James blasted claims he had a meltdown after his elimination (Picture: BBC/Instagram)
Strictly Come Dancing’s first casualty James Cracknell has blasted claims he had a ‘backstage meltdown’ after getting eliminated.
Reports claimed that James, who was partnered with Luba Mushtuk, had to be calmed down backstage as he declared he ‘wished he’d never done the show’.
Rubbishing the statements, James posted online: ‘I don’t reply to people’s comments but I’m not gonna let this one go. [Luba] & I had fun & our best dance but it wasn’t enough.
‘I know I’m no John Travolta so to throw my toys out the pram would be stupid.’
For the first two weeks, James landed at the bottom and second-to-bottom of the leaderboard, with his Jive to Little Richard’s Tutti Frutti sealing his fate.
It was alleged that he was then left fuming backstage and ‘felt humiliated’ at his involvement on the show.
‘He was livid at being axed. He was saying things like, “It was a massive mistake to do Strictly. I’ve been made to look completely stupid,”’ The Sun reported.
But online, James has maintained that he has no regrets, heaping praised on Luba for giving it her best shot but ‘not being a miracle worker’.
Alongside a grab of their performance, in which he’s seen beaming as he performs in a diner set on the dance floor, he wrote: ‘Not the most appropriate screen grab but perfectly sums up my time on [Strictly].
‘I want to thank you [Luba] for being the most amazing partner/teacher/choreographer sadly you’re not a miracle worker. I’m no dancer (& knew it), I’ve always avoided things I know I’d be bad at, but I wanted that to stop.
‘I had fun & learned a lot about myself thanks Luba❤️ [BBC Strictly] & the class of 2019, keep kicking ass gang!’
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One.
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Fear the Walking Dead’s finale delivered a major shock at the end of season 5 (Picture: AMC)
***Warning: Fear The Walking Dead Spoilers Ahead****
Fear The Walking Dead may have just killed off one of the show’s most beloved characters with one hell of a season 5 finale.
Morgan (Lennie James) was left clinging on to life with very little chance of survival by Ginny (Colby Minifie) in the telling final episode, End Of The Line.
The Pioneers leader has been known to take no prisoners, but she somehow convinces Morgan she can help him as he worries about Grace’s sickness, assumed to be radiation poisoning.
Morgan was left on the verge of death as the final credits rolled (Picture: AMC)
Throw in the future of Humbug’s Gulch, and he makes peace with Ginny – but it doesn’t last long.
By the end of the episode, Morgan and Ginny face off when he catches on that she’s luring him to his death.
Despite him trying his best to defend himself, Ginny got the upper hand and shot him, and then in a bitter twist, allowed him to hear the radio declaring Grace is pregnant with his child, not sick like they’d both assumed.
Spitting at him ‘I hope you die’, she takes off – and cements her role as a cruel villain to be taken down in season 6.
Ginny got Morgan alone so she could kill him (Picture: AMC)
In his final words as he lays bleeding at the steps of the church, he spoke into his radio and said: ‘It wasn’t just about doing right. It was about the future.
‘We fought for the future. We made the hard call for her, for all of us. Live. All of you. If you can hear me, just live.’
In an apparent final seal of his fate, walkers were then seen heading in his direction.
Fear The Walking Dead season 6 will return in 2020 on Fox and AMC.
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Trisha Goddard is the 11th confirmed contestant for Dancing On Ice 2020 – after agreeing to do it on a boozy night out.
The TV presenter and talk show host is getting her skates on after originally learning again as a kid, and admitted that she got the call after running into one of the show’s pros.
Meeting him at an equity mixer, Trisha revealed she started asking for lessons with him as they bonded over their love of physical activity.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Trisha joked: ‘After a few bevvies I take a few selfies saying “I would do Dancing On Ice if I could do it with this dude”. The next morning I got a call.’
‘Hangover hadn’t even cleared!,’ she laughed.
Admitting she learned to skate as a child, Trisha played coy as she spoke about her skating past and wasn’t scared of making a fool of herself ‘because she appears on GMB all the time’.
On why she decided to agree to the show, Trisha said: ‘I learned to ski at 37, I learned to roller blade at 42, I’m 62 in December.’
When asked for the secret to her youthful look, Trisha was blunt as she said: ‘My secret’s chemotherapy, it means I’m alive.’
There is now only one star left to be confirmed for this year’s series of Dancing On Ice, with Trisha joining the likes of Love Island’s Maura Higgins, Joe Swash, Diversity’s Perri Kiely and Magician Ben Hanlin.
Dancing On Ice will return with a new look judging line up after Jason Gardiner quit earlier this year and replaced by actor John Barrowman.
Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Ashley Banjo will keep their spots on the panel.
This Morning duo Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as hosts.
Dancing On Ice returns in early 2020 on ITV1.
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Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard was spotted flashing his nipple live on air – and we thought this was a family show. Tsk, tsk.
The dancer took the risk during Saturday night’s live show while TV presenter Karim Zeroual and his partner Amy Dowden were getting their scores.
After the pair were given a total of 32, they did their usual smiley bit to the camera as presenter Claudia Winkleman encouraged viewers to vote if they wanted to put them through to next week.
AJ, seemingly sharing a joke with fellow dancer Giovanni Pernice, mischievously opened his shirt to reveal his nipple while stood behind Karim and Amy.
He quickly closed it while smiling, as Giovanni pointed out that the cameras were on them and covered his mouth with his hand.
The 24-year-old’s easy laugh quickly turned to a nervous one as he realised the whole nation got an eyeful. He’ll have to sort his timing out in future.
AJ risks it during the live show (Picture: BBC)
He didn’t seem to realise they were on live TV (Picture: BBC)
AJ and his celebrity partner Saffron Barker are this year’s Strictly pairing to find themselves fending off relationship rumours.
Pictures of Saffron with her arms around AJ in rehearsals got tongues wagging that they are more than dance partners.
But reps for Saffron poured cold water on all that, telling Metro.co.uk: ‘AJ and Saffron are great friends and have been training really hard for their performance on Saturday evening – this is clearly only what these pictures show.
AJ and his Strictly partner Saffron Barker have fended off dating rumours (Picture: PA)
‘They are loving the competition and cannot wait to perform their Cha-Cha to the Nation.’
AJ is dating dancer Abbie Quinnen while Saffron is currently single.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday at 7.10pm on BBC One.
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A Game Of Thrones shout out popped up in new Marvel series The New Mutants: War Children (Picture: HBO/Marvel)
A nice Game Of Thrones reference pops up in the latest in the New Mutants Marvel series.
Writer Chris Claremont, who has written several X-Men stories and artist Bill Sienkiewicz dropped the Easter Egg into the series War Children.
In the comic, mutant Wolfsbane lies in bed reading a book, which happens to be A Game Of Thrones. It’s the first novel in author George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire series, which the hit TV show is based on.
Why is this so cool? In the upcoming The New Mutants movie, the character Rahne Sinclaire – aka shapeshifter Wolfsbane – is played by Maisie Williams. The actress starred as Arya Stark in HBO’s Game Of Thrones.
Claremont is apparently known for paying tribute to creative works he is a fan of, so it’s possible that this crossover was scripted by him.
Wolfsbane is one of the founding members of the New Mutants, so Maisie has a big part to play when we eventually get to see the film version.
While we have a trailer for The New Mutants, the actual release date has been pushed back a few times and at the moment is currently set for 2020.
Did you spot the easter egg? (Picture: Marvel)
The film will follow five young mutants who are being held prisoner in a secret facility.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Alice Braga and Charlie Heaton are also in the cast.
When asked about working on the film last year, Maisie said she was in awe of the scale of the superhero film.
She told metro.us: ‘It was kind of crazy, It was such a huge set and huge budget. Of course Game Of Thrones is the same, but we spend all of our money on the show rather than the set, if you know what I mean.
‘So there was all this crazy kind of catering, and amazing food, and you have your own little chair with your name on it. And it really felt like I was part of the movies.
‘It was really exciting, and I am really, really happy with the film. I just can’t wait for everyone to see it.’
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Paula Abdul confirmed for X Factor: All Stars (Picture: ITV)
Paula Abdul is back in The X Factor judging seat where she belongs. The American Idol judge sat beside Simon Cowell for the best part of a decade as his explosive co-star and now they’ll be reuniting for The X Factor: All Stars.
Paula briefly joined The X Factor as a guest judge in 2006 where she only went and found Leona Lewis, the biggest breakout soloist to ever come from the ITV series.
The 80s pop legend will be replacing Nicole Scherzinger for The X Factor’s first ever All Star series, which will see some of the most notorious acts from the past 15 years battle it out to be crowned the ultimate X Factor champion.
‘Paula is a close friend of Simon’s and they’ve always kept in touch since working together in America,’ an insider told The Sun.
‘She is part of the Syco family and they all work closely together.
‘Paula and Simon have great on-screen chemistry and their banter is funny and entertaining,’ the source continued.
‘Simon feels comfortable sitting next to her and knows they’ll have a laugh and wind each other up, which will make for electric and entertaining viewing.
‘Simon has handed her a lucrative contract to ensure she’s happy and it’s worth her while financially.’
X Factor: Celebrity has finally announced its line-up (Picture: ITV)
ITV have finally announced the full cast of stars competing in the second ever Celebrity X Factor with the likes of The Chase star Jenny Ryan, US talk show host Ricki Lake and A Love Island super group, consisting of Wes Nelson, Samira Mighty, Eyal Booker and Zara McDermott all battling it out in just two weeks’ time.
X Factor: Celebrity comes to ITV this October.
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Asking her why she reacted like that and replaying the awkward moment, Lorraine explained: ‘You know, that morning, I was fed up with every single politician in the world.’
Piers cackled: ‘You don’t do that very often, do you?!’ before adding: ‘For you to go that way against someone, it really does make me worry about what Esther McVey is really like.’
‘I don’t actually think she’s…she’s just as bad as all of them,’ the 59-year-old admitted.
‘It’s when I watch you in the morning and I get so enraged by everyone going round and round in ever-increasing circles.’
Piers helped the star to celebrate (Picture: ITV)
Luckily the pair managed to move on pretty quickly but not before viewers noticed the awkwardness, and expressed their hopes for Esther being a special guest on the show.
We can but dream.
Today’s episode of Lorraine marked 35 years of the star on TV, with GMB host Piers rocking up to guide us on a stroll down ‘Memory Lorraine.’
As for Lorraine’s reaction? ‘I don’t like not being in control, Piers Morgan. It’s terrifying.’
Luckily things turned out just fine, with the team showing off her best moments on the telly.
Lorraine continues weekdays at 8.30 on ITV1.
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Holly and Phil are not presenting This Morning today (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
This Morning and Loose Women fans hoping to see the daily morning shows on screen today will be disappointed, as both shows have been cancelled once again.
This is particularly frustrating for regular viewers of the ITV programs as both This Morning and Loose Women have been cancelled a number of times over the last few weeks to make way for a change in TV scheduling.
So why aren’t the shows on today and what keeps disrupting the usual ITV morning schedule?
Why are This Morning and Loose Women cancelled?
This Morning and Loose Women have been cancelled once again today because ITV are continuing their coverage of the Rugby World Cup in Tokyo instead.
Due to the time difference between the UK and Japan, ITV will be showing the Rugby World Cup from 10.25am to 1.30pm today, leaving no time to air their normal, morning TV schedule.
Today, Scotland play Samoa in what is set to be a tense stand-off between the sides following the Scottish side’s defeat against Ireland last week.
Ireland’s full back Jordan Larmour runs with the ball during the match between Ireland and Scotland last week (Picture: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield will be back on the sofa – and our TV screens – as normal again tomorrow, Tuesday October 1, as will the Loose Women ladies.
This Morning continues on Tuesday October 1, at 10.30am, and Loose Women continues at 12.30am on Tuesday October 1, on ITV.
Do you think this is the best Friends episode of all time? (Picture: NBC)
The One With The Football has been cruelly snubbed by Friends fans as Ross Geller’s tanning disaster has been named the funniest Friends episode of all time in a poll voted for by thousands of the sitcom’s most devoted following.
Friends turned 25 this month, making the comedy as old as its characters were when Rachel Green first burst into Central Perk fresh from ditching Barry at the altar.
In turn, Comedy Central viewers have spent two months deciding once and for all which instalment of the 10 seasons of Friends really is the best of the best with The One With Ross’s Tan coming out on top.
The One Where Everybody Find Out, The One With The Routine, The One in Vegas and The One With Ross’s Sandwich were all close contenders. Basically, Ross’s standout moments are what Friends fans lapped up in their droves.
The ‘Nation’s Funniest Friends’ episodes aired back to back on Comedy Central over the weekend, counting down to the number one spot.
Previous polls revealed Ross’ ‘PIVOT!’ meltdown was their favourite moment of all time, even though the problematic palaeontologist is universally referred to as the most hated member of the gang above Rachel, Monica Geller/Bing, Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani and Phoebe Buffay.
‘In psychology, it is noted that the things that irritate us, are often the things that we dislike about ourselves. Like holding up a mirror, people get angry at Ross because he has every characteristic that we dislike in people, and many of us can relate to his behaviour,’ organisational psychologist Karen Kwong told Metro.co.uk as she served up the truth bombs.
‘We see him in partners or ex-partners, friends and sometimes even ourselves, and this unsettles us as an audience. At times, his insecurity and childish reactions almost remove the humour from the show and presents us with something serious, real and painful.’
She continued: ‘At times, he comes across as controlling, homophobic, selfish, and arrogant and he is secretive and possessive. And more than anything else, his insecurities really manifest in emotional immaturity – in the way he interacts with his girlfriends and friends.’
Comedy Central is already gearing up for the holidays as they’ve launched the first ever FriendsFestive, a spectacle devoted to all the iconic Friends sets and memorabilia with a special nod to their Christmas episodes. You can buy tickets here.
Friends airs daily on Comedy Central.
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The Circle’s Richard Madeley started a private chat with Georgina after getting curious about her ‘colonoscopy bag’ in her profile picture.
Fronting as Judy, Richard wrote: ‘Listen, loved your second pic update but only realised a bit later that you might have had a really special reason for posting it. Am I right?’ and then added a love heart.
While making her breakfast, Georgina responded: ‘Yes that picture meant a lot to me. Having that ileostomy bag was a life altering time for me and that picture makes me feel super proud of myself and how far I’ve come.’
Richard seemed to slowly struggle to keep his composure and had to stop himself from talking to her like a ‘father figure’.
He bounced right back to his ‘Judy speak’.
He replied: ‘I thought so, and it shows how super confident you are. Basically I didn’t even notice. I just saw gorgeous you in a swimsuit. It was only later the lightbulb went on. I think you’re amazing, hun.’
Both Richard and Georgina both began tearing up as Richard admitted to feeling ‘quite emotional’.
Richard got curious about the backstory behind Georgina’s ileostomy bag (Picture: ITV)
We can barely keep it together too, Rich.
‘If she was my daughter I would be so proud of her,’ Richard said.
You can’t take the dad out of the fake profile created to trick others.
Meanwhile, Georgina sat in the other room clearly affected by the exchange.
She said: ‘This is such a weird feeling. Someone I never met before who might not even be real affecting my emotions with their words, it shows how much the power of people’s words can affect you through social media. And this actually feels really genuine.’
However, Richard did feel a little bit guilty for pretending to be Judy as he felt it might not be the same if he messaged her as himself.
Georgina was touched by a complete stranger’s comment (Picture: ITV)
‘Thank you so much. Your messages genuinely made me emotional. I did have to think a lot about posting it just because it is quite a frightening thing laying yourself bare and for people to judge,’ Georgina continued.
‘I got the bag reverse during surgery last year so I’m finally able to go to the toilet out of my bum again. The Crohn’s disease came back in October so it’s an ongoing battle #FullCircle if you pardon the pun.’
We’re not crying, you’re crying.
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We may be visiting the Upside Down again sooner than we expected
Netflix dropped the third and most recent season of Stranger Things this summer to a rapturous reception, but we still haven’t had any word on when (or if) a fourth series of the hit show will air.
Fans of the nostalgic sci-fi spectacular were sent into meltdown, however, with a tweet posted yesterday from the official Stranger Things Twitter account.
Speculation has already begun as to what the message means; does the clock emoji hint that time travel will be introduced to the show in the future? That upside-down smiley certainly indicates that things for Mike, Will, Eleven and crew might get worse before they start to get better.
The clock emoji is also set to 11am or pm, but we don’t know if that’s just mere coincidence or not (we’re betting not).
If Netflix is gearing up to announce a fourth season of Stranger Things, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. After an action-packed third run, we were introduced to new favourites including Maya Hawke’s Robin and everyone’s favourite Slurpee-drinking Russian scientist, Alexei.
Maya Hawke’s Robin was the breakout star of season three, and will hopefully be around again in season four Credit: Netflix/Koba/REX
The show’s creators and showrunners, the Duffer Brothers, have previously said that the Netflix hit will be ending – either on the fourth or the fifth series, so time is definitely running out for the Hawkins kids and their battle against the evil Mind Flayer.
Either way, it seems fans won’t have to wait long to find out when they’ll be returning to Hawkins and the Upside Down.
Stranger Things is available to stream now on Netflix
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Strictly promises more fame and fortune for the celebrity contestants (Picture: Ray Burmiston/BBC/PA Wire)
Strictly Come Dancing catapults stars to a new level of fame thanks to their weekly appearance on one of TV’s most popular shows – but do they find fortune to go with it?
But aside from the opportunities that await celebs brave enough to take on the grueling training regime and day-long rehearsals involved in appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, how much do they get paid for agreeing to go on the show in the first place?
How much do the celebrities get paid on Strictly Come Dancing?
Celebrities who agree to take part in the ballroom dancing show are given £25,000 just for signing up to Strictly and donning some sequins and feathers for the promotional shoots and appearing on the very first episode of the new series.
However, if the stars can master the mambo and win over the judges with their Waltz to make it through the first few weeks of the competition, that sum then goes up to £40,000 by October.
The celebs who make it to the quarter-finals pocket a cool £60,000 for their efforts and for those who can win the public’s approval, as well as the judge’s top scores, to make it to the final, they then take home £75,000.
When Holby City actor Joe McFadden won Strictly in 2017 he reportedly took home an impressive £100,000 and that prize money is thought to have stayed the same since, with Stacey Dooley making a mint after winning the show last year and this year’s winner set to do the same.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton won the glitterball trophy in 2018. (Picture: Guy Levy/PA)
Stars who don’t win the show but want to make more money from their time on the dance floor can also cash in on their Strictly appearance by signing up to the live tour, which takes place in the spring every year after the series finishes.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday at 7.10pm on BBC One.
The controversial ruling against Naga Munchetty has sparked an industry debate (Picture: Getty)
The BBC has reportedly crunched down on support for Naga Munchetty within the company and banned staff from protesting in her defense in light of the Donald Trump racist tweet storm.
Sir Lenny Henry, Piers Morgan, Nish Kumar and dozens of journalists, stars and fans have come forward to stand up for BBC Breakfast star Naga, who was ruled to be in breach of BBC guidelines after a discussion on Donald Trump’s tweets.
During the discussion on the tweets that saw Trump declare female minority Democratic rivals should ‘go back to where they came from’, she spoke of her own experiences with the phrase, saying that it often comes from a place of racism.
Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, claimed in The Sunday Times that the corporation was breaching the 2010 Equality Act by warning employees not to sign the petition supporting Naga.
‘BBC minority staff are being told not to sign the letter or any petition and to stay clear of this one,’ he said.
‘The first thing the director-general has to do is tell managers to back off.’
Mr Phillips says the BBC block could be considered harassment.
Metro.co.uk has contacted BBC for comment.
The BBC’s decision has continued to be upheld despite widespread backlash, which has seen breakfast time rivals Good Morning Britain air the clip in solidarity and defending Naga’s right to talk about the issue from her own experience.
Naga said she’d be fuming as she spoke out against Donald Trump’s tweets (Picture: BBC)
In a statement released by BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit, 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.’
Speaking directly about the explanation of the complaint, and the man behind the statement, he said: ‘Let me get this straight, Mr Jordan, from the weird, sinister, head of Editorial Standards.
‘You called it a racist comment! Are you going to uphold a complaint against yourself? If you call it a racist comment and one of your presenters call it a racist comment, it’s probably a racist comment isn’t it?’
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Lorraine Kelly lays out her worst celebrity guests (Picture: ITV)
Lorraine Kelly didn’t hold back when grilled over her least favourite interviewees.
Today, Lorraine celebrated 35 years of being on our screens with a blockbuster edition of her show, co-hosted by none other than Piers Morgan.
But the presenter was put on the spot to name some of her worst guests, gladly calling out disgraced actor Kevin Spacey.
Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey was Lorraine’s pick for her worst ever guest (Photo: Chris Kleponis/Getty)
‘He was horrible,’ the 59-year-old said. ‘Very arrogant, I didn’t like him at all.’
Also coming under fire was Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford, although she speculated the actor was unhappy with the film he was promoting at the time, putting him in a bad mood.
She also described Bruce Willis as ‘weird’ because of his incoherent answers. It wasn’t all bad news, however,as the national treasure also reflected on her favourite guests too; including George Clooney, Hugh Jackman and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Lorraine’s self-confessed favourite interview ever.
Her one regret? Not being able to interview the late David Bowie.
The special anniversary show of Lorraine was guest-hosted by Piers Morgan, on best behaviour for the special occasion (Picture: ITV/Rex)
The ITV presenter – who has also helmed shows such as TV-am, GMTV, Daybreak in her time as well as her own eponymous show – was also treated to a heartwarming video montage of messages from well-wishers on her special anniversary, including her parents and younger brother.
The special edition of Lorraine’s eponymous show was guest-hosted by Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan, who crossed over from one set to the other to front the anniversary episode. And he brought with him his wooden spoon to dig out Lorraine’s finest hour when she snubbed politician and her former colleague, Esther McVey.
Lorraine airs weekdays from 8.30am on ITV.
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Landing yourself your dream role like in Netflix’s The Politician is a lot harder than most make it appear, but if you can nail that one game-changing audition, then the world is your oyster.
So, to help you budding young stars out, we’re scoping out info from those on the inside of the industry with Metro.co.uk’s Audition Room.
Last time, we spoke to the cast of Peaky Blinders, whose efforts to make an impression include epic slip-ups with hair-dye and filming their auditions on a phone.
But this week, the cast of Ryan Murphy’s The Politician who reveal all about how they got the iconic creator’s attention enough to get his vote for the new gripping series.
From being convinced that their audition has gone disastrously wrong, to reconnecting after working together before, it’s clear that the gang left an impression.
But hey, all you really need to do is catch the casting director’s eye – and once you’ve done that, you’re in.
The cast give us all the deets on how they made their campaign to be on the show….and won.
Ben triggered the entire series creation after Ryan saw him in Dear Evan Hansen (Picture: Getty/Netflix)
Ben Platt – Payton Hobart
‘I was in a show called Dear Evan Hansen in New York that Ryan came to see and then, subsequently, he expressed that he would love to make something together and I was like “that’s lovely, but you’re Ryan Murphy, and you’re very busy so I don’t expect to hear from you”.
‘Then about a month or so later I got a text saying “let’s have lunch and let me pitch you something I have an idea for”. I thought maybe a role on American Horror Story or something.
I thought maybe [I was being offered] a role on American Horror Story or something.
‘He had a very clear vision of the whole piece and allowed me to read the pilot script. He pitched me the character as somebody very morally complicated and assertive and aggressive and confident, and that was something that I’d never done before, and it was very exciting stomach-flip scary to me in a good way. It was a no-brainer.’
Lucy was convinced she’d messed up her chance (Picture: Getty/Netflix)
Lucy Boynton – Astrid Sloan
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Lucy said: ‘I got the script and did a self-tape, and then went to New York to meet Ryan, Brad and Ian.
‘I’d had a phone call with Ryan prior to that to try and grasp the season as a whole, because I had read I think the whole pilot prior to that, but you know Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan things, you can never really tell where it’s going to go.
I exited, turned right, turned right again straight into a bar, and thought “I think I ruined that”.
‘So he gave me a kind of summary of a series as a whole, and of Astrid’s arc very loosely, and so I felt slightly more prepared going into the room to meet them, but it was still terrifying.
‘I thought it went badly because it was such a quick audition, so I exited, turned right, turned right again straight into a bar, and thought “I think I ruined that”.’
Laura had previously worked with Ryan Murphy on Glee before The Politician (Picture: Getty/Netflix)
Laura Dreyfuss – McAfee
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Laura said: ‘I taped in New York with the casting director, and then did a screen test about two weeks later, I think.
‘Yeah it was very exciting, it was very quick. It happened so quick. That was the only role I went for.
‘So Glee [also created by Murphy and Falchuk], I joined the last season, so it’s very interesting to go from a show where it was part of the ending, which was so special, and really amazing to be a part of something that was so iconic.
‘Then with this, it’s the beginning and I get to be part of the beginning process of creating something.’
Zoey ‘begged and pleaded’ for the part (Picture: Getty/Netflix)
Zoey Deutch – Infinity Jackson
Speaking at a fan Q+A, Zoey said: ‘I’ve been a fan of Ryan’s work for my entire life and when I read the script it was no exception to any of his other pieces, which is that it’s very brave and very bold and very different.
‘I immediately fell in love with the weirdness that is Infinity Jackson. I begged and pleaded to get the part, and it happened, so I’m very grateful to that.’
The Politician is available now on Netflix.
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The stars are returning to the Strictly stage this weekend (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
Strictly Come Dancing has waltzed back on to our screens and into our hearts, with the passing of the first elimination episode seeing us say goodbye to one of the celebs.
As we wait to see what the celebs and their dance partners will have in store for us next week, here’s what you need to know about when the beloved Movie Week episode will be aired…
When is Strictly Come Dancing’s Movie Week?
Film fans are in luck, as Movie Week, which sees the dancing duos putting on performances inspired by iconic songs from films, will be this week.
The Movie Week episode will air on Saturday, 5 October at 7:10pm until 9:20pm.
While we don’t yet know the full lineup of what will be performed, we were given some hints on Sunday’s elimination episode that Anton and Emma will be doing something from Austin Powers, Dev and Dianne will be doing something from Aladdin, and Kelvin and Oti will be doing something from Mary Poppins Returns.
The results show for Movie Week will be on Sunday, 6 October from 7:15pm until 8:00pm.
This week, we said goodbye to James Cracknell, who said after it was announced he was going home: ‘I definitely enjoyed the last three days of the last week as I got to grips with the steps and started to enjoy it.
‘I’m enjoying it anyway, the luxury of being with someone so good and learning off them,’ he added of partner Luba Mushtuk.
‘I’m a way better dancer than I was two weeks ago. Luba’s been amazing with being so patient with a couple of left feet.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns next Saturday at 7:10pm on BBC One.
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‘They had to check I was well enough and able to cope with the hours that are required to take part, and also that I would be mentally strong enough to deal with the judges who, let’s face it, would have no choice but to judge me fairly and that might not always be nice,’ James revealed.
In an interview with Century Books back in 2012, James described how he was hit by a truck in Arizona whilst cycling across America and very nearly died as a result of his injuries:
‘I was cycling at about 6 o’clock in the morning, it was a nice, big road and I was doing a normal cycling speed and I got hit from behind by a fuel truck.’
James, who is now a dad of three, was put into a medically-induced coma after the accident.
James Cracknell with rowing team mates Matthew Pinsent, Ed Coode and Steve Williams in 2004 at the Olympics in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
The impact of the truck gave James a contrecoup brain injury, which means that his brain swung forward, hitting the front of his skull, causing damage to the frontal lobes of his brain.
The frontal lobes of the brain control our personality and who we are as a person, so although James survived the accident, his personality was altered for years following the incident as he made a slow recovery.
James, who is now 47, had no memory for a month after the accident and his ex-wife Beverley Turner described him as ‘difficult to live with’, especially in the first few years after the accident.
James Cracknell and his ex-wife Beverley Turner at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2011 (picture: Getty)
Following his elimination James took to social media to thank Luba ‘for being the most amazing partner/teacher/choreographer.’
‘Sadly you’re not a miracle worker,’ he wrote. ‘I’m no dancer (& knew it), I’ve always avoided things I know I’d be bad at, but I wanted that to stop. I had fun & learned a lot about myself thanks Luba.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 7.10pm on BBC One.
The Simpsons pay tribute to Mike Mendel after his death Providers: FOX/Getty
The Simpsons paid tribute to long-serving producer Mike Mendel after his tragic death a week ago.
Mendel – who worked on the show for a decade between 1989 to 1999 – died at his home in Los Angeles on September 22, just days before his 55th birthday. His cause of death is not yet known.
During the broadcast of a new episode Sunday night, a blacked-out screen showed a special nod to Mendel, along with a simple dedication: ‘In Loving Memory of Mike Mendel.’
The Rick and Morty producer’s work on The Simpsons dates back to when the cartoon was featured as a recurring short on The Tracy Ullman show, where he also worked as a producer.
When The Simpsons proved to be successful enough to warrant its own full series, Mendel joined the staff for its first season.
The showrunner went on to win three Emmy’s during his tenure for the episodes Lisa’s Wedding, Homer’s Phobia and Trash of the Titans.
Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland also paid tribute to Mendel after his death (Picture: Twitter)
His 10 years of work on the show would coincide with what most fans would call The Simpsons’ ‘Golden Age.’
Now in its 31st run, The Simpsons is the longest-running primetime scripted television series in American history.
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Jeremy Clarkson couldn’t hold back when a player on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? turned to the presenter for help, despite knowing the answer.
Richard Fisher received absolutely no sympathy from The Grand Tour host when he struggled to name which broadcaster famously conducted a series of in-depth interviews with President Richard Nixon in 1977.
‘I think it would be silly if I pretended to the audience I didn’t know,’ Jezza smirked. ‘It is David Frost, famously.
‘He got those three interviews with Richard Nixon and in the last one he finally confessed all about Watergate. There’s no doubt in my mind and that’s my final answer.’
Although, Richard admitted he’d actually seen the movie and in hindsight, the answer should have slapped him in the face.
Jeremy Clarkson scoffs at Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestant over epic fail (Picture: ITV)
Sir David Frost (left) managed to squeeze our Richard Nixon’s (right) admission over the Watergate Scandal (Picture: Getty)
‘You’ve just said that out loud on national television,’ scoffed Jeremy, as only Jeremy could.
Since taking over Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Clarkson has admitted the quiz’s new lifeline, ‘Ask The Host’ adds an enormous pressure, and it shows. Earlier this year he was slammed by viewers for not knowing when the last ever Concorde flight took off – despite being a passenger on it.
He also mocked a player for using their Clarkson lifeline on a fashion-related question, which is perfectly understandable.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? continues this Sunday at 8pm on ITV.
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Naga Munchetty’s BBC Breakfast co-host Dan Walker was also listed on the initial complaint about her discussion on Donald Trump’s tweets, it has been reported.
BBC anchor Naga is currently being penalised after being deemed ‘in breach of BBC guidelines’ for speaking about inherent racism in tweets from the President, in which he told four opposing, female politicians from minority backgrounds to ‘go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came’ in July.
But according to The Guardian, her co-host for the show, Dan Walker, was also listed in the original complaint, despite the BBC saying he was not.
In the message, Dan was dubbed ‘very unprofessional’ and was accused of ‘repeatedly expressing incredulity’, as both him and Naga ‘never made any secret of their left-wing and anti-Trump bias.’
The complaint was titled: ‘Blatant political bias from both presenters’.
‘They are employed as presenters not political commentators and as such should at least feign impartiality. It’s about time they were reminded of this,’ it read.
The BBC initially defended both presenters, causing a follow-up complaint from the same person demanding the moment ‘be investigated again with a more honest response’.
In the email, the complainant narrowed in on Naga, highlighting that she was making specific targeted comments on Trump.
Naga said she’d be fuming as she spoke out against Donald Trump’s tweets (Picture: BBC)
As a result, the new ruling was made with the complaint partially upheld, and just against Naga.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.
In a statement released by BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit about the complaint, it was stated that while Trump’s comments were ‘widely condemned as racist’ and Naga was ‘perfectly entitled to give a personal response’, 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 judgments are for the audience to make.’
The complaint was narrowed down to only include Naga’s comments (Picture: Getty)
Since then petitions in Naga’s defence from both fans, fellow journalists and celebrities has gathered weight, with Sir Lenny Henry, Piers Morgan and Nish Kumar coming forward in support.
Piers Morgan even declared the ruling ‘sinister’ as he mocked the explanation given, in a show of solidarity with Susanna Reid as they aired the BBC Breakfast moment on their rival show, Good Morning Britain.
The BBC’s editorial standards chief, David Jordan, had even said that Dan had ‘led her down the path’ and was partly to blame for her comments, in which she spoke about her own experience of ‘being told to go back where she came from’, and stating she would be ‘furious’ if she was told so.
Despite David’s acknowledgement of this, he asserted he couldn’t uphold a complaint against Dan because no one had complained about him specifically.
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