Birmingham Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola is preparing for his next reunion with his co-stars with Dianne Buswell sharing her 'hope' for the next time they're on tour together. It's only been a couple of weeks since the pro dancers went their separate ways after the BBC One show's official tour.

BBC).The cuts will also hit the city’s cultural life, with music venues expected to be impacted. Among the announced casualties are funding for the Birmingham International Dance Festival, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the IKON Gallery.Lyle Bignon, who represents the Night Time Industries Association for Birmingham, has said: “The proposed cuts to council culture budgets confirm what many of us working in arts, culture, entertainment, music and NTE in Birmingham have known for some time.“Our city’s council, regional authorities, and key agencies have simply not placed enough value on culture over the years, despite its proven social and economic benefits.”“[These] announcements sound a major alarm for Birmingham’s creative community as well as cultural professionals and audiences across the UK,” Bignon added.The news comes at a time when the national infrastructure around live music is at a crisis point.

The 1975 revealed that they’re currently working on their next album during their show in Birmingham last night (February 21), and briefly teased a new song – see the footage below.The Manchester band played the final date of their 2024 ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ UK tour at the city’s Resorts World Arena before embarking on a run of European headline gigs next week.Back in September, frontman Matty Healy told fans that The 1975 would be going on an “indefinite hiatus” from live concerts when this current tour ends in Amsterdam on March 24.Speaking to the crowd at one point last night, Healy addressed concerns that the group “were gonna go away for ages” after wrapping up their ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ era.But the singer then surprised the audience by confirming that The 1975 were back in the recording studio.putting a bandage on everyone’s emotional breakdowns tonight ♬ original sound – emilyxinfinity “We’re working on a new record now,” he explained ahead of playing a short snippet of a new track from his phone. “So I suppose that I can’t operate without my friends… we kind of are The 1975 so…”Healy continued: “We’re gonna go away and make – hopefully – a good new album.

Wayne Rooney has shared his views on working with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, explaining how the trio differed in their management styles.

Swim Deep have announced their fourth studio album ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’ – listen to new single ‘How Many Love Songs Have Died In Vegas?’ below.The Birmingham band are due to release the 10-track record on June 7 via Submarine Cat Records (pre-order/pre-save here). Following on from 2019’s ‘Emerald Classics’, the forthcoming collection was produced by Bill Ryder-Jones (Yard Act, The Wytches).Arriving today (February 21), the gentle and heartfelt ‘How Many Love Songs…’ delves into the “deep self-examination” frontman Austin ‘Ozzy’ Williams has undertaken in recent years.

From hosting Late Night Lycett to Travel Man, comedian Joe Lycett is always popping up on our screens in one way or another. And this time, he's tackling dirty water in Joe Lycett vs Sewage. The TV presenter is investigating the state of the UK's sewage network in tonight's Channel 4 documentary.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World is currently going out on BBC Three, and now a UK-wide tour has been announced for the spring.The first two episodes have been broadcast already, with new episodes premiering every Friday night on the channel.It brings 11 contestants from previous seasons and incarnations of Drag Race together in competition with each other, with RuPaul being joined on the judging panel by Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton.

100 years of Disney magic will be celebrated in a special concert in Manchester this June featuring a live orchestra.

American rock legend Alice Cooper is heading out on the road again with a huge UK tour which will feature a night at Manchester’s AO Arena.

Alice Cooper has announced an autumn UK tour for later this year – find all the details below.The American rock artist will be heading to the UK for a six-date run of his ‘Too Close For Comfort’ tour, kicking off at Glasgow’s OVO Arena on October 14, followed by shows in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and London.The tour will conclude with two consecutive nights at London’s Eventim Apollo on October 20 and 21.Primal Scream will join as special guest at all locations except London, alongside The Meffs at all shows. Sex Pistols guitarist and songwriter Glen Matlock will join as special guest at the London dates.Tickets go on sale this Friday (February 23) at 10am GMT from here.

Fashion fans are raving about a 'super soft and snuggly' faux fur jacket that has been slashed in price at New Look. The jacket, which has been reduced by almost £21, has been hailed as shoppers new 'go-to' jacket for milder spring days.

New Look's 'gorgeous' snuggly jacket that 'looks great with jeans and skirts' is now better than half price in the sale. The Mink Faux Fur Funnel Neck Zip Coat, originally priced at £39.99, has been slashed down to just £19.

Gary Barlow has expressed his desire to use VR in future Take That shows.In a new interview with The Sunday Mirror, Barlow admitted he was inspired by the recent U2 show at The Sphere, and wanted to incorporate its high-end technology into Take That shows. The band are preparing to embark on their UK and Ireland tour, with Olly Murs as a support act.Barlow said: “When the screen came on, 18,000 people breathed in.

A 'next-level' curry house tucked away in a country pub has been voted the UK's best. Gandhi Indian Restaurant and Takeaway, which operates from of the back of The Hunter pub in Saverley Green, Staffordshire, just over an hour's drive from Manchester, won the top prize at this week's Nation's Curry Awards.

Joe Swash has rattled wife Stacey Solomon after turning up to their Essex home with a set of new wheels in the form of a seven-berth motorhome worth nearly £60,000.

Joe Swash has shown off his new luxury purchase as Stacey Solomon joked he bought it to "spite her".The former EastEnders actor has picked up a seven-berth motorhome that is worth almost £60,000.The 42 year old revealed he got the motorhome after making a deal with his wife Stacey as he shared a video of himself picking up the van from a dealership in the Midlands. As he browsed what was on offer, he told his fans: "A deal’s a deal, I went clubbing and in return she said we could go camping if I got ourselves a motorhome. "So I’ve come all the way to Birmingham to River Motor Homes to pick up one of these.

Over the past few years, many airlines have become more strict on the size of hand luggage bag you're allowed to bring on the plane free of charge.

Nickelback is coming to cinemas in March, titled Hate To Love: Nickelback.The film, which premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, will play in 1350 cinemas across 30 countries on two nights, March 27 and March 30. Tickets go on sale at 3pm UK time on February 22 here.The band have said in a statement: “We are very excited to finally bring this film to theatres this Spring.

With the latest series of The Apprentice now underway, the latest batch of budding entrepreneurs are being put through their paces by Lord Alan Sugar’ s right hand woman, Baroness Karren Brady, in the hopes of securing his highly coveted investment. A seasoned businesswoman in her own right, Karren is no stranger to life in the cut-throat world of big business and regularly champions for people to follow their entrepreneurial dreams - even if it isn’t for the faint hearted.

One of India’s biggest stars has been announced as the first south Asian artist to perform at Manchester’s newest arena Co-Op Live.

BBC Countryfile viewers have slammed the show following a 'woke' episode - claiming there's a 'lack of balance'.

The stars of Strictly Come Dancing enjoyed a fun-filled night out at the wrap party on Sunday. The Strictly Live Tour ended at London's O2 Arena on Sunday, 11 February, after kicking off on January 19 in Birmingham.Tennis ace Annabel Croft appeared emotional following the string of nationwide shows. Annabel, 57, initially danced with Johannes Radebe in the popular BBC contest, where she came in fourth place and was eliminated from the ballroom and Latin dancing show just before the final.

Cillian Murphy has revealed he sent a text to Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight that helped him land the role of Tommy Shelby.The actor played the part of the Birmingham gangster across seven series of the BBC crime drama, which came to an end in 2022.Appearing on Desert Island Discs over the weekend (February 11), Murphy recalled going for the role of Shelby over a decade ago.“I wasn’t the obvious choice physically,” he admitted. “I hadn’t up to that point played anyone who had that sort of physical presence.“I don’t know if I convinced [Knight] in the meeting – I don’t know if this is apocryphal or he’s just made it up because it’s a good story, but apparently afterwards I sent him a text saying: ‘Remember Steve, I am an actor.’“And I do believe that.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were noticeably absent from the Super Bowl last night, despite being invited by American football bosses. The Duke of Sussex was asked to watch the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs after his appearance at the NFL Honours ceremony on Thursday.

Prince Harry is reportedly planning to return to the UK soon for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, after a brief visit following the news of King Charles' cancer diagnosis. The Duke of Sussex, 39, made a quick trip back to London on Tuesday, 6 February.

Sleep Token have added two more dates to their UK arena tour later this year due to phenomenal demand.The masked metal quartet will play a new date at Leeds’ First Direct Arena on December 2 and an extra date at The O2 in London on December 3, bringing the number of shows on the UK leg of ‘Teeth Of God’ tour to seven. The tour will begin in Glasgow on November 25 before moving on to Manchester, Birmingham, London and Cardiff.Tickets for the new London date are available now, while tickets for the Leeds date will go on sale tomorrow (February 12) at 10am – find yours here and see the full dates below.Tickets for the United Kingdom November Rituals have been swiftly depleted, necessitating further dates in December at the London o2 Arena, and a new date at Leeds First Direct Arena.London available now, with Leeds tickets available from Monday 10am at https://t.co/ybc5qWX20h pic.twitter.com/1bRvx3ttPz— Sleep Token (@Sleep_Token) February 9, 2024Sleep Token’s ‘Teeth Of God’ UK tour dates are:NOVEMBER 25 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro 26 – Manchester, Co-op Live 28 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena 29 – London, The O2 30 – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena DECEMBER2 – Leeds, First Direct Arena3 – London, The O2The news of the UK tour follows the announcement of a US tour, which will take place in April with Empire State Bastard.The 21-date tour will commence with the band’s slot at Las Vegas’ Sick New World festival on April 27, before the band performs in cities across the country including Albuquerque, Atlanta, St.

Cillian Murphy may be the hot favourite to win Best Actor at next month’s Oscars, but he has revealed he wasn’t the first choice for his breakthrough TV role.

BBC's popular medical drama Casualty was back on our screens last night, with actress Elinor Lawless continuing to play the gripping role of Stevie Nash.

It's been over 30 years since Gabrielle burst onto the music scene. Best known for her 90s hit 'Dreams', the singer/songwriter made a successful comeback to the industry in 2000 with her number one song 'Rise'.

Katie Hopkins will be making an appearance in Manchester next month at the Manchester branch of Karen's Diner. The diner, dubbed the UK's 'rudest restaurant', confirmed the news that Hopkins would be taking over the diner 'for an evening of madness' via a video shared on social media yesterday.

The Snuts have shared details of a new UK tour, set to take place later this year. Find ticket details below.Announced today (February 9), the series of live shows are set to take place across the UK later this winter, and will take place following the release of the Scottish band’s upcoming LP ‘Millennials’.Set for release later this month, the project will mark their third studio album and is set to be shared on their newly established label Happy Artist Records.

Lulu is set to take on her ' Champagne for Lulu ' tour but has announced that after that she will be retiring from touring as it's too 'gruelling'.

The Last Dinner Party have announced a UK and Ireland tour for 2024 – check out the details below.The British baroque-pop group will be playing 16 dates this autumn, including their biggest headline show to date at London’s Eventim Apollo in October.The tour will kick off at O2 City Hall in Newcastle on September 23, followed by dates in Leeds, Norwich, Birmingham, Dublin and more, before they wrap up in London on October 16.The tour will follow the band’s lengthy run of European and North American dates this year in support of debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ (out February 2).Fans can pre-order the album before 5pm GMT next Tuesday (February 6) to access a pre-sale code for the tour. Pre-sale tickets will be live from 8am GMT on Wednesday (February 7), before general sale at 8am on Friday (February 9).

Layton Williams has said he was 'not expecting' it as he continues to prove he's a fan favourite on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour. The actor and West End star is currently touring the country in a very different kind of show as the juggernaut that is the BBC One dance contest visits cities across the country.

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has shared that he thinks Ozzy Osbourne deserves to be knighted.Speaking to Classic Rock magazine recently, – and reported via Louder Sound – Halford voiced his support for the decade-long campaign to get the Prince of Darkness and former Black Sabbath frontman knighted.“If one person deserves a knighthood, it’s Ozzy Osbourne,” Halford said to Classic Rock. “Just for the joy he’s given people over the years.”Halford, like many others, is of the belief that Osbourne – a forefather of the metal genre – is well-deserving of knighthood for his contributions to the music industry.

Things appear to be heating up between Ellie Leach and Bobby Brazier, with the EastEnders star allegedly seen knocking on Ellie's hotel room door wearing only his underwear. Bobby, 20, has been romantically linked to Coronation Street's Ellie, 22, over recent weeks, with the duo reportedly having grown close while on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour.