Nicole Kidman called out a journalist’s “sexist” question about her ex-husband Tom Cruise during a recent interview.
The Australian actor was being interviewed by The Observer about her latest release, biopic Being The Ricardos, in which she plays late Hollywood actor Lucille Ball.
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Nicole was speaking about her character’s relationship with Desi Arnaz – played by Javier Bardem – after the real-life married couple appeared on TV sitcom I Love Lucy in the US in the 1950s.
However, Nicole was not impressed when the journalist then asked about her previous marriage to the Mission Impossible star.
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Of Lucille and Desi, Nicole had said: “It’s about a creative and romantic relationship that doesn’t work out. But from it come some extraordinary things. And I love that. I love that it’s not a happy ending.
“This film says you can make an extraordinary relationship thrive and leave remnants of it that exist forever,” she continued. “Yeah, that’s really gorgeous. You can’t make people behave how you want them to, and sometimes you’re going to fall in love with someone who isn’t going to be the person you spend the rest of your life with. And I think that’s all very relatable. You may have kids with them. You may not, but they were very much in love.”
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The journalist then asked “with exquisite care” if Nicole was also referring to her marriage to Tom with her answer.
She then replied: “Oh, my God, no, no. Absolutely not. No. I mean, that’s, honestly, so long ago that that isn’t in this equation. So, no.”
The journalist claimed Nicole became “angry” and continued: “And I would ask not to be pigeonholed that way, either. It feels to me almost sexist, because I’m not sure anyone would say that to a man. And at some point, you go, ‘Give me my life. In its own right.’”
HuffPost UK had contacted a representative for Nicole Kidman and is awaiting a response.
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Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise pictured in 1992
Ron Galella, Ltd. via Getty Images
Nicole and Tom married in 1990 and went on to adopt two children together, Isabella, now 29, and Connor, 26.
Tom later filed for divorce in 2001 citing “irreconcilable differences”.
“He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him,” she said at the time.
Being The Ricardos is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
Gemma Collins is set to walk down the aisle after confirming (sort of) her engagement to her boyfriend Rami Hawash (we think).
It’s the second time the former TOWIE star has been engaged to the businessman after he popped the question in 2013, before going their separate ways a year later.
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But after rekindling their romance earlier this year, speculation that the reality star was engaged again started after she was pictured with a diamond ring on her wedding finger.
And it seems the rumours are true and Rami has indeed put a ring on it.
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But this being the GC, the engagement isn’t quite officially official… yet, as Rami is still going through a divorce from his first wife.
Gemma Collins and Rami Hawash
Mark R. Milan via Getty Images
Asked if she has got re-engaged, Gemma told The Times: “Yeah, but we can’t really come out and say anything yet because Ram was married before and his paperwork has not come through, so until that’s officially signed, we’ve not said anything.
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“They’ve not been together for two years. I know her, she’s got a partner, she’s as good as gold. There’s a child involved, he’s only three, obviously I love him to death. But until that paperwork’s signed I can’t come out.”
Gemma Collins (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Mike Marsland via Getty Images
Earlier this year, Gemma spoke of her hope of becoming a parent with Rami.
“I am trying to have a baby,” she told Metro. “I have been with my partner for a while, we don’t use condoms now.
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“I am 40 years old but if I was back out on the dating scene then I’d definitely be using one.
“The baby is going to be adored. I haven’t had a baby yet, but I speak as if I have as I am trying to cosmic order it up.
“I am going to be a chilled mum and I am not going to force my child into doing anything. It’s going to be so happy for me. The child is going to be like royalty.
“I have a fabulous partner now who I am very, very happy with. And he is good-looking. The child is going to be fabulous and amazing and I can’t wait.”
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4RlZs0dYc8","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Official Trailer | Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts","author":"Sky TV","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxw5iQs7tt4qbcLa31shZ7Q","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Old memories shared. New memories made. Come celebrate the magic when Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: #ReturnToHogwarts arrives on New Year’s Day, on Sky Max.\n\nStarring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and more.\n\nSubscribe for more: http://www.youtube.com/skytv\n\nFind #SkyTV on:\n👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/skytv\n👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skytv\n👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skytv\n\nAbout Sky\nSky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation. Across six countries, we connect our 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content. \n\nFollowing the launch of Sky Glass, we now offer customers our strongest ever line-up of products and services. As well as the new streaming TV with Sky inside and everything integrated, customers can enjoy the award-winning Sky Q with all your favourite channels and apps in one place, and with Sky Go you can now access an even better experience on your devices. Sky TV has new channels, new shows and new deals with Peacock, Paramount+ and more. Sky Mobile was voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, and with Sky Broadband we’re offering our fastest speeds yet.\n\nBuilding on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Sky Cinema is the home of Sky Original films with brand new films launching every month alongside an unrivalled range of the latest cinema releases and on demand library. \n\nWe believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity, and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation. We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over the next three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-4RlZs0dYc8/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
We only have a few days left to wait until the Harry Potter cast are reunited for their one-off TV special, and we’re already being teased with what we can expect from the 20th anniversary celebration – including plenty of cast secrets.
One of those is Daniel Radcliffe’s revelation that he had a major crush on one of the film franchise’s older stars.
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Daniel, now 32, admits he had a soft spot for Helena Bonham Carter, who played Voldemort’s evil lieutenant Bellatrix Lestrange, and is 23 years older than the Harry Potter actor.
Reading his message aloud for the first time, he said: “Dear HBC, it was a pleasure being your co-star and coaster in the fact I always ended up holding your coffee.
“I do love you and I wish I’d just been born ten years earlier so I might’ve been in with a chance.”
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Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Radcliffe backstage at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
via Associated Press
And Daniel wasn’t the only Harry Potter star who had an on-set crush.
Emma Watson recalled the exact moment she “fell in love” with her former co-star Tom Felton during a tutoring session between filming.
Emma – who played Hermione Granger – reminisced about her crush on Tom, who played villainous Draco Malfoy.
“I walked into the room where we were having tutoring,” Emma recalled. “The assignment that had been given was to draw what you thought God looked like, and Tom had drawn a girl with a backward cap on a skateboard.
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“And I just don’t know how to say it – I just fell in love with him. I used to come in every day and look for his number on the call sheet, it was number seven, and if his name was on the call sheet, it was an extra exciting day.
“He was three years above me and so for him he was like: ‘you’re like my little sister’.”
(L-R) Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis attend the New York premiere of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on July 11, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Stephen Lovekin via Getty Images
Nothing ever happened between the two young stars, but Tom did admit that he knew that Emma had a crush on him.
Tom said: “I think I was in the hair and make-up chair and someone said something along the lines of, ‘Yeah, she had a crush on you.’
“I became very protective over her. Yeah, I’ve always had a soft spot for her and that continues to this day. There’s always been something that’s like, I don’t know, a kinship.”
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is available to watch on Sky and streaming service NOW (with an Entertainment membership) from New Year’s Day.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special proved a ratings hit, claiming the most viewers outside of the Queen’s festive message.
The Strictly special, which was won by pop star Anne-Marie, was watched by an average of 5.8 million viewers, according to overnight figures from the BBC.
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The 30-year-old singer and her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima were victorious after performing a thrilling cha cha, which earned them a perfect score of 40 from the judges.
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BBC One secured eight of the top 10 programmes on Christmas Day – with ITV taking eighth and ninth place with episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
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The Queen’s Christmas broadcast, which was around 10 minutes long and saw her reflect on the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, was watched by 7.4 million viewers on the BBC.
Queen Elizabeth II during her annual Christmas broadcast
Victoria Jones via PA Wire/PA Images
Third place went to Call The Midwife with 4.7 million viewers, Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel secured 4.6 million and was fourth, while Blankety Blank took fifth with 4.2 million.
Sixth place was taken by Mary Poppins Returns, the 2018 sequel to the well-loved 1964 film, with 3.7 million viewers, while animated production Superworm was in seventh with 3.34 million.
On ITV, Coronation Street secured 3.25 million viewers and Emmerdale was watched by 3 million.
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In 10th place, the festive EastEnders special had an audience of 2.9 million.
BBC One sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys, which usually secures high audience numbers, did not feature in the top 10.
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “Viewers chose the BBC on Christmas Day and entertained them in their millions, with Strictly taking the top spot.
“Nothing brings the country together at Christmas quite like the BBC, there was something for everyone with the seven most popular programmes across the day that caps off a brilliant year on the BBC, celebrating British creativity where we have delivered hits and award winning work and seen huge audiences come to our shows.
“It’s these moments, in a time of intense competition, that prove that after 99 years the BBC matters more than ever.
“We have an ambitious and exciting year ahead in 2022 to mark our centenary year with an unmissable range of world class content that will celebrate and reflect the unique role the BBC continues to play in the lives of audiences across the UK.”
Posh posted a video of Becks roasting chestnuts on an open fire on Christmas Day, as he sang along to The Christmas Song.
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As he gave it his best Nat King Cole, David turned around and realised that Victoria was filming him.
“Oh my God, you’re actually trying hard with that vocal,” she laughed.
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In a dig at Posh’s own vocal prowess – which was often commented on during her Spice Girls days – David had a hilarious comeback, remarking: “Oh I’m sorry, Adele.”
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As Victoria posted the video on Instagram, she even tagged Adele in the caption, as she joked that David was “burning his nuts”.
She wrote: “Does anyone love Christmas as much as my husband?!? @davidbeckham husband?!? kisses @adele #burninghisnuts.”
Victoria also shared a picture of her and David with their kids to wish her followers a Merry Christmas.
The snap showed the couple and children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper all in their finest gear in front of a Christmas tree at the recent wedding of David’s dad Ted.
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Victoria’s followers noticed something amusing about the photo though, when they spotted David was standing on tip toes to try and make himself taller than his sons.
“First thing I noticed, bless him,” one person commented.
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Following the success of A Very English Scandal starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw in 2018, the anthology series is returning – albeit slightly retitled – to tell the story of another high-profile scandal from the history books.
A Very British Scandal is set to be one of the biggest dramas airing over the Christmas period, beginning in a plum Boxing Day evening slot, with the following two parts being shown over the subsequent evenings.
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From the real story, to what happened next, this is what you need to know…
What is A Very British Scandal about and is it a true story?
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The Duke and Duchess of Argyll in 1959
Fairfax Media Archives via Getty Images
A Very British Scandal tells the real-life story of the tempestuous marriage and the bitter, brutal divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.
The case played out in the white-hot glare of the 1960s media, with accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, secret recording, bribery and an explicit Polaroid picture all making the front pages. The saga ended with Margaret Campbell fighting to prove that she was more than just a so-called “Dirty Duchess”, as she was labelled in the press.
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During the divorce process, the Duke produced a Polaroid photograph of the Duchess performing a sexual act on another unidentified man – nicknamed “the headless man” – that he had found, in a move that has been likened to modern day revenge porn in reflections on the case.
He also produced a list of men with whom he believed his wife had had extra-marital affairs. A judge subsequently granted him a divorce, calling the Duchess a “wholly immoral” and “completely promiscuous woman”.
The series turns the scandal inside out to explore the social and political climate of post-war Britain, looking at attitudes towards women during that era, and examining how Margaret was betrayed by her friends and publicly shamed by a society that revelled in her fall from grace.
Writer Sarah Phelps says: ”It’s a story about a woman who refused to be slut shamed, who refused to go quietly and refused to do as she was told. She set fire to the expectation of her class, gender and her sex rather than go quietly.
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“She put the private lives of the wealthy, the landed and the titled all over the front pages, not the untouchable great and good but bare forked animals.”
Who were the Duke and Duchess of Argyll?
The Duke and Duchess at their wedding in 1951
Keystone via Getty Images
Margaret Campbell was the daughter of a self-made millionaire and famous for being an “It Girl” and a debutante before her second marriage to Ian Campbell in 1951, where she became part of the aristocracy for a brief period.
Ian Campbell was the 11th Duke Of Argyll, inheriting the dukedom from his first cousin once removed, Niall Diarmid Campbell, in 1949.
He had been married twice before he and Margaret tied the knot. His first marriage was to Jeanne Campbell, with whom he had two sons – including Lord Colin Campbell, the ex-husband of royal biographer and I’m A Celebrity contestant Lady Colin Campbell.
Who plays the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in A Very British Scandal?
Claire Foy plays Margaret
via PA Features Archive/Press Association Images
Claire Foy (The Crown, Wolf Hall) and Paul Bettany (Iron Man, WandaVision) lead the cast as Margaret and Ian Campbell.
Speaking about her character, Claire says: “There’ve been so many books written about Margaret and so many rumours about her. She even wrote her own book but in that she doesn’t refer to her sexual life – as why would she? Margaret’s sexuality seems to have become another personality or something outside of herself, which I find that really bizarre and strange.
“In this story, what I’m keen on is how easily she fell in love and how she kept letters and mementos of her lovers. In a way, I think that was the romantic side of her and her sexuality was linked to that. But also in this story, no one should have the right to know that side of her. It’s no one’s business and it never was. It’s straight misogyny.”
Paul Bettany plays Ian Campbell
via PA Features Archive/Press Association Images
Paul adds: “The press was rabid and incredibly cruel to Margaret and if you read the old stories back, the misogyny is extraordinary. If this were happening now, she would be seen in a much different light.”
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He says of their story: “It’s been fascinating to get into and also the porn shaming of this woman.. The idea of a husband doing that is so distasteful and cruel. It’s so shocking to think that it happened at that time. It still happens and it’s appalling.”
What happened to the Duchess after the events of A Very British Scandal?
Margaret Campbell pictured in 1975
Ian Tyas via Getty Images
After the divorce was finalised in 1963, Margaret published a memoir, Forget Not.
She lost her fortune and subsequently opened her Mayfair house at 48 Upper Grosvenor Street for paid tours before later moving to a suite at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
Following another move, she was later placed in a nursing home in Pimlico, where she died in 1993 following a fall.
She was buried alongside her first husband and father of her three children, Charles Sweeny, in Brookwood Cemetery in Woking, Surrey.
It was reported that Margaret died largely penniless.
Ian Campbell remarried shortly after his divorce was granted, wedding Mathilda Coster Mortimer in 1963. The couple remained together until Ian’s death in 1973.
When is A Very British Scandal on?
A Very British Scandal will air on Boxing Day at 9pm on BBC One and continues over the next two consecutive nights.
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All episodes will also be available as a boxset to stream from 26 December on BBC iPlayer.
While every year there are moans and groans about the Christmas TV schedules being packed with repeats, there’s one show that we definitely don’t mind watching again and again – the original Gavin & Stacey Christmas special.
The BBC sitcom had been running for two seasons by the time we got the first festive episode in 2008, and what a Christmas special it was.
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While we’d seen plenty of interactions between the entire Shipman and West clan in the years previous, there was a real moment of joy seeing them all prepare for their first Christmas together following Gavin and Stacey’s wedding.
Not only did the hour-long episode deliver on comedy and plot, but it also highlighted all those little Christmas foibles that go on in households up and down the country come 25 December.
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And while it was a burst of nostalgia having the gang back together in 2019 for the much-anticipated reunion episode, there’s something magical about the original that made it such a festive masterpiece.
Here’s why it’s a show that’s worthy of repeat viewing every December…
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1. Pam’s stance on Christmas cards
Pam had strong views on when to send Christmas cards
Prior to 2008, we were always baffled as to why some people would send their Christmas cards before December had even rolled around, but Pam Shipman imparted some serious wisdom on us that made us completely reverse our stance.
“What is the point of sending cards that arrive on Christmas Eve? They’ll get taken down in a few days. That’s why I send all mine on the first of November. Gives people seven weeks to enjoy them,” she said.
You have to admit, she has a point, right?
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2. John who?
Step-brother John!
Speaking of Christmas cards, Pam and Mick also tapped into something we’ve all heard our parents say when they receive a festive greeting from someone they cannot quite place.
“Oh, look at that, ‘From John’… It could be mechanic John… It won’t be John from Ann and John.”
3. Doris being “absolutely twatted” before lunchtime on Christmas Eve
Oh how we miss Doris
A relatable queen.
4. Nessa in the grotto
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Merry Christmas” was an inspired piece of writing from Ruth Jones and James Corden.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcAUKOICPn4","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Smithy and Gavin’s Christmas sing-a-long | Gavin & Stacey – BBC","author":"BBC","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCj956IF62FbT7Gouszaj9w","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Subscribe and 🔔 to OFFICIAL BBC YouTube 👉 https://bit.ly/2IXqEIn\nStream original BBC programmes FIRST on BBC iPlayer 👉 https://bbc.in/2J18jYJ\n\nGavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa have a Christmas to remember and not necessarily in a good way in a special festive edition of the award-winning comedy.\n\nGavin & Stacey | Christmas Special 2008 | BBC\n\n#BBC #BBCiPlayer #GavinandStacey\n\nAll our TV channels and S4C are available to watch live through BBC iPlayer, although some programmes may not be available to stream online due to rights. If you would like to read more on what types of programmes are available to watch live, check the ‘Are all programmes that are broadcast available on BBC iPlayer?’ FAQ 👉 https://bbc.in/2m8ks6v.","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lcAUKOICPn4/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
It’s the scene that inspired James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, and despite the fact he’s had the likes of Adele, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga join him in his car to sing along to their biggest hits, it’s still Smithy’s duet down the phone on Do They Know It’s Christmas? that remains the original and the best.
We’ve also never been able to say Midge Ure’s name the same way since.
The scene where Gwen and Bryn share their first ever mint Baileys before boarding the coach to Essex wasn’t big or flashy, but it had a quiet comfort and poignancy about it, which Gavin & Stacey always nails so perfectly.
7. Mick’s turkey saga
The turkey scene in Gavin and Stacey
Are you basting it? Are you soaking it overnight? Are you doing it the Nigella way? Or are you sticking to Jamie Oliver, because you “know where you are with him”?
Through the characters of Mick and Pete, the Christmas special managed to perfectly encapsulate the bizarre obsession and competitiveness dads have with other men about their turkeys each year.
8. The fight
Pam wasn’t exactly thrilled with Gavin’s news
Pam’s eruption after finding out her “little prince” was planning on relocating to Barry set off a chain of events that made this scene one of the most memorable in Gavin & Stacey history.
Not only did Alison Steadman absolutely commit to the moment, but we also saw Gwen finally stand up to Pam, Nessa threaten to “see her outside” (and Pam stupidly believe she could take her on), before Pete went toe-to-toe with Dave Coaches to defend Dawn’s honour.
Admittedly, there’s some language that we’d hope wouldn’t make it into the script in 2021 and we were very pleased when they all put the row behind them. But it has to be said, this scene shook up the dynamic between all the characters and also sent up those fights that happen in every family each festive season.
9. Pam and Mick’s royal romp
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Mick in his comedy Prince Charles ears
We learned that Pam’s obsession with the Duchess of Cornwall translated into the bedroom as she prepared to be “knighted” with Mick’s “special sword” while he was wearing a comedy pair of Prince Charles ears.
10. Pam’s vegetarianism comes unstuck
As “Three Steaks Pam” faced the prospect of a turkey-less Christmas after her long-standing lies about being a vegetarian, it transpired she hadn’t fooled anyone with her stance on meat – except for Gwen that is, who had bought her a vegetarian cookbook for Christmas.
11. The opening of the “presents”
Nessa and Dave gifted everyone a single chocolate from a box of Celebrations
Never before had we been so eager to see which Celebration someone was eating, and we definitely still relate to Smithy wrapping all his presents in tin foil for ease.
Doris gifting Gwen talcum powder, despite her still having a stack of it unused at home from previous years, was also a foible we’ve seen play out during present openings over the years.
12. The Nessa and Smithy sexual tension
Smithy didn’t want Nessa to marry Dave
Years before we got the 2019 Christmas proposal, there was a special moment between Nessa and Smithy that gave fans hope that the characters would finally end up together as Smithy urged her not to marry Dave Coaches.
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All episodes of Gavin & Stacey are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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If you’re anything like us, you’ll currently be poring over the Christmas TV listings, picking out all the unmissable shows you need to see this year.
And while the BBC, ITV, Netflix and co have put on a veritable buffet of televisual treats for us over the festive period, we’ve been feeling all nostalgic about the telly of Christmases past.
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So join us as we head back in time to 2001, to see what we were all sitting down to watch (and perhaps fall asleep to) 20 years ago…
CHRISTMAS EVE
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Dale’s National Lottery Christmas Cracker
7.15pm on BBC One
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Dale Winton
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The late Dale Winton hosted a special edition of his National Lottery show, which saw him joined by Will Smith and Vinnie Jones, while Westlife, S Club 7, the Corrs and Cher were on hand to provide the music.
Des O’Connor Tonight At Christmas
8.30pm on ITV
Des O’Connor and Will Smith
There was a double dose of Will Smith on 24 December, as he was also one of the guests on a special festive edition of Des O’Connor’s chat show.
It was a chat show extravaganza on Christmas Eve back in 2001, as no sooner had Des finished up his ITV show than Parky was welcoming a host of famous faces onto his iconic interview series.
Dame Edna Everage swung by for a chat, while Robbie Williams teamed up with Lenny Henry to perform some big band numbers in support of his Swing When You’re Winning album, while Charlotte Church was on hand to sing a special Christmas Carol.
But the absolute highlight was Geri Horner (then Halliwell) performing an acoustic medley of Spice Girls songs, mixed in with her own hits and some Christmas classics (complete with beatboxer), for reasons we’re not entirely sure about.
While Christmas editions of daytime favourites like This Morning and Lorraine have become more commonplace in recent years, Channel 4’s defunct (and much missed) breakfast show was serving up a televisual treat to open your stocking to 20 years ago.
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Back in 2001, Top Of The Pops was still a weekly part of the TV schedule, compared to the annual festive one-off it is now following its axe in 2006, but it still pulled in the biggest chart names for its Christmas Day episode.
In what is truly a marker of the time, the list of performers included Shaggy, S Club 7, Wheatus, Westlife, Atomic Kitten, Hear’Say, Kylie Minogue and Afroman, as well as a rendition of that year’s Christmas number one by Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman with Something Stupid.
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The EastEnders Christmas special was still split into two 30-minute parts back in 2001.
That year saw Phil Mitchell discover he was Louise’s real father, with Lisa Shaw and Mark Fowler having made the Square believe the baby was his.
Elsewhere, the domestic abuse storyline between Trevor Morgan and Little Mo reached grim new levels as he pushed his wife’s face into her Christmas dinner and made her eat the remains off the carpet.
There was some cheer to be had, however, as Jim Branning proposed to Dot Cotton, but not before a mix-up with Sonia Fowler, who believed Jamie Mitchell was about to pop the question to her after finding the ring.
This was BBC One’s big Christmas drama in 2001, with the two-parter spread over Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Based on Arthur Conan-Doyle ’s novel, it followed a maverick professor who led a party from London to South America in search of plateau where dinosaurs are rumoured to roam.
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Christmas Day 2001 heralded one of Corrie’s most iconic – and unexpected – storylines ever, as it marked the beginning of Deirdre Barlow’s affair with Dev Alahan.
It wasn’t a peaceful Christmas at the Barlows, as a drunken Peter accused his stepmother of being responsible for the death of his sister Susan.
After slapping him and storming out to leave the family to make their own Christmas dinner, she ended up at her boss Dev Alahan’s where they wallowed in how disastrous their respective days have been. But as the wine started flowing, it wasn’t long before they ended up in bed together…
Elsewhere on the Street, the law caught up with Terry Duckworth as he was arrested while trying to take dad Jack to hospital with chest pains.
Impressionist of the moment Alistair McGowan landed a prime-time slot on Christmas Day, as him and Ronnie Ancona took off celebrities including Davina McCall, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Des Lynham, Pete Waterman, the cast of EastEnders and Helen and Paul from Big Brother 2.
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The Only Fools And Horses Christmas special was a long-held tradition, with the 2001 catching up with the Trotters five years after they were last seen on TV.
It saw Del and Rodney return to Peckham after losing the riches they’d made in the 1996 special after making a bad financial investment that saw them declared bankrupt. But they were given a chance to win their fortune back when Del Boy appeared on a gameshow, but things didn’t exactly go to plan.
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The show went up against Only Fools And Horses in the Christmas Day ratings war, and more members of the public walk through those famous doors to emerge as their pop icons – although this time performing festive classics.
Among them were Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone, Karen Carpenter and Merry Christmas Darling, and, errrm, Gloria Gaynor & Aretha Franklin doing It’s Raining Men – quite how that fitted into the festive theme, we can’t tell you because it’s not on YouTube.
Snow Graham Norton
11pm on Channel 4
Snow Graham Norton
To finish off Christmas Day, Channel 4 showed a late night repeat of the festive edition of Graham Norton’s pre-BBC chat show, which saw the comedian joined by Kate Beckinsale, Martine McCutcheon, Alison Moyet and S Club 7.
BOXING DAY
Cilla’s Surprise Surprise
5.15pm on ITV
Cilla went to Disneyland for the 2001 Surprise Surprise Christmas special
Ken McKay/Shutterstock
Cilla Black was on hand to bring some festive surprises to a host of unsuspecting members of the public with a special edition of Surprise Surprise, which saw her travel to Disneyland Paris.
Ultimately, it would prove to be Cilla’s last episode hosting the long-running show, which had been on air since 1984.
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A 20th anniversary episode that was made for transmission in late 2003 never made it to air after Cilla sensationally quit ITV live on an episode of Blind Date earlier that year. However, the lost episode did eventually air during the Christmas period some 12 years later.
There was even more Graham to be had over the Christmas of 2001, with the chat show legend journeying to Dollywood, Tennessee, at the invitation of the great lady herself – Dolly Parton.
It is also one of the few shows on this list that is still available to watch in full, with the episode on All4.
Jonathan Creek
9.05pm on BBC One
Jonathan Creek
Bill Bailey and Steven Berkoff joined Alan Davies for a new adventure for Jonathan Creek as part of BBC One’s Boxing Day schedule.
The latest supernatural mystery saw him join forces with the police to solve the murder of an actress on a film set, baffled by how the window she was shot through had managed to remain in tact.
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LadBaby have made history as the first musical act to ever have four consecutive songs top the official Christmas charts.
On Friday evening, it was revealed that LadBaby’s collaboration with Ed Sheeran and Elton John, Sausage Rolls For Everyone, had reached the festive number one spot, becoming the novelty singers’ fourth track to do so.
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This means they’ve surpassed a record previously held by The Beatles and Spice Girls, both of whom previously had three Christmas number ones in a row.
As with LadBaby’s previous three sausage roll-themed hits, proceeds from Sausage Rolls For Everyone will go towards the food bank charity The Trussell Trust.
LadBaby celebrating their fourth Christmas number one in a row
Celebrating the accolade, LadBaby told the Official Charts Company: “Thank you, thank you, thank you to the great British public, for every single person in this country that has downloaded and streamed this song over the last week. You’re all absolute legends.
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“Thank you for helping us raise the profile, raise money and awareness for the Trussell Trust, the food banks in the UK and helping support the 14 million people in this country that are living below the positivity line. We couldn’t have done it without you.
“It means so much to us, and thank you so much for all the support, positivity and love that has been given to us over the last few weeks… Over the last four years!”
As well as being LadBaby’s fourth Christmas number one, the track is Ed Sheeran’s second, having previously topped the festive charts with Perfect in 2017.
Ed can do one better, though, with four number one singles to his name in 2021.
Elton John has had an incredible 2021, with three number one singles in the past 12 months
Rocket Entertainment
Previous number one Merry Christmas has fallen one place in the Christmas charts, with Wham! and Mariah Carey’s festive staples behind at three and four.
Punk group The K***s reached number five with their effort Boris Johnson Is Still A F***ing C***.
“There’s definitely an element that people aren’t happy with this government, but our song is for charity – I don’t believe theirs is – and ours is trying to raise more money than ever for food banks. It’s something that is even more important given everything that is going on.”
By way of response, The K***s accused LadBaby of “using poverty, hunger and despair” to “hawk records”, pointing out they did end up making charitable donations to causes close to their hearts using proceeds from their last Johnson-bashing single.
The museum this month dressed their likeness of the singer in a Christmas outfit, but it wasn’t the seasonal attire that got every’s attention. It was the statue’s poor resemblance to the nine-time Grammy winner.
The fan response on Twitter also declared the exhibit to be in a hopeless place.
“That wax figure of Rihanna is a hate crime,” one person tweeted.
