BBC’s decision to uphold a complaint against Naga Munchetty ‘breaking broadcast guidelines’ for discussing a racist comment from Donald Trump has been met with widespread criticism, with journalists in the industry coming to the broadcaster’s defense.

Piers Morgan is among a growing list of journalists who are condemning the broadcasting house’s decision, after Naga criticised Trump’s message that four Democrat women of colour opposing him should ‘go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.’

Taking to Twitter, Morgan wrote: ‘Since the BBC will gag my breakfast show rival @BBCNaga from saying anything about this, allow me: it’s bloody ridiculous. Her words were powerful & necessary. Shameful censorship.’

In a statement released by the Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU), it was stated that while Trump’s comments were ‘widely condemned as racist’ and Naga was ‘perfectly entitled to give a personal response’, but she crossed a line when talking about Trump directly.

‘Our editorial guidelines do not allow for journalists to then give their opinions about the individual making the remarks or their motives for doing so – in this case President Trump – and it was for this reason that the complaint was partially upheld,’ they wrote. ‘Those judgements are for the audience to make.’

Many journalists, some of who work for the BBC and others who are also broadcasters, disagree with its decision and believe it sets a worrying precedent.

Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy talked about double standards, tweeting: ‘When you think about what those (mostly) older white men have got away with saying on the BBC and Twitter day after day this is a quite perplexing finding.’

BBC Radio 2’s Trevor Nelson gave his unequivocal support to Naga, as did host of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show’s Greg James.

Nelson said: ‘I agree 100% on this. I don’t see anything wrong with speaking your truth. I am a mere dj so don’t do politics on my shows but every person of colour knows exactly what that phrase ‘go back home’ means . Unless you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to truly understand.’

Greg James added: ‘Been reading and thinking so much about this today because it made me feel uneasy. I think my issue with it is that you have to make sure people who bravely say things that highlight how vulnerable they’ve felt are looked after by the guidelines as well. Bloody love Naga.’

Other journalists don’t understand how, exactly, Naga crossed editorial lines with her comments. Former BBC China editor Carrie Grace called the story ‘perplexing.’

‘@BBCNaga always stands up for #BBC values, which include telling the truth and celebrating diversity,’ she tweeted. ‘What’s more ‘we speak out when something is not right’. So how did her comments ‘go beyond’? Detail please.’

BBC correspondent Sangita Myska has said there is ‘a lot of bewilderment among BAME staff’ at the publication, and she said ‘many of us are worried about showing our concern in case we are reprimanded.’

BBC presenter Babita Sharma said she doesn’t get BBC’s decision ‘at all’ while Robin Lustig, former BBC presenter has expressed a breakdown of trust with the publication over its decision to reprimand Naga. He tweeted: ‘I always try to defend the BBC whenever I can, but I cannot support this adjudication. It is both wrong and immensely damaging.’

Writer and broadcaster Amna expressed anxiety over the whole thing, tweeting: ‘We live in a time where calling a person who is literally being racist, a racist, is somehow more offensive than the actual racism and the BBC keeps insisting on equating the two as if they are somehow even close to the same thing…’

She added: ‘do you know how wtf it is to be brown/black + constantly told that your skin colour, that u were born w/ + have no control over, is something that needs to be defended bc some ppl don’t like it… like, can u see how absurd a burden that is to carry every day as a human being? [sic]’

Galdem magazine editor Micha-Frazer Carroll penned a Guardian article about the topic, in which she said: ‘Bringing people of colour into newsrooms is purely tokenistic if the industry asks women like Munchetty to leave their perspectives at the door.’

Chante Joseph expressed similar sentiments, and in an article for Metro.co.uk, wrote: ‘There is no consistency when it comes to who can and can’t be impartial. When The Today Programme’s John Humphrys described the People’s Vote as ludicrous, and allegedly demonstrated Brexit bias, the BBC defended him.

‘When BBC presenter and chairman of the right-leaning publication The Spectator, Andrew Neil, used his social media to publish right-wing events and argue with climate change activists, there was no clear reprimand made.

‘When Laura Kuenssberg initiated a social media dog-pile and identified the man that confronted Boris Johnson in hospital, the BBC defended her, too.

‘Not only has the broadcasting company made it seem clear that if you’re a woman of colour you don’t get the same protections as white people, but they have also made it acceptable to be complicit in the face of outright racism and bigotry.’

BBC have nothing further to add to its statement. 

MORE: Naga Munchetty ruling explained further by BBC as backlash grows

MORE: The BBC’s censorship of Naga Munchetty is not impartial, it’s prejudice

A new Rick And Morty theory believes Evil Morty will play a crucial role moving forward, with multi-dimension hijinks hiding important truths.

The role of Evil Morty took significant strides in season three episode Tales From The Citadel, where he became a ruling dictator after murdering every Rick in the shadow council who opposed him.

The motivations behind the character are largely a mystery, but a new theory believes he’s directly connected to the Morty in the C-137 universe where the main story takes place.

According to Redditor AnWitlessWit, Evil Morty and the main Morty aren’t just opposing reflections, but they’re actually the same person from a split timeline.

It’s a painfully lengthy theory (which you can read below), but it essentially equates to them both having the capacity for evil due to their Rick being ‘The Rickest Rick’s’ of them all – making his Morty the most competent and potentially dangerous to the universe.

The Rickest Universe, C-137 from FanTheories

The theory believes the timeline split between Evil and C-137 Morty occurred between seasons one and two, where Rick spent an eight month period with his grandkids on a whim, which strengthened the bond between him, Summer, and C-137 Morty – stopping him from becoming evil.

This fuels Evil Morty’s motivations to seek revenge against Rick who he believes abandoned him back then, and to prove he’s the greatest version of Morty that’s ever existed.

The theory points to a lot of evidence over the past season, where Rick becomes growingly suspicious of Morty’s behaviour – indicating he knows his capacity to turn evil.

So this all points to C-137 Morty being the only one capable of taking down Evil Morty, as the other most ‘Rickest Morty’. You still following this?

It might all seem like a massive time paradox headache, but it would make a comical, and fittingly complicated, explanation for Evil Morty’s existence – even though the show could have no desire to explain his origins at all.

The show has been teasing the return of Evil Morty however in some capacity, referencing the character in a ‘black and white and dread all over’ tweet earlier this year.

A trailer for the show’s fourth season was released in July, showing Morty grapple with alien app developer Glootie voiced by Taika Waititi.

Rick And Morty season four kicks off in November 2019.

MORE: Rick And Morty creator ‘devastated’ after producer J. Michael Mendel dies aged 54

MORE: Evil Morty is back in Rick and Morty season 4 teaser

Dancing on Ice has confirmed the eighth contestant to be hitting the rink in 2020 – Libby Clegg MBE.

The Paralympic sprinter confirmed the news live on Victoria Derbyshire this morning where she couldn’t contain her excitement, obviously.

‘After Rio I achieved my ultimate goal and then I thought “what else can I do?”’ she enthused. ‘This opportunity came about and I couldn’t pass it up. I love challenging myself and experiencing new things.’

Libby will be taking on the likes of Love Island’s Maura Higgins, Ian ‘H’ Watkins from Steps and TV presenter Michael Barrymore.

‘I’m delighted to say that I’ll be joining the Dancing on Ice line up for 2020. I’m looking forward to meeting Holly and Phil. I’m very excited…it’s performance time!’ Michael revealed, breaking news of his addition to the line-up which was met with a mixed reception from fans.

Next year’s Dancing on Ice marks a new chapter for the reality series after Jason Gardiner sensationally quit the panel and was replaced by John Barrowman.

Reports suggested the sharp-tongued judge had become a concern for bosses amid calls for kinder television and less ‘bullying’ on the box.

‘I know there has been a lot of speculation about me and the upcoming series of Dancing on Ice. I wanted to set the record straight, I’ve been an original judge since 2006,’ he began, explaining his decision.

‘I’ve done every series except one, when I was replaced by my good friend and dance sister Louis Spence in 2012. ‘The show had been off air for four years and when it was revived I was the only original judge to return.

‘The past two series there have been new additions to the panel including the fantastic Ashley Banjo and the legends Torvill and Dean. I have absolutely loved sharing the panel with them.’

He added: ‘After all these years I feel it’s time for me to say goodbye to my judging role and return to things I have been putting on hold and have been on the back burner for a while.

‘To all of my DOI fans I really thank you for your support and encouragement over the years, I know we’ve gone through some controversies and I’m glad you got my unique judging style and honestly.

‘It’s because of you I never cowered or shied away from serving up the truth.’

Dancing on Ice returns to ITV in 2020.

MORE: Diversity’s Perri Kiely confirmed as seventh contestant for Dancing On Ice 2020

MORE: Dancing On Ice 2020 full line-up ‘revealed’ with Trisha Goddard and Joe Swash

The Big Bang theory drew to a sad and final close this year, but that hasn’t stopped fans from keeping it alive with theories and by spotting plot holes.

One fan, not ready to say goodbye to the show which aired its final season 12 earlier this year, took to reddit to share a plot hole they spotted.

You will remember season five’s episode The Good Guy Fluctuation. In it, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) meets a beautiful woman called Alice (Courtney Ford) at the comic book store. Despite being in a long-distance relationship with his friend Raj Koothrappali’s sister Priyanka (who went back to India), they exchanged numbers and went out on a date – much to the complete shock of the comic book store owner Stuart (Kevin Sussman).

After all, Leonard has precisely zero game – so how did he manage to talk to a pretty, cool woman and convince her to go out with him?!

The scientist’s win was later immortalised, and Stuart gets his picture put on the “wall of heroes” in the comic book store.

There’s just one problem with this scene, according to a reddit user.

They wrote: ‘Found a plot hole: When Leonard picks up Alice at the Comic book store he is treated like a hero Stuart even puts his photo on the wall, but the first time Penny goes to the Comic book store Stuart picks her up easily.’

The redditer is not wrong.

Season two, episode 20, The Hofstadter Isotope, has Stuart successfully – and quite easily we might add – ask Penny out on a date.

In fact, the pair end up dating for a couple of episodes, much to Leonard’s chagrin.

That begs the question: Is Leonard really that much of a stud for asking out Alice at the comic book store, when its owner had already beaten him to the punch three whole seasons ago?

‘Well done,’ a fellow reddit user said, congratulating the fan over their theory.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2vTGUMghe8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

‘Great catch,’ another added. ‘Although, to be fair, the Stuart that picks up Penny and has the chance to bang her is almost like a Stuart from an alternative universe at that point given how much they changed him.’

Earlier this week, fans of the show were served with an emotional reminder that it was over after Johnny Galecki shared a behind-the-scenes clip from The Big Bang Theory finale after the Television Academy paid tribute to the sitcom during the Emmy Awards.

Sharing the emotional BTS clip on Instagram, he wrote: ‘Thank you, @televisionacad for highlighting one of my very favorite moments and sharing #bts emotions and hard work made by all on the crew, Writer’s Room and staff.’

The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Netflix.

MORE: The Big Bang Theory star Wil Wheaton serves us all with ‘awkward’ teen throwback

MORE: The Big Bang Theory finale voted show’s best episode ever

Lucy Boynton and Gwyneth Paltrow celebrated the launch of new Netflix series The Politician as they hit the town in New York with their castmates.

The latest outing from American Horror Story and Pose director Ryan Murphy, the wacky dark comedy follows Payton, an arrogant and obsessive teen determined to become President of the United States, if only he can become class president first.

As the rave reviews began to roll in ahead of the show’s launch on Friday, the cast celebrated at THE POOL in NYC, with ensemble members January Jones, Judith Light and Jessica Lange all coming out to celebrate.

Having provided one of the show’s breakout acting performances, Lucy Boynton looked regal in an incredible layered tulle dress form Dior, complete with black necktie.

Playing Payton’s rival Astrid, the British actress wore mismatched silver earrings, while her make up featured dramatically drawn on 60s-style lashes.

The 25-year-old was joined by her Bohemian Rhapsody co-star and boyfriend Rami Malek, who wore a black and white striped shirt as he let his SO steal the spotlight on her big day.

Elsewhere, Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Payton’s rich mother Georgina, looked radiant in a simple black strapless dress, which she paired with some seriously impressive diamond and emerald bling.

Posing with husband Brad Falchuk, who co-created the show, Gwyneth made a beeline for man of the hour Ben Platt, who plays the titular politician.

Having previously appeared in Pitch Perfect and made a name for himself on Broadway after originating the lead role in Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen, The Politician looks to be the 26-year-old’s big break, with Ben wearing a red suit and light pink satin shirt to the premiere while sporting a beard world’s away from his smooth-faced high school alter-ego.

Metro.co.uk gave The Politician four stars, writing: ‘The Politician is a sassy, gripping romp that’s like the movie Election was updated for the 21st century, with a side hustle of Cruel Intentions.

‘One thing’s for sure – the internet is going to love it.’

The Politician is available to stream on Netflix.

MORE: Star Wars 9 cast read Rise Of Skywalker script ‘only twice’ as Naomi Ackie reveals secrecy around production

MORE: BTS fans set to show off moves in TikTok challenge after J-Hope and Becky G’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Ferne McCann has opened up about her struggles with incontinence, explaining how the issue had a drastic effect on her everyday life.

The 29-year-old reality star suffered a prolapsed bladder after welcoming her daughter Sunday back in November 2017, which left her worried she’d wet herself ‘at any moment’.

Speaking about the issue on This Morning with hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, Ferne revealed how the issue spiralled from joke to something affecting her day to day life.

‘At first it was a bit of a joke between friends, but then over time it progressively got worse and I was like this isn’t normal,’ Ferne said.

‘I was 28 at the time, I feel very much in my prime and I just felt with incontinence I would associate that with the elderly. Definitely something that wouldn’t happen to someone of my age.

‘For me it was really embarrassing and even now sitting here I’m wincing a little bit thinking, am I really on This Morning talking about this?

‘For me it got to the stage where it was affecting my day to day life, and I couldn’t do cardio anymore which is something I absolutely loved. I really feared going on long journeys when I was at work I wanted to act super professional, just day to day life.

‘After speaking about it with a magazine I was so blown away by the level of DMs and women coming through having prolapse bladders, prolapse bowels, prolapse wombs, and I just couldn’t believe it how many people are suffering in silence.’

Ferne’s prolapse occurred after she didn’t follow guidelines to exercise her pelvic floors during pregnancy, which she’s now encouraging people not to ignore.

Asked if she could feel the prolapse happening at the time, Ferne said: ‘No I couldn’t feel it. Fortunately when I went to see a women’s physio, I found out it was a stage one prolapse bladder, so it wasn’t a prolapsed womb so it could be fixed with doing exercises.

‘But you can’t physically feel it, it’s more the symptoms of leakage or losing complete control over your bladder.

‘For me when I was pregnant of course you go and see your community midwife and they encourage you to do your pelvic floors, and my mum said to me make sure you’re doing them, but because I was pregnant and so excited about that I didn’t do them.

‘You’ll be so surprised by how many women don’t.’

After showing devices and exercises which can help strengthen your pelvic floor, Ferne emphasized how these aren’t a quick fix for the situation.

‘I believe this is something you have to do every single day,’ Ferne added. ‘

‘It’s not a quick fix, like going to the gym to keep fit and working your muscles, that’s what you have to do with your pelvic floor.

‘The important thing is you shouldn’t be embarrassed, go and speak to your doctor or GP or a women’s physio and you can get the right advice.’

You can catch This Morning weekdays on ITV at 10.30am.

MORE: Why isn’t This Morning on today and when will it be back?

MORE: This Morning viewers can’t cope as show’s axed to make way for Rugby World Cup

Friends turned 25 last week and to celebrate baby Emma actress Cali Sheldon has shared the most adorable photos from the days where Jennifer Aniston played her questionable mother Rachel Green.

Emma was introduced to Friends in the season eight finale and was played by both Cali and her twin sister Noelle Sheldon until the sitcom came to a close two years later and Rachel almost took Ross’ child to Paris without any consultation.

Not that he seemed too concerned…

Neither Cali or Noelle could possibly remember their time as stars in the biggest sitcom of all time, which is still the most popular show across any streaming platform 25 years after Rachel first barged through Central Perk in her wedding dress.

But thankfully, they’ve got these beautiful pictures with Jen, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow forever.

‘The One Where It All Began,’ Cali captioned the first photo with the leading ladies of Friends, while she simply wrote alongside a picture of Jennifer cradling her on-screen daughter: ‘Mom.’

Both Cali and Noelle were destined for stardom just months after they were born. Since playing Emma, the twins have gone on to star in a number of short movies and recently blew our minds when they popped up in Jordan Peele horror, Us.

The rest of the Friends cast celebrated the show’s 25th birthday on Sunday with united Instagram posts, marking the day which ultimately changed their lives forever. Except for Jennifer and Matthew Perry who are yet to enter the 21st Century – aka Instagram.

Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox actually toasted the big day together, where they were joined by popstar Charlie Puth for reasons which will probably never become clear to us.

Friends airs daily on Comedy Central, is available to stream on Netflix and is now taking over Channel 5.

MORE: These are the lies Friends told us about friendship

MORE: Rachel Green actually moved in with Gunther during axed Friends storyline that never was

Scrolling through Netflix can often feel like a chore, especially when you kind of know what you are in the mood for but don’t know how to search for that.

Well, stress no more, because this genius Netflix hack is a genuine gamechanger that will stop you wasting those precious minutes finding what you fancy.

Yep, if it’s a Tuesday evening and you fancy an understated drama from the 1950s or a mad scientist comedy or even a steamy horror film, all you need to do is type in a very specific code, and Netflix will present all the possible options.

Once you’ve discovered your code – and there are over 27,002 available here so the list is endless – you just need to log in and then type in http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/XXXX to the web address.

But instead of XXXX you include the five-digit code.

So next time you’re in the mood for a girl power science fiction flick (Alien) or a visually striking romance (Amelie) just remember that it’s much easier with this hack.

The reason for what may appear to be random genres, however, is because of the company’s decision to sort films and TV shows into separate genres, many that they often create themselves.

Staff at the company are asked to ‘watch, research, rate, tag, annotate and write analysis for movie and TV content’ and it’s the tag that often leads to these classifications.

Or, if you really don’t want to even do that, just check out our handy guide to what’s out in the next month on Netflix.

While September felt like a quiet month on the streaming platform before The Politician’s late arrival, Netflix is throwing out some big guns in a possible bid to distract from Disney+ and Apple TV’s impending launch, including the long-awaited Breaking Bad film.

MORE: Fan discovers secret fate of Lisa in latest P.T. demo hack

MORE: Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Platt get glam to celebrate Netflix’s The Politician

MORE: Phoebe Waller-Bridge is ‘being lined up to write Bond 26’ and we are ready

Fear the Walking Dead fans have had enough of the show and are demanding for the removal of new showrunners Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, blaming them for making the show ‘lifeless.’

A new petition on Change.org, titled, FIRE ANDREW CHAMBLISS AND IAN GOLDBERG, is calling for the two showrunners to be removed and replaced by original showrunner Dave Erickson, who co-created The Walking Dead with Robert Kirkman.

The petition accuses the pair of ‘rebranding’ the show ‘to cater to a new audience’ and calls it a ‘HUGE insult to the original fans and to Dave’.

It added: ‘Killing Madison off was what started the ultimate downfall of Fear. And yet they managed to top this by killing her off and replacing her with Morgan. The dullest, most irritating and over-saturated character in the walking dead universe. He’s completely neutered the main cast (what’s left of them), and spread a pacifist attitude that’s made the show lifeless. This is not the Morgan help people show. Morgan is not a lead. This is Madison’s show.’

The petition, which has garnered 923 out of 1,000 signatures as of the writing of this article, also accuses Andrew and Ian of only caring about ‘their new audience and the revenue that comes with it’.

‘Dave would be the ideal candidate to fix this mess,’ they concluded. ‘After all, he is co-creator. He had a vision all planned out and Andrew and Ian threw it out for a dull, boring, and downright silly premise centered [sic] on helping people. We need a new show runner. We need the real fear back. That can’t happen until AMC fires Chambliss and Goldberg.’

There was even a Twitter poll that found 63% of pollsters want AMC to fire the two showrunners.

Viewers of the Walking Dead spin-off have increasingly become frustrated by the show and its new direction.

‘Really getting sick of this “documentary” s*** on Fear the Walking Dead, good God it is boring,’ one Twitter user said.

Another viewer added: ‘Fear the Walking Dead is legit terrible now and it’s sad because there are so many great actors on it and they deserve better.’

One disgruntled viewer tweeted: ‘The finale of Fear The Walking Dead better be Morgan dying and that video camera getting smashed to pieces. This show is terrible.’

Fear the Walking Dead airs its Season 5 finale on Sunday, 29 September on AMC.

MORE: Fear The Walking Dead season 5 finale pics teases John and June’s wedding – but will it end in disaster?

MORE: Fear The Walking Dead’s season 5 episode 13 trailer confirms character is alive

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been inundated with the wildest sexual requests imaginable since joining The Walking Dead as baseball bat-wielding sociopath Negan – and that bat plays a big part.

The 53-year-old is happily married to wife Hilarie Burton but that hasn’t stopped horny The Walking Dead fans pitching some truly shocking ideas for the bedroom.

And, to be frank, they’re just terrifying.

‘I have had a lot of — because of who Negan is — I get a lot of, kind of, odd sexual requests. I think that they think he is like a dominant… you know what I mean? He wears leather, it’s crazy,’ Jeffrey admitted on Cohan.

‘I had somebody — you might have to edit this out — I had somebody ask me to use Lucille and make them a popsicle. And by the way, I was doing the math in my head when this request came in… but I know I was very confused by it. I’m like, “A popsicle? Jesus.” So yeah, very passionate fans. Very.’

The father-of-two previously pleaded with fans to stop turning up at his house because, understandably, it’s ‘rude and creepy’.

‘I don’t want to say I’m a super nice guy all the time, I don’t want to screw up anybody’s nefarious bastard outlook on me, but I am not the character that I play on television,’ Jeffrey told the Press Association in April 2018.

‘It is not a documentary but it seems that everyone has forgotten a pretty substantial body of work that I have done before the show that I am doing now and the character that I am doing now on television.’

Jeff recently melted our hearts into mush with a tear-jerking tribute to his co-star Norman Reedus, who is about to celebrate playing hero Daryl Dixon for a decade.

The Walking Dead season 10 comes to AMC on October 6 and will follow a day later on Fox UK.

MORE: Fear The Walking Dead fans launch petition to fire producers: ‘Morgan made the show lifeless’

MORE: The Walking Dead season 10 premiere review: The show’s most confident opening in years

Journalist and author Afua Hirsch has criticised the BBC’s decision to uphold a complaint over anchor Naga Munchetty’s comments about Donald Trump and racism.

Speaking on Victoria Derbyshire, the writer, who has worked with BBC in the past, said: ‘This ruling legitimises racist opinions by suggesting they should be treated impartially.

‘By saying that Naga Munchetty breached the guidelines of impartiality, by clearly expressing an opinion on the author of these remarks, the BBC is suggesting that we should take comments like this – like the ones president Trump made – which by the way were acknowledged throughout the mainstream media worldwide as racist – and not express a view.’

Hirsch believes the BBC ‘misunderstood’ its own guidelines.

She went on to add: ‘In my opinion that is wrong for several reasons, number one of which is that it’s a misunderstanding of the BBC’s own guidelines.

‘The BBC’s guidelines say presenters should be impartial but there are exceptions to that. One of those exceptions is when it comes to fundamental democratic principles such as the rule of law, the right to vote, democracy.

‘I would say that racism falls into that category. So I think it’s a very dangerous precedent, and apart from misunderstanding its own guidelines, it also suggests to people like me – I work for the BBC – and many of the people who have signed this letter work for the BBC and we care about the BBC deeply as an institution and we feel that this ruling sends a message that our presence on the BBC is conditional on us acting as though we don’t have a stake in overtly racist comments.’

In a statement released by BBC’s Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU), it was stated that while Trump’s comments were ‘widely condemned as racist’ and Naga was ‘perfectly entitled to give a personal response’, but she crossed a line when talking about Trump directly.

‘Our editorial guidelines do not allow for journalists to then give their opinions about the individual making the remarks or their motives for doing so – in this case President Trump – and it was for this reason that the complaint was partially upheld,’ they wrote. ‘Those judgements are for the audience to make.’

Afua is among over 50 journalists who have signed an open letter published in the Guardian, titled: ‘You can’t be ‘impartial’ about racism – an open letter to the BBC on the Naga Munchetty ruling.’

Joined by Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Gina Yashere, Patrick Younge, Lenny Henry and Adrian Lester and others, the letter asserts: ‘We, the undersigned group of black people who work in the media and broadcasting in the UK, strongly condemn this finding and assert that it amounts to both a misunderstanding of the BBC’s editorial guidelines, and a form of racially discriminatory treatment towards BAME people who work on programming.’

They demand that the ECU overturn its decision; that BBC management issue their support for journalists ‘and acknowledge there can be no expectation of “impartiality” over expressions and experiences of racism.’

The journalists concluded: ‘We believe that, in addition to being deeply flawed, illegal and contrary to the spirit and purpose of public broadcasting, the BBC’s current position will have a profound effect on future diversity within the BBC. To suggest that future BAME broadcasters will be hired at the corporation on the premise that they remain “impartial” about how they feel about their experiences of racism is ludicrous. To require journalists of all ethnicities and races to endorse racism as a legitimate “opinion” is an abrogation of responsibility of the most serious nature.’

MORE: All the journalists who support BBC broadcaster Naga Munchetty following row over Donald Trump racism comments

MORE: Naga Munchetty ruling explained further by BBC as backlash grows

Gary Lineker has defended Danny Baker over the ‘racist’ tweet about Meghan Markle, describing it as ‘just a mistake’.

Baker was sacked from BBC Radio 5 Live after posting a picture on Twitter showing the Duchess Of Sussex and Prince Harry leaving hospital holding hands with a chimpanzee, with the caption: ‘Royal baby leaves hospital’.

He deleted the tweet and denied it had any racist intent, but the incident cost him his weekly radio show.

Lineker, who now hosts podcast Behind Closed Doors with Baker, has since defended his co-host on This Morning to presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

While recalling how he first attempted to reach out to Baker over the podcast idea, Lineker said: ‘I thought I’d direct message him on Twitter because we follow each other and he’s funny on Twitter, and he didn’t answer me for about five or six says so I thought I’ll tweet him again like, I’ll take that as a no then.

‘And then a day later he went, “Oh I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’ve been away and I don’t have a phone”.

‘I was like what do you mean you don’t have a mobile phone? He genuinely doesn’t have a mobile phone. So he only actually does his tweeting stuff when he’s at home in front of his computer.’

Eamonn interjected: ‘I’ll tell you what, wise man. Of course his tweets have got him into trouble haven’t they?’

‘They did yeah,’ Gary replied. ‘He cocked up and made a big mistake.

‘It was genuinely just a mistake, because I know Danny really well and if he was a racist at all I wouldn’t be working with him.’

At the time, Danny apologised for the post after deleting it, writing: ‘Would have used same stupid pic for any other Royal birth or Boris Johnson kid or even one of my own.

‘It’s a funny image. (Though not of course in that context.) Enormous mistake, for sure. Grotesque. Anyway, here’s to ya Archie, Sorry mate.’

You can catch This Morning weekdays on ITV at 10.30am.

MORE: Why isn’t This Morning on today and when will it be back?

MORE: This Morning viewers can’t cope as show’s axed to make way for Rugby World Cup

The Loose Women discussion got pretty heated when panellist Carol McGiffin accused Kaye Adams of ‘always wanting the last word’.

It all got a bit awkward.

The panel spoke out about whether Boris Johnson should apologise after his controversial remarks that the best thing to do to honour late MP Jo Cox’s memory is to get Brexit done.

The ladies, who recently saw the welcome return of Stacey Solomon, were divided, with Nadia Sawalha admitting they’d had a ‘humdinger’ of a row earlier on in the day.

With the panellists speaking over each other, Kaye attempted to move the conversation on.

However, Carol wasn’t having any of it, telling her: ‘You’re just too annoying! You’ve always got to get the last word in so no one else can challenge or argue with you,’ before asking the audience: ‘She does, doesn’t she?!’

Bit awkward.

Kaye understandably looked a little hurt, telling her: ‘Go on then, it’s all yours.’

However, things were running a little more smoothly earlier on in the week, when the panel celebrated Stacey’s return.

The ladies were clearly delighted to have their pal back, with baby Rex coming on the show as a guest star.

‘Lots of people asked me to bring him in…it’s so nice when you work somewhere and people let you bring the baby in,’ she explained before quickly joking: ‘It won’t be every day!’

Despite being a pro on the daytime show, she admitted she had some first day nerves, confessing: ‘I never thought I’d sit in this chair and be nervous but when it’s your first day back your tummy goes a bit.’

As expected, she absolutely smashed it.

Loose Women continues weekdays at 12:30 on ITV1.

MORE: Loose Women’s Stacey Solomon won’t tickle children when they ask her to stop after consent conversations

MORE: Stacey Solomon returns to Loose Women with adorable baby Rex in tow

It's been a while since @realjoeswash has picked up a woman, watch out @StaceySolomon he might be practicing his ice moves on you! #LooseWomen pic.twitter.com/lFneAr5BqV

— Loose Women (@loosewomen) September 27, 2019

Joe Swash has been confirmed as the ninth contestant for Dancing On Ice 2020, with the news being revealed on Loose Women.

The I’m A Celeb star strutted his stuff to Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby with a classic ice rink polar bear skating aid on the show, proving he’s got a little way to go until the actual performance.

Let’s hope he won’t need it in the real thing, eh?

‘In rehearsals I was a little bit better, I did too much then and almost went,’ he joked.

‘They’re killing me right now,’ Joe said of his ice skates.

‘I can’t even dance on a dance floor, let alone on the ice,’ he admitted, before joking: ‘It’s been a while since I picked a woman up.’

The 37-year-old added: ‘If I can do it with a smile on my face, that’s fine! No one’s going to have any expectations of me!’

As for how baby Rex will do with his dad on the show, Joe came up with the baffling reply: ‘Well, he can’t ice skate.’

Bless his heart.

Joe joins Libby Clegg MBE, who was revealed live on Victoria Derbyshire, and Diversity’s Perri Kiely, who was confirmed on Kiss Drivetime, on the line-up.

Coronation Street’s Lisa George, H from Steps, ITV newsreader Lucrezia Millarini, Kevin Kilbane, Maura Higgins, and Michael Barrymore will also be taking to the ice next year.

Our line-up looks to be getting pretty full, however, it’s also been speculated that Trisha Goddard, the previously rumoured Caprice, Paralympic athlete Libby Clegg, and magician Ben Hanlin will be getting their skates on.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Crosby teased that she could be getting in on the show after telling Metro.co.uk: ‘Dancing On Ice is my absolute dream, I would love to take part on that,’ and conveniently teasing that she’s ‘really busy’ for the next six months or so.

Wonder why…

Dancing On Ice kicks off in January 2020 on ITV.

MORE: Dancing on Ice cast 2020: Libby Clegg MBE confirmed to take on Michael Barrymore and Maura Higgins

MORE: Diversity’s Perri Kiely confirmed as seventh contestant for Dancing On Ice 2020

RuPaul Charles has become a pillar of the drag community through RuPaul’s Drag Race, and now he’s pinning drag names to celebrities far and wide.

The 58-year-old US drag queen and actor appears on The Graham Norton Show alongside Helen Mirren, Jack Whitehall, and adventurer Simon Reeve, ahead of the launch of Drag Race UK on BBC Three next month.

Speaking on the show about the differences between the UK and US version, RuPaul said: ‘England has a long history of queens and I thought everyone would be quite acidic like Danny La Rue, but because the US show had such a global awareness, the UK has taken on the same feel.

‘It is definitely English, but the two shows are more similar than they are different.’

Explaining how he’s ‘named several queens over the years’, RuPaul gives Helen and Jack their own drag personas in ‘Sir Lady Cheek Bones’ and ‘Jackie Black Ball’.

The names spur Helen to recall her own drag queen story, when she took her husband’s two young sons to a famous drag pub in London.

‘There’s a real historic tradition of drag in London and I was growing up and first came to London on a Friday night there was often a drag show,’ Helen said.

‘There is a very famous drag pub – the Vauxhall Tavern – and when I first got together with my husband he had two young sons. I thought it would show these two young Californian boys something of the real London, so I took them to the Vauxhall Tavern.

‘These poor kids were slightly in shock but they certainly remember it as being very cool. It was cool, and I love my London.’

Joining the above will be Alphabeat performing new track Shadow on the show.

The Graham Norton Show kicks off Friday 27 September BBC One at 10.35pm.

MORE: Graham Norton says ‘everyone is a victim’ in knife crime after being left for dead in stabbing

MORE: Sir Elton John to reveal all with Graham Norton in his most ‘uncensored’ interview to date

Top Boy star Alessandro Babalola has revealed that life in the limelight made him paranoid as he opens up about the impact fame has had on his mental health.

The Olivier award-winning actor, who plays hitman Haze in Top Boy’s new outing on its new home of Netflix, spoke to Standard Online about the show’s reach, initially saying: ‘It’s not hard for me to go outside,’ only to immediately regret his words.

‘Actually, I take that back,’ he said. ‘It can be a bit anxiety-inducing if I am frank with you.’

He continued: ‘Only because I am sometimes wary of what the response will be, especially because I played a villain, you know? People’s reactions might not be too pleasant.

‘But I haven’t been affected by that too badly, that was all a bit of paranoia.’

Starring opposite Kane Robinson and Ashley Walters in the series, Haze is known to fans for his menacing demeanour and deep voice, both of which differ from Alessandro’s natural personality.

‘Once I stepped outside of my house and people started yelling out to me. One time, a car stopped beside me and the driver shouted: “You did your ting bro,”’ he said.

However, fame has also brought with it some real revelations.

‘Do you know what surprises me? How random [the fans] are,’ he said.

‘An older South Asian man, he looked about 71, was staring at me as he was watching Top Boy on his phone.’

Originally airing on Channel 4, Top Boy made its return for a ten episode run earlier this month, with a little help from Netflix and some guy called Drake (you might have heard of him…)

While Kano and Ashley Walters returned to their old roles, they brought with them plenty of fresh new talent, with up and coming British rap stars Little Simz and Mercury Prize winner Dave joining the cast.

Now we’re just crossing our fingers for another series…

MORE: Paul Hollywood’s ex Summer Monteys-Fullam says she ‘never asked for fame’ in post-split interview

MORE: Michael Sheen is a dad again as girlfriend Anna Lundberg, 25, gives birth

Feelgood hit The Good Place is bringing fresh episodes to Netflix for the fourth and expected final season of the otherworldly drama.

Starring Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop as a woman mistakenly sent into a heavenly afterlife following an administrative error, the show has been praised for its witty escapism.

Sadly for The Good Place’s many fans, show-runner Michael Schur seems to have confirmed that this season will be its last.

The producer, writer and actor, who also worked on the US version of The Office, said: ‘At times over the past few years we’ve been tempted to go past four seasons, mostly because making this show is a rare, creatively fulfilling joy.

‘We don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant. As such, the upcoming fourth season will be our last.’

Want to know when to watch the final stretch of episodes and what might happen? Read on to find out all you need to know…

What time does Netflix release The Good Place season 4?

NBC premiered season 4 last night in the US, and it’s out on Netflix UK now – much to the excitement of fans across the country.

Soul Squad member Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper) had his memory wiped in the series 4 finale, meaning he won’t remember his romantic history with Eleanor.

Ethics professor Chidi was the first person to discover that Eleanor was not supposed to be in The Good Place, proceeding to attempt to teach her how to become a good person.

In A Girl From Arizona, the first episode of the new series, Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Janet (D’Arcy Carden), Michael (Ted Danson) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) are all trying to adapt to their new lives, and Chidi’s ex, Simone, is now dead and heading for the afterlife.

With the door not fully closed on Chidi returning at some point during the series, that could mean he will rekindle his relationship with his old flame and dash any slim hopes audiences have of him being reunited with Eleanor.

Reflecting on the origins of the show, Schur has admitted he did not initially think it would be a winner, saying: ‘When I first had the idea, I thought it wasn’t a good sell – dead people who read moral philosophy isn’t a good pitch for a network TV show.

‘Before I pitched it to anyone at NBC, I knew what the entire first season was, and I think that really helped in terms of having them onboard and getting the idea.

‘The other thing that really helped was getting Ted Danson and Kristen Bell to sign up because once you have them in your show, you can do whatever you want.’

The Good Place is available to stream on Netflix now.

MORE: Katie Price ignores Kris Boyson drama as she treats Junior to star-studded Thorpe Park trip

MORE: Meghan Trainor confirmed to replace Jennifer Hudson as judge on The Voice UK

Olivia Colman ‘bloody well’ hopes that she’s getting paid the same amount as her male co-star in the upcoming new season of The Crown.

The Oscar winner is set to take over from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II alongside Tobias Menzies, who plays Prince Philip and Helen Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret.

Colman told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘I can’t just sit like me, I have to sit like her, and look like pictures of her.

‘They have been teaching me how to walk – I’m really terrible at that, I have no physical awareness. I walk a bit like a farmer, one of the directors said.’

And when asked whether or not she was being paid the same as Tobias Menzies, she replied: ‘I bloody well hope so. It’s not called Philip, it’s called The Crown.’

Last year Claire Foy has admitted that she was ‘deeply hurt’ by the discovery that Matt Smith was being paid more than her for her part in Netflix’s The Crown.

The actress played a young Queen Elizabeth for the duration of two seasons before a gender pay gap debate erupted behind the scenes.

It was revealed that Matt, who played husband Prince Philip was paid £10,000 more per episode for his supporting role.

Netflix initially defended the decision as he was a bigger name, but added that they would change it in the future.

Speaking to digital magazine Porter Edit, Claire said: ‘I was deeply hurt by it, because I’d been working on that show for two years. I loved everybody on it, and then I realised, there’s been a big, fat, dirty secret that nobody’s ever talked about.

‘But then there was also that thing [of being] an inadvertent spokesperson. Why did it have to be me? I could have said nothing. And I think everyone would have preferred that.’

Though she never meant to be a spokesperson, unofficial or otherwise, she later embraced the role for the greater good. ‘I thought, if I do that, I will be cheating myself and all other the other women I know.

‘You feel lucky to have a job,’ she added. ‘It’s so competitive. So, in that way, they rely on competitiveness and actors’ vulnerability to say, “They’ll accept it for 10 grand less”.’

Though it had initially been reported that she was to receive £200,000 in back pay, she set the record straight: ‘That was what was reported that I was back-paid. I’ve never mentioned anything about it and neither have the producers. The fact that that is ‘fact’ is not quite correct,’ Foy told Al Arabiya.

‘Yes it’s Netflix, but it’s a British production company.

‘It happened at the same time as it was coming out with a lot of other people that there was a lot of pay inequality across the board—in the music industry, in journalism, in every industry.

‘It’s across the board that it became part of a bigger conversation, which is an odd place to find yourself in.’

The Crown season three begins streaming on 17 November on Netflix.

MORE: Claire Foy regenerates into Olivia Colman in first look scene from The Crown season 3

MORE: Olivia Colman is keen to land a role with Daniel Craig in Bond 25 and she’s practically begged Phoebe Waller-Bridge for it

Travis Fimmel had his breakout role playing Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings, but it feels like a long time since the character was brutally killed off.

The 40-year-old actor departed the show in season four in 2016 after Ragnar was thrown into a pit of venomous snakes, paving the way for Queen Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Duke Rollo (Clive Standen) to lead the charge.

But what has Travis starred in since leaving the show?

In the same year as his final episode in Vikings, Travis starred in Duncan Jones’ video game adaptation Warcraft, starring alongside Paula Patton, Dominic Cooper, and Toby Kebbell.

In 2017, Travis played Ray Thompson in 2017’s Lean On Pete, a film about a 15-year-old boy who takes a trip across the US with an aging racehorse in search of a long lost aunt.

He’s made numerous appearances in films this year, ranging from heist thriller Finding Steve McQueen, Australian war film Danger Close: The Battle Of Long Tan, and Dreamland opposite Margot Robbie and Finn Cole which debuted at Tribeca Film Festival.

His next major TV role however is on the horizon, being cast as the lead in Raised By Wolves created by Ridley Scott and Aaron Guzikowski.

A synopsis describes it as a show about ‘two androids – Father and Mother – tasked with raising human children on a mysterious new planet.

‘As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task.’

Vikings is set to return for one last season consisting of 20 episodes in total, which is expected to kick off later this year on History Channel and Amazon Prime Video.

MORE: Vikings stars Alexander Ludwig and Kristy Dawn Dinsmore get cute in romantic pool snaps

MORE: Vikings’ Alexander Ludwig packs on PDA with co-star girlfriend Kristy Dawn Dinsmore

Netflix has announced BoJack Horseman will end after season six, which will be released in two-parts.

The critically-acclaimed animation series was previously announced to receive a sixth season earlier this year, but now the streaming giant has confirmed it’ll be the show’s last.

The final season will also be released in two parts, with the first arriving on 25 October and the final stretch launching 31 January 2020.

A trailer has been released for the final season which you can check out below, featuring all the old favourites Todd Chavez (Aaron Paul), Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), and Diane (Alison Brie).

It’s believed creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg wrote the show with six seasons in mind, with the news following the cancellation of his other produced Netflix show Tuca & Bertie.

Bob-Waksberg also recently released Amazon’s excellent new animated series Undone, which stars Bob Odenkirk and Rosa Salazar.

As undoubtedly one of the best shows on Netflix, the ending of BoJack Horseman will likely come as a big disappointment to many, especially following the stellar fifth season.

The show has recently nominated for Outstanding Animated Program at the Emmys, but ludicrously lost out to The Simpsons.

BoJack Horseman returns for part one of season six on 25 October on Netflix.

MORE: What time is The Good Place season 4 released on Netflix and has Chidi left?

MORE: Netflix UK in October 2019: Best new shows from Breaking Bad’s El Camino to Daybreak