Claudia Winkleman Steps Down From BBC Chat Show: ‘I Was Too Nervous To Enjoy It’

Posted on 16/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Claudia Winkleman has confirmed that she won’t be returning to her BBC chat show.

The Claudia Winkleman ran for eight weeks earlier this year, and was met with mixed reviews from both critics and viewers.

On Thursday, the Bafta winner announced that she had made the decision not to carry on with the format – at least for the time being.

“Sometimes you have to try something to see how it fits, and I realised I was just too nervous to enjoy it,” she said in a statement.

“Maybe one day I will give it another try, but for now I already have the best jobs in the world and absolutely love the shows I’m doing.”

Claudia added: “I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for giving me the opportunity, to the guests who agreed to come and chat to me, and the production team who were simply excellent.”

The Claudia Winkleman Show was executive produced by Graham Norton, who previously jumped to his fellow presenter’s defence amid criticism aimed at her programme.

He told the Daily Mail: “What Claudia did was The Claudia Winkleman Show, and that’s what she’s supposed to be doing.

“She shouldn’t be trying to be me. She should be trying to be Claudia, and she nailed that.”

The BBC’s director of entertainment enthused: “Claudia’s warmth and quick wit made The Claudia Winkleman Show an absolute joy.

“Whilst we loved the show, we fully respect her decision and would like to thank Claudia and the brilliant team at So Television for bringing the series to screen on the BBC.”

Claudia can currently be seen in action in the latest season of the Channel 4 competition series The Piano, and will return to TV’s most famous castle for the second iteration of The Celebrity Traitors in the autumn.

This time around, the all-star cast will include comedians Miranda Hart, James Acaster and Joe Lycett, actor Bella Ramsey, former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Oscar nominee Richard E Grant.

Christopher Nolan Opens Up About Ending The Odyssey Shoot Early: ‘People Were Exhausted’

Posted on 14/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has claimed that the cast and crew of The Odyssey had “been through it” when the decision was made to stop filming ahead of schedule.

Earlier this week, the Oscar winner paid a visit to The Daily Show to discuss his new movie, where host Jon Stewart asked if it was true that the film was completed “ahead of schedule” and “under budget”.

“Yes,” the filmmaker confirmed, pointing out that this “never happens” in Hollywood. “The reality is, we [scheduled for] 100 days. And by day 91, we couldn’t have taken another step. So we finished.”

“We finished at the right time,” he claimed, pointing out that “everybody was done”.

“I mean, people were just exhausted,” Nolan continued. “They’d been through it. So, it took the right time to make the film. We had enough time to make it.”

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Nolan has made no secret of the fact that The Odyssey made for an especially tough shoot, elaborating further on this during a new interview with The Telegraph in which he complimented the crew for being so “game for it”.

Meanwhile, cast members Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson have both shared their experiences of their gruelling time on set.

Last month, Matt told GQ: “The joke on the crew was we didn’t have a single easy location. Every time we’d go somewhere, we’d be like, ‘Well, Iceland will be easier’. And then it’s raining sideways and it’s fucking freezing. Iceland was like, ‘Yeah, easy? Hey, hold my beer’.”

He also admitted that even when the shoot moved from perilous locations to a soundstage in Los Angeles, this came with its own problems.

“Sure enough, we showed up [to the set in LA] and Chris has two jet engines blowing so much water at us,” he explained. “So it was kind of a fitting end. Even the controlled environment was cold, wet, and a little bit miserable.”

Robert then agreed that he had “never seen people look so exhausted” before beginning his work on The Odyssey.

The Odyssey will be released in cinemas worldwide on Friday 17 July.

Steven Spielberg Says Sam Neill Will ‘Never Be Forgotten’ In Beautiful Tribute

Posted on 13/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Steven Spielberg has paid a heartfelt tribute to the actor Sam Neill, who he directed in the first Jurassic Park movie.

On Monday, the Oscar-winning filmmaker was among the Hollywood stars to pay their respects to Sam, following his death at the age of 78.

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg shared how “saddened” he was by the loss, beginning by expressing his “gratitude” to filmmakers Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce “for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention”, which led to him being cast in Jurassic Park.

Spielberg enthused: “Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children.

“I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”

Laura Dern then shared her own tribute with the US outlet, which read: “Sam was my beloved lifetime friend.

“He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man.”

Laura Dern and Sam Neill played the leads in 1993's Jurassic Park — Laura Dern and Sam Neill played the leads in 1993’s Jurassic Park

“I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant,” she concluded.

Following the news of Sam’s death on Monday morning, a number of his Hollywood peers and former co-stars have been paying their respects on social media…

I’m just absolutely devastated. Darling Sam. I really don’t have any words right now. I’m in complete shock. Last time we spoke he was going so well. My heart goes out to his family and all who love him – and there are so many of us. Vale my darling friend 💔💔💔💔#Sam #samneill

— Magda Szubanski AO (@MagdaSzubanski) July 13, 2026

Oscar winner Cillan Murphy, who starred alongside Sam in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders, told Deadline: “Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure.

“He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors.”

New Zealand and Australia’s prime ministers, Christopher Luxon and Anthony Albanese, also posted tributes of their own.

Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats.

He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest…

— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) July 13, 2026

Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.

Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.

He will be much…

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 13, 2026

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney Australia,” his family announced in a statement.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”

The Emmy nominee’s death was described as “sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free”.

Second Love Island Contestant Confirmed For This Year’s Strictly Come Dancing Line-Up

Posted on 09/07/2026 by Boris Clair

On Thursday afternoon, the BBC revealed that Cach would be the second former Love Island star to be taking part in the new series, joining fellow champion Dani Dyer on the line-up.

He said: “I have grown up watching the show with my family and am so excited to now be part of the cast.

“Dancing is a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to learn ballroom and do the Foxtrot for the first time!”

Since leaving the vila, he’s enjoyed work as a model and DJ, and become a major presence on social media, with the BBC noting that he has accrued tens of millions of likes on TikTok, thanks to his posts “showcasing his Afrobeat, hip-hop and street dance moves”.

Dune Director Lays Out Exactly What Makes Part Three Such A Different Film

Posted on 09/07/2026 by Boris Clair

Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has shared how the much-anticipated third instalment in the Dune franchise will differ from the previous two movies.

The third and final film in the sci-fi trilogy picks up almost two decades after Dune: Part Two, with Timotheé Chalamet’s Paul Atreides now a not-so-benevolent ruler of the known universe.

Speaking at a Q&A event on Wednesday, the Canadian director explained that he didn’t want to rest on his creative laurels after the success of the second Dune film, and as a result, Part Three is quite different.

“I said to myself, it’s a good idea to come back to this world, not by nostalgia but by urgency,” he explained. “And to go there with a critical eye and the idea not to be self-indulgent.”

The Oscar nominee – who is set to helm the next film in the James Bond franchise – continued: “I want us to bring the audience to new parts of Arrakis, and [offer] something that [feels] fresh and new.”

He also pointed that “people who know the book know that it’s a very different beast”, before laying out what audiences should expect from the new movie.

“It’s more of a thriller,” he teased. “It’s a more intense story. And it’s definitely more emotional as well.

“So, it will be the third and last Dune movie. It’s a Dune movie that is very different[ly] written and it’s much more intense, I must say.”

Timotheé Chalamet, who was also in attendance at the Q&A, agreed: “The approach was slightly different on this one. It wasn’t like, ‘OK, we found a formula and now we’re going to run it back’. This is a different movie.”

He added: “I think the first two are sort of siblings, and the third one is really its own energy, and I love that approach. I thought, ‘Wow, it’s familiar – this crew, this family – but there’s a new tone to this’.”

Denis and Timothée’s comments coincide with the release of an exciting new trailer for Dune: Part Three, also released on Wednesday, which promises to be the darkest instalment of the film series yet.

The trailer shows Timotheé’s Paul as he finds himself waging wars, facing his betrayed lover, Zendaya’s Chani, and coming face to face with a shapeshifting new character, played by Robert Pattinson.

Audiences also get a glimpse at Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan and Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho, who has mysteriously – at least, to people who haven’t read the book – returned from the dead.

Dune: Chapter Three hits cinemas on Friday 18 December 2026. Watch the new trailer for yourself below:

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Christopher Nolan Defends Controversial Language Choice In New Film The Odyssey

Posted on 08/07/2026 by Boris Clair

The Odyssey director Christoper Nolan has defended his use of modern English in his upcoming adaptation of Homer’s Ancient Greek epic.

When the first full-length trailer for one of the most anticipated films of the year landed in December, people couldn’t help but be surprised and a little disappointed by how its dialogue came across.

Despite the source dating back to around the 7th or 8th century BC and being set in Ancient Greece, most of the cast have American accents and use modern language, in contrast to the more traditional way people are depicted as speaking in historical dramas.

However, Nolan has told The Los Angeles Times that he purposefully wanted to modernise his take on The Odyssey, and use language “that has emotional not intellectual meaning to people” in his film.

When writing the script, he deliberately chose modern dialogue and colloquialisms, such as when Tom Holland’s Telemachus refers to Matt Damon’s character, Odysseus, as “Dad” rather than “Father” in one scene.

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“I was maybe being naïve, it might bite me on the ass, but I wanted an earthy narrative,” the Oppenheimer director explained. “To me it was a no-brainer.”

For similar reasons, Nolan cast a star-studded collection of A-listers that modern cinemagoers would instantly recognise and feel at home with in his new movie, which includes everyone from Zendaya and Anne Hathaway to Jon Bernthal and Lupita Nyong’o.

Christopher Nolan posing with the cast of The Odyssey

“These are mythological figures, iconic in some ways,” he said of characters like Helen of Troy, the goddess Athena and Sparta’s King Menelaus.

Nolan was previously criticised earlier this year for the supposed inaccuracy of the costumes in The Odyssey. He defended his film to Time magazine shortly afterwards, defending the choices he made.

The Odyssey is released on Friday 17 July. Already, early reactions to the film have been glowing, with those who have seen it describing it as “a spectacle,” “immense” and “staggering”.