Channel 4 Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

It’s A Sin executive producer Nicola Shindler has revealed that a second season could still go ahead.It comes after the Channel 4 show’s creator Russell T Davies previously ruled out another series last year.But Shindler has now confirmed that Davies is considering tackling a different subject with the characters Jill (Lydia West) and Roscoe (Omari Douglas) from the original series.“There was a time when there were a lot of stories in the press about young boys being manipulated online,” said Shindler at a Bafta Television Session (via The Metro). “They were being filmed and then they were being blackmailed, essentially.

Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell refused to answer a question about her age on a recent talk show, calling it “misogynistic”.The actor, who plays Michelle in the beloved Channel 4 sitcom, appeared on Ireland’s The Late Late Show on Friday and refused to tell host Ryan Tubridy her age.Tubridy said it “might be a rude question” and “you don’t have to answer,” before adding: “Can I ask how old you are?”O’Donnell then replied jokingly that she was 17 years old, but was “very, very wise”.Tubridy then asked the question again, saying, “Would you consider telling me what age you are?” to which O’Donnell said: “This gets on my nerves a wee bit.“It’s always quite misogynistic even if it’s not intentionally misogynistic, because men don’t get the same scrutiny.”Tubridy said he “definitely” would ask a male actor the same question, adding that O’Donnell plays a teenager “so well” and there’s “a compliment in there”.Tubridy then said they could “move on to something else, because I can read a mood when I see it”, to which O’Donnell replied: “I was going to give you a hilarious anecdote, but go ahead.” In a five-star review of the first episode of Derry Girls season three, NME wrote: “Though Derry Girls will be greatly missed when it wraps up for good at the end of this season, the first episode at least proves that the funniest, sharpest sitcom on TV is also bowing out on a high.”Derry Girls now airs every Tuesday on Channel 4, with a catch-up option on All 4.

plans to sell Channel 4 don’t “make any business sense” and undermine the channel’s “tremendous economic and cultural achievement”.The Scottish filmmaker criticised the government’s proposals to privatise the publicly owned channel, which he clarified does not cost the taxpayer any money as Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries wrongfully claimed last year, because it’s paid for by ad revenue.Iannucci, known for TV shows including The Thick Of It and I’m Alan Partridge as well as feature films such as The Death Of Stalin (2017), wrote in a The Guardian op-ed that the move has been ill-thought-out as he questioned why a broadcaster that “puts billions into the economy and promotes British culture and values internationally” should be sold off.“It doesn’t make any business sense, and it’s certainly not patriotic,” he wrote. “I regularly get asked by international broadcasters why the UK government has such a destructive agenda against the country’s main television networks.“Dorries tweeted yesterday that ‘government ownership is holding Channel 4 back’, which perhaps explains part of the problem, that she sees the network as some manifestation of the Big State.

Annie Mac‘s bizarre pronunciation of “kneading” has caused a stir online.The former BBC Radio 1 presenter was starring in last night’s (April 5) episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer when she made the comment that some have likened to Nigella Lawson’s Bafta-nominated “mee-cro-wah-vay” (microwave) moment.Mac, who is a podcaster, author and DJ, appeared keen to hit her dough while making six identical raspberry doughnuts by “nedding” it.“Maybe I should do a bit more nedding,” Mac said. “You’re trying to get more air into it, so it’s less dense.

Taskmaster has released a trailer for series 13 – you can watch it below.The Channel 4 comedy game show will return on Thursday, April 14, when a new line-up will join regular hosts Greg Davies and Alex Horne.Comedians Chris Ramsey, Bridget Christie and Sophie Duker will appear in the new series, alongside Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon and Loose Women panellist Judi Love.A description for the new series reads: “Survival for this courageous quintet will depend on their abilities to paint perfectly with their lips, effectively wrangle a cement mixer and chase Alex around a tree while he’s pedalling a tricycle.“Should they impress the Taskmaster, he will reward them with points and the occasional admiring word. But should they stumble or show any kind of weakness… he’ll scent blood and pounce on them like a puma.

stop the privatisation of Channel 4 has reached over 50,000 signatures.On Monday (April 4), Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries tweeted her intentions to privatise the broadcaster under the belief that government ownership is “holding Channel 4 back” from competing against streaming platforms.She said selling the channel to a private owner would give it “the tools and freedom to flourish and thrive as a public service broadcaster long into the future”.The government is hoping to raise close to £1billion by selling the channel, with the money potentially being used to boost creative training and independent production companies.A Change.org petition has been launched in response by E.L McNally to stop the plans, which has received over 50,000 signatures at the time of writing.https://t.co/7WAxfcwBBn pic.twitter.com/WOpVXzjiYk— Matt Lucas (@RealMattLucas) April 4, 2022The petition, which has been shared by Matt Lucas, Edgar Wright and Neil Gaiman, reads: “I am appalled at the Government’s intention to privatise Channel 4.”It adds: “To privatise Channel 4 would seriously undermine programming aimed at all the communities, across generations, that make up this country.

Channel 4, which would result in the broadcaster being sold off after 40 years in public ownership.As reported by The Guardian, the government is hoping to raise close to £1billion, with the money potentially being used for creative training and for independent production companies.Last year, former Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that the privatisation of Channel 4 was “needed” in order for it to “compete with the streaming giants”.“Without [more money], Channel 4 won’t have the money to invest in technology and programming, and it won’t be able to compete with the streaming giants,” he said, according to Sky News.Earlier in the year Ricky Gervais spoke out against the potential sale of Channel 4, calling it “a real shame”.“For almost 40 years, Channel 4 has been a launch pad for new ideas and new talent,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s been able to do that because of its remit and not-for-profit structure and it would be a real shame if that was destroyed by selling off the channel.”Channel 4’s chief executive, Alex Mahon, revealed the news to staff on Monday (April 4): “We have been informed in the last hour that the government will shortly announce that the secretary of state has decided to proceed with the proposal to privatise Channel 4,” she wrote in an email.“In our engagement with the government during its extended period of reflection, we have proposed a vision for the next 40 years which we are confident would allow us to build on the successes of the first 40.

Derry Girls season three has been revealed alongside its spring release date.In the clip, friends Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and James (Dylan Llewellyn) are seen visiting a video rental shop when they discover that Dennis (Paul Mallon), their aggressive local corner shop proprietor, is also working at the store.Dennis is irked when Clare asks him for a film recommendation, to which he says “no”, and then takes issue with her saying that the gang will just keep “reading” around for ideas of what to rent.“Bit of a read? This isn’t a fucking library, girls,” Dennis responds before screaming to them all to “Get out!” when it’s put to him by James that the shop is actually a “video library”.The scene previews the new series of the Channel 4/All 4 comedy series, which will return to screens on April 12.A press release shared with the first trailer released earlier this month reads: “While series one observed the gang navigating their teens in 1990’s Derry against a backdrop of The Troubles, series two charted them navigating their parents, parties, love interests and school against the backdrop of a precarious peace process.“In series three, which is coming soon to Channel 4 and All 4, viewers will see that while Northern Ireland is growing up this gang of eejits certainly aren’t anytime soon – while there’s hope in the air that The Troubles may finally be over their troubles are only just getting started as they get ever closer to ‘adulthood’.” Meanwhile, Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee has responded to a recent reference to the hit sitcom in The Simpsons.Earlier in March, a Twitter account called Wikisimpsons asked The Simpsons producer Matt Selman whether the

Derry Girls has been released.In it, friends Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) and James (Dylan Llewellyn) are seen pushing the boundaries of their teenage years further as they sit on the cusp of adulthood.At one point in the clip, “The Wee English Fella” James laments about potentially dying a virgin, to which his cousin Michelle answers: “That was always on the cards, to be fair”.No release date has been announced yet for the Channel 4/All 4 series, however its promised to be “coming soon”. The second season concluded in April 2019.A press release stated: “While series one observed the gang navigating their teens in 1990’s Derry against a backdrop of The Troubles, series two charted them navigating their parents, parties, love interests and school against the backdrop of a precarious peace process.“In series three, which is coming soon to Channel 4 and All 4, viewers will see that while Northern Ireland is growing up this gang of eejits certainly aren’t anytime soon – while there’s hope in the air that The Troubles may finally be over their troubles are only just getting started as they get ever closer to ‘adulthood’.”Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell has promised that there will be “loads of absolute madness” in the forthcoming season.Although O’Donnell can’t reveal much about her final outing as her character Michelle, she does promise a new level of maturity from Michelle and her drama peers.“I think that it’s nice to note that we are growing up slightly, it’s a nice thing to end on,” she told NME.

Rachel Riley has confirmed she is officially returning to our screens following the arrival of baby Noa in October.MORE: Strictly dancer Pasha Kovalev addresses the Ukraine crisis - 'It hits too close to home'Although the celebrity mathematician returned to work a while back, Tuesday's episode of Countdown – which is a pre-record – will be the first time viewers will see Rachel hosting since giving birth.WATCH: Rachel Riley shares adorable video of daughter Maven singingSharing two snapshots from behind-the-scenes with little Noa in tow, Rachel remarked on Instagram: "I'm back on air today after mat leave from Countdown and brought a little friend with me to show off what I've been busy with. One to tune in to for fans of baby spam everywhere!"MORE: Rachel Riley reveals daughter Maven is taking after her in new heartmelting videoMORE: Rachel Riley flooded with support after sharing heartbreaking family tributeFans of the star were delighted and flooded her comment section with heartwarming messages.

Matt Baker is embracing the country life with his family, so much so that the former One Show host and his wife Nicola will be bringing a third series of Our Farm In The Dales to our screens later this year.MORE: Matt Baker opens up about future of his young children and their role on family farmThe More4 programme, which was recently repeated on Channel 4, sees Matt and his wife uproot their children, Luke, 14, and Molly, 12, and move back to the organic sheep farm where the TV star grew up in the Durham hills to help secure its future.WATCH: Matt Baker confirms exciting family newsSpeaking about his working relationship with his wife of 17 years and the challenges they faced, Matt - who is at the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show this week - exclusively told HELLO!: "It's a very relaxed way of filming, just brilliant fun and I really enjoy it. We film what happens and edit the highlights.READ: Matt Baker on uprooting his family after his mum's frightening accidentMORE: Take a look back at TV favourite Matt Baker's career"Everybody sits round and enjoys the edit as well.

It’s A Sin has topped multiple Best Show polls in 2021, has challenged the cliché of “nice” gay characters.Davies, who will soon take over as the new showrunner of Doctor Who, has said that he tends to write faults into his characters, such as It’s A Sin‘s lead Ritchie, played by Olly Alexander.“His selfishness, and the fact that he thinks he’s so clever he can talk his way out of any situation. That’s me.

Friday Night Dinner playing a Jewish mother.The actor, who played Jackie Goodman in the Channel 4 sitcom, recently discussed cultural sensitivity today in relation to her character’s Jewish ancestry.“I think, given our sensitivity today about these issues, I probably shouldn’t have been in that show,” Greig told The Telegraph earlier this month.“We are much more conscious today than we were when that show was first aired.”Speaking again on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour earlier today (December 14),

Friday Night Dinner playing a Jewish mother.The actor, who played Jackie Goodman in the beloved Channel 4 sitcom, recently reflected on her role as a practising Christian with Jewish ancestry.“I think, given our sensitivity today about these issues, I probably shouldn’t have been in that show,” Greig told The Telegraph in a new interview.“We are much more conscious today than we were when that show was first aired.”She added: “For instance, Cleopatra has long been on my list of roles to play but

Channel 4 says she doesn’t believe that the station is a “left-wing organisation,” amid talk of privatisation.Earlier this year, then-Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that the privatisation of the channel is “needed” in order for it to “compete with the streaming giants”.Dowden then suggested that the additional money needed can come either “on the back of the taxpayer” or from private investment.In a new interview with the Telegraph, station boss Alex Mahon discussed the potential plans,

Taskmaster series 13 has been announced.After crowning impressionist Morgana Robinson as champion for series 12, the Channel 4 comedy game show revealed who will join hosts Greg Davies and Alex Horne next year.Comedians Chris Ramsey, Bridget Christie and Sophie Duker will all appear in series 13, alongside Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon and Loose Women panellist Judi Love.You can check out a trailer for the series below.Taskmaster will return in 2022 with @ardalsfolly, @BridgetChristie,

The End Of The F**king World star Alex Lawther has tempered expectations for a potential third season, at least anytime soon.Based on the comic book series by Charles Forsman, the Netflix series is a dark comedy-drama which follows James (Alex Lawther), who believes he’s a psychopath, and Alyssa (Jessica Barden) who seizes the opportunity to escape with him from her turbulent home life.A second series was released in November 2019, which starred Naomi Ackie as Bonnie, but a third series has yet

Carol Vorderman has marked a special milestone with the Countdown family. Taking to her social media pages on Tuesday, the 60-year-old revealed that it has been nearly four decades since she filmed her first episode with the late Richard Whiteley.READ: Carol Vorderman rules out Loose Women return after sudden exit"39 years ago today I started on the telly with my beloved Richard Whiteley on Countdown as the first ever show broadcast on the new channel @Channel4.

Channel 4 won’t be returning until mid-November following an outage that began three weeks ago.On September 25 the network’s subtitling system failed, leading over 500 viewers to complain to Ofcom.In a statement shared earlier this month (October 7), Channel 4 revealed that the problem stemmed from “the fire suppression system [being] triggered at Red Bee Media, the company that broadcasts our services”.They have now confirmed that they are building a new system, which will mean that subtitles

Channel 4‘s BAFTA-winning comedy Stath Lets Fats will release its third season on October 26.The film’s star and creator Jamie Demetriou took to Instagram to officially announce the news.

Taskmaster have apologised for an ongoing series of technical issues that the show has encountered.The show has come up against multiple problems over its recent series. In its second episode, the show suffered from several visual difficulties, including overbearing brightness and a lowered contrast which rendered some colours indistinguishable.Fans took to social media to call out the show’s issues.“What’s up with #taskmaster this week?” tweeted one viewer.

Taskmaster has come under fire from its audience after the show experienced technical difficulties during its most recent episode.The show’s problems came after a number of audio issues were reported during recent episodes of fellow Channel 4 shows Great British Bake Off and First Dates.The sound problems had been resolved by the time that Taskmaster aired yesterday evening (September 30).

Matt Baker and his wife embarked on a new venture shortly after the TV presenter left The One Show during lockdown last year.

Channel 4‘s acclaimed Troubles-set comedy is reported to end after its third season.Filming of the third season has begun this month, two years after the show’s second season aired.However, it has now been confirmed by a source, as reported by Daily Record, that the third chapter of the show will be its last.“Derry Girls has had a great run and will go down as one of Channel 4’s best ever comedies,” the said.“But the show’s come to its natural end and everybody associated believes it’s the right

Channel 4 is “needed” in order for it to “compete with the streaming giants”, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is expected to say in a new speech.Set to speak today (September 15) at the Royal Television Society Convention, Dowden is due to discuss Channel 4’s current “stable position” while outlining why further investment is key to its growth.“Without [more money], Channel 4 won’t have the money to invest in technology and programming, and it won’t be able to compete with the streaming giants,”

Usain Bolt and Idris Elba will feature on the celebrity line-up of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast reboot.As part of the channel’s Black to Front Project, The Big Breakfast returns with new hosts Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu on Friday (September 10) at 8am.The celebrity guests have been announced for the two-hour special, including Olympic legend Usain Bolt, Nile Rodgers, Eve, Idris Elba, Krept & Konan and Tokyo 2020 medallists Emily Campbell and Kye White.The reboot will be broadcast live from the

Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to share news of a nasty injury, and her fans were quick to sympathise.The actress tweeted a photo of herself posing with a wry expression as she looked at the camera.SEE: Nicola Coughlan's look in new picture might be one of her most avant garde yetHilariously, her slogan T-shirt read: "A little bit dramatic." She captioned the photo: "So. Who has two thumbs and a broken leg? ME, I’m grand.

Friday Night Dinner.Titled I Hate You, the show stars Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) and newcomer Melissa Saint as twenty-something best friends Charlie and Becca, following their “intense, messy friendship in today’s intense, complicated world”.A synopsis reads: “It’s about the one friend you can say anything to and do anything with: the idiotic in-jokes, and the laughing till you almost puke, as well as the insane bickering and late-night shouting matches.“It’s about that one friend you really

Ricky Gervais has spoken out about the potential sale of Channel 4.It comes after the government recently confirmed that it is considering selling off the channel, which is currently publicly owned but is funded by advertising.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) recently claimed the threat of the changing media landscape, including streaming, had led to the review.Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said it was the right time to “consider releasing Channel 4 from the constraints of

Channel 4‘s Derry Girls, has paid her respects to the show’s dog after it died.Toto, whose real name was Slipper, passed away after a short illness.McGee announced the canine’s passing on Twitter, writing: “Sad to hear that wee Slipper aka Toto passed away. You were a Derry Girl in dog form.

Stath Lets Flats is returning to Channel 4 for series three later this year.Producer Ash Atalla confirmed the good news on Twitter yesterday (June 7) writing: “It’s STATH LETS FLATS s3 coming later this year. All the flats all the jokes all the time.

Debrief is available to watch now.The star of The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner, who directed his first film Days Of The Bagnold Summer in 2019, steps into the comedy spotlight with the special airing exclusively on All 4, Channel 4′s streaming service.Debrief was recorded last month to an empty London Boulevard Theatre, with Bird quipping on topics ranging from nationalism and sexism to the environment and the NHS.The stand-up skit was written and produced in the “vacuum” of the

Steph McGovern has given fans a taste of her family life with her partner and their one-year-old baby daughter.Sharing a snippet from a previous interview with The Sun's TV Magazine on Instagram, the Packed Lunch host revealed how weekends are solely for her loved ones now she has waved goodbye to her "workacholic" days.READ: Steph McGovern turned to therapy after suffering night terrors about losing her babyWATCH: Steph McGovern opens up about the birth of her baby"Now Saturdays and Sundays are

own daytime chat show, starring in Made in Great Britain, as well as juggling life as a first-time mum. And during a candid chat with comedian Suzi Ruffell on her podcast called Out, Steph McGovern has given fans a rare insight into her personal life.READ: Steph McGovern turned to therapy after suffering night terrors about losing her babyThe 38-year-old lives with her female partner in Yorkshire, and they welcomed their first child together in November 2019.

Channel 4‘s popular lockdown hit The Circle has been cancelled after three seasons, the broadcaster has confirmed.The show, which has been hosted by Emma Willis since its second season, saw contestants isolated in flats in the same building, and can only interact with their co-stars via social media.In a statement to Digital Spy, Channel 4 announced that they will not be created a fourth season of the show.They said: “The Circle has been a huge hit for young audiences and has grown successively

Rachel Riley has taken to Twitter to share some sad news regarding the Countdown family with her fans.The 35-year-old, who fronts the Channel 4 daytime show, revealed that Marcel Stellman - the creator of Countdown - has passed away at the age of 96.READ: Pasha Kovalev shares fears for pregnant wife Rachel Riley over online trollingWATCH: Rachel Riley's daughter makes Countdown debut"Sad news at the loss of the man who brought Countdown to the UK," she tweeted alongside Marcel's family