Critics Are All Saying The Same Thing About Meghan Markle’s Festive Netflix Special

Posted on 03/12/2025 by Boris Clair

Meghan Markle’s much-derided Netflix lifestyle series may have come to an end – but it’s going out in a big way with one last instalment.

Yes, Wednesday morning saw the arrival of With Love, Meghan: Holiday Special, the first (and, presumably, only) festive special in the Duchess of Sussex’s two-season project which has seen her offering tips on everything from cooking and crafting to gardening and generally being a great first.

Seasons one and two of With Love, Meghan were slammed by critics upon their release earlier this year, with many reviews claiming that the show felt out of step with what’s going on in the world, particularly in light of the current social and economic climate.

And – surprise, surprise! – the Holiday Special has also been met with a similarly lukewarm response.

Here’s a selection of what critics are saying about With Love, Meghan’s seasonal swansong…

“That, mercifully, is the end. I feel both offended and harmed, but in the spirit of goodwill I will add a star to my rating in gratitude for the fact that at least we are safe now until next year. God bless us, every one.”

“I said a little prayer before watching With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration. Give me the strength, I muttered, to endure what is to come, and the grace not to give in to despair. I’ve been struggling since the trailer landed a couple of weeks ago, because it opened with Meghan, in wellies, dancing around Christmas trees shouting, ‘Hey-oh!’. Now the whole festive episode has arrived and it is more than we could have hoped for, or done to deserve.”

Naomi Osaka pays Meghan Markle a visit in her new Holiday Celebration

“You’ll be reaching for the Christmas spirits – make mine a double – within the first five minutes, as Meghan talks us through the basics. ‘Once a year, you get to do the tree thing’. Advent calendars ‘are about having a surprise every day for 24 days until you get to Christmas’. ’Tis the season to wrap gifts. You don’t say!

“This is reminiscent of the advice given by Pippa Middleton in Celebrate, that seminal work of non-fiction produced by the Princess of Wales’s sister, which recommended serving turkey on Christmas Day and going stargazing at night-time because that’s when it’s dark.”

“It’s not a real special by any stretch, but some YouTube content or the radio that you might put on in the background as you do your tree or wrap your presents. White noise to dull the senses. It’s all a little Stepford Wives; not informative, fun, enjoyable or even aspirational.”

“Sometimes, people are given a platform because of who they are, rather than what they can bring, and With Love, Meghan gives me the same feeling as when I am around very wealthy people who think that making a salad with friends makes them ‘grounded’ and ‘relatable’. On the other hand, there’s something soothing, even enjoyable, about the show’s glossy inanity.”

“It’s hardly scintillating stuff, but Netflix has really hit its stride with this special episode of With Love, Meghan. They’re really leaning [into] the frantic energy of its star trying to crack puns without splashing hot oil or butter down her pristine cashmere sweaters. Honestly, the production team must be trolling Meghan here with increasingly bizarre and elaborate set-ups for her to impart hosting ‘hacks’. In fact, are they really hacks? They would make anyone actually hosting Christmas for a big group have a nervous breakdown before the canapes were served.”

With Love, Meghan and With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration are streaming now on Netflix.

Sabrina Carpenter Hits Out At White House For Using Her Song In ‘Disgusting’ Video

Posted on 02/12/2025 by Boris Clair

Sabrina Carpenter has hit out at US president Donald Trump’s administration after the White House used her song to soundtrack a video she has described as “evil and disgusting”.

Responding on the same platform on Tuesday afternoon, the Grammy winner wrote: “This video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”

“This post honestly makes me sick,” she responded. “My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity – never about division or hate.”

6 Supplements A Surgeon Warns Never To Take At The Same Time

Posted on 28/11/2025 by Boris Clair

I’m not going to lie, my morning routine has been permanently altered by learning that iron tablets may not perform as well when taken with tea or coffee.

I used to have mine with my morning cuppa, but the NHS suggested the drinks may affect how much of the mineral my body can absorb.

And according to NHS surgeon, author, and podcast host Dr Karan Rajan, “If you consume too much calcium, either in supplement form or in food, this can actually impact iron absorption” too.

In fact, he shared a few supplements that you shouldn’t take together in an Instagram Reel.

Which supplements shouldn’t you take together?

1) Calcium and iron

You already know that he doesn’t want us taking calcium and iron at the same time – he recommends consuming these supplements “at least two hours apart” for the best benefits, and says to take vitamin C alongside your iron.

In fact, the Mayo Clinic advises against taking calcium supplements alongside iron-rich meals, too.

2) Zinc and calcium

Additionally, Dr Rajan stated that “If you combine zinc with calcium, the zinc competes with calcium for absorption in the gut, so taking both together limits the effectiveness of both”.

He also recommended spacing these apart by two hours if you require both supplements.

3) Zinc and iron

Think that means you can sync your zinc and iron supplement times? Sadly, that’d be too easy, according to Dr Rajan.

“Iron at concentrations of 25mg or more can reduce zinc absorption,” he continued. If your iron tablets meet that level, take them “a few hours” apart from zinc.

4) Green tea or green tea extract and iron

Green tea or green tea extract can also impact iron absorption. Dr Rajan said not to drink either if you need to take iron supplements.

And a 2016 paper even found that excessive green tea drinking appeared to actually cause iron deficiency anaemia.

5) Vitamin C and vitamin B12

Vitamin C and vitamin B12 don’t mix well when taken together, the surgeon continued, as “vitamin C in high doses can reduce the amount of vitamin B12 that’s absorbed… take vitamin C at least two hours after vitamin B12”.

6) Zinc and magnesium

Oh, and look – our old friend zinc is back with more complications.

“If you take zinc with magnesium,” the surgeon said, “the zinc in doses above 140mg per day can compete with magnesium for absorption… so take them at different times of the day.”

However, this only seems to be the case for pretty high levels of zinc.

Katy Perry Sets The Record Straight After Latest Music Video Sparks AI Speculation

Posted on 26/11/2025 by Boris Clair

Katy Perry has a message for those speculating that she relied on generative AI to create her latest music video.

Earlier this year, the Grammy nominee unveiled the stand-alone single Bandaids, alongside an accompanying music video which took inspiration from the Final Destination horror films.

In the clip, Katy plays a character who has several brushes with death over its four-minute runtime, including one sequence in which she is seen sawing through a tree-branch she’s sitting on, before falling straight to the ground.

Certain visual elements of the video led some to question if artificial intelligence tech was used to help create it, but Katy set the record straight in a behind-the-scenes Instagram post showing her on set, shared on Tuesday night.

“For those of you that thought this was AI… it wasn’t,” she wrote in the caption. “Cool dude.”

Bandaids is the first new music from Katy since her split from her long-time partner Orlando Bloom, prompting some suggestions that the lyrics were inspired by the break-up.

“It’s not what you did, it’s what you didn’t, you were there, but you weren’t,” the California Gurls star sings in the opening verse, adding: “Got so used to you letting me down, no use trying to send flowers now, telling myself you’ll change, you don’t, Band-Aids over a broken heart.”

Simon Cowell Reacts To Those Who ‘Blame’ Him For Liam Payne’s Death

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Boris Clair

Simon Cowell has responded to those critics who “blame” him for the sudden death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne.

The TV and music mogul mentored Liam during his and his One Direction bandmates’ time on The X Factor in 2011, and later signed them to his now-defunct Syco record label for the duration of their time together.

In October of last year, Liam died tragically at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Prior to that, the chart-topping singer had spoken publicly about issues relating to his mental health and substance abuse, and a toxicology report found alcohol, cocaine and prescribed drugs in his system at the time of his death.

During a new interview with Rolling Stone, Simon was asked about Liam’s death, stating: “When I heard the news, it really hit me. I saw him a year before this happened. He came over to my house. We talked about his son and being a dad.

“I remember saying, ‘Music is not everything. Don’t let it run your life anymore. Find something else that you are passionate about’.”

Simon continued: “You ask yourself that question: ‘Could I have done anything more? What would’ve happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?’.

“Having spoken to his mum and dad recently, all they kept telling me was he was so proud of what he had achieved. I wish I could turn back the clock, of course. When I spoke to him that day, I felt really good about him. I thought, ‘Wow, you seem in a really good place’.”

Asked about those who would put the blame on him for the circumstances leading to Liam’s death, the Britain’s Got Talent judge insisted he doesn’t “read any of this stuff because if I did, you would just torture yourself”.

“The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that,” he added.

Last year, Simon was among the guests at Liam’s funeral, where his four 1D bandmates were also in attendance.

Months before Liam’s death, Simon sparked controversy when he claimed that his “one regret” when it came to One Direction was not being made the legal owner of the group’s name, which even appeared to spark a response from members of the group at the time.

Strictly Come Dancing Announces Soap Star Nicholas Bailey For Christmas Special Line-Up

Posted on 25/11/2025 by Boris Clair

EastEnders star Nicholas Bailey has become the fourth celebrity confirmed for this year’s Christmas special of Strictly Come Dancing.

Nicholas is best known for his performance as Albert Square’s resident doctor Anthony Trueman, a role he’s played on and off for the last 25 years.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced he’d be performing alongside Strictly pro Luba Mushtuk – who was not given a celebrity partner on this year’s season – on the upcoming festive episode, which will air on Christmas Day.

He enthused: “I’m really excited to be doing this, almost as excited as my wife and daughters are! Hopefully I’ll do them, Albert Square and Luba proud.”

“Bring on the dance floor!” Nicholas added.

Nicholas joins a trio of celebrities already confirmed for the festive extravaganza, with the line-up currently made up of former I’m A Celebrity winner Scarlett Moffatt, All Saints singer Melanie Blatt and Gladiators fave Jodie Ounsley, better known to most of us under her alias Fury.

Outside of EastEnders, Nicholas has also appeared in shows like Coronation Street and the radio soap The Archers. He also competed on the talent show Soapstar Superstar back in 2006, finishing in eighth place overall.

This year’s Christmas Day episode of Strictly is a significant one, as it will mark Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s final time presenting the show, after announcing last month that they were both stepping down as hosts at the end of the current series.

Before all that, though, there’s the ongoing regular series of Strictly, with six couples still left in the competition.

On Saturday night, the remaining pairs will be taking part in a unique challenge during Saturday’s live show that has the potential to turn the leaderboard on its head.

The remaining two celebrities left to be unveiled for this year’s Strictly Christmas special will be announced in the coming days.

Pillion Director Explains Decision To Cut This X-Rated Scene From BDSM Biker Romance Movie

Posted on 21/11/2025 by Boris Clair

The director of the much-hyped romance Pillion has shed some light on why one particularly X-rated scene was cut from the new movie.

Earlier this year, the BDSM-themed biker movie was a stand-out when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and quickly became one of the most talked-about films of the year, which its leading man Alexander Skarsgård has capitalised on with some excellent red carpet looks channeling his character Ray.

Pillion also stars Harry Melling – best known for playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movies – who plays introverted Colin, a “wallflower” who quickly gets swept up in Ray’s exciting and mysterious world when he becomes his sub.

Audiences gave the film an eight-minute standing ovation when it premiered, with critics honing in on its balance of humour, emotional vulnerability and bold sexual scenes.

Its director, Harry Lighton, previously spoke about one such sex scene that didn’t make the final cut, explaining that he axed it so the audience didn’t end up “feeling they were being deliberately shocked by an image”.

The image in question was “one close up of a dick, a hard dick … like down the barrel of the lens” which he considered a bit much when he saw it on the giant cinematic screen.

Now, the filmmaker has added more context to the cut scene in a new interview with the Guardian, getting straight to the point.

“Originally, there was a closeup of Ray’s bell-end,” he said. “But it would have punctured the tension and raised a laugh.”

Despite the raunchy content, Alexander has previously insisted his dad – award-winning Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård – gave Pillion his stamp of approval after they sat down together to watch the film.

He also thinks his mum will be a fan, insisting in the new interview: “We never wanted to pander to straight audiences but I also think my mum’s gonna like the film. We didn’t make it for her but she can enjoy it.”

Not quite Downton with a cup of tea and a digestive, but we respect it…

Pillion is due to hit UK cinemas on Friday 28 November.

‘Lost’ Episodes Of Friends Spin-Off Available To Stream Almost 20 Years Later

Posted on 20/11/2025 by Boris Clair

Nearly 20 years after they were originally supposed to air in the US, the last eight episodes of the ill-fated Friends spin-off Joey will soon be available to watch.

The short-lived sitcom – which featured Matt LeBlanc back in action as his Friends alter-ego – ran between 2004 and 2006, but was cancelled during its second season after negative reviews and dwindling viewing figures, with its final run of episodes never being shown in the States.

However, after Friends’ popularity began to soar again during lockdown, the American broadcaster NBC started making Joey free to stream on the show’s official YouTube channel earlier this year.

Before that, Joey had been unavailable to stream, rent or purchase anywhere.

According to Deadline, the final eight instalments of Joey will soon be uploaded onto the Friends YouTube channel alongside the existing 38, to complete the whole series.

While these episodes are new to Americans, some international fans had already able to watch the entire series at the time. BBC News pointed out that British fans could watch the whole second season in 2007 on Channel 5, including these eight “lost” episodes.

The spin-off followed Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani after he left New York to pursue his acting career in Hollywood.

When in Los Angeles, the character reunited with his highly strung sister, Gina, and moved in with his genius nephew, Michael.

Jennifer Coolidge, Miguel A. Núñez Jr, Paulo Costanzo, Andrea Anders, Matt LeBlanc and Drea de Matteo on the set of Joey

Over the course of the series, viewers were also introduced to Joey’s new agent, his fellow actors and his LA neighbours, with the cast including The Sopranos star Drea De Matteo, Ted Lasso’s Andrea Anders and future Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge.

While the spin-off never featured any of the core Friends cast, David Schwimmer did direct a handful of episodes, while these newly-unearthed instalments also feature an appearance from Robert Constanzo, reprising the role of Joey Tribbiani Sr from the original sitcom.

Despite following Friends’ hugely successful run, Joey struggled to pull in audiences.

While Friends ended with nearly 66 million American viewers, Joey debuted to 18.6 million, which soon nosedived to 7.1 million by the second series.

That might sound impressive by 2025’s standards, but at the time, this was considered low viewership for a television sitcom.

Even in the UK, audiences struggled to connect with the spin-off, with the second episode losing over one million viewers compared with the first.

The executive producer for Friends, Kevin S. Bright, told The Age in 2006: “On Friends, Joey was a womaniser, but we enjoyed his exploits. He was a solid friend, a guy you knew you could count on.

“Joey was deconstructed to be a guy who couldn’t get a job, couldn’t ask a girl out. He became a pathetic, mopey character. I felt he was moving in the wrong direction, but I was not heard.”

Will The Beast In Me Get A Season 2? What We Know About The Netflix Show’s Future

Posted on 17/11/2025 by Boris Clair

This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s The Beast In Me.

Critics may not be unanimously sold on Netflix’s new thriller The Beast In Me, but that certainly hasn’t stopped people from bingeing the series in their droves.

Released on the platform last week, the eight-part mystery drama stars Homeland’s Claire Danes as a woman who begins to grow suspicious about her new next door neighbour, portrayed by Matthew Rhys.

At the time of writing, The Beast In Me was number one on Netflix’s list of most-watched shows in the UK, with those who’ve already binged it pondering whether the story could continue in some capacity.

With that in mind, we’ve got good news and bad news for fans of The Beast In Me hoping for more from the show…

So, will there be a season 2 of The Beast In Me on Netflix?

First, the bad. The Beast In Me is billed on Netflix as a “limited series”, and as anyone who’s now binge-watched all eight episodes will know, the story is a self-contained one that clearly wasn’t created with the intention of continuing the story.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean there couldn’t be more from the drama in the future, as Netflix shows like Beef and Monster were originally conceived as one-offs, only to be brought back when they proved popular with viewers.

Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys share the screen in The Beast In Me

So, given that The Beast In Me has already soared to the top of Netflix’s most-watched chart, it’s definitely not beyond the realm of possibility that the team behind it might look at bringing it back.

In fact, it’s something showrunner Howard Gordon has already expressed interest in…

What has the team behind The Beast In Me said about a possible season 2?

Asked about the possibility of more episodes in the future, Gordon told TV Insider: “The short answer is, I would say, sure […] I think there probably is a story there.”

But while – spoiler alert – Matthew Rhys would not be back for any future episodes, the showrunner also told TheWrap: “To the extent that Aggie is a writer who has been delivered to this next stage of her life, whatever that stage is… if there is a story, there might be more.”

He also teased: “I am tempted by the character of her grifter father in some way. We’ll see how the show does and if an idea comes. But I think they’d be open to more.”

Who else stars in the cast of The Beast In Me?

Besides Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, the show features an impressive array of stars including…

Brittany Snow

Natalie Morales

Deirdre O’Connell

David Lyons

Tim Guinee

Hettienne Park

Bubba Weiler

Aleyse Shannon

Julie Ann Emery

Will Brill

Kate Burton

Bill Irwin

Leila George

Find out more about where you might have seen the stars of The Beast In Me before here.

The Beast In Me is now streaming on Netflix.

Adele To Make Her Acting Debut In New Star-Studded Movie

Posted on 12/11/2025 by Boris Clair

Adele is set to join the star-studded cast of Tom Ford’s new film in what will mark her acting debut.

The chart-topping star has long expressed her interest in pursuing an acting career, and teased last year that she would be taking a step back from the music scene after completing her string of live shows in support of her album 30.

On Wednesday, Deadline reported that Adele would be appearing in the cast of Tom Ford’s next film, which would be an adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1982 novel Cry To Heaven.

But the Someone Like You singer is far from the only famous face linked with the movie.

Deadline’s article named Adele’s co-stars in the projects as Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Paul Bettany, Daryl McCormack and Colin Firth, who previously appeared in Tom Ford’s adaptation of A Single Man.

Also linked with the project are Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Thandiwe Newton, Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer and Owen Cooper, the British teen actor who recently won an Emmy for his stand-out performance in Netflix’s Adolescence.

Owen has since appeared in the BBC comedy Film Club, and will next make his big-screen debut in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights in early 2026.

Tom Ford’s team has since confirmed to HuffPost UK that Deadline’s story is accurate.

Adele said a decade ago that she’d be interested in trying out acting after her performance in her Hello music video, directed by filmmaker Xavier Dolan, and was previously linked with a role in a potential remake of the musical Oliver.

When The Hollywood Reporter asked in 2023 if she’d “ever considered acting”, she responded: “No. There is one movie I want to do, but the guy whose movie it would be, he’s not mentally ready to write the script for it.”

“I’m not giving you no clues, though,” she insisted. “But I bug him every now and then about it, but he’s just not there yet. But that’s the only role I ever want. Because I think I’d nail it. I think I’d do really, really, really good at it.”

Last year, the Daily Mail also quoted a “source” who claimed that Adele had been taking acting lessons with the hopes of taking her career in a different direction.

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