix)
The One With Barry And Mindy’s Wedding saw Rachel and two bridesmaids wear the most outrageous pink dresses – and surprisingly, fans couldn’t get enough of them.
‘When we did the bubblegum pink bridesmaid dresses for the girls, they were horrible,’ Debra laughed.
‘The intention was to be completely comedic. You’d think you’d do a piece like that and would get messages saying that was really funny, but I got hundreds of emails from girls in the south who actually liked them.
‘That was really cool.’
Friends is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
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Take our Friends quiz as iconic series celebrates 25th anniversary (Picture: Getty Images)
Friends is celebrating its 25th anniversary, so we thought we’d put your knowledge to the test with this ultimate quiz.
Do you know your smelly cats from your lobsters? Or your trifle from your shepherd’s pie?
Well now is the chance to prove your Friends knowledge, and we don’t think there could be a better time for you to shine.
Good luck, at least you know you’ve already done better than Joey (but no way near as good as Ross).
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Got a showbiz story?
If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.
Who got the thumbs-up from the BGT judges this week? (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)
Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions now has itself eight finalists after the fourth heat aired on ITV on Saturday night.
So far the final has acts from Ukraine, Germany and the US versions of the show, as well as a scattering of some of Britain’s Got Talent’s most popular performers.
And Saturday night saw Simon Cowell given the chance to send one straight through via Golden Buzzer – but who did he choose? And who joined his act after winning the Superfans vote?
Here’s what you need to know…
Who went through on week four of Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions?
Simon told them: ‘I will never forget that moment when you guys came out and I was thinking, “What the bloody hell is this?” Like tonight, the same thing happened. The crowd went crazy.’
‘I’ve wanted to say this to you for years, I’ve really wanted to thank both of you for everything you’ve done, and there’s one way I can do this…’ he added, before getting up from his seat and hitting the gold.
Afterwards Demi, visibly emotional at what had just happened, told Simon: ‘Whenever you need us forever, I’ll be there! If I have to get on this stage in a mobility scooter!’
‘If my girl had a chance for Ant and Dec to lick her face and she turned it down, I’m dumping her, because I don’t want to date anyone that stupid,’ he joked.
‘If I had a chance for Ant and Dec to lick my face, I’m dressing up like an ice-cream cone, do you understand?!’
Who else is in the Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions final?
Alexa Lauenburger is among those who’ve already nabbed their place in the final (Picture: ITV)
Stavros Flatley and Preacher Lawson join Ukrainian sand artist Kseniya Simonova, death-defying duo Bello and Anneliese Nock, 11-year-old Germany’s Got Talent winner Alexa Laurenberger and her performing dog troupe, Britain’s Got Talent dance act MerseyGirls, BGT dance duo Paddy and Nicko and Canadian illusionist Darcy Oake.
Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions continues on ITV next Saturday night.
Alice and Henry have bonded after their time together in the Bake Off tent (Picture: Alice Fevronia; Channel 4)
The Great British Bake Off has apparently whipped up a romance between two of the bakers of this year’s series – with Henry Bird and Alice Fevronia becoming an item.
Henry, 20, and Alice, 28, are reported to have started dating following wrapping the show, with the couples’ rival bakers seemingly confirming their romance with sweet comments on Instagram.
The pair are said to have become confidantes to each other while they fought head-to-head in the Bake Off, and then continued to spend time together once their time in the tent was over.
‘It is early days but they are a lovely couple and seem very happy,’ a source told The Sun.
‘Pals have been joking that it’s the cherry on top of the experience.’
Earlier this month, Henry and Alice spent a day together at the Tate Modern in London, with the ensuing photos as they looked around the exhibitions giving the game away.
Helena Garcia, who has become known for her close bond with fellow goth Noel Fielding on the show, wrote next to the snaps: ‘You two couldn’t possibly be more adorable.’
The other Bake Off stars have been cheering them on on social media (Picture: Instagram)
Dan Chambers, who was the first to be eliminated from this year’s series, added: ‘You guys!!!’ with a string of heart emojis.
Michael Chakraverty, another contestant still in the running to win the series, added: ‘such a beautiful couple’
Knead we say more?
Metro.co.uk has contacted Bake Off reps for comment.
In the meantime, the whole gang from this year’s series have continued to provide us some seriously wholesome content with days out on the river together and watch parties for their episodes documented online.
In Dairy Week, Helena invited the group to hers – complete with bat shaped eyemasks, of course.
The Great British Bake Off continues Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
Got a showbiz story?
If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.
