Music boss Damon Dash has revealed that his ex-girlfriend Aaliyah wanted nothing to do with R. Kelly and that she was just a ‘sacrificial lamb’ in a follow-up documentary.

In a first-look clip of the lifetime documentary titled Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, the 48-year-old claimed the late singer wanted nothing to do with R. Kelly after they got an annulment on their controversial marriage.

His marriage to Aaliyah was annulled after only a few months because of her age.

Kelly had produced Aaliyah’s first album when she was 14 years old. Sadly, Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.

In the clip, Damon made some bold claims as he exclaimed that if other people had protected Aaliyah then ‘so many other girls wouldn’t have gotten touched’.

‘Whether they know whether they’re in a bad place or not, the fact that they were able to get touched and they were in a bad place they would have been able to have gotten help earlier,’ he began.

‘You shouldn’t always have to learn from pain but you can learn from other people.’

He continued that Aaliya was like’ the sacrificial lamb’ and she didn’t deserve ‘any of that’.

He explained: ‘I know the whole story and I know it was to cover up and all of that, but how did that cover it up it just made the conversation less crazy like he married a child.

‘You know that was a good soul, a good girl and she wasn’t even so resentful like ‘let that man live but keep that f****r away from me.

‘That’s all she wanted. She was just happy to be away.’

He went on to allege that R. Kelly and Aaliyah’s marriage was a ‘cover-up’.

‘He married a child,’ he added.

It follows after R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges he asked someone to bribe a government official to procure a fake ID the day before he married Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time.

The star appeared via video feed in court in December 2019 where he denied the charge of scheming with others to pay for the document, ahead of the secret 1994 ceremony.

Earlier this month a new indictment accused the singer, 52, of bribing a government official in Illinois back in 1994 to obtain a fake ID for Aaliyah (named as Jane Doe in documents, but believed to be Aaliyah) to show she was 18 years old. It’s alleged the ID was used in order to secure a marriage license when Aaliyah was 15.

Kelly, then 27, and Aaliyah married in August 1994, a day after the alleged bribe took place, reports The New York Times. The same claim was made in a documentary, Surviving R Kelly, that aired in January, by one of Kelly’s former tour managers.

Responding to the latest claims, Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg, said in an interview with Good Morning America: ‘My understanding is that [Aaliyah] did not claim to be 15, and in order to get married, she had to lie about her age.’

The I Believe I Can Fly hitmaker’s lawyers have long maintained that Kelly was unaware of Aaliyah’s age when they married, while the Illinois marriage license used for the wedding said she was 18.

The new charges against Kelly add to an already existing indictment filed against the star – accusing him of ‘sexually exploiting underage girls and coercing them into illegal sexual activity’.

He is currently in prison, without bail, after he was indicted on 18 charges back in July, including sexual exploitation, child pornography production, kidnapping, forced labour, racketeering, and obstruction of justice.

Kelly has denied all charges against him.

Metro.co.uk previously contacted Kelly’s reps for comment.

MORE: R Kelly ‘paid government official $500’ for photo ID to marry Aaliyah quickly, book claims

MORE: R Kelly pleads not guilty to bribery charges amid 1994 marriage to 15-year-old Aaliyah

Channel 4’s The Last Leg has received a number of Ofcom complaints after Rosie Jones made a shocking joke about climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Hosts Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe, and Alex Brooker saw out the end of 2019 with a two-hour special of the comedy show, featuring guests including Johnny Vegas, Sue Perkins, and Tom Davis.

And a few of the stars dubbed 16-year-old Greta as their ‘hero of the year’ after her efforts to save the planet.

Although Rosie had some other ideas of what the teenager should be doing with her time.

‘Greta’s amazing and what she’s doing is brilliant,’ she declared. ‘But don’t do it now. She needs to live a little, she’s only 16.

‘She should be doing two things – drinking Lambrini and getting fingered.’

An Ofcom spokesperson confirmed to Metro.co.uk that they have received 22 complaints so far about Rosie’s remark.

Elsewhere on the show, Josh described Greta as ‘the first person to perfect the art of bunking school.’

Fans had mixed reactions to the joke, with one dubbing Rosie ‘f***ing hilarious,’ while another wrote: ‘Oh dear, did Rosie Jones say that. Not funny.’

Greta is proving pretty popular at the moment, with Good Morning Britain host Piers still trolling the youngster.

Because that definitely hasn’t got old.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Piers shared a selfie with his daughter with Celia Walden, as they stared down the camera while holidaying in Antigua.

Looking all serious, Piers and his eight-year-old were apparently impersonating the searing stare-down Greta levelled at Donald Trump.

‘”I’m going to do my Greta Thunberg face, Dada… because you’ve stolen my childhood too!”,’ Piers captioned the photo, adding the tag ‘howDAREshe’.

MORE: Piers Morgan still trolling Greta Thunberg into the New Year as he poses with daughter

MORE: Greta Thunberg’s father says climate change activism ‘saved her from pit of depression’

Lagertha could be dead by the end of Vikings episode six if the latest teaser is anything to go by.

A brand new trailer for the upcoming installment spells danger for the infamous shieldmaiden – played by Katheryn Winnick – as White Hair (Kieran O’Reilly) looks set to draw blood.

In chilling scenes, the leader of Ivar’s bodyguards yells: ‘Your son banished me, took away everything I had. My family, my pride, my identity.

‘He just thought I’d crawl away to the forest and die like some animal, but that is not my way. I fought for Ivar, but in other circumstances, I would have fought for Bjorn, or for you.’

Raising his voice, White Hair continued his threats: ‘I can kill you Lagertha, the most famous shieldmaiden in all the world. And I will!’

Fans have been hard at work sharing their theories about Lagertha’s fate in next week’s episode, titled Death and the Serpent, and have been busy sharing them online.

‘So Lagertha is going to be killed by White Hair and this because of Bjorn’s fault as a king?’ asked one.

Meanwhile, another added: ‘She will die but not by him.’

What will happen to Lagertha in the final season of Vikings currently remains under wraps, but the hero’s death has been somewhat of a long time coming for fans of the History show.

Metro.co.uk previously revealed photos of what appeared to show Lagertha’s funeral, with her corpse being sent out to sea on a blazing ship.

Could the queen’s death actually be on the horizon?

Speaking about her final scenes to ET Canada last July, Katheryn teased that there will be at least one more battle before she signs off.

‘It’s going to be adventurous, it’s going to be amazing,’ she said.

‘I’ll tell you one thing though, she is definitely not done fighting yet. There is still one big battle left to come.’

Vikings airs on The History Channel on Wednesdays at on Amazon Prime Video on Thursdays.

MORE: Vikings star Alicia Agneson makes grand return despite being killed off – and Ivar is shook

MORE: Vikings season 6 episode 5: Questions we have as Alicia Agneson returns while Lagertha warns of battle

One of R. Kelly’s ex-girlfriends has made some bold claims about the singer as she revealed he ‘forced’ her into a suicide pact.

Jerhonda Pace met Kelly when she was just 17-years-old and in a follow-up documentary, she alleged that he told her she had to kill herself if he was ever arrested or harmed.

In the clip, as she broke down in tears she began: ‘With Rob, I was part of a suicide pact with him. And if anything was to happen to him, if he was to go to jail or someone was to harm him, I was supposed to kill myself.’

She continued: ‘When the suicide pact came about, Rob and I was in the mirror room, and he told me if I was everything to him like I say he is, then there would be no life worth living.

‘He said, “if something happens to me, I want you to take these pills”.

‘When I was with him I was really ready to take my own life because Rob was everything to me. Rob was my life.’

Among those speaking out in the documentary was music boss Damon Dash, who revealed that his ex-girlfriend Aaliyah wanted nothing to do with R. Kelly and that she was just a ‘sacrificial lamb’ in a follow-up documentary.

The 48-year-old claimed the late singer wanted nothing to do with R. Kelly after they got an annulment on their controversial marriage.

His marriage to Aaliyah was annulled after only a few months because of her age.

Kelly had produced Aaliyah’s first album when she was 14 years old. Sadly, Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.

In the clip, Damon made some bold claims as he exclaimed that if other people had protected Aaliyah then ‘so many other girls wouldn’t have gotten touched’.

‘Whether they know whether they’re in a bad place or not, the fact that they were able to get touched and they were in a bad place they would have been able to have gotten help earlier,’ he began.

‘You shouldn’t always have to learn from pain but you can learn from other people.’

He continued that Aaliya was like’ the sacrificial lamb’ and she didn’t deserve ‘any of that’.

He explained: ‘I know the whole story and I know it was to cover up and all of that, but how did that cover it up it just made the conversation less crazy like he married a child.

‘You know that was a good soul, a good girl and she wasn’t even so resentful like ‘let that man live but keep that f****r away from me.

‘That’s all she wanted. She was just happy to be away.’

He went on to allege that R. Kelly and Aaliyah’s marriage was a ‘cover-up’.

‘He married a child,’ he added.

It follows after R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges he asked someone to bribe a government official to procure a fake ID the day before he married Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time.

The star appeared via video feed in court in December 2019 where he denied the charge of scheming with others to pay for the document, ahead of the secret 1994 ceremony.

Earlier this month a new indictment accused the singer, 52, of bribing a government official in Illinois back in 1994 to obtain a fake ID for Aaliyah (named as Jane Doe in documents, but believed to be Aaliyah) to show she was 18 years old. It’s alleged the ID was used in order to secure a marriage license when Aaliyah was 15.

Kelly, then 27, and Aaliyah married in August 1994, a day after the alleged bribe took place, reports The New York Times. The same claim was made in a documentary, Surviving R Kelly, that aired in January, by one of Kelly’s former tour managers.

Metro.co.uk previously contacted Kelly’s reps for comment.

Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning will air on Lifetime in three parts starting on Thursday 2 January.

MORE: R Kelly ‘paid government official $500’ for photo ID to marry Aaliyah quickly, book claims

MORE: R Kelly pleads not guilty to bribery charges amid 1994 marriage to 15-year-old Aaliyah

(spoiler alert) BBC One’s new adaptation of Dracula delivered a pretty big surprise to viewers as its gruesome first instalment came to an end.

Because having slaughtered a bunch of nuns in a shockingly graphic bloodbath, it emerged that Sister Agatha (Dolly Wells) is in fact Van Helsing – the vampire’s ultimate adversary.

All of which has twisted proceedings up a little, given that the original Van Helsing is actually male – leaving us to question what Agatha’s backstory actually is.

The character’s pretty important in the story though – so just who is Van Helsing?

Here’s what you need to know…

Who is Van Helsing in Dracula?

Abraham Van Helsing – to give the character his original name – is actually a vampire hunter and Count Dracula’s arch enemy.

He appears in Bram Stoker’s original Dracula novel after being called in by John Seward, a former student, to help with Mina Murray’s best friend Lucy Westenra, who is suffering from a mysterious illness.

He realises that Lucy has fallen victim to a vampire – Dracula in fact – and attempts to save her – but Lucy dies, and later returns as a vampire who preys on children.

Van Helsing eventually helps to free Lucy from the curse, before attempting to protect Mina from the lure of Dracula as well as attempting to track him down and destroy him.

We also learn that Van Helsing had a son who died, which drove his wife mad from grief.

It’s thought that Bram Stoker might have modelled Van Helsing on a real person – with a Polish journalist, Adam Weglowski, suggesting he might have based him on a Lutheran pastor named Helwing, who studied vampires and werewolves.

Who else has played Van Helsing onscreen?

The most famous incarnation of Van Helsing was played by Peter Cushing in the 1958 movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

However the character was also played by Sir Laurence Olivier in the 1979 big screen adaptation and by Anthony Hopkins in the 1992 version.

The vampire hunter also had his own spin-off movie Van Helsing in 2004 – with Hugh Jackman taking on the title role.

Dracula continues on BBC One on Thursday night at 9pm.

MORE: Where have you seen the Dracula cast, including Claes Bang and Dolly Wells, before?

The Apprentice’s Lottie Lion has sparked another online row with former candidate Dean Ahmad as she accused him of being two-faced.

The librarian caused a lot of controversy during her time on the BBC show, and even admitted she ‘wasn’t there to make friends’.

Taking to Twitter the 20-year-old posted a series of screenshots that appear to show a conversation between herself and Dean.

She captioned the post: ‘ Didn’t have a problem with this “Racist” a few months ago, did you @DeanAhmad_?

‘It infuriates me when people are pleasant to your face (as he doesn’t have a genuine problem with me) yet feeds the mainstream-media view of false stories & allegations. For what? Probably attention.’

In one of the screenshots, Dean appears to be responding to another person on social media who said: ‘the fact you didn’t tag Lottie’.

To which he responded: ‘I don’t tag racists’.

The other photos show a normal conversation between the pair on social media.

This occasion isn’t the first falling out Lottie has had with her fellow candidates as she recently sparked another row with Ryan-Mark Parsons.

The pair have clashed yet again as Ryan-Mark branded the librarian a ‘liar’ overcharging fans money for photographs.

The 20-year-old admitted that she wanted to take a break from Twitter over Christmas and she tweeted for the first time today (New Year’s Eve).

Lottie hadn’t tweeted since 5 December.

In the post, she exclaimed: ‘I needed a break from twitter over the festive period, but I’m back baby!’

I really needed a break from Twitter over the festive period, but I’m back baby!😚 pic.twitter.com/ceFZmlScNM

— LottieLion (@LottieLion1) December 31, 2019

Lottie’s return follows after she uploaded a photo to her Instagram story, telling her fans that she would never ask for cash for posing for a picture with her fans, a seeming dig at her former co-star.

Ryan-Mark has recently started taking requests for personalised video messages and signed photographs and has been charging customers £10 to £15 a pop for the pleasure.

Addressing whether she’d ever follow suit, Lottie wrote to her followers: ‘I have been asked if I charge for signed photographs and videos, the answer is NO.

‘I would never charge my followers who support me for something as simple and cheap, and see it as a way to say thank you to you all (sic).’

The Apprentice is available for catch-up on BBC iPlayer.

MORE: The Apprentice’s Lottie Lion returns to Twitter as Ryan-Mark Parsons brands her a ‘liar’

MORE: The Apprentice’s Lottie Lion and Ryan-Mark Parsons feud over charging fans for personalised videos

The Witcher’s Freya Allan has revealed that she does all of Cirilla bloodcurdling screams herself and we are shook.

The 18-year-old actress, who plays the magical princess of Cintra, admitted that bosses of the new Netflix fantasy drama didn’t actually have to edit in fake shrieks – and boy is there a lot of them.

Ciri’s powers take the form of an impressive high-pitched scream and they get more and more forceful throughout the show’s eight episodes.

‘Oh, I did it all,’ Freya confessed. ‘All the screaming was mine. Like, I remember on set, the very first time I did the scream, we did a rehearsal, and the director came over and said, “Oh, we should have done a take.”

‘I don’t know what it is, but lots of the roles I’ve gotten into, I’ve had to do these huge screams, and so I’m kind of a pro in that.’

She continued to Comic Book: ‘Everyone always says that I do a really kind of, a quite piercing one, so yeah, it was all mine, and my throat was very, very sore by the end of it. But I mean, it was kind of fun as well.’

The extent of Ciri’s abilities is yet to be unearthed, but in the first episode, she yelled so loud that she caused the glasses on the table to shake.

The Witcher’s casting director Sophie Holland admitted that it was quite a long process in finding Ciri and have revealed they were ‘lucky’ to have found Freya.

‘To find a girl who was 16 and could convey in a really emotional way, the loss of her parents, the loss of her grandparents, being pushed out into this world that she doesn’t know and surviving on her own in a way that is completely alien to her,’ she told Metro.co.uk.

‘Imagine being 16, and trying to show that? When some 35-year-old actors would struggle, we knew she had to be special.

‘Thank goodness she walked into our room when she did. She’s brilliant.’

The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix.

MORE: The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra reveals hardest part of Yennefer’s heartbreaking dead baby scene

MORE: Anya Chalotra’s extraordinary audition for The Witcher: Why Henry Cavill’s casting actually revolved around Yennefer star

The second episode of Dracula aired on BBC One tonight and bosses surprised us with yet another sneaky Sherlock Holmes Easter egg.

Much to our delight, showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss slipped in a cheeky reference to the infamous detective’s right-hand man and renowned biographer Dr. John Watson.

Did you notice it?

Within the first quarter of the thrilling installment, Grand Duchess Valeria (played by Catherine Schell) told Claes Bang’s Count Dracula about a mysterious author who wants to document her life.

As they talked over a spot of dinner, Duchess Valeria commented: ‘A gentleman in England wants to write the story of my life.’

Would that be Dr. Watson, perhaps?

This is the second time Dracula has referred to Sherlock Holmes since the drama kicked off on New Year’s Day.

Episode one paid homage to the British sleuth and saw

Sister Agatha (Dolly Wells) floored Jonathan Harker (John Heffernan) by revealing the suspiciously quiet nun beside her throughout his interrogation was actually his fiancée, Mina (Morfydd Clark).

‘I apologise for the deception; it was necessary she heard the story from your own lips,’ Agatha, who later turned out to be revealed as Van Helsing teased.

She continued: ‘Having established your identity, it was not difficult to trace you back to England and find your worried fiancé. I have a detective acquaintance in London.’

Both Dracula and the Sherlock Holmes books were set and published in the Victorian era and Moffat and Gatiss worked on the Sherlock series together – and unsurprisingly, audiences are convinced that the two will crossover at some point.

‘It started as a joke,’ Gatiss said at the Dracula premiere. ‘We were shooting Sherlock series three, we had been shooting for two days.

‘And we came back to London for an awards ceremony and I had just taken a picture of Benedict [Cumberbatch] in his coat with his collar up, in silhouette, against Mrs Hudson’s doorway and I showed it to Ben Stephenson who is the drama commissioner and I said, “It looks like Dracula doesn’t it?”‘

Dracula continues on Friday at 9pm on BBC One and is available for catch-up on BBC iPlayer.

MORE: So what if Dracula is gay?

MORE: Dracula had a genius Doctor Who connection last night – did you spot it?

Misfits star Nathan Stewart-Jarrett made his debut appearance in BBC One’s three-part thriller Dracula tonight and fans were loving it.

The 34-year-old actor, who shot to fame as Curtis Donovan in the E4 television series back in 2009, plays Adisa – the high-minded aide-de-camp to Lord Ruthven.

Adisa is said to be holding onto more information than he’s giving away – but what secrets could he be burying?

Misfits aired for four years until 2013 and starred The Umbrella Academy’s Robert Sheehan, This Is England’s Joe Gilgun and Game Of Thrones star Iwan Rheon.

Nathan’s character Curtis was the longest-serving member of the original Misfit gang and he started out as a promising athlete – that was until he was found guilty of drug possession.

After the storm, Curtis learned he had the power to turn back time, which he could use only when he had strong feelings of regret.

As the show continued, he later sold his power to Seth for money but was later left devastated when his girlfriend was killed and he wasn’t able to go back and undo the tragic events.

Avid television bingers will have noticed that Nathan is also currently starring in BBC drama The Trial Of Christine Keeler, which continues on Sunday.

Nathan has taken on the role of Johnny Edgecombe in the biopic, an Antigua-born jazz promotor who is the catalyst of the  Profumo scandal after he fires a gun at Stephen Ward’s door.

Dracula continues on Friday at 9pm on BBC One.

MORE: So what if Dracula is gay?

MORE: Dracula had a genius Doctor Who connection last night – did you spot it?

The BBC has got 2020 off to a bloody good start with its new adaptation of Dracula, which thoroughly creeped out viewers when it debuted on New Year’s Day.

The first episode of the three-part drama aired on BBC One last night, bringing with it a naked bloodbath in a convent, twists galore and a cliffhanger of an ending.

The series – or at least a fair part of it – is set in Transylvania, known as the Count’s home – but just where was the series actually filmed?

And where is Transylvania anyway? Here’s what you need to know…

Where is the BBC’s adaptation of Dracula filmed?

While Castle Dracula might be located in Transylvania, those scenes were actually filmed in Slovakia – with the exteriors featuring the same castle as the one that appeared in the 1922 silent horror classic Nosferatu.

The East European nation might have provided a convincing location, but it didn’t come without its challenges – not least having to film the scene in which Dracula breaks into sister Agatha’s convent naked, in below freezing temperatures.

‘We shot the whole thing across three days, I think, and then we came back and did another two days here so it took five days [to film],’ explained star Claes Bang.]

‘I have to say, I was the one who said he should not wear any clothes. I know it’s slightly weird but it was written like that and I think it has an impact that he was there with no clothes on, to some extent.’

The weather caused other hiccups for the production, meaning the first scene had to be reshot due to the amount of snow around.

‘It was what never happens – there was like a magical snowstorm all through. Flakes the size of your hand,’ Mark Gatiss explained.

‘Literally, no-one had stepped on it, it was like Christmas. But the first shot it wasn’t snowing, and we had to go and do it again. It was amazing – beautiful.’

The rest of the production was shot on these very shores, with the interior of Dracula’s castle, as well as The Demeter – the ship which features in episode two – filmed at Bray Studios in Berkshire.

Meanwhile, episode three was actually shot in Whitby in Yorkshire, which where it also takes place.

Where is Transylvania in real life?

Transylvania is actually a region in Romania.

It’s in the central part of the country, and sits close to the Carpathian mountains – home to wolves, lynx and the biggest population of brown bears in Europe – as well as being home to cities including Cluj-Napoca, Brasocv and Sibiu.

The area is popular with tourists, especially for those looking to visit Dracula’s Castle – or, to give it its real name, Bran Castle.

The castle, which was built in 1377, is about two and a half hours drive away from the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and is open all year round.

You can find out more information about visiting at the official website.

Dracula continues on BBC One on Thursday night at 9pm.

MORE: Dracula had a genius Doctor Who connection last night – did you spot it?

Lisa George fears she may walk from Dancing on Ice just days before the show is due to start.

The soap star has joined a stellar line-up including the likes of Maura Higgins, Caprice Bourret, Paralympian Libby Clegg, Trisha Goddard and Lucrezia Millarini who will be representing the women this series.

Ian ‘H’ Watkins will be joined by Diversity’s Perri Kiely, magician Ben Hamlin, and Joe Swash, who will also be putting themselves to the test on the ice.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk ahead of the ITV show, the Corrie actress revealed that she suffers badly from anxiety.

‘I’m just ploughing through because I suffer really badly from anxiety and nerves, so if I think about it I might walk out and not do it,’ she began.

‘I just have to not think about it. I love it, I love skating and it’s what I loved as a child.

‘It has brought that back to me which is such a lovely feeling of freedom.

‘But I have to forget about the nerves and just get on with it. If I think about it I get nervous and cock it up.’

Michael Barrymore has already been forced to pull out of the show after he broke his wrist during rehearsals.

Michael was hoping that his stint on this series of Dancing on Ice would be his comeback into show business, however, the funnyman broke his wrist meaning he had to quit the show before it even began.

Speaking on the Christmas Special he exclaimed: ‘I’ve been dedicated to this business for a long, long time and accepted that it was over for me.

‘And I coped. But I realised just how much the business makes me who I am.

‘I love it so much.’

Dancing on Ice returns 5 January on ITV.

MORE: Dancing On Ice’s Joe Swash already convinced he’s going to lose series after nasty accident

MORE: Holly Willoughby praises ‘groundbreaking’ move to have H and Matt Evers be first same-sex couple on Dancing On Ice

Charlotte Crosby has announced she’s bagged a spot on the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and she’s buzzing.

The former Geordie Shore star, who recently went public with her romance with DJ Chris Wright, confirmed her spot in a social media post.

Over the moon by the news, Charlotte enthused: ‘Wondered why I’ve been quiet?!?! IM ONLY GOING IN THE GOD DAM SOUTH AFRICAN JUNGLE for @ImACelebrityAU finally my dreams have come true and I don’t have to photoshop my head on the English line up anymore see you soon my jungle buddies.’ (sic).

Wondered why I’ve been quiet?!?! 🦁🦒🦓🐆 IM ONLY GOING IN THE GOD DAM SOUTH AFRICAN JUNGLE for @ImACelebrityAU finally my dreams have come true and I don’t have to photoshop my head on the English line up anymore 😂😂😂😂😂 see you soon my jungle buddies ❤ #ImACelebrityAU pic.twitter.com/8L7NNMrVSe

— Charlotte Crosby (@Charlottegshore) January 2, 2020

Unsurprisingly, fans can’t wait to see Charlotte tackle life in camp, with former Dancing On Ice contestant Melody Thornton posting: ‘Yaaaaay! Go Charlotte!’

‘Have fun Charlotte!! Smash it!! added Marnie Simpson.

Charlotte’s announcement comes one year after she told Metro.co.uk that I’m A Celebrity bosses decide not to cast reality stars in the series.

Having won Celebrity Big Brother in 2013, she admitted that she was ‘banned’ from taking part in ITV’s show because ‘they just don’t have anyone who’s done Big Brother.’

A source has claimed that the reality star had made several attempts to get cast on I’m A Celeb, with one insider saying: ‘Charlotte’s team have tried to get her onto I’m A Celebrity for years but they’ve always turned her down.

‘When they used to feature reality stars she was either not famous enough or too late to the party.’

They added to The Sun: ‘And after they put their ban in place a few years back, she was told it was impossible.

‘Now she’s taking part in the Aussie version and she can’t wait. Charlotte is a huge name in Australia and they love her out there, so she’s easily favourite to win already.’

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia kicks off Sunday 5th January on Network 10. 

MORE: Jacqueline Jossa reveals 2020 aim to make friends with Kylie Jenner after I’m A Celebrity and we need to make this happen

MORE: Jacqueline Jossa reveals Caitlyn Jenner snubbed I’m A Celebrity WhatsApp group and we’re devastated

*Warning: This article contains massive spoilers from Dracula episode 2, titled Blood Vessel.

Dracula just took everything we thought we knew about the BBC Drama and threw it in the bin. What just happened?

Tonight’s second instalment of the most gruesome series you’re likely to find on the BBC in a long time took an unexpected turn from the events of episode one, which only left us with a mountain of questions – none of which were answered.

After finding herself cornered by Dracula (played by Claes Bang) in the closing moments of last night’s premiere, The Rules of The Beast, Sister Agatha (Dolly Wells) – who turned out to be vampire hunter Van Helsing – suddenly found herself playing a game of chess with Bran Stoker’s beast.

Or so she thought.

The entire instalment was set on a decrepit Russian ship heading to England with one passenger wiping out some of the guests one by one – no prizes for guessing who said passenger may have been.

As the survivors on board frantically tried to work out which one among them had been picked them off, there was an unnerving curiosity surrounding the sick casualty in cabin number nine.

Our worst fears were confirmed when it was revealed Agatha was the captive, clearly on her death bed.

However, while she diminished by the second nothing stopped her fighting and with the aid of the few survivors still standing by the end, the nun sacrificed herself to blow up the ship with Dracula on board, before he casually walked along the sea bed to eventually wash up in London where he was greeted by… Agatha… in a police uniform… in what appears to be 2020.

So. Many. Questions. Starting with:

What have we just been through?

WTF just happened. While we’ve been sat back enjoying the retelling of Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror with a Moffat and Gatiss twist, suddenly we’ve jumped more than a century into the present, haven’t we?

And where do we go from here? The rug was well and truly swept from beneath us in what is already a game-changing finish.

Should we have seen it coming?

Agatha revealed in episode one she had a friend who was a detective In London, which Moffat and Gatiss teased at the Dracula World premiere was Sherlock. At the time, that seemed implausible but now it all makes sense.

And tonight, before Dracula drained her blood, Grand Duchess Valeria (Catherine Schell) revealed she was on her way to London because someone was interested in writing the story of her life. Any biographers come to mind? How about John H. Watson.

Were these both clues that we were in the 21st Century all along?

What happened to Agatha? 

Tonight Agatha was knocking on heaven’s door but we have no idea why – even if you could bet your house Dracula got his fangs in her. Her fingernails were peeling off and she’d been confined to cabin number nine. Her days were numbered but what happened between her last confrontation with Dracula and now? 

Is Agatha dead or not? Why was she expecting Dracula?

Because we saw her lifeless body floating in the water but just minutes later, who welcomed Dracula to England? Agatha, or at least her identical twin, but with an English accent, with a beaming smile on her face.

‘Welcome to England, Dracula. What kept you?’ she grinned, clearly expecting his arrival.

What happened to Mina Harker?

Blood Vessel was missing one thing: Mina Harker (Morfydd Clark). Last we saw of Jonathan’s fiancee, she’d been duped by Dracula and was subsequently cornered with nowhere to turn and it seemed both Mina and Agatha’s days were numbered. T

hen tonight we learned Dracula let her go – but why? He hasn’t spared anyone else so what was different about Mina.

We previously learned Agatha turned to her London detective pal to track down Mina, so now we’re back in the capital will she be popping up again in episode three.

Dracula continues tomorrow at 9pm on BBC One.

MORE: So what if Dracula is gay?

MORE: Dracula had a genius Doctor Who connection last night – did you spot it?

The Gavin And Stacey Christmas special is now the biggest scripted programme of the past decade – and we’d expect nothing less.

The hit comedy, which made a triumphant comeback nine years after it last aired, has now been viewed by 17.1 million people on catch-up and live when it was originally broadcast.

New figures have shown that only sporting events and the 2010 X Factor final, which saw One Direction compete against Rebecca Ferguson and Matt Cardle, were watched by more people during the last 10 years.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, its also been named the most-watched comedy since Only Fools And Horses in 2002.

We stan.

This news comes just days after the Gavin And Stacey special was revealed as being watched for the equivalent of 80 years.

Despite its overwhelming success, there’s still no word yet on whether the BBC sitcom will be returning for a series four.

Diehard fans have already launched online petitions to get the ball rolling, but there’s been no confirmation from co-creators Ruth Jones and James Corden.

There’s good news though as Cats actor James told his fellow castmates that the show is definitely on the cards, but only if there’s an appetite for it.

Neil the Baby actor Oscar Hartland, revealed that he’d quizzed the showrunner about a reboot while filming.

‘I asked James Corden and he said it was about what the fans want,’ Oscar explained. ‘He said he doesn’t want people to be like “Oh no, it’s Gavin And Stacey on again”.’

Meanwhile, cast member Larry Lamb has called for a Gavin And Stacey film over a fourth season.

The actor, who plays Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy, revealed that he wants to see the hit series launch on the big screen, and you know what, we’re here for it.

‘To me, I always think the logical thing to do would be to make a film of it,’ Larry admitted.

‘I think the audience in Britain is so ready for it that they would go to the ends of the Earth to go and see a movie of it. I mean, imagine those characters?’

He added to The Mirror: ‘It’s so much larger than life now, it’s a national treasure.’

The Gavin And Stacey Christmas Special is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

MORE: Larry Lamb calls for Gavin And Stacey movie over series 4

MORE: Will there be a new series of Gavin and Stacey following the Christmas special?

The Circle has headed across the pond for its debut US series and we’ve got the lowdown on who’s on the line-up for Netflix’s American version.

The sister show in the states has already kicked off and will be showing over the next three weeks of January in intermittent batches of four.

If you haven’t watched The Circle before, the incredible reality programme sees a range of individuals move into a rather swish looking apartment block and stay in separate rooms, only able to communicate with each other via a social networking site. This means they can pretend to be whoever they want.

Yep, it’s (potential) catfish central and the player who emerges most popular wins $100,000 (£76, 110)

The Instagram accounts of the US show have been released – so here’s a guide of who’ll

Chris Sapphire

https://www.instagram.com/p/B60CQzAglpC/

Hailing from Dallas, Chris perhaps has the best 2020 mantra of us all.

In an Instagram post, he stated: ‘I’m gonna take my gay ass and high kick my way into 2020 rocking glittery shoes and wearing the flyest attitude of gratitude.’

Sources say he will be playing himself on the show, and we are here for it.

Samantha Cimarelli

https://www.instagram.com/p/B59FKbKHEaW/

Sammie is a 24-year-old behaviour technician from Miami who works with children on the autism spectrum.

She will also be playing the game as herself, describing her party girl persona as ‘bottle service with brains’. Get it, girl. Take a look at her Instagram here.

Karyn

Karyn is 37 and from the Bronx, New York City and she is playing as her own made-up character Mercedeze.

Confident in her catfishing ability, Karyn has said of her online avatar: ‘Guys see her they usually drool, when girls see her they wanna be friends.’

Joey Sasso

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6xWjmrBnc-/

He may describe himself as ‘the proudest momma’s boy you’re ever gonna meet’ but Joey from New York managed to blow up Netflix’s US Twitter account last month when a rogue picture of him topless was posted.

He’s sure made waves so far, let’s see how he fares on the show.

Check out his very meme-able Instagram posts.

Alana Duval

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6eG835gzuG/

Texas-born Alana is a swimsuit and lingerie model, who is keen for a chance to socialise without people making judgments about her looks.

‘I get judged by other girls because they just don’t want their boyfriends to look at me,’ she said.

Alana has over 85,000 followers on Instagram.

Antonio DePína

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6zMmKaJmoL/

Basketball player Antonio has already shared his forward stance when it comes to playing the game. So to speak.

Apparently he has already cleared his ability to flirt on The Circle with his girlfriend – ‘I’m not going to feel guilty about flirting on The Circle, my girlfriend’s given me the green light and I’m going to do anything it takes to win.’

In 2019, Antonio also started three businesses and an app. Impressive. Find out more about him on his Instagram.

Shubham

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6JFnrCn-sK/

Shubham is a 23-year-old virtual reality designer who completely rejects social media, so it’ll be interesting to see what he makes of his time on The Circle.

He has even described social media as a ‘fairy-hell’, and a ‘modern-day bubonic plague’. Nice.

Seaburn

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6zTZy_AEW1/

Boston’s very own Seaburn plans to masquerade as his girlfriend, not playing himself on The Circle but his girlfriend Rebecca.

‘Look out Circle, Rebecca is coming to get you,’ he said.

On his Instagram he even bigs up his fellow contestant Shubham, calling him ‘my biggest ally’. Awww.

The Circle US is available to stream on Netflix US.

MORE: The Circle US looks like it’s gonna be just as wild as the UK version as first trailer lands

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Silent Witness star Liz Carr has reportedly criticised the BBC over not featuring any disabled actors in their new trailer.

The Beeb recently teased fans with a two-minute-long trailer showcasing everything from comedy to dramas to old favourites.

Halfway through, we get our first glimpse of Stormzy in action in the adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses – giving a knowing nod as he tilts his head and declares: ‘Let’s party!’

And the classics returning include Call The Midwife, Line of Duty and Killing Eve season three, with tiny glimpses revealing next to nothing about what happens.

Although since the trailer dropped, the disabled actress, who has starred in the drama for the past six years exclaimed: ‘Weird I’m not in the opening trailer but more weirdly, Silent Witness doesn’t feature in the current BBC1 trailer for upcoming shows.

‘As far as I can tell there isn’t a disabled person in the trailer either. BBC needs to do better,’ she told the Daily Mirror.

Liz, who plays scientist Clarissa Mullery, has the genetic condition arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and has used a wheelchair since the age of seven.

Silent Witness fans won’t have long to wait before it graces our screens once again.

The BBC has confirmed that the first episode of the crime drama’s 23rd series will be broadcast at 9pm on 7 January on BBC One – and they have teased viewers with what they can expect when the show returns.

It looks as if viewers will witness a private jet crash landing into woodland outside of London, with pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox) called to the scene, as she soon discovers that among those dead includes the US Ambassador, Jonathan Kraft.

As Nikki calls her partner Matt (Michael Landes) to break the news of Jonathan’s death, Thomas Chamberlain (Richard Lintern) is called to investigate the apparent suicide of a businessman – however, he ends up uncovering some unexpected connections to the plane crash.

Alongside Emilia and Richard, also returning for the new series are David Caves (Dr Jack Hodgson) and Liz Carr (Clarissa Mullery). As of yet, no guest stars have been confirmed for the series.

Emilia previously revealed that she ‘loves’ that the show inspires students to study pathology for themselves.

The BBC have been approached for a comment.

Silent Witness will return on 7 January at 9pm on BBC One.

MORE: Silent Witness to return to screens in January with plane crash as new series start date confirmed

MORE: Kelly Osbourne breaks silence on ‘sickening’ rumours that dad Ozzy Osbourne is on his ‘deathbed’

By the end of December, we had all already compiled our best TV moments from the decade (it’s obviously David’s dead from Celebrity Big Brother).

But thankfully, the ’20s are already off to a roaring start.

Casualty star Amanda Henderson unwittingly had viewers in hysterics as she gave climate change activist Greta Thunberg an entirely new name on an edition of Celebrity Mastermind.

The actress, best known for playing Robyn Miller on the drama, joined Paul Chuckle, Levi Roots and Geoff Norcott on a special celeb edition of the iconic quiz show, and pretty much smashed her specialist subject – songs from animated Disney films from 1989-1999.

The 33-year-old got eight answers out of nine on questions about Mulan, The Lion King and Hercules, so we had high hopes for her in the general knowledge round.

Unfortunately, that didn’t go as well – but she did give one of the best wrong answers the Mastermind chair has ever seen.

John Humphries asked: ‘The 2019 book entitled No-one is Too Small To Make A Difference is a collection of speeches made by a Swedish climate change activist. What’s her name?’

Now, anybody watching will have been screaming ‘Greta Thunberg’, but Amanda’s genius answer?

‘Sharon.’

The episode was initially set to air on 28 December, and has been on iPlayer since then, but aired on BBC One on 2 January, and the moment has gone viral.

Comedian Mark Smith tweeted the clip with the caption: ‘2020 is cancelled’, and it has gone on to get 9,000 retweets and over 45,000 likes.

Amanda has yet to respond to being a viral sensation, but we’re sure she’ll be chuffed at already producing one of 2020’s standout TV moments.

Unfortunately, the BBC star didn’t clinch the Celebrity Mastermind title, after getting just four general knowledge questions correct, but she came pretty close.

Paul came last with 10 points, with Amanda and Levi both receiving 12, and Geoff winning with 13 points.

But the true winner, as we all know, was Sharon.

Celebrity Mastermind is available to watch on iPlayer.

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The Mandalorian has just recently wrapped up its first season on Disney+ and fans are already dissecting every clue left behind for them in the eight episodes – including a very surprising link to Stranger Things.

During the Star Wars spin-off’s finale episode, Cara Dune (Gina Carano) starts to discuss her fears about being captured by their enemies like many rebels before her – specifically, being subjected to torture by one of the Empire’s Mind Flayers.

We imagine at that point, many fans had to pause the show and wonder – do Star Wars and Stranger Things actually exist in the same universe?

The Mind Flayer is the already-established Big Bad of the streaming juggernaut; a sinister being from an alternate dimension who uses mind control to enslave humans.

The last Stranger Things fan saw of the monster, he was finally overpowered by Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) after exerting his influence over Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) in season three.

Whilst the name might be familiar, however, the moniker that Cara uses in The Mandalorian might just be a rash generalisation of a species that we have already encountered in the Star Wars universe.

During the spin-off movie Rogue One – which took place before A New Hope and explained how the Rebels got hold of the Death Star plans – we’re introduced to the Mairan race, tentacled beasties who have the power to ‘feel thoughts’ and are used as the Empire as weapons.

However, this could all just be a coincidence, too. The design and name of the Mind Flayer in both shows is a nod to fantasy tropes in general, most of which stem from the work of horror writer HP Lovecraft and his villainous invention Cthulhu.

The existence of the Mind Flayers in the Star Wars universe is called into question in The Mandalorian too, however. Fellow rebel Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) argues that he doesn’t think the Mind Flayers exist at all – which might mean either the Mairains are so secretive a weapon they’ve passed into legend, or the Mind Flayer is something else entirely.

Or maybe Jon Favreau just wanted to get fans hot under the collar, wondering if the Upside Down existed a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

The Mandalorian’s first season may have ended in spectacular fashion – but creator and head writer Favreau has already confirmed a second run is in the works to air in the autumn of this year.

The last episode – which saw the titular bounty hunter reveal his name and even take his helmet off – received a rare perfect score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Although some fans are still fuming over the fact that Baby Yoda got punched in the face by a Stormtrooper. Not OK!

The Mandalorian season 1 is available to stream now on Disney+ in the US, the streaming service is coming to the UK in 2020.

MORE: Kelly Marie Tran admits it was ‘difficult’ filming Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker scenes with Carrie Fisher

MORE: Star Wars shows like Disney+’s The Mandalorian could become movies according to Disney’s CEO Bob Iger

Stranger Things fans are still agonising over the fate of Jim Hopper after he was pulverised at the end of season 3. Or was he?

David Harbour recently revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers he had no idea if Hopper was dead or alive, even calling up Stranger Things showrunners Ross and Matthew Duffer for some answers. Of course, he didn’t get any. Apparently they’re still working it out themselves.

However, the 44-year-old – who is currently romancing British singer Lily Allen – has revealed he has one request for his sheriff should he somehow survive the blast which closed the Upside Down.

‘One way it could be viewed is he has to die to make it up to [his daughter] Sara and see her in the afterlife,’ he began to the LA Times, suggesting Hopper is a goner. ‘The other view is that because of this newfound relationship with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), he needs to shed his skin, make a sacrifice that allows his character to re-emerge.

‘He was finally able to really take a bullet for a child, which he had never been able to do because Sara died of cancer. I think there’s a perfection to it.

‘Now whether or not there’s some sort of second-act resurrection would be very interesting to me, clearly, for obvious reasons -the fact that I desperately love the show and desperately love the character … but that remains to be seen.

‘He would certainly have to emerge a different individual.’

There have been countless theories online suggesting there’s proof Hopper is alive. From the title credits literally spelling out ‘Hopper is alive’ to the Duffer Brothers’ Star Wars analogy and a clue left behind by the Russians in the very first episode of season three.

At this point, it feels like Stranger Things’ Jon Snow moment is certain.

Stranger Things 4 is expected to land on Netflix in 2020. Seasons one to three are available to stream now.

MORE: Stranger Things fan spots glaring clue from the Russians that Hopper is alive in season 4

MORE: Stranger Things fan spots Will Byers clue from season 1 which may confirm Hopper is still alive

Emma Willis has teased a Big Brother comeback, and we absolutely need this to happen.

The 43-year-old – who is gearing up for the return of The Voice – discussed a possible return for the Channel 5 show, which came to an end back in 2018.

During an appearance on Lorraine, guest host Christine Lampard asked whether there would be another series on the horizon.

‘I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything apart from the rumours that were around before Christmas,’ the presenter replied.

‘No one has called me, no one said, “Oh this is what I’ve heard on the DL”.

‘We all miss it, especially in January… It was the celeb version, it filled up January.’

Leaving the door wide open for the next series, Emma added: ‘It needed time to have a little break, but maybe one day it will come back.’

Her words come after Rylan hinted we could be seeing more of the infamous house on our screens, in a cryptic tweet.

Taking to Twitter, he shared a video of his best memories from the show to mark the one-year anniversary of the final ever episode.

‘The best memories. We miss you @bigbrotheruk,’ he wrote.

‘I know you will be back. 1 year ago today we said “see you soon” and we will. Miss you x.’

It was recently revealed that Celebrity Big Brother was the most complained about show of the entire decade, after Roxanne Pallett falsely accused Ryan Thomas of punching her.

The scenes in question aired back in 2018 and topped Ofcom’s round-up, with the TV watchdog receiving 25,327 complaints about the moment.

At the time, the Emmerdale actress alleged Lucy Mecklenburg’s fiancé ‘repeatedly, intentionally and aggressively’ hit her during a play fight, telling producers she didn’t feel safe.

However, after she left the show, she admitted that she ‘got it wrong’, saying: ‘I massively apologise to not only Ryan, but his friends, his family, his fans, every single person who watched that and who justifiably saw an overreaction to what wasn’t a malicious act.

‘Because I am sensitive, I mistook what was playful.

‘There was no malicious intention behind that, and that is what I apologise for because I shouldn’t have questioned his motivation. I got it wrong.’

Ryan eventually went on to win the final series of Celebrity Big Brother.

Lorraine continues on weekday mornings, at 9am, on ITV.

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