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.
Jedward are as famous for their huge blond quiffs as they are for their dodgy choreo, but now the loveable twin brothers have a whole new look going on.
The 28-year-olds are now both sporting buzz cuts after shaving each other’s famous locks off live on Irish TV on Friday night.
The siblings, who shot to fame on the 2009 series of The X Factor, were in surprisingly good spirits considering they were about to ditch their trademark look on RTE’s The Late Late Show.
It was all in the name of charity as John and Edward were raising money for the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day appeal.
STUNNING!
Fair play to @PlanetJedward for shaving off their famous quiffs for the Irish Cancer Society 👏👏👏
It’s a cause close to the brother’s heart after they lost their mum to cancer in 2019.
As John picked up the electric razor to free his brother of his quiff, Edward said: “We’ve had this hair for over 10 years. It’s part of our identity. I don’t think we’d be here today if we didn’t have the hair, but this is the first time we’re going to have our hair like this since the beginning of Jedward.”
The Eurovision star then joked that he’d be investing in hats and sunscreen – before hilariously catching his reflection and screaming “Jaysus! Jaysus!”
Jedward’s efforts helped raise €2.5million (£2.1m) for the Irish Cancer Society.
Earlier in the show, Jedward performed an acoustic rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours. They also shared that as well as their mum battling cancer, their grandad had previously been diagnosed with lung cancer and skin cancer.
The Talk has been off air while CBS investigated the incident and has now announced Sharon has left the programme.
It said her behaviour during the 10 March episode “did not align with our values for a respectful workplace”.
CBS Photo Archive via Getty ImagesSharon Osbourne on The Talk.
In a statement obtained by the PA news agency, it said: “Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave The Talk.
“The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home.
“As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behaviour toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace.”
Responding to Sharon’s claims she had been set up by producers, CBS said: “We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts.”
However, CBS said it acknowledges the network, studio teams and producers are “accountable for what happened during that broadcast” because “it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race”.
CBS Photo Archive via Getty ImagesL-R: Elaine Welteroth, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood and Amanda Kloots, hosts of the CBS series THE TALK
CBS said during The Talk’s hiatus it will coordinate “workshops, listening sessions and training about equity, inclusion and cultural awareness for the hosts, producers and crew”.
It added: “Going forward, we are identifying plans to enhance the producing staff and producing procedures to better serve the hosts, the production and, ultimately, our viewers.”
The Talk is set to return to US screens on Monday 12 April.
The former X Factor judge has been contacted for comment.
He was criticised for saying he does not believe the duchess after she revealed she had suffered with her mental health and had suicidal thoughts.
CBS Photo Archive via Getty ImagesSheryl Underwood, host of the CBS series THE TALK
During a heated discussion, Sharon said: “I feel even like I’m about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is a racist so that makes me a racist.”
Sharon confronted co-host Sheryl, who is Black, and told her “don’t try and cry, because if anyone should be crying, it should be me”.
She added: “You tell me where you have heard him say, educate me, tell me when you have heard him say racist things.
“Educate me. Tell me.”
Sheryl said it was “not the exact words of racism” but “the implication and the reaction to it, to not want to address that because she is a Black woman and to try to dismiss it or to make it seem less than what it is, that’s what makes it racist”.
She gave an interview to Entertainment Tonight and alleged she had not been sufficiently prepared for the conversation by producers.
Sharon said her co-hosts “had preparation, they had written questions for them” but she was only approached eight minutes before filming began and was asked if she was OK with discussing Piers.
She told ET she felt she had been “set up,” adding: “My anger was like, I cannot believe this, I’m your sacrificial lamb.”
An appearance from Miriam Margolyes on This Morning usually means something outrageous is afoot, and we’re pleased to say she didn’t let us down during Thursday’s show.
Throughout her interview with presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, Miriam made it clear that she was deliberately acting on her best behaviour, while she promoted the new family film H Is For Happiness.
“What’s happened to you and where is Miriam Margolyes?” Phillip joked early on, to which the former Harry Potter star responded: “Well, bursting to get out, actually.”
As it turned out, it didn’t take long, and when the conversation turned to the actor’s past voiceover work, the Miriam we know and love soon crept out.
ITVMiriam Margolyes speaking from her home in Tuscany
When asked how she’s been whiling away her hours during lockdown in Tuscany, Miriam explained: “I’m doing voice work. I’ve got a little studio rigged up in the back stable, out of five Ikea curtain rails and five Ikea duvets, and I’m crouching under the duvet and doing Wallace And Gromit, so I’ve got something on my mind.”
She then disclosed that she can currently be heard in an ad for “a haemorrhoid suppository”, at which point Phillip asked about her past work with Cadbury.
“I was the original Cadbury Caramel bunny,” Miriam recalled. “I remember they kept saying ‘make it sexier’, ‘make it sexier’. And, you know, first thing in the morning, it’s not what’s on your mind, really.”
A mischievous Phillip then asked: “Didn’t you possibly get that job out of a couple of other tapes that you might have done before that were slightly less family orientated?”
“I thought I was supposed to very careful this morning on this show, your chap told me, now don’t say anything nasty,” Miriam claimed, with Holly joking that her co-host was “poking you with a big stick” and trying to lead her astray.
ITVAs always, Miriam had the This Morning team howling with her revelations.
It didn’t take much for her to spill the beans, though, with Miriam then declaring: “I did a couple of sex tapes. Sexy Sonia: Leaves From My Schoolgirl Diary, that was one of them.
“But I have to stress, they were audio tapes. They were not visual. And they were very exhausting, because when you’re simulating orgasm, as all of you out there know, it’s tiring, and you get a headache. It’s not a question of having a headache at the beginning, you get a headache at the end.
“So I haven’t done them again. I did the Cadbury bunny instead, and made a lot more money – because I only got paid £300 in those days.”
“It was at the Ann Summers sex shop,” she told the pair. “I expect you know it well. That’s where I auditioned.”
Following the news of his departure, GB News chair Andrew Neil – another former BBC journalist, who stepped down from the corporation last year – revealed that Simon would be joining him at GB News later in the year.
Responding to the news of Simon’s BBC exit, Andrew tweeted: “Oh yes. @BBCSimonMcCoy is joining @GBNEWS… another great hire!!”
A GB News press release revealed that Simon will be hosting an afternoon show on the station.
The forthcoming station’s director of news and programmes John McAndrew said: “Simon’s journalistic integrity, warmth and personality is a perfect for what we’re doing at GB News.
“He’s a brilliant journalist with an exceptional ability to relate to people in an upbeat way so we’re keen to get him our from behind a desk and talking to people from all parts of the United Kingdom.”
BBCSimon McCoy
HuffPost UK has contacted Simon McCoy’s agent for additional comment.
GB News is a new 24-hour news channel which is launching later this year, which bosses have said is aimed at the “vast number of British people who feel underserved and unheard by their media”.
As Andrew Neil wrote recently in the Sunday Express: “I believe the direction of news debate in Britain is increasingly woke and out of touch with the majority of its people. I believe our national conversation has become too metropolitan, too southern and too middle-class.
“Some journalists and commentators seem too confident that their liberal-left assumptions must surely be shared by every sensible person in the land. But many of those same sensible people are fed up. They feel left out and unheard.
“There’s a restlessness, a sense that they’re being talked down to; that much of the media no longer reflects their values or shares their concerns. GB News is aimed squarely at those people.”
Matt Crossick – PA Images via Getty ImagesAndrew Neil pictured in 2008
Other recruits so far include The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton, journalist and political commentator Inaya Folarin Iman, former Brexit Party member Alexandra Phillips and former Apprentice contestant Michelle Dewberry.
It’s also been heavily rumoured that Piers Morgan will be joining the station, following his much-publicised exit from Good Morning Britain earlier this month.
Andrew Neil recently said he’d be “delighted” to set up a meeting with Piers, stating: “[He] would be a huge asset to GB News and we’ll definitely look at that… we haven’t started any negotiations yet but we would certainly be delighted to talk to him if he’s up for it.”
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 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Seeing the cast of Gogglebox’s take on the past seven days of telly has been the highlight of our week for some time now, so when we saw that they’d be tackling one of Naked Attraction’s most iconic episodes ever, we knew we were in for a treat.
During Friday night’s show, the Goggleboxers sat down in their respective homes to watch a classic Naked Attraction episode that had aired on Channel 4 earlier in the week.
Things got off to a promising start, with long-serving cast member Stephen keeping his fingers crossed for “willies”, and Shirley declaring she “wouldn’t want to show my fanny to everyone, love”.
The episode in question introduced 57-year-old Judith, a church-going woman who decided that after surviving breast cancer and caring for her elderly mother, she deserved a bit of a treat.
“Who does she want to meet at 57?” Shirley questioned, to which her husband Dave suggested: “Someone half-tidy, I expect. With a big knob.”
Fan favourites Jenny and Lee were engrossed from the beginning, with the former declaring: “Let’s see what she’s got on offer.”
However, there was no preparing for some of the lines Judith would end up coming out with as she whittled down her prospective dates, including her suggestiion she’s happy with anything from “eight to 11 inches” and the immortal line: “God what a c**k!”
And pretty much everyone was speechless as the iconic Shirley performed a rendition of The Lord Is My Shepherd, accompanying herself on the keyboard, while her prospective dates swayed nude in the background.
As Louis Michael put it: “Just when you think it can’t get any more surreal, she whips out a piano and puts on a one-woman show. For the penises.”
“We all need a little bit of Judith in us really, don’t we?” Stephen said at the end of the episode.
Frankly, we can not agree more.
Gogglebox airs every Friday night at 9pm on Channel 4.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series two.
It’s fair to say that Thursday nights are not going to be the same for the foreseeable future following the conclusion of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
The show that has kept so many of us going through the third national lockdown came to an end with a final that was full of shade, serves and surprises.
Guy LevyBBC/World of Wonder/Guy LevyTayce, Ellie Diamond, Bimini Bon Boulash, Lawrence Chaney in the Drag Race UK final
The four finalists – Bimini Bon Boulash, Lawrence Chaney, Tayce and Ellie Diamond – each laid down their own verse for RuPaul’s track A Little Bit Of Love before putting on a popstar-worthy performance for Ru, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton.
For many, it topped off what has been a magnificent series that has firmly cemented the franchise’s place in the UK TV landscape…
1. PREACH.
Put #DragRaceUK on BBC fucking One at 9pm where it DESERVES to be. Don’t hide such talented and entertaining television just because you think it’s too queer for Kent. INCREASE THE BUGET, GIVE THEM PRIZE MONEY AND MORE EXPOSURE. pic.twitter.com/GzupdYGizq
7. Tia Kofi really took on Ru’s critiques and ran with them
Episode 5: “If you had my team of 50, do you know what you’d look like? Well…youd look like me!” Episode 10: Challenge accepted. pic.twitter.com/QaTHTuP0tz
13. Lawrence Chaney is now one step closer to making Morning Glory a real life actuality
14. Real queens do not tear each other down
15. Understood?
To be blunt… Yous don’t deserve #DragRaceUK if you’re gonna sit there tearing down another Queen because the one ‘you liked more’ wasn’t declared the winner.
You watched a different show entirely if you didn’t see that THEY ALL WON TONIGHT whilst filling our world with… pic.twitter.com/d9MIMpfblw
17. Honestly, we don’t know what we did to deserve all of this
A season that gave us
-Bing Bang Bong -Tayce’s testimonials -Tia Kofi’s commentary -Ginny taking flight -Rats: The Rusical -Bimini’s Snatch Game -Bimini’s runways -Bimini in general -The return from Covid Break -the H&M melter
ITVPatsy Palmer cut short an interview on Wednesday’s GMB
Revealing she was appearing to discuss her company, Good and Proper Hair, Patsy wrote under a previous Insta post: “My apologies to anyone that wants to hear good news as I have great faith that considering what is going on in the world right now there are still some people that do.
“I keep seeing people saying ‘get over yourself’, I have gotten over my old self years ago and no longer wish to discuss it when I only have 5 minutes air time
“I have been a people pleaser my whole life. I am not going to waste those precious 5 minutes talking about things that are 20 years old or about Meghan and Harry.
“If I do post things on social media in reaction to a TV show or an article I’ve read about something that’s my platform.
“I have always been very open and honest at certain times in my life as many people are forced to be in the public eye…
“I was supposed to be on there to talk about a new business that I created that couldn’t be more opposite to that headline.”
ITVPatsy took offence to the strap line that appeared on screen
The former Bianca Jackson actor then hit out at “trolls and haters” who had criticised her actions.
“Go fuck yourselves,” she wrote. “I’ve worked hard on myself to remove negativity from my life and the lives of my children so if anyone has a problem with that you need to go and take a look at your lives and wonder what drives you to jump on here to attack me for standing my ground.
“If you are parents doing that then shame on you. I hope you find some joy amidst all the madness.”
Patsy had been speaking on GMB from her home in Malibu via video link, with Susanna asking about her life out in the US as her opening question.
After noticing the offending strap line, she said: “You know what, actually, I don’t even want to do this interview because I don’t even want to look at what it says at the bottom of the screen,” she said.
“So I’m going to switch off, do a real Piers Morgan, and just say that it’s not okay to have ‘addict to wellness guru’ at the bottom of the screen.
“My issues I had years ago, that were talked about by me many, many years ago and it’s over so I’m not going to talk about it.
“I don’t really want to talk to you,” she said, as she pulled down the lid of her laptop.
Susanna and Ben tried to apologise, before throwing to a weather forecast.
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.
