9 Ryan Reynolds Roles You’ve Probably Forgotten – From TV Cameos To A Horror Movie

Posted on 06/08/2023 by Boris Clair

Thanks to Deadpool, Free Guy and his ongoing stint as an unexpected (yet hugely successful) football club owner, Ryan Reynolds is something of a household name in the UK.

The Hollywood star’s career skyrocketed following his first outing as everyone’s favourite Marvel anti-hero in 2016, but the actor had 20 years’ worth of credits before donning Deadpool’s iconic red and black suit.

From tiny TV appearances to under-rated comedies and movies that didn’t do quite so well (sorry, Ryan), here are nine of the star’s roles you’ve forgotten about…

Sabrina The Teenage Witch

Heartthrob Harvey (played by Nate Richert) was the ultimate ’90s crush – but in a TV movie of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Mellisa Joan Hart’s character had two love interests to choose from.

Bosses made the 1996 film before deciding to commission a full series and it saw Harvey played by another actor (Tobias Mehler) while Ryan – complete with curly, ’90s curtains – starred as his love rival, Seth.

Sabrina ultimately decided to dump him, leaving Harvey as the sole recipient of her affections in the series but it was a different story backstage, as Melissa has since admitted she had a huge crush on her co-star.

“[Ryan] was very sweet,” she said during an Australian TV interview in 2017. ”I had a boyfriend at the time, but we were smitten and cute, and he was adorable.

“He was a really, really nice guy. Probably would have been a great boyfriend, and I didn’t end up with the other guy, so maybe I should have taken a chance.”

The Sabrina TV movie is currently unavailable to stream, rent or buy online in the UK.

Family Guy

After being name-checked multiple times in Seth MacFarlane’s cartoon comedy series, Ryan finally made a cameo in the 2011 episode Stewie Goes for a Drive. The ep saw Ryan move in next door to the Griffins and develop a crush on dad Peter.

Ryan also lent his voice to a 2011 episode Jesus, Mary And Joseph!, in which he played “overweight guy”, according to IMDb, before making another brief appearance as himself in 2017.

The actor is good pals with Family Guy creator Seth and also popped up in his 2012 movie Ted.

You can stream Family Guy on Disney+.

Blade: Trinity

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Deadpool is far from Ryan’s first comic book adaptation and back in 2004, he joined the cast of the third instalment in the Blade franchise to play rogue vampire hunter, Hannibal King.

Blade: Trinity saw Wesley Snipes’ human-vampire hybrid join forces with Hannibal and his fellow hunters in a bid to defeat rival Danica Talos (Parker Posey) once and for all.

While the first movie in the series proved hugely popular and the second was seen as a fitting follow-up, the third didn’t match their success and has a dismal 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

You can stream Blade: Trinity with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Amityville Horror remake

Straight after wrapping on Blade, Ryan jetted to Wisconsin to start filming a remake of the 1979 horror flick.

Ryan and Mulholland Drive star Melissa George played George and Kathy Lutz, a couple who move into their dream home only to learn a mass murder took place there just a year before.

The couple and their children are soon plagued by paranormal activity and a number of eerie events during production spooked Ryan and his castmates.

Just days into filming, a body washed up on the lake where the set had been built and the real-life Kathy Lutz also died during production.

Ryan also admitted he found the set – which was a real 1800s house that had been given a slight makeover – “terrifying and upsetting”, while noting another strange coincidence.

He told MovieWeb: “A lot of the crew were waking up at 3:15 in the morning which was when all these atrocities in the house took place each time. I think it was a subconscious thing. You read the script and suddenly pop awake at 3:15 in the morning.”

Unfortunately, Amityville Horror didn’t prove to be a hit either – and Ryan hasn’t taken a starring role in a horror film since.

You can rent or buy Amityville Horror via Amazon Prime.

Scrubs

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Heartstopper: 24 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From The Set

Posted on 06/08/2023 by Boris Clair

In the year and a bit since Heartstopper launched on Netflix, it has not only become one of the streaming service’s most popular shows, but it’s made overnight stars out of its previously unknown cast.

But if you’re wondering what it took to bring the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age drama – which recently returned for its second series – to our screens, we’ve done some digging to find out the secrets from behind the scenes…

1. Creator Alice Oseman said casting the show was a “really stressful process”

Because she wanted to ensure the show was cast authentically to celebrate “all kinds of different queer experiences”, getting the right people to play Charlie, Nick and the other characters took its time.

“We wanted a trans actor to play Elle, we wanted the actors to be around the right age and obviously, there needs to be talented actors as well,” she told the PA news agency.

“So there were a lot of different factors, which made it a really stressful process, particularly trying to find authentic actors.

“If we didn’t find the people we knew the show just wouldn’t work. But we were determined to do it anyway. And we were lucky. We found the perfect people.”

2. Joe Locke had never acted professionally before Heartstopper

Joe was cast as Charlie in the show after responding to an open casting call, to which 10,000 auditioned.

“You didn’t need an agent, you just sent in a self-tape,” he told This Morning. “I ended up getting the part and it was just all my dreams come true.”

3. However, he had no-one to celebrate his huge career news with due to Covid

He explained: “I was on my own in my house on the Isle of Man and it was during Covid last year. So I had to fly to London for an audition and then fly home and isolate on my own for two weeks in my house.

“So I was on my own and my agent phoned me and told me I’d got the job and it was just me and my dog in the house. I screamed very loudly.”

4. Kit Connor originally tried out for the role of Charlie

While Kit said he knew he didn’t fit Charlie’s physical description, he wanted to go for the role because he loved it so much.

He told Radio Times: “The audition tape they sent through was one of Charlie’s speeches where he’s really just at his most genuine, most stripped back point and it’s really beautifully written, and I thought, ‘I really want to do this.’

“I thought, ‘There’s no chance I’m going to get it,’ because physically there’s nothing about me that could fit this character. But then luckily there was Nick that I could sort of slot into quite well.”

5. Kit’s casting as Nick initially caused some confusion among the make-up team

Speaking to Still Watching Netflix, Kit explained: “I’ve always had a baby face, a really bad baby face. When we got cast, they had my picture from when I was about 14/15 in the make-up room. Apparently, the whole make-up team was like, ‘I don’t think you cast the right person? He’s really young.’”

6. Stonewall were brought on board to support cast and crew

Netflix brought LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall on board to help advise and educate everyone involved in the project on topics such as queer history and pronouns, Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle, told Elle magazine.

“I already knew Heartstopper would be queer positive and celebrate chosen family, but I was so grateful of Stonewall’s involvement,” she added.

Jeffrey Ingold, the show’s LGBTQ+ consultant, said in a behind-the-scenes video interview for Netflix: “We can help give a more authentic view of the context in which the show is happening, so it doesn’t feel like a drama that is happening over here, it is based in the reality of what kids are going through.

“We did a lot of conversation and training around what is happening in schools these days, so particularly for the cast, they could take that into the roles, and for the crew, they could also understand why this show matters and what it’s going to mean to the audience who watch it.”

Executive producer Patrick Walters added that Stonewall helped read through scripts and trained everyone on appropriate language and how to cultivate a safe space.

7. The director wanted as many people behind the cameras to be from the LGBTQ+ community too

In a behind-the-scenes video interview for Netflix, director Euros Lyn said: “You tell a story as a director, you are not by yourself, you’re really on a huge team of designers, photographers, make-up, hair – loads of people. And I wanted as many of those people as possible to be from the LGBTQ+ communities, so they could bring their experiences and identify the bits of the story that can only be from an LGBTQ perspective.”

8. The show is “a little bit different” to the comic

“I like to think of it in that the TV show is an expanded version of the comic,” Alice Oseman told Netflix in a video interview.

“The core story of the comic is very much in the show, we haven’t changed what is in the comic, we’ve just made the story bigger and we’ve made the world wider. Beyond Nick and Charlie’s story, we learn a lot more about Tao and Elle, Tara and Darcey and there are also new characters as well.”

Alice Oseman (centre) with the Heartstopper cast

She continued: “The thing I’ve learned about adaptations is that something that works for one thing like a comic might not work for a TV show. So when developing Heartstopper as a TV show, we had to look at it from a TV perspective and how do we take this story and make it work on screen.”

9. Alice only tried to get Olivia Colman on a punt and was “shocked” when she said yes

Talking about casting the Oscar-winner as Nick’s mum, she told the PA news agency: “I was shocked. When we were discussing trying to get a big name to be Nick’s mum, I was literally like, there’s no way this is going to happen.

“This is the silliest idea ever and there’s literally not any point doing this. But we tried anyway and Olivia wanted to do it, and I just couldn’t believe it.

“There’s really no other way to say it, I was just shocked but so, so happy, because she’s such an incredible actress, she brings so much to that character, and all the scenes with Nick’s mum just feel so special and subtle and just really beautiful performance.”

10. Olivia shot all her scenes in series one in just two days

Olivia Colman played Nick's mum — Olivia Colman played Nick’s mum

“She seemed to really enjoy it,” Alice told PA. “She was only on set for two days and to be honest, I didn’t really get to talk to her very much because we’re on set and it’s very intense.

“But I feel like she really loved the story and she really connected with Kit, who plays Nick, and just really enjoyed working with him.”

11. Olivia cried for real during filming of the show’s most emotional scene

Nick came out to his mum as bisexual in the final episode

While reading through the touching moment in which Nick comes out to his mother as bisexual, Olivia became tearful for real, which initially proved to be a bit of a worry for Kit.

He told This Morning: “Normally before every scene we read it through about 50%, you don’t go 100% of the way. We were reading it through and suddenly Olivia just started crying.

“At first, I was thinking, ’God, she’s just really good, I need to step up my game massively here,′ so I was really worried at that point. I think then other people told me afterwards that it was because it’s such a beautifully written scene and a crucial part in so many people’s lives. I think it really touched her.

“I was just scared to be honest,” he joked, describing her as “the most absolutely lovely person in the world”.

12. Joe missed out on seeing Les Miserables so he could meet Olivia

As Joe did not share any scenes with Olivia on the show, he was keen to meet the star, and gave up tickets to the West End production of Les Miserables so he could travel back to set on his day off and meet her.

Kit explained to Still Watching Netflix: “I had two days filming with Olivia. It was originally meant to be Olivia and I filming for two days, and on the second day, I think Joe was like, ‘I would like to meet her, obviously’, so they ended up scheduling some time…”

“That’s not what happened!” Joe contested. “I wasn’t supposed to meet her and then I got a call on the second day saying that we might have to do some pick-ups and reshoots of just before the rain scene in the hallway, so you’ll get to meet Olivia.’ So I was like, if that gets to happen, amazing. And then they called me at like 3pm, asking if I could come in.’

13. She is not the only A-lister in the show, however

Stephen Fry also has an unexpected role in the show – not that you will have seen him.

The actor lends his voice to the character of Headmaster Barnes, who runs Truham Grammar School where Nick and Charlie go, and can be heard commentating over the tannoy on the school sports day.

14. Joe had an embarrassing moment filming Charlie’s running scenes

He told Attitude magazine: “I had to ask the extras to slow down because I was supposed to be this incredible runner and every take, they were just slowly getting closer to me. I was like, ‘Can you guys just like slow down a bit?’, which was very embarrassing.”

15. Joe’s coffee breath was a known thing on set

Kit revealed he would often make light of Joe’s love of coffee after filming a kissing scene.

“He had this joke that my breath always smelt of coffee,” Joe told Still Watching Netflix.

“Joe loves coffee and there was this one time where we had to do a practice kiss for a scene and Joe had just had a full cup of coffee and I was just like, this is not nice,” Kit recalled.

“I felt that I was a victim in that situation,” he joked.

16. Kit had a rugby coach to help him perfect Nick’s sporting prowess

Kit had only played rugby as a young child before being cast as star rugby player Nick.

Speaking to Still Watching Netflix, Kit explained that he worked on his game with a coach before and during filming to help him improve.

17. Joe was less keen on training, however

Joe did go along with Kit for one rugby training session, but “not any more after that”.

“I think he quickly decided that wasn’t for him,” Kit said.

“I didn’t own any sports clothes, so I arrived in loose jeans… It wasn’t rugby,” Joe said.

“I made the executive decision that Charlie wasn’t supposed to be good at rugby, therefore I was allowed to be bad.”

18. Harry’s birthday party had to be shot during the day

Darcey and Tara at Harry's party — Darcey and Tara at Harry’s party

In the season one episode where school bully Harry throws a birthday party, scenes were shot at Hampton Court House, a school in East Molesey.

However, while the party was set at night, it had to be filmed during the day, which the crew had to work around.

Cinematographer Diana Olifirova told IBC: “I loved the windows and had planned to shoot a moonlight effect through them. But we didn’t have access to the location at night. That meant we had to black out the windows, but we lit it to appear as if there were some light outside.

“The biggest challenge in a room full of people was having the camera pick out our main characters. This involved a little planning about where the camera would be so that the actors would hit a mark and we’d have a pre-set light trained on them.”

19. The animations honour Alice Oseman’s original graphic novels

Animations were a frequent device used on the show

If you didn’t know that Heartstopper was based on graphic novels of the same name, you probably would have wondered where all the animated moments in the show came from.

All the leaves, lightening bolts and other little animated details all honour Alice Oseman’s original text, which executive producer Patrick Walters told Pink News became known as “Heartstopper moments” to the crew.

“Hopefully it gives you goosebumps and makes you lean in when those moments happen,” he said.

20. Alice has a cameo in series one

The writer and creator made a blink-and-you’ll miss it appearance in episode eight of season one, seen as a passenger on the train that Charlie and Nick travel to the seaside on.

She revealed on Twitter that she was even drawing the comic versions of the characters from her graphic novels during the scene.

21. She had never been on a TV set prior to filming Heartstopper

Alice said she “honestly didn’t know anything about TV making before” adapting Heartstopper. “I have never been on a TV set before,” she said in a Netflix video interview.

However, she said she was on set “every day” during the shoot, overseeing everything that was happening.

“I have learned so much about what everyone on set does, all the different roles that there are, and it really is a team effort,” she added.

22. There’s a reason why the show doesn’t touch on more adult themes

Executive producer Patrick Walters told Pink News: “We decided we wanted the show to speak to as many different ages as possible, so we were deliberate about not having too many swear words, too many overtly adult situations, because that stuff didn’t fit the tone of the show anyway. But also in not having that, we were opening up the show for more people to see it.

“I really hope the younger generation, 11, 12, 13, will watch the show and get something out of it.”

23. Season two contains a Marvel Easter Egg you probably didn’t spot

There’s an Easter Egg in season two’s second episode that makes reference to Joe Locke’s casting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ahead of his appearance in Disney+ series Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

After nodding off on Nick’s chest, Charlie says: “Did I fall asleep?”

Nick then replies: “Are you tired or is this movie just really boring?”

“I did warn you I’m not a fan of Marvel movies,” Charlie says.

24. Joe has a dream cameo so great that we need it to happen immediately

In an interview with Variety, Joe previously shared his casting hopes for one particularly inspired guest star.

“Jennifer Coolidge should play my grandmother,” he said. “That would be so cool. I love her. She’s amazing.”

Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix now.

13 Things You Didn’t Know About Hannah Waddingham, From Showbiz Pals To Weird And Wonderful Roles

Posted on 05/08/2023 by Boris Clair

From her early days on the West End stage to her Emmy-winning stint as Ted Lasso’s Rebecca to a show-stopping turn as the co-host of this year’s Eurovision ceremony, Hannah Waddingham just keeps going from strength to strength.

With a CV that includes everything from hit musicals to a brief but unforgettable role in HBO’s Game Of Thrones and even a season of ITV’s Benidorm, the multi-talented (and multilingual) Hannah surely has one of the most fascinating CVs in entertainment right now.

We’ve taken a look back at her career – and her life off-screen – to bring you some unexpected facts about the star…

1. She got her start in dinner theatre

One of Hannah’s first roles came at the dinner show Joni And Gina’s Wedding, where audience members are invited to interact with the cast.

Before the audition (for a role described as an “overgrown Barbie doll”), she had been toying with the idea of quitting performing, she later told Esquire. “I was like, ‘if I don’t get this, I think I should just give up,’” she said. She decided to enter the tryout doing an American accent “from the minute I walked in the door” – and was offered the job “on the spot”.

The role was a gamechanger for Hannah, who ended up landing West End roles in shows like Spamalot and Kiss Me Kate afterwards.

2. Hannah kept the Game Of Thrones ‘shame bell’ as a goodbye gift

When Hannah played nun Septa Unella in HBO’s fantasy series, one of her most memorable scenes saw her accompanying a naked Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey) through the streets of King’s Landing, clanging a bell and shouting “shame”.

When her time on the show was over, the Game of Thrones team gave her that prop as a keepsake.

“It’s common knowledge that if a show gives you a hero prop, it means your character is truly, really dead,” she told InStyle.”So when [producers] David Benioff and Dan Weiss made a ceremony, and handed it to me on my final scene, I was a little disappointed!”

3. Ted Lasso isn’t Hannah’s first football-related role

Long before Ted Lasso, Hannah had a brief role in Footballers’ Wives, the legendary ITV drama which chronicled the wild exploits at the fictional football club Earls Park, back in 2005. Appearing in just one episode, she played a tennis pro called Jools, the latest love interest for club boss Hazel Bailey.

“I’m going to go out there and say that [Ted Lasso] is 150,000% better,” Hannah said in an interview with AV Club – but we reckon that it’s possible to embrace the merits of both shows. After all, did Ted Lasso have a scene where a WAG’s fake boobs caught fire? Or a Sleeping Beauty-themed wedding, with noted Christmas song Walking In The Air as a musical accompaniment? Thought not.

4. She released a single back in 2000

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At the start of the millennium, Hannah starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s West End musical The Beautiful Game, which is set during the Troubles in Belfast in the late 60s, and centres around a group of teenagers in a local football team. She played Christine, the girlfriend of the team’s only Protestant member, Del, and performed the track Our Kind Of Love, which she later released as a single (under the mononym ‘Hannah’).

It eventually reached number 41 in the UK charts – and Lloyd Webber would later recycle the same tune for the song Love Never Dies in the sequel to Phantom Of The Opera.

5. She has a four octave vocal range

Though she has never had formal singing lessons, Hannah’s vocal range is staggering (for comparison, the standard woman’s range spans between two and three octaves).

6. She credits her musical theatre work ethic as the secret to her success

Hannah as Lilli in a production of Kiss Me Kate performed at The Old Vic Theatre in 2012

Although her screen roles may have caused her profile to skyrocket, Hannah maintains that “musical theatre has changed my life the most”, thanks to the sheer discipline required to sing, dance and act to a packed auditorium every night.

“The physical dedication I’ve had to build doing musicals – I couldn’t do Ted Lasso or Hocus Pocus [2] without it,” she told InStyle. “Mentally and physically, the stamina and agility you need to keep up with [Jason] Sudeikis and his SNL style of, you know, giving you things in 12 seconds while there’s a camera in your face?… I’ve had to keep my mind and body really strong, and in ‘musical theatre shape’, because it’s so much a tool of my craft.”

7. She’s played the Devil… in a Rod Stewart jukebox musical

Hannah with Rod Stewart on the opening night of Tonight's The Night in 2003 — Hannah with Rod Stewart on the opening night of Tonight’s The Night in 2003

Hannah’s CV is nothing but varied. In 2003, she played Satan in the stage musical Tonight’s The Night, belting out various Rod Stewart hits while wearing a black PVC catsuit and a belt embellished with the word ‘Wicked’.

The bizarre plot saw a shy young man make a pact with the devil, giving him the courage to ask out his crush… in exchange for eternal damnation.

8. She’s pals with Michael Bublé

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Hannah and Michael became “very good, just instant friends” back in 2006, when the crooner went to watch Spamalot in the West End and headed backstage to meet her after the performance, he recalled to Entertainment Tonight.

They’ve “remained firm friends ever since”, Hannah told The Zoe Report last year – and when she won her Emmy for Ted Lasso, Michael got a bit emotional.

“He basically FaceTimed me, crying, going ’I always knew it, I knew it, I knew it!” she revealed. Soon after, he invited her to perform on a duet of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) his Christmas In The City TV special, introducing her as “the kingest, most talented, beautiful, wonderful human being in the whole wide world”.

9. She keeps her Emmy trophy in her daughter’s bedroom

Some celebs keep their awards trophies in their bathroom; some conveniently display them so that they can easily be seen every time they do a Zoom interview from home. Hannah, though, has opted to store her Emmy in her daughter’s bedroom and the rationale behind her decision is very sweet: she wants to remind her child that “mummy will only ever be away when it’s for a really, blooming good reason”.

10. She used to struggle with her height as an actor

Hannah is 5 foot 11 inches tall, and has frequently spoken about how this has impacted her entertainment career. Even at a young age, when she was learning ballet, her height was commented upon. “The teacher was like, ‘Mr and Mrs Waddingham I hate to say this but your daughter is a giant’,” she told Rose & Ivy.

Then when she wanted to move into the world of TV and film, she found herself hearing the same excuses from producers and casting agents over and over again. “It was a constant thing of ’Oh no, we’d love to use her, but we’ve already cast the man. He’s 5’8, but we’ve already cast,” she told Glamour, adding: “I could never work out whether it was a height thing or whether it was just that I wasn’t established enough.”

Her role in Ted Lasso was an anomaly, she admitted on an appearance on The View, because co-star Jason Sudeikis wasn’t bothered about her height at all. “[He] was like, ’I don’t care if she wears four-inch heels. Let’s do it,” she revealed, describing his response as “a completely unique situation to find yourself in where the man is so generous that they want to raise you up”.

11. She comes from a family of singers

Hannah hails from a long lineage of musical talents. Her mother Melodie Kelly was part of the English National Opera for 27 years, and her grandparents on the maternal side were both opera singers, too.

“Singing was in the blood,” she told The Mirror back in 2014. “Mum went back to work in the chorus of English National Opera when I was eight and was there for 27 years. I’d sit in the stalls at the Royal Coliseum, listening and soaking everything up like a sponge”.

In fact, as a youngster, she remembers being surprised to learn that “some people’s parents worked in offices”, telling The Zoe Report: “I was like, ‘What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone sing and dance for a living?’”

12. She made an appearance in the film adaptation of Les Misérables

During Tom Hooper’s movie version of the classic stage musical, you’ll see Hannah appear in the factory scene during the musical number At The End Of The Day, playing one of the factory women who gossip about Anne Hathaway’s Fantine. Surely a bigger role in a big-screen musical beckons – and she’s certainly prepared for it.

“I want to do musical film,” she told Rose & Ivy. “I am so ready I am literally like a greyhound waiting to get out on that track.”

13. She’s multi-lingual

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Hannah got a chance to show off her language skills when she hosted Eurovision earlier this year, speaking fluent French during the various ceremonies (“Honestly Hannah, I could listen to you do that all night,” her co-host Alesha Dixon admitted during the semi-final).

She can also speak Italian (she was previously in a long-term relationship with Italian hotelier Gianluca Cugnetto) and has said that if she wasn’t an actor, she’d “probably be an interpreter”.

The Great British Bake Off Is Back This Autumn – Here’s What We Know So Far

Posted on 05/08/2023 by Boris Clair

Yes, it’s technically summertime, but the weather has been feeling distinctly autumnal of late, meaning that our thoughts have started turning towards the next season’s TV schedule.

September means the return of many of our favourite reality shows, from Strictly Come Dancing to the brand new season of The Great British Bake Off.

This time around, there’s been a slight shake up in the Bake Off tent, with a brand new presenter on board following Matt Lucas’ departure at the end of last year.

Here’s what we know so far about season 14 of the Bake Off…

Who will be hosting the new season?

After a stint in the Bake Off tent during the third season of the show’s celebrity spin-off for Stand Up To Cancer, Alison Hammond will be joining Noel Fielding as a GBBO host.

She’ll be taking over from Matt Lucas, who announced he’d be leaving the show back in December in order to focus on other ventures, including writing a new project with his Little Britain co-creator David Walliams.

Alison’s new gig was confirmed earlier this year, when she shared a short video on Instagram, showing her and her new colleagues in cake form. “It’s official!!” she wrote in the caption, adding: “Let’s have it – the cake that is.”

“Alison is much loved, effortlessly funny and the owner of the best laugh in Britain,” Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said when the news was announced. “She was a huge hit when she appeared on Celebrity Bake Off and we’re thrilled to have her back in the tent.”

We’ve already seen Alison bring the laughs to This Morning (remember when she even managed to make notorious grump Harrison Ford get the giggles?), so we can’t wait to see what she makes of her new role.

Alison Hammond is Bake Off's new co-host — Alison Hammond is Bake Off’s new co-host

And who will be judging?

Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will be back on the show, providing their expert opinion on the contestants’ bakes and making tough decisions about which amateur baker to eliminate from the competition each week.

It’s Prue’s seventh season on the show, after replacing Mary Berry when the Bake Off jumped ships from the BBC to Channel 4; Paul, meanwhile, has appeared in every season to date.

When will The Great British Bake Off 2023 be on TV?

Channel 4 are yet to confirm an exact start date for the show, but we can certainly make an educated guess based on previous years.

The Bake Off tends to be filmed over the summer, and each 10 episode season usually begins in the middle of September, typically airing on a Tuesday evening. The final then takes place towards the end of November.

As well as watching on the night on Channel 4 (to avoid spoilers, of course) you’ll also be able to catch up on the broadcaster’s streaming site; plus, each series usually airs on Netflix in the US (where it’s known as The Great British Baking Show).

Who will be taking part?

Details of this year’s contestants are under wraps for now, but each season typically features a line-up of 12 skilled bakers of all ages, with different specialisms in the kitchen. Channel 4 tends to release information about new GBBO hopefuls at the start of September, a couple of weeks before the first episode, so keep your eyes peeled.

Is there a trailer for The Great British Bake Off 2023?

Not yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as soon as the first teaser clip drops.

Good News – Drinking Coffee In The Morning Could Do Wonders For Your Health

Posted on 05/08/2023 by Boris Clair

Let’s be honest, quite a few of us rely on our morning coffees to make us feel alive. A cheeky bit of espresso can take us from feeling like a zombie to a girl boss.

Well, it turns out that life-saving cup of coffee in the morning could give you more than a boost of energy. The Telegraph reported that drinking doses of espresso could reduce the risk of a toxic protein called tau from stumbling together in cells in a pitri dish, according to a study from the University of Verona.

This is significant as the slow growth of tau in the brain is one of the factors of Alzheimer’s disease. There are several benefits to drinking coffee and Dr Federica Amati, a medical scientist and nutritionist at Imperial College London has been looking at these benefits for several years.

A popular 15 year-study of more than 500,000 participants (known as the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (Epic) and ( found that coffee drinkers were less likely to develop a series of chronic illnesses.

“Data keep coming out which show that coffee drinking is protective for health,” Dr Amati adds.

But, if you like adding sugar to your coffee, you might not receive these effects as the coffee loses its beneficial effects as soon as you add sugar to your caffeinated drink. Dr Amati says that “some studies also suggest that espresso drinking is the best.”

So, how much coffee should you be drinking? People who guzzle three to four cups of coffee a day benefit most from the hot drink’s health benefits.

A study from 2017 analysed evidence from over 200 studies and found that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day was associated with a lower risk of early death and getting heart disease compared with drinking none at all.

The study highlighted that coffee was associated with a lower risk of several cancers, including prostate, endometrial, skin, and liver cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and gout.

The greatest benefit was seen for liver conditions, such as cirrhosis of the liver.

There also seemed to be beneficial associations between coffee consumption and Parkinson’s disease, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.

But, they warned that pregnant women and those at risk of fracture (such as postmenopausal women) are excluded from the findings. Among these groups, they said coffee could be harmful.

Additionally, Dr. Ally Jaffee, NHS doctor and co-founder of Nutritank. explains that “it is important to remember that UK guidelines are that no more than about two and a half cups of coffee are consumed in one sitting, or five cups per day.”

Excuse us while we stick the kettle on…

6 Breastfeeding Positions (With Photos) To Try If You’re New To This Whole Shebang

Posted on 04/08/2023 by Boris Clair

If you choose to breastfeed, those first few weeks where you’re figuring out comfortable positions and how to get your baby to latch properly can be a real rollercoaster.

I remember sobbing on day four because feeding was so painful and my boobs were like boulders (not so much in size, but more in how full they were – it felt like they were filled with concrete).

My baby didn’t seem to be latching right either, the pinching sensations on my nipples were diabolical – so yeah, not a fun time for all involved.

Fast forward a week and – after some latching support from a midwife and health visitor – things were looking up. Well, aside from me routinely and explosively spraying my poor baby in the face with milk – we later learned I had an overactive letdown.

Finding a breastfeeding position that works for you can make such a huge difference, especially during those periods of cluster-feeding when you’re spending most of your time sat down with a baby glued to your boob.

Here are some of the most commonly used breastfeeding positions – with supporting images and illustrations from Lansinoh – to help you on your way.

1. Cradle hold

This is one of the most common positions for breastfeeding, however it might be uncomfortable for those who have had a caesarean, the NHS notes.

To do this position, sit in a comfy chair with arm rests or on a bed with cushions around you. Then, lie your baby across your lap, facing you. Their tummy should be facing yours.

Place your baby’s head on your forearm, with their nose towards your nipple. Your arms should be supporting their body. Meanwhile, place your baby’s lower arm under yours.

Check to make sure your baby’s ear, shoulder and hip are in a straight line.

2. Cross-cradle hold

This is touted as a good position for those with smaller babies and newborns. It’s similar to cradle hold, except your arms switch roles – so your baby’s body is basically lying across the opposite forearm to the boob you’re feeding them from.

Your forearm will basically be supporting their back and spine, with your palm supporting their shoulder blades, and your fingers under their ears.

As breast pump experts at Medela explain: “Because your baby is fully supported on your opposite arm, you have more control over his positioning, and you can use your free hand to shape your breast.”

For a demonstration of how to do cross-cradle, check out this video from a postpartum nurse on TikTok (@thepostpartumnurse).

A baby feeding in the cross-cradle position.

3. Side-lying position

This is a great position to try if you’re breastfeeding in the night, or you’ve had a caesarean or difficult delivery.

First, lay down on your side with your baby facing you, so you’re lying tummy to tummy. Your baby’s ear, shoulder and hip should be in a straight line.

It might help to put some cushions or pillows behind you for support and the NHS recommends a rolled up baby blanket popped behind your baby to help support them, if they can’t quite stay on their side yet.

Tuck the arm you’re lying on under your head or pillow and use your free arm to support and guide your baby’s head to your breast.

Need a visual guide? Check out this handy video from lactation counsellor Grace (@latchingwithgrace) on how she gets comfortable in the side-lying position.

A baby feeding in the side-lying position.

4. Laid-back nursing

The laid-back position is pretty much what it says on the tin: you’re seated in a semi-reclined position – either on a sofa or bed. The position can be done by most mothers, however if you’ve had a C-section you might want to lie your baby across from you and away from your incision, the NHS suggests.

It’s also a great shout for those who have an overactive letdown (where the milk comes out forcefully) and, according to lactation counsellor Angela Das (@motherhooduntamed) it can also help them achieve a deeper latch.

To nail this position, lean back (but not flat) on your sofa or bed, propping yourself up with cushions so your back, shoulders and neck are supported.

Now, place your baby on your front so their tummy is resting on your tummy. For those who’ve had C-sections, this is the part where you would lay them to one side.

The NHS advises parents to be seated upright enough that they can look into their baby’s eyes, and to gently support their baby, guiding them to the nipple.

A baby feeding in the laid-back nursing position.

5. Rugby ball hold

The rugby hold can feel a bit tricky to begin with, however it’s another good position for those who’ve had C-sections, as there’s no pressure on the incision area, as well as parents of twins.

To do this, you’ll need to sit in a chair with a cushion (or two) along your side. Then, position your baby (/babies) at your side, under your arm, with their hip close to your hip. Their upper body will be positioned along your forearm. The NHS suggests your baby’s nose should be level with your nipple.

Support your baby’s neck with the palm of your hand and gently guide them to your nipple.

Check out this video from midwife and lactation consultant Libby Cain (@libbyandco_nz) on how to do the rugby hold.

6. Koala hold

This position can be good for mothers who have older babies or an overactive letdown. It can also be done with newborns however they’ll need lots of support.

According to experts at Medela, this position can also be more comfortable for babies who have reflux, ear infections, tongue-tie or low muscle tone.

In this particular position, the baby will sit on your thigh, with their legs dangling either side. Their spine and head will be upright as they feed. For a demo of this nursing position, check out this video from lactation consultant Kathryn Stagg (@kathrynstaggibclc).

A baby feeding in the upright/koala position.

More support for people who are breastfeeding:

‘Doctors Said Our Baby Had Epilepsy – After Months Searching For Answers, We Finally Learned The Truth’

Posted on 04/08/2023 by Boris Clair

In My Story, readers share their unique, life-changing experiences. This week we hear from Richard Poulin, 40, who currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand.

My wife and I accepted new teaching jobs in Singapore. Before leaving America, we proudly showed our newborn daughter, Rylae-Ann, to family. All was right in the world, and we eagerly boarded a plane to begin our new life.

However, when Rylae-Ann was three months old, we saw signs that all was not right.

She was missing developmental milestones. We would play games to encourage her to reach out, do exercises to practice sitting independently, and give massages to coax her to engage her core muscles. But nothing seemed to work.

One day my wife, Judy, went to look for homes while I stayed back at the hotel with our daughter. During one of the sessions, Rylae-Ann tensed her arms and legs. Her eyes briefly crossed, and her tongue made a thrusting action.

Despite it lasting a few seconds, I was concerned. I attributed it to my pushing her too hard, causing muscle cramps. I tapered my eagerness for my daughter to progress.

The fleeting actions caused enough concern that I did some Googling. I did not dare tell Judy. I didn’t want her to start worrying.

I came across an article about a girl with a deadly ultra-rare disease. I admonished myself. I had become one of those parents who Googled symptoms and ended up with an obscure diagnosis for my daughter. I closed my laptop and tried to focus on my family’s new life in Singapore.

As the days passed, Rylae-Ann's parents realised she was missing developmental milestones. — As the days passed, Rylae-Ann’s parents realised she was missing developmental milestones.

Over the next few months, our lives began to unravel. The tensing of muscles in our daughter’s tiny limbs became more intense and lasted longer; it was the only time we ever saw any movement from her.

We began to refer to them as ‘spells’. These spells came every three days like clockwork. She had trouble staying asleep. When she was awake, she looked sleepy and constantly cried.

Rylae-Ann’s developmental milestones remained paused at the three-month mark. She couldn’t hold up her head, she did not reach out and grasp things, and her eyes remained tiny slits. The photographer commented on her sleepy look when we got her identification card.

We went to doctors who reassured us that babies develop at different rates. But as the spells’ intensity and duration grew, we could no longer sit idly by. We began visiting more doctors and researching.

One rainy night, the spell lasted longer and was more intense – we were filled with fear. We rushed out of the door to the car we’d booked on a ride-sharing app and headed to the nearest hospital. I willed all the lights to turn green while Judy cooed softly into Rylae-Ann’s ear. Once we arrived, the nurses did an assessment and put our daughter at the front of the triage line.

They gave our daughter diazepam for fear she would have another seizure. A doctor came and assigned an initial assessment of epilepsy. The doctors admitted Rylae-Ann, and we were separated from her for the first time.

Judy and I discussed the diagnosis when we returned home to get clothes and necessities. What the doctor was telling us didn’t seem right, mainly because we thought what the doctor saw as a seizure was something else due to its three-day cyclical nature.

After a barrage of tests, the doctors said she had epilepsy. They prescribed her medication, and we went home. But her symptoms did not improve. The medicine left her sleeping all day and she felt lifeless when we picked her up – we stopped the drug after a few days.

We continued to visit the doctor, trying to explain why we thought it wasn’t epilepsy. Despite genetic testing, blood tests, EEGs (which record brain activity), MRI, CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) tests, and more coming back normal or inconclusive, the doctors did not change their diagnosis, so we went to other doctors. We even travelled to other countries searching for answers.

As we collected second opinions, we improved our description and came armed with digital evidence. Doctors had different opinions, including epilepsy, dystonia, cerebral palsy, and other neurotransmitter disorders. However, no definitive answer came.

Our daughter was regularly admitted to emergency care during the onslaught of medical tests. We were always in the hospital, so much so, the nurses knew our daughter by name. Most were lung-related issues such as aspiration, pneumonia, and collapsed lung. But also, a typical childhood viral infection would cause her to be extremely weak to the point that the doctors required her to be in intensive care.

Answers never came. Instead, a random Facebook post about a child with similar symptoms caught the eye of Judy’s older brother. When Judy shared the article with me, it triggered a memory of a post I saw earlier.

The name AADC stuck with me because of its similarity to a classic rock band. I remember the article discussing the extremely rare disease, affecting around 130 people worldwide since 1990.

Rylae-Ann would often end up in intensive care.

I explained how it was improbable. However, Judy pointed out that although it is an extremely rare genetic disorder, many of the children were from Taiwan, where her parents are from.

AADC deficiency is a rare disease that causes a mutation in the DDC gene. This gene instructs the body to produce the AADC enzyme, which is responsible for dopamine and serotonin.

Children with AADC deficiency have little or no dopamine and serotonin. Both are responsible for several critical bodily functions to sustain life and movement.

That night, alarms were going off in my head. I sat up in bed and went to work, reading research papers about the disease. The more I read, the more I knew our daughter had this. One glaring reality was that children with this disease die early in life due to the severity of the symptoms.

One of the reports talked about how a doctor in Taiwan had completed clinical trials for an experimental, innovative treatment. There was no word if the treatment was available, but I knew we had to visit this doctor.

Rylae-Ann struggled to sit upright or feed.

Judy’s younger brother still lived in Taiwan, so we asked him to make an appointment as soon as possible. The next day he told us we had an appointment booked a week later, the day after Christmas.

We packed our bags and landed in Taiwan on Christmas day. That night, Judy and I sat at the park drinking a small bottle of vodka, trying to process how we went from cloud nine, to falling from a cliff, to Hell over six months. As the bottle’s contents disappeared, I promised my wife we would never have a Christmas like this again.

On the day of our appointment, we met the doctor who was surprised to receive patients thinking their child had a rare disease – and even more surprised at our knowledge of the disease.

After a short observation and using the information we provided, the doctor felt confident that our daughter did, in fact, have an aromatic L-amino decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency.

“The doctor felt confident that our daughter did, in fact, have an aromatic L-amino decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency.”

I asked if the treatment in the article was available. We held our breath. “No,” he replied. Tears welled. “But, there is another clinical trial recruiting. However, it is only available for Taiwanese.”

“She is Taiwanese!” we screamed. We had recently applied for her citizenship. Although Judy is Taiwanese, she never lived there. We grew up in Thailand, where Rylae-Ann was born. Rylae-Ann only had an American passport, but her Taiwanese passport would soon be ready.

She enrolled in the clinical trial for a new exploratory treatment known as gene therapy. However, she had to wait 11 months to begin treatment – another year of trying to keep her alive and healthy.

Yet with the mystery uncovered, we had more information on how to care for her.

The 11 months also gave us time to figure out the logistics of how our daughter would participate in the study. She would have to stay in Taiwan for six months, so we decided to have Judy’s mum and nanny remain in Taiwan for that period while Judy and I took turns flying back so we could continue earning money at our new jobs in Singapore.

Judy and Rylae-Ann on the day of her surgery.

On 13 November, when Rylae-Ann was 18 months old, she underwent brain surgery for gene therapy. Family and friends asked us if we were worried. We weren’t. We had our backs against the wall and fought to keep our daughter alive.

While alive, she depended on us for everything. Managing work to pay the mounting health care bills was extremely difficult. There was no downtime or social life. I remember telling Judy that the lack of sleep was making me mad.

We felt blessed that our daughter would have an opportunity in life.

The surgery lasted several hours. It was Judy’s turn to be in Taiwan, so I waited for a video chat update.

The way we explain gene therapy to other parents is it involves injecting a shell of a virus into the brain. The virus normally goes unnoticed by the body, so it is able to bypass the body’s immune system. Researchers used this situation to inject good DNA into the virus. The virus then “infects” the good DNA in the body. In our daughter’s case, it was in the area of the brain where dopamine is produced.

The surgery was a success. A few days later, to Judy’s surprise, Rylae-Ann was discharged. We began physical therapy immediately.

The results came quickly. One month later, she sat up on her own. This was a huge milestone. Since then, she has continued to make progress. Every day we supported her, but we did it in a way where we could still make memories as a family.

Just over a year after gene therapy, our daughter was swimming, walking, running, and even riding a horse. Today, she is an independent child who continues to explore the world. Not only does our daughter have a chance to live, but we also have a chance to be parents.

Rylae-Ann has grown into an independent child who continues to explore the world.

Judy and Rich now use their spare time to help other families in the rare disease community and have launched a non-profit organisation called Teach RARE, where they work to raise awareness and teach caregivers how to combine educational activities with therapy goals.

To take part in HuffPost UK’s My Story series, email uklife@huffpost.com.

Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty, Again, This Time To Charges From His January 6 Coup Attempt

Posted on 03/08/2023 by Boris Clair

WASHINGTON — For the third time in four months, Donald Trump was dragged into a courtroom on Thursday and charged with felonies that could bring him years in prison, this time for his schemes to remain in power despite having lost the 2020 election that culminated in his violent January 6, 2021, coup attempt.

The former president, technically under arrest yet again while the judge set the conditions of his release, pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding and unlawfully depriving voters of their civil rights.

Trump stated his name, his age, told the magistrate judge that he had not take any medication that would affect his ability to understand the proceedings, and then listened to her explain that he could face a cumulative 55 years if convicted on all four counts. He then stood and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Judge Moxila Upadhyaya then warned Trump not to speak about the case with other witnesses, before informing him that he would not be required to appear personally at his next court date, August 28. That hearing will be before the US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has earned a reputation for handing out stiff sentences to January 6 insurrections who have been convicted in her courtroom.

As he has for each of the previous indictments against him, Trump remained defiant and claimed prosecutors were only charging him to hurt his campaign. “I AM NOW GOING TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO BE ARRESTED FOR HAVING CHALLENGED A CORRUPT, RIGGED, & STOLEN ELECTION. IT IS A GREAT HONOR, BECAUSE I AM BEING ARRESTED FOR YOU. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” he wrote on his social media platform early on Thursday afternoon.

The arraignment took place at the E Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse on Constitution Avenue, just eight blocks from the White House, where Trump is accused of having carried out crimes with at least six as-yet-unnamed co-conspirators, but whose identities likely include advisers such as lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman.

The courthouse is also just four blocks from the Capitol, where a mob of Trump’s followers, incited by a rally where he continued pushing his lies that the 2020 election had been “stolen” from him, assaulted police officers to enter the building in an attempt to stop the congressional ceremony to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s win.

Trump supporters wave flags outside the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. District Court House ahead of Donald Trump's arrival on Aug. 3, 2023, ahead of his scheduled arraignment in Washington, D.C. — Trump supporters wave flags outside the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. District Court House ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival on Aug. 3, 2023, ahead of his scheduled arraignment in Washington, D.C.

The conspiracy to defraud and obstruction charges are based on Trump’s plan to get Republicans in seven states Biden won to submit fake slates of electors to the National Archives and the US Senate, with the goal of using these forged certifications to coerce then-Vice President Mike Pence into awarding Trump a second term. The civil rights charge is based on the argument that Trump disenfranchised millions of voters in those states by attempting to have their votes nullified.

The new indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, follows another federal indictment in June that charged Trump with illegally retaining secret documents at this Florida country club and then trying to hide them from authorities seeking their return. He was also indicted in New York City in April for falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush-money payment to a porn star in the days leading up to the 2016 election.

A fourth indictment against Trump is possible in Georgia, where the Atlanta-area district attorney is presenting evidence to a grand jury that Trump attempted to coerce state officials into overturning his loss to Biden in that state.

Trump would, if convicted in the cases to date, face decades in prison. But if he succeeds in regaining the White House in next year’s election, he would have the authority to end the federal prosecutions against him entirely and would likely be able to persuade state courts to suspend criminal cases against him for the duration of his presidency.

Despite all the criminal cases against Trump, though, his Republican rivals, with few exceptions, have been unwilling to criticise him for his actions that led to the charges, choosing instead to attack the prosecutions as politically motivated. Possibly as a result of this, Trump dominates the GOP field in polling for the 2024 nomination, with massive leads in national surveys and double-digit leads in the early-voting states.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Sabrina The Teenage Witch

Family Guy

Blade: Trinity

Amityville Horror remake

Scrubs

Green Lantern

Hillside/Fifteen

Adventureland

Dick

1. Creator Alice Oseman said casting the show was a “really stressful process”

2. Joe Locke had never acted professionally before Heartstopper

3. However, he had no-one to celebrate his huge career news with due to Covid

4. Kit Connor originally tried out for the role of Charlie

5. Kit’s casting as Nick initially caused some confusion among the make-up team

6. Stonewall were brought on board to support cast and crew

7. The director wanted as many people behind the cameras to be from the LGBTQ+ community too

8. The show is “a little bit different” to the comic

9. Alice only tried to get Olivia Colman on a punt and was “shocked” when she said yes

10. Olivia shot all her scenes in series one in just two days

11. Olivia cried for real during filming of the show’s most emotional scene

12. Joe missed out on seeing Les Miserables so he could meet Olivia

13. She is not the only A-lister in the show, however

14. Joe had an embarrassing moment filming Charlie’s running scenes

15. Joe’s coffee breath was a known thing on set

16. Kit had a rugby coach to help him perfect Nick’s sporting prowess

17. Joe was less keen on training, however

18. Harry’s birthday party had to be shot during the day

19. The animations honour Alice Oseman’s original graphic novels

20. Alice has a cameo in series one

21. She had never been on a TV set prior to filming Heartstopper

22. There’s a reason why the show doesn’t touch on more adult themes

23. Season two contains a Marvel Easter Egg you probably didn’t spot

24. Joe has a dream cameo so great that we need it to happen immediately

1. She got her start in dinner theatre

2. Hannah kept the Game Of Thrones ‘shame bell’ as a goodbye gift

3. Ted Lasso isn’t Hannah’s first football-related role

4. She released a single back in 2000

5. She has a four octave vocal range

6. She credits her musical theatre work ethic as the secret to her success

7. She’s played the Devil… in a Rod Stewart jukebox musical

8. She’s pals with Michael Bublé

9. She keeps her Emmy trophy in her daughter’s bedroom

10. She used to struggle with her height as an actor

11. She comes from a family of singers

12. She made an appearance in the film adaptation of Les Misérables

13. She’s multi-lingual

Who will be hosting the new season?

And who will be judging?

When will The Great British Bake Off 2023 be on TV?

Who will be taking part?

Is there a trailer for The Great British Bake Off 2023?

1. Cradle hold

2. Cross-cradle hold

3. Side-lying position

4. Laid-back nursing

5. Rugby ball hold

6. Koala hold

More support for people who are breastfeeding: