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Great British Bake Off Boss Finally Admits What We Were All Thinking About Last Series

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It’s fair to say that the latest series of the Great British Bake Off was met with a somewhat lukewarm response from fans of the long-running show.

Many felt the challenges the bakers were tasked with were too intense, and even the finalists were left struggling to do their best work in the last episode of the series.

Then, of course, there was all that controversy around Bake Off’s first ever “Mexican week” which some critics – particularly overseas – had a few issues with.

Well, it seems even the show’s boss agreed they missed the mark last year.

Bake Off winner Syabira Yusoff with judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith
Bake Off winner Syabira Yusoff with judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith

Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions/Channel 4 via PA Media

Richard McKerrow, the chief executive of production company Love Productions, told The Media Podcast: “I’d be the first to hold up our hands and say that I feel that the last series was not our strongest.”

He continued: “You’ve got to take a look at it and go, ‘Shit, [are] the challenges too complicated?’ We’re looking very, very, very hard at making sure that it’s as good a series as it can be.

“You have to take very, very, very good care of it. So when people are criticising either the challenges have become too complicated or whatever, you know, that’s something we take seriously.”

This year’s series will see a new host joining Noel Fielding in the tent, after Matt Lucas announced last year that he was stepping down as co-host after three series.

The presenting and judging team of Bake Off pictured in 2021
The presenting and judging team of Bake Off pictured in 2021

via PA Features Archive/Press Association Images

Richard also revealed that Matt’s successor would be announced within a “few weeks”, with production on the next run getting underway in April.

“We are getting there. And I think well, given that we have to start filming in April, I would hope that we will have some news for you within the next few weeks,” he said.

“The most important thing is to find someone who realises that the real heart of Bake Off is – love the bakers, love the baking. Someone who’s curious and someone who cares and understands.”

A new series of Channel 4’s celebrity version of the Great British Bake Off is set to hit our screens next month.

Reality veteran Gemma Collins, Olympic diver Tom Daley, Loose Women panellist Judi Love and Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson will all be taking part, along with Friends legend David Schwimmer.

Check out the full line-up here.

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Strictly Come Dancing Pairings Revealed: Which Professionals Have The Celebrities Been Partnered With?

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The professional dancers who each of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing celebrities will be dancing with have been revealed.

On Friday night, the BBC aired the long-awaited Strictly 2022 launch show, during which viewers discovered the partnerships for the new series.

As part of the episode, it was announced that reigning champion Giovanni Pernice will be dancing with Radio 2 presenter Richie Anderson, while runner-up Johannes Radebe will dance with comedian Ellie Taylor.

It has also been revealed that, for the first time ever, there will be two same-sex pairings in the same season of Strictly, with stand-up comic Jayde Adams dancing with Karen Hauer.

The professional dancers of Strictly Come Dancing
The professional dancers of Strictly Come Dancing

BBC/Guy Levy

Meanwhile, newcomers Vito Coppola and Carlos Gu will be dancing with pop singer Fleur East and CBBC star Molly Rainford, respectively, while Jowita Pryzstal has landed her first celebrity partner in wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin.

Check out the full list of pairings below:

  • Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin
  • Ellie Taylor and Johannes Radebe
  • Fleur East and Vito Coppola
  • Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal
  • Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez
  • James Bye and Amy Dowden
  • Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer
  • Kaye Adams and Kai Widdrington
  • Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima
  • Matt Goss and Nadiya Bychkova
  • Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu
  • Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice
  • Tony Adams and Katya Jones
  • Tyler West and Dianne Buswell
  • Will Mellor and Nancy Xu

This year’s Strictly launch show was pre-recorded before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and was originally supposed to air the weekend prior to her funeral.

However, the BBC eventually made the decision to delay this by almost a week, with the first live show of the series set to air tomorrow night on BBC One.

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John Whaite Shares Emotional Post As Strictly Come Dancing Announces Next Same-Sex Pairing

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John Whaite has shown his support for Richie Anderson following the news that Strictly Come Dancing will include a third same-sex partnership in this year’s series.

After Nicola Adams and Katya Jones competed together in 2020, John was part of Strictly’s first ever pairing made up of two men during last year’s run, alongside Johannes Radebe.

The Great British Bake Off winner proved popular with viewers, making it all the way to the final where he and Johannes finished in second place behind champions Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.

After the announcement that Radio 2 presenter Richie will also dance with a male professional on this year’s series, John shared a poignant statement on his Instagram story on Saturday morning.

John and Johannes dancing during last year's Strictly final
John and Johannes dancing during last year’s Strictly final

Guy Levy/BBC via PA Media

“I’m so bloody pleased that Strictly are doing a male-male couple again this year and hope it is the case every year from now on,” John wrote.

“It has to be. Because queer-inclusion isn’t a box-ticking exercise for one series, it’s a fundamental shift in the narrative for life.”

John went on thank Strictly’s behind-the-scenes team for “continuing to include the outcasts” before wishing “all the love and luck” to Richie who he said was “going to love every second”.

A screenshot of John's Instagram post
A screenshot of John’s Instagram post

Instagram/John Whaite

Apparently, John’s former professional partner Johannes was also feeling nostalgic at the weekend, writing on his own Instagram: “Now that Strictly rehearsals have started, I’ve been thinking back to last year when I had the pleasure of meeting [John].

“I can’t believe it’s been a year since John came into my life and what a fabulous and truly special Strictly journey we had. There were moments during the show which took my breath away, including the overwhelming support we received. I can’t thank everybody enough for the kind comments and for taking the time to vote. It means so so much.

“Not only is John an amazing dancer, he is an incredible friend and I can’t imagine a life without him in it.”

He added: “Although my strictly journey with John has come to a close, I’m feeling the energy and magic of the show again and I am looking forward to the next Strictly chapter and the excitement and challenges this will bring. I cannot wait, let the adventure begin!”

John then commented: “You bugger – you’ve made me cry into my avocado on toast… love you.”

Richie also wrote under the post: “Icons.”

Strictly will return to our screens next month, with bosses already unveiling five of the celebrities who’ll be taking part.

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Love Island Host Laura Whitmore Defends Remi Interview After Facing Criticism

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Laura Whitmore has defended her interview with eliminated Love Island contestant Remi Lambert after facing criticism on social media.

During Sunday night’s instalment of the ITV2 reality show, Remi became the latest Islander to leave the villa, and later spoke to the presenter via video-link on companion show Aftersun.

Many Love Island fans picked up on the fact Remi appeared to be quite emotional during the interview, with Laura asking him if he’d be up for rapping, as he’d been heard doing during his stint in the villa.

At the end of the interview, Laura told the panel: “Everything in me just wanted to cuddle him.”

Remi leaving the villa on Sunday night
Remi leaving the villa on Sunday night

ITV/Shutterstock

The following morning, one Love Island fan commented that Remi looked “broken” during the interview, accusing producers of asking him to rap “in bad faith” to “humiliate” him.

Laura then insisted: “Remi is a rapper and [was] asked in good faith in advance if he’d rap and prepare something which he did.

“Live telly is nerve-wrecking, believe me, so maybe he was a bit nervous but he deserved to have his time.”

Prior to this year’s Love Island launch show, Laura decided to get ahead of her usual detractors with a TikTok video addressing some of the criticism she claims to have faced every year since she took over as host.

This included comments about her salary, her decision to fly between Mallorca and the UK over the course of the series, her interview technique when she speaks to the Islanders and claims she’s “never in” the villa.

Love Island airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2.

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Ekin-Su And Jay’s Terrace Antics On Love Island Have Obviously Lit Up Twitter

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Love Island aired a moment for its history books on Thursday night, as Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Jay Younger were seen crawling across a terrace to steal a kiss behind Davide Sanclimenti’s back.

Ekin-Su has been with Davide since the last recoupling but had her head turned by new bombshell Jay when he arrived in the villa earlier this week.

In scenes reminiscent of a Mission Impossible film during the most recent episode of the ITV2 reality show, Ekin-Su instructed Jay to meet her on the outdoor terrace, which they then both crawled across to avoid being seen by their fellow Islanders.

The pair then proceeded to do the same the following evening, which was also aired as part of Thursday’s show.

The ridiculous moment, which came days after Ekin-Su’s unexpected emotion at Davide not bringing her a morning coffee, lit up social media, where users joked it was “iconic”, “Bafta-worthy” and something for the Love Island hall of fame.

However, Ekin-Su later came to blows with Davide when he asked where she had been, after Gemma Owen and Luca Bish seemingly spotted her with Jay.

Things look set to get even more tense between the pair during Friday’s episode, a preview of which aired on Thursday.

It sees Davide branding Turkish soap star Ekin-Su “an actress” and “a liar” in front of other Islanders, as she tells him not to “show off”.

Love Island continues on Friday at 9pm on ITV2.

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Michael Owen Cringes As Fellow Football Pundits Bring Up Love Island During Match Coverage

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Michael Owen was left a little red-faced on Tuesday night when his fellow pundits couldn’t resist mentioning a certain reality show during their coverage of the England match.

The footballer’s 19-year-old daughter Gemma is currently appearing on Love Island, which Channel 4 football presenter Jules Breach referenced at the beginning of the show.

She told viewers: “Joining me hoping to see another famous England victory in Munich are England and Arsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs, former England, West Ham and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole and the father of Love Island’s Gemma Owen, Michael Owen, here with us.”

As Michael hid his head in his hands, she continued: “A big night for the Owens last night, Michael. How are you feeling?”

He joked: “I came all the way to Germany to try to avoid all that back at home, and you brought it up straight away. I’m feeling alright, thank you.”

Gemma Owen is currently at the centre of the action on Love Island
Gemma Owen is currently at the centre of the action on Love Island

ITV/Shutterstock

Michael quickly added: “This has taken my mind off it, so don’t bring it back up. ”

Tuesday night’s instalment of Love Island saw Gemma coupling up with newbie Davide, after the public previously paired her with student Liam.

Prior to entering the villa, the horse-lover admitted her dad wasn’t exactly “buzzing” at the prospect of her signing up for Love Island, but he did give her his blessing.

Gemma in the villa
Gemma in the villa

ITV/Shutterstock

Gemma said: “He is very supportive in whatever I decide to do so he didn’t have a massive tantrum or anything like that. He was pretty chilled.

“He said, ‘You know how to behave. You just go and do it’. My mum’s bit of advice was, ‘Gem, remember to keep it classy’.”

Love Island continues at 9pm on ITV2.

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Love Island Introduces First Two Bombshells Ekin-Su And Afia

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We might only be two days into this year’s series of Love Island, but producers are already getting ready to shake things up.

At the end of Tuesday night’s instalment, during which Liam was left standing alone when newcomer Davide coupled up with Gemma, the show teased the first of this year’s Bombshell arrivals.

The first of these is 25-year-old Afia Tonkmor, a lounge host at a private members club from London.

Admitting she’s fallen in love “too quickly” in the past, Afia has said Love Island “seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet someone… and have an amazing summer”

“[I want to] just have so much fun and have a bit of a summer romance as well,” she added.

Afia is one of two new arrivals in the villa
Afia is one of two new arrivals in the villa

Elisabeth Hoff/ITV

Joining her in the villa will be fellow newbie Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, a 27-year-old actor from Essex.

Ekin-Su has admitted she’s “quite picky”, insisting she’s “not just looking for looks – I’m looking for brains!”.

“I’m looking for someone with intelligence, someone who can have good chats,” she said prior to her arrival in the “Nothing like cockiness! I’m looking for a serious man and a serious relationship.”

She added: “I’m looking for that real genuine spark and they just see me as me. I think the concept of the show brings back true and raw feelings.”

Ekin-Su

The first 11 Islanders were introduced to fans in Monday night’s launch show, which was watched by an average of 2.4 million viewers, holding steady on the previous series’ viewing figures.

Among them were Michael Owen’s daughter Gemma and dancer Tasha, who is the first deaf Islander in the show’s history.

Love Island continues on Wednesday night at 9pm on ITV2.

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Love Island 2022 Cast: Meet This Year’s Brand New Contestants

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With just one week to go until the brand new Love Island villa opens its doors, ITV has begun revealing the cast for this year’s series.

The forthcoming eighth series of the Bafta-winning reality show is expected to be very much business as usual, with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling back on presenting and narrating duties, respectively.

However, there will be a few tweaks to the format – including the action playing out in a brand new Mallorcan villa and producers making the decision to ditch their usual fast-fashion tie-ins in favour of a new deal with eBay, which will see the Islanders sporting “pre-loved” outfits throughout their search for romance.

On Monday morning, bosses started announcing the new cast members who’ll be taking up residence in the Love Island villa from next week in the hopes of nabbing true love (or, at the very least, a Boohoo collection).

Get to know them a little better below – and make sure to keep checking back over the course of today as more Islanders are unveiled…

Paige

Paige Thorne
Paige Thorne

From: Swansea

Job: Paramedic

She says: “I need to break out and broaden my horizons and Love Island just brings everyone together for me. I haven’t got to go out and I haven’t got to swipe. So, hopefully they can just come to me now!

“[I’m bringing] positive energy, lots of bubbly energy. I am a good cook and I’m quite mumsy so I’ll look after anyone that needs looking after.”

Dami

Dami Hope

From: Dublin

Job: Senior microbiologist

He says: “This year I was kind of being more open to new things and I think actually that’s why I put myself out there to get some new experiences. Love Island is a different experience, I will be talking to different girls, it might not go well with some, might go well with others, so it’s a fun experience.

“I don’t know if I will cause trouble, I’ll try not to cause trouble but sometimes you don’t intentionally cause trouble – but it happens!”

Indyah

Indyah Polack
Indyah Polack

From: London

Job: Hotel waitress

She says: “I have been single for some time and I feel like for my generation of people, it’s quite hard to date without being influenced by social media and stuff like that. Love Island particularly is like a closed space and I think it is a great place to get to know someone one-on-one and build a real connection.

“I feel like I’m going to bring a lot of flavour and vibrancy. I feel like I’m quite a down to earth person, so it shouldn’t be an issue to meet a lover or a friend.”

Love Island returns on Monday 6 June at 9pm on ITV2.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race Star Kornbread ‘The Snack’ Jeté Shares Update About Her Future On The Show

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RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté has revealed she will not be returning to the show next year.

Kornbread emerged as an early favourite when Drag Race began its 14th series earlier this year, but was forced to bow out of the competition early due to an ankle injury she suffered on set.

While Drag Race fans assumed that the queen would be invited back in 2023 – as previous queens forced to leave the contest earlier, including Eureka O’Hara and the UK’s Veronica Green have – she confirmed on Friday that she will not be appearing on the next season.

“My run on season 14 was nothing short of AMAZING,” she said. “Unfortunately I will not be returning to Season 15 of RuPauls Drag Race. Great things ahead!”

Kornbread added: “I love and appreciate you all for the support! Let’s make magic!”

She added that she was also not appearing on any All Stars seasons, noting this “wasn’t my decision”.

She later clarified that her “wasn’t my decision” comment referred only to not appearing on All Stars, implying it had been her choice not to return for season 15.

Kornbread – who is transgender –wrote: “A bitch just wants to focus on her transition.”

HuffPost UK has contacted World Of Wonder, the production company behind RuPaul’s Drag Race, for comment.

While Drag Race has been available to watch week-by-week on Netflix UK since its ninth season, this year marked the first series since 2017 that is not available to watch on the streaming giant. Instead, new episodes debut weekly on the platform WowPresents Plus.

This year’s series saw the introduction of a twist in which queens could be saved from elimination by a golden ticket hidden inside a RuPaul-branded chocolate bar.

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Rose Ayling-Ellis’ Strictly Come Dancing Win Hailed As ‘Victory For Deaf Community’ By Charities

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Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis has been hailed as “a shining example to deaf and hearing people alike” by various charities, while her win has been celebrated as “a victory for the deaf community”.

The EastEnders star, who is deaf, has used an interpreter during the series and her Couple’s Choice dance, which she repeated during the final, shared her experiences of deafness and featured a long period of silence.

Disability equality charity Scope has now has called on more broadcasters to feature disabled people’s talents, saying there is still a long way to go to improve representation of disabled people on TV.

James Taylor, executive director of strategy at the charity, said: “For Rose Ayling-Ellis to have starred week after week on Saturday night prime time – and then lift the glitterball trophy – is a massive step forward.

“However, there is still a very long way to go until disabled people are featured fairly on screen. There are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK and their lives and stories are not being told.

“Seeing disabled people on TV will only help improve understanding and break down barriers.

“So, the fact that Rose’s journey has been beamed into living rooms week-in week-out is excellent progress and must be the start of real change.

“We have seen a victory for representation on our screens, challenging the stereotypes of what disabled people can do.

“We want more broadcasters to step up and feature the talents of disabled people.”

Rose also performed a number inspired by Frozen during the live final
Rose also performed a number inspired by Frozen during the live final

BBC/Guy Levy

Mark Atkinson, chief executive at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, said Rose’s appearance on the show has given audiences “a beautiful insight into the deaf community and deaf culture”.

He added: “Her victory isn’t just a personal achievement, but also a victory for the deaf community.

“She has shown that deaf people can do anything, if society addresses those barriers and provides the right access and support.

“Giovanni has been a perfect example of this, working with Rose and adapting his teaching style to help her succeed.

“At RNID, we are all thrilled that Rose has won, and we are confident that her legacy will mean lasting change for the one in six people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

“We hope Rose’s success will open up employment opportunities for deaf people and reduce barriers, and we’re excited to see what she will undoubtedly go on to achieve in her future career.”

Rose Ayling-Ellis performing her Strictly show dance
Rose Ayling-Ellis performing her Strictly show dance

BBC/Guy Levy

Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said Rose’s victory will have a lasting effect.

She said: “It’s hard to overstate just what an impact Rose has made, not only on deaf children and young people, but also on the public’s understanding of deafness.

“Throughout her Strictly journey, she’s been a shining example to deaf and hearing people alike.

“This could be a new dawn for deaf children and young people everywhere because it’s clear for all to see that with the right support and the will to succeed, they can aim for the stars.

“Strictly may have come to an end, but we sincerely hope that this surge of interest in deafness and the desire to engage with deaf people continues long into the future.”

Rose and her partner Giovanni Pernice triumphed in Saturday night’s live show over John Whaite and Johannes Radebe, the first same-sex pairing to ever make the Strictly final.

AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington had originally been due to compete in the final, but was forced to withdraw due to a serious injury, meaning the show went ahead with just two competitors.

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