Line Of Duty star Shalom Brune-Franklin has revealed how she had no idea what show she was auditioning for when she first tried out for the BBC cop drama.
The actor, who plays AC-12 newcomer DC Chloe Bishop, admitted she “freaked out” after turning up at the audition and seeing a script that revealed the show she would be reading for.
In an interview with The Times (£), Shalom explained: “Things have working titles so you don’t always know what they are and the script said LOD6.
BBC/World Productions/Steffan HillShalom Brune-Franklin plays DC Chloe Bishop in Line Of Duty
“When I opened it, the first line Chloe had was an AC-12 interview. I was absolutely freaking out. There was so much to learn.”
Shalom revealed she first auditioned for the part of DC Bishop at the start of February 2020, and there was around a week before she got the job, with filming starting shortly afterwards.
Of joining the established cast, she said: “I turned up to the read-through and there were all these mega British actors that I’ve loved and adored for so long.
“Adrian [Dunbar, aka Superintendent Hastings] is hilarious. Vicky [McClure, DI Fleming] is amazing and very funny. Martin [Compston, DI Arnott] was my rock — he would say, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got the whole day to film this, and if you mess up we’ll go back to the beginning and start again. But you’ll be fine.’
“I honestly could not speak more highly of them all.”
BBC/World ProductionsShalom in action in the hit BBC show
During the interview, Shalom described her character as “a good egg”, appearing to shoot down fan theories Bishop might be corrupt.
Asked if there is more to her, Shalom replied with a laugh: “I don’t know.”
BBC/World Productions/Steffan HillShalom with co-stars Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar
If you were worried the Line Of Duty finale might leave things up in the air, rest assured that answers are “definitely” coming.
The BBC has released a new trailer for the final episode, which suggests the identity of ‘the fourth man’ – otherwise known as ‘H’ – will be revealed.
The 30 second clip teases that “every investigation has led to this”, as it lines up key suspects DCS Patrica Carmichael, Chief Constable Philip Osborne, Superintendent Ted Hastings, DI Kate Fleming and ex-officer Marcus Thurwell.
BBCThe identity of ‘the fourth man’ will be revealed
It also previews other dramatic events in store, including another armed face-off AC-12 have with members of the OCG as they look to secure the suspect.
BBCArnott and Fleming have an armed shoot-out with OCG members
DCI Jo Davidson also faces an uncertain future, following her imprisonment in Sunday’s episode.
The former MIT boss – who was revealed to be in league with organised crime due to her family connection to Tommy Hunter – is seen being transferred in a van with a corrupt prison officer, suggesting she could await the same fate as her birth father. Hunter was killed in series two after bent officers staged an ambush on his police convoy to stop him revealing their identities as he entered witness protection.
BBCDoes Davidson await the same fate as her birth father, Tommy Hunter?
There is also another ominous misspelling of the word “definite”, which has been a known trait of ‘H’, and indeed of Ted Hastings…
BBCWe know that ‘H’ cannot spell “definite”
The internet is already flooded with theories ahead of Sunday night’s finale, as many fans believe Marcus Thurwell is actually alive, after the character was found dead at his Spanish villa – and some of then claim to have the proof.
If you thought Line Of Duty was going to let up after the shocking developments of the last episode, think again.
Martin Compston has issued a warning to fans about the next instalment, which suggests it’s going to be even more dramatic than the last.
The actor, who plays DI Steve Arnott in the hit BBC cop show, has said fans will “need therapy” by the end of Sunday night.
Martin took to Instagram to share a picture of waistcoat-lover Arnott running in full police gear, adding the caption: “Episode 5 kicks off as stores re-open and there’s a sale on waistcoats.
“In all seriousness though if you thought Ep 4 ended on a cliffhanger, you’ll need therapy by the end of Ep5 (sic).”
Spoiler pictures from the episode have suggested Arnott will be attending a raid with MIT boss DCI Joanne Davidson.
BBC/World Productions/Steffan HillA still taken from Sunday night’s episode
Last Sunday night’s episode saw the return of some other faces from Line Of Duty’s complicated past when slimy solicitor Jimmy Lakewell was revealed to have spoken to journalist Gail Vella about police corruption prior to her murder.
Screen Grab/BBC/World ProductionsDCS Carmichael also returns to Line Of Duty in episode five
Bosses have hinted she could be about to take control after Hastings was forced into retirement, following Chief Constable Philip Osborne’s plan to cut numbers in Central Police’s anti-corruption units.
The TV presenter has ruled out taking part on the BBC ballroom competition as he believes it would be too “weird” dancing in front of wife Tess Daly.
Despite Tess having hosted Strictly since it began in 2004, Vernon said he has “never” been asked to participate.
David M. Benett via Getty ImagesVernon Kay and Tess Daly
Speaking to Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle on their Private Parts podcast, Vernon said: “I think it would be weird, I really think it would be weird.”
“Because Tess is pretty much, ‘say what you see’ and I know that if I finished a dance, she would – she wouldn’t be able to help herself.
“She’d say, ‘You did that better in the kitchen.’
“She can’t hide anything, you know,” he added.
BBCTess with Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman
While we won’t be seeing Vernon showing off his moves any time soon, he has reunited with Tess on screen his new ITV gameshow Game Of Talents.
Tess appeared as a contestant on Saturday night’s series opener, which saw celebrities trying to helping two members of the public win large amounts of money by guessing complete strangers’ talents.
David M. Benett via Getty ImagesThe couple are keen to do more TV work together
The couple, who have been married 18 years, previously presented BBC singing competition Just The Two of us together in 2007 and are keen to work together again.
Vernon recently told The Sun: “When we did ‘Just The Two Of Us’, I had the role where you’re pretty much reactive to what you’ve just seen backstage, so I didn’t really have much to say.
“It was all Tess, and she was front of house. ‘Game of Talents’ was really nice. And after this we thought it’d be great to do something together again. So we’ll just wait and see what happens.”
Friends fans have been given their first look at the upcoming reunion special.
The official Instagram account for the hit series has shared a behind-the-scenes picture, amid various images from the shoot circulating on social media.
The Friends page revealed that filming has wrapped on the special episode, posting a photo of some of the set.
It was captioned: “That’s a wrap! Could we BE anymore excited!? Friends: The Reunion is coming to @hbomax.”
It comes after various photos from filming have been shared online, which revealed the cast will be gathering in front of the iconic fountain from the show’s opening titles.
Other photos of Greg’s revealed that the apartment sets have been rebuilt for the reunion.
While he has since deleted the snaps from his Instagram page, fans have been sharing them online.
Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, also posted a now-deleted photo on Instagram, showing him sat in the make-up chair preparing for filming.
He wrote: “Seconds before eating a makeup brush. Not to mention reuniting with my Friends.”
“It is us getting together, which just doesn’t happen and has never happened in front of other people since 2004 when we stopped.”
The unscripted reunion special will debut on the streaming service HBO Max in the US, but there’s no word yet on how UK Friends fans can get in on the fun.
Friends ran for 10 series from 1994 and remains one of the most popular shows on TV after it was made available to stream on Netflix.
Line Of Duty star Martin Compston has teased that there is high drama ahead in the upcoming episode, revealing it is “one of the best ever”.
The actor, who plays DI Steve Arnott, said episode four of the current series has the potential to be considered a “classic” among fans, describing it as “the big one”.
Posting a picture of Arnott aiming a gun in a tense-looking situation, he wrote on Twitter on Saturday morning: “Tomorrow’s the big one episode 4! On paper one of the best @jed_mercurio has ever written, if we deliver what was there potential to be a classic.
“Like to give a shout out to the young team Shalom and @gregorypiper98 who give outstanding performances in the midst of the madness.”
Tomorrow’s the big one episode 4! On paper one of the best @jed_mercurio has ever written, if we deliver what was there potential to be a classic. Like to give a shout out to the young team Shalom and @gregorypiper98 who give outstanding performances in the midst of the madness pic.twitter.com/Ndu9wKEw6T
HuffPost UK has seen the episode, and while we are not allowed to share details about what happens, we’d definitely agree with Martin’s assessment. We’ll be here to bring you all the latest analysis after the show airs on Sunday night too.
While all major spoilers are under lock and key, the BBC has shared a cryptic synopsis of the episode, which reveals there will be some “major breakthroughs” as AC-12 continue their investigation into Operation Lighthouse.
It reads: “DCI Jo Davidson faces increasing pressure from all sides as AC-12 make major breakthroughs in the investigation.
“Hastings acknowledges that the disciplinary action against him put Kate and Steve in a difficult position, and a forensic report from Farida’s house results in a shock for AC-12.”
BBC/World Productions/Steffan HillDCI Jo Davidson faces increasing pressure from all sides
Boyle has been framed by the OCG as the main suspect in the murder of journalist Gail Vella, who was investigating police corruption prior to her death.
BBC/World Productions/Steffan HillPC Ryan Pilkington caused a car crash in an attempt to murder suspect Terry Boyle
On Friday night, David – who played Ross Geller in the hit 90s sitcom – made an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, and lifted the lid on what we have to look forward to in the one-off special.
He told the host: “We’re going to be shooting a Friends reunion next week so I’m hopping on a plane this afternoon. I’m gonna see everyone next week for the first time in many years.”
Dave J Hogan via Getty ImagesDavid Schwimmer
David continued: “There’s nothing scripted. We’re not in character, we’re all ourselves – the real people.
“We are all ourselves, although there is one section of it that I don’t want to give away, but we all read something.”
The actor also confessed that it’s been a long time since he actually sat down and watched Friends, joking: “I should have genned up on old episodes, but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to catch up on the 236 shows.
“I guess I need to watch a lot over the next five days!”
NBC via Getty ImagesThe cast of Friends pictured ahead of the show’s last series in 2004
He explained: “Finally, I mean, we figured out a way to film it safely and there’s going to be a portion of it that we filmed outside because of, you know, for safety protocols.”
David declined to reveal who would be on hosting duties for the unscripted episode, but ruled out Ellen Degeneres and former Friends guest star Billy Crystal.
ITV viewers suspected something might have been amiss on Monday morning, after noticing a number of daytime stars were behaving a little strangely.
Lorraine Kelly was the first to spark suspicion when she interviewed YouTuber and musician KSI live on air.
Fans picked up on the fact Lorraine was not exactly being her usual professional self, complaining of cramp in her leg which she then attempted to “walk off” in the middle of the interview and blatantly yawning while he was talking.
Lorraine then signed off the interview with a “love you”, after thanking him for “putting up” with her.
There is never a dull moment when @reallorraine and @KSI get together for a chat😂
The strangeness began when Holly told James she could only eat mussels “at night… when it’s quite dark”, at which point the studio lights were lowered for her, so she could tuck in.
Later in the demonstration, James told the pair some background on mussels, with Holly loudly interrupting: “Don’t tell me that! I don’t need to know any personal information about what I’m eating. I was doing so well!”
James returned for another cooking demo towards the end of the show, which ended up being even more chaotic.
ITVThings took a very bizarre turn on Monday’s This Morning.
The pair repeatedly interrupted James’ explanations to talk and laugh amongst themselves, with the TV chef attempting to get his demo back on track.
Like Lorraine, Holly then suggested she had cramp, getting up and walking around the studio while James continued to make choux pastry in the This Morning kitchen.
James then told the duo to put almonds on top of their pastry, to which Holly responded that he shouldn’t “tell her what to do” and she can use any other type of nut she so wishes.
ITVJames looked rather unimpressed when Holly told him not to “tell me what to do”
“I’m not being rude,” Holly said afterwards. “But it does taste better than it looks.”
Viewers eventually grew suspicious that Ant and Dec might be behind the scenes in question, as part of their recurring I’m A Celebrity, Get Out Me Ear prank on Saturday Night Takeaway.
In fact, Ant and Dec’s names even began trending on Twitter as so many people pointed the finger at the pair…
Lorraine acting weird, Holly and Phil acting weird, this has your name written all over it @antanddec! #ThisMorning#Lorraine
What is happening on itv today? First Lorraine acting strange, now Holly? And now Phil? It’s like Ant and Dec are up to no good behind the scenes! #itv#thismorning#lorraine
Something seems off with #lorraine this morning. Feel like we will see her on Saturday night takeaway when ant and Dec are telling her what to say 🤣🤣🤣🤣
For many of us around the country, the weekend officially started at 7pm on Thursday nights these last nine weeks, as that’s when we’ve been treated to new episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Series two of the hit reality show arrived a little bit later than many of us would have liked, but it more than made up for it with a season jam-packed with surprises, stunts and total serves.
Now, just four queens remain in the running, and the question remains…who is going to take home the season two crown?
Here we weigh up the four finalists’ chances of following in series one champion The Vivienne’s footsteps…
Bimini Bon Boulash
Ray BurmistonBBC/World of Wonder/Ray Burmiston
Release the beast! It’s definitely not an understatement to say that as the Drag Race UK finale approaches, Bimini Bon Boulash is the favourite for the crown by some way.
Since the queens returned from their enforced seven-month break due to the pandemic, Bimini has been picking up challenge wins left, right and centre. She’s now ahead of all of her competitors with four Ru-Peter Badges to her name, including wins for her United Kingdolls verse and her scene-stealing Snatch Game performance, which even got the seal of approval from Katie Price herself.
The only real criticism we could have for Bimini is that it did take her a little while to find her footing in the competition (if she does win, she’ll be the only non-All Stars winner to be crowned after lip syncing in week one), but there’s no denying she’s definitely come into her own since those early weeks. The incredible performer and self-professed “cis-tem offender” would unquestionably be a great representative of UK drag on the world stage.
High-point: Returning after a seven-month break with her immediately-iconic UK Hun verse
Low moment: Winding up in the bottom two in the first week of the competition
Serve of the season:
Tayce
Ray BurmistonBBC/World of Wonder/Ray Burmiston
On paper, Tayce might not be as far ahead as some of her competitors, with four challenge losses over the course of the competition. That being said, she’s kept her composure and come back fighting every single time… and let’s be honest, of those four lip syncs, how many times did she actually deserve to be in the bottom?
Exactly.
Since Drag Race launched over a decade ago, RuPaul has stuck with his “charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent” mantra as a way of determining who the next drag superstar will be, and those are four boxes Tayce definitely ticks.
Charisma? Her quick wit and unique way with words in the confessionals regularly has us howling, and she’s probably responsible for more quotes and memes than most of her competitors.
Uniqueness? Absolutely, who else in the competition is serving the levels of glamour and quirky sense of humour like Tayce?
Nerve? Did we mention those four lip syncs, and the fact she barely batted her perfect eyelashes despite her place in the competition being on the line every single time?
And as for talent, that’s something she’s showcased throughout her time in the workroom. Her efforts might not always have translated into individual challenge wins, but Tayce is a queen we won’t forget in a hurry.
High-point: Every time she walked the runway, to be honest.
Low moment: Making an outfit out of scouring pads, despite being advised not to by RuPaul.
Serve of the season:
Lawrence Chaney
Ray BurmistonBBC/World of Wonder/Ray Burmiston
Lawrence Chaney was a frontrunner from the time she first stepped foot in the workroom and declared she was “like the Loch Ness monster… a legend”.
From the word go, Lawrence was clearly a favourite of RuPaul’s, picking up three successive wins, including for her performances in the daytime TV and design challenges. Her sense of humour also set her apart with viewers, but she was no one-trick pony, as her looks were also almost always on point.
If you’d asked anyone – including the remaining queens – in the early stages of the competition, they’d have probably said Lawrence had it in the bag. It’s been something of a different story in the post-lockdown half of the series, with Lawrence struggling more than we’d seen before, even winding up in the bottom when her Miriam Margolyes impression failed to impress the judges in the Snatch Game.
It has to be said, though, that even when Lawrence is slightly off her game or gets in her head – as she did in the lead-up to both the Ruruvision Song Contest and BeastEnders challenges – she’s always managed to deliver when it counts.
Since Drag Race has become a global phenomenon, RuPaul has frequently described the show as being about the “tenacity of the human spirit”, and tenacity is one thing Lawrence has in abundance, as evidenced when she’s discussed her struggles with bullying or how she’s personally been hit hard by the pandemic.
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve seen her winning a Ru-Peter badge, but she does have three of them to her name, so no one should be writing her off just yet.
High-point: Winning three challenges in a row
Low moment: The Snatch Game routine that landed her in the bottom two
Serve of the season:
Ellie Diamond
Ray BurmistonBBC/World of Wonder/Ray BurmistonEllie Diamond
No challenge wins and coming into the final straight off the back of her first lip sync might put Ellie Diamond as something of an underdog in this last stage of the competition. But what is Drag Race, if not a celebration of underdogs?
Ellie entered the competition as a queen primarily known for her incredible make-up abilities, but don’t count out her other talents, too. Her Snatch Game performance impersonation of Vicky Pollard earned the praise of Little Britain star Matt Lucas, and she kept up with renowned dancer Tayce not just in their semi-final lip sync but also Rats: The Rusical.
And even though past Drag Race queens who specialise in makeup have perhaps taken the look side of the contest a little too seriously, Ellie has never been afraid to lean into the silly side of things, whether she’s channelling Dennis The Menace for her hometown look or walking the runway dressed as a giant bikini-clad seagull.
Admittedly, of the four contestants still in the running, Ellie would be the one we’d be most shocked to see take home the crown, but there’s a reason the 21-year-old has lasted as long as she has in the race.
High-point: Serving physical comedy with “Mickaaaay” in BeastEnders
Low moment: Dirty Diamond in her stand-up comedy challenge
Serve of the season:
The final of RuPaul’s Drag Race series 2 will be available to stream on BBC Three from 7pm on Thursday.
After one tweeted Grimmy to ask if he’d got the shit out of his coat, he replied: “Haha didn’t realise the old microphone would pick that up.”
Grimmy fans will get to see more of him on their screens in the coming weeks, as he is one of the stars who will appear in the new series of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.
He recently revealed he’s also started writing a book during the pandemic, which will chart some of his most hilarious celebrity stories.
Soccer AM airs Saturdays at 10.30am on Sky 1 and Sky Sports Football.
