No one could ever dispute Meryl Streep’s acting chops, but who knew she was also the queen of improv?
Don’t Look Up director Adam McKay has shared a compilation of clips of the multiple Oscar-winning star on the set of the Netflix hit showing off her “breathtaking” improvisation skills.
Meryl, who plays a Trump-esque US president in the climate crisis metaphor movie, ditched the script for one particular scene where she is seen on the phone in the Oval Office.
Adam reveals he filmed “20 to 25 completely different absurd phone calls” of the actor, which he described as “tour de force of improv”, and after seeing the clip, we’ve got to agree.
In a widely-shared clip from the hour-long show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and “six million Jewish lives being lost” before making a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of Travellers at the hands of the Nazis as a punchline.
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Carr has received widespread criticism over the remarks, with calls for Netflix to remove the joke and sparking petitions calling on him to apologise.
On Saturday evening, Only Connect host Victoria took to Twitter to defend her “close friend”, saying Carr was “a properly decent person”.
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“While I’m here, might take a moment to mention I also love @JimmyCarr, a close friend who’s made about a thousand jokes I wouldn’t make myself, as a stage performer, but as a man is full of goodness and kindness,” she said.
While I’m here, might take a moment to mention I also love @JimmyCarr, a close friend who’s made about a thousand jokes I wouldn’t make myself, as a stage performer, but as a man is full of goodness and kindness. He’s a properly decent person.
When one unimpressed follower asked: “Do you think you would be similarly quick to defend him if he’d made a joke defending the murder of Jews in the Holocaust?”, Victoria responded: “Yes. It’s not about the joke.”
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Others pointed the presenter towards comedian David Baddiel’s response to Carr’s comments.
The comedian had pointed out the difference between cruel jokes about the Holocaust and ones that target the oppressors.
“I said this every night during my Trolls: Not The Dolls tour as part of a bit arguing that it’s not the subject matter of a joke that counts, it’s the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr’s was the former,” he said.
I said this every night during my Trolls: Not The Dolls tour as part of a bit arguing that it’s not the subject matter of a joke that counts, it’s the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr’s was the former. pic.twitter.com/xI4yWt9U0T
This is the joke I was leading to, which is, unlike Jimmy’s, I think defensible. Meanwhile, away from stupid discussions about the limits of comedy, my sympathies are with the Roma and Sinti community who suffered so much during the Holocaust. pic.twitter.com/GEC5u1HgYI
As a footnote, I’d add that Jimmy is a close friend of mine and a brilliant stand-up in general. Makes no difference to how I feel or think about this specific joke.
David added: “As a footnote, I’d add that Jimmy is a close friend of mine and a brilliant stand-up in general. Makes no difference to how I feel or think about this specific joke.”
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Meanwhile, Judge Rinder star Robert Rinder labelled Carr and the audience at his Netflix special who “clapped, whooped and cheered” over the joke, “complete incorrigible turds”.
Robert, who is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, made his feelings clear during a panel discussion about the hour-long special on Talk Radio
Jimmy Carr’s ‘joke’ suggesting the systematic genocide of gypsies during the Holocaust was a ‘good thing’ is breathtakingly racist. The truly disturbing thing isn’t just the gag, it’s that on hearing it, instead of leaving, the audience clapped, whooped and cheered in approval👇🏻 https://t.co/tlsbVYIpa9
In a follow-up tweet posted on Saturday, Robert said the comedian’s comment was “breathtakingly racist” and reiterated his dismay at the audience’s reaction.
“Jimmy Carr’s comments, no one can call that, you know, snowflake or wokeishness, that’s just… it was just appalling,” Dorries said during an interview on BBC Breakfast.
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, has also urged Netflix to remove Carr’s “vile anti-GRT and antisemitic material”.
HuffPost UK has contacted Carr’s reps for comment.
Robert Rinder has labelled Jimmy Carr and the audience at his Netflix special who “clapped, whooped and cheered” over a joke he made about the Traveller community and the Holocaust, as “complete incorrigible turds”.
In a widely-shared clip from the His Dark Material show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and “six million Jewish lives being lost” before making a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of Travellers at the hands of the Nazis as a punchline.
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Robert, who is best known as TV’s Judge Rinder and is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, made his feelings clear during a panel discussion about the hour-long special on Talk Radio on Friday.
“I’ve got to say Jimmy Carr, I’m not going to repeat the joke, or anybody in the audience who whooped and clapped at a joke about the genocide of Travellers and gypsies, you are all, complete incorrigible turds,” he said.
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Middle class comedians can do irony and clever boundary pushing so it’s ‘ok.’ Let’s imagine the reaction to this joke had it been filmed at a working men’s club to a cheering whooping audience. https://t.co/tlsbVYIpa9
In a tweet posted on Saturday, Robert said the comedian’s comment was “breathtakingly racist” and reiterated his dismay at the audience’s reaction.
“Jimmy Carr’s “joke” suggesting the systematic genocide of gypsies during the Holocaust was a “good thing” is breathtakingly racist,” he tweeted.
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“The truly disturbing thing isn’t just the gag, it’s that on hearing it, instead of leaving, the audience clapped, whooped and cheered in approval.”
Jimmy Carr’s ‘joke’ suggesting the systematic genocide of gypsies during the Holocaust was a ‘good thing’ is breathtakingly racist. The truly disturbing thing isn’t just the gag, it’s that on hearing it, instead of leaving, the audience clapped, whooped and cheered in approval👇🏻 https://t.co/tlsbVYIpa9
In a second tweet, the former Strictly star said that “middle class comedians can do irony and clever boundary pushing so it’s ‘ok’”.
“Let’s imagine the reaction to this joke had it been filmed at a working men’s club to a cheering whooping audience,” he added.
Carr has received widespread criticism over the remarks, with calls for Netflix to remove the joke and sparking petitions calling on him to apologise.
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Roberts tweet came after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries condemned the remarks during an interview on Saturday’s BBC Breakfast, suggesting that new laws would hold to account streaming sites from airing jokes.
Dorries suggested that in the future, new laws would “hold Netflix to account” for such content.
Nadine Dorries
Future Publishing via Getty Images
“We are looking at legislation via the Media Bill which would bring into scope those comments from other video on-demand streaming outlets like Netflix,” she said.
“So it’s interesting that we’re already looking at future legislation to bring into scope those sort of comments.”
The MP said Carr’s comments were “abhorrent and they just shouldn’t be on television”, but it was then put to her that in a tweet in 2017 she had claimed that “left-wing snowflakes are killing comedy”.
She said: “Well, that’s not comedy.
“What Jimmy Carr did last night is not comedy. And you know, I’m no angel on Twitter, nobody is, but I just would like to say that nothing I’ve ever put on Twitter has been harmful or abusive.
“But that last night… Jimmy Carr’s comments, no one can call that, you know, snowflake or wokeishness, that’s just… it was just appalling.”
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, has also urged Netflix to remove Carr’s “vile anti-GRT and antisemitic material”.
I have written urging Netflix to remove Jimmy Carr’s vile anti-GRT and antisemitic material.
I have also requested an update from @DCMS on progress to bring streaming platforms under Ofcom regulation.
Nadine Dorries has suggested new laws would hold to account streaming sites from airing jokes such as those made by Jimmy Carr about the Traveller community and the Holocaust.
During an interview on Saturday’s BBC Breakfast, the Culture Secretary condemned the comic’s joke made during his one-hour Netflix special, His Dark Material, as “shocking, abhorrent and unacceptable.”
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Carr issued a “trigger warning” to the audience at the beginning of the Netflix show, admitting his performance contained “terrible things”.
In a widely-shared clip from the show, the comedian joked about the horror of the Holocaust and “six million Jewish lives being lost” before making a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of Travellers at the hands of the Nazis as a punchline.
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Nadine Dorries and Jimmy Carr
Dorries suggested that in the future, new laws would “hold Netflix to account” for such content.
“We are looking at legislation via the Media Bill which would bring into scope those comments from other video on-demand streaming outlets like Netflix,” she said.
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“So it’s interesting that we’re already looking at future legislation to bring into scope those sort of comments.”
The MP said Carr’s comments were “abhorrent and they just shouldn’t be on television”, but it was then put to her that in a tweet in 2017 she had claimed that “left-wing snowflakes are killing comedy”.
She said: “Well, that’s not comedy.
“What Jimmy Carr did last night is not comedy. And you know, I’m no angel on Twitter, nobody is, but I just would like to say that nothing I’ve ever put on Twitter has been harmful or abusive.
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“But that last night… Jimmy Carr’s comments, no one can call that, you know, snowflake or wokeishness, that’s just… it was just appalling.”
She said the comments were “shocking and abhorrent and unacceptable, not just because he was making fun on the basis of people who died in the most appalling circumstances, but on the pain and suffering of many thousands of families”.
In a separate interview with Times Radio, she said: “We don’t have the ability now, legally, to hold Netflix to account for streaming that but very shortly we will.”
Asked on Sky News if there was any way this new law would put restrictions on free speech, she said: “No, absolutely not. We’ve been very, very… well because I’m a Conservative, I’ve been very, very careful about that.”
In a tweet, Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, has also urged Netflix to remove Carr’s “vile anti-GRT and antisemitic material”.
I have written urging Netflix to remove Jimmy Carr’s vile anti-GRT and antisemitic material.
I have also requested an update from @DCMS on progress to bring streaming platforms under Ofcom regulation.
The Traveller Movement, a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK, said: “This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour.”
In a tweet, the charity said: “We need all your support in calling this out #StopTravellerHate @StopFundingHate.”
The charity has launched a petition to Netflix calling for the “removal of the segments of His Dark Material which celebrates the Romani genocide”.
The not-for-profit organisation the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust shared a statement on Twitter from their CEO Olivia Marks-Woldman who was “horrified” to hear “gales of laughter” following Carr’s remarks.
Hope Not Hate, the anti-fascism and anti-racism campaigning group, also condemned the comedian’s joke on Friday.
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In a tweet, they said: “Comedy is an amazing tool for progressive change and it’s such a shame that @jimmycarr decided to use his platform to celebrate the murder of one of the most marginalised groups in society.”
The Auschwitz Memorial called for Carr to “learn about the fate of some 23 thousand Roma & Sinti deported to Auschwitz” in a tweet to their 1.2 million followers.
They added: “It’s sad to hear words that can fuel prejudice, hurt people & defile memory of their tragedy.”
HuffPost UK has contacted Carr’s reps for comment.
If you thought the clues on The Masked Singer had become harder over the last two series, there’s a reason for that.
Show bosses have revealed how they were forced to up their game on their cryptic pointers after too many people guessed Denise Van Outen’s identity in series one.
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The former Big Breakfast presenter performed as Fox back in 2020, but her identity was soon rumbled after a specific clue about Denise’s love of collecting teapots that returned plenty of Google results.
Speaking to Daily Star, Derek McLean, who works for production company Bandicoot, said coming up with the clues has been a “massive learning curve” since the show’s debut in the UK.
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“We thought it was a great clue and no one would pick up on it. Turns out if you Google ‘Denise Van Outen and teapots’ it’s there in loads of articles,” he said.
Denise Van Outen performed as Fox on The Masked Singer in 2020
“It was a massive learning curve. Everything is findable. If you think you can Google the answer now, it’s not going to be there.
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“People might say our clues are tough but we love all the mad guessing.”
He added: “Everyone might want them to be like the quick crossword in The Times but what we are is the cryptic crossword in The Telegraph.”
Meanwhile, producer Dan Nettleton admitted that there are more identities of celebrities “out there” on social media than last year – but there’s also one that no-one seems to have yet cracked.
“People are miles away from guessing it,” he teased.
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Traffic Cone, Rockhopper, Robobunny, Panda, Mushroom, Firework and Doughnuts all remain in the competition, with the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Charlotte Church, Michelle Williams and Markus Feehily all rumoured to be behind those masks.
The Masked Singer continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV.
The indie rocker was revealed to be the performer behind Poodle on the surreal ITV show on Saturday night.
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Tom had found himself in the bottom two against fellow contestant Robobunny after performing Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
While Tom’s name had been circulating on social media over the last few weeks, none of the judging panel – made up of Davina McCall, Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan – were able to correctly guess his identity.
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Their guesses included singer Michael Bublé, footballer Peter Crouch and TV presenter Rylan Clark.
Tom described the panel’s guesses as “hopeless”, saying: “Amongst the guesses were Snoop Dogg, Grayson Perry and a vague suggestion that I simply must be a drag queen.
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“I was kind of flattered that they eventually got stuck on Mika, who’s a great singer and performer.
“I have to admit to being surprised that Jonathan didn’t have an inkling it was me, especially given that I must have been on his TV show several times over the years.”
Tom Chaplin was behind the mask
After being unmasked, Tom revealed he had chosen to sing Unwritten because Keane had beaten Natasha to the 2005 Brit Award for best breakthrough act.
Tom rose to fame with Keane when they released their debut album Hopes And Fears in 2004, which reached number one.
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The band reached three further chart-topping albums, with their latest, Cause And Effect, reaching number two in 2019.
Their hits include Somewhere Only We Know, Bedshaped, Everybody’s Changing and Is It Any Wonder?
Tom with Kean bandmates Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Huges at the 2005 Brit Awards
JMEnternational via Getty Images
Tom said appearing on The Masked Singer had been “exhilarating, terrifying and confusing – it has been a total blast”.
He also explained his wife Natalie was the reason behind his choice of outfit.
“We love this show and she said that if you get offered this show, if you can be a Poodle, you have to do it. She loves Poodles more than human beings.”
The actor, who plays DI Kate Fleming in the hit BBC cop drama, appeared on The Graham Norton Show on Friday when conversation turned to the video from campaign group Led By Donkeys, which went viral earlier this week.
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In this altered clip, Superintendent Hastings, DI Fleming and DI Arnott put the prime minister on the spot over the parties held in Downing Street during Covid restrictions, accusing him of thinking he’s “above the law” and telling him “the party’s over”.
There had been speculation Vicky and co-stars Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston had contributed extra lines to make the clip appear more realistic.
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Addressing the video on his chat show, Graham said to Vicky: “You’ve been viral all week with the Line of Duty spoof where you’re interrogating Boris Johnson. Did you know that was coming out?”
“I can’t confirm or deny anything,” Vicky replied with a smirk.
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As Graham said it had “gone gangbusters” and was “everywhere”, Vicky said: “Yes, I’ve watched it,” before nodding and laughing.
Led By Donkeys, who are known for their powerful online campaigns against the government, had previously said that they too could “neither confirm nor deny” if the Line Of Duty trio were involved in the making of the clip.
And Vicky’s refusal to offer a definitive answer on the matter is definitely putting us in mind of a particular scene from the show:
The ‘bring your own booze’ party held at No. 10 in April 2020 is currently the subject of an investigation – along with a host of other alleged gatherings at Downing Street – by civil servant Sue Gray.
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Johnson has previously admitted attending the April 2020 party, but told the House Of Commons he believed he was attending a work event.
The Metropolitan Police have so far refused to investigate the allegations of parties in Downing Street, explaining they will only look into the claims if Sue Gray finds criminal evidence in her inquiry.
In the lead-up to the show, one surprising “member” of the cast has now been revealed, with Jason Mantzoukas set to voice Tommy Lee’s penis in what promises to be a true scene-stealer.
As it turns out, the scene in question is actually heavily inspired by a passage in Tommy Lee’s autobiography Tommyland, in which the rocker and his genitalia have something of a “heart-to-heart”.
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Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson pictured in 1994
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis via Getty Images
“As much as I’d like to take credit for that, I was simply adapting a chapter from his memoir,” writer Robert D Siegel told Variety. “I think it might be a first [for television].
“There was gentle pushback, because you’ve got to push back a little when a talking penis is presented to you. But Hulu [who are showing the new show in the US] was extremely supportive.”
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Director Craig Gillespie admitted that filming the scene in question was “just awkward”.
“You’ve got four puppeteers working with an animatronic penis,” he explained.
“And then, how much is too much, [before] you start to lose his emotional torment of what’s going on? Hopefully it works.”
Meanwhile, actor Sebastian Stan added: “By the end of it, I treated it like it was an intimate buddy conversation that one might have when they’re falling in love.”
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Jason Mantzoukas
Albert L. Ortega via Getty Images
Before landing what we can only imagine was the career high of voicing Tommy Lee’s penis, Jason Mantzoukas was known for his roles in sitcoms like Parks & Recreation, The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
James Buckley has ruled out ever returning to The Inbetweeners as Jay Cartwright, saying: “There’s not enough money in the world.”
The actor played sex-mad fibber Jay in the beloved E4 sitcom about a group of hapless sixth form students between 2008 and 2010, before reprising the role in two subsequent films.
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However, while James described playing Jay as “the best job” in the world, he explained he doesn’t want to spoil a “universally loved” show.
During an interview with Chris Moyles on Radio X, James said: “I don’t want to go near it anymore, not because I don’t think I would have an amazing time doing it, because I know I would.
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“I love the boys, I love the writers. Doing The Inbetweeners was the best job in the world.
“All we did was muck around all day long and they filmed us doing it, and, at the end of the day, we might have had an episode … or a film or something.
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“But it might – you know, as I’m getting older – it’s looking like it might be the only thing that I do professionally that is universally loved.
“There’s not enough money in the world for me to spoil that.”
James Buckley
Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images
James also admitted he knows he will probably always be known as Jay from The Inbetweeners.
“As an actor, it’s difficult professionally for me to move away from that character,” said James, who has also starred in the likes of Only Fools And Horses spin-off Rock & Chips and Doctor Who and is currently appearing in West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story.
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“But you can’t have it all, can you? You can’t be in a big hit sitcom and then moan about it after!”
(L-R) Blake Harrison, James Buckley, Simon Bird and Joe Thomas arrive at the premiere of The Inbetweeners 2 in 2014
Brendon Thorne via Getty Images
James and his former co-stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Blake Harrison reunited in 2019 to mark the 10th anniversary of The Inbetweeners with a one-off non-scripted special titled Fwends Reunited.
He also shared the discomfort he experienced during filming it, he explained: “It became a thing that wasn’t a celebration of this good thing I did in my life, it was me being taken the piss out of for hours on end.
“I didn’t have the personality or the intelligence to cope with it, especially when you’re up against someone like Jimmy Carr, who’s super quick and super funny. So I come across as a complete moron through the whole thing.”
The Chris Moyles Show airs weekdays 6.30am to 10am and Saturday 8am to 11am on Radio X.
The actor was best known for his role as councillor David Horton on the BBC show, which stared Dawn French in the title role.
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Gary’s son Josh said he “peacefully passed away” on Monday morning.
In a statement, he said (via PA Media): “Classically trained, it was the theatre where he truly flourished and he leaves a legacy of entertainment that saw him frequent the boards of Broadway, the West End and our living rooms on the telly!
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“He leaves behind his two grandsons, Cooper and Bayley, and his son Josh. We will all miss him terribly.”
Gary (centre) filming a Comic Relief special of The Vicar Of Dibley in 2007
Comic Relief via Getty Images
Gary appeared on every episode of The Vicar Of Dibley, in all three seasons of the show and its numerous specials between 1994 and 2007.
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He made his last appearance as David in a 2013 Comic Relief short.
Gary’s other TV credits included The Sweeney, Brush Strokes and Hotel Babylon, and he even featured in comedy sketch show French And Saunders.
He also provided voiceovers for adverts including for Green Flag, Kwik Fit, Branston and Marmite.
Gary was an accomplished Shakespearean actor and had performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company including in Much Ado About Nothing.
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In a statement, BBC Comedy said of his death: “Gary was an incredibly talented actor who is fondly remembered by us for his numerous appearances on some of the nation’s most treasured BBC shows, and of course as councillor David Horton in The Vicar Of Dibley.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
(Front L-R) James Fleet, Emma Chambers, Dawn French, Gary Waldhorn (Back L-R) John Bluthal, Trevor Peacock and Roger Lloyd-Pack
Many other stars of The Vicar Of Dibley have died in recent years.
Owen Newitt actor Roger Lloyd-Pack died in 2014 and Liz Smith, who played Letitia Cropley, died in 2016.
Emma Chambers, who played Alice Tinker, died in 2018, as did John Bluthal who appeared as Frank Pickle, while Trevor Peacock, who played Jim Trott, died last year.
