Family says actor, who played Xander in hit TV series, died on Friday ‘in his sleep of natural causes’
Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for playing Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. He was 54.
Brendon’s family issued a statement saying that he died on Friday “in his sleep of natural causes”.
Continue reading...Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days
Continue reading...Calls for Alexandra Căpitănescu’s Choke Me to be banned as campaigners say lyrics are ‘dangerous’ and ‘reckless’
Romania’s Eurovision entry Choke Me has been labelled “dangerous” and “reckless” for appearing to glamorise sexual strangulation, an unsafe practice that can lead to brain injury and death.
Campaigners against sexual violence said the entry, in which the words “choke me” are repeated 30 times during the three-minute song, was “playing fast and loose with young women’s lives”.
Continue reading...Presenter who entertained children with his sharp-witted, furry puppet Agro Vation, remembered for his brash and unapologetic humour
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
Jamie Dunn, a veteran radio personality who unleashed the puppet Agro on Australia, entertaining children and adults alike for decades, has died aged 76.
Dunn, who was once Australia’s longest-serving breakfast radio host, died on Saturday.
Continue reading...Move comes after 35% of sector workers surveyed described their mental health as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’
The Film and TV charity has unveiled a landmark set of principles for safeguarding mental health in what’s been called a “watershed moment” for the UK creative sector’s duty of care to its production community.
The principles are the result of a collaboration between the charity and more than 45 industry organisations, including all the public service broadcasters, studios, leading streamers, production companies and trade unions.
Continue reading...Actor, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, says taking her 15-year-old daughter to school has become her ‘favourite thing to do’
Christina Applegate has revealed that she is now largely confined to her bed, five years after she was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis.
In an interview with People magazine before the release of her memoir, the 54-year-old actor said she spends a lot of her days in bed due to the pain that comes with movement.
The Guardian will run an extract from Christina Applegate’s memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, on 28 February
Continue reading...From the classic To Kill a Mockingbird to blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds, the Oscar-winning actor’s films spanned a remarkable range
Robert Duvall, the veteran actor who had a string of roles in classic American films including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, M*A*S*H and To Kill a Mockingbird, has died aged 95.
“Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort,” wrote his wife, Luciana Duvall, in a message on Facebook.
Continue reading...New episodes of sci-fi series achieve 59.6m views in first five days of release, a new record for an English language show
The upside-down is still the right way for Netflix – Stranger Things 5 is now the company’s biggest English-language debut ever.
The fifth season of the streaming company’s flagship sci-fi series achieved 59.6m views in its first five days on the platform, making for the best premiere week for an English-language series ever on Netflix, and the third biggest debut overall behind the second and third seasons of the Korean sensation Squid Game.
Continue reading...Rightwing activist claimed Commons deputy speaker Nusrat Ghani should be barred because she was born in Pakistan
GB News is facing calls to cut ties with a regular contributor who has been accused of racism after claiming that the House of Commons deputy speaker, Nusrat Ghani, should not be allowed in the house because she was born in Pakistan.
The comments by Lucy White, a rightwing activist, have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum amid warnings that explicitly racist language is becoming increasingly normalised in British life.
Continue reading...In Fritzi’s Footsteps tells story of a girl growing up in Leipzig who witnesses the fall of the Berlin Wall
The creators of a children’s television series about life in communist East Germany have said they hope it will awaken interest in the region’s history, after it was awarded an International Emmy.
Auf Fritzis Spuren (In Fritzi’s Footsteps) tells the story of a 12-year-old girl living in the eastern city of Leipzig and how she experiences life in the east and the events that lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Continue reading...Country explores taking part in the glitzy song contest as it distances from the US and seeks to deepen ties with Europe
When Canada released its federal budget this month, much of it was standard fare, from the plans to downsize the public service to the boost in defence spending.
But one line tucked in the nearly 500-page document has captured imaginations on both sides of the Atlantic: a mention that the government is working with Canada’s national broadcaster to explore participation in the Eurovision song contest.
Continue reading...Full text of director general’s note to staff and the resignation statement from head of news Deborah Turness
Davie resigns as BBC director general after accusations of ‘serious and systemic’ bias in coverage
BBC bias row: how a week of hostile headlines from rightwing media led to resignations
Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, and the head of BBC News have resigned after a former adviser to the corporation accused it of “serious and systemic” bias in its coverage of issues including Donald Trump, Gaza and trans rights.
This afternoon Davie sent the following note to staff:
Dear all,
I wanted to let you know that I have decided to leave the BBC after 20 years. This is entirely my decision, and I remain very thankful to the Chair and Board for their unswerving and unanimous support throughout my entire tenure, including during recent days.
Dear all,
I have never been more proud of the work that you do every day. You really are the best of the best.
Continue reading...Family pays tribute to actor who was a ‘bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen’
The Shirley Valentine actor Pauline Collins has died aged 85, her family has announced.
She died peacefully, surrounded by her family, in her care home in Highgate, north London, having had Parkinson’s disease for several years, they said.
Continue reading...French-Turkish actor appeared in a string of high-profile films, as well as hit BBC series The Missing
Tchéky Karyo, who appeared in some of director Luc Besson’s biggest hits and a string of international films, died on Friday at the age of 72, his family have announced.
A statement from his wife and children sent to AFP said he had “succumbed to cancer”.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Excavation, overseen by the US Department of Defense, will feature in More 4’s Hidden Wonders TV series
On 26 January 1944, a 23-year-old US pilot was flying a mighty P-47 Thunderbolt on a wartime training exercise when it crashed in Essex.
Locals witnessed the horror of 2nd Lt Lester Lowry’s aircraft diving to the ground and bursting into flames. Lowry was not seen to bail out and he has remained missing in action (MIA) for more than 80 years. Ironically, his plane was named “Lucky Boy”.
Continue reading...Lockhart started out on stage at age eight and appeared in scores of television series and feature films
June Lockhart, the popular actor known for her work in film and television, has passed away at the age of 100.
She died on Thursday night of natural causes, with daughter June Elizabeth and granddaughter Christianna by her side, according to People.
Continue reading...Director general says it is inappropriate for a journalist who may be covering that issue ‘to be campaigning in that way’
BBC journalists cannot wear T-shirts in the newsroom supporting the anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter, the corporation’s director general Tim Davie has said.
Davie said the BBC stood against racism but it was “not appropriate for a journalist who may be covering that issue to be campaigning in that way.
Continue reading...Deal reportedly closed for $140m a year, on the heels of worldwide success of Apple-produced Brad Pitt film F1
Apple has landed US broadcast rights to Formula One in a five-year deal that would help the tech giant bolster its streaming service with one of the country’s fastest-growing sports, following the success of its Brad Pitt-starrer F1: The Movie.
The two sides did not disclose the financial details of the deal on Friday. CNBC reported it was for $140m a year, much higher than the $90m the Walt Disney-owned ESPN was paying each season for F1, which it has broadcast since 2018.
Continue reading...Films of old favourites help lift toy sales 8% this year, with 2026 Masters of the Universe movie tipped for similar
A wave of “newstalgia” has fuelled a step up in growth of UK toy sales, with the muscle-bound 80s hero He-Man the latest retro name tipped for a revival thanks to the big screen.
After falling almost 4% in 2024, UK toy sales are up 8% so far this year, buoyed up by the Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch films as well as parents rebuying toys they once owned as children such as Care Bears and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, according to new data.
Continue reading...Office of public prosecutions says decision has ‘not yet been finalised’, four months after judge referred comments including Kyle Sandilands saying ‘lock that bitch up’
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
The Victorian office of public prosecutions has yet to rule out contempt charges in relation to comments made on the Kyle and Jackie O Show about the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson, four months after the co-hosts were criticised by a supreme court judge.
Justice Christopher Beale referred the comments to the office for contempt proceedings in June, after Kyle Sandilands made comments including, “just lock that bitch up” and called the case “not strong for her”.
Continue reading...